Casino fraudsters walk free from court - Yahoo! News UK

Casino fraudsters walk free from court - Yahoo! News UK: "Two international gambling cheats have walked free from court after admitting possessing a series of fake IDs to use in casinos they were banned from. Skip related contentRelated photos / videos
Casino fraudsters walk free from court
As part of a global gang, Francesco Baioni, 64, and Frank Camilleri, 61, travelled the world cheating casinos out of money.
The pair - who police described as 'notorious' and 'professional' - served time in America after cheating their way to 'vast' amounts of cash.
Baioni, of Rackstraw House, Primrose Hill, was given a 12-month sentence suspended for 18 months.
Camilleri, of Derrick Road, Beckenham, was sentenced to nine months suspended for the same period."

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39-year-old Rebels bikie was involved in a fight with a 26-year-old member of the Rock Machine gang on High Street

THREE men have been arrested after simmering tensions between rival bikie gangs erupted in Fremantle today.
It will be alleged a 39-year-old Rebels bikie was involved in a fight with a 26-year-old member of the Rock Machine gang on High Street at about 8.50am today.
A second Rock Machine bikie, a 26-year-old man from Hamilton Hill, joined in the fight, police allege.Fremantle police and gang crime squad detectives later charged three men with disorderly conduct.The two Rock Machine bikies are due to appear in Fremantle Magistrate's Court next Thursday while the Rebels member is due to appear in same court a day later.

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Gator Boyz gang leader Tyrone Weatherall, who was sentenced Friday to almost 22 years in prison.

West Side Gator Boyz were one of Dallas' most notorious street gangs. Born from the surprising merger of Crips and Bloods – the Hatfields and McCoys of modern-day street gangs – the Gator Boyz dominated the drug trade in West Dallas, authorities say.They say the gang, numbering between 30 and 50 members and led by brothers Tyrone and Patrick Weatherall, maintained control over its enterprise and the neighborhood with a shrewd business approach to organization and a silent intimidation so encompassing that it rarely, if ever, required members to use physical violence.The Weatherall brothers amassed a cache of weapons, cash and property, including a ranch with exotic animals that authorities say they often used to entice children as young as 14 to sell drugs or serve as lookouts in and around about 30 drug houses throughout West Dallas.
"It's sad because these kids that are out there in this neighborhood, they see this [behavior] as acceptable, and that in and of itself does harm," said Dallas police gang Detective Danny Torres, who along with federal Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco and Firearms Agent April Howell, headed the three-year investigation of the gang.

"To them, it's acceptable to see drug houses, it's acceptable to see dope dealers, it's acceptable to go to jail. I wanted to change that," he said.

Working undercover and with informants, local and federal authorities arrested nearly 20 Gator Boyz members in recent months. On Friday, U.S. District Judge Sidney Fitzwater accepted Tyrone Weatherall's guilty plea to conspiracy to possess with intent to distribute crack cocaine and sentenced the 35-year-old to almost 22 years in prison.

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I am the craziest, loudest T.S. gangster around Toon Town

Jackson "Jax" McKenzie was also clearly ensnared in the aggressive lifestyle of the city's street gangs.

"I am the craziest, loudest T.S. gangster around Toon Town," the 31-year-old father boasted on his own Facebook page, which contains expletive-heavy references against police officers, "snitches" and members of the Cash Boys and Native Syndicate gangs.

Although city police have released few details about the early Sunday morning incident that left McKenzie dead and an unnamed 23-year-old man in critical condition, they have confirmed the incident appears to be gang-related.

"T.S." is a reference to the Terror Squad, a local street gang. In one of the many photos his friends have posted on his memorial page, McKenzie is wearing a T-shirt emblazed with the Terror Squad name.

The creator of the page, as well as several other friends, did not respond to messages requesting comment Monday.

McKenzie's wake and funeral are scheduled for Thursday and Friday.

The city's ninth homicide of the year unfolded around 1 a.m. Sunday outside Stan's Place, a bar in the 100 block of Ruth Street.

