"El Chapo," Joaquin Guzman heads the notorious Sinaloa drug cartel

"El Chapo," Joaquin Guzman, 54, heads the notorious Sinaloa drug cartel. He escaped from a Mexican prison in 2001 and the United States has offered a $US5 million ($A7.69 million) reward for his capture.On Wednesday, Guzman's name was listed in Forbes magazine as the world's 701st richest person, with a reputed $US1 billion ($A1.54 billion) fortune made from trafficking in cocaine.Calderon, whose two year old war on drug traffickers has ignited a wave of violence, expressed outrage over the Forbes list."Public opinion and now even magazines not only attack and lie about the situation in Mexico, but they also extol criminals. In Mexico we consider this a crime, that is, a justification of crime," Calderon said.In a speech before the America Society and Council of the Americas, Calderon lamented "what appears to be an anti-Mexico campaign ... but that neither intimidates us nor changes one bit our firm resolve to strengthen the rule of law in Mexico."In Washington, State Department spokesman Robert Wood denied Mexico was the target of a campaign to make it look bad."The United States government is not, you know, trying to hatch any plan against Mexico. That's just not the case," Wood said."We do have concerns about the violence on the border. There's no secret. The Mexican government's very concerned about it. It's taking steps to try to do what it can to, you know, stop this violence," he said.The Sinaloa cartel is currently engaged in a bloody turf war with the Juarez drug cartel for the control of lucrative smuggling routes along the US border, especially in Ciudad Juarez where some 1,600 people were killed in 2008.
The illegal drug trade in the United States, the world's top cocaine consumer, has netted Mexican and Colombian drug cartels between $US18 billion ($A27.68 billion) and $US39 billion ($A59.96 billion) last year, 20 per cent of which, according to Forbes, was handled by Guzman's gang.Guzman was arrested in Guatemala in June 1993 and transferred to a Mexican prison, but in 2001 staged a dramatic escape hiding inside a laundry truck and has been at large ever since.He has been on a US wanted list since 1993 on charges he smuggled six tonnes of cocaine inside a shipment of canned goods through the border city of Tecate, in Baja California.He is also been accused of building a network of drug smuggling tunnels between Mexico and the Arizona border city of Douglas.The US Drug Enforcement Administration in 2004 raised a reward for Guzman's capture from $US3 million to $US5 million ($A4 million to $A7 million).His cartel has been under pressure from both sides of the border. Mexico in 2007 seized a 23.5 tonne cocaine shipment allegedly belonging to the Sinaloa cartel, in the country's biggest drug bust.And 52 Sinaloa members were arrested in the United States in February as part of the joint US-Mexico "Operation Xcellerator," which has taken into custody 750 people in the past 21 months.Guzman was arrested in Guatemala in June 1993 and transferred to a Mexican prison, but in 2001 staged a dramatic escape hiding inside a laundry truck and has been at large ever since.
He has been on a US wanted list since 1993 on charges he smuggled six tonnes of cocaine inside a shipment of canned goods through the border city of Tecate, in Baja California.He is also been accused of building a network of drug smuggling tunnels between Mexico and the Arizona border city of Douglas.The US Drug Enforcement Administration in 2004 raised a reward for Guzman's capture from $US3 million to $US5 million ($A4 million to $A7 million).His cartel has been under pressure from both sides of the border. Mexico in 2007 seized a 23.5 tonne cocaine shipment allegedly belonging to the Sinaloa cartel, in the country's biggest drug bust.And 52 Sinaloa members were arrested in the United States in February as part of the joint US-Mexico "Operation Xcellerator," which has taken into custody 750 people in the past 21 months.

Giovanni Strangio is wanted by investigators in Italy over a multiple killing at Duisburg in Germany two years ago

Giovanni Strangio is wanted by investigators in Italy over a multiple killing at Duisburg in Germany two years ago that earned comparisons with the infamous St Valentine's Day Massacre in ­prohibition-era Chicago. Six people, including a 17-year-old boy, were shot dead outside a restaurant where they were suspected of celebrating an initiation into the 'Ndrangheta, the mafia of the poor, southern Italian region of Calabria. Police in Italy said 29-year-old Strangio was found living in the centre of Amsterdam with his wife and son. His brother-in-law, Francesco Romeo, was also arrested. Though Strangio was placed on Italy's most-wanted list over the murders in Germany, the story behind the killings led back to the small but notorious hillside town of San Luca, in Calabria, often described as the spiritual home of the 'Ndrangheta. Its clans have for years been bloodily divided by a feud in which Strangio's family was a prime actor. Investigators believe he assembled the four-man hit squad that struck in Duisburg to avenge the Christmas Day killing in 2006 of his cousin Maria Strangio. She is thought to have been killed unintentionally in an ambush primarily directed at her husband, the leader of one of the two factions in the gang war that has rent San Luca and upset the internal workings of the 'Ndrangheta. The Calabrian mafia, which many police and prosecutors believe has overtaken the Cosa Nostra to become Italy's top crime syndicate, controls much of the cocaine trafficking into Europe from Latin America.
Police said wiretaps on telephones used by Strangio's relatives had provided vital clues to his whereabouts. He was an early suspect having been arrested and later released after being found in possession of a weapon at his cousin's funeral. His photograph was later recognised by an eyewitness to the killings and a gun shop worker who said he had sold him four flak jackets

www.colingunn.net – gives his address as HMP Whitemoor in Cambridgeshire.

