GANGLAND GODFATHER

Russian court held preliminary hearings on Thursday in the trial of a skinhead gang whose members are charged with murdering 20 people in racist attacks. Artur Ryno and Pavel Skachevsky, both aged 17, led seven other skinheads aged between 17 and 22 who mainly attacked migrants from post-Soviet Central Asia and the Caucasus."The criminal skinhead group is charged with 20 premeditated murders, 12 attempted murders and fomenting racial hatred," said Moscow City Court spokeswoman Anna Usachyova."The skinhead group ... will be tried behind closed doors," she said. "A jury, requested by a female suspect, will be selected on August 22. The trial will be closed because some of the accused have not yet come of age."The accused video-taped their attacks on people with darker skin and posted them in the Internet.Running sequences of some of the violent attacks, Russia's Vesti-24 channel said that after severely beating their victims the gang would often use a kn...

Two groups of apparent gang members opened fire on each other last evening, wounding one man and sending 16 others running through an alley near an Apple Valley community center, San Bernardino County sheriff's deputies say this morning. The wounded man phoned deputies shortly before 6 p.m. Monday, saying he'd been wounded twice, investigators say in a written statement. The shooting occurred near the James A. Woody Community Center at Navajo and Ottawa Roads. Friends took the wounded man to a local hospital where officials said he was in stable condition. No arrests were made.

Three years ago, a group of well-trained MS-13 gang members, who were wearing black FBI shirts, executed several home invasions in the Houston area. Then, one night in November of 2005, real agents were waiting for the home invaders. In a hail of gunfire, two gang members were killed and two others wounded. Thirty six months later, home invasions across the country are on the rise and in Houston; investigators believe a Columbian gang is targeting the wealthy. The latest home invasion happened in the upscale community of Piney Point Village at about 2 p.m. on July 24. A high school student home for the summer heard a knock at the door. When he went to answer the door, three men barged in. At least one of the men had a gun. They took the family safe and some electronics. The teen that was home told investigators that all three robbers communicated with each other in Spanish. Now, Houston ATF agents are working on the case. Earlier this month, Dallas police arrested a group of men they t...

Winnipeg police spokesman Const. Rose Guiboche said no one in the truck was struck by the bullets, fired in the 300-block of Kennedy Street shortly after 4 p.m. Guiboche said she was unaware how many hit the truck or where. The shots were fired during an altercation between two males, one of whom was allegedly armed with a handgun, and others, a source said. No one was injured. Police said the males, aged 14 and 18, are associated with a street gang. The males were arrested after a standoff and are facing firearm- and drug-related charges. Police have not confirmed who the intended target or targets were. Witnesses told police several people fled the area when three or four shots were fired. Investigators are hoping to speak to the people who ran off. The standoff began when officers arrived at the scene and two males ran into an apartment block at 388 Kennedy St. Witnesses said one of the males was carrying a handgun. Police blocked the street and evacuated residents as a precaution. ...

Monroe County Court jurors have convicted Tyrone Lamar Members of two homicides and an assault that prosecutors believe may have been a 10-week-long revenge spree by Members against rival street gang members.Members, 19, was convicted of second-degree murder in the shooting of Rasean Roberts on May 11, 2007, and the shooting of Jamel Wigington on June 7, 2007, and second-degree assault in the wounding of Jason Cole on Aug. 22, 2007.Members also was convicted of second- and third-degree criminal possession of a weapon.Judge John J. Connell scheduled sentencing for Aug. 15. Members faces a prison term of up to 65 years to life, said Assistant District Attorney Jennifer A. Whitman. Jurors delivered the verdict Friday night. But the verdict wasn't official until Monday because a juror became ill and was taken to a hospital after the verdict was reached but before it was announced.During a brief court proceeding Monday, the juror who became ill confirmed his verdict to Connell. The rema...

Glaswegian was killed as rival gangs armed with blades, including a Samurai sword, clashed in a terrifying street fight.Police were last night probing the murder of Charles Bowman, 32, who was dead on arrival at hospital after the bloody battle on Sunday night.Four other men were injured as the two gangs clashed in a normally quiet street in the east end of Glasgow.One of them was Douglas Tennent, 37, who innocently stopped to offer help and was stabbed four times in the face in front of his terrified family - including his three-year-old daughter Charli.Locals in Carmyle, Glasgow, believe the battle was between rival gangs from the area and the nearby Westburn area of Cambuslang, where murder victim Charles lived.In Westburn last night, tributes were being left at his home by grieving friends and family.A Rangers flag hung over a car in his driveway, with messages and tributes from his loved ones.In the main street of Westburn, a makeshift memorial was created with Old Firm shirts, sc...

