DPS gang report: Tango Blast is top threat

Tango Blast is considered the greatest gang threat in Texas, according to a new report, while a previous powerhouse — the Texas Syndicate — has been downgraded from the top tier because of disruptions from law enforcement and Tango affiliates.

The other most significant gangs in Texas are Latin Kings, Texas Mexican Mafia and Mara Salvatrucha, known as MS13, according to the 2017 Texas Gang Threat Assessment from the Texas Department of Public Safety.

The report, released Tuesday, estimates that as many as 100,000 gang members operate in Texas. Officials say Tango Blast, with more than 19,000 members, is the state’s largest.

Harris County is identified among the areas with the highest concentration of gang activity. The top gangs in the region are the Houstone, a Tango Blast clique, all sets of Bloods and Crips, as well as the Aryan Brotherhood of Texas.

The data included in the 60page assessment highlights events in 2015 and 2016.

The last unclassified version of the report available to the public was released in 2015, DPS spokesman Tom Vinger said.

Tango Blast, Latin Kings, Texas Mexican Mafia and MS-13 remain Tier 1 gangs because they “continue to pose the greatest gang threat to Texas due to their relationships with Mexican cartels, consistent transnational criminal activity, statewide presence and a high propensity for violence,” among other factors.

The Texas Syndicate, a prison gang that operates inside and outside of penitentiaries, and long considered one of the most violent in Texas, has been downgraded to a Tier 2 threat. The gang had been ranked a Tier 1 organization since 2010.

The report also upgraded the threat ranking of the Aryan Circle gang from Tier 3 to Tier 2 because of documented association with Mexican cartels.

According to the report, current intelligence on the outlook for gang activity includes the “unique threat” of gangs working with Mexican cartels to facilitate the smuggling of people, drugs and weapons around the state with a special emphasis on sex trafficking because of “large and sustainable profits and the perceived low risk of detection by law enforcement.”

The state intelligence estimate was produced by the Texas Joint Crime Information Center, a part of DPS, in collaboration with federal, state and local law enforcement and criminal justice agencies.