Turf war feared as Gypsy Joker bikies descend on Brisbane hotel

 

ONE of Australia's most notorious bikie gangs is poised to expand its presence in Queensland, prompting fears of a turf war. But Police Commissioner Bob Atkinson says the public will be warned first if there's real danger of conflict. The Gypsy Jokers are this week expected to gather at an inner-city Brisbane hotel, catching the attention of police. The fears follow a spate of bikie violence and a subsequent police crackdown resulting in more arrests and almost 40 people being banned from Surfers Paradise's party precinct.

Prosecutors: James ‘Whitey’ Bulger is trying to avoid trial; defense says they need time to prepare

 

Federal prosecutors said today they suspect James “Whitey” Bulger is trying to avoid a trial on 19 murders and urged a magistrate judge to speed up the case against the 82-year-old gangster. “We think the defendant ... will try to slow this down so he is not brought to trial,” said Assistant US Attorney Brian T. Kelly while updating the Boston judge on the status of the case against Bulger. He said the families of Bulger’s 19 victims want to see the aging gangster held accountable. But Bulger’s lawyer, J. W. Carney Jr., insisted that his client expects the case to go to trial and is not trying to delay it. “I expect this matter to go to trial. ... I am preparing for a trial, my client is preparing for a trial,” Carney said in US District Court. Prosecutors said they had turned all the evidence in the case over to Carney four months ago. But Carney said the evidence he received from prosecutors in the case was so voluminous that he’d never seen anything like it before. He said he was working with a team of four lawyers to review it. He said single murder cases can take 18 to 30 months to go to trial, while in this case there were many more murders alleged. “It’s not my intent to delay the proceedings. We are going full speed ahead,” he said. US Magistrate Judge Marianne Bowler set another hearing for Feb. 13. Bulger, a long-time FBI informant, was captured by the FBI in June in Santa Monica, Calif., after more than 16 years on the run. Bulger is charged in a federal indictment that includes allegations that he was involved in 19 murders from 1973 to 1985 and oversaw a criminal enterprise that extorted bookmakers, drug dealers, and businessmen. Bulger, who has been held at the Plymouth County House of Correction since his return from California in late June, was not brought into court for today’s hearing. Bulger was quietly examined at a Boston hospital on Dec. 22, then returned to the Plymouth jail later that day, according to two people familiar with Bulger’s treatment. The Plymouth jail has an infirmary, but does not have a medical ward, so inmates who need round-the-clock medical care are not assigned there. Bulger had complained of chest pains. While he has always been a physical fitness buff, Bulger has for decades suffered from a common ailment that prompts him to take Atenolol, a beta blocker used to treat high blood pressure and improve blood flow to the heart. After today’s hearing, Carney said, “I will have no comment on my client’s health.”

Court hears Jarrod Bacon a natural gangster who put family first

 

Jarrod Bacon denied Wednesday a suggestion by the Crown that his family trip to the PNE on the day a cocaine deal was expected to go down was a cover for the drug transaction. Bacon told a judge that on Aug. 27, 2009, the day that he and his co-accused Wayne Scott were allegedly expecting to pick up a shipment of cocaine, he went to the PNE with his parents and his now-deceased older brother Jonathan. Federal prosecutor Peter LaPrairie suggested that it was a good cover for him to be at the Vancouver fair prior to the deal going down. “It wasn’t a cover,” said Bacon. “My family comes first. There was nothing going on ... I went there with my family. It wasn’t a sinister thing.” Bacon, 28, and Scott, 55, have each pleaded not guilty to one count of conspiracy to traffic in cocaine. Court has heard that a police agent, who can only be identified as G.L. due to a publication ban, implicated the two men in a conspiracy to smuggle up to 100 kilograms of cocaine from Mexico to Canada. Bacon, an admitted criminal and drug addict, testified Wednesday that neither he nor his brother Jonathan, who was shot to death in a gangland slaying last year, met any criminal contacts at the PNE. After the trip to the fair, Bacon said his parents dropped him off at Scott’s house. The Crown played a video of Bacon’s father later returning to Scott’s house to pick up Bacon, who was on bail conditions that prevented him from driving. Bacon said his dad wanted to speak to Scott, a truck driver, about becoming employed as a truck driver. But LaPrairie suggested that Bacon’s father and mother were in fact involved in the drug deal, a suggestion vehemently denied by the accused. “That is completely false,” said Bacon. “They were shocked and in tears when I got arrested on this. They had no knowledge of my criminal lifestyle whatsoever.” Bacon admitted earlier that his parents, however, were aware that he wore body armour whenever he left his house. “They were aware that my older brother got shot outside the house in 2005. They didn’t mind that I wore it.” Bacon testified about how he got kicked out of school in Grade 12 because he had gotten into too many fights. “I took to being a gangster real well,” he said, adding that he was more of a “professional fighter.” Under questioning from LaPrairie, Bacon admitted to lying to a justice of the peace when he signed his bail release, since he expected to breach some of the conditions of bail, including a condition that he not use drugs. He admitted to lying to G.L. about the fact he wanted to rob him of the drugs and that he had lied to his parents. But Bacon denied a suggestion by LaPrairie that he had been lying on the witness stand to the judge. “When I was addicted to drugs, I’d lie frequently, but here I am clean for 25 months and I have no reason to lie ... I’m being completely truthful here.” Following his cross-examination, Bacon’s lawyer, Jeffrey Ray, said he planned to call no more witnesses. Scott’s lawyer, Jeremy Guild said he did not plan to call a defence for his client. Ray then told the judge that he planned to begin his final submissions on Wednesday afternoon.

