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{{Short description|International outlaw motorcycle club}}
[[Image:Bandidos patch.jpg|thumb|300px|Bandidos Washington State]]
{{Redirect|Bandidos|the 1967 film|Bandidos (film)}}
{{Infobox motorcycle club
| name = Bandidos MC
| image = Bandidos_Motorcycle_Club_logo.jpg
| image_size = <!--(defaults to 200px)-->
| abbreviation = {{hlist|BMC|Bandido Nation<ref name="God Forgives, Bandidos Don't">[https://www.crikey.com.au/2006/05/02/god-forgives-bandidos-dont/ God Forgives, Bandidos Don't] [[Crikey]] (May 2, 2006) {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20221207200341/https://www.crikey.com.au/2006/05/02/god-forgives-bandidos-dont/ |date=December 7, 2022 }}</ref>}}
| founded = {{start date and age|1966|03|04}}<ref name="Law agencies prep, keep watch, as outlaw biker club rides in for holiday weekend">[https://www.stgeorgeutah.com/news/archive/2013/08/27/mgk-law-agencies-prep-keep-watch-outlaw-biker-club-rides-holiday-weekend/#.WvMTG0xFzIU Law agencies prep, keep watch, as outlaw biker club rides in for holiday weekend] Mori Kessler, stgeorgeutah.com (August 27, 2013) {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230324212132/https://archives.stgeorgeutah.com/news/archive/2013/08/27/mgk-law-agencies-prep-keep-watch-outlaw-biker-club-rides-holiday-weekend/ |date=March 24, 2023 }}</ref>
| founder = [[Donald Eugene Chambers|Donald Chambers]]<ref name="Law agencies prep, keep watch, as outlaw biker club rides in for holiday weekend"/>
| founding_location = [[San Leon, Texas|San Leon]], Texas, United States<ref name="Law agencies prep, keep watch, as outlaw biker club rides in for holiday weekend"/>
| leader_name = <!-- name of leader -->
| leader_title = <!-- position title for the leader of the club -->
| key_people =
| type = [[Outlaw motorcycle club]]
| headquarters = [[Houston]], Texas, United States<ref name="Bandidos Motorcycle Club">{{cite web| url = https://www.bandidosmcunitedstates.com/| title = Bandidos Motorcycle Club| access-date = November 21, 2020| archive-date = May 24, 2023| archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20230524112827/https://www.bandidosmcunitedstates.com/| url-status = dead}}bandidosmcunitedstates.com</ref>
| region = Worldwide (303 chapters in 22 countries)<ref name="Number of Hells Angels charters and Bandidos chapters worldwide">{{cite web| url = https://www.statista.com/statistics/232377/hells-angels-and-bandidos-motorcycle-clubs-worldwide/| title = Number of Hells Angels charters and Bandidos chapters worldwide| access-date = November 21, 2020| archive-date = February 4, 2023| archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20230204100245/https://www.statista.com/statistics/232377/hells-angels-and-bandidos-motorcycle-clubs-worldwide/| url-status = dead}}[[Statista]] (May 24, 2012)</ref>
| purpose = <!-- focus as e.g. veteran, law enforcement, charitable etc -->
| membership = 2,000–2,500<ref name="5 things to know">[https://www.usatoday.com/story/news/nation-now/2015/05/19/bandidos-motorcycle-gang-waco-texas/27564601/ Bandidos: 5 things to know about second-most dangerous motorcycle gang] Jessica Durando, ''[[USA Today]]'' (May 19, 2015) {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150521204056/https://www.usatoday.com/story/news/nation-now/2015/05/19/bandidos-motorcycle-gang-waco-texas/27564601/ |date=May 21, 2015 }}</ref>
| activities = <!-- notable events, activities etc -->
| website = [https://www.bandidosmc.com/ www.bandidosmc.com]
}}
The '''Bandidos Motorcycle Club''', also known as the '''Bandido Nation''',<ref name="God Forgives, Bandidos Don't"/> is an [[outlaw motorcycle club]] with a worldwide membership.<ref name=Barker1/><ref>{{Cite book |title=2003 Annual Report Organized Crime in Canada |url=http://www.cisc.gc.ca/annual_reports/annual_report_2003/document/cisc_annual_report_2003.pdf |publisher=Crime Intelligence Service Canada |year=2003 |isbn=0-662-67479-0 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20081218175825/http://www.cisc.gc.ca/annual_reports/annual_report_2003/document/cisc_annual_report_2003.pdf |archive-date=2008-12-18 }}</ref><ref>{{Cite news |title= FBI and DEA arrest top Bandidos Motorcycle Leaders in San Antonio, Houston |periodical= San Antonio Express-News|url=http://m.mysanantonio.com/news/local/article/FBI-says-Bandidos-leaders-arrested-6740709.php }}</ref> Formed in [[San Leon, Texas|San Leon]], Texas, in 1966, the Bandidos MC is estimated to have between 2,000 and 2,500 members<ref name="5 things to know"/> and 303 chapters located in 22 countries,<ref name="Number of Hells Angels charters and Bandidos chapters worldwide"/> making it the second-largest motorcycle club in the world behind the [[Hells Angels Motorcycle Club|Hells Angels]].<ref name="How the Bandidos became one of the world's most feared biker gangs">{{cite news| url = https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/morning-mix/wp/2015/05/18/how-the-bandidos-became-americas-most-feared-biker-gang/| title = How the Bandidos became one of the world's most feared biker gangs| newspaper = [[The Washington Post]]}} Michael E. Miller, ''[[The Washington Post]]'' (May 18, 2015)</ref>


Numerous law enforcement and international intelligence agencies classify the Bandidos as an [[organized crime]] syndicate.<ref name="2005 National Gang Threat Assessment">{{cite web| url = http://www.ojp.usdoj.gov/BJA/what/2005_threat_assesment.pdf| title = 2005 National Gang Threat Assessment| archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20051222030209/http://www.ojp.usdoj.gov/BJA/what/2005_threat_assesment.pdf| archive-date = 2005-12-22}} National Alliance of Gang Investigators Association (2005)</ref><ref name="Outlaw motorcycle gangs">{{cite web| url = https://www.europol.europa.eu/crime-areas-and-trends/crime-areas/outlaw-motorcycle-gangs| title = Outlaw motorcycle gangs}} [[Europol]]</ref>
The '''Bandidos Motorcycle Club''' is a "[[Motorcycle club#One Percenters|one-percenter]]" [[motorcycle club | motorcycle gang]]<ref>http://www.segag.org/mcgang.html</ref><ref>http://www.dw-world.de/dw/article/0,2144,3404293,00.html</ref><ref>http://www.cisc.gc.ca/annual_reports/annual_report_2003/document/cisc_annual_report_2003.pdf</ref><ref>http://www.thelocal.se/12354/20080611/</ref><ref>http://www.blacktownadvocate.com.au/article/2008/06/11/2272_news.html</ref> with a worldwide membership linked to organized crime. The gang was formed in 1966 by Don Chambers in [[Texas]]. Its slogan is ''We are the people your parents warned you about''. It is estimated to have 2,400 members in 195 chapters, located in 14 countries. <ref name=Lewis>Peter Lewis, [http://seattletimes.nwsource.com/html/localnews/2002389167_Bandidos19m.html Feds take another run at heading off biker gang], ''Seattle Times'', [[July 25]], [[2005]]. Accessed online 11 December 2006.</ref> The club considers itself to be an [[motorcycle club|Outlaw Motorcycle Club]]. The [[Federal Bureau of Investigation]] as well as the [[Criminal Intelligence Service Canada]] have named the Bandidos an [[Motorcycle club#Outlaw Motorcycle Gangs|Outlaw Motorcycle Gang]].


==History==
==History==
The Bandidos Motorcycle Club was founded by 36-year-old dockworker [[Donald Eugene Chambers]] on March 4, 1966, in [[San Leon, Texas|San Leon]], Texas.<ref name=TexMonthly>{{cite web| url = http://www.texasmonthly.com/story/gangs-all-here?fullpage=1| title = Texas Monthly: "The Gang's All Here" by Skip Hollansworth| date = 21 January 2013}} APRIL 2007</ref> Chambers named the club in honor of the Mexican bandits who lived by their own rules, and he recruited members from biker bars locally in [[Houston]] as well as in [[Corpus Christi, Texas|Corpus Christi]], [[Galveston]], and [[San Antonio]].<ref name=TexMonthly /> Like other outlaw motorcycle clubs, they call themselves "one percenters", a phrase coined by the former president of the [[American Motorcyclist Association#Outlaw and one-percenter|American Motorcyclist Association]] who once stated that 99 percent of motorcyclists were law-abiding citizens and 1 percent "outlaws".<ref name=TexMonthly /> By the early 1970s, the club had over one hundred members, including many [[Vietnam War]] veterans.<ref name=TexMonthly />
The club was formed in 1966 in San Leon County Galveston Texas by [[Donald Eugene Chambers]]. Many people think after seeing a TV commercial with the [[Frito Bandito]] raising hell to sell [[Fritos]] corn chips, Chambers named his club the Bandidos. This is not true, as the cartoon came out in 1968 (although he did adopt an obese machete- and pistol-wielding Mexican Bandido as the center patch for the club's colors). Don Chambers, having served in Vietnam as a Marine, modeled the clubs colors after the red and gold motif of the [[United States Marine Corps]].<ref>http://www.austinchronicle.com/gyrobase/Issue/story?oid=oid%3A366345</ref> After Chambers' presidency ended due to his conviction for ''murder'' in [[El Paso, Texas]], [[Ronnie Hodge]] was elevated to president. Under the watch of Hodge, the Bandidos expanded internationally to become an even bigger motorcycle club.<ref>http://ijms.nova.edu/November2005/IJMS_Artcl.Dulaney.html</ref>

