GANGSTER

Bikie gang member shot dead in Adelaide

2012-01-29T23:00:00.001Z

The shooting of a bikie gang member and his club president father has been declared a major crime as the South Australian police minister says some outlaw gangs have no regard for the law or the community. Giovanni Focarelli, 22, is dead and his father, Comanchero club president Vince Focarelli, is in Royal Adelaide Hospital with multiple gunshot wounds after the shooting on Sunday night. Police Minister Jennifer Rankine said the state has tough laws to deal with the "scourge" of outlaw motorcycle gangs but some just shun the law."I am sure the police are as frustrated as what I am about what is occurring," she told ABC radio.

Gangster gets four years for drug stash

2012-01-25T15:26:00.001Z

A CAREER criminal branded as “extraordinarily dangerous” has been jailed for four years after being caught with heroin worth £50,000 during a police raid. Detectives believe that Ronald Aldred was peddling the Class A drug in Edinburgh and West Lothian after recovering the stash kept at his Kirkliston home. The 44-year-old was jailed for 12 years in 2002 as the ringleader of a gang that took part in a campaign of kidnapping, assault and extortion, which a judge described as being like “something out of a 1930s Hollywood gangster movie”. Aldred had been hired by dealers to recover a kilo of stolen cocaine, and at one point the gang tried to put a loaded gun into a victim’s mouth during a vicious interrogation. In 1992, he was jailed for nine years for two attempted murders after launching an attack with a sword and knife at The Royal Nip pub in Albert Street, Leith. Detective Sergeant Jim Robertson, from the force’s Serious Organised Crime Unit (SOCU), worked on the drug investigation against Aldred, which saw him jailed at the High Court in Edinburgh yesterday. DS Robertson said that Aldred was caught with half a kilo of heroin at his home in Marshall Road, Kirkliston. Aldred, who has a total of five previous convictions, pleaded guilty to being concerned in the supply of heroin on October 6 last year, and prosecutors have already begun steps to seize his assets under the Proceeds of Crime Act. Police raided his home after a tip-off and found five packages of heroin along with phones, scales, sandwich bags and more than £700 in cash. Prosecutors said that if the heroin had been broken down and sold on as “tenner bags” then it had the potential value of £50,000. His defence counsel, Frank Gallagher, told the court that during his last period in prison Aldred had developed a drug problem and built up debts. Mr Gallagher said that his client agreed to the drugs being in his home in return for the debt being reduced. DS Robertson told the Evening News: “This conviction shows our commitment to tackling serious and organised crime. The drugs were being stored at that address and we’re confident Aldred was involved in dealing. “We welcome this four-year sentence, both as a deterrent to Aldred and to anyone else involved in drug dealing.” In early 2002, Aldred’s gang was recruited to hunt down stolen cocaine, abducting one man from outside a Scottish court who was handcuffed and forced to hand over £7000. Sentencing them for that offence, Lord Dawson told Aldred and his two accomplices: “I regard all three of you as extraordinarily dangerous men against whom the public must be protected.” But Aldred’s 12-year sentence was later cut to eight years by appeal judges. In May 1992, Aldred was found guilty after a five-day trial for attempting to murder two men and seriously assaulting two others. Aldred attempted to murder Thomas Brown by stabbing him with a knife and striking him with a sword, and assaulted Thomas Monaghan with the sword in The Royal Nip in September 1991. He also attempted to murder David McKinlay with a knife in Ardshiel Avenue, Drumbrae, on October 19, 1991 and struck Kevin Smith on the head with a knife in Easter Road on August 3, 1991.

Fury erupts over bikie 'war' claims

2012-01-25T15:18:00.001Z

A GOLD Coast nightclub owner says it's time to clear the air on "sensationalised" reports of bikie gang violence in Surfers Paradise. But the club owner blasted police for allowing bikies to parade through the Glitter Strip wearing gang patches. "The police at Surfers Paradise should hang their heads in shame as they are the ones unable to control these sorts of incidents," the club owner said. "They don't see trouble walk past the station at 2.30am on a weekend with gang members wearing full colours?

Gang killings review welcomed by barrister

2012-01-23T13:23:00.001Z

A top Bradford barrister has welcomed proposals to simplify the law on gang-related killings. Stephen Wood, who is based at the Broadway barristers’ chambers, said there were miscarriages of justice due to the complexities of the ‘joint enterprise’ rule, which allows groups or gangs to be charged with murder, even if only one person delivers the fatal blow. MPs on the Commons Justice Select Committee last week said a new, less complex law on such killings was needed to ensure justice for victims and defendants. A change in the law would also cut the number of appeals, the committee said. It claimed the law surrounding gang murder cases was now so complicated juries might find it impossible to understand how to reach the right verdict.

Gang killings review welcomed by barrister

2012-01-23T13:22:00.001Z

Former Hells Angels leader sues wrong government for seizing home

2012-01-23T13:09:00.001Z

The former leader of the Manitoba Hells Angels says he's been the victim of a crime — the government allegedly stole his house. Ernie Dew has filed a unique civil lawsuit, claiming his property in St. Andrews, Man., was illegally seized and sold following his arrest on drug charges. Dew, 53, seeks unspecified financial damages. "The government has misused and/or exceeded the power of its public office," says a statement of claim filed in Court of Queen's Bench. "This was a reckless, wanton and egregious disregard of his rights." There's just one small problem with Dew's lawsuit, which was specifically filed against the provincial government. "It wasn't us that seized his house," a provincial spokesperson told the Winnipeg Free Press Tuesday afternoon. It was the federal government who took action, meaning Dew's lawsuit will likely fall quickly. He would have the option of re-filing it and naming Ottawa in the lawsuit. The provincial government did seize the Hells Angels clubhouse two years ago, which the spokesman said may have left Dew confused. But they had absolutely no role in the seizing of his property. Dew, 52, was convicted at trial last year of cocaine trafficking and possession of goods obtained by crime stemming from a 2006 arrest. He is to be sentenced on Jan. 18. However, Dew was acquitted of another drug-related offence that specifically involved selling his home. Dew claims — wrongly, as it turns out — the provincial government's criminal forfeiture unit jumped the gun by taking possession of his property under proceeds of crime legislation. "This was misfeasance of public office," Dew claims. He says the government is guilty of "conversion, trespass to chattels, unjust enrichment, misfeasance of public office and negligence," Dew never denied getting involved in several illegal transactions, but offered a unique explanation for his actions at trial. He claimed he only agreed to sell drugs to his friend, Franco Atanasovic, because the man said he was deep in debt and desperate for money to pay back several people who were after him. Atanasovic was working at the time as a police agent and helped capture the deals on audio and video. Dew insists he never made a cent from the transactions and was simply acting as a middle man between Atanasovic and the drug supplier — and a peacemaker between those looking to collect from Atanasovic. Dew said Atanasovic was in trouble and began pestering him at work, eventually convincing him to set up three different drug deals. The deals were done at Dew's workplace, while a fourth one allegedly happened at his home just north of Winnipeg. Dew always insisted he had nothing to do with that one, which he was ultimately found not guilty of and which is now the subject of his lawsuit. The judge found Dew was away hunting at the time a kilogram of cocaine was exchanged between Hells associate Jerome Labossiere and Dew's wife, Vera. Both Labossiere and Dew's wife ultimately pleaded guilty for their roles in that transaction. "My house would be the last place I'd do a drug deal. That would be grounds to have my home seized. I've seen it happen before," Dew told court.

A young member of the Native Syndicate street gang will spend the next eight months behind bars after beating a stranger unconscious with a fence post

2012-01-23T12:39:00.003Z

A young member of the Native Syndicate street gang will spend the next eight months behind bars after beating a stranger unconscious with a fence post in an apparently unmotivated attack. The youth, 14, was handed a sentence of 18 months of secure custody and supervision under the Youth Criminal Justice Act last week after admitting responsibility for an unprovoked summertime attack at a children’s park near Spence Street and Cumberland Avenue. Judge Heather Pullan credited the teen with six months of time already served, meaning he has eight months of jail left to be followed by a period of community supervision and probation. Details of the July 8, 2011 attack were described in court by the Crown as “gratuitous violence against complete strangers.” Prosecutor Sheila Seesahai said the boy approached a group of youths drinking in the park and started attacking them after striking up a short conversation over a “gang scarf.” While two youths managed to escape relatively uninjured, the teen pounced on a 15-year-old boy, knocked him down and repeatedly hit him in the head with the fence picket. “He hit the victim so hard that it shattered … the police just find pieces of it,” Seesahai said. Someone called 911 to report a “bludgeoning,” and officers arrived to find the victim passed out and bleeding from the face, court heard. His attacker was arrested not far from the scene. The youth was granted two shots at bail after his arrest but breached each time, Seesahai said. Since being in custody, he’s had to be transferred to a maximum-security youth lockup twice because of his behaviour, Pullan was told. The teen suffers from impulse issues and has had negative family influences, his lawyer told court. The youth said he “kind of felt bad for the people that I hurt.” “I’m sick and tired of the cockamamie in and out of this place,” he said. Pullan said she recognized the teen came from difficult circumstances, but it didn’t excuse his actions. “It’s not all about you,” said Pullan. “In the end, it’s about protection of the public.”

A young member of the Native Syndicate street gang will spend the next eight months behind bars after beating a stranger unconscious with a fence post

2012-01-23T12:39:00.001Z

Police investigating three murders arrested 43 feuding New York gang members

2012-01-23T12:30:00.001Z

Police investigating three murders arrested 43 feuding New York gang members on Thursday based on evidence collected from monitoring what the gang members were saying about the cases on Twitter and Facebook, authorities said. The 25 accused members of the Wave Gang and 18 accused members of rival Hoodstarz have been terrorizing streets in Brooklyn with shootouts that led to the killing of three people and wounding of several others, New York Police Commissioner Raymond Kelly said. The gang members, ages 15 to 21, bragged about the shootings on the social media sites Twitter, Facebook and YouTube, he said. "By linking their postings and boastings to active cases and other crimes, these officers were able to build their case," Kelly said. Brooklyn District Attorney Charles Hynes said authorities will next be going after gangs in other Brooklyn neighborhoods. "We know who you are. We know how you operate," he said. "Make no mistake about it. We're coming after you next." Hynes said the feud that started in August between Wave Gang and Hoodstarz resulted in the death of an innocent bystander, and the wounded included a 9-year-old boy and his father. Wave Gang members often robbed 13- and 14-year-olds by threatening to steal their bikes and electronics to intimidate them into joining their gangs, Hynes said. The 43 gang members were indicted on Thursday on charges including murder, assault, reckless endangerment, robbery and weapon possession, with potential sentences ranging from a year to life in prison.

Mention of Mafia at hearing for Hells Angel murder

2012-01-18T13:12:00.001Z

References to the Mafia surfaced Tuesday as prosecutors and public defenders argued whether names of some witnesses should be kept secret at the upcoming murder trial for a Vagos motorcycle gang member accused of killing a high-ranking Hells Angel during a shootout at a Nevada casino. Ernesto Gonzalez, a Vagos member from San Francisco, is accused of fatally shooting the president of the rival Hells Angels' San Jose chapter, Jeffrey "Jethro" Pettigrew, during the Sept. 23 melee at John Ascuaga's Nugget in Sparks. Lawyers for Gonzalez and two other men charged in connection with the killing asked Washoe District Judge Connie Steinheimer to order prosecutors to release the name of another Vagos member who testified confidentially before the grand jury that indicted all three men in November. But police testified Tuesday that the unidentified Vagos member fears for his life and is bound for a witness protection program. "The Hells Angels are a well-known, outlaw motorcycle gang, as are the Vagos, and people are scared of them," Deputy District Attorney Karl Hall said. Police Sgt. Eric Bennett, an investigator from San Bernardino, Calif., said yet another Vagos member who was wounded during the casino shootout - Leonard Rameriz of Garden Grove, Calif. - met with a member of the Mafia in the weeks after the killing. "We know a member of the Vagos met with the Mafia and gave him copies of affidavits for search warrants," Bennett said. He said that while the confidential witness is identified only as a number in the grand jury transcripts made public, there may have been clues to his identity in the search warrants. Rameriz, who was shot in the stomach but survived, also visited the residence of the secret witness and attempted to contact one of his friends, Bennett said. "He's afraid for his safety," he said. "Some (Vagos) members do know who he is." Steinheimer said she would consider the arguments and rule in the coming days whether the names of the confidential witnesses should be provided to the defense lawyers. Gonzalez, who police said is the president of a Vagos chapter in Nicaragua, appeared in court under heavy security Tuesday along with co-defendants who face the equivalent of murder charges for their role in the brawl that led to the fatal shooting. Gary Rudnick, the vice president of the Vagos Los Angeles chapter, is accused of instigating the fight by provoking Pettigrew. Cesar Villagrana, a Hells Angel member and friend of Pettigrew's, is accused of shooting Rameriz and another Vagos wounded that night. Gonzalez and Rudnick, whose nickname is "Jabbers," both wore bullet proof vests, shackles and handcuffs in court Tuesday. They're being represented by public defenders and are being held in the Washoe County jail awaiting their trial set to begin Oct. 29. Villagrana, who claims he was acting in self-defense and is free on $300,000 bail, is represented by David Chesnoff, a high-profile defense lawyer from Las Vegas. Chesnoff said Villagrana's rights are being violated because he doesn't have a chance to question the witness whose name remains secret and whose testimony was key to the grand jury indictment. He tried to make his point by asking two police officers testifying Tuesday whether they would want their defense lawyer to be able to question all the witnesses if they were accused of a crime they didn't commit. The officers acknowledged they would. "This isn't done in secret," Chesnoff said. "I want equal protection under the law here." The confidential witness told the grand jury he had been a member of the Vagos for 27 years and been part of its "higher echelon" of leadership "before this event." He said "Jabbers" is known for having a "big mouth" and was responsible for provoking a fight with Pettigrew that turned the casino floor into a shooting gallery. Rudnick had refused to back down even after national Vagos officers were summoned and talks with Hells Angels' leaders had calmed the volatile situation shortly after 10 p.m., the grand jury witness said. But about an hour later, Rudnick again was taunting Pettigrew, who the witness said "in the Hells Angels world is one of the most important guys in the United States." Finally, he said Pettigrew had enough and punched Rudnick in the face, touching off a series of fights that led to the gunfire. "All hell broke loose," the witness testified. "Just bam, bam, bam, bam, bam, bam, bam, bam, bam, bam, bam." Other witnesses who testified before the grand jury on condition of confidentiality included the director of security and the director of surveillance at the Nugget. Gonzalez was arrested in San Francisco on Sept. 30. He told arresting officers that the Hells Angels were after him and asked them to get him out of the area as fast as possible when he was nabbed sitting in a rental car near campus police headquarters at the University of San Francisco, police said.

Whistle-blower links Serbian drug lords, SA gangs

2012-01-18T08:35:00.001Z

The head of a Balkan cocaine and crime syndicate is hiding out in South Africa under the protection of local gang bosses, underworld sources reveal. Fugitive Darko Savic – one of the world’s most wanted drug smugglers – is living under a different alias here, right under the noses of the authorities. And local crime bosses are helping him avoid detection by using their network of corrupt cop contacts. The revelation comes after the Daily Voice last week revealed how Serbian hitman Dobrosav Gavric lived in the Mother City for three years under the protection of slain crime boss Cyril Beeka. Beeka’s murder lifted the lid on the shadowy links between international crime syndicates and local mobsters. Today in an exclusive interview with the Daily Voice, a veteran former gangster turned whistle-blower confirms long-suspected links between SA crime gangs and Serbian drug lords. And he provides a chilling insight into a series of high-profile murders – including Beeka’s killing in March last year. In an interview with the Daily Voice, the terrified ex-dik ding reveals how: n He is now on the run and fears for his life after his mob bosses turned against him; n Someone “very near” to Cyril Beeka would have murdered him if the other attempt on his life failed; n Hitmen use their cop contacts to confirm the identities of targets before having them whacked; n International fugitive Darko Savic is hiding out in Gauteng with the help of local crime bosses. Savic has been linked to Czech criminal Radovan Krejcir, 42, a convicted fraudster who is also being investigated for Beeka’s murder. Krejcir was friends with both Beeka and Gavric, but it is understood he fell out with Beeka over a business deal. When the Hawks raided Krejcir’s Gauteng home after Beeka’s assassination in March last year, they found a “hit list” with Beeka’s name on it. At one stage Gavric – who was seriously injured in the shooting – was rumoured to also be a suspect in the hit. But in a sworn affidavit obtained by the Daily Voice, Gavric insists he was close friends with Beeka and that he is prepared to act as a future witness for the State. The hitman is wanted in Serbia where he was convicted for the murders of notorious warlord Zeljko “Arkan” Raznatovic and two others. Gavric will on Monday find out if his bail application is successful when he appears before Cape Town Magistrates’ Court. In an interview with the Daily Voice from his hideaway in George, Eastern Cape, the whistle-blower who identifies himself only as “Uncle Sam”, says Gavric is not the only wanted Serbian using this country to escape justice. “Serbian drug lord Darko Savic is hiding in Gauteng and protected by [local] underworld bosses,” he says. Uncle Sam, 65, also gave a detailed insider’s account of Beeka’s execution: “If the assassination had failed to eliminate Beeka, then someone else very near to him would have carried out the murder on that very same day.” He was also able to provide exact details about the cold-blooded murder of Yuri “The Russian” Ulianitski who was gunned down outside a restaurant in May 2007. “A half-hour before Yuri left the restaurant, a prominent businessman linked to the mob called the hitmen and told them that Yuri will be approaching the intersection of Otto du Plessis Drive and Loxton Road just before 10.30pm,” Uncle Sam says. Ulianitski was indirectly linked with Jerome Booysen, the alleged leader of the Sexy Boys who was last week named in court as a suspect in Beeka’s murder. “The Russian” had dealings with Beeka, but they too later had a fall-out – both were killed in similar shootings. Uncle Sam is himself currently on the run after he fell foul of his mob bosses who were indirectly linked to the Beeka killing and the Serbian fugitives hiding out here. He also counts convicted drug trafficker Glenn Agliotti as a contact. During our interview, he gave our reporter a phone number which he said was that of Agliotti. When we rang the number, a male voice confirmed he was Agliotti before asking to be handed back to Uncle Sam. The whistle-blower admits he ran a car fraud scheme that turned sour when the syndicate chiefs failed to pay his R790 000 fee for buying 30 luxury cars in his name. But he has kept a detailed diary of his criminal activities and those of his former mob colleagues. And he has threatened to use the 116-page hand-written diary to put them behind bars if they come after him. “I’ve got nothing to lose,” he says. “I need to warn the public that the mafia is running the country with the help of cops and top politicians and that they have ruthless killers who will take out anyone who threatens them.”

Warning issued for 'violent and dangerous' offender

2012-01-18T07:53:00.001Z

RCMP believe a Saskatchewan man "considered violent and dangerous" and wanted on a Canada-wide warrant is in Manitoba. Thomas Gordon Bear "should not be approached," RCMP stated in a news release sent out on Tuesday. He is a known member of the Native Syndicate street gang and has numerous tattoos, including the 'Native Syndicate' on his forearms, RCMP said. Bear was released on parole from Saskatchewan Penitentiary, where he had been serving a 45-month sentence, on Aug. 2, 2011. On Sept. 19, he walked away from his halfway house. Bear is described as six feet tall and weighing about 200 pounds with long dark hair.

Pasquale Mazzarella and Clemente Amodio arrested in Marbella

2012-01-17T15:16:00.001Z

TWO Italians belonging to the Mazzarella mafia family were arrested in Malaga for their alleged involvement in drug trafficking activities, according to Press reports. Pasquale Mazzarella, who had been on the run from the authorities for the past three years, and Clemente Amodio, wanted since last Spring, had European arrest warrants against them and were handed over to the National Court to be extradited to Italy. They were living in a villa in Marbella, and had moved their headquarters to Spain, allegedly bringing drugs from Morocco to sell in Europe.

