True Detective

Gang leader confessed to having incited the shooting of several individuals, including his wife and businessmen

Saturday 28 February 2009

Gang leader confessed to having incited the shooting of several individuals, including his wife and businessmen, according to a document found on a floppy disk discovered in the home of a former national police chief as part of an investigation into a criminal organization. Police seized a computer, floppy disks and documents found in the home of former National Police Chief Adil Serdar Saçan during a raid as part of the investigation into organized criminal activities in 2003. One of the disks included the transcript of an interview with Alaattin Çakıcı, arguably the most famous mafia boss in Turkey. According to the transcript, Çakıcı listed shootings he ordered in the past. Among the victims was his wife, Uğur Kılıç, broker Adil Öngen, columnist Hıncal Uluç and former Fenerbahçe soccer team Chairman Emin Cankurtaran. Çakıcı says about the shootings that he did "what was necessary," according to the document. Çakıcı was convicted of "leading an organized criminal gang" by an İstanbul court in 2007. He was interrogated by Prosecutor Zekeriya Öz at the Beşiktaş courthouse last year as part of the Ergenekon probe, a clandestine terrorist organization charged with attempting to overthrow the government.
According to the transcript, Çakıcı also confessed to preventing around 40 businessmen from entering bids in the sale of Türk Ticaret Bankası.

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Sean Sullivan working for feared Auckland gang the Headhunters.?


Sean Sullivan used to fight for big paydays in the ring now he's battling to recover other people's debts.And the 40-year-old, who pushed two-time world super middleweight champion Anthony Mundine to the wire in their 2003 fight this week revealed to Sunday News he's finally throwing in the towel on his 18-year career.
The never-say-die fighter's decision comes almost nine years after doctors and the boxing fraternity first suggested it."I don't want to make some big announcement but realistically I've got to the stage where the money really isn't there any more," Sullivan said."You don't want to price yourself out of the market ... but I don't really go looking for fights any more and I guess I'm happy to say I'm calling it a day. I have retired."Sullivan was initially reluctant to confirm his new occupation to Sunday News."Don't mention the debt collection to be honest," he said.
The father-of-two feared the admission would only fuel speculation he's working for feared Auckland gang the Headhunters."The boys in blue think I'm prospecting for the Headhunters," he said."I've never, ever, ever, been interested in joining any gang. And I've never prospected for any gang, or been interested in it. I wish they (police) would just get their facts right.
"As soon as you go to that gym (the Headhunters boxing gym in Ellerslie, Auckland) they say you're associated with the Headhunters and ... you're involved with organised crime. That's not me."

Sullivan admitted he had previously, inadvertently, worked with some Headhunters doing debt collection for former employer Kimball Johnson an underworld heavy turned country and western singer known as the "enforcer" who died of cancer in 2007.
"A couple of the lads that worked for Kimball probably associated with the gang.
"So that's where it's fallen into place for the police. But as I said, I'm virtually a gang of one and that's me."Johnson was a highly respected underworld figure.
His coffin was carried to his funeral in March by Headhunters and a death notice was placed by "all the brothers from Paremoremo Maxi and west" and signed by a Hell's Angels member.Sullivan, like Johnson, has found himself on both sides of the law.For just over two years Sullivan was a police youth worker in Mangere but his provisional contract was not extended in 2003 after police took issue with who he was associating with. Some of his boxing supporters were gang members.He then started working for Johnson.Last year Sullivan was acquitted along with another debt collector of kidnapping a car dealer and trying to extort $21,700 from him.He is currently before the courts on fraud charges. In July 2007, another newspaper reported Sullivan was a Housing New Zealand Corporation (HNZC) tenant who was sub-letting his taxpayer subsidised Mangere home for a $77 a week profit.It was claimed Sullivan who owned a holiday home in Russell at the time paid $133 a week for the state house, despite not being eligible to have one in the first place, and charged his tenants $210 a week.When the tenants allegedly applied for a state house and were told they were already living in one. Sullivan said he could not comment on the HNZC case, as it was before the courts.HNZC told Sunday News Sullivan faces two charges of using a document with intent to defraud between 2000 and 2005. HNZC is seeking $34,422 from him and the case is back in court next month.Sullivan said the kidnapping and extortion case should have never made it to court."I was found not guilty like I should have been from day one. (It) ruined my life for that period. I was on bail for two and a half years. They took my passport away so I couldn't travel. And I was tarnished with that brush."Sullivan told Sunday News he was a "very successful" debt-collector and operated by "word of mouth".He said he got "a lot of (debt collecting) skills from Kimball and some of his colleagues".But he said he did the job by the book not by bashing people into submission."It's knowing how to put payments in place and organising time arrangements and stuff like that," he said."Sometimes you've just got to pursue it and just not give up."In a death-bed interview in March 2007, Johnson talked openly about his method of collecting debts.
In one incident he bought a $17,000 debt off an elderly couple who appeared on TV show Fair Go, then hunted down the conman. When he refused to pay, Johnson beat him to a pulp hitting the man with a chair until it broke, then used two others.Johnson who also told the interviewer he once bit someone's ear off in a fight was charged with causing grievous bodily harm but the charge was dropped when his victim failed to appear in court.Sullivan said he had got into doorstep fights with debt-collection clients. But that only happened when he was repossessing chattels such as fridges, washing machines and beds something he no longer does."I don't mind repossessing someone's car because they can just catch public transport to work. They can walk to work, they can cycle to work, or whatever," he said."But when you're taking someone's fridge or freezer, that's what they use to feed their families and it's harder ... the old heart rules the head."Sullivan has a five centimetre scar on his left cheek from "some no-neck" who attacked him during a job."I went around there with my boss from the finance company and this gentlemen tried to attack the boss so I stepped in to help him and (the debtor) put my head through a window it came out the other side," he said."I recovered from that and I think he wished he never attacked the boss after that. It was more than just a knockout. But the writing was on the wall after that ... no more chattels."Sullivan, who when Sunday News met him looked more like a suburban dad on holiday in velcro rubber sandals, three-quarter shorts and T-shirt than the brawling boxer he's known as, said he has been "more blessed than most" in his fight career.He has previously held the light-heavyweight, super-middleweight, welterweight and middleweight national titles and been ranked as high as No7 in the world's welterweight division by the World Boxing Association and the International Boxing Federation.
He pushed world-ranked Danny Green so hard in 2004 that the Australian had to be hospitalised after the fight.Green had to have three litres of intravenous fluid to counteract the dangerous dehydration and exhaustion he got trying to knock out Sullivan, who is known for his extreme fitness and always finishing bouts on his feet."There's a lot of `what ifs' and `what could of beens'. A world title bout would have been great, but I fought Mundine and Green," he said."I fought for the Commonwealth title, and I had a month to lose two stone and I did it. I went over there and I won the fight. So I've done alright."But Sullivan has not won a fight since 2003 and could not remember his boxing record or who his opponents were in his last two fights at the Headhunters Fight Nights in May and December 2007."I just lined up, got in there and did the business. They gave me a week's notice, but I'm not exactly going to say no to WD (Headhunters boss Wayne Doyle)," he said. "I wasn't in the best shape. I was drinking beer and enjoying life."Sullivan was warned to quit boxing as early as 2000 after collapsing in a post-bout sauna.Former trainer Karl Turner had to resuscitate the fighter, who had stopped breathing and had no pulse.Later that year, a neuropsychologist recommended Sullivan never enter the ring again. Tests concluded that his brain function was abnormal.Sullivan who still coaches continued to fight. But Father Time looks like it has at last beaten arguably the toughest fighter to ever come out of New Zealand. Or maybe not!"I'm not fussed about fighting but if I get a good offer and they give me time to prepare ... it'll be on."

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Panchalingam Nagalingam, who was deported in 2005 because of his involvement in a violent Toronto street gang, arrived back on Tuesday morning

Panchalingam Nagalingam, was a member of AK Kannan, one of two warring Tamil gangs that engaged in extortion, drug trafficking, weapons dealing, attempted murder and murder in Toronto. who was deported in 2005 because of his involvement in a violent Toronto street gang, arrived back on Tuesday morning, and Canadian officials say they facilitated and paid for his return. The circumstances have one official lamenting that the government is "in the business of putting gangs and gangsters out of business, not in bringing them back to Canada."Police were furious on Friday and immigration officials were at pains to explain why the government had paid to fly a gang member, once charged with hacking two people in the head with a meat cleaver, back to Canada more than three years after he was deported to his native Sri Lanka.A spokesman for Jason Kenney, the Minister of Citizenship, Immigration and Multiculturalism, said the government was outraged that it was forced to return Mr. Nagalingam to Canada because of a legal agreement entered into by the previous Liberal government.The Ministry of Justice agreed in December, 2005, that it would allow Mr. Nagalingam to return to Toronto if the courts ever overturned a decision that found he was a danger to the public, officials said. The Federal Court of Appeal did just that in April, 2008, ruling that the judge who decided Mr. Nagalingam's case had made a procedural mistake. Canadian officials started discussions about Mr. Nagalingan's return to Toronto last June, after he went to the Canadian High Commission in Colombo and said he feared for his safety. He was given a temporary residency permit in January that allowed him to enter Canada, but it was cancelled upon his arrival at Pearson Airport. "We are very disappointed by the outcome of the court's decision. And we are outraged that we are forced, because of a legal agreement negotiated by the previous Liberal government, to return this dangerous individual to Canada," said Alykhan Velshi, Mr. Kenney's spokesman.
"The agreement made under the previous Liberal government was not required by law and is very unusual; however they made it anyway and, sadly, we are bound by it." He added that "because of the Liberals' agreement which we were legally bound to implement, we unfortunately had to pay for his return flight.""Since being returned to Canada, Nagalingam has been held in detention, where we will strenuously argue that he should remain," he added.


