Mexico opposition may work with criminals

<p> </p><p>Mexican President Felipe Calderon has said politicians in the main opposition party may consider deals with criminals, opening an inflammatory new front in the nation's presidential election campaign. Calderon's blunt remarks about the centrist Institutional Revolutionary Party (PRI), which is favored to win the July 1, 2012 election, are unusual in a country where the president is expected to stay largely aloof from party politics. Centering on the policy that has dominated his presidency -- an aggressive army-led crackdown on drug cartels -- his comments risk polarizing opinion on how to restore stability to Mexico, where the drug war has killed 44,000 in five years. Leading members of Calderon's conservative National Action Party (PAN), other PRI opponents and political analysts have accused the once-dominant party of making secret deals with drug cartels in the past to keep the peace in Mexico. In a weekend New York Times interview published a day after he said a state governed by the PRI had been left in the hands of a drug gang, Calderon was asked whether the opposition party might pursue a corrupt relationship with organized crime. "There are many in the PRI who think the deals of the past would work now. I don't see what deal could be done, but that is the mentality many of them have," said Calderon, whom the law prevents from seeking a second six-year term. Calderon's office later issued a statement saying the newspaper had expressly noted when posing the question that the PRI had a reputation for making deals with organized crime. His office underlined that the president recognized many in the PRI did not favor this approach and supported his policy. Analysts say Calderon is bitterly opposed to the PRI, which dominated Mexico for seven decades until PAN won the presidency in 2000 under its candidate Vicente Fox. The tide of drug war killings has eroded support for the PAN, and the PRI's main hopeful, the telegenic former governor of the State of Mexico, Enrique Pena Nieto, has around twice the support of his nearest rival. NAMING NAMES The PRI has attacked Calderon for the spiraling death toll, and analysts said the president's remarks were tailored for the election, putting in jeopardy any hope of passing many pending reforms that have been stalled in Congress. "This is really serious," Javier Oliva, a political scientist at the National Autonomous University of Mexico (UNAM), said of Calderon's comments about the PRI. "The president has an obligation to prove this now. To name names." "The president is regressing into a negative stance of being president of the PAN, and not president of Mexico." The Times noted that Calderon "looked disgusted at the mere mention of the PRI" during the interview. The statement issued by his office said Calderon mentioned the ex-PRI governor of Nuevo Leon state, Socrates Rizzo, as someone who had pointed to the existence of such pacts. Rizzo's comments, which were reported early this year, were rejected by leading PRI figures at the time. The PRI's national chairman, Humberto Moreira, told El Universal's Sunday newspaper his party did not want to make deals with organized crime and that Calderon was trying to exploit the issue of public security for political ends.</p>

Mexico opposition may work with criminals

  Mexican President Felipe Calderon has said politicians in the main opposition party may consider deals with criminals, opening an inflamma...

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Mexico’s military says soldiers freed 61 men being held captive by the Zetas drug cartel for use as forced labor

<p> </p><p>Mexico’s military says soldiers freed 61 men being held captive by the Zetas drug cartel for use as forced labor. The army says the men were found guarded by three Zetas kidnappers in a safe house in the border city of Piedras Negras on Saturday. Soldiers made the discovery during a security sweep in the area that also turned up an abandoned truck filled with 6 tons of marijuana. Loading... Comments Weigh InCorrections? In a press conference Sunday, Gen. Luis Crescencio Sandoval Gonzalez said one of the captives was from Honduras and others were from various parts of Mexico. He said the three kidnappers were arrested. Piedras Negras sits across the border from Eagle Pass, Texas, in the Mexican state of Coahuila, which has been the scene of ongoing battles between drug gangs.</p>

Mexico’s military says soldiers freed 61 men being held captive by the Zetas drug cartel for use as forced labor

  Mexico’s military says soldiers freed 61 men being held captive by the Zetas drug cartel for use as forced labor. The army says the men w...

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Four former members of the Colombian army's special forces are training members of Los Zetas

<p> </p><p>Four former members of the Colombian army's special forces are training members of Los Zetas, considered Mexico's most violent drug cartel, the Bogota daily El Tiempo reported Sunday. The retired soldiers - two captains and two sergeants - served time in Colombia for human rights violations. "The identities of the soldiers have not been released because charges have not been filed against them," El Tiempo said, adding that the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration, Mexican police and Colombian police were tracking their movements.</p>

Four former members of the Colombian army's special forces are training members of Los Zetas

  Four former members of the Colombian army's special forces are training members of Los Zetas, considered Mexico's most violent dru...

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You shoot a police officer, you’re going to get shot back at

<p><img alt="" src="http://www.washingtonpost.com/rf/image_606w/2010-2019/WashingtonPost/2011/10/10/Foreign/Images/AP110608041916.jpg" /></p><p> </p><p>A little before dawn on a sticky summer night in June, one of Texas Gov. Rick Perry’s Ranger Reconnaissance Teams was running a clandestine operation along the Rio Grande when its surveillance squad came across a Dodge Durango pickup truck loaded with bales of Mexican marijuana. Bad idea, messing with Texas. 37 Comments Weigh InCorrections? inShare Gallery  The Texas governor is seeking the 2012 GOP presidential nomination. Gallery  Mexico's ongoing drug war continues to claim lives and disrupt order in the country. More On This Story Read more on PostPolitics.com Rick Perry a hawk on Texas border security Perry and Romney dominate GOP fundraising Cain defends ‘9-9-9’ tax overhaul plan View all Items in this Story The lawmen chased the truck along the river, with a Texas Department of Public Safety helicopter swooping overhead and Texas game wardens roaring down the Rio Grande in boats, state authorities said. In minutes, the traffickers had ditched the truck in the muddy water and were rafting the dope back to Mexico. Then the shooting started. Alone among his Republican rivals running for president, the Texas governor has a small army at his disposal. Over the past three years, he has deployed it along his southern flank in a secretive, military-style campaign that his supporters deem absolutely necessary and successful and that his critics call an overzealous, expensive and mostly ineffective political stunt. A hawk when it comes to Mexican cartels, Perry said in New Hampshire this month that as president he would consider sending U.S. troops into Mexico to combat drug violence there and stop it from spilling into the United States. The June incident along the Rio Grande was typical of Perry’s border security campaign: a lot of swagger, with mixed results. The initial news release said the Texas Rangers team came “under heavy fire” by members of the Gulf cartel, though officials later said it was “four to six shots.” The Texas Rangers and their multi-agency task force, which included U.S. Border Patrol agents, returned fire — big time — lighting up the Mexican riverbank with 300 rounds. “You shoot a police officer, you’re going to get shot back at,” said Steven McCraw, Perry’s homeland security chief and director of the Texas Department of Public Safety.</p>

You shoot a police officer, you’re going to get shot back at

  A little before dawn on a sticky summer night in June, one of Texas Gov. Rick Perry’s Ranger Reconnaissance Teams was running a clandestin...

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Frightening 'Drug Threat Assessment' for the USA and Mexico

<p> </p><p>The National Drug Intelligence Center, a branch of the U.S. Department of Justice, recently released a document entitled the "National Drug Threat Assessment 2011."  You can read the document online here.  The document paints a gloomy picture for both the U.S. and Mexico. The Assessment's Executive Summary begins: "The illicit trafficking and abuse of drugs present a challenging, dynamic threat to the United States.  Overall demand is rising, largely supplied by illicit drugs smuggled to U.S. markets by major transnational criminal organizations (TCOs).  Changing conditions continue to alter patterns in drug production, trafficking, and abuse. Traffickers are responding to government counterdrug efforts by modifying their interrelationships, altering drug production levels, and adjusting their trafficking routes and methods. Major Mexican-based TCOs continue to solidify their dominance over the wholesale illicit drug trade as they control the movement of most of the foreign-produced drug supply across the U.S. Southwest Border. "The estimated economic cost of illicit drug use to society for 2007 was more than $193 billion...." One of the contributing factors is the high demand for drugs in the United States. This high demand finances the drug cartels, allowing them to spend more and expand their operations.   According to the 2011 Assessment, that demand is growing. The document reports that "The abuse of several major illicit drugs, including heroin, marijuana, and methamphetamine, appears to be increasing, especially among the young."  Elsewhere it says that "Overall drug availability is increasing."  One exception to this tendency is cocaine - its availability and use are down.   The document states that "The Southwest Border remains the primary gateway for moving illicit drugs into the United States.  Most illicit drugs available in the United States are smuggled overland across the Southwest Border...."  The Southwest Border is comprised of the southern borders of California, Arizona, New Mexico and Texas with Mexico. Then there is the tunneling: "Despite enhanced detection efforts and better countermeasures, Mexican drug traffickers will continue to build tunnels under the Southwest Border." In the U.S., Mexican cartels have cornered the market.  The 2011 Assessment states that "Mexican-based TCOs [transnational crime organizations] dominate the supply, trafficking, and wholesale distribution of most illicit drugs in the United States."  Elsewhere, it predicts that "Major Mexican-based TCOs and their associates are solidifying their dominance of the U.S. wholesale drug trade and will maintain their reign for the foreseeable future." The Mexican cartels are active in many urban areas.  The Assessment calculates that "Mexican-based TCOs were operating in more than a thousand U.S. cities during 2009 and 2010...." And, "Mexican-based trafficking organizations control access to the U.S.-Mexico border, the primary gateway for moving the bulk of illicit drugs into the United States.  The organizations control, simultaneously use, or are competing for control of various smuggling corridors that they use to regulate drug flow across the border. The value they attach to controlling border access is demonstrated by the ferocity with which several rival TCOs are fighting over control of key corridors, or ‘plazas.'" The document says that seven major Mexican drug cartels are supplying the United States, but that "... the Sinaloa Cartel is preeminent - its members traffic all major illicit drugs of abuse, and its extensive distribution network supplies drugs to all regions of the United States." U.S.-based gangs are involved in the distribution north of the border: "The threat posed by gang involvement in drug trafficking is increasing, particularly in the Southwest Region. With gangs already the dominant retail drug suppliers in major and midsized cities, some gang members are solidifying their ties to Mexican TCOs to bolster their involvement in wholesale smuggling, internal distribution, and control of the retail trade." The Assessment reports that "Criminal gangs - that is street, prison, and outlaw motorcycle gangs - remain in control of most of the retail distribution of drugs throughout much of the United States, particularly in major and midsize cities." The document predicts that "Collaboration between U.S. gangs and Mexican-based TCOs will continue to increase, facilitating wholesale drug trafficking into and within the United States.  Most collaboration occurs in cities along the U.S.-Mexico border, although some occurs in other regions of the country. Some U.S.-based gangs in the Southwest Border region also operate in Mexico, facilitating the smuggling of illicit drugs across the border." The 2011 Assessment paints a gloomy picture of the drug trafficking situation, drug cartels, and the safety and security of both the U.S. and Mexico.</p>

Frightening 'Drug Threat Assessment' for the USA and Mexico

  The National Drug Intelligence Center, a branch of the U.S. Department of Justice, recently released a document entitled the "Nationa...

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just 13 years old and yet he poses brazenly with a deadly sawn-off shotgun during a 10-day robbery spree which brought terror to a city.

