John D'Amico, charged with racketeering, pleaded guilty in May to extorting a cement company out of $100,000 and could serve less than two years

Hundreds of federal agents fanned out across the city and elsewhere in a roundup of 62 suspects from all walks of Mafia life, from reputed acting boss John "Jackie Nose" D'Amico — a crony of former boss John Gotti — to common street thugs.
At the time, authorities made headlines by hailing the takedown as one of the largest in recent memory and predicting it would further cripple a storied crime family formerly led by the legendary "Dapper Don."
Six months later and with far less fanfare, 60 of the defendants have pleaded guilty, with many taking deals that will put them behind bars for three years or less. Two of the pleas were entered Thursday and one case was dismissed last week, leaving a lone defendant charged with murder facing trial.
D'Amico, originally charged with racketeering, pleaded guilty in May to extorting a cement company out of $100,000 and could serve less than two years in prison.
The U.S. attorney's office in Brooklyn, which has a long history of prosecuting high-profile Mafia cases with lengthy trials and sentences, has called the case a success. But some defense attorneys suggest the many plea deals show the office overreached and became overwhelmed as the judge pushed for a speedy outcome.
"There's no such thing as a 62-defendant trial," said one of the lawyers, Avraham Moskowitz. "So what's the point? The point is to make a splash."
Extortion charges against his client, a New Jersey construction official, were quietly dropped earlier this month after prosecutors conceded they didn't have enough evidence against him. But by then, the lawyer said, an innocent man had seen his reputation ruined by stories linking him to co-defendants with nicknames like "Tommy Sneakers" and "Joe Rackets."
"My client's experience suggests they brought an indictment without careful evaluation of the evidence," he said.Former mob prosecutors say there was nothing haphazard about the Gambino case. Instead, they say, it reflected a calculated shift in strategy favoring carpet bombing of the entire enterprise over strategic strikes against leadership."In my view, this is groundbreaking," said James Walden, a former federal prosecutor in Brooklyn who won major convictions against the Bonanno crime family. "They essentially took out the entire organization in one fell swoop" — an approach designed to reap a new crop of cooperators and rattle those mobsters still on the street but under surveillance.The 80-count Gambino indictment charged the defendants with seven murders, three dating back more than a quarter-century, as well as "mob-tax" extortion of the construction industry and racketeering. Among the crimes were the slaying of a court officer and extortion at a failed NASCAR track.
On Thursday, reputed capo "Little Nick" Corozzo and co-defendant Vincent DeCongilio avoided a trial scheduled for next week by pleading guilty. The indictment alleged Corozzo ordered the Jan. 26, 1996, murder of a rival mobster.Corozzo now faces 12 to 15 years in prison for murder conspiracy — by far the harshest term for any of the defendants — and DeCongilio 12 to 18 months for lesser crimes.
According to prosecutors, Corozzo, 68, was part of a three-man committee of capos formed in 1994 to help John A. "Junior" Gotti run New York's Gambino family while his father was in prison, serving a life sentence for murder and racketeering.
The elder Gotti died behind bars in 2002. The younger Gotti was charged with conspiracy last week; three previous prosecution attempts have ended in mistrials.

Shane Moloney is charged with the possession of heroin and possession of the drug for sale or supply.

Twenty-seven-year-old Shane Moloney, from Drimnagh Road in Dublin, is charged with the possession of heroin and possession of the drug for sale or supply.
Detective Diarmuid Maguire from the Organised Crime Unit told Judge John Lindsey that Mr Moloney was arrested and charged yesterday at Ballyfermot Garda Station.
He made no reply when the two charges were put to him and has been remanded in custody to appear at Cloverhill District Court on August 21st.Two other men, also in their 20s, are due before the court shortly on the same charges in connection with the haul.Six kilos of heroin were seized on Wednesday night after four cars were stopped on the Kennelsfort Road in south Dublin.

Rüsselsheim killing fields for duelling mafia clans.

brutal murder of four people at a provincial German ice cream parlour last night raised fears that the country is fast becoming a killing field for duelling mafia clans. The attack occurred in Rüsselsheim – home to the Opel car factory – where many Italian workers have settled, establishing pizzerias and cafes with their savings. Three men, described as being of “Mediterranean appearance” approached the ice cream salon just before dusk and fired rapidly at a group of three male customers. A woman standing nearby was also killed, but it was still unclear last night whether she was a target or was gunned down by accident.
The shadow of the Calabrian mafia may thus again be stretching over the industrial heartland of Germany. A few days ago, Italian police arrested Paolo Nirta, the acting head of the San Luca clan, a stronghold of the Calabrian gangs known as the ‘Ndrangheta. Nirta is suspected of involvement in the killing of six Italians in a pizzeria in Duisburg, in western Germany, almost exactly a year ago. That was regarded as a vengeance killing: Nirta’s sister-in-law, Maria Strangio was shot down on her doorstep just before Christmas 2006. A major man hunt was underway with helicopters and tracker dogs deployed around much of the surrounding area. The assassins were said by witnesses to have both pistols and knives.
Plainly though, the ice-cream murders may be part of an elaborate tit-for-tat. Somebody betrayed Nirta to the police last week. That usually triggers a revenge attack. Germany was shocked by the Duisburg murders last year and it will be equally concerned by the ice cream parlour killings. There are some 540,000 Italians living in Germany, most of them well integrated. They are the descendents of “Guest workers” who were brought to Germany from poorer corners of southern Italy after World War Two to help fuel the country’s economic recovery. Until last year, there was no substantial evidence of Italian mafia involvement in the German criminal economy. The ‘Ndrangheta makes its money largely through drug trafficking, manipulating contracts in the building industry, protection rackets and prostitution. Italian involvement, even in the German drug trade, has however, been marginal. Instead, the Calabrian gangs have used German-based Italian restaurants and suppliers as a way of laundering money. But, crime experts have been warning that this supposedly “white collar” crime would ultimately bring violence to the streets of Germany. “If we allow crime proceeds to seep into another economy, if drug or extortion money from Italy enters Germany, then that is no longer the end of the story,” says Federico Varese, a professor of criminology and expert on organised crime. “It is possible, that the ‘Ndrangheta will move up from simple money laundering to become more entrenched in the German economy – and that is the most dangerous situation you can imagine.”

Death penalty for two gang members guilty of one of the largest gang killings in San Bernardino County's history

eath penalty for two gang members guilty of one of the largest gang killings in San Bernardino County's history.In July, the jury had found Luis "Maldito" Mendoza and Lorenzo Arias guilty in what has become known as the Dead Presidents case. They are set to be sentenced Sept. 10.The case involved a July 9, 2000, shooting at a West Side duplex in which four gang members died. Among them were Johnny and Gilbert Agudo, brothers and presidents of different West Side street gangs. Also killed were half brothers Marselino and Anthony Luna.Prosecutors alleged that Mendoza and Arias, both members of the 7th Street Locos who had grown up with the Agudos, were carrying out an order by members of the Mexican Mafia prison gang.The case was widely seen as an example of how Mexican Mafia influence has forced some Latino street gangs to turn on their own members.

Gary Hardy ran gang alongside convicted dealer John Dawes until he was jailed in 2005, earned millions of pounds

Gary Hardy has been convicted of pumping millions of pounds worth of class A drugs into Ashfield after masterminding one of the county's biggest ever narcotics empires. He controlled the Ashfield drugs scene through fear and violence and swamped the district with huge quantities of heroin and amphetamines between 2000 and 2007. The Mansfield businessman, who ran the criminal gang alongside convicted dealer John Dawes until he was jailed in 2005, earned millions of pounds from his underworld activities to finance a lavish lifestyle. Hardy consistently denied the charges during a two-month trial at Nottingham Crown Court and claimed his millionaire lifestyle had been funded through the profits of his extensive property and luxury car rental business. But a 12-man jury, which took more than three days to deliver its verdicts, declined to believe Hardy's lies and found him guilty of supplying heroin and amphetamines, of money laundering, of having £14,000-worth of cash gained through criminal activities and possessing criminal cash. But Hardy, who is expected to receive a lengthy prison sentence, was cleared of conspiracy to supply cocaine and four counts of conspiracy to supply cannabis. Fellow gang member and brother Paul Hardy is also facing jail after he was convicted for his part in flooding Ashfield and north Nottinghamshire with heroin and amphetamines. Paul Hardy, a crack cocaine addict, was also convicted of two charges of supplying cannabis resin and possessing criminal cash – but was cleared of a further count of supplying amphetamines and two charges of supplying cannabis. His former girlfriend Zoe Chapman, who has had five of his children, was found guilty of supplying amphetamines to a drug dealer lower down the chain between after Paul Hardy decided to lay low following interest from police. The brothers' mother June Muers, who had no previous convictions, was convicted of supplying amphetamines and cannabis resin, which she kept in a garden shed at her former Pearl Avenue home, and possessing thousands of pounds in drugs money. But Clipstone man Carl Busby, who had been accused of laundering hundreds of thousands of pounds of drugs money on behalf of Gary Hardy between May 2003 and December 2006, was cleared of all charges. The gang members are expected to be sentenced at Nottingham Crown Court some time in September.

