Deadly Shootouts & Betrayals: Inside the Bandidos | United Gangs of America
Summary
TLDRThe script details the notorious Bandidos, one of the world's largest outlaw motorcycle gangs, tracing their violent history from their 1966 founding in Texas to their expansion into a global criminal enterprise. It covers their turf wars with rival gangs like the Hells Angels and Cossacks, culminating in the infamous Waco shootout. The narrative also delves into the Bandidos' internal power struggles, criminal activities including drug trafficking and prostitution, and the eventual downfall of leaders Jeff Pike and John Portillo through law enforcement's relentless pursuit. Despite the arrests, the Bandidos' influence persists, highlighting the complexity and resilience of organized crime.
Takeaways
- 🛑 The Waco shootout in 2015 was a violent confrontation between two rival biker gangs, the Bandidos and the Cossacks, resulting in 9 deaths and 177 arrests.
- 🏛️ The Bandidos, founded in Texas in 1966, have a storied history and a strict code of conduct, including a prohibition on wearing certain patches unless earned.
- 🔫 The Bandidos have been involved in numerous violent incidents and criminal activities, including drug trafficking, gun running, and extortion.
- 👮♂️ Law enforcement has struggled to infiltrate and prosecute the Bandidos due to their secretive nature and the loyalty of their members.
- 🗹️ The Bandidos' internal conflicts, particularly a power struggle in Canada, led to a brutal 'cleansing' where members were executed for disloyalty.
- 🛡️ The leadership of Jeff Pike and John Portillo was instrumental in the Bandidos' growth and criminal operations, but also made them targets for law enforcement.
- 🏁 The Bandidos have a significant presence in Texas, which they fiercely protect as their home territory against rival gangs like the Hells Angels.
- 📈 Despite setbacks and leadership changes, the Bandidos have grown to become a global criminal syndicate with thousands of members across multiple countries.
- 🚫 The club enforces strict rules regarding membership and the display of their symbols, with severe consequences for those who break these rules.
- 💔 The Bandidos' activities have led to much loss and suffering, with many lives ruined by the organization's violent and criminal methods.
- 🚨 The Waco incident brought significant attention to the Bandidos, but despite high-profile arrests, the core of the organization remains active and dangerous.
Q & A
What was the event that took place at the Twin Peaks restaurant in Waco, Texas?
-The event was a massive shootout between two rival biker gangs, the Bandidos and the Cossacks, which resulted in nine deaths and 177 arrests, making it one of the most violent incidents in biker history.
What is the significance of the 'bottom rocker' in the biker world?
-The 'bottom rocker' is a patch worn by biker clubs that signifies the territory they represent. For the Bandidos, wearing 'TEXAS' is a significant right that no other club has, symbolizing their dominance and connection to the state.
Who is Jerry Pierson, also known as 'Scratch'?
-Jerry Pierson, AKA Scratch, is a legendary member of the Bandidos. He was present at the Twin Peaks incident and was aware that a confrontation was imminent due to the rival gang's presence.
What led to the escalation of violence between the Bandidos and the Hells Angels?
-The escalation was due to a breakdown of a previously shaky truce between the two clubs. Tensions were further fueled by competition over territory, drug trafficking, and arms trafficking.
What was the Bandidos' response to the murder of a member by the Two Six gang?
-The Bandidos conducted their own investigation and retaliated by luring the killer, Robert Lara, to a rest stop where he was executed. This act was part of their code of not letting harm come to their members without response.
Who are Jeff Pike and John Portillo, and what roles did they play in the Bandidos?
-Jeff Pike and John Portillo are key figures in the Bandidos. Pike was a long-time member who eventually became the national president of the Bandidos. Portillo, a heating and air conditioning repairman, formed a bond with Pike that led the Bandidos from a biker club to a multimillion-dollar criminal enterprise.
What was the significance of the 'Expect No Mercy' patch within the Bandidos?
-The 'Expect No Mercy' patch is awarded to members who have drawn or spilled blood for the club. It symbolizes loyalty and commitment to the club's violent ethos and is a mark of distinction within the Bandidos.
What was the Bandidos' relationship with the Texas Mexican Mafia?
-The Bandidos had an arrangement with the Texas Mexican Mafia, a prison gang that controlled the drug trade in Texas. This alliance allowed Bandidos members dealing in narcotics to avoid paying the usual 10% extortion fee, or 'dime,' to the Texas Mexican Mafia.
What happened to the Bandidos after the Waco shootout?
-Following the Waco shootout, the Bandidos' leadership was targeted by law enforcement. Jeff Pike and John Portillo were eventually arrested and sentenced to life in prison, signaling a significant crackdown on the gang's activities.
How did the Bandidos maintain secrecy and control within their organization?
-The Bandidos maintained secrecy and control through a strict code of silence, known as 'Omerta,' which originated from the Italian Mafia. Members were not to talk or cooperate with law enforcement, and this culture of silence was strictly enforced.
Outlines
🛑 Waco Biker War: The Confederation of Clubs Confrontation
The script opens with a scene set in Waco, Texas, where a biker conference escalates into a violent clash between two rival motorcycle clubs, the Bandidos and the Cossacks. The dispute is rooted in territorial tensions and the right to wear a 'Texas' patch, symbolizing earned respect in the biker world. The situation culminates in a chaotic shootout involving the Waco police, resulting in nine deaths and 177 arrests, with the Bandidos blaming the police for the bloodshed. This event solidifies the Bandidos' reputation in biker history.
