Hells Angels support club known as the Jesters has opened a new clubhouse in the 10600-block of Scott Road in Surrey

Hells Angels support club known as the Jesters has opened a new clubhouse in the 10600-block of Scott Road in Surrey, and another group with links to the Angels -- the Shadow motorcycle club -- took over a Whalley clubhouse off King George Highway earlier this year that had been run briefly by the Outcasts puppet club. Police have seen other biker clubs started in recent months in Ashcroft, Fort St. John, Campbell River and 100 Mile House, most of whom have made appearances at events with the Hells Angels.

"This is also a phenomenon we are seeing across Canada," Insp. Gary Shinkaruk, of the RCMP's Outlaw Motorcycle Gang unit, said Wednesday. "There are more of these support puppet clubs springing up right everywhere, even in the Maritimes."Police say puppet clubs are being used as a survival tool by the Hells Angels after a series of recent convictions of high-profile members and the growth of violent rival mid-level drug gangs such as the United Nations and Red Scorpions. The puppet gangs -- so-called because the Hells Angels are thought to pull their strings -- create a much larger network that HA members can use criminally, while insulating themselves from law enforcement. Just this summer, as the Haney chapter of the Hells Angels celebrated its anniversary, police saw bikers wearing a three-piece patch for the fledgling "Devil's Army" motorcycle club. Shinkaruk said the Devil's Army is headed by long-time Hells Angel associate Ricky Alexander, 54.The patch shows the puppet club as operating out of Campbell River, although Alexander is a Lower Mainland resident who owns an acreage in Mission and condos in Burnaby and Pitt Meadows. "They came out of the Haney (Hells Angels) clubhouse sporting those colours. That certainly indicates they have the approval," Shinkaruk said. "It is certainly my belief that they are going to be subservient to Haney and at their beck and call." He said the Haney chapter has "had internal strife and difficulty with the Red Scorpions," two reasons why they might want to expand their circle of friends.The new Devil's Army head visited the RCMP in Campbell River to tell them the group was not criminal, Shinkaruk said. Alexander was convicted in April of 2001 of possession of a prohibited firearm and ammunition after being stopped in Vancouver with what police believed was a hit list in the glove box of his rental car and a loaded pink handgun in his waistband. The first name on the hand-written list was "John Suspect" who Vancouver police said was a person of interest in the murder a month earlier of full-patch Angel Donald Roming. Also on the list were three of John Suspect's associates, including a man later gunned down at a Vancouver gas station.
Rick Ciarniello, spokesman for the Hells Angels, denied Wednesday that his club has any puppet or support groups. "We don't have any of those," he said. "I have nothing to say about any of that. It has nothing to do with us." Asked about the Devils' Army being present at the Haney party this summer, Ciarniello said: "Everybody who comes to our event doesn't necessarily have anything to do with us."

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Sentenced Nicholas Frank "Shonky" Cassidy, 46, and James Scott Parnwell Knight, 41, to two years and six months in jail for assaulting two men in the brawl at the Airport Hotel

sentenced Nicholas Frank "Shonky" Cassidy, 46, and James Scott Parnwell Knight, 41, to two years and six months in jail for assaulting two men in the brawl at the Airport Hotel in December, 2007.

Cassidy and Knight were found guilty by a jury earlier this week.Knight was also found guilty of going armed in public with a claw hammer, and of a breach of a suspended sentence for not answering questions of the Australian Crime Commission.Cassidy was given a non-parole period of 15 months, and Knight was given 20 months.
Justice Riley said the attack "was of a kind which causes disquiet in the community".
Cassidy, Knight and four other men attacked two brothers after Cassidy was knocked out in a fight started over a "fat" joke at Cassidy's expense.

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"chop shop" being run out of a Phoenix home by members of the Hells Angels.

Police arrested six people Thursday in connection with a "chop shop" being run out of a Phoenix home by members of the Hells Angels.A search warrant was served at 3054 West Redfield Road, near 31st Avenue and Thunderbird Road.Police said two of the people arrested were members of Hells Angels motorcycle club and two other are associates of Hells Angels.Police said they found stolen motorcycles parts and 10 altered or scratched of VIN numbers when they searched the home.They said they served the search warrant after conducting a three-month long investigation.Phoenix police have yet to release the names of the people they arrested.They face various several charges including own or operate a chop shop, theft of means of transportation, altered or manipulated VIN, illegal control of an enterprise, participating in a criminal street gang and possession of marijuana.

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Arizona jury labeled the Hells Angels a criminal street gang when they convicted a gang member in an assault case at a Scottsdale bar.

A Maricopa County Superior Court jury handed down the precedent-setting verdict in the trial of Nathaniel Sample, 32.Sample was convicted of aggravated assault and of acting for the benefit of a criminal street gang.

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Trouble broke out when members of the Hells Angels support group AK81 and immigrant youths arrived at the courthouse on Nytorv in Copenhagen.