Latin King Given 26 Years for Drug Charge

2012-01-15T16:46:00.001Z

high-ranking member of the Latin Kings gang was sentenced to 26 years in prison on drug charges. Ruben Gutierrez, 48, a former Inca of the South and Southwest Sides for the Latin Kings, was sentenced Monday afternoon, according to a Will County State Attorney's Office news release. Gutierrez pleaded guilty in June 2011 to possession of a controlled substance (cocaine) with intent to deliver. He was arrested in March of 2010 when New Lenox Police served a search warrant on his house and confiscated 31 grams of cocaine. Circuit Judge Carla Alessio Policandriotes sentenced Gutierrez on Monday after Assistant State’s Attorney Tricia McKenna presented extensive testimony on his long and violent background with the Latin Kings. A gang expert from the Kankakee Police Department who testified in detail about Gutierrez’s efforts in 2000 to locate and punish fellow gang members who stole a kilo of cocaine from him. Kankakee Lt. Patrick Kane testified that Gutierrez and 20 other Latin Kings hunted down that gang member, Marty Patnaude, and shot him in the head. Patnaude survived, and Gutierrez was eventually convicted of home invasion in Kankakee County. Before his conviction, however, several members of the Kankakee Chapter of the Latin Kings blew up the Patnaude’s house. Patuaude was not inside but his parents were killed in the blast. Gutierrez, however, was never charged in Kankakee in connection with the bombing. "Judge Policandriotes handed down a tough sentence that should put every drug dealer with a history of gang violence on notice," said State Attorney James Glasgow said in the release.

celebrity gangster-turned-author has been banned from the road after being caught more than one-and-a-half times the drink-drive limit

2012-01-14T22:24:00.001Z

David Courtney

A celebrity gangster-turned-author has been banned from the road after being caught more than one-and-a-half times the drink-drive limit.

David Courtney, 52, was pulled over on the M6 in the early hours.

He was driving a borrowed Vauxhall Vectra after his wife, the rapper JennyBean, had taken his car following an argument, a court heard.

Debbie Byrne, prosecuting, told Macclesfield magistrates court that Courtney had been spotted travelling southbound on the M6 in excess of 70mph.

Courtney, who was alone, was pulled over near Knutsford services and spoken to by officers.

A roadside breath test proved positive so he was arrested and taken to a police station in Middlewich.

There he gave two samples of breath, the lowest of which was 53 microgrammes of alcohol, in 100ml of breath, more than one and a half times the legal limit of 35.

Stuart Page, defending, said Courtney had a domestic dispute and his wife had taken all his belongings, including his car.

He spoke to one of his friends who owns a car hire company, who agreed to lend him the Vectra. He said he then drove to Chorley in Lancashire to see some friends and whilst talking to them, he had a couple of drinks.

He said he thought he was below the limit and OK to drive at the time of the offence on December 22.

Courtney, of Chestnut Rise, Plumstead, London, pleaded guilty to drink-driving.

He has a previous conviction for drink-driving in 2006, meaning he was subject to a minimum driving ban of three years.

He was also fined £100 and ordered to pay £40 costs as well as a £15 victim surcharge.

Courtney, is an ex-London gangster well known for his friendships with other hard men, such as the Kray twins, which saw him dubbed ‘the yellow pages of the underworld’.

He previously worked as a debt collector and claims he has been shot, stabbed and had his nose bitten off.

He also boasts to have been the inspiration for Vinnie Jones’s character in the film Lock, Stock and Two Smoking Barrels.

He has so far written four books about gangland violence and written, produced and starred in his own film called Hell to Pay.

He refers to himself as David Courtney OBE, which stands for ‘one big ego’.

2nd Try to Extradite Mexican Accused Narco Denied

2012-01-14T00:39:00.001Z

A Mexican federal judge on Thursday rejected a second attempt to extradite an alleged drug trafficker to the U.S., nearly exhausting yearslong efforts by both nations to convict a woman known as the "Queen of the Pacific." Judge Jesus Chavez ruled that Sandra Avila Beltran would face the same charges in Florida on which she was acquitted in Mexico. Chavez said the core of a 2004 indictment against Avila in the Southern District of Florida is the seizure of more than nine tons of U.S.-bound cocaine on Mexico's west coast. A Mexican judge acquitted Avila in December 2010 of charges stemming from the same confiscation of drugs off a vessel nine years earlier in the port of Manzanillo. An appeals court upheld that verdict last August. "It is impossible to say the actions related to the more than nine tons of cocaine discovered in the vessel would not be subject of the foreign trial for which U.S. officials seek the defendant," Chavez said, according to a news statement. In the U.S., Avila was indicted on two conspiracy charges to import and distribute cocaine and has been wanted since November 2007, two months after her arrest in Mexico. The judge said Mexico's constitution prohibits double jeopardy and thus prevents extraditing a citizen for trial in another country on charges they already faced at home. Officials from the Foreign Relations Department and Mexican Attorney General's office declined to comment, saying they were studying the decision. Both can contest it, but the next outcome by an appeals court would be final. A Mexican appeals panel rejected a first U.S. extradition request on the same grounds. Avila remains in a western Mexico prison in the state of Nayarit, pending trial for a separate money-laundering charge. Mexican officials did not reveal her lawyer's identity. Avila has claimed she is innocent and says she made her money selling clothes and renting houses. When she was arrested in 2007 sipping coffee in a Mexico City diner, prosecutors alleged that Avila spent more than a decade working her way to the top of Mexico's drug trade, seducing several notorious kingpins and uniting Colombian and Mexican gangs. Avila's romance with Colombian Juan Diego Espinoza Ramirez brought together Mexico's powerful Sinaloa cartel with Colombia's Norte del Valle, prosecutors said. Espinoza was extradited to Florida in December 2008, two years before he was found not guilty on charges in Mexico related to the cocaine shipment. Avila is the niece of Miguel Angel Felix Gallardo, "the godfather" of Mexican drug smuggling who is serving a 40-year sentence in Mexico for trafficking and the murder of DEA agent Enrique Camarena in Mexico's western Jalisco state.

DRUGS lord who enjoyed a jet-set lifestyle was last night starting an 11-and-a-half-year jail sentence.

2012-01-13T22:34:00.001Z

Darlington man Paul Brett was at the head of a well organised empire that tried to flood the area with more than £1m of cocaine. The gang was disrupted after an 18-month undercover operation – the biggest in Durham Police history – culminated in raids last year. Brett, 25, was jailed along with five others from Darlington, Teesside and Merseyside. Detective Chief Superintendent Jane Spraggon said afterwards: “This operation proves no one is untouchable.” Brett’s right-hand man, Mark Dee, 25, was jailed for seven years, while fellow Darlington organiser David Pierce, 41, was jailed for five years. Teesside Crown Court heard that they fixed up deals in Liverpool and arranged for couriers to travel across the Pennines and bring back drugs. In Ronald Bennett’s house in Liverpool, police found an industrial blender, cocaine and a 20-tonne hydraulic press. Market trader Bennett, 57, was the “packager” who Judge Tony Briggs said was crucial to the success of the gang. He was jailed for eight years. Lance Kennedy, 24, from Birkenhead, and Craig Costello, 29, from Middlesbrough, were each jailed for 15 months for money laundering. The pair were caught with nearly £20,000 after police watched Brett hand over a holdall at a McDonald’s car park in Darlington. Brett, a one-time fitness instructor who had never worked during the surveillance and had no bank accounts in the UK, made regular trips abroad. He was pictured in a newspaper flanked by two glamour girls at the opening of a Dubai nightclub and stayed at £800-a-night hotels in Thailand. Dee, a joiner, was said to have been paid only £1,500 for arranging deals. Bennett’s barrister said his client was the one who got his hands the dirtiest. Lawyers for charity fundraiser Kennedy and offshore worker Costello said they were unaware the money was from drug-dealing. Brett, of Yiewsley Drive, Darlington, admitted a fraud charge and converting criminal property and conspiracy to supply Class A drugs. Richard Littler, in mitigation, said he deserved credit for being the first to plead guilty, forcing the others to do so. Bennett, of Fairfax Road, Liverpool, and Dee, of Honeywood Gardens, Darlington, also pleaded guilty to being part of the conspiracy. Pierce, a former amateur boxer and shop-fitter, of Kilmarnock Road, Darlington, was found guilty of conspiracy to supply Class A drugs. Tom Mitchell, in mitigation, said: “He falls to the bottom of whatever he finds himself involved with.” Kennedy, of Livingstone Street, Birkenhead, and father-of-three Costello, of St Cuthbert Avenue, Marton, Middlesbrough, admitted conspiracy to transfer criminal property.

Cornwall shooting death men 'worked for IRA drug gang'

2012-01-13T16:45:00.001Z

Two men killed and buried on a remote farm in Cornwall were working for an IRA gang involved in Liverpool's drugs trade, a court has heard. Boxer Brett Flournoy, from Merseyside, and David Griffiths, of Berkshire, were found dead buried in a van at Ross Stone's farm near St Austell in 2011. Murder accused Thomas Haigh, 26, told Truro Crown Court the pair worked for Irish republicans who "ran Liverpool". Mr Haigh and Mr Stone deny murder. The trial continues. 'Self-interest took over' Mr Stone, 28, who admits burying the bodies on his Sunny Corner farm at Trenance Downs, told police he had arrived back at the farm on 16 June to find the bodies of the two men lying on the ground, the jury heard. A badly beaten Mr Haigh was nearby, he said in an interview, and although Mr Haigh did not admit killing them, he told Mr Stone "Dave [Griffiths] wouldn't die". Jurors also heard that both defendants blamed the other for killing the two men, to whom the alleged killers both owed money, in Stone's case £40,000. The dead men were buried with their van on the farm near St Austell Mr Haigh - who went to hide in Barnsley, South Yorkshire, after the killings - told police that Mr Griffiths had beaten him up over a girl he had taken back to the farm. He said he had run off and that the men had still been alive when he did. Prosecuting, Paul Dunkels QC told the jury on the second day of the trial that both men's claims were lies. He said: "When arrested by the police, the alliance between these two men broke down and self-interest took over. "The murders were the result of the joint efforts of these two defendants." The burned bodies of Mr Griffiths, a father-of-three originally from Plymouth, Devon, but living in Bracknell, Berkshire; and Mr Flournoy, a father-of-two from Bebington, in Wirral, Merseyside, were found dumped in the back of a van buried on the farm in July 2011. Mr Haigh, 26, formerly of Huddersfield, West Yorkshire, and Mr Stone, both deny two counts of murder.

Street gangs with outside muscle, targeting the Hells Angels

2012-01-13T11:10:00.001Z

- Street gangs with outside muscle, targeting the Hells Angels, have sparked the outburst of violence that's left five adult businesses in flames and two people shot, London police said Wednesday.

Police vowed to end the violence, even as organized-crime analysts and criminal sources disputed if the Hells had the clout in London to battle back.

Late Wednesday, three of the men police arrested -- two from London, one from Brampton -- appeared in court by video to answer early charges related to the shooting. All three men are black, giving credence to the police theory biker gangs -- which don't usually allow black members -- aren't responsible for the recent violence.

Whoever is responsible for the fires and shootings, they'll have to answer for it, Chief Brad Duncan vowed at a news conference.

"You are priority No. 1," Duncan warned. "We will not tolerate this open display of violence. This shooting has taken place in a residential area, in close proximity to a public school, and notwithstanding the time of day that it occurred, it has put our citizens at grave risk."

The weapon involved in the shooting hasn't been found, police said.

Police held the news conference partly to quell rumours the violence was a result of a battle between the Hells Angels and their traditional rivals, the Outlaws, another biker gang.

"There is not information at this time to support such an assumption," Duncan said.

But street gangs "can be every bit as dangerous as the more traditional outlaw motorcycle clubs," he warned. "They are associated with the drug trade. Guns and firearms are involved. They are every bit as organized."

Street gangs have no fear of the Hells Angels or any outlaw motorcycle club, biker analyst Yves Lavigne told QMI Agency.

In London, the street gangs have taken over the drug-trafficking market because traditional biker clubs lost their power, said Lavigne, author and co-author of several books about outlaw bikers and drug trafficking.

In December, the revived Hells Angels chapter in London began leaning on the street-gang members to start working for them, he said.

"What you've seen the past five days is the street gangs telling the Hells Angels, 'Screw you.' "

Full of new members with little hardcore experience, the London Hells Angels don't have the backbone to retaliate, Lavigne said.

"They don't have what it takes."

But another organized crime analyst and author, James Dubro, disagreed.

"The Hells Angels have to hit back. It's a total lack of respect," he said. "There has to be retaliation and serious retaliation."

Dubro said the news that a street gang, not the Outlaws, is targeting the Hells Angels could spell even more trouble in London.

"In the end, it leads to more violence and more chaos in the underworld," he said. "Hells Angels has it all. You couldn't possibly take them on."

Two sources with knowledge of London's criminal world said they're expecting the London Hells Angels will bring in supporters from out of town to deal with the matter.

"You've got all the boys coming in. It's going to go on until someone gets killed," said one long-time associate of bikers.

The outburst of violence began Saturday morning, when a tattoo parlour on Hamilton Road owned by a member of the Outlaws, was set ablaze. That was followed by fires at a strip club owned by a Hells Angels leader, and two massage parlours, Sunday morning.

The sequence of fires suggested the Outlaws and Hells Angels were in the early stages of a war.

The violence escalated Wednesday morning, just after midnight, when two people were shot outside a purported clubhouse of the Hells Angels on Grey Street.

A female victim was treated for gunshot wounds and released. A male victim remains in hospital in serious condition, police said.

Police wouldn't release the names of the victims, but said the man was a known member of the Hells Angels and the woman an associate of his.

Sources told QMI Agency the male victim is Diamond Ialenti, a full-patch member of the Hells Angels.

The victim "has had ongoing issues with street gangs," Duncan said.

Asked if it's unusual for London street gangs to hire outside muscle, Duncan noted many other shootings in the city have involved drug dealers and gang members from the Greater Toronto Area and other areas.

"In many of our previous investigations, shooting investigations and homicide investigations, that fact has come out fairly clear."

Duncan said police were still trying to figure how an Outlaws-associated business got mixed up with a battle between street gangs and the Hells Angels.

founder of Saskatoon's notorious Terror Squad street gang is out of prison and back on the streets

2012-01-13T11:06:00.001Z

founder of Saskatoon's notorious Terror Squad street gang is out of prison and back on the streets of his hometown. Darren Harper was set free Dec. 19 on statutory release, having served twothirds of a six-year federal sentence for cocaine trafficking, according to documents obtained by The StarPhoenix from the Parole Board of Canada (PBC). The 40-year-old, who has a long history of violent and drug-related crimes dating to the early 1990s, will remain under supervision by the Correctional Service of Canada (CSC) until his sentence expires in December 2013. "This form of conditional release does not result from an assessment and decision by the PBC but rather is essentially automatic as provided for by law," PBC spokesperson Amy Wood said in a letter accompanying the documents. However, she noted the board does have the authority to add special conditions to a statutory release if they are considered reasonable and necessary to manage risk to the community and help the offender reintegrate. In Harper's case there are three such conditions: No alcohol, no illicit drugs and no contact with certain kinds of people. "Any meeting and/or communication, except by chance, with any person that you know or have reasons to believe has a criminal record is forbidden," says the Dec. 2 decision sheet outlining his release terms. The prohibition also extends to people who are "related to criminal activities, including criminal organizations or gangs," it adds. The document notes Harper was "officially identified as the founder" of an "aboriginal street gang." The name of the gang was redacted from the document before it was released to the newspaper, along with the names of the various institutions where he served his time, all specific references to Saskatoon and the names of other individuals. "The board notes that you will return to live with your spouse and children in (redacted)," it says. "Despite the fact that this is where your gang operates, you remain confident that the current members will accept your desire to disaffiliate as they did with (redacted). The board notes that you will be supervised by the enhanced supervision unit (ESU) in (redacted). "While you have expressed a desire to change, you may underestimate the continued influence they may have on you," the board warned, referring to current members of the gang. "For this reason it is vital that you not associate with criminalized individuals and continue to distance yourself from former criminal associates." Saskatoon police are aware of Harper's presence in the city, but reluctant to make any public comment on it. "We will assist in assuring his conditions are followed, as we would with any other individual on conditions in our community," spokesperson Const. TishaRae Stonehouse said. Harper made a failed bid for early release last March. The parole board's April 21, 2011, decision sheet denying his application noted his "reintegration potential" had been rated as low and a psychological assessment in 2008 had identified him as having an anti-social personality disorder. "There are some concerns regarding your behaviour during the current sentence. You are the subject of an important number of security intelligence reports. Information associated you with institutional trafficking and involvement in a serious altercation between rival gangs," it noted. The April 2008 incident was a "brutal confrontation" involving about 30 inmates, according to the document. That's likely a reference to a brawl among gang-affiliated medium-security inmates in a gymnasium and yard at Saskatchewan Penitentiary on April 23, 2008, that sent 11 inmates to hospital with non-life threatening injuries, prompting media coverage and a lengthy lockdown of the institution. "You did not participate directly in the altercation but you are identified as having orchestrated and supported it," the parole board document states. "This serious incident increased your security level to maximum and led to your emergency transfer and placement to (redacted)." A CSC security intelligence report written in October 2010 said Harper was still involved in gang activities, which was "corroborated by police information stating that you are still present and very influential within that group," it adds. October 2010 was the same month Saskatoon police began investigating the slaying of Jackson McKenzie, a high-ranking Terror Squad member who was stabbed to death outside a Ruth Street bar by Randy Merasty, who had recently been ousted by the same gang. Merasty is now serving nine years for manslaughter in the killing. Officers investigating McKenzie's death obtained wiretaps on the phones of several high-ranking Terror Squad members, intercepting about two months worth of conversations in late 2010 that eventually led to the breakup of a major cocaine trafficking ring in Saskatoon. Those recorded phone calls - discussed in detail last spring at court hearings related to the drug charges that resulted against numerous people - included conversations between Terror Squad leaders and Harper, who had been transferred to a penitentiary in Quebec by then. Less than three months after those calls took place, Harper was seeking early release and the CSC's security department told the parole board he was not considered to be a "person of interest," according to the parole board documents. His case management team advised against releasing Harper at the time, but felt he was "on the right track" and showing more effort to take control of his life since his transfer to a different region. CSC staff reported that he was co-operative and participating in his "correctional planning." An aboriginal liaison officer and elder both spoke in his favour, saying they believed he was ready for day parole. Their presentations to the board "focused on your newly developed spirituality. They also told the board about your work with other offenders and the positive impact you appear to have had on others in difficulty," the decision sheet noted. "However, these changes when placed in the perspective of your long and serious criminal history remain recent. . While you deny any involvement in organized criminal activities, recent information indicates the contrary." Harper told the board he wanted to return to his home province to be with his family. "The (redacted) police department considers that you present a high risk of re-offending and danger to society, and is strongly opposed to your release in (redacted). There is fear that your return would lead to the re-emergence of violence within street gangs, as well as repercussions on the population," the board's April 2011 decision sheet says. "The community shares this opinion and is opposed to your release in the (redacted) area. In fact, the impact of your potential return in (redacted) is a matter of concern for CSC and partners."

