Catalytic converter theft getting ridiculous - update

A B.C. law passed a decade ago to put a stop to metal thefts doesn’t cover catalytic converters. The loophole allows thieves to sell them to scrap dealers without scrutiny. The significant rise in the price of the precious metals inside the converters; platinum, palladium and rhodium, has resulted in an explosion of thefts. Rhodium is priced around $11k an ounce, up from $780 five years ago. It hit $29k an ounce in March. A converter has a gram or two of rhodium. There is no legal requirement for scrap dealers to record a converter purchase in B.C. Thieves use online platforms such as Facebook Marketplace or Kijiji to find buyers. Because converters don’t have serial numbers or distinctive markings, there's nothing stopping them.

Catalytic converter thieves in Vancouver are getting so brazen, broad daylight and witnesses with cameras aren't slowing them down. Scum are so practiced it takes less than 30 seconds for them to remove a converter that costs $1,000 to replace. Converters are money on the hoof for drug addicts. 1,189 thefts have been reported to VPD in 2021 so far, up from 1,060 in all of 2020. Claim costs are more than $2.3m and rising exponentially.

Creeper da Reaper = life

Tennessee Gangster Disciples Brandon Durell Hardison, who went by "Creep" and "Creeper da Reeper," was found guilty of RICO conspiracy, murder in aid of racketeering, and a slew of other charges. On Jan. 6, 2012, he murdered a gang associate over an unpaid debt and then shot and killed the victim's girlfriend, who witnessed the killing. He was promoted to the "Blackout Squad," a group of hitmen. He participated in multiple shootings related to the rival Bloods. Hardison was the last of 12 indicted in an investigation into the Gangster Disciples. He's likely to be sentenced to life.

Al Capone's bulletproof 1928 Cadillac

The 1928 Cadillac Town Sedan has only 1,111 miles on the odometer and a host of hardware. It features one-inch-thick bulletproof glass windows all around, and the side windows can even be cranked up to allow a two-inch gap at the bottom for gunmen to shoot a Thompson submachine gun. The back window opens as well to allow rear-firing. The car was outfitted with a police siren, flashing police lights, and a police radio hidden in the glove box. The car sold for $341,000 in 2014.

The green and black paint was similar to Chicago’s police cars. The infamous Caddy has lived a quiet, little used life, occupying museums.

The U.S. Treasury Department impounded Capone’s Caddy after he was arrested in 1931. When FDR went to Congress to ask for a declaration of a state of war on December 8, 1941, he rode in this Cadillac.

Russian Crime Bosses hit by U.S. sanctions - Pandora Papers

In 2016 the U.S. passed the Global Magnitsky Act, which allows the U.S. State and Treasury departments to name and shame corrupt actors.

Alimzhan Tokhtakhunov

In 2017 they hit a group of 10 Russians and others connected to major organized-crime syndicates with sanctions. The syndicate targeted is known as "Thieves-in-Law" which is widely used to describe powerful organized-crime figures. The group engaged in money laundering, extortion, bribery, and robbery in Russia, Europe, and the U.S. Among those targeted was Alimzhan Tokhtakhunov, who had been indicted twice in the U.S., once in 2013 and for the 2002 Winter Olympics.

Gafur Rakhimov

Also included was Gafur Rakhimov, an Uzbek native renowned throughout former Soviet Central Asia and accused of money laundering, drug trafficking, and other crimes. Others were Vladimir Tyurin, Ruben Tatulian, and Yury Pichugin.

Vladimir Tyurin

Vladimir Bogdanov, Oleg Deripaska, Suleiman Kerimov, Igor Rotenberg, Kirill Shamalov, Andrei Skoch, and Viktor Vekselberg were added the following year, along with a dozen of their 'oligarch owned companies'. The Pandora Papers revealed the bite. It has meant a loss of hundreds of millions, as the impact of sanctions rippled across a hidden corner of what critics call Russia’s kleptocracy. Sanctions are not only hitting their Russian targets, but are then triggering losses that spread across their interconnected financial networks. The documents contain material on at least 46 Russian oligarchs who appear on the Forbes list of billionaires.

Drug dealer Darrin Southall going away for a long time

Darrin Southall was the ringleader in a multi-state, multi-million dollar drug ring from 2016 through 2021. He reached a plea deal that will see him caged from 30 to 35 years. Southall admits he moved about 4,000 kilograms of cocaine, 24 kilograms of heroin, and took in over $24 million during the time of his operation. He did some of his business in Mobile Alabama, Mississippi, and Texas. He is also the prime suspect in a double murder.

Guilty in major Niagara-based cocaine operation = Life

Two Ontario drug traffickers have been hit with life sentences after being convicted in the largest cocaine bust in Ontario history. Vito Buffone, of Caledon, and Jeffrey Kompon, of Welland, were each sentenced to life in prison following an appeal decision this month. The operation brought 2,431 kg of cocaine into Ontario in 2013 alone.

