Zetas are arguably the most violent and fearsome drug cartel group

Zetas are arguably the most violent and fearsome drug cartel group. It was the Zetas who massacred 72 migrant workers and then left their bodies rotting in a a pile outside a ranch near the U.S. border in late August..Some of the initial cartel members were elite Mexican troops and that is where the U.S. and Fort Bragg enter the picture. These Mexican troop were trained in the early 1990s by the 7th Special Forces Group or "snake eaters" at Ft. Bragg, North Carolina. Craig Deare a former special forces commando said:"They were given map reading courses, communications, standard special forces training, light to heavy weapons, machine guns and automatic weapons.," These U.S. trained Mexican personnel were part of the Airmobile Special Forces considered an elite part of the Mexican military. The U.S. training was designed to prepare them for counter-insurgency but ironically also for counter-narcotics operations. So these members of the Zeta cartel have insider knowledge of how the other side operates! The Zetas have a reputation as the most dangerous, most vicious, and most renegade of the cartels according to a researcher. The researcher noted:"Other cartels have accused them of not following the 'gentlemen's code' of drug trafficking and causing undue violence,..At one time, it was considered bad form to kill pregnant women, but not any more." The name "Zetas" originates from the radio code "Z" used by top military commanders in Mexico. But unlike Zorro, the Mexican outlaw hero who also used the "Z" alias, Los Zetas steal from everyone, not just the rich. And they certainly don't give much back to the poor.

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Based on how the women were killed we are following several leads; one of them is that the murder was a possible hit

DETECTIVES from the St Andrew North Police Division are investigating whether Sunday night's shooting of two women on Pennant Terrace in Kingston 8 was a hit.
One of the women has so far been identified as 18-year-old Michelle Fisher of Western Park in Clarendon. The other is believed to be in her early twenties, of dark complexion, stout build and is about 162 centimetres (five feet, four inches) tall. Her body was found in brown tights, brown blouse and a pair of pink slippers.
"We are carrying out our investigations and based on the information there is more to the case than meet the eye," Deputy Superintendent Altermoth Campbell from the Constant Spring Police Station said yesterday
According to the police, both women were aboard a chartered taxi heading to Whitehall Avenue at approximately 9:00 pm.
On reaching Whitehall Avenue, the driver stopped the vehicle and two men, armed with guns, reportedly forced their way into the vehicle and ordered the driver to go to Pennant Terrace.
The police said that when the vehicle reached Pennant Terrace, the gunmen demanded money and when their demands were not met, they ordered both females out of the vehicle and opened fire hitting them. The two died on the spot.
"Based on how the women were killed we are following several leads; one of them is that the murder was a possible hit," Campbell said.
Investigators from the Constant Spring CIB have since taken the taxi driver and a woman into custody for questioning.

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BOSS of the notorious Spanish Town based Klansman Gang, Tesha Miller

BOSS of the notorious Spanish Town based Klansman Gang, Tesha Miller, was collared by the St Catherine North police yesterday.
He is to be interrogated by Criminal Investigation Bureau detectives about crimes committed in recent times in the old capital.
Spanish Town has been the scene of multiple murders in recent weeks as the Klansman and O ne Order gangs have stepped up an ongoing feud which has resulted in over six persons being killed in two weeks.
The gangs have been at loggerheads for over a decade.
The Klansman gang is fiercely loyal to the opposition People's National Party while the One Order Gang has aligned itself to the ruling Jamaica Labour Party.
Police say the August killings of eight persons from two families at Tredegar Park in the parish was a result of the ongoing gang war.
The Klansman gang has its bases in Dela Vega City, Fish ground, Rivoli, Jones Avenue and Lakes Pen, while the One Order gang's stomping ground is based in Tawes Pen, Ellerslie Pen, Dempshire Pen, Shelter Rock and Chambers Lane.