<p><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 10px; background-color: #ffffff;"><p style="min-height: 1px; padding: 0px; margin: 0px;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><span>He is just 13 years old and yet he poses brazenly with a deadly sawn-off shotgun during a 10-day robbery spree which brought terror to a city.<br /></span></span></p><p style="min-height: 1px; padding: 0px; margin: 0px;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><span>Police found pictures of Jobe Kilbride brandishing the gun that his friends had taken on his mobile phone.<br /></span></span></p><p style="min-height: 1px; padding: 0px; margin: 0px;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><span>The teenage thug was the youngest of a gang of five who went on a terrifying 10-day robbery spree across </span><span>Liverpool in April and May this year.<br /></span></span></p><div class="artSplitter" style="min-height: 1px; padding: 0px; margin: 0px;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><img alt="Bringing fear to the streets: Gun gang member Jobe Kilbride, 13, with the shotgun used by him and others when they robbed taxis and shops " class="blkBorder" height="462" src="http://i.dailymail.co.uk/i/pix/2011/10/15/article-2049511-0E61ECA700000578-965_634x462.jpg" style="padding: 0px; margin: 0px; border: 1px solid black;" width="634" /></span><p class="imageCaption" style="min-height: 1px; padding: 0px; margin: 0px;"><span style="font-size: medium;">Bringing fear to the streets: Gun gang member Jobe Kilbride, 13, with the shotgun used by him and others when they robbed taxis and shops</span></p></div><p style="min-height: 1px; padding: 0px; margin: 0px;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><span>During their rampage the gang, whose members' ages ranged from 13 to 18, targeted taxi drivers and shopkeepers and one man was shot.</span><span><br /></span></span></p><p style="min-height: 1px; padding: 0px; margin: 0px;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><span>Today, they were starting a total of more than 20 years behind bars after police rounded them up.</span></span></p><div class="relatedItemsTopBorder" style="min-height: 1px; padding: 0px; margin: 0px;"> </div><div class="relatedItems" style="min-height: 1px; padding: 0px; margin: 0px;"><h4 style="min-height: 1px; font-size: 1em; padding: 0px; margin: 0px;"></h4></div><p style="min-height: 1px; padding: 0px; margin: 0px;"> </p><p style="min-height: 1px; padding: 0px; margin: 0px;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><span>Ringleader Bradley Beveridge, 18, has been on the police radar since his early teens and has already racked up a </span><span>host of convictions.</span><span><br /></span></span></p><p style="min-height: 1px; padding: 0px; margin: 0px;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><span>He yelled abuse at Judge Mark Brown as he was taken out of court after being locked up indefinitely.</span></span></p><div class="artSplitter" style="min-height: 1px; padding: 0px; margin: 0px;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><img alt="Jailed: Kilbride was locked up for four years for his part in the armed robberies" class="blkBorder" height="432" src="http://i.dailymail.co.uk/i/pix/2011/10/15/article-2049511-0E61ECCF00000578-991_634x432.jpg" style="padding: 0px; margin: 0px; border: 1px solid black;" width="634" /></span><p class="imageCaption" style="min-height: 1px; padding: 0px; margin: 0px;"><span style="font-size: medium;">Jailed: Kilbride was locked up for four years for his part in the armed robberies</span></p></div><div class="artSplitter" style="min-height: 1px; padding: 0px; margin: 0px;"><div class="artSplitter" style="min-height: 1px; padding: 0px; margin: 0px;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><img alt="Campaign of fear: The gang's first crime was robbing a Quickhomesave store in Selwyn Street, Walton" class="blkBorder" height="288" src="http://i.dailymail.co.uk/i/pix/2011/10/15/article-2049511-0E63847800000578-109_636x288.jpg" style="padding: 0px; margin: 0px; border: 1px solid black;" width="636" /></span><p class="imageCaption" style="min-height: 1px; padding: 0px; margin: 0px;"><span style="font-size: medium;">Campaign of fear: The gang's first crime was robbing a Quickhomesave store in Selwyn Street, Walton</span></p></div><span style="font-size: medium;"><img alt="Violent rampage: The boys threatened staff with a shotgun at the All in One convenience store in Huyton and stole cash and cigarettes" class="blkBorder" height="335" src="http://i.dailymail.co.uk/i/pix/2011/10/15/article-2049511-0E63847C00000578-196_636x335.jpg" style="padding: 0px; margin: 0px; border: 1px solid black;" width="636" /></span><p class="imageCaption" style="min-height: 1px; padding: 0px; margin: 0px;"><span style="font-size: medium;">Violent rampage: The boys threatened staff with a shotgun at the All in One convenience store in Huyton and stole cash and cigarettes</span></p></div><p style="min-height: 1px; padding: 0px; margin: 0px;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><span>Kilbride was given four years while his older brother Declan, 16, was locked up for nine years. Declan Culshaw, the</span> <span>15-year-old who acted as look-out in the gang's final robbery, was given five years while the final gang member,</span><span> 14-year-old Dylan Currie, was jailed for six years.</span><span><br /></span></span></p><p style="min-height: 1px; padding: 0px; margin: 0px;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><span>The judge lifted the normal anonymity restriction to allow the press to name the gang, locked up for a raft of</span><span> robbery and gun convictions.</span><span><br /></span></span></p><p style="min-height: 1px; padding: 0px; margin: 0px;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><span>Their spree was opportunistic, their faces covered by hoods or simply by pulling their jumpers up as they prowled</span><span> the streets with a loaded shotgun.</span><span><br /></span></span></p><p style="min-height: 1px; padding: 0px; margin: 0px;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><span>It began just before 1am on Saturday April 30 when a private hire taxi driver went to pick up a fare on Daneville</span><span> Road, Norris Green.</span><span><br /></span></span></p><p style="min-height: 1px; padding: 0px; margin: 0px;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><span>When he pulled up he was faced with three figures with a shotgun who stole his takings and his cab, a silver Ford</span><span> Mondeo, dumping it less than half-a-mile away.</span><span><br /></span></span></p><p style="min-height: 1px; padding: 0px; margin: 0px;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><span>At around 1am the following morning, Sunday May 1, another private hire driver - this time in a silver Ford Focus</span><span> - became the gang's next victim.</span></span></p><div class="artSplitter" style="min-height: 1px; padding: 0px; margin: 0px;"><div class="splitLeft" style="min-height: 1px; padding: 0px; margin: 0px;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><img alt="Jailed: Jobe Kilbridge (left) was given a sentence of four years " class="blkBorder" height="423" src="http://i.dailymail.co.uk/i/pix/2011/10/15/article-2049511-0E61ECA300000578-587_306x423.jpg" style="padding: 0px; margin: 0px; border: 1px solid black;" width="306" /></span></div><div class="splitRight" style="min-height: 1px; padding: 0px; margin: 0px;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><img alt="14-year-old Dylan Currie (right) was jailed for six years" class="blkBorder" height="423" src="http://i.dailymail.co.uk/i/pix/2011/10/15/article-2049511-0E62D0CB00000578-303_306x423.jpg" style="padding: 0px; margin: 0px; border: 1px solid black;" width="306" /></span></div><p class="imageCaption" style="min-height: 1px; padding: 0px; margin: 0px;"><span style="font-size: medium;">Jailed: Jobe Kilbridge (left) was given a sentence of four years, while 14-year-old Dylan Currie (right) was jailed for six years</span></p></div><p style="min-height: 1px; padding: 0px; margin: 0px;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><span>He picked up three youths on Scargreen Avenue, Norris Green, and was told to take them to Delamore Street, in Anfield.</span><span><br /></span></span></p><p style="min-height: 1px; padding: 0px; margin: 0px;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><span>As they neared their destination, one of the thugs reached through from the back, grabbing the handbrake while the driver had a shotgun shoved in his face.</span><span><br /></span></span></p><p style="min-height: 1px; padding: 0px; margin: 0px;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><span>Again the thugs took his cash and taxi, abandoning it on Scarisbrick Road, Norris Green, 45 minutes later.</span><span><br /></span></span></p><p style="min-height: 1px; padding: 0px; margin: 0px;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><span>At 11.10pm the same day two youths with a shotgun burst into the Quickhomesave store, on Selwyn Street, Walton, threatened staff and fled with cash.</span><span><br /></span></span></p><p style="min-height: 1px; padding: 0px; margin: 0px;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><span>They lay low for three days before striking again at the All in One convenience store on Tarbock Road, Huyton, </span><span>again threatening staff with a shotgun and helping themselves to cash and cigarettes.</span></span></p><div class="artSplitter" style="min-height: 1px; padding: 0px; margin: 0px;"><div class="splitLeft" style="min-height: 1px; padding: 0px; margin: 0px;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><img alt="Declan Kilbride (left) was locked up for nine years" class="blkBorder" height="423" src="http://i.dailymail.co.uk/i/pix/2011/10/15/article-2049511-0E62D0C700000578-361_306x423.jpg" style="padding: 0px; margin: 0px; border: 1px solid black;" width="306" /></span></div><div class="splitRight" style="min-height: 1px; padding: 0px; margin: 0px;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><img alt="Declan Culshaw (right), who acted as look-out in the gang's final robbery, was given five years" class="blkBorder" height="423" src="http://i.dailymail.co.uk/i/pix/2011/10/15/article-2049511-0E62CF7C00000578-118_306x423.jpg" style="padding: 0px; margin: 0px; border: 1px solid black;" width="306" /></span></div><p class="imageCaption" style="min-height: 1px; padding: 0px; margin: 0px;"><span style="font-size: medium;">Declan Kilbride (left) was locked up for nine years and Declan Culshaw (right), who acted as look-out in the gang's final robbery, was given five years</span></p></div><p style="min-height: 1px; padding: 0px; margin: 0px;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><span>The last two crimes happened within minutes of each other at around 10.15pm on May 10.</span><span><br /></span></span></p><p style="min-height: 1px; padding: 0px; margin: 0px;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><span>The gang stood huddled in a bus stop on Muirhead Avenue East, Norris Green, for 20 or so minutes, one by one going to peer inside the nearby All in One shop until they were sure the coast was clear.</span><span><br /></span></span></p><p style="min-height: 1px; padding: 0px; margin: 0px;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><span>As seen on CCTV, they filed into the shop and robbed it, leaving the lone staff member cowering in a corner.</span><span><br /></span></span></p><div class="floatRHS" style="margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 10px; margin-left: 20px; min-height: 1px; width: 308px; float: right; padding: 0px;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><img alt="Ringleader Bradley Beveridge, 18, has been on the police radar since his early teens" class="blkBorder" height="423" src="http://i.dailymail.co.uk/i/pix/2011/10/15/article-2049511-0E62CF7300000578-272_306x423.jpg" style="padding: 0px; margin: 0px; border: 1px solid black;" width="306" /></span><p class="imageCaption" style="min-height: 1px; padding: 0px; margin: 0px;"><span style="font-size: medium;">Ringleader Bradley Beveridge, 18, has been on the police radar since his early teens</span></p></div><p style="min-height: 1px; padding: 0px; margin: 0px;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><span>As they fled across the main road into a nearby estate, they were confronted by the shop's owner who was on his</span><span> way to his business after hearing what was going on.</span><span><br /></span></span></p><p style="min-height: 1px; padding: 0px; margin: 0px;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><span>In Winskill Road, the gang shot at Sri Lankan-born Rajeethan Pulendran and a friend when they tried to stop them, hitting the friend in the body. Thankfully he escaped the attack with only minor injuries.</span><span><br /></span></span></p><p style="min-height: 1px; padding: 0px; margin: 0px;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><span>Det Insp Andy O'Conner led the investigation to catch the gang for the police Matrix unit.</span><span><br /></span></span></p><p style="min-height: 1px; padding: 0px; margin: 0px;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><span>He said: ‘We were looking at the CCTV and when we identified our suspects you just can't believe you're looking at 13 to 14-year-old kids who are out committing armed robberies.</span><span><br /></span></span></p><p style="min-height: 1px; padding: 0px; margin: 0px;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><span>‘It is concerning that boys of this age have become involved in criminality with firearms.</span><span><br /></span></span></p><p style="min-height: 1px; padding: 0px; margin: 0px;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><span>‘Teenagers need to understand they are masters of their own destiny. At the age these kids are, they have a choice.</span><span><br /></span></span></p><p style="min-height: 1px; padding: 0px; margin: 0px;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><span>‘If they get involved in this type of thing, there are only two outcomes - they're either looking at a lengthy prison</span><span> sentence or seeing themselves seriously injured or dead.’</span><span><br /></span></span></p><p style="min-height: 1px; padding: 0px; margin: 0px;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><span>The Matrix detective team was given the task of catching the gang after the Quickhomesave robbery.</span><span><br /></span></span></p><p style="min-height: 1px; padding: 0px; margin: 0px;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><span>Within seven days, they had their suspects locked up, charged and off the streets. That signalled the end of the</span><span> robberies.</span><span><br /></span></span></p><p style="min-height: 1px; padding: 0px; margin: 0px;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><span>DI O'Connor said: ‘We investigated 10 offences in total that occurred across or just after the May Day bank holiday</span><span> weekend.</span><span><br /></span></span></p><p style="min-height: 1px; padding: 0px; margin: 0px;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><span>‘Because of the forensic evidence we collected and the information that came into us from the public, we identified our suspects and in a week had enough on them to lock them up, which is where they have stayed since.’</span><span><br /></span></span></p><p style="min-height: 1px; padding: 0px; margin: 0px;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><span>Judge Mark Brown said: ‘This case highlights the scourge of gun crime and gang culture which we have in our society today.</span></span></p><div class="floatRHS" style="margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 10px; margin-left: 20px; min-height: 1px; width: 308px; float: right; padding: 0px;"><div class="floatRHS" style="margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 10px; margin-left: 20px; min-height: 1px; width: 308px; float: right; padding: 0px;"><h2 style="min-height: 1px; font-size: 1em; padding: 0px; margin: 0px;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><span>'</span><span>This case highlights the scourge of gun crime and gang culture which we have in our society today'</span></span></h2></div><br /><br /></div><p style="min-height: 1px; padding: 0px; margin: 0px;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><span>‘This is a wonderful city but there are certain parts which are blighted by a combination of gang and gun culture. </span><span><br /></span></span></p><p style="min-height: 1px; padding: 0px; margin: 0px;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><span>‘The residents of those communities are sick and tired of it. Shopkeepers should be entitled to go about their work in safety and secure in the knowledge that they are not going to be held up at gunpoint by anyone like you.’</span><span><br /></span></span></p><p style="min-height: 1px; padding: 0px; margin: 0px;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><span>To Beveridge, of Anfield, the judge said: ‘The prosecution has described your offending as determined, ruthless villainy and I utterly agree with that description. You are an extremely impulsive individual who has no sense of danger and you have limited thinking skills. </span><span><br /></span></span></p><p style="min-height: 1px; padding: 0px; margin: 0px;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><span>‘It appears to me that you have no respect for authority. It is plain to me that you have no insight at all into the</span><span> impact of your offending on others. </span><span><br /></span></span></p><p style="min-height: 1px; padding: 0px; margin: 0px;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><span>‘I am satisfied that you are a very dangerous individual. The sentence I am to pass is to all intents and purposes </span><span>a life sentence.’</span><span><br /></span></span></p><p style="min-height: 1px; padding: 0px; margin: 0px;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><span>Addressing Declan Kilbride, of Huyton, Judge Brown said: ‘It seems to me that you have little respect </span><span>for authority which is typical of the individuals who are part of these gangs. You have little respect for anyone.</span><span> It is take take take.’ </span><span><br /></span></span></p><p style="min-height: 1px; padding: 0px; margin: 0px;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><span>And to Currie, from Walton, Jobe Kilbride from Huyton and Culshaw, from Clubmoor, he said: ‘I have no doubt the general public will be shocked and horrified to hear that individuals as young as you have got involved in such a serious offence involving the use of a loaded gun. </span><span><br /></span></span></p><p style="min-height: 1px; padding: 0px; margin: 0px;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><span>‘In my judgement it is a terrible, sad and disturbing state of affairs. </span><span><br /></span></span></p><p style="min-height: 1px; padding: 0px; margin: 0px;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><span>‘I can only hope that during the course of the sentence you will have the opportunity to reflect upon your criminality, that you will have the chance to mature and grow up and when you are released there may still</span><span> be some hope for you.’</span></span></p><span><br /><br /></span></span></p>

