Shelltown is a neighborhood located within Southeast San Diego, approximately 5 minutes from downtown San Diego by car and 25 minutes by bicycle. It is bordered by National City on the south, Interstate 5 and Barrio Logan on the west, 43rd Avenue (a continuation of Highland Avenue) on the east, and Gamma Court and the neighborhood of Southcrest on the north. Prior to the 1980s the northern border of Shelltown was National Ave and many residents still consider that the northern border.
Due to the predominance of shells in the sandy soil, the neighborhood became known as "Shelltown." Located on a plateau just north and east of the 32nd Street Naval Station, Shelltown was a favorite location of housing for many of the early naval officers. Their ships were visible from their homes and were only moments away in the event they were called to duty The majority of Shelltown consists of residential homes built between 1920 and 1969. The Naval Base San Diego, an industrial park, and some commercial buildings are located just outside the western border of Shelltown along Main Street.
...Sábado de mierda ("Saturday of Shit") is a 1988 Mexican film by Gregorio Rocha and his then-partner Sarah Minter, shot between 1985–1987. The film is one of four independent films of the 1985-1991 period focusing on the lives of punk gangs in the Ciudad Nezahualcóyotl ("Neza York") suburb of Mexico City. The specific gang was a group known as Mierdas Punks ("Shit Punks"), who were also featured in the documentaries Nadie es inocente (also by Minter), and La neta no hay futuro by Andrea Gentile. The film is classified as a semi-documentary.
The 'Ndrangheta (/(ən)dræŋˈɡɛtə/, Italian: [nˈdraŋɡeta], Calabrian: [(ɳ)ˈɖɽaɲɟɪta]) is a prominent Italian Mafia-type organized crime syndicate and criminal society based in the peninsular and mountainous region of Calabria and dating back to the late 18th century. It is considered to be the most powerful organized crime group in the world. Since the 1950s, following wide-scale emigration from Calabria, the organization has established itself worldwide. The 'Ndrangheta is the only one of the mafia-type criminal organizations operating in Italy to have maintained the rites that distinguished it in the past, passing them down orally and through codes that, on rare occasions, have been discovered. It is characterized by a horizontal structure made up of autonomous clans known as 'ndrine, based almost exclusively on blood ties. Its main activity is drug trafficking, of which it has a monopoly in Europe, but it also deals with arms trafficking, money laundering, racketeering, extortion, loan sharking, and prostitution. The 'Ndrangheta has enjoyed, for decades, a privileged relationship with the main South American drug cartels, which consider it the most reliable European partner. It is capable of heavily influencing local and national politics and infiltrating large sectors of the legal economy. In 2013 they purportedly made €53 billion according to a study from Demoskopika Research Institute. A US diplomat estimated that the organization's narcotics trafficking, extortion and money laundering activities accounted for at least three per cent of Italy's GDP in 2010.
...The 14K (十四K) is a triad group based in Hong Kong but active internationally. It is the second largest triad group in the world with around 20,000 members split into thirty subgroups. They are the main rival of the Sun Yee On, which is the largest triad.
The 14K (十四K) is a triad group based in Hong Kong but active internationally. It is the second largest triad group in the world with around 20,000 members split into thirty subgroups. They are the main rival of the Sun Yee On, which is the largest triad.
18th Street, also known as Calle 18, Barrio 18, Mara 18, or simply La 18 in Central America, is a multi-ethnic (largely Central American and Mexican) transnational criminal organization that started as a street gang in Los Angeles. It is one of the largest transnational criminal gangs in Los Angeles, with 30,000 to 50,000 members between the United States, Mexico, and Central America and is also allied with the Mexican Mafia, another US-based crime organization.[citation needed] A United States Department of Justice report featured the following statement regarding 18th Street and rival gang MS-13, "These two gangs have turned the Central American northern triangle into the area with the highest homicide rate in the world."
...The 38th Street gang is an American criminal street gang in Los Angeles, California, composed mainly of Hispanic-Americans. The 38th Street gang is one of the oldest street gangs in Los Angeles and has been occupying its territory since the 1920s. They engage in many criminal activities. The Mexican Mafia controls and routinely uses 38th Street gang members to carry out their orders.
