Michael Deabaitua-Schulde murder trial over - Update III

Three of four men accused of assassinating HA Michael Deabaitua-Schulde have been found guilty of first degree murder. Marckens Vilme, Brandon Reyes and Joseph Pallotta have been convicted. Marc Issa El-Khoury was found not guilty in the killing. A first degree murder conviction carries a mandatory sentence of life imprisonment, with no chance of parole for 25 years.

On Dec 19, 2019 the OPP charged 3 HAMC. Robert Barletta, Craig 'Truck' McIlquham, and Eugenio 'Gino' Reda were nailed for running a gambling ring. The network was pulling in revenues of more than $131m over five years and included scores of betting sites; Ultimate SB, Titan SB, PlaytoWin WB, Privada SB and Players SB. The operation was linked to the Figliomeni crime family. On Jan. 27, 2021 prosecutors stayed charges against the mafia, including boss Angelo Figliomeni. The cop investigation was tainted by "unlawful and illegal conduct."

See ----->Toronto Mafia case collapses - Project Sindacato
See ----->Robert Barletta bail hearing Monday

Deabaitua-Schulde was shot six times at close range.

The 4 men out to whack Deabaitua-Schulde were unaware he was under cop surveillance as part of an illegal gambling operation. Deabaitua-Schulde was observed collecting and delivering packages to many people during 'Project Hobart'. Cops followed the biker to Huf Gym in Mississauga, and saw him running toward the gym after being shot. The two primary shooters were Marckens Vilme and Brandon Reyes, with Joseph Pallotta and Marc Issa El-Khoury serving as getaway drivers. A tracking device had been placed on Deabaitua-Schulde’s Jeep, which logged it's location. The device was checked 140 times from Feb. 26 until the morning of Deabaitua-Schulde’s murder two weeks later.

HA Michael “Diaz” Deabaitua-Schulde, 32, was gunned down around 11:20 a.m. March 11, 2019 in a parking lot near Dundas St. and Cawthra Rd. after working out at HUF Boxing Gym. Two Montreal men were arrested two days after the shooting. Marckens Vilme, 28, was charged with first-degree murder, and Brandon Reyes, 24, was charged with accessory after the fact to murder. Vilme and Reyes have extensive criminal histories and have ties to a Montreal street gang known to work for the Hells Angels.

Brandon Reyes

Joseph Pallotta, 38, and finally Marc Issa El-Khoury, 26, was arrested while trying to cross the border. Pallotta and El-Khoury are each facing a charge of first-degree murder. Reyes’ charge of accessory after the fact was upgraded to first-degree murder. Marckens Vilme has a long criminal record with ties to a Montreal street gang called the Ruffriders, associated with a larger Montreal street faction les bleus, who in turn are close to the Quebec Hells Angels for work. Deabaitua-Schulde was said to be involved in sports betting and went to Montreal from time to time on business.

Joseph Pallotta

See ----->HA Michael 'Diaz' Deabaitua-Schulde shot dead
See ----->OPP take down Hells Angels illegal gambling ring: 28 charged
See ----->Hammer falls on Robert Barletta again - $24m in assets seized

Sydney gangster Ghassan Amoun put to ground

A funeral was held for Sydney gangster Ghassan Amoun, 35, after he was shot dead last week. Mourners gathered to farewell Amoun, brother of crime boss Bassam Hamzy. He was whacked a week after release from jail. A Brothers 4 Life member, Amoun was warned by cops that his life was in danger.

Amoun is the latest victim of an ongoing underworld war with the Alameddine crime network.

947 kg of cocaine landed in Paraguay

Busted red-handed is Fernando Enrique Balbuena, son of former MP Elvis Balbuena. Balbuena directed and coordinated the buying and selling of cocaine. Drugs were transported by the Paraguay and Parana rivers with the final destination Europe.

Value of the cocaine is estimated at $60m. A Ukrainian was also arrested. Paraguay has become a logistical node for cocaine trafficking through the 3,400 km Paraná-Paraguay waterway, which has an outlet to the Atlantic.

The United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC) warned in January 2021 that the waterway was being turned “into a new avenue for drug trafficking.”

Crypto scammer Johann Steynberg busted

Johann Steynberg, a South African behind Ponzi scam Mirror Trading International (MTI) was arrested in Brazil. He stole more than 29,000 bitcoins. (Current price $41k) Brazilian cops learned Steynberg was in the country after escaping South Africa in 2020 when his scam imploded. MTI marketed itself as an investment platform that guaranteed returns of 10% per month.

At its peak, MTI had 170k customers around the world with over 1b of assets under management.

Johann Steynberg initially blamed Russian hackers. He disappeared shortly after.

