United States of Europe

The Sicilian mafia’s hitmen are skilled and practiced, their murders are rarely botched, even when carried out from the back of a motorcycle traveling at speed. But one of the many mysteries that surrounds the Cosa Nostra is where its killers acquire their lethal dexterity. It is known they have practiced in the Sicilian countryside. But the flat crack of a pistol, which sounds quite unlike the report of a shotgun, can swiftly attract unwelcome attention.Part of the answer to the puzzle has emerged in Palermo’s notorious Zona Espansione Nord (Zen) - a complex of housing estates on the edge of the city which was the fiefdom of the city’s top mobster, Salvatore Lo Piccolo, known as the Baron, until his arrest last year.There, 10 meters below ground in a warren of passages, police have found a firing range littered with 9 x 21 caliber ammunition - the Italian mobster’s favorite.Sara Fascina, the police commander whose officers discovered the complex, said it also seemed to have been used ...

Fausto Gonzalez, 37, who was branded a "killing machine" by prosecutors, will have to serve the new terms consecutively, virtually ensuring he will never be freed.Remorseless biker-gang assassin who murdered six people was hit with two life sentences Friday by a Manhattan judge who called the crimes "immorality in such epic proportions.""I saw not a twinge of regret or any decent human emotion during the trial," said Supreme Court Justice Daniel FitzGerald.The judge imposed two life sentences with no possibility of parole for two of the murders and four sentences of 25 years to life for the others.He imposed separate sentences for each victim's death to recognize the value of their lives, "something that never crossed your mind," the judge told Gonzalez.Gonzalez is already serving life in prison for another gang murder in Connecticut.Assistant District Attorney Robert Walker said before sentencing that Gonzalez was an "unrepentant"...

Dante Ferrazza, who was sentenced to life in prison without a chance for parole in 1967, is scheduled to be released from prison in January after the governor in October endorsed a recommendation from the Parole Board.Macomb County Prosecutor Eric Smith on Monday filed an application to appeal the decision in Macomb County. Ferrazza was convicted of first-degree, premeditated murder along with Harry Whitney, who has since died, for the April 1966 strangling death of Gary Grayvold, 28, of Detroit. The slaying was a gangland-style execution among small-time criminals in which Ferrazza and Whitney abducted Grayvold at gunpoint at Pampa Lanes in Warren, strangled him in a garrote-style execution and dumped his body in a lake at Stony Creek Park (now Metropark) in Washington Township, according to published reports at the time. His body, which had been weighted with two cement blocks, was found May 6 by two Warren High School students at a dam in the park, reports say. Brad Grayvold, 42, on...

15-year-old gang associate was in critical condition Friday after he was wounded twice by his own gun during a struggle with a 32-year-old he pointed the weapon at, police said.The man, who police said was a former paratrooper in the Honduras army, was not hurt and waited for police to respond to where the confrontation happened. He gave a statement to investigators before he was arrested on suspicion of assault while the district attorney's office determines whether he acted in self-defense. Police would not release the name of the teen or the adult pending the district attorney's review.The shooting happened just before 2 a.m. Friday in the 3700 block of Foothill Boulevard in the Fruitvale district. The area is a known hangout of certain gang members and police said the 15-year-old is associated with the gang. The man was on his cell phone when he was confronted by the teen, and possibly some other youths, said Officer Robert Trevino, who is investigating the case with Sgt. D...

Jorge Rojas and Juan Gonzalez, two gunmen from the Tijuana drug cartel, have been convicted in a San Diego court in connection with last year's kidnapping of businessman Eduardo Gonzalez:The pair led a group known as Los Palillos (the Toothpicks) that focused its attacks on alleged associates of the Arellano-Felix drug-smuggling organization, which has controlled the flow of narcotics from Tijuana into Southern California for more than 15 years. Law enforcement officials say Rojas organized the gang of disgruntled ex-gunmen believed responsible for as many as 20 kidnappings and a dozen murders in San Diego County beginning in about 2004. Rojas and Gonzalez face life in prison, and four other defendants allegedly involved with the kidnapping of Gonzalez are scheduled for trial in January.

Two men were killed and a third critically wounded early this morning as they left a popular downtown Detroit nightclub.The three men were leaving Club Bleu on Woodward at John R shortly after 2 a.m. today when they flashed hand signals associated with a metro Detroit gang and exchanged words with three men in a black Dodge Charger. A passenger in the front seat of the car threw a liquor bottle at the group, striking one of the men in the head and the rear seat passenger in the car pulled out a gun and shot all three men.Two of the men — ages 19 and 21 — were shot in the chest and died. The third, an 18-year-old who also was the man hit in the head with the bottle, was shot in the shoulder and was listed in critical condition at a Detroit hospital.Police are investigating whether gang rivalries caused a shooting this morning outside a downtown nightclub that killed two men and critically injured a third. The 2:13 a.m. incident near the Bleu Room Experience -- commonly called Club Bleu ...

