Nevertheless, the FBIs 2015 National Gang Report says Barrio Azteca remained one of the most active gangs in the US border region, and will likely remain a major criminal actor for the foreseeable future. As of March 2015, the organization's top leader was Eduardo Ravelo, who formed part of the FBI's Top Ten Most Wanted Fugitives list until he was arrested in July 2018. [52] Others had other speculations on the attack; it was unclear whether the consulate worker was targeted for being slow with the visas of some cartel members; whether the worker had angered some members inside a Texan prison; whether the attack intended to be a message to the American drug agents; or whether simply case of mistaken identity. [12] Some undocumented Mexicans arrested in the United States are imprisoned in Texan prisons and consequently join Barrio Azteca. [46] The attack came during a violent weekend across Mexico, were nearly 50 people were killed across the country. 3 Five things to know about the return of Barrio Azteca as top gang threat; 4 Negotiating Violence and Protection in Prison and on the Outside; 5 Ink in the Clink: Prison tattoos explained | Truecrimedaily.com; 6 Reputed Barrio Azteca 'Old Guard' gang leader on wanted list arrested; 7 El Paso Intelligence Center: Mexican U.S. Consulate . The current leader of the Barrio Azteca, recognized by a majority of its members, is Mexican national Eduardo Ravelo. 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. Texas Mexican Mafia comes in a distant second with 4,700 members, followed by the Texas Syndicate (3,400 members), Latin Kings (2,100 members) and MS-13 (800 members). [49] Gallegos targeted the American officials because he believed they had given visas to members of a rival gang, although some say it was a case of mistaken identity. [29][31] They pleaded for their names not to be released for the fear of the hit men returning and taking revenge. [27] Witnesses said that the cartel members arrived at the crime scene in seven cars with tinted windows, closed down the street and blocked the exits. [69] Drug-sniffing dogs were also under a bounty. 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. 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. dollars. [64] The "life-blood" of the gang is the drug sale, which they buy at a low cost due to their alliance with the Jurez cartel and profits from its own importation to the U.S.[64] They also tax ("quota") independent drug dealers in El Paso, in other parts of West Texas, and in the Eastern part of New Mexico. In a relatively low-security area inside the prison, the gang members began to produce knives and force other guards to liberate 150 fellow members. Many of the members are in U.S. and Mexican prisons and. Some of these trainings took place further south of the border, in Torreon, Coahuila, indicating the group has expanded its reach into Mexico and is building its connections. The Barrio Azteca gang, also known as "Los Aztecas," was formed in the El Paso, Texas prison system in 1986. A murder in Texas drives a huge investigation which often leads to an arrest. "[26] Their reports state that the inmates had broken the rules of the jail and held large parties, possibly with the guards' permission. The relationships between gangs and cartels are constant, but show no particular loyalties or allegiances. The motorcycle gang has roots going back to the 1960s, but only debuted on the DPS's Texas Gang Threat Assessment in 2015 after a deadly clash with the Bandidos Motorcycle Club in Waco on May 17 that left nine people dead. When they are absolved from their sentences, they are sent back across the border into Mexico, where they quickly join the gang's ranks and carry out a number of crimes. [52] The speculation of this hypothesis was bolstered by the fact that the second victim was also in a white SUV, but U.S. authorities do not discard the possibility that the gunmen were searching for someone else in the second attack and coincidentally happened to be a white vehicle too, killing the consulate workers by mistake. Those not in good standing were targeted by the BA for assault or murder. WASHINGTONA leader and two soldiers in the Barrio Azteca (BA)a transnational border gang allied with the Juarez Cartelwere sentenced in El Paso, Texas, to life, 30, and 20 years in prison,. [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. These prison sentences send a strong message that even the most powerful and ruthless gangs cannot evade justice. By Fred Burton and Ben West On Nov. 3, a U.S. District Court in El Paso, Texas, began hearing a case concerning members of a criminal enterprise that calls itself Barrio Azteca (BA). The group already controls local drug distribution, smuggles drugs across the border, and has members in Texas, providing it with essential connections to expand operations. Eduardo "Tablas" Ravelo had been wanted for . [37] It has fed up $400 million to repair the city's social fabric. [21] Once they took the guards hostage, Barrio Azteca members went into high-security blocks where the rival members were in, forced the guards to open them, and went about killing the rival inmates. [24] According to The Guardian, the video suggests that the guards may have allowed the assassins to kill the inmates, proving that the prison was plagued by "weak controls, disorganisation and possible corruption. The attacks brought down a great deal of pressure from the US government, which issued a federal indictment of 35 Barrio Azteca members in Texas in March 2011 on counts of extortion, murder, drug trafficking and money laundering. [19] It took the guards, police, and Mexican military more than three hours to put down the unrest inside the prison. 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. The Barrio Azteca came out of Texas prisons but has since formalized its structure to become a drug trafficking cartel. Of the 35 indicted, 33 had been arrested and 26 had been convicted as of March 2015. The remaining U.S.-based defendant, Ramon Renteria, aka Spooky, took his own life while in prison during his trial. [64] Officials on both sides of the border have observed how Barrio Azteca locate their targets, stalk them and finally ambush them in multiple car chases, using coded radio communications, coordinated blocking maneuvers, and with well-trained shooters wearing ski masks and body armor. Witnesses also testified to the Barrio Aztecas practice of extorting quota or taxes on non-BA drug dealers who sold illegal narcotics in El Paso and the greater West Texas and Eastern New Mexico area. By the early 2000s, the gang controlled prisons in Chihuahua, and has since continued to grow. Lock While gang activity is widespread, only about 15 percent have more than 11 members. 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. Total of 24 Barrio Azteca Members and Associates Convicted to Date. Key responsibilities: - find and book accommodation for platers/brush cutters teams. [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. [18], According to reports of U.S. authorities, Ravelo was born in Mexico but has permanent residence in the United States. In that role, Galindo maintained communication with other BA Captains and Lieutenants in the United States and Mexico and was specifically in charge of BA operations in Texas. 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. [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. The gang also allies with other gangs including the Mexican Mafia and MS-13. According to court documents and information presented in court, Galindo was a top Lieutenant in the BA. [70] Ravelo, who was also on the FBI Ten Most Wanted Fugitives list,[70] is believed to have been in charge of the gang's operations in Jurez. [11], The gang has a militaristic structure, and includes captains, lieutenants, sergeants, and foot soldiers used with the sole purpose of maintaining territorial control and enriching its members and associates through drug trafficking, homicide, money laundering, extortion, and intimidation. They began to recruit new inmates coming into the prison for violent gang crimes. [35] But Caldern was widely criticized for his initial comments after the massacre, where he claimed that the investigations had showed that those killed were almost certainly targeted for being involved in organized crime. The group has control over other local gangs, has members across the border, and already moves drug shipments across the border. Family launches GoFundMe to help man shot during Fiesta in S.A. 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Some of the violence was captured by a surveillance video that shows two gunmen clearing a hallway of guards before unlocking a door and allowing several triggermen to shoot inside a room where the inmates were killed. According to court documents and information presented in court throughout this case, the Barrio Azteca is a violent street and prison gang that began in the late 1980s and expanded into a transnational criminal organization. Scroll through the slideshow for 10 facts you need to know about the Texas-Mexico border gang. Secure .gov websites use HTTPS An alleged leader of the Barrio Azteca (BA), a transnational border gang allied with the Juarez Cartel, was extradited from Mexico to the United States to face charges related to the March 2010 U.S. Consulate murders in Juarez, Mexico, Assistant Attorney General Lanny A. Breuer of the Justice Department's Criminal Division, U.S. Attorney Robert Pitman for the Western District of Texas, FBI . We want to sustain Latin Americas largest organized crime database, but in order to do so, we need resources. Hector Galindo, 38, aka "Silent," of El Paso, currently serving a 25-year Texas state sentence for murder, was sentenced to life in prison. The drug routes through Juarez, known as the Juarez Plaza, are important to drug trafficking organizations because they are a principal illicit drug trafficking conduit into the United States. [69], On June 26, 2018, Barrio Azteca Capo Eduardo "Tablas" Ravelo was arrested. Ravelo was believed to issue orders for the organization in Jurez, to move back and forth across the US border, and to be responsible for a great deal of the violence that has wracked the border state. 