Worlds most DANGEROUS BIKER GANGS

Police allege Bandidos in exortion racket

2014-07-24T07:21:00.001+01:00

A FIGHT over a woman has landed several alleged participants of the Bandidos outlaw motorcycle gang on extortion and wilful damage charges. Detectives from Taskforce Maxima staged simultaneous raids throughout Brisbane and Logan and arrested three participants of the Bandidos criminal gang, including the former President of the Gold Coast chapter. The operation, codenamed Mike Groundspeed, targeted Bandidos participants who were allegedly extorting money.

The extortion began when two men became involved in an altercation over a woman, police said. The altercation escalated with a number of other people becoming involved, including victims and offenders with an association with the Bandidos criminal motorcycle gang. Victims were then allegedly threatened with violence if a $5000 fine per person wasn't paid. During the extortion attempt, a victim's car windscreen was smashed with a baseball bat. To date police have identified four victims but investigators are confident there are others and ask for them to come forward.

During Thursday morning's raids three search warrants were executed, and as a result five persons have been arrested on 22 charges including 12 charges of extortion, wilful damage and drug charges. Three of these offenders have been charged as vicious lawless associates under the provisions of the Vicious Lawless Association Disestablishment Act 2013. These arrests include: A 26-year-old Carindale man has been arrested and charged with four counts extortion with circumstance of aggravation that he is a vicious lawless associate, with an additional circumstance that he is an officer bearer of the association and one charge of wilful damage. It is alleged he is the ex-President of Gold Coast Chapter and a participant of the Bandidos. A 22-year-old Shailer Park man has been arrested and charged with four counts of extortion with circumstance of aggravation that he is a vicious lawless associate, wilful damage and possession of dangerous drug and possession of a drug utensil. It is alleged he is a participant of the Bandidos. A 22-year-old Eight Mile Plains man has been arrested and charged with four counts of extortion with circumstance of aggravation that he is a vicious lawless associate, wilful damage and possession of dangerous drug and possession of a drug utensil. It is alleged he is a participant of the Bandidos. A 21-year-old Shailer Park man has been arrested and charged with possession of dangerous drug and possession of a drug utensil. A 36-year-old Shailer Park man has been arrested and charged with possession of dangerous drug and possession of a drug utensil. Detective Inspector Brendan Smith of Taskforce Maxima said that this operation clearly reveals the true nature of these gangs. "They work together to standover and bully people as a group. "The actions of these gang members are why the crackdown on criminal gangs is necessary. These offences were committed in public places and targeted everyday Queenslanders, threatening victims with violence for money. "They have done this as group, using their criminal gang association to further intimidate victims to both comply with their demands, but also to discourage them from complaining to authority. "Today's results show how the new laws and the on going enforcement action are changing things for the better. "People now have the confidence to come forward, they making complaints, they are providing information, and I suspect we will see a lot more of it," he said. The five men were expected to face the Brisbane Magistrates Court on Thursday morning. Investigations are on going and additional charges are expected.

Two Hells Angels associates sentenced as part of Project Flatlined

2014-07-16T16:29:00.001+01:00

Two more Winnipeg men were sent packing to prison Monday for their differing roles in a “sophisticated and well-organized” Manitoba Hells Angels-led drug operation which was ultimately smashed up in a covert police sting. Jonathan Stewart, 32, and Brian Chesney were sentenced in back-to-back hearings and escorted from Judge Robert Heinrichs’s courtroom to begin serving their time after being arrested early last year in Project Flatlined. Stewart, described by the Crown as a “trusted courier” for a crack cocaine ring in the Elmwood neighbourhood orchestrated by top members of the Hells Angels and support crew, Redlined, received a sentence of 57 months on criminal organization and conspiracy charges. Stewart was not a member of either gang but knew key players from growing up in Elmwood, court heard. He assisted the two top-ranking Redlined members in various ways, including preparing crack cocaine for its eventual distribution to users. “This organization would not have operated as well as it did without the assistance of Mr. Stewart,” said federal Crown attorney Geoff Bayly, who named Stewart’s key contacts as Brendin Wall and Justin MacLeod. Chesney, 35, was handed a term of 45 months for cocaine-trafficking and committing acts for the benefit of a criminal organization. Chesney was the roommate of Redlined associate Thomas Barnecki and was caught making crack deliveries to undercover cops, as well as renting a new “stash house” for the crime ring after it was discovered police had infiltrated another by placing a video camera inside. Bayly detailed for the court the sophisticated setup of the cocaine-slinging ring, which he said was headed up by Hells Angel Dale Sweeney. The ring had a defined management structure, production cell and street-distribution network, Bayly said. Police have previously said two cellphones used by the operation rang 530 times a day on average over the 10 months cops were secretly monitoring it between May 1, 2011 and late February 2012. The conservative estimate of sales in that time was said to be $1.5 million, police have said. The cop estimate is based on halving the total number of calls traced to the phones over the life of the investigation (159,154) and assumes only a single $20 rock of crack was sold as a result, police say. Police believe the volume of sales was likely much higher. Stewart had no prior criminal record and was supported by a large number of ashen-faced family and friends in court. Heinrichs was told he suffers with schizophrenia. His mental illness combined with drug use caused his life to go “off the rails,” lawyer Aaron Seib said. Chesney, a recently married father of four, was also supported in court by family.

