Royeta Prison Gang History

The Ñeta Prison Gang or “Asocacion Ñeta” originated in Rio Piedras, Puerto Rico during the early 1970’s. The gang received its name from their Taino origins; when a baby was born, the parents would hold the baby up and scream “Ñeta.” The founder of the gang was Carlos Irriarte who was given the nickname The Shadow, or “La Sombra”. The gang erupted when a group of offenders wanted to stand up and defend inmate rights and call attention to the abuses they experienced by some of the other prisoners and guards. The gang also banded together in order to battle with another gang who called themselves “G’27’s” or “Los Insectos.” The Ñeta gang evolved from a maximum-security prison called “Oso Blanco.” The Ñeta gang’s leader, Irriarte, was later killed in March of 1981 after he was betrayed by the leader of the G’27’s, a fellow gang member, and a guard who was in on the plan; he was stabbed and shot. Since many of the gangs were in the drug trafficking business, his death led to a series of prison riots that ended up with the stealing of narcotics in the pharmacy. In order to seek revenge for their leader’s death, the Ñeta Gang chiseled a tunnel that eventually led straight to the cell of “Manota”, the G’27’s leader, and stabbed him repeatedly before they cut his body into 84 pieces. Although this was an obvious sign of dominance within the prison, it was also a call for attention.