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. RELATED:21 alleged members of drug cartel-affiliated Barrio Azteca gang arrested in West Texas. [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. [63] In and outside of prison, from gang beatings to drive-by shootings, Barrio Azteca disciplines its own members and rivals. U.S. and Mexican law enforcement are actively seeking to apprehend the two remaining fugitives in this case, including Luis Mendez and Eduardo Ravelo, an FBI Top Ten Most Wanted Fugitive. [15], Eduardo Ravelo, the current leader of the Barrio Azteca, began his criminal career in the year 2003, amassing a list of charges for racketeering and numerous conspiracy charges with the intent to distribute narcotics. Some are shot dead, while others are tortured and then shot. The group has as many as 5,000 members in the Juarez area alone. [28] Some of the teenagers were shot as they tried to flee and their corpses were found in the neighboring houses. [52] Reportedly, the gang leaders wanted the guard dead for mistreating members of the gang in jail. [24] Officials of the state of Chihuahua said they were unable to locate the five weapons used in the massacre; nonetheless, an AR-15 assault rifle, one of the weapons thought to be used in the massacre, was confiscated. > A hands-on and results-driven People & Culture leader with more than 17 years' experience working closely with CEOs and senior leaders to deliver innovative HR programs that generate tangible business outcomes. The gang's key ally is the Jurez Cartel and its armed wing, La Linea. [3] The gang was formed in the jails of El Paso in 1986 and expanded into a transnational criminal organization. [74], In January 2020, Juarez police arrested the leader of the group's "Old Guard" fraction, Jesus Alfredo Martinez Mendoza, alias "El Freddy or El Ferro. [34][36] The parents of the victims hung huge placards outside their houses accusing Caldern of failing to solve the massacre and explicitly saying that "until those responsible are found, [he was] the murderer. All of these factors create a very real possibility that, if the gang were to gain control over US-bound drug shipments moving through Jurez, Barrio Azteca could move into full-blown international drug trafficking. [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. 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. [15], On April 5, 2012, the authorities concluded that the Barrio Azteca murdered the three U.S. consulate members as part of an agreement with Jos Antonio Acosta Hernndez (El Diego), a former top lieutenant of the Jurez cartel who was imprisoned after being convicted and receiving a life sentence. [68] After fulfilling their mission, the gang members return to safe houses throughout the city or return across the international bridge to El Paso. The U.S. Attorneys Office for the District of New Mexico provided significant assistance in this case, including by Assistant U.S. Attorney Sarah Davenport. Testimony also indicated that the BA is well-organized and militaristic in structure. 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. While incarcerated in the Texas Department of Corrections, he served as the right hand man to BA Captain Manuel Cardoza. 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. 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. [31] They gave no official statement for the motives behind the killing, but the massacre bore all the signs of the drug violence that Ciudad Jurez was living for the past three years. 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. According to court documents and information presented in court throughout this case, the Barrio Azteca is a violent street and prison gang that began in the late 1980s and expanded into a transnational criminal organization. The case was investigated by the FBIs El Paso Field Office, Albuquerque Field (Las Cruces Resident Agency), DEA Juarez and DEA El Paso. Diplomatic Security Service; the Texas Department of Public Safety; the Texas Department of Criminal Justice; El Paso Police Department; El Paso County Sheriffs Office; El Paso Independent School District Police Department; Texas Alcohol and Beverage Commission; New Mexico State Police; Dona Ana County, N.M., Sheriffs Office; Las Cruces, N.M., Police Department; Southern New Mexico Correctional Facility and Otero County Prison Facility New Mexico. [12] The Barrio Azteca has long sold drugs moved by the Jurez Cartel. On October 20, 2009, he was named by the FBI as the 493rd fugitive to be placed on the Ten Most Wanted list. 