AK47 used on Panda, say gardai

 

GUNMEN used an AK47 assault rifle to shoot notorious gangster 'The Panda' in Dublin, gardai believe. Michael 'Micka' Kelly was gunned down in a hail of bullets in Marrsfield, Clongriffin, last Thursday afternoon. He was hit up to six times by bullets from a rifle and handgun -- and reports today said one of the gunman used a Kalashnikov, the rifle favoured by IRA dissidents, to kill him. The Russian-designed assault rifle is the most widely used in the world, carried by everyone from Osama bin Laden to Mexican drug gangs. The gun can be bought for as little as €300 in eastern Europe, according to Europol, the European police organisation. Gardai have seized a number of the weapons over the past few months and last year recovered two of the deadly 7.62mm automatic weapons, which fire at a rate of 600 rounds per minutes, in counties Wicklow and Kildare. The rifle's 30 shot magazine can be emptied in just a couple of seconds when fired on full automatic. Two gunmen lay in wait for the gangster nicknamed 'The Panda' at his girlfriend's home. He was first hit by shots from a car then his killers jumped out and fired more bullets into him before driving over his body. His heartbroken family are still waiting for his body to be released. Last Thursday's execution is considered the most significant gangland murder in Ireland since Eamon 'The Don' Dunne was shot dead last year.

Violence expected as gang tensions flare in B.C.

 

Two brazen, targeted shootings of known British Columbia gangsters in less than a month may be the kindling that sparks renewed gang warfare in the Lower Mainland, say police. The officer who heads the province's gangs task force issued an "unusual" alert Tuesday to anyone with links to two notorious crime families after a known gangster was shot and wounded last week in Surrey, B.C. Supt. Tom McCluskie told reporters both that incident and the high-profile slaying of Red Scorpions' gang boss Jonathan Bacon in August amount to a high expectation by his 80 investigators that more attacks are on the way. "We're anticipating retaliatory violence, yes," he said at a news conference held at an office of the Combined Forces Special Enforcement Unit in Delta, B.C. "I'm not trying to instill fear in the citizens, but certainly there's enough tension in there that we're concerned there will be a retaliation, that there will be further violence." The 24-year-old man shot in his car on Friday was a known member of the Dhak crime group, which police say runs an illegal drug ring throughout the Lower Mainland. One member of that family, Gurmit Dhak, was shot dead in his BMW at a suburban Burnaby mall last October, in another scenario police said was planned. Anyone with ties to either the Dhak or Duhre crime families are currently believed to be in heightened danger, and hanging around with such people could result in peril, McCluskie said. He said he's especially concerned for the members' girl friends and those who are simply connected on the social scene. Members of both groups have been linked to criminal activity on numerous occasions by police in B.C. in the past. While the public is not the intended target, McCluskie said, there's no telling where or when the tension will flare up again as gang rivalries rear their ugly head. It means bystanders could even get caught in the crossfire, he said. Thirty-year-old Bacon was shot to death outside a posh hotel in Kelowna. The gunfire that put the latest gangster in hospital broke out on a city street. "It's the fact these guys don't care where it is, they have no regard whatsoever for the general public," McCluskie said. Officers are examining the possibility the two incidents are directly linked, although at this point it's too early to draw conclusions, he said. "As of right now we haven't made any confirmed connection." The news conference is the most vocal and direct police have been in declaring expectations around the possibility of more bloodshed since Bacon died. Tit-for-tat clashes became a weekly occurrence for several months back in 2009, as turf battles played out in the Lower Mainland. There were at least four dozen shootings that year in the Vancouver area alone. Tensions were reduced to simmering, however, as police changed their strategy, made arrests of prominent players and conducted more behind-the-scenes enforcement. Police say alarm bells went off for many dealing with the organized crime world when Bacon was unexpectedly taken out. A full-patch member of the Hells Angels and another alleged gang member were hit by the mid-day volley of gunfire on Aug. 14, while two others accompanying them in a luxury SUV were also wounded. McCluskie said he's "pleased" with how his team is progressing in that investigation, but couldn't say when any arrests may be made. McCluskie wouldn't give any details about the new "intelligence" his team has gathered suggesting people tied to the two families are in danger, in order to protect the investigation. He said officers have already conducted several "duty-to-warns," telling known gang members they have reason to believe they might be next. "I'm not confident it reaches all those individuals, I'm hopeful," he said, noting he's less concerned about giving the groups credence by putting out the warning than letting the public know the risks. "Quite often the gangs don't listen to us very well."

