Each gang had its own hierarchy and its own rules; each member was not permitted to leave his gang, even outside of prison, except by his own death. The Texas Syndicate (or Syndicato Tejano) is a mostly Texas-based prison gang that includes Hispanic and at one time White members (The organization at one time did allow non-Hispanic members to join, but that policy was repealed in the 1980s). That first week, as he chatted with one of the old boots, the cry came from somewhere behind him: Help me, Boss! Turning around, Sandoval saw a Hispanic inmate standing behind a hallway crash-gate, clinging to the bars with both hands. The letter was not what one might expect from a former prison guard. The Texas Syndicate, more than La Eme or Nuestra Familia, has been more associated or allied with Mexican immigrant prisoners, such as the "Border . The court held that there was sufficient evidence to convict . One juror phoned Sandovals brother that afternoon and told him that in her view the case against Sandoval was racially motivated. A marginal amount of contraband and drug trafficking has also been registered. He did so and, he told me, was then given $50 by the inmates. Around the same time, prison officials expressed concern about the fifty or sixty members of the two Los Angeles-based black street gangs, the Bloods and the Crips, that had recently entered the system. Some prisoners do so to affirm and convey gang membership, indicate their rank in that gang, or display their ability to endure pain. One was an officer who muled marijuana and cocaine for a black inmate known as Apple Jack, whose activities were no secret at the unit. I didnt do it, Sandoval announced to me in a recent phone conversation. He would stand at the searchers desk like he was running the building, Sandoval said. 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. Sandovals apparent relationship with the gang did not escape the attention of the Ellis I population. The Texas Syndicate, unlike the Mexican Mafia or Nuestra Familia, has been more associated or allied with Mexican immigrant prisoners. Texas Syndicate Number eight on our list of biggest organized crime groups in America is the Texas Syndicate, established as a prison gang in order to counter other gangs preying on. Just as he entered, Sandoval heard someone yell, Hes on the floor! (Officials also say the Texas Syndicate is far more selective and does not, for example, recruit homosexuals.) 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. The release in Mexico of one of the men responsible for the murder of DEA Special Agent Enrique "Kiki" Camarena has renewed tension between the U.S. and Mexico over the case. The 1,577 gang members currently housed in administrative segregation represent only a fraction of those inmates who actually do the gangs bidding. The Real Reasons for Chicago's Deadly Crime Wave. All Garcia and his friend Vicente lacked was a reliable drug mule who could be counted on to transport drugs into the prison. And theres always somebody, the ex-drug runner told me, wholl do something for you.. Don't quit your day job, ChatGPT! The main activities of the TS are centered on drug trafficking, extortion, protection rackets, and internal discipline and contract murdering. With the impersonal manner of assassins who have long since become intimate with the odor of death, the witnessesguards, inmates, and prison officialsreadily supplied evidence that gangs are calling the shots in our prisons. Founded In: 1970s The 1985 lockdown put a damper on the atmosphere but not on the flow of drugs. Formed in the California prison system in the 1970s by incarcerated Tejanos, the Texas Syndicate sought protection against Californios. Is Mexican Cartel Activity In the U.S. If you tell him, Put that knife down, hell look up at you and say, I aint through yet. These people are serious. Can College Sports Get More Absurd Than SMU Joining the Pac-12? It was their fault, not his, but someone would have to take the fall. Arredondo did take part in a different contract killing, but when all the conspirators except Arredondo were placed in administrative segregation, TS members concluded that Arredondo had snitched on the rest to save himself. On the witness stand, Sandoval suggested that the caller was someone from TDCJ Internal Affairs; more likely, he was a Texas Syndicate member delivering the message that the TS would not be amused if Sandoval blew the whistle on their activities. Beneath them in the gang hierarchy are captains, lieutenants, sergeants of arms, and numerous soldiers. Some of the states most violent criminals were housed there. If the Texas Syndicate had told him there was a murder happening, he wouldnt have gone for it. Apparently the inmates at Ellis I had noticed this as well, for their sweet talk had gotten to him. Im on trial, sir, conceded the polite young man in the pin-striped suit who sat in the witness stand. A certain order prevailed, which stilled the critics and deflected the interest of the media. And all you see is white shirts. former wnct news anchors