As Putin flexes his might, its likely that an invasion won't return what he expects.
Russia's military buildup around Ukraine suggests Putin might, and could, order an invasion. Geopolitical forces may take heed of the wisdom imparted by Mike Tyson: "Everybody has a plan until they get punched in the mouth."
Vladimir Putin, speaking in a CBS '60 Minutes' interview in 2015 refuted claims that he was a gangster. "How can I be a gangster if I worked for the KGB?" Putin said "Come on. That doesn't correspond to reality." Russia warned today it would take “retaliatory measures” if the U.S. and its allies reject its security demands over NATO and Ukraine.
Putin is deploying an estimated 100k troops near Ukraine and launching warplanes, ships, and armour. Putin has demanded that NATO never admit Ukraine and other ex-Soviet nations as members and that NATO will roll back troops in other former Soviet bloc nations.
Those demands are seen as non starters, raising the prospect of war.
Putin is a master of what he learned at the KGB. Manipulate. Lie. Repress. Putin's ability to act as a bridge between the worlds of politics, money, and criminality is unmatched.
Putin is among the world's longest serving leaders and can rule until 2036. He will be aged 83 if he lasts that long.
Putin's ascent began in the legal department of President Yeltsin.
He was appointed head of the FSB – the successor to the KGB. Putin turned the FSB into a mercenary for any gangster, criminal or corrupt businessman able to pay. He also became the primary source of information on Yeltsin opponents. Yeltsin rewarded Putin by making him prime minister in August 1999. Within a few months, Putin became acting president when Yeltsin resigned.
Over the ensuing two decades, Putin has become a de facto monarch, with power rivaling any Tsar. He has established a support network of the richest capitalists who rely on him completely for their fortunes and status.
The Supreme Court of Canada ruled that the Quebec Court of Appeal was wrong when it quashed the convictions of four people for laundering money for the Quebec Hells Angels.
The case against Richard Felx, 64, and 3 others dates to 2009. They were arrested in 'Operation Diligence' along with HA Normand 'Casper' Ouimet, 52, and Martin Robert, 47. In 2016 all four were found guilty of money laundering, conspiracy and gangsterism. Felx created trusts and an offshore company in Mauritius and laundered dirty money for a 10% fee.
The matter was referred back to the Quebec appeal court.
In Sept 2020, the Quebec Court of Appeal ruled 7 years was too long and that the only remedy was a stay of proceedings.
The Supreme Court ruled the judge “was right to dismiss the motions for a stay of proceedings.”
“The evidence in the record shows that the (accused) directly caused most of the delays of which they complain and that they attempted to derail the trial by filing multiple applications, motions and interlocutory appeals, which were unsuccessful for the most part. These delays are largely but not exclusively attributable to the defence and must be subtracted from the total delay,” the court wrote.
See ----->HA Quebec money man Richard Felx off to big house for 69 months
Calgary man Navjot Singh was busted with four duffel bags of drugs worth $4m after collecting them from a semi-trailer in Brooks in 2018. It was one of the largest drug seizures in the city's history.
Navjot Singh, 23, and Gurjeet Ghotra, 20, each faced two charges of possession for the purpose of trafficking. Ghotra was acquited. Navjot Singh bought 10 years.
66kg of cocaine and 30kg of meth plus $41k in cash was seized on Oct. 4, 2018. CPS pulled over a Dodge Caravan following a 3 month investigation and found the drugs.
The HAMC sued Marvel in the early 90s for naming a character "Hell's Angel" - the evil Mephisto's loyal servant. Mephisto killed her father and she was trapped into serving the villain. She broke free of him, but couldn't escape the biker lawsuit.
Marvel acquiesced to the club and changed the character name to Dark Angel. Another lawsuit followed after which the Dark Angel was retired by Marvel.
A narco sub filled with 4 tons of cocaine was intercepted by the Colombian military.
The shipment is estimated to be worth $145m.
