Trial of six men accused of murdering Sinopoli, 30, and seven other men connected to the Greater Toronto Area chapter of the Bandidos Motorcycle Club

Murdered Bandidos biker Paul Sinopoli lived modestly in a basement apartment in his parents' home in Jackson's Point, a mass murder trial heard."He certainly didn't appear to be living a lavish lifestyle," Det. Tom Dingwall of Durham Regional Police testified today."It was a very plain room for the most part," Dingwall said in the trial of six men accused of murdering Sinopoli, 30, and seven other men connected to the Greater Toronto Area chapter of the Bandidos Motorcycle Club, nicknamed "The No Surrender Crew."
Sinopoli's bullet-riddled body was found in an abandoned sport utility vehicle on the morning of April 8, 2006, left near the hamlet of Shedden.No guns, drug paraphernalia or items of much value were found in Sinopoli's room, court heard.
There were scattered papers related to his position as secretary-treasurer of the Toronto chapter of the club, with brief notations by the names of members. By the names of members who were promoted within the club was the notation, "owes a case of beer."
Sinopoli appeared to have three cellphone accounts, and there were also two black leather vests with the "Fat Mexican" crest of the Bandidos club.One of the club vests was massive, belonging to Sinopoli, whose was estimated to have weighed around 400 pounds.
The ownership of the other vest was unknown, Dingwall said.
The massive vest was returned to Sinopoli's family, so that he could be buried in it, Dingwall said.
"It was Paul's wish to be buried in the vest," Dingwall testified.
Found near Sinopoli's body in other abandoned vehicles were the bodies of Jamie Flanz, 37, of Keswick: John Muscedere, 48, of Chatham; George Jessome, 52, Luis Manny Raposo, 41, and George Kriarakis, 28, all of Toronto; Frank Salerno, 43, of Oakville; and Michael Trotta, 31, of Mississauga.Court heard that Durham Regional Police had been investigating Sinopoli for playing a role in the December 2005 murder of Shawn Douse of Keswick.Assistant Crown Attorney Fraser Kelly asked Dingwall if Douse has been an associate or member of the Hells Angels, the world's largest outlaw motorcycle club.
"Absolutely not," Dingwall replied.
Court has heard that Sinopoli had a friendly relationship with some York Region Hells Angels.The police investigator said that the Douse murder was rooted in personal tensions between Cameron Acorn of the No Surrender Crew and Douse.
"The dispute involved Shawn Douse providing drugs to Cameron Acorn's girlfriend's sister," Dingwall replied.
Facing eight first degree murder charges each are GTA Bandido Wayne Kellestine, 59, of Iona Station, west of London; Winnipeggers Michael Sandham, 39, Marcelo Aravena, 33, Brett Gardiner, 24, and Dwight Mushey, 41; and Frank Mather, 35, of no fixed address.

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Founder of the United Nations gang could be spending the rest of his life in an American jail.

Founder of the United Nations gang could be spending the rest of his life in an American jail. Clayton Roueche has pleaded guilty to drug and money laundering charges.In a Seattle courtroom, Roueche admitted to conspiring to export over a tonne of marijuana to the States and to bring back several kilograms of cocaine into Canada. News1130's legal expert Michael Shapray says Roueche can apply to serve his sentence in a Canadian Institution, but U.S. prosecutors want the gangster to serve his entire term in the U.S. "Clearly the United States, in certain circumstances, will not agree to that and will try to block that transfer because of the nature of the offense for which someone is being convicted."
Shapray says attorneys in the U.S. are aware of Canada's liberal parole laws, and will argue Roueche won't serve as much time here as he would in an American jail. Prosecutors are asking for a sentence of 30 years to life.

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24 year old Terrence Stephens was captured by Albany Police just after midnight on Weatherby Court.

24 year old Terrence Stephens was captured by Albany Police just after midnight on Weatherby Court.Stephens was one of the men shot during two separate gang drive by shootings March 9th in the South McKinley Street area. Stephens was shot in the stomach by a shotgun in what Investigators say was a gang turf war.Stephens was a victim that day, but Police still planned to charge him when he got out of the hospital. But Stephens checked out of the hospital early, and got away. Until yesterday, they arrested him for aggravated assault and possesion of a firearm during a crime.

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Zeta gang leader Gregorio Sauceda Gamboa, one of Mexico's 24 most-wanted drug traffickers arrested

Mexican police on Wednesday arrested suspected Zeta gang leader Gregorio Sauceda Gamboa, one of Mexico's 24 most-wanted drug traffickers.Sauceda Gamboa appears on a list of 24 alleged drug traffickers published by prosecutors in March. Authorities have offered rewards of up to $2.1 million for each suspect. Together with a list of 13 lower-ranking drug suspects, the group covers Mexico's most powerful cartel operators.With Sauceda Gamboa's arrest Wednesday at a home in the border city of Matamoros, across the border from Brownsville, Texas, authorities have arrested five of the 37 whose names appeared on the lists.Sauceda Gamboa, 44, was a former investigative police officer who played a founding role in the Gulf cartel starting in 1996, federal police said.

"Because of his violent character, he was assigned ... to fight off the (rival) Pacific cartel," said Assistant Public Safety Secretary Gen. Javier del Real Magallanes.

The Public Safety Department said the raid on the home was the result of intelligence work and tips.In a reflection of the current swine flu epidemic sweeping Mexico, Sauceda Gamboa was wearing a surgical mask as he was paraded before reporters by police, who also were wearing the masks in addition to the black ski-masks they normally use to hide their identities.Authorities said Wednesday they also seized five rifles and more than 4,500 rounds of ammunition in the raid, and detained a woman believed to be Sauceda Gamboa's wife, along with another man.Sauceda Gamboa helped the Gulf cartel move an average of 10 tons of cocaine and 30 tons of marijuana across the border each month, and briefly headed the gang, police said, although they acknowledged his personal involvement in the operation had declined in recent years.The Zetas are a violent drug gang based in the states along Mexico's Gulf coast, and have been involved in many of the killings that have taken more than 10,650 lives since 2006.

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Danish citizen who was wanted by Great Britain for alleged crimes of robbery, fraud and money laundering has been arrested in Fuengirola.

Danish citizen who was wanted by Great Britain for alleged crimes of robbery, fraud and money laundering has been arrested in Fuengirola. A European warrant had been issued by the British courts for the arrest of T.G.G.K. (30), who has allegedly done dozens of people out of more than three million pounds sterling (almost five million euros). The victims of the swindle had bought shares in different companies that were worth nothing. T.G.G.K. was wanted for a total of fourteen alleged crimes related to fraud and money laundering committed between 2003 and 2006.
The Spanish police unit dedicated to finding fugitives has also arrested British I.S.J. (24) in Formentera del Segura in Alicante and German E.K. (59) in Els Poblets - also in Alicante. The British man was wanted in his country for robbery, misappropriation and damages committed in 2006 in Chorley, England. The German courts were looking for E.K. for crimes of fraud and document forgery committed between 2003 and 2005 when he worked as a financial assessor.

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Jose Ramirez Jr., 31, was arrested Thursday on a charge of manufacture/delivery of a controlled substance

Jose Ramirez Jr., 31, was arrested Thursday on a charge of manufacture/delivery of a controlled substance in Penalty Group 1 over 4 grams and under 200 grams in a drug-free zone, Wichita County court documents showed. Ramirez’s bond was set at $200,000 and he was in the Wichita County Jail Friday.According to the affidavit:Officers with the Wichita Falls Police Department’s Organized Crime Unit and SWAT Team executed a high-risk narcotics search warrant Thursday at 2115 Shepherd. Officers saw Ramirez, who was named in the warrant, leaving and stopped him. The home sits within 1,000 feet of the Wichita Falls High School soccer fields, which makes it a drug-free zone.Police seized 160 grams of cocaine, with a value of $16,000, from the home, a news release from the police department reported. Police also seized more than $800 in cash, two handguns, a shotgun, a 2005 Harley-Davidson motorcycle and a 2002 Chevrolet pickup.The charge is a first-degree felony offense, and a conviction could result in a penalty of five years to life in prison and a fine of up to $10,000, according to police.

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Carlton Brown, 51, had been out on licence since October, when officers found two wraps of cocaine in a car he was driving.

Carlton Brown, 51, had been out on licence since October, when officers found two wraps of cocaine in a car he was driving.
Brown, who lives at the Stoneham Housing Association in Queens Road, Watford, was pulled over by police in London Road, St Albans, on Tuesday, March 24. After a search of the vehicle, police found just over two grams of the class A drug. Brown admitted it was his and pleaded guilty to possession of cocaine, at St Albans Magistrates Court on Friday. Brown told probation about his arrest and, despite the offence, has not been recalled to serve the remainder of his sentence. In mitigation the court was told Brown, who has a number of drug dealing convictions, had bought three wraps of cocaine out of boredom. After release from prison on previous occasions he has found work as a qualified bus driver, but “this time the work isn't there”. The court was told he lives on benefits in a room at the hostel and had started to “feel quite low” and "bored”. Although a drug dealer, he had never taken cocaine before, but bought three wraps just days before his arrest. He took one, but did not like it and planned to dispose of the other two, which he left in the passenger's side of the car, his defence said. He was going through a difficult time, but was really “trying to do the right things” the magistrates were told.
The chairman of the bench said the guidelines recommended a medium level community order or fine for simple possession, which Brown has not been convicted of before. He was ordered to pay £252 in fines and costs. A forfeiture and destruction order was made on the drugs.

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Yorgo Zero who fled to the UK has been jailed after he was caught dealing crack cocaine and heroin.

Yorgo Zero who fled to the UK has been jailed after he was caught dealing crack cocaine and heroin.Undercover police trapped Yorgo Zero, 26, during Operation Grassland – one of the UK's biggest ever operations to snare drug dealers.Zero, who sought refuge here in 2000, was jailed for four-and-a-half years at Leeds Crown Court.Prosecutor, Philip Adams, said undercover police set themselves up in a flat in Eastmoor, Wakefield, as a front for the drug sting operation.The court heard Zero, of Beech Avenue, Wakefield, was involved in selling crack cocaine and heroin to officers posing as users over a period of seven days last June.
He met undercover officers at a number of locations to do the deals, including Linton Road at Eastmoor and Westgate in Wakefield city centre.When arrested in a restaurant in Wakefield last December he had 14 wraps of crack cocaine, six wraps of heroin and £773 cash stuffed down his underpants.Zero had admitted a string of charges related to dealing Class A drugs.Jailing him for four-and-a-half years, Judge Kerry Macgill said: "Drug dealers like you are not welcome in this country. It is a matter of discretion for the Home Secretary whether or not you are deported."Operation Grassland has seen sentences of over 100 years handed out to drug dealing criminals.Police arrested 105 people as officers tried to rid the city streets of dealers and drugs in Operation Grasslands.Raids were carried out in Agbrigg, College Grove, Eastmoor, Lupset, Portobello, Horbury and Ossett after officers were given information from members of those communities.So far 78 offenders have been through the courts and have been given jail sentences totalling 109 years.