LIVING IN A FASCIST STATE: Mentally ill people need to be helped, not hounded by the work Roaches

2014-07-08T12:46:00.001+01:00

LIVING IN A FASCIST STATE: Mentally ill people need to be helped, not hounded

Neglect of the mentally ill is bad enough, but now consider how the Department for Work and Pensions deliberately torments them. I just met a jobcentre manager. It had to be in secret, in a Midlands hotel, several train stops away from where she works. She told me how the sick are treated and what harsh targets she is under to push them off benefits. A high proportion on employment and support allowance have mental illnesses or learning difficulties. The department denies there are targets, but she showed me a printed sheet of what are called "spinning plates", red for missed, green for hit. They just missed their 50.5% target for "off flows", getting people off ESA. They have been told to "disrupt and upset" them – in other words, bullying. That's officially described, in Orwellian fashion, as "offering further support". As all ESA claimants approach the target deadline of 65 weeks on benefits – advisers are told to report them all to the fraud department for maximum pressure. In this manager's area 16% are "sanctioned" or cut off benefits.

Of course it's not written down anywhere, but it's in the development plans of individual advisers or "work coaches". Managers repeatedly question them on why more people haven't been sanctioned. Letters are sent to the vulnerable who don't legally have to come in, but in such ambiguous wording that they look like an order to attend. Tricks are played: those ending their contributory entitlement to a year on ESA need to fill in a form for income-based ESA. But jobcentres are forbidden to stock those forms. These ill people's benefits are suddenly stopped without explanation: if they call, they're told to collect a form from the jobcentre, which doesn't stock them either. If someone calls to query an appointment they are told they will be sanctioned if they don't turn up, whatever. She said: "The DWP's hope is they won't pursue the claim."

Good advisers genuinely try to help the mentally ill left marooned on sickness benefit for years. The manager spoke of a woman with acute agoraphobia who hadn't left home for 20 years: "With tiny steps, we were getting her out, helping her see how her life could be better – a long process." But here's another perversity: if someone passes the 65-week deadline, they are abandoned. All further help is a dead loss to "spinning plates" success rates. That woman was sent back to her life of isolation: she certainly wasn't referred for CBT. For all this bullying, the work programme finds few jobs for those on ESA.

Failing to treat the mentally ill is bad enough, but this is maltreatment. There has been much outrage about lack of kindness and care in hospitals. Neglect of mental patients is every bit as bad, but deliberate cruelty by the DWP defies any concern for the wellbeing for the most vulnerable, let alone "parity of esteem".

Bikie gang suspects in brawl arrests at Penrith shopping centre

2012-08-27T14:05:00.001+01:00

FOUR men with alleged links to outlaw motorcycle gangs were arrested last week after a brawl at a Penrith shopping centre. Police officers from the gangs squad and Penrith local area command had been investigating the brawl, which forced shoppers to flee for their safety about 2.45pm last Monday. Police will allege a man was leaving the shopping centre when he was confronted by a group of nine men and fighting began. A number of people tried to intervene, including an unknown male who was assaulted. All involved in the brawl then left the scene. At 7am last Thursday, police simultaneously raided four homes at St Marys, Emu Plains, South Windsor and Freemans Reach. Three men with alleged links to the Rebels were arrested at St Marys and Emu Plains, while an alleged senior Nomads member was arrested at Freemans Reach. During the search warrants, police seized distinctive gang clothing, quantities of anabolic steroids and prescription drugs and a set of knuckledusters. A man, 29, of Emu Plains, was charged with affray, participate in a criminal group and two counts of possess prescribed restricted substance. A man, 44, of Freemans Reach, was charged with affray, possess prohibited weapon, and two counts of possess prescribed restricted substance. A man, 25, of St Marys, and a 23-year-old New Zealand man were each charged with affray and participate in a criminal group. Penrith crime manager Detective Inspector Grant Healey said further arrests were anticipated.

27 charged in California-Mexico methamphetamine ring

2012-08-27T11:38:00.001+01:00

Local and federal authorities moved Thursday to break up an alleged drug trafficking ring connecting a major Mexican cartel and San Gabriel Valley street gangs, arresting 17 people in a pre-dawn sweep. A federal indictment unsealed Thursday charges 27 defendants with making, possessing and dealing methamphetamine imported by La Familia Michoacana, one of Mexico’s most violent cartels, to two Pomona gangs: Los Amables and Westside Pomona Malditos. Seven law enforcement agencies, including the Pasadena and Pomona police, the Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department, the FBI and the Drug Enforcement Administration, were involved in the sweep. Thursday’s crackdown is the culmination of a probe called Operation Crystal Light, a 16-month investigation by the San Gabriel Valley Safe Streets Gang Task Force. The investigation was launched after a 2011 kidnapping among suspected gang members in Southern California. Officers said they seized nine weapons, an undisclosed amount of methamphetamine, other drugs, and paraphernalia in Thursday morning raids in Los Angeles, Riverside and San Bernardino counties. The probe involved about 200 law enforcement officers and several undercover purchases. “The goal of the federal task force is to disrupt the network so it’s disrupted permanently,” Timothy Delaney, special agent in charge of the FBI’s Criminal Division in Los Angeles, said. “Today’s arrests took some very serious players in the methamphetamine world off the streets.” The methamphetamine came into the country in liquid form via airplane, boats and cars, officials said. The drug was recrystallized at an Ontario home before local gangs would sell it and funnel money to the Mexican cartel. Most of the drugs were being sold in Pomona and Ontario, according to Assistant U.S. Atty. Shawn Nelson. Dealers were selling multiple pounds a day and making up to $9,000 per pound, Nelson said. He described the arrests as “a good dent” in the Mexican cartel’s local drug network. Three suspects were in custody before the raid and seven remain at large, federal authorities said. The indictment alleges that a La Familia Michoacana associate named Jose Juan Garcia Barron oversaw the transport of the meth between Mexico and Los Angeles County. Delaney said Garcia Barron is among the suspects who have not been apprehended. The 17 arrested Thursday were expected to make their first court appearance Thursday afternoon at U.S. District Court in downtown Los Angeles.