Sydney's western suburbs came under siege again on Thursday about 12.30am (AEDT) when shots rang out in Bankstown

2012-01-12T09:55:00.001Z

Police have declared war on the gangs responsible for four Sydney shootings in as many days. And any would-be vigilantes and copycats have also been warned to butt out. Sydney's western suburbs came under siege again on Thursday about 12.30am (AEDT) when shots rang out in Bankstown Witnesses told police they saw a man wielding a rifle in a neighbourhood where a bullet hit a bedroom window in a home. A woman and her four children, aged between two months and 10, were in the room but no one was injured. Acting Commissioner Nick Kaldas labelled as cowards the people responsible for a string of shootings since Monday. "A lot of the conflicts that occur between these criminal groups is drug-related, unfortunately," Mr Kaldas told reporters on Thursday. "It's a combination of many ethnic-based groups as well as criminal types." Police launched Operation Spartan on Thursday and will deploy extra resources to the affected suburbs from the Public Order and Riot Squad, Dog Squad, Gangs Squad and the Middle Eastern Organised Crime Squad. Gangs Squad head Arthur Katsogiannis said the nature of the crimes was keeping vital information from getting to police. "Our frustration as investigators and police officers on the front line is the lack of assistance we're getting from both the victims and the witnesses," Superintendent Katsogiannis said at the same media conference. Police also warned would-be vigilantes and others to stay away. "One thing I hope that doesn't occur is any sort of copycat attraction," Mr Kaldas said. "Others may feel they want to take the law into their own hands. And my advice to those people is all you'll simply do is turn yourself from a victim into an offender." Mr Kaldas denied suggestions that gun crime was on the increase and said the incidents since Monday were a "spike" in shooting crimes. Around 2am (AEDT) on Wednesday the occupants of two cars were involved in a gun battle in Greenfield Park, in western Sydney. On Monday night, two drive-by attacks occurred in Auburn and Arncliffe, in Sydney's west and south respectively. Around 25 people were inside the two homes when the properties were sprayed with up to 35 bullets. Police are confident they will make arrests over some of the shootings. Asked if the shootings were all related, Mr Kaldas replied, "I have to say the bulk of them are not." NSW opposition emergency spokesman Nathan Rees said tweaking tough anti-bikie laws would be one way to help put an end to "gang warfare". As premier in the former Labor government, Mr Rees gave the Supreme Court powers to outlaw bikie gangs and prevent members from contacting each other. But the Crimes (Criminal Organisation Control) Act was struck out in June 2011 after Sydney Hells Angel Derek Wainohu challenged it in the High Court. The National Coalition for Gun Control has called on NSW Premier Barry O'Farrell and the government to strengthen gun control laws. Police seized 6155 guns in the 2010/11 financial year and have seized 3663 guns in the first half of the current financial year. Most guns used in crimes are stolen from legitimate sources.

Alleged gangster Jarrod Bacon takes witness stand in cocaine trial

2012-01-11T23:44:00.001Z

Accused drug trafficker Jarrod Bacon told B.C. Supreme Court Monday that he planned to beat and rob a police agent of 10 kilograms of cocaine, but was never prepared to pay for the illicit product. Bacon, 28, took the stand in his own defence and told Justice Austin Cullen that he was lying back in 2009 when he bragged in a recorded conversation that he had backers willing to pay millions for the coke. And Bacon said his only goal was to get the agent, identified only as GL. due to a publication ban, to bring the 10-kilo sample to co-accused Wayne Scott’s house so Bacon could steal it. “I wanted him to believe I was serious so he would bring the 10 so I could steal them,” Bacon said over and over again. “I thought for sure I was going to be able to rob him.” He testified that as an “enforcer” in the criminal underworld, he thought it would have been easy to overpower the smaller, older police agent, who Bacon claimed would have simply “turtled” or crouched down and covered himself if Bacon had slapped him. “I could take GL. with one hand tied behind my back,” Bacon boasted on the stand. Bacon claimed Monday that no one knew of his intentions and that he acted alone throughout his dealings with GL. in the summer of 2009. He contradicted wiretaps and testimony last fall suggesting his parents, his then-girlfriend — who is Scott’s daughter — and Scott were all part of the conspiracy. “Wayne had no clue what was going to happen,” Bacon testified. As for Scott’s daughter, Bacon said: “I do not discuss my business with girls. Period.” He was animated and angry when he denied allegations made against his parents David and Susan Bacon, whom Scott said on wiretap were offering tips about the cocaine deal. “They live a regular life — like regular citizens. They don’t have any knowledge about my criminal lifestyle,” Bacon testified. “If they thought there was anything going on with Wayne and me, they would have pulled my bail and sent me back to jail. And my dad would have booted Wayne’s ass out the door.” Wearing red prison garb, his hands shaking at times, Bacon also admitted that back in 2009, he was breaking up and snorting several OxyContin pills daily, and was a regular user of steroids, cocaine and marijuana. “I would crush and snort between two and four oxys a day,” Bacon said. “I did blow on the weekends.” His drug use made him paranoid at times, Bacon testified. He also complained about police invading his family’s privacy, claiming there were listening devices all over their former Abbotsford home at the time, including inside the TV. And he said it was like The Truman Show, with police cameras pointed at the front and back of the house. Bacon explained that he was wearing a bulletproof vest when he was arrested on Nov. 26, 2009, because “it is an occupational hazard, I guess. It’s something I wear just in case.” His elder brother Jonathan Bacon was shot to death in Kelowna last summer and his younger brother Jamie, in custody awaiting trial in the Surrey Six murder case, has also been shot at. Scott and Bacon were charged with one count of conspiracy to traffic cocaine after the Combined Forces Special Enforcement Unit employed GL., a longtime cocaine smuggler who knew Scott. Incriminating recordings of conversations and telephone calls between GL. and both Scott and Bacon were played at the trial last fall. The Crown argued both accused had agreed to purchase up to 100 kilos of cocaine for as much as $3 million and were to take possession of a sample in late August 2009. No cocaine or cash was ever exchanged — proof, Bacon testified, that he never intended to buy the drugs. And he said by late August, GL. was starting to realize that Bacon was never going to pay up. “He pretty much knew I was going to rob him. It was obvious,” Bacon said. The trial continues Tuesday.

The Goodfellas gangsters may live again at AMC

2012-01-10T22:19:00.001Z

"Goodfellas" might be becoming a made man again. AMC is developing a series adapted from the acclaimed 1990's film's source material, Nicholas Pileggi's nonfiction book "Wiseguy," about the rise and fall of a mid-20th century gangster. Pileggi wrote the 1990 film adaptation, which was directed by Martin Scorsese ("Taxi Driver," "Hugo"), and has signed on to co-write the TV series adaptation along with "Homicide: Life On The Street" vet Jorge Zamacona. The film version's producer Irwin Winkler, with son David, will act as co-executive producers, according to Deadline.com. 1990' s "Goodfellas" chronicles the violent, rags-to-riches tale of gangster Henry Hill (Ray Liotta) as he gets deeper into a world of crime over a period of thirty years, along with his friends and fellow wiseguys, played by Robert De Niro, Joe Pesci and Paul Sorvino. It was nominated for several Oscars, including best picture and director. Pesci won in the supporting actor category. Pileggi also has "Ralph Lamb" in development at CBS with director James Mangold. AMC is home to such acclaimed dramas as "Mad Men," "Breaking Bad" and "The Walking Dead."

Members of the Mad Cowz and Manitoba Warriors have been at odds for several weeks as they battle for turf and the lucrative profits

2012-01-10T22:06:00.001Z

Members of the Mad Cowz and Manitoba Warriors have been at odds for several weeks as they battle for turf and the lucrative profits that come from selling drugs, sources told the Free Press. Enlarge Image Police investigate after a Victor Street house was shot up and set afire Wednesday. Mohamed Ali Omar The two groups are believed responsible for several shootings this week that have residents of the West End and North End on edge. Police have beefed up their resources in the neighbourhoods as they struggle to predict and prevent the next attack. Between Sunday morning and Thursday morning, there were five reported shootings and/or firebombings of homes on Aberdeen Avenue, Victor Street and Simcoe Street. Sources say the residences all have ties to gang activity and were deliberately targeted. There have been no reported injuries and no arrests. "This is strictly to do with impeding each other's crack sales," a justice source said Friday. Police are still probing whether there is a connection between those incidents and a New Year's Eve shooting on Selkirk Avenue that left a 46-year-old man dead. A 30-year-old woman also suffered serious injuries after being shot in the eye inside the home, which sources say was a known drug house with connections to gang activity. No arrests have been made. "As of late, we've had several violent instances where firearms have been involved. Any time we have these types of incidents occurring -- whether it's days apart, weeks apart or months apart -- of course we're concerned," Winnipeg Police Service spokesman Const. Jason Michalyshen said this week. "There's a concern for public safety and there's a concern that these incidents may repeat themselves, but we're making every effort to investigate these matters thoroughly." Sources told the Free Press tensions between the Mad Cowz -- a predominantly African gang -- and the Manitoba Warriors -- a predominantly native gang -- began to rise following an unsolved shooting death late last October in the parking lot of a McPhillips Street hotel. Mohamed Ali Omar, 28, was gunned down as he stood outside the Lincoln Motor Inn. Police say a man in an SUV pulled up and opened fire on a group of people, killing Omar and injuring a 17-year-old. Omar's family have described him as a loving father of four who worked as a hospital cleaner. But police have confirmed he had ties to gang activities, and sources say that gang was the Mad Cowz. No arrests have been made, but there is speculation on the streets that the Manitoba Warriors may have been involved. "That's always a tricky area for police when we're describing gang associations. I don't think we're prepared to go any further than stating that they do have associations to a local street gang," police Const. Natalie Aitken said at the time. Winnipeg has seen its share of gang battles play out in public, most recently with associates of the Hells Angels and Rock Machine trading bullets and firebombs. There were more than a dozen incidents last summer and fall, including several where people narrowly avoided serious injury or death. Police and justice officials publicly declared a biker war was brewing and warned citizens to be vigilant. Officers took the unusual step of going door to door in some neighbourhoods, warning people of the potential for violence. Relations between the two gangs have calmed in recent months, but a source warned there might be more violence to come. "There are a lot of scores to be settled," the source told the Free Press last month. Now, it appears, the Manitoba Warriors and Mad Cowz have decided to stir things up.

Among the funeral attendees were members of several Northwest Washington gangs

2012-01-10T21:58:00.001Z

Marcellus E. Jackson, 23, and Kier M. Johnson, 21, were arrested Monday in connection with the 2010 slaying of Jamal Coates, D.C. police announced. Investigators count Coates’s killing as among crimes by rival gang members in the U Street NW neighborhood. Coates was shot to death on Sept. 28, 2010, after he attended a funeral for a young woman who was killed earlier that month and whose boyfriend was charged in her death, police said. Among the funeral attendees were members of several Northwest Washington gangs, authorities said.

Man sentenced to 12 years for gang-related shootings

2012-01-10T21:56:00.001Z

21-year-old Winnipeg man has been sentenced to 12 years in prison for two gang-related shootings in the city's West End, including one that unintentionally injured a 10-year-old girl. Paramedics take the girl, who was 10 years old at the time, to hospital following the May 26, 2010, shooting on Victor Street. (CBC) The man pleaded guilty on Monday to two counts of discharging a firearm in connection with the May 2010 incidents, including the May 26 shooting of a house on Victor Street. Court heard that the man, who was then a 19-year-old member of the Indian Posse street gang, fired three shots at the home as an act of retaliation for a drive-by shooting that killed a fellow gang member the day before. Inside the house was the girl, who was hit in the knee by a bullet that went through the front window. Her sister, who was eight at the time, was superficially injured by flying glass and debris. Neighbours and the man's own younger brother told police they saw him with a rifle at the time of the incident. The man was arrested two days later at The Forks, with a machete hidden in his pants. A teenage co-accused pleaded guilty in September 2010 to aggravated assault and assault with a weapon in connection to the attack.

Arrested Omar Ortiz "El Gato" Striped former goalkeeper for kidnapping

2012-01-08T15:20:00.001Z

Omar Ortiz, former goalkeeper Rayados of Monterrey was presented by the PGJNL to the media along with three others accused of the crime of kidnapping was linked to the kidnapping of the husband of Gloria Trevi.

Former Mexican goalkeeper Moterrey club, Omar 'El Gato' Ortiz, suspended in 2010 for doping, was arrested by members of a gang of kidnappers whose victims are the husband of singer Gloria Trevi, said Saturday the government of Nuevo León .

"It became an accomplice of the band to bring to the victims (kidnapping) and received payments for their active participation in these cases, has confessed to at least two, which received more than 100 thousand dollars," he said at a press conference the spokesman Security of Nuevo Leon, Jorge Domene.

The band he belonged to "The Cat", which was presented to the press Saturday after being arrested in recent days, kidnapped the husband of singer Gloria Trevi in October 2011, said Domenico, but did not say whether the former goalkeeper took on plagiarism.

Three other alleged hijackers were presented to the press and authorities say confessed to have participated in at least 20 kidnappings, each of which demanded a million dollars. The band is connected to the Gulf cartel, Domene said.

Jose Lopez-Buelna, aka "Miguel," 51, was sentenced to 20 years in prison and Erik Dushawn Webster, 47, was sentenced to 25 years

2011-12-30T17:33:00.001Z

Jose Lopez-Buelna, aka "Miguel," 51, was sentenced to 20 years in prison and Erik Dushawn Webster, 47, was sentenced to 25 years by U.S. District Judge Gloria Navarro.

They were also sentenced to five years of supervised release.

Lopez-Buelna pleaded guilty on Feb. 16, 2011, to conspiracy to distribute five kilograms or more cocaine, conspiracy to launder money and two counts of money laundering.

Webster was convicted by a federal jury on Feb. 18 of conspiracy to distribute five kilograms or more of cocaine and conspiracy to launder money.

At the sentencing hearings, the court found the drug distribution conspiracy in this case involved 150 kilograms or more of cocaine.

According to court documents and testimony, Lopez-Buelna and co-defendant Jesus Gastelum recruited various individuals, including Webster, to drive motor homes outfitted with lead-lined, hidden compartments throughout the United States, Mexico and Canada beginning in 2007.

The hidden compartments were used to conceal drugs and money.

The drivers would make stops in various destinations, including Atlanta, Chicago, New York and Montreal.

Gastelum, who faces drug and money laundering charges, is currently a fugitive.

Another co-defendant, Adolph Vargas, pleaded guilty to charges in January 2011 to conspiracy to distribute five kilograms or more of cocaine and one count of money laundering was sentenced in November to 87 months in prison followed by two years of supervised release.

The court recovered two recreational vehicles, two semi-automatic pistols, various other vehicles and more than $4 million during the course of the investigation.

The case was investigated by the FBI, the Drug Enforcement Administration, the Las Vegas Metropolitan Police Department and the Internal Revenue Service - Criminal Division.

The case was prosecuted by Mary Woelfle and Margaret Honrath of the Criminal Division's Organized Crime and Gang Section.

Two alleged associates of the Hells Angels have been charged after a police officer was put in a headlock and punched several times

2011-12-29T22:13:00.001Z

Two alleged associates of the Hells Angels have been charged after a police officer was put in a headlock and punched several times in front of a Kelowna nightclub Tuesday.

Shortly after 2 a.m. two uniformed Kelowna RCMP members were on patrol when they saw a fight break out between several men on Leon Avenue. When they moved in to arrest the main aggressor, one of the officers was jumped from behind and attacked.

The officer who was punched ended up with swelling and bruising.

Kelowna RCMP spokeswoman Sgt. Ann Morrison was unable to say what caused the fight.

“I can confirm we are having difficulty receiving cooperation from the parties involved,” she said.

Kelowna’s Pedro Amestica, 39, was charged with assaulting a police officer and resisting arrest. He does not have a criminal record and police say he is a known associate of the Mission City chapter of the Hells Angels.

Thomas Volker, a 37-year-old from Mission, is charged with assaulting a police officer. He has a criminal record and police say he is a member of the Mission City Hells Angels.

Both men have appeared before a justice of the peace and have been released from custody. Their next court appearance is scheduled for Jan. 12 in Kelowna

Anuj Bidve, 23, was shot in the side of the head as he walked with friends near their hotel in Salford, Greater Manchester,

2011-12-29T18:20:00.000Z

Anuj Bidve, 23, was shot in the side of the head as he walked with friends near their hotel in Salford, Greater Manchester, in the early hours of the morning.

Five people have now been arrested over the incident.

Chief Superintendent Kevin Mulligan, divisional commander for Salford, said today: "We have not established a clear motive for the senseless murder of Anuj, and there is no definitive evidence pointing to it being racially-motivated.

"However, we are treating this as a hate crime based on the growing perceptions within the community it was motivated by hate."

Speaking at a press conference at Greater Manchester Police headquarters, he added: "What we are saying is we do not know whether it's racially motivated or not. But by definition we need to treat any incident of this kind where there is a perception that race is involved or hate is involved and categorise it as a hate incident."

Suspect in Juárez consulate killings extradited

2011-12-29T13:42:00.001Z

An alleged prison gang member wanted in connection with the killing of a U.S. consulate employee, her husband and another employee's spouse has been extradited to the United States, Mexican authorities have announced. Joel Abraham Caudillo was handed over to FBI agents Dec. 20 in Veracruz at the same time that Julian “El Piolin” Zapata Espinoza, wanted in the February killing of U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement Agent Jaime Zapata, was extradited. Mexican authorities announced Caudillo's extradition this week. He's one of 35 people charged in a drug conspiracy case that alleges that the Barrio Azteca prison gang, working with the Juárez Cartel, engaged in drug trafficking and murder on both sides of the Rio Grande. Officials say that gang members in Ciudad Juárez on March 13, 2010, killed U.S. consulate employee Leslie Ann Enriquez Catton; her husband, Arthur Redelf, an El Paso County jailer; and Jorge Alberto Salcido Ceniceros, the husband of a consulate employee. Caudillo is accused of destroying one of the vehicles used in Ceniceros' killing. Extraditions in the case have been done surreptitiously during holidays. Near Labor Day weekend in 2010, Jesus Ernesto “El Camello” Chávez Castillo, a suspect in the killings, was brought to San Antonio for a closed court hearing. Court records in his case remain sealed.

all is quiet on Calgary’s gang front.

2011-12-29T13:40:00.001Z

With no killings between FOB and FK in nearly three years and the biggest case of them all — the 2009 triple murder at Bolsa Restaurant — resulting in at least two convictions, it would be tempting to assume all is quiet on Calgary’s gang front. That assumption would be wrong. As detailed in a recent article, no small amount of effort goes into monitoring the gang members who aren’t either dead or in jail to prevent any further violence. However, we live in a society that values quantifiable results: while it’s easy to tally the number of bad guys who have been arrested, the amount of drugs seized or illegal guns taken off the street, it’s much harder to measure how many murders police may have prevented. It has happened, however, and only continued pressure will keep the violence in check. But that’s not the only unfinished business for Calgary police: there are at least 20 homicides connected to the gang war which remain unsolved — investigations police have been able to devote more time to, thanks to the relatively low number of homicides recorded in Calgary during 2011. Prior to the Bolsa massacre, when innocent restaurant patron Keni Su’a was slaughtered trying to flee the eatery, it was common for Calgarians to be indifferent to the death toll as long as gangsters kept killing each other. Bolsa exposed the fundamental flaw in that indifference: allow criminals with little regard for human life to run loose and it’s only a matter of time before an innocent is hurt or killed. The public may not be clamouring for police to solve the murders of 20 people who were either gangsters or people who made the poor choice of hanging out with criminals, but Bolsa demonstrated why all Calgarians have a vested interest in getting their killers off the street. For homicide investigators, an unsolved case is a case that needs solving — no matter if the victim was a criminal himself. “We are looking at cold case homicides, and included in that is, of course, are all the organized crime ones,” Staff Sgt. Grant Miller of the homicide unit said recently. “We’re motivated to solve them.” We live in a country where the rule of law is supreme, and it dictates justice must be available to all — justice that’s meted out in a courtroom, not at the end of the barrel of a gun.

WEST Vancouver gangster Omid Bayani can look forward to seven years in a federal jail if he makes a public reappearance.

2011-12-28T14:14:00.001Z

But so far it's unknown whether the UN gang member is on the lam from the law, or has met with a more sinister fate at the hands of gang rivals.

Bayani, 36, disappeared in September, just two days before he was to be sentenced in Ontario for trafficking a massive quantity of the date-rape drug GHB.

The judge in the case described it as "the largest seizure of GHB in Canadian history."

At the time Bayani went missing, police said he appeared to be headed to one of the North Shore gyms he frequented when he left his West Vancouver home that afternoon. He hasn't been seen since.

If he does show up, however, there will be a spot in a federal jail cell waiting for him, after an Ontario superior court justice sentenced him in absentia to spend seven years in jail for his crimes - an eight-year sentence reduced by one year for time already spent in custody.