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Peter Kelly, aged 30, of Woodland Walk, Castlefield, admitted three counts of supplying heroin and cocaine in November.

Peter Kelly, aged 30, of Woodland Walk, Castlefield, admitted three counts of supplying heroin and cocaine in November.

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Aaron Kelly, aged 27, of Woodland Walk, Castlefield, admitted five counts of supplying heroin and cocaine in November and December.

Aaron Kelly, aged 27, of Woodland Walk, Castlefield, admitted five counts of supplying heroin and cocaine in November and December.

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John Waring, aged 31, of Woodland Walk, Runcorn, admitted three counts of supplying heroin in September.

John Waring, aged 31, of Woodland Walk, Runcorn, admitted three counts of supplying heroin in September.

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Darren Hall, aged 24, of Bamford Close, Runcorn, admitted three counts of supplying heroin in September and December.

Darren Hall, aged 24, of Bamford Close, Runcorn, admitted three counts of supplying heroin in September and December.

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Paul Cashen, aged 21, of Wavertree, admitted nine counts of supplying heroin and cocaine during October

Paul Cashen, aged 21, of Wavertree, admitted nine counts of supplying heroin and cocaine during October

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Roy Taggart, aged 44, of Speke, admitted 11 counts of supplying heroin, cocaine and crack cocaine in September and October.

Roy Taggart, aged 44, of Speke, admitted 11 counts of supplying heroin, cocaine and crack cocaine in September and October.

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Eamon Tierney, aged 42, ofWindmill Hill, admitted four counts of supplying heroin and cocaine on October 7.

Eamon Tierney, aged 42, ofWindmill Hill, admitted four counts of supplying heroin and cocaine on October 7.

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Peter Fortune, aged 22, of Old Sawn, admitted four counts of supplying heroin and cocaine in October.

Peter Fortune, aged 22, of Old Sawn, admitted four counts of supplying heroin and cocaine in October.

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Connor Hart, aged 19, from Liverpool, admitted 10 counts of supplying heroin and cocaine between September and November.

Connor Hart, aged 19, from Liverpool, admitted 10 counts of supplying heroin and cocaine between September and November.

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Bernard Shaw, aged 44, of Frodsham, admitted 10 counts of supplying heroin and cocaine between October and November.

Bernard Shaw, aged 44, of Frodsham, admitted 10 counts of supplying heroin and cocaine between October and November.

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Gary Worsley, aged 47, of Cambridge Street, Widnes, admitted one count of supplying heroin on August 4.

Gary Worsley, aged 47, of Cambridge Street, Widnes, admitted one count of supplying heroin on August 4.

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Lisa Wardle, aged 28, of Wavertree, admitted two counts of supplying cocaine and heroin on July 17.

Lisa Wardle, aged 28, of Wavertree, admitted two counts of supplying cocaine and heroin on July 17.

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Georgina Grant, aged 46, of Levens Way, Widnes, admitted one count of supplying cocaine on August 13.

Georgina Grant, aged 46, of Levens Way, Widnes, admitted one count of supplying cocaine on August 13.

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Paul Geddes, aged 26, of Wavertree, admitted eight counts of supplying heroin and cocaine between July and August.

Paul Geddes, aged 26, of Wavertree, admitted eight counts of supplying heroin and cocaine between July and August.

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David Mufford, 44, from Devon, pleaded guilty to possession of cocaine with intent to supply

David Mufford, 44, from Devon, pleaded guilty to possession of cocaine with intent to supply at Cork Circuit Criminal Court, in the Irish Republic. The 1.9 tonnes of cocaine, worth about 675 million euros (£610m), were recovered off the Irish coast in 2007. Mufford, of Clennon Lane, Torquay, will be sentenced on 8 May with Philip Doo, from Brixham, Devon, and Christopher Wiggins, from Malaga, Spain. Doo and Wiggins pleaded guilty to the same charge last week.

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Eric Leal, 29, of the 11000 block of Vista del Sol, was arrested

Eric Leal, 29, of the 11000 block of Vista del Sol, was arrested April 17 in a bar's parking lot at 1709 Saul Kleinfeld Drive on charges of possession of cocaine, two family violence warrants and 11 outstanding traffic warrants.Police approached Leal while he was sitting in a vehicle. He was arrested on the warrants and police later found 26 baggies of cocaine weighing 14 grams.

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Ryan Falvey, 19, of the 1900 block of Paseo Rio, was arrested

Ryan Falvey, 19, of the 1900 block of Paseo Rio, was arrested about 1:30 a.m. Tuesday at the Circle K store at 11701 Montwood. Police said they found him in possession of 14.1 grams of the drug. Falvey was arrested on charges of possession of cocaine and manufacture delivery of controlled substance.

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Nicholaus Searles on three counts of dealing a schedule IV substance charged with one count is a Class A felony

Nicholaus Searles made his initial appearance Friday in La Porte Circuit Court on three counts of dealing a schedule IV substance. One count is a Class A felony, which in Indiana is punishable by anywhere from a 20- to 50-year sentence.According to court documents, Searles is accused of selling heroin on three occasions beginning Aug. 19, 2008, in the 700 block of Jackson Street. Police said he helped carry out a $60 exchange at that location.Five days later, police observed Searles sell heroin in the 1300 block of West Indiana 2 near Al's Supermarket after he pulled up in a gold van. On Aug. 29, Searles again sold about $60 in heroin after meeting a buyer in the 300 block of I St.He was overheard telling the customer he was trying to "make rent," police said.Searles once lived in the 500 block of Ohio Street, and when asked by Judge Tom Alevizos where he resides now, the defendant replied "nowhere." Most recent documents filed in the case list Searles as homeless.
Searles also asked the court for a public defender, saying, "I don't have any family or friends."He also revealed money he was making at a construction job he worked at until last week was going for drugs.The court as part of its standard procedure also asked Searles if he was under the influence of any foreign substances to make sure he understood the proceedings. He said the only effects he was feeling were from "heroin withdrawals."Searles said the only money he has is an account at La Porte County Jail to buy snacks and other supplies. Alevizos placed a hold on $100 of that money to help reimburse the county for the expense of his public defender.
Searles was given a Oct. 13 trial date.

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Leading member of the Hells Angels support group AK81, who was run down in Copenhagen

Police have found two cars involved in the hit and run of a leading member of the Hells Angels support group AK81, who was run down in Copenhagen on Sunday.Two cars and a motorbike linked to weekend gang crime incidents have been found by police in various city locationsEsben Hertz, 26, was apparently forced from his Ford Mondeo on Jagtvej Road in the Nørrebro district before being intentionally run over by a black Renault Scenic twice. Hertz is said to be in a good condition after suffering a broken arm and undergoing hip surgery.Hertz is a close friend of Jørn Jønke Nielsen, the spokesman for the Hells Angels biker gang, and has been referred to as Nielsen’s bodyguard by various media.
The Renault car used by the two perpetrators was found on nearby Tagensvej Road, while Hertz’s Ford was found burnt out in the Tingbjerg area.Police have also found the motorbike used in Saturday’s shooting, when a 20-year-old man was targeted in Nørrebro. Two men fired at least seven shots from an automatic weapon at the man as he sat in a car. The man escaped with minor injuries to his buttocks. The burnt out bike was found in Holbæk, west of the city.The latest string of incidents in the gang conflict between bikers and immigrant gangs comes after a heavy police crackdown, which saw 50 days of peace in the city.

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Suspected outlaw motorcycle gang member Paul Cameron Stainer charged with possession of a dangerous drug in the form of methylamphetamines.

Suspected outlaw motorcycle gang member Paul Cameron Stainer was granted bail and will re-appear in court on June 10.The 36-year-old New Zealander appeared in Maroochydore District Court today charged with possession of a dangerous drug in the form of methylamphetamines.He was one of at least 15 people arrested on Wednesday charged with a total of 35 drug-related charges in a large police operation which allegedly netted more than $250,000 in illicit drugs and more than $500,000 in cash.
Restraint orders were also placed on more than $2.5 million worth of property and assets.Another man arrested in Wednesday’s raids, William Fredericis Barker, 45, was charged with dealing with proceeds of crime worth more than $100,000 and possession of a substance, equipment or documents for manufacturing a controlled drug with intention to sell.

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Arrested Pedro Escobar, German Escobar, and Jose Callejas-Alfaro. The three suspects have been identified as members of the Mara Salvatucha "MS-13" st

Santa Cruz Police Street Crimes Unit and the Fresno County Sheriff's Narcotics Unit arrested Pedro Escobar, German Escobar, and Jose Callejas-Alfaro. The three suspects have been identified as members of the Mara Salvatucha "MS-13" street gang.Three pounds of methamphetamine, with a wholesale value of $42,000, was seized. Police said the drugs could fetch a street value of twice as much. A handgun was also recovered, which was reported stolen out of Wilskboro, North Carolina.Following up on a tip, police said they arranged to purchase the methamphetamine from the local gang members. The deal was set to occur in Aptos.According to police, the drug seizure highlights a growing trend seen by local law enforcement where gangs are becoming increasingly involved in drug trafficking as a means of support."This case represents a growing trend of street gangs involved in drug trafficking to finance activities," said Capt. Steve Clark with the Santa Cruz Police Department.All three suspects were charged with possession of methamphetamine for sale, conspiracy to commit a crime, and gang enhancements. German Escobar was also charged with possession of a stolen hand gun. Jose Callejas-Alfaro and German Escobar were both charged with resisting arrest.

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Gangster has been sentenced to death for murdering two people, including a 14-year-old girl who was shot as she crouched outside a Compton market.

Steven Cheatham has been sentenced to death for murdering two people, including a 14-year-old girl who was shot as she crouched outside a Compton market.A judge in Los Angeles sentenced Steven Cheatham on Friday.Cheatham, 32, was convicted in October of two counts of first-degree murder and four counts of attempted murder.
Prosecutors say Cheatham confronted Elvira Ramirez and her two friends as she went to use a pay phone near the market in 2001. He wounded her friends, then shot the girl in the back of the head and again in the leg after she fell to the ground.None of the victims had any gang affiliation.Cheatham also was sentenced for fatally shooting an unarmed man in the face in 1998 and wounding two people in 2000.

