|
|
| Modern-day mafia story had its roots in Houston's East End |
| By chron.com |
| Published: 03/22/2011 |
|
He was just a skinny kid with a thick head of hair who stole cars and sold pot around his East End neighborhood. But Daniel Zamora climbed the crime ranks to reach one of the world's most ruthless employers: a Mexican drug cartel capable of providing power and money even if the path meant prison or death. Which for "Danny Boy," it did. He was dead by the age of 32, but not before bringing his family and friends along for a wildly perilous ride. Their collective story is one of a modern-day mafia, every bit as merciless as the mobsters of Chicago, Boston and New York — but these small-time criminals hit it big on the streets of Houston. "We all knew each other for years," said Saul Salinas Jr., now serving 10 years for a plot involving more than a ton of cocaine, and whose brother became Zamora's hated rival. Zamora's rise and fall is chronicled by police reports, interviews, court testimony and an array of documents churned out by several prosecutions, including his brother's capital murder conviction last week. From it all emerges a vivid account of kidnapping, murders, pistol-whippings, robberies and betrayal tying the East End clan to Mexico. "So many lives were ruined or were marked," Assistant Harris County District Attorney Colleen Barnett said. "We are the tail of the dog, and the people in Mexico are running the show. We see the violence right in our backyard." For Zamora, the possibilities seemed endless. From making $250 a week detailing cars and installing alarms for a place on the Gulf Freeway, he rose to the role of boss for a cell that smuggled millions of dollars worth of cocaine to Houston. The trusted boy he rode bikes with as a kid became a top enforcer, enlisting his own family, in at least one instance, to kidnap and torture a man over a drug debt. They wrapped his head in duct tape and pummeled him with fists, a beat-down the victim said was so fierce he was sure he was going to die. Zamora's older brother, Jaime Arturo Zamora, 40, is now serving life without parole over a drug hit that killed the wrong man in a case of mistaken identity. The Zamoras, like many East End kids, were brought to Houston as young children by parents who emigrated from south of the border. Parts of the area have the feel of Mexico: brightly painted homes and narrow streets, store signs in Spanish and snow cones sold from carts. The Zamoras knew these streets. And they were comfortable on both sides of the border, skills that served the brothers well. Danny Zamora's first felony conviction came for stealing a car in 1993, his cohort Saul Salinas at his side. A litany of arrests followed. His final prison stint came for running heroin in the streets for the Texas Syndicate, the state's oldest prison gang. While doing time in federal prison, he made his first Mexican cartel connection. Zamora would catapult from errand boy to player. After his release in 1998 from the prison in Big Spring - a few months early for good behavior - Zamora was deported back to his native Monterrey, Mexico. No matter. His bravado was raging. From Monterrey, he called the shots and served as the bridge between the cartel that brought in tons of cocaine from Colombia, and his family in Houston who helped move the drugs. The flashy and personable Zamora rode in expensive sport utility vehicles and wore hefty gold. A regular at nightclubs, he raised eyebrows in Monterrey as a new-money gangster, all of this well before the violence now wracking that city. Cocaine stashed in secret compartments was driven in cars and pickups to Houston. From there, Zamora's clan did the rest: Drugs were unloaded and cash from their sale stuffed back in the compartments to return to Mexico. "We started getting bigger and bigger," recalled Zamora's brother-in-law, Rogelio Gonzalez, who counted money for the organization but later became the bookkeeper and Zamora's party buddy and confidant. Gonzalez was the high school sweetheart of Zamora's sister, whom he married. Read More. |
Comments:
Login to let us know what you think
MARKETPLACE search vendors | advanced search
IN CASE YOU MISSED IT
|
Waco has developed a reputation for a rocket-docket in patent litigation. It’s an important choice to find the right lawyer in Waco for your important patent litigation matter. When people in the know make the hire, they hire Dunnam & Dunnam. Lawyers that are competent, hard-working, focused are a rare find. Few attorneys have the commitment to quality, collegiality, and loyalty of the Waco Copyright Attorney, You can search for attorneys with loyalty, leadership, accountability. These attorneys show financial generosity and a sense of fairness to their colleagues. For nearly 100 years, people in Waco have hired the firm when the results matter. at Dunnam & Dunnam are among the most respected in the Central Texas area. They have the experience in trials and mediations to guide your case in the right way. There are few important decisions at the outset of the case that can turn the tide in your favor. Choosing the right lawyer is one of them.