United Blood Nation
United Blood Nation (UBN), also known as the East Coast Bloods,[3] is a gang, active primarily in the New York metropolitan area.[2] Their main source of income is the trafficking and sale of illegal drugs.[2]
| Founded | 1993[1][2] |
|---|---|
| Founders | Omar Portee and Leonard McKenzie[2] |
| Founding location | Rikers Island, New York City[3][2] |
| Years active | 1993–present[2] |
| Territory | mostly New York City with some activity on the East Coast and areas of the Mid Atlantic and Southeast US[2] |
| Ethnicity | mostly African-American with some Asian, Hispanic and Caucasian sets[2] |
| Membership | approximately 7,000 (as of 2005)[2] |
| Activities | Drug distribution and sales[2] |
Membership
Members of the gang are mostly African-American males. Some sets have Asian, Hispanic and Caucasian members. While some sets allow female members, their status varies between sets.[2]
As of 2005, membership was estimated at 7,000 nationwide, with 5,000 of those in the New York City area.[2] In 2017 the head of the United Blood Nation was alleged by federal prosecutors to be Pedro Gutierrez, who allegedly directed the UBN despite being imprisoned in New York State while serving a murder sentence.[4]
History
In 1993, Bloods gang leaders Omar Portee and Leonard Mackenzie incarcerated at Rikers Island, New York, decided to unify their factions as the "United Blood Nation" to protect members from the dominant Ñetas and Latin Kings gangs.[1][2]
Symbols
United Blood Nation factions are identified by the local telephone area code.[1]
Gang graffiti often includes the letter "C" crossed out, the abbreviation "CK" (for "Crip Killer"), the number "031", the letter "S" crossed out (as "Slobs" is an offensive nickname for Bloods).[2]
Gang tattoos often use three dots representing a dog paw, bulldogs and "M.O.B." (for "Member of Bloods" or "Money Over Bitches").[2]
References
- Wootson, Cleve R. Jr. (30 October 2014). "Final member of local Blood gang sentenced to federal prison". CharlotteObserver.com. Retrieved 16 May 2017.
- unsigned, undated. Sampson County Sheriff's Office, "Gang Profile - United Blood Nation". Accessed 17 May 2017.
- "Nine Trey gang members sentenced to prison". Retrieved 14 January 2015.
- Gordon, Michael (23 May 2017). "Feds say 'godfather' of Bloods ran the Charlotte gang from New York prison cell". The Charlotte Observer. Retrieved 30 May 2017.