🏁 Bandidos Origins and Transformation into a Criminal Enterprise
The Bandidos Motorcycle Club was founded in 1966 by Donald Eugene Chambers, a Vietnam veteran seeking to recreate the brotherhood of the military. Adopting a military-like structure and the name from Mexican bandits, the club grew in notoriety. After Chambers' conviction for murder, the club continued to evolve, becoming involved in organized crime activities such as drug trafficking and gun running. The Bandidos' secretive nature and strict code of conduct contributed to their rise as a formidable one-percenter club, despite internal and external challenges.
🔫 International Tensions: Bandidos vs. Hells Angels
The Bandidos' expansion into international territories led to conflicts with the Hells Angels, particularly in Northern Europe. Drive-by shootings and violent acts became common as both clubs sought to establish their dominance in the drug and arms trafficking business. A significant event in 1996 at the Copenhagen Airport saw a deadly ambush by the Hells Angels, which the Bandidos later retaliated against with a rocket-propelled grenade attack at a Hells Angels party. These incidents highlighted the Bandidos' willingness to engage in extreme violence to protect their interests.
🕊️ Truce and Transition: Jeff Pike's Leadership
Following the chaos, a truce was called between the Bandidos and Hells Angels, allowing the Bandidos to continue under the leadership of Jeff Pike, who had been steadily rising through the ranks. Pike, a former altar boy turned biker, was known for his ability to lead a double life, balancing his role in the Bandidos with his family life and a legitimate business. His ascent to power, along with John Portillo, marked a new phase for the club, which would see further expansion and transformation.
👥 Bandido Women and the Role of 'Property'
The script delves into the role of women within the Bandidos, who are considered 'property' or 'old ladies' of the club members. Women serve the club and can carry out orders, but they are never full members. Tara, a former chapter girl, shares her experience of being part of the Bandidos, detailing the power dynamics and the expectations placed on her. She also recounts her involvement in criminal activities, such as running an escort service and dealing drugs, which were used to fund the club's operations.
🗡️ Gangland Hit and the Toll of Bandido Life
Tara's story continues with a deadly mission to avenge a Bandido's death, which leads to her infiltration of a rival gang and a tragic love affair. The Bandidos' brutal retaliation and the subsequent reward of a 'Expect No Mercy' patch highlight the violent and unforgiving nature of the club. Despite the risks and the moral compromises, Tara felt a sense of privilege and loyalty to the Bandidos, underscoring the complex dynamics within the biker community.
📈 Bandidos' Expansion and Internal Power Struggles
The narrative shifts to the Bandidos' growth and the internal power struggles that arise. Jeff Pike's decision to divide the club into North and South America factions, and the rest of the world, sparks a rebellion within the club. The Toronto chapter's mutiny and the subsequent violent 'cleansing' orchestrated by Weiner, a Bandidos enforcer, reveal the extreme measures taken to maintain control and discipline within the organization.
🚨 Law Enforcement's Focus on Bandidos' Activities
As the Bandidos' influence grows, so does law enforcement's scrutiny. The club's activities, including the murder of Anthony Benesh, a member of the Hells Angels, come under investigation. The Bandidos' code of silence, Omerta, and their secretive operations make it difficult for authorities to gather evidence. However, the conviction of a former Bandido for the execution of a rival gang member offers a potential lead for further prosecutions.
🛡️ Bandidos' Resilience and Adaptation Post-Leadership Shake-up
Despite internal divisions and law enforcement pressure, the Bandidos undergo a transformation under Jeff Pike and John Portillo's leadership. They expand their international presence and engage in sophisticated criminal activities, forming alliances with prison gangs to control the drug trade. The club's resilience is evident as they adapt to the challenges posed by law enforcement and rival gangs, maintaining their status as a formidable criminal organization.
🏁 The Downfall of Bandidos' Leadership
The culmination of the Bandidos' story sees the arrest of top leaders Jeff Pike and John Portillo on racketeering charges, which include murder, robbery, drug trafficking, and extortion. The trial of Jake Carrizal, the president of the Dallas chapter, ends in a mistrial, reflecting the difficulty in securing convictions against the Bandidos. However, a Christmas card sent by the Bandidos provides a crucial piece of evidence linking the club to the murder of Robert Lara, leading to the eventual conviction of Pike and Portillo.
🚓 Aftermath of Waco and the Bandidos' Ongoing Influence
In the wake of the Waco shootout and the imprisonment of its leaders, the Bandidos are believed to have become more adept at concealing their criminal activities. The release of charges in the remaining Twin Peaks cases leaves a sense of injustice and empowers the gang to continue their operations. Despite the loss of key members and the challenges they face, the Bandidos persist as a global criminal syndicate with a significant membership across multiple countries.
📊 The Bandidos' Global Reach and the Unseen Cost of Their Activities
The final paragraph highlights the Bandidos' expansion into a global criminal organization with up to 2,500 members in 13 countries. The club's evolution into a sophisticated and organized entity poses a significant danger. While the exact number of lives lost to the Bandidos is unknown, the impact on the lives of those associated with the club is profound, reflecting the far-reaching and destructive nature of their activities.
Mindmap
Keywords
💡Bandidos
💡Outlaw Motorcycle Gangs
💡Twin Peaks shootout
💡Territory
💡Racketeering
💡One-percenter
💡Patch
💡Drug trafficking
💡Gang warfare
💡Law enforcement
💡Conspiracy
💡Retaliation
💡Chapter
💡Mistrial
Highlights
A massive shootout between the Bandidos and Cossacks at a Waco, Texas restaurant resulted in 9 deaths and 177 arrests.
The Bandidos, Texas' largest biker club, had a long-standing rivalry with the Cossacks over territory and the right to wear a 'Texas' patch.
The Bandidos were founded in 1966 by Donald Chambers, adopting a military-style structure and the rebellious ethos of Mexican bandits.