“Café tables and chairs were thrown but no-one was seriously injured and we have not arrested anyone,” the Duty Police Officer tells Ritzau.Friends of those on trial also threatened journalists sent to cover the trial, but a police operation prevented the situation developing.According to an eyewitness, a group of some eight young immigrant youths were waiting in front of the courthouse when five aggressive and vociferous bikers rounded the corner.“The biker-types went straight onto the attack at the group in front of the courthouse with a baseball bat, chairs and tables – but the youths counterattacked,” Ritzau quotes the witness as saying.After a short battle, both groups are reported to have run off.Inside the courthouse, the first major case in the Copenhagen gang war had come to trial.Two young gang members are accused of shooting at a Hells Angels-related clothing and tattooist business in Nørrebro last September. The young men shot through the window of the shop from a scooter, grazing the manager’s neck.

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Full-patch member of the Nanaimo Hells Angels, will go on trial in January in B.C. Supreme Court on charges of assault, kidnapping, extortion and uttering threats.

A trial date had been set in provincial court for Hells Angels member Lea Sheppe, 57, and Dean Madill.
While the pair were in court on Sept. 2, the trial instead became a preliminary hearing and they were ordered to stand trial in B.C. Supreme Court on Jan. 18.They have chosen trial by judge alone.Both are charged with assault, uttering threats and extortion on March 21 and forcible confinement on March 23 in Errington. Madill is charged with aggravated assault on May 23 against a man who suffered serious head injuries that required surgery in Victoria. A ban on publication prevents the victim from being publicly identified or evidence heard at the preliminary hearing being reported.

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Striker force was established days after a fatal bikie brawl at Sydney airport between members of the Comancheros and Hells Angels.

Mr Daley said police had since seized firearms, motorcycles, cars, cash, drugs, drug manufacturing equipment and had also dismantled large-scale drug manufacturing and distribution networks."Each day police from local area commands are targeting bikies with simple but effective measures, routine firearms inspections, premises inspections, traffic stops, bail compliance checks, they're driving them crazy," Mr Daley told NSW Parliament on Tuesday.But Mr Daley said he was concerned about a police raid at the Bandidos clubhouse in Petersham, in Sydney's inner-west, on Saturday after drunk children as young as 13 were seen leaving the venue.Alcohol and cigarettes were seized in the raid, as well cash and a 30cm hunting knife, police said."It's pretty clear what the marketing strategy here is - kids, come and get your smokes and drinks from us now, come back in a few years time for your ecstasy and methamphetamine," Mr Daley said."It won't be tolerated and police will jump on top of it, we all hold that sort of behaviour in contempt."

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Yacub Koger, 36, of Chicago, formerly of Mattoon, was sentenced on the charge of delivery of a controlled substance

Yacub Koger, 36, of Chicago, formerly of Mattoon, was sentenced on the charge of delivery of a controlled substance to which he pleaded guilty in July. He admitted selling cocaine in Mattoon on Aug. 4, 2006, and charges that also accused him of selling the drug on two other days during the same month were dismissed.When Koger pleaded guilty, the agreement in his case was that the conviction required a prison sentence of six to 30 years because of his prior convictions. Assistant State’s Attorney Mick McAvoy agreed at that time to ask for no more than a 10-year prison sentence.An investigation into Koger’s criminal record revealed that Koger wasn’t eligible for that sentencing range, though a three- to seven-year prison term was required. Records showed that Koger had earlier criminal convictions but none of them were a level of offense to make the longer term mandatory.

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Stephen Hawken, aged 48, was jailed for 11 years at Plymouth Crown Court yesterday after being described as "high up the tree" of dealing Class A drug