Taher Majid, Abdul Koser and Quentin Reynolds were found guilty of conspiracy to cheat the public revenue as well as money laundering charges.

Taher Majid, Abdul Koser and Quentin Reynolds were found guilty of conspiracy to cheat the public revenue as well as money laundering charges. They will be sentenced in September. Marcus Hughes pleaded guilty at an earlier hearing and was sentenced to six years in prison. He is already serving a 12-year sentence for drug smuggling.
In 2003, 350 HMRC officers took part in raids in the UK and Spain, which were described by customs officers as some of the largest to take place in the UK.
Large amounts of cash were seized during the raids, and a ton of cannabis was taken from one of the business addresses, resulting in 33 men and six women being arrested.
The raids even took place at Carphone Warehouse’s headquarters in west
London. Two members of Carphone Warehouse’s staff were cautioned and questioned during the visit from HMRC officers, but they were not arrested or charged.
A further series of raids were carried out in 2007, resulting in half-a-million documents being examined, along with the hard drives of 391 computers.
HMRC alleged that those charged had engaged in missing trader fraud, purchasing handsets from outside the UK then failing to pay the millions owed in VAT when the handsets were re-sold abroad.Sixteen people were originally charged with cheating the revenue, and concealing and transferring the proceeds of criminal intent.
A European Court of Justice ruling is pressurising HMRC’s policy of withholding VAT refunds for up to two years while carrying out anti-fraud enquiries.A new European Court judgment states that tax offices should not withhold refunds for more than two months for an established trader.The European Court of Justice was upholding a case brought by a Polish trader who had his VAT claim withheld pending extended verification without a decision being made.The judgment of the court sets a precedent for UK traders to challenge extended verification periods of up to two years imposed in the UK by HMRC.The court agreed member states had a legitimate interest in preventing tax evasion and abuse.

Gangland has seen Billy Martindale shot at, stabbed, spend 15 years on the run from the police and mix with some of Britain's most notorious gangsters

Gangland has seen Billy Martindale shot at, stabbed, spend 15 years on the run from the police and mix with some of Britain's most notorious gangsters. Martindale spent seven years of his life growing up in Manea and when his best friend Tommy Shepherd was murdered, it sent shockwaves through the Fenland travelling community. Despite being linked with numerous crimes, including murder, kidnapping, armed robberies, fraud and causing grievous and actual bodily harm Martindale has spent just six months in prison. During his stint in Pentonville, he turned to Islam, and on release met with notorious hate-preacher Abu Hamza.
He said: "It's my life from day one until now. It's been an emotional experience putting it together."Martindale is son the son of renowned ex professional boxer and prize-fighter Lew 'Wild Thing' Yates.He grew up in Crawshawbooth, Lancashire, and moved down to Forest Gate, London when he was three when his mother ran off with another man. Martindale didn't see his mother for 24 years and made contact with her six years ago.He said: "I didn't even know what she looked like. She was just a friendly elderly lady - a complete stranger - there will never be a bond or a proper relationship between us."
Martindale's father went from professional boxing to unlicensed, bare-knuckle fighting to earn more money.Martindale got into fights and scrapes as a young child and his father took out of the hustle and bustle of London and they moved to Manea when he was 10.His father left him to fend for himself with a shotgun as he travelled back to London for work.
He said: "Dad just told me if anyone came to the house and gave me trouble I should shoot into the air and crack them over the head with it. I just had fun shooting at cans and anything I could in the back garden."Martindale lived in Manea for seven years and went to Cromwell Community College, Chatteris.
He said: "It was difficult for me. I found the area to be quite a clique place and I was an outsider."Martindale found acceptance with the Shepherds - a well-known Fenland travelling family.He became best friends with their son Tommy, who was the same age. He said: "We used to wreak havoc in Manea and Chatteris. We were just kids trying to get our hands on some money so we'd steal cars and scrap metal and do whatever we could to get a note." In 1997 the dead, naked body of Tommy Shepherd was discovered rolled up in a carpet, down a dirt track in Chatteris.
With accusations of a fellow traveller being responsible Tommy's death tore the area's travelling community apart. Nobody has been charged with Tommy's murder.
Martindale said: "People wanted revenge and a lot of people went missing at that time."I know that Tommy was murdered by junkies. They just wanted to steal £5,000 from him to get drugs and they poisoned him."These scum bags will be looking over their shoulders for the rest of their lives, People are out their looking for them and I'd love to run into them myself."
Martindale was devastated and he soon became involved in more than 20 armed robberies, money making scams.He targeted drug dealers and became a hired enforcer and doorman. He said: "In the early days I would rob businesses and post offices, I'd never target individual people or mug old ladies. But after Tommy's death I'd do over drug dealers."I hate drugs - I've seen them destroy so many people's lives."
One run in with a drug dealer led to Martindale being shot at in Chigwell in 2002.
He said: "I'd received a phone call and been told to meet somebody at a garage to collect a debt, but I'd been set up. A drug dealer I'd done over wanted me dead and three people turned up in a car with a shotgun. I saw the barrel of the gun out of the car window and the bullet scraped my arm. I grabbed the gun and they sped off so I hurled it at the car."Martindale worked as a bouncer at clubs in London, Essex and Kent.
He said: "I worked in some really dodgy bars in east London and there was always trouble. I was stabbed on three separate occasions."
From the ages of 17 to 33 numerous warrants were issued for Martindale's arrest.
He escaped the police using false passports.He travelled to Miami and Spain and charges were dropped due to lack of evidence.He has mixed with notorious gangsters like Frankie Frazer, Danny Woolard, Freddie Foreman and his good friend and fighting legend Roy Shaw.He was arrested for imprisonment but the charges were dropped after the witness backed out. He said: "A friend's girlfriend got raped. She went to police and somebody was arrested but the case was dropped because she couldn't face going to court."I found him and made sure he would never do anything like that again." He was questioned over a murder but never charged and says he had nothing to do with it. Martindale spent six months in Pentonville Prison, in London for stealing a car and criminal damage. He said: "I was stuck in a cell for 23 hours a day. I said I was interested in learning about Islam because it meant I could spend more time pout of the cell but I actually got quite into it."After my release I would go to Finsbury Park mosque and I once had dinner with Abu Hamza. I had no trouble with him and he didn't fill me with hate. "I have massive respect for people who follow that faith but I found it too restrictive and just couldn't do it."

Sean Lynch faces a confiscation hearing in December after a jury convicted him of conspiracy to supply cocaine

Sean Lynch, 48, has had his palatial home and luxury motors seized by police.
He now faces a confiscation hearing in December after a jury convicted him of conspiracy to supply cocaine Assets seized include his house on a gated estate in Warlingham, Surrey, a £170,000 Aston Martin, a Rolls Royce, Mercedes and BMW convertibles, a Land Rover, a VW Golf,a motorbike and an American police car. Lynch, who also owned a villa in Spain, lived with second wife Michelle and sent their three children to an exclusive private school — paying their fees of thousands of pounds in thick wads of cash.
Lynch and his gang had been arrested when police raided addresses in Warlingham and Tooting, South London.Cops found cocaine, amphetamines and cannabis worth £600,000 at the gang’s “warehouse” in Tooting. Detectives had kept the property under surveillance for six months, watching deliveries going in and out. Kingston Crown Court heard the cocaine was still packaged in pellets which had been swallowed by human drug mules — indicating the gang were “very close to the importers”. The raids also netted weapons including flick knives and knuckledusters.
Lynch, who admitted conspiracy to supply cannabis and amphetamines, was jailed for 18 years. His right-hand man Ian Nesbitt, 46, from Tooting, pleaded guilty and was jailed for 12 years. Stephen Voller, 56, and David Warwick, 34, both from Tooting, were found guilty by a jury. Voller was given 14 years and Warwick 12.

