Barrio Azteca
Encyclopedia
The Barrio Azteca, or Los Aztecas, is a Mexican Prison gang
originally based in El Paso, Texas
. The group worked as a paramilitary armed wing for the Juárez Cartel
in 1997 and it is currently operating as a branch of the powerful La Línea (gang), and has relocated to Guadalajara
city.
Eduardo Ravelo
took control of the gang after the war against the Sinaloa Cartel
on 2008. The gang operates in at least inside Mexican prisons also, where it produces marijuana and heroin to deal inside mexican prisons. Another relative and close associate is Vicente Carrillo Fuentes
.
Barrio Azteca have always recruited heavily from street gangs, mainly of street gang members locked down in the county jails. A new member must be sponsored by a Sergeant or above, with the sponsor being responsible for teaching the recruit all BA rules. A Captain must approve the new member before he is accepted into the gang. Some of the more favored street gangs include the Puro Barrio Sandoval, Barrio Cantu Rifa, Varrio Hacienda Heights, Colonel Street Locos, and Varrio Northeast. Outside the jails, the street gangs are used to traffic narcotics and conduct other business for the BA. The Barrio Azteca collects a 10% tax on all of the street gang profits. At one time, the BA were at war with three street gangs, the Nasty Boys, White Fence, and Los Fatherless, however this war was suspended due to another war starting with the Texas Syndicate and Mexikanemi. The Barrio Azteca finally signed an armistice with the Mexikanemi on March 15, 1997 at the Coffield Unit, with the armistice / treaty now being extended and still in effect. As of August 1998, they are finalizing a full peace treaty between the two gangs.
Prison gang
Prison gang is a term used to denote any type of gang activity in prisons and correctional facilities. Prison officials and others in law enforcement use the term security threat group or STG...
originally based in El Paso, Texas
El Paso, Texas
El Paso, is a city in and the county seat of El Paso County, Texas, United States, and lies in far West Texas. In the 2010 census, the city had a population of 649,121. It is the sixth largest city in Texas and the 19th largest city in the United States...
. The group worked as a paramilitary armed wing for the Juárez Cartel
Juárez Cartel
The Juárez Cartel , also known as the Vicente Carrillo Fuentes Organization, is a Mexican drug cartel based in Ciudad Juárez, Chihuahua, Mexico, across the border from El Paso, Texas...
in 1997 and it is currently operating as a branch of the powerful La Línea (gang), and has relocated to Guadalajara
Guadalajara
Guadalajara may refer to:In Mexico:*Guadalajara, Jalisco, the capital of the state of Jalisco and second largest city in Mexico**Guadalajara Metropolitan Area*University of Guadalajara, a public university in Guadalajara, Jalisco...
city.
Eduardo Ravelo
Eduardo Ravelo
Eduardo "Tablas" Ravelo is a Mexican American leader of the Barrio Azteca gang. He is also a fugitive wanted on several charges related to drugs and organized crime...
took control of the gang after the war against the Sinaloa Cartel
Sinaloa Cartel
The Sinaloa Cartel is the most powerful drug cartel in Mexico and considered by the United States Intelligence Community as "the most powerful drug trafficking organization in the world." The Sinaloa Cartel is based in the city of Culiacán, Sinaloa, but also operates in the Mexican states of Baja...
on 2008. The gang operates in at least inside Mexican prisons also, where it produces marijuana and heroin to deal inside mexican prisons. Another relative and close associate is Vicente Carrillo Fuentes
Vicente Carrillo Fuentes
Vicente Carrillo Fuentes is a Mexican drug lord who heads the Juárez Cartel in Mexico, which controls one of the primary transportation routes for billions of dollars worth of illegal drug shipments entering the United States from Mexico annually.Carrillo Fuentes is currently at large and is...
.
Origins
Barrio Azteca (BA) was started in 1986 in the Coffield Unit of TDCJ by five street gang members from El Paso, Texas. All five had been members of the street gang X14. The Barrio Azteca was formed to unite El Paso street gang members who had been incarcerated in the Texas Department of Criminal Justice (TDCJ). The Barrio Azteca began with 35 members and consists of over 1,000 members with most of them being from West Texas. but members are now being found in Arizona, California, Colorado, Illinois, New Mexico and Mexico.Barrio Azteca have always recruited heavily from street gangs, mainly of street gang members locked down in the county jails. A new member must be sponsored by a Sergeant or above, with the sponsor being responsible for teaching the recruit all BA rules. A Captain must approve the new member before he is accepted into the gang. Some of the more favored street gangs include the Puro Barrio Sandoval, Barrio Cantu Rifa, Varrio Hacienda Heights, Colonel Street Locos, and Varrio Northeast. Outside the jails, the street gangs are used to traffic narcotics and conduct other business for the BA. The Barrio Azteca collects a 10% tax on all of the street gang profits. At one time, the BA were at war with three street gangs, the Nasty Boys, White Fence, and Los Fatherless, however this war was suspended due to another war starting with the Texas Syndicate and Mexikanemi. The Barrio Azteca finally signed an armistice with the Mexikanemi on March 15, 1997 at the Coffield Unit, with the armistice / treaty now being extended and still in effect. As of August 1998, they are finalizing a full peace treaty between the two gangs.