Iranian-American used-car salesman who believed he was hiring assassins from a Mexican drug cartel for $1.5 million.

 

The United States on Tuesday accused Iranian officials of plotting to murder Saudi Arabia’s ambassador to the United States in a bizarre scheme involving an Iranian-American used-car salesman who believed he was hiring assassins from a Mexican drug cartel for $1.5 million. The alleged plot also included plans to pay the cartel, Los Zetas, to bomb the Israeli Embassy in Washington and the Saudi and Israeli Embassies in Argentina, according to a law enforcement official. The plotters also discussed a side deal between the Quds Force, part of Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guards Corps, and Los Zetas to funnel tons of opium from the Middle East to Mexico, the official said. * The plot evidently was discovered at a very early stage. One wonders: How? Through intercepts of phone conversations or emails? Eric Holder, widely believed to be a dead man walking in Washington as a result of Fast and Furious, was front and center at today’s news conference. Holder was a prominent critic of essentially everything the Bush administration did to discover and combat terrorist plots. It would be interesting to know whether the intelligence triumph that Holder celebrated today was yet another example of the wisdom of the Bush administration policies that Obama, Holder and their ilk endlessly demagogued before they found it expedient to adopt them. * One remembers liberal assurances, when a Republican administration was trying to keep us safe from terrorist attacks, that diverse anti-American groups could never cooperate. Democrats went so far as to claim that Shia and Sunni Muslims–who in fact work together in furtherance of terrorist plots all the time, as, to take just one example, when Iran supports Hamas–could never cooperate against America or our allies. Today, assuming the Obama administration is being truthful, we have the spectacle of Iran’s mullahcracy paying a Mexican drug cartel to carry out terrorist attacks. Do radical Muslims really care about technicalities like drug dealing when it comes time to advance their interests? Of course not! On the contrary, this plot represented an alliance of the world’s two major proponents of beheading. * Assuming that the administration’s account is correct, Iran had little doubt that a Mexican drug cartel would be able to get men and weapons across the border to carry out a terrorist attack in Washington. Presumably they were right. One wonders what it will take to get liberals to take border security seriously. If the Mexicans had blown up a D.C. restaurant and killed 100 Americans along with the Saudi ambassador, would liberals finally have started paying attention to the border? I doubt it. * One little detail has gotten lost in most reporting: The alleged plot also included plans to pay the cartel, Los Zetas, to bomb the Israeli Embassy in Washington and the Saudi and Israeli Embassies in Argentina, according to a law enforcement official.

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To the School Community: Due to the great insecurity we are living, and since authorities are not giving teachers, parents, students and the community in general the sufficient security

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Parents and teachers hang up a banner on the gates of a school in the Pacific resort city of Acapulco, Mexico on Monday. The banner reads in Spanish "To the School Community: Due to the great insecurity we are living, and since authorities are not giving teachers, parents, students and the community in general the sufficient security, we have decided to continue the work stoppage until security conditions are more favorable."

Bernandino Hernandez/AP

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Mexican kidnapping gang's leader arrested

 

The suspected leader of the Los Gitanos kidnapping gang, which operates across Mexico and abducted a number of businessmen, has been arrested, Nuevo Leon state officials said Tuesday. "Aaron Bosquez Montes, alias 'El Chico,' 28, was the leader of the Los Gitanos kidnapping gang and demanded ransoms that ranged from 20 million pesos ($1.5 million) to $4 million," Nuevo Leon Gov. Rodrigo Medina said. Bosquez Montes was arrested on Oct. 3 at the Mexico City international airport, Medina said. Twelve of the 15 members of the criminal organization, which had been collecting ransom payments for three years, have now been arrested, the governor said during an appearance at the Nuevo Leon State Investigations Agency, or AEI, headquarters. The gang staged at least nine kidnappings in Nuevo Leon, which is located in northern Mexico, reaping more than 52 million pesos (nearly $3.9 million) in ransom payments. Los Gitanos would conduct a "prior study of its victims" before kidnapping them, targeting "middle and upper class" businessmen and professionals, the governor said. The blow against the gang should "help us continue building confidence" among citizens, Medina said. Photographs of Bosquez Montes traveling overseas and recorded telephone conversations were released by officials. Authorities are asking victims of Los Gitanos to contact them and report the crimes. Kidnapping has become a widespread problem in Mexico in recent years, with gangs of different levels of sophistication targeting victims from various strata of society. In October 2010, Congress approved a bill that stiffens the penalties for kidnappers from 25 to 45 years behind bars when the victims are mutilated or if the criminals are retired or active-duty police officers, and from 40 to 70 years in prison if the victims are killed.

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Mystery files cast doubt over verdict on Robert Magill gangland killing

 

