25 members and associates of the South End-based Original Gangsta Killas were charged Thursday with a vicious crime spree of drug dealing, robbery and gang violence dating back to 2000. Federal prosecutors in Albany say the gang -- known commonly as OGK -- not only protected its "downtown" turf from rivals with bullets, but brazenly posted not-so-subtle messages on the Internet through compact discs, videotapes and DVDs. Gang members even allegedly produced a rap video like their fierce "uptown" rivals, the Jungle Junkies street gang, whose leadership was toppled in a similar racketeering case in 2006. Having successfully prosecuted that case, federal authorities are hoping for similar success against OGK. They allege at least 14 shooting incidents, four robberies and a stabbing across Albany in a period spanning from May 2001 to March 2009. The alleged drug dealing, which included marijuana, crack cocaine and heroin, dated back a year earlier. "I think the citizens of Albany can rest a lot easier knowing that they're a lot safer in their neighborhoods," James Burns, the assistant special agent-in-charge of the Drug Enforcement Agency in Albany, told reporters inside the James T. Foley U.S. Courthouse. Fourteen defendants were rounded up starting at 6 a.m. in raids involving 10 law enforcement agencies. Another remained a fugitive, said Assistant U.S. Attorney Rick Hartunian, chief of the office's Organized Crime Task Force. He said investigators recovered crack cocaine, .22 caliber ammunition and gang-related clothing, CDs and DVDs during the raids. The indictment said OGK, formerly known as the "Black Gangstas," has also called itself the "Orange Gambino Killas." The probe had dated back more than two years, authorities said. Authorities identified 23 of the defendants as OGK gang members. Most hailed from Albany, but 23-year-old Owen Furthman, also known as "Diz," was listed as living on quiet Barker Street in Colonie. Elijah "Sleezy" Cancer, 23, meanwhile, was listed as living in a dorm at the state University at Oneonta. Also on the list was one woman, Michele Knickerbocker, 43, of Albany. Many of the defendants have been shot over the years and have strong ties to Albany's turf war between "downtown" and the "uptown" gangs.
Two of the defendants, for instance, are Nahmel "Kidco" Stratton, 27, and Nakeem "Little Bay" Stratton, 24, both incarcerated. The latter has been identified as the older brother of the "uptown's" Nahjaliek McCall, who was convicted of murdering "downtown's" 15-year-old Shahied Oliver at an Arbor Hill birthday party in August 2007. Another defendant, Marcel "Juxx" Perry, 22, was previously shot in a case in which Oliver was accused of felony assault.
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Michael W. Fraser,biker killed in a crash Wednesday had been a member of the Ghost Riders motorcycle gang and served time in prison for killing two people.Michael W. Fraser, 51, died when his bike slid more than 200 feet into an oncoming car on North Market Street, according to the Spokane County Sheriff’s Office.Fraser was southbound on Market when he tried to pass another vehicle in a no-pass zone just south of Hawthorne Road about 5:15 p.m., according to a news release.He lost control of his 1985 rebuilt motorcycle and tipped over, hitting a 1994 Mercury Sable driven by a Mead man who had braked “to almost a complete stop,” the Sheriff’s Office said.
“The motorcycle went under the front of the Sable, trapping its rider beneath the car and killing him almost instantly,” according to the news release. The Sable’s driver was not injured.Deputies said Fraser was traveling about 70 mph in the 45 mph zone.Fraser, whose nickname among fellow bikers was Herpes, spent several years on the lam after the 1982 shooting death of Ben S. Lawson, 32, at the old Red Robin tavern on North Monroe Street, according to news archives. He was captured in 1989 and spent a year in prison on a second-degree manslaughter conviction before being paroled, according to the state Corrections Department.
News articles say he also was named as one of 11 defendants in a 1983 arson murder of a Wisconsin woman, for which Ghost Rider leader Al Hegge and three others were convicted in 1985. Hegge is serving life in prison for murdering a Spokane police officer in 1983.Fraser returned to prison in 1992 after a customer was shot twice in the back and killed during a barroom brawl in Arlington, Wash., with several other members of the Ghost Riders, according to a 1996 Seattle Times article. Fraser was convicted of second-degree murder and released in 2005, state records show. He was not on probation.Sgt. Dave Reagan said Fraser was still affiliated with an outlaw motorcycle gang but declined to say which one.
“The motorcycle went under the front of the Sable, trapping its rider beneath the car and killing him almost instantly,” according to the news release. The Sable’s driver was not injured.Deputies said Fraser was traveling about 70 mph in the 45 mph zone.Fraser, whose nickname among fellow bikers was Herpes, spent several years on the lam after the 1982 shooting death of Ben S. Lawson, 32, at the old Red Robin tavern on North Monroe Street, according to news archives. He was captured in 1989 and spent a year in prison on a second-degree manslaughter conviction before being paroled, according to the state Corrections Department.
News articles say he also was named as one of 11 defendants in a 1983 arson murder of a Wisconsin woman, for which Ghost Rider leader Al Hegge and three others were convicted in 1985. Hegge is serving life in prison for murdering a Spokane police officer in 1983.Fraser returned to prison in 1992 after a customer was shot twice in the back and killed during a barroom brawl in Arlington, Wash., with several other members of the Ghost Riders, according to a 1996 Seattle Times article. Fraser was convicted of second-degree murder and released in 2005, state records show. He was not on probation.Sgt. Dave Reagan said Fraser was still affiliated with an outlaw motorcycle gang but declined to say which one.
Marco Antonio Perez, 16, was prosecuted as an adult and sentenced to 50 years to life in prison, according to the Orange County District Attorney’s Office. Two other gang members have already been sentenced to multiple life sentences for their roles in the shootings; three others are awaiting trial.The shootings happened in 2006, when Perez was 14 years old. According to prosecutors, he took his father’s car and drove with the others into a rival gang neighborhood in Santa Ana, looking for rivals to kill.They found three, ages 14, 15 and 16.They shot the 14-year-old and the 15-year-old in the head, execution style, according to the District Attorney’s statement. They shot the 16-year-old in the stomach, leaving him in a coma. He survived after undergoing seven surgeries.A jury in June found Perez guilty of two felony counts of special-circumstances murder for the benefit of a criminal street gang, one felony count of attempted murder and one felony count of street terrorism. The jury also added sentencing enhancements for criminal street gang activity and the vicarious discharge of a firearm as a gang member causing death and bodily injury.Two co-defendants, Norberto Hernandez, 24, and Angel Garcia, 21, were convicted earlier this year on similar charges; Hernandez was also found guilty of one felony count of assault with a firearm.Hernandez was sentenced to two life sentences in state prison without the possibility of parole plus an additional 93 years to life. Garcia was sentenced to two life sentences without parole plus an additional 50 years to life.Three other co-defendants, all of them juveniles at the time of the crimes but being prosecuted as adults, are scheduled to go to trial early next year. Juan Roldan, 19, and Oiram Roman Ayala, 20, both face the same charges as Hernandez. Prospero Guadarrama, 19, faces the same charges as Perez.
The District Attorney’s Office alleges that Hernandez, Roldan and Ayala also walked into rival gang territory two days before the deadly shooting and confronted members of another gang. The two groups began shooting at each other, and a 47-year-old street vendor who was selling corn from a cart was caught in the crossfire.The vendor was hit in the back and paralyzed from the waist down.
Billy Joe Johnson, 46,was convicted of murder for luring his childhood friend, Scott Miller, to his death on March 8, 2002, months after Miller gave what he thought was an anonymous interview on Fox11 News about the gang. Miller was gunned down outside an Anaheim apartment complex after he left a party. killed a fellow white supremacist gang member for revealing secrets about the gang should be sentenced to death, a jury recommended Thursday. A judge will decide whether to accept the jury's recommendation. Johnson is already serving a life term for the 2004 slaying of Cory Lamons in Huntington Beach with a claw hammer. Johnson, with his Mohawk-style hair combed down, smiled, chuckled and whispered to his attorney, Michael Molfetta, when the verdict was read. Johnson testified Tuesday that he wanted to be sent to Death Row because he believed it would be a less-restrictive confinement. The four women and eight men on the jury took about two-and-a-half hours to decide Johnson deserves the ultimate punishment, jury foreman John Pearson of Santa Ana said. The jury first voted 11-1 for death, with the holdout saying if Johnson wanted to be put on death row, why give it to him? After the jury went over the evidence again, they convinced the juror to change his mind, Pearson said. Molfetta argued that Johnson's life in prison, dependency on drugs and a rough childhood in Costa Mesa contributed to his downfall. But Pearson said the jury felt Johnson's lengthy rap sheet outweighed all that.