Police think Ogden drive-bys are tied to gang's power struggle

2012-08-27T11:34:00.001+01:00

Police believe drive-by shootings at an Ogden home Tuesday night and Wednesday morning may be related to a violent power struggle within a street gang over control of leadership, drugs and money. Ogden Police Lt. Scott Conley declined to identify the gang, but said members are not affiliated with the Ogden Trece. On Monday, 2nd District Judge Ernie Jones issued a permanent injunction against Trece members, banning them from associating with each other in public and being in the presence of guns, drugs and alcohol. The injunction also places Treces under an 11 p.m. curfew. The drive-by shootings at a home in the 500 block of 28th Street are signs of in-fighting among members of a local gang who are attempting to resolve their differences through escalating violence, Conley said. “They are in the same gang and are arguing back and forth,” he said, noting police have gathered intelligence on the dispute. “We are taking enforcement action to eradicate the problem or get the individuals involved incarcerated.” Six to eight gang members are believed to be involved in the dispute.

FBI raid on Hells Angels chapters in North and South Carolina netted 19 arrests and provided authorties with a rare glimpse into the chapters inner-working

2012-06-08T18:18:00.001+01:00

FBI raid on Hells Angels chapters in North and South Carolina netted 19 arrests and provided authorties with a rare glimpse into the inner-working of what they call a highly organized national criminal enteprise. Agents seized cocaine, marijuana, methampethamines, pills and about 100 firearms, including two machine guns, in a raid Thursday on a Gaston County club headquarters in North Carolina, The Charlotte Observer reports. Prosecutors in South Carolina charged that members of the Rock Hell City Nomad chapter engaged in intimidation, extortion, narcotics distribution, money laundering, arson, trafficking in stolen goods, prostitution and firearms trafficking, WIS-TV reports. The raids were the culmination of a two-year joint effort by the FBI and authorities in both states, WCNC-TV reports. According to authorities, the clubs follow a tightly controlled chain of command that includes a president, vice president, treasurer/secretary and sergeant at arms/enforcer, as well as general members, WIS reports. The Observer, quoting from a federal indictment, says the clubs follow strict rules, with only members allowed to attend chapter meetings, which were held regularly and referred to as "church." Memberships are limited to white males who must own one or more American-made motorcycles, mostly Harley-Davidsons. The chapter president is the ultimate decider in the group and reports directly to regional officers. Representatives of chapters on the East Coast meet periodically in different states, the newspaper reports. Full members are known as "full patch" and are the only ones allowed to wear the full Hells Angels three-piece patch on jackets and vests. Prosecutors say any member who gets kicked out of a chapter must "outdate" or color over his Hells Angels tattoos. Like the mafia, Hells Angels suspects favor colorful nicknames, according to a federal indictment, The Observer reports. Among them: "Rat," "Lightning," "Gravel Dave," "Diamond Dan" and "Diesel."

Police dismantle Notorious bikie gang

2012-05-03T14:21:00.001+01:00

1700 bikies have been arrested and more than 3800 charges laid during a three-year operation that also dismantled the Notorious outlaw motorcycle gang. The NSW Police Gang's Squad launched Strike Force Raptor in March 2009 in response to escalating violence between rival bikie gangs. Police say a total of 1696 people were arrested and charged with 3857 offences including riot and affray, assault causing grievous bodily harm, assaulting police and manufacturing prohibited drugs. Also seized were 387 firearms, $2.2 million in cash and numerous illegal drugs, while four clandestine laboratories were put out of business. Police say the Notorious gang, responsible for many public shootings and other criminal activities, was also dismantled as a direct result of their operations. "This has been a highly-successful operation and the results demonstrate the need for us to keep the pressure on outlaw motorcycle gangs and their associates," commander of the Gangs Squad, Detective Superintendent Arthur Katsogiannis, said in a statement.

Bikie feud breaks out in Queensland

2012-05-03T14:19:00.001+01:00

Police fear an escalation of a battle between two rival outlaw motorcycle gangs in southeast Queensland. They believe vicious assaults at a Brisbane tattoo studio and a locksmith on Thursday are part of a feud between members of rival bikie gangs, the Hells Angels and the Bandidos. The Morningside tattoo shop and East Brisbane locksmith were targeted by five men with baseball bats in back-to-back attacks carried out over half an hour from 4pm (AEST). Four men were assaulted and both stores, which are linked to the Hells Angels, were damaged. On Tuesday, a Bandidos tattoo studio on the Gold Coast was targeted in a drive-by attack, while a car linked to the same gang was set alight in Brisbane. Police believe all four incidents are linked and have launched an operation that spans three southeast Queensland police districts. They've arranged to meet with senior members of the Hells Angels and Bandidos, though they admit they've so far had limited cooperation. "At this stage it is our interpretation that it is a localised dispute, and ... we are very concerned that this may escalate," Detective-Inspector Garry Watts told reporters in Brisbane on Friday. Police say the battle is not linked to a tit-for-tat war between outlaw motorcycle clubs in Sydney. Nor were two gun-related incidents in Brisbane's north on Thursday linked to the same gang hostilities, they say. A man suffered a minor shoulder injury after shots were fired outside a house in Kallangur around 3.30pm (AEST). About 9.15pm (AEST), shots were fired at an address at Everton Hills in an incident believed to be linked to a third motorcycle gang, the Gypsy Jokers. Police moved to allay fears that members of the public could be harmed. "We don't believe that the general public are at risk at this time," Detective Chief Superintendent Gayle Hogan said. Police are investigating a number of theories about how the war started, including a report that the bashing of a Hells Angel member was the catalyst.