just 13 years old and yet he poses brazenly with a deadly sawn-off shotgun during a 10-day robbery spree which brought terror to a city.

He is just 13 years old and yet he poses brazenly with a deadly sawn-off shotgun during a 10-day robbery spree which brought terror to a cit...

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MARBELLA Urban Planning Department is currently working on the legalization of more than 500 houses.

<p> </p><p> The new General Plan for Urban Development in the town gave promoters who had built illegally the opportunity to pay compensation in order to make some complexes legal so that the homeowners would not be affected by demolitions as they had bought the properties in good faith. This had to be done within a year, although the period could be extended to two years. However, in cases which were classified as minor, where too many houses were built on a plot, no period for them to be legalized was given, and promoters have not come forward voluntarily to do so. Therefore, the town hall has now given them two months to legalise the buildings by giving the town hall 10 per cent of the benefits they have obtained from the projects. Once the two months is up, the town hall will chase the promoters who have not come forward to demand the compensation.</p>

MARBELLA Urban Planning Department is currently working on the legalization of more than 500 houses.

   The new General Plan for Urban Development in the town gave promoters who had built illegally the opportunity to pay compensation in orde...

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BODY discovered on a property in Mijas is that of missing Finnish teenager, Jenna Lepomaki

<p> </p><p>BODY discovered on a property in Mijas is that of missing Finnish teenager, Jenna Lepomaki, Malaga National Police have confirmed. Nevertheless, an autopsy and DNA tests are being carried out on the body, which police are 99 per cent certain belongs to Jenna. Four people have been arrested, three of them in Finland, thanks to a joint operation between Finnish and Spanish police. The 19-year-old came to the Costa del Sol on holiday invited by two Finnish men, aged 18 and 20, who she had met online, as the mother of one of them lived in Mijas. Her family attempted to dissuade her from coming, but the men paid for her trip and she arrived on June 20. She spent the first few days in a hostel in Fuengirola, but when the young man’s mother, 37, and her partner, 47 and also Finnish, went away, Jenna moved into the house. In July, her family reported her missing in Finland, and this was communicated to the Spanish police. They discovered that the teenager had reported them to the Guardia Civil in Mijas because they had allegedly attacked and threatened her when she refused to transport cocaine from Spain to Finland. She also reported that they had taken away her passport. From June 29, her mobile phone was turned off. Spanish police discovered that the two men had left Spain, travelled to Ireland and then back to Finland, where they have now been arrested, and focused their investigation on them both for their involvement in Jenna’s disappearance and their possible links to cocaine trafficking. Last Thursday, the Spanish police searched the house in Los Espartales area of Mijas, where the girl had been staying which was hired by the mother’s partner. He was arrested, and the two young children living with him were taken into the care of the Junta de Andalucia. She was also arrested in Finland. The search later continued in the area surrounding the house, where an almost mummified body was found wrapped in a sleeping bag hidden amongst some bushes and leaves. The body was missing both legs and one arm. Part of the arm was found in a barrel located on a construction site nearby. They report that it appears she was killed inside the house and the killers attempted to cut her body into pieces and then burn her remains, but having failed to do so, they hid it.</p>

BODY discovered on a property in Mijas is that of missing Finnish teenager, Jenna Lepomaki

  BODY discovered on a property in Mijas is that of missing Finnish teenager, Jenna Lepomaki, Malaga National Police have confirmed. Neverth...

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Spewing volcano forces Spain to close island port

<p> </p><p>Spanish authorities say activity by an underwater volcano has led them to close access to a port on El Hierro island. Ships have been ordered away from waters around La Restinga and aircraft have been banned from flying over the island's southern tip. The port's 600 residents were evacuated Tuesday after volcanic activity began. The regional government of the Canary Islands says scientists have detected airborne volcanic fragments called pyroclasts rising from the sea off La Restinga. The government said it awaited scientific reports on the danger posed by pyroclasts, but a research vessel that was collecting samples there has been ordered to desist. TV channel La Sexta reported Saturday that journalists also have been told to clear the area.</p>

Spewing volcano forces Spain to close island port

  Spanish authorities say activity by an underwater volcano has led them to close access to a port on El Hierro island. Ships have been orde...

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SPANISH AUTHORITIES are seeking to extradite a Dublin man, Freddy Thompson