Police are not saying if weapons were involved in the altercation, which left a trail of blood between the bar's off-sale outlet and a nearby alley. No one from Stan's Place could be reached for comment.

Police said investigators are trying to locate two "persons of interest" in connection with the incident.

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man was found shot dead in a disused Smethwick factory today refused to rule out a “gangland killing”.

The detective leading a murder investigation after a man was found shot dead in a disused Smethwick factory today refused to rule out a “gangland killing”.

Leon Corey Robinson, aged 33, was discovered in an industrial unit on November 18. He had been shot in the head.

Acting Chief Insp Wayne Jones said: “We can’t rule out a gangland killing. We think he was probably lured here. We know the street gangs and he wasn’t a gang member. He was known to the police though.”

Officers are investigating the possibility Mr Robinson was with a friend when he entered the disused factory in Foundry Lane.

Police are trying to piece together Mr Robinson’s movements after 11.10pm on November 7, when he first went missing from his home in Rubery.



Read more: http://www.expressandstar.com/news/2010/11/25/gangland-theory-over-leon-robinson-murder/#ixzz16RVDktyF

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"North Side Longo and Sureno Gang Injunction," after two of the most violent and notorious street gangs in Long Beach.

"North Side Longo and Sureno Gang Injunction," after two of the most violent and notorious street gangs in Long Beach. Speakers at a press conference today praised the injunction as innovative because it targets gang members from all over Los Angeles County who commit crimes in Long Beach, and not just those based in Long Beach.

"They truly do have a network answerable to the Mexican Mafia," said Chief McDonnell.

More than 100 known gang members and associates are named in the injunction. Officials said that 54 have been served with injunction notices, making them aware that they are personally being targeted and will be susceptible to punishment under the injunction if they are caught violating it.

Individuals included in the injunction are prohibited from associating with known gang members, drinking in public or possessing loading firearms. If discovered violating the injunction, the individual would be charged with whatever crime has been committed as well as the willful disobedience of a court order, a misdemeanor that could tack on six months in jail to whatever sentence stems from the committed crime.

The injunction can only legally be enforced within limits approved by a judge, and nowhere else in the city. The boundaries (pictured at right) for this injunction cover 7.25 square miles in North Long Beach, from 72nd Street south to Del Amo Boulevard, and from the Long Beach Freeway east to the Lakewood border. This location was selected because it is associated with both gangs and their illegal activities.

A judge approved the injunction in late September and arrests have already been made in connection with the injunction, police said.

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Police are preparing another foray into the Vila Cruzeiro slum in a bid to oust the drug traffickers who control the area

Police are preparing another foray into the Vila Cruzeiro slum in a bid to oust the drug traffickers who control the area. The six-day assault has left 30 people dead and buses and cars have been torched in street fighting between police and drug traffickers.

Police claimed to have wrested control of the area from drug gangs but TV helicopters filmed scores of armed men fleeing up the surrounding hills into neighbouring districts.

It was not immediately clear if the police had definitively turfed the gangs out of Vila Cruzeira or if they had simply pushed them into other areas.

Fighting over the last few days has seen gangs torching 60 vehicles and firing at police with automatic weapons.

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MS-13 — a gang known for beheading its victims

Violent Hispanic Gang In Canada | ELLIOT LAKE News & Views: "Local Canadian police agencies are now fearing a surge in violence as MS-13 — a gang known for beheading its victims — starts clashing with rival street gangs."

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Toronto’s Galloway Boys, Malvern Crew, Ardwick Blood Crew and the Jamestown Crips.

Violent Hispanic Gang In Canada | ELLIOT LAKE News & Views: "Canada’s 100+ identified street gangs have worked their way into the public realm through high-profile arrests, or their own bloody acts of aggression, such as Toronto’s Galloway Boys, Malvern Crew, Ardwick Blood Crew and the Jamestown Crips.
Perhaps the most alarming of all, however, is the growing presence of the ‘Mara Salvatrucha,’ a gang whose parent group in the United States was recently labeled by Newsweek magazine as “the most dangerous gang in North America.”
Better known as the MS-13, the gang was originally formed in Los Angeles by young men fleeing civil strife in El Salvador."

