DoJ says it 'hacked the hackers' - Hive Ransomware nailed

The FBI revealed it had secretly hacked and disrupted a prolific ransomware gang called Hive, a maneuver that allowed the bureau to thwart the group from collecting more than $130m in ransomware from more than 300 victims. Government hackers broke into Hive's network and put the gang under surveillance, surreptitiously stealing the digital keys the group used to unlock victim data. They were then able to alert victims in advance so they could take steps to protect their systems before Hive demanded the payments. Over the years, Hive has targeted more than 1,500 victims in 80 different countries, and collected more than $100m in ransom. There were no arrests.

Hive was responsible for at least 11 incidents involving U.S. government organizations, schools, and healthcare providers last year. Hive thrived on targeting hospitals. Hive was initially observed in June 2021. During 2021, Hive made headlines when it attacked Europe's largest consumer electronics retailer, MediaMarkt. The Hive leak site, dubbed "HiveLeaks", was hosted in the dark web and remained stable compared with other leak sites. Any person with access to the TOR URL could access it publicly, as it is not protected by any passwords. To further pressure their victims to pay, affiliates would publish details of the breach and data stolen and use a countdown to add urgency if payments are not met in time (double extortion). Hive server's Application Programming Interface (API) has also been seized by the authorities, indicating a complete takedown of the gang's infrastructure.

Dairo Antonio Usuga 'Otoniel' - Guilty

Dairo Antonio Úsuga David pleaded guilty in a Brooklyn federal court to overseeing the smuggling of more than 100 tons of cocaine into Central America and the U.S. He was extradited to the U.S. last year after the DoJ accused him of being the leader of the Gulf Clan, one of the largest and most powerful cocaine-trafficking organizations in Colombia. 'Otoniel' was arrested in Colombia in 2021 after years on the run. The U.S. had placed a $5m bounty on his head. Federal prosecutors said in court that federal sentencing guidelines would likely recommend a term of life in prison. However, as part of his extradition, the U.S. agreed it wouldn’t seek a life sentence.

Colombian drug lord Dairo Usuga arrived in New York to face charges. 'Otoniel' was flown from Colombia to John F. Kennedy Airport and made an appearance in Brooklyn federal court. He is accused of overseeing the production, purchase and transfer of multi-ton cocaine shipments. The leader of the Clan del Golfo 'CDG' likely won't be leaving America anytime soon.

Dairo Antonio Usuga “Otoniel” leader of the Colombian Clan del Golfo cartel has been busted after more than a decade on the run. He has long been a fixture on the DEA most-wanted list, with a $5 million bounty. He was first indicted in 2009. Indictments in Brooklyn and Miami accused him of importing at least 73 metric tons of cocaine into the US between 2003 and 2014 alone. Intelligence provided by the U.S. led to an operation of more than 500 soldiers and Colombia’s special forces to Úsuga’s jungle hideout, which was protected by eight rings of security.

Youssef Taghi fingered in escape plots - 66 months

Former lawyer and cousin of Ridouan Taghi has been sentenced to five and a half years in a Dutch prison. Youssef Taghi, 39, played a key role in Taghi’s organization. Ridouan Taghi, who is in custody in the high-security prison in Vught, is the main suspect in the massive Marengo trial. His cousin became one of his lawyers in March 2021 and visited him at the Vught prison many times. Cops arrested Youssef Taghi during a visit to his client after secretly recording them. Taghi has been incarcerated in the EBI since December 2019.

Ridouan Taghi was the directing hand of the Marengo liquidation process, a series of underworld murders. Ridouan Taghi is believed to be behind the hit on Dutch journalist Peter R de Vries. See ----->Daniel Kinahan's cartel under pressure See ----->Dutch crime reporter De Vries killers face justice

Traffic stop leads Vernon cops to 1.5m contraband smokes

Plans to transport 1.5m contraband cigarettes went up in smoke for a Lumby man. Vernon RCMP seized the illegal smokes following a routine traffic stop in Vernon on Jan. 8. The 45-year-old was released from custody pending a court appearance. Cops investigate. Contraband cigarettes is a multimillion-dollar business in Canada.

'Rolled Gold' is a native brand. It appeared on the market in 2015 from the Kahnawake Reserve. It is produced in massive quantities on the reserve in Quebec, exempt from tax.
See ----->1 in 3 Cigarettes Sold in Ontario are contraband

Antonio Oseguera Cervantes, aka Tony Montana, charged by US

Antonio Oseguera Cervantes,'Tony Montana' has been charged with international cocaine and meth trafficking conspiracy. Oseguera Cervantes, 64, of Michoacan, is the brother of Nemesio Oseguera Cervantes, aka El Mencho, who is the leader of Cartel de Jalisco Nueva Generacion (CJNG). If convicted, he faces a mandatory minimum penalty of 15 years in prison. He was arrested in Tlajomulco de Zúñiga, Jalisco on December 20, 2022.

