supergrass, who has provided evidence against accused murderer Tony Mokbel and corrupt Victorian drug squad detectives, was extradited to Victoria

The supergrass,has provided evidence against accused murderer Tony Mokbel and corrupt Victorian drug squad detectives, was extradited to Victoria from the Netherlands on Boxing Day.gangland supergrass alleged to be the head of a drug trafficking syndicate spanning three continents has told a court that he fears for his safety.Australian Federal Police (AFP) allege the man, 41, headed a drug syndicate operating out of Australia, Canada and the Netherlands by conspiring to import cocaine using a large network of couriers who would swallow parcels of the drug.Police say the extradition brings to an end a two-year international operation, spanning three continents.

The supergrass appeared amid high security at Melbourne Magistrates Court on Monday behind a protective shield and flanked by security personnel.

He told the court he feared for his safety and successfully argued that his name and image should be suppressed from media publication."The biased reporting that has occurred in the past has endangered my safety and that of my family," the supergrass said.He then complained to Victoria's chief magistrate Ian Gray that a court sketch artist was continuing to draw his picture despite the order.At one point, the supergrass took his shirt off and put it over his head to prevent the artist from drawing his picture.After some brief argument over the suppression order, the case was adjourned until January 8 when the supergrass' lawyer will be available to attend court.Tim Morris, AFP's national manager, border international, said on Monday that the effort and persistence of his organisation and its international law enforcement partners in Canada, Thailand and the Netherlands had disrupted a global drug trafficking syndicate."The commitment by these AFP investigators and their international counterparts led to the arrest of a key player in this global drug syndicate," Assistant Commissioner Morris said in a statement."The syndicate targets people who are vulnerable, either financially or because of their own drug dependency, to participate in the extremely risky and dangerous method of swallowing drug parcels for concealment from authorities."Police said that, so far, 12 people connected to the syndicate had been arrested in Australia and overseas.The supergrass has been in custody in the Netherlands since his arrest in December last year.He was tracked to the Netherlands with the help of Dutch police and the Royal Canadian Mounted Police.The man was escorted back to Australia by AFP and Victoria police.It has been reported the supergrass was instrumental in bringing down Victoria's corrupt police drug squad in 2001.The supergrass also reportedly taped a conversation with Tony Mokbel for police.

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Todd Anthony O'Connor, a former member of the Nomads' outlaw motorcycle gang shot dead

Dead man was named in the media as Sydney underworld identity Todd Anthony O'Connor, a former member of the Nomads' outlaw motorcycle gang.Gangland links are being examined by police after the man was shot in a quiet area of Tempe, in Sydney's south, on Sunday night.He also was said to be a founding member of the Notorious crime gang, which has been linked to the drugs trade in inner-Sydney areas such as Kings Cross and the Oxford Street nightclub district.Police would not confirm the dead man's identity.A spokeswoman for the State Crime Command said Strike Force Colbee had been established to investigate the shooting.The investigation would be headed by detectives from the homicide squad, but would also include the gangs squad and the Middle Eastern organised crime squad, she said.
The gangs squad is charged with investigating outlaw motorcycle gangs.Police rushed to the street in Tempe just before 9pm (AEDT) on Sunday after passers-by saw the critically wounded man staggering along South Street.Officers unsuccessfully tried to revive the man, who was found lying in the middle of road with shotgun wounds to his head and neck

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Underworld figure Dominic "Mick" Gatto was among more than 400 mourners to today farewell alleged mafia boss Rosario "Ross" Gangemi.

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 of 15 when his father died.At 19, he joined the national service, serving in World War II for four years, two of those as a prisoner of war in Germany.
In 1951 he emigrated to Australia, but later returned to Italy to have one of his kidneys removed. He came back to Australia in 1959.Nicholas Gangemi said that despite several tragedies - including the death of his first wife, and his daughter Maria, who he had with his second wife - Gangemi worked harder than ever, often 100 hours a week."He was a man who touched thousands of people," his son said.
"He was a selfless person who always put others before him."Granddaughter Amanda said Gangemi was "a hero in our eyes, a man like no other".
"He was just like a willow tree; resilient and strong."After a requiem mass at St Monica's, Gangemi's large family left the church in three black, stretch limosines to head to the Keilor Mausoleum.He leaves behind his wife, Pasqualina, sons Sam, Nicholas and Joe, and his extended family.
Asked about Gangemi's criminal history, a Victoria Police spokeswoman said: "He did associate with figures who were known to police".

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Bikies are a national menace and require a similar response on a national scale

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.

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25 criminal Gangs were busted in the past year, involving more than 400 charges against 176 people and drugs worth $1.5 billion

The Australian Crime Commission yesterday painted a disturbing picture of just how powerful organised crime gangs have become. It said Australians were largely unaware of organised crime's involvement in legitimate business activities. The nation's gigantic superannuation stockpile has even become a major target. The ACC said it was concerned about the association between criminals and potential terrorists. "Terrorists use crime to support their political objectives," the ACC said in its Organised Crime in Australia report, released yesterday. "In Australia, the relationships between criminals and terrorists have generally been short-term and limited to providing specific services, such as false identity documentation, non-traceable communications, and/or money laundering." But the ACC said it was unlikely crime gangs and terrorist groups would forge stronger links, because each wanted to avoid scrutiny.
The ACC report also revealed:
technology has given criminals unprecedented power to organise lucrative crimes across national and international borders.
Gangs of different ethnic backgrounds were putting aside rivalries to commit major crimes together. gangs were sending members to universities to acquire specialist skills.finance experts were being blackmailed or intimidated into committing crimes.
GANGS were gathering intelligence on police, business people and public servants in the hope of forcing them into corruption.
ACC chief executive Alastair Milroy said most Australians were unaware of the high level of organised crime involvement in industry and in the community in general. "(It) pervades all parts of society and the concerning part is that many in business and the community in general do not realise how vulnerable they are to it," Mr Milroy said. "Organised crime is diverse and flexible and encompasses a broad range of industries and activities, including drug trafficking, corruption, violence, fraud, money laundering, hi-tech/cyber crime and other financial sector crimes. "I urge the public and business community to be more aware, better informed, and to take an active role in reporting information on criminal intelligence on organised crime to either the ACC or their local policing service," he said. The ACC wouldn't reveal how many organised crime gangs were entrenched in Australia. But the elite crime body told the Herald Sun in 2004 it had identified 97 syndicates. The ACC said yesterday a growing number of syndicates used the services of professional facilitators and service providers such as migration agents, financial advisers, and accountants. "Their involvement may be as a result of coercion through blackmail and intimidation. "The use of professional facilitators allows crime groups to distance themselves from their criminal activity and avoid the attention of law enforcement agencies." - Herald Sun news

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