According to facts set out in court documents, in late 2005, Bayani sold 600 litres of GHB to Mehrdad Bahman, a prospective member of the Toronto chapter of Hell's Angels.

But before any money changed hands, police in Ontario got wind of the deal and the location of a garage where Bahman was storing the GHB through a Hells Angels informant.

Police moved in and seized 350 litres of the drug, making it look like the garage had been burgled.

After Bayani became angry that he hadn't been paid, Bahman and other Hells Angels associates flew to Vancouver and met Bayani at Joe Fortes restaurant to hammer out a deal to repay the debt.

According to the informant, they agreed Bahman would pay Bayani $80,000.

In handing out the sentence, Justice Robert Clark said the amount underscores that "the potential profit of this illicit activity is enormous."

Clark added Bayani, who was born in Iran and is not a Canadian citizen, had shown no remorse for his actions.

A co-accused in the case, Hells Angels member Vincenzo "Jimmy" Sansalone, was sentenced to six years for his role in the case, which included setting up the Vancouver meeting between Bahman and Bayani.

Bayani's lawyer, Joseph Bloomenfeld, told the judge when Bayani didn't show up to his sentencing hearing that his client may have met with foul play.

But the judge said since he had no evidence of that, he would have to assume that Bayani had simply absconded.

Gangsters even turned up to public meetings to intimidate residents and see who was passing on information to the police.

2011-12-23T20:07:00.001Z

THE BIGGEST police drugs operation South Yorkshire has ever seen - set up to tackle gang violence and murder - was hailed a success today after seven more dealers were locked up.

The operation, which began in August 2009 and has now concluded has seen 83 men, women and juveniles put behind bars for a total of around 150 years or given community sentences.

Police launched Operation Mach after a spate of murders, stabbings and shootings involving members of postcode gangs.

The aim was to deter city youngsters from getting caught up in gangs and drug dealing.

Sentencing the last batch of
defendants, Judge Alan Goldsack QC praised the police and said the sentences should act as a clear warning to drug dealers that ‘the long arm of the law will reach those involved’.

Sheffield Crown Court heard plain clothes officers snared dealers selling cocaine and heroin near schools, in children’s parks and outside places of worship across Sheffield.

The youngest to be convicted was just 13.

In the latest cases Richard Pidcock, 40, of HMP Moorlands, was jailed for three years and a day.

Jamaine Anderson, 26, of Low Edges Crescent, Low Edges, Daniel Anderson, 32, of Gloucester Street, Broomhall, Ramone Robinson, 19 of Weldrake Road, Firth Park, Fabien McLaren, 19, of Beldon Close, Arbourthorne, and Joshua James, 19, of Raleigh Road, Heeley, were jailed for a total of six years, four months.

All were found guilty of selling heroin, crack cocaine or cannabis on the city’s streets.

Superintendent Peter Norman said he devised the operation after residents living in communities blighted by drugs raised repeated concerns about their safety.

He said gangsters even turned up to public meetings to intimidate residents and see who was passing on information to the police.

Supt Norman said: “This was a multi-agency operation targeting criminal gangs who consisted of young men suspected of supplying drugs.

“Traditional policing methods had failed to make the desired impact and it was becoming clear a disproportionate number of young people and local residents were being affected by a growing problem.

“It is critically important young people in Sheffield feel safe and are safe within their communities.”

He added: “This sends out a clear message to anyone thinking of getting involved in drug dealing.

“If you think its safe to deal drugs or be involved in gang-related crime in South Yorkshire, it is not.

“If you think communities will tolerate you, you are wrong. If you think people are afraid to tell us who you are, you are wrong.

“Drugs and violence ruin lives. We will never tolerate it and we will arrest you wherever and whenever we can.”

missing West Vancouver gangster Omid Bayani turns up, he will probably be heading straight to an Ontario jail cell.

2011-12-23T19:49:00.001Z

Bayani has been sentenced in absentia by an Ontario Superior Court judge to seven years for his role in trafficking the date rape drug GHB along with members of the Hells Angels.

Bayani, 36, was reported missing to West Vancouver police in September, two days before his sentencing was scheduled to go ahead.

West Vancouver police Det. Tom Wolff von Gudenberg said at the time that Bayani, who is linked to the United Nations gang, was on his way to the gym when he vanished, leaving his family extremely worried.

Bayani’s first sentencing hearing was adjourned because of his disappearance, which his lawyer attributed to possible “foul play.” At a second sentencing hearing, Judge Robert Clark issued a warrant for Bayani’s arrest, noting the lawyer “had no further intelligence concerning the whereabouts of his client.”

Both Bayani and Haney Hells Angel co-accused Vincenzo (Jimmy) Sansalone were convicted of conspiring to traffic GHB in July 2011 in connection with the largest seizure ever of the “date rape” drug in Canadian history.

The investigation dates back to the fall of 2005 when Bayani sold 600 litres of GHB to Mehrdad Bahman, a prospect with the Toronto chapter of the Hells Angels. Bayani was not paid at the time. A police agent later told authorities that Bahman had a large quantity of GHB stored in a garage in Toronto, which police seized in a raid in February 2006.

“To maintain the integrity of their ongoing investigation, the officers made it appear as though the garage had been burgled. As a result of the seizure, Bahman was unable to pay Bayani and a dispute arose in connection with the outstanding debt; that dispute lasted many months,” Clark noted in his reasons for sentencing, a copy of which was obtained by The Vancouver Sun.

In June 2006, at the direction of a vice-president of the Toronto Hells Angels, the agent came to Vancouver with Bahman and Zavisa Drecic, a full-patch member of the Woodbridge, Ont., chapter to mediate the dispute with Bayani.

Sansalone met them at the airport and took them to the Haney clubhouse. The next day, Drecic and the agent met Bayani at a restaurant in downtown Vancouver and hammered out a repayment plan for the GHB debt.

Sansalone was sentenced to six years for his part in the conspiracy.

Bayani, 36, was a major player who deserved a stiffer sentence because “there was an undercurrent of violence in the aftermath of the drug transaction,” Clark said.

He said the nature of the drug itself was an aggravating feature that had to be taken into account.

“This drug is particularly pernicious. Albeit it has uses other than as a ‘date rape’ vehicle, it is meant, for the most part, to be given to innocent, unsuspecting third parties, mainly women, so as to render them unable to effectively resist men who seek to take sexual advantage of them,” Clark said.

“It is one thing for a person to sell a willing buyer an illegal drug when the buyer knows what he is buying and the risks associated with taking it. It is quite another to sell someone a drug that the vendor knows is going to be administered to an unsuspecting third party.”

He noted that Bahman had already sold 250 litres of GHB by the time the police seized the rest.

“As I understand it, put into someone’s drink, only a few drops of this liquid are sufficient to accomplish the evil it is meant to facilitate. Thus, even considering the lesser amount that appears to have made it to the street, as it were, the potential for serious mischief was enormous,” Clark said.

The judge said Bayani’s failure to show up at sentencing in Toronto was also an aggravating factor despite the lawyer’s assertion something untoward may have happened.

“The totality of the information proffered to this court … to explain Bayani’s failure to attend court does not, with the greatest respect, raise the proposition that he has been the victim of foul play beyond the realm of conjecture. Absent proof of that, I am left to conclude, and do conclude, that the accused has simply absconded.”

A fourth member of Syracuse's Bricktown street gang pleaded guilty

2011-12-16T16:47:00.001Z

A fourth member of Syracuse's Bricktown street gang pleaded guilty this morning to racketeering charges in federal court for alleged acts that included murder, drug trafficking and robbery, according to the U.S. Attorney's Office.

Jaycee Floyd, 22, of Syracuse, pleaded guilty to conspiring with other gang members to commit criminal acts starting in 2000. An indictment naming 13 alleged gang members accuses them of two murder, eight other shootings, two knifings, seven instances of illegal gun possession and 12 acts possessing or selling crack cocaine.

One of the homicide victims was 20-month-old Rashaad Walker Jr., who was killed in November when Bricktown member Saquan Evans fired a gun into the back of a minivan in retaliation for a gang-related shooting two days earlier, the indictment said.

Floyd faces up to life in prison and a $250,000 fine with sentenced.

Gang sweep comes from a 7 month, undercover investigation.

2011-12-09T13:09:00.003Z

Early this morning several police agencies, led by the Gilroy Police Department swept through the city and surrounding areas making several arrest of gang memembers. The gang sweep comes from a 7 month, undercover investigation.

Here is a look at the news release sent by Gilroy Police:

The Gilroy Police Department, Santa Clara County District Attorney's Office, Drug Enforcement Administration and California Department of Justice completed a 7-month covert criminal investigation that focused on the criminal activities of suspected Gilroy criminal street gang members and their associates.

The investigation resulted in the identification of at least 25 suspects who violated California's Street Terrorism Enforcement and Prevention Act (STEP Act), as defined in California Penal Code section 186.22. These criminal street gang members and their gang associates organized violent and reckless criminal activity, which caused undue harm upon victims and compromised the safety of our community members.

As a result of the investigation, the Santa Clara County Superior Court issued arrest warrants & search warrants related to the investigation. Portions of the investigation took place in the following cities – Gilroy, Morgan Hill, Hollister and San Jose. However, all of the defendants lived in Gilroy, or were active in a Gilroy based criminal street gang.

The suspects will be prosecuted by the Santa Clara County District Attorney's Office for various criminal violations to include – violations of the STEP Act, shooting into an inhabited dwelling, assault with a deadly weapon (firearm), assault with a deadly weapon (vehicle), robbery, criminal conspiracy, narcotic violations, witness intimidation and the use of juvenile offenders to commit crimes to benefit a criminal street gang. If convicted, suspects may be eligible for sentence enhancements (increased incarceration sentences) due to violations of the STEP Act, prior felony convictions and the use of juveniles during the commission of a crime(s).

This investigation marks the second time within recent months that Gilroy Police Department and Santa Clara County District Attorney's Office have collaborated with other local, county, state and federal agencies to disrupt and dismantle criminal activity in Santa Clara County. The investigation and arrests of criminal street gang members and their gang associates continues 2

to affirm our commitment to insuring the safety of our community members and our zero tolerance policy against criminal street gangs.

Law enforcement agencies that provided assistance during the investigation include, but are not limited to, the California Department of Justice, California Department of Justice Task Forces (Unified Narcotic Enforcement Team, Santa Clara County Specialized Enforcement Team & Santa Cruz County Anti-Crime Team), California Highway Patrol, California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation, Santa Clara County Sheriff's Office, Santa Clara County Probation Department, Santa Clara County – Regional Auto-Theft Task Force (RATTF), Morgan Hill Police Department, Mountain View Police Department, Sunnyvale Department of Public Safety, Campbell Police Department, Milpitas Police Department, High-Intensity Drug Trafficking Area (HIDTA), United States Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms & Explosives and the United States Department of Housing & Urban Development (HUD).

Gang sweep comes from a 7 month, undercover investigation.

2011-12-09T13:09:00.001Z

14th and Girard gang, also known as G-Rod, 1-4 and the Cut Crew, were responsible for a series of attacks including three slayings

2011-12-09T13:07:00.001Z

grand jury has indicted seven members of a criminal street gang located at 14th and Girard Streets NW who authorities said were responsible for several murders and shootings since 2006, including the 2010 murder of a rival gang member following an afternoon funeral in the busy U Street corridor, the U.S. Attorney’s office announced Thursday.

According to the 80-count indictment, members of the 14th and Girard gang, also known as G-Rod, 1-4 and the Cut Crew, were responsible for a series of attacks including three slayings; the Jan. 9, 2009 fatal shooting of Paul Jones, 17, in the 1300 block of Columbia Road NW; the Aug. 11, 2010 fatal shooting of Sean Robinson, 19, in the 2500 block of 17th and Euclid Streets NW and the Sept. 28, 2010 fatal shooting of Jamal Coates, 21, in the 1300 block of U Street NW. Coates had attended the funeral of Columbia Heights resident Ashley McRae, 21.

Last summer, Damon Sams, 21, ofthe District pled guilty to involuntary manslaughter for accidentally shooting McRae in the forehead while trying to put the safety on the gun he was holding. He and was sentenced to 10 years in prison.

Authorities said the three male victims, Jones, Robinson and Coates, were allegedly members of rival gangs.Officials say the gangs had a long history of terrorizing the neighborhoods.

Indicted on various counts including first-degree murder were Lafonte Carlton, 21; Robert Givens, 19; Devyn Black; 22; Ricardo Epps, 22; Marcellus Jackson, 23; Keir Johnson, 21 and Lester Williams, 24. All seven men are from the District.

Carlton and Givens are currently in D.C. jail. Epps and Williams were arrested Monday. Black is in custody for a 2009 shooting. Police are still searching for Jackson and Johnson.

“As alleged, these defendants were part of a dangerous and deadly criminal organization that used threats, intimidation, and extreme violence to protect their turf,” D.C. police Chief Cathy L. Lanier said in a statement. “These indictments are an important step forward in dismantling this ruthless gang and disrupting their reign of terror.”

“This 80-count felony indictment demonstrates our commitment to aggressively targeting the gangs that are so often responsible for inflicting waves of retaliatory violence on our community,” said U. S. Attorney Ronald C. Machen Jr.

A hearing is scheduled Friday for Coleman, Givens, Epps and Williams before D.C. Superior Court Judge Thomas J. Motley.

District Council member Jim Graham (D-Ward 1), who represents the neighborhood where the gangs operated, called the indictment "profoundly important"and said it would help "break up the gang once and for all."

Limerick police are questioning five men as part of an investigation into gangland crime including three murders

2011-11-24T10:37:00.001Z

It is understood three of those being held were arrested in prisons. Two others were arrested in Limerick.

They are being questioned about the murders of rugby player Shane Geoghegan, 28, Roy Collins, 34, and 20-year-old James Cronin.

They are also being questioning about other criminal activity, including a number of shootings.

Follow-up searches are continuing.

Garryowen rugby player Mr Geoghegan was shot dead near his home in Dooradoyle in November 2008; Mr Collins was shot as he worked in the family amusement arcade in Roxboro and Mr Cronin's body was found buried in undergrowth in a field near the railway line in Limerick city centre.

The Crips are outnumbered in New Jersey by the Bloods, but are rapidly growing,

2011-11-23T11:43:00.001Z

The Crips are outnumbered in New Jersey by the Bloods, but are rapidly growing, especially in Elizabeth and Roselle. The gang originated in Los Angeles in the late 1960s. There primary colors are blue and purple. The Crips are also known for violent crimes within the gang itself

-The Crips are also organized by sets. The rank structure from bottom to top is as follows: LOC (foot soldier), B.G. (baby gangsta), Y.G. (young gangsta), G (gangsta now you’ve arrived), DEUCE G (second gangsta), FIRST G (first gangsta), 6-3 (Baby O.G.), 6-4 (O.G.), 00 (Double OG), 000 (Top Rank)

-Sullivan continued to stress that members of the community, especially parents and teachers listen to the language kids use, including the use of the rankings listed above. Crips will often use the signifier “C Up, B down” meaning Crips up, Bloods down (Bloods will use the reverse). This is present in graffiti as well.

-Identifiers include tattoos, clothing, and even grotesque burn marks in the shape of a C as displayed in a photo of a New Jersey prisoner presented during Sullivan’s presentation.

“If you hear this language being spoken, it can’t mean anything else,” Sullivan stated. “If you see a kid and he has a blue doo-rag, and a blue jersey and he’s throwing up hand signs that look like c’s and he’s talking about killing slobs, what do you think that means? It really can’t mean anything else,” he said.

Sworn enemies of the Crips, the Bloods are the largest criminal street gang in New Jersey

2011-11-23T11:42:00.001Z

Sworn enemies of the Crips, the Bloods are the largest criminal street gang in New Jersey and are prevalent throughout Union County, especially in Elizabeth, Linden and Plainfield.

-The Bloods began in Los Angeles and emerged on the east coast in 1993 through inmate connections on Rikers Island.

-Red is the gang’s signature color, but they are also known to wear pink, green, and brown.

-Sullivan noted that each gang has a structure and a hierarchy. The Bloods are organized into individual subgroups called sets. The Bloods often use military rankings such as soldier, Lieutenant, and Five Star General to identify themselves.

-Identifiers include graffiti, clothing (such as red laces or red stitching in denim), tattoos (notably pit bulls, red hearts, “money over bitches” or MOB), hand signs, and language.

-All gangs have their own dialect that translates to their graffiti. This graffiti can often be found on sides of houses, warehouses, railroad overpasses, bridges, and sides of buildings. Like other gangs, the Bloods utilize graffiti to mark their territory; to signify which gangs “own” what neighborhood.

The "Baseball Team."leaders of a drug-trafficking network known as the "Baseball Team." Captured

2011-11-23T11:39:00.001Z

Grande Prairie police have seized two kilograms of cocaine and charged three men, two of whom are believed to be leaders of a drug-trafficking network known as the "Baseball Team."

The cocaine seizure took place at an acreage near La Glace, about 50 kilometres northwest of Grande Prairie, where police from the Alberta Law Enforcement Response Team also found firearms, a small marijuana grow-op and half a pound of marijuana.

In August, an ALERT spokesman said a one-kilogram brick of cocaine has a wholesale value of about $50,000, but can be sold as 3,000 half-gram "spitballs."

Police say the arrests are connected to a half-kilogram cocaine seizure and arrest last month of a Grande Prairie man affiliated with the Demon Soldiers motorcycle gang.

Grande Prairie residents Shaun Christopher Thexton, 40, and Bradley Joseph Demont, 25, as well as La Glace resident Clayton Kelly Buhler, 44, all face possession, trafficking and firearms charges.

Travis Douglas Oakes was high on cocaine when he was fatally shot by police

2011-11-23T11:37:00.001Z

Travis Douglas Oakes was high on cocaine when he was fatally shot by police trying to resist arrest by the High Enforcement Auto Theft (HEAT) city police team at a southwest car wash, a toxicologist testified on Tuesday at an inquiry into his death.

Dr. Graham Jones said Oakes, 33, would have consumed at least five lines (about 500 milligrams) of the illicit drug in the hours leading up to his death just after 3 a.m. on March 18, 2009.

He had been under surveillance for six hours when the officers blocked his stolen Chevrolet Caprice at both ends of the Western Pride Car Wash. Oakes rammed the police vehicles in an attempt to escape before being killed.

"He would have been under the influence of cocaine at the time of his death," Jones told Crown lawyer Christine Nugent

Jones said such an amount of cocaine can have an adverse effect on a person, including bizarre behaviour such as excited delirium, and it can happen even if one is tolerant to the drug.

Under cross-examination, the toxicologist agreed with city police lawyer John Cordeau that the level of cocaine in Oakes' system was "consistent with an elevated level . . . showing significant use of cocaine in recent hours."

Const. Kerry Smith, a member of the HEAT team who kept Oakes under surveillance starting at 9 the previous night, said she was aware the suspect was wanted for baiting and taunting police, as well as vehicle theft, licence plate theft and robbery. She said during the surveillance, she and other officers saw Oakes drive to several convenience stores, plazas and liquor stores as if he was casing them to rob them.

However, she added, there was not an opportunity to safely arrest the man until he drove into the car wash and began to wash the car.

"There was no time during surveillance where there was a proper distance from Mr. Oakes to the vehicle where we could make an arrest," Smith said. When asked about a comment she made to other members of the HEAT team about four hours before the shooting, texting, "Maybe we can just shoot this guy, already," Smith said it was "an inappropriate comment, an attempt to use black humour to lessen the stress of the circumstances."

She said it "was not typical" to follow a suspect for six hours, as the team did that night, to effect an arrest.

"We followed as long as we needed to arrest," she said. "At this point he had attended so many addresses and the elevated level I felt had risen."

Smith said the earlier inappropriate comment had no bearing on the outcome that night.

extradition of six people suspected of providing guns to drug cartels.