Twitter. It took more than three years for the Arredondo murder case to come to trial, during which time a number of things happened to Sandoval. Abidance by these laws was enforced with violence, often resulting in beatings or executions of those who crossed the line. Wear the Texas Syndicate tattoo; 6. He did not turn himself in. Joe Arredondo was one of those inmates, an arrogant squirt barely over five feet tall who frequently provoked guards but never got in trouble for it. There was no further violence, a signal to those who understood gang behavior that Arredondo had been snuffed out by one of his own rather than by a rival gang. (This inmates name has been changed as a condition of his interview.) He was a drug dealer, with connections dating back to his days peddling heroin in El Paso. [6], TS has a paramilitary structure, headed by a president and vice president elected by the general membership. Gang members may change or modify the tattoos as corrections officials and law It is seemingly a simple, humble favor asked of men in gray by men in white. On August 26, 1990, a death row inmate proved his loyalty to the Aryan Brotherhood during his daily recreation hour by strangling a black inmate in a recreation yard with a jump rope while the latter was performing oral sex on the former. They often victimized members of other smaller gangs and individuals, alienating many Mexican national and Mexican-American inmates. As the organization continued growing, drug trafficking came to be one of their favorite activities and sources of income. Eventually, however, Vicente and Garcia began to ask for more than a light. After the trial, Sandovals attorney, Steve Fischer, contacted TDCJ officials and asked them to let bygones be bygones. He was accused of leaving a door unsecured and unguarded as part of a murder plot. Sandoval got off in Los Angeles and found his way to Van Nuys, where a cousin put him up in his apartment. 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. And as in any society, some lead while others are led. At about five-thirty that afternoon, Sandoval approached CO II Cade Crippin, who was inside a cellblock, observing the inmates. I had the burden lifted from my shoulders., You have these inmates, said an Ellis I correctional officer, where you write em up [for rule infractions] and nothing happens. By the end of the eighties, the public fretting over prison gangs had dissipated. The 2000s and Today Exaggerated? Crippin knelt and lifted the inmates legs. Dont go in there, said the veteran, who then correctly hollered Fight! Presently other guards arrived, along with a lieutenant, who ordered, Open the gate.. The attorney was advised that his client would never again wear gray in a state penal institution. What sustains the gangs is money, which inmates use to bribe prison employees. Texas Syndicate Tattoos: The inmates handed Sandoval a letter, wondering if the guard could mail it for them. Source: National Gang Assessment 2009. If they dont make this hit, theyll become the person to get hit. The Barrio Azteca gang members organize themselves using a paramilitary structure and apply English terms or their Spanish equivalent words for ranks such as captain, lieutenant, and sergeant. Power in the streets and prison is derived largely from criminal drug dealing, and the gang set out to control the lucrative drug trade. It is a sign of recognition between those that are in the occult. 15 Title TEXAS SYNDICATE (ESE TE: TS) History The TS originated in the California prison system in the early 1970s, primarily to protect the small number of native Texan Mexican-American inmates from By the fall of 1986, several months after the gang lockdown policy had been instituted, Joe Arredondos cockiness began to catch up with him. Theyre coming in from work, theyre coming out of the tanks to go eat or recreate or go to school or go to the chapel, said Sandoval. This would put the Texas Syndicate in contact with several Mexican-based cartels. The impulse is to accommodate the inmate, since prisonsspiritual wastelands of concrete and metalcry out for random acts of human kindness. Sandoval was one of the officers I wanted to be like, said one correctional officer whom Sandoval helped train. It criticized TDCJs good ol boy system, which Sandoval claimed has ruled with an iron fist since the penal system was first established. Hispanic guards, he said, were either coerced into quitting or found doing something wrong. Supervisors treated inmates like animals. He further wrote, I am not the only one who worked there that knows that TDCJ is linked to the gangs and their illegal activities. The war ended with a treaty in 1997. On Sandovals shift alone, at least four or five guards had been busted for bringing drugs into prison, but there were others who hadnt been busted and probably never would be. TV Review: Mixed View of FX's 'The Bridge'. France's plugin electric vehicle share reached 23.8% in February, up from 20.1% year on year. 