Gold Coast 'the crime capital of Australia

Criminologists say organised crime and a rampant drug trade are behind a spate of shootings and serious violent crimes on Queensland's Gold Coast.
The shooting death of a man on the tourist hotspot's busy Hooker Boulevard yesterday was the latest incident, and it came as no surprise to some people.
The man's body was found lying on the road. He had been shot at least once in the back, in the third fatal shooting on the Gold Coast in less than two months.
Ian Leavers, the president of the Queensland Police Union, says violence is escalating in the tourist hotspot.
"The Gold Coast has cemented itself as the crime capital of Australia," he said.
"We are starting to see organised crime spill out on to the streets and it is a very real risk where innocent people could be killed or hurt."
Last month Senior Constable Damian Leeding died after being shot in the face during an armed robbery on the Gold Coast.
That incident was another in what criminologist Paul Wilson is calling an upsurge in violent crime.
"We've had, since January, nearly 60 armed robberies and over the last three months we've had five shootings, so that is far away from just simply being a statistical blip," Professor Paul Wilson said.
He said the spike in shootings and armed robberies could be a result of tough economic times or an influx of illegal guns.
But he said drug dealers and drug gangs were more likely to be the root of the problem.
He said there was no indication that sophisticated crime syndicates like those in Melbourne had formed on the Gold Coast, but said the region did have its own brand of organised crime.
"What I think we have on the Gold Coast are small groups of people who are organising drugs in nightclubs and licensed premises and elsewhere," he said.
"These are not necessarily sophisticated gangs but they are people who are peddling drugs. I think that's more likely."
Mr Leavers says officers on the Gold Coast are frustrated by the violence, but they are too short-staffed to fight back.
"They are simply too busy responding to reported crime. They know there is a lot of organised crime, but they cannot even attempt to investigate because they are too busy just attending to the duties they currently have," he said.
Queensland Police Minister Neil Roberts is defending police staffing levels.
He says a specialist serious and violent crime taskforce has been established and the Gold Coast's police force is bigger than it used to be.
"They're taking the issue very seriously. I get regularly briefed on the issue and I'm confident that the commissioner and his senior officers are aware of the concerns on the Gold Coast and are taking appropriate steps to address those concerns," he said.
Professor Wilson says there is no silver bullet to stop the violent crime but the next few months will be a strong indicator about how serious the problem is.
"It's a worrying spike and if it goes on for another three months then I think we would be very concerned," he said.
"I would doubt that the number of shootings would increase but if it does then we really do have a serious crime problem."

 

Second body recovered following Cornwall gangland murder

Police investigating a gangland double murder today recovered a second body from a burned-out van buried on a farm – and arrested another suspect in the case.

The victims’ bodies are still being officially identified but are thought to be two men who went missing over a month ago.

Semi-professional boxer Brett Flournoy, 31, from Merseyside, and David Griffiths, 35, of Berkshire, were reported missing last month after failing to check into their hotel in Newquay.

A body was found after officers recovered a buried van on a patch of land in St Austell, Cornwall, on Friday. And yesterday, police confirmed a second had been located.

Devon and Cornwall police spent three weeks searching for the men – who both have children and partners – but failed to find them.

Ross Stone, 28, of St Austell, was arrested last Wednesday in relation to disposing of their bodies and yesterday a 25-year-old from Huddersfield, West Yorks., was arrested on suspicion of murder.

Detective Inspector Costa Nassaris, of Devon and Cornwall police, said: ”We can now confirm that we’ve recovered two bodies from the vehicle that was buried on farmland near St Austell.

”A post mortem examination has been conducted, but at this stage the bodies haven’t been formally identified. This is expected to take some time.”

He added: ”The investigation continues to move at a fast pace. Today a 25-year-old man was arrested in the Huddersfield area of West Yorkshire on suspicion of murder.

”This man will now be transported to Cornwall for questioning by detectives.

”The families have been updated on the progress of the investigation and our thoughts are with them at this terrible time. I would also like to thank the public for the assistance they have provided so far.”

Police previously admitted that a link to drugs is one of the lines of investigation being explored.

Up to 60 officers, including 40 detectives, have been working on the investigation.

Brett is a welterweight and light middleweight fighter who was travelling with pal David to Cornwall when they were last seen on June 16.

Their White van, with the registration number A10 VVR, was last seen at the car park for the Tamar Bridge between Cornwall and Devon.

The van has the company name Tile Star on both sides but neither man is believed to have worked for the firm.

On Saturday Stone appeared at Bodmin Magistrates’ Court charged with disposing a corpse to obstruct a Coroner and was remanded to appear at Truro Crown Court on Friday.

 

Void' in drug underworld cause of biker war

A fire at a Logan Avenue business one month ago appears to have been the first strike in a series of violent events linked to a conflict between two biker gangs, Winnipeg police said yesterday.
Since then, there have been 12 other reported incidents where homes and businesses were firebombed or shot at, according to a list provided by organized crime officers.
Guns have been seized and an innocent teen boy caught in the crossfire of the ongoing dispute between the Rock Machine and the Redlined Support Crew — a Hells Angels-affiliated gang.
“We have a problem on our hands here,” said Const. Jason Michalyshen. “This is a complex situation we’re dealing with … there are many, many moving parts.”
Police service brass have assigned extra resources from units across the service to try and contain the violence, which police said has escalated.
Police said 15 gang-associates have been arrested for various offences and court-order breaches as part of their efforts.
The latest salvo came early Wednesday when a tattoo parlour in Osborne Village was firebombed. Two were arrested, and a fire didn’t manage to get going. Police didn’t identify the suspects. There were no injuries.
The act of apparent intimidation has left the shop’s owner scratching his head.
“I was kind of stunned,” said 187 Ink owner Wayne Nuytten. He said he was awoken in the early morning by what he called a “curious” call from his alarm company stating the sensor in the shop was set off, but the doors weren’t breached.
“I could see it if I was in a gang or a gang member, but I’m not,” said Nuytten. “A lot of people come in and out of this door.” Nuytten added 187 Ink does not do gang-related tattoos.
He said about $450 damage was done, but that he expected to be back in business by Wednesday afternoon.
City records show in years past business tax notices for the tattoo shop were addressed to a relative of a Hells Angel currently serving prison time.

