Christopher Ablett, 37, of Modesto, a member of the rival Mongols motorcycle gang, turned himself in on Saturday and is awaiting extradition to San Francisco in connection with the Sept. 2 fatal shooting of Mark Guardado.Suspect in the September slaying of the president of the San Francisco chapter of the Hells Angels surrendered himself to authorities over the weekend in Oklahoma, San Francisco police said today.San Francisco authorities had issued a $5 million warrant for Ablett's arrest. Guardado, 46, was shot dead around 10:30 p.m. outside a bar in San Francisco's Mission District. Police later identified Ablett as the suspect and seized a motorcycle and other evidence at his Modesto home, but could not locate him and urged him to surrender to police.Guardado's funeral in Daly City on Sept. 15 was attended by about 1,000 Hells Angels members and associates.On Sept. 18, explosives detonated in the San Jose driveway of another Mongols member, damaging two parked cars. Authorities could not confirm whether it was an act of retaliation.

Anthony John Austin, a documented member of a Boise street gang, was sentenced toserve 101 months in federal prison for possession with intent to distribute methamphetamine andfor using a firearm in relation to a drug trafficking crime.
Austin was prosecuted by the Special Assistant United States Attorney hired by the Treasure Valley Partnership under its SAUSA program. Austin's prosecution was also part of Idaho's Project Safe Neighborhoods Anti-Gang Initiative, designed to reduce gun violence in the state." Today's sentencing proves that the Treasure Valley now has an effective tool to combat gang activity," Boise Mayor David Bieter said. "The length of this sentence should send a message to other gang members that this type of activity will not be tolerated in our community."Austin, 27, was indicted on Feb. 13 after an extensive investigation by the Federal Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives and the Boise City Police Department's Gang Unit. He pleaded guilty to both crimes in federal court on July 7. He was sentenced on Thursday by U.S. District Judge B. Lynn Winmill at the Federal Courthouse in Boise.Despite Austin's lack of prior felonies, the combination of guns, drugs and gang activity
resulted in the lengthy prison sentence. Federal law mandates a five-year prison sentence when afirearm is used in connection with drug trafficking activities. The five-year term will be servedconsecutively to the drug sentence.

Sylvain says he received about $300,000 for working with the Biker Enforcement Unit in Project Husky, a two-year probe that ended in 2006 and arrested six members, 21 of their associates and shut down an alleged $2.3-million drug distribution network that linked Ontario, Quebec and Alberta. Prison terms ranged from four months to 6 1/2 years for a wide range of offences. Last March, a court ordered the Heron St. clubhouse forfeited to the Crown. "This is a very significant forfeiture," Det.-Insp. Dan Redmond, BEU commander said then in a press release. Thunder Bay Police Chief Robert Herman added the clubhouse had "long been a thorn in our side. Its forfeiture is a good news story for our community and demonstrates our commitment to working with our partners to stop the unlawful activities of outlaw motorcycle gangs." The man who made it happen, Sylvain, has little left after buying vehicles for his work as a driver and says his cover has been blown. Everyone in the small undisclosed town he's living in knows he worked for the police and are too scared to hire him. He turned down the program's last offer to relocate him, covering expenses and $29 a day for six months. "You think I made something? I made (nothing)," he says. He wants a better deal Sylvain was urged to go to police by an ex-girlfriend after he got himself jammed with the Italian mob in Montreal. The rig driver admits to bringing in large loads of cocaine in tractor-trailer shipments from Miami, including one of 200 kilos in the 1990s, sins that police are aware of, he says. He says he was wrongly accused of taking four kilos by his underworld bosses and was beaten savagely. "The first beating I had was just practice," he says.
Sylvain was later targeted with death and while in New Jersey hiding from the mob, he turned to the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration, who in turn set up a meeting with the RCMP in Miami. What Sylvain wants now since he's too well known in Canada is to move to the U.S., hopefully to work for American law enforcement. But the only recent job offer he got from police was another attempt at the Hells in Canada, who now know what he looks like. "You can change your name as much as you want to, but you can never change my face," Sylvain says. In Project Husky, the truck driver provided what police dubbed the "Trojan Horse," a tractor-trailer used on the gang's runs and advertised a motorcycle shop. Since then, Sylvain has been on the move.
His first relocation was a bug-infested fishermen's shed "and they moved me to another place, and then another place. At that time, I could not work or nothing because they were changing the name and the SIN number. "How can you go to work if you don't have a SIN number? At the last relocation, the RCMP wanted me to work for them somewhere in the country. When I got there, it was to work the Hells Angels again. I cannot work the Hells Angels in the same country," Sylvain says.

