Jackie Tran, whose deportation saga began in 2004, had his appeal denied Friday

Jackie Tran, whose deportation saga began in 2004, had his appeal denied Friday by the Immigration and Refugee Board.Tran is "disappointed" with the decision, and is considering taking advantage of his 15 days to appeal."That's something that we're definitely looking at,"said Ram Sankaran, Tran's lawyer.In the latest step of a process that has been ongoing for five years, the board concluded that Tran--whose full name is Nghia Trong Nguyen-Tran -- is a member and associate of the FOB Killers gang, referred to as FK, a factor that was held against him in the decision."His ongoing association with the members of this gang is not demonstrative of rehabilitation. It also undermines the credibility of the appellant and his witnesses' evidence regarding the genuineness of his effort to rehabilitate," reads the decision from board member Renee Miller.Tran denies belonging to the criminal gang, but admits to social contact with members.Tran's family and girlfriend have asked that he remain in Canada because he provides for them financially and acts as a link to the outside world for his mother, who speaks little English.But their pleas did not outweigh other factors, the board ruled."The benefit to the mother and sister in having the appellant remain in Canada must be weighed against the danger to the public, the seriousness of the crimes and the degree of his rehabilitation. Although the appellant himself is not a danger to the public -- as there is no evidence that he has continued his serious criminal activities which are dangerous to the public--his mere presence in Canada creates a secondary danger," wrote Miller."There is a risk that another attempt will be made on his life, while in public, creating a risk to other innocent people."Tran can still appeal Friday's decision to federal court to argue an error was made in law or fact.Tran, 26,was born in Vietnam and came here at 13, becoming a permanent resident of Canada in 1993.Tran has previously been convicted for cocaine trafficking and assault with a firearm.He has testified he started selling crack cocaine shortly after dropping out of Crescent Heights High School, where he met several known gang members, according to a transcript. He denies having gang affiliations, but said he knows people in gangs.The board notes 13 of Tran's friends or associates have either been shot or stabbed, three of them fatally. There have been two attempts on his life.Tran narrowly escaped becoming a casualty in February 2005,when gun-men from different cars shot at him as he left his girlfriend's house.After surviving another assassination attempt in 2007, Tran still refused to co-operate with police --who offered him protection--or divulge any information about the shooters.Although Tran denies ties to gangs, he admitted having dinner with the mother of two identified gang members the night before he testified at his appeal hearing. He also admitted that parents of identified gang members visited him when he was in custody in 2008.Given Tran's admissions and evidence presented by police, Miller wrote: "I conclude that the appellant is a member and associate of the FK."Calgary police say they are pleased with the board's decision."As you know, the Calgary Police Service holds the view that Mr. Tran continues to present a risk to public safety," said Acting Supt. Guy Slater.
"As long as he is present in our community, that risk will be present. We look forward to the day where that is no longer an issue."Slater said because they have identified Tran as a player in the city's gang feud, police are keen to see him out of the country for good."We are committed to ensuring public safety and we are steadfast in our pursuit of those who threaten it."Police and other agencies will continue monitoring Tran's whereabouts. He must abide by conditions placed on him by the Canada Border Services Agency.
Sankaran said his client was"disappointed" to hear of the decision.
"We take issue with certain findings," said Sankaran, pointing specifically to the reference to ongoing associations with gang members and to the police department's gang membership criteria.
Asked how Tran supports his family, Sankaran said the man has worked as a glazier for a few years.Although Tran has been portrayed as a humble worker providing for his family, last fall someone posted a $20,000 bond for his release after he was detained for missing a hearing date.His removal from the country will be carried out by the Canada Border Services Agency once all his legal options have expired."We're committed to enforcing this removal order as soon as possible," said spokeswoman Lisa White.The border agency is also working on a separate deportation order based on his association to organized crime and final submissions are due May 1.

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Louis Pasquin is believed to be the first lawyer in Canada to be convicted of gangsterism.

