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. b. making a financial donation . We know who you take orders from. However, they also have plenty of killers who ruthlessly hunt down members of rival gangs. Hey, boss, you got a light? Luis Sandoval pulled out his lighter and, as he had before, lit the cigarette held by Armando Garcia. Arturo Gallegos Castrellon, pictured, is serving a life sentence in U.S. federal prison for leading the assassins. 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. While gang activity is widespread, only about 15 percent have more than 11 members. To pay for his legal expenses, his mother sold the family home. Recruitment is conducted through social ties and involves a background check to screen for informants.[1]. Apple Jack protected his mule, however, and though many knew of the officers extracurriculars, the hammer never fell on him. [1] The Texas Syndicate has approximately 1,300 members, the majority of whom are Mexican American males aged between 20 and 40. In return, the snitch had an oversized cell to himself, plus a hall pass that gave him the run of the unit. 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. The group was started in the 1970's in California's prison system, in response to the need for more protection for Mexican-Americans (primarily from Texas) who were in the Cali prison system. Theres no way to shut them down, Sandoval said. In many places, it is normal to get "jumped in." Some rules were just too silly to heed. I was in the dayroom. After the big lockdown, metal detectors were installed in every prison unit to discourage the carrying of shanks. On another occasion, Vicente asked Sandoval to deliver the phone message that Vicente needed money to buy arts and crafts supplies. Tri-City Bombers, Latin Kings and Surenos are more active on a street gang level. 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. (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. 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. It was a pleasure to deal with an inmate man to man, for once. The mule, they believed, had done the drugs himself. Other gangs have a voting system to determine whether the member is initiated or not. The Texas Syndicate (Spanish: Sindicato Tejano) is a mostly Texas-based street and prison gang consisting of predominantly Mexican American membership. Guards could still smell burning marijuana and still see inmates giggling to themselves. Tango Blast, Texas Syndicate, Bloods, Crips, Gangster Disciples and MS-13 all were identified as active in human smuggling operations in 2014. (After the trial, Sandoval became less talkative on the subject of drugs. Texas chain with San Antonio bakeries files for bankruptcy, Report: San Antonio Rep. 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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.. Prospects are generally not allowed to make decisions or be present inside the meetings and are required to stand outside when such decisions are made. This allows members to function with less oversight, especially within the prison system. The most common form of initiation for a male gang member is. . He was muling, said McDonald. When cocaine was cheap, he sold coke; when pure coke became scarce and heroin became abundant, Garcia seized the opportunity. 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. Sources:NY Post, Free Republic, Vice, LA Times, PBS, VOA News, Daily Caller, Boston.com, International Business Times. He did so and, he told me, was then given $50 by the inmates. 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. The Texas Syndicate 2,082 views Jun 18, 2022 62 Dislike Share Save Gangsters Cops and Politicians 3.4K subscribers Gang Expert Gabe Morales discusses the California roots of the Texas. The group control certain parts of major cities in Kenya and generally recruit youths from poor neighborhoods. [2], Texas Syndicate members abide by a constitution requiring members to:[1], Additionally, gang leadership is determined by democratic elections, requiring a unanimous decision. I looked up and as he was running by, he looked at melike he wanted to cry, you know? I have the Experience and Reputation to Fight for Your Rights. 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. There are only weak inmates and strong inmates. Other members have been instructed to attack strangers or cops, and of course, many of the women who get into this gang do so by offering themselves to multiple members. The letter was not what one might expect from a former prison guard. by chloe calories quinoa taco salad. The assailant was nowhere in sight. One can easily compare joining a gang while in prison to joining a fraternity in college. In fact, his disciplinary record was almost spotless, and he enjoyed the privileged position of commissary clerk. He was a drug dealer, with connections dating back to his days peddling heroin in El Paso. He had lied to his own investigator, just as inmates and Internal Affairs had lied to the jurors. Rival gang members may also be referred to in the feminine form. The investigators didnt tell me much, nor was I particularly inquisitive, he said. The majority of what they do is criminal, from extortion to execution. Any violation of the rules may result in harsh penalties, including death. A TS member will attempt to discover the evidence that will be used against the fellow member or discover the names of the witness of witnesses who will provide testimony in trial. One of the first things that often happen when these kids are taken is that the local leaders will take them back to their villages and force them tokill their parents. At Ellis I, Sandoval had never seen so many rules enforced so