GANGLAND GODFATHER

One victim, a 30-year Darwin resident, said it was the "most disgusting'' thing he had ever seen in the Northern Territory. Another 54-year-old man, talking to the Northern Territory News as he left Royal Darwin Hospital with eight stitches and bruised ribs, said the Saturday night attack was like a precision "army operation''. Their mate, in his 30s, was still lying in hospital yesterday unable to talk with both sides of his jaw broken. The men declined to reveal their identities in fear of a revenge gang bashing. The 44-year-old man said they went outside the Hibiscus Tavern, Leanyer, when a barman said "kids'' were trashing vehicles in the car park just after 9.30pm. But as soon as they stepped outside, they were "ambushed'' from behind by 40 teenagers who had been hiding under and behind cars. His 54-year-old friend said the attack was so well-planned, the teens did not skip a beat and bashed a couple who stopped to help. "Th

motorcycle gang, opened fire on a group of youths, wounding five persons in barangay Lorega San Miguel in Cebu City shortly before 4 a.m. yesterday. The gunman were using an automatic pistol.Three of the victims were minors, brothers Bryan Paul, 17, and Roy Paul, 16, and Thadeo Camacho, 18. All are allegedly members of the Bloods Gang.The two other victims were Mylee Blanquero, 18, allegedly a member of the Alpha Kappa Rho fraternity and Crisanto Sanchez, 42, who was hit by a stray bullet. Among all the victims, Sanchez is in critical condition after he was shot in the chest.Residents in the area said they were awakened and frightened by the burst of gunfire. “We thought there was a war because of the gunfire,” a female resident said in Cebuano.According to witnesses, suspects might have used an automatic rapid KG-9 or an uzi or Ingram.Senior Supt. Patrocinio Comendador Jr. said these kind of firearms can be easily acquired as they can be made locally.Policemen recovered about 33 empty

White supremacist street gang with ties to the Hells Angels and cells throughout northern Alberta dismantled.During a 15-month investigation, the Metro Edmonton gang unit targeted members of the White Boy Posse. Officers arrested 17 members after five raids Thursday morning and issued warrants for another five. It's completely handicapped them. They are not functioning as of this moment," said Staff Sgt. Kevin Galvin.The White Boy Posse has between 50 and 100 members and is involved in trafficking cocaine and other drugs from Yellowknife to Medicine Hat, Galvin said. It often uses the swastika in tattoos and other gang paraphernalia. Police displayed swords, a handgun, cocaine, cash and gang-related hats and sweaters confiscated during the arrests.Thursday was the end of an initiative police called Project Goliath. Members hit four homes in Old Strathcona, Castle Downs and Clareview and one business in Beverly between 7:45 a.m. and 9:30 a.m. Thursday, said gang unit member Co

Former senior Mexican intelligence official said that the use of training camps has become "standard practice" for the cartels. "Yes, there are training camps where hitmen from both sides of the border train with weapons from the United States," he said, speaking on condition of anonymity. There is no firm estimate of the number of people who have received training in the camps, but a U.S. intelligence official said the number was in the "hundreds" across Mexico. It's all part of a strategy by drug cartels to intimidate their enemies and assert control over besieged communities along the 2,000-mile U.S.-Mexico border, the officials said. The result has been unprecedented violence – at least 5,000 people killed nationwide in two years – and ongoing brutal confrontations with local, state and federal forces. "The Zetas paramilitarized the situation with training camps and military background," said a senior U.S. law enforcement official and wea

Police are investigating a multiple shooting in a Winnipeg neighbourhood that has left three people dead and two others injured. Const. Jacqueline Chaput confirms two males and a female were found dead in a home from gunshot wounds on Saturday morning. Two other men and woman were wounded, but are in stable condition in hospital. The incident is Winnipeg's first triple-slaying since a gang-related killing of three men at a house in August 1996. "It's a very rare occurrence . . . it's very disconcerting to us," Chaput said. Chaput says a motive for the shootings isn't known and there are no suspects in custody. Jordie Williamson, 14, who lives next door to the house, said a family of "really kind people," including up to five children, have lived there for years. He said the home has no apparent ties to crime, although he said gangs are a problem in the district. "Gangs around here – they go from harsh to worse, and very deadly," said Willia