Club members are expected to earn their patches and positions through loyalty and deeds for the club.
The Bandidos have been involved in various criminal activities including drug trafficking, gun running, and extortion.
Jeff Pike, a key member of the Bandidos, rose through the ranks to become president and expanded the club's criminal enterprises.
The Bandidos had a truce with the Hells Angels, but it eventually broke down, leading to violent conflicts worldwide.
A former chapter girl of the Bandidos revealed the role of women in the club, often serving as property or 'old ladies' to members.
Internal Bandidos conflicts led to a power struggle and the brutal murder of eight members by fellow Bandido Weiner.
Despite the Bandidos' reputation and criminal activities, law enforcement has had difficulty penetrating the secretive organization.
The Bandidos' expansion into international territories and their alliance with the Texas Mexican Mafia increased their drug trafficking operations.
A mutiny within the Toronto chapter and the subsequent 'internal cleansing' resulted in a high-profile trial and convictions.
Jeff Pike and John Portillo were eventually arrested and convicted on racketeering charges, including murder and drug trafficking.
The Bandidos have continued to operate and expand globally, with up to 2,500 members in 13 countries.
The Waco shootout resulted in no convictions for the Bandidos involved, leading to controversy and criticism.
The Bandidos' leadership vacuum post-Pike has led to a more dangerous and sophisticated criminal organization.
Transcripts
-Sunday, high noon.
A busy strip mall in Waco, Texas is about to become a war zone.
As churchgoers return from service,
the parking lot at the Twin Peaks restaurant
suddenly fills with 200 bikers in town.
They're there for a big biker conference called
the Confederation of Clubs.
-This was kind of like a United Nations assembly,
if you will, of bikers.
-Members of the Bandidos,
the largest and most infamous club in Texas,
arrived to find that a rival gang, the Cossacks,
have taken over the patio.
-You had a large amount of bikers
from two rival factions show up.
-It became clear
that this was not just going to be a Sunday morning meeting.
-The Bandidos and the Cossacks
had been at each other's throats for months.
-There were incidents across Texas.
People were getting hurt.
-Tensions with the Cossacks
came down to a patch called the bottom rocker.
The Bandidos wear "TEXAS" in capital letters.
No other club has that right.
-Who wears it is a big thing.
We won't certainly tell anybody they can't wear it.
We tell them they should earn it.
Because in the biker world,
everything you wear is earned, right?
You don't earn it, you don't wear it.
-Legendary Bandido Jerry Pierson, AKA Scratch,
rolls into the parking lot
and sees the lot full of rival bikers.
He knows something's about to go off.
-Everybody had been told to kind of keep their eyes out.
There's something that's not going right.
-Scratch is right.
Someone has snitched to the Waco Police
and they're ready and waiting with SWAT teams in tow.
-We get off of our bikes and they all come out to the patio.
And all hell breaks loose.
[ Gunshots ]
-Three small caliber shots happen.
And at that point in time, everybody took off running.
[ Gunshots ]
And then I start hearing rifle fire.
-Three of their SWAT officers opened fire.
-That was going on behind me.
That was going on with that patio.
They were bum-rushing me.
You try to survive, protect your brother.
A couple of guys had that metal whip out, come up behind me,
beat me in the back of my head.
-It was just chaos, and pandemonium, and blood,
and people were running for cover to save their lives.
-It was a shootout that looked like a scene
out of Quentin Tarantino movie.
[ Sirens wailing ]
-By the time it's over, nine bikers are dead on the pavement,
177 people are arrested.
-I saw everything from pistol casings to rifle casings.
There were pools of blood.
One of the most violent,
gruesome crime scenes I've seen in 35 years of service.
-The Bandidos were packing all kinds of weapons,
hundreds of weapons.
AK-47s in their cars, knives in their boots, Glocks.
-The Bandidos pin the death toll on the police.
-The crime scene after Waco was horrific.
It was a over-the-top reaction by law enforcement.
-The shootout goes down as the worst massacre
in biker history
and locks in the Bandidos as biker legends.
-The Waco incident really put the Bandidos on the map.
Probably the most significant event ever in the United States
involving outlaw motorcycle gangs as far
as violence is concerned.
-They did refer to them as the mafia on two wheels.
♪♪
-They're war mongers.
I mean, this is part of their identity and their persona.
♪♪
-Every young guy likes the outlaw,
whether it's, you know, in movies or whatever.
Who wouldn't want to be an outlaw?
♪♪
♪♪
[ Motorcycle engines revving ]
-The Bandidos are founded in 1966 in San Leon, Texas
by a Vietnam vet named Donald Eugene Chambers, AKA Mother.
Back then, the Hells Angels are the biggest biker gang
on the map,
but they haven't staked their claim in Texas.
Chambers sees an opening and jumps.
-They come home from serving their tours of duty
and they're looking for a brotherhood
like they had with their military brothers.
-Chambers adopts the colors of the Marine Corps,
scarlet and gold,
and sets up a chain of command from his time as a Marine.
-He adopted many of the same rank and file
structure that they had come from.
They have a president, a vice president,
a sergeant-at-arms, treasurer, secretary, a road captain.
And so there's an organized structure to this gang
which makes them different from street gangs.
-He takes the name of the Mexican bandits
who live by their own rules,
the Bandidos.
The back of every cut is emblazoned with the club name,
the territory, and center most,
the club's emblem, the fat Mexican.
-Now what does that mean to me?
Everything.
The fact I'm in the Bandidos
means I'm a known gang member just for wearing it.
-By 1974, Donald Chambers flames out.
-Donald Chambers is the brother
that started the whole thing
and he ended up getting convicted of murder.
-He tracks down two drug dealers who tried
to cheat the gang by passing off baking soda as amphetamines.