Winnipeg police acknowledge simmering outlaw biker war in the city

Winnipeg police say they are cracking down on an escalating outlaw motorcycle gang turf war.
Const. Jason Michalyshen (mih-kuh-LIH'-shehn) says police know of seven attempted fire bombings of businesses and homes in the last few weeks in the city.
He says other homes and businesses have been shot at and a 14-year-old boy was caught in the crossfire on July 4 and injured.
Michalyshen says the violence is being fuelled by rival bikers trying to corner the Winnipeg drug trade.
He says police have made some minor arrests and will beef up resources to end the violence.
Police didn't name the gangs, but the conflict is said to involve affiliates of the Rock Machine and the Hells Angels.

 

A woman who witnessed a man being shot in her house in a punishment-style attack has blasted the perpetrators as “faceless scum”.

A group of masked gunmen entered a house in Londonderry and shot a 36-year-old man in both legs late on Thursday night.

The man is recovering in hospital and his injuries are not thought to be life threatening.

However, the woman who owns the house and a young man with Downs Syndrome had to be treated for shock.

Siobhan McGinley, who lives at the house in the Lecky Road, slammed the horror attack.

She said: “It was terrible, just terrible, they came in and shot my friend Packie. They are low lifes – faceless scum.

“They came in and had their guns out and Packie said, ‘Take this outside, don't do anything in front of wee Michael' because he has Downs and is really sensitive. But they just pushed Packie back down in the chair and shot him seven times.

“Then they left as calm as you like, but Michael was in hysterics. He was squealing.”

“Packie didn't say too much – he was in shock, we all were.

“He just kept saying sorry to us over and over, but the boys that did this didn't think about us or wee Michael.

“I am in pieces and I called to see how Michael is doing and he is just crying and crying.

“This is a disgrace and they are scum for doing it, no one deserves to be shot like that.”

The shooting has been condemned by local Sinn Fein councillor Patrica Logue, who said there was no justification for anyone taking the law into their own hands.

She said: “This is the last thing this community needs – masked men skulking around in the dark of night.

“It was very traumatic for Siobhan and the people in the house and they don't need this.

“The Lecky Road has a high number of elderly residents and young families, and people just want to be left in peace.

“This kind of vigilantism solves nothing.”

Police executed in Nayarit

shooting in Lopez Mateos, in the city of Tepic, Nayarit. It was a clash between elements of the Police State and a group of armed men. The dangerous situation was roiled the streets Engineer Aguayo and Dolphin. A police element lost life in the shooting, authorities confirmed this Nayarit. The officer who died was identified as Gaston Santos desided Rangel. After the shooting there was intense in the area, so residents from the area claimed to have also indicated moments of horror suffered by heavy explosions.

 

intense fighting in La Piedad, Michoacán, as members of the Knights Templar attacked the base of the Federal Police

in the town, the bloody outcome of the battle can be seen in the picture The gunmen burst the police building, were about 50 trucks of the Knights Templar , which generated an intense shootout and grenade attack. Reports said that the armed group tried to run to Miguel Angel Rosas and 30 elements of the Federal Police who were sleeping in the police building. It was almost an hour of confrontation, it alerted the public and that the intense blasts were unmistakable. On the site were over five thousand rounds of ammunition casings. The place was practically destroyed.In the action three gunmen were killed, they were identified as Cortez Fabian Rios, 23; Epigmenio Infante Hernandez, 30, and Pedro Cortez Ramirez 18. In addition seven elements of the Federal Police also lost their lives and three others were wounded. That event was the one that triggered the wave of clashes that occurred a few days in several municipalities in Michoacan, the area has become a war zone.

Montreal-style Rock Machine versus Hells Angels blow-em-up kill fest.

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Plainfield raids take down heart of violent MS-13

One of the Queen City’s biggest and most ruthless gangs has been dealt a devastating blow, authorities announced Thursday.

Nearly a dozen members of the MS-13 street gang were arrested or charged with a wide variety of crimes, including conspiracy to commit murder, during a series of raids performed during the last several days, according to Union County Prosecutor Theodore J. Romankow.

The arrests began over the Fourth of July weekend and continued through early Thursday morning, Romankow said. The raids represented a joint operation between the prosecutor's office, the Plainfield Police Division, UCERT, the FBI and Immigration and Customs Enforcement.

"Plainfield has faced violence from gangs for far too long, and it not only impacts the citizens of the city, but everyone in the county and surrounding areas," said Romankow. "These arrests deliver a significant blow to the MS-13 operations, but we will not slow our pursuit of others involved in gangs and violence."

Members of MS-13 have been arrested during recent months and charged in at least three homicides that occurred in Plainfield, while several other MS-13 members are suspected in at least two other homicides, authorities said.

Of those charged during the last several days, one remains at large, Romankow said. Kelvin Mejia, with a last known address in Plainfield, remains wanted for a variety of charges including conspiracy to commit murder.

The following charges stem from a police investigation revealing that MS-13 members were working towards killing other members inside the gang as well as individuals not affiliated with the gang, Romankow said. The MS-13 members also are charged with gang criminality, a statute that recently was enacted in order to combat the rising ride of criminal activity by gangs, he added; the charge alleged that the members worked together to commit crimes on behalf of the gang.

Two juveniles were arrested as part of the raids, and Romankow said the prosecutor's office will move to have them waived to adult court.

