Den Held discussed gang dynamics in Medelln, Colombia, and approaches used by, Our extensive coverage of criminal activity in the border areas between Venezuela and Colombia has been referenced in areportby the Colombia-Venezuela RADAR project of the Konrad, InSight Crimes continued coverage of cocaine production and trafficking made a significant impact on the newly released UNGlobal Report on Cocaine 2023, with our work cited. They began to recruit new inmates coming into the prison for violent gang crimes. [65] The locus of power of Barrio Azteca is based inside prisons, prompting worries that the operational capacity of the gang is not hindered when its leaders are imprisoned. [18] Today, the gang has expanded into a large criminal gang with presence in both the United States and Mexico, besetting by drug trafficking and human smuggling. At that point, the triggermen opened the doors of another room, and that is when the firing began. The Barrio Azteca was organized in the El Paso, Texas, County Jail in 1987 from where it moved to the streets and the Texas Department of Criminal Justice prison system. [9] The gang's primary source of income derives from smuggling drugs across the border from Mexico to the United States. As Gallegos-Castrellon arrived in chains, another leader and two soldiers in the Barrio Azteca were sentenced to life, 30 and 20 years in prison. As members of the Barrio Azteca gang, Hector Galindo, Ricardo Gonzales and Adam Garcia participated in a brutal criminal enterprise dedicated to spreading fear and violence on both sides of the border, said Assistant Attorney General Breuer. [citation needed], The Mexican authorities concluded that there were two possible explanations for the massacre: Either La Lnea and Barrio Azteca were responsible for the killings; or "independent gunmen" paid to kill a person nicknamed El Ratn, an alleged member of Artistas Asesinos. [20] [21] The exact reasons for the massacre are unknown, but the feud between Barrio Azteca and Artistas Asesinos runs deep, and they often fight for the control of drugs, guns, and other illicit contrabands inside prisons. The remaining U.S.-based defendant, Ramon Renteria, aka Spooky, took his own life while in prison during his trial. However, the successful prosecutions of Galindo, Gonzales and Garcia, and the conviction of other Barrio Azteca members reinforce another reality: that wherever these dangerous organizations operate, DEA and its partners will aggressively follow, investigate and prosecute., As members of the Barrio Azteca gang, Hector Galindo, Ricardo Gonzales and Adam Garcia participated in a brutal criminal enterprise dedicated to spreading fear and violence on both sides of the border, said Assistant Attorney General Lanny Breuer. When quota is collected by the BA, members and leaders deposit the money into the commissary accounts of incarcerated BA leaders, often using fake names or female associates to send the money by wire transfer. In Ciudad Jurez, however, the gang is known as Los Aztecas. These prison sentences send a strong message that even the most powerful and ruthless gangs cannot evade justice. [34], Four days after the massacre, a suspect identified as Jos Dolores Arroyo Chavarra was arrested by the Mexican military. [21] Back in 2005, the Barrio Azteca gang had carried out a murderous attack against members of Los Mexicles inside the same prison, leaving six dead. While incarcerated in the Texas Department of Corrections, he served as the right hand man to BA Captain Manuel Cardoza. The Barrio Azteca began in the late 1980s as a prison gang but has since expanded into a transnational criminal organization with approximately 3,500 members, including 600 active members. Bruno Angel Rangel, 38, allegedly was a former high-ranking Barrio Azteca leader who allied himself with La Linea in the current conflict between the crime organizations, police said. Evidence was presented that since 2003 the BA has trafficked hundreds of kilograms of cocaine and heroin. Despite being armed, they seem to follow the orders of the gang members without any resistance. Our prosecution of the Barrio Azteca gang, including for the U.S. Consulate-related murders in Juarez, Mexico, in 2010, has led to convictions against 24 gang members and leaders. The Barrio Azteca gang is known to engage in a wide range of criminal activity including contract killing, murder, torture, drug trafficking and human trafficking among other offenses. The group members face charges including drug trafficking and distribution, extortion, money laundering and murder. He allegedly pays his sicarios (hitmen) less than 500 pesos (or about $40 U.S. dollars) a week to carry out assassinations. The. [24], Initial reports had stated that the massacre had started as a clash between prison gangs,[25] but the surveillance video shows "cold-blood executions," and that the members of the Barrio Azteca gang carried out the shootout without any provocation from their enemies. He previously covered real estate, economic development, retail and tourism. Scroll through the slideshow for 10 facts you need to know about the Texas-Mexico border gang. Twenty-one of 22 U.S.