Insp. Kevan Stuart said the victim, who's not known as a gang member, was shot repeatedly in the abdomen while in his car, but managed to drive himself to Warring's home in his bullet-riddled vehicle. The man in his late 20s or early 30s suffered non-life-threatening injuries. The gang unit is investigating possible organized crime links to the shooting, said Stuart, adding the victim hasn't co-operated with police. "We need them to follow through fully with their information. It takes courage," said Stuart, voicing concern at the tight-lipped behaviour of victims and others following possible gang-related crimes. "Sooner or later, some innocent person's going to get killed but when that happens, it's too late ... somebody out there knows information about this incident." Stuart also revealed another shooting accompanied a burglary at a home in northeast Calgary about 12:20 a.m. Sunday. Nobody was injured in the incident but police are trying to ...

Christopher Byron Lord, was well known to police. He died after showing up at a local hospital with a gunshot wound on Saturday. Still, the full circumstances of the killing remain a mystery. Police have identified suspects, but haven't laid charges. They are confident that the shooting happened somewhere around 96 Avenue and 176 Street, about six blocks from where they initially combed a small park for clues following Lord's death. Police first became aware of the case after someone drove Lord to the hospital sometime after the shooting, between 5 and 6 a.m. Saturday. He later died of blood loss. Lord's death comes three years after he found himself in trouble for his role in a beating over a drug debt in Grande Prairie. Last February, he pleaded guilty to unlawful confinement after a man was lured into a crackhouse and beaten on June 10, 2005. Lord, who showed up while the crime was in progress, admitted in court to watching over the victim in confinement. For his role, L...

Timothy "Beefy" Bartruff, 50, was arraigned Monday in U.S. District Court on charges of conspiring to manufacture and possess methamphetamines as part of a network in southern Porter County and Newton and Jasper counties.high-ranking motorcycle gang leader accused of dealing large quantities of methamphetamines is finally back in Northwest Indiana, where he was indicted in June on a narcotics trafficking charge. The former Kouts man was the national president of the Indiana-based Invaders motorcycle gang in the 1980s, before he went to prison for dealing in methamphetamines, news accounts from the time say.Prosecutors in this summer's case have said many of the people affiliated with the conspiracy were either Invaders members or associates. Gang gear decorated with swastikas and Invaders logos was recovered from one of the alleged meth labs in Kouts.Bartruff was arrested in St. Louis in June on the latest meth charges, which involved scores of arrests across northern Ind...

Two former Chicago auto dealers were convicted of turning their businesses into money-laundering havens for drug-dealing street gangs. Amir Hosseini, 50, of Winnetka and Hossein Obaei, 54, of Northbrook, were immediately taken into custody by marshals after being convicted of dozens of counts of racketeering, money laundering, bank fraud, bribery and structuring deposits to evade federal scrutiny. The two men convicted of 98 criminal charges, may end up getting life terms.The drug dealers used cash to buy more than 800 luxury cars, including Mercedes Benz, Jaguar and BMW models, according to prosecutors. Fitzgerald said fake transactions would be created on paper to look as if the cars were bought for less than $10,000 so that required paperwork did not have to be completed. As part of the alleged fraud, prosecutors accuse the defendants of placing liens on cars they sold to drug dealers and gang members, falsely indicating the dealership held security interests in the cars so the defe...

For two weeks, the secrets of the Trigga Mob Gang have spilled out in a Sacramento courtroom, into a story of fear and danger – and the newest twist on the way things work in the city's modern-day gang life.Virtually unknown outside its relatively small membership and the few streets it seeks to control in North Sacramento, the Trigga Mob is still a focus of murder and witness intimidation investigations, and it remains a key manipulator of drug activity on one of the area's meanest streets, according to trial testimony and other court records. Its reputed leader has a tattoo that identifies him as a "five-star general." He's on trial along with another TMG member who police say is a top "soldier" in the outfit. They're accused of trying to kill a loosely affiliated gangster who they thought had turned snitch. If the Trigga Mob is limited in its geographic reach, it is hugely significant in what it represents about Sacramento gangs. Its 10 to 25 memb...

