Philip Collopy fresh gangland bloodbath in the wake of the death of one of Limerick's most notorious gangsters.

fresh gangland bloodbath in the wake of the death of one of Limerick's most notorious gangsters.Detectives warned a new wave of violence may be launched by the notorious Dundon-McCarthy gang after Philip Collopy accidentally shot himself in the head last weekend.The removal of Collopy has tilted the balance of power in favour of his deadly rivals in the bitter city feud.The leaders of the Dundon-McCarthy faction feared 29-year-old Collopy, who was one of the main enforcers on the Keane-Collopy side and a ruthless criminal.Attempts had been made in the past to strike a deal with Collopy, who had a reputation for violence as well as unpredictability."They were afraid of Philip Collopy, mainly because he was a loose cannon, and with him out of the way, it leaves his outfit a lot more exposed and could put the Dundon-McCarthys in the driving seat," one senior garda officer last night told the Irish Independent."This is the first time the Collopys have suffered a loss since the feud started and we don't know yet what sort of impact the shooting will have on either side. But it does mean the power balance has shifted to the other side. "With Collopy no longer there to defend his own family or his former associates, they are beginning to look a bit isolated."Gardai are hopeful the unofficial contact that exists between individual members of the two factions could help prevent further bloodshed.
Officers point out that, despite the feud, there has been some crossover of personnel between the two gangs for specific crimes.
"They are doing deals all the time, irrespective of their gangs' position," one said.In recent months, the Dundon-McCarthys have been more concerned with internal disputes within their own ranks than with their cross-city rivals.Two young men were shot in the Ballinacurra-Weston area of Limerick last month after a falling out over the proceeds of drug trafficking. Previously, both men would have been regarded as drug dealers for the notorious outfit. Another well-known member of the gang was jailed yesterday in Limerick's district court for five months for road traffic offences. An associate of the gang who fled the country following the murder of Shane Geoghegan returned to Limerick at the weekend.
All senior members of the Dundon-McCarthy gang are locked up or have left the country.Former crimelord and head of the Keane gang, Christy Keane was released from prison last month and found a vastly changed crime scene. The 48-year-old has discovered that constant garda surveillance and investigations by the Criminal Assets Bureau have greatly hampered the gang's attempts to carry on with their dealings.

Authorities last week arrested Xavier Gonzalez, 24, Edgar Ginez, 19, and Jacob Hoffman, 18, and booked them into the county jail on murder charges.

Authorities last week arrested Xavier Gonzalez, 24, Edgar Ginez, 19, and Jacob Hoffman, 18, and booked them into the county jail on murder charges. Police said the men punched, kicked and stomped on the head of 21-year-old Armando Castro on March 14 at a house near Pecos Road and Washington Avenue. After the beating, Castro was taken to Valley Hospital Medical Center. He died several days later from his head injuries. Police are searching for a fourth man, Dwayne Romero, 24, who is also wanted in connection with the slaying. In gang culture, potential members are "jumped in" to prove their toughness and to show that they can withstand a beating.The four suspects are reputed members of Vicky's Town, a gang with ties to the Surenos, authorities said. The Surenos are a well-established street gang with members spread across the United States and as far as Central America.A relative of Castro declined to comment about the slaying, saying her life could be in danger.
Witnesses told police Castro had gone with the defendants on March 14 to become a full-fledged member of Vicky's Town. While they were outside a house on the 3600 block of Amazon Avenue drinking beer, Gonzalez told another man to turn on the lights of a truck so they could videotape the beating, according to a Las Vegas police report. Gonzalez told Castro that he was going to get jumped in, he counted to three, and then the beating began, the report says. The men beat Castro for 13 seconds. The number 13 is known to be a common symbol for the Surenos. It represents the 13th letter in the alphabet, "M," and signifies the Mexican Mafia, a much larger gang organization that is said to control the Surenos and smaller gang sets.
Castro was knocked out for about 15 minutes after the beating. When he woke, he was woozy and couldn't stand. The other members taunted Castro and told him he "was in," the report said. They then took photos of him. He was dropped off at his house but was so shaky that he needed to be helped to the door. He told a relative that he was attacked "by some black guys," the report states. After police began investigating the slaying, detectives spoke with witnesses who confirmed Castro was beaten.
Police found a video showing the beating posted on YouTube.com under the title "Vicky's Town 13 Court in.""Court in" is another term for "jump in."
The video showed several men beating the victim and stomping on his head. After the beating, Castro is dragged to the back of a truck and the video ends.The video was posted for about seven hours when police found it. It was taken down shortly after authorities watched it. After police arrested Gonzalez, he admitted he recorded the beating and confirmed that Castro was jumped in. Gonzalez told police that jumping in is "a Southside rule" and that after the beating, the recruit is "welcome into the family," the report says. The three defendants in custody are scheduled to appear in Las Vegas Justice Court on Thursday. One witness to the beating, who declined to be identified out of fear for her safety, said the gang members were shocked when they learned that Castro was hospitalized. "When they found out he was in the hospital, everybody felt bad," she said. "They couldn't believe it."

Hell’s Angels member was beaten to death in a Sydney airport, an action which may have been retaliation for a series of drive-by shootings

A Hell’s Angels member was beaten to death in a Sydney airport, an action which may have been retaliation for a series of drive-by shootings on rival gang members’ houses. In Denmark there are reports the Hell’s Angels are waging a war by proxy utilizing Ak 81 to fight immigrant “youth” gangs who have terrorized and shut down large parts of that country. While it is claimed by some journalists that new pushes by the Angels against rivals old and new is simply an attempt to gain greater control of the drug trade, it should be noted that the rival Biker gangs in Australia at war with the Hell’s Angels now (Banditos and Comancheros) Like The Mongols here, these gangs have been altered by recruitment programs which target populations who produce “foot soldiers” more useful to the gang than the old schoolers.The Daily Telegraph reports that the leader of the Comancheros is Mahmoud Hawi, who has displayed Hamas-like media savvy in using Telegraph reporter Lisa Davis to put out propaganda to the Australian public designed to make the Comancheros look like the reasonable aggrieved party when they worked in tandem with Banditos members to murder Hell’s Angel Anthony Zervas, who the media has painted as deserving of his brutal slaying with stories of his violent recent past.
One of the Bandito members arrested in the slaying was Mahmoud Dib. Australian police have been coy about releasing the names of other assailants in the country due to the tensions between Australians and immigrants that exist.A world away, Denmark is a country besieged by violence and the Angels have suggested the violence will stop on their end when immigrant communities there “clean up their act” and stop the rampages that mar Europe with alarming frequency.