Gardai have linked a number of bomb finds with a major feud between rival Dublin city gangs which has claimed ten lives since 2005.In one of the most significant breakthroughs, the Garda’s Organised Crime Unit discovered two grenades and a high-calibre handgun during a vehicle check in west Dublin earlier thismonth. Aseries of recent arrests under the auspices of Operation Anvil, which targets armed crime, have led detectives to conclude that several attacks were being planned against a rival gang involving the use of firearms and grenades. The feuding gangs are based in the Crumlin-Drimnagh area, and have been involved in bloody warfare since a row over seized drugs led to a series of accusations of information being passed to gardai and tit-for-tat killings, which have culminated in at least eight planned assassinations. But it is the increasing use of home-made bombs by criminals involved in minor disputes which is of most concern to senior gardai. Last week alone there were three b

Drive to break up outlaw bikie gangs is overdue. The gangs indulge in Australia-wide, hugely profitable criminality, including distributing drugs.State and federal attorneys-general have been given details of proposed South Australian laws to break up the gangs. Even before the laws take effect, SA's war on bikie gangs has led to the arrest of 22 gang members and confiscation of $120,000 in cash, cannabis, ecstasy tablets and amphetamines and 35 firearms. Victorian Police Minister Bob Cameron's office last night said he had no intention of signing on to the SA's laws. He believes specific bikie laws are not needed. But Operation Purana's success in ending Victoria's deadly underworld war demonstrates that targeted action works. The bikies are a national menace and require a similar response on a national scale.

Thursday, 33-year-old Francesco Capicchiano, a known enemy of suspected 'ndrangheta boss Luca Megna, was killed in broad daylight, a slaying investigators believe is linked to the murder a day earlier of 27-year old Giuseppe Cavallo, a police official said.Cavallo's wife was also hit by a bullet in the leg. On Saturday, Luca Megna, whose father is in jail for ties with the 'ndrangheta, was shot dead in his car as he drove through Crotone with his wife and five-year-old daughter.His daughter is in a coma in the hospital along with his injured wife. Police said the three men allegedly have ties to the 'ndrangheta, a crime syndicate that has risen in power and international reach in recent years.On Thursday all the teachers in Crotone called in sick, fearing violence around the school that children of the feuding families attend.On Friday the teachers were back at work, and of 450 students only 20 percent were absent.Authorities have said the 'ndrangheta has eclipsed t

Hells Angels "puppet club" with links throughout northern Alberta. The operation - dubbed Project Goliath - "completely handicapped them (the White Boy Posse). They are not functioning as of this moment," said EPS Staff Sgt. Kevin Galvin. It was shortly before 8 a.m. Thursday that police, acting on search warrants, began a series of raids on four homes and a Beverly-area business to take down 17 members of the Posse. They all face drug-related charges, while police also have warrants out for five other people still at large. Const. Brent Dahlseide, one of the main investigators on the case, called the Posse a puppet club of the Hells Angels. Many Posse members aspire to join the notorious biker gang, which oversees the importation of drugs in order to distribute them to street-level groups like the Posse, Dahlseide noted. Two police tactical teams made the morning arrests without incident since, Dahlseide said, "everybody was caught napping, sleeping." Tho

“In Australia, Queensland seems to be the base of (amphetamine) clandestine manufacturing, which supplies the whole country,” the report said. Outlaw motorcycle gangs are strategically located throughout the North Coast region and the Sunshine Coast for very specific purposes, one of which would be the distribution of amphetamines,” Supt Hanbidge said. “It’s for this reason that Sunshine Coast police and police throughout the north coast region have commenced an ongoing target of enforcement against outlaw motorcycle gangs.”But he said illicit drug use was a problem everywhere, not just on the Sunshine Coast.“We’ve certainly seen an increase in the number of arrests for drug-related matters but it’s probably more so because of increased enforcement carried out by police, rather than increased drug use,” Supt Hanbidge said. “But certainly with the use of drugs such as ecstasy there seems to be a mindset amongst young people that this form of drug is not as harmful as others, which is to