He orders the dealers to dig their own graves.
Then one by one, he takes them out.
[ Gunshot ]
-Back in the early days,
outlaw bikers were outlaw bikers to the full extent.
-Chambers is sentenced to life, but the club rides on.
-To survive that long, think about it,
and they rise to be the top,
it's pretty impressive.
-Elite one-percenter clubs like the Bandidos
carry a reputation.
They've been called the worst of the worst.
-The one-percenters are pretty much willing to do anything
when it comes to their club.
They will really get into the drug game.
They get into the prostitution rings.
They'll get into the murders.
They'll be willing to do pretty much anything.
-It's in the DNA of a person to be a one-percenter and,
you know, they're Type A individuals,
very competitive, you know, alpha males,
and it's just the nature of the beast.
-Secrecy is sacred, even down to a club member's real name.
-Nobody ever knew my real name.
Names don't repeat themselves
because there's ain't any other Shadow.
There's only one.
You can't replicate somebody else's name.
Only on one condition.
If they're still alive and you go after them
for their permission to use their name.
-Club initiation is broken up into two parts,
hanging around and prospecting.
-I hung around with the Bandidos
as a non-patch wearer for a while.
Kind of like, you know, test driving a car for a little bit
and they were test driving me.
-As time goes on,
the club makes a big move into organized crime.
-That criminal activity involves drug trafficking,
gun running, you know, extortion,
things of that nature.
So that's what you're really signing on to.
-The club will use anything they can to get what they want.
Intimidation is a tool.
-By the mid-'90s,
the Bandidos are fast becoming a force across the country,
moving roughly $100 million in gun running, meth, and cocaine.
-They're involved in the meth trade,
in drug trafficking, in arms deals,
and they're very instrumental
and very savvy in having this network
so that they can keep growing and expanding their enterprise.
-Members pay dues back to the gang
for the privilege of belonging
and a lot of those dues that are paid back are elicit.
They're derived from criminal activities.
-There was just one problem.
The Hells Angels.
-The Hells Angels is the gold standard
of the outlaw biker world.
-For years, the Hells Angels and the Bandidos
coexisted under a shaky truce.
-It amounted to respect.
If a Hells Angel wanted to travel from California
to Florida and they were going to go through Texas,
it was expected that they would call Bandidos' members in Texas,
say, "Hey, we're going to be driving through,
riding our motorcycles through," and ask for permission.
-Before long, that truce goes up in smoke.
Over the next two decades,
tensions explode around the world.
Nothing is off limits.
-Deaths were in the dozens and it became an all-out war.
-Things had never been good between the two clubs
in Northern Europe,
where drive-bys and shootings had become the status quo.
-The reason they're all vying for territory
and trying to put their foothold
into international countries and organizations
is because it's helping them grow their business.
And their business is drug trafficking and
arms trafficking.
-It's just a matter of time
before the Hells Angels make their move.
In March 1996, it all goes down at the Copenhagen Airport.
Members of the Bandidos and Hells Angels
are returning home from a biker conference.
In a twist of fate, they're all booked on the same flights.
By the time those flights land,
the Hells Angels are ready and waiting.
The Bandidos exit the gate and head to their cars.
At that moment,
half a dozen Hells Angels appear out of nowhere
in the parking lot and open fire.
Bullets hit the cars point blank.
One Bandido is killed and three are injured.
A few months later, the Bandidos retaliate.
-The Hells Angels in Copenhagen
hosted an annual Viking party at their club house.
-Over 150 people are attending the party.
Some are gang members. Most aren't.
♪♪
Suddenly, a rocket-propelled grenade penetrates the side
of the building's concrete walls and slams into the bar.
Two people are killed and 19 are seriously injured.
The RPG had been stolen from a nearby weapons stash
of the Swedish army.
-It's not going to be easy for anybody to get
an RPG rocket launcher or anything like that.
But overseas,
you've got -- black markets are a complete different thing,
and I'm sure the one-percenters got their hands in
those black markets,
so it would be easy for them to pick up that hardware.
-Law enforcement doesn't hold back.
They call the Bandidos "kamikaze pilots"
who are "scum."
-The people that are attracted to these gangs,
that are recruited into these gangs
have that military background. They're trained in combat.
They train other people in that club.
-The authorities have had little luck penetrating
these secretive gangs.
They're now pinning their hopes on persuading both sides
to sign a peace agreement.
-After the missile attack,
both clubs realize chaos is bad for business.
There's a truce.
-A truce has been called between the leader
of the Hells Angels and the head of the rival Bandido gang.
-And the Bandidos ride on.
This new phase is being led by a Bandido
who's steadily ascending up the command chain.
He's got a talent few people possess.
He's an expert at leading a double life.
-Jeff Pike was one of the long-time Bandidos members.
He had been a member since 1979.
-Pike is a former altar boy who's come from California,
yet thou shall not kill doesn't apply to him.
-He moved to Texas at 18,
allegedly because the drinking law made it legal
to consume alcohol at 18.
He started working in construction
and then bought a motorcycle.
And it wasn't until after that that he joined the Bandidos.
-He's a family man who restores classic cars
for a living as he bides his time.
-He rose through the ranks slowly.
-The new Bandidos are not the old Bandido.
We get along with everybody.
-One day, Pike meets a heating and air conditioning
repairman from San Antonio.
His name is John Portillo.
The two men form a bond that would span decades
and take the Bandidos from a biker club
to a worldwide multimillion dollar criminal enterprise.
-Jeff was a unique cat, man.
He was so laid back.
I mean, and the dynamic between the two.
John, you knew he was coming at you.
Jeff was silent and he seemed like a CEO businessman.