Cedric Baxter Smith, 59, was one of the early members of the powerful biker gang, which is gathering in Langley this weekend to mark the 25th anniversary of its first chapters in B.C. full-patch member of the Vancouver Hells Angels who unwittingly introduced a police informant to the organized crime group is missing and feared dead, The Vancouver Sun has learned.Smith was out on parole on a series of drug-trafficking convictions when he was last seen by his club brethren on the Victoria Day long weekend. He failed to report to his probation officer June 17 and the next day, RCMP visited his Langley home in an unsuccessful bid to find him. Police then heard from a senior Vancouver Hells Angels member on June 27 that Smith might have met with "foul play." RCMP located his abandoned vehicle in a Langley alley later that day.Insp. Gary Shinkaruk, who heads the RCMP's Outlaw Motorcycle Gang unit, confirmed that Smith has vanished without a trace."Cedric Smith of the Vanco...

David Babcock, 46, was killed last week while he was riding his bike to work. Police won't go into detail as to what led to Thursday's early morning arrest on July 24. But we know the teen they arrested is charged with murder. Police say he also has gang ties, which is keeping the Babcock family even more on edge. Dounche Jones, 19, is the man police say killed 46-year-old David Babcock while he was riding his bike last week to work.One of Babcock's relatives said, "Why somebody that young? And why would you do it?""See someone totally innocent lose his life for what? The most he had was a couple of bucks and a bike," says Toledo Police Captain Ray Carroll. While riding down Western Avenue, police say Babcock was stopped by Jones. "I don't know if he tried to get the bike, or if he tried to get something else," says Captain Carroll, "Mr. Babcock put up a fight, and he was shot."Babcock's relative tells us, "Knowing him, ...

We have learned that the two members of the Hells Angels who are accused of sparking a gun fight in 2006 have been moved to the Minnehaha County Jail.Chad Wilson and John Midmore are charged with attempted murder, conspiracy and weapons violations in their role in a shooting that injured six members of a rival motorcycle gang.

19-year-old man Thursday became San Jose's 20th homicide this year in what appeared to be a gang-related fight, police said.The teenager was walking with a group of about four or five other male teens near the intersection of Kammerer and Oakland avenues when he was stabbed at about 8 p.m., said San Jose police officer Enrique Garcia.At the time, several suspected gang members approached the group and a fight broke out, Garcia said, with one of the teens pulling out a knife and stabbing the victim several times.The victim was taken to a hospital, where he died a few hours later. His identity was not released. No suspect is in custody. Thursday's killing puts the city on pace to surpass last year's spike in homicides. Of the city's 36 homicide victims last year, 16 were gang slayings. To help stem the violence, the San Jose City Council approved a budget plan that beefs up its 1,370-member force by 25 officers next year and 100 by 2012.

Calgary is in the midst of a bloody gang war, the city's top cop said he fears an innocent will wind up caught in the crossfire. "I would absolutely expect more shootings," Rick Hanson said yesterday, a day after a man survived a brazen execution-style shooting on a busy downtown street to become the latest chapter in a violent struggle between two rival gangs. "That's always our concern, that an innocent person is going to get shot -- it's happened in other jurisdictions, it can happen here." Hanson confirmed the man in his 20s, shot in the Beltline by several masked gunman in the middle of the afternoon Monday, was an associate of slain gangster Roger Chin. This incident is the latest sortie in a war between two groups -- Fresh Off the Boat and Fresh Off the Boat Killers -- that, since 2001, has left a dozen dead and many others wounded. The man, listed in serious but stable condition last night, had been under surveillance by the gang unit and was out...

