The United Nations (UN) is a criminal gang that originated in the Vancouver , British Columbia area.
179-566: The Red Scorpions is a gang based in British Columbia , Canada. It was formed in 2003 by Quang Vinh Thang Le (known as Michael Le), Tejinder Malli, Konaam Shirzad, Matthew Johnston, and one other un-named young offender. Michael Le testified at the Surrey Six trial that he and Shirzad formed the Red Scorpions after meeting in a youth detention centre facility. Le said the name Scorpions was
358-628: A modus vivendi in 2005. In 2004, the police informer Michael Plante recorded the Hells Angel Johnny Punko saying that another Hells Angel, Gino Zumpano, "took a walk" with Roueche. Plante reported that his understanding was that Punko was saying a meeting had taken place. One of its biggest rivals was the Hells Angels but recently the two groups have been working together as some of the UN's high-ranking members became Hells Angels and also shown by
537-505: A .44 Magnum handgun, which is a type of gun rarely used to commit murders in Mexico where the weapons of choice are 9mm handguns, .38 handguns or AK-47 assault rifles. A member of the Wolfpack calling himself Sossa texted Alkhalil at 10:16 am that day claiming to have killed Gisby, which led Alkhalil to text back "lol". Alkhalil was proud of the murder, though he noted that someone from the UN gang
716-422: A Calgary hotel of drug and chemical importer Paul Vincent. Known for his unmatched ability to circumnavigate border security, Vincent was in possession of a vehicle-mounted Bren machine gun, a number of barrels of banned chemicals and $ 585,000 in cash. In a lengthy trial, the prosecution sought a 21-year sentence. The trial was brought to close with a dismissal due to an evidence-seizure technicality. In 2008–2009,
895-683: A Korean-Canadian teenager, Richard Jung. In the summer of 2000, Le and Narong led their gang into the Hi-Max karaoke club in Coquitlam and beat Jung to death in the men's washroom. Both Narong and Le were charged with second-degree murder, but in 2002 in a plea bargain with the Crown both pleaded guilty to manslaughter. Both were sentenced to 18 months in the Willingdon Youth Detention Centre. During their time at Willingdon, Le and Narong reinvented
1074-472: A Power Rover automobile when a group in a SUV opened fire and gave chase. Sunderland was badly wounded and bled to death while Willock survived. On 4 March 2009, Sunil Mall of Abbotsford was found murdered in his automobile. Mall had been an UN gang member, but went over to the Red Scorpions after Roueche was arrested in the United States. On 31 March 2009, Ryan "Whitey" Richards and Sean "Smurf" Murphy of
1253-490: A client in the Lone Star State who wanted to buy from the UN gang. Davis started to drive from Seattle down to Los Angeles, making two trips. In the first trip, Davis took $ 109,555 U.S. dollars in cash to Los Angeles and the second trip $ 118,980. Roueche expressed much anger about how long Davis was taking to make the drive down to Los Angeles and warned him that he would send someone down from Vancouver to beat him up if he
1432-434: A common theme of the desire for power, respect, money, and protection. In neighborhoods with high levels of violence, adolescents typically experience pressure to join a street gang for protection from other violent actors (sometimes including police violence and the waging of the war on drugs ), perpetuating a cycle of violence . These desires are very influential in attracting individuals to join gangs, and their influence
1611-625: A couple of jobs here or there for me, and they would say, 'Hey do you want to learn how to grow marijuana?' Do a week of work, and you'll get a couple of grand". Coulter started to work as a petty drug dealer and in January 1997 he first met Roueche in a rave in Chilliwack. Roueche had connections with various Asian organized crime figures in Vancouver via the family of his Lao-Canadian girlfriend, and sold drugs at prices considerably lower than those allowed by
1790-454: A criminal organization. Person Y is another unidentified accomplice. He was convicted of first-degree murder in two unrelated gang cases and is serving 25 years to life. He admitted to playing a role in the conspiracy to murder Corey Lal, and acted as a police informant in the Surrey Six case. Gang A gang is a group or society of associates, friends, or members of a family with
1969-469: A defined leadership and internal organization that identifies with or claims control over territory in a community and engages, either individually or collectively , in illegal , and possibly violent , behavior, with such behavior often constituting a form of organized crime . The word gang derives from the past participle of Old English gan , meaning ' to go ' . It is cognate with Old Norse gangr , meaning ' journey ' . While
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#17328549148792148-543: A female victim to suffer serious psychological trauma. It appears that Bayani does not have a full understanding of this". Through Bayani was ordered deported to Iran upon his release, he instead stayed in the Lower Mainland and joined the United Nations gang. Bayani was part of a Canada-wide drug smuggling network, selling 600 pounds of GHB, the so-called "date rape" drug, to a fellow Iranian, Mehrdad "Juicy" Bahman, of
2327-476: A feud over territory or vendetta. Gang warfare mostly consists of sanctioned and unsanctioned hits, street fighting, and gun violence. Modern gangs introduced new acts of violence, which may also function as a rite of passage for new gang members. In 2006, 58 percent of L.A.'s murders were gang-related. Reports of gang-related homicides are concentrated mostly in the largest cities in the United States, where there are long-standing and persistent gang problems and
2506-516: A gang as they expand and recruit new members. Most gangs operate informally with leadership falling to whoever takes control; others have distinct leadership and are highly structured, which resembles more or less a business or corporation. Criminal gangs may function both inside and outside of prison, such as the Nuestra Familia , Mexican Mafia , Folk Nation , and the Brazilian PCC . During
2685-413: A gang member's color by an unaffiliated individual is regarded as grounds for violent retaliation, often by multiple members of the offended gang. Tattoos are also common identifiers, such as an '18' above the eyebrow to identify a member of the 18th Street gang . Tattoos help a gang member gain respect within their group, and mark them as members for life. Tattoos can also represent the level they are in
2864-528: A gang, they instantly gain a feeling of belonging and identity; they are surrounded with individuals whom they can relate to. They have generally grown up in the same area as one another and can bond over similar needs. In some areas, joining a gang is an integrated part of the growing-up process. Gang membership is generally maintained by gangs as a lifetime commitment, reinforced through identification such as tattoos, and ensured through intimidation and coercion. Gang defectors are often subject to retaliation from
3043-447: A gangster would wear. Many youth imitated this style before the end of around 2012. Common items included murses , high-end active wear, designer jeans, baseball caps, sandals and name brand belts. This has become a well known sense of gangster appearance in BC due to the United Nations. Roueche stated that on the streets "recognition is power", and sought to promote the UN gang fashion style as
3222-419: A greater number of documented gang members—most of whom are identified by law enforcement. Gang-related activity and violence has increased along the U.S. Southwest border region, as US-based gangs act as enforcers for Mexican drug cartels . Despite gangs usually formed in the community , not specifically in schools , gang violence can potentially affect schools in different ways including: Global data on
3401-450: A loaded .38 handgun, a hunting knife, part of the leg of a wooden chair to use as a club, a machete, and 600 liters of GHB. Inspector Gary Shinkaruk of the RCMP stated: "Mr. Bayani, although he is an UN gang member, was known to work and associate criminally with other gangs. The fact that he is charged jointly with a member of the Hells Angels is not a surprise to us and it is really indicative of
3580-550: A member who has carried out a murder for the gang. The Red Scorpions come from various cultural and linguistic backgrounds, as they consider race secondary to loyalty and respect. The Red Scorpions have been involved in an increasing number of well-publicized incidents of gang violence in the Vancouver area, in part due to their bitter rivalry with the United Nations gang . The Red Scorpions-United Nations relationship worsened after
3759-571: A meta-analysis of 14 countries in North America, Europe, the Middle East, Central and South America, sub-Saharan Africa and the Pacific also showed that carrying a weapon at school is associated with bullying victimization . Comparison of Global School-based Student Health Survey (GSHS) data on school violence and bullying for countries that are particularly affected by gang violence suggests that
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#17328549148793938-508: A myriad of crimes, none more infamous than his conspiracy to murder the notorious Bacon brothers (the Bacon brothers are believed to be high-ranking members of the rival Red Scorpions Gang). Tilli-Choli's elaborate plot to murder the Bacon brothers manifested in his arrest in April 2009, along with Dilun Hung, Aram Ali, Ion Croitoru , Daniel Russell, and realtor Soroush Ansari. 2004 saw the arrest at
