Gangs in the Southwest Region
The 2013 National Gang Report
According to the FBI national gang threat assessment report
of 2011, there are approximately 5,297 gangs with nearly 111,000 members are
criminally active in the Southwest Region. State and local law enforcement
agencies in the Southwest Region that report gang activity in their jurisdictions
increased from 52 percent in 2004 to 63 percent in 2008.
According to interviews with local law enforcement officers,
gangs are responsible for as much as 60 percent of crime in some communities in
the Southwest Region. The most significant gangs operating in the region are
Barrio Azteca, Latin Kings, Mexikanemi, Tango Blast, and Texas Syndicate.
Gangs are increasingly conducting cross-border criminal
activities such as the trafficking of illegal aliens and drugs from Mexico into
the United States. Many gangs have established sets in Mexico and maintain
associations with local DTOs and Mexican DTO representatives. • A number of
gangs in the Southwest Region are smuggling firearms from the United States
into Mexico as payment for drugs or to sell for a significant profit.
Gangs continue to proliferate, evolve, and develop criminal
tradecrafts. Based on state, local, and federal law enforcement reporting, the
NGIC assesses that:
The US gang composition is approximately 88 percent street
gang members, 9.5 percent prison gang members, and 2.5 percent outlaw
motorcycle gang (OMG) members. NBGs pose the most violent and significant
threat in most communities while prison gangs are viewed as the least
problematic in most jurisdictions. OMGs are reported as the greatest threat in
approximately 11 percent of jurisdictions, despite comprising only 2.5 percent
of the gang composition.
Predictive NGIC/NDIC intelligence: Prison and street gangs
in the Southwest Region will continue to develop and strengthen their ties to
Mexican DTOs. Mexican DTOs may allow gangs to assume a larger role in wholesale
drug smuggling across the U.S. – Mexico border and in wholesale distribution within
the Southwest Region. Doing so would reduce the risks that Mexican DTOs face from
U.S. law enforcement.
Although not included in the Southwest Region and
assigned to the Pacific Region this report would be remiss if we failed to
report the current trends and gang status within the Pacific Region as its
southern part touches the border and impacts Mexico’s Drug Trafficking
Organizations.
Approximately 6,900 gangs with more than 237,000 members are
criminally active in the Pacific
Region, according to 2008 NDTS data and interviews with
local law enforcement officials. Also according to NDTS data, the percentage of
state and local law enforcement agencies in the Pacific Region that report gang
activity in their jurisdictions increased from 66 percent in 2004 to 74 percent
in 2008. As much as 80 percent of crime in some jurisdictions is gang-related,
according to law enforcement reporting. The most significant gangs operating in
the Pacific Region are 18th Street, Bloods, Crips, La Eme, Nuestra Familia, and
Hells Angels.
Gang-related trends:
•
MS 13 poses a significant threat to local law
enforcement. The gang is involved in criminal activities including drug
trafficking, extortion, and firearms violations.
·
Predictive NGIC/NDIC intelligence:
•
Hispanic gangs, specifically 18th Street, La Eme,
Nuestra Familia, and MS 13, will continue to fight for control of retail-level
drug distribution in locations throughout the Pacific Region.
•
Gang-related criminal activity in the Pacific Region
is significant and likely will remain significant as gang members continue to
fight for control of territories.
•
Gang-related extortion and firearms violations likely
will increase.
Gang Members in the Military –
Members of nearly every major street gang as well as some
prison gangs and OMGs have been identified on both domestic and international
military installations. Deployments have resulted in gang members among service
members and/or dependents on or near overseas bases. Additionally, military
transfers have resulted in gang members, both service members and
dependents/relatives, moving to new areas and establishing a gang presence.
Gang members with military training pose a unique threat to
law enforcement personnel because of the distinctive military skills that they
possess and their willingness to teach these skills to fellow gang members.
While the number of gang members trained by the military is
unknown, the threat that they pose to law enforcement is potentially
significant, particularly if gang members trained in weapons, tactics, and
planning pass this instruction on to other gang members. In addition, gang
members currently serving in the military sometimes take advantage of their positions
to engage in criminal activities such as trafficking weapons and drugs.
Gang Relationships with DTOs and Other Criminal
Organizations –
Some larger gangs have developed
regular working relationships with DTOs and other criminal organizations in
Mexico, Central America, and Canada to develop sources of supply for wholesale quantities
of illicit drugs and to facilitate other criminal activities.
