Friends of Ours

Latin Kings Takedown In Western Michigan

The feds have indicted a gaggle of suspected gangbangers with the Latin Kings on the usual charges in Holland, MI as reported by Peg McNichol for The Holland Sentinel:  "the indictment blames Holland Latin Kings for murder, arson, assault, witness tampering, obstruction of justice, drug and weapons trafficking in West Michigan and beyond, detailing a long-standing relationship with Chicago-area Latin Kings."

Meanwhile, Vicente Garcia Jr., the one-time "Supreme Regional Inca" from the Chicago cell of the Latin Kings was sentenced to forty years in prison following his 2011 racketeering conviction for "using murder and other acts of violence to protect [the] gang's drug trafficking enterprise" as reported by Naomi Nix for the Chicago Tribune:  "'this sentence holds Garcia accountable for the barbaric enterprise known as the Latin Kings and his role in murder, attempted murder, shootings, beatings, drug trafficking, and other crimes,' U.S. Attorney Gary S. Shapiro said in a statement."

Three Arrested On Drug Charges In Mob Probe

Police have arrested three men pursuant to an investigation "spurred by the recent wave of firebombings in Montreal linked to the mafia and the drug trade" as reported by The Gazette:  the defendants "may appear in court Thursday to face charges related to the possession of firearms and drugs."  The City of Saints is in the midst of a turf war between Calabrian and Sicilian clans which has claimed dozens of lives over the last few years for control over the drug trade.

Firebugs Target Gelato Factory

Let's hope none of the frozen treat melted.

A gelato factory was the apparent target of a firebomb "in what Montreal police suspect is the latest warning sign in an escalating Mafia war between rival factions" as reported by Aaron Derfel for The Gazette:

The attempted firebombing is the third time that businesses either wholly or partially owned by Domenico Arcuri have been targeted since the end of August. Arcuri's name has surfaced at least 20 times in police wiretaps taken during Projet Colisée, an investigation into the Montreal Mafia and its associates, including members of the Rizzuto clan.

The last few years have been dire times for the Rizzuto clan.

Reputed boss Vito Rizzuto has spent the last five years at the supermax facility in Florence, CO, and during that time his son Nick Jr. was whacked in 2009 and his father Nicolo in 2010.

Firebugs Target Restaurant In Montreal

Apparently someone likes to play with matches.

For the second time in a week a restaurant in Montreal, QB Canada has been the target of a firebomb as reported by Jan Ravensbergen for The Gazette:  "the eatery is located in a large office and retail building that according to one media report is owned by Domenico Arcuri, whom police probes have linked with the Rizzuto clan."

An ongoing mob war which law enforcement is incapable of handling has littered the Montreal streets with several corpses over the last few years.

Drug Cartels Target Corporate America

The Mexican drug cartels long ago transmorphed into fully diversified organized crime groups, and among the rackets added to their bag of tricks is shaking down businesses for protection money.

The traditional targets have been bars, restaurants, casinos and other small businesses but the extortionists may be upping the ante to target the Mexican subsidiaries of American corporations.

A reputed lieutenant with the drug cartel Caballeros Templarios or Knights Templar has been arrested for his alleged role in a series of firebomb attacks against Sabritas which is a subsidiary of PepsiCo as reported by Mark Stevenson for The Associated Press:

Five Sabritas warehouses and vehicle lots were attacked Friday and Saturday in the Mexican states of Michoacan and Guanajuato. Witnesses in one case described armed, masked men who tossed firebombs and torched dozens of the company's distribution trucks and some warehouses.