Sunday, June 28, 2009
Hell’s Angels in the town of Harlingen will not be disbanded or forbidden from operating
Hell’s Angels in the town of Harlingen will not be disbanded or forbidden from operating there. Since the prosecution did not succeed in a number of cases brought against the Hell’s Angels, it has decided to freeze all outstanding procedures against any of their clubs.
Sydney bikie known as the "enforcer" within the Comanchero and had a argument with Ibrahim only a week before the 35-year-old was shot
The Sydney bikie is known as an "enforcer" within the Comanchero and had a public argument with Ibrahim only a week before the 35-year-old was shot.shootings links of Fadi Ibrahim and Hells Angel Peter Zervas, with a well-known Comanchero now a major suspect in both cases.Sources have indicated that a visit to Silverwater jail by Mr Ibrahim and the Comanchero, and a subsequent argument, may have been the spark that led to the shooting.The pair had seen each other after visiting different people at the jail. Mr Ibrahim was there to see his older brother Hassan, or "Sam", on remand over the alleged kidnapping of a teenage boy earlier this year.According to one crime source, the pair started yelling at each other in front of prison guards and other visitors. "[The Comanchero] was saying, 'It's on, between you and me'," the source said.A week later, on June 5, Mr Ibrahim was shot five times as he sat in his black Lamborghini outside his Castle Cove home.
The Comanchero and the Notorious gang have been in conflict, and Notorious has been previously linked with some of the Ibrahim brothers. Mr Ibrahim had been dining with a senior member of Notorious, Alen Sarkis, at the Rose Bay restaurant, Catalina, only hours before he was shot.The suspect is not one of the six Comanchero charged with riot and affray over the fatal March 22 airport brawl.The Herald has previously revealed that another man, a former bikie and methamphetamine cook, is another prime suspect in the Ibrahim shooting, following bad blood over a six-figure debt.One source said it was well-known in the underworld that the Comanchero had shot Mr Zervas, on March 29, in anticipation of expected retribution for the death of Mr Zervas's younger brother, Anthony, during the fatal airport brawl.Police also consider a member of the Comanchero as a major suspect in the Zervas shooting.There are also other similarities between the shootings, with both men shot as they arrived home just before midnight by a person with a pistol. That person then ran across a road and disappeared - into a golf course at Castle Cove and a small park at Lakemba.In the Lakemba shooting police described the gunman as having a muscular build, wearing dark clothes and with collar-length hair. No description was given of the shooter at Castle Cove. Another similarity is that both men survived what appeared to be determined attempts on their lives, suggesting the killer was probably not "professional", sources said.Source: The Sydney Morning Herald
The Comanchero and the Notorious gang have been in conflict, and Notorious has been previously linked with some of the Ibrahim brothers. Mr Ibrahim had been dining with a senior member of Notorious, Alen Sarkis, at the Rose Bay restaurant, Catalina, only hours before he was shot.The suspect is not one of the six Comanchero charged with riot and affray over the fatal March 22 airport brawl.The Herald has previously revealed that another man, a former bikie and methamphetamine cook, is another prime suspect in the Ibrahim shooting, following bad blood over a six-figure debt.One source said it was well-known in the underworld that the Comanchero had shot Mr Zervas, on March 29, in anticipation of expected retribution for the death of Mr Zervas's younger brother, Anthony, during the fatal airport brawl.Police also consider a member of the Comanchero as a major suspect in the Zervas shooting.There are also other similarities between the shootings, with both men shot as they arrived home just before midnight by a person with a pistol. That person then ran across a road and disappeared - into a golf course at Castle Cove and a small park at Lakemba.In the Lakemba shooting police described the gunman as having a muscular build, wearing dark clothes and with collar-length hair. No description was given of the shooter at Castle Cove. Another similarity is that both men survived what appeared to be determined attempts on their lives, suggesting the killer was probably not "professional", sources said.Source: The Sydney Morning Herald
Old School Riders Three people were killed seven wounded
Three people were killed seven wounded Saturday in a drive-by shooting at a motorcycle club fundraiser in California, authorities said.The shooting occurred around 6:45 p.m. (9:45 p.m. ET) at a pizza restaurant in Pico Rivera, located about 15 miles east of Los Angeles, according to authorities.