According to law enforcement information, gang
members provide Mexican DTOs with support, such as smuggling, transportation, and
security. Specific examples include:
•
Some prison gangs are capable of directly
controlling or influencing the smuggling of multi-hundred kilograms of cocaine
and methamphetamine weekly into the United States.
•
Texas-based, regional-level prison gangs
cooperate with Mexico-based DTOs to smuggle wholesale quantities of cocaine and
marijuana and illegal aliens into the United States from Mexico. Additionally,
these gangs extort money from drug and alien traffickers transiting the
Southwest Border.
•
Some national-level Hispanic street gangs have
close associations with Mexico-based DTOs. Hispanic gang members reportedly
obtain cocaine and marijuana from the DTOs and transport the drugs to primary
U.S. drug market areas for further distribution.
•
Canada-based Chinese and Vietnamese DTOs and
criminal groups maintain close working relationships with Asian gangs operating
in Canada and the United States. Canada-based DTOs are the primary suppliers of
multi-thousand tablet quantities of MDMA and multihundredpound quantities of
high-potency marijuana to Asian gangs operating in the United States. The DTOs
also use Asian gang members for other aspects of drug distribution operations
in the United States.
Appendix
B. Street Gangs
18th Street
(National)
Formed in Los Angeles, 18th Street is a group of loosely
associated sets or cliques, each led by an influential member. Membership is
estimated at 30,000 to 50,000. In California approximately 80 percent of the
gang’s members are illegal aliens from Mexico and Central America. The gang is
active in 44 cities in 20 states. Its main source of income is street-level
distribution of cocaine and marijuana and, to a lesser extent, heroin and
methamphetamine. Gang members also commit assault, auto theft, carjacking,
drive-by shootings, extortion, homicide, identification fraud, and robbery.
Almighty Latin King
and Queen Nation (National)
The Latin Kings street gang was formed in Chicago in the
1960s and consisted predominantly of Mexican and Puerto Rican males. Originally
created with the philosophy of overcoming racial prejudice and creating an
organization of “Kings,” the Latin Kings evolved into a criminal enterprise
operating throughout the United States under two umbrella factions—Motherland,
also known as KMC (King Motherland Chicago), and Bloodline (New York). All
members of the gang refer to themselves as Latin Kings and, currently, individuals
of any nationality are allowed to become members. Latin Kings associating with
the Motherland faction also identify themselves as “Almighty Latin King Nation
(ALKN),” and make up more than 160 structured chapters operating in 158 cities
in 31 states. The membership of Latin Kings following KMC is estimated to be
20,000 to 35,000. The Bloodline was founded by Luis Felipe in the New York
State correctional system in 1986. Latin Kings associating with Bloodline also
identify themselves as the “Almighty Latin King and Queen Nation (ALKQN).”
Membership is estimated to be 2,200 to 7,500, divided among several dozen
chapters operating in 15 cities in 5 states. Bloodline Latin Kings share a
common culture and structure with KMC and respect them as the Motherland, but
all chapters do not report to the Chicago leadership hierarchy. The gang’s
primary source of income is the street-level distribution of powder cocaine,
crack cocaine, heroin, and marijuana. Latin Kings continue to portray
themselves as a community organization while engaging in a wide variety of
criminal activities, including assault, burglary, homicide, identity theft, and
money laundering.
Asian Boyz (National)
Asian Boyz is one of the largest Asian street gangs
operating in the United States. Formed in southern California in the early
1970s, the gang is estimated to have 1,300 to 2,000 members operating in at
least 28 cities in 14 states. Members primarily are Vietnamese or Cambodian
males. Members of Asian Boyz are involved in producing, transporting, and
distributing methamphetamine as well as distributing MDMA and marijuana. In
addition, gang members are involved in other criminal activities, including
assault, burglary, drive-by shootings, and homicide.
Black P. Stone Nation
(National)
Black P. Stone Nation, one of the largest and most violent
associations of street gangs in the United States, consists of seven highly
structured street gangs with a single leader and a common culture. It has an
estimated 6,000 to 8,000 members, most of whom are African American males from
the Chicago metropolitan area. The gang’s main source of income is the
street-level distribution of cocaine, heroin, marijuana and, to a lesser
extent, methamphetamine. Members also are involved in many other types of criminal
activity, including assault, auto theft, burglary, carjacking, drive-by
shootings, extortion, homicide, and robbery.