Killings described as assassinations

 

Gang violence moved from West Bay to George Town on Monday night when teenager Jason Christian became the fourth fatal shooting victim of the week.  A second victim, 22-year-old Keith Montique, was also shot but survived.  Police Chief Superintendent John Jones described how a police patrol officer had been answering an unrelated incident around 9.30pm Monday in Birchwood Drive, off Crewe Road, when an obviously injured Mr. Montique staggered up to the police car and opened the door, saying he had just been shot.  As the officer was transporting the gunshot victim, who had been shot four times, to the Cayman Islands Hospital, the wounded man told him his friend had also been shot and was still in nearby Cranbrook Drive.  When police went to Cranbrook Drive, they found 18-year-old Jason Christian in the driver’s seat of a white Toyota LiteAce van. He had suffered a gunshot wound to the head. Mr. Jones said he was “barely alive” when police arrived, but died very shortly afterwards and was pronounced dead at the scene.  Mr. Jones described Monday night’s killing, and three earlier fatal shootings in West Bay, as “assassinations”. All four victims who have been killed this week were shot in the head.  Mr. Montique underwent emergency surgery at the Cayman Islands Hospital on Monday night and was airlifted off island for further medical treatment Tuesday. He had also been shot in the head, receiving an injury to his ear.   Medical staff at the hospital 
described his condition as “serious, but stable”.  Police said no suspects were found at the scene in Cranbrook Drive, but officers recovered a loaded revolver inside the van. It had not been fired.  At least 10 spent shells have been found at the scene of the killing. Police said Monday night’s shooting may be related to the three killings in West Bay, but said it was too early to say definitively if that was the case. “There are connections between the individuals who were victims of this shooting and with certain people affiliated to gangs or groups in the West Bay area,” Mr. Jones said. “Given the timing, so close to the other three shootings that we’ve had, we think there is a strong possibility that it may be connected.” Preston Rivers, 18, was shot dead near Thatch Palm Villas on Andersen Road in West Bay about 10.30pm Saturday. On Thursday, Andrew Anthony Baptist, 24, was gunned down shortly before 9pm Thursday in a yard of a house on Sand Hole Road in West Bay. Two days earlier, Robert Macford Bush, 28, was shot in the head as he sat in his car on Captains Joe and Osbert Road on Tuesday night.  “To have four murders in such a short period of time is unprecedented for the Cayman Islands,” Mr. Jones said.  Crimestoppers has offered a $50,000 reward for information on these killings and other robberies and gun-related crimes seen in Cayman recently.  He said Mr. Montique had told police that he and Mr. Christian had gone into Cranbook Drive to visit a premises there, but when they got there, the person they were looking for was not there. “After that, it would appear that a gunman approached from bush and fired several shots at Mr. Montique and his friend, who attempted to drive away,” Mr. Jones said.  Police said the white van at the scene had featured in their investigations into an armed robbery at Tortuga Liquor Store in Pasadora Place on Thursday, 15 September. “Whilst that vehicle was not seen to be used by the suspects in that robbery, it did feature in a line of inquiry,” Mr. Jones said.  The shootings in George Town Monday occurred just hours after Commissioner of Police David Baines said gang members who they were seeking in West Bay had moved out of areas they usually frequented.  Police continue to appeal to the public to give them information relating to the shootings, but also to let them know who has weapons in their possession and if further attacks are planned. Mr. Jones said police were rounding up known members of gangs. They mounted an operation on Monday afternoon to target those who they suspect are involved in gangs and have arrested four people in connection with gang affiliation.   A further two people also remain in custody who were arrested in connection with the West Bay murders. A third person who had been arrested in connection with the killings has been released.   Detective Superintendent Marlon Bodden said he was angered that people were now sending police photographs that had appeared on social media like Facebook, of victims of the killings holding firearms.  “We are inundated now with various photographs, various emails, various bits of information extracted from social media, pictures of individuals holding guns. Now, if we had this information before that, I’m very certain we could make some interventions and saved some lives,” Mr. Bodden said.  He said police were pushing for legislation under which they could prosecute people for brandishing firearms in photographs. “We want legislation to be enacted that those individuals prove, the burden of proof is shifted for them to say I was not holding a real firearm... We want to be able to charge them and deal with them because they are the individuals causing the havoc here in the Cayman Islands,” he said.