A jury took less than four hours to find two men guilty for their roles in an Niagara-based cocaine ring for which cocaine-filled granite boulders were imported from Mexico. Jeffrey Kompon, 46, of Welland and Vito Buffone, 53, of Caledon had pleaded not guilty in Superior Court of Justice to possession of cocaine for the purpose of trafficking, trafficking cocaine and conspiracy to import. The trial lasted more than three months. Cocaine was smuggled in boulders imported from Mexico and Brazil as building materials for kitchen countertops and other uses.

Police seized more than $1.2m in cocaine.

The cocaine was imported into Canada at Montreal and other border points in Ontario and taken to a warehouse in Port Colborne where the drugs were extracted from the boulders. The cocaine was then transported to various locations in the Toronto area. Kompon and Buffone were among 14 people arrested when police conducted a series of raids in 2014.

The ring imported more than a tonne of cocaine in less than two years. The operation included associates of the Sinaloa crime cartel in Mexico. Also seized during the raid was $250k worth of marijuana, $430k cash, $400k in watches and other jewelry, a handgun and two shotguns. Thirteen high-end vehicles were also seized including a Ferrari and a Porsche. Two people who were associated with the cartel received 17-and 18-year terms behind bars, respectively. Kompon and Buffone were in the “upper echelon”. Vito Buffone was originally sentenced to 22 years, minus a year for pre-sentence custody and restrictive bail. Jeffrey Kompon, was originally sentenced to 20 years, minus 18 months' credit for restrictive bail and pre-sentence custody.

Hitman Frédérick Silva sunk by 'Finder' - update

Frédérick Silva has brought his murder trial to a halt after he acknowledged the evidence presented by the prosecution meets the burden of proof. The 'non-contest plea' is rarely used. An agreed statement of facts will be presented to the judge.

A transit ticket discovered by police dog 'Finder' had Frédérick Silva's fingerprint on it. It was found near the Laval car dealership where Alessandro Vinci was killed on Oct. 11, 2018. Finder was trained specifically to locate items recently handled by humans. The ticket was purchased on the day Vinci was shot and a timestamp on it indicated it was used at 7:04 p.m. Vinci was shot inside the car dealership 90 minutes later. Videotape footage and photos of Silva using the ticket at the Square-Victoria métro station and getting off at the Montmorency station in Laval less than an hour before Vinci was killed sealed the deal.

Silva's weapon from the attempted hit on Salvatore Scoppa.

Frédérick Silva, 41, is accused of three murders and the attempted murder of mafioso Salvatore Scoppa on February 21, 2017. Alessandro Vinci was shot in Laval in October 2018; Yvon Marchand, a 51-year-old drug dealer was gunned down in October 2018, and Sébastien Beauchamp, 44, a former member of a Hells Angels farm club was shot in December 2018.

The hit on Scoppa was partially foiled by his armour plated Camry. It was even rigged with flashing police lights.Windows are 1 cm thick

Ollie James Henyu reeled in, again.

Ollie James Henyu, 39, has been located by Prince George RCMP. Henyu is facing counts of forcible confinement and assault from a September 23 incident. 3 years earilier Ollie James Henyu was sentenced to time served of 368 days in custody for attempting to prevent the victim from telling her story to police.

Kevin McTaggart - Danny Greene's top lieutenant

Kevin McTaggart was the right hand man of Cleveland's Danny Greene. Attorneys for the former mob enforcer continued their push to get him released from a life sentence. McTaggart was sentenced to life in prison in 1983. He has served 38 years in prison and has an exemplary record. “While these years of confinement have been difficult, it has been a journey of reflection, remorse, sorrow, inspiration, discovery, friendship, love, blessings and hard-won wisdom,” McTaggart wrote. Federal prosecutors oppose McTaggart’s compassionate release.

An ex-prosecutor and the prison warden urge his release despite a violent past that includes the ruthless killings of six people. Now 65, McTaggart remains in federal prison in Milan, Michigan. After Greene was killed in a 1977 car bombing, McTaggart aligned with other underworld figures: Joey Gallo, Angelo Lonardo, Carmen Zagaria and others. The FBI ended the run. At trial, McTaggart, then 26, was convicted of multiple counts and sentenced to life.

Those killed were gangsters, all fighting for their share of the black market in Cleveland. Virtually all of McTaggart's gangster peers have died.
See ----->Danny Greene - The Irishman

DEA lands 960kg of cocaine in New York

Cops seized 960kg of cocaine shipped to the New York area from Puerto Rico, the largest bust of the drug in the region in over a decade. Jorge Aponte-Guzman, Nelson Agramonte-Minaya and Carlos Maisonet-Lopez are accused of drug trafficking conspiracy. The cocaine was packaged inside 2 shipments of large metal lawn rollers.

