Raids on private Bolivian narco planes, again

On March 27, agents of Bolivia’s anti-corruption police were met with gunfire when they raided La Cruceña aerodrome, just east of the city of Santa Cruz. 38 people were arrested, 66 small planes seized and 29 hangars sealed. Drums of precursors, large-caliber weapons and satellite communication equipment was also seized. This is the third raid on the La Cruceña aerodrome. In July and November 2019, the facility was raided with 15 people arrested and several aircraft seized.

Both times investigations stalled when Bolivia’s anti-narcotics police didn't pursue prosecutions. Poorly regulated private aerodromes like La Cruceña are ideal for drug traffickers. Some 81 private aerodromes are registered in Bolivia where they operate with little oversight.

Marengo trial

The Marengo trial is a trial of leading members of the Mocro Mafia, a Dutch-Moroccan criminal organization. Seventeen gangsters are standing trial for involvement in various murders and attempted murders in the Netherlands. The principal is Ridouan Taghi, considered to be the leader. Saïd Razzouki is the alleged right-hand man of Taghi. He was arrested in Medellín on February 7, 2020, and extradited to the Netherlands.

A breakthrough in the case came when when Nabil B., one of the suspects, offered to give a statement. Shortly after, Nabil's brother was murdered, after which Nabil pulled out, later changing his decision. His attorney, Derk Wiersum, was killed on 18 September 2019. Investigative journalist Peter R. de Vries was supporting a crown witness in the trial. On 6 July 2021, he was shot in the head. On 15 July he died as a result of the shooting. After reports that Ridouan Taghi was planning a jailbreak, the streets around the fortified courtroom known as the Bunker were ringed with heavily armed police and military.

See ----->Kinahan associate Ridouan Taghi fingered in escape plots
See ----->Caloh Wagoh - 'Keylow'

HA Ryan charged in largest drug seizure in Manitoba history - update

Frequent flyer Damion Ryan, 41, is nailed. Cops seized 110 kg of cocaine, 41.4 kg of meth, 3 kg of fentanyl, and half a kg of MDMA. Estimated street value is $70m. 14 handguns, five assault-style rifles and more than $445k cash was also seized.

Project Divergent was launched in 2018 after a Manitoba RCMP criminal analyst flagged trends regarding the importation of drugs into Canada.

See ----->HA Damion Ryan busted again

Thomas 'Bomber' Kavanagh = 21 years in slammer

Thomas 'Bomber' Kavanagh has been caged for 21 years for masterminding a major European cocaine and pot operation. He was pinched at Birmingham Airport on January 12, 2019, after returning from a vacation to Mexico. He flew across the Atlantic weeks after returning from Dubai where he's thought to have met with mob boss Daniel Kinahan. Kavanagh was a high ranking member of the Kinahan group. Kavanagh and his gang had imported drugs into the UK on an industrial scale.

Kavanagh, 54, was an alpha level trafficker.

Las Vegas K9 Nuggetz lassoes $10.5m in cocaine

Nanak Singh and Chandra Prakash were carrying a large load of cocaine in a shipment of tomatoes in a truck. They were stopped for driving erratically around 2:30 a.m. K9 Nuggetz indicated an alert for drugs. Cops found 230 pounds of cocaine with an estimated value of $10.5m.

Thomas 'Tommy Shots' Gioeli compassionate release denied

A judge rejected the appeal from cancer-stricken mobster Thomas 'Tommy Shots' Gioeli for a compassionate release from prison.

“The unfortunate fact in this case is that the defendant’s crimes were so heinous and the nature of his leadership role so dangerous that release would not be appropriate.” Gioeli, 70, was convicted at a 2012 federal racketeering trial for conspiring to kill supporters of then-family boss 'Little Vic' Orena during a war for control of the Colombo family. He was sentenced to 18½ years behind bars. The career tough guy was described as a cold-blooded killer during his trial where he was convicted of racketeering.

The family capo, heading a faction loyal to imprisoned head Carmine “Junior” Persico, was bumped up to street boss during the battle where 13 victims were killed — including a bagel shop worker gunned down in a case of mistaken identity. Gioeli famously won a $250k settlement after an August 2013 fall during a prison ping-pong game left him with a fractured kneecap needing surgery. The gangster is less than halfway through his prison term.

Jean Wimmer of Flawless Jewellery busted

Jean Wimmer, 37, held himself out as a high end jeweller of Flawless Jeweller. The reality was he was a top level trafficker. The Tasmanian man imported methylamphetamine and heroin between Tasmania and NSW.

A gold plated Harley was seized by the New South Wales Police, along with 4 supercars. Wimmer regularly took to Instagram to post photos of his lavish lifestyle and his diamond encrusted jewellery creations.

Drug dealers chatting on phone - ends poorly

With kilos of cocaine and heroin coming in from Mexico, several Saginaw men discussed how to sell the drugs, gain new customers, and chatted about their competition. Amazingly, Gregory M. Hayes, Austin A. Saucedo, and Ricardo Delgado talked about their drug venture over the phone, and the FBI was listening in. Cops found 13.5kg of cocaine, more than $100k, and 13 guns. In another raid they landed 2kg of cocaine and more than $25k.

Entambado and encobijado - narco lingo

If you knew what the slang terms entambado (body in a drum) and encobijado (corpse in a blanket) are, you have been reading newspaper headlines in Juarez and other Mexican border cities.

