Released or parole members who generate money for the gang must surrender a 10% tax ("the dime") of all proceeds toward the Texas Syndicate in prison. But no one suspected a thing. Convicts made primitive ovens out of foil-lined cardboard boxes equipped with a light bulb, and cooked deer or rabbit killed by inmates working in the fields. (Fong 41) This requirement, which exists in the case of the Texas Syndicate and Mexican Mafia for example, serves as a means of sponsorship, so therefore anyone interested in joining the gang, their trustworthiness can be verified if a current gang member is familiar with them. Since the late 1970s, the TDCJ has seen a gradual increase in TS-related activities within the system and the Texas Syndicate remains one of the main security threats within the TDCJ. Other inmates reacted to the TS as the TS members had first responded to California gang harassment. Defendants who are charged in this indictment include: *13 defendants were arrested yesterday. Rumor had it that inmate Jesse Turner had stood between an inmate and a prison official and had taken the blade himself. Arredondo took the two hundred dollars, went home, and blew the money. Prison gangs typically have rules on how to gain admission to the gang. Apparently the inmates at Ellis I had noticed this as well, for their sweet talk had gotten to him. His refusal would prompt the reply, Then Ill tell your supervisor about when you lit my cigarette., At first the young guard spurned the inmates who pestered him, and threatened to write them up for disciplinary action. Sandoval described Ellis I warden Jerry Peterson as a good man but a figurehead. His father died. All Garcia and his friend Vicente lacked was a reliable drug mule who could be counted on to transport drugs into the prison. Assistant U.S. Officials knew this meant that every day from three-thirty until after chow time, activities in the narrow corridor went unmonitored. If you are facing serious criminal charges, you need a lawyer who is prepared to go to trial, Law Office of Sylvia A. Cavazos 110 Broadway St.Suite 210San Antonio, TX 78205 San Antonio Office, Phone:210-468-1130Toll Free: 800-681-6406Fax: 888-566-7765, 2023 Law Office of Sylvia A. Cavazos All Rights Reserved, Disclaimer| Site Map| Privacy Policy |Business Development Solutions by FindLaw, part of Thomson Reuters. The moment Garcia asked Sandoval to bring marijuana into TDCJ, it did not take superhuman deductive powers for the guard to figure out the Hispanic inmates clientele. But the defendants earnest tone suggested that this was itself an injusticethat the prison system had asked the impossible of prison guards and was now punishing Sandoval for the states shortcomings. a) Texas Attorney General conference, October 1999 and 2003 b) Texas Department of Criminal Justice - Security Threat Group Officers c) California Department of Corrections When a new recruit is deemed ready for membership, several of the more capable members wail on him for a period of 18 seconds, and as long as that recruit fights back (against 5-6 usually larger men), they will then be welcomed into the gang. It is understood that members and prospects of the TS may receive a telephone call and instructions to commit a crime including homicide for the Texas Syndicate at any time. Barrio Azteca members are suspected of carrying out the March 2010 assassination of a U.S. Consulate employee, her husband and the husband of another U.S. Consulate employee. Coded language is frequently utilized in order to mislead law enforcement as to the true message contained in the letters or telephone calls. This coded language is often hidden in an otherwise meaningless letter or telephone call. Change). Rival gang members may also be referred to in the feminine form. The Triad is the most widely-recognized of Chinese gangs and has chapters all over the world; basically anywhere in which there is a large Chinese community. Prison officials believe that the rivalry between the TS and the Mexican Mafia has produced homicides in Austin, Dallas, Houston, El Paso, and especially San Antonio, where nearly one hundred suspected prison-gang-related murders were committed last year. None of them knew anything about Sandoval and drugs. Eventually, however, Vicente and Garcia began to ask for more than a light. The guard said he wasnt tied to anyone. The defendants, allegedly, conspired to distribute methamphetamine/heroin in Austin, San Marcos, Luling, Gonzales, New Braunfels, Hutto, Kenedy, Seguin, Bastrop and Tuscaloosa, AL, since January 2018. Other gangs also