Lighting an inmates cigarette is considered an act of friendship or favoritism, and favoritism is forbidden by TDCJ rules. 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. Scroll through the slideshow for 10 facts you need to know about the Texas-Mexico border gang. 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. He was arrested for driving while intoxicated, following a one-car accident that left his limbs temporarily paralyzed. His neck had been slashed; his head was all but severed. Texas Mexican Mafia comes in a distant second with 4,700 members, followed by the Texas Syndicate (3,400 members), Latin Kings (2,100 members) and MS-13 (800 members). West Texas Syndicate has always embraced the spirit of a hardworking, relentless underdog. In some cases, a recruit is instructed to kill two people; either way, a murder is involved. Compared with Luis Sandovals quiet life in Alice, Ellis I must have seemed like an opium den. The two inmates snitched for Sandoval and herded him away from troublemakers, admonishing him, Boss, stay away from those guys.. 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. Other weapons were by-products of inmate ingenuity, as in the case of Cosmo, the death row inmate who fashioned a bomb out of matchstick tips and an asthma inhaler and blew a hole in his cell wall. [3] While the gangs maintains its headquarters in California, there are around 1,000 members in prisons and jails throughout Texas, with many others operating on the outside. Agencies assisting in making arrests include: Karnes County Sheriffs Office, Guadalupe County Sheriffs Office, Comal County Metro Narcotics Task Force, San Marcos Police Department, Hays County Narcotics Task Force and the San Antonio Division of the Drug Enforcement Administration. He called his mother, who begged him to turn himself in. Members of the Texas Syndicate maintain regular communication with members who have been imprisoned. Just as he entered, Sandoval heard someone yell, Hes on the floor! If you tell him, Put that knife down, hell look up at you and say, I aint through yet. These people are serious. The assailant was nowhere in sight. If you last six months in there, youll make it. 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. Prison gangs typically have rules on how to gain admission to the gang. Plain and simple, many young people trying to get into this group are instructed to kill a member of a rival gang. 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. Apple Jack protected his mule, however, and though many knew of the officers extracurriculars, the hammer never fell on him. 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. The defendants are presumed innocent until proven guilty in a court of law. On Sandovals shift alone, at least four or five guards had been busted for bringing drugs into prison, but there were others who hadnt been busted and probably never would be. [2] The Syndicate is the oldest Texan prison gang. Officials knew this meant that every day from three-thirty until after chow time, activities in the narrow corridor went unmonitored. Inmates fashioned shanks out of road signs, door hinges, food trays, typewriter platen rods, and field equipment. In return, the snitch had an oversized cell to himself, plus a hall pass that gave him the run of the unit. The guards were hired. Today, Sandoval says he mailed the letter and others like it with a kind heart but with bad judgment. And in an institution where judgment allowed some inmates to flaunt dangerous weapons while officials looked the other way, mailing the letter seemed like a minor transgression. Prisons, crammed with thrill-seekers and outright junkies, provide the ultimate captive consumers. 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. On Monday, at eight in the morning, Sandoval reported for duty at the Ellis I training academy in Huntsville. For several days, Sandoval read the Bible and considered his options. Joe Arredondo was one of those inmates, an arrogant squirt barely over five feet tall who frequently provoked guards but never got in trouble for it. 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. house for rent waldport oregon; is thanos a villain or anti hero 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. 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. 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. 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. Some are disgusting, some are dehumanizing and shocking, while others are just confusing. West Texas Syndicate Energy. But Arredondo had brought back nothing. Id say about eighty percent of the inmates knew he was dealing clamed one inmate who was close to the action. But the sudden absence of gang wars did not mean that the gangs had gone away. Aside from drug-related operations, the cartel has numerous other interests, including smuggling organs. Not one of them said that Sandoval was a bad officer; many, in fact, went out of their way to laud his abilities. Video cameras monitor the hallways. Like any good criminal organization, there is an interesting ritual for all new members, although there are some variations for different chapters. It was a blind spot, and