Gunmen Dump 35 Bodies on Avenue

 

Suspected drug traffickers dumped 35 bodies at rush hour beneath a busy overpass in the heart of a major Gulf coast city as gunmen pointed weapons at frightened drivers. Mexican authorities said Wednesday they are examining surveillance video for clues to who committed the crime. Horrified motorists grabbed cell phones and sent Twitter messages warning others to avoid the area near the biggest shopping mall in Boca del Rio, part of the metropolitan area of Veracruz city. The gruesome gesture marked a sharp escalation in cartel violence in Veracruz state, which sits on an important route for drugs and Central American migrants heading north. The Zetas drug cartel has been battling other gangs for control of the state. Prosecutors said it's too soon to draw conclusions from the surveillance video. "We're not going to confirm or deny anything," Veracruz state Attorney General Reynaldo Escobar Perez told the Televisa network Wednesday. "We're looking at it in different ways, we're seeing different numbers, that's why we don't want to get ahead of ourselves." Escobar said the bodies were left piled in two trucks and on the ground under the overpass near the statue of the Voladores de Papantla, ritual dancers from Veracruz state. He said some of the victims had their heads covered with black plastic bags and showed signs of torture. Police had identified seven of the victims so far and all had criminal records for murder, drug dealing, kidnapping and extortion and were linked to organized crime, Escobar said. Motorists posted Twitter warnings said the masked gunmen were in military uniforms and were blocking Manuel Avila Camacho Boulevard. "They don't seem to be soldiers or police," one tweet read. Another said, "Don't go through that area, there is danger." Veracruz is currently hosting a conference of Mexico's top state and federal prosecutors and judiciary officials. Local media said that 12 of the victims were women and that some of the dead men had been among prisoners who escaped from three Veracruz prisons on Monday, but Escobar denied the escaped convicts were among the dead. At least 32 inmates got away from the three Veracruz prisons. Police recaptured 14 of them. Drug violence has claimed more than 35,000 lives across Mexico since 2006, according to government figures. Others put the number at more than 40,000.

South San Francisco murder victim was 14

 

