Longtime gangster and founder of the Independent Soldiers Randy Naicker was shot to death in Port Moody Monday.

 

Randy Naicker (right) with Hell’s Angel Larry Amero.

Photograph by: Handout photo , Vancouver Sun files

 

 

Naicker, a convicted kidnapper once targeted by killers at his Vancouver halfway house, was gunned down at about 4:45 p.m. near St. Johns and Queens streets.

Police confirmed Tuesday morning that Naicker was the victim of the fatal shooting.

Vancouver police have been called in to investigate the death, Port Moody's second gangland shooting in a month. Port Moody Police have an agreement with the larger VPD to conduct murder probes.

Witnesses described seeing a masked gunman shoot Naicker several times, then get into a vehicle and leave the scene - a parking area off a laneway and outside a Star-bucks restaurant.

VPD Const. Lindsey Houghton said the incident appeared to be "a targeted gang-related shooting."

"Members of the Port Moody Police and Coquitlam RCMP rushed to the chaotic scene where there had been dozens of people put in harm's way while in nearby businesses and commuting home in rush hour," Houghton said, asking anyone with information about the slaying to call 604-717-2500.

Starbucks Canada said staff members affected by the shooting are able to access counseling services.

The store opened as usual Tuesday morning.

Naicker, 35, had received death threats over the years. Within the last few months, he had been warned by the Gang Task Force that there were people who wanted him dead, according to sources.

While out on day parole in September 2009, Naicker was targeted by killers at his half-way house near Cambie Street and West 21st Avenue.

A worker at the residence had mistakenly written in a log-book that Naicker had gone out to the corner store. In fact, another house resident, Raj Soomel, had strolled down Cambie Street and was gunned down on his way back.

Police later revealed that Soomel had been killed in error by someone looking for Naicker, who had only been out of jail for five days.

Naicker's parole was revoked after Soomel's slaying, but he repeatedly told the Parole Board of Canada he did not believe he was in danger, or that he was the target of the 2009 plot.

"I just haven't had those kinds of headaches where some-one wants to assassinate you," Naicker told board members in a December 2009 hearing attended by The Sun. "The way that it happened, it seemed like it was a targeted incident."

The Sun has learned that the 2009 attack is believed to have been plotted by the United Nations gang against Naicker because two of Naicker's under-lings assaulted a UN member in prison.

Naicker told the parole board he was not a gangster, though some of his old friends were. He admitted he founded the Independent Soldiers, but claimed it was only a clothing line and that he was a businessman.

And Naicker told the parole board that The Sun had caused all his problems by running a photograph of himself and full-patch Hells Angel Larry Amero at a Kelowna party. Both sported their respective gang tattoos on their chest.

Amero was seriously wounded in the Kelowna shooting last August in which Jonathan Bacon was killed. Since then, police have warned of increasing tensions between two rival groups - one dubbed the Dhak-Duhre-UN group and the other some Hells Angels, the Independent Soldiers and Bacon's Red Scorpions.

Less than a month ago, Gurbinder (Bin) Toor, a Duhre associate, was shot to death outside the Port Moody Recreation Centre.

Naicker had known the Bacons for years. While out on bail for his 2005 gang kid-napping charges, Naicker was caught by police with Jamie Bacon and others associated with both gangs at Abbotsford's Castle Fun Park.

Naicker was believed to be living in Burnaby, although he owned a Surrey condo purchased for almost $500,000 while he was still in prison.

He was convicted of the 2005 kidnapping and unlawful confinement in Surrey of a gangster after $400,000 worth of pot went missing and two gang-land associates were murdered. He was sentenced to five years.

At the time of his statutory release a year ago, the parole board imposed special conditions because of the belief he was a marked man. Naicker had to tell his parole supervisor of anyone living with him so that person could be fully informed of the "harmful potential associated with being in close proximity to you."

2 killed in possible gang shooting in LA

Los Angeles police say two people were shot and killed in the Arlington Heights neighborhood in what is believed to be a gang shooting. Spokesman Bruce Borihahn says it's unclear if the two killed were targets or innocent bystanders when shots rang out at about noon on Wednesday. Borihahn says the shooter walked by the victims and fired numerous times at the two male victims near the intersection of West Pico and 6th Avenue. Borihahn says a suspect and weapon are in custody. Borihahn says the incident appears to be gang-related but remains under investigation.