A 36-year-old Sri Lankan citizen, Mr. Nagalingam was a member of AK Kannan, one of two warring Tamil gangs that engaged in extortion, drug trafficking, weapons dealing, attempted murder and murder in Toronto. The gangs were responsible for dozens of shootings, one of which killed an innocent bystander at a doughnut shop.

At an Immigration and Refugee Board hearing on Thursday, an immigration official read a police statement that said Mr. Nagalingam had been identified as a gunman in an unsolved shooting in Scarborough in 2000 that left two teenagers dead. He had also smashed a chair over the head of a man at a community function and assaulted a security guard at a theatre, the official said. On two occasions, Mr. Nagalingam was shot at by rival gang members. "Nagalingam has demonstrated that he will not hesitate to use violence, and he has challenged rival gang members in public settings," the official said, reading a statement by the Toronto Police Service."This individual in my opinion is a recipe for yet another disaster on the streets of Toronto. He is a danger to the citizens of Canada and should not be allowed to stay in Canada."Mr. Nagalingam thanked God and the immigration department "for helping me to get back here" and said he had turned over a new leaf. "I have a child outside, I have my mother and father. I decided to start my life again."Immigration states here I am a danger to the Tamil community," he added. "Won't I get a chance for me to reform, to start my life again? That's all I ask for."
The Refugee Board ordered him detained on the grounds he is a danger to the public and a flight risk. In the meantime, the government has already commenced proceedings to have him deported once again. He was to appear before the Board again next Thursday.Mr. Nagalingam first arrived in Canada in 1994 and was accepted as a refugee the following year. But Toronto police quickly identified him as an AK Kannan gang member. He has three criminal convictions but he has faced other charges that were dropped. For example, in 1998, he was charged with assault with a weapon after he allegedly struck two rival gang members in the head with a meat cleaver. Police arrived at the scene and "did see the accused attempting to strike several other persons with the meat cleaver, before he like the others began to flee," but the victims could not be found and the charges were stayed.

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Shane Geoghegan (28) was shot dead by members of the McCarthy-Dundon gang

Irish police believe they now know who killed rugby player Shane Geoghegan and expect to charge the suspect this weekend.Last night, officers were concentrating their inquiries on a young man who is in custody in Limerick. He was arrested earlier this week in connection with the murder. The brutal killing shocked the country and led to a major crackdown on Limerick's criminal gangs.The development follows an intensive week of investigations where 120 detectives, working in 36 teams, repeatedly interviewed 16 people (eight women and eight men). Eight individuals remained in custody in stations in Limerick and Clare last night.
Mr Geoghegan (28) was shot dead by members of the McCarthy-Dundon gang, in the early hours of November 9. The gunman mistook him for a rival member of the Collopy gang.
The prime suspect is a 23 year old from Dublin and is well known in criminal circles. He moved to Limerick and is well connected to senior members of the McCarthy-Dundon gang. He was recently arrested by gardai for transporting drugs into the city from Dublin and has appeared before the courts in connection with it.
At a recent court appearance, members of the McCarthy-Dundon gang, wearing bullet proof vests, waited outside the court buildings to transport him away.It is expected that the young man will appear in court within 24 hours in connection with the murder.Mr Geoghegan, captain of Garryowen thirds team, was walking home from a friend's house in the Kilteragh housing estate, Dooradoyle, when he encountered the gunman. He ran for his life, but was cornered in the back garden of a neighbour's home and gunned down, with one bullet striking him in the head.Limerick's most senior garda officer, Chief Supt Gerry Mahon, described the case as one of the most significant investigations to take place in the division.Investigating detectives are also attempting to bring a number of other people who, they believe, were also involved in the murder, to the courts.Fifteen of the 18 individuals arrested and questioned so far are from Limerick and some are members of the McCarthy-Dundon gang.
Another member of the notorious gang, who is also suspected to have had a major role in the murder, remains on the run in London. He fled Limerick after the shooting and a bench warrant is out for his arrest in relation to another matter.

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Socialist Mayor of the village of Alcaucín in Málaga is among 13 people arrested in Spain’s latest corruption scandal.

Friday 27 February 2009

Socialist Mayor of the village of Alcaucín in Málaga is among 13 people arrested in Spain’s latest corruption scandal.José Manuel Martín Alba, a labourer by trade, has been detained as investigations continue into the building and sale of homes on non-buildableland. Searches were carried out on Friday in the homes of the Mayor and members of his family.The PSOE Socialist party says they will expel all those indicted from the party.The 13 arrests occurred in Málaga and Huelva and also include the Mayor’s two daughters, and José Mora, chief of municipal architecture in the Dipitación de Málaga, the provincial government.Also detained are two architects and other constructors and alleged intermediaries.El Mundo says that the investigation could move to neighbouring La Viñuela, where the Socialist Mayor already faces different investigations on town planning irregularities.Many of the properties sold in the area, have been purchased by foreigners.

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Ting Ting Tran, 18, of Kingsland Road, Shoreditch, east London, and a 17 year-old, who cannot be named for legal reasons, were arrested

Ting Ting Tran, 18, of Kingsland Road, Shoreditch, east London, and a 17 year-old, who cannot be named for legal reasons, were arrested by UK Border Agency officers at Gatwick Airport, West Sussex, on Thursday morning. Eight kilos (17.6lb) of cocaine was found in baggage on a flight arriving from Barbados.The case was passed to HM Revenue and Customs (HMRC) to continue investigations. No pleas were entered during the teenagers' appearance at Crawley Magistrates' Court. They were remanded in custody to appear via video link at Haywards Heath Magistrates' Court next Wednesday.

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Spanish authorities Tuesday said it dismantled an alleged Dominican drug trafficking network

Wednesday 25 February 2009

Spanish authorities Tuesday said it dismantled an alleged Dominican drug trafficking network, in a Police operation that led to the arrest of 10 ten people, accused of trafficking cocaine from that Caribbean nation and "other Central American countries," to Spain, Scotland and Italy.A source said the operation began at the end of last year in Spain when Police uncovered a ring of "citizens from the Dominican Republic dedicated to introducing large amounts of cocaine in our country," from the Caribbean country, home to its ringleader, linked to Colombian narcotics traffickers. The detainees received the drugs from the Dominican Republic using packets hidden in their body and bought narcotics other criminal groups, to treat it and distribute afterwards from a house in Madrid’s Tetuan sector. The operation included six raids in which the Police seized cell phones, material to “cut” and treat the drug, vehicles, computers and electronic equipment, as well as a bit more than three kilos of cocaine.

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British man who is accused of beating another Briton to death in a house in Vista Mar I, Playa Flamenca, Orihuela Costa


29 year old accused, named as Dezzie S. will be back in court on Friday.The court case against the young British man who is accused of beating another Briton to death in a house in Vista Mar I, Playa Flamenca, Orihuela Costa, and then setting fire to the body and home to get rid of the evidence on January 4 2005, was postponed until Friday in Elche yesterday.The victim has been named as Roy John T.29 year old Dezzie S. faces a total of 36 years in prison for the crimes and attended the court yesterday but only to hear the magistrate suspend the proceedings because of the lack of witnesses.Prosecutors’ Office is demanding a 36 year prison sentence for a British man who is accused of setting a house fire, stealing a car, and beating another Briton to death in Orihuela Costa.The attacked happened on January 4 2005, when the 29 year old accused, named with the initials D.S., went to the victim’s house in Vista Mar I in Playa Flamenca.An argument turned into a fight and the accused is charged with beating the victim with a sharp object bursting his aorta and causing his death. Then, in an attempt to destroy evidence a fire was started of both the body and the house, with D.S. accused of leaving the scene in the victim’s car. Three days later he rented another car and drove back to Britain, failing to return the vehicle as agreed.The Prosecutor wants a total of 36 years for the charges and has requested the payment of 150,000 € to the wife of the victim and 200,000 € to each of his daughters.

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Dawn Deveaux tried to sneak in 4.47 grams of heroin into Great Meadow Correctional Facility in Comstock, N.Y.

Monday 23 February 2009

23-year-old Coram woman was arrested Sunday after she was caught trying to smuggle heroin into a jail in Comstock.Police say Dawn Deveaux tried to sneak in 4.47 grams of heroin into Great Meadow Correctional Facility in Comstock, N.Y. to deliver to an inmate there.Deveaux was charged with criminal possession of a controlled substance and promoting prison contraband.She was arraigned in Fort Ann Town Court and sent to the Washington County Jail.

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Arrest of Ricky Moultrie and Nyah Ricketts on drug distribution/possession, and resisting arrest charges

Arrest of Ricky Moultrie and Nyah Ricketts on drug distribution/possession, and resisting arrest charges. The arrests came about as a result of a month long investigation conducted by members of the Bergen County Narcotic Task Force, under the direction of Chief Joseph Macellaro, the Bergen County Police Department under the direction of Chief John Schmidig, and the Paramus Police Department under the direction of Chief Richard Cary.On Wednesday, February 11, 2009, Ricky Moultrie and Nyah Ricketts were arrested by members of the Narcotic Task Force, Paramus Police Department, and the Bergen County Police Department, while attempting to distribute 175 bricks of suspected heroin This estimated street value of the suspected heroin is in excess of fifty thousand dollars ($50,000.00.) While attempting to effect Ricky Moultrie’s arrest, he fled on foot into Hackensack, New Jersey attempting to elude arrest. He was subsequently apprehended with the assistance of officers from the Bergen County Prosecutor’s Office Narcotic Task Force, the Paramus Police Department, the Bergen County Police Department, the Maywood Police Department, and the Hackensack Police Department. At the time of Rickett’s arrest he was found to be in possession of suspected Marijuana and $ 1,071.00 in United States Currency which was seized pending civil forfeiture. Prosecutor Molinelli states that the defendants are presumed innocent until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt.