 

There's a gang war going on

Justice officials have publicly admitted for the first time what has become obvious to many citizens -- tensions are high on Winnipeg's biker front.
"There's a gang war going on," Crown attorney Mike Desautels told provincial court Associate Chief Judge Mary Kate Harvie on Monday. "It has reached a fever pitch."
Desautels made his candid comments during a bail hearing for a high-ranking member of the Rock Machine. He also shed new light on a wave of recent shootings in Winnipeg.
Police officers arrested Jean Paul Beaumont late last week after conducting video surveillance of his home through a camera they had secretly installed in early May, court was told. Beaumont, the sergeant-at-arms of the Rock Machine, has a long criminal record and has been charged with repeatedly breaching conditions of his previous bail and probation, including a curfew and driving prohibition.
The hidden camera allegedly caught Beaumont leaving his home and driving away in a vehicle on several occasions.
The Crown is fighting to keep Beaumont in custody, citing the ongoing battle between the Rock Machine and their rivals, the Redlined Support Crew.
Desautels filed a detailed report on the city's gang situation, authored by members of the police organized crime unit, to boost his argument that public safety is at stake. He told court police have been closely monitoring Beaumont, along with other gang members, because of the ongoing tensions in the biker world.
Beaumont's bail hearing was adjourned until today to allow the judge to read the report.
There was no publication ban on the proceedings.
The Hells Angels created the Redlined Support Crew last year to stand up to other criminal networks that might muscle in on their former drug turf after many of their members were arrested and jailed following a trio of recent undercover police operations. At the top of that list was the Rock Machine, which waged war with the Hells Angels in Quebec during the 1990s but has never had much of a presence in Manitoba until recently.
Multiple sources have told the Free Press the Rock Machine has slowly gained power in Manitoba, with some former Hells Angels associates even joining their ranks in recent months. Just recently, a founding member of the "Game Tight Soldiers" gang in British Columbia moved to Winnipeg and joined the Rock Machine ranks, according to a source.
Desautels told court Monday how Joseph Strachan, the Rock Machine's president, had his Winnipeg home shot up last week. A St. Vital-area home belonging to Strachan's parents was then hit with gunfire and Molotov cocktails the following night. There were no injuries in either incident, and no arrests have been made.
Desautels said a member of the Redlined gang was also targeted last week when a "flare" was shot through the window of his home.
Police are also investigating whether two other recent shootings are linked to the ongoing hostilities. A 14-year-old boy was wounded early Monday morning after a townhouse on Taft Crescent in Lord Roberts was sprayed with gunfire. Police admitted the boy is lucky to be alive and may have been an innocent bystander. There were nine people inside the residence at the time, including a baby. No arrests have been made. Members of the organized crime unit are continuing to investigate.
Sources told the Free Press Monday there may be other recent incidents that either haven't been reported to police or haven't been released to the public.
Last November, a former high-ranging associate of the Hells Angels was shot "execution-style" inside his own home.
No arrests have been made in the slaying of Daniel Kachkan, which was believed to have been connected to Kachkan's alleged role in a previous homicide. However, police distributed an internal memo around the time of the killing, warning members of the Rock Machine motorcycle gang are believed to be armed and may be planning attacks against those affiliated with the Hells Angels.

 

Man killed in Holloway gang stabbing victim of estate wars

A man stabbed to death in a brutal attack by a large gang was the victim of a war between estates, residents say.
Andrew Jaipaul, 21, was repeatedly knifed in the horrific attack by a group of between 12 and 20 men on the Andover Estate, off Hornsey Road, Holloway, at around 10.30pm on Sunday night.

Shocked residents have blamed escalating gang violence between estates.

A 32-year-old woman, who did not want to be named for fear of reprisals, said: “They knocked him down with a brick and then repeatedly stabbed him.

“A few minutes before, my fiancée walked past a group of about 12 boys who were between 14 and 21, standing on the corner. They were just drinking and waiting for someone to come past – it could have been anyone.

“There are a lot of gang wars going on with this estate and other areas. He was attacked just because he lived here.”

Mr Jaipaul, who died at the scene, lived in nearby Birnham Road, which backs on to the estate. A post-mortem gave the cause of death as multiple stab wounds.

Another woman who lives on the Andover said she was the first to find him. She said: “I tried to stem the blood but there was nothing I could do. He had no life to fight for – he was gone.

“It’s got to stop. I just thought, what if it was my son?”

A 72-year-old resident, who lives on Lazar Walk, said: “So many gangs come from different estates to here. I don’t go out unless I can help it, and I never go out at night.”

The killing came less than a week after a man was repeatedly stabbed in a similar attack by a group of up to 15 men in nearby Tollington Place, which leads up to the estate. Police say they are not linking the two incidents.

Chief Superintendent Mike Wise, Islington’s borough commander, said: “I have been concerned in the last few months around the levels of violence in that area and the increase over the last few days has given us a great deal of concern.

“We have been increasing police patrols and youth engagement work in the area, and conducting weapons sweeps on estates.

“We’re doing everything possible to find out who carried out the murder and the reasons why.”

 

Drug gang shootout in Mexico mining state kills 15

A five-hour shootout between Mexican marines and dozens of members of the Zetas drug gang left 15 gunmen dead on Friday in the latest outburst of drug violence to hit the central mining state of Zacatecas.

A group of suspected Zeta gang members in the small town of San Jose de Lourdes attacked a convoy of marines patrolling the area. Six marines were injured, 15 suspected cartel members were killed and another 17 captured, the marines said.

"Naval personnel were attacked with firearms by a group of organized criminals hiding in a safe house. They repelled the aggression, starting a firefight that lasted five hours," a statement from the marines said.

The town is just outside of Fresnillo, home to the world's largest silver mine that is owned by a company FREX.MX with the same name. In Fresnillo, drug cartels blocked roads with burned-out vehicles, according to local media reports.

More than 40,000 people have died in Mexico over the past four years since President Felipe Calderon deployed security forces to the streets to attack powerful cartels head on.

Zacatecas has been a hot spot for violence, with the Zetas -- feared as one of Mexico's most brutal gangs -- battling rivals for smuggling turf.

Mining investment keeps flowing into Mexico, the world's top silver producer and major miner of copper, but some companies are beginning

 

Mexican Hit man Captured after Killing Hundreds

Soldiers have detained an alleged hit man who is accused of kidnapping bus passengers, killing them and burying them in mass graves in northern Mexico, authorities said Thursday.

Abraham Barrios Caporal, 26, was captured in the Gulf coast state of Veracruz and has acknowledged working for the Zetas drug cartel, Mexico's Defense Department said in a statement.

Barrios Caporal is suspected of taking part in the killings of bus passengers and their burial in clandestine graves at a ranch in the town of San Fernando in Tamaulipas state, the department said.

He was arrested in the city of Coatzacoalcos Tuesday along with three other members of his cell, said army spokesman, Col. Ricardo Trevilla.

