Testimony also indicated that the BA is well-organized and militaristic in structure. [69] Drug-sniffing dogs were also under a bounty. The recent arrest of a top Barrio Azteca leader in Mexico offers additional insight into the criminal and drug trafficking dynamics along the US-Mexico border at a time when US President Donald Trump continues his rhetorical onslaught against the MS13. 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. 10 were here. "[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. [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. Their leader is one of the FBI's 10 most wanted criminals. 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. [39] In 2012 it was later confirmed by the Mexican authorities that the massacre was ordered by Jos Antonio Acosta Hernndez (El Diego), a former drug baron of La Lnea that is now imprisoned. [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. ) or https:// means youve safely connected to the .gov website. A murder in Texas drives a huge investigation which often leads to an arrest. [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. The Barrio Azteca gang, also known as "Los Aztecas," was formed in theEl Paso, Texasprison system in 1986. [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. [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. He also participated in the BA's activities by distributing narcotics, including heroin and cocaine, and collected extortion funds that were . Galindo, Gonzales and Garcia were charged in a 12-count third superseding indictment unsealed in March 2011. Tango Blast, Texas Syndicate, Bloods, Crips, Gangster Disciples and MS-13 all were identified as active in human smuggling operations in 2014. Barrio Azteca Gang Leader Sentenced in Texas to Life in Prison [18], According to reports of U.S. authorities, Ravelo was born in Mexico but has permanent residence in the United States. 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. 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. Valuable assistance was provided by the Criminal Divisions Offices of International Affairs and Enforcement Operations. By the early 2000s, the gang controlled prisons in Chihuahua, and has since continued to grow. Barrio Azteca | Detailed Pedia [68] After fulfilling their mission, the gang members return to safe houses throughout the city or return across the international bridge to El Paso. Valuable assistance was provided by the Criminal Divisions Offices of International Affairs and Enforcement Operations. [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. [4][5][6] Currently one of the most violent gangs in the United States,[7] they are said to have over 3,000 members across the country in locations such as New Mexico, Texas, Massachusetts, and Pennsylvania as well as at least 5,000 members in Ciudad Juarez, Mexico. Eduardo "Richolm" Ravelo (born October 13, 1968) is a Mexican American gangster who was a leader of the Barrio Azteca gang. [41] Despite the arrests, many of the family members were unhappy with the efforts of the Mexican government and said that they were planning to abandon Mexico and seek safe haven in Texas to protect their children. 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. "[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. 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. Marshals Service; U.S. Customs and Border Protection; Federal Bureau of Prisons; U.S. Tango Blast, Aryan Brotherhood and Aryan Circle are the most active prison gangs in the region. The United States has sanctioned four suspected members of Mexicos powerful CJNG cartel, alleging that they controlled drug operations at, The Chapitos are winning the internal war for the Sinaloa Cartel and doing it in a different way than their, A package bomb that killed a restaurateur and his manager underscores the escalating use of explosives and the terror, This week, InSight Crime deputy editor, Juan Diego Posada, was interviewed by theAssociated Pressabout connections between theex-FARC mafiaand Brazilian criminal groups, and, As Ecuadors security crisis worsens, global media outlets have called on InSight Crime to provide expert knowledge on the criminal dynamics fueling the growing criminality.Americas Quarterly cited our work on, InSight Crime senior investigator Douwe den Held was interviewed by Chilean newspaperEl Mercuriothis week. 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. The Department of Public Safety has released its 2015 Texas Gang Threat Assessment report. Ruta Sidlauskaite - Guide & Tour Leader - Freelance | LinkedIn Some are shot dead, while others are tortured and then shot. The gang is highly structured and has an estimated membership of 2,000. The boss' criminal career began in 2003, with the man eventually collecting a long list of charges both for traffic of narcotics and violent activities. Des Linden unveils new book, shares race day must-haves. 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. According to court documents and information presented in court, Galindo was a top Lieutenant in the BA. 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. El Paso Intelligence Center: Mexican U.S. Consulate Murderers Gang A locked padlock [51] After the arrest of a suspect in connection with the killings, the gang member said that Barrio Azteca was pursuing a guard from the El Paso County Jail and not the U.S. officials, but this information has not been confirmed. By current estimates, more than 2,000 members make up their ranks. [68] They work day in and day out, often with a list of people to kill. [64] To prevent officers from understanding their communication network, Barrio Azteca also created a secret language based on Nahuatl. 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). Below them, captains control mini-plazas that are run by lieutenants. [70] Several other members of the Barrio Azteca were arrested with Ravelo as well. 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. They began to recruit new inmates coming into the prison for violent gang crimes. Drug distribution is believed to represent over half of the gang's revenue. According to US estimates, it had around 3,500 members in 2011. Lotyn Amerikos stiliaus bistro Vilniaus Centre, "Go9", Gedimino pr. 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. An official website of the United States government. The list of 10+ barrio azteca tattoo meanings Furthermore, if the cartel needed to intimidate or carry out an assassination in the United States, they would simply call on the Barrio Azteca. 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. [26] Moreover, the prison was highly overcrowded, with over 2,700 inmates in a facility with a capacity of only 850 prisoners. [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. [25], Gunmen burst into a party in a small working-class neighborhood known as Villas de Salvrcar in Ciudad Jurez, killing 16 teenagers on 31 January 2010. 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. [14], Barrio Azteca is also reported to have kidnapped people in El Paso and drive them south into Ciudad Jurez to kill them. RELATED:Feds: Fugitive Texas elementary teacher tied to hit men, drug running and kidnapping. [12] When the Sinaloa Cartel made its first incursion into Ciudad Jurez in 2008, Barrio Azteca was called to defend the plaza. Barrio Azteca gang leader gets 116 years in murders of 2 state police agents in Jurez Daniel Borunda El Paso Times 0:00 2:15 A Jurez gang leader last week was sentenced to more than 116. Knocking Down Barrio Azteca | Police Magazine 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. [11] Los Salazar, a powerful cell of the Sinaloa Cartel, had by this point also managed to build a significant presence in Ciudad Jurez and was seen as on par with La Lnea in the Ciudad Jurez drug trafficking market as well. Barrio Azteca - unitedgangs.com [69], On June 26, 2018, Barrio Azteca Capo Eduardo "Tablas" Ravelo was arrested.
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