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Landsbankis complex fraud involving 40 million euros has hit residents of Marbella on the Costa del Sol

Another complex fraud involving 40 million euros has hit residents of Marbella on the Costa del Sol .It involves an Icelandic Bank , and its Luxumbourg subsiduary plus a Luxumbourg Insurance Company . The case is being investigated by a San Roque court but the main losers are 100 Brits living in Marbella .The latter company has been denounced for deceitful publicity and fraud by a law firm which is representing 28 of the residents .Among those included in the legal action are three financial advisors , mainly to the British community .The people involved are mainly pensioners and those with high value properties .Financial advisors of the Icelandic bank began to sell a product which would guarantee the mortgage of the owner . It consisted of a mortgage on the property of around half a million euros and this was invested in financial products not only to pay off the mortgage but to give income as well .The clients were lured by the fact that it was self financing and had zero risk .It turned out that none of these things was true .They were also told that should the person die then it would reduce inheritance tax .The Spanish argument is that in Spanish law this is not possible and so therefore it is fraud .In fact such schemes had also been illegal in the Uk since 1990 .Under the terms of the Landsbank..Because of the fall of this Icelandic bank these people have no cover and are in danger of losing their homes .equity release scheme the policy holder could take 25% in cash and had to invest the rest in an investment company run by Landsbanki

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36 year prison sentence for a British man who is accused of setting a house fire, stealing a car, and beating another Briton to death in Orihuela

36 year prison sentence for a British man who is accused of setting a house fire, stealing a car, and beating another Briton to death in Orihuela Costa.The attacked happened on January 4 2005, when the 29 year old accused, named with the initials D.S., went to the victim’s house in Vista Mar I in Playa Flamenca.An argument turned into a fight and the accused is charged with beating the victim with a sharp object bursting his aorta and causing his death. Then, in an attempt to destroy evidence a fire was started of both the body and the house, with D.S. accused of leaving the scene in the victim’s car. Three days later he rented another car and drove back to Britain, failing to return the vehicle as agreed.The Prosecutor wants a total of 36 years for the charges and has requested the payment of 150,000 € to the wife of the victim and 200,000 € to each of his daughters. The case gets underway at 10am on Monday in the Seventh section of the Alicante Provincial Court in Elche.

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Las Maras, could be established in Spain within three years.



Civil Guard sergeant, who lived for a time in Honduras, has warned that a latin gang, more violent than the Latin Kings, called Las Maras, could be established in Spain within three years. Sergeant Pedro Gallego warned that the Latin Kings and the Ñetas, who used to have a higher presence in Spain were only ‘sleeping’ now, but would see a resurgence in activity as the economic crisis bites and youth unemployment rises. Members are attracted to join the gang because of its lifestyle, status and quick access to sex and drugs. Gallego has published a book with the conclusions of his study La Mara al Desnudo.
The book explains that the tattoos of the Mara gang members are important and represent secret codes between them. Dragons, tombs and sex scenes tattooed across the entire body are common place for the gang considered to be much more dangerous than the Sicilian Mafia or the Camorra from Naples.

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John Gotti's Bergin Hunt and Fish Club crew are in jail or dead.

John Gotti's Bergin Hunt and Fish Club crew are in jail or dead.With the arrest this month of reputed Gambino crime family hit man Joseph Watts, only three members of Gotti's crew remain alive and on the street.Reputed soldiers Ignazio (Iggy) Alogna, Michael (Mikey Gal) Guerrieri and John (Jack) Cavallo are survivors - and schemers.
They've struggled with serious illnesses and staying on the right side of the law.
"They don't have pensions to live on," pointed out Bruce Mouw, the former supervisor of the FBI's Gambino squad."These old guys will scheme until they die."Alogna, 75, a widower raising a grandson in Pennsylvania, once held the rank of capo but was busted down to soldier for trying to extort a businessman without permission."There's not going to be anything from this end, you know better than that," a man who identified himself as Alogna's son told the Daily News.
Long Island resident Cavallo, 60, beat a rap in 2007 after his lawyer persuaded a jury the feds nailed the wrong "Jack" for running a gambling parlor.Last year, 82-year-old Guerrieri got permission - because of his deteriorating health - to stop reporting to a probation officer after a gambling conviction.The crew's glory days were the 1970s and 1980s, when Gotti was a charismatic thug worshiped by his underlings.Gotti inherited the club on 101st Ave. in Ozone Park from Gambino capo Carmine Fatico. It was named for Bergen St. in Brooklyn, but misspelled. "The crew was remarkably loyal and disciplined," said a knowledgeable law enforcement source.
Of the core group, only Gotti's so-called "adopted son," Lewis Kasman, turned rat.
The inner circle included Gene Gotti (jail); John Carneglia (jail); Edward Lino (slain); Sal Scala (died recently in prison), and Anthony (Tony Lee) Guerrieri (dead).Other confidants included Angelo Ruggiero (dead); Anthony (Tony Roach) Rampino (jail); Vincent Artuso (jail); Ronald Trucchio (jail); Thomas (Tommy Sneakers) Cacciopoli (jail), and Charles Carneglia (currently on trial).The club's brick facade is intact, and the building houses a medical supply business and dog groomer."After Gotti died [in 2002], people started coming by and taking pictures," said Pedro Severino, owner of PSC Medical Supply. "Last year, three old guys came in a black Lincoln Town Car with a driver. They came in and looked around talking to each other, and then they left."Guerrieri summed up how much that old gang meant to him at a bail hearing where he refused a judge's order to stay away from wiseguys.
"I don't know no doctors or lawyers," he said, according to the Web site ganglandnews.com. "Who am I supposed to hang out with? Send me to jail. I can talk to all my friends in jail."His wish was granted, but three days later Guerrieri changed his mind and agreed to abide by the bail conditions.

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John Gilligan built Jessbrook Equestrian Centre and his mansion on drug smuggling and robbery, but now the €5m complex is the State's storeroom

Sunday 22 February 2009

John Gilligan built Jessbrook Equestrian Centre and his mansion on drug smuggling and robbery, but now the €5m complex is the State's storeroom -- with cheap furniture, including exam desks and chairs, all piled up in the centre of the vast indoor arena.Jessbrook was Gilligan's vanity project and a way to launder the pots of dirty money he made from the drugs trade.But it was also built as a route into civilised society, so the gang leader and his wife Geraldine could rub shoulders with decent people who were unaware that the Squire of Jessbrook was a hoodlum importing vast quantities of cannabis into Ireland.It was at Jessbrook that Gilligan viciously beat Sunday Independent journalist Veronica Guerin when she bravely asked him about his criminal activities. She was murdered before the assault charge could be dealt with by the courts.Now Jessbrook is in tatters, the once elegant driveway is pockmarked with potholes and the pristine paddocks are overgrown with weeds including what looks like ragwort.Since the Criminal Assets Bureau successfully took control of the 100-acre estate, the equestrian centre at Jessbrook has become a warehouse for the Office of Public Works.There's a small staff on duty and the twisty back roads around Mucklon in Co Kildare are a regular destination for trucks carrying inventory from the OPW.It's all non-valuable bric-a-brac; old and broken computer monitors, out-of-date publications, non-confidential paperwork and scaffolding planks. The synthetic surface where show jumping horses were once put through their paces has been removed and a five-inch layer of hardcore and gravel laid along the exterior walls of Jessbrook, that front on to the main road, as a courtesy to their neighbours.But it cannot hide the feeling of decay. When he fought tooth and nail in the courts to keep Jessbrook, Gilligan claimed the Criminal Assets Bureau's valuation of his country bolthole at €5m was too low. Now it looks like a a very generous estimate.Up at the main house Gilligan and his gang felt they were untouchable. Gilligan amassed millions but he had no class and his pride and joy was a tacky but hideously expensive private bar made of solid oak with Budweiser, Heineken and Guinness on tap and an array of crystal champagne flutes.Now there is a rank smell and bad atmosphere about the place -- bad enough to put off any prospective private purchaser -- even at a knockdown price,The OPW is paying a rent of €65,000 a year to use Jessbrook as a warehouse

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Jamie "The Iceman" Stevenson claims his 12-year sentence for money laundering is excessive as police cannot prove he committed any other crimes.

Jamie "The Iceman" Stevenson claims his 12-year sentence for money laundering is excessive as police cannot prove he committed any other crimes. The multi-millionaire crook, not due for release until 2013, has asked the Scottish Criminal Cases Review Commission (SCCRC) to examine his case. If his brass-necked legal bid is successful, he could be out by the end of the year. One source said: "Stevenson has no previous but he built up a drugs network with a multi-billion pound turnover.
"It's ludicrous to claim he should be freed early simply because he's never been caught before." Stevenson, 43, of Burnside, Glasgow, was jailed in April 2007 despite his "untouchable" reputation. He and nine others - including his wife Caroline, stepson Gerry Carbin and Carbin's partner Karen Maxwell - were charged with drug and money laundering offences. But only Stevenson and Carbin, 29, were convicted of money laundering after striking a deal with prosecutors. The Iceman remains the prime suspect for the murder of fellow gangster Tony McGovern in Springburn, Glasgow, in 2000. Stevenson's 12-year, nine-month sentence was the longest ever for money laundering in Britain. He was also ordered to hand over s750,000 of his dirty money but is thought to have millions more stashed away.
He claims police exceeded their powers when bugging his home as part of anti-drugs campaign Operation Folklore. Despite his fortune, Stevenson plans to use taxpayers' cash to fight the appeal. He will get 90% from the Scottish Legal Aid Board to make his application to the SCCRC. His lawyers will only receive more money if the appeal goes to court. The SCCRC said: "We don't comment on individual cases."

