But they werent enough: A guard like Luis Sandoval would be assigned to a hallway filled with hundreds of inmates. Yes, he had made the phone calls. Prison officials could boast that their residents stood less chance of being killed than did the average Texas city dweller. A court granted the ACLU of Illinois and Black Lives Matter Chicago permission to intervene in the consent decree negotiations. The 1,577 gang members currently housed in administrative segregation represent only a fraction of those inmates who actually do the gangs bidding. Ellis I officials caught wind of the deal through a snitch. Released or parole members who generate money for the Texas Syndicate must surrender a 10% tax ("the dime") of all proceeds toward the gang in prison. But the report was not a signed confession. 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. He told her that he feared the Texas prison authorities, who by now had surely discovered that the murder of Joe Arredondo was, if anything, a result of prison mismanagement. did hephaestus divorce aphrodite Order Supplement. After building tenders disappeared due to a court order, the Syndicate's activities turned to drug trafficking, extortion, prostitution, protection, illegal gambling, and contract killing. He was accused of leaving a door unsecured and unguarded as part of a murder plot. school of professional studies acceptance rate duplexes for rent in lebanon, mo duplexes for rent in lebanon, mo Exaggerated? Bono Lady Gaga Ke$ha Aldous Huxley Nicki Minaj Michael Jackson Miley Cyrus Eminem No.5 Masonic Handshakes (For that matter, Garcia testified during the trial, outside the presence of the jury, that Sandoval muled drugs countless times.) Sandoval was never searched, he told me, and came to learn that the only way they bust you is if theyre told by a snitch, This guys coming in today., While Sandoval said there were other guardsand even supervisorsinvolved in drug activity, the Texas Syndicate preferred that Garcia deal directly with Sandoval, a fellow Hispanic. Other gangs also sprang up: the Hermanos de Pistoleros, the Self-Defense Family, the Texas Mafia, the Nuestra Carnales. The attorney was advised that his client would never again wear gray in a state penal institution. Four Uvalde Texas Syndicate Members Sentenced to Life in Federal Prison Inmates fashioned shanks out of road signs, door hinges, food trays, typewriter platen rods, and field equipment. Unfortunately, your shopping bag is empty. For his trouble, the inmates offered the guard $75. But he stayed out of trouble, in large part because of two hall porters, Bubba Ray Smith and Johnny Abrams. Arredondo was a Texas Syndicate member. The Texas Syndicate also operates in state and federal prisons across the United States, with significant activity being reported at FCI Oakdale in Louisiana and San Quentin State Prison in California, as well as some representation in the Florida Department of Corrections. The Bloods and the Crips will likely adapt to their new environment just as other inmates do. Texas | Fox News They often use the letters "BA" or numbers "21" as their identifying symbols and tattoos. Whoever killed him had to have come through the B-wing hallway and had to have been dripping with blood. Some choose designs that symbolize their time inside. If they dont make this hit, theyll become the person to get hit. Garcia himself was not a TS member. Katy Vine has been a staff writer since 2002. In conspiracy theory lore, it represents allegiance to Satan and the Illuminati. McCool opened the picket gate to allow Sandoval into the rest room. 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. You were in the hallway, Smithey said. Mimi Swartz is a staff writer based in Houston. The gate opened. Youll drain all the blood to his head. Three other officers arrived on the scene. A long, metal objecta homemade knife, or shankprotruded from his jugular. I looked up and as he was running by, he looked at melike he wanted to cry, you know? But other factors have caused guards to agree to be drug mules. I was a damn good officer, he told both me and them. The two inmate snitches who testified against Sandoval understated their criminal history, contradicted each other, and came off looking like dirtbags who would say anything for the right price. As the organization continued growing, drug trafficking came to be one of their favorite activities and sources of income. In addition to Shamoo Rodriguez and Porky Amaro, 11 others have already pled guilty. 