Anti-Mafia police on Friday arrested 10 Sicilian businessmen who had allegedly been paying Mafia 'protection money' for over 40 years. Giuseppe De Riggi, who spearheaded the operation, described the arrests as "a winning move" that could encourage more businesses to go to the police. "Today's arrests are a surprising result that will be of future help and encouragement to business people paying 'protection money' who want to report their extortionists to police," he said."Police and magistrates need to give support to businesses and anti-Mafia associations that oppose paying protection money," De Riggi added.In July this year, 18 businessmen who became victims of the Mafia's protection racket or 'pizzo' chose to identify their suspected extortionists in court. The suspected extortionists were separated in the courtroom from their victims by a two-way mirror. The Addiopizzo (Goodbye Pizzo) anti-racket youth movement hailed th...

Netherlands has again been used as a hiding place for top Mafiosi. Clan leader Giuseppe Nirta, of the ‘ndrangheta in the Calabria region, was arrested in Amsterdam, together with his family and private driver. Nicola Gratteri, of the Italian ministry of justice, says that Nirta could be arrested only due to Italian intelligence. Italian crime fighters have regularly complained about the negligence of Dutch police and justice department regarding Italian criminals.

Sean Cloherty (27), known to gardai as a drug dealer, was targeted in his home on Ashcroft Grove, off the Blakestown Road in Mulhuddart. There was no sign of a struggle or forced entry. The victim, originally from Champions Avenue in the city centre, had been shot up to six times in the head, neck and chest. Cloherty was known to city centre detectives for dealing cocaine, particularly in the Temple Bar area. He was targeted by officers in the South Central Division and was arrested and taken to Pearse Street station during the summer. He had convictions for drugs, abusive behaviour and traffic offences. “Gardai have come across this man before and know his track record. He was associated with some of the big heads on the Blanchardstown scene,” said a source. A neighbour noted that Mr Cloherty, his partner and two children had only been living in the area for a short period. The body was found slumped on a couch in the living room, and it is believed the killer calmly walked out of the...

The mobile phone pistol was capable of holding four bullets and was fully-loaded and ready to be used.The antenna works as the barrel of the pistol.By sliding the key part, the phone turned into a gun and could be fired using one of the buttons on the pad.The phones first emerged in Eastern Europe in 2000 and their use by the Mafia is seen as a worrying development..22 calibre pistol, was seized by Italian police during an early morning blitz.Besides the mobile phone gun, officers also found two traditional handguns, bullet proof vests, drugs, ammunition and 8500 euros (£7,242)The operation against the Camorra, the version of the Mafia in the crime-ridden southern port city of Naples, took place in the Torre Annunziata suburb. This is the first time that such a weapon has been seized and shows the sophistication that the crime syndicates are turning to.Officers from the paramilitary Carabinieri police were involved in the raid against the Gionta clan crime family who control the area.A...

Border Patrol agents from the Tucson, Arizona sector arrested a man found to have a criminal record for armed robbery and with known ties to the “Sureno” gang. Yesterday at 3 a.m. agents from the Casa Grande Station arrested the 20-year-old male illegal alien on the Tohono O’odham Indian Reservation. Criminal record checks revealed information detailing a previous conviction in 2005 for armed robbery in Atlanta. He was sentenced to 10 years in prison for this crime and ordered to serve three. He was then deported in 2007.Records also revealed that the subject was an active member of the “Sureno” gang. He admitted to being a former member of “Sureno” as he revealed his gang tattoos with the distinctive “13.” The “Sureno” gang, better known as a part of the “Mexican Mafia” started in California state prisons. The Mexican Mafia is a highly organized criminal entity thought to have more than 100,000 members and be involved in extortion, drug and human trafficking, and murder.The subject wi...

The Latin Kings, Surenos and MS-13 gangs, all with ties to the Mexican Mafia are operating criminal enterprises in Kentucky. Cells have been identified in Shelbyville, Louisville and Lexington. A narcotics officer told us some illegals have wired 15000 dollars a week for months to cartels in Mexico.Shane Sutter said, “We don’t have a swat team. We don’t have a gang task force. We’re just a small town.”Suttor says it’s a small town preparing for a siege.FBI agents tell us they have investigated reports of gang initiations involving murder.The MS-13’s weapon of choice? The machete.The FBI has compared MS-13 to the old “Cosa nostra” or Italian Mafia. MS-13 is active in 42 states, including Indiana and Kentucky. MS-13 is highly organized, with trained business people in its top ranks. They operate counterfeit check rings; steal identities, strip cars, run guns and traffic drugs. U.S. Attorney David J. Huber said, “This is not surprising, because Mexico supplies approximately 80 percent of ...