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Gangster Disciples, Imperial Gangsters, Latin Kings and Vice Lords

Four main street gangs are found in the city, Racine Police Department spokesman Sgt. Martin Pavilonis said.
Those are the Gangster Disciples, Imperial Gangsters, Latin Kings and Vice Lords. He said other, smaller units exist within those groups.
It's true that most are connected to Chicago, Pavilonis said. The Gangster Disciples apparently are the exception; he said that gang came down from Milwaukee.

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Gardaí use seized bulletproof cars in gangland operations - The Irish Times - Wed, Oct 27, 2010

Gardaí use seized bulletproof cars in gangland operations - The Irish Times - Wed, Oct 27, 2010: "TWO BULLETPROOF BMWs seized from criminals are now being used as Garda cars, according to the annual report of the Criminal Assets Bureau (Cab).
The Irish Times understands the emergency response unit has been using them in Limerick on high-risk gangland operations. The vehicles, a BMW X5 4X4 and a BMW 3 Series car, were registered to brothers Ger and Wayne Dundon, both members of a feuding Limerick gang. The vehicles are worth about €350,000.
Wayne Dundon has recently completed a sentence for threatening to kill a barman who refused to serve his 14-year-old sister in a pub. He is regarded as the leader of the McCarthy-Dundon gang.
It is understood that while the Cab had initially planned to sell the Dundons’ seized cars, concerns emerged as to who might buy them, given that they are bulletproof.
It was then decided the vehicles should be retained by the State as specialist Garda cars.
The Cab’s annual report also confirms that Irish criminals trying to evade the bureau are moving their wealth and assets offshore."

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Tip-off in gangland gun hunt - Herald Scotland | News | Crime & Courts

Tip-off in gangland gun hunt - Herald Scotland | News | Crime & Courts: "Police acting on a tip-off yesterday searched gardens in Edinburgh for a gun that may have been used in a gangland shooting last month.
About 50 Lothian and Borders Police officers scoured private gardens in the Broomhouse area for the gun, or guns, and drugs after intelligence indicated weapons were stashed there.
Controversial businessman Robert Kelbie, 27, was shot in the back in a suspected gangland hit at Bannatyne’s Health Club in Newcraighall, Edinburgh, last month.
Mr Kelbie discharged himself from Edinburgh Royal Infirmary the same day he was shot.
During yesterday’s hunt, police acting on information from the public stopped five men in a car in Broomhouse Loan at around 12.30pm and seized £1500 of heroin and valium.
Three men, aged 22, 36 and 27, have been arrested and charged with drugs offences and two others were being questioned by police."

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Jamaica: Four die in attacks linked to gangs - Scotsman.com News

Jamaica: Four die in attacks linked to gangs - Scotsman.com News: "Jamaican police said four men were killed and four seriously wounded in a gang-related incident.
Investigators said gunmen opened fire late on Saturday on a group of men playing cards at a house in Spanish Town, a southern Jamaican city where violent gangs battling for control over extortion and drug rings are deeply entrenched."

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Canal trawled as hunt for missing Kenny is linked to 'Guinea Pig' - National News, Frontpage - Herald.ie

Canal trawled as hunt for missing Kenny is linked to 'Guinea Pig' - National News, Frontpage - Herald.ie: "WATERWAY believed to be a dumping ground used by 'Canal Butcher' Mark Desmond has been trawled in the James Kenny McDonagh search.
The Garda Water Unit trawled the Grand Canal at Hazelhatch searching for suspected gangland murder victim Kenny McDonagh this week, following ground searches in the same area of west Dublin last week.
The same waterway is where Kenny McDonagh's enemy Desmond is suspected of dumping two men's bodies in 2000.
Gardai painstakingly searched an area of the canal at Hazelhatch last Tuesday -- a mile from where the missing man's burnt-out car was found.
Mark Desmond -- known by his gangland nickname 'Guinea Pig' -- is known to stay at a property in the nearby Celbridge area.
Officers from the Water Unit called off the search after it became apparent that no trace of the missing man was to be found. But more searches in the west of the city are planned."

