GANGLAND

Four men tied to Outlaws biker gang face drug charges

2012-01-31T12:59:00.001Z

Police have charged four men with ties to the Outlaws motorcycle gang after a Medicine Hat area drug bust. On Wednesday, RCMP pulled a vehicle over on the Trans-Canada Highway near Redcliff and found a cocaine stash inside. Police seized 57 grams of cocaine worth an estimated street value of $5,600. Police have charged Calgarian Norman Playter, 44, Rene Luedee, 49, of Medicine Hat, and Redcliff resident Brian Gougeon, 45 with possession of cocaine for the purpose of trafficking. Police say Playter and Gougeon are known Outlaws biker gang members.

Alleged motorcycle gang members busted on drug trafficking charges

2012-01-31T12:38:00.001Z

Known members of the Outlaws motorcycle gang have been busted on drug trafficking charges, say police. On Jan. 25, officers from the Medicine Hat Combined Forces Special Enforcement Unit (CFSEU) pulled over a vehicle along the Trans-Canada Hwy., near Redcliff, about 285 km southeast of Calgary. Police say 57 grams of cocaine found inside resulted in the arrests of 45-year-old Redcliff resident Brian Gougeon, 44-year-old Calgary resident Norman Playter and 49-year-old Medicine Hat resident Rene Luedee, each charged with possession for the purpose of trafficking. An additional 14 charges relating to firearms were laid the next day against Gougeon and a 40-year-old woman, also from Medicine Hat. Another traffic stop was conducted that day by the CFSEU along the Trans-Canada Hwy. near Medicine Hat, about 300 km southeast of Calgary, resulting in the seizure of 100 grams of cocaine and the arrest of 24-year-old Calgary resident Sophaly Sorm. Sorm also faces a charge of possession for the purpose of trafficking. Gougeon, Playter and Luedee will appear in court Feb. 7, while Sorm will appear Feb. 28 — it’s these four police say have known ties to the Outlaws.

new report paints a troubling picture of the Oklahoma City metro's gang problem.

2012-01-31T11:54:00.001Z

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention ranks Oklahoma City right up there with Los Angeles in the number of gang-related homicides. KOCO Eyewitness News 5's Katy Blakey took those numbers to Oklahoma City's police chief. "We've had the gang problem since the late 80s, and it's grown. We saw huge growth in the early 90s, and we saw huge growth in the early 2000s," said Police Chief Bill Citty. The study shows between 2004 and 2008 that 63 people died during gang violence. Citty said his officers are making progress but that change doesn't happen overnight -- and it will take more than just law enforcement. "The report doesn't trouble me. It's the fact that it's so difficult to get a handle on it that troubles me," he said. The CDC study tracked information over a four-year period. Citty said that since the study was completed, they've seen a big drop in the number of drive-by shootings.

Suspicious package sent to RAH where Vince Focarelli is being treated

2012-01-31T11:51:00.001Z

BIKIE leader Vince Focarelli has survived a fourth attempt on his life - but his son Giovanni was shot dead in a ''targeted attack'' in Adelaide's north. Read on for the latest updates on this rapidly developing story. The Royal Adelaide Hospital has reopened after a package addressed to shot bikie Vince Focarelli forced the evacuation of the hospital's main foyer. The package was intercepted by police, who had treated it as suspicious. About 100 people were evacuated just before 5pm after the person who delivered the package to the hospital's information counter could not be found. Police bomb squad experts were called to the RAH to examine the package.

Spike Lee Blasts Media for Glorifying Gangsters

2012-01-30T11:20:00.001Z

Director Spike Lee is taking a page out of comedian Bill Cosby’s playbook. The man who gave us “Do the Right Thing” and “He Got Game” is talking up the power of getting a good education and how the media makes gangster life far too appealing. Cosby said essentially the same thing a few years back, but members of the black community didn’t take kindly to the veteran comic’s message. Despite 100 years of slavery, our ancestors were smart enough to know that education would be the thing to lead us out of bondage,” he said. “At a time when to learn to read and write was against the law for African-Americans, our ancestors risked life and limb to learn.” He spoke of his parents’ and grandparents’ generations greatest mantra: “Education is the key.” Then, he asked the crowd how, with such a rich history, fewer than half of Black males graduate from high school in America. Lee blamed the influence that crack cocaine has had in poor neighborhoods and the influence that media have had in glorifying drugs and gangsters, whom he said are primarily portrayed by Black actors. “I am from the pre-crack generation. When I was growing up, we never, ever, never ridiculed someone because they were a good student,” he said.

Traffic offences trouble for Sydney bikie duo

2012-01-30T11:17:00.001Z

Two men allegedly linked to the Comancheros bikie gang are to face court over driving offences, after a Gang Squad operation in Sydney's south-west on Friday. Officers from Strike Force Raptor stopped a motorcycle they say was being driven by a Comancheros member at Milperra about 10:15pm (AEDT). Police say the 51-year-old rider returned a blood alcohol reading of 0.106, more than twice the legal limit. The Marrickville man's license was suspended and he was issued a court attendance notice for mid-range drink driving. About 25 minutes later police stopped a car at Milperra they say was being driven by a Comancheros associate. Police say a check revealed the 20-year-old Fairfield man's licence had been suspended. He was issued a court attendance notice for driving whilst suspended. Both men are due to face Bankstown Local Court in March. The Comancheros have a clubhouse in Milperra.

Labor's hapless tough talking on bikies has made it the best recruitment agent the gangs have ever had

2012-01-30T11:09:00.001Z

COMANCHERO bikie gang member has been shot dead while his father and club president survived a fourth attempt on his life. Witnesses said they heard up to five gunshots in quick succession at 9pm last night in an Adelaide suburb. Peter Frost, a resident of Dry Creek for 13 years, said he heard a popping noise but thought it might have been fireworks. "I wasn't sure if it was gunshots or what it was," he said. "It was like pop, pop, pop, pop... I just though it was fireworks or something. "From what I gathered later on, it (happened) down the end of the street, near the intersection (of Flame Ave and Churchill Rd North)." Mr Frost said police were at the scene until about 4am and they spoke to him several times. "They said there had been a shooting, a murder," he said. Focarelli silent on SA bikie shooting Bikie shot dead, father wounded in SA "It's not good in our neighbourhood." Police at the scene confirmed that Comanchero Giovanni Focarelli's body was in the back seat of a car on Prospect Rd, just outside Adelaide's Prospect Village Shopping Centre. He was aged in his early 20s. Minutes earlier, paramedics had gathered around the rear of the blue sedan, checking the body for signs of life. The cars headlights and hazard lights remained on. A man with multiple gunshot wounds, later confirmed to be gang leader and Giovanni's father Vince Focarelli, was rushed to Royal Adelaide Hospital. An SA Ambulance spokesperson said he was in stable condition and walking when ambulance crews arrived at the scene. It is the fourth time he has been the target of an assassination attempt. Ten police vehicles sealed off Prospect Rd within minutes of the first reports of gunshots about 9pm. A group of people who arrived at 9.35pm had to be restrained by police from entering the crime scene. One distraught woman was tackled by three officers. Sandra Basilico said she heard four shots out the front of her house before hearing a car speed off. Her son, Steven, 15, said the ordeal was "frightening". "It sounded like four gunshots, then I heard someone scream," he said. "It was pretty scary. We just went inside and sat tight. It was pretty frightening...I didn't come outside." Resident Steve Muller vented his frustrations over the bikie crime taking over his suburb. "These bikies, let them do what they want to do but do it anywhere else but our streets, it's rubbish," he said. "They are making themselves out to be gangsters and heroes ... it's not on. "Go out in the middle of nowhere and knock each other off but don't do it in our streets, it's silly, there are kids in the street." The State Opposition has slammed escalating violence among outlaw crime gangs, saying anti-bikie moves have failed. The State Government is working on the second phase of its anti-association laws after the High Court ruled elements of its initial push unlawful. The first phase of anti-bikie laws, penned by former attorney-general Michael Atkinson, was found to undermine the independence of the courts in a split decision. Attorney-General John Rau is now working on a new package to be presented in Parliament this year. Changes include giving the court power to "declare" a gang a criminal organisation, based on evidence supplied by police. Control orders could then be issued against members, banning them from associating. Opposition justice spokesman Stephen Wade today said the Government had talked tough but failed to deliver effective measures for eradicating outlaw gangs. "Labor's hapless tough talking on bikies has made it the best recruitment agent the gangs have ever had," Mr Wade said. "Labor's fruitless tough talking has elevated outlaw leaders like Vincenzo Focarelli to rock star status. "New laws will only ever reinforce well-established laws and policing practice. We need aggressive, targeted law enforcement against known criminals."

Firebug’s spree rattles, angers neighbourhood

2012-01-30T11:06:00.001Z

A firebug left a smouldering trail of destruction as four vehicles were torched in four east London driveways, dangerously close to homes as their owners slept. The separate blazes in the Whitney St. and Edgeworth Ave. area broke out about 3:30 a.m. Sunday, rattling area residents. Police had no suspects, but said the string of fires doesn’t appear connected to a rash of fires three weeks ago that damaged two massage parlours and a strip club connected to the Hells Angels. “It’s crazy,” said the owner of one torched vehicle on Whitney St., who declined to give her name. Whoever set the fires tried to start her van on fire, but succeeded in only burning a hole in a seat. “It didn’t go up in flames like the rest,” she said. A car next door was gutted. The owner said he didn’t want the fire publicized. “It was vandalism,” he said. Around the corner on Edgeworth Ave., a pickup truck was burned out in a driveway, the door left open and headlights still on. Several doors down, on the opposite side of the street, a destroyed car sat in a driveway. “They were all in close proximity,” said London police Const. Ken Steeves. Steeves said there doesn’t appear to be a link between Sunday’s mayhem and January’s fires. Those broke out during a week of dramatics that also brought shootings. “There doesn’t seem to be (a connection) at this point,” Steeves said. The department’s criminal investigation division is heading the probe now and police are searching for an arsonist.

Top bikie's son dead after double shooting

2012-01-30T11:05:00.001Z

Twenty-two-year-old Giovanni Focarelli died in the shooting in Flame Avenue at Dry Creek on Sunday night. His father Vince Focarelli is in a stable condition after being shot up to four times. Police say Mr Focarelli, the self-appointed head of the South Australian chapter of the Comancheros bikie gang, is refusing to help with investigations into his son's death. Detective Superintendent Grant Moyle says the two men were shot in a street at Dry Creek and the father then drove his dying son as far as Prospect in Adelaide's inner north. "We have a scene in a street at Dry Creek where we believe that the shooting did initially take place and that Focarelli has driven from there and down Prospect Road, where he's come across a patrol and he's stopped in front of that and sought their assistance," he said. "Detectives have spoken to Mr Focarelli at the Royal Adelaide Hospital. "He has declined to provide us any information that might assist us in identifying the offender. PHOTO: Shot dead: Giovanni Focarelli, 22. (facebook.com) "That is a difficulty we face in these particular cases. The people that do know information are often reluctant to assist the investigation." Detective Superintendant Moyle says police fear there could be reprisals. "We'll try to do what we can to talk some sense into these people and prevent anyone else from getting injured," he said. Vince Focarelli was shot in the leg last month and was the target of a failed bomb attack earlier by two Hells Angels associates. That bomb exploded prematurely, killing both of the would-be attackers. Adelaide lawyer Craig Caldicott says Vince Focarelli has alienated many other bikies. He says differences began when there was a falling out with a member of the Hells Angels. PHOTO: Lawyer Craig Caldicott warns of open warfare (Loukas Founten: ABC News) "It was on a personal level. They had been friends and then suddenly there was a huge falling out and I think out of the genesis of that Focarelli, with a view to try to protect himself, formed the New Boyz and then tried to brand himself as a Comanchero," he said. Mr Caldicott, who has legally represented many bikie gang members, says there is now more volatility due to Government changes to laws, to target bikies. He says some older gang members have quit because of the legal crackdown but it has left the situation chaotic. "At least they could keep control. You're [now] talking about open warfare. It would never have happened in the good old days," he said. "The wiser, older persons in the bike groups have moved out of them and it's romanticised ... the outlaw image and it's attracted a whole raft of new persons into the bike groups and there's no control being exercised at the moment."

