GANGLAND BRITAIN
GANGLAND BRITAIN

Tuesday

Man seriously injured by Glasgow gang | Scotland | STV News

Posted On 17:10 0 comments

Man seriously injured by Glasgow gang | Scotland | STV News: "Police are appealing for information after a man was attacked and seriously injured in the south side of Glasgow on Friday.
The 37-year-old man was getting out of his car in Elder Street near to its junction with Luath Street when he was attacked by a group of four men at around 5.30pm.
They then made off in a silver car - possibly an Audi - in the direction of Govan Road.
The victim was taken to the Southern General Hospital where he was treated for leg injuries and later released."


Monday

new Fat Freddie war erupts - City News, National News - Herald.ie

Posted On 19:46 0 comments

ERU on streets as new Fat Freddie war erupts - City News, National News - Herald.ie: "ARMED gardai have been deployed to south Dublin after gang boss Fat Freddie ordered a sickening attack on one of his own lieutenants.
Heavily armed units from the Emergency Response Unit have been running checkpoints across Crumlin and Drimnagh to quell gangland tensions.
A row has erupted within the ranks of Fat Freddie Thompson's drug trafficking gang which threatens to explode into all-out war.
Thompson ordered the attack after his lieutenant made lewd comments about an old flame of his, leading to a vicious 'Glasgow smile' slashing.
A Glasgow smile is a nickname for the result of cutting a victim's face from the edges of the mouth to the ears. The cut leaves horrific scars which form what resembles a smile.
He was slashed across both cheeks in a bid to leave his face permanently disfigured. He also suffered a laceration to his forehead and was heavily beaten in the attack.
The victim was once a leading member of Freddie's gang."


Birdman Robert O’Hara has agreed to cough up £130,000 in crime profits | The Sun |Home Scotland|Scottish News

Posted On 19:40 0 comments

Birdman Robert O’Hara has agreed to cough up £130,000 in crime profits | The Sun |Home Scotland|Scottish News: "FORMER high-living crime boss who 'terrorised a whole area' of a city yesterday agreed to cough up £130,000 in crime profits.
Robert O'Hara, known as the Birdman, has a month to pay the cash after he settled a Crown case to sieze hiss assets.
The High Court in Edinburgh heard O'Hara, 33, made £268,600 from his criminal empire but a confiscation order would be made for £131,250 of 'realisable assets'.
Crop-haired O'Hara, who is serving a life sentence for murder, used to head a gang involved in drug dealing, money laundering, guns and violence."


£40,000 worth of cocaine found in birthday card

Posted On 12:19 0 comments

BBC News - £40,000 worth of cocaine found in birthday card: "More than £40,000 worth of cocaine has been discovered in a birthday card by UK Border Agency officers in Belfast.
The card containing the class A drug was posted in South Africa to an address in Glengormley.
A 21-year-old woman was arrested and later released on bail in connection with the incident"


OFT acts on debt recovery measures

Posted On 11:47 0 comments

The Press Association: OFT acts on debt recovery measures: "Action has been taken against four lenders that took steps to have unsecured debts customers were struggling to pay secured against their homes.
The Office of Fair Trading (OFT) has imposed requirements on Alliance & Leicester Personal Finance, American Express Services Europe, HFC Bank, part of HSBC, and Welcome Financial Services, which is part of sub-prime lender Cattles, following concerns about the way they were enforcing some consumers' debts.
The problems centred around the use of charging orders, which enable lenders to claim any funds left over following the sale of a customer's home, after priority debts - such as a mortgage - have been met, to repay the money they are owed.
The order effectively turns an unsecured debt into a secured one, and the creditor can go on to obtain a second order forcing the person to sell their property to settle their borrowings, although this only happens in a small number of cases.
The OFT said that although charging orders were a legitimate way for creditors to recoup unpaid debts, it had found problems with the way some lenders were using them. The problems were different for each business, but included cases where a charging order had been obtained on debts of less than £600."