An outlaw motorcycle gang clubhouse has been forfeited under provincial civil forfeiture law.Lawyers for the Attorney General demonstrated to the civil court that a Heron Street clubhouse in Thunder Bay was an instrument of unlawful activity, including drug possession and trafficking. On March 27, 2008, the Superior Court ordered it forfeited to the Crown. "Ontario is a world leader in the use of civil forfeiture law," said Attorney General Chris Bentley. "It's an innovative law that allows the court to take away property and assets used as instruments of unlawful activity by outlaw motorcycle gangs and other criminal organizations." "In Ontario, unlawful activity doesn't pay," said Bill Mauro, MPP Thunder Bay-Atikokan. "Instead, Ontario's civil forfeiture legislation allows for forfeited proceeds to support victims and prevent victimization." "Outlaw biker gangs are not welcome in our neighbourhoods," said Micha

About 10 police cars flooded a south Gilroy apartment complex late Wednesday night to stop a possible gang fight, police said. Two women and a man were arrested on weapons charges stemming from the incident. About 11 p.m., somebody in the apartment complex called police to report about ten young adults hanging out in the carport between 160 and 180 Southgate Court - off Church Street just south of 10th Street - said officer Joseph Deras. The reporting party said the people had weapons and were possibly preparing for a fight. Two patrol cars, including a canine unit, came up to the driveway a few minutes later, Deras said. The officers "heard sounds of metallic hitting the ground," he said. "We didn't know if that was a gun or what." One of the men in the group ran to a silver truck at the south end of the carport, through something inside, and then ran and hid behind another car, Deras said. The two officers called for backup.Soon, 10 police cars with more than

Justice Anne MacKenzie acquitted David Giles, a full patch member of the East End chapter of the Hells Angels, for possession of cocaine for the purpose of trafficking. Therefore he could not be found guilty of a second charge of directing a criminal investigation, she said. One of the reasons for dismissing the case was that the judge said she could not understand the audio recordings the Crown submitted as evidence, and the Crown was far-reaching in their interpretation of what they heard on the audio evidence. MacKenzie did find Hells Angels associates Richard Rempel, 24, and David Revell, 43, each guilty of one count of possession of cocaine and one count of trafficking cocaine. In 2005, police conducted a large-scale raid on Hells Angels properties as part of a $10-million investigation dubbed Project E-Pandora. Lenny Hochberg, a criminal lawyer who has defended Hells Angels members in the past, says the B.C. court made the right decision. "It was the absolute right decision

Two alleged members of a new Sydney triad gang preying on overseas Asian tourists have been refused bail, charged with the stabbing murder of a Korean student. The men, Chinese nationals Ivan Wong and Michael Lee, both 18-year-old students from Carlingford, are charged with the murder of Joon Yup Lee at 1am last Thursday. The victim died during a running street fight that began in the Liverpool Street Hungry Jack's restaurant and spilled into the adjoining World Square complex. The pair are also charged with wounding with intent to murder Korean student Jung Ho Song, 20, who was stabbed.They are also charged with assaulting Sui Yoon, who was with Mr Song and Mr Lee.Both Wong and Lee are alleged to be members of the Yee Tong triad style gang whom police allege have been preying on fellow foreign students in a stand-over extortion racket.Wong appeared before Central Local Court magistrate Allan Moore in a videolink from Silverwater jail remand centre while Lee refused to appear on ca

Andre Anthony Lewis, 35, was sentenced in U.S. District Court to more than 12 years in prison for possession of cocaine with the intent to distribute. He earlier entered a guilty plea to the charge in January 2007.Seattle police were called to the intersection of East Union Street and 23rd Avenue on the afternoon of May 12, 2006. When they arrived, they found Lewis' black Mercedes-Benz riddled with gunfire, its windows shattered. Shell casings littered the ground around the car. Lewis, bleeding from what he said were glass cuts, was rummaging in the trunk. When asked to describe who shot his car, Lewis reportedly answered, "a 7-foot white guy." He proved no more cooperative during the ensuing investigation into the shooting. Police impounded the car and Seattle gang detectives conducted a search, discovering 220.5 grams of cocaine they described as 80 percent pure. Federal officials decided to prosecute the case because of Lewis' long criminal history, which includes