Bloods (National)
Bloods is an association of structured and unstructured
gangs that have adopted a single-gang culture.
The original Bloods were formed in the early 1970s to
provide protection from the Crips street gang in Los Angeles, California.
Large, national-level Bloods gangs include Bounty Hunter Bloods and Crenshaw
Mafia Gangsters. Bloods membership is estimated to be 7,000 to 30,000
nationwide; most members are African American males. Bloods gangs are active in
123 cities in 33 states. The main source of income for Bloods gangs is
street-level distribution of cocaine and marijuana. Bloods members also are
involved in transporting and distributing methamphetamine, heroin, and PCP
(phencyclidine), but to a much lesser extent. The gangs also are involved in
other criminal activity including assault, auto theft, burglary, carjacking,
drive-by shootings, extortion, homicide, identity fraud, and robbery.
Crips (National)
Crips is a collection of structured and unstructured gangs
that have adopted a common gang culture.
Crips membership is estimated at 30,000 to 35,000; most
members are African American males from the
Los Angeles metropolitan area. Large, national-level Crips
gangs include 107 Hoover Crips, Insane Gangster Crips, and Rolling 60s Crips.
Crips gangs operate in 221 cities in 41 states. The main source of income for
Crips gangs is the street-level distribution of powder cocaine, crack cocaine,
marijuana, and PCP. The gangs also are involved in other criminal activity such
as assault, auto theft, burglary, and homicide.
Florencia 13
(Regional)
Florencia 13 (F 13 or FX 13) originated in Los Angeles in
the early 1960s; gang membership is estimated at more than 3,000 members. The
gang operates primarily in California and increasingly in Arkansas,
Missouri, New Mexico, and Utah. Florencia 13 is subordinate
to the Mexican Mafia (La Eme) prison gang
and claims Sureños (Sur 13) affiliation. A primary source of
income for gang members is the trafficking of
cocaine and methamphetamine. Gang members smuggle
multikilogram quantities of powder cocaine and methamphetamine obtained from
supply sources in Mexico into the United States for distribution. Also, gang
members produce large quantities of methamphetamine in southern California for
local distribution. Florencia members are involved in other criminal
activities, including assault, drive-by shootings, and homicide.
Fresno Bulldogs (Regional)
Fresno Bulldogs is a street gang that originated in Fresno,
California, in the late 1960s. Bulldogs is the largest Hispanic gang operating
in central California, with membership estimated at 5,000 to 6,000.
Bulldogs is one of the few Hispanic gangs in California that
claim neither Sureños (Southern) nor Norteños
(Northern) affiliation. However, gang members associate with
Nuestra Familia (NF) members, particularly when trafficking drugs. The
street-level distribution of methamphetamine, marijuana, and heroin is a primary
source of income for gang members. In addition, members are involved in other
criminal activity, including assault, burglary, homicide, and robbery.
Gangster Disciples
(National)
The Gangster Disciples street gang was formed in Chicago,
Illinois, in the mid-1960s. It is structured like a corporation and is led by a
chairman of the board. Gang membership is estimated at 25,000 to
50,000; most members are African American 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 distribution of cocaine, crack
cocaine, marijuana, and heroin. The gang also is involved in other criminal
activity, including assault, auto theft, firearms violations, fraud, homicide, the
operation of prostitution rings, and money laundering.
Latin Disciples
(Regional)
Latin Disciples, also
known as Maniac Latin Disciples and Young Latino Organization, originated in
Chicago in the late
1960s. The gang is composed of at least 10 structured and unstructured factions
with an estimated 1,500 to 2,000 members and associate members. Most members
are Puerto Rican males. Maniac Latin Disciples is the largest Hispanic gang in
the Folk Nation Alliance. The gang is most active in the Great Lakes and
southwestern regions of the United States. The street-level distribution of
powder cocaine, heroin, marijuana, and PCP is a primary source of income for
the gang. Members also are involved in other criminal activity, including
assault, auto theft, carjacking, drive-by shootings, home invasion, homicide, money
laundering, and weapons trafficking.
Mara Salvatrucha
(National)
Mara Salvatrucha, also
known as MS 13, is one of the largest Hispanic street gangs in the United
States.
