American Street Gangs, A serious threat to society but no heat?

First, cocaine was apparently present in South Central Los Angeles before Ross even began to sell it. In October 1996, the Los Angeles Times published a story recounting Thomas "Tootie" Reese's claim that he was introduced to freebasing in 1976. He soon learned how to make crack and became a substantial drug dealer in the black community in Los Angeles.(52) Reese was arrested in 1983 by the DEA after he made a multi-kilo cocaine deal. And Reese was not the only South Central dealer selling cocaine. When the OIG interviewed Ross, we asked whether others were dealing cocaine in the early days of his organization. Ross stated that there were "a few people I used to hear about," and he named several.

As Ross' operation grew, he had other South Central dealers to contend with. Perhaps the most successful of these was Brian Bennett, also known as "Waterhead Bo." According to Ross, Bennett started his operation at about the same time Ross did. As discussed below, Bennett is believed to be responsible for a large, multi-state cocaine operation in the mid-1980s. Law enforcement wiretaps that intercepted communications related to Bennett's operation indicate that, in one month in 1987, Bennett purchased just under 1,000 kilos of cocaine from a Colombian source.

Ross was also not the first crack dealer in South Central Los Angeles. Others taught him about crack cocaine. Ross told the OIG that he first learned to "rock up" cocaine powder so that it was suitable for smoking from Stefan Moore, and told LASD investigators that he learned from "watching different people in the neighborhood," including Michael McLaurin and a "pimp named Martin." Ross told the OIG that other drug dealers did not really want to show him how to cook crack because they usually got paid to make the crack. It is also worthy of note that Ross has never claimed that Blandon, or any other Nicaraguan, taught him how to make crack cocaine. Ross has specifically denied in both his interview with the OIG and in trial testimony that Blandon taught him how to cook crack.

The Mercury News' contention that Blandon was a prime factor in the growth of cocaine in South Central Los Angeles appears to be based in part on the low per-kilo prices that Blandon was able to provide to Ross, which enabled Ross to buy cocaine in large quantities. However, cocaine prices dropped throughout the 1980s as a result of activity by South American drug cartels. During the 1980s, cocaine producers in South America -- particularly Colombia -- increased production of cocaine.

In 1985, the DEA began investigating Mario Ernesto Villabona Alvarez, a Colombian drug source, and soon discovered that Brian Bennett, who became one of the largest traffickers in Los Angeles, was one of his customers. During an intercepted telephone conversation in April 1988 between Villabona and an individual in Cali, Colombia, Villabona was given an accounting of money owed by Bennett for 1987 and 1988 cocaine deliveries. In addition to 985 kilos of cocaine that had been sold to Bennett's operation at the end of 1987 for between $9,500 to $10,000 a kilo, another 1,791 kilos was sold to Bennett's operation during January and February 1988 for between $9,000 and $9,500. At the time of his arrest, the Bennett-Villabona drug organization was selling approximately a ton of cocaine per week, according to law enforcement sources quoted in news coverage about the arrest. DEA agents also determined that Villabona was supplying other South Central Los Angeles dealers including Michael Harris, Jimmy Washington, and Mike McCarver. McCarver alone was buying thousands of kilos of cocaine.

It is unclear whether Villabona's tie to these South Central dealers preceded Ross' connection to Blandon and Moreno. The OIG was unable to precisely determine when Villabona began dealing with Bennett. Nevertheless, it is apparent that other South Central drug dealers forged ties to Colombian dealers without the assistance of Blandon or any other Nicaraguans associated with the Contras. If Ross was indeed the first to establish a connection to Colombia, others followed closely in his wake.

It should also be noted that the prices at which Villabona sold cocaine to Bennett reflected the drop in cocaine prices that occurred during the 1980s in Los Angeles and across the country. Ross stated that he bought his first kilogram from Blandon for $40,000. We believe this occurred in 1984. According to Ross, Blandon sold him 13 kilograms of cocaine for $10,000 a kilogram in 1987. The Villabona conversation suggests that Blandon was simply charging Ross prevailing rates for cocaine, not fantastically discounted rates as was alleged by the Mercury News.

This post has been edited by GangstersInc on Apr 12 2009, 06:26 AM

Let's make this the gang topic featuring Crips, Bloods, M13, and Latin Kings

I think it's about who gets prosectors most headlines. Godfather movie never gets made, interest drops. The Soprano's bought a waning interest back.

Who knows about white gangs, or mainly white, in the USA? On chicagogangs.org I have found the following.

Almighty Gaylords, Almighty Simon City Royals, Almighty Popes, Chi West, 12th Street Players, Insane Popes (Nortside and Southside), Almighty Noble Knights, Almighty Stoned Freaks and Insane C-Notes.

But what about New York, LA and the rest of the states? Looking forward hearing from all.

I think you can add several neo nazi street gangs (perhaps those are already part of the ones you mentioned though). I think it is inevitable that the AB has a strong influence over criminal youth gangs. It is similar to La Eme: outside you can run, but once inside a prison, they own you.

"Almighty Gaylords" LOL


i think probably blood and honour is the biggest neo nazi group, and they are global. go to their website, name and .com (i dont want to link to nazi sites).

they are quite big here in europe too.

the nazi lowriders are probably the biggest white gang in California.

I am not an expert, but of the names I mentioned, none have as far as I know a nazi/racist ideology(spl). Gaylords were playing the nazi card back in the 60-80'es because they were, as they write on their site, defending their old hoods from latino/puorto rican invasion/immigration.