Johnson, when he took the stand Tuesday, admitted to killing two other men, one while in custody and another while free. Deputy District Attorney Ebrahim Baytieh said authorities might be interested in learning more about those slayings so they can close the books on them, but there's "zero chance" he would be prosecuted for them since he will probably be sentenced to death. "I felt he was self-absorbed" and didn't respect the judicial process, Pearson said. "I don't think he cared personally one way or the other." Johnson, throughout the trial, often leaned in to Molfetta to whisper asides and laugh. Molfetta said Johnson has attention-deficit disorder and that he tried to go along with some of the antics to keep him as calm as possible even though he found it difficult to concentrate.
"Trust me, I know who is sitting alongside me," he said, acknowledging Johnson's violent past.
Johnson was pleased with the verdict and told his attorney to not get emotional, Molfetta said. "I told him I was going to get misty eyed and he told me not to," Molfetta said. "I said, `Doesn't this bother you?' And he said, `No, 20 years ago it might have but I've hardened over the years ...' He wants to go to Death Row. Billy Joe Johnson does not care. I've met many over the years who have said that, but he genuinely doesn't care." When Molfetta asked Orange County Superior Court Judge Frank Fasel to have the jury polled after the verdict was read, Johnson asked him why he bothered. "I told him once I did that and someone changed their mind and he said, `Jesus, that person's crazier than I am.' "I told him I didn't think that was true," Molfetta added. Another gang member, Michael Allen Lamb, 34, was sentenced to death for killing Miller Aug. 22, 2008. Also convicted of Miller's murder was Jacob Anthony Rump, 32, who was sentenced to life in prison without parole Oct. 5, 2007.
Prosecutors argued that Lamb delivered the fatal shot to the back of the head of the 38-year-old Miller, who was a founding member of Public Enemy Number One.
Prosecutors said Miller, known as "Scottish," was killed because he aired the gang's dirty laundry in a two-part news report. The piece, broadcast on Feb. 20-21, 2001, focused on the evolution of the gang -- which grew out of the 1980s punk rock music scene in Long Beach, then evolved to racist skinheads to criminal thugs, authorities said. Miller, though his face was obscured, was recognized by gang members in the TV appearance because of a tattoo and his pet pit bull. Johnson may never have been prosecuted for the killing if he had not chosen to testify in the murder trials of Rump and Lamb. In that case two years ago, Johnson testified he was the shooter.
But according to Baytieh, Johnson's role was luring Miller to his death by asking him to join him on a ride to Anaheim to buy drugs. Johnson was found guilty of murder, conspiracy to commit murder and accessory after the fact, with sentencing enhancements for criminal street gang activity, vicarious discharge of a firearm by a gang member causing death, and special circumstance allegations of murder by lying in wait and murder committed for a criminal street gang. Fasel will formally sentence Johnson Nov. 20.
bone-chilling execution was caught on a graphic 26-second surveillance feed and is believed to be the first time a hit by the Camorra -- the Neapolitan mob -- was captured on tape.When Tarracino falls on the ground, the killer finishes him off with a bullet to the head.None of the bystanders moves a finger, although it is hard to say if that is from genuine indifference or fear of retaliation.A woman is seen rubbing off her scratch-and-win lottery card as Tarracino is killed in front of her. A cigarette-seller moves his stall a few meters down the road, while a man holding a toddler in his arms looks at the victim and walks away.After five months of investigations, prosecutors have yet to identify the killer, despite the fact that his face is clearly visible in the footage."We have decided to circulate the video as widely as possible, urging the cooperation of whoever can provide information to identify the killer and his lookout," the Naples' office for anti-mafia investigations said in a statement.
Italian prosecutors released a video on Thursday of a mafia-style murder in Naples met with indifference by bystanders, hoping it would help break a wall of silence over the identity of the killer.The video, shot by closed-circuit cameras, shows a man wearing a baseball cap shooting dead Mariano Bacio Tarracino, a 53-year-old man with a mafia criminal record, in broad daylight on May 11 this year.Tarracino is seen smoking a cigarette outside a bar in the central Sanita neighborhood. The killer enters the bar, where there are at least six people, then emerges and shoots Tarracino at point blank range.
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Italian prosecutors released a video on Thursday of a mafia-style murder in Naples met with indifference by bystanders, hoping it would help break a wall of silence over the identity of the killer.The video, shot by closed-circuit cameras, shows a man wearing a baseball cap shooting dead Mariano Bacio Tarracino, a 53-year-old man with a mafia criminal record, in broad daylight on May 11 this year.Tarracino is seen smoking a cigarette outside a bar in the central Sanita neighborhood. The killer enters the bar, where there are at least six people, then emerges and shoots Tarracino at point blank range.
man wanted in the Christmas Day 2008 slaying of reputed gang member Zedrick Maurice Warner in Jackson is in custody after a 9 1/2-month manhunt.A tip from a confidential source led U.S. Marshals to 31-year-old Saheed Davis at a hotel in Dallas, where they apprehended him Tuesday morning. Davis will be extradited from Texas.Davis, a lieutenant in the Vice Lords street gang, was among the most wanted fugitives of the U.S. Department of Justice National Gang Targeting, Enforcement & Coordination Center."We made (finding Davis) a priority because of his gang affiliation," U.S. Marshals Deputy Richard Griffin said. "He was found with several thousand dollars in cash, but I have not heard of any weapons being found with him."
Jackson police investigators say Davis shot 39-year-old Warner, who was his girlfriend's brother-in-law, outside a family gathering at a home on Roosevelt Street on Dec. 25.Warner's widow, LaToya Warner, said she, her children and her family watched as Davis gunned down Warner after an argument.Warner was believed to be a member of the Wood Street Players street gang - though his family denies it - and a close friend of the late Jackson Mayor Frank Melton.Warner also was a co-defendant in a high-profile 2006 murder trial in which he was acquitted of killing Carey "Little Man" Bias in 2003.Warner's family said he had turned his life around and was focused on his lawn-care business and being a father to his 15 children."We are amazingly thankful to God that (Davis) was arrested," Warner's sister, Quran Dodd, said. "It is a sense of comfort to our family. It's a sign that good things still can happen after all we've been through."
Attempts to reach Davis' family Tuesday were unsuccessful.LaToya Warner said she had mixed feelings after authorities notified her of Davis' arrest. She said she is grateful for the closure but hurt because of how Davis betrayed her and her sister, who was his girlfriend."I was hoping for the death penalty, but the district attorney has said Hinds County doesn't have money to do those kind of cases. So, I hope he gets a couple of life sentences without parole because you have to think about the intensity of the crime," she said. "He killed an unarmed man in front of his family on Christmas Day. Why should he be free again?"
Warner also was a member of the Vice Lords when he was young but had cut ties, his widow said.
But that affiliation did not factor into the argument or subsequent shooting, LaToya Warner said.
"The argument was about family. It had nothing to do with the streets. It had nothing to do with a gang or drugs."Authorities have not said what sent Davis to Texas. For a couple of months after the shooting, talk swirled that Davis remained in the Jackson area."There was an intense investigation in Jackson. So we know it was too hot for him to stay around here," Griffin said. "We had gotten information that he was with relatives, with friends, living on the street. There were a number of leads we checked out, but it wasn't until just recently that we were able to develop reliable sources who told us where he was."
Jackson police investigators say Davis shot 39-year-old Warner, who was his girlfriend's brother-in-law, outside a family gathering at a home on Roosevelt Street on Dec. 25.Warner's widow, LaToya Warner, said she, her children and her family watched as Davis gunned down Warner after an argument.Warner was believed to be a member of the Wood Street Players street gang - though his family denies it - and a close friend of the late Jackson Mayor Frank Melton.Warner also was a co-defendant in a high-profile 2006 murder trial in which he was acquitted of killing Carey "Little Man" Bias in 2003.Warner's family said he had turned his life around and was focused on his lawn-care business and being a father to his 15 children."We are amazingly thankful to God that (Davis) was arrested," Warner's sister, Quran Dodd, said. "It is a sense of comfort to our family. It's a sign that good things still can happen after all we've been through."
Attempts to reach Davis' family Tuesday were unsuccessful.LaToya Warner said she had mixed feelings after authorities notified her of Davis' arrest. She said she is grateful for the closure but hurt because of how Davis betrayed her and her sister, who was his girlfriend."I was hoping for the death penalty, but the district attorney has said Hinds County doesn't have money to do those kind of cases. So, I hope he gets a couple of life sentences without parole because you have to think about the intensity of the crime," she said. "He killed an unarmed man in front of his family on Christmas Day. Why should he be free again?"
Warner also was a member of the Vice Lords when he was young but had cut ties, his widow said.
But that affiliation did not factor into the argument or subsequent shooting, LaToya Warner said.
"The argument was about family. It had nothing to do with the streets. It had nothing to do with a gang or drugs."Authorities have not said what sent Davis to Texas. For a couple of months after the shooting, talk swirled that Davis remained in the Jackson area."There was an intense investigation in Jackson. So we know it was too hot for him to stay around here," Griffin said. "We had gotten information that he was with relatives, with friends, living on the street. There were a number of leads we checked out, but it wasn't until just recently that we were able to develop reliable sources who told us where he was."
