SAWN-OFF shotgun, a loaded pistol fitted with a silencer and £11,000 of crack cocaine and cannabis has been uncovered in police raids.

SAWN-OFF shotgun, a loaded pistol fitted with a silencer and £11,000 of crack cocaine and cannabis has been uncovered in police raids.

Officers have hailed the crackdown as a blow to drugs gangs in Bolton.

And people living in Mayor Street, where the raids took place, have expressed their relief the guns are off the streets.

The street overlooks Queens Park, which has become a focus for rival gangs in recent years.

Only last year shell casings from a sub-machine gun used to execute a Salford supermarket worker were found there.

While Greater Manchester police say the raids carried out on Friday were not aimed at targeting a specific gang , the seizure of two firearms is a significant setback for organised criminals in the area.

Early on Friday morning officers from GMP’s Xcalibre Organised Crime Unit raided a flat above Pak Foods Asian grocers, which is not connected, and a neighbouring terraced house.

Crack cocaine worth £5,000 and cannabis worth up to £6,000 were recovered from the flat.

In the terraced house a few doors away officer found a sawn-off shotgun and a loaded 9mm Baikal handgun fitted with a silencer and a large amount of 0.303 ammunition which can be lethal, even when fired from long range.

A 52-year-old man was arrested on suspicion of possession of Class A and Class B drugs with intent to supply and a 35-year-old man was arrested on suspicion of possessing firearms with intent to endanger life and possession of ammunition.

Both men have been released on police bail until January 20 and the guns and ammunition have been sent off for forensic tests.

The raids were carried out as part of the ongoing Operation Brunel, targeting organised crime groups involved in supplying hard drugs in Bolton and Bury, Rochdale Oldham and North Manchester.

Detective Insp Rick Mortimer hailed the latest raids as “a fantastic result.”

"One more gun off our streets is an excellent result as it means one less weapon that could be used to injure or even kill someone,” he said.

“Although it is very difficult to say exactly what these guns were intended for, clearly any firearm has the potential to cause serious injury or even a fatality so to have seized both a sawn-off shotgun and a handgun before they can hurt someone is a good result.”

Several communities in Bolton have been blighted by drug gangs and last year their were three shootings as rival gangs fought a turf war on the streets of the town.

And in June this year an elderly couple in Leonard Street, Great Lever had their living room window shot at by a man riding a motorbike and carrying a sawn off shotgun.

Neighbours in Mayor Street welcomed the increased police activity.

All were too afraid to be named but one 23-year-old man told The Bolton News how the area has deteriorated in the 10 years he has lived there.

“It has got a lot worse due to the gangs. Lots of groups gather on the park, making noise and being violent.

“There have been shootings and it is worrying because there are a lot of children round here.

“I am glad the guns are off the streets. It will make life easier for everyone.”

Another resident added: “People have been frightened of the gangs. It is very bad.”

DI Mortimer urged the community who may have information about illegal firearms to call the Xcalibre unit on 0161 856 6479 or Crimestoppers anonymously on 0800 555 111.

“We have listened to what our communities have been telling us about how drug dealers blight their area, and we have sent a strong message that those who line their pockets by preying upon other people’s addictions will be targeted,” said DI Mortimer.

Virginia was the source of a disproportionately large percentage of firearms that were used in crimes in other states

In the wake of yesterday’s shooting incident at the University of Texas — in which a student opened fire and then killed himself — gun control is once again at the forefront of public dialogue, and results from a recent study about gun use show that Virginia could be a focal point in the ongoing debate.

The study — which was released Monday and conducted by Mayors Against Illegal Guns using data from the U.S. Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives — reveals that in 2009, Virginia was the source of a disproportionately large percentage of firearms that were used in crimes in other states.

Adamo Kizey, 18, who raps under the name StabsOneShot, was jailed for five years on Friday for smuggling a pistol and six rounds of ammunition

A campaigner against gun crime has criticised the length of prison stay a Kingston college student has been handed for carrying a gun.

Adamo Kizey, 18, who raps under the name StabsOneShot, was jailed for five years on Friday for smuggling a pistol and six rounds of ammunition into Kingston College.

But he could be out in two and a half years if he gets parole.

Lucy Cope, from Mothers Against Crime, said: "The sentence the student taking this firearm on to campus received was justified, as the law states you will received a minimum of five years for possession of a firearm.

"I commend the police and CPS for conviction and the judge for using the five-year minimum sentence.

"I do not agree this young man should be released after 18 months.

"Five years should be just that, as I fought for five years, no remission, no parole.

Nearly half of the guns that crossed state lines and were used in crimes in 2009 were sold in just 10 states

Nearly half of the guns that crossed state lines and were used in crimes in 2009 were sold in just 10 states, according to a report being released Monday by a mayors' group.

