Des "Tuppence" Moran Gangster has been shot dead in a busy Melbourne street

Police said a man in his 60s was shot and killed in a suburb of Australia's second city shortly after noon, but refused to confirm media reports the victim was Des "Tuppence" Moran, the member of an infamous Melbourne crime family.
Gangster has been shot dead in a busy Melbourne street, sparking fears of a resurgence in an underworld war that has so far claimed around 30 lives, reports have said.Australian 'gangster' shot dead in Melbourne notorious gangster has been shot dead in a busy Melbourne street, sparking fears of a resurgence in an underworld war that has so far claimed around 30 lives, reports have said.
Police said a man in his 60s was shot and killed in a suburb of Australia's second city shortly after noon, but refused to confirm media reports the victim was Des "Tuppence" Moran, the member of an infamous Melbourne crime family.
Moran's brother Lewis and his nephews Jason and Mark were all killed in Melbourne's drug gangs war that raged from 1995 to 2004 and was dramatised in Australia's hit "Underbelly" TV series.The Age newspaper reported that Moran was killed in an execution-style hit, quoting ambulance officers saying he had suffered multiple gunshot wounds to the head and witnesses saying three men had fired at him.
A witness named Joan said the shooting occurred on a busy street with children nearby."I was across the road from where it happened, at the post office and I just heard all these gunshots," she told commercial radio."I'm really angry because there were lots of kids and what-not, going about their business. It's a really busy shopping strip... there were people everywhere."Another witness, Han Tarkeek, told national news agency AAP that Lewis Moran's wife, Judy, arrived at the scene within 15 minutes of the shooting screaming "Dessy, Dessy."Moran survived an attempted assassination in March, when a balaclava-clad gunman fired at him while he was sitting in a car. The bullet lodged in the steering wheel.The incident follows this month's shooting of a Sydney businessman with close links to the city's notorious Kings Cross area. Fadi Ibrahim was shot five times and remains in hospital fighting for his life.

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Posted in: Gangster has been shot dead in a busy Melbourne street

Parinder Singh Adiwal was sprayed with gunfire in the underground parking lot of his Burnaby high-rise

Parinder Singh Adiwal was sprayed with gunfire in the underground parking lot of his Burnaby high-rise about 10 p.m. Tuesday.RCMP Cpl. Alexandra Mulvihill said the shooting “appears to be a targeted hit and has all the earmarks of being gang-related.”“Investigators will spend today continuing to speak with witnesses and to start to piece together the information they have,” she said. “It is the Burnaby RCMP's intention to be as factual and accurate as possible with the information we release. For this reason, aside from what has already been released, there will no further updates on this file until late this afternoon.”Several Vancouver police and Burnaby RCMP cars were outside the hospital throughout Wednesday morning. Officers could be seen coming and going to the hospital, as well as friends and relatives of Adiwal.Adiwal and his twin brother Mike have held leadership roles in the Independent Soldiers gang. And they have also been associated over the last year to Barzan Tilli-Choli, the de facto leader of the United Nations gang now in jail charged with conspiracy to kill Abbotsford’s Bacon brothers.Another close associate of the Adiwal twins has been Sandip Singh Duhre, who was identified last Friday as the target of a foiled murder-for-hire plot.Just in March Peter Adiwal told a Port Coquitlam judge that he was forced to hold drugs while inside the Fraser Regional Correctional Centre while serving a kidnapping sentence.He pleaded guilty to a single count of cocaine trafficking and got a nine-month conditional sentence.
Correctional officers found seven grams of heroin, 0.5 grams of cocaine, 129 grams of marijuana, two tablets of ecstacy and various steroids hidden throughout Parminder Adiwal's cell, including in Kraft Dinner boxes and other food packages, on July 11, 2006.Adiwal told the guards he was only holding the drugs for another inmate and wasn't selling them himself.Adiwal's lawyer Peter Wilson told the court that his client had no choice because “it's a different world in jail. I was asked in circumstances where I couldn't really say no and he just happened to be kind of holding the ball at the time when the items were discovered,” Wilson said. "He just happened to have it in his possession at the time when it was discovered by authorities."Both Adiwal twins pleaded guilty in October 2005 to a brutal drug-related kidnapping in which the victim was rescued by police who had been clandestinely following the twins in another multiple-murder investigation.

Peter Adiwal told the kidnapping victim that he would kill him and dump his body in Richmond near the spot where two of the man's friends had been found bound and shot in 2001

Sukhjit Singh Basi, who was grabbed late on the evening of Feb. 12, 2003, begged his captors for a glass of water after he had already been bound and beaten over several hours.The twins were among the subjects of a multi-million dollar investigation by the former Indo-Canadian Gang Task Force that involved months of wiretap and surveillance designed to collect evidence in a series of unsolved slayings.But the investigation ended prematurely and dramatically when police overheard Basi's moans and cries and broke down the Burnaby apartment door to rescue him.
Court was told that Peter Adiwal was particularly brutal with Basi, hitting him several times, binding his arms and repeatedly threatening to kill him.
In a Feb. 11, 2003 conversation captured on a listening device police had planted in the apartment, Peter Adiwal blamed Basi for stealing 68 kilograms of marijuana from a friend and then pointing the finger at Adiwal.Adiwal is heard on the wiretap saying 'kick him in the throat' and when Basi starts weeping, Adiwal said 'he's breaking. I told you guys. I told you he'd start crying, didn't I?"

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Posted in: Independent Soldiers gang

Chief suspect for Ireland's biggest ever tiger raid has left the country

Chief suspect for Ireland's biggest ever tiger raid has left the country but his €5.8m haul remains untouched.Gardai now believe that the man, in his late 30s and from Dublin's north inner city, is hiding out in Britain, and have liaised with UK police in efforts to trace his whereabouts.He emerged at the chief suspect for the College Green robbery in the 48 hours after the crime, when suspects for the raid were observed entering the home of the man's sister on Dublin's northside.Detectives believe that the man planned the robbery with the assistance of a family-based north inner city crime gang, who are themselves related to a well-known armed robber.
The mastermind has been involved in armed robbery for the past 20 years, and first came to garda attention following a number of raids in Munster in the 1990s. He is regarded by officers as volatile when confronted but otherwise calm in the planning of his crimes.He has a number of previous convictions and his immediate family have also been involved in crime in the past. A close relative shot and injured a man during a raid.According to garda intelligence sources, neither the man, nor the other members of the College Green gang, have attempted to move the haul of cash which they are suspected of stashing in the hours after the raid on February 27 last. The robbery, which was Ireland's biggest ever haul from a tiger raid, was pulled off when bank worker Shane Travers was forced to take cash from a vault at the Bank of Ireland, College Green, hours after his girlfriend and two members of her family were held up at their Co Kildare home.No one was injured in the raid, which ended when Mr Travers dropped off the cash at a designated point in Clontarf. The raiders are believed to have moved the cash to an as-yet-unknown location on the city's northside immediately afterwards.Some of the money was then moved, and €1.8m of the cash was later recovered.Gardai suspect that the money was taken to a location in north Dublin, and is likely to have remained there ever since. A number of individuals suspected of involvement in the robbery have been placed under heavy surveillance since the incident and have "laid low" as a result, sources say.

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Posted in: Chief suspect for Ireland's biggest ever tiger raid has left the country

67-year-old Rosario Gambino arrived at Rome's Leonardo da Vinci airport on a flight from Miami.

