WASHINGTON - A Barrio Azteca (BA) gang leader was sentenced to life in prison without parole for his participation in a racketeering conspiracy, announced 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 Assistant Director of the Criminal [73] On March 5, 2020, 9 suspected La Empresa members were arrested. Mar 2019 - Jun 20212 years 4 months. The organization, also known as Los Barrios, derives some of its strength through alliances with Mexican drug cartels. The. [70] Several other members of the Barrio Azteca were arrested with Ravelo as well. [72] In November 2019, three members of La Empresa were arrested. Eduardo "Richolm" Ravelo (born October 13, 1968) is a Mexican American gangster who was a leader of the Barrio Azteca gang. Furthermore, if the cartel needed to intimidate or carry out an assassination in the United States, they would simply call on the Barrio Azteca. Valuable assistance was provided by the Criminal Divisions Offices of International Affairs and Enforcement Operations. Barrio Azteca has approximately 600 active members who engage in murder, assault, extortion, human and drug trafficking, and other crimes. 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. While gang activity is widespread, only about 15 percent have more than 11 members. "[33], 2010 was the most violent year in the history of Ciudad Jurez, where more than 3,000 people were killed. 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. Special assistance was provided by the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives; Immigration and Customs Enforcement; the U.S. 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 Departments Criminal Division, U.S. Attorney Robert Pitman for the Western District of Texas, FBI Special Agent in Charge Mark Morgan of the FBIs El Paso Office and Administrator Michele M. Leonhart of the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA). [54], During a boy's birthday party at the Horizontes del Sur neighborhood in Ciudad Jurez, Chihuahua, several gunmen broke into a house and killed 14 people and wounded more than a twenty on 23 October 2010. [37] It has fed up $400 million to repair the city's social fabric. 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. 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. 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. [24], Initial reports had stated that the massacre had started as a clash between prison gangs,[25] but the surveillance video shows "cold-blood executions," and that the members of the Barrio Azteca gang carried out the shootout without any provocation from their enemies. Texas Mexican Mafia comes in a distant second with 4,700 members, followed by the Texas Syndicate (3,400 members), Latin Kings (2,100 members) and MS-13 (800 members). Many of the members are in U.S. and Mexican prisons and. [21] The exact reasons for the massacre are unknown, but the feud between Barrio Azteca and Artistas Asesinos runs deep, and they often fight for the control of drugs, guns, and other illicit contrabands inside prisons. In Ciudad Jurez, however, the gang is known as Los Aztecas. The mastermind behind the murders, Arturo Gallegos Castrellon, received a life sentence in April 2014. "[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. The most extensive database on organized crime in the Americas. [15] Whatever the reasons, the attack sent shock waves and huge concern for the United States' role in Mexico, and how American street gangs are quickly adopting the violent tactics of Mexico's drug trafficking organizations and making alliances with them just across the border. Ravelo, who was under pressure from La Linea . According to evidence presented in court, witnesses testified to the brutality of the BA. Secure .gov websites use HTTPSA lock ( March 16, 2010. The US Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) is currently offering a reward of up to $100,000 for information leading to the arrest of Barrio Azteca leader Eduardo Ravelo, who has a place on the FBI's " Top Ten Most Wanted List ." InSight Crime Analysis According to the February 2014 testimony of one jailed Azteca member serving as a witness in the trial of former leader Arturo Gallegos, members of the gang have received training from the Zetas in assassination, extortion and security. According to the testimony of an alleged Barrio Azteca member, gang members torture and kill their victims by digging up holes in the ground, throwing a bunch of mesquite, and then pouring in some gasoline. [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. [68] Barrio Azteca has also authorized the killings of U.S. law enforcement officials for cracking down their criminal operations, offering up to $200,000 U.S. [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. The group has as many as 5,000 members in the Juarez area alone. [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. Total of 24 Barrio Azteca Members and Associates Convicted to Date. Marshals Service; U.S. Customs and Border Protection; Federal Bureau of Prisons; U.S. Once the money is collected, the Barrio Azteca members deposit it into the bank accounts of imprisoned leaders of their own organization, often using fake names and female associates by wire transfer. About. 