Those states accounted for nearly 21,000 guns connected to crimes in other states, said the survey by Mayors Against Illegal Guns, an association of more than 500 mayors led by New York's Michael Bloomberg and Boston's Thomas Menino.

The Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives traced more than 145,000 guns used in crimes in 2009 and found that more than 43,000 of those weapons were sold in other states.

Forty-nine percent of those guns were sold in Georgia, Florida, Virginia, Texas, Indiana, Ohio, Pennsylvania, North Carolina, California or Arizona.

States were also ranked by the number of crime guns exported per 100,000 inhabitants. Mississippi led that list, followed by West Virginia, Kentucky, Alaska, Alabama, South Carolina, Virginia, Indiana, Nevada and Georgia.

Those states, the report said, have more relaxed gun laws, suggesting that "criminals and gun traffickers may favor certain states as the sources of guns."

For example, in states that do not require background checks for handgun sales at gun shows, the crime-gun export rate was two-and-a-half times as much as the rate in states that do require such checks.

Brandon Miller was charged with first-degree murder while armed

D.C. police have arrested a 21-year-old Washington man on a murder charge in connection with the U Street funeral shooting, and officers were looking for a second suspect and the getaway car.
Brandon Miller was charged with first-degree murder while armed, Police Chief Cathy Lanier said. Police are asking the public to help them find a white Buick that was seen leaving the area of U and 13th streets NW during the lunchtime Tuesday shootout.
"We've done a lot of good work, we have a lot more to do," Lanier said Wednesday.
Police said two masked men approached a group of mourners in a gold sport utility vehicle and opened fire. The SUV fled down U Street, with gunshots firing from inside, before it struck a black Mercedes-Benz and flipped, resting upside down.
Mayor Adrian Fenty called the incident "tragic" and "scary."
"This was one of the most brazen shootings that's ever happened in D.C.," Fenty said Wednesday while announcing the arrest. "It's hard to remember someone coming up and shooting, literally, right when a funeral was letting out."
D.C. resident Jamal Coates, 22, was killed in the SUV. Police did not yet know whether he died from the gunshots or the crash. Another occupant was taken to the hospital, treated then released Wednesday. A third victim in the SUV refused a trip to the hospital.
Police said the shootout was a result of a dispute between two gangs whose members got into an altercation at the funeral of 21-year-old Ashley McRae. One of the gangs simply showed up to taunt the other gang, city officials said.


Read more at the Washington Examiner: http://www.washingtonexaminer.com/local/crime/1-man-charged_-others-sought-in-funeral-shooting-1047909-104032773.html#ixzz10y9NZC3G

B.C. Briefs: Gangster arrested for drugs and guns, a stabbing at McDonald's and more

B.C. Briefs: Gangster arrested for drugs and guns, a stabbing at McDonald's and more: "Eric James Fiske, 30, an original member of the Game Tight Soldiers gang and an unnamed female were arrested after they attempted to retrieve a bag that contained two loaded handguns, a Mac 10 sub-machine gun with ammunition, and 228 grams of cocaine from a wooded area in Prince George.
Police later found 56 more grams of cocaine, 159 flaps of heroin, 1.5 kilograms of marijuana, and other related drug-trafficking paraphernalia in a residence.
The Game Tight Soldiers started in Vancouver’s Downtown Eastside and members have recently been moving into Prince George."

GUNCHESTER Bringing Down the Gooch – Real Crime | Mad Black Cat

Bringing Down the Gooch – Real Crime | Mad Black Cat: "Gooch Gang and the Doddington Gang lived side by side on a Manchester estate for many years until 1991 when a shooting sparked a conflict which encompassed in excess of two dozen murders in the last 20 years.
Detective Constable Rod Carter shows Real Crime around the streets of the Moss Side area of Manchester and points out the locations where young men, some still at school, were shot in gang attacks.
CCTV footage shows gangs wearing body armour under their tracksuits, and DC Carter explains how the two leaders of the Gooch Gang had adapted their jeans so that they could carry firearms."

Bail denied for Zervas shooting accused

Bail denied for Zervas shooting accused: "Richard and Christopher Fong were arrested at their Matraville home in Sydney's southeast on Monday, after a lengthy police investigation into the shooting of Mr Zervas in March 2009.
The brothers, alleged to be members of the Comanchero bikie gang, have been charged with conspiracy to murder and participating in a criminal group."

Double Gang-Related Slayings In Glassell Park - Beverly Hills Courier, Beverly Hills Newspaper

Double Gang-Related Slayings In Glassell Park - Beverly Hills Courier, Beverly Hills Newspaper: "Los Angeles police today sought suspects in the gang-related slaying of two brothers and the wounding of a third man.

Jose Martinez, 24, and his brother Samuel, 20, died in the roughly 1 a.m. attack Saturday near Avenue 30 and Division Street in Glassell Park, police said. Both suffered head wounds.