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Luis Torres, 23, was shot while standing on Boylston Street in Jamaica Plan Saturday evening

Luis Torres, 23, was shot while standing on Boylston Street in Jamaica Plan Saturday evening, according to police. Another person shot during the Egleston Square violence suffered non-life threatening wounds, police said.

Spontaneous Celebrations, a non-profit in Jamaica Plain where Torres often went for classes and programs, is holding a vigil for him tonight. A childhood friend said Torres's mother died about a year ago, and that he was still struggling to recover from her death when he was killed.

"He went through a lot of tough stuff in his life and losing his mother was very bad for him," said the friend, Adrian Rivera. "He was getting better. He was hooking up with the right people."

Also today, family and two law enforcement officials identified the woman who was murdered inside a Roxbury convenience store by a killer armed with an AK-47 assault rifle. Tahitia Milton was a mother of four who recently held a "Sweet 16'' birthday party for one of her daughters, a friend said.

Milton was 39 years old and lived in Roxbury. Milton was inside the Quick Stop convenience store on Warren Street Saturday afternoon when she was murdered and the store owner was wounded by the gunman.

A law enforcement official said an image of an armed man was captured on a surveillance camera. The store owner. known to neighbors as "Mo,'' is believed to be the gunman's target and detectives continue to search for an explanation for the attack on Milton.

Boston Police Commissioner Edward F Davis said Sunday that the Warren Street shooting "does not appear to be a simple robbery. There are other factors there.’’

However, Torres's shooting is believed to be gang-related, according to two officials with knowledge of the investigation.

Two gangs in Jamaica Plain have been shooting at each other in recent months and Torres's death is believed to be connected to that feud, according to the officials.

In the first shootings of the weekend's violence, two men were shot — and one of them critically wounded — on Blue Hill Avenue in Dorchester at about 2 a.m. Saturday. In all, seven people were shot, two fatally, this weekend.

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Five shootings in six days, including a gangland execution at Metrotown, have police fearing a new gang war

Five shootings in six days, including a gangland execution at Metrotown, have police fearing a new gang war is brewing across the Lower Mainland.

A power vacuum among mid-level Metro Vancouver gangs could be behind a string of shootings in recent days.

On Thursday night, two gang-linked men were shot at about 6 p.m. as they drove along Westminster Highway in Richmond. Last Saturday, longtime gangster Gurmit Singh Dhak was executed point-blank just before 6 p.m. at Burnaby’s busy Metrotown mall. And last Friday, young men known to police were wounded in shootings in both Mission and Delta.

Sgt. Shinder Kirk, who speaks for the Gang Task Force, said that among gangs right now there is “tension and instability that has led to unacceptable levels of violence on our streets.”

“In the last few weeks we have seen an increase in violent incidents in Metro Vancouver, including the murder of Gurmit Dhak,” Kirk said Friday.

“All murders are disturbing and when these violent acts occur in a public place it significantly impacts public safety and that’s simply unacceptable.”

He said all RCMP and municipal forces and their joint special units are sharing intelligence and “committed to identifying the source of the conflict and those responsible.”

“We are aware of many of the issues at the root of this conflict and are in constant communication with all Metro Vancouver RCMP detachments and police departments regarding this potential risk to public safety,” Kirk said. “At this point it is premature to make any connections between the shootings.”

Violent mid-level gangs like the Red Scorpions and United Nations are in disarray after the high-profile arrests of their leaders. As loyalties shift and former allies battle over drug territory, things turn violent.

Dhak, 32, was a major player in the Surrey drug trade, controlling a large swath of territory. He had a relationship with the Red Scorpions, but was not in the gang. He had been targeted by assassins twice before his murder.

On paper, Dhak was a businessman, registering his company GS Global Contracting in January 2007 — months before masked gunmen opened fire on him at Vancouver’s Quattro on Fourth restaurant. He survived that attack. His company is no longer in good standing, according to the B.C. Corporate Registry.