Goon squad gang tied to several shootings in past four years

 

The Goon Squad — a gang that Waterford Township police say is connected with the Dec. 23 Rolladium shootings — has been associated with shootings around the Pontiac area in recent years. The Rolladium roller rink situation involves three armed men spraying gunfire inside the rink, striking five patrons at 1:44 a.m. Waterford police found that the shooting stemmed from issues involving rivalry between two Pontiac gangs, the “Goon Squad” and “1st Enfantry.” On Saturday, police released the name of a second suspect, Pontiac resident Cheyenne Benjamin Ingram, 17. The first suspect is Robert Lee German, 18, from Pontiac. A third man, whose name has not been released, has been shown only in a surveillance photo. The three suspects, all in their late teens to early 20s, are considered armed and dangerous. According to police, one of the five victims shot was an intended target and considered a rival. The victim was previously shot by members of the gang in a similar incident at a Pontiac night club in December 2010. Willis and Roberson James Cecil Willis III, 18 — accused of being among members of the Goon Squad — was charged in 2008 with shooting 14-year-old Alabama resident Dawan Allan France Roberson in the face after a June 14, 2008, party at the Life Worship and Training Center on Auburn Avenue in Pontiac. The Goon Squad gang, police said, crashed a party at the center and were involved in physical altercations with party attendees. People were thrown out of the party but came back in, and the party was eventually shut down. Roberson was believed to be a bystander and not involved in the fight. The teen was in Pontiac visiting family, police said

Apache Junction man arrested in I-10 road rage incident

 

Tempe police have arrested a man involved in Saturday's road rage incident in which a driver was shot, but they are still investigating who is responsible for shooting the victim. The investigation revealed that a group of motorcycles and a champagne/tan-colored SUV were traveling westbound on Interstate 10 from Wild Horse Pass Boulevard. Witnesses reported that a gray Jeep was attempting to collide with the motorcycles. The motorcycles began to chase the Jeep. As they reached the area of I-10 and Elliot Road, the SUV rammed the Jeep, causing the driver to lose control and crash. One of the motorcycle riders, Andre Jordan, 35, of Apache Junction, was seen pointing a handgun at the victim according to Sgt. Steve Carbajal. Witnesses reported that several of the individuals involved had guns. After a physical altercation, shots were fired and the driver of the Jeep received a gunshot wound to the cheek.  Investigation into the person responsible for shooting the victim is ongoing. Tempe police detectives have identified two of the individuals involved as members of two separate criminal street gangs. Jordan was booked into Tempe City Jail on one count of aggravated assault, threat by gang member assisting a criminal street gang and endangerment.

Members of the Mad Cowz and Manitoba Warriors have been at odds for several weeks as they battle for turf and the lucrative profits

 

Members of the Mad Cowz and Manitoba Warriors have been at odds for several weeks as they battle for turf and the lucrative profits that come from selling drugs, sources told the Free Press. Enlarge Image Police investigate after a Victor Street house was shot up and set afire Wednesday.  Mohamed Ali Omar The two groups are believed responsible for several shootings this week that have residents of the West End and North End on edge. Police have beefed up their resources in the neighbourhoods as they struggle to predict and prevent the next attack. Between Sunday morning and Thursday morning, there were five reported shootings and/or firebombings of homes on Aberdeen Avenue, Victor Street and Simcoe Street. Sources say the residences all have ties to gang activity and were deliberately targeted. There have been no reported injuries and no arrests. "This is strictly to do with impeding each other's crack sales," a justice source said Friday. Police are still probing whether there is a connection between those incidents and a New Year's Eve shooting on Selkirk Avenue that left a 46-year-old man dead. A 30-year-old woman also suffered serious injuries after being shot in the eye inside the home, which sources say was a known drug house with connections to gang activity. No arrests have been made. "As of late, we've had several violent instances where firearms have been involved. Any time we have these types of incidents occurring -- whether it's days apart, weeks apart or months apart -- of course we're concerned," Winnipeg Police Service spokesman Const. Jason Michalyshen said this week. "There's a concern for public safety and there's a concern that these incidents may repeat themselves, but we're making every effort to investigate these matters thoroughly." Sources told the Free Press tensions between the Mad Cowz -- a predominantly African gang -- and the Manitoba Warriors -- a predominantly native gang -- began to rise following an unsolved shooting death late last October in the parking lot of a McPhillips Street hotel. Mohamed Ali Omar, 28, was gunned down as he stood outside the Lincoln Motor Inn. Police say a man in an SUV pulled up and opened fire on a group of people, killing Omar and injuring a 17-year-old. Omar's family have described him as a loving father of four who worked as a hospital cleaner. But police have confirmed he had ties to gang activities, and sources say that gang was the Mad Cowz. No arrests have been made, but there is speculation on the streets that the Manitoba Warriors may have been involved. "That's always a tricky area for police when we're describing gang associations. I don't think we're prepared to go any further than stating that they do have associations to a local street gang," police Const. Natalie Aitken said at the time. Winnipeg has seen its share of gang battles play out in public, most recently with associates of the Hells Angels and Rock Machine trading bullets and firebombs. There were more than a dozen incidents last summer and fall, including several where people narrowly avoided serious injury or death. Police and justice officials publicly declared a biker war was brewing and warned citizens to be vigilant. Officers took the unusual step of going door to door in some neighbourhoods, warning people of the potential for violence. Relations between the two gangs have calmed in recent months, but a source warned there might be more violence to come. "There are a lot of scores to be settled," the source told the Free Press last month. Now, it appears, the Manitoba Warriors and Mad Cowz have decided to stir things up.

Among the funeral attendees were members of several Northwest Washington gangs

 

Marcellus E. Jackson, 23, and Kier M. Johnson, 21, were arrested Monday in connection with the 2010 slaying of Jamal Coates, D.C. police announced. Investigators count Coates’s killing as among crimes by rival gang members in the U Street NW neighborhood. Coates was shot to death on Sept. 28, 2010, after he attended a funeral for a young woman who was killed earlier that month and whose boyfriend was charged in her death, police said. Among the funeral attendees were members of several Northwest Washington gangs, authorities said.

