Nikica Jelavic was arrested yesterday in Slovenia for deceit in a court proceeding in Germany

Nikica Jelavic was arrested yesterday in Slovenia for deceit in a court proceeding in Germany. According to Interpol, he is also wanted for theft and an illegal stay. Now Jelavic has turned to construction work. According to Globus, he has the main word as far as the construction of the new neighbourhood in Laniste is concerned, which is located next to the Zagreb’s future Arena (sports hall). He is also into a management job by controlling the career of his nephew and former player for the Hajduk football club, Nikica Jelavic.However, now the uncrowned king of Zagreb’s underground will delay his business plans in Croatia, because he will probably face a two month stay in a Slovenian prison, after which he will move to the interior of Germany’s justice system. Published: July 11, 2008 02:46h
Jelavic (38) called Boxer, was born in Gabela near Capljine. He finished high school and served his compulsory military service in Sarajevo. After serving in the army, Jelavic was a boxer for a while in the club “Metalac”, and this is why he gained the nickname “Boxer”. During the eighties, he mainly worked as a bouncer at various discos, and during the nineties he started to trade money. Today, he lives with his wife and three children in a villa worth a few million kuna in Zagreb’s Cmrok.After the death of Zlatko Bagaric, Jelavic was called upon as the suspected successor to Bagaric’s criminal organization, and it is no secret that both of them were godfathers, and that they have always been very close. Shortly after Lazar Rodic killed the “big boss” of Zagreb’s underground in front of a café bar in the suburb of Dubrava, it is considered that Jelavic took over his business.On the other hand, meaning opposition to Jelavic, is Vjeko Slisko, a man that the media said was the only person that could stand up to Bagaric’s clan.Slisko slowly built his business with games machines, and started gathering an increasing number of supporters. Allegedly, Slisko started endangering the business that Jelavic was a successor to, and people from Bagaric’s clan were convinced that Slisko order the murder of Damir Dzebe. It was Jelavic who was a suspect for the attempted murder of Slisko at the start of 1995. At the time, unknown perpetrators fired automatic weapons at Vjeko Slisko and Juraj Dodic on Maksimir Street. Slisko was seriously injured in the shooting, and the first suspect to be arrested was Nikica Jelavic. However, due to a lack of evidence, he was soon freed of charges.Jelavic was in a similar position after another attempted murder on Vjeko lisko in 1999, after which followed the spectacular arrest of the criminal organization, the infamous “boys from Knezija”.He was accused of firing a handheld rocket (zolja) towards Slisko’s bullet-proof jeep in front of the cultural-information centre in Preradoviceva Street in the centre of Zagreb. The projectile, probably because of the close distance it was fired from, bounced off the car and hit the passer by Zoran Dominij in the stomach. Domini died instantly.Jelavic was put on trial, a detailed reconstruction of the event was carried out, but he was released again.
After the death of an innocent passer by, the Croatian police embarked on the largest arrest mission on Zagreb’s underground. The morning after the rocket attack in the centre of Zagreb, the following people were arrested: Nikica Jelavic (37), Rajko Momcilovic Riba (31), Velibor Momcilovic Lola (26), Davor Zecevic Zec (32), Djordje Vuletic Djoko (37), Tvrtko Tomicic Tvrdi (38), Radovan Stetic (40) and Miroslav Vukovic Olio (40). They were all considered to be members of Bagaric’s clan. Jelavic was freed of all charges just like many from the “criminal organization”, and he even filed a law suit against Croatia for the time he spent in confinement.It is interesting to mention that after the boys from Knezija were arrested, Slisko told the press on one occasion that he does not know anybody from that group of people, and that he has absolutely nothing against them, and that he would not recognize Nikica Jelavic if they met on the street. In an attempt to explain to the police why there have been four attempted murders on him, Slisko said that it does not have anything to do with crime. Slikso gave the inspector an counter question “They shot at the Pope, does that mean that he is a criminal?”.
Jelavic has also been charged with other things besides running a criminal organization, for which 20 criminal acts are tied. He has been charged with the extortion of four million kuna from Vladimir Hartek and 20 million kuna from the company Kombial, which is owned by Ivan Majher, as well as hundreds of thousands of kuna from the doctor Boris Ljahnicky, which he carried out with his alleged partners Blaz Petrovic and Zoran Pripuz. Jelavic held the company “Palma” with Pripuz, which works with funeral services. Certain sources have given information that says that Franjo Tudjman’s coffin was ordered from Jelavic’s company.

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Underworld figure Dominic "Mick" Gatto was among more than 400 mourners to today farewell alleged mafia boss Rosario "Ross" Gangemi.

Underworld figure Dominic "Mick" Gatto was among more than 400 mourners to today farewell alleged mafia boss Rosario "Ross" Gangemi.
Gangemi, 86, died on June 28 in John Fawkner Hospital after being diagnosed with leukaemia a month before.The great-grandfather was reportedly named as one of the top 10 mafia figures in the state in a confidential 1991 Victoria Police report, and was also alleged to have been linked with a murder at Queen Victoria Market in 1963.
Gangemi's son Nicholas today paid tribute to his father, a former prisoner of war, during a funeral service at St Monica's Catholic Church in Moonee Ponds.
He described his father as a leader who touched thousands of lives."He was a gentleman among gentlemen, a friend among friends and a leader among leaders," he said."He was a man with real values and real morals."Born in Calabria, Italy in 1922, Gangemi was the eldest of three sons, and was left the head of the family at the age of 15 when his father died.At 19, he joined the national service, serving in World War II for four years, two of those as a prisoner of war in Germany.
In 1951 he emigrated to Australia, but later returned to Italy to have one of his kidneys removed. He came back to Australia in 1959.Nicholas Gangemi said that despite several tragedies - including the death of his first wife, and his daughter Maria, who he had with his second wife - Gangemi worked harder than ever, often 100 hours a week."He was a man who touched thousands of people," his son said.
"He was a selfless person who always put others before him."Granddaughter Amanda said Gangemi was "a hero in our eyes, a man like no other".
"He was just like a willow tree; resilient and strong."After a requiem mass at St Monica's, Gangemi's large family left the church in three black, stretch limosines to head to the Keilor Mausoleum.He leaves behind his wife, Pasqualina, sons Sam, Nicholas and Joe, and his extended family.
Asked about Gangemi's criminal history, a Victoria Police spokeswoman said: "He did associate with figures who were known to police".

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Gangland wars have turned Dublin into the Chicago of the 21st century

‘Dublin now resembles Chicago in the Roaring Twenties, when the gangsters were out of control,’ he said. ‘There is no joined-up strategy to fight these gangs, either at a national or international level. All of our drugs are imported, mostly by sea along Ireland’s coastline, yet we have no proper network with our fellow Europeans to patrol the seaboard. We don’t have enough boats, planes or helicopters to intercept the smuggling networks,’ he said.Gangland wars have turned Dublin into the Chicago of the 21st century, a TD and chairman of a drugs task force in the Irish capital said last night.Labour TD Joe Costello also revealed that a preliminary study by the Inner City Drugs Task Force has found that a majority of drug dealers arrested on serious offences were out on bail.Costello made his remarks following two more gangland-related murders in north Dublin this weekend. Gardai have launched a murder investigation following the fatal shooting of a 33-year-old man in Finglas early yesterday. The victim was named as Trevor Walsh, from Valley Park Road in Finglas. He had been serving a three-year prison sentence for possession of firearms, but was let out on temporary release on Thursday.The attack, which happened at about 12.20am outside a house on the Kippure Park estate, was the second fatal shooting in the capital in 24 hours.
A gunman approached the victim outside a house in the estate and shot him in the neck and chest, before fleeing the scene on a bicycle. It is understood that the killer used an automatic pistol. Walsh was taken to Blanchardstown Hospital, but was pronounced dead at 1am.The victim was associated with the late John Daly, a Dublin criminal who was shot dead last October. Walsh had been a member of a gang which specialised in importing drugs and armed robberies in the city.
It is not clear whether yesterday morning’s attack was connected to the shooting of a man in Coolock, north Dublin, on Friday afternoon. The man, named locally as 34-year-old Anthony Foster, was killed with a shotgun as he left a top-floor apartment at Cromcastle Court. Commenting on the latest gang-related shooting, Costello, who represents inner-city Dublin in the Dail, said there was no coherent plan to counter the rising number of killings.
Over the last three years there have been more than a dozen killings in north Dublin alone related to rival drugs gangs. Costello added that, while the Irish government talks tough in regard to Ireland’s gangland wars, the system remained loaded in the criminals’ favour. ‘We have found that the overwhelming majority of people arrested on serious drug offences almost all get bail and are back on the streets. The turf wars over who controls drug supplies in certain parts of Dublin have been fuelled by the easy availability of firearms and now explosives.’
Costello said the expertise of retired republican paramilitaries had been harnessed to arm and train the city’s criminal gangs.

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Young men and women bid farewell yesterday to slain gang member Roger Chin

Young men and women bid farewell yesterday to slain gang member Roger Chin.
And as they gathered at the Chapel of the Bells, they were closely watched by both police and other criminal characters in a black SUV with tinted windows.
The 23-year-old Chin became Calgary's latest casualty of gang violence on July 5, when a hail of bullets hit his SUV. All the attention surrounding Chin's private farewell appeared to be unwelcome. But Organized Crime Operation Centre Det. Gord Eiriksson said police had to attend the funeral to protect public safety.
"We have had events where gang members have come to funerals with handguns," he said.

