The black hand mafia rene enriquezs wife

Rene Enriquez is serving a double-life sentence for murder. He was a leader in one of the US's most notorious and violent gangs, the Mexican Mafia. Radio 4's Crossing Continents has been given access to a series of extraordinary audio diaries made by Enriquez from his jail cell in Southern California.

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Rene Enriquez is serving a life for double murder

"Once we got into gangs, we understood that the homeboys that got out of prison were well-respected. You go there, and you learn in prison, so we all wanted to go there."

Rene Enriquez got his wish.

"My whole adult life has been a continuous period of incarceration for the past 26 years, with brief periods of parole, which add up to about six months."

Heavily tattooed across his arms, back, stomach and chest, Enriquez looks like a typical LA gang member.

What sets him apart is the black hand tattooed on his chest. It is the symbol of the Mexican Mafia.

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