Tag: gangs

The Cost of a Safe Haven in an Open Drug Market

CHICAGO—Some locals call it the pill capital of Chicago. In broad daylight, drug peddlers associated with gangs hold up bags of drugs and solicit business from addicts from all parts of the city and beyond. Several gangs divide up the area, which is on the West Side of Chicago, anchored by a major commercial corridor…


Australian Airline Infiltrated by Criminal Organisations and Bikie Gangs, Report Finds

Australia’s largest airline company, Qantas, has been allegedly infiltrated by bikie gangs and criminal syndicates who are importing narcotics worth billions through Australia’s borders, a report has found. The allegations detailed by an intelligence operation code-named “Project Brunello” has found up to 150 current Qantas staff linked to criminality, including a Comanchero bikie gang affiliate…


Gascon Pushes to Eliminate Juvenile Strikes, Reorganizes Gang Unit

LOS ANGELES—District Attorney George Gascon outlined plans April 9 to reorganize his office’s gang unit and co-locate prosecutors in police stations in hopes of creating closer community ties. Gascon’s remarks came during a news conference he co-hosted to promote Assembly Bill 1127, which would eliminate the use of juvenile offenses to impose tougher sentences on…


Daytime Shooting in Laguna Hills Leaves One Man Injured

The Orange County Sheriff’s Department was searching for a suspect April 8 after a man was shot around lunchtime in Laguna Hills. Police said the man, believed to be in his 30s, did not suffer fatal injuries during the shooting near Paseo De Valencia and Alicia Parkway. He was taken to hospital for treatment. Following the…


Gang Task Force Operation Conducted in Orange County

SANTA ANA—The Orange County Violent Gang Task Force was serving a number of federal and state warrants March 3 as part of an investigation targeting an Orange County-based street gang, according to the FBI’s Los Angeles field office. “The Orange County Violent Gang Task Force and its partners are executing twelve federal search warrants this…


Three Men Arrested in Connection with Suspected Gang Killing

Gang violence is continuing to take a toll on Santa Ana, where police are investigating the death of a 23-year-old man shot dead in his grey BMW. “Obviously we have a gang problem,” said Santa Ana Police spokesman Sgt. Anthony Bertagna. “In any shooting, especially when people are driving down the road and people are shooting, [there’s] a…


‘Pursuit of Justice’ Leads to Extradition in 1994 Santa Ana Gang Shooting

The Orange County District Attorney’s (OCDA) office has extradited and charged a man from Guatemala in connection with the fatal shooting of a rival gang member 26 years ago. “The pursuit of justice never ends,” District Attorney Todd Spitzer said in a Feb. 5 press release. “No matter how long it takes or how far…


Spirit of Giving Inspired by a Homeless Woman on Chicago’s West Side

CHICAGO—Ruby Humphrey, now deceased, was a homeless woman on Chicago’s West Side who was a light for others despite her own hardships. She especially touched one young woman, Aisha Oliver. Humphrey had words of encouragement and kindness for Oliver amid her darkest time. Humphrey is one of the people in Oliver’s life who have inspired…