Giuseppe Coluccio, a suspected drug trafficker, who has been on the run since 2005.

Giuseppe Coluccio, a suspected drug trafficker, who has been on the run since 2005. The country's defense minister, Ignazio La Russa, said the arrest showed authorities were making advances in the fight against organised crime."Coluccio had lived happily in Canada thanks to the (support) provided by the Calabrian clans – a situation that shows the extraordinary reach of the 'Ndrangheta," public prosecutor Giuseppe Pignatone was quoted by Italian media as saying. Italy's ANSA news agency reported that police found $1 million in checks at Coluccio's home.
Canadian Public Safety Minister Stockwell Day said in a statement late on Thursday that Coluccio was arrested near Toronto on a Canada-wide immigration warrant and is wanted by Italy for drug-related offenses.'Ndrangheta, based in the southern Calabria region, has reportedly overtaken Sicily's Cosa Nostra to become the most powerful Italian crime group.

Patrizio Bosti, accused of heading a clan of the Neapolitan crime syndicate the Camorra, was arrested Saturday evening

Patrizio Bosti, accused of heading a clan of the Neapolitan crime syndicate the Camorra, was arrested Saturday evening in the north- eastern Spanish city of Girona, state radio RNE reported. Police in Spain have arrested a fugitive organized crime boss who is among the 30 'most-wanted' criminals in Italy, reports said Sunday.
The 49-year-old had been sentenced in absentia to 23 years' imprisonment on charges connected with a double murder and membership of a criminal organisation. He was on the run since 2005, when he was released from custody following the expiration of the maximum amount of time he could be held on remand. He is believed to have taken over the leadership of a Camorra clan in 2007 after the previous head was jailed.

Giuseppe Coluccio was arrested Thursday outside the luxury lakeside apartment building where he has been living in Toronto

Giuseppe Coluccio, 42, was arrested Thursday outside the luxury lakeside apartment building where he has been living in Toronto, ending two years as a fugitive, said prosecutor Nicola Gratteri.
Coluccio has been on the lam since 2005 when he fled a trial alleging he and his brother ran a mob organization that controlled maritime traffic along a 60-kilometer (nearly 40-mile) stretch of the Calabrian coast. His brother Salvatore Coluccio, 41, also is being sought.
«This is a very important arrest because it shows the connection between the 'ndrangheta in Calabria and in Canada,» Gratteri said in a telephone interview.
The Reggio Calabria-based prosecutor said the Canadian branch of the 'ndrangheta has been operating for more than 50 years and is heavily involved in drug trafficking and money laundering. Some investigators say the 'ndrangheta is now more powerful than the Sicilian Mafia, and is increasingly spreading its influence abroad.
Coluccio faces an extradition hearing within three days, Gratteri said.
In all, 28 people have been charged in the trial, which has resulted to date in 20 convictions with sentences ranging from 16 to 18 years in jail, Gratteri said.

Gary Hardy was found guilty of supplying heroin and amphetamines and laundering his profits through a string of made-to-measure businesses.

Gary Hardy was found guilty of supplying heroin and amphetamines and laundering his profits through a string of made-to-measure businesses. And Hardy kept it in the family, using his crack addict brother Paul to deal vast quantities of drugs worth hundreds of thousands of pounds. The family connection did not end there - their mother, June Muers, 67, helped Paul deal drugs out of her home in Kirkby-in-Ashfield. And Paul's ex-partner Zoe Chapman, 29, would courier drugs to clients in her children's pushchair. All were found guilty of drugs offences at Nottingham Crown Court on Thursday. Police seized £70,000 worth of drugs from his mother's home During the course of the trial, Gary Hardy, 46, was described as one of three drugs generals, with a huge multi-million pound drugs empire, who ran part of the north Nottinghamshire patch. He shared the area with two other dealers, John Dawes and his brother Rob, to avoid a turf war. John Dawes is currently three years into a 24-year prison sentence for supplying Class A and B drugs. His brother Rob was arrested in Dubai in May on an international arrest warrant issued by the Spanish authorities in connection with drugs charges. For every kilogram of heroin sold every seven to 10 days, the Dawes brothers and Hardy would make £8,000 profit each.
Running his turf with violence, fear and intimidation, the court heard that Gary Hardy and his family were notorious in the area, outwardly enjoying all the trappings of wealth from "successful businesses". Between 2001-07, Hardy was the registered keeper of 90 vehicles, not all at the same time, but nevertheless expensive, luxury cars. When he was arrested, he had 16 finance agreements on the cars, valued at £904,000, with monthly repayments reaching £15,200.
He would "sell" these cars on to his employees, taking instalments from them and hanging onto the log books until payments had been made, laundering his drugs cash.
Hardy enjoyed his affluent lifestyle He had a brand new home, and would pay his children's private school fees in cash, yet had several failed businesses.
Hardy was already under surveillance when a drug deal went wrong on 29 April 2003, but that failed deal ensured Nottinghamshire Police finally got some key evidence and signed up a number of witnesses to testify against him. Their following investigation looked closely into the accounts from companies he owned or was involved with. When fraud accountants went through Hardy's Apex Windows' accounts, they found in 2003, more than £1m went out on wages - a 148% increase on the previous year, but sales only rose by 34%. Employees on the books included Paul Hardy, although witnesses said he never did a day's work there.
In six years, Hardy had finance deals on 90 luxury cars Det Ch Insp Stewart Bradley who led the investigation, said: "He was a major player. The Hardy drugs group is what we would class as an organised crime group.
"Gary Hardy had a network of people underneath him, prepared to do the work for him and he remained, as was described, a general with a number of lieutenants and perhaps what you would describe as soldiers working on the ground.
"In his elevated position, he was able to keep away from the hands-on drugs himself and dealt mainly with the money. And that money ran into millions." He said some witnesses who gave evidence were so frightened they left the area and never returned. The court heard one tell how a man was beaten and stabbed at one of Gary Hardy's garages as he failed to pay a drugs debt.
On the day of the Hardy arrests on 4 January 2007, police found drugs with a street value of almost £70,000 and £16,000 in cash stashed all over June Muers' house, including in a spaghetti pot in the kitchen. Apex Windows, like his other businesses, went into liquidation
Ch Insp Barry Harper from the drugs directorate said: "I think Gary Hardy did a lot of damage to the community. "By flooding this area with drugs, it caused untold amounts of damage to people."
During the trial, in trying to justify how he kept up his flashy lifestyle when businesses were failing, Hardy maintained his car and window companies became "too successful" and had to be put into liquidation.
He had a portfolio of about 40 properties in north Nottinghamshire and Derbyshire.
One witness claimed most of the properties were empty and the money was laundered through rent books. Not a single receipt was recovered for the rents paid, a point Hardy failed to clear up during the trial.
Now the process of untangling Hardy's assets has begun, as officers have started to try to recover his ill-gotten gains through the Proceeds of Crime Act.

Paolo Nirta ,31, was picked up at a house in San Luca, southern Italy. He is wanted on charges of Mafia association.

Paolo Nirta ,31, was picked up at a house in San Luca, southern Italy. He is wanted on charges of Mafia association.
Italian police today arrested a wanted gang leader believed to be part of an organised crime clan involved in the massacre of six people in Germany last summer.
Nirta's family was involved in a feud that led to the killing of the six Italians outside a restaurant in Duisburg, Germany.The feud, involving two rival families, drew international attention to the 'ndrangheta, a crime syndicate based in the southern region of Calabria.Some investigators say it is now more powerful than the Sicilian Mafia.

