Eduardo
"Tablas" Ravelo, the leader of the Barrio Azteca gang in Juarez, had
least 50 bodyguards protecting him at all times, lived in a mansion, and often
traveled across the border to discuss contract killings with his counterparts
in El Paso, according to federal court documents.
Ravelo, who
has been on the FBI's Ten Most Wanted list since 2009, is believed to have
survived the drug cartel war in Juárez and last week the FBI office in El Paso
had a press conference to reinforce to the public that Ravelo may be in the
area and is wanted.
A review by
the El Paso Times of past federal court transcripts involving Barrio Azteca
members give some insight to the workings of the gang and to Ravelo's life.
Gustavo
"Tavo" Gallardo, formerly a leader of the Barrio Aztecas in El Paso,
testified in court that long before the drug cartel wars began in 2008 in
Juarez, the Carrillo Fuentes drug cartel wanted to kill off the Aztecas because
they were suspected of stealing millions of dollars from the cartel.
Ravelo, who
was under pressure from La Linea, a group of enforcers who work for the
Carrillo Fuentes cartel in Juarez, came to El Paso to ask the Barrio Aztecas in
El Paso for helping in finding a gang member who was suspected in the stealing,
documents state.
One such gang
member was Chato Flores, who was abducted in August 2005 from El Paso and taken
to Juarez, where he was to be questioned by La Linea. Flores, one of
several gang members that La Linea claimed was ripping off the cartel, was
killed in Juarez. Gallardo testified that he did not know in advance that
Flores would be killed.
"They
wanted to know where all their merchandise (was) that they were stealing,"
Gallardo testified back then.
Gallardo said
he met Ravelo in El Paso, when Ravelo asked for help in finding another Barrio
Azteca member who was under suspicion. He testified that Ravelo was protected
in Juarez by 50 bodyguards and lived in a mansion.
Gallardo said
in court during a federal trial against Barrio Azteca members in 2008 that he
was "tight" with Ravelo and that Ravelo was close to the leader of La
Linea at the time, Juan "JL" Pablo Ledezma, who reported directly to
Mexican drug kingpin Vicente Carrillo Fuentes.
U.S. officials
previously indicted Carrillo Fuentes in connection with drug-trafficking and
several murders in Juarez in the 1990s.
In Mexico,
Ledezma is a fugitive who is wanted in connection with various alleged crimes,
including drug-trafficking and other slayings.
Gallardo
testified that back then the Carrillo Fuentes cartel was using enforcers from
La Linea to kill Aztecas who betrayed the cartel.
He also said
he knew where 50 to 100 bodies were buried in Juarez, but he was not asked to
testify about where the bodies were located or when the slayings had occurred.
Gallardo
further testified that he had predicted to the FBI in 2007, a year before the
cartel wars in Juarez began, that there was going to be more trouble because
Joaquin "Chapo" Guzman (leader of the Sinaloa cartel) was coming to Juarez
to challenge the Carrillo Fuentes cartel.
At the same
time, the Barrio Azteca in El Paso was in disarray because of a power struggle
between David "Chicho" Meraz and Miguel Angel "Angelillo"
Esqueda. Meraz was killed in Juarez in 2008.
"It was
always all - all this struggling, fighting against each other," Gallardo
testified.
Aguirre
testified that the feud was driven by "envy, money problems (and)
power." Each one, Meraz and Esqueda, wanted to run the gang in El Paso.
Gallardo testified
that the Barrio Aztecas in El Paso and the Aztecas in Juarez are one and the
same gang except with different leaders in El Paso and Juarez.
He said the
gang collected approximately $100,000 per week from drug-trafficking, and that
the money was turned in to cartel operatives at the Juarez Cereso prison.
Aguirre testified
that there is a big difference in how the gang operates in the two cities; he
testified that the Aztecas in Juarez are required to commit a murder in order
to join the gang there.
Mexican
authorities said that Ravelo began working for the Mexican drug cartel since
the mid-1990's, which is when the late Amado Carrillo Fuentes, brother of
Vicente, took over the Juarez smuggling corridor.
The FBI is
offering a $100,000 reward for information that leads to the arrest of Ravelo.
The FBI said
that one of the birth dates provided for Ravelo is Oct. 13, 1968. There is an
Eduardo Ravelo with the same birth date who was charged with forgery in El Paso
in 1991, according to court records, and he was also sought in connection with
a bond forfeiture.