<p><span style="color: #333333; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 12px; line-height: 18px;"><div class="images-holder-big" style="margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 25px; margin-bottom: 10px; margin-left: 0px; outline-style: none; outline-width: initial; outline-color: initial; font-size: 12px; vertical-align: top; overflow-x: hidden; overflow-y: hidden; float: left; width: 360px; padding: 0px; border: initial none initial;"><div class="content" style="outline-style: none; outline-width: initial; outline-color: initial; font-size: 12px; vertical-align: top; padding: 0px; margin: 0px; border: initial none initial;"><a class="mb" href="http://www.irishtimes.com/newspaper/images/2011/1015/1224305838460_1.jpg?ts=1318686304" id="mb1" style="outline-style: none; outline-width: initial; outline-color: initial; font-size: 12px; vertical-align: top; color: #c00000; text-decoration: none; padding: 0px; margin: 0px; border: 0px none initial;"><img alt="Freddy Thompson, of Loreto Road, Maryland, Dublin 8, leaves his extradition hearing at the High Court yesterday. He was remanded in custody by Mr Justice Michael Peart to next Wednesday's sitting of the court." height="289" src="http://www.irishtimes.com/newspaper/images/tile/2011/1015/1224305838460_1.jpg?ts=1318686304" style="outline-style: none; outline-width: initial; outline-color: initial; font-size: 12px; vertical-align: top; padding: 0px; margin: 0px; border: initial none initial;" width="360" /><span class="enlarge" style="margin-top: -29px; margin-right: 2px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; outline-style: none; outline-width: initial; outline-color: initial; font-size: 12px; vertical-align: top; background-image: url(http://www.irishtimes.com/images/v3/multibox/enlarge.png); background-attachment: scroll; background-origin: initial; background-clip: initial; background-color: transparent; float: right; height: 27px; width: 27px; position: relative; z-index: 1; background-position: 100% 100%; background-repeat: no-repeat no-repeat; padding: 0px; border: initial none initial;"> </span><span class="multiBoxDesc mb1" style="outline-style: none; outline-width: initial; outline-color: initial; font-size: 11px; vertical-align: top; display: block; color: #ffffff; width: 350px; background-image: initial; background-attachment: initial; background-origin: initial; background-clip: initial; background-color: #000000; background-position: initial initial; background-repeat: initial initial; padding: 5px; margin: 0px; border: initial none initial;">Freddy Thompson, of Loreto Road, Maryland, Dublin 8, leaves his extradition hearing at the High Court yesterday. He was remanded in custody by Mr Justice Michael Peart to next Wednesday's sitting of the court.Photograph: Collins Courts</span></a></div></div><div class="article-extension" style="margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 22px; margin-bottom: 18px; margin-left: 10px; border-top-style: none; border-right-style: none; border-bottom-style: none; border-left-style: solid; border-width: initial; border-color: initial; outline-style: none; outline-width: initial; outline-color: initial; font-size: 11px; vertical-align: top; width: 192px; float: right; display: inline; border-left-width: 1px; border-left-color: #d6d8cd; line-height: 15px; padding: 0px;"><div class="content" style="padding-top: 10px; padding-right: 0px; padding-bottom: 10px; padding-left: 0px; outline-style: none; outline-width: initial; outline-color: initial; font-size: 11px; vertical-align: top; width: 182px; min-width: 182px; float: right; border-top-width: 3px; border-right-width: 0px; border-bottom-width: 3px; border-left-width: 0px; display: inline; margin: 0px; border: initial solid #d7d7cb;"><h1 style="font-size: 21px; color: #000000; line-height: normal; margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 4px; margin-left: 0px; padding-top: 11px; padding-right: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; clear: both; font-weight: bold; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"></h1></div></div><p style="line-height: 18px; margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 18px; margin-left: 0px;">SPANISH AUTHORITIES are seeking to extradite a Dublin man, Freddy Thompson, who they allege is a member of a international criminal gang involved in trafficking drugs and weapons.</p><p style="line-height: 18px; margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 18px; margin-left: 0px;">Mr Thompson (30), with an address at Loreto Road, Maryland, Dublin 8, was arrested by gardaí at that address yesterday afternoon on foot of a European extradition warrant issued by the authorities in Malaga, Spain in September 2010 and then brought before the High Court.</p><p style="line-height: 18px; margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 18px; margin-left: 0px;">The court heard the Spanish authorities are seeking his extradition on grounds alleging Mr Thompson is a member of a criminal organisation whose members include Irish, British and Spanish nationals.</p><p style="line-height: 18px; margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 18px; margin-left: 0px;">The warrant further claims Frederick James Thompson, said to have moved to Spain in 2008, is a member of an organisation alleged to have laundered the proceeds of illegal drugs and weapons trafficking through a complex network of companies.</p><p style="line-height: 18px; margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 18px; margin-left: 0px;">It is claimed Mr Thompson’s role was to secure weapons for the organisation and that he acted as a bodyguard and a chauffeur for the gang, based on Spain’s Costa Del Sol.</p><p style="line-height: 18px; margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 18px; margin-left: 0px;">The Spanish authorities also allege Mr Thompson is an associate of and has worked for other known criminals, some of whom were described as good friends of his.</p><p style="line-height: 18px; margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 18px; margin-left: 0px;">It is also claimed in the warrant that ongoing surveillance of Mr Thompson conducted by police in a number of countries revealed that on dates between 2008 and 2010 he travelled to locations including Morocco and Amsterdam.</p><p style="line-height: 18px; margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 18px; margin-left: 0px;">It is claimed he travelled either in the company of or to meet gang members or other criminals, and the trips were to organise criminal activity including the shipment of drugs.</p><p style="line-height: 18px; margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 18px; margin-left: 0px;">It is further claimed Mr Thompson has no movable or immovable assets, such as property, in Spain, and no legitimate means to support his lifestyle.</p><p style="line-height: 18px; margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 18px; margin-left: 0px;">Yesterday, Sgt Sean Fallon of the Garda extradition unit told the court Mr Thompson was arrested shortly before 3pm at Loreto Road. Sgt Fallon said when the charges contained in the warrant were read and a copy of the warrant was handed to Mr Thompson, he replied: “I can’t read, I am not taking that.”</p><p style="line-height: 18px; margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 18px; margin-left: 0px;">Mr Thompson was then taken to Kevin Street Garda station.</p><p style="line-height: 18px; margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 18px; margin-left: 0px;">Mr Justice Michael Peart said he was satisfied the individual before the court was the person sought in the warrant. He told Mr Thompson he had a right to professional legal advice as well as the right to consent to surrender at any time during the extradition process to the Spanish authorities.</p><p style="line-height: 18px; margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 18px; margin-left: 0px;">While no application for bail was made yesterday, Mr Thompson’s lawyers indicated one would be made in the future. The State indicated it would object to any such application.</p><p style="line-height: 18px; margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 18px; margin-left: 0px;">Mr Thompson’s lawyers told the court they would be applying for legal aid under the Attorney General’s scheme.</p><p style="line-height: 18px; margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 18px; margin-left: 0px;">Mr Thompson was remanded in custody by Mr Justice Peart to next Wednesday’s sitting of the High Court.</p></span></p>

SPANISH AUTHORITIES are seeking to extradite a Dublin man, Freddy Thompson

  Freddy Thompson, of Loreto Road, Maryland, Dublin 8, leaves his extradition hearing at the High Court yesterday. He was remanded in custod...

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British man arrested with contraband tobacco in Cádiz

<p> </p><p>Guardia Civil has arrested a British man on the quay at Cádiz port after 5,800 cartons of contraband tobacco from the canaries were found in a false bottom of the van he was driving. A statement was released from the Guardia Civil saying the arrest took place last Monday when searches were carried out on vehicles which had arrived from the Canaries. The unit from the UAR, the Risks Analysis Unit, which is made up jointly by the Guardia Civil and the Agencia Tributaria, earmarked the van for an exhaustive inspection. They found the cigarettes behind wooden panels in the van which had been placed on the floor walls and even the ceiling of the vehicle. The arrested man has been named as 39 year old G.M.H. from Liverpool. He will appear before the Instruction Court Four in Cádiz.</p>

British man arrested with contraband tobacco in Cádiz

  Guardia Civil has arrested a British man on the quay at Cádiz port after 5,800 cartons of contraband tobacco from the canaries were found ...

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Nine arrested for growing marihuana inside a luxury property in Zaragoza

<p> </p><p>Nine people have been arrested and 2,500 marihuana plants recovered from a luxury villa in a village of Zaragoza. The electrical installation to heat and supply light to the plants used as much power as 50 homes, and an illegal connection had been established to the grid. The facility had the capacity to produce 1,500 kilos of cannabis a year and had been established following the ‘Holland Model` of optimising plant growth by controlling the hours of light the plants receive. The chalet was found in Caspe, Zaragoza, and the nine arrested are accused of distributing all types of drugs including cocaine, hashish, amphetamine, methamphetamine and marihuana to bars and clubs in Tarragona. The swoop is the result of investigations which started five months ago. Six searches were carried out in different homes in Caspe, Tortosa, Amposta and Santa Bárbara where 40 grams of cocaine and different amounts of speed and crystal were recovered along with 11,500 € in cash.</p>

Nine arrested for growing marihuana inside a luxury property in Zaragoza

  Nine people have been arrested and 2,500 marihuana plants recovered from a luxury villa in a village of Zaragoza. The electrical installat...

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Outlaw motorcycle clubs attempting to open clubhouses and tattoo parlours in Brisbane's West End and Fortitude Valley

<p> </p><p> Surfers Paradise nightclub had been a target for alleged bikie money laundering amid growing business links between powerful Gold Coast bikies and others interstate and overseas. Read more reports in the print edition of The Courier-Mail or explore the Bikie Inc web of intrigue diagrams or the detailed club profiles in our multimedia specials. But outlaw clubs are also targeting Brisbane, where they have tried to open clubhouses and tattoo parlours in West End and Fortitude Valley. Gold Coast's bikie tsars exposed Two hours and $2000 and a gun is yours Nightclub link to bikie money laundering A nascent chapter of Bandidos whose members do not even ride motorcycles is seeking a Valley clubhouse, according to police sources. The development has echoes of the "Notorious" gang in Sydney connected to organised crime figures John Ibrahim and the Sarkis brothers. That group styled itself as a motorcycle club but members - so-called "Nike Bikies" - failed to win recognition from outlaw clubs because they were not sufficiently interested in bikes. Fortitude Valley - despite its historical links to organised crime - was an "untapped area" for outlaw motorcycle clubs, the police source said. The Hells Angels tried last year to find a lease on a new clubhouse in West End. Hells Angels Brisbane president Mark Nelms declined to comment. "It wouldn't matter if you were the Queen of England, we don't comment to anybody," he said. The Bandidos' existing footprint in the Valley includes Valley Ink, a Brunswick St tattoo parlour opened by Gold Coast chapter president Sava Cvetkovic. An underworld source said that a senior member of Highway 61, a club with New Zealand roots, also had sought to open a parlour on West End's Boundary Street. Last week The Courier-Mail revealed that a multimillion-dollar Surfers Paradise nightclub deal had been thwarted after police warned the landlord that it was a front for bikies laundering cash. The bid was bankrolled by a Sydney financier with business and family links to a national franchise chain. The last known attempt at bikie infiltration of Gold Coast nightclubs was when Global Group Security looked at providing bouncers for several clubs about seven years ago.</p>

Outlaw motorcycle clubs attempting to open clubhouses and tattoo parlours in Brisbane's West End and Fortitude Valley

   Surfers Paradise nightclub had been a target for alleged bikie money laundering amid growing business links between powerful Gold Coast b...

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Hells Angel in casino shooting to NV court

<p> </p><p>Washoe County prosecutors have agreed to postpone the preliminary hearing for the only member of the Hells Angels arrested in last month's fatal gun battle with a rival motorcycle gang at a Sparks casino. Cesar Villagrana had been scheduled to appear in Sparks Justice Court on Wednesday on three felony charges including assault with a deadly weapon. His new court date is Dec. 7. Police say the 36-year-old Gilroy, Calif., man was with San Jose Hells Angels President Jeff Pettigrew the night he was shot to death at John Ascuaga's Nugget. Police say security video shows Villagrana shooting into the crowd. He's currently free on $150,000 bail. A member of the rival Vagos gang is being held in San Francisco on a warrant for Pettigrew's murder.</p>

Hells Angel in casino shooting to NV court

  Washoe County prosecutors have agreed to postpone the preliminary hearing for the only member of the Hells Angels arrested in last month...

