GANG SQUAD: 2009

Sunday, 13 December 2009

United Nations gang drug house

day after targeting a drug house linked to the United Nations gang, Abbotsford police have announced the arrest of eight more suspected dealers linked to the Red Scorpion gang.Const. Ian MacDonald said the Abbotsford police and bike squads conducted a two-day project in the downtown core of the city targeting the dealers and their drug lines.Project Christmas Crack - Down led to seizures of crack cocaine, heroin, marijuana, cash, weapons and cellular phones used in these drug operations, MacDonald said."The project also demonstrated that drug trafficking was taking place on or near school grounds and had clear connections to organized crime. Of the seven men and woman arrested the associations to the Red Scorpion Gang in particular were evident," he said."The intelligence gathered as a result of this project will be used for future police investigations and projects. The Abbotsford Police Department is expecting to make more arrests in the coming days."

United Nations gang drug house

Torturer Martin Hamilton is preparing for early release after nine years of a life sentence.

"There will be a few people dreading the day he walks out of prison a free man."

Hamilton was flanked by two guards as he called on his mother for tea and biscuits on a home visit from Shotts Prison.He watched l ive coverage of the UK Snooker Championship at the old lady's Glasgow flat on Thursday before emerging at 3.15pm.
He was then driven back to Kerr House, a low-supervision wing at Shotts.
Ultra-violent Hamilton was jailed for life in 2000 for a catalogue of offences , including abduction, torture and drug-dealing.He was ordered to serve at least nine years before he could apply for parole.But the 49-year-old heroin baron and bank robber is now confident he'll be out soon after he was granted the right to enjoy two-hour home visits. he has been told he will train for his release at New Douglas Park, home of SPL club Hamilton Accies.Our source told us: "Hammy can't wait to get out of prison."He's been inside for a long time now and knows each day is a day closer to freedom."All he has to do is keep his nose clean and stay out of trouble."The home visits are the start of the process for Hammy and he chooses to go and visit his mum."She's getting on, and Hammy going to visit her is easier than her having to make the journey to Shotts."Hamilton was the most notorious gangland figure in Scotland during a reign of terror which lasted almost 20 years.
Before justice finally caught up with him, he walked free from TWELVE High Court indictments for crimes, including possession of firearms, a shooting, serious assault and robbery.Cases against him fell apart after witnesses were too afraid to give evidence against him, and preferred to be jailed for contempt of court instead.
But Hamilton was finally sent down at the High Court in Inverness - as armed police guarded every exit in the court building.Terrified witnesses were put in pol ice protection schemes and a news blackout on the trial was imposed.
Hamilton, of Anderston, Glasgow, was convicted of ordering the kidnap and torture of victims from the Edinburgh drug scene.Detectives say he was trying to take control of the capital's drug trade. Local dealers d ived for cover when he based himself in the capital 's Broomhouse area.Hamilton was found guilty of 14 charges, including several torture offences. Victims were set on fire, scalded with boiling water or stabbed in the face.In one horrific incident, a young couple were ordered to be stabbed in a bath so they wouldn't bleed all over the carpet of the flat where they were being held hostage.An attempt was made to gouge a man's eye out with a spoon and Hamilton also tried to cut a man's finger offwith a knife.
Hamilton was also convicted of being concerned in the supply of heroin and diazepam, threatening a man with violence and holding a knife to another man's throat and threatening to kill him.He was acquitted over the abduction of two men and offering them money for sex.Passing sentence, Lord Kingarth said:

"You showed yourself capable of taking sadistic pleasure in the infliction of pain and the inspiration of real terror over long periods.

"You pose a substantial danger to the public."Hamilton's co-accused, David Henderson, was jailed for six years.A third accused, Martin Byrne, 28, who gave evidence against Hamilton, admitted stabbing the teenage girl and boy in the face and was jailed for just three years.
Hamilton had already served a nine -year sentence for trying to rob the Dunferml ine Bui lding Society in Anniesland, Glasgow in 1992.And in 1990, he abducted notorious gangster Paul Ferris off the street.He bundled Ferris into a car on the orders of crime lord Arthur Thompson Snr, but released him when Thompson had a change of heart.Our source said: "Police were popping champagne when Hammy was sent down. They'd waited years to see him put away."Now they'll be wondering if they'll have to do it all over again when he gets out."

Black Disciplines and the Gangster Disciples shootings

Eleven-year-old Aston Wise was shot and killed while sitting in a parked SUV with his dad, Ken Wise, who was critically wounded. Aston Wise was a passenger in a sport-utility vehicle parked on a South Shore street Friday night when a masked gunman opened fire with a shotgun, killing Aston and critically wounding his father.Aston, of the 6800 block of South East End Avenue, was shot in the head in the 7800 block of South Kingston, police said. He was pronounced dead on the scene, according to the Cook County medical examiner's office.Ken Wise was critically injured after a masked gunman fired into his parked SUV Friday night, killing his son Aston.
Aston was a sixth-grader at Martha Ruggles Elementary School, 7831 S. Prairie, Chicago Public Schools spokeswoman Monique Bond said.
Police Supt. Jody Weis said detectives are investigating if the shooting was connected to a relative with gang ties. Weis said Aston had a half brother in the Black Disciplines street gang and that there has been "low-key" conflict between the Black Disciplines and the Gangster Disciples. Police are also looking into the possibility of a carjacking, Weis said."We won't really know until we get a chance to talk with the father," Weis said. No arrests had been made as of Saturday night. About 8:25 p.m. Friday, a man wearing a black mask approached the passenger side of the SUV and fired several shotgun rounds into the vehicle, police said.
Aston's 42-year-old father, Kenneth Wise, suffered gunshot wounds in his side and back, but he managed to drive away before crashing into the Wee Care Nursery School at 1843 E. 79th St., police said. No one was in the school at the time, but the crash ruptured a gas line. The SUV also struck several parked cars and a water pipe.
Paramedics found Aston dead in the car and took his father to Northwestern Memorial Hospital in critical condition.

Alexander Ian Rodriguez,Norteño gang member early this morning in Santa Rosa after he allegedly threw a .357-caliber revolver

Arrested a 19-year-old Norteño gang member early this morning in Santa Rosa after he allegedly threw a .357-caliber revolver into some bushes near a park. Officers responded to the report of a fight at Pear Blossom Park off of Edgewater Drive at about 3:15 a.m. The fight had dispersed by the time they arrived. They checked the area around the park to try to find the people involved in the brawl. Officer Jesse Whitten found someone about a block away from the park walking along a sidewalk. When the suspect, Alexander Ian Rodriguez, a Santa Rosa resident, saw the officer he allegedly threw the revolver into the bushes in front of a house, police said. Rodriguez was arrested for allegedly being felon in possession of
a firearm, possession of a concealed firearm and possession of a firearm with the serial number removed, according to police. Gang crime detectives identified Rodriguez as being a member of the Norteño gang and then also charged him with several gang enhancements

33-year-old man was killed by Parañaque cops responding to an alleged gang war

33-year-old man was killed by Parañaque cops responding to an alleged gang war that erupted early morning Sunday.SPO1 Reynaldo Arojado said Celso de los Santos, a construction worker and resident of Malugay Street, Barangay San Martin de Porres, was shot dead near his home after he allegedly fired at members of police community precinct 3 at around 2 a.m.Initial investigation showed that two groups of men were in a scuffle when the cops arrived on the scene.Armed with an improvised gun (sumpak), De los Santos reportedly shot at the officers who were forced to return fire.The suspect was rushed to the Parañaque Doctors Hospital but was declared dead on arrival for multiple gunshot wounds.Arojado said the shooting would be investigated further. He added that cops have been pursuing those who took part in the gang war.

Two mobsters called to testify in a Palermo trial didn't corroborate the testimony of a Mafia hitman

Two mobsters called to testify in a Palermo trial didn't corroborate the testimony of a Mafia hitman who last week said Italian Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi and a close associate gave the mob political reassurances in the early 1990s.The mobsters appeared Friday at the trial of an Italian senator and a former business associate of Mr. Berlusconi. Giuseppe Graviano, a Mafia boss who, along with his brother Filippo, is serving multiple life sentences for bombings and murder, declined to testify.Filippo Graviano told the court through a video link that he had never had any direct or indirect contact with the Italian senator on trial.The case is the appeals trial of Marcello Dell'Utri, a member of the Italian Senate. Mr. Dell'Utri was an employee of Mr. Berlusconi when the Italian billionaire ran his family's media empire.Prosecutors on Friday were expected to ask Giuseppe Graviano whether he could corroborate testimony given last week in the trial by hitman Gaspare Spatuzza, who said Mr. Graviano had told him that Messrs. Berlusconi and Dell'Utri had "practically put the country in our hands" before Mr. Berlusconi was elected to his first term as prime minister in the spring of 1994.
But Mr. Graviano -- who addressed the court through a video link -- invoked his right to remain silent. Mr. Graviano said he had sent a letter to the court explaining why he was unable to testify because of health reasons. He didn't elaborate on the letter or the health issues.Moments earlier, a judge had asked Filippo Graviano if he had ever had "direct or indirect" contact with Mr. Dell'Utri, and he responded: "No.Mr. Berlusconi isn't involved in the appeals trial, nor is he under investigation for any crime related to the Mafia. Lawyers for Messrs. Berlusconi and Dell'Utri have repeatedly denied any contact between their clients and members of the Graviano family.