2011-11-23T11:33:00.001Z

Mexico's top cop Attorney General Marisela Morales has requested the extradition of six people suspected of providing guns to drug cartels. She told the Mexico's lower house of Congress last Wednesday three of the suspects are in Texas and three are in California. Morales did not mention the gun walking operation known as Fast and Furious nor did she name the individual suspects. But, according to the Latin American Herald Tribune, "One of the requests involves three people believed to have acquired a large number of weapons under the Fast and Furious program."

Morales has been under pressure from lawmakers to "punish those responsible" in the U.S for an ATF Phoenix program that supplied high-powered weapons to some of the most vicious killers on the planet. The number of Mexican citizens killed with guns purchased under the ATF operation　could number in the thousands, according to Chihuahua state prosecutor Patricia Gonzalez.

Last fall Gonzalez' brother Mario, a lawyer, was kidnapped and brutally murdered by cartel hit men who videotaped the grisly slaying. An ATF officer working out of the U.S. embassy in Mexico later told Ms. Gonzalez AK-47 assault rifles found in the killers' arsenal were linked to Fast and Furious.

By most accounts Mexican officials were kept in the dark while more and more guns were showing up at crime scenes south of the border.

In September, 2011 Attorney General Morales told the Los Angeles Times she heard about the deadly operation through news reports months after the murder of Agent Brian Terry.

It was then that we learned of that case, of the arms trafficking. In no way would we have allowed it, because it is an attack on the safety of Mexicans.

In fact, Morales was not even Attorney General when the news about the gun walking murders came to light. President Calderone appointed Morales, then Deputy Attorney General for Special Investigations Against Organized Crime, to her present position on March 31, 2011. A few weeks before taking over as Mexico's top law enforcement officer, Secretary of State Hillary Clinton and First Lady Michelle Obama presented Morales with the International Women of Courage Award at a ceremony in DC.

Most concede Morales is a courageous, smart and formidable leader. Her recent extradition request came with some tough talk.

We're going to get to the bottom of this and we're going to punish ... whomever is responsible for these (crimes).

[In the future] we will manage to have more cases of this nature and surely there will be many extraditions we are going to be requesting from authorities in the United States.

Mexico is free to punish those who violate the law by smuggling weapons into its territory.

Top U.S. officials Eric Holder, Hillary Clinton, Janet Napolitano and President Obama have denied any knowledge of the operation, so turning over criminal defendants for prosecution in Mexico seems unlikely. Morales said she will respect the "sovereignty" of both countries and that each nation has "a shared responsibility" to investigate and punish gun smugglers.

Even if Ms. Morales' request for extradition is nothing more than a political necessity to ward off the "concern and indignation" of the Mexican people, it does draw attention to a government program that resulted in a mass murder nightmare for our neighbor to the south.

foot-soldier of the notorious Malvern Crew street gang whose members once plagued parts of Scarborough

2011-11-18T14:50:00.001Z

A foot-soldier of the notorious Malvern Crew street gang whose members once plagued parts of Scarborough is being kicked out Canada for belonging to an
organized crime group.

Raoul Andre Burton, 27, of Toronto, was one of 65 suspected members of the
gang rounded up in May 2004 by Toronto Police in Project Impact
The operation dismantled the Malvern Crew whose members were feuding with rival Galloway Boyz over turf.

Burton was charged with nine offences and sentenced to eight-months in jail

along with a pre-sentence custody of 165 days.

Toronto Police gang experts said he was a loyal Malvern foot-soldier who was a “good money-earner” for the gang.

Officers of the Canada Border Services Agency have been trying for years to

deport Burton, who arrived here from Jamaica at age 10 and never obtained

citizenship.

Members of an Immigration and Refugee Board ruled in a decision released

this month that Burton is a member of organized crime and inadmissable to Canada.

“The rivalry with the Galloway Boyz resulted in violence and murder,” the

board said. “The Malvern Crew resorted to violence, extortion and

murder to prevent rivals, such as the Galloway Boyz, from invading their

territory.”

Board member Ama Beecham said Burton was nabbed by police while arranging and

completing drug transactions in ounce quantities with six known members of

the Malvern Crew.

“He and others were discussing firearms and ammunition with

another Malvern Crew member,” Beecham said.

She said his convictions provide “prime evidence that he knowingly

participated in, and was personally implicated in, the criminal actions

involving the Malvern Crew.”

The board heard the Crew had a territory in the Malvern district of

Scarborough which they jealously guarded from the Galloway Boyz, who also

claimed parts of Scarborough as their territory.

“The Malvern Crew ... is simply a street gang that is territorial,” the

board said. “It is an organization which, whilst active, terrorized the community and had very little community support.”

No date has been set for Burton’s deportation from Canada.

He can appeal the decision to the Federal Court of Canada or to federal immigration officials.

Wild gang fight in US emergency room

2011-11-13T10:20:00.001Z

A WILD gang fight involving at least a dozen thugs in a Bronx hospital emergency room ended in bloodshed when one gang member pulled a gun and began firing - wounding two hospital employees, police sources told the New York Post. Bullets ricocheted in the packed ER waiting room - with many children nearby - at Bronx Lebanon Hospital about 7:00pm local time. A 42-year-old security guard took a bullet in the groin and a 37-year-old male nurse was hit in the shoulder. "I heard the shots, three of them, pop, pop, pop," said nurse's aide Joi Cummings. "It was just chaos, total chaos. Everyone was running. I saw a security guard on the stretcher. "It's so sad. You go to a hospital to get help, you don't think you're going to get shot." The incident stemmed from a long-standing beef between members of the Riverpark Towers Crew (RPT) and their Burnside Money Getters rivals, police sources said. Related Coverage Two wounded in emergency room shooting Herald Sun, 2 days ago UK looks to US after riots Foundation, 10 days ago Judge 'to be in a coma for days' The Daily Telegraph, 1 Sep 2011 Authorities 'in denial' on gangs Herald Sun, 22 Aug 2011 Casualty a gang battleground Herald Sun, 20 Aug 2011 A member of RPT was being treated for a gash below his eye from a fight earlier in the day when he was alerted that guys from both gangs were in the waiting room, sources said. Police were questioning several people last night, but the shooter had escaped, sources said. No one had been charged by early today and the gun was not recovered. A hospital spokesman said employees "were able to stop the situation from progressing" because of their quick intervention.

Bandidos biker sues lawyer Andrew Fraser over book

2011-11-13T10:17:00.001Z

Bandidos motorcycle gang member Robert (Kim) Sloan claims in court documents his "reputation and feelings have been seriously injured" by allegations in the book, Snouts in the Trough. In a writ lodged in the County Court this week Mr Sloan's lawyers said the author had defamed the bikie through allegations that he made a death threat in front of a bent policeman's relatives. The lawyers said the allegations were understood to mean that Mr Sloan was a "violent person" and a "menacing and malicious person". It said Mr Sloan had suffered because of the alleged defamation and would continue to suffer loss and damage. Mr Sloan, who said he had been told by his lawyers not to comment, is also suing the publisher, Hardie Grant Books, and wants damages with interest. Snouts in the Trough is about a corrupt former detective sergeant. Related Coverage TV: What's on The Box tonight Courier Mail, 2 Nov 2011 Bikies roll into Thailand tourist areas Courier Mail, 14 Oct 2011 Sarah Palin threatens lawsuit over book The Daily Telegraph, 27 Sep 2011 Alleged Bandidos bikie charged Herald Sun, 22 Aug 2011 Ferals at risk - Milne lawyer Herald Sun, 16 Aug 2011 Fraser was a well-known criminal defence lawyer in Melbourne until that detective led police raids in September, 1999 and uncovered Fraser's secret cocaine habit and dealings. Fraser had represented gangland figures such as Lewis and Jason Moran, as well as other high-profile figures, including Jimmy Krakouer. Fraser was jailed in 2001 for seven years for importing 5.5kg of cocaine, worth about $2.7 million, and was released in 2006. The publisher was unavailable for comment and Fraser could not be contacted.

Gangster dead in Vancouver daytime shooting

2011-11-07T16:50:00.001Z

brazen gangland slaying in a busy area one block from a Vancouver police station has left witnesses to the Sunday morning shooting extremely shaken. A man dressed in black clothing approached the victim as he walked his dog and shot him six times in the chest from close range, according to witness accounts. A witness, who asked to be identified only as Sylvia, said she heard six gunshots. “It sounded like fireworks,” said Sylvia, who was enjoying a cappuccino at a nearby cafe just before 10 a.m. “We looked out the window and saw a hooded man — a man in a black hoodie and black pants. He just ran up the road.” She then noticed someone lying on the ground on the northeast corner of the intersection. “I ran over to see if he needed help,” said Sylvia. Two other passersby were already at his side. “They were checking for a pulse. He had a pulse for a short time,” she said. The witness said he had been shot six times in the chest. “There was a lot of bleeding. We ran back and got him a blanket. The police were there very quickly, in less than a minute, and after that emergency people took over.” While the victim’s body lay under a blanket, Vancouver police officers armed with large rifles searched for a suspect. Sylvia described the victim as a white man in his 20s who had been walking a dog before he was shot. Vancouver Police Department Const. Jana McGuinness confirmed the targeted shooting marked the city’s 13th homicide of 2011. “We do believe he has some gang links,” said McGuinness, who did not name the victim. After the shooting, the victim’s pet, a French bulldog, ran around frantically until one of the passersby managed to bring it under control.

Body found in search for Dublin drug addict killed over $4,000 gang debt

2011-11-07T05:38:00.001Z

Irish police have recovered the body of a drug addict murdered over a debt of just a few thousand dollars. Ciaran Noonan, a 29-year-old father of one, was abducted near his East Wall home in Dublin on October 20th. His body was discovered in a ditch on farmland five miles from the Meath town of Trim on Friday night. Noonan’s family visited the site and laid flowers after the body was removed and taken to Tallaght hospital for a post mortem. Police believe Noonan was beaten to death after he was snatched in broad daylight on Russell Avenue in the East Wall. A priest in County Meath received a phone call last week with information about the location of the addict’s body. Speaking to the media, officers outlined their belief that Noonan was killed over a small drug debt to a Dublin gang, believed to be no more than $4,000. The gang had forced Noonan to collect money from other addicts in the north inner city but it is believed he used the money to feed his own habit and ran foul of the gang’s notorious leader. Noonan was heard shouting "I’m dead" as he was hit with an iron bar and dragged into the back of a car. Officers believe the gang intended to beat Noonan severely to force him or his family to pay his drug debt but the punishment beating went horribly wrong. Two women, arrested on suspicion of withholding evidence relating to the kidnapping, have been released without charge. Noonan’s mother Geraldine told reporters: “We had hoped that Ciaran would be found alive. At least now we can give him a funeral.”

DEFECTIONS between the Nomads and the Hells Angels bikie gangs could have sparked a spate of drive-by shootings, police said yesterday.

2011-11-06T22:03:00.001Z

Identifying ... The Nomads motorcycle gang's logo. Source: Supplied

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But Gangs Squad commander Arthur Katsogiannis said the tit-for-tat violence was part of a dispute between individual bikies and not a war between the clubs.

Superintendent Katsogiannis and Middle Eastern Organised Crime Squad commander Deborah Wallace yesterday called for a end to the violence after shootings near the Ibrahim family home in Merrylands and at Ermington over the weekend.

Among possible motives for the violence was a number of recent defections between the clubs, known as "patching over", Supt Katsogiannis said.

"If this was a full scale war between the Nomads and the Hells Angels you would not have the shootings isolated at one particular area, they would be right around the metropolitan area and around the state," he said.

"It is a conflict between two or three individuals who are part of those gangs, and the conflict is solely between themselves and we're trying to resolve that."

Police have linked eight shootings since last Thursday to the dispute, including one inNorthmead where an innocent woman's house was sprayed with bullets as she slept.

In the last attack, a Merrylands home belonging to a member of the Ibrahim family was shot at on Saturday about 8.45pm. A black four-wheel drive was seen leaving the area after shots were fired, but no one was injured and there was no damage to the house.

In the later incident, police were called to a house at Ermington about 12.05am yesterday after the owner came home and discovered damage to the front of the house.

Police believe the damage to a wall and window was caused by a bullet. No one was in the house at the time.

Strike Force Felix, established to investigate the shootings, has made "significant inroads" about the identity of those involved and the cause of the dispute, Supt Katsogiannis said. "We want to reassure the public that we are doing everything possible."

Newfoundlanders arrested in RCMP drug bust

2011-11-06T08:28:00.001Z

Two people from Newfoundland and Labrador have been arrested in an interprovincial drug bust against the Hells Angels motorcycle club. The accused are 41-year-old Scott Hutchings from Bell Island and Jocelyn Dunn, 26, from St. John's. The pair have been charged with conspiracy to traffic cocaine. They were both arrested on Friday afternoon in St. John’s. They were taken in a bust dubbed "Operation Longridge," which was led by the Ontario Provincial Police. According to a press release issued by the RCMP on Saturday the operation was “targeting members and associates of (an) outlaw motorcycle gang, specifically the Hells Angels Kitchener, Ontario chapter.” The release went on to state that Hutchings and Dunn were arrested in an undercover operation by the RCMP St. John’s Drug Section in cooperation with the Ontario Biker Enforcement Unit. In addition to arresting the two suspects police also seized $50,000 and an unreleased quantity of anabolic steroids. There were more arrests connected to this case made in Ontario but it is unclear at this time how many there were in total. Hutchings and Dunn will appear again in court on Monday.

Montreal criminal lawyer Gilles Doré — who has represented alleged Hells Angels — is in hospital with serious injuries

2011-11-06T08:16:00.001Z

Montreal criminal lawyer Gilles Doré.

Montreal criminal lawyer Gilles Doré — who has represented alleged Hells Angels — is in hospital with serious injuries after being assaulted outside his home.

According to Radio-Canada, the 58-year-old lawyer was violently beaten outside his house in Montreal's tony Outremont neighbourhood Friday evening.

Without confirming his identity, police said the victim was found lying on the ground outside his house near Glendale and Pratt Avenues.

The victim was in a coma but later regained consciousness and was able to speak with detectives.

Police have no suspects.

Doré rose to prominence a decade ago when he defended high-ranking Hells members involved in Quebec's notorious 2002 mega-trial.

That mega-trial ended with the murder conviction of Maurice "Mom" Boucher, alleged biker kingpin.

Doré also represents several presumed Hells bikers arrested two years ago in a massive dragnet against organized crime.

The bust, known as Operation SharkQC, netted more than 100 arrests, including dozens of full-patch members of the notorious biker network, according to police.

Italy government hangs by thread as coalition crumbles

2011-11-04T15:29:00.001Z

Italian Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi's fate hung by a thread Friday and desertions from his crumbling centre-right coalition may have already robbed him of the parliamentary numbers he needs to survive. Berlusconi, caught in the crossfire from European powers and a party revolt at home, agreed at a G20 summit in France to IMF monitoring of economic reforms which he has long promised but failed to implement. But this may soon be irrelevant for the Italian leader, who will return to Rome later Friday to face what looks increasingly like a deadly rebellion by his own supporters. With financial markets in turmoil over the situation in Greece and Italy viewed as the next domino to fall in the euro zone crisis, calls are mounting for a new government to carry through reforms convincing enough to regain international confidence. Berlusconi has consistently rejected calls to resign and says the only alternative to him is an early election next spring, rather than the technocrat or national unity government urged by many politicians and commentators. Yields on 10-year Italian bonds reached 6.36 percent by early afternoon, creeping closer to 7 percent, a level which could trigger a so-called "buyers' strike" where investors take fright and refuse to buy the paper. Two deputies from Berlusconi's PDL party this week defected to the centrist UDC, taking his support in the 630-seat lower house of parliament to 314 compared with the 316 he needed to win a confidence vote last month. But at least seven other former loyalists have called for a new government and could vote against the 75-year-old media magnate. "The (ruling) majority seems to be dissolving like a snowman in spring," said respected commentator Stefano Folli in the financial daily Il Sole 24 Ore. Other commentators spoke of an "inexorable" revolt against Berlusconi. Even Defence Ministry undersecretary Guido Crosetto, a Berlusconi loyalist, said on television: "I don't know how many days or weeks the government has left. Certainly a majority relying on a few votes cannot continue for long." PATRONAGE Berlusconi, one of Italy's richest men, still has significant powers of patronage and he and his closest aides are expected to spend the weekend trying to win back support for a parliamentary showdown Tuesday. Some rebels have already threatened to vote against Berlusconi in the vote to sign off on the 2010 budget. Berlusconi faced concerted calls to resign when he lost a previous vote on this routine measure, which was almost unprecedented. Although it is not a confidence motion, he would come under huge pressure if he suffered a second defeat. "Unpopular prescriptions are necessary and this challenge cannot be faced with a 51 percent government," said UDC leader Pier Ferdinando Casini, in a reference to Berlusconi's weakness and a widespread feeling that the reforms can only be passed with a broad consensus. The premier has promised European leaders that he will call a formal confidence motion within 15 days to pass amendments to a budget bill incorporating new measures to stimulate growth and cut Italy's huge debt. That will be in the Senate where he has a more solid majority but it could still bring him down. Berlusconi, beset by a string of sex scandals and court cases, has consistently resisted pressure from groups ranging from a powerful business lobby to the Catholic Church to stand down.

Belizean Bloods have been charged with drug trafficking and passport fraud

2011-11-04T00:38:00.001Z

Two dozen members of a Chicago street gang have been charged with drug trafficking and passport fraud, the U.S. Department of Justice said Thursday. The charges against the members of the Belizean Bloods street gang, said to operate in Chicago and Evanston, Ill., were contained in an indictment unsealed in U.S. District Court in Chicago, a release said. The charges arise from two coordinated investigations that included agents from multiple federal law enforcement agencies as well as the Chicago and Evanston Police Departments, the department said. In 2009, the Chicago Field Office of the U.S. State Department's Diplomatic Security Service began investigating alleged passport fraud by Belizean nationals, while at the same time the FBI and Evanston and Chicago police were investigating alleged narcotics trafficking by suspected members of the Belizean Bloods

Arrests of Mexican drug cartel leaders in Texas raise concerns

2011-11-04T00:26:00.001Z

The recent arrests of three alleged drug gang leaders from Mexico and the shooting of a sheriff's deputy in South Texas are raising fears among some Lone Star State officials that the brutal drug wars plaguing Mexico are taking hold north of the Rio Grande. On Sunday, Deputy Hugo Rodriguez of Hidalgo County in the southern tip of Texas was shot several times when he pulled over a vehicle containing a person kidnapped by members of Mexico's Gulf Cartel, County Sheriff Lupe Trevino said. Rodriguez's bulletproof vest saved his life, Trevino said. "I have always said we have never reported spillover violence, but I have to say that this particular incident is our first example," Trevino said. Trevino said cartel leaders told members to enter the United States to search for marijuana stolen from the cartel. The Mexican gang used members of a Texas-based street gang, mostly illegal immigrants, to seek out the drugs, Trevino said. And three alleged high-ranking leaders of the Gulf Cartel have been arrested in Texas in the past two weeks after seeking refuge in the United States in the aftermath of internal gang warfare, according to federal court documents released this week. "Amazingly, these individuals are using Texas as a safe haven to protect themselves from the very violence that they have created," U.S. Senator John Cornyn, a Republican from Texas, told reporters this week. The internal warfare was sparked by the September murder in Mexico of Samuel Flores Borrego, a top Gulf Cartel leader, according to the court documents. His death has led to a power struggle between two factions of the Gulf Cartel. DRUG ARREST Rafael Cardenas Vela, 38, the nephew of a co-founder of the Gulf Cartel, was arrested October 21 in Port Isabel, Texas, according to U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement. He is charged with conspiracy to possess and distribute drugs and using a fraudulent passport. Two other Gulf Cartel members, Eudoxio Ramos Garcia and Jose Luis Zuniga Hernandez, have been arrested in Texas in the past week, according to ICE. All three arrests are related to the split in the Gulf Cartel, said Scott Stewart, vice president of tactical intelligence for the Austin-based private intelligence firm STRATFOR. "The friction between two parts of the Gulf Cartel has been brewing for the past couple of months, and now it appears it is breaking out into all out war," Stewart told Reuters on Thursday. "It is quite possible that the information that led to Cardenas' arrest was actually leaked to U.S. authorities by his rivals in the cartel." Texas Attorney General Greg Abbott on Wednesday wrote in a letter to President Barack Obama that the three arrests and the shooting of the deputy show that the administration is failing to secure the border. "I implore you to aggressively confront this escalating threat," Abbott wrote. A call to the White House press office was not immediately returned on Thursday. Monica Weisberg-Stewart, a McAllen business owner and the chairwoman of the security committee of the Texas Border Coalition, said incidents like the ones from the past two weeks aren't new in South Texas. "There is still less crime down here on the border than there is in most parts of the country," said Weisberg-Stewart, whose coalition includes elected officials and business owners. "What we need is to work on establishing a true sense of security, and not take reactive steps, which will give us a false sense of security."