Mother of the notorious Bacon brothers took the stand as a Crown witness Monday in the gun trial of youngest son Jamie and middle son Jarrod.She told Surrey Provincial Court Judge Jean Lytwyn that officers responding the the targeted shooting of her son Jamie on April 13, 2007 did in fact treat her family as if they were suspects.“They didn't treat Jamie like a victim at all or Jonathan,” she testified. “When we were leaving the house, I made the boys put them on. I was terrified.”Bacon described the dramatic scene after several shots were fired at the family rental home, wounding Jamie and damaging the posh residence in the 15800-block of 106 Ave.She was awakened by a sound, woke up husband David and then went down the stairs where she could hear thumping coming from the basement where Jamie lived with girlfriend Chalsi Sylvestre.
“I heard Jamie yelling ... I heard his voice going: 'I've been shot. I've been shot.' I phoned 911 and told them,” Bacon testified in a clear voice with her two youngest sons in separate prisoners docks in high-security courtroom 107.“My biggest concern now was Jamie as I saw he was bleeding profusely from his head,” she said. “There was so much blood at the time.”She said Jamie, then just 21, “was breathing heavy, sweating profusely and just kept repeating that he'd been shot.”“I started to take off his top and say let me check, let me check,” she said, explaining she was still on the phone with a 911 operator asking for an ambulance.“I remember Jamie saying to me 'Tell dad not to go outside. Tell dad not to go outside,'” Bacon said. “I think from there everything gets blurred for me after that.”Jamie and Jarrod face 10 gun charges after police found a secret compartment containing four loaded handguns and five magazines in a Suburban the brothers were using. Officers planting a tracking device inside the Suburban, owned at the time by jailed associate Dennis Karbovanec, said they stumbled across the guns by accident.Susan Bacon told the court she knew the vehicle belonged to Karbovanec, who was in jail from Dec. 2006 to the summer of 2007, but was vague about how often it was at her residence.
“I have seen the vehicle,” she said, agreeing that Jamie “sometimes” used it.
“When I am in the house, I can't see who brings the car in.”
She said at the time of the shooting, all three “boys” were living with their parents in Surrey where the family had moved that February from their Abbotsford home where Jon had been shot four months prior.
She would leave the house for work as early as 6:15 a.m. and not return until the evening, Bacon testified.
She did not seem nervous on the stand, even laughing a couple of times during her evidence, which is scheduled to continue Tuesday.Earlier Monday, the court heard that Jamie told police after the shooting that he had purchased 10 military-grade bullet-proof vests for $1,600 U.S. each including the one that saved him that night.And Bacon told two RCMP officers that he had ordered a special bullet-proof truck but it was late arriving due to a CN strike.Bacon's chat with police was recounted by Crown Teresa Mitchell-Banks, who asked Judge Jean Lytwyn to allow the officers to describe their conversations with Bacon, saying body armour is relevant to the gun charges."There has just been a gunfight at the house," Mitchell-Banks argued. Bacon's lawyer Ken Westlake objected, saying the fact his client wore a bullet-proof because the family had been a target of previous shootings - nothing more."This family had been under attack previously by people," Westlake said. "They are not shooting at themselves.Lytwyn agreed that the conversations between police and the purported Red Scorpion leader would not be admitted as evidence at the judge-alone trial.But Mitchell-Banks' description of the conversation provided a glimpse into the world of the youngest Bacon brother.She said Jamie told police he had seen a show on the “military channel” highlighting the heavy-duty “level three” body armour.He ordered his sets from Dave's Surplus in New Westminster. He also got helmets, he told the officers.
Bacon apparently said he would likely have been paralyzed in the assassination attempt that day if he had not been wearing the special body armour.No information came out in court about how Bacon would have paid for the specialty items he ordered, which would have cost in the tens of thousands of dollarsAlso Monday, Const. Byron Donovan described how he was the first RCMP officer who arrived at the Bacon house in the 15800-block of 106 Ave., after 911 calls from several frantic neighbours and Susan Bacon..“I observed the silhouette of a male standing in the driveway of the garage behind a vehicle,” Donovan said. “The male ran into the garage with the door closing behind him.”He said five people were then ordered out of the house - Jamie and Jon, their parents and Sylvestre.
“Mr. (Jamie) Bacon was yelling that he had been shot in the back and was upset by that,” Donovan recalled.
He said he helped Jamie Bacon take off his body armour and told Bacon there was a welt, but that the bullet had not gone through. He said an ambulance was called to take Bacon to hospital, where his injuries were determined to be minor.He described the small cut behind Jamie's right ear as a “scratch.”On cross-examination, Donovan told Westlake that Jamie Bacon was never handcuffed that night nor ever formally detained by police. He also denied that he or other officers at the house had their guns drawn when the Bacon family came out of the house.
The trial continues Tuesday when both parents are expected to testify. Susan was only called to the stand about 3:40 p.m. Monday after waiting the whole day with her husband outside the courtroom. She read a John Grisham novel, while David Bacon read the Vancouver Sun. They tried to duck media cameras when they met Jarrod for lunch at the courthouse cafe.Jarrod is out on bail, but Jamie remains in custody after being charged last April with first-degree murder in the Surrey Six case
“I heard Jamie yelling ... I heard his voice going: 'I've been shot. I've been shot.' I phoned 911 and told them,” Bacon testified in a clear voice with her two youngest sons in separate prisoners docks in high-security courtroom 107.“My biggest concern now was Jamie as I saw he was bleeding profusely from his head,” she said. “There was so much blood at the time.”She said Jamie, then just 21, “was breathing heavy, sweating profusely and just kept repeating that he'd been shot.”“I started to take off his top and say let me check, let me check,” she said, explaining she was still on the phone with a 911 operator asking for an ambulance.“I remember Jamie saying to me 'Tell dad not to go outside. Tell dad not to go outside,'” Bacon said. “I think from there everything gets blurred for me after that.”Jamie and Jarrod face 10 gun charges after police found a secret compartment containing four loaded handguns and five magazines in a Suburban the brothers were using. Officers planting a tracking device inside the Suburban, owned at the time by jailed associate Dennis Karbovanec, said they stumbled across the guns by accident.Susan Bacon told the court she knew the vehicle belonged to Karbovanec, who was in jail from Dec. 2006 to the summer of 2007, but was vague about how often it was at her residence.
“I have seen the vehicle,” she said, agreeing that Jamie “sometimes” used it.
“When I am in the house, I can't see who brings the car in.”
She said at the time of the shooting, all three “boys” were living with their parents in Surrey where the family had moved that February from their Abbotsford home where Jon had been shot four months prior.
She would leave the house for work as early as 6:15 a.m. and not return until the evening, Bacon testified.
She did not seem nervous on the stand, even laughing a couple of times during her evidence, which is scheduled to continue Tuesday.Earlier Monday, the court heard that Jamie told police after the shooting that he had purchased 10 military-grade bullet-proof vests for $1,600 U.S. each including the one that saved him that night.And Bacon told two RCMP officers that he had ordered a special bullet-proof truck but it was late arriving due to a CN strike.Bacon's chat with police was recounted by Crown Teresa Mitchell-Banks, who asked Judge Jean Lytwyn to allow the officers to describe their conversations with Bacon, saying body armour is relevant to the gun charges."There has just been a gunfight at the house," Mitchell-Banks argued. Bacon's lawyer Ken Westlake objected, saying the fact his client wore a bullet-proof because the family had been a target of previous shootings - nothing more."This family had been under attack previously by people," Westlake said. "They are not shooting at themselves.Lytwyn agreed that the conversations between police and the purported Red Scorpion leader would not be admitted as evidence at the judge-alone trial.But Mitchell-Banks' description of the conversation provided a glimpse into the world of the youngest Bacon brother.She said Jamie told police he had seen a show on the “military channel” highlighting the heavy-duty “level three” body armour.He ordered his sets from Dave's Surplus in New Westminster. He also got helmets, he told the officers.
Bacon apparently said he would likely have been paralyzed in the assassination attempt that day if he had not been wearing the special body armour.No information came out in court about how Bacon would have paid for the specialty items he ordered, which would have cost in the tens of thousands of dollarsAlso Monday, Const. Byron Donovan described how he was the first RCMP officer who arrived at the Bacon house in the 15800-block of 106 Ave., after 911 calls from several frantic neighbours and Susan Bacon..“I observed the silhouette of a male standing in the driveway of the garage behind a vehicle,” Donovan said. “The male ran into the garage with the door closing behind him.”He said five people were then ordered out of the house - Jamie and Jon, their parents and Sylvestre.
“Mr. (Jamie) Bacon was yelling that he had been shot in the back and was upset by that,” Donovan recalled.