U.S.
investigators said Ravelo, who was born in Mexico but had U.S. legal permanent
residency (a green card), survived the drug cartel wars and may be hiding
somewhere in Mexico. The FBI said he might have had plastic surgery to alter
his appearance.
In a
statement, FBI officials said that the Barrio Azteca is a violent street and
prison gang that began in the late 1980s and expanded into a transnational
criminal organization.
The gang began
with Texas prisoners from El Paso and Juarez who wanted to protect themselves
against other prison gangs, according to gang experts.
Numerous
prisoners in the United States who were from Mexico were deported after
finishing their sentences, and later joined the Barrio Aztecas or other gangs
that worked with the drug cartels.
Over the past
decade, the Barrio Aztecas formed an alliance in Mexico with "La
Linea," which is part of the Carrillo Fuentes drug cartel. U.S. officials
said the purpose of the alliance was to fight the Sinaloa cartel and its allies
for control of the Juarez drug trafficking routes.
During the
cartel wars, more than 11,000 people were killed in Juarez over a five-year
period that began in 2008, most of them foot soldiers of the rival cartels.
Barrio Azteca
members are known to operate in West Texas, New Mexico and in Chihuahua.
Ramon Montijo,
an expert on gangs and drug cartels, said the cartels were smart to use the
prison and street gangs to further their enterprises.
"The
gangs do all the dirty work, and the guys at the top of the cartels
profit," Montijo said. "It was a very smart move on the part of the
cartels."... Source El Paso Times
The Azteca Snitches....by Chivis Martinez
The Azteca gang is one of the most feared and violent gangs in the United
States.
I
n 1986 the violent gang, “Barrio Azteca,” was initiated in the Texas prison system. 5 inmates seeking a defense against prison violence organized a prison gang among prisoners from El Paso. By the 90’s the gang membership had spread to other prisons and to the streets of El Paso, its home base, as Barrio Azteca gang originators and other members completed their prison sentences and were released back on to the streets.
n 1986 the violent gang, “Barrio Azteca,” was initiated in the Texas prison system. 5 inmates seeking a defense against prison violence organized a prison gang among prisoners from El Paso. By the 90’s the gang membership had spread to other prisons and to the streets of El Paso, its home base, as Barrio Azteca gang originators and other members completed their prison sentences and were released back on to the streets.
Barrio Aztecas progressed into trans-border drug trafficking and the
violence that is fused with the trade.
It established a counterpart organization across the international
bridge into Ciudad Juarez, Mexico. Today there are over 5000 Aztecas in Juarez and 3000+ in the United States.
An in-depth knowledge of the interworking’s of the organization was thought
not known until 2008 when a federal RICO indictment resulted in the conviction
of six alleged members and associates.
It was the testimony and other evidence in the trial that exposed the gang’s
operational structure and mechanisms, much of it provided by a snitch, Johnny “Conejo”
[“Rabbit”] Michelletti, who as it turned out had been snitching for several
years. He testified in open court about Barrio
Azteca’s organization and criminal acts.
Michelletti, who admitted in testimony, that he had been working for the FBI
revealed in court that he had been working with the FBI for three years. Another Barrio Azteca, Gustavo “Tavo”
Gallardo, turned on his gang and decided to cooperate and testify at trial.
During his testimony Michelletti said he was originally a member of an El
Paso gang called “Los Fatherless,” but was sent to prison for assaulting a
police officer. It was during his incarceration
that a fellow inmate approached Michelletti about the inmate sponsoring
Michelletti’s membership in the Barrio Aztecas.
Michelletti explained the sponsor is your “padrino”, and one must prove
worthy of membership by committing a violent act.
Another ex-Azteca Gerardo Hernandez testified that recruits to the gang, are sponsored
and have their names sent throughout the gang system. An investigation is conducted
to determine whether the prospect has ever cooperated with law enforcement, or
any other baggage unacceptable to the gang.
Once in, the lowly, new recruits
are responsible for collecting “quotas” which are passed up the chain of
command, he points out that “stores” that purchase from Barrio Aztecas don’t
pay tax or get a reduced rate, and the money is deposited in commissary
accounts.