Scott Robert Sutton, Santa Barbara Chapter of the Hells Angels pleaded guilty

Scott Robert Sutton, Santa Barbara Chapter of the Hells Angels pleaded guilty Monday to being a felon in possession of a firearm and is expected to be put on five years probation when he is sentenced in January, according to prosecutor Derek Malan.
Scott Robert Sutton, 41, could get as much as three years behind bars if he fails to comply with the terms of his probation, said Malan. Sutton, of Ojai, will be sentenced Jan. 6.On Sept. 24, 2009, an officer with the Ventura Police Department saw a vehicle being driven by Sutton commit several traffic violations, according to Malan. Sutton failed to stop for five blocks, even after the officer had turned on his patrol car siren and lights. The officer said Sutton thew an “object” from his car. Officers later recovered a .32 caliber automatic handgun, a handgun magazine and six .32 caliber bullets, according to Malan.Sutton had been convicted of felony insurance fraud in 2002.

new drug-peddling Canadian bikie gang called Rock Machine is threatening to establish its presence in Western Australia

"The Rock Machine outlaw motorcycle gang, like all outlaw motorcycle gangs represent a real and present threat to the Australian community," he said.new drug-peddling Canadian bikie gang called Rock Machine is threatening to establish its presence in Western Australia, beginning with a national run through Perth this weekend.Detective Superintendent Kim Papalia from the gang crime squad said Rock Machine - whose members are renowned for their violence and extortion - was re-emerging as a force in the USA and Australia after being absorbed by the Bandidos gang about nine years ago.Detective Papalia would not say how many members were in WA or how many would be embarking on the run, but he said Rock Machine posed a "significant public safety risk" and could lead to an "increase in tensions" with rival gangs. He was also tight-lipped about where Rock Machine would base itself in Perth.He said police had begun approaching people believed to be involved with the club, and hinted police could take a similar line to that adopted when the Finks went on their run through Perth several weeks ago."We don't know what they intend to do (in Perth) at the moment," Detective Papalia said, adding members from Canada could be involved in the run.Meanwhile, gang crime detectives hailed the "Phone in a bikie" campaign on June 23 a success and said it would be repeated next year after 400 calls yielded information that saw about $11 million in illicit drugs taken off Perth streets.
About 69 members of motorcycle clubs and their associates were charged by police and faced a total of 189 offences - including 43 for drug trafficking.
Rock Machine was formed in Montreal, Canada in the early 1990s and then spread its wings across the province of Quebec.Rock Machine was initially a drug-dealing organisation when it was started up byindependent drug dealers and notorious Montreal crime families.The group was set up to thwart one of the world's oldest bikie gangs, the Hells Angels, from trying to take over Montreal's street-level drug scene.What ensued was a bitter rivalry between Rock Machine - whose ethnicity comprised mostly French-Canadian members - and the Hells Angels between 1994 and 2002 in which 150 people were killed.As a result of the bloody turf war, Rock Machine turned into a motorcycle gang and it soon formed an alliance with the Texas-based Bandidos.Unlike other clubs that took pride in wearing leather vests bearing identifying patches, Rock Machine members were said to have only worn rings with the sign of an eagle on them.Detective Papalia confirmed some members wore such rings, but he would not speculate on the reasons why they would do this.
"They're an interesting organisation within the culture of outlaw motorcycle gangs," he said. "We are aware they wear different types of paraphernalia."In 2000, when the Bandidos took over Rock Machine, several members defected to the Hells Angels when the Bandidos did not grant full patch-wearing membership status to Rock Machine's junior members.The extent of Rock Machine's presence in Australia is not officially known. However, one suspected associate of the group was arrested in Sydney earlier this year after he allegedly drove a stretched limousine into a car and a shed and then assaulted police.Now, Rock Machine has an Australian chapter in Sydney as well as a presence across several states in the USA and Canada, but no longer in its old stomping ground of Quebec.Detective Papalia would not confirm if police sought information from their NSW counterparts or the Australian Crime Commission on Rock Machine, but said all law enforcement agencies both nationally and overseas constantly share information.He said he could not explain why Rock Machine - like dozens of other motorcycle clubs before them - became attracted to Perth."The Rock Machine outlaw motorcycle gang like all outlaw motorcycle gangs represent a threat to community safety," he said."They impact on public health through drug distribution and they also impact on the risk in the community through their overt and active involvement in violence and extortion."We will police Rock Machine on behalf of the community of this State to get that clear message, 'not here, not ever'."
Australian Crime Commission chief executive John Lawler said the agency refused to comment on the specific activities of criminal groups, including motorcycle clubs.

"Outlaw motorcycle gangs remain a visible criminal threat and continue to be quite rightly targeted by law enforcement throughout the country."

10,000 gang members roaming the streets of Essex County

10,000 gang members roaming the streets of Essex County, and Thomas Fennelly has a dossier on every one of them.At a clandestine location in Newark, Fennelly watches over a small group of law enforcement agents who work out of a room littered with pictures of known gang members. Computers and filing cabinets line the walls, containing everything the Essex County Prosecutor’s Office needs to know about the seven street gangs that run drugs and guns through the county’s 22 municipalities."This is the nerve center," he says.
Mitsu Yasukawa/The Star-LedgerA detective in the V.I.P.E.R. Unit looks into the various tattoos and signs in the Intelligence Section at their unit headquarters in Newark.The room filled with documents is the nucleus of an intelligence-based initiative that law enforcement officials say is starting to turn the tide in Essex County’s tireless battle with street gangs and drug traffickers. Since the V.I.P.E.R. Unit, a combination of the prosecutor’s office drug and narcotics intelligence bureaus, was formed in the spring 2008, it has arrested 298 suspects as a result of targeted investigations. Fennelly said 115 of those are documented gang members and 62 are gang associates.In all, Fennelly said the unit has led the charge in dismantling six narcotics rings operating in the county.He said the unit’s success has been spurred on by a simple virtue — patience."We are attacking cases on a methodical basis. A few years ago, a lead may have been developed that two individuals were affiliated with a particular (gang) set, or were selling drugs at a location. We would get there, setup our initial probable cause, and arrest those individuals," Fennelly, director of the V.I.P.E.R. Unit, said. "We would put them out of business temporarily, but soon other people would be there.V.I.P.E.R. — which stands for violence, intelligence, prosecution, enforcement and recidivism — has three assistant prosecutors, three lieutenants, 18 prosecutor’s office detectives and a rotation of detectives from local police departments and the county Sheriff’s Office. The close-knit makeup of the unit allows investigators to quickly share information and analyze crime data to pinpoint hot spots for the drug trafficking believed to be at the heart of county wide gang activity, chief of detectives Anthony Ambrose said.

"The gang problem here in Essex is based solely around drugs. It isn’t like the gangs in Los Angeles where problems happen because you are wearing the wrong color,"

Ambrose said. "It’s mainly drug dealers, runners and couriers all the way down to the street level."Mitsu Yasukawa/The Star-LedgerThomas Fennelly, director of Essex County's 'V.I.P.E.R.' Unit, discusses investigation procedures for next operation plan during a briefing at their unit headquarters in Newark.
The task of pouring through the stacks of violent crime data falls on Toniann Mattea. As the prosecutor’s office lieutenant of detectives assigned to the V.I.P.E.R. unit, Mattea receives and dispenses intelligence connected to nearly every shooting, assault and homicide that takes place in the county, which allows detectives to identify crime trends and work to close out gun violence cases quickly."We have recognized that we have to get after the shootings, because when you feed them in, they become the basis for a later homicide, a later gang retaliation," said Prosecutor Paula T. DowThe unit has worked closely with a bevy of agencies ranging from local police departments to the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco and Firearms. Ambrose said through close cooperation, law enforcement officials have been able to eliminate borders between agencies in the county and setup a unified front against street gangs, especially the area’s most prominent organization, the Bloods.The combined effort was key in a summertime take down, dubbed "Operation Bloodette," leading to the arrest 43 members of a female-led narcotics ring that flooded Essex County with more than $2.5 million dollars of PCP, crack cocaine and marijuana each year."We noticed street level dealers in Valisburg. Some of the players involved saw a heavy East Orange police presence in the area and thought they would get away by moving their stash houses across the street to the Newark side, not realizing that all sides were working together," Fennelly said.Once the drug dealers are taken off the streets and brought before an Essex County judge, V.I.P.E.R’s trio of assistant prosecutors have been able to use asset-forfeiture statutes and harsh plea agreements to keep them from reclaiming their territory. Of the 70 defendants arrested in a string of high-profile raids in 2008, all but one have been either indicted on charges stemming from their arrest or pleaded guilty.Prosecutors attribute the courtroom success of V.I.P.E.R. unit cases to Dow’s decision to assign specific assistant prosecutors to the unit, rather than trial courts, which allows them to be involved an investigation from the date of arrest to the opening arguments of a trial.East Orange Police Chief Ronald Borgo believes information sharing with the V.I.P.E.R. unit has been key in helping local police in Essex County stay on top of gang activity in their municipalities.
"It’s great to be pro-active and collaborate with the Prosecutor’s Office, to be able to give them intelligence and then be able to receive intelligence back immediately so we can hit the ground running to improve the quality of life out here," Borgo said. "Chief Ambrose has an understanding of the problems of our cities."Ambrose and Dow’s understanding of gang activity in the county is straightforward — they said each set is a disease that needs to be cured"

Gangs are much like a cancer," Dow said. "We are removing them. We are eliminating the structure."

The criminals think they’re businessmen, but we have to make them realize they’re delinquents, that they have to hide, and not drive around the city in caravans of eight or 10 vehicles showing their weapons

The criminals think they’re businessmen, but we have to make them realize they’re delinquents, that they have to hide, and not drive around the city in caravans of eight or 10 vehicles showing their weapons,” Leyzaola said. “Before, they controlled authorities, and as a person, as a society, as a public servant, I can’t allow that.”On leave from the Mexican armed forces, he’s the first military officer to head the 2,100-officer municipal department, the largest police agency in Baja California.Some care little for his brash manner and tough talk, saying it only serves to infuriate dangerous adversaries and that his officers end up paying the price. But others praise him for daring to bring about change: In a city where it has sometimes been difficult to distinguish the cops from the criminals, Leyzaola has taken pains to point out the difference.
“Julian Leyzaola is playing a very important role, which is confronting crime,” said Roberto Quijano, a corporate attorney who heads the Tijuana branch of the national business group, Coparmex, and an observer of crime trends. “It is costing many lives, but he is doing a good job and being recognized for it.”To avert attacks, police have been ordered to patrol in groups, and in recent weeks have been moving through the city in squads of three to five pickups. By Leyzaola’s tally, 42 officers have been gunned down in the line of duty in the past two years.“It wasn’t this way before, because they were cooperating with the criminals, and now they’re facing them as police,” Leyzaola said. “I call them heroes, because they know the risks they’re up against, and yet they still come to work, step into their patrol vehicles and attend to citizens.”State investigators say the tally is higher — 56 Tijuana municipal officers killed in the past two years — and that the causes aren’t so clear-cut. They say up to 45 percent of the deaths could be linked to the officer’s suspicious activityBut some were indisputably killed for doing their jobs. And others were shot because they were wearing police uniforms — killings allegedly ordered by suspected drug-gang leader Teodoro García Simental to pressure Leyzaola to step down.With civilian police agencies across Mexico weakened by decades of internal corruption, the military has assumed a central role in confronting drug-trafficking groups under Mexican President Felipe Calderón. Increasingly, military officers such as Leyzaola have been tapped for leadership positions in civilian law enforcement agencies across Mexico.He said his close relationship with military authorities has been crucial in his current job: “We have total, total coordination. Without their support, we wouldn’t have been able to accomplish anything here.”

