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. For several years, they have been using s*xual tactics to get people to join their ranks. But the report made no mention of Armando Garcia and El Carpintero; nor did it offer any evidence that Sandoval had actually smuggled drugs into Ellis I. The enterprise constitutes an ongoing organization whose members function as a continuing unit for a common purpose of achieving the objectives of the enterprise. 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. Free Quote: 0333 344 7476 Members of the Texas Syndicate regularly hold meetings (sometimes referred to as barbeques or juntas) where members discuss and vote on important decisions. TS rules are strictly enforced, primarily resulting in violent attacks on and executions of TS members who violate their rules. Louie would love nothing more than to be a guard again, Fischer told them. 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. RELATED:Feds: Fugitive Texas elementary teacher tied to hit men, drug running and kidnapping. Relying on American trained experts with global experience, we have created an open minded culture with a never ending drive for innovation. Inmates know their surroundings, and they know that the surroundings are theirs. To keep him at ease, the Texas Syndicate requested that the inmate return from his furlough with two hundred dollars worth of heroin and marijuana. On the fourth day of the Sandoval trial, as if to punctuate the implicit warning in the testimony that gangs till thrived within the system, a member of the Mexican Mafia stabbed a Hermano de Pistolero to death at the Eastham Unit. Rank is taking care of them.. 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. Its a society, Luis Sandoval told me of the world he inhabited five days a week, eight hours a day. For the vast majority of high school and college teams, at least in the United States, there is at least some form of initiation; and these days, most of them are alcohol-based. Ranking structure : Paramilitary/Buisness Territory : Houston . ), the group has somewhere between 50,000 and 100,000 members across the United States (mainly on the east coast), in Canada, Mexico, and in several countries in central America. Violent retribution is an important activity of the enterprise. Sandoval got off in Los Angeles and found his way to Van Nuys, where a cousin put him up in his apartment. During this investigation, authorities seized over 100 kilograms of methamphetamine and multiple firearms attributed to this organization. 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. Nothing during three weeks of by-the-book lectures at the Texas Department of Criminal Justice training academy had prepared him for the helplessness he felt as a lone correctional officer constantly surrounded by violent criminals. Its like a fly in a salt shaker., Today the numbers still favor the inmates: There are 47,751 of them and only 3,500 security personnelnone of whom carries a gunper eight-hour shift. The gang, like most prison gangs, has members behind bars and members on the outside, and as of the 2000's, had membership that was in the thousands (about 7,000 in 2005). Any violation of the rules may result in harsh penalties, including death. When a new member is ready to be "patched in," they are instructed to go buy a new pair of jeans and a denim jacket. [1], Development of the Texas Syndicate was initially motivated by self-protection against the historical "building tenders" in prison. And theres always somebody, the ex-drug runner told me, wholl do something for you.. 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. In your house you can walk around in the dark and not bang your shins because you know every square inch, said a former Ellis I officer. Then, he is deemed fit to join the gang. Youre telling us its a coincidence that you werent down at the end of the hallway? document.getElementById( "ak_js_1" ).setAttribute( "value", ( new Date() ).getTime() ); The experiences of being involved in Prison Gangs. The TS rules provide that the TS is to come before family. Anytime they choseanytimethey could kill him. (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. The gangs alleged leader Eduardo Ravela is on the FBIs Top Ten most wanted list. Everyone agreed that the building tender system was a cheap and crudely effective method of maintaining order. When cocaine is available, the supplier might tell his customers that he had work available. 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. Sandoval did not tell his mother why he was such a vulnerable candidate. When Sandoval told me that, he was sitting in the interrogation room of the Walker County jail in Huntsville, wearing prison whites. The gang is commonly referred to as Sindicato Tejano, Ese Te, Twisted Sister, Teresa Sanchez and Cuernos. 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. In 2011, the FBI reported that Barrio Azteca also had members in Massachusetts and Pennsylvania. DPS also cited the 2014 indictment of 55 Barrio Azteca members and associates as handicapping the gang's effectiveness. Ten Ellis I guards who worked with Sandoval testified that they had no knowledge that Sandoval was involved in drug transactions with prison gangs. The money chiefly comes from drugs. Their primary operations revolve around drugs, and they have a truly terrifying initiation ritual for new members. Theyd say, Dont mess with him., The new boot thereby became a feared boss among bosses. In prison, he had come to learn, if you gave, you got. Sandoval was then ordered to take off his uniform and replace it with inmate furlough clothes. Unlike most state crises, there is absolutely no mystery to the takeover of our prisons by violent gangs. Change). As the free world would have it, there are good inmates and bad inmates. Upon graduating from Moody College of Communication at the University of Texas at Austin in 2014, Joshua joined the Express-News in 2014 as a breaking news reporter. 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. But Arredondo had brought back nothing. Join The Syndicate Speak with representative Astrid in the Syndicate Enclave and, should you desire, join the Syndicate Go up the stairs within the Enclave to speak with Astrid. The impulse is to accommodate the inmate, since prisonsspiritual wastelands of concrete and metalcry out for random acts of human kindness. We report on vital issues from politics to education and are the indispensable authority on the Texas scene, covering everything from music to cultural events with insightful recommendations. Carnales make sure that the rules are known. That afternoon, Ellis I warden Jerry Peterson called Sandoval into his office to congratulate him on a fine job. 