But what I find interesting is that we all know about bloods, crips, latin kings, vice lords, black gangster disciples, but when it comes to white/mainly white gangs then only nazi gangs and outlaw bikers comes to mind.

Makes one wonder...

Gaylords?? They beter be tough with name like that.

18th Street gang
Membership was originally open to Mexican nationals. Although most members tend to be of Mexican descent, membership has opened to other backgrounds, including Central American, African American, Middle Eastern, Asian, Caucasian, and Native American.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/18th_Street_gang

The Mexican mafia told 18 street to purge all black members in the late 90's acording to the book "the mexican mafia"

The Mexican mafia told 18 street to purge all black members in the late 90's acording to the book "the mexican mafia"

And Jesse Jackson let it happen!! The NAACP will be hearing about this!

A very powerful quote and scene from that movie, Bourbon

It is interesting indeed that white gangs are mostly known as racist gangs (actually all gangs are racist one way or the other). Not much is known about "normal" white gangs.

Grim testimony about gang slaying
Wednesday, April 29, 2009
BY LISA CORYELL
Special to the Times
http://www.nj.com/news/times/regional/inde...7800.xml&coll=5

TRENTON -- After strangling a gang underling until his eyes bled, a high-ranking Latin Kings member instructed pals to drive him home to his wife and newborn baby, a fellow gang member testi fied in court yesterday.

"He was, like, a family man," Es meraldo "Esmo" Rodriguez said of Roberto "Bam Bam" Rodriguez. "He had to be home. His baby was just born."

A female juror shook her head in disbelief at the testimony, which was delivered without a hint of irony.

Rodriguez's testimony was the latest in the Jose "Boom Bat" Ne grete murder trial in which the former Latin King leader, or Inca, stands accused of ordering the murder of Latin "Queen" Jerri Lynn Dotson and the attempted murder of Latin King member Alex "Al-Key" Ruiz in 2004.

It is the second trial for Negrete, whose first trial ended in a hung jury last fall.

His attorney says he didn't order either hit.

But the gang members serving time for carrying out the hits say that he did.

In testimony mirroring that of the other gang members, Rodriguez, who is no relation to Roberto Rodriguez, yesterday said Negrete ordered the hit on Ruiz because his defection from the rival Netas gang caused a war between the once- friendly gangs.

After weeks of living under a mutual "beat on sight" edict, Latin Kings members were finding life on the street difficult, Rodriguez testi fied.

"The drug dealers couldn't sell drugs and some (members) couldn't go back to their houses if they lived in the Netas' 'hood," he testified. "People started complaining."

The war broke out because the Netas wanted Ruiz back to "beat him up officially" for leaving the gang, a Netas tradition. But, he said, the Latin Kings were protecting Ruiz as one of their newest members.

"We didn't allow it," Rodriguez testified. "He was always with one of us. If (the Netas) was to try to come get him, there would be fights."

But in a peace offering on Aug. 30, 2004, Negrete agreed to let the Netas grab Ruiz from a city park, Rodriguez said.

"He told us he made a deal to give Al-key to the Netas and they were supposed to kill him," he tes tified. Rodriguez said Negrete dispatched him and other Latin Kings to a city park where Ruiz was hanging out with other Latin Kings.

"We went to tell them that the Netas was gonna come to get Al- Key and not to help, just walk away. Don't help him," he said.

After the Netas had taken Ruiz, Negrete called a Latin Kings meet ing in which another gang betrayal would take place, Rodriguez testi fied.

At the home of her children's father, also a Latin Kings member, Dotson was tried before a gang council on charges of treason. Ne grete had long suspected Dotson of divulging Latin Kings information to her boyfriend, the leader of the Netas, Rodriguez testified.

Although the council found Dotson guilty while she waited outside the room, Negrete told Dotson she was found innocent, Rodriguez said.

"I don't know why he did that," he said. "I guess to play mind games." Dotson left to collect her two young daughters from her mom's house and take care of some laundry, Rodriguez testified.

Sometime later that evening the Latin Kings learned that the Netas had not killed Ruiz, only beat him severely.

It was then that Negrete dispatched four gang members, including the two Rodriguezes, to kill him, Rodriguez testified.

The four picked Ruiz up at Dotson's house where he lived and drove him away, ostensibly to meet with Negrete to discuss retaliation for the beating, Rodriguez testified. But less than a minute into the drive, Roberto Rodriguez began strangling Ruiz with a wire in the back seat, Rodriguez testified. The group left Ruiz for dead in a gar bage bin on Duck Island, he testi fied.

After dropping Roberto Rodriguez home to his family, Rodriguez called Negrete to "let him know his orders were carried out," Rodriguez testified.

The trio met up with Negrete who asked if anyone had seen them take Ruiz from Dotson's house. When they told him that Dotson herself had seen them, Negrete was upset, he testified.

"He said 'That's no good. We can't have nobody snitching,'" Rodriguez testified.

Four other gang members killed Dotson in her home that night, prosecutors allege.

Yesterday Assistant Prosecutor Thomas Meidt asked Rodriguez why he carried out the order to kill Ruiz.

"You gotta follow orders," Rodriguez said, echoing other gang members who took part in the strangling. "The Inca's word is law. If you don't follow it, you probably get killed yourself."

Something that still amazes me is that these gangs are still about colors etc. When will they evolve into criminal organizations like the Mafia/Yakuza/Triads? When will they come to their senses that they can make more money and have less heat by dropping the ignorant and ultra violent behaviour? Shooting at guys cause they wear red and you wear blue is simply too stupid. And things havent changed at all. Matter of fact they are getting worse.