13 members of a Watts street gang have been indicted on charges they ran a PCP drug ring in Southern California over a six-month period.Two indictments, returned by a grand jury last week, charge 13 people who authorities said belong to the Grape Street Crips, considered by police to be one of the city's most dangerous gangs. U.S. Attorney General Michael Mukasey was joined by Los Angeles police Chief William Bratton and other law enforcement officials to announce the indictments. Those charged are accused of either conspiring to manufacture or sell phencyclidine, commonly known as PCP, between September 2006 and April 2007. The ring produced 54 kilograms of PCP worth an estimated $1 million as well as 40 gallons of the toxic chemicals used to make the drug, prosecutors said.Four of the defendants were expected to make their initial court appearances later Wednesday. Prosecutors said nine people have been arrested, while the other four were being sought. Mukasey fielded questions f

Biker gang gunned down a contractor of Rajdhani Unnayan Kartripakkha (Rajuk) in the city's Khilgaon yesterday apparently for his refusal to pay toll to extortionists. The victim, Shahadatunnabi Apollo, 40, was the owner of three construction firms. Witnesses said a gang of three in a motorbike appeared near Apollo at Hajipara in Khilgaon area from behind when he was going to a construction site at Purbachal in Rupganj in a motorcycle at around 6:30am. “One of the gang shot Apollo in the head and he fell to the ground,” Officer-in-Charge of Khilgaon Police Station Sheikh Mohammad Abu Jahid quoted a witness as saying. Sub-Inspector Abdus Salam, who was on patrol duty in the area, rushed Apollo to Dhaka Medical College Hospital (DMCH) where the doctors declared him dead. Locals said when the criminals were fleeing the area through an alley their motorbike went out of order. They then ran away leaving the motorcycle on the road. Police later seized the motorbike.Apollo's brother An

Federal Judge Noel Hillman gave Filipelli a stiffer sentence than he might have otherwise gotten — almost six years in prison for extortion — because he considers Big Vince to be a "money maker for an organization that has a history of violence." But mob insiders say Filipelli isn't a made member of the Philadelphia Mafia, and has nothing to do with the current local regime. "He might have had to pay off the mob to keep his gambling operation going," one local law enforcement investigator tells Underworld. "But from what we hear, he's independent." Filipelli was caught on tape bragging that he was "made" to an undercover New Jersey state policeman who owed Filipelli's gambling operation $13,000. Big Vince threatened to put the man he thought was a deadbeat gambler "in the hospital" if he didn't pay up. A mob associate who agreed to talk to Underworld with the understanding that his identity would be protected tapped his

Six men alleged to be leaders of the Montreal Mafia have decided to proceed with a trial on several charges laid after Project Colisée. All six, including Nicolo Rizzuto, the octogenarian father of reputed mob boss Vito Rizzuto, appeared before Superior Court Justice James Brunton yesterday via video linkups between the Montreal courthouse and detention centres. Lawyers representing all six said they are ready to proceed with a trial in Quebec Court before a judge alone. Prosecutor Yvan Poulin said the Crown did not object with the request.Nicolo Rizzuto is taken into police custody in Nov. 2006 in Montreal. He appeared before Superior Court Justice James Brunton on Tuesday through a video linkup. Lawyers representing all six said they are ready to proceed with a trial in Quebec Court before a judge alone. Prosecutor Yvan Poulin said the Crown did not object to the request. Two weeks in September have been set aside for both sides to argue pre-trial motions. The case is scheduled to be

Soperry Chea, 18, was placed on the LAPD's most wanted list after investigators say he stabbed a rival gang member to death in downtown Los Angeles and fled the state three years ago. Officers arrested Chea on Tuesday when he returned to visit some of his old Valley haunts. "Gang members, drugs and guns," Bratton said. "It all comes together - the holy trinity." Bratton made the announcement during a news conference at the 77th Street Community Police Station in South Los Angeles. Joined by U.S. Attorney General Michael Mukasey, the mayor and other officials, Bratton announced several other gang arrests and indictments. The gathering was largely a show of force and solidarity between the different levels of government. The city and federal officials revealed a 10-count indictment naming a dozen members and associated with the Grape Street Crips gang, alleging distribution of the drug PCP in the Watts area. Chea, however, was caught without help from the federal