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300 crowd border club after fleeing Zetas drug gang | World | Chron.com - Houston Chronicle

300 crowd border club after fleeing drug gang | World | Chron.com - Houston Chronicle: "300 men, women and children from the colonial ranching town of Ciudad Mier, a 10-minute drive from Texas, have taken refuge in the Lion's Club in this small city on the Rio Grande — fleeing for their lives from the gangland killers called the Zetas.
The refugees deserted Mier en masse during the past week after Zetas attacked in force to wrest it back from rival thugs of the so-called Gulf Cartel narcotics smuggling organization. Businesses and houses were burned, refugees say, and innocents murdered. Government forces have not yet reacted, they say.
'Either the government doesn't want to act or they are waiting until the bands kill off one another,' said a refugee, who spoke on the condition his name not be used out of fear of the gunmen.
The Zetas began attacking Mier just hours after the killing by Mexican marines last Friday of Gulf Cartel boss Antonio Ezequiel Cardenas-Guillen, known everywhere as Tony Tormenta, or Tony Storm. Officials on both sides of the border have warned that Tony Tormenta's demise is all but certain to unleash havoc as rivals fight to replace him.
Events in Ciudad Mier suggest that the already vicious conflict of the past nine months between the Zetas and Gulf Cartel, who were allies for more than a dozen years, seems ready to tip into scorched-earth war."

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El Ponchis, the sadistic executioner who is terrorising Mexico.... at the age of 12 | Mail Online

El Ponchis, the sadistic executioner who is terrorising Mexico.... at the age of 12 | Mail Online: "He works alongside a posse of women dubbed the Chavelas, who are responsible for dumping the bodies of his victims. Some of them are believed to be his sisters.A Mexican Army spokesman said: 'We understand El Ponchis works under the command of Julio Jesus Radilla. Sadistic: The hitman favours cutting his victim's throats'El Ponchis was identified as the paid executioner of Radilla's enemies.'These victims were tortured, their throats cut and bodies dumped at roadsides.'Gruesome videos of El Ponchis torturing and executing his enemies have been circulated online.His favoured technique is to slit the throats of his victims using a cutting technique which leaves the head hanging by a thread.The killer has also posed for photographs wielding a rifle and standing beside a body.El Ponchis works for the South Pacific Cartel (SPC) which operates in Morelos, Mexico, and is headed by Radilla.Most of its members are between 12 and 23. They are behind a number of brutal massacres and Radilla and El Ponchis reportedly escaped when the Mexican army raided an SPC base in the town of Tejalpa last month."

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13 Arrested in Garda Gangland Swoop | 98FM: Thunders, Live Music Radio, Entertainment, News, Concerts, Events, Gigs & Competitions.

13 Arrested in Garda Gangland Swoop | 98FM: Thunders, Live Music Radio, Entertainment, News, Concerts, Events, Gigs & Competitions.: "Thirteen men have been arrested in dawn raids by Gardai.
The searches, focusing mostly in the North Inner City, targeted those involved in organised crime and drug trafficking.
300 Gardai swooped on houses, business premises and other properties in the Sherrif Street and Oriel Street areas this morning.
The dawn raids – which kicked-off at 4AM – also targetted areas across Cork, Wexford, Kildare and Cavan.
It’s all part of an on-going intelligence led Garda investigation into drug trafficking, mainly in Dublin’s North inner city
CAB, the riot sqaud, the garda helicopter and garda dogs all helped in this morning raids.
A total of thirteen men – aged between 17 and 61 – have been arrested.
Two have since been released without charge .
The remaining 11 are still being held at Garda stations here in Dublin, in Cork and Wexford"

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Suspect arrested in gangland shooting

Suspect arrested in gangland shooting: "Police arrested alleged underworld figure Eyal Sofer on Wednesday on suspicion of attempting to kill alleged crime figure Charlie Abutbul in Netanya two months ago.