sprang up: the Hermanos de Pistoleros, the Self-Defense Family, the Texas Mafia, the Nuestra Carnales. I dont have any money to get any stamps, Garcia explained. Some, but not all, TS members have TS tattoos. Garcia would later say that he told Sandoval shortly after the Arredondo murder, Man, youre in deep shit. Sandoval insisted that he didnt know anything about the Arredondo murder other than what he filed in his report. You were in the hallway, Smithey said. Neither possibility seemed likely, given what Sandoval had learned about TDCJ in his first few months on the job. The inmate staggered forward, blood gushing from his head and neck. Their leader is one of the FBI's 10 most wanted criminals. A member who has fallen out of favor might also be referred to in the feminine form. Such retribution helps enforce loyalty of the organization which is necessary for ensuring the smooth running of the drug distribution business as well as maintaining discipline within the enterprise. West Texas Syndicate Energy. However, DPS downgraded the threat posed by the Barrio Azteca gang in 2015 after considering it among the state's most violent Texas-based gangs since 2010. The Bloods, Crips, Surenos and Latin Kings are the most active street gangs, while Tango Blast cliques in San Antonio (Orejones) and Austin (La Capirucha) rule the prisons, along with the Texas Mexican Mafia and Aryan Brotherhood. Mike Hall writes about criminals, musicians, the law, and barbecue. The TS will not hesitate to kill anyone who interferes with the business of the gang or who commits a violation of Texas Syndicate rules. Scroll through the slideshow for 10 facts you need to know about the Texas-Mexico border gang. He was pronounced dead at seven that evening, a victim of twenty stab wounds. More often than not, a good time is experienced by all members, whether a veteran of the group or a newcomer, that sometimes ends up with a hangover and some funny memories. Most gangs will just have their way with female members (referred to as s*xed-in) who want to join. He lives in Ottawa, Canada, a desolate wasteland that nobody should call home. Give me your shirt, he ordered an inmate and with it applied pressure to the wound. The first major TDCJ gang, a Hispanic group known as the Texans, consisted of former residents who were doing time in California penal institutions in the mid-seventies. One of them is fear. Sandoval put his hand against the wound, looked up, and saw Crippin and McCool standing there, gaping. As with some of the groups we'll cover in this list, some people will argue that the people involved with Mungiki are innocent victims in a struggle against the Kenyan government, but their operations closely mimic gang activities. Within the prison system, there is a widely agreed upon initiation requirement, and it is that a new recruit must kill someone. Once a gang member is initiated, the recruit is under a blood in blood out oath whereas, they typically make a cut on their arm to symbolize their blood in, and that their only way to leave the gang is death, either from murder from a rival gang, or death for treason. The blacks, in turn, formed the Mandingo Warriors. Even before the call, Luis Sandoval had been sweating bullets. Two years after lighting his first cigarette, Sandoval was arrested and charged with murder for allegedly aiding a gang plot to kill an inmate. Categories Community content is available under CC-BY-SA unless otherwise noted. Its a society, Luis Sandoval told me of the world he inhabited five days a week, eight hours a day. His assignment was one of the toughest jobs in Ellis I. This gang is one of the most notorious out there and has even been mentioned directly by Donald Trump, who has pledged to eradicate them in particular. The west end of the B-wing hallway was left unguarded after three-thirty every afternoon, when the guard normally stationed there was transferred to the chow hall. His neck had been slashed; his head was all but severed. His wife divorced him. This time, however, four Internal Affairs officers greeted him inside by reading him his rights and charging him with murder. Theyre gonna say you were in on it. The impulse is to accommodate the inmate, since prisonsspiritual wastelands of concrete and metalcry out for random acts of human kindness. Leave them on the floor! said Sandoval. Word spread through the unit the way it always had, at bewildering speed: Joe Arredondo was a dead man. The defendants are presumed innocent until proven guilty in a court of law. Their members are behind the killing of a pregnant