They did complement each other.
-There's one person
who will be crucial to helping Jeff Pike and John Portillo
in their rise to power,
and she's never told her story on camera until now.
-[Bleep] is my name
and I am chapter girl of the Bandido motorcycle club.
-For the first time,
a former chapter girl of the Bandidos biker club
has agreed to appear on camera.
Her face is obscured for her protection.
Tara is married to a cop and a mother of two
when she's first introduced to Andrew "Corky" Gomez,
vice president of the Southwest San Antonio Bandidos.
-He pulls up with six motorcycles into the front yard.
That was the moment I felt the power.
-Tara starts an affair with Corky with no idea
that it will place her on a collision course
with Jeff Pike and John Portillo's rise to power.
Bandido women fit into a distinct role --
property of or proud Bandido old ladies.
-An old lady is a wife of or the girlfriend of a member.
-Women are never made members, but they can be property of.
They are there to serve.
-I was property of Southwest San Antonio Chapter.
I was a piece of property.
I was like a motorcycle.
I never knew I could say no, and I was okay with that.
-They have an identity. They have a purpose.
They can carry out some of the orders of the gang
and rise up in rank.
-Tara gets a rude awakening on Bandido life.
-For the first year, and this is a bylaw,
everything belongs to the club.
They will take everything out of your house,
your tool shed, your, you know, garage,
pretty much take whatever they want.
-Tara runs the escort service and deals drugs,
giving her easy access to meth.
-Well, I did a lot of drugs.
Back then, it was crank, suitcases full of it.
I would do the drops and the pickups.
I didn't make money. [ Chuckles ]
The club made money.
-Dealing meth is big business.
The drugs come from Mexico,
worth an estimated $600 million on the street.
-The Bandidos got a better deal when buying bulk narcotics
because they had the organization behind them.
They were a known commodity, a known organization,
so there was no risk to their supplier
that they would be ripped off or turned into the police.
-The drug money funds Bandido activities,
including a large cut
that goes to chapter president John Portillo.
-Drug dealing eventually gets to the national chapter.
John would send people over to pick up the money.
He knew how many calls I would take the girls on.
-In 2001,
when a Bandido is shot and killed outside a billiards club,
the Bandidos are out for blood.
-They made T-shirts that said, "Cut one, we all bleed."
They conducted their own investigation
and then concocted a plan to retaliate.
-The club learns the killer is a member
of the Two Six gang named Robert Lara.
That's when Corky asked Tara to undertake a deadly mission,
one that will lead to disaster.
-Andrew said,
"We really need to get those people that got my brother.
Will you do that, baby? Do you love me, baby?"
And I said, "Yeah, I love you. I can bring him to you."
-Tara agrees to infiltrate the Two Six gang
by sleeping with Robert Lara.
-I was the decoy.
Nobody anticipated me to be with the Bandido motorcycle club.
-She did that over the course of several months,
including getting romantically involved with Robert Lara.
-Robert broke down and he told me, "I killed a Bandido."
I acted like I had no idea and he just started crying.
-But after months of gaining Lara's trust,
Tara finds out that Two Six gang members
have been tipped off to her Bandido connection
and plan to kill her.
She goes to John Portillo.
-I was going to die that Friday.
That was for sure.
John said, "They're going to kill you?"
And I said, "Yes, they're going to kill me."
And then he said, "Okay. We'll take care of it."
-The Bandidos hash out a plan.
Tara will lure Robert Lara to a rest stop south of San Antonio.
-I knew this would be this guy's last day.
I bought him the best beer he wanted.
We were kind of drunk, at that point, you know?
A lot of time went by.
I kept thinking, like, "When are these people coming?"
Then, out of nowhere, the passenger door opens,
they rip him out, and he's like, "Don't hurt her.
Don't hurt her."
I still remember that.
And they shot him, I think, 16 times.
-For Tara, there is no remorse.
-It was either me or him.
I had no conscience. I was just a soldier.
-Bandidos involved in the murder are rewarded with patches
that say, "Expect No Mercy."
The patch is said to be given to any member
who has drawn or spilled blood for the club.
-That patch is famous.
If you're wearing it, you would owe to the club.
You had to make that choice.
If I had that day back, I'd give the patch back.
-John Portillo and Jeff Pike's reputations
are locked in,
and Tara is made an official chapter girl.
-John was like, "You scare me."
He goes, "I'm going to call you Buffy the Vampire Slayer."
He's like, "We really appreciate this."
-As thanks,
she's given permission to get a Bandidos tattoo.
-The tattoo is located on my right hip
and it is about six inches in diameter.
-That's a big deal in their world
because you're not permitted to have Bandidos tattoos
if you're not a member,
which kind of showed their appreciation
for what she had done for them.
-I felt very privileged, you know?
I thought it was pretty cool.
I'd never seen a Bandido tattoo on a girl. [ Chuckles ]
-And so that was her reward for participating
in this gangland hit.
-Law enforcement knows the Bandidos are behind the hit,
but they can't prove it.
-I had nothing.
I was never on an insurance policy.
I never had a house
or a phone number in my name, anything.
I was, like -- lived off the grid.
That was a problem for the feds.
-So Pike and Portillo continue their rise.
Pike's behind the scenes, while Portillo works the cameras.
-We are not a criminal organization.
If a brother is caught dealing dope or anything illegal,
that's individual achievement.
He's on his own. We don't condone that.
-Portillo was there to take some of the heat off of Pike,
that Pike was the mastermind behind
some of these enterprises,
and that Portillo was there to take the brunt off of him
in terms of media and public-facing understanding.
-This is the 21st century.
We know we can't live like that, anymore.
Most of us are all businessmen or have jobs.