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. [1], The history of the group and documented acts of violence in other jurisdictions warrant their certification as a Security Threat Group. Show More Show Less 20 of 32 7. Overall auto volume was 126,237 . Sandovals apparent relationship with the gang did not escape the attention of the Ellis I population. The Texas Syndicate (Spanish: Sindicato Tejano) is a mostly Texas-based street and prison gang consisting of predominantly Mexican American membership. The question was when. Rodolfo "Rudy" Ortiz GONZALEZ, affiliated with the Texas Syndicate gang, was captured on September 6, 2019, in Lubbock, Texas.Working off tip information, members of the U.S. texas syndicate hand signs Or if they cared to enforce the rule. We are seeking a detail-oriented sign installer to transport and install a variety of signs. The number 13 and the letter M both play a big role in Mexican Mafia aliases and symbolism, some of which we have seen so far throughout this list. Theres no way to shut them down, Sandoval said. When they got there they found Joe Arredondo lying on his back. USPS Orders 9,250 Ford E-Transit Vans & 14,000 EV Charging Stations In return, the snitch had an oversized cell to himself, plus a hall pass that gave him the run of the unit. More than. Texas Gang Threat Assessment . Texas syndicate one of the worst gangs in the Rio Grande Valley [4] [5] Overview [ edit] 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. 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). The group eventually evolved an internal hierarchy and opened its doors to non-Hispanic members. Velasquez, No. Justice therefore ordered that the two thousand building tenders be replaced by more prison guards, who would police the inmates with a firm but civilized hand. At Ellis I, Sandoval had never seen so many rules enforced so haphazardly. Formed in the California prison system in the 1970s by incarcerated Tejanos, the Texas Syndicate sought protection against Californios. 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. The Texas Syndicate's activities include drug trafficking, extortion, prostitution, protection, gambling, and contract murder. 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. Porky Viscaino-Amaro, 41, is a Mexican citizen. Louie would love nothing more than to be a guard again, Fischer told them. The next day, Sandoval recalled, I walked into work feeling good. In his first year on the job, Luis Sandoval found himself delivering drugs to a self-described drug runner on behalf of the state's deadliest prison gang, the Texas Syndicate. Then he returned to Arredondo. Hes bleeding! He whirled and burst into the B-wing hallway. DPS releases list of gangs in Texas posing the greatest threat 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. Texas Department of Public Safety . 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.. Then he headed for the bathroom, a route that took him through a confined area guarded by CO II Nolan McCool. On the unit level, the Texas Syndicate is controlled by a chairman who over sees the vice chairman, captain, lieutenant, ser geant of arms, and soldiers. The real picture presents gloomy evidence of who really is in charge at TDCJnot the state, not the guards, but the convicts themselves. Over time, Sandoval got sucked into the undertow of prison life. It was a blind spot, and unit officials hoped the inmates wouldnt notice. In fact, his disciplinary record was almost spotless, and he enjoyed the privileged position of commissary clerk. Leslie Zepeda died the day after Christmas. Whats Up With All the Kangaroos on the Loose in Texas? 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. 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. Sandoval put his hand against the wound, looked up, and saw Crippin and McCool standing there, gaping. And in March 1991, McDonalds prosecution force indicted yet another Ellis I guard. Today, the Texas Syndicate is both a prison and a street gang. A man was stabbed twenty times. And You Thought Feral Hogs Were Bad. (This inmates name has been changed as a condition of his interview.) When asked on the witness stand if the hallway was ever undermanned, the reply of Nolan McCoolanother officer working the B-wing that afternoonwas emphatic: Constantly.. Mike Hall writes about criminals, musicians, the law, and barbecue. But no one suspected a thing. But local law enforcement experts have documented that the gang was founded in 1986 by gangsters Benito "Benny" Acosta, Alberto "Indio" Estrada, Benjamin "T-Top" Olivarez, Manuel "Tolon" Cardoza, Manuel "El Grande" Fernandez, Ral "Rabillo" Fierro, and Jos "Gitano" Ledesma. His assistant