GANGLAND GODFATHER

The Outlaws Motorcycle Club wants to hold the Rock and Blues Custom Show at Catton Hall, near Walton on Trent.attacks between warring biker gangs could pose a 'life-threatening risk' to the South Derbyshire public if a rock festival is given the go-ahead, police have claimed.However, police fear the event could be targeted for a retribution attack after seven Outlaws were charged with the M40 motorway murder of Gerry Tobin a full 'patch' member of the Hells Angels. Mr Tobin was shot in the back of the head as he left the annual Hells Angels' Bulldog Bash festival, in Warwickshire, in August last year.Police fear that if licensing bosses give the green light to the Catton Hall event - scheduled to take place from July 24 to 26 - members of the public could be put in serious danger.In a report to go before licensing bosses next week, a spokesman for Derbyshire Constabulary says: "Police do not believe that the public safety can be ensured should the event take pl

Timothy “Fuzzy” Timms, a 45-year-old member of the Hells Angels Motorcycle club, stood up Monday for his First Amendment right to freedom of expression. Timms, a resident of the San Diego community of South Park, refused to take off a black leather vest with the motorcycle club's “death's head” insignia when he reported for jury duty. He's a big burly man, 5 feet 8 inches, 250 pounds, with a full beard and auburn-colored, shoulder-length hair. At 7:45 a.m., Timms' stance got him booted from the San Diego Superior Court's Hall of Justice by sheriff's deputies, along with another Hells Angel who also refused to remove his insignia vest. Nine hours later, representatives of both the Superior Court and the sheriff's department apologized to Timms and club member Mick Rush for “misunderstanding” an order issued April 24 by Superior Court Judge Jeffrey Fraser. Rush also had been reporting for jury duty. “It all boils down to a misunderstanding of Judge Fraser'

Two members of MS-13, Rafael Parada-Mendoza, 21, formerly Fairfax County, Virginia, also known as “Cheve,” and Gabriel Hosman Perez-Amaya, 21, formerly of Fairfax County, Virginia, known as “Dandy,” were indicted today by a federal grand jury and charged with murder in aid of racketeering, attempted murder in aid of racketeering, conspiracy to commit murder and assault in aid of racketeering, use of a firearm during a crime of violence resulting in death, and possession of a firearm by an illegal alien.The indictment stems from the murder of Christian Argueta in the parking lot of the Springfield Mall on December 2, 2007. The indictment charges that Rafael Parada-Mendoza and Gabriel Hosman Perez-Amaya are members of the Pinos Locos Salvatrucha clique of the street gang known as the Mara Salvatrucha, “MS-13,” who committed the crimes to maintain and increase their position in the gang. The murder in aid of racketeering charge carries a maximum sentence of death or life in prison. The in

George Christie, member of the Hells Angels, has been arrested after members of the Ventura County Sheriff's Department's Gang Unit discovered a small amount of cocaine and methamphetamine in his Ventura home, officials said.The drugs were discovered after one of three search warrants was served Saturday at Christie's home in the 400 block of Ventura Avenue. Deputies determined that Christie was under the influence of cocaine and methamphetamine.A second search warrant was served at the home of Joe Cerezo, 34, who deputies said is also a member of the Hells Angels. Cerezo, who lives in the 2900 block of Apache Avenue in Ventura, was arrested after deputies found a stolen shotgun in his bedroom, officials said in a statement. A search warrant was also served at the Hells Angels clubhouse at 65 Fix Way in Ventura. Several members were detained at the site but no arrests were made.Christie, 60, was booked into the Ventura County Jail on suspicion of possession of cocaine, poss

The situation in Limerick,will further worsen later this year when key figures from both the main super gangs are released. Both have sworn vengeance against each other and their families. Gardai also believe that Russell was murdered because he was suspected of murdering Gerard Byrne, 25, of Ferryman's Crossing, Dublin, who was shot dead in the IFSC on December 13, 2006. A €50,000 contract is believed to have been put on Russell's head. The north inner city feud has been underway for over two years since it emerged that a previous gang leader, Christy Griffin, had been raping and sexually abusing his partner's daughter from since she was only eight years of age. When Griffin was finally jailed for life in April last year the woman, from the Summerhill area, assumed control of his gang. She is thought to be the only woman gang leader in Ireland and is described by gardai as "highly dangerous". Although it was initially thought last week that there had only been tw