Duncan Campbell outlines the compelling reasons to reopen the Kevin Lane case  It was a notorious killing carried out one morning in a Hertfordshire backwater. Two men had approached Robert Magill as he walked his dog close to his home in Chorleywood on 13 October 1994. One of them was seen by several witnesses to pull out a shotgun and shoot Magill five times at point blank range. The final shot was delivered to the head as Magill lay prostrate. As of today, Kevin Lane will have served 16 years and 255 days of a minimum 18-year sentence for carrying out what was seen as a classic contract killing. Lane was raised in the criminal underworld, but has always claimed he was innocent of this crime. Many aspects of the case remain troubling and new evidence now threatens to blow apart not just Lane's conviction but the way in which it was achieved. The Observer understands that a specialist team reporting to the Crown Prosecution Service is examining whether a clutch of confidential internal police files, apparently relating to the case and sent anonymously to Lane's lawyer, Maslen Merchant, are genuine. The files, which have been seen by the Observer, appear to be copies of secret memos sent between a number of police officers involved in the case. For legal reasons, the evidence cannot be reproduced at the moment. But, if genuine, Lane's lawyers believe it would have a material effect on their client's appeal. In their submission filed before the Court of Appeal, the lawyers claim the documents, "if genuine, demonstrate the most blatant, deliberate and… shocking, plot by police to pervert the course of justice and ensure the applicant's conviction for murder". They would also illuminate the shadowy way in which the judicial system prosecuted contract killings, often having to go to great lengths to protect police sources who helped to secure convictions but were themselves closely connected to the criminal underworld. Central to the prosecution case against Lane was his palm print, found on a plastic bin liner in which the murder weapon was said to have been carried. The liner was found in the boot of a car Lane admitted driving. Another article in the car's boot was tested and found to have traces of nitroglycerine on it, indicating the presence of a weapon. Lane, who had travelled from Spain two weeks before the killing under a false name, claims he was at home at the time of the crime, but accepted he had borrowed the car about a week before the murder. His son's fingerprint was also found in the car, reinforcing Lane's claim that he had used it to ferry his family around. A defence expert suggested the apparent presence of nitroglycerine could have come from an industrial nail gun. Lane said he had entered the country under a false name because the Department for Social Security had been after him in connection with a benefit claim. But for Lane's supporters, the most troubling aspects of his case centre on the secrecy that has characterised it. Some evidence disclosed at Lane's retrial in 1996 was subjected to a public immunity interest order, meaning it was not shared with his legal team. For years, Lane's lawyers sought to establish the full contents of the suppressed material, who had authorised it, and why. The new material, if genuine, answers many of their questions. Lane first stood trial in October 1995 with Roger Vincent, who was found not guilty of participating in Magill's murder by direction of the judge. A hung jury was unable to return a verdict on Lane. Since Lane's conviction at his second trial, evidence has emerged showing Vincent had lengthy discussions with police officers shortly after his arrest. Statements shared with Lane's legal team by a detective sergeant, Christopher Spackman, also confirmed that Spackman had visited Vincent while he was on remand in HMP Woodhill. Spackman was later jailed for conspiring with others to steal £160,000 from Hertfordshire police, money the married father of three paid into his lover's account. The prosecutor at Spackman's trial claimed: "The lengths he went to, the lies he told and the documents that were forged would have been worthy of a seasoned fraudster." Spackman's name also surfaced in a 2005 court of appeal case that quashed the conviction of two men, Nazeem Khan and Cameron Bashir, in a case involving credit card fraud. The court had heard Spackman had displayed "an ability to conduct complicated deceptions within a police environment". On his website, Lane makes the extraordinary claim that before his first trial had finished, Spackman had visited Vincent's mother and told her that her son was coming home, but "Lane" would be found guilty. Spackman had also visited Vincent's mother's home twice after her son had been released. Vincent sued Hertfordshire police for false imprisonment after his acquittal for the Magill killing. He alleged Spackman had offered him a deal to drop the case against him and pay him a reward if he turned Queen's Evidence. Spackman later insisted it was Vincent who had approached him to "do a deal". It was not to be Vincent's last brush with the law. In August 2005 he and his friend David Smith were convicted of the 2003 killing of David King, who was shot 26 times with a Kalashnikov outside his gym in Hoddesdon, Herts. Logs later released by the police showed that during the original Magill murder inquiry they had received more than 20 tip-offs claiming Vincent and Smith had been responsible. They were well known in the criminal world and were suspected of having carried out several killings. Lane's lawyers believe that charting the relationship between Vincent and Spackman is crucial to the success of his appeal. The relationship certainly pre-dated the Magill murder. In 1992, it was Spackman who had liaised with Vincent when he gave evidence in the case of a man convicted of attempted murder and false imprisonment. Vincent received a commendation from the judge for his bravery in testifying. Today Vincent is behind bars and refusing to shed light on the extent of his relationship with Spackman. Lane continues to protest his innocence from a category B prison, potentially putting his release date in jeopardy. His hopes now rest on whether the internal police files mysteriously posted to his lawyers are real or sophisticated forgeries. Given the bewildering twists and turns in Lane's case, either conclusion is possible.

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A wealthy homeowner cleared of any wrongdoing after stabbing to death a suspected burglar at his home

A wealthy homeowner cleared of any wrongdoing after stabbing to death a suspected burglar at his home says he has endured a 'living nightmare' and still suffers flashbacks from the incident.

 

Raymond Jacob, 37, suffered fatal stab wounds in a struggle at the Stockport house of courier boss Vincent Cooke on September 17.

Mr Cooke was told by the Crown Prosecution Service that he will face no further action after it concluded he was acting in self-defence. 

Today, the 39-year-old said he was 'relieved' to hear the news but said the last few weeks had been a 'living nightmare' and that he was still suffering flashbacks. 

Released: Vincent Cooke, left, was told by the Crown Prosecution Service that he will face no further action after Raymond Jacob was stabbed to death at his home 

Mr Cooke's home. His case is the third in Greater Manchester this year involving suspected raiders being killed and the CPS ruling individuals had acted in self-defence

In a statement issued through his lawyers he also thanked the public and for supporting him during this 'terrible event'.

He said: 'I am most relieved that the CPS have decided not to charge me with any offence.

'It has been a living nightmare for me and I'm still suffering flashbacks of the incident.

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Madchild: not so mad after all

Now sober, the Swollen Member tackles his music with renewed creativity and determination

 

Madchild's back, but not back just putting out records. He's, like,back. Now sober, he's the creative and disciplined artist he was 10 years ago, before the fame, the gangs and the drugs.

He's making up for the time he lost addicted to painkillers, devoting each day to writing and recording new material. He's released one EP , Banned From America, and a mixtape M.A.D.E, which he is currently supporting on tour, with more new music on the way.

"I feel like I kind of wasted four years of my life - not kind of, I did - and now I'm trying to make every day count for four days," he says.

Madchild, born Shane Bunting, rose to prominence in Swollen Members. They were Canadian mainstays for the first third of the 2000s, perhaps best known for Madchild's nasal delivery.

