Edmonton cops seize 700 catalytic converters

Cops looked at A1 Scrap Metal Recycling as part of a drug trafficking investigation in mid 2022. They noted “drug transactions conducted directly from the business,” located at 88 Street and 61 Ave. It was 'one stop' for thieves to convert stolen goods into drugs. 1.4kg of fentanyl, 2kg of cocaine, a loaded 9mm Glock handgun, 700 catalytic converters, and cash was seized.

Tekie Awte, 27, is charged with 8 drug and gun charges, as well as breaches. He was busted for the same in 2020. It was 462 stolen catalytic converters last time out for Awte.

Meron Semere Okbamichael, 28, and Simon Semere Okbamichael, 26, were also nailed.

Jefferson Randolph Smith - Soapy Smith

Jefferson Randolph "Soapy" Smith was an American con artist and gangster. Smith gained notoriety through his "prize soap racket" in which he would sell bars of soap with prize money hidden in some of the bars. Through sleight-of-hand he would ensure that only gang members won a prize. Soapy Smith built three successive criminal empires in Denver and Creede, and in Skagway, Alaska. When the Klondike Gold Rush began in 1897, Smith moved his operations. His three-card monte and pea-and-shell games on the White Pass Trail weren't appreciated by the Miner's Committee. Smith left and didn't return to Skagway until late January 1898. On July 4, 1898, Smith rode as marshal of the Fourth Division of the parade leading his thugs on his gray horse. On the grandstand, he sat beside the territorial governor.

'Soapy' Smith in morgue, Skagway, July 8, 1898.

Smith had problems in Skagway soon after. “Soapy got drunk and went out to fight them all. Arriving at the place where an indignation meeting was being held, Soapy found five men guarding the entrance. He rapped Frank Reid, the city engineer, over the head with a rifle. Reid snapped his pistol at Soapy and Soapy shot him in the groin. Standing on one foot Reid put three bullets into Soapy, killing him instantly.”

At 38 years old, Soapy was shot dead with a bullet through the heart.

Montreal HA Daniel André Giroux tells parole board what's up

Daniel André Giroux, 52, was sentenced to seven years in prison in July 2021 after pleading guilty to gangsterism and drug trafficking. After pre-trial custody, he had 30 months left, and he was released at two-thirds of his sentence. Because the biker represents a risk to society, the parole board imposed conditions. Giroux must stay in a halfway house, disclose his financial transactions, not communicate with any individual involved in a criminal organization or having a criminal history, and he will not be able to go to bars or consume drugs and alcohol. Giroux argued this was illegal and violated the Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms, that there is no applicable law that allows for the imposition of special conditions, and that he "does not and will not consent" to them.

The PCB was unimpressed and had other ideas. Daniel André Giroux can either abide by his conditions or return to prison.

Westridge HA William McCabe busted for cocaine - revisited

William McCabe, then 47, was busted along with 7 others in 2018. They faced numerous charges after being arrested for their roles in a cocaine distribution network across northern Alberta. Five kg of cocaine, a half-kilogram of the buffing agent phenacetin, cannabis resin, and a handgun were seized along with vehicles, motorcycles and $13k.

McCabe died May 14, 2020 before facing justice. He was listed as owner of Three Monkeys Tattoo where disgraced Dustin Swanson landed after killing an innocent man in Greece on an HA world run in 2015.

It was the first time ever for Alberta cops to lay an instructing a criminal organization charge against a current member of the Hells Angels. Police say McCabe was the “primary facilitator” of the drug network.

threemonkeystattoo17@gmail.com

Three Monkeys Tattoo 2:08 PM (5 minutes ago) to me " You are a troll. Lol. Keep fantasizing thinking you are something. haha" See ----->3 Alberta Hells Angels charged with murder in Greece

Timothy Craig Durkin - real estate scammer deported

A deportation order against Timothy Craig Durkin was issued Jan. 18. The BCSC ruled that he defrauded an investor of $1m. In 2013, a grand jury in Alabama indicted him and three others for a Ponzi scheme. Durkin moved to Canada a few months before the indictment. His associates were convicted and sentenced to 5 years. US prosecutors dropped the charges against Durkin last year because of issues with jurisdiction and witness availability.

Durkin thought that would work to his advantage. He was wrong.

Timothy Craig Durkin is best known for his fraudulent, six-year legal battle over ownership of the Sooke Harbour House hotel. On April 22, 2021. Durkin filed a lawsuit for defamation and privacy tort against a journalist who busted him. He sued others with no role in the story. The case was eventually dismissed but costs are uncollectible. Durkin sued Facebook in the summer of 2020 for $50m after a profile featuring his criminal mug appeared on the platform.

In a scathing decision, the judge described Durkin as a "garden-variety bully" who is "entirely unencumbered by ordinary norms of morality, integrity and decency." The judge noted that Durkin swore false affidavits.

See ----->https://www.capitaldaily.ca/news/the-man-who-stole-a-hotel

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.