A boy left for dead after being shot several times in South San Francisco Sunday night has been identified as Joseph Maharaj, 14, according to the Coroner’s Office. While police have yet to determine whether the fatal shooting of the boy was gang-related, residents who live near where he was found in the street with another 14-year-old shooting victim suspect that it was. The fatal shooting was the first homicide in South San Francisco this year but last year the city suffered a spate of gang-related murders that shook the city, including a triple homicide Dec. 22. Sunday night’s shooting happened just before 9 p.m. and when police arrived they found two gunshot victims, both 14, and another teen, 15, on the 600 block of First Lane between Magnolia and Orange avenues. The teens were treated at the scene and transported to a hospital where one of them was later pronounced dead. The other 14-year-old was shot at least four times but is expected to survive. The third victim, who was not shot, was being cooperative with police, said South San Francisco police Sgt. Joni Lee. At least 15 to 20 shots were fired during the incident, Lee said. Police are looking for at least two Hispanic men, between 18 and 20 years old, who were seen driving in the area at the time of the shooting in a black Honda Accord or Civic, according to police. Those in the car were wearing dark-colored clothing with “hoodies” and one was wearing a white beanie. It is unknown if this vehicle is involved in the shooting, according to police. Yesterday afternoon, residents in the area gathered where the two boys were found shot, some of who witnessed the suspects fleeing the scene. Alma Ramirez pointed out where at least seven bullets related to Sunday night’s shooting entered two different homes on First Lane. She was also quick to point out blood stains on the street and sidewalk. “When I heard the shots, my first instinct was to protect my family,” said Ramirez, who is married with a young daughter. She saw a man chasing the teen in an alley between two homes on First Lane that connects to Railroad Avenue. “I couldn’t see a face, just shadows,” Ramirez told the Daily Journal yesterday. Another neighbor, who was fearful to identify himself, also witnessed the victims running from the shooter. “I never saw the boys before in my life,” he said. He heard three shots ring out, then a pause for about 10 seconds, then more gunfire. He assumed the shooting was related to rival gangs. Ramirez said the neighborhood is relatively safe but has concerns now after Sunday’s homicide. “A lot of parents, they both have to work and maybe they didn’t know what was going on with their kids,” she said. In recent months, Ramirez said, the neighborhood has seen an increase in the number of youths smoking marijuana on the street. Most crime in the area, she said, is usually nonviolent. Sunday night’s incident was not near the triple homicide in December. That incident happened in Old Town, on the east side of Grand Avenue. Sunday’s incident was on the west side of Grand Avenue, several blocks from downtown. After last December’s triple homicide, the South San Francisco Police Department hired four new officers to form a neighborhood response team unit to combat youth and gang violence in the neighborhoods that circle downtown. “This shooting and homicide is a tragic reminder of the hard work that remains to be done, and the city of South San Francisco will not rest until we have a community free of violence,” Mayor Kevin Mullin wrote in a statement yesterday. He offered his “deepest sympathies” to the families of Sunday night’s incident. Mullin said the city has made great strides to combat gang problems since December. “The city ... has moved aggressively since the multiple shooting deaths in 2010 to address the challenges of gang and youth violence ... Yet more must and will be done to address the root causes of the violence and to create a safer community now and in the future,” Mullin wrote in the statement.

Playboy Surenos (PBS), Varrios Locos (VL) and Little Valley Lokates (LVL) shootout at a Kent low-rider car show; a blast-o-rama that left a dozen people injured

 

Four men are now in jail and two more are being sought for their involvement in the July 23 shootout at a Kent low-rider car show; a blast-o-rama that left a dozen people injured and gun prohibitionists blaming gun owners and firearms rights for an incident that was totally gang-related.      A detailed narrative of the investigation is attached to court papers linked by the Seattle Times. It’s quite interesting reading. Done by a Kent police detective, the report reveals that rival members of three gangs were apparently involved: the Playboy Surenos (PBS), Varrios Locos (VL) and Little Valley Lokates (LVL). At some point, a member of a band playing at the event encouraged people in the crowd to “hold their flags in the air,” which the crowd apparently presumed to mean showing their gang signs. From there, things went downhill fast. Advertisement    It is an unusual mix of suspects, considering that two of the men jailed have no criminal backgrounds, and two others – both brothers – weren’t even at the event, but they’re in trouble, anyway. Here’s a roundup, courtesy of reports in the Kent Reporter (linked by the on-line SeattleP-I.com) and Seattle Times: • Patrick A. Auble, 30, of Tacoma. He is charged with first-degree rendering criminal assistance for hiding a gun used in the shooting. He reportedly has a criminal history that includes obstructing justice, reckless driving and ten counts of driving with a suspended license. Currently held on $100,000 bail, he allegedly tried to negotiate with police for the release of his brother from jail and return of four guns belonging to him in exchange for the gun used in the shooting, according to the detective’s narrative. • Shea C. Auble, 21, of Auburn. He’s the brother whose arrest was the subject of Patrick’s attempted negotiation with the cops. Shea is charged with first-degree rendering criminal assistance. He also has a “lengthy criminal history” that includes charges of residential burglary, assault, taking a motor vehicle without permission (that’s auto theft in plain language) and malicious mischief. His bail is also set at $100,000.  • Martin McSmith, 21, of SeaTac. Up to now, he had no criminal history. But he is allegedly one of the shooters, and he now faces charges of first-degree assault. Bail is set at $750,000. • James Lopez Jr., 17, of Seattle. He also had no criminal history until now, and he’s charged as an accomplice for allegedly being the driver of one of the getaway cars. He is charged as an adult and is being held on $250,000 bail.    Currently being sought in this caper are Ignacio Vasquez-Trevino, 19, of Federal Way and Nicholas Moreno, 21, of Auburn. Vasquez-Trevino is allegedly one of the shooters, wanted on three charges of first-degree assault. Moreno is allegedly another shooter, also charged with three counts of first-degree assault.    According to the detective’s narrative, Patrick Auble called police on the night of the shooting, looking to make a deal. An hour earlier, Shea had been arrested on an outstanding warrant, after police were called to a residence where two people were firing guns in the street. Shea was one of the two people arrested, and police also confiscated two 9mm pistols, a .40-caliber pistol and a .223-caliber rifle.    Patrick said he had information about the shooting, a vehicle involved, and a gun. In exchange, he wanted his little brother sprung and his guns returned. He called back later, telling police that “if he didn’t hear back from the police or his brother by 0100 hours, ‘Things will disappear’.” Two days later, on July 25, he called again, with the same demand, the report states.    On July 26, two detectives talked to Shea Auble in jail. Shea turned out to be a negotiator, too, according to the detective’s narrative. He allegedly told the detectives that he had information about the shooting, in exchange for getting five pending felony charges dropped.    The narrative reads like the script to a Quentin Tarantino movie. Not only was Patrick Auble allegedly hiding one of the guns involved, he was also hiding a car belonging to suspect Moreno in the garage of his parents’ home.    There may be other suspects in the case, and when this finally settles out, the problem will not be solved by restricting the rights of law-abiding gun owners, but hammering down on gangs .

