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. When they got there they found Joe Arredondo lying on his back. Push inevitably came to shove: In two separate gang confrontations, the Texans murdered one California inmate and seriously wounded another. Even after Arredondos murder, when the Special Prison Prosecution Unit began to gather incriminating evidence against Sandoval, Peterson showed little interest in the details. Wear the Texas Syndicate tattoo; 6. The question was when. Sandoval took the advice three years after Garcia gave it. Unlike most state crises, there is absolutely no mystery to the takeover of our prisons by violent gangs. You better get the hell out of here, Sandoval.. He grabbed the stash of marijuana he had recently picked up, ran to the bathroom, and flushed it down his toilet. Full text of "Texas Gangs" Yet a former prison drug-runner confirmed the obviousthat without the help of TDCJ employees, the flow of drugs into state prisons would dry up. Other weapons were by-products of inmate ingenuity, as in the case of Cosmo, the death row inmate who fashioned a bomb out of matchstick tips and an asthma inhaler and blew a hole in his cell wall. This would put the Texas Syndicate in contact with several Mexican-based cartels. 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 syndicate hand signsfeathered friend questions and answers. One day Sandoval received a phone call at work. When asked about it, Sandoval testified that the report merely contained Schapers accusations, which Sandoval denied then and would deny now, under oath. But he stayed out of trouble, in large part because of two hall porters, Bubba Ray Smith and Johnny Abrams. Beneath the cosmetic alterations, however, things at Ellis I are just as Sandoval left them. Bring a gurney! called the lieutenant. 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. Every inmate was confined to his cell, stripped of recreation and visitation privileges, and fed sandwiches that guards tossed through the bars of the cell. Other inmates reacted to the TS as the TS members had first responded to California gang harassment. What you usually see in any gun buyback program is elderly people turning in old junk guns from some closet or garage where they have sat gathering dust for many years. Two years after lighting his first cigarette, Sandoval was arrested and charged with murder for allegedly aiding a gang plot to kill an inmate. But they werent enough: A guard like Luis Sandoval would be assigned to a hallway filled with hundreds of inmates. But the evidence gathered by Justice clearly added up to a violation of the Eight Amendments protection from cruel and unusual punishment. texas syndicate hand signs - creditsolutionexperts.com But the first six months is hell. Sandoval was determined to tough it out. And theres always somebody, the ex-drug runner told me, wholl do something for you.. Conditions were no different on December 17, 1986, which was why Sandoval was given the assignment of B-wing hall boss that afternoon. Yell fight, he said, but the two officers seemed paralyzed. 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. Or if they cared to enforce the rule. They often use the letters "BA" or numbers "21" as their identifying symbols and tattoos. We spoke to hundreds of prison gang members - here's what they said It is seemingly a simple, humble favor asked of men in gray by men in white. Some prisoners do so to affirm and convey gang membership, indicate their rank in that gang, or display their ability to endure pain. Each society sustains the other, but the economic cycle depends on a vital link, for the supply will not meet the demand unless the product reaches the consumer. Now Turner could be seen pushing trash cans down the hall, twirling his knife in the air; nobody took his knife away. France's Plugin EVs Hit 24% In February, Dacia Spring Still Boss As the organization continued growing, drug trafficking came to be one of their favorite activities and sources of income. The guards were hired. Ten months after the murder, on October 23, 1987, Sandoval was again summoned to the wardens office. Six weeks later, in December 1987, Luis Sandoval was terminated from the Texas Department of Criminal Justice. 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. But I was a good officer. Thus, the former good officer now wished to disavow everything he had told me earlier. And perhaps he was vaguely aware that the request, if honored, would be only the first of manythat later he would be asked for cigarettes, chewing gum, packs of sunflower seeds, and more. With only an army surplus bag and a brand new journal in hand, she sets out to hitchhike from her home . PDF Security Threat Grou Groups - Texas Department of Criminal Justice Sandoval caught one inmate with a homemade oven and a laundry basket filled with about fifty prime-cut steaks. Leave them on the floor! said Sandoval. Power in the streets and prison is derived largely from criminal drug dealing, and the gang set out to control the lucrative drug trade. Murder wasnt his thing. 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. Law Enforcement Guide to Texas Street Gangs | Public Intelligence Source: National Gang Assessment 2009. The roles in the Arredondo hit were decided in either the chow hall or the chapel, where numbers were drawn from a cup. hornitos tequila vs patron. It took the jury 33 minutes to decide that Sandoval was not guilty. The gang cooperates with allied Mexican Drug Trafficking Organizations (DTO) or transports the illicit cargo themselves. In addition to Shamoo Rodriguez and Porky Amaro, 11 others have already pled guilty. On the way home Sandoval asked his cousin to drive the scenic route. Sandoval did not tell his mother why he was such a vulnerable candidate. Some veteran gang members claim that the Barrio Azteca gang can trace its roots in El Paso back to the original 1940s El Paso Tip gang (ept). Apparently the inmates at Ellis I had noticed this as well, for their sweet talk had gotten to him. 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. And the rise of gang activity as evidenced by the rash of shootings we've seen in major metropolitan areas like Chicago and elsewhere is increasingly threatening the very safety and security of both law enforcement officers and the communities we serve, nationwide. 