Operation Hobart

An Ontario judge allowed the state to seize about $200k found underneath Dmitri Kellesis’s bed. His 92-year-old mother, Sotira, can keep $75,000. "This location was clearly a gambling hall with obvious gambling paraphernalia and Mr. Kellesis’s claim brings to mind Captain Renault in Casablanca,” the judge wrote.

Dimitris Kellesis stands to lose the loot cops lassoed as part of Operation Hobart in 2019. The hearing was the first of what will be more as the crown tries to keep $40m in cash, silver, gold, jewelry, high-end vehicles and luxury homes seized from what cops called the biggest illegal online sports gambling ring in Canada. Operation Hobart fizzled with criminal charges tossed due to unreasonable delay.

28 were charged and a gaming house in Mississauga and five illegal gambling websites run by the Hells Angels were shuttered. The sites operated under Ultimate SB, Titan SB, PlaytoWin SB, Privada SB and Players SB. The sites brought in $13m from January to July of 2019 alone.HA Deabaitua-Schulde, murdered in March 2019, was a collector for the gambling ring.

Three Hells Angels and one prospect were charged, Robert Barletta, Craig McIlquham, Eugenio “Gino” Reda, and Raffaele Simonelli. Barletta and McIlquham ran the operation. Cops say it took in more than $160 million in revenue over a six-year period before police shut it down and seized $40 million in assets.

Oath Keepers - Stewart Rhodes = 18 years

Stewart Rhodes, founder of the Oath Keepers, has been sentenced to 18 years in prison for his role in the US Capitol riot.

The sentence is the longest yet given to a Capitol rioter. Prosecutors had asked for 25 years.870 have been charged in connection with the Jan. 6, 2021 attack on the U.S. Capitol. 17 have been accused of seditious conspiracy, the high crime of using force to prevent the peaceful transfer of power. Seditious conspiracy is a Civil War-era statute, rarely prosecuted, which carries a statutory maximum of 20 years in prison. Members of far-right militia the Oath Keepers — including founder Stewart Rhodes, have been charged with this.

Rhodes plotted an armed rebellion to stop the transfer of power from Trump to Biden.

Oath Keepers spent months planning their roles in the riot.

Seditious conspiracy is defined as two or more people plotting "to overthrow, put down or to destroy by force the government of the United States." The Oath Keepers are an anti-government, right-wing political organization committed to supporting and defending their demented interpretation of the U.S. Constitution.

The five accused Oath Keepers also face charges of conspiring to obstruct and obstructing an official proceeding, which carries a sentence of up to 20 years in prison, and conspiring to prevent an officer from discharging duties. Those who physically entered the Capitol building - Watkins, Meggs and Harrelson - are charged with property destruction.

Denis Desputeaux revisited

Kenny Maheu, left, and Denis Desputeaux were sentenced in 2018 for drug trafficking.

Busted for trafficking tied to the Hells Angels in 2018, Denis Desputeaux posted a threat to cops on Facebook. That didn't go over well and he was ordered to turn over a sample of his DNA to cops. Desputeaux, then 24, received a 28-month prison term. Desputeaux was busted for drugs again with Seeyomak Salemi-Seyfeddin in 2022.

The Percuter investigation reeled in a score of HAMC and associates.

See ----->Seeyomak Salemi-Seifoddin - 'The Persian'

3 busted in Vancouver with pure fentanyl

Cops seized 1 kg of pure fentanyl, heroin, fentanyl mixed with other drugs, carfentanyl, ketamine, methamphetamine and MDMA in November 2020. $24,000 was also seized. Karina Marie Graham, 32, has been charged with three counts of trafficking a controlled substance and one count of possession for the purpose of trafficking. Leo Minh Trung Thach, 27, has been charged with four counts of possession for the purpose of trafficking. And, Trung Thanh Nguyen, 40, has been charged with one count of trafficking a controlled substance and one count of possession for the purpose of trafficking. Around 82% of the 11,171 B.C OD deaths since 2016 involved fentanyl.

Rapper Fetty Wap pleads guilty = 6 years

After the FBI arrested rapper Fetty Wap, he was released on $500k bail, which was revoked soon after he threatened to kill someone and held a gun during a FaceTime call. His guilty plea makes his sentence 6 years, an improvement from the decade to life if he was found guilty at trial. Prosecutors wanted 9 years.

