Monday, 30 November 2009
Tuesday, 24 November 2009
notorious Malvern Crew street gang.Alton Reid, vicious war between the Malvern Crew and the Galloway Boys.
Toronto's 54th homicide victim has been identified as someone who had belonged to the notorious Malvern Crew street gang.Alton Reid, 35, had been attending a birthday party at the Atlanta banquet hall on 1240 Ellesmere Rd. in Scarborough on the weekend when someone walked in and started shooting sometime after 3 a.m. on Sunday.
Four people were found wounded at the scene, and Reid showed up later at hospital. He died of his injuries on Monday.Reid's autopsy is scheduled for Wednesday.
He had been arrested in 2004 as part of Project Impact, a police crackdown on the gang following a vicious war between the Malvern Crew and the Galloway Boys.
Police charged Reid with a number of offences:
•aggravated assault
•discharging a firearm
•participating in a criminal organization
•related conspiracy charges
Project Pathfinder targeted the Galloway Boys.
Three Galloway Boys were found guilty in the March 3, 2004 murder of one men in Malvern. The court heard the trio were allegedly looking for Reid.
Instead, they shot and killed Brenton Charlton and gravely wounded Leonard Bell as the two men sat stopped in their car at a light.Tyshan Riley, Philip Atkins and Jason Wisdom got life sentences for the attempted murder of Bell and a life sentence with no chance of parole for 25 years after being convicted of first-degree murder in the death of Charlton.
Four people were found wounded at the scene, and Reid showed up later at hospital. He died of his injuries on Monday.Reid's autopsy is scheduled for Wednesday.
He had been arrested in 2004 as part of Project Impact, a police crackdown on the gang following a vicious war between the Malvern Crew and the Galloway Boys.
Police charged Reid with a number of offences:
•aggravated assault
•discharging a firearm
•participating in a criminal organization
•related conspiracy charges
Project Pathfinder targeted the Galloway Boys.
Three Galloway Boys were found guilty in the March 3, 2004 murder of one men in Malvern. The court heard the trio were allegedly looking for Reid.
Instead, they shot and killed Brenton Charlton and gravely wounded Leonard Bell as the two men sat stopped in their car at a light.Tyshan Riley, Philip Atkins and Jason Wisdom got life sentences for the attempted murder of Bell and a life sentence with no chance of parole for 25 years after being convicted of first-degree murder in the death of Charlton.
Philippine National Police detained a provincial chief and three officers on suspicion they may have been involved in abduction and killings
Philippine National Police detained a provincial chief and three officers on suspicion they may have been involved in the abduction and killing of dozens of supporters of a politician and the reporters covering him. The Maguindanao province police chief, Abusana Maguid, and the officers were relieved of their duties pending an investigation, National Police spokesman Leonardo Espina said in a mobile phone text message late yesterday. Maguid may bear “command responsibility” for his officers’ actions, Espina said. The officers were seen by witnesses at the location of the Nov. 23 violence on Mindanao island, he said.“This is just the beginning,” Espina said. “We will not stop. All who are responsible will be made accountable. There will be no sacred cows.” President Gloria Arroyo yesterday put Maguindanao and neighboring Sultan Kudarat province under a state of emergency as the excavation of newly dug mass graves revealed more bodies. The killings represent the worst single incident of election- related violence in the nation’s history, according to the Philippine Center for Investigative Journalism.
The military said about 100 gunmen stopped a convoy of people on their way to file Buluan City Vice Mayor Esmael Mangudadatu’s application to run for provincial governor. Mangudadatu, who wasn’t in the convoy, told local media his wife was among those whose bodies were identified and that some of the women in the group were raped before they were killed.
Rival Families
Jesus Dureza, Arroyo’s adviser on Mindanao affairs, said he has met with the Mangudadatu family and relatives of Maguindanao Governor Andal Ampatuan. The two families, who were once allies, are now political rivals, the Philippine Daily Inquirer said. The Mangudadatus pleaded for justice, Dureza said in a phone interview late yesterday before he was cut off. The adviser, whom Arroyo tasked to form a crisis committee, didn’t reply to calls or text messages seeking more information. The Ampatuans pledged to cooperate with any investigation, he said in a GMA News TV interview. “No effort will be spared to bring justice to the victims and hold the perpetrators accountable,” Arroyo said yesterday. She deployed extra troops and ordered Director General Jesus Versoza, the national police chief, to lead the investigation into the killings. He’s already on Mindanao, Espina said.
Twenty-four bodies were exhumed yesterday, bringing the death toll to 46, Chief Superintendent Josefino Cataluna, central Mindanao police director, said in a phone interview. Police will continue to dig at the site where the bodies were found, he said. Some 1,000 soldiers have been deployed to search for the suspects and secure Maguindanao’s “exit points,” Romeo Brawner, the armed forces spokesman, told reporters in Manila. Arroyo declared a state of emergency to prevent further violence in the region, Press Secretary Cerge Remonde said at a briefing in Manila. The last time an area in Mindanao was placed under a state of emergency was March 31, when militants from the Islamist Abu Sayyaf group threatened to behead one of three Red Cross workers who were taken hostage. Declaring a state of emergency gives the president the authority to use the military to quell violence, Cabinet Secretary Silvestre Bello III said in the same briefing. It may also give the president the legal basis to suspend the privilege of the writ of habeas corpus, he said. The writ allows courts to require the military or police to present persons they are holding and justify their detention. At least 12 journalists were among those killed, Reporters Without Borders said.
“Never in the history of journalism have the news media suffered such a heavy loss of life in one day,” the Paris-based organization said in a statement, alleging there is a “culture of impunity and violence in the Philippines, especially in Mindanao.” Elections in the Philippines are often marred by bloodshed, with provincial politicians maintaining private militias. About 126 candidates and supporters were killed in the months leading to the 2007 elections and 186 in 2004, according to the Philippine Daily Inquirer. The Southeast Asian nation will choose a new president and thousands of national and local officials in May. The nation’s Commission on Elections will accept filings for candidacies until Dec. 1.
Maguindanao is a “hotspot” for political unrest, Brawner, the armed forces spokesman, told ANC television after the first bodies were discovered on Nov. 23.
Mindanao is home to most of the nation’s Muslim minority some of whom have been fighting a separatist war for decades. It’s also home to the al-Qaeda-linked militant group Abu Sayyaf and other groups engaged in kidnapping and other forms of terrorism.
The military said about 100 gunmen stopped a convoy of people on their way to file Buluan City Vice Mayor Esmael Mangudadatu’s application to run for provincial governor. Mangudadatu, who wasn’t in the convoy, told local media his wife was among those whose bodies were identified and that some of the women in the group were raped before they were killed.
Rival Families
Jesus Dureza, Arroyo’s adviser on Mindanao affairs, said he has met with the Mangudadatu family and relatives of Maguindanao Governor Andal Ampatuan. The two families, who were once allies, are now political rivals, the Philippine Daily Inquirer said. The Mangudadatus pleaded for justice, Dureza said in a phone interview late yesterday before he was cut off. The adviser, whom Arroyo tasked to form a crisis committee, didn’t reply to calls or text messages seeking more information. The Ampatuans pledged to cooperate with any investigation, he said in a GMA News TV interview. “No effort will be spared to bring justice to the victims and hold the perpetrators accountable,” Arroyo said yesterday. She deployed extra troops and ordered Director General Jesus Versoza, the national police chief, to lead the investigation into the killings. He’s already on Mindanao, Espina said.
Twenty-four bodies were exhumed yesterday, bringing the death toll to 46, Chief Superintendent Josefino Cataluna, central Mindanao police director, said in a phone interview. Police will continue to dig at the site where the bodies were found, he said. Some 1,000 soldiers have been deployed to search for the suspects and secure Maguindanao’s “exit points,” Romeo Brawner, the armed forces spokesman, told reporters in Manila. Arroyo declared a state of emergency to prevent further violence in the region, Press Secretary Cerge Remonde said at a briefing in Manila. The last time an area in Mindanao was placed under a state of emergency was March 31, when militants from the Islamist Abu Sayyaf group threatened to behead one of three Red Cross workers who were taken hostage. Declaring a state of emergency gives the president the authority to use the military to quell violence, Cabinet Secretary Silvestre Bello III said in the same briefing. It may also give the president the legal basis to suspend the privilege of the writ of habeas corpus, he said. The writ allows courts to require the military or police to present persons they are holding and justify their detention. At least 12 journalists were among those killed, Reporters Without Borders said.
“Never in the history of journalism have the news media suffered such a heavy loss of life in one day,” the Paris-based organization said in a statement, alleging there is a “culture of impunity and violence in the Philippines, especially in Mindanao.” Elections in the Philippines are often marred by bloodshed, with provincial politicians maintaining private militias. About 126 candidates and supporters were killed in the months leading to the 2007 elections and 186 in 2004, according to the Philippine Daily Inquirer. The Southeast Asian nation will choose a new president and thousands of national and local officials in May. The nation’s Commission on Elections will accept filings for candidacies until Dec. 1.
Maguindanao is a “hotspot” for political unrest, Brawner, the armed forces spokesman, told ANC television after the first bodies were discovered on Nov. 23.