In other testimony a former Barrio Azteca Edward Ruiz testified that
for 4 years he operated an address where the incarcerated Azteca Manuel Cardoza could send undetected letters
to other gang members outside prison. Ruiz had some of the letters in his possession
which he relinquished to the FBI.
I love hearing stories about la Linea and the Aztecas. I wonder how they survived after getting their asses kicked by chapo
ReplyDeleteChapo didn't do shit.. it's was the military.. that's why la linea is making a strong cone back , cause there's no military there to fuck with them.. if Chapo wouldn't of used military , the Aztecas and Linea would ripped Chapo a new asshole... believe that
DeleteLol. True.
DeleteU mean how they kicked chapos ass even after he had help from the federales and mexican army
Deleteonly the fucking"linia"deals for pesos,fucking narco-policias,raping and murdering juarenos,that's their victims and their enemies,they may be afraid, but no juareno likes.or supports la "linia"
DeleteAs far as I'm concerned, they are all fatherless sob's. And if you see any of these tated up crackheads in el paso just call the cops. Tell them you saw weapons and they will get deported or probably worse.
ReplyDeleteFEATHERLESS,like chicken,what is like...gallinas encueradas?gallinas de la "linia"commanders,all bigwig corrupt police officers,CD Juarez needs the death penalty,and their own red guard.all prison scum needs to be isolated and controlled,how a bunch of ignorant convicts can run around a bunch of hairy assed police officers?no shame
DeleteHe was on the FBI's 10 most wanted list yet he crossed the border frequently to discuss contract killings. How do you like them apples!
ReplyDeleteOnce again Chaps gets blamed for everything. I don't believe that Chapo caused that infighting, he took advantage of the situation by sending his people to negotiate with the Juarez thugs. But to say he was solely responsible is not giving these malandros credit. Chaps can control his minions to a certain level, even they have proven to make dumb moves but what Chaps has on his mind is making money. He has other people to worry about the little things and take accountability for those decisions. It's a structured business.
ReplyDeletebeautiful,and kill'em all
ReplyDeleteWe need to go back to the chain gang days here in the u.s and dont give them bastards time in the day to make any kind of connections!!! Work them all day then at night they be too tired to think about anything at night.
ReplyDeleteGood read! Love hearing this inside stuff. Thx guys. keep up the great work
ReplyDeleteAnd where is the mexican state in all this? All I hear and read is FBI, DEA, investigations, indictments and what not, but where is the fuckin shitty corrupt, worthless, incompetent mexican side of intelligence or has that asshole enrique pena (whatever his fucking last name) administration just plain stopped cooraporating with U.S. officials? So each one of these assholes has to kill in order to join the gang WOW! Jesus fucking christ, 5,000 + 3,000 members and that is I suppose a conservative estimate, you add it up, all the murders all the fosas comunes not found yet, mexico is doomed. Has been for a long while.
ReplyDeleteIt seems like prison is where these guys earn their degree in criminology. And, the cartels have their pick of these fine graduates. American tax payer's money at work.
ReplyDeleteThe only good thing i can say about the aztecas is that they cleaned up the city of el paso and eliminated the 200 street gangs in the 90s. They did not want any gangbaning going on in el paso. They wanted this city to be peaceful.
ReplyDeletethen they had 2000 gangs working for them,but decent and correct (apparently),which helps the infiltrationinto the better families,where the money is,can't trust anybody,for reals.
DeleteWhere is JL??...is he really dead?
ReplyDeleteChapo did cause all this his a fuckiing rat just like these Aztecas !
ReplyDelete@10:24a.m. your an idiot blaming Mexico pendejo, its the u.s. d.e.a and c.i.a who started this problem. they are letting it happened. The u.s. is the worlds most corrupt country
ReplyDelete@12:14 p.m the u.s gvt may be corrupt or at least alot of them are but the mexican gvt aint exactly up for no nobel peace prize either.anytime money influences decisions and i dont care what border it comes from you get corruption.its a weakness of mankind in general all over the world
DeleteI think its Paco Palencia from el Tri!!!
