Founded 1987 Territory Texas and North Mexico | Years active 1987- Membership 14,000 | |
Founding location Tennessee Colony, Texas, United States Ethnicity Mexicans and Mexican-Americans | ||
Los Mexicles is a Mexican street gang, who work as armed wings for two of Mexican drug cartels, Sinaloa Cartel and Gulf Cartel. For the Gulf Cartel, they work in South Texas and Rio Grande Valley as armed wing and drug traffickers and dealers. For the Sinaloa Cartel, they work in Ciudad Juárez as assassins for the cartel.
Contents
History
Los Mexicles was founded by Mexican native Jose "El Maestro" (The Master) Marquez in 1987 at the Cofield state prison in Tennessee Colony, Texas. Marquez's objective of forming the organization was to unite all incarcerated Mexican nationals in Texas prisons. The "paisas", as they are also known, were the most vulnerable against the Texas Syndicate and predatory black gangs. These violent gangs often robbed the paisas of the comissary so thousands of incarcerated Mexicans joined Los Mexicles. Prospective Mexicle members were required to prove their valor by attacking black inmates.
Symbols
The gang's symbols are the Mexican flag, Mexican eagle, rattlesnake on a cactus. Other symbols include Tequila and Mezcal bottles, Borrachos (drunks), Puro Raza Mexicana (Pure Mexican Race), Estados Unidos Mexicanos (United Mexican States).
From Prey to Predator
All prison gangs such as Aryan Brotherhood, Mexican Mafia, Public Enemy No. 1 and the Texas Chicano Brotherhood are all predators, Los Mexicles became a deadly predator in no time. The gang began recruiting Texas Hispanics and mirroring the radical tendencies of criminal organizations such as the Texas Syndicate and the Mexikanemi. The gang became profit oriented and began extorting weaker Mexican inmates causing the gang to lose support of many Mexican nationals.
Internal Conflict
In 2001, a power struggle erupted between the gang's founder Jose Marquez and the 5 generals. Marquez demanded and banned the gang to stop committing acts of extortion and believed it contradicted it's original principles. The gang's generals ignored Marquez's demand and stripped him of his rank as President and ordered a hit on him. The attack was carried out at the J.B. Conally unit soon after, leaving Marquez in critical condition.
Rivals against Barrio Azteca
Los Mexicles's alliance with Barrio Azteca was broken in 1998 when Barrio Azteca declared war on a Tijuana based prison gang "Border Brothers". Both Los Mexicles and the Border Brothers had a tight alliance in federal prisons across the United States and the Azteca's were often confusing Mexicles as Border Brother targets. A full scale war between Los Mexicles and Barrio Azteca broke out in 1999 when the Aztecas murdered a Mexicle at the Terrel maximum security prison at Livingston, Texas. The war between both gangs spread across the state and spilled into Mexico resulting in 30 gang members.
Chain of Command
Los Mexicles operate as a paramilitary structure of President, Vice Presidents, Generals, Lieutenants, Sergeants, and Soldiers.