Friday

Four arrests after £1.5m gold stolen

Posted On 16:56 0 comments

UTV News - Four arrests after £1.5m gold stolen: "Police say a Europe-wide operation was launched after two separate shipments of gold and computer parts were stolen in November 2009.
Four other men were charged with fraud, deception and handling stolen goods in connection with the theft in June.
Police say the searches which led to the arrests are ongoing"


Wednesday

BBC News - Murder probe in Sunningdale after van stopped by police

Posted On 15:47 0 comments

BBC News - Murder probe in Sunningdale after van stopped by police: "murder inquiry has started after a man died soon after armed police chased and stopped a van in Berkshire.
The man died in London Road, Sunningdale, near Ascot, after being found inside the van which was stopped by officers at about 1400 GMT.
Four other men inside the van, who attempted to escape, were arrested on suspicion of murder.
Thames Valley Police said officers had been looking for the vehicle after receiving a tip off.
Witnesses said a man's body was covered in tarpaulin by the A30, near its junction with Cedar Drive.
The large blue sheet could be seen on the ground next to a white Mercedes Sprinter van."


Man murdered in street shooting - a set on Flickr

Posted On 00:50 0 comments


streets in London where somebody died as a result of a shooting. London's Gun Crime - Londonist

Posted On 00:44 0 comments


Photo Project Documents London's Gun Crime - Londonist: "Dissatisfied with press reports of shootings in the capital, photographer James Davies decided to document these incidents in his own way. His series of 12 images captures the 'utterly ordinary places where the extraordinary took place'. James explains the thinking behind the project:
The photos in this series were taken on streets in London where somebody died as a result of a shooting. The victim died either at the scene or later as a result of their injuries. My aim in this series is to highlight the mundane. I didn't want to find the exact location where each incident happened or go into the details of each murder. The intention here is just to show the utterly ordinary places where the extraordinary took place, forever associating a street with a horrific crime. I have had a few comments that suggest that by not photographing the exact location of the incident I am being misleading, as they suggest the part of the street I show and the murder scene could differ greatly. I found this a little macabre and also slightly out of synch with the news reports that accompany each photo in the series. There is very little effort put in to gun crime reportage in London. News reports on the topic of gun crime victims are usually just lazily rehashed press releases with no added detail. To suddenly wish to be shown the exact spot that somebody lost their life seems a bit tasteless. Also, the whole point of this series was to highlight the places that are connected by one type of crime. These streets are another innocent witness to something horrific that they can't shake off, but they do not need to be tainted with the crime they will forever be associated with."


Disabled prisoner to be paid £20,000 for discrimination at Belmarsh | United Kingdom Society News

Posted On 00:32 0 comments

Disabled prisoner to be paid £20,000 for discrimination at Belmarsh | United Kingdom Society News: "Ministry concedes discrimination against wheelchair-using prisoner who initially received no help in toilet or bathroom
The prison service is to pay out £20,000 in damages to a prisoner who uses a wheelchair in compensation for the “degrading” treatment he received while in Belmarsh jail in London.
The Ministry of Justice conceded the claim for disability discrimination today made by Abdullah Baybasin, a 53-year-old Turkish Kurd. He was acquitted at a retrial last month of being a drug baron who conspired to supply 2.3kg of heroin.
Baybasin said that when he was first taken to Belmarsh in 2004, he had to look after himself. There was no help from staff for him while using the toilet or bathing so he had to rely on other prisoners.
At one point during his sentence he was told to stand up by a prison officer who told him the fact he was disabled made no difference. Even when he was later provided with a care assistant, there were always delays which meant that he was left for unacceptably long periods in his bed having soiled himself, on the toilet or in a cold bath."


Surgeons to aid Met Police knife crime fight - Glasgow News

Posted On 00:22 0 comments

Surgeons to aid Met Police knife crime fight - Glasgow News: "Surgeons and police officers have agreed at a conference in London to work together to reduce the harm caused by knife injuries.
The Association of Surgeons of Great Britain and Ireland [ASGBI] and Metropolitan Police shared techniques to reduce serious injury from knives.
They agreed to provide stab injury training for surgeons and share data on locations and types of knives used.
The Ministry of Health is providing £700,000 to help fund the programme."


Scots gang's waterboard torture of drugs thief rival - The Daily Record

Posted On 00:17 0 comments

Scots gang's waterboard torture of drugs thief rival - The Daily Record: "Scots gangsters are using 'waterboarding' terror tactics to torture rivals.
Hardened crooks have copied the CIA-style interrogation technique where water is poured on to a cloth covering the victim's mouth and nose to simulate drowning.
We can reveal that a leading member of one of Scotland's most notorious crime clans was tortured by a rival gang using the shock tactics last week.
Drug dealer John Fox was terrorised after being snatched off the street by four thugs during a row over stolen drugs.
Associates of Fox said he was taken to a flat in Glasgow's east end, strapped to a scaffolding board, his head covered and water poured over his nose and mouth.
One source close to the family said: 'It's taking torture among gangs to a new level, but they've all seen how effective it can be, so it's a new weapon for them."


