Calgary police seize 35,321 fentanyl pills in record drug bust

Calgary police made a massive fentanyl bust, seizing a record 35,321 pills from a home in the southwest — more than three times the previous benchmark.

Seven weapons were seized, including three 12-gauge shotguns, two rifles, a handgun and a crossbow. Various amounts of ammunition and multiple sets of body armour were also found in the home. David Hillson Pratico, 31, of Calgary is now facing more than two dozen drug and weapons-related offences. Police believe Pratico is part of a criminal group and was 'top of the totem pole'.

Oz police seize 1.1 tonnes of cocaine

Australian police have cracked a trafficking ring, arresting 15 people in operations during which they seized 500kg of cocaine, in addition to some 600kgs confiscated earlier, making it the largest drug seizure in Australian history. In March 2016, 606 kilograms of cocaine worth A$197 million (US $142 million) bound to Australia off the coast of Tahiti was seized.

Police arrested three men and discovered a stockpile of 500kg of cocaine on a fishing trawler off the NSW Central Coast after it returned from a vessel reportedly coming back to Australia from Chile. The cargo is estimated to be worth as much as A$163 million (US $117 million). Men were arrested in Sydney and across other Australian cities during related drug raids.

The gang members used fishing boats to import the cocaine from South America.

252 pills seized by NL police in 'Operation Titanium' are Fentanyl.

Items seized during Operation Titanium: Four kilograms of cocaine 30 pounds of marijuana A kilogram of hash and pills $340,000 in Canadian cash two guns bear spray aluminum bat with five blades taped to the end. Also seized were two vehicles ,a 2015 Cadillac Escalade and a 2013 Ford Focus, cellphones and money counters and various drug paraphernalia.

Four were arrested: Dave Woolridge, 44, of St. John’s, Raymond Shea, 39, and his wife Pamela Shea, 36, of Pouch Cove, and Dave Laramee-Lapierre, 35, of Montreal. All are charged with conspiracy to traffic in cocaine, numerous charges of possessing cocaine and marijuana for the purpose of trafficking, possessing the proceeds of crime and money laundering.

David Woolridge, 44

David Laramee-Lapierre, 35

Raymond Shea, 39

Pamela Shea, 36

Quebec Hells Angels celebrate 39th Anniversary

The Hells Angels celebrated their 39th birthday in Canada on December 17th at a Sainte-Anne-de-Sorel hotel. Police noticed that some of the bikers displayed the name of the city on the front of their jacket. This means that the Quebec section is officially reopened after being inactive for almost eight years since Operation SharQc on April 15, 2009. Four of the five Hells Angels chapters are active; These are the Montréal, South, Trois-Rivières and Québec sections. Only Sherbrooke is still inactive.

The Montreal Chapter, the first in Canada to be created on December 5, 1977, continued to operate despite Operation SharQc, thanks to the infusion of certain members of the Rock Machine into Hells Angels ranks. The recently disbanded Ontario Nomads was formed 15 years ago with former Rock Machine members. Investigators also saw members of the newest chapter in New Brunswick. They have been sponsored and even formed partly by bikers from Quebec. At least one former member of the South chapter and another member of the Québec chapter now display the colors of New Brunswick. Recently, the Sûreté du Québec considered the Hells Angels to be the largest criminal organization in Quebec, controlling more than 80% of the territory for drug trafficking.

See ----->http://gangstersoutt.blogspot.ca/2016/12/pei-hoping-mad-over-new-hells-angels.html

Mexican Drug Smuggler Garcia Palomino pulls 3.5 years

A Mexican drug smuggler was sentenced to jail time for bringing over $500,000 worth of drugs across the Canadian/U.S. border for a Mexican cartel. Alexis Joel Garcia Palomino, 24, pleaded guilty to the unlawful importation of heroin and methamphetamine and failing to enter Canada at the customs office. Garcia Palomino was an illegal immigrant in the U.S. employed by the Mexican cartel for some time. Palomino would make anywhere between $500 and $1,000 for smuggling runs to Canada. On March 17, the RCMP received a call from U.S. Border Patrol advising an individual was carrying a backpack and walking north towards Nine Mile Place and Highway 3E east of Osoyoos. Police found 1,022 grams of heroin and six bricks of methamphetamine totalling 5,089.7 grams.

Two knives with 10-inch blades and night vision goggles were also located. Garcia Palomino was sentenced to 3.5 years in jail, 390 days of which he has served in pre-trial custody. Palomino has just under 2.5 years remaining on his sentence.

