Resources and Input
Policing, Borders, Drugs, Cartels
and System Corruption
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Start here - excerpts below are also found in the Articles section. And also see the Border section on this
website.
Al Jazeera
Native Gangs
http //projects dot aljazeera.com/2015/01/native-gangs/*
*note on Al Jazeera here in Notes 2019/09/04--temporarily removed
Masq
http://www.masq.org/index.php/Albuquerque,_the_Hidden_Cultures
The following website masq dot org seems to be possibly dated and local. There have been some
improvements to Albuquerque. However, by focusing on Albuquerque’s Warzone, Biker gangs,
other gangs, drugs and dealers, etc. it takes us into a space that is reflective of the entire state, not
just Albuquerque. Although gangs come in from other areas, bringing their culture and tendencies
with them, New Mexico still has a unique aspect. This website is one of the better ones to help
newcomers and oldtimers alike get in sync with what is actually going on in this particular state.
US Border Patrol dot com
http://www.usborderpatrol.com/Border_Patrol746.htm
Excerpt: New Mexico
The U.S. state of New Mexico is under attack by drug cartels and smugglers and little can be done to
stop the border violence without federal troops. This state's 180 mile border with Mexico is nearly
devoid of human habitation. Isolated ranches and small farms dot the border area. Because the
population is so small (less than two million in a state of 50,000 square miles) , little federal funding
is available to build adequate border infrastructure.
Because New Mexico occupies such a strategic east - west position it has been favored with an
extensive Interstate Highway System. The combination of fast roads and no people bodes
catastrophe for the residents of this state. The drug cartels have taken over. Don't think that even
the federal government will help. Even when smugglers and drug gangs are arrested, the
embarrassingly under- funded federal prosecutors have to prioritize cases and that means some
very bad people go free for lack of prosecutors to handle the cases. New Mexico has the fourth
highest federal case load in the United States yet has but one city worth the name : Albuquerque.
This isolated town is home to one of the largest nuclear weapons facilities in the world. What it
would take for the al Qaeda and Mexican criminals now operating in New Mexico's border areas to
repeat the attack of 1916 but against a nuclear weapons facility is unknown but a nightmare worth
Hollywood's attention.
http://www.usborderpatrol.com/Border_Patrol746.htm
(a private website, not an official government website - they indicate the following: This site is
maintained by supporters of the United States Border Patrol and is not an official government site.
The contents of this site are privately managed and not subject to the direction of the United States
Border Patrol.
GANGS NEW MEXICO
Juarez
ABC 15 dot com
2019/11/06 Map cartel influences across the US and Mexico. By Courtland Jeffrey
https://www.abc15.com/news/data/map-cartel-influences-presence-across-the -united-states-and-
mexico
Excerpt: Officials are investigating activity tied to the Juarez and Sinaloa cartels, which are both
active in the area where the Monday attack occurred, just 90 miles south of Douglas, Ariz. The killers
were reportedly believed to be from the Juarez cartel's armed wing, "La Linea." According to federal
data, both the Juarez and Sinaloa cartels have active presences in the U.S. and parts of Mexico.
Recent data obtained from the DEA and Stratfor Global Intelligence and the Federation of American
Scientists shows the Sinaloa cartel with a dominant regional presence in nearly every U.S. state,
including Arizona. The Juarez cartel is dominant in New Mexico, while Texas has presences from
the Sinaloa, Gulf, and Juarez cartels.
https://www.abc15.com/news/data/map-cartel-influences-presence-across-the -united-states-and-
mexico
Surenos
LC Sun
2019/07/29 California gang member arrested new mexico human trafficking, By Bethany
Freudenthal
https://www.lcsun-news.com/story/news/2019/07/29/california-gang-member-arrested-new-mexico-
charged-human-trafficking/1783310001/
Excerpt: A member of the Sureños Street Gang from California and his cousin were arrested in New
Mexico earlier this month, on suspicion of trying to smuggle people into the country. According to
federal court documents, Luis Antonio Chavez, 33, and Emmanuel Pizano, 31, were arrested July 17 in
Lordsburg and each are charged with one felony count of smuggling illegal aliens. Chavez and
Pizano allegedly told Border Patrol agents they had met a group of Mexican nationals at a gas
station who asked for a ride. The Mexican nationals who talked to agents, however, said Chavez and
Pizano were part of a scheme to smuggle them into the United States.During the interview with
agents, Chavez informed them he was a member of the Sureños Street Gang from California.
https://www.lcsun-news.com/story/news/2019/07/29/california-gang-member-arrested-new-mexico-
charged-human-trafficking/1783310001/
ARTICLES
2020
NM Gang Conference 2020
The New Mexico Gang Conference, organized and presented by the New Mexico Gang Task Force (NMGTF)
is the largest organized task force in the state dealing with gangs as a multi-jurisdictional, multi-agency
entity.
https://nmgangconference.com/
2019
See LC Sun-2019/07/29 under Gangs New Mexico/Surenos
ABC 15 dot com/2019/11/06 under Gangs NM/Juarez
2017
Fox
2017/05/02 New Mexico drug cartel bust shows law enforcement feels more empowered. Joseph Kolb
https://www.foxnews.com/us/new-mexico-drug-cartel-bust-shows-law-enforcement-feels-more-
empowered
2015
Aljazeera dot com
2015/01/19 A Cross to Bear: James Cross Knows Why Native American Kids Joing Gangs. By Tristan Ahtone.