Mindanao is home to most of the nation’s Muslim minority some of whom have been fighting a separatist war for decades. It’s also home to the al-Qaeda-linked militant group Abu Sayyaf and other groups engaged in kidnapping and other forms of terrorism.
Bergrin, a former AUSA with the U.S. attorney's office in New Jersey, is charged with leading a criminal enterprise that used violence, intimidation,
Bergrin, a former AUSA with the U.S. attorney's office in New Jersey, is charged with leading a criminal enterprise that used violence, intimidation, and deceit to generate millions of dollars, reports the Philadelphia Inquirer. Among the most eye-catching allegations against him:
You can read a key portion of the indictment here.
Bergrin was first arrested in May. His lawyers have argued in court papers that prosecutors have tied together baseless cases. And they have argued successfully to have Bergrin removed from solitary confinement, where he had been held after his arrest in May. But since a more detailed indictment was filed earlier this month, they have said little publicly.According to an affidavit from an FBI agent, Bergrin came to serve as "house counsel for a number of criminal organizations, including . . . the Latin Kings, the Bloods, and a number of high-level drug-trafficking organizations." And Bergrin had "essentially become one of the criminals he represents," according to Ralph Marra, the acting U.S. attorney for New Jersey.His client list has also included Queen Latifah, Lil' Kim, and mobster Angelo Prisco, as well as a U.S. soldier accused of detainee abuse at Abu Ghraib, who Bergrin represented pro bono. Bergrin also repped the "King of All Pimps," Jason Itzler, who ran the high-end New York escort service, New York Confidential, that proved to be Eliot Spitzer's undoing. (Itzler called Ashley Dupre, "one of the best hookers ever.") Indeed, prosecutors allege that Bergrin took over the management of the company after Itzler was jailed in 2005.A retired Army Reserve major and the son of a New York City police officer, Bergrin, 53, was an Essex County prosecutor who later worked in the U.S. Attorney's Office in Newark, before starting a criminal defense practice in 1991.But he may have offered his clients more than just legal representation. The Inquirer reports:
Though the indictment includes one murder and one murder conspiracy, investigators contend that witnesses have linked Bergrin to at least three other homicides.
They also say Bergrin routinely bribed witnesses to win cases. And, they contend, when bribery wasn't an option, he resorted to violence."No witness, no case" was the phrase he used repeatedly in his criminal-defense work, authorities say.In addition to the charges related to bribery, witness intimidation, and running the escort service, Bergrin also allegedly used a Newark restaurant, Isabella's, as a front for drug dealing; and formed a real estate company that conducted phony mortgage deals. Bergrin's undoing may have come when he allegedly smuggled a cellphone into a jail so a client could call a Chicago hitman to set up the murder of a witness. Bergrin himself then traveled to Chicago to meet with the hitman, say the Feds.
But the hitman was a cooperating witness. According to prosecutors, he recorded Bergrin saying things like: "Put on a ski mask and make it look like a robbery. . . . It cannot under any circumstances look like a hit . . . make it look like a home-invasion robbery."The hitman also recorded a conversation in which he told another lawyer, working with Bergrin, that Bergrin wanted to personally take part in the hit.
"He said he wants to do it with me," the hitman said "I said, 'No, Paul. For what you went to law school to become . . . stick with that s-.' Let me do what I have to do.' "Replied the other lawyer: "Paul's a stone killer, bro. . . . That's what he is. . . . He's done work [meaning, committed murder], bro." One underworld source, a former Bergrin client, told the Inquirer that Bergrin "enjoyed life on the edge." Sounds like he may have enjoyed it just a little too much.
- That he used a Newark restaurant as a front for a cocaine-distribution network.
- That he oversaw a $1,000-an-hour call-girl ring in New York City.
- That he had a witness killed in one drug case, and hired a hitman to kill another.
You can read a key portion of the indictment here.
Bergrin was first arrested in May. His lawyers have argued in court papers that prosecutors have tied together baseless cases. And they have argued successfully to have Bergrin removed from solitary confinement, where he had been held after his arrest in May. But since a more detailed indictment was filed earlier this month, they have said little publicly.According to an affidavit from an FBI agent, Bergrin came to serve as "house counsel for a number of criminal organizations, including . . . the Latin Kings, the Bloods, and a number of high-level drug-trafficking organizations." And Bergrin had "essentially become one of the criminals he represents," according to Ralph Marra, the acting U.S. attorney for New Jersey.His client list has also included Queen Latifah, Lil' Kim, and mobster Angelo Prisco, as well as a U.S. soldier accused of detainee abuse at Abu Ghraib, who Bergrin represented pro bono. Bergrin also repped the "King of All Pimps," Jason Itzler, who ran the high-end New York escort service, New York Confidential, that proved to be Eliot Spitzer's undoing. (Itzler called Ashley Dupre, "one of the best hookers ever.") Indeed, prosecutors allege that Bergrin took over the management of the company after Itzler was jailed in 2005.A retired Army Reserve major and the son of a New York City police officer, Bergrin, 53, was an Essex County prosecutor who later worked in the U.S. Attorney's Office in Newark, before starting a criminal defense practice in 1991.But he may have offered his clients more than just legal representation. The Inquirer reports:
Though the indictment includes one murder and one murder conspiracy, investigators contend that witnesses have linked Bergrin to at least three other homicides.
They also say Bergrin routinely bribed witnesses to win cases. And, they contend, when bribery wasn't an option, he resorted to violence."No witness, no case" was the phrase he used repeatedly in his criminal-defense work, authorities say.In addition to the charges related to bribery, witness intimidation, and running the escort service, Bergrin also allegedly used a Newark restaurant, Isabella's, as a front for drug dealing; and formed a real estate company that conducted phony mortgage deals. Bergrin's undoing may have come when he allegedly smuggled a cellphone into a jail so a client could call a Chicago hitman to set up the murder of a witness. Bergrin himself then traveled to Chicago to meet with the hitman, say the Feds.
But the hitman was a cooperating witness. According to prosecutors, he recorded Bergrin saying things like: "Put on a ski mask and make it look like a robbery. . . . It cannot under any circumstances look like a hit . . . make it look like a home-invasion robbery."The hitman also recorded a conversation in which he told another lawyer, working with Bergrin, that Bergrin wanted to personally take part in the hit.
"He said he wants to do it with me," the hitman said "I said, 'No, Paul. For what you went to law school to become . . . stick with that s-.' Let me do what I have to do.' "Replied the other lawyer: "Paul's a stone killer, bro. . . . That's what he is. . . . He's done work [meaning, committed murder], bro." One underworld source, a former Bergrin client, told the Inquirer that Bergrin "enjoyed life on the edge." Sounds like he may have enjoyed it just a little too much.
Two suspects are being sought in a roundup of gang members suspected of videotaping robberies and assaults, then selling the tapes as entertainment.
Two suspects are being sought in a roundup of gang members suspected of videotaping robberies and assaults, then selling the tapes as entertainment.A third suspect police were looking for was located and arrested late Sunday.Denver police Friday announced 32 arrests of suspects who said they belonged to either the Rollin' 60s Crips gang or the Black Gangster Disciples gang. They are accused of robbing white or Latino men of wallets, iPods, and cash.Two suspects had not been arrested as of Sunday.A task force of Denver police, the FBI and District Attorney Mitch Morrissey's office identified 26 incidents since July.The assaults and robberies happened across Denver, including in the Lower Downtown, or LoDo, entertainment district which includes the 16th Street Mall near Coors Field and the Pepsi Center.
Robert Dempster son of a feared gangland figure has been banned from working on security sites over "public safety fears".
Robert Dempster son of a feared gangland figure has been banned from working on security sites over "public safety fears". Robert Dempster is not allowed to act as a guard after tough industry watchdogs swiped his licence. The 32-year-old - son of notorious Bobby 'The Devil' Dempster - is linked to Glasgow-based Ruchill Security.
One underworld source last night said: "Dempster's son will have a fight on his hands to get his licence back. "Everyone knows that you don't get it suspended on a whim - and everyone knows Ruchill is far from squeaky clean. "But we are laughing up our sleeves. Ruchill is always slinging mud at everyone else - and for once it's stuck to one of them." Dempster Snr survived a feud with Arthur 'The Godfather' Thompson and was blamed for ordering a hit on security rival Lewis 'Scooby' Rodden.
His son's licence was suspended by the Security Industry Authority. Licences are withdrawn when the SIA believes there is "a clear threat to public safety". This can include allegations that the holder has committed a crime or has failed to meet industry work or training standards. The agency refused to reveal why Dempster's licence was suspended. Ruchill is one of the most notorious firms in Scotland's crime-ravaged security industry. Dempster Snr, 50, was in the frame when arch-rival Rodden was gunned down by a hitman in an Amsterdam bar in 2001. Dempster denied responsibility and Rodden says he will never spill the beans, despite knowing who ordered the hit. Last night Ruchill refused to comment.
One underworld source last night said: "Dempster's son will have a fight on his hands to get his licence back. "Everyone knows that you don't get it suspended on a whim - and everyone knows Ruchill is far from squeaky clean. "But we are laughing up our sleeves. Ruchill is always slinging mud at everyone else - and for once it's stuck to one of them." Dempster Snr survived a feud with Arthur 'The Godfather' Thompson and was blamed for ordering a hit on security rival Lewis 'Scooby' Rodden.