In early 2009, Dhak bought a Burnaby penthouse for $565,000. He had two leased vehicles — a 2008 Acura MDX and a 2008 Mercedes CLS63 AMG.

Abbotsford police Chief Bob Rich told a packed public meeting Tuesday that the Duhre brothers — Sandip, Balraj and Paul — have replaced the Red Scorpions gang as the main drug trafficking group in the Fraser Valley.

“The Duhre brothers — three brothers that worked at one point for [slain Vancouver gangster] Bindy Johal — now control drugs in Abbotsford,” Rich said. “We are going after them.”

Det. Andrew Wooding, of the Abbotsford Police Gang Suppression Unit, said the new wave of violence is a “repositioning of various groups and individuals, particularly in the Fraser Valley.”

“There is a lot of talk in the drug and gang subculture about who is taking over and who is losing power,” Wooding said Friday. “The police in the Lower Mainland are engaged at every level in an effort to prevent violence.”

But he said that gang life continues to be a potentially deadly pastime.

“There is no honour, loyalty or respect in the gang-drug subculture no matter the group,” Wooding said, playing on the slogan of the once powerful United Nations gang.

“Anyone involved should think seriously if it is worth their life to be involved.”



Read more: http://www.vancouversun.com/news/Police+fear+shootings+indicate+gang+gearing/3714644/story.html#ixzz13SbefFb0

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gangland-style hit took place between 6 and 6:30 p.m. in the 15400-block of Westminster Highway, on a barren stretch between No. 6 and 7 roads.

gangland-style hit took place between 6 and 6:30 p.m. in the 15400-block of Westminster Highway, on a barren stretch between No. 6 and 7 roads.

It appears the victims attempted to drive themselves to hospital before abandoning their white, bullet-riddled BMW at Westminster Highway and No. 3 Road, one of Richmond's busiest commercial intersections.

Four bullet holes were visible in the driver's side door and in the door behind the driver.

Richmond RCMP took the victims to Richmond Hospital, prompting heightened security, said Vancouver Coastal Health spokesman James Nesbitt. One of the victims is seriously injured, he added.

Police cordoned off Westminster Highway between No. 6 and 7 roads for the remainder of the night as they searched for evidence.

Public access to Richmond Hospital was blocked immediately after the incident but was quickly restored. An increased police presence was expected for the rest of the night, Nesbitt said.

The shootings follow several others in Metro Vancouver recently, including Saturday's slaying of longtime Vancouver gangster Gurmit Singh Dhak in a parking lot of Burnaby's Metrotown mall.



Read more: http://www.vancouversun.com/news/hospital+after+gangland+style+shooting+Richmond/3709834/story.html#ixzz13SbKyQlw

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GANGLAND twins James and Bryan Hanlon broke their silence yesterday to reveal how they survived attacks that shocked Scotland.