They know the name Fetty Wap … idc if they love me or hate me .. they know my Motha Fu*kin Name https://t.co/hiua3pAwBN — Fetty Wap (@fettywap) October 26, 2021

$1.5m cash, 16kg cocaine, 2kg heroin, fentanyl, handguns and a rifle were seized. Fetty’s lawyer said at the time, "this is all a big misunderstanding. He sees the judge today. Hoping he gets released so we can clear things up."

Willie Junior Maxwell II - Fetty Wap

Liberian traffickers vanish

Most surmise the not guilty verdict was a result of jury tampering.

Four drug dealers arrested in Liberia for trafficking cocaine worth $100 million have vanished immediately after a jury found them innocent in a surprise verdict. The men – Lebanese, Liberian, Guinean and Portuguese – were arrested in a bust last year which involved US and Brazilian intelligence. They were accused of smuggling 500 kg of cocaine in a container of pig’s feet from Latin America. Liberia and West Africa form part of a key drug trafficking route.

Boss Bartolo Bruzzaniti busted

Business was going well for Bartolo Bruzzaniti, 47, a member of the Calabrian 'Ndrangheta who had become part of Raffaele Imperiale's network. Bruzzaniti wrote in encrypted chats: «No problem, Milan if we have the price I'll take the city and all. Don't worry, we'll send them to board. 70 percent of Milan have all been friends of mine for 30 years » Bruzzaniti, known as "Gargiazza" was heir to the 'Ndrangheta families of Africo (Reggio Calabria). The international brokers Raffaele Imperiale and Bruno Carbone made shipments from Holland of 300 kilos of cocaine per week.

Raffaele Imperiale and Bruno Carbone

Things ended poorly for Bruzzaniti when he was busted May 5, 2023. 645 kg of cocaine, 240kg of hashish and 30kg of ketamine was seized. Milan is the epicenter of international cocaine trafficking, with the men of the 'Ndrangheta confirming themselves as true leaders of the drug trade. An 'Ndrangheta-Camorra joint venture. The drugs arriving from Holland were stored in the warehouses of Gerenzano (Varese). The other clans in Italy and in Milan were supplied, including one led by Davide Flachi. Bruzzaniti said on wiretaps: "Milan is rightfully mine". 40 mafioso were busted.

Oz Cocaine kingpins face music over 1.2 tonne cocaine bust

David Campbell, 53, pleaded not guilty to conspiring to import and conspiring to possess. Tristan Waters, 39, pleaded guilty to the possession conspiracy charge but not guilty to the importation conspiracy charge. The two men are on trial in the District Court in Sydney. Border Force examined a shipping container from Shanghai on April 1, 2017 and found 2500 blocks totalling 1.28 tonnes of cocaine concealed within prefabricated steel.

Rohan Arnold, 43, had been denied bail after being charged with five counts of importing a commercial quantity of drugs. At more than 1.2 tonnes of cocaine, it was the second largest cocaine seizure in Australian history. The stockyard director and steel importer was one of three men arrested following the discovery of cocaine hidden inside hollow prefabricated steel on a Chinese container boat in Sydney.

Unknown to the traffickers, the shipping container had been covertly seized by Australian authorities.

The 2576 blocks of cocaine had a retail street value in Australia of half a billion dollars. Arnold - along with Tristan Waters, 34, and David Campbell, 48 were detained at gunpoint in a Serbian hotel, where a bag containing $1 million cash was being exchanged.

Costa Favolosa carrying 95 kg of cocaine

French cops busted 4 Brazilian drug smugglers with 95kg aboard the Costa Favolosa. It appears to be the largest quantity of cocaine seized from a cruise ship. French authorities in the port of Marseille became suspicious of two travelers as they prepared to go ashore during a port call on May 2. A known drug smuggling port, the French were doing bag checks of the people going ashore when they noticed the couple acting suspiciously.

The Costa Cruises’ ship is the Costa Favolosa. It is a large cruise ship accommodating over 3,000 passengers. The ship was on a cruise that had departed Savona, Italy, and after the port call in France was due to sail to Morocco. It was in the process of repositioning to Northern Europe for the summer. Cruises from Brazil to Europe at the end of the season appear to have become a new target for the drug cartels. Last year, 10 passengers were apprehended with 54 kilos of cocaine aboard the MSC Seaside when the cruise ship arrived in Valencia, Spain. Shortly after it was revealed that Brazilian cops had arrested six passengers attempting to board the Costa’s Costa Diadema in the port of Santos.