Bestwood gang leader, who is serving 35 years, will use the site to "restore positive thoughts" about him.Gunn has already used it to attack "rumours and hearsay" in the media, saying he will "tackle head-on" any allegations against him.
But Notts Police Authority chairman Coun John Clarke said: "It's highly unusual that any prisoner can set up anything like this."I will certainly be asking questions about this with our Police Minister Vernon Coaker MP and the Home Secretary."
North MP Graham Allen said he would check whether the site broke prison service rules."I will be raising it with the relevant authorities to see whether this is a legitimate thing to do," he said.A handwritten letter from Gunn, dated February 25, appears to have been scanned and posted online by someone outside the prison.
In it, Gunn said: "I might not have the writing skills of those reporters or access to their resources and readerships, but I hope, after all the negativity, to restore some positive thoughts of me in the minds of people that call me a friend.
"We will see exactly who has been 'hoodwinked' because it's time for the authorities and the gutter press to put up or shut up."Watch this space everyone, I will never give in and will fight anything in front of me 100%."Gunn was jailed in 2006 for masterminding the revenge murders of John and Joan Stirland, who were executed in their seaside home in 2004.He was also given a nine-year sentence for using police insiders to feed him information.Gunn, 41, failed in a bid to get that conviction overturned.The website – www.colingunn.net – gives his address as HMP Whitemoor in Cambridgeshire."As this website grows and develops over time, I hope to tackle the various stories and allegations you've no doubt read and talked about," he wrote.
"Please be patient though, as unfortunately it will be down to the establishment on how quickly I can respond to the stories or your questions."The website address is registered to Gary Sansom at a business address in Hucknall.Today Mr Sansom said he was not responsible for setting up the site and had allowed a friend to use his web space.A spokeswoman for the Prison Service said: "We are unable to prevent third parties from publishing information on other people's behalf."
All prisoners in maximum security jails may have their mail checked, but it was not possible to read every letter.Prison service rules state that prisoners are not allowed to send material in the post for publication about their own crimes "except where it consists of serious representations about conviction or sentence".
Gunn and his associates featured in Hoods, a book by freelance journalist Carl Fellstrom. The book has now sold 12,000 copies and will be released in paperback later this year.Mr Fellstrom said: "He is someone who had an ability to organise people in a very vicious way and if it's being used to gather together that support again, that's a bad thing for Bestwood."Notts Police said the website was a matter for the Prison Service.

John Gizzi walked away from court a free man last week after a dramatic release.

John Gizzi walked away from court a free man last week after a dramatic release.
Rhyl’s “Mr Big” walked out of Mold Crown Court on Thursday under tight police security.The 36-year-old spent three years behind bars for conspiracy to supply counterfeit cigarettes and serious assaults.The man who was once described as ruling the town on threats and intimidation was due for release last December but was put behind bars for another seven years after failing to pay back £2.6m under the Proceeds of Crime Act (POCA).An original order found Gizzi had benefited to the tune of £6.89m from his crimes.But a judge at Mold decided the £1m he had paid back was enough to secure his release, as the £2.6m figure had been calculated before the current downturn in the economy.Gizzi raised the cash by selling off his assets – including a luxury home in St Asaph, originally valued at £1.7m but eventually sold for £850,000.As well as the mansion, 20 other mortgage properties were sold, and a Rolex watch.Four number plates – JDG 1 to 4 – had also been sold along with a fleet of luxury cars including a Bentley Continental, RangeRover and a Mercedes.Judge John Rogers QC discharged the POCA confiscation order and Gizzi was formally released at about 2pm.After completing paperwork, he was covered with an umbrella, and bundled into the back of his parents' RangeRover Vogue, just after 4pm.He was then driven across the road to The Glasfryn public house where he was joined by family members.
Gizzi’s trial in 2006 heard he was a "thug" and "bully" who assaulted homeless people and preyed on the weak and vulnerable.A prosecution application that Gizzi should be responsible for the costs of the Crown Prosecution Service and the receiver appointed to sell the property was rejected.The judge said those costs should come out of the reduced order. But the court heard the regional asset recovery team could pursue Gizzi for more money if they thought he could afford it in the future.In 2006 Gizzi admitted two charges of causing grievous bodily harm, one of assault causing actual bodily harm and one of conspiracy to supply counterfeit cigarettes.He also asked for 22 offences of mortgage fraud – involving almost £1.5m – to be taken into consideration.

Louis Pasquin is believed to be the first lawyer in Canada to be convicted of gangsterism.

Louis Pasquin is believed to be the first lawyer in Canada to be convicted of gangsterism.Pasquin looked shocked as he heard the verdict, which was delivered by Quebec court Judge Carol St-Cyr after nine months of deliberation.Pasquin, 49, has been a lawyer for more than 20 years and has also represented members of the Montreal Mafia.St-Cyr said Pasquin's explanations during testimony didn't hold water.
"Your testimony did not withstand analysis, is unlikely and not credible," the judge said.St-Cyr said he didn't believe Pasquin when he said he was unaware of the activities of two other men arrested in the case."The caution he used in his conversations and the cryptic language show that contrary to his assertions he knew perfectly well about their activities," St-Cyr said.Evidence at Pasquin's trial suggested he acted as a liaison between a drug ring leader and a pilot who allegedly made cocaine runs.