This is the first story in a five-part series on Native American gangs.
http //projects dot aljazeera.com/2015/01/native-gangs/
Excerpt: “I got forks on the back, which represents the Disciples,” said Cross, referring to a tattoo of two
hands making the sign of the Latin Gangster Disciples. “Then I’ve got tattoos on my face. I had a teardrop,
but we covered it up with a feather just so everybody wouldn’t be intimidated and I could get a job.
Everybody knows a teardrop is for murder.” When they were around the age of 7, he and his twin brother
first hooked up with the Latin Gangster Disciples. One day, he said, they were hanging around with the
older guys and someone said, “Hey, go get that cash register,’’ referring to a nearby convenience store.
“We went and got that cash register,’’ Cross said. “There was an old man working there, couldn’t do
nothing, couldn’t hardly move, so it was an easy hit.’’
Not that easy. They got caught and he began a long string of encounters with the law. Now 48, he has
spent almost half his life in prison. That time has taken a very serious toll on his life.
http //projects dot aljazeera.com/2015/01/native-gangs/
KOAT
2015/04/09 200 GANGS AS OF 2015 STATEWIDE
Officials: Dangerous, violent gangs flocking to New Mexico. By Megan Cruz
https://www.koat.com/article/officials-dangerous-violent-gangs-flocking-to-new-mexico/5063259#
Excerpt: "We have currently over 200 gangs statewide," Joe Kolb said. Kolb is with the New Mexico Gang
Taskforce, a group of local law enforcement agencies that work with federal officials like the FBI and
Homeland Security. He said the gangs have about 7,200 members.We know we have some Barrio Aztecas
up here now in Albuquerque, and we also have MS-13 here. So we have a significant cause for concern,"
Kolb said. He said people are primarily coming from California and Texas because of a perception that
New Mexico laws are much friendlier to gangs. In California and Texas, people convicted of crimes may
receive harsher sentences if it's proven the crime was gang-related. Kolb said New Mexico has nothing
like that. He said legislation and a concerted effort between police and the community is needed to stop
these gangs in their tracks before the area sees a spike in crime. "Our crime rate is 200 percent higher
than comparatively sized cities," he said. "A lot of those crimes are perpetrated by people who are in
gangs."
https://www.koat.com/article/officials-dangerous-violent-gangs-flocking-to-new-mexico/5063259#
[Joe Kolb of the New Mexico Gang Taskforce] said legislation and a concerted effort between police and
the community is needed to stop these gangs in their tracks before the area sees a spike in crime. For
research into trends in New Mexico
Masq dot org
Masquerade: Albuquerque the Hidden Cultures
http://www.masq.org/index.php/Albuquerque,_the_Hidden_Cultures
Excerpt: Between the parks, the Pueblo Revival architecture and the significant artistic pursuits,
Albuquerque has a lot to offer. So it can come to a surprise to many than beneath the surface lurks a
hidden depth to the city. The Southeast Heights, a fairly large portion of the city, is ruled by gangs and
criminals. Police fear to go into the neighbourhood as just stepping past the border of San Mateo
Boulevard is enough to take their lives into their hands. But how did this area of the city, known as the
Warzone, come to be? One reporter decided to find out, and write about her discoveries in the underbelly
of Albuquerque.
Gangs may consist of a few individuals with little organization who commit minor crimes to highly
organized groups with numerous members involved in sophisticated transnational crimes and criminal
enterprise. Gangs form for many different reasons - including profit through criminal activity, territorial
claims, protection, culture or community history.
Gangs that commit most quality of life crimes that affect communities and neighborhoods are criminal
street gangs. In New Mexico, a criminal street gang is defined as three or more persons having a common
identifying sign or symbol, or an identifiable leadership who continuously or regularly associate in the
commission of criminal activities.[3]
According to the Albuquerque Police Department, our city has 7,800 “ranked in” members of some 200
criminal street gangs. That doesn’t include taggers, pee wees and wannabees. It’s the number of
criminals who have satisfied minimum entrance requirements for street gang membership.