-based defendants have pleaded guilty and have been sentenced, including another BA Lieutenant Roberto Angel Cardona, who was also sentenced to life by Judge Cardone on Feb. 17, 2012. Galindo, Gonzales and Garcia pleaded guilty to conspiracy to commit (RICO) on Jan. 26, 2012, Jan. 18, 2012, and Jan. 29, 2012, respectively. In total, the gang had an estimated 5,000 members in Juarez and 3,000 in the United States in 2013, Insight Crime reported. By the early 2000s, the gang controlled prisons in Chihuahua, and has since continued to grow. 9, Vilniuje. [29] As neighbors hid in their houses, some dialed the emergency services but the Mexican military and the Federal police did not arrive until after the killers had left. [38] He confessed to the authorities that the Jurez Cartel had received reports from within the organization that members of a rival drug trafficking organization were at the party the night the teenagers were killed. Twenty-one of 22 U.S.-based defendants have pleaded guilty and have been sentenced, including another BA Lieutenant Roberto Angel Cardona, who was also sentenced to life by Judge Cardone on Feb. 17, 2012. Barrio Azteca, a prison gang born in the Texas jail system, is becoming a major player in the Mexican underworld and the "X-factor" in the battle for Ciudad Juarez, Mexican officials told InSight Crime. As Barrio Azteca grew in power, it began to work directly with the Juarez Cartel and their alliance grew stronger. Vilnius. The case is being prosecuted by Trial Attorney Joseph A. Cooley of the Criminal Divisions Organized Crime and Gang Section, Trial Attorney Brian Skaret of the Criminal Divisions Human Rights and Special Prosecutions Section and Assistant U.S. Attorney George Leal of the Western District of Texas - El Paso Division. [56] After firing more than 70 bullets, the attackers fled the scene in three different cars at around 11:00p.m.[57][58] According to the witnesses' descriptions, the attackers were teenagers who had secured the area by blocking traffic. "I never even gave the United States much thought," said one of the family members, "But Mexico has abandoned us, betrayed us. The Barrio Azteca gang members organize themselves using a paramilitary structure and apply English terms or their Spanish equivalent words for ranks such as captain, lieutenant, and sergeant. Their members are behind the killing of a pregnant U.S. consulate and her husband. Much of the rest of the Barrio Azteca leadership is based in US jails, where leaders use telephones, the postal service and secret messages filtered to visitors to communicate with members on the outside. A locked padlock The states of Jurez and Chihuahua in Mexico; El Paso, Texas; Massachusetts; Pennsylvania; possibly New Mexico. The area of El Paso and Ciudad Jurez is in many ways one community, with families, friends, businesses and even gangs joined in the same urban sprawl. [38] The suspect said he acted as a lookout for the 24 gunmen that perpetrated the killing and had orders to "kill everyone inside. Coachella 2023: What to pack for a weekend in the desert, Preorder 'The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom' today, Create a bonsai tree out of bricks with this $40 LEGO set, Dyson's air purifying headphones have finally arrived, Save on AeroGarden indoor herb growing kits at Amazon. The Bloods, Crips, Surenos and Latin Kings are the most active street gangs, while Tango Blast cliques in San Antonio (Orejones) and Austin (La Capirucha) rule the prisons, along with the Texas Mexican Mafia and Aryan Brotherhood. They were sentenced yesterday in the Western District of Texas. Its members, or soldiers, are governed by captains, various lieutenants and numerous sergeants in the United States and Mexico. However, it counts among its rivals some cartel heavyweights such as the Sinaloa Cartel, headed by notorious drug lordJoaqun "El Chapo" Guzmn, and the Jalisco New Generation Cartel. The most extensive database on organized crime in the Americas. [33] The governor of the state of Chihuahua, Jos Reyes Baeza Terrazas, showed up at the funeral unexpectedly to pay his respects to the families. The Barrio Azteca gang is known to engage in a wide range of criminal activity including contract killing, murder, torture, drug trafficking and human trafficking among other offenses. 