Gang leader sentenced to life in prison for engaging in criminal activity
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Raul Moreno Gonzales
THE SENTENCE
Raul Moreno Gonzales, 44, was found guilty on two counts of drug possession and one count of engaging in organized criminal activity by plotting a murder. He was sentenced to 80 years each on the drug charges and ...
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THE SENTENCE
Raul Moreno Gonzales, 44, was found guilty on two counts of drug possession and one count of engaging in organized criminal activity by plotting a murder. He was sentenced to 80 years each on the drug charges and life in prison for engaging in criminal activity.
Several other suspected gang members are expected to stand trial on related charges. His wife, Cynthia Gonzales, is likely the next defendant to stand trial next, District Attorney Steve Tyler said.
A high-ranking member of the Hermano Pistoleros Latinos was sentenced to life in prison in a Victoria court this week.
A jury found Raul Morino Gonzales guilty of plotting to kill a former gang member and participating in massive drug sales, District Attorney Stephen Tyler said Thursday.
"He answers to one person out of Houston," Tyler said when describing Gonzales' rank within the gang. "We believe it's a fellow named Machine."
Gonzales, 44, was part of a group of suspected gang members arrested in June, Police Chief Bruce Ure said. The roundup was the result of months of undercover investigation.
Gonzales was linked to large shipments of marijuana. Police first linked Gonzales to the drug trade when a drug-detecting dog sniffed out drugs in a Federal Express box. Police monitored the delivery of the box to Gonzales' home, Tyler said.
Officers also infiltrated the gang, a mission Tyler described as a dangerous undertaking.
"This is one of the more complicated investigations this department has ever done," Ure said. "As far as the police department goes, there is no more dangerous operation than this, hands down."
The investigation exposed gang business records - some suggesting HPL sold as much as $175,000 worth of marijuana a month in the Crossroads region, Tyler said. A roster of imprisoned gang members from around the country was also uncovered.
The gang expected to funnel a portion of drug sales into imprisoned members' commissary accounts.
The jury also found that while in jail on drug charges, Gonzales approved the murder of a former gang member. The planned beating death was aborted when police arrested 18 suspected gang members the night it was scheduled to happen, Ure said.
Gonzales had been arrested shortly before, when police found a garbage can full of marijuana in his truck during a traffic stop.
Gonzales tried to pin the drugs on his son, Ure said.
"That goes to show the lack of character," Ure said.
The trial is only the first in a string of prosecutions. New evidence could be uncovered in future trials, as defendants offer testimony in an attempt to get lighter sentences, Tyler said.
"Any code of silence is a bunch of bunk," Tyler said.
Cynthia Gonzales will most likely be the next defendant to be prosecuted, Tyler said. She is Raul Gonzales' wife, a sergeant in the gang, and the group's book keeper and treasurer.
Her trial is scheduled for December.
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Why even say "putting this guy in prison does nothing"?
It definitely does do something. He doesn't have the same ruling ability from prison that he did from the outside. True, the murders and drug operation usually continue with the emergence of a new gang leader, but we can't stop hunting them down and locking them up.
I'm glad our law enforcement agencies don't have that same defeatist attitude.
November 14, 2009 at 9:37 p.m.Don't get me started on those gang members. It's just sad. They join a gang because "mom and dad weren't there for them." It's ridiculous. I know plenty of people that didn't have their parents there, and they didn't join a gang to get that "family experience." Instead, you have this guy that was willing to turn his son in when he got caught with a bunch of marijuana....that just shows you the shadiness. I hope he spends a miserable time in jail, getting his commissaries from the newest drug dealers in the market. It's a vicious cycle. I wish we could eradicate the world of gang members...they always have an excuse as to why they joined - which tries to make you understand why they needed that close relationship with someone else...just plain dumb
November 14, 2009 at 12:33 p.m.Have to agree with Jackdeuce. Do the drug trafficing, murder plots, really stop?
November 13, 2009 at 7:35 p.m.He will not spend much time locked up. It is really as simple as tax evasion. I think they should have carried the investigation further, maybe even tried to send in undercover. Does anyone think as I do on the "machine" as being a suit and tie type of executive that can't be touched now. Maybe even an official. Where does the money come from??
November 13, 2009 at 4:57 p.m.When I read the color commentary in these stories I am reminded of the Shakespeare quote "the whole world is a stage."
November 13, 2009 at 12:30 p.m.Unmoored....no, the Advocate did not send a reporter to this trial. He was convicted Tuesday afternoon, and received his sentence later that evening. Three days later it appears as "news" in the Advocate. I guess it got pushed back so we could all learn how many whooping cranes had reached the refuge (yesterday's front page bold headlines).
November 13, 2009 at 10:57 a.m.vpd and vco are on roll recently, way to go !
November 13, 2009 at 10:25 a.m.Great Job!! To the UC, you're to be commended for your part. As for the convicted gangsters, drug dealers, murders and the likes, since they are sentence to life, quit wasting tax payer money and send them say.... how about the Bikini Atoll, Chernobyl or as a live Volcano diver.
November 13, 2009 at 10:15 a.m.Our law enforcement must really be fired up, catching a cab driver shooter, gang members, drugs, drunk drivers, AND ON AND ON. It is so nice to see our taxes cleaning up corruption instead of a bottomless pit. May God always bless you and keep you safe for doing your job!
November 13, 2009 at 9:07 a.m.Did the Advocate actually send anyone to cover this trial?
November 13, 2009 at 7:35 a.m.When one goes down, there ARE MANY ready to take their place. And that is unfortunate!
November 13, 2009 at 7:16 a.m.Great job by the DA's office and the VPD. These are the kinds of things that are usually accomplished when an outstanding DA is not distracted by pettiness. Sure, this undesirable creature can run some business from inside the prison. But he can't enjoy the element of freedom. Outstanding job!
November 13, 2009 at 1:34 a.m.So, would you rather see him still on the streets? For my money, the Mexican Mafia is at the very least a little bit slowed by having to operate from behind bars. Whether you realize it or not, most every contact they have with the outside world is noted and recorded. At the very least, those few officials not on the take, will help to make a dent in their organized criminal activities. Those who are on the take are living on borrowed time anyway. If the Pistole' Bros don't have them offed, sooner or later the DPS and other LE agencies will figure out that you don't buy ranches and drive Mercedes Benz and BMWs on a flatfoot's salary.
November 12, 2009 at 10:42 p.m.Okay, I'm very happy that the DA and VPD worked this. But the problem I have is the writing....back and forth from "Tyler said" to "Ure said" to "Tyler said". I felt like I was watching a tennis match!
November 12, 2009 at 6:54 p.m.