New outbreak of bikie gang violence

2012-01-30T11:03:00.001Z

South Australian Police are this morning investigating another bikie-related shooting that's left the son of one gang leader dead. Comancheros boss, Vince Focarelli was wounded several times but survived. His son however died from his wounds. Gang shootings have plagued police in more than one state in recent weeks. So is the long running crackdown on bikie gang violence actually working? Hayden Cooper reports. HAYDEN COOPER: When a police patrol car was flagged down in Adelaide's north late last night, the latest bloody chapter in a bikie gang war was unfolding. Vince Focarelli, a notorious gang leader, had stumbled out of the car with several gunshot wounds to his body. His son, 22 year old Giovanni Focarelli was in the back seat - dead. GRANT MOYLE: He is deceased and his father, Vince Focarelli has suffered a number of gunshot wounds. He has been taken to the Royal Adelaide Hospital. This crime has been declared a major crime and it is being investigated by the major crime investigation branch with the assistance of a number of other crime branch areas as well. HAYDEN COOPER: Detective superintendent Grant Moyle wasn't surprised by the attempt on the Focarelli's life. GRANT MOYLE: You would all be aware that he has been the target of a number of attacks in the past so I would suggest it was a very planned, targeted attempt on his life. HAYDEN COOPER: Vince Focarelli is one of the most well known bikie gang leaders in South Australia as the head of the Comanchero's club. He's not shy of public attention. (Music) Only last month in a bizarre YouTube video he was seen dancing to music promoting the bikie lifestyle to would be members. This is the fourth attempt on his life - after a long history of conflict with rival clubs and even enemies within his own. As police in several states struggle to control bikie gang violence, this episode is a setback to the law enforcement efforts. Detective superintendent Moyle says the job is made even harder because in this case, Focarelli won't cooperate. GRANT MOYLE: Detectives have spoken to Mr Focarelli at the Royal Adelaide Hospital. He has declined to provide us any information that might assist us in identifying the offender. That is a difficulty we face in these particular cases. The people that do know information are often reluctant to come forward or assist the investigation.

Bikie gang member shot dead in Adelaide

2012-01-29T23:00:00.001Z

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

Two members of the Hells Angels Motorcycle Club were convicted Thursday of assault in connection with a stabbing at last summer's Sturgis motorcycle rally.

2012-01-29T22:35:00.000Z

Two members of the Hells Angels Motorcycle Club were convicted Thursday of assault in connection with a stabbing at last summer's Sturgis motorcycle rally.

Mark Allen Duclos, 48, of Fairbanks, Alaska, was convicted of aggravated assault, a felony, and George James Caruso, 57 of Shirley, Mass., was convicted of simple assault, a misdemeanor.

Duclos is scheduled to be sentenced on Feb. 21 and Caruso on March 5.

According to police, members of the Hells Angels and the Mongols Motorcycle Club were involved in an altercation that led to a stabbing near the Hells Angels clubhouse on Third Street in Sturgis on Aug. 10:Text may be subject to copyright.This blog does not claim copyright to any such text. Copyright remains with the original copyright holder

The shooting of a bikie gang member and his club president father has been declared a major crime

2012-01-29T22:30:00.000Z

Giovanni Focarelli, 22, is dead and his father, Comanchero club president Vince Focarelli, is in Royal Adelaide Hospital with multiple gunshot wounds after the shooting on Sunday night.

Police Minister Jennifer Rankine said the state has tough laws to deal with the "scourge" of outlaw motorcycle gangs but some just shun the law."I am sure the police are as frustrated as what I am about what is occurring," she told ABC radio.

Police believe the men were shot at Dry Creek, in Adelaide’s north, then drove to Prospect where they flagged down a police patrol vehicle near the quiet suburban Prospect Village Shopping Centre about 9pm (CDT) on Sunday.

Giovanni Focarelli was dead by the time ambulance crews arrived, while his father, Comanchero club president Vince Focarelli, was believed to be in a stable condition and walking.

Part of Prospect Rd was cordoned off while police examined the Focarellis’ car.About half an hour after the shooting a group of people arrived and had to be restrained by police from entering the crime scene.News Ltd said one woman had to be tackled by three officers.

Police later told reporters Mr Focarelli was refusing to help officers investigating his son’s death.

It is not the first time Focarelli, who was hospitalised with a gunshot wound to the leg in December after another attempt on his life, has refused to co-operate with police.

Ms Rankine said hundreds of bikies and associates have been arrested and charged with various offences but a small group appear to have no regard for the South Australian community.

"The frustration is these people have absolutely no regard for the law or, it would appear, for their safety or the safety of the community.":Text may be subject to copyright.This blog does not claim copyright to any such text. Copyright remains with the original copyright holder

Domenico Masciopinto, a determined drug dealer who was still on licence from a four-and-a-half-year sentence for similar offences."

2012-01-29T22:28:00.000Z

Prosecutors have welcomed the conviction of a drugs gang boss who plotted to supply heroin and cocaine in Bedford while on licence from a previous jail sentence.

Domenico Masciopinto will be sentenced in March after being convicted of two counts of conspiracy to supply Class A drugs by a jury at Luton Crown Court.

The Crown Prosecution Service said the 31-year-old, formerly of Farrer Court, Bedford, was part of a gang which supplied "mid-level" street dealers in the town.

The jury which convicted Masciopinto heard that the drugs network, involving seven men and a woman, obtained high purity cocaine and heroin from Bradford before it was adulterated, repackaged, and sold on in Bedford.

Police broke up the network on May 12 last year when they seized 1.4kg of cocaine and 1.2kg of heroin, as well as larger amounts of substances used to "cut" the drugs.

Simon Heptonstall, Senior Crown Advocate for Thames and Chiltern Crown Prosecution Service, said: "This was a professional and organised operation.

"It sourced substantial quantities of Class A drugs from an importer in Yorkshire, then distributed them to street dealers in Bedford. At its head was Domenico Masciopinto, a determined drug dealer who was still on licence from a four-and-a-half-year sentence for similar offences."

Mr Heptonstall added that Masciopinto had tried to fool the jury by claiming he had only become involved after his life was threatened.

The prosecutor observed: "He wove that account around his being shot in January 2011. In reality that had been the product of rivalry between competing drug networks.

"The impact on the local community of this high level drug dealing is immense. Drugs ruin the lives of those who use them - they damage the law-abiding citizens who become the victims of crimes committed to fund drug habits.":Text may be subject to copyright.This blog does not claim copyright to any such text. Copyright remains with the original copyright holder

Willem Holleeder, the Netherlands’ most notorious gangland figure, was released from jail on Friday after serving six years of a nine-year sentence for extortion and blackmail.

2012-01-29T22:25:00.002Z

The 53-year-old, who also spent time in jail for kidnapping beer magnate Freddie Heineken, was taken by car to a secret location ‘on a public road’ where he was picked up by friends, the Telegraaf reported.

The paper said the release had been closely coordinated by justice ministry officials in an effort to avoid Holleeder being either greeted as a hero or attacked.

The NRC reported at the beginning of January that Holleeder would not face charges in an ongoing investigation into gangland killings and would be freed from prison at the end of the month.

Blackmail

Holleeder was sentenced to nine years in jail by an Amsterdam court in December 2007 for his part in blackmailing three property tycoons.

He still remains a suspect in an investigation into at least seven murders, known as the Passage case, and will be closely monitored.

Holleeder was earlier jailed in the 1980s for kidnapping beer magnate Freddie Heineken. The equivalent of €16m was paidin 1983 to free Heineken and his chauffeur Ab Doderer, much of which was found buried in woods near Zeist shortly after they were freed. :Text may be subject to copyright.This blog does not claim copyright to any such text. Copyright remains with the original copyright holder

Last week, Merwin Raheem Herbert "Poncho" White, 21, the leader of the G-Shyne Bloods, was convicted of murder and other charges largely on testimony from other gang members, including Hargrove.

2012-01-29T13:21:00.000Z

:Text may be subject to copyright.This blog does not claim copyright to any such text. Copyright remains with the original copyright holder A longtime Richmond-area gang member whose testimony last week helped prosecutors win convictions and a recommendation of life in prison against the gang's leader walked free Thursday from the Henrico County Jail.

William D. Hargrove, 19, one of four gang defendants facing murder, robbery, weapons and conspiracy charges, pleaded guilty to two misdemeanors and was released for time served. Last week, Merwin Raheem Herbert "Poncho" White, 21, the leader of the G-Shyne Bloods, was convicted of murder and other charges largely on testimony from other gang members, including Hargrove.

Henrico Commonwealth's Attorney Shannon Taylor stressed Thursday that charges against Hargrove in the case were not strong, that he had been truthful and forthcoming from the day of his arrest, and that he was a peripheral and unwilling participant in G-Shyne crimes.

"There were no promises made to him" of leniency before the trial last week, she said.

Hargrove, who was known as Kilo, had testified that he was ordered and beaten-in to the G-Shyne operation after White told him that another gang Hargrove was in, Sex Murder Money, was no longer functional.

Hargrove, who had a Henrico address but lived at numerous places in the area, could have faced life in prison himself if convicted on original charges brought by a grand jury in May in the same case involving White.

Hargrove testified that he was part of a plan to punish a gang pretender last year in a robbery that turned to murder.

Quondell Pringle, 22, a small-time drug dealer who worked the Newbridge area of eastern Henrico, angered White, Hargrove and other witnesses said last week. They said White ordered Pringle robbed and possibly killed if he resisted.

Hargrove pleaded guilty Thursday to misdemeanor accessory participation in murder after the fact and to after the fact participation in a robbery. Henrico Circuit Judge Catherine C. Hammond sentenced Hargrove to concurrent 12-month terms, which meant that he was eligible for immediate release because of reduced time and time served in jail already. Jail inmates typically serve half their sentence, and Hargrove had been incarcerated since May.

Hargrove said at trial last week that White was capable of killing anyone who broke from the gang and that he and another man, James B. Pryor, agreed to rob Pringle on White's order. To do otherwise, Hargrove said, could mean his own death.

Hargrove, though, balked at his role of watching Pringle's back, lingering far behind Pryor as Pringle was approached. Hargrove testified that he feared for his life because he hadn't followed White's orders and because of his half-hearted role in Pringle's death, and he said White refused to promote him within the gang's hierarchy.