According to investigators, 27-year-old Piero Emanuel Fuentes-Hernandez of Capitol Heights, Maryland was arrested Tuesday and charged with felony murder. They say Hernandez is a known gang member, and he has confessed to the murders. Police stress that tips from the public were crucial in his apprehension. Detectives believe the Spevaks were attacked on Thursday night or early Friday morning by a man who used a telephone cord to tie the couple up, stole three computers, credit cards, and the couple's car. According to court documents, police first saw the suspect on Ingraham Street, where they found the couples' burned out car. It's still unclear just how police connected Hernandez to the crime, but according to a court affidavit, he was first spotted by police on Sunday morning as he was going into the front door of 622 Ingraham Street. That's the same house where police found evidence connected to the crime in the backyard. When investigators took him in for ques...

Armed gangs stormed several tourist sites and hotels and killed at least 78 people in a series of attacks. Chaos and fear gripped the streets of Mumbai on Wednesday as gunmen started targeting American and British nationals. According to Canada's Foreign Affairs Minister, no Canadians have been injured or killed in the attacks. But that doesn't mean Calgarians with family members in the area aren't fearful for their loved one's safety. The Garrisons have a daughter and grandchildren in Mumbai. In fact, they live two streets from where Wednesday's attacks began. At around 11:30 a.m. on Wednesday, the Garrisons received a phone call from their daughter Averil. "She was saying there was shooting and some bombs had gone off nearby in the Taj Hotel and that she was at home with the children and they were safe and not to worry," says Derrick Harrison. The upper floors of the five-star Taj Mahal hotel burst into flames and thick smoke poured out of balconies. Scr...

Los Angeles Police Department and sheriff's investigators had initially focused their investigation on Escalante's work at the Men's Central Jail, where he guarded the most dangerous inmates, including members of the Mexican Mafia. Investigators have combed Escalante's personal life for clues. But they are now zeroing in on the possibility that Escalante was slain by local gang members -- perhaps by assailants who were not even aware that he was a lawman.Authorities are especially interested in the long-running feud between the notorious Avenues Gang and the rival Cypress Park gang, whose territory includes the northeast Los Angeles neighborhood where Escalante was killed.Investigators know that finding new witnesses four months after the killing is difficult, especially when there's a risk of reprisals from gang members. Standing in a neighborhood where gang roots run deep and allegiance carries over from generation to generation, Escalante's wife told reporter...

Charged are Andrew 'Blacka Shines' Cox, 19, Adrian 'Banga' Lofters, 23, Lenford 'Bungie' Brown, 21, and 22-year-old Jerome Millwood. When the case was mentioned yesterday, the prosecution outlined that the investigating officer was in a car accident and unable to make arrangements to have the main witness in the matter taken to court. The men were charged with five counts of murder for the July 2006 massacre in the volatile Norwood community where five family members were killed and their homes set on fire. In light of the circumstances a new date of February 4, 2009 was set. Allegations are that gunmen shot and killed 43-year-old Patrick Anderson, 29-year-old Natalie Ferguson, 57-year-old Linda Malcolm, her common-law husband, 62-year-old Michael The attackers also torched the houses of Anderson and the Montaques.

Two gang-bangers from Virginia, have been dealing drugs out of a Dania Beach motel, according to authorities.That is, they had been until Tuesday night, when Broward sheriff's deputies knocked on the door of the men on the lam since July.Joshua Daly, 20, and Tavon Pauley, 21, are now in county lock-up, held there until Virginia authorities come pick them up on outstanding second-degree murder warrants. Daly and Pauley, both of Norfolk, Va., are accused of shooting and killing Dawan Floyd, 23, in the middle of the street on July 25 over some sort of gang-related skirmish, according to America's Most Wanted's website.On Daly's right arm is the tattooed initials ''GD'' -- for Gangster Disciples. Pauley is a member of the Bloods, AMW reports.The pair disappeared shortly after the killing, only to resurface hundreds of miles south.Four months to the day after Floyd's death, BSO detectives received a tip that two men were selling drugs out of the Roadway I...

Anthony Stillitano, 72, has been charged with being an accessary after the fact to the murder of Ross "Rosco" Brand outside the Bandidos' bikie clubhouse on October 22. He also has been charged with a range of weapons and drug offences.A brief hearing at the Geelong Magistrates Court was told a search warrant was executed at Stillitano's house on Wednesday where police allegedly seized the canopy of a vehicle allegedly used in the fatal shooting.Magistrate Stephen Myall granted Stillitano bail on a number of conditions, including that he report weekly to police and surrender any valid passport.Stillitano was ordered to reappear at the same court on February 13 next year for a committal mention. Mr Myall suppressed Stillitano's address.Earlier on Thursday, Stillitano's two step-grandsons were remanded in custody for the murder of Brand.John Bedson, 25, of Ocean Grove, and Derrick Bedson, 21, of Highton have both been charged with murder and intentionally causin...