The Abergil crime family (Hebrew: משפחת הפשע אברג'יל) is a crime organization based in Israel, and located around the world, founded by Ya'akov Abergil. The group was headed by Ya'akov Abergil (Hebrew: יעקב אברג'יל) until his death in 2002, and is now run under the auspices of Itzhak (Itzik) Abergil (Hebrew: יצחק (איציק) אברג'יל), and his brothers Meir Abergil (Hebrew: מאיר אברג'יל) and Avraham (Ibi) Abergil (Hebrew: אייבי אברג'יל). Its illicit activities include drug trafficking, both in Israel and the US, murder, extortion, embezzlement, money laundering, the control of illegal casinos and other crimes. Considered one of the six major organized-crime cells in Israel, and one of the world's top 40 biggest drug importers to the United States, the Abergils have been arrested and detained multiple times worldwide.
...Albanian mafia or Albanian organized crime (Albanian: Mafia Shqiptare) are the general terms used for criminal organizations based in Albania or composed of ethnic Albanians. Albanian organized crime is active in Europe, North America, South America, and various other parts of the world including the Middle East and Asia. The Albanian Mafia participates in a diverse range of criminal enterprises including trafficking in drugs, arms, and humans. They are said to control a large part of the billion dollar wholesale cocaine market in Europe and appear to be the primary distributors of cocaine in various European drug hubs including London. Albanian organized crime is characterized by diversified criminal enterprises which, in their complexity, demonstrate a very high criminal capacity. In Albania, there are over 15 mafia families that control organized crime.
The Albanian mafia has monopolized various international affiliations from as far east as Israel, to as far west as South America. These reports primarily indicate a strong connection between politicians and various Albanian mafia families. According to the Research Institute for European and American Studies (RIEAS), Albanian mafia groups are hybrid organizations (i.e. composed of people from various sectors of society), and are often involved in both criminal and political activities.
...Antipodean Resistance (AR) is an Australian neo-Nazi hate group. The group, formed in October 2016, uses the slogan "We're the Hitlers you've been waiting for" and makes use of Nazi symbols such as the swastika and the Nazi salute. AR's logo features the Black Sun and Totenkopf (death's head) with an Akubra hat, a laurel wreath and a swastika.
Antipodean Resistance promotes and incites hatred and violence, distributing racist, homophobic and antisemitic posters and propaganda. In 2018 its website was shut down by its hosting provider. ASIO, the Australian national security organisation, has been monitoring the group since at least 2017.
...Armenian Power 13, also known as AP, the Armenian Mob, or Armenian Mafia is an Armenian criminal organization and street gang founded and currently based in Los Angeles County, California. They are involved in drug trafficking, murder, assault, fraud, identity theft, illegal gambling, kidnapping, racketeering, robbery and extortion. They are believed to have around 200 members and hundreds of associates, according to the U.S. attorney’s office. They are also well known for their connections with the Mexican Mafia.
The Aryan Brotherhood, also known as the Brand or the AB, is a neo-Nazi prison gang and an organized crime syndicate which is based in the United States and it has an estimated 15,000–20,000 members both inside and outside prisons. The Anti-Defamation League calls it the "oldest and most notorious racist prison gang in the United States". According to the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI), the Aryan Brotherhood makes up an extremely low percentage of the entire US prison population but it is responsible for a disproportionately large number of prison murders.
The gang has focused on the economic activities which organized crime entities typically engage in, particularly drug trafficking, extortion, inmate prostitution, and murder-for-hire. The organization of its whites-only membership varies from prison to prison but it is generally hierarchical, headed by a twelve-man council which is topped by a three-man commission. The Aryan Brotherhood uses various terms, symbols, and images in order to identify itself, including shamrocks, swastikas, and other symbols. In order to join the Aryan Brotherhood, new members may swear a blood oath or take a pledge; acceptance into the Aryan Brotherhood is aided by a prospect's willingness to kill another inmate.
...The Asian Boyz, also known as ABZ, AB-26, or ABZ Crips, are a street gang based in Southern California. They were founded in the late 1980s as part of efforts of protection for Southeast Asian immigrants and refugees from the more numerous American gangs in their localities. According to the FBI, the gang is predominantly Southeast Asian-American, of which Cambodians account for their majority, while Filipinos, Vietnamese and other Southeast Asians comprise sizable numbers. With approximately 2,000 members, many are known to have enlisted in the U.S. military through which some were able to use their position to traffic drugs. According to the FBI's 2009 National Gang Threat Assessment, the Asian Boyz are active in 28 different cities, in 14 different states across the U.S.
