Prison units are individually controlled by a local chairman and vice chairman. West Texas Syndicate has always embraced the spirit of a hardworking, relentless underdog. They specialize in the usual street crimes including robbery, car theft, drug trafficking, assault, and murder, but the 18th Street Gang is also known to have been involved with human trafficking and illegal immigration initiatives. But Ellis I officials, like so many other wardens in the post-Ruiz era, were playing a numbers game. Furthermore, that degree of control has carried to communities in which TS members reside. If the recruit answers, "I will share my umbrella," he is deemed unworthy of membership and becomes a s*x slave. Arturo Gallegos Castrellon, pictured, is serving a life sentence in U.S. federal prison for leading the assassins. After the big lockdown, metal detectors were installed in every prison unit to discourage the carrying of shanks. All of the defendants remain in federal custody. 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. Prisons, crammed with thrill-seekers and outright junkies, provide the ultimate captive consumers. Their initiation ritual for new recruits includes a pledge but also a bath in a mixture of goat's blood, urine, and tripe. Back in late 2014, police estimated their numbers to be over 500, but there is no telling how much that number has grown by now. Chow time meant that vast numbers of inmates would be crowded together in one room. Either way, Sandoval was out. On the way home Sandoval asked his cousin to drive the scenic route. 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. Recruitment is conducted through social ties and involves a background check to screen for informants.[1]. 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. When they got there they found Joe Arredondo lying on his back. The Bloods, Crips, Surenos and Latin Kings are the most active street gangs, while Tango Blast cliques in San Antonio (Orejones) and Austin (La Capirucha) rule the prisons, along with the Texas Mexican Mafia and Aryan Brotherhood. His neck had been slashed; his head was all but severed. In Del Rio, three Texas Syndicate members from Uvalde, TX, face up to life in federal prison after a federal jury convicted them last night of various violations of federal racketeering offenses committed in Uvalde, San Antonio and the surrounding areas announced United States Attorney Robert Pitman. He just got involved with the wrong people.. One day Sandoval received a phone call at work. Leave them on the floor! said Sandoval. 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. 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. Prison officials could boast that their residents stood less chance of being killed than did the average Texas city dweller. 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. Most new members are initiated in a two-step process. Our experienced management team drives success using innovative analytical techniques, coupled with technical rigor and ingenuity to deliver superior returns to investors . Even before the call, Luis Sandoval had been sweating bullets. The Junky Funky Kids, who operate in areas in and around the Cape Flats part of Cape Town, South Africa, are just one of several dangerous gangs that operate in those areas. 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. Rosas would do the killing, while another TS member held Arredondo and two others stood by as lookouts. He grabbed the stash of marijuana he had recently picked up, ran to the bathroom, and flushed it down his toilet. While gang activity is widespread, only about 15 percent have more than 11 members. Even after Arredondos murder, when the Special Prison Prosecution Unit began to gather incriminating evidence against Sandoval, Peterson showed little interest in the details. That afternoon in the interrogation room, Special Prison Prosecution Unit investigator Royce Smithey bore down on Sandoval. On Monday, at eight in the morning, Sandoval reported for duty at the Ellis I training academy in Huntsville. The murder came as a result of the Gulf Cartel hiring the Texas Syndicate to kidnap Serrano from his home in Texas and take him to cartel members in Mexico. 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 letter was not what one might expect from a former prison guard. Dale Schaper dutifully typed up his report, and sent it through the proper channels. Categories Community content is available under CC-BY-SA unless otherwise noted. The United Blood Nation, who still operate to this day in New York, was a gang started back in the early 1990's to protect members from Puerto Rican and Hispanic gangs, such as the Latin Kings and Netas. For several years, they have been using s*xual tactics to get people to join their ranks. After release from prison, a TS member is required to contact the high-ranking member in the geographical area where the released member intends to reside. Sandoval buckled. Pascual Salazar, age 36 of Austin, one kilogram or more of heroin. ISIS calls euphemistically calls this process "marriage"and in many cases, the thought of joining the group is less horrifying for a victim than having to explain to family members what happened. Other chapters of the gang make this cocktail but use the blood of other members and recruits, along with wine and ashes to make it. His father died. Sandoval did as he was asked. Gangs didnt worry about guards; they worried about each other. The 18 second beating is a theme for this gang, and they often employ it as a disciplinary measure when proper respect isn't shown to a leading member or if a member goes against the gang's rules. texas syndicate initiation. The drug trade was lucrative, and Sandoval always seemed to be hurting for money. Members of the Texas Syndicate maintain regular communication with members who have been imprisoned. How to score cheap flights (and mistake fares) in 2023. The next day, Sandoval recalled, I walked into work feeling good. The quality of cocaine is frequently discussed in terms of how pretty or how good the girls are. Payments for drugs are often called receipts and cheese.. (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. 