Carl Gagnon: High-flying fraudster, HA rat sentenced to prison

Robert Vanier was sentenced to three years behind bars on two counts of perjury for lying on sworn documents about the value of his failing company, Onco Petroleum. It is a steep fall for Vanier, a man who stole some $30 million from investors in Ontario, Quebec and the US. What they didn’t know was he was born Carl Gagnon, a Quebecer that had racked up more than 60 criminal convictions before becoming a police informant against the Hells Angels. After testifying against the Hells Angels, he was placed in the witness-protection program with a new identity.

Over two decades beginning in the early 1980s, Gagnon amassed criminal convictions across Quebec. Those convictions included numerous convictions for fraud. In 1999 he became involved in a car-theft operation with 3 members of the Hells Angels. The bikers, including Robert Savard, right-hand man of Maurice (Mom) Boucher – were said to have beaten him and forced him to commit a robbery to recover money that was owed. He decided to testify against them and obtained police protection. As an informant, he provided many statements related to various crimes, but when defence lawyers asked to see all of them to test Gagnon’s credibility, the charges were dropped in November 1999.

'Veteran' Independent Soldier Donahugh 'Blaze' McWhirter gone long time

Three and a half years ago, police said they had halted a resurgence of the Independent Soldiers gang in Kelowna. 48-year-old Donahugh 'Blaze' McWhirter was sentenced to five and a half years in jail on drugs and weapons charges. Police found 499 grams of crystal meth, just under a kilogram of MDA, and 5,595 MDA pills in a traffic stop. Cops later raided his home and found firearms, a pill press, steroids and boxes of Independent Soldiers-branded clothing.

McWhirter pleaded guilty to two counts of possession for the purpose of trafficking, two counts of possessing a firearm while prohibited and two counts of possessing a firearm without a licence. The Crown argued for an eight-year sentence.

50 kilos of Fentanyl seized in Philadelphia

110 pounds of fentanyl was seized at the Port of Philadelphia. U.S. Customs and Border Protection said the drugs were hidden in a shipment of iron oxide from China. Officials discovered the drugs thanks to a narcotics dog what caught the scent of the drugs in the barrels of iron oxide. High purity fentanyl is said to sell for over $34,000 per kilogram on the street, wholesale. CBP seized 951 pounds of fentanyl in 2017, and 984 pounds through the end of April 2018.

22 pounds Fentanyl seized in Ohio

Federal agents arrested four and seized enough fentanyl to kill 5 million people. Tomas Sandoval, Alvaro Gasca-Cardoso, Salatiel Ramos-Rajos and Alexis Zazueta-Soto have been charged with conspiracy to possess with intent to distribute fentanyl, methamphetamine and heroin. Agents seized 10 kilograms of fentanyl, a kilogram of meth and 10 ounces of heroin.

Fatal dose of Fentanyl

Heroin’s role in overdose deaths appears to be on the decline while fentanyls are rising. More than 90 percent of unintentional overdose deaths in January and February involved fentanyls while heroin was identified in only about 6 percent of cases.

Senior Hells Angels Emery 'Pit' Martin Busted

Emery Joseph Martin, 57, a veteran Hells Angel, was arrested Monday in New Brunswick. Martin faces numerous charges, including possession and trafficking of cocaine, and possession of criminal proceeds.

Martin established the Hells in New Brunswick.

See ----->More Grief for Hells Angels in N.B. - Big Cash Seized
See ----->9 arrested in Hells Angels-linked drug investigation in NB

Convicted drug smuggling bikie wins $1.33 lotto jackpot

Things didn't look good for Hells Angels bikie Reginald “Reg” Roberts, 64, last week. Currently sitting behind bars in a South Australian prison for his involvement in a $270 million drug-smuggling operation, he also has the issue of bankruptcy to contend with. However, his luck seems to have changed for the better thanks to a reported $1.33 million lotto jackpot win.

Truck driver Roberts has been bankrupt since May 2015 after being caught orchestrating a diesel fuel rebate scam involving trucking companies linked to the Hells Angels. In February, he was arrested with two other men after drugs with an estimated street value of $270 million were discovered on board a ship for Adelaide. Police seized more than 313kg meth, making it the biggest haul in SA history.

