barrio azteca leaders

Those not in good standing were targeted by the BA for assault or murder. 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. The group has as many as 5,000 members in the Juarez area alone. [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. [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. [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. An official website of the United States government. [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. Marshals Service; U.S. Customs and Border Protection; Federal Bureau of Prisons; U.S. 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. 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. Joshua Fechter is a reporter covering City Hall and San Antonio politics for the Express-News. 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. [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. A lock (LockA locked padlock) or https:// means youve safely connected to the .gov website. While gang activity is widespread, only about 15 percent have more than 11 members. [46] The attack came during a violent weekend across Mexico, were nearly 50 people were killed across the country. This is a carousel. 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. And, their numbers total in the thousands on both sides of the U.S.-Mexico border. Specifically, he was the El Paso BA leader in 2010 until he was arrested on drug charges on April 30, 2010. [66] Members of Barrio Azteca tend to have both Mexican and U.S. citizenship, and authorities believe they carry out crimes in Ciudad Jurez and then return legally to the United States. Share sensitive information only on official, secure websites. The so-called "hybrid members" allow the gangs to grow their empires with increased influence both in prisons and on the streets. 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. [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. 10 facts about the Barrio Azteca, one of the most dangerous gangs in Texas, Mark Lambie/AP Photo/El Paso Times, Mark Lambie. Barrio Azteca Leader Sentenced To Life In Prison 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. Ruta Sidlauskaite - Guide & Tour Leader - Freelance | LinkedIn Special assistance was provided by the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives; Immigration and Customs Enforcement; the U.S. However, the 2018 arrest of Ravelo, the gang's reputed top leader, suggests authorities are aware of the threat posed by the group and are working to confront it. The power of Barrio Azteca in Jurez puts it in an advantageous position. 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. 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. 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. He also participated in the BA's activities by distributing narcotics, including heroin and cocaine, and collected extortion funds that were . [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. Mexico Rehab Center Massacre Tied to Conflict Over Local Drug Trade 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. [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. "[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. Vilnius. By 2013, it reportedly had up to 5,000 in the Jurez area alone and an estimated 3,000 in the United States. [69], On June 26, 2018, Barrio Azteca Capo Eduardo "Tablas" Ravelo was arrested. [42] Massacres, shootings, beheadings, torture videos on YouTube, and even car bombs were recorded in Ciudad Jurez that year. Valuable assistance was provided by the Criminal Divisions Offices of International Affairs and Enforcement Operations. The relationships between gangs and cartels are constant, but show no particular loyalties or allegiances. The gang's highly organized nature has helped it gain membership on both sides of the border, and it could now be in a position to make the leap into large-scale transnational organized crime. 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. 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