"Any moron can become a drug kingpin by dealing in fentanyl" - Aaron Shamo

Shamo flooded the US with at least a half-million fake oxycodone pills laced with fentanyl.

29-year-old Mormon college dropout Aaron Shamo made himself a millionaire by building a fentanyl trafficking empire in his spare time with not much more than his computer. Shamo called himself a “white-collar drug dealer” who was helping people get the drugs they needed. His attorney called him a fool and his primary defence was that he isn’t smart enough to be a drug kingpin.

On the stand at trial Shamo rambled extensively about how customers wrote thank you notes because their doctors refused to prescribe more painkillers. He said it was “a win-win situation” — he got rich and his customers got drugs. Ruslan Klyuev died in his bedroom with an envelope from Shamo at his feet. Shamo was charged in connection to that overdose death, but when investigators scoured his list of customers they said dozens more were also dead. His was the only death with which Shamo would be charged.

The DEA estimates a kilogram of fentanyl purchased for a few thousand dollars from China could make a dealer more than $1 million. “Any moron can basically become a major drug kingpin by dealing in fentanyl.” Shamo's business boomed. Shamo hired a personal assistant. He stuffed a duffel bag with $429,000 cash and asked his parents to hold it. He bragged to friends about gambling in Las Vegas. He shopped for real estate in Puerto Rico; took photos sipping champagne on a cruise ship; bought designer clothes, a boat and expensive cars.

Shamo penned a note: “I am Shamo. I am awesome. My friends love me. I created an empire.”

On Nov. 22, 2016 Federal agents raided Shamo’s home. Agents found more than $1.2m in cash. They seized another $800k from one of his associates. Shamo’s other ex-partners and packagers pleaded guilty and agreed to testify. Aaron Shamo was convicted of 12 counts on September 12, including the so-called “kingpin charge” that is usually reserved for drug lords like El Chapo and carries a mandatory life sentence. The jury deadlocked on the death of Ruslan Klyuev.

Hitman Gérald Gallant - Canada's most prolific killer

Gérald Gallant

Gerald Gallant stands five-foot-eight with a thin frame and a soft, stuttering voice. The Saguenay native was responsible for some of the most cold-blooded murders in Canada. The unassuming hit man turned rat admitted to killing 29, including at least one bystander, between 1978 and 2003, making him the most prolific assassin in Canadian history. His hallmark was to kill with several shots to the head, neck and chest.

A young Gallant worked under the wing of West-End Gang kingpin Raymond Desfosses, who gave him his first contract in 1980. Gallant killed often through the ’80s and into the ’90s, with Desfosses paying him $10k to $12k per hit. He didn’t hesitate to gun down anyone, but he had standards. Desfosses hired him to kill Gilles Cote in 1985. "I saw that he had a little kid next him," Gallant said. "(My partner) got ready to shoot. I told him ‘whoa, whoa, whoa, whoa, whoa! He has a little kid, you understand me? We never do that! We’ll come back tomorrow!’"

Gallant was true to his word and Cote was riddled with 33 bullets the next day.

Work was plentiful by 1997, as the biker war pitted the Hells Angels against the Rock Machine. His deadliest year was in 1998 when he eliminated five, including Paul Cotroni Jr., son of deposed mob boss Frank Cotroni. The 2000 murder of Bob Savard, right-hand man to HA boss Maurice "Mom" Boucher, was the first sign that Gallant’s steely nerve was cracking. His associate and two bystanders were injured in the hail of gunfire. Gallant killed two more between 2000 and 2003, and hatched a failed plot to kill Boucher. Gallant killed the wrong man during a hit in Ste-Adele in 2001 and left behind DNA evidence. It was finally the end. He confessed and offered to name names. Police used Gallant’s admissions and 11 gangsters were put away.

In 2008, Gallant received 48 life sentences for murder and attempted murder. He won’t be eligible for parole until 2033, by which time he will be 83 years old.

Oz drug smugglers sunk by seal

A group of drug smuggler's luck ran out after police seized $900m worth of drugs in Australia. Five have been arrested after police uncovered the drugs on a western Australian island on Sept. 3.

Two suspects were found on Burton Island with almost 2,000 pounds of cocaine and ecstasy concealed under seaweed. After being spotted, police say the suspects attempted to flee but were stopped by a massive sleeping seal blocking their path. They woke it up, and it was not in a good mood as it jumped up and bellowed at them. Apparently that was more than enough for them to think twice about taking it on. Police arrested Antoine Robert Dicenta, 51, and Kurt Palmer, 34. Three others were also arrested and charged in Perth

Katies' Revenge

Child molesters are notoriously hated in prison. Anthony Stockelman is a convicted child killer who will likely spend the rest of his life in solitary. The reason? He has the name of his victim on his forehead for all other inmates to see. Stockelman was sunk by his DNA on a cigarette butt near the crime scene. The DNA represented an ironclad case against him and he plead guilty in exchange for having the death penalty taken off the table.