Homicide investigators are still trying to determine why a man shot to death at a busy Surrey strip mall late Tuesday was in the area just before his murder.Cpl. Dale Carr o f the Integrated Homicide Investigation Team said the man was known to police, but no motive has yet been determined for the shooting, in which a second man was seriously wounded.The man had been eating at the To Chau Restaurant in the strip mall at 10028 King George prior to the fatal shooting, but Carr said investigators have not confirmed what the man was doing at the time.RCMP went to the scene after receiving a number of shots-fired calls about 10:15 p.m.No one was answering at the restaurant Wednesday, which remained behind police tape for much of the day as police continued to scour the area for evidence in the murder. Carr said the second victim is so seriously wounded that police have not been able to talk to him.Until well into the morning Wednesday, the victim's body could be seen slumped in a sittin...

Federal police say Garcia Luna's bodyguards witnessed the head of Mexico's Public Security Ministry discuss an "agreement" with a drug cartel gangster The Secretary of Public Security, Genaro Garcia Luna, who is considered untouchable and Felipe Calderon's "spoiled official," has maintained numerous public officials accused of having links to drug traffickers--El Mayo Zamabada in particular--in his inner circle. An investigation carried out by agents who are opposed to the proposed police integration[1] assure in a letter sent to Congress, which Proceso has a copy of, that this past October numerous armed men intercepted Garcia Luna on a highway and disarmed members of his escort while a gangster warned him, "This is the first and last warning so that you know that, yes, we can get to you if you don't follow through on the pact..." The document adds that then Garcia Luna withdrew from the spot for four hours in order to negotiate with the...

The manager said a string of girls have quit their jobs amid fears for their safety as police hunt the culprits - and believes the gang is targeting brothels across Redbridge and east London.Gang of men threatened prostitutes with guns and knives while robbing a brothel three times in a week.She said security had been stepped up since the incidents - at 7.40pm on Thursday, October 30, 5.30pm on Tuesday, November 4, and 6.30pm on November 5.The boss, who asked to remain anonymous through fear of reprisals, said: "It was the same bunch of guys every time. They kick the doors down and say they will use weapons. Even though we couldn't see any, who wants to take that risk?"Each time they took money, the girls' mobile phones and laptops. Luckily I don't keep large amounts of cash on-site."During the first raid the robbers screamed "armed police" as they burst in.The manager, who has run the business for the past four months and been in the trade for four...

Malcolm Bull, 53, from Milton Keynes, was convicted by an 11-1 majority verdict of killing Gerry Tobin, who was shot dead on the M40 in Warwickshire in August last year.A jury at Birmingham Crown Court, which is still considering the case against three other men accused of murder, also found Bull guilty of possessing a shotgun. Jurors convicted two other members of the Outlaws biker gang of the murder of Mr Tobin on Monday.Simon Turner, 41, from Nuneaton, Warwickshire, and Dane Garside, a 42-year-old from Coventry, were also found guilty by the jury of possessing a firearm with intent to endanger life.Garside, a father of seven, was also convicted by a 10-2 majority verdict of possessing a shotgun.The jury is still considering its verdicts on three other men who deny murdering Mr Tobin, a 35-year-old from Mottingham, south east London.The remaining defendants, who all deny murder and possessing a shotgun, are Karl Garside, 45, Dean Taylor, 47, and 46-year-old Ian Cameron, all from Cove...

John and Rob Dawes were the generals of the Dawes Cartel, based in the Mansfield and Sutton-in-Ashfield areas. They ran a multi-million-pound drugs empire from a small house in Tudor Street, Sutton-in-Ashfield. Like his pal Colin Gunn, John Dawes eschewed life within the legitimate working world. From 1991 until his arrest in 2005, there is no evidence that John Dawes did a single day's legitimate work. He lived almost exclusively, according to his own accounts, as a jobless man claiming benefits. His hot-headed brother Rob was operating from Spain from 2002 onwards, organising shipments of cannabis resin and cocaine, while the rest of the gang organised wholesale deliveries of amphetamines and heroin, mainly from Liverpool and Runcorn. Until 2001, they operated almost undetected. Then police in Nottinghamshire launched Operation Normality with the help of the National Crime Squad and customs investigators. By 2003, it would receive additional resources with the sanctioning of Oper...

