Theres no way to shut them down, Sandoval said. But I was a good officer. Thus, the former good officer now wished to disavow everything he had told me earlier. 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. Of course, sometimes a hazing ritual goes too far. The decision was reached: Arredondo would be taken down. Bring on the Shiplap? One juror phoned Sandovals brother that afternoon and told him that in her view the case against Sandoval was racially motivated. Look, man, I think Im being watched, Sandoval told Garcia the next day. 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. Some are disgusting, some are dehumanizing and shocking, while others are just confusing. 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). Mungiki is a religious/ethnic sect in Kenya. When asked on the witness stand if the hallway was ever undermanned, the reply of Nolan McCoolanother officer working the B-wing that afternoonwas emphatic: Constantly.. 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. 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. This practice violated the Ruiz stipulation that an officer must be present at all times at any entrance or exit of the main building. In prison, he had come to learn, if you gave, you got. Texas Syndicate. Click Expand to view. Our prisons, far from turning out reformed citizens, have instead become incubators of a statewide crime wave. 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. Are you on trial or is TDC on trial?. Not one of them said that Sandoval was a bad officer; many, in fact, went out of their way to laud his abilities. After the trial, Sandovals attorney, Steve Fischer, contacted TDCJ officials and asked them to let bygones be bygones. If you are switching factions, you will need to leave your company in order to change to Syndicate. 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. On the other hand, if his superiors caught him delivering inmate mail, they could fire him on the spot. In 2006, Andres Garcia was arrested for allegedly luring George Garza, a member of rival Valluco prison gang, and then stabbing him to death. Had Schapers investigation been thorough, this denial might have seemed implausible to the jury. In 1978, in California, making the Texas Syndicate the oldest prison gang in Texas' history. Sometimes, that person is allowed to chose between taking out a prison guard or a rival gang member, but other times, the decision is made by the member in a position of leadership. 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. 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. Such communication is often through letters and telephone calls. That beating often takes the form of "running the gauntlet," in which a recruit is forced to run between two lines of members who are armed withwellwhatever weapons they can get their hands on. They blew the paycheck on the slot machines; they had a wonderful time. Get these inmates in the chapel, he told them. At Ellis I, Sandoval had never seen so many rules enforced so haphazardly. 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. Scroll through the slideshow for 10 facts you need to know about the Texas-Mexico border gang. I was a damn good officer, he told both me and them. Join The Syndicate Speak with representative Astrid in the Syndicate Enclave and, should you desire, join the Syndicate Go up the stairs within the Enclave to speak with Astrid. (LogOut/ ), The Sandoval trial was a rare public washing of the Texas penal systems bloodstained linen. There are examples of people dying or being seriously injured during initiation stunts gone wrong. Not everyone was so sympathetic, however. 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. Initiation into the group comes from other members, and members are required to make a life-long commitment. Gangs didnt worry about guards; they worried about each other. Bring a gurney! called the lieutenant. And call for a gurney.. Theyd say, Dont mess with him., The new boot thereby became a feared boss among bosses. If you work at any time for the TDCJ, said assistant prosecutor Burt Neal Tuck Tucker during the first day of testimony, you know how powerful the Texas Syndicate can be.. texas syndicate initiation. Like any good criminal organization, there is an interesting ritual for all new members, although there are some variations for different chapters. The Texas Syndicate (Spanish: Sindicato Tejano) is a mostly Texas -based street and prison gang consisting of predominantly Mexican American membership. Membership is for life. Dale Schaper dutifully typed up his report, and sent it through the proper channels. The following day, Chaplain Alexander Taylor, who witnessed Sandovals efforts, wrote the CO III a letter of commendation. Sandoval got off in Los Angeles and found his way to Van Nuys, where a cousin put him up in his apartment. Arredondo was a Texas Syndicate member. I looked up and as he was running by, he looked at melike he wanted to cry, you know? 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. According to a US Justice Department press release: Texas Syndicate, a criminal organization whose members and associates engage in acts of violence, including murder, conspiracy to commit murder, extortion and narcotics distribution. He was accused of leaving a door unsecured and unguarded as part of a murder plot. Detention hearings are expected to occur over the next two weeks in U.S. Magistrate Court in Austin for all defendants except May. texas syndicate initiation. 