Traditionally, the gang
consisted of loosely affiliated groups known as cliques; however, law
enforcement officials have reported increased coordination of criminal activity
among Mara Salvatrucha cliques in the Atlanta, Dallas, Los Angeles, Washington,
D.C., and New York metropolitan areas. The gang is estimated to have 30,000 to
50,000 members and associate members worldwide, 8,000 to 10,000 of whom reside
in the United States. Members smuggle illicit drugs, primarily powder cocaine
and marijuana, into the United States and transport and distribute the drugs
throughout the country. Some members also are involved in alien smuggling,
assault, drive-by shootings, homicide, identity theft, prostitution operations,
robbery, and weapons trafficking.
Sureños and Norteños
(National)
As individual Hispanic
street gang members enter prison systems, they put aside former rivalries with other
Hispanic street gangs and unite under the name Sureños or Norteños. The
original Mexican Mafia
members, most of whom
were from southern California, considered Mexicans from the rural, agricultural
areas of northern California weak and viewed them with contempt. To distinguish
themselves from the agricultural workers or farmers from northern California,
members of Mexican Mafia began to refer to the Hispanic gang members who worked
for them as Sureños (Southerners). Inmates from northern California became
known as Norteños (Northerners) and are affiliated with Nuestra Familia.
Because of its size and strength, Fresno Bulldogs is the only Hispanic gang in
the California Department of Corrections (CDC) that does not fall under Sureños
or Norteños but remains independent. Sureños gang members’ main sources of
income are retail-level distribution of cocaine, heroin, marijuana, and
methamphetamine within prison systems and in the community as well as extortion
of drug distributors on the streets. Some members have direct links to Mexican
DTOs and broker deals for Mexican Mafia as well as their own gang. Sureños gangs
also are involved in other criminal activities such as assault, carjacking,
home invasion, homicide, and robbery. Norteños gang members’ main sources of
income are the retail-level distribution of cocaine, heroin, marijuana,
methamphetamine, and PCP within prison systems and in the community as well as
extortion of drug distributors on the streets. Norteños gangs also are involved
in other criminal activities such as assault, carjacking, home invasion,
homicide, and robbery.
Tango Blast
(Regional)
Tango Blast is one of
largest prison/street criminal gangs operating in Texas. Tango Blast’s criminal
activities include drug
trafficking, extortion, kidnapping, sexual assault, and murder. In the late
1990s,
Hispanic men
incarcerated in federal, state, and local prisons founded Tango Blast for
personal protection against violence from traditional prison gangs such as the
Aryan Brotherhood, Texas Syndicate, and Texas Mexican Mafia. Tango Blast
originally had four city-based chapters: Houstone, Houston, Texas; ATX or La
Capricha, Austin, Texas; D-Town, Dallas, Texas; and Foros or Foritos, Fort
Worth, Texas. These founding four chapters are collectively known as Puro Tango
Blast or the Four Horsemen. From the original four chapters, former Texas
inmates established new chapters in El Paso, San Antonio, Corpus Christi, and
the Rio Grande Valley. In June 2008 the Houston Police Department (HPD)
estimated that more than 14,000 Tango Blast members were incarcerated in Texas.
Tango Blast is difficult to monitor. The gang does not conform to either
traditional prison/street gang hierarchical organization or gang rules. Tango
Blast is laterally organized, and leaders are elected sporadically to represent
the gang in prisons and to lead street gang cells. The significance of Tango
Blast is exemplified by corrections officials reporting that rival traditional
prison gangs are now forming alliances to defend themselves against Tango
Blast’s growing power.
Tiny Rascal Gangsters
(National)
Tiny Rascal Gangsters is
one of the largest and most violent Asian street gang associations in the
United
States. It is composed
of at least 60 structured and unstructured gangs, commonly referred to as sets,
with an estimated 5,000 to 10,000 members and associates who have adopted a
common gang culture. Most members are Asian American males. The sets are most
active in the southwestern, Pacific, and New England regions of the United
States. The street-level distribution of powder cocaine, marijuana, MDMA, and methamphetamine
is a primary source of income for the sets. Members also are involved in other
criminal activity, including assault, drive-by shootings, extortion, home
invasion, homicide, robbery, and theft.