Xie Jing Feng alias Richard, 50, the drug mafia don from Canada caught red handed on Vadodara-Mumbai highway on Friday.According to Narcotics Control Bureau (NCB) officials, the arrest of the leader got them to bust the first-ever methamphetamine producing unit near Vadodara on Friday. The officials have also arrested two Malay citizens in the case.Ayush Mani Tiwari, zonal director of NCB, Ahmedabad, told TOI that methamphetamine is a very popular drug in South-East Asian countries, Japan and United States. "The drug comes under amphetamine-type stimulants (ATS) that contains methamphetamine, amphetamine and Ecstacy. In early 70s, the drug was banned but it resurfaced in a big way in late 90s and since then, the drug is very popular in party circuits," he said.Though there were no reported incidents of methamphetamine usage in India, NCB sleuths have time and again got tip-off of its production and despatch to consumer countries. NCB has conducted raids in the past in Hyderab...

Chinese man kidnapped by a gang of Chinese “mafia”, who tortured and threatened him with execution unless a Dh100 million ransom was paid.Police said yesterday the 24-year-old Chinese man was snatched from outside his home in International City on Nov 16.He was tortured with a stun gun by the gang, who told his girlfriend he would be killed if she did not pay. However, police two days later stormed a flat in Ajman, rescued the hostage and arrested eight men and a woman.A spokesman for Dubai Police CID described the gang as part of a “Chinese mafia”, whose leader was wanted in China for crimes including torture, kidnap and murder.The victim’s ordeal began when he was attacked and dragged from the entrance to the building where he shared a flat with his girlfriend. The gang had been watching and following the man since earlier that day when he had paid a large amount of money into a bank.Col Khalil Ibrahim al Mansouri, the deputy chief of Dubai CID, said the man was interested in moving ...

Cheshunt Drug baron and three of his cronies caught with chemicals and cash in a plot to supply cocaine have been jailed for more than 23 years altogether.Daniel Davis, 25, of Nutwood Gardens, Cheshunt, was convicted of conspiracy to supply a Class A drug, money laundering and acquiring, using or having possession of criminal property.He was jailed for 11 years.Officers from the Serious Organised Crime Agency (SOCA) swooped on various East London locations last year, seizing £54,200 in forged £20 notes, tens of thousands in cash and Euros and 13.8kg of boric acid, used to dilute pure cocaine.Mastermind Davis, a failed entrepreneur, turned to supplying cocaine as his next 'get rich quick' plan after his courier business went bust. Also convicted after a six-week trial at Snaresbrook Crown Court were Kevin Downes, 49, Paul Leaper, 29, and Thomas Smith, 23.SOCA officers captured Davis and Leaper in West Lane, Bermondsey on June 30 last year with 13.8kg of boric acid and a quantity...

Mark Anthony Escobedo, 28, was arrested in connection to a fight with a 37-year-old Watsonville man at a bar on Nov. 16.The victim was involved in an altercation at the bar on East Lake Avenue, and received severe injuries when he was slashed multiple times on his chest and back with a sharp cutting instrument, according to police. The police department's gang unit was able to identify Escobedo as the suspect.During Friday's arrest, police said they found evidence connected to the incident, a loaded sawed-off shotgun and crystal methamphetamine.Escobedo was charged with one count of assault with a deadly weapon, possession of an illegal sawed-off shotgun, possession of methamphetamine, possession of a loaded firearm while in possession of a controlled substance and the illegal possession of a firearm by a prohibited person. He was booked in County Jail.The condition of the victim was not available Saturday.

man found shot dead in an alley may have been the victim of a gangland execution, police believe. The 24-year-old, who has not been named, was discovered at 9pm on Friday in West Ealing, London. The Met's Operation Trident team, which investigates black-on-black killings, is looking into possible gang links. No arrests had been made by last night. Police appealed for witnesses.

Bruno Diquinzio, 42, was named yesterday as remaining at large following arrests in Project Croisière, a joint police investigation into a cocaine trafficking ring that stretched from Vancouver to Montreal.Diquinzio, a Montrealer, played an enforcer for a mafioso in Omertà, a popular fictional account of the Montreal Mafia that aired on Radio Canada during the late 1990s. The series title was borrowed from the Sicilian expression for the Mafia's code of silence.Besides charges filed against him in Montreal court yesterday, Diquinzio is being sought since June 1 on drug trafficking charges filed in Vancouver.In 2000, he was sentenced to a 3-year prison term after police in Montreal linked him to a large stash of drugs, cash and weapons uncovered in the St. Michel district. Police initially linked him to the Montreal Mafia, but during a Dec. 2000 parole hearing, his classification was modified to a "large-scale drug trafficker" with extensive contacts in the drug milieu.At ...