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Members of the Bandidos - who acquired four new chapters in Indonesia during "Bandidos Bali Bike Week" earlier this year - are looking to set up business as far afield as Japan

<p><span style="color: #444444; font-family: LiberationSerifRegular, Times, serif; font-size: 17px; line-height: 21px; background-color: #ffffff;"><div class="article-media article-media-large media-count-1 first-image-650w366h" style="margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 20px; margin-left: 0px !important; outline-width: 0px; outline-style: initial; outline-color: initial; font-size: 13px; vertical-align: baseline; background-image: initial; background-attachment: initial; background-origin: initial; background-clip: initial; background-color: transparent; font: normal normal normal 13px/1.231 Arial, Helvetica, san-serif; min-height: 366px; background-position: initial initial; background-repeat: initial initial; padding: 0px; border: 0px initial initial;"><div style="outline-width: 0px; outline-style: initial; outline-color: initial; font-size: 13px; vertical-align: baseline; background-image: initial; background-attachment: initial; background-origin: initial; background-clip: initial; background-color: transparent; background-position: initial initial; background-repeat: initial initial; padding: 0px; margin: 0px; border: 0px initial initial;"><div class="image " style="outline-width: 0px; outline-style: initial; outline-color: initial; font-size: 13px; vertical-align: baseline; background-image: initial; background-attachment: initial; background-origin: initial; background-clip: initial; background-color: transparent; background-position: initial initial; background-repeat: initial initial; padding: 0px; margin: 0px; border: 0px initial initial;"><div class="image-frame image-650w366h" style="outline-width: 0px; outline-style: initial; outline-color: initial; font-size: 13px; vertical-align: baseline; background-image: initial; background-attachment: initial; background-origin: initial; background-clip: initial; background-color: transparent; background-position: initial initial; background-repeat: initial initial; padding: 0px; margin: 0px; border: 0px initial initial;"><img alt="Bikies Inc rotator" height="366" src="http://resources0.news.com.au/images/2011/10/07/1226161/515724-bikies-inc-rotator.gif" style="outline-width: 0px; outline-style: initial; outline-color: initial; font-size: 13px; vertical-align: baseline; background-image: initial; background-attachment: initial; background-origin: initial; background-clip: initial; background-color: transparent; background-position: initial initial; background-repeat: initial initial; padding: 0px; margin: 0px; border: 0px initial initial;" width="650" /></div><p class="caption" style="border-top-width: 0px; border-right-width: 0px; border-bottom-width: 1px; border-left-width: 0px; border-style: initial; border-color: initial; outline-width: 0px; outline-style: initial; outline-color: initial; font-size: 11px; vertical-align: baseline; background-image: initial; background-attachment: initial; background-origin: initial; background-clip: initial; background-color: #fdfdfd; color: #7e7e7e; font: normal normal 400 11px/18px Arial, Helvetica, san-serif; border-bottom-style: solid; border-bottom-color: #e5e5e5; background-position: initial initial; background-repeat: initial initial; padding: 5px; margin: 0px;"> </p></div></div></div><div class="story-intro" style="margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 25px; margin-left: 10px; outline-width: 0px; outline-style: initial; outline-color: initial; font-size: 17px; vertical-align: baseline; background-image: initial; background-attachment: initial; background-origin: initial; background-clip: initial; background-color: transparent; max-width: 487px; font: normal normal 400 17px/21px LiberationSerifRegular, Times, serif; background-position: initial initial; background-repeat: initial initial; padding: 0px; border: 0px initial initial;"><p style="outline-width: 0px; outline-style: initial; outline-color: initial; font-size: 17px; vertical-align: baseline; background-image: initial; background-attachment: initial; background-origin: initial; background-clip: initial; background-color: transparent; background-position: initial initial; background-repeat: initial initial; padding: 0px; margin: 0px; border: 0px initial initial;"><strong style="outline-width: 0px; outline-style: initial; outline-color: initial; font-size: 17px; vertical-align: baseline; background-image: initial; background-attachment: initial; background-origin: initial; background-clip: initial; background-color: transparent; font-weight: bold; background-position: initial initial; background-repeat: initial initial; padding: 0px; margin: 0px; border: 0px initial initial;">BIKIE Inc Australia is spreading its wings overseas.</strong></p></div><p style="margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 25px; margin-left: 10px; outline-width: 0px; outline-style: initial; outline-color: initial; font-size: 17px; vertical-align: baseline; background-image: initial; background-attachment: initial; background-origin: initial; background-clip: initial; background-color: transparent; max-width: 487px; background-position: initial initial; background-repeat: initial initial; padding: 0px; border: 0px initial initial;">Local Hells Angels and Bandidos club members own nightspots in Thailand tourist centres that have become popular haunts for bikies worldwide.</p><p style="margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 25px; margin-left: 10px; outline-width: 0px; outline-style: initial; outline-color: initial; font-size: 17px; vertical-align: baseline; background-image: initial; background-attachment: initial; background-origin: initial; background-clip: initial; background-color: transparent; max-width: 487px; background-position: initial initial; background-repeat: initial initial; padding: 0px; border: 0px initial initial;">Not to be outdone, members of the notorious Gold Coast chapter of the Finks are trying to follow in their footsteps with their own Thai beachhead, according to police.</p><div class="story-related story-sidebar block-style" style="margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 4px; margin-bottom: 20px; margin-left: 8px; outline-width: 0px; outline-style: initial; outline-color: initial; font-size: 17px; vertical-align: baseline; background-image: initial; background-attachment: initial; background-origin: initial; background-clip: initial; background-color: #ffffff; width: 149px; float: right; clear: right; display: block; background-position: initial initial; background-repeat: initial initial; padding: 0px; border: 0px initial initial;"><div id="sidebar-start" class="assistive sidebar-jump" style="outline-width: 0px; outline-style: initial; outline-color: initial; font-size: 17px; vertical-align: baseline; background-image: initial; background-attachment: initial; background-origin: initial; background-clip: initial; background-color: transparent; height: 0px; left: -5000em; overflow-x: hidden; overflow-y: hidden; position: absolute; width: 4000em; background-position: initial initial; background-repeat: initial initial; padding: 0px; margin: 0px; border: 0px initial initial;"><p style="outline-width: 0px; outline-style: initial; outline-color: initial; font-size: 17px; vertical-align: baseline; background-image: initial; background-attachment: initial; background-origin: initial; background-clip: initial; background-color: transparent; background-position: initial initial; background-repeat: initial initial; padding: 0px; margin: 0px; border: 0px initial initial;"><a href="http://www.news.com.au/australian-bikies-hells-angels-and-bandidos-club-members-own-nightspots-in-thailand-tourist-centres/story-e6freoof-1226166279473#sidebar-end" style="font-size: 17px; vertical-align: baseline; background-image: initial; background-attachment: initial; background-origin: initial; background-clip: initial; background-color: transparent; text-decoration: none; color: #0373b3; background-position: initial initial; background-repeat: initial initial; padding: 0px; margin: 0px;"></a></p></div><div class="group item-count-1" style="outline-width: 0px; outline-style: initial; outline-color: initial; font-size: 17px; vertical-align: baseline; background-image: initial; background-attachment: initial; background-origin: initial; background-clip: initial; background-color: transparent; display: block; clear: both; width: 149px; background-position: initial initial; background-repeat: initial initial; padding: 0px; margin: 0px; border: 0px initial initial;"><div class="group-content sidebar-related-content" style="outline-width: 0px; outline-style: initial; outline-color: initial; font-size: 17px; vertical-align: baseline; background-image: initial; background-attachment: initial; background-origin: initial; background-clip: initial; background-color: transparent; display: block; background-position: initial initial; background-repeat: initial initial; padding: 0px; margin: 0px; border: 0px initial initial;"><div class="item ipos-1 irpos-1" style="outline-width: 0px; outline-style: initial; outline-color: initial; font-size: 17px; vertical-align: baseline; background-image: initial; background-attachment: initial; background-origin: initial; background-clip: initial; background-color: transparent; float: left; width: 149px; background-position: initial initial; background-repeat: initial initial; padding: 0px; margin: 0px; border: 0px initial initial;"><div class="module related-coverage multi-promo multi-promo-related" style="margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: -2px; margin-left: 0px; padding-top: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-bottom: 4px; padding-left: 0px; outline-width: 0px; outline-style: initial; outline-color: initial; font-size: 13px; vertical-align: baseline; background-image: url(http://resources2.news.com.au/cs/newscomau/v2/_shared/base/css/story/images/backgrounds/module-footer-bg-striped.png); background-attachment: initial; background-origin: initial; background-clip: initial; background-color: transparent; display: block; font: normal normal normal 13px/1.231 Arial, Helvetica, san-serif; width: 149px; background-position: 0px 100%; background-repeat: no-repeat no-repeat; border: 0px initial initial;"><div class="module-header" style="outline-width: 0px; outline-style: initial; outline-color: initial; font-size: 13px; vertical-align: baseline; background-image: url(http://resources2.news.com.au/cs/newscomau/v2/_shared/base/css/story/images/backgrounds/module-header-bg-striped.png); background-attachment: initial; background-origin: initial; background-clip: initial; background-color: transparent; min-height: 0px; text-align: center; width: 149px; background-position: 0px 50%; background-repeat: repeat no-repeat; padding: 0px; margin: 0px; border: 0px initial initial;"><h2 class="heading" style="margin-top: 0px; margin-right: auto; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: auto; padding-top: 0px; padding-right: 3px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 3px; outline-width: 0px; outline-style: initial; outline-color: initial; font-size: 13px; vertical-align: baseline; background-image: url(http://resources2.news.com.au/cs/newscomau/v2/_shared/base/css/story/images/text/heading-related.gif); background-attachment: initial; background-origin: initial; background-clip: initial; background-color: #ffffff; font-weight: bold; float: none; display: block; overflow-x: hidden; overflow-y: hidden; height: 18px; width: 68px; text-indent: -9999px; position: relative; background-position: 3px 0px; background-repeat: no-repeat no-repeat; border: 0px initial initial;">Recommended Coverage</h2></div></div></div></div></div><div id="sidebar-end" class="assistive sidebar-jump" style="outline-width: 0px; outline-style: initial; outline-color: initial; font-size: 17px; vertical-align: baseline; background-image: initial; background-attachment: initial; background-origin: initial; background-clip: initial; background-color: transparent; height: 0px; left: -5000em; overflow-x: hidden; overflow-y: hidden; position: absolute; width: 4000em; background-position: initial initial; background-repeat: initial initial; padding: 0px; margin: 0px; border: 0px initial initial;"><p style="outline-width: 0px; outline-style: initial; outline-color: initial; font-size: 17px; vertical-align: baseline; background-image: initial; background-attachment: initial; background-origin: initial; background-clip: initial; background-color: transparent; background-position: initial initial; background-repeat: initial initial; padding: 0px; margin: 0px; border: 0px initial initial;"><a href="http://www.news.com.au/australian-bikies-hells-angels-and-bandidos-club-members-own-nightspots-in-thailand-tourist-centres/story-e6freoof-1226166279473#sidebar-start" style="font-size: 17px; vertical-align: baseline; background-image: initial; background-attachment: initial; background-origin: initial; background-clip: initial; background-color: transparent; text-decoration: none; color: #0373b3; background-position: initial initial; background-repeat: initial initial; padding: 0px; margin: 0px;"></a></p></div></div><p style="margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 25px; margin-left: 10px; outline-width: 0px; outline-style: initial; outline-color: initial; font-size: 17px; vertical-align: baseline; background-image: initial; background-attachment: initial; background-origin: initial; background-clip: initial; background-color: transparent; max-width: 487px; background-position: initial initial; background-repeat: initial initial; padding: 0px; border: 0px initial initial;">Members of the Bandidos - who acquired four new chapters in Indonesia during "Bandidos Bali Bike Week" earlier this year - are looking to set up business as far afield as Japan, a Queensland police source told <em style="outline-width: 0px; outline-style: initial; outline-color: initial; font-size: 17px; vertical-align: baseline; background-image: initial; background-attachment: initial; background-origin: initial; background-clip: initial; background-color: transparent; background-position: initial initial; background-repeat: initial initial; padding: 0px; margin: 0px; border: 0px initial initial;">The Courier-Mail</em>.</p><p style="margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 25px; margin-left: 10px; outline-width: 0px; outline-style: initial; outline-color: initial; font-size: 17px; vertical-align: baseline; background-image: initial; background-attachment: initial; background-origin: initial; background-clip: initial; background-color: transparent; max-width: 487px; background-position: initial initial; background-repeat: initial initial; padding: 0px; border: 0px initial initial;">Thailand was significant as a source of chemicals for drug manufacture and trafficking and scrutiny of Gold Coast bikies' travel would show "a lot of trips" to the country, the officer said.</p><p style="margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 25px; margin-left: 10px; outline-width: 0px; outline-style: initial; outline-color: initial; font-size: 17px; vertical-align: baseline; background-image: initial; background-attachment: initial; background-origin: initial; background-clip: initial; background-color: transparent; max-width: 487px; background-position: initial initial; background-repeat: initial initial; padding: 0px; border: 0px initial initial;">"A lot of them are looking into Thailand - it gives them the opportunity to source pharmaceuticals. Hells Angels and Bandidos have got premises in Thailand.</p><p style="margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 25px; margin-left: 10px; outline-width: 0px; outline-style: initial; outline-color: initial; font-size: 17px; vertical-align: baseline; background-image: initial; background-attachment: initial; background-origin: initial; background-clip: initial; background-color: transparent; max-width: 487px; background-position: initial initial; background-repeat: initial initial; padding: 0px; border: 0px initial initial;">"Of course, the Finks can't be left behind and they're looking too.</p><p style="margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 25px; margin-left: 10px; outline-width: 0px; outline-style: initial; outline-color: initial; font-size: 17px; vertical-align: baseline; background-image: initial; background-attachment: initial; background-origin: initial; background-clip: initial; background-color: transparent; max-width: 487px; background-position: initial initial; background-repeat: initial initial; padding: 0px; border: 0px initial initial;">"Nationally, the Bandidos are looking to get into Japan. They're already in Asia."</p></span></p>