Drugs, guns: 60 arrested after joint Regina police, RCMP investigation

On Tuesday, Regina police and the RCMP announced that 60 people have been arrested and 443 charges have been laid over the last 90 days. The charges range from drug trafficking to possession of stolen property and multiple weapons offences. Police would not confirm where the individuals arrested came from, only to say some were from Edmonton and Ontario. Police say they have observed an increase in cocaine and methamphetamine traffic in the city since 2013, as well an increase in violent and firearm-related offences.

Police seized: 1,700 grams of cocaine. 600 grams of methamphetamine. 200 grams of marijuana. $40,000 in stolen property. 11 firearms: five long guns (sawed off) and six handguns. Over $100,000.

PlatinumSB.com

In February 2013, police raided an invitation-only Super Bowl party in Markham, Ontario for customers of Platinum Sports Book, an online credit betting operation that utilized toll-free phone lines and a Costa Rica-based website. The ring was operated by the London, Ontario chapter of the Hells Angels. The PlatinumSB ring was a classic credit betting setup, with levels of agents and sub-agents serving a client list of thousands of sports bettors. As many as 3k of these bettors were invited to the party in Markham that police raided. Police said the ring grossed over $103m between 2009 and the 2013 bust. 31 were arrested and $4.6m in illegal betting proceeds were seized.

Gordon Baird, 59, admitted in September he was the administrator of the Platinum Sports Book, a sophisticated betting operation that signed up their own clients, collected their debts and paid out their winnings on a weekly basis. The money flowed up the pyramid, with the top acting as “the bank.” Baird received an 18-month conditional sentence (to be served in Baird’s home) and a $400,000 fine. Baird handed over $50,000 and was given a year to pay the remainder.

In 2012, $1.3 million in cash was found in the backpack of Erwin Speckert as he boarded a bus from Winnipeg to Vancouver. The source of the money was PlatinumSB.com. Speckert was sentenced last year to three years for money laundering.

Rob Barletta

In another courtroom Rob Barletta and Andrew Bielli, both Hells Angels, pleaded not guilty to charges including bookmaking for the benefit of a criminal organization and possession of the proceeds of crime. Among the accused is William “Billy” Miller, a former chapter president of the Hells Angels. Also charged were: Martin Spruce, David Hair, Arno Thomsen, and Shlomo Buchler. Police consider Miller, Hair and Spruce to be the leaders.

William “Billy” Miller

Raynald Desjardins sentenced to 14 years in Montagna hit

Raynald Desjardins has been sentenced to 14-years in connection with the murder of Salvatore Montagna, a one-time boss of the Bonanno crime family who had tried to take over the Montreal Mafia. Because of the time already served since his arrest, Desjardins only has six and a half years left in his sentence.

Intercepted BlackBerry messages show that Desjardins and Montagna were rivals in the mob power struggles that erupted during the time Vito Rizzuto was serving a sentence in the US for racketeering. Desjardins complained to his men that Montagna’s crew was encroaching on their bookmaking, loan-sharking and protection rackets. Desjardins pleaded guilty to conspiracy to commit murder in July, 2015. Seven other defendants also pleaded guilty to lesser charges the following spring.

See ----->http://gangstersoutt.blogspot.ca/2016/10/raynald-desjardins-and-salvator.html
See ----->http://gangstersoutt.blogspot.ca/2016/09/sentence-hearing-delayed-again-for_1.html

Court acquits Tony Duguay in 2000 slaying

The Quebec Court of Appeal has acquitted Tony Duguay in the April 2000 slaying of a high-ranking Hells Angels Normand (Biff) Hamel because a key prosecution witness admitted to lying on the stand. Hamel was chased around a parking lot north of Montreal before being shot several times as he sought refuge between two cars. A jury convicted Duguay of first-degree murder in December 2006 and he was sentenced to life in prison. The slaying took place during the height of Quebec's infamous biker war -- a turf war over drug territory that claimed more than 150 lives between 1994 and 2002.

PEI hopping mad over new Hells Angels clubhouse

"The only reason the club has arrived on P.E.I. is to make money through criminal activity – likely drugs. Police seem powerless to stop them."

"The Angels is the most notorious motorcycle gang in Canada. Wherever they set up, illegal activity follows. In some jurisdictions, violence is commonplace. " The latest biker pow-wow and brand spanking new neighbors have citizens wondering. "In recent months, a sex shop was denied a permit on Euston Street, a dental office expansion encountered numerous delays on Belvedere Avenue and a nunnery was denied permission to rezone in Summerside."

"But an Angels chapter can simply buy a building, turn it into a clubhouse and locate here without any problems?"