Vivian Blake, ex-leader of one of the most dangerous gangs ever to hit the United States, the Shower Posse

Vivian Blake, ex-leader of one of the most dangerous gangs ever to hit the United States, the Shower Posse, (recently featured prominently in the American Gangster series on American television) said something startling.Asked if he had his life to live over again whether he would do anything different, he said, without hesitation, "No". Get a copy of that American cable show or the book written by Blake's own son to see the atrocities of which the Shower Posse was accused. Blake was insistent and stressed: "After I lost my job, I had to live. I had to live. I had my children to look after and my grandmother. I used to see her fridge empty. I had to live", by any means necessary. That is why he could say openly that he had no regrets - for anything is justifiable to live. The hosts must have been too stunned, too polite (or too afraid?) to challenge him on that reprehensible statement.
But Vivian Blake's views represent those of many Jamaicans who were never gangsters. There are many "decent", everyday Jamaicans who believe that humans should do anything to survive (except to engage in homosexuality, of course). That's the only exception they seem to have; the only thing worth dying over! In these harsh economic times, to say that you are "standing up for principle" or "morality" (who can eat that?) and that you are not engaging in "the runnings" to "eat a food" is to laughed at or seen as a fool. How you fight corruption in a culture like this?
You don't have a society with a set of values which says these values are worth suffering deprivation for and even dying over. Our forefathers believed that the lives of their children and their children's freedom meant more than their own lives. They sacrificed their lives for us. We lionise people who threatened their lives to win our freedom and who stood up against oppression, but that's only in another narrative. In the real world we believe that is rubbish, that "man haffi survive", by any means necessary.There have been all sorts of people - communists, Muslims, Christians, Hindus, black power nationalists, anti-colonialists - who have put liberation, the ending of oppression, the fighting for an ideal, for justice, for human rights, above their own personal welfare and personal advancement. If you have a society where the greatest value is money, we cannot fight corruption.
People in positions of power and responsibility in the public service will bow to the politicians who ask them to bend the rules and to facilitate their whims and fancies because they would rather keep their cushy jobs rather than fight any corrupt encroachments.This is why this country does not begin to realise the value it has in Greg Christie. We will never begin to understand what a treasure Greg Christie is and we can never pay him enough for his uncommon courage, fearlessness, inflexible commitment to integrity and even his feisty temperament. Sure, he is sometimes unnecessarily contentious, obtrusive and sometimes will overstep his bounds. But I much prefer him to err on that side than to quiver before government ministers or even to the prime minister. We need independent people in the public sector who can stand up to prime ministers, ministers of government and any Mr Big Man from any big-name family. People who would rather lose their well-paying jobs than compromise an ounce of integrity.Unless you have people with this kind of character - this kind of commitment to a set of moral and philosophical principles - all your institutional reforms and enforcement procedures will be woefully inadequate. Necessary, but not sufficient. You need moral capital.We desperately need more anti-corruption champions like Greg Christie. And more people to follow his example.

Mafia Cops Louis Eppolito and Stephen Caracappa

Former NYPD detectives Louis Eppolito and Stephen Caracappa were sentenced Friday in Brooklyn federal court after telling the judge they are innocent.But the son of one of their victims told the former cops:

"May you have a long life in prison."

Prosecutors said Eppolito and Caracappa moonlighted as hitmen for the Luchese crime family while on the force during the 1980s."Mafia Cops" Louis Eppolito and Steven Caracappa, convicted in April 2006 of committing eight murders while on the payroll of a mob underboss, received life sentences Friday in Brooklyn federal court.Eppolito, the son of a mobster, was sentenced to life plus 100 years. Partner Caracappa received life plus 80 years. Each was fined more than $4 million.
Although the pair remained jailed in the years since they were convicted of betraying their badges, their case was tied up in appeals that delayed their sentencing.Caracappa, 67, and Eppolito, 60, committed the killings between 1986-90. The elder detective stood to declare he had nothing to do with the slayings.
"I am innocent of these charges," Caracappa insisted. Eppolito, speaking before his sentencing, made the same claim."I'm a big boy, I'm not a child," he said. "The federal government can my life. But they can't take my soul, they can't take my
dignity. I never hurt anybody. ... I never did any of this."Federal Judge Jack Weinstein - who overturned their convictions on a technicality, but was reversed by an appeals court - handed down the lengthy terms.Weinstein, after their convictions, said the pair had committed "the most heinous series of crimes ever tried in this courthouse."He threw out their convictions in June 2006, citing the statute of limitations in the racketeering case. Prosecutors appealed, and the convictions were restored last September.The crooked pair earned as much as $65,000 for one of their hits on behalf of brutal mob boss Anthony (Gaspipe) Casso. The jailed Mafiosi, suspected of 36 murders, paid the rogue cops a $4,000-a-month retainer while they worked for him. The defendants committed the killings while simultaneously on the payrolls of the NYPD and the Luchese crime family.Caracappa, who retired in 1992 after 23 years with the NYPD, helped establish the department's clearing house for Mafia murder
probes.Eppolito grew up in a mob family: His father, grandfather and an uncle were members of the Gambino family. The dichotomy between his career and his upbringing was covered in his autobiography, "Mafia Cop: The Story of An Honest Cop Whose Family Was the Mob."Eppolito, who retired in 1990, had a bit part in the classic mob movie "Goodfellas" - and later fancied himself a Hollywood script writer.