After a string of successful singles and cross-Canada tours, Madchild's well-documented affiliation with the Hell's Angels (and the inclusion of patched members appearing in Swollen Members music videos) lead to Nettwerk Management dropping the group from their roster.

That incident, paired with the commercial flop of 2006's Black Magic, led Madchild into a depression he masked with painkillers. His creativity floundered. His career stalled. He lost everything - his cars, his 11 properties. All told, he says the addiction cost him $3 million.

He's been sober for just over a year but the first few months were anything but sunshine and rainbows.

"Coming out of your addiction, instead of being like 'Woo-hoo! I'm sober this is great,' you're like, 'Oh, this is the reality that I've created for myself,'" he says. "It took me to a very, very dark place. I was straight up suicidal a year and a half ago."

He threw himself into writing new material. The music became his therapy. Each verse from his recent releases is a heaving of troubling emotions, expelling every awful feeling that he had pent up throughout his drug addiction.

Paired together, Banned From America and M.A.D.E. (an acronym forMisguided Angel Destroys Everything), are like two chapters of a book documenting the life of a battered Shane Bunting, who was once riding the crest of success, and now bleeding before a world that is forcing him to confront the pain he'd been masking with pills and cocaine.

In real life, though, Madchild has found the perspective he's needed to put the past behind him and move on. He's happy to have been given another chance - not just at music, but at life.

"The last eight months have been amazing, dude," he says. "It's so rewarding. It's like I wish I could just grab people and let them see inside my head so they could see that once you get past the hard part (of recovery), how rewarding it is, how good God is, how good life is, how many rewards there are on a daily basis."

He's candid about his former gang affiliations and the hassles it has caused for him. Banned From America was written in the six days after he was barred from entering the U.S. because of his Hell's Angels connections. The event made national headlines.

Last week, Abbotsford RCMP shut down his scheduled gig over fears that the show would be a magnet for criminal activity and, in light of the recent shootings in and around the area, they didn't want to take any chances.

"You make your own bed, you sleep in it, right? Let's be honest, in videos before I have glorified certain lifestyles - and please use my exact words - I have glorified a certain lifestyle," he says.

"It was for entertainment facto," he continues, "but let's be honest. I was still glorifying a certain aspect of life and maybe I overdid it a little bit. Maybe it wasn't appropriate and I let it out, like I say now. I think I can have the same edge and still be the same crazy Madchild."

He's taken on a role-model approach to his younger fan base, working with high school liaison officers to share with students his experiences with gangs as a way to "shed some light on things."

"I know that I can relate to them more than some tactics that are made right now to try to steer kids in the right direction. I just feel like I might be able to have more of a heart to heart with kids or young adults and it might sink in a little deeper because I went in one end of the whole thing and came out the other end," he says.

But first comes his work. He's speaking to Pique from the set of an Edmonton video shoot, one of seven he has yet to release. He has enough songs for another EP and another mixtape. His debut full-length, Dopesick, is also ready for release but he says nobody will hear it until he's built enough hype for himself that people beyond the Swollen Members fan base will want to hear it.

"(Dopesick) is not going to be an explosive impact," he says. "Let's be honest. I'm not at that point in my career. Even though I'm a veteran in the game, I'm a new artist. I'm a brand new artist. I've only been a solo artist for 10 or 11 months as far as the public is concerned."

So he's going to work this second chance the best that he can. He's going to keep writing and play shows until he can't take it anymore, and then write some more. With four years wasted, it seems he'll stop at nothing to get back on top. And he has the confidence that might just take him there.

"I don't think that a lot of people have my work ethic right now," he says. "I don't think a lot of people are messing with me, lyrically, song-wise. This is my whole life. I'm putting everything, my heart and soul, into this so I don't want it to just come out and have nobody know about it."

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arrested after argument over loud motorcycle noise

 

Rock Hill man was arrested and accused of threatening a couple by telling them he would have Hells Angels motorcycle gang burn down their home, police say. Gerald Anthony Rodgers, 52, has been charged with assault and battery. Rodgers had driven by the couple's Rock Hill home Monday night and revved his motorcycle, startling the couple's dog, according to a York County Sheriff's Office report. The man and Rodgers began arguing about the noise. Then, Rodgers told the man he had placed his family in danger and that he and the Hells Angels would burn down the home. Rodgers told deputies threats had been made both ways, the report states. He claimed the man had threatened him with a knife. Rodgers was then arrested and taken to York County Detention Center.

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Triple-murder case involving local Hells Angel goes to grand jury

 

The triple murder case involving a local Hells Angels member and two others is before a grand jury and a second case involving the same biker is heading there as well. According to a source close to the case, the grand jury is in session and interviewing witnesses in the Aug. 28 murder of three Pittsfield men. Adam Lee Hall, 34, of Peru; Caius Veiovis, 31, of Pittsfield; and David Chalue, 44, of North Adams and Springfield, allegedly kidnapped then murdered David Glasser in order to keep him from testifying against Hall, a member of the Berkshire County chapter of the Hells Angels, in an assault and kidnapping trial that had been set to begin Sept. 19. The two other victims, Edward Frampton -- Glasser's roommate -- and their friend, Robert Chadwell, were killed because they were at the wrong place at the wrong time, according to police. All three were allegedly abducted Aug. 28 from 254 Linden St., where Glasser and Frampton lived. A fourth defendant, David Casey, 62, of Canaan, N.Y., has been charged as an accessory to the murder for allegedly helping Hall bury the bodies with an excavator in Becket. It was unclear whether Casey was part of the current grand jury proceedings. All four defendants have pleaded not guilty. The grand jury is a secret proceeding made up of no more than 23 jurors who serve for up to three months. Unlike a criminal trial, the prosecutor questions witnesses, Advertisement while any attorney representing a witness is excluded from objecting, arguing or addressing the prosecutor or the jurors, according to the state's criminal procedure law. If at least 12 jurors find there is enough evidence, then the defendants can be indicted and the case can move on to the superior court level. Hall is also facing child pornography and extortion charges for allegedly forcing a 16-year-old to send him nude photographs of herself. He was arraigned Sept. 6 in Central Berkshire District Court on those charges. On Sept. 29, the Berkshire District Attorney's Office pulled the case from district court in order to bring it to the grand jury in hopes of prosecuting Hall on the charges in superior court. Meanwhile, the police investigation is continuing. The case is headed up by the Massachusetts State Police and the Pittsfield Police, with the assistance of the FBI and other agencies, under the direction of the district attorney. Investigators were back at Hall's compound located at 40 East Main St. in Peru on Monday and were seen digging on the property with an excavator. A large-scale police search had been conducted at the site last month. The warrants in the case were set to be unsealed this week, but at the request of authorities, they won't be revealed until the end of the month