Convicted killer in Bolsa Restaurant gang slaying to apply for mistrial after confession comes to light

Calgary man convicted in the gang-related triple homicide at Bolsa Restaurant on New Year’s Day 2009 will make a formal application for a mistrial, based on a confession by a key witness just disclosed recently. Andrea Urquhart, acting as agent for Real Christian Honorio on Friday, told Court of Queen’s Bench Justice Bryan Mahoney that co-counsel Tonii Roulston and Greg Dunn have reviewed the new evidence and will make the application to trial Justice Glen Poelman, likely in August. “We were provided with disclosure from the Crown last week and Ms. Roulston and Mr. Dunn will be making the application for mistrial. “We will be making the application in front of Justice Poelman.” Crown prosecutor Rajbir Dhillon said “that is fine with the Crown.” At issue is the statement “M.M.” made last July 12 to a Mountie near Unity, Sask., in which he confessed to all three slayings. M.M., who was given immunity from prosecution for his testimony as long as he was not one of the shooters, told the RCMP officer he went into the restaurant on Jan. 1, 2009, and fatally shot FK gang member Sanjeev Mann, 23, FK associate Aaron Bendle, 21, and bystander Keni S’ua, 43. However, he testified at two trials, including Honorio’s trial, that he kidnapped Bendle to get to Mann but did not enter the Vietnamese eatery. He claimed he was the driver of a getaway car. Roulston and Dunn were given copies of the transcript of the M.M. statement on May 28, three days after it was received by Dhillon and co-Crown Susan Karpa, then last week received the audio-videotaped statement and reviewed it. The lawyers who represent Real Christian Honorio, 28, on Friday were granted a delay by Court of Queen’s Bench Justice Glen Poelman after they presented a partial transcript of M.M.’s audio-videotaped admissions. Dhillon told Poelman on what was to be the ay of sentencing for Honorio that he and Karpa were unaware of the existence of the statement until a Crown prosecutor in Saskatchewan found it while reviewing the file into M.M.’s arrest last summer. He said they were advised and immediately sought disclosure. M.M. told RCMP Const. Eric MacDonald during the interview following the traffic stop, “I was the one that committed it. I run into Bolsa with a f---in’ nine millimetre, a .357, as well as a .45,” M.M. told the Mountie. “I shot (bystander) Keni S’ua, I shot . . . Sanjeev Mann, as well as I shot Aaron Bendle. I murdered them. Nathan Zuccherato did not. Michael Roberto did not. Nicholas Hovanesian did not. Nor did Charleman. I did. I killed them. I murdered them in cold blood.” Shell casings from all three calibres of weapons M.M. mentioned were found at the scene, according to evidence at trial. When MacDonald seemingly ignored M.M. during his arrest and asked him if he wanted to call a lawyer, M.M. challenged the officer and said: “No, I don’t care . . . nope. I want you to live with it. I want you to be the one that says I was the one that let three murderers go.” When the officer again ignored his comments, M.M. repeatedly reiterated that he killed them, including fatally shooting Mann in front of his girlfriend . . . by “myself.” M.M., who admitted at Honorio’s trial that he did enough to be convicted of three counts of first-degree murder because he was involved in kidnapping Bendle the night before the slayings and was a getaway driver outside the restaurant, had denied he was ever inside. Honorio was convicted March 29 by a jury of first-degree murder in the deaths of Bendle and Mann and second-degree murder in the death of S’ua, 43. He faces automatic life in prison with no chance of parole for 25 years. Honorio, a member of the 403 Soldiers gang, was the third gang member convicted by a jury regarding the bloody incident at the restaurant in Macleod Mall at Macleod Trail and 94th Avenue S.E. It shocked the entire city as it came during a bitter gang war that claimed at least 25 lives over five years. Zuccherato, 25, and Roberto, 28, both members of the FOB street gang, bitter rival of the FKs, were found guilty of three counts of first-degree murder last October and sentenced to life with no chance of parole for 25 years. The lawyers said new evidence could affect appeals filed by Zuccherato and Roberto and a potential appeal by Honorio, if he is not granted a mistrial. A fourth man, Nicholas Hovanesian, recently pleaded guilty to kidnapping Bendle and being an accessory after the fact to murder. He has yet to be sentenced.

