Pandillas en USA

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Product No. 2005-R0485-040

Volume 4, Number 40 October 4, 2005

Special Issue

Gangs in the United States

OVERVIEW

This report presents an overview of signifi-cant criminal gangs in the United States. Crimi-

nal gangs are present in all 50 states and theDistrict of Columbia and pose a serious threat tomany communities. Street gangs, prison gangs,and outlaw motorcycle gangs (OMGs) are theprimary retail distributors of drugs in the coun-try. In 2004 law enforcement agencies in 1,479U.S. jurisdictions responding to the NationalDrug Intelligence Center (NDIC) National DrugThreat Survey (NDTS) reported gang involve-ment in drug distribution. The threat is furthermagnified by the large number of gang membersand high levels of violence associated with thegangs attempts to control and expand drug traf-ficking operations, as well as their increasedcooperation with international drug traffickingorganizations (DTOs)particularly MexicanDTOs. In addition, law enforcement authoritiesthroughout the country report that gangs areresponsible for most of the serious violent crimein the major cities of the United States. Gangs

engage in an array of criminal activities includ-ing assault, burglary, drive-by shooting, extor-tion, homicide, identification fraud, moneylaundering, and robbery.

STREET GANGS

According to the U.S. criminal code, streetgangs are ongoing groups, clubs, organizations, orassociations of five or more individuals that haveas one of their primary purposes the commission ofone or more criminal offenses. Street gangs arelocated throughout the country, and their member-ships vary in number, racial and ethnic composi-tion, and structure. Large national street gangs pose

the greatest threat because they smuggle, produce,transport, and distribute large quantities of illicitdrugs throughout the country and are extremelyviolent. Local street gangs in rural, suburban, andurban areas pose a low but growing threat, trans-porting and distributing drugs within very specificareas. These gangs often imitate the larger, morepowerful national gangs in order to gain respectfrom rivals. The following are some of the moreprominent street gangs in the United States.


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Narcotics Digest Weekly

18th StreetFormed in Los Angeles, 18th Street is a group

of loosely associated sets or cliques, each led byan influential member. Membership is estimatedto be 30,000 to 50,000. In California approxi-mately 80 percent of the gangs members are ille-gal aliens from Mexico and Central America. The

gang is active in 44 cities in 20 states. Its mainsource of income is street-level distribution ofcocaine and marijuana and, to a lesser extent, her-oin and methamphetamine. Gang members alsocommit assault, auto theft, carjacking, drive-byshooting, extortion, homicide, identificationfraud, and robbery.

Figure 1. 18th Street tattoo.BureauofAlcohol,Toba

cco,FirearmsandExplosives

Almighty Latin King andQueen Nation

Almighty Latin King and Queen Nation(ALKQN) was formed in the 1970s by LuisFelipe. The gang shares a common culture andstructure with the Chicago-based Latin Kings butdoes not report to Latin Kings. Membership is

estimated to be 2,200 to 7,500, divided amongseveral dozen chapters operating in 15 cities infive states. A primary source of income is the dis-tribution of powdered cocaine, crack cocaine, andmarijuana. The gang is also involved in variouscriminal activities including assault, auto theft,burglary, and homicide.

Asian BoyzAsian Boyz is one of the largest Asian street

gangs operating in the United States. Formed in

southern California in the early 1970s, the gang isestimated to have 1,300 to 2,000 members operat-ing in at least 28 cities in 14 states. Members pri-marily are Vietnamese or Cambodian males.Members of Asian Boyz are involved in producing,transporting, and distributing methamphetamine,as well as distributing MDMA (3,4-methylene-dioxymethamphetamine, also known as ecstasy)and marijuana. In addition, gang members areinvolved in other criminal activities including

assault, burglary, drive-by shooting, and homicide.

Black Peace Stone NationBlack Peace Stone Nation, one of the largest

and most violent associations of street gangs in theUnited States, consists of seven highly structuredstreet gangs with a single leader and a common cul-ture. It has an estimated 6,000 to 8,000 members,most of whom are African American males fromthe Chicago metropolitan area. The gangs mainsource of income is the street-level distribution ofcocaine, heroin, marijuana and, to a lesser extent,methamphetamine. Members also are involved inmany other types of criminal activity includingassault, auto theft, burglary, carjacking, drive-byshooting, extortion, homicide, and robbery.