67-year-old Rosario Gambino arrived at Rome's Leonardo da Vinci airport on a flight from Miami. Wearing a gray jumpsuit and looking frail he sat in a wheelchair as he was escorted out by police officers.Gambino, an Italian-born New Jersey resident, was considered a top mobster in the New York-based crime family led by his late cousin Carlo Gambino.In 1984 he was convicted in a multi-million-dollar conspiracy to sell heroin in southern New Jersey and sentenced to 45 years in jail.Gambino was linked to the "Pizza Connection" probe, which broke a $1.6 billion heroin and cocaine smuggling operation that used pizzerias as fronts from 1975 to 1984.He was released in 2007 and transferred to an immigrant detention center in California to await expulsion, Italian police said in a statement. It was not immediately clear why the sentence had been reduced.Gambino has been wanted in Italy since 1980 on separate drug and Mafia-connected charges, and he is expected to face trial. Calls to a lawyer representing him in Italy were not answered Saturday afternoon.
Before being transferred to a Rome jail, Gambino was served the original 1980 arrest warrant signed by Giovanni Falcone, one of Italy's top anti-Mafia prosecutors.
Falcone was killed by the Sicilian mob in a 1992 bomb attack, and Gambino's return coincided with the anniversary of the murder, which was being commemorated across Italy. Salvatore "Toto" Riina, then the Mafia's boss of bosses, was arrested in 1993 and later convicted with others of plotting the hit.

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Posted in: Top mobster in the New York-based crime family

Andre D. Trott a high-ranking member of the Bloods street gang, but have declined to say whether the killing was gang-related

Cadre Williams, 31, of Georgia, hung himself with a sheet in a high-security cell in the jail.Cicchi said Williams was found by jail staff in his one-man, locked cell, but declined to release further details, saying the investigation is continuing.Earlier authorities called his death an apparent suicide and gave no details.Cicchi said Williams showed no signs of being troubled when a psychologist did a face-to-face interview with him a day earlier."He presented no suicidal ideations during the interview," Cicchi said.Cicchi said the investigation has shown there were no violations of the jail's procedures when Williams was dealt with.
Security in William's unit, known as C-Pod, is the highest at the jail.Williams, who had an extensive criminal record in Georgia, was charged May 8 with killing Shakir McCray, 31, of Roselle. McCray was shot several times the morning before outside the Hearthwood development on Boice Drive in North Brunswick.Authorities said Williams confessed to the murder after being captured in Edison not long after the slaying occurred. He faced life behind bars without the possibility of parole if convicted.
Another man charged in the murder, Andre D. Trott, 29, of Bermuda, remains in the correction center in lieu of $1.5 million bail.Prosecutors called Trott a high-ranking member of the Bloods street gang, but have declined to say whether the killing was gang-related. They have not released a motive.

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Posted in: 31,Cadre Williams,hung himself with a sheet in a high-security cell in the jail.,of Georgia

Kenneth Lavon Jones, 34, is charged with possession of a firearm

Kenneth Lavon Jones, 34, is charged with possession of a firearm by a convicted felon, possession of marijuana with intent to distribute and a parole violation.
A gang intelligence unit with the Barrow County Sheriff's Office received a tip about Jones' alleged affiliation with the gangster disciples. Deputies set up surveillance and interview witnesses before a SWAT team moved in early Monday morning. Police found Jones in possession of a loaded .40 caliber pistol and marijuana, Sheriff's Office spokesman Investigator Matt Guthas said.
"Given the threat that criminal street gangs pose to the community, (the Sheriff's Office) has committed to rigorously pursuing gang members and gang-related activity," he said.Gwinnett police assisted by providing a narcotics-sniffing K-9 unit, Guthas said.

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Posted in: Gangster disciples

Bobby Speirs sentenced at Manchester Crown Court .

Mr Justice Griffith Williams sentenced Bobby Speirs, 41,to serve a minimum term of 23 years in jail at Manchester Crown Court today.Bobby Speirs, 41, showed no reaction as he was convicted of his part in organising the bloody Brass Handles pub shootout in Salford three years ago. Speirs believed he had the 'perfect alibi' when he went to the game between Manchester United and Newcastle United at the time of the horrific shooting. He was watching the game from an executive box as he organised the 'hit' during half-time.He was using mobile phones to oversee a plot to send two gunmen to the pub and carry out a 'planned execution', according to the prosecution. The gunmen went into the pub and opened fire, wounding two victims in a volley of shots one Sunday afternoon in March 2006. But the 'hit' backfired as the would-be assassins were overpowered by other people in the pub. It is thought they were disarmed and shot dead with their own guns.
Speirs was instrumental in planning the operation and kept in touch with two others involved by mobile phone leading up to the shootings. Within days, Speirs fled to Spain but he was extradited several months later. Speirs, who at the time lived in Butterstile Avenue, Prestwich, pleaded not guilty to conspiracy to murder but was unanimously found guilty after four hours of deliberations by the jury.
Two others, Ian McLeod, an infamous Manchester gang leader, and Constance Howarth, had already been convicted at an earlier hearing of roles in the murder plot.
The two would-be assassins, Richard Austin, 19, and Carlton Alveranga, 20, died after being shot in the chest. They had gone to the pub on the Langworthy Estate to kill but ended up losing their own lives. Among the customers in the Brass Handles at the time were David Totton and Aaron Travers, who were said to be the 'possible' targets. The gunmen went to the pub with McLeod while Howarth was inside acting as a 'spotter' to point out the victim or victims. Mr Totton and Mr Travers were seriously injured as shots were fired but survived. Some customers fought back and Austin and Alveranga were disarmed and shot during the botched assassination.
No-one has ever been brought to justice for the murders of Austin and Alveranga. Speirs was trapped by police thanks to so-called 'cell site analysis' which plotted the movements of mobile phones associated with the defendant and others involved in the plot. He was tracked down in Benidorm. Speirs will be sentenced at Manchester Crown Court on Thursday.

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Posted in: Manchester Crown Court

Dilun Heng, 26, wanted on a Canada-wide warrant

Dilun Heng, 26, wanted on a Canada-wide warrant since being charged last Friday with plotting to kill the Bacon brothers of Abbotsford.Seven others also charged in the massive conspiracy case have already made their first court appearances and will be returning to Vancouver Provincial Court on June 9.On Tuesday, four other accused -- Ion (Johnny K-9) Kroitoru, Daniel Ronald Russell, Soroush Ansari and Yong Sung (John) Lee -- squished into the prisoners' box at Vancouver Provincial Court for their first appearance after the charge against them was laid Friday.Last month, two other UN members and one associate - Barzan Tilli-Choli, Karwan Ahmet Saed and Aram Ali - were also charged with plotting to kill Jonathan, Jarrod and Jamie Bacon and their Red Scorpion associates.Prosecutor Ralph Keefer said he intended to proceed by direct indictment, meaning the case will move straight to B.C. Supreme Court, bypassing the preliminary inquiry process.Several plainclothes police officers sat in courtroom 101 Tuesday for the brief appearance. Four sheriffs crowded into the small prisoners’ box along with the four accused.Outside court, Ansari’s mother turned her back without saying a word when a Vancouver Sun reporter asked about the charges against her son.Another son, Sasan Ansari, was convicted of manslaughter last fall for stabbing his friend to death in the parking lot of a West Vancouver country club.Kroitoru’s spouse also refused to comment.“I’m not married,” she said in response to a Sun reporter’s question about her husband, a former professional wrestler and biker boss well-known to police in Ontario.But on a twitter page registered to a Tracy Kroitoru, a woman has posted several comments about being almost due with a baby daughter and references to her husband “ex-wrestler Johnny K-9.”“Pregnant, but wishing I could ride on the back on my man’s pro-one chopper,” Tracy Kroitoru wrote April 28.The murder conspiracy case is believed to be one of the largest in B.C. history with eight defendants charged on a single indictment.And the arrests of senior members of the notorious UN gang have been hailed by police as a major victory in their fight against gang violence.
And UN founder Clay Roueche may still be charged, both police and the Crown have said. He is so far listed in the case as an unindicted co-conspirator along with someone identified only as “Frankie.”The conspiracy is alleged to have unfolded between Jan. 1, 2008 and Feb. 17, 2009 in Vancouver, Surrey, Burnaby, as well as in Montreal.

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Posted in: Red Scorpion

Dave Courtney Gangster, actor and author has been made bankrupt owing the HM Revenue & Customs, an estimated £250,000.

