Rebecca Hennes is the metro web producer for the Houston Chronicle. It provided them everything they could not find anywhere else., IN MANY WAYS, Alex is the classic gangbanger case study. The complexes were given such sophisticated names as Chateaux Carmel, Napoleon Square, Villa Royal, Sterling Point, and the Turf Club. He had tattoos on his body but not on his face (when newspapers run stories about MS-13, they tend to run photos of the Central American members who are in prison and have facial tattoos), he dressed nicely, and though he couldnt speak any English, he said, as best as he could when lunch was over, Thank you, sir, and he shook my hand. Is Fernando some sort of trained killer? I later ask Alex, thinking about some of the alarmist articles I had read about MS-13. I meet a short, squat seventeen-year-old boy who tells me that his gang nickname is Seor Trtolo (Mr. Alex started running, but one of the Cholos was far faster than Alex expected. There were only a couple of schools, which immediately became overcrowded. Have a question about Government Services? The carpets are tattered, the walls need paint, and the kitchen refrigerator doesnt get cold. Im about to turn twenty-one, and Im still on the streets. Other teenagers and young men started chapters of gangs, like Brown and Proud, that already existed in low-income neighborhoods in other parts of the city, and even others started chapters of gangs, like the Latin Kings, that their fathers had belonged to when they were kids. This group has been thought to be responsible for at least 10 murders in two months, he said. southwest cholos rivals. Alvarez-Chavez also allegedly stole the identity of a Salvadoran man so he could obtain temporary protected status as a citizen of that country. The smuggled aliens paid substantial sums, including two Chinese nationals who each paid more than $40,000, according to the charges. El operativo contra la pandilla Southwest Cholos produjo el arresto de ms de una docena de personas, adems de la presentacin de cargos contra nueve ms. - Harris County spent $60 million on court-appointed lawyers with big caseloads. One Cholo had leaned his head out the window and shouted, Cholos controla!. . She knew I was carrying out assignments to get rid of Cholos, but she still cared about me. And here is one place where an option is presented to them of a life thats differenta life of pizza and listening to music and not having to think about drive-bys.. Blackened chicken, black beans, queso fresco, avocado, pepita cilantro vinaigrette. Brown said parents should be involved in their children's lives and know what their children are doing. THE TRACK: Open-air sex trade permeates daily life on Houstons outskirts. The indictment alleges at least nine aliens have been identified as being smuggled through stash houses some of the defendants controlled in the Rio Grande Valley to locations in Houston. Dozens of sprawling apartment complexes, some of them a block long, had been built here, one right beside the other, to accommodate the horde of young, single white adults who were then coming to the city to begin their careers. What happens, say, if an MSer comes through here and throws down? Tran asks the Cholos. I lived for the gang, and I was going to die for the gang.. New gang emerges as a threat in Fondren Southwest, Mayor: HISD has two optionsclose school or be taken over, Rare photos show 2 ocelots crossing South Texas road, Eric Gordon trade looking better and better for Houston Rockets, Willie Nelson pays lovely tribute to another country legend, This Texas Hill Country town is the new, cooler Fredericksburg, Hiker takes 'once-in-a-lifetime' photo at Brazos Bend State Park. Sometimes the T-shirts and pants match the colors of their accessories. So Sharpstown will likely avoid the fate of some areas that go all the way to bottom (such as nearby Fondren Southwest). We were raised here. The human smuggling charges carry a maximum of 20 years imprisonment, while those convicted in the illegal trafficking of firearms face another five years imprisonment. That got them the f outta my face. When I see Alex in September, I ask him if hes thinking that the time has come to leave. Torres is one of Moreno-Reyna's five sons, all allegedly affiliated with the Southwest Cholos, who helped coordinate the operationfrom 2009 and 2017. He looks over at me leaning against a bare wall, taking notes. A veterano with MS-13 has watched Romeo and Juliet, I say quietly. But instead of answering, he tells me a story about a girl he had met a year ago. Their increasing population is a matter of concern, and "I am scared about Tangos," DeTorres said, adding they are gaining strength in prisons and will soon challenge other groups. Southwest Cholos hand sign Southwest Cholos hand sign : Join Our Neighborhood Gang Watch : Emergencies - Call 911 Non-Emergency Contacts: Gang Member Facts. In this world, the gang provided them status and a sense of belonging. I heard about the drive-bys against the gangs