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National Drug Intelligence Center

BloodsBloods is an association of structured and

unstructured gangs that have adopted a single gangculture. Large, national-level Bloods gangs includeBounty Hunter Bloods and Crenshaw Mafia Gang-sters. Bloods membership is estimated to be 5,000to 20,000; most members are African American

males. Bloods gangs are active in 123 cities in 33states. The main source of income for Bloodsgangs is street-level distribution of cocaine andmarijuana. Bloods members also are involved intransporting and distributing methamphetamine,heroin, and PCP (phencyclidine), but to a muchlesser extent. The gangs also are involved in othercriminal activity including assault, auto theft, bur-glary, carjacking, drive-by shooting, extortion,homicide, identification fraud, and robbery.

CripsCrips is a collection of structured and unstruc-

tured gangs that have adopted a common gang cul-ture. Crips membership is estimated to be 30,000 to35,000; most members are African Americanmales from the Los Angeles metropolitan area.Large, national-level Crips gangs include 107Hoover Crips, Insane Gangster Crips, and Rolling60s Crips. Crips gangs operate in 221 cities in 41states. The main source of income for Crips gangs

is the street-level distribution of powdered cocaine,crack cocaine, marijuana, and PCP. The gangs alsoare involved in other criminal activity such asassault, auto theft, burglary, and homicide.

Florencia 13Florencia 13 (F 13 or FX 13) originated in Los

Angeles in the early 1960s; gang membership isestimated to be more than 3,000 members. Thegang operates primarily in California and increas-ingly in Arkansas, Missouri, New Mexico, andUtah. Florencia 13 is subordinate to the MexicanMafia (La Eme) prison gang and claims Sureos(Sur 13) affiliation. A primary source of incomefor gang members is the trafficking of cocaine andmethamphetamine. Gang members smuggle mul-tikilogram-quantities of powdered cocaine andmethamphetamine obtained from sources of sup-ply in Mexico into the United States for distribu-tion. Also, gang members produce large quantities

of methamphetamine in southern California forlocal distribution. Florencia members are involvedin other criminal activities including assault, drive-by shooting, and homicide.

Fresno BulldogsFresno Bulldogs is a street gang that originated

in Fresno, California, in the late 1960s. Bulldogs isthe largest Hispanic gang operating in central Cali-fornia, with membership estimated at 5,000 to6,000. Bulldogs is one of the few Hispanic gangs inCalifornia that claim neither Sureos (Southern)nor Norteos (Northern) affiliation. However, gangmembers associate with Nuestra Familia (NF)members, particularly when trafficking drugs. Thestreet-level distribution of methamphetamine, mar-ijuana, and heroin is a primary source of incomefor gang members. In addition, members areinvolved in other types of criminal activity includ-ing assault, burglary, homicide, and robbery.

Gangster DisciplesThe Gangster Disciples street gang was

formed in Chicago, Illinois, in the mid-1960s. It isstructured like a corporation and is led by a chair-man of the board. Gang membership is estimatedto be 25,000 to 50,000; most members are AfricanAmerican males from the Chicago metropolitan

area. The gang is active in 110 cities in 31 states.Its main source of income is the street-level distri-bution of cocaine, marijuana, and heroin. Thegang also is involved in other criminal activityincluding assault, auto theft, fraud, homicide, andmoney laundering,

Latin CountsLatin Counts is a violent Hispanic street gang

that originated in Chicago in the mid-1960s. It iscomposed of at least five structured factions with

an estimated 400 to 600 members and associatemembers. Most members are Mexican national orMexican American males. The gang is most activein the Great Lakes region. The street-level distribu-tion of crack cocaine, powdered cocaine, heroin,and marijuana is a primary source of income forthe gang. Members also are involved in other crim-inal activity including assault, auto theft, carjack-ing, drive-by shooting, home invasion, homicide,and weapons trafficking.


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Latin DisciplesLatin Disciples, also known as Maniac Latin

Disciples and Young Latino Organization, origi-nated in Chicago in the late 1960s. The gang iscomposed of at least 10 structured and unstruc-tured factions with an estimated 1,500 to 2,000members and associate members. Most members

are Puerto Rican males. Maniac Latin Disciplesis the largest Hispanic gang in the Folk NationAlliance. The gang is most active in the GreatLakes and southwestern regions of the UnitedStates. The street-level distribution of powderedcocaine, heroin, marijuana, and PCP is a primarysource of income for the gang. Members also areinvolved in other criminal activity includingassault, auto theft, carjacking, drive-by shooting,home invasion, homicide, money laundering,

and weapons trafficking.