Anthony Byron Billis - World's Largest Bullion Scam - 'No Balls'

Anthony Byron Billis, 'Anton' serves as the CEO and Managing Director of RAND Mining Ltd. Billis has been an Executive Director of Tribune Resources Limited since February 22, 2003 and RAND since January 22, 2003. Both are ASX listed gold producers. Are they typical? Not exactly. The East Kundana Joint Venture (Northern Star Resources 51%, Rand and Tribune 49%) is an underground gold mining project in the Eastern Goldfields of Western Australia. The project comprises three producing underground deposits, Raleigh, Rubicon and Hornet.

Grade is high and costs are something between $ 400 to $ 600 per, meaning operations are highly profitable and have been for many, many years. And there's the rub. What happens to the gold? Something north of $250 million (nobody knows for sure) 'worth' of bullion from the two enterprises is stacked at the Perth Mint, but that gold is booked at cost not market value. In April 2013 the twins were then trading on a PE multiple of two. At $85 million, their combined market cap was described by Anton Billis as "about right".

The 'enigmatic' Billis owns minimal stock in his own name but has controled both companies with an iron grip for over 20 years. He says unnamed and mysterious Europeans are behind Yarri Mining Ltd, Transglobal Capital, Sierra Gold, Lake Grace Exploration, and Resource Capital. There are interlocking shareholdings. Tribune owns 44% of Rand, and Rand owns 23% of Tribune, and together with the European holdings, Billis controls 57% of Tribune and some 70% of Rand. Billis was one of three who won a record-breaking defamation suit against Terence McLernon in 2016 over claims accusing the trio of theft and corruption. Billis led one-time payday lender Oliver Douglas and former company director Paul Matich, who has just recently rejoined the BoD.

A Supreme Court writ was lodged by Billis claiming McLernon is in contempt of court and should be jailed. Shortly after that came revelations of fraud from Croatian mechanical engineer Franjo Bozic. Bozic sought details of share dealings in Tribune and Rand by very private Seychelles company Trans Global Capital. Trans Global owns 16.9% of Tribune and 13.1% of Rand. Bozic says he is owed 1 million Tribune shares by Billis and his 'wife' Phanatchankorn Wichaikul.

Billis has had scores of legal scrapes over the years and has been raided by ASIC investigators over his dodgy dealings.

Edmonton biker shot steroid dealer in face to impress Hells Angels

Jason Richard Neilson was sentenced to 12 years in prison. He was given credit for 33 months served in pre-trial custody.

Jason Neilson, 45, was found guilty of attempted murder and several firearms charges after a judge rejected his argument that it was self-defence when he shot Adam Abumeita on Aug. 19, 2016. Abumeita said Neilson came over to his car, and opened the passenger-side door. Neilson was wearing blue rubber gloves as he put a handgun to Abumeita’s temple and fired. The bullet went into Abumeita’s jaw, shattering his teeth. Neilson tried to fire again, but the gun jammed. Abumeita managed to get out of the car and ran to a nearby business where staff called for help. He nearly went into cardiac arrest and underwent surgery for his wounds, but survived. Both men were one-time Hells Angels “prospects” and were patched members of Tribal, a Hells Angels support club.

Crown prosecutor Richard Tchir argued Neilson should be sentenced to life in prison. “Nothing could be closer to an execution-style shooting,” he said.

Mexico World Cup star Rafael Marquez accused of helping a drug lord

Rafael Marquez is the team’s captain and a legendary defender. He was sanctioned by the U.S. Treasury Department last year for aiding a powerful Mexican drug trafficker. His bank accounts were frozen in the U.S. and Mexico and he was placed on a blacklist. The sanctions also bar him from playing in the United States. Known as Rafa, he has denied allegations that he and two associates used several businesses to hold assets for well known cartel leader Raul Flores Hernandez.

Some say only in Mexico could a money launderer be on center stage. Supporters of Marquez say he has not been convicted of any crime — or even charged — and should not be prematurely penalized. At a ceremony at Mexico’s presidential palace two weeks ago, Marquez presented a green World Cup jersey to President Enrique Peña Nieto — who himself has been accused of corruption.