Hundreds of members of the notorious biker gang are gathering at the Hells Angels clubhouse in Langley, B.C., this weekend to mark the anniversary of the chapters in Vancouver, Nanaimo and White Rock.The Hells Angels are celebrating their 25th anniversary in parts of B.C., and an expert in biker gangs says they're still at the top of the criminal pack.The B.C. Lower Mainland has recently seen a wave of gang violence that has left dozens dead, but author Yves Lavigne says those killings have largely involved fledgling Asian street gangs.Lavigne, who's written several books on the Hells Angels, says newer gangs are far more violent than an established group like the Angels, who prefer bribes and intimidation over guns to solve their problems.But just because the Hells Angels have a lower profile, Lavigne says the public shouldn't think the bikers aren't a menace.He says the group has learned to keep its activities under the public radar and learn from their mistakes, allo...

Seventeen drug-dealing suspects believed to be members of the Gangster Disciples street gang were arrested Friday in early-morning raids in Maywood. The arrests followed a five-month undercover investigation—dubbed Operation Summer Heat—that involved undercover officers using surveillance technology to nab the suspects, who sold cocaine and heroin, police said.Several state and federal law-enforcement agencies assisted the Maywood Police Department with arrests and preliminary operations, including the U.S. Marshals Service, Illinois State Police, the Cook County sheriff's gang unit, the Cook County state's attorney's office and the Hillside and Broadview Police Departments.Maywood Police Sgt. Tim Curry said the suspects will face a range of charges, including delivery of a controlled substance within 1,000 feet of a school or church. Police have not yet released their names. Police said most of the suspects will appear in Bond Court on Saturday and Monday.

Lucia Riina, the daughter of notorious Sicilian mob Salvatore "Toto" Riina, married Vincenzo Bellomo on Wednesday in the Italian town of Corleone. Riina, 28, married Bellomo, a 34-year-old salesman, in a publicized wedding in Corleone's Immaculata church in front of 100 invited guests and journalists.Riina was given away by her brother, Giuseppe, as her father, the Mafia's former "boss of bosses", sat in prison. Giuseppe, 30, was released from jail in February after serving time for Mafia crimes. Brother Giovanni and uncle Leoluca Bagarella, also Mafia bosses, missed the wedding because they are incarcerated. Giovanni is serving two life sentences for murder and their father has been in jail since 1993."Our thoughts go to those who could not be here,” the groom, Vincenzo Bellomo, told the guests, according to reports in Italian newspapers. Lucia's mother, Ninetta Bagarella, who is also the sister of Leoluca Bagarella, wore black and carried her daug...

Police have today arrested 12 outlaw motorcycle gang members on a range of drugs and weapons charges in the second phase of Operation Golf Cyclone.Two women and 10 men were nabbed on a total of 20 charges after police found drugs including cannabis and methylamphetamines, as well as weapons including two batons and a pellet paint gun. The arrests in the Redcliffe, Caboolture, Sunshine Coast, Maryborough, Gympie and Bundaberg districts bring to 24 the total number of gang members charged during the Operation.A police statement said officers from Task Force Hydra targeted places known to the Hells Angels, Rebels, Bandidos, Black Uhlans, Outcasts and Finks groups. North Coast regional crime coordinator Superintendent John Maloney said officers would continue to crackdown on organised crime within the region."Through the ongoing commitment of local police to keep their communities safe, operations such as these will continue to be conducted, ensuring those who are involved in criminal...

Daniel "Dango" Dennard, 23, of Antioch was attacked as he was stopped on his motorcycle at a red light on Bayshore Boulevard at Industrial Street, a busy roadway near the intersection of Highway 101 and Interstate 280. San Francisco homicide Inspector John Cleary said Sunday that Dennard had just finished his shift at a job site two blocks away when he was gunned down at 7:20 p.m. A man got out of a car that apparently had been following Dennard, walked up and fired four times, Cleary said. Dennard, who grew up in the neighborhood but recently moved to the East Bay with his girlfriend and child, was involved in one of the most high-profile murder cases in San Francisco in recent memory but escaped prosecution when the key witness was slain.In late 2005, he was indicted on charges of slaying 20-year-old Arkeylius Collins and, in the same attack, the attempted murder of basketball standout Terrell Rollins. Rollins survived the attack and agreed to help prosecutors. He said at t...