In the September 7 attack, Abutbul was shot at by unknown gunmen riding a motorcycle in Netanya as he sat in a parked car with his son near the Carmel Hotel. No one was wounded in the shooting."

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formally identified as Lee Wallace

The London Daily News: "murder inquiry is underway following a shooting in Islington. Police were called at approximately 04:30hrs on Tuesday, 9 November, following reports of a shooting outside Strang House, Britannia Row, N1.
Officers, ambulance service (LAS) and air ambulance (HEMS) attended and discovered two men suffering from gunshot wounds.

Victim 1 was pronounced dead at the scene at 05:07hrs. He has been formally identified as Lee Wallace (aged 25, 27/5/85) of Broadway, Loughton. A post-mortem will took place at St Pancras mortuary and gave the cause of death as gunshot wounds.

Victim 2 was taken to an east London hospital and subsequently died in the early hours of Wednesday, 10 November. He has been formally identified as Jayson Hassan (aged 28, 8/10/82) of Horatio Street, Bethnal Green. A post mortem at St Pancras mortuary and gave cause of death as gunshot wounds.

Next of kin have been informed."

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$300k hit on Scots gangster in Sydney - Herald Scotland | News | Crime & Courts

Rival fingered for $300k hit on Scots gangster in Sydney - Herald Scotland | News | Crime & Courts: "Now the latest episode of “Sopranos on the Harbour”, as some have called it, is riveting Australians, following the arrest of McGurk’s former business associate, Ron Medich.
A multi-millionaire property developer who had been in dispute with McGurk, Medich has been charged with masterminding the murder. A Sydney court heard that shortly after McGurk was shot at close range in his driveway in front of his nine-year-old son, Luc, a text message stating “Job done” was received by a friend of Medich’s, Lucky Gattellari. Medich was allegedly with him.
The murder, in a well-heeled area, shone a light on a murky side of Sydney society. As well as being involved in property deals, McGurk, 57, had been a loan shark and debt collector with a violent reputation. The father of four had once been charged with firebombing a house. There were allegations of blackmail and corruption involving politicians."

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Gym members called on over gangland hit - Herald Scotland | News | Crime & Courts

Gym members called on over gangland hit - Herald Scotland | News | Crime & Courts: "Detectives have contacted more than 3000 members of a gym as part of the hunt for a gunman who shot a businessman in the back outside the busy leisure complex.
Three weeks after Robert Kelbie, 27, was shot in the back in the suspected gangland hit, Lothian and Borders Police renewed their call for people to come forward.
He stumbled into Bannatyne’s car park in Newcraighall in Edinburgh on Wednesday, October 20, before driving himself to hospital.
He discharged himself from the city’s Royal Infirmary later the same day.
Police said they were following specific avenues of investigation but have urged the public to come forward with any information they have in relation to the shooting or a Vauxhall Vectra that was stolen in Glasgow some weeks earlier and found burned out in West Bryson Road the same night."

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18 members or associates of the Nine Trey Headbustas set

Indictment charges alleged Bloods trio with 2008 New Brunsick slaying | mycentraljersey.com | MyCentralJersey.com: "the leader and 18 members or associates of the Nine Trey Headbustas set with racketeering and a host of drug and weapons offenses, the state Attorney General's Office said.Three of the suspects are charged with murder in connection with the fatal shooting of alleged gang member Devin Thompson, a 19-year-old South River man, on June 2, 2008, near Rutgers' Cook-Douglass Campus.Syree Hakins, 38, of West Orange; Davon Parker, 22, of Edison; and Tyrane Mathis, 34, of Edison have been charged with Thompson's murder. The charges are in the fifth count in Thursday's 63-page indictment, which supersedes a prior indictment related to the murder.The men are also charged with attempted murder for allegedly shooting Thompson's friend, Christopher Whitsett, in the back, Attorney General Paula Dow said."