A trim, athletic 49-year-old, Leyzaola is the son and grandson of military officers, becoming a soldier at 16 when he enrolled in the Heroico Colegio Militar, Mexico’s West Point. He now lives apart from his family and sleeps at the military base in Tijuana for security reasons.Leyzaola isn’t new to civilian law enforcement: Previous positions include heading Baja California’s prison system and the state’s police force. But never before has he drawn so much public scrutiny.A widely viewed YouTube video shows Leyzaola detaining a violent drug suspect named José Filiberto Parra Ramos this year in the parking lot of a Tijuana shopping center.Unaware that journalists were watching one Saturday in October, he punched the body of a suspect who had been killed in a confrontation with police officers. It was an act of frustration, he later explained, because he had just learned that an officer shot in the incident had died.Last month, Leyzaola made headlines again when he said the members of Los Tucanes de Tijuana, a popular musical group, should be investigated for links to drug traffickers because of their songs that celebrate violent exploits.Leyzaola’s staunchest civilian supporter is Tijuana Mayor Jorge Ramos, who appointed Leyzaola to the department’s No. 2 spot when he began his term two years ago. In December 2008, as drug-related violence rose to unprecedented levels, Ramos promoted Leyzaola to the top position, secretary of public safety, replacing Alberto Capella, an attorney and anti-crime activist.“This was not a job for a civilian,” Ramos said. “We needed someone who would win the trust of the population, but most of all of military authorities.”Under Capella and now with Leyzaola, the department has undergone an unprecedented purging, with the dismissal or resignation of 470 officers. Of those, 120 are behind bars, including at least a dozen high-ranking commanders accused of collaborating with organized crime.Ramos said Tijuana spends close to $105 million a year on public safety — one-third of the city’s budget. Police salaries have been increased, and a starting officer receives nearly $1,200 a month, which Ramos said is the highest for a municipal department in Mexico.Still, the results of the city’s crime-fighting efforts remain difficult to quantify

State government figures show that crime has gone down, 12 percent in Tijuana in the first nine months of this year compared with the same period in 2008. But an analysis by Coparmex, the business group, shows overall crime in Tijuana down 7 percent from last year, and thefts and robberies have risen. Homicides have dropped from a record 844 last year to 530 so far this year, about half of them attributed to organized crime, according to the Baja California Attorney General’s Office

want to take a tour of gang turf?

want to take a tour of gang turf? One former gang member thinks so and he thinks his idea can help with the gang problem. But not everyone is happy about the idea. The creator of LA Gang Tours is hoping to expand into notorious gang hot spots like the Westlake District, but for now the focus is on South Los Angeles.
South L.A. is where these tours will begin in January and is an area that has been hit hard by gang violence.
Alfred Lomas is the man behind LA Gang Tours. Lomas, a former gang member, says that the whole idea behind to his non-profit group is to create jobs and open the lines of communication between rival gangs.

Lomas says that he has already worked out a cease fire agreement between three of the largest and most dangerous gangs in Los Angeles. The agreement says that there will be no shooting between 10 a.m. and 1 p.m., which is the same time tour buses will be passing through the area. Critics say the idea of Gang Tours exploits the poor and is demeaning to the residents in these neighborhoods. Lomas and the people standing behind his project say that it's a great way to empower the community. "This is an non-profit organization, it's community based and we're creating jobs," Lomas said. "Our first priority is saving lives by getting the gang members to sit down and honor this first and foremost." The tours are set to begin in January and are scheduled for two hours and costs $65. Lomas says all of the money will be funneled back into the community and that his ultimate goal is to create micro-loans for inner-city entrepreneurs.

Clayton Roueche and his associates travelled to Montreal

Clayton Roueche and his associates travelled to Montreal in April 2008 to watch an Ultimate Fighting Championship event. He held court in room 407 of the W-Hotel with organized crime contacts stopping by. One of those was a Mafia leader, according to documents filed in the U.S. court. Spending lots of time with Roueche, according to court documents, was Johnny (K-9) Croitoru, the professional wrestler now charged in B.C. with plotting to kill the Bacon brothers and their Red Scorpion associates.

UN Gang leader Clay Roueche

Police evidence photos of a bullet-proof Lincoln Navigator leased by UN Gang leader Clay Roueche seized by law enforcement after his May 17, 2008 arrest, Thursday, December, 10, 2009. The photos were filed in US District Court in Seattle, WA where Roueche will be sentence Dec. 16, 2009.

Tuesday, 8 December 2009

Dominic Anderson, 22, and Abdullah Omar, 21, are charged with first- and second-degree attempted murder in the beating of 19-year-old Raymond Woodland

Dominic Anderson, 22, and Abdullah Omar, 21, are charged with first- and second-degree attempted murder in the beating of 19-year-old Raymond Woodland, who is accused of shooting their friend in the face during an argument at a birthday party at the Sheraton Baltimore City Center Hotel.According to charging documents, Anderson wrestled a TEC-9 semiautomatic firearm away from Woodland, then stood on the bed and struck him repeatedly with it in the face and head while Omar held him in a "sleeper hold." Omar was accidentally struck in the temple during the altercation, and both men stayed on the scene with their friend until police arrived.
Police said Anderson and Omar, who each have a handful of minor arrests but no convictions, face serious charges because they went too far. But at a bail review hearing Monday, a District judge disagreed and did not require the men to post bond, releasing them on their own recognizance. Woodland was in critical condition at Maryland Shock Trauma Center with "severe life-threatening head trauma," charging documents say. If he recovers and is released from the hospital, police said he will face attempted murder charges in the shooting of 19-year-old Marquis Johnson.

London home of the Outlaws biker gang was razed

London home of the Outlaws biker gang was razed yesterday, seven years after it was raided and boarded up in a province-wide sweep by police. Yesterday, as neighbours and police officers looked on, an excavator with a massive claw first knocked down a garage and then the clubhouse that's been a fixture at 420 Egerton St. since the 1980s. "It's become a real eyesore and I'm glad it's being torn down before somebody burns it or gets killed in it," said neighbour Cathy Cadman, 50, who's lived a few doors from the clubhouse since the summer of 1982. Once a popular neighbourhood variety store, the bikers moved into the building shortly after the store closed. The chapter's London president, Thomas Hughes, moved into an adjacent house at 434 Egerton -- it's also slated for demotion this week. Cadman said the bikers were never a problem, noting a shooting in January 2002 of a rival gang member outside the clubhouse just months before it was raided was the first major incident.
"We were always aware they were bikers," said Cadman. "But they were no trouble. They took out their garbage and cut their grass and they'd be friendly, waving and saying, 'Hello' if you saw them outside." The property was seized by the province under its proceeds of crime legislation and Civil Remedies Act. The city approved the province's application for demolition last week. Ward 4 Coun. Steve Orser has battled to have the building demolished for several years.
"I've had a steady stream of complaints about these buildings, including a rat infestation and other animals getting inside," he said. "It's taken a lot of work but it's finally coming down -- it's a great day for Old East Village." The debris in a garage visible from the street included a pinball machine, vinyl record albums and an Outlaws sign once visible on the front of the two-storey brick home.
The home was surrounded by a cinder block wall, the first-floor windows either bricked in or covered by steel security meshing. Orest Katolyk, manager of bylaw enforcement for the city, said the clubhouse and adjacent home were among the abandoned buildings targeted for enforcement after a rash of arsons in the area of empty buildings. "We had issues with this building being unsafe, especially the condition of the roof, and a building inspector confirmed the building was unsafe," Katolyk said. "Any building that's boarded up where the heat has been turned off rots from the inside out."

Sentenced Jamal Shakir, leader of the Rollin' 90s Crips street gang, to life in prison

Sentenced Jamal Shakir, leader of the Rollin' 90s Crips street gang, to life in prison without the possibility of release on Monday for his role in the woman's death. Shakir was convicted of running a drug ring and money laundering operation that stretched from Tennessee to California.
Between 1994 and 1997, authorities said, Shakir killed or was involved in the murder of nine people, including Walker, who was 24 when she was shot in October 1996.
For his crimes, U.S. District Court Judge John T. Nixon handed Shakir 16 sentences of life without parole and nine more sentences of life without parole to be served consecutively with the first 16. He also got four additional sentences totaling 95 years.
If, for some reason, Shakir is released from prison, Nixon ordered that Shakir be placed on probation for the rest of his life.
Federal prosecutors said Shakir, 34, orchestrated the criminal acts from his East Nashville home. Some of the killings were intended to silence potential witnesses or exact revenge on those who had doublecrossed the gang.
Walker had worked as a drug courier for Shakir, according to court records. When a suitcase full of drugs belonging to her was confiscated at the Los Angeles airport, authorities said, Shakir wanted her dead so that he couldn't be tied to the narcotics.
Martin-Gibson raised her daughter's children, who are now 21 and 17, after the murder. Shakir also was convicted of kidnapping Martin-Gibson's brother in a gang-related dispute.
As relatives of his victims spoke Monday, Shakir listened against his will. He had tried to waive his appearance, but Nixon ordered him into the courtroom.
Shakir told the judge that he was convicted on flimsy evidence. He insisted he was not responsible for some of the murders.
"Everybody's come in here speaking of justice being served," Shakir said. "This whole process has been an injustice. … We was railroaded."
He interrupted Martin-Gibson's testimony to protest.
"We are still going on with our lives," she said. "Whether you get the maximum (sentence) or not, you are going to have to face God."