Sicario (hired assassin) and soplón (snitch) are better known. Arreglados means someone who has been bought off, like cops.

Juan Gerardo Treviño - Northeast cartel boss lassoed

Juan Gerardo Treviño, also known as 'El Huevo' or 'The Egg' was captured by Mexican authorities shortly after a $100k bounty was posted. Treviño led a gang of hitmen known as Tropas del Infierno, and that is what they delivered. A violent gun fight between the military and gang members ensued in Nuevo Laredo, a city on the Mexico-US border. Shootings and blockades spread throughout the city for hours. A US citizen and on a "wanted" list, the leader of the Northeast cartel was quickly shipped to America and is facing drug trafficking and money laundering charges. He is also accused of murder, terrorism, extortion and gangsterism in Mexico.

Treviño's criminal history has a long pedigree. He is the nephew of drug trafficker Miguel Ángel Treviño Morales, the boss when the clan was a member of the Zetas, and has another uncle and a brother who are also linked to drugs. His brother Kiko is in prison in the US. So is his uncle in Mexico.

Pagan's boss Francisco Rosado whacked in Bronx - Update IV

Ex-ATF agent Ken Croke, 54, who spent two years undercover with the gang, says Pagan's are actively recruiting and growing in numbers. Pagans number about 1800 members nationally with 12 chapters in New York, four on Long Island, four upstate and four in New York City. The Bronx has historically been Pagans home turf within the five boroughs. HA started to squeeze Pagan's Bronx territory when they sold their clubhouse at 77 East 3rd St. and bought an abandoned American Legion hall on Longstreet Avenue in Throggs Neck.

The assassination of Pagan's boss Francisco Rosado was retaliation for Pagan's opening fire on the Hells Angels Bronx headquarters. A Bronx grand jury indicted Frank “Loose Cannon” Tatulli and Sayanon Thongthawath on murder charges.

Both men are being held without bail on Rikers Island.

The new HA Bronx HQ was searched and two were arrested. Daniel Canales, 68, and Jesse Burke, 30, were busted for weapons. A bust from 2018, included some of them.

'Andy' Thongthawath, Richard E. West, Nathaniel A. Villaman, Joseph Anthony Paturzo, Buster Domingo, Anthony Vincent Milan, and Dominick J. Eadicicco.

Three have been charged with killing Pagan's MC boss Francisco Rosado. Cops charged Frank “Loose Cannon” Tatulli, 58, Anthony Destefano, 27, and Sayanon Thongthwath, 29, with murder, manslaughter and weapons possession for the May assassination. Destefano is a Satan’s Soldiers, the others full patch with the Bronx chapter.

Francisco Rosado, 51, boss of the Bronx chapter of the Pagan’s MC was hit in the head and chest and died at the scene. Rosado was in a parking lot around 3.20pm when he was executed.

Hells Angels are prime suspects in the hit. The Pagan’s have about 100 chapters and around 1800 members.

See ----->Neighbours not impressed with new NY HA Clubhouse - Shots Fired
See ----->NY Hells Angels ambushed Pagans
See ----->7 New York Hells Angels busted

Darkweb drug dealer goes away 8 years

Co-accused Steven McCall and Allante Pires are also looking at extended time.

Binh Thanh Le, 25, of Brockton, Mass was a darknet drug kingpin who sold ecstasy, generic Xanax, and ketamine.

Le was 'brains' of the darknet drug market called EastSideHigh. Cops found 11 pounds of ketamine, 5,000 grams of ecstasy pills, packaging materials, two digital scales, two heat-sealing devices, a pill press, and $114,700 in cash. The police also seized a total of 18 kg of MDMA and more than $200k in Bitcoin.

Eugenio Darío Molina-López, aka 'Don Darío' = $10m

The indictment against Eugenio Darío Molina-López, aka 'Don Darío,' was unsealed this week accuses him of conspiracy to smuggle cocaine to the United States. The DoJ says Molina-López, 57, is a leader of Los Huistas, a drug-trafficking group based in the Huehuetenango region of northwest Guatemala.

700kg cocaine haul in Tauranga, NZ

700kg of cocaine with a street value exceeding NZ$280m, was seized in Tauranga, two weeks after almost the same amount in meth was seized in Auckland. Cops identified the shipment from South America and inspected it when it arrived in Tauranga. It's said NZ cocaine users pay the highest price in the world, €200 per gram.

Michael 'Mikey Nose' Mancuso released on $500K bail

The Bonanno skipper has been out of prison for nearly three years after serving his 15-year stretch

Michael 'Mikey Nose' Mancuso, then 53 and acting boss of the Bonnanos, received the order to kill Randolph Pizzolo from jailed boss Vincent 'Vinny Gorgeous' Basciano in 2004. The hit was carried out by Anthony 'Ace' Aiello. Prosecutors in Brooklyn accuse Mancuso, now 67, of associating with members of organized crime, violating the terms of his release. Mancuso was caught twice in federal wiretaps related to an investigation of the Colombo crime family, which resulted in 14 arrests.

Owner of Whitehorse cab company busted on cocaine trafficking charges

Midhun Kalpak Madhu, 31, is facing charges of trafficking cocaine, possession of cocaine for the purpose of trafficking, and possessing property obtained by crime. He owns Whitehorse taxi company Premier Cabs. Yukon RCMP found 10.5 grams of crack cocaine, "packaged individually," as well as "a large sum of cash," "multiple cell phones" and a fixed-blade hunting knife.