Ten days since they hit the notoriety list by allegedly gunning down three youths in a matter of minutes in south Delhi, the Bunty ‘killer-biker’ gang has now become a huge headache, and the most-wanted gang, for Delhi Police. The gang’s kingpin — Bunty, alias Om Prakash — has been declared the most-wanted criminal in the Capital. The police had last week declared a reward of Rs 50,000 per head for information leading to the arrest of the five-member gang. This takes the total reward amount to Rs 2.5 lakhs for the gang — the most reward on information on any gang in recent times. The police crackdown has, in recent times, successfully negated gangs such as those led by Kishan Pehalwan and Vijay Bodha among others. But then arrived Bunty and his gang, and reportedly shot dead five people within a few weeks, prompting police to come up with a new most-wanted list. Police officials said all units of Delhi Police — Special Operation Squad of Crime Branch, Special Cell, Special Staff of all...

Arrested by ICE agents earlier this week was Valentin Sierra-Martinez, a 20-year-old "Norteño-14" gang member. Arrested July 14 in Elgin, Ill., Sierra-Martinez is an illegal alien from Mexico with prior criminal convictions for residential burglary, domestic battery, possessing drug paraphernalia, and knowingly damaging property. He remains in ICE custody pending deportation to Mexico. ICE agents also arrested 23-year-old Mauricio Vega-Cruz July 14 in West Chicago. Vega-Cruz, a self-admitted member of the 18th Street gang, was twice deported to Mexico in 2007 and illegally re-entered the U.S. He has criminal convictions in Arizona for misconduct involving weapons and drug paraphernalia, as well as arrests for drugs, aggravated assault, and discharging a firearm in city limits. Vega-Cruz remains in ICE custody pending removal to Mexico. Of the 49 men arrested, 42 had criminal histories; some of their convictions and arrests include: drunken driving, drug possession, aggravated...

RCMP say they've arrested a member of the Hells Angels biker gang in northern B.C. to face extradition to the United States.Brian Lee Hall was to appear before a Supreme Court judge Tuesday, after being arrested by RCMP late last week at a motorcycle drag race in Fort St. John, B.C.Hall has been indicted in the U.S. on charges including conspiracy to import and distribute marijuana and conspiracy to launder money.Police say Hall, a member of the biker gang's Mission City chapter, was arrested under an extradition warrant obtained by the RCMP drug section.He was the subject of a two-year, cross-border investigation involving U.S. and Canadian authorities.

Steven Halamboulis, 43, of Reservoir, has been charged with two counts of rape and one of false imprisonment of the 19-year-old girl, who says she was raped at the motel by members of the Black Uhlans.Halamboulis was charged after he and four other gang members provided DNA samples. The alleged rape occurred after the woman met the gang members at a Lakes Entrance pub. She told police she had her drink spiked and was then lured to the motel where, feeling intimidated, she got into the the motel's pool with some of the men.She says she was then attacked by six men, some of whom held her down while she was being raped. She was then taken to a room and repeatedly raped again by several men.Eventually, the woman was able to use her mobile phone to call a friend, who came to the motel with several other people and demanded that the woman be released.Local police arrived around the same time and negotiated for the woman to be released. She has told police that as she left the motel bikie...

president and sergeant of arms of the Oakland Hells Angels chapter were arrested this morning after 58 marijuana plants, guns and cash were seized at two sites in Oakland and Alameda, authorities said. Another man and three women were also arrested during the raids.The raids began about 7 a.m. at a trailer in the 1100 block of Fifth Avenue in Oakland and at a home in the 2200 block of San Antonio Avenue in Alameda. Five of the arrests happened at the Oakland site, including 66-year-old Elliott "Cisco" Valderrama, who authorities said is the president of the Oakland Hells Angels chapter. Authorities said Valderrama lived at the site. Arrested at the Alameda residence was Gavin Malone, who authorities said is the chapter's sergeant at arms.The names of the others arrested were not immediately available.The investigation that led to the raids and arrests was started more than a month ago by Alameda County sheriff's deputies who are assigned to the Peralta Community Colle...

Nikica Jelavic was arrested yesterday in Slovenia for deceit in a court proceeding in Germany. According to Interpol, he is also wanted for theft and an illegal stay. Now Jelavic has turned to construction work. According to Globus, he has the main word as far as the construction of the new neighbourhood in Laniste is concerned, which is located next to the Zagreb’s future Arena (sports hall). He is also into a management job by controlling the career of his nephew and former player for the Hajduk football club, Nikica Jelavic.However, now the uncrowned king of Zagreb’s underground will delay his business plans in Croatia, because he will probably face a two month stay in a Slovenian prison, after which he will move to the interior of Germany’s justice system. Published: July 11, 2008 02:46h Jelavic (38) called Boxer, was born in Gabela near Capljine. He finished high school and served his compulsory military service in Sarajevo. After serving in the army, Jelavic was a boxer for a wh...