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Sylvain Boulanger,signed a contract that will see him paid a total of $2.9-million over the course of the agreement

Sylvain Boulanger, 45, a retired member of the gang's Sherbrooke chapter who decided to begin giving evidence to investigators with the Regional Integrated Squads, signed a contract that will see him paid a total of $2.9-million over the course of the agreement, The Montreal Gazette has learned. It is believed to be the largest contract awarded to an informant in Quebec.Details of Mr. Boulanger's 19-page contract came from a source familiar with the Operation SharQc investigation and were confirmed through similar sources.Madeleine Giauque, the lead prosecutor in Operation SharQc was unavailable for comment Wednesday.Mr. Boulanger was recruited by police in 2006 and agreed to officially co-operate with investigators by June 12, 2006. The contract was signed on Sept. 21, 2007, and Mr. Boulanger received $300,000 upon signing. The contract called for him to be paid another $600,000 when more than 120 gang members and associates were rounded up last week. Almost the entire membership of the gang's five chapters in Quebec face charges in the investigation. As of Wednesday afternoon, 24 full-patch members and another three gang associates were still being sought. In all, 156 people face charges in Operation SharQc. Mr. Boulanger is also scheduled to receive four annual payments of $400,000 each over the next four years, during which he would be expected to testify in trials that emerge from Operation SharQc. A fifth payment of $400,000 will be paid out once all the court cases are settled.Mr. Boulanger's contract would pay him significantly more than the $1.75-million promised to Dany Kane, a Hells Angels underling who worked undercover while under contract with provincial police. As a member of the Rockers, a now-defunct Hells Angels affiliate gang, Mr. Kane was able to provide investigators with inside information during Operation Springtime in 2001. Kane signed the contract on March 14, 2000 but took his own life months later.At the time, Mr. Kane's contract was believed to be the largest agreed to with an informant in Quebec. However, the details behind such contracts are rarely made public.Because of the trials expected in the near future, representatives from the Regional Integrated Squads are unable to comment on Mr. Boulanger's contract.But a police source familiar with investigations into organized crime said using informants is necessary."It takes something very special to infiltrate a group like the Hells Angels. The police can't do it because during the investigation an informant might be expected to commit certain crimes. We can't place our own people in a gang like that," he said.
According to various sources, Mr. Boulanger has given investigators in Operation SharQc access to the details of meetings the Hells Angels held in July 1994, when membership across the province voted in favour of the gang war that followed. Mr. Boulanger became a full-patch member in 1993, a year before the vote was taken.
The gang's Montreal-based Nomads chapter fought a bloody war with an umbrella group called the Alliance, over control of drug turf in Montreal and Quebec City for roughly eight years. The indictment filed in Operation SharQc last week includes 22 counts of murder involving homicides carried out within the context of the war. The Crown's case will focus in part, on a section of the Criminal Code that covers parties to an offence who "form an intention in common to carry out an unlawful purpose and to assist each other therein."
As sergeant-at-arms for the Sherbrooke chapter, Mr. Boulanger had access to how every other chapter voted at that crucial moment. He reportedly retired from the gang in 2001. During the investigation, Mr. Boulanger gave investigators 23 videotaped statements and supplied piles of written statements.

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Rebels bikie gang were the target of 49 raids

Rebels bikie gang were the target of 49 raids across Australia on Thursday, with 27 people arrested on drug and weapons charges.
Police swooped on homes in Western Australia, Queensland, South Australia and the ACT is a series of coordinated dawn raids.
Nearly 250 officers were involved in rounding up the Rebels members and their "associates". Some of those arrested will face court on Friday. Police seized drugs, including methlyamphetamine, heroin and cocaine, banned weapons, cash, child pornography and stolen vehicles. They also found a large amount of gold "suspected of having been stolen". "The success of this operation is attributable to the high level of cooperation between jurisdictions and information received from members of the public," Detective Superintendent Des Bray of the Crime Gangs Task Force in South Australia said. Thirteen people were charged with 32 offences in Western Australia. Queensland police charged three men and a woman following raids in Mount Isa, Townsville, Rockhampton, Moura and Gladstone. In Canberra, three men were charged, two aged 24 and another aged 33. South Australian police on Thursday night said they wouldn't confirm they'd arrested seven people. The arrests in the ACT come a week after a man accused of shooting dead a senior Rebels member pleaded not guilty to his murder. Russell Field, 20, is facing two counts of murder following the double shooting of senior Rebels member Richard Roberts and his associate Gregory Carrigan in March. The bodies were found at a residence in Canberra's south, one in front of the home and the other in the backyard. Earlier this week, NSW police said more than 50 outlaw motorcycle gang members had been arrested since they formed Strike Force Raptor following a deadly brawl at Sydney Airport between the Hells Angels and Comanchero gangs. Raptor targets the illegal activities of gangs and aims to prevent violence by bikie members. "This is on the ground, in your face policing," NSW Police Minister Tony Kelly said on Tuesday.

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leader of the city's most violent gang Stanley Brazil was convicted of drug trafficking

crackdown on Saginaw's gang problem continued Friday with the sentencing of the man the federal government says is the leader of the city's most violent gang.
Stanley Brazil was convicted of drug trafficking last year. He says he was railroaded. The reason law enforcement agencies wanted the reputed Sunnyside gang members charged in federal court was in order to get tough prison sentences.
That's what Brazil got.He walked out of the federal courthouse in Bay City after being sentenced to 380 months in prison, which is more than 31 years.A jury convicted him last September of drug trafficking.A Michigan State Police report was part of testimony during a state Senate hearing on gang violence,The report details how investigators believed Brazil was the kingpin of the Sunnyside gang, a gang law enforcement agencies believe is behind a lot of the gun violence in the city.
"I think that Mr. Brazil distributed kilos and kilos and kilos of crack cocaine and powder cocaine in Saginaw and ruined a lot of lives and created a lot of violence, frankly," said Assistant U.S. Attorney Barbara Tanase.
As Brazil left the courthouse, he proclaimed his innocence.
"(They) railroaded me," he said. "I'm innocent."Federal, state and local agencies nabbed Brazil and 30 other reputed Sunnyside members in an undercover operation that ran for two years.It was dubbed Operation Sunset, with the help of an associate of the gang."He's not in a witness relocation program, but he's in a safe spot," Tanase said.Brazil's conviction means 30 of the 31 alleged Sunnyside gang members who have been charged in federal court have ei been convicted and sentenced to prison.
John McKinney Sr. is awaiting trial."We have to continue," Tanase said. "It hasn't ended. There are other gangs out there and other groups we will have to go after."Brazil's attorney declined comment.Brazil is appealing his conviction.

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Christopher Wiggins, 42, pleaded guilty to possession with intent to supply cocaine from South America believed to be worth more than 650 million euro

Christopher Wiggins, 42, pleaded guilty to possession with intent to supply cocaine from South America believed to be worth more than 650 million euro (£580 million).
Wiggins, based in the Costa del Sol in Spain, pleaded guilty at a brief hearing in Cork Circuit Criminal Court.
Wiggins, was detained after Irish navy, gardai and customs swooped on the 60ft ocean-going boat, Dances With Waves, 170 miles off the west Cork coast last November. Intelligence agencies had tracked the boat for two months across the Atlantic.

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Daniel Rendon-Herrera, known by the alias "Don Mario," was charged with conspiring to support the Autodefensas Unidas de Colombia

Daniel Rendon-Herrera, known by the alias "Don Mario," was charged with conspiring to support the Autodefensas Unidas de Colombia (AUC) rightist paramilitary group, which the U.S. State Department has designated a foreign terrorist organization. He also was charged with conspiring to import thousands of kilograms of cocaine into the United States.Acting U.S. Attorney Lev Dassin unsealed the grand jury indictment against Rendon-Herrera and five others on Tuesday. If convicted, Rendon-Herrera faces a maximum sentence of life in prison.The once-feared cocaine baron was captured last week, with authorities saying he was hiding under a palm tree in the jungles of northern Antioquia province. He is in custody in Colombia."The charges against Rendon-Herrera and his capture represent significant steps in the fight against the most dangerous narco-terrorist groups," Dassin said in a statement.Rebekah Carmichael, a spokeswoman for the U.S. Attorney's office in Manhattan, declined comment when asked if U.S. authorities had requested extradition.Colombian Defense Minster Juan Manuel Santos told reporters at the time of the arrest that Rendon-Herrera, who once offered his gunmen a $1,000 reward for each policeman they killed, is responsible for at least 3,000 murders.His ruthless style recalled that of Colombia's best-known drug baron, Pablo Escobar, who waged war against the state in the 1980s until he was gunned down by security forces on a Medellin rooftop in 1993.
Rendon-Herrera is the brother of a jailed paramilitary warlord known as "El Aleman," or "The German," a nickname he earned for his reputation of enforcing strict discipline among his troops.
Rendon-Herrera is accused of running cocaine trafficking in the area controlled by his brother in the 1990s, when right-wing paramilitaries battled leftist guerrillas for control of rural Colombia.The South American country, the world's largest cocaine producer, has become less violent under President Alvaro Uribe, who has used billions of dollars in U.S. military aid to battle the guerrillas and disarm the paramilitaries.Much of the cocaine is smuggled to the United States through Mexico, where thousands of people have been killed by Mexican cartels that have taken over from Colombian gangs as the dominant drug traffickers in the Americas.