Terry Adams, Kenneth Noye, Brian Brendon Wright, Brian Gunn and Curtis Warren crime bosses running networks from prison cells.

investigators have identified 27 crime bosses running networks from prison cells. Although they are all in jail, Terry Adams, Kenneth Noye, Brian Brendon Wright, Brian Gunn and Curtis Warren are being monitored closely.
Deputy Chief Constable Jon Murphy, of the Association of Chief Police Officers (Acpo), told The Times that crime specialists work together to make money through drug deals, robberies and smuggling. “British gangs are quite unlike the Italian Mafia model or the Turkish groups,” he said. “There are no set ranks, rules and structures. They are more fluid, flexible and opportunist.”
The intelligence picture was built up by Acpo working with the 43 police forces in England and Wales and other bodies. More than 15,000 individuals are said to have been identified as involved in organised crime.London has more than 170 gangs. Some have sophisticated hierarchies; others are little more than street-level groups. In Liverpool, criminal networks are deeply embedded and run by a number of families whose tentacles spread well beyond the city. Merseyside criminals control the drug trade on the South Coast. Manchester has established gangs such as the Longsight Crew and the Gooch Close Gang, while Birmingham has been dealing for years with the rivalry between the Johnson Crew and the Burger Bar Boys. Bradford is a centre for money laundering and a major distribution point for heroin by British-Pakistani gangs. Serious crime in Nottingham has been dominated by the Gunn family. Glasgow is the hub for the distribution of firearms in Scotland and the starting point for much of the heroin trade, which spreads as far north as Shetland.

Pasquale ''Pat'' Barbaro, Crown casino high-roller and Rob Karam and the founder of the Black Uhlans bikie gang John William Samuel Higgs arrested

Police today busted the Australian arm of a Mafia-linked drug ring which smuggled massive amounts of ecstasy into Melbourne.In conjunction with the Australian Customs Service, police have seized 5.6 tonnes of ecstasy pills and 150kg of cocaine during a three-year operation. Almost 20 million ecstasy tablets were seized during the exhaustive probe, which involved hundreds of AFP agents. The bust is a world record amount for ecstasy and includes the largest amount of cocaine ever detected in Victoria.The drugs have a street value of about $600 million. AFP agents began raiding properties around Australia early today and by 8.30am had arrested 14 men and one woman. Nine of those arrests were in Melbourne and the other arrests were made in New South Wales, Tasmania and South Australia. AFP Commissioner Mick Keelty today named some of the arrested as Griffiths man Pasquale ''Pat'' Barbaro, Crown casino high-roller and Tony Mokbel mate Rob Karam and the founder of the Black Uhlans bikie gang in Melbourne John William Samuel Higgs.Various close relatives of Mr Barbaro, 46, were named in the Woodward Royal Commission as being members of the Calabrian Mafia gang responsible for the 1977 murder of Donald Mackay.
Mr Keelty revealed 400 AFP agents conducted more than 10,000 hours of secret surveillance on gang members and that the AFP estimated the international drug syndicate was responsible for 60 per cent of all drug importations into Australia.
Members of various organised crime gangs collaborated with each other in a rare case of unity to fund and organise the massive ecstasy shipments. AFP intelligence suggests Australian members of the Calabrian mafia played major roles in the international syndicate. They teamed up with criminals from other gangs, including some of Lebanese extraction. A founding member of a Melbourne bike gang was among those arrested today. One of those arrested in Griffith in New South Wales has strong links to the Calabrian mafia cell responsible for the murder of anti-drug campaigner Donald Mackay. That Australia was on the smuggling route of an international gang dominated by the Calabrian mafia came as no surprise to Italian organised crime experts. The Calabrian secret society at the centre of the global drug racket is known in Calabrian dialect as N'Dranghita.
N'Dranghita has had very strong cells in Australia since at least the 1930s.
It is particularly prevalent in Melbourne, Mildura and Shepparton in Victoria, Griffith in New South Wales, Adelaide and Canberra.
N'Dranghita is called L'Onorata Societa or the Honoured Society by some Italians, La Famiglia or the Family by others, and simply the mafia by most in Australia. It is the gang responsible for the the 1977 murder of Griffith anti-drugs crusader Donald Mackay.
N'Dranghita has been responsible for growing and distributing much of Australia's marijuana for decades. It also got involved in heroin importations in 1978 through now dead crime boss Robert Trimbole and is known to have been involved in massive cocaine importations since at least 2000. The AFP has been working closely with several overseas law enforcement agencies to gather evidence to bust the network's Australian arm.
The arrests followed the arrival in Melbourne on July 24 of a shipping container with three 50kg bags of cocaine hidden in a load of coffee.
AFP agents seized the cocaine and replaced it with fake drugs and left the container at Melbourne docks in the hope gang members would collect it.
Strong intelligence collected by the AFP since the cocaine arrived suggests the syndicate members became aware the shipment might have been detected by police and they abandoned it. But the AFP already had sufficient evidence from the cocaine haul, and the earlier ecstasy shipments, to begin today's coordinated raids around the nation.
Two separate loads of ecstasy pills arrived in Melbourne from Italy in shipping containers and the recent cocaine haul was imported by ship from Colombia.
Both ecstasy shipments were of world record size at the time and the second of 14.5 million tablets is still the largest single seizure of the drug in the world.
AFP agents seized the first 1.2 tonne ecstasy shipment in Melbourne in 2005 and the second 4.4 tonne shipment at Melbourne docks in 2007. Arrests were made over the first ecstasy haul and its presence revealed.
But the 4.4 tonne shipment was kept secret in the hope doing so would lead to more evidence being gathered against the international syndicate. Those arrested are expected to appear in court later today to face drug charges.

Gangster Dave Courtney,and Ian 'Lucky' Tucker were quizzed by police after the 'Golden Girl' was gunned down outside her Fulham home in 1999.

Dave Courtney, 49, from Plumstead, and Ian 'Lucky' Tucker, 41, of Lewis Road, Istead Rise, were quizzed by police after the 'Golden Girl' was gunned down outside her Fulham home in 1999.Barry George, 48, served eight years behind bars for her murder but was acquitted at his retrial at the Old Bailey last Friday. He told reporters: "To be quite honest and practical, I don't think they'll ever find who did it."Now the former prime suspect has been acquitted, Mr Courtney, who worked for the Kray twins for 20 years, says he is not scared the police will come back after him, even though in 1999 he was quizzed about the murder for two days.
He said: "I had an alibi. I live my life by a calendar. I was doing an audience-with show, where I was speaking."He slammed the police investigation, claiming that they refuse to admit that her death could be related to BBC's Crimewatch that Dando presented.He said: "I believe it was a woman. To shoot a woman is very hard. It is f****** hard. A man would find it really hard but for women it would be easier.
"Anyone who kills someone has a plan. Anyone who just hides in a bush, shoots somebody and runs off down the street, shows they haven't planned it. That is somebody that is angry and not thinking."
He added: "Me and Ian Tucker were questioned because I had a connection with guns and ended up putting away a lot of people I know.
"An idiot could work out that it was somebody who had a husband, lover or son that Crimewatch had put away."That is the only angle the police didn't look at. They didn't even mention it once that it could be that."The police can't advertise that she was killed because of that as she was advocating grassing people up. They can't say she was punished for that."Every night, there is a grass-up somebody programme on television."How many people has that programme sent away? And Jill Dando was all over the papers saying 'I'm getting married'."
Mr Courtney said he thought it was obvious Barry George wasn't guilty from the start. He said: "The authorities can't deal with not catching somebody so they put away the one who will cause the least fuss. And by the time it gets to appeal they forget they haven't got the real one." Senior investigators and the Assistant Commissioner John Yates met at New Scotland Yard on Monday to discuss the next steps in the case of Ms Dando's murder.Mr Yates said: "As with all unsolved murders, this case remains open and subject to review. "A £50,000 reward from the charity Crimestoppers still remains available for information leading to the arrest and conviction of Jill's murderer. We continue to appeal for any new information and keep an open mind in relation to this case."Michael Laurie CBE, Chief Executive of Crimestoppers, added: "Over the passage of time there must be someone out there who knows something about the murder of Jill Dando. If that person is unable to go the police with that information then they can contact Crimestoppers in total anonymity. We do not ask for names and addresses; calls are not traced or recorded. We are only interested in what you know not who you are."