The Hells Angels latest grand opening completes the trifecta for Atlantic Canada.

The 2nd newest Canadian chapter of the Hells Angels is based half an hour from the Quebec border in Sainte-Anne-de-Madawaska. The clubhouse of the new chapter, located in the small community of just over 1,000, appears to be an old farm building.

Emery "Pit" Martin

Emery "Pit" Martin succeeded recruiting enough members (6 full patch required) with the help of former members of the Quebec City chapter, which is currently still inactive. The mayor of Sainte-Anne-de-Madawaskathere, Roger Levesque is resigned. "There is not much we can do. I have already spoken with the RCMP on it and we can not prevent them from establishing themselves here" Police expect a bang on the 39th anniversary of the Montreal Chapter, which could be highlighted with a big party this month. They believe the club could take the opportunity to announce the reopening of two inactive chapters, Quebec City and Sherbrooke. In response to the resurgence of the Hells Angels in Quebec, police will see their ranks increased 30% with eight mixed regional squads (ERM) dedicated to anti-biker investigations.

David 'Hammer' Macdonald

He’s well known in London as a longtime outlaw biker who helped change the criminal landscape of the city. Now, David ‘Hammer’ Macdonald is bringing the Hells Angels back to Nova Scotia. Police say the London biker helped about 15 members of the Gatekeepers, a puppet club, move a key step closer to becoming full patch Hells Angels by awarding them hang-around status in June. The next step is becoming a prospect. With the Hells Angels moving into Ontario, Macdonald left his position as president of the London Outlaws and patched over to the rival club in 2001. He took with him at least a half dozen other Outlaws, instantly consolidating the Hells Angels control over London’s drug trafficking trade. The Hells Angels had given an ultimatum to all Outlaws in Canada to join them or retire.

The Hells Angels lost their foothold in Nova Scotia in the early 2000s after police arrested most members. In 2013, Gatekeepers chapters began to surface. In early June, one of those chapters held a welcome back party for the Hells Angels. Macdonald is originally from Pictou County, N.S., and is a frequent visitor to his grandfather’s residence in New Glasgow. Andrew Douglas wrote that about 12 of the new hang-around Hells Angels traveled to London in early May to receive the black vests carrying a red and white patch that reads London and signifies their status.

Vancouver morgues 'frequently full'

Vancouver morgues have reached a point where they are “frequently full”, forcing health authorities to store bodies at funeral homes. The city's primary morgue is at Vancouver General Hospital. It has space for 70 bodies plus a small area set aside for police cases. Authorities noted that fentanyl overdoses are largely to blame. There were 622 illicit drug-overdose deaths in B.C. during the first 10 months of 2016. That’s up from 510 during all of 2015 and 370 the previous year. Fentanyl has been detected in approximately 60 percent of deaths. The sharp increase in drug-overdose deaths has brought the province’s morgues to capacity.

Overdose numbers for November are expected shortly and likely will be bad. In late November, 7 overdose deaths were reported in 1 week on Vancouver Island alone. Funeral parlours are being advised to stock naloxone kits to reverse possible overdoses among mourners at services or staff who handle bodies of overdose victims.

Hells Angels in all-out war with NYPD: flurry of tickets

An all-out war is brewing in New York between the Hells Angels and NYPD after bikers refused to cooperate with a police investigation into a shouting outside their headquarters.

In response, cops stormed the notorious bikers' clubhouse on Tuesday, slapping bikers with tickets for minor infractions. More than 30 cops descended upon the East Village headquarters and handed out summonses for any minor infractions they could find. 'It was done just to f–k with them,' one police source told the New York Post. 'They're not cooperating with the investigation. If they're gonna give us a hard time, we're gonna give them a hard time.' 'They don't own that block and they have no right to block parking spots for themselves. It's a public street.' The cop added, 'They want to bring chaos and outrage into the community, [so] we are going to enforce the law and ensure they are following the rules.'

Former emergency room doctor Darryl Gebien pleads guilty to fentanyl trafficking

A former Barrie emergency room doctor who lost himself in the world of drug addiction pleaded guilty to trafficking and forging hundreds of fentanyl prescriptions Monday. Darryl Gebien, 46, was initially charged with 144 counts but Friday pleaded guilty to only one count of trafficking and one count of forging prescriptions. Outside of court, Gebien said he went to a rehabilitation facility and kicked his habit. “It was tough, but I did it,” he said. He insists he never wrote or shared a prescription for financial gain. “I’m an addict, not a criminal. It’s not as if I was doing this for money or profit.” He will be back in court for sentencing in February.