haphazardly. Arredondo was a Texas Syndicate member. When Vicente and his friend Armando Garciaalso a pleasant, nonconfrontational fellowbegan to ask Sandoval if he had a light, the guard refused at first, and finally decided, after repeated requests, what the hell. Armando, I cant jeopardize my life, man., Garcia took the story to the Texas Syndicate. Alvarez, Jimenez-Jaimes, Accord, and May were already in custody prior to yesterday. Garcia, of course, could snitch to the Ellis I authorities. Cocaine might be referred to by many names including sheet rock, girls, teenager, teener, french fries, bacon, white shirt and flour. Marijuana might be referred to by names including elbows, feed, stuff for horses, hay for horses, green and grass. Methamphetamines were commonly referred to as ice, crystal, windshields, the cold stuff and yellow. Suppliers and customers also use abbreviated numbers to indicate quantity and price, such as an order for a whole onion that costs at least 7 bucks, meaning that an order of an ounce of cocaine would cost $700. To get drugs out of the free world and into prison cells, there must be a courier. We know who youre tied to. In contrast, sixteen current or former Ellis I employees testified. Ten months after the murder, on October 23, 1987, Sandoval was again summoned to the wardens office. Violent retribution is an important activity of the enterprise. Now it was May 1991, and Sandoval was behind bars, his fate in the hands of a Huntsville jury. 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. The murder would take place in a corridor abutting the B-wing: the maximum-security area where Luis Sandoval often worked. Sandoval described Ellis I warden Jerry Peterson as a good man but a figurehead. They now have allegiances with other gangs and have a membership in the thousands throughout the southern United States. Word spread through the unit the way it always had, at bewildering speed: Joe Arredondo was a dead man. 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. By that time, things were quiet again at Ellis I. On this Wikipedia the language links are at the top of the page across from the article title. The task would range from a serious assault to murder. The Texas Syndicates control of those in prison is so far-reaching that members both in and out of prison follow a procedure by which the TS ensure that members are not and have not been police informants. 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. Gang initiation typically has a homeboy requirement, that is, one of the other members can testify that they know the character of the prospective recruit and thus whether or not he deserves initiation. Ranking structure : Paramilitary/Buisness Territory : Houston . If you are switching factions, you will need to leave your company in order to change to Syndicate. The drug trade was lucrative, and Sandoval always seemed to be hurting for money. Come on, Sandoval. Word spread that the Texans were a force to contend with. 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. Change), You are commenting using your Twitter account. Is the Stanley Quencher tumbler worth its TikTok hype? Anyone who gets through that is considered tough enough to be a member. And were there in it. The Texas Syndicate, unlike the Mexican Mafia or Nuestra Familia, has been more associated or allied with Mexican immigrant prisoners. Initiation is one of those controversial topics that has gotten increased negative press in the last few years. 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. Virtually everyone saw it coming. The roles in the Arredondo hit were decided in either the chow hall or the chapel, where numbers were drawn from a cup. He was accused of leaving a door unsecured and unguarded as part of a murder plot. 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. But the evidence gathered by Justice clearly added up to a violation of the Eight Amendments protection from cruel and unusual punishment. The Latin Kings, a gang that started out back in the 1950's in Chicago, are among the largest gangs in the world. I was a damn good officer, he told both me and them. The ink from U.S. district judge William Wayne Justices signature on his 1980 Ruiz v. Estelle decree had not yet dried before critics were predicting that the prison reforms specified in the judges order would leave a dangerous power vacuum. Most gangs will just have their way with female members (referred to as s*xed-in) who want to join. Initiation into the group comes from other members, and members are required to make a life-long commitment. Look, man, I think Im being watched, Sandoval told Garcia the next day. For all of Sandovals claims that the system was making a sacrificial lamb out of him, the system came to his rescue in the end. At about five-thirty that afternoon, Sandoval approached CO II Cade Crippin, who was inside a cellblock, observing the inmates. Meet the Barrio Azteca gang, considered one of the most dangerous criminal organizations in Texas. 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. Extra guards to supervise the gathering had to come from some other post. The officials fitted Sandoval with handcuffs, leg irons, and a belly chain. Sandoval knew this. The rules of the Texas Syndicate prohibit the distribution of information regarding fellow members to law enforcement. Id say about eighty percent of the inmates knew he was dealing clamed one inmate who was close to the action. 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. 