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Sûreté du Québec moves in on alleged Hells Angels drug ring

 

Several marijuana grow-op sites were busted and at least one restricted firearm was seized as police conducted eight early-morning raids with a Hells Angels connection Thursday in the Montéregie region east of Montreal, Sgt. Valérie Bolduc of the Sûreté du Québec said. A total of nine suspects were formally charged on Thursday afternoon with the production and possession of illegal drugs as well as firearms charges while another suspect is to be charged on Friday. Three other suspects were released either on a promise to appear or to be summoned to court later while one suspect was released without being charged. “Several SWAT teams were involved,” Bolduc said, refusing to specify the number. About 100 SQ officers, with the assistance of local police, swept into residences in Acton Vale, St. Théodore d’Acton and Durham beginning “very early” Thursday, she said. Bolduc said it was part of an SQ effort launched last spring following a series of tips received from the public, to dismantle what she described as “a well-established, long-standing drug ring .... believed to involve the Hells Angels” biker gang. One of those detained is a man in his 50s, known to police and believed to be the ringleader. The ring is believed to have distributed and sold cannabis, cocaine and methamphetamines, Bolduc added. The array of criminal charges will probably include negligent storage of firearms, she added, in addition to production of cannabis and possession of various drugs for the purposes of trafficking. “It’s too early” to be able to disclose the full number and type of weapons seized, Bolduc said

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Motorcycle gangs extending reach in Alberta

 

Seven years ago, Shannon Trottier was left with a gaping hole in her life when she watched her 34-year-old son die in her arms. Joey Campbell, also known as Joey Morin, was rushed to hospital after he was sprayed with bullets outside a west-end strip club, but his injuries were too severe to overcome. A second man, Robert Simpson, died at the scene from multiple gunshot wounds. Both men were affiliated with outlaw motorcycle gangs — at that time the Bandidos — and the killer has yet to be brought to justice. The shooting marks the last time any significant violence among bikers erupted onto city streets and police are holding their breath it will stay that way given the province’s changing biker club scene. According to Sgt. Marc Labonte of the Edmonton Integrated Intelligence Unit for the RCMP, during the last two years Alberta has seen one of the largest increases in outlaw motorcycle gangs across the country. Labonte wouldn’t name the specific clubs that have set up shop in the province, but said there are now four main clubs referred to as “one-percenters” — a term given to outlaw motorcycle clubs that aren’t always just out for a good time — as opposed to one main group with four chapters. Two new one-percenters showed up in the last year, and each one has one to three chapters. In addition, police have identified at least eight “puppet” clubs or associate clubs, which consists of members aspiring to become part of the main clubs, so they conduct certain business to prove themselves worthy. In early 2009, Labonte said there were maybe two or three associate clubs in the province. The bikers are also spreading their wings. Two or three years ago, Labonte said the one-percenters were limited to Edmonton and Calgary, but they have since spread to cities throughout the province, and it’s largely attributed to the booming economy. “The economy was good, so there was money. Where there’s money, there is always a criminality,” said Labonte. Police are closely keeping tabs on the most recent outlaw motorcycle clubs to arrive in the province. But Labonte isn’t expecting an all-out turf war to erupt any time soon — like the one going on between the Hells Angels and Rock Machine in Winnipeg, which experienced a series of firebombings and shootings, including one that put a 14-year-old boy in hospital with gunshot wounds. In the past, some of the biker gangs in Alberta have been responsible for homicides, home invasions, drugs, prostitution, money laundering and extortion. Labonte said there has been an increase in criminality among the clubs in recent years — the most notable were home invasions where “somebody didn’t pay up.” But often crimes such as this go undetected, making it difficult for law enforcement to get involved. “The victim, who’s a criminal usually, will not report it to police because they know what these guys can do,” said Labonte, who noted biker gangs try to keep violence from spilling onto the street. “They don’t want to make a big scene. They will be very low profile because they don’t want the public against them. They are like a business. They don’t want to be known as bad guys.” Although police aren’t concerned there will be an all-out turf war in Alberta, Mounties are cognizant things could change since many of the clubs are connected regionally and nationally. In 2004, Criminal Intelligence Service Canada listed the Hell's Angels as the largest and most powerful outlaw motorcycle gang in Canada, with approximately 500 members belonging to 34 chapters across the country, in which at least three were in Alberta. The following year, the director of the Criminal Intelligence Service of Alberta told the Sun the Hells Angels wouldn’t allow any competitors to set up shop in Alberta. But police believe the momentum has changed since then. Labonte noted there are about five or six one-percenters in the U.S. Alberta now has four of them — and they seem to be talking and negotiating with each other. Police have heard of instances where one group has stolen another group’s patch, which sends a message you are not allowed to be here. So far the bikers seem to be using the gesture as a way to start talking to one another and lay grounds for respect, said Labonte. Whether those talks are peaceful remains to be seen. “It’s always troublesome. It happened in Edmonton and a small rural community, so now we have to be careful because that could escalate,” said Labonte. “Some of them are into criminality. It doesn’t mean they are all into criminality.”

