The Bandidos Motorcycle Club , also known as the Bandido Nation , [1] is an outlaw motorcycle club with a worldwide membership. Numerous law enforcement and international intelligence agencies classify the Bandidos as an organized crime syndicate. Ronald Jerome Hodge took over from Chambers as the Bandidos' president in Hodge was nicknamed "Mr.
Prospect" because of the short amount of time in which he was awarded his club membership, and he later became known as "Step Mother" in deference to Chambers' moniker "Mother". The Australian branch was founded by Anthony Mark Spencer, who had previously encountered Bandidos members during a visit to the United States. In , the club was established in Europe when a chapter was formed in Marseille , France. The Bandidos embarked on a failed endeavour to establish themselves in Canada after merging with the Montreal -based Rock Machine Motorcycle Club in According to the club's website, the Bandidos' Western Hemisphere chapters became autonomous from the international chapters in Europe and Australia on July 17, The Bandidos' insignia, known as the "Fat Mexican", consists of a caricature of a Mexican bandit wearing a sombrero and holding a sword in one hand and a pistol in the other.
These patches consist of red lettering displayed on a gold background. Although the particular meaning of each patch is not publicly known, various law enforcement agencies have identified Bandidos patches which they believe are related to criminal activity.
The Bandidos' mottos include "Cut one, we all bleed", [9] "God forgives, Bandidos don't", [1] "Our colors don't run" [30] and "We are the people our parents warned us about". Bandidos members must be male [33] and own at least one Harley-Davidson motorcycle although other American-made motorcycles can also be allowed. The length of this process is decided by each chapter president, and ends when the chapter's members vote unanimously to allow the probationary member to enter the club.
A screening process is carried out to prevent infiltration by law enforcement. Upon joining the Bandidos, each member must sign their motorcycle over to the club. Members must abide by various by-laws, such as not wearing the club patch while riding in a car or truck, and are required to attend meetings known as "Church" four times per month.
