barrio azteca leaders

Generator vs power station: Which one is right for you? 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. [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. Barrio Azteca Research Paper - 628 Words | Internet Public Library Specifically, he was the El Paso BA leader in 2010 until he was arrested on drug charges on April 30, 2010. RELATED:Why 'El Chapo's' beauty queen wife says she is 'afraid for his life'. Some are shot dead, while others are tortured and then shot. About. [12] But in Ciudad Jurez, it is one of the more than ten corpses found dead on a daily basis. [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. They were sentenced yesterday in the Western District of Texas. The group also helped the Jurez Cartel to move people and drugs as well as to acquire weapons and vehicles. 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. Tri-City Bombers, Latin Kings and Surenos are more active on a street gang level. A lock (LockA locked padlock) or https:// means youve safely connected to the .gov website. 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. The gang expanded after 1996, due in part to increasing deportations of imprisoned Mexican criminals by the United States. [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. [23] The violence continued elsewhere throughout the prison until around 2 a.m. the next day. The gang also controls local drug distribution, extortion rackets and human smuggling in Jurez, and uses other smaller, local gangs for manpower, as well as charging other criminals to operate in its territory. Main tasks to coordinate the process of employees accommodation and logistics. Marshals Service; U.S. Customs and Border Protection; Federal Bureau of Prisons; U.S. Family launches GoFundMe to help man shot during Fiesta in S.A. 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[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. According to the US Department of Justice, Barrio Azteca profits by moving heroin, cocaine and marijuana across the border. Meet the Barrio Azteca gang, considered one of the most dangerous criminal organizations in Texas. Week 1: Barrio Aztecas U.S.Consulate Murder Trial Specifically, during todays hearing, one witness recalled an instance in which Gonzales tried to collect an extortion fee from a New Mexico drug dealer, and when the dealer refused to pay, Gonzalez pulled a gun, put it to dealers head, and threatened to kill him. The gang also tortures and murders its victims in front of a large and cheering gang audience. [63] In and outside of prison, from gang beatings to drive-by shootings, Barrio Azteca disciplines its own members and rivals. 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. The power of Barrio Azteca in Jurez puts it in an advantageous position. 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. The gang is highly structured and has an estimated membership of 2,000. [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. The Barrio Azteca gang, also known as "Los Aztecas," was formed in the El Paso, Texas prison system in 1986. 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. 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 - Wikipedia The violence resulted in the deaths of 20 inmates. 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 . [12] In addition, Barrio Azteca controls most of the drug sales for the Jurez Cartel in Ciudad Jurez's streets and prisons, although other gangs and independent operators abound. As Barrio Azteca grew in power, it began to work directly with the Juarez Cartel and their alliance grew stronger. 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 gang was formed in the jails of El Paso in 1986 and expanded into a transnational criminal organization. Ruta Sidlauskaite - Guide & Tour Leader - Freelance | LinkedIn Evidence was presented that since 2003 the BA has trafficked hundreds of kilograms of cocaine and heroin. [37] It has fed up $400 million to repair the city's social fabric. By 1996, the Barrio Azteca had grown to become the one of the most powerful criminal enterprises of southern Texas. Twenty-four of those defendants have pleaded guilty, one defendant committed suicide while imprisoned during his trial and six others are pending extradition from Mexico. According to US estimates, it had around 3,500 members in 2011. 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. "[67], Gang members in the organizations refer to each other as "carnal," a slang term for brother. [3] The gang was formed in the jails of El Paso in 1986 and expanded into a transnational criminal organization. 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. Of the 35 defendants charged, 33 have been apprehended, including April Cardoza, who was found in Juarez, Mexico, last week. Gustavo "Tavo" Gallardo, formerly a leader of the Barrio Aztecas in El Paso, testified in court that long before the drug cartel wars began in 2008 in Juarez, the Carrillo Fuentes drug cartel wanted to kill off the Aztecas because they were suspected of stealing millions of dollars from the cartel. 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. 