Cloned keyless fobs

Thieves using a cloning device to whisk away cars with smart keys off their owner's driveways isn't new. It's usually done in less than a minute and takes a device thats readily available to crooks. Recently in the UK the device was disguised as a game boy.

Thieves can get the signal from your key fob just by standing near your home (relay box technique) or clone it for later use. The device is held near the door handle and the car's locks disengage. The hazard lights even flash as if the real fob was used. The car can be started and driven away in seconds. Luxury vehicles that are sought after overseas are usually the targets. The gadgets are costly: around $25k. There are three recommendations. The first is to use a signal blocking pouch, known as a Faraday Bag. It prevents thieves from cloning your key fob. Another alternative is to turn off the fob's wireless signal, but that depends on the vehicle model. The last is a low tech steering wheel lock.

Good UK son was on a cocaine trip

A joiner was caught with more than £450,000 of cocaine after picking up the haul while on a trip to see his ill mother. Copsswooped in on Gary O'Connell, 23, as he returned keys to a van containing the drugs on April 18, 2020 in Gartcosh. The nine kilos of cocaine were recovered from a secret compartment in the rear of the vehicle only accessible by using a magnet. O'Connell claimed he drove back to Scotland unaware of anything in the van. A check of the ghost phone discovered that O'Connell went by the username 'IvoryUmbrella'. A woman in the public gallery shouted: "I love you, son" as O'Connell was led into custody.

Jonathan Sunstrum 'Mr. Bubbles' = 17 years

Citing the tragic consequences of fentanyl on society, a Calgary judge handed former city mayoral candidate Jonathan Sunstrum a 17-year prison term. The judge said the potential profit margins in fentanyl trafficking made harsh sentences an absolute necessity to deter potential wholesalers. The case involved a kilogram of 82% pure fentanyl, which an expert report said could have created 410,000 single two-milligram doses with a street value of $20m. Two milligrams is still a potentially deadly amount.

Sunstrum, 60, was the right-hand man to the head of the ring.

In July cops busted a fentanyl 'superlab' in Alberta. 13.6 kg of fentanyl, 11.9 kg of late-stage precursors 4-ANPP, 6.6 kg of synthetic opioids, 9.9 kg of methamphetamine, 50 litres of gamma-Hydroxybutyric acid and 7,600 kg of chemicals were seized. Project Essence began with a tip of importation of 563 kg of precursors.

4,178 kilos of cocaine landed in the Port of Rotterdam

This year's most significant drug bust in Rotterdam was 4,178kg of cocaine, worth some 313 million euro. Cops discovered the drugs in two containers from Paraguay, which were loaded onto another ship in Uruguay. The stash was hidden among soya beans. Earlier cops in Rotterdam discovered 1,400kg of cocaine. Overseas, authorities intercepted 5,800kg of cocaine, 2,500kg in Panama, the largest ever seen in the country, and 2,300kg in Colombia. It was all destined for the Netherlands.

Jeannetot Savard-Shank a real piece of work

Montreal cops are looking for more victims of a chitbag they say made a career out of robbing senior citizens withdrawing money from banks in the Hochelaga-Maisonneuve area of Montreal. Jeannetot Savard-Shank, 26, appeared in court on four counts of robbery and one count of possession of a weapon with dangerous intent.

“One code I respect - gangster” Labar 'Bro Man' Spann

Chigago Four Corner Hustlers gang leader Labar 'Bro Man' Spann was being cross-examined by prosecutors in his trial on racketeering charges alleging he conspired to commit six gangland murders from 2000 to 2003. He calls himself old-school, a leader, a person other like-minded gangsters turned to and treated with respect. But what he isn’t, according to him, is a murderer. Spann repeatedly swore and shouted as he denied involvement in the slayings in the indictment, including the infamous 2003 contract killing of Latin Kings boss Rudy “Kato” Rangel.

Martise Nunnery told jurors he helped carry out the hit on Rangel, which served as the inspiration for rapper DMX’s hit “A ‘Yo Kato.” Nunnery said he, Spann and the gunman, Donell “Squeaky” Simmons were hired by the Conservative Vice Lords to carry out the hit for a six-figure payout.

Gangster moll 'baby' a bad egg

Indian cops have arrested gangster Sakil Ahamad’s girlfriend Manasi Nayak alias Baby on charges of extortion from a builder in Cuttack. Cops said several cases are pending against Baby at police stations in Cuttack. In 2015, she was sent to jail in a murder case. She came across gangster Sakil and had been working on his behalf. Despite being caged Sakil was operating his criminal activities through Baby. Cops arrested Baby and three of her accomplices for extortion.