Louis Pasquin is believed to be the first lawyer in Canada to be convicted of gangsterism.Pasquin looked shocked as he heard the verdict, which was delivered by Quebec court Judge Carol St-Cyr after nine months of deliberation.Pasquin, 49, has been a lawyer for more than 20 years and has also represented members of the Montreal Mafia.St-Cyr said Pasquin's explanations during testimony didn't hold water.
"Your testimony did not withstand analysis, is unlikely and not credible," the judge said.St-Cyr said he didn't believe Pasquin when he said he was unaware of the activities of two other men arrested in the case."The caution he used in his conversations and the cryptic language show that contrary to his assertions he knew perfectly well about their activities," St-Cyr said.Evidence at Pasquin's trial suggested he acted as a liaison between a drug ring leader and a pilot who allegedly made cocaine runs.

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reputed gangster Shaun Roberts was granted bail with strict conditions, including 24-hour house arrest pending four court appearances to face charges

On Friday, reputed gangster Shaun Roberts was granted bail with strict conditions, including 24-hour house arrest pending four court appearances to face charges -- including four counts of attempted murder -- in connection with the Nov. 16 gunplay.
Earlier in the week, a 17-year-old associate of Roberts, facing charges in the same shootout, was granted bail with a $20,000 bond and house arrest. Deputy Chief Murray Stooke concedes gang crimes have put Calgary in an unenviable place among the nation's major cities. "In 2008, we had the second-highest number of homicides in 30 years and about 35% involved gang activity," he said. "What we're mostly concerned about is we have a running battle between two gangs that has cost lives."
Statistics Canada findings show this city, along with Edmonton and Winnipeg, topped the nation for the number of gang homicides in 2007. That year, cops reported 117 homicides nationwide as gang-related, which includes killings of gang members as well as innocent bystanders. Gang killings accounted for about one in every five homicides in 2007. While the number of homicides in Canada dropped slightly from the year before, an increasing number of slayings are related to gang warfare. "There needs to be a dialogue on what can be done to increase public safety," Stooke said. "It's a national trend." And as such, he said it requires players on all levels of government, coast to coast, to look for more tools to offer solutions and safeguard the public from being caught in the crossfire.

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Omid Tahvili called Royal Canadian Mounted Police (RCMP) offeing to surrender if police promised he wouldn't be extradited to the United States.

Omid Tahvili, 37, is the kingpin of a Persian organized crime family in Canada connected to various other global criminal groups. Known as Nino, Tahvili escaped the maximum-security prison in British Columbia November 15, 2007, after bribing a guard with the promise of $50,000.Tahvili was awaiting sentencing after being found guilty of kidnaping, sexual assault, possession of an imitation firearm, assault causing bodily harm, uttering a threat and proceeds-of-crime charges. The court found Tahvili was the "directing mind" of a criminal organization based in Canada. But he is also facing charges in the United States of running a $3-million telemarketing scam that victimized seniors. (See the August 22 issue of Iran Times, page five.)
Last month, Tahvili called the Royal Canadian Mounted Police (RCMP) and offered to surrender if police promised he wouldn't be extradited to the United States. Tahvili said he was in Toronto and caller ID showed he was calling from a Toronto number, but police remain skeptical and suspect he fled to Iran, which does not have an extradition treaty with Canada.

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Delema Dixon, who also goes by the last name Lefthand, was shot in the head Saturday night when her home was riddled by gunfire

20-year-old Alberta woman was shot and killed over the weekend, the unintended victim of a vicious gang war that has claimed a number of lives at a collection of reserves south of Edmonton. Delema Dixon, who also goes by the last name Lefthand, was shot in the head Saturday night when her home was riddled by gunfire on the Samson reserve -- one of four First Nations in Hobbema, Alta. Dixon's mother, Vernadee Applegarth, told CTV News that she believed it was her son -- who is in a gang -- who was the target. It wasn't the first time that their home was shot up in the last few years. Applegarth is now left to take care of her daughter's 18-month-old child. "I'm angry so much that I want to get revenge," she said. Dixon's father, Darren Applejohn, likened living on the reserve to living in a warzone. "It's just like living in Iraq -- terrorist town -- that's how I see it. Bunch of terrorists here," he said. Gun complaints are nearly an everyday occurrence in the region -- one of the mostly heavily policed per capita in Canada. "These types of cowardly acts are hideous, and there are a lot of community members that are fed up with it," RCMP Cpl. Darrel Bruno said. Dixon's death -- the third murder on the reserves since a gun and weapons amnesty was announced only weeks ago -- sparked leaders to meet for emergency meetings on Monday. "People are saying, `What can we do to make it right?'" Roy Louis, an adviser with the Samson First Nation told The Canadian Press.
"It is up to us, the Four Nations people. We need to work together to come up with long-term solutions against the gangs, the drugs and the violence. But our community has to take charge." Leaders announced a $10,000 reward for information leading to the arrest of anyone responsible for the murders on the reserves. There have been five murders already this year, in a community of 12,000. But Applejohn said that people are afraid to come forward to police, saying they are labelled as snitches or shot at themselves. One of the four First Nations has imposed a youth curfew. The Samson First Nation also approved the destruction of 26 known drug houses.
There are believed to be at least 13 gangs operating in the reserves, fighting for control over the drug trade, which mostly deals in crack cocaine.