Charges filed in fatal Murray shooting

28-year-old Magna man has been charged with the shooting death of a man in Murray that was apparently gang-related. Jonas Rodriguez Perez was charged last week in 3rd District Court with first-degree murder for the slaying of Alvert John Mike, 21. Join the Discussion Post a Comment According to charging documents, Perez began fighting with Mike at a party near 6600 South 630 West in the early morning hours of May 19. The party included a group of Sureños gang members. Mike, who arrived as part of a group of Norteños gang members, began throwing gang signs and arguing with Perez, a known Sureños associate, according to charges. When the conflict escalated, Perez chased Mike down the street and shot him, fleeing the scene before police arrived, charges state. Perez, who was arrested in Magna later that day, also is charged with second-degree felony counts of discharge of a firearm and possession of a dangerous weapon. A scheduling hearing is set for July 2 before Judge Robin Reese. Immigration and Customs Enforcement state that Perez was deported in 2010 and is currently in the country illegally. Utah court records show two past traffic citations and a 2010 fugitive warrant alleging Perez was wanted in San Diego for a drunk-driving case involving injury. Porfirio Perez Saligan, 23, allegedly told detectives he was the getaway driver for Perez after the shooting. He has been charged with second-degree felony obstruction of justice

Conclusions in Trial to 37 Zetas Captured in Guatemala

The Public Ministry is starting to give its conclusions here in the trial to 37 accused people of belonging to Mexican criminal group Los Zetas, captured in Guatemala.   According to the information, the Public Ministry will make the summary on more than 250 pieces of evidence given in the process in course in a high court. The accused are indistinctly imputed the kidnapping, murder, attacks against the forces of security, illegal behavior of firearms and ammunition, illicit association, illegal trade, traffic and storage of drugs, among others. The list is long, among them the capture and murder of a prosecutor´s assistant whose dismembered body later appeared in the centre of Cobán, head city of the northern department of Alta Verapaz. Members of that group are accused of having ambushed and shot four policemen in San Pedro Pinula, in the centre-east demarcation of Jalapa.

Murdered Bronx gang member Abdul Garcia Jr. was on streets since 12, tried to go legit, his companion insists

Abdul “Showtime” Garcia, Jr., was found June 4 at Hoe and Aldus Aves. with five bullets in him. Cops said he was a Bloods gang member. A red bandanna adorned the sidewalk memorial to him. Police say Garcia had a long criminal record, was a suspect in a recent shooting that paralyzed a man, and died with a gun in his back pocket. But his common-law wife painted a different portrait. The softspoken, petite 23-year-old woman said he was a doting father to their 4-year-old son and to her 6-year-old boy. Garcia’s companion, who asked that her name be withheld, said she met him in 2006. She said that he left his parents’ home after an arrest, possibly for fighting, that sent him to a youth detention center for as long as three years. When he was released he roamed from house to house, then moved into the shelter where she was staying. “He started living there with me and my mom, and he started taking care of my son that was a month and a half, that wasn't even his,” she said. He was known as Showtime because he was so entertaining. Asked about his gang involvement, she said, “I don’t want to speak about it. But he was a good person...” She said he was always looking for legitimate work. He swept subway station floors, worked in construction, moved stock at the area’s produce markets, and handed out promotional flyers for a dental clinic. But back pain from scoliosis caused him to quit or lose jobs. He got his GED and recently took a test to enroll at Boricua College, she said. Garcia had 33 arrests on his record and 15 convictions, including five for felonies. His companion said that most of those were related to his marijuana use. “He liked to smoke,” she said. “So what? It’s not killing anybody.” Police said Garcia was arrested last year on the upper East side, in possession of a loaded gun and a skimask. He was charged in the May 11 double-shooting at 1000 Hoe Ave., just yards from where he died. Garcia’s companion says police released him because a video showed a larger man doing the shooting. Police said they had a witness who recanted. “To me, it’s just a lie,” the wife said. She says Garcia was in Monticello when the May 11 shooting took place. On June 4, Garcia went out to get soda and juice. “Ten minutes later somebody knocked on the door crying and they said, ‘Show is on the floor.’” She ran out to find him face down in the street under a blanket. “I started yelling at everybody, asking them what happened, what happened, what happened, and nobody would say nothing,” she said. “Everybody was just looking at me, like sad and everything.” She said Garcia wanted to go somewhere quiet, like NewJersey. “He just didn’t want to be around all of this no more. He just wanted to be a family.”