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Drug bust drains Bronx's Hunts Point of 32 in Satan's Bloods gang; it's a relief to residents

Drug bust drains Bronx's Hunts Point of 32 in Satan's Bloods gang; it's a relief to residents: "Thirty-two members of a Hunts Point drug syndicate known as 'Satan's Bloods' were either arrested in morning raids by law-enforcement, were already jailed or being sought, authorities said.
The members ranged in age from 19 to 52 years old, and have street nicknames such as 'Skinny,' 'Macho,' 'Biscuit,' 'Shorts' and 'Hat Boy.'
The gang dealt powder cocaine, crack and heroin 'seven days a week, 24 hours a day,' along Manida and Irving Sts., according to the federal charges.
'This is in the top-10 bad places I've ever lived - and I've lived in some bad places,' said Thomas Gibson, a resident of Manida St. 'It's the slum of slums, but maybe they did some good out here today.'
The arrests come after a five-month joint investigation by the FBI and NYPD that began in March, with undercover cops making more than 100 drug buys, authorities said."

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Bikie club members bailed over Zervas killing - ABC News (Australian Broadcasting Corporation)

Bikie club members bailed over Zervas killing - ABC News (Australian Broadcasting Corporation): "Three members of bikie clubs charged with conspiring to murder a rival gang member in Sydney have been granted bail.
In October, Herbert Laupepa, 28, became the sixth man charged with conspiring to murder Hells Angel member Peter Zervas, who was shot outside his mother's home at Lakemba in Sydneys south-west last year.
The shooting was a week after his brother, Anthony Zervas, was bashed to death in a fight between Comanchero and Hells Angels members at Sydney airport.
In Central Local Court, a magistrate granted Laupepa bail after the payment of a bond of $150,000.
Brothers Richard Fong and Christopher Fong were also granted bail on charges of conspiring to murder Mr Zervas and of participating in a criminal group."

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Hells Angels spokesman charged with extortion

Hells Angels spokesman charged with extortion: "Frederick Widdifield, who is sometimes a spokesman for the local motorcycle club, Jeffrey Benvin, Robbie Lajeunesse and Rajinder Sandhu all face charges of extortion and 'commission of an offence for a criminal organization,' identified in provincial court documents as the Nanaimo Hells Angels.
Lajeunesse and Sandhu are also charged with assault.
Lajeunesse and Benvin also face additional charges of theft over $5,000 (a boat and trailer), and possession of a restricted or prohibited weapon, identified as brass knuckles and a Taser."

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Exclusive: Hells Angels Sonny Barger Has Cameo Role in 'Sons of Anarchy' - Motorcyclist Magazine

Exclusive: Hells Angels Sonny Barger Has Cameo Role in 'Sons of Anarchy' - Motorcyclist Magazine: "Barger, a founding member of the Oakland chapter of the Hells Angels, plays a character called Lenny the Pimp, one of the founders of the Sons of Anarchy Motorcycle Club. Barger, who lives in Arizona these days, said in an interview that he's a big fan of the show.
'We watch it every week,' Barger said. 'It's a nice show and it seems like everyone likes it. But it's nowhere near my everyday life.'
Below, Sutter talks at length about the third season of the show and about how Barger's appearance came about.
When he was doing research for 'Sons of Anarchy,' Sutter said he never approached Barger, whose colorful life and brushes with the law were frankly chronicled in his 2001 autobiography, 'Hell's Angel,' as well as countless news articles, magazine pieces and books.
Once the FX show was on the air, however, Sutter heard through friends in the Hells Angels that Barger was a fan. After getting to know Barger through those mutual friends, the 'SOA' creator began to consider Barger for the role of Lenny Janowitz, one of SAMCRO's nine founders."