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. [21] Back in 2005, the Barrio Azteca gang had carried out a murderous attack against members of Los Mexicles inside the same prison, leaving six dead. [78], "Negotiating Violence and Protection in Prison and on the Outside: The Organizational Evolution of the Transnational Prison Gang Barrio Azteca - R. V. Gundur, 2020", "Barrio Azteca Leader Gets Life in Prison", "Cartel de Azteca G Poised for Leap into International Drug Trade", "Colombian Trafficker with Links to Mexican and Colombian Cartels Extradited from Mexico to the United States", "Raids Aim to Find Killers of 3 in Mexico", "Why the Jalisco Cartel Does Not Dominate Mexico's Criminal Landscape", "Alleged mastermind of Jurez rehab massacre arrested", "Mexican traffickers get help from US prison gangs", "He's called the face of Ciudad Juarez terror", "20 killed in riot at Ciudad Juarez prison", "At least 20 dead in Mexican prison riot", "Rival drug gangs in Juarez prison clash, leaving 20 convicts dead RIOT: 200 police needed to gain prison control", "Mexican prison massacre that left 17 dead captured on video", "Sinister Details Emerge of Mexico Jail Massacre", "Video suggests Mexico prison guards' apparent involvement in shootings", "Jurez llora; exigen justicia tras matanza", "Death toll at 16 in Juarez party shooting", "Death toll in Mexican party massacre rises to 16", "Gunmen in Mexico Kill 16 in Attack on a Teenagers' Party", "More than a dozen die in Jurez massacre", "Families of 16 killed in Juarez massacre may seek safety in U.S.", "Presidential follow-up: Felipe Caldern visits families of young massacre victims in Jurez", "Mayor believes massacre at Juarez party that killed 16 was random", "Court convicts 4 in Mexico massacre case", "Mexico arrests suspect in Ciudad Juarez shooting attack on party", "Men convicted in Jurez birthday party massacre each get 240-year prison sentences", "Juarez Drug Cartel Leader Pleads Guilty to Charges Related to U.S. Consulate Murders and Is Sentenced to Life in Prison", "Mexican Drug Gang Leader Confesses to Killings", "Ciudad Juarez's drug war death toll hits 3,000", "Killing for kudos the brutal face of Mexico's 21st-century war", "Special report: Jurez deserves the title of most dangerous city in the world", "Two Drug Slayings in Mexico Rock U.S. Consulate", "Cartel Hit Men Blamed For Latest Juarez Slayings", "Mexico killings: Gunmen kill 3 with ties to US consulate", "Mxico extradita a EU al presunto lder del grupo criminal Barrio Azteca", "Mexico extradites suspect in US consulate killing", "Mexico extradites suspect in U.S. consulate killing", "Suspect Says Jurez Killers Had Pursued Jail Guard", "Mexican gang member sentenced to life in U.S. prison for murders", "Manhunt ends; final suspect in U.S. Consulate in Juarez murders captured", "Mexico Arrests Gangster Wanted for US Consulate Murders", "Death Toll in Jurez Attack Rises to 14", "13 partygoers killed by gunmen in attack in Ciudad Juarez", "Mexico: 13 dead in massacre at Ciudad Juarez party", "13 youths killed in massacre at birthday party in Ciudad Juarez", "13 Are Killed as Gunmen Storm House in Mexico", "Massacre At A Ciudad Juarez Family Party Leaves 13 Dead", "El ataque en Jurez estaba dirigido a un joven apodado El Ratn, indican pesquisas", "Barrio Azteca Leader Extradited from Mexico to United States to Face Charges Related to the U.S. Consulate Murders in Juarez, Mexico", "Barrio Azteca Leader Sentenced to Life in Prison and Two Barrio Azteca Soldiers Sentenced to 20 and 30 Years in Prison", "New adversary in U.S. drug war: Contract killers for Mexican cartels", "Barrio Azteca threat targets law officers", "FBI fugitive Barrio Azteca gang leader Eduardo Ravelo wanted in el Paso, caught in Mexico", "BREAKING: Alleged Barrio Azteca leader, FBI Most Wanted, arrested - KVIA", "Mexico federal police arrest reputed Barrio Azteca gang leader 'El 300' in Chihuahua City", "Chaos erupts in Juarez as warring cartels retaliate against recent police arrests", "Jurez police, Mexican army arrest 9 suspected members of la Empresa cartel crime group", "Jurez police arrest reputed Azteca 'Old Guard' gang leader on binational wanted list", "Cartel's alleged heroin distributor nabbed trying to cross 11 pounds into US", "Attacks on Jurez police erupt after arrest of reputed gang leader 'El Iraqui', "Gang leader's arrest triggers backlash in Chihuahua", R. V. Gundur. Witnesses testified that Renteria was a BA Captain, the highest rank of the Barrio Azteca, and the only U.S.-based Captain not currently serving a life sentence in prison. They were sentenced yesterday in the Western District of Texas. 