New York city mobster John Junior Gotti is planning on blaming his gangster father for four more murders

John Gotti Jr is said to have written the script for an upcoming film on the mobster family

New York city mobster John Junior Gotti is planning on blaming his gangster father for four more murders to add to the crime spree the 'Teflon Don' was already accused of before his death.

Gotti, who never took the stand in any of the four racketeering trials where he escaped a federal conviction, has claimed his crime-boss dad posed as an NYPD detective while involved in an unknown revenge killing of three Irish gangsters.

He has also pinned the murder of a neighbour on his father, according to the script of an upcoming biopic on Junior entitled Gotti: In the Shadow of My Father.

The screenplay for the movie - which is being directed by Oscar-winner Barry Levinson and is said to be written by Gotti - credits the 'Dapper Don' with 'orchestrating the murder of the neighbour who killed his 12-year-old son Frank in a tragic car accident in 1980.

John Favara was allegedly shot several months after the accident on orders of the late Gambino crime boss, who died from cancer in 2001, and his body was never found.

Jurors granted greater anonymity in trial into gang-related New Year’s triple-murder

 

When jurors take their seats at the trial of two men accused in a gang-related triple homicide that is to begin on Monday, they will be shielded by new provisions designed to protect their anonymity. Recent amendments to the Criminal Code mean that members of the seven-man, five-woman jury selected Friday will only be referred to by their number, not their names, during the first-degree murder trial of Michael Joseph Roberto and Nathan Lawrence Zuccherato. Roberto, 27, and Zuccherato, 24, are among four men accused of having a role in the shooting deaths of FOB Killers member Sanjeev Mann, his friend Aaron Bendle and bystander Keni Su’a at the Bolsa Restaurant on New Year’s Day 2009. The Bolsa killings were the deadliest incident in a long-running conflict between the FOB and FOB Killers gangs that has claimed at least 25 lives since 2002. Friday’s jury selection took place amid heightened security, with uniformed and plainclothes Calgary police officers bolstering the presence of Alberta sheriffs who normally guard the courtroom. Once the jury and two male alternates were selected, Justice Earl Wilson dismissed them until Monday. Wilson also sent them away with a stern warning not to search the Internet or media for information about the highly publicized killings. “I know we’re all curious people — it’s human nature,” Wilson said, adding the only evidence they are supposed to consider is what will be presented in court. “For this time period, don’t do it.” The Criminal Code amendments allowing courts to increase the anonymity of jurors came into effect in August, meaning the Bolsa trial is likely the first time they’ll be used in Alberta. Although jurors’ identities are already protected from publication, it’s common for their names to be said in open court. The new provisions, however, eliminate the use of their names during the proceedings as an added protection. Their use in this case makes sense considering the case’s connection to a bloody Calgary gang war, Mount Royal University criminologist Doug King said. “It’s clear the court is concerned about any possible harm that could come to those who serve as jury members. It’s no doubt a precaution, as opposed to something to be concerned or alarmed about,” he said. Meanwhile, cases against two others accused in connection with the killings are proceeding separately. Real Christian Honorio will stand trial on three counts of first-degree murder beginning on Nov. 21. Nicholas Rodrigo Hovanesian was supposed to go on trial at the same time as Zuccherato and Roberto, however, his case was adjourned after health problems rendered his lawyer unable to go ahead. A new date hasn’t been scheduled. In addition to three counts of first-degree murder, Hovanesian is charged with kidnapping Bendle the night before the shootings.