Dave Courtney Gangster, actor and author has been made bankrupt owing the HM Revenue & Customs, an estimated £250,000.The published author, whose books include Dodgy Dave’s Little Black Book and The Ride’s Back On is understood to owe an estimated £400,000 to creditors.It is believed the taxman called time on Courtney’s debts and applied for the insolvency order against him. It is believed the case could focus on the book rights that Courtney retains his main asset as a way of settling creditor’s debts.Courtney had a small part in the 1990 film The Krays, and supplied the security at Ronnie Kray’s funeral. He is also reported as being the inspiration behind the character played by Vinnie Jones in the Guy Richie movie Lock Stock and Two Smoking Barrels.Papers lodged on the Individual Insolvency Register show that Louise Brittain, head of personal insolvency at Baker Tilley, has been appointed the bankruptcy trustee in Courtney’s case. The papers reveal he will not be discharged from bankruptcy automatically until 18 February 2010.Courtney’s registered address is a house in south east London, known as Camelot, decked out with union jacks and a large knuckle duster on the gate.

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Posted in: David Courtney

Sivajodi Anantharaja, 41, organised the brutal retaliation after his cousin was injured by the 'East Side Boys' based in East Ham.

Sri Lankan gang master in Britain who led revenge attacks against two rivals that left one man dead and another disabled has been jailed for at least 24 years.
Sivajodi Anantharaja, 41, organised the brutal retaliation after his cousin was injured by the 'East Side Boys' based in East Ham.The first victim Mathiraj Mathiyaparanam, 24, was repeatedly slashed on the head and arm with a samurai sword in a shop in broad daylight.When he survived, the gang ambushed and killed Maheswaran Kaneshan, 26, in the street using an axe, swords and a cricket bat.
Anantharaja fled to Sri Lanka after the murder in January 2004 and returned to the UK last year. He was convicted of murder and attempted murder by an Old Bailey jury and jailed for life with a minimum of 24 years behind bars.His follower Sivaprakasam Rajeskanna, 34, was convicted of the murder and jailed for life with a minimum of 14 years behind bars.Fellow gang leader Sivaungham Sivakumar, a 35-year-old businessman known as 'The Master', is already serving a life sentence for his role in the same attacks

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Posted in: Sri Lanka

Rafael Alvarez, Wander Espinal, Danny Joel Rodriguez and Carlos Hilario, all born in the Dominican Republic, have been charged with murder

Manhattan District Federal prosecutor Robert Morgenthau yesterday announced the indictment of four Dominicans on five charges of murder carried out by hit men in the Dominican Republic, and whom for years trafficked drugs across borders using New York as their base. The official said Rafael Alvarez, Wander Espinal, Danny Joel Rodriguez and Carlos Hilario, all, said Morgenthau, born in the Dominican Republic, have been charged on 25 counts of murder, conspiracy, money laundering and conspiracy to distribute cocaine in New York. He said the accused hired several hit men to murder five Dominicans in Santiago (north) and San Francisco (northeast), to consolidate their criminal ties with drug traffickers and eliminate their rivals.
They were all living in the United States without legal documents, an Immigration official said in the press conference, adding that they are being held in local jails, but once they serve out their time, "papers will be given them but to be deported to their country and that is obviously going to take a few years."
If found guilty, Alvarez and Espinal face up to 20 years in prison and possible life imprisonment, whereas Rodriguez and Hilario could face 1 and 20 years in jail, respectively.

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Posted in: Dominican Republic

Arrested Larry A. Pina, 17, of New Bedford over the weekend

Reputed Monte Park gang member is charged with being an accessory to a shooting earlier this month near New Bedford District Court and the Hastings Keith Federal Building, reports the Standard-Times.Police arrested Larry A. Pina, 17, of New Bedford over the weekend after witnesses said they saw him with two other suspects running from the scene.On May 1, witnesses reported hearing multiple gun shots in the downtown area. Three unoccupied cars were struck by bullets. Police found six shell casings. There were no reported injuries.Witnesses said they saw three black, teenage boys running from the scene. One of the suspects was described as having short hair and was seen walking into the McDonald’s on County Street.

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Posted in: Monte Park gang

Vinh Truong is out on $25,000 bail.

Police arrested Truong on Wednesday, charging him in connection with a shooting in Sandstone on New Year's Eve 2007.In the incident, disguised gunmen walked up to a jeep and opened fire on two men who both survived.The Calgary Sun reports, one of the men who escaped injury in that attack was Matthew Chubak. Police had pegged him as an associate of the "Fresh off the Boat" gang.Chubak was killed in January. The charges against Truong come on the heels of four men accused of attempted murder after a shooting in Chinatown last November.purported gang member charged in connection with a New Year’s Eve 2007 shooting has been released on bail.Justice of the Peace Will Shiplett today agreed to free Vinh Truong pending trial on two attempted murder charges and an allegation of discharging a firearm with intent to endanger life.Shiplett agreed with defence lawyer Charlie Stewart to release Truong on a $25,000, non-cash bail, providing his parents post a surety to ensure his attendance in court.Crown prosecutor Brian Holtby opposed Truong’s release, arguing his detention was necessary for the protection, or safety of the general public.
Truong was arrested Wednesday and charged in connection with a Dec. 31, 2007, shooting in Sandstone, where disguised gunmen walked up to a Jeep and opened fire, riddling it with near two dozen bullets.One of the two men who escaped injury in the attack was Matthew Chubak — said to be an associate of the Fresh off the Boat gang — who was slain this past January.Chubak was also one of the targets of an alleged attempted murder last Nov. 16, in Chinatown, when four men in a car were shot at.
The other man who escaped injury in the Sandstone shooting is said to be a gang associate who was shot while with gangster Roger Chin at a Falconridge gas bar about two months later. In July 2008, 23-year-old Chin was gunned down in a deadly drive-by on Centre St. N.Although police have made many recent inroads in the fight against gangs — seizing drugs, firearms and ammunition as well as keeping tabs on them while they are in the community pending upcoming court charges — arrests for more serious crimes are relatively rare.The charges against Truong on the heels of four men being accused of attempted murder after a November 2008 shootout in Chinatown.That case is still before the courts.Truong returns to court on June 11, when Holtby is supposed to present Stewart with Crown disclosure

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Posted in: Chinatown,Fresh off the Boat Gang

Ian "Blink" McDonald's Mercedes has been torched while parked outside his house in the Hogganfield area of the city.

Ian "Blink" McDonald's Mercedes has been torched while parked outside his house in the Hogganfield area of the city.The attack happened shortly after 1am yesterday, while Mr McDonald was being held in police custody for an alleged nightclub brawl on Friday. He is due to appear in court today in connection with that incident.The firebombing of the car - registration number "B1LNK" - comes just days after the career criminal survived two attempts on his life.May 8, army explosives experts defused a gas canister hidden beneath the same black Mercedes.Then, just four days later, three men ambushed Mr McDonald, 48, near his mother's home in Provanmill while he was walking his dog. The attackers leapt out of a car and pinned him to the ground, slashing his cheek and ear and attempting to cut his throat.The extent of Mr McDonald's injuries saw him undergo three hours of plastic surgery, but last week he shrugged off the attack as the work of "daft wee boys".But a source revealed last night he is seething with those responsible.The source said: "People are trying to send Blink a message that they are not happy. In public he remains defiant but behind close doors he is raging and even more so now after this."