Tuesday

Hells Angels sensed a traitor infiltrated their ranks, court hears | Canada | News | London Free Press

Posted On 23:56 0 comments

Hells Angels sensed a traitor infiltrated their ranks, court hears | Canada | News | London Free Press: "Police shut down an undercover operation against Toronto's Hells Angels when the outlaw bikers sensed a traitor infiltrated their ranks, a Superior Court jury heard on Monday.
David Atwell, an executive officer with the motorcycle club, worked secretly as an undercover paid police agent for 18 months, Crown Attorney Tanit Gilliam said in her opening statement at the trial of five Hells Angels.
Atwell comes with a chequered past and was still using cocaine 'on a handful of occasions throughout this project' known as Project Develop, which began in the spring of 2005."


Bent Lancashire police officer jailed for 11 years (From Burnley and Pendle Citizen)

Posted On 17:32 0 comments

Bent Lancashire police officer jailed for 11 years (From Burnley and Pendle Citizen): "FORMER police Sergeant branded a 'criminal in uniform' by his bosses has been jailed for 11-and-a-half years.
Ex-Nelson officer Salim Razaq, 33, plotted to scupper his brother Hafiz's kidnap and assault trial by threatening witnesses, collected in drugs debts, unlawfully searched the police computer system and stashed lethal sub machine guns at his house.
Judge Henry Globe QC said his involvement with the 'Deepdale Gang' in the Preston area had lead to a 'catalogue of offences' before he was 'caught red-handed' following a search on his home by his colleagues in March this year.
He labelled Razaq's actions whilst a serving Pennine Sergeant as a 'gross breach of trust and a dereliction of duty' which had brought 'potential discredit to the police force as a whole'."


Wednesday

major crackdown on violent crime.

Posted On 02:17 0 comments

SPECIALIST police squads swooped on houses across Inverclyde and made a string of arrests in a major crackdown on violent crime.
Five people were arrested during the early morning raids in Greenock and Port Glasgow.
The joint operation — which targeted 29 addresses — was led by officers from ‘K’ Division and involved CID officers from Crime Division, the Gangs Taskforce and Domestic Abuse Taskforce.
More than 40 officers were deployed and, when necessary, support unit staff used a battering ram to gain entry to properties.


courts have now handed jail terms totalling more than 63 years to William Byrne and 14 crooks linked to his gang

