Arrests expected to put dent in Barrio Azteca leadership

By Daniel Borunda / El Paso Times

Article Launched: 01/11/2008 12:00:00 AM MST

The arrest of some of the Barrio Azteca gang leadership in El Paso on federal racketeering charges is expected to strike a blow against one of the largest criminal organizations in the region, law enforcement officials said.

Murder, extortion, drug dealing and an alliance with the Juárez drug cartel has allowed the prison-spawned gang to grow since it was created in 1986 by gang members from El Paso imprisoned in east Texas.

"These gangs are fueled by the cash generated from the narcotics trade," said David Cuthbertson, special agent in charge of the FBI office in El Paso.

Assistant U.S. Attorney Margaret Leachman said the Barrio Azteca assists the Juárez drug cartel in the importation of drugs and "enforcement operations" in exchange for narcotics at discounted prices.

Barrio Azteca, initially known as La Familia Azteca, was formed under a set of "sacred rules" in order to unite members in Texas prisons from El Paso and West Texas, Leachman said.

The gang began with about 35 members and has grown to about 2,000 members across the Southwest, including about 1,000 in El Paso County, El Paso Times archives show.