Shortly after the April 21 murder, Hargrove's home was shot into by unknown assailants, according to evidence in the case. On Thursday in court, during a hearing that lasted less than five minutes, Hargrove turned to Pringle's family and apologized: "I did what I could to make it right," he said.

Taylor and deputy prosecutors Toni M. Randall and Thomas L. Johnson Jr. said after the hearing Thursday that Hargrove had been important to bringing one of the area's most significant gang convictions. While the Pringle family was not pleased with Hargrove's release, Taylor said the family realized the complex dynamics of the case and Hargrove's role in convicting White.

"Will Hargrove was victimized by Merwin White, like so many others," Hargrove's lawyer, Ted Bruns, said after court.

Pryor, who has pleaded guilty to murdering Pringle, is scheduled to be sentenced next month. White, 21, was convicted last week after a three-day jury trial ending in a recommendation that White serve life plus three years. He will be formally sentenced March 7.

Arrested drug gang kingpin, seize heroin and cash totaling $74K

2012-01-27T10:54:00.001Z

Drug Enforcement Administration, officials said. Late Tuesday, officers carrying search warrants raided locations in Elizabeth, Rahway and the Fords section of Woodbridge, seizing 75 bricks of heroin, a .40-caliber handgun and $36,000 in cash. The drugs, packed for street distribution, are worth $38,000, the prosecutor’s office said. Arrested in the raids was a drug ring leader, Dennis Jones, known to many as "Fat Cat," said Union County Prosecutor Theodore Romankow. Dealers in Jones’ distribution network had moved their product throughout New Jersey, New York, Pennsylvania and Virginia, authorities said. "These were not small-time dealers, but rather men who ran a sophisticated, wide-reaching, and lucrative drug ring both in and outside the state of New Jersey," Romankow said. In earlier raids, police had arrested Wendell Wilson, a high-ranking member of the East Side Mob Gang PIRU, a set of the Bloods street gang, authorities said. In that operation, officers seized a handgun, about $90,000 in cash, and more than 5½ pounds of heroin, worth some $140,000 on the street, authorities said. The 35-year-old Jones, who lives in Fords, was charged with leading a narcotics-trafficking network, maintaining a drug-manufacturing facility and other narcotic crimes. Also arrested were Dennis Wactor, 25, of Elizabeth; Rasheen Tucker, 35, of Elizabeth; and Clarence Johnson, 36, of Elizabeth. All four men are being held on bails ranging from $500,000 to $3 million. "This is an example of multiple law enforcement agencies combining their resources and working together to remove high level drug dealers from the streets," Romankow said. "I am very proud of the efforts of all involved."

Raid turns up drugs, weapons

2012-01-27T10:49:00.001Z

Police Chief Gerard Dessoye walked behind the table, pointing to the plastic bags filled with more than $60,000 worth of various narcotics and describing the vast array of firearms investigators seized Thursday during a raid carried out in undisclosed parts of Wilkes-Barre and Plains Township. The haul, Luzerne County Assistant District Attorney Sam Sanguedolce said, included "100 percent pure" heroin and cocaine and a cache of firearms ranging from a Soviet assault rifle to semi-automatic handguns, Dessoye said. "These are extremely high-quality firearms compared to what we've seen so many times in the past, where you see an old, rusty Saturday night special," Dessoye said. "Obviously the weapons are considerably more sophisticated, the narcotics are of a better quality." Police arrested three people in connection with the drug-trafficking network, the subject of a year-long investigation that included the execution of search warrants, controlled drug buys, traffic stops and electronic surveillance, according to a city a news release. The trio, described as associates from Long Island, N.Y., moved "massive quantities of cocaine and heroin" through Wilkes-Barre and nearby towns, the release said. "Today marks another victory in our ongoing battle to fight crime, not just in the city but in surrounding communities as well," Mayor Tom Leighton said as he thanked investigators from the city's Narcotics Unit, the state Attorney General's Drug Task Force, Luzerne County District Attorney's Office and Plains Township Police. Investigators would not specify exactly where the raid took place, saying more arrests could be forthcoming. Police charged Raymond Davis, Anthony Davis and Leon Edward Berry in connection with the drug-trafficking network. Raymond Davis, 30, was charged with delivery of a controlled substance, criminal conspiracy to deliver crack cocaine and criminal use of a communication facility, according to court documents. He had previously been convicted of drug charges in November. "It's just pure greed," Dessoye said of the continued drug trafficking. Raymond Davis said nothing as he walked into the courtroom for his arraignment on Thursday afternoon, and uttered only a "thank you" to Magisterial District Justice Richard J. Cronauer when the proceeding ended. Cronauer set Raymond Davis' bail at $100,000 for each of his four criminal complaints.

The Guns and Gangs Unit is investigating the shooting.

2012-01-27T10:47:00.001Z

An unidentified man is listed in serious condition in hospital after an evening shooting in Ottawa's west-end. Ottawa Police say the victim was found in a parking lot on Woodfield Drive around 9:30 p.m. suffering from a gunshot wound to the leg. No other information on suspects or the victim has been released. The Guns and Gangs Unit is investigating the shooting. Woodfield Drive is in the area of Merivale Road and Hunt Club Road.

A bust in Brownsville, Brooklyn, has taken 43 gang members off the streets.

2012-01-27T10:46:00.001Z

The suspects, members of two rival gangs, were caught in what law enforcement is calling "Operation Tidal Wave." NYPD Commissioner Ray Kelly and Kings Country District Attorney Charles Hynes made the announcement about the arrests at a press conference last week. They said the feuding gangs, known as the Wave Gang and Hoodstarz, had been "terrorizing" the Brownsville area. Their victims include an innocent bystander who was killed during a shooting. In one indictment, 25 members of the Wave Gang face charges that include second-degree murder, conspiracy, assault, criminal weapons possession and attempted robbery. In the other indictment, 18 members of the Hoodstarz face similar charges, including reckless endangerment. "Fear among the community was heightened due to the targeted acts of violence committed by these two gangs in Brownsville," Hynes said. "The gangs had a longstanding feud over territory leading to wanton and reckless behavior where kids would shoot at each other because they were in the wrong gang, on the wrong street or in front of the wrong building." The indictment alleges that Hoodstarz leader Culture Bermudez gave orders to his gang to shoot rival gang members. Last August, Gilberto Vincente, seeking rival gang members, fired several shots into a courtyard. The shooting killed an innocent bystander, Daniel Aleys, with a bullet to the head, and injured other innocent bystanders, including a 9-year-old boy and his father. Other shootings have occurred from the summer through this month. Victims include teenagers as young as 13 and two gang leaders. In some instances, robbery victims were people who refused to join the gangs. In many cases, the Wave Gang would target younger males, aged 13 and 14, and surround them in large groups, intimidating and robbing them. Kelly said several gang members used social networking to brag about their activities, leading police to make the arrests. "Gang members made the mistake of boasting about their shootings on Twitter, which NYPD officers used to help establish their complicity in murder and other crimes," Kelly said. While the mass arrests are being celebrated by the district attorney's office and the NYPD, A.T. Mitchell, a community activist and the leader of Man Up in Brownsville, said the community could have done more to address the issues of the gang members. He said a disproportionate number of youth are now going to go through the prison system. "Once you get to know these kids, they are just kids and you feel really bad for them," Mitchell said. "If they had resources available to them in our communities, a lot of our kids wouldn't have to turn and get into that lifestyle. Although I understand the havoc they wreaked was not acceptable, I feel bad that in one operation they were successful in taking 43 of our young people off of the street.

Newark's level of gang-related murders among highest in nation

2012-01-27T10:44:00.001Z

Fueled largely by the drug trade, gang violence in Newark is on par with historically violent California cities like Los Angeles and Oakland, according to a report the federal Centers for Disease Control and Prevention released today. Using data from 2003 through 2008, the analysis looked at homicides in large cities in 17 states and found the highest level of gang-related murders in Los Angeles, Oakland and Long Beach, Calif., Oklahoma City and Newark. By comparing gang-related killings to non-gang slayings, the report showed retaliation to ongoing violence and internal set disputes, rather than drugs, drove violence in four of those five cities. Newark was the outlier. New Jersey’s largest city recorded a significantly higher proportion of drug involvement in gang homicides, according to the report. Twenty percent of the city’s gang killings involved drugs, compared with 6 percent of non-gang homicides. "It’s just the gang structure in Newark is different than what you would typically see in L.A. We don’t get shootings and homicides because somebody is a Blood or somebody is a Crip," said Police Director Samuel DeMaio. "In Newark, it’s not the gang members who are dealing drugs, it’s drug dealers who happen to belong to gangs." Since 2007, Newark has seen an overall decline in violent crime and homicides, after several years when the annual death toll hovered in the triple digits. But slayings have increased in the past two years, and the city is home to a wide array of gangs, including Bloods, Crips, Latin Kings, MS-13 and Trinitarios. Criminals are more loyal to drug money than gang affiliation in Newark, said DeMaio, who has seen Bloods and Crips work together to control several drug corridors. In other major cities, the report showed drugs played a minor role in homicides. Narcotics were linked to fewer than 5 percent of all slayings in Los Angeles and Long Beach. In Oakland, 12.5 percent of gang homicides involved drugs, compared with 16.5 percent of non-gang homicides, and 25.4 percent of Oklahoma City’s gang homicides were connected to narcotics, compared with 22.8 percent of non-gang homicides. On the national stage, the finding that drugs played less of a role than previously thought by the public could be important for policy makers because it may shift the focus in how society attempts to prevent gang deaths. "Violence — including gang homicides — is a significant public health problem," Linda C. Degutis, director of the CDC’s National Center for Injury Prevention and Control, said in a statement. "Investing in early prevention pays off in the long run. It helps youth learn how to resolve conflicts without resorting to violence and keeps them connected to their families, schools and communities, and from joining gangs in the first place."

Takedown of Native Mob gang prompts statewide Minn. prison lockdown

2012-01-27T10:42:00.001Z

A statewide takedown of several suspected Native Mob gang members prompted a rare lockdown of Minnesota's entire prison system, so authorities could ensure that word of the arrests didn't get out and protect the safety of officers in the field, officials said Wednesday. A sweeping, 47-count indictment partially unsealed Tuesday and made available Wednesday charges 24 alleged gang members with conspiracy to participate in racketeering and other counts. The indictment paints a picture of a structured, violent gang that held monthly meetings where members encouraged the assault or murder of their enemies, including rival gang members, government witnesses or anyone who showed disrespect. It also outlines how the gang monitored the location of its own members and rival gangs in prison, and communicated with incarcerated Native Mob members about their activities. "These communications furthered the Native Mob's strength, both in terms of numbers of members, and in its ability to intimidate enemies," the indictment said. Six of the defendants — who face charges including attempted murder, assault with a dangerous weapon, and drug charges — were arrested Tuesday in the Minneapolis-St. Paul area, and on the White Earth, Mille Lacs and Leech Lake Indian reservations in northern Minnesota. But 12 of those charged were already in custody on other charges and had to be re-arrested in prison, U.S. Attorney's Office spokeswoman Jeanne Cooney said. Because officials didn't want inmates to warn those on the outside about possible arrests, all of the state's 9,500 inmates were confined to their cells from 4 a.m. Tuesday until 5 a.m. Wednesday, and weren't allowed any phone calls or visitors. Department of Corrections spokesman John Schadl said it was "very important for the integrity of the operation and the safety of the people in the field that no word get out." Six more suspects remained at large Wednesday. The U.S. Attorney's Office said the Native Mob is a regional criminal gang that started in Minneapolis in the 1990s and has roughly 200 members, recruited from areas with large numbers of young Native American males. Authorities said its members have been involved in drug trafficking, assault, robbery, murder and drive-by shootings. The indictment said that since at least the mid-1990s, the defendants and others conspired to commit crimes through the Native Mob, in violation of the federal anti-racketeering law. The indictment said the Native Mob members were expected to intimidate rival gangs and "use any means necessary to force respect from those who showed disrespect, including acts of intimidation and violence."