GANGLAND twins James and Bryan Hanlon broke their silence yesterday to reveal how they survived attacks that shocked Scotland.
The pair spoke out after the savage assaults blamed on an underworld feud left them fighting for their lives.
But they denied reports that James had a power drill used on his head and that his brother's groin had been horrifically injured in a brutal chisel attack.
Despite James having drugs convictions and being cleared on a gun charge last year, Bryan denied the brothers were dealers or that they were involved in a feud between the Daniel and Lyons crime clans.
He said: "We're not angels but we're not drug dealers.
"Because we're twins and we speak to people in the underworld, some people are trying to portray us as the Scottish Krays.
"We stand up to people face-to-face and occasionally get into fights but we use our hands.
"One story said I was in a wheelchair and another said I went out wearing suglasses and disguises. There's more truth in my daughter's Dora the Explorer books."
Gangland sources had blamed the attacks on a feud between rival crime clans that led to the fatal shooting of Kevin "Gerbil" Carroll outside an Asda store in January.
The twins were attacked three months after attending the funeral of Carroll, 29, in May.
James was first to be badly injured when a car he was a passenger in was rammed off the road in Stepps, near Glasgow.
A week later, Bryan was seriously injured when his Audi was forced into a wall and he was attacked by seven men in Maryhill.
Since the attacks on the twins, they claim they've been accused by officers of 10 revenge plots.
"The police have come to me seven times and told me they know I'm involved in planned retaliations while they've said the same to Bryan three times. I'm not a threat to anyone.
"I've never been questioned by police over what happened. They came to the hospital but the nurses advised them it wasn't in my interests to speak until I'd had a CT scan.
"They've never been back. I don't want to speak to them as I've nothing to tell them."
The 26-year-old brothers admit being childhood friends of Carroll - an enforcer with the Daniel clan - but they deny being involved in the long-running drugs war between the Daniel and Lyons families.
James said: "We've known Gerbil since we were 10 years old but have never had a problem with anyone he's had a problem with.
"It's absolute rubbish that we're involved with the Daniel family and we're angry at the lies being peddled.
"One report said that I was dating Gerbil's partner Kelly, which caused a lot of distress. I've got a fiancee and two kids."
He also dismissed reports that a power drill was used in the attack, adding: "I've no idea how many people attacked me but no-one used a drill on my head or anywhere else on my body. We're not involved in any feud with the Lyons."
Bryan suffered brain injuries in the August crash but is furious at claims that his manhood was "chopped off " and he was stabbed in the backside with a chisel.
He said: "I had a stab wound in my left hand and broken bones in my right. I've got a one-inch scar at the top of my groin where I was stabbed but nothing was chopped off . Put it this way, I'm fully intact.
"I've got three kids and younger brothers and sisters and it's terrible for them to hear this lie in the playground.
"Neither of us have been involved in any feud Gerbil may have had when he was alive, so why are we supposed to be now?
"We spoke to him when he was younger but we don't get involved with anyone's problems."
The twins - who were not paid by the Sunday Mail - claim they make a living from the motor trade.
James was convicted of possessing cocaine and cannabis in 2000 and 2003.
He spent nine months on remand after police found a gun and silencer stashed in a car in which he was a passenger in the city's Lambhill.
But he walked free from Glasgow High Court three years ago with a not proven verdict when the jury decided the gun did not belong to him.
James admits being a pal of Frances "Fraggle" Green, 29, and his sister Kelly, whose dad is scrapyard boss Jamie Daniel, 52.
James said: "I speak to Frances Green but I'm not involved in any crime war.
"One minute we're meant to be major drug dealers yet last week it was claimed I was stabbed in the head while buying £120 of cocaine up the Red Road flats.
"Another story said the reason I was attacked in August was because I held a gun to the head of a woman and threatened to shoot her as she was holding a baby. It's all fantasy."
They insist they have no idea why they were attacked.
James said: "Whoever these people were, they're cowards. It was seven on one and only after I'd been run over by a car."
Bryan said: "I suffered a brain injury because of the car crash, I didn't even know I was assaulted at the time.
"The police came to speak to me but I couldn't tell them anything of any substance as I was in a coma for four days and was on morphine. I don't know why we were attacked."
The twins' dad Jim Hanlon, who has seven other kids, said: "Some people have got us down as some big drug family but we're all sitting in council houses, not £500,000 houses."
Five men have been arrested over the attack on James. Three of them are due to stand trial at Airdrie Sheriff Court.
There have been no arrests over the attempted murder of Bryan. Police said yesterday: "Inquiries are ongoing."

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Drug dealers Paul (35) and Kenneth (32) Corbally were shot dead in their Lexus car

man was being questioned by gardai last night in connection with the "contract" murders of two brothers.

Detectives arrested the 31-year-old suspect, from Clondalkin, Dublin, yesterday morning. He was held at Lucan garda station under Section 50 of the Criminal Justice Act.

The suspect can be detained without charge for a maximum of seven days.

The arrest followed lengthy inquiries by a team of officers from the Dublin West division and gardai hope it could result in a breakthrough in their investigation.