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Honduras: 'We are burying kids all the time' | Maras | gangs | World news | The Guardian

Honduras: 'We are burying kids all the time' | Maras | gangs | World news | The Guardian: "Machismo, narco-trafficking, social exclusion, plentiful weapons and the aftermath of war all sustain the mara phenomenon, but it landed with plane-loads of gangsters deported from the US. The two main groups, Dieciocho (Spanish for 18) and Salvatrucha, originated in LA and exploded in central America when Con Air dumped 46,000 convicts between 1998-2005.
Nicaragua was lucky: its emigrants headed for Miami, where black and Cuban gangs shunned central Americans, and the country remains an oasis of relative calm. LA's more culturally open-minded gangs, in contrast, recruited the children of immigrants from Guatemala, El Salvador and Honduras. Many had never set foot in central America until being deported.
With no family restraints, the arrivals proved much more brutal than traditional local gangs known as pandillas, says Dennis Rodgers, a University of Manchester anthropologist and mara expert. Rival gang members have been beheaded and burned – notably during prison riots – and bus-loads of civilians have been massacred to intimidate authorities and extort money from drivers. Suspected gang members dumped human heads in front of Guatemala's congress along with notes telling the government to halt a crackdown on organised crime."

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Lord Of The Flies with cocaine and Glocks

Honduras: 'We are burying kids all the time' | Maras | gangs | World news | The Guardian: "Honduras inter-gang clashes account for 40% of killings. Imagine Lord Of The Flies with cocaine and Glocks. Private security guards are estimated to account for 25%. These are poorly paid men – in some cases moonlighting police – who guard buses, liquor stores, supermarkets and other gang targets. In the crime-weary capital, shooting a suspect is more likely to earn applause than prosecution, so guards tend towards the trigger-happy.
Contract assassins – 'sicarios' – account for 15%. For just a few hundred dollars, sometimes less, they will pump bullets into your problem. Some are gang members, some are police. Targets range from wealthy businessmen who have crossed a colleague to drug-sniffing kids bothering a neighbourhood. The fundamental problem, Capellín says, is the state's inability to deter and investigate crime. 'There is total impunity.' Of the thousands of youth murders in the past decade, fewer than 50 had been solved.
From Mexico down to South America, senior politicians and police commanders say the maras are links in the narco-trafficking chain and must be eradicated. But critics argue that the heavy-handed deployment of police and soldiers is a strategy that has failed across the region. 'They talk about insecurity but tackle the symptoms and not the causes,' Capellín says. 'What about families' insecurity about food, health care, housing, work?'
'Gangs have become convenient scapegoats on which to blame the problems,' says Rodgers, 'and through which those in power attempt to maintain an unequal status quo.'"

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Mexico hunts 12-year-old drug gang hitman | World | News | Toronto Sun

Mexico hunts 12-year-old drug gang hitman | World | News | Toronto Sun: "Soldiers are hunting a 12-year-old suspected drug gang hitman accused of helping wage a gruesome turf war in central Mexico, a state prosecutor and Mexican media said Friday.
The boy, known only as “El Ponchis,” is believed to be working for the South Pacific cartel in Morelos state just outside Mexico City and is one of a group of young teenagers who have already committed “terrible acts,” Morelos State Prosecutor Pedro Luis Benitez told local radio.
“These minors are still not fully developed and so it is easy to influence them, to give them a gun, pretending it is plastic, that it is a game,” Benitez said.
Benitez did not name the boy or give more details but when asked directly about the teenage hitmen he said: “They’re persuaded to carry out terrible acts; they don’t realize what they are doing,” he added.
Mexican daily La Razon said the boy is being paid $3,000 for each murder and is under the command of a little-known drug lord who heads the South Pacific gang fighting the rival Beltran Leyva and La Familia cartels for control in southwestern Mexico.
Benitez said soldiers this week arrested a teenage boy and a pregnant teenage girl also believed to be working for the South Pacific cartel."

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Man arrested after guns discovered

The Press Association: Man arrested after guns discovered: "man is being questioned by gardai after two handguns and bullets were found on waste ground in Dublin.
Officers targeting they city's criminal gangs searched the open area in Charleville Mall, near the Royal Canal in the north inner city, on Wednesday afternoon.
They arrested a man in his early 20s as part of a follow-up operation in the North Strand area."