Indictment Targets Violent Street Gang (Los Angeles)
5/21/2009, 8:32 p.m. EDT
Los Angeles Times
The Associated Press

(AP) — LOS ANGELES -- Federal authorities on Thursday accused a Los Angeles County street gang of a litany of crimes, including the murder of a sheriff's deputy and racially motivated attacks designed to drive blacks from their town.

The charges, part of a massive racketeering case, were outlined in several indictments charging 147 members and associates of the Varrio Hawaiian Gardens gang with murder, attempted murder, drug trafficking, weapons trafficking, extortion, kidnapping and witness intimidation.

The gang, also known as VHG, is so pervasive in Hawaiian Gardens that one in 15 people living in the one-square-mile city about 25 miles southeast of downtown Los Angeles has ties to it, said Sal Hernandez, the FBI's top agent in Los Angeles.


"Imagine living in a community where one in every 15 of your neighbors swears allegiance to an organization committed to the spread of violence," Hernandez said. "The good people deserve to live in peace."

The probe into the gang began in 2005 after Los Angeles County Sheriff's Deputy Jerry Ortiz was fatally shot by a Varrio Hawaiian Gardens gang member he was trying to arrest in connection with the shooting of a black man. The shooter, a veteran gang member with devil horns tattooed on his forehead, has since been convicted of murder and sentenced to death.

U.S. Attorney Thomas P. O'Brien, speaking at a news conference Thursday, touted the case as the "largest gang takedown in United States history."

"Today we honor Deputy Ortiz by coming together to crush the outlaw gang that took his life and make a positive difference for the law-abiding people who live in Hawaiian Gardens," said O'Brien, who spoke in front of a memorial to Ortiz and other officers killed in the line of duty.

Authorities said the gang was formed in the 1950s or early '60s and today has more than 1,000 members spanning several generations, many of them with connections to the Mexican Mafia. The gang started out with street robberies, drug dealing and turf wars with other gangs but has since escalated its level of violence, authorities allege. The gang is accused of taunting law enforcement with particularly brazen acts, including scrawling "187," the California penal code designation for homicide, on a Los Angeles County Sheriff's Department patrol car in 2006. Authorities interpreted the vandalism as a reference to Ortiz's killing a year earlier.

The gang members, with monikers of Slasher, Shady, Diablo and Menace, boasted about being racist, referring to themselves as "The Hate Gang," according to a 193-page indictment that outlines the racketeering case.

"VHG gang members have expressed a desire to rid the city of Hawaiian Gardens of all African Americans and have engaged in a systematic effort to achieve that result by perpetrating crimes against" them, the document states.

i dunno if we'll see any changes in the near future when it comes to this. i don't think they can see past their hoods, and their current philosophys (sp?) i don't want to say that they are too stupid to see it, but maybe its time they take off their blinders and actually grasp that concept. then again, when your recruiting young teens and in some cases kids, what do you expect?

If these black gangs ever get organized I can see them getting indicted very fast, I don't think there educated on the rico law.

Posted on Wed, Jul. 8, 2009


N.J. authorities break up bank-fraud ring
By Beth DeFalco

Associated Press

New Jersey authorities yesterday said they had broken up a massive bank-fraud ring organized by a street gang that used sophisticated digital equipment to steal more than $300,000 from eight banks, including branches in Burlington and Camden Counties.
A total of 33 people - including eight members of the Nine Trey Gangsters set of the Bloods - have been charged in the scheme that involved more than $654,000 in counterfeit checks, New Jersey Attorney General Anne Milgram said.

"This investigation reveals the Bloods on new turf, defrauding banks of hundreds of thousands of dollars using counterfeit checks," Milgram said. "Just as we have targeted the financial crimes of traditional organized crime through the years, we will crush any inroads by street gangs into these activities, which could bankroll more drug dealing and death."

Although many of the ring members live in North Jersey, spokesman David Wald said, they branched out to target banks throughout the state, using payroll checks from companies that used those banks.

In some cases, multiple banks were targeted on the same day. Two checks, each for $3,485.75, were cashed on June 3, 2006, at Commerce Banks in Cherry Hill and Mount Laurel. On Aug. 21, 2006, a total of $6,830.00 was withdrawn from three Wachovia Banks in Toms River, Lakewood, and Howell Township.

In South Jersey, Linda Robinson, 30, of Bridgeton, was charged with theft by deception, among other counts.

Milgram said charges from "Operation Blood Bank" stem from a gang bust in 2007 in which 46 members of the Nine Trey Gangsters were charged with various crimes, including racketeering, drug trafficking, money laundering, and murder.



--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Inquirer staff writer Wallace McKelvey contributed to this article.

The American Mafia came into being at a time when the United States was more disiplined country. Army was smore disiplined, any work site or job was more disiplined, schools were strict, and that's envirerment guys who formed New York families and gangs in other parts of country were raised. Also being poor meant being poor, not like past 40 years. No food stamps, cell phones, cable televsion, and calling that poor. Cable and cell phones were not around in 1920's-30's, but whatever equivelent would be was not owned by guys who grew up to form Mafia. Also law enforcement tracks them way better now.

Bodies pile up in Staten Island gang war; victims all affiliated with Bloods

BY Wil Cruz Androcco Parascandola
DAILY NEWS STAFF WRITERS

Monday, November 30th 2009, 4:00 AM

Earl Mangin - who cops say drove a getaway car in the Dickerson shooting - was shot to death the week after Dickerson was killed.