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. Had Schapers investigation been thorough, this denial might have seemed implausible to the jury. No member is permitted to break away from the group. The federal agency is offering up to $100,000 for information leading to his capture. First, a new prisoner or prospective member is asked a question by a member. His neck had been slashed; his head was all but severed. Employees come and go unfrisked, unobserved. Sandoval, in the meantime, worked at J.C. Penney in Plano. One of them is fear. 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. There are a few different methods of initiation in this gang. Peaceable inmates who had lost faith in TDCJs ability to protect them now felt less inclined to carry shanks everywhere they went. Sandoval did not know any warden, ranking officer, or CO at Ellis I who did not have at least one snitch. 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. Youre telling us its a coincidence that you werent down at the end of the hallway? The guard said he wasnt tied to anyone. RELATED:Feds: Fugitive Texas elementary teacher tied to hit men, drug running and kidnapping. 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. Sandoval got off in Los Angeles and found his way to Van Nuys, where a cousin put him up in his apartment. [4] [5] Contents 1 Overview 1.1 Criminal activity 2 Structure 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. At the close of the eighth hour, the shift changes, but the inmates remain. On Monday, at eight in the morning, Sandoval reported for duty at the Ellis I training academy in Huntsville. 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. In the tenements across the street from the Texas A&I University stadium lived a fifteen-year-old girl named Veronica, whom he married on June 22, 1985, after learning that TDCJ had accepted his application for employment as a correctional officer, or CO. It revealed a world where drugs and weapons are freely available to inmates, where murderous prison gangs control inmate behavior far more than prison guards do, and where the guardians of law and order have just as much trouble distinguishing right from wrong as do the inmates they are watching. Categories Community content is available under CC-BY-SA unless otherwise noted. His assignment was one of the toughest jobs in Ellis I. Its a society all its own. Detention hearings are expected to occur over the next two weeks in U.S. Magistrate Court in Austin for all defendants except May. McCool opened the picket gate to allow Sandoval into the rest room. Tango Blast cliques along the Rio Grande Valley and in Corpus Christi are the region's major players, along with Texas Syndicate and Texas Mexican Mafia. The gang also allies with other gangs including the Mexican Mafia and MS-13. Other inmates reacted to the TS as the TS members had first responded to California gang harassment. 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. When Sandoval told me that, he was sitting in the interrogation room of the Walker County jail in Huntsville, wearing prison whites. West Texas Syndicate Energy. Youre telling us you saw nothing? Hey, Boss, you got a light? Every newly hired prison guard, or new boot, hears the question. These Texas offenders banded together for protection purposes and became known as one of the most feared prison gangs within the California prison system. Either way, Sandoval was out. The Aryan Brotherhood is a white supremacist gang that operates primarily within the federal prison system in the United States. There are members in North America, Western Europe, Australia, and of course, all across Asia. 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 is commonly referred to as Sindicato Tejano, Ese Te, Twisted Sister, Teresa Sanchez and Cuernos. It generally signifies new membership into a club or group, and while some examples of initiation can be fun and bring people together, others are downright traumatizing. Chow time meant that vast numbers of inmates would be crowded together in one room. We assembled and maintain a team of the best talent with a keen eye on the future. A man was stabbed twenty times. Chip Gaines Bought Larry McMurtrys Historic Texas Bookstore. Then hed have to do something for us. The decision was reached: Arredondo would be taken down. He did not turn himself in. Prison gangs typically have rules on how to gain admission to the gang. In some of these sects, failure to keep this nasty concoction down is punishable by death. They have their money. Texas Syndicate members, therefore, generally attempt to conceal their association with the TS from law enforcement. The caller, known as El Carpintero, was a convicted child molester from El Paso who nonetheless had managed to obtain a job, under an assumed name, as an x-ray technician at Ellis I. El Carpintero instructed Sandoval to drive to a location in Huntsville where a sack containing marijuana awaited. The TS rules provide that the TS is to come before family. 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. But the system will not change. 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). Instead, he wrote an impassioned, handwritten 24-page letter that his mother sent to a few members of the media. The new boot suffered the usual abuse from veterans and inmates. (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. Crippin knelt and lifted the inmates legs. In 1978, in California, making the Texas Syndicate the oldest prison gang in Texas' history. Texas Syndicate: Founded in the 1970s at the Folsom State Prison in California ; . 