Mexican Gulf Cartel gangster Manuel Alquisires Garcia paraded with his bling

Mexican marines have recaptured a fugitive suspected trafficker, who had been arrested 13 years earlier, along with the man who was to become the Gulf Cartel's top leader.

Manuel Alquisires Garcia is the cartel's alleged finance officer, the Mexican navy said in a statement, and he was captured by marines on Saturday in the city of Tampico.

Among the items seized allegedly from Manuel Alquisires Garcia included a gold plated pistol, wads of cash and jewellery.

Recaptured: Mexican Navy marines escort Manuel Alquisires Garcia, alias 'El Meme,' during a presentation to the press in Mexico City

Alquisires, aka ‘El Meme’, was originally arrested in June 1998 along with Osiel Cardenas Guillen.

Cardenas later escaped and went on to become the Gulf Cartel's leader before being recaptured in 2003.

 

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He was extradited to the U.S. in 2006 and sentenced last year to 25 years in federal prison.

Alquisires escaped from a prison in Matamoros, across the border from Brownsville, Texas, in 2002, three years after his arrest, prosecutors said yesterday.

The golden gun: A gold plated pistol and jewellery were among the items allegedly seized from Mauel Alquisires Garcia in Mexico

 

Bling seized: Part of the arsenal and personal things of alleged financial agent of the drug 'Cartel del Golfo', Manuel Alquisires Garcia, including wads of cash

Zetas hitmen, who at the time were still allied to the Gulf Cartel, allegedly orchestrated his escape.

He had evaded authorities until Saturday.

Alquisires is suspected of trafficking cocaine from Guatemala for the Gulf Cartel.

Also on Monday, the Mexican navy said it captured 13 gunmen, including a suspect in the killing of a marine, who said to be members of the Zetas drug cartel.

The navy said in a statement the men were arrested Friday in the Gulf coast state of Veracruz and were carrying grenades and computers. 

Mass of weapons: The arsenal and personal items allegedly belonging to Garcia were shown during a presentation to the press in Mexico City

 

Under arrest: Mexican marines escort alleged financial agent of the drug 'Cartel del Golfo', Manuel Alquisires Garcia, aka 'El Meme' and also know as Agustin Sanchez Morua

 

Detained again: Alquisires was originally arrested in June 1998 along with Osiel Cardenas Guillen

 

 

More Gang Violence in North Fraser Pre-trial

 

number of gang members in pre-trial custody continues to grow, B.C. pre-trial jails are struggling to deal with tensions between rival groups. The latest attack at North Fraser last week was particularly serious: gangster Hanif Emambakhsh ended up with a broken neck in the assault. He has had links to the Red Scorpions and more recently the break-away Red Lions. Apparently he has a massive Lion tattoed on his back. He is expected to survive. Coquitlam RCMP says they are getting little help with the investigation. Things are particularly tense in North Fraser and in Kamloops, according to union representative Dean Purdy. Interestingly, while the B.C. government keeps track of how many inmate on inmate assaults take place, they don’t maintain a record of how many are gang-linked. I think it is disturbing that a known gang member has been putting money in the accounts of pre-trial inmates. This particular person is linked to the Independent Soldiers. I don’t know if he is the one who paid for Emambakhsh to get beaten. The government official confirmed to me that ANYONE, including a known gangster or convicted drug trafficker, can go up to the counter at a pre-trial jail and put money in the account of an inmate. There is no limit on the amount that can be put in. The funder has to show ID, but that’s it. So it is easy for gangs to pay people to beat up other inmates.