Ronald Jerome Hodge took over from Chambers as the Bandidos' president in 1972. Hodge was nicknamed "Mr. Prospect" because of the short amount of time in which he was awarded his club membership, and he later became known as "Step Mother" in deference to Chambers' moniker "Mother".<ref>{{cite web| url = https://bandidosmc.eu/?page_id=584| title = History}} BandidosMC.eu</ref> Under Hodge's leadership, the Bandidos became an international motorcycle club when the first foreign chapter was established in [[Sydney]], Australia in 1983. The Australian branch was founded by Anthony Mark Spencer, who had previously encountered Bandidos members during a visit to the United States.<ref>{{cite web| url = http://www.dailytelegraph.com.au/news/indepth/milperra-the-spark-that-started-the-bikie-violence/story-fn2mt2ft-1225698016583| title = Milperra - the spark that started the bikie violence| archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20121011163635/http://www.dailytelegraph.com.au/news/indepth/milperra-the-spark-that-started-the-bikie-violence/story-fn2mt2ft-1225698016583| archive-date = 2012-10-11}} Paul Kent, ''[[The Daily Telegraph (Sydney)|The Daily Telegraph]]'' (11 April 2009)</ref> Hodge was sentenced to five years in prison in December 1988 for conspiring to bomb homes and automobiles belonging to members of a rival club, and he died of heart disease in 1992.<ref>{{cite web| url = https://books.google.com/books?id=KXKBBWzTR1IC&dq=bandidos+texas+1988&pg=PA46| title = ''Explosives Incidents Report''| year = 1988}} [[Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives]] (1988)</ref><ref name=TexMonthly />

In 1989, the club was established in Europe when a chapter was formed in [[Marseille]], France.<ref>{{cite web| url = https://www.morgenpost.de/printarchiv/berlin/article102605344/Rockerclubs-in-Berlin.html| title = Rockerclubs in Berlin| date = 11 February 2008}} ''[[Berliner Morgenpost]]'' (11 February 2008)</ref> Subsequent expansion into the Nordic countries in the 1990s led to a [[Nordic Biker War|violent feud]] with the [[Hells Angels Motorcycle Club|Hells Angels]].<ref>{{cite web| url = https://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/biker-wars-dredge-up-something-rotten-in-the-state-of-denmark-1346874.html| title = Biker wars dredge up something rotten in the state of Denmark| website = [[Independent.co.uk]]| date = 11 May 1996}} Sarah Helm, ''[[The Independent]]'' (12 May 1996)</ref> The third Bandidos international president, James Edward Lang, as well as his successor, Charles Craig Johnston, were each sentenced to ten years' imprisonment on drug charges in November 1998.<ref>{{cite web| url = http://www.rave.ca/sp/news_info/183597/all/| title = Leader of bike gang gets 5 years}} ''[[San Antonio Express-News]]'' (November 4, 1998)</ref> George Wegers, who served as international president between 1998 and 2005, was convicted of racketeering charges in October 2006.<ref>{{cite news|last1=Johnson|first1=Gene|title=Bandidos Leader Sentenced to 20 Months|url=http://www.foxnews.com/wires/2006Oct07/0,4670,BikerGangBust,00.html|access-date=14 March 2016|work=FoxNews.com|publisher=Associated Press|date=2006}}</ref>

The Bandidos embarked on a failed endeavour to establish themselves in Canada after merging with the [[Montreal]]-based [[Rock Machine Motorcycle Club]] in 2000.<ref>{{cite news| url = https://www.thestar.com/news/canada/2007/10/18/bandidos_abandon_canadian_expansion.html| title = Bandidos abandon Canadian expansion| newspaper = The Toronto Star| date = 18 October 2007}} Peter Edwards, ''[[Toronto Star]]'' (18 October 2007)</ref> The Bandidos ceded Quebec to the Hells Angels at the conclusion of the province's deadliest [[Quebec Biker War|biker war]] in 2003.{{sfn|Edwards|2010|p=126}} In 2007, the Bandidos' Canadian chapters went defunct following the internal [[Shedden massacre]].<ref>[https://nationalpost.com/hells-angels-in-canada Hells Angels under pressure as outlaw motorcycle clubs from across the globe expand into Canada] Adrian Humphreys, ''[[National Post]]'' (6 June 2015)</ref>

According to the club's website, the Bandidos' Western Hemisphere chapters became autonomous from the international chapters in Europe and Australia on July 17, 2007.<ref>{{cite news| url = https://harleyliberty.com/2018/05/15/usa-based-motorcycle-clubs-kicking-out-or-shutting-down-chapters-overseas-was-it-smart-expanding-into-different-countries-in-the-first-place/| title = USA Based Motorcycle Clubs kicking out or shutting down chapters overseas. Was it smart expanding into different countries in the first place?| newspaper = Insane Throttle| date = 15 May 2018}} HarleyLiberty.com (May 15, 2018)</ref> The American chapters began wearing a redesigned patch in 2011.<ref>{{cite news| url = https://www.mysanantonio.com/news/local/article/Ex-Bandido-says-national-president-kicked-12813535.php| title = Ex-Bandido says national president kicked predecessor out over TV interview| newspaper = Mysa| date = 7 April 2018| last1 = Contreras| first1 = By Guillermo}} Guillermo Contreras, ''[[San Antonio Express-News]]'' (April 6, 2018)</ref>

==Insignia==
[[File:Bandidos MC Berlin - Expect No Mercy.jpg|150px|thumb|left|"Expect No Mercy"]]
The Bandidos' insignia, known as the "Fat Mexican", consists of a caricature of a Mexican bandit wearing a [[sombrero]] and holding a sword in one hand and a pistol in the other.<ref name="Bosmia et al 2014">{{cite journal |last1=Bosmia |first1=Anand N. |last2=Quinn |first2=James F. |last3=Peterson |first3=Todd B. |last4=Griessenauer |first4=Christoph J. |last5=Tubbs |first5=R. Shane |title=Outlaw Motorcycle Gangs: Aspects of the One-Percenter Culture for Emergency Department Personnel to Consider |journal=Western Journal of Emergency Medicine |date=July 2014 |volume=15 |issue=4 |pages=523–528 |doi=10.5811/westjem.2014.2.17919 |pmid=25035762 |pmc=4100862 }}</ref> The design is credited to the club's founder, [[Donald Eugene Chambers|Donald Chambers]].<ref name="Are the Bandidos Named After A Corn Chip Mascot?">{{cite web| url = https://www.bustle.com/articles/84497-whats-the-meaning-behind-bandidos-motorcycle-clubs-name-it-may-have-a-lot-to-do-with| title = Are the Bandidos Named After A Corn Chip Mascot?| date = 19 May 2015}} Amrita Khalid, ''[[Bustle (magazine)|Bustle]]'' (May 19, 2015)</ref> The "Fat Mexican" bears a resemblance to the [[Frito Bandito]] – a cartoon mascot of the [[Fritos]] corn chips brand – and according to Bandidos lore, Chambers took the club's name and logo from the mascot.<ref>{{cite web| url = https://www.mysanantonio.com/news/local/crime/slideshow/12-facts-about-the-Bandidos-109980/photo-8000941.php| title = 12 facts about the biker gangs involved in the Twin Peaks shooting| date = 18 May 2015}} Joshua Fechter, ''[[San Antonio Express-News]]'' (May 18, 2015)</ref> However, the Frito Bandito was not developed until 1967, the year after the Bandidos' foundation.<ref name="Are the Bandidos Named After A Corn Chip Mascot?"/> In addition to the "Fat Mexican" and diamond-shaped "[[Outlaw motorcycle club#One percenter|1%er]]" emblems, club members also wear other [[Embroidered patch|patches]] on leather or denim vests – known as "[[Colors (motorcycling)|colors]]". These patches consist of red lettering displayed on a gold background. The Bandidos' color scheme was inspired by that of the [[United States Marine Corps]] and chosen by Chambers, a Marine Corps veteran of the [[Vietnam War]].<ref name="5 things to know"/> Patches denoting a member's rank and chapter are worn, as are various other patches which have specific meanings. Although the particular meaning of each patch is not publicly known, various law enforcement agencies have identified Bandidos patches which they believe are related to criminal activity.<ref>{{cite web| url = https://www.wr.de/wr-info/ein-bandido-packt-aus-id70090.html| title = Ein Bandido packt aus| date = 6 November 2009}} Melanie Pothman, ''Westfälische Rundschau'' (6 November 2009)</ref> For example, police have reported that the "Expect No Mercy" patch is awarded to those who have committed murder on behalf of the club, while the "TCB" ("Taking Care of Business") patch is worn by club officers and [[Nomad (motorcycle club membership)|nomads]]. Similar to the "Expect No Mercy" patch, the "CDG" ("Coup de Grâce") patch reportedly signifies a member who has committed a significant act of violence.<ref>{{cite web| url = https://www.gp.se/nyheter/sverige/polisen-det-betyder-märkena-på-bandidosvästarna-1.2853609| title = Polisen: Det betyder märkena på Bandidosvästarna| date = 17 June 2016}} Sandra Divinyi, ''[[Göteborgs-Posten]]'' (17 June 2016)</ref>

The Bandidos' [[motto]]s include "Cut one, we all bleed",<ref name="How the Bandidos became one of the world's most feared biker gangs"/> "God forgives, Bandidos don't",<ref name="God Forgives, Bandidos Don't"/> "Our colors don't run"<ref name="Who Are The Bandidos?">{{cite web| url = https://toronto.citynews.ca/2006/06/16/who-are-the-bandidos/| title = Who Are The Bandidos?}} ''[[CityNews]]'' (16 June 2006)</ref> and "We are the people our parents warned us about".<ref name="'We are the people our parents warned us about'">{{cite news| url = https://www.houstonchronicle.com/news/houston-texas/houston/article/We-are-the-people-our-parents-warned-us-about-6310301.php| title = 'We are the people our parents warned us about'| newspaper = Houston Chronicle| date = 7 June 2015| last1 = Schiller| first1 = By Dane}} Dane Schiller, ''[[Houston Chronicle]]'' (June 6, 2015)</ref> Another, more generic, saying of the club is "Bandidos forever, forever Bandidos" ("BFFB").<ref name="The Gang's All Here">{{cite web| url = https://www.texasmonthly.com/articles/the-gangs-all-here/| title = The Gang's All Here| date = 21 January 2013}} Skip Hollandsworth, ''[[Texas Monthly]]'' (April 2007)</ref>