-You know, I never had to worry about riding around
and getting shot at or stupidity happening
because you had two adults that were in charge of the club.
John and Jeff both kept the lunatics in their boxes
so stupid things didn't happen.
-The club's success hinges on growing their numbers.
There's money to be made on the streets
through drug trafficking and prostitution.
-One of the things that they really vie for
is this international presence
because their main trade is drug trafficking.
-That includes shoring up an unholy alliance
with a prison gang,
one that controlled the drug trade in Texas.
-The Texas Mexican Mafia is a Texas prison gang formed
in San Antonio in the late-'80s.
They charge anybody that traffics narcotics
in San Antonio what's called the dime,
which is a 10% extortion payment.
Well, the Bandidos had an arrangement
with the Texas Mexican Mafia and their leadership
where their members that dealt narcotics
didn't have to pay the 10% dime to the Texas Mexican Mafia.
-By 2005,
Jeff Pike is poised to make a move
on then Bandido president George Wegers.
That year, Wegers trips up and Pike pounces.
Wegers appears in a TV documentary about the Bandidos.
Pike explodes.
When Wegers goes down on a RICO charge,
Jeff Pike becomes the new president of the Bandidos.
-This is strange in retrospect because Pike, himself,
gave several interviews.
-Do you think of yourself as an outlaw?
-[ Laughs ]
I haven't broken a law in decades.
I don't know what you're talking about.
-It's only a matter of time
before Pike and Portillo's leadership is challenged.
In a small farming village,
a power struggle leads to a slaughter,
one that pits brother against brother
and opens up an old wound with the Hells Angels.
-On a small farm in the middle of nowhere,
a power play is about to go south.
Canada had long been considered off-limits to the Bandidos.
It was Hells Angels territory.
But many of the Hells Angels rejects
still wanted to join a club.
-A lot of the people who became part of the Bandidos
were not accepted into the Hells Angels.
So they felt slighted
and this was an opportunity to join another group
that was just as dangerous, just as powerful.
-They're going to either recruit those support clubs
to form allegiance to the Bandidos
or they're going to take them by force.
-President Jeff Pike thinks the Toronto chapter
is getting sloppy and isn't pulling its weight.
-There was internal battling between these two factions
to take control of the Bandidos in Canada for good.
The Bandidos in Toronto were not paying their dues.
They didn't have operating bikes.
They're using drugs, so they are going to be sloppy
in terms of organized crime.
They're not being careful about what they're doing.
-Things get worse when it looks like a Bandido
steals a Hells Angels' drug stash.
-A tow truck driver may have picked up a car
in which there was coke from the Hells Angels in the trunk.
So when he opened that up,
he may have taken the coke out
and that could have led to some of what happened.
-It all comes to a head that April.
Pike expels Toronto chapter president John Muscadere
and all of his members, ordering them to give up their patches.
Muscadere refuses and makes a bad call.
He sends an e-mail to chapters worldwide calling for a vote.
-Jeff Pike basically responded and said, "Bandidos don't vote.
You do what you're [bleep] told."
-Disobeying club leaders,
the Toronto chapter launches into full-fledged mutiny.
They call themselves the No Surrender Crew.
So a Bandido named Wayne Kellestine, AKA Weiner,
steps in to clean up the mess.
-We have a small problem here.
Oh, my [bleep] God.
I look like I just climbed out
of a [bleep] hillbilly [bleep] convention.
-Weiner's rap sheet is a mile long --
assault, drugs, and arms dealing.
He's got a swastika mowed into the grass on his farm to boot.
-That is the most beautiful flag in the world right there.
I love that flag.
-On the night of April 7, 2006,
Weiner makes his move,
inviting the No Surrender Crew over
for an official club meeting known to bikers as church.
-They came completely unprepared,
had no idea that they were going to be lambs to the slaughter.
-The night is full of heavy drinking, dancing,
and singing the German national anthem...
-♪ Deutschland, Deutschland, uber alles Duetschland ♪
-...before Weiner suddenly pulls out a gun
and starts to kill his former members
in an execution assembly line.
Muscadere, once Weiner's good friend, asks to go first.
-Muscadere was quite defiant the whole way along
and he kept saying to Kellestine,
"Go ahead, just shoot me.
Shoot me in the head."
[ Gunshots ]
-One of the members was Jewish.
They made him wait till the end to be killed
so he could see all the others murdered first.
-That was torturous.
-Police are tipped off to four abandoned vehicles
in a field outside of Shedden.
-"CTV News" has learned
that police have converged on a property said
to be associated with bikers.
-You've got these eight bodies
and they've been placed in various cars
with the hatchbacks open so the bodies are fully exposed.
They wanted to pin these murders on the Hells Angels.
-But when police discover the bodies,
they find evidence of the No Surrender Crew
entering Wiener's farm and never leaving.
-It was not a very well-conceived plan.
-Within days, five Bandidos, including Wiener, are in cuffs.
-Fellow Bandidos members are charged with first-degree murder
in what police describe as "internal cleansing"
by the biker gang.
-After an exhausting seven-month trial,
Kellestine and the rest were convicted of a total
of 44 counts of first-degree murder
and four counts of manslaughter.
-It's never proven that Jeff Pike condoned the executions,
but the bad publicity leads him to walk away from Canada.
-I think Pike wanted to wash his hands of Canada,
wanted to be done with it.
-And Jeff said, "Unh-unh."
I mean, you know, they keep on doing that,
that's going to put us on Homeland Security's watch list,
and once you're on that, you ain't getting off of it.
And we're not doing anything.
We don't operate our club that way.
So there was a decision to separate.
-By late-2006,
Pike and Portillo had achieved the unthinkable --
the club had overtaken the Hells Angels in numbers
and were the largest biker gang in the world.
