Calgary police lay pill-press possession charges, counterfeiting

Calgary police say they've laid the first charges under a new section of Alberta law that made the unauthorized possession of pill presses illegal in an effort to combat the spread of illicit fentanyl. Police said Monday that a man and a woman were arrested during a traffic stop on Oct. 12 after officers found fentanyl pills, $58,000 in counterfeit Canadian currency and a 9-mm semi-automatic handgun in their vehicle. Behrooz Rafizada, 27, and his wife, Jocelynn Aida Saliba, 28 were arrested. They face 59 charges between them related to firearms, drug trafficking, production of a controlled substance and counterfeiting offences.

Reflective strips used to make counterfeit Canadian currency were found. Police said there was enough to create roughly $4.5 million in fake bills.

Police later found nearly $500,000 in counterfeit Canadian and U.S. currency, several firearms and equipment to produce counterfeit currency. That equipment included large-scale printers, uncut sheets of fake bills and reflective strips.

Former Keswick HA Adam Vickerson guilty of fentanyl charges

In 2013 more than 20 people, including a pharmacist, were hit with a raft of charges by York Regional Police relating to a drug trafficking operation that flooded the Keswick and York Region with fentanyl that was blamed for several overdoses. Only two of the people caught up in the investigation pled not guilty to the charges. After a multiple-week trial, the jury finally found Adam Vickerson guilty of 17 charges including trafficking, conspiracy and forging documents. In 2006, Vickerson, formerly a member of Keswick's Hells Angels, was sentenced to four years in prison in relation to a firearm.

Analogues creating serious antidote concerns - 'Hot Spots'

With more than 4 people in B.C. already dying of overdose every day, the province’s chief medical officer is warning of dozens of new types of analogues that are proving resistant to naloxone. At least 40 different fentanyl analogues exist to intensify or prolong a user’s high. Acryl fentanyl is one. It is highly resistant to the Narcan antidote. Improper mixing of fentanyl into street samples creates lethal doses. Proper mixing of tiny concentrations is challenging, especially for powders. Improper mixing results in some street 'hits' having more than 2 milligrams and others having less. Fentanyl and analogs are not water soluble, and traffickers need to use acidic substances to break it apart. (i.e. Vitamin 'C') Most don't bother.

Eric Boechler mixes up a binding agent and pink-dyed sugar in a small blender. He puts the powder in a pill press, turns it on, and little pills start pumping out. The dyed sugar is used to replace fentanyl in the demonstration to show how poorly the drug is distributed.

Included in Sgt. Eric Boechler's demonstration is a confiscated "fake oxy" pill containing fentanyl and the dyes used.

'Hot spots' are common in street fentanyl. While one user may smoke, swallow, snort or inject the drug and be fine, the next may end up dead.

Fatal doses of Heroin, Fentanyl

Dominican court jails 'Air Cocaine' Crook

Frenchman Christophe Naudin was sentenced to five years in prison for helping two French pilots involved in the "Air Cocaine" drug-smuggling case to escape justice in the Dominican Republic. Naudin was convicted for helping pilots Pascal Fauret and Bruno Odos flee to France after they were sentenced to 20 years for drug trafficking. Fauret and Odos were arrested in March 2013 as they were about to depart for France in a private jet found to be carrying 680 kilograms (1,500 pounds) of cocaine.

The affair is of keen interest in France, after Interpol issued arrest warrants for Fauret and Odos, as well as a member of the European Parliament accused of involvement. Two other Frenchmen, Nicolas Pisapia and Alain Castany, who were passengers when the cocaine was discovered were sentenced on appeal in 2016 to 20 years in prison.

"Machine Gun" Jack McGurn

"Machine Gun" Jack McGurn (July 2, 1902 – February 15, 1936), born Vincenzo Antonio Gibaldi, was a small-time boxer, Sicilian-American mobster and key member of Al Capone's Chicago Outfit. McGurn is associated with planning the St. Valentine's Day Massacre in 1929. In 1930 the "Public Enemies" list of the top 28 people corrupting Chicago appeared with McGurn's name fourth, which was published nationwide. This notoriety caused him to be shunned by the Outfit.

McGurn was assassinated by three men with pistols on February 15, 1936, one day after the seventh anniversary of the St. Valentine's Day massacre. The killers tossed a Valentine card with this poem near to his body: "You've lost your job, you've lost your dough, Your jewels and cars and handsome houses, But things could still be worse you know... At least you haven't lost your trousers!".

The story of America's most famous mobsters and their rise to power, 'Gangster Land' examines Al Capone’s ascension through the eyes of his second in command, "Machine Gun" Jack McGurn. Gangster Land opens in theaters on December 1st. Mel Gibson's son, Milo, plays Al Capone.