that hated us. According to the indictment, the defendants operated several brothels in apartments throughout Houston as well as in Mexico. Their, Puro South West Cholos 13 Town Park 8700 free Droopy Rip OG Chivo Rip Sombras Rip Cholio Rip Manny msk cK 60K sb13K ht713K. Ron Meinke of the West Belfort Property Owners Association said the presentation on gangs was "fabulous.". Im not lying to you. All of the defendants are indicted in the criminal scheme as alleged members or affiliates of the Southwest Cholos. SouthWest Cholos Trece Gang is on Facebook. During the enforcement actions yesterday, 16 more smuggled aliens were discovered in area stash houses. Tran takes me in his squad car back to Dashwood, the street where I had done my faux drive-by with Alex. If you want to talk shit to me, Im going to talk shit back. A group of males formed a gang called the Dark Angels and then renamed themselves the Southwest Cholos. HOUSTON More than a dozen alleged members and associates of the Southwest Cholos street gang are set to appear in federal court on a variety of charges to include sex trafficking, drug trafficking, selling firearms, human smuggling and identity theft, announced Acting U.S. Attorney Abe Martinez. southwest cholos rivals . The neighborhood contained all the elements to create this huge gang culture, says Charles Rotramel, the director of Youth Advocates, one of the few nonprofit organizations in the city that focuses on gang intervention. A drive-by? I ask. You know youre supposed to show your mothers respect.. Facebook gives people the power to share and makes the world more open. Leave them blank to get signed up. Are insane ticket costs pricing Astros fans out of Opening Day? We are going to keep the hood ours., Fifteen minutes later, Im talking to a couple of La Primera gang members at an apartment complex on Bissonet Drive. Tattooed on his stomach is part of the flag of El Salvador, and on his back is a three-inch-high MS-13: the M just below his left shoulder, the S just below his right shoulder, and the 13 in the middle. Almost all of them are wearing similar clothes: T-shirts, tennis shoes, and either neatly creased blue jeans or Dickies khaki pants that they have spray-starched themselves. Too much fing music., Theres a silence, and Alex finishes one of the beers. 11.7% of residents have a bachelor's degree or . Southwest Cholos is still the largest gang in the Houston area, but a new prison gang called Houstone Tango Blast is causing concern among law enforcement agencies, Houston Police Department officer David DeTorres told those attending the Braeburn Civic Positive Interaction Program Nov. 21 at HPD's Braeburn storefront, 10101 Fondren, Suite 100. These kids were completely alienated., The kids were alienated for reasons other than just geography. When I ask to see their tattoos, they pull off their T-shirts. Las acusaciones van desde trfico . The names of their pimps were tattooed on their bodies and their families were threatened with violence if they tried to flee, which several women did, only to be hauled back by the gangs enforcers. You see it happen so often to so many gang kids as they start hitting their twenties. The indictment alleges at least nine aliens have been identified as being smuggled through stash houses some of the defendants controlled in the Rio Grande Valley to locations in Houston. Bun B, Badu, J.J. Watt celebrate RodeoHouston Southern Takeover. On the walls of almost all the complexes are large banners, many written in Spanish, offering $99 move-in specials, with no credit check required. southwest cholos rivals. Fax Line: 713-718-3300. Menu The Gang Threat : The Current Effort : As were having this conversation, were walking into a neighborhood pupusria, a restaurant that specializes in El Salvadoran food. In front of others, the color is blue or red. Its origin is a somewhat derogatory term for people of mixed-blood heritage in the Spanish Empire in Latin America and its successor states as part of castas, the informal ranking of society by heritage. Houston pitmaster goes viral after hilarious TV interview, Texas A&M upset win clears path for UH to snag top overall seed, Turner: TEA is giving Houston ISD two optionsclose school or be taken over, Two ocelots were photographed crossing a road in rare South Texas sighting, Houston Rockets poised to reap benefits from Eric Gordon trade, Willie Nelson's new album is a lovely tribute to a fellow country legend, Why Johnson City in Texas Hill Country is the new, cooler Fredericksburg, Hiker captures 'once-in-a-lifetime' photo of wildlife at Brazos Bend State Park. Skip Hollandsworth specializes in long-form narratives. The graffiti is like modern-day hieroglyphics, a highly stylized series of letters and numbers. Gabachos never come in here., He orders two beers, both at the same time. By clicking Sign Up, I confirmthat I have read and agreeto the Privacy Policy and Terms of Service. He drove ABC13 to another piece of private property at Dora and Mckaskle, also