Mark Nunes ran towards a G4S cash van, a Beretta 9mm pistol in his outstretched hand pointed directly at Michael Player, the guard. At that instant a police sniper fired a single shot and Nunes fell backwards. He was dead.Simultaneously a blue Volvo swung out of a disabled parking bay and braked by the van with its rear passenger door open. This was the getaway car, intended for Nunes, 35, and his accomplice Andrew Markland, 36, who was now running across the road. But instead of jumping into the car, Markland ran past and picked up the gun. Another police marksman fired and Markland fell, dropping the gun. As he lay on the ground there was a third rifle shot. His wounds were fatal. Suddenly there were armed police everywhere – prodding the men on the ground to see if they were still armed, trying to talk to the shocked security guard and running for first aid equipment. Because of the blood and the pain in his wrist, Mr Player thought he had been shot. "Most times, we don't come off better," he said. In the confusion, the Volvo sped off. Its driver, Terry Wallace, was tracked as he dumped the car and made his way by train back to south London and the estate in Brixton where Nunes lived. Wallace made contact with other members of the Nunes Gang which had carried out at least 18 cash van robberies over the previous 18 months. The Metropolitan Police's Flying Squad, which had been watching and gathering intelligence on Nunes for months, was not far behind. A surveillance camera hidden in a tree outside Nunes's flat filmed Wallace - gesticulating with his arms as he described the shooting. Yesterday, at Kingston Crown Court, Wallace, 26, and three other members of Nunes's gang were convicted of conspiracy to rob. Three other men have already admitted offences linked to the parts they played as drivers, look-outs, scouts and robbers in his criminal organisation. All the men now face lengthy prison sentences. Brendan Kelly, QC, for the prosecution, told the court: "Despite their skill, their planning and their patience - their luck ran out." From the time he left prison in 2005 until the day he died, Nunes had been planning and executing robberies across southern England - from Ipswich and Cambridge to Bristol and Bath. They made off with at least £500,000.Nunes did not take part in every raid, but had organised each one - recruiting the team and carrying out extensive reconnaissance. The indictment listed 18 raids but police believe the gang was as many as 10 others. A career criminal, Nunes served three years and nine months of a jail term for a cash van raid in London in October 2000. Immediately he was freed, Nunes took up where he left off but deliberately targeted deliveries outside the capital. His theory was that cash vans would be less security-conscious in the provinces and the Flying Squad would not be on his tail.
Wallace, Johnson, Leroy Wilkinson, 29 and Victor Iniodu, 34, were convicted of conspiracy to rob after a five-week trial. Three other men - Leroy Hall, Leon McKenzie and Brian Henry - admitted the charge.

The trial of the Nomad national president, Scott Allan Orrock, and two other senior Nomads, Hassan "Sam" Ibrahim and Paul James Griffin.
The three were charged after a Nomads member was kneecapped in both legs at their Islington clubhouse in Newcastle in 2004. The District Court trial ended on Friday with all three found not guilty on all charges.But what can be revealed is that on September 22 a man later identified as a member of the Nomads Motorcycle Club was ejected from court LG4 at Sydney's Downing Centre court complex.
He spent at least half an hour sitting in various seats in the public gallery - separated from the rest of the court by glass - staring menacingly at the jury. Two of the jurors complained and Judge Steven Norrish ejected the man.
Two days later a Sydney construction worker, Te Rana Rakete, was allegedly discovered filming the only crown witness in the trial - Dale Campton, a former Nomad who rolled on his clubmates after he was shot in both kneecaps.Mr Rakete was detained by sheriff's officers after a detective from the gang squad in court noticed him filming.In a hearing earlier this week for Mr Rakete, the court was shown the footage he had taken - five seconds of unrelated footage shot from a car and five seconds of Mr Campton as he sat in the witness box
Mr Rakete's legal aid barrister, Richard Jefferis, told the same hearing his client did not deny using the camera, but why he was filming was not yet clear."Mr Rakete does not deny that he was using the camera; he's made that clear," Mr Jefferis said.
"The critical issue was your client was filming a person who perhaps may have changed their appearance slightly since the time they were shot and bashed and are now under [police] protection," Judge Norrish advised Mr Jefferis.While no decision has yet to be made on Mr Rakete, it is possible he will face a charge of contempt of court in the Supreme Court.Mr Rakete is due to face Judge Norrish again on Tuesday.