"We don't know what type of vehicle was involved or how many," said Sgt. Ed Hummel of the Los Angeles County Sheriff's Department.The event was being held by a group known as the Old School Riders. It is unclear whether the incident was random, Hummel added.The three people died at the scene. Their names are not being released pending notification of kin.Pico Rivera is a city about 15 miles east of Los Angeles
"We don't know what type of vehicle was involved or how many," said Sgt. Ed Hummel of the Los Angeles County Sheriff's Department.The event was being held by a group known as the Old School Riders. It is unclear whether the incident was random, Hummel added.The three people died at the scene. Their names are not being released pending notification of kin.Pico Rivera is a city about 15 miles east of Los Angeles
Saturday, June 13, 2009
20 "Hell Angel's" members in custody for criminal association with the objective of committing robbery, extortion, violence
State Police in Verona have taken 20 "Hell Angel's" members into custody for criminal association with the objective of committing robbery, extortion, violence, resisting public officials, and aggravated damages. The investigations, conducted by the Flying Squad of Verona, Vicenza, Padua, Treviso, Rome, Milan, Turin, Trieste, Cuneo, La Spezia, Pordenone, Lucca, Pavia, and Massa Carrara, were coordinated by the Central Operations Service of the State Police, while the Police-Europol International Cooperation Service have started to try to locate and capture residents of Germany and France who are under investigation. Logistically, their headquarters were located at a hotel where 140 Hell's Angels were located who were continually guarding the location. When travelling, they always moved in groups, using two buses and six vans. The group carried mouth guards, cups, protective vests, as well as brass knuckles, chains, sprays, tire irons, barriers, bottles, all used as weapons. Various firearms were also found and confiscated including the notorious 22 calibre "pen gun", axes, swords, scimitars, and irritating chemicals. During the operation, various "club houses" in several Italian cities were seized. These headquarters were when the group's illegal activities were planned and discussed.
Central Saanich police badge and identification found during a raid on the home of a Hells Angels member
Central Saanich police badge and identification found during a raid on the home of a Hells Angels member this week in Nanaimo was stolen from an officer's car last month, police say.Const. Janis Jean of the Central Saanich police said yesterday the badge was taken from an off-duty officer's private car, which was parked in a downtown Victoria parkade May 1.The officer had locked his car, but returned to find a window had been smashed and the badge and other personal items were gone.The officer reported the stolen badge immediately to his department, which issued a bulletin about the theft.The badge and identification was found by Nanaimo RCMP on Wednesday, along with RCMP clothing, loaded firearms and stolen electronics, during a search of the home of a known member of the Hells Angels motorcycle gang. Jean said there is no evidence the officer's car was targeted for the badge, which was stolen along with its accompanying identification -- the name and rank of its owner.By leaving the badge in the car, Jean said, the officer was violating a Central Saanich police policy that officers must carry their badges with them at all times, regardless of whether they are on duty.Jean was reluctant to say if there would be repercussions for the officer, who is described as a "seasoned officer."
"Clearly he's recognizing the consequences of his mistake," she said. "He made a mistake, but in all honesty, we all make mistakes."Jean said incidences of missing badges are rare, citing only one other occasion that she is aware of in her 21-year career in which a badge has been stolen or gone missing.Police are continuing to investigate the theft.
"Clearly he's recognizing the consequences of his mistake," she said. "He made a mistake, but in all honesty, we all make mistakes."Jean said incidences of missing badges are rare, citing only one other occasion that she is aware of in her 21-year career in which a badge has been stolen or gone missing.Police are continuing to investigate the theft.
Lawrence Dean Bergstrom wanted member of the Nanaimo Hells Angels arrested on Friday
Lawrence Dean Bergstrom was arrested at 11 a.m. along Foul Bay Road near Kings Road. He made his first court appearance in the afternoon.
The day before, Nanaimo RCMP conducted a search warrant at Bergstrom's home south of Nanaimo.Officers discovered police identification and uniforms, stolen computers and other items used for identity theft.Two men were arrested but Bergstrom was not at the house and police issued a warrant for his arrest.Victoria police acting sergeant Conor King confirmed Bergstrom's identity and that he was arrested without incident. He could not confirm any other details about the arrest.A nearby resident, however, watched the arrest take place.
Greg Kent heard the sirens from his house and went to watch. Over the loudspeaker, he heard officers order a driver to throw his keys out the window and leave his vehicle.Kent saw four officers pointing their guns at a man inside a black Infinity. He watched as Bergstrom was ordered to walk backwards on his knees towards the officers. Police then handcuffed him and searched his pockets, withdrawing what looked like a white package.