Raids may link to shootings and motorcycle gangs

2012-05-03T14:18:00.001+01:00

PROPERTIES in St Marys and Blackett were part of a Sydney-wide raid with alleged links to the Hells Angels and Nomads outlaw motorcycle gangs. Strike Force Kinnarra was established in April to investigate shootings at five homes and businesses at Merrylands, Baulkham HIlls, Granville and Northmead. Also under investigation are two shootings at Rouse Hill and Bella Vista on April 20 and a shooting at a unit block on April 23. At 6am on Friday (April 27) officers from the strike force were joined by Strike Force Raptor, other State Crime Command squads, metropolitan region commands, Public Order and Riot Squad, Dog Unit and the Rescue and Bomb Disposal Unit to conduct 18 simultaneous raids. They included addresses at Cranebrook, Georges Hall, Auburn, Granville, Parramatta, St Marys, Blackett, Merrylands, Rosehill, Constitution Hill, Guildford, Pemulway, Pennant Hills and Bella Vista. Some of the warrants are still ongoing, but police have arrested two people and seized prohibited drugs and related paraphernalia, two firearms, prohibited weapons including knuckledusters, steroids, mobile phones, outlaw motorcycle clothing and other related paraphernalia. Numerous items will undergo forensic examination. State Crime Command acting Assistant Commissioner Mal Lanyon said the operation was about sending a clear message to those involved in the shootings that police will not rest until these people are put before the courts. ``We will not tolerate the actions of any individual or group who wishes to risk the safety of the community by committing public acts of violence,’’ he said. ``Police will use any method available to them to stop the violence and arrest those responsible, and that includes looking for evidence of any criminal activity, including evidence linked to the shootings.’‘ As well as the raids, the strike force will continue a range of other strategies to target these groups. This includes proactive patrols and other intelligence-based activities. ``The members and associates of these gangs are on notice that police won’t be taking the pressure off,’’ he said. ``Further arrests and more large operations are anticipated.’‘

Man in court over bikie shooting

2012-05-03T14:16:00.001+01:00

Prosecutors have withdrawn a bid to suppress the identity of a man accused of shooting a member of a bikie gang and an innocent bystander in a Gold Coast shopping centre. Mark James Graham, 26, was arrested on Monday in Melton, in outer Melbourne, over the shooting at Robina Town Centre on Saturday. He was extradited to Queensland on Wednesday night. Graham, who faces six charges, including attempted murder, was flanked by six police officers in the dock of Southport Magistrates Court on Thursday. The brief hearing was adjourned after police prosecutor Sergeant Peta Eyschen asked for a suppression order on the accused's image remain in place. Sgt Eyschen told the court that given the complexity of the case, which involves a number of witnesses, there was a concern the publication of his image could taint evidence given in court. Magistrate John Costanzo adjourned the hearing to consider the suppression order. But the order was withdrawn, and the case adjourned to June 13. Graham is charged with attempted murder, unlawful wounding, acts intended to cause grievous bodily harm, possess a weapon, discharge weapon in public place and dangerous conduct with a weapon.

Two alleged bikies charged after loaded revolver and ice seized during raid

2012-05-03T14:15:00.001+01:00

LOADED .45 calibre revolver and 97 grams of ice were seized when an alleged Nomads bikie gang member and an alleged associate of the Nomad and Rebels bikie gang were arrested in Blacktown on Wednesday. The Gangs Squad’s Strike Force Kinnarra, which was set up to investigate eight shootings related to a tit-for-tat war between the Nomads and Hells Angels in mid-April, conducted the raid at the Tulloch St address at 4.20pm, the Blacktown Advocate reported. No charges have been laid over the firearm, which is undergoing ballistic testing to determine if it is linked with any crimes, police said. Police wouldn’t say if they believed the .45 revolver seized had been used in the shootings they were investigating. A police source said it was difficult to link revolvers to individual shootings because they didn’t discharge shell casings when fired. Police said equipment and chemicals used in the manufacture of ice were located in a garage and a set of knuckledusters, a 13cm knife, ammunition and two grams of methylamphetamine were found in car at the premises. They also found a wallet with a driver’s licence and several identification cards for another man which police say was stolen. Forensic officers and detectives concluded their search of the house and adjoining garage early on Thursday afternoon. Craig William Dunn, a 27-year-old alleged Nomads bikie member who lives at the Tulloch St address, faces two charges of supplying and two charges of possessing 97 grams of methylamphetamine. Dunn didn’t appear during his mention at Blacktown Court on Thursday and was refused bail to re-appear on May 17. John Keith Shaw, a 31-year-old alleged associate of the Nomads and Rebels of Evans St in Penrith, pleaded guilty to possession of two grams of methylamphetamine, possession of the metal knuckledusters and ammunition but not guilty to custody of the knife and possession of goods believed to be stolen (the driver’s licence and ID cards). Shaw was granted strict condition bail to re-appear on May 31, including an undertaking not to associate with any member of an outlaw motorcycle club or his co-accused, report at Penrith police station three times a week and a $2000 surety. He was still in custody awaiting an “acceptable person” to post his bail after the matter was heard at 2pm. Strike Force Kinnarra, an off-shoot of the anti-bikie Strike Force Raptor set-up in 2009, is investigating shootings at five homes and businesses at Merrylands, Baulkham Hills, Granville and Northmead in the early hours of April 17, two shootings at Rouse Hill and Bella Vista on April 20 and a shooting at a unit block in Merrylands on April 23. Strike Force Kinnarra said it had arrested 10 people, including two men charged in relation to the shooting at the Merrylands unit block.