Four men on board the vessel were arrested. The shipment belonged to a Colombian guerrilla group, the Alfonso Cano Western Bloc, and
is the largest narcotics bust in the last two years.
The Phoenix Police Department reassigned nine cops and the Maricopa County Attorney’s Office admitted prosecutors failed to properly vet a case that resulted in a group of protesters being charged as a criminal street gang.
Cops and prosecutors fed the grand jury gross exaggerations, dubious claims, and lies. 3 former assistant chiefs claim they were improperly demoted and are demanding $5m to settle their claims or they will file a lawsuit.
Q: What is that name of this gang?
A: It is called ACAB, A-C-A-B, and it stands for All Cops Are Bastards. We first came into contact with this group through graffiti, signage, ACAB written on the back of skateboards ..."
Q: And are you finding that ACAB is following the exact same type of philosophy of let’s say the Bloods and the Crips?
A: Yes.
Q: And what about even maybe the same philosophy as the Hells Angels?
A: Very similar, yes.
The legal threat is one of many now facing Phoenix and the Maricopa County Attorney’s Office. Phoenix Sgt. Doug McBride also filed a lawsuit. He says the gossip hurt his reputation.
The U.S.-made M82 semi-automatic rifle is increasingly favored by Mexican drug cartels.
The Barrett .50 cal M82 can easily penetrate bulletproof vests, concrete walls and even tanks. M82s, often fitted with a scope to act as sniper's weapon, can fire 70 rounds per minute with a maximum range of 2,500 meters. First manufactured in the 1980s, the M82 rose to prominence during the first Gulf War when it was adopted by the U.S. military. It's now used by more than 70 security agencies across the world. It retails for around $10,199.99.
In 2019, a record 68 such weapons were captured.
For cartels, the M82 has become a status symbol. Gangs that want to project power post photos on social media of their members toting M82s and the latest military gadgets, mimicking the style of special forces units.
The raw power of the rifle was displayed in 2020 during a military-style assassination attempt on Mexico City's police chief's armoured car.
UK gangster Michael Brown was one of two men who stabbed to death Colin McGinty after mistaking him for a gangland rival.
In 2001 he was sentenced to life.
Brown was released in 2017 after serving 16 years. He changed his name to Michael Hoy and became a landscaper. Hoy sourced an EncroChat phone and brokered deals for firearms including AK47s using the codename TimelyBeta. He was sentenced to life with a minimum of six years for the explosive and gun offences plus 14 years for drugs crimes.
Patrick Murray, 25, was given a life sentence.
AK47s, pistols and ‘pineapples’ - slang for grenades - were obtained by cops.
Hoy asked Murray: “You got a pic of them new apples mate.”
Murray replied: “No mate but there meant to belters - I can try get viewing on them if need”. Hoy responded: “This fella wants them all. 1250 told him.”
Pictures of grenades were later sent from Murray to Hoy.
When cops started to search the bus, one of the men attempted to flee.
Deputies located 20 packages of cocaine amounting to 213 pounds.
Fredy Gutierrez and Gabriel Manuel were arrested. Estimated street value of the cocaine is $14 million.
This photo helped UK cops lasso Umair Zaheer, a 'ruthless gangster' and gun runner who helped plot gangland shootings. Zaheer is beginning a 25 year jail sentence after EncroChat messages revealed his involvement in sourcing guns and drug dealing. The image of Zaheer provided police with a breakthrough as they found the same clothes he had been wearing in the picture.
The Louis Vuitton T-shirt, grey top, trousers and trainers were all recovered by cops.
His close ally Bilal Khan, 33, was also identified as he posed with the machine gun. Zaheer and Khan were sentenced alongside five other men for firearms and drugs offences.
Zaheer was involved in helping broker deals to sell weapons to other criminals.
He arranged a £37,000 deal to sell Uzi and Skorpion sub machine guns, as well as a pistol to Khan.
Putin is among the world's longest serving leaders and can rule until 2036. He will be aged 83 if he lasts that long.