The victims - all affiliated with the notorious Bloods - were shot as tensions mount between gang members from New Brighton and others from Port Richmond and Mariners Harbor.

Cops are rounding up parolees and fugitives and making more quality-of-life arrests, trying to squeeze criminals for information that could end the violence.

"Right now we're dealing with bad guys, but we still don't want bad guys to get shot," said NYPD Asst. Chief Stephen Paragallo, Staten Island's borough commander.

"And the last thing we want is good people, innocent people, to get shot - especially children," Paragallo said.

The killings started Nov. 7 when a fight over a girl at a party hall set off a chain reaction that ended with Jermaine (Big Den) Dickerson shot dead in an Arlington housing development.

The following week,
Earl Mangin

- who cops say drove a getaway car in the Dickerson shooting - was shot to death in front of the New Brighton home where he lived with his fiancée and young daughter.

Mangin's mom, Kesserine Fairweather, said she did not think her 23-year-old son's murder was payback. "As far as any retaliation, I'm not aware of that," said Fairweather, an accountant and a real estate associate. "He had nothing to do with that. It was just a coincidence."

Fairweather, 53, said Mangin modeled as a kid and worked in construction.

"We're trying to move forward," added Fairweather, who took in her son's fiancée and 1-year-old girl. "He was my baby."

The bloodshed didn't end with Mangin's death.

Cops believe the murders may be loosely tied to another pair of shootings that happened shortly afterward.

On Nov. 16, Kameek Sears, 24, was found dead in a white Lexus in Arlington, the victim of a drive-by assault.

Sears, who had just served four years in prison for drug possession, appears to have been killed by a former inmate who accused him of "not watching his back" on the inside.

Two days later, Sears' death was settled on the streets, too.

Kyre Henderson, 18, was found shot and killed, his body slumped between two cars in South Beach. He had likely been killed about eight hours before, but residents mistook the sound of gunfire for fireworks.

Cops believe Henderson, who was a passenger in the car that ambushed Sears, was killed as a retaliation for Sears.

Sources say at least two members of the Bloods have skipped town, perhaps fearing they'll be the next victims.

Staten Island District Attorney Daniel Donovan urged witnesses to come forward.

"This violence must and will stop," Donovan said.

"Reporting someone who has an illegal gun is not 'snitching,'" he added. "It just may avoid the tragedies we've seen in other boroughs where innocent victims were struck by stray bullets."

wcruz@nydailynews.com

Read more: http://www.nydailynews.com/news/ny_crime/2...l#ixzz0YKmh3NL8


Attached Image (Click thumbnail to expand)

MySpace brags spur gang busts of Crips, Bloods who terrorized Manhattan housing project

BY Melissa Grace and Wil Cruz
DAILY NEWS STAFF WRITERS

Thursday, January 14th 2010, 4:00 AM

Crips and Bloods drug dealers who terrorized a Manhattan housing project and boasted of their gang ties on MySpace were busted Wednesday, authorities said.

The brazen gang - part of the "M-Set Grant Houses" crew - was taken down for selling cocaine, crack and heroin in the Grant Houses in Morningside Heights and nearby schools, investigators said.

Eleven gangsters were indicted yesterday on gun and drug charges.

The MySpace pages, including profiles of "Gotti" and "Buddha," showed members flashing gang signs. One of the pages even included a newspaper article about a 2005 police investigation into the "M-Set" Crips.

"They were using the site to brag about their gang affiliations," said a law enforcement source.

Police Commissioner Raymond Kelly said the investigation, dubbed "Grant Denied," began six months ago.

NYPD and District Attorney detectives seized 190 grams of crack, 60 grams of cocaine and 51 glassines of heroin, said Lt. Keith Laughran of the Bronx gang squad. The drugs had a street value of about $20,000, a source said.

Read more: http://www.nydailynews.com/news/ny_crime/2...l#ixzz0cfwy1Yku

Wow these people just keep getting dumber and dumber, what kind of an idiot wears gang colors and brags about affiliation on the internet, you'd think that they would want to keep that quiet so cops dont know whos with who and if your a gang member.

Indeed. But it's the times that are a-changing Young kids growing up with the internet see it as a big part of who they are. How they express themselves. These gangsters are no different. A few years ago a wannabe mobster was busted, he had contacted the media himself about how they should write about him! Some are in it for the money, others for the fame, is I think a line from a rap song. It fits this situation perfectly.

The FBI and prosectors have an easy time with mafia, and make headlines, and sometimes money through it. For example, proescutors get famous, agents do book deals. They are easier to follow, and less violent to law enforcement. It will take constant hard work to crack down on newer and lesser known gangs, and they won't put forth the effort.

Politics is another thing. People want instant gratification, they want to hear that FBI and police have everythng under cotrol, and that their taxpayer dollars are being used to fight crime. So mafia busts are common, and played up big. People like hearing Bonnano, Gambino... they don't want to hear about new unknowns forming and evolving. So polititions give the idiots what they want.

Do you think the general public is starting to wake up now and realize that street gangs murder more people than lcn and are more violent than lcn and cause a bigger threat than them? street gangs have been killing eachother for years in NY, I sure would feel safer if they busted a gang like MS 13 rather than a few made gambinos.

No, the public is not on top of things, unfortunetly. Mafia has been made into the biggest threat to some, the most excitingthing to others, and that leads to journalists writing those storys up more. Law enforcement is a joke, as are prosecutors. I'm sure there are some who want to make adjustemnts, but they won't get promoted to positions of power.