Fatal shooting possibly to bolster San Bernardino gang

Anthony Phillips, 26, of San Bernardino, is accused of fatally shooting Maurice Major, 29, of Riverside, at an apartment complex in the 1200 block of North Sierra Way. Phillips was arrested the next day. He is charged with one count of murder, and prosecutors have added a gang enhancement for Phillips' alleged involvement in a San Bernardino gang. Phillips, who was in San Bernardino Superior Court on Thursday, has pleaded not guilty to the charges. During the hearing in front of Judge James Dorr, a detective and an officer from the San Bernardino Police Department were called as witnesses. They testified about the shooting and gangs in the area. Phillips, also known as Ant, is affiliated with the Delmann Heights Bloods, said Officer Jonathan Plummer, a gang investigator with the San Bernardino Police Department. "(The shooting) enhances the gang by sending a message to rival gang members and to the community - that Delmann Heights is very violent," Plummer said. The officer testified about Phillips' reported noteworthy tattoos, including "DH" under his eyes, "Bloods" on his body, "San Murderdino" on his abs and "Delmann Heights" on both arms. Witnesses told police that Major was also a gang member, Detective Albert Tello testified. Advertisement His street name was West and he was affiliated with the West Covina Neighbor Hood Crips out of Los Angeles County. Recently, Los Angeles County gangs have come into the Inland Empire to sell drugs, Plummer said. Delmann Heights, which has more than 150 documented members, claims the boundaries of California Street to the west, Medical Center Drive to the east, Cajon Boulevard to the north and Highland Avenue to the south, according to police. Following a recent gang injunction in Delmann Heights, several DH members have migrated over to the 1200 block of Sierra to sell narcotics, Plummer said. Major's girlfriend told police that on the night of the shooting they were at a party outside a San Bernardino apartment complex, Tello testified. She told police that 20 to 30 people were there, including Phillips. The two men were familiar with each other, she told police, and at one point Phillips approached Major and asked to speak with him, Tello testified. The two walked away, Tello said, and while they were talking they got into an argument. Phillips then allegedly shot the victim several times in the chest, the girlfriend told police. "After he shot the victim, the suspect ran from the complex, put the gun away and ran toward Fame Liquor," on Base Line, Tello relayed on the witness stand. Major was taken to a local hospital, where he was later pronounced dead. Deputy District Attorney David Tulcan said prosecutors are still investigating whether Major had a gun on him that night. Authorities did find a clear, plastic bag with several pieces of suspected rock cocaine on the victim, police said. Testimony in the preliminary hearing will continue on Monday, where a judge is expected to set trial dates. May was a deadly month for the city. There were 12 reported homicides - five in one week. The spate of May violence prompted memories of the 1990s, when gang violence peaked in the area. The number of people killed in the city this year is up to 23

ranking member of the Fruit Town Brims set of the Bloods street gang was sentenced to 63 months in prison Wednesday

A Jersey City man who is a ranking member of the Fruit Town Brims set of the Bloods street gang was sentenced to 63 months in prison Wednesday for his role in the gang’s criminal enterprises, officials said. Tequan Ryals, 34, had pleaded guilty to racketeering conspiracy before U.S. District Court Judge Stanley R. Chesler, who imposed the sentence in Newark federal court Wednesday, U.S. Attorney Paul J. Fishman said. Ryals, with fellow gang members, conspired to distribute quantities of heroin in Jersey City between December 2008 and February 2009, according to court documents and statements. Ryals also made two drug sales monitored by law enforcement in December 2008, officials said. Ryals, who was involved in the daily activities of the Fruit Town Brims from 2004 until his arrest, acted as a middleman drug distributor, officials said. Ryals was supplied “bricks” of heroin by an associate of the set and he resold them to gang members, officials said. The indictment unsealed in January 2011 charged Ryals and 14 other defendants with racketeering conspiracy and other offenses including acts pertaining to murder, murder conspiracy, aggravated assaults, a kidnapping, firearms offenses and various drug distribution conspiracies, officials said. The gang members charged in the indictment ran the gang’s activities in Jersey City, Newark, Paterson and other locations, officials said. In November, Ryals completed a state prison term for drug crimes, corrections records say. Last week, 30-year federal prison terms were meted out to Emmanuel Jones, 28, of Jersey City, and Torien Brooks, 31, of Paterson, both members of the Fruit Town and Brick City Brims set of the Bloods, officials said. Jones and Brooks were charged in the July 2004 murder of 17-year-old Michael Taylor of Jersey City, who was gunned down in a case of mistaken identity during gang retaliation, officials said. Fishman credited a number of law enforcement agencies for the investigation leading to Ryals’ conviction, including the Hudson County Prosecutor’s Office, Hudson County Sheriff’s Office, and Jersey City Police Department.