East End Hells Angels,East End charter Hells Angels is a criminal organization

Punko will be sentenced the week of Jan. 18 and Potts will be sentenced Jan. 25.
Last month, Leask dealt a devastating blow to the Crown’s case at the pending drug trial when he ruled the Crown was prohibited from proceeding on criminal-organization charges against two Hells Angels members. Justice Peter Leask granted a defence application that the Crown cannot proceed at trial on charges that allege the East End chapter of the Hells Angels is a criminal organization. The defence argued that a jury at another trial that ended last summer acquitted Potts and Punko of the criminal-organization charges, so they should not be punished twice. Crown prosecutor Martha Devlin Devlin argued that the criminal-organization charges should not be dropped because the judge could not speculate on why the jury came to the verdict it did on the criminal organization charges. The judge agreed with the defence. “My decision is the Crown is estopped from leading evidence that the East End charter Hells Angels is a criminal organization,” he ruled. The Crown plans to appeal the judge’s ruling but is awaiting the judge’s reasons. Potts and Punkoi had faced a total of nine charges at trial, including two that alleged they directed the production and distribution of methamphetamine in association with or for the benefit of a criminal organization, namely the East End charter of the Hells Angels.
Punko pleaded guilty Monday to three charges on the indictment (Count 2, 3 and 4) and Potts pleaded guilty to four charges (Count 6, 7, 8 and 9), including two of cocaine trafficking in Surrey and New Westminster. The case marked the third failed prosecution on criminal-organization charges against the Hells Angels arising from the police investigation code-named E-Pandora, which ended in 2005 with the arrest of six Hells Angels and a dozen associates. A 10-month trial ended last July with the jury convicting Potts and Punko on weapons charges. The judge found Potts held the arsenal of weapons for the East End Hells Angels, including grenades, a loaded semi-automatic pistol and three other guns. Potts, 49, was sentenced to a seven years but effectively received a sentence of time served after being granted double credit for four years served in pre-trial custody. Punko, 43, was convicted of the unauthorized possession of a loaded semi-automatic pistol and sentenced to 15 months in jail, plus a consecutive sentence of four years for counselling a police agent to do damage to a Surrey home where Punko was trying to collect a large amount of money from a man. It was effectively a sentence of time served but Punko was recently denied bail by Leask. Potts is free on bail

Thursday, 3 December 2009

Zig Zag Crew and Manitoba's Hells Angels chapter

Twenty-six people have been arrested and eight others are being sought in connection with a massive police sting targeting members and associates of the Zig Zag Crew and Manitoba's Hells Angels chapter, police say.So far, 24 have been formally charged, primarily with drug trafficking and proceeds of crime offences.It's the third time in less than four years Manitoba's largest police forces have conducted a project resulting in the arrests of local Hells Angels members and associates. The Zig Zag Crew is aligned with the local chapter.This investigation, led by the Manitoba integrated organized crime task force, is called Project Divide.So far, police have seized 165 ounces of cocaine, 12 ounces of methamphetamine, 12,000 tablets of ecstasy, one ounce of heroin, and seven pounds of marijuana.Firearms have also been seized.Today, members of the RCMP, Winnipeg police and other agencies raided several homes and businesses in Winnipeg and other communities, including a clubhouse belonging to Manitoba’s Hells Angels chapterHeavily-armed SWAT or tactical officers were involved in most, if not all of the raids, which occurred in several neighbourhoods, including Charleswood, Elmwood, the North End, Tuxedo and Weston, and the Rural Municipality of Headingley.Officers searched the Manitoba Hells Angels clubhouse on Scotia Street. Police also searched a used automobile dealership.

Independent Soldiers gang founder was the intended target of the killers who executed Soomel

Raj Soomel was gunned down, a worker at his Vancouver halfway house mistakenly wrote in a log book that convicted kidnapper Randy Naicker had gone out to the corner store.Vancouver police officials said last month they believe the Independent Soldiers gang founder was the intended target of the killers who executed Soomel on Sept. 29.The gangster was convicted of kidnapping a gangster in the Vancouver suburb of Surrey in 2005, after $400,000 worth of pot went missing and two gangland associates were murdered.He was sentenced to five years behind bars

Tuesday, 1 December 2009

Playboy Bloods pleaded guilty in federal court today

Delvin "D-Luv" Ward, 33, and Demichael "Mikey P" Burks, 25, pleaded guilty to one count each of conspiracy to engage in a racketeer-influenced and corrupt organization, Bogden said.Playboy Bloods pleaded guilty in federal court today to racketeering and drug conspiracy charges, said U.S. Attorney Daniel G. Bogden of Nevada.Sebastian "Rock" Wigg, 33, and Fred James "June P" Nix, 33, pleaded guilty to one count of drug conspiracy.All four men admitted that they are members of the Playboy Bloods, a criminal gang that operates in the Sherman Gardens Annex housing complex at H and Doolittle streets, Bogden said.The men admitted that members of the gang are involved in criminal racketeering acts, including murder, attempted murder, robbery and drug trafficking. They also said that the chief financial activity of the gang is narcotics trafficking.They also admitted that gang members distribute drugs from apartments and hotel rooms in their neighborhood, which are rented in others' names in exchange for drugs, Bogden said.Ward admitted that he operated drug houses at 1704 Curran Way, 1003, 10145 and 1016 Silverman Way, the Veterans of Foreign War Post at 1905 H St., and the Budget Suites, 4855 Boulder Highway. He said that he had distributed more than six ounces of crack cocaine.The plea agreement says that a sentence of nine years in prison is appropriate for Ward, if four others, Burks, Nix, Wigg and Terrence Thomas, plead guilty. If the other four do not plead guilty, the plea agreement says that a sentence of 10 years in prison is appropriate, Bogden said.Burks admitted that he operated drug houses at 1704 Curran and 1003 Silverman and that he had distributed more than three ounces of crack cocaine. The plea agreement says that a sentence of five years in prison is appropriate for Burks, as long as the other four plead guilty.Wigg admitted that he operated drug houses within Playboy Bloods turf, including 3834 Terrazzo Ave., and he had distributed more than an ounce of crack cocaine. The plea agreement says that a five-year prison sentence is appropriate for Wigg, if the other four plead guilty.
Nix admitted that he operated drug houses at 919 Silverman, 1003 Silverman and the Budget Suites and had distributed more than an ounce of crack cocaine. The plea agreement says that a five-year prison sentence is appropriate for Nix as long as the other four plead guilty.Ward, Burks, Wigg and Nix are scheduled for sentencing on March 15 before U.S. District Judge Robert C. Jones.Ten members of the Playboy Bloods were indicted in October 2008 on charges of violence and drug trafficking as part of their membership in the gang. The other six are currently scheduled to go on trial on March 9. Those charges include allegations that Markette Tillman and Steven Booth murdered Sherman Gardens security guard Brian Wilcox on Jan. 20, 2004, as he rode his bicycle away from a disturbance, Bogden said.Jacorey Taylor, Reginald Dunlap and Steven Booth are accused of killing Billy Thomas on Nov. 1, 2004, in the parking lot of the Pecos Terrace Apartments, 3555 E. Lake Mead Blvd.The cases are being investigated by the FBI, North Las Vegas Police Department and Metro Police. Prosecutors are Assistant U.S. Attorneys Kathleen Bliss and Nicholas D. Dickinson.

Hedric "Edrik" Velez, 35, of Vernon,Drug source for Latin King gang members

Drug source for Latin King gang members who controlled cocaine sales in parts of Hartford was sentenced to 10 years in prison Monday at U.S. District Court in New Haven.Federal prosecutors said that Hedric "Edrik" Velez, 35, of Vernon, received about 44 pounds of cocaine by mail from Puerto Rico between March 2008 and April 2009 and made about $40,000 in profit selling to gang members.Velez, who was arrested in April, is one of 55 people charged by Hartford police, state police and the FBI following a yearlong investigation of drug sales and violence in the Hartford area. He pleaded guilty in September to conspiracy to distribute and distribution of 5 kilograms or more of cocaine.In addition to the prison sentence, Senior U.S. District Judge Peter C. Dorsey ordered Velez to submit to five years of supervision by the federal probation department upon his release from prison.Federal prosecutors said that Velez received kilogram packages of cocaine from Puerto Rico by U.S. mail. After learning about the deliveries through telephone wiretaps and from informants, federal agents intercepted the last delivery at Velez's home and arrested him on April 27. He has been in jail since.Velez supplied groups of Latin King drug dealers who distributed cocaine in the areas of Brownell Avenue and Broad, Arnold and Willard streets in Hartford.The sentencing of Velez, charged with supplying people who investigators say are affiliated with the Latin Kings gang, comes at a time when city officials in Hartford are downplaying reports that drug gangs might be re-establishing a foothold in the city. A fight between the Latin Kings and Los Solidos over drug sales in the 1990s created a wave of violence.Authorities, while building the case against Velez and the others, identified at least a dozen men who are described as members of the Latin Kings or Los Solidos.In memos filed in court, prosecutors said the Latin Kings were "a mostly fractured and disorganized entity with no clear and established leadership." However, the memos said that some of those arrested used their reputations as "established Latin King members" to control the drug supply in parts of the city

Ladarrius Rogers, 17, of 3711 Dunlop St., Monroe, was booked into Ouachita Correctional Center on charges of possession of a firearm by a street gang

Ladarrius Rogers, 17, of 3711 Dunlop St., Monroe, was booked into Ouachita Correctional Center on charges of possession of a firearm by a street gang and illegal weapon possession.
The other suspect, 16, was booked into Green Oaks Detention Center. Because of his status as a minor, his identity and charges were not revealed.
According to an arrest affidavit, as police were investigating the shooting, they learned it involved three different gangs, Underground Soldiers, Black Out Boys, and 3 Unit.
On Monday, Rogers about the incident. Police asked the suspect if he had ever held or fired a gun. Rogers told police he had and described it as, "long and black."
Police showed Rogers a picture, supposedly taken Oct. 24 of him holding a sawed-off shotgun with members of the 3 Unit gang and showing gang signs with his hands. Rogers told police he had held two guns with his friends from the gang but said the guns were not his.
Rogers also told police he was with the 3 Unit gang on the night of the shooting.
Bond was set at $15,000 each.
On Nov. 16, police arrested another suspect, Kevin Falcon, 17, of 1408 S. Fourth St., Monroe in relation to the incident. Falcon was arrested and booked into OCC on an attempted second-degree murder charge.
Police arrested two others on Nov. 14 on suspicion of attempted murder following the gang-related shooting.
Rahkeme Goree, 17, of 1957 Samuel Drive, and Jamarion Wade, 18, of 812 S. Sixth St., both of Monroe, were arrested and booked at OCC.

street gangs in New York have found both a tailored purpose and practice for the Twitter.