South Florida gang member "When we've got to get violent we get violent," he explained. "Whether with other gang members or with people in general

When a group of masked gunmen burst into a Dunkin' Donuts last year in Delray Beach and began indiscriminately shooting customers, they were doing more than just robbing it they were announcing the arrival of a new Crips gang chapter in South Florida. After being caught for that robbery, as well as a string of similar violent incidents in Broward County, one of the suspects bragged about his gang affiliation.
"These are just cold blooded thugs who enjoyed doing this," Broward Sheriff Al Lamberti said back in December. "In fact one of them, when asked, `Why did you shoot innocent, innocent people?', his response was he just wanted to up his body count."
Those shootings, as well as a recent spate of violence in Miami Dade County, are all vivid examples of the growing reach of South Florida gangs. "We have seen a resurgence in active recruiting by national gangs in South Florida that, combined with a significant increase in violence arising out of small neighborhood drug-based gangs, has led to an explosion of violence in the last few years," said Frank Ledee, head of the Miami Dade State Attorney's Gang Unit. Ledee estimates the number of active gangs in South Florida at between 160 and 200, with a total membership well in excess of 2,000. And violence is often the currency they trade in for respect – or at least what passes for respect in gang life. "You have many situations where gang members will go out and commit certain acts of violence, shooting someone, a random person on the street, just too either earn rank, or to earn respect within a certain criminal street gang," he said. "Respect is akin to fear. If you can impose fear in the hearts of your rivals, you have won, and that was what they [in the Dunkin' Donuts robberies] intended to do."
A longtime South Florida gang member spoke to CBS4 News on condition that we conceal his identity. He described how gang life has long been a part of the culture here in South Florida and that violence is simply part of that life.
"When we've got to get violent we get violent," he explained. "Whether with other gang members or with people in general, that's just how the gangs get down."
Have you ever shot anyone? "I've shot at people," he admitted. "Either do or die. I was getting shot at so my main thing was to shoot back." He said he doesn't know if he has ever hit anyone, but as we have often seen, gang members often miss who or what they are shooting at -- sometimes with tragic consequences. Nine-year-old Sherdavia Jenkins and 5-year-old Rickia Isaac are just two of the young victims who have been caught and killed in the crossfire The gang member I spoke to said the violence recently in the Dunkin' Donuts cases was foolish. "There is no need to do that," he said. "You do your crime; you do it on the low, do what you have to do, make your money." In the last few weeks, Hialeah police arrested a dozen members of a gang called 3OP for allegedly selling drugs near a school. In Homestead, a branch of the violent international gang MS13 was arrested and its members charged with kidnapping and attempted murder. And in recent months, Ledee has seen a growing number of Bloods the famed LA street gang building a presence in Dade County.
"We have identified packs in Hialeah, we have identified packs in South Dade, we have identified packs on the Beach, as well as in Miami," he said. "We estimate that the Blood groups here are over 300 strong." National gangs, like the Bloods, the Crips, the Latin Kings and the Imperial Gangsters, divide up territory and compete with local gangs, such as the YLOS in Hialeah or the Haitian gangs in Miami.
One thing all these gangs share is that they have no trouble recruiting new members, and it often starts in the schools. "If you are being bullied on, that's how a lot of members become gang members, they become bullied or whatever and they seek protection," the gang member told CBS4 News. And the gangs become their families.
"In the beginning when I got in the gang I needed the attention, I needed the love," he said. "I wanted to be part of something I didn't have." But the newest trend in gang recruitment is the Internet. "It's easier to recruit on the Internet like through MySpace and Facebook and things like that," said the gang member. Ledee says some of the national gangs are so internet savvy, they design their websites as recruitment tools and post videos enticing would-be members. Using a computer, Ledee showed how easy it is to find information on various gangs. "He wants to join the Latin Kings, he goes to MySpace, he types in Latin Kings," Ledee says. "All of the things that they believe in, they actually put on the public web sites. So just by going to one site you have an incredible amount of information for recruitment purposes. This is how they communicate." And the price of admission is allegiance to the gang. "You've got to pay your dues," the gang member explains. "You are out there doing crimes, doing whatever you've got to pay your dues. You've got to make sure you pay the person in charge their dues so that we can have money for whatever reason." And for what reason do they need the money? "Party, that's one, that's the main one, we like to party," he said. "Two, in case one of your gang members gets arrested they need to get bonded out of jail. So we've got some money for that. Gas for our cars – cars break down. What happens if we need to do a drive by but we ain't got a car to do a dive by because the brakes are messed up on the car? We need money to fix that." The biggest misnomer about gangs in South Florida is that it's a problem isolated to the poorest neighborhoods. When gang members need money, they rob or commit burglaries in some of the better neighborhoods.

George Torres seemed to fare remarkably well with local gangbangers and taggers.

George Torres seemed to fare remarkably well with local gangbangers and taggers.
His Numero Uno supermarkets, for the most part, remained as pristine on the outside as they were sparkling on the inside. And, after a rough beginning, he had relatively few run-ins with local toughs.Just how Torres, 52, was able to achieve this apparent status promises to be an underlying theme in his racketeering trial, which got underway this week in the downtown Los Angeles courtroom of U.S. District Judge Stephen V. Wilson.Torres' defense attorneys portray him as a self-made entrepreneur who earned the respect of neighborhood mothers -- and, by extension, their sons -- by bringing fresh meat and produce to their neighborhoods at a fair price. He was a man who treated customers with respect and gave at-risk youths jobs to help steer them from gangs and drugs.Federal prosecutors, on the other hand, contend that Torres is a ruthless businessman who cultivated an aura of danger. He ran his highly profitable supermarkets as a criminal enterprise in which he hired illegal workers, bribed a public official and -- when people crossed him -- arranged to have them killed, prosecutors say.

The case relies heavily on the testimony of current and former Torres employees as well as allegedly incriminating statements by Torres caught on wiretapped phone calls. Torres' brother, Manuel, who worked as a manager and "right-hand man" for Torres at the markets, is a co-defendant.

Steven G. Madison, Torres' lead attorney, suggested to jurors in his opening statement Tuesday that the government's case was the result of an overzealous LAPD detective who had a vendetta against George Torres. Madison also said the case was being held together by convicted felons hoping to win early release by cooperating with prosecutors.By far the most sensational allegations revolve around three murders that prosecutors say Torres solicited, beginning in the early 1990s.According to Assistant U.S. Atty. Timothy J. Searight, Torres' campaign of violence began in 1993, shortly after he bought a small store that he then closed and began remodeling to open as his second market.Soon after Torres bought the store, Searight told jurors, some Primera Flats gang members who hung out across the street began hassling his security guards. A few weeks later, one of the guards was shot in the back of the head and killed.Searight said Torres became convinced that one of the gang members was responsible. He turned to a trusted employee and protege, Ignacio "Nacho" Meza, to retaliate, the prosecutor said. Three weeks later, Searight said, Meza leaned out of the window of a car driven by another man and sprayed a group of Primera Flats members with gunfire. Four people were hit and one, Edward Carpel, was killed.Torres turned to Meza again later that year when a gang member called "Shorty," whom he had hired to provide security after the L.A. riots, tried to extort money from Torres as a "tax" for operating one of his stores in gang territory."You need to take care of Shorty," Searight quoted Torres as saying.
A few weeks later, Jose "Shorty" Maldonado was fatally shot after walking out of a barbershop across the street from the main Numero Uno market on Jefferson Boulevard south of downtown L.A. Searight said Meza pulled the trigger.Four years later, the prosecutor said, Meza was himself the victim of Torres' vengeance.

Searight said Meza, who was also a major drug dealer, was in debt after having some drugs and money seized by authorities. He stole $500,000 from Torres and used the money to repay the debt.

Searight said Torres suspected Meza immediately but pretended he did not. Though Meza had stopped working at the stores, Torres lured him back with a job offer. The prosecutor said Meza disappeared his first day back at work, Oct. 5, 1998."Precisely how he died is not known," Searight told jurors. "His body was never found."Madison, a former federal prosecutor, told the jury that the government's case relied almost entirely on the testimony of two convicted drug dealers, both of whom are serving lengthy sentences in federal prison and hope to have the terms reduced by helping convict Torres.One of the convicts, who is caught in dozens of wiretapped phone conversations with Torres in which the two appear to be talking in conspiratorial tones, is expected to testify that Torres asked him to kill Meza but that he refused.Madison said that despite about 125,000 wiretapped telephone conversations and searches of Torres' home, business and even his garbage, "there is not a single piece of evidence that relates in any way to solicitation to do murder.""These two witnesses are all they have," he said.
He said the case against Torres was initiated by a detective from the Los Angeles Police Department's Newton Division who appeared fixated on the supermarket magnate. He said the detective ignored compelling evidence that Carpel and Maldonado were the victims of gang-related shootings, and the possibility that Meza fled the country because he was under indictment in a major drug case.Madison said the detective also appeared to violate protocol for dealing with informants, such as the practice of keeping them apart so they don't have the opportunity to concoct a story together. Madison said the detective in the Torres case actually arranged for two informants to share a cell and is heard on tape asking: "Have you guys talked yet? You got it straight?"The trial, which is expected to last a month to eight weeks, resumes today.