Noe Ramirez Mandujano, a veteran federal prosecutor who resigned in July as head of an elite unit known as SIEDO, is charged with passing tips to the Beltran Leyva gang in the western state of Sinaloa, Mexican Atty. Gen. Eduardo Medina Mora said. Ramirez, 47, becomes the highest-ranking law enforcement official to be arrested amid a government investigation of infiltration of police agencies by drug traffickers.Five other officials from SIEDO, a division of the attorney general's office that spearheads drug investigations, already face charges of leaking intelligence to the Sinaloa group.Medina Mora said a member of the gang told authorities he paid a total of $450,000 to Ramirez as part of a monthly payoff scheme "in exchange for providing information about investigations and ongoing actions" against the Sinaloa drug smugglers.The attorney general said Ramirez had voluntarily appeared before prosecutors to answer the accusations but there was sufficient cause to detain t...

Coquitlam RCMP and a local newspaper say they have been contacted by an anonymous tipster who claims he has the bullet-riddled body of an escaped gangster stored in his fridge.The caller told the North Shore News that Omid Tahvili, the convicted drug dealer who escaped from the North Fraser Pretrial Centre in November with the aid of a guard, was killed last week after he was shot five times in the head, chest, arm and legs.The tipster said he is storing the body in a fridge and that he would hold onto it until the RCMP offer him a suitable reward. "I can't keep the body around no more longer, because the body stinks right now," the caller told the North Shore News.If they don't make that deal with me, I'm just going to burn the body and get rid of it."He would not reveal how he came to be in possession of the corpse, or any information about who shot Tahvili.Coquitlam RCMP Cpl. Scott Baker confirmed that the tipster had called him twice and offered to return...

Daniel "Max" Davenport, 24, of West Hempstead, N.Y., who is said to be a member of the Long Island Boys, was arrested just before 9 p.m. when troopers found him hiding inside 246 Hazle Ave., Wilkes-Barre, according to the newspaper. An alleged member of the Jersey City Boys was charged Tuesday and another alleged member is sought by police, the newspaper reported.Pennsylvania State Police have arrested a man they say is associated with two drug-dealing gangs in Wilkes-Barre, Pa., one that has ties to Jersey City, according to a report in the Times-Leader of northeastern Pennsylania.

Sentenced Logan Atkins to three years in prison and one year in jail for the gang-related shooting of Lamar Anthony Waddy, then 18, in Staunton in March 2007. Atkins pleaded guilty in February to participating in gang activity, unlawful shooting while committing a felony and reckless handling of a firearm. One gunshot struck Waddy in the buttocks. Atkins is already serving a four-year sentence on two felony firearm possession convictions in Waynesboro in August 2007. He will serve the new sentence in addition to the previous and will undergo 10 years of supervised probation upon release, as outlined in a plea agreement by attorneys. Assistant Commonwealth’s Attorney Jeffrey Gaines said Atkins was uncooperative with police, but was “visibly shaken,” after the shot unintentionally struck the victim. He said he hopes the sentence will give Atkins time to mature and send a message to “self-styled gangbangers” that gang participation will bring felony charges. The defendant’s sister spoke o...

Ruben "Niteowl" Castro, 48, a kingpin of the 18th Street gang, admitted to running criminal operations at the park in a hearing before U.S. District Judge Christina Snyder. He had been indicted in 2006 on charges of racketeering, conspiracy and murder, along with 17 others.Gangs under his control allegedly taxed drug dealers in the area, as well as MacArthur Park fruit and ice cream vendors. Police also reported gang members taxing people who play chess on park tables.Revenue was divided among Castro and his associates on the street.Because of the extent of his criminal reach from federal prison in Florence, Colo., Los Angeles Magazine picked Castro as one of the city's most powerful people in December 2006.Castro was already serving three life sentences for a 1997 conviction on racketeering and conspiracy. Deputy U.S. Atty. Brian Michael said Castro's conviction sets the stage for the trials of others in the 2006 indictment.

Ian Gemell Bonner and Cornelius Moore, both 16, were charged with murder and armed robbery in connection with the crime. Kenneth R. Gaines, 26, was charged with armed robbery, firearm and drug charges. Members of the sheriff's gang task force descended upon the Luckey Street home, which sits within the territory claimed by the Sunset gang, on a tip they received while working that investigation, sheriff's Lt. Scott Peebles said. They think the gang was using the home as a "trap house," or a storage facility, for their weapons and drugs, according to Lt. Peebles. "We've got ideas about who this stuff is going to be linked to and we're going to verify that through forensics," he said. By late morning, deputies could be seen carrying suitcases and paper bags filled with cocaine, marijuana, ecstasy and ammunition from the home. Two assault rifles, a shotgun and three handguns also were seized. Lt. Peebles said his office had received information while wo...