Jerry Turcotte, 48, was arrested by Peru's federal police in May and escaped from a jail cell in Lima on Sept. 22 after overpowering a jail guard who had entered his cell to take out the garbage, according to Peruvian police and the U.S. Drug Enforcement Agency. Security for Turcotte had been downgraded by a judge involved in his extradition hearings days before the escape, media in Peru reported. Turcotte was a high-ranking member of a Canadian-based drug smuggling organization that moved "half-ton" shipments of cocaine from South America to Canada and Europe through California, the DEA's San Diego division alleges.
Canadian Jerry Turcotte, who escaped from a Peruvian jail in Lima Sept. 22, 2008, while awaiting extradition to the US. Turcotte is wanted by the San Diego Drug Enforcement Agency on cocaine trafficking charges.Turcotte was indicted on April 16 along with three other men -_two currently facing trial in California and a third also on the run - for conspiracy to distribute cocaine, according to documents filed with the U.S. District Court in Southern California.On April 24 Interpol issued a 'red notice' on Turcotte - a document alerting local police agencies that an arrest warrant has been issued - seven days after a warrant was signed in the U.S. Turcotte once worked as an RCMP officer before becoming a private investigator, the red notice said."Occupation: Retired Canadian law enforcement official (RCMP); private investigator," reads the Interpol document, labelled "confidential, intended only for police and judicial authorities," obtained by Canwest News Service.
The RCMP, however, flatly denies Turcotte ever worked for the federal force."Official records show we have never had a member by that name," said Sgt. Sylvie Tremblay. "He is not a former RCMP member."According to Interpol, "red notices have been recognized in a number of countries as having a legal value to serve as a basis for provisional arrest."A spokeswoman for the DEA in San Diego said they provided the information contained in Turcotte's Interpol red notice."The information provided to Interpol would be the best information we have," said DEA Special Agent Eileen Ziegler. "It is the most accurate we have."
Ziegler said it was up to the RCMP to verify whether Turcotte ever worked for the federal force.Shortly after Turcotte's arrest in May, Carlos Palomino, head of Interpol's criminal intelligence Peru division, told Canwest News Service that Turcotte worked in RCMP counter-narcotics before moving into the drug trade, where he was allegedly involved in smuggling cocaine under the cover of a fish and sugar export company.The DEA opened their investigation into Turcotte and his alleged co-conspirators - dubbed Operation WiFi - in September 2007. Shortly after Turcotte escaped, the DEA released a statement warning "Turcotte, a former law enforcement officer, may also be in possession of police credentials" and that he "should be considered armed and dangerous."The Interpol document alleges Turcotte was behind "smuggling large cocaine loads from Peru to Europe, including the Netherlands and Ukraine" - roughly 335 kilograms between July 2007 and October 2007.
It also alleges he arranged several small cocaine shipments from California to Montreal, including a 14 kg of cocaine shipment from Malibu, Calif., on Sept. 21, 2007, and a 10 kg shipment from San Diego to Montreal on Sept. 26, 2007.
During that same month, Turcotte also travelled from Peru to Malibu "to supervise the transfer of a 28 kg of cocaine shipment from a Mexican source to Canadian couriers who were responsible for smuggling the cocaine through the United States into Canada," the Interpol document said.
The allegations have not been proven in court.

Emma Jones, 29, was dismissed from her job at Ysgol-y-Traeth, in Barmouth, after being cautioned following her arrest in March last year over the two bottles of methadone and heroin wraps found in her car.But yesterday a General Teaching Council for Wales panel ruled she may go on working provided she’s drug-tested every three months.Further, if she finds a teaching job in the next year she must also make her new employers aware of her past offence as well as the GTCW’s ruling.Peter Williams, chair of the GTCW panel, said Miss Jones’ actions were too serious to avoid a sanction. He said: “We decided to impose a conditional registration order. The possession of Class A drugs is fundamentally incompatible with continuing to be a registered teacher. But we don’t believe she poses a significant risk of repeating this behaviour.”Mr Williams said the Year 4 teacher, who had earlier apologised unreservedly and accepted full responsibility, had been attending a substance misuse centre since March last year and tested negative.He said he was mindful of the fact that after Miss Jones lapsed into drug addiction she received little help from the Gwynedd primary school or her employers – the local authority. Miss Jones said she made several requests to see the school and Gwynedd Council’s policy on dealing with drug and alcohol dependent staff, but it was never produced.The teacher, who was arrested in full view of staff and pupils at the school at 8.45am on March 7 last year admitted her actions amounted to unacceptable professional conduct. But she said she was going through a time of great personal stress after a split with her ex-fiance, also an addict.The presenting officer Gwenno Hughes, said school staff members suspected she had been using heroin in a classroom toilet.They reported finding foil stained with black markings and said there was a heavy smell of deodorant in the toilet on October 11, 2006.But yesterday Miss Jones, dressed in a smart black trouser suit, said she had never used heroin on the school grounds.
She said the foil wraps had belonged to her boyfriend and she put them in the toilet bin when the school was breaking up for four days.Miss Jones, from Blaenau Ffestiniog, was then suspended before being given a final warning and eventually dismissed in July 2007 following her arrest.She said: “I stupidly and irrationally turned to drugs (after her suspension in October 2006).“It’s a decision I’ll have to live with for the rest of my life.
“But this was at a time when I was suffering acute anxiety during my suspension.”
Representing the teacher, Robin Jones said: “She made several requests to see the policy on drug and alcohol dependency, but she was kept in the dark.”Miss Jones also claimed she was victimised and bullied by the school’s head teacher Ywain Myfyr.She said the head made a personal comment about a low-cut top she wore and told her to dress like other staff.Miss Jones claimed the head suggested her work was sub-standard and he would be calling into her lessons unannounced to monitor her performance.But Mr Myfyr told the hearing, sitting at the St David’s Park Hotel in Ewloe, Flintshire, he took a “softly, softly” approach with Miss Jones because her work began to suffer after one of her pupils died at the end of 2005.
Mr Myfyr said he pleaded with school governors to give her one final chance after the discovery of the foil in the toilet.He said the decision to dismiss her from the 190-pupil school was made by the local authority and he had no hand in it.