Mob snitch who botched three hits ratted out Colombo gangster in murder trial

A mob snitch who couldn’t shoot straight easily pointed the finger at a reputed Colombo gangster on trial for murder. Dino Basciano took the witness stand in Brooklyn Federal Court to testify that he heard Frank (BF) Guerra was part of a hit team that successfully whacked Joseph Scopo in 1993. Basciano, 56, wasn’t much of a hit man himself, botching at least three rubout attempts. In one case, he shot Patricia Capozzalo, the sister of Peter (Fat Pete) Chiodo, telling defense lawyer Gerald McMahon, “I knew I didn’t kill her. She was still screaming when we left.”

Slain teen Ramarly Graham's twin brothers convicted of heading gang

The twin half brothers of Ramarley Graham, the Bronx teen fatally shot by a police officer in February, were convicted Tuesday for gun possenion and being part of a Harlem street gang. Hodean and Kadean Graham were sentenced to eight years in jail for heading a crew known as "One-Twenty-Nine" and "Goodfellas/The New Dons" between 2007 and 2011 in the area around W. 129th Street, between Lenox and Fifth Avenues. The 20-year-old brothers were cleared of attempted murder. "This violent street gang was as young as it was dangerous, its members having been involved in multiple shootings over a four-year period," Manhattan District Attorney Cy Vance said in a statement. Fifteen members of the gang were convicted on charges of drug dealing and weapons possession. Last week, police officer Richard Haste, 31, pleaded not guilty to manslaughter for shooting Ramarley Graham in the Bronx while officers were investigating a drug deal. As officers made the bust, they were radioed that Graham was armed, when he in fact was not. Graham was shot was trying to flush a bag of marijuana down a toilet. Haste's attorney said in court that the officer was conviced the teen was carrying a weapon.

Fears for Chicago teens as fatal shootings in city outnumber US troops killed in Afghanistan

A funeral director in Chicago has revealed how young people in the city do not expect to live late into adult life, as the number of fatal shootings continues to surge.

The worrying revelation by Spencer Leak, Sr. came as it emerged that more people have been shot dead on the streets of Chicago this year than U.S. troops have been killed in Afghanistan.

'These kids don’t expect to live a full life,' said Leak, who carries out more than 125 funerals a year for homicide victims, many of whom are young adults and teenagers.

Fearful: Chicago funeral director Spencer Leak, Sr. (left) said he buries 125 homicide victims - including teenagers - every year. Pastor Corey Brooks (right) is working with youths to improve their futures

Deadly: At least 240 people have been shot dead in Chicago since January compared to the 144 U.S. troops killed while on duty in Afghanistan in the same time period

'You get about a thousand other kids who come to these funerals,' he told NBC. 'They see how it's celebrated and they think this is how I’ll be celebrated when I get shot.'

Since the start of the year, 144 U.S. soldiers have been killed on duty in Afghanistan, while at least 240 people have been shot dead in Chicago.

 

More...

• Stunning singer who defied Taliban and divorced husband after finding out he had second wife is shot dead as she leaves beauty salon
• Mother-of-three dragged to her death by driver of SUV in front of daughter, 8, after argument over $130 bill
• Pictured: Father who beheaded his daughter in rage over her relationships as he remains unrepentant over attack

 

Over the course of the war since 2001, around 2,000 U.S. troops have died in Afghanistan compared to the 5,000 gunfire victims in the Illinois city.

Last weekend seven people were killed and 35 injured, while the weekend before eight were killed and 46 sustained injuries.

Young victims: Six-year-old Aliyah Shell (left), was shot dead on her porch in March this year. Joseph Briggs, 16, (right) was also killed outside his home earlier this month when gang gunfire broke out

 

Latest victim: Tiffany Edwards, 25, was shot dead in a friend's van as they left a gas station last weekend

Overall, homicides have increased by 35 per cent compared to last year, while crime across the nation has decreased for the fifth year in a row, according to data from the FBI.

One recent victim was six-year-old Aliyah Shell who suffered multiple gunshot wounds as she sat on the porch of her family's house in Little Village.

