Avocado crime soars - 'Green Gold'

Avocado growers in Mexico are guarding against cartels eager to cash in on 'green gold.'

Rising exports make Mexico the world’s largest producer. It's a growing industry, with sales to the US bringing in $2b last year.

The rise in avocado-related crime has turned some growing areas into no-go zones, even for cops.

Mexico produced 1.09m tonnes in 2018-19, up nearly 4% from the 1.05m produced in 2017-18. Exports last season rose 5.4%. A sharp fall in the price of Mexican opium paste has forced cartels to seek new revenues. Michoacán state, which grows avocados, has identified nine cartels operating there. Hijacking truckloads of fruit exploded as did extortion of growers.

Locals say government response to rising cartel threats and violence has been minimal, if not nonexistant.

“It’s cheaper to buy a gun than to pay them a fee."

'Pueblos Unidos' or 'United Towns' was created about a year ago in San José de Chuén, Michoacán, to protect the community and avocado production. The group now has upwards of 5,000 armed members, supported by producers. The group’s strategy seems to be working. They no longer suffer theft, crime, or persecution as the cartels seek greener pastures without resistance elsewhere.

Mob Boss Carmine 'The Snake' Persico an FBI rat

The New York Daily News is reporting that Carmine Persico was a “Top Echelon Informant” for the FBI.

Carmine John Persico Jr. was born in 1933 in Brooklyn. Persico took over the Colombo Family in the early 1970s when it was at the height of its powers. In the summer of 1986, he was convicted of racketeering and murder in a prosecution of mob bosses led by then U.S. Attorney Rudolph Giuliani.

Sentenced to more than a century in prison in 1987, Persico exerted authority over the Colombo family from behind bars for decades. Persico was the last surviving defendant of the mid-‘80s 'Commission' trial, which put three of New York’s five crime family bosses in prison.

Persico died in prison in 2019 at age 85 while serving a 139-year sentence.

Halifax cops pepper spray 10 year old girl while rousting homeless

Halifax oinkers went hog wild on citizens near a homeless camp in the city. George Fagan’s daughter, Lennita, 10, was pepper sprayed. “You maced my kid, you maced a fucking 10-year-old.” the father screamed before he was pepper sprayed.

“I was scared, I was terrified because I didn’t know what was going on,” Lennita said. At one point, a cop shoved the girl. “That was the scariest day of my life.” Top Halifax cop, Chief Dan Kinsella, dismissed the fact his 'men' removed their name tags and harrassed reporters. He also refused comment on the fact 2 cops reported as "injured" inhaled their own tear gas. 24 were arrested.

hrpprofstand@halifax.ca

The mayor of Halifax, Mike Savage(mayor@halifax.ca) said he doesn't believe forcing people out of the only home they have by force is harmful. He ordered the violent cop home invasion against his most vulnerable citizens. Savage claims that people in tents had all been offered temporary housing. That is not what the displaced are saying. There are no shelter spaces available in the city.

Stephen 'The Rifleman' Flemmi denied release

Stephen "The Rifleman" Flemmi, 87, is serving life sentences for 10 murders. James "Whitey" Bulger and Flemmi were longtime FBI informants, and ran the Winter Hill Gang for more than 20 years, making millions. The parole board set Flemmi's parole date for the year 2218, saying he still has 2,680 months to serve. Bulger was killed in federal prison in West Virginia in 2018.

Money 'recyclers' jailed

Victor Vargotskii, 59, was sentenced to 30 months while Eric Bradette, 39, pulled 15 months. They pleaded guilty to trafficking in money obtained by crime. They are mid-level players in Project Collector, an RCMP operation that dismantled a sophisticated money laundering ring in Toronto. The group made cash available to cocaine suppliers in Mexico and Colombia. Often their elaborate global swap schemes never had cash leaving the country.

The recyclers, among other things, faked the production of nine million boxes of chicken wings in order to fabricate false invoices and justify transfers of millions.

The value of the assets seized or restrained is more than $32m.

The judge wasn't impressed that Bradette is related to a former member of the Hells Angels. No connection could be made between the $275k seized and the club. Leaders of the ring, Nader Gramian-Nik, 56 and Mohamad Jaber, 51 have yet to be sentenced.

Vittorio Mirarchi revisited - 'future godfather' released from prison (Dec 2017)

Vittorio Mirarchi, a protégé of boss Raynald Desjardins regained his freedom from the prison of Saint-Jerome, where he was jailed for his role in plotting the murder of Salvatore 'the iron worker' Montagna. Mirarchi was arrested on December 20, 2011 at the same time as Desjardins. Their text messages were intercepted by police while they were preparing the crime. The mafioso was sentenced to nine years, five years less than the boss. Cops say the Quebecker with Calabrian origins could be the next godfather.

Part of the $300k in various currencies that police found at Mirarchi's condo.

One of two hidden Mirarchi safes.