United Blood Nation
(Regional)
Bloods is a universal
term that is used to identify both West Coast Bloods and United Blood Nation
(UBN). While these
groups are traditionally distinct entities, both identify themselves by
“Blood,” often
making it hard for law
enforcement to distinguish between them. United Blood Nation (UBN) started
in 1993 in Rikers Island
GMDC (George Mochen Detention Center) to form protection from the threat
posed by Latin Kings and
Ñetas, who dominated the prison. United Blood Nation (UBN) is a loose confederation
of street gangs, or sets, that once were predominantly African American.
Membership is estimated to be between 7,000 and 15,000 along the U.S. eastern
corridor. UBN derives its income from street-level distribution of cocaine,
heroin, and marijuana; robbery; auto theft; and smuggling drugs to prison
inmates. UBN members also engage in arson, carjacking, credit card fraud,
extortion, homicide, identity theft, intimidation, prostitution operations, and
weapons distribution.
Vice Lord Nation
(National)
Vice Lord Nation, based
in Chicago, is a collection of structured gangs located in 74 cities in 28 states,
primarily in the Great
Lakes region. Led by a national board, the various gangs have an estimated
30,000 to 35,000 members, most of whom are African American males. The main
source of income is street-level distribution of cocaine, heroin, and marijuana.
Members also engage in other criminal activity such as assault, burglary,
homicide, identity theft, and money laundering.
Appendix C. Prison Gangs
Aryan Brotherhood
Aryan Brotherhood, also
known as AB, was originally ruled by consensus but is now highly structured
with two factions—one in
the CDC and the other in the Federal Bureau of Prisons (BOP). The majority
of members are Caucasian
males, and the gang is active primarily in the southwestern and Pacific
regions. Its main source of income is the distribution of cocaine, heroin,
marijuana, and methamphetamine within prison systems and on the streets. Some
AB members have business relationships with Mexican DTOs that smuggle illegal
drugs into California for AB distribution. AB is notoriously violent and is
often involved in murder for hire. Although the gang has been historically
linked to the California-based Hispanic prison gang Mexican Mafia (La Eme),
tension between AB and La Eme is increasingly evident, as seen in recent fights
between Caucasians and Hispanics within CDC.
Barrio Azteca
Barrio Azteca is one of
the most violent prison gangs in the United States. The gang is highly
structured
and has an estimated
membership of 2,000. Most members are Mexican national or Mexican American
males. Barrio Azteca is most active in the southwestern region, primarily in
federal, state, and local corrections facilities in Texas and outside prison in
southwestern Texas and southeastern New Mexico. The gang’s main source of
income is derived from smuggling heroin, powder cocaine, and marijuana from
Mexico into the United States for distribution both inside and outside prisons.
Gang members often transport illicit drugs across the U.S.–Mexico border for
DTOs. Barrio Azteca members also are involved in alien smuggling, arson,
assault, auto theft, burglary, extortion, intimidation, kidnapping, robbery,
and weapons violations.
Black Guerrilla
Family
Black Guerrilla Family
(BGF), originally called Black Family or Black Vanguard, is a prison gang founded
in the San Quentin State Prison, California, in 1966. The gang is highly
organized along paramilitary lines, with a supreme leader and central
committee. BGF has an established national charter, code of ethics, and oath of
allegiance. BGF members operate primarily in California and Maryland. The gang has
100 to 300 members, most of whom are African American males. A primary source
of income for gang members comes from cocaine and marijuana distribution. BGF
members obtain such drugs primarily from Nuestra Familia/Norteños members or
from local Mexican traffickers. BGF members are involved in other criminal
activities, including auto theft, burglary, drive-by shootings, and homicide.
Hermanos de
Pistoleros Latinos
Hermanos de Pistoleros
Latinos (HPL) is a Hispanic prison gang formed in the Texas Department of
Criminal Justice (TDCJ)
in the late 1980s. It operates in most prisons and on the streets in many
communities in Texas, particularly Laredo. HPL is also active in several cities
in Mexico, and its largest contingent in that country is in Nuevo Laredo. The
gang is structured and is estimated to have 1,000 members. Members maintain
close ties to several Mexican DTOs and are involved in trafficking quantities
of cocaine and marijuana from Mexico into the United States for distribution.