The profile piece highlights how gang members, ambivalent to the fact that their tweets may be watched, are not only using Twitter() to purposefully and openly stir the pot with rival gangs, but are also using it to coordinate fights. These Twitterers attempt to avoid detection by using street lingo, but their activities are constantly being monitored by police and investigators.The story follows a recent incident where, according to the piece, “a boy shot in the leg … may have been targeted because of a battle the Original Young Gangsters crew started on Twitter.” As mentioned, Manhattan police are aware of the gang members’ activities and are keeping a vigilant eye on Twitter in the hopes of finding evidence or preventing brawls. There have even been Twitter success stories, but just as gang members have adapted to a new medium, we’d expect them to adapt to the surveillance measures as well.New York City police officers have a hard time controlling violent gang crime, and they are increasingly turning to technological solutions to get a handle on it. The logic works as follows: since a lot of gang crime is performed by teenagers, why not harness social networking and micro-blogging sites like Facebook and Twitter to help hunt down gang members and criminals.According to the Daily News, New York City police are using Twitter search to identify crimes before they happen. They are monitoring Twitter traffic in the hopes of sweeping up gangbangers who might be using Twitter to organize turf wars and other violent crimes… and if they miss preventing the crime, the police are using Twitter to search for clues.It may be an effective strategy. According to a 15 year old member of the New Dons, Twitter is being widely used for coordinating violent attacks on rival gangs… although they use code language that would make it difficult for anyone but gang members and insiders to understand. For example: “I knoe bitches from oyg that would dead mob yah s—t in harlem,” one girl wrote in a series of tweets aimed at drawing out a rival for a fight.That secret Twitter lingo isn’t stopping the NYPD though, who have successfully been stopping attacks before they happen by keeping track of the Twitter updates and Facebook status updates of known gang members. It’s a good long term strategy for the NYPD, since Twitter, above all other things, is for boasting, and gang members are notoriously bad at knowing when to muzzle that boasting up.

Vancouver Ballroom gang-related fight outside a rented party hall

19-year-old suffered a gunshot wound to the hip early Saturday morning in what police call a gang-related fight outside a rented party hall.
Police were called to 808 Main Street about 1:13 a.m. on reports that shots were fired and a person hit by gunfire.The injured man was transported to Legacy Emanuel hospital.
The suspect in the shooting fled the area. A gun was seized at the scene but it wasn't known right away whether it was the weapon used in the shooting.
Police said the party was at a venue called the Vancouver Ballroom.
In a prepared statement, police wrote "It is rented out for dances ranging from polka groups to hip hop DJ events. This particular night the location was rented out to "Iparty hard entertainment" This was a DJ hip hop / Rap event also themed a black and white party."

Thirteen members of the Bloods street gang

Some of the alleged gang members were already in custody on
other charges; the others were arrested in El Paso this week. All
have been indicted on charges that they conspired to sell more than
500 grams of cocaine. Two people were also indicted on a charge of
possession with intent to distribute the drug ecstasy.FBI Special Agent in Charge David Cuthbertson said the arrests make a "significant" dent in the Bloods' operations in El Paso.All 13 people arrested are being held in various local, state
and federal jails, including the El Paso County Jail. It is unclear
if any of them have lawyers.

Monday, 30 November 2009

Gang slideshow

Tyshaun Riley, Philip Atkins and Jason Wisdom -- members of the notorious Galloway Boys

Tyshaun Riley, Philip Atkins and Jason Wisdom -- members of the notorious Galloway Boys, an east-end gang named for their 'hood at Galloway Road and Kingston Road -- could be heard kicking the sides of the armour-plated court services truck bringing them to court on Wednesday morning.
They were also found guilty of attempted murder and participating in a criminal organization in connection with the shooting of two people in March 2004 in Toronto's Malvern neighbourhood. The three did not react well to this news.
They started banging loudly on the door of the prisoner's box and yelling at the judge when the jury pronounced them guilty while family members began screaming and crying."I didn't kill anybody," Riley -- the purported leader -- shouted over and over again. The other two accused the judge of bias.
The judge ordered the men out of the courtroom when the hysteria broke out.
"It was a scene of pandemonium inside the courtroom," said CTV Toronto's Chris Eby who was in court when the verdict was read out.Outside the courtroom, Wisdom's mother collapsed to the sidewalk in hysterics, screaming, "Oh my God." She had testified for the defence, providing an alibi for her son.
For Valda Williams, "Justice was served," she told reporters through tears.
She is the mother of murder victim Brenton Charlton.The case stems from a daylight shooting at the intersection of Finch Avenue and Neilsen Road. Two men were sitting in their car at the intersection waiting for the light to turn green when they were shot. The car had been stopped in front of a busy bus shelter at the time.
Charlton, 31, died of his wounds. Leonard Bell, who was 43 at the time, survived but suffered critical injuries. Bell testified during the trial but told the jury he could not identify who shot him. Williams said she feels an "enormous relief" because of the verdict. She also said she forgives the three men for killing her son.
"For the most part, the people that were shot and wounded or shot and killed by these people were completely innocent victims," Det. Dean Burke, the lead investigator, told reporters.The three accused were in Scarborough on a mission to track down a member of rival gang, the Malvern Crew, hoping to exact retribution for the 2002 murder of a G-Way leader, the Crown argued. "In my view, these were leading members of the G-Way gang," said Crown prosecutor Suhail Ahktar.The murder trial is said to be one of the most expensive street gang prosecutions in Canadian history. It is the result of a Toronto police operation titled "Project Pathfinder." The investigation lasted years and two new courtrooms had to be built to meet the security requirements of the case. Police in paramilitary gear escorted the defendants."It was a unique case in many ways, not least of all because the Crown relied on a former gang member (Roland Ellis) to lay bare many the secrets of the gang that was operating in Galloway," Ahktar said.A first-degree murder conviction carries an automatic life sentence with no possibility of parole for 25 years. They will be sentenced on the other charges later this month.Williams said she had some sympathy for the mothers of the newly convicted men. "No mother want to see their child die and no mother wants to see her children in jail," she said.

Alton Reid, 35,died of his injuries on Monday

Alton Reid, 35, had been attending a birthday party at the Atlanta banquet hall on 1240 Ellesmere Rd. in Scarborough on the weekend when someone walked in and started shooting sometime after 3 a.m. on Sunday.Four people were found wounded at the scene, and Reid showed up later at hospital. He died of his injuries on Monday.
Reid's autopsy is scheduled for Wednesday.

Sara Villella, 27, was convicted of 13 charges, including smuggling firearms across the Windsor border for the "Malvern Crew."

Sara Villella, 27, was convicted of 13 charges, including smuggling firearms across the Windsor border for the "Malvern Crew." Crown prosecutors asked for a 10-year prison term, calling her a "merchant of death" who had a split personality.The judge, however, felt that was too high. He scolded Villella for the poor choices that have ruined her life and shamed her hard-working parents, who live in Hamilton.
Villella's lawyer Randall Barrs blamed her fall from grace on her boyfriend, who received a sentence about twice as long for his criminal lifestyle, which included smuggling 23 guns across the border. Villella was arrested in May 2004 during sweeping raids by Toronto police. More than 500 charges were laid against 65 people involved with the street gang. Twenty-eight firearms were seized, along with drugs such as ecstasy, marijuana and cocaine. Members of Scarborough's Malvern Crew are responsible for several shootings throughout the GTA. The gang's No. 2 man, 30-year-old David Francis, received a seven-year prison term in August after pleading guilty to gun running and participating in the shooting of a rival gang member.

Saturday, 28 November 2009

Marquez D. Storey pleaded guilty Tuesday in Ramsey County District Court to second-degree murder for the benefit of a gang.

Under questioning from his attorney, Storey, 19, admitted that he shot 18-year-old Dionte R. Montantes for no other reason than that Montantes was a member of a rival gang, the Selby Siders.
Storey answered "yes" when his attorney, Mary Mateer, asked if he was a member of the East Side Boys gang and "yes" when asked if his gang committed crimes such as assault, robbery and murder to establish dominance over other gangs.
Montantes, 18, was shot in the head June 19 near the Jimmy Lee Rec Center in St. Paul.
Storey, of St. Paul, said he and four others climbed into a Jeep and drove to Iglehart Avenue and Oxford Street that day because they knew the Rec Center was a hangout for the Selby Siders. Storey had a 9-millimeter handgun with him.
They saw Montantes walking down the street, and Storey and another man got out and chased him. The first shot missed. The second shot hit Montantes in the head.
"Where you looking for [the victim]?" prosecutor Shereen Askalani asked.
"Anybody," Storey replied.
The plea agreement calls for a sentence of 30 years and seven months, meaning Storey will serve more than 20 years in prison before he is eligible for release. Another charge of second-degree murder committed during a drive-by shooting will be dismissed when he is sentenced Jan. 12 by District Judge Marybeth Dorn.
The large courtroom was filled on one side by family members and associates of the victim and on the other by associates of the defendant. Deputies and police officers asked for a photo ID before people entered the courtroom and kept the two sides from interacting as they left the hearing. At an earlier scheduling conference in the case, three people were arrested after rival gang members confronted one another.