Shooting a 'warning' from rival bikie gang

2012-04-25T16:55:00.001+01:00

SIMMERING tension between rival bikie gangs exploded on the Gold Coast yesterday with the drive-by shooting of a tattoo parlour in the heart of Bandidos territory. Police fear the attack could be a push for territory by the Hells Angels as the outlaw gang seeks a toehold on the lucrative Glitter Strip. Less than 24 hours after police commissioner Bob Atkinson told the Bulletin that bikie gangs were "one of the greatest challenges to face law enforcement", the Bandido-protected Mermaid Beach tattoo shop was hit by at least four shots in the early hours of yesterday morning. High-ranking police yesterday said it was "inevitable" that the violence that has plagued Sydney would eventually spill across the border. "We do not believe it is directly connected to the war between the Hells Angels and the Nomads that has been unfolding in New South Wales," said police. "But it is a similar style of attack. "We know the Hells Angels have been pushing to establish a chapter on the Gold Coast -- that push is coming from Sydney. "Tradelink Drive is not their most profitable chapter." While detectives have attempted to play down the shooting, police say there is "no doubt" it was intended as a warning. The Bandidos are the largest and one of the most secretive bikie gangs on the Gold Coast. The club has gained strength as its main rival -- the Finks -- have been severely weakened with so many senior members behind bars and Bandido territory stretches south from Broadbeach. Police said last month's Hells Angels National Run was intended as a direct message to all gangs on the Gold Coast. More than 200 patched gang members descended on Surfers Paradise for the run. "These clubs are so well organised, they do nothing without a reason," police said. "You can bet they had some purpose in coming to the Gold Coast. "They taunted the Finks and nothing happened, now the Bandidos tattoo shop is shot up in the same way the gym controlled by the Hells Angels was hit a few months ago. "You join the dots." The shop is owned by a senior member of the outlaw gang who has been a patched member of the Bandidos "for years", police say. In an exclusive interview with the Bulletin, Mr Atkinson said the danger of bikie gangs was "under-rated" by the community. "The outlaw motorcycle gangs nationally present one of the greatest challenges to police. "I think the degree of that challenge and the risk they present to our society is underrated." The Gold Coast has one of the highest populations of bikie gangs in the country. Mr Atkinson said he would not be surprised if the Hells Angels were not considering a move closer to the Glitter Strip. "They are businesses, they look for opportunity so that wouldn't be a surprise," he said. "They market themselves as a group of mature men who have a love and interest in motorbikes and they do that very cleverly. The reality is they are highly sophisticated, well organised criminal enterprises that pose a genuine risk to the community and many are well represented by the finest and best lawyers who they retain to represent them." South East Region Assistant Commissioner Graham Rynders said the gangs were constantly looking to expand. "One of things about OMCGs is they look for opportunity for criminal enterprise," Mr Rynders said. "Throughout Queensland, throughout the country, probably throughout the world they are looking to expand. It is obviously dictated to by territory, depending on who or what other groups exist in what areas."

Jury hears grisly details about murder scene

2012-04-25T16:50:00.001+01:00

Police discovered a grisly scene on Sept. 10, 2000, when they entered a Cogmagun Road home in Hants County. “It was a very brutal scene,” Cpl. Shawn Sweeney, who was a constable with the Windsor rural RCMP detachment that day, testified Tuesday in Nova Scotia Supreme Court in Kentville. It was the second day of trial for Leslie Douglas Greenwood, 42, who is charged with two counts of first-degree murder in connection with the deaths of Barry Kirk Mersereau, 48, and his wife, Nancy Paula Christensen, 47. Sweeney, a Crown witness, testified that he and four other police officers who responded to a 911 call found Christensen sitting upright in a chair in the living room of her Centre Burlington home with a bullet wound in her left cheek, under her glasses. She had a cup of tea in her hand and a small dog was sitting in her lap. There were several bullet casings and lead fragments scattered on the floor. Mersereau was lying face down, with pools of blood around his head and body. Another dog, believed to be a German shepherd-Rottweiler mix, was hiding under covers on the bed in the master bedroom. A third dog was tied to the front porch and another had run off into the woods. Sweeney told Chief Justice Joseph Kennedy and the seven-woman, five-man jury hearing the case that the house appeared to be neat and orderly, with no signs of struggle. “It didn’t appear to be a house that was rifled through or things thrown around,” Sweeney testified. Const. Glenn Bonvie told the court it was immediately obvious that Mersereau and Christensen were dead. “There was no movement. There was no doubt that they were deceased.” Crown witness Ronald Connors owned a hunting cabin in the woods about half a kilometre away from the couple’s house. He testifed that he heard several shots at about 8:15 p.m. on Sept. 9. Connors said he heard six shots fired in quick succession, followed by a pause and a couple more shots. Moments later, there were more shots. He said he thought at first someone might be jacking deer, but Connors concluded that the shots didn’t sound like those from a high-powered hunting rifle. The jury was shown a video of the two bodies as they were found. Former RCMP officer David Clace, then in charge of the RCMP’s forensics identification unit in New Minas, said a large amount of money was found in plastic bags in a gym bag in one of the bedroom closets. The bag was later determined to contain about $65,000 in cash. Crown attorney Peter Craig has told the court that the victims were shot to death in their home in an execution-style killing as part of a Hells Angels-ordered killing. “They were killed in their home in a quiet community, with a teapot on the stove, with no signs of struggle and their baby in the next room,” Craig told the jury. He said evidence presented by as many as 40 Crown witnesses will show that Michael Lawrence and Greenwood murdered the couple on the orders of Jeffrey Lynds, a former Hells Angels operative who died recently in a Montreal jail of an apparent suicide. Lawrence, who owed Lynds money, pleaded guilty last January to three charges of first-degree murder and was sentenced to life in prison with no possibility of parole for 25 years. Also killed that day, by Lawrence, was Charles Maddison, an innocent man who picked Lawrence up hitchhiking. Lawrence shot him to take his truck to commit a planned robbery. Craig said Lawrence, expected to be a crucial Crown witness, will testify that he and Greenwood shot the couple, one with a .357 Magnum, the other with a 32-calibre handgun, in what he called “planned and deliberate” killings. The couple’s 18-month-old baby boy was safely recovered from the house by neighbour Ruby McKenzie, who went to the victim’s home the day after the shootings. McKenzie said she brought the baby back to her mobile home and called police. Greenwood sat quietly during the proceedings, occasionally exchanging comments with his lawyer, Alain Begin. Begin is expected to argue that Greenwood went to the Mersereau house the day of the shootings to buy drugs, and that Lawrence shot the couple while Greenwood was waiting outside. Also charged with first-degree murder in the killings is Curtis Blair Lynds, 36, who is serving time in a federal prison for drug trafficking. A preliminary inquiry in his case is scheduled to begin July 16.