Drug raid targeting the Iron Horsemen, has yielded 16 arrests, most of them in York County.Records unsealed late last week in federal court indicate 19 people were indicted on one count each of conspiracy to distribute cocaine and marijuana. Some face other charges.A wiretapping operation netted 40 telephone calls between July and September last year, implicating the defendants.The yearlong investigation began at the county level and expanded to include the U.S. Drug Enforcement Agency and the U.S. Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco and Firearms, York county Sheriff Maurice Ouellette said.Assistant U.S. Attorney Daniel Perry, the lead prosecutor in the case, said Monday he is barred from discussing details of the investigation. Portland police weren't involved in the investigation, but the department tracks motorcycle clubs. Portland Police Sgt. Bob Martin says the biker gangs have been "flying under the radar."The defendants are members or supporters of the Iron Horsemen Motorcy

Two Hells Angels bikers accused of starting a gunfight that injured six rivals in South Dakota.Thirty-two-year-old Chad Wilson of Lynnwood, Wash., and 34-year-old John Midmore of Valparaiso, Ind., face numerous charges. The case stems from a shootout between Hells Angels and the Outlaws Motorcycle Club members in 2006 at a resort in Custer State Park.Their trial has been delayed several times, most recently because of an appeal to the South Dakota Supreme Court. Retired Circuit Judge Gene Paul Kean of Sioux Falls has since been appointed to hear the case. A hearing is scheduled for April 8 in Rapid City.Two Hells Angels bikerscharged with starting a gunfight acted in self defense because rival Outlaws Motorcycle Club members targeted them, lawyers for the men say. Chad Wilson, 32, of Lynnwood, Wash., and John Midmore, 34, of Valparaiso, Ind., are accused of shooting at Outlaws bikers Aug. 8, 2006, at Legion Lake Resort in Custer State Park, where the Outlaws gathered for the Sturgis Mo

Victims Christopher Lynch (1999) Miguel Reyes (12/26/2004) Fenise Luna (12/29/2004) Claudia Rosio Chenet (2003) A Los Angeles County Superior Court jury has ordered the death penalty for an Azusa gang member convicted of killing four people.Ralph Steven Flores, 26, sat impassively at the defense table as the verdict by the jury of nine men and three women was read shortly after 11 a.m. Flores was convicted last year in four separate slayings dating back to 1999. His activities were part of a larger crime wave afflicting the usually tranquil city, authorities said.

In a secret report by the National Detective Information Service (DNRI) of the Dutch police, it is noted that Polish gangs are regularly flown into Charleroi Airport in Belgium. There they are given instructions, by SMS, navigation apparatus and even signs on shops, on where they should carry out robberies in the Netherlands. The annual theft amounts to about 220 million Euro. One center of these gangs is the Polish town of Wroclaw; others come from elsewhere in Poland and Lithuania. The gangs often consist of 10 or more people.

Calvin Nicholson had asked several days before the drive-by shooting whether he could be a member of a gang called the Bloods. He was told he would "have to put in work."Putting in work, according to the Durham detectives, meant breaking the law but not necessarily shooting someone."It's committing crimes," Cates said. "It's like an initiation process."On the day of the shooting, according to the statement, Nicholson left school early because he was not feeling well.His mother picked him up and took him to his brother's house where they watched a movie. Later that afternoon, they returned to his mother's home and the brothers sat on the front stoop while she went to pick up an aunt from work.At some point, Nicholson got into a car with other teens he knew and they went to The Streets at Southpoint mall.They stayed until about 9 p.m., according to the statement, then stopped at a McDonald's on the way back to the neighborhood. At some po

The Mafia fraud targets £10million Italian government bank account, it was revealed yesterday.The hi-tech scam is thought to have been worked by N'drangheta Mafia from the southern Italian region of Calabria.It was spotted six weeks ago but kept secret so police could investigate.Rome police said: "We are working on the theory they were given the passwords by an insider."The money went to Bologna and then Egypt.

Luca Megna, 37, was with his daughter and wife when two killers riddled their car with bullets. Megna was the son of jailed Godfather boss, Domenico Megna. Police in Cataznaro, southern Italy, now fear a bloody reprisal. They said: "The killers would have seen Megna's wife and daughter but it did not bother them." A rival gang is thought to be behind it. Five year old daughter was fighting for her life last night after Mafia hitmen shot her as they gunned down her dad.