James Packard, a special agent with the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco and Firearms, and Detective Dave Burroughs of the Eugene Police Department were returning to Eugene from investigative work in the northern Willamette Valley around 6 p.m. when their car was surrounded by vehicles driven by members or associates of the Mongols Motorcycle Club, according to Eugene police."We could see him on his cell phone following us," Burroughs said of one of the men, "and a short time later one of the other gang members were ahead of us on the road to the right."Packard, who was driving, took evasive maneuvers to avoid a collision in the busy construction area north of the I-105 interchange. "They ran us off the road onto the shoulder," Burroughs said. "At that point we put on our lights and sirens and they backed off." The two officers recognized the drivers of the other vehicles, according to police. Police arrested Justin James Deloretto, 26, of Turner withi

Port Arthur police report that 6 of the most violent gang members are now in custody with the Texas Youth Commission awaiting trial on various charges. Port Arthur Police say they're not only using manpower, but technology and federal resources to combat a growing gang problem. Sur 13's and the Norte 14's. They are Hispanic gangs police have identified as the most violent in the city.A major development in the war against drugs in Port Arthur is the police department's close working relationship with federal agents.. both Alcohol, Tobacco and Firearms and Immigration and Customs.Since many of the gang members are not legal citizens, Port Arthur police provide federal agents with the evidence they need to deport them as quickly as possible. Hispanic gang Sur 13, or Sorenos 13, which means south, originated in Southern California."Sur 13 is real violent," said Sgt. Gaspard. "They've been doing everything from robberies to assaults."A quick interne

Chicago Police SWAT teams are already equipped with M4 carbines, but rank-and-file officers are out-gunned. They're only allowed to carry pistols. When you're up against a street gang member armed with an AK-47, that's like taking a BB-gun to a battle.Chicago Police officers will soon be equipped with M4 carbines to match the firepower of the street gangs they're up against, under a policy change in the works to stop the bloodshed on the city's streets.used by the U.S. Marine Corps, the M4 is an assault rifle that fires more shots in less time than a conventional handgun. The fully automatic version can fire up to 1,000 rounds a minute, although the magazines hold 20 to 30 shots.olice Supt. Jody Weis' decision to arm and train his 13,500 officers with more powerful weapons was disclosed as Mayor Daley emerged from a City Hall summit meeting with a plea to every Chicagoan who cares about children. "I don't want people to wait for Mayor Daley to call a me

The Tuesday started as a fight between detainees from rival gangs and spread to the detention center's outdoor yard, said Virginia Kice, a spokeswoman for U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement. Nearby sheriff's stations sent additional deputies to separate the detainees. The brawl was diffused "within minutes" after tear gas was used, said sheriff's spokesman Steve Whitmore. Fights among incarcerated gang members periodically break out at state jails, prisons and immigrant detention facilities, sometimes sparking riots. The federal Department of Homeland Security contracts with the Los Angeles County Sheriff's Department to staff and manage the Mira Loma Detention Center in Lancaster, which holds about 900 detainees who are in the process of being deported or awaiting resolution of their cases in immigration courts. Ten detainees were treated for injuries, including two who suffered serious head injuries. Sheriff's officials will evaluate how Mira Loma

public prosecution department said on Thursday it has decided not to continue efforts to have 22 Hells Angels jailed for being part of a criminal organisation. The case was dismissed by judges in Amsterdam in December because the department broke rules on evidence. It failed to destroy transcripts of secretly recorded phone calls between the suspect and their lawyers. The NRC reports that the decision appears to end efforts by public prosecutors to criminalise the motorcycle gang. Efforts to use civil law to have it branded an illegal organisation have failed repeatedly at courts across the country. And three murder charges brought against a number of Hells Angels also failed to result in any convictions, the NRC says.

A member of the Hells Angels will spend the next eight years in prison for participating in a conspiracy to commit murder and racketeering.Fifty-9-year-old James Henry McAuley of Rochester was sentenced Thursday by Chief U.S. District Court Judge Norman Mordue for conspiring to murder members of the Kingsmen Motorcycle Club in Fulton. The Kingsmen, who were affiliated with the Outlaws Motorcycle Club, were trying to establish a chapter in Hells Angels territory.The scheme was derailed by the FBI after an informant contacted authorities. Nobody was hurt.