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Trial in slaying of 8 motorcycle gang members Bandidos chapter "No Surrender Crew,"

Discovery of eight bullet-riddled bodies in four vehicles abandoned on a nearby farmer's property on April 8, 2006.It was the largest known massacre of outlaw motorcycle gang members anywhere in the world, and also the worst mass murder in Ontario since 1832.After more than two years of preliminary hearings and motions, jury selection in the trial of the six men accused of the murders begins tomorrow in London, about half an hour's drive east of Shedden.One of the accused, Wayne (Weiner) Kellestine, 59, lived on a farm on the outskirts of Iona Station, about a 15-minute drive from Shedden. All the rest are from outside the county and several are from outside the province.Also facing eight murder charges are Brett (Beau) Gardiner, 24, of Calgary; Wayne (Taz) Sandham, 39, Marcello Aravena, 32, and Dwight (Big D) Mushey, all of Winnipeg; and Frank (Frankie) Mather, 35, of no fixed address.
The eight victims were all connected to the Toronto chapter of the Bandidos Motorcycle Club, the second-largest outlaw biker club in the world.
The victims, whose Bandidos chapter was nicknamed the "No Surrender Crew," were George (Pony) Jessome, 52, George (Crash) Kriarakis, 28, Luis Manny (Chopper, Porkchop) Raposo, 41, Frank (Bam Bam, Bammer) Salerno, 43, and Michael (Little Mikey) Trotta, 31, all of the Greater Toronto Area; Paul (Big Paul) Sinopoli, 30, of Sutton; Jamie (Goldberg) Flanz, 37, of Keswick; and John (Boxer) Muscedere, 48, of Chatham.Folks in Shedden reluctantly talk about the upcoming trial, and when they do, they are quick to say it is about outsiders, not local residents."I don't think it's touched anybody too deep here," says one business person, who declined to give her name. "If someone local was involved, it might be different. Life goes on."A local farmer says people are more concerned with other issues now, like layoffs in the auto industry. "It happened so long ago and five miles down the road," says the man, who also declined to give his name.By "five miles down the road," he means the farm of Russell (Rusty) and Mary Steele, respected churchgoing grandparents and long-time residents.The Steeles live on a tidy, prosperous farm, with bird baths and feeders and a children's play area. A sign on the front fence reads, "If you ate today, thank a farmer."The Steeles woke up on a Saturday morning to find four vehicles parked in a forested area of their property.Inside the vehicles – a tow truck, two cars and a sport utility vehicle – were the bodies of the bikers. Soon police had the area cordoned off.Not long after that, news helicopters hovered overhead.Last week the Steeles politely but firmly declined to talk about the grisly event.
"We've seen a lot of the problems that were here before – press problems," Russell says."I don't think that we want to give any interviews," Mary adds.
In the wake of the killings, Slee says, locals were bombarded with questions about cults and gangs in a town so small it doesn't have a restaurant or a grocery store.
"We don't have enough people for a cult," jokes Slee, a first-year drama student at Brock University in St. Catharines.In nearby Iona Station lies what is left of the farm of Wayne (Weiner) Kellestine.
His barn and a shed are still standing, but his dirty white Ontario cottage has burned down since he was arrested almost three years ago. The Ontario Fire Marshal's Office ruled the fire last March was accidental, although its cause remains unclear.After the fire, Kellestine's common-law wife complained in the media that locals didn't do much to raise money for her and her school-age daughter because of Kellestine's reputation as a biker.Now there is a small trailer behind what is left of the burned-out farmhouse. A steel link fence has been erected to keep the curious away.Down the road in London, court officials say the trial will be held in a specially built, high-tech, high-security courtroom. It was constructed in 2003 for a mass trial of local bikers, members of the Outlaws. The site for the Bandidos trial is less than a 10-minute walk from London's original courthouse, a castle-like structure where the trial for alcoholic farmer Henry Sovereign was held in 1832, in the midst of a cholera epidemic.
Sovereign was convicted of murdering his seven children and his wife in Norfolk County, near what is now Highway 24, about a half-hour drive from Shedden. He was hanged outside the old courthouse.Back in the Greater Toronto Area, Glenn (Wrongway, Irish) Atkinson thinks often about his former Bandidos clubmates. He says he left the club before the killings or he might have been a victim tooHe says he hopes people don't lose sight of the fact that real people were killed, and that real people still mourn them."There might have been people that hated them, but a lot more people loved them," Atkinson says. "They had a lot more love in their lives than hate.
"At the end of the day, they still had parents and girlfriends and wives that loved them. A lot had kids too, who now miss their daddies."

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John Lindenman, 43, and Bradley Lutzo, 45, suffered fatal gunshot wounds during an 11 p.m. brawl in a QuikTrip parking lot on Tuesday.

Friday 20 February 2009

Brawl involving rival motorcycle groups led to a shooting that left two men dead at a Sunnyslope convenience store, according to police who released the victims' names Thursday. Investigators described the unidentified groups as gangs, although others suggested they were unlike outlaw groups commonly tied to biker violence.
Some police described the groups as substance-free organizations purportedly geared toward recovering addicts looking to ride with other sober motorcycle enthusiasts. John Lindenman, 43, and Bradley Lutzo, 45, suffered fatal gunshot wounds during an 11 p.m. brawl in a QuikTrip parking lot on Tuesday. No arrests have been made, and the deaths are under investigation, according to police.
Neither Lindenman or Lutzo had criminal records in Arizona.Phoenix Detective Cindy Scott said the department will not release the names of the groups, citing its policy on withholding the identifications of documented criminal street gangs.

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Kim Le Thu,was arrested trying to bring 3 kilograms of heroin into the mainland through Shenzhen

A Vietnamese woman was arrested trying to bring 3 kilograms of heroin into the mainland through Shenzhen on Tuesday night.The seizure was the first this year and the largest in the history of the Shenzhen International Airport border police.Kim Le Thu, 42, arrived at Shenzhen on a flight from Kuala Lumpur, capital of Malaysia. She looked nervous when going through immigration procedures, police said yesterday.Police became more suspicious when the woman, who was alone, was unable to say why she was coming to China. She could not speak Chinese or English.Police later found a large parcel of chocolates inside her luggage. The “chocolates” were very solid and extremely heavy. Police cut open the outer wrapping and found 20 chunks of yellowish powder.The chunks, weighing a total of 2.968 kg, were later tested and found to be heroin, police said.Airport police detected six cases of heroin trafficking over the past year. Three men from the Philippines were caught trying to smuggle 1.2 kg of heroin into Shenzhen in June last year. On July 7, a Filipina was detained after attempting to smuggle 1 kg of heroin into China via Shenzhen.In October last year, four foreigners were jailed for trafficking heroine in Guangzhou. One from Uganda was sentenced to death, suspended for two years, for carrying 2.080 kg of heroin in her luggage.

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Marty Pettigrew is facing cocaine and marijuana charges after being stopped by police for speeding Feb. 6.

Marty Pettigrew is facing cocaine and marijuana charges after being stopped by police for speeding Feb. 6.Pettigrew, 47, was pulled over for going 43 mph in a 35-mph zone at Lynchburg and Fieldcrest in the Raleigh area. Also in the car were Andre Banks and Hans Banks, according to the police affidavit.When police pulled the Mercedes over, both Banks men allegedly attempted to hide something.
Police pulled all three men from the car, then found one bag of crack and one bag of pot in the back seat. Brass knuckles were also found. All three denied knowing anything about the drugs.School board member Martavius Jones said Pettigrew had been suspended.
“We received an update from the superintendent to say he was suspended with pay, pending the outcome of a formal investigation,” Jones said.

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Ramandeep JOHAL of Renfrewshire, Scotland was charged under the Misuse of Drugs Act (UK) for receiving a package containing 8.83 kilograms of cocaine

Thirty-one year-old Ramandeep JOHAL of Renfrewshire, Scotland was charged under the Misuse of Drugs Act (UK) for receiving a package containing 8.83 kilograms of cocaine.Ramandeep JOHAL of Renfrewshire, Scotland (U.K.) was arrested and charged pursuant to section 4(3)(b) of the Misuse of Drugs Act (United Kingdom) after receiving the package which contained 8.83 kilograms of cocaine recovered from inside the memorial marker. In partnership with the Strathclyde Police, the RCMP conducted an investigation locally in an effort to identify co-conspirators on this matter however, no persons to date have been charged.On June 10th, 2008 members of the Canada Border Service Agency(CBSA) located at the Vancouver International Airport, intercepted a suspicious package that was bound for Glasgow, Scotland. After being examined, this package was found to contain a memorial marker that had an unknown quantity of cocaine secreted within it. CBSA requested the assistance of the RCMP’s Greater Vancouver Drug Section in an effort to conduct a controlled delivery of the memorial marker between Canada and Scotland. The delivery of the parcel was completed with the aid of the RCMP’s Liaison Officer in London, Her Majesties Revenue and Customs (London) and the Strathclyde Police (Scotland). A subsequent undercover operation was conducted by Detectives from the Strathclyde Police Department whereby the delivery of the package was made to a local business address in Glasgow.
This intelligence-led international investigation has successfully disrupted this organized crime process from the smuggling and trafficking of this cocaine. The investigation was a collaborative effort by many officers from CBSA, the RCMP and the Strathclyde Police Department. It is yet another example of our integrated approach and ongoing commitment to detect, dismantle and prosecute organized crime in Canada and abroad.

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Marquis Gillespie, 33, and Alissa Malek, 26, both of the 2000 block of Norwich Lane in Bartlett, were arrested

Marquis Gillespie, 33, and Alissa Malek, 26, both of the 2000 block of Norwich Lane in Bartlett, were arrested, Bartlett police Sgt. Michael McGuigan said.
"That's one of the biggest busts that we've had in a long time," he added.Gillespie was charged with felony possession of a controlled substance with intent to deliver and Malek was charged with a misdemeanor charge of possession of cannabis, McGuigan said.Neighbors made complaints to police about the house, to which McGuigan said police have made prior visits.
Police used a warrant around 7:30 a.m. to search the pair's house and say they found more than 1,500 grams of cocaine, some cannabis, about $3,000 and drug paraphernalia. McGuigan said economic problems don't seem to hurt the illegal drug business."We haven't seen it in our town, but when the economy goes sour, unfortunately we see an increase in drug usage," McGuigan said.Gillespie served 3 1/2 years in prison for a conviction on charges of manufacturing and delivery of a controlled substance in 2000 in Cook County, police said.Malek was given a March 6 Rolling Meadows court date after she posted bond. Gillespie remains jailed and awaits a bond hearing, police said.