defaced in a tagging battle. La Tercera Crips' color is blue, De Torres said. Jos R. Ralat is Texas Monthlys taco editor, writing about tacos and Mexican food. So it wasnt long before youd drive the streets of southwest Houston and see a lot of kids just hanging around. Those arrested during the enforcement actions yesterday include Houston residents Giovani Alecio aka Whiteboy, 26, Victor Javiel Gonzalez, 29, Maria Angelica Moreno-Reyna aka Patty, 51, Gabriela Gonzalez-Flores aka Gabby, 46, Eddie Torres aka Monterrey 38, Jose Luis Moreno aka Lucky, 23, Gilberto Espinoza Garcia, 49, Hector Reyna aka Pantera, 26; Jimmy Mejia Chavez, 33; and Grisel Salas aka Cris, 34, of Donna; and Jose Ruben Palomo-Martinez, 48, of Mission. I realize Im holding my breath. He says he was part of a team of MS-13 members who shot at a Cholo coming out of a party. $18.95. Still, they havent significantly changed the balance of gang warfare. Two teenagers are standing on a corner, both showing black. I want Alex to tell us he kept his head down, refusing to take the bait. The Southwest Cholos are a Houston-based gang with operations throughout Texas, Mexico and Central America, according to documents. He points to one of the dots. An official website of the United States government. The indictment alleges the defendants engaged in numerous acts and threats of violence against the victims and their families whenever the women refused to work as prostitutes or failed to make enough money. January 2023 Reader Quiz: What Did You Learn? "Here in the Fondren subdivision, the dividing line between good guys and bad guys is distinct. . In one gruesome slaying, a young woman was shot in the face by a gang member because she had called the police to report a gang shooting. In the sex trafficking scheme, illegal aliens were allegedly promised they could work in a restaurant to pay off their smuggling debts. Non-instrumental songs with titles that do not appear in the lyrics, South West Cholos 13 - started in 1988 at first the were the black angels but then changed there name to south west cholos they added the 13 to put a mexican stamp on there name since there were fighting black gangs crips.There always in gulfton glenmont bellaire bissonet dashwood town park west park alief beechnut ranchester chimney rock. Rarely, if ever, do all the Southwest Cholosor the entire membership of any other gang, for that matterget together for a mass meeting. F you, you punk! another Cholo had shouted. El Bolillo, Alex says, this is my life. Gabrielle Banks , who covers federal courts for the Houston Chronicle, reports that there are actually more brothels in Houston than Starbucks locations. Gang: Southwest Cholos . The Tango Blasters are in other cities such as San Antonio, Dallas and El Paso, but they have no organized place yet, DeTorres said. I want to believe that Alex has not traveled too far down a certain road to be able to retrace his steps. The gangbangers life, says Alex. And thats where a gang came in. A Houston man believed to be affiliated with the Southwest Cholos has pleaded guilty to charges related to several brothels in Houston's Gulfton neighborhood as part of a familyrun international sex trafficking ring. Photographed Wednesday, Nov. 15, 2017, in Houston. Many of them are more violent than the homegrown Mara Salvatruchans. Alexs nickname for me. At least two other criteria such as identification by a reliable informant and corroboration by another gang member are necessary to identify a gang member, he said. Whatever., A couple of days later, police officers Mario Vlles, David de Torres, and Johnathan Fraley, who are also assigned to chase down southwest Houston gangbangers, take me to an apartment complex about a mile from Dashwood, where some members of Somos Pocos Pero Locos (Spanish for Were Few But Were Crazy) are hanging. The rental car lurches forward, and Alex bursts into laughter again. Afterward, she went to eat chips and salsa at a nearby restaurant, refusing to show any remorse, not even when officers showed up to arrest her. If it simply wants to charge rent to existing drug dealers and prostitutes and sell protection to the nearby businesses, it can do that too. Im not going let someone f with my life.. If convicted of sex trafficking, the defendants face a minimum of 15 years and up to life imprisonment. Torres is one of 22 defendants facing federal charges in the sex trafficking operation ran by the Southwest Cholos in the Gulfton section of Houston between 2009 and 2017. But when disputes arise, gangs dont go to some sort of council the way fraternities do. Or youll end up in prison. He then points to the third dot. This group has been thought to be responsible for at least 10 murders in two months . Hey, El Bolillo, take us out to eat on your credit card, he says. This is the only life I have. According to Alex, his parents marriage was stormy, and he often found himself alone, a barrio latchkey kid. Southwest Chicken Tostada Salad. Its all about Bellaire! one