BY NUMBERS: CHICAGO SHOOTINGS

240 People shot dead in Chicago this year

144 U.S. troops killed in Afghanistan this year

5,000 People shot dead in Chicago since 2001

2,000 Troops killed in Afghanistan since 2001

7 People shot dead in Chicago last weekend

35 People injured in shootings in Chicago last weekend

35 Percentage increase in homicides in Chicago since last year

4 Times more the number of homicides in Chicago compared to New York

A pickup truck had pulled up outside the house and opened fire on the girl, her mother, younger sister and a man. Police found the truck and arrested the two men inside, known gang members.

Chicago's murder rate is currently four times that of New York's and double that in Los Angeles.

'It’s a sad indictment on us,' Leak told NBC. 'I’m talking to at least two-to-three mothers a week whose kids were killed in the streets of Chicago, and I’m just one funeral director.'

He added that young people need to be encouraged to attend church. 'We’ve got to preach to kids and try to show them what they’re doing is wrong,' he said.

Pastor Corey Brooks, who is working to educate youths about their options for the future, added: 'It’s more than just a gang situation. It’s much bigger than that.

'You have one of the most economically hit areas, in unemployment. You have a bunch of different social ills, no spirituality whatsoever. And violence is the result.'

In mourning: Leak said he carries out scores of funerals each year, like that pictured, for young people and teenagers who are the victims of fatal shootings

 

Plans: Mayor Rahm Emanuel (with Helen Hallom whose nephew was shot dead) announced plans to crack down on crime, including targeting liquor stores where gangs hang out

He said members of his New Beginnings church walk through the streets in Woodlawn, Chicago every Friday and Saturday night and there have been no shootings since.

'We need all hands on deck. We need all of the compassionate people we can get to get their hands on this issue,' he said.

Chicago Mayor Rahm Emanuel three weeks ago announced plans for combating street violence, including targeting liquour and convenience stores used by gang members as hangouts.

'Whether you are a problem business, a violent street corner, or a known drug market, we will go after you,' Emanuel said on May 31, after a weekend of 10 homicides in the city.

Little Italy shooting victim had long association with bikers, police say

The day after a brazen daytime shooting in Toronto’s Little Italy neighbourhood, a single bouquet of flowers lay outside the Sicilian Sidewalk Cafe in memory of the 35-year-old victim who died at the scene. The shooting during a Euro 2012 soccer match appeared to be targeted, and sources say the slain man once belonged to an outlaw motorcycle gang, prompting police to investigate possible mob links. A second victim was wounded in the attack.

Murdered Strand Gang henchman Joseph Thompson was a prime suspect into the unsolved killing of a rival gang leader

MURDERED Strand Gang henchman Joseph Thompson was a prime suspect in the unsolved killing of a rival gang leader. The 31-year-old was among five arrested by police over the murder of Croxteth Crew leader Danny McDonald, who was gunned down in Norris Green’s Royal Oak pub on New Year’s Day in 2004. He was blasted four times with a powerful handgun as he drank with other Crew members. But despite intense investigations, no one was ever brought to justice over the killing and Thompson was eventually released without charge.  Whether Thompson pulled the trigger or not, the killing sparked a bloody feud between the two gangs, at times transforming L11 into a war zone. Violence culminated in a revenge attack that saw the Strand Gang’s Liam ‘Smigger’ Smith – a close friend of Thompson – shot as he left Altcourse prison in 2006. In the wake of the murder, Thompson, then of Cottesbrook Road, landed himself in court for wearing “inflammatory” clothes which glorified Smith as a True Nogsy Soldier. Police described it as a “show of force” and one witness said it acted as the “mark of territory” of gang members. Thompson was also given a three-year Asbo after the court heard of the misery endured by Norris Green residents at his hands. He was barred from mixing with 34 members of the Strand Gang. In recent years, Thompson rose to the top of the Strand Gang hierarchy and pushed younger members to act as runarounds. “He was an intimidating man, he would force people out of their houses. People had to move to get away from him,” a source close to the gang told the ECHO. “All of the younger members would have had to swear loyalty to him.”