Roughly 2,000 members in 16 states
and another 1,400 members worldwide.
But to the Bandidos, there's no place like home.
-Texas was the most important state to the Bandidos.
It was where they were formed and it was the only state
that there was no other one-percent
outlaw motorcycle organization.
And they defended it.
-Territory is very important.
That's the way you earn something
and make a name for yourself, right?
-And if you disrespect them where they live,
you'll feel the pain.
-Anthony Benesh was shot and killed in front of his children
as he left an Austin pizza restaurant.
-Surveillance video shows his girlfriend and sons
running for help.
-Prosecutors say the Bandidos did not want
a rival gang to diminish their power and territory.
-Benesh was a member of the Hells Angels
who was trying to start a branch in Texas
and had been warned by Bandidos members to cease that activity.
-The hit has Bandidos written all over it.
-It sounds like Anthony Benesh was making a number of enemies
in a number of places.
-Evidence of who sanctioned Benesh's move points right
to the Hells Angels president, Sonny Barger.
-Sonny Barger had kind of given them informal approval
to do it to the extent of, "Well, go ahead and do it.
We're going to deny that we gave you approval.
But if you survive in a year, we may own up to it."
-Jeff Pike and John Portillo skate on the murder,
but they're now on law enforcement's radar.
-During Jeff Pike's tenure,
there was a patch going around the Bandidos that was Omerta.
The word has its origins in the Italian Mafia's
code of silence --
do not talk, do not cooperate with law enforcement --
and members would wear that patch.
-And as far as the secrecy of the club,
why do you need to know?
The more we show you, the more you're going to find bad in it.
-We have instances of John Portillo
driving three and a half hours over to Jeff Pike's house
north of Houston
for less than a 10-minute conversation
seeking approval for assaults
before he'd just drive back over on his motorcycle.
-I've heard,
"Hey, why don't you and you go over to such-and-such's house,
you know, tonight around midnight,
and go tell him the facts of life."
-Law enforcement looks into unsolved murders
to pin on the club,
like the assassination of Two Six gang member Robert Lara.
A former Bandido in prison for murder,
Richard Murla, AKA Scarface,
confesses to taking part in the gang execution.
Scarface implicates Tara and John Portillo.
With only one witness willing to go on record,
Jeff Pike remains a free man, but Tara's luck runs out.
-The police were showing pictures of me
to the Two Six nation.
There was a $10,000 reward on the street to get me.
The FBI came and arrested me.
That was horrible.
-Tara gets picked up on a drug charge
and lies to the cops,
saying she had no part in Lara's assassination.
-We had that knowledge and that suspicion
that she was involved,
and ultimately ended up prosecuting her federally
for some narcotics violation.
-By 2011, with Bandidos taking each other out,
the heat from the feds
and war with the Hells Angels just one misstep away,
a group of Bandidos decide it's time for Jeff Pike to go.
-When you have anarchy, when you have division in the ranks,
when you have unrest,
that's just going to topple that organization.
-After years of mayhem,
backstabbing, and with law enforcement closing in,
a group of rogue Bandidos decide President Jeff Pike must go.
-You know, they'd always been an international organization.
And around that time, Jeff Pike was unilaterally saying,
"Look, there's going to be a North and South America Bandidos
and there's going to be the rest of the world Bandidos.
They wanted to force him out of power
and take over the presidency and vice presidency.
-But Pike goes scorched earth.
-Jeff Pike summoned his national leadership chapter
to a restaurant in Houston,
where they met and discussed
they all needed to leave the meeting and make a will
before they responded.
And they did do that.
-Yet again, it starts with a party.
-They proceeded by saying,
"Hey, we're going to have a party.
We're coming out."
And when they got to the party site,
they locked the gates behind them,
got all of those members on the ground,
and went down the line and said, "Who's your president?"
If you answered the presidents that were out there
that were leading the coup,
you were assaulted and brutally assaulted, and then
all your Bandidos paraphernalia was ripped off you and taken.
[ Siren wailing ]
-The coup dies out, and Jeff Pike and John Portillo
walk away unscathed.
It all hinges on everyone's silence.
-We saw bumper stickers that said, you know,
"Snitches are a dying breed."
Not real hidden what the message is there.
-Secret for a reason, because that's just the way we all are.
-Just when Pike and Portillo
think they're in the clear, Waco goes down.
-It was a shootout that looked like a scene
out of a Quentin Tarantino movie.
[ Gunshot ]
-In 2016, the feds' investigation blows sky high.
-A national and state investigation unsealed today
revealing shocking arrests.
The US Attorney's Office confirming
that the three top leaders of the Bandidos gang
have been arrested.
-Law enforcement cuffs leaders Jeff Pike and John Portillo,
along with Sergeant-at-Arms Justin Forster.
There's no mention of Twin Peaks in the charges.
Instead, they focus on the way
club infighting was being handled.
-Their list of charges is not short.
Aiding in crimes through racketeering,
which include murder, robbery, drug trafficking, and extortion.
-While prosecutors are building their case
against the club's top brass,
the first Bandido goes to trial in the Waco shootout --
Jake Carrizal, president of the Dallas chapter.
-Introduce yourself for us.
-Christopher Jacob Carrizal.
-Carrizal is caught on a surveillance camera
firing shots outside the Twin Peaks restaurant.
-Did you go to Twin Peaks that day to hurt anybody?
-No.
-Did you go there to pick a fight?
-Absolutely not.
-He didn't do anything wrong.
Defend himself, defend his brothers.
-After 14 hours, the jury's deadlocked.
The judge declares a mistrial.
Jake Carrizal walks.