His son's licence was suspended by the Security Industry Authority. Licences are withdrawn when the SIA believes there is "a clear threat to public safety". This can include allegations that the holder has committed a crime or has failed to meet industry work or training standards. The agency refused to reveal why Dempster's licence was suspended. Ruchill is one of the most notorious firms in Scotland's crime-ravaged security industry. Dempster Snr, 50, was in the frame when arch-rival Rodden was gunned down by a hitman in an Amsterdam bar in 2001. Dempster denied responsibility and Rodden says he will never spill the beans, despite knowing who ordered the hit. Last night Ruchill refused to comment.
VIDEO: Club bouncer attacked with machete
VIDEO: Club bouncer attacked with macheteTen thugs brandishing machetes almost severed a bouncer's foot outside the Bubble nightclub in Francis St at the weekend.Mr Warren likened the attack to the infamous 1995 assault on King St nightclubbers by murdered gangsters Alphonse Gangitano and Jason Moran."These guys (at the weekend) were never going to get into Bubble because they had ID scanning and metal detectors. One could only consider they were there to cause harm," he said.
"They were quite aware they were on video," he said.Security industry figure David Hedgecock said the injured man's achilles tendon had been severed in the attack.
Mr Hedgecock said colleagues should be hailed as heroes for saving his life."They were going to finish him off. If they (other bouncers) hadn't rushed out and forced them back, he'd be dead. They (the gang) swarmed like wasps," Mr Hedgecock said.Mr Hedgecock, the former operator of the company for which the injured man works, said Bubble should not be blamed because the gang did not intend entering the venue.
"This is a well-organised military-style group. It's happening all over the place. They use this as a message that they're not to be mucked around with," he said.
Mr Warren said Asian gangs had thrived since police disbanded its Asian crime squad three years ago."There is no intelligence-gathering agency assisting the working policemen to get information," he said."At the very least they need to have the ability to gather intelligence on these gangs and have someone who is analysing and disseminating the intelligence gained for the tactical police to control what's going on and have a look at some of these gangs."Sen-Det. Adrian Smith said the investigation was not simple."Because of the nature of the assault and the amount of people involved and that it looks targetted at the crowd controllers, it is a complex investigation," Sen-Det. Smith said.
"They were quite aware they were on video," he said.Security industry figure David Hedgecock said the injured man's achilles tendon had been severed in the attack.
Mr Hedgecock said colleagues should be hailed as heroes for saving his life."They were going to finish him off. If they (other bouncers) hadn't rushed out and forced them back, he'd be dead. They (the gang) swarmed like wasps," Mr Hedgecock said.Mr Hedgecock, the former operator of the company for which the injured man works, said Bubble should not be blamed because the gang did not intend entering the venue.
"This is a well-organised military-style group. It's happening all over the place. They use this as a message that they're not to be mucked around with," he said.
Mr Warren said Asian gangs had thrived since police disbanded its Asian crime squad three years ago."There is no intelligence-gathering agency assisting the working policemen to get information," he said."At the very least they need to have the ability to gather intelligence on these gangs and have someone who is analysing and disseminating the intelligence gained for the tactical police to control what's going on and have a look at some of these gangs."Sen-Det. Adrian Smith said the investigation was not simple."Because of the nature of the assault and the amount of people involved and that it looks targetted at the crowd controllers, it is a complex investigation," Sen-Det. Smith said.
police consider Jason Brown to be a Red Scorpion, he was arrested in 2005 as a Hells Angel associate targeting the E
Jason William Brown, 35, made an appearance in Surrey provincial court Monday and was remanded in custody until Dec. 2.His co-accused, Terra Lyn George, 24,was ordered released on $10,000 bail by Judge Jean Lytwyn, who is also presiding over the gun trial of Red Scorpion brothers Jamie and Jarrod Bacon.Abbotsford Police Const. Ian MacDonald said Monday that Brown was picked up at a Langley residence Saturday night after a four-day search by authorities.The one-time Hells Angel associate was charged Nov. 17 with two counts of possession for the purpose of trafficking, as well as possession of a restricted weapon and possession of a firearm while prohibited.When Abbotsford’s drug section raided Brown’s Aldergrove rental house five days earlier, they said they found two kilograms of cocaine with a value of $80,000, about a kilo of methamphetamine with a value of $25,000, a 9-mm handgun, a loaded magazine, boxes of ammunition, two bullet-proof vests, Red Scorpion paraphernalia and about $12,000 cash.While police now consider Brown to be a Red Scorpion, he was arrested in 2005 as a Hells Angel associate in the massive undercover operation targeting the East End Chapter of the notorious biker club.
He was convicted of conspiracy to commit an indictable offence in 2007 and got a four-year sentence. He was on parole when the new charges were laidGeorge, ordered to make another appearance in Surrey provincial court Dec. 4, is facing almost identical charges to those of Brown. Brown has a lengthy history with police, according to the provincial court database. He has several convictions for driving while prohibited and impersonation, as well as being found guilty in the Hells Angels case.Meanwhile, the Bacon gun trial has adjourned until Dec. 3 when defence lawyers and Crown will argue in Surrey provincial court over the admissibility of four loaded guns found in a secret compartment of a vehicle the brothers drove prior to an April 13, 2007, shooting that brought police to their Surrey rental house
Quebec bars and restaurants are being continuously attacked as a biker gang turf war escalated
Two more cafes were firebombed Monday in the French-speaking Canadian city of Montreal, bringing the total of similar incidents to eight in the last month but the motives remain unclear, the Canadian Television reported. Cafe Nouba, the first non-Italian restaurant to be bombed, was hit for the second time Monday morning around 6:30 a.m. local time(1130 GMT). It was first attacked on Nov. 15.
A second one, Cafe Vegas, was targeted about half an hour later. The two received very little damage and no one was injured. The string of Molotov cocktail attacks began in October. All the restaurants are located within a 15 minute drive of each other. Police say mob turf wars, street gangs or copycat arsonists could be involved, but they are not sure because the business owners are keeping quiet.
In the 1990s, Quebec bars and restaurants were being continuously attacked as a biker gang turf war escalated.
A second one, Cafe Vegas, was targeted about half an hour later. The two received very little damage and no one was injured. The string of Molotov cocktail attacks began in October. All the restaurants are located within a 15 minute drive of each other. Police say mob turf wars, street gangs or copycat arsonists could be involved, but they are not sure because the business owners are keeping quiet.
In the 1990s, Quebec bars and restaurants were being continuously attacked as a biker gang turf war escalated.
Saturday, 21 November 2009
17-year-old Christian Daniel Castro Alvarez pleaded guilty in U.S. District Court in San Diego to murdering a federal officer during a robbery.
17-year-old Christian Daniel Castro Alvarez pleaded guilty in U.S. District Court in San Diego to murdering a federal officer during a robbery. The teen admitted to illegally crossing into the United States near Campo with a group July 23 and luring Rosas from his patrol vehicle to rob him, according to the plea agreement. During the robbery, Castro Alvarez and Rosas struggled over a gun, and the agent was shot eight times by the teen and at least one other assailant. Prosecutors declined to answer additional questions about the incident. It was unknown if Rosas’ service weapon, which was stolen, has been recovered. The case remains under investigation, according to the FBI. No additional arrests have been announced. “The Rosas murder investigation will continue to be a priority until all involved in the murder are brought to justice,” Border Patrol Deputy Chief Richard Barlow said yesterdayat a news conference at the agency’s Chula Vista headquarters. “Though this provides some degree of closure, the murder of Robert is a stark reminder of the dangers that our agents face every day protecting our homeland.” The teen, with the assistance of a translator, appeared in federal court yesterday morning before U.S. District Judge M. James Lorenz for a motion to make the proceedings an adult case. He later pleaded guilty to charges of murdering a federal officer during a robbery, and aiding and abetting. The courtroom was packed with onlookers, including Rosas’ widow, Rosalie. The family could not be reached later for comment. Ezekiel E. Cortez, the attorney representing Castro Alvarez, said during the brief federal court hearing that his client did not intend to shoot the Border Patrol agent. “He is deeply, deeply remorseful,” Cortez told reporters outside the courtroom. “He himself was shot during the struggle, in the right hand. At no time did he have any intention to harm anyone, specifically a law enforcement officer.” He is scheduled to be sentenced Feb. 19. The prosecution and defense have both recommended a sentence of 30 years to life in prison, according to the plea agreement. The document stated that the defense could argue for a sentence of 24 years and four months to life in prison, depending on the teen’s criminal history. Both parties agreed that the sentencing should take into consideration the facts that Castro Alvarez voluntarily surrendered and agreed to be considered an adult. “They wanted him to be treated as an adult because of the severity of the crime,” said Charles LaBella, a former federal prosecutor now in private practice in San Diego. LaBella said a judge can do whatever he or she thinks is appropriate. “Under the law, the guidelines are truly guidelines,” he said. “Judges under federal law are required to consult the guidelines. As a general rule, they stay within the guidelines.” In the days after the shooting, law enforcement on both sides of the border detained men believed to have information, but no one was formally charged in the killing. Department of Homeland Security Secretary Janet Napolitano said in a statement that the guilty plea is a clear sign to criminals that assaults on officers will not go unpunished.