Mexikanemi
The Mexikanemi prison
gang (also known as Texas Mexican Mafia or Emi) was formed in the early
1980s within the Texas
Department of Criminal Justice (TDCJ). The gang is highly structured and is
estimated to have 2,000 members, most of whom are Mexican nationals or Mexican
American males living in Texas at the time of incarceration. Mexikanemi poses a
significant drug trafficking threat to communities in the southwestern United
States, particularly in Texas. Gang members reportedly traffic multikilogram
quantities of powder cocaine, heroin, and methamphetamine; multitoned
quantities of marijuana; and thousand tablet quantities of MDMA from Mexico
into the United States for distribution inside and outside prison. Gang members
obtain drugs from associates or members of the Jaime Herrera-Herrera, Osiel
Cárdenas- Guillén, and/or Vicente Carrillo-Fuentes Mexican DTOs. In addition,
Mexikanemi members maintain a relationship with Los Zetas, a Mexican
paramilitary/criminal organization employed by the Cárdenas- Guillén DTO as its
personal security force.
Mexican Mafia
The Mexican Mafia prison
gang, also known as La Eme (Spanish for the letter M), was formed in the late
1950s within the CDC. It is loosely structured and has strict rules that must
be followed by the 200 members. Most members are Mexican American males who
previously belonged to a southern California street gang. Mexican Mafia is
primarily active in the southwestern and Pacific regions of the United States, but
its power base is in California. The gang’s main source of income is extorting
drug distributors outside prison and distributing methamphetamine, cocaine,
heroin, and marijuana within prison systems and on the streets. Some members
have direct links to Mexican DTOs and broker deals for themselves and their associates.
Mexican Mafia also is involved in other criminal activities, including
controlling gambling and homosexual prostitution in prison.
Ñeta
Ñeta is a prison gang
that began in Puerto Rico and spread to the United States. Ñeta is one of the largest
and most violent prison gangs, with about 7,000 members in Puerto Rico and
5,000 in the United States. Ñeta chapters in Puerto Rico exist exclusively
inside prisons; once members are released from prison they are no longer
considered part of the gang. In the United States, Ñeta chapters exist inside
and outside prisons in 36 cities in nine states, primarily in the Northeast.
The gang’s main source of income is retail distribution of powder and crack
cocaine, heroin, marijuana and, to a lesser extent, LSD, MDMA, methamphetamine,
and PCP. Ñeta members commit assault, auto theft, burglary, drive-by shootings,
extortion, home invasion, money laundering, robbery, weapons and explosives
trafficking, and witness intimidation.
Bandidos
Bandidos Motorcycle
Club, an OMG with 2,000 to 2,500 members in the United States and 13 other countries,
is a growing criminal threat to the nation. Law enforcement authorities
estimate that Bandidos is one of the two largest OMGs in the United States,
with approximately 900 members belonging to more than 88 chapters in 16 states.
Bandidos is involved in transporting and distributing cocaine and marijuana and
producing, transporting, and distributing methamphetamine. Bandidos is most
active in the Pacific, southeastern, southwestern, and west central regions and
is expanding in these regions by forming new chapters and allowing members of
support clubs to form or join Bandidos chapters. The members of support clubs
are known as “puppet” or “duck” club members. They do the dirty work of the
mother club.
Hells Angels
Hells Angels Motorcycle
Club (HAMC) is an OMG with 2,000 to 2,500 members belonging to more than 250
chapters in the United States and 26 foreign countries. HAMC poses a criminal
threat on six continents. U.S. law enforcement authorities estimate that HAMC
has more than 69 chapters in 22 states with 900 to 950 members. HAMC produces,
transports, and distributes marijuana and methamphetamine and transports and
distributes cocaine, hashish, heroin, LSD (lysergic acid diethylamide), MDMA,
PCP, and diverted pharmaceuticals. HAMC is involved in other criminal activity,
including assault, extortion, homicide, money laundering, and motorcycle theft.
Mongols
Mongols Motorcycle Club
is an extremely violent OMG that poses a serious criminal threat to the Pacific
and southwestern regions of the United States. Mongols members transport and
distribute cocaine, marijuana, and methamphetamine and frequently commit
violent crimes, including assault, intimidation, and murder, to defend Mongols
territory and uphold its reputation. Mongols has 70 chapters nationwide, with
most of the club’s 800 to 850 members residing in California. Many members are
former street gang members with a long history of using violence to settle
grievances. Agents with the ATF have called Mongols Motorcycle Club the most
violent and dangerous OMG in the nation. In the 1980s, the Mongols OMG seized control
of southern California from HAMC, and today Mongols club is allied with
Bandidos, Outlaws, Sons of Silence, and Pagan’s OMGs against HAMC. The Mongols
club also maintains ties to Hispanic street gangs in Los Angeles.