POLICE say they have stepped up efforts to tackle a notorious family crime gang operating in Hume following a series of shootings in the past couple of weeks. Det Supt Richard Grant, head of Operation Lased, a taskforce set up last October to halt the gang, conceded police were premature with their recent decision to scale down the taskforce's operations following a series of arrests. "At least one of these people have been released on bail after a three-day contested bail hearing," Det Supt Grant said. "Since this person has been back out the violence has increased and our response to that has been an increase in the number of patrols."We now have in place a strategic plan which we are confident will reduce the crime."On Thursday last week, police arrested two men over the shooting of a man in Gladstone Park on April 9.Police say the victim was a known associate of the crime familyA 26-year-old Port Melbourne man and a 35-year-old man from an unknown addre

Salvador Orozco Hernandez, 43, identified in federal documents as a Mexican Mafia leader in the San Bernardino area, agreed to 10 years in prison after pleading guilty to attempted murder charge and conducting the crime to benefit a criminal street gang. Tribal member Stacy Cheyenne Barajas-Nunez, 25, also pleaded guilty to attempted murder charge and admitting criminal gang activity. She also pleaded guilty to charges of transporting methamphetamine and possessing illegal substances in a jail. Her brother, Erik Barajas, 35, pleaded guilty to one charge of assault with a firearm and admitted gang membership. Both tribal members will receive probation when they return for sentencing Aug. 7. Two others also charged in the case, Janette Amaya, 51, and Alfred Orozco Hernandez, 39, brother of Salvador Hernandez, also pleaded guilty. Amaya pleaded guilty to one charge of transporting methamphetamine and the sentencing enhancement of criminal gang activity. She pleaded no contest to a forgery

The cocaine use in the Toronto Red Line Crew clubhouse was because he was feeling lonely and having “a pity party,” Atwell testified. David (Shaky Dave) Atwell met with another club member to discuss murdering a police agent, weeks before Atwell became a paid police agent himself, court heard today. Atwell testified in Superior Court about the meeting with local Hells Angel David Blackwood at an undisclosed location “around Lawrence Avenue and Kennedy” in the fall of 2005. “He wanted to discuss a matter with me,” Atwell told court. “What matter was that?” asked Glen Orr, the defence lawyer representing Thomas (Chubs) Bogiatzis, who faces cocaine trafficking charges. Bogiatzis is not a member of the Hells Angels. “Killing an agent in Project Shirlea,” Atwell replied in a soft voice. Project Shirlea was a massive police operation in which more than 80 men accused of being outlaw bikers or associates were charged in the spring of 2003. Atwell is now living under a new identity as part of

Denis Jerome Labossiere said the killings were connected to his involvement in the drug trade but he later retracted that suggestion, saying that linking any criminal organization to the crimes could "bring retaliation upon myself and my family.'' Joel Labossiere and other relatives had also been involved in a dispute with his cousin over the parents' will. An August 2000 will left proceeds from the estate, valued at about $1.3 million, to six nephews and nieces. A second will, dated July 2005, left all of the property to Denis Jerome Labossiere and his wife, Claudette. He served just 18 months of a six-year sentence for trafficking cocaine for the Hells Angels before he was granted day parole. However, a short time later he was arrested and charged with breaching a court order prohibiting him from contacting any relatives. The relatives had obtained a no-contact order. "None of us are comfortable with having him out,'' Joel Labossiere said at the time.

Jason Young, of Bath Road, was sentenced at the Old Bailey last Friday (April 18). The 37-year-old pleaded guilty to conspiracy to supply drugs. Young was arrested on April 4 last year in a Dartford pub garden near the proposed transfer point off Cotton Lane, Dartford.He was waiting to collect a share of the 42kg of cocaine.Alister Morin was arrested on the same day as he was driving to the transfer point.The 34-year-old, from Chadwell Heath, Essex, denied conspiracy to supply but he was convicted by the jury and sentenced to 15 years in prison. James Scarciglia, aged 30, from Harrow, north London, and Michael Linker, from Bristol, both admitted conspiracy to supply drugs. Linker, aged 37, was sentenced to 14 years in prison and Scarciglia is due to be sentenced on Friday (April 25). David Quick, from Wickford, Essex, was also on trial charged with conspiracy to supply and possession of a controlled drug with intent to supply.The jury could not agree on a verdict for the 26-year-old so