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. Garcia would later say that he told Sandoval shortly after the Arredondo murder, Man, youre in deep shit. Wanted on suspicion of: Murder, aggravated assault and marijuana trafficking. Perhaps it was because Vicente was so quiet and servile or perhaps he had such a talent for lingering that the porters simply paid him no mind. No one, he seemed to be suggesting, was capable of telling the truth about Luis Sandovalnot even Sandoval himself. Sandoval was then ordered to take off his uniform and replace it with inmate furlough clothes. Most notably, the Los Zetas cartel has been known to count on members of the Texas Syndicate to plan and carry out murders, armed assaults and other violent wet-work. The two inmates snitched for Sandoval and herded him away from troublemakers, admonishing him, Boss, stay away from those guys.. Prison officials could boast that their residents stood less chance of being killed than did the average Texas city dweller. Our prisons, far from turning out reformed citizens, have instead become incubators of a statewide crime wave. Credit Solution Experts Incorporated offers quality business credit building services, which includes an easy step-by-step system designed for helping clients build their business credit effortlessly. As the show progresses, we see the challenges that El Paso Detective Sonya Cross (Diane Kruger) and Jurez Detective Marco Ruiz (Demian Bichir) face in working together across cultural divides as well as in an environment of extensive police and government corruption. Somehow an inmate by the name of Vicente had gotten past the new boots boys. Neither possibility seemed likely, given what Sandoval had learned about TDCJ in his first few months on the job. Ellis I officials caught wind of the deal through a snitch. Fifty-two prisoners were murdered in a 21-month period that became known as the " war years ." Over 50 different gangs were represented in our study. By now he was a CO III, an old boot, and he had trained many of the guards who now worked with him. Overall auto volume was 126,237 . Look, man, I think Im being watched, Sandoval told Garcia the next day. Allies: Texas Mafia, Los Zetas; [2], Texas Syndicate members abide by a constitution requiring members to:[1], Additionally, gang leadership is determined by democratic elections, requiring a unanimous decision. Although numerically and financially inferior and facing multiple powerful advisories, the Barrio Azteca gang managed to murder many significant members of their enemies in several Texas prison facilities. (Today, Sandoval says that statement was coerced.) In contrast, sixteen current or former Ellis I employees testified. Did you know that 40% of all inmate escapes occur during transport? He was arrested for driving while intoxicated, following a one-car accident that left his limbs temporarily paralyzed. John Loomis. More than. I want to see the mountains, he said. A deal was struck between the gang and Garcia: Garcia would acquire the drugs, give half to the Texas Syndicate, and sell the other half himself. Everybody knew about this scum. Yet Apple Jack went unpunished: He tithed a share of his profits to the Texas Syndicate and gave the supervisors something to crow about by setting up a guard now and then. Sandoval knew this. The court transportation system is the first weak point. Not one of them said that Sandoval was a bad officer; many, in fact, went out of their way to laud his abilities. But he stayed out of trouble, in large part because of two hall porters, Bubba Ray Smith and Johnny Abrams. The first Texas prison guard ever to be tried for the murder of an inmate seemed eager to describe, to me and to the jurors, the pressures and temptations a correctional officer faces. Leave them blank to get signed up. [4] [5] Overview [ edit] Upon their release from prison, gang members returned to Texas, renamed themselves the Texas Syndicate (TS), committed crimes, and wound up in TDCJ, where they developed an extensive network of drug trafficking, extortion, prostitution, and contract murder behind Texas prison walls. The mule, they believed, had done the drugs himself. . Later, when Vicente asked the guard to phone a number in Brady and ask the person who answered when Vicentes family would make their next visit, Sandoval had no objections. 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. Unfortunately, your shopping bag is empty. This past May, the bullet-riddled body of Mexican Mafia member Andres Sampyro was found in a San Antonio barrio. While in prison, members ensure the safety of both allies and other affiliates. FBI sources have also reported that a code comprised of symbols and dots is primarily utilized by incarcerated Barrio Azteca gang members to correspond with other inmates within the prison system. Although numerically and financially inferior and facing multiple powerful advisories, the Barrio Azteca gang managed to murder many significant members of their enemies in several Texas prison facilities. Sandoval took the advice three years after Garcia gave it. The assailant was nowhere in sight. The investigators didnt