Members of the Bandidos - who acquired four new chapters in Indonesia during "Bandidos Bali Bike Week" earlier this year - are looking to set up business as far afield as Japan

  BIKIE Inc Australia is spreading its wings overseas. Local Hells Angels and Bandidos club members own nightspots in Thailand tourist centr...

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HUGE volcano in Iceland could be about to blow which would turn day into night and cause chaos across Europe.

<p><span style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 12px; line-height: 18px; background-color: #d3dce2;"><div class="article-image fl-left" style="margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 0px; font-style: inherit; font-size: 12px; font-family: inherit; vertical-align: baseline; background-color: #fcd8d8; background-image: url(http://images.mirror.co.uk/collections/m4_art2/imagegallery-bg.jpg); clear: both; overflow-x: hidden; overflow-y: hidden; background-position: 0px 0px; background-repeat: no-repeat no-repeat; padding: 0px; border: 0px initial initial;"><div class="image-caption" style="font-style: inherit; font-size: 12px; font-family: inherit; vertical-align: baseline; padding: 0px; margin: 0px; border: 0px initial initial;"><img alt="Iceland's desolate landscape stretches beyond Vik (Pic: AP)" border="0" height="396" src="http://images.mirror.co.uk/upl/m4/oct2011/4/6/iceland-s-desolate-landscape-stretches-beyond-vik-pic-ap-935102395.jpg" style="margin-top: 0px; margin-right: auto; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: auto; font-style: inherit; font-size: 12px; font-family: inherit; vertical-align: baseline; display: block; float: left; padding: 0px; border: 0px initial initial;" width="610" /><p class="caption" style="font-weight: bold; font-style: inherit; font-size: 12px; font-family: inherit; vertical-align: baseline; background-color: #ffffff; text-align: center; color: #000000; padding: 0px; margin: 0px; border: 0px initial initial;"><span style="font-size: medium;">Iceland's desolate landscape stretches beyond Vik (Pic: AP)</span></p></div></div><p style="margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 1.5em; margin-left: 0px; font-style: inherit; font-size: 12px; font-family: inherit; vertical-align: baseline; padding: 0px; border: 0px initial initial;"><span style="font-size: medium;">A HUGE volcano in Iceland could be about to blow which would turn day into night and cause chaos across Europe.</span></p><p style="margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 1.5em; margin-left: 0px; font-style: inherit; font-size: 12px; font-family: inherit; vertical-align: baseline; padding: 0px; border: 0px initial initial;"><span style="font-size: medium;">Scientists have warned that Katla – one of the most feared volcanoes in the world – is on the brink of a major explosion which would dwarf the Eyjafjallajokull eruption last year.</span></p><p style="margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 1.5em; margin-left: 0px; font-style: inherit; font-size: 12px; font-family: inherit; vertical-align: baseline; padding: 0px; border: 0px initial initial;"><span style="font-size: medium;">Katla’s magma chamber is 10 times the size of the one at nearby Eyjafjallajokull, which grounded planes because of its ash cloud and cost the European economy £1billion.</span></p><div class="inline-ad span-16 last" style="margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 1.5em; margin-left: 0px; font-style: inherit; font-size: 12px; font-family: inherit; vertical-align: baseline; float: right; width: 310px; padding: 0px; border: 0px initial initial;"><div class="caption" style="font-style: inherit; font-size: 0.917em; font-family: inherit; vertical-align: baseline; color: #727272; line-height: 1.636em; text-align: center; padding: 0px; margin: 0px; border: 0px initial initial;"></div><div class="ad0 mpu InSkinHide" style="margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 10px; font-style: inherit; font-size: 12px; font-family: inherit; vertical-align: baseline; display: block; width: 300px; padding: 0px; border: 0px initial initial;"><div id="tmgdfc-rk2" style="font-style: inherit; font-size: 12px; font-family: inherit; vertical-align: baseline; display: block; padding: 0px; margin: 0px; border: 0px initial initial;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><ins style="display: inline-table; height: 250px; position: relative; visibility: visible; width: 300px; padding: 0px; margin: 0px; border: initial none initial;"><ins id="aswift_0_anchor" style="display: block; height: 250px; position: relative; visibility: visible; width: 300px; padding: 0px; margin: 0px; border: initial none initial;"><iframe width="300" height="250" frameborder="0"></iframe></ins></ins><img alt="" height="1" src="http://ad.360yield.com/status?publisher_user_id=f76b9966-281a-42c6-a68e-a7c070233c30&publisher_dsp_id=2&publisher_call_type=redirect&publisher_redirecturl=http://ad.360yield.com/match" style="font-style: inherit; font-size: 12px; font-family: inherit; vertical-align: baseline; visibility: hidden; position: absolute; top: 0px; left: 0px; padding: 0px; margin: 0px; border: 0px initial initial;" width="1" /><img alt="" height="1" src="http://aidps.atdmt.com/AI/Api/v1/UserRest.svc/Provider/1AC1C520-232B-4E3D-B0CC-A52AC15EB7D4/User/394737483956258250/gif?meta=appNexus" style="font-style: inherit; font-size: 12px; font-family: inherit; vertical-align: baseline; padding: 0px; margin: 0px; border: 0px initial initial;" width="1" /></span></div></div></div><p style="margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 1.5em; margin-left: 0px; font-style: inherit; font-size: 12px; font-family: inherit; vertical-align: baseline; padding: 0px; border: 0px initial initial;"><span style="font-size: medium;">The blast caused problems for several weeks even though it was only classed as a minor eruption.</span></p><p style="margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 1.5em; margin-left: 0px; font-style: inherit; font-size: 12px; font-family: inherit; vertical-align: baseline; padding: 0px; border: 0px initial initial;"><span style="font-size: medium;">Scientists detected a series of small tremors at Katla in July but have recorded more worrying signs in the past few days that pressure is building. There has been a swarm of minor earthquakes that have now reached a magnitude of four.</span></p><p style="margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 1.5em; margin-left: 0px; font-style: inherit; font-size: 12px; font-family: inherit; vertical-align: baseline; padding: 0px; border: 0px initial initial;"><span style="font-size: medium;">Professor Pall Einarsson, of the University of Iceland, said: “It is definitely showing signs of restlessness. Volcanoes can be quite beautiful but they can also be quite destructive.”</span></p><p style="margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 1.5em; margin-left: 0px; font-style: inherit; font-size: 12px; font-family: inherit; vertical-align: baseline; padding: 0px; border: 0px initial initial;"><span style="font-size: medium;">An evacuation plan is in place for communities near Katla such as Vik, a small town of 300 people, but many fear they may have less than an hour to escape once the volcano goes up.</span></p><p style="margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 1.5em; margin-left: 0px; font-style: inherit; font-size: 12px; font-family: inherit; vertical-align: baseline; padding: 0px; border: 0px initial initial;"><span style="font-size: medium;">Katla – named after an evil troll – usually explodes twice a century. It last erupted in 1918 when the ash starved crops of sunlight and killed livestock.</span></p><p style="margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 1.5em; margin-left: 0px; font-style: inherit; font-size: 12px; font-family: inherit; vertical-align: baseline; padding: 0px; border: 0px initial initial;"><span style="font-size: medium;">Ice covering the volcano melted and flooded farms with a torrent of water said to be as wide as the Amazon.</span></p><span style="font-style: inherit; font-size: 12px; font-family: inherit; vertical-align: baseline; padding: 0px; margin: 0px; border: 0px initial initial;"><br /><br /></span></span></p>

HUGE volcano in Iceland could be about to blow which would turn day into night and cause chaos across Europe.

Iceland's desolate landscape stretches beyond Vik (Pic: AP) A HUGE volcano in Iceland could be about to blow which would turn day into n...

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Holidaymakers warned on fake goods

<p> </p><blockquote>Holidaymakers have been urged to avoid buying counterfeit goods abroad in a bid to crack down on serious organised crime. Gangs use the trade in fake goods to fund areas such as human trafficking, firearms and illegal drugs. Officers from the Scottish Crime and Drug Enforcement Agency (SCDEA) are at Glasgow Airport to drive home the message and show people examples of fake goods. Detective Chief Inspector Ronnie Megaughin, from the SCDEA, said: "The trade in fake goods is not a victimless crime; there is no such thing. It is linked to a bigger and more serious picture. Those who are involved in this illegal activity are very often also responsible for peddling drugs in our communities, forcing people into the sex trade and trading in firearms. "We are all tempted by a bargain, but the fake goods that you see at markets at home and abroad - such as football shirts, handbags, watches and sunglasses - are being sold to raise funds for organised crime groups. We live in a global marketplace and criminals have no regard for international boundaries, so it could mean that the cash you spend at markets on holiday is being used to fund drug dealing in your local area. "In addition, many of these products are dangerous because they are produced with no regard for health and safety regulations, so you could be putting your safety at risk by using items such as fake electrical goods, cigarettes and alcohol." The UK Border Agency works to uncover fake goods coming into the UK. Murdo MacMillan, assistant director for the agency in Scotland, said: "UK Border Agency officers operate 24 hours a day at ports, airports and mail sorting centres to prevent fake goods hitting the UK's streets, where they can be bought by unsuspecting members of the public. Many people enjoy finding a bargain but counterfeit goods are just the tip of the criminal iceberg." Mr Megaughin said: "There are some signs people can look for to help spot a fake. Price, place and packaging are all indicators of whether something is genuine or not. It is unlikely that genuine designer brands would be on sale at market stalls, and if the price seems too good to be true, it probably is. "We are urging people to think very carefully before buying these products. It is up to all of us to help tackle this problem and reduce the impact of serious organised crime. The public can help by deciding not to buy fake goods."</blockquote>

Holidaymakers warned on fake goods

  Holidaymakers have been urged to avoid buying counterfeit goods abroad in a bid to crack down on serious organised crime. Gangs use the tr...