Man sentenced to 12 years for gang-related shootings

 

21-year-old Winnipeg man has been sentenced to 12 years in prison for two gang-related shootings in the city's West End, including one that unintentionally injured a 10-year-old girl. Paramedics take the girl, who was 10 years old at the time, to hospital following the May 26, 2010, shooting on Victor Street. (CBC) The man pleaded guilty on Monday to two counts of discharging a firearm in connection with the May 2010 incidents, including the May 26 shooting of a house on Victor Street. Court heard that the man, who was then a 19-year-old member of the Indian Posse street gang, fired three shots at the home as an act of retaliation for a drive-by shooting that killed a fellow gang member the day before. Inside the house was the girl, who was hit in the knee by a bullet that went through the front window. Her sister, who was eight at the time, was superficially injured by flying glass and debris. Neighbours and the man's own younger brother told police they saw him with a rifle at the time of the incident. The man was arrested two days later at The Forks, with a machete hidden in his pants. A teenage co-accused pleaded guilty in September 2010 to aggravated assault and assault with a weapon in connection to the attack.

Customs inspector associated with variety of known criminals

 

If she were to be judged based solely on the company she kept, Marilyn Béliveau would be in deep trouble. Perhaps the most troubling aspect of her ongoing trial is the fact that while she was under investigation, the Canada Border Services Agency inspector associated with a variety of known criminals. While testifying during her trial in December, Béliveau, 32, explained that a few of those men were people she has known since high school. As part of her defence, she also claims most of them manipulated and used her. Much of the evidence presented during the trial has involved wiretapped conversations between the men Béliveau knew. By listening to the hundreds of conversations, she has learned what some of them really thought of her. They referred to her in degrading terms like "booze," a Haitian term for a prostitute, or "that broad." "It was very painful, especially on the part of those I considered my friends," she said. Here is a short list of some of the people Béliveau associated with before her arrest in 2006: Fitzgerald (Fritz) Dorsainvil, 34, of Montreal: He is currently serving a two-year prison term for his role in a theft ring that stole nearly $1 million worth of computer equipment from 27 businesses in and around Montreal. Dorsainvil helped carry out some of the breakins weeks after he and Béliveau shared an apartment. But even before they moved in together, Dorsainvil had a criminal record. Béliveau said she was introduced to Dorsainvil during the spring of 2005 at a club. She testified she made a very hasty decision to move in with him so she could get away from what she described as her overly protective parents. "(I did this) even though I knew he was a bad person, not the best person." she testified. "I knew he sold drugs, that he sold pot." Béliveau said she thought she was in love with Dorsainvil and that she could change him. They moved in together in October 2005 and she left the apartment three months later. She said it took a while for her to realize Dorsainvil had no interest in a relationship and was using her to pay his rent. Béliveau said she refused to accept the truth, even when her best friend pulled her aside one day and told her it was obvious. Jean Philippe Guerette, 31, of Montreal: A cousin of Dorsainvil, he received a sentence of nearly five years for being part of the same computer theft ring. Béliveau said that one day while eating at a Rockaberry's in 2005, when she was still with Dorsainvil, Guerette told her he wanted to make "a big score" by bringing drugs in through a shipping container. She said Guerette expected her to turn a blind eye when the container arrived. "It was out of the question," Béliveau said of her reaction to what Guerette proposed. As part of her defence, Béliveau testified she did not have the power to get a container through customs with a guarantee it wouldn't be searched. Béliveau said she panicked and that, in an effort to get out of the situation, she "invented" a story and told Guerette and Dorsainvil she was already involved in another smuggling project. She said she also made up the story "to seduce" Dorsainvil. During one wiretapped conversation, Dorsainvil was recorded telling Béliveau she should demand $100,000 from the people she was helping. She insisted, during her trial, that this was a reference to the scenario she had fabricated. She testified that she feels the only thing she did wrong while being investigated in Project Colisée was to fabricate a false report that a container had been seized to back up her lies to Guerette and Dorsainvil. "It has always been in my personality. Whenever I feel cornered, I make things up," she said while testifying. The statement could seriously damage the credibility of her entire testimony, and her lawyer Charles Montpetit appeared to realize this immediately. His next question was whether she thought of herself differently today. "It's certain if I were in the same situation today, I would do things differently. I wouldn't make the same mistakes," Béliveau said. Eric Semino, 32, of Montreal: Currently serving a four-year prison term for possessing three loaded firearms seized in his Aylwin St. apartment, including a shotgun he kept under his mattress. Semino was once part of a gang, called the K-Crew, that was involved in a dispute with the Hells Angels over heroin trafficking in Montreal. On April 12, 2007, he fired a shot into the window of a bar on St. Laurent Blvd. while Normand Marvin (Casper) Ouimet, a member of the Hells Angels, was inside. Semino already had several convictions, for assault and weapons offences, long before Béliveau was investigated in Colisée. When they were both in their early teens, Semino's family lived in a house directly behind Béliveau's. Béliveau said Semino and his brother were often left on their own for days while their mother travelled. She said her mother took pity on the boys and fed them whenever they were on their own. "For me, Eric was like my big brother - the big brother I never had, because I was an only child," she said. "Even if he took another path in life, me and my friends at the time did not abandon him. We did not judge him." She said that while she worked for CBSA, she sent Semino letters whenever he was in prison - which was often - and didn't hide the friendship from her colleagues. Ray Kanho, 35, of Laval: One of the principal organizers of the smuggling effort Béliveau is charged with, as well as several others uncovered by Project Colisée. He is currently serving a 14-year sentence for a series of crimes he pleaded guilty to in 2009, including drug trafficking and corrupting Béliveau as well as Nancy Cedeno, another CBSA employee. Béliveau testified she knew Kanho from Antoine de Saint-Exupéry high school in St. Léonard. She knew him through Rony Bardales, 34, a close friend who attended the same school and a co-accused in the current trial. She testified she remained friends with Bardales until their arrests in 2006. She said she was impressed by how Kanho and Bardales flaunted their wealth, and that she assumed it was generated through legitimate businesses they claimed to own. Béliveau said Kanho and Bardales would spoil her and her friends whenever they went out for drinks or dinner. "They were an example of people who had accomplished things. They were people who drove around in luxury cars, who had money. To me, they were successful," Béliveau said. She described Kanho as someone she considered to be a "big teddy bear" before her arrest.