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Gangland slaying of Trevor Walsh

murder of Trevor Walsh only two days after he was released from prison, and just 11 hours after another gangland murder in Dublin, is being linked to a feud between a former gang of Finglas robbers and drug dealers which broke up three years ago.
Feuding in Finglas had died down since last October's murder of the infamous Liveline prison cell caller, John Daly, who gardai said was an associate of Trevor Walsh, who was shot dead at 12.20am yesterday in Kippure Avenue.
A gunman, who gardai believe had been stalking Walsh since his release from prison on Thursday, shot him in the head with what gardai believe was an automatic handgun. He shot him in the head a second time as he lay on the ground.
Walsh (33) had just served over two years of a three-year sentence for possession of a firearm in Finglas in 2004. He had a lengthy criminal record, with more than 50 convictions. Local people said he was a heavy cocaine user.His murder came just 11 hours after the murder of Anthony Foster, 34, in Coolock. He was killed by a single shotgun blast to his head as he left his flat in Cromcastle Court with his partner to pick up his two young children from a creche. His partner was uninjured.
The killer escaped on a waiting motorcycle which gardai believe was stolen a short while earlier from a motorcycle shop on the Malahide Road. The owner was threatened with a shotgun and tied up during the robbery.Gardai said that they were uncertain why Foster, who was sentenced to six years' imprisonment in 2001 for possession of a large quantity of cannabis, was murdered, but it was possible he had been involved in a dispute with another local drug dealer. It is the second serious shooting in the area within a fortnight. Two weeks ago, Anthony Ayodeji, 21, was shot in the neck as he sat in a car in Darndale. A baby in the back seat of the car was unhurt, but was covered in blood and glass. Garda sources yesterday said there appeared to be no connection between the murder of Anthony Foster, in Coolock, and Trevor Walsh, in Finglas. Walsh was a close associate of John Daly, the 27-year-old robber and drug dealer who was shot dead last October as he sat in the front passenger seat of a taxi. Daly created a furore when he phoned into RTE's Liveline show from his cell in Portlaoise Prison. Subsequently more than 2,000 mobile phones were found in prison searches and much stricter regimes were enforced to disrupt the drugs trade into jails. Gardai believe that leading gangs figures angered by the clampdown caused by Daly ordered his murder.Another associate of Walsh's was Declan Curran, who died from a drugs overdose while serving a prison term in November 2004. After Curran's death the gang disintegrated and former associates started killing each other. At one point the rate of murders in Finglas surpassed that of Limerick and even the Crumlin and Drimnagh district, which wamurder of Trevor Walsh was at the centre of another feud that has claimed 11 lives. The Crumlin and Drimnagh area, however, has resumed its reputation for bloodletting, with eight murders since last October.

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Tiny Rascal Gang, a group from California whose members are largely of Southeast Asian descent

10-month investigation into illegal gang activity in Lowell culminated in 10 arrests Friday, as well as the seizure of several bags of marijuana and nearly $70,000 in cash, according to the Boston Globe.The raid also netted more than a dozen firearms, including semiautomatic handguns, a MAC-11 machine pistol, and a rifle with a bayonet attached, police say.City, state and federal police officers took part in the investigation, which targeted the Tiny Rascal Gang, a group from California whose members are largely of Southeast Asian descent. Police Superintendent Kenneth Lavallee said the gang now has roughly 100 members in the Lowell area, following an increase in the city’s Cambodian population. "We're talking a violent criminal enterprise that was very significant in the city of Lowell," Lavallee said. "We've made a major move here.”The Tiny Rascals have allegedly been involved in a series of violent crimes over the last 10 years, including 5 homicides and over 20 assaults.
Mayor Edward C. Caulfield was shocked at the extent of the gang's firepower, which allegedly also included a range of rare knives. "Believe me, I've never seen anything like these things in my life," Caulfield said. "It's almost like a James Bond movie."Among the alleged gang members arrested yesterday, four were charged in federal indictments, police Lieutenant William Busby said.
Shane Carney, 32, was charged with being a felon in possession of ammunition. Eden Hok, 22, was charged with dealing guns without a license. Vila Malakham, 24, was charged with being a felon in possession of a firearm. Saravy Sok, 19, was charged with possessing an unregistered firearm.Four people were arrested on state indictments, Busby said.Savong Moun, 22, was charged with three counts of distributing the drug ecstasy. Eric O'Brien, 23, was charged with three counts of distributing benzylpiperazine and three counts of distributing a counterfeit drug. Jonathan Sheehan, 27, and Sophandara Sok, 18, were charged with possession of gun ammunition without proper identification, selling a gun and ammunition without a license, and unlawful possession without a license.Two other men, Ricardo Plaza and Francisco Mejias, were arrested on federal warrants for selling more than 100 grams of heroin, Busby said.Lowell police, State Police, US Attorney Michael Sullivan's office, the US Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives, and the FBI contributed to the investigation, officials said.Additional charges will likely be filed against the defendants, according to Busby. He described the initial arrests as an effort to get the suspects behind bars while more information is uncovered.

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Toronto gangland three young men were killed by gunshots

Police in Toronto's west end encountered a gruesome murder scene this morning. As of this writing there is still no official announcement of the cause of the deaths from Toronto police, but media reports confirm three young men were killed by gunshots.
The police found three people shot dead in a vehicle located at Valermo and Lunness roads at 3:40 a.m. They haven't released the genders or ages of the victims, or even how they died. Police said all three suffered "from trauma" and that all three had been pronounced dead. But Toronto radio stations reported that sources with Emergency Medical Services in the city said the three died from gunshot wounds.
It's almost a sure bet these deaths are drug and gang related -- as are almost all the gun killings in major urban centres in Canada.

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Gardai have smashed a guns-for-sale racket in which suspected former members of the Provisional IRA supplied firearms to a drug trafficking gang

Officers believe the suppliers were linked more recently with the dissident republican group, the Continuity IRA, but were also heavily involved in criminal activities. Gardai have smashed a guns-for-sale racket in which suspected former members of the Provisional IRA supplied firearms to a drug trafficking gang in north Dublin.They think the gang, based in Co Louth, was selling guns to a drugs gang operating in the Coolock area on the northside of the capital.
The breakthrough in the garda investigation came on Thursday night when armed gardai stopped two cars in Castlebellingham and Haggardstown, outside Dundalk.
This followed a surveillance operation on several targeted figures. Detectives recovered an old Webley revolver, which was loaded, as well as ammunition and some cash. Two men from Dundalk were arrested and taken to the local garda station. A man and a woman from Coolock were brought to Carrickmacross station but were released without charge last night. The two held in custody were questioned under section 30 of the Offences Against the State Act and can be held for a maximum of three days without charge. The garda operation involved detectives from the Louth division and members of the Emergency Response Unit and the National Surveillance Unit.
Senior garda officers said last night they did not regard the Louth gang as major suppliers of firearms to Dublin-based drug dealers.
But they described the seizure and arrests as significant, as the incident meant that the gardai had severed a vital pipeline for weapons. The operation is part of on-going garda inquiries involving the national bureau of criminal investigation, the Special Branch and the crime and intelligence section at garda headquarters into the supply of weapons to crime gangs and their connections with members of former or active paramilitary groups. Inquiries are also being carried out to establish the initial source of the guns. Some of the weapons seized by gardai from crime gangs in the past couple of years are known to have been smuggled into the country as "sweeteners" with drug shipments. But other firearms have been sourced overseas by the renegade republican groups, who have been trying to build up their own arsenals since the Provisional IRA declared a ceasefire, and have developed contacts in central and eastern European states. The Real IRA and the Continuity IRA managed to purchase a sizeable haul of explosives and weaponry in the Balkans in 1999. But a large portion of this shipment was recovered by gardai in a disused wine cellar on land at Herbertstown, near Stamullen, on the Dublin-Meath border. The following year a joint security operation involving gardai and international agencies led to a big arms and explosives shipment seizure in the Croatian town of Dobranje, near the Adriatic resort of Split.

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Frederick Donahue Hells Angel wanted on murder charges surrendered to federal authorities

fugitive Hells Angel wanted on murder charges stemming from a 2002 biker gang melee has surrendered to federal authorities.
Prosecutors say Frederick Donahue of Rodeo, Calif. turned himself in earlier this month. He appeared Friday in a Las Vegas courtroom where his trial was schedule for Sept. 8. The 43-year-old motorcycle gang member vanished after indictments were handed down in the 2002 deadly brawl inside Harrah's hotel-casino in Laughlin, Nev.
Two members of the Hells Angels and one member of the rival Mongol gang were killed in the battle. Prosecutors say Donahue played a key role in the shooting.

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Pattaya is plagued by massive gangs of armed motorbike racers, hundreds strong, intent on causing mayhem.

Pattaya is plagued by massive gangs of armed motorbike racers, hundreds strong, intent on causing mayhem. They regularly challenge each other to Mad Max-like races, almost always ending up with one or more being shot dead or seriously injured. Yet, again, on the night of July 13, 2008, there was an shooting incident with 1 death and 5 injuries. Police suspect that, apart from the armed gangs, there are also irate individuals, heartily tired of this motorbike racing menace, who also arm themselves, lie in wait and take the opportunity to blow away members of these gangs. At 01.30 am, on July 13, Pol.Lt.Col.Jakarin Tou-suparb, Banglamung Investigator, was notified that a six motorbike teenage gang members had been shot and injured. The gunshot victims had already been taken to Banglamung Hospital for treatment. The Chief-of-Police was informed and police team went to investigate.
At the hospital Emergency Room, police found the 6 injured teens: Mr.Sakda Namloon (16) shot in his left leg; Mr. Surasak Gnao-sri (18) shot in his left arm, right leg and in the head; Mr. Nattapol Ronruengsak (18) shot in the stomach; Mr. Wongwan Maliges (18) shot in his right arm; and Mr. Narin Keao-gaew (16) shot in the body. Most of these teenagers had sustained minor injuries; however, Mr. Twin Tengwises (21), who had sustained a serious stomach wound, had later died from his injuries.
Apparently, most of the injured teens were friends who live in Pattaya area and the periphery. They had come out on motorbikes to watch a motorbike race by other racing gangs that is usually set up on Road No. 331, every weekend, near the Pattaya International School under Banglamung police jurisdiction. After the race was over, the friends and others were riding home in groups. Suddenly, around the Pong sub-district Bridge and Krating-rai Road, a number of armed motorcyclists and a blue pick-up truck started chasing them, took a number of shots and then escaped. Many of motorbike teens were injured and some managed to reach hospital. Police know well that most Fridays, Saturdays, Sundays and days off, groups of boys and girls in teen gangs congregate and then engage in motorbike races. Each group has at least 20 to 50 people on motorbikes and they generally cause a hazard and nuisance to locals and car drivers on the road. Each time that police try to arrest them, but they spread the alarm among themselves and manage to evade capture. Usually, they parade their motorbikes, modified for road-racing, on Road No. 331 and, very often, they get into fights or start shooting each other. There have been many deaths and injuries in the past among these gangs. But this time, they were shot by a number of mysterious gunmen who were on motorbikes and a pick-up truck. Police assume that these gunmen are people who have reached the end of their tether as regards the mad antics of the teenagers and acted as vigilantes, mostly shooting to scare, rather than kill. A police spokesman said they aim to crack down on these motorcycle gangs to avoid a repetition of the shootings; they already have numerous individuals on record. Police will continue to search for the perpetrators of the July 13 shootings, who will be prosecuted if caught.