Authorities in Tamaulipas began uncovering bodies in mass graves in early April following reports that passengers were being pulled off buses at gunpoint.

As of early June, 193 bodies had been found in 26 graves. Officials say most of those were Mexican migrants heading to the United States who were kidnapped off buses and killed by the Zetas drug cartel.

Barrios Caporal told authorities some of the passengers were kidnapped because were suspected of being members of the rival Gulf cartel.

San Fernando is the same place where 72 Central and South American migrants were slaughtered last August also by the Zetas.

Barrios Caporal is also suspected in that mass killing, the department said.

Mass graves have become an increasingly common discovery in Mexico's brutal drug war, which has claimed more than 35,000 lives since President Felipe Calderon deployed thousands of federal security forces four years ago to fight traffickers. The offensive led to a splintering of the country's cartels and increased gang fighting over territory.

On Thursday, gunmen opened fire during a soccer game in the resort city of Acapulco, killing two people and wounding at least two children who were watching the match.

The victims were city police officers who were playing in a match against Guerrero state government employees, said state police in Guerrero state, where Acapulco is located.

Authorities offered no motives in the killings.

Factions of the Beltran Leyva cartel have been fighting for control of Acapulco since the December 2009 killing of cartel boss Arturo Beltran Leyva.

state police of Mexico have said to have caught a hit man responsible for hundreds of killings.
The man has been captured and said to have killed close to 200 people by pulling them off buses headed for the United States.
He would go onto buses headed into the United States from Mexico and bring of people at gunpoint. Then he would shoot them putting their bodies into huge mass graves.
He is being held in jail until a court will meet for the verdict.

leader of the Zetas in Cancun Rodolfo Bautista, aka The Pumpkin captured

Federal Police carried out during the day Wednesday, the capture of the leader of the Zetas in Cancun, Quintana Roo . The detainee was identified as Rodolfo Bautista, aka The Pumpkin. Along with the pumpkin, were captured more than four members of the criminal group known as Los Zetas, were identified as Hernan Argelio Dorantes Acosta, Elias Cruz Vazquez, and Julio Cesar Flores Zavala ; also captured José Manuel Osorio Montiel, who worked as part of the municipal police protection but provided the gunmen. Those captured were made ​​available to appropriate authorities.

Mexican Gunmen have a cloned ambulance

State Preventive Police received an anonymous call warning of a safe house located in Colonia San Marcos , that the city of Mexicali, Baja California. The authorities heeded the call and found the house, inside it was only personal items, mattresses and pillows, as well as the windows were sealed, but no arrests were made. It was also reported that the site was located an ambulance labeled with the letters " BC094 Red Cross , "was a cloned unit . Reports indicate that a group of gunmen had its own ambulance cloned, which was used for various violent actions.
After finding the pirate unit, some people who work in the Cruz Roja ambulance mentioned that at first glance looked cloned, also said it was a fact that dismayed, as the gunmen used the name of the institution to carry out their criminal acts .

 

Winnipeg biker gangs at War

Shots fired into a Winnipeg home - the second straight day a southeast Winnipeg home was shot up - are the result of an "active war" between rival gangs, sources say, and it's feared the violence will escalate.

Neighbours noticed smoke pouring out of a St. Vital house around the time gunshots rang out about 4 a.m. Wednesday. Winnipeg police would not confirm the home was firebombed.

A man and a woman, reportedly the parents of a high-ranking member of the local Rock Machine chapter, made it out of the home unharmed and no injuries were reported. The man who was the suspected target wasn't home at the time.

A day earlier, no one was hurt when shots were fired into a home that is allegedly associated with the Rock Machine.

Sources suggested police are investigating whether the shootings are a retaliatory move after a string of recent attacks, including one that involved a flare gun being fired into the window of a home linked to a Redlined Support Crew associate, possibly in an effort to burn down the house, a source said.

"There is an active war between the Rock Machine and the Redlined," a source told QMI Agency.

Another source said the situation has "been building up to this."

"It's going to continue to escalate," the source said. "We don't know what point it's going to reach."

The Redlined are affiliated with the Manitoba chapter of the Hells Angels. The original Rock Machine - this latest incarnation launched about three years ago - and the Quebec Hells Angels were locked in a deadly, drug-fuelled feud in the 1990s that claimed about 160 lives.

Police have been warning about a possible eruption in violence between the rival gangs for more than a year after a Rock Machine member was lured to a south Winnipeg auto shop in January 2010 and badly beaten by Redlined members.

After that, all sides have armed themselves as retribution is expected, police wrote in a February 2010 affidavit. The document also suggested Redlined Support Crew members and other Hells Angels supporters have been ordered to seek out Rock Machine members or associates and "take care of them by any means necessary."

 

Springfield police say that three men were wounded Monday in a North End shooting they believe stemmed from a gang dispute.

Springfield Police Sergeant John Delaney says the three victims, Justin Garafa, 21, Alberto Nieves, 20, and Geovanni Saldana, 18, all have ties to various North End gangs.

Nieves was shot in the abdomen and Saladana was shot in the chest. Both are listed in stable condition and are expected to recover, as is Garafa, who was shot in the ankle.

Police were called to Baystate Medical Center’s emergency room around 10:45 Monday night, after the victims were brought there. Delaney says that no one had called the police during the shooting, Garaffa would not talk, and detectives had to investigate to find out that it had happened near the corner of Greenwich and Huntington Streets. 18 shell casings were found in that area.

While the victim was being treated, a large crowd had gathered outside the waiting room, and was creating a commotion. Police and hospital security were able to break up the disturbance, but Delaney says Aisha Kuilan, 17, of Springfield refused to leave. He says that Kuilan swung at officers, and was swearing, shouting, and flashing gang signs.

She has been charged with being a disorderly person, and will be arraigned in Springfield District Court.

James "Whitey" Bulger's capture could cause a world of trouble inside the FBI.

The ruthless Boston crime boss who spent 16 years on the lam is said to have boasted that he corrupted six FBI agents and more than 20 police officers. If he decides to talk, some of them could rue the day he was caught.