4117-623: A new criminal organization, the group fought a number of turf wars against other gangs, most notably the Red Scorpions . They also led a turf war against the Independent Soldiers gang, as it sought to establish itself. Roueche forged a close alliance with the Fresh Off the Boat Killers, a Calgary gang made up of Chinese-Canadians, Korean-Canadians and Vietnamese-Canadians. The Fresh Off
4296-400: A person is validated as a gang member, the person is subject to increased sentences, harsher punishments (such as solitary confinement) and more restrictive parole rules. To validate a person as a gang member, the officials generally must provide evidence of several factors, such as tattoos, photographs, admissions, clothing, etc. The legal requirements for validating a person are much lower than
4475-447: A pick-up truck. The truck was stopped by agents from the ICE. Found by the ICE agents inside the hockey bags were 300 pounds of B.C. Bud marijuana. On 25 September 2006, ICE agents watched an airplane land at Tieton State Airport outside of Rimrock, Washington State and arrested the men present. Two UN gang members, Nicholas Kocoski and Joshua Hildebrandt, were arrested. Found with Kocoski
4654-505: A plea bargain with the Crown and on 18 January 2017 was deported to the Kurdistan region of Iraq. In 2017, a former UN gang member who turned Crown's evidence known as D. due to a court order testified at the murder trial of UN gang member Cory Vallee. Vallee was charged with LeClair's murder in 2009. In his testimony, D. stated: "At the time of Clay's arrest there was a specific group — an assassin or shooter group — put together...There are
4833-401: A process of initiation), or have to prove their loyalty and right to belong by committing certain acts, usually theft or violence. Gangs often establish distinctive, characteristic identifiers including graffiti tags colors , hand signals , clothing (for example, the gangsta rap -type hoodies), jewelry, hair styles, fingernails, slogans, signs (such as the noose and the burning cross as
5012-453: A realtor in Vancouver. Castañeda owned three houses in the Lower Mainland, each of which were valued at $ 1.1 million plus a BMW automobile, an expenditure that vastly exceeded his sales commissions as a realtor. On 12 July 2008, as Castañeda and Kaawach were eating tacos at the open-air Tacos de Barbacoa El Cuellos restaurant on Calle Pedro Buzeta in Guadalajara, a mini-van pulled up outside
5191-501: A red Cadillac EXT pick-up truck fitted with six televisions in the back and doors that opened vertically. Kaawach owned an automobile customization business, but his real job was serving as the UN gang's liaison with Mexican cartels. Kaawach was deported back to his native Lebanon following his conviction on weapons charges. As Kaawach could not return to Canada, Roueche sent him to live in Guadalajara , where he served as his liaison with
5370-544: A special tombstone featuring the letters "UN" across it. Before a number of its leaders were arrested, the police estimated the gang had 50-100 core members in the Lower Mainland area of BC. The alleged leader of the United Nations Gang is Clayton Roueche. Roueche grew up in Chilliwack , BC. He later moved out to Abbotsford, BC and then on to Vancouver. Roueche had an obsession with martial arts and became involved in
5549-420: A statement of the gang's power. Starting in 2001, the UN gang started what the media called "dial-a-dope" lines. Low-level UN gang members would visit clubs and bars handing out cards with a name and a telephone numbers for prepaid cell phones, which were changed on an average of 3–4 weeks. Those who called the numbers would be answered by an associate who took the order for drugs and had the drugs delivered to
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5728-489: A tribute to his "older brother who was killed and his nickname used to be Scorpion". The gang "used the word Red to symbolize blood" he said. Le said Jamie Bacon and his brothers were not founders but joined the gang a few years later. Red Scorpions have been running "dial-a-dope lines" – ( drug trafficking operations) in the suburbs of Vancouver since 2005 . Gang members can be identified by "RS" tattoos on their arms and necks; any forms of skull tattoos usually indicates
5907-728: A unique type of gang made up of members who follow the punk rock ideology . Unlike other gangs and criminal groups, punk gangs follow a range of political and philosophical beliefs that can range from alt-right to radical left . Differing ideologies are one of the causes of conflicts between rival punk gangs, compared to other street gangs and criminal groups who wage gang war solely for illegal profit, vendetta, and territory. Most of them can be seen in political and social protests and demonstrations and are sometimes in violent confrontation with law-enforcement. Examples of punk gangs are Fight For Freedom , Friends Stand United , and Straight Edge gangs. Contemporary organized crime has also led to
6086-543: A violent gang war was brewing in the Lower Mainland area of B.C., with the UN gang believed to be playing a major role in it as the UN gang fought the Red Scorpions led by the Bacon Brothers . The Hells Angels through their proxy of the Independent Soldiers sought to play off both sides, selling both the UN gang and the Red Scorpions guns and ammunition. Despite the name of 2009 gang war, the conflict actually started
6265-569: A white gang formed called Chicago Gaylords . Some gang members are motivated by religion, as is the case with the Muslim Patrol and the Epstein-Wolmark gang . Most gang members have identifying characteristics which are unique to their specific clique or gang. The Bloods , for instance, wear red bandanas, the Crips blue, allowing these gangs to "represent" their affiliation. Any disrespect of
6444-471: A year earlier in January 2008 when the Red Scorpions made a murder attempt against Roueche. In response, Roueche placed bounties on the lives of the Bacon brothers with the bounty for killing Jamie Bacon being $ 300,000. Sometime in either late 2007 or early 2008, Roueche imported several Fresh Off the Boat Killers from Calary, most notably Billy Ly and Troy Tran, to assist with killing the Bacon brothers. On 8 May 2008, Duane Harvey Meyer, an important UN leader
6623-517: Is believed the Hells Angels had the Bacon brothers join and take control of the Red Scorpions as a way to bring the Red Scorpions under their control as another puppet gang. The journalist Jerry Langton wrote that the Castle Fun Park meeting of 2006 was "a recruiting meeting, with the Independent Soldiers (acting, as they always did, as the Hells Angels' proxy) luring the Bacon Brothers away from
6802-538: Is common and considered to be a norm. Women who attend social gatherings and parties with heavy drug and alcohol use are particularly likely to be assaulted. A girl who becomes intoxicated and flirts with men is often seen as "asking for it" and is written off as a "hoe" by men and women. "Hoodrats" and girls associated with rival gangs have lower status at these social events, and are victimized when members view them as fair game and other women rationalize assault against them. Most modern research on gangs has focused on
6981-428: Is considered to be one of the best strains of marijuana in the world and commands a premium price in the United States, where it is one of the most popular and most desired strains of marijuana. Smuggling marijuana into the United States via a variety of methods proved to very profitable for the UN gang. The main method of smuggling was flying in the marijuana at night via airplane and especially helicopters. Roueche and
7160-528: Is important because it plays a part in impelling the terrorist to act and then in defining the targets of their actions." Displaying a gang sign, such as the noose, as a symbolic act can be construed as "a threat to commit violence communicated with the intent to terrorize another, to cause evacuation of a building, or to cause serious public inconvenience, in reckless disregard of the risk of causing such terror or inconvenience … an offense against property or involving danger to another person that may include but
7339-450: Is like a family, right? And that is something I never had. I never had a family. So that was my family". The UN gang pioneered an alternative sense of style and recognition that became prominent in Vancouver, BC up until the end of the early 2010s. Many UN members would "cloak" themselves by wearing high-end, expensive, and luxury brands based on California surf-trends, biker brands, and accessories that would not typically be assumed as what
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7518-494: Is not limited to recklessly endangering another person, harassment , stalking , ethnic intimidation, and criminal mischief ." The Internet is one of the most significant media used by gangs to communicate in terms of the size of the audience they can reach with minimal effort and reduced risk. Social media provides a forum for recruitment activities, typically provoking rival gangs through derogatory postings, and to glorify their gang and themselves. Researchers and activists in
7697-423: Is one of three concepts that shed light on patterns of organization in oppressed racial, religious and ethnic groups (the other two are Manuel Castells ' theory of "resistance identity" and Derrick Bell 's work on the permanence of racism). Usually, gangs have gained the most control in poorer, urban communities and developing countries in response to unemployment and other services. Social disorganization, and