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Omprakash, Rajesh Sharma, Mohammad Nazir, Mohammad Israil and Shiv Om. All had been arrested last year while planning to rob a petrol pump

Police commissioner Y S Dadwal has announced a reward of Rs 50,000 for information about the biker gang led by criminal Omprakash alias Bunty. The recent shooting spree in the Capital is being seen as the handiwork of the gang. The reward is for information on each of the gang members — Omprakash, Rajesh Sharma, Mohammad Nazir, Mohammad Israil and Shiv Om. All had been arrested last year while planning to rob a petrol pump in Vasant Kunj, and were released on bail in February this year.
Police suspect the members are hiding somewhere along the Capital's border. Security in the area has been beefed up with police barricades and round the clock patrolling. Police have described Omprakash as a "bad character" from Sangam Vihar. He has been an active criminal since 1999 and is involved in as many as 25 cases of robbery, murder and attempt to murder. The modus operandi in the recent cases and his release from jail along with his accomplices makes him the prime suspect.
"The gang was involved in the murder of a property dealer in Sangam Vihar on July 4. It is suspected that after this murder, they hid for some time and then went on a killing spree in south Delhi," said a police officer.
Meanwhile, Bunty's family members claimed they have not heard from him for the last few months. "We lodged a missing complaint about Bunty in March this year. Most of the male members of our family have now been detained by the police," said a family member.

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Tarek Chaiboub was gunned down in a barber’s shop on Spital Street in Burgreave on Friday.

Tarek Chaiboub, 17, from Wincobank, was gunned down in a barber’s shop on Spital Street in Burgreave on Friday.His father Rashid Chaiboub said: “I did not realise that his destiny was shaping outside of my hands.”
Police said Tarek, who died from gun shot wounds to his back, was probably carrying a gun when he was killed. At a police news conference Mr Chaiboub urged other parents to have a close relationship with their children to prevent similar deaths.
He added: “Our son Tarek was growing up as a self-confident shining boy with an independent personality which I was proud of.My message to parents is do not rely much on the independence of your kids Rashid Chaiboub, father of Tarek
“But he was not sharing much of his thoughts and feelings with us as a family.
“My message to parents is do not rely much on the independence of your kids. Get closer to them. Kids remain kids.”
The teenager who was known locally as GT had two sisters and a brother.
Police said they were pursuing some positive information from members of the public about the shooting, which could be gang-related.
Ch Supt Paul Broadbent said: “In my opinion there may well be a gang element involved in this particular crime.”
The senior officer said he could not yet confirm reports that the victim had been released from hospital a week earlier after a knife attack on him.
Mr Broadbent admitted Tarek was known to police before his death and said the investigation was looking at whether it was a gang-related attack.
The officer added: “This is a tragic, awful, loss of life. This was someone’s son, brother.”

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United Nations Gang members were gunned down in a restaurant in Mexico during an ongoing wave of "drug-cartel-related violence,"

Elliott "Taco" Castaneda of Abbotsford and Ahmet Kaawach, who used to live in Metro Vancouver, died in the hail of bullets, the source said.
Two members of the Fraser Valley-based United Nations Gang were gunned down in a restaurant in Mexico during an ongoing wave of "drug-cartel-related violence," a police source told The Province yesterday."The two of them were in Mexico at a restaurant when a man came in with a machine gun and opened fire," said the police source. At least 21 people, including a 12-year-old girl, have been killed by warring drug gangs and police since last Thursday in the western state of Sinaloa, which includes the popular tourist resort of Mazatlan, in one of the worst outbreaks of violence in memory.Elliott Castaneda of Abbotsford was one of two members of the Fraser Valley-based United Nations gang killed in drug-related violence in the Mazatlan area.Castaneda worked as a real-estate agent for about two years with Homelife Glenayre Realty in Abbotsford but resigned last month, said company manager Walter Brown."It's very sad," said Brown of Castaneda's death. "I would describe him as a very quiet guy."I really don't know much about his personal life," said Brown."He actually quit our company last month. He gave notice last month and I think his licence got hung up in the first week of July. He quit the business."
Brown said his former employee "had very little to do with the office. He worked out of his house and he came in and resigned last month. And that's about it."
Castaneda, who was about 28 years old, attended Abbotsford junior and senior secondary schools, graduating in 1997.Kaawach was convicted and later deported from Canada to Lebanon after an arrest for weapons in Vancouver, said the police source. He was "very close friends" with Clayton Roueche, the alleged leader of the UN gang, the source also said.Roueche is currently being held in a Washington State jail on drug charges after being recently arrested in Texas when his plane landed from Cancun, Mexico. Roueche, who was travelling to Cancun for a friend's wedding, was denied entry to Mexico and despite his protests was put on a plane that made a stopover in Texas -- where he was arrested by U.S. authorities -- en route to Vancouver."Roueche travelled to Lebanon and met with Kaawach as the gang's Mexican drug connection, someone who could procure cocaine and other drugs, presumably to be smuggled to B.C," said the police source.Sgt. Shinder Kirk of the Integrated Gang Task Force said he is not aware of any UN gang involvement in the drug trade in Mexico."We certainly have heard that members of that group do travel to Mexico," said Kirk. "We do know of individuals involved in particular crime groups that do go down to Mexico. Now whether that's for vacation or business, there's no way to tell."
Meanwhile, the Mexican government said yesterday it was nearly tripling the police presence in Sinaloa state after the close to two dozen deaths and hostage-taking incidents by criminal gangs over the last week.More than 300 people have died in drug-related violence so far this year in Sinaloa -- about a fifth of the 1,700 people killed in cartel battles across Mexico -- as rival gangs fight each other amid an army-led government crackdown.

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31-year old member of a gang called Brown Brotherhood is taken into custody

31-year old member of a gang called Brown Brotherhood is taken into custody by a parole agent during a multi-agency sweep at the 8700 block of Nogal Ave. in Whittier on Tuesday, July 15, 2008. A 22-caliber rifle, a crossbow and other weapons were found at the location. The parolee is looking at parole violation and charges, of being an ex-felon in possesion of a gun. Nine locations in Whittier, Pico Rivera and Norwalk were hit simultaneously early in the morning.

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trespass warnings issued to two self-proclaimed Angels

dispute between The Hell's Angels Motorcycle Club and a local man claiming to be one led to the Bay County Sheriff's Office issuing trespass warnings to two self-proclaimed Angels Sunday. Paul Stevens was featured in a News Herald story June 25 after placing an ad in the paper calling for new members. Stevens said he was organizing the Hell's Angels first "sanctioned" chapter in Florida and would be selling their merchandise. He promised a sort of kinder, gentler image.
The story quickly spread across the Internet and drew attention from Hells Angels Motorcycle Club members from across the country. The News Herald also has been contacted by a man identifying himself as Fritz Clapp, who previously has represented the Hells Angels in various matters. Clapp said Stevens is not an Angel, has no right to sell the copyrighted merchandise, and that the club would be taking legal action against him. Clapp, in April, announced he was representing the cluband infamous founder Sonny Barger in a lawsuit against HBO for copyright infringement. The attempt to get paperwork to Stevens from the Angels apparently led to Sunday's call from Stevens' wife - complaining of two trespassers wearing Hells Angels colors - to the Sheriff's Office. According to an incident report, a deputy arrived at Stevens' residence Sunday afternoon and found two men on the propery, but away from the residence. They identified themselves as Hells Angels from out of state, and said they were "at the residence to give paperwork to Paul Stevens from the Hells Angels attorney."
The report did not state the nature of the paperwork. The men said there were three other angels traveling with them.

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Mexico's most-wanted drug lord, Joaquin "Shorty" Guzman Shootout between rival drug gangs in Sinaloa

Shootout between rival drug gangs in Sinaloa, Mexico, leaves trail of war behind. Shootout between alleged rival drug gangs set vehicles ablaze and damage houses as they battle for turf.Two groups of alleged drug traffickers were involved in a shootout at dawn in the northern city of Culiacan in the state of Sinaloa on Monday (July 14) where they set ablaze three vehicles and damaged four houses, according to authorities.There were no reports of injuries, deaths or arrests and the state attorney general's office said it was too early to report how many weapons or if drugs had been seized.As Federal Sinaloa Deputy, Daniel Amador Gaxiola stated, "We are living through the most difficult stages of modern history, if you can call it that. We regret what is happening in Sinaloa and people live in fear and uncertainty. However we have to recognize efforts being carried out by the government are trying to create results. Unfortunately, it's a problem that is out of our reach, of many forces of our society."A house which was used as a refuge by alleged drug traffickers was attacked with a spray of bullets and molotov bombs. The occupants fired back but then managed to escape when the house was set on fire together with two SUV vehicles which were parked inside.Another vehicle exploded and was burnt down. Authorities found three gas tanks in the rear seats. This event comes a after gunmen killed eight youths and a police Chief, and took dozens of restaurant patrons hostage for hours, in two attacks in the drug gang-ridden state of Sinaloa.Drug gang killings and shootouts in Mexico have soared to unprecedented levels.Some 1,700 people have died so far this year, as an army-led crackdown intensifies turf wars between rival gangs, whose hitmen are increasingly taking their battles public with daylight shootouts in busy streets.
Sinaloa state in northwestern Mexico is one of the areas most affected by drug violence and is home to Mexico's most-wanted drug lord, Joaquin "Shorty" Guzman.

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Sinaloa Bloodbath Beltran Leyvas believe that Guzman ratted out their brother and have retaliated with a vengeance.