Mo Dollars has left the building

Mohamed Khan, 'Mo Dollars', is a South African money launderer who gained notoriety after being exposed in Al Jazeera’s documentary 'Gold Mafia'. Mo Dollars owns PKSA and SALT Asset Management, which are financial services firms that help crooks like Simon Rudland launder huge sums of money through fake invoices and stolen identities.

South Africa has launched an investigation into the gold smuggling and money laundering scheme exposed by Al Jazeera. South Africa's President Cyril Ramaphosa said an investigation was in the “inquiry stage”. Who tops that list? Mo Dollars has reportedly left South Africa. Recent reports suggest that Mo Dollars has fled to Dubai, leaving many questions behind. He may be wanted by the FBI. The House of Lords in the United Kingdom asked for a similar investigation into members of the Gold Mafia by UK authorities.

Three of the men featured in the investigation – Uebert Angel, Rikki Doolan, and Kamlesh Pattni – have British citizenship.

See ----->https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=evWEuVR1XIs
See ----->'Gold Mafia'

Organized crime fingered for wave of Montreal arsons

Montreal has witnessed an increase in arsons in recent months, with restaurants, cafés and vehicles the frequent targets. Cops say most of the fires are likely tied to extortion attempts by organized crime. This week police were investigating a string of arsons targeting Lebanese cafés, whose owners are being punished for refusing to submit to extortion attempts. "We arrest the suspect who is paid $200 or $300 who has no idea why they are setting the fire." Cops say extortion persists because it's lucrative and the fear it inspires makes people reluctant to come forward.

Xylazine, the 'flesh-eating' drug - tranq on the rise

The 'zombie drug' is a veterinary tranquilizer approved in the US for cows and horses. It is now flooding the US drug market, with dealers often cutting it with cocaine and heroin. Most often it is used to cut fentanyl.

The drug has spread to Los Angeles, with news crews capturing people hunched over and on the ground, strung out on the drug. The problem, Los Angeles cops say, is that the drug is technically legal.

It reduces pain and slows brain activity. It lowers blood pressure, heart rate and breathing rate.

Xylazine enhances the effect of respiratory depression caused by opioids, increasing the risk of overdose and death. Xylazine is a cheap filler that increases the potency of opioids. It causes sedative effects in humans.

People who use xylazine often suffer from open wounds anywhere on their bodies. These wounds can lead to necrosis, the rotting of flesh, and amputation. The drug makes it appear as though it is eating away your flesh from the inside out. It's name 'Zombie Drug' is well earned.

Guilty on all counts - Little Italy shooting killers found guilty: May 11, 2017

John Raposo, 35, was shot four times in the head.

Dean Wiwchar was the hit man, posing as a construction worker wearing a reflective vest, shoulder-length wig, sunglasses and dust mask. But it was Nicola Nero, 40, Martino Caputo, 43 and Rabih Alkhalil, 29, who plotted to murder John Raposo, steal his cocaine and split the profit. Alkhalil brought in Wiwchar, describing him as being his “best hitter”. All four men were charged with first-degree murder and conspiracy to commit murder. They pleaded not guilty. Nero, Caputo and Alkhalil were involved in importing cocaine into Canada from Mexico through Chicago and Buffalo. Raposo was also involved in cocaine trafficking. Alkhalil said he would obtain the gun requested by Wiwchar, either a 40-calibre or 45-calibre. A 45-calibre gun was used to kill Raposo. The four were found guilty of first-degree murder and conspiracy to commit murder for the shooting of John Raposo at a Little Italy café in 2012.

Dean Wiwchar will be caged until 2037

The convictions of Nick Nero, Martino Caputo, Robby Alkhalil and Dean Wiwchar carry automatic life sentences without parole eligibility for 25 years.

Nicola Nero

Police accessed Nero's BlackBerry Curve smartphone and downloaded text and e-mail messages. Caputo was also wiretapped by cops.Rabih (Robby) Alkhalil

UK gangster moll escapes unscathed

A gangster's moll involved in a county lines drugs racket in which three 16-year olds were used has avoided jail. Georgia Burns, 22, regularly taxied her drug-dealing boyfriend Jamie Upton, 25, 100 miles from Manchester to Hull, where one of the boys was forced to live in a squalid flat. When cops raided they found Upton in an upstairs toilet trying to flush drugs down the toilet. The heroin and crack was worth £2,295 plus £3,162 in cash. Burns was sentenced to two years jail suspended for two years and ordered to complete 200 hours unpaid work. Her boyfriend faired less well. It was 9 years in the slammer for him.