of them says, referring to Bellaire Avenue, which is another gathering spot for Cholos. Over 90% of residents have some type of Hispanic makeup, 42.8% of residents are considered some White, 1% are Asian, and there were no recorded Blacks or African Americans. Fing Cholos. He then tells me hes moving from one apartment to another, just in case. If youre in one, you hang out with your fellow homeboys, you party with your homeboys, you trade girls with your homeboys, you loan your homeboys money when they need it, and you go out and get into trouble with your homeboys. Assistant U.S. Attorney Adam Goldman is prosecuting the case. Everybody knows everybody in the hood.. At the end of the beating, the OGs pulled him to his feet and hugged him. I put the car into gear, and Alex tells me to turn one way, then another, until we end up on a street called Dashwood. 1000 Louisiana, Ste. A federal grand jury returned the 37-count indictment Nov. 2, 2017. They went after one another with baseball bats, golf clubs, tire irons, and machetes. He laughs again. He gives me a smile. On various walls I saw the initials for numerous gangsSWC, MS-13, SPPL, LP. On one, an SWC had been marked out with a large black X, and MS-13 had been written directly above it. Turtle), and when I ask him about colors, he says, If someone comes through here showing another rag, shouting, F SPPL, then it is our duty to retaliate. You really dont want to know.). Gang violence, of course, has plagued American cities for decades. All are charged in varying counts to include multiple conspiracy counts; sex trafficking by force, fraud or coercion; sex trafficking of a minor by force, fraud or coercion; transportation to engage in prostitution; enticing or coercing another to travel in interstate commerce for prostitution; transportation of illegal aliens; importation of aliens for immoral purposes; possession with the intent to distribute heroin; possession with intent to distribute methamphetamines; illegal dealing of firearms; felon in possession of a firearm; illegal re-entry; false statements; and aggravated identity theft. She faces up tofive years to life in prison at her sentencing on July 27. In the heart of the neighborhood were the Latino gangs. A MANAGEMENT CONSULTANT for a Fortune 500 company would be utterly vexed trying to figure out how gangs are organized and how territories are split up. (He refuses to tell me whether the Cholo was wounded or killed.) (Among the signs he displays is one that shows the Cholos being shot down and rubbed out, which is almost guaranteed to provoke a brawl.) He looks to the left, then to the right. At his middle school, he proudly tells other students that he is part of Alexs crew and that he is doing missions with him. Gulfton neighborhood as part of a family-run, international sex trafficking ring. Feds: Gang brothel enslaved women in Gulfton, Open-air sex trade permeates daily life on Houstons outskirts, Houston adoptive father of 9 used religion, social media to mask abuse of children, prosecutors say, Houston police warn of TikTok challenge to steal cars using USB cable. According to Alex, the driver of the Cholos car hit the brakes and everybody came after him. The Sureo designation for southern California Chicano street gangs was established in the 1980s as a result of the continued conflict between the Mexican Mafia and Nuestra Familia prison gangs. We head out the door of the apartment and walk down the stairs and into the parking lot to my car. Old men sit in plastic chairs on tiny balconies, drinking beer. But Alex says, I did what I had to do for the gang, my homito. Their 13 sur 13 lrz 13 . I ask him if its true that someone shot at him the previous week. Gabrielle Banks, who covers federal courts for the Houston Chronicle, reports that there are actually more brothels in Houston than Starbucks locations. The goal of the initiative is to proactively fight and reduce violent crime across the Greater Houston area by targeting the regions most violent offenders, augmenting investigative and prosecutorial efforts, and enhancing training, public awareness and education. After arriving in Houston, however, victims were told they actually had to work as prostitutes in brothels the alleged gang members controlled. Youre a homito. A homeboy. The nice Houston people who live in the nice Houston neighborhoods and who come shop at the nice Galleria dont have any ideaor dont carethat the apartments that they all used to live in have now become a war zone. Miguel looks me in the eye and says, Shoot them, stab them, f them up. Houston gang members 'lured illegal immigrants to the US, tattooed them and forced them into prostitution', grand jury says. how long it takes to withdraw asylum case. I had someone always watching my back. Those charged with the drug trafficking also face up to life with a minimum of 10 years as possible punishment. The primary location was the Carriage Way Apartment Complex on Dashwood in southwest Houston, which was also home to