Stephen Hawken, aged 48, was jailed for 11 years at Plymouth Crown Court yesterday after being described as "high up the tree" of dealing Class A drugs in the city.
Speaking after sentencing, detectives who uncovered Hawken's secret arsenal described him as "an extremely dangerous man" who was a key figure in supplying cocaine and amphetamine to Plymouth's streets.His arrest came after a dramatic three-hour siege involving armed police at Hawken's exclusive Derriford property last November, ending only when he was shot with a baton round and Taser.
The court heard how shaven-headed Hawken had hidden parts of his guns everywhere from his coffee machine to behind the walls of his plush house in the private Delgany Drive.Thousands of pounds worth of drugs were found buried in next door's garden and a shotgun was found in a container on land near the house, the court heard.Prosecutor Jo Martin said Hawken's arrest was triggered by a separate drugs raid at a house in Warwick Avenue, Whitleigh.Officers seized amphetamines – but cocaine belonging to Hawken was not found, prompting he and another man to go to the address and recover it.Ms Martin told the court how they had gone back to Delgany Drive and buried the drugs, along with a cutting agent, in a garden belonging to Hawken's next door neighbour.The plastic container – covered in Hawken's fingerprints – was eventually found by a sniffer dog after the siege, she said.
The court heard how, on November 12, police swooped on the property and found a Taurus 9mm handgun and a stun-gun inside, the handgun disassembled and stashed in parts all over the house.Behind a double oven was the body, while the spring was found in the bottom of a gas fire and the 9mm barrel in Hawken's bar.
An empty pistol magazine was found behind plasterboard in his utility room, the court heard, and the top part – along with the stun-gun – were found in his wall-mounted coffee machine.There was ammunition behind the kitchen sink and 113 bullets soaking in oil – a process that maximises their performance – in Hawken's garage.
He told police in interviews that he knew nothing about the weapons, Ms Martin said, claiming they belonged to the previous owner of the house.
But the court heard how police widened their search after realising the extent of the haul and found a container on nearby land belonging to Hawken.
Inside was a shotgun, complete with ammunition.
Hawken's weapons were so well hidden, the court heard, that as recently as May a plumber working on a toilet in the house – which has since been repossessed – discovered another pistol magazine, this time containing seven live bullets.
Ms Martin told Judge Francis Gilbert QC that the guns and drugs combined showed Hawken had "high involvement in the Plymouth drugs scene".
She said: "They were all part of Stephen Hawken's armoury, to keep him high up the tree in the drugs scene.
"He was some way up the chain of command."
Hawken, wearing a shirt, jacket and jeans, appeared nervous as he sat in the dock fidgeting and making eye contact with the dozen or so family and friends there to support him.
He had been due to face trial but entered last-minute guilty pleas to seven of the nine counts against him.
They included possessing a class B drug – 345g of one per cent amphetamine – with intent to supply and a class A drug – 1,011g of nine per cent cocaine – also with intent, as well as possession of a stun gun, a handgun, a double-barrelled over-and-under shotgun, and ammunition without certificates.
The court heard how he had collected a string of convictions for drugs and firearms offences over the last two decades, already serving prison sentences totalling nine and a half years.
They date back to 1986 when, aged just 23, Hawken was caught in possession of a shotgun and ammunition without a certificate.
Since 1995 he has been convicted of possessing more ammunition, cannabis, amphetamines, MDMA and £20,000 in counterfeit currency.
Llewellyn Sellick, for Hawken, said his client deserved credit for his guilty plea, albeit last-minute.
"It was somewhat courageous of him to face reality," he said.
Mr Sellick told the court how, since last being released from prison, Hawken had built up a "thriving" company – Ace Plant Hire – and employed between six and eight people, subcontracting many more.
He had purchased his luxury house and won a number of large contracts, including working on a city police station.
But a developer Hawken was working with in Mannamead went bust in October last year, the court heard, owing him £100,000.
Since his arrest, Mr Sellick told the court, Hawken had lost both his home and his company.He said: "It was in the autumn of 2008 that things went terribly wrong.
"This is a man who had done considerably well – he's now gone right back to zero again."He added that the stun-gun found by police was missing a prong and a battery, meaning it would not have worked.Hawken was also charged with five fly-tipping offences between January 17 and February 23 last year.The court heard how building materials from a site in Stonehouse his firm was working at had been dumped in Dartmoor beauty spots.
A wood in Bickleigh, a car park in Roborough Down and an area near Meavy were among those littered in rubble, which included large wooden doors.
The mess cost more than £1,600 to clear up.

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Chase Charles Inward, 25, is charged with escaping lawful custody and property damage.

Calgary police have recaptured a man who escaped custody by climbing through a bathroom ceiling after complaining of feeling ill.Police say the suspect had originally been arrested Tuesday on several property crime and transit violation warrants. While being processed, he complained of a medical problem and was taken to a downtown medical facility to be checked out.He was taken to a bathroom to provide a urine sample, and climbed out through a false ceiling by removing a tile.He was arrested Wednesday evening at an apartment complex.

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Wilfredo Rodriguez Rosado. American Airlines employees that were caught up in the drug bust

Just recently, nine workers from American Airlines were charged with participating in a drug smuggling ring. This scheme saw cocaine shipped from Puerto Rico to the United States mainland by way of airport flights.The American Airlines employees that were caught up in the drug bust, turned out to be a mix of baggage handlers and other members of the ground crew. Apparently they took part in sending at least 19,840 pounds of cocaine into parts of the United States. Some of the locations where drugs were shipped to include Miami, Orlando, and New Jersey.Officers from the United States Drug Enforcement Administrations, as well as members from the FBI, arrested 22 members of the alleged smuggling ring, which does include the nine American Airlines workers. The raids took place early Tuesday and were called Operation Heavy Cargo.One of the employees that agreed to surrender was the ringleader, Wilfredo Rodriguez Rosado. The other men that were arrested were found in other cities all across the United States Caribbean territory and in Miami. A spokeswoman for American Airlines did confirm the arrests but was not able to give out any other kinds of details on the matter.Puerto Rico is actually a favored transshipment point for South American cocaine and heroin. This is because, once the drugs are able to reach the Caribbean islands, they no longer have to make it past customs. The drugs are free to make their way to the American market. Although security at the airport is tight, some say that this proves that it could be better.

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Francisco Flores, 46, a former Brooklyn police sergeant, was arrested at his Staten Island home and ordered detained