convicted Jarvis McKenzie, a/k/a "Jay Rock," age 30, of Columbia, on drug and firearms violations. McKenzie was convicted of conspiracy to possess with intent to distribute and to distribute 50 grams or more of crack and 5 kilograms or more of cocaine; three counts of use of a telephone to further a drug felony; and felon in possession of firearms and ammunition. McKenzie faces a mandatory minimum of twenty ( 20 ) years imprisonment and a maximum of LIFE on the charges.The case arose out of an investigation by the Federal Bureau of Investigation ( FBI ) led Columbia Violent Gang Task Force into the illegal activities of members of the Gangsta Killer Bloods set of the Bloods street gang. The FBI obtained information from confidential sources, cooperating defendants and federally issued wiretaps. The investigation identified McKenzie as one of the primary suppliers of cocaine and crack cocaine to the gang members. In January of 2007, federal agents executed nine federal search

violent and deadly weekend continues in Chicago. At least 12 people have been shot, two of them killed, since Saturday morning. Two others were stabbed in a home invasion. This comes after at least 20 people were shot, four of them killed, from Friday night through early Saturday. A 28-year-old man was shot and killed at an auto body repair shop on the Southwest Side Saturday morning. Raul Lemus was shot in the stomach at 2520 W. 59th St. at about 11:20 a.m. Lemus, of 4630 S. Talman Av., died several hours later at Stroger Hospital, making him the sixth person killed in Chicago since Friday night. Police said the shooting appeared to be gang related. Also Saturday morning, Michael Giles, 26, was shot and killed inside his home at 336 N. Avers Av. Harrison Area detectives are investigating. In another case, a suspect toting an AK-47 has been charged with murder and three counts of attempted murder after allegedly killing a man and shooting at police. Bennie Teague, 39, was denied bond i

Joel Labossiere and his wife Magdalena were found in their home Sunday by a family member who called police.Owner of a local home construction company and his pregnant wife were found shot to death in their home Sunday afternoon Police and paramedics received a call around 1:30 p.m., that a man was seen lying on the floor in a puddle of blood. He didn't appear to be moving, according to the caller. Paramedics were told to wait before entering the home until police could arrive to ensure the situation was safe. Paramedics were finally cleared to enter at about 1:55 p.m. and both victims were found dead inside.Neighbours said police canvassing the neighbourhood asked them if they had heard gunshots anytime overnight."It's unbelievable," a neighbour said breaking down in tears. "He was a great guy and the lady was as friendly as he was. I'm just stunned." Labossiere, the owner of JDL Construction, is the grandson of Fernand and Rita Labossiere, who along wi

''They may have been into drugs but they didn't do anything to harm anybody,'' said their aunt, Cheryl Watkins. ``It was cold-blooded murder to lay them out like that.''Miami-Dade County's 80th and 81st homicides of 2008: Rashawn and Deon Beneby, brothers and suspects in a string of violent robberies, shot dead Thursday afternoon next to the Liberty City middle school they once attended. ''It's cold-blooded, outright killing out there -- and we're not even in the summer yet,'' said the Rev. Richard Dunn, a community activist who lives three blocks away. Witnesses said a group of men were gathered outside an apartment at the Annie Coleman Gardens housing project when the shooting started.Someone mowed down the brothers, some 15 yards apart, on a grassy strip next to the chain-link fence that separates the community from the baseball field at Charles R. Drew Middle School, 1801 NW 60th St. Rashawn was executed -- shot in the head an

According to a lawsuit filed yesterday in federal court in Los Angeles by famed Hells Angels founder Sonny Barger, the script, concept and elements in the show were developed with his collaboration. However, the complaint contends that HBO, the White Mountain Company, and writer/producer Michael Tolkin cut him out of the project and violated many of his publicity rights when he demanded changes so as not to dilute his own brand.HBO announced the pilot, set in the world of biker gangs, back in October (the "1%" title is a reference to a tattoo used by biker gang members to symbolize life on the fringe of American society). Barger now says he first optioned his bestselling autobiography to 20th Century Fox for movie development. Fox then hired Tolkin (Robert Altman's "The Player") to write the script. Barger claims he shared with Tolkin some of the other fiction projects he had been working on. Together, the two pitched HBO on a new series, and eventually HBO turn