The Australian Defence League (ADL) is a militant far-right, white nationalist street gang. The group is anti-Islam, and has been involved in making terrorist threats, abusing, doxxing and stalking Muslim Australians. The gang was founded in Sydney in 2009 as an offshoot of the English Defence League.
The Avenues, also known as Avenidas or AVE's, is a Mexican/Mexican American criminal street gang mostly in Los Angeles County, California. They originally started as a social club for local Latino youths to protect themselves from other violent youths. The Avenues, like most Mexican gangs in Los Angeles, are under the direct control of the Mexican Mafia when sent to State, County, or Federal prisons.
Azusa 13 is a street gang based in Azusa in the eastern San Gabriel Valley area of Los Angeles. Started in the 1960s, it is now one of the most aggressive Sureño street gangs, currently claiming around 400 active members.
The Bacchus Motorcycle Club (BMC) is a one-percenter motorcycle club in Canada. Founded in Albert County, New Brunswick, in 1972, Bacchus MC has chapters in five Canadian provinces. The club is designated a criminal organization under the Criminal Code.
The Bahala Na Gang (BNG) is a street gang founded in the Philippines which subsequently spread to the United States.
The United Bamboo Gang (UBG; Chinese: 竹聯幫; pinyin: Zhúliánbāng; Bamboo Union triad) is the largest of Taiwan's three main criminal Triads. They are reported to have roughly 10,000 members. The membership consists largely of waishengren (Mainland Chinese) and has had historic ties to the Kuomintang; they are said to be motivated as much by political ideology as by profit. They are known to simply call themselves "businessmen", but in reality, are also involved in organized killings and drug trafficking. The gang gained global notoriety when it became directly involved in politics in the early 1980s. The union does not view themselves as criminals but as patriots.
The Bandidos Motorcycle Club, also known as the Bandido Nation, is a one percenter motorcycle club with a worldwide membership. Formed in San Leon, Texas in 1966, the Bandidos MC is estimated to have between 2,000 and 2,500 members and 303 chapters, located in 22 countries, making it the second-largest motorcycle club in the world behind the Hells Angels.
Numerous law enforcement and international intelligence agencies classify the Bandidos as an organized crime syndicate.
The Barbaro 'ndrina is a powerful clan of the 'Ndrangheta, a criminal and mafia-type organisation in Calabria, Italy. The 'ndrina belongs to the locale of the town of Platì. According to the Direzione Investigativa Antimafia (DIA - the Italian Anti-Mafia Investigation Directorate), the Barbaro 'ndrina is one of the most important, if not the most important and powerful 'Ndrangheta clans, not only based in Calabria, but also in the northern Italian regions of Lombardy (notably in Buccinasco, near Milan), Piemonte and overseas in Australia, in particular in the Griffith, New South Wales area.
The Beltrán Leyva Organization (also known as the Beltrán Leyva Cartel (BLO); Spanish: Cártel de los Beltrán Leyva (CBL)) was a Mexican drug cartel and organized crime syndicate, formerly headed by the five Beltrán Leyva brothers: Marcos Arturo, Carlos, Alfredo, Mario Alberto, and Héctor. Founded as a Sinaloa Cartel, the Beltrán Leyva cartel was responsible for transportation and wholesaling of cocaine, heroin and marijuana (and the production of the last two). It controlled numerous drug trafficking corridors, and engaged in human smuggling, money laundering, extortion, kidnapping, murder and gun-running.
...Tai Huen Chai (大圈仔), Big Circle Boys; For centuries, emperors and warring factions aligned themselves with the various triad groups. The British tried to expel, imprison or kill many triad members during their reign of Hong Kong. In the early 1970s, a new player, the Big Circle Boys emerged. They were given the moniker (大圈仔). The Big Circle Boys originated in China’s paramilitary Red Guards, and after clashing with China’s army in the late 1960s, members were sent to prison in southern China. But some gang members escaped and infiltrated Hong Kong, where they “turned their military prowess to crime,” according to Canadian court records. The gang now thrives among the unregulated factories and underground banks of Guangdong, and especially in the city Guangzhou, also known as Canton, and nicknamed the “Big Circle” after a drawing on a map indicating in which part of China they operated.