He was sentenced to life imprisonment plus 30 years, but his problems were just beginning.

The story might have ended, but Stockelman’s time was going to be much harder because someone related to his victim was also imprisoned at the Wabash Valley Correctional Facility. Katie’s cousin, 22-year-old Jared Harris had gone to prison in 2000 for burglary and was in the same wing as Anthony Stockelman. Harris and another inmate gave Stockelman a choice ... he could either be stabbed to death or have a tattoo on his forehead. He choose the later.

Katie Collman

Anthony Stockelman has remained in a private cell. He eats alone, has recreation alone, and keeps to himself when possible. A medical practitioner has since agreed to remove the tattoo free of charge. Some might consider that a shame.

Cops looking for tipsters in 2016 Rocco Sollecito hit

Rocco Sollecito was shot to death at 8:30 a.m. on May 26, 2016, while at the wheel of his SUV. The high status mafioso was part of a committee that ran the Mafia while leader Vito Rizzutto was imprisoned in the US. An SQ command post was set up in the parking lot of a mall just a block south of the site of the killing. Cops made surveillance camera photos public and are seeking information on a pair on a motorcycle.

Con writing for biker magazine charged in 1972 murder

An Ohio prison inmate's writing published in biker magazines was cited by police in charging him with the shooting death of a motorist found along the Pennsylvania Turnpike in 1972. Larry Joseph Via, 75, was charged with criminal homicide and robbery in the death of Morgan Peters, who had been shot in the back. Via is serving a life sentence in the Marion Correctional Institute for a killing that occurred shortly after Peters' body was found in September 1972. He wrote poems and short stories for Easy Rider magazine under the pseudonym "Jody Via." A trooper found nine writings under that name in Easy Rider and Outlaw Biker magazines from the late 1980s.

"Dangerous Dave" published in Outlaw Biker in 1985 was about a hitchhiking woman who lured a man to stop, and the man is then surprised by a gunman.

Giovanni Brusca - World's most ruthless killer

Giovanni Brusca has nicknames, "Il Porco" or "Il Maiale" which means "The Pig" or "The Swine" due to his unkempt appearance. But he is also called "lo scannacristiani" which means 'the people slayer.' Brusca admitted to killing so many he can't remember the figure. He thinks it's somewhere between 100 and 200. He was the right hand man for Sicilian boss Salvatore Riina. Brusca had a long career of brutality, including the kidnapping of a potential witness' 11-year-old son whom he dissolved in acid. He also bombed Italian tourist attractions, killing 10 and injuring 71.

He murdered anti-Mafia prosecutor Giovanni Falcone in 1992. Giovanni Brusca was one of the most powerful Mafia leaders between Riina's arrest in January 1993 and his own in May 1996. After being arrested be turned rat. In 2004, it was reported that Brusca was allowed out of prison for one week every forty-five days to see his family, a reward for his good behavior as well as becoming an informant and co-operating with the authorities.

Freedom is our Religion - German HA

Since March 2017, the members of the Hells Angels and other groups have been banned from wearing their colors in Germany. Hundreds of bikers participated in a run to the Brandenburg Gate. Boss Andrew Summer gave a speech and ended it with "a happy ACAB". That would be an insult: "All Cops are bastards".

$1b transferred to OxyContin maker Purdue Pharma Sackler family

OxyContin maker Purdue Pharma used Swiss and other hidden accounts to transfer $1b to themselves, New York's attorney general alleges. The family transferred millions to Mortimer D.A. Sackler, a former member of Purdue's board and a son of one of its founders. The previously unknown wire transfers were among family members, entities they control and financial institutions.

The filing, made in a New York court, follows Purdue threatening to declare bankruptcy.

The transfers bolster allegations that the Sacklers worked to shield their wealth from legal threats as they flooded U.S. communities with prescription painkillers. Authorities claim more than $4b was drained from the company over the past dozen years. The family used a complex chain of companies and trusts to control their holdings, some located in offshore tax havens. The Sacklers had an estimated net worth of $13 billion as of 2016, making them America's 19th-richest family.

Senior RCMP employee Cameron Ortis arrested, charged as spy

A director general of an intelligence unit within the RCMP has been arrested and charged. Cameron Ortis is facing multiple charges under both the Criminal Code and the Security of Information Act. Ortis was former RCMP Comm. Bob Paulson’s most elite advisor on issues related to national security and sensitive investigations, and likely the only civilian to ever achieve the position of director general of intelligence. Ortis would have had intimate access to secret national security information. He was found out by the US.