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. At the close of the eighth hour, the shift changes, but the inmates remain. Theyre gonna be looking at you, and all that stuff in the past is gonna come up. 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 attorney was advised that his client would never again wear gray in a state penal institution. Nearly all of them, however, confessed that they knew TDCJ had its share of dirty guards. A certain order prevailed, which stilled the critics and deflected the interest of the media. Everyone wanted informationon the inmates, on their superiors, on their peers. But the first six months is hell. Sandoval was determined to tough it out. No one, he seemed to be suggesting, was capable of telling the truth about Luis Sandovalnot even Sandoval himself. That first week, as he chatted with one of the old boots, the cry came from somewhere behind him: Help me, Boss! Turning around, Sandoval saw a Hispanic inmate standing behind a hallway crash-gate, clinging to the bars with both hands. I was in the dayroom. Between full members and associates both within and outside of the prison system, the group has an estimated membership of around 10,000, and as the name implies, it is a white gang. When cocaine is available, the supplier might tell his customers that he had work available. 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. 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. We know who you take orders from. Their leader is one of the FBI's 10 most wanted criminals. Snow flakes glide gently from the sky.The Farm Hand. Inmates fashioned shanks out of road signs, door hinges, food trays, typewriter platen rods, and field equipment. We know who youre tied to. ), The Sandoval trial was a rare public washing of the Texas penal systems bloodstained linen. But now that seemed the least of Luis Sandovals worries. If a muleta is ordered, the TS will refer to this muleta or order as having a green light.. Chris is a sports enthusiast with a fondness for politics, craft beer, horror movies and travel. It took months before someone looked closely at the gas mask featured on the patch and realized that every correctional officer at the unit had been wearing the letters TS across his forehead. For his trouble, the inmates offered the guard $75. Tri-City Bombers, Latin Kings and Surenos are more active on a street gang level. 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. Sandoval got off in Los Angeles and found his way to Van Nuys, where a cousin put him up in his apartment. Bring a gurney! called the lieutenant. Our prisons, far from turning out reformed citizens, have instead become incubators of a statewide crime wave. [1], The history of the group and documented acts of violence in other jurisdictions warrant their certification as a Security Threat Group. The Texas Syndicate, including its leadership, membership and associates, constitute an enterprise as defined by Title 18, United States Code, Section 1961(4), that is, a group of individuals associated in fact. If the person answers that, he will put down his umbrella and stand in the rain (signifying willingness to share a burden and way of life). 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. Juan Carlos Castilleja, age 29 of New Braunfels, 500 grams or more of methamphetamine; Roman Gabriel Luna, age 34 of Austin, 500 grams or more of methamphetamine/one kilogram of heroin; Brandon Carrasco, age 21 of Kenedy, TX, 50 grams or more of methamphetamine; David Cantu, age 46 of Gonzales, 50 grams or more of methamphetamine; John Vera, age 26 of Gonzales, 50 grams or more of methamphetamine; Josh Vera, age 26 of Gonzales, 50 grams or more of methamphetamine; Lisa Anzaldua, age 31 of Luling, 50 grams or more of methamphetamine; Noemi Medina, age 25 of Seguin, 50 grams or more of methamphetamine; Paul Villarreal, age 45 of Luling, 50 grams or more of methamphetamine; Michael Armstead, age 47 of San Marcos, less than 50 grams of methamphetamine; Steven Klasing, age 37 of Austin, less than 50 grams of methamphetamine/less than 100 grams of heroin; Rafael Salas, age 38 of San Antonio, one kilogram or more of heroin; and. The question was when. He did so and, he told me, was then given $50 by the inmates. We assembled and maintain a team of the best talent with a keen eye on the future. You were in the hallway, Smithey said. The packages, he admitted, most likely contained drugs. First, they have to kill a rival gang member, and once their kill has been confirmed, they are brutally beaten by other members while local leaders count to thirteen slowly. Finally, in areas in which the Gangster Disciples (a rival gang) operate, groups of Latin Kings may drive around showing GD hand symbols and then carry out a drive-by shooting on anyone who flashes the signal back. There are a couple of rituals that are listed among their practices for new members, including r*ping a woman and sustaining a brutal beating. Coded language is frequently utilized in order to mislead law enforcement as to the true message contained in the letters or telephone calls. 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. Thats all they dolook for our weaknesses.. In many places, it is normal to get "jumped in." Popular on college campuses, most fraternities or sororities still have rites of initiation, but the focus is now being put on making the experience fun and mildly embarrassing, rather than something that causes a new member to need therapy. Texas Syndicate members, therefore, generally attempt to conceal their association with the TS from law enforcement. At the Ferguson Unit, for example, guards wore special caps sporting a patch designed by an inmate. So wed just lay back, let him cool down. To make identification difficult for prison officials, most gang members no longer wear tattoos. He had lied to his own investigator, just as inmates and Internal Affairs had lied to the jurors. 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. 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. One juror phoned Sandovals brother that afternoon and told him that in her view the case against Sandoval was racially motivated. Uneasy truces between gangs have developed. 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. 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