barrio azteca leaders
March 16, 2010. [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. 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. [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. Check the Creative Commons website for more details of how to share our work, and please send us an email if you use an article. [46][47] A day after the killings, the United States Department of State authorized the temporary departure of the workers in the U.S. consulate throughout northern Mexico, including the cities of Tijuana, Nogales, Matamoros, Nuevo Laredo, Monterrey, and Ciudad Jurez. 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). [42] Massacres, shootings, beheadings, torture videos on YouTube, and even car bombs were recorded in Ciudad Jurez that year. 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. Scroll through the slideshow for 10 things you need to know about the Barrio Azteca gang. 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. 2019. Rangel. They often use the letters "BA" or numbers "21" as their identifying symbols and tattoos. [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. 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. In addition, the gang has reportedly fixed some tactical errors that put it at an initial disadvantage, including beginning to use older model vehicles to maintain a lower profile and providing better training to its members. [68] They work day in and day out, often with a list of people to kill. [73] On March 5, 2020, 9 suspected La Empresa members were arrested. Share sensitive information only on official, secure websites. The purpose of the BA-La Linea alliance was to battle the Chapo Guzman Cartel and its allies for control of the drug trafficking routes through Juarez and Chihuahua. 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. 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. [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. "Negotiating Violence and Protection in Prison and on the Outside: The Organizational Evolution of the Transnational Prison Gang Barrio Azteca." The group also helped the Jurez Cartel to move people and drugs as well as to acquire weapons and vehicles. [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. "[78] The Gnome retaliated to the arrests of not only Soto, but also two other high ranking La Empresa leaders "Uncle" and "Goofy" with attacks on police officers. By the early 2000s, the gang controlled prisons in Chihuahua, and has since continued to grow. Not all the killings carried about by Ravelo's gang are a result of drug disputes. [14], Barrio Azteca is also reported to have kidnapped people in El Paso and drive them south into Ciudad Jurez to kill them. 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. [68] Ciudad Jurez is filled with safe houses, armories and garages with stolen cars for the cartel members and assassins to use. [12] Some undocumented Mexicans arrested in the United States are imprisoned in Texan prisons and consequently join Barrio Azteca. 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. [40] A gang leader of Barrio Azteca also admitted to have ordered the massacre because he thought rival gang members were there. Evidence was presented that Gonzales and Garcia were BA soldiers, whose duties included distributing drugs, picking up money from dealers and enforcement operations within their area of responsibility. The relationships between gangs and cartels are constant, but show no particular loyalties or allegiances. - coordinate teams logistics (plan the trips, book tickets) - organize and analyze the data of the accommodation/travels expenses. 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. Despite US efforts, the gang has apparently regained strength, and maintains significant power in Jurez, particularly as the power of the Jurez Cartel has declined. 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. Hector Galindo, 38, aka Silent, of El Paso, currently serving a 25-year Texas state sentence for murder, was sentenced to life prison. 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 . [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. [52] Reportedly, the gang leaders wanted the guard dead for mistreating members of the gang in jail. Lotyn Amerikos stiliaus bistro Vilniaus Centre, "Go9", Gedimino pr. The case was investigated by the FBIs El Paso Field Office, Albuquerque Field Office (Las Cruces Resident Agency), DEA Juarez and DEA El Paso. While incarcerated in the Texas Department of Corrections, he served as the right hand man to BA Captain Manuel Cardoza. The violence resulted in the deaths of 20 inmates. Tango Blast, Aryan Brotherhood and Aryan Circle are the most active prison gangs in the region. The organization, also known as Los Barrios, derives some of its strength through alliances with Mexican drug cartels. A committee of "generals," both in and out of prison rule by consensus. 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. Galindo, Gonzales and Garcia pleaded guilty to conspiracy to commit (RICO) on Jan. 26, 2012, Jan. 18, 2012, and Jan. 29, 2012, respectively. The Cereso jail in Jurez has also served as an important operational center for weapons and drugs smuggling, according to one former member. The remaining U.S.-based defendant, Ramon Renteria, aka Spooky, took his own life while in prison during his trial. According to US estimates, it had around 3,500 members in 2011. 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. According to the US Department of Justice, Barrio Azteca profits by moving heroin, cocaine and marijuana across the border. WASHINGTON - A leader and two soldiers in the Barrio Azteca (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 Assistant Attorney General Lanny A. Breuer of the Justice Department's Criminal Division, U.S. Attorney Robert Pitman for 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. We encourage readers to copy and distribute our work for non-commercial purposes, with attribution to InSight Crime in the byline and links to the original at both the top and bottom of the article. [30] When the Mexican authorities arrived, a large crowd gathered at the crime scene as the neighbors and family members of the victims, whose ages ranged from 15 to 20, cried and set down candles. 