Underworld figure Dominic "Mick" Gatto was among more than 400 mourners to today farewell alleged mafia boss Rosario "Ross" Gangemi. Gangemi, 86, died on June 28 in John Fawkner Hospital after being diagnosed with leukaemia a month before.The great-grandfather was reportedly named as one of the top 10 mafia figures in the state in a confidential 1991 Victoria Police report, and was also alleged to have been linked with a murder at Queen Victoria Market in 1963. Gangemi's son Nicholas today paid tribute to his father, a former prisoner of war, during a funeral service at St Monica's Catholic Church in Moonee Ponds. He described his father as a leader who touched thousands of lives."He was a gentleman among gentlemen, a friend among friends and a leader among leaders," he said."He was a man with real values and real morals."Born in Calabria, Italy in 1922, Gangemi was the eldest of three sons, and was left the head of the family at the age ...

‘Dublin now resembles Chicago in the Roaring Twenties, when the gangsters were out of control,’ he said. ‘There is no joined-up strategy to fight these gangs, either at a national or international level. All of our drugs are imported, mostly by sea along Ireland’s coastline, yet we have no proper network with our fellow Europeans to patrol the seaboard. We don’t have enough boats, planes or helicopters to intercept the smuggling networks,’ he said.Gangland wars have turned Dublin into the Chicago of the 21st century, a TD and chairman of a drugs task force in the Irish capital said last night.Labour TD Joe Costello also revealed that a preliminary study by the Inner City Drugs Task Force has found that a majority of drug dealers arrested on serious offences were out on bail.Costello made his remarks following two more gangland-related murders in north Dublin this weekend. Gardai have launched a murder investigation following the fatal shooting of a 33-year-old man in Finglas early yest...

Young men and women bid farewell yesterday to slain gang member Roger Chin. And as they gathered at the Chapel of the Bells, they were closely watched by both police and other criminal characters in a black SUV with tinted windows. The 23-year-old Chin became Calgary's latest casualty of gang violence on July 5, when a hail of bullets hit his SUV. All the attention surrounding Chin's private farewell appeared to be unwelcome. But Organized Crime Operation Centre Det. Gord Eiriksson said police had to attend the funeral to protect public safety. "We have had events where gang members have come to funerals with handguns," he said.

murder of Trevor Walsh only two days after he was released from prison, and just 11 hours after another gangland murder in Dublin, is being linked to a feud between a former gang of Finglas robbers and drug dealers which broke up three years ago. Feuding in Finglas had died down since last October's murder of the infamous Liveline prison cell caller, John Daly, who gardai said was an associate of Trevor Walsh, who was shot dead at 12.20am yesterday in Kippure Avenue. A gunman, who gardai believe had been stalking Walsh since his release from prison on Thursday, shot him in the head with what gardai believe was an automatic handgun. He shot him in the head a second time as he lay on the ground. Walsh (33) had just served over two years of a three-year sentence for possession of a firearm in Finglas in 2004. He had a lengthy criminal record, with more than 50 convictions. Local people said he was a heavy cocaine user.His murder came just 11 hours after the murder of Anthony Foster, 3...

10-month investigation into illegal gang activity in Lowell culminated in 10 arrests Friday, as well as the seizure of several bags of marijuana and nearly $70,000 in cash, according to the Boston Globe.The raid also netted more than a dozen firearms, including semiautomatic handguns, a MAC-11 machine pistol, and a rifle with a bayonet attached, police say.City, state and federal police officers took part in the investigation, which targeted the Tiny Rascal Gang, a group from California whose members are largely of Southeast Asian descent. Police Superintendent Kenneth Lavallee said the gang now has roughly 100 members in the Lowell area, following an increase in the city’s Cambodian population. "We're talking a violent criminal enterprise that was very significant in the city of Lowell," Lavallee said. "We've made a major move here.”The Tiny Rascals have allegedly been involved in a series of violent crimes over the last 10 years, including 5 homicides and over ...