7876-432: Is particularly strong on at-risk youth. Such individuals are often experiencing low levels of these various factors in their own lives, feeling ostracized from their community and lacking social support. Joining a gang may appear to them to be the only way to obtain status and material success or escape a cycle of poverty through profits from illegal activity. They may feel that "if you can't beat 'em, join 'em". Upon joining
8055-755: The American Motorcyclist Association and do not adhere to its rules. Instead the clubs have their own set of bylaws reflecting the outlaw biker culture. Biker gangs such as the Rebels Motorcycle Club exist in Australia. Prison gangs are formed inside prisons and correctional facilities for mutual protection and entrancement like the Mexican Mafia and United Blood Nation . Prison gangs often have several "affiliates" or "chapters" in different state prison systems that branch out due to
8234-529: The Castle Fun Park in Abbotsford, Jamie Bacon of the Bacon brothers attended a meeting with several other men known to be gang members. A passer-by happened to notice one of the men talking at the Castle Fun Park had a gun and called the police. Arrested alongside Jamie Bacon were Randy Naicker and Bary Espadilla of the Independent Soldiers and Dennis Karbovanec and Anton Hooites-Meursing of the Red Scorpions. It
8413-611: The Gulf Cartel and Shower Posse . Street gangs are gangs formed by youths in urban areas, and are known primarily for street fighting and gang warfare. The term "street gang" is commonly used interchangeably with "youth gang", referring to neighborhood or street-based youth groups that meet "gang" criteria. Miller (1992) defines a street gang as "a self-formed association of peers, united by mutual interests, with identifiable leadership and internal organization, who act collectively or as individuals to achieve specific purposes, including
8592-468: The Hells Angels require a candidate, known as a "hang-around", to be observed and mentored by veteran gang members (which can last a year or more) in order to assess their personalities and commitment. The Cosa Nostra requires people wanting to be full members or become made men to take part in a ceremony involving oaths, agreement, and bloodletting to show their loyalty. The Sigue-Sigue Sputnik from
8771-568: The Hells Angels , the Pagans , the Outlaws , and the Bandidos , known as the "Big Four" in the United States. The U.S. Department of Justice defines outlaw motorcycle gangs (OMG) as "organizations whose members use their motorcycle clubs as conduits for criminal enterprises". Some clubs are considered "outlaw" not necessarily because they engage in criminal activity, but because they are not sanctioned by
8950-434: The Hells Angels , which made him popular with Coulter and his associates. Coulter and Roueche started selling drugs together to pay for their drug habits. Roueche began to work for a Vietnamese organized crime figure known as Vu. What began as a loose-knit group of Abbotsford thugs linked to Asian organized crime grew quickly over the years. They began a profitable drug-running enterprise involving helicopters flying across
9129-510: The Kingsway highway when his vehicle was shot up by gunmen in another car. The police have stated that there was a group of UN members consisting of the professional wrestler Ion Croitoru , Barzan Tilli-Choli and several others who were also driving along the Kingsway who gunned down Barber out of the mistaken belief that he was Bacon. Barber's girlfriend, Vicky King, who was driving his car behind
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#17328549148799308-648: The Peaky Blinders . In the United States, the history of gangs began on the East Coast in 1783 following the American Revolution . Gangs arose further in the United States by the middle of the nineteenth century and were a concern for city leaders from the time they appeared. The emergence of the gangs was largely attributed to the vast rural population immigration to the urban areas. The first street-gang in
9487-708: The Sinaloa Cartel , working out deals to exchange the prized B.C. Bud for cocaine. As the Sinaloa Cartel is one of the most powerful criminal organizations in Mexico, controlling much of the state of Sinola, the alliance with the Sinaloa cartel proved to be highly profitable for the UN gang. Kaawach's principle contact in Canada was another UN gang member, the Guatemalan-Canadian Elliot "Taco" Castañeda, who worked as
9666-990: The Wild Bunch . Prohibition would also cause a new boom in the emergence of gangs; Chicago for example had over 1,000 gangs in the 1920s. Outside of the US and the UK, gangs exist in both urban and rural forms, like the French gangs of the Belle Époque like the Apaches and the Bonnot Gang . Many criminal organizations, such as the Italian Cosa Nostra , Japanese yakuza , Russian Bratva , and Chinese triads , have existed for centuries. Gangs, syndicates, and other criminal groups, come in many forms, each with their own specialties and gang culture. One of
9845-446: The "protection" is usually from the gang itself, or in other criminal activity. Many gangs use fronts to demonstrate influence and gain revenue in a particular area. Gang violence refers mostly to the illegal and non-political acts of violence perpetrated by gangs against civilians , other gangs, law enforcement officers , firefighters , or military personnel . A gang war is a type of small war that occurs when two gangs end up in
10024-630: The "surgical tool people" were used for "violent acts that required considerably more planning. Generally it was members of the FOB Killers or the FK group in Calgary". D. stated that: "Roueche was the glue that kept the group together. He was very active in organizing dinners and bringing people out. If we were going to a nightclub or having a New Year's Eve party, he would make sure everyone would come and spend time together and do business together." In June 2018, Valle
10203-549: The 12-year term, minus almost nine years pre-trial credit for Le. The remaining sentence is just three years, one month. Matthew "Matt" Johnston (born 19 April 1984, died December 2022) was a co-founder of the gang. Johnson alongside Cody Haevischer were found guilty of first-degree murder and conspiracy to commit murder in connection with the Surrey Six affair. The leaders of the Red Scorpions gang were attempting to extort $ 200,000 from Corey Lal and when he didn't pay, they ordered him killed. Konaam Shirzad (1983 – September 22, 2017)
10382-631: The 1960s in the USA often adapted nationalist rhetoric. Both majority and minority races in society have established gangs in the name of identity: the Igbo gang Bakassi Boys in Nigeria defend the majority Igbo group violently and through terror, and in the United States, whites who feel threatened by minorities have formed their own gangs, such as the Ku Klux Klan . Responding to an increasing black and Hispanic migration,
10561-587: The 1970s, prison gangs in Cape Town , South Africa began recruiting street gang members from outside and helped increase associations between prison and street gangs. In the US, the prison gang the Aryan Brotherhood is involved in organized crime outside of prison. Different gangs and criminal syndicates have various roles and members. Most are typically divided into: The numerous push factors experienced by at-risk individuals vary situationally, but follow
10740-433: The 55-year-old gas fitter Ed Schellenberg and 22-year-old student neighbour Christopher Mohan, who unknowingly got caught in the incident. Cody Haevischer and an associate who can only be identified as "Person X" were tried later. Matthew Johnston and Cody Haevischer were charged with six counts of first-degree murder in the case. Jamie Bacon was charged with one count of first-degree murder in the death of Corey Lal. Michael Le
10919-677: The Animals nightclub, which was perceived as "theirs". Roueche borrowed much from Asian culture for his gang. Roueche took aspects of bushido ("the way of the warrior"), the fierce code of the Japanese samurai, as the basis of the gang's philosophy, using the motto "Honor, loyalty, respect". All the members of the gang are expected to have the phrase "honor, loyalty, respect" tattooed on themselves in Chinese characters and their uniforms were hoodies covered with images of tigers and Asian dragons together with
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#173285491487911098-546: The Bacon brothers, Dennis Karbovanec, pleaded guilty to his participation in the slayings. On September 11, 2020, he pleaded guilty to one count of conspiracy to commit the murder of Corey Lal. He was sentenced to 18 years in prison; with credit for time served, he will serve an additional five years and seven months in prison. Jarrod was arrested in May 2009 on weapons charges, and was found guilty on February 2, 2012 of several charges relating to cocaine trafficking. On May 4, 2012, Jarrod
11277-498: The Baha'i are pacifists who are opposed to violence even in self-defense, Bayani turned to robbing convenience stores for cigarettes and cash as a teenager. An unhappy ex-girlfriend reported him to the police, leading to Bayani being arrested, convicted, and sentenced to five years in prison. His lawyer argued that his crimes were due to his troubled youth, but the judge felt the violence of his robberies warranted five years in prison. Bayani
11456-518: The Boat Killers are the rivals of another gang called Fresh Off the Boat. Starting in 2006, Roueche often met Troy Tran, Billy Ly and Mark Kim of the FOB Killers. Detective Andrew Wooding of the Abbotsford police stated: “It became clear from our surveillance that these guys were actually working with Roueche and taking direction from Roueche. At the time, we believed the FK were adopted by the UN and they were benefiting by getting better access to cocaine through