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 [32], One by one, the coffins of the victims were carried out from their homes on 4 February 2010, as their families demanded for justice. [18], A fierce battle between rival drug trafficking organizations broke loose inside a prison on the outskirts of Ciudad Jurez on 5 March 2009. [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. [72] Santana is accused of being a major force in the recent bloodshed which occurred in Jurez. [6] The DEA estimates that about 70% of the cocaine to enter the United States does so through the area. He also unveiled a billboard facing traffic in El Paso, Texas heading into Mexico that reads "No More Weapons," and criticized the United States for not renewing a ban on the sales of assault weapons that expired in 2004. "[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. [31] The relatives and witnesses interviewed after the massacre insisted that the teenagers had nothing to do with the drug trade and were "good kids. Drug distribution is believed to represent over half of the gang's revenue. Besides drug trafficking, they have been charged with a medley of different crimes. The so-called "hybrid members" allow the gangs to grow their empires with increased influence both in prisons and on the streets. 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. The mastermind behind the murders, Arturo Gallegos Castrellon, received a life sentence in April 2014. "[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. 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. The Barrio Azteca gang, also known as "Los Aztecas," was formed in theEl Paso, Texasprison system in 1986. A locked padlock New foe in U.S. drug war: Mexican assassins - NBC News 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. Below them, captains control mini-plazas that are run by lieutenants. ) or https:// means youve safely connected to the .gov website. Violence in Mexico: Barrio Azteca gang leader gets 116 years in prison The case was investigated by the FBIs El Paso Field Office, Albuquerque Field (Las Cruces Resident Agency), DEA Juarez and DEA El Paso. Beginning in the 2000s, Barrio Azteca started to assist Mexico's Jurez Cartel with operations, and the gang became an important element in the battle between the Jurez Cartel and the Sinaloa Cartel for control of the city of Jurez. dollars. 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. Tango Blast, Texas Syndicate, Bloods, Crips, Gangster Disciples and MS-13 all were identified as active in human smuggling operations in 2014. Some murders are carried out to intimidate and as retaliation attacks. Then they light the whole thing on fire. Vilnius. The Cereso jail in Jurez has also served as an important operational center for weapons and drugs smuggling, according to one former member. Mexico Rehab Center Massacre Tied to Conflict Over Local Drug Trade El Paso Intelligence Center: Mexican U.S. Consulate Murderers Gang According to court documents and information presented in court, Galindo was a top Lieutenant in the BA. Those who were not in good standing were executed. [48] This was not solely a response for the incident in Ciudad Jurez, but because of the drug-related violence along the border. While incarcerated in the Texas Department of Corrections, he served as the right hand man to BA Captain Manuel Cardoza. [43][44][45], Initial reports stated that unknown gunmen of a drug trafficking organization shot and killed a pregnant U.S. consulate woman and her husband at broad daylight in Ciudad Jurez on 13 March 2010, leaving a baby wailing in the back seat of the car. [72] In November 2019, three members of La Empresa were arrested. 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. 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. Rta Starkien - Chief People & Culture Officer - Lewben | LinkedIn 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 also testified to the extensive communication web of the BA, including utilizing coded letters, contraband cell phones within state and federal prison facilities, and distribution of membership rosters and hit lists. 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. Twenty-four of those defendants have pleaded guilty, one defendant committed suicide while imprisoned during his trial and six others are pending extradition from Mexico. [20] One report issued by Los Angeles Times stated that members of Barrio Azteca stole the keys of a prison guard and were able to free their cohorts and begin a rampage in cells controlled by their rival groups. [65] In March 2010, the FBI and the police department in El Paso stated that Barrio Azteca was more powerful than Los Zetas in the Jurez plaza. Barrio Azteca Leader Sentenced to Life in Prison and Two Barrio Azteca Barrio Azteca also draws recruits from Jurez jails who are attracted by the strict order that the gang enforces on members. In 2010, Barrio Azteca members allegedly murdered 15 teenagers at a party, and later that same year, killed a US Consulate employee, her husband and the husband of another employee in Ciudad Jurez. Barrio Azteca Leader Sentenced To Life In Prison [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. The remaining U.S.