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Mexico arrests senior Zetas crime boss

<p> </p><p>Mexico's armed forces arrested a high-level Zetas drug cartel boss who was in charge of operations in three states along the US border and was a right-hand man of the cartel chief. The military said the arrest of the suspect, whom it did not identify, was made in Saltillo, Coahuila state, as gang members unleashed a hail of gunfire in an apparent failed attempt to cover his escape. The suspect "is considered the operational chief for the criminal operations of the Zetas criminal group in Coahuila, Nuevo Leon and Tamaulipas states," the Defense Ministry said in a statement. It said he was also a top lieutenant of cartel chief Heriberto Lazcano, in which case the arrest would be one of the largest blows ever dealt to the organization. The arrest followed running street battles involving troops, police and gang members in which a taxi driver was killed and eight other people were wounded, including three police, the Coahuila state prosecutor's office said. Authorities said the suspect would be presented to the media on Thursday. The arrest came the day after the United States accused Iranian operatives of having tried to contact a Mexican drug cartel as part of a plot to kill the Saudi ambassador in Washington. Officials did not specify which of Mexico's powerful cartels was allegedly approached, but US media reported that it was the Zetas, a notorious drug cartel made up of former Mexican special forces. The Zetas have been accused of a string of killings, kidnappings and macabre displays of brutality that have made them one of the most feared gangs in Mexico's spiraling drug violence. Set up in the 1990s by ex-elite soldiers turned hired killers, the Zetas are fighting their former allies the Gulf cartel and others. More than 45,000 people have been killed in drug-related violence since Mexico launched a massive military operation against the cartels in 2006 involving some 50,000 troops. Earlier on Wednesday, the navy said it had found the body of a man it described as the "chief financial operator of the Gulf Cartel" in Reynosa, Tamaulipas state, without saying who was behind the killing. Last week Mexican troops detained 32 alleged Zetas members, including 18 municipal police officers, in the eastern state of Veracruz. The sting came after the bodies of 35 people, most with criminal records, were dumped on a road in Veracruz city in broad daylight. The killings were claimed by a shadowy new vigilante group calling itself the "Zetas Killers."</p>

Mexico arrests senior Zetas crime boss

  Mexico's armed forces arrested a high-level Zetas drug cartel boss who was in charge of operations in three states along the US border...

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Thousands of children' sexually exploited by gangs

<p> </p><p>Thousands of children in England are being horrifically abused by gangs, the deputy children's commissioner has said, as she launches an inquiry. Current estimates say up to 10,000 children could be affected by the sexual abuse, but it is feared the true figure could be much higher. Sue Berelowitz said: "Right now thousands of children are being horrifically abused by gangs." She is mounting a two-year inquiry into the scale and scope of the problem. The exploitation involves children as young as 11 being targeted by groups of men or gangs. They are given gifts and attention, then sold or passed on to others once they are trapped. The issue reaches across all races and classes, said Ms Berelowitz.</p>

Thousands of children' sexually exploited by gangs

  Thousands of children in England are being horrifically abused by gangs, the deputy children's commissioner has said, as she launches ...

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London Gang Sweep Leads To 13 Arrests

<p> </p><p>Dawn raids by the Metropolitan Police have led to the arrest of 13 gang members in north London on Thursday morning. The raids involves some 200 police officers under Operation Connect - a dedicated unit set up to crack down on violence by street gangs. The officers from Haringey borough, Met specialist units and Safer Transport teams, joined the Operation Connect team for the operation. Territorial Support Group officers forced entry to 17 addresses in two coordinated waves during early morning. All the individuals targeted during the operation were sent warning letters earlier this week offering them the chance to get help to divert from the gang lifestyle - or face tough enforcement consequences. The arrests were of 12 male and one female suspected gang members, ranging in age from 17 to 26. They were arrested for offences ranging from armed robbery, assault, affray, possession with intent to supply and violent disorder to non-residential burglary. They are currently being interviewed at a number of London police stations. Four of the 13 arrests related to offences committed in Tottenham in the recent London disorder.</p>

London Gang Sweep Leads To 13 Arrests

  Dawn raids by the Metropolitan Police have led to the arrest of 13 gang members in north London on Thursday morning. The raids involves ...

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A PLANNED bid for freedom by Melbourne identity Tony Mokbel has been sensationally scrapped.

<p><span style="color: #202020; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; line-height: 18px; background-color: #ffffff;"><div class="article-media article-media-large media-count-1 first-image-650w366h" style="margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 20px; margin-left: 0px !important; width: 650px; clear: both; overflow-x: visible !important; overflow-y: visible !important; padding: 0px;"><div style="padding: 0px; margin: 0px;"><div class="image " style="padding: 0px; margin: 0px;"><div class="image-frame image-650w366h" style="width: 650px; text-align: center; background-image: initial; background-attachment: initial; background-origin: initial; background-clip: initial; background-color: #dadad8; background-position: initial initial; background-repeat: initial initial; padding: 0px; margin: 0px;"><img alt="Tony Mokbel" height="366" src="http://resources0.news.com.au/images/2011/10/13/1226166/204016-tony-mokbel.jpg" style="border: 0px initial initial;" width="650" /></div><p class="caption" style="margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 0px; padding-top: 5px; padding-right: 40px; padding-bottom: 5px; padding-left: 5px; background-image: initial; background-attachment: initial; background-origin: initial; background-clip: initial; background-color: #ffffff; color: #000000; font-size: 11px; border-top-width: 1px; border-top-color: #ffffff; border-top-style: solid; border-bottom-width: 1px; border-bottom-style: solid; border-bottom-color: #cccccc; background-position: initial initial; background-repeat: initial initial;"><span class="caption-text" style="display: inline; padding: 0px; margin: 0px;">Tony Mokbel is expected to use a legal loophole to try to beat charges against him. </span><span class="image-source" style="display: inline; padding: 0px; margin: 0px;">Supplied</span></p></div></div></div><div class="story-intro" style="padding: 0px; margin: 0px;"><p style="margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 0px; padding-top: 0px; padding-right: 40px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px;"><strong><br /></strong></p></div><p style="margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 0px; padding-top: 0px; padding-right: 40px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px;">Mokbel was expected to use a police stuff-up to try to get off drug charges he has already admitted.</p><p style="margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 0px; padding-top: 0px; padding-right: 40px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px;">Police sources yesterday revealed that Mokbel's lawyers would try to use a legal loophole to beat charges against the notorious gangland boss.</p><p style="margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 0px; padding-top: 0px; padding-right: 40px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px;">Mokbel would have been the first of many criminals and suspects hoping to take advantage of a recent admission by Victoria Police that officers routinely failed to swear an oath when signing affidavits.</p><p style="margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 0px; padding-top: 0px; padding-right: 40px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px;">The embarrassing blunder could render any evidence gained from affidavits used to execute search warrants, bug telephones or install listening and tracking devices unable to be used in prosecutions.</p><p style="margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 0px; padding-top: 0px; padding-right: 40px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px;">The legal team was expected to seek an adjournment in the sentencing process to allow it to check the veracity of documents used by Victoria Police to gather evidence against Mokbel.</p><div class="story-related story-sidebar block-style" style="margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 10px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; float: left; max-width: 180px; font-size: 12px; line-height: 1.27em; padding: 0px;"><div id="sidebar-start" class="assistive sidebar-jump" style="position: absolute; left: -5000em; width: 4000em; height: 0px; overflow-x: hidden; overflow-y: hidden; padding: 0px; margin: 0px;"><p style="margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 0px; padding-top: 0px; padding-right: 40px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px;"><a href="http://www.heraldsun.com.au/news/breaking-news/tony-mokbel-to-use-police-bungle-to-beat-charges/story-e6frf7jx-1226166529683#sidebar-end" style="color: #164983;"></a></p></div></div><p style="margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 0px; padding-top: 0px; padding-right: 40px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px;">But Mokbel's lawyer Peter Faris QC appeared before the Supreme Court this morning and said they no longer wished to proceed with an application for an adjournment.</p><p style="margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 0px; padding-top: 0px; padding-right: 40px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px;">No reason was given for the change of plans.</p><p style="margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 0px; padding-top: 0px; padding-right: 40px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px;">A plea hearing for Mokbel will now go ahead on Tuesday.</p><p style="margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 0px; padding-top: 0px; padding-right: 40px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px;">Mokbel, 45, pleaded guilty in April to drug charges relating to him masterminding his drug gang while he was on the run in Victoria and Greece.</p><p style="margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 0px; padding-top: 0px; padding-right: 40px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px;">Bugging and tracking his phones enabled Purana taskforce detectives to work out where Mokbel had fled to - resulting in him being arrested in the Definia seaside cafe near Athens in 2007 after 15 months on the run.</p><p style="margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 0px; padding-top: 0px; padding-right: 40px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px;">Forensic accountants attached to Purana were able to establish that Mokbel made about $100 million through his gang, which he called The Company.</p><p style="margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 0px; padding-top: 0px; padding-right: 40px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px;">Company members were involved in the manufacture and distribution of very large quantities of amphetamines and trafficking ecstasy and cocaine.</p><p style="margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 0px; padding-top: 0px; padding-right: 40px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px;">The Company was formed largely to finance Mokbel's escape from Australia and pay for his life as a fugitive in Australia and Greece.</p><p style="margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 0px; padding-top: 0px; padding-right: 40px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px;">In a deal between his lawyers and prosecutors, outstanding drug charges were dropped in return for him pleading guilty to trafficking a large commercial quantity of methylamphetamine, trafficking a large commercial quantity of ecstasy and urging an undercover operative to import a commercial quantity of ecstasy.</p><p style="margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 0px; padding-top: 0px; padding-right: 40px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px;">His fear of being charged over one or more underworld murders prompted him to disappear near the end of his March 2006 drug trial.</p><p style="margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 0px; padding-top: 0px; padding-right: 40px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px;">He fully expected to be convicted on the cocaine smuggling charge, telling close associates he would cop it and do the five years he expected to be jailed for.</p><p style="margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 0px; padding-top: 0px; padding-right: 40px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px;">What he couldn't stomach was the thought of a life sentence for murder.</p><p style="margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 0px; padding-top: 0px; padding-right: 40px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px;">He was sentenced in his absence to a nine-year minimum term from the 2006 drug trial. With time served before sentencing, he would be eligible to be released in February 2014.</p></span></p>

A PLANNED bid for freedom by Melbourne identity Tony Mokbel has been sensationally scrapped.

Tony Mokbel is expected to use a legal loophole to try to beat charges against him.  Supplied Mokbel was expected to use a police stuff-up t...

