Five arrested in raid at Aryan Brotherhood chop-shop
Authorities in Texas made five arrests during a raid on a vehicle “chop-shop” they say was operated by the Aryan Brotherhood of Texas — one of the biggest racist crime syndicates in the country.
The arrests were made Friday when law enforcement officers from several jurisdictions conducted the raid at a rural complex of ramshackle buildings and trailers located in San Jacinto County north of Houston, near Cleveland, Texas.
In addition to at least 11 stolen vehicles, including eight trucks, in various states of being cut-up and dismantled, authorities recovered firearms that are believed to be stolen, along with a quantity of methamphetamine, heroin and oxycontin, the Houston Chronicle reported.
It is the latest in a string of criminal cases brought against the Aryan Brotherhood of Texas, considered one of the most-violent, racist prison gangs in the nation, with members both inside the state’s prison and on the streets.
Its members espouse a racist dogma, and many have been convicted of an array of violent crimes, including murders.
In last week’s raid, those arrested were identified as Matthew Follis, 38; Alexandria Holloway, 26; Shain Whitmire, 38; Everitt McAdams, 34, and Shasta Cole, 33.
Follis and Holloway are charged with nine counts of vehicle theft, two counts of possession of a controlled substance and being felons in possession of a firearm. Whitmire is charged with two counts of vehicle theft. McAdams and Cole are charged with possession of a controlled substance.
They were booked into the San Jacinto County Jail pending initial court appearances this week.
