[53], On March 9, 2020, Mexican police arrested Luis El Tio (The Uncle) Gerrado Mendez, a former member of Barrio Azteca who later became the reputed founder of La Empresa (The Company), for his connection to the consulate murders as well. 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 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. Under the tutelage of Ravelo, the gang moves narcotics along the border with the aid of Vicente Carrillo Fuentes' cartel. The Barrio Azteca was able to quickly grow in large numbers without much problems. [18], According to reports of U.S. authorities, Ravelo was born in Mexico but has permanent residence in the United States. Tango Blast, Texas Syndicate, Bloods, Crips, Gangster Disciples and MS-13 all were identified as active in human smuggling operations in 2014. The so-called "hybrid members" allow the gangs to grow their empires with increased influence both in prisons and on the streets. 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. According to the US Department of Justice, Barrio Azteca profits by moving heroin, cocaine and marijuana across the border. 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. 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. [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. 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. [37] It has fed up $400 million to repair the city's social fabric. [34] Caldern has met with young people and representatives of the federal program to discuss and analyze the city's achievements. Barrio Azteca ~ Borderland Beat The gang also tortures and murders its victims in front of a large and cheering gang audience. [9] The gang's primary source of income derives from smuggling drugs across the border from Mexico to the United States. Ravelo, who was under pressure from La Linea . 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. 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,. 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. Barrio Azteca - InSight Crime 10 facts about the Barrio Azteca, one of the most dangerous - mySA An official website of the United States government. According to evidence presented in court, witnesses testified to the brutality of the BA. 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. 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. When quota is collected by the BA, members and leaders deposit the money into the commissary accounts of incarcerated BA leaders, often using fake names or female associates to send the money by wire transfer. Barrio Azteca is one of the most violent prison gangs in the United States. They were sentenced yesterday in the Western District of Texas. Ravelo then ordered the traitor to be sent to the Jurez cartel, and he was never heard from again. [73] On March 5, 2020, 9 suspected La Empresa members were 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. [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. ) or https:// means youve safely connected to the .gov website. A murder in Texas drives a huge investigation which often leads to an arrest.
Michael Bowen Obituary,
Strong Earthy Girl Names,
Articles B