There are squads of FBI agents who just track old wiseguys, foolow them occasionaly--I mean folow them doing nothing, shopping, hanging in backyard---and try to question them occasionaly. Nice easy work. I just heard 3 days ago of a retired Genovese guy, who lives with grandkids (they are in their 20's and working) He was in manhattan, ate with some other old timers.
One had a record, so a big investigation followed. Nothing was found, nothing happened, but agents are all over it--nice, easy, safe, work.

When some pressure is seriously applied to go after newer gangs (and these newer gangs will probably grow old and be replaced by then) the FBI and police will be in a hole. They will have no idea, or desire, to go after them in same way they fight American Mafia. It's sickening.

Bloods Gang Member Admits Murder Plot in Aid of Racketeering
U.S. Attorney’s Office, July 22, 2011

NEWARK, NJ—A member of the Fruit Town and Brick City Brims set of the Bloods street gang admitted today to conspiring to murder a rival gang member in April 2009 and illegally possessing firearms, U.S. Attorney Paul J. Fishman announced.

McCallum, 24, of Elizabeth, N.J., pleaded guilty to an information charging him with one count of conspiracy to commit murder in aid of racketeering and one count of possession of two firearms while a convicted felon. McCallum entered his guilty plea before U.S. District Judge Stanley R. Chesler in Newark federal court.

According to documents filed in this case and statements made in court:

McCallum admitted that he conspired with other Fruit Town and Brick City Brims members, including Gerard Jennette, a/k/a “Swizzy,” and Thomas Haskins, a/k/a “Tommy Gunz,” to kill a rival gang member, identified in court documents as “M.B.” They believed M.B. was responsible for ordering the murder of two Fruit Town and Brick City Brims members in Jersey City, N.J.

On April 27, 2009, McCallum, Jennette, and Haskins were arrested in Jersey City in a van with a loaded Kahr 9 millimeter handgun, a loaded Intratech Luger 9 millimeter semi-automatic Tec-9, and three ski masks.

Each count to which McCallum pleaded guilty carries a maximum potential penalty of 10 years in prison and a $250,000 fine. McCallum is currently scheduled to be sentenced on October 26, 2011.

U.S. Attorney Fishman credited special agents of the FBI, under the direction of Special Agent in Charge Michael B. Ward; law enforcement officers from the Hudson County Sheriff’s Office, under the direction of Sheriff Frank X. Schillari; the Jersey City Police Department, under the direction of Police Director Samuel Jefferson and Chief Thomas Comey; and the Hudson County Prosecutor’s Office, under the direction of Prosecutor Edward J. De Fazio

The government is represented by Assistant U.S. Attorneys Melissa Jampol, Lisa Colone, and Robert Frazer of the U.S. Attorney’s Office Organized Crime/Gangs Unit in Newark.

As for Jennette and Haskins, the charges and allegations in the complaint against them are merely accusations, and the defendants are considered innocent unless and until proven guilty.

Feds can put Blood leader on trial: judge
By MITCHEL MADDUX, New York Post
August 5, 2011

A federal judge today shot down an argument from the leader of all Bloods street gangs in New York City that the federal government has no authority to try him on drug trafficking and weapons charges.

Ronald Herron, who calls himself "Ra Diggs" and dabbles in rap music, claimed he is not bound by federal law.

"I am not a party to ... the Constitution of the United States of America," Herron had written to the judge.

But today Brooklyn federal Judge Nicholas Garaufis said he was not persuaded.

"I am denying your motion in its entirety," the judge told the gangster.

Herron - who could face the death penalty for allegedly unleashing a reign of terror over several city housing projects - had argued that he is a “sovereign inhabitant” not subject to federal jurisdiction.

He also made a contradictory argument that he’s governed only by the US Constitution and no other laws passed since the Founding Fathers penned that original document.

He "appears to contest the authority of the United States of America,” Assistant US Attorney Carter Burwell told judge when he argued against Herron's motion.

Herron’s philosophy includes concepts espoused by certain grass-roots political movements in the western US, which Constitutional law experts say is a “fascinating” development.

“Surprisingly, some of the things he says here are popular with white supremacist groups,” said Larry Solum, a professor at Georgetown University’s law school.

Herron’s challenge also uses “similar ideas to those associated with extremist and fringe movements,” such as the Patriot movement and militia groups," said Solum, a constitutional scholar.

It appears to be a growing trend - other Bloods gang members have made similar arguments, officials say.

Herron, a self-styled gangster who calls himself "The Big Homie," was busted by the Drug Enforcement Administration last October after a four-year joint probe involving more than 65 NYPD undercover drug purchases.

Brooklyn federal prosecutors say he threatened the police, vowed online to "turn the pigs kids into" orphans, and issued warnings against snitching.

He’s carried sub-machine guns, strapped on bulletproof vests, and authorities believe he's responsible for ordering murders and intimidating witnesses that doomed one homicide prosecution in New York state court.

The judge said he would consider another argument that Herron's made to dismiss his defense attorney and represent himself at trial.

Herron, who is not an attorney, also asked the judge to reconsider his arguments challenging federal authority before he was led from the courtroom by US Marshals.

LOL! excellent story.

Albany gang roundup targets Crips leaders
By Jim Wallace, 10 Walb, Aug 19, 2011

Law enforcers target Albany's Crips Gang in a major raid they called Operation Shock.

Nearly a dozen leaders of the gang were arrested in an early morning roundup.

Investigators are looking for dozens more.