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Rene Abraham Hernandez, 29, was last week charged over the importation of 100kg of cocaine from Mexico into Sydney.

Rene Abraham Hernandez, 29, was last week charged over the importation of 100kg of cocaine from Mexico into Sydney.
After he was arrested on Friday, the Australian Federal Police (AFP) allegedly found identification of a New Zealand police officer and two NSW drivers’ licenses in two names in a black leather bag. Officers from the AFP and the NSW Crime Commission were investigating the February 2008 importation of the drug, which was concealed in 19 tonnes of pavers from Mexico. They were also investigating possible money-laundering by people involved in the importation.Police allege that Mr Hernandez, who was charged with importing a commercial quantity of a border controlled drug, was one of at least three people involved. Sydney Central Local Court was today told that Mr Hernandez, who was born in Mexico and became an Australian citizen in 1991, knew that he was being investigated by authorities for almost a year.Before refusing bail, Magistrate Paul Lyon said the amount of money police allege that the “scheme” brought in was enormous. Mr Hernandez is due to appear in Central Local Court on April 29.

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Avraham Malachi, 39, of Netanya, whom police identified as the ringleader; Samuel Samuel, 48, originally from Lod and described as the go-between

Four Argentine retirees who made their way to the Netherlands and India from South America allegedly served as couriers in an international drug-smuggling ring thought headed by five Israelis.
Although the retirees initially failed to arouse the suspicion of border police at airports around the world, the Argentines and all five of the Israelis have been arrested in recent weeks. Advertisement An undercover operation lasting more than a year conducted by the Israel police and police departments in other countries found the couriers to have been a lot more than innocents abroad. The four were reportedly caught with large quantities of cocaine and Indian hashish. Suspects were identified as Avraham Malachi, 39, of Netanya, whom police identified as the ringleader; Samuel Samuel, 48, originally from Lod and described as the go-between in Holland; Moshe Luver, 67, of Netanya, said to have recruited the Argentinean drug runners; Viteli Hanukyeb, 28, of Netanya, alleged to have organized the network's operations in India; and Asher Zurik, 20, Malachi's brother-in-law and the one responsible for helping the couriers to move around in South America and India. Conducted in coordination with South American and European police, the investigation uncovered remarkable methods used to hide the drugs, such as stashing just under 10 kilograms of cocaine in more than 1,900 buttons - a measure that was of no help to the elderly drug runner arrested last April at the airport in Lima, Peru. In December, police in Amsterdam uncovered 52kg. of Indian cannabis hidden in suitcases. The network allegedly recruited elderly drug runners, hoping their age would deflect suspicion. It was said to have paid three - Argentinean nationals named as Manuel Maria Mellone, 66; Gerardo Federico Harmeye, 68; and Justo Fernando Brito, 49 - € 5,000 for each smuggling run. The Petah Tikva Magistrate's Court extended the custody of the Israeli suspects until February 22.

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Diego Montoya Sanchez once on the FBI's most-wanted list has pleaded not guilty to U.S. cocaine trafficking charges

Reputed Colombian drug kingpin once on the FBI's most-wanted list has pleaded not guilty to U.S. cocaine trafficking charges.Diego Montoya Sanchez entered the plea Thursday before a Miami federal judge. Prosecutors say the 46-year-old Montoya was chief of Colombia's North Valley Cartel that has smuggled vast quantities of cocaine to the U.S. over the years.Montoya was extradited from Colombia in December and is being held without bail. No trial date has been set.Montoya's brother, Eugenio, pleaded guilty in January to trafficking and obstruction of justice charges and agreed to cooperate in the case. He faces up to 30 years in prison. A third Montoya brother also pleaded guilty and is serving U.S. prison time.

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Sentenced 32-year-old Maximo Pineda-Buenventura to 17 1/2 years in prison and 30-year-old Teodulo Pineda-Buenventura to 5 years

Sentenced 32-year-old Maximo Pineda-Buenventura to 17 1/2 years in prison and 30-year-old Teodulo Pineda-Buenventura to 5 years for conspiring to deal cocaine. The brothers will be deported to Mexico when they finish their sentences. They were indicted in July 2008 as part of an investigation into cocaine trafficking in Jefferson and Dodge counties. Four other defendants have been sentenced to prison. Four more are set to be sentenced next month. One is set to go to trial in March. Four others are fugitives.

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Chris Lewis has denied trying to smuggle £200,000 worth of cocaine through Gatwick Airport.


Chris Lewis has denied trying to smuggle £200,000 worth of cocaine through Gatwick Airport. Chris Lewis, 41, who played 32 Tests and 53 one-day internationals in the 1990s, appeared at Croydon Crown Court along side co-defendant basketball player Chad Kirnon, 27 who also pleaded not guilty.The two men were arrested at Gatwick Airport on December 8. The drug was in liquid form concealed in fruit tins and discovered as part of routine checks at the airport.
Both were remanded in custody and their trial listed for May 11.

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Antone J. Chacartegui was charged with felony trafficking of a controlled substance.


Antone J. Chacartegui was charged with felony trafficking of a controlled substance.After a two-month investigation, Boise police's narcotics unit obtained a warrant to search a home in the 2300 block of State Street. When they searched the home at 7:30 p.m. Wednesday, they found multiple baggies containing a combined 46.2 grams of heroin (street value of $7,000), 9.8 grams of marijuana, scales, cash and other drug paraphernalia.

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Donaciano Rivera, was arrested at his home in the 6000 block of Dias Avenue in Sacramento

Donaciano Rivera, was arrested at his home in the 6000 block of Dias Avenue in Sacramento. “A confidential source contacted us about Rivera and his alleged activities as a heroin dealer,” Curran stated. From that point on, he said, a month-long investigation was initiated.The heroin’s street value was estimated at more than $36,000, Curran reported.When he was taken into custody, Rivera had more than $7,100 in cash at his residence, a sheriff’s department report said.Rivera was booked into the Sacramento County Main Jail and faces charges of possession for sale of a controlled substance, carrying a concealed firearm not registered to owner, possession of a controlled substance while armed with a loaded firearm, possession of a firearm by a convicted felon and violation of probation.Curran said that an investigation was “still ongoing.”
According to jail records, Rivera was scheduled to be arraigned in court on Thursday.Aside from the Rivera arrest, Curran said that the narcotics enforcement team — also known as the “street team” — has been busy this year.“Since the beginning of this year, they (the street team) have taken more than 61 suspects into custody,” he said. Most of those arrests have been for selling narcotics or narcotics related activities. “The team has also seized more then $30,000 in drug money and have taken six guns off of the streets.”
Over 26 pounds of marijuana and 50 grams of methamphetamine have also been seized by the team since their new operations started last month.

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Paul Makin and his wife Laura, were detained by police at Porlamar airport allegedly carrying 52lb of cocaine

Paul and Laura Makin from Birkenhead, Merseyside, were arrested at the airport of Isla Margarita, a resort island off Venezuela's Caribbean coast, after allegedly packing 23.7kg (52lb) of the drug - worth an estimated £1.2m - into their luggage.Their children, two-year-old twins and a boy and girl aged seven and eight, have been taken into care by Venezuelan social services and are expected to return to Britain later this week. The family were attempting to board a flight home after a package holiday on the island of Margarita. According to reports in Venezuela, their cases were searched and found to contain false bottoms concealing several bags of drugs. Family members arrived this afternoon to help care for the children who had been placed in the care of local social services. The couple were held at a local command of the national guard before being seen by a judge. They are being held in the San Antonio prison, where drug trafficking cases make up 85 per cent of the 1,300 prisoners, according to guards. They are being held separately in male and female wings, Mrs Makin in an individual cell and her husband in a group dormitory. The couple have yet to be charged and have not been seen by a lawyer or a representative of the British Embassy. "It's a process," said one guard, who declined to be named. Investigations are ongoing and prosecutors now have 45 days to bring charges or release the couple. Luis Moreno, the director of the prison, said the arrests came as the authorities were trying to smash a smuggling ring. "There are never just two, there are always more, at least 15 or 20. Therefore we have to be very careful about letting information out." The British authorities were already seeking Mr Makin when he was arrested. Merseyside Police said today that he had been due to attend Liverpool Crown Court on February 9 accused of affray and possession of an offensive weapon. When he did not attend the trial a judge issued a warrant for his arrest. He is alleged to have threatened a man with what was believed to be a machete in Prenton last September. It is understood that the family went on holiday three weeks ago but did not return, as expected, after a week. Customs officers at Porlamar said that drugs-smuggling to and from the island is becoming an increasingly frequent occurrence, with Venezuelan territory being used as a trafficking route between Colombia and the United States and Europe.

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UNCW students Christopher Misenheimer, 20, and Nina Esquire, 19, are charged with conspiracy to traffic in heroin

UNCW students Christopher Misenheimer, 20, and Nina Esquire, 19, are charged with conspiracy to traffic in heroin, three counts of trafficking in heroin, manufacturing a controlled substance, possession of drug paraphernalia and conspiring to sell and deliver cocaine.Michael Gerrod Jones is charged with conspiracy to sell and deliver cocaine, conspiracy to traffic in heroin, manufacturing a controlled substance and possession of drug paraphernalia.UNCW student Jonathan Paker is charged with conspiracy to traffic in heroin, possession of cocaine, felony possession of marijuana, possession with intent to sell and deliver marijuana, conspiracy to sell and deliver cocaine and possession of drug paraphernalia.
The residence, in a cluster of three buildings of condominiums where Parker, Esquire and Jones lived, was used to manufacture and sell drugs, Ciamillo said.The arrests were the result of a monthlong undercover investigation that culminated when a search warrant was served at the address at 3 p.m., according to Ciamillo.
Also seized were a supply of powder blue glycine bags used to package the heroin, as well as the rubber stamps and ink pads used to mark the bags with “think happy thoughts” for branded street sale. Officials also confiscated sifters and grinders used to turn the drug into powder form, and dark blue balloons used to store and transport heroin.Misenheimer is being held under $325,000 bond. Jones, Parker and Esquire are each being held under $225,000 bonds.
More arrests are pending, Ciamillo said. Heroin has been a serious problem in New Hanover County, he said, and the squad has been working to put a “substantial dent” in its manufacture and sale.