He said he helped Jamie Bacon take off his body armour and told Bacon there was a welt, but that the bullet had not gone through. He said an ambulance was called to take Bacon to hospital, where his injuries were determined to be minor.He described the small cut behind Jamie's right ear as a “scratch.”On cross-examination, Donovan told Westlake that Jamie Bacon was never handcuffed that night nor ever formally detained by police. He also denied that he or other officers at the house had their guns drawn when the Bacon family came out of the house.
The trial continues Tuesday when both parents are expected to testify. Susan was only called to the stand about 3:40 p.m. Monday after waiting the whole day with her husband outside the courtroom. She read a John Grisham novel, while David Bacon read the Vancouver Sun. They tried to duck media cameras when they met Jarrod for lunch at the courthouse cafe.Jarrod is out on bail, but Jamie remains in custody after being charged last April with first-degree murder in the Surrey Six case
Police have announced that they have detained one of the most important members of the Mazowsze underworld.Officially, he was wanted for extorting money, but police officers say that it is only a question of time until he is charged with leading a criminal gang.When he was intercepted, the gangster had 12 mobile phones on his person and another 60 in his house."We have to study every telephone," said an officer of the Central Investigation Bureau (CBŚ), "We will check what numbers he had saved, we will get the billings in order to see who he was calling."The detainee, Marcin K., was caught in his home, after police officers followed his girlfriend. The police has been on the lookout for him for over a year.
4,600 foreign gangsters belonging to 65 gangs from 14 countries operating in Korea, almost equal to Korea’s home-grown gangster population of about 5,500 individuals belonging to 200 gangs.There is also a shift from “traditional” foreign gangs such as the Yakuza and Russian Mafia to newer gangs from China and Southeast Asia. Investigatorial officials told the Weekly Dong-A that Joseon-jok, Vietnamese, Filipino and Thai gangs were “frighteningly” expanding their power in the Seoul/Gyeonggi-do area. These gangs set up shop as nationals from those countries began to settle in Korea from around 2000. Initially, the gangs concentrated on extorting money and valuables from their compatriots, but are now expanding their realm of business to include gambling, entertainment, prostitution, human trafficking, drug smuggling and credit card fraud.In order to secure their operations and expand profits, foreign gangs are reportedly linking up with local gangs, says the Weekly Dong-A.Joseon-jok gangs — mostly composed of Heuksa-pa gang members from the Chinese northeast — are apparently gaining the most ground. Investigators think there are about 2,000 Joseon-jok gangsters from 16 organizations operating in Korea. After entering Seoul’s Garibong-dong area — home to lots of Joseon-jok — in 1998, the gangs fought a turf war that resulted in the victory of the “Yanbian” gang. Come 2000, however, they were displaced by the Heilongjiang gang, who in turn were beaten again by a reconstituted Yanbian faction in 2004. They are now active in Joseon-jok neighborhoods in 20 areas.The Yanbian Heuksa-pa gang is noted for its organization. One gangster said they have orally transmitted guidelines, such as pay scales for cutting off arms and legs (2.5 million to 5 million won) and killing (10 million won). Shockingly enough, they make most of their money off gambling, particularly through mahjong parlors, which they take protection money from and at which they offer high-interest loans to Joseon-jok gamblers. They’ve also expanded into casinos, game rooms, smuggling Chinese foodstuffs and drug running. They’ve also been active on the prostitution front, particularly at so-called “dabang hof” and “coffee hof” in Joseon-jok neighborhoods. Most of their prostitution targets Joseon-jok, but they also service Koreans in Seoul suburbs like Yongin and Gwangju.Chinese, Vietnamese, Filipino and Thai Gangs
Chinese gangs in Korea, meanwhile, are made up of gangsters who smuggle themselves into Korea after committing violent crimes in China. These guys are centered mostly in Ansan, and are spreading out to Seoul’s Garibong-dong and Daerim-dong. They like to squeeze protection money out of fellow Chinese, particularly illegal immigrants, usually about 200,000-300,000 won a month. Don’t pay up, and you get kidnapped or assaulted. They also show great enthusiasm for illegal gambling.Vietnamese gangs are a fast-rising force that now rival the Joseon-jok gangs. The so-called Hanoi-pa, composed mostly of gangsters from northern Vietnam, illegal Vietnamese immigrants and Vietnamese laborers, appears to be the leader. Focusing mostly on illegal gambling near industrial zones nationwide, the gang currently operates about 200 cells. Police believe there to be about 700-800 members, with many more if you include illegal immigrant collaborators and so forth. In addition to gambling, they also engage in loan sharking, kidnapping and prostitution. They loan gamblers money at 500% interest, and if you don’t pay up, you get kidnapped or your family in Vietnam gets threatened.There’s a clear organization to the Vietnamese gangs. Each cell has about 1-3 women, too — they either lure Vietnamese men to gambling halls or engage in prostitution.
Filipino gangs are also gaining strength. Originally coming to extort money from Filipino laborers, they’ve now moved into illegal gambling. Ansan is their bastion, but they’re expanding elsewhere, too. Like other gangs, they loan gambling money at high interest — rumor has it, says the Weekly Dong-A, that they maim you if you can’t pay up.Then there are the Thai gangs, which specialize in smuggling Thai women into Korea — mostly through fake marriages with Korean men — so that they can work in massage parlors. Their base of operations is Hwaseong, Gyeonggi-do, but they are expanding business to Ansan, Anyang and elsewhere.
One Bengali gang, meanwhile, is not only working with local gangs, but has also adopted their activities, lifestyles, etiquette and command structure, with 20 gangsters living together and 90-degree bows to superiors. They operate in Bengali neighborhoods in Suwon, Ansan, Namyangju, Pocheon and Ilsan.
Finally, you have gangs from former Soviet states like Uzbekistan and Kazakhstan as well as Pakistani and Nigerian gangs. These guys prefer hanging out in rural and outlying areas, and focus their love on co-nationals and Korean companies. Investigators are apparently having a tough time with foreign gangs — destroy one, and two or three pop up like poison mushrooms.
Chinese gangs in Korea, meanwhile, are made up of gangsters who smuggle themselves into Korea after committing violent crimes in China. These guys are centered mostly in Ansan, and are spreading out to Seoul’s Garibong-dong and Daerim-dong. They like to squeeze protection money out of fellow Chinese, particularly illegal immigrants, usually about 200,000-300,000 won a month. Don’t pay up, and you get kidnapped or assaulted. They also show great enthusiasm for illegal gambling.Vietnamese gangs are a fast-rising force that now rival the Joseon-jok gangs. The so-called Hanoi-pa, composed mostly of gangsters from northern Vietnam, illegal Vietnamese immigrants and Vietnamese laborers, appears to be the leader. Focusing mostly on illegal gambling near industrial zones nationwide, the gang currently operates about 200 cells. Police believe there to be about 700-800 members, with many more if you include illegal immigrant collaborators and so forth. In addition to gambling, they also engage in loan sharking, kidnapping and prostitution. They loan gamblers money at 500% interest, and if you don’t pay up, you get kidnapped or your family in Vietnam gets threatened.There’s a clear organization to the Vietnamese gangs. Each cell has about 1-3 women, too — they either lure Vietnamese men to gambling halls or engage in prostitution.
Filipino gangs are also gaining strength. Originally coming to extort money from Filipino laborers, they’ve now moved into illegal gambling. Ansan is their bastion, but they’re expanding elsewhere, too. Like other gangs, they loan gambling money at high interest — rumor has it, says the Weekly Dong-A, that they maim you if you can’t pay up.Then there are the Thai gangs, which specialize in smuggling Thai women into Korea — mostly through fake marriages with Korean men — so that they can work in massage parlors. Their base of operations is Hwaseong, Gyeonggi-do, but they are expanding business to Ansan, Anyang and elsewhere.
One Bengali gang, meanwhile, is not only working with local gangs, but has also adopted their activities, lifestyles, etiquette and command structure, with 20 gangsters living together and 90-degree bows to superiors. They operate in Bengali neighborhoods in Suwon, Ansan, Namyangju, Pocheon and Ilsan.
Finally, you have gangs from former Soviet states like Uzbekistan and Kazakhstan as well as Pakistani and Nigerian gangs. These guys prefer hanging out in rural and outlying areas, and focus their love on co-nationals and Korean companies. Investigators are apparently having a tough time with foreign gangs — destroy one, and two or three pop up like poison mushrooms.
Ajay Kaushal, 50, fled the UK when he was due to go on trial four years ago for kidnapping a Burnley businessman and securing a £100,000 ransom.Kaushal was convicted in his absence at Preston Crown Court in January 2005 and received a 15-year sentence.Indian authorities said he was arrested by chance in Panaji, Goa, after his British friend, William Scott, 39, was found dead in a hotel room in the nearby village of Colva.Police who investigated the death then uncovered Kaushal's identity and previous conviction.