Francisco Flores, 46, a former Brooklyn police sergeant, was arrested at his Staten Island home and ordered detained until a Friday bail hearing, according to a news release from the New Jersey District of the U.S. Attorney’s Office.The second suspect, Eduardo Baez, 36, of Brooklyn was arrested Wednesday afternoon and will likely appear in federal court today. Joseph James, 45, and Paul Nunez-Vargas, 32, both of Brooklyn were arrested August 27 and released on bail in connection with the alleged conspiracy, according to the news release.Federal authorities said the four men traveled from New York City to Elizabeth, N.J. August 12 in three separate cars -- snaking up and down dead end street to evade law enforcement surveillance -- as they scouted a neighborhood where they planned to buy drugs.The suspect’s driving didn’t fool federal agents who had been watching the group.“Based on my training and experience I recognize this driving pattern as counter-surveillance commonly used by narcotics traffickers to detect the presence of law enforcement,” one ICE Special Agent said in a criminal complaint.As agents watched, James exited a Mercedes carrying a plastic bag. He was confronted by authorities and said he was in the area to “do something that I know I shouldn’t be doing,” and to “buy three keys,” referring to cocaine, according to the complaint.Nunez-Vargas was in the same car and made similar statements to agents. Investigators reported they found $75,000 in the plastic bag and $22,500 in the Mercedes after the men consented to a search.
Flores, the retired sergeant, and Baez were stopped in a nearby convenience store. Both men allowed agents to search their cars with $500 in cash was found in Flores’ and a hidden compartment was found in Beaz’s car, according to a news release.According to the criminal complaint, Flores told agents he had recently retired from the NYPD and claimed he was in the area to purchase a motorcycle with friends in the Mercedes. Agents said he later changed his story and denied knowing the other men arrested. All four men have been charged with “conspiracy to distribute and possession with intent to distribute 500 grams or more of cocaine,” and could face up to 40 years in prison if convicted, according to the U.S. Attorney’s Office.

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Ravi David Singh of Atlantic Gardens, East Coast Demerara was yesterday remanded to prison

Ravi David Singh of Atlantic Gardens, East Coast Demerara was yesterday remanded to prison when he appeared before Acting Chief Magistrate Melissa Robertson at the Georgetown Magistrate’s Court accused of having a quantity of cocaine at the Cheddi Jagan International Airport (CJIA), Timehri.The man pleaded not guilty to the charge of trafficking in narcotics.He denied that on September 12 at the CJIA he trafficked in 3.19 kilogrammes of cocaine.The magistrate subsequently ordered that Singh be remanded to prison and transferred the case to the Providence Magistrate’s Court for October 23.The prosecution stated that the cocaine was in Singh’s luggage.

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Derek Archie, who also goes by the name "Diese (pronounced Dice) Game" was arrested at the Days Inn

Derek Archie, who also goes by the name "Diese (pronounced Dice) Game" was arrested at the Days Inn in Auburn on Feb. 8 by the Finger Lakes Drug Task Force. When officers searched Archie's hotel room they found cocaine in his clothing, as well as hidden inside a secret compartment inside a safe that looked like a peanut butter jar, District Attorney Jon Budelmann said. Police also found glassine envelopes and $160 previously used in a drug sale that took place in the room, he said. Archie has prior convictions, that combined with his conviction Wednesday in a bench trial before visiting Wayne County Judge Stephen R. Sirkin, could push his sentence up to 12 years, Budelmann said. The case was tried by Assistant District Attorney Rome Canzano

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Richard Munro, 23, from East Kilbride, admitted being concerned in the supply of amphetamine and cocaine.

Richard Munro, 23, from East Kilbride, admitted being concerned in the supply of amphetamine and cocaine. He was granted bail, and will be sentenced next month.
The court heard that Munro had been staying with a girlfriend in Fortrose, the village next to Rosemarkie, at the time of the offence.

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Kevin Lamar Nash, 35, was booked into the Sacramento County Jail Wednesday on charges of possession rock cocaine for sale

Kevin Lamar Nash, 35, was booked into the Sacramento County Jail Wednesday on charges of possession rock cocaine for sale, transportation of a controlled substance and manufacturing rock cocaine after the Folsom Police SWAT team searched a home in the 1800 block of Swinton Drive in Folsom. Nash was reportedly using the home to convert powder cocaine into the more valuable rock cocaine, officials said.
“We located 20 ounces of rock cocaine,” said Jason Browning, spokesman for the Folsom Police Department. “Two more ounces were found in (Nash’s) possession at the time of his arrest.” Nash is being held on $300,000 bail. An enhancement was added requiring that he prove the source of his bail funds, officials said.

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Luis Ramirez, 33, and David Guerrero, 29 arrested

arrested two men — Luis Ramirez, 33, and David Guerrero, 29 — and seized 10 kilograms of cocaine after stopping a vehicle near Interstate 37 and East Southcross Boulevard.Apprehension of the two men led authorities to two other locations on the South and West sides where 4 kilograms of cocaine and about $12,000 in cash were seized, said Sgt. Dave Berrigan with the Police Department's Tactical Response Unit.

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Theresa Duarte former Montgomery County English teacher was sentenced to six months in jail Thursday for distributing cocaine to a student

Theresa Duarte former Montgomery County English teacher was sentenced to six months in jail Thursday for distributing cocaine to a student, according to attorneys in the case. apologized to the Thomas S. Wootton High School community for the embarrassment caused by the crime, said her attorney, William Brennan.
Duarte, once dubbed "the coolest woman alive" by students who put together a Wootton yearbook, had pleaded guilty to distribution. Brennan said she provided cocaine to a student at her home. Duarte is due to report to jail Monday, and also faces three years of supervised probation, said Emily White, a spokeswoman for the Montgomery County state's attorney's office.