Nevada brothel owner David Burgess guilty of possessing and transporting child pornography.Jurors deliberated less than four hours after Friday's closing arguments in the federal trial of Burgess, 55, a member of a northern Nevada chapter of the Hells Angels.Burgess had pleaded not guilty to the two charges. When the verdict was read, he looked solemnly back at his friends and family members in the courtroom, some of them weeping uncontrollably.Prosecutors say investigators found images of child pornography on two computer hard drives seized from Burgess' motor home during a traffic stop last July along Interstate 80 in western Wyoming

Undercover police agent David (Shaky Dave) Atwell was repeatedly scolded by his police handlers and Hells Angels friends to stop his cocaine use, court heard today. “I was feeling very stressed,” Atwell said during the Superior Court trial of Thomas Bogiatzis, who was charged with trafficking cocaine and conspiracy to traffic. Bogiatzis is not a member of the Hells Angels. “I was feeling very alone as an agent,” Atwell said. “I felt I had no friends. I let my guard down.” Court heard that Atwell snorted a line of cocaine in Vienna with a Hells Angel member while discussing the possibility of a drug shipment into Toronto. He also snorted the drug off a CD case in the washroom of a biker clubhouse near London, Ont. Atwell said senior Toronto Hells Angel Donnie Petersen and downtown Toronto Hells Angel president John Neale chided him over his cocaine use at the same time he was working with police in his undercover operation. Atwell said his reputation in the Hells Angels was that of a fr

In the past two weeks, two shootings and the fire-bombing of a house have been linked to the conflict involving the family.The probe centres on a notorious Melbourne crime family which has been linked to shootings, drug trafficking, bribery, abductions and bashings. There have been claims the family wants to move into the gap left by the dismantling of Tony Mokbel's drug empire. In an email to senior police -- including Assistant Commissioner Simon Overland -- Det-Sgt Paul Lunt of Broadmeadows withdrew from the investigation and threatened to resign over "the total incompetence of those charged with the responsibility of the management of investigations of major crime in this state". "I can no longer stand by whilst the departmentally sanctioned spin doctors sugar coat what is a very serious gang war in the making and letting a very dangerous family run amok without proper co-ordinated attention," he wrote. Det-Sgt Lunt wrote that local police had asked for help

Armed with a handgun and the knowledge he was a marked man, Bandidos member Francesco "Cisco" Lenti fired five shots at the four Hells Angels surrounding him before stepping over a felled man and firing a fatal bullet. Lenti took responsibility yesterday for the chilling snapshot of violence that erupted at a Vaughan strip club in 2006. The 60-year-old pleaded guilty to manslaughter for the shooting of Hells Angels sergeant-at-arms David (White Dread) Buchanan and the aggravated assault of then Hells Angels prospect Carlos Verrelli (now a full member) and full-patch member Dana Carnegie. Lenti will be sentenced May 12. Court heard a detailed account of the fatal shooting and the biker politics that fuelled it as Assistant Crown Attorney David Moull read an agreed statement of facts into the record. Lenti was working his job at Club Pro in Vaughan the night of the shooting. Working at the strip club for 20 years, his role was to keep drugs out of the business and to act as a p

leader of a Philadelphia-area motorcycle gang is going to prison for more than three decades. A federal judge Wednesday sentenced John Napoli of Levittown to 36 years in prison for distributing methamphetamine, racketeering and other charges. Prosecutors say the PA "Breed" Motorcycle Club used assaults, death threats and intimidation to protect a multimillion dollar meth trafficking business. Two co-defendants are also going to prison after convictions in the October jury trial.

Benoit Fortin, 39, Wednesday afternoon. He is suspected of stabbing his roommate, a 41-year-old man, in the face during an argument in their apartment on 12th Ave. in the Lachine borough late Tuesday night. The victim was taken to a hospital to be treated for stab wounds, including a serious injury to his eye, said Montreal police Constable Anie Lemieux. The suspect in the case fled the apartment before midnight Tuesday.In 2004, Fortin was sentenced to four years and 10 months for the crimes he was convicted of in Operation Amigo, a 2002 investigation and roundup of the Bandidos biker gang in Montreal. Gang members and associates were charged with crimes related to Quebec's biker gang war between the Bandidos and the Hells Angels. The Bandidos, an international outlaw motorcycle gang, have since folded their chapters in Quebec.During one trial held in connection with Operation Amigo, it was revealed that Fortin tried to burn down the Chez Parée strip club on Stanley St. in May 2001