11635-400: The Chinese triads under which new members would walk under "The Mountain of Knives" as an archway of swords were named to swear eternal loyalty to the "36 Oaths" of the gang and drinking a bowl of rooster's blood. A senior member was a dai lo (Cantonese for "big brother") who would supervise the other members who were given much freedom to operate as they pleased. The gang initially avoided
11814-608: The Hell Angels downtown Toronto chapter, for him to sell in the greater Toronto area. The informer Steven Gault , who served as the treasurer of the Angels' Oshawa chapter told the police about the business relationship between Bahman and Bayani, leading to the police to seize the GHB that Bahman had stored in his garage. The seizure put Bahman into a $ 100,000 debt to the UN gang and the Haney chapter of
11993-500: The Hell Angels, forcing other members of the Toronto chapter to step in to help him pay off the debt that he could not manage on his own. The information provided by Gault led to the arrest of Bayani in 2007. Upon his arrest in Abbotsford on 4 April 2007, Bayani was found to be with a "full patch" Hells Angel, Vincenzo Sansalone, of the Haney chapter in his car. The police found in Bayani's car
12172-604: The ICE agents and had no personal identification, which to him being charged with crossing the border with no proper identification. On 1 December 2005, a floatplane landed in Soap Lake in Washington state. The ICE found inside the plane 325 pounds of marijuana and arrested an UN gang member, Greg Fielding. On 14 March 2006, another floatplane landed in Omak lake in Washington state. The Colville Indian Reservation tribal police found inside
12351-459: The Lower Mainland are the Hells Angels. In the 2000s, the Hells Angels reduced other gangs in the Lower Mainland down to puppet gangs. The Independent Soldiers gang by 2005 became a puppet gang for the Hells Angels while the United Nations gang were likewise been reduced down to a subordinate status to the Hells Angels. By 2006, the Red Scorpions were the only major Lower Mainland gang that was not under Hells Angels control. On 7 December 2006 at
12530-481: The Luxor, the fight continued out in the parking lot of the Luxor, leading to Hooites-Meursing to pull out a knife and stab BonLeuth Thiphavong and his brother Souskavath Thiphavong. BonLeuth Thiphavong later died of his wounds at the hospital. In January 2003, the UN gang killed the Red Scorpion Edward "Skeeter" Russell in revenge for Thiphavong's death. An audio tape of an UN gang member, Gupreet "Bobby" Rehal emerged with Rehal laughing about Russell's murder, which led
12709-635: The Philippines require gang members to tattoo (or "tatak") the name of the gang or their leader into their body. Triads have a more unique way of initiating associates into full members. Triad ceremonies take place at an altar dedicated to Guan Yu (關羽, GuānYǔ), with incense and an animal sacrifice (usually a chicken, pig or goat). Training and expertise in various forms of illicit activities, including combat, exist variously throughout different gangs. Specific members of American mafia groups, like police infiltrators, double agents, and sometimes also enforcers and hitmen, have had backgrounds in law enforcement or
12888-426: The Red Scorpions gang from the more loosely structured and informal gang they had founded in 2000. Le and Narong declared that members of the Red Scorpions would always have tattoos on their wrists and/or necks to identify them as gang members. The Red Scorpions borrowed much from the United Nations gang and from outlaw biker clubs as the gang was envisioned as multi-ethnic; all members were required to know martial arts;
13067-399: The Red Scorpions to conclude that he was Russell's killer. Hooites-Meursing was ordered to kill Rehal. On 13 March 2003, Hooites-Meursing and several other Red Scorpions went to Rehal house at Saturnia Crescent in Abbotsford. One Red Scorpion knocked on the door of Rehal's parents' house and when the 19 year-old Rehal opened the door, he was shot in the face. Hooties-Meursing then picked up
13246-697: The Red Scorpions were murdered. Murphy was found murdered inside his automobile while Richards's body was found behind the Yellow Barn Country Produce market later the same day. In March 2009, the police arrested and charged in connection with the Willock-Sunderland shooting the UN gang boss Barzan Tilli-Choli, Aram Ali, Nicola Cotrelll and Sarah Trebble who was the girlfriend of the Hells Angel Larry Amero . Tilli-Choli, Cotrell and Ali were charged with first-degree murder while Trebble
13425-520: The SUV, was also injured, but she survived while Barber was killed. Tran later testified that he was one of the gunmen in Tilli-Choli's car and he thought Barber was Bacon because "all white guys" looked the same to him. On 3 February 2009, Raphael Baldini of the Red Scorpions was shot dead while talking on his cell phone in a friend's SUV. Badini's last words as a group of men in another SUV opened fire on him
13604-525: The Surrey Six. Haevischer (born 1984) reportedly killed three of the victims and unidentified gang member "Person X" killed the other three. On the day of the murders, Michael Le attended a meeting at a Korean restaurant in Surrey with Haevischer, Johnston, and "Person X" also attending. Cody grew up in Harewood, a suburb of Nanaimo. The unidentified accomplice murderer of the Surrey Six, a Red Scorpion gang member and
13783-400: The UN gang member, Koshan Alemy, and it is believed she was targeted intentionally as a way to bring grief to her husband. The windows of Nicole Alemy's Cadillac were clear and she was only with her four-year-old son when she was shot down. On the evening of 15 February 2009, Tyler Willock of the Red Scorpions were riding with his friend Fraser Sunderland and a woman who remains unidentified in
13962-497: The UN gang smuggled marijuana into the United States via trucks, but after the 9/11 terrorist attacks of 2001 led to American border security being increased, the UN gang switched over to helicopters to fly over the undefended 49th parallel. Unlike drugs such as cocaine and methamphetamine, where even small quantities can be sold for a premium price, marijuana needed to be smuggled in bulk to make it profitable. The UN gang formed ties with American organized crime groups and become one of
14141-445: The UN gang were considered by American law enforcement to be the biggest smugglers of marijuana into the United States. The UN gang smuggled into the United States about 20 tons of marijuana per annum, usually by helicopter, making an annual profit of about $ 120 million U.S. dollars. Another method of marijuana smuggling was via airplanes. A Cessna airplane can carry about 300 pounds of marijuana, fly low to avoid American radar, land in
14320-501: The UN gang. Rogers told the media after the latest arrests: "It's almost like this is nothing to us. It's happening so much, it's ridiculous. They come anyway they can. It's well orchestrated and they plan this well in advance. It's a daily event". In 2006, an American woman, Jane Gerth, while driving on Highway 17, which is almost on the Canadian-American border, discovered along the highway a bag full of $ 507,270 U.S. dollars, which
14499-399: The UN members that they were "dead" as they promised to return to the Animals nightclub the next weekend. The next weekend, the Hells Angels supporters together with a number of actual Hells Angels arrived at the Animals nightclub. Coulter remembered: "I'll never forget. There was the big fight inside. It lasted maybe five minutes. Then everyone started running outside. I remember I came out
14678-405: The UN supply lines and the UN were bringing that sort of oversight and organization and the threat of a larger group that are looking after you." Roueche called Tran and Ly the "C-town guys" in a phone call that the police recorded, going on to say: "The C-town guys, they're fucking anywhere, anytime. Boom, boom, boom"." After establishing themselves against the Hells Angels, the two gangs reached
14857-583: The US-Canada border trading much sought after British Columbian cannabis for cocaine to be sold in Canada. The United Nations gang was founded on 25 May 1997. Roueche discovered that the Kootenays region was where most of the marijuana in British Columbia was grown and starting in 1997 began to export marijuana to the United States. The B.C Bud strain of marijuana is very popular in the United States, becoming
15036-462: The United Nations gang were involved in a notably bloody brawl with the Hells Angels at the Animals nightclub in Abbotsford, which gave the gang stature in the underworld after beating up the Angels. A group of white Hells Angels supporters wearing "Support 81" T-shirts arrived and began to bully the Asian patrons of the club, several of whom were members of the UN gang. Coulter recalled: "I remember back in
15215-527: The United Nations gang's principal source of revenue. The journalist Jerry Langton wrote about the B.C. Bud strain: "It was so prized, so valued, that in some places, it was actually bartered kilo-for-kilo with cocaine, a feat unimaginable with any other strain of marijuana". In 2005, it was estimated that there were 22,000 marijuana grow-ops in British Columbia An article in Forbes magazine estimated in
15394-500: The United Nations gang. In August 2022, both brothers had been listed by the Combined Forces Special Enforcement Unit British Columbia as one of 11 criminals who could post a threat to public safety due to links with extreme levels of gang violence. The Samra brothers had been linked with a number of killings and shootings in British Columbia by law enforcement. Investigators believe the shooting