"They are holding their breath, wondering what he could say," said Robert Fitzpatrick, the former second-in-command of the Boston FBI office.

The 81-year-old gangster was captured Wednesday in Santa Monica, Calif., where he apparently had been living for most of the time he was a fugitive. He appeared Friday afternoon inside a heavily guarded federal courthouse in Boston to answer for his role in 19 murders.

Bulger, wearing jeans and a white shirt, looked tan and fit and walked with a slight hunch at back-to-back hearings on two indictments. He asked that a public defender be appointed to represent him, but the government objected, citing the $800,000 seized from his Southern California apartment and his "family resources."

"We think he has access to more cash," said prosecutor Brian Kelly.

At the second hearing, Bulger took a swipe at prosecutors after Magistrate Judge Marianne Bowler asked him if he could afford to pay for an attorney.

"Well, I could, if they would give me my money back," he replied in his unmistakable Boston accent, prompting laughter in the courtroom.

Kelly implied that Bulger's cash came from illegal activities.

"He clearly didn't make that on a paper route on Santa Monica Boulevard," he said.

Prosecutors asked that Bulger be held without bail, saying he is danger to the community and may try to threaten witnesses.

"He's also, quite obviously, a risk of flight," Kelly said.

Kelly also said Catherine Greig, Bulger's longtime girlfriend who was arrested with him, told court officials that Bulger's brother may be willing to assist him in posting bail.

Bulger did not ask for a detention hearing, but his lawyer said he may later make an argument that Bulger should be released on bail while awaiting trial.

The amount of money found in Bulger's apartment confirmed a longheld belief by investigators that he kept large stashes of cash for a life on the run.

"We clearly don't think this is his last stash," Kelly said.

When Bulger walked into the courtroom, he saw his brother William, the former powerful leader of the state Senate, seated in the second row. Whitey Bulger smiled at him and mouthed, "Hi." His brother smiled back.

Greig appeared in court a few minutes later on charges of harboring a fugitive. She asked for a hearing to determine whether she can be released on bail, and one was scheduled for next week.

Bulger, the former boss of the Winter Hill Gang, Boston's Irish mob, embroiled the FBI in scandal after he disappeared in 1995. It turned out that Bulger had been an FBI informant for two decades, feeding the bureau information on the rival New England Mafia, and that he fled after a retired Boston FBI agent tipped him off that he was about to be indicted.

The retired agent, John Connolly Jr., was sent to prison for protecting Bulger. The FBI depicted Connolly as a rogue agent, but Bulger associates described more widespread corruption in testimony at Connolly's trial and in lawsuits filed by the families of people allegedly killed by Bulger and his gang.

Kevin Weeks, Bulger's right-hand man, said the crime lord stuffed envelopes with cash for law enforcement officers at holiday time. "He used to say that Christmas was for cops and kids," Weeks testified.

After a series of hearings in the late 1990s, U.S. District Judge Mark Wolf found that more than a dozen FBI agents had broken the law or violated FBI regulations.

Among them was Connolly's former supervisor, John Morris, who admitted he took about $7,000 in bribes and a case of expensive wine from Bulger and henchman Stephen "The Rifleman" Flemmi. Morris testified under a grant of immunity.

In addition, Richard Schneiderhan, a former Massachusetts state police lieutenant, was convicted of obstruction of justice and conspiracy for warning a Bulger associate that the FBI had wiretapped the phones of Bulger's brothers.

Edward J. MacKenzie Jr., a former drug dealer and enforcer for Bulger, predicted that Bulger will disclose new details about FBI corruption and how agents protected him for so long.

"Whitey was no fool. He knew he would get caught. I think he'll have more fun pulling all those skeletons out of the closet," MacKenzie said. "I think he'll start talking and he'll start taking people down."

A spokesman for the Boston FBI did not return calls seeking comment. In the past, the agency has said that a new generation of agents has replaced most or all of the agents who worked in the Boston office while Bulger was an informant.

A law enforcement official who requested anonymity because of the ongoing investigation told The Associated Press on Friday that FBI agents lured Bulger out of his., apartment earlier this week by telling him someone had broken into his on-site storage unit. The official said Bulger walked out of the apartment, was arrested without incident and consented to a search of the premises.

Some law enforcement officials said they doubt Bulger will try to cut a deal with prosecutors by exposing corruption, in part because he will almost certainly be asked to reveal what contact he had with his brothers while he was a fugitive and whether they helped him in any way.

"If Bulger talks, he would have to talk about his brothers, and I can't see that happening, said retired state police Detective Lt. Bob Long, who investigated Bulger in the 1970s and '80s."They are not going to take selective information from him - it's either full and complete cooperation or nothing."

Criminal defense attorney and former Drug Enforcement Administration agent Raymond Mansolillo said Bulger may not have any incentive to talk. "The FBI may say, 'You're going to jail or you're going to be killed. We're not offering you anything,'" said Mansolillo, who once represented New England crime figure Luigi "Baby Shacks" Manocchio.

But retired Massachusetts state police Maj. Tom Duffy, one of the lead investigators in the Bulger case, said Bulger may agree to talk if he thinks it could help his girlfriend.

"It's very possible he's concerned about her well-being - she was with him for 16 years and was very loyal to him," Duffy said. "That may be a bargaining chip for the government during negotiations."

The question of whether Bulger will be given a public defender will be decided later. A hearing was scheduled for Tuesday. He did not enter a plea.

Bulger is "looking forward to facing the charges against him," said Peter Krupp, a lawyer assigned to represent Bulger for purposes of Friday's hearing only.

Among the onlookers at the courthouse was Margaret Chaberek, who grew up in Bulger's home turf of South Boston. "I'm here to see him get what he deserves," she said.

Ina Corcoran of suburban Braintree came on her day off to witness a piece of history and sat on a bench outside the fifth-floor courtroom, saying it was like being there to see Al Capone.

"If you could go back in time to be in that courtroom, wouldn't you?" she said.

five men were found executed in different parts of the city of Torreon.

 The five men showed signs of extreme torture, were bound, and all had impacts firearm in different parts of the body besides narcomensaje left them, but the authorities have withheld that information. The first finding was recorded minutes before 01:00, where a man was left dead on Independence Boulevard and Calle Valdés Carrillo. Around 01:45, another corpse was left off the Northeastern University Campus Laguna. Forensic Medical Service personnel lifted the body and moved up their facilities.