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MS-13.Group of 34 illegals were apprehended by agents near Ajo

Group of 34 illegals were apprehended by agents near Ajo. Two of them were members of a notorious and ruthless gang known as MS-13. How did agents find out? Finger prints and tattoos were a dead-giveaway. "These two individuals, not only did their criminal record prove they were gang members, but also their tattoo affiliations," Agent Scioli says. "They're all under 13 as the 13th letter in the English alphabet which links them to the Mexican Mafia, the largest gang running in the US right now."
Authorities say the gang has at least 850,000 members. Many of them have drug and human smuggling ties, great contacts to have when trying to enter the U.S. under the radar.In response to this, local, state and federal officials have beefed up security significantly. Just last week, we got a look at what's essentially an X-ray machine on wheels, which can detect virtually anything that anybody's trying to hide or bring in illegally. But these people aren't coming in through checkpoints and other ports of entry. Many of them are military trained, organized crime members. Last fiscal year, the Border Patrol apprehended at least 60 hardened gangsters in the Tucson Sector. So far this year, they've already arrested 25 and the number is only growing. Says Agent Scioli, "It just proves again that these aren't people coming over for jobs, these aren't people trying to take care of their families back in Mexico, they're coming over to cause havoc."

Mahmoud Dib, 26, "sergeant-at-arms" Bandidos arrested

Mahmoud Dib, 26, is believed to be the "sergeant-at-arms" of the biker gang Bandidos. Sergeant-At-Arms of the Bandidos' Parramatta chapter, Mahmoud Dib, was refused bail today after he was arrested at his Auburn home in a major police operation. The Middle Eastern Organised Crime Squad, with tactical and riot squad officers, raided the 26-year-old's house at Park Road, Auburn, while it was still dark at 6am (8am NZ time) this morning.NSW Police are targeting the city's bikie gangs following a fatal brawl at Sydney Airport on Sunday in which the 29-year-old brother of a senior Hells Angels member was bludgeoned to death.Dib was charged with six firearms offences, including possessing a firearm in a public place and possessing an unregistered firearm, after gang squad detectives found a loaded gun in a car owned by Dib parked in a Guildford Street last Monday.Acting Superintendent Angelo Memmolo, from the Middle Eastern Organised Crime Squad, said a .45 calibre semi-automatic pistol, loaded with seven bullets, was found in the car.Dib was not in the car at the time, but was in the area, he said.Acting Superintendent Memmolo said no drugs nor weapons were found in the raid.A friend of Dib was arrested outside Burwood Local Court this afternoon after allegedly spitting on a News Ltd photographer.Five of Dib's friends were in the court as Dib appeared, but he did not make an application for bail.Dib appeared in court wearing a red hoodie and did not speak except for a few moments when approached by his lawyer, Mohammed Masri.The matter will return to court on Friday.Outside the court, one of Dib's friends, wearing a white singlet and the words "Bandit" tattooed on his throat, stuck his finger up at the photographer and appeared to make a slashing movement near his throat before spitting at him.Police officers standing nearby pounced on the man and took him into custody. While on the floor, the man screamed: "I can't breath, I'm claustrophobic."Shooting 'related to feud'Dib was arrested in relation to a series of tit-for-tat drive-by shootings in the Auburn area.The shootings are believed to be related to a feud between the Bandidos' Parramatta Chapter and an emerging gang, called Notorious.Dib's home was the target of a drive-by shooting last Monday. Some bullets punched through the front wall and narrowly missed him, his wife and two young children.It is understood that, later on Monday, police pulled Dib over and searched his car.The next day, two houses in Sydney's west - one believed to be the home of senior Notorious member's mother - were peppered with bullets.Since then, there have been several more drive-by shootings in Sydney's south-west.Police also seized two Harley Davidson motorcycles during the raid.A source close to the Bandidos' Parramatta chapter said police had the wrong guy."This is crazy. [Dib] was trying to shut down the violence. What are they doing about Notorious?"
On Sunday morning, two carloads of men associated with Notorious returned to Auburn and drove to a Pine Road residence of a Dib relative, the source said.The source said that this time the Bandidos were ready, having been tipped off to the planned attack.When the Notorious members arrived in Pine Road, members of the Bandidos opened fire and, in the ensuing gun battle, at least four of the men in the car were injured.One of those involved in the planned attack is believed to be a relative of a Notorious office bearer.An automatic weapon was believed to have been used by one of the groups in the attack and four homes were hit by bullets.It is understood that on the same night, the Bandidos also kneecapped a 19-year-old Auburn man whom they believed was passing information to Notorious.In relation to today's arrest, a police spokesman said that detectives were "seeking further evidence in relation to an ongoing firearms investigation"."In the early hours of Monday, March 16, the same [Park Road] house was a target of a drive-by shooting," he said."Later that day [investigators] carried out a vehicle stop at Granville, arresting a 26-year-old man in relation to a firearms investigation."Six days later [on Sunday] there was a shooting attack on six houses in the vicinity of Park Road [on Cumberland Road, North Street and Pine Road]."Two males, the occupants of one of the properties, were injured.An 18-year-old man suffered a gunshot wound to his leg and was taken to Westmead Hospital.A 17-year-old boy was treated for cuts at Auburn Hospital before being arrested. He was later released without charge."With this matter there's a tenuous, and I put it at the highest level as a tenuous, link to outlaw motorcycle gangs," a police spokesman said after Sunday's attack.Australian police arrested a senior biker-gang member on Tuesday (March 24) during a dawn raid in Sydney's west. Police confiscated two motorcycles from his home to check if they are licensed. He has also been charged for possession of a loaded gun and will face court. The police raid came after a spate of drive-by shootings, which sparked fears of a war between rival biker gangs in Sydney. A man was bludgeoned to death during a violent brawl at Sydney's domestic airport terminal on Sunday (March 22) allegedly involving tens of
bikers from different gangs --- Comancheros and Bandidos. Australian authorities promised a crackdown on gang violence on Monday (March 23) after the incident.
Four men were charged with affray after the brawl on Sunday. A 2006 Australian Crime Commission report found there were 35 outlaw motorcycle gangs in Australia, with 3,500 members. Police have blamed club defections for escalating violence including
drive-by shootings at Sydney nightclubs, the firebombing of one gang's clubhouse, and shots fired into the tattoo shop of the Nomads national president. In South Australia, police have been empowered to dismantle gang headquarters and force members to account for any unexplained wealth or income.