Comancheros jailed over Sydney Airport brawl

Two Comanchero bikie gang members have each been jailed for at least three years for their involvement in a fatal brawl at Sydney Airport. Usama Potrus and Ishmail Eken, who is also known as Canan Eken, were 26 at the time of the brawl in March 2009. Hells Angels associate Anthony Zervas was murdered during the melee involving the rival gangs. Potrus and Eken, now both 29, were found guilty of riot in November and faced sentencing in the New South Wales Supreme Court this morning. Justice Robert Hulmes said the brawl was "brazen and arrogant" and that it left many witnesses deeply distraught. He said a woman with a baby who witnessed the fight - which lasted less than one minute - described being frozen with fear. He sentenced each of the men to five years in prison, with a non-parole period of three years. But Potrus and Eken could both both be released within months as they have been held in custody since being arrested. Eken will be eligible for release in April, while Potrus could be freed in July.

Bikies jailed over Sydney Airport brawl

 

Two Commanchero bikies involved in the "shockingly vicious" fight with members of the rival Hells Angels outlaw motorcycle gang at Sydney Airport in 2009 have each been sentenced to three years' jail. With time already served, Ishmail Eken, 29, will be eligible for parole on April 18, while Usama Potrus, 29, will be eligible on July 13. In the NSW Supreme Court today, Justice Robert Allan Hulme said the two men were involved in the brutal brawl in which Hells Angel associate Anthony Zervas was bludgeoned and stabbed to death in front of dozens of witnesses in the departure hall. Both men had offered to plead guilty to manslaughter, but Justice Hulme said the Crown "surprisingly" rejected the pleas and they were put on trial for murder. A jury found Commenchero boss Mahmoud "Mick" Hawi guilty of murder but found Eken and Potrus not guilty of murder and manslaughter. They were convicted of riot. The court heard members of both motorcycle clubs were called to the airport after Hawi and Hells Angels boss Derek Wainohu boarded the same Sydney-bound flight in Melbourne. Justice Hulme said Eken and Potrus would have been aware of the likelihood of violence, given the two clubs were "at war" with each other. He said the Commencheros, who outnumbered the Hells Angels, were the aggressors and nine members or associates have been found guilty or pleaded guilty to offences, while just two of seven Hells Angels have been held criminally responsible. Eken and Potrus were both given a maximum sentence of five years.

Mexican footballer arrested on kidnappings

 

Mexican goalkeeper Omar 'The Cat' Ortiz has been arrested for his alleged role in a group of kidnappers whose victims included the husband of singer Gloria Trevi. The 35-year-old - capped once by Mexico in 2002 - is alleged to have singled out potential targets for the gang, who are apparently linked to the Gulf drugs cartel. "He (Ortiz) was an accomplice to the gang and his role was to target future victims," a spokesperson for Nuevo Leon security department said on Sunday. "He was paid for that. He has confessed to being implicated in at least two kidnappings and receiving for that more than 100,000 pesos (about $A7000)." The spokesperson refused to say whether Ortiz - whose chequered playing career included a two-year doping ban back in 2010 - was involved in the kidnapping of Trevi's husband in October last year.

Arrested Omar Ortiz "El Gato" Striped former goalkeeper for kidnapping

Omar Ortiz, former goalkeeper Rayados of Monterrey was presented by the PGJNL to the media along with three others accused of the crime of kidnapping was linked to the kidnapping of the husband of Gloria Trevi.

Former Mexican goalkeeper Moterrey club, Omar 'El Gato' Ortiz, suspended in 2010 for doping, was arrested by members of a gang of kidnappers whose victims are the husband of singer Gloria Trevi, said Saturday the government of Nuevo León .

"It became an accomplice of the band to bring to the victims (kidnapping) and received payments for their active participation in these cases, has confessed to at least two, which received more than 100 thousand dollars," he said at a press conference the spokesman Security of Nuevo Leon, Jorge Domene.

The band he belonged to "The Cat", which was presented to the press Saturday after being arrested in recent days, kidnapped the husband of singer Gloria Trevi in ​​October 2011, said Domenico, but did not say whether the former goalkeeper took on plagiarism.

Three other alleged hijackers were presented to the press and authorities say confessed to have participated in at least 20 kidnappings, each of which demanded a million dollars. The band is connected to the Gulf cartel, Domene said.

Two alleged associates of the Hells Angels have been charged after a police officer was put in a headlock and punched several times

Two alleged associates of the Hells Angels have been charged after a police officer was put in a headlock and punched several times in front of a Kelowna nightclub Tuesday.

Shortly after 2 a.m. two uniformed Kelowna RCMP members were on patrol when they saw a fight break out between several men on Leon Avenue. When they moved in to arrest the main aggressor, one of the officers was jumped from behind and attacked.

The officer who was punched ended up with swelling and bruising.

Kelowna RCMP spokeswoman Sgt. Ann Morrison was unable to say what caused the fight.

“I can confirm we are having difficulty receiving cooperation from the parties involved,” she said.

Kelowna’s Pedro Amestica, 39, was charged with assaulting a police officer and resisting arrest. He does not have a criminal record and police say he is a known associate of the Mission City chapter of the Hells Angels.

Thomas Volker, a 37-year-old from Mission, is charged with assaulting a police officer. He has a criminal record and police say he is a member of the Mission City Hells Angels.

Both men have appeared before a justice of the peace and have been released from custody. Their next court appearance is scheduled for Jan. 12 in Kelowna

Suspect in Juárez consulate killings extradited

 

An alleged prison gang member wanted in connection with the killing of a U.S. consulate employee, her husband and another employee's spouse has been extradited to the United States, Mexican authorities have announced. Joel Abraham Caudillo was handed over to FBI agents Dec. 20 in Veracruz at the same time that Julian “El Piolin” Zapata Espinoza, wanted in the February killing of U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement Agent Jaime Zapata, was extradited. Mexican authorities announced Caudillo's extradition this week. He's one of 35 people charged in a drug conspiracy case that alleges that the Barrio Azteca prison gang, working with the Juárez Cartel, engaged in drug trafficking and murder on both sides of the Rio Grande. Officials say that gang members in Ciudad Juárez on March 13, 2010, killed U.S. consulate employee Leslie Ann Enriquez Catton; her husband, Arthur Redelf, an El Paso County jailer; and Jorge Alberto Salcido Ceniceros, the husband of a consulate employee. Caudillo is accused of destroying one of the vehicles used in Ceniceros' killing. Extraditions in the case have been done surreptitiously during holidays. Near Labor Day weekend in 2010, Jesus Ernesto “El Camello” Chávez Castillo, a suspect in the killings, was brought to San Antonio for a closed court hearing. Court records in his case remain sealed.

all is quiet on Calgary’s gang front.