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Benito Hernandez organization bought the narcotic along the Mexican border, transport it in vehicles to Williamson County and sell it

Benito Saucedo Hernandez bought the narcotic along the Mexican border, transport it in vehicles to Williamson County and sell it to local distributors, authorities said. U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration agent Greg Thrash said law enforcement officials had known of Hernandez's organization for several years, but Hernandez was skilled in surveillance and flew under the radar. That is, until Monday, when authorities caught up with him. "They all finally raise their head, and their head gets caught in the net," Thrash said. By Monday, federal and local law enforcement authorities had arrested Hernandez and 11 others in Taylor and Elgin. Eight of them, including Hernandez, were arrested Monday when officials simultaneously executed four narcotics search warrants. Officials also seized two guns, about a half a kilogram, or about a pound, of cocaine and approximately $20,000 during the searches, Thrash said. The arrests came after more than two years of investigation into cocaine distribution in the Taylor area, Thrash said. He said Hernandez was the leader and others arrested were either buying cocaine from him or helping him sell it.
"He was essentially a wholesaler," Thrash said. "The Benito Hernandez organization was quite significant. And it's extremely significant in a smaller town such as Taylor." Thrash did not have a dollar estimate of how much money officials think Hernandez was making. Hernandez and eight others were indicted in federal court April 7 on charges of conspiracy to distribute more than 5 kilograms of cocaine and possession of a controlled substance with intent to distribute, according to court documents. The first charge is punishable by up to 10 years in federal prison; the second charge is punishable by up to 20 years. Officials did not release the names of those who are indicted but not in custody.
In addition to Hernandez, the following people face federal charges: Arturo Garcia, 34, of Taylor; Pauline Gamboa, 34, of Leander; Gabriel Anthony Ross, 28, of Taylor; Ivan Navaro Almazon, 25, of Elgin; Willson Chealiang Ng, 37, of Austin; Slade Leighton Brockman, 28, of Granger; and Higinio Almazan, 26, of Elgin.
Also, Carmene Dominguez, 42, and Javri Euan, 17, both of Taylor, and Mario Almazan of Elgin were charged with possession of cocaine, a second-degree felony punishable by up to 20 years in prison. Eduardo Garcia, 19, of Taylor was charged with possession of marijuana, a Class B misdemeanor, punishable by up to 180 days in jail.

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Philip Doo, 52, and Christopher Wiggins, 42, pleaded guilty to possession with intent to supply of cocaine from South America

Philip Doo, 52, and Christopher Wiggins, 42, pleaded guilty to possession with intent to supply of cocaine from South America believed to be worth more than 650 million euro (£580 million).Doo, from Devon, and Wiggins, based in the Costa del Sol in Spain, pleaded guilty at a brief hearing in Cork Circuit Criminal Court.
The pair were detained after Irish navy, gardai and customs swooped on the 60ft ocean-going boat, Dances With Waves, 170 miles off the west Cork coast last November.Intelligence agencies had tracked the boat for two months across the Atlantic.A third man, David Mufford, of Torquay, Devon, is also accused of being involved in the smuggling operation and will be brought before the court on Monday to enter a plea.The two men spoke quietly in soft English accents as they entered their guilty pleas in the packed courtroom.Doo, of Higher Manor Road, Brixham, wore a dark sweatshirt and lowered his balding head. Wiggins, of Estepona, Malaga, wore a pair of glasses and dark checked shirt.The two drug smugglers showed no emotion as they were led away by prison guards.Judge Patrick J Moran remanded them in custody to be sentenced on May 8.

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Ian Maynard, 32, Kevin Anthony Campbell, 23, Mark Anthony Holmes, 22, and Paul Matthew Burke, 23,convicted

Ian Maynard, 32, Kevin Anthony Campbell, 23, Mark Anthony Holmes, 22, and Paul Matthew Burke, 23, All four admitted conspiring to supply Class A, B and C drugs – cocaine, amphetamine and cannabis – at Teesside Crown Court yesterday. More than £300,000 worth of drugs, along with a steel press, a sawn-off shotgun and cartridges, kilos of bulking agents and drugs paraphernalia were seized in Middlesbrough and Guisborough. The haul came from a drugs factory set up in Campbell’s Guisborough flat, three shipping containers and a car. The seized drugs had an estimated street value of between £500,000 and £840,000. Campbell also pleaded guilty to possession of an illegal firearm.

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Joan Polanco, 23, of 261 Riverdale Ave. in Yonkers and Juan Santos, 35, of 934 Ogden Ave. in the Bronx, were arrested.

Joan Polanco, 23, of 261 Riverdale Ave. in Yonkers and Juan Santos, 35, of 934 Ogden Ave. in the Bronx, were arrested.traffic stop on Riverdale Avenue last night led members of the Yonkers Street Crime Unit to an apartment with $37,000 worth of heroin, police said.Police recovered 2,450 glassine envelopes of heroin, $7,000 in cash, and drug packaging material, police said.Police gave this account:Officers Christopher Hutter and Richard Devito stopped a car at 9:25 p.m. in front of 435 Riverdale Ave. after the driver failed to signal for a turn, police said.Inside the car the officers spotted glassine envelopes of heroin on the floor.
The officers obtained a search warrant for Polanco's Riverdale Avenue. Members of the Street Crime Unit and Narcotics Unit executed the search warrant on Polanco's home last night and found the majority of the heroin confiscated as well as the drug paraphernalia and money.Polanco is charged with second- and third-degree criminal possession of a controlled substance, felonies, and seventh-degree criminal possession of a controlled substance, a misdemeanor.Santos was charged with seventh-degree criminal possession of a controlled substance, a misdemeanor.

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30 bikers fought inside a terminal building in January 2008

30 bikers fought inside a terminal building in January 2008, Birmingham Crown Court was told. The prosecution said onlookers were left frightened and distressed following the battle between members of the Hells Angels and Outlaws gangs. Twelve men deny charges of riot and an alternative charge of violent disorder.
Timothy Raggatt QC said the weapons were recovered after the violence during the evening of 20 January. He told the court the two groups had a long-standing rivalry. "In the course of what happened, a variety or, in some cases quite alarming, weapons were used. "There were knives produced, there was certainly a machete produced and there were various blunt instruments," he said. He said a number of people involved were injured, although no members of the public were hurt. Seven of the men on trial are Outlaw members. The other five are known to be Hells Angels.
Mark Larner, 47, of Upper Gornal, West Midlands, Maurice Ison, 52, address withheld, Paul Arlett, 35, of Cradley Heath, Kevin Timmins, 28, of Sedgley, Robert Haywood, 46, address withheld, Mark Price, 50, of Nuneaton, Warwickshire, Sean Timmins, 38, of Coven, Staffordshire, Leornard Hawthorne, 52, of Wolverhampton, Mark Moseley, 45, of Yardley, Birmingham, Jeremy Ball, 46, address withheld, Marc Wilden, 44, from Coventry and Neale Harrison, 46, of Bell Green, Coventry, deny the charges.

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Wanted for alleged document forgery, fraud and identity theft.

Arrested a 64-year-old man from Potenza (Italy) who was living in Marbella. Wanted for alleged document forgery, fraud and identity theft.

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Domenyk Noonan transfered into hospital from Frankland Prison

Domenyk Noonan transfered into hospital from Frankland Prison in Durham last week because of problems with his pancreas.
In September last year he was rushed to hospital after collapsing in his cell with the same illness. Friends say he is a sick man who has lost more than six stone in less than six months and has a cyst on his pancreas which requires surgery.
Noonan, whose brother Desmond was stabbed to death on a Chorlton housing estate in 2005, was jailed for nine-and-a-half years in the same year after a gun and ammunition were found in his car. The gangster - who changed his surname to Lattlay-Fottfoy - is a category A prisoner which means he is among the highest-risk, most closely guarded prisoners.In 1993, while on remand accused of having a dangerous dog, Noonan escaped from custody when being transported by taxi from Manchester Crown Court to Preston jail.
In an attempt to disguise the escape as a kidnap, Noonan was sprung by two masked men who threatened prison guards with a gun when the taxi stopped at traffic lights in Salford. He also rang the Manchester Evening News saying he had been abducted by captors demanding payment of a £50,000 debt.But following a police investigation it was revealed the 'abduction' had been staged and that Noonan had arranged the escape so that he could take part in a £1.5m robbery.Close friends and ex-girlfriend Debbie Roberts say that on both occasions Noonan was taken to hospital the prison failed to inform them or tell them his condition despite numerous calls and letters.They said the gangster is now seeking legal advice with a view to suing the Prison Service over claims there was a delay in getting him to hospital. Debbie said that on the first occasion he was taken to hospital she had asked the resident priest to visit him and let his family know how he was, but the priest was denied access and nursing staff said they could not pass on any information about his condition over the telephone.She said relatives had only discovered he was in hospital through lawyers who had been told by prison staff they would have a wasted trip if they went to the jail for a pre-planned visit. She said: "I wrote to the governor of the prison to ask why they had not informed me when he had been taken to hospital and they wrote back saying they were not obliged to unless it was life threatening."I went to see him a week ago before he was taken into hospital again. He had lost about six stone and looked so ill that if I could have taken him to A&E myself there and then I would have done."

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Axel Danilo Ramirez Espinoza, known as “El Smiley” and the reputed leader of the Mara 18 gang

Axel Danilo Ramirez Espinoza, known as “El Smiley” and the reputed leader of the Mara 18 gang, was arrested after a gunfight that left another suspected criminal dead, deputy police director Rember Larios said.The 22-year-old Ramirez was identified publicly last month by Interior Minister Salvador Gandara as the person behind this year’s wave of killings of bus drivers who resisted the extortion.Eighty-five drivers were murdered last year, more than double the 37 slain in 2007, according to police statistics, while the 2009 toll is already nearing 100, including drivers, drivers’ assistants, passengers, mechanics and even a government inspector.
More than 1 million people in greater Guatemala City depend on buses to get around.The unidentified gang member killed in the shootout with police was one of Ramirez’s bodyguards, Larios said.Police are looking for three other suspects who managed to get away.Officers found two automatic pistols, ammunition, two grenades, drugs and “documentary evidence” linking the gang leader to the extortion racket, Larios said.Ramirez’s arrest was “a small achievement” by the security forces,” Interior Minister Gandara said, adding that the suspect’s capture was made possible by intelligence work and the cooperation of citizens.The gang leader, for his part, said he had nothing to do with the extortion rackets and killings of drivers, but he acknowledged involvement in the deaths of several members of the rival Mara Salvatrucha gang.Ramirez was sentenced to five years in prison for his role in the August 2005 slayings of two underage Salvatrucha members, but he was released last December for good behavior.Since then, Ramirez managed to regain the leadership of the Mara 18 in the western section of the capital, overseeing extortion rackets and ordering the killings of drivers.Earlier this month, the government said it planned to spend about $35 million in 2009-2011 to install a new payment system on Guatemala’s public buses that officials hope will prevent robberies and extortion of drivers.Under the new system, riders will no longer pay their fares in cash, instead purchasing cards that can be used to travel on the buses.The new system, which will require that the nearly 3,000 buses operating in the capital be equipped with machines to read the cards, is expected to start operating in six months.Street gangs are blamed for much of the violence plaguing this Central American nation.
The Mara Salvatrucha, one of several gangs operating in Guatemala, is a particularly violent criminal organization that evolved on the streets of Los Angeles during the 1980s.Most of the gang’s members were young Salvadorans whose parents fled their nation’s civil war for the United States.Because many of the gang members were born in El Salvador, they were subject to deportation when rounded up during crackdowns in California in the 1990s.Sent back “home” to a land they barely knew, they formed gangs in San Salvador that spread throughout the small nation and to neighboring countries in Central America, where membership is now counted in the tens, or even hundreds of thousands, and gang members are engaged in murder, drug dealing, kidnapping and people smuggling.

