Bandidos Motorcycle Club

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]

  1. ^ a b 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. ^ "Bandidos Motorcycle Club". Archived from the original on May 24, 2023. Retrieved November 21, 2020.bandidosmcunitedstates.com
  4. ^ a b "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 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. ^ Cite error: The named reference Barker1 was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  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. Archived from the original on 2016-10-13. Retrieved 2016-08-27.
  9. ^ "How the Bandidos became one of the world's most feared biker gangs". The Washington Post. Archived from the original on 2022-04-14. Retrieved 2020-11-21. Michael E. Miller, The Washington Post (May 18, 2015)
  10. ^ "2005 National Gang Threat Assessment" (PDF). Archived from the original (PDF) on 2005-12-22. National Alliance of Gang Investigators Association (2005)
  11. ^ "Outlaw motorcycle gangs". Archived from the original on 2020-11-19. Retrieved 2020-11-21. Europol