Deputy police superintendent Umesh Gaonkar said that Kaushal was arrested after Lancashire Police had confirmed his identity.He said: "We found Kaushal's identification documents on him, which helped us confirm his identity and corroborate it with Lancashire police."He said that Kaushal would be handed over to British police.A Lancashire Police spokeswoman said: "We are aware of the arrest and are liaising with the Crown Prosecution Service with a view to bringing him back to the UK, where he will be sent to jail."
Kaushal is wanted by Lancashire Police's Serious and Organised Crime Unit and details of his crime are listed on the force website.Kaushal was convicted after taking part in the kidnapping of a businessman. In June 2003 the man was kidnapped from his home in Burnley and taken to a secret location in Manchester where he was beaten and tortured.He was released when a ransom demand of £100,000, consisting of cash and jewellery, was paid.Kaushal was charged with conspiracy to kidnap along with five other men from Manchester but failed to appear at his trial.other men were also convicted of the same offence and were jailed.Detective Inspector Simon Brooksbank of Lancashire Police has previously described Kaushal as showing an "absolute disrespect for the law by refusing to be brought to justice and continuing to live his life as a free man".
Seventy-four members of the gang known as the “Rollin’ 40s Neighborhood Crips” were charged in 23 federal indictments and 45 state warrants for their alleged roles in a narcotics trafficking conspiracy that operated within a three-square-mile area of Los Angeles. The federal indictments that were unsealed this morning charge 29 gang members with crimes that include conspiracy, possession with the intent to distribute cocaine base ( “crack” ) and methamphetamine, and firearms violations. Forty-five additional members of the gang are named in state charges filed in Los Angeles Superior Court for their roles in the illegal drug distribution operation. Many of the defendants at the federal and state level were arrested this morning; however several defendants were already in custody on both related and unrelated charges. Several subjects of this operation are still being sought by law enforcement, including six federal defendants and 20 state defendants.
FBI/LAPD task force initiated an investigation in 2008 to address gang-related crime and persistent violence fueled by narcotics trafficking being reported in the city of Los Angeles. Using statistics, including offenses reported to the police, and further analysis, the task force identified the Rollin’ 40s Neighborhood Crips territory as among the most violent in the city, and focused on the “shotcallers” who control the criminal activity in the area.
Prior to the charges announced today, this investigation resulted in 51 felony arrests and 35 misdemeanor arrests, separate from those individuals sought today, including members of the Rollin’ 40s gang and members of other gangs. Among those arrested were active parolees and felony probationers. In addition to substantial quantities of narcotics, task force members seized several handguns, rifles and a large amount of cash during this investigation. During today’s operation, narcotics were seized, as well as approximately 10 weapons.The Los Angeles County City Attorney’s Office has brought parallel civil actions as part of this investigation, including five nuisance abatement lawsuits against six separate properties being used by gang members to conduct criminal activity, including drug transactions and illegal weapon storage. For each abatement, the City Attorney’s office will seek an injunction against the owner ordering various improvements, orders to stay away from gang members named as defendants in the lawsuits, civil penalties and additional fees. In addition to the five lawsuits, the City Attorney’s Office is notifying property owners that, by law, tenants conducting illegal drug activity must be evicted. A permanent injunction was filed against the gang in 2008.
Based on federal sentencing laws, the mandatory minimum sentence each federal defendant faces is five years in prison. Eleven of the federal defendants face mandatory minimum sentences of 10 years in prison. If convicted of the charges, several federal defendants face between 20 years to life in prison. Federal defendants arrested today will make an initial appearance in U.S. District Court in Los Angeles this afternoon.This case was investigated by agents with the Federal Bureau of Investigation and detectives with the Los Angeles Police Department, in coordination with the Los Angeles City Attorney’s Office. Multiple agencies participated in today’s operation, including the California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation, the Department of Transportation, the California Highway Patrol, the Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department, U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement ( ICE ), the Los Angeles City Fire Department - EMS Services, the Los Angeles County Probation Department, and the Los Angeles County Department of Child and Family Services.
FBI/LAPD task force initiated an investigation in 2008 to address gang-related crime and persistent violence fueled by narcotics trafficking being reported in the city of Los Angeles. Using statistics, including offenses reported to the police, and further analysis, the task force identified the Rollin’ 40s Neighborhood Crips territory as among the most violent in the city, and focused on the “shotcallers” who control the criminal activity in the area.
The Rollin' 40s are organized into four loosely affiliated cliques that control their particular neighborhood area. Its members are known to be involved in a variety of crimes, including murder, assault, robberies, narcotics and firearms violations. Each clique is controlled by a shotcaller who determines the overall strategy relative to the criminal activity within the clique.
The Rollin' 40's Neighborhood Crips is a violent Crips gang that operates primarily in a three-square-mile area of South Los Angeles, an area which falls under the jurisdiction of the LAPD's Southwest Division. The Rollin' 40s have established strong ties to other gangs under the "Neighborhood Crips" umbrella, as well as other Crips gangs in the local neighborhood. The Los Angeles Police Department has identified this gang as one of the 10 most violent gangs in the city of Los Angeles.
Prior to the charges announced today, this investigation resulted in 51 felony arrests and 35 misdemeanor arrests, separate from those individuals sought today, including members of the Rollin’ 40s gang and members of other gangs. Among those arrested were active parolees and felony probationers. In addition to substantial quantities of narcotics, task force members seized several handguns, rifles and a large amount of cash during this investigation. During today’s operation, narcotics were seized, as well as approximately 10 weapons.The Los Angeles County City Attorney’s Office has brought parallel civil actions as part of this investigation, including five nuisance abatement lawsuits against six separate properties being used by gang members to conduct criminal activity, including drug transactions and illegal weapon storage. For each abatement, the City Attorney’s office will seek an injunction against the owner ordering various improvements, orders to stay away from gang members named as defendants in the lawsuits, civil penalties and additional fees. In addition to the five lawsuits, the City Attorney’s Office is notifying property owners that, by law, tenants conducting illegal drug activity must be evicted. A permanent injunction was filed against the gang in 2008.
Based on federal sentencing laws, the mandatory minimum sentence each federal defendant faces is five years in prison. Eleven of the federal defendants face mandatory minimum sentences of 10 years in prison. If convicted of the charges, several federal defendants face between 20 years to life in prison. Federal defendants arrested today will make an initial appearance in U.S. District Court in Los Angeles this afternoon.This case was investigated by agents with the Federal Bureau of Investigation and detectives with the Los Angeles Police Department, in coordination with the Los Angeles City Attorney’s Office. Multiple agencies participated in today’s operation, including the California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation, the Department of Transportation, the California Highway Patrol, the Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department, U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement ( ICE ), the Los Angeles City Fire Department - EMS Services, the Los Angeles County Probation Department, and the Los Angeles County Department of Child and Family Services.
Fairfield police arrested a 19-year-old man and are looking for an 18-year-old man believed to be involved in a shooting in the city earlier this week. Miguel Angel Lozoya Luis-Juan was arrested Friday in connection with the shooting, which was reported at about 8:15 p.m. Wednesday in the 1300 block of Adams Street, according to police. Officers responding to the shooting found a 28-year-old suffering from a single gunshot wound to the torso. He had just come home and was shot as he walked up to his house, police said. The victim was taken to a local hospital with life-threatening injuries, but he is expected to survive, according to police. Friday Fairfield police gang detectives obtained warrants for two suspects in the case. Luis-Juan, a Fairfield resident, was arrested in the 1600 block of Kidder Avenue at about 4 p.m. and was booked into Solano County jail for attempted murder and criminal conspiracy, police said. Detectives have been unable to locate the second suspect, Jesus Jaimes Patino. Two search warrants were served in Fairfield, one in the 300 block of San Jose Street and one in the 1300 block of Crowley Lane. The firearm used in the shooting has not been found, police said. The shooting is believed to be gang-related. Both suspects are documented Sureno criminal street gang members, and the victim in the case had prior Norteno gang contacts with Fairfield police. Patino is wanted for attempted murder and criminal conspiracy and should be considered armed and dangerous
Gangster Paul Bennett was freed from a Portuguese prison after fighting extradition back to the UK. Fugitive Paul Bennett was arrested in June on the Algarve after eight years on the run. But today the 42-year-old from Anfield was a free man after time ran out and Portuguese officials had to let him go.Bennett was wanted by detectives who suspected him of being involved in a con which led to him and associate John Haase being given a royal pardon in 1996.He fled the UK in 1999 after police uncovered a cannabis farm in Manchester.After his arrest at Faro airport he fought the Metropolitan police’s attempts to bring him home. His extradition case and subsequent appeal was heard by both the Supreme and Constitutional courts in Portugal.But before a decision was reached on the second appeal the time limit for keeping Bennett in custody expired and under Portuguese law he was set free. The ruling is seen as a massive blow for the Met who have already charged 58-year-old Haase, originally from Everton, with perverting the course of justice.Bennett was released from prison in Beja but few in Liverpool’s underworld expect him to come back to Merseyside. A Foreign Office spokesman said: “Paul Bennett was released from detention when his custody time limit expired.