Dozens of local, state, and federal officers, went out at 5:30 Friday morning in the gang roundup across the city of Albany. The grand jury

Indicted 54 people and prosecutors say they have solid evidence they are gang members.

Albany law enforcement leaders say this gang roundup was the result of an investigation into Albany's Crips gang that lasted more than year.

Albany Police Chief John Proctor said "this folk is a down payment on trying to crack this gang problem in this community."

Prosecutors indicted the gang members with racketeering charges, so they will all be charged under organized crime laws with crimes committed by the rest of the gang. Arrested were

1.Dennis Smith
2.Cosaine Moore
3. Terry Daniels
4. Quintavis Wade
5.Courtney Hicks
6.Curtis Broner
7.Bobby Jackson
8.Donald Pratt
9.Jermaine Harrison
10.Dominique Henderson

District Attorney Greg Edwards said "We went after the leaders. We have people who are described as triple -O-G's, double O-G's, violation kings. These are the ranks within the gangs that have signifigance within the gang."

These are some of the men that Albany Police have issued warrants for their arrest under this gang roundup, and are still looking for.

1.Morgan Anderson
2.John Zachary
3.Monquavious Hampton
4. Alvin Cross
5.Bactavis Clyde
6.Artavius Davis
7.Raphael Leverette
8. Demtrius Martin
9. Jontavis Keith
10.Saderick Blocker

Prosecutors say in their year's investigation, they have learned a lot about the gangs, even using the gangs against each other.

Edwards said "One of the main things that have been going on, that there have been battles between our gangs. The Crips, the Gangsta Disciples, the EMF, and the Blood and the Rattlers. We have addressed the Crips, but the others are coming."

Law enforcement say they will continue their roundup throughout the weekend, targeting these people named in arrest warrants as Crips gang members, confident they can break up this gang.

Proctor said "So that we can break, we can break this cycle of offending in this city. And it sends the message to those out there who want to join a gang, to be a part of a gang, that it will not pay. That you will not get away with it."

Many of the 54 people named in the indictment are already in jail charged with other crimes, and now they will be charged with racketeering. If convicted that could add a maximum of 25 years in prison.

And law enforcement say the Crips gang is just the start. They say more roundups of other gangs are already in the planning.

We're told the 54 people named in the indictment are all men between the ages of 17 to 33.

Investigators raid 32 locations targeting Compton gang members
Daily News Wire Services, Posted: 09/23/2011

LOS ANGELES - Twenty-two people were in custody today after hundreds of investigators raided 32 locations in seven Southland cities in a multi-agency operation targeting rival Compton gang members, authorities said.

The raids, involving more than 300 members of the L.A. County Sheriff's Department, were carried out early Thursday by investigators assigned to the department's Operations Safe Streets Bureau, said sheriff's Lt. Richard Westin.

They were backed up by police officers from South Gate, Inglewood, Gardena, Whittier and Anaheim, he said.

The detectives and deputies conducting the raids served search and arrest warrants arising from investigations into gang-related murders, shootings and assaults "stemming from a bitter feud between rival gangs," Westin said.

"Deputies also seized an assortment of handguns, rifles and shotguns which were illegally possessed by ex-felons, found to be stolen or were suspected guns used to commit crimes," he said.

Additionally, they confiscated gang-related paraphernalia and evidence of gang membership, all of which will be used to seek gang-related sentencing enhancements, Westin said.

Los Angeles County Department of Children and Family Services took into custody three children who were at locations raided Thursday, according to Westin.

Although the gangs being investigated are based in Compton, the warrants were served in Lancaster, Hawthorne, Lynwood, Long Beach, Los Angeles and Anaheim, Westin said.

"Seventeen males, three females and two juvenile suspects were arrested," he said. Their names were not immediately released.

Cops bust dozens of suspected gang members in Brooklyn drug rings
BY John Doyle And Joe Kemp, NEW YORK DAILY NEWS
Friday, October 28 2011

Cops busted up two Brooklyn drug rings this week, tossing more than two dozen drug dealers behind bars, authorities said Thursday.

Most of the men arrested are suspected gang members who showered parts of East New York and Fort Greene with crack, heroin and marijuana, authorities said.

Two rival gangs were the heart of a sting that netted 17 drug dealers in East New York, authorities said.

Taquan Basley, 20, and David (Free) McLaughlin, 26 - leaders of the local crew, the Mob Starz - had fellow gangbangers sell drugs out of a Pitkin Ave. bodega and a nearby barbershop, authorities said.

A rival gang operated just four blocks away, and between the two groups drugs were sold to undercover cops about 200 times during the seven-month probe, authorities said.

Investigators believe the turf wars between the two crews were the root of many shootings in the area.

Ten other drug dealers, most members of the notorious Crips gang, were busted peddling drugs in the Lafayette Gardens Houses, authorities said. The sting came at the end a five-month investigation.

FBI Says Gangs Use Rap to Launder Money, Recruit Members
BET, 10/31/11

From Ice-T's Cop Killer to New York City's so-called hip hop police, government on all levels has long tried to link hip hop with crime and violence, and a new FBI report is more of the same. A new Bureau study on gang activity claims that criminal organizations are using rap music to launder dirty money and attract new members.

According to AllHipHop, the report, which was released last week, takes an in-depth look at the activity of gang members around the country, the growth of gangs, their standard operating procedures and how they are recruiting new members.

According to the report, gangs are starting and funding rap groups as a front for criminal activity. “Gangster rap gangs, often comprised of juveniles, are forming and are being used to launder drug money through seemingly legitimate businesses,” the report says.