68,000 gang members counted by new Gang Book

2012-01-27T10:41:00.001Z

Social media Web sites have become popular mechanisms by which gang members carry out drug-dealing and other illegal activity. This trend is explored in the Chicago Crime Commission Gang Book, which also highlights profiles, colors and other identifiers of 70 of the most prominent street gangs in Chicago, a city estimated to have more than 68,000 gang members, according to a news release about the book. Released Thursday, the book also contains maps of individual gang territories, and the gangs’ old “manifestos” outlining their original bylaws and current negligence of them, the release stated. The book was “developed as a training tool to be used by enforcement, parents, educators and business owners who may know little about street gangs operating in the city and suburbs,” Jody Weis, president of the commission and the city's former police superintendentd, said in the release. The book also includes data from a 2011 Chicago Crime Commission Survey of Gang and Drug Activity. One-hundred-seventy police agencies in the Chicago area participated in the survey, which found that graffiti, burglaries and drug-related activity are the most common crimes committed by gang members in the suburbs, the release stated. The survey found the Latin Kings, Gangster Disciples, Sureno 13s, Maniac Latin Disciples and Vice Lords are the top five most active gangs within the jurisdictions of the 170 police agencies. As for Chicago, “many residents of the city live and work within feet of a gang’s operations,” stated Weis. “Gangs constitute an entire sector of Chicago’s population, yet even the law enforcement organizations that watch them daily cannot precisely gauge the extent of their presence. “Gangs’ mode of operation exists fully apart from civil society, yet the repercussions of their gun- and drug-related activities directly affect society’s well-being.”

Edward "Special Ed" Borough, 40, of the 500 block of Sappington Barracks Road, pleaded guilty to murdering three men

2012-01-25T15:06:00.000Z

Edward "Special Ed" Borough, 40, of the 500 block of Sappington Barracks Road, pleaded guilty to murdering three men and was sentenced Monday to three 30-year terms to run concurrently.

Boroughf was accused, along with several other members of a motorcycle gang called the Invaders, of killing Alan Little, 61, of the 10000 block of Niblic Drive on May 31, 2007. His remains were found in a sinkhole in Ste. Genevieve County in April 2009.

Randy Greenman, 39, and George Whitter, 36, vanished in September 2007 after leaving a St. Louis bar. Weeks later, their mutilated remains were found miles away and miles apart.

Four other members of the Invaders gang are facing marijuana conspiracy charges as well as murder charges.:Text may be subject to copyright.This blog does not claim copyright to any such text. Copyright remains with the original copyright holder

Two additional suspects have been charged in what police are calling the gang-related "assassination" of a 20-year-old Salisbury man on East Road.

2012-01-25T14:53:00.000Z

Cassone Arnaze Taylor, 19, and Darell Spates, a 22-year-old John Street resident, have been charged with murder, conspiracy to commit murder, assault and handgun violations in connection with the murder of Arnold G. Fagans Jr., who was shot multiple times in the West Road Apartments parking lot on Jan. 12.

They continue to be held without bond at the Wicomico County Detention Center following a District Court bail review hearing Monday.

Taylor and Spates, aka "Redz" and "Ciggs," are the most recent suspects charged in Fagans' murder. Stewart Desbagne, 17, and Kaleb R. Phillips, 20, were taken into custody Jan. 14 and are facing similar charges.

Desbagne has been charged as an adult.

Taylor and Spates were implicated in the homicide, the first murder in the county this year, after investigators listened to a phone conversation at about 4:15 a.m. Jan. 20 between Taylor and a high-ranking Black Guerilla Family gang member, according to charging documents.

"Taylor stated that while at the residence, Demarr Jones (aka "Marty Bass") stated to the others on numerous occasions that the victim 'had to go,' " Sgt. S.B. Cook of the Maryland Police Homicide Unit wrote in charging documents. "When asked who authorized the assassination, Taylor only stated that Demarr Jones had told them that they (Taylor, Spates, Phillips and Desbange) needed to do it, and that it needed to be done by 12 (midnight)."

Fagans was shot multiple times in the apartment complex parking lot at 11:54 p.m., according to police.

During a subsequent phone conversation between Taylor and the same high-ranking BGF gang member on the same date, Taylor allegedly said he, Desbagne, Phillips and Spates drove to the West Road Apartment complex, where the victim was killed and "all four were masked up" during the murder, according to charging documents. He also talked about where the murder weapon might be located, according to police.

Investigators believe the victim routinely associated with members of the BGF gang, according to court documents. Fagans allegedly attended a gang meeting within the weeks leading up to his murder.

"During the meeting, Fagans told BGF members that he refused to make financial dues payments to the BGF," Cook wrote in charging documents.

The victim was also allegedly expecting a child with a woman who had a long-term relationship with a high-ranking BGF gang member, according to police.

"It is known to investigators that sexual contact with the girlfriends or spouses of higher ranking BGF members by lower-ranking associates of the BGF, like Fagans, is strictly forbidden," Cook wrote.

Desbagne and Phillips were taken into custody by police Jan. 14 after investigators linked them to the getaway vehicle used after Fagans was shot and killed.

The owner of the vehicle told investigators he loaned his Mercury Grand Marquis to Desbagne, aka "Homicide," and Philips, aka "K.P.," according to court documents.

City police located the vehicle at 1:57 a.m. Jan. 13, after they received a report about a vehicle fire on Jefferson Street. The car fire was ruled arson by investigators from the State Fire Marshal's Office

:Text may be subject to copyright.This blog does not claim copyright to any such text. Copyright remains with the original copyright holder

The Calgary man gunned down in an assassination-type slaying was rumoured to have gang ties, a witness testified Tuesday.

2012-01-25T14:40:00.000Z

And Ariana Drews said Adam Cavanagh was involved in multiple ongoing disputes, including one with the cousin of a man allegedly present when he was slain.

Cavanagh was also “pistol whipped” by crackheads in an ambush within days of his Feb. 3, 2007 killing, Drews told the youth court trial of his alleged killer.

Drews said she was at the house party at Cavanagh’s parents’ northeast Calgary home, but left before he was fatally shot by a gunman through an open basement window.

Before she left, Drews told Crown prosecutor Kirsti Binns, she watched as Cavanagh took a cell phone call from her ex-boyfriend after she first spoke with Tony (TK) Kaddoura.

But Drews told Binns she didn’t recall the conversation between the two men as particularly acrimonious.

“It wasn’t anything angry — (Cavanagh) got off the phone, there was no problems,” she said.

Under cross-examination by defence counsel Andre Ouellette, Drews conceded Kaddoura often showed a jealous side when they dated.

“Was there any jealousy between Tony and Adam?” Ouellette asked the witness.

“Well, probably, I was hanging out with Adam and my ex-boyfriend was trying to get a hold of me, so probably,” she said.

Earlier, the prosecution said a man identified by one witness at Kaddoura’s cousin, Salim Kaddoura, was present with Ouellette’s client when Cavanagh was slain with a single gunshot to the head.

Drews also told Ouellette Cavanagh was involved in other disputes, including his run-in with the crackheads and some acrimony with a group of Hispanics.

“There was also some problems because he was dealing drugs?” the lawyer asked.

“Somewhat,” Drews said.

“There were people who said he was involved in gang stuff,” Ouellette suggested.

“Hearsay,” Drews responded.

While Ouellette’s client is now 22, he was only 17 at the time of the killing and has to be prosecuted as a youth and can’t be named.

Lead Crown lawyer Grant Schorn has given notice he will seek an adult sentence if the accused is convicted, as charged, of first-degree murder.

Under the Criminal Code that would mean a life sentence without parole for 10 years, instead of the parole ineligibility of 25 years for adult killers.

A gunman unloaded three shots on a busy commercial strip in Brooklyn early Tuesday night, killing a man with a single shot to the back of the head.

2012-01-25T14:36:00.000Z

The dead man, a young Latino whom police did not immediately name, fell dead in the crosswalk at 5th Ave. and 53rd St. in Sunset Park, blood pouring from one of his ears, a witness said.

The shooting, which a police source said is being investigated as a possible gang rubout, happened about 7:40 p.m.

“This area is really busy at that time,” said area resident Jennifer Diaz, 24. “For someone to do this that early, it’s crazy.”

Police used a K-9 unit to search the rooftops of local buildings for the gunman, who left behind a piece of evidence — his jacket, the police source said.

The shooter was also a Latino, police said, describing him as being about 5-foot-3. He wore light blue pants and a white T-shirt.

A witness said the killer targeted the victim and moved in close to him before pulling the trigger.

“He got shot at close range,” said the witness, an area resident who declined to give his name but said he was walking down 5th Ave. at the time of the apparent hit.

Area resident 49, complained of violence in the neighborhood, which is troubled by battles among gangs, some of them Mexican.

“I see the dead bodies on TV, but not in person,” she said. “I came when I heard, fearing it was one of my kids — thank God mine are okay. Too bad for this man's family.”

A 17-year-old resident said he was playing video games inside his apartment, which overlooks the scene, when the shots rang out.

“I heard three gunshots — I waited a while to look out because you never know if a bullet is going to fly in,” he said.

He said that once it was clear, he looked out the window and saw the man dead in the street.:Text may be subject to copyright.This blog does not claim copyright to any such text. Copyright remains with the original copyright holder

Crossing out another gang's graffiti shows disrespect to that group and could lead to a violent confrontation or worse

2012-01-25T14:33:00.000Z

Crossing out another gang's graffiti shows disrespect to that group and could lead to a violent confrontation or worse, a detective testified Tuesday in the trial of three gang members accused of killing a Pico Rivera grandmother.

"It's complete disrespect to that gang. It's disrespect and needs to be answered," Detective Hank Ortega of the Sheriff's Operation Safe Streets Bureau said. OSS is the department's gang unit.

Ortega was a prosecution witness in the ongoing trial of Angel Rojas, 21, Jennifer Tafolla, 24, and Richard Rolon, 25, at Norwalk Superior Court.

Deputy District Attorney Andrew Kim asked the detective would he expect a confrontation to result if a private citizen tried to stop a gang member from spray-painting graffiti?

"Yes I do," Ortega said.

On Aug. 10, 2007, Maria Hicks, 57, was driving home when she spotted Cesar Lopez as he spray painted over Young Nation's graffiti on a wall at San Gabriel River Parkway and Woodford Street in Pico Rivera. She flashed the headlights of her Honda Element and honked at Lopez who investigators say is a member of the Brown Authority or Brown Assassins gang.

When the 24-year-old Lopez walked away from the wall, Hicks followed him in her vehicle.