unit officials hoped the inmates wouldnt notice. Nearly all of them, however, confessed that they knew TDCJ had its share of dirty guards. Youre telling us you saw nothing? I had the burden lifted from my shoulders., You have these inmates, said an Ellis I correctional officer, where you write em up [for rule infractions] and nothing happens. These Texas offenders banded together for protection purposes and became known as one of the most feared prison gangs within the California prison system. That question is something to the effect of "if it is raining, and you have an umbrella but I do not, what would you do?" Within prisons, there are a couple of parts to the initiation process. Push inevitably came to shove: In two separate gang confrontations, the Texans murdered one California inmate and seriously wounded another. The gang, like most prison gangs, has members behind bars and members on the outside, and as of the 2000's, had membership that was in the thousands (about 7,000 in 2005). He continued to walk, step after tortured step, a full fifty yards, before collapsing, dead, in the doorway of the infirmary. The new boot suffered the usual abuse from veterans and inmates. The relationships between gangs and cartels are constant, but show no particular loyalties or allegiances. Change). Now Turner could be seen pushing trash cans down the hall, twirling his knife in the air; nobody took his knife away. 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). I remember when he yelled fight. To the newer guards, Sandovals stature among the inmates was something to behold. There are members in North America, Western Europe, Australia, and of course, all across Asia. 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. Or if they cared to enforce the rule. 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. texas syndicate initiation . The most common form of initiation for a male gang member is. There are a few different methods of initiation in this gang. When he sent the letter off to his mother, he knew it wouldnt be long before law enforcement officials discovered his whereabouts. [1], The history of the group and documented acts of violence in other jurisdictions warrant their certification as a Security Threat Group. There are only weak inmates and strong inmates. Prepare for battle and place the lure in Midnight Den Cull the Alpha Wolf and Pack Travel north east to the Enclave Talk to Aventus Valenti Introduce yourself to Cleo Elsayad Talk to Aventus Valenti Head northeast to the Midnight Den . The members then gather a large amount of fecal matter and urine and proceed to dump it on that new recruit. The new boots new habit, like everything else, was duly noted by the inmates. One of them is fear. In 1978, in California, making the Texas Syndicate the oldest prison gang in Texas' history. The rules of the Texas Syndicate prohibit the distribution of information regarding fellow members to law enforcement. Not everyone was so sympathetic, however. 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. Like a few other gangs that made it to our list, there are a few different ways to get into Mara Salvatrucha (MS-13). house for rent waldport oregon; is thanos a villain or anti hero The TS rules provide that the TS is to come before family. They were founded in Nigeria over a decade ago, but now operate in several African countries. Everyone wanted informationon the inmates, on their superiors, on their peers. Upon conviction of the drug trafficking charge: Castilleja, Luna, Salazar, Salas and Alvarez face between ten years and life in federal prison; Jimenez-Jaimes, Carrasco, Cantu, Accord, John Vera, Josh Vera, Anzaldua, Medina, Villarreal and May face between five and 40 years in federal prison; Armstead and Klasing face up to 20 years in federal prison based on their involvement, drug type and drug amount involved. Texas chain with San Antonio bakeries files for bankruptcy, Report: San Antonio Rep. 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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. 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. Arturo Gallegos Castrellon, pictured, is serving a life sentence in U.S. federal prison for leading the assassins. 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. 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. I could watch him deal with inmates and think, This guy knows something I dont know., One evening, while gazing out from his apartment balcony, Sandoval saw a car drive slowly by. Garcia, a four-time loser serving a life sentence for repeated theft and heroin offenses, was one of the friendlier inmates: 33 years old but actually grandfatherly in demeanora gentleman, you could almost sayquiet and unthreatening. He grabbed the stash of marijuana he had recently picked up, ran to the bathroom, and flushed it down his toilet. When cocaine is available, the supplier might tell his customers that he had work available. The impulse is to accommodate the inmate, since prisonsspiritual wastelands of concrete and metalcry out for random acts of human kindness. 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. 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