It was over quickly. When customers began reporting that MTI had blocked their balances, authorities launched investigations.

Bikie sniper pleads guilty - 20 years

The former soldier who murdered Perth bikie Nick Martin in a sniper attack has avoided a life jail term as he will testify against the alleged mastermind of the killing, senior Comancheros David Pye. David Pye detailed his history of antagonism with Martin, who he claimed had taken out a contract on him, his once close associate. The hitman, not identified, admitted planning and carrying out the murder for $100k.

David Pye walking out of court in 2013 with his former ally Nick Martin.

Our Bikie Sniper appears in the video, unmasked.

A Perth man, 34, whose identity is suppressed, has admitting his sniper-style killing of Rebels bikie Nick Martin as he watched a drag race with his family at the Kwinana Motorplex in December 2020. The man was remanded in custody and will face a sentencing hearing December 20th in the WA Supreme Court. Its likely he will receive a life jail term and it will be up to the judge to set a minimum term of at least 10 years, which must be served before parole.

Dutch 'color ban' unconstitutional

The 'color ban' is contrary to freedom of expression the Supreme Court ruled at the end of December. 200 municipalities that used such a ban must now remove it. Experts had long argued against it. "The way you dress falls under freedom of expression, it is not allowed for a lower government to infringe on this." The deletion of the rule doesn't mean that bikers have free reign. Article 140 of the Criminal Code states that organizations that are irrevocably banned may not be continued. That includes wearing colors.

In the Netherlands there are two OMGs that fall under this category so far: Satudarah and Bandidos. Hells Angels and No Surrender are banned, but not yet irrevocably. Until a final decision has been made, clothing from those clubs may, in principle, be worn.

HEXO and Redecan - Update III

Sébastien St-Louis

Jean-Francois Cloutier reports that Health Canada has completed its review of Josh Hill, Redecan and HEXO. HERE. In October, Sébastien St-Louis, co-founder and CEO, left the company. The Permanent Anti-Corruption Unit (UPAC) announced the next month that it was investigating the pot producer in connection with the presence of a close relative of the Hells Angels in his entourage. The UPAC is a Quebec government agency whose aim is to fight corruption, collusion and other economic crimes involving government procurement.

HEXO Chart by TradingView

Things SURELY ain't looking good for those buried in HEXO paper. One might say HEXO paid 5X too much for Redecan, with a very flawed $925m deal that included $435m in fully secured US cash due in May 2023. ($241m owing) HEXO's capitalization is now something around $300m. Impossible to 'know' but the boys behind HEXO and Redecan appear to have pulled off a securities scam that robbed HEXO stakeholders stupid. HEXO appears doomed, and this is another black eye for securities regulation in Canada. HEXO's NASDAQ listing will be pulled in time, but thats minor compared to the chit waiting to hit the fan.

There was news as Will Montour (right) joins his brother on the BoD: "Hexo Corp. has appointed William Todd Montour to the company's board of directors ... Mr. Montour played a critical role in transforming Redecan from a medical supplier to a recreational cannabis powerhouse. Before joining Redecan, Mr. Montour spent 13 years supporting his family's tobacco company, the largest privately owned Indigenous company globally."

Hexo has denounced what it calls "false allegations" circulating about it and said it operates "at the highest standards of legal and regulatory compliance." Le Journal de Montreal reported last week that there are "troubling links" between Josh Hill and Hexo, one of the biggest suppliers to Quebec's cannabis retailing monopoly. Josh Hill is the son of Ken Hill, who made a fortune selling bootleg cigarettes from Ontario's Six Nations reserve before his death in 2021.

"Health Canada is keeping up with the news and following up with the license holders in question. The Department takes any notice of potential involvement with organized crime in the cannabis industry seriously.” Redecan was bought by HEXO in May for $925m. It had among its major shareholders the family of Josh Hill, who appears openly as an HA associate.

Joshua Raymond Hill was the sole director of one of eight numbered companies that were shareholders of Redecan.

Josh Hill (left) with HA Dwayne Patrick Smith (center) and HA Joel Rollin (right)

One of Quebec's largest pot suppliers acquired a business linked to a close friend of the Hells Angels. Josh Hill is a major shareholder of cannabis producer Redecan, and his family are now shareholders of Quebec cannabis giant HEXO since the latter bought Redecan in May 2021. https://www.hexocorp.com/

Josh Hill (right) with HA Jason Hall

Josh Hill had an office at Redecan. Current directors of HEXO Peter James Montour and Will Montour with Josh Hill.

The co refuses to answer any questions.

Josh Hill with HA Dwayne Patrick Smith.