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Posted in: Hogganfield

Andre Francis Remekie was stopped May 8 at a Langley gas station

Andre Francis Remekie was stopped May 8 at a Langley gas station by the uniformed component of the task force.“He was checked along with a well-known Lower Mainland gang associate,” Kirk said. “And he was found to have a warrant out of Edmonton for trafficking in cocaine.”The Vancouver Sun has learned that Remekie was with Sandip Singh (Dip) Duhre, a former associate of the late Bindy Johal who had been living out of province since two attempts were made on his life.Duhre and his brother Balraj were both targeted in shootings twice in 2005, with Balraj being wounded in a Vietnamese restaurant in east Vancouver.Sandip escaped injury when his car was sprayed with gunfire at a Surrey convenience store in May 2005, but his friend Dean Mohamed Elshamy was killed.In July 2005, both Balraj and Sandip were shot at as they drove through east Vancouver. Their bullet-proof sedan saved their lives.The fact such a connected B.C. gangster was in the presence of an accused trafficker from Alberta shows the networking ability of Metro Vancouver gangs, Kirk said.“We are fully aware that groups operating in this province have interprovincial connections,” he said.Kirk said the IGTF is going to use whatever means it can to make those involved in gangs accountable for their actions.“The use of Con Air to send this accused person to Alberta highlights the creative methods we are employing,” Kirk said.He said Remekie’s warrant was originally only for the Edmonton area, but police there agreed to extend it to B.C. so the accused could be arrested and sent back.Remekie, 28, was charged in Fort McMurray in 2004 with trafficking crack cocaine and possessing proceeds of crime.He was also charged with trafficking in Edmonton in 2000 after he and three associates were stopped in vehicle in which police say they found pot packaged for sale, a sawed-off shotgun, cash and several cellphones.Con Air was started by the Vancouver Police Department to fly accused criminals back to the jurisdictions in which they were facing charges. The program has since been adopted by other police departments and received an operating grant from the provincial government.

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Posted in: Con Air

Mauricio Diaz, 33, the known leader of the Puro Lil Mafia

Mauricio Diaz, 33, the known leader of the Puro Lil Mafia ( PLM ), a violent criminal street gang that operated in Wichita Falls, Texas, was indicted today by a federal grand jury in Dallas, announced acting U.S. Attorney James T. Jacks of the Northern District of Texas. Diaz, has been in custody since his arrest on April 8, 2009, when members of the Wichita Falls Police Department SWAT Team and FBI agents executed arrest and search warrants for Diaz at his residence on Redbud Lane in Wichita Falls. A detention hearing is scheduled for Diaz in U.S. District Court in Dallas on May 11, 2009, before U.S. Magistrate Judge Wm. F. Sanderson, Jr.On April 8, 2009, law enforcement arrested eight of 12 alleged PLM members that were indicted the previous day by a federal grand jury in Dallas on federal weapons and/or narcotics charges. The remaining four defendants were already in state or local custody on related charges. The defendants have pled not guilty to the charges and are scheduled to be tried in Wichita Falls in late June 2009.During the search of Diaz’s residence last month, officers noted a strong smell of marihuana throughout the house and located Diaz, along with his wife and two children. Officers also located a digital scale, with what appeared to be marihuana residue, in the master bedroom. On the top of the dresser, next to the scale, was a box of plastic sandwich bags which are commonly used to package illegal narcotics. In a top drawer of the dresser, officers found two large Ziploc bags containing approximately three grams of marihuana. In the next drawer, officers found a loaded Smith and Wesson .38 caliber special revolver and a box of ammunition wrapped in a gray bandanna; more ammunition was found in the kitchen pantry. According to documents filed in court, PLM members often carry or wear gray bandanas to signify their membership in the gang. Officers also found a digital pocket balance on a shelf in the closet; balances are commonly used in drug transactions.Outside the residence, two surveillance cameras were found pointing toward the front yard and street. There was a small television on the floor in the living room that displayed the camera views. The surveillance system was in good working order. According to court documents, such extensive video surveillance is also commonly used to protect places where drugs are kept.The indictment charges Diaz with one count each of possession with intent to distribute marihuana, possession of a firearm in furtherance of a drug trafficking crime, and being a felon in possession of a firearm. The maximum statutory sentence for the drug offense, upon conviction, is five years in prison and a $250,000 fine. The possession of a firearm in furtherance of a drug trafficking crime carries a mandatory five year penalty, to run consecutive to any other imposed sentence, and a $250,000 fine. The maximum statutory sentence for being a convicted felon in possession of a firearm is 10 years in prison and a $250,000 fine. The indictment also includes a forfeiture allegation which would require Diaz, upon conviction, to forfeit his residence on Redbud Lane, as well as the firearm, to the government.Mr. Jacks praised the excellent investigative efforts of the FBI, the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives, U.S. Customs and Immigration Enforcement ( ICE ), the U.S. Marshals Service, the Wichita Falls Police Department, the Wichita Falls County Sheriff’s Office, the Wichita Falls City Attorney’s Office and the Wichita County District Attorney’s Office. Assistant U.S. Attorney Taly Haffar and Special Assistant U.S. Attorney Hector M. Valle are prosecuting the case.

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Posted in: Puro Lil Mafia

Jeremi “J-Shasta” Chaplin, 22, earned a reputation of robbing drug dealers and shooting up parties and clubs

Leaders Jeremi “J-Shasta” Chaplin, 22, earned a reputation of robbing drug dealers and shooting up parties and clubs beginning when he was 17. Other leaders were identified as Antonio “Tiger” Williams, 20; Reginald “Young Smoke” Lewis II, 23; Courtney “Chicago” Frierson, 19; Sharodd “Ville” Mitchell, 20; and Darien “D” Flowers, 19; and Vincent “Poppa” Byrd, 23. Seven men arrested in the past two years were the leaders of a violent street gang that wreaked havoc in Duval, Clay, Volusia and Leon counties.The men, all tied to Westside neighborhoods off 103rd Street, have been charged in the past few weeks under a state law that allows gang members to be prosecuted as members of a criminal enterprise. They are accused under the Racketeering Influenced Corrupt Organizations statute of committing crimes, ranging from robbery to car theft, for the gang or benefit of the gang.
Police and prosecutors said with 204 felonies and 221 misdemeanors under their belts, business was good. And information released Tuesday about the men and their gang give one of the most detailed accountings of such violence ever made public in Jacksonville.
The men face a maximum of 60 years in prison in the RICO case. They are being held on $1 million bail.Rutherford said another 17 gangs with 221 members are operating in the city. He called RICO a “big hammer” that he intends to use to eliminate those groups.The 18-month probe was labeled Operation 103rd St. CHB. It was named after a part of the gang known as the 103rd Street Certified Head Bustas. Offshoots include the 103rd Street Savages or the 103rd Street Trap Boyz, arrest reports said.The gang began operating in 2004, made up primarily of people who grew up on the Westside around 103rd Street and Interstate 295, police said. Many attended Nathan B. Forrest High School, where the gang was started.Members began earning credibility by stealing cars from car lots and rental car agencies, petty hustling and selling drugs. Those who stole nicer cars than others were given more credibility. Those with the most money earned respect from gang leaders, who often split the proceeds of crimes, the arrest reports said.Members who robbed people on the street for gold jewelry wore it to build credibility. Younger members who wanted to earn respect volunteered to commit drive-by shootings. No shooting victims were included in arrest reports and Rutherford did not refer to any murders connected to the gang.
Members had shirts made with CHB logos and made CDs under a CHB label. Lyrics glorified drug dealing, robbery and shootings. Several gang members were named in the songs.About 36 people were directly part of the gang, while another 40 were from affiliates, some known as Buck Block and Sherwood, arrest reports said. Gang members range in age from 18 to 24. They had a common hand sign and tattoos, including “103rd Street,” “CHB,” “Get Money,” “Hot Boy” or “MOB.” They also often wore camouflage clothing.Members bragged and blogged about their viciousness on social networking Web sites such as MySpace.com. Their feuds included run-ins with other gangs from neighborhoods in Lackawanna, Sweetwater and the Eastside. Those incidents included shootings, fights at nightclubs and subsequent retaliation.On Tuesday, police displayed one of the gang’s T-shirts with a picture of smiling members flashing gang signs. The lettering around the picture read: “If It’s Gangsta Then We All In.”