Latin KingsThe Chicago-based Almighty Latin King

Nation, commonly referred to as Latin Kings, is acollection of over 160 structured gangs, referredto as chapters, operating in 158 cities in 31 states.The gangs current membership is estimated to be20,000 to 35,000. Most members are MexicanAmerican or Puerto Rican males. Latin Kingsmain source of income is street-level distribution

of cocaine, heroin, and marijuana. Gang membersprimarily obtain drugs from several MexicanDTOs that operate along the U.S.Mexico border.Members also engage in other criminal activitysuch as assault, burglary, homicide, identity theft,and money laundering.

Mara SalvatruchaMara Salvatrucha, also known as MS 13, is one

of the largest Hispanic street gangs in the UnitedStates. Traditionally, the gang consisted of looselyaffiliated groups known as cliques; however, lawenforcement officials have reported increased coor-dination of criminal activity among Mara Sal-vatrucha cliques in the Atlanta, Dallas, LosAngeles, Washington, D.C., and New York metro-politan areas. The gang is estimated to have 30,000to 50,000 members and associate members world-wide, 8,000 to 10,000 of whom reside in the UnitedStates. Members smuggle illicit drugs, primarily

powdered cocaine and marijuana, into the UnitedStates and transport and distribute the drugsthroughout the country. Some members also areinvolved in alien smuggling, assault, drive-byshooting, homicide, identification theft, prostitutionoperations, robbery, and weapons trafficking.

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Figure 2. Mara Salvatrucha graffiti.

Tiny Rascal GangstersTiny Rascal Gangsters is one of the largest

and most violent Asian street gang associations inthe United States. It is composed of at least 60structured and unstructured gangs, commonlyreferred to as sets, with an estimated 5,000 to10,000 members and associates who have adopteda common gang culture. Most members are Asian

American males. The sets are most active in thesouthwestern, Pacific, and New England regionsof the United States. The street-level distributionof powdered cocaine, marijuana, MDMA, andmethamphetamine is a primary source of incomefor the sets. Members also are involved in othercriminal activity including assault, drive-byshooting, extortion, home invasion, homicide,robbery, and theft.

United Blood NationUnited Blood Nation (UBN) is a loose con-federation of street gangs, or sets, that once werepredominantly African American but now includeAsians, Caucasians, and Hispanics. UBN began inthe Rikers Island Jail in New York City in 1993and spread throughout the East Coast. Member-ship is estimated to be more than 7,000. UBNderives its income from street-level distribution ofcocaine, heroin, and marijuana; robbery; auto


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theft; and smuggling of drugs to inmates inprison. UBN members also engage in arson, car-jacking, credit card fraud, extortion, homicide,identity theft, intimidation, prostitution opera-tions, and weapons distribution.

Vice Lord Nation

Vice Lord Nation, based in Chicago, is a col-lection of structured gangs located in 74 cities in28 states, primarily in the Great Lakes region.Led by a national board, the various gangs com-prise an estimated 30,000 to 35,000 members,most of whom are African American males. Themain source of income is street-level distribu-tion of cocaine, heroin, and marijuana. Membersalso engage in other criminal activity such asassault, burglary, homicide, identity theft, andmoney laundering.

OUTLAW

MOTORCYCLE GANGS

OMGs are organizations whose members usetheir motorcycle clubs as conduits for criminalenterprises. There are more than 300 active OMGsin the United States, ranging in size from singlechapters with five or six members to hundreds of

chapters with thousands of members worldwide.Hells Angels Motorcycle Club (HAMC), BandidosMotorcycle Club, and Outlaws Motorcycle ClubOMGs conduct the majority of criminal activitylinked to OMGs, especially activity related to drugtrafficking and, more specifically, to cross-borderdrug smuggling. Because of their internationalscope, these OMGs are able to coordinate drugsmuggling operations in partnership with majorinternational DTOs.