Jesse Lee Peterson is founder and president of the Los Angeles-based Brotherhood Organization of a New Destiny. He says he has family members who live in south central Los Angeles who tell him they are much more fearful of Hispanic gangs than they are of black gangs like the Crips and the Bloods. In fact, says Peterson, those two notorious groups have actually joined forces in a turf war against the Mexican gangs.But according to Peterson, innocent blacks are being targeted. "It is so bad in Canoga Park that the police department sent out a message to black Americans that they should be careful because [blacks] have been shot down at random," he points out.Peterson relates an incident involving a promising 17-year-old south central Los Angeles athlete, who had nothing to do with gangs but was murdered near his own home. "Three doors down from his home, a Mexican gang member walked up to him and [asked if this was his] neighborhood. [When] he didn't respond, they shot

The Electro Chopper, a collaboration by Hybrid Technologies and Big Bear Choppers, is being shown now at the New York International Auto Show. The CHP Chopper was also built in with input from the California Highway Patrol, and thus the CHP part of the nameThe California Highway Patrol helped design the bike in commemoration of fellow officer Thomas Joel Steiner, and other male and female police offers who have been killed in the line of duty. The CHP Chopper can go from 0 – 30 mph in 5.2 seconds and has a 40 mile range with its 42 lithium-ion batteries.The prototype was unveiled in 2005, but lives on today not only to commemorate the fallen, but to show the possibilities of the future as well. Green motorcycles are an underdeveloped market segment right now.There are a few electric motorcycles hitting the consumer market right now such as the Enertia, Lectra and Zero, but the high price and lack of range still tend to be a barrier for many looking for a gasoline-burning alternative. A

Whyalla police have been an instrumental part of crackdowns on alleged illegal activities by members of the Red Devils OMCG and seized a small amount of alcohol and cash, which was being sold under alleged breach of the Liquor Licensing Act. Sergeant Steve Sims of the Whyalla Police station said investigations were underway since the seizure on Saturday, March 15 and appropriate charges would be laid later. About 40 police officers from Crime Gang Task Force, Northern Operations Service, Licensing Enforcement Branch, Star Group, Whyalla, Port Augusta and Port Pirie police joined forces to carry out the operations on Saturday. The officers monitored the behaviour of people participating in the red Devils 'Poker Run' that visited a number of hotels.The run travelled from Whyalla to Port Augusta, Quorn and Wilmington, before returning to Whyalla late in the afternoon."On Saturday, officers from the Licensing Enforcement Branch and other police conducted a search of the Red De

In a move designed to "protect" the Nanaimo's Hells Angels clubhouse from theft or vandalism, the provincial government has ordered that all signs relating to the group be removed from building's exterior.Police arrived on scene last week to board up the signs and remove the notorious skull-and-wing insignia from the front of the building.The Hells Angels have been in Nanaimo since 1985 and are one of seven recognized chapters in B.C.Metal fencing preventing anyone from entering the property was installed in November and all windows have been boarded up. The removal of signage was a "precautionary" step, said a ministry spokesman in the department of Public Safety and Solicitor-General's civil forfeiture office. No vandalism or theft has occurred since the province took control of the building on Nov. 9, when about 50 heavily armed police officers were called in to assist agents from B.C.'s Solicitor-General's office in seizing the property under

Jamaican Drug Trafficking Organizations (JDTOs), also referred to as "posses," "crews," and "massives," are generally mobile, loosely knit groups that engage in a variety of criminal activities including; drug and firearms trafficking, money laundering, murder, assault, robbery, kidnapping, and fraud. They deal in several types of drugs, including cocaine, marijuana (ganja), heroin, and PCP. Violence is an integral part of JDTO operations and their members are usually well armed with modern weapons. Violence is most often directed at individuals perceived to be a threat to their illegal ventures, but they have little regard for bystanders. They are particularly brutal using torture, dismemberment and other extreme measures to intimidate rivals and members. JDTO members often resist arrest and have been in a number of shootings with law enforcement. While JDTOs have been characterized as loosely knit, they have an extensive national and international networ