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. The U.S. Attorneys Office for the District of New Mexico provided significant assistance in this case, including by Assistant U.S. Attorney Sarah Davenport. Evidence was presented that since 2003 the BA has trafficked hundreds of kilograms of cocaine and heroin. Barrio Azteca also works with the Zetas. [citation needed] Numerous media outlets around the world considered Ciudad Jurez as one of the most dangerous if not the most dangerous city on the planet in 2010. 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 drug routes through Juarez, known as the Juarez Plaza, are important to drug trafficking organizations because they are a principal illicit drug trafficking conduit into the United States. [1] Barrio Aztecaknown as BAis an extremely violent gang, with as many as 3,500 members on the street and in jail, both in El Paso and across the Rio Grande in Juarez, Mexico. [68] Ciudad Jurez is filled with safe houses, armories and garages with stolen cars for the cartel members and assassins to use. [64] To prevent officers from understanding their communication network, Barrio Azteca also created a secret language based on Nahuatl. [34] Caldern has met with young people and representatives of the federal program to discuss and analyze the city's achievements. Galindo, Gonzales and Garcia were charged in a 12-count third superseding indictment unsealed in March 2011. 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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. Boozy Hill Country golf course tees off in New Braunfels, What to know about the invasive hammerhead flatworms in Texas, Cardi B speaks out on viral 'mean girls' TikTok at Astros game. Marshals Service; U.S. Customs and Border Protection; Federal Bureau of Prisons; U.S. Those who were not in good standing were executed. None of the threats were materialized, however. "Negotiating Violence and Protection in Prison and on the Outside: The Organizational Evolution of the Transnational Prison Gang Barrio Azteca." Witnesses also testified to the Barrio Aztecas practice of extorting quota or taxes on non-BA drug dealers who sold illegal narcotics in El Paso and the greater West Texas and Eastern New Mexico area. He allegedly pays his sicarios (hitmen) less than 500 pesos (or about $40 U.S. dollars) a week to carry out assassinations. Rangel. Some of the victims were stabbed with knives, while others were beaten to death; some were killed with home-made guns. [7], The gang, which operates in the U.S. and Mexico, has morphed into a prime example of the "cross-border nature of Mexico's drug war. And, their numbers total in the thousands on both sides of the U.S.-Mexico border. The gang expanded after 1996, due in part to increasing deportations of imprisoned Mexican criminals by the United States. Roughly 33 percent of gang members entering the Texas Department of Criminal Justice system in 2014 were from the southeast Texas region, with 90 percent of those coming from Greater Houston. Vilnius. Barrio Azteca has approximately 600 active members who engage in murder, assault, extortion, human and drug trafficking, and other crimes. The Jurez Cartel's armed wing, "La Linea," recruited members from Barrio Azteca to fight the Sinaloa Cartel in 2008, and many gang members were killed or arrested. 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. During its initial years, the gang's aim was street robbery to collect funds to liberate prisoners in jail. [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. [42] Massacres, shootings, beheadings, torture videos on YouTube, and even car bombs were recorded in Ciudad Jurez that year. 10 were here. The US Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) is currently offering a reward of up to $100,000 for information leading to the arrest of Barrio Azteca leader Eduardo Ravelo, who has a place on the FBI's " Top Ten Most Wanted List ." InSight Crime Analysis [34], Four days after the massacre, a suspect identified as Jos Dolores Arroyo Chavarra was arrested by the Mexican military. Witnesses specifically implicated Galindo, then incarcerated in the Coffield Unit of the Texas Department of Criminal Justice, as the central leader within the organization who kept track of membership records, hit lists and gang treaties for the BA. Use Next and Previous buttons to navigate. [13] They are alleged by the Mexican authorities to have committed numerous brutal assassinations in the city, although the exact numbers are unknown.
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