Drug dealers Paul (35) and Kenneth (32) Corbally were shot dead in their Lexus car as a result of a series of rows between them and a Dublin gangland figure from Ballyfermot, west Dublin.

Gardai believe the contract was placed on their heads after the non-fatal stabbing and beating of an associate of the gangster in April. The brothers were also linked to a pub row in September last year, resulting in the death of Jason Martin.

Detectives had warned the pair that their lives were in danger as a result of the feud with the rival gang boss and had advised them to take precautions as intelligence indicated that the threat was "real".

Garda ballistic officers later confirmed that one of the two handguns used in the double murder had been stolen from a female PSNI officer.

The standard-issue Glock was reported stolen following an aggravated burglary on a house in the North.



Read more: http://www.belfasttelegraph.co.uk/news/local-national/republic-of-ireland/man-quizzed-over-contract-killing-of-gangland-brothers-14983927.html#ixzz13STsJODL

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30-year-old man from Ballyfermot was shot up to six times in the neck and upper body by a masked gunman

30-year-old man from Ballyfermot was shot up to six times in the neck and upper body by a masked gunman as he pulled up to his house in the Foxdene Park estate in Clondalkin at 8.30pm on Sunday.

He was the passenger in a car and had left the vehicle to remove something which was blocking entry to the house. As he got out of the car the gunman walked up and opened fire.

It is understood children were playing close by as the weapon was discharged. The driver of the vehicle moved the car, which made contact with the gunman, causing him to drop the weapon and flee the scene.

Gardaí were yesterday exploring possible motives for the attack. It is understood the man who was shot is known to gardaí, as are a number of his acquaintances.

He was in Tallaght Hospital last night, where his condition was described as serious.

In late June brothers Paul and Kenneth Corbally, who were involved in drug dealing, were shot dead in a gangland hit on the nearby Neilstown Road area of Clondalkin.

Gardaí are looking at whether or not this latest gangland shooting has any links with that or other shootings in the wider Clondalkin area.

Supt Pat Clavin said gardaí were interested in how the gunman had gained entry to the estate and managed to station himself close to the house where the victim lived,

As of last night no arrests had been made.

Read more: http://www.examiner.ie/ireland/search-for-gunman-in-dublin-gangland-shooting-134553.html#ixzz13STXc9Cu

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Detectives probing the attempted murder of Robert Ryle (30) yesterday recovered the weapon which fired up to five shots into the victim

GARDAI have recovered the handgun used in a gangland shooting which was dropped by the would-be assassin after he was pinned to a wall by a car.

Detectives probing the attempted murder of Robert Ryle (30) yesterday recovered the weapon which fired up to five shots into the victim as he got out of a car at a house at Foxdene Park in Clondalkin, Co Dublin, on Sunday night.

A lone gunman approached him at 8.40pm, firing several shots into his neck and chest from close range.

It is understood the driver of the car pinned the assassin against the wall in a desperate bid to save Mr Ryle's life.

The gunman managed to wriggle free and fled the scene on foot in the direction of the Fonthill Road. But he dropped his weapon, which was recovered nearby.

Mr Ryle, from Ballyfermot, was rushed to Tallaght Hospital where he underwent emergency surgery. He remains in a critical condition.

Superintendent Pat Clavin, from Lucan garda station, last night issued a plea for anyone with information to come forward. "We're particularly anxious to find out how the gunman got to the scene at Foxdene Park and how he escaped from the scene afterwards," he said.

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gangs are the 13 Avenue Hot Boyz and the 12 Court Cowboys.

dozen known gang members are off the streets along with 31 illegal weapons after Miami police went on the offensive in Operation Hammerhead. At a news conference Wednesday morning, Miami Police Chief Miguel Exposito announced the results of Operation Hammerhead, a several month operation designed to reduce crime in the city's Liberty Square Project.