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FSA broke its own rules in Keydata probe, judge rules

<p> </p><p>High Court judge found that the Financial Services Authority (FSA) had wrongfully used privileged emails to bring its case against Keydata. A further "relief hearing" will now determine the impact of the ruling, which could de-rail the case altogether. It is the latest in a line of setbacks for the regulator, which has been investigating regulatory breaches at Keydata and millions of pounds of missing retail funds for two years. Keydata invested in "life settlement funds", which buy and sell US life insurance and generate high returns. In June 2009 the FSA applied for Keydata's closure "to protect investors", saying it was concerned about "potentially missing assets". The business was fast-tracked into administration and referred to the Serious Fraud Office (SFO). It emerged that £103m of life insurance policies managed by a Luxembourg business, SLS Capital, and sold to Keydata investors as low-risk bonds might have been "misappropriated".</p>

FSA broke its own rules in Keydata probe, judge rules

  High Court judge found that the Financial Services Authority (FSA) had wrongfully used privileged emails to bring its case against Keydata...

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US to pressure Iran over 'plot to kill Saudi envoy'

<p> </p><p>US Attorney General Eric Holder says the alleged conspiracy was "conceived, sponsored and directed from Iran" Continue reading the main story Related Stories Clinton hails break-up of 'plot' Middle East rivalries play out in US The US secretary of state has called for a "very strong message" to be sent to Iran, after allegations of a plot to kill the Saudi ambassador to the US. Hillary Clinton said Washington was preparing new penalties against Iran, which is already subject to a variety of international sanctions. Two Iranians were charged over the plot which US officials said implicated Iran's Revolutionary Guard Corps. Meanwhile the US issued a worldwide alert about possible anti-US actions. "The US government assesses that this Iranian-backed plan to assassinate the Saudi ambassador may indicate a more aggressive focus by the Iranian government on terrorist activity against diplomats from certain countries, to include possible attacks in the United States," the alert said. It urged Americans residing and travelling abroad to review the information available when making travel plans. Iran has dismissed the allegations as false and baseless. Continue reading the main story “ Start Quote The idea that they would attempt to go to a Mexican drug cartel to solicit murder-for-hire to kill the Saudi ambassador, nobody could make that up, right?” Hillary Clinton US secretary of state 'Well-grounded suspicions' Mrs Clinton praised those involved in the operation to uncover the plot. "It was a terrific achievement by our law enforcement and intelligence communities, and we will be consulting with our friends and partners around the world about how we can send a very strong message that this kind of action, which violates international norms, must be ended," she said at a news conference. "This case will, I think, reinforce the well-grounded suspicions of many countries about what they're up to." Mrs Clinton said the suspected plotters had been trying to involve hired killers from Mexican drug cartels. "The idea that they would attempt to go to a Mexican drug cartel to solicit murder-for-hire to kill the Saudi ambassador, nobody could make that up, right?" she said. US Attorney General Eric Holder said Iran's involvement in the plot was "a flagrant violation of US and international law". Continue reading the main story Analysis Mohammad Manzarpour BBC Persian There is a long history of animosity between Iran and Saudi Arabia which stretches back to before the Islamic Revolution of 1979. Religiously, the Wahhabi rulers of Saudi Arabia and the Shia clerics of Iran reject each other's interpretation of Islam. Geopolitically, the two are staunch rivals, engaged in a seemingly never-ending battle for greater regional influence. They have also been engaged in proxy wars for decades, taking different sides in the Iran-Iraq war, Afghanistan, Lebanon and the Palestinian territories. But it is the Saudis' military intervention in Bahrain which may have prompted the alleged plot. It was little criticised in the West but was seen in Iran as a blatant assault on the Shia majority in Bahrain. In a statement, UK Prime Minister David Cameron's office said: "Indications that this plot was directed by elements of the Iranian regime are shocking... We will support measures to hold Iran accountable for its actions." US officials have said military action was not being considered. The US Treasury Department placed five Iranians, including the two men charged, under sanctions on Tuesday for their alleged involvement in the plot. The two accused were named as Manssor Arbabsiar, a 56-year-old naturalised US citizen with dual Iranian and US passports, and Gholam Shakuri, based in Iran and said to be a member of Iran's Quds Force, a unit of the Revolutionary Guard Corps. The other three were described as high-ranking members of the Quds force. Mr Arbabsiar, who was arrested at New York's John F Kennedy airport on 29 September, has confessed to his involvement in the alleged plot, Mr Holder said. A lawyer for Mr Arbabsiar said he would plead not guilty when he was officially indicted. 'Shocking' Mr Shakuri was said to be in Iran. US officials said that on 24 May 2011, Mr Arbabsiar made contact with an informant for the US Drug Enforcement Agency, who was posing as a Mexican drug cartel member. Manssor Arbabsiar appeared at a court in New York City on Tuesday Over a series of meetings, it is said that details emerged of a conspiracy involving members of the Iranian government paying $1.5m (£960,000) for the assassination of Saudi ambassador Adel al-Jubeir on US soil. Justice department officials said the initial envisaged target was the Saudi embassy. But in conversations secretly recorded for the US authorities, Mr Arbabsiar also allegedly considered having the ambassador killed at a purported favourite restaurant, despite the possibility of mass casualties. The plot would have been carried out with explosives, Mr Holder said. But he added that no explosives were ever put in place and the public was not in danger. Mr Holder said Mr Arbabsiar, with approval from Mr Shakuri, wired $100,000 to a US bank account for the informant as a downpayment. Mr Arbabsiar and Mr Shakuri have been charged with conspiracy to murder a foreign official, weapons conspiracy, and conspiracy to commit international terrorism charges. Continue reading the main story “ Start Quote The choice of ambassadorial target is a direct expression of the acerbic tensions in the Middle East between Saudi Arabia, a key US ally, and Iran” Kim Ghattas BBC News, Washington Alleged plot reflects Middle East rivalries Unnamed US officials also told journalists that the Israeli embassy in Washington was also to have been attacked. Iran's official Islamic Republic News Agency called the charges a "propaganda campaign" by the US government against Tehran. The allegations were "a comedy show fabricated by America", Iranian foreign ministry spokesman Ramin Mehmanparast told the semi-official Iranian news agency, Fars. Mr Arbabsiar appeared briefly at a New York City court on Tuesday. He did not enter a plea and was held without bail. He could face a life prison sentence if convicted on all charges, the Department of Justice said.</p>

US to pressure Iran over 'plot to kill Saudi envoy'

  US Attorney General Eric Holder says the alleged conspiracy was "conceived, sponsored and directed from Iran" Continue reading t...

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US issues travel alert linked to Iran plot

<p> </p><p>The US State Department late on Tuesday issued a worldwide travel alert for US citizens, warning of the potential for anti-US action after the United States accused Iran of backing a plot to kill Saudi Arabia's ambassador to Washington.   Murder Plot Iranians charged over assassination plot / Reuters American authorities uncover plot to bomb Israeli, Saudi embassies in Washington, assassinate Saudi ambassador Full story "The US government assesses that this Iranian-backed plan to assassinate the Saudi ambassador may indicate a more aggressive focus by the Iranian government on terrorist activity against diplomats from certain countries, to include possible attacks in the United States," it said in a statement on its website.   The alert expires January 11, 2012, it said.</p>

US issues travel alert linked to Iran plot

  The US State Department late on Tuesday issued a worldwide travel alert for US citizens, warning of the potential for anti-US action after...

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British man arrested on Tenerife with 34 heroin capsules in his body

<p> </p><p>34 year old British man has been arrested at the Los Rodeos Tenerife North Airport after found to be carrying 75 capsules of heroin inside his body. News has just been released of the arrest which took place last Wednesday afternoon, and a statement from the Guardia Civil says the total weight of the drug recovered was 913 grams. Apparently when stopped by customs officials on arrival from the Spanish mainland, suspicions were raised when the Briton was unable to give a clear explanation as to the reason for his visit to Tenerife. The man, who has not been named in reports, was subjected to medical and police surveillance in the Canaries Universitario Hospital until all the capsules had been passed. That was checked by x-ray.</p>

British man arrested on Tenerife with 34 heroin capsules in his body

  34 year old British man has been arrested at the Los Rodeos Tenerife North Airport after found to be carrying 75 capsules of heroin inside...

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arrested after argument over loud motorcycle noise

<p> </p><p>Rock Hill man was arrested and accused of threatening a couple by telling them he would have Hells Angels motorcycle gang burn down their home, police say. Gerald Anthony Rodgers, 52, has been charged with assault and battery. Rodgers had driven by the couple's Rock Hill home Monday night and revved his motorcycle, startling the couple's dog, according to a York County Sheriff's Office report. The man and Rodgers began arguing about the noise. Then, Rodgers told the man he had placed his family in danger and that he and the Hells Angels would burn down the home. Rodgers told deputies threats had been made both ways, the report states. He claimed the man had threatened him with a knife. Rodgers was then arrested and taken to York County Detention Center.</p>

arrested after argument over loud motorcycle noise

  Rock Hill man was arrested and accused of threatening a couple by telling them he would have Hells Angels motorcycle gang burn down their ...

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Triple-murder case involving local Hells Angel goes to grand jury

<p> </p><p>The triple murder case involving a local Hells Angels member and two others is before a grand jury and a second case involving the same biker is heading there as well. According to a source close to the case, the grand jury is in session and interviewing witnesses in the Aug. 28 murder of three Pittsfield men. Adam Lee Hall, 34, of Peru; Caius Veiovis, 31, of Pittsfield; and David Chalue, 44, of North Adams and Springfield, allegedly kidnapped then murdered David Glasser in order to keep him from testifying against Hall, a member of the Berkshire County chapter of the Hells Angels, in an assault and kidnapping trial that had been set to begin Sept. 19. The two other victims, Edward Frampton -- Glasser's roommate -- and their friend, Robert Chadwell, were killed because they were at the wrong place at the wrong time, according to police. All three were allegedly abducted Aug. 28 from 254 Linden St., where Glasser and Frampton lived. A fourth defendant, David Casey, 62, of Canaan, N.Y., has been charged as an accessory to the murder for allegedly helping Hall bury the bodies with an excavator in Becket. It was unclear whether Casey was part of the current grand jury proceedings. All four defendants have pleaded not guilty. The grand jury is a secret proceeding made up of no more than 23 jurors who serve for up to three months. Unlike a criminal trial, the prosecutor questions witnesses, Advertisement while any attorney representing a witness is excluded from objecting, arguing or addressing the prosecutor or the jurors, according to the state's criminal procedure law. If at least 12 jurors find there is enough evidence, then the defendants can be indicted and the case can move on to the superior court level. Hall is also facing child pornography and extortion charges for allegedly forcing a 16-year-old to send him nude photographs of herself. He was arraigned Sept. 6 in Central Berkshire District Court on those charges. On Sept. 29, the Berkshire District Attorney's Office pulled the case from district court in order to bring it to the grand jury in hopes of prosecuting Hall on the charges in superior court. Meanwhile, the police investigation is continuing. The case is headed up by the Massachusetts State Police and the Pittsfield Police, with the assistance of the FBI and other agencies, under the direction of the district attorney. Investigators were back at Hall's compound located at 40 East Main St. in Peru on Monday and were seen digging on the property with an excavator. A large-scale police search had been conducted at the site last month. The warrants in the case were set to be unsealed this week, but at the request of authorities, they won't be revealed until the end of the month</p>

Triple-murder case involving local Hells Angel goes to grand jury

  The triple murder case involving a local Hells Angels member and two others is before a grand jury and a second case involving the same bi...

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