TS rules are strictly enforced, primarily resulting in violent attacks on and executions of TS members who violate their rules. After being released from California prisons these inmates returned to Texas, often returning to violence and re-entering the prison system. One Ellis I officer reported that in 1986, between one hundred and two hundred gallons of chock was discovered on a weekly basis within the unit. He just got involved with the wrong people.. The corridor where Joe Arredondo was murdered is now permanently guarded. Like any good businessman, Garcia kept a close eye on the marketplace. And as you work there, you tend to become a product of your environment. 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. The 1985 lockdown put a damper on the atmosphere but not on the flow of drugs. 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. The enterprise constitutes an ongoing organization whose members function as a continuing unit for a common purpose of achieving the objectives of the enterprise. At Ellis I, Sandoval had never seen so many rules enforced so haphazardly. Armando Garcia had seen this coming. At the Ferguson Unit, for example, guards wore special caps sporting a patch designed by an inmate. 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. Sandoval got off in Los Angeles and found his way to Van Nuys, where a cousin put him up in his apartment. Rumor had it that inmate Jesse Turner had stood between an inmate and a prison official and had taken the blade himself. However, they also have plenty of killers who ruthlessly hunt down members of rival gangs. Throughout the Sandoval trial, guards on the witness stand were asked if they had ever stopped a gang member from murdering an inmate. Absolutely not. Unlike most state crises, there is absolutely no mystery to the takeover of our prisons by violent gangs. If you tell him, Put that knife down, hell look up at you and say, I aint through yet. These people are serious. texas syndicate initiation. (Fong 41) This requirement, which exists in the case of the Texas Syndicate and Mexican Mafia for example, serves as a means of sponsorship, so therefore anyone interested in joining the gang, their trustworthiness can be verified if a current gang member is familiar with them. Push inevitably came to shove: In two separate gang confrontations, the Texans murdered one California inmate and seriously wounded another. He did not turn himself in. 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. The other factor that has led guards to traffic in drugs is the peculiar morality of Ellis I, where rules are never universally applied and the use of drugs is so widespread that officials have to knowand acceptthat prison guards are involved in the supply chain. Later, Vicente asked the guard if a free world individual could mail Sandoval two money orders, which Sandoval would cash and then bring the $250 to the inmates. 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. Extra guards to supervise the gathering had to come from some other post. In a sense, you become a convict also.. Blood was gushing out of a hole in his neck; he was unconscious but gasping wildly. By that time, things were quiet again at Ellis I. On this Wikipedia the language links are at the top of the page across from the article title. A fresh take on sports: the biggest news and most entertaining lists. Syndicate Initiation : Over The Cliffs, And Through The Woods - New WordJoin this channel to get access to perks:https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCW2N5MbCNEM. 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. Prison Gangs, affecting American Prisons atLarge. The attorney was advised that his client would never again wear gray in a state penal institution. The recruitment techniques of gangs vary from gang to gang, but generally, they have some common recruitment techniques and requirements. He was whisked off to the Walker County jail. As the free world would have it, there are good inmates and bad inmates. No one, he seemed to be suggesting, was capable of telling the truth about Luis Sandovalnot even Sandoval himself. The gangs alleged leader Eduardo Ravela is on the FBIs Top Ten most wanted list. 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. Either the guard didnt know what was going on, or he did. Mungiki is a religious/ethnic sect in Kenya. The Barrio Azteca gang is known to engage in a wide range of criminal activity including contract killing, murder, torture, drug trafficking and human trafficking among other offenses. The 18th Street Gang has grown from a small group in Los Angeles to a criminal empire with influence that stretches and indeed dominates the streets of areas of central America and Mexico, along with having operations in several European countries. 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. City Employees Are Heading for the Exits. Formed in the California prison system in the 1970s by incarcerated Tejanos, the Texas Syndicate sought protection against Californios. Within prisons, there are a couple of parts to the initiation process. Sandoval took a step toward the crashgate but was held back by the more experienced guard. 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. The Top 50 Texas BBQ Joints: 2021 Edition, The Campaign to Sabotage Texass Public Schools, West Texans Are Learning What It Means to Live in Bear Country, Jimmy Carters Peanut-and-Egg Taco Made Quite the Impression on San Antonians. However, DPS downgraded the threat posed by the Barrio Azteca gang in 2015 after considering it among the state's most violent Texas-based gangs since 2010. 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. They were founded in Nigeria over a decade ago, but now operate in several African countries. West Texas Syndicate has always embraced the spirit of a hardworking, relentless underdog. One of them is fear. Beneath them in the gang hierarchy are captains, lieutenants, sergeants of arms, and numerous soldiers. Arturo Gallegos Castrellon, pictured, is serving a life sentence in U.S. federal prison for leading the assassins. Other members have been instructed to attack strangers or cops, and of course, many of the women who get into this gang do so by offering themselves to multiple members. When cocaine was cheap, he sold coke; when pure coke became scarce and heroin became abundant, Garcia seized the opportunity. 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. [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. Ten Ellis I guards who worked with Sandoval testified that they had no knowledge that Sandoval was involved in drug transactions with prison gangs. The rules of the Texas Syndicate prohibit the distribution of information regarding fellow members to law enforcement. Examples of coded language indicating that someone is to be eliminated include putting an X over the name of the individual or by referring to this targeted individual as X. Additionally, TS members will state that this targeted individual has a green light, or has been designated as a muleta (problem). Joshua Fechter is a reporter covering City Hall and San Antonio politics for the Express-News. Fill in your details below or click an icon to log in: You are commenting using your WordPress.com account. Today supervisors advise guards: We cannot stop a hit. The drug trade was lucrative, and Sandoval always seemed to be hurting for money. Then, the new recruit is expected to participate in the kill. The field for their activities, though fertile, was finite, thus making turf wars inevitable. They are primarily poor children and in some cases orphans. The officials fitted Sandoval with handcuffs, leg irons, and a belly chain. 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. 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. Texas Syndicate Gang Members. If he refused to do the favor, they could always snitch on him for lighting an inmates cigarettethough Sandoval didnt think either was that type of inmate. If they dont make this hit, theyll become the person to get hit. Armando, I cant jeopardize my life, man., Garcia took the story to the Texas Syndicate. The prosecutors of Luis Sandoval not only conceded this but went out of their way to make it part of their case. Yes, he had made the phone calls. (LogOut/ 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. The youth gangs havent caused trouble yet, but the realities of prison life suggest that this will surely change. When they got there they found Joe Arredondo lying on his back. document.getElementById( "ak_js_1" ).setAttribute( "value", ( new Date() ).getTime() ); The experiences of being involved in Prison Gangs. Everybody knew about this scum. Yet Apple Jack went unpunished: He tithed a share of his profits to the Texas Syndicate and gave the supervisors something to crow about by setting up a guard now and then. 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