Feds made NM safer with Syndicato prosecutions
“Once you are an SNM gang member, you are a member for life; blood in, blood out.” — FBI affidavit
Five members of the notorious Syndicato de Nuevo Mexico could be spending the rest of their days in federal prisons after they were convicted by a federal court jury in Las Cruces last week on racketeering charges — essentially that they used violent crimes including murder to advance the interests of the gang.
The jury verdict is good news for every law-abiding citizen. This gang and its leaders are as vicious as anyone walking on the surface of the planet, and the fact they will be in the federal system rather than state prison will make it more difficult for them to manipulate and coordinate with other gang members who have served sentences and are back on the street.
That’s correct. This gang doesn’t limit its evil to affairs inside the prison walls.
Joe Lawrence Gallegos, his brother Andrew “Smiley” Gallegos, Billy Garcia, Arturo Garcia and Edward Troup were all convicted at the conclusion of a trial before U.S. District Judge James Browning. Two others were acquitted last week, and three other SNM members were convicted in a trial held in March. How bad are these guys? In one of the underlying murders presented by federal prosecutors during the trial, the Gallegos brothers were found guilty of killing a drug dealer and setting him on fire in Valencia County. The drug dealer’s last name was “Burns,” and the running joke was “yes, he does.” Another defendant, Billy Garcia, was convicted for ordering the murder of two prison inmates, who were strangled.
The gang previously tried to orchestrate a hit on thenstate Corrections Secretary Gregg Marcantel. The murder plot was foiled, and more than 100 people with SNM ties arrested.
The FBI launched a massive investigation in March 2015 dubbed “Operation Atonement” that has resulted in more than 80 guilty pleas in addition to the convictions.
The FBI and U.S. Attorney’s Office have done a real service by putting these gang members on the road to a lifetime in federal lockup.