Maurice Boland launches iTalk FM radio

2011-11-03T16:57:00.001Z

THIS month radio presenter, Maurice Boland, will launch iTalk FM, a new radio station on the Costa del Sol. The radio station will be based at the Five Star Kempinski Hotel in Estepona, according to Boland. Presenters include: Mat Court, Jack Jackson, Stephen Ritson, Sheila Sanderson , David Jelley, Richie Allan, and Maurice Boland, according to a statement from the presenter.

A man who fled to Spain after being charged in connection with a terrifying robbery has been jailed for 10 years

2011-11-03T14:31:00.001Z

A man who fled to Spain after being charged in connection with a terrifying robbery has been jailed for 10 years. Stephen Devalda provided a motorbike used by two robbers to get to and from the scene of a cash-in-transit raid. The robbers, who were carrying an imitation firearm and a machete, attacked a security guard collecting money from an Asda supermarket. Devalda, of Stanton Avenue, Salford, was arrested and charged in 2007 but he went on to skip bail and fled to Spain. A joint operation between the Serious and Organised Crime Agency and Spanish police was launched – and they tracked him down in Malaga in March. CCTV of the robbery Devalda, 28, who pleaded guilty to a charge of conspiracy to rob and a bail offence, has now been handed a sentence of 10 years and three months behind bars. Detective Inspector Simon Cheyte said: “This was a pre-planned and violent attack which has left the security guard so traumatised and distressed that he has not been able to return to his normal work duties. “This investigation was carried out by a small team over a protracted period of time. They showed dedication and determination to bring this offender to justice and their resolve to succeed has lead to the conviction of a member of an organised and dangerous criminal gang from the Salford area of Manchester. “Thankfully these types of offences are extremely rare but we take them very seriously and are committed to carrying out full and thorough investigations to identify those responsible. “This should demonstrate the lengths Lancashire Constabulary will go to in order to arrest people and bring them justice. I am pleased with the sentence and hope it sends a clear message that this type of offence will not be tolerated.” The court heard how the armed robbery was carried out at Asda, in Colne, in May 2005. Two men in crash helmets arrived on a motorbike. The security guard was attacked with a machete after being knocked to the ground. The victim had a handgun pushed into his neck and a demand was made for money. He was then hit over the helmet with such force that he fell to the floor. One of the robbers shouted 'kill him' to his accomplice. He was ordered to tell a colleague to pass money out. The terrified guard curled up in a ball as the machete was used to rain blows to his head and upper arms. The court heard how the ordeal left him with both physical and psychological injuries. He had three lacerations to the upper arms and £25,000 in cash was stolen. The robbers made off on the motorbike and later switched to a getaway vehicle. Devalda pleaded guilty on the basis that he had been recruited by someone else. His role had been limited to providing the motorbike. A second man, Andrew Moran, 25, from Salford, was also charged with conspiracy to rob in connection with the raid. He appeared at Burnley Crown Court in March 2009 after a six week trial and was remanded into custody by the judge pending the result of the jury’s deliberations. Moran then assaulted a Group 4 security member, vaulted over the dock and ran from the court building. The jury later returned a guilty verdict and he was convicted in his absence of conspiracy to rob, for which he is to be yet sentenced. Moran is still missing and this week was named one of Britain’s most wanted criminals as part of a national Crimestoppers appeal. Det Insp Cheyte said: “We are determined to get Moran back before the courts to serve the time for his crime and I would urge anyone with any information as to his whereabouts to come forward and contact the police.” Moran is described as being around 5ft 8in, of stocky build with cropped fair hair. He has a Manchester accent

Police raided the Magog Motorcycle gang's New Plymouth headquarters yesterday

2011-11-03T00:19:00.001Z

Police raided the Magog Motorcycle gang's New Plymouth headquarters yesterday as part of an operation targeting the Hells Angels. The Centennial Dr gang pad was one of two addresses searched locally while simultaneous warrants were carried out at Auckland properties, including the headquarters of the Hells Angels and other properties linked with the gang, by police and the Organised and Financial Crime Agency New Zealand (Ofcanz). A 56-year-old New Plymouth man, believed to be a member of the Magogs, was arrested and charged with conspiring to defeat the course of justice. He appeared in the New Plymouth District Court yesterday and was remanded on bail to reappear in the Manukau District Court on November 24. Nine men, five members of the Hells Angels and four associates were arrested and six firearms were seized in the Auckland raids. The men have been charged with intentional damage, commission of a crime while in possession of a firearm and possession of a firearm except for some lawful, proper and sufficient purpose. The charges relate to alleged illegal hunting activities, without permits and without firearms licences over the past year. Detective Senior Sergeant Grant Coward of New Plymouth said 16 officers, including two from Ofcanz, were involved in the raids. Mr Coward said the charge the New Plymouth man faced was not connected to the charges in Auckland. "The offending relating to the New Plymouth man is isolated from the illegal hunting." Police believed there was a link between the gangs, but Mr Coward wouldn't elaborate. "We would be naive in thinking there wasn't," he said. No drugs or firearms were found in New Plymouth. Detective Inspector Grant Wormald, of Ofcanz said it was hoped the operation would disrupt a wide range of criminal activities the Hells Angels were involved in. "A number of Hells Angels gang members from around New Zealand have been prosecuted or are now on active charges ranging from possession and supply of methamphetamine to robbery, burglary and extortion," he said. "We have made arrests in Auckland, Napier, Tauranga and Nelson, where an undercover operation early this year put an end to offshoot gang the Red Devils. "Our goal is to investigate the crimes they are committing and disrupt their activities to the extent that it's very hard for them to operate at all.

Dead Man Inc.: 22 charged in indictment of white prison gang

2011-11-03T00:10:00.001Z

Nearly two dozen alleged members of a homegrown prison gang that started in Maryland and spread across the country have been indicted on federal racketeering charges, including accusations of murder for hire, armed robbery and drug running, officials announced Wednesday. The members of Dead Man Inc., who refer to themselves as "dawgs" and espouse an anti-government philosophy, used contraband cellphones to direct activities and spread gang membership into South Baltimore, eastern Baltimore County, northern Anne Arundel County and several other states, authorities said. The 27-count indictment alleges that members shot and killed four people and conspired to kill others. Among those charged are the alleged co-founders, Perry Roark and James Sweeney. Roark, a 42-year-old Dundalk native who is referred to as the "supreme commander," was charged earlier this year in another killing, days before he was to be released from a 25-year prison term. Related Archives: Days before release, reputed gang leader charged in '94 murder Crime Beat: Coverage of Maryland gangs Interactive map: Baltimore City homicides Recent stories by Peter Hermann Baltimore Crime Beat blog City rape investigations questioned Baltimore County crime map Topics Criminal Laws Prisons Murder See more topics » Maps Baltimore, MD, USA "On our streets, this organization has been involved in street robberies, home invasions, property thefts, intimidation, assaults — you name it, they're involved in it," said Randall Jones Sr., an Anne Arundel County police commander. "The northern part of our county has been plagued by these individuals, and this is a major blow to this organization." Roark was close with members of the Black Guerrilla Family, law enforcement officials say, but that gang's rules prohibited him from joining because he is white. With the gang's blessing, officials say, Roark formed a gang at the Jessup prison in the late 1990s that, among other things, carried out killings for the BGF. Experts say the gang, known by the acronym DMI, offered another option for white inmates beyond white supremacists or biker gangs, and its membership grew to include prisoners affiliated with those organizations. There was a careful recruitment and screening process, with a top-down militarized structure that placed commanders in each prison, officials say. Members contend that their purpose is to foster brotherhood. Dead Man Inc. quickly earned a reputation for violence and a willingness to carry out attacks for drugs or money. Though not as well known as the Bloods and the Crips, the gang has been linked to a series of high-profile incidents and was profiled in 2009 on the History Channel's "Gangland" program. Corrections officials say they have confirmed more than 500 DMI members in Maryland prison facilities, about half the number of Bloods but seven times the membership of MS-13, a Hispanic gang that has garnered headlines for ruthless crimes. This week's indictment links the gang to four killings in 2009: the death of James Flanary, 23, in the 3900 block of S. Hanover St. on Feb. 16; the killing June 2 of Tony Geiger, 41, in the unit block of Old Riverside Road; the slaying Sept. 18 of 20-year-old Eugene Chambers in the 1600 block of Cypress St.; and the killing of Walter Milewski, 31, in the 4800 block of Carmella Drive in Halethorpe on Sept. 19. At least one of those charged, Dane Shives, 22, of Glen Burnie, is awaiting trial on separate charges. He is accused of murder in a double shooting in Brooklyn last year. U.S. Attorney for Maryland Rod J. Rosenstein said the case began 18 months ago when Baltimore County State's Attorney Scott Shellenberger visited his office to outline a murder case that he believed had a broader scope. Officials praised the results of increased cooperation among federal, state and local law enforcement and commended prison officials for sharing intelligence that helped police solve cases and work across jurisdictions. "When you look at the causes of violent crime, in many cases you find a connection to gangs," Rosenstein said. "We believe the key to continuing to reduce the violent crime and murder rate here in Baltimore City and throughout the state is to target the gangs and the leaders of the gangs who are fomenting this violence." An effort by prison officials years ago to disrupt the gang's leadership sent two top members to out-of-state facilities, which authorities said only served to broaden the gang's reach. One estimate put Dead Man Inc. membership in the thousands, in states that include Delaware, Florida, Louisiana, New York and Virginia. At Wednesday's news conference, Rosenstein added Pennsylvania and Texas to the list, and the FBI's recently released Gang Threat Assessment included North Carolina. Ryan Shifflet of the Mid-Atlantic Regional Gang Investigation Network, a group of law enforcement officers that shares gang intelligence, has said DMI "gained notoriety by becoming a murder-for-hire group, or doing hits or attacking other inmates in the prison system for money or contraband." Though once aligned with the Black Guerrilla Family, the indictment says, DMI "has gone through sporadic periods of conflict with other gangs, including the Bloods and the BGF, both in prisons and on the streets." Roark, who is accused of directing a number of assaults on inmates and others that are detailed in court papers, has achieved godlike status among followers, Shifflet said. "You've got tons of inmates who've never laid eyes on the man, but they know who he is and have heard he's 10 feet tall and bulletproof," Shifflet said. Rosenstein said 11 of the defendants named in the federal indictment were in custody, and that authorities had tracked down seven who were not in prison and were looking for the others.

Vietnamese-based organization known as the Catacutan Drug Crew.

2011-11-02T11:11:00.001Z

RUTH BONNEVILLE / WINNIPEG FREE PRESS ARCHIVES Enlarge Image

An SUV is towed away from Arthur Street and McDermot Avenue Saturday afternoon after a shooting left one person dead.

Winnipeg police believe a spate of weekend shootings that killed two young men -- and left a teen fighting for survival -- are all linked to the city's drug and gang subculture.

However, sources told the Free Press Monday there appears to be no common thread between the three incidents, which all happened in a 24-hour period and pushed the city to an all-time homicide record.

The 33rd homicide victim of 2011 was 20-year-old Oudy Phrakonekham, shot while riding in a car through the Exchange District at 2:30 a.m. Saturday. Sources say he was gunned down at point-blank range in what was believed to be a targeted attack. Court records show he has no prior criminal involvement. A source said Phrakonekham is believed to have connections to a Vietnamese-based organization known as the Catacutan Drug Crew.

A founding member of that organization was recently raided by the Drug Enforcement Agency and Homeland Security in the United States on charges of conspiracy to export cocaine to Canada. That has caused instability within the organization, the source said.

"It's hard to say right now if this could be connected to that, or if it's just the usual competition-type violence you see," the source said.

The 34th homicide victim was a man whose name has not yet been made public, found shot in the parking lot of the Lincoln Motor Inn on McPhillips Street around 4:40 a.m. Sunday. A source identified him to the Free Press as Mohammed Omar, a known associate of the African Mafia street gang. Omar has a prior criminal record for drug possession, which led to a conditional discharge in 2006, according to court records.

Omar was a father of four children and lived with his common-law wife and mother in a home in St. Vital, said one of his friends.

Omar had come to Canada from Somalia in 1993 and worked as a cleaner at a city hospital, the friend said.

"(He had) absolutely beautiful children," said the friend, who said the children are aged nine, four, two and one.

Omar loved music, the friend said.

"He, personally, had a very good heart," she said.

The third shooting fell between the two slayings and also has gang connections. A 14-year-old boy who is linked to an aboriginal street gang was shot around 4:30 p.m. Saturday near Selkirk Avenue and Salter Street.

There is another common connection between the three incidents -- no arrests have been made in any of them.

Police sources say it is likely just a coincidence to have so many gun-related attacks in a short window of time. It's also the grim reality of life on Winnipeg streets, where police and prosecutors have been warning for months about the increasing number of criminals who are carrying firearms and apparently unafraid to use them.

Six of the city's 34 homicide victims in 2011 have died from gunfire.

Police are probing whether the Exchange District killing has any links to two other unsolved incidents from earlier this year, the source said.

Three men were shot and seriously injured in August while sitting inside a garage in a Transcona suburb. A witness told the Free Press at the time the gunman calmly walked up to the victims and fired at least six shots before fleeing. A source told the Free Press the incident is believed to be connected to organized crime.

Police were also exploring the possibility it was connected to the Aug. 6 stabbing death of Baljinder Singh Sidhu, 27, outside the Osborne Village Inn. Witnesses described a chaotic scene that involved members of several different race-based criminal organizations brawling in the street, ending with Sidhu being fatally attacked.

This weekend's violence comes just after the one-year anniversary of a triple shooting in the North End that left two victims dead and a 13-year-old girl wounded. No arrests have been made, but police recently revealed they believe those three attacks are linked and may have connections to the drug and/or gang world.

Report: Nevada Top 10 in Gang Members

2011-11-02T10:57:00.001Z

Street gangs are a growing problem in southern Nevada. The FBI ranks Clark County as the 10th worst area in the nation for the number of gang members. More than 15,000 roam the streets, and those are just the ones authorities know about. The report shows the trends authorities are seeing in gangs. Biker gangs are getting more and more members. Hispanic-based gangs are expanding faster than other gangs. Twenty states, including Nevada, are seeing these same trends. Rachal Richardson used to have gang ties. Lights and sirens were something she was used to. Her ties to gang life are over, but not before being exposed to plenty of violence. The mother of four traded in violence and crimes scenes for a better life 10 years ago. She's not surprised Clark County is in the top 10 counties of the country when it comes to gang presence. "With sex is drugs and money and with that comes gangs, people trying to protect their turf, their name, or their pride," she said. With more than 15,000 gang members identified through the report, those who work closely with gang members say more needs to done. "We don't have enough money on prevention programs, where the kids can be involved and don't fall into that path of crime," said Esther Brown with the Embracing Project. Brown has never been in a gang, but moved to America from Spain and saw the need to reach out to those in gangs. She started the Embracing Project, a gang-prevention charity. "You are a gang member, let's look for solutions. What do you need so you can leave the gang. Some of the kids, it's difficult to leave the gang because their family are gang members," she said. She hopes this recent report opens the eyes of the community. "It's everywhere. People think, 'Oh, not in Summerlin. We don't have gang-bangers.' It's everywhere. Gang activity is everywhere," she said. Most of the gangs identified in this report are from street gangs. Two motorcycle gangs have seen a growth in Nevada, but gang-related drug activity in the report was fairly low compared to the overall gang presence in the state.

GANGSTER John Gizzi, jailed for plotting to sell “substantial” quantities of hard drugs

2011-11-01T15:28:00.001Z

GANGSTER John Gizzi, jailed for plotting to sell “substantial” quantities of hard drugs, has had his prison sentence cut.

The 40-year-old was jailed at Caernarfon Crown Court for 11 years last March after admitting his part in a conspiracy to feed cocaine users in North Wales.

Gizzi, from Rhyl had more recently lived in St George, near Abergele, was described as the “principal organiser” of the plot to transport cocaine from Liverpool to supply dealers in Conwy and Denbighshire.

But yesterday three senior judges, sitting at the Court of Appeal in London, said the sentence was too long and cut it by one year from 11 to 10 years.

for pleading guilty and other mitigation, including family bereavements and good behaviour in prison.

Another gang member, Gregory Gorst, 31, from Brook Avenue, Towyn also had his sentence cut from five years and three months, to four and a half years.

But three other conspirators, sentenced to between four-and-a-half years and six years and eight months, had their appeals rejected.

The gang were caught after officers working on Operation Thunder, a covert surveillance operation on their activities, found cocaine with a street value of £162,000 in a taxi stopped at Queensferry in April last year. Officers also seized more than £70,000 in cash from vehicles used by the gang.

Lord Justice Moore-Bick sitting yesterday, with Mr Justice Irwin and Mrs Justice Thirlwall, said the plot had run from August 2009 until April 2010 and involved criminals in Liverpool supplying drugs to Gizzi’s gang to sell on.

During the police operation, cash totalling £70,500, and one block of compacted cocaine were intercepted. The judge said: “This was, on any view, a conspiracy to supply cocaine in very substantial quantities.

“The total that passed through the conspirators’ hands cannot, of course, be known, but the judge was entitled to find that it must have been much more than the one block that was actually seized.”

Lawyers for Gizzi argued he should have received a greater reduction in his sentence for pleading guilty and for other personal matters.

And those representing Gorst, said to be a “foot solider” at a much lower level, argued he had been too harshly punished for his relatively minor role.

The judges agreed and cut Gizzi’s sentence to 10 years and Gorst’s to four-and-a-half years, but rejected the three other challenges.

Christian Martin Suckley, 28, of Kinmel Bay, who was said to be a “senior member of the organisation”, had been jailed for six years and eight months.

John Etheridge, 31, of Llys Arthur, Towyn, was jailed for six years for his role as “foot solider”, having driven others to Liverpool on one occasion.

Michael Peter Bennett, 34, of Pen Lan, Towyn, who was jailed for four-and-a-half years, was said to be involved at the “lowest end” of the conspiracy, allowing his premises to be used for preparing drugs for onward supply.

Five other men were jailed for their part in the conspiracy. Karl Evans, 30, of Llys Nant, Towyn, described as Gizzi’s right-hand man in the conspiracy, was jailed for seven and a half years and taxi driver Derek Richards, 50, of Ocean View, Rhyl, was jailed for four and a half years.

Three Liverpool men – Kenneth Cain, 35, David Edward Clarke, 48, and Neil Sutemire – were jailed for between nine years and five years for their part in the conspiracy.