Germain Perez Quiroz, head of the Department of Public Safety in the municipality of Santa Catarina, Nuevo Leon, was killed by gunmen

who arrived at police facilities. The unknown persons entered the office of the police command and shot him several times, being dead inside the building. Also reports indicate that the gunmen stood at least five elements of the Municipal Police. Witnesses said the gunmen were masked, and traveled at least five trucks of which only came to know that they were recent model. There has been a intense mobilization in the municipality of Santa Catarina, the Mexican Army, Federal Police, State Police and conducting operations to find those responsible.

Drug War terror was present at Peter Piper Pizza restaurant located in downtown Plaza Bella shopping Anahuac

, the Sendero Avenue North, in the municipality of Escobedo, Nuevo Leon. It all started when five unidentified men arrived at the parking place and a car fell Platina in white, then three of them entered the pizzeria and is seated at a table , sat for several minutes, the other two were at the gates of the business . The place was full of children and parents Family enjoying the food and games, an afternoon seemed quiet and fun. The unknown men who had just entered the place located two youths who were on a table , one of them was holding the order number, waiting their turn, when suddenly began to hear gunshots.

Chayo is the leader of the Knights Templar , now rival group La Familia Michoacana.

Several narcobanners signed by La Familia Michoacana appeared during the day yesterday in several municipalities in Guerrero, among which are Teloloapan Tlapehuala and Arcelia. The narcomensaje were addressed to Felipe Calderon Hinojosa, also pointed to Alejandro Poire, naming FURTHER Knights Templar . The Attorney General of the State of Guerrero, confirmed that the narcobanners were seen at different points, which were removed by members of federal forces. La Familia Michoacana blame squarely on Felipe Calderon for all people innocent who died in different events . Reports indicate that narcomensaje were similar, indicating that Nazario Moreno Gonzalez is alive, and that the government knows that's true, but give it up for dead. He also mentioned Chayo is the leader of the Knights Templar , now rival group La Familia Michoacana.

The power of video has become a tool for police and criminals alike in Mexico's bloody drug war: both share the goal of displaying their victories over the defeated.

The drug gangs post videos on the internet that show beheadings and torture, so as to to intimidate viewers. Some of them even end up on YouTube, although they are usually immediately removed from the popular video website.
Mexico's Federal Police, in turn, broadcast their interrogations of drug bosses before handing them over to justice officials.
The country's criminal underworld leaves little to the realm of imagination. Crude images, sarcastic smirks and startling comments recorded by the cameras allow the average Mexican a look inside the drug cartels.
Sometimes, it is hard to keep one's eyes open to such stark images of the gruesome battle that has claimed more than 40,000 lives since December 2006.
But to balance that out, the police also show reassuring footage of their capture and interrogation of criminal suspects, sending a message that they too can come out on top.
The most recent episode came this week, with the police interrogation of Jose de Jesus Mendez, better known as El Chango. Mendez, the head of the bloody drug cartel La Familia, was arrested Tuesday.
In the subsequent interrogation, he gave astonishing advice to young people to follow the path of good. Even more surprising, he gave his blessing to government and police efforts to combat the drug gangs.
'I think they are doing the right thing in arresting criminals. It's their job, and that's what they're there for, to look after the citizenry. It's great they can do that,' Mendez said, when an unidentified interrogator asked for his opinion on government actions.
He was also asked what he would tell people who are just getting started in the drug trade.
'I'd tell them to get honourable work, there is a lot of good work around. They should do their best, however. It is not just with illegal stuff that you can get by. There are thousands of ways to get by through work.'
Before the El Chango interview, police showed off other drug bosses, like Jorge Balderas Garza, alias JJ, and Edgar Valdez Villarreal, alias Barbie.
JJ, who is charged with shooting Paraguay striker Salvador Cabanas in the head, even gave two TV interviews within one day, as if he were a pop star: one after his arrest and one before being handed over to the courts. Later, he took back what he said on his lawyer's advice.
The shooting took place at a Mexico City bar in 2010. Cabanas survived but has yet to recover from the injuries.
Criminals also show off their bloody achievements on the internet. One website, El Blog del Narco (The Drug Blog), posts shocking videos of torture, beatings and even killings and beheadings that are clearly supplied by the drug gangs.
Such content would, for example, be immediately removed from mass video websites such as YouTube, which closely controls content.
But the Narco Blog administrator states on the drug website that he is not a criminal, but rather serves to display items sent to him as insight into the drug scene. Police say it's not necessary to investigate the website, and there is a belief throughout Mexico that the police find information there that is useful to their investigations.
Servando Gomez Martinez, better known as La Tuta, also knows the power of television. The former ally of El Chango at the head of La Familia currently leads the new gang, The Knights Templar.
In 2009, La Tuta gave a surreal telephone interview which was broadcast on television: He offered the government a deal and prayed to God for a chance to escape arrest on earth.
In Mexico, the videos aired by the federal police are popularly nicknamed Garcia Luna Productions, after Public Security Minister Genaro Garcia Luna.
Last year, Garcia Luna brushed off criticism for showing drug lords like Barbie.
'Why is a criminal shown before the media? First of all, I have to tell you that the criminals already aim for media impact, through extreme violence around the drug trade, making their behaviour already public,' he said.
Garcia Luna said that by broadcasting their work in arresting important suspects, the public gets the message that the state is stronger than the gangs.
The gangs aim to intimidate anyone who resists their claim to rule in a territory by using videos. Unlike in the police videos, however, their hostages sometimes finish their appearances with a gunshot to the head.

Final suspect in ‘Dead Presidents’ slayings arrested in Mexico

The fourth and final suspect in a 2000 gang murder in San Bernardino was arrested across the border in his native Mexico, the FBI announced on Friday night.

In a release, the FBI reported that Froylan Chiprez, 36, of Mexico was taken into custody in Tijuana by Mexican police. The Mexican government issued a provisional arrest warrant for Chiprez, who was wanted in a gang-related shooting.