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Posted in: ” “CHB,” “Get Money,” “Hot Boy” or “MOB.”,“103rd Street

$1 million cash-only bail was set today for the Latin Kings street gang member Joseph "King Megs," Moreira

$1 million cash-only bail was set today for the Latin Kings street gang member who was arrested in Maryland last week by U.S. marshals after being on the run since a 2005 murder on a Jersey City Heights street corner. The marshals used a taser to subdue Joseph "King Megs," Moreira, 29, formerly of Marshall Drive in Hoboken, when they arrested him last Friday night in Prince Charles County, officials said.Moreira was returned to New Jersey Thursday night and yesterday made his first appearance in court on charges he gunned down Juan Batista, 26, on Oct. 18, 2005, on the sidewalk outside a Palisade Avenue barbershop, officials said.Central Judicial Processing Court Judge Richard Nieto informed Moreira of the bail, but also told the defendant he would be held without bail because there is a detainer on him for a violation of parole and a detainer related to a Family Court matter. Moreira appeared via video link from Hudson County jail in Kearny.A tip on the Latin King's whereabouts led to a monthlong investigation by the Hudson County Prosecutor's Office.Prosecutor Edward DeFazio said when Moreira was arrested he "was refusing to admit who he was and didn't want to be cuffed and after not complying with the authorities, he was tased and taken into custody."On the night of the 2005 shooting, Moreira got out of a car, approached Batista, and said something to him before opening fire, officials said. The victim was shot multiple times in the head and back, but managed to run a few steps before collapsing, officials said. The motive for the shooting was a prior beef between the gunman and victim, investigators said.Today, Moreira spoke privately for some time with Public Defender Don Gardner using the phone in the video conferencing room. Afterward, Gardner said he would note the matter they discussed, but he did not disclose what the conversation pertained to.
The case against Moreira will now be presented to a grand jury seeking indictment.

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Posted in: Latin Kings

Ger Dundon senior member of the notorious McCarthy-Dundon criminal gang was back on the streets of Limerick last night.

senior member of the notorious McCarthy-Dundon criminal gang was back on the streets of Limerick last night.Ger Dundon (22) returned to the city yesterday after being freed from the Midlands Prison in Portlaoise at lunchtime.Mystery remains over the exact circumstances surrounding his release, but a prison source said he had served his full sentence.Earlier this week, Dundon's barrister argued that his client should have been released on April 7 last as he had served 10 months for more than 30 motoring and public orderoffences. Dundon was locked up for 59 days from July 5 last to September 2, but was released pending appeal.His appeal, which was heard on October 24, was unsuccessful and a bench warrant was issued for his arrest after he failed to appear before the court. He was eventually imprisoned last November.Last night Dundon was at his home on the southside of Limerick celebrating his release.

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Posted in: Limerick

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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Posted in: United Nations gang

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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Posted in: Weatherby Court

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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Posted in: Mara Salvatucha "MS-13"

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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Posted in: Los Angeles

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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Posted in: Sunnyside gang

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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Posted in: HMP Frankland

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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Posted in: Guatemala City Eighty-five drivers were murdered last year

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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Posted in: Notorious outlaw motorcycle gang

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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Posted in: Santry

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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Posted in: Half-Way Tree Gun Court in St. Andrew

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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Posted in: 29th Street Crips street gang

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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Posted in: Deuce 8 street gang

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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Posted in: Red Scorpion associates

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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Posted in: Gooch gang

Red Scorpion Dennis Karbovanec has pleaded guilty to three counts of secondt-degree murder in connection with the Surrey Six massacre

Red Scorpion gangbanger Dennis Karbovanec has pleaded guilty to three counts of secondt-degree murder in connection with the Surrey Six massacre on Oct. 19, 2007. Karbovanec pleaded guilty in B.C. Supreme Court in Vancouver Friday to the killings, as well as one count of conspiracy to commit murder. Three others were also to be charged, including Jamie Bacon, 23, Matt Johnson and Cody Haevischer and were being arrested by Emergency Response Teams.
All are linked to the Red Scorpion gang. Steve Brown, the brother-in-law of one man killed in the slaughter at the Balmoral Tower apartment 18 months ago -- said he was relieved at the charges.
Brown's friend and relative Ed Schellenberg was an innocent passerby on the 15th floor of the building fixing the gas fireplace when the killers arrived."I think credit has to go to the IHIT detectives. I know they have had two teams of detectives working full-time and all the credit goes to the police," Brown said. "We need to get justice for Ed so that his wife Lois and his two adult kids can have closure."A second innocent killed was Chris Mohan, a 22-year-old who lived across the hall from the death penthouse and was on his way to a basketball game when the killers arrived.
His mother Eileen has been a tireless crusader against gang violence ever since.

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Posted in: Red Scorpion gang

Gérald Gallant was a contract killer at the centre of a shifting roster of gangsters accused of carrying out 28 homicides and 13 attempted murders

Gérald Gallant was a contract killer at the centre of a shifting roster of gangsters accused of carrying out 28 homicides and 13 attempted murders over three decades, peaking with Quebec's biker war from 1994 to 2002. Ten suspects were rounded up yesterday, based on evidence Mr. Gallant provided after turning informant. An 11th person facing a murder charge remained at large. In Donnacona, the news was met with stunned mutters that there was always something strange about the man. "I would see him regularly touring around the streets by bike," said Mayor André Marcoux, who lived three streets down from Mr. Gallant. "He really kept a low profile." From his unassuming redoubt near Quebec City, Mr. Gallant was in the middle of a gang war that eventually killed 160 people, police said. He and the 11 suspects targeted bikers, street gangsters and Italian mobsters with little regard for allegiance.
They also had little regard for the innocent. At least one of the dead and several of the wounded were described by police as bystanders or victims of mistaken identity. "I think this may allow me to close the circle," said Hélène Brunet, a former waitress who was shot in 2000 when a Hells Angels associate used her as a human shield. She became an outspoken critic of gangs. "It's a great relief and it restores some of your faith in justice."Hells loan shark Robert "Bob" Savard died in the attack on Ms. Brunet.
Mr. Gallant's stunning conversion from prolific hit man to police witness began in 2001, when he left his DNA at the scene of one of his final murders. But it wasn't until an RCMP tip, followed by a DNA match in 2006, that police started following him. He got wind police were onto him and fled to Europe in 2006. Months later, Swiss police snagged Mr. Gallant for credit card fraud and sent him back to Canada. In 2008, he suddenly and quietly pleaded guilty to the 2001 murder of Yvon Daigneault, a bar owner in the Laurentian town of Ste-Adèle. The plea was unusual for a man facing a tough automatic sentence of life in prison, with no chance at parole for 25 years. Police made it known Mr. Gallant claimed he had killed 26 people, but they added few details. The whiff of possible exaggeration dissipated rapidly yesterday, as police unveiled the list of 11 people charged with murder, including one-time leaders and members of competing Quebec gangs. Lieutenant François Doré, a senior provincial police spokesman, refused to say if a deal was struck with Mr. Gallant, who is not currently charged with any other crimes. Gang expert and author Julian Sher said some deal may be in the works, but hired killers occasionally seek to settle accounts. "I wouldn't call it conscience, but there is an element of wanting to clear the air, or wanting to get back at past masters," he said.Some arrested suspects, such as Frédéric Faucher, a former leader of the Rock Machine, and Raymond Desfossés, an alleged high-ranking member of the West End Gang, are alleged to have ordered hits. One of the more prominent dead was Paul Cotroni, the son of Montreal mob boss Frank Cotroni, who died in 1998.

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Posted in: Quebec's biker war

Alexis Aguilar fatally shot a man in the back on March 4, 2007, after confronting him in Acosta Plaza.

Alexis Aguilar fatally shot a man in the back on March 4, 2007, after confronting him in Acosta Plaza. Authorities said the man was walking with his 10-year-old son and was shot in the back as he tried to run away.Judge Timothy Roberts, who presided over both of the defendant’s jury trials, sentenced Aguilar to six years for the gang charge with use of a firearm, one life term for first-degree murder and one life term for the use of a firearm causing death.
Aguilar will not be eligible for parole until he has served 56 years.The victim's family was present and the father of the victim addressed the court. On behalf of his family, the father expressed his great sorrow and sadness over the brutal slaying of his son.