In all, Chief Exposito said police got 31 guns off the street and made 14 arrests of gang members responsible for violent crimes.

The big priority was getting the illegal weapons off the street.

"This is the type of weapon we've taken off the street," said Chief Exposito as he held up an assault rifle. "This particular rifle was stolen in North Carolina."

The weapons, displayed on a two tables for reporters, could have taken many lives, according to the chief. They were confiscated from 14 members associated with two gangs arrested since April during this crackdown. The gangs are the 13 Avenue Hot Boyz and the 12 Court Cowboys.

"The result of Operation Hammerhead is proof of the Miami Police department's commitment to address violent crime even before it occurs," said Chief Exposito. "I am so proud of the work that the officers in the Miami Police Department have done."

Those arrested face a series of charges including possessing illegal weapons. Police say one young person was notorious. 18-year-old Timothy Smith, a 13 Avenue Hot Boyz leader, is alleged to have sold 17 guns to undercover officers.

"These officers are committed and determined to rid the city of gang activity. Liberty Square is a neighborhood just like any other neighborhood where good people deserve the right to live in peace and tranquility," said Exposito.

Operation Hammerhead focused on arms dealings and violent crimes in the Liberty Square Project that has been plagued by shootings including one that prompted community outrage in August when a 22-month old girl was shot in the foot by a stray bullet.

"I have no words to describe this. All I can say is these officers did a phenomenal job," said Exposito.

Four of the fourteen people arrested are juveniles. The chief said many are recruited by gang members at a very early age, which makes many Liberty Square residents applaud this crackdown.

"There's too much violence here. There are too many killings. Something needed to be done to stop this," said resident Mike Pratt.

Marvin Pratt agrees but said Operation Hammerhead is only part of the solution.

"This crackdown needs to continue. It can't just stop. And all this needs to go further. We need programs for the young kids. They don't have enough to do. Some of this violence has become ingrained in them. We need to work with these young kids," said Marvin Pratt.

"This needs to be part of a continuous operation," Pratt told CBS4's Peter D'Oench. "This can't just last a few months. This is great that these guns were taken away, but in the long run, we need to reach these kids when they are young. Find stuff to occupy them. Right now they have no jobs. They are desperate. They have nothing to. They have no type of training. They stay at home and raise themselves."

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Heavy gunbattles erupted in two cities of Mexico

Heavy gunbattles erupted in two cities of Mexico today between Mexican soldiers and drug gangs, leaving two people dead and forcing the parents to pull children from school. Reports added that one of the two people killed was a Texas National Guard soldier. He was killed in the city of Ciudad Juarez, according to local reports.

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Police have arrested 14 men they say are associated with rival Miami gangs and sold weapons to undercover police.

Police have arrested 14 men they say are associated with rival Miami gangs and sold weapons to undercover police.
Authorities also confiscated 31 guns during the months-long investigation into the gangs, 13 Avenue Hot Boyz and the 12 Court Cowboys. Miami Police said Wednesday the arrests prevented three shootings. The weapons included a TEC-9, sawed-off shot guns, an assault rifle and handguns. Several were stolen.
Eighteen-year old Timothy Smith allegedly sold 17 guns to undercover officers.


Read more: http://www.miamiherald.com/2010/10/21/1883917/miami-police-arrest-14-from-rival.html#ixzz133mERLz1

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groups of teenagers in the Central Australian town have been competing to see who can steal the most cars.

Police in Alice Springs say groups of teenagers in the Central Australian town have been competing to see who can steal the most cars.

They say almost a car a day has been stolen in Alice Springs so far in October.

Twenty-one young people have been arrested over more than 200 offences relating to youths entering people's houses to take keys, cars and cash.

Police say investigations have revealed two gangs of teenagers have been competing to see who can steal the most cars.

A police spokesman says the groups are then actively trying to engage police in car chases, causing serious risk to themselves and the community.

Some of the drivers are as young as 14.

Police have found almost all of the stolen vehicles but say three are still missing.