Giuseppe Grigoli was arrested last year and is in jail while the investigation continues. Anti-Mafia authorities say assets including supermarket outlets, land and cars, were seized Tuesday in Sicily.Italian authorities have seized assets worth euro700 million ($885 million) from a supermarket chain owner suspected of letting the Mafia use his businesses to launder money.Prosecutors told reporters in Palermo that Grigoli's name was found on notes discovered after the 2006 arrest of the Mafia's reputed top boss, Bernardo Provenzano. Provenzano allegedly used the notes to communicate with his lieutenants, which were found in his hideout.Media reports did not identify a lawyer for Grigoli. Nobody at his company was available for comment.700 million euros in assets they believe can be traced to the most important fugitive Cosa Nostra boss, Matteo Messina Denaro, in an operation described as ''historic'' by anti-mafia police. The assets were in the name of 60-year-ol...

Four known gang members allegedly involved in a bitter war between two rival groups have been charged after an early morning shooting in Chinatown on Sunday.With weapons and attempted murder charges already laid in this incident, and more expected against others this week, police are saying this investigation could put a "significant dent" in the fight."This is the latest chapter in an ongoing dispute," said Calgary police acting Insp. Grant Miller of Sunday's shooting. We think we're going to make a significant dent in it with this particular investigation."The "brazen, targeted" attack of one gang against another unfolded around 1:30 a.m. in the 200 block of Centre Street S. when an SUV pulled up alongside a car and people inside began firing.At least 17 bullets hit the car, wounding four inside, said Miller.Other stray bullets struck nearby businesses on the street.Officers arriving on the scene found two victims inside the car, including o...

Christopher Ablett, a reputed member of the rival Mongols motorcycle gang, appeared in San Francisco Superior Court for the second time this morning since his extradition from Oklahoma last week and was appointed an attorney from the public defender's office.attorney for a man accused of fatally shooting the leader of the San Francisco chapter of the Hells Angels in September said today his client denies committing murder.The 35-year-old Modesto resident is suspected by San Francisco police of fatally shooting 46-year-old Mark "Papa" Guardado outside a bar in San Francisco's Mission District on Sept. 2.He has not yet entered a plea to charges of murder and firearm possession and remains in custody in the jail's high-security unit in lieu of $5 million bail.Ablett's new attorney Stephen Olmo said today he has not yet received the evidence against his client."My client's absolutely denying that he committed murder," Olmo said.Olmo declined comment ...

In what Cincinnati cops say is the largest criminal gang prosecution in the history of the city, a number of local, state and federal agencies have cracked down on a gang in Northside that calls itself the “Northside Taliband."A six-month investigation led to a 90-count indictment against 50 members and associates. The gang is believed to have as many as 90 members.Charges include murder, burglary, robbery, assault, drugs. A number of those charged are cited for “participating in a criminal gang,” a second-degree felony.

$5,000 reward for information leading to the arrest of an alleged gang member wanted for overseeing the distribution of crack cocaine at various locations throughout Chicago. Daniel Bonilla was charged with violation of federal drug law and has been the subject of a nationwide manhunt coordinated by Chicago FBI Joint Task Force on Gangs since October. Bonilla is allegedly a member of the Spanish Cobras street gang and was among 30 gang members and their associates charged as a result of the "Operation Snake Charmer" investigation, according to an FBI release. Bonilla is one of only three defendants who remain at large. The suspect is described as a 25-year-old Hispanic male with a heavy build, weighing about 300 pounds. He is about 5-foot-8 with black hair, brown eyes and slight facial hair. He is also known on the street as "Heavy," the release said. A reward up to $5,000 is being offered for information leading to Bonilla's arrest.

member of the Latin Kings gang has been arrested on cocaine charges following a three-month investigation by the Somerset County Prosecutor's Office Organized Crime and Narcotics Task Force, the Somerset County Prosecutor's Office Gangs and Guns Task Force, the North Plainfield Police Department and the Manville Police Department K-9 Unit. Roland Melendez, 23, of Lincoln Place, was charged with possession of cocaine with intent to distribute and possession of cocaine. At approximately 8:15 p.m. Wednesday, Nov. 12, officers executed a search warrant at Melendez's residence, said Somerset County Prosecutor Wayne Forrest.Members of the Task Force seized approximately ten grams of cocaine from Melendez, Forrest said. Also seized was one bag of cocaine hidden in Chavez's jacket, according to the prosecutor.Task Force members also disvovered several items indicating Melendez's membership with the Latin Kings Gang and photographs of Melendez displaying gang signs known to ...