Shalonda Charade Jenkins, 24, of Montclair, was arraigned before District Judge Thomas A. Placey on charges of unlawful delivery of heroin and criminal use of a communications facility. Jenkins, who was staying at a Middlesex Township motel, was placed in Cumberland County Prison in lieu of $50,000 bail, the documents state. A preliminary hearing is set for Wednesday. Pennsylvania state police said Jenkins, also known as "Shy,'' was arrested after she met with the informant at 10:13 a.m. and turned over two 50-pack bricks of heroin.

Jesus Velasco Esparza, 22, was arrested Thursday by the Imperial County Public Corruption Task Force. He will return to court Wednesday for a detention hearing.
The criminal complaint alleges that Esparza was paid a fee by someone he believed to be a narcotics trafficker to access the Treasury Enforcement Communications System database to check the license plates of vehicles that would be used to smuggle drugs into the United States. The complaint also alleges that Esparza demanded and received bribe money in exchange for helping smuggle substances containing detectable amounts of heroin and cocaine across the border.He is accused of bribery; attempting to aid and abet importation of controlled substances; and computer fraud for looking up license plate numbers of vehicles suspected of being used to smuggle drugs into the United States, according to a federal complaint filed Thursday.
According to the complaint, the investigation began in August with the assistance of a confidential FBI source. Assistant U.S. Attorney Jason Forge said Friday that Esparza was paid $500 for each license plate he ran through CBP computers, and from $7,600 to $13,400 to allow drugs to be smuggled through the port. Esparza is scheduled to appear in court Wednesday for a detention hearing.

Vito S. Guarino, the Acting Special Agent in Charge of DEA’s Caribbean Division and Rosa Emilia Rodríguez-Vélez, the U.S. Attorney for the District of Puerto Rico, joined with members of the Caribbean Corridor Initiative (CCI) to announce the seizure of approximately 1,930 kilograms of cocaine with a street market value of $58million onboard the Panamanian-flagged vessel Megan Star. As a result of the joint investigative efforts of CCI participants, a U.S. Coast Guard law enforcement detachment onboard the U.S. Naval frigate USS FARRAGUT intercepted the Megan Star in international waters. After successful coordination between officers of the USCG law enforcement detachment, CCI participating agencies, and the government of Panama, USCG personnel boarded the Megan Star. The vessel was subsequently escorted to the Coast Guard base in San Juan for a more thorough inspection which revealed approximately 1,930 kilograms of cocaine hidden within different sections of the ship. The Dominican Republic's National Drug Control Directorate (DNCD) provided significant assistance and support to this investigation. The 10-member crew of the Megan Star, composed of nationals of Costa Rica, Ecuador, India, Nicaragua, and Spain, are in federal custody. The seizure was part of the Caribbean Corridor Initiative, an Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Strike Force and High Intensity Drug Trafficking Area project that investigates South American-based drug trafficking organizations responsible for the movement of multi-kilogram quantities of narcotics utilizing the Caribbean as a transshipment point for further distribution to the United States. The members of this inter-agency group are: the United States Attorney’s Office for the District of Puerto Rico, Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA), U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE), Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI), U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) and U.S. Coast Guard (USCG). "The Caribbean Corridor Initiative continues to deny drug traffickers the use of the waterways of the Caribbean to smuggle their poisonous cargo of drugs to the world” said DEA Caribbean Division Acting Special Agent in Charge Vito S. Guarino “DEA brings our unique perspective and experience in fighting drug trafficking globally as part of this initiative. DEA will continue employing our expertise in support the Caribbean Corridor Initiative" “These arrests and mega-kilogram seizure are a clear indication of the success of the Caribbean Corridor Initiative,” said Rosa Emilia Rodríguez-Vélez, U.S. Attorney for the District of Puerto Rico. “We will continue maximizing all of our combined resources to investigate and prosecute those who in flagrant disregard of our laws and way of life try to smuggle illegal drugs and weapons into our area of jurisdiction.”
"This operation is a Caribbean Corridor Initiative success," said Capt. Joanna Nunan, Acting Commander, Coast Guard Sector San Juan. "The Coast Guard is proud to be working alongside our partners from ICE, DEA, FBI, CBP and the U.S. Attorney's Office to prevent drug smuggling on the high seas and keep drugs away from our shores." “The Caribbean Corridor Initiative is a clear example of the level of teamwork and camaraderie among federal agencies in Puerto Rico,” said Manuel Oyola Torres, special agent in charge of ICE investigations in Puerto Rico. “ICE will continue to work aggressively with our federal counterparts in our efforts to enforce the law and dismantle drug trafficking organizations that use the Caribbean Basin as a conduit to introduce illicit drugs into our country.” "As long as Caribbean Corridor partner agencies collectively share intelligence and resources to combat illegal drug trafficking in the eastern Caribbean, we will continue to succeed in accomplishing our mission to prevent drug smuggling operations in our area of responsibility and bring drug smugglers to justice," said Marcelino Borges, U.S. Customs and Border Protection Director of Field Operations. "Drug amounts of this magnitude affect several communities which in turn will eventually affect the future of our country, and the future of our country is the children of these communities. Law enforcement must continue this fight against drugs in order to continue to protect our children, our future leaders," said Luis Fraticelli, Special Agent in Charge of the FBI-San Juan Field Office. Those arrested will be transferred to the Metropolitan Detention Center in Guaynabo, Puerto Rico where they will await for the outcome of their case.