They spread rapidly across Canadian cities in the 1990s, and confidential informants say Big Circle Boys are trusted bonding agents among many actors in fluid networks of Asian drug-trafficking.
They controlled much of the Heroin trade in central China and now control a vast percentage of the Heroin and Fentanyl distribution business in the United States and Canada.
The Big Circle Boys are a Transnational Organized Crime syndicate.
On 22 January 2021, as part of Operation Kungur, Dutch police arrested Tse Chi Lop, alleged to have assumed the leadership of the organisation and having taken it to higher levels as Sam Gor (The Company), with the UN's Office on Drugs and Crime putting the larger syndicate's turnover at $8-18 billion in 2018.
...The Black Dragons (traditional Chinese: 黑龍) was a Chinese-American criminal organization and street gang that was formed in 1980 by Chinese immigrants in Lincoln Heights, Los Angeles, California. It was started by a group of young men who bounded together to protect themselves from other Asian and Latino gangs. The Black Dragons operated in Los Angeles and the San Gabriel Valley for over two decades. At the gang's peak, it had over 100 core members, they may also be seen using the colors black and grey as their clothing.
The gang preyed on the Asian American communities as a source of income and is unique compared to other Asian crime groups as they were involved in both organized and street-level crime. The revenue from organized crime came mainly from extorting brothels, prostitution, money laundering, the distribution of narcotics, and counterfeiting merchandise. At street-level, the gang was involved in a wide range of crimes that included murder, robbery, home invasion and car theft.
The Black Dragon's influence was strong in the San Gabriel Valley, during the mid-1990s until its downfall in 2002. After two decades, the gang gained the attention of federal authorities because of their involvement in violent criminal activities. The Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) opened a case against the Black Dragons in 1999. The FBI then created the Black Dragon Task force and the three-year investigation dubbed "Operation Back Door" led to the convictions of multiple gang members, stemming from murder, attempted murder, armed robbery, extortion, illegal possession of firearms and Racketeer Influenced and Corrupt Organizations Act (RICO) charges. The gang was taken down in one of the largest gang sweeps of 2002, as federal agents simultaneously raided and arrested 30 of its core members.
...The Black Guerrilla Family (BGF, also known as the Black Family, the Black Vanguard, and Jamaa) is an African-American black power prison and street gang founded in 1966 by George Jackson, George “Big Jake” Lewis, and W. L. Nolen while they were incarcerated at San Quentin State Prison in Marin County, California.
Black Pistons Motorcycle Club is the official support club for the Outlaws Motorcycle Club, another group of motorcycle enthusiasts. Established in Neuwied, Germany October 2001 with the idea generating from the Koblenz Outlaws, the Black Pistons have expanded rapidly throughout the U.S., Canada, Europe and Asia. The Black Pistons have an estimated 70 domestic chapters in 20 US states and an unknown number of international chapters in Belgium, Canada, Germany, Great Britain, Norway, Ireland, Philippines, Japan and Poland. The exact number of Black Pistons members is unknown but the figure is estimated to be more than 400 in the U.S. The Outlaws use the Black Pistons chapters as a recruitment source for prospective Outlaws members
The Bloods are a primarily African-American street gang founded in Los Angeles, California. The gang is widely known for its rivalry with the Crips. It is identified by the red color worn by its members and by particular gang symbols, including distinctive hand signs.
The Bloods comprise various subgroups known as "sets", among which significant differences exist, such as colors, clothing, operations, and political ideas that may be in open conflict with each other. Since the gang's creation, it has branched throughout the United States.
The Blue Angels Motorcycle Club (BAMC) is a one-percenter motorcycle club that was formed in Glasgow, Scotland in 1963.
The Bounty Hunter Watts Bloods, also known as the Bounty Hunter Bloods, is a predominantly African American street gang situated in the Nickerson Gardens public housing projects in Watts, Los Angeles.
The Breed Motorcycle Club was a one-percenter motorcycle club that was formed in Asbury Park, New Jersey in the United States in 1965. The club disbanded in 2006 after numerous prominent members were indicted on racketeering and drug trafficking charges.