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Efrain Bonilla Cardona, 41 of Chaska, and Jaime Borja Gama, 32 of Shakopee, were arrested

Efrain Bonilla Cardona, 41 of Chaska, and Jaime Borja Gama, 32 of Shakopee, were arrested Aug. 24 during a separate investigation. Gama drove Cardona two separate times to meet an undercover SWMDTF agent. Cardona sold over 10 grams of cocaine to the agent and Gama was in procession of cocaine also, according to the sheriff's office.If convicted, Cordona faces up to 25 years in prison and Gama faces up to five years.

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Manuel Fabian Hernandez, 29 of Belle Plaine, was arrested Sept. 3 after he sold one ounce of cocaine

Manuel Fabian Hernandez, 29 of Belle Plaine, was arrested Sept. 3 after he sold one ounce of cocaine to a SWMDTF agent, according to Sheriff Olson. More cocaine was found in Hernandez's vehicle, the sheriff's office said. If convicted, Hernandez faces up to 30 years in prison.

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Rahim Jaffer,to fight liquor, cocaine charges

Rahim Jaffer, a former Conservative MP, was driving in his wife's riding last Friday when he was pulled over for speeding by police in Palgrave, Ont., near Toronto. He was alone in the vehicle, a Ford Escape.A roadside screening device was used to get a breath sample from Mr. Jaffer, who was then arrested and taken to the Caledon OPP station, where he provided two more breath samples while being held in cells for about four hours. He was charged with impaired driving, possession of cocaine and speeding, before being released. His licence was also suspended for 90 days.
"I intend to fight the serious accusations that have been made against me," Mr. Jaffer, 37, said in a written statement emailed yesterday to the Edmonton Journal.
"I am innocent and am confident of full exoneration. I cannot express how grateful I am for the support of my family and friends and I ask that you respect their privacy as I strive to clear my name."He is scheduled to appear in court on Oct. 19 in Orangeville."I take this very seriously," Ms. Guergis told reporters who thronged about her as she got out of her government limousine. "I love my husband very much and I don't really have enough information to give you a fuller comment. If you do [want to] talk about it, please call my husband."When a reporter asked if she was in the car when Mr. Jaffer was pulled over, she said firmly, "No, I was not, and we have a very important event today. Do not disrespect that."Ms. Guergis was surrounded by several Conservative MPs and ministers including Defence Minister Peter Mac-Kay, Heritage Minister James Moore, Trade Minister Stockwell Day and Natural Resources Minister Lisa Raitt.Mr. Jaffer was a four-term MP, first elected in 1997 at age 25. Last fall, he was the only Conservative to lose a riding in Alberta. The party selected a new candidate, Ryan Hastman, to challenge Edmonton-Strathcona MP Linda Duncan whenever another federal election is called.On Parliament Hill, politicians from all parties had little to say about Mr. Jaffer's arrest and what, if any, implications it might have for Ms. Guergis' political position."This is an unfortunate matter," Liberal leader Michael Ignatieff said. "This is a man who held public trust, and it's before the courts and I have no further comment to make about it." An advisor in Mr. Ignatieff's office said he has instructed his MPs not to discuss or attempt to make a political issue out of the matter.Said NDP MP Judy Wasylycia-Leis: "I hope he gets the help he needs and I hope, you know, Helena is going to be strong in this relationship throughout all of this."

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Manny Buttar told a restaurant patron that he killed for a living and had gotten “rid” of gangster Bindy Johal

Manny Buttar told a restaurant patron that he killed for a living and had gotten “rid” of gangster Bindy Johal, B.C. Supreme Court heard Tuesday.Pardeep Dhillon recounted the night that he was left bleeding and dazed after Buttar allegedly began pummeling him in a Surrey restaurant.Dhillon said Buttar and two friends offered to buy a round at the India Kitchen Restaurant on Nov. 6, 2006 after learning Dhillon and the restaurant owner had the same last names as Buttar’s two pals.He said he was making small talk with the trio, who were strangers, when he asked Buttar what he did for a living.“He said ‘I kill people for a living,’” Dhillon told Justice Kathleen Ker, saying he began to laugh because he assumed Buttar was joking.He said Buttar repeated that his profession was hit man.“I said I had a cousin and he used to do the same thing, but he is dead now,” Dhillon replied, saying he told Buttar his cousin was Johal.“Mr. Buttar was very upset.”Dhillon said Buttar began punching and slapping him as he urged the man to “remember” his name.“He mentioned that ‘I got rid of him and I can get rid of you,’” Dhillon testified.No one has ever been charged in the December 1998 execution of Johal, an admitted cocaine trafficker gunned down at a Vancouver nightclub.But Buttar’s younger brother Bal confessed to The Vancouver Sun in 2004 that he had arranged the hit on Johal even though he was working under the gangster in the “Indo-Canadian Mafia” at the time.Vancouver police have described Manny Buttar as the leader of a mid-level drug trafficking gang that has been involved in a violent conflict with two rival groups on the city’s south slope in recent years.The undercover probe dubbed Project Rebellion has led to dozens of arrests of members of all three gangs this year alone.Buttar is facing three charges related to the 2006 assault — including assault with a weapon, uttering threats and using an imitation firearm.
His co-accused, Tirathpal Dhillon, pleaded guilty to assault as the trial opened in New Westminster on Monday.Pardeep Dhillon said he saw his namesake pull a gun out while Buttar continued to beat on him. “The magazine fell out and I was able to kick it,” the victim testified. “Mr. Dhillon looked like he was scared … . It was almost like he wanted to scare me and he did.”Under cross-examination, Dhillon admitted he was an alcoholic with convictions for assault, impaired driving and breaches of probation.Buttar’s defence lawyer Karen Bastow suggested that Dhillon’s account “seems incredibly unlikely.She said no one would admit to a stranger that he had committed murder.“So Manny Buttar says ‘I am a killer and I capped Bindy Johal.’ Is that what happened?” she asked“Yes,” replied Dhillon.She also said it was unlikely he had the fortitude to kick a clip away while he was being slapped and punched.“That’s pretty fancy footwork Mr. Dhillon for a guy that is not part of the life,” Bastow said.She suggested someone else punched Dhillon and Buttar was not even near the booth where the attack occurred.But Dhillon strongly disagreed, pointing to Buttar as his attacker several times.
Also Tuesday, a waitress at the restaurant who called 911 claimed she saw Buttar — not his associate — with the gun.Rosie Nand’s emergency call was played in court in which she could be heard saying “there is a big guy beating another guy … he is bleeding but I think he is okay.”