10 were here. [46] The weapons used in the attack and the style the U.S. officials were killed pointed to drug traffickers as suspects; evidence provided from American intelligence and Mexican authorities then pointed to Barrio Azteca as the perpetrators. [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. [75][76] On May 21, 2020, high ranking Barrio Azteca leader Jose Dolores Villegas Soto, who is known by his moniker "El Iraqui," and aliases "El Iraki" and "El Lolo," was arrested with 10 other suspected Barrio Azteca members. [20] 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. [22], At around 9:00p.m. on 26 July 2011, the Barrio Azteca carried out an attack on Los Mexicles, a street gang of the Sinaloa cartel, which left 17 dead and 20 injured inside a prison in Ciudad Jurez. Galindo, Gonzales and Garcia were charged in a 12-count third superseding indictment unsealed in March 2011. According to evidence presented in court, witnesses testified to the brutality of the BA. On October 20, 2009, he was named by the FBI as the 493rd fugitive to be placed on the Ten Most Wanted list. [9] The gang's primary source of income derives from smuggling drugs across the border from Mexico to the United States. He also participated in the BA's activities by distributing narcotics, including heroin and cocaine, and collected extortion funds that were . An official website of the United States government. [62], In June 2020, it was reported that La Lnea was the Jurez Cartel's most powerful fraction in Ciudad Jurez. At that point, the triggermen opened the doors of another room, and that is when the firing began. "[75] In addition to being the leader of this Barrio Azteca fraction, Mendoza was also target No. Because of the BAs alliance with the Juarez Drug Cartel, the gang receives illegal drugs at low cost and profits on its importation, sale and distribution within the United States. By current estimates, more than 2,000 members make up their ranks. [3] The gang was formed in the jails of El Paso in 1986 and expanded into a transnational criminal organization. A reputed Barrio Azteca gang leader on the FBI's Ten Most Wanted Fugitives list has been arrested in Mexico, authorities said Tuesday evening. [8], Some believe that the growth of Barrio Azteca in Mexico is due to the area's distinctive cross-border nature. Upon graduating from Moody College of Communication at the University of Texas at Austin in 2014, Joshua joined the Express-News in 2014 as a breaking news reporter. [54][55] Mendez, who was the El Paso FBI office's most wanted fugitive and the last person sought for the attacks, also made La Empresa a hybrid of Barrio Azteca. Ravelo then ordered the traitor to be sent to the Jurez cartel, and he was never heard from again. 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. Those not in good standing were targeted by the BA for assault or murder. [16] In the year 2005, an informant and former lieutenant of the gang testified that Ravelo was looking for a man who had stolen goods from the Jurez cartel. Lock [10] By June 2020, the Sinaloa Cartel's Los Salazar cell, and not Barrio Azteca, was the only other organized crime group which was considered on par with La Linea for control of the Ciudad Jurez drug trafficking market. The Barrio Azteca is one of the most violent prison gangs operating. 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. 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. In 2011, the FBI reported that Barrio Azteca also had members in Massachusetts and Pennsylvania. "[38] By mid-2011, four men linked to the massacre were found guilty of the killings and were sentenced to 240 years each by the state of Chihuahua. [15] Whatever the reasons, the attack sent shock waves and huge concern for the United States' role in Mexico, and how American street gangs are quickly adopting the violent tactics of Mexico's drug trafficking organizations and making alliances with them just across the border. [30] Videos from the crime scene depict a sparsely furnished home with large puddles of blood and taints smeared on the walls; in addition, more than 100 AK-47 bullet casings were found at the crime scene. [20] This massacre had come after a rare experience of 24 hours without any drug-related assassinations in Ciudad Jurez and after a large military buildup during that weekend. Ricardo Gonzales, 44, aka Cuate, of Anthony, N.M., was sentenced to 30 years in prison, and Adam Garcia, 35, aka Bad Boy, of El Paso, was sentenced to 20 years in prison. Witnesses also testified that the sale of illegal drugs is the life-blood of the BA. [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. The power of Barrio Azteca in Jurez puts it in an advantageous position. [69], On June 26, 2018, Barrio Azteca Capo Eduardo "Tablas" Ravelo was arrested. "[10] Members usually have U.S. citizenship, making them ideal cross-border killers able to move back and forth across the U.S.-Mexico border. Most members are Mexican national or Mexican American males. Tango Blast cliques along the Rio Grande Valley and in Corpus Christi are the region's major players, along with Texas Syndicate and Texas Mexican Mafia. By 1996, the Barrio Azteca had grown to become the one of the most powerful criminal enterprises of southern Texas. The group members face charges including drug trafficking and distribution, extortion, money laundering and murder.
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