wardens run the building. Indeed, Peterson said to me that his units drug problem isnt rampant, but he also acknowledged that much has escaped his attention over the years. Now it was May 1991, and Sandoval was behind bars, his fate in the hands of a Huntsville jury. It was their house, not his or the states. The Texas Syndicate or Syndicato Tejano was the first prison gang to heavily impact the prison system in Texas. What sustains the gangs is money, which inmates use to bribe prison employees. Texas Syndicate gang members arrested after meth, heroin bust - KSAT Then hed say, Damn, I wish I had twenty dollars to go buy a couple of beers. And Id say, Just wait here, Ill be back. And Id collect fifty dollars for him. (Officials also say the Texas Syndicate is far more selective and does not, for example, recruit homosexuals.) The man accused of getting into a police shoot out was a Texas syndicate gang member. The answer was always no said former Ellis I officer Nolan McCool, If the opportunity exists, theyre gonna make the hit. Garcia, 38, is a member of the Texas Syndicate gang with ties to the Rio Grande Valley. Well, so does the inmate. BUSTED: 22 alleged gang members accused of running Houston brothels filled with undocumented immigrant s. The Texas Syndicate, more than La Eme or Nuestra Familia, has been more associated or allied with Mexican immigrant prisoners, The latter policy would be reversed in the 1980s. The field for their activities, though fertile, was finite, thus making turf wars inevitable. The 90s and The Cartels Sandoval took a step toward the crashgate but was held back by the more experienced guard. 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. google hiring committee rejection rate. Garcia, a four-time loser serving a life sentence for repeated theft and heroin offenses, was one of the friendlier inmates: 33 years old but actually grandfatherly in demeanora gentleman, you could almost sayquiet and unthreatening. A State Intelligence Estimate . 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. Rosas would do the killing, while another TS member held Arredondo and two others stood by as lookouts. Daniel Vaughn is the countrys first barbecue editor, and he has eaten more barbecue than you have. To defend themselves against harassment and assault by California prison gangs, they formed their own protection group. But things got more interesting when Internal Affairs investigator Dale Schaper walked into the room and handed Sandoval copies of his phone records, showing that 25 phone calls he had made on Vicentes behalf were to a high-ranking TS official named Felix Benavidez. Eventually the guard found himself engaging in polite conversation with the inmate. The gang murders that once took place inside prisons now take place on the streets. Wear the Texas Syndicate tattoo; 6. Gang members have a direct working relationship with associates and/or members of the Gulf Cartel. Even before the call, Luis Sandoval had been sweating bullets. Tango. The gang remains a significant threat to the safety and security of the United States and Mexico and to law enforcement working in and out of custody on both sides of the border. I was in the dayroom. The court held that there was sufficient evidence to convict . PDF Security Threat Grou Groups - Texas Department of Criminal Justice He took up smoking, two packs every eight-hour shift. Many of the Mexican cartel crimes in the illegal alien community go unreported. 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. Sandoval, in the meantime, worked at J.C. Penney in Plano. Texas Prison Gangs Page (Unofficial Site) Texas Syndicate (TS) Tri-City Bombers (TCB) U.S. Department of Justice - Gang Unit. The five-foot-six, soft-voiced young man had spent most of his life in the South Texas town of Alice, where blacks were scarcely seen. At a given time, Sandoval would stand guard over hundreds of inmates. Stop Houston Gangs - Report Gang Crime Tips & Violence - Texas Gangs Texas Chicano Brotherhood (TCB) Texas Mafia. Were he to pay his old workplace a visit, Luis Sandoval would notice several changes at Ellis I. Beneath them in the gang hierarchy are captains, lieutenants, sergeants of arms, and numerous soldiers. A few days later, on April 12, 1991, FBI agents showed up at the apartment where Sandoval had been hiding and took him to the Los Angeles County jail. 1%; 1% ER; Bandidos MC; Bandidos MG, BFFB = Bandidos Forever Forever Bandidos; GFBD = God Forgives Bandidos Don't; BFFBGFBD, Houstone Houston, Texas, Broken Star Emblem, HTB, 713 , 281, PTB, "16" "20" "2",D-Town, 214, Dallas, Texas, Solid