Joaquin "Shorty" Guzman multiple rewards of up to $2 million for information leading to the capture of the country's drug kingpins

Mexico published a list of more than 30 men the government says are leading the country's five main cartels, including Guzman's powerful Pacific-coast Sinaloa gang and the Gulf cartel in northeastern Mexico, whose feared Zeta hitmen are known for beheading rivals.Mexico on Monday offered multiple rewards of up to $2 million for information leading to the capture of the country's drug kingpins, including Mexico's most-wanted man, Joaquin "Shorty" Guzman.Attorney General Eduardo Medina Mora said Mexico's security forces would accept tips from rival drug gangs. "We don't rule out that those giving us information are part of (organized crime) groups. The important thing is to capture the wanted person," Medina Mora told a news conference.Mexico's President Felipe Calderon has made controlling rampant drug violence his administration's top priority and has sent 45,000 troops across the country to break up the gangs.Last week, soldiers captured two capos, but despite a string of arrests and historic drug busts, violence surged to a record 6,300 drug-related killings last year. Washington fears the drug war is spilling over into the United States.The conflict is also scaring off tourists and investment along Mexico's border just as the global economic crisis drags the country into recession.

Hybrid youth gangs in the 21st century.“cliques,” “crews,” “posses,”

Law enforcement officers from communities unaffected by gangs until the 1980s or early 1990s often find themselves scrambling to obtain training relevant to what are called hybrid youth gangs in the 21st century. When gang-related training first became widely available in the early 1990s, it often emphasized historical information, such as the formation of the Los Angeles Crips and Bloods in the late 1960s or the legacy of Chicago-based gangs (the Black Gangster Disciples, Latin Kings, and Vice Lords).As law enforcement officers learned about the origins of these influential gangs, they sometimes attempted to apply this outdated information in their efforts to deal with hybrid gangs in their jurisdictions. The assumption that new gangs share the characteristics of older gangs can impede law enforcement’s attempts to identify and effectively counter local street gangs, and actions based on this assumption often elicit inappropriate responses from the community as a whole. Citizens may react negatively to law enforcement efforts when they sense that gang suppression actions are geared to a more serious gang problem than local gangs appear to present.

Because of uncertainty in reporting on problem groups such as “cliques,” “crews,” “posses,” and other nontraditional collectives that may be hybrid gangs, some police department staff spend an inordinate amount of time trying to precisely categorize local groups according to definitions of traditional gangs.

When training law enforcement groups on investigative issues surrounding drug trafficking or street gangs, instructors must resist the tendency to connect gangs in different cities just because the gangs share a common name. If the groups engage in ongoing criminal activity and alarm community members, law enforcement officers should focus on the criminal activity, regardless of the ideological beliefs or identifiers (i.e., name, symbols, and group colors) of the suspects. This practical approach would circumvent the frustration that results from trying to pigeonhole hybrid gangs into narrow categories and would avoid giving undue attention to gangs that want to be recognized as nationwide crime syndicates.

The expanded presence of gangs is often blamed on the relocation of members from one city to another, which is called gang migration. Some gangs are very transient and conduct their activities on a national basis. However, the sudden appearance of Rollin’ 60s Crips graffiti in a public park in rural Iowa, for example, does not necessarily mean that the Los Angeles gang has set up a chapter in the community. Gang names are frequently copied, adopted, or passed on. In most instances, there is little or no real connection between local groups with the same name other than the name itself. Gang migration does occur, however.

According to the National Youth Gang Survey, 18 percent of all youth gang members had migrated from another jurisdiction to the one in which they were residing. Although gang migration is stereotypically attributed to illegal activities such as drug franchising, expansion of criminal enterprises is not the principal driving force behind migration. The most common reasons for migration are social considerations affecting individual gang members, including family relocation to improve the quality of life or to be near relatives and friends. Moreover, in the National Youth Gang Survey, the vast majority (83 percent) of law enforcement respondents agreed that the appearance of gang members outside of large cities in the 1990s was caused by the relocation of young people from central cities.

Thus, the dispersion of the urban population to less populated areas contributed to the proliferation of gangs in suburban areas, small towns, and rural areas.Law enforcement professionals may not be able to differentiate among local gangs that have adopted names of the same well-known gangs from other locales but have no real connection with each other until they begin to interact with gang members through interviews, debriefings, and other contacts. “Hybrid” versions will begin to display variations of the original gang, such as giving different reasons for opposing rival gangs or displaying certain colors. Investigators who take the time to cross-check their local gang intelligence with that of other agencies concerning gangs with identical names are likely to find some subtle and some glaring differences

battle between the Bandidos and Notorious has escalated six homes in Sydney's west were hit by bullets

6 homes in Sydney's west were hit by bullets just 12 hours before a 29-year-old bikie was bludgeoned to death at Sydney Airport's domestic terminal.In a dramatic escalation of a turf war between rival bikie gangs, one man was shot, another bashed, and another murdered in the airport attack.NSW police are now faced with a crisis of resourcing with the involvement of the already over-stretched Gang Squad, the Middle Eastern Crime Squad and the Homicide Squad in a series of investigations encompassing a family feud, the escalating bikie wars and 12 allegedly linked murders and attempted murders going back a decade.The drive-by shootings at Auburn on Saturday night, which involved six houses in three streets, are believed to be related to Bandidos discovering that two of the club's Blacktown chapter "associates" were passing information to the rival club, Notorious.
"They found out two Auburn boys were being paid by Notorious to provide addresses of Bandidos members," a source told the Herald."That's how Notorious knew where [the serjeant-at-arms of the Bandidos Blacktown chapter] lived; these guys gave them the address," the source said.The tensions began in February with a drive-by shooting at a tattoo parlour - owned by the Hells Angels - and the bombing of the outfit's Petersham clubhouse moments later.Fears that the 2am blast, which blew cars off the road and tore into the side of a nearby building, was an act of retaliation have been well founded. Since then, the battle between the Bandidos and Notorious has escalated.The Auburn shootings at 1am yesterday left two men aged 18 and 17 in hospital. The elder man was treated at Westmead for a gunshot wound to his leg, and the younger man, after being treated for cuts, was taken to Auburn police station for questioning, then released without charge.The attacks have come during a separate deadly street war between rival Lebanese families, the Darwiches and the Razzaks.

Sydney's bikie warfare has exploded with a violent brawl between two gangs at Sydney Airport's domestic Qantas terminal