The Wimborne Gang kicked a pensioner’s door down in the latest in a series of attacks on residents of a Merseyside community.The masked intruders forced their way into the home of the 80-year-old woman and made off with money and documents, leaving her fearing for her life.Neighbours said the burglary is just the latest in a string of violent and anti-social crimes in the Wimborne Road area of Huyton that they blame on 12-16 year-old yobs called “The Wimborne Gang”.Police and housing chiefs admitted today there was a problem in the area and they were taking steps to tackle it.The elderly woman, who has lived in the same house in Wimborne Road for 73 years, was at home when her home was attacked.The masked men pretended that they were from the fire service and had come to put out a blaze, shouting at her to let them into the house.When she refused, they broke down her door and ordered their terrified victim to “stay” while they tore through her house. They stole £200 cash, money the pen...

Charged Hector Portillo, a member of the international MS-13 street gang and seven others with multiple crimes, including 29 counts of murder, attempted murder, assault, racketeering, and illegal use of firearms. The charges were announced by Benton J. Campbell, United States Attorney for the Eastern District of New York; Peter J. Smith, special agent in charge of the Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) office of investigations in New York City; Richard A. Brown, Queens Country District Attorney, and Raymond W. Kelly, Commissioner, New York City Police Department. The indictment alleges that on December 24, 2006 three of the defendants, Hector Portillo, Javier Irheta and Luis Bonilla, murdered 15 year-old Pashad Gray in Flushing.Beginning in 1998, the defendants served as members and associates of MS-13, also known as "La Mara Salvatrucha," and engaged in a series of violent crimes in Jamaica and Flushing, New York, including conspiracy to murder and assault members of ...

Wayne Dundon, the Dundon gang leader, was seeking 'retribution' over his own conviction. Gardai are also aware that a €50,000 'contract' is in existence for the murder of one witness. Garda sources said this weekend that there is no end in sight for the gangland war between the Dundon gang, their allies and their rivals, known as the Keane-Collopy faction. The head of the latter gang is due to be released next year after serving seven years of a ten-year sentence for possessing drugs in 2001. Yesterday a man was shot and seriously injured in north Dublin. The shooting happened at 11.55am outside a bookmaker's on Cardiffsbridge Road in Finglas. The victim, 41, was last night in a stable condition in hospital. It is believed he was shot up to three times by a gunman who escaped on foot.

Three bullet casings were found at the scene of the shooting, which happened just before 4 a.m. on Northeast 29th Circle. Residents at a home in the area said they saw someone fire a handgun out the window of the car as it drove by the home.Vancouver police detectives are investigating a drive-by shooting that may be gang-related.After the shooting, the car's information was relayed to Portland police, who stopped the car within an hour.Three people were detained. As of early Saturday morning, there had been no arrests made. The names of the people involved have not been released. Police said the shooting was possibly gang-related.

Spanish Cobras Gang Leader is One of Chicago's Most Wanted A heavy-hitter in one of the city's biggest street gangs is on the run from the law.

"We're just here to support our guys," Charles "Pee Wee" Goldsmith, a Hells Angel from Nevada, said last week. Many of the Hells Angels present for the trial declined to give interviews. The Hells Angels and Outlaws will continue their nationwide fight for territory after they leave South Dakota, said Steve Cook, president of the Midwest Outlaw Motorcycle Gang Investigators Association. "There's going to be violence between the Hells Angels and the Outlaws regardless of the trial," Cook said.The bloody, nationwide war includes one battle in Indiana where hammers and motorcycle parts were used as weapons, a lawyer for the two bikers on trial told jurors this week. As many as two dozen Hells Angels have been in court at various times during the trial of John Midmore, 35, of Valparaiso, Ind., and Chad Wilson, 33, of Lynnwood, Wash. Jurors this week are expected to begin deliberating the fate of the men. They are accused of opening fire on a group of O...

Drug Gang wars that has left nearly 4,000 people dead this year in Mexico is spreading deep into the United States, leaving a trail of murders, kidnappings and other crimes in at least 195 cities as far afield as Atlanta, Boston, Seattle and Honolulu, according to federal authorities.The involvement of the top four Mexican drug-trafficking organizations in distribution and money-laundering on U.S. soil has brought a war once dismissed as a foreign affair to the doorstep of local communities.Mexican gangs move north Mexico Under Siege: A Times Special...Residents of the quiet Beaver Hills subdivision in Lilburn, Ga., an Atlanta suburb, awoke to the trans-border crime wave in July, when a brigade of well-armored federal and state police officers surrounded a two-story colonial home at 755 East Fork Shady Drive, ordered neighbors to lock their doors and flushed out three men described as members of a Mexican drug cartel. One was captured after he tried to slip down a storm drain. Another ...