Indio police are investigating the San Bernardino chapter of the Hells Angels motorcycle club in connection with the death of a Yucca Valley man.Indio police served search warrants at three locations in San Bernardino and Highland on Tuesday that they say John Rocco Vanderstine, 41, of Yucca Valley, frequented, Indio police spokesman Ben Guitron said.Police were searching for evidence related to the discovery in February of Vanderstine's body, which was found by the side of the road on Avenida 42 and Madison Street in Indio. He was found shot to death about 8:15 a.m. Feb. 2, after his body was dumped north of Interstate 10 near a senior citizens community.A search warrant was served by Indio and San Bernardino police and San Bernardino County sheriff's SWAT teams at 6 a.m. at what authorities say is a Hells Angels clubhouse in the 1800 block of Medical Center Drive in San Bernardino, said Indio police Capt. Mark Miller.Search warrants were also served at the homes of two possib

Gangs, who were armed with claw hammers, struck at Selfridges in Exchange Square and Harvey Nichols in New Cathedral Street at 1100 BST. Three men went into Selfridges and smashed glass counters before stealing several watches worth about £400,000. Two men wearing helmets attacked a security guard in Harvey Nichols, before taking watches worth £300,000. The guard was taken to hospital with minor injuries. The five men left in a red Ford Transit van, which has since been recovered on Mirabel Street. These men were after high-value pieces The van is believed to have been recently stolen from the Prestwich area but had since been fitted with false number plates. The five men then made their getaway in an unknown vehicle. Greater Manchester Police said the two incidents were linked and inquiries were continuing. Det Sgt Dave Turner said: "This incident has left one man with minor injuries and a number of other people extremely distressed. "These men seem to have had a clear plan

"If someone is suspicious about a person's lifestyle and where they are getting their money from, all they need to do is tip us off and we will do the rest. "They don't need to give their name, or give evidence in court. "It may take us some time, but we are determined to take action against those who are living a life of luxury through crime - regardless of their background."200 officers carried out the raids, as part of a major investigation into organised crime.The operation, by North Tyneside Area Command, led to 14 people being arrested on suspicion of financial offences including money laundering. Vehicles and false passports were also seized in the raids at homes in North Tyneside, Newcastle, Northumberland and Durham.The operation, supported Northumbria Police Crime Operations Department, was a joint venture between Northumbria Police and the Serious Organised Crime Agency (SOCA).The raids come hot on the heels of Operation Payback 2, a Northumbria P

Jerome Labossiere is a convicted drug dealer who got caught up in one of Manitoba's largest crackdowns on the Hells Angels.He was arrested in February 2006 as part of "Project Defence" and pleaded guilty to drug charges three months later. Labossiere admitted to selling two kilograms of almost pure cocaine on separate occasions in 2005 to undercover agent Franco Atanosovic, who was paid $525,000 by police to infiltrate the Hells Angels. Labossiere was sentenced to six years in prison, but has been out on day parole since last December. He will be granted full parole next month after serving just two years of his sentence.National Parole Board documents also show his parole officer was concerned that Labossiere's release could be thwarted by the temptation to return to a life of crime. Labossiere claims he's severed his ties with the Hells.

Turf war among drug Gangs has claimed more than 210 lives in the first three months of this year. Many of those killed were young gunmen from out of town. The number of homicides this year is more than twice the total number of homicides for the same period last year. Several mass graves hiding 36 bodies in all have been discovered in the backyards of two houses owned by drug dealers.At the height of the violence, around Easter, bodies were turning up every morning, at a rate of almost 12 a week. Desperate, the mayor and the governor of Chihuahua State asked the federal government to intervene."Neither the municipal government, nor the state government, is capable of taking on organized crime," Mayor Jose Reyes Ferriz said in an interview.So in late March, President Felipe Calderon sent in 2,026 soldiers and 425 federal agents. They continue to patrol in convoys of Humvees and pickup trucks. But even they are intimidated. None dare show their faces, wearing ski masks instead.