Humbeiro Carvajal-Montoya reputedly led a ring that smuggled heroin inside suitcases and clothes from Medellin's Jose Maria Cordoba International Airport to the U.S. at least once a month from August 2006 until September 2007, according to a federal indictment.Carvajal-Montoya, his wife as well as police officers and airport personnel accused in the scheme had been arrested last November in Colombia. He was expected to be arraigned in Manhattan federal court Friday, said Michael Garcia, the U.S. Attorney for the Southern District of New York. A former petty officer with the Colombian navy, Otoniel Ricardo Cabarcas Avendano, is charged with selling information about the positions of navy and Coast Guard vessels to traffickers who shipped cocaine to points in the Caribbean Sea and Central America for eventual delivery to the U.S. and other countries. Avendano, known as "Oto" arrived in New York Thursday night and was expected to be arraigned Friday in Manhattan federal court.New York's Drug Enforcement Task Force, comprised of DEA agents, NYPD and New York state police, investigated these cases along with federal prosecutors.

Five Jamaicans said to be a part of a criminal gang in the United States have been arrested. The five were held during a special summer crackdown of criminal gangs in the US. The Jamaicans are among 1,500 members of criminal gangs who were arrested during the operation. Immigration officials in the US say many of those now in custody were arrested on immigration violations. They face deportation from that country. The US authorities also arrested 12 gang members who are said to be from the Dominican Republic, five from Haiti and Cuba and two from Trinidad and Tobago.

Karl Garside, 45, Simon Turner, 41, Dane Garside, 42, Malcolm Bull, 53, Dean Taylor, 47, and 46-year-old Ian Cameron all plead not guilty to murder. GANG members stood guard outside court yesterday as a pool of jurors were chosen in the case of a murdered biker. The panel, who will be sworn in today, will hear the case of six men accused of killing Gerry Tobin, who was gunned down on the M40.
Mr Tobin, 35, from Mottingham, London, was shot in the back of the head as he returned home from a Hell's Angels festival in Warwickshire last August.

The Spanish branch of the Latin Kings was launched in 2000 by the young Ecuadorian Eric Velastegui, known as King Wolverine, who is now serving a prison sentence for rape. The Almighty Latin King and Queen Nation was initially formed to help and defend Latin American immigrants in the Chicago area of the United States in the 1940s. Its members later became involved in violent crimes. US leaders of the Latin Kings visiting Spain, however, have downplayed the group's violent reputation, and evidence from the north-eastern region of Catalonia suggests that such gangs have the potential of being transformed into constructive social forces.
The Latin Kings' big rival in Spain are the Netas, a gang founded in the prisons of Puerto Rico in the 1970s. Other gangs include Dominican Don't Play (DDP), many of whose members come from the Dominican Republic. The Madrid DDP has begun to sell drugs and acquired firearms, the daily El Pais reported. Recently, evidence has even emerged of the presence in Catalonia of the Mara Salvatrucha and the Mara 18, Central American groups known for their extreme violence. In the Madrid region alone, the number of gang members tripled in three years to about 1,300 by 2007, police estimated. Nearly 300 of them were regarded as violent.
The main gangs, which are present in several cities across Spain, are hierarchically structured, tribe-like organizations. They are characterized by mystical symbols, an ethos of religiosity and machoism, and an ideology of defending the Latin American identity against an environment perceived as racist and hostile. The Latin Kings, for instance, wear rap-style clothes and black-and-gold bead necklaces. Their symbol of a five-point crown represents respect, honesty, unity, knowledge and love. The gangs tend to place women in a secondary role, with the Latin Kings as the only one to have a female section. Many of the gangs have a double nature, with leisure activities such as football alternating with robberies or extortion which new members can be ordered to commit as a kind of initiation rite. Dozens of gang members have been detained on charges ranging from kidnappings and threats to attacks and killings. Most of the violence takes place between rival gangs, but former members have also told courts about the beatings faced by those who break the internal rules. "We were told to pay 1,200 euros (1,700 dollars), or we'd be burned alive," two girls who had tried to leave the Latin Kings told a Madrid judge.
The growth of the gangs is based on the rapid increase of Latin American immigration to Spain. The overall number of immigrants has soared from 1.8 per cent of the Spanish population in 1990 to more than 10 per cent. The largest groups include 420,000 Ecuadorians and 260,000 Colombians. "Immigrants never see their children, because they work 23 hours a day. The kids are on the street, in search of a (new) family," King Mission, a US representative of the Latin Kings, explained during a visit to Spain. Gangs like the Latin Kings also give a sense of purpose and self-esteem to youths who may come from neighbourhoods riddled with gang violence in their own countries, grew up without their parents who emigrated before them, and who are now struggling with the difficulties of adapting to a foreign culture. In 2007, Latin street gangs did not commit any killings in Spain for the first time in several years. The decline was attributed to police crackdowns and, in some regions, to attempts to integrate the gangs into Spanish society. While the conservative Madrid authorities outlawed the Latin Kings in 2007, liberal Catalonia took the opposite approach, giving them the status of a cultural association.
Representatives of the Latin Kings and Netas even visited the regional parliament, explaining to legislators that they were planning to make joint musical recordings to bury their hostilities. International experts on street gangs have hailed Catalonia's ground-breaking approach, but it has not entirely eradicated inter-gang violence.