-There wasn't enough evidence that the Dallas chapter,
and specifically, Jake Carrizal,
had committed any violence against any person
that wasn't self-defense.
And so today is a victory. Today is a victory.
-Meanwhile,
the feds are working the case against Jeff Pike
and John Portillo.
-The US Attorney General's Office accused Pike
of ordering Portillo to carry out a number
of criminal activities on behalf of the Bandidos.
-Then out of nowhere, a break.
Of all things, it's from a Christmas card.
-When we ran a search warrant on John Portillo's house
in 2015,
we uncovered Christmas cards dating back decades.
The Southwest San Antonio Chapter of the Bandidos
had sent out a Christmas card that year,
which was just one month before Robert Lara was murdered.
Well, in that chapter photo, you can see the four guys
that were named as having been involved in the murder
clearly didn't have
"Expect No Mercy" patches on the front of their vests.
Photos we obtained elsewhere showed
that two months after the murder of Robert Lara,
all of those members were now wearing
"Expect No Mercy" patches.
The witness testimony told us they got patches
for the murder of Robert Lara lined up
and was supported by that photographic evidence.
-The feds still need a closer for their case,
which includes the shooting death
of Two Six gang member Robert Lara.
Chapter girl Tara is floored when the feds come knocking.
-The same federal agents that were in my life
back then came to my apartment now.
I didn't open the door for three days.
I was super-paranoid.
I thought I was going to prison forever
because they had just arrested John.
However, that's not what they were there for.
-The feds are ready to cut a deal.
They want Tara to turn on Jeff Pike and John Portillo
and take the Bandidos leadership down for good.
-Chapter girl Tara agrees to testify in the case
against Pike and Portillo.
-I felt loved.
That was a very big grieving part of my life
when I testified
because I knew that the reason that I testified
was I knew it wasn't a good life for me and the only way
that I would not go back around them is if I testified.
-After a three-month trial,
the jury finds leaders Jeff Pike and John Portillo
guilty on all counts.
-The verdict is now in.
Two top former Bandidos,
national president Jeffrey Faye Pike
and ex-vice president John Xavier Portillo found guilty
in a 13-count indictment.
-Jeff Pike receives a life sentence plus 10 years.
John Portillo is sentenced to two consecutive life terms
plus 20,
assuring that he will die in prison.
-Why anybody would want to be a national boss,
you know, because what's law enforcement going to do when,
you know, they're trying kill a snake?
They're going to cut off the head, right?
Whoever's the big boss in charge is the one
that's going to get caught with the broom in their hand.
-Eric Fuchs takes a victory lap for the press.
-Well, I'm obviously pleased with the verdict.
It was the result of a lengthy, complex investigation.
-Do you think this sends a message
to other organized crime out there that there's consequences?
-It should.
-Four years after Waco, the DA drops a bombshell.
-In a shocking decision,
the McLennan County District Attorney, Barry Johnson,
has announced he is dropping charges in all 24
of the remaining Twin Peaks cases.
-It's just not right. It's not right what's happening.
-I don't know of any other incident in the world
where 177 people were arrested, nine people died, 20 injured,
and no one was held accountable.
-I think you have a lot of individuals
that quite frankly got away with murder,
and, you know, walked away from it,
and has empowered them to continue to act
in that manner in the future.
-No one got justice that day.
-The families of those nine deceased
are never going to have closure about what happened,
about who's responsible. It's a tragedy.
-Losing a brother is very hard.
It takes a toll on everybody in different ways.
-In the Waco aftermath and jail time of Bandido leaders,
many think the gang will fade away.
But some say they've only gotten better at hiding
how they do business.
-Being able to arrest the leader
of an organization is great.
Unfortunately, you're not going to destroy
the entire membership.
They will just replace that person with someone else.
-Scratch is no longer a Bandido.
After he disrespected a club member and for legal reasons,
he's considered out good by the gang.
-Legal troubles put me into a no-contact situation.
I'm not allowed to go around the club
until my court case is seen and heard, and good or bad.
As far as the -- I did something wrong, it happens.
I'm okay with that.
But in the best club like that,
you do something wrong, you pay a price.
-Members that leave, bad or good,
give up all gang property, including patches and tattoos.
Scratch's one-percenter tattoo has been covered with a grenade.
-Remove it, cover it up,
or they will come have a good, long talk with you
and make sure you understand it's supposed to not be there.
It doesn't belong to me.
And I knew that when I put it on.
-If I were to be asked, you know,
to be a club member today, hell no,
because I don't know who's in charge.
I don't trust them.
-They've had to morph into much more sophisticated
organized crime structures.
They get the gangs on the streets
to do a lot of their dirty work for them,
much like the Mafia would.
-You know, the club's in a much worse place
and it's much more dangerous
without those two men at the helm.
When you don't have the big guys around that,
you know, keep the hands on the reins, you know,
sometimes you get the cockroaches
that come up from underneath the refrigerator.
-How much revenue the club pulls in
is a closely-guarded secret.
-They have members involved in some kind of criminal activity,
so they're all funneling their sources
into this huge Bandido nation is what they're calling it.
-The Bandidos have built a global criminal syndicate
with up to 2,500 members across 13 countries,
and with expansion, mayhem follows.
-Homicide detectives have arrested a fourth person
over the execution-style murder
of senior Bandidos bikie Shane De Britt,
allegedly sparked by a feud between rival crime groups.
-Now, in the evolution of the club,
they have become so sophisticated and organized.
It's a very dangerous thing.
-The true Bandido body count is unknown.
-I think it's hard to put a number on, you know,
how many people have been murdered by the Bandidos
throughout their history.
It's a lot.
What's probably even more damning is the amount of lives
that have been ruined by this organization.
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