The prosecution alleges that Lopez's fellow gang member, Rojas, got out of a Lincoln Continental and shot four to five times at the Element. Hicks was shot in the head and died three days later.

That night, Tafolla was driving the borrowed Lincoln carrying Rojas, Rolon, Lopez, Rolon's friend Christian Lechuga, a 14-year-old boy and his 13-year-old brother.

The District Attorney's Office charged Lopez, Rojas, Rolon and Tafolla with the murder.

But Lopez took a plea deal and isn't being tried. He will be sentenced after the trial of the other three.

The other witness on Tuesday was Gary Harmor from the Serological Research Institute in Richmond, which did the DNA testing from samples the sheriff's crime lab took from a spray paint can, a Tecate beer can and a Budweiser beer can.

Harmor said he found three possible sources of DNA from the spray paint can and DNA from one male on each of the beer cans.

He said DNA from the male suspects didn't match the DNA on the beer cans. The other males riding in the Lincoln in 2007 also didn't match, according to Harmor.

However, he concluded Lopez and Lechuga were minor contributors of DNA to the spray can.

Rojas' attorney, Anthony Garcia, subpoenaed Harmor for the trial.

But Kim, the prosecutor on the case, said the sheriff's crime lab only swabbed the button on top of the spray paint can and not the body of the can.

During a break in the trial, Sheriff's Sgt. Jeff Cochran said the beer cans were found on the street but didn't specify if it was Woodford Street or San Gabriel River Parkway.

Jurors also got a short primer on gang terms and the gang subculture on Tuesday.

The graffiti Lopez crossed out on the wall was "YN" and "13".

Ortega said he wasn't aware of YN or Young Nation in 2007. He found out afterward and thinks it is a party crew.

But there was "13" after the "YN" graffiti. Ortega said "13" means the group is claiming to be a full-fledged gang. He hasn't verified that.

Having that number after a gang name means a group has the backing of the Mexican Mafia or La Eme, a prison-based gang that holds sway over many Latino gangs in Southern California.

While any tagging crew, party crew or group can put "13" to their graffiti, Ortega said it's simply not done.

"Because there would be repercussions if you're not backed by the Mexican Mafia and you're claiming it," he said.

"For all we know it's a kid who thought it's cool to put `13' up," Jeffrey Kent, Tafolla's lawyer, said.

Ortega, whose duties include investigating gangs in Pico Rivera, also gave a history of the Brown Authority street gang.

He said Brown Authority started out as a tagging crew around 1995. He estimated that by 2001 to 2003, the group was on its way to becoming a full-fledged gang since the members were possessing weapons and started a feud with Pico Viejo, a larger and older gang in Pico Rivera.

In 2007, Ortega estimated Brown Authority had 40 to 50 members. The group uses the number 21, or the letters, BA, BXA or BXA13.

"They commit assaults, vandalism, robberies, possession of firearms, narcotics (crimes)," he said.

The prosecution had expected to wrap up its case Tuesday but the defense hadn't finished with the cross examination of Ortega.:Text may be subject to copyright.This blog does not claim copyright to any such text. Copyright remains with the original copyright holder

The Zetas cartel has become the biggest drug gang in Mexico

2012-01-25T14:30:00.000Z

:Text may be subject to copyright.This blog does not claim copyright to any such text. Copyright remains with the original copyright holder The Zetas cartel has become the biggest drug gang in Mexico, overtaking its bitter rival, the Sinaloa cartel, a new report suggests.

The report by US security firm Stratfor says the Zetas now operate in more than half of all Mexican states.

Stratfor says the Zetas' brutal violence seems to have given the gang an advantage over the Sinaloa cartel, which prefers to bribe people.

Since 2007, 47,500 people have died in drug-related violence in Mexico.

The report says that drug-related violence in Mexico has persisted, despite the government's efforts to fight the cartels.

Brutal alliances

The report's authors say the violence has shifted, abating in some cities while worsening in others.

It lists the cities of Veracruz, Monterrey, Matamoros and Durango as examples of places where violence has increased, while murders in Ciudad Juarez have dropped, although the city remains the most violent in Mexico.

There has also been a rise in drug production within Mexico

According to the study, most smaller drug gangs have been subsumed by either the Zetas or the Sinaloa cartel, turning the two groups into the predominant criminal forces in Mexico.

The Zetas control much of eastern Mexico, while the Sinaloa cartel has its stronghold in the west of the country.

The authors also point out their differences in strategy.

They say that the Zetas whose leadership is composed of ex-special operations soldiers, resort to extreme violence.

The Sinaloa cartel, although also ruthless, prefers to bribe and corrupt people, as well as providing intelligence on rivals to the authorities.

Expanded markets

The report forecasts a continued expansion of Mexico's cartels into South America, a strategy which "eliminates middlemen and brings in more profit".

Smuggling drugs into the US is now more difficult as a result of increased violence in northern Mexico and more stringent law enforcement along the border, Stratfor says.

The cartels have responded to this by trafficking more to alternative markets in Europe and Australia.

President Felipe Calderon, whose term ends in December, is likely to continue using the military to take on the cartels, the report says.

But its authors do not believe the Mexican government can eliminate the cartels "any more than it can end the drug trade".

As long as the lucrative smuggling corridors to the US exist, other organisations "will inevitably fight to assume control over them".

full patch member of the Hells Angels was shot outside a biker clubhouse on Grey St

2012-01-25T14:27:00.000Z

Two of three men charged in connection with last week's shooting outside a Hells Angels clubhouse are scheduled to appear in London court for bail hearings on Monday.

The 25-year-old man from Brampton and 26-year-old man from London are facing multiple weapons related offenses, but have yet to be hit with more serious charges.

Another 26-year-old man from London is scheduled to appear in court on similar charges on Thursday.

All three were arrested last Wednesday, shortly after a full patch member of the Hells Angels was shot outside a biker clubhouse on Grey St. He suffered serious, but non-life threatening injuries. A female associate was treated and released.

Police are still searching for a 4th suspect but say they won't publicly identify the man out of concern for his safety.:Text may be subject to copyright.This blog does not claim copyright to any such text. Copyright remains with the original copyright holder

Nguyen--a onetime Garden Grove High School student and member of the Wah Ching criminal street gang--waited more than 1,670 days inside the Orange County Jail to officially learn his fate.

2012-01-23T12:34:00.001Z

In less than 15 seconds in the middle of the night on June 2, 2007 in Orange County's Little Saigon, gun-happy Vietnamese immigrant Anh Duoc Nguyen, though just 17 years old, forever lost his youth and his freedom.

Until Jan. 20, Nguyen--a onetime Garden Grove High School student and member of the Wah Ching criminal street gang--waited more than 1,670 days inside the Orange County Jail to officially learn his fate.

He committed his crimes on that June 2007 morning, lost his jury trial in 2011 and faced Superior Court Judge William Froeberg for his punishment yesterday.

Joanne Harrold, Nguyen's defense attorney, pleaded with Froeberg to be lenient because her client had been so young at the time of his crimes. It was true that the defendant's conduct had been sparked by juvenile emotions. He'd attempted to murder five people at Westminster's Bowling Green Park after one of his victims jokingly listing his hometown as "Garden Gang"--not Garden Grove--on his MySpace homepage.

Nguyen--who'd been a violent troublemaker in school and had been known to address his teachers as "bitch"--considered the joke offensive and worthy of the ultimate punishment: death. According to law enforcement reports, he yelled his gang's name before firing five gun shots. One victim was hit in the stomach and back, and suffered severe spinal wounds. Doctors were forced to remove about 12 inches of that man's intestines as well.

Detectives at the Westminster Police Department pieced together the facts of the crime and eventually arrested Nguyen, who first denied but later admitted his gang membership. It didn't help his cause that he possessed a "MPWC" baseball cap (Monterey Park Wah Ching) and carried the gang's tattoo on a wrist: three round burn marks.

At the sentencing hearing, Nguyen--wearing an Orange jail jumpsuit and chains--sat quietly at a table and watched Harrold, a former municipal judge who now enjoys a healthy legal practice representing accused Vietnamese hoodlums, relentlessly push for leniency. Froeberg listened patiently and rejected each of her attempts. She even asked him to consider Nguyen's jailhouse art, which she believes underscores his tender, non-murderous side.

Nguyen hopes he can get a new trial

The judge declined to look at the art before sentencing Nguyen to spend the rest of his life in a California prison. When he's done with that punishment, the gangster must serve an extra 25 years, according to Froeberg.

A disappointed Harrold sighed. But she's still not giving up. She says she has already prepared an appeal in hopes of winning a new trial.

As two bailiffs removed Nguyen from the courtroom in preparation for his trip to a penitentiary, the now 22-year-old defendant looked at the courtroom ceiling and slowly shook his head.

It could have been the last time in his life that he'll be outside of a prison.

Police investigating three murders arrested 43 feuding New York gang members

2012-01-23T12:27:00.001Z

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

Machete-wielding bank boss ‘received death threats from Sunderland gangster’

2012-01-19T19:52:00.001Z

BANK sales manager armed himself with two machetes after underworld loan sharks torched his home and threatened to “make his life a misery”, he told a court. Debt-ridden David Baker turned to the criminal fraternity to borrow £5,000 in cash, despite holding down a £30,000-a-year job with Barclays. But, when he was unable to repay the loan given to him by a “well-known” Wearside gangster, his Audi A5 was torched on the driveway of his Seaham home and he later received death threats. Just 24 hours later – on Christmas Eve last year – arsonists set his front door alight as his partner and young daughter sat upstairs. Fearing for his life, he armed himself with two foot-long machetes and stashed them in the footwell of his partner’s car as they drove to meet an acquaintance who might be able to end his problem. And, after discovering his home had been targeted, he flew into a rage at passing motorist Lee Atkinson and brandished the blades, screaming: “Do you want some you little ****.” David Wilkinson, prosecuting, said: “Mr Atkinson was driving along the Coast Road when the defendant and his partner Vicky Barnes were driving behind his vehicle. They overtook the vehicle and pulled in front. Mr Atkinson saw that the defendant was holding a knife that had a blade of about a foot in length and a width of about two inches. “He shouted: ‘Do you want some of this you little ****?’. “He had acted out of the misapprehension that Mr Atkinson was linked to the incident at his home. “Officers recovered two machetes, which were 15ins in length. In an interview, he said he was in debt to a gangster he was not going to name. “He heard from third parties that the person concerned was going to make his life a misery and he then bought the two machetes for his own protection.” Baker had applied for a loan at his work after deciding that he wanted to buy a second car for him and his family. But, after building up debt during his youth, his credit history was shot and they rejected his request. In September last year, he opted to take a four-month break from work to spend more time with his family. At the same time, he claimed he was making £10,000 a month working as a professional gambler on internet gaming sites. His friend had told him that he could get him a loan and he was eventually given a £5,000 pay-out. However, after he failed to make the repayments he said that he began receiving threats and his house and car were both set on fire. Following the attack on his home, his partner received a phone call from the Sunderland gangster and she told police he was calling to follow up his threats. Baker, 23, from Seaham, appeared at Durham Crown Court yesterday after he pleaded guilty to possession of an offensive weapon and using threatening and abusive behaviour. But Judge Michael Cartlidge adjourned the case after questioning Baker’s legal team, led by Lewis Kerr, and saying he wanted Baker to prove that he had applied for a loan. The judge said: “He must have though at some point that this was all sounding a bit rubbish.”

