These would mostly come to life within the prison system; both as a physical response to assaults and as a way to achieve greater racial unity. Mr. Mata was murdered for his failure to follow TS rules. "The Albanian Mafia seems to have established good working relationships with the Italian Mafia". (El Paso Times), In 2007, 23 Texas Syndicate members are arrested in cities all over the state of Texas on drug trafficking charges. In Games The videogame Grand Theft Auto IV features the "Petrela gang" a small crew of Albanian shylocks and goods smugglers. Authorities contend that in the past decade, members of the Texas Syndicate, which is the state's original prison gang, have carried out at least 50 murders, solved or unsolved, in addition. Now, more than ever, the world needs trustworthy reportingbut good journalism isn't free. a deadly weapon in 2001 at the Federal Correctional Institute (El Paso Times), On August 17, 1997, Texas Syndicate members murder Gerardo Garcia in the El Paso County Jail. Texas Syndicate Members: 1,300 Location: Prison. maintain their headquarters in California, where their national This included its leader Alex Rudaj , and effectively ended the criminal organization. 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. Throughout that specific decade, the state of California saw the birth of several criminal organizations. Italians. February 25, 2023 6 min read. (Gang Intelligence 101), In 1990, Texas Syndicate members murder two Houston-area parolees, Anthony Rosalio Acosta, 42, and Jimmy Lopez Rangel, 29, in a desert southeast of El Paso. Thus, in many areas of Italy, the market for cannabis, prostitution, and smuggling is run mainly by Albanians. As the organization continued growing, drug trafficking came to be one of their favorite activities and sources of income. As of 2000, the Texas Syndicate had about 19,000 In " We Own the Night "; A final drug transaction is made with the Albanian Mafia. Our team of syndicate experts spend hours selecting only the very best opportunities in betting tips for you to cash out at the window. The . Concerning "loyalty", "honor" and family (blood relations and marriage being very important) most of the Albanian networks seem to be "old-fashioned". Syndicate Member Fort Worth Stock Show and Rodeo Jul 2020 Member Board Of Trustees City of Midland Aquatics May 2018 . DEA: Dozens of Texas Syndicate gang members arrested after surprise operation (Photo: DEA) McALLEN, Texas ( WOAI/KABB) They're one of the most notorious gangs in Texas - the Texas. brandi harris said, "has been dropped after going on a racist tirade". According to Ioannis Michaletos, the family structure is characterized by a strong inner discipline, which is achieved by a means of punishment for every deviation from the internal rules, so that the fear should guarantee an unconditional loyalty to the family, with the provisions of the official laws considered to be secondary, not important and non-binding. The Justice Department says the "Texas Syndicate is one of the largest and most violent prison gangs active on both sides of the U.S.-Mexico border. The Aztecas murder their TS victim by slamming his head through jail bars. The Texas Syndicate is a dominant prison gang in Texas. Guillermo has also worked in Central America, Mexico, New Mexico, Arizona and California and his work has appeared in various publications, including the Los Angeles Times, New York Times, New York Post, Newsday, Denver Post and the Albuquerque Journal. Convicted killer Mike Mendoza Jr. shows his only "free-world" tattoo - "TS" for Texas Syndicate - in an interview. Ismail Lika : Ismail Lika was an Albanian mobster active in New York City in the 1980s. Member since Apr 2022. against the historical "building tenders" in prison. Arnold Darby, 62, is one of the few white men ever accepted into the Syndicate and one of the oldest survivors from the original Syndicate soldiers. In the French movie The Nest the plot centers around an Albanian mob boss in police custody being escorted to The Hague. upon institutional reclassification. The remaining 13 defendants, including former Bandera County Sheriffs Deputy Thomas Cuellar, pleaded guilty prior to trial to conspiring to distribute controlled substances in the Uvalde and Hondo areas. It is the toughest way to do time. He was walking on Airline Boulevard when a deputy asked him to drop the knife. unit is controlled by a chairman, who oversees a vice chairman, As of 2000, the Texas Syndicate had about 1,000 members in prisons and jails state-wide, with many more on the outside. Drug Trafficking, Murder, Robbery, Allies: Border Brothers, Tri City Bombers, Texas Mafia, Dirty White Boys, Rivals: Mexikanemi, Mexican Mafia, Nuestra Familia, Aryan Brotherhood, Mandingo Warriors, Black Guerrilla Family, In 1970, The Texas Syndicate is founded by Juan Pajaro Solis-Vela and Francisco Panchito Gonzales in Californias Folsom prison. Judge Moses sentenced the remaining ten defendants, all of whom pleaded guilty prior to jury selection to conspiracy to violate the RICO statute, to prison terms ranging from five years to life. The video shows how the TS spread back to Texas and into the Fede. Just this January, three were sentenced in the Rio Grande Valley to life without parole. Structure The typical structure of the Albanian Mafia is hierarchical. Albanian gangsters were also involved in the largest cash robbery in British crime history, the 53 million (about US$92.5 million at the time of the robbery) Securitas heist in 2006. Sorted by District. "We don't tolerate none of our members who do that," Mendoza said in a face-to-face interview at a state penitentiary about 25 miles outside Huntsville. in the 80s for a prison-murder. They have been reported in the Federal Correctional Institute at Oakdale, Louisiana, and in San Quentin, California, with frequency. 