“I am confident that any others involved in Agent Rosas’ tragic death will also be held responsible, and I applaud the U.S. Attorney’s Office and the FBI, as well as the government of Mexico, for their cooperation in this case,” Napolitano said. Rosas, 30, a three-year member of the force, became the first Border Patrol agent killed by gunfire since 1998, according to a Web site that tracks law enforcement deaths. He was one of 2,500 agents serving in the San Diego sector, which runs along 61 miles from the Pacific Ocean to the Imperial County line. Rosas worked for two years as a reserve officer in the El Centro Police Department, then for six as a state prison guard, before joining the Border Patrol. He is survived by his wife and two young children in El Centro. Border Patrol spokesman Jerry Conlin said the danger for agents at the border remains high. “It is still that level of threat where every agent has to remain vigilant as smuggling organizations are continually using tactics in the forms of assaults — either with rocks or vehicles or not yielding to emergency lights and sirens,” Conlin said. “In every encounter, you just never know. It could be a group of three or 30.”
“I am confident that any others involved in Agent Rosas’ tragic death will also be held responsible, and I applaud the U.S. Attorney’s Office and the FBI, as well as the government of Mexico, for their cooperation in this case,” Napolitano said. Rosas, 30, a three-year member of the force, became the first Border Patrol agent killed by gunfire since 1998, according to a Web site that tracks law enforcement deaths. He was one of 2,500 agents serving in the San Diego sector, which runs along 61 miles from the Pacific Ocean to the Imperial County line. Rosas worked for two years as a reserve officer in the El Centro Police Department, then for six as a state prison guard, before joining the Border Patrol. He is survived by his wife and two young children in El Centro. Border Patrol spokesman Jerry Conlin said the danger for agents at the border remains high. “It is still that level of threat where every agent has to remain vigilant as smuggling organizations are continually using tactics in the forms of assaults — either with rocks or vehicles or not yielding to emergency lights and sirens,” Conlin said. “In every encounter, you just never know. It could be a group of three or 30.”
Tropical Harmony nightclub shootings
man has died and another man has been injured in a double shooting at a nightclub in the West Midlands.Police were called to Tropical Harmony nightclub in Bilston High Street, Wolverhampton, at about 0430 GMT. Two men were found with gunshot wounds and taken to hospital. One of the men later died. The second man's injuries are not believed to be life threatening. About 50 people were thought to have been in the club at the time. They have been asked to contact police.
Wednesday, 11 November 2009
Deputies in Virginia arrested a mother and her son in connection with the shooting deaths of four men outside a Mount Airy appliance store
Deputies in Virginia arrested a mother and her son in connection with the shooting deaths of four men outside a Mount Airy appliance store.On Tuesday, investigators with the Mount Airy Police Department issued warrants for the arrest of Kathy Young Barnette, 56, and her son, Gregory Brandon Holt, 34, charging them with accessory after the fact.Barnette and Holt both live in Claudeville, Va., so Mount Airy police asked the Patrick County Sheriff's Department to serve the warrants. The two were arrested without incident, Mount Airy police said.Last week, officers arrested Marcos Chavez Gonzalez on four counts of murder near a Henry County (Va.) motel around 2:30 a.m. Monday.According to Mount Airy Police Chief Dale Watson, the deadly shooting happened around 2:15 p.m. on Nov. 1 in the parking lot of Wood's TV at 729 Worth St. in the historic district of Mount Airy.Two of the victims died at the scene. The other two were taken to Northern Surry Hospital, where they died.
Investigators identified the victims as Victor Alphonso Martinez-Jimenez, 22; Javier Manuel Martinez, 21; Juan Manuel Martinez, 26; and Marco Ovievo Agulira, 21. The Martinezes were brothers and Martinez-Jimenez was their cousin, investigators said. Agulira was an acquaintance of the other three.Investigators would not say how Barnette and Holt were involved in the shooting deaths.
Monday, 9 November 2009
Paul Joseph Derry, now lives in an undisclosed location somewhere in North America under a new identity after he agreed to testify about a Hells Angel
Paul Joseph Derry, now lives in an undisclosed location somewhere in North America under a new identity after he agreed to testify about a Hells Angels contract killing in 2000. His testimony secured four murder convictions against three Hells Angels associates and one full-patch member, all now serving terms in prison.
An RCMP document obtained by the Citizen shows that the commissioner of the force now wants to kick their once-coveted agent out of the witness protection program because he “made no attempt to disguise or alter” his voice. “By failing to disguise your voice ... you irrevocably permitted a (potential) voice comparison analysis link of your former identity to your new identity.”The RCMP commissioner’s decision to abandon the agent comes at a time when the national police force continues to afford protection and new identities for others in the federal witness program who have gone on to commit crimes — including murder — under new, government-expensed, aliases.The RCMP’s witness protection program termination notice is dated Oct. 22, and says the agent has until Nov. 11 to appeal. The agent has met with the Citizen twice and agreed to an interview Saturday.
“I think getting kicked out of the program puts me one step closer to getting a bullet in the back of the head.” He believes his tumultuous relationship with the Mounties may be related to the fact that he warned the force about a murder plot two weeks before it happened. The RCMP didn’t take his claims seriously, and the contract killing of Sean Simmons, a steamship checker on the Halifax waterfront, went ahead. To be fair to his RCMP handlers — including Mike Cabana, a lead investigator in the Maher Arar affair — they weren’t given specifics on the Hells Angels contract killing. Still, as their informant learned more details about the plot, the RCMP officers never returned his calls in the hours leading up to the killing.It is clear, however, that Cabana, promoted to assistant RCMP commissioner after the Arar probe, was worried about the public’s take on what went wrong with the 2000 Hells Angels contract killing. “Should this matter proceed to court, this information will likely be disclosed, thereby tarnishing the Force’s reputation, not to mention any potential civil liability that might flow from this situation,” Cabana wrote in an internal RCMP memo obtained by the Citizen. The agent told the Citizen that others should think twice before they agree to testify against gangsters in exchange for a life in the witness protection program.“The program has great potential and is needed; however, the public would be much better served if the RCMP had both accountability and were forced to hear constructive input from those they are protecting. “The way it is now, I do not believe there is enough support upon entrance to be worth risking one’s life.”
When he was working as an RCMP agent, he recalled:“I told them that there was a hit going down ...“At that point in time, I wasn’t sure of the name. I wasn’t sure who it was; I just knew that there was a hit going down … They (the RCMP) said they’d get back to me.
“They were still deciding whether they’d work with me. So … the Friday before the murder, I called back … This time I … knew who was gonna be killed. “I tried to get a hold of them and they said they’d call me back on Monday. Sean (Simmons) was killed on Tuesday … they still hadn't got back to me,” Derry told police.“But they never got back to me and it was too late. I thought they were going to stop the murder but they didn’t.”
An RCMP document obtained by the Citizen shows that the commissioner of the force now wants to kick their once-coveted agent out of the witness protection program because he “made no attempt to disguise or alter” his voice. “By failing to disguise your voice ... you irrevocably permitted a (potential) voice comparison analysis link of your former identity to your new identity.”The RCMP commissioner’s decision to abandon the agent comes at a time when the national police force continues to afford protection and new identities for others in the federal witness program who have gone on to commit crimes — including murder — under new, government-expensed, aliases.The RCMP’s witness protection program termination notice is dated Oct. 22, and says the agent has until Nov. 11 to appeal. The agent has met with the Citizen twice and agreed to an interview Saturday.
“The Hells Angels are the most notorious and dangerous outlaw motorcycle club in the world. Putting a full-patch member and three of his associates in prison for the rest of their lives is unforgiveable to the Hells (Angels),” he said in the interview.
“I think getting kicked out of the program puts me one step closer to getting a bullet in the back of the head.” He believes his tumultuous relationship with the Mounties may be related to the fact that he warned the force about a murder plot two weeks before it happened. The RCMP didn’t take his claims seriously, and the contract killing of Sean Simmons, a steamship checker on the Halifax waterfront, went ahead. To be fair to his RCMP handlers — including Mike Cabana, a lead investigator in the Maher Arar affair — they weren’t given specifics on the Hells Angels contract killing. Still, as their informant learned more details about the plot, the RCMP officers never returned his calls in the hours leading up to the killing.It is clear, however, that Cabana, promoted to assistant RCMP commissioner after the Arar probe, was worried about the public’s take on what went wrong with the 2000 Hells Angels contract killing. “Should this matter proceed to court, this information will likely be disclosed, thereby tarnishing the Force’s reputation, not to mention any potential civil liability that might flow from this situation,” Cabana wrote in an internal RCMP memo obtained by the Citizen. The agent told the Citizen that others should think twice before they agree to testify against gangsters in exchange for a life in the witness protection program.“The program has great potential and is needed; however, the public would be much better served if the RCMP had both accountability and were forced to hear constructive input from those they are protecting. “The way it is now, I do not believe there is enough support upon entrance to be worth risking one’s life.”
When he was working as an RCMP agent, he recalled:“I told them that there was a hit going down ...“At that point in time, I wasn’t sure of the name. I wasn’t sure who it was; I just knew that there was a hit going down … They (the RCMP) said they’d get back to me.
“They were still deciding whether they’d work with me. So … the Friday before the murder, I called back … This time I … knew who was gonna be killed. “I tried to get a hold of them and they said they’d call me back on Monday. Sean (Simmons) was killed on Tuesday … they still hadn't got back to me,” Derry told police.“But they never got back to me and it was too late. I thought they were going to stop the murder but they didn’t.”