Mary Ann Gianelli pleaded guilty on Wednesday in federal court, and in exchange, prosecutors dropped 141 money laundering counts

Mary Ann Gianelli, the wife of Arthur Gianelli, pleaded guilty on Wednesday in federal court, and in exchange, prosecutors dropped 141 money laundering counts. pleaded guilty to racketeering, money laundering, and other charges just before her trial was scheduled to start.Prosecutors say the 52-year-old woman helped her husband run an illegal gambling business after he was indicted on federal racketeering charges in 2005 by picking up shoeboxes full of cash in Boston's North End.Mary Ann Gianelli, 52, a nurse and mother of two, posted the family's sprawling Lynnfield home as collateral to get Arthur Gianelli released on bail. And when he was stuck at home under house arrest while awaiting trial, she admittedly drove to Boston's North End in her silver Mercedes to pick up a shoe box stuffed with his $10,000 a month cut from the gambling operation.Yesterday, the cost of Mary Ann Gianelli's devotion to her husband of 28 years was apparent, as she pleaded guilty to 19 counts of racketeering, money laundering, filing false tax returns, and illegally structuring cash transactions, just as she was about to stand trial alongside him.Prosecutors said they will recommend she serve 18 months in prison, and a defense lawyer said he will ask for a term of probation.US District Judge Nathaniel M. Gorton told Gianelli, a slender woman with shoulder-length blonde hair, that she will be allowed to remain in her $1 million home until she is sentenced June 5.Afterward, he said the Main Street property will be forfeited to the government because the court found Arthur Gianelli violated his bail conditions by continuing to run his gambling business while briefly free on bail in 2005. His bail was revoked, and he is currently jailed pending the outcome of the case."Mary Ann Gianelli played a minuscule role in the grand scheme of this case," said her lawyer, E. Peter Parker of Boston. "Her crimes consist solely of handling money in the wrong way. Her criminal conduct is out of character with the way she has lived her life."
Gianelli's plea came as jury selection was underway in federal court in the case against her and four others. Opening statements are slated to begin this morning as the case moves forward against Arthur Gianelli, 51; Dennis Albertelli, 56, and his wife, Gisele, 54, of Stow; and Frank Iacoboni, 65, of Leominster. A dozen other codefendants previously pleaded guilty.Gianelli is accused of running a bookmaking operation and illegal video poker machine business that allegedly paid $2,000 a week to reputed Mafia underboss Carmen "The Cheeseman" DiNunzio.

Six men face federal charges, accused of belonging to the Crips street gang

Six men face federal charges, accused of belonging to the Crips street gang in Wichita between 1991 and 2007.U.S. District Court, Wichita, with Judge J. Thomas Marten presiding.Deb Barnett, assistant U.S. attorney | Chris Oakley, assistant U.S. attorney
Defendants

Jermal Campbell (also known as "L"): Age: 27 | Attorney: Paul McCausland | Charges: Two counts racketeering; engaging in racketeering activity: murder; felon in possession of ammunition

Jonearl Smith (also known as "Smeral"): Age: 30 | Attorney: Mark Bennett Jr. | Charges: Two counts racketeering; two counts conspiracy to distribute a controlled substance

Lonnie Wade (also known as "LaLo"): Age: 29 | Attorney: Craig Shultz | Charges: Two counts racketeering; two counts maintaining a place for the purpose of manufacturing and distributing a controlled substance; three counts conspiracy to distribute a controlled substance

Corey Cornelius (also known as "CC"): Age: 30 | Attorney: Carl Fredrick Maughan | Charges: racketeering conspiracy; two counts conspiracy to distribute a controlled substance

Darryn Frierson (also known as "DeDa"): Age: 38 | Attorney: Michael Jackson | Charges: two counts racketeering; three counts possession with intent to distribute a controlled substance; maintaining a place for the purpose of manufacturing controlled substances; conspiracy to distribute a controlled substance; three counts possession with intent to distribute a controlled substance

Calvin Williams (also known as "Nut Case"): Age: 29 | Attorney: Eric Hartenstein | Charges: racketeering conspiracy; threats against a witness; two counts conspiracy to distribute a controlled substance

defense attorney representing one of six men charged with running organized crime through a street gang asked a federal judge this morning to tell the jury that none of the evidence supports the charges."All they're trying to show is that he's a bad guy," said Craig Shultz, who represents Lonnie Wade.Shultz said the testimony so far has failed to support charges of rackeetering via the Crips street gang.U.S. District Judge J. Thomas Marten said such an instruction was improper at this point. He said prosecutors were trying to establish certain criminal acts before they got to the heart of their case.Federal prosecutors have spent the week building a time line of crime from 1991 to 2007, when the charges were filed. Testimony continues today before Marten.Prosecutors have had to work around reluctant witnesses, who fear retribution by the Crips -- the gang the men are accused of belonging to -- even in retelling crimes they witnessed more than a decade ago.The Eagle is filing live updates from the courtroom, a first for Wichita federal court. Follow the updates in the box at right by refreshing the page.

James “Pancake” Taylor was picked up by police trying to stop a violent drugs war that has broken out on the Costa del Sol.

James “Pancake” Taylor was picked up by police trying to stop a violent drugs war that has broken out on the Costa del Sol. Liverpool gangster was today behind bars in Spain after being arrested for attempted murder.James “Pancake” Taylor was picked up by police trying to stop a violent drugs war that has broken out on the Costa del Sol.The 29-year-old is also being investigated over claims he is the ringleader of a gang which has brought terror to the sunshine streets.A leaked report to a Spanish judge over a spate of shootings says the gang is a “worldwide organisation that is dedicated mainly to drug trafficking, targeted assassinations and has a hierarchical structure among the members, almost all of whom originate in Liverpool and Manchester”.Taylor was arrested over the shooting of a Brit after a nightclub brawl last August.