Outlaws
Outlaws Motorcycle Club
has more than 1,700 members belonging to 176 chapters in the United States and
12 foreign countries. U.S. law enforcement authorities estimate that Outlaws
has more than 94 chapters in 22 states with more than 700 members. Outlaws also
identifies itself as the American Outlaws Association (A.O.A.) and Outlaws
Nation. Outlaws is the dominant OMG in the Great Lakes region. Gang members
produce, transport, and distribute methamphetamine and transport and distribute
cocaine, marijuana and, to a lesser extent, MDMA. Outlaws members engage in
various criminal activities, including arson, assault, explosives operations,
extortion, fraud, homicide, intimidation, kidnapping, money laundering,
prostitution operations, robbery, theft, and weapons violations. It competes
with HAMC for membership and territory.
Sons of Silence
Sons of Silence
Motorcycle Club (SOSMC) is one of the largest OMGs in the United States, with
250 to 275 members among 30 chapters in 12 states. The club also has five
chapters in Germany. SOSMC members have been implicated in numerous criminal
activities, including murder, assault, drug trafficking, intimidation,
extortion, prostitution operations, money laundering, weapons trafficking, and motorcycle
and motorcycle parts theft.
Key Findings –
•
Gangs continue to commit violent crimes,
including assaults, and robberies, and threats and intimidation more so than
white collar-type crimes such as identity theft and credit card fraud. Drug
trafficking was identified as the most common criminal activity of gangs.
•
Gangs rely on street-level drug distribution and
trafficking as their primary source of revenue and supplement their income with
crimes that pose less risk, such as prostitution, tax fraud, counterfeiting,
and extortion. Street gangs utilize legitimate businesses, such as music
establishments and cash-intensive companies to conceal and launder illicit
proceeds.
•
Prison gangs launder criminal proceeds through
tax fraud and extortion schemes, and Green Dot card/prepaid card technology.
Family members, friends, and compromised correctional staff often facilitate
gang activities and recruitment during a gang member’s incarceration.
•
Street gangs continue to migrate nationwide to
increase profit and drug distribution, to establish new territory, and in search
of legitimate employment to supplement their illicit income. Street gang
migration sometimes occurs due to prison transfers of incarcerated gang leaders
whereby leaders order their street subordinates to relocate to communities
proximal to the leader’s new prison facility. This helps expand the gang into
new territories, increase their criminal enterprises, and provide support to
their incarcerated leader.
•
Gangs establish and maintain mutually beneficial
relationships with other gangs and criminal enterprises. National-level gangs
and NBGs continue to form relationships with DTOs, such as Mexican
Transnational Criminal Organizations (MTCOs). These relation- ships increase
profits for gangs through drug distribution, drug transportation, and the
commission of violent crimes to enforce drug payment and protect drug
transportation corridors from rival usage. National street gangs are
recruiting, organizing, and controlling NBGs to increase their membership and
eliminate competition. Rival gangs collaborate for mutual profit and to
increase numbers for protection on the street or while incarcerated.
•
Gang members exploit corrections facilities,
military installations, government bodies, and law enforcement agencies to
perpetuate their criminal enterprise. Upon employment, gang members and
associates exploit their position within law enforcement, government, and
judicial agencies, and encourage their relatives and associates to follow suit,
in order to gather information on rival gang members, target law enforcement,
and disrupt criminal investigations. Gang presence in the US military continues
to pose a criminal and security threat to law enforcement and the community as
members may gain access to or master advanced weapons systems, develop combat
skills and, gain access to sensitive items and material.
•
Gang activity continues to expand into
prostitution and human trafficking, as these crimes yield steady financial
rewards and are perceived to be at low risk from law enforcement detection. The
NGIC has identified at least 30 gangs that are involved in prostitution or
human trafficking operations.
•
Gangs employ technology in order to communicate
covertly and conduct criminal operations with minimal risk of detection. Using
technology, gangs locate and establish targets; intimidate rivals; facilitate
criminal activity; enhance criminal operations; and monitor law enforcement.
Gangs employ popular social networking sites such as Facebook, Instagram,
Twitter, and YouTube, use Voice-over-Internet Protocol (VoIP) technology, and
exploit online gaming systems such as Xbox and PlayStation.
•
Gang presence in US schools is a formidable
obstacle for educators, law enforcement, and other youth-service professionals.