 

With no killings between FOB and FK in nearly three years and the biggest case of them all — the 2009 triple murder at Bolsa Restaurant — resulting in at least two convictions, it would be tempting to assume all is quiet on Calgary’s gang front. That assumption would be wrong. As detailed in a recent article, no small amount of effort goes into monitoring the gang members who aren’t either dead or in jail to prevent any further violence. However, we live in a society that values quantifiable results: while it’s easy to tally the number of bad guys who have been arrested, the amount of drugs seized or illegal guns taken off the street, it’s much harder to measure how many murders police may have prevented. It has happened, however, and only continued pressure will keep the violence in check. But that’s not the only unfinished business for Calgary police: there are at least 20 homicides connected to the gang war which remain unsolved — investigations police have been able to devote more time to, thanks to the relatively low number of homicides recorded in Calgary during 2011. Prior to the Bolsa massacre, when innocent restaurant patron Keni Su’a was slaughtered trying to flee the eatery, it was common for Calgarians to be indifferent to the death toll as long as gangsters kept killing each other. Bolsa exposed the fundamental flaw in that indifference: allow criminals with little regard for human life to run loose and it’s only a matter of time before an innocent is hurt or killed. The public may not be clamouring for police to solve the murders of 20 people who were either gangsters or people who made the poor choice of hanging out with criminals, but Bolsa demonstrated why all Calgarians have a vested interest in getting their killers off the street. For homicide investigators, an unsolved case is a case that needs solving — no matter if the victim was a criminal himself. “We are looking at cold case homicides, and included in that is, of course, are all the organized crime ones,” Staff Sgt. Grant Miller of the homicide unit said recently. “We’re motivated to solve them.” We live in a country where the rule of law is supreme, and it dictates justice must be available to all — justice that’s meted out in a courtroom, not at the end of the barrel of a gun.

3 people wounded in drive-by shooting on Hudson

 

Three people are being treated at local hospitals after a drive-by shooting on Hudson Avenue this afternoon. According to Rochester police Capt. Peter Leach, officers responded to Hudson Avenue near Weeger Street at 4:20 p.m. for a report of people shot. Upon arrival, they found three people shot outside of a grocery store. Leach said the shots were fired by people driving by in a gray minivan. After the shootings, the minivan drove away on Weeger Street and struck another vehicle, at which point the van’s occupants got out and ran away. Leach said the victims were a 28-year-old Greece woman, a 23-year-old city man and a 25-year-old city man. All the victims’ injuries are believed to be non-life-threatening, he said. The woman is being treated at Strong Memorial Hospital; the men at Rochester General Hospital, he said. Police are searching for the suspects.

FORTNIGHT OF DEADLY SHOOTINGS IN METRO VANCOUVER

• Thuy Yen Vu, 38, of Vancouver, was shot to death while sitting inside a BMW SUV parked in front of a home on the 6400-block Bruce Street in Vancouver at 3 p.m., Dec. 14.

• Bradley McPherson, 28, of Surrey, died after being shot at a house party on the 13100-block 67A Avenue in Surrey at 4 a.m. on Dec. 24.

• Alok Gupta, 27, of Surrey, died after being shot while working at Ken’s Groceries on the 11000-block 96th Avenue in Surrey at around 3 p.m. on Christmas Day, Dec. 25.

• A 38-year-old Langley man was found shot to death inside his Mercedes SUV parked in the driveway of a home on the 9100-block 207 Street in Langley at 9 p.m. on Boxing Day, Dec. 26.

• A man was shot to death on the 9500-block 125th Street in Surrey at around 9:30 a.m. on Dec. 27.

spate of four fatal shootings in four days, the head of Metro Vancouver's regional homicide unit insisted the shootings are completely unrelated and have nothing to do with gangs.

Tuesday after the Surrey area suffered a spate of four fatal shootings in four days, the head of Metro Vancouver's regional homicide unit insisted the shootings are completely unrelated and have nothing to do with gangs.


In a pouring rain Tuesday afternoon in Surrey Supt. Dan Malo, of the Integrated Homicide Investigation Team, told media that investigators have identified the two latest victims — a 20-something man found shot dead in the 9500-block 125th Street in Surrey at 8:30 a.m. Tuesday, and a 38-year-old Langley man found shot dead in Langley (near Surrey's border) on Boxing Day — but identities won't be released yet.


Tuesday's shooting appears to have been targeted, and investigators are interested in the time gap in which witnesses in a home said they heard shots, but then waited about 60 minutes to report seeing a man down near their home, Malo said.


Malo made the unusual step of meeting reporters to say that although police don't know much about the two latest shootings yet, they are sure gangs are not involved in any of the four shootings. Malo said police want to relieve public fears that this could be a return to the bloody string of retaliation gang shootings seen in 2009.


"This is a big event — you know the community a couple of years ago went through this with a big spike in gang violence, but this isn't what we are talking about," Malo said. "We are talking about four events that are absolutely unrelated. They just happened to happen in a four-day period."


Malo said IHIT is working closely with the Surrey and Langley RCMP detachments to make sure the homicide unit can handle this unusual load of files, happening at an unlikely time.


The holiday shooting spree started in Surrey, one day before Christmas.


Bradley McPherson, 28, of Surrey, died after being shot at a house party in Surrey on Dec. 24. Alok Gupta, 27, of Surrey — an "innocent victim" completely unknown to police according to Malo — died after being shot while working at Ken’s Groceries on the 11000-block 96th Avenue on Christmas Day.


Malo said some of the victims and associates connected to the four Christmastime shootings may be known to police, but stressed again, that does not mean the shootings are related to gangs.


On Tuesday the 9500-block 125th Street was in shock, with neighbours standing in the street or in their yards shaking their heads.