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‘Robin de los Bancos’, was arrested in Barcelona University

‘Robin de los Bancos’, was arrested in Barcelona University after reappearing yesterday saying the money he had obtained had gone to produce a new free newspaper which proposes his own ‘post-capitalist’ plan to overcome the crisis, and includes a guide on how not to pay your mortgage. He said he had spent the previous six months in exile outside Spain but had come back as ‘our future is at stake’. The police claimed last October that 18 banks had presented denuncias against him, while he claimed that only four had done so and those cases had been archived. Despite that claim he was arrested yesterday.

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Jihad Murad, 23, was arrested on Tuesday afternoon during a raid

Jihad Murad, 23, was arrested on Tuesday afternoon during a raid on his Prospect home, in western Sydney, over the fight early on Sunday morning.The brawl allegedly began after Murad was refused entry to Kings Cross' Vegas Hotel.Murad, whom detectives allege is a member of the Notorious outlaw motorcycle gang, was later charged with affray.Magistrate Vivien Swain granted Murad bail during an appearance at Blacktown Local Court on Wednesday, on condition he report to police daily, stay away from Kings Cross, and not approach or contact any employee of the Vegas Hotel.He is due to reappear at Blacktown Local Court on April 21.Murad is the latest arrest by Strike Force Raptor, set up after a fatal bikie brawl at Sydney airport last month.More than 20 bikie gang members have been arrested and charged over various drugs, weapons and assault charges in the past three weeks.

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Drug dealer associated with murdered crime figure Sean Cloherty remained in custody

Drug dealer associated with murdered crime figure Sean Cloherty remained in custody today over a €900,000 drugs seizure in north Dublin.The man (35) is believed to be a key player in a drugs gang supplying heroin and cocaine on Dublin's south quays and north inner city. A garda operation which saw heroin and cocaine seized in Santry and Balbriggan last Monday is the second major blow to the man's gang in the past eight months. The outfit is run from a base in the Sean McDermott Street area of the north inner city.
Members of the gang are suspected of shooting their former associate Cloherty last November in an internal row that followed the seizure of €323,000 of drugs in Balbriggan last August. Mr Cloherty had been arrested by gardai over that seizure. Officers from Pearse Street, who made the seizure on Easter Monday, have targeted the gang for the past two years, and had arrested Mr Cloherty in 2007 as part of an operation then. They also carried out the Balbriggan seizure last August. The gang are suspected of supplying drugs to users on the north and south quays, and also have sold to drug addicts in treatment at inner-city clinics.
They operate from a base in Santry and a separate distribution address in the north inner city, gardai believe. This week's seizure was made after gardai, acting on a tip off, mounted a surveillance operation at an underground car park in Santry. They swooped and arrested one of the men as he opened the door of a car, which was later found to contain the heroin. Officers seized the drugs, the car, and three other vehicles that they suspect the man of using. The vehicles have undergone forensic examination and will be held pending the outcome of the investigation. Gardai believe that the vehicles were being used to transport the drugs into the city centre for distribution there.

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Daniel Rendon Herrera, alias "Don Mario", was surrounded and arrested in the jungles of northern Antioquia province

Daniel Rendon Herrera, alias "Don Mario", was surrounded and arrested in the jungles of northern Antioquia province, from where his gang smuggled tonnes of cocaine from the Caribbean coast toward the United States, officials said.As authorities closed in on his smuggling operation earlier this year, Rendon Herrera offered his gunmen $1,000 for every officer they murdered.Rendon Herrera has been charged by U.S. authorities, a spokesman for the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration said in Washington. The spokesman was unable to say when or whether his extradition would be sought by the United States.Rendon Herrera belonged to one of the paramilitary groups that began demobilizing after a 2003 peace deal with the government, but he refused to confess his crimes as required under the accord and went into hiding.

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The new ‘Costa del Crime’.Russel Ruble has just been returned to America by the FBI to stand trial for a theft of over $320,000 from his relatives.

In the last few months there has been much written about foreign fugitives who have sometimes lived here for many years without detection. We have had an Englishman John Darwin who faked his own death at sea in a canoe while his wife Anne collected thousands of pounds in life insurance and moved here.
The only reason he got caught was because he was stupid enough to pose for a picture for a real estate company.
In the last couple of weeks The Panama Star reported the case of David Matusiewicz and his mother abducting his three children and living happily in Cerro Azul in a $175,000 property. He also forged his ex-wife’s name to obtain a home equity loan; he even had the audacity to sell an optometry business.
All this netted him in excess of a million dollars. Another fugitive Russel Ruble has just been returned to America by the FBI to stand trial for a theft of over $320,000 from his relatives.
So why do they choose Panama? I know the North Americans treat Panama as their playground where they can do things here they could never do in their home countries. Some of them maybe were ex-military and remembered the good old times and wanted to revisit with some nostalgia.
But, I do not understand why Europeans choose to come here. When during my rare visit to England, I have told locals in pubs that I live in Panama, the educated ones might know that is where the canal is. Others do not even know what part of the world we are in.
Most of the criminals who are up to no good in the U.K. tend to go to ‘Costa del Sol’ (nicknamed ‘Costa del Crime’) in the south of Spain. Mainly due to the climate and cheaper way of life but probably more importantly only a two hour flight from their homeland, unlike Panama which is eleven hours flying time--not including the wait at the airports.
Now we live in an electronic global age where anybody can sit at a keyboard and find out information about anywhere in the world. Is it possible that all the promotion from the tourist sector is actually partly responsible for the influx of criminality? Cruise ships now come here, and the tourist industry is thriving generating over $2.2 billion.
Are we sure we can control this new thriving business?
Dare I say that immigration is not doing their job. When I applied for my cedula I had a barrage of paperwork to fill out and I quite clearly remember one of those documents was a crime report stating that I did not have a criminal record from my homeland.
Why were these individuals not flagged when this document was completed?
Panama is a country with an abundance of laws. The main problem is these laws are never implemented. It could be the lack of resources or is it that the government does not have the will or skill to enforce the laws of the land?
Alternatively were all of these aforementioned individuals here illegally by overstaying their tourist visas? I somehow doubt it.
Unless someone in authority gets a grip on the crime wave, which includes trafficking narcotics and gang wars which now envelop this beautiful country, it is going to turn into another ‘Costa del Crime’.

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Popular dance hall entertainer Ninja Man was arrested last month in connection with the fatal shooting of Ricardo Johnson, 20,

Popular dance hall entertainer Ninja Man was again remanded when he appeared before the Half-Way Tree Gun Court in St. Andrew Tuesday morning to answer to murder charges. The entertainer, whose given name is Desmond Balentine, is to return on May 7 when his attorneys are expected to make another application for bail.He was arrested last month in connection with the fatal shooting of Ricardo Johnson, 20, also known as “Ricky Trooper”.The police say on the March 17, Ninja Man and a group of men went to a section of Marl Road in Olympic Gardens, Sr. Andrew where they were involved in a dispute with a man.The men reportedly fired shots at the man, however, the bullets missed and hit Mr. Johnson.After his death, the police issued a bulletin for Ninja Man to turn himself in for questioning.A day later, the entertainer went to the police accompanied by his lawyer. He was questioned and later charged with murder.And the police are continuing their search for four other suspects said to be involved in the shooting death of Mr. Johnson.
They include Ninja Man’s teenage son.

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Jamaliah Yacab, 24, and Maryati Sipon, 27, faced a capital charge as the amount of heroin came to 16.53g.

Jamaliah Yacab, 24, and Maryati Sipon, 27, faced a capital charge as the amount of heroin came to 16.53g. FOR $300 each, two women risked their lives to help smuggle in 2.5kg of heroin-laced powder. The prosecution amended the charge to trafficking at least 14.99g of heroin and they pleaded guilty on Monday. The court was not told why the amount of heroin was reduced. Anyone convicted of trafficking in more than 15g of heroin is hanged. Deputy Public Prosecutor Ng Cheng Thiam told the High Court that the heroin was hidden in a box of detergent among other household items brought in through the Woodlands Checkpoint by Jamaliah, a Malaysian, at 5.30pm on Dec 31, 2007. While Jamaliah carried the drugs, Maryati, a Singaporean, was the money mule.
According to court documents, a ringleader met Maryati at a coffee shop near the Lavender MRT station early that day. He allegedly handed her $30,500 and instructed her to convert it into Malaysian ringgit and to give it to a man, known only as Boy Cino, in Johor Baru (JB). For this task, she received $300. She handed the RM69,690 to Boy Cino at about noon at a taxi stand at City Square in JB. She then returned to Singapore. Two hours later, Boy Cino arranged for Jamaliah to meet him in JB. He gave her RM400 and the plastic bags containing detergent and other items. When she delivered these to 42-year-old Kharul Anwar Zaini that evening, she got another $50. The women, who will be sentenced in two weeks time, face a minimum jail term of 20 years. The maximum is a life sentence. They are spared the mandatory 15 strokes of the cane.

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Milan, Paris, London and other larger European cities are ‘no go areas’, where personal security cannot be guaranteed and street crime is rife.