Star with Outline, Fort Worth, Texas, Hollow Star with Outline, Foros or Foritos, Funky Town, 817, Austin, Texas, ATX Blast, ATX Tango Blast, La Capirucha, Capitol Building, 3 D Star with ATX, San Antonio, Texas, San Antonio Spurs logo, 210, San Anto, Orejones, Valluco, Valle, Puro Valluco, 956, 100% Valluco, XXII, Palms trees shaped in "V" , West , West Tango, 806, "W" "T", Current Anti-Gang Efforts and Initiatives >>, Most WantedGang FugitivesU.S. Federal agents arrested 28 people and subsequently charging 35 Barrio Azteca members and associates with racketeering and related charges in a sweep called Operation Knock Down on March 20, 2010. Produced by the Texas Joint Crime Information Center . 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. 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. I cant honestly tell you why he did it, said the inmate of Sandoval. 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. On this Wikipedia the language links are at the top of the page across from the article title. She had no time for a final hug, a final kiss, one last chance for her family to tell her how much they loved and cherished her. Leave them on the floor! said Sandoval. The Real Reasons for Chicago's Deadly Crime Wave. This international criminal organization, which began as an El Paso street gang, has organized and proliferated on both sides of the Mexican border to become one of the most dangerous prison gangs operating in both state and federal facilities. A certain order prevailed, which stilled the critics and deflected the interest of the media. Throughout that specific decade, the state of California saw the birth of several criminal organizations. But the first six months is hell. Sandoval was determined to tough it out. . texas syndicate hand signs The other factor that has led guards to traffic in drugs is the peculiar morality of Ellis I, where rules are never universally applied and the use of drugs is so widespread that officials have to knowand acceptthat prison guards are involved in the supply chain. And as in any society, some lead while others are led. Sandoval took the advice three years after Garcia gave it. killing U.S. Consulate employee Leslie Ann Enriquez Catton, College Degrees Designed for Police Officers, Best Practices for Active Shooter Response and Police Training, The Tennessee Department of Public Safety Increased Visibility, Accountability and Accuracy with Inventory Management Software Designed Specifically for Law Enforcement, Field Report: Latino Gangs In Washington State, California's Budget Fix: Cut Gang and Drug Fighters. Texas prisons were mostly gang-free until bloody battles broke out in 1984-85 between the Mexican Mafia and Texas Syndicate as well as the Aryan Brotherhood and Mandingo Warriors. The violent wars between these and other power groups within the custody facilities made these two prison gangs the big bullies on the block. Facebook By the spring of 1986, prison officials had examined every inmate for telltale tattoos, weeded out identifiable gang members, and ordered that they spend the rest of their sentences in administrative segregation, away from the general population. Richard Valdemar retired from the Los Angeles County Sheriffs Department after spending most of his 33 years on the job combating gangs. 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. Many of the gang leaders who had been doing time are now in the free world, spreading the gang network across the state, beyond prison walls. 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. Officials knew this meant that every day from three-thirty until after chow time, activities in the narrow corridor went unmonitored. A gurney was produced, but the inmate ignored it. Conditions were no different on December 17, 1986, which was why Sandoval was given the assignment of B-wing hall boss that afternoon. The steaks would have come from the kitchen; the laundry basket that held them would have been wheeled past a guard. He was pronounced dead at seven that evening, a victim of twenty stab wounds. It is a sign of recognition between those that are in the occult. Sandoval weighed his choices. Sandoval felt more at home with fellow Hispanics than with the black inmates, who terrified him. The blacks, in turn, formed the Mandingo Warriors. Murder and Prison Gangs: A Mexican American Experience Inside a Texas Are you on trial or is TDC on trial?. Eventually, Sandoval agreed to bring drugs into Ellis I. Not one of them said that Sandoval was a bad officer; many, in fact, went out of their way to laud his abilities. Sgt. Understand that the Texas Syndicate is always in the right; 5. Outside, the gang works as many others criminal organizations in the US. Dale Schaper dutifully typed up his report, and sent it through the proper channels. Prison Tattoos and Their Meanings - TatRing Some offenders join an STG in an effort to exert influence and take advantage of other offenders. They often use the letters "BA" or numbers "21" as their identifying symbols and tattoos. 