Singh Duhre, 36 — killed in a hail of bullets at a downtown restaurant Tuesday — was a notorious gangster marked for death since 2005.

2012-01-19T19:40:00.001Z

Singh Duhre, 36 — killed in a hail of bullets at a downtown restaurant Tuesday — was a notorious gangster marked for death since 2005. Sandip, along with his brothers Balraj, 38, and Paul, 35, headed the powerful Duhre Group, whose 50 to 100 “street soldiers” have controlled much of the drug trade in the Fraser Valley since the 2010 arrests of rival leaders from the United Nations and Red Scorpions. The shooting comes less than a week after well known Vancouver gangster Ranjit Singh Cheema was released from a U.S. prison. He had been sentenced in California to five years in prison for his role in a major drug-smuggling operation. Cheema was a one-time associate of notorious gangster Bindy Johal before Johal was gunned down in December 1998. The Duhres are also suspected of involvement in the Kelowna casino shooting that killed Abbotsford’s Jonathan Bacon and wounded full-patch Hells Angel Larry Amero and James Riach of the Independent Soldiers gang. A young woman whose uncle is the president of the Haney Hells Angel chapter was shot in the neck and paralyzed that day. “We are aware of the connections here and they are part of the investigations,” a police source told The Province Wednesday. Vancouver police say they are still investigating the city’s first homicide of 2012 and have not yet confirmed the identity of the victim. Constable Lindsey Houghton said police were called to the restaurant in the north tower of the Sheraton Wall Centre on Burrard Street shortly after 8:45 p.m. Tuesday. Multiple shots were fired in the restaurant, which was busy with patrons, Houghton said. Police have no information on suspects and were interviewing about a dozen witnesses as of 11 p.m. Tuesday, Houghton said, “These are incidents that put the innocent public at risk for their lives,” Houghton said of the brazen shooting, which left a bullet hole and splattered blood on a second-story window of the restaurant. In September 2011, the Gang Task Force issued a public warning regarding the dangerous Dhak gang and their allies, the Duhres — who were trying to spread across Metro Vancouver after reportedly extending their empire to Smithers in northern B.C. in 2010. “We have information that leads us to believe that anybody associated with the Duhre or Dhak group is subject to retaliation or to violence from other gangs they’re in conflict with,” said Supt. Tom McCluskie at the time. The Duhre brothers grew up in North Vancouver and were one-time associates of the late Bindy Johal. Best-selling author of Indo-Canadian crime novels Ranj Dhaliwal knew of Sandip Duhre in his younger years and said Sandip “understood the level of violence that comes along with the underworld.” “From what I saw, and a side most will never know about Sandip from his youth, was that he liked to have fun — a joker that liked to pull pranks. He was intelligent ... his whole family is,” said Dhaliwal. In 1997, police swooped in on the Duhres’ Surrey home and arrested all three brothers as well as Johal. The Duhre group is in alliance with some United Nations members as well as the Dhak gang, whose kingpin, Gurmit Singh Dhak, 32, was shot dead at Metrotown shopping centre on October 16, 2010. The Dhaks are now led by 27-year-old Sukh Dhak. Sandip survived multiple attempts on his life before his murder Tuesday. In May 2005, an attempted hit on Sandip at a Surrey convenience store took the life of his Egyptian-born friend, Dean Mohamed Elshamy. Sandip would escape another targeted hit three months later in August of 2005 after the black BMW he and his brother Balraj were riding in was shot at in East Vancouver. The bullets, reportedly from an automatic firearm, bounced off the passenger window of the bulletproof sedan. Balraj has also been in the crosshairs of rival gang members, surviving a bullet wound to the face in a 2003 Surrey shooting, as well as escaping wounded from a targeted shooting in an East Vancouver Vietnamese restaurant in 2005 — only one month after the BMW he and Sandip were riding in was riddled with bullets. In 2009, Sandip was the target of a foiled murder-for-hire plot meant to have taken place at his Surrey home. Police learned of the plot after the hit man turned into an informant and implicated middleman Aleksander Radjenovic — who supplied the firearms and stash-house for three targeted hits that were never carried out. It was reported that Sandip had been living outside of B.C. in 2009 after the attempted hits, but moved back into Surrey and continued to frequent the Abbotsford area. Sandip had largely avoided the law, being previously convicted of possessing a weapon for a dangerous purpose, uttering threats, and obstructing a police officer. His most recent run-in with police was in Surrey in March 2011 when he was charged with dangerous operation of a motor vehicle and fleeing from a police officer. Dhaliwal said Sandip’s death will likely be avenged. “When an old-school guy like Sandip gets killed there is no question that there will be retaliation. He knew a lot of people throughout the years” said Dhaliwal.

The head of a Balkan cocaine and crime syndicate is hiding out in South Africa under the protection of local gang bosses, underworld sources reveal.

2012-01-18T08:34:00.000Z

Fugitive Darko Savic – one of the world’s most wanted drug smugglers – is living under a different alias here, right under the noses of the authorities.

And local crime bosses are helping him avoid detection by using their network of corrupt cop contacts.

The revelation comes after the Daily Voice last week revealed how Serbian hitman Dobrosav Gavric lived in the Mother City for three years under the protection of slain crime boss Cyril Beeka.

Beeka’s murder lifted the lid on the shadowy links between international crime syndicates and local mobsters.

Today in an exclusive interview with the Daily Voice, a veteran former gangster turned whistle-blower confirms long-suspected links between SA crime gangs and Serbian drug lords.

And he provides a chilling insight into a series of high-profile murders – including Beeka’s killing in March last year.

In an interview with the Daily Voice, the terrified ex-dik ding reveals how:

n He is now on the run and fears for his life after his mob bosses turned against him;

n Someone “very near” to Cyril Beeka would have murdered him if the other attempt on his life failed;

n Hitmen use their cop contacts to confirm the identities of targets before having them whacked;

n International fugitive Darko Savic is hiding out in Gauteng with the help of local crime bosses.

Savic has been linked to Czech criminal Radovan Krejcir, 42, a convicted fraudster who is also being investigated for Beeka’s murder.

Krejcir was friends with both Beeka and Gavric, but it is understood he fell out with Beeka over a business deal.

When the Hawks raided Krejcir’s Gauteng home after Beeka’s assassination in March last year, they found a “hit list” with Beeka’s name on it.

At one stage Gavric – who was seriously injured in the shooting – was rumoured to also be a suspect in the hit.

But in a sworn affidavit obtained by the Daily Voice, Gavric insists he was close friends with Beeka and that he is prepared to act as a future witness for the State.

The hitman is wanted in Serbia where he was convicted for the murders of notorious warlord Zeljko “Arkan” Raznatovic and two others.

Gavric will on Monday find out if his bail application is successful when he appears before Cape Town Magistrates’ Court.

In an interview with the Daily Voice from his hideaway in George, Eastern Cape, the whistle-blower who identifies himself only as “Uncle Sam”, says Gavric is not the only wanted Serbian using this country to escape justice.

“Serbian drug lord Darko Savic is hiding in Gauteng and protected by [local] underworld bosses,” he says.

Uncle Sam, 65, also gave a detailed insider’s account of Beeka’s execution: “If the assassination had failed to eliminate Beeka, then someone else very near to him would have carried out the murder on that very same day.”

He was also able to provide exact details about the cold-blooded murder of Yuri “The Russian” Ulianitski who was gunned down outside a restaurant in May 2007.

“A half-hour before Yuri left the restaurant, a prominent businessman linked to the mob called the hitmen and told them that Yuri will be approaching the intersection of Otto du Plessis Drive and Loxton Road just before 10.30pm,” Uncle Sam says.

Ulianitski was indirectly linked with Jerome Booysen, the alleged leader of the Sexy Boys who was last week named in court as a suspect in Beeka’s murder.

“The Russian” had dealings with Beeka, but they too later had a fall-out – both were killed in similar shootings.

Uncle Sam is himself currently on the run after he fell foul of his mob bosses who were indirectly linked to the Beeka killing and the Serbian fugitives hiding out here.

He also counts convicted drug trafficker Glenn Agliotti as a contact.

During our interview, he gave our reporter a phone number which he said was that of Agliotti. When we rang the number, a male voice confirmed he was Agliotti before asking to be handed back to Uncle Sam.

The whistle-blower admits he ran a car fraud scheme that turned sour when the syndicate chiefs failed to pay his R790 000 fee for buying 30 luxury cars in his name.

But he has kept a detailed diary of his criminal activities and those of his former mob colleagues.

And he has threatened to use the 116-page hand-written diary to put them behind bars if they come after him.

“I’ve got nothing to lose,” he says.

“I need to warn the public that the mafia is running the country with the help of cops and top politicians and that they have ruthless killers who will take out anyone who threatens them.”:Text may be subject to copyright.This blog does not claim copyright to any such text. Copyright remains with the original copyright holder

Two men remain behind bars in connection with a shooting and a car chase. Authorities believe the feud that led to the shooting is gang-related.

2012-01-18T08:31:00.002Z

Two men remain behind bars in connection with a shooting and a car chase. Authorities believe the feud that led to the shooting is gang-related.

On Tuesday afternoon, 22-year-old Alexis Mendez and 19-year-old Luis Uvalle went before Edinburg Municipal Judge Terry Palacios, who formally charged each with one count of aggravated assault with a deadly weapon. Each man was sent to the Hidalgo County Jail in lieu of a $100,000 bond. Aggravated assault is a second-degree felony, punishable by up to 20 years in prison and a fine up to $10,000.

Uvalle was also charged with one count of evading arrest — a third-degree felony punishable by up to 10 years in prison — and one misdemeanor charge of possession of marijuana.

Police were initially called Monday morning to a residence in the 900 block of Saltillo Street in connection to a drive-by shooting, police spokesman Lt. Oscar Treviño said. The shooting turned out to not be a drive-by, but a confrontation that escalated, he said.

“One of the men had an ongoing feud with one of the suspects,” Treviño said. “They ran into each other, words were exchanged. Then one of the suspects produced a handgun and fired one shot toward the victim.”

The victim was not hurt by the shot fired out of a .38-caliber handgun, Treviño said.

After the shooting, Mendez and Uvalle left the area in a tan-colored Jeep Liberty.

They were spotted moments later by investigators near the intersection of Trenton Road and Alonzo Street, Treviño said, but they soon sped away, leading authorities on a chase for several miles until they turned around and headed back toward Alonzo and Trenton, before stopping near a residence and fleeing on foot.

The men were quickly apprehended and investigators recovered the gun from a nearby field.:Text may be subject to copyright.This blog does not claim copyright to any such text. Copyright remains with the original copyright holder

British Columbia man executed in Mexico this week was a high-ranking member of the United Nation gang who had direct contact with Mexican cartels

2012-01-18T08:28:00.000Z

British Columbia man executed in Mexico this week was a high-ranking member of the United Nation gang who had direct contact with Mexican cartels, the Vancouver Sun has learned.

Salih Abdulaziz Sahbaz, 36, had spent much of the last three years in Mexico and was the key cartel contact for the notorious B.C. gang, police sources confirmed.

But he also returned regularly to Surrey, B.C., where he had family ties.

