Mimi Swartz is a staff writer based in Houston. Jun 29, 2022. ogden clinic cardiology . 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. Other gangs have a voting system to determine whether the member is initiated or not. This case resulted from an investigation conducted by the FBI Safe Streets Task Force, Austin Police Department, Texas Department of Public Safety and the Gonzales Police Department. 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. After being released from California prisons these inmates returned to Texas, often returning to violence and re-entering the prison system. 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and at one time White members (The organization at one time did allow non-Hispanic members to join, but that policy was repealed in the 1980s). Theyd say, Dont mess with him., The new boot thereby became a feared boss among bosses. App., 2008) On Dec. 21, 2006, Texas Syndicate members are arrested for the contract killing of Julio A. Serrano. However if a member is not deemed worthy to be initiated, the denied appellant could end up becoming victimized by the gang, such as making the person pay money for protection and be put to work for the gang through prostitution. 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. Gangs still terrorize the prisons. Without drugs, gangs would have little income; without income, they would have little power over the system. [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. During August and September of 1985, a long-standing rivalry between the Mexican Mafia and the TS exploded into a free-for-all throughout the prison system, leaving eleven inmates dead. Sandoval was one of the officers I wanted to be like, said one correctional officer whom Sandoval helped train. Sandoval figured the odds were about even. In fact, his disciplinary record was almost spotless, and he enjoyed the privileged position of commissary clerk. However, it counts among its rivals some cartel heavyweights such as the Sinaloa Cartel, headed by notorious drug lordJoaqun "El Chapo" Guzmn, and the Jalisco New Generation Cartel. The inmates handed Sandoval a letter, wondering if the guard could mail it for them. 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. Tri-City Bombers, Latin Kings and Surenos are more active on a street gang level. Their members are behind the killing of a pregnant U.S. consulate and her husband. College Fraternities are a basis of social support and are a useful means of college students to feel part of a group and not isolated from other college students. Members of the TS are bound by a set of strict rules which ensure loyalty to and participation in the enterprises criminal activities. 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. The TS will not hesitate to kill anyone who interferes with the business of the gang or who commits a violation of Texas Syndicate rules. Sandoval was then ordered to take off his uniform and replace it with inmate furlough clothes. The next day, Sandoval recalled, I walked into work feeling good. 01-07-00443-CR (Tex. When Luis Sandoval went to work for the Texas prison system, he did the wrong favors for the wrong people. 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. The enterprise constitutes an ongoing organization whose members function as a continuing unit for a common purpose of achieving the objectives of the enterprise. Theyre gonna be looking at you, and all that stuff in the past is gonna come up. The answer was always no said former Ellis I officer Nolan McCool, If the opportunity exists, theyre gonna make the hit. 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. Chris is a sports enthusiast with a fondness for politics, craft beer, horror movies and travel. I knew he didnt have nothing to do with it. In many places, it is normal to get "jumped in." Were he to pay his old workplace a visit, Luis Sandoval would notice several changes at Ellis I. Since the late 1970s, the TDCJ has seen a gradual increase in TS-related activities within the system and the Texas Syndicate remains one of the main security threats within the TDCJ. Such communication is often through letters and telephone calls. Fill in your details below or click an icon to log in: You are commenting using your WordPress.com account. In 1978, in California, making the Texas Syndicate the oldest prison gang in Texas' history. [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. They were founded in Nigeria over a decade ago, but now operate in several African countries. (LogOut/ DPS also cited the 2014 indictment of 55 Barrio Azteca members and associates as handicapping the gang's effectiveness. 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. 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. 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. 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. 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. The Mac Baller Brims are a relatively small group operating in New York City, but they have made a mark on that area through brutality both inside and outside of the prison system. 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. I remember when he yelled fight. Sandoval came to enjoy these moments. Prison units are individually controlled by a local chairman and vice chairman. Rank is taking care of them.. Like any good criminal organization, there is an interesting ritual for all new members, although there are some variations for different chapters. 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. It was a pleasure to deal with an inmate man to man, for once. Most new members are initiated in a two-step process. The group control certain parts of major cities in Kenya and generally recruit youths from poor neighborhoods. And were there in it. 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. texas syndicate initiation . The Texas Syndicate (Spanish: Sindicato Tejano) is a mostly Texas-based street and prison gang consisting of predominantly Mexican American membership. Texas Syndicate, a criminal organization whose members and associates engage in acts of violence, including murder, conspiracy to commit murder, extortion and narcotics distribution.. Coded language is frequently utilized in order to mislead law enforcement as to the true message contained in the letters or telephone calls. His father died. Of course, sometimes a hazing ritual goes too far. Syndicate Initiation : Over The Cliffs, And Through The Woods - New WordJoin this channel to get access to perks:https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCW2N5MbCNEM. 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. He was muling, said McDonald. 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. Several weeks after the jurys verdict, he told me over the phone that he wished to recant everything he had said to me on tape about his involvement with drugs. 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. This practice violated the Ruiz stipulation that an officer must be present at all times at any entrance or exit of the main building. Roughly 33 percent of gang members entering the Texas Department of Criminal Justice system in 2014 were from the southeast Texas region, with 90 percent of those coming from Greater Houston. The so-called "hybrid members" allow the gangs to grow their empires with increased influence both in prisons and on the streets. Jos R. Ralat is Texas Monthlys taco editor, writing about tacos and Mexican food. Change). Not one of them pinned the murder of Joe Arredondo on Sandoval. He lives in Ottawa, Canada, a desolate wasteland that nobody should call home. With what was left of his final J.C. Penney paycheck, Sandoval and his cousin drove to Las Vegas, a place Sandoval had always yearned to visit. The Triad is the most widely-recognized of Chinese gangs and has chapters all over the world; basically anywhere in which there is a large Chinese community. 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. Not only was the event novel at the time, it started the trend of airfield racing across the country. The DPS projects Bandidos members will attempt to change their public perception by adding new members with clean criminal backgrounds and organizing charity events. While this may not be the only initiation used by the Texas Syndicate, it is a popular one and frankly makes the most practical sense in terms of actually advancing the gang's goals. 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. The procedure is referred to as clearing a TS member or running the lights. Members in prison were cleared by exhibiting documentation such as plea agreements, presentence investigation reports, judgments or other case-related document, to enable higher-ranking members to verify that the person to be cleared did not cooperate with law enforcement. Murder wasnt his thing. However, in the world of criminal gangs, where there is concern for nothing more than loyalty, initiation rites take a different and terrifying form. Upon Arredondos return, they ushered the inmate to an infirmary cell, where a guard stood nearby, waiting for Arredondos bowels to evacuate a container of drugs. 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. He squinted through the smoke and the bars and the memories. 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. This past May, the bullet-riddled body of Mexican Mafia member Andres Sampyro was found in a San Antonio barrio. Sandoval described Ellis I warden Jerry Peterson as a good man but a figurehead. house for rent waldport oregon; is thanos a villain or anti hero 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. Im on trial, sir, conceded the polite young man in the pin-striped suit who sat in the witness stand. Eventually, Sandoval agreed to bring drugs into Ellis I. Sandoval caught one inmate with a homemade oven and a laundry basket filled with about fifty prime-cut steaks. 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. 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