-based defendant, Ramon Renteria, aka Spooky, took his own life while in prison during his trial. 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. [12] Some undocumented Mexicans arrested in the United States are imprisoned in Texan prisons and consequently join Barrio Azteca. 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. Valuable assistance was provided by the Criminal Divisions Offices of International Affairs and Enforcement Operations. Eduardo Ravelo - Wikipedia Barrio Azteca Leader's Arrest Casts Doubt on Trump Border Rhetoric This is a carousel. The group members face charges including drug trafficking and distribution, extortion, money laundering and murder. The states of Jurez and Chihuahua in Mexico; El Paso, Texas; Massachusetts; Pennsylvania; possibly New Mexico. Official websites use .govA .gov website belongs to an official government organization in the United States. Barrio Azteca | Detailed Pedia 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 . [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. 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. RELATED:21 alleged members of drug cartel-affiliated Barrio Azteca gang arrested in West Texas. Tango Blast, Aryan Brotherhood and Aryan Circle are the most active prison gangs in the region. 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. 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. In total, the gang had an estimated 5,000 members in Juarez and 3,000 in the United States in 2013, Insight Crime reported. Barrio Azteca Gang Poised for Leap into International Drug Trade Key responsibilities: - find and book accommodation for platers/brush cutters teams. [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. [52] Reportedly, the gang leaders wanted the guard dead for mistreating members of the gang in jail. Ten of these members were specifically indicted in connection with the 2010 Consulate case. 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. [54] With his arrest, all 35 suspects named by the U.S. Justice Department in 2011 for involvement in the consulate killings had been captured. [8], In 2008, Cartel de Azteca formed an alliance with La Lnea, the armed wing of the Jurez Cartel, to fight off the forces of the Sinaloa Cartel, who were attempting to take over the drug smuggling routes in the area. The group has control over other local gangs, has members across the border, and already moves drug shipments across the border. DPS also cited the 2014 indictment of 55 Barrio Azteca members and associates as handicapping the gang's effectiveness. Some, however, are beheaded. [8], Some believe that the growth of Barrio Azteca in Mexico is due to the area's distinctive cross-border nature. [65] They had a membership of 2,000 strong in Ciudad Jurez alone that year. The gang's control over Jurez puts it in a position to move into major transnational drug trafficking. [12] When the Sinaloa Cartel made its first incursion into Ciudad Jurez in 2008, Barrio Azteca was called to defend the plaza. Testimony also indicated that the BA is well-organized and militaristic in structure. 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. However, DPS downgraded the threat posed by the Barrio Azteca gang in 2015 after considering it among the state's most violent Texas-based gangs since 2010. 10 were here. In 2011, the FBI reported that Barrio Azteca also had members in Massachusetts and Pennsylvania. 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. 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. The gangs alleged leader Eduardo Ravela is on the FBIs Top Ten most wanted list. The Barrio Azteca Trial and the Prison Gang-Cartel Interface - Stratfor [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. [65] There are around 500 small gangs working for the Barrio Azteca and looking to earn a position by "joining the big shots. [42] Massacres, shootings, beheadings, torture videos on YouTube, and even car bombs were recorded in Ciudad Jurez that year. 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. [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. 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. Silome dienos p While incarcerated in the Texas Department of Corrections, he served as the right hand man to BA Captain Manuel Cardoza. Hector Galindo, 38, aka Silent, of El Paso, currently serving a 25-year Texas state sentence for murder, was sentenced to life prison. Marshals Service; U.S. Customs and Border Protection; Federal Bureau of Prisons; U.S. [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. The federal agency is offering up to $100,000 for information leading to his capture. While gang activity is widespread, only about 15 percent have more than 11 members. [77] Soto was also revealed to be the leader of the La Empresa cartel at the time of his arrest, and that his successor was identified as "The Gnome. [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. Barrio Azteca - InSight Crime

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