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main leaders of a South Side gang with members as young as 12 years old were arraigned Wednesday in Vanderburgh County Superior Court on criminal gang-related charges.

Four Evansville teens who city police say are the main leaders of a South Side gang with members as young as 12 years old were arraigned Wednesday in Vanderburgh County Superior Court on criminal gang-related charges.

 

Randell A. Francis, 19, Dalarrius T. Jackson, 18, John F. Robertson, 16, and Devontae K. Clardy, 16, were each charged with criminal gang activity and two counts of criminal gang recruitment, all class D felonies that automatically allow juveniles to be charged as adults.

Jackson was additionally charged with battery resulting in bodily injury, which is typically a class D felony, but it became a class A felony because prosecutors said he committed the act as a member of a criminal gang.

Devontae Clardy

Randell Francis

John Robertson

Dalarrius Jackson

All four entered preliminary pleas of not guilty, were appointed public defenders and had their bonds set with extra conditions that they not have contact with any gangs if they post bond.

Jackson's bond was set at $1,500 cash. Francis and Robertson have $1,000 cash bonds. Clardy was the only one to have his bond successfully reduced to $500, and but he has an additional condition that he must live with his grandmother and attend school upon release, according to court records.

Police say the four are the main leaders of "LA Zombies," a group with more than 20 members that police say have access to firearms and previously engaged in shootings with rival gang "Murda Squad."

Evansville police have been investigating gangs in the Linwood and Adams avenues area for six months, according to police affidavits. They recently developed two confidential informants within the "LA Zombies."

Police said the two, who are juveniles, obtained credible and reliable information about the inner workings of the gang.

According to the affidavit, the two sources told police that a few of the members have guns and that they've been involved in shootings. They also described the gang's rituals.

Confidential Source No. 1, or CS1, told police about "beat ins," in which prospective gang members get battered by current gang members or are placed into a fight with another person for initiation. Battering or fights also take place for those members who wanted to leave.

CS2 told police that beat ins occurred at Sweetser Avenue housing projects. CS2 said the four leaders were involved.

CS2 also mentioned that there was one individual above them in the gang's hierarchy, according to the affidavit.

The affidavit said Francis was on probation for class D felony theft, resulting from a plea agreement on a burglary charge.

The four had court dates set: Francis on Nov. 9 at 1 p.m.; Jackson on Nov. 15 at 9:30 a.m.; Robertson on Nov. 9 at 9:30 a.m.; Clardy on Nov. 15 at 9:30 a.m.

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Killer of Giuseppe Gregory in Stretford was sucked into gangs after surviving shooting when aged 14

 

schoolboy aged 15 obsessed by guns and gangs murdered another teenager as part of a feud before fleeing overseas in a bid to escape justice. Moses ‘Mojo’ Mathias is believed to be Greater Manchester's youngest ever gangster convicted of murder. He was one of three gunmen with ties to the Gooch gang who killed Giuseppe Gregory, pictured right. Giuseppe, 16, was in a Volkswagen Golf which was shot at outside a party at the Robin Hood pub in Stretford in May 2009. It is not believed he was the intended target of the attack. Giuseppe Gregory's mother: My son was killed by a boy with a loaded gun Mathias went on the run to the Netherlands but was arrested and hauled before the courts where yesterday he admitted murder and firearms offences. The M.E.N. can reveal that Mathias was sucked into the violent world of Manchester gangs after surviving a shooting himself just after his 14th birthday. He was shot in the leg in Hulme Park by a gunman – understood to be connected to the Doddington gang – back in July 2007. It is not known if Mathias was the intended target of that shooting – or if he was shot simply for socialising in Gooch gang territory. But the attack, which happened during a tit-for-tat cycle of violence, changed the course of his life. During his trial, Njabulo Ndlovu, one of Mathias’ accomplices, described his transformation. He said: "I’ve known Moses since 2006. In those days he was not a gang member, but after he had been shot he became an angry young man and talked about gangs all the time. " Mathias, formerly of Randlesham Street, Prestwich, even got a tattoo pledging his allegiance to the Gooch. Script on his arm reads ‘Loc’ – a term used by Los Angeles Crips which means ‘crazy’, short for the Spanish slang term ‘loco’. Rusholme-raised Mathias, now 18, also told a police officer who visited his school that he was friends with Gooch gang members – and filled his Facebook pages with pictures of his encounters with them. On the night of Giuseppe’s murder, Mathias got the murder weapon – a 9mm Tokarev which he had hidden at a friend’s house in Crumpsall. Ndlovu and another man, Hiruy Zerihun were also involved in the attack. Zerihun used the gun brought by Mathias to fire the bullets which killed Giuseppe. Mathias also opened fire using another weapon, a .32 handgun. It is believed the shooting was in revenge for the earlier murder of 18-year-old Louis Brathwaite. Zerihun and Ndlovu were jailed for life after being found guilty of Giuseppe’s murder last year. Mathias was finally arrested in June this year when border guards checked passports on a high-speed train from the Netherlands to Germany.

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Three post offices targeted in spate of raids over 12 hours

 