21 people, including a 12-year-old girl and other ordinary citizens, have been killed by warring drug gangs since Thursday in the western state of Sinaloa, in one of the worst spasms of violence in memory in a region long conditioned to narcotics-related savagery.The wave of deadly mayhem began with the audacious daytime shooting of a dozen people in the capital, Culiacan, and continued during the weekend and into Monday. The deaths of innocents, including the young girl, who had just left a party, have terrified the public and left many questioning the effectiveness of the federal government's ongoing crackdown on drug trafficking."Sinaloa Bloodbath" read a headline from El Sol de Sinaloa, a daily newspaper. The article Monday on its website was accompanied by a photo of corpses slumped in the back of a bullet-riddled pickup truck. An editorial in Monday's national daily El Universal questioned President Felipe Calderon's decision to aggressively pursue the nation's drug kingpins, a strategy the United States has encouraged and backed with millions of dollars in assistance."Direct confrontation has only escalated the violence," the newspaper said. "The worst thing that can happen is for us to become accustomed to the dramatic daily count of deaths and kidnappings caused by narcotics assassins."
Authorities were still sorting through the carnage in Sinaloa as the body count continued to rise Monday. But law enforcement and Mexican media accounts provided a picture of the relentless violence: On Thursday, gunmen in Culiacan shot dead six people inside an auto repair shop and three more outside. The victims included a 61-year-old university professor and his son, 37, also a professor. Later confrontations between the gunmen and authorities left three police officers dead.
Early Saturday in Culiacan, rival traffickers engaged in a shoot-out, using automatic weapons and bazookas in a neighborhood in the northern part of the city. Police reported no deaths or injuries in that 15-minute clash, but photos of the scene show the pavement littered with heavy-caliber shell casings and homes scarred with bullet holes.
On Saturday evening in the beach resort of Mazatlan, gunmen shot to death a high-ranking police official, then stormed a restaurant in a popular shopping mall, where they held patrons hostage before escaping. No customers were killed or injured. Photos from local newspapers show terrified shoppers running from the mall.
Early Sunday morning in the city of Guamuchil, eight people leaving a quinceañera party were shot to death in their vehicles while they waited at a stoplight. Among the dead were several teenagers and the 12-year-old girl. The guest of honor -- 15-year-old Maribel Lopez Marquez -- was also injured in the attack, according to police.
Early Monday, suspected rival drug gangs clashed again in a residential neighborhood in Culiacan. Assailants attacked a home with Molotov cocktails, burned vehicles and opened fire with high-powered weapons. No injuries or deaths were reported. But there were unconfirmed reports of two more drug-related shooting deaths in Mazatlan.
The state, home to the so-called Sinaloa cartel, headed by Joaquin "Shorty" Guzman, has become a battleground for traffickers feuding for control of the drug trade. Calderon has sent 3,500 army troops and federal police to the region as part of a nationwide offensive that observers say has both helped and hurt the situation.
The effort has resulted in high-profile arrests as well as the seizures of large caches of drugs and weapons. But the removal of top leaders has set off a power struggle among underlings eager to use violence to establish authority.
"The old drug lords often acted as mediators" to keep the peace, said Jorge Chabat, a Mexico City-based security analyst. "The new, young guys are not disposed to negotiate."Mexico's drug war remains extremely fluid. Across the nation, established trafficking alliances are fracturing and new ones forming. On any given day, even veteran observers have difficulty figuring out who is fighting whom.Still, experts say some of the violence in Sinaloa stems from bad blood between cartel leader Guzman and the Beltran Leyva brothers -- Hector Alfredo, Carlos Alberto and Marcos Arturo. Known as "The Three Gentlemen," the siblings for years were confidants of Guzman.
The rumored power struggle burst into public this year with the arrest of Hector Alfredo. Nicknamed "El Mochomo," for a desert ant with a vicious sting, he is alleged to be involved in money laundering and payoffs to corrupt officials. He reportedly was carrying $90,000 in cash and a cache of pricey wristwatches when he was seized in Sinaloa by elite military forces in January.According to a popular law enforcement theory, the Beltran Leyvas believe that Guzman ratted out their brother and have retaliated with a vengeance. Unidentified assassins shot and killed Guzman's son Edgar, 22, and two friends in a Culiacan parking lot in May. Other Guzman relatives and associates have been captured by authorities, ostensibly with the help of tips provided by the Beltran Leyva brothers.
"Factions of the Sinaloa cartel are fighting each other," Chabat said. "That's why we're seeing all this violence."
Chabat said the cartels might be violating a long-standing custom to avoid civilian casualties in order to put pressure on Calderon to back off. Although polls have shown that the president's tough stance has largely been popular with the public, recent events may be changing minds.
"The situation is out of control," said Gerardo Contreras, manager of a shoe store in the mall were people were taken hostage. "The people of Sinaloa ask the president to stop this violence. The killing of innocent people can't continue."

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Rosario C. Fuentez arrested

Police in Milwauke said they've arrested a man in connection with a July 4 shooting incident in which four people were killed and two injured.Two alleged accomplices are still being sought.The arrested man Rosario C. Fuentez, told police that the and two other men were armed when they confronted a Milwaukee street crowd in retaliation for the assault and robbery of one of the other men by alleged gang members. The men hid behind houses before Fuentez walked into the crowd and opened fire, police said.
Relatives of some of the victims say the slain people were not gang members.

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Nomads motorcycle gang $90,000 4WD bombed

$90,000 4WD under which the pipe bomb exploded was in the care of a former member of the Nomads motorcycle gang who had switched allegiance to rivals Notorious.
He now controls security for a Kings Cross identity and drives the car for the businessman, who lives elsewhere in Sydney.Police said up to eight shots were fired near the car, parked in Walkers Dr, Lane Cove North, before the bomb exploded about 3.50am.Bomb squad called in ... Device explodes under car The blast damaged the undercarriage and interior and would have caused serious injury had anyone been inside.A second, unexploded device beside the 4WD, was removed and later detonated by police.The man linked to the car shares the townhouse with a woman and a young child, who were home when the pipe bomb exploded.Police said he was refusing to co-operate with investigations. The blast left residents of the 14ha estate in shock. Some revealed they feared the man and his associates, many of whom drove motorcycles and expensive carsAs bomb squad officers, detectives and forensic experts combed the scene, locking in more than 100 residents, neighbours revealed they were aware "bikies" were living among the 201-apartment complex.Residents said the occupants did not appear to work and there were often motorcycles parked outside. The 4WD owner also had a red Ferrari 355."I'm scared of them. They are intimidating," said one mother, who would not be named.Another added: "As far as I'm concerned it couldn't have happened to a nicer bloke."They have a lot of nice cars but I don't know if anyone works."Mother-of-one Sue Ibanez, whose townhouse overlooks the blast site, said: "It's hard to imagine it could happen here. My daughter was in bed with us and our room is right there. Who knows what could have happened?"Detective Inspector Peter Yeomans said the eight shell castings and two bombs were not a warning - they were meant to cause harm.

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124 people have been killed in just one week in Mexico’s Drug Wars

The most violent area was the north-western state of Sinaloa, where 43 deaths
were reported. In Chihuahua, 40 people were killed over the past week, the daily La Jornada reported. In Sinaloa’s capital, Culiacan, teachers, students and university employees, dressed in white, protested the increasing violence yesterday. They placed white carnations on a symbolic tomb and held 10 minutes’ silencefor the more than 500 people who have been killed in the state this year. In the tourist town of Mazatlan on Saturday, a group of men fleeing the police after allegedly killing a senior police official, took 40 people hostage at a restaurant in a shopping mall. Mexico has recorded more than 2,000 slayings this year amid turf wars
between narcotics trafficking cartels. The centre-right federal government in Mexico City hasdeclared war on the drugcartels, sending the federal law enforcement and the Mexican Army to bolster local police in some regions.

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San Bernardino gang members Harold Lee Phillips,Sidikiba Greenwood sentenced to more than 90 years to life each.

Two gang members will spend the rest of their lives in prison for their part in a 2005 gang retaliation shooting, in which Mynisha, 11, was killed and her older sister, Jaynita, 14, at the time, was wounded. Mynisha's family sat stoically Friday in San Bernardino County Superior Court as Judge Brian McCarville sentenced gunman Harold Lee Phillips, 26, and organizer Sidikiba Greenwood, 37, to more than 90 years to life each. Heavily guarded by plainclothes officers and San Bernardino sheriff's bailiffs, Mynisha's family declined comment after the sentencing and was quickly whisked away. Deputy District Attorney Ron Webster said the court remains vigilant in its concern for the family's safety. "The family is still very distraught. I'm just glad they could be here," Webster said. "This day will never bring back their 11-year-old daughter, but we will continue to fight this gang problem for the loved ones that continue to be lost." Greenwood, whose wife sat in the courtroom with their three children and quietly cried, was sentenced to 109 years to life, including five life sentences. Last month, a jury convicted him of first-degree murder, two attempted murder charges, conspiracy and shooting into an inhabited dwelling. Greenwood also was convicted on the sentencing enhancements of deadly use of a firearm and committing a crime to benefit a criminal street gang.
Phillips was given a total of 94 years, 4 months to life in prison, which includes three life sentences. Phillips, who was on parole from the California Youth Authority at the time of the crime, was found guilty of second-degree murder, two attempted murder charges and the same enhancements as Greenwood.
Both sat motionless as their sentences were given. Only Greenwood chose to speak to Mynisha's family, standing to face her mother and expressing remorse for his actions. "I wanted to tell Mynisha's family I'm sorry for their loss," Greenwood said quietly. "It was never my intention for their daughter to get hurt."
Greenwood's sister, Cynthia Jones, cried uncontrollably and had to leave the courtroom. Her friend, Jay Bib, held her and said, "There are victims on both sides." Harold Phillips Sr., who watched quietly as his son was sentenced, said his son asked his mother not to come to court today.
"It's a travesty. It was unintentional," Phillips Sr. said of his son's sentence. "I'm unemployed but I hope to be counseling youth soon to prevent them from making the same mistakes my son made."
The pair were among a dozen San Bernardino gang members involved in the Nov. 13, 2005, shooting. According to the San Bernardino County probation report, the gang sought revenge for the killing of fellow gang member Barry Jones four days earlier.

In retaliation, they fired into an apartment they believed housed a member of the rival gang. Authorities have said that the gang member they were after had moved out and Mynisha's family had nothing to do with gangs.

Mynisha was shot in the chest and died shortly after arriving at Loma Linda University Medical Center. Her sister was shot in the arm and survived.

Other defendants in the case are awaiting trial or sentencing. Sinque Beiama Morrison, 32, will be retried following a mistrial which was declared May 5. Michael Barnett Jr., 21, also is being tried separately. One man, Tyshon Karrien Harris, is already in state prison, and two others are expected to be sentenced Aug. 22.