Police have been delivering leaflets to homes in areas where crime levels are highest to encourage people to ensure their houses are secure.

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funneled drugs to some of the most violent street gangs based in Los Angeles, Long Beach and La Puente.

- More than 800 law enforcement officers fanned out across the Southland Thursday in a massive takedown capping a three-year investigation that targeted major methamphetamine and cocaine suppliers. They funneled drugs to some of the most violent street gangs based in Los Angeles, Long Beach and La Puente.

Thursday’s arrests came after a federal grand jury returned six indictments that named 61 defendants.

'Operation Red Rein' enlisted several law enforcement agencies including the California Highway Patrol; the sheriff’s departments of Los Angeles and Riverside counties; and nine police departments including those in Fontana and Montclair.

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Mexican army battles drug gangs

Mexican army battles drug gangs

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BIKIE gangs have infiltrated Victoria's liquor, security and brothel industries as outlaw bikie numbers soar across the nation.

BIKIE gangs have infiltrated Victoria's liquor, security and brothel industries as outlaw bikie numbers soar across the nation.

Victoria's most senior detective said smashing bikie involvement in organised crime was now a high priority for state police.

Deputy Commissioner (Crime) Sir Ken Jones said the number of fully fledged members of outlaw motorcycle gangs in Australia had jumped from 3000 to 4000 in three years.

Sir Ken said the force's previous position that bikie gangs were not a high priority in Victoria "certainly isn't the view now".

A meeting of senior police, detectives and intelligence officers from across the state at police headquarters next Friday will draw up bikie battle plans.

Sir Ken confirmed that bikies were active in the security industry, nightclubs and brothels as a means of enhancing their involvement in drug dealing.



He was aware of unconfirmed reports that one gang had recently offered $1.7 million to buy a hotel in Mildura.

Any bikie involvement in the liquor industry or brothels was a cause of great concern, he said.

"Their traditional modus operandi centres on those types of industries, drug dealing within those sorts of premises and standover with competitors," he said.

"We know from experience that is an area where they will focus on the provision of security, which becomes a gateway for dealing in drugs, often ecstasy and amphetamines.

"This is just hard fact, evidenced from convictions of people involved in this activity around Australia."

The Herald Sun revealed a year ago that the Comancheros and the Finks had moved into Victoria for the first time.

Sir Ken said there was increased visibility of bikies and new chapters being set up.

But he rejected suggestions Victoria had become a magnet for outlaw bikies because of softer laws.

He said coercive powers, wire taps and consorting laws were all being used to disrupt gang activity.

He said police would aim at organised crime "but not just target a lifestyle".

Sir Ken - a keen motorcyclist who until recently rode a Harley-Davidson - said the force's Echo taskforce, formed to investigate gang issues, would oversee new efforts to tackle bikie gangs.

He said next week's meeting would discuss a new approach to gathering intelligence and "make sure we're all on the same page".

The force was introducing a central intelligence department based on a model that had been successful in the US, Canada and Europe.

"I'm looking for a much more assertive intelligence gathering strategy, because frankly that's our best hope of keeping across this," he said.

A 54-strong NSW police taskforce formed after a fatal bikie brawl at Sydney airport in March last year made 724 arrests in its first 12 months, seized 174 guns, $1 million in cash and large quantities of drugs.

Sir Ken said he did not believe the scale and intensity of motorcycle gang crime in Victoria was of the same magnitude as in NSW, "but I don't want to minimise it".

Sir Ken said fortified bikie clubhouses sent a bad message to the community.

"These people are entitled to associate, they're entitled to have a club and all the rest of it, but they're not entitled to put dangerous fortifications in place," he said.

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Tottenham Boys gang are involved in a bloody feud with the rival Hackney Turks

Two people have been convicted in connection with a war between two gangs in north London. One local MP fears a "mafia-style" conflict.