Ajine Stewart Jamaican-born man, who came to Mississauga as a child, dropped out of school in Grade 10 to move in with his then-girlfriend, who had a baby by him, a boy now 7. He started selling marijuana and moved onto cocaine and crack "because I wasn't making enough money," started acquiring a criminal record and, about the age of 19, joined the Crisis Crips, a local branch of the notorious gang.
Asked to explain what the Crips are, Mr. Stewart offered, helpfully, that "they're different from the Bloods," another infamous gang. Asked what the "Crisis" meant, he said this was a reference to "the turmoils in life, the problems you go through."
At some point, he moved in with another woman who had given birth to his daughter, now 4, and began carrying a knife - then, some months before the shooting, the gun.
Despite pressure from his mother and the mothers of his children to go straight, and a brief stint working in a factory, he always chose the drug dealer's life - even selling while he was on bail, and under curfew, for a domestic-assault charge that was later withdrawn. It was in fact at this time, while he was living with his mother, also his surety, that he met Mr. Taylor. He was a Crip too, Mr. Stewart said, albeit from a different unit, and a drug dealer, and according to him, they struck up such a friendship that Mr. Taylor let him sell to his customer base while he was on bail.Mr. Stewart's thanks, for this inexplicable generosity, was to steal Mr. Taylor's customers when the charge was dropped and he could return home.
While he agreed with Mr. McDermott that some of his contemporaries stayed in school and worked at real jobs, Mr. Stewart nonetheless blamed his poor choices on "where I was living and the people around me.""You chose another life because it paid better?" Mr. McDermott asked. "Yes," said Mr. Stewart. "A lot better?" "Yeah," said Mr. Stewart.He went to Dundas Square only because he was looking for women. "I love women," he said, "especially from the States."He took the .38, fully loaded, because, he said, the Caribana celebration attracts lots of gang members, like him, many of whom are armed, like him, and he knew that gunfights could break out.
He said he saw Mr. Taylor, who called him over and told him he owed him money. He tried to get Mr. Taylor alone, away from his friends, but he wouldn't go; instead, "He was giving me bad looks, looking at me up and down." He demanded his money. "I told him to fuck off," Mr. Stewart said. "He said he was going to kill me."
Mr. Taylor allegedly reached for his waistband, so Mr. Stewart reached for his. He couldn't bow down to Mr. Taylor in public, or run or holler for police because "My career [as a gangster] would have been scattered." So he shot, in that square packed with people."As I said," he told Mr. McDermott shortly before he left the witness box, "I went through a lot that night."

Surenos means "southerner," Eways said. The term is often used in California prisons to refer to any gang member from southern California, he said. And No. 13 represents the letter M — the 13th letter of the alphabet — which symbolizes the gang members' alliances to the Mexican mafia, Eways said.increase in arrests of alleged members of the gang Surenos 13 may represent the gang's increasing reach, or it may result from better classification of those arrested, authorities and academics said. The gang is distinct from the larger and better-known MS-13, but police or federal agents may have lumped them together during previous roundups.Over the course of a four-month effort that ended Tuesday, officials arrested 1,759 people in 28 states, 33 percent more than they arrested during a similar campaign last year. Of those, 1,315 were gang members and gang associates, and 338 belonged to Surenos 13, according to figures released Wednesday by federal Immigration and Customs Enforcement officials.
The Surenos 13 members were far-flung, ranging into what might seem like unlikely places such as Provo, Utah. Seven people identified as Surenos 13 members were arrested there in June.A relatively small number of those picked up this summer, 86, were identified as members of MS-13. Federal authorities have said MS-13 is one of the nation's largest gangs, with 10,000 members in the U.S., Mexico, El Salvador, Honduras and Guatemala. During a similar crackdown last year, officials arrested 273 people identified as MS-13 members."In every area of the country, there are transnational gang problems," ICE assistant secretary Julie Myers said in an interview with The Associated Press.Surenos 13 gangs, also known as SUR 13, may not be connected to gangs bearing the same name in other locations, she said. MS-13 continues to have a tighter affiliation across the country than those calling themselves Surenos 13, she said.Another reason for the uptick in Surenos 13 arrests could be that for many years, law enforcement across the country had been misidentifying MS-13 members. There are about 1,000 gangs across the country with the same signifiers as MS-13, said Sgt. Andrew Eways, supervisor of the Criminal Investigation Section of the Maryland State Police.MS-13 and Surenos 13 are equally lethal and dangerous, said gang psychology expert Jorja Leap, an associate adjunct professor of social welfare at the University of California, Los Angeles. "I would not want to be greeted by either one of them."