The FBI alleges that gangs also host legitimate events, parties and concerts to recruit members. “Juvenile gang members in some communities are hosting parties and organizing special events which develop into opportunities for recruiting, drugs, sexual exploitation and criminal activities,” the report says.

Strangely, the report specifically takes a look at the Insane Clown Posse, labeling their fan base, known as "Juggalos," a "hybrid gang."

“Open-source reporting suggests that a small number of Juggalos are forming more organized subsets and engaging in more gang-like criminal activity, such as felony assaults, thefts, robberies and drug sales," the report says.

Undercover cops bust massive Harlem street gang 'The Goodfellas,' 19 arrested massive gun-smuggling operation via Virginia
BY By Matt Deluca, Emily Sher And Christina Boyle, New York Daily News, Saturday, November 5, 2011

Nineteen members of a violent Harlem street gang who called themselves “The Goodfellas” were busted for smuggling guns and stashing them in gutters, mailboxes and under stoops.

A massive undercover operation netted the suspects, some of whom used colorful nicknames like “Mr. Untouchable” or “Too Wild Willie.”

The investigation by the NYPD, FBI and Manhattan district attorney’s office also yielded a cache of weapons, including a Tec-9, a semiautomatic Chinese SKS military rifle and dozens of other guns.

The suspects, as young as 17, were charged with weapons possession, conspiracy, endangering the welfare of a child and firearms trafficking. Some were hit with attempted murder.

“We have dismantled one of the most violent gangs in Central Harlem,” Manhattan District Attorney Cy Vance Jr. said Friday.

Prosecutors said the gang, which also went by “The New Dons,” wasn’t involved in drugdealing. They secured weapons simply to protect their turf around 129th St. between Lenox and Fifth Aves. They stashed their guns inside public places, including a home where a 5-year-old boy lived, officials said.

“We have made great strides but our work with fighting gang violence doesn’t end with prosecution,” Vance said. “We have to give young people alternatives.”

The gang got its weapons from Virginia, which has long been one of the main sources of guns flowing into New York City.

Mayor Bloomberg recently donated $25,000 apiece to six Democratic Virginia state Senate candidates who support strict gun control.

On one occasion, 22-year-old Darnell Wynt, also known as “Bula Bless,” bought 15 illegal guns in Virginia, including the Chinese SKS rifle and the Tec-9. Wynt was nabbed by deputy sheriffs as he attempted to haul them back to Manhattan, prosecutors said.

Undercover officers monitored the gang’s movements from 2007.

Satan Disciples Gang Members Charged in Drug and Weapons Bust
Chicago Sun-Times, Wednesday, April 25, 2012

Chicago - Twelve reputed members of the Satan Disciples street gang have been arrested following a three-year investigation into the trafficking of drugs and weapons on the Southwest Side.

The 12 arrested face federal and state firearms or drug charges, including distribution of powder cocaine, crack cocaine and methamphetamine. The arrests took place Tuesday at locations around the area, all without incident, a release from the FBI said.

The investigation, dubbed Operation Devil’s Playground, was started in 2009 as a joint effort of the FBI’s Joint Task Force on Gangs, with assistance from the Chicago High-Intensity Drug-Trafficking Area Task Force.

Five separate federal criminal complaints were unsealed in U.S. District Court following the arrests, and seven separate criminal complaints were filed in state court.

The investigation targeted drug and weapons trafficking by members of the Satan Disciples, centered in and around the intersection of 59th and Richmond streets. As of Wednesday, 11 firearms, various types of ammunition and more than $15,000 has been confiscated, the release said.

Arrested on federal charges were Ranulfo Valadares, aka “Speedy,” 30, of Chicago; Luis Castaneda, 29, of Berwyn; Jaime Reyes, 35, of Chicago; and Refugio Avila, aka “Fugi,” 31, of Chicago. A warrant was also issued for the arrest of Juan Castaneda, 27, of Chicago, who has not been found, the release said.

Valadares, Luis Castaneda and Reyes appeared in U.S. District Court in Chicago on Tuesday, and were ordered held pending court appearances later this week. Avila is scheduled to appear May 11 to be formally charged, the release said.

State charges were filed against Gerardo Gomez, 22; Myra Perez, 25; Sergio Banderas, 29; Steven Buegel, 32; Lawrence Winston, 35; Marcus Gordon, 28; and Jessie Talavera, age 23, all of Chicago. Court information was not immediately available.

US Announces Arrest of Almost 800 Suspected Gang Members
Written by Elyssa Pachico, InSight.com
Thursday, April 26, 2012

The US Immigration and Customs Enforcement agency (ICE) announced the detention of 792 alleged gang members in a nationwide raid, including alleged members of the Mara Salvatrucha (MS-13) and Barrio 18.

The raid, dubbed "Project Nefarious," saw arrests in 150 cities, targeting members of 28 transnational gangs, reports Univision. Some 290 of the detainees were foreign nationals, hailing from countries including El Salvador and Honduras.

Only 479 of those detained are facing criminal charges. Many of the foreign nationals with irregular immigration status will likely face deportation. In Chicago, for example, just three of the 29 detainees are facing criminal charges, while the rest detainees are in deportation proceedings.

InSight Crime Analysis

Deportations from the US played a key role in strengthening criminal networks in Honduras, Guatemala, and El Salvador in the last two decades. MS-13 and Barrio 18 originally started out as street gangs in Los Angeles, but spread to Central America when the US repatriated thousands of gang members back to their home countries, This spurred the groups to evolve into sophisticated criminal organizations in the region, particularly in Honduras, El Salvador and Guatemala.