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. It is seemingly a simple, humble favor asked of men in gray by men in white. These tattoos commonly include cuernos (horns), and words containing the letters T and S. After their verdict was announced on Wednesday, May 29, the jurors milled around outside the courtroom and vented their disgust with the states case to the media. Their initiation ritual for new recruits includes a pledge but also a bath in a mixture of goat's blood, urine, and tripe. Well, so does the inmate. It is important to note that an indictment is merely a charge and should not be considered as evidence of guilt. Tango Blast, Texas Syndicate, Bloods, Crips, Gangster Disciples and MS-13 all were identified as active in human smuggling operations in 2014. Just like in the free world. State, No. Like a few other gangs that made it to our list, there are a few different ways to get into Mara Salvatrucha (MS-13). A host of documents relating to the trial, as well as interviews with numerous sources involved in the case, have provided chilling details of how Texas prisons really work today. On Monday, at eight in the morning, Sandoval reported for duty at the Ellis I training academy in Huntsville. 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. 0333 344 7476. muck tool progression. The 18th Street Gang has grown from a small group in Los Angeles to a criminal empire with influence that stretches and indeed dominates the streets of areas of central America and Mexico, along with having operations in several European countries. And, their numbers total in the thousands on both sides of the U.S.-Mexico border. Berry) Like fat-bellied ships heavily laden with riches, our 19 ewes lie uncomfortably at anchor, waiting to be offloaded. Sandoval picked up the marijuana and smuggled it into Ellis Ifrightened every step of the way, he told me, that someone might notice the smell of marijuana and search him. Other gangs have a voting system to determine whether the member is initiated or not. Texas Syndicate Gang Members. The rules of the Texas Syndicate prohibit the distribution of information regarding fellow members to law enforcement. But to prison officials, the story is as familiar as the smell of marijuana in a cellblock and the sight of an inmate with a hand-tooled shank. A member who violates the rules and loses favor becomes a muleta, a term which is used to mean a problem. Such a violation may result in the TS bringing its own official gang-based charges against the member who is being accused of violating the rules. texas syndicate initiation. Meet the Barrio Azteca gang, considered one of the most dangerous criminal organizations in Texas. Whoever killed him had to have come through the B-wing hallway and had to have been dripping with blood. 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.. ISIS calls euphemistically calls this process "marriage"and in many cases, the thought of joining the group is less horrifying for a victim than having to explain to family members what happened. 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. According to testimony, the man who drew the magic card, number one, was TS sergeant Carlos Rosas, a 31-year-old Dallas resident who was serving thirty years for aggravated robbery. One day Sandoval received a phone call at work. Then he headed for the bathroom, a route that took him through a confined area guarded by CO II Nolan McCool. To defend themselves against harassment and assault by California prison gangs, they formed their own protection group. TI was developed in 2010 in an effort to create a new breed of automobile competition. This group is one of the deadliest and most disgusting on Earth and employ many methods when it comes to spreading terror. Pascual Salazar, age 36 of Austin, one kilogram or more of heroin. However, they also have plenty of killers who ruthlessly hunt down members of rival gangs. But they werent enough: A guard like Luis Sandoval would be assigned to a hallway filled with hundreds of inmates. 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. A gurney was produced, but the inmate ignored it. At about five-thirty that afternoon, Sandoval approached CO II Cade Crippin, who was inside a cellblock, observing the inmates. Sandoval caught one inmate with a homemade oven and a laundry basket filled with about fifty prime-cut steaks. Fill in your details below or click an icon to log in: You are commenting using your WordPress.com account. 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. Two years after lighting his first cigarette, Sandoval was arrested and charged with murder for allegedly aiding a gang plot to kill an inmate. Sandoval, he was a good kid, said the inmate of the guard who had once done him favors. App., 2008) On Dec. 21, 2006, Texas Syndicate members are arrested for the contract killing of Julio A. Serrano. Asked point-blank by his attorney, Did you ever bring drugs inside TDCJ? 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. There are a few different methods of initiation in this gang. Yes, we know that there is some discrepancy listing a major terrorist organization along with prison gangs, but recruiting methods and reliance on crime for income make terror organizations like ISIS similar enough to gangs to list them here. Juan Carlos Castilleja, age 29 of New Braunfels, 500 grams or more of methamphetamine; Roman Gabriel Luna, age 34 of Austin, 500 grams or more of methamphetamine/one kilogram of heroin; Brandon Carrasco, age 21 of Kenedy, TX, 50 grams or more of methamphetamine; David Cantu, age 46 of Gonzales, 50 grams or more of methamphetamine; John Vera, age 26 of Gonzales, 50 grams or more of methamphetamine; Josh Vera, age 26 of Gonzales, 50 grams or more of methamphetamine; Lisa Anzaldua, age 31 of Luling, 50 grams or more of methamphetamine; Noemi Medina, age 25 of Seguin, 50 grams or more of methamphetamine; Paul Villarreal, age 45 of Luling, 50 grams or more of methamphetamine; Michael Armstead, age 47 of San Marcos, less than 50 grams of methamphetamine; Steven Klasing, age 37 of Austin, less than 50 grams of methamphetamine/less than 100 grams of heroin; Rafael Salas, age 38 of San Antonio, one kilogram or more of heroin; and. 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