Briton was being questioned by police last night in connection with the murder of Suzan Tamim, the Lebanese singer found dead in her Dubai apartment

A Briton was being questioned by police last night in connection with the murder of Suzan Tamim, the Lebanese singer found dead in her Dubai apartment, according to officials at the British embassy.
The man was being held in police custody following his arrest earlier this week. However, it is understood that police are looking at more than one suspect and that one of the main lines of questioning for the man in custody is the whereabouts of a suspected accomplice in the killing. A spokesman for the British consulate in Dubai said: “We can confirm that a British national is helping police with their inquiries with regards to the Suzan Tamim investigation. We are offering him full consular assistance.” The spokesman also confirmed that a consular official had visited the man. It was not known where he was being held.
Suzan Tamim lived in Rimal Tower’s 1113 apartment in Jumeirah Beach Residence in Dubai Marina. Preliminary investigations revealed that she had bought the apartment for Dh2.8 million (US $765,000) just days ago on July 22nd on arrival in Dubai from London.Suzan Tamim's father, Abdul Sattar Tamim, had disclosed that he had evidense that pointed to the hiring of a hitman to kill his daughter. Dubai police have refused to comment on any arrests or lines of inquiry but say the case is heading in a positive direction. The murder investigation was launched after the beautiful Suzan Tamim, 31, was found with her throat cut (possibly decapitated, information not revealed) and multiple stab wounds to her face, mutilated beyond recognition, in her Jumeirah Beach Residence apartment on Monday, July 28th. The office of Justice Minister Ibrahim Najjar said that Lebanon has officially sought the aid of Interpol.
After her divorce from Ali Manzaz, Suzan married Lebanese producer Adel Matooq but the second marriage, too, hit the rocks very soon. In order to get away from the string of cases filed by her second husband, Adel, she travelled secretly to Egypt from Lebanon. Eight months ago, she disappeared from Egypt (she went to London) only to surface in the UAE about a 3 weeks ago. Suzan’s second husband Adel Matooq had in 2004 alleged attempts on his life by Suzan with help from others. Matooq suffered injuries when some unknown assailants shot at him outside his office in Beirut. He alleged that an Egyptian businessman with whom Suzan was having an affair, was behind the attack. The matter is still in court. Matooq also declined to divorce Suzan.
Was this an "Honor Killing" using the Briton hitman or men to mutilate and slaughter Suzan Tamim and how did they track her so fast to an apartment she had just purchased days before the murder (inside information here), it appears that sexy Suzan Tamim was married to two Arab men at the same time when she was murdered. Her husband AdelMaatouk, in a statement, said that he wanted his wife to stop singing and devote her time to the family after their marriage. Maatouk said his wife left Lebanon against his wishes and that the singer's parents had told her not to listen to him, see his webiste photo click here.The night before her body was found, Tamim had a late-night gathering, with about 20 guests partying until the early hours of Monday morning. Her body was found after friends and family grew concerned when they could not contact her all day. A police source said detectives were pursuing a possible lead after a security guard, on duty at Tamim’s Rimal 1 tower the day she was murdered, described a man demanding to know her apartment number. He was last seen entering the lift and heading for her apartment on the 22nd floor about 9am on Monday – which is the time police believe she was murdered.
She was buried in her home town of Beirut on Monday after her body was finally released and flown out of Dubai. As the mystery behind Tamim’s murder deepened, intriguing details continued to emerge about her private life.
Although at the time of her death she was still officially married to Adel Maatouk, her former Lebanese producer, but an Iraqi kick-boxing champion living in the UK by the name of Riyadh al Azzawi held a press conference last weekend claiming he was also married to her and had lived with her in London for 18 months. His brother Mohammed told The National that Mr Azzawi was distraught at the news of Tamim’s death. He also confirmed his brother was still in London and had not attended the funeral, adding: “He is being comforted by friends and has already held a private service for Suzan in London on Friday.”Tamim was never far from controversy throughout her career, her private life rapidly began to overshadow her singing career. Mr Maatouk, who was estranged from her at the time of her death, accused her of stealing Dh1.28 million ($350,000) and she was arrested by Interpol in Egypt in 2005. Months later she faced allegations of being involved in a heroin smuggling ring with her father. Suzan Tamim's last album was produced by production giant Rotana in 2002. Her last song, "Lovers," recorded in 2006, was dedicated to the memory of slain Lebanese Prime Minister Rafik Hariri (killed by a terrorist truck bomb).

Giovanni Marra is one of two reputed members of the Montreal Mafia who have seen their parole revoked

Last year, Gallo, 62, serving a life sentence for taking part in a 1973 murder, halted his parole hearing because he was unwilling to discuss the evidence - which includes videotapes of him bringing large quantities of cash to Mafia leaders at their hangout in St. Léonard - with the possibility of new charges hanging over his head.In the 1980s and 1990s, Giovanni Marra helped Montreal mob boss Frank Cotroni move a lot of cocaine. Then after being released on parole in 2001 while serving a 14-year prison term for drug trafficking, Marra appeared to go on the straight and narrow and became a leading salesman at a car dealership.But it is his alleged penchant for selling the former that has seen Marra returned to a federal penitentiary where he was turned down for a new chance at parole last week.
According to a summary of the National Parole Board decision, the RCMP suspects Marra was again acting as a middleman in a conspiracy to import and traffic in cocaine.Marra, 55, is one of two reputed members of the Montreal Mafia who have seen their parole revoked because of evidence gathered during Projet Colisée, the Combined Forces Special Enforcement Unit investigation that ended in 2006 with about 90 arrests.Both Marra and Moreno Gallo have yet to be charged in connection with Projet Colisée. The evidence mostly involves them associating with known criminals, a violation of conditions they agreed to when released.Marra went through with his hearing on Thursday and told the two parole commissioners who heard his case that the meetings he had with other known criminals while out on parole were "innocent get-togethers." The parole board simply didn't believe him.Marra has two previous convictions for drug trafficking besides the sentence he is currently serving. In 1978, he received his first conviction and was sentenced to three years in a case heard in the United States.Four years later, he was arrested in Montreal after Réal Simard, a hitman for Cotroni, turned informant and told police he and Marra sold a kilo of cocaine together.In 1996, Marra and Cotroni, who died of brain cancer in 2004 at 72, were arrested in connection with a plot to smuggle 180 kilograms of cocaine into Canada. Marra quickly pleaded guilty in the case, but still received a stiff 14-year prison term because he was the key intermediary between the Colombian suppliers and Cotroni.Marra was released on parole five years later after swearing he had severed his ties to the Mafia and doing volunteer work at a shelter for abused women. After being released, he complained for years that one of his conditions - forbidding him from visiting bars - was limiting his ability to sell cars. The parole board finally agreed to modify the condition in 2006.Investigators now believe Marra used the opportunity to meet with other mobsters in bars.

The Chicago Outfit ordered an Outlaw biker to blow up a Berwyn gambling operation

Mark Polchan, 41, and Samuel Volpendesto, 84, were arrested last week in connection with the 2003 bombing. The Chicago Outfit ordered an Outlaw biker to blow up a Berwyn gambling operation because it competed with the mob’s own $13 million video gambling machine business, prosecutors charge in a filing this afternoon.
No one was injured in the Feb. 25, 2003, explosion, but the device blew out several windows and destroyed the ceiling and wood frame above the doorway of C & S Coin Operated Amusements, 6508 W. 16th St. The business leased coin-operated vending and video machines. In a filing that seeks to keep the two behind bars pending trial, the feds revealed a series of recordings that allegedly captured Volpendesto on tape talking about the 2003 bombing that took out part of a building. The filing also alleges an extensive and wide-ranging criminal history on the part of Polchan, purportedly a high ranking member of the lawless Outlaws biker gang, from involvement with the mob, to coercing a witness to recant his story in a murder case.
“Disturbingly, the investigation has revealed that Polchan used his connections not only (with) the Outlaws and the Outfit, but also with various corrupt police officers, to advance his and his associates’ criminal objectives,” prosecutors wrote. Prosecutors say despite his age, Volpendesto is a risk of flight and a danger to the community. They describe him as knowledgeable about bomb-making and say he admitted on recordings he took part in previous bombings. In 1990, Volpendesto was charged after beating a suspected stool pigeon at a Cicero strip club. In 2006, he was arrested for assaulting his wife,” according to the filing.
“And a mere five years ago, (Volpendesto) set off a bomb that could have very easily killed or maimed innocent individuals,” prosecutors wrote.
In a series of recorded conversations with a cooperating individual, Volpendesto was captured saying: “we blew part of that away.” If convicted of the three counts against them, the two would face a sentence of 35 years to life in prison.