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Ternae Ramone "Bud" Hatten a self confessed member of the Gangster Disciples gang.

General Sessions Court Judge Clarence Shattuck bound aggravated robbery and aggravated kidnapping charges to the Grand Jury against Ternae Ramone "Bud" Hatten, 23, of 1724 E. 17th St.Judge Shattuck also doubled Hatten's bond, that he said was set too low by a magistrate. Prosecutor Rex Sparks had asked that the bond be tripled, saying Hatten had repeatedly threatened the alleged victims in the case against testifying against him.Dionee Parker said she and her husband were driving in their Cadillac Escalade around on July 25 when they came to a four-way stop at Bennett Avenue and South Kelly.She said they were approached by several men with guns, who ordered them out of the vehicle and into an apartment at 2200 Bennett Ave.
She said she saw a large amount of marijuana in the residence and said it was "foggy" and had a strong smell. She said Hatten was one of the men who held a gun on her and took $200 from her husband, Joe, as well as $1,300 they had in the vehicle. She said the men also took their house key, two cell phones and her husband's wedding ring. She said they asked that the ring not be taken, saying they had just gotten married.Ms. Parker said Hatten kept asking if they had any items at their house and wanted to be taken there. She said she was taken back out to the vehicle and Hatten tried to get in one side, but the door would not open. She said another man had one leg in one of the doors when he dropped something. She said she took the occasion to speed off.She said she drove nearby and spotted her husband walking down the street.Joe Parker gave a similar account. He said he was made to lie down on the floor in the kitchen.He said after his wife was able to drive off, he was told to "walk out like nothing happened."He said he has not gotten any of the money back.Hatten admitted having marijuana, crack cocaine, digital scales, baggies and other drug items in the residence, that he was renting at the time.But he said he knew Joe Parker and that Parker had come over to get some marijuana. He said it was another man in the residence - A.J. - who had pulled a gun on the couple.
Hatten had a separate drug case bound to the Grand Jury.Prosecutor Sparks said his record includes aggravated robbery, aggravated assault and a first-degree murder charge. Rodriquez McGlocton was also charged in the case.Hatten said he was playing dice at the residence with McGlocton and A.J. at the time of the incident.

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Jackson has members of four major gangs that are known worldwide - the Bloods, Crips, Gangster Disciples and Vice Lords

Joe Richard Poston, 24, and Robert Benjamin Seats, 28, died of gunshot wounds after a shoot-out in the parking lot of J-Mumbly's, at 903 Hollywood Drive in the Hollywood Shopping Center. Police believe the men shot each other during an argument that began inside the club.
Police have confirmed that two Jackson men killed in a Sunday morning shooting in a nightclub parking lot were affiliated with rival gangs, the Vice Lords and Gangster Disciples.But police have said they are still investigating whether the shooting was gang-related and whether it was connected to another shooting near another nightclub the same night.
Seven others - three women and four men - were injured in the incident. Another man was wounded earlier Sunday night in the area of the Sesame Street Lounge, at 411 Railroad St.In another possible gang-related incident Wednesday, about 150 students at North Side High School gathered in a hallway.According to a Madison County Sheriff's Office report, students told Principal Jan Watson that a Vice Lords leader and a Gangster Disciples leader were making peace between the rival gangs when a crowd gathered.Willis said police have seen an uptick in the last year in assaults and robberies of individual gang members involved in selling drugs.Many of those crimes are not reported, but police hear about the crimes through intelligence from reliable informants, Willis said. Police also corroborate the information when they interview people who are in custody on other criminal charges.
Jackson has members of four major gangs that are known worldwide - the Bloods, Crips, Gangster Disciples and Vice Lords, Willis said. Police are also aware of some local gangs, which are frequently established by teenagers in middle school and older. Those gangs may eventually die out, and others are started.




During the 1990s, Jackson saw a major spike in gang violence, with 19 homicides in 1993. But in recent years, police have said gangs are keeping a lower profile.