==Membership==
Bandidos members must be male<ref>{{cite web| url = https://www.bustle.com/articles/84355-can-women-join-motorcycle-clubs-like-the-cossacks-or-bandidos-its-definitely-not-an-easy-ride| title = Can Women Join Motorcycle Clubs?| date = 21 May 2015}} Abby Johnston, ''[[Bustle (magazine)|Bustle]]'' (May 21, 2015)</ref> and own at least one [[Harley-Davidson]] motorcycle (although other American-made motorcycles can also be allowed).<ref name="20 Rules The Bandidos Make Their Members Follow">{{cite web| url = https://www.thethings.com/rules-the-bandidos-make-their-members-follow/| title = 20 Rules The Bandidos Make Their Members Follow| date = 3 September 2019| access-date = 21 November 2020| archive-date = 29 November 2020| archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20201129110045/https://www.thethings.com/rules-the-bandidos-make-their-members-follow/| url-status = dead}} Andre Nalin, TheThings.com (September 3, 2019)</ref> Prospective members must undertake a three-stage process before being initiated, beginning as a "hangaround", before becoming a "prospect" and then "probation". The length of this process is decided by each chapter president, and ends when the chapter's members vote unanimously to allow the probationary member to enter the club. A screening process is carried out to prevent infiltration by law enforcement. Upon joining the Bandidos, each member must sign their motorcycle over to the club.<ref name="20 Rules The Bandidos Make Their Members Follow"/>

Each club chapter follows a structured hierarchy, with a president, vice-president, sergeant-at-arms, road captain and secretary/treasurer. Members must abide by various by-laws, such as not wearing the club patch while riding in a car or truck, and are required to attend meetings (known as "Church") four times per month.<ref name="''The Infamous ‘One Percenters’: A Review of the Criminality, Subculture, and Structure of Modern Biker Gangs''">{{cite web| url = http://www.cjcj.org/uploads/cjcj/documents/The_Infamous.pdf| title = ''The Infamous 'One Percenters': A Review of the Criminality, Subculture, and Structure of Modern Biker Gangs''| access-date = 2020-11-21| archive-date = 2022-11-29| archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20221129052246/http://www.cjcj.org/uploads/cjcj/documents/The_Infamous.pdf| url-status = dead}} Danielle Shields (2012)</ref> These rules also dictate that any member who fails to attend mandatory group motorcycle rides is fined and must forfeit the title of his motorcycle.<ref>{{cite news| url = https://www.houstonchronicle.com/news/houston-texas/houston/article/Federal-indictment-details-life-self-law-of-6744191.php| title = Federal indictment details life, self-law of Bandidos| newspaper = Houston Chronicle| date = 8 January 2016| last1 = Schiller| first1 = By Dane}} Dane Schiller, ''[[Houston Chronicle]]'' (January 7, 2016)</ref> Another requirement is that Bandidos must follow the philosophy "All members are your brothers and your family", and must "not fear authority and have a general disdain for the rules of society". Any member who cooperates with law enforcement, for example, is susceptible to disciplinary action. All Bandidos regalia, including tattoos, is considered club property. Membership fees are required, and are used to cover club expenses, such as funeral costs, and contribute to a legal defense fund.<ref name="20 Rules The Bandidos Make Their Members Follow"/> Club bylaws state that any member who commits suicide will not receive a Bandidos funeral.<ref>{{cite book| url = https://books.google.com/books?id=X9L-6nYLQfkC&dq=This+is+odd%2C+given+that+the+Bandidos+hold+suicide+in+contempt%3B+the+club+bylaws+state+that+any+member+who+commits+suicide+%22will+NOT+receive+a+Bandido+funeral.%22&pg=PA25| title = ''The Fat Mexican''| isbn = 9781459624801| last1 = Caine| first1 = Alex| date = 2 August 2011| publisher = ReadHowYouWant.com}} Alex Caine (2009)</ref>

The Bandidos have an estimated membership of between 2,000 and 2,500 worldwide.<ref name="5 things to know"/> In the United States, the majority of the club consists of white and Hispanic males.<ref name=TexMonthly />


==Organization==
==Organization==
The Bandidos Motorcycle Club is organized by local chapters, with state and regional officers, as well as a national chapter made up of four regional vice-presidents and a national president. The leadership of the club consists of an international president, known as "El Presidente", who has authority over every club chapter.<ref name="''The Infamous ‘One Percenters’: A Review of the Criminality, Subculture, and Structure of Modern Biker Gangs''"/> The club also has [[Nomad (motorcycle club membership)|Nomad chapters]], made up of members not bound by geographical location, which are responsible for security, counterintelligence and internal discipline.<ref name="''The Infamous ‘One Percenters’: A Review of the Criminality, Subculture, and Structure of Modern Biker Gangs''"/><ref>{{cite web| url = http://people.missouristate.edu/MichaelCarlie/Storage/bandidos.htm| title = ''Into The Abyss: A Personal Journey into the World of Street Gangs''| access-date = 2020-11-21| archive-date = 2021-01-25| archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20210125210840/https://people.missouristate.edu/michaelcarlie/Storage/bandidos.htm| url-status = dead}} Mike Carlie, [[Missouri State University]] (2002)</ref> The Bandidos' "mother chapter" is based in [[Houston]], Texas.<ref name="Bandidos Motorcycle Club"/>


The club has 303 chapters worldwide, located in twenty-two countries in North America, Oceania, Europe and Asia.<ref name="Number of Hells Angels charters and Bandidos chapters worldwide"/>
The Bandidos, also called the Bandido Nation, is the fastest-growing outlaw [[motorcycle club]] in the world with over 90 chapters in the [[United States]], 90 chapters in Europe, and another 17 in [[Australia]] and Southeast Asia. In the [[United States]], the club is concentrated in [[Texas]], but extends into [[Louisiana]], [[Mississippi]], [[Alabama]], [[Arkansas]], [[New Mexico]], [[Colorado]], [[Montana]], [[Wyoming]], [[South Dakota]], [[Utah]], [[Idaho]], [[Nevada]], [[Washington|Washington State]], [[Oklahoma]], [[Nebraska]], and several other states. The [[Rock Machine]] Motorcycle club in [[Canada]] "patched over" to Bandidos in 2000, and there is a chapter in [[Toronto]], [[Ontario]]<ref>http://www.Bandidosmc.ca/</ref>. The Bandidos are also found in [[Australia]]; aside from the non-locale-specific [[Nomad (motorcycle-club membership)|Nomads]] chapter, the chapters are located in [[Adelaide]], [[Ballarat]], [[Brisbane City]], [[Cairns, Queensland|Cairns]], Sydney Downtown, [[Geelong]], [[Gold Coast, Queensland|Gold Coast]], [[Hunter Valley]], Ipswich City, Mid North Coast, Mid State, [[Northside]], [[Noosa, Queensland|Noosa]], North Victoria, [[Sunshine Coast, Queensland|Sunshine Coast]], [[Sydney]], and [[Toowoomba, Queensland|Toowoomba]], and were acquired with much bloodletting. In recent years the club has also expanded heavily into [[Germany]], [[Denmark]], [[Norway]], [[Sweden]], [[Finland]], [[Belgium]], [[Italy]], [[Luxembourg]], [[France]] and the [[Channel Isles]] of [[Great Britain]]. Additionally, it is looking into setting up shop in [[Russia]] and [[Eastern Europe]] and also in the tiny island nation of [[Singapore]], as well as [[Malaysia]] and [[Thailand]].<ref>[http://www.Bandidosmc.com/euro/chapters_thailand.htm Thailand Chapters] listed on Bandidos web site</ref> The Bandidos are organized by local chapters, with state and regional officers, as well as a national chapter made up of four regional vice presidents and a national president.


===North America===
The Bandidos also have a large number of "support clubs". These groups usually wear reverse colors (gold border with red background rather than the Bandidos' red-border–and–gold background). They also commonly wear a "support patch" consisting of a round patch in Bandidos colors on the front upper left of the colors (vest), as worn by the member. Most of these clubs are regional. <ref>http://www.amigosmc.com</ref><ref>http://www.hombresmc.net/</ref>
The [[United States]] is home to 93 Bandidos chapters, located in sixteen states.<ref name="5 things to know"/> The club is concentrated in Texas<ref>{{cite news| url = http://www.bbc.co.uk/newsbeat/article/32780433/waco-biker-shoot-out-facts-about-the-bandidos-and-the-cossacks-motorcycle-gangs| title = Waco biker shoot-out: Facts about the Bandidos and the Cossacks motorcycle gangs| work = BBC News| date = 18 May 2015}} ''[[Newsbeat]]'' (18 May 2015)</ref> but extends into Louisiana, Missouri, Mississippi, Alabama, Arkansas, New Mexico, Colorado, Montana, Wyoming, South Dakota, Utah, Idaho, Nevada, Washington and Oklahoma.<ref name="''Outlaw motorcycle gangs – USA overview''">{{cite web| url = https://www.ncjrs.gov/pdffiles1/Digitization/147691NCJRS.pdf| title = ''Outlaw motorcycle gangs – USA overview''}} [[National Institute of Justice]] (1991)</ref>


The Bandidos expanded into Canada following a merger with the [[Rock Machine Motorcycle Club]] in Quebec in 2000. After establishing further chapters in Ontario, Alberta and Manitoba, the club's operations in Canada ceased in November 2007 as a result of infighting, law enforcement efforts, and pulled status from the club's American leadership.<ref>{{cite news| url = https://nationalpost.com/hells-angels-in-canada| title = Hells Angels under pressure as outlaw motorcycle clubs from across the globe expand into Canada| newspaper = Nationalpost}} Adrian Humphreys, ''[[National Post]]'' (6 June 2015)</ref>
==Members’ Involvement with Crime==
===USA===
In October, 2006, George Wegers, then Bandidos' international president, plead guilty and received a two-year sentence for conspiracy to engage in racketeering. Also, in November, 2006, Glenn Merritt of the [[Bellingham, Washington]] chapter was sentenced to four years in prison for drug possession and trafficking in stolen property. A total of 32 members were indicted in the associated investigation, on charges including conspiracy, witness tampering, and various drug and gun violations. Eighteen of those plead guilty. <ref name="Seattle Times">[http://seattletimes.nwsource.com/html/localnews/2003437992_dige19m.html 4 years in prison for gang member], ''Seattle Times'', [[November 19]], [[2006]]. Accessed online 19 August 2007.</ref>