Leticia M. said she heard four shots around 7 a.m.


“We come from L.A. and we know what shots sound like,” she said. “Everyone is shocked. My daughter is scared. We’re like ‘Holy smokes, where is everyone getting these guns?'”


“This is unbelievable,” said Teresa Laursen. Pointing to the road where forensics investigators were standing inspecting the ground near where the dead man was found, she said: “My little boy plays street hockey there all the time. All the homes on this street are full of kids.”

“It’s brutal,” said another neighbour, Sherry McLellan. “Not a very nice Christmas for that guy.”

Dave Bernard, who has lived on the street for 20 years, said he’s never seen violence like this.

Neighbours mentioned the Christmas Day shooting that left a 27-year-old clerk dead about five minutes away at Ken’s Grocery, adding there is a feeling that violence in Surrey is mounting.

Surrey RCMP Staff Sgt. Bruce Anderson said the man in his 20s was found dead just after 8:30 a.m. on Tuesday when police responded to a call of a male lying in the road. The caller mentioned hearing what could have been gunshots at about 7:30 a.m. that morning.

The white male was found at the edge of a residential property near the roadway and some bushes, Anderson said.


There were 38 homicides investigated by IHIT in the region in 2010, Malo said, with 31 so far in 2011, including six gang-related homicides.

Killer gang battle amid sales rush

London police are investigating the fatal stabbing of a man during post-Christmas sales on one of the world's most famous shopping streets in an incident that has renewed fears about gang violence.

Officers arrested 11 people after the 18-year-old man was knifed to death on the British capital's Oxford Street. And three people were detained after a second but non-fatal stabbing nearby hours later.

The murder happened after a fight between groups of youths at a Foot Locker store in front of thousands of shoppers flocking to December 26 sales.

The area was cordoned off for hours after the incident and police found a number of weapons.


"This all happened outside Foot Locker and inside the Foot Locker store," senior Scotland Yard detective John Sweeney said yesterday. "There were several people who witnessed this event ... and a number of them recorded it on cameraphones. We are particularly interested in those people coming forward to let us have access to footage."

The dead youth was named by a friend as Seydou Diarrassouba from Mitcham, a tough area in south London.

Video footage on YouTube showed police holding back angry youths at the Foot Locker store as paramedics tried to revive the victim.

Police also confirmed that an officer had used a Taser stun gun during the confrontation.

In a second stabbing under six hours later and a few hundred yards away, a 21-year-old victim suffered leg wounds.

Police said shoppers should not feel unsafe and that they already had a large number of officers in the area around Oxford Street, which is said to be Europe's busiest shopping street.

It is home to more than 300 shops including Selfridges department store, and attracts tens of thousands of shoppers seeking bargains after Christmas.

But the violence has revived memories of deadly riots that rocked London and other English cities in August, when groups of masked youths looted and burned shops and five people were killed.

British authorities blamed street gangs for much of the violence, and Prime Minister David Cameron enlisted a US street crime expert to help find a solution.

Commentators said the Oxford Street death symbolized a national problem.

"The murder at the sales is a perfect snapshot of UK 2011 - casual slaughter, grotesque materialism and boys who do not know how to be men," novelist Tony Parsons wrote on Twitter.

Feuding street gangs may be responsible for an early Sunday shooting in a suburban Montreal strip club that left four people injured,

Feuding street gangs may be responsible for an early Sunday shooting in a suburban Montreal strip club that left four people injured, police said.

"There are certain elements found at the scene that is making us believe this may be a street gang conflict between two rival groups," Laval police Constable Frank Di Genova said.

"It's not confirmed 100 percent, but it seems to lean that way."

All four victims -- three men who suffered gunshot wounds and a woman hit by flying glass -- were expected to recover, said police, who had made three arrests. No names had been released.

The Canadian Broadcasting Corp. reported there were about 150 people inside and outside the bar when the shooting broke out about 2 a..m.

latest decapitation appeared to be related to an ongoing power struggle within the gang, which has been at war for years with the police and another group, the One Order gang

Jamaican investigators on Wednesday found the severed head and bullet-riddled body of a man they believe was a high-ranking member of a notorious drug-and-extortion gang known for beheading victims.

A police statement said the bloody head was found Wednesday along a commercial strip in Spanish Town, a southern city where violent gangs are deeply entrenched and authorities impose frequent curfews.

The head, which investigators say matches Navardo Hodges of the Clansman gang, had a bullet wound in the middle of the forehead, common of gangland executions in the troubled area. A headless body with gunshot wounds was found splayed on a nearby street.

Detectives suspect the twenty-something Hodges was butchered in revenge for killing the sister of Chan Tesha Miller, the reputed Clansman leader who was sentenced in April to 15 years in prison after being convicted of robbery, assault and weapons possession.

Miller's arrest set off protests in Spanish Town, where the Clansman have long had a powerful presence.

Authorities said the latest decapitation appeared to be related to an ongoing power struggle within the gang, which has been at war for years with the police and another group, the One Order gang. Over the past year, the Jamaican government's offensive against crime has created power vacuums within the Clansman.

Police had linked Hodges to a dozen slayings and offered a reward of nearly $6,000 for information leading to his capture.

In mid-July, a churchgoing mother and daughter were beheaded by attackers who invaded their home in the Spanish Town area, near where a wanted 18-year-old Clansman member was found with his head chopped off.

To avenge a death, Jamaican gangs sometimes will murder someone who lives in a neighborhood controlled by perceived enemies, and not specifically target a member of a rival gang.

machine gun toting bobbies descended upon Sherk and forcefully removed him from the car, which they believed to be loaded with illegal firearms

Oh, those wacky Brits. It appears that, while touring the UK as part of a MMA seminar tour, former UFC lightweight champion Sean Sherk was accidentally pegged in connection with a well known crime boss (our guess would be Salvatore Riina) when the vehicle he was riding in was stopped at a roadblock.

After a small misunderstanding, machine gun toting bobbies descended upon Sherk and forcefully removed him from the car, which they believed to be loaded with illegal firearms. Fighters Only has the exclusive:

As he was being ferried into the area, the car he was travelling in was stopped by a roadblock and armed police swooped on the vehicle. Police had the vehicle on their database as being linked to a local man who they believe to be a key gangland figure.