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Posted in: Acosta Plaza

Kevin Gary was arrested and charged with gang conspiracy,he was a member of a local Bloods gang called Tree Top Piru

Kevin Gary was arrested and charged with gang conspiracy,he was a member of a local Bloods gang called Tree Top Piru, known for his signature red contact lenses and for dealing drugs, according to a statement of facts he signed as part of his January guilty plea agreement.On Friday, during an emotionally charged hearing, he was sentenced to 30 years in federal prison.Gary's family and friends asked to be heard, passing a microphone through the courtroom, outlining his acts of kindness. They knew Gary as the young man who took neighborhood children to the swimming pool and volunteered at the Rose Street Community Center. They didn't know the "monster" portrayed in court."They see past the bandanna, past the red contacts … past all of that. They just see me," Gary, 27, said to the judge. "[The prosecutor] spilled everything I did wrong, so my family spilled everything I did right."Gary was once held up as the face of gang life in Maryland, Assistant U.S. Attorney Jason M. Weinstein said, referring to a 2007 Baltimore Sun story in which Gary said gangs are unfairly portrayed and that they give youth structure and uplift the community."Nothing could be further from the truth," Weinstein said. "If [kids] follow in those footsteps, those footsteps will lead right here."In his January plea agreement, Gary admitted witness intimidation, ordering gang members to rob drug dealers and unsuccessfully arranging a murder. But that's not the Gary his supporters described.Clayton Guyton, director of the Rose Street Community Center, said Gary was someone who cared deeply about his neighborhood and worked to make it a safer place. He bought school supplies for children and spoke to church youth groups, his mother said. He was "just a kid who made a mistake," his father said.They saw him as a victim of the system, someone who never had a chance."The anger is understandable because this is someone they love, and he's getting ready to go to jail for a long time," said U.S. District Judge William D. Quarles.But Gary has a duty to strike down their belief that "their government is railroading them," the judge added. "Mr. Gary has some responsibility to them to [help] them understand the truth."

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Posted in: Tree Top Piru

Philip Collopy footage of the shooting he had taken on his mobile phone

Philip Collopy, 29, a top member of a feared feuding gang in Limerick, apparently didn’t realise his Glock 9mm pistol was loaded when he pointed it at his head and pulled the trigger. Investigating gardai were able to rule out any foul play in the death almost immediately after one of his associates handed over footage of the shooting he had taken on his mobile phone. Five or six people at the party were all being “unusually fully co-operative” because they didn’t want to be done for the killing, said one Garda source. Detectives believe Collopy, whose gang has been targeted by Ireland's Criminal Assets Bureau (CAB), was messing about with associates at his friend’s house in the early hours of Saturday morning when he unwittingly killed himself. It is believed there were drink and drugs taken at the party. One of the men in the house, in troubled Limerick housing estate St Mary’s Park, ran outside for help and alerted two officers on patrol from the Garda’s armed Regional Support Unit, set up last year to tackle gangland violence in the city.
But despite their efforts in taking him to the Mid-Western Regional Hospital, he died when his life-support machine was switched off at the weekend. Collopy, who had a partner and several children, was a senior figure in the notorious Keane-Collopy crime gang, which has been locked in a murderous feud with arch-rivals, the Dundon-McCarthy faction. Both sides were in talks last year to secure a ceasefire after an escalation in the eight-year bloody turf war. Collopy was a suspect in the murder in 2000 of criminal Eddie Ryan, whose family then forged strong links with the Dundon-McCarthy faction. Ireland's CAB, which was set up after the gangland killing of journalist Veronica Guerin, last year seized a house, two cars and a substantial amount of cash from Collopy’s gang

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Posted in: Limerick

Mahmoud "Mick" Hawi president of one of the nation's strongest outlaw motorcycle gangs the Comanchero

Mahmoud "Mick" Hawi president of one of the nation's strongest outlaw motorcycle gangs the Comanchero.He is married with two children, reportedly owns a number of properties and is, in the words of one friend, "f. . .ing loaded". And, as president of one of the nation's strongest outlaw motorcycle gangs the Comanchero, Hawi is very, very powerful. It is a power he wielded yesterday when he publicly appealed for bikies to stop the violence. His position put him in physical danger at Sydney airport on Sunday when, according to bikie sources, he was caught up in a brawl and stabbed in the arm. Hawi is said to be extremely careful about his personal security, travelling in bulletproof cars. In November 2007, Hawi was inches from death when a car he was travelling in was hit by bullets outside Grappa Ristorante in Norton St, Leichardt. It was about 2pm on the busy Italian restaurant strip when two men pumped up to 10 shots into an Audi and a Mazda as they sped away. The story goes that a bullet lodged itself in Hawi's headrest. Hawi was allegedly the main target, the other being his right-hand man Daux Ngakuru. A court was told neither man gave a statement to police. Silence is the bikie code. Hawi's profile is lower than his contemporaries, including Rebels president Alex Vella and Nomads president Scott Orrock. Both are frequently in the news - almost always in their colours or on a motorcycle. Hawi is slightly glamorous. He takes great care with his grooming and his clothes and jewellery are expensive. "He is very, very smart and people are jealous. He's f. . .ing loaded, he's got properties all over the place," one associate said. Beirut-born Hawi is rumoured to live in Brighton-Le-Sands but keeps his actual address secret. His crew is largely based in the Brighton-Le-Sands area.
He has been a driving force behind the trend of bringing young men of Middle Eastern backgrounds into the bikie fold. Following the Cronulla riots in 2005, he appealed for calm and met with the Bra Boys. Whether this public appeal works will have very real consequences for Hawi himself, his Comanchero crew and for the Sydney public at large.

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Posted in: Comanchero crew

30 chapels devoted to “Saint Death” - a figure that is worshipped by drug traffickers - in the northern city of Nuevo Laredo

Mexican federal authorities used bulldozers to bring down more than 30 chapels devoted to “Saint Death” - a figure that is worshipped by drug traffickers - in the northern city of Nuevo Laredo, the daily Reforma reported Wednesday.The image of the saint is a skeleton dressed and adorned as a woman, and is not based on any particular Roman Catholic saint. Many criminals, but also people without a criminal record and even police officers, have taken it as their patron saint.

Although the figure is venerated by people from many walks of life, the saint has been adopted by drug gangs. In recent years, there has been a proliferation around Mexico in the construction of such chapels - varying in size from small shrines to larger buildings - from materials including brick, marble, iron and tiles.

They use Roman Catholic symbolism and ceremonies, although the formal church rejects worship of “Saint Death” as a pagan tradition and the authorities have long removed the tradition from the list of the country’s religious associations. In Mexico City, there is even a sanctuary and a so-called bishop - a man with no known ties to drug trafficking - for worship of “Saint Death.”According to the report in Reforma, the chapels that were destroyed in Nuevo Laredo were on an access road to the city. One was a two-floor building and featured a 2-metre-tall image of Saint Death.The owner of one of the altars told reporters that he had spent some 13,700 dollars to build it and decorate it.“When you go in or out of Nuevo Laredo you see these chapels, which are most impressive, spectacular, but people constantly complain that they give the impression that this is a place for criminals,” an unidentified official source told the daily, to explain the decision.
More than 6,300 people were killed last year in Mexico in incidents linked to organized crime and drug trafficking. The authorities have massively deployed soldiers and federal police officers to combat crime.

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Posted in: Site Specific Privacy Policy run in accordance with http://www.google.com/privacy.html

Manuel Marquez, also known as Morro, was sentenced after pleading guilty in December to a pattern of racketeering activity that included murder

Manuel Marquez, also known as Morro, was sentenced after pleading guilty in December to a pattern of racketeering activity that included murder, attempted murder and witness tampering.Marquez is the last of the defendants to be sentenced on the Racketeer Influenced and Corrupt Organizations Act, known as RICO.Fourteen gang members were indicted and charged in January 2007 with racketeering conspiracy, murder, attempted murder, assault, weapons charges and obstruction of justice.
Marquez admitted to planning and participating in several 2006 shootings. He also stated that he and other gang members shot and killed two rival gang members sitting inside a car at a traffic light, and that he and another gang member shot a rival gang member several times in the back at Percy Priest Lake outside Nashville.
Ronald Fuentes, the leader of Nashville's MS-13 gang, which is also known as La Mara Salvatrucha, will serve life in prison.The MS-13 is one of the nation's most notorious gangs. They are primarily from El Salvador or of Salvadoran descent.