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Ricardo Fanchini is one of the world's most well-connected gangsters

Thursday 19 February 2009


Ricardo Fanchini is one of the world's most well-connected gangsters, with mobster friends as far afield as Moscow, New York, London, Antwerp, Naples, Poland and Israel.

"He was like the CEO of crime and used to organise crime summits in Austria, where people from the Camorra [Neapolitan mafia], the Colombian cartels, the Russian mafia, met up and divided up the world," said a Belgian reporter who has investigated Fanchini for years but does not wish to be identified.

Born in 1956 in the industrial city of Katowice in southern Poland to a Polish mother and an Italian father who had himself grown up in the mafia-infested city of Naples, Fanchini fled to the West in 1977, settling first in Germany and eventually moving to the Belgian port of Antwerp. But he was one of several gangsters who returned to the East in the early 1990s to fill the vacuum left by the collapse of communism and became known as the Polish Al Capone. Polish journalist Jaroslaw Jakimczyk told the BBC: "He was one of the most dynamic of that group in the 1990s, and was linked with the Pruszkow Gang."
The Pruszkow Gang dominated Polish organised crime, being responsible for the trade in drugs, stolen luxury cars from Germany and black-market vodka.
Although their power was broken and most are now in jail or dead, Fanchini continued to prosper, partly because of his connections to Russian mafia bosses including Semion Mogilevich, who was a guest at his wedding, and arms smuggler Viktor Bout. He and his Russian partner, Boris "Biba" Nayfeld, set up an import-export business that traded in everything from cigarettes and chocolates to electronic goods. He also benefited from a tax exemption, for the importation of vodka into Russia, granted by corrupt officials close to the then President Boris Yeltsin. At the time he also bought a luxury yacht, the Kremlin Princess, and often turned up in Monte Carlo. Mobster Semion Mogilevich was a guest at Fanchini's first wedding But Fanchini lost powerful friends when Yeltsin left office, his company went bankrupt and he was prosecuted by the Belgian authorities for embezzlement and money laundering. While in prison serving a four-year sentence, Fanchini was dealt a further blow when a huge consignment of drugs was seized by the Dutch police. The 1.8 million ecstasy pills, weighing 424kg, were destined for sale to the US market, where Fanchini and Nayfeld had links with the Russian community in the Brighton Beach district of Brooklyn, New York. When Fanchini left prison he moved to London. In 2006 he hired out the Grand Hyatt Hotel in Berlin for a sumptuous party and followed it up with another bash in Moscow, which was attended by hundreds of gangsters as well as celebrities and legitimate businessmen. But Fanchini was living on borrowed time. In England he reportedly split his time between a Mayfair townhouse and a plush mansion in a gated community in Surrey, not far from the home of Formula One driver Jensen Button. But the US Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) caught up with him and on the morning of 3 October 2007 officers from the Metropolitan Police's Extradition and International Assistance Unit knocked on the door of his townhouse in Mount Street. He was using the name Ricardo Rotmann, which was the surname of his third wife, Katja, a German, with whom he has a child.
Fanchini had been identified by various European law enforcement agencies as an international criminal for years His second wife, Jolanta, is still in prison in Belgium after being convicted of money laundering. Fanchini made no attempt to fight extradition and in January last year he was handed over to US marshals at London's Gatwick Airport. He was due to go on trial later this year. According to the indictment, Fanchini's gang smuggled heroin and cocaine from Thailand to the US, via Poland and Belgium, for 17 years. The drugs were hidden in the back of televisions and eventually found their way to Brighton Beach and Staten Island in New York. But his attorney, Gerald Shargel, obtained a plea bargain and in November he pleaded guilty to a single charge - conspiring to distribute 424kg of MDMA (ecstasy) - and he now faces 10 years in jail.
Journalist Vladimir Kozlovsky, who has covered the activities of the Russian mafia in New York for years, said: "The indictment was massive. He was accused of a million crimes going back 20 years. There were so many boxes of evidence that he had to have a separate cell to house it all.

"The trial was due to last at least four months so, like 90% of cases over here, it was plea bargained and he could be out in seven years."
Another former Fanchini associate, Viktor Bout, was arrested last year But the DEA has also hit him hard financially. Fanchini has agreed to forfeit $30m - $2m of which will have to be paid on the day of sentencing - and DEA officers have also seized more than 40 properties across the world with an estimated value of more than $67m. Nayfeld and two other co-defendants, Arthur and Nikolai Dozortsev, all pleaded guilty to laundering Fanchini's money. Speaking at the London School of Economics last year, the US Attorney General, Michael Mukasey, highlighted Fanchini as an example of close global co-operation in the fight against crime. He said: "Fanchini had been identified by various European law enforcement agencies as an international criminal for years. "It took a lot of co-operation and co-ordination between the US, UK and other countries to bring about his arrest."Detective Inspector Paul Fuller, head of the Metropolitan Police's Extradition Unit said: "We work tirelessly to ensure that those wanted for crimes are brought to the justice system. It is important that Londoners know that we are arresting and extraditing foreign criminals on a daily basis." Dominique Reyniers, of the Belgian Justice Department, confirmed Fanchini was also the subject of a separate investigation into alleged money laundering in Antwerp. It is thought that inquiry looked at property investments he made in the Ukrainian resort of Odessa. Fanchini's friends Mogilevich and Bout have both been arrested in the past year and he himself will be in his 60s by the time he comes out of jail in the US.

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Dancehall artiste Munga Honourable, whose given name is Damion Rhoden, pleaded guilty to possession of marijuana


Dancehall artiste Munga Honourable, whose given name is Damion Rhoden, pleaded guilty to possession of marijuana when he appeared in the Corporate Area Resident Magistrate’s Court yesterday.Rhoden appeared before Senior Resident Magistrate Glen Brown.The court was told that on the day in question, the police searched Rhoden and a small quantity of ganja found. Rhoden was sentenced to pay $200 or serve seven days in jail.The deejay is known for such hits as Wine Pan It and Bad From Mi Born.

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Clinton Shawn Martin Jr., is a local leader of the Gangster Disciples, specifically the six deuce trey set

Tuesday 17 February 2009

Clinton Shawn Martin Jr., 24, of 31 E. Market St., Harrisonburg, was arrested in early January. Police say Martin is a local leader of the Gangster Disciples, specifically the six deuce trey set, according to multiple search warrants filed in the case by a CHARGE Gang Task Force investigator.Martin was one of four people arrested in January in connection to a two-year gang investigation. He was arrested on Jan. 15 as he attempted to trade drugs for guns in the Roses parking lot on Mason Street.Martin faces 46 charges, including drug distribution, firearms violations and gang participation.

"[The Gangster Disciples] are probably one of the more prevalent gangs in this area," said Lt. Kurt Boshart of the Harrisonburg Police Department. "They're probably one of the most organized."
Randy Crank, president of the Virginia Gang Investigators Association, a group that provides resources and training to local law enforcement agencies, said Harrisonburg's gangs are most likely independent groups and have no official affiliation with the major gangs or their nationwide network of chapters."What you have is homegrown," said Crank. "They will use the national gang signs, symbols, colors and hand signs even though they don't have any ties nationally."Boshart said Martin grew up in Harrisonburg, but might have had some ties nationally.Crank said Gangster Disciple members, or those claiming to be members, can usually be identified by the use of a three-pointed pitchfork and six-pointed star in "taggings," or graffiti, and other materials. They also go by the numbers "74" - a reference to the seventh and fourth letters of the alphabet, "G" and "D", he said. Boshart said this case, and several recent cases, show that gangs exist in the Shenandoah Valley and are growing."We're seeing a steady progression unfortunately," he said, adding that it's getting more violent.
A few years ago, he said, he would tell people that there was some gang activity, but it was rarely an issue and even when it was, it rarely turned violent.
But that's changed, he said."Last year, we could say at least we didn't have a murder," said Boshart. "Unfortunately, we can't say that now."Boshart was referring to the shooting of Reginald "Shay" Nicholson, 19, of Staunton. Nicholson was mortally wounded on Nov. 9 after he left a party at an apartment in the Hunters Ridge complex off Port Republic Road. Nicholson died 12 days later at the University of Virginia Medical Center.Police say the killing was gang-related, pointing to witness statements that say a group of people entered the apartment prior to the shooting yelling "Bloods in the house." As gang activity becomes more violent in the Valley, police say local residents need to step up."Gang activity is a community issue that the community needs to get behind," said Boshart.He said it needs to be a collaborative effort between the educational, business and faith-based communities, as well as public safety agencies and parents."Everybody plays a part," said Boshart, adding that residents need to report what they see. "If you're driving down the road and see some suspicious gang activity and say ‘We'll just let the CHARGE Gang Task Force handle that,' we've lost. The community has lost."Boshart said continuous education is the key to ending gang activity."Everybody has to stay educated, especially if you're dealing with children," said Boshart. "What we learned last year might not apply this year."

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Costa Blanca Crime

Robbery took place last week in Callosa de Segura town centre when two armed men got away with almost 4000 euros .The robbery took place at a gas distribution centre .The men entered the offices wearing motorcycle helmets and threatening staff at gunpoint , telling them to empty the tills .The Guardia civil are investigating the incident .There has been an increase in crime of this type during the last few months .