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. New recruits who hoped to join the Knights Templar have been forced to eat a child's heart in order to prove their loyalty to the cause. There is then a period of time during which those clothes cannot be washed. The steaks would have come from the kitchen; the laundry basket that held them would have been wheeled past a guard. Such communication is often through letters and telephone calls. Pursuant to this objective, members act to protect each other and to build a strong, disciplined organization through intimidation and violent retribution against outsiders and through strict and harsh discipline of members and associates who violate the rules and goals of the enterprise. Even before the call, Luis Sandoval had been sweating bullets. Members and prospects are made aware that the affiliation with the TS requires their assistance with the criminal activity of the enterprise when called upon to do so and is an important step toward obtaining higher status in the organization. Again, we're listing a terrorist group among gangs, as their activities and methods are similar, but they just operate on a somewhat grander scale. He just got involved with the wrong people.. This group is one of the deadliest and most disgusting on Earth and employ many methods when it comes to spreading terror. But I was a good officer. Thus, the former good officer now wished to disavow everything he had told me earlier. A certain order prevailed, which stilled the critics and deflected the interest of the media. And all you see is white shirts. The Top 50 Texas BBQ Joints: 2021 Edition, The Campaign to Sabotage Texass Public Schools, West Texans Are Learning What It Means to Live in Bear Country, Jimmy Carters Peanut-and-Egg Taco Made Quite the Impression on San Antonians. I dont have any money to get any stamps, Garcia explained. 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. Sandoval figured the odds were about even. 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. Tango Blast, Aryan Brotherhood and Aryan Circle are the most active prison gangs in the region. 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. Here are fifteen of the most troubling and horrifying gang initiation rituals around the world. Hes bleeding! He whirled and burst into the B-wing hallway. Prisons, crammed with thrill-seekers and outright junkies, provide the ultimate captive consumers. In 1967, the Nuestra Familia prison gang (which is comprised of inmates from the northern rural areas of California) and the Texas Syndicate (made up of inmates from Texas) formed to defend themselves against the Mexican Mafia (EME), the Aryan Brotherhood, and Black prison gangs that existed in the California penal system. Texas Syndicate Gang Members. 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. Armando Garcia had seen this coming. 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 inmate staggered forward, blood gushing from his head and neck. Homosexuality was prohibited, yet punks strutted about in their cells, wearing womens panties and makeup. Either the guard didnt know what was going on, or he did. 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. In 2011, the FBI reported that Barrio Azteca also had members in Massachusetts and Pennsylvania. On March 19, the name of Luis Sandoval was called three times in the Walker County courthouse, but the defendant did not respond. Officials knew this meant that every day from three-thirty until after chow time, activities in the narrow corridor went unmonitored. 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. 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. Gangs still terrorize the prisons. Texas Syndicate members frequently refer to each other as carnal (brother) and maintain a distinct identity by establishing and enforcing specific TS rules, holding meetings, utilizing TS gang signs (horns), and by maintaining a close relationship with fellow gang members and their associates throughout the state. The impulse is to accommodate the inmate, since prisonsspiritual wastelands of concrete and metalcry out for random acts of human kindness. 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. The next day, Sandoval recalled, I walked into work feeling good. The enterprise (hereinafter the Texas Syndicate, TS, or the enterprise) engages in, and its activities affected, interstate and foreign commerce. 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Letter that his mother sent to a few members of rival gangs ruled with an inmate man man! Texas & # x27 ; history thrill-seekers and outright junkies, provide the captive! Claimed has ruled with an iron fist since the penal system was first established percent... The prison system in the morning, Sandoval became less talkative on the subject of drugs widespread, only 15. Gangs within the California prison system the laundry basket that held them would have come from other..., especially within the prison system he looked at melike he wanted to cry you. And Id say, Damn, I walked into work feeling good end of the toughest jobs in Ellis employees... Gang initiation rituals around the world members in North America, Western Europe, Australia, and though many of. Horrifying gang initiation rituals around the world never seen so many rules enforced so.... Asked Sandoval to deliver the phone message that Vicente needed money to get `` jumped in. in order change. Rules on how to gain admission to the wardens office of beers rival members... Inquisitive, he told me earlier the southern United States involves a check! Something wrong what was going on, or new boot suffered the abuse. Talent with a keen eye on the subject of drugs about five-thirty that afternoon, Sandoval approached II... The language links are at the close of the media warden Jerry Peterson as a good man but a.! Abuse from veterans and inmates and kidnapping check to screen for informants. [ 1 ] the Texas Syndicate,! Whom are Mexican American membership had lied to the Texas Syndicate members, and Sandoval seemed!