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Giuseppe Coluccio, a suspected drug trafficker, who has been on the run since 2005.

Giuseppe Coluccio, a suspected drug trafficker, who has been on the run since 2005. The country's defense minister, Ignazio La Russa, said the arrest showed authorities were making advances in the fight against organised crime."Coluccio had lived happily in Canada thanks to the (support) provided by the Calabrian clans – a situation that shows the extraordinary reach of the 'Ndrangheta," public prosecutor Giuseppe Pignatone was quoted by Italian media as saying. Italy's ANSA news agency reported that police found $1 million in checks at Coluccio's home.
Canadian Public Safety Minister Stockwell Day said in a statement late on Thursday that Coluccio was arrested near Toronto on a Canada-wide immigration warrant and is wanted by Italy for drug-related offenses.'Ndrangheta, based in the southern Calabria region, has reportedly overtaken Sicily's Cosa Nostra to become the most powerful Italian crime group.

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Guy Lepage, a former police officer now serving a 10-year sentence for drug trafficking

Guy Lepage, a former police officer now serving a 10-year sentence for drug trafficking, he was drawn into the biker's life of crime 20 years ago.
Mr. Lepage, 61, discussed his past relationship with the biker leader Maurice (Mom) Boucher yesterday during a parole board hearing.He was granted day parole, his first release since being arrested in 2001 and extradited to the U.S., where he pleaded guilty to helping the Angels buy large quantities of cocaine from a Colombian drug cartel and ship it to Florida in 1997 and 1998. He was transferred to a Canadian prison in 2005.Lepage was granted day parole for the next six months, during which he is expected to take part in community projects. He was accepted into a program working with the elderly, and said he plans to lecture at schools that teach criminology.
Mr. Lepage said that despite his important involvement in their conspiracies, he never considered himself part of the Hells Angels, but he did acknowledge being Mr. Boucher's friend."I don't know if it was his charm or something else. He had this charisma," he said of Mr. Boucher, who is serving three life sentences for ordering the deaths of prison guards in an attempt to influence Quebec's justice.Lepage, 61, discussed his past relationship with the Hells Angels leader at length yesterday during a National Parole Board hearing at a minimum-security penitentiary in Laval. He was granted day parole, his first release since being arrested in December 2001 and extradited to the United States, where he pleaded guilty to helping the Hells Angels buy cocaine from a Colombian drug cartel and ship more than 1,600 kilograms of the drug to Florida in 1997 and 1998. He was transferred back to the Canadian prison system in 2005.The drugs were destined for Montreal while the city witnessed a bloody biker gang war. Lepage was sent to Colombia by Boucher and other members of the Hells Angels to oversee five large shipments of the drug.
Lepage told parole board members Denis Couillard and Michel Pallascio that despite his involvement with the bikers, he never considered himself part of the Hells Angels. But he did acknowledge being Boucher's friend.Even though they grew up in the same neighbourhood in eastern Montreal, the two only met in 1987, Lepage said. At the time, Lepage was running a disco in Sorel and Boucher was beginning his ascent toward becoming the most powerful Hells Angel in Quebec.Couillard asked Lepage to explain how one can go from protecting society as a police officer to being someone who thinks nothing of breaking its laws."How did you go from one extreme to the other?" he asked.Lepage explained that the Hells Angels put him "on a pedestal" and made him feel important. It was clear his experience as a police officer and good name were valuable assets to Boucher."I don't know if it was his charm or something else. He had this charisma," Lepage said of Boucher, who is serving three life sentences for ordering the deaths of prison guards in an attempt to intimidate Quebec's justice system."It's hard to explain. (The Hells Angels) sought me out by giving me gifts, taking me out to dinner. It gave me value. It impressed me. To be frank, I never questioned it."After the two became friends, Boucher began asking Lepage for favours. One involved securing a mortgage for a building the Rockers, a Hells Angels puppet gang, used as a fortified bunker during the biker war. Lepage, who resigned from Montreal's police force in 1974 while a friend was being investigated for fraud, obtained the mortgage through a federal government program.Lepage also helped the Hells Angels set up a money-laundering network in northern British Colombia, to which he pleaded guilty in 1994. He was sentenced two years in prison and fined $200,000. He was given three years to pay, but so far has only paid $30,000. Because of this, in 2006, a seizure order was placed on real estate Lepage owns in St. Philippe, a South Shore town.
Lepage said yesterday that months after his arrest in 2001, he promised his family he would sever ties with Boucher. The only time he showed emotion during the parole hearing was when Couillard brought up an allegation concerning Boucher contained in Lepage's file. Couillard said a letter sent to Boucher after 2001 by another criminal included a mention that Lepage wished to send along his greetings.Lepage called the allegation nonsense. His lawyer, Jacques Normandeau, pointed out that Boucher is still kept in isolation at the so-called super-maximum-security penitentiary in Ste. Anne des Plaines and is only allowed visits by two individuals, who were not named.