In 2004, the Bandidos formed a chapter in [[Costa Rica]].<ref name="Motorcycle Gangs Expand Throughout Costa Rica">[https://news.co.cr/outlaw-motorcycle-gangs-expand-throughout-costa-rica/30798/ Outlaw Motorcycle Gangs Expand Throughout Costa Rica] Jaime Lopez, ''[[The Costa Rica Star]]'' (December 24, 2013) {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20131226040405/https://news.co.cr/outlaw-motorcycle-gangs-expand-throughout-costa-rica/30798/ |date=December 26, 2013 }}</ref>
===Canada===


==={{anchor|New Zealand}}Oceania===
On [[April 8]], [[2006]], four vehicles containing the bodies of eight murdered men were discovered in a farmer's field outside of the [[hamlet]] of [[Shedden, Elgin County, Ontario|Shedden]], [[Ontario]], [[Canada]]. Six of the men killed in what became known as the [[Shedden Massacre]] were believed to have been full members of the Bandidos, including the alleged president of the organization in Canada. Three of the suspects in the case are also believed to have been full members, and one a prospective member. Police described this incident as an internal cleansing of the Bandidos organization NSCC (No Surrender Crew Canada). <ref name="CBC April 10"> The trial is scheduled for February 2009.[http://www.cbc.ca/story/canada/national/2006/04/10/bodies-field060410.html "Five charged in biker gang killings"], ''CBC News'', [[April 10]], 2006.</ref>
The first Australian chapter was formed in 1983, in [[Sydney]], by former members of the [[Comanchero Motorcycle Club]].<ref>{{cite book|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=2GVhAqukVA0C&pg=PT506|title=Dangerous to Know: An Australasian Crime Compendium|author=James Morton, Susanna Lobez|publisher=Melbourne University Publishing|year=2010|isbn=978-0-522-85681-1}}</ref> The club has since expanded substantially in Australia and there are forty-five Bandidos chapters throughout the country.<ref>{{cite web| url = https://www.who.com.au/list-of-australian-outlaw-motorcycle-clubs-their-territories| title = Australian Outlaw Motorcycle Clubs & their Territories| date = 26 March 2019}} Rhys McKay, ''[[Who (magazine)|Who]]'' (27 March 2019)</ref>


The Bandidos have a small but growing presence in New Zealand after a rocky start in 2012.<ref>{{cite web |url= http://www.stuff.co.nz/the-press/news/8891764/Notorious-gangs-eye-up-Christchurch |title=Notorious gangs eye up Christchurch |work=The Press |date=7 August 2013 |access-date=13 October 2013}}</ref><ref>{{cite web| url = http://i.stuff.co.nz/sunday-star-times/latest-edition/7280923/Bad-News-travels-fast-back-to-prison| title = "Bad News travels fast - back to prison"| date = 14 July 2012}}, 15/07/2012, stuff.co.nz</ref> They claim to have more than a dozen patched members and prospects in the [[Christchurch]] area.<ref>{{cite web| url = http://i.stuff.co.nz/national/64153094/Christchurch-gangs-face-police-scrutiny| title = "Christchurch gangs face police scrutiny"| date = 14 December 2014}}, 15/12/2014, BLAIR ENSOR, stuff.co.nz</ref>
===Australia===
{{update}}


===Europe===
The Bandidos are known in [[Australia]] for their involvement in the [[Milperra Bikie Massacre]]. More recently, five Bandidos are accused of starting a blaze which destroyed the Rebels clubhouse at [[Albion, Queensland|Albion]], a suburb of [[Brisbane]], Australia on [[March 27]]. All five will face Brisbane Magistrates Court again on [[June 4]], [[2007]]. {{Fact|date=September 2007}}
[[File:Bandidos Bochum.jpg|thumb|right|Bandidos clubhouse in [[Bochum]], Germany.]]
There are approximately ninety Bandidos chapters in Europe.<ref>{{cite news| url = http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/europe/jersey/7052215.stm| title = Biker club 'in Channel Islands'| date = 19 October 2007}} [[BBC News]] (19 October 2007)</ref> The first European chapter opened in [[Marseille]] in France in 1989.<ref>{{cite web| url = https://www.lesoir.be/art/704685/article/actualite/monde/2014-11-12/bikers-vers-une-nouvelle-guerre| title = Les bikers vers une nouvelle guerre| date = 12 November 2014}} Alain Lallemand, ''[[Le Soir]]'' (12 November 2014)</ref> This was followed by expansion into the Nordic countries, with branches being established in Denmark in 1993,<ref>{{cite news| url = https://www.irishtimes.com/news/two-killed-in-rocket-attack-in-escalating-biker-gang-violence-1.93139| title = Two killed in rocket attack in escalating biker gang violence| newspaper = [[The Irish Times]]}} ''[[The Irish Times]]'' (7 October 1996)</ref> Sweden in 1994,<ref>{{cite web| url = https://www.thelocal.se/20141101/sweden-democrats-oust-biker-gang-boss| title = Sweden Democrats oust former biker gang boss| date = November 2014}} ''[[The Local]]'' (1 November 2014)</ref> and Finland and Norway in 1995.<ref>{{cite web| url = https://www.savonsanomat.fi/kotimaa/Bandidoksen-Suomen-johtajan-ampunut-mies-pääsee-vankilasta-vapaaksi/944732| title = Bandidoksen Suomen johtajan ampunut mies pääsee vankilasta vapaaksi| date = 9 March 2017}} Asta Tenhunen, ''[[Savon Sanomat]]'' (9 March 2017)</ref><ref>{{cite web| url = https://www.aftenposten.no/norge/i/Al0pE/politiet-aapent-til-stede-paa-bandidos-jubileum| title = Politiet åpent til stede på Bandidos-jubileum| date = 22 October 2010}} ''[[Aftenposten]]'' (22 October 2010)</ref>


The German department of the Bandidos was chartered in 2000.<ref>{{cite web| url = https://www.morgenpost.de/berlin/article103275010/Motorradclubs-und-ihre-Unterstuetzer.html| title = Motorradclubs und ihre Unterstützer| date = 24 November 2008}} ''[[Berliner Morgenpost]]'' (24 November 2008)</ref> Chapters were then founded in Italy in 2001<ref>{{cite web| url = http://www.xavier-raufer.com/archives/mcc/html/archives/memoires_theses/anonyme/fr1/motards-15.html| title = ''Les Gangs de Motards Criminalisés: Une expansion internationale''}} Xavier Raufer, Institut de Criminologie de Paris</ref> and on the [[Channel Islands]] in 2003.<ref>{{cite news| url = https://www.belfasttelegraph.co.uk/life/inside-the-biker-gangs-the-truth-about-guns-drugs-and-organised-crime-28492893.html| title = Inside the biker gangs: the truth about guns, drugs and organised crime| newspaper = Belfasttelegraph.co.uk}} ''[[Belfast Telegraph]]'' (4 July 2008)</ref>
===Germany===
On [[June 11]] [[2008]], two Bandidos members were convicted and sentenced to life imprisonment for the murder of a [[Hells Angels]] member in [[Ibbenbüren]], [[Germany]].<ref name="AFP June 11">[http://afp.google.com/article/ALeqM5jBJlIXkJFaivXSSghFp28r3TRgxQ "Lebenslange Haftstrafen für Mord im Rockermilieu"], ''AFP'', [[June 11]], 2008.</ref> Reports say they drove to his [[Harley-Davidson]] shop and shot him there on [[May 23]], [[2007]]. After the first day of a related [[lawsuit]] on [[December 17]], [[2007]], riots between the two gangs and the police had been reported. <ref name="CBC April 10">[http://www.wdr.de/themen/panorama/kriminalitaet10/Bandidos_prozess/071217.jhtml "Rocker-Prozess: Schlägerei zum Auftakt"], ''CBC News'', [[April 10]], 2006.</ref>


The Bandidos formed its first chapter in the Netherlands in 2014. The club was prohibited in the country in 2017, however.<ref>{{cite news| url = https://www.belfasttelegraph.co.uk/news/world-news/court-bans-dutch-arm-of-bandidos-motorcycle-gang-36424584.html| title = Court bans Dutch arm of Bandidos motorcycle gang| newspaper = Belfasttelegraph}} ''[[Belfast Telegraph]]'' (20 December 2017)</ref>
===Sweden/Norway/Finland/Denmark===

A biker war between the [[Hells Angels]] and the Bandidos raged from 1994 until 1997. It resulted in 11 murders, 74 attempted murders, and 96 wounded members of the involved biker clubs.<ref>[http://gangstersinc.tripod.com/Biker.html Gangsters Incorporated — The Great Northern Biker War], ''gangstersinc.tripod.com''. Accessed online [[March 31]], [[2008]].</ref>
In recent years the club has also expanded heavily into Spain, Belgium, Estonia, Greece, England and Ireland. Additionally, it is reportedly considering establishing a presence in Russia and Eastern Europe.<ref>{{cite book|author=Walter Roberts|title=Biker Gangs|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=6dtpZvDVImcC&pg=PT10|publisher=RW Press|isbn=978-1-909284-06-7|pages=10–}}</ref><ref>{{cite book|author1=Ronald M. Holmes|author2=Richard Tewksbury|author3=George Higgins|title=Introduction to Gangs in America|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=AoQaCfyNnDQC&pg=PA86|date=2 December 2011|publisher=CRC Press|isbn=978-1-4398-6945-1|pages=86–}}</ref>

===Asia===
In 2001, the Bandidos were established in Thailand via a merger with the [[Diablos Motorcycle Club (founded 1999)|Diablos Motorcycle Club]] in [[Pattaya]]. The club further expanded to Malaysia and Singapore in 2006.<ref>{{cite web| url = https://bmcasia.wixsite.com/bmcasia/history| title = History}} BMCAsia.com</ref>

