| In | TDCJ, Texas, U.S. |
|---|---|
| Years active | late 1990s–present |
| Ethnicity | Hispanic |
| Membership | 14,000 [1] |
Tango Blast is a collection of mostly Hispanic gang members who operate on the streets and within many correctional facilities in Texas.
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Puro Tango Blast, or Tango Blast, is a term used to collectively describe various regionally-based groups of generally Hispanic men from major Texas cities such as Houston, San Antonio, Dallas/Ft. Worth, Austin, El Paso, Corpus Christi, Rio Grande Valley, and West Texas- although anyone can join - have banded together for protection from established security threat groups, like Mexikanemi and the Texas Syndicate.[1][2][3] Each regional group is individually called a Tango.[1] The term Tango Blast, in actuality, does not refer to a separate group; rather, it refers to the idea that a particular Tango member is more criminally active than others.[4])) Some Tango members say that Tango is an acronym for "Together Against Negative Gang Organizations"; however, Tango originally meant something like 'hometown clique.'[5]
Although often referred to as a prison gang, Tango Blast is different than traditional prison gangs such as Mexikanemi and the Texas Syndicate, lacking the typically strict hierarchy of those organizations.[6] While those more structured organizations, known as Security Threat Groups, [7] will have a variety of structures, Tango members in a particular area of a correctional facility will elect a silla (Spanish for "chair"), to speak for that area of the facility.[8] There is no consistent pathway for initiation into a Tango; rather, each individual set of Tango members determines who it admits and by what methods.[1][2] One initiation method is called a "Cora Check" or a test of heart in which the potential member must engage in physical combat with 2 or more members, provided that he does not surrender during the melee he is inducted to the gang.[5] Members are not required to perform gang activity when released from prison, making Tangos more popular among younger people.[5]
While it is commonly believed that there are only four chapters to the gang, other regions of the state have their own tangos.[5] Collectively, the tangos from Austin, Dallas, Fort Worth, and Houston.[5] are known as the 4 Horsemen. Individual Tango members use regionally appropriate symbols as tattoos to identify the tango to which they belong; Houstone members, who are from Houston, often use the Houston Astros star[5] [4], D-Town members, who are from Dallas, may use the Dallas Cowboys star[5][2] [4], Foritos members, who are also known as Foros and are from Fort worth, often use the 817 area code, a star with 817 in the center similar to a pentagram.[5][9] [4], and ATX or La Capirucha members, who are from Austin, may use the Texas Capitol building.[5][9] [4]. Generally, Tango members identify themselves by sport team logos or area codes from their home town or region.[9] These four tangos represent the earliest tangos to form.[10] Other areas of Texas have their own tangos, notably West Texas (Puro West or Wesos, often displaying 806 or 432, 23-20, the word West, or a WT in tattoos[10]), the Valley (Vallucos)[9][11], San Antonio (Orejones)[12], Corpus Christi (Corpitos)[12], , and El Paso (Chucos).[3]
History, in their series Gangland, dedicated an episode to a description of Puro Tango Blast in episode 12 of season 5.