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Described as one of the most savage gangs in the world, MS-13 is considered to be in the embryonic stage of developing in Canada

In a series of pre-dawn raids, officers busted into 22 homes, mainly in the city's west end, and arrested 21 suspected members of Mara Salvatrucha-13 and others with ties to the organization. A Central American street gang is the target of a massive GTA-wide police operation aimed at liquidating the notoriously violent group from this city's streets, a police source said yesterday. Described as one of the most savage gangs in the world, MS-13 is considered to be in the embryonic stage of developing in Canada, the source said, and the ongoing sweeps are an attempt to prevent the gang from securing a local foothold and growing dangerous roots."It's a new gang here," he said. "We wanted to get them before they got too much out of control." While not as organized or violent here as in El Salvador, Honduras, the Chiapas state of Mexico or elsewhere throughout North and South America, where experts estimate there are 120,000 members, MS-13 has caused local trouble. Police said yesterday members are implicated in the distribution of illicit drugs and firearms and a police source said they have also been linked to several violent robberies and break and enters. After a five-month investigation, officers from Halton Region and various Toronto police units, including the gun and gangs task force and the emergency task force, executed search warrants yesterday around 6 a.m. Armed with guns and dogs, officers surrounded four homes in Peel Region, one in York, and the majority in Toronto's west end. Residents of a west end townhouse complex were awakened to a loud bang as police forced their way into a home, eventually pulling out one suspect. "I didn't know what was going on," Dave Wilson, 45, a long-time resident of the complex near Dundas St. and Scarlett Ave. said. "First, everything was quiet and then there were dogs barking and everything."
Officials remained tight-lipped yesterday about exactly who was arrested, but a police source said men and women, ranging in age from their teens to mid-30s, were taken into custody. The tally of charges continues to mount, officers said, but police have already seized a "large quantity" of cocaine, drug paraphernalia, several firearms, other prohibited weapons and vehicles, which were towed from scenes yesterday morning, and a significant amount of cash from the proceeds of crime. "They were starting their businesses here," the police source said. Officers would not give any indication of the local MS-13 chapter's size or strength, but gang expert Michael Chettleburgh estimated membership at roughly 25 people. He said he doesn't believe local gang members have set their sights on growing in Toronto, but have come to live here because of family, or because they're escaping charges in another country."Canada is perceived as a safe destination for them," said Chettleburgh, a crime prevention consultant and author. "But it's not like they are a Tim Hortons, trying to start a new Toronto franchise."Even though he isn't a huge proponent of raids as the answer to getting rid of gangs, Chettleburgh said the sweeps would probably send a political message to MS-13 members.

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