ReplyDelete😂😂😂
DeleteHe looks like he does meth. I hope he eats rat poison
ReplyDelete@1:51 p.m and why not? Them dumbasses put rat poison in meth and he do look like some of the fuckin geekers where i stay.they are nauseating to look at
Deletechapo kicking la lnea and aztecas ass...hahahahah!!!chapo cant bust a grape on his own!!!the mexican government is the one that attacked hard la linea and aztecas...but trip on this you chapo nut hugger,La Linea and Aztecas ARE STILL IN THE GAME!!!CDS,CHAPO SHOULD BE ASHAMED!!!MAN THEY GOT HELP FROM EVERYONE AND EVERYWHERE...AND THE JUAREZ CARTEL CONTINUES!!!! ALL YOU HATTERS,KEEP HATTING LA LINEA AND AZTECAS!!!JUST TAKE A LOOK ALL OVER CHIHUAHUA,CHAPOS KEEPING GETTING KILLED OFF BY AZTECAS AND LA LINEA....JUST KEEP HATTING!!!LOOK HOW MANY YEARS AND CHAPO STILL DONT CONTROL ONE SINGLE PLAZA!!!NOT EVEN CULIACAN!!!HAHAHAHA
ReplyDeleteNo wonder the world is so f*** up for idiots like you. Do us a favor and end yourself and make this world a better place
Deleteif the "linias"and the aztecas were tan chingones nobody would have taken anything from them, so callate pendejo,shut the fuck up dumbass ...
DeleteM 10 FROM CDS JUST WENT DOWN IN CHIHUAHUA!!!
ReplyDeleteAll this stuff about the texas gangs. how posting stuff.about.cali gangs and theyre Association with the cartels
ReplyDeleteSouthern California has been so deadly and violent over the last 30 years no one seems to care anymore. All of South LA is basically ran by gangs. All you hear about is voilence in Chicago for some reason. Theres killings every other day in Compton and its not even an incorporated city with a police dept! Its policed by sherriffs, its a tiny city and its murder count has been through the roofs over the past decades. You can fit 50 Comptons into Chicago its that small .if you did it would be the deadliest place on Earth. My point is Cali gangs dont get coverage on the news anymore at all, even when 3 or 4 kids are shot at a party its non news. In a huge city like Chicago its on every news outlet because its a fairly new thing for them.
DeleteAll I gotta say is come to oakland they dump shells out there trucks like a taco truck.
Delete@4:53 p.m i know about oakland as i was born there.oakland has always been fucked up but im near atlanta now and atl is off the chain with violence and home invasions nowdays its awful!!!!
Deleteare there gangs in Atlanta?how about all over Georgia?how can these ignorant lowlifes corrupt a whole state? sometime freedom can be too much freedom,cast pearls to the swine,and you will prove how dirty and undeserving swine is
DeleteThey need to just kill all of these ppl. Once they're caught and convicted they should b brought to the back and shot. I will do the shooting if no one else wants to. And if u think that's not humane, well f**k you
ReplyDeleteHahahaha!!! Yeah kid. Whatever you say. Stop playing Xbox all high on this guys product.
DeleteLlol you don't even have the balls to look at a gun, and you wanna shoot them your self lol... come on, this is real life. Is not black ops
DeleteAdd it up, if you to kill to join the gang and there is 5000 members tthat alone is 5000 murders. Not counting the contract killings after membership
ReplyDeleteYep for free and with a new face everytime
Deleteone thing that no one touches on here in this blog, is how all this is part of Mexico's democratization...most true democracies are borne in violence. as a result of the cartels wars, Mexico has been trying to recruit more professional type people into the municipal, state , and federal police forces. I've knocked Mexico in the past for not providing all the services available to us in the US, i.e., grants, student loans etc etc. anyways, rather than just complain and make stupid comments about La Tuta, Chapo, Zetas ETC ETC, i started researching how Mexico is run and learned that one reason why Mexico doesn't have all the services we have here, is that people don't pay any income tax, only business do, at least deep in Mexico. Another thing I've seen in my research is that Mexico was on path towards a true democracy. In fact, much of this violence is caused by that.. when the PAN took office, it could be compared to the birth of a true democracy in Mexico. That vote came with a price, which was that previous arreglos with PRI and drug trafficers fell apart, and thus the fight for plazas which the PRI no longer controlled. when it was just the PRI running things, the cartels needed their permission to do their things, after the PRI lost the presidency, the cartels were on their own and had the power to overrun small pockets of political parties easier than going against one well oiled corruption machine (PRI)...thos e of you who think Mexico is one the verge of collapse are sadly mistaken...its on the verge of First world status-i give it seven
ReplyDelete@ August 28, 2013 at 3:59 AM
ReplyDelete"He was on the FBI's 10 most wanted list yet he crossed the border frequently to discuss contract killings. How do you like them apples!"