Milan, Paris, London and other larger European cities are ‘no go areas’, where personal security cannot be guaranteed and street crime is rife. To enter a residential building in Moscow, you need an access code. By the time you reach the apartment, you are likely to pass through three more doors all designed to keep out unwanted visitors and criminals. Some buildings even have security and video surveillance. But it seems that Belgrade has been largely spared. Darko Senic, Head of the Criminal Department of the Belgrade police says that Belgrade was ranked among the safest cities in terms of reported crime at a recent meeting of European police forces. Local media do report cases of murder and robbery, but such incidents are usually committed within criminal groups or are family-related. It is very rare to hear of a case in which a passer-by or tourist was attacked. What’s more, in Belgrade, the ‘bad guys’ are much more likely to be caught than in other European cities – the Belgrade police’s clear-up rate of 60 per cent compares favourably with other big cities. In London, for example, just 17 per cent of cases are solved. Belgrade is a transit hub for the region; crime and criminals spill in from the surrounding area to augment local criminal gangs. However, police cooperation with authorities from those countries is improving every year to meet the challenge. The Ministry of Internal Affairs contributes greatly to Interpol’s work via communication officers and also works bilaterally with neighbouring police forces, Senic stated.Most crime in Belgrade is petty and property-related. Of the 2,206 robberies recorded in the last year, most of them were related to theft from stores and businesses, and 40 per cent of those were solved. What worries the authorities is the rise of juvenile delinquency, serious crime and murder, particularly gangland killings which, from time to time, are particularly gruesome. In one recent case, the severed head of a young man was found on Boulevar Aleksander, and his body in Karadjordje Park.
Senic explained that 60 per cent of murders originate from rivalry between drugs gangs. Last year, Belgrade police broke up no less than eleven criminal gangs dealing in narcotics. Another criminal group from Romania and Bulgaria were apprehended, suspected of the misuse and falsification of credit cards on a massive scale. Car theft is on the decline but, these days, insurance fraud associated with it is on the rise. Senic estimates that, out of every seven cars reported stolen, one is falsely reported missing as part of an insurance claim fraud.

Visitors are, if anything, even safer in the city than their Serbian hosts. Serbians, as a whole, are regarded as being hospitable and are renowned for their friendly – if somewhat conservative – attitude towards people from abroad. This trait is becoming even more obvious these days, as broken personal and business connections with people in neighbouring countries are being re-established.

However, it is still not recommended to stand out when it comes to religious and sexual orientation or personal appearance – ideological logos and sport-related emblems, in particular, are best avoided – as these can lead to unpleasant situations and insults from those who do not share the same stance. Such responses can be easily seen when soccer and other sports games take place in the city, and the presence of security forces is boosted accordingly, especially when foreign clubs come to Belgrade.

“[Last] summer, the police put in place special measures in order to heighten security for travelling foreigners. There have been no assaults on foreigners since the beginning of 2009,” explained Senic.

Speaking to people on the streets of the city, Balkan Insight found that both Belgraders and foreigners believe it to be a safe place, especially when compared to other European cities. With normal, sensible precautions, citizens from anywhere in the world should be out of harm's way. Milan, 28, from Belgrade said that, if foreigners “associate with the right people, they will be safe,” whilst Eluda, 31, from Zambia told us that she feels safe at night, although she always makes sure to stay away from dark alleys.
On the other hand, Diana from Kraljava complained that the police are “usually not where they need to be,” and that racism can be a problem, especially for people from neighbouring states.
Everyone we spoke to said that they hear and read about street crime through the media, although none of them had been a victim of, or witnessed, such an incident.Foreigners are advised to stay out of risky situations, but also to remain worry-free, as it is most likely that nothing bad will happen while they are in Belgrade and Serbia,” said Senic.This can only be a good thing for the hordes of people – both tourists and locals – drawn out onto the streets of Belgrade as the temperatures rise, the cafes spill out into Knez Mihajlova and the splavs throw open their doors to the crowds along the river, all enticing them to enjoy warm, fun and safe evenings in Belgrade.

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Saudi judge named Hamad Salim bin Naif had been arrested in the Gulf emirate on charges of possessing and using drugs.

Saudi judge named Hamad Salim bin Naif, who served as head of an Islamic court, had been arrested in the Gulf emirate on charges of possessing and using drugs.The ministry, in its first official reaction to the report, said that "none of the judges affiliated to the justice ministry has the name mentioned in this report”.
"The ministry stated that it has no information about the report published in the Emirati newspaper Khaleej Times and quoted by Agence France Presse and then Internet sites about the Dubai police's arrest of a Saudi judge," the official SPA news agency said.According to the English-language Khaleej Times, the suspect confessed that he and his wife take drugs and said he brought the confiscated hashish from Saudi Arabia for their personal use.
Sharia courts in Saudi Arabia impose tough penalties for drug-related charges, and drug trafficking is punishable by death in the ultra-conservative kingdom.The United Arab Emirates, of which Dubai is a member, also imposes severe penalties for all drug-related offences. Four years in prison is the usual sentence for possession while trafficking carries the death penalty.

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Two British men face jail terms of four years each after being arrested in the tourist hot-spot of Dubai for possessing small quantities of drugs

Two British men face jail terms of four years each after being arrested in the tourist hot-spot of Dubai for possessing small quantities of drugs, the 7Days newspaper reported on Tuesday. The unnamed men are in the twenties and were caught by customs officers at Dubai airport carrying Cocaine and Marijuana.Both men admitted to the charge of possessing illegal narcotics and will be sentenced later this month.

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Australian has been jailed for four years in the Gulf emirate of Dubai

Australian has been jailed for four years in the Gulf emirate of Dubai after being found with 0.55 grams (0.019 ounces) of cannabis and testing positive for the drug, a newspaper reported on Thursday.The 43-year-old, whose name was given only as S.A., was convicted of "possessing and consuming" cannabis. He was arrested at Dubai airport on January 14 after arriving from the Congo, the Khaleej Times daily said.In an unrelated incident, a 38-year-old German was arrested on Monday as he boarded a flight to Britain carrying four kilos of cocaine in his suitcase.The newspaper said the man had admitted he was given the drugs during a three-day trip to Dubai by an African man who told him to hand the package over to an accomplice when he arrived in Britain.The German, identified only as H.M., confessed during interviews that he had made several previous drug smuggling trips to the emirate, the newspaper added.
Dubai, one of the seven member states in the United Arab Emirates, is a popular tourist destination and imposes tough penalties for all drug-related offences.Four years is the usual sentence for possession while trafficking carries the death penalty.

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Ben Yussef Isaac, a tennis trainer was convicted by an Egyptian court for five years and a fine of 10,000 pounds ($2000) after he was arrested

Ben Yussef Isaac, a tennis trainer was convicted by an Egyptian court for five years and a fine of 10,000 pounds ($2000) after he was arrested at the Movenpick Resort Taba Hotel by hotel security personnel who discovered 500 grams of hashish in his bag."We routinely check foreign visitors and nationals who come here because incidents of smuggling are numerous," a security official, who did not disclose his name told AlArabiya.net.Taba, Egypt's busiest border crossing with Israel, is a major transit route for migrants, asylum-seekers and drug smugglers. The conviction is the latest in drug smuggling trend that plagues Egyptian/Israeli border crossings. "He told authorities the drug was for personal use, but the amount is too huge for personal use." Mukhtar Madi from the prosecutions department in Taba told AlArabiya.net. "It is definitely a case of drug trade." he added.Penalties for possession, trafficking or use of illegal drugs in Egypt are severe, and convicted offenders get long jail sentences and heavy fines while those in the drug industry could end up with capital punishment.

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Timothy Rutherford who worked as a civil contractor with British forces in southern Iraq was arrested last September while crossing into Kuwait

Timothy Rutherford British expat was sentenced to life in jail Sunday by Kuwait's criminal court after he was caught smuggling hashish and alcohol into the oil-rich emirate from neighboring Iraq in the latest case of drug trafficking that suggests a surge in abuse of illicit stimulants in the Arab world at large.Timothy Rutherford who worked as a civil contractor with British forces in southern Iraq was arrested last September while crossing into Kuwait with 49 kilos (108 pounds) of hashish, liquor and cash.
As a trade free zone Dubai is perhaps the busiest drug gateway in the GulfAlthough Sunday's verdict is not final and can be appealed, it is standard in a country where penalties for possession, use, or trafficking illegal drugs in Kuwait are severe, and convicted offenders can expect long jail sentences and heavy fines.In February 2009 three Americans were caught allegedly peddling marijuana in Kuwait City's downtown after using the military postal service to smuggle marijuana into the country.Three major drug raids in Dubai recently – all involving foreigners -- yielded a haul of 651,000 Captagon pills at the airport, and several kilograms of heroin intercepted by police and customs officers.

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Arrested Ricky John Perceval, a key Bikie leader, in south-west Sydney and recovered huge money and drug stash.

Arrested Ricky John Perceval, a key Bikie leader, in south-west Sydney and recovered huge money and drug stash. A horrific murder at Sydney Airport late last month stirred the police into action. A 29-year-old Anthony Zervas was bludgeoned to death by up to 20 men as travellers and families watched on in horror at Qantas's T3 terminal.The attack on March 22 was the latest chapter in an ongoing war between bikie gangs the Hells Angels and the Commancheros. While the man killed at the airport was from the Hells Angels, Perceval, now arrested following a tip-off from public, is said to belong to the Commancheros. Police from Strike Force Raptor, discovered $205,000 in cash, 450 grams of the drug 'ice', cocaine, cannabis, a Taser, seven registered guns, knives and ammunition during the raid.
Perceval, 49, was kept in custody overnight and charged with drug supply and possession offences, possessing a prohibited weapon and dealing with the proceeds of crime. He appeared in Parramatta Bail Court via video link this morning and did not apply for bail.
His lawyer, Alexander Reetov, said Perceval would apply for bail in Liverpool Local Court this Thursday. After the hearing, New South Wales Gangs Squad Commander Mal Lanyon said the methylamphetamine, or 'ice', seized was worth about $140,000. "In totality, it obviously shows that it was a large-scale operation," he said.

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Members of Notorious bikie gang attacked jailed Bandido Abdul Bagdadi

Five guards have been injured in a brawl between jailed bikies in Sydney's Parklea prison.News Limited reports members of Notorious bikie gang attacked jailed Bandido Abdul Bagdadi during a morning muster on Friday.One prison guard suffered a broken finger while others suffered cuts and bruises and required hospital treatment.News Limited reports the attack was premeditated .. with inmates using makeshift weapons including sharpened toothbrushes.Bagdadi knew he was going to be attacked and wore three layers of clothing as protection, he suffered only minor injuries.Last week up to 80 bikie inmates were transferred between Sydney jails in a bid to avoid the ongoing feuding.

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37 year old man to be given 6 years , after being arrested in his vehicle transporting nearly 300 grams of cocaine.

