The Vagos Motorcycle Club is one of the most dangerous motorcycle gangs in the world. Motorcycle gangs have been making like difficult for law enforcement since the 1960s. Vagos is a one-percenter motorcycle club that was formed in 1965 in San Bernardino, California.
The club has grown into an international enterprise that in some ways resembles the mafia. The club's insignia is Loki, the Norse god of mischief, and there isn't a more fitting description. The Vagos MC operates mainly in the United States and the motorcycle club's members ride Harley Davidson motorcycles.
Vagos' main business is coordinating a drug-smuggling operation between the United States and the Mexican border. The club has also been accused of setting traps for police officers in California. Despite all of this the Vagos Motorcycle Club still maintains that they are not a notorious outlaw gang but rather a legitimate motorcycle club.
Updated July 2022: We have updated this article with more insights on one of the world's most dangerous motorcycle clubs, including a recent incident in which members of the Vagos MC were shot at by an infamous rival gang - Hells Angles.
History of The Vagos Motorcycle Club
There were more Outlaw Motorcycle gangs formed in the 1960s than in any other decade. These groups became known as the one-percenters, a term that originated from a claim by the American Motorcycle association that 99% of bikers were good, law-abiding citizens.
The Vagos Motorcycle Club was founded in 1965 in San Bernardino, California by 13 bikers. The original members were Rudy "Puro" Esparza, Gil Carrasco, Whitey, Lucky, Freddy Ruiz, Harley Hog, Animal, Crazy John Estrada, Tom Tom, Moose, Squirrel, Alex Estrada, and Little John Bocanegra.
Rudy "Puro" Estrada was chosen as President of the Vagos MC and Gil Carrasco was chosen as the Vice President. The founders of the Vagos Motorcycle club were of Mexican heritage, so they chose to adopt the color green for their newly formed club as a way to pay homage to their heritage.
The name "Vagos" means vagabond in Spanish which describes a wanderer or a traveling person. Before deciding on the name Vagos the founders also considered two other names, Coffin Dodgers MC and Saints MC. They eventually settled on the name Vagos Motorcycle club.
The first chapter of the Vagos MC was in San Bernardino, California it is also known as the "Berdoo" chapter. It is believed that there are now over 4000 members in the Vagos Motorcycle club and 200 chapters.
The Two Sides Of The Vagos Motorcycle Club
The Vagos Motorcycle Club was once described as "the mafia on wheels" by Charles Falco a man that once infiltrated the notorious biker gang and lived to tell the tale.
The Good...well sort of
The Vagos Motorcycle Club is an intricate organization, there are legitimate businesses that they own to go with their less than savory illegal operations. They own clubs, they sell merchandise, they have bylaws, and they even have regular meetings like in any other legitimate organization. They also often participate in some charity work around the community.
The Bad
The other side of the coin is their underhanded operations. In the 1980s the President of the Desert Hot Springs chapter of the Vagos Motorcycle Club was charged with and pleaded guilty to conspiracy to distribute drugs. In 2011 40 pounds of cocaine ad, 8 pounds of meth were seized in a raid conducted by law enforcement. In 2014 four members of the Vagos MC were arrested by the FBI for selling methamphetamine. The Vagos Motorcycle Club has built a reputation for money laundering, trafficking weapons, and just straight-up violence.
The Vagos MC rivals
One of the Vagos MC's biggest rivals is the Hells Angels. The two rival motorcycle clubs' feud goes back decades. In 2001 the two Motorcycle Clubs went head-to-head in a bloody feud in Costa Mesa, California. In 2010 a brawl broke out in a Starbucks in Santa Cruz, the brawl turned into a shootout in Chino Valley which started a series of drive-by shootings by members of the two motorcycle clubs.
Vagos MC Have A History Of Run-Ins With The Law
Law enforcement authorities have infiltrated the Vagos several times but have failed to completely take them down. In 2003 George Rowe infiltrated the Vagos and gathered enough evidence to arrest 42 members of the motorcycle club.
Charles Falco also infiltrated the Vagos and helped the ATF in gathering evidence against the Vagos. This resulted in the arrest of 62 members of the motorcycle club. Both of these men have infiltrated one of America's most dangerous gangs and lived to tell the story. They've each written book detailing their experiences within the Vagos operation and even appeared as characters in each other's books.
Despite all of these efforts to bring them down, the Vagos Motorcycle Club is very much alive and kicking, and they've had their fair share of wins against law enforcement. In 1990 the Vagos Motorcycle Club sued the police for abuse and ended up receiving a $2 million settlement from the lawsuit.
In 2010 The Vagos MC once again sue the police for defamation, and again they walked away with a settlement. In 2020 a long federal case of current and former members of the Vagos MC that was filed in September 2016 was dismissed. All the charges were dropped and members of the Vagos MC were acquitted.
Tragedy Strikes Again For The Vagos MC
About a month ago mishap occurred on US Route 95 when three members of the Hells Angels Motorcycle club were arrested for shooting at two Vagos MC members. In the ambush that followed seven people were injured, of which two were seriously injured. This incident gives us a glimpse of how dangerous they are.
Sources: YouTube, Latimes, Nytimes, FOX5 Las Vegas