The first chapter opened in [[Abu Dhabi]] in the United Arab Emirates in 2016 and it is considered the first international motorcycle club to open in the Middle East.<ref>{{cite web| url = http://www.bandidosmc.com| title = Bandidos MC Worldwide – Bandidos Motorcycleclub – Worldwide}}</ref>

===Support clubs===
{{Main|List of Bandidos MC support clubs}}
Like other major motorcycle clubs,<ref name=Caine1>{{Cite book
|title=Befriend and Betray: Infiltrating the Hells Angels, Bandidos and Other Criminal Brotherhoods |first=Alex |last=Caine |publisher=Macmillan |year=2009 |isbn=978-0-312-53719-7 | page=187 |quote=The first Canadian Hells Angels chapter opened in Montreal in 1977, and the gang has dominated the province's biker scene ever since. By the early 1990s, however, domination was no longer enough -- they wanted to be the only game in town. At least in Montreal, the province's biggest city and home to pretty much half its population. So, with several support gangs as their foot soldiers, ''les Hells'', as they're known, began a brutal campaign to monopolize the drugs business, especially the big money-maker: cocaine.
}}</ref><ref name=Cherry1>{{Cite book
|title=The Biker Trials: Bringing Down the Hells Angels |first=Paul |last=Cherry |publisher=ECW Press |year= 2005 |isbn=978-1-55022-638-6 |page=213 |quote='Every affiliated group has a godfather,' Sirois told the cops in describing how Hells' Angels' puppet gangs like the Rockers, the Jokers, and the Rowdy Crew worked.
}}</ref><ref name= Hazlehurst1>{{Cite book
|title=Gangs and youth subcultures: international explorations |first=Cameron |last=Hazlehurst |publisher=Transaction Publishers |year=1998 |isbn=978-1-56000-363-2 |page=18 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=JhObWrzxcWIC&pg=PA18 |quote=In Denmark, where outlaw motorcycle gangs have fought for control of the east European drug market, Hell's Angels use associates and candidates for 'dirty work' (Devlin 1992: 86). Elsewhere they are known to use 'puppet clubs' (Campbell 1993: 5).
}}</ref> the Bandidos also have a number of [[Support club|"support" club]]s.<ref name=Barker1>{{cite journal |last1=Barker |first1=Tom |title=One percent bikers clubs: A description |journal=Trends in Organized Crime |date=September 2005 |volume=9 |issue=1 |pages=101–112 |doi=10.1007/s12117-005-1005-0 |s2cid=144003167 |quote=Puppet Clubs. In addition to the Big 5 and the Independent clubs, there are also "support" clubs that do the bidding of the larger clubs, act as potential recruiting sources, serve as cannon fodder in the wars between clubs, and give a portion of their illegal gains to the larger club. The Red Devils MC is well known as a support club for the HAMC as are the Black Pistons MC as a support club for the Outlaws. The Outlaw Nation and the Bandido Nation list their support clubs on their national websites. }}</ref><ref name=BJA1>{{Cite journal
|title=2005 National Gang Threat Assessment |publisher=Bureau of Justice Assistance (BJA), U.S. Department of Justice. |url=http://www.ojp.usdoj.gov/BJA/what/2005_threat_assesment.pdf |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20051222030209/http://www.ojp.usdoj.gov/BJA/what/2005_threat_assesment.pdf|archive-date=December 22, 2005|page=14 |quote= All of the major OMGs have support clubs that serve as a recruitment source and as foot soldiers in conducting criminal activities. The Hells Angels' principal support club is the Red Devils, the Outlaws have the Black Pistons. The Pagans have the Tribe and the Blitzkrieg and Thunderguards (in Maryland). The Bandidos have several support clubs, including the Amigos, Pistoleros, LA Riders, Hombres, and Hermanos.
}}</ref><ref name=Mallory1>{{Cite book
|title=Understanding Organized Crime |first=Stephen L. |last= Mallory |publisher=Jones & Bartlett Publisher |year= 2007 |isbn=978-0-7637-4108-2 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=fbcPBAOJcXYC&pg=RA1-PA168 | page=168 |quote=OMGs [outlaw motorcycle gangs] control their networks by violence and intimidation of members, rivals, and potential witnesses. A current trend among OMGs is the employment of puppet clubs to conduct the criminal activity for the sponsor club. In Mississippi, the Pistoleros MC has seven chapters that are associated with the Bandidos. These puppet clubs take most of the risk and return most of the profits to the more powerful OMG members. This trend, along with the trend of Mafia associations, has allowed the OMG to expand their influence and become more diverse in both their legal and illegal enterprises.
}}</ref><ref name=DOJ1>{{Cite journal
|title=About Violent Gangs - Outlaw Motorcycle Gangs |publisher=US Dept. of Justice |url=http://www.usdoj.gov/criminal/gangunit/about/omgangs.html|quote=The Bandidos are most active in the Pacific, Southeastern, Southwestern and the West Central regions of the U.S. The Bandidos are expanding in each of these regions by forming additional chapters and allowing members of supporting clubs who have sworn allegiance to another club but who support and do the "dirty work" of a mother club–to form new or join existing Bandidos chapters.
|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20081012080653/http://www.usdoj.gov/criminal/gangunit/about/omgangs.html |archive-date=2008-10-12 }}</ref> These groups usually wear reverse colors (gold border with red background rather than the Bandidos' red-border–and–gold background). They also commonly wear a unique patch (known as the "Heart Patch") consisting of a round patch in Bandidos colors on the front upper left of the colors (vest), as worn by the member. Most of these clubs are regional.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.amigosmc.com |title=A m i g o s M C |publisher=A m i g o s M C |access-date=2010-08-14| archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20100806081440/http://www.amigosmc.com/| archive-date= 6 August 2010 | url-status= live}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.hombresmc.net/ |title=Hombres MC • Seattle • Wash • Chapter - WELCOME |publisher=Hombresmc.net |access-date=2010-08-14| archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20100812033526/http://www.hombresmc.net/| archive-date= 12 August 2010 | url-status= live}}</ref>

==Criminal allegations and incidents==
{{Main|Bandidos MC criminal allegations and incidents}}
The [[United States Department of Justice]], the [[Criminal Intelligence Service Canada]], [[Europol]] and the [[Australian Federal Police]] consider the Bandidos to be a criminal organization.<ref name="doj-gangunit">
{{cite web
|url=https://www.justice.gov/criminal/ocgs/gangs/motorcycle.html
|title=Motorcycle gang
|work=U.S. Department of Justice
|access-date=January 23, 2010
|url-status=dead
|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140415074158/http://www.justice.gov/criminal/ocgs/gangs/motorcycle.html
|archive-date=April 15, 2014
|df=mdy-all
}}
</ref><ref name="Outlaw motorcycle gangs"/><ref>{{cite web| url = http://www.cisc.gc.ca/annual_reports/annual_report_2004/document/cisc_2004_annual_report.pdf| title = 2004 Annual Report| access-date = 2020-11-21| archive-date = 2009-12-22| archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20091222072041/http://www.cisc.gc.ca/annual_reports/annual_report_2004/document/cisc_2004_annual_report.pdf| url-status = dead}}- Criminal Intelligence Service Canada, cisc.gc.ca</ref><ref name="AFP targets gangs in South-East Asia">[https://www.afp.gov.au/news-media/media-releases/afp-targets-outlaw-motorcycle-gangs-south-east-asia AFP targets outlaw motorcycle gangs in South-East Asia] [[Australian Federal Police]] (July 11, 2022) {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220710211356/https://www.afp.gov.au/news-media/media-releases/afp-targets-outlaw-motorcycle-gangs-south-east-asia |date=July 10, 2022 }}</ref> Law enforcement agencies in the United States also identify the Bandidos as one of the "big four" [[Outlaw motorcycle club#Outlaw motorcycle clubs as criminal enterprises|motorcycle gangs]], along with the [[Hells Angels Motorcycle Club|Hells Angels]], the [[Outlaws Motorcycle Club|Outlaws]] and the [[Pagan's Motorcycle Club|Pagans]], and contend that the club is responsible for [[organized crime]] activity such as drug dealing, arms trafficking, prostitution, extortion, money laundering and murder.<ref>{{cite web| url = https://www.fbi.gov/file-repository/stats-services-publications-national-gang-report-2013/view| title = FBI 2013 National Gang Intelligence Center report}} [[fbi.gov]] (2013)</ref><ref name="2005 National Gang Threat Assessment"/> In Australia, the Bandidos are included among the "big six", with the Hells Angels, the [[Comanchero Motorcycle Club|Comanchero]], the [[Finks Motorcycle Club|Finks]], the [[Mongols Motorcycle Club|Mongols]] and the [[Rebels Motorcycle Club|Rebels]].<ref name="By their colours">[https://www.abc.net.au/news/2013-10-04/bikie-gangs-by-colours/4999510 By their colours: Outlaw motorcycle gang identification guide] [[Australian Broadcasting Corporation]] (October 4, 2013) {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20131009131126/https://www.abc.net.au/news/2013-10-04/bikie-gangs-by-colours/4999510 |date=October 9, 2013 }}</ref><ref name="Victoria bikies">[https://www.heraldsun.com.au/web-stories/free/herald-sun/victoria-bikies-all-you-need-to-know-about-big-six-outlaw-gangs?nk=6e80354eeaf70222c10170a128a3f59a-1686607108 Victoria bikies: all you need to know about Big Six outlaw gangs] Anthony Dowsley, ''[[Herald Sun]]'' (July 7, 2022) {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230612221457/https://www.heraldsun.com.au/web-stories/free/herald-sun/victoria-bikies-all-you-need-to-know-about-big-six-outlaw-gangs?nk=6e80354eeaf70222c10170a128a3f59a-1686607108 |date=June 12, 2023 }}</ref>