Saturday, 7 November 2009
Juan Crispin, 38, claimed the 20-year minimum term he must serve under a life sentence for the murder of Eleni Pachou was excessive.
Juan Crispin, 38, claimed the 20-year minimum term he must serve under a life sentence for the murder of Eleni Pachou was excessive.But judges at the Court of Criminal Appeal in Edinburgh said the sentence was "entirely appropriate" even for a first offender. Lady Paton, hearing the appeal with Lord Carloway, said: "It was a truly appalling and despicable crime with many aggravating features, not least that an accomplished young woman lost her life in a nightmare attack."She said Crispin had tricked his former colleague into a late-night meeting at Di Maggio's in Glasgow's Byres Road area in May last year "when there was no one nearby to help or protect her".Greek national Ms Pachou, 25, died after suffering 17 stab wounds. More than £1300 had been taken from the safe.Crispin's former lover, Marion Hinshelwood, 44, said he had planned the robbery as he was desperate for money.Cleaner Hinshelwood, of Dowanhill, Glasgow, pled guilty to the culpable homicide of the victim on the basis that she had provided the knife. She was jailed for four and a half years.
Friday, 30 October 2009
Extradition request for Christopher "Dudus" Coke is stockpiling weapons in his Kingston stronghold to prevent arrest.
Extradition request for Christopher "Dudus" Coke in August, has so far only responded with requests for more information about the gun and drug trafficking charges against the reputed gang leader.Coke, identified by the U.S. Justice Department as one of the world's most dangerous drug kingpins, allegedly controls a band of gunmen inside Tivoli Gardens, a barricaded neighborhood of Kingston, the capital of Jamaica and a city with one of the highest homicide rates in the Western Hemisphere.U.S. authorities are voicing frustration that Jamaica is not moving more quickly to honor a mutual extradition treaty."The U.S. government is looking forward to the Jamaican government respecting their obligations under the treaty," Patricia Attkisson, spokeswoman for the U.S. Embassy in Kingston, said Thursday.The political opposition has also criticized the government for putting Jamaica into what it calls a standoff over Coke, who is known for his loyalty to the Jamaica Labor Party. Island gangs have loose affiliations with both major parties — a legacy of the 1970s, when political factions provided the guns to intimidate rivals.
"The cascading effect of international reaction to the administration's inaction could lead ultimately to Jamaica being labeled and declared a 'rogue state,' with lasting adverse implications for our people," said Peter Bunting, a lawmaker with the opposition People's National Party.
"The cascading effect of international reaction to the administration's inaction could lead ultimately to Jamaica being labeled and declared a 'rogue state,' with lasting adverse implications for our people," said Peter Bunting, a lawmaker with the opposition People's National Party.
Mongrel Mob is one of the older gangs in New Zealand
Mongrel Mob is one of the older gangs in New Zealand and actually predates the first formation of Bloods and Crips in the country. Since the have worn red, that have become associated as Bloods. The original Mongrel Mob look more like American motorcycle gangs and that’s where their early influence came from. The younger generation of Mongel Mob have picked up the black gang culture emulating Blood and Crip appearances. This newer trend has been influenced by popular culture, the Los Angeles influence on local Samoans, as well as the success of the Boo-Yaa T.R.I.B.E., a hip-hop group affiliated with gang during the 1980s based in Carson, California, adjacent to South Los Angeles.
Billy Joe Johnson is a white supremacist gangster
Billy Joe Johnson is a white supremacist gangster who was convicted to 45 years in prison for murdering a man, but then later confessed to two more murders and asked for the death penalty. Was Johnson seeking redemption for his crimes? Apparently not, but rather to do his time on death row which he believes will offer him amenities he is currently without.Also, as his attorney says, Johnson figures by the time the appeal process runs out he'll be 65 or older and will not want to live anyway.
John "Boxer" Muscedere told his killers: "Do me. Do me first. I want to go out like a man."
Realising he and his friends had been betrayed and faced death, John "Boxer" Muscedere told his killers: "Do me. Do me first. I want to go out like a man."
Muscedere, who was betrayed by his best friend Wayne Kellestine, was one of eight men shot dead in a barn in Ontario. Their bodies were found on 8 April 2006 in three cars and a tow truck which had been dumped in a field near the town of Shedden, 14km (10 miles) from where they had been killed. Ironically several of the men – suspects in another murder case – had been under surveillance by the Ontario Provincial Police only hours earlier. All eight were associated with the Bandidos, one of North America’s most notorious biker gangs and second only in power to the Hells Angels worldwide. The motive for the bloodshed lay in a deep schism that had developed within the Bandidos’ Canadian chapters.
John ‘Boxer’ Muscedere, 48
Luis ‘Porkchop’ Raposo, 41
George ‘Pony’ Jessome, 52
George ‘Crash’ Kriarakis, 28
Frank ‘Bam Bam’ Salerno, 43
Paul ‘Big Paulie’ Sinopoli, 30
Jamie ‘Goldberg’ Flanz, 37
Michael ‘Little Mikey’ Trotta, 31
Bikers guilty of massacre
The victims were members of the Toronto chapter, who were sponsored by the gang’s Scandinavian wing but were not recognised by the Bandidos’ head office in Texas.
Peter Edwards, a journalist with the Toronto Star and the author of a book on the case that is due out later this year, explained: "There was a chapter based in Winnipeg, Manitoba, who came under the auspices of Toronto.
"But Winnipeg were not granted full patches by Toronto. They effectively had no job security and they grew really frustrated." The killers were led by Michael Sandham, a former soldier and police officer who became president of the Winnipeg chapter.
He tried to claim that he had actually been working undercover for the police, but was unable to explain why he had initially denied being at the scene. Sandham was helped by Kellestine, an Ontario native who was allied with the Winnipeg chapter.
The victims were lured to their deaths in his barn, after being told they would meet to settle their grievances. When police arrived, they found blood smears and pieces of flesh amid the detritus of a biker party – beer bottles on a table and Confederate and Nazi flags hanging on a wall. Kellestine and five of his buddies were arrested. Three years later they finally went on trial. The star prosecution witness was another Bandido, known only as MH, who testified about the events leading up to the killings. MH, who hailed from Winnipeg, told the court the original plan was to "pull the patches" of the Toronto members, effectively throwing them out of the Bandidos. But Kellestine then decided they would have to kill all eight. MH described a messy and farcical situation in which Kellestine frequently changed his mind about whether or not to let his rivals live and at one point allowed Muscedere to call his wife as long as he "didn’t say anything stupid".
He broke down as he described the stoic reaction of one of the men, Frank "Bammer" Salerno.
"Bammer went to shake my hand. I didn’t do it," said MH.
MH said Kellestine had been promised that in return for carrying out the killings he would be named Canadian president of the Bandidos and could start up his own chapter based in nearby London, Ontario. But Mr Edwards, who has covered the trial, said the killers were disorganised and bungling. "They were at the very bottom rung of biker gangs. Some were in their 40s but still lived with their parents. They were not making any money, many of them had been rejected by the Hells Angels and half of them didn’t even own a motorbike," he said. Mr Edwards says they were forced to dump the cars with the bodies in because they were "too cheap to buy enough gasoline".
"They didn’t even set fire to the bodies or the cars," he says. The massacre, and Thursday’s convictions, have left the Bandidos effectively defunct in Canada.
According to Mr Edwards, there is very little public sympathy for the victims because they were bikers, and Canada has seen a lot of biker wars in the past.
Muscedere, who was betrayed by his best friend Wayne Kellestine, was one of eight men shot dead in a barn in Ontario. Their bodies were found on 8 April 2006 in three cars and a tow truck which had been dumped in a field near the town of Shedden, 14km (10 miles) from where they had been killed. Ironically several of the men – suspects in another murder case – had been under surveillance by the Ontario Provincial Police only hours earlier. All eight were associated with the Bandidos, one of North America’s most notorious biker gangs and second only in power to the Hells Angels worldwide. The motive for the bloodshed lay in a deep schism that had developed within the Bandidos’ Canadian chapters.
John ‘Boxer’ Muscedere, 48
Luis ‘Porkchop’ Raposo, 41
George ‘Pony’ Jessome, 52
George ‘Crash’ Kriarakis, 28
Frank ‘Bam Bam’ Salerno, 43
Paul ‘Big Paulie’ Sinopoli, 30
Jamie ‘Goldberg’ Flanz, 37
Michael ‘Little Mikey’ Trotta, 31
Bikers guilty of massacre
The victims were members of the Toronto chapter, who were sponsored by the gang’s Scandinavian wing but were not recognised by the Bandidos’ head office in Texas.
Peter Edwards, a journalist with the Toronto Star and the author of a book on the case that is due out later this year, explained: "There was a chapter based in Winnipeg, Manitoba, who came under the auspices of Toronto.
"But Winnipeg were not granted full patches by Toronto. They effectively had no job security and they grew really frustrated." The killers were led by Michael Sandham, a former soldier and police officer who became president of the Winnipeg chapter.
He tried to claim that he had actually been working undercover for the police, but was unable to explain why he had initially denied being at the scene. Sandham was helped by Kellestine, an Ontario native who was allied with the Winnipeg chapter.