Willis declined to estimate how many people are part of gangs in Jackson, saying he could not give an accurate number.

"We do not come into contact with every gang member," he said. "All gang members do not get arrested. All gang members do not admit their affiliation, nor do they reveal any indication that they are in a gang."

'A lot of work to do'
Mayor Jerry Gist called the recent shootings "distressing" and "disappointing."

"It indicated we still have a lot of work to do," Gist said. "We knew we had a gang presence, but gang activity had been more passive in the last years, so this is very disappointing."

Gist said he still believes the changes suggested by the crime task force in recent years have the city headed in the right direction. He cited new officers added to the police department and progress made by the Gang Unit.

There has been a lot of effort to educate younger people about the dangers of gangs, Gist said.

"The problem is those already in gangs; it is almost impossible to escape once you are in," Gist said. "People also need to understand that gang activity is part of every community in this nation."

When asked about reducing the number of the guns on the street, Gist said he did not think much could be done.

"There are not a lot of ways to crack down; you can always get weapons," he said.

No guns were recovered at the crime scene Sunday morning, and police are still investigating how many guns were fired.

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Member of MS-13, a feared criminal gang, was captured in Hitchcock early this afternoon.

Member of MS-13, a feared criminal gang, was captured in Hitchcock early this afternoon. The Police News learned that undercover police who had intelligence the man was heavy armed, possibly with an AK-47, was hiding in Hitchcock. Lawmen from the Gulf Coast Violent Offender's Task Force accompanied by Hitchcock Police made the arrest at an apartment on Jackson Street.The man is said to be wanted on a multitude of criminal warrants from various parts of the country. He was being taken to Galveston to be arraigned by a federal magistrate. He was to then be taken to jail in Houston.Officials did not identify the man for intelligence reasons.
MS-13 is a criminal gang that originated in Los Angeles and has spread to Central America, other parts of the United States, and Canada. The majority of the gang is ethnically composed of Salvadorans, Hondurans, Guatemalans, and Nicaraguans.
Their activities have caught the eye of the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) and Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE), who in September 2005 initiated wide-scale raids against suspected gang members, netting 660 arrests across United States. ICE efforts were at first directed towards MS-13, in its Operation Community Shield. In May 2005, ICE expanded Operation Community Shield to include all transnational organized crime and prison gangs. ICE's Operation Community Shield has since arrested 7,655 street gang members. In the United States, the gang's strongholds have historically been in the American Southwest and West Coast states.
Membership in the U.S was believed to be as many as about 50,000 as of 2005.
MS-13 criminal activities include drug smuggling and sales, arms trafficking, auto theft, carjacking, home invasion, assault, aggravated assault, assault on law enforcement officials, drive-by shootings, contract killing and murder.
The United States Marshals Service (USMS) oversees the nation's regional fugitive task forces, including the Gulf Coast Violent Offender's Task Force. The purpose of regional fugitive task forces is to combine the efforts of federal, state, and local law enforcement agencies to locate and apprehend the most dangerous fugitives and assist in high profile investigations.Task Force members involved in today MS-13 arrest were from the Galveston County Sheriff's Office, FBI, U.S. Marshal's Service, and Galveston County Precinct 8 Constable's Office.

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Monroe Ezell is one of the ranking members of the Hoover Criminals 74

Monroe Ezell is one of the ranking members of the Hoover Criminals 74 a South Seattle gang Ezell is a marked man. At 21, Ezell is one of the ranking members of the Hoover Criminals 74, a South Seattle gang affiliated with the Los Angeles–based Crips. Members of the Valley Hood Piru (a Blood-­affiliated gang), and other Seattle gangs, want him dead.Ezell has a rap sheet with charges for robbery and drug possession, and law-­enforcement sources say he is a suspect in a handful of drive-by shootings around Seattle. According to Seattle Police Department search-warrant records, Ezell was also a suspect in the murder of 15-year-old Quincy Coleman—a known Deuce-8 gang member with apparent ties to the Valley Hood Piru—who was gunned down outside of Garfield High School on Halloween 2008.Last month, Ezell was nearly killed outside of the King County Youth Service Center, presumably by a rival gang member, possibly in retaliation for Coleman’s murder. No arrests have been made

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15 taxi firms in Scotland are controlled by organised crime gangs Network Private Hire has been linked to the city's McGovern crime clan.