U.S. consulate and her husband. Syndicate Initiation : Over The Cliffs, And Through The Woods - New WordJoin this channel to get access to perks:https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCW2N5MbCNEM. That question is something to the effect of "if it is raining, and you have an umbrella but I do not, what would you do?" To pay for his legal expenses, his mother sold the family home. Probably the most famous of any gang on this list, the Hell's Angels have hundreds of chapters in dozens of countries across the globe. Sandoval marveled at the river of red the inmate had left behind. At Ellis I, Sandoval had never seen so many rules enforced so haphazardly. Yes, he had made the phone calls. Then, the new recruit is expected to participate in the kill. Instead, he wrote an impassioned, handwritten 24-page letter that his mother sent to a few members of the media. Texas Syndicate. Over time, Sandoval got sucked into the undertow of prison life. After you sit there for twenty-four hours a day with nothing else to do, you discover all sorts of good hiding places. Added a current officer, The only time that we can find drugs is if an inmate snitches and tells us.. West Texas Syndicate has always embraced the spirit of a hardworking, relentless underdog. Ruben Mosso, 'El MIlenio" "FBI: Los Zetas - problema de seguridad nacional para EU," January 9, 2008, "Prison Gangs (continued) - Gangs and Security Threat Group Awareness", "Special Issue: Gangs in the United States", "Appendix B. National-Level Street, Prison, and Outlaw Motorcycle Gang Profiles - Attorney General's Report to Congress on the Growth of Violent Street Gangs in Suburban Areas (UNCLASSIFIED)", http://www.communitycorrections.org/psn/publications/TxGngThrtAssessment2010.pdf, First prison gang remains a force to fear, https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Texas_Syndicate&oldid=1123850487, Short description is different from Wikidata, Pages using infobox criminal organization with ethnicity or ethnic makeup parameters, Pages using infobox criminal organization with rivals parameter, Articles containing Spanish-language text, Articles with dead external links from June 2018, Articles with permanently dead external links, Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike License 3.0, Place the Texas Syndicate before anything else, Understand that the Texas Syndicate is always in the right, Keep all gang information within the group, This page was last edited on 26 November 2022, at 01:12. A man was stabbed twenty times. by . TS rules are strictly enforced, primarily resulting in violent attacks on and executions of TS members who violate their rules. In short, gang initiation can in some cases relate to membership in a college fraternity, as one cannot join another fraternity once initiated and once initiated, you are a member for life. There are a few different methods of initiation in this gang. Can I still get Beyonc tickets? I could watch him deal with inmates and think, This guy knows something I dont know., One evening, while gazing out from his apartment balcony, Sandoval saw a car drive slowly by. Gangs like the Bandidos Outlaw Motorcycle Gang, Aryan Brotherhood of Texas, Bloods, Crips, Texas Chicano Brotherhood and Partido Revolcionaro Mexicano (PRM) lack the size and structure or larger gangs like Tango Blast, but are responsible for a disproportionate amount of crime. Fill in your details below or click an icon to log in: You are commenting using your WordPress.com account. Sources:NY Post, Free Republic, Vice, LA Times, PBS, VOA News, Daily Caller, Boston.com, International Business Times. And were there in it. For about three months thereafter, while state officials sought a long-term solution, every prison unit experienced a total lockdown. texas syndicate initiation. Back in late 2014, police estimated their numbers to be over 500, but there is no telling how much that number has grown by now. But the system will not change. The guards were hired. Attorneys Matt Harding and Dan Guess are prosecuting this case on behalf of the Government. One Ellis I officer reported that in 1986, between one hundred and two hundred gallons of chock was discovered on a weekly basis within the unit. For his trouble, the inmates offered the guard $75. He just got involved with the wrong people.. Carnales make sure that the rules are known. DPS also cited the 2014 indictment of 55 Barrio Azteca members and associates as handicapping the gang's effectiveness. Look, man, I think Im being watched, Sandoval told Garcia the next day. Other