Sydney's bikie warfare has exploded with a violent brawl between two gangs at Sydney Airport's domestic Qantas terminal resulting in one man being bludgeoned to death in front of horrified passengers.The attack happened the same day a drive-by shooting in Sydney's west sent two men to hospital with police investigating if warfare between outlaw motorcycle gangs was to blame.Minutes after a group of men disembarked from a flight that landed about 1.30pm (AEDT) on Sunday, another group confronted them in the arrivals section of the domestic terminal.Witnesses told police an altercation ensued and lasted long enough to make its way upstairs to the departures area.One of the men picked up a portable bollard and repeatedly struck a 29-year-old man over the head, leaving him clinging to life just inside the doors of the terminal.Ambulance officers were called to the scene and treated the man before rushing him to Prince of Wales Hospital, where he later died.Naomi Constantine was waiting to go through security to board a flight to Melbourne when she witnessed the attack."They came running through picking up the big metal barrier poles and swinging them, swinging them like swords at each other," Ms Constantine told ABC Television."I saw one of the men lying on the ground and another man came up with a pole and just started smashing it into his head."Detective Inspector Peter Williams said the brawl involved 15 men from rival bikie gangs and was witnessed by up to 50 horrified passengers."It would appear a group of males have exited a plane and they were met by another group of males who we believe may be other motorcycle gang members," Det Insp Williams told reporters at the airport."A fight ensued, the fight moved through various parts of the terminal to the ultimate location where the man was deceased."Four men were arrested over the incident, while the others fled the airport - some in taxis, witnesses reported.The attack raised questions about the level of security at the Qantas terminal and the reaction time of security officers.
A Sydney Airport Corporation spokesman said: "That terminal is operated and managed by Qantas."A Qantas spokeswoman would not confirm whether the fight began in the departure lounge or outside the security screening area.She was also unable to confirm whether security guards were working within the terminal at the time.
"I'm not at liberty to comment on that," the spokeswoman told AAP.An unnamed passenger told the Nine Network that response from airport security "took a long time to get there".Traffic into the airport was reduced to a crawl for hours at the domestic terminals after roads leading to the T3 departures were cordoned off as a crime scene.The attack followed an incident about 1am (AEDT) on Sunday at Auburn, in Sydney's west, where seven houses in three streets were sprayed with gunfire.An 18-year-old man was shot in the leg and a 17-year-old male was treated for lacerations and then arrested but later released.Police seized two vehicles for forensic examination and said the houses were most likely caught in crossfire and not deliberately targeted.The NSW opposition wants the government to crack down on bikie violence, and introduce tough legislation similar to new South Australian laws.The laws are designed to dismantle criminal bikie gangs by declaring membership or association with outlawed clubs, illegal. The act also includes new charges, which carry up to 10 years jail, for bikie club members and their associates who engage in group violence."This horrific episode must finally force (Premier) Nathan Rees to stop standing by and doing nothing as criminal bikie gang members murder each other in broad daylight in public and put the wider community at risk," Opposition Leader Barry O'Farrell told AAP.NSW Police Minister Tony Kelly said the government would consider the South Australia legislation."I will be meeting with the police commissioner and the attorney-general looking at additional laws that we can bring into place to round these people up," Mr Kelly told reporters in Sydney.

28-year-old man has died following a brawl at Sydney Airport on Sunday, in what is believed to be a gang related incident.

28-year-old man has died following a brawl at Sydney Airport on Sunday, in what is believed to be a gang related incident. The brawl started when two men who arrived into Sydney Airport and were met by rival motorcycle gang members. Police have arrested four men in connection with the fight in which eyewitnesses described how airport barrier poles were used as makeshift weapons.

fullscale gunfight between the warring Comancheros and Bandido motorcycle gangs.

Milperra Massacre wars in full public view threatens to return Sydney to one of the darkest periods of its modern history.The battle at Sydney airport and rival gangs taking their blood feuds into suburban streets takes the city back to an infamous Father's Day almost 25 years ago.In a gun battle that has gone down in criminal folklore as the Milperra Massacre, two bikie gangs turned a local pub carpark into a killing ground. They fought with automatic weapons, shotguns, chains, knives, baseball bats, iron bars and knuckledusters.It happened at a bike swap meet attended by many of Sydney's motorcycle fraternity. On sale were bike and car parts - second hand, new and hot.First reports on that sleepy Sunday afternoon said a man had gone berserk with a rifle at the Viking Tavern in Milperra and "a few shots" had been fired. But the "few shots" were the start of a fullscale gunfight between the warring Comancheros and Bandido motorcycle gangs.There was tension in the air as the Comancheros arrived at the tavern about 1pm, all heavily armed. Soon after, 30 Bandidos rumbled into the carpark, rifles and shotguns in scabbards fixed across their handlebars. A back-up van followed carrying more weapons.Both sides lined up at opposite ends of the car park.The bloodshed began with a signal from William George "Jock" Ross who had founded the Comancheros in 1968.Waving a machete in the air, Ross bellowed the order: "Kill 'em all."Shotgun blasts were drowned out by screams of terror and cries of abuse as the two gangs went at each other.Bystanders ran screaming from the scene while others hid behind trees and parked cars or ran into the hotel. More than 200 police were called but the battle continued for another 10 minutes while they tried to stop it.When the smoke cleared four Comancheros and two Bandidos were dead. An innocent victim caught in the crossfire was 14-year-old Leanne Walters, who was attending the swap meet with a friend. She was hit in the face by a .357 magnum bullet.Four bikies died from shotgun blasts and two from .357 magnum rifle shots. Another 20 people were admitted to hospital.
The scene in the Viking Tavern carpark that afternoon was horrific.Fallout from the gun battle over the coming years would be widespread.Inspector Ron Stephenson, called away from a family barbecue when the call came through from the police radio room, was not hit by any bullet but he became one of the casualties.Memories of the massacre would remain with him for the rest of his days. Another, Mark Pennington, one of the first on the scene, was awarded $380,000 for psychological damage.
One of the bikie leaders hanged himself in his prison cell.The Milperra Massacre was precipitated by the last mass defection among the powerful bikie gangs when a breakaway group of Comancheros formed the first Bandidos chapter in Australia. But quite a number of the gang members who took part in the battle that day belied their popular image of unwashed and dirty misfits.Among those at Milperra was a truck driver, a pay clerk, a marine engineer and an optical mechanic. One ran a family plumbing business, another played classical piano.The carnage was followed by the longest joint criminal trial in NSW history. Armed members of the tactical response group were stationed in the courtroom and police involved needed armed guards to get them home safely.On June 12, 1987, nearly three years later, a jury delivered 63 murder convictions, 147 of manslaughter and 31 of affray. Nine bikies, including Jock Ross, received life sentences.

Corey Ray Johnson, 25-year-old Joseph Kevin Dixon and 24-year-old David Lee Jr.have been found guilty of several counts each of first-degree murder

Three reputed gang members have been found guilty of several counts each of first-degree murder in connection with the deaths of a young man and pregnant young woman.
Verdicts came out Friday in the trial that lasted about five months. The suspects were also found guilty of many gang-related charges.It took all morning for the verdicts to be read for 22-year-old Corey Ray Johnson, 25-year-old Joseph Kevin Dixon and 24-year-old David Lee Jr.The three were found guilty in the murders of 21-year-old James Wallace and 19-year-old Vanessa Alcala, who was several months pregnant.They were shot on McNew Court in April 2007.Alcala's family said she was in the wrong place at the wrong time, and sister Leticia Veleta was pleased with the guilty verdicts."Very happy, very happy," Veleta said. "We got a good outcome of it."
Veleta said she thinks the guilty verdicts on the gang-related charges send an important message."Hopefully people that are in gangs, they don't have to kill innocent people just because of a gang," Veleta said. "It's not worth it, do something else better with their lives than just kill innocent people."Verdicts were read for Johnson first, but as the judge spoke to the jury about their findings, Johnson denied he was involved."Guilty of what?" he blurted out. "(Expletive) that. Get me out of here."Guards hustled Johnson out of the courtroom.More than a dozen officers ringed the courtroom to provide extra security during the verdict reading. Many of the officers were from the Kern County Sheriff's Gang unit. Extra officers were posted in the hallway and even on the first floor of the courthouse.During a break in the session, relatives of the defendants sobbed in the hallway. None wanted to make any comments. Others muffled sobs in the courtroom when the verdicts were read for Lee.Another of Alcala's sisters said there was justice for the victims but thinks the suspects should pay a steeper price."Their families can still write to them and come visit them and stuff," sister Mayra Pulido said. "We can't bring her back. I feel they should honestly get death."Defense Attorney James Faulkner said the defendants will not face the death penalty. Prosecutor Cynthia Zimmer said the gang charges in the case will mean the three can be sentenced to life in prison with no possibility of parole.All three defendants were found guilty on a variety of gang-related charges. That included charges and enhancements like committing murder "for the benefit of" or "in association with" a criminal street gang.Judge Gary Friedman thanked the jury for their work on the long trial. He presented each juror with a special certificate of commendation, and said the court thanked them for their "courageous and dedicated" service.