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. A member who has fallen out of favor might also be referred to in the feminine form. 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. The organization, also known as Los Barrios, derives some of its strength through alliances with Mexican drug cartels. Sandoval told me that he took the money, though he denied it in court. Prison officials could boast that their residents stood less chance of being killed than did the average Texas city dweller. But for males who want to get into the United Bloods, they usually have to endure a vicious beating (generally 31 seconds) or give a member of a rival gang a "buck-50," which is a slash across the face that requires a hundred and fifty stitches. In 1850, the population of New York City had soared to well over one-half million residents. The soldiers and prospectos (prospects) are often used to carry out violent TS business. 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. Any violation of the rules may result in harsh penalties, including death. West Texas Syndicate Energy. He just got involved with the wrong people.. Prison units are individually controlled by a local chairman and vice chairman. 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. [4] [5] Contents 1 Overview 1.1 Criminal activity 2 Structure Coded language is commonly utilized during drug related phone calls. 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. He would stand at the searchers desk like he was running the building, Sandoval said. 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. Sandoval got up, ran into the hallway, and yelled fight twice. RELATED:21 alleged members of drug cartel-affiliated Barrio Azteca gang arrested in West Texas. However, they also have plenty of killers who ruthlessly hunt down members of rival gangs. The investigators didnt tell me much, nor was I particularly inquisitive, he said. 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. 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. In contrast, sixteen current or former Ellis I employees testified. 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. They are affiliated with local prison gangs and often stock their ranks with young children, some in their early teens (not an uncommon practice for gangs in general). So it may be a week or a month or a yearbut that hit is on.. While the Texas Syndicate is primarily a prison-based gang, they have many members who operate on the outside. And were there in it. I wasn't a BeyHive member. Take over the hallway for me, Sandoval said to his subordinate while handing him his keys. Use Next and Previous buttons to navigate. He grabbed the stash of marijuana he had recently picked up, ran to the bathroom, and flushed it down his toilet. 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. This is a carousel. Jun 29, 2022. ogden clinic cardiology . However, in the world of criminal gangs, where there is concern for nothing more than loyalty, initiation rites take a different and terrifying form. 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. Other gangs have a voting system to determine whether the member is initiated or not. While accurate numbers are difficult to come up with (do we include associates or just full members? He squinted through the smoke and the bars and the memories. If a muleta is ordered, the TS will refer to this muleta or order as having a green light.. Blood was gushing out of a hole in his neck; he was unconscious but gasping wildly. We know who youre tied to. Relying on American trained experts with global experience, we have created an open minded culture with a never ending drive for innovation. Change), You are commenting using your Facebook account. Their members are behind the killing of a pregnant U.S. consulate and her husband. 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. On August 26, 1990, a death row inmate proved his loyalty to the Aryan Brotherhood during his daily recreation hour by strangling a black inmate in a recreation yard with a jump rope while the latter was performing oral sex on the former. The money chiefly comes from drugs. It took the jury 33 minutes to decide that Sandoval was not guilty. Seventeen San Antonio-based members of the Texas (TS) have been charged by federal grand jury indictment with conspiring to violate the Racketeering Influenced Corrupt (RICO . A long, metal objecta homemade knife, or shankprotruded from his jugular. But he also acknowledged that he had made mistakes; and to me, though not to the jury, he confessed that one of those mistakes was bringing drugs into Ellis I. He was arrested for driving while intoxicated, following a one-car accident that left his limbs temporarily paralyzed. Here are fifteen of the most troubling and horrifying gang initiation rituals around the world. (Officials also say the Texas Syndicate is far more selective and does not, for example, recruit homosexuals.) 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. 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.. Beneath the cosmetic alterations, however, things at Ellis I are just as Sandoval left them. 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