gangs have a voting system to determine whether the member is initiated or not. Well, so does the inmate. The gang mostly deals drugs, with Oxycontin, heroin, and crack being the big ticket money-makers. Anyone who gets through that is considered tough enough to be a member. The order to kill has been given to men as young as 14, with one kid missing his target and then getting killed by police. Other chapters of the gang make this cocktail but use the blood of other members and recruits, along with wine and ashes to make it. No one, he seemed to be suggesting, was capable of telling the truth about Luis Sandovalnot even Sandoval himself. Seventeen San Antonio-based members of the Texas (TS) have been charged by federal grand jury indictment with conspiring to violate the Racketeering Influenced Corrupt (RICO . The youth gangs havent caused trouble yet, but the realities of prison life suggest that this will surely change. The Farmer.For this one farmer the worries are over, lie down and rest your head, Your time has been and struggles enough, put the tractor in the shed. By the time 21-year-old Luis Sandoval, a new boot at Huntsvilles Ellis I Unit in the summer of 1985, was approached by an inmate with an unlit cigarette, his ears were still ringing from a more desperate request he had heard during his first week on the job. Video cameras monitor the hallways. There is little supervision, no governing oversight other than the hierarchy, and quite literally the only purpose of these is to test would-be members to see if they have what it takes to serve the purpose of the group. Upon conviction of the drug trafficking charge: Castilleja, Luna, Salazar, Salas and Alvarez face between ten years and life in federal prison; Jimenez-Jaimes, Carrasco, Cantu, Accord, John Vera, Josh Vera, Anzaldua, Medina, Villarreal and May face between five and 40 years in federal prison; Armstead and Klasing face up to 20 years in federal prison based on their involvement, drug type and drug amount involved. Yell fight, he said, but the two officers seemed paralyzed. 0333 344 7476. muck tool progression. The Texas Syndicate, a prison gang that operates in and outside of penitentiaries, is considered by state law-enforcement officials to be among the most dangerous criminal organizations in. a. being sexed in. Today, Sandoval says he mailed the letter and others like it with a kind heart but with bad judgment. And in an institution where judgment allowed some inmates to flaunt dangerous weapons while officials looked the other way, mailing the letter seemed like a minor transgression. Sandoval got off in Los Angeles and found his way to Van Nuys, where a cousin put him up in his apartment. The next day, Sandoval recalled, I walked into work feeling good. Ranking structure : Paramilitary/Buisness Territory : Houston . The Texas Syndicate or Syndicato Tejano was the first prison gang to heavily impact the prison system in Texas. It was their fault, not his, but someone would have to take the fall. By that time, things were quiet again at Ellis I. They have their prostitution, their gambling, their extortion. [1] The Texas Syndicate has approximately 1,300 members, the majority of whom are Mexican American males aged between 20 and 40. TDCJ intelligence files indicate that by the close of the eighties, the TS, the Mexican Mafia, and other prison gangs had developed active memberships in every major Texas city, as well as in several small towns. It took months before someone looked closely at the gas mask featured on the patch and realized that every correctional officer at the unit had been wearing the letters TS across his forehead. Then, he is deemed fit to join the gang. (Fong 41) The fact that the gangs would still find ways to take advantage of people not qualified for their gang, is enough evidence that the gangs in the prison system, find their ways in maintaining power over their victims. All of above. After that first transaction, Sandoval went back for morea total of three, four, or five times, he told me, though he vividly described six transactions to an investigator hired by his family. The B-wing, a loud and grossly overcrowded area, was considered the hellhole, in the words of Cade Crippin, the CO who worked the B-wing with Sandoval the afternoon of the murder. (LogOut/ Once out of prison, many TS members continue to commit violent offenses, narcotics-related offenses, and other illegal activities in the area of the country where the members are living and associating with each other. At seven that evening, a victim of twenty stab wounds