their base of operations for drug and firearms trafficking, according to the allegations. DO YOU KNOW WHAT WOULD HAVE HAPPENED if your MS-13 guy had stuck his blue handkerchief out the window and waved it at the Cholos? Jason Tran, a burly Houston police officer who has spent nearly a decade chasing gangbangers in southwest Houston, asks me a few days after my ride with Alex. I did everything I could to impress them, he says. You see them? One day, Alex took me to lunch with a young MS-13 member named Fernando who had just arrived from Guatemala. The names of their pimps were tattooed on their bodies and their families were threatened with violence if they tried to flee, which several women did, only to be hauled back by the gangs enforcers. The FBI, Drug Enforcement Administration, Harris County Sheriffs Office, U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcements (ICE) Homeland Security Investigations, Houston Police Department, Texas Anti-Gang Center and ICEs Enforcement Removal Operations conducted the investigation as part of both the Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Force and the Human Trafficking Rescue Alliance (HTRA). Do you really think Im that loco to do a drive-by with an amateur?. But the fing putos didnt see my knife, says Alex, El Rata. Lt. C.E. In the bedroom, there is a bed and a cheap radio, which is playing MEGA 101 FM, Latino and Proud. The apartment doesnt look as if its been renovated since the eighties. Regardless of the numbers, it is clear that gangs are just as responsible for Houstons soaring crime ratesthe city is on its way to recording four hundred murders in 2006, its highest number in more than a decadeas the Katrina evacuees who have received so much media attention. And nowhere is that more glaringly evident than in the former Swinglesvillean area that some police officers are now calling Gang Land. What will ending the COVID-19 emergency look like in the US? If those Cholos had a gun on them, they might have fired at your car, Tran says. We report on vital issues from politics to education and are the indispensable authority on the Texas scene, covering everything from music to cultural events with insightful recommendations. Theres a tag on my head, yeah, but theres always been a tag on my head, he says when I see him. They maintained a secret relationship for several months. Because of the new criteria, nearly 50 percent of the database had to be erased and a new one had to be built from scratch," Brown said. (When I had first met Julian, I had asked him what those missions were. They buy their Dickies pants either at a particular neighborhood grocery store or a nearby uniform shop. For me, MS was the most important thing in my life. In the courtyards, where the young singles once played sand volleyball in skimpy bathing suits, young mothers in faded dresses hold babies against their hips, watching their other children kick soccer balls. Torres admitted in his plea agreement that he and his mother used proceeds from the trafficking ring to buy at least six properties in Houston that were used to facilitate the gang's operations, which included human smuggling and drug trafficking. Nine other co-defendants have pleaded guilty and another nine are awaiting trial on various sex trafficking and human smuggling charges and drug and gun violations. The Carriage Way apartment complex, photographed one week after an FBI takedown, was home to a sex trafficking operation by the Southwest Cholos in the Gulfport section of Houston between 2009 and 2017, according to allegations. - Houston adoptive father of 9 used religion, social media to mask abuse of children, prosecutors say, - Houston police warn of TikTok challenge to steal cars using USB cable. A federal grand jury returned the 37-count indictment on . Every week, I hear about a stabbing or a shooting or a drive-by that doesnt make the newspapers. As far as I can tell, thats his main source of income, which allows him to pay for his rent, cell phone, and food. P.S.W most wanted ALEXIS continued list of Sureo gangs that pay tribute to the Mexican Mafia. Donna residents Israel Juarez Sifuentes, 43, and Melissa Dominguez 50, also known as Missy, are classified as fugitives and warrants remain outstanding for their arrests. Julian is only thirteen years old. Authorities have identified at least six trafficking victims, the youngest of whom was 14. . The young males are gangbangers, members of such neighborhood street gangs as the Southwest Cholos, La Primera, La Tercera Crips, Somos Pocos Pero Locos, and Mara Salvatrucha, or, as its more popularly known, MS-13. The bandannas, belts, crosses, and rosaries on the young men in front of some of the apartment complexes are black. Sort of. Id have been dead a long time ago. If the police get information on tattoos, colors, and similar intelligence from the public about suspected gang members, that information is put into the database and helps identify a suspect when a gang member commits a crime, Brown said.