The main activities of the TS are centered on drug trafficking, extortion, protection rackets, and internal discipline and contract murdering. 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. 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. Ten months after the murder, on October 23, 1987, Sandoval was again summoned to the wardens office. When Arredondo got killed, Sandoval was just in the wrong place at the wrong time. 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. More accurate investigations lower the number to about 4000, with some sources even going as low as 3800. The caller advised Sandoval not to show up for his March 18, 1991, trial, and then hung up without identifying himself. Yell fight, he said, but the two officers seemed paralyzed. Arredondo did take part in a different contract killing, but when all the conspirators except Arredondo were placed in administrative segregation, TS members concluded that Arredondo had snitched on the rest to save himself. Looking toward the chapel, he could see Crippin ahead of him, heading for the hidden narrow corridor at the west end of the B-wing. But other factors have caused guards to agree to be drug mules. how to become a school board member in florida ocean deck band schedule Throughout most of its early life, the Texas Syndicate was primarily a prison gang, with little to no contact with the outside world. resno Neon is a 90 year old electric sign company based in the Central San Joaquin Valley, California. I cant honestly tell you why he did it, said the inmate of Sandoval. Inmates fashioned shanks out of road signs, door hinges, food trays, typewriter platen rods, and field equipment. Prison officials could boast that their residents stood less chance of being killed than did the average Texas city dweller. Texas Department of Public Safety . Sgt. 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. Exaggerated? The steaks would have come from the kitchen; the laundry basket that held them would have been wheeled past a guard. Bono Lady Gaga Ke$ha Aldous Huxley Nicki Minaj Michael Jackson Miley Cyrus Eminem No.5 Masonic Handshakes 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. Current Location: Most of Texas, Other Zones in The United States; Is Mexican Cartel Activity In the U.S. The single eye, or the eye of Providence originates in Egypt with the eye of Horus. There are only weak inmates and strong inmates. Whats Up With All the Kangaroos on the Loose in Texas? I knew he didnt have nothing to do with it. The Texas Syndicate was downgraded in threat level to Tier 2, after years on the Tier 1 list, following law enforcement investigations that severely disrupted the gang, the DPS says. 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. The prosecutors of Luis Sandoval not only conceded this but went out of their way to make it part of their case. Hey, Boss, you got a light? Every newly hired prison guard, or new boot, hears the question. Gangs are a serious problem negatively impacting American culture. 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. 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. . Post author: Post published: June 10, 2022; Post category: do coyotes eat crows; Post comments: . Outside, the gang works as many others criminal organizations in the US. texas syndicate hand signsfeathered friend questions and answers. Llmenos para una consulta. He took up smoking, two packs every eight-hour shift. Marshals North Texas Fugitive Task Force, including DPS Special Agents, located and arrested GONZALEZ at a local motel in Lubbock.GONZALEZ is a violent offender with a history of aggravated robbery, aggravated assault . And as in any society, some lead while others are led. Eventually, however, Vicente and Garcia began to ask for more than a light. Full Name: Texas Syndicate; Were he to pay his old workplace a visit, Luis Sandoval would notice several changes at Ellis I. The decision was reached: Arredondo would be taken down. Youre telling us you saw nothing? 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. Marshals ServiceCommunications CenterCall 1-800-336-0102, Gang Membership by County - SW Region Throughout that specific decade, the state of California saw the birth of several criminal organizations. Garcia, of course, could snitch to the Ellis I authorities. Barrio Azteca is currently at the top of the FBI and DEA threat list. Texas sheriff's office to investigate why man given long prison term was released from jail by mistake. The thought worked away at his nerves. Velasquez, No. The officials fitted Sandoval with handcuffs, leg irons, and a belly chain. Texas Mafia 12. Sandoval told me that he took the money, though he denied it in court. The sign represents the evil eye floating above the pyramid. They have their prostitution, their gambling, their extortion. 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. 