Hackers Challenge Mexican Crime Syndicate

2011-11-01T07:35:00.001Z

The hackers’ message, delivered via YouTube by a man wearing a red tie and a Guy Fawkes mask, was as bold and risky as anything produced by the Zetas, Mexico’s most ruthless crime syndicate. But this time, the Zetas were the target. Connect With Us on Twitter Follow @nytimesworld for international breaking news and headlines. They had kidnapped a geek with backup — a respected member of the hackers collective known as Anonymous. “You have made a great mistake by taking one of us,” said the video’s masked figure. “Release him.” Or else, the message said, the names of government officials, taxi drivers and journalists who worked with the Zetas would be published online. The goal, they said, was the arrest of these suspected collaborators, but was there a possibility they might be killed by a rival cartel? Yes, said self-identified members of Anonymous, acknowledging the danger. Beyond that, might the hackers also be targeted? Were they afraid? “Of course,” said a blog post on Monday. Still, some hackers said, it was time for Netizens to fight back in a country where the news media have been cowed into submission, and where the justice system is often complicit in heinous crimes that regularly go unpunished. “We believe it is high time to say enough to the terrible situation caused by the falsehood of the government and lack of scruples of people who do not care about the welfare of their fellow human beings,” they posted. Anonymous appears to already have the information on collaborators. A person with knowledge of its operations, who did not want to be named for fear of reprisals, said that online group conversations on Monday showed that the hackers have “a list of 100 or so of the major contacts of the Zetas.” It was not clear how they obtained the tally, or how accurate it was. And that appeared to be a major concern. A Facebook message on Sunday from one of the so-called hacktivists said there were indications that the Mexican government had tainted the Anonymous operation, known as OpCartel, “putting in doubt the quality of the information.” Whether Anonymous will publish what it has is unclear. The original YouTube message, uploaded on Oct. 6, said that Nov. 5 would be “a day to remember,” and the group has already provided a first strike. Last week, Anonymous defaced the Web site of a former Tabasco State prosecutor, Gustavo Rosario Torres, replacing his usual message with the image of jack-o’-lanterns and an announcement that Mr. Rosario “es Zeta.” But on Monday, in the wake of a security firm’s report highlighting the potential loss of life from naming names, there were more mixed messages. A steady stream of posts on Twitter referring to OpCartel revealed an intense debate over the benefits and costs of moving forward. On Twitter and in private e-mails — members of Mexico’s underground online media said — there appeared to be a widening gap between supporters and opponents of Anonymous’s mission. This may have been by design. The blog post announcing that OpCartel would continue emphasized that “anyone who is not properly protected should immediately and publicly disassociate themselves from this operation.” Several Twitter accounts that had been active on the topic fell silent. Several other members of Mexico’s online crime-reporting community said that OpCartel was causing internal strife, and that they had been asked by friends to stay away from anything having to do with the operation, even basic Twitter posts. Fred Burton, a vice president at Stratfor, which published the report warning against the Anonymous plan, said that fears of reprisals were well founded. “Informants in that world are usually found dangling from a bridge or beheaded,” Mr. Burton said. Those identified by Anonymous would be vulnerable to rival gangs, he said, while the hackers and their supporters might also be targets. And because Mexico’s criminal groups have infiltrated Mexican law enforcement, which has access to sophisticated tracking software, anonymity online might not be enough protection. At least three people believed to have been online tipsters have been killed recently because of what their murderers described on public banners as snitching. Still, perhaps because of the danger — or perhaps because of the desperate need of many Mexicans for a sense of control as crime spirals — support for OpCartel continued to flow through the Web on Monday afternoon. Several Twitter users posted WikiLeaks cables with information about the Zetas. Others offered moral support. “You will never falter you will not fail, bring down the corruption,” wrote a user with the handle @fingers_digita. “PLZ be careful comrades, EXTREMELY dangerous,” wrote @AnonOWS, using the hash tag #justice for emphasis. Even those unsure about OpCartel said that it was significant as a citizen revolt. That was the core defense in the Anonymous blog post, which said a small task force was formed because “the voice of the people have clamored for help.” And according to some experts, regardless of whether OpCartel goes forward, the anger and outrage of Anonymous will be remembered, and channeled for another day. “This is not about a desire for information,” said Hector Amaya, a Mexican professor of Media Studies at the University of Virginia. “It’s about the need for a remedy.

Murder victim took second identity in witness protection program

2011-11-01T07:12:00.001Z

Did the gunman who opened fire on upscale, normally tranquil Grandvista Cres. in Vaughan set out to murder Alexander Vucovic, a wealthy Yorkville jeweller, cocaine importer and entertainment district regular? Or was the shooter’s target really Kosto Barjaktarovic, a West Coast high-end car thief, gangster, suspected hit man and police snitch? Whatever the case, the result of the unsolved July 2 homicide was the same, since Vucovic and Barjaktarovic were the same person. Before he moved to the GTA, Vucovic, 37, lived in Vancouver under the name Kosto Barjaktarovic, associating with Indo-Canadian gangsters involved in a bloody feud. Barjaktarovic changed his name to Vucovic after testifying in 1995 against West Coast gangsters in a murder trial. He was briefly in an RCMP witness protection program — even playing hockey for a police-sponsored team — before returning to a life of crime. Someone who might be able to help untangle things for York Regional Police homicide investigators is Michael Costa of Woodbridge, but he is no longer believed to be in Canada. The Star has learned that Costa and Vucovic were romantically involved with the same woman in the GTA for several months. Costa and the woman were frequently seen in the downtown entertainment district, which Vucovic also frequented. York police have called Costa a “person of interest” in the Vucovic slaying. No charges have been laid against him. Meanwhile, Costa’s brother, Toronto police Const. Daniel Costa, 29, of Bolton, remains on paid suspension, accused of lying to York investigators between July 7 and Oct. 17 about his younger brother’s whereabouts. Daniel Costa, who previously had a clean record with police, is charged with perjury and due to return to Newmarket court on Dec. 1. Police have confiscated his passport.

Gangster suspect Freddie is bailed in Spain

2011-11-01T07:07:00.001Z

SUSPECTED gangland boss 'Fat' Freddie Thompson is enjoying the Spanish sunshine after being freed on bail following a brief court appearance. Mr Thompson (30) was allowed to leave a Costa del Sol court a free man yesterday after more than a fortnight in jail in Ireland and Spain. He was told he was suspected of offences including drugs trafficking, money laundering and unlawful assembly, at the private court hearing in Estepona near Marbella. But he was spared more prison time after agreeing to bail conditions including the surrender of his passport and a ban on leaving Spain. Accomplices He has also been ordered to sign on at the court twice a month -- a requirement likely to bring him into contact with alleged accomplices John Cunningham and Christy Kinahan's sons Daniel and Christopher. Suspected gang boss Christy is in jail in Belgium after being extradited there in August. Mr Thompson's bail address has not been made public. A court source confirmed yesterday: "Frederick Thompson has been released on bail. "He has been informed he is under investigation for crimes including money laundering, unlawful assembly and drugs trafficking. Court "The three conditions of his bail are that he cannot leave Spain, hands in his passport to the authorities and signs on at court twice a month on days fixed by the court." Mr Thompson consented to extradition after being arrested in Dublin on a European arrest warrant on October 14. He spent 13 days in Cloverhill Prison before being flown to Spain last Friday. He is thought to have spent the weekend in prisons in Madrid and Alhaurin de la Torre near Malaga. He is said to be facing nine years in prison in Spain if convicted. Under Spanish law, he has not been officially charged with any crimes.

Fat FreddieThomson has been wanted in Spain for the past 18 months

2011-11-01T06:44:00.001Z

30 year old Irishman, Freddie Thompson, known in the criminal world as ‘Fat Freddie', was arrested by the Garda in Dublin on October 21.

The arrest order dates from 18 months ago and was issued by the courts in Estepona, Málaga. The police consider that Thomson was a member of the Irish gang led by Christopher Kinahan, which was broken up by police in May 2010 in an operation codenamed ‘shovel’ which saw the arrest of more than 30 people in Spain, Ireland and the U.K. They were all linked to large scale drug and arms trafficking, as well as money laundering and other crimes committed on the Costa del Sol.

Thomson is now expected to declare before the court in Estepona this week. Police had thought that he could have been hiding in Holland.
He has been the most famous prisoner in the Clovenhill prison since his arrest.

Marbella police arrested a man considered to be a ‘frontman’ for the group, who was paid a monthly sum for the use of his name. Officially he owned luxury cars and businesses, when in fact he was almost pennyless.

Most of the money is thought to have been laundered in Brazil where real estate was purchased. 60 properties worth an estimated 150 million € have been impounded on the Costa del Sol in connection with the case.

Welcome to Oculto Café – Cordoba’s infamous Satanic saloon.

2011-10-31T23:51:00.001Z

GLASSES shoot across tabletops, busty vamps serve blood-red cocktails, and twisted locals raise a toast to an image of Aleister Crowley. Welcome to Oculto Café – Cordoba’s infamous Satanic saloon. The bar is situated in a maze of narrow, winding streets in the ancient ‘Old Town’ district. Stepping outside for a Marlboro, I scan my surroundings. It’s a chilly, moonlit night and the streets are deserted. Strain your ears, however, and you’ll hear muffled voices coming from dark balconies. It’s like a scene from Interview with the Vampire. As I re-enter, the room falls silent. A cross-eyed chap stares at me… well, I think it’s me… it’s hard to tell. Had my gothic guy-liner run, or had he caught a whiff of fresh meat? In this insular atmosphere, I feel as welcome as Gary Glitter at Tivoli World! Forget fruit machines and pool tables, it’s ouija boards and tarot cards that keep these punters amused. A little weakened, I seize a newspaper and hide in the corner. Alongside ads for ‘Black Angels’ and ‘Colombian Swallowers’, the classifieds are swarming with clairvoyants. I’m shocked! Isn’t Spain supposed to be a God-fearing country? But the truth is, up until the Inquisition (1478), Iberia was a hotbed of magic and sorcery. With the coming of Catholicism, however, mystics – including ‘witches’ and ‘healers’ were round-up and executed. For survival’s sake, Spaniards severed their ties with the ‘other side.’ Today, however, there is growing evidence that Spain is returning to its supernatural roots. Church-going is down (just 14.4%), and stories of Satanism are everywhere. In March 2011, an Almerian church was littered with satanic scrawls. Investigators claimed that the site had been used for a “black mass.” Tenerife’s Arona Cemetery has also been targeted by sinister cults. In 2008, graves were desecrated and animals sacrificed during “bizarre nocturnal rituals”. For sceptics, it’s easy to blame rebellious youth or drug-addicts for these atrocities. However, as someone who’s experienced dark forces – first hand – I try to keep an open mind. It all started in 2001 when I was filming a documentary at Devon’s Berry Pomeroy. In the castle grounds, I indivertibly captured an inhuman figure on camera. Whilst replaying the footage to BBC colleagues, the office computers went wild. In 2009, I moved my family to a 15th century cottage on the West Pennine Moors. Unbeknown to us, our ‘dream house’ was built on a Quaker burial site. During our six-month stay – we endured stamping noises, icy chills and orbs zipping round the lounge. At night, the constant thumping would deprive us of sleep, and we’d trudge into work like a couple of zombies. However, my most recent spooking occurred right here in Andalucia. One evening, I watched a can of Asturiana cider move sideways, hover and then drop off the table! Earlier that day, an old drinking buddy had been buried in Devon – was this his final ‘chin-chin’? Whatever it was, it scared the bejesus out of my missus and she hasn’t slept properly since. Two weeks on, and we’re sitting in Oculto, trying not to blush at orgy paintings. After some Dutch courage, I enquire about a séance at the bar. A black-toothed midget points towards a battered wooden door. Timidly, I wander down the corridor and knock on wood. It’s opened by a raven-haired gypsy. She’s both beautiful and grotesque: Penelope Cruz’s mum meets the Bride of Chucky. Without speaking – she beckons me in with a long, black talon. With low ceilings, purple walls and an absence of windows – the room is claustrophobic and unsettling. Under flickering candlelight, the Victorian death portraits seem to eyeball you from the walls. But it’s the cold air and fetid stench that’s really sending shivers down my spine. The woman glides over to a monolithic Ouija board and orders me to sit. She lays out a clutch of cards, including The Hanged Man, The Fool, The Stig, Jeremy Clarkson, Dog the Bounty Hunter, The Archbishop of Canterbury and Boy George. Okay… I lied about Boy George – but it’s all the scary ones! Suddenly, my stomach churns and I shout ‘Stop!’ I apologise for wasting her time – but I’ve got the heebie-jeebies. A floating cider is hardly The Ring – so why risk opening a fresh can of worms? I chat to Jose, a Pepe Reina lookalike in his late 20s. Around us, weirdoes chuck darts at an image of the Pope (only joking….it’s Desmond Tutu!) Jose is erudite and speaks fine English. Over Osbourne brandies, I pose the question: “So….Are you a Satanist?” “Of course”! Jose replies: Usually, I’d grab my coat, but by now, I’m immune to the madness. After dispelling myths of “priest-beating” and “baby-eating”, Jose insists that Satanists are “Perfectly normal.” Apparently, the only difference is they choose “indulgence over abstinence’, and prefer “vengeance” to forgiveness. Oh…..and they enjoy kinky sex and coke-snorting – but hey… so does the cast of Skins. By 1am I’m craving a Horlicks and a late night snack. I thank Jose and wish him a “hell-of-a-life.” We leave Occulto and hot-foot it to the Corredera for a greasy kebab. After filling our faces, we clamber into a taxi. We’re only 10-minutes from the hotel – but I’m bloated on beer and lamb offal. Back at the room, Jose’s words haunt me. Having spent the last five hours binge-drinking, ogling rude pictures and eating crap – could I be accused of “indulgence”? If Christianity equals modesty, chastity and turning the other cheek, what about all those times I’ve bought designer togs, belted a thug or lusted over lesbians? Perhaps I’m more Satanic than I thought? By bedtime, I’d seen no demons, virgin sacrifices or people snacking on goats’ head soup. This said, not everyone was as friendly as Jose, and the yokels at the bar seemed quite menacing. I’ve yet to decide whether Satanists are ordinary folk – daring to be different, or psychopaths to be avoided at all costs. I DO know, however, that pentangles are not for me. For one – I like animals too much to put their heads on sticks – and secondly, I root for the “goodies” when it kicks off on Buffy. Nevertheless, I enjoyed my time at Occulto and found the experience enlightening. Whatever they are (or aren’t), there’s a pub full of them in Cordoba, and if you ever feel like taking a walk on the wild side, you know where to head.

Body found in boot of crashed car on Alicante motorway

2011-10-31T16:51:00.001Z

Firemen called out to an accident on the A-31 Alicante-Madrid motorway early on Monday found an unidentified body in the boot of a car which had crashed into the central reservation at Sax and then burst into flames. The body was partially burnt but appears to be that of a man. Reports indicate that the deceased had been tied up and gagged. No other occupants were found at the site and the Civil Guard are now trying to identify the victim and the cause of death.

Hells Angels have had a rough year in California.

2011-10-31T16:38:00.001Z

The Hells Angels have had a rough year in California. Three Northern California members have died violently in the last month amid a turf battle with a rival biker gang. And law enforcement officials on both ends of the motorcycle club's home state are pursuing and jailing members, with 26 Angels and their associates arrested recently in San Diego. The violence spilled into public view in the unlikeliest of places two weeks ago when thousands of Harley-Davidsons rolled up to a San Jose cemetery on a sunny Saturday afternoon to bury a Hells Angels leader who was gunned down weeks earlier in a Nevada casino. A Hells Angel allegedly shot and killed a fellow member at the cemetery and fled — the latest sign of the in-fighting and violence that has plagued the gang in recent months. And if the deadly gunfire were not enough, a member was plowed down by a van a week later near Oakland, the alleged the victim of road rage. While no one is predicting the demise of the notorious outlaw motorcycle club, law enforcement officials and gang experts said the Hells Angels' recent woes still stand out for an organization they describe as violent, sophisticated and disciplined with loyal-to-the-death members. "They are the heavyweight champions of the biker gang culture," said Jay Dobyns, an agent with Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives who infiltrated the Hells Angels in Arizona for two years beginning in 2001. "And every other biker gang wants the belt." The organization has a long history in California, dating to its founding in 1948 by returning World War II veterans in the dusty town of Fontana and including a notorious incident during a Rolling Stones show in Altamont in 1969 in which a spectator was stabbed by a Hells Angel working security. A jury later acquitted the killer, finding he acted in self defense. The U.S. Department of Justice says the Hells Angels now have as many as 2,500 members in 230 chapters in 26 countries, and are a major source of drug-trafficking. Federal, state and local police have pursued the club for decades, infiltrating it with undercover agents, prosecuting suspects with harsh charges once reserved for the Mafia and indicting members on charges ranging from drug trafficking to mortgage fraud. Yet the club flourished. They opened chapters worldwide, aggressively enforced their trademarks in court like a responsible Wall Street corporation and won high-profile acquittals and other legal battles with law enforcement. The ATF, which handles many federal biker cases, said it arrested more outlaw motorcycle gang members last year than any other since 2003. Police in Germany, Canada and elsewhere also report a surge in motorcycle gang violence, with much of it connected to the Hells Angels. The California Hells Angels' current problems are partly rooted in a battle with the Vagos, a California-based motorcycle club founded in the 1960s. The clubs have been bitter enemies dating at least back a decade to a violent 2001 confrontation at a Costa Mesa swap meet. "These groups are trying to expand their membership and dominance," said Kent Shaw, the California Attorney General's acting head of law enforcement. "There's going to be a number of clashes and it seems to have gotten worse over the last couple years. It seems to be coming to a flash point." After dozens of Vagos took over a bar in Lakeport, Calif., and rode their motorcycles up and down the main drag, officials went so far as to close the downtown to traffic on May 14. Lake County Sheriff Frank Rivero said the Vagos were making a statement about controlling the region after one of its members was allegedly beaten by Hells Angels earlier in the year. So Rivero put up a road block that day after the California Highway Patrol and FBI warned that Hells Angels were traveling toward town. The Angels turned back before reaching the road block. But now the district attorney is investigating whether the sheriff violated the club members' civil rights with his plans to stop them. The sheriff is unapologetic. "It's a basic response," Rivero said. "I'm not going to tolerate gang violence in Lake County." A month later, a Vagos member and a friend were severely beaten in a casino. Four Hells Angels have been charged with assault. Three were arrested and the sheriff said they were bailed out by fellow Angel Steve Tausan, who owned a bail bonds company. A fourth is being sought. In September, the two gangs fought again. San Jose Angels leader Jeffrey "Jethro" Pettigrew was slain during a wild shootout with rival Vagos in a Reno-area casino on Sept. 23. It was at Pettigrew's burial where more violence occurred. Two shots were fired, and Tausan, Pettigrew's good friend and high-ranking Angel, lay bleeding with a mortal wound. Police suspect fellow Angel Steve Ruiz of firing on Tausan after they argued over the casino shooting and whether enough was done to protect Pettigrew, the president of the San Jose chapter. Police are now searching for Ruiz, who reportedly was hustled into a waiting car, leaving behind his motorcycle. Investigators initially feared Ruiz was killed and went so far as to dig up Pettigrew's grave in search of a body. But now police believe he is on the run with his girlfriend. San Jose police were out in force Saturday as Tausan was laid to rest at the same cemetery where he was killed during the Oct. 15 funeral. A police spokesman said there were no reports of any disturbances or violence. The Hells Angels didn't respond to numerous phone calls and email messages sent to their clubhouses in San Jose and Santa Cruz, where Tausan served as the chapter's sergeant at arms. The Angels have always maintained they are a club of motorcycle enthusiasts who are unfairly regarded as an organized crime syndicate because of the crimes of a few members acting independently. The club participates in charity events, such as "Toys for Tots" motorcycle runs and blood drives. "When we do right, nobody remembers," the club's Web site states. "When we do wrong, nobody forgets." Karen Snell, a lawyer who won a $1.8 million settlement in 2005 after the San Jose chapter filed a lawsuit claiming illegal police searches during a murder investigation, said Pettigrew, Tausan and the others involved with the case were serious businessmen with families. "They were really responsible clients," Snell said. "In my all my interactions with them, they were always gentlemen." Now Pettigrew and Tausan are dead. "We lost our brother, our father, our son and our friend," said Karen Tausan, Steve's sister. "He left a big hole in our family and we can only hope this will come to an end now."