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Posted in: Nashville's MS-13 gang

Mahmoud Dib , 27, had been charged with six firearm offences after a semi-automatic pistol was found in a car connected to him, police said.

Mahmoud Dib , 27, had been charged with six firearm offences after a semi-automatic pistol was found in a car connected to him, police said. He was also being investigated in relation to a string of drive-by shootings.Superintendent Angelo Memmolo said tests were under way to determine if the gun had been used in a spate of shootings at houses and cars in Sydney's western suburbs last week. Police said another incident occurred on Monday night, when four shots were fired at a house. No one was injured and there have been no arrests.The shootings are believed to be part of a dispute between the Bandidos and a gang called Notorious. Police said shots were fired into Dib's house on 16 March and they suspect some of the attacks have been reprisals.A standing state commission into organised crime opened a new investigation into biker violence today following the airport brawl.The men the airport shortly after Anthony Zervas, 29, the brother of a well-known Sydney biker, was struck with metal poles. He died in hospital.Biker gangs have existed in Australia since the late 1960s and turf battles have ebbed and flowed. Gang members are often accused of being involved in drugs, although gang leaders deny involvement in organised crime and say they cannot control individual actions.With the exception of a full-blown gun battle in a Sydney car park in 1984 between Bandidos and Comancheros, most violence had been largely out of the public eye.According to Arthur Veno, the author of the 2004 book The Brotherhoods: Inside the Outlaw Motorcycle Clubs, the emergence in the past few years of Notorious has contributed to an escalation of violence and a worrying trend of indifference to the safety of bystanders. Notorious was a shadowy group that modelled itself structurally on a biker gang but was more involved in crime that motorcycles, Veno said.Rudd and the New South Wales premier, Nathan Rees, said tougher laws against gang violence would be considered in the coming months and the federal home affairs minister, Bob Debus, said airport security would be reviewed.

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Posted in: Sydney's western suburbs

Gangster Philip Collopy (29) from St Mary's Park, Limerick is in the city's Mid-Western Regional Hospital where he has been since he shot himself

Gangster Philip Collopy (29) from St Mary's Park, Limerick is in the city's Mid-Western Regional Hospital where he has been since he shot himself in the head on Saturday morning.The career criminal shot himself with a glock handgun at close range in a house at St Munchin's Street, St Mary's Park. He had been inspecting the gun and removed the loaded magazine from it while handling it. However, he failed to realise a bullet was still in the chamber before he discharged the weapon while it was pointed at his head.A youth alerted members of the armed Regional Support Unit who were on patrol in the estate and told them that an ambulance was needed for the wounded man.A glock handgun and three magazines were recovered from the scene. Eight bullets were recovered from the magazine which Collopy removed from the gun before he shot himself.Gardai have put the shooting down to misadventure. Officers are investigating the source of the firearm. It will be forensically examined to see if it was used in any of the feud-related shootings in the city.Collopy's younger brother, Damien was in the house at the time and was treated for shock.Brothers, Ray and Kieran travelled back from Spain to be at their brother's bedside.

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Posted in: Limerick

Henry Hill,mobster-turned-FBI informant, former North Platte resident, whose life inspired the movie "Goodfellas" is wanted

mobster-turned-FBI informant, former North Platte resident, whose life inspired the movie "Goodfellas" is wanted for failing to appear in court on tickets alleging he was drunk in public in San Bernardino.Henry Hill, 65, made quite a splash in North Platte after he moved here and presented a menu for a local Italian restaurant, Firefly.Hill faces two $25,000 arrest warrants. He says he wasn't aware he needed to be present in court Wednesday and had asked for a new hearing date because he was having hernia surgery."I was hoping the court would understand," Hill told The Press-Enterprise of Riverside from his San Fernando Valley home.The cases stem from two public intoxication arrests in May 2008. Hill said he was in alcohol rehabilitation at the time.Hill was again arrested in Los Angeles earlier this year and released before his arraignment because of jail crowding."I don't remember much of all that, but I've been sober a month now," he told the newspaper. "I don't want to drink anymore."The "Goodfellas" movie ends with Hill, played by Ray Liotta, entering federal witness protection after implicating fellow mobsters in murders and the 1978 heist of $5.8 million in cash from a Lufthansa Airlines vault in New York.Drug arrests led to Hill being removed from the federal program in the early 1990s.
The infamous mobster whose life story resulted in the movie “Goodfellas,” was charged in Lincoln County Court with multiple crimes during the time he lived here.
He was found guilty of possession of methamphetamine and numerous of counts of assault. After an argument with his estranged wife, Kelly, Hill then got into an argument with the former manager of the bar, Dale Norblad, who ordered Hill to leave. Hill repeatedly threatened bar patrons, brandished knives at his wife and others and allegedly cut the tires of his enemies. Drunk most of the time, Hill wore out his welcome in North Platte and spent more than six months in the Lincoln County jail. He fled after he was released for treatment in 2007. Hill has disappointed prosecutors before.By the time his story came out in the movie “GoodFellas” in 1990, Hill had been kicked out of the witness protection program. Since then, he has been convicted of drunken driving in Washington, where he and his second wife, Kelly, formerly lived. But Hill has been able to maintain a life of celebrity based on Scorese’s movie. Hill lived in North Platte several years, published a popular cookbook and helped design an Italian food menu for The Firefly restaurant. He also marketed his Sunday Gravy marinara sauce.'Goodfellas' ranks best in Brit mag's movie list Martin Scorsese's classic mobster movie "Goodfellas" is the greatest film of all time, according to experts at a British film magazine. The 1990 film, which is based on the exploits of real-life gangster Henry Hill and stars Ray Liotta, Robert De Niro and Joe Pesci - who won an Academy Award for his performance - was No. 1 in a Total Film magazine list published Monday. "'Goodfellas' has it all," the magazine said, "story, dialogue, performances, technique. It is slick, arguably the slickest film ever made. But it is also considered, layered and freighted with meaning."

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Posted in: Goodfellas

Shane Coates and Stephen Sugg disappeared in January 2004 after leaving their homes in Torrevieja, Alicante.

Shane Coates and Stephen Sugg were two of the most ruthless and violent criminals ever involved in the Irish gangland scene.
Their Westies gang, based in the Dublin suburb of Blanchardstown, controlled a massive drugs empire in west Dublin in the late 1990s and early years of this decade. "These guys could go from being calm to high-order violence like the flick of a switch. They were real psychopaths," said a retired garda who investigated their activities.Drug users who bought from anybody else in their area were often being beaten or tortured. Street dealers who agreed to sell for other gangs were also dealt with in a similar fashion.
In 1999, heroin addict Derek 'Smiley' McGuinness was severely beaten and had his face sliced open with a Stanley knife because he couldn't pay a small debt. A middle-aged addict had her breasts cut with a knife and cigarettes stubbed out on her body. Another addict was thrown off a balcony in the Ballymun flats. Miraculously, he survived.The gang's outrageous violence and drug dealing quickly saw their members becoming priority targets for the gardai.
Coates was ambushed by armed officers at a safe house in Co Cavan in 2003.He received a gunshot injury in the ensuing shootout, but was able to escape across the fields and eventually made it to Spain, where he was later joined by Sugg.
They later disappeared in January 2004 after leaving their homes in Torrevieja, Alicante.Their bodies were found in July 2006 when their skeletal remains were discovered buried in concrete under a warehouse in Catral, near Alicante.