Bennett and Haase were originally arrested in 1993 by customs officers investigating a massive heroin trafficking plot. The following January they were registered as official informers by HM Customs. It led to two “massive” weapons seizures, including 150 firearms and explosives, being made on Merseyside.After pleading guilty in June 1995 to heroin distribution they were sentenced to 18 years in jail.
But 11 months later they were granted a royal pardon by then home secretary Michael Howard on the advice of officials convinced their “cooperation” over the weapons find was genuine.Haase is one of seven people awaiting trial over allegations he and his criminal contacts planted the weapons.
“He had appealed against his extradition and under Portuguese law the authorities had no alternative but to let him go free when that time limit was up.”
Bennett and Haase were originally arrested in 1993 by customs officers investigating a massive heroin trafficking plot. The following January they were registered as official informers by HM Customs. It led to two “massive” weapons seizures, including 150 firearms and explosives, being made on Merseyside.After pleading guilty in June 1995 to heroin distribution they were sentenced to 18 years in jail.
But 11 months later they were granted a royal pardon by then home secretary Michael Howard on the advice of officials convinced their “cooperation” over the weapons find was genuine.Haase is one of seven people awaiting trial over allegations he and his criminal contacts planted the weapons.
"Ballroom Blitz", which occurred in the packed grand ballroom of the Royal Pines resort at Carrara on March 18, 2006? Police have now released the dramatic television camera footage showing a melee quickly erupting, with chairs and glasses thrown and tables overturned. Gunshots could then be heard.Hells angel that gets shot, is the same guy who killed that person in the melbourne cbd a year or two ago. The apparent reason for the fight was because he left the finks to goto the Hells Angels, he actually got shot in the face and survived.
La Familia is said to specialize in smuggling methamphetamine, controlling the port of Lázaro Cárdenas, where precursors for the synthetic drug arrive. It manufactures thousands of pounds of the drug strictly for export to the United States.The cartel started 20 years ago as an anti-drug vigilante group, and its leader, Nazario Moreno González AKA "El Más Loco", still spouts paradoxical anti-drug rhetoric. He carries a Bible and a cartel-produced book of his own quotes, and requires the core members of the group to attend church. The organization apparently recruits heavily among drug addicts in Michoacán's rehabilitation clinics."What is distinctive about them is they are messianic," George W. Grayson, a professor of government at the College of William & Mary, told the New York Times' James McKinley. "They justify their actions because they are carrying out divine justice."For years, La Familia was allied with the Gulf Cartel, based in Tamaulipas, and fought against the rival Sinaloa Cartel for control of the local police and officials in Michoacán. But that alliance fell apart in 2004, and La Familia has since gone into business for itself, competing with both the Gulf and Sinaloa cartels.
"This is an organization that just recently we started calling a cartel because of how they've grown and the violence that they spread," DEA administrator Michele Leonhart told the Times. "And it is the first time we have seen a cartel take on meth trafficking, where they are the direct pipeline from Mexico to the US of multi-hundred-pound quantities of methamphetamine."Mexico has claimed some progress against La Familia's leadership in recent years, but Moreno González and his top lieutenants remain at large. One, Servando Gómez Martinez AKA "La Tuta", was indicted on drug trafficking charges in Manhattan as part of the nationwide crackdown. After the murder of Mexican federal officers in July, Gómez gave a recorded statement to a local TV station in which he said the cartel was locked in a battle with the Mexican police, the indictment noted. (El Universal, Oct. 23; NYT, Oct. 22)Caro Quintero brother pleads guilty in massive '80s marijuana operation
As the raids against La Familia went forward, a long-sought Mexican cartel leader—best known as the brother of the man who killed DEA Agent Enrique "Kiki" Camarena in 1985—pleaded guilty to drug trafficking charges in a federal court in Denver, Colorado. Nearly 20 years after his indictment, Miguel Angel Caro-Quintero, 46, admitted trafficking more than 100 tons of marijuana into several western states between 1985 and 1988, and sending more than $100 million to Mexico. He faces between 10 to 20 years, as well as an additional five years in a separate marijuana case in Arizona.Arrested by Mexican authorities in Sinaloa in 2001, Caro Quintero was extradited to Colorado in February after serving eight years for weapons crimes in Mexico. (CNN, 7News, Denver, Oct. 23)
It was the second such discovery found in the past two weeks. On Oct. 9, the mutilated body of a Baja California state official who authorities said was suspected of giving fake driver's licenses to drug gang members was found hanging from another bridge in Tijuana.
major blow against the stateside networks of Mexico's La Familia Michoacana narco gang this week. Attorney General Eric H. Holder Jr. Oct. 22 announced the arrests of 303 people in the past two days, the culmination of a four-year investigation dubbed "Operation Coronado."
"The sheer level and depravity of violence that this cartel has exhibited far exceeds what we, unfortunately, have become accustomed to from other cartels," Holder said. "While this cartel may operate from Mexico, the toxic reach of its operations extends to nearly every state within our country."
The biggest hauls were in Dallas, Atlanta and Seattle, with significant seizures also reported in San Diego and Riverside, Calif. Holder said authorities seized more than $32 million in US currency, 2,700 pounds of methamphetamine, 4,400 pounds of cocaine, 16,000 pounds of marijuana and 29 pounds of heroin, as well as 389 firearms and 269 vehicles. More arrests are expected, he added. Operation Coronado has led to some 900 arrests in the past four years, Holder asserted.
"These are drugs that were headed for our streets and weapons that often were headed for the streets of Mexico," Holder said. "That's why we are hitting them where it hurts the most—their revenue stream. By seizing their drugs and upending their supply chains, we have disrupted their 'business-as-usual' state of operations."
As the raids were carried out in the United States, the Mexican authorities on Oct. 22 arrested six members of La Familia, including two mid-level commanders in the towns of Taretan and Morelia, Michoacán.
"This is an organization that just recently we started calling a cartel because of how they've grown and the violence that they spread," DEA administrator Michele Leonhart told the Times. "And it is the first time we have seen a cartel take on meth trafficking, where they are the direct pipeline from Mexico to the US of multi-hundred-pound quantities of methamphetamine."Mexico has claimed some progress against La Familia's leadership in recent years, but Moreno González and his top lieutenants remain at large. One, Servando Gómez Martinez AKA "La Tuta", was indicted on drug trafficking charges in Manhattan as part of the nationwide crackdown. After the murder of Mexican federal officers in July, Gómez gave a recorded statement to a local TV station in which he said the cartel was locked in a battle with the Mexican police, the indictment noted. (El Universal, Oct. 23; NYT, Oct. 22)Caro Quintero brother pleads guilty in massive '80s marijuana operation
As the raids against La Familia went forward, a long-sought Mexican cartel leader—best known as the brother of the man who killed DEA Agent Enrique "Kiki" Camarena in 1985—pleaded guilty to drug trafficking charges in a federal court in Denver, Colorado. Nearly 20 years after his indictment, Miguel Angel Caro-Quintero, 46, admitted trafficking more than 100 tons of marijuana into several western states between 1985 and 1988, and sending more than $100 million to Mexico. He faces between 10 to 20 years, as well as an additional five years in a separate marijuana case in Arizona.Arrested by Mexican authorities in Sinaloa in 2001, Caro Quintero was extradited to Colorado in February after serving eight years for weapons crimes in Mexico. (CNN, 7News, Denver, Oct. 23)
Hideous narco-violence continues across Mexico
In Tijuana Oct. 17, the nude, mutilated body of a man was found hanging from an expressway overpass. Local news outlets reported that the man's tongue had been cut out, suggesting that drug traffickers suspected he was an informant.
It was the second such discovery found in the past two weeks. On Oct. 9, the mutilated body of a Baja California state official who authorities said was suspected of giving fake driver's licenses to drug gang members was found hanging from another bridge in Tijuana.
Also Oct. 17, police reported finding the mutilated body of a woman in a reservoir in another part of Tijuana. The woman's hands and head were missing. That same day, a shoot-out between police and narco-gunmen left one officer and one narco dead, and two police wounded. (AP, Oct. 17)
major blow against the stateside networks of Mexico's La Familia Michoacana narco gang this week. Attorney General Eric H. Holder Jr. Oct. 22 announced the arrests of 303 people in the past two days, the culmination of a four-year investigation dubbed "Operation Coronado."
"The sheer level and depravity of violence that this cartel has exhibited far exceeds what we, unfortunately, have become accustomed to from other cartels," Holder said. "While this cartel may operate from Mexico, the toxic reach of its operations extends to nearly every state within our country."