BandidosBandidos, an OMG with 2,000 to 2,500 mem-bers in the United States and 13 other countries, isa growing criminal threat to the nation. Lawenforcement authorities estimate that Bandidos isone of the two largest OMGs in the United States,with approximately 900 members belonging toover 93 chapters. Bandidos is involved in trans-porting and distributing cocaine and marijuanaand producing, transporting, and distributing

Figure 3. Bandidos back patches.

methamphetamine. Bandidos is most active in the

Pacific, southeastern, southwestern, and west cen-tral regions and is expanding in these regions byforming new chapters and allowing members ofsupport clubspuppet or duck club membersthat have sworn allegiance to another club andwhose purpose is to do the dirty work of themother clubto form or join Bandidos chapters.

Black Pistons Motorcycle ClubBlack Pistons Motorcycle Club is the official

support club of Outlaws Motorcycle Club. Estab-lished in 2002 with the backing of Outlaws, BlackPistons has expanded rapidly throughout theUnited States and into Canada and Europe. TheOMG has an estimated 70 domestic chapters in 20states and an unknown number of foreign chap-ters in Belgium, Canada, Germany, Great Britain,Norway, and Poland. The exact number of mem-bers is unknown but is estimated to be more than200 in the United States. Outlaws uses Black Pis-tons chapters as sources of prospective Outlaws

members. Outlaws also uses Black Pistons chap-ters to conduct criminal activity, especially trans-porting and distributing drugs. Black Pistonmembers engage in assault, extortion, fraud,intimidation, and theft.

Hells Angels Motorcycle ClubHAMC is an OMG with 2,000 to 2,500 mem-

bers belonging to over 230 chapters in the UnitedStates and 26 foreign countries. HAMC poses a


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criminal threat on six continents. U.S. lawenforcement authorities estimate that HAMC hasmore than 92 chapters in 27 states with over 800members. HAMC produces, transports, and dis-tributes marijuana and methamphetamine andtransports and distributes cocaine, hashish, her-oin, LSD (lysergic acid diethylamide), MDMA,

PCP, and diverted pharmaceuticals. HAMC isinvolved in other criminal activity includingassault, extortion, homicide, money laundering,and motorcycle theft.

Figure 4. Hells Angels back patch.CriminalInvestigative

ServiceCanada

Mongols Motorcycle ClubMongols Motorcycle Club is an extremely

violent OMG that poses a serious criminal threat

to the Pacific and southwestern regions of theUnited States. Mongols members transport anddistribute cocaine, marijuana, and methamphet-amine and frequently commit violent crimesincluding assault, intimidation, and murder todefend Mongols territory and uphold its reputa-tion. Most of the clubs 300 members are His-panic males who live in the Los Angeles area, andmany are former street gang members with a longhistory of using violence to settle grievances.

Agents with the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco,Firearms and Explosives (ATF) have called Mon-gols Motorcycle Club the most violent and dan-gerous OMG in the nation. In the 1980s MongolsOMG seized control of southern California fromHAMC, and today it is allied with Bandidos, Out-laws, Sons of Silence, and Pagans OMGs against

HAMC. Mongols also maintains ties to Hispanicstreet gangs in Los Angeles.

OutlawsOutlaws has more than 1,700 members belong-

ing to 176 chapters in the United States and 12 for-eign countries. U.S. law enforcement authoritiesestimate that Outlaws has more than 86 chapters in20 states with over 700 members. Outlaws alsoidentifies itself as the A.O.A. (American OutlawsAssociation) and Outlaws Nation. Outlaws is thedominant OMG in the Great Lakes region. Gangmembers produce, transport, and distribute meth-amphetamine and transport and distribute cocaine,marijuana and, to a lesser extent, MDMA. Outlawsmembers engage in various criminal activitiesincluding arson, assault, explosives operations,extortion, fraud, homicide, intimidation, kidnap-ping, money laundering, prostitution operations,robbery, theft, and weapons violations. It competeswith HAMC for membership and territory.

Pagans Motorcycle ClubPagans Motorcycle Club is a violent OMG

whose members distribute cocaine, methamphet-amine, marijuana, and PCP. It is one of the moreprominent OMGs in the Mid-Atlantic region.Pagans OMG has an estimated 200 to 250 mem-bers among 41 chapters in 11 states. The club hasbeen tied to traditional organized crime (TOC)groups in Philadelphia, Pittsburgh, and New Yorkand engages in criminal activities such as arson,assault, bombing, extortion, and murder.