John Gizzi, walks free

John Gizzi, 36, from St Asaph, Denbighshire was jailed for five-and-a-half years in 2006. His trial heard he was a "thug" and "bully" who assaulted homeless people and preyed on the weak and vulnerable in the Rhyl area. He was freed after a judge at Mold Crown Court heard he had repaid £1m under the Proceeds of Crime Act. An original order made under the Act found Gizzi had benefited to the tune of £6.89m from his crimes. He was ordered to repay £2.6m, but that figure was based on a valuation of his assets before the recession. They included a mansion which had been originally valued at £1.7m but eventually sold for £850,000. Gizzi had been due for release in December 2008, but he was ordered to serve another seven years because he had failed to repay the original £2.6m. However, on Thursday Judge John Rogers QC reduced the order after the court - which was surrounded by tight police security - was told all his assets had been sold off. As well as the mansion, 20 other mortgage properties were sold, and a Rolex watch. Four number plates - JDG 1 to 4 - had also been sold along with a fleet of luxury cars including a Bentley Continental, Range Rover and a Mercedes. Judge Rogers discharged the confiscation order and Gizzi was formally released. Gizzi's mansion sold for half its original value of £1.7m
An application by prosecutor Simon Mills that Gizzi should be responsible for the costs of the CPS and the receiver appointed to sell the property was rejected. The judge said those costs should come out of the reduced order. However, the court heard that the regional asset recovery team could pursue Gizzi for more money if they thought he could afford it in the future. Judge Rogers told Gizzi: "As the crown point out, the actual benefit figure is a very much higher figure. "It may well be that the crown will seek, if circumstances permit, to obtain further monies. That is a matter which must await events." The judge said the fall in the property market was to blame for the lower-than-expected sum repaid, and not Gizzi. It was previously found that Gizzi had made "tainted gifts" to his parents' building firm in the form of a building plot in Towyn, and a property in Rhyl. The plot, which now has four houses on it, is due to be sold this week to his parents for £430,000. Gizzi had previously admitted two charges of causing grievous bodily harm, one of assault causing actual bodily harm and one of conspiracy to supply counterfeit cigarettes. He also asked for 22 offences of mortgage fraud - involving almost £1.5m - to be taken into consideration.

Ronnie and Reggie Kray paintings under the hammer at Hampshire Auctions

Seven landscapes and one seascape painted by the twins during art classes at HMP Parkhurst and Broadmoor went under the hammer at Hampshire Auctions in Andover as part of a private sale by an anonymous vendor.Eight paintings produced by the east London gangsters Ronnie and Reggie Kray while in prison for murder sold for a combined total of £12,200 at auction today.An image of the two convicted murderers crossing a field in top hats and tail coats sold for £1,850, the highest price of any of the Kray paintings on the day. One 1971 painting of a stormy sea by Reggie Kray, which has echoes of the Japanese Edo period painter Hokusai, sold for £1,800. A portrait of the brothers signed by them and painted by Graham Young, a fellow inmate at Parkhurst who was serving time for murder, fetched £2,700. Other paintings by the Krays showed two men fishing by a lake, a country cottage, a country lane and a church on a hill. In two canvases the brothers painted the initials R R onto gateposts and signposts.The paintings outstripped the estimated sale value of £500 to £800 each. A spokesman for the auction house said nine phone bidders had driven up the prices, with one buyer taking four paintings.A copy of a book about the gangster brothers, signed by their colleague "Mad" Frankie Fraser and dedicated to a woman called Angela as thanks for looking after one of the twins, was also sold.
One hundred items from the twins' belongings were auctioned last month, including jewellery, letters, photos and clothing. They included Ronnie's trademark sunglasses, pictures from Reggie's 1965 wedding, suits, and a diamond-encrusted ring emblazoned with the name Ron.The auction house said it was planning a second sale of paintings by the Kray twins.

Officers shot and killed Oswain Walcott who was wanted for questioning in a South Beach man's death

Police had been searching for 22-year-old Oswain Walcott, whom they wanted to question in connection with the death of 18-year-old Bradley Paul. After searching for days, authorities found Walcott in an apartment complex at 119th Street and Northeast 16th Avenue on Wednesday afternoon. Miami-Dade police said there was a confrontation at the complex. Police said Walcott reached for his waistband while yelling to officers, and police opened fire, shooting Walcott.
He was airlifted to Jackson Memorial Hospital, where he died Wednesday night.
Officers from both the Miami Beach and Miami-Dade police departments fired shots during the confrontation, Local 10's Elena Echarri reported. Investigators are trying to determine who actually shot Walcott. Before authorities found him, Miami Beach police called Walcott "extremely dangerous" in a news release Wednesday as the manhunt continued. On Tuesday, officers knocked on Walcott's door to talk to him about Paul, who was found dead in an alleyway in the 1000 block of Lenox Avenue on Saturday. When Walcott saw officers at the door of his apartment, he took off, police said. Miami Beach police said Walcott broke into a South Beach home and held a family hostage from Tuesday night into Wednesday morning, fondling a teenager during that time. Walcott then ran to another apartment, where a woman was hurt, police said. She was taken to Jackson Memorial Hospital in critical condition. Police have not released details on how the woman was injured.
Police have not yet ruled Paul's death a homicide. Police would not comment on the cause of Paul's death, how they believed Walcott might have been involved or what he might have been able to bring to the case. An arrest warrant also was issued for Walcott in Georgia on a theft by burglary charge, Miami Beach police said.
Police are also looking for 28-year-old Romado Stephens for questioning.