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. [20] At one point, inmates could be seen lighting mattresses and bodies being thrown from second-story windows. By current estimates, more than 2,000 members make up their ranks. [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. [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 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. [citation needed] Numerous media outlets around the world considered Ciudad Jurez as one of the most dangerous if not the most dangerous city on the planet in 2010. [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. A principal enemy is the Sinaloa Cartel, along with its subcontractor, the Mexicles gang. [65] They had a membership of 2,000 strong in Ciudad Jurez alone that year. [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. 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. [12] The Barrio Azteca has long sold drugs moved by the Jurez Cartel. [40] A gang leader of Barrio Azteca also admitted to have ordered the massacre because he thought rival gang members were there. Those not in good standing were targeted by the BA for assault or murder. They were sentenced yesterday in the Western District of Texas. [72] Santana is accused of being a major force in the recent bloodshed which occurred in Jurez. They often use the letters "BA" or numbers "21" as their identifying symbols and tattoos. "[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. [64] Officials on both sides of the border have observed how Barrio Azteca locate their targets, stalk them and finally ambush them in multiple car chases, using coded radio communications, coordinated blocking maneuvers, and with well-trained shooters wearing ski masks and body armor. [74], In January 2020, Juarez police arrested the leader of the group's "Old Guard" fraction, Jesus Alfredo Martinez Mendoza, alias "El Freddy or El Ferro. [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. [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. None of the threats were materialized, however. The purpose of the BA-La Linea alliance was to battle the Chapo Guzman Cartel and its allies for control of the drug trafficking routes through Juarez and Chihuahua. 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. "Negotiating Violence and Protection in Prison and on the Outside: The Organizational Evolution of the Transnational Prison Gang Barrio Azteca." [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. 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 . 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. [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. 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. Share sensitive information only on official, secure websites. 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 These command sergeants, who are not always fully-fledged members, and finally soldiers, or "indios," who are often underage and are used for the local distribution of small amounts of drugs. "[26] Their reports state that the inmates had broken the rules of the jail and held large parties, possibly with the guards' permission. On October 20, 2009, he was named by the FBI as the 493rd fugitive to be placed on the Ten Most Wanted list. [63] In and outside of prison, from gang beatings to drive-by shootings, Barrio Azteca disciplines its own members and rivals. [68] They work day in and day out, often with a list of people to kill. The gang's control over Jurez puts it in a position to move into major transnational drug trafficking. The so-called "hybrid members" allow the gangs to grow their empires with increased influence both in prisons and on the streets. [18], According to reports of U.S. authorities, Ravelo was born in Mexico but has permanent residence in the United States. Todays sentencing by U.S. District Judge Kathleen Cardone of the Western District Court of Texas marks the closure of the case against the U.S.-based defendants charged in the superseding indictment. According to US estimates, it had around 3,500 members in 2011. By 2013, it reportedly had up to 5,000 in the Jurez area alone and an estimated 3,000 in the United States. The Barrio Azteca gang, also known as "Los Aztecas," was formed in theEl Paso, Texasprison system in 1986. [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. Their leader is one of the FBI's 10 most wanted criminals. While incarcerated in the Texas Department of Corrections, he served as the right hand man to BA Captain Manuel Cardoza. [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. In the 2000s, the BA formed an alliance in Mexico with La Linea, which is part of the Juarez Drug (also known as the Vincente Carrillo Fuentes Drug Cartel or VCF). Those not in good standing were targeted by the BA for assault or murder. 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. [42] Massacres, shootings, beheadings, torture videos on YouTube, and even car bombs were recorded in Ciudad Jurez that year. Family launches GoFundMe to help man shot during Fiesta in S.A. 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