We then verify, write and edit, providing the tools to generate real impact. They were sentenced yesterday in the Western District of Texas. [20] The brawl, which was between Barrio Azteca and Los Mexicles, erupted at around 6 a.m. after the conclusion of a series of conjugal visits. 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. 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 the 2000s, the BA formed an alliance in Mexico with La Linea, which is part of the Juarez Drug Cartel (also known as the Vincente Carrillo Fuentes Drug Cartel or VCF). [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. They began to recruit new inmates coming into the prison for violent gang crimes. Some of the violence was captured by a surveillance video that shows two gunmen clearing a hallway of guards before unlocking a door and allowing several triggermen to shoot inside a room where the inmates were killed. [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. RELATED:21 alleged members of drug cartel-affiliated Barrio Azteca gang arrested in West Texas. By the early 2000s, the gang controlled prisons in Chihuahua, and has since continued to grow. [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. Official websites use .govA .gov website belongs to an official government organization in the United States. The Barrio Azteca gang emerged in Texas prisons, later served as armed support to the Jurez Cartel, and has since evolved to control local drug trafficking in Jurez. Des Linden unveils new book, shares race day must-haves. [18], According to reports of U.S. authorities, Ravelo was born in Mexico but has permanent residence in the United States. [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. [69], On June 26, 2018, Barrio Azteca Capo Eduardo "Tablas" Ravelo was arrested. The remaining U.S.-based defendant, Ramon Renteria, aka Spooky, took his own life while in prison during his trial. Barrio Azteca - Wikipedia The list of 10+ barrio azteca tattoo meanings Through the ongoing and joint efforts of the law enforcement community we will continue the fight to bring to justice predators such as Galindo, Gonzales and Garcia., This investigation highlights an unfortunate reality: leaders within growing trans-national prison and street gangs like the Barrio Azteca continue to promote violence and manage their drug trafficking activities even after the cell door closes, said DEA Administrator Leonhart. [17] In El Paso Ravelo's gang is known as Barrio Azteca, a gang originally morphed from the so-called Mexican Mafia prison gang. RELATED:Why 'El Chapo's' beauty queen wife says she is 'afraid for his life'. The relationships between gangs and cartels are constant, but show no particular loyalties or allegiances. [8], Some believe that the growth of Barrio Azteca in Mexico is due to the area's distinctive cross-border nature. [1] The gangs alleged leader Eduardo Ravela is on the FBIs Top Ten most wanted list. [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. Main tasks to coordinate the process of employees accommodation and logistics. He is also a former fugitive wanted on several charges related to drugs and organized crime. According to US estimates, it had around 3,500 members in 2011. [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. 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,. Drug distribution is believed to represent over half of the gang's revenue. The gang members then beat up their victims and throw them in the hole. The group also helped the Jurez Cartel to move people and drugs as well as to acquire weapons and vehicles. And, their numbers total in the thousands on both sides of the U.S.-Mexico border. According to testimony presented at sentencing, Cardona was a leader in the Barrio Azteca gang. The gang began to directly buy large sums of cocaine from the cartel at cheaper rates, and in return the gang would buy weapons in so called straw purchases from Texan gun shops and then smuggle them across the border. 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. [59] The Mexican police declined to comment if the killing was drug-related, but Felipe Caldern's response was remarkably different from the Villas de Salvrcar massacre, where he claimed that the massacre was most likely due to internal adjustments between the cartels. [31] They gave no official statement for the motives behind the killing, but the massacre bore all the signs of the drug violence that Ciudad Jurez was living for the past three years. Through the ongoing and joint efforts of the law enforcement community we will continue the fight to bring to justice predators such as Galindo, Gonzales and Garcia.. They are also responsible for the distribution and sale of narcotics both in and outside prisons. 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. 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. [68] They work day in and day out, often with a list of people to kill. Marshals Service; U.S. Customs and Border Protection; Federal Bureau of Prisons; U.S. New foe in U.S. drug war: Mexican assassins - NBC News 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] The attack came during a violent weekend across Mexico, were nearly 50 people were killed across the country. He previously covered real estate, economic development, retail and tourism. 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. Mexico Rehab Center Massacre Tied to Conflict Over Local Drug Trade Valuable assistance was provided by the Criminal Divisions Offices of International Affairs and Enforcement Operations. 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. [64] To prevent officers from understanding their communication network, Barrio Azteca also created a secret language based on Nahuatl. [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. 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. Some of the victims were stabbed with knives, while others were beaten to death; some were killed with home-made guns. [15], Eduardo Ravelo, the current leader of the Barrio Azteca, began his criminal career in the year 2003, amassing a list of charges for racketeering and numerous conspiracy charges with the intent to distribute narcotics. [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. 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. A committee of "generals," both in and out of prison rule by consensus. [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. [52] Others had other speculations on the attack; it was unclear whether the consulate worker was targeted for being slow with the visas of some cartel members; whether the worker had angered some members inside a Texan prison; whether the attack intended to be a message to the American drug agents; or whether simply case of mistaken identity. [29][31] They pleaded for their names not to be released for the fear of the hit men returning and taking revenge. Galindo, Gonzales and Garcia pleaded guilty to conspiracy to commit racketeering (RICO) on Jan. 26, 2012, Jan. 18, 2012, and Jan. 29, 2012, respectively.