Drug trafficking brothers jailed for more than five years each

2012-03-12T22:58:00.001+00:00

Two brothers who tried to flood the north-east of Scotland with heroin and cocaine have been jailed. Paul and Anthony Smith were jailed for more than five years each after they admitted transporting a "significant" amount of class-A drugs into Aberdeen and Shetland. The pair, originally from Liverpool, were sentenced at the High Court in Aberdeen on Monday after previously admitting being involved in the supply of heroin and cocaine between October 2010 and February last year. Detective Inspector Alex Dowall said: "These men were intent on flooding the streets of Aberdeen and Shetland with class-A drugs and were willing to take great risks in the process in order to turn a profit. "Ultimately though, as their sentences today prove, the risk is much greater than the potential reward." Anthony Smith, 30, was jailed for five years and seven months while his 27-year-old sibling received a sentence of five years and two months. Det Insp Dowall added: "This was a complex inquiry across two countries and three force areas and it should serve as a warning to others intent on bringing drugs into the north-east that it will not be tolerated. "Operation Limehouse is an example of Grampian Police working closely with other police forces across the UK in order to target those suspected of committing drugs offences. "It must also be said that the assistance provided by local communities in Aberdeen and Shetland in bring these individuals to justice was invaluable."

Michel Smith, a Quebec member of the Hells Angels wanted se 2009 in connection to 22 murder cases, has been arrested by authorities in Panama

2012-03-12T08:33:00.001+00:00

Michel Smith, a Quebec member of the Hells Angels wanted se 2009 in connection to 22 murder cases, has been arrested by authorities in Panama, according to media reports. However, officials from the Surete du Quebec and RCMP were not immediately able to confirm or deny the reports. According to the RCMP, Smith is a member of the South Chapter of the Hells Angels and goes by the nickname "L'animal." He has been on the run since 2009 in connection with a police crackdown on the Hells Angels biker gang. He faces 29 criminal charges - including 22 murder charges. Citing Panamanian local media and Agence France-Presse, the QMI news agency reported that Smith, 49, had been detained by police Friday evening in the Playa Coronado region, on the Pacific Ocean coast of the Central American nation. A Canada-wide warrant issued by the RCMP said he was being sought for murder, gangsterism, drug trafficking and related conspiracy charges. His Central American connections were known to authorities. "Smith is likely to visit Panama and speaks French," the warrant stated. Const. Erique Gasse of the RCMP's C Division in Montreal said he had relayed a request for official word on Smith's status to RCMP officials in Ottawa, who did not immediately return a phone call. Asked for confirmation of the arrest report, Surete du Quebec spokesperson Sgt. Christine Coulombe said: "I have no information on this." Smith is "considered to be violent," according to the warrant. Aside from "L'animal," his aliases have included Mike Smith-Lajoie, Michel Lajoie-Smit and Michel Lajoie. The warrant describes Smith as 172 centimetres tall and weighing 95 kilograms, with brown hair and blue eyes.

Alleged Quebec Hells Angels member arrested in Panama

2012-03-12T08:18:00.001+00:00

Quebec fugitive -- and alleged member of the Hells Angels -- who is wanted on murder charges has been arrested in Panama, local media reports say. Michel Smith, 49, who was linked to Quebec's deadly biker war in the 1990s, was reportedly arrested Friday. Smith -- whose nickname is "animal" -- has been on the run since 2009. He was taken into custody by local police in the tourist area of Playa Coronado on the Pacific Ocean coast, according to local reports. The reports said he had been under surveillance for about two months before his arrest. Smith faces 29 charges, including 22 counts of murder. Police in Canada had not confirmed the news as late Sunday night. Smith is to be extradited back to Canada, police officials in Panama said in a news release. Smith has long been alleged to be among the top men affiliated with the Hells Angels when it was at war with the Rock Machine biker gang in the 1990s and early 2000s. The gang war killed more than 150 people. While most of the victims were members of the rival gangs and their affiliates, two prison guards and an 11-year old boy -- a bystander -- also died. An RCMP warrant describes Smith as 5 feet 7 inches tall and weighing 210 pounds, with brown hair and blue eyes.

Wheels of Soul outlaw motorcycle gang member pleads guilty

2012-03-06T21:22:00.001+00:00

Allan "Dog" Hunter, 33, of Chicago, was present during the March 6, 2011, shooting death of Javell T. Thornton, 32, also of Chicago, at 126 South Main St. according to a federal indictment. As part of his plea, Hunter, a member of the Wheels of Soul outlaw motorcycle gang, admitted Thursday in federal court that he conspired with other members of the gang to dispose of several firearms after the shooting. WOS was in Marion for a meeting at a private motorcycle club. In the early morning hours of March 6, a fight at the gang's after-hours party spilled onto the sidewalk on South Main Street. When the dust settled, three men were injured with stab and gunshot wounds, and Thornton was dead. The federal indictment states that Anthony R. Robinson shot three victims in the back as they fled the party, killing Thornton and seriously injuring another. Hunter reportedly fired a handgun indiscriminately into the crowd while wearing a bulletproof vest. Robinson has been indicted on one count of murder in aid of racketeering activity and one count of attempt to commit murder in aid of racketeering, along with other federal charges for murder and racketeering activities in other states, according to the federal indictment. Eighteen members of the WOS were indicted on federal charges June 9, 2011. One member allegedly stabbed another person in the head during a fight at a Chicago motorcycle club, then shot another in the stomach. The indictment says gang members are required to carry weapons - mostly guns, but also hammers, knives and other weapons.