37 year old man to be given 6 years , after being arrested in his vehicle transporting nearly 300 grams of cocaine.According to the indictment, which has had access Efe, they have been watching him since March 21st, 2007 when the police set up a device to monitor the vehicle of the defendant, after learning that he was planning to travel to Almería to acquire a “significant amount of drugs. ”
After being observed during the outward journey to the border of the province of Almeria, the officers stopped the man around the town of Guadix and after registration of the car they found a bag containing 282.99 grams of cocaine on the illicit market which would have reached a value of 12,552 euros.The prosecution asked for the accused, who has been more than two months in custody for this reason, in addition to imprisonment, a fine of 38,000 euros. It is anticipated that the trial for these acts will be held on April 16th in the First Section of the Audiencia Provincial de Granada

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Rolondo Guzman, 36, pleaded not guilty to four counts of distribution of cocaine

Rolondo Guzman, 36, pleaded not guilty to four counts of distribution of cocaine, the day after Salem police arrested him following a two-week investigation.Police Detective William Jennings began investigating after getting a tip that two drug dealers, "Willie" and "Nick," had recently started doing business in the city, prosecutor Caleb Weiner said. An undercover officer arranged to meet "Nick" — later identified as Guzman — in a gas station parking lot on Boston Street on the night of March 31. The officer used marked money to purchase a small quantity of cocaine, about $40 worth. She made several other transactions with "Nick" and "Willie" on April 1 and April 3. The final deal was set up for April 8. That's when police moved in and arrested Guzman. They found three bags of cocaine in a Perry Ellis perfume bottle, some cash, which included the money used in the most recent transaction, and cell phones, including one with the number the officer had used to set up the drug deals. Police are still working to identify the second man. Weiner asked Salem District Court Judge Richard Mori to set bail at $25,000 cash, noting Guzman's ties to the Dominican Republic. Defense lawyer Ray Buso argued that Guzman has lived in the United States for 17 years and has a family here. He offered to surrender Guzman's Dominican passport. Buso pointed to Guzman's record, which includes prior arrests on charges including armed home invasion, but no convictions. Judge Richard Mori set bail at $5,000 cash, an amount that was posted immediately by Guzman's family.Guzman is due back in court on May 28.

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Dale Markle, 27, of Washington, was arrested on Thursday, April 9, and charged with possession of cocaine

Dale Markle, 27, of Washington, was arrested on Thursday, April 9, and charged with possession of cocaine after police found several vials of the drug in his car, which was parked at police headquarters. Markle had come to police headquarters at about 7:20 p.m. to turn himself in on a $145 warrant that originated out of Clinton Township, police said. While Markle was inside posting bail, Patrolman Matthew Murphy, who was just beginning his patrol shift, walked past a vehicle in the parking lot of police headquarters and observed a crack pipe clearly visible on top of the center console, police said. Patrolman Murphy soon determined that Markle had driven the vehicle to police headquarters.
A subsequent investigation produced five vials containing cocaine and cocaine residue inside of the vehicle, police said.Markle was also charged with possession of drug paraphernalia, being under the influence of cocaine and operating a motor vehicle while in possession of a controlled dangerous substance, police said. Bail was set at $5,000.When he was unable to post the necessary bail, Markle was transported to the Hunterdon County Jail. Patrolman David Formalarie assisted.

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Timothy Williams, 38, and Melinore Fair, 57, were arrested

Two Miami men were arrested after detectives say they seized more than 12 pounds of cocaine during a traffic stop.On Thursday at approximately 7:03 p.m., members of the Lee County Sheriff's Office Special Investigations Division conducted a traffic stop on a black Ford Taurus traveling on I-75 near mile marker 143/Bayshore Road. They say they pulled the vehicle over for traveling too closely behind another vehicle. Investigators say they made contact with the driver of the Taurus and observed several indicators of criminal activity.The Lee County Sheriff's Office K-9 Unit responded to assist with the investigation. Agency canine Sapper alerted detectives to the presence of narcotics inside the vehicle. They searched the suspect's vehicle and found a total of five kilos of cocaine, worth an estimated street value of $150,000, concealed under a rear seat. Deputies say each kilo was packaged in the shape of a brick, wrapped in black electrical tape. Combined, the five packages weighed a total of 12.6 pounds.Timothy Williams, 38, and Melinore Fair, 57, were arrested.Both subjects were transported to the Lee County Jail. Due to the large of narcotics present in the vehicle, the Fort Myers Drug Enforcement Agency assumed the investigation and is charging both suspects with federal drug charges.

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charged Phillip L. Brewer, 27, and Christopher D. Brewer with possession with intent to distribute cocaine

charged Phillip L. Brewer, 27, of the 22000 block of Coverdale Road near Bridgeville, and Christopher D. Brewer, 22, of Webbs Lane in Dover, with possession with intent to distribute cocaine and marijuana, possession with intent to distribute prescription pills, maintaining a dwelling for drug sales and possession of drug paraphernalia.
Phillip Brewer was also charged with trafficking cocaine and manufacturing cocaine.He was committed to the Sussex Correctional Institution in lieu of $482,000 cash only bail.Christopher Brewer, who was additionally charged with resisting arrest, is jailed after failing to post bail of $10,500 cash.State police spokesman Sgt. Joshua Bushweller said troopers raided Phillip Brewer’s Coverdale Road home Thursday night and seized 225 grams of a cocaine mixture that was being processed into crack cocaine in his kitchen.Detectives also seized 4.1 grams of crack cocaine in his front pocket, Bushweller said.Found in the residence were 20 Hydrocodone pills, 45 Xanax pills, 14 prescription Tylenol pills, ammunition of a .380 caliber and 9mm handguns, 18 grams of marijuana and $522 in suspected drug money.
At the time of the raid, Brewer’s cousin Christopher was inside the residence.

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George Clifford Mims,life in prison with no chance of parole, plus 50 years

A Sacramento judge today sentenced a career criminal with a street gang history to life in prison with no chance of parole, plus 50 years, for last year's murder of a man in Meadowview.George Clifford Mims, 41, received the term from Superior Court Judge Timothy M. Frawley for the Sept. 1 shooting death of Floyd Deshawn Wormley, 33, outside a home on 69th Avenue where a group of people had gathered at 4 o'clock in the morning.According to Mims' probation report, the defendant was sitting in his car when he made a remark to a woman that offended Wormley.The report said that Wormley then told Mims, "Don't disrespect my wife like that." Mims responded by shooting Wormley to death, according to the report.
Mims, a one-time reputed member of the 29th Street Crips street gang, has previous convictions for assault with a deadly weapon, being an ex-convict with a gun, driving under the influence and felony evasion.

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Eric Charles Sanford, 21, faces up to 10 years in prison

Eric Charles Sanford, 21, faces up to 10 years in prison on the charge, which was supported by video posted online showing him holding a pistol. In a statement, a U.S. Attorney's Office spokeswoman said Sanford was arrested following a Nov. 15 traffic stop. Officers examining his car spotted a gun on the seat where he'd been sitting. An alleged member of the Deuce 8 street gang, Sanford had been convicted seven months earlier on a felony cocaine possession charge. That felony conviction bars him from possessing a firearm.Online, Sanford referred to himself as "the general."
In a story on Sanford published in January, former Seattle P-I reporter Claudia Rowe was told that the young man often hung out directly across the street from Garfield High School. Ted Howard, principal of the school, said he'd seen a student rush to shake Sanfords hand "like he'd won the lottery."At the time the Rowe's piece ran, Sanford's defense attorney asserted his client was "being tarred for his associations."Sanford faces a maximum 10-year prison term.

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family clan responsible for dozens of burglaries in Elche have been arrested

Eight members of a gang responsible for dozens of burglaries in Elche have been arrested in an operation by National Police.The Interior Ministry described them as a family clan and said in a press release that one was also wanted for attempted rape. Seven of the suspects are Spanish, while the eighth person in custody, a Moroccan man, was responsible for selling on the stolen items. More than 60 robberies are noted, many of them in outlying areas.
The operation was carried out in two phases and seized a number of firearms and two vehicles.

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Comanchero City Crew president, Mahmoud "Mick" Hawi, yesterday said the level of violence in the airport attack was "extreme".

Comanchero City Crew president, Mahmoud "Mick" Hawi, yesterday said the level of violence in the airport attack was "extreme". About 150 statements have been made to police from people who witnessed the incident, the court was told.One witness on the aircraft that was carrying some of the bikies allegedly involved described watching Hawi make a gesture to the Hells Angels Sydney Chapter president, Derek Wainohu, who was seated several rows ahead of him."[A] witness observed [Hawi] call out something to Derek Wainohu," the document stated."[They] observed Wainohu turn around and [Hawi] then put his left hand up to his face and pull the skin under his eye down slightly with his finger to reveal the pink of his eye … He then pointed to his eyeball with another finger on the same hand."The document also stated Hawi held a man on the ground while another man kicked the pinned person. Hawi will now apply for bail on Thursday week. He will remain on remand until then.

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Comanchero member was arrested at his Hurstville home last night and charged with supplying a commercial quantity of cocaine

Comanchero member was arrested at his Hurstville home last night and charged with supplying a commercial quantity of cocaine. He will face Sutherland Local Court today.Police also uncovered an amphetamine factory in a Batemans Bay house that was allegedly linked to the Rebels. Three people, two men and a woman, were arrested at the house and were being questioned.Simultaneous raids were also carried out on homes and businesses in Taren Point, Sutherland, Arncliffe, Oatley, Hurlstone Park, Dulwich Hill and Leppington in a search for drugs and firearms. The Taren Point raid was on the Cronulla Chapter of the Rebels club while the Sutherland raid was on a tattoo shop, police said.As investigations into a fatal brawl at Sydney Airport continued, the Hells Angel member who was shot eight times in an assassination attempt has walked out of hospital after only a week and waved away police offers of protection.Peter Zervas, 35, left St George Public Hospital on Monday night, only days after being operated on for bullet wounds to his right shoulder, torso, hip and foot. He still has several bullets inside him.Detectives investigating the death of his brother, Anthony Zervas, during the brawl at Sydney Airport last month spoke to him during his hospital stay, but he is understood to have consistently refused to give a statement about the shooting.

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Armed police arrested six people to break up what they said was a cocaine and amphetamine syndicate linked to the Comanchero and Rebels bikie

Armed police arrested six people to break up what they said was a cocaine and amphetamine syndicate linked to the Comanchero and Rebels bikie clubs. Eight properties in Sydney and the South Coast, including the Taren Point clubhouse of the Rebels Cronulla chapter, were raided simultaneously.Two men linked to the Rebels, aged 22 and 23, were arrested at a St Peters McDonald's. Police allegedly found a large amount of drugs and charged the men with supplying a commercial quantity of drugs.Both men will face Newtown Local Court today.