Johnson, Lee and Dixon are set to be back in court on April 20 for sentencing.

Prosecutor Cynthia Zimmer said this case is important, and a critical part of it were the witnesses who testified at a gang trial.

"We had two witnesses in this case who bravely came forward, who helped us," Zimmer said. "And if we hadn't had them, we wouldn't have had gotten this conviction. So, witnesses that are out there and they know information about gang crimes, you can come forward, (and) we can help you."

Ismael Garcia Jr. of Warden has been shot to death in a fight between two gangs at a park in Othello

young man has been shot to death in a fight between two gangs at a park in Othello.
School officials in the small Eastern Washington town were asked to keep students indoors as a precaution Thursday, a day after the shooting in Taggares (tah-GEH'-ruhs) Park.The dead man was identified as 19-year-old Ismael Garcia Jr. of Warden.
According to a news release from Adams County Sheriff Douglas Barger, two gangs met at the park late Wednesday and a fight developed. Investigators say the shooting was reported at 6:21.Garcia was taken by friends to Othello Community Hospital, where he was pronounced dead. Barger writes that the other group fled on foot.The sheriff says he expects to determine who was responsible and make an arrest.

Dennis Karbovanec has been under constant surveillance by the cops after being targeted for death by a rival gang.

Suspected gangster Dennis Karbovanec has left Port Moody.Port Moody mayor Joe Trasolini says it's a relief Karbovanec is gone and while Jonathan Bacon still lives there, he hopes no other suspected gang members come to town. “We have pride in our safe community, the police department has a motto 'No Call Too Small' and we will focus on these types of individuals, so you know you are not welcome here. If you decide to come here, then we will make life a little too uncomfortable so you might as well think twice before coming here, and if you're here - get out of town.”Police know where Karbovanec has gone but won't say what his new address will be.Karbovanec is known to hang out with the notorious Bacon brothers and he's been under constant surveillance by the cops after being targeted for death by a rival gang.

Warring families and feuding bikie gangs in Sydney's south-west have been fuelled by the discovery of a pistol in a breastfeeding mother's handbag

Warring families and feuding bikie gangs in Sydney's south-west have been fuelled by the discovery of a pistol in a breastfeeding mother's handbag, a gun under a car seat and a list of potential targets.Detectives attached to Strike Force Lieutenant have spent the last week trying to keep a lid on simmering resentment and anger following the murder of Abdul Qadier Darwiche, 37, a father of four, last Saturday.
Darwiche's brother, Moustafa "Michael", was arrested on Thursday night with a hidden loaded gun and the addresses of relatives of the main suspect in the killing, Mohammed "Blackie" Fahda, a court heard.The 40-year-old father of five and a friend, Michael Darwick, 36, were arrested in Bankstown with a loaded Glock pistol allegedly hidden underneath the rear seat. In the car was also a piece of paper with five addresses of people with the name Fahda and an article about Abdul Darwiche's murder, Bankstown Local Court was told.Police allege the men, who said they were going to McDonald's, were "in the proximity" of one of those addresses when they were stopped.But Michael's barrister, Michael Coroneos, told the court his client had no knowledge of the gun and was a passenger in the car.Police appealed yesterday for anyone who saw Fahda not to approach him. They said they believed he was still in Sydney."We urgently need to speak with Mohammed 'Blackie' Fahda in order for the investigation to proceed," said the commander of the Homicide Squad, Detective Superintendent Geoff Beresford.Superintendent Beresford also called on the families not to take the law into their own hands.In a statement tendered during Michael's bail hearing yesterday police also alleged the Darwiches, the Fahdas and members of another family, the Razzaks, "have previously and are currently suspected of being involved in various levels of organised crime … and are believed responsible for a number of incidents of violence"

Howard Anthony Fowler, 43, of 6536 Young St. appeared in Halifax provincial court Friday afternoon and was remanded until a bail hearing can be held

"We have been investigating the possibility of a new motorcycle club establishing itself in (Halifax Regional Municipality)," Ms. Rath said. "But to what extent that club may be affiliated with outlaw motorcycle gangs has yet to be determined."A traffic stop involving a taxi passenger in Halifax on Thursday night led to a middle-aged man being charged with drug and weapons offences, police said Friday.The cab was pulled over near the corner of Chebucto Road and Windsor Street at 11:35 p.m., said Theresa Rath, a spokeswoman for Halifax Regional Police.She said the taxi was pulled over because officers had earlier seen the suspect getting into it. She couldn’t say if other passengers were in the cab.Police later executed a search warrant at a Young Street address and seized drugs, including cocaine, ecstasy and marijuana, and weapons and ammunition.According to a court document, police found a loaded gun, a sawed-off shotgun, a switchblade and brass knuckles.Howard Anthony Fowler, 43, of 6536 Young St. appeared in Halifax provincial court Friday afternoon and was remanded until a bail hearing can be held Tuesday.Sources say Mr. Fowler has Ontario connections and alleged ties to biker gangs.

Bar Watch Member(s) will die. 1 down and 12 to go

A wave of gang violence linked to 16 deaths this year across the Vancouver region, in dozens of shooting incidents, demonstrates that limits on violence have "eroded" to the point that shootings can happen anywhere, Mr. Barry said. That makes the program more valuable, he added.

One of British Columbia's most venerable restaurant chains is standing firmly by a program that targets gang members among its customers, despite one of its establishments in the Fraser Valley being shot up yesterday.The attack, which occurred before the Earls restaurant opened yesterday morning, was clearly a response to Bar Watch operations that have seen bar and restaurant owners share information with police to identify known gang members, who can then be monitored or urged to leave.Someone fired a reported eight shots into the restaurant - in Chilliwack, 100 kilometres east of Vancouver - and spray-painted "Bar Watch Member(s) will die. 1 down and 12 to go" on the building."You've got a building that has been shot up ... with a fairly direct message painted onto that building. I think that's something to take fairly seriously," said RCMP Corporal Peter Thiessen. Earls vice-president Mark Barry said the fact that someone felt strongly enough to take this action speaks to the "effectiveness" of the program, of which the Chilliwack eatery was a member.Roughly half of Earls's 50 restaurants are located across British Columbia, making the chain launched in 1982 a popular dining institution in the province.Ryan MacDonald, chair of the Upper Fraser Valley Bar Watch, declined to comment yesterday on the incident or talk about his group's work, but issued a statement saying the role is to create "safe environments" for the staff and community to eliminate the "threat of violence, abusive language and intimidating behaviours of others."Mr. Barry said that "we think the best way of protecting the safety of our customers and our people is to participate in this program and prevent criminals and gang members from accessing our restaurants and being in our restaurants." He said the restaurant would take a few hours to clean up, then reopen for business.Cpl. Thiessen said an investigation is well under way. "We've got some suspects in mind we're certainly going to try and make contact with," he said.
RCMP, who are effectively the municipal police force in Chilliwack, will step up patrols around the restaurant this weekend.The incident was an unexpected twist yesterday in a continuing gang conflict - what Vancouver Police Chief Jim Chu has described as a "brutal" gang war - that has been linked to at least 30 shooting incidents this year. Prime Minister Stephen Harper has used Metro Vancouver as a backdrop to announce new anti-gang legislation.Cpl. Thiessen said the RCMP have a sense of what prompted the incident."We have good reason to believe this is linked to some previous interaction that may have occurred in this particular community, whether it be at this Earls or anyplace else, involving the removal of individuals we feel are associated to gang activity," he said.He said police appear to be making a mark on gang members. "It appears we're having an impact and they are feeling the pressure and [are] uncomfortable and we are disrupting their routines and it would appear, maybe, they are not liking it too much."