Tuesday, 24 November 2009

Barrios Cathedral City gang Najera, a confessed gang member, was a month and a half out of jail and had something to prove to his gang

Deputy District Attorney Victoria Weiss spent more than 2 hours during closing arguments telling jurors why Miguel Najera should be found guilty. Weiss says Najera, a confessed gang member, was a month and a half out of jail and had something to prove to his gang, the Barrios Cathedral City gang.
"He was back on gang turf. He was back hanging out with BCC homies. And he was back in the gang lifestyle," says Weiss.Police arrested Najera in 2006 for killing Adrian Cedeno. He's also accused of stealing Cedeno's wallet and watch. Prosecutors say he wanted to kill another man, but instead he shot Cedeno. His defense attorney told the jury his client wasn't in the gang in 2006 and was just looking for drugs.
"He didn't go there for the glory of the gang. He went there to satisfy his craving, his drug addiction," says Defense Attorney Jeff Zimel.Najera told police he accidentally shot cedeno during an argument. The defense says the victim was on drugs at the time of shooting and started the argument."We're not saying he didn't pull the trigger. He did. But it wasn't to kill the man. It was his reaction to the mans movement."The prosecution is pushing for the death penalty because of Najera's gang affiliations and the killing allegedly happened during a robbery. If found guilty, a judge will ultimately determine his fate.

Alton Reid, 35, has been identified as someone who had belonged to the notorious Malvern Crew street gang.

Toronto's 54th homicide victim has been identified as someone who had belonged to the notorious Malvern Crew street gang.Alton Reid, 35, had been attending a birthday party at the Atlanta banquet hall on 1240 Ellesmere Rd. in Scarborough on the weekend when someone walked in and started shooting sometime after 3 a.m. on Sunday.
Four people were found wounded at the scene, and Reid showed up later at hospital. He died of his injuries on Monday.Reid's autopsy is scheduled for Wednesday.
He had been arrested in 2004 as part of Project Impact, a police crackdown on the gang following a vicious war between the Malvern Crew and the Galloway Boys.
Police charged Reid with a number of offences:
•aggravated assault
•discharging a firearm
•participating in a criminal organization
•related conspiracy charges
Project Pathfinder targeted the Galloway Boys.
Three Galloway Boys were found guilty in the March 3, 2004 murder of one men in Malvern. The court heard the trio were allegedly looking for Reid.
Instead, they shot and killed Brenton Charlton and gravely wounded Leonard Bell as the two men sat stopped in their car at a light.Tyshan Riley, Philip Atkins and Jason Wisdom got life sentences for the attempted murder of Bell and a life sentence with no chance of parole for 25 years after being convicted of first-degree murder in the death of Charlton.

Paul Bergrin, was indicted earlier this month in a 39-count racketeering indictment.

From federal prosecutor to accused violent gangster, pimp, and drug-dealer...That's the unusual career trajectory taken, say the Feds, by Paul Bergrin, who was indicted earlier this month in a 39-count racketeering indictment. In a drama that could have been made for HBO, Bergrin -- a white-collar defense lawyer who once represented, pro bono, a solider accused of abusing Abu Ghraib detainees -- seems to have allowed his gangster clients to drag him into a world of violent crime. And he may have gone a lot further than Maury Levy ever did for Stringer Bell.

Shane Kelter of Vancouver, 32, was shot several times outside an upscale Bay Street condo tower after he exited a white limousine

Shane Kelter of Vancouver, 32, was shot several times outside an upscale Bay Street condo tower after he exited a white limousine just after 3 a.m. Sunday. An autopsy Monday concluded he died from gunshot wounds to the chest. Homicide investigators believe the slaying is drug-related. "The evidence to me suggests this person was targeted," Det. Graham Gibson, a homicide squad officer, told CTV News.
A discarded revolver was found near Queen's Park shortly after the shooting. Video surveillance is being gathered as Toronto Police look for suspects. Kelter, who was said to be visiting a friend in Toronto, has a lengthy criminal history in British Columbia and the United States. A man by the same name and born in the same year was facing conspiracy charges in the U.S. for alleged involvement in an ecstasy and methamphetamine drug smuggling ring between B.C., Ontario and California. Kelter was one of six Canadians charged in September 2008 as part of a massive two-year international drug investigation by the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration called "Operation Candystore." The United States Attorney's Office said the drug ring organization allegedly imported ecstasy and marijuana from Canada and sent cocaine to Canada from the United States. Investigators said Kelter worked for Jason Ming Wei, a Canadian national living in Temple City, California, "in relation to drug smuggling between the United States and Canada." Various media reports suggest Kelter was involved in the Independent Soldiers gang, an organization associated with drug distribution and money laundering operations.

Rash of café and restaurant firebombings continues to go unsolved in Montreal

Rash of café and restaurant firebombings continues to go unsolved in Montreal, as police try to determine why they have been targeted over the past four weeks. Early Tuesday morning, a bar in Riviere-de-Prairies was hit just before 4 a.m. local time. That firebombing followed two others that occurred Monday morning, including an attack on a Greek-owned restaurant that was hit for the second time in just over a week.
No one has been injured during the nine attacks that have occurred since last month. They have all taken place overnight and involved objects -- Molotov cocktails -- that were thrown through a window. All but one of the attacks have been against Italian-owned establishments, the exception being the Greek restaurant that was attacked Monday. CTV Montreal's Stephane Giroux said that while police aren't sure why the restaurants have been targeted, they are probing the possibility that it could be a street gang-related problem.
"The only theory police have right now is that we could be stuck in the middle of a turf war between various street gangs which are trying to muscle their way into some part of Montreal, incidentally dominated by a lot of Italian-owned businesses," Giroux told CTV News Channel on Tuesday afternoon.
The businesses that have been hit are not linked to any known criminal activity. But with many underworld and Hells Angels members arrested in recent months, it is possible that someone could be trying to take advantage of a "power vacuum," Giroux said. "But why are they attacking those cafes, usually known to be really quiet? Big mystery," he said.

Defendants from the Maryland branch of the “Latin Kings” gang, a group with thousands of members largely based in Chicago and New York

Defendants from the Maryland branch of the “Latin Kings” gang, a group with thousands of members largely based in Chicago and New York, face a maximum sentence of life in prison if convicted, the US Justice Department said in a statement.
“Today’s indictment alleges that the Latin Kings gang is an organized criminal enterprise with leaders and members who commit violent crimes,” said US Attorney Rod Rosenstein.The indictment charges that “from a date unknown to the present, the Latin Kings members conspired to commit attempted murders, robberies, witness tampering and arson to further their racketeering scheme,” the Justice Department said.The group is alleged to have been started in Maryland from the spring of 2007 by Miguel Cruz and Erick Roman, who named their “tribe” of the main gang the “Royal Lion Tribe of Maryland.”Thousands of members affiliated with the gang — officially named “Almighty Latin King and Queen Nation” — are said to be spread throughout the United States and Latin America.“Gangs, like the one charged in this indictment, may be relentless in protecting their turf, but we will be relentless in taking it back,” vowed assistant attorney general Lanny Breuer.Among the charges, officials accuse Latin Kings members of gathering materials for a firebombing; stabbing a suspected rival gang member in Maryland; shooting at other gang members in New York; committing a number of burglaries; and conspiring to murder a security guard, and a female gang member for “snitching.”“We dismantled a large part of the Latin Kings organization whose members allegedly used violence to secure the sanctity of their private society. We have made a serious impact on violent crime and gang violence,” said Kenneth Melson, deputy director of the US Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco and Firearms.

Las Vegas Police Officer Trevor Nettleton, 30, was murdered illustrating just how dangerous life has become in Las Vegas, due to gang violence.

Las Vegas Police Officer Trevor Nettleton, 30, was mortally wounded by several assailants, while standing in his garage. His wife, two children, and his mom were in the house, only a few feet away. Officer Nettleton died in his mother’s arms that night.Las Vegas police Officer Chrissie Coon told reporters: "He was standing in the garage with the garage door open when he was attacked by multiple suspects. It looks like it was an attempted robbery. There was an exchange of gunfire."Officer Nettleton was in the garage that night, after working his shift, building a toy for his 2-year-old son. He served in the U.S. Marine Corps for ten years, before joining the police department three years ago.In addition to his son, Officer Nettleton leaves behind a wife, and an infant daughter.His brother, Ryan Nettleton, is also in the military and was in Iraq when he heard that his brother had been murdered.Ryan told KING 5 News: "He wanted to be a cop so bad when we were kids, and I wanted to be one, too. So we decided the best way to pursue that goal was to become military service members."Ryan continued: "I'm going to say goodbye to my brother, I'm more worried about my mother. It's bad enough when a parent outlives a child, but to have your child die in your arms from a murder. I can't imagine."
The accused killers Saul Williams, Jr., 20, Prentice Marshall, 18, Quadrae Scott, 18, Emmitt Ferguson, 18, and a 17-year-old juvenile are all gang members, all face various charges including murder, attempted robbery, as well as conspiracy.
Marshall as well as the unnamed juvenile face charges in another robbery which occurred less than an hour before they allegedly killed Officer Nettleton.
This murder illustrates just how dangerous life has become in Las Vegas, due to gang violence. According to the Southern Nevada Community Gang Task Force, there are at least 11,000 gang members in and around Las Vegas, including 5,000 minors. Law enforcement has identified 500 different gangs in the area.Officer Nettleton will be laid to rest on Wednesday, after a funeral Mass at Saint Elizabeth Ann Seton Roman Catholic Church. If you wish to make a donation to Officer Nettleton’s family, you may do so at any Wells Fargo Bank, by making a deposit to the Ryan Nettleton Relief Fund.