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Some, however, are beheaded. The gang, which refers to itself as the "Familia Azteca," requires members to prioritize gang activities over all else and has a set of "sacred rules," the breaking of which is grounds for harsh punishment and even death for gang members and their families. The Barrio Azteca (Spanish pronunciation:[barjo asteka]), or Los Aztecas (pronounced[los astekas]), is a Mexican-American street, and prison gang originally based in El Paso, Texas. [64], The gang also utilized a sophisticated communication network where they utilize coded letters, contraband cell phones that are smuggled into prison cells, and distribution of membership roster and hit-lists. While Barrio Azteca remains the dominant gang in El Paso, it lost in power in the city in 2014 as the Jurez Cartel continued to decline, according to the 2014 Texas Gang Threat Assessment, and a competitor gang called Sureo 13 grew as a result of a relationship with the Sinaloa Cartel. WASHINGTON, D.C. - A leader and two soldiers in the Barrio (BA), a transnational border gang allied with the Juarez Cartel, were sentenced in El Paso, Texas, to life, 30 and 20 years in prison, respectively, announced DEA Administrator Michele M. Leonhart, and other federal officials. Galindo was one of the ranking members of the BA who would receive laundered funds and disperse it within the Texas State prison system to further the criminal goals of the enterprise. Many of the members are in U.S. and Mexican prisons and. Gangs like the Bandidos Outlaw Motorcycle Gang, Aryan Brotherhood of Texas, Bloods, Crips, Texas Chicano Brotherhood and Partido Revolcionaro Mexicano (PRM) lack the size and structure or larger gangs like Tango Blast, but are responsible for a disproportionate amount of crime. [3] The gang was formed in the jails of El Paso in 1986 and expanded into a transnational criminal organization. Special assistance was provided by the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives; Immigration and Customs Enforcement; the U.S. Ravelo then ordered the traitor to be sent to the Jurez cartel, and he was never heard from again. Witnesses testified that Renteria was a BA Captain, the highest rank of the Barrio Azteca, and the only U.S.-based Captain not currently serving a life sentence in prison. Those not in good standing were targeted by the BA for assault or murder. "[75] In addition to being the leader of this Barrio Azteca fraction, Mendoza was also target No. Its members, or soldiers, are governed by captains, various lieutenants and numerous sergeants in the United States and Mexico. All 20 of the dead were members of Los Mexicles and Artistas Asesinos, indicating that the prison fight was instigated by members of the Barrio Azteca group. [11], The Barrio Azteca gang was formed in the jails of El Paso in 1986 and gained an image of being a tough and loyal gang willing to commit murder of civilians in order to keep fear in the minds of its members and ensure their loyalty/obedience. The group also helped the Jurez Cartel to move people and drugs as well as to acquire weapons and vehicles. Tango Blast, Aryan Brotherhood and Aryan Circle are the most active prison gangs in the region. [54], During a boy's birthday party at the Horizontes del Sur neighborhood in Ciudad Jurez, Chihuahua, several gunmen broke into a house and killed 14 people and wounded more than a twenty on 23 October 2010. [72] Santana is accused of being a major force in the recent bloodshed which occurred in Jurez. None of the threats were materialized, however. 2019. Use Next and Previous buttons to navigate. The Barrio Azteca gang emerged in Texas prisons, later served as armed support to the Jurez Cartel, and has since evolved to control local drug trafficking in Jurez. [78], "Negotiating Violence and Protection in Prison and on the Outside: The Organizational Evolution of the Transnational Prison Gang Barrio Azteca - R. V. Gundur, 2020", "Barrio Azteca Leader Gets Life in Prison", "Cartel de Azteca G Poised for Leap into International Drug Trade", "Colombian Trafficker with Links to Mexican and Colombian Cartels Extradited from Mexico to the United States", "Raids Aim to Find Killers of 3 in Mexico", "Why the Jalisco Cartel Does Not Dominate Mexico's Criminal Landscape", "Alleged mastermind of Jurez rehab massacre arrested", "Mexican traffickers get help from US prison gangs", "He's called the face of Ciudad Juarez terror", "20 killed in riot at Ciudad Juarez prison", "At least 20 dead in Mexican prison riot", "Rival drug gangs in Juarez prison clash, leaving 20 convicts dead RIOT: 200 police needed to gain prison control", "Mexican prison massacre that left 17 dead captured on video", "Sinister Details Emerge of Mexico Jail Massacre", "Video suggests Mexico prison guards' apparent involvement in shootings", "Jurez llora; exigen justicia tras matanza", "Death toll at 16 in Juarez party shooting", "Death toll in Mexican party massacre rises to 16", "Gunmen in Mexico Kill 16 in Attack on a Teenagers' Party", "More than a dozen die in Jurez massacre", "Families of 16 killed in Juarez massacre may seek safety in U.S.", "Presidential follow-up: Felipe Caldern visits families of young massacre victims in Jurez", "Mayor believes massacre at Juarez party that killed 16 was random", "Court convicts 4 in Mexico massacre case", "Mexico arrests suspect in Ciudad Juarez shooting attack on party", "Men convicted in Jurez birthday party massacre each get 240-year prison sentences", "Juarez Drug Cartel Leader Pleads