Red Tiger Black Society

Overview

One of the most violent criminal organisations in Belesia, the Red Tigers Black Society began as a loose confederation of martial arts enthusiasts centred around members of the Tanigo family, especially the most prominent of the five oldest brothers, Danny "Golden Kid" Tanigo. Initially formed as a sort of ?anti-gang? for mutual protection against street gang violence in the slums of Roxas, they quickly fell into armed robbery, extortion, and drug trafficking.

History

During the chaotic and crime-ridden 1990s, the Red Tigers clashed multiple times with Belesian constabulary and military forces as a result of a feud started by the police killing of the head of the family, Renato Tanigo. Police at the time claimed the elder Tanigo was resisting a minor drug arrest for possession of methamphetamine, but journalists and activist groups claim that Renato and his associates were killed while sitting handcuffed inside a police van. The officers involved in the killing were murdered one by one over several years, prompting a savage backlash by both police and military units in the area. Hard pressed and losing members rapidly to both arrest and homicide, Danny Tanigo turned to Golden Hawk, one of the few truly transnational Black Societies to emerge from Olvana, who run a significant proportion of methamphetamine production and distribution, as well as prostitution and illegal gambling in Belesia. The Golden Hawk leadership took Danny under his wing and provided refuge and material support in exchange for guaranteed access to Red Tigers territory in Roxas, which covers a substantial majority of the available market in that city.

Danny?s "apprenticeship" with Golden Hawk ended after several years when he struck a deal with Roxas City Police contacts to end hostilities. Upon his return to Roxas, Danny set about organising the previously loose and chaotic organisation, modelling his structure heavily on what he had learnt from Golden Hawk?s operations. He set himself up as "Godfather", with his younger brother Tiesto as "Left Hand", a position inspired by Olvanan Black Societies where the Left Hand is a chief enforcer and advisor kept separate from day to day operations. On the same level of the Left Hand is an "Uncle" who oversees each of the "Big Brother" positions in charge of each of the group?s major operational areas. It is not known who the current Uncle is. Each Big Brother runs crews who will change in number according to availability, but with a core membership of between twenty and thirty more or less permanent members. In this new and improved structure, Danny has established the Red Tigers as the pre-eminent drugs, prostitution, and robbery gang in Roxas.

At present the group contains between one and two hundred permanent members and, while quite small, is considered one of the most potent and violent criminal groups within Belesia. Permanent members will often, but not always, acquire gang tattoos ? most often a pair of stylised tiger eyes on the obverse of the shoulders or on the forearms ? these members being known as "flag" members. Red Tigers flag members have a fearsome reputation throughout Belesia owing to their frequent application of catalytic and often lethal violence.

Areas of Operation

The Red Tigers operate almost exclusively in Roxas, though they have been known to conduct robberies, especially smuggling and isolated instances of piracy, throughout the islands of Belesia, mostly around the Western Visayas. Their heartland is the "inner" Barangays of Roxas, these being the poorest, especially a row of tenements in the Tanque area which contained the original Tanigo family home.

Red Tigers member tattoo design, usually worn on the obverse shoulder or forearms, identifies its members.

Membership and Demographics

Red Tigers members have an average age of 16, reflecting the bulk of membership being youthful "soldiers" operating in one or more of the Big Brothers? crews. Membership of these crews is exclusively male. At higher levels, i.e., senior flag members and the inner circle of the Tanigo brothers themselves, members are between 30 and 60 years old and majority male. The vast majority of Red Tigers were born and raised in disadvantaged areas of Roxas, with a sprinkling of from the rural outskirts, or from far afield as IloIlo. A small proportion of more senior members are ex-military or police, having gravitated into the Red Tigers as a more lucrative option than government employment.

Recruitment

While the core of the Red Tigers is a family and friend-group organisation, the bulk of their operatives are recruited from the city slums, with a small minority originating from the rural outskirts or, in some rare cases, from government service. Red Tigers recruitment is typical of Black Societies, with most of the entry level membership pool being chosen from among the many youth street gangs operating within Red Tigers territory. Particularly violent and/or successful street gang members, or sometimes whole gangs, will be approached by one of the Big Brothers and offered opportunities to participate in specific lucrative activities, most typically robberies. Over time, sufficient trust can be generated on both sides to warrant inducting new members into permanent membership of one or more of the Big Brother crews. Owing to this, it can often be difficult to determine the true number of members active within the organisation at any one time.

Organization

Functional Structure of Red Tigers Black Society

The Red Tiger Black Society is one of the smaller Black Societies operating in Belesia, mostly focusing its activities within Panay.

Key Leadership

Red Tigers Leadership

NAME	POSITION	SHORT BIO
Danny "Golden Kid" Tanigo	Godfather	Danny "Golden Kid" Tanigo is responsible for the restructure and professionalisation of the Red Tigers during a stint in hiding with Golden Hawk Black Society.
Tiesto Tanigo	Left Hand	Tiesto Tanigo, Danny?s youngest brother, has spent most of his life running robbery and extortion crews. In his capacity as "Left Hand", he is responsible for overall co-ordination and counterintelligence.

Alliances

GROUP	RELATIONSHIP	NOTES
Tantoco Cartel	Rival	The Torbian Tantoco Cartel specialises in money laundering, in direct competition with Golden Hawk, Red Tigers? closest ally.
Golden Hawk	Ally	Golden Hawk is one of the oldest and most traditional Black Societies. It maintains a strong presence in Belesia, enabling it to play a formative role in the creation of the Red Tigers.
Visayan People?s Front	Ally	The VPF has a good relationship with the Red Tigers, having made use of its services and personnel in their own criminal fundraising activities.

Operational Profile

Kinetic

The Red Tigers are a purely criminal organisation, though more heavily armed than most, and as such conduct exclusively criminal activities for profit and/or hire. Being of no fixed ideology, Red Tigers have been known to conduct illegal operations and provide support for organisations as diverse as the SPSN, Tantoco Cartel, and, it is rumoured, foreign state actors.

The Red Tiger?s principle kinetic activities are:

• Murder
• Assassination for hire
• Bombing attacks
• Kidnap for ransom
• Arson and property destruction
• Armed robbery
• Piracy

Non-Kinetic

The Red Tigers have strong relationships with national and transnational criminal and insurgent organisations who operate in Roxas. Their non-kinetic activities are principally conducted for profit, and may sometimes be undertaken on behalf of another organisation.

The Red Tigers? principle non-kinetic activities are:

• Smuggling of drugs, gold, cash, and weapons
• Illicit drug manufacture, trafficking, and distribution
• Human Trafficking, predominantly sex trafficking
• Extortion and neighbourhood level protection rackets
• Blackmail

• Racketeering
• Illegal gambling