The Moldovan Mafia

Moldova has declared Russian Deputy Prime Minister Dmitry Rogozin persona non grata over his "defamatory" remarks about the authorities in Chisinau. Mr Rogozin alleged that the Moldovan government was being controlled by a mafia oligarch. The situation became more complicated after pro-Russian politician Igor Dodon became Moldova's president last December. Moldovan mafia gangs operate a vast network of criminal activities across Europe including contract killings, prostitution, and drugs smuggling.

In 2015, Moldova was rocked by a huge fraud case, when more than $1.2bn disappeared from three banks.

Ion Gusan, also known as “Nicu the Boss”

A mafia state is a system where the government is tied to organized crime. Transnistria, a break-away state from Moldova, has long been described as a mafia state, dependent on smuggling and gunrunning. Tens of thousands of protesters in Moldova took to the streets in September to demand the dissolution of the new government following corruption scandals. Demonstrators called for resignations, early elections and punishment for those responsible for widespread embezzlement.

Moldova is one of the poorest countries in Europe since its independence movement in the early 1990s.

'Cash in transit' heists big business for South African gangsters - Update

A video showing an armoured vehicle killing a 'cash in transit' robber by driving over him, has been circulating on social media. The heist happened on October 2 in Krugersdorp. A G4S crew was attacked by a group of five armed men. A G4S Security officer was shot in the leg. The robbers fled in a grey Audi Q7 with an undisclosed amount of money.

According to a leaked report there were 409 cash-in-transit heists between April 2016 and March 2017. Cash-in-transit heists surged from 254 the previous year. A banking security expert said heist perpetrators operate with virtual impunity. He pointed to a cash-in-transit robber arrested for a fifth time while he was out on bail for four previous robberies.

The high-stakes thefts often employ explosives and advanced, high-caliber weaponry. The true cost can be measured in blood. 16 people had been killed this year. Among them were seven security guards‚ two policemen‚ a bystander and six gunmen. Cash losses have amounted to nearly half a billion rand since 2014. (more than $ 35m USD, a vast sum in South Africa) Gangs of well-trained gunmen have made off with over R106 million in 198 separate reported heists this year, a figure claimed to be far too low.

Salvatore “Sam” Cardinella - Daylight Savings Time

In the fall of 1920, the leader of a violent gang, Salvatore “Sam” Cardinella, was convicted of murdering a barkeeper. That year, Chicago City Council passed a daylight saving ordinance saying the city's clocks must adhere to the time change. Cardinella’s gang had a hand in at least 20 murders and hundreds of robberies. Sentenced to death by hanging on April 15, 1921, Cardinella came up with a last ditch effort to save his neck from the hangman - daylight savings time. He got his extra hour, but was then hanged at 10:26 a.m. on April 15, 1921.

Edward G. Robinson shot to stardom in the role of Rico, loosely based on mobster Salvatore ‘Sam’ Cardinella, in Mervyn Leroy’s Little Caesar and Public Enemy (1931)

JFK files; CIA offered $150,000 to mob boss Sam Giancana to kill Castro

An outlandish CIA plan to recruit the mafia to kill Fidel Castro is among the highlights of a recent release of JFK documents. Sam Giancana in return sought the CIA’s help to place a listening device in the room of his mistress whom he thought was having an affair. Other possible ideas to kill the Communist leader included contaminating his diving suit or booby-trapping a seashell with a bomb. The CIA admits being unable to find a seashell big enough.

23 Feb 1961 — FBI Director J. Edgar Hoover chats with President John F. Kennedy.

It was revealed FBI director J. Edgar Hoover knew of a threat against the life of Kennedy’s killer Lee Harvey Oswald the night before Oswald was murdered. The information was ignored. The Warren Commission’s formal conclusion that Oswald killed JFK has done little to quell speculation that a more sinister plot was behind the murder of the 35th US president. Some insist there is a connection between Oswald and the CIA.

See ----->https://gangstersoutt.blogspot.ca/2017/10/frank-irishman-sheeran.html

Narco submarines; El Salvador seizes 1.7 tons of cocaine

Officials in El Salvador say the country’s navy has seized nearly 1.7 metric tons of cocaine probably worth $42 million from a semi-submersible boat off the country’s Pacific coast. The ultimate in high-risk, high-reward smuggling is the "narco submarine," subs that can bring tonnes of product at once. 80% of drugs smuggled into the US come from maritime routes. 30% of the drugs that arrived in the US by sea were via narco submarines. There are four broad categories of vessels that fall under the narco label: low-profile vessels, semi-submersibles, submersibles, and towed "torpedoes." The first narco sub detected in 1993 was built from wood and fiberglass, could not submerge, and were slow.