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Elborio Andrade, one of 11 defendants in an alleged gang fight that turned deadly

Man gets 5 years for violation of street gang act, affray: "Elborio Andrade, one of 11 defendants in an alleged gang fight that turned deadly, has been sentenced to five years in prison.
Hall County Superior Court Judge Jason Deal also sentenced the 22-year-old Gainesville man to 10 years probation for his involvement in the June 13 fight, District Attorney Lee Darragh said.
'He was charged with two offenses - affray and violation of the street gangs act,' Darragh said.
'He received 12 months (incarceration) on the affray charge and 15 years, with five to serve in incarceration for the street gang act violation. The sentences are to be run concurrently.'"

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13 reputed members of the South End-based Original Gangsta Killas gang

Exclusive: Pleas to put gang on ice - Times Union: "13 reputed members of the South End-based Original Gangsta Killas gang are set to plead guilty to charges in U.S. District Court within the next several weeks, federal court papers show.
The expected guilty pleas, once entered, would mark the second time in five years federal prosecutors in Albany have taken down a high-profile gang blamed for much of the city's gun violence.
Twenty-five members and associates of the gang -- known as 'OGK' -- were charged in a racketeering indictment in October 2009 alleging 14 shooting incidents, four robberies, a stabbing and drug trafficking in Albany between May 2001 and March 2009."

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Gangs battle for a slice of the lucrative drugs market (From The Bolton News)

Gangs battle for a slice of the lucrative drugs market (From The Bolton News): "SHOCKING picture of by Julian Thorpe violent crime and the drug underworld in Bolton has been uncovered in a new book about street gangs.
The novel, which is based on the author’s time in prison and interviews with gang members, reports gang activity at all levels, from fighting between “postcode gangs” across the borough to rival drug cartels battling for control of the lucrative Bolton market.
Writer Steve Hackman — not his real name — claims that CS gas sprays and guns are slowly replacing knives as the weapon of choice for the town’s criminals."

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'North Side Longo and Sureno Gang Injunction

LBPOST.com: Police Announce Injunction Against Long Beach Street Gangs: "Long Beach police officers, elected officials and prosecutors unveiled a massive gang injunction today designed to target local violent street gangs with ties to the Mexican Mafia.

We will have video of today's press conference with words from Mayor Bob Foster, Police Chief Jim McDonnell and City Prosecutor Doug Haubert

shortly.

The injunction is called the 'North Side Longo and Sureno Gang Injunction,' after two of the most violent and notorious street gangs in Long Beach. Speakers at a press conference today praised the injunction as innovative because it targets gang members from all over Los Angeles County who commit crimes in Long Beach, and not just those based in Long Beach.

'They truly do have a network answerable to the Mexican Mafia,' said Chief McDonnell."

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Report Links Street Gangs To Child Prostitution | KPBS.org

Report Links Street Gangs To Child Prostitution | KPBS.org: "new report says local street gangs are partly to blame for an increase in teenage prostitution in San Diego County. Now county supervisors want to strengthen penalties for sexual exploitation.
Investigators say roughly one in three teenage girls is lured into prostitution nationally every year -- and that number is similar locally.
San Diego is ranked eighth on a national list of having a high level of child prostitution and pimping.
Police say many of the victims are working for local street gangs.
Jason King heads the San Diego Anti-Trafficking Task force.
He said one girl can make $500 to $1,000 per night for gang members. The Internet is also making it easier for gangs to pimp girls.
“Your only tie is a cell phone to this person that you're putting out (on the streets),” King said. “You're not carrying stolen property or narcotics. In trafficking, you can sell that person over and over.”"

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Police nab 40 suspected gangsters in islandwide raid - Channel NewsAsia

Police nab 40 suspected gangsters in islandwide raid - Channel NewsAsia: "Police have picked up 40 suspected gangsters in an islandwide blitz.

Speaking at a media briefing on Friday, Home Affairs and Law Minister K Shanmugam said the islandwide sweep will continue over the next few weeks.

He added that the police will not hesitate to use the Criminal Law (Temporary Provisions) Act if necessary.

The Act allows suspected criminals to be detained without trial and is used largely in cases relating to secret societies, drug trafficking and loan-sharking.

Mr Shanmugam said the Act is a powerful tool for the police, adding that 'along with great power, comes great responsibility'.

Recent gang-related incidents have caused public concern."

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