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Jayme Russell alleged leader of the local chapter of the Independent Soldiers is expected to return to a Kamloops courtroom

alleged leader of the local chapter of the Independent Soldiers is expected to return to a Kamloops courtroom today to be sentenced after he was convicted earlier this year of drug trafficking.Jayme Russell’s sentencing comes days after another high-ranking Independent Soldier — Kelowna resident Donald Lyons — was handed more than eight years in prison for his part in another drug-trafficking ring.On Jan. 20, a judge found Russell, 27, guilty of conspiring to sell a kilogram of cocaine to a pair of undercover Mounties in 2007.At trial, the man Kamloops RCMP have called the leader of the local cell of the Independent Soldiers said he had no idea where to get drugs, and was joking when he agreed to sell a kilogram for $35,000.B.C. Supreme Court Justice Robert Powers called Russell’s story “simply incredible” and refused to accept his evidence.Lyons, 36, pleaded guilty in Winnipeg Friday to trafficking cocaine to undercover cops in a separate investigation, and was sentenced to eight-and-a-half years in prison.
Lawyers there have said the Independent Soldiers are connected with the Hells Angels in B.C., citing wire-tapped phone calls in which a high-ranking Hells Angels member in Kelowna said the two gangs “look after” each other.Lester Jones, the vice-president of the Kelowna Hells Angels chapter, was close friends with Lyons, and was sentenced last summer to 10 years in jail for his part in the dope-dealing scheme.
Russell had been free on bail since last spring, when attempted murder charges against him were stayed after witnesses refused to testify against him and he was released from custody.However, he was arrested March 10 at the conclusion of another undercover RCMP investigation and is now facing four new charges — three counts of trafficking in a controlled substance and a lone possession for the purpose of trafficking charge.At a press conference the following day, Kamloops Mounties said they seized three kilograms of cocaine, a loaded handgun, body armour, three vehicles and thousands of dollars in cash in connection with the sting.Russell is not expected to seek bail.

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Five members or associates of the Gypsy Jokers were arrested and charged with various offences.

Five members or associates of the Gypsy Jokers were arrested and charged with various offences.A 34-year-old club member was charged with 13 offences including illegally possessing a firearm, possessing prohibited weapons and possessing equipment to make amphetamines.The 34-year-old was charged following the discovery of a locked trunk at Peterborough in the state's mid-north which contained an arsenal of weapons including pistols, sawn-off shotguns, rifles, swords, other knives, ammunition and recipes for making bombs, police said.A separate raid at Carpenter Rocks in the state's southeast resulted in a 51-year-old man being charged with drugs offences after a search of his house discovered 11 pounds of cannabis and another 12 cannabis plants growing hydroponically.

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Ernie Dew was arrested in February 2006 after being double-crossed by Atanasovic, who agreed to infiltrate the outlaw motorcycle gang

Ernie Dew appeared before the Court of Appeal today, seeking a new trial based on alleged errors made by the judge last year. If he loses that argument, Dew wants his 13-year prison sentence reduced on the grounds it is harsh and excessive.The province’s highest court has reserved its decision.Dew, 49, was caught in an elaborate undercover sting operation doing four separate kilogram-level cocaine deals with his former friend turned police agent Franco Atanasovic. They were captured on audio and video surveillance.
Dew had asked for a sentence between seven and eight years. He also agreed to serve an additional year behind bars if he doesn't pay a $31,000 fine and will forfeit his home in St. Andrews, where some of the drug deals went downDew was arrested in February 2006 after being double-crossed by Atanasovic, who agreed to infiltrate the outlaw motorcycle gang and work undercover as a police agent. Police arrested a dozen other targets as part of "Project Defence."

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President of the Santa Barbara Hells Angels pleaded not guilty Wednesday to allegations that he brandished a firearm at a motorcyclist

President of the Santa Barbara Hells Angels pleaded not guilty Wednesday to allegations that he brandished a firearm at a motorcyclist in the Ojai Valley in January.Archie Schaffer, who is out of jail on $160,000 bail, is charged with making criminal threats, street terrorism, reckless driving and committing a crime for the benefit of the Hells Angels. He is also accused of using a firearm in the commission of a crime.Investigators say Schaffer, 35, was in a pickup truck heading north on Highway 33 at Casitas Springs on Jan. 17, when he began tailgating a group of motorcyclists. He allegedly forced one motorcycle into oncoming traffic and brandished a firearm at two other motorcyclists, according to investigators.He was arrested Jan. 30.Ventura County Superior Court Judge Bruce Young set a preliminary hearing for April 21.“These allegations against Archie are preposterous,” Schaffer’s lawyer, Anthony Zinnanti of Santa Clarita, said in an interview.He told the judge that he wants a hearing because he plans to file a legal petition asking a judge to stop the Ventura County Sheriff’s Department from conducting a series of searches at his client’s house in Ojai, including pointing guns at young children, the attorney said.Outside the courtroom, Zinnanti accused sheriff’s deputies of misconduct by knocking down doors, frightening the family, destroying property and what he called “trophy taking” during four searches that were conducted in April 2008, twice in January and once in March.Schaffer’s father, Archie Schaffer Sr., said the children and a baby sitter were in the house when one of the search warrants was executed.
Asked for a response, Sheriff’s Department spokesman Capt. Ross Bonfiglio expressed skepticism. “I tend to doubt (the allegations),” Bonfiglio said, adding that he knows of no complaint filed against the Sheriff’s Department by anyone in connection with the case. “We get a complaint, we investigate,” he said.Zinnanti said the deputies took office equipment, including the top of a printer and a fax machine, along with a leather vest, miscellaneous papers and drawings, a Hells Angel calendar and other items. He said no guns or drugs were found at Schaffer’s residence — “nothing incriminating,” he said.“The club ain’t going to take this lying down. This is a legal war,” said Zinnanti, calling the search warrants extremely abusive.

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Michael Paul Uzzell,was arrested in March after a bikie-related shooting at Blair Athol.

Michael Paul Uzzell, 49, has been released on bail by Holden Hill Magistrates Court in Adelaide.He is still facing several firearms offences and will appear in court again in June.The office of the Director of Public Prosecutions would not comment on why the attempted murder charge was dropped.Uzzell was arrested in March after a bikie-related shooting at Blair Athol.

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Cody Rae Haevischer, 24, faces six counts of first-degree murder.

Cody Rae Haevischer, 24, faces six counts of first-degree murder.Four of the victims had gang links: Cory Lal, 21, Michael Lal, 26, Edward Narong, 22 and Ryan Bartolomeo, 19. The other victims, Christopher Mohan, 22 and Ed Schellenberg, 55, were innocent bystanders.Haevischer also faces a charge of conspiracy to commit murder.All six men were shot in the head execution-style in a Surrey highrise in October 2007.Haevischer is scheduled to appear in Surrey Provincial Court today, under heavy security. He was arrested at gunpoint by emergency response team members in Houston, B.C. on Friday.Nanaimo RCMP say he is known to regularly visit the city to see family or party but prior to his arrest, according to Cpl. Dale Carr of the Integrated Homicide Investigative Team, Haevischer did not live in Nanaimo.Police have monitored his whereabouts when he is in the city.Haevischer is also known to be a longtime friend of the Abbotsford gangster brothers James, Jonathon and Jarrod Bacon, even partying in Cancun, Mexico with the trio and other Red Scorpion associates. The Bacons have survived targeted hits.James Bacon, 23, will appear in court along with Haevischer today, charged with conspiracy and first-degree murder in the death of Cory Lal.Also facing charges is Matthew James Johnston, 24, of New Westminister, who faces a conspiracy charge in the death of Cory Lal and six counts of first degree murder.On Friday, Dennis Richard Karbovanec, 27, another Red Scorpion associate, pled guilty to the murder of Mohan, Bartolomeo and Michael Lal. He also pled guilty to conspiracy to commit the murder of Cory Lal.

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Gooch gang,Colin Joyce, 29, of no fixed abode, was convicted of killing father-of-two Ucal Chin, 24, who was shot dead in a daylight ambush

Police and prosecutors believe the conviction of the killers and their cohorts has dealt a body blow to the Gooch gang, whose members have dealt drugs, carried out violent robberies, and fought fierce gun battles with underworld enemies for nearly twenty years.
Gang leader Colin Joyce, 29, of no fixed abode, was convicted of killing father-of-two Ucal Chin, 24, who was shot dead in a daylight ambush in June 2007, at Anson Road, Longsight. He believed the young father to be a member of rival gang, the Longsight Crew.
The following month Joyce and fellow gang leader Lee Amos, 33, of no fixed abode led a drive-by hit squad that targeted mourners paying their respects to Ucal at a wake on Frobisher Close, Longsight.Tyrone Gilbert was killed after the gunmen sprayed the street with bullets after pulling up in three high-performance cars with blacked out windows. The 23-year-old left behind three children and a pregnant partner.Joyce and Amos’ accomplices in the Gilbert murder were crack cocaine and heroin dealers Aeeron Campbell, 25, of Withington, Narada Williams, 28, of Fallowfield, and Ricardo Williams, 26, of Moston. All five were found guilty of the murder of Tyrone and the attempted murder of Michael Gordon who was shot in the leg in the same incident. Joyce, Williams, Williams and Campbell were found guilty of conspiracy to possess firearms with intent to endanger life. Williams, Williams and Campbell were convicted of conspiracy to supply Class A drugs.The six month trial at Liverpool Crown Court heard that detectives used mobile phone technology to link the guilty men to the Chin and Gilbert murders. And a series of special legal powers was used by the Crown to shatter the wall of silence which has hampered similar investigations in the past.Narada Williams has been found guilty of an additional charge of possessing a firearm with intent to endanger life for his part in a shootout with rivals from the Doddington Gang at Wilcock Street, Moss Side. Kayael Wint, 20, of Old Trafford and Tyler Joel Mullings, 18, of Urmston have been found guilty of possessing a firearm with intent to endanger life for their part in the same gunfight. Their fellow gang members Hassan Shah, 25, of Longsight and Aaron Alexander, 23, of Gorton, have also been found guilty of possession of firearms with intent to endanger life and conspiracy to supply Class A drugs. Ricci Moss, 21, of Denton, has also been found guilty of conspiracy to supply Class A drugs.Amos was also charged with the murder of Ucal Chin. The charge will lie on file after the jury failed to reach a verdict.An eleventh man, Gooch gang driver Gonoo Hussain, 26, of Longsight, pleaded guilty to conspiracy to possess firearms with intent to endanger life and conspiracy to supply Class A drugs at an earlier hearing.They will all be sentenced this afternoon and tomorrow.

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