Cops think Mirarchi has the potential and the means to take the helm of an Italian mafia. Mirarchi is suspected of being a major cocaine importer, although he has never been charged with that crime. While in jail, the RCMP arrested 58 alleged traffickers - including well-known mafiosi like Liborio Cuntrera and Marco Pizzi. 49 of them were released, largely thanks to a judicial victory by the lawyers paid for by Mirarchi. He wanted to force the Crown to disclose how the RCMP had watched his 16 BlackBerrys. He was proven right. The Crown negotiated guilty pleas on reduced charges. Most of the defendants in project Clemenza were granted a stay.

It remains to be seen if Mirarchi is interested in the throne. If so he needs to be accepted by the Sicilians and able to do business with the remains of the Rizzuto clan and the surging Hells Angels.

See ----->Salvatore 'the iron worker' Montagna killers sentenced

Cartel Tombs - Jardines del Humaya

Even in death, Mexico’s drug lords display their power and wealth. A cemetery on the outskirts of Culiacán, capital of Sinaloa and home of the cartel of the same name, has some of the most elaborate and expensive mausoleums in the world. Bulletproof, they feature gold-plated domes, Italian marble and luxuries like wifi, air conditioning and satellite TV. The tombs at Jardines del Humaya have it all, with some costing more than $600k. They mark the final resting places of ‘narcotraficantes’.

The dead drug traffickers here all had some involvement with the Sinaloa Cartel, widely thought to be the most powerful and far-reaching criminal organization in the world.

Hitman/rat reveals Mafia war

Vittorio (Victor) Mirachi

The informant testified earlier that he shot brothers Vincenzo and Giuseppe Falduto. He also admits killing Rocco Sollecito. Orders came from leaders within the Calabrian side of the Montreal Mafia. They sought to eliminate the Sicilians. Salvatore and Andrea Scoppa, (dead) and Vittorio Mirachi were the leaders of the Calabrian side. Mirachi pleaded guilty to the conspiracy to kill Salvatore Montagna with Raynald Desjardins.

In text messages, the hit man claimed to have information of the deaths of Vincenzo Spagnolo and Lorenzo Giordano, as well as plots to kill Francesco Del Balso. All are with the Sicilian side. The unnamed rat has a problem with the Hells Angels ... “I also wanted to have some Hells Angels arrested and to (let the SQ know) there was a big mole in their building. I don’t know who the big mole was, but there was a big mole."

“The Sicilians are with the Hells Angels. The Calabrians and the Sicilians are at peace now. There doesn't seem to be a war. Are there any remaining conflicts that will need to be resolved? Perhaps. But there is nothing that tells us that,” explains Chief Inspector Benoit Dubé.
See ----->Salvatore Scoppa executed
See ----->Top HA in Quebec 'unhappy' with Scoppa hit

'War Machine' = 36 to life

In 2017 Former Bellator and UFC veteran War Machine (Jonathan Koppenhaver) was found guilty on 29 of the 34 charges he faced – most notably of sexual assault, battery and kidnapping.

He received a life sentence with the possibility of parole after 36 years. Koppenhaver's 2014 attack on porn star Christy Mack (Christine Mackinday) and Corey Thomas left Mack with a broken nose, a fractured orbital, a broken rib, a lacerated liver and extensive bruising. Mackinday suffered 18 broken bones and lost many of her teeth

Koppenhaver will be 71 before he can have his first parole hearing.

Koppenhaver assaulted Thomas with such severity that Mack believed the former fighter was going to kill him. Mack also claimed that the ex-fighter threatened to send his Hells Angels friends after her if he ended up in jail.

Cocaine in chili peppers buys 13 years

Humberto Baez, 52, was sentenced for conspiring to import and distribute cocaine and for possessing with intent to distribute cocaine. Baez's smuggling took place from August 2016 to March 2018 with drugs hidden inside shipping containers bound for the U.S. from the Dominican Republic.

6.5kg cocaine found on board Caribbean Airlines jet

Cocaine was found on board a Caribbean Airlines Boeing 737-800 that landed in Miami after flying from Piarco International Airport in Trinidad. The load nearly made it through. The flight was earlý arriving and delayed leaving, giving time for discovery by cops.

Drug cartels in Trinidad and Tobago are highly active. No arrests were made.

10 year anniversary of Jon Bacon hit

Ten years ago, two men dressed in black jumped from an SUV outside Kelowna's Delta Grand Hotel and fired into a white Porsche SUV with automatic weapons. Jonathan Bacon, the eldest of the Bacon brothers, was killed while three others in the vehicle were injured. 18 months later Jason McBride, Michael Jones and Jujhar Khun-Khun were arrested and charged with first-degree murder and four counts of attempted murder. Manjinder (Manny) Hairan was also involved in the killing but died in a shooting in Surrey. Jason McBride pleaded guilty to second-degree murder and attempted murder and was given a life sentence with no parole for 18 years. Khun-Khun and Jones pleaded guilty to conspiracy to commit murder and were sentenced to 18 years.