John A. "Junior" Gotti was hit with new federal charges Tuesday

John A. "Junior" Gotti was hit with new federal charges Tuesday involving three gangland slayings -- including one ordered by his infamous father
"What should be noted today is whether you violate the federal law today, tomorrow, or 20 years ago, the FBI and its law enforcement partners will pursue the matter to its logical conclusions," said Steven E. Ibison, special agent-in-charge of the Tampa, Fla., FBI office.

charges marked the latest in a string of attempts in recent years by the government to put away Gotti, who prosecutors say followed in the footsteps of his mob boss father in leading the Gambino crime family. And just like his "Teflon Don" father, the younger Gotti has proved to be highly skilled at evading convictions on a variety of mob indictments brought against him.Gotti's attorney denied the charges and accused the government of holding a grudge against him for beating previous prosecutions. Over the years, a parade of mob turncoats who testified against the Gambinos "never accused John Gotti of drugs or murder — never happened," said Charles Carnesi."What you have is a bunch of people in law enforcement who are disgruntled about the fact that he did fight those cases successfully," the lawyer said. "That's what this case is about."
The latest case was brought in Florida after a series of failed prosecutions in New York City. Another indictment accused five Gotti associates of various crimes, including murder.The conspiracy indictment against the 44-year-old Gotti accuses him of being a chief in an arm of the Gambino crime family that operated in Florida, New York, New Jersey and Pennsylvania since about 1983. The enterprise was involved in everything from murder and kidnapping to witness tampering, money laundering and cocaine trafficking, and had its fingers in legal and illegal businesses and union locals, federal authorities said.Federal prosecutor Robert O'Neill said the indictments showed that the defendants were "trying to gain a foothold" in Florida, and they alleged that some of the crimes took place there.Prosecutors alleged that Gotti "oversaw" the slaying of reputed Gambino associate Louis DiBono in the parking garage of the World Trade Center in Manhattan in 1990. The elder Gotti was convicted of ordering that slaying, which was related to DiBono's contract to install fireproofing at the trade center. Prosecutors did not provide specifics about the younger Gotti's involvement in the hit.The late mob boss had been caught on tape boasting, "Know why he's dying? He's gonna die because he refused to come in when I called. He didn't do nothing else wrong," prosecutors said.Prosecutors also accused Gotti of having two men killed in drug turf disputes: George Grosso in 1988 and Bruce John Gotterup in 1991, both in Queens. The indictment also alleges he possessed and trafficked more than 5 kilograms of cocaine.Gotti "has led a life of violence, including these three murders," prosecutor Elie Honig said while successfully arguing against bail in federal court in Manhattan."He's never been charged with murder before," Honig said. "Now he's been charged with three."
A magistrate ordered Gotti held without bail until agents transport him to Florida. It was unclear how soon he would depart.Gotti, wearing a navy blue polo shirt, shook his head at one point as the prosecutor described the charges, but showed no other reaction. FBI agents had arrested Gotti early Tuesday at his Long Island home.
It is not the first time Gotti has been rounded up by federal agents.
In 1999, he pleaded guilty to racketeering crimes including bribery, extortion, gambling and fraud. He was sentenced to 77 months in prison and was released in 2005.
But less than two months before he was released, prosecutors brought a separate racketeering case for an alleged kidnapping and attempted murder plot against Guardian Angels founder Curtis Sliwa — an outspoken critic of the Gottis. The trials in 2005 and 2006 ended in hung juries and mistrials after Gotti used the defense that he had quit the mob for good in the late 1990s. "It's enough now. They got to let go," Gotti after the third trial, saying he hoped to return to a quiet life with his wife and six children. If convicted of the new charges, Gotti faces up to life in prison. His father died in prison six years ago while serving a life term on his 1992 murder and racketeering charges.

13 luckless years after Bulger vanished, a multi-agency task force of seven investigators is still assigned full time to tracking him.

Date of Birth: ...September 3, 1929
Hair: White/Silver.. .....Place of Birth: Dorchester, Massachusetts
Eyes: Blue.... Height: 5'7" to 5'9"........Complexion: Light
Weight: 150 to 160 pounds.......Sex: Male
Build: Medium..........Race: White
Occupation: Unknown....Nationality: American
Scars and Marks: None known
Aliases: Thomas F. Baxter, Mark Shapeton, Jimmy Bulger, James Joseph Bulger, James J. Bulger Jr, James Joseph Bulger Jr, Tom Harris, Tom Marshall, "Whitey".
Remarks: Bulger is an avid reader with an interest in history. He is known to frequent libraries and historic sites. Bulger is currently on the heart medication Atenolol (50 mg) and maintains his physical fitness by walking on beaches and in parks with his female companion, Catherine Elizabeth Greig. Bulger and Greig love animals and may frequent animal shelters. Bulger has been known to alter his appearance through the use of disguises. He has traveled extensively throughout the United States, Europe, Canada, and Mexico.
13 luckless years after Bulger vanished, a multi-agency task force of seven investigators is still assigned full time to tracking him. He fled just before his January 1995 federal racketeering indictment charging Bulger, Stephen ''The Rifleman" Flemmi and Frank Salemme,it took seven months to find Frank Salemme in Florida, Bulger was later charged with 19 murders, and is now being pursued by a posse of two FBI agents, two Massachusetts State Police officers, two lieutenants from the Massachusetts Department of Correction fugitive apprehension unit, and an FBI analyst, all of whom work out of an unmarked suite of offices in downtown Boston. No other fugitive currently on the 10 Most Wanted list has a task force assigned full time solely to his capture, though several of those who were captured in the past did, according to the FBI."I'm looking for that person who received or made calls from James [Bulger] and could be funneling money to him", said FBI Special Agent Richard Teahan, a 16-year veteran of the FBI who became the coordinator of the task force two years ago. After Bulger fled, he and his criminal sidekick, Stephen "The Rifleman" Flemmi, were exposed as longtime informants who had provided the FBI with information about local Mafia leaders while getting away with murder. Their former handler, retired FBI agent John J. Connolly Jr., was convicted of federal racketeering in 2002 and sentenced to 10 years in prison for protecting the pair from prosecution and warning them to flee before their indictment. Connolly is slated to stand trial in Miami in September on murder charges for allegedly plotting with Bulger and Flemmi to kill a potential witness in 1982.
Task force members say the Bulger family has refused to cooperate with the manhunt, even though their loyalty to the fugitive has cost them. William M. Bulger was pressured to resign as president of the University of Massachusetts in 2003 after he was grilled by a congressional committee about his relationship with his gangster brother. The third brother, John "Jackie" Bulger, a retired clerk magistrate at Boston Juvenile Court, spent six months in prison for lying to federal grand juries about contacts with his fugitive brother. "The Bulger family to the end will not give him up, will not negotiate a surrender," Teahan said.
The last confirmed sighting of James "Whitey" Bulger was in London in 2002, his quote "Every day out there is another day I beat them. Every good meal is a meal they can't take away from me". Money is not a problem for Bulger, who doles out crisp $100 bills from a stash tucked inside a pouch strapped to his waist. The pouch also contains a pearl-handled knife. Bulger and Greig also love to shop, at least 2 to 3 times a week they will travel to the Wal-Mart Super Centers. Bulger likes to read copies of Soldier of Fortune magazine. Investigators located a bank account belonging to Bulger in Clearwater, Fla., where he owned a condominium.
James "Whitey" Bulger aka Thomas Baxter (NY drivers license) lactose intolerant, always wears ball cap with sun glasses, pays with cash $100 bills, drives big cars Mercury Grand Marquis, has safe deposit box's stashed with cash all over the USA and Canada, he has used SSN 018-22-4149, DOB 9/03/1929, age 78 (very bad breath), known for very bad temper and always carries a knife. Longtime Bulger associate Kevin J. Weeks had been funneling nearly $90,000 into Whitey Bulger's bank accounts (Clearwater Fl) since he has been on the run. A Federal Indictment in September of 2000, charged Whitey Bulger with 18 murders. Bulger enforced very strict rules over his drig dealers in Bostond. He allowed them to sell cocaine and marijuana, but forbidding heroin and PCP By Bulger's reasoning, a cocaine addict can still function, while heroin junkies "become zombies." He also strictly forbade selling to children. Those dealers who refused to obey Bulger's rules were beaten, killed or otherwise driven out of the neighborhood. To those who obeyed, however, business was good. The Boston drug scene thrived as Whitey and "Red" Shea and his crew arranged massive drug deals with Colombian and Cuban-American suppliers based in South Florida. It would not be until the cooperation of Kevin Weeks in 1999 that Bulger, by then a fugitive, was conclusively linked to the drug trade by investigators. According to Kevin Weeks, this was something that Bulger had long prepared for. As early as 1977, he had acquired documents for himself under the name Thomas F. Baxter. He had also set up safe deposit boxes, containing cash, jewelry, and passports, in cities across North America and Europe including Florida, Oklahoma, Montreal, Dublin, London, Birmingham (UK) and Venice.
July 2nd 2008..Fugitive mob boss James "Whitey" Bulger has $4,000 coming to him. But if he wants it, he has to show up in person to claim it. Florida State Treasurer Tim Cahill's office says Bulger has about $4,000 in unclaimed property from an abandoned Florida bank account. The bank sent the money to the state when Bulger never claimed it. Bulger, the reputed boss of the Winter Hill Gang, has been on the lam since 1995 when he fled just before his federal indictment. Treasury spokeswoman Alison Mitchell said the money has been on the list since 1998.
It's unlikely Whitey will be too worried about the missing Florida money. Financial magazine Forbes recently revealed he has been able to avoid capture for so long because he is sitting on a staggering EUR50 million fortune. Forbes revealed: "Whitey's wealth is between EUR30 million and EUR50 million. He has shown how hard it can be to capture a criminal, using the wealth and contacts he developed to stay out of the reach of law enforcement."In early Jan 1995, Bulger and then wife Teresa Stanley spent three weeks traveling between New York, Los Angeles and San Francisco before Stanley decided that she wanted to return to her children. They then traveled to Clearwater, Florida, where Bulger retrieved his Tom Baxter identification from a safety deposit box. Bulger then drove to Boston and dropped off Teresa Stanley in a parking lot. He then met Kevin Weeks, who had brought with him one of Bulger's favorite mistresses, Catherine Greig. Bulger and Greig then went on the run together.
Long time gal pal of Whitey Bulger is aging moll Catherine Elizabeth Greig.Catherine Elizabeth Greig, aka Carol Shapeton aka Helen Marshall has used SSN 030-40-4309, her DOB is 4/03/1951, age 57, she has worked as a dog groomer.