No corpse on Hells Angels site

2012-03-03T11:17:00.001+00:00

The Amsterdam police announced on Friday that an intensive search of the former Hells Angels clubhouse was launched after receiving a tip that a body had been buried there. No human remains were found at the site, but police did discover the cadavers of 12 dogs and one cat. On Wednesday, the site on H.J.E. Wenckebachweg was closed off with black screens. Police officers and personnel from the Netherlands Forensic Institute used heavy machinery to dig up and search the site. The police refused to say what they were looking for until today. The clubhouse of the Amsterdam chapter of the Hells Angels was torn down a month ago after being home to the motorcycle club for more than 40 years. The city council wants to redevelop the area and forced the Hells Angels to leave via an expropriation procedure. The Angels were awarded 400,000 euros in damages, but have been unable to find a new home. Most local councils in the greater Amsterdam area are wary of offering the Angels a new home as they are generally considered to be a criminal organisation.

More details are emerging regarding the San Jose shooting of a Hells Angels member.

2012-03-03T11:15:00.001+00:00

    A newly released police report says that murder suspect Steve Ruiz was punched and kicked by victim Steve Tausin before Tausin was shot and killed in October.
    Ruiz has been charged with the killing, which occurred at the Oak Grove Cemetery funeral of the leader of San Jose's Hells Angels.
    The report cites witnesses and surveillance footage in concluding that Ruiz was assaulted first by an unidentified man, and then by Tausin.
    The footage allegedly shows Ruiz reaching into his clothes, drawing a pistol out and firing the deadly shots.

Hells Angel arrested in killing of fellow gang member

2012-02-27T22:40:00.001+00:00

Ending a four-month-long manhunt, San Jose police arrested -- without incident -- a Hells Angel wanted for the murder of a fellow Angel in the middle of a funeral. The 38-year-old suspect, Steve Ruiz, is suspected of shooting fellow Angel Steve Tausan to death Oct. 15 at San Jose's Oak Hill Cemetery. Ruiz, who had been on the run for months, was caught Saturday evening at a motel in Fremont. "We're relieved to have him off the streets," said Sgt. Jason Dwyer during a Sunday news conference at police headquarters. "This was a difficult case for investigators to solve." Ruiz's arrest is the latest chapter in a series of bizarre and violent chain-reaction episodes involving the Hells Angels, a legendary outlaw motorcycle gang originally formed in 1948 in Fontana. In September, San Jose Hells Angels President Jeff "Jethro" Pettigrew was shot and killed in a Nevada casino, allegedly by a member of the rival Vagos motorcycle gang. Pettigrew and Tausan were close friends. More than 3,000 members of various motorcycle clubs gathered in October at Oak Hill to pay their respects to Pettigrew. Sources have said a fistfight erupted between Tausan and Ruiz, and during the fight, Ruiz drew a handgun, shot Tausan and fled during the melee that ensued. Tausan was a Hells Angels legend, an ex-boxer who beat a man to death at the Pink Poodle strip club in 1997, only to have a jury acquit him after he claimed self-defense. His funeral Advertisement also was held at Oak Hill. For months, San Jose police have been trying to find Ruiz. Dwyer said that Ruiz had been moving around from place to place and was known by authorities to have stayed briefly in the Stockton and Sacramento areas. A fresh tip to detectives indicated that Ruiz was in Fremont, and more than a dozen officers moved quickly Saturday to surround the Days Inn motel at 46101 Warm Springs Blvd. Ruiz, who was believed to be armed and dangerous, apparently was alone and surrendered to police about 7:30 p.m. without incident. He spoke to detectives and was booked at the Santa Clara County main jail. "We don't believe that he'd been there for very long," said Dwyer of the Fremont motel. "We had a small window of opportunity to capture him. The fact that he surrendered peacefully was fortunate." San Jose police stressed that the Hells Angel murder, which has received national publicity, was one of 39 homicides in San Jose last year and that detectives worked the case like any other, putting in long hours as they juggled a heavy caseload. They also said that Ruiz had a lot of help eluding law enforcement in the four months since the funeral. "If someone helped him evade capture, we're going to come after them," Dwyer said.

Gang Member Pleads Not Guilty In Stabbing Death

2012-02-25T05:55:00.001+00:00

documented gang member accused of stabbing a transient 19 times after the defendant issued a gang challenge to the victim pleaded not guilty Thursday to a murder charge. Josue Hernandez Gutierrez, 20, was ordered held in lieu of $1 million bail in connection with the slaying of 48-year-old Emiliano Cortez of San Diego. Gutierrez was arrested Monday outside a friend's College area home. Deputy District Attorney Kristian Trocha told Judge David Szumowski that Gutierrez and a 14-year-old boy attacked Cortez about 4:45 a.m. Saturday as he was walking in the 3700 block of T Street, about a half-mile from the home where the victim lived with relatives. Gutierrez issued a gang challenge, and for some reason, the victim responded that he was from a rival gang, the prosecutor said. The defendant then stabbed the victim 19 times, including 10 to the back, Trocha said. Cortez died Saturday night, according to the prosecutor. The 14-year-old was arrested Tuesday at a Chula Vista residence. His case is being handled in Juvenile Court. Police disclosed no suspected motive for the slaying, except that it was believed to be gang-related. There was no evidence that a robbery or other crime was involved, San Diego police Lt. Kevin Rooney said. Residents of the area where the killing happened told investigators a loud argument and a man's screams prompted them to look outside, at which point they saw someone lying on a sidewalk and two people running off to the east. It was unclear why Cortez was walking through the inner-city neighborhood just east of downtown San Diego, though he apparently was not on his way home. Gutierrez was charged with murder, a gang allegation and the use of a knife. He faces 26 years to life in prison if convicted. A status conference was set for March 1 and a preliminary hearing for March 7.