Gang leader confessed to having incited the shooting of several individuals, including his wife and businessmen

Gang leader confessed to having incited the shooting of several individuals, including his wife and businessmen, according to a document found on a floppy disk discovered in the home of a former national police chief as part of an investigation into a criminal organization. Police seized a computer, floppy disks and documents found in the home of former National Police Chief Adil Serdar Saçan during a raid as part of the investigation into organized criminal activities in 2003. One of the disks included the transcript of an interview with Alaattin Çakıcı, arguably the most famous mafia boss in Turkey. According to the transcript, Çakıcı listed shootings he ordered in the past. Among the victims was his wife, Uğur Kılıç, broker Adil Öngen, columnist Hıncal Uluç and former Fenerbahçe soccer team Chairman Emin Cankurtaran. Çakıcı says about the shootings that he did "what was necessary," according to the document. Çakıcı was convicted of "leading an organized criminal gang" by an İstanbul court in 2007. He was interrogated by Prosecutor Zekeriya Öz at the Beşiktaş courthouse last year as part of the Ergenekon probe, a clandestine terrorist organization charged with attempting to overthrow the government.
According to the transcript, Çakıcı also confessed to preventing around 40 businessmen from entering bids in the sale of Türk Ticaret Bankası.

Sean Sullivan working for feared Auckland gang the Headhunters.?

Sean Sullivan used to fight for big paydays in the ring now he's battling to recover other people's debts.And the 40-year-old, who pushed two-time world super middleweight champion Anthony Mundine to the wire in their 2003 fight this week revealed to Sunday News he's finally throwing in the towel on his 18-year career.
The never-say-die fighter's decision comes almost nine years after doctors and the boxing fraternity first suggested it."I don't want to make some big announcement but realistically I've got to the stage where the money really isn't there any more," Sullivan said."You don't want to price yourself out of the market ... but I don't really go looking for fights any more and I guess I'm happy to say I'm calling it a day. I have retired."Sullivan was initially reluctant to confirm his new occupation to Sunday News."Don't mention the debt collection to be honest," he said.
The father-of-two feared the admission would only fuel speculation he's working for feared Auckland gang the Headhunters."The boys in blue think I'm prospecting for the Headhunters," he said."I've never, ever, ever, been interested in joining any gang. And I've never prospected for any gang, or been interested in it. I wish they (police) would just get their facts right.

"As soon as you go to that gym (the Headhunters boxing gym in Ellerslie, Auckland) they say you're associated with the Headhunters and ... you're involved with organised crime. That's not me."

Sullivan admitted he had previously, inadvertently, worked with some Headhunters doing debt collection for former employer Kimball Johnson an underworld heavy turned country and western singer known as the "enforcer" who died of cancer in 2007.
"A couple of the lads that worked for Kimball probably associated with the gang.
"So that's where it's fallen into place for the police. But as I said, I'm virtually a gang of one and that's me."Johnson was a highly respected underworld figure.
His coffin was carried to his funeral in March by Headhunters and a death notice was placed by "all the brothers from Paremoremo Maxi and west" and signed by a Hell's Angels member.Sullivan, like Johnson, has found himself on both sides of the law.For just over two years Sullivan was a police youth worker in Mangere but his provisional contract was not extended in 2003 after police took issue with who he was associating with. Some of his boxing supporters were gang members.He then started working for Johnson.Last year Sullivan was acquitted along with another debt collector of kidnapping a car dealer and trying to extort $21,700 from him.He is currently before the courts on fraud charges. In July 2007, another newspaper reported Sullivan was a Housing New Zealand Corporation (HNZC) tenant who was sub-letting his taxpayer subsidised Mangere home for a $77 a week profit.It was claimed Sullivan who owned a holiday home in Russell at the time paid $133 a week for the state house, despite not being eligible to have one in the first place, and charged his tenants $210 a week.When the tenants allegedly applied for a state house and were told they were already living in one. Sullivan said he could not comment on the HNZC case, as it was before the courts.HNZC told Sunday News Sullivan faces two charges of using a document with intent to defraud between 2000 and 2005. HNZC is seeking $34,422 from him and the case is back in court next month.Sullivan said the kidnapping and extortion case should have never made it to court."I was found not guilty like I should have been from day one. (It) ruined my life for that period. I was on bail for two and a half years. They took my passport away so I couldn't travel. And I was tarnished with that brush."Sullivan told Sunday News he was a "very successful" debt-collector and operated by "word of mouth".He said he got "a lot of (debt collecting) skills from Kimball and some of his colleagues".But he said he did the job by the book not by bashing people into submission."It's knowing how to put payments in place and organising time arrangements and stuff like that," he said."Sometimes you've just got to pursue it and just not give up."In a death-bed interview in March 2007, Johnson talked openly about his method of collecting debts.
In one incident he bought a $17,000 debt off an elderly couple who appeared on TV show Fair Go, then hunted down the conman. When he refused to pay, Johnson beat him to a pulp hitting the man with a chair until it broke, then used two others.Johnson who also told the interviewer he once bit someone's ear off in a fight was charged with causing grievous bodily harm but the charge was dropped when his victim failed to appear in court.Sullivan said he had got into doorstep fights with debt-collection clients. But that only happened when he was repossessing chattels such as fridges, washing machines and beds something he no longer does."I don't mind repossessing someone's car because they can just catch public transport to work. They can walk to work, they can cycle to work, or whatever," he said."But when you're taking someone's fridge or freezer, that's what they use to feed their families and it's harder ... the old heart rules the head."Sullivan has a five centimetre scar on his left cheek from "some no-neck" who attacked him during a job."I went around there with my boss from the finance company and this gentlemen tried to attack the boss so I stepped in to help him and (the debtor) put my head through a window it came out the other side," he said."I recovered from that and I think he wished he never attacked the boss after that. It was more than just a knockout. But the writing was on the wall after that ... no more chattels."Sullivan, who when Sunday News met him looked more like a suburban dad on holiday in velcro rubber sandals, three-quarter shorts and T-shirt than the brawling boxer he's known as, said he has been "more blessed than most" in his fight career.He has previously held the light-heavyweight, super-middleweight, welterweight and middleweight national titles and been ranked as high as No7 in the world's welterweight division by the World Boxing Association and the International Boxing Federation.
He pushed world-ranked Danny Green so hard in 2004 that the Australian had to be hospitalised after the fight.Green had to have three litres of intravenous fluid to counteract the dangerous dehydration and exhaustion he got trying to knock out Sullivan, who is known for his extreme fitness and always finishing bouts on his feet."There's a lot of `what ifs' and `what could of beens'. A world title bout would have been great, but I fought Mundine and Green," he said."I fought for the Commonwealth title, and I had a month to lose two stone and I did it. I went over there and I won the fight. So I've done alright."But Sullivan has not won a fight since 2003 and could not remember his boxing record or who his opponents were in his last two fights at the Headhunters Fight Nights in May and December 2007."I just lined up, got in there and did the business. They gave me a week's notice, but I'm not exactly going to say no to WD (Headhunters boss Wayne Doyle)," he said. "I wasn't in the best shape. I was drinking beer and enjoying life."Sullivan was warned to quit boxing as early as 2000 after collapsing in a post-bout sauna.Former trainer Karl Turner had to resuscitate the fighter, who had stopped breathing and had no pulse.Later that year, a neuropsychologist recommended Sullivan never enter the ring again. Tests concluded that his brain function was abnormal.Sullivan who still coaches continued to fight. But Father Time looks like it has at last beaten arguably the toughest fighter to ever come out of New Zealand. Or maybe not!"I'm not fussed about fighting but if I get a good offer and they give me time to prepare ... it'll be on."