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fugitive Italian Mafia leader, Salvatore Parisi, was arrested

fugitive Italian Mafia leader, Salvatore Parisi, was arrested on Friday by the Italian Carabinieri or paramilitary police on the outskirts of the Sicilian town of Monreale. Parisi, 54, has been accused by the anti-Mafia authorities in Catania of being part of a criminal organisation involved in drug trafficking. The authorities in the Sicilian capital Palermo also believe that he is a top member of the notorious Porta Nuova Sicilian Mafia family in Palermo. Reports say that the Mafia leader was hiding out in an apartment close to Monreale. When he saw the Carabinieri approach, he attempted to escape on a scooter but was arrested a few minutes later.
Parisi has already escaped arrest twice before, first in October 2007 in an operation carried out by the authorities in Syracuse in eastern Sicily and in February this year in a separate operation jointly conducted by the Italian police and the US Federal Bureau of Investigation. Italy's four main criminal organisations are the Sicilian Mafia, the Camorra in Naples and the surrounding Campania region, the 'Ndrangheta in the southern region of Calabria, and the Sacra Corona Unita in the southern Puglia region.

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Busted three individuals associated with gang activity

Chilliwack RCMP busted three individuals associated with gang activity Wednesday evening, and, in the process, found a stash of drugs and drug paraphernalia as well as some unusual weapons at a local home.The Crime Reduction Unit noticed an apparent drug sale taking place near the intersection of Young Road and Hocking Avenue at 7:10 p.m. on July 9. They apprehended the three suspects on charges of trafficking in a controlled substance and also obtained a search warrant for a residence associated with the individuals.Police conducted a search of a home at the 46300 block of Chilliwack Central Road where they found various equipment likely being used to prepare drugs for sale on the street.
That would be things like scales, baggies, materials to cut drugs," RCMP spokesperson Const. Lea-Anne Dunlop said.Investigators also found approximately 11 grams of heroin, equalling about 110 street buys, and approximately 30 grams of crack cocaine, which amounts to about 150 street buys, at the residence. The police estimate the value of the drugs to be about $4,700.During the search, they also recovered a crossbow and a prohibited sword cane.The Chilliwack RCMP Crime Reduction Unit is focusing on several organized crime and gang members related to drug trade in the area, a business they estimate is tied to approximately 90 per cent of all property crime in the community. Police also say the three arrested during Wednesday's bust are likely part of this network."The three individuals are known to police and are known to have organized crime associations," Dunlop said.The three were in custody at press time and expected to appear in provincial court in Chilliwack.

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20-year-old facing the second-degree felony charges told police he is a "Blood" and a member of the Black Mafia Gangsters and Piru Street Gang

20-year-old man was charged with aggravated robbery with a gang penalty enhancement after robbing two men, beating them up and leaving them in the middle of a baseball field in their underwear.
The two men met up in the baseball field at Bingham High School on June 26 when they were approached by a man carrying a handgun who told them to empty their pockets, according to court documents filed in the 3rd District Court on Thursday.
The man with the gun pointed it toward the head of one of the victims and said, "I should just shoot you right now," the documents state. While they were being robbed, the victims also saw five more men coming toward them, including the 20-year-old facing charges.
That man and the others then kicked and punched the two victims until one of them lost consciousness, according to court documents.
At some point, the men ordered the two victims to undress, and left them on the field wearing only their underwear and socks.
The attackers took the victims' clothing, car keys, cell phones and wallets.
The 20-year-old facing the second-degree felony charges told police he is a self-proclaimed "Blood" and a member of both the Black Mafia Gangsters and Piru street gangs.

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One Order and Klansman police have the names of the four suspects involved in the murder and are in hot pursuit of them.

Word has been spreading in Spanish Town and its environs that the peace between criminal gangs---One Order and Klansman--has been broken.Sources say tension has been high in the old capital following the murder of the Chairman of the Jamaica Urban Transit Company, Douglas Chambers.
Members of the Klansman Gang have been accused of carrying out the killing.
But speaking with RJR News, Operations Officers for the Area Five Police, Superintendent Newton Amos is urging residents of Spanish Town to remain calm.He urged residents to allow the police to carry out the investigation into the murder of Mr. Chambers and to desist from any form of violence.According to Superintendent Amos the police have been making progress in the investigations."We believe that so far the investigations are heading in the right direction what we are asking is that members of the public especially those who are in a position to determine people's thinking and thought that we do not be reckless or careless in making assumptions on a serious matter like this,"
"If there is a concern it should be channeled through the police so that we don't heighten the tension that now exist in Spanish Town between those two rival gangs,"He said the police have the names of the four suspects involved in the murder and are in hot pursuit of them. "We are raiding and picking up people and we will continue in this direction. We are well aware of those who may have been involved and therefore the investigation that is being led by ACP Carl Williams in charge of Area Five and the team...we only ask people to be patient because when we are finished with the file we are sure that those who are responsible will be held and brought before the courts," he said.

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Vato Loco Boys, Sureno 13, Players for Life, and North Side Gangsters arrests

Nine of the gang members were arrested based on outstanding state arrest warrants and are being held in state custody on criminal charges including burglary, theft, assault, drive-by shootings, weapons violations and various misdemeanor charges. All nine are under immigration detainers so that if they're released from state custody, they'll be detained by ICE. All 22 people arrested are from Mexico, and allegedly are associated with the Vato Loco Boys, Sureno 13, Players for Life, and North Side Gangsters. (ICE news release, July 2)In a three-day operation ending June 27 in the Richmond, Va., metropolitan area, ICE Gang Investigation Unit special agents arrested 20 people the agency described as "known gang members" and 21 it referred to as "identified gang associates" from El Salvador, Guatemala, and Mexico. (In past sweeps, the agency has implied that "gang associates" may include family members cohabiting with the alleged gang members—see INB, Oct. 28, 2007) According to ICE, those arrested were affiliated with the MS-13, Sur-13, Latin Kings, and Vatos Locos street gangs. ICE said five search warrants were served and "numerous cases are being presented for federal and/or state prosecution."The operation involved collaboration with agencies including the Virginia State Police, Virginia Office of the Attorney General, US Attorney of the Eastern District of Virginia, Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF), Department of State Diplomatic Security Service, Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI), Chesterfield County Police Department, Chesterfield County Probation and Parole, United States Secret Service, Social Security Administration Office of the Inspector General and the US Postal Inspection Service. (ICE news release, June 27)In a statewide New Jersey operation carried out from June 15 through June 21, led by the ICE Office of Investigation in Newark, agents arrested 76 "gang members" and 20 "gang associates" from El Salvador, Mexico, Guatemala, Honduras and the Dominican Republic. The gang members allegedly belong to the MS-13, La Mugre, LA-13, DDP, Trinitarios, Mexican Mafia, Los Pitufos, Vatos Locos, Bloods and Crips street gangs. According to ICE, only three cases are to be presented for federal prosecution, while seven people were arrested on state charges and 30 of those arrested were merely "unlawfully present" in the US. Three weapons were seized along with what ICE described as "gang paraphernalia." Agencies collaborating in the sweep included the New Jersey Division of Criminal Justice, West New York Police Department, Newark Police Department, New Brunswick Police Department, Passaic Police Department, Union City Police Department, Hudson County Prosecutor's Office, and Middlesex County Prosecutor's Office. (ICE news release, June 23; The Record, Hackensack, NJ, June 24)In a two-day operation announced June 12, ICE agents arrested, or in some cases assisted in arresting, 22 people in the area of Brockton, Mass. Those arrested included 11 "gang members and associates" and 11 other people accused of federal and/or state criminal violations, including administrative immigration violations, who were encountered during the operation. Of the 22 people arrested, 16 are US permanent residents whose criminal convictions may render them eligible for deportation, according to ICE, while five are living in the US without permission and one had a prior deportation order. The arrested immigrants are from Angola, Brazil, Cape Verde, Colombia, Dominican Republic and Haiti. The operation was carried out in partnership with the Brockton Police Department, the Plymouth County District Attorney's Office, the US Attorney's Office, District of Massachusetts, ATF, the Massachusetts Division of Unemployment Assistance, and the police departments of the Massachusetts cities of Boston, Fall River, Stoughton and Taunton. (ICE news release, June 12)In a statewide Georgia operation culminating on June 7, ICE agents arrested or helped to arrest 127 nationals of Honduras, Mexico, El Salvador, and Guatemala who were living in Dalton, Savannah, Albany and the Atlanta metropolitan area. Those arrested included 122 people the agency identified as gang members, and five it identified as gang associates. Seven people were to be prosecuted on federal charges of illegal re-entry after deportation, and 19 were arrested for state charges or had outstanding arrest warrants. Two weapons were seized during the operation.
Cooperating agencies included the FBI Safe Streets Task Force, the US Attorney's Office for the Northern District of Georgia, the ATF, and the Georgia Bureau of Investigation (GBI); the city police departments of Atlanta, Canton, Cartersville, Chamblee, Dalton, Forest Park, Gainesville, Kennesaw, Marietta, Powder Spring, Roswell, and Sandy Springs; the county police departments of Clayton County, Cobb County, Dekalb County, Gwinnett County and Henry County; and the sheriff's offices of Atkinson County, Bartow County, Cherokee County, Coffee County, Douglas County, Forsyth County, Gwinnett County, Hall County, Rockdale County, Tift County and Whitfield County. (ICE news release, June 10)In a six-day ICE-led operation announced on June 8, 149 people were arrested in the Texas cities of Houston, Conroe, Galveston, Sugar Land, Bryan, Richmond, Beaumont and Corpus Christi. According to ICE, 67 of those arrested were "gang members and their associates," allegedly affiliated with 22 different street gangs. Of the total 149 people arrested, 32 were US citizens arrested on outstanding warrants. The 117 non-citizens arrested in the sweep were from Belize, Colombia, El Salvador, Guatemala, Honduras, Mexico, Nicaragua and Pakistan. Seven of those arrested were females. Of the 67 people who were identified as "gang members and associates," 20 were arrested on outstanding state arrest warrants and turned over to local authorities; one was arrested on an outstanding federal drug arrest warrant. The other 46 people arrested were present in the US without permission; 28 of them are facing federal criminal charges for illegal entry or illegal re-entry after deportation.The Air and Marine branch of US Customs and Border Protection provided air support for the operation. Other agencies assisting the operation included the Houston Police Department's Gang Task Force and the police forces of the cities of Beaumont, Conroe, Corpus Christi, La Porte, Orange, Port Arthur and South Houston; the sheriffs' offices of Brazos, Fort Bend, Harris, Jefferson and Montgomery counties; and US Postal Inspectors, FBI, ATF, and the US Attorney's Offices for the Southern and Eastern Districts of Texas. (ICE news release, June 8)From June 2 to 5, agents operating out of ICE's office in San Antonio, Texas arrested 32 "gang members and associates," including 23 in San Antonio and a total of nine in Austin, Laredo and Harlingen. Of the 23 detained in San Antonio, 18 were arrested on state criminal charges while seven were arrested on federal charges. Agencies participating in the operation included: San Antonio Police Department, ATF, US Attorney's Office for the Western District of Texas, US Marshals Service's Lone Star Fugitive Task Force, Bexar County Sheriff's Department and Bexar County District Attorney's Office. (ICE news release, June 6)