Marvin Gonzalez, 19, was shot in the back, police said.

The men were approached by two or three suspects who asked them where they were from, meaning what gang, and one of suspects opened fire."

Police kill two in early Sunday shootouts

Police kill two in early Sunday shootouts: "dead men were Chandru (30) and Prashanth alias Pachi (25) alleged to be associates of underworld don Ravi Poojary. They were allegedly involved in Saturday night’s attack on Mantri House on Vittal Mallya Road.

Within hours after the attack, Chandru was way laid and gunned down near Horamavu-Agara Road, while Prashanth alias Pachi (25) was killed near Yeshwanthpur railway station at around 12.45 am on Sunday.

A police inspector and a sub-inspector involved in the encounter also sustained injuries. They are undergoing treatment and are stated to be out of danger. The two encounters were action packed. Though the police reacted swiftly and gunned down two, one more suspect, stated to be Poojary's aide, managed to escape with bullet injuries on his hand."

Crips gang member Craig Scott gets 150 years for double murder and reprimand for cursing at grieving father | State | NewJerseyNewsroom.com -- Your State. Your News.

Crips gang member Craig Scott gets 150 years for double murder and reprimand for cursing at grieving father | State | NewJerseyNewsroom.com -- Your State. Your News.: "Craig Scott, the man convicted in the 2007 murders of Joel Ferguson Jr., 17, and Naeem Jackson, 15, in Newark had to be reprimanded by a court bailiff as the father of one of his victim's addressed the court, The Star-Ledger reported.
As Joel Ferguson, Sr., spoke to the court about his murdered son, Joel Jr., Scott rubbed salt into the man's wounds by repeatedly cursing at and talking back to the grieving father.
Scott, of 12th Avenue in Newark, is a member of notorious street gang, the Crips. Essex County Assistant Prosecutor Dawn Simonetti said Scott killed Ferguson and Jackson July 13, 2007 after they came to the aid of a friend who was being assaulted by Scott and a group of thugs."

13th suspect believed connected to the Aug. 30 shooting of Geoffrey Carrizales turned himself in The Gazette-Enterprise

The Gazette-Enterprise: "13th suspect believed connected to the Aug. 30 shooting of Geoffrey Carrizales turned himself in to Seguin police Thursday and has been booked for allegedly engaging in organized crime.

Seguin Police Detective Lt. Jerry Hernandez said Precinct 1 Justice of the Peace Darrell Hunter issued an arrest warrant for Ramon Gonzales, 21, on allegations he engaged in organized criminal activity connected to the death of Carrizales. When word of the warrant reached Gonzales, he made arrangements to surrender to authorities on Thursday, and Hernandez said he kept his word.

Hunter set bail on Gonzales at $1 million."

Gerald Leroy Fleshman, 51, of Eden Valley, was sentenced Wednesday to 60 months in prison on felony charges of being a felon in possession of a weapon

Gerald Leroy Fleshman, 51, of Eden Valley, was sentenced Wednesday to 60 months in prison on felony charges of being a felon in possession of a weapon and for receiving stolen property.

The sentence was handed down by Judge Steven E. Drange in Meeker County District Court.

Fleshman was arrested July 20 after police officers searched his Eden Valley property and another location in Manannah Township. They found vast quantities of stolen property from thefts reported in Meeker, Renville, Kandiyohi and Stearns counties.

Fleshman was ordered to pay $100 in fines with his prison earnings. He was given credit for 64 days served in jail. Restitution was reserved for 30 days in the three court files against him.

As part of a plea agreement, seven additional felony charges for weapons possession by a felon and drug possession were dismissed.

woman shot and killed three people and herself at a Seattle home Thursday,

woman shot and killed three people and herself at a Seattle home Thursday, injuring another woman who fled into the front yard and told officers "my mom has gone crazy," police said.

Officers responded to a report of gunshots at about 1:30 p.m.

and could still hear shots being fired from the house when they arrived, police spokesman Sean Whitcomb said. As police approached the scene, a man in his 50s ran into the house. Two more shots were fired and he ran back out,

Birmingham full scale of the city’s gun problem is exposed today

POLICE are being called out to a gun incident in Birmingham on average once a week, the Sunday Mercury can reveal.
The full scale of the city’s gun problem is exposed today, as the Mercury details how police have responded to 30 gun-related crimes already this year.
Chillingly, gangland sources say there is no end in sight for the plague of firearms violence.
And one Birmingham dad, whose son was left fighting for life after being shot in the back in broad daylight by gang members, fears the streets are not safe.
“I’m not surprised by the fact that there’s been 30 gun incidents. I don’t think enough is being done, it is still a huge problem,” said the 52-year-old, who asked not to be named.
“It’s very scary out there. I didn’t bring my lad into this world to see him gunned down in the street.
“There seems to be an attitude that if they’re just shooting each other then it’s OK – sooner or later the ones who did it will be wiped out – but innocent people are getting hurt.
“There’s 30 incidents that we know about, but that’s probably only half the story. A lot goes unreported because these lads don’t want to go to hospital or get involved with the police.
“Lives are wasted on both sides, young lads are getting killed or maimed for life, and the ones doing the shooting are getting sent to prison for 20 years or more. Families are hurting every way you look at it.
“Nothing has changed. If anything, it is getting worse.”