Charges relate specifically to unauthorized leaking of sensitive operational information, breach of trust, and unauthorized use of a computer. Ortis's case was put over to Sept. 20 and he remains in custody. The investigation lasted over 4 years.

Cameron Ortis faces seven counts dating as far back as 2015, including breach of trust, communicating “special operational information,” and obtaining information in order to pass it to a foreign entity.

Former Vice Media editor Pastukhov pleads guilty to cocaine charges

Yaroslav Pastukhov, 28, a former Vice Canada editor, admitted he conspired to import large quantities of cocaine into Australia. Writing under the name Slava Pastuk, he used his high-profile position as music editor to lure drug mules. Five drug couriers were arrested at Sydney airport in 2015 after nearly 40 kilograms of cocaine was found in their suitcases. Each was sentenced to significant prison time. The Australian court heard the packages were for a Mexican drug cartel. Pastukhov is scheduled to be sentenced on Oct. 31. The prosecution is seeking a 12-year prison term.

Money launderer tried to sell co-worker a $2-million house

2375 Burquitlam Dr. owned by Caixuan Qin.

The purchase of the six-bedroom, six-bathroom home by a co-worker involved was stopped last spring when the B.C. Civil Forfeiture Office became aware. The office was suspicious the buyer was not at arm’s length from the accused, the price was too low, and the purchase money was “tainted.” The freeze order stipulated the property could only be sold to a “bona fide” third person for fair market value.

Caixuan Qin.

Ultimately, the court approved the most recent sale in a decision on Sept. 6. Caixuan Qin and spouse Jian Jun Zhu are named in the civil forfeiture suit that seeks to seize the Vancouver home and another $2 million in cash. Qin and Zhu are accused of operating an underground bank in Richmond, Silver International, that laundered as much as $220 million a year, largely in drug trafficking money. Criminal charges for money laundering were stayed in November 2018 in relation to Silver International.

Jian Jun Zhu.

Red Scorpion Justin Lee Haevischer whacked

High profile Red Scorpion gangster Justin Lee Haevischer, 33, was blasted by two different shooters outside the McDonald’s at 264th Street and 56th Avenue about 8 p.m. He was pronounced dead at the scene. About 30 minutes after the shooting, Abbotsford Police received a report of a burning SUV. Haevischer’s older brother Cody was convicted, along with Red Scorpion gangster Matthew Johnston, of first-degree murder and conspiracy in the Oct. 19, 2007 'Surrey Six' Massacre.

Cody Haevischer

Montreal cops strike against Minotaur MC

Thirty people, including members of a puppet club of the Hells Angels, were targeted, mainly in Montreal. Many of the Minotaur biker club have been arrested and face various charges including drug trafficking, weapons possession and more. One of the people arrested this morning is Arsene Mompoint, an influential gang leader in Montreal. Mompoint, 46, was arrested at Trudeau Airport as he was preparing to fly to Haiti. In total, 40 searches were carried out that resulted in seizures including 11 kg of cocaine, five kg of MDA, close to 600,000 meth tablets, eight firearms and $122,460.

Minotaures West Montreal motorcycle club are suspected of leading a heroin and cocaine distribution ring.

The Minotaurs were created in 2017. Police believe the Minotaurs were paying a tax to the Hells Angels for the sale of drugs. Their trade is in Hochelaga-Maisonneuve, Rosemont and East Montreal. They reportedly have taken over territory formerly belonging to the Syndicate, the defunct organization of jailed gang leader Gregory Woolley.

Wannabe Gangster on Dr. Phil

A 15 year old wannabe gangster came face-to-face with a former gang member who gave him a reality check. In an attempt to show that being a criminal is far from glamorous, Phil called out a former gang member named Joseph. "I've been shot four times. By the time I was 25, I had 13 years incarcerated. I was first arrested at nine years old. But when I walked outside my house, there was nothing but homies. When I walked back in my house, my father was a homie. When he was not in prison. I thought those were the cards that were dealt to me. To hear you say that it's cool, it blows me away, youngster. It breaks my heart."

Biker: 'We were racially profiled'

Hells Angels Rey Rodriguez, 32, left, and Stephen Meza, 58, right, were busted on weapons charges.

A group of bikers say Fresno anti-gang officers overreacted in a raid on their clubhouse, but cops say they had no choice after an armed Hells Angel ran and hid inside the building.

“It was crazy, bro,” said Jay Upton, vice president of the Savage Assassins. “We were racially profiled.” The puppet club Savage Assassins staged an end of summer event at their clubhouse on Belmont Avenue east of First Street. A barbecue, cold drinks and a wet T-shirt contest were on the schedule. Christian biker groups were also at the event.