killing of underworld figure Abdul Darwiche and a string of bikie-related drive-by shootings has put the police on high alert.

killing of underworld figure Abdul Darwiche and a string of bikie-related drive-by shootings has put the police on high alert. An internal memo, penned by south-west region commander Assistant Commissioner Frank Menelli, has been distributed to officers in trouble-prone areas, urging them to take extra care. The shooting of Mr Darwiche, 37, at a Bass Hill service station has rocked Sydney's Islamic community and sparked fears of imminent reprisal attacks. As detectives work overtime to calm tensions, a parallel feud among outlaw motorcycle gangs has broken out, with fresh attacks around Blacktown. "I thought it was appropriate,'' he said. "I worry about my officers and I tell them to be careful, but I haven't told anyone to back down.''
Mr Menelli said the fresh violence, coupled with events that have seen officers injured in the last week, prompted him to issue the memo. "Bearing in mind the current issues relating to OCMGs (Outlaw Motorcycle Gangs) and other tensions, I told them to make sure they're aware of officer safety when dealing with people,'' he said. Police have praised the Islamic community for being forthcoming with information and working with detectives to further their investigations. Immediately after Mr Darwiche's death, officers met with a wall of silence from family members, who refused to reveal who they thought was responsible. It has emerged that, to ease tensions, a senior officer ushered key family members away from the crime scene to a motel instead of a police station. There, after booking a room, calming tensions and ordering coffee, he gained their trust and asked them to privately explain what was unfolding. Within two hours, the entire story and the gravity of the situation was laid on the table. Detectives believe Mr Darwiche's shooting can be linked to the murder of 25-year-old Ahmad Fadha in 2003. Mr Fadha was an associate of the Razzak family, which at the time was involved in a bitter turf war with the Darwiches over drugs. Late last week, police formally issued a plea for Ahmad Fahda's younger brother, Mohammed "Blackie'' Fahda, 24, to come forward about the shooting. Mohammed Fahda remains in hiding, but is not thought to have fled the country.
A detective close to the investigation said an alert had been circulated through agencies, to ensure police are contacted if Mr Fadha makes an attempt to board a flight out of Australia. Police strike force teams were quickly assembled once investigators established the high likelihood of retaliatory attacks. Detectives are fearful that imminent reprisals are on the cards. Last week Mr Darwiche's elder brother, Michael, 40, and another man, Michael Darwick, 36, were arrested at Punchbowl. When police searched their BMW, they allegedly found a map, a gun and names and addresses of Fahda family members. Later that night, two drive-by shootings, which may be linked to the Notorious bikie gang, occurred near Blacktown.
The gang is believed to be linked to the bombing of a Hells Angels clubhouse at Petersham, as well as a shooting at a new Nomads clubhouse in Chalder Ave, Marrickville last month. Marrickville police have made little progress into the Nomads shooting because of the "code of silence'' strictly adhered to by the bikies.
They have approached Marrickville Council about shutting down the venue, which police allege was set up as a car-repair shop but is being used for late-night parties.

Member of the White Boy Posse — an offshoot of the Hells Angels — and 17 other known gangsters were arrested.

Eight known gang members, aged 16 to 33, have been arrested and charged with conspiracy to commit murder following a massive bust on Jan. 10, which netted more than $500,000 in cocaine and guns.
In that bust, dubbed “Project IGAT,” one member of the White Boy Posse — an offshoot of the Hells Angels — and 17 other known gangsters were arrested. The most recent wave of charges, officials say, puts a significant dent into the armour of a sophisticated trafficking network which stretches from Red Deer to Grande Prairie, with Edmonton as its headquarters. “This will create a vacuum, and someone else will replace them,” Galvin said.
Police, Integrated Response to Organized Crime officers, and solicitor general Fred Lindsay stood above a portion of the seized narcotics yesterday, including bricks of cocaine with the characters “H1” stamped on the side. Galvin said the financial downturn has inspired gangsters to diverge from bigger, established groups, forcing senior gangsters to step in to fill the void.“The consumer base is shrinking, and there’s not a need for workers to provide that product,” he said. “People, in the last few years, who would not normally sell drugs, did. It’s quick money, high frequency, and low-risk, in general terms — and it’s not there now.”

Miguel Alvarez, now 23, didn't know that the teenager was tied to a city street gang calling itself Dominicans Don't Play

Miguel Alvarez, now 23, didn't know that the teenager was tied to a city street gang calling itself Dominicans Don't Play, said a defense attorney in an opening statement to jurors Thursday in Alvarez's murder trial."It was the slap heard around Perth Amboy," the attorney, John Perrone of Woodbridge, said.
Alvarez was hounded by the machete-wielding gang members after that, Perrone said.The dispute ended with Alvarez stabbing a man who went by the gang name "Machete" during a brawl in August 2007, Perrone said.Alvarez, afraid for his life, was due to leave for Florida the next day, but the fight changed that, Perrone said.
"It was fear of a gang, a gang that runs rampant in Perth Amboy," Perrone said. "We have every right to use self-defense. On Aug. 26, 2007, Miguel Alvarez used that right. He used that knife because he was being attacked, because his friends were being attacked. That was an attack, that was a wilding, that was a riot."
"Machete," Tony Martinez, 19, was stabbed around 2:30 a.m. that Sunday just outside Kennedy Fried Chicken on Smith Street across from the Perth Amboy train station.Martinez was pronounced dead at Raritan Bay Medical Center in Perth Amboy a short time later.Charged with his murder, Alvarez faces 30 years to life in prison if convicted. He has remained at Middlesex County Adult Correction Center in North Brunswick in lieu of $1 million bail since his arrest hours after the slaying.Perrone spent nearly an hour painting a picture of escalating gang harassment fueled in part by Alvarez's on-again, off-again girlfriend joining the gang.But Kevin Flood, assistant Middlesex County prosecutor, drew a simpler sketch of Alvarez as a killer. Alvarez walked up behind Martinez and stabbed him in the side while Martinez was fighting someone else, a wound that pierced his heart, Flood said.
"He made a conscious decision to arm himself with a deadly weapon — a knife," Flood said. "He made a conscious decision not to go home, not to walk away, but to stay there armed with a deadly weapon....He shoved that piece of steel in the side of Tony Martinez's body."At the center of the case is whether Alvarez was actually being confronted by Martinez and another man who were holding bottles as weapons when he stabbed Martinez, as Perrone contended, or whether he attacked Martinez from behind, as Flood argued.Medical evidence will come into play.There is also choppy surveillance video footage showing parts of the brawl. And witnesses will buttress the state's case, Flood said.Alvarez, a powerfully-built man, will take the stand in his own defense, Perrone said.Flood told the jurors that testimony in the case will last two to three weeks.

Woman allegedly associated with the Notorious crime gang has been charged by police investigating two drive-by shootings

Woman allegedly associated with the Notorious crime gang has been charged by police investigating two drive-by shootings in western Sydney yesterday that police suspect were linked to the group.There are fears a gang war was started when several shots were fired into houses in Doonside and Prospect within five minutes shortly after midnight yesterday.No-one was injured in either shooting but it was a close call for the two adults sleeping inside the Doonside house and the three adults and two children in Prospect.In both cases, the bullets missed their mark and police believe the same stolen gold-coloured Range Rover ferried the shooter or shooters to the two locations. The car was later found alight in Blacktown.

Police yesterday said they suspected the shootings were linked to the Notorious gang, which bears the hallmarks of a bikie group and has been linked to series of violent acts around Sydney.