Antonino Fortunato Morreale, the suspected "postman" apprehended in Palermo, recently was convicted of Mafia association by a tribunal in Palermo

Two men believed to be the "postmen" who delivered notes to accused Sicilian Mafia boss Bernardo Provenzano have been arrested, Italian police said Saturday.One suspect was arrested at his Palermo home Friday evening and the other was picked up at a Rome airport last month, police said.Through them, Provenzano was able to oversee and communicate with a Mafia network that stretched across Sicily, said Col. Jacopo Mannucci Benincasa of the Carabinieri police in Palermo, the Sicilian capital.Provenzano was captured in 2006 after decades on the run and 13 years as the leader of the Sicilian Mafia. He has been convicted in absentia and sentenced to life in prison for more than a dozen murders of mobsters and investigators.
During his years as a fugitive, Provenzano sent handwritten notes — known as "pizzini" — about the administration of Cosa Nostra. He used codes to conceal business interests and the identities of those he dealt with.Provenzano relied heavily on the "pizzini" and their delivery, investigators say.
Antonino Fortunato Morreale, 40, the suspected "postman" apprehended in Palermo, recently was convicted of Mafia association by a tribunal in Palermo and sentenced to a nine years in prison.The other suspect, Andrea Panno, had eluded capture during a massive anti-Mafia operation in 2005, the Palermo Carabinieri said. He was picked up in June by U.S. officials, who had been alerted by Italian investigators that the fugitive was living in Guilford, Connecticut, with his family, the Carabinieri said.
Panno, 47, arrived in Italy on July 12 and was immediately arrested at Rome's Leonardo da Vinci airport, police said. He remains in custody in the Italian capital.

William Robert Bernhardt member of the Wild Bunch Motorcycle Club was arrested for wearing a concealed weapon.

William Robert Bernhardt, 57, of Nevada,member of the Wild Bunch Motorcycle Club was arrested for wearing a concealed weapon.
was allegedly carrying a knife when police arrested him just before 10 p.m. outside of a downtown bar. He posted a $500 bond within the hour and was released.

California Mexican/Salvadorian street gangs have been broken up into two main factions.

California Mexican/Salvadorian street gangs have been broken up into two main factions. One faction is known as Southern 13’s or Sur who are controlled by the Mexican Mafia. The other fraction is known as the Northern 14’s or North who are controlled by the Nuestra Familia. The Sur and the Norte gangs have now expanded out of California and migrated west for various reasons. They wanted to expand their drug operation, trafficking networks and wanted to leave the violence behind. Some of these Gangs/Organizations even have international ties, i.e., the 18th Street Gang (XV3)(IVIII), Mara Salvatruche (MS) and the Florencia 13 (F13). These gangs have a traditional base as the case of the Maravilla gangs and the White Fence gangs of East Los Angeles that date back to the early 1900’s.
The Mexican Gang:
Members of the NYC were first noticed in 1996, when police responded to violent assaults occurring in weddings, baptisms, and birthday parties frequently by a large group of Mexican immigrants.
Mara Salvatruche:
MS is comprised of mostly Salvadorians. The group was started to protect themselves from the largest street gang in California known as the 18th Street Gang (Mexican descent). Uninformed individuals mistakenly believe all Salvadorian gang members belong to MS. This is an unfair assessment since correctional staff has identified Salvadorian descendents claiming affiliation or membership with Mexican gang groups.
The meaning of Mara Salvatruche: Mara meant gang since it was used by the Maravilla gangs in East L.A. Salva for El Salvador and Truche for beware. MS has become known for their violent history. One of the terrifying aspects of the older veterans of MS members is that they have received Special Forces training from the CIA at their homeland. They have migrated to the United States. Some members have been identified to be former guerilla soldiers who were trained and considered experts at sabotage, explosive manufacturing and are familiar with high power automatic weapons. MS has continued its illegal activity and have been documented and observed in the following counties and states: Texas, Washington, D.C., Nebraska, Oregon, Washington State, Canada, Virginia, the five boroughs of New York, Nassau County, Suffolk County and also have been identified on Riker’s Island.
Rank Structure:
The Mexican Gangs are loosely structured. There is only one leader and few enforcers. Usually, the leader is the individual who started the gang and/or is the smartest; meaning educated here in the US and knowledgeable about the way of life on the streets. The enforcers, who are manipulative, are the wilder more brazen gang members willing to commit robberies, and assaults.
Identifiers:
Gang members usually dress in very baggy jeans or khaki pants with baggy shirts.
Gang members will tattoo the name or initials of their gangs on parts of their body. Tattoos such as the Mother Guadeloupe a happy/sad face and the words “mi vida loca” have been observed and could signify gang membership.

Chuckie Vang, the pint-sized thug they say is a violent gang member who targeted innocent people.