Police in Toronto's west end encountered a gruesome murder scene this morning. As of this writing there is still no official announcement of the cause of the deaths from Toronto police, but media reports confirm three young men were killed by gunshots. The police found three people shot dead in a vehicle located at Valermo and Lunness roads at 3:40 a.m. They haven't released the genders or ages of the victims, or even how they died. Police said all three suffered "from trauma" and that all three had been pronounced dead. But Toronto radio stations reported that sources with Emergency Medical Services in the city said the three died from gunshot wounds. It's almost a sure bet these deaths are drug and gang related -- as are almost all the gun killings in major urban centres in Canada.

Officers believe the suppliers were linked more recently with the dissident republican group, the Continuity IRA, but were also heavily involved in criminal activities. Gardai have smashed a guns-for-sale racket in which suspected former members of the Provisional IRA supplied firearms to a drug trafficking gang in north Dublin.They think the gang, based in Co Louth, was selling guns to a drugs gang operating in the Coolock area on the northside of the capital. The breakthrough in the garda investigation came on Thursday night when armed gardai stopped two cars in Castlebellingham and Haggardstown, outside Dundalk. This followed a surveillance operation on several targeted figures. Detectives recovered an old Webley revolver, which was loaded, as well as ammunition and some cash. Two men from Dundalk were arrested and taken to the local garda station. A man and a woman from Coolock were brought to Carrickmacross station but were released without charge last night. The two held in custo...

fugitive Hells Angel wanted on murder charges stemming from a 2002 biker gang melee has surrendered to federal authorities. Prosecutors say Frederick Donahue of Rodeo, Calif. turned himself in earlier this month. He appeared Friday in a Las Vegas courtroom where his trial was schedule for Sept. 8. The 43-year-old motorcycle gang member vanished after indictments were handed down in the 2002 deadly brawl inside Harrah's hotel-casino in Laughlin, Nev. Two members of the Hells Angels and one member of the rival Mongol gang were killed in the battle. Prosecutors say Donahue played a key role in the shooting.

Pattaya is plagued by massive gangs of armed motorbike racers, hundreds strong, intent on causing mayhem. They regularly challenge each other to Mad Max-like races, almost always ending up with one or more being shot dead or seriously injured. Yet, again, on the night of July 13, 2008, there was an shooting incident with 1 death and 5 injuries. Police suspect that, apart from the armed gangs, there are also irate individuals, heartily tired of this motorbike racing menace, who also arm themselves, lie in wait and take the opportunity to blow away members of these gangs. At 01.30 am, on July 13, Pol.Lt.Col.Jakarin Tou-suparb, Banglamung Investigator, was notified that a six motorbike teenage gang members had been shot and injured. The gunshot victims had already been taken to Banglamung Hospital for treatment. The Chief-of-Police was informed and police team went to investigate. At the hospital Emergency Room, police found the 6 injured teens: Mr.Sakda Namloon (16) shot in his left leg...

Police commissioner Y S Dadwal has announced a reward of Rs 50,000 for information about the biker gang led by criminal Omprakash alias Bunty. The recent shooting spree in the Capital is being seen as the handiwork of the gang. The reward is for information on each of the gang members — Omprakash, Rajesh Sharma, Mohammad Nazir, Mohammad Israil and Shiv Om. All had been arrested last year while planning to rob a petrol pump in Vasant Kunj, and were released on bail in February this year. Police suspect the members are hiding somewhere along the Capital's border. Security in the area has been beefed up with police barricades and round the clock patrolling. Police have described Omprakash as a "bad character" from Sangam Vihar. He has been an active criminal since 1999 and is involved in as many as 25 cases of robbery, murder and attempt to murder. The modus operandi in the recent cases and his release from jail along with his accomplices makes him the prime suspect. "...