Termed the Dead Presidents slayings, three other suspects have already been tried and convicted of murder over the shooting that occurred in the early morning hours of July 9, 2000, the FBI said. The allegations are that Chiprez was one of four armed men who fired weapons outside of a duplex on West Vine Street in San Bernardino, killing four men and wounding two others.

Chiprez was on parole for involuntary manslaughter at the time of the killings and escaped into his native Mexico, said the FBI.

Two other defendants in the case, Luis Alonzo Mendoza, 32, and Lorenzo Inez Arias, 29, were sentenced to death. A third man, John Adrian Ramirez, received a 12-year sentence in state prison in a plea bargain for truthful testimony.

Prosecutors alleged at a 2008 trial that Mendoza sought control of a street gang and targeted Johnny Agudo, 33, for providing information to police. Agudo, along with his brother, Gilbert, 27, Anthony Daniel Luna, 23, and Luna’s half-brother, Marselino Gregory Luna, 19, were killed in the attack.

Two of the victims were presidents of local street gangs, identifying the case as the Dead Presidents slayings.

Chiprez, once returned to the United States, will be turned over to San Bernardino police. He is a cousin to Mendoza, whose nickname is Maldito, and was a childhood friend of the Agudos, according to court reports.

 

COOLAROO residents who witnessed drive-by attacks on a Guildford Avenue house last week fear a gangland war could erupt in their area.

The house was firebombed last Tuesday and sprayed with gunfire the next morning, hours after another shooting at a house in nearby Jacana.

No one was injured in the attacks.

Broadmeadows Detective Superintendent Kevin Sheridan told the Weekly police were investigating if the incidents were linked.

The Santiago Taskforce, which has investigated the fatal shooting wars between drug families in Melbourne's north and west, has taken over the investigation.

Superintendent Sheridan said the taskforce would determine if the attacks were related to Lebanese crime circles.

"There's no evidence to suggest that it's gangland-related yet, it's too early in the investigation," he said.

He conceded the consecutive attacks on a single house was "unusual".

A witness to the Tuesday morning shooting on the Guildford Avenue address, who asked not to be named, said he saw a small truck smash in the front of the house and heard swearing before shots were fired.

"It's a rough neighbourhood, and this house has been targeted a few times," the witness said.

"It's like a war, the whole neighbourhood is sick of it."

Superintendent Sheridan tried to abate any fears, saying the gunman had targeted the Coolaroo house, rather than it being a random attack.

A heightened police presence and security would be in place at night.

The head of the Coolaroo household, Abdul Tiba, told reporters he was not scared by the latest attack, but feared for his family and residents of the neighbourhood.

"I'm worried for my family and neighbours. I feel really sorry for my neighbours," he said.

A Victoria Police spokeswoman said arson and explosives squad detectives had not yet determined what type of bomb had been thrown through the window of the family home. The investigation is ongoing.

FBI Arrests James Whitey Bulger in California: Wanted for Murders

The beautiful beach town of Santa Monica, California was the site of a major arrest today of a man on the FBI's most wanted list. The elderly alleged murderer had long evading arrest. He was wanted for 21 alleged murders in Boston and then his whereabouts where unknown for over a decade.

James "Whitey" Bulger, age 81, was captured by the FBI in Santa Monica. It is not yet known how long he had been in that location. In the past he was allegedly involved in murders, racketeering and a variety of additional crimes in Boston in the years from the start of the 1970s to the mid-point of the 1980s, notes the Los Angeles Times.

The FBI had a $2 million reward for information that led to the capture of Bulger, notes Boston.com. The FBI had recently enacted a major campaign of media spots and other tools to expedite the capture of Bulger. He had previously served as a rogue informant for the FBI. Thus the agency must have had a special quest to capture him.

Bulger has long been infamous in the United States. He was supposedly the person Jack Nicholson's character in the movie "The Departed" was based on. Thus it seems a bit ironic that the FBI found him in Santa Monica, so close to the movie industry in Hollywood.

The families of the people allegedly murdered by James Whitey Bulger must be feeling strong emotions when they hear that the FBI found him. Having a beloved person murdered and never getting justice via an arrest or a trial must have been very emotionally grueling.

There will be much news coming out later about the crimes allegedly committed by Bulger. It will be fascinating to hear how the FBI found him and if anyone will get the reward money. For now, it is just a relief that a supposedly dangerous criminal is now in custody.

war on the Maniac Latin Disciples after two young girls were shot in a Northwest Side park earlier this month.

Police Supt. Garry McCarthy declared war on the Maniac Latin Disciples after two young girls were shot in a Northwest Side park earlier this month.

The shooter was a member of the gang and was gunning for rival Latin Kings when the girls, ages 2 and 7, were wounded on June 8, prosecutors said. The younger girl was grazed in the head and the 7-year-old was seriously wounded in the back.

“We’re going to obliterate that gang,” McCarthy told a roomful of police supervisors shortly after the shooting. “Every one of their locations has to get blown up until they cease to exist.”

Two weeks later, 120 Maniac Latin Disciples have been arrested and seven guns recovered in what police are describing as phase one of their effort to cripple the gang of 300 to 500 members.

“We’re asking the state’s attorney’s office to prosecute them to the fullest,” said Nick Roti, chief of the Organized Crime Division. “We’re going to put them out of business.”

Of the gang members arrested since the shooting, 19 remained in jail while the others posted bond.

About five have been sent back to prison for parole violations such as testing positive for narcotics, Roti said.

The crackdown is being conducted by Roti’s gang and narcotics units, as well as the patrol and detective divisions. It’s focused on the Humboldt Park and Grand-Central police districts, where many of the gang members live.

Leo Schmitz, commander of the gang enforcement unit, said the Maniac Latin Disciples have been “laying low” since McCarthy declared war on them. Investigators have tracked some to girlfriends’ apartments or addresses outside their traditional turf, he said.

The Criminal Intelligence Unit in the Cook County Jail has been providing Chicago Police investigators with hierarchy charts for about 15 factions of the Maniac Latin Disciples, said Steve Patterson, a spokesman for Sheriff Tom Dart. The charts are created by interviewing jailhouse informants.