The victims were lured to their deaths in his barn, after being told they would meet to settle their grievances. When police arrived, they found blood smears and pieces of flesh amid the detritus of a biker party – beer bottles on a table and Confederate and Nazi flags hanging on a wall. Kellestine and five of his buddies were arrested. Three years later they finally went on trial. The star prosecution witness was another Bandido, known only as MH, who testified about the events leading up to the killings. MH, who hailed from Winnipeg, told the court the original plan was to "pull the patches" of the Toronto members, effectively throwing them out of the Bandidos. But Kellestine then decided they would have to kill all eight. MH described a messy and farcical situation in which Kellestine frequently changed his mind about whether or not to let his rivals live and at one point allowed Muscedere to call his wife as long as he "didn’t say anything stupid".
He broke down as he described the stoic reaction of one of the men, Frank "Bammer" Salerno.
"Bammer went to shake my hand. I didn’t do it," said MH.
MH said Kellestine had been promised that in return for carrying out the killings he would be named Canadian president of the Bandidos and could start up his own chapter based in nearby London, Ontario. But Mr Edwards, who has covered the trial, said the killers were disorganised and bungling. "They were at the very bottom rung of biker gangs. Some were in their 40s but still lived with their parents. They were not making any money, many of them had been rejected by the Hells Angels and half of them didn’t even own a motorbike," he said. Mr Edwards says they were forced to dump the cars with the bodies in because they were "too cheap to buy enough gasoline".
"They didn’t even set fire to the bodies or the cars," he says. The massacre, and Thursday’s convictions, have left the Bandidos effectively defunct in Canada.
According to Mr Edwards, there is very little public sympathy for the victims because they were bikers, and Canada has seen a lot of biker wars in the past.
Sunday, 25 October 2009
West Drive Locos, Daniel Villa, 20, was arrested Thursday at a home in Hollywood
Daniel Villa, 20, was arrested Thursday at a home in Hollywood, said Michael Jeandron, a spokesman with the Riverside County District Attorney's Office.
Villa is accused of being a “high- level” Desert Hot Springs gang member who is named in a gang injunction against the West Drive Locos, Jeandron said.
Villa is accused of evading law enforcement and intimidating a witness while he was freed in lieu of bail on another case.That witness is believed to have provided evidence to prosecutors that helped them get the gang injunction.District Attorney Rod Pacheco said gang activity will not be tolerated in Riverside County.“Gang members can't expect to commit a crime and run away to avoid justice,” Pacheco said. “We will seek them and we will find them.”In March, Villa was targeted during Operation Falling Sun, an eight-month investigation that led to a massive citywide raid that targeted gangs in Desert Hot Springs.Villa was arrested during a search at his home during the operation on suspicion of being a felon in possession of a firearm and being in the presence of other gang members, Jeandron said.
Villa posted $30,000 bail and was released April 2.Villa pleaded guilty to a robbery charge in a home invasion robbery in 2005 and was sentenced to four years in state prison. Prosecutors allege that after he was released from prison, Villa returned to Desert Hot Springs to resume his gang lifestyle.Villa, who is being held in lieu of $1.3 million, is set to appear in court on Nov. 3 for a felony settlement conference.
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Villa is accused of being a “high- level” Desert Hot Springs gang member who is named in a gang injunction against the West Drive Locos, Jeandron said.
Villa is accused of evading law enforcement and intimidating a witness while he was freed in lieu of bail on another case.That witness is believed to have provided evidence to prosecutors that helped them get the gang injunction.District Attorney Rod Pacheco said gang activity will not be tolerated in Riverside County.“Gang members can't expect to commit a crime and run away to avoid justice,” Pacheco said. “We will seek them and we will find them.”In March, Villa was targeted during Operation Falling Sun, an eight-month investigation that led to a massive citywide raid that targeted gangs in Desert Hot Springs.Villa was arrested during a search at his home during the operation on suspicion of being a felon in possession of a firearm and being in the presence of other gang members, Jeandron said.
Villa posted $30,000 bail and was released April 2.Villa pleaded guilty to a robbery charge in a home invasion robbery in 2005 and was sentenced to four years in state prison. Prosecutors allege that after he was released from prison, Villa returned to Desert Hot Springs to resume his gang lifestyle.Villa, who is being held in lieu of $1.3 million, is set to appear in court on Nov. 3 for a felony settlement conference.
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Crips and the Mexican Mafia were the gangs involved
Detectives said Garland Taylor’s killing was gang-related.Officers found Taylor shot in the head in the 900 block of Anderson Street. He died Monday at University Hospital.None of those arrested is facing a homicide charge, and a warrant hasn’t been issued for any suspected triggerman, Police Chief Kevin Kelso said.But warrants were issued for engaging in organized criminal activity with the intent to commit aggravated assault, a first-degree felony.Two of those named, Jordan Sheffield, 19, and Justin Gonzales, 21, are still being sought.In custody at the Guadalupe County Jail are Darrell Sheffield, 23; Timothy Dailey, 18; Gregory Popham, 19; David Buitron Jr., 37; Christopher Buitron, 23; and Mark Buitron, 22.Police also arrested a juvenile male whose name was not released.In a news release, Kelso said the Crips and the Mexican Mafia were the gangs involved and said police have not identified gang affiliations for all those charged. He said fears of retaliation among witnesses is making the investigation difficult but that more arrests are expected.
Bloods have 305 members in 33 “sets,” or subgroups, followed by the Crips, with 235 members in 33 sets.
Gaston County has 678 validated gang members, according to Gastonia Police statistics. The Bloods have 305 members in 33 “sets,” or subgroups, followed by the Crips, with 235 members in 33 sets. The Juggalos, a gang that takes its name from a term popularized by the hip-hop group Insane Clown Posse, claims 37 members, while the Hispanic gang MS-13 has 21.While those numbers are large enough for local law enforcement agencies, they don’t include the dozens to hundreds of teens affiliated with gangs who aren’t actual members. Many of the youths referred to Gang of One fall into this category.
“We work a lot with the kids who are affiliated,” said Capistran. “Nine times out of 10, the kid isn’t actually a member, but they are what we would consider at-risk.”
The Bloods and the Crips are rival gangs with common roots in inner-city Los Angeles. The Bloods, who wear red bandanas and clothing, were founded by a group of former Crips. The Crips favor blue clothing and bandanas, and both gangs have distinctive written symbols and hand signs.MS-13, whose formal name is Mara Salvatrucha, was begun in the 1980s by Central American immigrants in Los Angeles. Popular MS-13 symbols are devil horns, dice, daggers and crossbones.Police data shows 91 validated gang members belonging to street gangs other than the popular East Coast and West Coast crews. Those gangs include hate groups such as the Aryan Brotherhood and neo-Nazis, motorcycle gangs like the Hell’s Angels, Southern Gentlemen and Pegans and homegrown gangs like 704 and the Queen City G’z.
Nearly all street gangs are involved in drug trafficking, according to the Governor’s Crime Commission. Many are linked to violent crime, including homicides, shootings, armed robberies and assaults.
“We work a lot with the kids who are affiliated,” said Capistran. “Nine times out of 10, the kid isn’t actually a member, but they are what we would consider at-risk.”
The Bloods and the Crips are rival gangs with common roots in inner-city Los Angeles. The Bloods, who wear red bandanas and clothing, were founded by a group of former Crips. The Crips favor blue clothing and bandanas, and both gangs have distinctive written symbols and hand signs.MS-13, whose formal name is Mara Salvatrucha, was begun in the 1980s by Central American immigrants in Los Angeles. Popular MS-13 symbols are devil horns, dice, daggers and crossbones.Police data shows 91 validated gang members belonging to street gangs other than the popular East Coast and West Coast crews. Those gangs include hate groups such as the Aryan Brotherhood and neo-Nazis, motorcycle gangs like the Hell’s Angels, Southern Gentlemen and Pegans and homegrown gangs like 704 and the Queen City G’z.
Nearly all street gangs are involved in drug trafficking, according to the Governor’s Crime Commission. Many are linked to violent crime, including homicides, shootings, armed robberies and assaults.
Vallucos gang member wanted on suspicion of running over a motorcyclist
Vallucos gang member wanted on suspicion of running over a motorcyclist in July and then abandoning the injured man.With the help of the U.S. Marshals Service and an anonymous tip, officers arrested Daniel Cuellar about 9 p.m. Friday at the Wells Fargo Bank at the intersection of Trenton and North McColl roads in McAllen, said San Juan Police Chief Juan Gonzalez.Cuellar, who has an extensive arrest history with the San Juan Police Department, was arraigned Saturday on charges of resisting arrest and accident involving injury.Resisting arrest is a Class A misdemeanor punishable up to one year in county jail and a fine of up to $4,000. Accident involving injury is punishable by imprisonment in the Texas Department of Criminal Justice for up to five years or confinement in a county jail for up to year, plus a possible fine of up to $5,000.Cuellar may have tried to drag the wounded motorcyclist into his vehicle, Gonzalez said. The victim, who suffered multiple leg fractures in the collision, told police he could smell alcohol on the man’s breath.