Street gangs are linked to crime in elementary, secondary, and high schools,
and on select college campuses. Schools provide fertile grounds for recruitment
and many public schools are rife with gang activity such as assaults,
robberies, threats and intimidation, drug distribution, and weapons offenses.
Gang presence on college campuses is a growing concern as more gang members are
gravitating toward colleges to escape gang life, join college athletic
programs, or to acquire advanced skill sets for their gang.
•
All-female gangs are on the rise in many
jurisdictions, as well as, female participation and full-fledged memberships
within male-dominant gangs are steadily escalating. Female gang members
typically support male gang members, serving as mules for drugs, couriers for
weapons, and gathering intelligence for the gang, although, many are taking
more active roles by serving as soldiers or co-conspirators. Female gang
members in some jurisdictions are forming their own gang sets and commit
violent crimes comparable to their male counterparts.
Gang Survey
Results -
Once released, many prison gang members return to the street
gangs from which they hail. These gang members continue to participate in
gang-related crimes while assuming more active leadership roles. More than 61
percent of survey respondents report a high recidivism rate within their
jurisdictions, and for the past two years, 37 percent of survey respondents estimate
the recidivism rate has increased in their jurisdiction.
Gangs and Mexican
Transnational Criminal Organizations –
Street and prison gangs, as well as OMGs and associates,
develop and foster relationships with transnational criminal organizations
(TCOs) in Mexico and Central America. Although the nature of each relationship
varies by region, most are opportunistic arrangements. Gangs and TCO alliances
are most often a product of geographic convenience, profit-making opportunity,
and business efficiency.
Of those surveyed, 23 percent of law enforcement officials
report that gangs in their jurisdictions align with MTCOs. Among 81 percent of
such alliances, a symbiotic relationship exists. MTCOs control gangs in 15
percent of these alliances. Intelligence indicates that street gangs in the
United States most commonly collaborate with Los Zetas and the Sinaloa Cartel.14
Gangs cooperate with MTCOs primarily in drug smuggling
activities, as drugs provide the primary source of revenue for US-based gangs
while MTCOs control most of the cocaine, heroin, methamphetamine, and marijuana
trafficked from Mexico into the United States. Accordingly, most US-based gangs
are involved in the street-level distribution of drugs, as well as in the
wholesale, transportation and, in some cases, manufacturing of drugs. While
largely based in Mexico, MTCOs rely on US-based gangs to distribute drugs to US
communities, which allows MTCOs to amass enormous profits without putting their
operations at risk
MTCOs partner with more than 100,000 documented street gang
members in Chicago to advance their criminal activities. According to March 2013 open source reporting, the increased
violence in Chicago is attributable to MTCOs competing for control over
Chicago’s drug market by supplying rival gangs, which are subsequently
competing over street level drug sales and territory. Battles for control over
marijuana, cocaine, and heroin distribution amongst Los Zetas and Sinaloa
Cartels and their violent street gang counterparts have escalated in recent
years.
The Southwest Border
Gangs, especially national-level Hispanic gangs, such as
MS-13, the Eme, Sureños, and TB, continue to pose a significant threat to the
Southwest border region. Gangs in the region exploit opportunities along the
nearly 2,000 miles of contiguous US-Mexico territory to engage in a multitude
of crimes, including drug-related crimes, weapons trafficking, alien smuggling,
human trafficking, prostitution, extortion, robbery, auto theft, assault,
homicide, racketeering, and money laundering.
Of these offenses,
drug-related crimes – such as production, smuggling, trafficking, and
distribution – are the most widely reported criminal acts committed by gangs of
all types. Alien smuggling is the second most prevalent crime that gangs commit
in the region, based on CBP reporting.
In September 2013, a known member of the Okie Town gang in
Arizona was arrested, along with an accomplice, for attempting to smuggle two
Mexican nationals into the United States. One of the Mexican nationals had
prior drug convictions. Immigration violations also present
a significant challenge to law enforcement in the region. In many cases, gang
members who commit criminal activity in the region are not US citizens nor
lawful permanent residents.
Once deported, gang members attempt to reenter the United
States illegally in order to rejoin the gang and engage in criminal activity. CBP
survey respondents indicate in some southwest border sectors, the percentage of
non-US citizen gang members was as high as 80 percent.
Materials gathered are from 2009 Gang Assessment Report and
2013 Gang Assessment Report
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