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Mob boss Shaun Te Kahu and mob member Barry James Pennicott have been jointly charged with arson

Mob boss Shaun Te Kahu, 37, and mob member Barry James Pennicott, 27, have been jointly charged with arson and appeared on the fresh charges in the Invercargill District Court yesterday.They have also been jointly charged with aggravated burglary armed with a hammer and an air rifle of the Road Knights' headquarters, while Pennicott also faces two fresh theft charges.
The pair are among a group of mob members arrested on a raft of charges late last month.As well as the new charges laid yesterday, Te Kahu also faces two charges of theft of Harley Davidson motorbikes and two charges of intentionally damaging those motorbikes by fire, while Pennicott faces charges of intentionally damaging two motorbikes.Also appearing yesterday were Craig Arthur Reid, 36, and Pihama John Tauroa, 32, who are jointly charged with Pennicott on the intentional damage charges. None of the four men entered pleas to any of the charges, nor were any applications made for bail. All four were remanded in custody to July 15.Invercargill CIB head Detective Senior Sergeant Brian Cowie said the arson charges did not mean the end of the investigation into the fire."We're happy to get to this point but the investigation is ongoing." Yesterday's additional charges had been laid as a result of police investigations and in tracking down witnesses to the fire, he said.While police were still probing the Balmoral Dr fire they had also yet to conclude investigations into a house fire in Severn St next to the Mongrel Mob's headquarters two days after the initial fire, he said.The armed offenders squad, bolstered by police reinforcements from Dunedin, was maintaining a high presence on Invercargill streets to quash any potential gang flare-ups, Mr Cowie said.

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Brolin Delmont Berry member of Gangster Disciple gang in Chattanooga received a 10-year sentence

Reputed Gang Leader Berry Gets 10 Years For Sale Of Cocaine
Reputed gang leader Brolin Delmont Berry on Monday received a 10-year
sentence for selling more than 50 grams of cocaine last November.leaders of the Gangster Disciple gang in Chattanooga. A gang which according to Berry, is 180 strong. He said the Chicago gang had 70,000 members, and nationwide the Gangster Disciples counted a million members.Berry has an extensive criminal record, although he has no prior felonies and none of his previous charges involve weapons or violence, officials said.Judge Mattice said he had carefully read all of the letters in the defendant's behalf and he had some response before announcing the sentence."Mr. Berry, from what I've read in these letters, you must be leading a double life. You appear to be a good family man who does good work in the community, but I can't believe you would be involved in such illegal activity," Judge Mattice addressed the defendent."You have an extensive criminal history with very little time served. We try to send a message when we give people a second chance, but people must learn from their mistakes.
"If you don't, you eventually get prosecuted in a federal court room and that's the case here today," Judge Mattice added.Berry said he is not a bad person and not really involved in gang activity like was originally thought.He then asked the court for another chance.Judge Mattice then added provisions for drug and alcohol treatment for Berry while he's incarcerated.He said, "You are a relatively-young man who I hope will learn from this experience and become a positive member of our society."I'm also asking that you be given a good medical evaluation and that you receive a minimum of 500 hours of drug abuse treatment."Angela Glover was also scheduled for sentencing on charges of theft of $83,000 from the Business Development Center in North Chattanooga.
Ms. Glover, the former director of that center, had been fired in December 2006 on charges of accounting discrepancies.Her case was passed until Aug. 18, when she faces up to 30 years in prison and a fine up to $1 million as well as requirement to make restitution.

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Rosario "Ross" Gangemi died of natural causes in a Melbourne hospital

The funeral of Rosario "Ross" Gangemi would probably have looked, and sounded, much the same if it had been held in his birthplace in Calabria, Italy, rather than in Moonee Ponds.More than 250 mourners attended the service on Monday, among them the high profile industrial negotiator and gangland figure Mick Gatto.Many of the congregation that packed St Monica's Catholic Church had also been seen at funerals well known to viewers of the Underbelly television series.But on Monday, their shirt buttons were done up to the neck, ties were neatly in place and proper homage was shown for a man who had almost no public profile, but who commanded plenty of quiet respect.A steady stream of limousines delivered those who remain of the generations of Italians who did their business, whatever it was, without ostentation.Small men in cashmere overcoats over dark suits kissed cheeks as they arrived and moved into the church, the most senior taking the reserved seats nearest the front.Gangemi was one of the most influential members of the Calabrian Mafia - the 'Ndrangheta - in Victoria.Since his death, his links to Melbourne's Benvenuto family which once ran the criminal rackets that flourished at the city's fruit and vegetable market, have been revealed.Frank Benvenuto, son of the former "Godfather" Liborio Benvenuto, was one of the 20-plus victims of Melbourne's recent underworld murder spree.Australian police believe Gangemi was instrumental in extortion at the markets and Italian police implicated him in the 1963 murder of Melbourne underworld figure Vincente Angilletta.Gangemi died of natural causes in a Melbourne hospital last Saturday week.

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"full patched" member of the Bandidos the sergeant-at-arms, the club's enforcer, for the Cairns chapter testified against his "mates".

In August last year,"full patched" member of the Bandidos the sergeant-at-arms, the club's enforcer, for the Cairns chapter testified against his "mates".
and another Bandido, who cannot be named, pleaded guilty to their role in the arson and received five years' jail, wholly suspended.
Last week, Brisbane District Court Judge Gilbert Trafford-Walker sentenced Whittaker, 33, and Thomsen to five years' jail, to be suspended after they have served 20 months, for the "more significant part they played".
He then handed Glavas, 47, a four-year sentence for his role in planning and providing tools, to be suspended after serving 16 months.
John Debilla, the getaway driver who was not a gang member, was jailed for three years, to be suspended immediately.AKA Steve remains in hiding and knows he can never return to Queensland."Almost every day I wake up and check my car for bombs. I change cars a lot and never stick to routine."The day they attack me is the day I will go to jail for the rest of my life . . . if I don't die."Steve formally joined the Bandidos in 2004 after being involved with bikie gangs for 14 years."I joined because I liked the men and the whole brotherhood thing, the loyalty and respect," said Steve, who had met several members while earning a living as a drug dealer on the Sunshine Coast.His criminal connections and past dealings with the club ensured a rapid rise through the ranks.Within 12 months, Steve was made a "full patched" member of the Bandidos and was the sergeant-at-arms, the club's enforcer, for the Cairns chapter."It's a lifestyle. It takes your whole life and your life completely changes. Your family becomes a Bandido . . . the club comes first and all your brothers come first," he said.
"We were a law unto ourselves. There is no feeling in the world of riding in the front of a pack of 500 men . . . you feel unstoppable."
Steve embarked on hedonistic binges on drugs and alcohol that could last for weeks.
"I didn't really use drugs before joining the club, then I was popping 20 pills and snorting lines of coke," he said.
Senior Bandidos had dubbed Steve "the future of Queensland" because of his diehard loyalty to the club's needs.
"I would do anything for the club. I have done s--- that I will never talk about and I have paid with my life a hundred times."The Bandidos are one of 12 outlaw bikie gangs that now have chapters in Queensland, boasting more than 700 members, according to police estimates. The stakes are high for these gangs. Financial rewards are dependent on the protection and expansion of criminal enterprise.Territories, often designated by the presence of a clubhouse and member-owned businesses, ensure ongoing profitability.Steve said crime and the outlaw bikie gang culture of "one-percenters", those bikies who declare themselves the 1 per cent of society who defy the law, go hand-in-hand.
"While you've got an outlaw culture, you've got crime . . . even if you have never done a crime before in your life, you soon will," he said.
The gangs are involved in criminal activities ranging from drug distribution to extortion and contract killings.It is a culture whose members' propensity for violence to resolve conflict has played out nationwide in shootouts, murder, bashings and firebombings.
Chapters each have members with "underground connections" but most will set up their criminal enterprises at a distance so as not to bring "heat" on the club.
The Bandidos also have a strict code of conduct – mandatory attendance at the clubhouse every Friday night, never leaving before the president, and strict dress code.Members are expected to pay a monthly fee to help with maintenance, rent and other members experiencing financial difficulty."I was pretty wealthy when I came into the club and I left broke, owing money to other members; at one stage, I was in debt $50,000."As sergeant-at-arms, meting out brutal beatings to fellow members and externally to anyone who stood in their way became a frequent "duty" for Steve.He was convicted of assault and grievous bodily harm in Cairns after a brawl with police when they tried to question the group over a bashing at a local hotel.
He would not detail the penalties for members if they broke club rules, saying only that punishment varied from fines to demotion within the club and being assaulted.
About two years ago, gang life turned treacherous at Steve's Brisbane chapter as a national war between the Bandidos and Rebels erupted.The bloody feud between the country's two largest gangs was sparked by the defection to the Bandidos of several senior interstate members of the Rebels."The law within the clubs is that to defect to another club you have to have left your club for two years in good standing. There has to be a cooling-off period of two years," Steve said.
Defection between clubs was taken seriously as gangs fear members will betray secrets, leaving them vulnerable to attack.
The battle reached a point where once-sacred areas such as members' homes and businesses were no longer no-go areas."You see a Rebel in a shopping centre, it's your job as a Bandido to take him out, no matter what, otherwise you'll be thrown out of the club," Steve said.
"The war between the Bandidos and Rebels has been going for two years. The last one went for seven and I don't ever see this one ending."An attack on a Sunshine Coast Rebel in 2006 by Bandidos sparked a series of violent clashes and broke an already uneasy truce between the Queensland-based gangs, which had decided to keep clear of the national war. The Rebel was run off the road and bashed, suffering serious spinal injuries. He told police he had been in a traffic accident.In February last year, in an alleged revenge attack, members of the Rebels drove into a group of Bandidos riding in formation at Ningi near Bribie Island.The Rebels, who have been charged over the incident, allegedly bashed Bandidos with baseball bats and axe handles.
"I had taken some leave at the time, because I needed a break," Steve said. "The loyalty and respect had gone in our chapter. Before you could trust a brother with your life, but that was gone. (But) I was getting calls that brothers were getting hurt and I had to go back.
"After this happened (Ningi), there was a lot of talk about revenge on the Rebels."
It was this event which lead to Steve's downfall.
In what many would believe to be a suicide mission, Steve and three fellow gang members torched the Rebels' "mother" clubhouse at Albion on Brisbane's northside.
Steve said he was forced to take part in the revenge arson attack or he would have been "beaten to a pulp". Had he refused to take part, his club would have ejected him on "bad standings", leaving him open to attack from every member of the Bandidos.
He said they would have attacked him on sight and removed his club tattoos with an angle-grinder or oxy-torch.
"If I had been thrown out, they also would have called the Rebels and said I had been kicked out of the club because I had done the arson.
"I had nowhere to go," he said.
Steve later told police that discussions about the revenge attack had been held between himself, club vice-president Ivan Glavas, sergeant-at-arms Kenneth James Whittaker and the then past-president Blair Raymond Thomsen.
He said an initial attempt on the Rebels' Albion clubhouse on March 26 last year failed, but Thomsen ordered Steve to leave a business card from the Bandidos' Sunshine Coast chapter in the door.
"The reason I think he wanted to do the (Albion) clubhouse is because there is more history, more memorabilia, it's the mother chapter of the Rebels," Steve said.
The following day, the four men again entered the property.
Whittaker climbed on the roof and was passed four jerry cans containing 40 litres of petrol that he poured through a hole he made using a crowbar. He then tossed a lit match into the building and leapt to safety as the clubhouse exploded.
In the days following the arson, Steve said, he had armed confrontations with members of the Rebels, after they twice attacked him on the Sunshine Coast.
In the first attack at his Yandina rental property, he woke in the early hours of the morning to hear people on his roof.
"I put my family in the bathroom and I ran out with a shotgun and handgun just firing shots . . . I saw them and knew who it was."
No one was harmed in the incident which Steve never reported to police.
The second attack was outside a paint shop at Nambour when he and another member were allegedly confronted by three armed men.
He said the men knew he was there after being tipped off by a mutual associate who kept them updated about Steve's movements.
"They (allegedly) fired shots into my car, they missed me but shot a chunk of my hair off as I dived into the air . . . I was unarmed at the time. But if I had been, someone would have died," he said.
The following morning, Steve confronted one of the men at gunpoint over the incident saying his family could have been in the car when they attacked. He refused to talk to police.
"The cops came and we had to flick our guns . . . it was serious s---."
Steve said he asked for help from his club, but received none.
"We wore no balaclavas, no gloves, and I read in the news police had tape of the arson. I felt like my brothers had abandoned me and I didn't want to lose my family.
"I was left with no choice but being the fall guy."
At the same time the Queensland police bikie Taskforce Hydra was closing in on the Bandidos and raided Steve's Sunshine Coast home, which was in Rebel territory.
Frightened for the safety of his family and feeling like he had nowhere to go, Steve did the "unthinkable" and turned to the police task force for help.
"It nearly killed me doing it, turning on the club."