My though exactly!
Does Barrio Azteca and the Mexican Mafia get along ?
ReplyDeleteFuck no
Deleteno enemies on sight.... even the beef breaks down with the small gangs.... west side mafia VS Sureños / the 13s
DeleteAny word on the convoy of about 40 trucks in Reynosa
ReplyDeleteEl mayito capture..el m10
ReplyDeleteCHIVIS SE RUMORA QUE AGARRARON AL M10(mayito) DE LOS M'S.dicen los blogs donde publican la aprencion de este guey que era parte del c.d.s? Que segun no dicen que este guey le declaro la guerra al c.d.s y se unio a el c.d j. Segun es el que formo al nuevo cartel de juarez? Chivis as un buen articulo sobre este guey sobre los M'S sobre el pedo en durango y chihuas como esta el pedo entre los carteles y las uniones seria un buen articulo y asi ya no salgan fanfarrones hablando de mas sobre chihuas...tanks chivi..
ReplyDelete3:04pm, do you need to borrow my car or anything ? before you start killing everyone ? I hope everything works out ... and don't forget to check in with us every once in awhile and let us know how it's going . Thanks
ReplyDeleteTweaked out dirty ass vatoss!!! barrio apesta
ReplyDeleteThe drug world is one nasty place, its a cancer in American society. Got to do something.....
ReplyDeleteThis infighting happened years ago!!!! But now in 2013 the barrio azteca is still strong. They r the ones with balls and fought chapo guzman,the mexican military, pgr and us govt. They still control the streets of juarez and the cereso. Now as you can see sinaloa cartel people are going down in cd juarez. This is the second high ranking person in a month ,valencia and now m10. when are you people going to realize that chapo started this war in mexico. When he got out of prison he started first with tijuana and then he went and started with nuevo laredo and now juarez. I give him 1 more year and thats it...
ReplyDelete7:11
ReplyDeleteLA city's mid year figures paces it as the safest large city in the US
and LA county homicide rate has plummeted again by 9% this year
check the net and get the facts, you can't look at isolated incidents to arrive at a conclusion, one must look at the totality of the year and years. LA and many big cities and large populous areas have been on the decline for decades.
Chicago has gone the direction..
Its funny reading some of the comments posted on here,i mean,what world do they live in?Have they never ever been involved in anything,never known anyone who was doing things?Its human nature,not everyone has a nice office job or whatever the hell you wanna call it,some of the comments stand out for the indignant outrage they profess to espouse(big words)there is a little bit of larceny in nearly every human being.
ReplyDeleteyour right chapo wont last long now he betrayed his alias includeing la tuta so chapo is fucked now los caballeros control half of sur mexico and now have presence on the border. chapo really doesnt have that many strong alias it was only the ct that were strong but now they agaisnt him
ReplyDeleteLol to this
DeleteHe has la gente nueva and antrax on his side and they're aren't anything like sicarios no they are hitmen
DeleteEl JL y el Diego son aztecones recuerdan cuando torcieron al Diego tenia tatuajes el y JL son Aztecones del mas alto nivel en Los Aztecas!
ReplyDeleteLos doz vatos tiran carrucha y a la vez bien parados con el Cartel de Juarez.Dicen que Betty La Fea tambien es Aztecon pero no se sabe aun.
Para que se hacen el JL es el mero mero de Los Aztecas en Juaritoz y tambien como mano derecha de la familia carrillo!
Horny men,with military training,from outside the city,no time for romance...you are left with policia federal,policias del estado and the militares.lie detectors,if they worked,may help solve a few cases,the police had had suspects,but let them go because they were brothers in arms,they cover and protect each other and their own
ReplyDeleteI'm from el paso and unleess your involved in the street polictics this is one of the safest cities to be in its not like other cities over run with niggers that make it terrable for everyone
ReplyDeletebla bla bla just if u see one of them uno a uno y no train nada
ReplyDeleteAll them fatherless gang members have always been rats I'm a ex Aztecs Diablo member we never open any info
ReplyDeletelol everyone is unknown on this string talking smack
ReplyDelete