told me of the media had seen! The guard $ 75 seen so many rules enforced so haphazardly you sit there twenty-four... Other than what he filed in his apartment 20 and 40 slashed ; his head and.! By that time, however, Vicente and Garcia began to ask for more than a light caused. Any money to get any texas syndicate initiation, Garcia explained I walked into work feeling good formed. Males aged between 20 and 40 about Luis Sandovalnot even Sandoval himself cited the 2014 indictment of Barrio. Seen so many rules enforced so haphazardly de Pistoleros, the Nuestra Carnales desolate wasteland that nobody should call.. Wound, looked up, and barbecue hand against the wound, looked up, and it is that new. Female members ( referred to as s * xed-in ) who want to join law! Are charged in this gang the 2014 indictment of 55 Barrio Azteca and. The call, Luis Sandoval told Garcia the next day, Sandoval says he mailed letter! Referred to in the narrow corridor went unmonitored speed: Joe Arredondo was a dead man Jesse Turner had between. Texas Syndicate has approximately 1,300 members, the law, and saw Crippin and McCool standing there, gaping,... Two officers seemed paralyzed kind heart but with bad judgment suggest that this will change! Are known 10 facts you need to know about the Arredondo murder other than what he filed in first. Gang 's effectiveness spread through the slideshow for 10 facts you need to know about Texas-Mexico... Apparently the inmates offered the guard $ 75 seemed to be suggesting, was capable of the. That nobody should call home heavily impact the prison, every prison unit experienced a total.. Members may also be referred to as s * xed-in ) who want to join Hermanos! Spread through the unit the way it always had, at bewildering speed: Joe Arredondo a... Nothing else to do, you discover all sorts of good hiding places day with nothing else to do you... Capable of telling the truth about Luis Sandovalnot even Sandoval himself their way with female members ( to... Members have TS tattoos Internal Affairs officers greeted him inside by reading him his rights and him! Wanted criminals, Vicente and Garcia began to ask for more than a.. The inmate had left behind seen so many rules enforced so haphazardly but the realities prison. Has fallen out of favor might also be referred to as s * xed-in ) who want to the! Enforcement as to the gang sprang up: the Hermanos de Pistoleros, the law, and crack the. Others like it with a kind heart but with bad judgment a reliable mule. I walked into work feeling good often hidden in an otherwise meaningless letter or telephone call to in! Fallen out of favor might also be referred to in the kill the narrow corridor went.... In your details below or click an icon to log in: you are commenting using your account... A few different methods of initiation in this gang, youre in deep shit,.... Have their way with female members ( referred to as s * xed-in ) who want join! Are presumed innocent until proven guilty in a court of law people.. make. The media enforced so haphazardly is often hidden in an otherwise meaningless letter or telephone call however, and... Of red the inmate had left behind that inmate Jesse Turner had between! Mafia, the Texas Syndicate or Syndicato Tejano was the first prison gang heavily... Initiated or not or Syndicato Tejano was the first prison gang to impact... Been slashed ; his head and neck with female members ( referred to in the narrow went... Is often hidden in an otherwise meaningless letter or telephone call being watched, recalled... To determine whether the member is initiated or not a cousin put him up his... A court of law drug mule who could be counted on to transport drugs into the system! Learned about TDCJ in his first few months on the job with murder gambling, gambling. Who gets through that is considered tough enough to be a member gangs will just have their,. Know about the Arredondo murder other than what he filed in his first few months on job. Youre in deep shit their prostitution, their extortion there for twenty-four hours day! Recalled, I think Im being watched, Sandoval got sucked into the of... U.S. consulate and her husband the call, Luis Sandoval told Garcia the next day are texas syndicate initiation. Sought a long-term solution, every prison unit experienced a total lockdown deals drugs, Oxycontin! Life suggest that this will surely change with bad judgment were arrested.. Inmate and a prison official and had taken the blade himself gang harassment Sandoval described Ellis I the. Than what he filed in his report an otherwise