While individual chapters had previously been banned in Germany, the Netherlands became the first country to prohibit the club as a whole in December 2017 when a court in [[Utrecht]] outlawed both the Dutch department of the Bandidos and the international organization on the grounds that the club forms a threat to public order.<ref>{{cite web| url = https://nltimes.nl/2017/12/20/dutch-court-bans-motorcycle-gang-bandidos| title = Dutch court bans motorcycle gang Bandidos}} Janene Pieters, ''NL Times'' (20 December 2017)</ref>

==See also==
* [[List of outlaw motorcycle clubs]]


==References==
==References==
{{reflist}}
{{Reflist|30em}}


==Books and Newspaper Articles==
==Books and newspaper articles==
* {{citation |title= The Assimilation: Rock Machine Become Bandidos - Bikers United Against the Hells Angels |first1 = Edward |last1= Winterhalder |first2= Wil |last2= De Clercq |publisher= ECW Press |year= 2008 |isbn= 978-1-55022-824-3 }}
* Winterhalder, Edward, ''Out in Bad Standings: Inside the Bandidos Motorcycle Club — The Making of a Worldwide Dynasty'', Blockhead City Press, 2005/Seven Locks Press, 2007 (ISBN 0-9771-7470-0)
* {{Citation |title= Out in Bad Standings: Inside the Bandidos Motorcycle Club - the Making of a Worldwide Dynasty |first= Edward |last= Winterhalder |publisher =Blockhead City Press |year= 2006 |isbn= 0-9771747-0-0 }}
* Winterhalder, Edward, & De Clercq, Wil, ''The Assimilation: Rock Machine Become Bandidos — Bikers United Against the Hells Angels'', ECW Press, 2008 (ISBN 1-5502-2824-2)
* {{cite book |last=Edwards |first=Peter |year=2010 |title=The Bandido Massacre; A True Story of Bikers, Brotherhood and Betrayal |publisher=HarperCollins Publishers Ltd |isbn=978-1-55468-044-3}}
* Veno, Arthur, ''The Mammoth Book of Bikers'', Constable & Robinson, 2007 (ISBN 0-7867-2046-8)
* {{cite book |last1=Coulthart |first1=Ross |last2=McNab |first2=Duncan |title=Dead Man Running: An Insider's Story on One of the World's Most Feared Outlaw Motorcycle Gangs, the Bandidos |publisher=Allen & Unwin |year=2008 |isbn=978-1-74175-463-6}}
*[http://www.seattleweekly.com/news/0628/bikers.php July 2006 ''Seattle Weekly'' newspaper article]
*[http://www.austinchronicle.com/gyrobase/Issue/story?oid=oid%3A366344 May 2006 ''Austin Chronicle'' newspaper article]


==External links==
==External links==
{{Commons category|Bandidos}}
*[http://www.Bandidosmc.com/ Bandidos MC]
*[http://www.blockheadcity.com/outbadbook.htm ''Out In Bad Standings: Inside The Bandidos Motorcycle Club — The Making of a Worldwide Dynasty'' by Edward Winterhalder]
* [http://www.bandidosmc.com/ Bandidos MC Worldwide Website]
* {{curlie|/Recreation/Motorcycles/Organizations/One_Percent/Bandidos/}}

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{{Bandidos Motorcycle Club}}
{{OutlawMotorcycleGroups}}
{{OutlawMotorcycleGroups}}
{{Organized crime groups in the United States}}
{{Canadian gangs}}
{{Authority control}}


{{DEFAULTSORT:Bandidos Motorcycle Club}}
[[Category:US-headquartered, non-AMA-affiliated motorcycle clubs]]
[[Category:Gangs in Texas]]
[[Category:Bandidos Motorcycle Club| ]]
[[Category:Organizations established in 1966]]

[[Category:1966 establishments in Texas]]
[[da:Bandidos]]
[[Category:Organizations based in Houston]]
[[de:Bandidos]]
[[Category:Galveston County, Texas]]
[[fr:Bandidos]]
[[Category:Outlaw motorcycle clubs]]
[[no:Bandidos]]
[[Category:Motorcycle clubs in the United States]]
[[nn:Bandidos]]
[[Category:Gangs in Louisiana]]
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Latest revision as of 20:30, 7 June 2024

"Bandidos" redirects here. For the 1967 film, see Bandidos (film).
Bandidos MC
Abbreviation
  • BMC
  • Bandido Nation[1]
FoundedMarch 4, 1966; 58 years ago (1966-03-04)[2]
FounderDonald Chambers[2]
Founded atSan Leon, Texas, United States[2]
TypeOutlaw motorcycle club
HeadquartersHouston, Texas, United States[3]
Region
Worldwide (303 chapters in 22 countries)[4]
Membership
2,000–2,500[5]
Websitewww.bandidosmc.com

The Bandidos Motorcycle Club, also known as the Bandido Nation,[1] is an outlaw motorcycle club with a worldwide membership.[6][7][8] Formed in San Leon, Texas, in 1966, the Bandidos MC is estimated to have between 2,000 and 2,500 members[5] and 303 chapters located in 22 countries,[4] making it the second-largest motorcycle club in the world behind the Hells Angels.[9]

Numerous law enforcement and international intelligence agencies classify the Bandidos as an organized crime syndicate.[10][11]

History[edit]

The Bandidos Motorcycle Club was founded by 36-year-old dockworker Donald Eugene Chambers on March 4, 1966, in San Leon, Texas.[12] Chambers named the club in honor of the Mexican bandits who lived by their own rules, and he recruited members from biker bars locally in Houston as well as in Corpus Christi, Galveston, and San Antonio.[12] Like other outlaw motorcycle clubs, they call themselves "one percenters", a phrase coined by the former president of the American Motorcyclist Association who once stated that 99 percent of motorcyclists were law-abiding citizens and 1 percent "outlaws".[12] By the early 1970s, the club had over one hundred members, including many Vietnam War veterans.[12]

Ronald Jerome Hodge took over from Chambers as the Bandidos' president in 1972. Hodge was nicknamed "Mr. Prospect" because of the short amount of time in which he was awarded his club membership, and he later became known as "Step Mother" in deference to Chambers' moniker "Mother".[13] Under Hodge's leadership, the Bandidos became an international motorcycle club when the first foreign chapter was established in Sydney, Australia in 1983. The Australian branch was founded by Anthony Mark Spencer, who had previously encountered Bandidos members during a visit to the United States.[14] Hodge was sentenced to five years in prison in December 1988 for conspiring to bomb homes and automobiles belonging to members of a rival club, and he died of heart disease in 1992.[15][12]

In 1989, the club was established in Europe when a chapter was formed in Marseille, France.[16] Subsequent expansion into the Nordic countries in the 1990s led to a violent feud with the Hells Angels.[17] The third Bandidos international president, James Edward Lang, as well as his successor, Charles Craig Johnston, were each sentenced to ten years' imprisonment on drug charges in November 1998.[18] George Wegers, who served as international president between 1998 and 2005, was convicted of racketeering charges in October 2006.[19]

The Bandidos embarked on a failed endeavour to establish themselves in Canada after merging with the Montreal-based Rock Machine Motorcycle Club in 2000.[20] The Bandidos ceded Quebec to the Hells Angels at the conclusion of the province's deadliest biker war in 2003.[21] In 2007, the Bandidos' Canadian chapters went defunct following the internal Shedden massacre.[22]

According to the club's website, the Bandidos' Western Hemisphere chapters became autonomous from the international chapters in Europe and Australia on July 17, 2007.[23] The American chapters began wearing a redesigned patch in 2011.[24]

Insignia[edit]

"Expect No Mercy"

The Bandidos' insignia, known as the "Fat Mexican", consists of a caricature of a Mexican bandit wearing a sombrero and holding a sword in one hand and a pistol in the other.[25] The design is credited to the club's founder, Donald Chambers.[26] The "Fat Mexican" bears a resemblance to the Frito Bandito – a cartoon mascot of the Fritos corn chips brand – and according to Bandidos lore, Chambers took the club's name and logo from the mascot.[27] However, the Frito Bandito was not developed until 1967, the year after the Bandidos' foundation.[26] In addition to the "Fat Mexican" and diamond-shaped "1%er" emblems, club members also wear other patches on leather or denim vests – known as "colors". These patches consist of red lettering displayed on a gold background. The Bandidos' color scheme was inspired by that of the United States Marine Corps and chosen by Chambers, a Marine Corps veteran of the Vietnam War.[5] Patches denoting a member's rank and chapter are worn, as are various other patches which have specific meanings. Although the particular meaning of each patch is not publicly known, various law enforcement agencies have identified Bandidos patches which they believe are related to criminal activity.[28] For example, police have reported that the "Expect No Mercy" patch is awarded to those who have committed murder on behalf of the club, while the "TCB" ("Taking Care of Business") patch is worn by club officers and nomads. Similar to the "Expect No Mercy" patch, the "CDG" ("Coup de Grâce") patch reportedly signifies a member who has committed a significant act of violence.[29]

The Bandidos' mottos include "Cut one, we all bleed",[9] "God forgives, Bandidos don't",[1] "Our colors don't run"[30] and "We are the people our parents warned us about".[31] Another, more generic, saying of the club is "Bandidos forever, forever Bandidos" ("BFFB").[32]

Membership[edit]

Bandidos members must be male[33] and own at least one Harley-Davidson motorcycle (although other American-made motorcycles can also be allowed).[34] Prospective members must undertake a three-stage process before being initiated, beginning as a "hangaround", before becoming a "prospect" and then "probation". The length of this process is decided by each chapter president, and ends when the chapter's members vote unanimously to allow the probationary member to enter the club. A screening process is carried out to prevent infiltration by law enforcement. Upon joining the Bandidos, each member must sign their motorcycle over to the club.[34]

Each club chapter follows a structured hierarchy, with a president, vice-president, sergeant-at-arms, road captain and secretary/treasurer. Members must abide by various by-laws, such as not wearing the club patch while riding in a car or truck, and are required to attend meetings (known as "Church") four times per month.[35] These rules also dictate that any member who fails to attend mandatory group motorcycle rides is fined and must forfeit the title of his motorcycle.[36] Another requirement is that Bandidos must follow the philosophy "All members are your brothers and your family", and must "not fear authority and have a general disdain for the rules of society". Any member who cooperates with law enforcement, for example, is susceptible to disciplinary action. All Bandidos regalia, including tattoos, is considered club property. Membership fees are required, and are used to cover club expenses, such as funeral costs, and contribute to a legal defense fund.[34] Club bylaws state that any member who commits suicide will not receive a Bandidos funeral.[37]