15573-540: The United Nations, to help them compete with the United Nations gang. The authorities believed that the brothers took leadership control of the Red Scorpions shortly thereafter. On April 3, 2009, Jamie was arrested by the Royal Canadian Mounted Police Emergency response team for his alleged involvement in the October 19, 2007 slayings of the 'Surrey Six'. This development occurred after an associate of
15752-603: The United States have debated the true impact of US gangs on crime in the United States, with a 2019 episode of the You're Wrong About podcast claiming that the perceived increase in gang violence was in fact an overblown moral panic. There have been repeated complaints of bias around the enforcement of gang-related laws asking why Frats and Gangs are treated differently "They're both blamed for predisposing their members to violent acts, but they’ve sparked radically different public-policy responses." United Nations (gang) The UN gang
15931-447: The United States where the marijuana can be unloaded in a matter of minutes, and be back in Canada within minutes. However, helicopters were preferred for smuggling as planes require a landing field while a helicopter can land almost anywhere. In March 2005, agents of the U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) secretly attached a GPS transmitter and an ignition kill switch to a pickup truck being used to smuggle marijuana across
16110-637: The United States, the 40 Thieves , began around the late 1820s in New York City . The gangs in Washington D.C. had control of what is now Federal Triangle , in a region then known as Murder Bay . Organized crime in the United States first came to prominence in the Old West and historians such as Brian J. Robb and Erin H. Turner traced the first organized crime syndicates to the Coschise Cowboy Gang and
16289-494: The United States. Gangs are involved in all areas of street-crime activities like extortion , drug trafficking, both in and outside the prison system, and theft . Gangs also victimize individuals by robbery and kidnapping . Cocaine is the primary drug of distribution by gangs in America, which have used the cities Chicago , Cape Town , and Rio de Janeiro to transport drugs internationally. Brazilian urbanization has driven
16468-408: The age of 18 years than those who did not. Gang violence is often associated with carrying weapons , including in school. A study of 10-to-19-year-olds in the UK found that 44% of those who reported belonging to a delinquent youth group had committed violence and 13% had carried a knife in the previous 12 months versus 17% and 4% respectively among those who were not in such a group. According to
16647-413: The alleged killer of three of the Surrey Six victims. For his direct involvement in the killing of three of the victims in the Surrey Six murders, he agreed to cooperate with police and pleaded guilty to shooting three of the Surrey Six victims. He was convinced to become a Crown witness at the trial against co-accused murderer and accomplice Cody Haevischer and against alleged instigator Matt Johnston. But
16826-438: The alliance with the Hells Angels. The professional wrestler Ion Croitoru tried to join the Hells Angels' Vancouver chapter, and was instead directed to join the United Nations gang instead. On 24 February 2007, a double shooting occurred in Vancouver with two UN gang members being wounded. Both Roueche and Jing Bon Chan arrived at the shooting scene and the police believed that Roueche and Chan were "...were there to 'interview
17005-452: The arrest of Omid Bayani, a mid-level member of the Hells Angels, who was arrested as part of an investigation looking at criminal actions of the Hells Angels. After Roueche's arrest in the United States in 2008, leadership was assumed by Barzan Tilli-Choli . Typical of the gang's members was Omid Bayani, who was born in Iran as a member of the Baha'i faith. The Baha'i face savage persecution by
17184-408: The balcony nude and bleeding, where he tried to walk over to the balcony of another apartment. Instead, he fell three stories down to the parking lot. Thieu's fall caused him to suffer a coma, which he is unlikely to ever come out of. Chan was charged with attempted murder and the possession of a concealed weapon. Chan is believed to be the deputy leader of the UN. The B.C. Bud strain of marijuana
17363-549: The bloodiest shootings in the region and were behind the October 19, 2007 killing of six people in a suite on 9800 East Whalley Ring Road, a condominium complex known as Balmoral Tower. The case is known as the Surrey Six massacre . The principal target was Corey Lal, a 22-year-old drug dealer who was selling drugs on the Red Scorpions' turf. Five other men were killed to eliminate them from becoming potential witnesses. They were Michael Lal, 26 (Corey Lal's older brother), Ryan Bartolomeo, 19, Eddie Narong, 22, and two innocent bystanders:
17542-495: The blunt instruments you can count on going to a bar and beating someone up or going to their house and threatening them. However if it was going to be a more precision kind of strike where they were going to kill someone or do a shooting of some kind, there would be the surgeon's tool or sharper instruments if you will." Among the "blunt instruments" were the "Iraqi group" that consisted of Barzan Tilli-Choli, Duane Meyer, Ion Croitoru , and Trevor "Fingers" Gilbert. D. testified that
17721-798: The border. In June 2005, ICE agents waited for the truck to come the border and then activated the kill switch. Arrested were two Canadian UN gang members, Brian Fews and Trevor Schoutens. Roueche asked Ken Davis, the chief American agent for the UN gang, to pay the bail for Fews and Schoutens. On 12 August 2005, another UN gang member, Alexander Swanson, was arrested in Blaine, Washington State with several bags full of marijuana. In September 2005, two UN gang members were arrested in Puyallup, Washington state with 1,000 pounds of marijuana in 23 bags. The two men charged were two brothers from Calgary, Zachary and Braydon Miraback. Zachary Miraback refused to give his name to
17900-419: The case of street gangs, most do not train their members in shooting and combat. Although a few would train their youths how to shoot using empty cans and bottles as targets (with some cases using underground shooting ranges ), most gangsters have no formal instructions in firearms usage and safety. The late 90s and early 2000s saw many gang members in the US being sent by judges to the military to “set them on
18079-957: The conduct of illegal activity and control of a particular territory, facility, or enterprise." Some of the well-known ones are the Black gangs like the Bloods and the Crips , also the Vice Lords and the Gangster Disciples . Other racial gangs also exist like the Trinitario , Sureños , Tiny Rascal Gang , Asian Boyz , Wa Ching , Zoe Pound , The Latin Kings , The Hammerskins , Nazi Lowriders and Blood & Honour . Law enforcement gangs are criminal organizations that form and operate within law enforcement agencies. Members have been accused of significant department abuses of policy and constitutional rights, terrifying
18258-474: The creation of anti-gang groups, vigilante gangs, and autodefensas , who are groups who profess to be fighting against gang influence, but share characteristics and acts similarly to a gang. These include groups like the Los Pepes , Sombra Negra , Friends Stand United , People Against Gangsterism and Drugs , and OG Imba . Many types of gangs make up the general structure of an organized group. Understanding
18437-450: The customer who paid cash when the deliverymen arrived. The "dial-a-dope lines" were very effective and had been widely copied by 2003. The deliverymen was usually the only ones exposed to be robbed by rival drug dealers or being arrested by the police. Langton noted that the "fanatic loyalty" Roueche promoted in his gang led for very few deliverymen to turn Crown's evidence and testify against his employers if they were arrested. Initially,
18616-420: The day, everyone and their dog used to be afraid of anyone who had a Hells Angels support shirt, and you would tread lightly, you would tiptoe around these people, and we were just a bunch of kids and thought, you don't have to be afraid of these people. Right? You don't want to be bullied around. Numbers rule. We had a lot of numbers". As the Hells Angels supporters left following a call to the police, they warned
18795-417: The deserted gang. Many gangs, including foreign and transnational gangs , hold that the only way to leave the gang is through death. This is sometimes informally called the "morgue rule". Gang membership represents the phenomenon of a chronic group criminal spin ; accordingly, the criminality of members is greater when they belong to the gang than when they are not in the gang—either before or after being in
18974-477: The disintegration of societal institutions such as family, school, and the public safety net, enable groups of peers to form gangs. According to surveys conducted internationally by the World Bank for their World Development Report 2011 , by far the most common reason people suggest as a motive for joining gangs is unemployment. Ethnic solidarity is a common factor in gangs. Black and Hispanic gangs formed during
19153-475: The door, and the police saw what looked like firearms inside the apartment. A subsequent search revealed a dozen guns (some loaded, and some with defaced serial numbers), including automatic and semi-automatic rifles, and almost two dozen magazines of ammunition. Lee, who had no criminal record, pleaded guilty in September 2007 to all 10 charges. Lee also pleaded guilty to possession of 3.5 kilograms of cocaine for