POST OFFICES were targeted in raids in Waterford, Kilkenny and north Dublin yesterday – one of which involved the kidnapping of a man and woman. The three incidents took place within 12 hours of each other and come on the back of a spate of thefts and attempted robberies at post offices which have been linked to organised crime gangs involved in the drugs trade. The worst of the incidents began on Tuesday night in Swords, Co Dublin, when three armed men forced their way into the home of an An Post worker employed at the Balbriggan branch. The female postmaster and her husband were held hostage by the gang for several hours at their home in St Andrew’s Park. The husband was then taken to another location yesterday morning while the woman was ordered to go to work as usual and withdraw a substantial sum of money and await instructions. The woman’s husband was left tied to a tree by the gang in a field off Kettles Lane in Swords, from which he managed to free himself shortly after 10am. At about the same time gardaí became aware of the incident and responded to a call from the post office, forcing the gang to abort their plans. Supt Kevin Gilligan said: “This was a very traumatic experience for the people taken hostage overnight and for post office staff in Balbriggan.” He appealed to anyone who may have witnessed suspicious activity at the three locations associated with this incident to contact gardaí. Gardaí were yesterday also investigating an armed raid on a post office in Kill, Co Waterford. Two men, one armed with what appeared to be a shotgun, entered the post office shortly after 11.30am when staff and a number of customers were present. The men escaped with an undisclosed sum of money in a black car in the direction of Carroll’s Cross. There were no injuries and no shots were discharged. Earlier in the day, a stolen JCB was used by raiders to smash a wall and steal a safe at a post office in Castlecomer, Co Kilkenny. The vehicle was used to gain entry to the post office shortly after 6am. The safe stolen is understood to have been empty, however. Gardaí said the JCB had been stolen in Carlow overnight. He appealed to anyone who may have witnessed the vehicle being driven or transported to Castlecomer to contact them. A spokesman for An Post yesterday declined to discuss the incidents, saying they were a matter for gardaí. General secretary of the Irish Postmasters’ Union Brian McGann expressed his sympathies to the family involved in the Swords incident. “Unfortunately, postmasters and their staff face the threat of this type of attack every day in their working lives,” he said. The vast majority of raids on post offices were unsuccessful, as postmasters and their staff did not have access to cash and all safes were time-locked, he added. The union and An Post had worked together to develop and improve security at post offices, which he described as “robust”. He urged An Post staff to remain vigilant and to follow security protocols.

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Police find body in Perth motel car park

 

POLICE have found the body of a missing man wrapped in plastic in the back of a four-wheel drive vehicle in Perth, nearly two weeks after he went missing. The body of 38-year-old Mite Naumovski, a convicted drug trafficker, was found early yesterday afternoon in the car park at the Great Eastern Motor Lodge in Rivervale, in Perth's inner east. Police had been seeking the father of one since he failed to return after telling his family he was going for a motorbike ride. Police said several people had been taken into custody and were being questioned by Major Crime Squad detectives. Mr Naumovski's body was found at the same motor lodge where the body of Perth concrete firm owner Peter Davis was found earlier this year, also in the back of a car and wrapped in plastic. A man has been charged over the Mr Davis' death but police were making no connection between the deaths yesterday.

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Mexican forces have arrested a man they say is a key figure in the country's most powerful drugs cartel.

 

Noel Salgueiro Nevarez is accused of running the Sinaloa cartel's operations in the northern state of Chihuahua, where drug violence is rampant.

Defence officials said his arrest would seriously weaken the cartel in Mexico and abroad.

The arrest was made on the same day as that of Martin Rosales Magana, who is accused of leading the La Familia gang.

The army said Mr Salgueiro Nevarez was seized in a carefully planned military operation, without a shot being fired.

Defence Ministry spokesman Ricardo Trevilla Trejo said Noel Salgueiro Nevarez was behind much of the extreme violence which has plagued Ciudad Juarez, Mexico's murder capital.

He said the suspect, also known as El Flaco (The Skinny One), led a gang of hitmen who extorted local businessmen, kidnapped for ransom, and tortured and killed members of a rival gang, the Juarez cartel.

'Criminal career'

Continue reading the main story

Analysis

Ignacio de los ReyesBBC Mundo, Mexico City

The Sinaloa Cartel controls the production of large quantities of heroin, marijuana, and methamphetamine (in the US) and boasts an extensive network of associates to facilitate its US trafficking operations, US officials say.

On Saturday, Texas Governor Rick Perry said he would even consider sending US troops into Mexico to combat drug-related violence and "keep the cartels off the border".

This is why the arrest of "The Skinny One" could be a severe blow to the Sinaloa cartel activity both sides of the fence.

It is also a public relations boost for Mexican President Felipe Calderon at home and in the US, amid growing criticism of his government's strategy to fight criminals and the drug trafficking.

Yet, the Sinaloa Cartel leader is still free. Joaquin "The Shorty" Guzman escaped from a maximum security prison in 2001, embarrassing the Mexican government.

Since then, he's become the number one target with a $3m reward for his capture.

The security forces say the bitter war between the two gangs was the trigger for most of the 3,000 killings in Ciudad Juarez last year.

Prosecutors said Mr Salgueiro Nevarez started his criminal career 15 years ago, producing marijuana for the Sinaloa cartel.

They said his gang had been exporting up to 15 tonnes of marijuana and two tonnes of cocaine per month to the United States.

The government had offered a three-million-peso ($220,000; £130,000) reward for information leading to his capture.

Security officials said his arrest, in the city of Culiacan in northwestern Sinaloa state, was a major blow to the Sinaloa cartel and its leader, Joaquin "Shorty" Guzman.

Mr Guzman, 54, is Mexico's most wanted man and thought to be one of the country's richest.

Two years ago, he made Forbes magazine's list of the 67 World's Most Powerful People. At number 41, he was just below Iran's Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei.

Crumbling cartel

Mr Salgueiro Nevarez's arrest was announced at the same time as that of another top figure in the Mexican drugs trade.

Police say Martin Rosales Magana lead the remnants of the La Familia cartel

Martin Rosales Magana, 47, was seized in Mexico state on Tuesday. Police say he is one of the founders of the once-powerful La Familia cartel.

Until the beginning of this year, La Familia ran much of the methamphetamine trade in Mexico.

It claimed to protect local communities and promote family values, but also engaged in gruesome violence.

The security forces say it has been almost entirely dismantled, with its top leaders either in jail or dead.

They say Mr Rosales Magana lead a number of small cells still loyal to the cartel, which had holed themselves up in a rural area between Michoacan and Mexico state.

At a news conference, federal police counter-narcotics chief Ramon Pequeno described how La Familia splintered after the security forces killed the cartel's then-leader Nazario Moreno in December 2010.