Guilty to Charges Related to U.S. Consulate Murders and Is Sentenced to Life in Prison", "Mexican Drug Gang Leader Confesses to Killings", "Ciudad Juarez's drug war death toll hits 3,000", "Killing for kudos the brutal face of Mexico's 21st-century war", "Special report: Jurez deserves the title of most dangerous city in the world", "Two Drug Slayings in Mexico Rock U.S. Consulate", "Cartel Hit Men Blamed For Latest Juarez Slayings", "Mexico killings: Gunmen kill 3 with ties to US consulate", "Mxico extradita a EU al presunto lder del grupo criminal Barrio Azteca", "Mexico extradites suspect in US consulate killing", "Mexico extradites suspect in U.S. consulate killing", "Suspect Says Jurez Killers Had Pursued Jail Guard", "Mexican gang member sentenced to life in U.S. prison for murders", "Manhunt ends; final suspect in U.S. Consulate in Juarez murders captured", "Mexico Arrests Gangster Wanted for US Consulate Murders", "Death Toll in Jurez Attack Rises to 14", "13 partygoers killed by gunmen in attack in Ciudad Juarez", "Mexico: 13 dead in massacre at Ciudad Juarez party", "13 youths killed in massacre at birthday party in Ciudad Juarez", "13 Are Killed as Gunmen Storm House in Mexico", "Massacre At A Ciudad Juarez Family Party Leaves 13 Dead", "El ataque en Jurez estaba dirigido a un joven apodado El Ratn, indican pesquisas", "Barrio Azteca Leader Extradited from Mexico to United States to Face Charges Related to the U.S. Consulate Murders in Juarez, Mexico", "Barrio Azteca Leader Sentenced to Life in Prison and Two Barrio Azteca Soldiers Sentenced to 20 and 30 Years in Prison", "New adversary in U.S. drug war: Contract killers for Mexican cartels", "Barrio Azteca threat targets law officers", "FBI fugitive Barrio Azteca gang leader Eduardo Ravelo wanted in el Paso, caught in Mexico", "BREAKING: Alleged Barrio Azteca leader, FBI Most Wanted, arrested - KVIA", "Mexico federal police arrest reputed Barrio Azteca gang leader 'El 300' in Chihuahua City", "Chaos erupts in Juarez as warring cartels retaliate against recent police arrests", "Jurez police, Mexican army arrest 9 suspected members of la Empresa cartel crime group", "Jurez police arrest reputed Azteca 'Old Guard' gang leader on binational wanted list", "Cartel's alleged heroin distributor nabbed trying to cross 11 pounds into US", "Attacks on Jurez police erupt after arrest of reputed gang leader 'El Iraqui', "Gang leader's arrest triggers backlash in Chihuahua", R. V. Gundur. Drug distribution is believed to represent over half of the gang's revenue. [17] The informant said that Ravelo was taken to a house in El Paso where a gang member was being held, his mouth, wrists, and ankles bound with duct tape. A total of 35 BA members and associates based in the United States and Mexico were charged in the third superseding indictment for allegedly committing various criminal acts, including racketeering, narcotics distribution and importation, retaliation against persons providing information to U.S. law enforcement, extortion, money laundering, obstruction of justice and murder, including the 2010 Juarez consulate murders. Below them, captains control mini-plazas that are run by lieutenants. The gang expanded after 1996, due in part to increasing deportations of imprisoned Mexican criminals by the United States. To update those lists, members and other leaders would contact Galindo on his contraband prison cell phone to verify the status of persons claiming to be BA members and ensure that they were in good standing with the criminal organization. Inside and outside of prison, the gang thrives on violence - from gang beatings to drive-by shootings to murder - all in order to discipline its own members or fight against rivals. Todays sentencing by U.S. District Judge Kathleen Cardone of the Western District Court of Texas marks the closure of the case against the U.S.-based defendants charged in the superseding indictment. According to the US Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI), Barrio Azteca also has members in Massachusetts and Pennsylvania, and Texas authorities have reported a Barrio Azteca presence in New Mexico. Witnesses testified that Renteria was a BA Captain, the highest rank of the Barrio Azteca, and the only U.S.-based Captain not currently serving a life sentence in prison. Those who were not in good standing were executed. [72] In November 2019, three members of La Empresa were arrested. While gang activity is widespread, only about 15 percent have more than 11 members. Hector Galindo, 38, aka "Silent," of El Paso, currently serving a 25-year Texas state sentence for murder, was sentenced to life in prison. [71] On November 7, 2018, Rene Gerardo Santana Garza, known as "El 300," was arrested in Chihuahua City. The gang began to directly buy large sums of cocaine from the cartel at cheaper rates, and in return the gang would buy weapons in so called straw purchases from Texan gun shops and then smuggle them across the border.

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