McCarthy’s war on the Maniac Latin Disciples follows an effort last year to punish other West Side gangs. They were warned by then-police Supt. Jody Weis that they would become targets of a crackdown if one of their members committed a murder. Sixty members of the Black Souls and 100 members of the Traveling Vice Lords were arrested on federal and state charges.

McCarthy said he supports that strategy. “When groups engage in violence, they have to understand there will be consequences,” he said. “This is not going to stop.”

Antonio Bucio is the alleged Maniac Latin Disciples member charged in the June 8 shooting of the two girls. His face is tattooed with a letter “D” sprouting devil’s horns. Prosecutors said Bucio admitted to shooting at rival gang members at Avondale Park, which is north of Belmont and west of Kimball near the Kennedy Expy. Police said they have recovered the gun used in the shooting.

On Wednesday afternoon, Aquiles Pena was at the same park, watching his two young daughters swim in a pool near the play lot where the girls were shot. Pena, 50, said he has lived in the neighborhood for about two years and occasionally sees gang members hanging out, but they don’t bother him. Still, he said he’s outraged by the shooting.

“I think they should be harder on gangs around Chicago,” Pena said.

COME TO PICK UP YOUR TRASH CHANGO MENDEZ. BY RATS,The Knights Templar are conducting actions against the members of La Familia Michoacana

The Knights Templar are conducting actions against the members of La Familia Michoacana, during the morning five men appeared in different fucking performed in Michoacan. The first discovery was reported around 04:00 hours in the Tres Esquinas, in that place remained two executed men, who were handcuffed and blindfolded. Failed to identify the victims. I left a card with a narcomensaje. Later, elements of the state police came a few kilometers away from the first finding, and two others executed under the same conditions as above, had been abandoned. There were also narcomensaje.

Then near the Campo de Tiro, another man had been shot execution, he also had signs of having been tortured also were found 22 shell casings from AK-47. narcomensaje Text: " This is going to happen to all those who are Passing Data to Jesus Mendez, Chang and his collaborators. COME TO PICK UP YOUR TRASH CHANGO MENDEZ. BY RATS . "

Mexico's drug war is becoming increasingly dangerous, as police engage in more and more violent clashes with heavily armed drug-runners

Mexico's drug war is becoming increasingly dangerous, as police engage in more and more violent clashes with heavily armed drug-runners. But that isn't the only sign that Mexico is losing the war. Here, four chilling new revelations:

1. The cartels have 12-year-old hitmen
One of the more disturbing trends, says Carlton Purvis at Security Management, is the Mexican drug cartels' use of younger and younger foot soldiers. Police arrested 10 gang members after a bloody shootout at a Los Zetas cartel training camp, and five of the suspects were teenagers. Kids are recruited as young as 12, and the younger the hitmen are, the more dangerous, says Vanda Felbab-Brown, an expert on international conflict. "They spray an area with bullets hoping they hit a target," she says. "It's not that they're trying to do more damage, it's that they don't know how to be more precise."

2. They've also hired teenage hit women
It's not just young guys who are taking advantage of the job opportunities organized crime provides. Six women under 21 were arrested this month after a shootout near Guadalajara. Among the suspects was a 16-year-old girl who said she had been trained as a cartel "hitwoman," earning $1,000 for three weeks' work.

3. Kidnap victims are forced to fight to the death
"One of the most chilling revelations" about the drug war, says the Houston Chronicle's Dane Schiller, came in an interview with a cocaine trafficker who recently visited Texas. The trafficker — who admits to pushing a $10 million stash of cocaine into the U.S. every month — says drug gangs have kidnapped bus passengers "and forced them into gladiator-like fights to groom fresh assassins." The able-bodied men picked for the contests are given hammers, machetes, and sticks, then made to fight to the death.

4. Drug gangs are extending their reach into the U.S.
The U.S. Justice Department says Mexican underworld organizations now control most of the illegal drug trade within the U.S., with their own distribution networks in 230 cities, including Boston, Providence, R.I., and Hartford, Conn. These cities, says law enforcement expert Michael Cutler, are now "infested" with people working for cartels that have killed 35,000 people in Mexico since the drug war began.

Alleged Zetas held, linked to criminal activity,judge ordered that José María Leal Pantoja, alias "Chema" or "El Comandante Chema," and Rogelio Galván Rodríguez or Rogelio Valdez Rodríguez, alias "San Anto," be held.

Mexico’s Attorney General’s Office, or PGR, said Monday that two suspects will continue held for the probable commission of organized criminal activity.

 

The statement noted that a judge ordered that José María Leal Pantoja, alias "Chema" or "El Comandante Chema," and Rogelio Galván Rodríguez or Rogelio Valdez Rodríguez, alias "San Anto," be held.

 

The two suspects were detained by the military in the state of San Luis Potosi in March and are believed to be tied to the Zetas drug cartel.

 

The statement noted that there are indications that after Sergio Mora Cortez, alias "El Toto," was detained, Leal Pantoja was left in charge of the drug-trafficking corridor or plaza in San Luis Potosí, while Galván Rodríguez or Rogelio Valdez Rodríguez was Leal Pantoja’s bodyguard or hit man.

 

Mora Cortez is under detention, suspected of being tied to the slaying of ICE Special Agent Jaime Jorge Zapata on Feb. 15 in the state of San Luis Potosi.

 

Zapata, a Brownsville native and special agent with U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement, was killed by what Mexican officials have described as a squad of hit men from the Zetas.

 

Zapata was killed while traveling in a U.S. government SUV with diplomatic plates. ICE Special Agent Victor Avila was also wounded in the attack.

 

The PGR arrested Julian Zapata Espinoza, alias "El Piolín," and other alleged Zetas on Feb. 23 in San Luis Potosí. Officials say that Zapata Espinoza confessed to being the leader of a Zetas cell in San Luis Potosí and also to having led the attack on the two U.S. agents.

 

In late February, the Mexican navy in Saltillo in the state of Coahuila arrested Mora Cortes. The navy described Mora Cortes as an "important Zeta boss" and said he was arrested following Mexico and U.S. intelligence efforts.

 

The navy said that Mora Cortes was Zapata Espinoza’s immediate boss.