Panchalingam Nagalingam, who was deported in 2005 because of his involvement in a violent Toronto street gang, arrived back on Tuesday morning

Panchalingam Nagalingam, was a member of AK Kannan, one of two warring Tamil gangs that engaged in extortion, drug trafficking, weapons dealing, attempted murder and murder in Toronto. who was deported in 2005 because of his involvement in a violent Toronto street gang, arrived back on Tuesday morning, and Canadian officials say they facilitated and paid for his return. The circumstances have one official lamenting that the government is "in the business of putting gangs and gangsters out of business, not in bringing them back to Canada."Police were furious on Friday and immigration officials were at pains to explain why the government had paid to fly a gang member, once charged with hacking two people in the head with a meat cleaver, back to Canada more than three years after he was deported to his native Sri Lanka.A spokesman for Jason Kenney, the Minister of Citizenship, Immigration and Multiculturalism, said the government was outraged that it was forced to return Mr. Nagalingam to Canada because of a legal agreement entered into by the previous Liberal government.The Ministry of Justice agreed in December, 2005, that it would allow Mr. Nagalingam to return to Toronto if the courts ever overturned a decision that found he was a danger to the public, officials said. The Federal Court of Appeal did just that in April, 2008, ruling that the judge who decided Mr. Nagalingam's case had made a procedural mistake. Canadian officials started discussions about Mr. Nagalingan's return to Toronto last June, after he went to the Canadian High Commission in Colombo and said he feared for his safety. He was given a temporary residency permit in January that allowed him to enter Canada, but it was cancelled upon his arrival at Pearson Airport. "We are very disappointed by the outcome of the court's decision. And we are outraged that we are forced, because of a legal agreement negotiated by the previous Liberal government, to return this dangerous individual to Canada," said Alykhan Velshi, Mr. Kenney's spokesman.
"The agreement made under the previous Liberal government was not required by law and is very unusual; however they made it anyway and, sadly, we are bound by it." He added that "because of the Liberals' agreement which we were legally bound to implement, we unfortunately had to pay for his return flight.""Since being returned to Canada, Nagalingam has been held in detention, where we will strenuously argue that he should remain," he added.

A 36-year-old Sri Lankan citizen, Mr. Nagalingam was a member of AK Kannan, one of two warring Tamil gangs that engaged in extortion, drug trafficking, weapons dealing, attempted murder and murder in Toronto. The gangs were responsible for dozens of shootings, one of which killed an innocent bystander at a doughnut shop.

At an Immigration and Refugee Board hearing on Thursday, an immigration official read a police statement that said Mr. Nagalingam had been identified as a gunman in an unsolved shooting in Scarborough in 2000 that left two teenagers dead. He had also smashed a chair over the head of a man at a community function and assaulted a security guard at a theatre, the official said. On two occasions, Mr. Nagalingam was shot at by rival gang members. "Nagalingam has demonstrated that he will not hesitate to use violence, and he has challenged rival gang members in public settings," the official said, reading a statement by the Toronto Police Service."This individual in my opinion is a recipe for yet another disaster on the streets of Toronto. He is a danger to the citizens of Canada and should not be allowed to stay in Canada."Mr. Nagalingam thanked God and the immigration department "for helping me to get back here" and said he had turned over a new leaf. "I have a child outside, I have my mother and father. I decided to start my life again."Immigration states here I am a danger to the Tamil community," he added. "Won't I get a chance for me to reform, to start my life again? That's all I ask for."
The Refugee Board ordered him detained on the grounds he is a danger to the public and a flight risk. In the meantime, the government has already commenced proceedings to have him deported once again. He was to appear before the Board again next Thursday.Mr. Nagalingam first arrived in Canada in 1994 and was accepted as a refugee the following year. But Toronto police quickly identified him as an AK Kannan gang member. He has three criminal convictions but he has faced other charges that were dropped. For example, in 1998, he was charged with assault with a weapon after he allegedly struck two rival gang members in the head with a meat cleaver. Police arrived at the scene and "did see the accused attempting to strike several other persons with the meat cleaver, before he like the others began to flee," but the victims could not be found and the charges were stayed.

