An assessment by the Texas Department of Public Safety of the security threat posed by gangs in the state. The report is intended to give an overview of the issue, drawing on information from, and the expertise of, various law enforcement bodies. It covers transnational gangs, prison gangs, street gangs, and outlaw motorcycle gangs, and highlights their links to Mexican trafficking organizations.
From the summary of key findings:
Transnational gangs represent the most significant organized crime threat to the State of Texas. The Mexican cartels are employing Texas-based gangs to support their criminal operations on both sides of the Texas-Mexico border.
[...]
The Mexican cartels now depend upon these gangs to conduct their drug and human trafficking operations throughout the United States and to provide them additional resources to combat rival cartels and the Government of Mexico. These gangs are enlisted with the promise and delivery of enormous profits.
[...]
As the Mexican cartels increase their reliance on transnational gangs in Texas to support their criminal operations it is likely that the scope and degree of the gang violence in our communities will increase, especially in our major urban areas
For the full report click here (pdf).
SUBSCRIBE