The day before, Nanaimo RCMP conducted a search warrant at Bergstrom's home south of Nanaimo.Officers discovered police identification and uniforms, stolen computers and other items used for identity theft.Two men were arrested but Bergstrom was not at the house and police issued a warrant for his arrest.Victoria police acting sergeant Conor King confirmed Bergstrom's identity and that he was arrested without incident. He could not confirm any other details about the arrest.A nearby resident, however, watched the arrest take place.
Greg Kent heard the sirens from his house and went to watch. Over the loudspeaker, he heard officers order a driver to throw his keys out the window and leave his vehicle.Kent saw four officers pointing their guns at a man inside a black Infinity. He watched as Bergstrom was ordered to walk backwards on his knees towards the officers. Police then handcuffed him and searched his pockets, withdrawing what looked like a white package.
Monday, June 8, 2009
Raids in Quebec targeted Hells Angel gangs drug trade and members last Wednesday, the Ontario government seized the Niagara chapter's clubhouse.
Raids in Quebec targeted Hells Angel gangs drug trade and members last Wednesday, the Ontario government seized the Niagara chapter's clubhouse. "This is just another blow to them," said OPP Det.-Sgt. Len Isnor, head of Ontario's multi-police force Biker Enforcement Unit. On May 26, the 14-year anti-biker investigator joined a B.C. colleague before a parliamentary committee which was debating whether to name the Hells Angels an organized crime group in the Criminal Code. "If they schedule them as a criminal organization, we won't have to go through the five-month process (to prove the motorcycle gang is a criminal group), tying up the courts," Isnor told the Sun, comparing the current lengthy court process to concluding "water is wet."
At present, each time a Hells Angel is convicted, police and prosecutors must prove -- under a 1997 law -- that he operated for the gang's benefit, plus the gang's ranking as an organized crime organization. Once found guilty, however, the law requires longer, consecutive prison sentences. But Isnor predicted if Parliament approves the change, it will face a constitutional challenge, "since it involves a person, not a substance like cocaine." Revving up charges against organized crime has been a big factor in keeping Hells' membership almost stagnant, he said. Criminalizing the gang will be the first big change to federal organized crime laws in 12 years. Seizing the Welland clubhouse June 1 -- the fourth taken over under Civil Remedies for Illicit Activities (CIRA) legislation -- was the latest blow in the province.
Other CIRA seizures since 2006 included Oshawa, Thunder Bay and London clubhouses.
A court ruled last year the Oshawa property on Ortono Ave. could be sold, Isnor said. It remains on the market. Police arrested 30 members in the Oshawa raid.
In April 2007, police seized the Hells' downtown Toronto chapter clubhouse on Eastern Ave. as an offence-related property, $500,000 cash, nine kilos of cocaine, over 80 weapons and 500 litres of the date-rape drug GHB. Isnor said the building's status "is still before the courts" until it is ruled as an asset of crime, and several chapter members pleaded guilty to crimes; others still face trials.
Criminologist Stephen Schneider, author of the recent book Iced: The Story of Organized Crime in Canada and a Saint Mary's University professor in Halifax, said police have done a better job targeting bikers in recent years. Focusing on undermining chapters, investigators "learned their lesson." In his book, experts say police and the justice system "dropped the ball" 20 to 30 years ago by letting bikers -- especially the U.S.-founded Hells -- spread their dark wings.
There are numerous motorcycle gangs, but
More than one-quarter of Canada's 450 Hells are in Ontario, Schneider said.
For decades, the gang nibbled at the province's lucrative drug, prostitution, loan-sharking and auto-theft underworld, succeeding only after recruiting arch-rivals. Boasting about 100 Hells, the "highest concentration of Hells Angels in the world," Schneider said Toronto "was always the jewel in the crown for every biker gang."