The biggest hauls were in Dallas, Atlanta and Seattle, with significant seizures also reported in San Diego and Riverside, Calif. Holder said authorities seized more than $32 million in US currency, 2,700 pounds of methamphetamine, 4,400 pounds of cocaine, 16,000 pounds of marijuana and 29 pounds of heroin, as well as 389 firearms and 269 vehicles. More arrests are expected, he added. Operation Coronado has led to some 900 arrests in the past four years, Holder asserted.
"These are drugs that were headed for our streets and weapons that often were headed for the streets of Mexico," Holder said. "That's why we are hitting them where it hurts the most—their revenue stream. By seizing their drugs and upending their supply chains, we have disrupted their 'business-as-usual' state of operations."
As the raids were carried out in the United States, the Mexican authorities on Oct. 22 arrested six members of La Familia, including two mid-level commanders in the towns of Taretan and Morelia, Michoacán.
John Ramirez, 25, of Vineland, allegedly wielded a .357 revolver as he approached the porch and demanded money from Contreras and two friends. As they rifled through their pockets to comply, the gun went off. The bullet lodged in Contreras' head, killing him instantly, police say.Ramirez and his accomplice fled. Shortly thereafter, police found the gun in the street and Ramirez in a house around the corner on the 600 block of Montrose Street. They searched the house and found evidence they will not detail but that they said links Ramirez to the crime.The gun was not registered as stolen, but police have not determined who it belongs to.Investigators do not believe Ramirez had any connection to Contreras. The men lived more than two miles apart in the city, according to their last-known addresses, provided by police.As Ramirez sat Sunday night in the Cumberland County Jail on $750,000 bail, Contreras' friends continued the vigil they started shortly after the 43-year-old's violent death.Sunflowers, tulips and carnations surrounded a cluster of candles and a few photos of Contreras. His wide smile beamed from beneath a hard hat in one, and from a comfortable seat on a couch in another. Several large containers filled with $1, $5 and $10 bills - donations for his family - rounded out the memorial.Ramirez has told police he belongs to the Latin Kings street gang, which they already knew from previous dealings with him. Besides that, Ramirez refused to talk, Vineland police Lt. Thomas Ulrich said.
Ramirez's gang affiliation and aliases - "John John" and "King Bliss" among them - drew little reaction from older adults gathered there. Some scoffed that Ramirez is much like other kids today: They think they are gangsters, or they want to be, but aren't really.
Regardless of whether Ramirez, like others his age, has imagined or exaggerated his status within the criminal underworld, the gun was real. So was the bullet. And so are the charges: homicide, unlawful possession of a weapon, possession of a weapon for an unlawful purpose and possession of a weapon by a convicted felon, according to a statement from police.
Ramirez, who will turn 26 on Oct. 21, got out of prison in November 2008 after a seven-month stint for weapons possession, aggravated assault and loitering to distribute drugs, according to the state Department of Corrections Web site.
He also faces two counts of contempt of court for failing to appear for offenses police could not specify Sunday.
Ramirez wore a hospital gown in the booking photo provided by Vineland police. Police provided the gown after they took his clothing as part of the evidence for the case, Ulrich said.
Police got a call shortly before the shooting from a taxi driver in the area who had picked up a fare when two other people tried to get into his taxi. He would not let in the others - believed by police to be Ramirez and his accomplice - and immediately called police for help and to report what he said was an attempted robbery.
Police have not found Ramirez's accomplice. They described him as a Hispanic male clad in a gray sweatshirt.
Police say that a St Clair man arrested while trying to obtain a false passport at Hurstville post office was in a drug-manufacturing ring. Matthew Espagne, 33, was in Sutherland Local Court last week charged with commercial manufacture of drugs, possessing fraudulent identification and obtaining a fraudulent passport. He is allegedly a member of the Rebels Outlaw Motorcycle Gang and allegedly had connections to a clandestine drug laboratory discovered south of Moruya this year. He will appear in court on November 5.
Courtney High, Dejon Cagle, Ciara White and Dutchess Lykes were all arrested and charged with two counts each of aggravated arson. The arrests were related to two firebombing incidents that occurred simultaneously at 4813 and 4814 Tomahawk Trail last Wednesday. Victims and witnesses to both incidents were able to provide investigators with suspect descriptions, police said.Based on information received during the investigation, it is believed that the bombings were the result of an on-going feud between two rival gangs - the Gangster Disciples and the Bloods, police said. High and Cagle are both known members of the Bloods gang, it was stated.
Police said a third firebombing was attempted Sunday at 736 Georgia Ave. However, details are not yet available on that incident. Members of the Alcohol, Tobacco and Fire Bureau, the Chattanooga Fire Department, the Chattanooga Police Department and the Tennessee Bomb and Arson Division are all working on the incidents.
Police said a third firebombing was attempted Sunday at 736 Georgia Ave. However, details are not yet available on that incident. Members of the Alcohol, Tobacco and Fire Bureau, the Chattanooga Fire Department, the Chattanooga Police Department and the Tennessee Bomb and Arson Division are all working on the incidents.
Reputed gangster and accused murderer Jamie Bacon attended a special B.C. Supreme Court hearing in Vancouver Monday, where his lawyer argued that Bacon’s rights are being violated by his living conditions at a Surrey, B.C., jail while he awaits trial.Reputed gangster and accused murderer Jamie Bacon attended a special B.C. Supreme Court hearing in Vancouver Monday, where his lawyer argued that Bacon's rights are being violated by his living conditions at a Surrey, B.C., jail while he awaits trial.Bacon is charged along with three others with first-degree murder and conspiracy to commit murder in connection with the slayings of six people in a Surrey highrise in October 2007. Two of the victims were innocent bystanders, police said.Bacon claims his constitutional rights are being violated because he's being held in solitary confinement, his mail is not being handled properly and visits and telephone access are too restrictive.His lawyer, Kim Eldred, also said Bacon's cell is cold, he was given just one blanket with no pillow, and also that the cell was dirty, the walls apparently smeared with undetermined bodily fluids.Bacon's trial is not scheduled to begin until September 2010, and Eldred is seeking to have him moved to another facility or Bacon might suffer "grave psychological harm," she said.
The mother of one of the six victims from the 2007 murders, Eileen Mohan, attended Monday's hearing.Her son, Chris Mohan, was leaving his apartment to play basketball when he apparently stumbled on the murder scene and then was killed."What about our constitutional rights?" said Mohan during a break in proceedings."We families have lost our loved ones forever because of these thugs," she said.Bacon is the only one of the four accused — all currently incarcerated at the Surrey Pre-Trial Centre — to apply to the court to be moved.
The mother of one of the six victims from the 2007 murders, Eileen Mohan, attended Monday's hearing.Her son, Chris Mohan, was leaving his apartment to play basketball when he apparently stumbled on the murder scene and then was killed."What about our constitutional rights?" said Mohan during a break in proceedings."We families have lost our loved ones forever because of these thugs," she said.Bacon is the only one of the four accused — all currently incarcerated at the Surrey Pre-Trial Centre — to apply to the court to be moved.
Ayala, better known as "Angelo Millones," was captured last month following a seven-year investigation."It was his domain," Pedro Janer, assistant special agent in charge for the Drug Enforcement Administration in Puerto Rico, said of the Jose Celso Barbosa project, a collection of concrete, three-story yellow buildings in the San Juan suburb of Bayamon. "He lived there his entire life. People liked him. They protected him."Arrest teams from the DEA, FBI, the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives, the U.S. Marshals Service and the Puerto Rico police assembled at a nearby Army base, Fort Buchanan, before speeding into the complex before dawn."We use overwhelming force to guarantee the safety of our agents," DEA spokesman Waldo Santiago said.Suspects were rounded up without incident and loaded onto a bus for processing at a sports stadium in San Juan. By midafternoon Friday, 38 of 65 defendants indicted by a U.S. grand jury on drug trafficking charges had been arrested at the project and other spots in the metropolitan area."I think we've cut this tree down," said Joseph Shepherd, acting special agent in charge of the DEA in this U.S. Caribbean territory.Despite the project's grim exterior, there was clear evidence of drug riches inside.At one apartment, FBI agents broke down the door and found leather couches, custom recessed lighting and a lavish entertainment system including a large flat-screen television. Luis Fraticelli, the top FBI official in Puerto Rico, said the traffickers used that unit as a command center.Ayala, who was targeted by a long-running DEA investigation, is accused of importing cocaine from Colombia, often by way of the Dominican Republic, and distributing the drug to the U.S. mainland and other cities in northern Puerto Rico. Cocaine was allegedly shipped to New York, New Jersey, Pennsylvania and Florida.Ayala's lawyer has said his client is innocent of charges that could send him to prison for life.