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. Source: National Gang Assessment 2009. Daniel Vaughn is the countrys first barbecue editor, and he has eaten more barbecue than you have. Word spread that the Texans were a force to contend with. They grew quickly by recruiting violent individuals, especially from the El Paso-Juarez area. It was their fault, not his, but someone would have to take the fall. Ellis I officials caught wind of the deal through a snitch. A week later another juror wrote Sandoval a four-page letter, expressing her chagrin that he had been put through all the agony. And Sandoval welcomed his company. 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. But according to one Ellis I officer, Inmates watch everything we do. I just want to take care of my business, he would tell gang members who tried to recruit him. The blacks, in turn, formed the Mandingo Warriors. Take over the hallway for me, Sandoval said to his subordinate while handing him his keys. [1] Gang members smuggle multikilogram-quantities of powdered cocaine, heroin, and methamphetamine, and multiton-quantities of marijuana from Mexico into the U.S. for distribution inside and outside prison. They often use the letters "BA" or numbers "21" as their identifying symbols and tattoos. [2] As a street gang, heavy activity has been reported in Austin, Corpus Christi, the Rio Grande Valley and the Dallas Fort Worth area in Texas. Current Anti-Gang Efforts and Initiatives >> He lit cigarettes, which led to other small favors, which led to bigger ones. 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. Dale Schaper dutifully typed up his report, and sent it through the proper channels. Texas Prison Gangs Page (Unofficial Site) Texas Syndicate (TS) Tri-City Bombers (TCB) U.S. Department of Justice - Gang Unit. The question was when. Back in February, Texas Syndicate member Ernesto Medrano and some 20 of his fellow gang members were in a Dallas federal courtroom receiving multi-year prison sentences for importing hundreds of . 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. Sandoval got off in Los Angeles and found his way to Van Nuys, where a cousin put him up in his apartment. I was in the dayroom. On the witness stand, Sandoval suggested that the caller was someone from TDCJ Internal Affairs; more likely, he was a Texas Syndicate member delivering the message that the TS would not be amused if Sandoval blew the whistle on their activities. That afternoon, Ellis I warden Jerry Peterson called Sandoval into his office to congratulate him on a fine job. 13 is traditionally known in the West as an unlucky number, but it is also part of several other gang names . As the free world would have it, there are good inmates and bad inmates. The field for their activities, though fertile, was finite, thus making turf wars inevitable. Though inmates werent allowed needles for tattooing, resident artists took to using the metal pieces of windup toys. Apparently the inmates at Ellis I had noticed this as well, for their sweet talk had gotten to him. Even before the call, Luis Sandoval had been sweating bullets. Beneath them in the gang hierarchy are captains, lieutenants, sergeants of arms, and numerous soldiers. Apple Jack protected his mule, however, and though many knew of the officers extracurriculars, the hammer never fell on him. [4] [5] Overview [ edit] 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. Had Schapers investigation been thorough, this denial might have seemed implausible to the jury. 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 this role, you will be required to transport the signs to the customer's location, prepare the sig. Any gang member who's spent any time in custody has practiced slipping out of handcuffs and shackles, and you can bet one or more of them carry jail-made handcuff keys. 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. Inmates know their surroundings, and they know that the surroundings are theirs. Arredondo took the two hundred dollars, went home, and blew the money. 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. For about three months thereafter, while state officials sought a long-term solution, every prison unit experienced a total lockdown. He was pronounced dead at seven that evening, a victim of twenty stab wounds. 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. As the organization continued growing, drug trafficking came to be one of their favorite activities and sources of income. These include 13, Black Hand of Death, The M, and La Eme, which is Spanish for "the M". 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. The Texas Syndicate, unlike the Mexican Mafia or Nuestra Familia, has been more associated or allied with Mexican immigrant prisoners. Members of La eMe and exponents of white supremacy theories such as the Aryan Brotherhood would often prey on these individuals, who found themselves lacking the numbers and allies to put up a fight. A deal was struck between the gang and Garcia: Garcia would acquire the drugs, give half to the Texas Syndicate, and sell the other half himself. 