With police recruiting informers and officers keeping a close eye on chapters, some spurned the Hells, but Isnor said the gang moves members to bolster ranks reduced by arrests -- as they did in Niagara. Eroded by members being jailed, that chapter became leaderless this March when founder and clubhouse part-owner Gerald "Skinny" Ward, 61, was sentenced to the equivalent of nine years and his lieutenant, Ken Wagner, 43, was sentenced Oct. 7 to the equivalent of 11 years. They orchestrated delivery of four kilos of high-grade cocaine in 2005 and 2006 to Oshawa member Steve Gault, who became a police informant. More important, they got stiffer terms after Justice John McMahon agreed the Hells fit the description of a criminal organization. Five-to eight-year terms were also meted out to 15 other Hells, including three Niagara members. In court, Gault warned the Hells controlled Niagara's drug trade and "they'll kill ... pointblank" anyone trying to cut in.
Officials said Wagner's sentence was the first in Canada for directing others in activities to benefit a biker organization. When Steven "Tiger" Lindsay and Ray Bonner of the Woodbridge chapter were convicted of extortion, their sentencing in 2005 recognized for the first time that a Hells committed a crime as part of a gangster group, Schneider wrote. The law required the judge to order consecutive sentences instead of normal concurrent terms, ensuring longer jail time. Lindsay got six years instead of four, Bonner got three instead of two. Within six months, police targeting major drug trafficking raided Hells and associate clubhouses in B.C., arrested three in Manitoba, plus 27 in Northern Ontario, Quebec and Alberta. Five were Thunder Bay members, including Cambridge restaurateur Andre Watteel, an ex-Satan's Choice member who later led the Hells in Kitchener. After paying a fine and being granted jail time already served, Watteel recently moved to Niagara to help keep its required six-member chapter status secure, Isnor said.
The cops are increasingly watching, ready to move when their intelligence networks yield sufficient evidence to unseat a chapter, he said. In the first of two days of raids in Quebec last Wednesday, which resulted in 46 arrests of mostly Hells and associates, more than 600 officers seized a suspected gang-linked cocaine and tobacco fortress on the Kahnawake reserve that served the streets of Montreal. Police seized cocaine, pot, Ecstasy, tobacco, cash, plus a dozen guns. Suspects included an Ontario-based Hells living in Montreal, plus Salvatore Cazetta, 55, co-founder of the Rock Machine gang -- who joined the rival Hells after the Quebec war. Cazetta was associated with Maurice "Mom" Boucher, 66, later the Hells' brutal boss in Quebec, who masterminded the bloody gang war after Cazetta was jailed in 1994.
Rounded up in a Hells sweep of 150 gang members in April, Cazetta was awaiting a bail hearing on drug trafficking charges when arrested in jail last Wednesday and accused of ties with several associates in the Kahnawake warehouse. On the lam for importing 11 tonnes of cocaine until arrested in Fort Erie in 1994, he was extradited to the U.S. and sentenced in 1999 to 12 years after pleading guilty to drug trafficking. Montreal police Insp. Bernard Lamothe told a news conference the Hells set up "business links" with two arrested Kahnawake residents and ran a drug network "in several places throughout Quebec."
At present, each time a Hells Angel is convicted, police and prosecutors must prove -- under a 1997 law -- that he operated for the gang's benefit, plus the gang's ranking as an organized crime organization. Once found guilty, however, the law requires longer, consecutive prison sentences. But Isnor predicted if Parliament approves the change, it will face a constitutional challenge, "since it involves a person, not a substance like cocaine." Revving up charges against organized crime has been a big factor in keeping Hells' membership almost stagnant, he said. Criminalizing the gang will be the first big change to federal organized crime laws in 12 years. Seizing the Welland clubhouse June 1 -- the fourth taken over under Civil Remedies for Illicit Activities (CIRA) legislation -- was the latest blow in the province.
The Hells have about 170 "full-patch" Ontario members plus countless associates in biker and non-biker gangs eight years after gaining their first foothold, Isnor said. "Most of them are in the Toronto area," with four chapters here -- in Oshawa, Woodbridge, Keswick and Simcoe County.
Other CIRA seizures since 2006 included Oshawa, Thunder Bay and London clubhouses.
A court ruled last year the Oshawa property on Ortono Ave. could be sold, Isnor said. It remains on the market. Police arrested 30 members in the Oshawa raid.
In April 2007, police seized the Hells' downtown Toronto chapter clubhouse on Eastern Ave. as an offence-related property, $500,000 cash, nine kilos of cocaine, over 80 weapons and 500 litres of the date-rape drug GHB. Isnor said the building's status "is still before the courts" until it is ruled as an asset of crime, and several chapter members pleaded guilty to crimes; others still face trials.