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. But as the weeks rolled on, as the dos and donts of the training manual began to look more and more like some bureaucrats idea of a joke, his resolve cratered. Allies: Texas Mafia, Los Zetas; Somehow an inmate by the name of Vicente had gotten past the new boots boys. Barrio Azteca members also are involved in alien smuggling, arson, assault, auto theft, burglary, extortion, intimidation, kidnapping, robbery, and weapons violations. Knocking Down Barrio Azteca - Gangs - POLICE Magazine McALLEN, Texas (WOAI/KABB) They're one of the most notorious gangs in Texas - the Texas Syndicate and according to the DEA, they are a criminal organization that works with the Mexican cartels. This practice violated the Ruiz stipulation that an officer must be present at all times at any entrance or exit of the main building. [1], Development of the Texas Syndicate was initially motivated by self-protection against the historical "building tenders" in prison. They have their money. But I was a good officer. Thus, the former good officer now wished to disavow everything he had told me earlier. 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. Extra guards to supervise the gathering had to come from some other post. ), The Sandoval trial was a rare public washing of the Texas penal systems bloodstained linen. At certain times, more than five hundred of them might flood the B-wing hallway en route to the gym, the chapel, the woodshop, or the chow hall. how to become a school board member in florida ocean deck band schedule Facebook . West Texans Are Learning What It Means to Live in Bear Country, H-E-Bs True Texas BBQ Restaurant Is Slipping. Texas Syndicate . His father died. Ive seen about five new boots take one step out of the control riot-gate and into the main hallway and turn around and say, See you later, said Sandoval. Now selling hats and. The ugly crimes of kidnapping, human trafficking, extortion, gang violence, and unsolved murders are often committed by Mexican cartel members in cities across the United States but remain unreported. A question for the mayor: If it really is unacceptable, why do you continue to accept it? Apparently the inmates at Ellis I had noticed this as well, for their sweet talk had gotten to him. Still, gang members will frequently get tattoos to show their allegiance to their clique. Asked point-blank by his attorney, Did you ever bring drugs inside TDCJ? 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. This booklet contains historical synopses of all STGs recognized by the Texas Department of Criminal Justice (TDCJ), as well as recognized tattoos and other related indicators most often used by STGs and various street gang members. He lit cigarettes, which led to other small favors, which led to bigger ones. The Barrio Azteca was formedfrom these alienated inmates. In collaboration with federal, state, and local law enforcement and criminal justice agencies . 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. 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. Summary ofGang Signs & Symbols: >> Houston GangsByTypeListed Alphabetically - This is not an all inclusive list. Six weeks later, in December 1987, Luis Sandoval was terminated from the Texas Department of Criminal Justice. Guards could still smell burning marijuana and still see inmates giggling to themselves. Sandoval did as he was asked. He called his mother, who begged him to turn himself in. texas syndicate hand signsjack paar cause of death. What is noteworthy in this pleading before U.S. Magistrate Judge Norbert J. Garney in the Western District of Texas, El Paso Division, is that while both are BA members, Shamoo Rodriguez, 35, is a resident of El Paso. Never try to apprehend a fugitive yourself. Gainesville, FL, Disbands K-9 Unit Over Arrestee Losing Eye, IL Deputy Dies After Medical Event During Training, New TASER 10 Will Require Training for Seasoned Officers, Brinc Announces Next Generation of Lemur Drone, 11 Inspirational Quotes to Boost Police Morale in Trying Times, Half of Survey's Very Liberal Respondents Believe 1,000 or More Unarmed Black Men Killed by Police in 2019.