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Posted in: Westies gang

"Crazy Charles," Charles Carneglia, 62, sat stone-faced as the jurors delivered a split decision after nearly four days of deliberations

Charles Carneglia, 62, sat stone-faced as the jurors delivered a split decision after nearly four days of deliberations. They found him guilty of more than a dozen racketeering crimes, but failed to come to a decision on whether he murdered a court officer in 1976.The twin daughters of one victim, an armored-car driver killed at Kennedy Airport on Dec. 14, 1990, wept tears of relief as Carneglia was convicted of gunning down their father."They have put an animal away. This is one of the happiest days of our lives," said Mildred Delgado-Jimenez, a daughter of murdered guard José Delgado Rivera.Known as "Crazy Charles," Carneglia was also convicted of carrying out a hit on wiseguy Louis DiBono, who refused to attend a meeting called by Gotti in October 1990.Carneglia was also convicted of stabbing to death mob underlings Michael Cotillo, 25, and Salvatore Puma, 18.But the jurors were "undecided" in the murder of Brooklyn Court Officer Albert Gelb in 1976, and cleared Carneglia on a related conspiracy charge.

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Posted in: Brooklyn Court

Eddie Cummiskey was a leader of the murderous Westies gang which ruled the upper West Side in the 1960s and '70s,

Clifford Cummiskey had been accused of pummeling an off-duty State Department agent in a drunken brawl outside a Ninth Ave. bar. He said it was self-defense, and that his dad's notoriety still follows him. The son of infamous Hell's Kitchen gangster Eddie (The Butcher) Cummiskey was acquitted Tuesday of beating up a federal agent.

"My last name is Cummiskey, my father was a known gangster," Cummiskey, 36, said after a Manhattan judge cleared him of a single misdemeanor assault charge. "He died 33 years ago and to this day, anytime anything happens it's the first thing [the cops] bring up."

Cummiskey, whose father was shot dead on the streets near their home, did acknowledge many past run-ins with the law, including a 1992 felony assault conviction for breaking a man's jaw and a more recent drunken driving conviction. Eddie Cummiskey was a leader of the murderous Westies gang which ruled the upper West Side in the 1960s and '70s, and which at one time was headed by Mickey Spillane - the mobster, not the novelist. Cummiskey's son was busted by cops Sept. 21 after a violent 3:30 a.m. brawl involving as many as six off-duty federal agents erupted outside Coppersmith's pub on W. 53rd St. While prosecutors charged it was Cummiskey who threw the first punch and then pounded Agent Patrick Scoggins while he bled on the sidewalk, Cummiskey's defense attorney argued his client was jumped. It may have been testimony

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Posted in: Westies gang

Roman Vidal, age 57, allegedly smuggled millions of dollars' worth of black-market cigarettes through the Port of Miami on behalf of European gangs

Roman Vidal, age 57, allegedly smuggled millions of dollars' worth of black-market cigarettes through the Port of Miami on behalf of European gangs — including the Real IRA, which claimed responsibility for the March 7 attack on four soldiers waiting for a pizza delivery.

The brutal killings — which included execution shots to wounded victims lying on the ground — threaten to derail the peace process in Northern Ireland, with one Protestant leader warning it might signal a return to the "bad old days where people are being killed in open-air gun attacks."

Vidal fronted a freight company that imported millions of cigarettes from Panama, hid them under wood flooring and insulation in freighters at the Port of Miami, and then sent them to gangs in Dublin, according to the complaint. He has been charged with four counts of federal wire and mail fraud.In February 2006, an informant tipped off Immigration and Customs Enforcement officials in Miami to Vidal's scheme, and agents began watching Vidal's business and checking his shipments.They found that the previous December, Vidal had shipped 7.3 million cigarettes from Panama to Miami, purchased wood flooring at a local hardware store, and then covered the shipment with floorboards. When the cargo arrived in Dublin, Vidal's Irish contacts paid only $2,900 in tariffs and pocketed the $2.1 million they avoided in taxes.Vidal pulled an identical scheme last February, ICE agents say, shipping to the UK about 6 million Panamanian cigarettes hidden under building insulation.As agents dug into Vidal's illegal enterprise, they learned he worked for "a criminal organization that has associates operating in Spain, Ireland, and other European countries as well as in the Southern District of Florida," according to the criminal complaint.
Evidence indicates some of these associates were connected to the Real IRA.Vidal, who has pleaded not guilty and has been released on house arrest, could not be reached for comment.

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Posted in: Port of Miami

"El Chapo," Joaquin Guzman heads the notorious Sinaloa drug cartel

"El Chapo," Joaquin Guzman, 54, heads the notorious Sinaloa drug cartel. He escaped from a Mexican prison in 2001 and the United States has offered a $US5 million ($A7.69 million) reward for his capture.On Wednesday, Guzman's name was listed in Forbes magazine as the world's 701st richest person, with a reputed $US1 billion ($A1.54 billion) fortune made from trafficking in cocaine.Calderon, whose two year old war on drug traffickers has ignited a wave of violence, expressed outrage over the Forbes list."Public opinion and now even magazines not only attack and lie about the situation in Mexico, but they also extol criminals. In Mexico we consider this a crime, that is, a justification of crime," Calderon said.In a speech before the America Society and Council of the Americas, Calderon lamented "what appears to be an anti-Mexico campaign ... but that neither intimidates us nor changes one bit our firm resolve to strengthen the rule of law in Mexico."In Washington, State Department spokesman Robert Wood denied Mexico was the target of a campaign to make it look bad."The United States government is not, you know, trying to hatch any plan against Mexico. That's just not the case," Wood said."We do have concerns about the violence on the border. There's no secret. The Mexican government's very concerned about it. It's taking steps to try to do what it can to, you know, stop this violence," he said.The Sinaloa cartel is currently engaged in a bloody turf war with the Juarez drug cartel for the control of lucrative smuggling routes along the US border, especially in Ciudad Juarez where some 1,600 people were killed in 2008.
The illegal drug trade in the United States, the world's top cocaine consumer, has netted Mexican and Colombian drug cartels between $US18 billion ($A27.68 billion) and $US39 billion ($A59.96 billion) last year, 20 per cent of which, according to Forbes, was handled by Guzman's gang.Guzman was arrested in Guatemala in June 1993 and transferred to a Mexican prison, but in 2001 staged a dramatic escape hiding inside a laundry truck and has been at large ever since.He has been on a US wanted list since 1993 on charges he smuggled six tonnes of cocaine inside a shipment of canned goods through the border city of Tecate, in Baja California.He is also been accused of building a network of drug smuggling tunnels between Mexico and the Arizona border city of Douglas.The US Drug Enforcement Administration in 2004 raised a reward for Guzman's capture from $US3 million to $US5 million ($A4 million to $A7 million).His cartel has been under pressure from both sides of the border. Mexico in 2007 seized a 23.5 tonne cocaine shipment allegedly belonging to the Sinaloa cartel, in the country's biggest drug bust.And 52 Sinaloa members were arrested in the United States in February as part of the joint US-Mexico "Operation Xcellerator," which has taken into custody 750 people in the past 21 months.Guzman was arrested in Guatemala in June 1993 and transferred to a Mexican prison, but in 2001 staged a dramatic escape hiding inside a laundry truck and has been at large ever since.
He has been on a US wanted list since 1993 on charges he smuggled six tonnes of cocaine inside a shipment of canned goods through the border city of Tecate, in Baja California.He is also been accused of building a network of drug smuggling tunnels between Mexico and the Arizona border city of Douglas.The US Drug Enforcement Administration in 2004 raised a reward for Guzman's capture from $US3 million to $US5 million ($A4 million to $A7 million).His cartel has been under pressure from both sides of the border. Mexico in 2007 seized a 23.5 tonne cocaine shipment allegedly belonging to the Sinaloa cartel, in the country's biggest drug bust.And 52 Sinaloa members were arrested in the United States in February as part of the joint US-Mexico "Operation Xcellerator," which has taken into custody 750 people in the past 21 months.

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Posted in: US Drug Enforcement Administration