Texas Syndicate: Prison Gang Profile

Reported US prison locations

In 1978, in California, making the Texas Syndicate the oldest prison gang in Texas' history.

Latest News...

4/23/2007
One man charged over the weekend
...has confirmed the people involved in a drive-by shooting near the Hidalgo County Courthouse are Texas Syndicate gang members

3/7/2007
Suspected Texas Syndicate member arrested
A 30-year-old suspected Texas Syndicate gang member wanted on federal drug charges and

2/23/2007
Agent describes violent acts of alleged Syndicate members
An FBI agent gave a detailed account Thursday about the vicious tactics used by the Texas Syndicate

2/6/2007
Gang member sentenced to prison
A member of the Texas Syndicate gang was sentenced to federal prison Monday for orchestrating a smuggling operation that brought cocaine on ..

As of 2000, the Texas Syndicate had about 1,000 members in prisons and jails state-wide, with many more on the outside.

826 Hispanic members operate across Texas, including specific reportings in the Coffield Unit, about 60 miles southwest of Tyler, and at the Allred prison unit outside of Wichita Falls. However, they still maintain their headquarters in California, where their national president resides, and their numbers continue to reach into state and federal prisons across the US. They have been reported in the Federal Correctional Institute at Oakdale, Louisiana, and in San Quentin, Calfornia, with frequency. As a street gang, heavy activity has been reported in Austin, Texas, and Corpus Christi, Texas..

Rivals of the Texas Syndicate have included or presently include:

Texas EME
Vallucos

Development of the Texas Syndicate was initially motivated by self-protection against the historical "building tenders" in prison. After building tenders disappeared, the Syndicate's activities turned to drug trafficking, extortion, prostitution, protection, gambling, and contract murder. Released or parole members who generate money for the Texas Syndicate must surrender a 10% tax of all proceeds toward the gang in prison.

TS has a paramilitary structure, headed by a president and vice president elected by the general member population. Each prison unit is controlled by a chairman, who oversees a vice chairman, captain, lieutenant, sergeant of arms, and numerous soldiers. Ranking members in prison are automatically demoted to the level of soldier upon institutional reclassification.

Texas Syndicate members are required to follow a "Constitution," stipulating that members:

Be a Texan
Always remain a member
Place the Texas Syndicate before anything else
Understand that the Texas Syndicate is always in the right
Wear the Texas Syndicate tattoo
Never let a member down
Respect other members
Keep all gang information within the group (Fong 1990)

Leadership is determined by democratic vote, requiring unanimity. Recruitment is achieved by demonstrating a "homeboy connection," passing a background check to make sure the prospect is not an informer, and receiving a unanimous vote.

According to news reports, the following members have (or have had) alleged executive connections:

Hector Soto, a former local leader of the Austin-area Texas Syndicate in prison, sentenced for drug possession in 2000.
Randy Salazar, alleged leader of the Syndicate in Austin as of 2004.
After Salazar, authorities have named Robert Velez as the leader of the Syndicate's Austin operation, as well as Victor Barrera Morones, who kept a storehouse of weapons in Austin.
In 1989, Noe Beltran was a leader of the Texas Syndicate prison gang, promoted to captain at Ellis II Unit prison just north of Hunstville, Texas.
In 1983, Eliseo Martinez was alleged unit-leader of the Syndicate in prison at TDC's Ramsey I Unit, who was serving a 20 year sentence in the 80s for a prison-murder.
In 1994, Arnulfo Nino was leader in the federal prison at Fort Worth, Texas, convicted for possession of more than 800 pounds of cocaine, and distributing more than 80 pounds per week
Alleged leader Frank de la Cruz was charged with assault with a deadly weapon in 2001 at the Federal Correctional Institute at Oakdale.

TS members have communicated via:

Coded messages, and number-coded letters, where the subtle indication of certain numbers interspersed throughout the letter are combined and decrypted to form a phrase. Number codes change on a periodic basis to prevent counter-codes by law-enforcement.

The Texas Syndicate's artistic identification system includes:

a heart for an executioner
a trident for an enforcer
three marks of a bird's footprint for a drug dealer, and
five marks for a weapons supplier
Tattoos: Overlapping "TS", or an "S" superimposed over a "T."
Slang terms: "Babydoll" refers to Mexican Mafia members.
"Charco" refers to Corpus Christi
"Chuco" refers to El Paso
"Space City" refers to Houston.

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