The majority of the foreign nationals deported back to Central America are not convicted criminals. Of the more than 27,500 people deported to Honduras in 2009, three-quarters had not been convicted of any crime. Of the just over 30,200 people deported Guatemala and around 21,000 sent back to El Salvador that same year, 21.5 percent and 30 percent, respectively, had a criminal record. Last year, an average of 1,500 Honduran nationals were deported per month.

Police nab 14 in drug ring operating out of Brooklyn bodegas
By Sarah Armaghan, New York Daily News
Friday, April 27, 2012

FOURTEEN suspected drug pushers were arrested Thursday morning for operating a narcotics ring in two Brooklyn bodegas across the street each other, police said.

Cops searched three homes and two stores early in the morning, turning up stashes that included heroin, marijuana, crack, loose ammo and $7,500 in cash, said Brooklyn North Narcotics Capt. Greg Stewart.

The dealers used the shops at 226 Schenectady Ave. and 1367 Sterling Place to stash and sell the drugs, Stewart said.

The dope dealers moved their operation from the street into the shops after they realized the NYPD had a surveillance camera at the corner of Schenectady and Sterling, Stewart said.

27 charged in Bloods gang investigation
By Meghan Cooke, Charlotte Observer
May 23, 2012

GASTONIA, N.C. -- More than two dozen alleged members of the Bloods gang, many of them from the Charlotte area, have been charged in a racketeering enterprise that involved drugs, robberies and murder conspiracy.

The U.S. Attorney’s Office announced Wednesday that 27 members of the United Blood Nation, or simply the “Bloods,” were arrested May 18 following a two-year investigation involving the FBI, the U.S. Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives, the N.C. State Bureau of Investigation, Charlotte-Mecklenburg police, Gastonia police, Gaston County police, the Gaston County Sheriff’s Office, Shelby police and the N.C. Department of Probation and Parole.

An indictment says the suspects operated as a gang in North Carolina and elsewhere from 2007 to May 2012 as they engaged in drug trafficking and used the proceeds to help finance other criminal activities.

The U.S. Attorney’s Office said the suspects committed armed robberies and home invasions, as well as acts of violence against rival gang members. Then they tried to conceal their crimes by threatening potential witnesses, prosecutors said.

The suspects identified other gang members by their street names or area codes. Prosecutors said “704” was used to refer to gang factions in Mecklenburg and Gaston counties.

The indictment also reveals that gang members met regularly and talked about past crimes and violence. They also discussed people they thought were cooperating with authorities and what actions might be taken against them. During those meetings, prosecutors said, the suspects planned and agreed to carry out more crimes, including murder, robbery and drug trafficking.

The suspects face charges that include racketeering conspiracy, cocaine possession, conspiracy to commit murder and gun violations.

“The FBI is committed to dismantling the gangs that threaten the safety and stability of our neighborhoods,” Chris Briese, Special Agent in Charge of the FBI’s Charlotte Division, said in a statement. “This two-year investigation is an outstanding example of what federal, state, and local law enforcement can accomplish when we attack the gangs that operate in our communities.”

Charged in the indictment are:

• James Anderson (“Stank”), 28, currently incarcerated.

• Alan Boyd Donta Barnett (“Big Al”), 37, of Gastonia.

• Eric Eugene Brice (“Bug”), 40, of Gastonia.

• Travis Lamar Brice (“Trap”), 28, currently incarcerated.

• Quinton Lavar Brown (“QP” or “QB”), 20, currently incarcerated.

• Rafas Gene Camp (“Tick”), 32, of Shelby.

• Joston Jamal Clemmer (“Ace”), 21, of Gastonia.

• Kemmey Nicole Cooke (“Gangsta Wu”), 29, of Chesapeake, Va.

• Jaimel Kenzie Davison (“I-Shine”), 28, currently incarcerated.

• Wesley Tyler Floyd (“West Coast”), 26, of Gastonia.

• Davon Yakeen Futrell (“Smooth”), 24, of Gastonia.

• Tristan Daquane Goode (“Buck”), 20, of Ranlo.

• Nathaniel Graham (“Nasty”), 23, currently incarcerated.

• Joseph Dranell Gray (“Killa”), 38, currently incarcerated.

• Dominque O’Neill Jackson, a/k/a “DJ”, 23, of Gastonia.

• Jimmy Lionell, Jones (“Buddhist” or “Buddha”), 37, currently incarcerated.

• William Amir Knox (“Poo Nuk”), 28, currently incarcerated.

• Kentrell Tyrone McIntyre (“Mustafa”), 32, currently incarcerated.

• William Lewis Dontars Meeks (“Willie” or “Rock”), 34, of Gastonia.

• Kevin Jerome Morris (“Kato”), 34, of Shelby.

• Franklin Robbs (“Frankie Boo”), 41, currently incarcerated.

• Maurice Terrell Robinson (“Hell Rell”), 22, of Lincolnton.

• Andrew Eugene Stowe (“Coco”), 36, of Gastonia.

• Marquise Deshawn Watson (“Rambo”), 20, of Gastonia.

• Melinda Charmane Watson, 36, of Gastonia.

• Daryl Wilkinson (“OG Powerful”), 47, currently incarcerated.

• Samatha Williams (“Samantha Wilkinson” or “Lady Sam”), 43, of Bronx, N.Y.

• Perry Gorontent Williams (“P-Flame” or “Flame”), 26, currently incarcerated.