…Once a gang shifts away from turf orientation and petty crimes ("First Generation Gang") and begins
organizing illegal activities with a money making focus, they become what is characterized as a "Second
Generation Gang". Second generation gang activities tend to be drug-centric, operate in broader areas
and have a centralized leadership. Most urban gangs fit into the first and second generation
characterizations.
Organized crime is defined by the FBI as any group having a formalized structure whose primary
objective is to obtain money through illegal activities. Gangs perpetuate control of enterprises and illegal
activities through threatened and actual violence, graft, and extortion. Turf wars and gang pride are still
important however, the focus becomes more about the
money.http://www.masq.org/index.php/Albuquerque,_the_Hidden_Cultures
New York Post
2019/05/05 Cartels thrive in New Mexico county after feds shut down checkpoints
https://nypost.com/2019/05/05/cartels-thrive-in-new-mexico-county-after-feds-shut-down-checkpoints/
SNM Syndicato de Nuevo Mexico
Justice dot gov
2015/12/04 Federal indictments charge 25 alleged members syndicato de nuevo mexico
https://www.justice.gov/usao-nm/pr/federal-indictments-charge-25-alleged-members-syndicato-de-
nuevo-mexico-snm-prison-gang
Excerpt: The racketeering indictments, which were filed on Dec. 1, 2015, and were unsealed yesterday,
allege that the defendants conspired to violate federal racketeering laws by conspiring to commit violent
crimes, including murder, attempted murder and assault, in aid of their racketeering enterprise. The
indictments are the result of a multi-agency investigation led by the Albuquerque Division of the FBI that
culminated yesterday with a law enforcement operation during which all but two of the defendants
charged were arrested.Department. “These arrests help us in our mission is to provide safer prisons for
those in our care.”
The two racketeering indictments allege that the 25 defendants charged were members and associates of
the SNM Prison Gang, a state-wide gang operating in New Mexico prisons and in communities throughout
the state. According to the racketeering indictments, the SNM Prison Gang was formed in the early 1980s
at the Penitentiary of New Mexico after the prison riot in Feb. 1980, and expanded throughout the New
Mexico penal system. Gang members and associates allegedly are expected to remain loyal to the Gang
and work to further its objectives after they have completed their prison sentences and those who do not
are allegedly subject to violent forms of discipline. The racketeering indictments allege that significant
goals of the SNM Prison Gang include controlling and profiting from drug trafficking both within and
outside the penal system; intimidating and influencing other gangs for the purpose of expanding the
network for its illegal activities; and engaging in violence to assert its gang identity and protect its
territory.
The first of the racketeering indictments charges 24 alleged SNM Prison Gang members and associates
with committing four murders, conspiring to commit three murders and conspiring to commit a violent
assault for the purpose of gaining entrance to and maintaining and increasing their positons within the
SNM Prison Gang, an enterprise engaged in racketeering activity. The indictment includes Notices of
Special Findings against the 12 defendants alleged to have committed murder in aid of the Gang’s
racketeering affairs. The decision whether or not to seek the death penalty will be made by the Attorney
General of the United States based on the recommendations of the U.S. Attorney and after carefully
considering each defendant’s background and the circumstances of his crimes.
The second racketeering indictment charges four alleged SNM Prison Gang members and associates,
including three charged in the first racketeering indictment, wi
https://www.justice.gov/usao-nm/pr/federal-indictments-charge-25-alleged-members-syndicato-de-
nuevo-mexico-snm-prison-gang
https://www.lcsun-news.com/story/news/local/new-mexico/2019/05/11/albuquerque-nm-syndicato-de-nuevo-
mexico-gang-members-sentenced-federal-prison/1177606001/
Updates: 2022/11/23; 2020/04/24 moved gangs nm material from NM corruption page to NM Gangs; will sort, delete duplicates and integrate later;
2020/04/10 several articles added- Hobbs News 2017/09/12; 2019/09/03 excerpt added to masq dot org; page started 2019/08/20-09/01.
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INTRODUCTION AND COMMENTARY
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Start Here
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GANGS NM
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Juarez
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Surenos
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ARTICLES
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'Arizona Boys' drug gang members convicted in 2011 Otero County slaying
(Alamogordo, NM): KVIA-2019
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The Cartels Next Door: Cartels’ roots run deep in NM Alb Jrnl-2017/02/12
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Cartels thrive in NM county after feds shut down checkpoints NY Post-
2019/05/05
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Native Gangs Al Jazeera-2015/01
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Albuquerque the Hidden Cultures-Masq
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The U.S. state of New Mexico is under attack by drug cartels and smugglers
and little can be done to stop the border violence without federal troops. CBP
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Map cartel influences across the US and Mexico. ABC 15-2019/11/06
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200 GANGS AS OF 2015 STATEWIDE KOAT-2015/04/09
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Fed indict charge 25 alleged memb. syndicato de nuevo mexico Justice-
2015/12/04
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New Mexico (CARTELS 11a)