Toronto busts Five Point Generalz gang

Toronto cops announced the largest single seizure of handguns with 60 taken off the streets. The gun seizures were part of a nine-month investigation called Project Patton that resulted in the arrests of 75 people and over 1,000 charges. Police said 53 search warrants were carried out around 5 a.m. Thursday in the GTA, including Toronto, Durham, York and Peel Region. Police seized cocaine, fentanyl, carfentanil, heroin and marijuana. The arrests follow a series a violent gun homicides across the city. In one incident, two young girls were shot at a playground in Scarborough. They will survive.

Oliver Willis

Guns can be purchased in Florida for around US$500 and are sold on the streets of Toronto for $4,000.

Former Abbotsford gangster Jimi Sandhu arrested for drug operation in India

Former Abbotsford gangster Jimi Sandhu, who was well known as the leader of a local gang, has been arrested for running a drug operation in India. He was deported in early 2016 for criminality. Sandhu, 28, was the alleged factory owner and one of the key players involved in the manufacturing of ketamine, as well as hash, cocaine and opium.Sandhu is one of three people who were the subject of a public warning by Abbotsford Police in 2015. They said at the time that Sandhu, along with Sandeep Sidhu and Gavin Grewal, posed a “significant harm to the safety of the community and anyone who may associate with them.”

Sandhu was charged in 2014 with second-degree murder in the killing of Red Scorpions gangster Matt Campbell, who staggered into a Fraser Valley Auto Mall business bleeding from a stab wound to his neck. Charges were later dropped. Sandhu argued at his deportation hearing that he should be permitted to remain in Canada because he had changed his life.

Irish assassin James Quinn jailed for 22 years

Irish gangster James Quinn, 35, who assassinated drug kingpin Gary Hutch has been jailed for 22 years. The Irish gangster sparked a war after murdering Hutch. Quinn was the getaway driver when Hutch was shot in the head on the Costa del Sol in 2015. Quinn was arrested in September 2016 after undercover cops got his DNA from a water bottle he had drunk from in a Madrid train station. They discovered it matched the DNA they had from a baseball cap found in the getaway BMW Hutch’s killers tried to torch after dumping it near the murder scene.

The Hutch killing sparked an ongoing feud between the Kinahans and Hutches which has claimed at least 15 lives.

Mafia boss 'Uncle Franco' held in Rome blitz

Underworld boss Franco Gambacurta, 66 -'Uncle Franco' - and his brother Roberto, 57, were among those detained during dawn raids on Tuesday. Wiretaps linked the elder brother to known criminal gangs and families. The Gambacurta brothers are described by the Italian media as "the undisputed" leaders in the Italian capital. Assets seized in the operation totaled seven million euros, including 14 properties, 12 commercial enterprises, 14 buildings, company shares and numerous vehicles. Rome's deputy prosecutor said seven kilos of cocaine, a gun and cash were found hidden in the homes of the suspects.

Unidentified suspect arrested for organized crime

Baltimore prosecutor loses manslaughter case in fentanyl overdose

Baltimore County man Gabriel DelValle, 38, was charged with selling a lethal dose of fentanyl to a Pasadena man. He was found not guilty of involuntary manslaughter, a setback for prosecutors. DelValle was found guilty of drug possession and distribution. In the appeals court ruling, Judge Daniel Friedman wrote that the victim chose to inject himself with the drugs that ultimately killed him. DelValle's lawyer argued he was “one of the end users” of the drugs. “He didn’t package it. He didn’t put it (fentanyl) in there. He didn’t ask for it”

Jason Patton Baker is accused of selling fentanyl that killed a 16 year old.

3987 Overdose deaths in Canada in 2017

Nearly 4,000 Canadians died as a result of opioids in 2017, a 34-per-cent jump from the previous year. Opioid deaths are accelerating in the hardest-hit provinces of British Columbia and Alberta, with Canada’s top doctor describing the growing crisis across the country as “devastating.” In B.C. 1,399 died compared to 974 in 2016. In Alberta, there were 714 deaths in 2017 compared to 548 in 2016. In Ontario, more than 1,100 people died from opioid overdoses last year, up from 726 a year earlier. Dealers "eradicated a small town of Canadians in just one year” said one expert. 90% of the deaths were unintentional, and 72% involved prescription or illicit fentanyl, an increase from 55% in 2016. The majority of deaths involved men.