The police investigation was described as “one of the largest and most complex in B.C.'s history,” and cost $9m.
See ----->Bacon Murder; Sukh Dhak was a happy camper
See ----->Shane Timothy Dankoski to Rat Out Jon Bacon Killers?

Kyle Gianis dead - case closed

Kyle Gianis died from “self-inflicted injuries” shortly after being found in medical distress near an Enderby campground. Cops responded when two women were stabbed and a man was acting erratically due to drugs. Gianis was found two hours later seriously injured at the bottom of an embankment near a river. He died at the scene. IIROC, the cop watchdog, has determined that cops had no role in the death.

__________ Kyle Gianis has been shot again, his fourth if anybody keeps count. He and another man were gunned down in Kelowna. The cat-like Gianis has been released from hospital. Cops are warning the public that associating with Gianis is extremely dangerous and that he is a public threat.

Kyle Gianis was the victim of a targeted shooting in a Kelowna parking lot March 29. Its the third attempt on the career gangster's life. It comes days after his drug operation was busted by the cops.

Gianis says he grew up in Surrey and became a criminal at 15.

He was arrested in 2007 in Cancun for drug smuggling and was sent to the U.S. where he was sentenced to 13 years. Gianis was later transferred to a Canadian prison, where he was paroled in 2015. Gianis was shot in 2017 outside of a Langley restaurant. His friend Tyler Pastuck was killed. In 2018, a Surrey nurse was killed in a case of mistaken identity. The intended target was Gianis.

Tyler Pastuck

Nobody has been charged in the June 23, 2018 murder of Paul Bennett, who was gunned down in his driveway.

Trafficker David Tull was sentenced to almost 12 years in jail for his role in the 2017 conspiracy to murder Gianis. His former associate in the drug world was marked for death after double-crossing Tull.

Gerry 'The Monk' Hutch lassoed in Spain

Irish gangster Gerry ‘The Monk’ Hutch has been arrested in his Spanish bolthole by undercover cops on the Costa del Sol. Hutch is wanted by gardai as part of an investigation into the Regency Hotel murder of Kinahan gangster David Byrne. Police, working with gardai from Dublin, jumped the 58-year-old gang boss in the Fuengirola area. Hutch will be sent to Madrid to be extradited. The process could take six months, with Hutch on remand in jail. The man known as 'The Monk' says that he went straight after leaving prison over 30 years ago, and that his fortune is all from his wise business ventures and investments, not drug dealing.

See ----->Gerry 'The Monk' Hutch

Gangster coyotes in Vancouver's Stanley Park to get whacked

There have been dozens of attacks in Vancouver's Stanley Park since December. The latest incident involved a two-year-old boy. The estimated population of a dozen coyotes likely won't survive the next cull.

Gangster who busted out of Rikers barge sentenced

Mordukhaev, 30, was sentenced to 21 months on a federal charge related to the escape.

Brooklyn gangster David Mordukhaev busted out of the city’s floating jail with the help of an Eastern European crime syndicate.

The feds caught Mordukhaev on wiretaps discussing the escape with Nikoghosyan.

Mordukhaev sparked a five-borough manhunt after he climbed through a window in his fifth-floor cell at the Vernon C. Bain Correctional Facility and shimmied down a rope on July 10. The brazen escapee taunted guards, leaving a note on the wall that read, “special search just searched my cell and they didn’t check the window” Mordukhaev began communicating with cohort Roman “Roma” Nikoghosyan, a leader in the “KavKaz Nation” gang.

Famous Mob Crime scene photos II

Benjamin 'Bugsy' Siegel was killed June 20, 1947 aged 41. Nine bullets were fired through a window with a .30-caliber. The first shot hit Siegel in the eye, the second one in his right cheek. Two others struck him in the chest. Walter Sage was a hitman for Murder Inc. His bound body was pulled from Swan Lake in the Catskills. He was killed for skimming mob cash from slot machine profits.

The St. Valentine’s Day Massacre. Capone’s last competition in 1929 was George “Bugs” Moran, and on Valentine’s Day two of Capone's men dressed as cops to stage the cold blooded execution of 7 men.

The Kansas City massacre was the shootout and murder of four cops and a criminal at the Union Station railroad depot in Kansas City, Missouri, on the morning of June 17, 1933.

Lulu Lakatos - Diamond Thief

Lulu Lakatos posed as gemmologist 'Anna' when she swiped a whooping £4.2m in jewels. While Lakatos was jailed for five-and-a-half years for the heist, her two female associates, as well as the diamonds, remain missing. CCTV footage shows the moment Lakatos swiped the gems under the noses of staff at jeweller Boodles. At the crucial moment, the Romanian pulled off an astonishing sleight of hand, swapping the jewel-laden purse with a precise replica weighed down with pebbles. She and her international gang fled the UK for France less than three hours later.