Posted On 02:14 0 comments

The courts have now handed jail terms totalling more than 63 years to William Byrne and 14 crooks linked to his gang. A 16th man is awaiting sentence.
Byrne, 25, and his henchmen smuggled cocaine from the Caribbean and bought and sold drugs all over Scotland. They also distributed guns and cash.
The Mr Big used couriers - or "mules" - to keep his hands clean, and told the taxman he had earned less than £5000 since 2002. But he lived in luxury in a £350,000 home in a seaside town and drove BMW and Mercedes cars worth more than £50,000.
Judge Lord Matthews jailed Byrne for 54 months. He told him: "You obviously were the main player, although your record up to now has been minor."
The crook, who admitted drug-dealing, will now face court action to seize assets including his home and cars.
Byrne, of Wemyss Bay, Renfrewshire, worked with Gary Mackie, 42, from Ayr, to recruit and run a network of drug mules. But the elite Scottish Crime and Drug Enforcement Agency smashed the gang in an operation codenamed Salute, which lasted more than a year.
The SCDEA cops worked with Strathclyde and Lothian and Borders police and detectives in the Dominican Republic, where the crooks bought cocaine .
In all, they seized 14.5 kilos of cocaine worth approximately £3.8million and 1.25tons of cannabis resin with an estimated £3.5million value. Four firearms, ammunition and a CS spray gun were recovered.
Detective Superintendent Rikki Bailey of the agency said: "Byrne used a number of people to avoid getting his hands dirty, but the volume and value of the drugs we seized indicates how much he was gaining.
"He enjoyed a lavish lifestyle and showed no regard for the harm he was inf licting on Scotland's communities."
They watched Byrne's mules as they moved packages around Scotland and met up to exchange drugs, money and weapons.
In January 2008, the cops saw Jason Kane, 24, of Greenock, Renfrewshire, receive a firearm and ammunition from James Kane, 46, of Dundonald, Ayrshire.
Surveillance and mobile phone sei zures l inked both men to Byrne. Jason Kane got four years and James Kane six years and four months.
In February 2008, 27-year-old Craig Emmerson, of Port Glasgow, Renf rewshi re, was caught handing cocaine worth £50,000 to Robert Waterson, 47, of Bonnyrigg, Midlothian. The handover took place at Fort Kinnaird Retail Park in Edinburgh.
Emmerson admitted he was working for Byrne and was jailed for 32 months. Waterson got 45 months.
The next piece of the puzzle fell into place in April 2008.
Police searched the home of Alan Brown, 34, who was known to be one of Byrne's mules, and found Class A and Class B drugs. Brown admitted drug offences and is now serving 54 months.
Then, in August 2008, Kevin Duddy, 21, of Gourock, Renfrewshire, handed half a kilo of cocaine to Robert Halford, 43, of Clydebank, at a rendezvous in Langbank, Renfrewshire.
The cocaine was worth about £20,000. Duddy got two years and Halford three years after both men admitted drug offences.
By February last year, the police were ready to move on Byrne himself. They arrested him at his home in Wemyss Bay.
Then, in July 2009, cops in the Dominican Republic arrested two Scots, Paul Cairns, 23, of Gourock, and Daniel Squires, 22, from Greenock.
The pair were caught redhanded at an airport with 9kg of 90 per cent putity cocaine, destined for Scotland. Both are now in jail in the Dominican.
Four other men linked to the gang were jailed for being concerned in the supply of drugs.
David Scobie, 40, of Coylton, Ayrshire, got 32 months. William West, 36, and Brian Quinn, 35, both of Glasgow, got 45 months and 32 months respectively.
William Scott, 60, died in Kilmarnock jail, where he was serving two years.
Steven Scott , 37, from Gar thamlock, Glasgow, was convicted of firearms offences as a result of the investigation.
He will be sentenced today at Glasgow Sheriff Court.


Adam Alcock was one of a 16-strong gang that cut and sold the class A drug in Merseyside and Dundee.

Posted On 01:48 0 comments

Drug gang member who ferried cash and heroin jailed for four years - Maghull Star: "DRUG gang member who ferried heroin and cash around Liverpool was jailed for four years.
Adam Alcock was one of a 16-strong gang that cut and sold the class A drug in Merseyside and Dundee.
Surveillance officers eavesdropped on the gang for nine months in 2009 as they cut the drugs, hid them inside their bodies and ferried them north of the border where they used addicts to push their wares.
Alcock admitted to being involved on just March 4, 2009, when he ferried cash from Barry Devlin, of Bedford Road, Bootle, to gang leader Stephen Harrison, of Chapel Road, Anfield.
Later that day he took 0.5kg of 32%-pure heroin to Devlin. The drugs were later found at another co-conspirator’s house in Liverpool Road South, Maghull. They were worth more than £20,000, Liverpool crown court heard yesterday."


Friday

Gangland Britain, From tea and crumpets to guns and grenades… | Street Gangs Resource Center

Posted On 08:57 0 comments

Gangland Britain, From tea and crumpets to guns and grenades… | Street Gangs Resource Center: "Ten years ago, the idea that the likes of the Bloods, the Crips and the Latin Kings would one day extend their tentacles overseas to the United Kingdom would have been met with scorn and disbelief. Whereas Britain has always had its fair share of criminal activity, there is a clear distinction between organised crime groups and American-style territorial street gangs. The notion that gangsters in the UK would ever identify themselves by wearing a certain colour of clothing would have been laughable prior to the start of the twenty-first century. Fast forward a decade and the streets of London and Manchester are slowly becoming akin to those of Los Angeles and Chicago…
There are now an estimated twenty-five Blood sets and seven Crip sets in the city of London alone and although it would be easy to pass their activities off as a posturing attempt to emulate their transatlantic cousins, they have been responsible for countless murders, robberies and shootings over the last few years. In January 2010, a man was shot in the chest after foolishly attempting to engage in a snowball fight with a member of the E7 Crips in Newham, East London. Later that month, an eighteen-year-old with alleged connections to the Isle of Dogs Gang was stabbed to death by a member of East London’s E3 Bloods. In February, a member of the 031 Bloods was arrested in connection with the murder of sixteen-year-old Oluwaseyi Ogunyemi in Stockwell, South London. These are three of many gang-related killings at the hands of replica Bloods and Crips in England’s capital city."