He said part of the gang set up a rival cartel, which they named Knights Templar, and which quickly took over many of the methamphetamine labs in the west and south-west of the country.

Mr Pequeno said Mr Rosales Magana and those loyal to him tried to regain control of the drugs trade in Michoacan state by forging an alliance with their long-time rivals, the Zetas cartel.

He told reporters how "they met with the Zetas to ask for operational assistance, weapons and salaries [for gunmen] and expenses money, in order to recoup important cities held by the Knights Templar".

However, according to police, the alliance soon faltered because Mr Rosales Magane no longer had access to the precursor chemicals needed to make methamphetamine, their main source of income.

Mr Pequeno said with La Familia severely weakened, police would now focus their attention on taking down the Knights Templar.

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Mexico Arrests Key Member Of Sinaloa Drug Cartel

 

Mexican security forces have arrested one of the top figures of the Sinaloa drug cartel in an operation carried out in the country's north, officials said on Wednesday. They said Noel Salgueiro Nevarez was arrested on Tuesday in Culiacan, capital of the north-western state of Sinaloa, in a carefully planned operation. He was captured "without any shots being fired," they added. Nevarez, alias El Flaco or The Skinny One, was the leader of a gang of hit-men working for the Sinaloa cartel led by Joaquin "El Chapo" (Shorty) Guzman. He is accused of running the cartel's operations in the northern state of Chihuahua and involvement in kidnappings, torture, extortion and murders. Nevarez is said to be a close associate of Guzman. Mexican officials say his arrest was a major blow to Guzman and insist that it would weaken the operations of the cartel in Mexico and abroad. The Mexican government had offered a reward of about $220,000 for information leading to the capture of Nevarez. The Sinaloa cartel, based in Mexico's Pacific coast, is currently one of the most powerful organized criminal gangs in the Americas. Cartel leader Guzman has been on the run since he escaped from a Mexican prison ten years ago. The United States had declared a $5 million reward for information leading to his capture. The Sinaloa cartel is presently engaged in a fierce turf battle with the Juarez cartel led by Vicente Carrillo Fuentes for the control of lucrative smuggling routes to the U.S. The two cartels are blamed for most of the recent drug-related violence in Chihuahua and other northern states. The Mexican government says that more than 34,600 people have died in drug-related violence in the country since President Felipe Calderon launched an offensive against drug gangs after taking office in December 2006. Besides fighting drug cartels, Calderon has deployed thousands of troops across the country to check drug-related violence and launched a massive anti-corruption drive named 'Operation Clean-up' to identify and punish public servants having links with drug cartels.

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WHOEVER shot the son of Mark Sandery broke "the paramount rule" of outlaw bikies, sources close to the gangs have warned.

 Two men broke into this Semaphore house, smashed windows and shot the son of Finks club member Mark Sandery. Source: Sunday Mail (SA) 

 A Finks member, right, who was at this Semaphore house where the son, 11, of notorious Fink Mark Sandery was shot on Friday night. Picture: Digitally enhanced imageSource: AdelaideNow 

 

The Advertiser  has been told the shooting of the boy, 11, goes against the core values of bikies.

"When it comes to dealing with rivals, there are no hard and fast rules except for two," a source said yesterday.

"You try not to do it in public, and the paramount rule is that you never, ever hurt the wife or the kids.

"To a lot of the guys, their children mean everything ... that's why you just don't do it."

Sandery was a member of the Finks Outlaw Motorcycle Club, but there are conflicting reports on whether he remains a member.

His son was injured when two male intruders burst into a home on Military Rd, Semaphore, on Friday night.

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Drug-dealing killer: Chicago cop stopped DEA investigation of me

 

high-level drug trafficker admits he was involved in three killings after a Chicago Police officer scuttled a federal investigation into his illegal activities in the mid-1990s, according to a recent court filing. Saul Rodriguez, who pleaded guilty last month to federal drug conspiracy charges, was an informant for Officer Glenn Lewellen for years. But Rodriguez told authorities he and Lewellen were also longtime partners in crime. They allegedly worked together to rip off other drug dealers, splitting millions of dollars in loot. Lewellen recruited Rodriguez as a police informant in early 1996. Rodriguez’s undercover name was “Bill Pager.” From 1996 to 2001, the Chicago Police Department paid him $807,000 for information that led to seizures of drugs and cash, prosecutors said. All the while Rodriguez was making cases for the police, however, he was committing crimes. And Lewellen repeatedly stepped in to keep Rodriguez out of jail, prosecutors said. Rodriguez’s statements to authorities are included in a 188-page document containing evidence prosecutors intend to present against Lewellen and other defendants who face trial in the same case. Rodriguez has agreed to testify against them. According to the document, Lewellen in mid-1996 persuaded the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration to stop investigating Rodriguez after 154 pounds of marijuana were seized from a secret compartment in his Buick. Lewellen told the DEA its investigation would harm ongoing Chicago Police Department cases, prosecutors said. Lewellen, who joined the police force in 1986, retired in 2002 to become a homebuilder. But he still managed to obstruct a separate DEA investigation of Rodriguez, prosecutors said. In 2006, Lewellen warned Rodriguez not to speak to a drug courier whose phone was wiretapped, Rodriguez said. At the time, the DEA was investigating Rodriguez’s ties to a cocaine wholesaler, prosecutors said. Lewellen told Rodriguez he got the information from an “agent” who previously worked in Colombia, but didn’t say what agency was involved in the investigation, according to Rodriguez. As Lewellen was allegedly protecting Rodriguez from the DEA, Rodriguez was involved in the murders of three men, prosecutors said. Rodriguez has confessed to orchestrating the slayings in 2000, 2001 and 2002. Rodriguez has also told authorities he arranged for a friend to “escape” from a prison in Mexico in 2003. He said he met with the prison warden while on vacation in Mexico and promised to pay him a $250,000 bribe in exchange for his friend’s freedom. In addition to his career as a drug dealer, Rodriguez became involved in managing boxers and developing real-estate in Chicago and Nevada, records show. The document detailing Rodriguez’s statements to federal prosecutors, filed last month, provides new details about Rodriguez’s relationship with Lewellen. For example, Rodriguez said he bought Lewellen a Ford Crown Victoria equipped with a siren. Lewellen allegedly drove the car while posing as a legitimate cop during drug rip-offs, Rodriguez said. Rodriguez has told authorities that another Chicago Police officer participated in at least one rip-off, but he believes the officer is now deceased. The prosecution’s evidentiary document also provides more information about the three murders in which Rodriguez admits to having a role. Rodriguez said he persuaded Lewellen to frame Juan Luevano with a drug case in 1999. Luevano, who was dating Rodriguez’s former girlfriend, was released from jail after posting bond in the case. Rodriguez said he then met with a high-ranking Satan Disciples gang member who was in prison. The gang leader was angry Luevano was dating his wife, Rodriguez told authorities. The gang leader asked Rodriguez to find someone to “get” Luevano. So Rodriguez said he hired a high-school pal, Manuel Uriarte, to kill Luevano. Uriarte and Andres Flores allegedly shot Luevano to death in 2000 near his home in Cicero, prosecutors said. They’re charged with murder in the same federal drug conspiracy case. Rodriguez also admitted he arranged for the 2001 murder of Michael Garcia. Rodriguez said he acted at the request of a friend who suspected Garcia had killed his brother, prosecutors said. And Rodriguez said he was involved in the 2002 murder of Miguel De La Torre. Rodriguez said he arranged the kidnapping of De La Torre to scare him into providing information about the location of cocaine and money. Rodriguez said he hired Miguel Uriate and his brother Jorge Uriate to squeeze the information from De La Torre, a drug dealer. If De La Torre refused to talk, they agreed the Uriates would kill him, Rodriguez said. Rodriguez admitted he provided Uriate brothers with an electrical cord they used to strangle De La Torre in a garage. Jorge Uriate also faces murder charges in the same case. Lewellen, who is free on $1 million bail awaiting trial, is not charged with any of the killings.