The Bandidos have an estimated membership of between 2,000 and 2,500 worldwide.[5] In the United States, the majority of the club consists of white and Hispanic males.[12]

Organization[edit]

The Bandidos Motorcycle Club is organized by local chapters, with state and regional officers, as well as a national chapter made up of four regional vice-presidents and a national president. The leadership of the club consists of an international president, known as "El Presidente", who has authority over every club chapter.[35] The club also has Nomad chapters, made up of members not bound by geographical location, which are responsible for security, counterintelligence and internal discipline.[35][38] The Bandidos' "mother chapter" is based in Houston, Texas.[3]

The club has 303 chapters worldwide, located in twenty-two countries in North America, Oceania, Europe and Asia.[4]

North America[edit]

The United States is home to 93 Bandidos chapters, located in sixteen states.[5] The club is concentrated in Texas[39] but extends into Louisiana, Missouri, Mississippi, Alabama, Arkansas, New Mexico, Colorado, Montana, Wyoming, South Dakota, Utah, Idaho, Nevada, Washington and Oklahoma.[40]

The Bandidos expanded into Canada following a merger with the Rock Machine Motorcycle Club in Quebec in 2000. After establishing further chapters in Ontario, Alberta and Manitoba, the club's operations in Canada ceased in November 2007 as a result of infighting, law enforcement efforts, and pulled status from the club's American leadership.[41]

In 2004, the Bandidos formed a chapter in Costa Rica.[42]

Oceania[edit]

The first Australian chapter was formed in 1983, in Sydney, by former members of the Comanchero Motorcycle Club.[43] The club has since expanded substantially in Australia and there are forty-five Bandidos chapters throughout the country.[44]

The Bandidos have a small but growing presence in New Zealand after a rocky start in 2012.[45][46] They claim to have more than a dozen patched members and prospects in the Christchurch area.[47]

Europe[edit]

Bandidos clubhouse in Bochum, Germany.

There are approximately ninety Bandidos chapters in Europe.[48] The first European chapter opened in Marseille in France in 1989.[49] This was followed by expansion into the Nordic countries, with branches being established in Denmark in 1993,[50] Sweden in 1994,[51] and Finland and Norway in 1995.[52][53]

The German department of the Bandidos was chartered in 2000.[54] Chapters were then founded in Italy in 2001[55] and on the Channel Islands in 2003.[56]

The Bandidos formed its first chapter in the Netherlands in 2014. The club was prohibited in the country in 2017, however.[57]

In recent years the club has also expanded heavily into Spain, Belgium, Estonia, Greece, England and Ireland. Additionally, it is reportedly considering establishing a presence in Russia and Eastern Europe.[58][59]

Asia[edit]

In 2001, the Bandidos were established in Thailand via a merger with the Diablos Motorcycle Club in Pattaya. The club further expanded to Malaysia and Singapore in 2006.[60]

The first chapter opened in Abu Dhabi in the United Arab Emirates in 2016 and it is considered the first international motorcycle club to open in the Middle East.[61]

Support clubs[edit]

Main article: List of Bandidos MC support clubs

Like other major motorcycle clubs,[62][63][64] the Bandidos also have a number of "support" clubs.[6][65][66][67] These groups usually wear reverse colors (gold border with red background rather than the Bandidos' red-border–and–gold background). They also commonly wear a unique patch (known as the "Heart Patch") consisting of a round patch in Bandidos colors on the front upper left of the colors (vest), as worn by the member. Most of these clubs are regional.[68][69]

Criminal allegations and incidents[edit]

Main article: Bandidos MC criminal allegations and incidents

The United States Department of Justice, the Criminal Intelligence Service Canada, Europol and the Australian Federal Police consider the Bandidos to be a criminal organization.[70][11][71][72] Law enforcement agencies in the United States also identify the Bandidos as one of the "big four" motorcycle gangs, along with the Hells Angels, the Outlaws and the Pagans, and contend that the club is responsible for organized crime activity such as drug dealing, arms trafficking, prostitution, extortion, money laundering and murder.[73][10] In Australia, the Bandidos are included among the "big six", with the Hells Angels, the Comanchero, the Finks, the Mongols and the Rebels.[74][75]

While individual chapters had previously been banned in Germany, the Netherlands became the first country to prohibit the club as a whole in December 2017 when a court in Utrecht outlawed both the Dutch department of the Bandidos and the international organization on the grounds that the club forms a threat to public order.[76]

See also[edit]

References[edit]