There have been demonstrations against the gangs in north London
When 20-year-old Yusuf Arslan was stopped in the street one night in September last year he was not cowed by the sight of armed police.

Quite the opposite.

Kitted out in body armour, he claimed he was one of the main players in north London and could get hold of better weapons than Scotland Yard's Heckler & Koch MP5 sub-machine guns.

A few weeks later Arslan, whose Tottenham Boys gang are involved in a bloody feud with the rival Hackney Turks, was on the streets again seeking to back up his boasts.



Murder attempt decorator jailed
Armed with a Croatian-made Agram sub-machine gun, he flagged down a Ford Transit van in a Tottenham street.

He fired four shots at the occupants, Nasir Demir and Hamit Koban, but they escaped serious injury by reversing the van away at high speed.

At Arslan's recent trial Mr Demir, giving evidence from behind a curtain, said he was an innocent businessman but, asked why he had been shot at, he said: "Gang-related. Because they want control. If you ever get in the way they get you out of the way."

There are an estimated 50,000 Turks and 200,000 Kurds in London, not including Turkish Cypriots.

Continue reading the main story
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I'm genuinely worried about the escalation of violence and the young lives that are being lost in this parallel world of criminality”

David Lammy
MP for Tottenham
The Tottenham Boys and Hackney Turks gangs are understood to include both Turks and Kurds.

The feud has claimed at least two lives in the last 12 months - Oktay Erbasli, 23, and Cem Duzgun, 21 - and one local MP believes the violence could get worse.

David Lammy, MP for Tottenham, told the BBC: "Gang-related activity in the Turkish-speaking community is a serious issue on the streets of London and we need far more focused action.

"We need far more Turkish-speaking officers dealing with this and I sense that the community itself is fearful and racketeering, money laundering and intimidation is going on and it has to come to an end."

Mr Lammy said: "I'm genuinely worried about the escalation of violence and the young lives that are being lost in this parallel world of criminality.

"I don't want to see the kind of developments that exist in New York played out in the streets of London, a kind of mafia-style community."




Aug 2007 - Yusuf Arslan, then 17, is shot in Tottenham but survives
2 Sep 2009 - Arslan (pictured) arrested wearing body armour and brags to armed police about his firepower
28 Sep 2009 - Arslan's friend Izzet Eren shot and injured in Tottenham
30 Sep 2009 - Arslan shoots at two men in a van in Tottenham
3 Oct 2009 - Arslan's friend, Oktay Erbasli, killed in Tottenham
5 Oct 2009 - Cem Duzgun (pictured) shot dead in Clapton
8 Oct 2009 - Arslan arrested but released
9 Dec 2009 - Arslan and two others arrested and charged
Sep 2010 - Arslan and another man convicted
Oct 2010 Arslan jailed indefinitely
Metropolitan Police commissioner Sir Paul Stephenson rejected the criticism and said: "This is a challenge but we have had some successes."

A Scotland Yard spokeswoman said the force had 24 Turkish-speaking officers and she said officers from the Safer Neighbourhoods Team in Hackney had recently visited Istanbul, Kahramanmaras and Elbistan as guests of the Turkish police.

She said they were now devising a training package to help them working among Hackney's Turkish population.

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Gangs of hardcore football fans went out to hunt down and attack Liverpool supporters in Naples ahead of their goalless draw

Gangs of hardcore football fans went out to hunt down and attack Liverpool supporters in Naples ahead of their goalless draw, Italian police said.

There were several incidents on Wednesday night, ahead of Liverpool's Europa League tie at Napoli's Stadio San Paolo on Thursday.

Three Liverpool fans have been treated in hospital for stab wounds. Four others were also injured.

Italian police stepped up security ahead of the game.

One of the men who was stabbed has since been released from hospital.

Two others, 53-year-old Alexander Phillips, of Liverpool, and a 27-year-old who is not being named, are due to be released from hospital later, the BBC's correspondent in Rome, Duncan Kennedy said.

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