| Founding location | Miami, Florida, U.S. [1] |
|---|---|
| Territory | South Florida, [2] [3] [4] Evansville, Indiana, [1] Quebec, [5] and the Bahamas [6] [7] |
| Ethnicity | Haitian [1] |
| Membership (est.) | 225,000[ citation needed] |
| Criminal activities | Drug trafficking, robbery, murder, prostitution [1] and racketeering [4] |
| Allies | Black Mafia Family, [3] Bloods, and Crips [5] |
| Rivals | MS-13 [3] and Hells Angels [5] |
Zoe Pound is a criminal street gang based in Miami, Florida founded by Haitian immigrants in the mid-1990s. [1] [8]
Etymology
"Zoe" is the anglicized variant of the word zo, Haitian Creole for "bone", as members were known to be "hard to the bone." When conflicts against Haitians arose, the pound would be sought out to retaliate; thus, the street gang name, "Zoe Pound", was born. [9]
An alternate theory states that "Pound" acts as an acronym for "Power Of (the) Unified Negroes (in) Divinity". [8]
History
Having being founded in the mid-1990s, Zoe Pound first gained the attention of the media in the spring of 1997, when gang members robbed ships docking along the Miami River, kidnapping and torturing crew members. [10] [11]
Having branched out from Miami in the two decades leading up to 2010, they are known to be involved in drug trafficking and robbery and related violent crimes in support of their drug trafficking activities in Evansville, Indiana. [1]
In 2004, six Zoe Pound leaders were arrested on racketeering and conspiracy charges in Fort Pierce, Florida after Florida Department of Law Enforcement offices convinced several gang members to give testimony for the prosecution. [4]
References
- ^ a b c d e f "Twenty-Two Charged Federally in Evansville Drug Trafficking Case". Federal Bureau of Investigation. 4 February 2010. Archived from the original on 17 August 2010. Retrieved 20 February 2011.
- ^ "ICE Operation in South Florida Net 24 Criminal Aliens". Hispanically Speaking News. 25 February 2011. Archived from the original on 2 March 2011. Retrieved 26 February 2011.
- ^ a b c "Crime Stoppers helps to catch Miami's Little Haiti Zoe Pound member". WPLG. 19 May 2014. Archived from the original on 28 April 2017. Retrieved 20 April 2024.
- ^ a b c Greenlee, Will (18 June 2009). "Six alleged leaders of Fort Pierce gang facing charges". TCPalm. Archived from the original on 16 July 2011. Retrieved 26 February 2011.
- ^ a b c Thibault, Eric (30 August 2012). "Parrains floridiens?" [Florida sponsors?]. Le Journal de Montréal (in French). Retrieved 20 April 2024.
- ^ "Bahamas: The Zoe Pound gang, including activities, areas of operation, key members and state response (2013-September 2018) [BHS106154.E]". Immigration and Refugee Board of Canada. 27 September 2018. Retrieved 20 April 2024 – via ecoi.net.
- ^ Smith-Cartwright, Tanya (15 February 2021). "INSIGHT: 'We're living in a cowboy town and there's nothing anyone can do about it'". The Tribune. Archived from the original on 15 February 2021. Retrieved 20 April 2024.
- ^ a b "All Hell Breaks Loose". Gangland. Season 3. Episode 12. 4 December 2008. History Channel.
- ^ Daddy, Trick; Bailey, Peter (2010). Magic City: Trials of a Native Son. Simon and Schuster. p. 169. ISBN 978-1-4391-4852-5.
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^
"Zoe Pound Gang: Learn More About Haitian Group Featured On History Channel". HuffPost. 18 March 2010. Retrieved 20 April 2024.
In April 1997, the group looted ships docked along the Miami River and tortured their crew members.
- ^ Royse, David (16 May 1997). "The Land Pirates In Miami, Pirates In Pickup Trucks Board Freighters At Boat Yards, Robbing, Torturing And Kidnapping Sailors For Drugs And Money". The Spokesman-Review. Associated Press. Archived from the original on 20 April 2024. Retrieved 20 April 2024.