Police and FBI agents are searching for Chuckie Vang, the pint-sized thug they say is a violent gang member who targeted innocent people.Town of Menasha, Wisc. police say Vang and about 15 to 20 other members of his Sheboygan-based gang, the Asian Young and Dangerous, went to a motel in their town to collect on a drug debt.Instead, cops say they mistakenly targeted a room of innocent victims.
Detectives say that the AYDs came to the room and beat three victims with baseball bats and golf clubs. Cops say that the three unidentified people were able to get away and lock themselves in the motel room's bathroom.Investigators say that Vang took out a gun and fired five rounds into the bathroom door.
Gunfire EruptChuckie Vang is pretty distinctively short. He's only 5'4", but cops say he's plenty dangerous. Cops say the crowd dispersed, but Chuckie Vang was upset that the victims had gotten away from his angry mob.Investigators say that Vang took out a gun and fired five rounds into the bathroom door.All three victims were shot, but they survived.Vang and the other AYD members fled

Hung Van (Scarface) Bui, was found slumped in the driver's seat of a car , the victim of a targeted shooting.

Hung Van (Scarface) Bui, 27, was found slumped in the driver's seat of a car Monday night, the victim of a targeted shooting.A man who died in a hail of bullets in a Vancouver street Monday was a marked man -- one who survived one of the city's worst mass shootings but left behind a trail of death and violence in British Columbia and Alberta going back almost a decade.Police have not identified the victim but a high-placed source told the Vancouver Province it was Bui -- a man with well-known criminal affiliations who survived last summer's gangland style slayings at Fortune Happiness restaurant.They came back and finished him off," said the source.
The Aug. 9 shooting at the all-night eatery -- where two masked gunmen opened fire on a table of nine people, killing two people and injuring six, including Bui -- remains unsolved.Bui was shot at least six times, said the source, but survived his wounds. He had "a million enemies" and was known to have been involved in ripping off drug dealers, added the source.Bui was also the prime suspect in the 1999 murder of 35-year-old UPS courier Andrew Allan, who was stabbed once in the abdomen in the parking lot of an Edmonton curling club.

Guy Lepage, a former police officer now serving a 10-year sentence for drug trafficking

Guy Lepage, a former police officer now serving a 10-year sentence for drug trafficking, he was drawn into the biker's life of crime 20 years ago.
Mr. Lepage, 61, discussed his past relationship with the biker leader Maurice (Mom) Boucher yesterday during a parole board hearing.He was granted day parole, his first release since being arrested in 2001 and extradited to the U.S., where he pleaded guilty to helping the Angels buy large quantities of cocaine from a Colombian drug cartel and ship it to Florida in 1997 and 1998. He was transferred to a Canadian prison in 2005.Lepage was granted day parole for the next six months, during which he is expected to take part in community projects. He was accepted into a program working with the elderly, and said he plans to lecture at schools that teach criminology.
Mr. Lepage said that despite his important involvement in their conspiracies, he never considered himself part of the Hells Angels, but he did acknowledge being Mr. Boucher's friend."I don't know if it was his charm or something else. He had this charisma," he said of Mr. Boucher, who is serving three life sentences for ordering the deaths of prison guards in an attempt to influence Quebec's justice.Lepage, 61, discussed his past relationship with the Hells Angels leader at length yesterday during a National Parole Board hearing at a minimum-security penitentiary in Laval. He was granted day parole, his first release since being arrested in December 2001 and extradited to the United States, where he pleaded guilty to helping the Hells Angels buy cocaine from a Colombian drug cartel and ship more than 1,600 kilograms of the drug to Florida in 1997 and 1998. He was transferred back to the Canadian prison system in 2005.The drugs were destined for Montreal while the city witnessed a bloody biker gang war. Lepage was sent to Colombia by Boucher and other members of the Hells Angels to oversee five large shipments of the drug.
Lepage told parole board members Denis Couillard and Michel Pallascio that despite his involvement with the bikers, he never considered himself part of the Hells Angels. But he did acknowledge being Boucher's friend.Even though they grew up in the same neighbourhood in eastern Montreal, the two only met in 1987, Lepage said. At the time, Lepage was running a disco in Sorel and Boucher was beginning his ascent toward becoming the most powerful Hells Angel in Quebec.Couillard asked Lepage to explain how one can go from protecting society as a police officer to being someone who thinks nothing of breaking its laws."How did you go from one extreme to the other?" he asked.Lepage explained that the Hells Angels put him "on a pedestal" and made him feel important. It was clear his experience as a police officer and good name were valuable assets to Boucher."I don't know if it was his charm or something else. He had this charisma," Lepage said of Boucher, who is serving three life sentences for ordering the deaths of prison guards in an attempt to intimidate Quebec's justice system."It's hard to explain. (The Hells Angels) sought me out by giving me gifts, taking me out to dinner. It gave me value. It impressed me. To be frank, I never questioned it."After the two became friends, Boucher began asking Lepage for favours. One involved securing a mortgage for a building the Rockers, a Hells Angels puppet gang, used as a fortified bunker during the biker war. Lepage, who resigned from Montreal's police force in 1974 while a friend was being investigated for fraud, obtained the mortgage through a federal government program.Lepage also helped the Hells Angels set up a money-laundering network in northern British Colombia, to which he pleaded guilty in 1994. He was sentenced two years in prison and fined $200,000. He was given three years to pay, but so far has only paid $30,000. Because of this, in 2006, a seizure order was placed on real estate Lepage owns in St. Philippe, a South Shore town.
Lepage said yesterday that months after his arrest in 2001, he promised his family he would sever ties with Boucher. The only time he showed emotion during the parole hearing was when Couillard brought up an allegation concerning Boucher contained in Lepage's file. Couillard said a letter sent to Boucher after 2001 by another criminal included a mention that Lepage wished to send along his greetings.Lepage called the allegation nonsense. His lawyer, Jacques Normandeau, pointed out that Boucher is still kept in isolation at the so-called super-maximum-security penitentiary in Ste. Anne des Plaines and is only allowed visits by two individuals, who were not named.

Bobby Spiers identified as a notorious member of Manchester gangland, was arrested in Benidorm

Bobby Spiers identified as a notorious member of the Manchester gangland, was arrested in Benidorm on Tuesday. Spiers, 40, was arrested by National Police on suspicion of conspiracy to commit murder under a European arrest warrant and is being held in custody until a formal extradition can be carried out.The arrest follows extensive enquiries by Greater Manchester Police who were investigating a shooting in a pub in Salford in March 2006.Spiers is alleged to have been behind an attempted execution which led to the murder of two hit men.The gunmen were arrested but Spiers, from Prestwick, Greater Manchester, had been on the run since.Police began looking in Spain after several sightings were reported following a BBC1 Crimewatch programme that made an appeal in July last year for information on the whereabouts of Spiers.UK and Spanish police have been working in collaboration since these reports were received and have been searching for Spiers mainly on the Costa Blanca.

"Beefy" Bartruff faces charges of conspiring to manufacture and possess meth as part of a network in three Indiana counties.

Fifty-year-old Timothy "Beefy" Bartruff faces charges of conspiring to manufacture and possess meth as part of a network in three Indiana counties. former leader of a white supremacist motorcycle club has been brought back to Indiana and arraigned in federal court on methamphetamine charges, after a St. Louis arrest.
Federal records say Bartruff was the national president of the Invaders before he was sentenced to a 10-year prison term in 1987 for dealing meth.
Bartruff was arrested in Missouri in June on the latest meth charges, which involved many arrests across northern Indiana and in Chicago, St. Louis and Denver.

Gangsters have been asked to help restore peace between two feuding gun gangs in Derby.

big-city gangsters have been asked to help restore peace between two feuding gun gangs in Derby.
Police have enlisted the help of a team from Birmingham, which includes reformed criminals, who will use their own experiences of gang and gun crime to try to help stem the trouble.
They will be given the names and addresses of Derby gang members so they can visit them to try to resolve the dispute, which has resulted in a number of shooting incidents in the city in recent months.
The team is from West Midlands Mediation and Transformation Services, which is led by former West Midlands police officer Kirk Dawes.
He said: “We seek to manage the conflict to slow it down by creating dialogue and better understanding.