Three 20-year-old men were convicted last Wednesday and sentenced to a combined total of 44 years after a seven-week crime spree Melbourne’s West

Three 20-year-old men were convicted last Wednesday and sentenced to a combined total of 44 years after a seven-week crime spree through Melbourne’s West, including the brutal bashing of former Australian Medical Association head Dr Haikerwal.
Ringleader, Alfer Azzopardi, 20, of Coolaroo, received a cumulative sentence of 18 years and six months for a total of 46 offences.Michael Baltatzis, of Glenroy, 20, received a cumulative sentence of 16 years and six months.Sean Gabriel, 20, of Hoppers Crossing, was sentenced to a cumulative maximum of nine years and nine months.Azzopardi will be eligible for parole in 2022, Baltatzis in 2019 and Gabriel in 2014.Dr Haikerwal said that he didn’t take great comfort that people would be locked up.“None of us will be happy about people being behind bars, but we’re comfortable that justice has been done, and that there is a strong message that violence won’t be tolerated,” he said.On AFL Grand Final night last year, Dr Haikerwal was brutally beaten with a baseball bat in Williamstown.
The affects of the attack meant Dr Haikerwal needed neurosurgery to remove blood clots on his brain, and suffered severe physical and emotional trauma.
“I was one of seven victims, and there were 34 individuals who had significant trauma in this spate of attacks,” he said.
“I’m very trepidatious when I do go out, but I haven’t let it change my lifestyle,” he said.
“I always have a phone with me, I try and avoid unlit areas and if possible have a person with me.”
Dr Haikerwal said he had to have significant time off work, time to rehabilitate and was still recovering his strength.
“I have to be very careful of what I do and how I do it. I try and live my life to the full, but it’s hard because I get very, very tired due to my injuries,” he said.
There were 34 victims from the attacks which occurred between August and September 2008. Some 24 were males and 10 females. Two bear permanent reminders of the attacks in the form of scars on their faces.
Judge Gullaci identified a commonality between the victims, with the majority being vulnerable, alone and generally in a dark public place. The judge said the offending was “pre-meditated, planned and executed” and that each offender “had their role”, with many attacks involving a knife, baseball bat or metal pole.
The judge had also said the offenders had cruised around Melbourne searching for victims. Judge Gullaci said that, in the brutal beating of Dr Haikerwal, Azzopardi had taken the baseball bat from another co-accused saying, “you’re not doing it right, give it to me”, with which he took a giant swing at Dr Haikerwal’s head.
The judge concluded that the three were not beyond redemption as young, remorseful and with “limited intelligence” and were identified as being “part of a gang”.
Judge Gullaci said the sentences served not only as punishment but as a statement that society would not tolerate these offences. “The courts have a duty, that if you offend in this cowardly and despicable manner, then a lengthy period of imprisonment awaits,” he said.
Dr Haikerwal thanked the police and community for their support.
“I can’t thank enough all the people around me in our local community, in Victoria and across Australia and indeed the world. They have been real pillar of strength for my family and myself in a situation that no-one should find themselves in – half an hour away from death.”

Shane Kelter, 32, was just getting out of a white limousine when he was sprayed by gunfire near Wellesley and Bay just after 3 a.m. Sunday.

Shane Kelter, 32, was just getting out of a white limousine when he was sprayed by gunfire near Wellesley and Bay just after 3 a.m. Sunday."The post-mortem examination determined the cause of death as gunshot wounds to the torso," Const. Tony Vella said in a news release.Kelter was well-known in B.C. and charged last year in a massive undercover investigation along with 17 others for allegedly moving marijuana, ecstasy and cocaine between B.C., Ontario and California.
Kelter and Vancouver residents Walther Edgardo (Sharky) Orellana Aguilar and John (Keith) Wark were facing extradition. They were allegedly working with another B.C. man, Jason I. Ming Wei, who was arrested in Los Angeles in September 2008.Two other Toronto men, Jagmohan Singh Dhillon, 35, and 32-year-old Paramijt (Pumma) Singh, allegedly helped facilitate the transportation of Wei's drugs between Canada and the U.S., according to the U.S. indictment. Kelter had a lengthy criminal record in B.C. and was facing two sets of charges here at the time of his death in Ontario.He was convicted two months ago of resisting a police officer in Vancouver and fined $100. Last March, he was convicted of assaulting someone at Whistler and got a $1,000 fine and 45 days probation. He was charged in North Vancouver in August with refusing to provide a breath sample to police and was due back in court on that charge later this week. Also last March, he was charged in West Vancouver with driving while prohibited - a count he was due to go to trial on next year.In 2002, he was convicted in Richmond of having a growing operation, for which he got a conditional sentence of nine months and an order to pay $3,251.58 restitution. He faced drug-trafficking charges in North Vancouver in 1998, but only two co-accused were convicted.The California drug conspiracy trial was set to resume on June 15, 2010 for the defendants in custody.Many of the court documents filed more recently in the case have been ordered sealed.But U.S. authorities said at the time of the charges that during the investigation, they seized cash and drugs, including a 60-kilogram shipment of cocaine and a 35-kilogram shipment of cocaine. The indictment said Kelter would direct the activities of Wei - the Canadian in California - "related to the trafficking of narcotics to or from Canada and the laundering of money."
Wei was the middleman, the documents say, overseeing the meth entering from Canada and "the trafficking of kilogram quantities of cocaine to Canada from the United States." Wei was recorded talking to one of the Toronto men, Singh, on June 15, 2007 about sending Dhillon "to pick up cocaine from defendant Wei in Los Angeles county to transport to Canada." Wei allegedly spoke on the phone to Dhillon later that week, and Dhillon "explained that he was driving a tractor-trailer so that defendant Wei could load the cocaine."

Billy Joe Johnson, 46,white supremacist gang member in Orange County was sentenced to death Monday

white supremacist gang member in Orange County was sentenced to death Monday for his involvement in the murder of a fellow gang member who had divulged gang secrets on television, authorities said.Billy Joe Johnson, 46, was convicted last month of assisting two other men in the March 2002 murder of Scott Miller, a founding member of the gang, the Orange County district attorney's office said. Miller was featured in a Fox News broadcast a year earlier that focused on a criminal case against known leaders of the gang.Michael Allen Lamb, 35, and Jacob Anthony Rump, 34, were also convicted for their role in the murder. Last year Lamb was sentenced to death, and in 2007 Rump received life without the possibility of parole.Johnson was charged with this murder Aug. 23, 2007, after the conviction of two previously charged co-defendants. Co-defendants Michael Allen Lamb, 35, and Jacob Anthony Rump, 34, (Case #03CF0441) were convicted by a jury on July 10, 2007, of murder, conspiracy to commit murder, committing murder for the benefit of a criminal street gang, two counts of possession of a firearm by a violent felon, two counts of possession of a firearm by a felon, carrying a firearm as an active gang member, two counts of street terrorism, and the attempted murder of a peace officer. The jury also found true the special circumstance of murder committed for the benefit of a criminal street gang and sentencing enhancements for criminal street gang activity, the personal discharge of a firearm causing death, and vicarious discharge of a firearm causing death as a gang member. On Oct. 5, 2007, Rump was sentenced to the maximum sentence, as sought by the People, of life without the possibility of parole. On June 11, 2008, a jury recommended that Lamb receive the death penalty. Lamb was sentenced Aug. 22, 2008, to death.

The Murder of Scott Miller
In February 2001, Fox 11 News profiled a violent white supremacist criminal street gang, focusing on a pending criminal case against known leaders of the gang who were on trial for conspiracy to commit murder. Scott Miller, a founding member of the gang, was featured in the broadcast, offending fellow gang members who felt he was airing "dirty laundry." While Miller's voice and face were disguised, his tattoos were visible and made it possible for fellow gang members to identify him.
On March 8, 2002, Miller was at a party in Costa Mesa with other members of his white supremacist gang. Johnson lured Miller from the party under the guise of purchasing drugs in Anaheim with the understanding that they would return to the party later. Johnson drove an unsuspecting Miller to an Anaheim apartment complex with the expectation that Lamb and Rump would be waiting there to murder the victim. Lamb and Rump were waiting in an alley and executed Miller by shooting him in the back of the head at close range with a 9mm firearm.On March 11, 2002, Lamb and Rump became involved in a police car chase in Anaheim. They tried to flee from police, jumped from the moving vehicle, and ran off into an apartment complex. As the officers attempted to close in on them, the defendants fired a shot at police officers. Lamb and Rump surrendered after the gun they were firing jammed. The gun used to shoot at the officers was the same 9mm that was used to murder Miller three days earlier. During the murder trial against Lamb and Rump, Johnson lied on the stand by testifying that he had been the shooter in the murder of Miller. He lied in order to make himself a "martyr" for his gang by attempting to keep Lamb and Rump out of prison. In order to testify, Johnson was brought to Orange County from state prison, where he is serving time for an unrelated 2004 gang murder, where he repeatedly hit a man in the head with a hammer.During the penalty phase of the jury trial against Johnson, the defendant admitted to committing two additional murders to which he had not been previously connected. Without giving the names of the victims, Johnson admitted that he had killed one additional man while out of custody and one inmate while in custody. The defendant claimed that he directed violence toward gang members, rapists, "rats", and drug dealers. Johnson testified that his victims brought their murders upon themselves and when asked if he had anything to say to Miller's mother, Johnson replied, "Sorry for your luck." Senior Deputy District Attorney Ebrahim Baytieh of the Homicide Unit prosecuted this case.

Teenager was killed by a shotgun blast Monday night in Northeast El Paso.

The 17-year-old male was shot at 7:30 p.m. during a gathering with other young people at a home in the 3900 block of Thomason Avenue near Dyer Street, police said.
The shotgun was fired when an argument began when another group arrived at the gathering, police spokesman Officer Chris Mears said.The wounded teen was taken to Beaumont Army Medical Center where he was pronounced dead.Ambulance transmissions indicated the man had buckshot wounds to the torso and neck.Red and yellow crime scene tape sealed off the area late Monday night."We do have reason to believe it is gang related," Mears said.Police would not confirm comments by residents that the teen was a student at nearby Chapin High School.There had been no arrests. Late Monday night, investigators were talking to neighbors, with the police mobile command center parked on the street.