Tarek Chaiboub, 17, from Wincobank, was gunned down in a barber’s shop on Spital Street in Burgreave on Friday.His father Rashid Chaiboub said: “I did not realise that his destiny was shaping outside of my hands.” Police said Tarek, who died from gun shot wounds to his back, was probably carrying a gun when he was killed. At a police news conference Mr Chaiboub urged other parents to have a close relationship with their children to prevent similar deaths. He added: “Our son Tarek was growing up as a self-confident shining boy with an independent personality which I was proud of.My message to parents is do not rely much on the independence of your kids Rashid Chaiboub, father of Tarek “But he was not sharing much of his thoughts and feelings with us as a family. “My message to parents is do not rely much on the independence of your kids. Get closer to them. Kids remain kids.” The teenager who was known locally as GT had two sisters and a brother. Police said they were pursuing some posi...

Elliott "Taco" Castaneda of Abbotsford and Ahmet Kaawach, who used to live in Metro Vancouver, died in the hail of bullets, the source said. Two members of the Fraser Valley-based United Nations Gang were gunned down in a restaurant in Mexico during an ongoing wave of "drug-cartel-related violence," a police source told The Province yesterday."The two of them were in Mexico at a restaurant when a man came in with a machine gun and opened fire," said the police source. At least 21 people, including a 12-year-old girl, have been killed by warring drug gangs and police since last Thursday in the western state of Sinaloa, which includes the popular tourist resort of Mazatlan, in one of the worst outbreaks of violence in memory.Elliott Castaneda of Abbotsford was one of two members of the Fraser Valley-based United Nations gang killed in drug-related violence in the Mazatlan area.Castaneda worked as a real-estate agent for about two years with Homelife Glenayre...

31-year old member of a gang called Brown Brotherhood is taken into custody by a parole agent during a multi-agency sweep at the 8700 block of Nogal Ave. in Whittier on Tuesday, July 15, 2008. A 22-caliber rifle, a crossbow and other weapons were found at the location. The parolee is looking at parole violation and charges, of being an ex-felon in possesion of a gun. Nine locations in Whittier, Pico Rivera and Norwalk were hit simultaneously early in the morning.

dispute between The Hell's Angels Motorcycle Club and a local man claiming to be one led to the Bay County Sheriff's Office issuing trespass warnings to two self-proclaimed Angels Sunday. Paul Stevens was featured in a News Herald story June 25 after placing an ad in the paper calling for new members. Stevens said he was organizing the Hell's Angels first "sanctioned" chapter in Florida and would be selling their merchandise. He promised a sort of kinder, gentler image. The story quickly spread across the Internet and drew attention from Hells Angels Motorcycle Club members from across the country. The News Herald also has been contacted by a man identifying himself as Fritz Clapp, who previously has represented the Hells Angels in various matters. Clapp said Stevens is not an Angel, has no right to sell the copyrighted merchandise, and that the club would be taking legal action against him. Clapp, in April, announced he was representing the cluband infamous found...

Shootout between rival drug gangs in Sinaloa, Mexico, leaves trail of war behind. Shootout between alleged rival drug gangs set vehicles ablaze and damage houses as they battle for turf.Two groups of alleged drug traffickers were involved in a shootout at dawn in the northern city of Culiacan in the state of Sinaloa on Monday (July 14) where they set ablaze three vehicles and damaged four houses, according to authorities.There were no reports of injuries, deaths or arrests and the state attorney general's office said it was too early to report how many weapons or if drugs had been seized.As Federal Sinaloa Deputy, Daniel Amador Gaxiola stated, "We are living through the most difficult stages of modern history, if you can call it that. We regret what is happening in Sinaloa and people live in fear and uncertainty. However we have to recognize efforts being carried out by the government are trying to create results. Unfortunately, it's a problem that is out of our reach, of ...

21 people, including a 12-year-old girl and other ordinary citizens, have been killed by warring drug gangs since Thursday in the western state of Sinaloa, in one of the worst spasms of violence in memory in a region long conditioned to narcotics-related savagery.The wave of deadly mayhem began with the audacious daytime shooting of a dozen people in the capital, Culiacan, and continued during the weekend and into Monday. The deaths of innocents, including the young girl, who had just left a party, have terrified the public and left many questioning the effectiveness of the federal government's ongoing crackdown on drug trafficking."Sinaloa Bloodbath" read a headline from El Sol de Sinaloa, a daily newspaper. The article Monday on its website was accompanied by a photo of corpses slumped in the back of a bullet-riddled pickup truck. An editorial in Monday's national daily El Universal questioned President Felipe Calderon's decision to aggressively pursue the natio...