Sahbaz was shot nine times with a .45-calibre handgun early Monday and was found at an intersection in Culiacan, capital city of the Mexican state of Sinaloa.

Sahbaz had taken over the Mexican end of business after two other UN gang members, Ahmet (Lou) Kaawach and Elliott (Taco) Castenada, were gunned down in front of a taco stand in Guadalajara in July 2008.

He is believed to have owed money to at least one cartel after losing a shipment of cocaine and was working off his debt.

Sahbaz had been active in the UN gang since at least 2004, when several other Iraqi refugees were brought into the fold by former leader Clay Roueche.

Sahbaz had been charged twice with trafficking in Vancouver and at one point was in charge of the UN's "Kurdish Crew" within the UN gang that controlled the downtown eastside drug trade.

But he also had a falling out with gang member Barzan Tilli-Choli after a Vancouver home invasion directed by Tilli-Choli targeted a friend of Sahbaz.

They were believed to have patched up their differences since then.

Court documents earlier obtained by The Vancouver Sun describe a 2006 New Year's Eve Party in Vancouver attended by Sahbaz and other UN gang members.

When police gang squad members checked out the event, they "recognized many of the males in the private gathering or party as being members or associates of the UN gang," the documents said.

Roueche was at the party with Sahbaz, who was kicked out of the club, according to the document.

Officers noticed that Sahbaz was wearing "a diamond-encrusted ring with traditional Chinese characters on it."

He allowed the Vancouver Police Department to photograph the ring.

The characters "translate into the English language as United Nations," the document said.

Gang expert Doug Spencer said he was not surprised to learn of Sahbaz's demise.

"It is more than expected," said Spencer, a former police detective now with Transit Police.

"I knew it was coming because he was living the life and when they are living the life, they all get it."

Spencer incorporates new gang murders into the anti-gang presentations he does in schools.

"It is an important message to get out that for these guys, there is nowhere to hide," Spencer said.

The UN gang has been hit hard by murders and arrests in recent years.

Roueche is serving a 30-year-sentence in the U.S. for drug smuggling.

Tilli-Choli and several others linked to the gang are awaiting trial for allegedly conspiring to kill the Bacon brothers, leaders of a rival gang.

Gang members Conor D'Monte and Cory Vallee were charged with murder a year ago, but have not been located. There is an international warrant for their arrest.:Text may be subject to copyright.This blog does not claim copyright to any such text. Copyright remains with the original copyright holder

dispute between Comanchero motorcycle gang members led to a shooting in Adelaide's west

2012-01-18T08:25:00.000Z

dispute between Comanchero motorcycle gang members led to a shooting in Adelaide's west on Monday night, police believe.

Two shots were fired in the car park of the Findon Hotel about 10:00pm (ACDT).

Detective Inspector Paul Yeomans says two men were arguing in the car park before one of them fired the shots at a dark-coloured sedan.

"We don't think this is a random attack," he said.

"We think that the two males are known to each other. We do think, even though it's early in the investigation, we do think it is linked to outlaw motorcycle gangs, in particular the Comanchero outlaw motorcycle gang."

The cars sped-off after the shooting and police have not said why they suspect Comanchero members.

The shooting is the latest instance of bikie-related violence in the past two months.

But Attorney-General John Rau insists the situation is not out of control.

"There are always going to be lunatics who go out there and break the law as these people have done and when they're caught up with the law will deal with them," he said.

There is no sign anyone was injured in the incident.:Text may be subject to copyright.This blog does not claim copyright to any such text. Copyright remains with the original copyright holder

Hells Angels associate is among five people charged over an inner Sydney drug dealing operation.

2012-01-18T08:22:00.003Z

Police say a Hells Angels associate is among five people charged over an inner Sydney drug dealing operation.

Officers stopped a car in Darlinghurst shortly before 7:30pm (AEDT) yesterday and allegedly found amphetamines and drug paraphernalia.

A 33-year-old man was charged with drug possession and dealing with the proceeds of crime and was then released on bail.

A 28-year-old man who police says is an associate of the Hells Angels was charged with breaching bail.

He was held in custody overnight to face court today.

Police then raided a Kings Cross unit, where they allegedly seized small amounts of heroin, cannabis and amphetamines, plus cash, drug paraphernalia and suspected stolen goods.:Text may be subject to copyright.This blog does not claim copyright to any such text. Copyright remains with the original copyright holder

Two women and a man were arrested at the unit.

A 26-year-old woman was charged with conducting a drug premises and other offences.

She was refused bail and will face court today.

The other two were issues court attendance notices for offences, including drug possession.

volunteered to be "jumped in," or beaten, by other gang members as an initiation into the Deuce Boyz/Soldiers

2012-01-15T11:02:00.001Z

When Jonathan Rivera testified in his own defense in his murder trial Thursday, he was a soft-spoken former honor student who had found himself, through no fault of his own, living in a tough Salem neighborhood. Rivera, 23, addressed the prosecutor as "ma'am" and even told jurors his first thought after stabbing Shaundell Turner, 30, outside a Salem park nearly two years ago was "Oh, my goodness" as the reputed gang member with the street name "Tyson" kept coming at him on April 7, 2010. Yesterday, jurors got to learn about another side of Rivera, after he was confronted with evidence that he too was a member of a violent street gang — that he even volunteered to be "jumped in," or beaten, by other gang members as an initiation into the Deuce Boyz/Soldiers — and that he also sold drugs. Prosecutor Kristen Buxton was hoping to undercut Rivera's claims that he acted solely in self-defense and that he was simply a frightened young man struggling to survive in The Point neighborhood. The information about Rivera's ties to the Deuce Boyz, a gang affiliated with the nationwide Bloods street gang, and rivals to Turner's Gangster Disciples, emerged only as the trial got under way this week. But the questioning of Rivera about gang activities was limited, after a strategic decision by the defense, during a hearing that was done outside of the jury's presence. Rivera's lawyer, Ed Hayden, sought to introduce evidence about Turner's involvement in a meeting of the Gangster Disciples in which the members discussed killing an informant in an unrelated case. Buxton, the prosecutor, opposed the introduction of that evidence, saying that it did not show how, exactly, Turner was involved in the decision or whether he played any role in carrying out the retaliation. Judge David Lowy decided that Hayden could introduce the evidence — but only if Buxton were then also allowed to introduce evidence of Rivera's gang activities, including punching a cooperating witness who was also in custody at the Middleton Jail while Rivera was awaiting trial, a phone call in which he laughed about stabbing someone else months before Turner's stabbing, and a "mission" he had been asked to do by a more senior "Deuce Boy" named "Mundy" the night before Turner's stabbing. And while Hayden told the judge he was willing to "roll the dice," Rivera was not, and most of the gang information never made it to jurors. The jury did hear Rivera being forced to acknowledge that despite his claims that he always carried his knife, out of fear, he left it back at his girlfriend's apartment before fleeing to Quincy after the stabbing. "After the stabbing, you're in fear of retaliation," Buxton suggested, "and you have said you never go out without your knife." Yet this time, he did. "Because you knew it was the murder weapon," Buxton suggested. "That's not true," Rivera answered. Buxton suggested that Rivera deliberately took steps to conceal his involvement, including leaving a key to his girlfriend Valerie Moraitis' apartment, then leaving his clothing and the knife there before getting a ride to the Wonderland MBTA station. Rivera continued to insist that he changed his clothing only to avoid detection by the Gangster Disciples. And when he got to the hotel, Rivera initially claimed, he had a few hundred dollars that his parents had given him. Buxton pointed out that when he was arrested, police found him with thousands of dollars, something that might enable him to easily leave the state. Rivera told jurors, "The truth is, I've sold drugs." Closing arguments in the case are scheduled for Thursday.

Sydney police investigate drive-by shooting

2012-01-15T10:57:00.001Z

Police say they are yet to determine the exact target of a drive-by shooting in Sydney's south-west, the eighth shooting since last Monday. Officers responded to reports of a shooting on Pelman Avenue in Greenacre about 4.20am today. A search of the area found six spent cartridges on the street but no damage to property. Acting Deputy Commissioner Alan Clarke says it is too early to say whether the incident is linked to recent shootings. "As we've been unable to establish a victim at this point in time, we'll go on the ballistic evidence before us and continue to conduct a canvas in that area and see if we can get to the bottom of this shooting," he said. He says the recent shootings seem to be targeting criminal networks. "Our biggest concern is the threat and the risk there is to innocent members of the public," he said. "As we've indicated continuously, this appears to be an intimidation tactic between criminal networks, and our fear is it is indicative of guns on the street. "We certainly wouldn't want an innocent member of the public to be caught up in one of these situations." Hannin Adra, who lives nearby, says she is worried. "I've got six grandkids - do you like your grandkids to grow up in this atmosphere?" she said. "It is a worry - if it's not a worry, you're not human." Neighbour Mounzer Adra says he heard five shots on the usually quiet street. "I woke up about 4.15, I hear the shooting, I wake up, I say, 'oh my God, what's happening? I thought it was a firecracker," he said. "It's not good feeling unsafe in this area, where the shooting is; something should be done about it." There have now been eight shootings in Sydney's west and south-west since last Monday night, and police have set up Operation Spartan to investigate the spate. There were two shootings in Yennora and Lakemba on Thursday night and one at Yagoona on Friday morning; no-one was injured in either of those incidents. Premier Barry O'Farrell has said he will consider new laws to compel people to speak to police about the shootings, but dismissed a call from the Opposition to recall Parliament to pass new anti-bikie legislation.

A Lone Wolf's golden farewell

2012-01-15T02:16:00.001Z

A WAILING mother speaks to her dead son. ''Stand up and say hello to your guests,'' she urges him, apparently unwilling to accept he is dead. But he is the man in the coffin - the $42,000 gold-plated coffin, paid for in cash by his bikie mates. This was the funeral yesterday for the Lone Wolf member Neal Todorovski, who was shot in the head on January 4 during a shoot-out in Sans Souci, southern Sydney, the first death from a succession of gun attacks across Sydney. Mr Todorovski, 37, had been armed with a gun that day. And the congregation at St Nikola Macedonian Orthodox Church in Cabramatta, south-western Sydney, yesterday included many men associated with outlaw bike gangs. But police fear innocent bystanders will be the next victims of the spike in shootings. They worry more deaths will follow as disputes spiral into tit-for-tat shootings, some related, some not. A senior Lone Wolf told The Sun-Herald the Todorovski shooting was not a turf war but over ''something petty and silly''. He said: ''I'm not sure what's wrong with the world. To die like this over nothing is just stupid.'' Many bikies at the Todorovski service were visibly distraught, weeping, hugging each other. They included Finks and Comanchero members. A Lone Wolf said an arrest in Perth over the shooting followed the police interception of a telephone conversation. Detective Wayne Hayes, acting commander of the gang squad, said the Lone Wolf gang had eight chapters in NSW with about 96 members. The Todorovski killing ''had nothing indicating expansion'' into new territory, he said. Strike Force Lobbe - one of four strike forces investigating the Sydney shootings - identified a Maroubra man, 25-year-old Tarek Abdallah, as the suspect in the Todorovski shooting. Mr Abdallah faced a Perth court on Friday and is expected to be extradited to NSW this week. Mr Todorovski had been armed with a pistol when he left his flat with two friends, Matthew Edward Lewis, 23, and John Haper Leger, 32, to meet Mr Abdallah in front of his four-wheel-drive. In court police alleged a scuffle broke out and Mr Abdallah managed to pull a handgun from his car and shoot Mr Todorovski in the head. They allege Mr Lewis and Mr Leger refused to co-operate and arrested the pair for concealing an indictable offence and possessing a prohibited weapon.