As head of the Latin King street gang, Jose "Boom Bat" Negrete had "total control" over the gang's activities and used money from the gang's kitty to purchase guns he gave members to carry out his deadly orders, an ex-Latin King testified in court yesterday. Esmeraldo "Esmo" Rodriguez said if any Latin King wielded a gun -- to shoot up a rival gang member's house or commit a murder -- it was done with Negrete's express permission. "Anything that went on, anything that happened went through him, especially beef," Rodriguez said, referring to gang-related violence. "There was nothing going to happen without that man's say so. He had control over all of us. He was militant. He was the one giving the orders, making the plans, in venting what to do." Negrete, 27, is on trial for the murder of Jeri Lynn Dotson, 23, a female member of the Latin Kings who was shot to death execution style in her Chestnut Street home in August 2004. Negrete is charged with ordering the shooting to keep the mother of two quiet about witnessing several Latin Kings lure rival gang member Alex Ruiz to what was supposed to be his death. Ne grete is also charged with the at tempted murder of Ruiz, who sur vived the strangulation attempt. Yesterday Rodriguez testified outside the jury's presence in a hearing to determine what he will be allowed to say when he takes the stand today.
Assistant Prosecutor Tom Meidt wants Rodriguez to be able to testify that Negrete bragged that he had "Muslim connections" to supply guns to the gang and that on one occasion Rodriguez ac companied Negrete to a mosque for guns. He also wants Rodriguez to testify that Negrete gave guns to the gang members he ordered to "put in work," or shoot and murder people. Defense attorney Mark Fury said Rodriguez could provide no proof that Negrete could or did get guns from any Muslims or that any guns he may have provided were used for the murder of Dotson or any other crime. Such testimony would unfairly prejudice the jury, Fury argued. Fury maintains that it was Rodriguez and another Latin King, Roberto "Bam Bam" Rodriguez, who plotted the murders of Ruiz and Dotson. Superior Court Judge Darlene Pereksta is expected to rule on Rodriguez's testimony this morning. Earlier in the trial yesterday Dotson's family members sobbed quietly as photos of her crime scene were displayed on a video screen for jurors. Negrete sat impassively, hand on his chin, as he looked at photos of Dotson, clad in shorts and a tank top, lying in a pool of blood. Dotson's parents and sister averted their eyes, but hearing a police witness describe the crime scene was enough to bring them to tears as they clutched each other's hands for support. Another witness, neighbor Anthony Smith, testified that he had heard a loud bang inside his home around 2:40 a.m. the morning Dotson was shot to death.

Hells Angels were able to obtain confidential documents regarding police intelligence, the trial for a member of the notorious Hells Angels heard yesterday.
A handbook produced by the provincial Biker Enforcement Unit for front-line officers and intelligence reports about members of a rival gang were among documents seized from the clubhouse and homes of senior gang members, including Kenneth (Wags) Wagner, a founder of the Niagara chapter who was found guilty yesterday of trafficking cocaine and firearms for the benefit of a criminal organization.
The police documents and a member's wiretapped statements that he received "paperwork" from a police source were part of an agreed statement of facts read before the court."This was a highly sophisticated criminal operation that was using informants," prosecutor Tom Andreopoulos said during a break in the proceedings, adding that the Hells Angels' ability to penetrate police intelligence is a long-standing concern.Mr. Wagner was arrested in late September, 2006 along with 23 others in raids on homes and clubhouses in Toronto, Oshawa, Windsor and Niagara Region. The arrests were the culmination of an 18-month undercover operation called Project Tandem, which involved 500 officers from 11 forces and resulted in the seizure of more than $3-million worth of drugs and an array of weapons, in addition to the police documents.Project Tandem was executed with the help of a police agent named Steven Gault.In the agreed statement of facts, a Niagara chapter member and co-accused of Mr. Wagner's, Gerald Ward, revealed to Mr. Gault in a conversation recorded in August, 2005 that he knew a police officer who would tell him "a lot of stuff" and bring him "paperwork all the time."Mr. Ward's court proceedings are separate and ongoing.Mr. Wagner pleaded guilty to trafficking cocaine and to possession of the proceeds of crime, and has admitted to being an executive member of the Niagara Chapter of the Hells Angels Motorcycle Club. However, he pleaded not guilty to trafficking cocaine and transferring a firearm for the benefit of a criminal organization, leaving it to the court to determine whether that group constituted a criminal organization. The confidential police documents formed part of Mr. Andreopoulos's argument that they are, and the judge ruled that Mr. Wagner's crimes were therefore to the benefit of a criminal organization.Justice John McMahon is scheduled to pronounce sentence on Oct. 7.In April, 2007, seven months after Project Tandem ended , Constable Frank Dean Rudge, 44, of Niagara Regional Police, was arrested and charged with breach of trust.Suspended with pay on a $30,000 surety and required to surrender all his police gear, including his service pistol, Constable Rudge is midway through a preliminary hearing, set to resume in December, which will determine whether there is sufficient evidence to send him to trial.Constable Rudge was arrested at the Port Colborne police station where he worked. At his bail hearing, according to news reports at the time, he was ordered to stay away from members of the Hells Angels.Prior to his arrest, he had spent 21 years with the Niagara force.