19332-479: The drug scene at an early age. As part of an American investigation into drug trafficking on a stopover in Texas on a flight from Mexico City on May 17, 2008, Roueche was arrested for conspiring to possess cocaine, conspiring to export cocaine, conspiring to import marijuana, and conspiring to launder money and was subsequently deported to the United States. Roueche faced up to a maximum of 220 years in prison, but he
19511-495: The drug trade to the favelas of Rio. Often, gangs hire "lookouts" to warn members of upcoming law enforcement. The dense environments of favelas in Rio and public housing projects in Chicago have helped gang members hide from police easily. Street gangs take over territory or "turf" in a particular city and are often involved in " providing protection ", often a thin cover for extortion, as
19690-465: The ecstasy wears off, you are super, super drunk. Then I just started using crack, just for an extra high. Maybe it was take the stress away, I don't know." Coulter had moved to Abbotsford in 1996, was working in a warehouse and spent most of his free time in nightclubs and raves. Coulter stated: "I started hanging out with kids with nice cars. And you know, they would go to the gym in the day, and that really conflicted with my warehouse hours. And they had
19869-468: The front doors and there were probably about five or six different fights happening out on the street and I seen an Abbotsford police officer pull up and he gets out of his car and he's on his walkie-talkie and he's like, 'There's H.A! There are fights everywhere!" It as like he had never seen anything like this before. Nor had I. That was one of the bigger fights I had ever been in". A group of 70 United Nations members fought and expelled 30 Hells Angels from
20048-437: The gang hierarchy; how money derived from criminal activity and ability to provide for the gang also impacts the individual's status within the gang. The structure of gangs varies depending primarily on size, which can range from five or ten to thousands. Many of the larger gangs break up into smaller groups, cliques or sub-sets (these smaller groups can be called "sets" in gang slang.) The cliques typically bring more territory to
20227-637: The gang life. In February 2017, he was charged in Richmond to possession of a firearm contrary to a court order. In July, he pleaded guilty and got a 90-day sentence. Claiming he was no longer in the gang, he purchased the Heavy Metal Gym on Briar Avenue in Kamloops . The gym was raided by police in January 2017. Shirzad was shot and killed on the evening of September 22, 2017, just steps from his home on Hudson's Bay Trail. The Red Scorpions have been linked to some of
20406-460: The gang uses sham versions of "Eastern philosophies" as a sort of ideology; and finally the structure of the gang was modelled after outlaw biker clubs. A key member of the gang was Anton Hooites-Meursing , who was born in Calgary in 1971 to a Canadian father and an Australian mother. Hooites-Meursing grew up in Australia and then in Los Angeles. The parents of Hooites-Meursing divorced and when he
20585-481: The gang, being that certain tattoos can mean they are a more accomplished member. The accomplishments can be related to doing a dangerous act that showed your loyalty to the gang. They can be burned on as well as inked. Some gangs make use of more than one identifier, like the Nortenos , who wear red bandanas and have "14", "XIV", "x4", and "Norte" tattoos. Some members of criminal gangs are "jumped in" (by going through
20764-406: The gang. In addition, when together, the gang criminality as a whole is greater than that of its members when they are alone. The gang operates as a whole greater than its parts and influences the behavior of its members in the direction of greater extend and stronger degree of criminality. Some states have a formal process to establish that a person is a member of a gang, called validation . Once
20943-431: The general population, intimidating their colleagues, and retaliating against whistleblowers. Leaders called "shot-callers" control many aspects of local policing, including promotions, scheduling, and enforcement. They operate in the gray areas of law enforcement, perpetuate a culture of silence, and promote a mentality of punisher-style retaliation. Biker gangs are motorcycle clubs who conduct illegal activities like
21122-690: The girls are less likely to be searched by police for such items. Different gangs from around the world have their way of recruiting and introducing new members. Most criminal gangs require an interested candidate to commit a crime to be inducted into a gang. Many street gangs, like the Bloods and MS-13 , have a ritual where they would beat up (also known as "beat-in" or "jump-in") aspiring applicants for several seconds to show their toughness, willingness, and loyalty. Some of these gangs allow women to become members either through being jumped-in or having sex with male members (known as "sexed-in"). Biker gangs like
21301-537: The government of the Islamic Republic of Iran, which views them as apostates from Islam. Bayani's father was killed in Iran, causing the family to flee via Turkey to Canada, where Bayani arrived in at the age of 16. At the age of five, Baynai witnessed his father being lynched by a mob, who carved the word "Baha'i" into his chest before killing him. After arriving in Canada, Bayani grew up in Red Deer, Alberta. Through
21480-473: The gunman in his car. The gunman cannot be named as he was underage at the time of the killing. Rehal died of his massive head wound, which caused severe brain damage, the next day at the Royal Columbian Hospital. In 2003, one of the most best known members of the UN gang, Jing Bon Chan, was arrested for attempted murder. Chan had heard rumors that his long-time girlfriend, Christina Hyun Oh Yoon,
21659-632: The illegal drug trade. These include drug cartels like the Medellin Cartel and other Colombian cartels, Mexican cartels like the Sinaloa Cartel and Los Zetas , and the Primeiro Comando da Capital in Brazil. Other examples are Jamaican Yardies and the various opium barons in the Golden Triangle and Golden Crescent . Many narcos are known for their use of paramilitaries and narcoterrorism like
21838-475: The increasingly independent and unreliable UN to the more docile and malleable Red Scorpions". Quang Vinh Thang Le (known as Michael Le), an immigrant from Vietnam, grew up in Coquitlam and was a co-founder of the gang. He was earlier convicted of manslaughter for being in a group of teens who fatally beat another boy in a Coquitlam karaoke club in 2000. He founded the gang with some other youth delinquents while he
22017-585: The infamous Bacon brothers left the UN to join forces with the Red Scorpions. The two founding members were the Thai-Canadian Edward "Eddie" Sousakhone Narong and the Vietnamese-Canadian Quang Vinh Thang "Michael" Le, both of whom lived in Coquitlam. Other important early members were Tejinder Malli and Konaam Shirzad. The name Red Scorpions was chosen as the name for their gang in 2000. Both Narong and Le were bullied as teenagers by
22196-478: The links may be limited. In El Salvador and Guatemala, for example, where gang violence is a serious problem, GSHS data show that the prevalence of bullying, physical fights and physical attacks reported by school students is relatively low, and is similar to prevalence in other countries in Central America where gang violence is less prevalent. Women in gang culture are often in environments where sexual assault
22375-413: The main sources of marijuana in Los Angeles and Chicago. On the night of 22 December 2002, members of the UN gang led by James Thiphavong were involved in a bloody brawl with members of the Red Scorpions gang led by Anton Hooites-Meursing on the floor of Abbotsford's famous Luxor nightclub (formerly the Animals nightclub), with both sides using broken beer bottles as weapons. After being expelled from
22554-665: The military. Sicilian mafia and Calabrian Mafia in Southern Italy became notorious for creating "schools" in the countryside to train children as young as eleven in weapons and illegal activities. Giovanni Tinebra, the chief public prosecutor of Caltanissetta , once stated, "Instead of going to school, many boys go into the countryside where there are people who teach them to shoot and turn them into killing machines." Some drug cartels in Colombia and Mexico have established themselves as paramilitaries . The earliest and most famous example
22733-929: The most infamous criminal gangs are Mafias , whose activities include racketeering and overseeing illicit agreements. These include the Sicilian Cosa Nostra and the Italian–American Mafia . The Neapolitan Camorra , the Calabrian 'Ndrangheta and the Apulian Sacra Corona Unita are similar Italian organized gangs. Outside of Italy, the Irish Mob , Japanese yakuza , Chinese triads , British firms , and Russian Bratva are also examples. Narcos or drug cartels are slang terms used for criminal groups (mainly Latin Americans ) who primarily deal with
22912-546: The movement or transfer of their members. According to criminal justice professor John Hagedorn , many of the biggest gangs from Chicago originated from prisons. From the St. Charles Illinois Youth Center originated the Conservative Vice Lords and Blackstone Rangers. Although the majority of gang leaders from Chicago are now incarcerated, most of those leaders continue to manage their gangs from within prison. Punk gangs are