The Hells Angels have always maintained they are mostly law-abiding and should not be punished collectively for the misdeeds of a few bad apples.But any pretense that Hells Angels is a harmless brotherhood is shattered by a "simple check with the court cases across the country," says Michel Auger, the former Le Journal de Montreal crime reporter who survived being shot in the back six times on Sept. 13, 2000, the day after he ran a story on the latest round of murders in Quebec's notorious biker wars between the Hells Angels and rival outfits. Also, biker police in Canada got more determined. They realized the only way to take down outlaw bikers was through infiltration - an expensive, lengthy and dangerous enterprise. In March 2001, police in Quebec arrested 138 bikers, including the entire Quebec Hells Angels Nomads chapter in Operation Springtime, which involved planting two police agents in the Angels-controlled Rockers gang.In Ontario, Project Tandem resulted in the

The body of Hark Hans, a 28-year-old Indo-Canadian man from Surrey, was found lying partly inside a white Honda on Wednesday night in the parking lot of the Eaglequest Coyote Creek Golf Course.Surrey RCMP Sgt. Roger Morrow said police were "aware" of Hans, but could not say if there was a connection to other recent shootings or to the drug trade."Investigators cannot confirm any involvement in the drug trade or affiliation with any gang," said Morrow.It was the 11th targeted killing this year in the Lower Mainland, according to statistics compiled by The Province.The shooting could have put innocent bystanders at risk of being injured, Morrow noted. Golfers were practising at the nearby driving range and diners were in the course's restaurant at the time.Oppal called the shooting "alarming," but pointed out that killings related to the drug trade in Metro Vancouver are not a recent phenomenon. "It indicates how evil this whole underworld is, where

Fifteen people, including two Burien men, were arrested today in local raids against what federal law enforcement officials said was a large cocaine distribution ring. The two local men were identified as John Gerald House, 38, and Paul Peterson, 38. No further details were given.The arrests followed a year-long investigation of a family-based group suspected of buying and selling wholesale quantities of crack and cocaine, said a statement by the U.S. Attorney’s Office in Seattle. Altogether, 15 people were indicted this week, and arrests were made Thursday morning in Seattle, Kent, Burien, Edmonds and Des Moines. Seized in the raids were eight firearms, more than $40,000 cash and a large amount of cocaine, officials said. Neighbors of houses in Kent and Edmonds were awakened when local police officers and agents with the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco and Firearms served arrests warrants at a home in each city at about 6 a.m.“A minute to six we heard two loud bangs,” said Gary Chelin, who

Harkinder Singh Hans, 31, was found shot dead Wednesday night in his car parked at Eaglequest Golf Course in Surrey here. The police said the victim was "known" to them, without saying whether he was ever arrested for any criminal activities. They said they were called at about 8.30 p.m. after someone heard shots being fired in the parking lot. When investigators reached the spot, they found the Indo-Canadian youth shot dead in his parked Honda car. However, the family of the deceased denied Hans was involved in any criminal activity. "Never, never. My son was never involved in any crime," Balwant Singh Hans, father of the victim, told IANS. He said: "My son was never into crime. He was a Canadian-born networking engineer. Currently, he was driving a truck locally." Hans leaves behind a 14-month daughter. Though the police have not said whether it was a gang-related killing, most Indo-Canadians believe Hans is another victim of this vicious cycle, which ha

Federal judge in San Diego sentenced seven members of a notorious state prison gang to life in prison Thursday. The sentence by U.S. District Judge Dana Sabraw capped an extensive prosecution into the Mexican Mafia that targeted upper echelon members of the gang on racketeering and conspiracy charges. seven members of the gang sentenced yesterday were convicted by a jury after a month-long trial that ended Jan. 4. The defendants were charged with a variety of acts including two murders, attempted murder, drug sales and money laundering. In October, two top members of the gang, Raul Leon and Salvador Perez, pleaded guilty to similar charges and will be sentenced in April. Sentenced Thursday were Eduardo Gonzalez-Gallegos, George Fernandez, Thomas Durkin, Salvador Perez, Richard Valenzuela, Cesar Abarca, and Joshua Cruz. Several already are serving life sentences in state prison.