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. "On the 27th of July 1999 police in Durres (Albania), with Italian assistance arrested one of the godfathers of the "Sacra Corona Unita", Puglias Italian Mafia. AUSTIN (KXAN) The largest gang in Texas makes up 20 percent of the 100,000 estimated gang members in the state, according to the Department of Public Safety's Texas Gang Threat Assessment.. Plaurent "Lenti" Dervisha : On the Interpol's and FBI's most wanted list as being the leading member of a criminal organization based out of Durrs , Albania , who Albanian authorities say is the brother-in-law of Lul Berisha ;a reputed leader of one of the 15 mafia families. Slang terms: "Babydoll" refers to Mexican Mafia members. This narcotics distribution ring was connected to and associated with the Texas Syndicate prison gang. Members of La eMe and exponents of white supremacy theories such as the Aryan Brotherhood would often prey on these individuals, who found themselves lacking the numbers and allies to put up a fight. ), 1997), In 1990, the Mexikanemi and Texas Syndicate agree on a truce. Online. The incident came at a time when the Texas Syndicate was warring with another gang in San Antonio. Plays from us will be very limited and released between 11am and 12 Noon daily.VIP Sports Syndicate is for members only. As a result, Cuellar faces up to twenty years in federal prison on the drug charge and up to five years in federal prison on the unlawful access charge. of cocaine, and distributing more than 80 pounds per week. Our reporters want to hear from you. 2018) The Fifth Circuit affirmed defendants' convictions and sentences arising from their participation in racketeering activities that centrally involve violence, murder, and the distribution of drugs for the Texas Syndicate gang in Uvalde, Texas. Most are retribution hits on their own members, associates or rivals, according to authorities. On April 2, 2013, Cuellar pleaded guilty to one count of unlawful use of a government computer and one count of possession with intent to distribute cocaine. He killed Isaac Benavidez, 26, in an attack that a state prosecutor who is now a judge described as "an absolutely senseless, cold-blooded killing" in which the victim was "gutted like a deer.". Chief U.S. District Judge Fred Biery set sentencing for Aug. 24. Roberto Saviano, The Italian writer, a good expert of Neapolitan Camorra and the Italian mafia in general, spoke of the Albanian mafia as a no longer foreign mafia to Italy and stressed that the Albanians and Italians have a "brotherly" relationship between each other. In 1994, Arnulfo Nino was leader in the federal prison at Fort Jose Daniel Flores, aka "Cuate," 43, was sentenced to 360 months in prison after pleading guilty in March to intent to distribute heroin. The court held that there was sufficient evidence to convict . Jurors convicted 37-year-old Eli Torres of Uvalde of conspiracy to possess with the intent to distribute 500 grams or more of cocaine from August 1, 2009, until September 28, 2011. The Morello-Terranova brothers soon started taking over the growing Little Italy in East Harlem, by using the Black Hand technique of extorting small business and running illegal gambling operations. Vice squad officers estimate that "Albanians now control more than 75 per cent of the countrys brothels and their operations in Londons Soho alone are worth more than 15 million a year." According to court documents Carlos Caro was a member of the Texas Syndicate prison gang and guards would find his cellmate dead in his cell with a towel tied around his throat. Dossier K , a Belgian crime thriller, portrays the Albanian mafia in Belgium . $99.99 Buy Now Guaranteed Ultimate Texas Syndicate Play The only known members are Dardan Petrela, Kalem Vulaj, and Bledar Morina. The Texas Senate is composed of 31 members who represent 31 separate geographical districts in the state. Report: Houston is the No. The latter policy would be reversed in the 1980s. These folks have 22," federal prosecutor Robert Wells Jr. told Valley jurors in a case in which three Syndicate members got life. . Authorities contend they have crippled the gang by sending key leaders, soldiers and associates to prison in the past decade. Coppola later moved to South Florida and effectively retired. "It is the person you trust the most who will be whacking you," said a Texas Department of Public Safety lieutenant who supervises the major gang squad and has spent much of his career investigating Latino gangs. Jurors found that Torres participated in this drug distribution ring as a member of the TS prison gang using the gangs drug distribution connections to aid him in obtaining cocaine to sell on the streets of Uvalde from August 1, 2009, until September 28, 2011. Rivals: Mexican Mafia, Tengo Blast, Nuestra Familia. (Associated Press) In 1995, the Barrio Azteca stop the growth of an up and coming prison gang called the West Texas Carnales. Belgium The Albanian mafia has deep roots in Belgium, which was recently a topic of a special programme on Belgian RTBF Channel One. Speaking anonymously for Philadelphia's City Paper a member of the " Kielbasa Posse ", an ethnic Polish mob group, declared in 2002 that Poles are willing to do business with "just about anybody. Yet, the New Yorker's critic said, "Viewers may find . Thousands of the gang's members are locked up in state and federal prisons, but even more are on the streets today, their wrath chilling. . The Texas Sydicate has approximately 1,300 members, the majority of whom are Mexican American males aged between 20 and 40. Cassiano also was found guilty of two counts of conspiracy to commit violent crime in aid of racketeering for his role in the murder of Jose Guadalupe de la Garza and the November 9, 2009, murder of Jesse James Polanco in Uvalde. Perez and 12 other west Texas residents, including three other members of the Texas Syndicate, were arrested in early June 2016 by Special Agents with the DEA and the Texas Department of Public Safety, with assistance from the Big Spring, Sundown, and Levelland Police Departments, the Howard County and Lubbock County Sheriff's Offices, the U.S. "The road for arms and people, meaning illegal immigrants destined for Europe, is in Albanian hands." Top Gear , a British car show, featured an episode (comedy) in which they tested three luxury automakers; Rolls-Royce Ghost , Mercedes-Benz S-Class , and Bentley Mulsanne , to see which would be best suitable for Albanian Mafia bosses. In this photo, a corrections officer keeps watch outside the Huntsville Unit prison, Huntsville. In addition to the conspiracy charge, jurors convicted: The following 11 co-defendants are awaiting sentencing after pleading guilty prior to trial to violating the RICO statute: Sotero Rodriguez Martinez (a.k.a. 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