Italian wanted mobster spotted on Google street view in Spain

Cops tracked down convicted murderer Gioacchino Gammino using Google Street View after he fled Italy two decades ago. The Italian mafia fugitive spent 20 years on the run after escaping from prison and was living a peaceful life in Spain where he changed his name, opened a shop and found work as a chef.

Google Maps showed an elderly man outside of a shop in the town of Galapagar, north of Madrid. The shop was called El Huerto de Manu – Manu’s Garden. Since starting a life in Spain, Gammino had changed his name to Manuel.

DEA points finger at Mexican cartels, social media apps for fentanyl boom

The DEA said they have seized an unprecedented amount of fentanyl and fake prescription pills containing the deadly opioid. The agency seized more than 15,000 pounds of fentanyl in 2021, enough to kill every American. Agents have also seized more than 20m fake pills made to look like Xanax, Adderall and Oxycontin. Pill mills are pouring out product from production facilities in Mexico run by drug cartels using chemicals from China. The CDC said more than 100,000 people died from drug overdoses in the U.S. during the past year. More than 75,000 of the deaths involved opioids — mainly fentanyl.

Cartels offer drugs on U.S. social media sites. They harness the perfect drug delivery tool — apps that are available on every smartphone in the U.S. While Facebook has historically been a popular place for those looking to buy and sell drugs, Snapchat and Instagram are the most popular apps for teens. New apps pop up every day. Social media companies aren't doing enough to stop the ads according to the DEA.

Elderly wiseguys looking for 'get out of jail' card

Both men were put away by Federal Judge Maryanne Trump Barry — Trump's older sister — who said the evidence “fairly shrieked of the defendants’ guilt.”

Richard DeSciscio, 79, and Louis Manna, 92, have been behind bars since being sentenced to 80 and 75 years respectively in 1989 for racketeering and murder conspiracy. The mobsters are hoping the First Step Act will be their ticket out of the big house. The law allows for certain prisoners to be granted early release. So far, things haven’t gone their way. Last month release was denied to Manna with the judge stating, “His numerous crimes were extremely serious and heinous.” Manna plans an appeal. Manna was consigliere of the Genovese crime family. DeSciscio’s case before the same judge is pending.

Belize sells headache Gulfstream G2 narco jet for scrap

On Nov 27th there were reports of a narco plane landing in southern Orange Walk. The aircraft was formerly a narco jet, it had been confiscated and decommissioned by the Government of Belize two years ago. In January 2020, the narco jet crash landed in the vicinity. The government spent thousands trying to repair the Gulfstream G2 jet and move it. Guards stationed at the site to secure the aircraft had to be paid. The soft soil at the location made it impossible for the Government to extract the jet. Belize decided to sell it to a Belmopan businessman. He ordered his employees to remove useful scraps from the aircraft.

The Gulfstream II (G-II) is an American twin engine business jet. The first Gulfstream II flew on October 2, 1966. 256 were produced from 1967 through 1980. Depending on air worthiness, used ones can sell for $1.5m or less, with the average price running around $2.5m.

Cocaine Christmas tree on dealer's phone sinks ship

Marvin Porcelli decided to decorate his Christmas tree with packets of drugs and cash. Porcelli, the drug dealer, took photos of the Christmas tree decorations on his mobile phone. The images were eventually retrieved by cops, who added them to a huge pile of evidence proving his involvement in a major narcotics ring. Cops in Merseyside said Porcelli was arrested as part of a bigger operation, named Overboard.

Marvin Porcelli was caged for seven years and six months.

Montreal organized crime - The new normal

Leonardo Rizzuto exits the Bellerose cafe, coffee in hand.

Daniel Renaud of Le Press offers a view of the Montreal underworld. HERE. The price of a kilo of cocaine was around $45k before the pandemic, and peaked at nearly $80k at the height of the health crisis. The price is now said to be around $36k. Relations "have been close" for two years between the Hells Angels and the Mafia. Influential members meet regularly, like a party Dec 10 at the Café Bellerose in Laval.

Hells Angels Martin Robert and Stéphane Plouffe are the two heavyweights in Montreal. Robert is considered the most influential Hells Angel in Quebec. Ontario Hells Angel Rob Barletta, well known to be involved in sports betting, now wears the colors of the Montreal section. Cops say that gang leader Gregory Woolley has returned to the Montreal Chapter's Hells Angels fold. The mafia is unstable and still has no leader. The Sicilian clan, the former Rizzuto clan, is still considered the strongest, but its influence is in steady decline. Street gangsters never disappeared, what is new, cops say, is that their members are younger and have more guns. While at one time the conflicts opposed the Reds and the Blues, today there are quarrels between members of groups of the same allegiance.