undercover investigation by Medicine Hat police has stopped an Edmonton-based gang with ties to the Hells Angels from putting down roots in the southern Alberta city.
The investigation, dubbed Project Vortex, netted police 1.25 kilograms of cocaine and resulted in the arrest of three men allegedly involved with the White Boy Posse a gang that includes white supremacist members with a fondness for Nazi symbols.
Although the gang continues to operate, Medicine Hat police said their operation last week has foiled the White Boy Posse's nascent bid to sell cocaine in the city of 60,000.It was a huge impact in Medicine Hat," said Sgt. Brent Secondiak of the organized crime section. "They were in the process of finding clientele and we stopped them."Police in Edmonton who have observed the White Boy Posse said being a white supremacist isn't a requirement for being in the gang, but the racist ideology is shared by many of its members and associates."People of that mentality do gravitate to that group," said Acting Det. Dale Johnson of the Edmonton Police Service.Some members have Nazi-style swastikas tattooed on their bodies, and police have found flags and other white supremacist paraphernalia.In March, a joint Edmonton-RCMP investigation called Project Goliath ended with the arrest of 14 White Boy Posse members and 10 others believed to be associates.Police alleged the suspects were responsible for street-level cocaine dealing in Edmonton, Grande Prairie, Fort McMurray and Yellowknife.Law enforcement agencies have identified the White Boy Posse as a puppet gang associated with the Hells Angels.
The Hells Angels, an international outlaw biker gang with three chapters in Alberta, are believed to be responsible for wholesale drug sales to street-level gangs.
In the Medicine Hat case, three men have been charged with possession of cocaine for the purpose of trafficking, possession of the proceeds of crime and possession of prohibited weapons.The accused are Christopher Scaglione, 21, and Chase Calihoo, 20, of Edmonton, and Douglas Hurton, 29, of Medicine Hat.

Michael Xanthoudakis and Eneliko Sabine told customs officials they had arrived for a week-long fishing trip and were planning to meet up with an Internet buddy, who they only knew as "J.D."Police believe they had other plans.The residents of Sydney had flown halfway around the world at the invitation of several bikers in Western Canada who are in the process of setting up a new Canadian Rock Machine chapter.
According to police they were all planning to meet last week in Gimli, Man., to begin mapping out the process, but plans were scuttled when suspicious customs agents began asking questions and eventually began searching their luggage. Inside they found several biker vests, flags and other paraphernalia.Gimli is in south-central Manitoba.Xanthoudakis and Sabine were detained in custody Sept. 19 after it was learned both men had criminal records in Australia.Xanthoudakis was convicted in December 1999 of assaulting a police officer, while Sabine has a 2006 conviction for impaired driving. They are not facing any new charges in Canada.The facts surrounding their arrest and detention were laid out for the first time Monday during an immigration hearing. There was no publication ban.A government lawyer said Canadian police had recently circulated a national bulletin warning of the impending resurrection of the Rock Machine and the rumoured meeting in Gimli. Police were told to be on guard for any foreign bikers who may be travelling to Canada.Daphne Shaw-Dyck, a member of the Immigration and Refugee Board, ordered both men to be deported as quickly as possible after finding they have no legal grounds to be in Canada. She also rejected their bid to be released into the community pending the deportation, which is expected to happen later this week.Ed Rice, a defence lawyer acting on behalf of Xanthoudakis and Sabine, said the men were hoping to be "out on the streets" for the duration of their stay in Canada.He expects them to be deported later this week, once security issues can be worked out with the airlines regarding their flight back to Sydney.Shaw-Dyck agreed with the federal government's claim that the men - and the gang they represent - pose a significant risk to public safety.The federal government cited the Rock Machine's dark history in Canada, which included links to 150 murders in Quebec during a violent turf war in the 1990s.
Among those victims were two prison guards and an 11-year-old boy hit by shrapnel from a car bomb.The Rock Machine was absorbed into the Bandidos in 2000.Several members actually joined the Hells Angels when the Bandidos refused to immediately grant full-patch status to them.The immigration hearing was told Monday the new western Canadian Rock Machine will be headed up by Winnipeg biker Ron Burling, who recently was sentenced to eight years in prison for a drug-related kidnapping in which the victim was tortured.Burling, the former leader of the now-defunct Manitoba Bandidos, lost an appeal earlier this summer and ended up leaving court on a stretcher after he launched into a bizarre outburst and then began clutching his chest.Rice said the "new" Rock Machine will be nothing like the one Canadians grew to fear and will simply be a club of motorcycle riding enthusiasts who will frown upon criminal behaviour. Both the government and Shaw-Dyck expressed doubts about that claim, noting Burling's violent past."I find it very difficult for that claim to be made," said Shaw-Dyck, who noted that one of the Canadian bikers who met Xanthoudakis and Sabine at the Winnipeg airport was arrested after being found carrying marijuana.Xanthoudakis and Sabine must return before the Immigration and Review Board for another hearing if they have not been deported within seven days