Return of graffiti markings from the Barrio Williams Street gang

Return of graffiti markings from the Barrio Williams Street gang whose presence has been almost nonexistent since the mid- '90s."When we do have something that's gang related it's generally going to be something in the library, or something off campus," Laws said. "For a couple of years we were having some gang activity in the teen center on the third floor of the King Library."It took a lot of directed patrol on the part of the library security staff and the officers working in the King Library to minimize and diffuse that problem."Anh Thu Tran, a junior hospitality and management major, said she has not seen any gang activity on campus.
"Around my old neighborhood, yes, my brother has been jumped twice at Independence High, but around campus I haven't heard much about any gang violence," she said. "I'm not here on campus often. I'm here for classes, then I leave."
Tran said she has noticed graffiti tagging on the fence of her sorority house, but doesn't know the markings of any gangs. "There's obviously parties around campus and toward the evenings, or there's people that are walking the streets at night, but we don't know if they're students or not," she said. "They tend to get violent if they are not given access to some of the parties that happen to be around campus. And we've been noticing that lately."Tran said when violence breaks out at a party, they usually call the police. San Jose Community Services Supervisor Mario Maciel, said San Jose is one of the safest cities in the Bay Area.
"I haven't seen any major trends forming," he said.He said most incidents occur at parties thrown by SJSU students, but those are isolated incidents.
"A college student probably is not a gang banger," Maciel said.Laws said gangs have not been a problem on campus. "Through directed enforcement by the university police and by the city police department, we were able to essentially make the Barrio Williams Street gang something that was no longer of concern to the university," he said.Laws said UPD officers have reported seeing graffiti tagging that is associated with that gang, but no other activity has been associated with the Barrio Williams Street gang.Lt. John Spicer, from the San Jose Police Department, said the area adjacent to the campus has the lowest reported amount of gang violence out of the four geographical areas in San Jose. He said those areas include Central Division (where SJSU is located), Foothill Division (East San Jose), Western Division, and the Southern Division.Spicer said 10 incidents were reported in the Central Division in the last month

Bronx gang members whose beef led to the accidental shooting of passing schoolgirl Vada Vasquez complained Monday they are being hassled in jail.

Bronx gang members whose beef led to the accidental shooting of passing schoolgirl Vada Vasquez complained Monday they are being hassled in jail.Lawyers for four of the five men asked for protective custody at an appearance in Bronx Supreme Court, saying their clients fear for their safety behind bars. "He's faced a fair amount of abuse in custody. He's been having a tough time inside," said Matthew Kluger, lawyer for Cleve Smith, 20. "They be bothering him - even the correction officers," said Scylestina Smith, the suspect's mother. "They threw him in the cold shower. It's f----- up."
The fifth defendant, 16-year-old Carvett Gentles, charged with pulling the trigger that put an exploding bullet into the 15-year-old Bronx Latin student's brain, is already in protective custody as part of standard procedure. The men might be getting the cold shoulder in prison, but they got a boisterous and warm welcome at their court appearance. While all five were stone-faced at their arraignments last week, they smiled and nodded yesterday at the more than 30 friends and relatives that packed the courtroom.
"I love you all," Clivie Smith, 19, yelled out as he was led back to jail.
"We love you, too," replied his cheering section.
Gentles had more than a dozen teenage friends in the courtroom who apparently cut school to be there. They swore at reporters who tried to ask them questions. Scylestina Smith, mother of Cleve and Clivie, was kicked out of the courtroom after yelling curses at a woman who apparently stepped on someone's foot.
The defendants will appear again on Dec. 2. Even as she struggles to recover from terrible brain injuries at Lincoln Hospital, Vada has become a potent symbol of the innocent toll of guns on New York streets. Mayor Bloomberg invoked her name yesterday when he announced the bust up of a massive Florida-to-New York firearms trafficking ring.

Two Italian cafés in Montreal have been firebombed.eerie hallmarks of the destructive biker wars in the 1990s

The latest incidents, which occurred early Monday morning, bring to eight the number of café-bars targeted since Oct. 28. Like the other incidents, there was little damage to the premises, but a lot of rattled nerves.
The Café Nouba on St. Laurent Blvd. in the heart of Little Italy, and the Café Vegas on Rue Jean Talon east, were both hit with Molotov cocktails, one at 6:18 a.m., the other at 7 a.m. As with the other firebombing attempts, the windows were broken and the flaming device thrown inside, only to quickly go out.
The owner of Café Vegas, who would not identify himself, told La Presse that his café does not have a problematic history. "I got no warning, and before this morning, nothing ever happened here. I have no idea who did this. It's a simple café where people come to play ... and drink."
It's the second time the Café Nouba has been targeted, the first time being Nov. 15.
Police have arrested no suspects and say they're trying to determine if the fire bombings are related. Police have also entertained the possibility that it could be a street gang trying to fill a vacuum left by biker gangs and the Mob, who have been severely weakened by successive police operations in recent years.
The incidents have the eerie hallmarks of the destructive biker wars in the 1990s when reprisal attacks, including arson, were common

19-year-old Frank Castro Jr. of Long Beach. A man approached him and the two other victims on foot and shot all three of them.

One person was killed and two wounded about 11:30 p.m. Thursday in a shooting outside a liquor store in the 3600 block of Santa Fe Avenue in Long Beach, according to city police spokeswoman Jackie Bezart. The murder is believed to be gang-related, and the victim’s identity is being withheld pending notification of his family.
[Updated at 11:28 p.m.: The victim was identified as 19-year-old Frank Castro Jr. of Long Beach. A man approached him and the two other victims on foot and shot all three of them. Castro was hit multiple times in the upper body and torso and pronounced dead at the scene. The two other victims, ages 18 and 40, were treated at a local hospital and released.]At about the same time, a driver in the 6400 block of Rosemead Boulevard in Pico Rivera saw a body in the street and called police, who found a Latino with gunshot wounds in the upper torso, said Dep. Aura Sierra of the Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department. The victim, whose identity is being withheld until his family is notified, was pronounced dead at the scene.

Set Free Soldiers where arrested for attempted murder

Set Free Soldiers where arrested for attempted murder after they allegedly got into a bar fight with the Hells Angels. Seven members of the biker gang remained in custody on $1 million bail after their arrest for allegedly stabbing two Hells angels. In what is mostly thought of as an upper middle class naborhood in Newport Beach California late last month. Three members of the Hells Angels were also arrested.

Jean Joseph Violette, 58, was sentenced in B.C. Supreme Court to four years in prison for being the ringleader

Jean Joseph Violette, 58, was sentenced in B.C. Supreme Court to four years in prison for being the ringleader in the beating of Glen Louie, who Violette believed had been using the Hells Angels name while dealing drugs on Squamish Nation reserve.Violette got an additional two years for weapons offences. In handing down the sentence, Justice Selwyn Romilly described the assault as "a particularly callous, vicious, brutal and unprovoked attack" on Louie, who had no opportunity to defend himself.Romilly said Violette used his power and status as a full patch member of the Hells Angels to inflict the beating and intimidation. He also noted that in wiretapped conversations after the beating, Violette showed a total lack of remorse."This type of hooliganism must be deterred," said the judge.
At the time of the beating, Louie was loosely associated with low-ranking members of the East End Chapter of the Hells Angels. A police informant who had infiltrated the chapter told the jury at Violette's trial Louie had visited the clubhouse and been seen with Hells Angels members. But Louie wasn't a member of the club.Violette later told the police informant Louie had been going to the native reserve in North Vancouver to deal drugs and had been using the Hells Angels name. Violette arranged a meeting in North Vancouver with someone from the reserve who said Louie had threatened him, using the Hells Angels name.Violette later told the police informant he wanted to send Louie a message.On Jan. 20, 2005, Violette and two lower-ranking members of the club -- including the police informant -- lured Louie to a road on Burnaby Mountain. When Louie got out of his vehicle, Violette began slapping, punching and kicking him.Sounds of the beating were captured by a secret listening device worn by the police informant. Violette cut the beating short after a passing driver saw them. At the end of the assault, Violette ordered Louie to hand in all of his Hells Angels paraphernalia before driving off, leaving Louie on the ground.
During the drive back, Violette told the two lower-ranking Hells Angels that Louie was lucky to still be walking.In a later wiretap between Louie and the lower-ranking club member who was present during the assault, Louie said the 12 days after the beating were among the toughest in his life, adding he was "pissin blood . . .'cause I got kicked."In sentencing Violette, Romilly said an aggravating factor was his "businesslike impersonal attitude toward this heinous crime."Violette was also sentenced to two years consecutive jail time for possessing a loaded Beretta semi-automatic pistol and a Ruger revolver -- seized along with a bulletproof vest from his home.The lower-ranking Hells Angels member involved in the beating -- Sal Jonathan Bryce Jr., who had previously been roommates with Louie -- was previously sentenced to three years in jail for his part in the extortion.

©

Saturday, 21 November 2009

Westside United Crips, undercover officers have purchased an SKS rifle, an AK-47 rifle and a stolen handgun

Estimates put the number of gang members in the Westside United Crips at 20 to 30 individuals, mostly juveniles. The gang is one of about 40 gangs that call Pueblo home. One of its suspected leaders, Louie Romero, also known as "Gooey," was arrested along with four other members of the gang near the end of October by a special task force. The Bureau of Alcohol Tobacco Firearms and Explosives (ATF) Gun Task Force is made up of two ATF agents and two Pueblo Police Department detectives. They work in conjunction with Pueblo Police Departments Gang and Narcotics units to infiltrate gangs, make arrests, and take guns and drugs off the streets. They've been doing this in Pueblo for 13 months, and they've been successful.With at least five arrests resulting in Federal charges, and each of them resulting in convictions, as well as several other arrests on state charges, the task force has been quietly busy. Now, as word has spread through Pueblo's gang world of their existence and very real presence, the task force is opening up about what they are doing in town.The Westside United Crips bust is just an example of the kind of work they're doing. Since April, undercover officers have purchased an SKS rifle, an AK-47 rifle and a stolen handgun. Crack cocaine was sold to the officers on several occasions, including one where an underage boy was allegedly told to sell the drugs to the officer by the gang leader.This disturbing trend is more often the rule, not the exception in Pueblo gangs. Authorities explain, older gang members use the juveniles to carry their drugs and weapons because if caught the child faces a more lenient punishment than adults would. It's a trend Pueblo Police Chief Jim Billings hopes to turn around. But to do so means the community must step up and work with the authorities. "Many times law enforcement and even school teachers are not getting involved in the problems until the mold has kinda been set; and that comes from kids who grow up in homes where maybe it's not the healthy lifestyle that we would all hope for, for our children," says Chief Billings.To give community members options on how to combat gangs in their own way, Chief Billings and Pueblo County Sheriff Kirk Taylor hosted a community meeting Tuesday night where after-school programs like the Boys and Girls Club were discussed. As for the ATF Gun Task Force; they spent the evening doing what they have done for 13 months. They, and dozens of other officers, worked the streets looking for opportunities to make Pueblo a safer town.

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