Bennward Ingram, dinosaur footprint poacher, nailed

Alberta resident Bennward Dale Ingram, 39, along with three others, used power tools to excavate and remove fossils of dinosaur footprints that were a part of the Six Peaks Dinosaur Track Site in Northern B.C. He was sentenced to 25 days in jail and ordered to pay a $15k fine. A judge described the damage done to the Six Peaks Dinosaur Track Site near Hudson’s Hope as extensive when the men vandalized it in 2020. The sentencing describes the site as one of the most important in North America, with more than 500 dinosaur footprints. Austin McNolty also pleaded guilty and was handed a 30-day sentence and $23k in fines.

The document is Here.

“These tracks represent diverse dinosaurs from the Early Cretaceous epoch who walked on sandy ground 125 to 113 million years ago, following which their tracks were fossilized.” None of the fossils were recovered.

Judge Darin Reeves pointed to the “deliberate nature” of the act as an aggravating factor, noting the work took more than 2.5 hours and only stopped when the men realized there were witnesses present.

Four years in jail for gangster attack on retired Montreal cop

Sandel Pierre, 21, struck Pietro Poletti with a brick during an attack on the ex-detective and his mother in LaSalle in 2020. He was one of three men who attacked the pair. He bought 4 years.

The crown sought 8 years.

The court noted there was no evidence of a motive for the assault on Pietro Poletti and his mother. Before he retired, Poletti had been an expert on the Montreal Mafia and organized crime for decades. Neither victim required hospitalization. Mitchaino Bruno, who is affiliated with the Profit Boyz has been found guilty. He was sentenced to 8 years in June for discharging a gun in front of a convenience store in Montreal North. Yadley Deutz Saint Jean, 25 was also found guilty of assaulting Poletti. The two gangsters will be sentenced in June.

Richard Barnett crying now - convicted on all counts

Richard Barnett shouted that it was “not fair” that he remain in jail. Barnett complained of his pretrial detention after the next court date was set for May. “The government keeps dragging this out and letting everybody else out,” Barnett cried. Barnett was photographed with his feet on Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi’s desk during the riot at the Capitol. He was found guilty of 8 Federal charges. “I made some bad mistakes and I regret them, but I don’t think I broke the law,” Barnett foolishly said. Barnett decided to testify and the jury took less than 2 hours to find him guilty on all counts.

Barnett will be sentenced May 3 and is looking at serious time for his crimes.

Trump takes selfie with mob boss Joseph 'Skinny Joey' Merlino

Trump and notorious Philly mob boss Joseph 'Skinny Joey' Merlino wound up in a photo together at a South Florida golf course. Trump posed for the photo with Merlino at Trump International Golf Club West Palm Beach.

The Philadelphia Inquirer notes "They share an affinity for golf and an aversion to cooperating witnesses who “flip” to help federal investigators.

Commentators say Trump "lacks the sort of protective political infrastructure that would prevent a candidate for president from taking a picture with a convicted mobster whose last stint in federal prison ended in mid-2020." Merlino is the current mob boss in Philadelphia. See ----->Philly Mob Boss Merlino; “It’s easy to kill somebody”

Canadian cops raise alarm over ghost guns

The OPP seized 18 such weapons in 2022, after having found one in 2021.

Cops in Canada seized more than 100 3D-printed guns last year. In Calgary, cops seized 17 3D-printed guns in 2022, compared to just one each in 2021 and 2020. The guns have been found across the country, from cities such as Saskatoon and Winnipeg, to smaller towns. In December, Winnipeg cops busted a ghost gun maker. In NL a Feb bust nailed another manufacturer. Eight 3D-printed firearm frames were seized, along with multiple printers and including silencers, which were also 3D-printed. In Saskatoon, cops seized two 3D printers and gun parts — a first for police there. Cops said that across the country, an untraceable gun can sell for between $2,500 and $7,500.

Bill C-21, Canada's recently introduced firearms legislation, does not target ghost guns specifically. In most U.S. states, residents are allowed to make a gun for personal use. 3 weeks ago the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF) issued an open letter to federal firearms dealers saying a rule that went into effect in August applies to certain partially completed pistol frames and parts kits, subjecting them to regulation. This closes the ‘ghost guns’ loophole in US federal law.

See ----->3D-printed ghost guns
See ----->3D printed ghost gun bust in NL

Mongols David Martinez pulls 10 years for killing cop - out soon

David Martinez

David Martinez of the Mongols MC was sentenced to 10 years in prison after pleading no contest to charges of voluntary manslaughter for killing a Pomona police officer during a 2014 raid. Martinez shot SWAT Officer Shaun Diamond with a shotgun, severing his spine and shattering his jaw. He could be out of prison as soon as March. By March, Martinez will have served 85% of his sentence, the statutory minimum for violent crimes in California. One day after the Oct. 28, 2014 shooting, Diamond was taken off life support and died at Pasadena’s Huntington Hospital.