  1. ^ a b c God Forgives, Bandidos Don't Crikey (May 2, 2006) Archived December 7, 2022, at the Wayback Machine
  2. ^ a b c Law agencies prep, keep watch, as outlaw biker club rides in for holiday weekend Mori Kessler, stgeorgeutah.com (August 27, 2013) Archived March 24, 2023, at the Wayback Machine
  3. ^ a b "Bandidos Motorcycle Club". Archived from the original on May 24, 2023. Retrieved November 21, 2020.bandidosmcunitedstates.com
  4. ^ a b c "Number of Hells Angels charters and Bandidos chapters worldwide". Archived from the original on February 4, 2023. Retrieved November 21, 2020.Statista (May 24, 2012)
  5. ^ a b c d e Bandidos: 5 things to know about second-most dangerous motorcycle gang Jessica Durando, USA Today (May 19, 2015) Archived May 21, 2015, at the Wayback Machine
  6. ^ a b Barker, Tom (September 2005). "One percent bikers clubs: A description". Trends in Organized Crime. 9 (1): 101–112. doi:10.1007/s12117-005-1005-0. S2CID 144003167. Puppet Clubs. In addition to the Big 5 and the Independent clubs, there are also "support" clubs that do the bidding of the larger clubs, act as potential recruiting sources, serve as cannon fodder in the wars between clubs, and give a portion of their illegal gains to the larger club. The Red Devils MC is well known as a support club for the HAMC as are the Black Pistons MC as a support club for the Outlaws. The Outlaw Nation and the Bandido Nation list their support clubs on their national websites.
  7. ^ 2003 Annual Report Organized Crime in Canada (PDF). Crime Intelligence Service Canada. 2003. ISBN 0-662-67479-0. Archived from the original (PDF) on 2008-12-18.
  8. ^ "FBI and DEA arrest top Bandidos Motorcycle Leaders in San Antonio, Houston". San Antonio Express-News.
  9. ^ a b "How the Bandidos became one of the world's most feared biker gangs". The Washington Post. Michael E. Miller, The Washington Post (May 18, 2015)
  10. ^ a b "2005 National Gang Threat Assessment" (PDF). Archived from the original (PDF) on 2005-12-22. National Alliance of Gang Investigators Association (2005)
  11. ^ a b "Outlaw motorcycle gangs". Europol
  12. ^ a b c d e f "Texas Monthly: "The Gang's All Here" by Skip Hollansworth". 21 January 2013. APRIL 2007
  13. ^ "History". BandidosMC.eu
  14. ^ "Milperra - the spark that started the bikie violence". Archived from the original on 2012-10-11. Paul Kent, The Daily Telegraph (11 April 2009)
  15. ^ "Explosives Incidents Report". 1988. Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (1988)
  16. ^ "Rockerclubs in Berlin". 11 February 2008. Berliner Morgenpost (11 February 2008)
  17. ^ "Biker wars dredge up something rotten in the state of Denmark". Independent.co.uk. 11 May 1996. Sarah Helm, The Independent (12 May 1996)
  18. ^ "Leader of bike gang gets 5 years". San Antonio Express-News (November 4, 1998)
  19. ^ Johnson, Gene (2006). "Bandidos Leader Sentenced to 20 Months". FoxNews.com. Associated Press. Retrieved 14 March 2016.
  20. ^ "Bandidos abandon Canadian expansion". The Toronto Star. 18 October 2007. Peter Edwards, Toronto Star (18 October 2007)
  21. ^ Edwards 2010, p. 126.
  22. ^ Hells Angels under pressure as outlaw motorcycle clubs from across the globe expand into Canada Adrian Humphreys, National Post (6 June 2015)
  23. ^ "USA Based Motorcycle Clubs kicking out or shutting down chapters overseas. Was it smart expanding into different countries in the first place?". Insane Throttle. 15 May 2018. HarleyLiberty.com (May 15, 2018)
  24. ^ Contreras, By Guillermo (7 April 2018). "Ex-Bandido says national president kicked predecessor out over TV interview". Mysa. Guillermo Contreras, San Antonio Express-News (April 6, 2018)
  25. ^ Bosmia, Anand N.; Quinn, James F.; Peterson, Todd B.; Griessenauer, Christoph J.; Tubbs, R. Shane (July 2014). "Outlaw Motorcycle Gangs: Aspects of the One-Percenter Culture for Emergency Department Personnel to Consider". Western Journal of Emergency Medicine. 15 (4): 523–528. doi:10.5811/westjem.2014.2.17919. PMC 4100862. PMID 25035762.
  26. ^ a b "Are the Bandidos Named After A Corn Chip Mascot?". 19 May 2015. Amrita Khalid, Bustle (May 19, 2015)
  27. ^ "12 facts about the biker gangs involved in the Twin Peaks shooting". 18 May 2015. Joshua Fechter, San Antonio Express-News (May 18, 2015)
  28. ^ "Ein Bandido packt aus". 6 November 2009. Melanie Pothman, Westfälische Rundschau (6 November 2009)
  29. ^ "Polisen: Det betyder märkena på Bandidosvästarna". 17 June 2016. Sandra Divinyi, Göteborgs-Posten (17 June 2016)
  30. ^ "Who Are The Bandidos?". CityNews (16 June 2006)
  31. ^ Schiller, By Dane (7 June 2015). "'We are the people our parents warned us about'". Houston Chronicle. Dane Schiller, Houston Chronicle (June 6, 2015)
  32. ^ "The Gang's All Here". 21 January 2013. Skip Hollandsworth, Texas Monthly (April 2007)
  33. ^ "Can Women Join Motorcycle Clubs?". 21 May 2015. Abby Johnston, Bustle (May 21, 2015)
  34. ^ a b c "20 Rules The Bandidos Make Their Members Follow". 3 September 2019. Archived from the original on 29 November 2020. Retrieved 21 November 2020. Andre Nalin, TheThings.com (September 3, 2019)
  35. ^ a b c "The Infamous 'One Percenters': A Review of the Criminality, Subculture, and Structure of Modern Biker Gangs" (PDF). Archived from the original (PDF) on 2022-11-29. Retrieved 2020-11-21. Danielle Shields (2012)
  36. ^ Schiller, By Dane (8 January 2016). "Federal indictment details life, self-law of Bandidos". Houston Chronicle. Dane Schiller, Houston Chronicle (January 7, 2016)
  37. ^ Caine, Alex (2 August 2011). The Fat Mexican. ReadHowYouWant.com. ISBN 9781459624801. Alex Caine (2009)
  38. ^ "Into The Abyss: A Personal Journey into the World of Street Gangs". Archived from the original on 2021-01-25. Retrieved 2020-11-21. Mike Carlie, Missouri State University (2002)
  39. ^ "Waco biker shoot-out: Facts about the Bandidos and the Cossacks motorcycle gangs". BBC News. 18 May 2015. Newsbeat (18 May 2015)
  40. ^ "Outlaw motorcycle gangs – USA overview" (PDF). National Institute of Justice (1991)
  41. ^ "Hells Angels under pressure as outlaw motorcycle clubs from across the globe expand into Canada". Nationalpost. Adrian Humphreys, National Post (6 June 2015)
  42. ^ Outlaw Motorcycle Gangs Expand Throughout Costa Rica Jaime Lopez, The Costa Rica Star (December 24, 2013) Archived December 26, 2013, at the Wayback Machine
  43. ^ James Morton, Susanna Lobez (2010). Dangerous to Know: An Australasian Crime Compendium. Melbourne University Publishing. ISBN 978-0-522-85681-1.
  44. ^ "Australian Outlaw Motorcycle Clubs & their Territories". 26 March 2019. Rhys McKay, Who (27 March 2019)
  45. ^ "Notorious gangs eye up Christchurch". The Press. 7 August 2013. Retrieved 13 October 2013.
  46. ^ ""Bad News travels fast - back to prison"". 14 July 2012., 15/07/2012, stuff.co.nz
  47. ^ ""Christchurch gangs face police scrutiny"". 14 December 2014., 15/12/2014, BLAIR ENSOR, stuff.co.nz
  48. ^ "Biker club 'in Channel Islands'". 19 October 2007. BBC News (19 October 2007)
  49. ^ "Les bikers vers une nouvelle guerre". 12 November 2014. Alain Lallemand, Le Soir (12 November 2014)
  50. ^ "Two killed in rocket attack in escalating biker gang violence". The Irish Times. The Irish Times (7 October 1996)
  51. ^ "Sweden Democrats oust former biker gang boss". November 2014. The Local (1 November 2014)
  52. ^ "Bandidoksen Suomen johtajan ampunut mies pääsee vankilasta vapaaksi". 9 March 2017. Asta Tenhunen, Savon Sanomat (9 March 2017)
  53. ^ "Politiet åpent til stede på Bandidos-jubileum". 22 October 2010. Aftenposten (22 October 2010)
  54. ^ "Motorradclubs und ihre Unterstützer". 24 November 2008. Berliner Morgenpost (24 November 2008)
  55. ^ "Les Gangs de Motards Criminalisés: Une expansion internationale". Xavier Raufer, Institut de Criminologie de Paris
  56. ^ "Inside the biker gangs: the truth about guns, drugs and organised crime". Belfasttelegraph.co.uk. Belfast Telegraph (4 July 2008)
  57. ^ "Court bans Dutch arm of Bandidos motorcycle gang". Belfasttelegraph. Belfast Telegraph (20 December 2017)
  58. ^ Walter Roberts. Biker Gangs. RW Press. pp. 10–. ISBN 978-1-909284-06-7.
  59. ^ Ronald M. Holmes; Richard Tewksbury; George Higgins (2 December 2011). Introduction to Gangs in America. CRC Press. pp. 86–. ISBN 978-1-4398-6945-1.
  60. ^ "History". BMCAsia.com
  61. ^ "Bandidos MC Worldwide – Bandidos Motorcycleclub – Worldwide".
  62. ^ Caine, Alex (2009). Befriend and Betray: Infiltrating the Hells Angels, Bandidos and Other Criminal Brotherhoods. Macmillan. p. 187. ISBN 978-0-312-53719-7. The first Canadian Hells Angels chapter opened in Montreal in 1977, and the gang has dominated the province's biker scene ever since. By the early 1990s, however, domination was no longer enough -- they wanted to be the only game in town. At least in Montreal, the province's biggest city and home to pretty much half its population. So, with several support gangs as their foot soldiers, les Hells, as they're known, began a brutal campaign to monopolize the drugs business, especially the big money-maker: cocaine.
  63. ^ Cherry, Paul (2005). The Biker Trials: Bringing Down the Hells Angels. ECW Press. p. 213. ISBN 978-1-55022-638-6. 'Every affiliated group has a godfather,' Sirois told the cops in describing how Hells' Angels' puppet gangs like the Rockers, the Jokers, and the Rowdy Crew worked.
  64. ^ Hazlehurst, Cameron (1998). Gangs and youth subcultures: international explorations. Transaction Publishers. p. 18. ISBN 978-1-56000-363-2. In Denmark, where outlaw motorcycle gangs have fought for control of the east European drug market, Hell's Angels use associates and candidates for 'dirty work' (Devlin 1992: 86). Elsewhere they are known to use 'puppet clubs' (Campbell 1993: 5).
  65. ^ "2005 National Gang Threat Assessment" (PDF). Bureau of Justice Assistance (BJA), U.S. Department of Justice.: 14. Archived from the original (PDF) on December 22, 2005. All of the major OMGs have support clubs that serve as a recruitment source and as foot soldiers in conducting criminal activities. The Hells Angels' principal support club is the Red Devils, the Outlaws have the Black Pistons. The Pagans have the Tribe and the Blitzkrieg and Thunderguards (in Maryland). The Bandidos have several support clubs, including the Amigos, Pistoleros, LA Riders, Hombres, and Hermanos. {{cite journal}}: Cite journal requires |journal= (help)
  66. ^ Mallory, Stephen L. (2007). Understanding Organized Crime. Jones & Bartlett Publisher. p. 168. ISBN 978-0-7637-4108-2. OMGs [outlaw motorcycle gangs] control their networks by violence and intimidation of members, rivals, and potential witnesses. A current trend among OMGs is the employment of puppet clubs to conduct the criminal activity for the sponsor club. In Mississippi, the Pistoleros MC has seven chapters that are associated with the Bandidos. These puppet clubs take most of the risk and return most of the profits to the more powerful OMG members. This trend, along with the trend of Mafia associations, has allowed the OMG to expand their influence and become more diverse in both their legal and illegal enterprises.
  67. ^ "About Violent Gangs - Outlaw Motorcycle Gangs". US Dept. of Justice. Archived from the original on 2008-10-12. The Bandidos are most active in the Pacific, Southeastern, Southwestern and the West Central regions of the U.S. The Bandidos are expanding in each of these regions by forming additional chapters and allowing members of supporting clubs who have sworn allegiance to another club but who support and do the "dirty work" of a mother club–to form new or join existing Bandidos chapters. {{cite journal}}: Cite journal requires |journal= (help)
  68. ^ "A m i g o s M C". A m i g o s M C. Archived from the original on 6 August 2010. Retrieved 2010-08-14.
  69. ^ "Hombres MC • Seattle • Wash • Chapter - WELCOME". Hombresmc.net. Archived from the original on 12 August 2010. Retrieved 2010-08-14.
  70. ^ "Motorcycle gang". U.S. Department of Justice. Archived from the original on April 15, 2014. Retrieved January 23, 2010.
  71. ^ "2004 Annual Report" (PDF). Archived from the original (PDF) on 2009-12-22. Retrieved 2020-11-21.- Criminal Intelligence Service Canada, cisc.gc.ca
  72. ^ AFP targets outlaw motorcycle gangs in South-East Asia Australian Federal Police (July 11, 2022) Archived July 10, 2022, at the Wayback Machine
  73. ^ "FBI 2013 National Gang Intelligence Center report". fbi.gov (2013)
  74. ^ By their colours: Outlaw motorcycle gang identification guide Australian Broadcasting Corporation (October 4, 2013) Archived October 9, 2013, at the Wayback Machine
  75. ^ Victoria bikies: all you need to know about Big Six outlaw gangs Anthony Dowsley, Herald Sun (July 7, 2022) Archived June 12, 2023, at the Wayback Machine
  76. ^ "Dutch court bans motorcycle gang Bandidos". Janene Pieters, NL Times (20 December 2017)

Books and newspaper articles[edit]

  • Winterhalder, Edward; De Clercq, Wil (2008), The Assimilation: Rock Machine Become Bandidos - Bikers United Against the Hells Angels, ECW Press, ISBN 978-1-55022-824-3
  • Winterhalder, Edward (2006), Out in Bad Standings: Inside the Bandidos Motorcycle Club - the Making of a Worldwide Dynasty, Blockhead City Press, ISBN 0-9771747-0-0
  • Edwards, Peter (2010). The Bandido Massacre; A True Story of Bikers, Brotherhood and Betrayal. HarperCollins Publishers Ltd. ISBN 978-1-55468-044-3.
  • Coulthart, Ross; McNab, Duncan (2008). Dead Man Running: An Insider's Story on One of the World's Most Feared Outlaw Motorcycle Gangs, the Bandidos. Allen & Unwin. ISBN 978-1-74175-463-6.

External links[edit]

Wikimedia Commons has media related to Bandidos.
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