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Robert English high-ranking leader of a local street gang now is in jail awaiting trial after being charged for threatening area residents with a gun

Berwyn man known as a high-ranking leader of a local street gang now is in jail awaiting trial after being charged for threatening area residents with a gun.
Bond was revoked for Robert English, 32, 3826 Euclid Ave., Berwyn, at a preliminary hearing Tuesday after he was charged with one count of aggravated unlawful use of a weapon by a felon within 1,000 feet of a park and three counts of aggravated unlawful use of a weapon by a felon.Cicero gang crimes tactical officers arrested English late Saturday night after a resident reported a man with a gun on the 1300 block of 57th Court in Cicero, police said.According to reports, English was brandishing his gun at unarmed people in the neighborhood in a threatening manner, and police recovered the weapon.Before the arrest, English had been out on bond awaiting trial for child endangerment charges in Berwyn. In May, Berwyn police said he co-hosted a large party at his home where two young children were present, dozens of gang members were cited with disorderly conduct, and one man was charged with felony possession of a weapon.English also was awaiting trial on charges of aggravated battery against a Cicero police officer in February and an armed robbery in Chicago last month.English faces up to 30 years in prison for the charges, according to a Cook County State’s Attorney’s office spokesman.Cicero police spokesperson Dan Proft said English is known as a high-ranking leader of a local street gang and has an extensive criminal history.
“This is someone police are very familiar with, and it’s through dealing with thugs like this guy that police know how the hierarchy and personnel work within a local street gang ... and his position in it,” Proft said, adding that the Cicero Police gang crimes unit has information cards on more than 6,000 known gang members

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Hells Angels Santa Rosa clubhouse raided by a SWAT team using an armored vehicle

Santa Rosa clubhouse of the Hells Angels was raided early Wednesday by a SWAT team using an armored vehicle, as part of raids that also hit the Healdsburg home of a suspected gang member and the club's San Francisco headquarters.Investigators sought evidence to document club membership and criminal connections involving Jonathan Joseph Nelson of Healdsburg and Mark Anthony Guardado of San Francisco, both suspects in beatings last spring in Petaluma."We're looking for supporting evidence about who these people are," Petaluma Police Capt. Dave Sears said.
The two men have been charged in connection with an altercation in February outside McNear's Saloon & Dining House in Petaluma. A man was jumped and badly beaten, eve after he lost consciousness, Sears said.The two also were charged in a March beating that injured a man outside Henny Penny's restaurant on the north end of Petaluma Boulevard, Sears said.Nelson and Guardado have pleaded not guilty in both cases, according to court records.The felony charges include allegations the two men acted in participation with a criminal street gang -- allegations that could add prison time if they are convicted.Investigators also sought information bolstering assertions that both men hold or held high-ranking positions in the organization. A Sonoma County sheriff's department attorney identified Nelson as vice president of the Sonoma County chapter and Guardado as president of the San Francisco chapter during court testimony in May.Their attorneys have argued there is no evidence linking them to gang activity. Hells Angels members say they are wrongly linked to criminal conduct, arguing they are a social motorcycle club and not a gang.
Defense attorney Martin Woods, who represents Nelson in the case, on Wednesday cited a federal court of appeals decision ruling it lawful to associate with the Hells Angels."Within Sonoma County itself there have been have been different opinions from different experts on the issue of whether the Hells Angels qualifies as a criminal street gang," Woods said. "It has been my belief that it does not, and that this case we're presently dealing with is where the prosecution is attempting to set some sort of precedent on the issue."Both defendants have filed $5 million claims against Sonoma County for excluding them from the courtroom because they were wearing shirts with Hells Angels insignia.Superior Court Judge Ken Gnoss had prohibited the clothing on the grounds that the symbols are meant to intimidate and threaten.Nelson's Healdsburg home on Oak Leaf Avenue was one of the three locations searched simultaneously beginning at about 5 a.m. Wednesday. Investigators did not say if he was home at the time.Petaluma police served the search warrant there, while Santa Rosa SWAT members raided the Santa Rosa clubhouse on Frazier Avenue.
Two FBI tactical teams conducted the search in San Francisco, where Guardado was arrested on an unrelated charge of alleged drug possession, Sears said.
No arrests were made in Sonoma County, Sears said.At the Santa Rosa clubhouse off Petaluma Hill Road, the black steel door with the club decal had been battered, apparently in authorities' attempts to get in. They ultimately entered through another door.

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Man was stabbed and shots were fired during a fight between rival outlaw motorcycle gangs at a Los Banos peace rally

man was stabbed and shots were fired during a fight between rival outlaw motorcycle gangs at a Los Banos peace rally on Saturday.The incident occurred at Victory Outreach Church’s Stop the Violence Rally held at Pacheco Park, according to Los Banos Police Department Commander Dan Fitchie.
The rally, which also included a car and bike show, was attended by numerous members of the Mongols motorcycle gang.There were no problems until approximately 3 p.m., when nearly a dozen members of the Hells Angels motorcycle gang rode by the park and confronted the Mongols, Fitchie said.An argument ensued between rival gangs, and quickly escalated to a physical fight, Fitchie said. During the fight allegedly five or six shots were fired from a .40 caliber handgun.Fitchie said it doesn’t appear that anyone was struck by the bullets being fired but during the fight but a Hells Angel prospect -- somebody who is trying to join the motorcycle gang -- sustained a stab wound to his left torso.The victim was airlifted to Memorial Hospital in Modesto where he was treated and released.Several law enforcement agencies, including off-duty officers from the Los Banos Police Department, Merced County Sheriff’s deputies and California Highway Patrol officers, descended on Pacheco Park to investigate the incident.During the investigation, Fitchie said police recovered several shell casings and two unfired bullets. Police also discovered a magazine to a semi-automatic weapon during a pat-down of one of the participants, identified as Atwater resident Kellen Brenton. Brenton, 58, is a member of the Hells Angels according to police.Brenton also allegedly had a whip with a metal handle on his motorcycle. He was subsequently arrested on suspicion of possession of a dangerous weapon.According to a Merced County Jail spokesman, Brenton is still in custody at the main detention facility in Merced, his bail has been set at $500,000.Further investigation brought officers to a Los Banos house where several of the Hells Angels had congregated. A search warrant was obtained to try and locate the gun used in the shooting but no weapon was found inside the residence.Fitchie said he is waiting for results from a gunshot-residue test to see who the person was that fired the bullets. He added that reports show that it was a member of the Hells Angels gang that allegedly fired the weapon."The investigation is continuing as it appears tensions are mounting and we have concerns (the violence) will continue," Fitchie said.
A motorcycle show scheduled for July 11 at the Los Banos Fairgrounds will have more security than usual, he said.
The Rev. Chris Castaneda from Victory Outreach Church said he was saddened by the incident. He said this was just the kind of violence his church was trying to bring awareness to.
"It kind of brings confirmation, there is a violent element in our city," Castaneda said. "You know I remember a time when you could say that Los Banos was a very safe place."Victory Outreach has held the anti-violence rally off-and-on for the past eight years as a way to communicate to youth the risks of becoming involved in drugs and gang activity.
Castaneda also said next year's event will go on as usual. If anything he is more determined to get more people involved."We have to bring awareness and come together as a community," he said.