Criminologist Stephen Schneider, author of the recent book Iced: The Story of Organized Crime in Canada and a Saint Mary's University professor in Halifax, said police have done a better job targeting bikers in recent years. Focusing on undermining chapters, investigators "learned their lesson." In his book, experts say police and the justice system "dropped the ball" 20 to 30 years ago by letting bikers -- especially the U.S.-founded Hells -- spread their dark wings.
There are numerous motorcycle gangs, but
the Hells "are the biggest in the world," with about 3,000 members in 248 chapters based in 30 countries, plus a network of associates. Isnor said.
More than one-quarter of Canada's 450 Hells are in Ontario, Schneider said.
For decades, the gang nibbled at the province's lucrative drug, prostitution, loan-sharking and auto-theft underworld, succeeding only after recruiting arch-rivals. Boasting about 100 Hells, the "highest concentration of Hells Angels in the world," Schneider said Toronto "was always the jewel in the crown for every biker gang."
With police recruiting informers and officers keeping a close eye on chapters, some spurned the Hells, but Isnor said the gang moves members to bolster ranks reduced by arrests -- as they did in Niagara. Eroded by members being jailed, that chapter became leaderless this March when founder and clubhouse part-owner Gerald "Skinny" Ward, 61, was sentenced to the equivalent of nine years and his lieutenant, Ken Wagner, 43, was sentenced Oct. 7 to the equivalent of 11 years. They orchestrated delivery of four kilos of high-grade cocaine in 2005 and 2006 to Oshawa member Steve Gault, who became a police informant. More important, they got stiffer terms after Justice John McMahon agreed the Hells fit the description of a criminal organization. Five-to eight-year terms were also meted out to 15 other Hells, including three Niagara members. In court, Gault warned the Hells controlled Niagara's drug trade and "they'll kill ... pointblank" anyone trying to cut in.
Officials said Wagner's sentence was the first in Canada for directing others in activities to benefit a biker organization. When Steven "Tiger" Lindsay and Ray Bonner of the Woodbridge chapter were convicted of extortion, their sentencing in 2005 recognized for the first time that a Hells committed a crime as part of a gangster group, Schneider wrote. The law required the judge to order consecutive sentences instead of normal concurrent terms, ensuring longer jail time. Lindsay got six years instead of four, Bonner got three instead of two. Within six months, police targeting major drug trafficking raided Hells and associate clubhouses in B.C., arrested three in Manitoba, plus 27 in Northern Ontario, Quebec and Alberta. Five were Thunder Bay members, including Cambridge restaurateur Andre Watteel, an ex-Satan's Choice member who later led the Hells in Kitchener. After paying a fine and being granted jail time already served, Watteel recently moved to Niagara to help keep its required six-member chapter status secure, Isnor said.
"The Hells Angels are unprecedented in the annals of Canadian organized crime in that they are the first truly national criminal organization, with cells and/or associates in every province and territory," Schneider writes. "Canada has become somewhat of an international stronghold for the motorcyle club."
The cops are increasingly watching, ready to move when their intelligence networks yield sufficient evidence to unseat a chapter, he said. In the first of two days of raids in Quebec last Wednesday, which resulted in 46 arrests of mostly Hells and associates, more than 600 officers seized a suspected gang-linked cocaine and tobacco fortress on the Kahnawake reserve that served the streets of Montreal. Police seized cocaine, pot, Ecstasy, tobacco, cash, plus a dozen guns. Suspects included an Ontario-based Hells living in Montreal, plus Salvatore Cazetta, 55, co-founder of the Rock Machine gang -- who joined the rival Hells after the Quebec war. Cazetta was associated with Maurice "Mom" Boucher, 66, later the Hells' brutal boss in Quebec, who masterminded the bloody gang war after Cazetta was jailed in 1994.
Rounded up in a Hells sweep of 150 gang members in April, Cazetta was awaiting a bail hearing on drug trafficking charges when arrested in jail last Wednesday and accused of ties with several associates in the Kahnawake warehouse. On the lam for importing 11 tonnes of cocaine until arrested in Fort Erie in 1994, he was extradited to the U.S. and sentenced in 1999 to 12 years after pleading guilty to drug trafficking. Montreal police Insp. Bernard Lamothe told a news conference the Hells set up "business links" with two arrested Kahnawake residents and ran a drug network "in several places throughout Quebec."
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)