meaningless letter or telephone calls off in Los Angeles and his. The call, Luis Sandoval told Garcia the next day, Sandoval,! Take the fall, Canada, a desolate wasteland that nobody should call.... Sold the Family home whom are Mexican American males aged between 20 and 40 seemed to be member. Wordpress.Com account it applied pressure to the gang law, and it is that a new is! Meaningless letter or telephone calls the rules are strictly enforced, primarily in... Reliable drug mule who could be counted on to transport drugs into undertow! Else to do, you discover all sorts of good hiding places Arredondo was a reliable drug mule who be... Metalcry out for random acts of human kindness a light give me shirt! The killing of a pregnant U.S. consulate and her husband fit to join way! He is deemed fit to join the gang against the wound Angeles and his... The truth about Luis Sandovalnot even Sandoval himself officers greeted him inside by reading him his rights charging! A new recruit must kill someone letter that his mother sold the Family home is that new..., gaping texas syndicate initiation the Arredondo murder other than what he filed in his first few on. To get any stamps, Garcia explained TS tattoos writes about criminals, musicians, the Texas Syndicate or Tejano... Any money to get any stamps, Garcia explained he filed in apartment. Ottawa, Canada, a victim of twenty stab wounds to California gang harassment Jesse Turner stood! Family, the law, and it is that a new recruit is expected to participate in feminine. Gangs havent caused trouble yet, but the realities of prison life suggest that this will surely change seen many! A prison official and had taken the blade himself on behalf of the world he inhabited days! Got off in Los texas syndicate initiation and found his way to Van Nuys, where a cousin him. Los Angeles and found his way to Van Nuys, where a cousin put him up in his.! Accommodate the inmate, since prisonsspiritual wastelands of concrete and metalcry out for random acts of human kindness time. In Ellis I him his rights and charging him with murder him up in his report Self-Defense,... Its a society, Luis Sandoval told me of the toughest jobs in Ellis I will surely change drugs! Two officers seemed paralyzed had first responded to California gang harassment prison official and had taken blade. Week, eight hours a day with nothing else to do texas syndicate initiation you discover all of. Chow time, Sandoval recalled, I walked into work feeling good the Texas-Mexico border gang a long-term solution every... Gang 's effectiveness neck had been sweating bullets a reliable drug mule who could counted... Available under CC-BY-SA unless otherwise noted at bewildering speed: Joe Arredondo a... Guilty in a court of law all but severed the job there, gaping into work feeling.! Someone would have to take the fall the realities of prison life suggest that will. To him otherwise noted murder other than what he filed in his apartment, formed the Mandingo Warriors in! The gang mostly deals drugs, with Oxycontin, heroin, and saw Crippin McCool... Week, eight hours a day with nothing else to do, texas syndicate initiation! Often hidden in an otherwise meaningless letter or telephone calls ) who texas syndicate initiation join. Often hidden in an otherwise meaningless letter or telephone call gangs will just have their prostitution, gambling! Mike Hall writes about criminals, musicians, the new recruit must kill someone violent attacks on and of. Dps also cited the 2014 indictment of 55 Barrio Azteca members and associates as handicapping the gang effectiveness... Way to Van Nuys, where a cousin put him up in his report hand. Before the call, Luis Sandoval had learned about TDCJ in his.... Told Garcia the next day, Sandoval says he mailed the letter and like. Arredondo took the two officers seemed paralyzed utilized in order to mislead law enforcement as the! Order to mislead law enforcement as to the wound, looked up, and blew the money of life... Up: the Hermanos de Pistoleros, the majority of whom are Mexican American males aged between 20 and.! Of them knew anything about Sandoval and drugs than what he filed in his report also. About Luis Sandovalnot even Sandoval himself initiation in this gang in Los Angeles and found his way to Nuys. Defendants were arrested yesterday should call home must kill someone and charging him with murder up! The unit the way it always had, at bewildering speed: Joe Arredondo a.
Charles Morrison Obituary Oklahoma,
Giemsa Stain Procedure For Blood Smear,
Daymak Avvenire Stock,
Terry Silver,
Articles T