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Feds indict 23 Texas Syndicate gang members

 

Federal authorities Tuesday announced the indictment of 23 reputed Texas Syndicate gang members and associates on charges including four murders, drug trafficking and extortion. Those charged are primarily in the Uvalde and Hondo areas, but the prison-born criminal group has members throughout the state. Their alleged crimes were committed over the past nine years, according to the indictment, which details the structure and goals the gang, which is led by officers with ranks. The indictment also delves into the gang's strict rules and penalties, including being killed, for going against the organization or disobeying orders. "The (Texas Syndicate) will not hesitate to kill anyone who interferes with the business of the gang or who commits a violation of Texas Syndicate rules. Among those charges under RICO, the acronym for Racketeering Influenced Corrupt Organization: Cristobal "Little Chris" Velasquez, 33, of Uvalde; Sotero Rodriguez Martinez "June", 41, of Uvalde; Chuco Mario "Mariachi" Martinez, 35, of Uvalde; Larry "Little Larry" Munoz, Jr.,36, of Uvalde; Brian "Tata" Esparza, 31, of Uvalde; Charles "Horse" Esparza, 32, of Uvalde; Ervey "Mad Max" Sanchez, 31, of Uvalde; Mark Anthony Vela, 35, of Hondo; Charles Olan Quintanilla, 32, of Hondo; George "Curious" Sanchez,36, of Uvalde; and, Inez "Bebito" Mata, 41, of Uvalde. Others charged in the case are not accused of violating the RICO law.

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Dancehall star Vybz Kartel has been charged with the murder of Jamaican promoter Barrington Burton

. Photograph: Scott Gries/Getty Images

Jamaican dancehall star Vybz Kartel has been charged with murder. A police statement issued in Kingston on Monday said that the 35-year-old artist was charged with murder, conspiracy to murder and illegal possession of a firearm. Investigators accuse the rapper, whose real name is Adijah Palmer, of conspiring with others to kill a 27-year-old promoter who was murdered earlier this year.

"The allegation is that on Monday, July 11, 2011, Palmer, along with other men, conspired to murder Barrington Burton o/c 'Bossie', a 27-year-old businessman/promoter of a Gregory Park address in St Catherine. Burton was murdered while he was standing with friends along Walkers Avenue in Gregory Park," the police release said. A preliminary hearing is scheduled to take place on Tuesday.

Kartel's defence attorney was reported to have said that his client was prepared to fight the charges. Kartel was initially arrested on Friday for marijuana possession.

Kartel has previously been arrested on charges including assault and illegal gun possession. Those charges were later dropped. A long-running feud with fellow artist Mavado is alleged to have fuelled mob attacks in inner-city neighbourhoods of Kingston. In December 2009, the two met government ministers in an attempt to calm the situation.

Kartel has worked on collaborations and remixes with the likes of Jay-Z, Rihanna and MIA. His international hits include Ramping Shop, Dollar Sign and Clarks. The success of the latter song last year sent sales of the British shoes soaring in Jamaica. A businessman in his own right, Kartel also has his own brands of rum and condoms as well as his owncontroversial range of skin-lightening cosmetics.

Recently, the singer also became the star of locally produced reality TV show Teacha's Pet. Officials from the telecommunications company that sponsors the show were said to be discussing the new charges levelled against Kartel last night.

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Alleged hit-run death case on hold until next year

 

trial over an alleged hit-and-run death of a man in the rural area of Darwin has been put off until March next year. Hells Angels member Nicholas Frank "Shonky" Cassidy has been charged with causing the death of Levi Griffiths, whose body was found on the side of the Stuart Highway at Coolalinga last month. It is alleged he was hit by a utility and that his body was moved. Darwin Magistrates Court heard today that more than 100 witnesses will be called in the case. The court was told that all of the prosecution's forensic evidence has not been handed in yet. Cassidy's bail was continued.

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