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OFFICERS of the National Police have arrested six persons from Marbella, Alicante and Ibiza suspected of defrauding 70 businessmen and women

OFFICERS of the National Police have arrested six persons from Marbella, Alicante and Ibiza suspected of defrauding 70 businessmen and women by pretending to invest large sums of money in foreign companies in exchange of a profit share, and pocketing the administration and legal costs of these transactions; a figure that is estimated at four million euros.The investigation that lead to four Marbella residents and one from Ibiza and another from Alicante, was carried out by the Costa del Sol Organised Crime and Anti-drugs Unit. One of the four arrested from Marbella is thought to be the kingpin in this fraud ring. Four houses valued in excess of one million euros, 400,000 euros, several luxury vehicles and a large amount of documentation was seized by the authorities in this case where further arrests have not been ruled out.

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Torremolinos arrested fifteen people in connection to the sale of luxury stolen cars.

Guardia Civil, directed by the court in Torremolinos, has arrested fifteen people in connection to the sale of luxury stolen cars.
Ten of the group have already been sent to prison on remand, and one of them is accused of importing the stolen vehicles from Germany. Two were granted bail of 10,000 € and three were released.
Diario Sur reports that even more people are implicated in the network, and that it is a foreigner allegedly at the centre of the case.

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Michael "Roly" Cronin €300,000 confiscated

Confiscated almost €300,000 from the assets of major gangland figure Michael "Roly" Cronin, who was murdered in the centre of Dublin last month.The money was handed over after a High Court decision yesterday afternoon.The Cab was granted a freezing order against Cronin in March 2001 after it seized three properties at Buckingham Street in the north inner city; Ballyboden, Rathfarnham; and Finebar-Fort, Wellmount Road in Finglas.The houses were subsequently sold by the receiver on behalf of Cab and following the statutory seven-year wait, an agreement was reached in court yesterday in which two sums of cash, €103,000 in one bank account, and €180,000 in another, were officially handed over to the Finance Minister.Also in the High Court yesterday, the Criminal Assets Bureau secured an order handing over €38,662.75 to the State.The money was the proceeds of drug trafficking by Cab target Michael Shannon, who gave an address at Minart House at Sligo Road in Longford.The cash was seized as part of a search of a house at Bishopscourt in Ennis, Co Clare and was subjected to a freezing order for the past seven years.Shannon, who then had an address at Lenihan Avenue, Prospect, Limerick, was sentenced to eight years in prison after he pleaded guilty at Limerick circuit court in October 2002 to possession of 100,000 ecstasy tablets with a street value of more than €1m.A third convicted drug trafficker also fell victim to the Cab in the High Court yesterday afternoon.The court heard that Stg£22,000 was seized from Kevin McEvoy, of Ajax Court, Townspark, Antrim, as he attempted to board a flight to Amsterdam in February 2007.The court was told that McEvoy had 48 criminal convictions, including some for drug trafficking.The Cab secured a consent order to confiscate a total of €31,995.28.

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South African Airways 15 members of the flight crew, including the pilot, were being held by officers

Monday 16 February 2009


15 members of the flight crew, including the pilot, were being held by officers after five kilos of a substance thought to be cocaine with and estimated street value of £250,000 pounds was allegdly discovered in a bag. The crew was trying to clear customs at London's Heathrow Airport following a 12-hour flight from Johannesburg when they were stopped and searched. Bob Gaiger, spokesman for HM Revenue and Customs, said the alleged drugs were discovered after the crew were selected for a customs' check as they entered the UK on Monday. "Crew members are subject to the same customs checks as any other person when entering the UK," he said. "Those arrested are now being held in custody and will be interviewed by HMRC investigation officers." It was the second time in four weeks that an entire crew from a South African Airways flight from Johannesburg to Heathrow had been arrested.
On January 21 10 women and five men from a Johannesburg to London flight were arrested after £310,000 pounds worth of cannabis and cocaine were seized. They were bailed to return to Heathrow Police Station on March 23.

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Gregory Wooley, 36, a former bodyguard to Hells Angels kingpin Maurice (Mom) Boucher, was arrested on Thursday

Sunday 15 February 2009

Gregory Wooley, 36, a former bodyguard to Hells Angels kingpin Maurice (Mom) Boucher, was arrested on Thursday in his prison cell in Kingston, Ont. Arrest of a jailed biker in a crackdown on an alleged drug-trafficking ring involving outlaw bikers and street gangs shows the strong ties between the two criminal elements, one expert said today.Police in Quebec and Ontario have described this week's Operation Axe as a major blow against the drug-trafficking operations of the Hells Angels and one of their affiliated street gangs known as the Syndicate.
The arrests serve to remind people that street gangs, which are plaguing several Canadian cities, are established players in the criminal world, said author Julian Sher.

"Street gangs are not about a couple of rough-and-tough kids having a bad night out on the town," said Sher, who has co-authored a book on the Hells Angels.
"This (police operation) shows how tightly connected some of the most powerful street gangs are to organized crime."
The Crown said Wooley, one of 54 people nabbed on Thursday and Friday, is believed to be the first person in Canada to be charged with gangsterism a second time.
If he is convicted on the same charge again, Wooley's sentence would run consecutively to his current one. He has been in prison since 2000.Others arraigned Friday include Jean Lavertue, 34, a former Canadian Olympic weightlifter who operated a Montreal gym. He was charged with drug trafficking and gangsterism.
Police also arrested Fernand Lauzon, 67, a man identified as the father of a Montreal police officer. He was charged with drug trafficking.The Crown handed over an imposing amount of evidence on five compact discs that include hundreds of thousands of wiretapped conversations, said prosecutor Francis Cloutier.The Hells Angels, which led a bloody turf war over drugs in the 1990s, are still very much a player despite the aftermath of Operation Springtime, another mass police sweep in 2001, Sher said.While more than 100 people were put behind bars after 2001, Sher said there are roughly the same number of Hells members on the streets in Quebec and that national membership is stable at about 450.

"But the Hells Angels are a lot less cocky than they were, they're not strutting, they're not as confident, they don't know where the next infiltration is coming from," said Sher.
Eighteen of the accused were granted bail on Friday under very strict conditions including a large cash deposit, strict curfews, and restricted use of pagers and cell phones except for work.But the majority were detained pending future bail hearings, including three men identified as high-ranking members of the Syndicate.Cloutier said at least 17 people face gangsterism charges."Principally, the charges are trafficking for the profit of a criminal organization – trafficking of drugs," Cloutier said.Two people are also charged with conspiracy to commit murder, but only one of them has been arrested.Montreal police said Friday that more people had been nabbed, bringing the total to 54, including six women. But not everyone had been arraigned.About 700 officers from a number of police forces took part in Operation Axe, which Montreal police said was one of the biggest ever carried out by the city forceThe raids netted $675,000 in cash as well as 25 guns and a number of bullet-proof vests. Significant quantities of cocaine, crack, ecstasy, marijuana and hashish were seized along with other drugs including speed, Viagra and steroids.

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Tyrese Sharod Smith founder of the King Mafia Disciples ,still calling the shots on the street.


Tyrese Sharod Smith still calling the shots on the street. The founder of the King Mafia Disciples had established a violent reputation in Salt Lake City in the early 1990s as he sought to make the gang he founded while serving time in juvenile detention the most powerful in the region. As KMD tried to build notoriety through robberies, drug deals and attacks on rival gangs, Smith's rap sheet grew. He landed in prison in 1994 for a drive-by shooting -- and then arguably committed his most violent acts from behind bars. Gang members operating on Smith's orders in February 1996 shot 19-year-old Joey Miera through an open window as the teenager slept on the floor of his cousin's Salt Lake City home. Miera, who had no gang ties, was killed in a case of mistaken identity. The brutal case spotlighted an aspect of security in Utah's corrections system that has found renewed importance with a recent spike in gang membership and violence: how to keep gangsters in lockup from contributing to crime on the streets. Vigilant watchfulness » It's a job far more complicated than just keeping a gang member behind bars until his or her sentence is completed, and one both the prison system and Salt Lake County Jail have devoted more resources and officers to in recent years. "Most of the public, they look at it like the guy has been picked up, he's gone through the court process and now, everything is good," said Pete Walters, who oversees the gang unit at the Utah State Prison and is president of the Utah Gang Investigators Association. "They get to make phone calls. They are all allowed to get and send letters. The majority of them have visits. … They, a lot of times, still have an influence over some of the groups in the neighborhood." Walters' job, and that of other gang investigators in the corrections system, is to figure just how much influence certain gang members have and how the information officers gather on the inmates could thwart plans gang members may be making from inside their cells. In an activity known as "fishing," inmates can pass messages between their cells by way of make-shift delivery devices called kites, made with a piece of string, a note and a weight. Letters can contain hidden code words, symbols, or drawings to signal an attack on a rival. Phone calls could also contain hidden messages. Corrections gang officers are trained to intercept and decode the hidden messages. The officers chat up inmates to find out which gangs are feuding, and, most importantly, talk with local law enforcement agencies.

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Ian "Blink" McDonald has been banned from every prison in Scotland.