Arrests made in what police called a "major" crack cocaine operation in the Hilltop City are now being pursued in federal court.At least two members of the Bloods — a notoriously violent street gang known for running drug rackets in many major U.S. cities — were arrested recently for running a drug operation out of an apartment at 231 High St. Police seized more than $3,700 worth of crack split among 70 packets with a total weight of 23 grams. Police also found ammunition indicating those involved possessed guns at some point.Michelle Tillman, 35, resided at the High Street residence and was charged with one count of conspiracy to sell crack cocaine. She was released on $50,000 personal recognizance bail. Charles Nelson, 21 of 473 Pennsylvania Ave., Apt. 43, Brooklyn, N.Y., was charged with one count of conspiracy to sell crack cocaine and one count of possession of crack cocaine with intent to sell. Tyree Everson, 18, of 611 Blake Ave., Brooklyn, N.Y., was also charged with

Two suspected Seattle gang members have been charged in connection with a drug-related carjacking on Mercer Island, according to court documents.One defendant, Edmond Cummings, 18, pleaded not guilty Tuesday in King County Superior Court to second-degree robbery and unlawful possession of a firearm. He was being held in the King County Jail with bail set at $100,000.The second defendant, a 15-year-old boy, pleaded not guilty last week in Juvenile Court to first-degree robbery and malicious mischief. The second charge pertains to an alleged tirade in an interrogation room at the Mercer Island Police Department, court documents say. Mercer Island police started investigating Feb. 1 when a resident called 911 to report that several associates had threatened him with a gun and had stolen his 1999 Ford Explorer outside his apartment in the 3200 block of West Concord Way.The victim told police he previously had lent the vehicle to the same suspects in exchange for crack cocaine to feed his d

Jerrottaye Tyrone Pratcher, of Portland, is accused of attempted murder with a firearm, first-degree assault, disorderly conduct, second-degree trespass and interfering with a peace officer. Portland gang enforcement officers on Wednesday arrested an 18-year-old in connection with a Feb. 2 shooting that stemmed from a gang dispute over a blue knit cap. The shooting occurred about 11:30 a.m. at a bus stop near North Fessenden Street and Richmond Avenue. Pratcher pulled a handgun and fired three shots into the victim because he felt the victim was "disrespecting the Crips gang by stomping on a blue knit cap," Gang Enforcement Team Lt. Mike Leloff said. The victim was transported to Legacy Emanuel Hospital & Health Center and survived his wounds. Police have recovered the firearm. Leloff said police are noticing an increase in gang-related violence since December, with some of the recent shootings resulting from clear disputes over gang-related turf.

Don't trust the kindness of hardened criminals -- especially if you are a prison guard. Four sentries in Denmark learned their lesson the hard way Mom always said not to take candy from strangers. Apparently this tried-and-true advice didn't really sink in for four Danish prison guards who ate some inmate-baked cake Wednesday that landed them in the hospital.And these weren't just your run-of-the-mill prisoners turned bakers, but members of some of Denmark's meanest criminal motorcycle gangs.The guards -- two men and two women -- were being treated for stomach pains after eating what officials have described as a cake laced with an unidentified narcotic, according to the AFP. The suspected poisoning victims work at the Nyborg State Prison, on Fyn Island in central Denmark. Una Jensen, a deputy prison warden, told the AFP that the bakers included members of the Black Cobra and Den Internationale Klub gangs. Bo Soerensen, head of the Danish prison guards' union told D

In Ciudad Juarez, across the Rio Grande from El Paso, Mexcian federal police excavated 33 bodies in the past two weeks from the backyard of a house where authorities had seized more than 3,700 pounds of marijuana. Most of the bodies had been buried at least five years, authorities said.In Guadalajara, police on Friday investigated the slayings of seven people shot dead the day before in a law office. Its principals counted accused drug gangsters and corrupt officials among their clients. Authorities in Ciudad Juarez said Friday that they had uncovered the remains of 33 people buried in the yard of an abandoned property, a mass grave believed to be linked to the city's violent drug trade. The grisly discovery surfaced as part of a recent government crackdown on narcotics traffickers in this city across the border from El Paso that has been gripped by a spasm of drug-related killing unseen in years. Authorities said the Juarez drug cartel might be involved in the deaths.The same area