Fifteen members of the brutal Los Zetas drug cartel

Fifteen members of the brutal Los Zetas drug cartel — co-leader Miguel Angel Trevino Morales — have been indicted by a federal grand jury in Austin on money laundering conspiracy charges. The 25-page indictment was handed up May 30 and unsealed this afternoon. It accuses the men of funneling the proceeds from drug sales into the United States, where it was used to invest in quarter horses. “The money laundering network of this conspiracy reached from the United States/Mexico border to numerous locations in and near Austin, Texas and elsewhere,” the indictment said. It is unclear how many of the 15 members have been arrested. An initial appearance for one — Eusevio Maldonado Huitron — was scheduled for 2 p.m. in U.S. District Court in Austin. U.S. Alleges The indictment said that Miguel Trevino, also known as “40,” has coordinated the Los Zetas operations in Mexico, including coordinating cocaine and marijuana shipments from South America into the United States. “He was actively involved in the management of the quarter horse activities, including directing funds to pay for the purchase, breeding, training and racing of the quarter horses,” the indictment said. Also indicted were Trevino’s brothers, Oscar Omar Trevino Morales, also known as 42, and Jose Trevino Morales, who the indictment said were involved in quarter horse activities for Los Zetas. Oscar Trevino worked for the gang in Mexico, while Jose Trevino coordinated the activities in the United States, the indictment said. Along with his wife, Zulema Trevino, Jose Trevino operated the gang’s quarter horse activities through various “front companies” operating in Lexington, Okla., the indictment said. The indictment said that through a variety of business entities the members bought and sold horses and paid each other to give the impression that money deposited in their bank accounts had been legitimately earned.

2 Suspected members of Mexican cartel arrested in Guatemala

Two Guatemalans suspected of belonging to Mexico's Los Zetas drug cartel were arrested in a town in northern Guatemala, President Otto Perez Molina said. The suspects "are hitmen and members of the operations group of Los Zetas," which has a presence in northern Guatemala, the president said. Edwin Otoniel Sis and Abel de Jesus Bolvito were arrested at a soccer field Sunday afternoon in Salama, a city about 180 kilometers ( miles) north of Guatemala City, by National Civilian Police, or PNC, officers. De Jesus participated in the May 14, 2011, massacre of 27 peasants at a ranch in Guatemala's Peten province, which borders Mexico and Belize, Perez Molina said, citing investigators. "Abel de Jesus is accused of having participated in the massacre at the Los Cocos ranch," where peasants were shot and beheaded by suspected Zetas gunmen seeking to punish the property's owner, the president said. Heriberto Lazcano Lazcano, known as "El Lazca," deserted from the Mexican army in 1999 and formed Los Zetas with three other soldiers, all members of an elite special operations unit, becoming the armed wing of the Gulf drug cartel. After several years on the payroll of the Gulf cartel, Los Zetas, considered Mexico's most violent criminal organization, went into the drug business on their own account and now control several lucrative territories. Los Zetas has been blamed for several massacres in recent years. The cartel was accused of being behind the Aug. 23, 2010, massacre of 72 migrants, the majority of them from Latin America, at a ranch outside San Fernando, a city in the northeastern state of Tamaulipas. Zetas gunmen set fire to the Casino Royale in Monterrey, the capital of Nuevo Leon, on Aug. 25, 2011, killing 52 gamblers and employees trapped inside, most of whom died of smoke inhalation. Los Zetas, which began moving into Guatemala in mid-2007, has been battling local gangs for control of the illegal drug trade. The Mexican cartel, according to Guatemalan officials, is the most dangerous criminal organization operating in the Central American country

Kin Of Mexican Drug Cartel Boss Held In US

U.S. prosecutors said on Tuesday that they had arrested the brother of a suspected Mexican drug cartel boss after busting a major money-laundering operation involving horse-racing ventures. According to officials, law-enforcement officers arrested Jose Trevino Morales and six others in raids carried out in Oklahama and New Mexico. Morales is the brother of Miguel Angel Trevino, the suspected leader of Mexico's infamous Zetas drug cartel. Trevino is yet to be nabbed despite continued efforts by the Mexican government. Morales is accused of using champion race horse ranches in New Mexico and Oklahoma to launder millions of dollars in drug money for the Zetas. Officials say he used drug money to buy, train, breed and race American horses. Morales and 13 others were indicted later on Tuesday for money-laundering charges by U.S. authorities. Following the development, US Embassy in Mexico issued a security alert to all American citizens in that country on Tuesday afternoon as a precautionary measure against possible reprisal attacks by the drug cartel. The dreaded Zetas drug cartel was formed by former Mexican special forces soldiers. The Zetas initially served as hit-men and armed enforcers for the powerful Gulf cartel. They later split from their employers and extended their activities to include drug trafficking, kidnapping and extortion. The group has been engaged in fierce turf-wars with the Gulf and Sinaloa cartels for control of the lucrative drug smuggling routes into the U.S. The Mexican government claims that the ongoing inter-cartel turf-wars are responsible for the bulk of drug-related killings in the country. According to the Mexican government, more than 45,000 people have died in drug-related violence in the country since President Felipe Calderon launched an offensive against drug gangs after taking office in December 2006.