Ian "Blink" McDonald has been banned from every prison in Scotland. The bank robber was blacklisted after he hurled abuse at a warder while visiting a murderer friend in jail. A source said: "Blink's still got a lot of friends in prison and some of them are serving long sentences. "He's gutted he won't be able to visit them and was furious when he was told he's banned from every prison. "He's spent half his life trying to stay out of jail, now he can't get in...but he isn't seeing the funny side. "He'll have to get another conviction before he manages to see his old pals anytime soon." McDonald, 47, was visiting a pal with Paisley gangster Grant Mackintosh when the bust-up happened at Glenochil Prison, near Stirling. Mackintosh recognised a warden he had a run-in with while serving time in Glenochil almost 20 years ago. The officer burst into tears when the pair targeted him for threats and abuse. McDonald was arrested and fined £200 for breach of the peace following the incident in October. Bosses barred him from all 16 Scottish Prison Service jails after a meeting which pin - pointed potential troublemakers. They have in formed McDonald he will not be able to visit any of his banged-up cronies. McDonald was jailed for 16 years in 1992 following a botched £6million bank robbery in Torquay. A teller was shot in the head during the raid. McDonald was released after 10 years.
He was also sentenced to six months for assaulting a prison officer while on remand in Barlinnie in 1986 for attempted murder. The SPS said: "Intelligence is sent to each governor each time there is a incident with a visitor. "It's at the governor's discretion whether to refuse someone entry."

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Copenhagen police have raided two Hells Angels strongholds

Friday 13 February 2009


Copenhagen police have raided two Hells Angels strongholds in a search for weapons. Four people are reported to have been detained. Police officers have raided two Hells Angels strongholds in Copenhagen in a search for weapons, according to Copenhagen Police Supt. Steffen Steffensen, who adds that his officers are searching for weapons. “We’re seeing what we can find, we have dogs inside looking,” Supt. Steffensen says. The two strongholds being searched are on Svanevej in Copenhagen and Lindgreens Allé in Amager.

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$30,000 to a Vancouver Hells Angels member after a large shipment of marijuana went missing.

drug dealer explained Monday how he had to shell out up to $30,000 to a Vancouver Hells Angels member after a large shipment of marijuana went missing."I made three small payments, between $20,000 and $30,000," the man testified at the trial of four members of Vancouver's East End chapter of the Hells Angels: Ronaldo Lising, Randy Potts, John Punko and Jean Joseph Violette.The 28-count indictment alleges the Hells Angels chapter is a criminal organization and that the accused committed such crimes as extortion and uttering death threats "for the benefit of, at the direction of, or in association with a criminal organization, to wit the East End chapter of the Hells Angels."B.C. Supreme Court Justice Selwyn Romilly imposed a ban on the name of the witness, who testified he tried to explain to Lising that the shipment was seized by police, but Lising believed the load had been ripped off.The witness recalled Lising demanded payment of "50 grand" for the missing load, which was shipped to the U.S. through Alberta. The man explained he phoned his lawyer, who made some calls to police and wrote a letter explaining the 140-kilogram shipment of marijuana, contained in nine hockey bags, was seized by the RCMP in Alberta and police in Montana.The witness, who has a minor criminal record for assault and possessing marijuana, recalled he got a friend to give the lawyer's letter to Richard Goldammer, an East End Hells Angels member, "to prove my innocence."
He said he later got a text message from Lising saying, "Good luck. We don't want your money."The jury trial, which began last September, continues in a high-security courtroom at the Vancouver Law Courts.

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Infiltrated the Hells Angels.

Jay “Jaybird” Dobyns is the unconventional, full-bore federal agent who achieved worldwide notoriety as one of America’s most daring and talked-about law enforcement officers. After more than twenty years of undercover assignments that targeted the world’s most deadly criminals and their organizations, Jay was infamously “outed” following an unprecedented and successful infiltration of the Hells Angels outlaw biker gang.


Infiltrated the Hells Angels. His work in operation "Black Biscuit" led to the arrests of 55 alleged members of the Angels and the seizure of 650 guns, more than 100 explosives and 30,000 rounds of ammunition.But the most serious charges were dismissed in 2006 and Dobyns, upset over the handling of the case, retired from the ATF. His book, "No Angel", which was released this week, tells of his life as an undercover agent. Twentieth Century Fox already has bought the movie rights.
Dobyns' enemies far outnumber his friends. His life has been threatened and his home was burned last August. The ATF, which now regards Dobyns as an outcast, put forth little effort in investigating the blaze and, according to Dobyns, tried to link him to the blaze.Dobyns said he decided after the fire that there will be no more bouncing from city to city, no more aliases."I'm not going to be intimidated by these threats anymore. I'm gonna make my stand and be happy doing it."

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Wooley, a former member of the Rockers, a Hells Angels puppet gang, was serving time for offences that took place during the biker gang war




The operation, touted as "unprecedented" when it comes to street gangs in Montreal, followed a lengthy investigation into drug trafficking, and targeted both dealers and gang leaders. Hundreds of police officers in Quebec and Ontario carried out a massive sweep Thursday to crack down on street gang members. In Quebec, more than 700 police officers, including members of the Laval and Longueuil police, fanned out across the greater Montreal area. Other municipalities in Quebec and in Ottawa were involved.
Operation Axe was a lengthy investigation into drug trafficking in Montreal, Ottawa and Kingston, Ont., and targeted both dealers and gang leaders.
Screen grabBesides nabbing several alleged drug couriers, the Montreal police believe they also rounded up the "businessmen" who make the key decisions for street gangs who are part of a larger group collectively known in Montreal as the Crips or Blues.

Project Axe centered on the city's most influential street gang members and resulted in the arrests of 47 people Thursday, including a former weightlifter who represented Canada in the 1996 Olympics in Atlanta. The Montreal police would not be specific but initially stated they were hoping to arrest more than 50 people.
"The leaders arrested were considered as untouchable citizens in the eyes of emerging street gangs. These arrests show no criminal is on safe ground," said Cmdr. Denis Mainville. "This operation is, without doubt, one of the most important police operations carried out by the Montreal police to date."
Mainville said one of three organized crime groups targeted in Project Axe was selling between five to 10 kilos of cocaine per week in Montreal and bringing in roughly $400,000. The people expected to appear in court Friday via a video conference, face charges of drug trafficking, conspiracy, weapons offences and committing crimes for a criminal organization. At least two people will be charged with conspiring to commit murder. Police executed 63 search warrants, seizing 25 weapons, 2,300 rocks of crack cocaine, 41 kilograms of cocaine, 225 kilograms of marijuana, bulletproof vests, 12 computers and $600,000 in cash.Included among those arrested in the operation is Gregory Wooley, an influential member of the Hells Angels former underling network who was serving time at a penitentiary in Kingston, Ont. Wooley, a former member of the Rockers, a Hells Angels puppet gang, was serving time for offences that took place during the biker gang war in the 1990s. But he is now facing new charges related to the current investigation which targeted major Montreal-based street gangs. Wooley was scheduled to have a parole hearing in the coming weeks.Dany Cadet-Sprinces, 38, an inmate at another federal penitentiary, the Leclerc Institution in Laval, Que., also was placed under arrest. The man at Leclerc is believed to be the head of the Syndicate street gang and was arrested in another large drug bust that struck his gang and the Hells Angels.Jean Lavertue, 34, a former Olympic weightlifter, was arrested at his home. He is alleged to have been part of a well-structured group, uncovered during the Project Axe investigation, that controlled a significant amount of drug trafficking in the southwest part of the city. In 1996, he finished 28th in his weight class while competing at the Olympic Games in Atlanta. "This operation targeted people involved with cocaine trafficking," said Montreal police Sgt. Ian Lafreniere, adding suspects were involved in importing and trafficking in Montreal and in Ottawa. "It's not only the people selling on the street level. It's top people (in the gangs), as well," he said. "This investigation began in January 2006. So this was a long investigation and a huge operation today. We believe we've hit the top of the chain."Ontario police forces meanwhile, conducted search warrants Wednesday night and Thursday morning on residences in Smiths Falls, Ont., and in Ottawa. The investigation by the Smiths Falls Police, Ottawa Police and the Ontario Provincial Police went after street-level drug dealers and involved an undercover police officer who was placed in the drug subculture to make illegal drug buys.Police say the list grew to more than 25 street-level drug dealers and quantities of cocaine, marijuana, ecstasy and other prescription-controlled substances were purchased and seized. A number of charges, including trafficking in controlled substances, against several people were laid.

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Ricardo Sanchez and Daniel Troya could face the death penalty if convicted on charges related to the murders of Jose Luis Escobedo, his wife Yessica,

Thursday 12 February 2009



Ricardo Sanchez and Daniel Troya could face the death penalty if convicted on charges related to the murders of Jose Luis Escobedo, his wife Yessica, and their sons Luis Julian and Luis Damian.Husband, wife and two children from Greenacres found shot to death off Florida's Turnpike in northern Port St. Lucie.Much of the testimony this week, however, has centered on Danny Varela, who is accused of heading up the drug ring for which Escobedo allegedly acted as a drug connection.This morning, former drug dealer Mario Calderon testified that he purchased 2 to 3 kilos of cocaine from Varela per week between 2005 and 2006.Calderon, currently serving a 42-month prison sentence on drug charges, told jurors Sanchez and another co-defendant, Liana Lee Lopez, typically delivered the drugs, though Varela accompanied Sanchez on one occassion.Defense attorney pressed Calderon on how his own criminal activities might lead him to be deported back to his native Guatemala, something Calderon testified he was hoping to avoid by cooperating in the case.Monday, an alleged former drug associate turned DEA informant Malik Mullino testified that he, too, bought large quantities of cocaine from Varela.U.S. District Judge Daniel T.K. Hurley over defense objections allowed Mullino to tell jurors that he and Varela had met at a prison work camp and did business together in 2004 and 2005, a year before the incidents with which the four are charged in federal indictments.Hurley, however, did keep Mullino from mentioning the details of a conversation he had with one of Varela's girlfriends, Draciena Berrios, who Mullino told investigators had confided in him that Varela's drug business had gotten so big that he had to hire enforcers to protect him.
Palm Beach County Sheriff's deputy John Halloran this morning testified about a July 10, 2006 incident where he tried to pull over Sanchez while he was riding in a Ford Taurus.According to Halloran, Sanchez led him on a chase before crashing the car into a tree, trying to run away with a shoebox under his arm, and eventually dropping the shoebox before he was caught.Inside the shoebox, Halloran testified, he found a large quantity of cocaine.

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