“He was all intoxicated, but we can’t prove that,” the chief said.Investigators had previously searched for Cuellar at several locations in Alamo, Donna, Harlingen and San Juan. The man reportedly had been hiding in various spots, possibly staying with fellow gang members.Police also arrested Cuellar’s brother Friday at the bank on a charge of public intoxication.
“He was all intoxicated, but we can’t prove that,” the chief said.Investigators had previously searched for Cuellar at several locations in Alamo, Donna, Harlingen and San Juan. The man reportedly had been hiding in various spots, possibly staying with fellow gang members.Police also arrested Cuellar’s brother Friday at the bank on a charge of public intoxication.
Saturday, 24 October 2009
La Familia Michoacána,$207 million were found piled in mountains of notes
La Familia Michoacána, named for its base in the western Mexican state of Michoacán, not only revived the meth market, "they elevated it," says Rodney Benson, special agent in charge in Atlanta for the Drug Enforcement Administration. This week the DEA led a campaign that saw the arrests of more than 300 alleged meth traffickers in the U.S., all allegedly tied to La Familia. It is considered the largest roundup ever of Mexican cartel operatives. One of the busts, at a suburban house in Lawrencevllle, Ga., yielded almost 180 lbs of "the clearest [meth] crystals I have ever seen," says Benson. La Familia is estimated to export as much as half of the 200 tons of crystal meth into the U.S. each year. It was thus a clear target for Project Coronado, the four-year operation by U.S. and Mexico anti-drug officials, which has collared 900 others, mostly La Familia associates, in both countries. Aside from meth trafficking, La Familia has also brought Mexico's gangland violence across the border, into communities as far flung as Atlanta and Seattle. The group, like Mexico's two largest drug gangs, the Gulf and Sinaloa cartels, is also famous for beheading rival traffickers. U.S. Attorney General Holder suggested Thursday that La Familia's "depravity" exceeds that of the Gulf and Sinaloa groups. Whether or not La Familia is Mexico's most violent drug cartel, it is certainly the weirdest. Arguably, it is the world's first "narco-evangelical" gang. During this week's raids, U.S. officials found numerous religious images, "on fireplaces, in closets, everywhere," says one. La Familia members purport to be devout Christians who abstain from drugs themselves. In fact, they insist that while they sell meth and cocaine to the U.S., they keep it away from Mexicans. They also study a special Bible authored by their leader, Nazario Moreno, a.k.a. El Más Loco, or "The Craziest One." The cartel's profits have helped it build a large network of support among the poor in Michoacán, which is also the home state of Mexican President Felipe Calderón.
When the U.S. Congress enacted the Combat Methamphetamine Epidemic Act four years ago, it created a lucrative trafficking niche for La Familia. Michoacán has long been a meth-producing region, much like the northern state of Durango is known for making most of Mexico's heroin (called "brown mud"). La Familia and other Mexican gangs manufacture meth at industrial superlabs that dwarf small-town U.S. shops like those depicted on the AMC cable drama Breaking Bad, churning out tons of the white, flaky crystal each day. And while U.S. law blocks the export of pseudoephedrine to Mexico, La Familia can easily access that key chemical by way of sources in Asia, shipping it in via Michoacán's major Pacific port, Lázaro Cárdenas. In 2006, Mexican police seized 19 tons of it there and linked it to the owner of a Mexico City mansion where $207 million were found piled in mountains of notes — believed to be the biggest drug-cash bust ever.
When the U.S. Congress enacted the Combat Methamphetamine Epidemic Act four years ago, it created a lucrative trafficking niche for La Familia. Michoacán has long been a meth-producing region, much like the northern state of Durango is known for making most of Mexico's heroin (called "brown mud"). La Familia and other Mexican gangs manufacture meth at industrial superlabs that dwarf small-town U.S. shops like those depicted on the AMC cable drama Breaking Bad, churning out tons of the white, flaky crystal each day. And while U.S. law blocks the export of pseudoephedrine to Mexico, La Familia can easily access that key chemical by way of sources in Asia, shipping it in via Michoacán's major Pacific port, Lázaro Cárdenas. In 2006, Mexican police seized 19 tons of it there and linked it to the owner of a Mexico City mansion where $207 million were found piled in mountains of notes — believed to be the biggest drug-cash bust ever.
Monday, 19 October 2009
Gary Oxley, 48, from Bexhill, blasted Joseph Oliffe, 35, twice in the back of the head with a .455 calibre Webley Mk I revolver
Gary Oxley, 48, from Bexhill, blasted Joseph Oliffe, 35, twice in the back of the head with a .455 calibre Webley Mk I revolver as he sat drinking coffee.
Oxley then calmly dialled 999, and told an operator: "I have just shot someone. I fear for my life and my family."The Old Bailey heard Oxley owed Mr Oliffe, a father-of-two from Bromley, Kent, and his associates £6,000 in drugs money. Oxley claimed the "gangsters" had threatened the lives of his wife and parents.Prosecutor Oliver Glasgow told the court Mr Oliffe and friend Perry Hunt had arrived at the DA Sandwich Cafe in Court Road, Mottingham, Kent, on March 4 this year.
"They ordered two coffees and a chocolate bar before taking a seat at the window."Cafe owner Ali Gezer sent his employee Mahmut Akin out to get coffee from the shop next door.Shortly after he served the men Oxley walked in.
"He greeted them and they were seen to say hello back to him," the prosecutor said.
"Oxley walked up to the counter as if he was about to place an order, but rather than doing so, he stepped through the gate that separated the cafe and the kitchen.
"To the horror of Mr Gezer, he removed a gun from the waistband of his trousers and initially pointed it at the cafe owner."Fearing he would be shot or robbed, Mr Gezer asked Oxley if he was alright.Oxley ran towards the two men and aimed the weapon at Mr Oliffe's head.Mr Hunt was facing the gunman and ran out of the cafe, but the victim had his back to Oxley and 'was completely unaware of the danger he was in'.
Mr Glasgow said: "Oxley approached him and fired three shots.
"Two struck him in the head and Mr Oliffe collapsed on the table."Oxley then aimed the gun at the retreating figure of Mr Hunt.Following him out of the cafe, Oxley bumped into shocked cafe worker Mahmut Akin. "He was still holding the revolver and appeared to be in shock."He shouted: 'Call the police, I have killed a man', and then ran back into the cafe."Mr Gezer stood paralysed with fear behind the counter, but ran out the back of the cafe when the gunman returned.Mr Glasgow told the court: "The police received a number of calls about the incident, one from Oxley himself."He said he had shot someone, said he was scared for his life, and that the people involved were gangsters.
"He said he had no choice because they had threatened his wife, his mum and his dad. He said he had no choice because the problem concerned drugs and he owed them £6,000."Oxley told the emergency operator the situation was "quite heavy". He also said he had put the gun on the floor and did not want the police to shoot him.
Following his arrest, Oxley refused to tell officers why he had killed Mr Oliffe.
But in his fifth interview he claimed the pair – Mr Oliffe and Mr Perry – had threatened his wife and family and had been round to his home.Whilst in custody he was allowed to make a call to his parents and was overheard saying: "I won't have threats to the family. I have tried to go on the straight and narrow but I won't have that."Oxley, of Hornbeam Avenue, admitted murder. A charge of attempted murder, which he denied, was ordered to lie on the court file.Locking him up for life, Judge Peter Thornton said: "This was a deliberate, calculated and planned act."You killed in cold blood. Whatever the background to this case, whatever the past of the deceased you have taken a life, deprived a family of a loved one and deprived a mother of her only child.
"Friends and family now mourn their loss."The judge said it was accepted Oxley was being blackmailed over a drugs debt.
"The aggravating features of this case are the cold and calculated killing, shooting your victim in the head from behind, clearly intending to kill him.
"Secondly, however bad the background of the case you abandoned the help of the police, took the law into your own hands and killed with a firearm which you acquired and took to the scene.
"There was clearly substantial premeditation in your actions."
Oxley then calmly dialled 999, and told an operator: "I have just shot someone. I fear for my life and my family."The Old Bailey heard Oxley owed Mr Oliffe, a father-of-two from Bromley, Kent, and his associates £6,000 in drugs money. Oxley claimed the "gangsters" had threatened the lives of his wife and parents.Prosecutor Oliver Glasgow told the court Mr Oliffe and friend Perry Hunt had arrived at the DA Sandwich Cafe in Court Road, Mottingham, Kent, on March 4 this year.
"They ordered two coffees and a chocolate bar before taking a seat at the window."Cafe owner Ali Gezer sent his employee Mahmut Akin out to get coffee from the shop next door.Shortly after he served the men Oxley walked in.
"He greeted them and they were seen to say hello back to him," the prosecutor said.
"Oxley walked up to the counter as if he was about to place an order, but rather than doing so, he stepped through the gate that separated the cafe and the kitchen.
"To the horror of Mr Gezer, he removed a gun from the waistband of his trousers and initially pointed it at the cafe owner."Fearing he would be shot or robbed, Mr Gezer asked Oxley if he was alright.Oxley ran towards the two men and aimed the weapon at Mr Oliffe's head.Mr Hunt was facing the gunman and ran out of the cafe, but the victim had his back to Oxley and 'was completely unaware of the danger he was in'.
Mr Glasgow said: "Oxley approached him and fired three shots.