The latest models of subs travel at 10 knots, can mask their heat signature, evade sonar and radar, and use lead siding to help mask their infrared signature. Their detection and capture is extremely difficult. An 18 m (59 ft) long narco-submarine carries up to 10 tons of cocaine. They are typically made of fiberglass, powered by a 225–260 kW diesel engine and manned by a crew of four.

Super-cop to arrested suspect: Guy Ouellette

Guy Ouellette joined the SQ in 1969 out of high school. He worked his way up the ranks and eventually joined the drug squad. In the early 1990s, the HA and Rock Machine entered into open war over control of the drug trade. With the death toll rising rapidly — it would reach 165 by the time it was over — the province formed an elite anti-gang unit called Wolverine. Ouellette was part of the team. He stared down Quebec's most dangerous gangsters, had a hand in ending a bloody biker war and then built a political career on his law-and-order reputation. Yesterday Guy Ouellette was arrested by the anti-corruption unit.

Ouellette was known for his encyclopedic knowledge of Quebec's biker world. That made him a star Crown witness. His testimony helped put dozens of bikers behind bars, including Boucher, the biggest fish of them all. His evidence was so effective, members of the HA had a meeting in 1999 in order to come up with ways to discredit him. Ouellette was recruited by Jean Charest for provincial politics and first won his seat in 2007. Ouellette was arrested on suspicion he leaked internal documents on corruption investigations involving former premier Jean Charest and fundraising by the Quebec Liberal Party. Raids targeted two police officers. While at the home of one of the officers, corruption investigators took his cell phone and started texting Ouellette, saying they had to talk as soon as possible because the police officer was getting ready to tell all. As soon as he could get away, Ouellette made his way to the officer's home. But instead of the officer, he was greeted by the anti corruption team.

A text message was the trap that exposed Ouellette.

Anatoly Petukhov - Millionaire Russian 'crime fighter'

Life for 59 year old Anatoly Petukhov after being one of Russia’s top crime fighters has been good, very good. He gave up Moscow’s icy winters for the warm embrace of South Florida, where he’s amassed a $38 million portfolio of condos, office buildings and prime development sites, not to mention his 31-foot boat. Petukhov served as a general in an elite law-enforcement unit dedicated to fighting organized crime. The task force was so corrupt that it was reorganized and eventually shut down after a scandal involving its top official. It was thought beyond reform.

Petukhov is described as a ruthless gangster, extorting tens of millions between 1999 and 2013.

Petukhov is building a $17 million mansion on Miami Beach’s Hibiscus Island

Petukhov came to Florida in 2010, paying $3 million for a three-bedroom Miami Beach condo in Sunny Isles Beach, sometimes called “Little Moscow.” His activity was summed up by an American telecom firm doing business in Russia. When Russian mobsters shook down the company for protection money, it contacted Petukhov and the police. Petukhov got the gangsters to back off, then demanded the same amount as a “monthly consulting fee”.

The gangster had a unique quirk: he would point out things in the offices he visited and asked for them as gifts. “Every time he visited us, he would walk away with something” recalled an executive. In post-Soviet Russia, companies knew they needed krysha, criminal slang for “roof” or protection. Over the past decade, Russians have flocked to South Florida, particularly Fisher Island and Sunny Isles Beach. Their ranks include titans of industry, intelligence operatives and former politicians.

Petukhov purchased this building for $6.2 million in 2015.

The anti-organized crime unit would extort money from the people it was investigating, often with a promise not to bring charges. Junior officers were expected to funnel some of their illicit earnings up the ladder. Those in the highest positions like Petukhov sat at the top. The crime unit’s commander, Lt. Gen. Alexander Orlov, used his post to extort vast sums. Orlov was dubbed the “dark prince of Russia’s Interior Ministry.” He fled Russia and is said to have surfaced in Thailand and Fort Lauderdale.

One of Petukhov's homes.

See ----->http://gangstersoutt.blogspot.ca/2017/10/how-russia-buries-its-mafia-kingpins.html

The Montreal Giant Wheel - Steve Vogl

Mafia-connected entrepreneur Steve Vogl is doing business with The Montreal Giant Wheel, a new high-profile attraction on the Old Port's federal site. The promoter of the new attraction has contracted with him for catering services. Vogl, 52, has received several prison sentences since 1984, here and in the United States including armed robbery, drug smuggling, and credit card theft. Steven Vogel, Nicola Spagnolo and Léonardo Rizzuto meet at the Jargo restaurant on Saint-Laurent Boulevard.

This past didn't escape the Régie des alcools et les Jeux du Quebec, which refused in 2004 to grant a bar permit to one of Vogl's partners, who had hidden his partnership with him. He is close to the Rizzuto crime family. The Big Wheel was inaugurated with great pomp at the beginning of September. There is nothing to stop the Greater Montreal Wheel from doing business with the mobbed up Vogl. "Steve is a food supplier on our site," says Jeff Jorgensen, president of the company.