Street gangs with outside muscle, targeting the Hells Angels

2012-01-13T11:09:00.001Z

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

"They don't have what it takes."

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

2012-01-13T11:06:00.001Z

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

Goodwin Sentenced to 25 Years for Child's Rape

2012-01-12T23:57:00.001Z

A member of the Bandidos biker gang is headed to prison for 25 years following his conviction on multiple counts of aggravated sexual assault of a child. Wednesday jurors started considering the punishment for Ira Goodwin, 67, who was wheelchair bound and hooked up to an oxygen tank in court. Goodwin faced up to 99 years in prison for raping a runaway 12-year-old girl who was staying at his home. The jury heard testimony from the victim and Goodwin's wife about the girl being given methamphetamine and alcohol before the assaults. Marcia Goodwin is serving a 10-year sentence for her role in the sexual assaults Ira Goodwin is no stranger to prison with multiple convictions in his past, including a 30-year sentence for voluntary manslaughter back in 1984.

'Brutal' Illinois gangster had 10,000 'soldiers'

2012-01-12T23:21:00.001Z

A Chicago gang leader who prosecutors say oversaw a sophisticated and brutal organization with at least 10,000 "soldiers" in Illinois that beat, shot and extorted money from rivals -even while he was in prison -was sentenced Wednesday to 60 years in federal prison. Fifty-one-year-old Augustin Zambrano did not speak during the hearing and displayed no emotion when U.S. District Judge Charles Norgle imposed the maximum sentence that, because federal guidelines require he serve at least 51 years, means he will most certainly die behind bars. Calling Zambrano "a leader of this barbarian organization," Norgle said that in court filings the unimposing man with short, graying hair had shown no remorse and had not accepted any responsibility for his role in the Chicago-based street gang. Zambrano was convicted by a jury in April of racketeering conspiracy, conspiracy to commit extortion and assault with a deadly weapon after a trial in which prosecutors portrayed him as the "CEO" of the Latin Kings, a Chicago-based gang with members across the United States. Zambrano, who did not testify at the trial, smiled at friends and relatives, some of whom were quietly crying during the sentencing, and gave them a small wave as he arrived and left the courtroom. During the trial, prosecutors showed jurors the gang's written rules and even a constitution that governed the behavior of gang members, including an order to retaliate by shooting anyone who shoots a member of the Latin Kings. "He put systems in place that led to ... all of these shootings ..." Assistant U.S. Attorney Andrew Porter said Wednesday. "He enforced those systems in his reign as the Corona" (leader) for approximately a decade. Prosecutors said that while Zambrano did not take part directly in the violence, the shootings and beatings, including of a man whose hands were smashed and two others who were beaten because they spilled a beer on Zambrano's wife, happened when Zambrano was the gang's leader. In all, trial testimony covered about 20 shootings in Chicago's Little Village neighborhood, where the gang is centered, including one in which someone died. "He is responsible for all of that," said Porter. Zambrano has been in and out of prison since he was a teenager for charges ranging from attempted murder to burglary to conspiracy to possess narcotics. Also known as "Big Tino" and "Old Man," Zambrano was among of some 30 suspects indicted in 2008 or charged in a superseding indictment a year later after an 8-year-investigation. Most of the others have been convicted or pleaded guilty, with some receiving sentences of more than 30 years in prison. But none of them outranked Zambrano, whom prosecutors said was a top leader of the nationwide Almighty Latin King Nation. Porter said the gang remains a very "large organization" with members in Illinois and around the nation, adding that while the conviction and sentencing was a blow to the Latin Kings, it did not destroy the gang. "I don't think any of us are kidding ourselves," he said. He also said prosecutors remain concerned that Zambrano will continue to run the gang from behind bars - in large part because Zambrano did just that from a prison cell "1,000 miles away" when he was serving time on a drug charge. Zambrano's attorney, Jim Graham, who argued for a shorter sentence that might allow him to someday walk out of prison, said that he will appeal the sentence.

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

2012-01-12T09:53:00.001Z

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

Birmingham double murder: were officer’s parents killed in revenge?

2012-01-11T23:33:00.001Z

Avtar Singh-Kolar, 62, and his wife Carole, 58, were found by their son, an officer with West Midlands Police, at 8am on Wednesday. The couple were due to look after their grandchildren, but when they could not be contacted their son went to their semi-detached home and discovered their bodies. Detectives leading the hunt for the killer say they are looking into whether the couple’s murder was a reprisal killing connected to their son’s work. Det Supt Richard Baker said: “We are looking at that as a possibility, but we have no information to suggest it is the case at this stage.” Police say the couple, who have four children and eight grandchildren, were attacked and killed at their Birmingham home some time between 7.15pm on Tuesday and 8am on Wednesday.

Alleged Imperial Gangster pleads not guilty to gun charge

2012-01-10T22:27:00.001Z

reputed member of the Imperial Gangsters pleaded not guilty Monday to a gun charge linked to a shooting last month. Armando Jose Velasquez, 24, of East Chicago, is charged in federal court with being a felon in possession of a firearm. At Velasquez's detention hearing, U.S. Attorney David Nozick said the government plans to include Velasquez in the racketeering indictment that swept a dozen alleged Imperial Gangsters off the streets last fall. The 20-count federal indictment in the fall included five charges for murder in the aid of racketeering. During the alleged incident Dec. 3, witnesses said Velasquez approached the victim, Terrance Rios, who was driving a green 1998 Nissan, after Rios stopped at the intersection of 150th Street and Baring Avenue in East Chicago. Rios' two passengers said Velasquez pulled a chrome gun from his waistband and fired nine rounds. According to court records, Velasquez shot Rios twice in the head and once in the back. Rios survived, but Velasquez had a prior conviction for voluntary manslaughter. A teenager at the time in 2005, Velasquez was sentenced to 12 years for the crime, and he was on parole at the time of the December shooting. Velasquez, who has a tattoo on the right side of his neck and said he dropped out of school after sixth grade, waved hello to his family with shackled hands before the hearing. After entering his not guilty plea, he was taken back into custody, where he will remain pending a March trial before Chief Judge Philip P. Simon. His attorney, Sheldon Nagelberg, declined to comment.

A one-time member of the Portsmouth Bounty Hunter Bloods street gang was sentenced Monday to life in prison

2012-01-10T22:23:00.001Z

A one-time member of the Portsmouth Bounty Hunter Bloods street gang was sentenced Monday to life in prison for gunning down two brothers in a Cradock home invasion robbery. Jamyia Rashad Brothers, 24, and his lawyers pleaded for a sentence of 35 years in prison, but U.S. District Judge Raymond A. Jackson, calling the killings "one of the most heinous crimes a man can commit in American society," gave him life. Brothers and another Blood went to the home of Ronnie Trollinger on Gillis Road one night in December 2007 with the intention of robbing him. Upon entering, Brothers almost immediately began shooting. Trollinger, 51, was shot in the chest and died. His brother, John Trollinger, 49, was shot in the chest and head and died. A third man was shot in the abdomen and survived. Brothers read a rambling letter to the court stating that the crimes have led him to find Christ. He apologized to the Trollinger family, the court and to Jesus. He said he wished he "could have listened to the voice of my dear grandmother." Brothers was raised by his grandparents but was expelled from high school and had numerous arrests before this case. John Trollinger's widow testified that she continues to suffer physically and emotionally. "I live with fear, loneliness and emptiness," she said. The high school sweethearts were married for 31 years and had two children and two grandchildren. Assistant U.S. Attorney William Muhr said Brothers fired his gun for no good reason. "It was just cold-blooded murder," he said. "They did nothing to him." He said the Bloods gang terrorized Cradock and other neighborhoods in Portsmouth, Suffolk and Chesapeake. "They are a scourge on society," he said. In calling for a life prison term, Muhr cited Brothers' arrest record, which includes convictions for assault, drug dealing near a school, escape, firearm possession and drunken driving. Portsmouth Commonwealth's Attorney Earle C. Mobley, who sat through the sentencing, said the case never could have been prosecuted without the joint federal-state effort. The initial case in state court fell apart because of witness problems. James Theuer, one of Brothers' attorneys, argued for a 35-year prison term, telling the judge his client "is a different man today." "Where was that individual," Judge Jackson wondered aloud, "when you walked in that house?" Jackson also denied a request that Brothers be housed in a prison close to his family. "It's unfortunate," the judge said. "It's a tragedy on all sides."

Goon squad gang tied to several shootings in past four years

2012-01-10T22:14:00.001Z

The Goon Squad — a gang that Waterford Township police say is connected with the Dec. 23 Rolladium shootings — has been associated with shootings around the Pontiac area in recent years. The Rolladium roller rink situation involves three armed men spraying gunfire inside the rink, striking five patrons at 1:44 a.m. Waterford police found that the shooting stemmed from issues involving rivalry between two Pontiac gangs, the “Goon Squad” and “1st Enfantry.” On Saturday, police released the name of a second suspect, Pontiac resident Cheyenne Benjamin Ingram, 17. The first suspect is Robert Lee German, 18, from Pontiac. A third man, whose name has not been released, has been shown only in a surveillance photo. The three suspects, all in their late teens to early 20s, are considered armed and dangerous. According to police, one of the five victims shot was an intended target and considered a rival. The victim was previously shot by members of the gang in a similar incident at a Pontiac night club in December 2010. Willis and Roberson James Cecil Willis III, 18 — accused of being among members of the Goon Squad — was charged in 2008 with shooting 14-year-old Alabama resident Dawan Allan France Roberson in the face after a June 14, 2008, party at the Life Worship and Training Center on Auburn Avenue in Pontiac. The Goon Squad gang, police said, crashed a party at the center and were involved in physical altercations with party attendees. People were thrown out of the party but came back in, and the party was eventually shut down. Roberson was believed to be a bystander and not involved in the fight. The teen was in Pontiac visiting family, police said

Apache Junction man arrested in I-10 road rage incident

2012-01-10T22:08:00.001Z

Tempe police have arrested a man involved in Saturday's road rage incident in which a driver was shot, but they are still investigating who is responsible for shooting the victim. The investigation revealed that a group of motorcycles and a champagne/tan-colored SUV were traveling westbound on Interstate 10 from Wild Horse Pass Boulevard. Witnesses reported that a gray Jeep was attempting to collide with the motorcycles. The motorcycles began to chase the Jeep. As they reached the area of I-10 and Elliot Road, the SUV rammed the Jeep, causing the driver to lose control and crash. One of the motorcycle riders, Andre Jordan, 35, of Apache Junction, was seen pointing a handgun at the victim according to Sgt. Steve Carbajal. Witnesses reported that several of the individuals involved had guns. After a physical altercation, shots were fired and the driver of the Jeep received a gunshot wound to the cheek. Investigation into the person responsible for shooting the victim is ongoing. Tempe police detectives have identified two of the individuals involved as members of two separate criminal street gangs. Jordan was booked into Tempe City Jail on one count of aggravated assault, threat by gang member assisting a criminal street gang and endangerment.