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. The decision was reached: Arredondo would be taken down. But the system will not change. We in the free world classify inmates according to motivation: those who do not wish to live a life of crime and those who know no other life; those who wish only to do their time and get out and those who function best in a kill-or-be-killed environment. [6], TS has a paramilitary structure, headed by a president and vice president elected by the general membership. In 2000, reports indicated the existence of roughly 20000 members. Due to the fact that most recruiting happens in prison, law enforcement agencies always struggled with estimating the effective number of people belonging to the gang. Its a society all its own. DEA: Dozens of Texas Syndicate gang members arrested after - KABB 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. texas syndicate hand signs There are only weak inmates and strong inmates. They have their prostitution, their gambling, their extortion. PDF UNCLASSIFIED Texas - Texas Department of Public Safety Sandoval lied: No, sir. Contradicting this claim, Internal Affairs investigator Dale Schaper took the stand and read his report of the night Sandoval was arrested. 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. As the organization continued growing, drug trafficking came to be one of their favorite activities and sources of income. Go to the shop Go to the shop. They reinvest these funds to fuel the gang's supply of drugs, guns and ammunition. Asked point-blank by his attorney, Did you ever bring drugs inside TDCJ? 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. He was arrested for driving while intoxicated, following a one-car accident that left his limbs temporarily paralyzed. 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. 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. 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. 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. Drugs come from the free world. The Texas Syndicate - YouTube 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. The Texas Syndicate (Spanish: Sindicato Tejano) is a mostly Texas-based street and prison gang consisting of predominantly Mexican American membership. 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. It was a pleasure to deal with an inmate man to man, for once. In a sense, you become a convict also.. Current Location: Most of Texas, Other Zones in The United States; It was not the most hospitable climate for trust, which was something Sandoval felt inclined to consider when Armando Garcia and Vicente held out a letter and asked Sandoval to mail it for them. Whats Up With All the Kangaroos on the Loose in Texas? On this Wikipedia the language links are at the top of the page across from the article title. Yes, he had made the phone calls. Eventually, Sandoval agreed to bring drugs into Ellis I. According to Sandoval, Howard Digby, a runty burglar with a pug nose and heavily tattooed arms, was known as a captains boy, a snitch who filled his bosss cup with coffee and his ear with prison gossip. 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. The money chiefly comes from drugs. More accurate investigations lower the number to about 4000, with some sources even going as low as 3800. It was a blind spot, and unit officials hoped the inmates wouldnt notice. DPS releases list of gangs in Texas posing the greatest threat If they dont make this hit, theyll become the person to get hit. I looked up and as he was running by, he looked at melike he wanted to cry, you know? I was in the dayroom. 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. When Luis Sandoval went to work for the Texas prison system, he did the wrong favors for the wrong people. Neither possibility seemed likely, given what Sandoval had learned about TDCJ in his first few months on the job. The brutality of the murder, coupled with Sandovals complete inability to prevent it, made quite an impression on the young guard. None of them knew anything about Sandoval and drugs. Apple Jack protected his mule, however, and though many knew of the officers extracurriculars, the hammer never fell on him. Compared with Luis Sandovals quiet life in Alice, Ellis I must have seemed like an opium den. Peaceable inmates who had lost faith in TDCJs ability to protect them now felt less inclined to carry shanks everywhere they went. After its formation in 1986, both the Texas Syndicate and Texas Mexican Mafia refused to recognize the Aztecas and declared war on the gang. Take over the hallway for me, Sandoval said to his subordinate while handing him his keys. texas syndicate hand signs - s208669.gridserver.com 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. In contrast, sixteen current or former Ellis I employees testified. I knew he didnt have nothing to do with it. Receipt of inmates on interstate compact and the current membership in groups with Hispanic and Latino supremacy ideology lend to the threat of an organizing TS within our facilities. The symbols and meanings behind gang-related tattoos - Chron These include 13, Black Hand of Death, The M, and La Eme, which is Spanish for "the M". Then he headed for the bathroom, a route that took him through a confined area guarded by CO II Nolan McCool. On another occasion, Vicente asked Sandoval to deliver the phone message that Vicente needed money to buy arts and crafts supplies. Youll drain all the blood to his head. Three other officers arrived on the scene. 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. On March 19, the name of Luis Sandoval was called three times in the Walker County courthouse, but the defendant did not respond. Inmates know their surroundings, and they know that the surroundings are theirs. Sandoval was then ordered to take off his uniform and replace it with inmate furlough clothes. Some of the states most violent criminals were housed there. The horned hand-sign shows allegiance to . LATINO PRISON GANGS: Texas Syndicate - Blogger 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 Inside the walls of each prison is drugs, prostitution, gambling, extortion, and grand theft, but no investigation into any of these things has ever been made. The letter did not say what such an investigation would say about Luis Sandoval. texas syndicate hand signs The guard made the call, apparently unaware that such messages, and the letters, might contain coded instructions from a prison drug-runner to a high-ranking member of the Texas Syndicate. texas syndicate hand signs - vivelive.ai By current estimates, more than 2,000 members make up their ranks. 