Shane Geoghegan (28) was shot dead by members of the McCarthy-Dundon gang

Irish police believe they now know who killed rugby player Shane Geoghegan and expect to charge the suspect this weekend.Last night, officers were concentrating their inquiries on a young man who is in custody in Limerick. He was arrested earlier this week in connection with the murder. The brutal killing shocked the country and led to a major crackdown on Limerick's criminal gangs.The development follows an intensive week of investigations where 120 detectives, working in 36 teams, repeatedly interviewed 16 people (eight women and eight men). Eight individuals remained in custody in stations in Limerick and Clare last night.
Mr Geoghegan (28) was shot dead by members of the McCarthy-Dundon gang, in the early hours of November 9. The gunman mistook him for a rival member of the Collopy gang.
The prime suspect is a 23 year old from Dublin and is well known in criminal circles. He moved to Limerick and is well connected to senior members of the McCarthy-Dundon gang. He was recently arrested by gardai for transporting drugs into the city from Dublin and has appeared before the courts in connection with it.
At a recent court appearance, members of the McCarthy-Dundon gang, wearing bullet proof vests, waited outside the court buildings to transport him away.It is expected that the young man will appear in court within 24 hours in connection with the murder.Mr Geoghegan, captain of Garryowen thirds team, was walking home from a friend's house in the Kilteragh housing estate, Dooradoyle, when he encountered the gunman. He ran for his life, but was cornered in the back garden of a neighbour's home and gunned down, with one bullet striking him in the head.Limerick's most senior garda officer, Chief Supt Gerry Mahon, described the case as one of the most significant investigations to take place in the division.Investigating detectives are also attempting to bring a number of other people who, they believe, were also involved in the murder, to the courts.Fifteen of the 18 individuals arrested and questioned so far are from Limerick and some are members of the McCarthy-Dundon gang.
Another member of the notorious gang, who is also suspected to have had a major role in the murder, remains on the run in London. He fled Limerick after the shooting and a bench warrant is out for his arrest in relation to another matter.

Sydney man has been charged with attempting to smuggle 44 native lizards and snakes on a flight out of Australia

Sydney man has been charged with attempting to smuggle 44 native lizards and snakes on a flight out of Australia, including a rare albino python.The haul of reptiles allegedly found in the 24-year-old's luggage at Sydney airport on Friday included 24 shingleback lizards, 16 bluetongue lizards and four snakes.The snakes have been identified as three black headed pythons and an albino carpet python, an extremely endangered species with numbers estimated to be as low as 100.The albino python is worth about $20,000, while Customs estimates all the reptiles in the smuggling attempt would fetch between $160,000 and $200,000 on the black market.They were detected during x-ray screenings of the man's luggage after he checked in for a flight to Bangkok.The reptiles, hidden in socks and cloth bags, were taken to Sydney Wildlife World, where they have undergone health checks and are being cared for.
The man, from Bonnet Bay, has been granted conditional bail to appear in the Downing Centre Local Court on March 24.He has been charged with attempting to export native species without a permit, which carries a maximum penalty of $110,000 and/or 10 years' jail.Customs and Border Protection spokesman Richard Janeczko said wildlife smuggling was a serious crime."Customs and Border Protection continues to prevent, investigate and prosecute wildlife smuggling attempts into and out of Australia in a bid to end this cruel practice," Mr Janeczko said in a statement on Monday.

Former best friend of John A. "Junior" Gotti says that the famous mob offspring collected drug money and ordered shootings of rivals.

Former best friend of John A. "Junior" Gotti says that the famous mob offspring collected drug money and ordered shootings of rivals. Gambino crime family associate John Alite (AY'-leyt) testified about Gotti's alleged misdeeds on Monday at the Brooklyn trial of a Gambino soldier accused of murder. Alite took the stand as part of a plea deal. He told the jury that on orders from Gotti, he drove a car used in a drive-by shooting in the 1980s. He also claimed Gotti, son of notorious Gambino boss John Gotti, collected monthly cash payments from a drug-dealing operation. Alite is expected to be a key government witness when Gotti goes on trial later this year. Gotti is charged with involvement in three gangland murders and cocaine trafficking.

Police in Milan have said that crimes including weapons and drug trafficking and running of prostitution rings were all co-ordinated through Skype.

Police in Milan have said that crimes including weapons and drug trafficking and running of prostitution rings were all co-ordinated through Skype. This made it difficult for authorities to track calls because practice was for police to tap landlines and mobile phones in investigations.According to Eurojust, Skype was refusing to share its secret encryption system with authorities."Skype co-operates with law enforcement where legally and technically possible. Skype remains interested in working with Eurojust despite the fact that they chose not to contact us before issuing this inaccurate report," Brian O’Shaughnessy, head of corporate communications at Skype, said in a statement, as quoted by EUObserver.EUObserver said Bavarian authorities had tried to track a Skype conversation and even had hired an IT firm to do so, but with no success.Skype was developed by Estonian programmers working for a Danish-Swedish business. In 2005, it was sold to E-Bay and now has more than 350 million users around the world.