Sherk thought the car was being subjected to a routine stop until it turned out to involve several carloads of police officers carrying automatic weapons, including Hechler and Koch MP5 machine guns – the UK police do not normally carry guns.

Having remained sat in his passenger seat because he had not understood an instruction to exit the vehicle, Sherk was dragged out by tense officers. They cuffed his hands behind his back and pulled him away where he was none too gently searched before being dumped on the floor.

After finding no such weaponry in Sherk’s car, “The Muscle Shark” was sent on his way with nothing more than a hell of a foreign relations story to tweet to his army of xenophobic followers.

The report also states that Sherk took the British blunder in “good spirits” but made note that “despite the widespread ‘village constable’ reputation that UK police have – the officers were much more aggressive and heavy-handed than what he has ever experienced in the US.” Apparently he doesn’t follow the news that closely.

AN underworld bikie war is on the brink of erupting at Helensvale after shots were fired into a Hells Angels gym

AN underworld bikie war is on the brink of erupting at Helensvale after shots were fired into a Hells Angels gym that sits in Finks heartland.

Senior police figures fear a volley of up to a dozen shots fired in the early hours of yesterday morning could be a "get out'' warning as the Finks move to reclaim their territory.

The Finks' run of the northern corridor of the Gold Coast has been under threat from the rival gang, which is said to be pushing to expand its territory from its Browns Plains base.

Police say senior Sydney figures from the Hells Angels are behind the rapid expansion.

Task Force Hydra, set up to fight outlaw motorcycle gangs in Queensland, and the Serious Violent Crime Squad will head an investigation into the attack on the Helensvale First Choice Fitness Centre.

The gym is believed to be owned by a patched member of the Hells Angels who arrived at the premises about 5am to find it riddled with bullets.

The offenders have not been caught.

Company searches reveal the gym is owned by Peter Sidirourgos who was arrested over drug charges in NSW in 2000 alongside senior members of the Bandidos motorcycle gang.

Ban on motorcyclists from riding with passengers in a bid to curb a spate of drive-by killings.

Honduran Congress has voted to ban motorcyclists from riding with passengers in a bid to curb a spate of drive-by killings.

The move follows two high-profile murders this week, both blamed on gunmen on motorbikes.

Congress also approved a wiretapping law proposed as part of efforts to tackle crime but which has raised privacy concerns.

Honduras has the world's highest murder rate: 82 per 100,000 people a year.

During a session held in private because of security fears, legislators approved a decree limiting the number of people allowed on a motorbike to just one.

The measure, which will last for six months, was requested by President Porfirio Lobo, whose government is facing rising crime.

"We know it is going to affect a certain part of the population," congressman Erick Rodriguez was quoted as saying by El Heraldo newspaper.

But the country had to take steps against hired killers, he said.
Soldiers on patrol

Motorcycles have been used in several high-profile murders.

The army has been brought in to boost policing

Journalist Luz Marina Paz and her driver were shot dead on Tuesday as they drove through the capital, Tegucigalpa.

The following day men on motorcycles killed former government security adviser Alfredo Landaverde in his car.

Honduras is a key transit country for cocaine smuggled from South America and on to the US market.

Increasing encroachment by Mexican drug cartels, as well as the presence of violent street gangs, have increased insecurity in the country.

In November, the Honduran authorities began deploying troops to carry out policing duties.

The police force itself is undergoing a purge amid efforts to root out officers with links to organised crime.

TERROR returned to Spanish Town yesterday after gunmen, suspected to be members of the feared Klansman gang, attacked a police patrol

TERROR returned to Spanish Town yesterday after gunmen, suspected to be members of the feared Klansman gang, attacked a police patrol, sparking a four-hour gun battle which, at one point, was fought close to St Jago High School where classes were in session.

The incident traumatised students who were eventually escorted safely off the premises by the police.

 St Jago High students walk away from the school compound yesterday after a four-hour firefight between gunmen and police ended. The incident traumatised students and teachers as it occurred during class hours. 


Last night, as the security forces maintained a strong presence in the affected areas, the police reported that they found an AK 47 rifle in the aftermath of the firefight, which started about 12:30 pm and sent persons in the normally bustling town running for cover.

"It was like a scene from a movie," said a member of the police team that eventually repelled the attacks of the heavily armed gunmen.

The Observer was told that the police were patrolling an area known to be controlled by the Klansman gang when they came under fire. The police responded, but were subjected to further attacks from gunmen in Rivoli, Ravensworth and areas near the Rio Cobre.

During the fighting, the gunmen attempted to run onto the premises of St Jago High but were prevented from doing so.

At Monk Street, in the vicinity of the school, parents whose children were late in returning from classes panicked. One woman wept as she anxiously waited with her hands on her head.

"I want to see my son. Where is my son?," she asked no one in particular. "School has ended and I do not know what is happening."

As shots continued to be fired, police and soldiers took up strategic positions in the area as they scoured the community in search of the attackers. But their action infuriated some residents who accused the security forces of abuse. Others hurled accusations of political victimisation against them.

"There was no shootout in the community," one man claimed. "The police dem just trying to make the area look bad because is an area that supports the People's National Party."

Yesterday, Prime Minister Andrew Holness, who is also the education minister, issued a strong condemnation of the shooting, noting that it could have spilled onto the school compound.

He said he was quite disturbed to learn that an educational institution could be placed in such grave danger by virtue of marauding criminals using the school compound to evade the police.

Holness said that the education ministry's counselling team will be at the school this morning at 7:00 to provide general and individual support for the teachers and students who were traumatised by the ordeal.

He also said that the police commissioner has been instructed to provide additional security within the area to ensure that the school will return to normalcy and that no more school days will be lost for the term.

Yesterday, as well, the Opposition spokesman on national security Peter Bunting expressed concern about the violence.

Bunting encouraged residents and business operators in the area to remain calm as the security forces carry out their duties to bring the situation under control. He expressed concern on behalf of the People's National Party that incidents of gun violence continue to traumatise young children and disrupt schools as well as the normal flow of business.