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. At a given time, Sandoval would stand guard over hundreds of inmates. The horned hand-sign shows allegiance to . The two inmates snitched for Sandoval and herded him away from troublemakers, admonishing him, Boss, stay away from those guys.. It is a sign of recognition between those that are in the occult. 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.. 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. Murder wasnt his thing. Sandoval described Ellis I warden Jerry Peterson as a good man but a figurehead. 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. Meanwhile, white inmates, tired of being robbed and sexually assaulted by the larger population of black inmates, began the Aryan Brotherhood of Texas. It is seemingly a simple, humble favor asked of men in gray by men in white. So wed just lay back, let him cool down. Blood was gushing out of a hole in his neck; he was unconscious but gasping wildly. The mule, they believed, had done the drugs himself. Federal, state and local police as well as other government officials have succumbed to the money involved in the cannabis cancer. 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. Still, gang members will frequently get tattoos to show their allegiance to their clique. At Ellis I, Sandoval had never seen so many rules enforced so haphazardly. The inmates handed Sandoval a letter, wondering if the guard could mail it for them. To defend themselves against harassment and assault by California prison gangs, they formed their own protection group. Sandoval did not tell his mother why he was such a vulnerable candidate. 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 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. Theres no way to shut them down, Sandoval said. If you fill out the first name, last name, or agree to terms fields, you will NOT be added to the newsletter list. Garcia himself was not a TS member. 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. 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. Bring on the Shiplap. Recalling the letter deliveries and phone messages, Sandoval might have wondered just what he had gotten himself into and how deeply. Mimi Swartz is a staff writer based in Houston. West Texans Are Learning What It Means to Live in Bear Country, H-E-Bs True Texas BBQ Restaurant Is Slipping. Unlike most state crises, there is absolutely no mystery to the takeover of our prisons by violent gangs. 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. The only witnesses who said that Sandoval had anything to do with the murder of inmate Joe Arredondo were two convicted felons: Carlos Rosas, a Texas Syndicate member who confessed to actually stabbing Arredondo but was offered a favorable deal in exchange for his testimony; and Ruben Ortiz, a convicted murderer and Texas Syndicate sex slave who was paroled after he agreed to testify. Prison tattooing is the practice of "getting inked" while behind bars. The short, apple-cheeked Hispanic man with the neatly combed hair and the Howdy Doody grin looked too soft to be an inmate or even a guard. Not everyone was so sympathetic, however. In prison, he had come to learn, if you gave, you got. Two years after lighting his first cigarette, Sandoval was arrested and charged with murder for allegedly aiding a gang plot to kill an inmate. 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. Get these inmates in the chapel, he told them. The court transportation system is the first weak point. texas syndicate hand signs. (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. Theyre gonna say you were in on it. It seemed that everywhere Sandoval went, there was Vicente, pushing his broom across the floor, sometimes waving or offering a greeting to the new boot, but never badgering him. Facebook . 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. When cocaine was cheap, he sold coke; when pure coke became scarce and heroin became abundant, Garcia seized the opportunity. To the public, the saga of Luis Sandoval will be a shocking revelation of how Texas prisons have spawned an organized crime wave that afflicts the entire state. Alcohol was forbidden, yet chock, or homemade wine, was made in a variety of ways in cells, the crudest method being by letting food wrapped in a plastic bag fester in a toilet tank. 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 roles in the Arredondo hit were decided in either the chow hall or the chapel, where numbers were drawn from a cup. One juror phoned Sandovals brother that afternoon and told him that in her view the case against Sandoval was racially motivated. 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. The latter policy would be reversed in the 1980s. But no one suspected a thing. By the end of the eighties, the public fretting over prison gangs had dissipated.