About 7:00pm (AEDT) yesterday, officers from the State Crime Command's Gangs Squad and North-West Region Enforcement Squad pulled over a 24-year-old woman while she was driving in Guildford West.Police say the found a .38 revolver in a handbag while they searched the car.The Prospect woman is due to face Fairfield Local Court today charged with possessing a firearm.
Monash University's Professor Arthur Veno, who has been researching and surveying gangs and their members for more than 20 years, last night told ABC Radio's PM program a serious line was crossed yesterday when women and children were put in the firing line.
"It's a cardinal rule of the rules of engagement of war for bikies that no retributions or injuries to a former member or current member would be done in the presence or vision of his family," he said."They have clearly broken the rules and they'd better be ready for the consequences."There has been a string of drive-by shootings in Sydney in recent months. Last month, a bomb exploded outside a Hells Angels clubhouse and shots were fired into a nearby tattoo parlour.

Suspected gang shooting that wounded two teenagers

Arrested Wednesday were Jesse Orizaba, 22, charged with use of a weapon by a felon and aggravated use of a weapon; Luis Orizaba, 19, charged with aggravated use of a weapon; and Modesto Rosales, 20, charged with unlawful possession of a firearm.

22-year-old member of the Denmark-based immigrant motorcycle gang the Black Cobras was remanded into custody by Malmö district court

22-year-old member of the Denmark-based immigrant motorcycle gang the Black Cobras was remanded into custody by Malmö district court on Tuesday on suspicion of trying to extort 200,000 kronor ($22,000) from a local car retailer.Two other men are also in custody for the same offence.Police in Malmö fear that a gang war in the Danish capital of Copenhagen has spilled over into the streets of the city and that the Black Cobras are busy establishing themselves on the Swedish side of the Öresund straight.According to the car retailer, the three men approached him demanding the money or he would run into trouble. The men are reported to have displayed their Black Cobras logo in order to "shake up" the businessman.The man refused to pay and instead contacted the police. A trap was set for the trio who, according to the prosecutor, were captured on police video threatening the retailer.

The Black Cobras are sworn enemies of the Hells Angels and are, according to a report in local newspaper Sydsvenskan, one of the largest criminal gangs in Denmark, after the Hells Angels and Bandidos.

A gang war has broken out between rival gangs in Copenhagen recently with arson attacks, shootings and several murders linked to the conflict.The scale of the Black Cobras' presence in Sweden is as yet unknown and police confirm that open conflict with the Hells Angels in Sweden has not yet occurred."This is in a early phase. We are collecting information on them," a police source told the newspaper.

11th alleged member of the Dump Squad street gang was arrested in Newport News, Wednesday. Rickey Rice, AKA "Munchie,"

11th alleged member of the Dump Squad street gang was arrested in Newport News, Wednesday. Rickey Rice, AKA "Munchie," was considered armed and dangerous by investigators. Officials say he is now with 10 other alleged Dump Squad gangsters already in U.S Marshal custody.Six alleged Dump Squad street gang members were in federal court Wednesday, in Norfolk, where they requested to be held without bond until their trial date. The judge granted that request. Rice was also in court, Wedesday, for his initial hearing, just four hours after his arrest.The capture of Rickey Rice was big news, Wednesday, showing Newport News Police Chief Jim Fox is true to his word."If you are a gang member...I'd look over your shoulder because we're following you. We're looking at you. We're going to target you and we're going to take you off the street," says Fox.After the Chief's warning Friday, Rice now joins 10 alleged Dump Squad members who face more than 100 years in prison if convicted. Between the men and woman listed in a federal indictment, they're accused of "at least three murders, several attempted murders, robberies, assaults, arson, witness intimidation, drug trafficking and weapons violations."
Dana Boente, acting U.S. Attorney for Eastern Virinia, says the Dump Squad is accused of terrorizing the Ridley Circle, Harbor Homes, and Dickerson Court areas of Newport.A recent WAVY.com interview with FBI Special Agent in Charge Alex Turner revealed the Dump Squad is one of 116 gangs in Hampton Roads. The alleged members arrested are 11 of 6,000 total gang members throughout the area.On Wednesday, the judge ruled Rice will be detained by U.S. Marshals at least until his detention hearing scheduled for the end of this week. Rice is charged with racketeering, selling drugs, robbery, maiming, and more.Rice told the judge he is a father. He said he has an 8 year-old and a 3 year-old. Rice was considered a federal fugitive until investigators say a Crime Line tip lead to his arrest in the 7300 block of River Road in Newport News.No trial date has been set for the alleged Dump Squad members. Rice's detention hearing is scheduled for Friday.The quick arrest of Rice today proves the Crime Line works according to Newport News Police. The caller did not have to give any personal information and now could be eligible for a reward of up to $1,000

Michael Paul Uzzell shot the Newboys gang member about 8pm Monday at Blair Athol.

The 34-year-old victim from Enfield, who is allegedly a past member of the Hells Angels bikie club, was among a group outside the other man's home, a police spokesman said. "There was a heated argument amongst the group and at least two gunshots were heard,'' he said.
About 10.30pm, STAR group officers entered a house and arrested Uzzell, 49. The victim was admitted to hospital with a gunshot wound to his arm and police later charged Uzzell with attempted murder and possessing a firearm without a licence. Uzzell appeared briefly in Holden Hill Magistrates Court this afternoon.He entered no plea to the charges and did not apply for bail and was remanded in custody to face court again next month.

Gangster war over fires at building sites

Lewis "Scooby" Rodden is involved in a bitter feud with gangster John "Joker" McCartney. P&B Contracts boss Rodden blames McCartney for fire attacks on his firm's sites. And he even offered McCartney, 43, a job as a "security consultant" in a bid to stop the blazes but McCartney rejected it. Now Rodden, 48, has turned to other criminals for help. A source said: "Rodden was told McCartney was behind the fires and thought the easiest way to stop would be to offer McCartney a job. "But McCartney just wasn't interested in getting involved with Rodden." McCartney is a friend of Ruchill Security boss Bobby "The Devil" Dempster, who was blamed for having Rodden shot in Amsterdam in 2001. The source added: "McCartney's been a friend of Dempster for years and would never work with Rodden no matter how much money he offered." We revealed last year Rodden had been hit by a series of fires in Glasgow's Maryhill and Pollokshaws. Sites in Airdrie and Clydebank were also targeted.

St James, has had 40 murders, as rampaging gunmen linked to criminal activities such as the illicit guns-for-drugs trade between Haiti and Jamaica

St James, has had 40 murders, as rampaging gunmen linked to criminal activities such as the illicit guns-for-drugs trade between Haiti and Jamaica, the infamous Montego Bay 'Lotto' scam, and turf war between rival gangs, continue to wreak havoc.
There have been 14 murders across the parish in the last 10 days. Last Saturday morning, three men were shot dead at a dance on Perry Street. In the aftermath of that shooting, two men were killed in what was believed to be acts of reprisals. Last Sunday morning, four men were shot and killed at another dance in Hendon, Norwood. "People in these areas know what is happening but they just can't just panic and keep it to themselves," noted ACP Frater. "We have made some gains against the criminals over the last few months and we can't allow things to get back to where they were, so we need the support of the public."In the latest addition to the rampant mayhem, two car washers were killed, execution-style, on Harbour Street in downtown Montego Bay on Monday night. The dead men have been identified as 34-year-old Miguel Thompson, and 40-year-old Marvin Williams.Despite several new policing initiatives and changes in personnel, St James still figured prominently in the number of murders across the island last year, accounting for a record 216 killings.