Vagos Motorcycle ClubVagos OMG has hundreds of members in the

United States and Mexico and poses a seriouscriminal threat to those areas in which its chaptersare located. Law enforcement agencies report thatVagos has approximately 300 members among 24chapters in California, Hawaii, Nevada, Oregon,and three chapters in Mexico. Vagos members


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produce, transport, and distribute methamphet-amine and distribute marijuana. Members alsohave been implicated in other criminal activitiesincluding assault, extortion, insurance fraud,money laundering, murder, vehicle theft, weaponsviolations, and witness intimidation. In the United

States Vagos Motorcycle Club is most active in thesouthwestern and Pacific regions.

PRISON GANGS

Prison gangs are criminal organizations thatoriginated within the prison system and continueto operate in the prison system; they can alsooperate on the street as self-perpetuating criminalentities. A prison gang consists of a select groupof inmates who have an organized hierarchy andare governed by an established code of conduct.Prison gangs vary in organization and composi-tionfrom highly structured gangs such as AryanBrotherhood and Nuestra Familia to loosely struc-tured associations such as Mexican Mafia. Prisongangs generally have fewer members than streetgangs and OMGs and are structured along racialor ethnic lines. Nationally, prison gangs pose athreat because of their role in the transportation

and distribution of drugs. Prison gangs are also animportant link between DTOs, street gangs, andOMGs, often brokering the transfer of drugs fromDTOs to gangs in many regions. Prison gangstypically are more powerful within state prisonsystems than within the federal system.

Aryan BrotherhoodAryan Brotherhood, also known as AB, was

originally ruled by consensus but is now highlystructured with two factionsone in the Califor-nia Department of Corrections (CDC) and theother in the Federal Bureau of Prisons (BOP)system. The majority of members are Caucasianmales, and the gang is primarily active in thesouthwestern and Pacific regions. Its mainsource of income is derived from the distributionof cocaine, heroin, marijuana, and methamphet-amine within the prison systems as well as onthe streets. Some AB members have business

relationships with Mexican DTOs that smuggleillegal drugs into California for AB distribution.AB is notoriously violent and is often involvedin murder-for-hire. Although historically linkedto the California-based Hispanic prison gangMexican Mafia (La Eme), tension between AB

and La Eme is becoming increasingly evident asseen in recent fights between Caucasians andHispanics within CDC.

Barrio AztecaBarrio Azteca is one of the most violent prison

gangs in the United States. The gang is highlystructured and has an estimated membership of2,000. Most members are Mexican national orMexican American males. Barrio Azteca is mostactive in the southwestern region, primarily in fed-

eral, state, and local corrections facilities in Texasand outside prison in southwestern Texas andsoutheastern New Mexico. The gangs main sourceof income is derived from smuggling heroin, pow-dered cocaine, and marijuana from Mexico into theUnited States for distribution both inside and out-side prisons. Gang members often transport illicitdrugs across the U.S.Mexico border for DTOs.Barrio Azteca members also are involved in aliensmuggling, arson, assault, auto theft, burglary,

extortion, intimidation, kidnapping, robbery, andweapons violations.

Black Guerrilla FamilyBlack Guerrilla Family (BGF), originally

called Black Family or Black Vanguard, is a prisongang founded in the San Quentin State Prison, Cal-ifornia, in 1966. The gang is highly organizedalong paramilitary lines with a supreme leader andcentral committee. BGF has an established nationalcharter, code of ethics, and oath of allegiance. BGF

members operate primarily in California and Maryland. The gang has 100 to 300 members, most ofwhom are African American males. A primarysource of income for gang members is derivedfrom cocaine and marijuana distribution. BGFmembers obtain such drugs primarily from NuestraFamilia/Norteos members or from local Mexicantraffickers. BGF members are involved in othercriminal activities including auto theft, burglary,drive-by shooting, and homicide.


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Figure 5. Mexikanemi identifiers.

SanAntonioPoliceDepartment

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Hermanos de Pistoleros LatinosHermanos de Pistoleros Latinos (HPL) is a

Hispanic prison gang formed in the TexasDepartment of Criminal Justice (TDCJ) in the late

1980s. It operates in most prisons and on thestreets in many communities in Texas, particu-larly Laredo. HPL is also active in several cities inMexico, and its largest contingent in thatcountry is located in Nuevo Laredo. The gang isstructured and is estimated to have 1,000 mem-bers. Members maintain close ties to several Mex-ican DTOs and are involved in the trafficking oflarge quantities of cocaine and marijuana fromMexico into the United States for distribution.