Spanish cops land 3 tonnes of cocaine

Spanish cops found three tonnes of cocaine on a cargo vessel off the Canary Islands. The 4,300-dwt Blume was intercepted 193 nautical miles (360 km) from the port of Santa Cruz de Tenerife. The Togo-flag vessel was reportedly sailing with AIS turned off. The Blume had left the port of Santos, in Brazil, on Dec 20. Its destination was listed as Riga in Latvia.

All 15 Blume crew were arrested. The ship limped across the Atlantic at some 4-6 knots. Manager of the ship is Dignatio Corp.

Gansta G Gang of Four: Genesis, Grayscale, Galaxy, Gemini - update III

Crypto lender Genesis announced that it had filed for bankruptcy.  The health of Genesis, DCG and its affiliated units is critical to the future of others in the crypto space. The apparent pending failure of Genesis stands to bury DCG and its affiliated units. (some 160 entities) Genesis owes DCG $1.1b. DCG owes creditors over $3b. Fears were swirling that $10b bitcoin and crypto giant Digital Currency Group (DCG) was in trouble after its crypto lender Genesis was forced to pause withdrawals and was seeking an emergency $1b loan.

These are four prominent companies in the crypto space; two are associated with crypto billionaire Barry Silbert’s Digital Currency Group – Grayscale and Genesis Global Capital. The future of crypto exchange Gemini and Galaxy Digital is also uncertain.

Juan Ramon Fernandez - Joe Bravo

In the early 2000s, Italian police intercepted a conversation regarding a drug deal between Mississauga mob figure Juan Ramon Fernandez and a Sicilian mafioso working for Messina Denaro. In the conversation Messina Denaro is referred to by his nickname of 'Diabolik'. Fernandez admitted guilt to a half-dozen underworld charges involving a murder plot, conspiring to traffic 1,000 kg of cocaine with Montreal’s Vito Rizzuto crime group and local Hells Angels, using forged passports, possessing a counterfeit credit card and defrauding a bank. Fernandez supported Rizzuto in his expansion from his Quebec base into the GTA in the early 2000s. The Rizzuto group encountered resistance from GTA underworld groups like the ’Ndrangheta. Fernandez used the names Joe Bravo, Johnny Bravo and James Shaddock.

Juan Ramon Fernandez, right, with Giuseppe Carbone shortly before Carbone killed him.

Two mobsters in Sicily were sentenced to life for killing two gangsters from Canada in 2016. Juan Ramon Fernandez, 56, had been deported from Canada when he was murdered. Dying beside him was Fernando Pimentel, who was visiting Italy to help his exiled boss. Pietro Scaduto, 51, Salvatore Scaduto, 54, and Giuseppe Carbone shot Fernandez and Pimentel to death on April 9, 2013.

Pietro Scaduto, left, Salvatore Scaduto. Giuseppe Carbone became a cooperating witness against the brothers.

Fernandez was close to both Rizzuto and Raynald Desjardins. Desjardins had brought Fernandez into a higher echelon of crime, but it was Rizzuto who gave him his power. Fernandez claimed Rizzuto even inducted him as a “made man” of the Mafia — despite him being Spanish, not Italian. Fernandez’s sin was failure to chose sides: He was “like a priest who visits all the churches.”

The order to kill Fernandez came from Canada. The bodies were dumped in a shallow grave and set ablaze. The car was then driven to a different location and was set on fire to destroy evidence. Unable to resist profit Carbone slipped an expensive watch off Fernandez’s wrist. It had been a gift to him from Rizzuto. Carbone was later caught trying to sell the watch, leading to his arrest. He agreed to help police with their investigation and to testify against his co-accused, becoming a “pentito” in Italian parlance.

Ryan Mark Daigneault back behind bars

Ryan Mark Daigneault was awaiting trial on a dozen drug trafficking and weapons charges. He is back behind bars charged with assault causing bodily harm. Daigneault was one of 10 people busted 2 years ago in Project Weaver, a probe of gun and drug trafficking led by the OPP’s biker enforcement unit. The investigation targeted 4 criminal organizations, including the Outlaws in London. Ryan 'Big Red' Daigneault appeared in a London court by video link. He was remanded in custody pending an appearance.

Cops seized 31 guns, 81 grenades, two grenade launchers, 22 other prohibited devices, three explosive projectiles, 98 kg of pot, 16 kg of magic mushrooms, 10 kg of cocaine, more than two kg of hashish, 715 grams of MDMA, 8 vehicles and $130k in cash.

In 2018 Daigneault walked from accusations of plotting a hit on a member of the Hells Angels. While Daigneault was in custody awaiting trial the Hells Angels arranged an assault. They sent the wrong tuffs and Daigneault lived up to his 'Big Red'. The assault failed miserably.