Suspects in Veto Street NW assault, robbery have admitted to crime, court records show

Four of five suspects in last week's brutal Veto Street NW home invasion, robbery and sexual assault have admitted to the crime, police said in court records. "Investigators spoke with four of the suspects, who all admitted to the home invasion/armed robbery," a Grand Rapids police officer wrote in an affidavit for an arrest warrant against the suspects. "The four suspects implicated their co-defendants as the ones who committed the multiple sexual assaults," the officer wrote. Dorian Jones, 20; Rederick Melton, 20; and Brandon Towns, 25, all were arraigned Friday on multiple counts of sex assault and armed robbery, as well as one count of entering a home without permission. A 14-year-old boy is at the Kent County juvenile detention center, so far held on charges unrelated to the June 4 home invasion. But police say he is a suspect in the case. Another man, 19-year-old James Hodges, was the subject of a manhunt until he turned himself in to police Friday afternoon. He is expected to be arraigned today on multiple felonies. Grand Rapids police say a group of mostly college students held a party Sunday night at 646 Veto Street NW. During the evening, some or all of the suspects attended the party. At 4 a.m., after the party was over and the students were asleep, they returned and entered the home through an unlocked door. Some of the people staying at the home were pistol-whipped and tied up. A woman was raped. The assailants took items such as cell phones, wallets, laptops and a television. In the probable cause affidavit, the officer wrote that police responded to the home about 5:30 a.m. "Four on-scene victims reported they were asleep when five black males, dressed in all black, entered their house and assaulted them with their fists and guns," he wrote. "All victims had visible injuries about their face and heads," he wrote.

shooting a cop dead is now legal in the state of Indiana.

Governor Mitch Daniels, a Republican, has authorized changes to a 2006 legislation that legalizes the use of deadly force on a public servant — including an officer of the law — in cases of “unlawful intrusion.” Proponents of both the Second and Fourth Amendments — those that allow for the ownership of firearms and the security against unlawful searches, respectively — are celebrating the update by saying it ensures that residents are protected from authorities that abuse the powers of the badge. Others, however, fear that the alleged threat of a police state emergence will be replaced by an all-out warzone in Indiana. Under the latest changes of the so-called Castle Doctrine, state lawmakers agree “people have a right to defend themselves and third parties from physical harm and crime.” Rather than excluding officers of the law, however, any public servant is now subject to be met with deadly force if they unlawfully enter private property without clear justification. “In enacting this section, the general assembly finds and declares that it is the policy of this state to recognize the unique character of a citizen's home and to ensure that a citizen feels secure in his or her own home against unlawful intrusion by another individual or a public servant,” reads the legislation. Although critics have been quick to condemn the law for opening the door for assaults on police officers, supporters say that it is necessary to implement the ideals brought by America’s forefathers. Especially, argue some, since the Indiana Supreme Court almost eliminated the Fourth Amendment entirely last year. During the 2011 case of Barnes v. State of Indiana, the court ruled that a man who assaulted an officer dispatched to his house had broken the law before there was “no right to reasonably resist unlawful entry by police officers.” In turn, the National Rifle Association lobbied for an amendment to the Castle Doctrine to ensure that residents were protected from officers that abuse the law to grant themselves entry into private space. “There are bad legislators,” the law’s author, State Senator R. Michael Young (R) tells Bloomberg News. “There are bad clergy, bad doctors, bad teachers, and it’s these officers that we’re concerned about that when they act outside their scope and duty that the individual ought to have a right to protect themselves.” Governor Daniels agrees with the senator in a statement offered through his office, and notes that the law is only being established to cover rare incidents of police abuse that can escape the system without reprimand for officers or other persons that break the law to gain entry. “In the real world, there will almost never be a situation in which these extremely narrow conditions are met,” Daniels says. “This law is not an invitation to use violence or force against law enforcement officers.” Officers in Indiana aren’t necessarily on the same page, though. “If I pull over a car and I walk up to it and the guy shoots me, he’s going to say, ‘Well, he was trying to illegally enter my property,’” Sergeant Joseph Hubbard tells Bloomberg. “Somebody is going get away with killing a cop because of this law.” “It’s just a recipe for disaster,” Indiana State Fraternal Order of Police President Tim Downs adds. “It just puts a bounty on our heads.”