tell me much, nor was I particularly inquisitive, he said. Two years after . Gangs still terrorize the prisons. They often use the letters "BA" or numbers "21" as their identifying symbols and tattoos. Theyre gonna be looking at you, and all that stuff in the past is gonna come up. Later, Vicente asked the guard if a free world individual could mail Sandoval two money orders, which Sandoval would cash and then bring the $250 to the inmates. To defend themselves against harassment and assault by California prison gangs, they formed their own protection group. The single eye, or the eye of Providence originates in Egypt with the eye of Horus. In March of 2010, the Barrio Azteca gang ambushed a private automobile traveling on a road in Juarez, Mexico, killing U.S. Consulate employee Leslie Ann Enriquez Catton, her husband Arthur Redelf, and the husband of another consulate employee, Jorge Alberto Salcido Ceniceros. The short, apple-cheeked Hispanic man with the neatly combed hair and the Howdy Doody grin looked too soft to be an inmate or even a guard. The Mexican Mafia absorbed the blows and grew stronger. In his first year on the job, Luis Sandoval found himself delivering drugs to a self-described drug runner on behalf of the states deadliest prison gang, the Texas Syndicate. Twelve days later, Texas chief prison prosecutor Travis McDonald flew to L.A., took custody of Sandoval, and flew him back to Huntsville, where he was held without bond at the Walker County jail. Forrest Wilder writes about politics and the outdoors. "A Real Shot" Texas AG Sues To Stop $1.7 Trillion Bill Implementation On Constitutional "Quorum" Grounds; VIDEO: Ukrainian Troops On the battlefield Giving NAZI Salute; REVEALED: Nikki Haley Is One of Globalist World Economic Forum Founder Klaus Schwab's 'Young Global Leaders' The Texas Syndicate (Spanish:Syndicato Tejano) is a mostly-Mexican criminal group founded in Folsom State Prison, California, in the 1970s. 2018) The Fifth Circuit affirmed defendants' convictions and sentences arising from their participation in racketeering activities that centrally involve violence, murder, and the distribution of drugs for the Texas Syndicate gang in Uvalde, Texas. In conspiracy theory lore, it represents allegiance to Satan and the Illuminati. Richard Valdemar retired from the Los Angeles County Sheriffs Department after spending most of his 33 years on the job combating gangs. Yes, he had mailed Vicentes letters, had cashed two money orders for the inmate, and on three different occasions, had delivered packages from a parking lot to a telephone booth. Rosas would do the killing, while another TS member held Arredondo and two others stood by as lookouts. Why does an offender join an STG? 1 was here. Katy Vine has been a staff writer since 2002. Prison tattooing is the practice of "getting inked" while behind bars. [2] The Syndicate is the oldest Texan prison gang. His father died. did hephaestus divorce aphrodite Order Supplement. Bring on the Shiplap. And each gang, after accomplishing the first objective of protection from other gangs, preyed on inmates who would buy drugs or sex or who could be intimidated into giving sex or buying protection. Sandoval is one of more than sixty TDCJ guards who have been indicted by McDonalds Special Prison Prosecution Unit over the past six years for felony offenses. On another occasion, Vicente asked Sandoval to deliver the phone message that Vicente needed money to buy arts and crafts supplies. Now selling hats and. Whats Up With All the Kangaroos on the Loose in Texas? Get these inmates in the chapel, he told them. At the close of the eighth hour, the shift changes, but the inmates remain. None of them knew anything about Sandoval and drugs. 13 is traditionally known in the West as an unlucky number, but it is also part of several other gang names . Without drugs, gangs would have little income; without income, they would have little power over the system. Seventeen Texas Syndicate gang members living across Central Texas were arrested after federal authorities uncovered a methamphetamine and heroin trafficking operation, according to a news release. This practice violated the Ruiz stipulation that an officer must be present at all times at any entrance or exit of the main building. He had long since survived the new boots six months of hell. Joe Arredondo was taken to a hospital in Huntsville. It was also a dangerous practice in light of the fact that a narrow corridor intersected the west end of the B-wing and only an officer standing at that end could see what was going on in the corridor. Outside, the gang works as many others criminal organizations in the US. Eventually the guard found himself engaging in polite conversation with the inmate. Marshals North Texas Fugitive Task Force, including DPS Special Agents, located and arrested GONZALEZ at a local motel in Lubbock.GONZALEZ is a violent offender with a history of aggravated robbery, aggravated assault . In prison, he had come to learn, if you gave, you got. 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