Funeral held for Hells Angel killed at fellow biker's burial begins

2011-10-30T22:18:00.001Z

The only gunfire at the funeral of Hells Angel Steve Tausan on Saturday came as a salute from the U.S. Marine honor guard. The former Marine, professional boxer and legendary biker was memorialized Saturday morning at Jubilee Christian Church before being buried at Oak Hill Memorial cemetery in San Jose -- exactly two weeks after he was shot and killed at the funeral of another member of the motorcycle club. Although about 1,000 bikers rumbled in from all quarters, there was no trouble, dissension or arrests. There were only bear hugs, tears and memories of the Santa Cruz "enforcer" who called himself Mr. 187, after the penal code for murder. On top of Sunrise Hill they buried his red-and-white casket in the Hells Angels tradition -- by shovel. Sonny Barger, a founding member of the Oakland chapter of the Hells Angel and an iconic figure in the club, tossed one of the last shovels of earth on the grave, as a police helicopter circled overhead. "They said they would have a quiet, respectful funeral and then they were going to leave town," said acting Capt. Jeff Marozick, the commander of the San Jose Police Department's special operations who had negotiated details of the funeral with the notorious biker club. "Everything they said is what they did." Amid the heavy police presence, Saturday's somber service was relatively smaller and peaceful, in sharp contrast to the huge and chaotic funeral of Jeff "Jethro" Pettigrew. That Advertisement service drew more than 3,000 bikers. Before Pettigrew could be buried, Tausan, a Santa Cruz resident, was fatally wounded during a bloody biker battle with another Hells Angel. Aside from the odd arrest of an individual member, the notorious outlaw motorcycle club has been out of the headlines in the South Bay for years. But in recent weeks, the shooting deaths of Pettigrew and Tausan, the continued search for suspect Steven Ruiz and the bizarre traffic homicide of an East Bay member have put a hot spotlight on the Hells Angel, which law enforcement views as a criminal gang. The Hells Angels have long denied this, and many members have reacted to the recent events with dismay. But the violent way Tausan died was not mentioned at his sentimental service. It was his colorful life they talked about, as an eclectic soundtrack from Tausan's favorite performers -- James Brown, Stevie Ray Vaughn and gospel singers -- reverberated through the big hall. "He was an imposing man," said the Rev. Dick Bernal during the service at Jubilee. "But underneath the muscles and the tattoos beat the heart of a man, the heart of a brother." Bikers from Tausan's home club, along with Henchmen, Devils Dolls and many others from as far away as New England and abroad, made up a long line of mourners. They paid their last respects as he lay in the casket, draped with an American flag and custom painted with the Angels' death's head with wings and the Marine Corps insignia. Tausan was clad in his leather Hells Angels vest, with a pack of Marlboros and an extended combat knife in his folded hands. Next to the casket, there was a blown-up photo of him as a young Marine, his military haircut in stark contrast to the long, silvery mane he sported when he died. Also arrayed around the casket were pictures of Tausan on his Victory motorcycle and with his friends and family. Tausan was better known than most Angels because of the charges he faced in the 1997 beating death of a man at the Pink Poodle strip club in San Jose. He was acquitted. But to the Hells Angels and others, the gregarious and intense man was bigger than life. "His love for his family and his friends in the club was undeniable," Bernal said. "If Steve loved you, you never had to guess. If he didn't love you, you never had to guess." Bernal recalled that Tausan once summoned him to his bail bondsman's office so the two of them could view a 90-minute DVD of James Brown and opera great Luciano Pavarotti performing together. Tausan turned to Bernal and said, "Wasn't that the greatest thing you've ever seen?" Bernal said he agreed, then paused for effect. "You don't disagree with Steve." That drew an appreciative laugh from the crowd.

Hells Angels feud leaves trail of death and destruction

2011-10-29T05:33:00.001+01:00

The bloody turf war between the Hells Angels and a rival motorcycle club called the Vagos, has also led to shoot outs in the neighbouring states of Nevada and Arizona. According to the US Justice Department both the Hells Angels and the Vagos are "outlaw" gangs involved in drug and weapons trafficking, extortion and money laundering. The current spate of bloodshed between them can be traced to a disagreement at a Stabucks in the beach town of Santa Cruz last year. A brawl in which some participants wielded ball-peen hammers erupted outside the coffee shop before police arrived and bikers scattered. That led to a gunfight in the northern Arizona town of Chino Valley which left five people wounded and 27 under arrest.

A LARGE crowd of Rebels Motorcycle Club members turned out at St Peter's Cathedral yesterday for the funeral of a member.

2011-10-27T23:57:00.001+01:00

Rebels comfort each other outside St Peter's Cathedral. Picture: Dean Martin

Dozens of motorbikes lined Pennington Tce, North Adelaide, as more than 100 people gathered for the 1.30pm service for James Sean "Pappa" Petterson.

Members of rival motorcycle clubs, including the Finks, also attended the service.

A convoy of Rebels members on motorcycles were given a police escort to the service and flanked the hearse as it left the cathedral.

Uniformed and plainclothes police kept a watchful eye over proceedings from outside

Gang ringleaders: Mehmet Sirin Baybasin (left) and Paul Taylor (Pic: PA)

2011-10-27T23:46:00.001+01:00

A GANG of drug dealers planned to flood Britain with £4 billion of cocaine - arranging the plot from a phone box.

The Liverpool and London-based gangsters were planning to smuggle 40 tonnes of cocaine from South America by sea, hidden inside tins of fish and wooden pallets.

Liverpool Crown Court heard that the drug would be bought at a "wholesale price" and then sold to other dealers who would dilute it and sell it on.

If all the cocaine had made it to the streets of the UK and it was cut before being sold, the court heard it could have been worth around £4 billion.

The head of the Liverpool operation used a phone box in Old Hall Street, in Liverpool city centre, to arrange the deal with his London counterpart.

But the gang were being watched by undercover officers from the Serious and Organised Crime Agency (Soca).

The phone box on Old Hall Street used by one of the drug dealers

The group was led by Mehmet Sirin Baybasin, 48, of Fairfield Crescent, Edgware, north-west London, who was jailed for 30 years at a hearing last week after he was found guilty of conspiracy to import cocaine.

The court heard that Baybasin was one of a total of 24 defendants brought to justice as part of the Soca investigation and that he was "at the top of the pyramid".

Judge David Aubrey QC said the offences had "at their core the evil and pernicious trade of drug dealing" and were indicative of the gang's "desire for the good life".

He said he was satisfied that the amounts they were talking about were not "pie in the sky" and that the wholesale value of 1,102lb (500kg) of uncut cocaine alone was worth a potential £17 million

A deadly spat with origins in Halifax has an eastern Canada police dragnet hunting the gangster wanted for a slaying in Toronto.

2011-10-27T00:48:00.001+01:00

Darnell St. Clair Wright, 32, is wanted for first-degree murder in the Oct. 2 shooting of Jefflin Beals, 25, on Crawford St. near Trinity Bellwoods Park.

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TORONTO - A deadly spat with origins in Halifax has an eastern Canada police dragnet hunting the gangster wanted for a slaying in Toronto.

Toronto Police said Wednesday Darnell St. Clair Wright, 32, is wanted for first-degree murder in the Oct. 2 shooting of Jefflin Beals, 25, on Crawford St. at Lobb Ave., near Trinity Bellwoods Park.

Homicide Det.-Sgt. Wayne Banks said the two men had an ongoing dispute stretching back at least to 2009, when Beals was a target of a drive-by shooting in Halifax.

The father of two wasn’t injured in that attack and he refused to co-operate with police.

Banks said he’s still not yet clear about the motive of the murder, whether it was personal or gang-related.

Police said Beals, was in a friend’s car when a gunman approached on Crawford St. and opened fire.

Beals got out of the car and stumbled to a lane between two homes, but he died by the time emergency crews found him.

The victim had been staying with friends in Peel after arriving in the city just a few days before he was gunned down in the usually quiet area of west Toronto.

Banks said the gang Wright belongs to — the North Preston Finest — is suspected to be involved in the 2009 drive-by, but it’s unclear if the suspect was involved in that shooting.

“We believe he (Beals) was set up — that Wright found out he was in Toronto and that he was set up to be at that location,” Banks alleged.

The location of the murder, a residential street, “there’s no way it was a chance meeting, say like a night club or somewhere like that,” Banks said.

“He was there for a reason and they were waiting for him.”

But Banks doesn’t know yet what lured Beals to the spot.

He warns anyone who helped set up the ambush or is now hiding Wright will face charges.

“This isn’t just about arresting Darnell, this will be finding out anybody involved in the planning of it and anybody involved in the aiding and abetting after it,” he said.

Banks said there’s conflicting street information that Wright is in Halifax, and “we’re hearing information that he’s still in the city.”

Wright is considered dangerous, he said.

Hells Angel biker rammed intentionally, dragged a mile by East Bay Paratransit bus in San Leandro

2011-10-24T00:24:00.001+01:00

A paratransit bus driver intentionally rammed a Hells Angels biker on Interstate 580, and then dragged him about a mile, killing him, a CHP spokesman said. The biker, who has not been identified, was traveling eastbound on I-580 in San Leandro near Grand Avenue with a small group of Hells Angels members before 4 p.m. when an altercation began, said CHP Sgt. Trent Cross. After being hit, the motorcyclist and his bike were dragged for about a mile, said San Leandro police Lt. Greg Lemmon. Eventually, the biker was released from under the East Bay Paratransit bus, but the driver kept dragging the motorcycle, which was wedged underneath the front grill, until the vehicle stopped on the shoulder just east of the 150th Avenue onramp. The Hells Angels biker was flown to Eden Medical Center in Castro Valley, where he was pronounced dead, Lemmon said. The bus driver has been arrested, Lemmon said. Police are interviewing four witnesses who saw the incident. "The preliminary information they are providing was that it wasn't an accident, it was an intentional ramming," Lemmon said. All eastbound lanes were closed from Grand Avenue to 150th Avenue so police could conduct a homicide investigation over a large swath of freeway, Cross said. The lanes were expected to remain closed until 10 or 11 p.m., he said, and there were significant traffic delays in the area. An East Bay Paratransit manager referred calls to First Transit, a Advertisement contract agency that operates the bus. The First Transit representative did not return calls. No passengers were on board the bus during the collision, said San Leandro police Sgt. Doug Calcagno. The paratransit bus provides door-to-door service for people unable to ride regular public transit because of disabilities. It has been a tragic autumn for the Hells Angels motorcycle club. San Jose chapter President Jeffrey "Jethro" Pettigrew was killed outside a Nevada casino last month. At his packed funeral Oct. 15, Steve Tausan, a 52-year-old Hells Angels enforcer and friend of Pettigrew's, was shot dead.

Stockton search for Hells Angels slaying suspect comes up empty

2011-10-24T00:18:00.001+01:00

A man suspected of fatally shooting a member of the Hells Angels at a recent funeral in San Jose was not holed up in a Stockton home Saturday as police had believed. Steve Ruiz, 38, of San Jose is being sought for allegedly shooting and killing fellow Hells Angels member Steve Tausan, 52, after the two fought Oct. 15 at a funeral for a slain motorcycle club member, according to police. Police had received information that Ruiz had been hiding out at the three-bedroom home on the 3700 block of McDougald Boulevard in Stockton, said San Jose police Sgt Jason Dwyer. Investigators asked Stockton police and the San Joaquin County sheriff's office to serve a search warrant for the home, but both agencies were unavailable, Dwyer said. As a result, San Jose police drove tactical vehicles to the scene. Neighbors said they had seen San Jose police at the scene, calling out to someone in the home to surrender. But after storming the home and firing tear gas at about 8 p.m. Saturday, police came up empty-handed and left. The occupants of the home "are new to the area or they're new to the house" after moving in several months ago, said Noelia Trelles, whose sister-in-law lives next door. "I think we live in a pretty crazy world, but it's still crazy that it's happening in the neighborhood," Trelles said. Ruiz and Tausan were among thousands of Hells Angels members who attended a funeral for Jeffrey Pettigrew, president of the San Jose chapter of the motorcycle club, at the Oak Hill Funeral Home and Memorial Park on Curtner Avenue. After the shooting, Ruiz, 38, of San Jose disappeared and one or more people tampered with the crime scene, washing away bloodstains and removing evidence of the shooting, police said. Police found Ruiz's motorcycle at the funeral, Lt. Alan Cavallo said. Ruiz has not come to claim it. Authorities initially speculated that it was possible Ruiz had been killed and possibly buried along with Pettigrew. Investigators obtained a search warrant to dig up Pettigrew's grave, but Ruiz's remains were not found, Cavallo said. But now investigators say they have proof that Ruiz is alive and "actively evading law enforcement," Dwyer said. Ruiz is believed to have two black eyes "and other facial injuries consistent with being in a fight," Dwyer said. Police said Ruiz is in the company of Christel Renee Trujillo, 42, also known as Christel Renee Ferguson, and that her life "is now in danger." The two are possibly traveling in a gold or pewter Chevrolet Suburban. No year of the vehicle or license plate number was available. Ruiz has family and associates in Arizona and New York and may try to contact them, Dwyer said. Police said Pettigrew was shot and killed Sept. 23 by Ernesto Manuel Gonzalez, an alleged member of the rival Vagos motorcycle gang, at John Ascuaga's Nugget casino in Sparks, Nev. Gonzalez, 53, of San Jose was arrested by a UCSF police officer in San Francisco six days later. Tausan and the manager of the Pink Poodle, a strip club west of San Jose, were tried for murder in 1999 in the beating death of a club customer two years earlier. They were acquitted on grounds of self-defense.

Rival gangsters pack Vancouver courts

2011-10-22T07:06:00.001+01:00

Members of the Gang Task Force were used to boost security at the Vancouver Law Courts Thursday as four separate gang cases went ahead with rivals appearing on different floors. Eight members of the uniformed GTF arrived for a bail revocation hearing for accused drug trafficker Sukhveer Dhak. One floor below, a cocaine conspiracy trial continued for Dhak rival Jarrod Bacon. Supt. Doug Kiloh, of the Combined Forces Special Enforcement Unit, said the GTF officers were on hand because "there is clearly unresolved conflict between gangs." "Do we have concern when we bring them together? Yes, and clearly that poses a public safety risk," Kiloh said. "Even at the Bacon trial, there is going to be conflict internally there." Kiloh said that when any case like that of Bacon and coaccused Wayne Scott has wiretaps being played, things can be tense because of what one party says about the other. Earlier this week, a tape was played in court of Scott saying Bacon's parents were aware of his criminal enterprise, and profited from it. "There are a number of security precautions we are taking," Kiloh said of the Bacon-Scott case. Not only were Dhak and Bacon in separate courtrooms Thursday, but the Greeks gang murder case continued in high-security Courtroom 20 a few floors below. And another case, involving men linked to the United Nations gang, was in pre-trial hearings next door to Dhak. Kiloh said CFSEU has several other big cases and that more charges are expected to be laid in coming weeks. "We know we have been pushing Crown hard. We know they have their hands full," he said. "We hope to have more charges in the coming weeks and months in high-profile cases involving gangs and organized crime." And Kiloh said law enforcement will continue to move forward with major gang prosecutions because "it reduces the threat of public safety issues." Just last month, GTF head officer Supt. Tom McCluskie issued an extraordinary public warning that anyone associating with Dhak or those in the affiliated Duhre group could be at risk because of escalating gang tensions. The Dhaks, Duhres and some members of the UN gang are aligned against an opposing group consisting of some Hells Angels, Red Scorpions and the Independent Soldiers. On Sept. 16, Dhak associate Jujhar Singh Khun-Khun was shot several times in a targeted Surrey shooting that police say may have been in retaliation for the Aug. 14 attack in Kelowna that left Red Scorpion Jonathan Bacon dead and Hells Angel Larry Amero and Independent Soldier James Riach wounded. Dhak was originally charged in October 2008 with production of a controlled substance, possession for the purpose of trafficking and conspiracy to commit indictable offence. He is due to go to trial in that case next April. But he was arrested Sept. 18 for allegedly driving while prohibited related to an incident on July 30, 2011. He is also before the courts on another breach allegation related to a Kelowna incident in March 2011 and was charged in December 2010 with one count of counselling to commit the indictable offence of aggravated assault. Justice Brenda Brown reserved her decision on Dhak's bail until next Wednesday. Dhak, dressed in red prison garb, whispered through Plexiglas to his girlfriend at the morning break Thursday. Police sat in the front row, several seats away from Dhak's mother, sister and girlfriend. Details of submissions and arguments at the two-hour hearing are covered by a publication ban. Kiloh said top police officers from around the Lower Mainland met Thursday to discuss the level of gang tensions. He said the situation is very fluid, with unresolved conflicts between some, and others making new associations that police are trying to assess.

Canada’s top organized crime groups are recruiting workers at Pearson and other major airports to help them smuggle drugs and contraband into the country,

2011-10-22T07:02:00.001+01:00

Police and other agencies at Pearson are working to identify workers who are breaking the law.

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Canada’s top organized crime groups are recruiting workers at Pearson and other major airports to help them smuggle drugs and contraband into the country, says the former head of a national security committee.

Agents of notorious crime groups, including the Hells Angels and Vietnamese gangs, are flexing their muscles to get a bigger share of the lucrative drug-smuggling operation run by corrupt workers at Pearson, police and security officials said.

“Organized crime activity has gotten worst at Pearson,” said Sen. Colin Kenny, former head of a Standing Senate Committee on National Security and Defence. “They are actively recruiting people to work for them.”

The RCMP in a 2008 study identified 60 gangs that have infiltrated airports in Toronto, Montreal and Vancouver. Police said agents of the gangs work at “corrupting existing employees or by placing criminal associates or even spouses or relatives into the airport work force.”

A RCMP witness “said categorically that gangs such as Hells Angels have infiltrated Pearson,” the committee said in a report on Canadian airports.

“If the Hells Angels can get their people in place at airports, what’s to stop Al Fatah?,” Kenny asked. “Any holes that criminals open in security perimeters make them more vulnerable to all who wish to circumvent them.”

The committee toured Pearson following the 9/11 terrorist attacks to study safety procedures and found gaping holes in security.

“The security gaps may be wide open at Pearson,” Kenny said. “There is a lot of money to be made and crime groups are getting their own people hired to work there.”

RCMP Const. Michelle Paradis said police and other agencies at Pearson are working to identify workers who are breaking the law.

“We have been working diligently to identify smuggling groups and target them,” Paradis said on Thursday. “These investigations take a lot of manpower and resources.”

The Mounties have smashed several drug rings involving ramp handlers, airline groomers and catering staff who were removing drugs from aircraft and smuggling the bags out of the facility in their vehicles unchecked.

Five ramp handlers and a Jamaican police officer were among nine people arrested in Dec. 2010 by the RCMP after they squashed a ring allegedly smuggling kilos of cocaine and marijuana into Canada.

Police accuse the Jamaica Constabulary Force officer of planting drugs on aircraft that were allegedly removed here by handlers and smuggled from the airport.

Kenny said one way to curb the flow of illegal drugs is to examine all staff and their vehicles arriving and leaving the airport.

“They can check all travellers why can’t they check employees entering and leaving,” he said. “Their vehicles also have to be checked as well.”

Kenny said drugs are still flowing freely through the use of inter-Canada air courier service that promise 24-hour delivery to customers as reported in the Toronto Sun on Monday.

“Very little if anything is being done to examine domestic courier packages,” he said. “They are all virtually unchecked.”

Kenny said a third party, such as the Canadian Air Transport Security Authority, which is responsible for passenger and baggage security, should screen packages.

There are about 90,000 people working at Canadian airports and police estimate about 1,000 of them are intent on “infiltrating the airports to facilitate criminal activity.”

Self-styled gangster charged in 4 killings

2011-10-20T23:48:00.001+01:00

Toronto man is accused of murdering four people in less than three months, marking the conclusion of a lengthy police probe. "If, in fact, he is guilty of the crimes that we allege, this is an individual who has terrorized whole communities," police Chief Bill Blair said Wednesday. Mark Moore, 27, of Toronto was charged with 54 offences, including four first-degree murders. The alleged homicide victims include Jahmeel Spence, Courthney Facey, Mike James and Carl Cole; all were fatally shot between September and November of 2010. While Moore described himself as a gangster, police said there was no evidence linking him to a street gang. Police say Moore was involved in a dispute with Cole, and Spence was a victim of mistaken identity. As for the other two, "there's absolutely no rhyme or reason to why they were killed."