Assistant U.S. Attorney Adam Goldman is prosecuting the case. 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. And any good gangster knows he doesnt go after another gangster if one of the mothers is around, says Alex. Im not lying to you. But according to local legend, about six years ago a well-known MS-13 homeboy was shot to death by a Cholo, and the war has been going on ever since. Some of the kids had extended family members watching over them, but, as almost always happens, those family members had their own burdens. Alex is obviously not in the gang for the money. I didnt care, says Alex. The Tango Blasters are in other cities such as San Antonio, Dallas and El Paso, but they have no organized place yet, DeTorres said. They were skipping school. 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. If you want to talk shit to me, Im going to talk shit back. He says he started a fight with a Cholo at one of the neighborhood nightclubs by stacking him: using both of his hands to flash gang signs, one right after the othersimilar to what a third-base coach does in baseball. Come on, lets cruise, says Alex. Or youll end up in prison. He then points to the third dot. 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. Rebecca Hennes is the metro web producer for the Houston Chronicle. Rarely, if ever, do all the Southwest Cholosor the entire membership of any other gang, for that matterget together for a mass meeting. He said he wanted to check out the break-dancing programand check out the girls., We figured it was his way of saying that the gang life, for all its excitement, was starting to get to him, says Rotramel, who has recently moved the Youth Advocates office to southwest Houston. Blackened chicken, black beans, queso fresco, avocado, pepita cilantro vinaigrette. They are expected to make their appearances in federal court in the near future. Apparently when Disneyland says no selfies, they mean it - even if you're a celebrity! His killers, who were reportedly members of La Tercera Crips, drove away, only to return a few minutes later to shoot him again while he lay unconscious in the parking lot, just to make sure he was dead. Jose Luis Moreno, 23, also known as Lucky . Self-admission by a gang member is not sufficient to include their name in the database, Brown said. Do you really think Im that loco to do a drive-by with an amateur?. Share sensitive information only on official, secure websites. And while they are at the mall, they head down to the jewelry stores, usually Jewelry Dog USA or TV Jewelry, to check out the crosses and rosaries. Julian is only thirteen years old. 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. Alex, who knew nothing about the ill-fated love affair, says he went to a video store and rented three different versions of the movie. The defendants operated several brothels in apartments throughout Houston as well as in Mexico, according to the indictment. Fax Line: 713-718-3300. 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. And in broad daylight in early June, at least twenty gangbangers, many of whom lived in the apartments of southwest Houston, clashed at a public park. They buy their bandannas at a dollar store in the neighborhood, and they buy their cloth belts from a flea market at the intersection of Highway 59 and Westpark. Critics call it a waste. 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. 80th training command. Each clique does its own thing. El Chapo's cartel torture and kill rivals before hanging naked bodies from bridge in brutal turf war. This group has been thought to be responsible for at least 10 murders in two months . My insides felt different.. You can login using your social profile. HOUSTON - Un duro golpe contra una de las pandillas de mayor presencia en las calles de Houston asestaron las autoridades en las ltimas horas. Deputy Mike Ochoa says that SWC is the Southwest Cholo's gang. We were raised here. Leave them blank to get signed up. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. how long it takes to withdraw asylum case. El Bolillo, you are such a fing goofy-ass gabacho, Alex says. The Southwest Cholos are a Houston-based gang with operations throughout Texas, Mexico and Central America, according to documents. Signs & Symbols: Colors: Black bandana; SWC 13; Cartoon Cholo; 5 point star or crown; Pitchfork down; Black rosary; Long black belt; SW hand sign; Image Gallery: Southwest Cholos hand sign: Close : The Gang Threat : The Current Effort : We Need Your Help : The Threat : Id never known what that felt like. Critics call it a waste. All I do is talk blue. Heres what you need to know. An official website of the United States government. Blaring out of a boom box is a rap song that sounds like gunfire. He and other gang members, he says, broke into a Wal-Mart in a failed attempt to get into the cash registers to get money to pay for a fellow homeboys bail. But there was never a shortage of recruits. Its a lot like a college fraternity. Bianca Stephanie Reyna aka Troubles, 20, Claudia Soriano-Hernandez, 26, Juan Carlos Contreras Cervantes, 25, 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). Moreno-Reyna 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. Come on, you know we need our fruits and vegetables.. At the Sharpstown Center, a nearby mall that has a notice on the front door that reads Weapons Not Permitted on Premises, they buy what they call Gangster Nikes: black or colored Nikes with white stripes. He borrowed, or perhaps stole (I was never able to get the truth out of him), a car and took her to an Olive Garden south of Houston near the Johnson Space Centerthe one place where I knew I wouldnt find any gangsters. He went to Jewelry Dog USA at the Sharpstown Center and bought her a fourteen-karat gold necklace with a medallion that read LOVE. She, in turn, went to Jewelry Dog USA and bought him a grilla metallic mouthpiece, popular among rappers, that had MS-13 written across the front plate. And we come back at them., Alex shrugs again, and just like that, he seems ready to talk about something else. "It is a major setback and it is like carrying a gun with no bullet. The carpets are tattered, the walls need paint, and the kitchen refrigerator doesnt get cold. 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. I ask him if its true that someone shot at him the previous week. announced in June 2017 which combines personnel and resources from numerous federal, state and local agencies. One of his lips is puffy. At my request, they show me their black rosaries and their long black cloth belts. That got them the f outta my face. Or youll end up dead.. And then I was gone. This is the only life I have. I originally heard about Alex from Charles Rotramel, of Youth Advocates. Members of this gang are expected to memorize 21 laws of the gang. 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 want Alex to tell us he kept his head down, refusing to take the bait. I lived for the gang, and I was going to die for the gang.. And we watched them all. 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. Southwest Cholos' rival is La Primera, whose color is white. Sometimes the T-shirts and pants match the colors of their accessories. 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. He was born in 1985, shortly after his parents moved to Houston from El Salvador and ended up in one of the southwest apartment complexes. This is a carousel. In 2016, the Human Trafficking Rescue Alliance received $1.5 million in federal funds from the Bureau of Justice Assistance and the Office for Victims of Crime through the Enhanced Collaborative Model Anti-Human Trafficking Task Force Program, which provides funding to investigate and prosecute cases of human trafficking and provide services to victims. Youre a homito. A homeboy. Montes faces 12 additional charges involving sex trafficking by force, threats, coercion, transporting people for the sex trade, enticing people to cross borders and state lines to work as prostitutes, importing undocumented immigrants for immoral purposes, possession with intent to distribute heroin and methamphetamine. 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. Those arrested in the Houston area are expected to make their initial appearances before U.S. Magistrate Judge Nancy Johnson at 10:00 a.m. today. It was partially unsealed today following a motion in federal court. The graffiti is like modern-day hieroglyphics, a highly stylized series of letters and numbers. Fernandos working at a shirt embroidery shop in the neighborhood, making $6.50 an hour., After dropping out of high school, Alex had also worked at that shop, and hes also worked for his uncles roofing company, making $10 an hour. This Houston rodeo food vendor wants you to eat his rattlesnake, Astros GM Dana Brown has more praise team's top prospect, Heres how you can watch 'Daisy Jones and the Six', Proposed Texas bill gives tax cuts to heterosexual families only, These bites won big at the Houston rodeo's foodie awards. But when disputes arise, gangs dont go to some sort of council the way fraternities do. THE TRACK: Open-air sex trade permeates daily life on Houstons outskirts. He pushed Alex to the ground. A Houston native, Rebecca graduated from the University of Houston Honors College in 2016 with a bachelor's in print journalism and later joined the Chronicle in 2018.