U.S. prosecutors say the ring generated roughly $100 million in profits since the mid-1990s. Authorities have seized cash and property in that amount from the defendants, including a $250,000 Lamborghini.Ayala was generous with the project's poor residents.For Christmas he put on lavish parties featuring well-known reggaeton artists, U.S. Attorney Rosa Emilia Rodriguez said. She said at a news conference that Ayala used drug profits to pay for the parties "as a way to maintain control over the housing projects."The trafficking ring also used violence and intimidation to control the Barbosa project, according to Rodriguez, who said the gang installed iron bars at some building entrances to facilitate drug sales and block the way for police. Ayala is suspected of ordering the slaying of rival traffickers, including a shooting that killed a 3-year-old girl in May.The DEA says Ayala used his wealth to provide back the career development of the island's reggaeton acts. Two that performed at his holiday parties, Don Omar and the duo Wisin y Yandel, were among witnesses called to testify before the grand jury.
U.S. prosecutors say the ring generated roughly $100 million in profits since the mid-1990s. Authorities have seized cash and property in that amount from the defendants, including a $250,000 Lamborghini.Ayala was generous with the project's poor residents.For Christmas he put on lavish parties featuring well-known reggaeton artists, U.S. Attorney Rosa Emilia Rodriguez said. She said at a news conference that Ayala used drug profits to pay for the parties "as a way to maintain control over the housing projects."The trafficking ring also used violence and intimidation to control the Barbosa project, according to Rodriguez, who said the gang installed iron bars at some building entrances to facilitate drug sales and block the way for police. Ayala is suspected of ordering the slaying of rival traffickers, including a shooting that killed a 3-year-old girl in May.The DEA says Ayala used his wealth to provide back the career development of the island's reggaeton acts. Two that performed at his holiday parties, Don Omar and the duo Wisin y Yandel, were among witnesses called to testify before the grand jury.
Federal authorities say a gang leader had developed an elaborate plot to escape from prison in a homemade helicopter flown by his underlings.The Tennessean of Nashville reported Friday that the case against one of the gang leader's associates, 35-year-old Faith Readus, will be heard by a grand jury. She is accused of researching different types of helicopters and flight training.Authorities say the plot was orchestrated by Jamal Shakir, who hoped to renew his Rollin' 90 Crips criminal enterprise. He was convicted in May 2008 of orchestrating a nationwide drug ring, laundering money and killing nine people between 1994 and 1997.Readus' attorney, Jennifer Thompson, could not be reached Friday. But she said at a Thursday hearing that such a plot was ridiculous.
Cameron Taylor, a documented member of one of the city's most notorious street gangs, disappeared after the March 24 shooting in which rival gang members fired across afternoon traffic on South 16th Street. south Phoenix gang member remains at large six months after a roadway shooting that left a passing motorist dead from a single rifle shot.Earlier this week, Phoenix police's Silent Witness program listed Taylor, 22, among its most-wanted suspects. The 5-foot-11, 150-pound suspect, who goes by the nickname Woo, is accused of attempted murder and other crimes in the shooting north of Broadway Road. The stray bullet killed Gilbert Leon, 54, who was driving home after taking his nephew to lunch just blocks from the neighborhood where he grew up. Leon's parents said they continue to work with Silent Witness to share their son's story in hopes that others will learn from his memory.
"That's all we have - memories," said Leon's mother, Clemencia Leon, 77.
"We don't mind it because we hope it will help . . . to tell these gang members what they did, killing an innocent person," she said.While Taylor has gone missing, police arrested a 17-year-old gang member in May on suspicion of firing the fatal rifle shot in Leon's murder. Arkeem Coleman was indicted on 12 felony counts ranging from first-degree murder to endangerment and assisting a criminal street gang. He pleaded not guilty, and his next scheduled hearing is slated for later this month in Maricopa County Superior Court. Police believe Taylor and Coleman were two of the gang members shooting at or threatening each other from vehicles traveling north on 16th Street. disappeared after the March 24 shooting in which rival gang members fired across afternoon traffic on South 16th Street. Earlier this week, Phoenix police's Silent Witness program listed Taylor, 22, among its most-wanted suspects. The 5-foot-11, 150-pound suspect, who goes by the nickname Woo, is accused of attempted murder and other crimes in the shooting north of Broadway Road.
The stray bullet killed Gilbert Leon, 54, who was driving home after taking his nephew to lunch just blocks from the neighborhood where he grew up. Leon's parents said they continue to work with Silent Witness to share their son's story in hopes that others will learn from his memory."That's all we have - memories," said Leon's mother, Clemencia Leon, 77. "We don't mind it because we hope it will help . . . to tell these gang members what they did, killing an innocent person," she said.While Taylor has gone missing, police arrested a 17-year-old gang member in May on suspicion of firing the fatal rifle shot in Leon's murder. Arkeem Coleman was indicted on 12 felony counts ranging from first-degree murder to endangerment and assisting a criminal street gang. He pleaded not guilty, and his next scheduled hearing is slated for later this month in Maricopa County Superior Court. Police believe Taylor and Coleman were two of the gang members shooting at or threatening each other from vehicles traveling north on 16th Street.
19-year-old from District Heights was sentenced Thursday to four years in prison for trying to kill a member of a rival gang outside a nightclub last year, Prince George's State's Attorney Glenn F. Ivey said. Circuit Court Judge Larnzell Martin Jr. sentenced Eric S. Chambers in connection with the Dec. 26 shooting, prosecutors said. Chambers shot Ronald L. Kenney, 19, in the stomach outside the CFE club in Forestville, said prosecutors. Chambers is a member of the Hilltop Crew, which prosecutors said is a rival of the Walker Mill Crew. Members of the groups got into a fight at the club, according to prosecutors, and a member of the Hilltop Crew called Chambers at home. Chambers went to the club, authorities said, shooting and wounding Kenney after another fight outside the nightspot.
Two gang members who are thought to have fled to Spain after raiding HSBC .As reported yesterday Patrick McDonagh and Carl Hargin were jailed for stealing more than £300,000 from the Westbourne Road branch in an armed, daylight robbery in June.
Hargin, 24, got eight years and eight months and McDonagh, 28, got seven years and four months after admitting the offence.Det Chf Insp McDermott, of West Yorkshire Police’s crime division, said: “They were obviously dangerous and very professional in the way they planned and prepared the offence, using stolen vehicles, one of which was later burned out and abandoned.“The level of violence used at the scene was horrific and it was lucky the bank staff were not seriously injured.“It’s a good result to have got the sentences they received.”Hargin, of Salford, and McDonagh, of Cheetham Hill in Manchester, were part of a four-strong gang who armed themselves with a sledgehammer, a machete and a crowbar when they targeted the bank on the afternoon of June 26.After forcing staff to open the safe, they fled in a Vauxhall Vectra with hold-alls full of cash.The car was later burned out and the gang got in a van, which was spotted by police.It sparked a dramatic chase from Huddersfield to Manchester city centre, where Greater Manchester Police caught up with them in the Arndale Shopping Centre car park.Det Chf Insp McDermott said one of the gang attempted to strip off his clothes and hide behind cars before he was caught.Hargin and McDonagh were arrested, but the others escaped.Det Chf Insp McDermott added: “It was a great team effort between West Yorkshire Police and Greater Manchester Police. They reacted quickly to information we gave to them and in difficult circumstances managed to safely arrest two violent offenders.”He confirmed the other two gang members were thought to have fled to Spain and added: “We have identified who the other two suspects are, and they have been circulated as wanted.“The case is still a live inquiry and we are still actively pursuing them.”
Hargin, 24, got eight years and eight months and McDonagh, 28, got seven years and four months after admitting the offence.Det Chf Insp McDermott, of West Yorkshire Police’s crime division, said: “They were obviously dangerous and very professional in the way they planned and prepared the offence, using stolen vehicles, one of which was later burned out and abandoned.“The level of violence used at the scene was horrific and it was lucky the bank staff were not seriously injured.“It’s a good result to have got the sentences they received.”Hargin, of Salford, and McDonagh, of Cheetham Hill in Manchester, were part of a four-strong gang who armed themselves with a sledgehammer, a machete and a crowbar when they targeted the bank on the afternoon of June 26.After forcing staff to open the safe, they fled in a Vauxhall Vectra with hold-alls full of cash.The car was later burned out and the gang got in a van, which was spotted by police.It sparked a dramatic chase from Huddersfield to Manchester city centre, where Greater Manchester Police caught up with them in the Arndale Shopping Centre car park.Det Chf Insp McDermott said one of the gang attempted to strip off his clothes and hide behind cars before he was caught.Hargin and McDonagh were arrested, but the others escaped.Det Chf Insp McDermott added: “It was a great team effort between West Yorkshire Police and Greater Manchester Police. They reacted quickly to information we gave to them and in difficult circumstances managed to safely arrest two violent offenders.”He confirmed the other two gang members were thought to have fled to Spain and added: “We have identified who the other two suspects are, and they have been circulated as wanted.“The case is still a live inquiry and we are still actively pursuing them.”
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