MexikanemiThe Mexikanemi prison gang (also known as

Texas Mexican Mafia or Emi) was formed in theearly 1980s within the TDCJ. The gang is highlystructured and is estimated to have 2,000 mem-bers, most of whom are Mexican national or Mex-ican American males living in Texas at the time ofincarceration. Mexikanemi poses a significantdrug trafficking threat to communities in thesouthwestern United States, particularly in Texas.

Gang members reportedly traffic multikilogram-quantities of powdered cocaine, heroin, and meth-amphetamine; multiton-quantities of marijuana;and thousand-tablet quantities of MDMA fromMexico into the United States for distributioninside and outside prison. Gang members obtaindrugs from associates or members of the JaimeHerrera-Herrera, Osiel Cardenas-Guillen, and/orVicente Carrillo-Fuentes Mexican DTOs. In

addition, Mexikanemi members maintain a rela-tionship with Los Zetas, a Mexican paramilitary/criminal organization employed by the Cardenas-Guillen DTO as its personal security force.

Mexican MafiaMexican Mafia prison gang, also known as

La Eme (Spanish for the letter M), was formed inthe late 1950s within the CDC. It is loosely struc-tured and has strict rules that must be followedby the estimated 350 to 400 members. Mostmembers are Mexican American males who hadpreviously belonged to a southern Californiastreet gang. Mexican Mafia is primarily active inthe southwestern and Pacific regions of theUnited States, but its power base is in California.The gangs main source of income is extortingdrug distributors outside prison and distributingmethamphetamine, cocaine, heroin, and mari-juana within the prison systems and on thestreets. Some members have direct links to Mexi-can DTOs and broker deals for themselves andtheir associates. Mexican Mafia also is involvedin other criminal activities including controllinggambling and homosexual prostitution in prison.

Nazi Low RidersNazi Low Riders (NLR) is a violent California-

based prison gang that subscribes to a whitesupremacist philosophy. The gang has 800 to 1,000members, most of whom are Caucasian males witha history of street gang activity and drug abuse.NLR operates in correctional facilities and commu-nities, primarily in the Pacific and southwesternregions of the United States. The gangs primary


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sources of income are derived from the distributionof multiounce- to multipound-quantities of meth-amphetamine, retail-level distribution of heroinand marijuana, and extortion of independent Cau-casian drug dealers and other white power gangs.Members also engage in violent criminal activitysuch as armed robbery, assault, assault with deadly

weapons, murder, and attempted murder; in addi-tion they commit identity fraud, money laundering,witness intimidation, and witness retaliation.

etaeta is a prison gang that began in Puerto

Rico and spread to the United States. eta is oneof the largest and most violent prison gangs, withabout 7,000 members in Puerto Rico and 5,000 inthe United States. eta chapters in Puerto Ricoexist exclusively inside prisons; once membersare released from prison they no longer are con-sidered to be part of the gang. In the United Stateseta chapters exist both inside and outside pris-ons in 36 cities in nine states, primarily in thenortheastern region. The gangs main source ofincome is derived from the retail distribution ofpowdered and crack cocaine, heroin, marijuanaand, to a lesser extent, LSD, MDMA, metham-phetamine, and PCP. eta members commitassault, auto theft, burglary, drive-by shooting,

extortion, home invasion, money laundering, rob-bery, weapons and explosives trafficking, andwitness intimidation.

Figure 6. eta flag.

Nuestra FamiliaNF and its subordinate organization Norteos

are highly structured and extremely violent. Orig-inating within California prisons, NF has an esti-mated 250 members, while Norteos membershipis estimated to be over 1,000, primarily MexicanAmerican males who belonged to street gangs incentral and northern California. The gangs areactive primarily in state and federal prisons and incommunities in the Pacific region of the UnitedStates. Their main sources of income are distrib-uting cocaine, heroin, marijuana, and metham-phetamine within prison systems as well as in thecommunity and extorting drug distributors on thestreets. NF is also involved in other criminalactivities including homicide and robbery.

Public Enemy Number OnePublic Enemy Number One (PEN1) is the fast-

est-growing Caucasian prison gang, with an esti-mated 400 to 500 members operating in prisonsand communities in California and, to a muchlesser extent, in locations throughout the northeast-

ern, Pacific, southwestern, southeastern, and westcentral regions of the country. PEN1 membersespouse a white supremacist philosophy and posea criminal threat in and outside prison because oftheir alliance with AB and NLR. Gang membersderive their income from distributing midlevel andretail-level quantities of methamphetamine. Inaddition, members engage in violent criminalactivity such as assault, attempted murder, andhomicide as well as auto theft, burglary, identity

theft, and property crimes.