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maximum security Edmonton prison clash between rival prison gangs during a recreation period Tuesday afternoon

clash between rival prison gangs during a recreation period Tuesday afternoon at the Edmonton Institution. It wasn't known Wednesday which gangs were involved.
The men were wielding homemade knives and eight of them were stabbed. One inmate was shot by a guard, said Correctional Services of Canada spokesman Rick Dhym.
"Warning shots were fired," said Mr. Dhym. "He refused to give up his weapon and stop attacking another inmate."
Ground ambulances and a helicopter were called to the prison northwest of Edmonton to transport the injured men to hospitals in the city.
About 40 inmates remained in the yard, refusing to go back to their cells. Guards had only recovered three weapons at that point and were concerned that some of the men still had knives, Mr. Dhym said.Yells could be heard from outside the gates as guards attempted to negotiate with the men.
At one point a man yelled, "Give us some f---ing water!"
The negotiations didn't work.The inmates broke into a fenced off-area where nine cords of wood, enough to fill the boxes of nine pickup trucks, were kept for an on-site ceremonial sweat lodge.By 10 p.m. local time, two fires were blazing in the yard and three fire trucks were sitting in the prison parking lot on standby.Inmates set the prison sweat lodge ablaze and guards shot six canisters of tear gas into the yard about an hour later.As flames shot further into the night sky, the firefighters could no longer attack the blaze from above with aerial hoses, fire spokeswoman Nikki Booth said.A crew of four firefighters had to go into the yard.
"They had to unroll their hoses and get escorted in" by a tactical unit, Ms. Booth said. "These are not situations that paramedics or firefighters generally face."After the tear gas ended the standoff, around 11:20 p.m. local time, prisoners were taken from the yard one at a time, strip-searched for weapons, washed down and returned to their cells, Mr. Dhym said.The maximum security prison remained under lockdown Wednesday, as police and correctional officers investigated what happened.
No prison staff members were injured during the incident.
Eight people were taken to hospitals Tuesday. Two were in critical condition. Two more people were treated at hospital Wednesday for minor injuries.It is not clear what the inmates were trying to negotiate for.Violent incidents are not uncommon in the maximum security prison, said Kevin Grabowsky, regional president for the union that represents correctional officers.
"Our gang problems are pretty serious. There's always a tension inside," he said.
In June 2007, 60 inmates refused to go back into their cells and broke into the sweat lodge area, burning the wood inside and some plastic chairs. In 2001, seven inmates were injured in a violent incident when 50 men refused to re-enter their cells.

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Gypsy Jokers motorcycle gang leader has been arrested after police seized a cache of weapons from a Blair Athol house

senior member of the Gypsy Jokers motorcycle gang has been arrested after police seized a cache of weapons from a Blair Athol house yesterday.
Police from the Crime Gangs Taskforce and Firearms Branch confiscated a sawn-off shotgun, knives, a baton and some drugs.
Two 48-year-old men from Blair Athol have been granted bail on firearms and weapons offences, to reappear in Holden Hill Court at a later date.

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Keith Cowell, 52, his son Matthew, 17, and 33-year-old lorry driver Tony Dulieu - were slaughtered by sub-machine gun in an underworld feud

Ian Jennings heard gun shots, screaming and crying as a he hid in the back garden of a suburban home after escaping the carnage.The three victims - Keith Cowell, 52, his son Matthew, 17, and 33-year-old lorry driver Tony Dulieu - were slaughtered by sub-machine gun in an underworld feud over the quality of cocaine that had been supplied by Jennings, St Albans crown court heard.Jennings's mother Christine, 54, was shot in the foot and stabbed andMatthew's girlfriend Claire Evans, 23, was also stabbed as she frantically protected her 4-year-old daughter Courtney in a bedroom.
Jennings, the man who had brought the drugs to the Cowells' house in Plaw Hatch Close, was saved because he was getting himself a drink in the kitchen when two men burst in.Shaven-headed Jennings, who was dressed in a track suit and trainers, told the jury: "Two Asian guys came in through the front door and told everyone to get on the floor. They shot the dog. I ran straight out through the kitchen, through the back door and into a passage to the rear garden.He said he tried to climb over a fence to escape but collapsed in stinging nettles. "All I could hear were gun shots, crying screaming and glass breaking." He said he heard his mum's voice and Claire and her baby screaming.Jennings said the noise lasted for four or five minutes before he heard a car screech off.The prosecution says the man armed with the machine gun was Miran Thakrar, who was angry after having been supplied with low grade cocaine for 16,000 in a previous deal. He had been expected to receive a higher grade of the drug called 'Shine'.He said the first deal had come about when Matthew told him he wanted to sell some 'Shine' cocaine to Miran Thakrar, known as Mike, whom he met at a funeral. Jennings said he was not happy about dealing with Mike because he did not know him. But he said the Cowells had assured him he was all right."They said they knew the person and said they were happy to deal with him. They said his father had nightclubs and he was wearing Armani suits," he said. Also there was no Shine available he supplied the Cowells with the low grade 'Repress' to supply to Mike.Miran Thakrar was furious when he realised he had not received Shine and made threats to the Cowells saying he wanted his money back, it was alleged.
Jennings told them to get "Mike" to contact him. In an angry phone call he said Mike threatened to "put one in" Matthew and Keith Cowell over the drug deal and made threats to him. He said: "He was talking like a 'Tupac rapper' or some gangster. I told him to 'f*** off.'"But, he said, two days later Mike phoned again, said he was sorry and asked to do a second deal, this time for a kilo of cocaine. A price of
£30,000 was agreed he said. The exchange was to be made at the Cowells' home on August 28 last year.Jennings and the two Cowells had each made £500 on the previous deal. But he said this time the Cowells were not making any money and he was only receiving £500.He said he recognised Mike's voice as he shouted at the victims to get on the ground because he had spoken to him several times on the phone.
Miran Thakrar, 24, and Kevan Thakrar, 21, plead not guilty to the murder of Keith and Matthew Cowell and Tony Dulieu, from Billericay, Essex, at the Cowells' home in Plaw Hatch Close, Bishop Stortford on August 28 last year.Miran Thakrar, of no fixed address, and Kevan, of Lomond Way, Stevenage, also deny the attempted murders of Claire Evans and Christine Jennings in the house on the same day and having an Ingram Mac 10 sub machine gun with intent.Their brother Jay Thakrar, 25, of Lomond Way, Stevenage, has pleaded not guilty to two counts of assisting an offender. One relates to providing petrol between August 27 and August 30 for the burning of a car used by Miran Thakrar, and the other alleges he assisted Kevan Thakrar to evade arrest.Their father Atul Thakrar, 47, of Compton Place, Northwood, Middlesex, has pleaded not guilty to assisting Kevan Thakrar to attempt to leave the UK between August 28 and September 5.Co-defendant Amanda Dansie, 21, of High Street, Buntingford, has pleaded not guilty to assisting in the escape of Miran Thakrar from the UK between August 28 and September 9.Yilay Tufensoy, 20, of Nags Head Road, Enfield, denies two charges of assisting an offender. In one charge he is alleged to have assisted Miran Thakrar flee the UK and in the other he is accused of assisting Kevan Thakrar's attempts to flee the UK.

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Red & White Crew (RWC), a division of the Hells Angels motorcycle gang, has admitted to involvement in the brutal Gothenburg murder

29-year-old was indicted on Wednesday for a brutal Gothenburg murder in which investigators believe an innocent man was burned to death after being accidentally caught up in a gang feud.The incident took place in December 6th of last year following a fracas involving rival motorcycle gangs the night before.The following day, a 44-year-old labourer from Poland, who investigators now believe had nothing to do with the incident, became the victim of one of the most vicious murders in Gothenburg of the last decade.“I can state that the victim was alive when someone set him on fire. The man had previously been seriously stabbed and slashed with an axe,” said prosecutor Göran Hansson to the Göteborgs-Posten (GP) newspaper.
The 29-year-old, who has ties to the Red & White Crew (RWC), a division of the Hells Angels motorcycle gang, has admitted to involvement in the crime.The accused, who describes himself as having a fixation with violence, has been judged mentally sound by forensic psychiatrists.However, there are indications that he may be sentenced to some form of psychiatric care if convicted.According to GP, it took police quite a long time to identify the 44-year-old victim, a Polish citizen who was working as a handyman on temporary employment visa.Two other men with ties to the RWC were also detained in connection with the crime, but were later released after a month in custody.However, one of the men, a 24-year-old, was arrested a few days later and will shortly stand trial on charges of having murdered a vegetable vendor in Säve, north of Gothenburg at the end of January

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'Big Willem' van Boxtel former president of Amsterdam's Hells Angels chapter is suing

former president of Amsterdam's Hells Angels chapter, 'Big Willem' van Boxtel, is suing the justice ministry for more than €1m in damages because his private and business life have been 'ruined' by groundless allegations against him. Van Boxtel was thrown out of the Angels after he was falsely accused of planning to blow up underworld leader Willem Holleeder. Other Hells Angels are also preparing claims, the Parool reports on Wednesday.

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Darnell Snell arrested for allegedly carrying a concealed 9-mm handgun to a Bloods street gang member's funeral in Roosevelt

arrest of Darnell Snell, 25, undercover police detectives at the funeral noticed that Snell kept adjusting an object in his waistband -- an object that looked like a handgun, police said.The detectives closed in on Snell, of 93 North 17th St., Wyandanch, and arrested him on a weapons possession charge after they found a loaded 9-mm handgun in his waistband, police said.Snell was arraigned in First District Court, Hempstead, on Saturday before Judge Rhonda Fischer, who set bail at $50,000 bond or $25,000 cash. As of Monday, Snell had not posted bail, court records showed.
The Friday arrest came after Nassau police sent undercover Bureau of Special Operations officers to the area of St. Francis and Frederick avenues for an intensive patrol during the Bloods gang member's funeral.
One of the officers saw Snell "adjusting what appeared to be a handgun in his waistband. After seeing the defendant adjust his waistband a second time," officers moved in and arrested Snell without incident, a police report said

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