Mr MacAskill said: "Where organised crime infiltrates legitimate business, like the taxi and private hire trade, we will take action. We won't allow hard-working cabbies to be driven off the road by crooks and gangsters." Legislation was brought in this year to force taxi booking offices to obtain licences. Police checks of premises and records are being introduced. Mr MacAskill's pledge came only days after NHS Greater Glasgow and Clyde was warned off giving a £2million taxi contract to Network Private Hire - which has been linked to the city's McGovern crime clan.
The firm was raided in 2004 as part of a money-laundering probe that could see McGovern in-law Russell Stirton lose £5million under proceeds of crime laws.
Last year Glasgow City Council suspended the licence of CS Cars, run by jailed crime boss Jamie "The Iceman" Stevenson's wife Caroline.Legislation introduced earlier this year will see taxi booking offices having to obtain licences for the first time. The police have also been given full powers to carry out checks of company premises and booking records.Although all cab drivers must secure a licence to take to the road, there has never been proper regulation of taxi operators and firms, which have been unveiled as fronts for money-laundering, drug-dealing and prostitution.Taxi industry leaders say the new measures will allow tough action to be taken against rogue private-hire drivers and companies that flout laws banning drivers picking up fares on the street or touting for business at ranks.Mr MacAskill said: "There has traditionally been much less control over private-hire firms than black-cab operators, which have generally served our cities well. Basically, anyone could set up a cab company from their front bedroom or garage and there was little that could be done to monitor them."He added that he wanted to send a "clear message" to organised criminals that there was no room in the industry for those who want to use taxi and private-hire car firms as a "front for illegal activities".
"We won't allow hard-working cabbies, who borrow from the bank to mortgage their home to buy a cab and make a living, to be driven off the road by crooks and gangsters," he said.It emerged earlier this year that police believe at least 15 taxi firms in Scotland are controlled by organised crime gangs.Private-hire businesses in Glasgow, Edinburgh, Dundee and beyond are said to have been infiltrated by underworld figures using cars to ferry drugs, prostitutes and enforcers. Frank Smith, Edinburgh's new taxi licensing inspector, said: "It is up to the police to work with the council to ensure the new regulations are enforced. I aim to ensure the existing high standards in the industry are maintained and, where opportunities arise, are improved upon."

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Jose Munoz, 55, head of the Malaga brotherhood of Gitanos, was shot twice inside his car by a fellow gypsy.

Jose Munoz, 55, head of the Malaga brotherhood of Gitanos, was shot twice inside his car by a fellow gypsy.The suspect, D.R.F, 18, from Almeria, was later arrested by police at a roadblock in Algodonales, Cadiz province, as he tried making his getaway in a taxi. Police now fear that the shooting may spark gypsy warfare and retribution crimes within the city.A police spokesman said: “He was immediately taken to Malaga police station and not to Ronda for fear of reprisals.”The incident took place at 14:30 in an area known as La Indiana – just metres away from the back entrance to the local army barracks. Munoz – a furniture salesman – had been seen earlier with the suspect in Almeria and was driving back to his farm before the shooting took place.The two men reportedly began arguing over a business matter while heading to a livestock fair held in the area. The youth immediately fled the scene and called for a taxi at a nearby hotel – where he reportedly waited calmly for it to arrive.
“He was immediately taken to Malaga police station and not to Ronda for fear of reprisals.”However, an onlooker – already aware of the shooting – alerted the police.
Just over an hour later, the vehicle was intercepted in the gaditana district of Algodonales.The taxi driver was intially arrested but, after proving his identity, was subsequently released.The murder of the popular Munoz has shocked Ronda and even prompted mayor Antonio Marin Lara to send his condolences to the victim’s family. Meanwhile, police are searching for a motive behind the fatal attack. Malaga province has now been the setting for 18 homicides this year, four more than the whole of 2008.

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Full Throttle Motorcycle Club 37-year-old Kenon Macon, of Bakersfield, was killed outside Clem's, on Muscat and Valentine.

37-year-old Kenon Macon, of Bakersfield, was killed outside Clem's, on Muscat and Valentine. Investigators say there was a large party there, with several hundred bikers in attendance. Two other people were also shot, but they are expected to recover. Macon was a member of the Full Throttle Motorcycle Club. The Fresno County Sheriff's Office is asking anyone with information to come forward.

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Gang war between the Hells Angels and the immigrant Muslims fighting for drug turf.

The Danish police is looking for perpetrators of shooting in the danish gang war between the Hells Angels and the immigrant Muslims fighting for drug turf. A 19-year-old Muslim man is still in mortal danger after being shooting at Vesterbro. Police believe it is related to gang conflict between the Hells Angels and Muslim immigrants. The Danish police the perpetrators of the shooting of the 19-year old Muslim are to be found in the biker community. The police is operating on the theory that the shooting was part of the ongoing conflict in the Copenhagen gang war between the bikers and the numerous immigrant Muslim gangs."We are basing the theory partly on the way the shooting was carried out and partly on the victim's relationship with the people behind the kiosk, which is related to gang conflict and the group around Blågårds place," says detective Knud Hvass from the Copenhagen police gang unit to The politiken newspaper. The 19-year-old Muslim was hit three times in the stomach. His condition remains critical, and doctors at the National Hospital has chosen to keep him in artificial coma in order save his organs.The shooting took place at a Station kiosk at Skelbækgade by Dybbølsbro at 8:30 pm last night. Police have not found the weapon, but, according to Police's intelligence director, it is probably a nine-millimeter pistol. Witnesses saw two to three people driving in a light car from the crime scene in the direction of Fisketorvet in a high speed. The police believe that this is the same VW Golf that moments after was extinguishes by the fire department in Otto Busses Vej at Copenhagen harbor. "We are convinced that this is the escape car. Obviously the burned vehicle makes it harder for us because will not leave us any biological trace elements," said Knud Hvass The Danish police does want to divulge any further evidence, but promises to reveal more at the preliminary hearing.
'The witness testimonies are contradictory. Some are talking about two perpetrators, others saw three. And ,at the moment, I'm unable to give a detailed description of them," said detective Knud Hvass.

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