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. 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. Id say about eighty percent of the inmates knew he was dealing clamed one inmate who was close to the action. A man was stabbed twenty times. 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. We know who you take orders from. There were many times when he said, I aint gonna do this shit anymore. And wed think, well, maybe were putting too much pressure on him. Exaggerated? 10 facts about the Barrio Azteca, one of the most dangerous gangs in Texas Youre telling us its a coincidence that you werent down at the end of the hallway? As the free world would have it, there are good inmates and bad inmates. The court held that there was sufficient evidence to convict . 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. 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. 1 was here. Not one of them said that Sandoval was a bad officer; many, in fact, went out of their way to laud his abilities. Don't quit your day job, ChatGPT! When cocaine was cheap, he sold coke; when pure coke became scarce and heroin became abundant, Garcia seized the opportunity. Sandoval buckled. Just as he entered, Sandoval heard someone yell, Hes on the floor! Sandoval described Ellis I warden Jerry Peterson as a good man but a figurehead. But now that seemed the least of Luis Sandovals worries. Had Schapers investigation been thorough, this denial might have seemed implausible to the jury. Texas Syndicate 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. texas syndicate hand signs - the-last-spartans.de In prison, he had come to learn, if you gave, you got. Respect other members; 8. Gangs didnt worry about guards; they worried about each other. 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.. Post author: Post published: June 10, 2022; Post category: do coyotes eat crows; Post comments: . Receive the latest law enforcement in-depth information, news and products. Slab Syndicate Crappie Jigs | Lubbock TX - Facebook And You Thought Feral Hogs Were Bad. 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. Prison officials could boast that their residents stood less chance of being killed than did the average Texas city dweller. Stop Houston Gangs - Report Gang Crime Tips & Violence - Texas Gangs An eight-inch metal shank lay nearby. Our prisons, far from turning out reformed citizens, have instead become incubators of a statewide crime wave. He had been ordered to carry out a hit on another inmate and had failed to do so. Sandoval knew this. Youre telling us you saw nothing? Rosas would do the killing, while another TS member held Arredondo and two others stood by as lookouts. He was accused of leaving a door unsecured and unguarded as part of a murder plot. 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. The two inmates snitched for Sandoval and herded him away from troublemakers, admonishing him, Boss, stay away from those guys.. former wnct news anchors Twitter. Extra guards to supervise the gathering had to come from some other post. Summary ofGang Signs & Symbols: >> Houston GangsByTypeListed Alphabetically - This is not an all inclusive list. Hispanics who were not TS members formed their own gang, the Mexican Mafia, which today outnumbers the TS two to one but is not considered as well organized by prison officials. Murder and Prison Gangs: A Mexican American Experience Inside a Texas Both in cities and behind bars, members of the Texas Syndicate began using hand-signs and gang markings to show their allegiance to the group. They often use the letters "BA" or numbers "21" as their identifying symbols and tattoos. Reminded that our earlier on-the-record, on-tape conversation contradicted this, he said, I have my life to think about.I made my mistakes. 14 gangs that have infiltrated the greater San Antonio area - mySA It was their fault, not his, but someone would have to take the fall. Even before the call, Luis Sandoval had been sweating bullets. After the big lockdown, metal detectors were installed in every prison unit to discourage the carrying of shanks. Marshals ServiceCommunications CenterCall 1-800-336-0102, Gang Membership by County - SW Region 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. So wed just lay back, let him cool down. Texas sheriff's office to investigate why man given long prison term was released from jail by mistake. Texas Mexican Mafia comes in a distant second with 4,700 members, followed by the Texas Syndicate (3,400 members), Latin Kings (2,100 members) and MS-13 (800 members). 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. In return, the snitch had an oversized cell to himself, plus a hall pass that gave him the run of the unit. Thereafter, inmates made their blades out of hard plastic or made do with whatever crude instrument was within reach, like the cast-iron weight an inmate found in the recreation yard and used, with one vicious swing, to lop off the ear of another inmate. Texas Syndicate gang members arrested after meth, heroin bust - KSAT The impulse is to accommodate the inmate, since prisonsspiritual wastelands of concrete and metalcry out for random acts of human kindness. 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. As a former prison gang member, I'm ashamed to look in the mirror because my failures are staring back at me. texas syndicate hand signs - consultoriagrilloandgrillo.com The thought worked away at his nerves. Either the guard didnt know what was going on, or he did. Well, so does the inmate. Texas Syndicate . 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. He was on a westbound bus, fleeing the state. 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.. Until Judge Justices decree, TDCJs inmate population was essentially governed by brutal trusties known as building tenders, whose methodswhich included beating and sodomizing inmates into terrified submissionwent largely unchecked by prison officials. Abidance by these laws was enforced with violence, often resulting in beatings or executions of those who crossed the line. They use any means necessary in an attempt to control their . But such sentiments are meaningless down on the farm. The Texas Syndicate, unlike the Mexican Mafia or Nuestra Familia, has been more associated or allied with Mexican immigrant prisoners.