Sureos and NorteosAs individual Hispanic street gang members

enter the prison systems, they put aside formerrivalries with other Hispanic street gangs and uniteunder the name Sureos or Norteos. The originalMexican Mafia members, most of whom were fromsouthern California, considered Mexicans from therural, agricultural areas of northern California as


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weak and viewed them with contempt. To distin-guish themselves from the agricultural workers orfarmers from northern California, members ofMexican Mafia began to refer to the Hispanic gangmembers that worked for them as Sureos (South-erners). Inmates from northern California becameknown as Norteos (Northerners) and are affiliated

with NF. Because of its size and strength, FresnoBulldogs is the only Hispanic gang in CDC thatdoes not fall under Sureos or Norteos, butremains independent.

Sureos gang members main sources ofincome are the retail-level distribution of cocaine,heroin, marijuana, and methamphetamine bothwithin prison systems and in the community, aswell as the extortion of drug distributors on thestreets. Some members have direct links to Mexi-can DTOs and broker deals for Mexican Mafia aswell as their own gang. Sureos gangs also areinvolved in other criminal activities such as assault,carjacking, home invasion, homicide, and robbery.

Norteos gang members main sources ofincome are the retail-level distribution of cocaine,heroin, marijuana, methamphetamine, and PCPwithin prison systems and in the community, aswell as the extortion of drug distributors on the

streets. Norteos gangs also are involved in othercriminal activities such as assault, carjacking,home invasion, homicide, and robbery.

Texas SyndicateTexas Syndicate (TS) is one of the largest and

most violent prison gangs active on both sides ofthe U.S.Mexico border and poses a significantdrug trafficking threat to communities in thesouthwestern United States. The gang is highlystructured and is estimated to have 1,300 mem-

bers, most of whom are Mexican Americanmales between the ages of 20 and 40.Gang mem-bers smuggle multikilogram-quantities of pow-dered cocaine, heroin, and methamphetamine andmultiton-quantities of marijuana from Mexicointo the United States for distribution inside andoutside prison. Gang members have a directworking relationship with associates and/ormembers of the Osiel Cardenas-Guillen Mexican

DTO. In addition, TS members maintain a rela-tionship with Los Zetas, the paramilitary/crimi-nal organization employed by the Cardenas-Guillen DTO.

Four Horsemen, Tangos, andTango Blast

Texas prison officials first noted the presenceof a gang known as Four Horsemen in 1998.Some Hispanic gang members entering the TDCJfrom the cities of Austin, Dallas, Fort Worth, andHouston were not interested in joining an estab-lished prison gang and established Four Horse-men to protect one another and to engage inillegal activities, particularly drug trafficking, tomake money. Four Horsemen became known asTangos, because its members wore tattoos thatreflected the town (ortango) in which theyresided prior to incarceration. As interest in Tan-gos grew among Hispanic gang members enteringTDCJ from other areas of Texas, Tangos fromWest Texas, the Rio Grande Valley, San Antonio,and El Paso were accepted. Of the eight groupsnow recognized as Tangos, only six are part ofTango Blast, also known as Puro Tango Blast.Tango Blast includes Tangos from the four origi-nal cities as well as the West Texas and RioGrande Valley areas. Tango Blast differs from

Tangos in that separate Tango Blast gangs some-times band together to help one another. Thegangs rapid growth poses a significant new secu-rity threat, and elements of Tango Blast withinTDCJ appear to be challenging TS for control ofillegal prison activities. Tango members appear toreturn to their local street gangs when releasedfrom prison, rather than continue their prison-based affiliation.


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OUTLOOK

Criminal gangs will continue to pose a seriousdomestic threat to many communities throughoutthe country. In the long term it is highly probablethat U.S.-based gangs will increase their role intrafficking drugs, particularly smuggling drugsinto the United States from international sourcesof supply. Furthermore, it is highly probable thatseveral U.S.-based gangs will increase their rela-tionships with international criminal organiza-tions and DTOs as a means of obtaining access tothe global illicit drug market.


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Pandillas en USA