Four men tied to Outlaws biker gang face drug charges

 

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

 

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.

 

  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

 

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

 

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

 

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

 

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

 

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

 

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

 

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

 

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.

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

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.

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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."

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.

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.

: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

 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

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.

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.

 

 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

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

 

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

 

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

 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.

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.

 

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.

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

 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

: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".