Rich Egyptians weigh emigration as Islamists surge

 

For decades, Egypt's Westernised elite kept the country's growing religosity at arm's length, but a projected Islamist surge in the first post-revolution polls has driven many to think of moving abroad. Sporting the latest fashions and mingling in upmarket country clubs, Egypt's rich fear a victory for the Muslim Brotherhood and hardline Salafis in the first phase of parliamentary elections presages change ahead. "I hope they don't impose the veil and ban women from driving like in Saudi Arabia," said coquettish fifty-something Naglaa Fahmi from her gym in the leafy neighbourhood of Zamalek. In a nearby luxury hotel, Nardine -- one of Egypt's eight million Coptic Christians who are alarmed by the prospect of a new Islamist-dominated parliament -- is pondering a move aroad. "My father is seriously thinking about sending me and my brothers elsewhere because he thinks we won't have a future in the country with the Salafis," said the banker in her twenties. Ten months after a popular uprising ended the 30-year autocratic rule of Hosni Mubarak, millions of Egyptians embraced their new democratic freedoms earlier this week at the start of multi-stage parliamentary elections. The preliminary results to be published on Friday were expected to show the moderate Muslim Brotherhood as the dominant force, but with a surprisingly strong showing from the hardline Al-Nur party. Its leaders advocate the fundamentalist brand of Salafi Islam, rejecting Western culture and favouring strict segregation of the sexes and the veiling of women. They say they have been the victims of Islamophobia and sustained fear-mongering by liberals in the Egyptian media. Nevertheless, the fear that they will try to impose their values on the rest of society has driven Angie to consider leaving her comfortable Cairo life behind. "My husband recently got a job offer in Dubai. In the beginning I was hesitant, but now, with all that's happening, I'm encouraging him to take the job and I'll join him with our daughter," she said. "The Gulf has become more liberal than Egypt," she told AFP. For Ahmed Gabri, having the Islamists in power means having his freedoms restricted. "I will leave the country," said Gabri, a Muslim. "I will not stand living in a puritanical climate. Why don't they just let people live the way they want?" The next parliament will be charged with writing a new constitution and the idea of an Islamist-dominated assembly has sent shockwaves through some segments of society. Many stress the difference, however, between the different Islamist groups. "They don't scare me. We have democracy now which means we'll be able to remove them if they don't suit us," said Manar, a tall blonde in her 40s. "It's the not the Muslim Brotherhood that worries me because they want to appear in the best light, it's the Salafis that I'm concerned about," she said. Iman Ragab, a shop assistant, has resigned herself to the election's likely outcome. "This is democracy, you have to accept the results of the ballot," she said.

confrontation was between members of the outlaw Gypsy Jokers and Comancheros motorcycle gangs

 

A confrontation between rival bikie gangs saw 12 members ejected from the Danny Green fight in Perth. West Australian Police Commissioner Karl O'Callaghan confirmed on Thursday two gang members were arrested, with one charged with assaulting a public officer. They were led out of Challenge Stadium by members of the Gang Crime Squad during the cruiserweight bout between Green and Poland's Krzysztof Wlodarczyk on Wednesday night. It is believed the initial confrontation was between members of the outlaw Gypsy Jokers and Comancheros motorcycle gangs. "It's not an unusual occurrence at these sorts of events - it is one reason why we have such a large security response," Mr O'Callaghan said.

Hells Angel pleads not guilty in NV casino killing

 

California member of the Hells Angels has pleaded not guilty to a charge of second-degree murder for his role in a September brawl at Nevada casino that erupted into a shootout that claimed the life of his San Jose chapter president. Cesar Villagrana of Gilroy, Calif., is accused of shooting two members of the rival Vagos motorcycle gang the night that his longtime friend Jeffrey "Jethro" Pettigrew was shot to death on the floor of John Ascuaga's Nugget in Sparks. Washoe District Judge Connie Steinheimer on Thursday tentatively assigned him the same Jan. 17 trial date she earlier set for the Vagos accused of killing Pettigrew - Ernesto Gonzalez of San Francisco. But Villagrana's lawyer, Richard Schonfeld of Las Vegas, doesn't expect a trial before the end of 2012.

former full-patch member of the Hells Angels who was the bike gang's treasurer and top man in the Toronto area is in a fight to avoid deportation to Scotland.

 

Mark Alistair Stables, who has no criminal record and has been living here for more than 40 years, was found inadmissible to Canada by an Immigration and Refugee Board for being a member of a criminal organization, the Hells Angels.

He appealed the decision to the Federal Court of Canada, and two weeks ago that court ruled Ottawa can make plans to deport Stables even though he doesn't have a criminal record.

The nine-year "full patch" member was a former Sergeant at Arms and president of the Hells Angels Ontario Corp., in which he acted as a treasurer for 10 chapters for seven years.

"He was very involved in many aspects of the Hells Angels activities," Judge Yves de Montigny said in his decision. The "positions would have given him a good knowledge about the organization's purpose, mandate, agenda or activities."

De Montigny said Stables was "not isolated" from gang activities and "was fully integrated into the Hells Angels."

Court heard Stables arrived in Canada from Scotland with his parents at the age of seven and never obtained citizenship. He joined the gang in 2000 and claimed to quit in 2009.

His immigration problems began in 2006 after he was found carrying Hells Angels paraphernalia and phone numbers as he arrived on a flight at Vancouver International Airport. A report for his deportation was filed.

The board noted Stables had no "exit date" on his Hells Angels tattoo to show that he left the gang.

Stables still has appeals available to him before he can be deported, officials said.

Police said the Hells Angels are involved in drug trafficking, importation of drugs, manufacturing and distribution of drugs, thefts, extortions, firearms, prostitution, money laundering and murder.

"The organization collects intelligence on policing, and it operates a number of clubhouses that make it safe to conduct illegal business," the high court said. "Chapters are usually opened for the purpose of manufacturing or distributing drugs."

de Montigny said members who get in trouble with the law are assisted by club dues that are used to defray their costs.

Police said the Hells Angels is considered the primary producer and distributor of illegal drugs in the U.S. and Canada.