Hammersmith gun victim still serious,-

Fulham Chronicle - News - Hammersmith gun victim still serious: "man remains in a serious condition after being shot in Goldhawk Road, Hammersmith.
Police were called at about 4am on Sunday after a neighbour heard gun shots. The 21-year-old victim was found outside the Total petrol station and taken to a west London hospital where he remains in a serious condition.
Officers from Trident, the arm of the Metropolitan police which investigates gun crime between black people, are investigating.
Earlier on Saturday gun shots were heard in nearby Conningham Road. Police found bullet casings but are as yet not linking the two incidents.
Neighbours in Goldhawk Road were shocked events , saying a shooting was unprecedented in the area."

Police reveal firearm haul - News two Baikals, a Smith and Wesson, a Brocock and the deadly MAC - 10 as well as silencers and ammunition.

Police reveal firearm haul - News - Worthing Herald: "West Midlands Police have revealed a haul of eight firearms that were recovered by detectives on a raid at an industrial unit in Birmingham recently.
The cache included two Baikals, a Smith and Wesson, a Brocock and the deadly MAC - 10 as well as silencers and ammunition.
The intelligence led police operation was carried out by specialist detectives from Force CID, the West Midlands Police department set up to tackle the most complex and serious of crime in the area.
More than sixty illegal firearms have been recovered by Force CID since April this year, in more than 30 operations designed to specifically tackle gun crime."

‘Hey, you just shot a girl!’ tavern murder trial told - The Globe and Mail

‘Hey, you just shot a girl!’ tavern murder trial told - The Globe and Mail: "Bailey Zaveda was shot to death outside a pub in Toronto’s east downtown a couple of years ago, there came from many of the usual places the usual assurances that, appearances to the contrary, gun crime in the city was indeed down.
If meant as comfort, these mutterings fell far short: One like Ms. Zaveda is too many.
When just before one in the morning on Oct. 25, 2008, Dwight Marshall cried out at the Duke of York tavern, “You just shot a girl! Hey, you just shot a girl!”, it was Ms. Zaveda he was describing.
A girl she was, just 23, starting a promising career, on the cusp of so much."

Rewards offered in gun crimes | The Columbus Dispatch

Rewards offered in gun crimes | The Columbus Dispatch: "New reward money is now available for tips that help get illegal guns off the streets, as part of an expansion of a summer effort to combat crime in Columbus.
The new program, called Gun Stoppers, offers up to $1,000 for a tip that leads to an arrest and the recovery of a gun used in a crime, Mayor Michael B. Coleman said today. The program is affiliated with Central Ohio Crime Stoppers and offers anonymity to tipsters.
Residents have information that can help solve gun crimes, Coleman said. 'We are willing to pay for it.'
The Franklin County Office of Homeland Security and Justice Programs is providing an initial $25,000 for Gun Stoppers."

Gun theft may be state’s biggest

Gun theft may be state’s biggest: "Law enforcement officials said 133 firearms, most of them handguns, were recently stolen from a Billings shipping company in one of the largest such heists in the state’s history.
The Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives released details of the previously undisclosed August heist on Wednesday in hopes that making the case public will lead to a breakthrough.
A $10,000 reward was offered for help solving the crime.
The 113 handguns and 20 long guns were taken on the night of Aug. 2 from Con-way Freight Company, which was shipping the firearms for owner MT Sports."

Seven years for gangster in 'Wild West' shooting | News

Seven years for gangster in 'Wild West' shooting | News: "GANGSTER who exchanged gunshots with rivals using a converted pistol linked to 10 shootings across London has been jailed for seven years.
Terrified residents looked on as Damien Meade, 23, returned fire with a starting gun converted to shoot live rounds as incoming bullets peppered a car in the 'Wild West'-style shoot-out.
The hooded thug fled on a bike from the scene in Clapton, pursued by a police squad car, but crashed while trying to thrown the weapon away.
Officers recovered the gun and believe it had been rented out to criminals from an underworld armoury. Meade, of Hoxton, pleaded guilty at Snaresbrook Crown Court to possessing a firearm with intent to endanger life, possessing a prohibited weapon and possessing ammunition without a certificate.
Judge John Lafferty told him: 'An extended sentence will protect the public from the risks you pose.'"