Mongols Motorcycle Gang Member Convicted of Murdering President of San Francisco Hells Angels

2012-02-25T05:47:00.001+00:00

federal jury found Christopher Bryan Ablett, a/k/a “Stoney,” a member of the Modesto Chapter of the Mongols outlaw motorcycle gang, guilty of all four felonies with which he was charged including murder in aid of racketeering, assault with a deadly weapon in aid of racketeering, using a firearm during a crime of violence, and using a firearm causing murder during a crime of violence, United States Attorney Melinda Haag announced. The charges stemmed from the defendant’s gang-related murder of Mark “Papa” Guardado, the president of the San Francisco Chapter of the Hells Angels, on September 2, 2008, at 24th Street and Treat Avenue in the Mission District of San Francisco. Evidence at trial showed that Ablett traveled to San Francisco to visit a friend. He was armed with a foot-long military knife and a .357 magnum revolver. Ablett brought with him a Mongols full-patch vest and t-shirt that only a full member of the Mongols is allowed to wear. According to testimony from Bureau of Alcohol Tobacco Firearms and Explosives (ATF) gang expert Special Agent John Ciccone, and former Mongols undercover ATF Special Agent Darrin Kozlowski who infiltrated the gang, the Mongols are an organized criminal motorcycle gang whose primary rival is the Hells Angels motorcycle gang. When word traveled to Guardado that the defendant was wearing a Mongols patch shirt in a bar in the Mission, Guardado went to the street outside the bar and approached Ablett. A fight broke out during which Ablett stabbed Guardado four times and shot him twice, killing him. According to the testimony of FBI Special Agent Jacob Millspaugh, the case agent, the defendant’s phone records showed that he spent the next several hours calling people who were identified as members of the Mongols—showing that he was reaching out as part of the Mongols communication network. The jury rejected the defendant’s defenses of self-defense, defense of his friends, and heat of passion after the defendant took the stand and testified. The jury also found that the defendant murdered Guardado to maintain or increase his position in the Mongols gang, and that the Mongols engaged in racketeering activity. Ablett is scheduled to be sentenced on May 15, 2012. He faces a possible sentence of three terms of life in prison plus 10 mandatory consecutive years, a $1 million fine, and five years of supervised release. Specifically, for the charge of murder in aid of racketeering, in violation of 18 United StatesC. § 1959, Ablett faces a mandatory minimum sentence of life without parole. For the charge of assault with a deadly weapon in aid of racketeering, in violation of 18 United StatesC. § 1959, Ablett faces a maximum sentence of 20 years in prison. For the charge of using a firearm during a crime of violence, in violation of 18 United StatesC. § 924(c), Ablett faces a maximum sentence of life in prison. And for the charge of using a firearm causing murder during a crime of violence, in violation of 18 United StatesC. § 924(j), Ablett faces a maximum sentence of life in prison. However, any sentence following conviction would be imposed by the court after consideration of the United States Sentencing Guidelines and the federal statute governing the imposition of a sentence, 18 United StatesC. § 3553. The case was prosecuted by former Assistant United States Attorney Christine Wong, Assistant United States Attorneys Kathryn Haun, Wilson Leung and William Frentzen, paralegal specialist Lili ArauzHaase, legal techs Marina Ponomarchuk, Daniel Charlier-Smith, and Ponly Tu, all of the Organized Crime Strike Force and Violent Crime Section of the United States Attorney’s Office for the Northern District of California. The case was investigated by the Federal Bureau of Investigation, the Bureau of Alcohol Tobacco Firearms and Explosives, and the San Francisco Police Department.

A Hells Angels member and a man said to be a gang associate were arrested and charged with knowingly taking part in the manufacture of a large commercial quantity of a prohibited drug.

2012-02-22T08:29:00.001+00:00

CAMDEN police and special units have seized 7.5 kilograms of the drug ice estimated to be worth $1 million from a Narellan property. Officers executed search warrants on Tuesday, February 14. A Hells Angels member and a man said to be a gang associate were arrested and charged with knowingly taking part in the manufacture of a large commercial quantity of a prohibited drug. The two, a Narellan man, 36, and a Catherine Field man, 41, faced Campbelltown Court last week. A Narellan woman, 30, was charged with two counts of possessing a prohibited drug in relation to cannabis and amphetamines found at the Narellan property. She will appear in Camden Court on March 12. Detective Chief Inspector Andy Richmond said two sophisticated laboratories had been found. "The two clandestine laboratories shut down by police this week were sophisticated and capable of making large quantities of prohibited drugs [methylamphetamine]," Chief Inspector Richmond said. "Those drugs will no longer be making their way to local streets and causing harm to members of the community." Large quantities of chemicals were also found and members of the Drug Squad's chemical operation team dismantled the laboratories.

Hells Angels member has sentencing moved

2012-02-22T08:27:00.001+00:00

Mark Duclos, 48, of Fairbanks, Ala., had his sentencing moved to coincide with fellow Hells Angels club member George Caruso, 58, of Shirley, Mass. Duclos and Caruso were involved in a stabbing that took place during last year's Sturgis motorcycle rally. Duclos, who was found guilty of aggravated assault, was scheduled to be sentenced today, Feb. 21, though his sentencing was moved to March 5 at 10:45 a.m. along with Caruso. The pair were involved in a fight between the Hells Angels and the Mongols motorcycle club on Aug. 10, which resulted in a stabbing, sending a Mongols member and a Hells Angels member to the hospital with non-life threatening injuries. Aggravated assault is a class three felony and carries a maximum punishment of up to 15 years in prison and up to a $30,000 fine. Simple assault is a class one misdemeanor and carries a maximum punishment of up to one year in jail and up to a $2,000 fine.