Gang of robbers who were involved in many robberies and thefts. Five members of this gang have been arrested along with sharp-edged weapons. The arrested persons have been identified as Avtar Singh, Pargat Masih, Tarsem Kumar, Shankar and Rajesh Kumar. All are local residents. From them, the police have seized two knives, two kirchs (big knives) and one iron rod. These persons were arrested late last evening by a police party led by Sub-Inspector (SI) Dilpreet Singh, in charge of CIA-II police station. The police had received a secret information that these persons were planning to commit some big theft and were present near Lohara. The police claimed to have solved nearly half a dozen criminal cases, mainly thefts, with their arrest. The police said that further investigations were on in this connection and the further questioning of the arrested gang members was likely to solve more cases.

Ruben Molina, a prosecutor in Honduras, told media yesterday that the gangs are extremely violent - MS-13 particularly. They're known to dismember their victims and a candidate must commit a robbery and murder just to gain entry into the organization. violent Central American gangsters turning up on Metro Vancouver's streets. Supt. John Robins, the officer in charge of the B.C. Integrated Gang Task Force, said police have seen several members of MS-13 and M18 - two of Central America's biggest gangs - in B.C., but stressed that the organizations haven't set up shop here. "It's been an ongoing trend over the last number of years," he said. "We want to make sure it doesn't develop into a huge significant problem in Canada. We have enough of a gang problem as it is." To get a leg up on the groups, RCMP invited prosecutors from Honduras and Guatemala - where there are up to 200,000 members among the two gangs - to Vancouver during this week's

12 Drug dealers have been arrested in a widespread crackdown on hard drugs.Officers yesterday seized about a kilo of amphetamine with an approximate street value of £4,000, a small amount of cannabis and £5,000-6,000 cash.The 12 men and women were picked up after 16 raids.They include one from Aughton, Lancs; three each from West Derby and Everton; two from Old Swan; two from Formby and one from Crosby. The operation is the result of 18 months of work by the Force Crime Operations Unit. The unit has in that time seized cocaine, heroin, amphetamine and cannabis with an estimated street value of £1m, two handguns with silencers and ammunition and £24,000 cash. also found 51 cannabis plants in a house on DingleVale in Dingle, and three people were arrested.

The ongoing feud between the six main criminal gangs in Limerick has spilled over into the state’s main prisons in Cork, Mountjoy and Limerick, writes John Burke. special protection is being given to more than 75 prisoners in Mountjoy Prison, due to feuding between gangs in Limerick city which has spread to include a number of gangs in Dublin. The number of prisoners under protection at the jail represents almost a fifth of the inmates.The number does not include others under protection, such as sex offenders. The feud is being directed by fewer than half a dozen inmates who are major players in drugs gangs in Moyross, Southill and St Mary’s Park in Limerick, as well as criminals from several major Dublin gangs.Senior prison sources have said that the prisoners under special protection have asked to go on 23-hour lock-up in a bid to evade the escalating conflict.A study earlier this year found that 45 per cent of 500 prisoners tested at Limerick prison tested positive for some sort of

hanging shoes can be a sign of something troubling Once they are pointed out, they are easily noticed: shoes hanging from utility lines. For some they are little more than an oddity, barely arousing curiosity. For authorities in some cities they are the blood-chilling signs of gangs and drugs, and perhaps that style of covert advertising is creeping into Prince George. "They are turf markers, in some places. They are a calling card for a drug dealer or a group of drug dealers," said Rick Stewart, research analyst for the RCMP's Drug and Organized Crime Awareness Services. Have a look around and you'll see them dangling all over the place, and especially, perhaps coincidentally, in neighbourhoods where drug activity is particularly busy. "It could mean it is a memorial to someone, or it might be a gang sign, it might indicate a place where drugs are sold, or it could be just some people throwing shoes up to see what happens. It could just be a copycat thing; some

member of Quebec's Hell's Angels who killed a government witness in 1993 will be sentenced today.Reports say Richard Vallée has only expressed remorse that the victim, a witness who was about to testify against him, was driving a classic sports car when he blew him up. After a career marked by drugs, death plots, and unlikely prison escapes, Vallée will appear in a New York courtroom today to find out if he'll spend the rest of his life behind bars.Vallée's victim was known as the only person who could possibly identify him in a cross-border cocaine smuggling conspiracy.Richard Vallée, once a leading member of Quebec's Hells Angels, expressed some remorse for killing a government witness about to testify against him - he was sorry that his victim was driving a classic Porsche sports car when he blew him up in 1993. After a career marked by drugs, death plots, surprise acquittals and unlikely prison escapes, Vallée will stand today in a New York courtroom to learn wh