23091-672: The networking and the relationships that now exist in the Lower Mainland and throughout Canada where these criminal organizations are working cooperatively with each other". Bayani together with Sansalone were convicted of trafficking in GHB in July 2011. At the trial of Bahman in Toronto, Bayani attended the trial, watching from the public benches. One of the accused alongside Bahman, Lorne Edgar Campbell , described Bayani as "solid" (biker slang for someone dependable and trustworthy), saying "I liked his style". Bayani disappeared in September 2011 and has not been seen since. On 20 December 2011, Bayani
23270-562: The notions of chivalry ". The 17th century saw London "terrorized by a series of organized gangs", some of them known as the Mims, Hectors, Bugles, and Dead Boys. These gangs often came into conflict with each other. Members dressed "with colored ribbons to distinguish the different factions." During the Victorian era , criminals and gangs started to form organizations which would collectively become London's criminal underworld. Criminal societies in
23449-533: The phrase "honor, loyalty, respect" in Chinese characters. Coulter stated in an interview: "I liked honor, loyalty and respect. I thought those were good virtues. You honor your family, you respect others-you treat others the way you wanted to be treated". Roueche was obsessed with "eastern mysticism", and incorporated rituals based upon eastern mysticism into his gang's ideology. Members were expected to learn mixed martial arts, especially Thai kickboxing and Japanese jujitsu. Initiation ceremonies were based on those of
23628-649: The plane 314 pounds of marijuana and 2400 ecstasy pills. The tribal police arrested an UN gang member, Keven Haughton. The sheriff of Okanogan County , Frank Rogers, complained to the American media that too many Canadians were being arrested in his county for smuggling, saying: "We're running ourselves ragged. It's like an epidemic up here. We're running from call to call". On 23 March 2006, two Canadian women, Sharmila Kumar and Shialen Varma, both of Vancouver, were arrested near Omak lake with several hockey bags of marijuana in their SUV. Both women were believed to be working for
23807-419: The presiding judge on the case banned "Person X" from testifying after months of in camera court proceedings. "Person X" is serving a life sentence without the possibility of parole for 15 years. There is a ban on identifying him by his real name. Jamie Bacon is facing three new charges for an alleged plot to kill Person X. Bacon counseled another man, identified by the police, to murder Person X on behalf of
23986-536: The prevalence of these different forms of gang violence in and around schools is limited. Some evidence suggests that gang violence is more common in schools where students are exposed to other forms of community violence and where they fear violence at school. Children who grow up in neighbourhoods with high levels of crime has been identified as a risk factor for youth violence, including gang violence. According to studies, children who knew many adult criminals were more likely to engage in violent behaviour by
24165-421: The purposes of trafficking, 900 grams of marijuana, a Panther stun gun , a silencer , and three stolen Canadian passports obtained through a home invasion . He was sentenced to five years each on two of the weapons charges and two years on each of the other charges, to be served concurrently. The former de facto leader of the United Nations gang was Barzan Tilli-Choli , an Iraqi immigrant responsible for
24344-990: The requirements for convicting of a crime. Women associated with gangs but who lack membership are typically categorized based on their relation to gang members. A survey of Mexican American gang members and associates defined these categories as girlfriends, hoodrats, good girls, and relatives. Girlfriends are long-term partners of male gang members, and may have children with them. " Hoodrats " are seen as being promiscuous and heavy drug and alcohol users. Gang members may engage in casual sex with these girls, but they are not viewed as potential long-term partners and are severely stigmatized by both men and women in gang culture. "Good girls" are long-term friends of members, often from childhood, and relatives are typically sisters or cousins. These are fluid categories, and women often change status as they move between them. Valdez found that women with ties to gang members are often used to hold illegal weapons and drugs, typically, because members believe
24523-433: The restaurant followed up by a group of men jumping out and opening fire with automatic rifles on the duo. Both Castañeda and Kaawach were killed in the hail of bullets. The murders remain unsolved. Under the impact of gang wars, greater discipline was needed and Roueche admitted in an interview that he ordered the beatings and the torture of gang members who disobeyed his orders, through he also claimed not to enjoy it. As
24702-639: The right path”, which only led to these street gangs gaining military training and experience. Many street gangs, most notably African-American gangs like the Folk Nation and Bloods, continue to have a presence in the US Military . The United Nations estimates that gangs make most of their money through the drugs trade , which is thought to be worth $ 352 billion in total. The United States Department of Justice estimates there are approximately 30,000 gangs, with 760,000 members, impacting 2,500 communities across
24881-475: The rigidly hierarchical and authoritarian structure of traditional organized crime groups like the Mafia and outlaw biker clubs such as the Hells Angels. The members of the UN gang like other gangsters in the Lower Mainland tended to come from middle-class families with loving parents, which was not the norm with the rest of Canada where the gangsters tended to come from working-class families and broken homes. Coulter
25060-421: The same year that the total harvested marijuana crop in British Columbia was worth US$ 7 billion, making the then illegal marijuana industry into one of British Columbia's major industries. Besides the United States, the major markets for the B.C. Bud strain are Australia and Japan. The demand abroad for B.C. Bud and the other superior strains was such that the vast majority of the best marijuana in British Columbia
25239-412: The shooting. On April 3, 2009, Karbovanec (born 1982) pleaded guilty in his role of Surrey Six high-rise slayings of October 19, 2007 after turning himself in. On April 9, 2009, he was sentenced to life in prison with no eligibility for parole for 15 years. He was the target of a gangland hit on New Year's Eve 2008, but survived the murder attempt due to his body armour. One of the two alleged killers of
25418-468: The structure of gangs is a critical skill to defining the types of strategies that are most effective with dealing with them, from the at-risk youth to the gang leaders. Not all individuals who display the outward signs of gang membership are actually involved in criminal activities. An individual's age, physical structure, ability to fight, willingness to commit violence, and arrest record are often principal factors in determining where an individual stands in
25597-679: The symbols of the Klan), flags secret greetings, slurs , or code words and other group-specific symbols associated with the gang's common beliefs, rituals , and mythologies to define and differentiate themselves from other groups and gangs. As an alternative language, hand-signals, symbols, and slurs in speech, graffiti , print, music, or other mediums communicate specific informational cues used to threaten, disparage, taunt , harass , intimidate , alarm, influence, or exact specific responses including obedience, submission, fear, or terror. One study focused on terrorism and symbols states that "[s]ymbolism
25776-558: The term often refers specifically to criminal groups, it also has a broader meaning of any close or organized group of people, and may have neutral, positive or negative connotations depending on usage. In discussing the banditry in American history, Barrington Moore, Jr. suggests that gangsterism as a "form of self-help which victimizes others" may appear in societies which lack strong "forces of law and order "; he characterizes European feudalism as "mainly gangsterism that had become society itself and acquired respectability through
25955-424: The thesis of class struggle following the work of Walter B. Miller and Irving Spergel. In this body of work The Gaylords are cited as the prime example of an American gang that is neither black nor Hispanic. Some researchers have focused on ethnic factors. Frederic Thrasher , who was a pioneer of gang research, identified "demoralization" as a standard characteristic of gangs. John Hagedorn has argued that this
26134-433: The underworld started to develop their own ranks and groups which were sometimes called families , and were often made up of lower-classes and operated on pick-pocketry , prostitution , forgery and counterfeiting , commercial burglary , and money laundering schemes. Unique also were the use of slangs and argots used by Victorian criminal societies to distinguish each other, like those propagated by street gangs like
26313-427: The various ethnic origins of the members. The gang consists primarily of Canadians of European, East Asian, First Nations, and Iranian background. The dominant organized crime group in British Columbia as in much of the rest of Canada are the Hells Angels, who only accept whites, and as such the United Nations gang attracted non-white members, usually second-generation Vietnamese-Canadians and Lao-Canadians. In 2000,