"Two struck him in the head and Mr Oliffe collapsed on the table."Oxley then aimed the gun at the retreating figure of Mr Hunt.Following him out of the cafe, Oxley bumped into shocked cafe worker Mahmut Akin. "He was still holding the revolver and appeared to be in shock."He shouted: 'Call the police, I have killed a man', and then ran back into the cafe."Mr Gezer stood paralysed with fear behind the counter, but ran out the back of the cafe when the gunman returned.Mr Glasgow told the court: "The police received a number of calls about the incident, one from Oxley himself."He said he had shot someone, said he was scared for his life, and that the people involved were gangsters.
"He said he had no choice because they had threatened his wife, his mum and his dad. He said he had no choice because the problem concerned drugs and he owed them £6,000."Oxley told the emergency operator the situation was "quite heavy". He also said he had put the gun on the floor and did not want the police to shoot him.
Following his arrest, Oxley refused to tell officers why he had killed Mr Oliffe.
But in his fifth interview he claimed the pair – Mr Oliffe and Mr Perry – had threatened his wife and family and had been round to his home.Whilst in custody he was allowed to make a call to his parents and was overheard saying: "I won't have threats to the family. I have tried to go on the straight and narrow but I won't have that."Oxley, of Hornbeam Avenue, admitted murder. A charge of attempted murder, which he denied, was ordered to lie on the court file.Locking him up for life, Judge Peter Thornton said: "This was a deliberate, calculated and planned act."You killed in cold blood. Whatever the background to this case, whatever the past of the deceased you have taken a life, deprived a family of a loved one and deprived a mother of her only child.
"Friends and family now mourn their loss."The judge said it was accepted Oxley was being blackmailed over a drugs debt.
"The aggravating features of this case are the cold and calculated killing, shooting your victim in the head from behind, clearly intending to kill him.
"Secondly, however bad the background of the case you abandoned the help of the police, took the law into your own hands and killed with a firearm which you acquired and took to the scene.
"There was clearly substantial premeditation in your actions."
Gangster Manny Buttar was found guilty of assault with a weapon Thursday for smashing a beer glass against a stranger's head
Gangster Manny Buttar was found guilty of assault with a weapon Thursday for smashing a beer glass against a stranger's head as he confessed to killing a rival gang leader.B.C. Supreme Court Justice Kathleen Ker said she accepted the evidence of victim Pardeep (Sunny)Dhillon that an intoxicated Buttar assaulted him viciously in 2006 at a Surrey restaurant after learning Dhillon was a cousin of slain gangster Bindy Johal.And Ker said she believed Dhillon that Buttar claimed he "killed for a living" and admitted to executing Johal, his one-time ally turned rival.
She said the Buttar statement may well have been false drunken rhetoric, but that Dhillon would have no reason to make such a claim unless it happened."It is entirely believable that Mr. Buttar made those comments....I accept without reservation Mr. Dhillon's evidence," Ker said. "I do not believe the denials of Mr. Buttar."Buttar was visibly upset by the verdict which came after a three-day trial last month at the New Westminster Law Courts. He will be sentenced
She said the Buttar statement may well have been false drunken rhetoric, but that Dhillon would have no reason to make such a claim unless it happened."It is entirely believable that Mr. Buttar made those comments....I accept without reservation Mr. Dhillon's evidence," Ker said. "I do not believe the denials of Mr. Buttar."Buttar was visibly upset by the verdict which came after a three-day trial last month at the New Westminster Law Courts. He will be sentenced
Drug smuggler Shaheed Roger Khan was sentenced to 30 years imprisonment on charges of drug smuggling, witness tampering and gun possession
Drug smuggler Shaheed Roger Khan was sentenced to 30 years imprisonment on charges of drug smuggling, witness tampering and gun possession in Vermont at 3 pm today at the US Eastern District Court in Brooklyn.Justice Dora L. Irizarry, imposing the sentences after a one-hour summation, said that they would run concurrently, which means that Khan will only serve 15 years in prison.Prior to handing down the long-awaited sentence, Justice Irizarry read three letters from Sheila Waddell, Harry Rampersaud and an anonymous person, which pleaded with her to impose a longer sentence than the 15 years offered to Khan as part of his plea bargain deal, given the heinous crimes he had committed. However she said that while she considered their pain and that of others affected by his operations, it should be recognized that in Khan’s case an acquittal was also possible had it gone to trial.
Prosecutor Shannon Jones had earlier said the same thing, noting that it should not be viewed as 15 years as opposed to 25 or 40 years, but 15 years as opposed to an acquittal.Before imposing sentence, Justice Irizarry asked Khan to make a statement.
Standing, the cleanly-shaven convict smiled and waved to his family and relatives in the courtroom. Addressing the court, Khan apologized to the citizens of the United States of America for the pain his actions might have caused them. Turning to his family, he apologized to them as well for any pain he might have caused them. He did not as much as mention Guyana or Guyanese.He then thanked his attorneys John Bergendahl and Diarmuid White for “being men of integrity” and said the US should be proud of them.As he left the court, Khan waved to his wife who said “Rog, I love you.”
Prosecutor Shannon Jones had earlier said the same thing, noting that it should not be viewed as 15 years as opposed to 25 or 40 years, but 15 years as opposed to an acquittal.Before imposing sentence, Justice Irizarry asked Khan to make a statement.
Standing, the cleanly-shaven convict smiled and waved to his family and relatives in the courtroom. Addressing the court, Khan apologized to the citizens of the United States of America for the pain his actions might have caused them. Turning to his family, he apologized to them as well for any pain he might have caused them. He did not as much as mention Guyana or Guyanese.He then thanked his attorneys John Bergendahl and Diarmuid White for “being men of integrity” and said the US should be proud of them.As he left the court, Khan waved to his wife who said “Rog, I love you.”
Police found a semi-automatic pistol in Titus Dawson’s bedroom
police found a semi-automatic pistol in Titus Dawson’s bedroom March 6, he initially claimed a burglar must have placed it there.That defense only went so far.
At his trial in Albany County Court this week, he took another route — that the weapon was being held for a friend to be returned to a gun buy-back program in Albany.Both Dawson, 26, and the friend are convicted drug dealers, the gun was found next to marijuana residue, as well as digital scales, $8,000 in cash and a ninth-month old newspaper article, but the defendant’s pal still took the stand and made his case.It was just not one a jury would believe .Dawson, 26, of Lark Drive, was convicted late Thursday of third-degree weapon possession, a felony carrying 3 1/2 to 7 years in prison.Police had noticed the gun while responding to a burglary alarm at Dawson’s home. When they arrived they spotted the pistol, as well as a large amount of marijuana in the bedroom.They returned and arrested Dawson after getting a search warrant. The gun and other belongings (which prosecutors say showed evidence of a homegrown marijuana operation) were discovered near a nine-month old Times Union newspaper article about gang shootings in Albany.The defense argued Dawson’s friend, a convicted crack dealer, stumbled upon the gun a day earlier while outdoors in Albany — and decided to leave it with Dawson. He said they planned to give it to the Rev. Charlie Muller of the Victory Christian Church in Albany, who runs the buy-back program.But Assistant District Attorney David Gonzalez, who prosecuted the case, noted no effort was ever made by either man to contact Muller.
“There is only so much that we can do with the legal system,” Gonzalez told jurors in closing arguments. “Use common sense.”Dawson, who has a past conviction for third-degree drug dealing, will be sentenced by acting Supreme Court Justice Dan Lamont on Dec. 11.
At his trial in Albany County Court this week, he took another route — that the weapon was being held for a friend to be returned to a gun buy-back program in Albany.Both Dawson, 26, and the friend are convicted drug dealers, the gun was found next to marijuana residue, as well as digital scales, $8,000 in cash and a ninth-month old newspaper article, but the defendant’s pal still took the stand and made his case.It was just not one a jury would believe .Dawson, 26, of Lark Drive, was convicted late Thursday of third-degree weapon possession, a felony carrying 3 1/2 to 7 years in prison.Police had noticed the gun while responding to a burglary alarm at Dawson’s home. When they arrived they spotted the pistol, as well as a large amount of marijuana in the bedroom.They returned and arrested Dawson after getting a search warrant. The gun and other belongings (which prosecutors say showed evidence of a homegrown marijuana operation) were discovered near a nine-month old Times Union newspaper article about gang shootings in Albany.The defense argued Dawson’s friend, a convicted crack dealer, stumbled upon the gun a day earlier while outdoors in Albany — and decided to leave it with Dawson. He said they planned to give it to the Rev. Charlie Muller of the Victory Christian Church in Albany, who runs the buy-back program.But Assistant District Attorney David Gonzalez, who prosecuted the case, noted no effort was ever made by either man to contact Muller.
“There is only so much that we can do with the legal system,” Gonzalez told jurors in closing arguments. “Use common sense.”Dawson, who has a past conviction for third-degree drug dealing, will be sentenced by acting Supreme Court Justice Dan Lamont on Dec. 11.
Homicide rate is now statistically worse in Lambeth, where there have been 12 homicides so far this year, than it is in the Bronx
Homicide rate is now statistically worse in Lambeth, where there have been 12 homicides so far this year, than it is in the Bronx's notorious 52nd precinct, where there have been 6. And gun crime continues to rise sharply in the capital. Although last year saw a drop (see graph below), figures published on Thursday prove that gun enabled crime in London rose by 17% between April and September this year.
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