26492-432: The victims' in order to determine the gang's response to the shooting". On May 8, 2008, former Hells Angels head hunter and UN gang member Duane Harvey Meyer, 41, and nicknamed D.W., was killed, with the funeral held on May 15, 2008. Full members of the Hells Angels and UN gang members were at the funeral, with news stations and police agencies on hand to videotape all visitors. Whenever a United Nations member dies, he gets
26671-440: The world) while there was much demand for cocaine and guns in the Vancouver area. Hooites-Meursing started to engage in gun-running and smuggling cocaine for the Red Scorpions while having B.C. Bud marijuana smuggled into the United States. By 2005, the Red Scorpions had become a major gang in the Lower Mainland. The gang primarily sold cocaine, heroin and ecstasy via the so-called "dial-a-dope" lines. The dominant organized crime in
26850-577: Was "oh my God!" On 6 February 2009, the mixed martial arts fighter and Red Scorpion Kevin LeClair was shot and killed in the parking lot of the Marketplace IGA grocery store at the Thunderbird Centre mall. The police believe that both murders were the work of the UN gang. On 12 February 2009, Nicole Marie Alemy was shot and killed inside her white Cadillac CTS coupe automobile. Alemy was the wife of
27029-539: Was 11, his mother abandoned him as he came from school one day to find a note saying that she wanted to live her own life and that he was now on his own. Hooites-Meursing grew up in Compton and he ended joining a Hispanic gang. His youth consisted of what he called "a decade of gladiator school in the Los Angeles County jail system, which for anybody that is white is a total nightmare". On 7 December 2001, Hooites-Meursing
27208-503: Was a founding member when it started in mid 2000s although he was not as high-profile as other Red Scorpions. In 2005, Shirzad pleaded guilty to arranging a shooting he mistakenly linked to a man who had earlier testified against him. Accused of "mischief that endangered life", he was sentenced to 30 months in jail. In September 2009, Shirzad survived a shooting in West Vancouver. At an October 2010 court hearing, Shirzad claimed he had left
27387-476: Was a handheld GPS device that shown that the flight had begun in Chilliwack, British Columbia; that Rimrock was just a stopping point along the way; and the ultimate destination was a remote airfield in Montana. The history of Kocoski's GPS device showed that he had taken this route hundreds of times before his arrest. The UN gang also smuggled drugs into Canada. On 27 September 2006, an UN gang member, Daniel Leclerc,
27566-474: Was a young man whose hairstyle made him bear a vague resemblance to Jonathan Bacon, one of the three Bacon brothers warring against the United Nations gang. Barber worked as an installer of audio systems in automobiles, and had hired by Bacon to install a new audio system in his car. On May 9, 2008, Barber was driving Bacon's Porsche Cayenne SUV from the Bacon household in Abbotsford to his shop in Vancouver along
27745-531: Was arrested at the Yreka Rohrer Field airport in Montague , California on his way back to Chilliwack. Found with Leclerc were 315 pounds of cocaine. A Lebanese-Canadian UN gangster, Ahmed "Lou" Kaawach-whom Roueche described as "wannable ladies man" and as an atrociously bad "gangsta" rapper whose attempts at rapping were unintentionally comical-enjoyed flaunting his vast wealth. For an instance, Kaawach owned
27924-413: Was being unfaithful. On 2 August 2003, Chan received a call on his cellphone saying that Yoon had just admitted Winston Thieu Anh Bui to her posh third floor apartment at 6331 Buswell Street in Richmond. In fury, Chan drove to Yoon's apartment, and having a key to her apartment entered it to find Thieu and Yoon having sex. Chan pulled out a knife and stabbed Thieu several times. In panic, Thieu ran out to
28103-504: Was charged with being an accessory to the crime as the police claimed she was in the SUV while the other three opened fire. All were released on bail even through there was already an outstanding deportation order on Tilli-Choli to send him back to Iraq. Tilli-Choli was replaced as gang boss by Douglas Vanalstine. On 26 November 2009, Vanalstine was charged alongside Daryl Johnson and Nicholas Wester for various drug charges. In 2013, Tilli-Choli pleaded guilty to conspiracy to commit murder in
28282-462: Was charged with conspiracy to commit murder against Corey Lal. Matthew Gordon Campbell (1982 – January 2, 2014) was an alleged leader of the Red Scorpions at the time of his murder. Campbell was fatally stabbed in the neck on January 2, 2014 at the Abbotsford Auto Mall after an encounter with a member of a rival gang. Jimi Sandhu, 24, was charged with second degree murder of Campbell. Campbell
28461-517: Was convicted of all 11 charges related to the April 2007 discovery of a gun cache but Jarrod was acquitted. On August 14, 2011, Jonathan was murdered via gunfire outside the Delta Grand Hotel in Kelowna , BC. Larry Amero, a full-patch member of the Hells Angels, was also critically injured in the attack. Jason McBride, Jujhar Khun-Khun, and Michael Kerry Hunter Jones are now charged in connection with
28640-631: Was convicted of murdering LeClair. The United Nations gang came to be involved in a violent feud with the Wolfpack Alliance led by Larry Amero and Rabih "Robby" Alkhalil of the Alkhalil family , who both lived in Montreal. In 2011, five members of the UN gang were murdered while in Mexico, which is believed to have been an attempt to cut the UN gang off from their Mexican suppliers. On 15 January 2012, Salih "Sal" Abdulaziz Sahbaz, an UN member from Surrey,
28819-594: Was currently looking to kill him in Montreal at present, causing him to keep a low profile. On 25 June 2012, Randy Naicker, the leader of the Independent Soldiers and a Wolfpack member, was murdered by the UN gang in Port Moody. At approximately 1:30 am on May 28, 2023, Amarpreet Samra (a.k.a. "Chucky") was shot dead in South Vancouver as he exited a wedding reception at Fraserview Banquet Hall. He and his brother Ravinder Samra were both in attendance and both aligned with
28998-568: Was deported back to Canada. Le signed a plea agreement with the Crown in November 2013 in the Surrey Six case and was sentenced to three years for "conspiracy to commit murder" in exchange for his testimony against other culprits in the gang including Red Scorpions members Cody Haevischer and Matthew Johnston, who were both convicted of all six murders. Michael Le entered a guilty plea to conspiracy to commit murder against Corey Lal. A joint submission by Crown prosecutor Peter Juk and Le's lawyer called for
29177-478: Was deported to Canada after his release from an American prison, a nation that he barely knew. Hooites-Meursing settled in New Westminster and joined the Red Scorpions. His connections with various gangs in the Los Angeles area proved to be a major factor in the growth of the Red Scorpions as there was a huge demand in Los Angeles for the B.C. Bud strain of marijuana (considered to be the best strain of marijuana in
29356-450: Was exported with the inferior strains being sold locally. With his new wealth, Roueche married his Lao-Canadian girlfriend and purchased an expensive house. The name United Nations was coined at a party hosted by Roueche in Richmond when somebody commented upon the racially diverse crowd by saying: "What the fuck is this, a United Nations meeting?" The name, United Nations (UN), alludes to
29535-555: Was formed in Abbotsford in 1997 by a group of high-school friends from around the Fraser Valley . The founder of the gang was Clayton Roueche , a white Canadian who grew up surrounded by Vietnamese-Canadians and Lao-Canadians. Roueche came to develop an Asian fetish as he was described as spending much of his time in Abbotsford's Vietnamtown where he loved: "the fortunetellers he'd find there, grainy bootlegged kung-fu movies and Vietnamese girls". A Korean-Canadian said of him: "Clay
29714-502: Was killed in a drive-by shooting on the front lawn of his house on Kipling street in Abbotsford. A Ford F-350 truck and a Mercedes-Benze M-Class SUV drove by his house at about 10:30 pm to shoot Meyer who was walking on his front lawn. Meyer was able to crawl to his front porch and then died of blood loss. At Meyer's funeral, a gang of UN gangsters led by Roueche and Jing Bon Chan attended the ceremony while all dressed in their garish hoodies that were half white and black. Jonathan Barber
29893-458: Was known to be a violent prisoner at the medium security Bowden Institution who attacked other prisoners with a club that had the words "goof beater" written on it. Bayani was transferred to the maximum security Kent Institution in Abbotsford, where a report declared about him: "While incarcerated he has on a number of occasions tried to provoke staff members into fights with him. It was noted that Bayani's actions during one of his offences caused
30072-768: Was meant to picked up as a payment for a drug shipment. The vast majority of those who smuggled marijuana into the United States were not arrested with those arrested making up a very small number of the smugglers. In early 2006, Davis-who turned informer for the U.S. government-visited Roueche, who told him to take some cash totaling $ 500,000 US dollars to California to buy 25 kilograms of cocaine to be smuggled into Canada. Roueche also told Davis to make contact with street level drug dealers in San Jose, California who were interested in selling B.C. Bud. Finally, Roueche mentioned that he wanted Davis to recruit American truck drivers to smuggle B.C. Bud and ecstasy pills into Texas, saying he had
30251-596: Was murdered in Sinaloa, Mexico with some $ 20,000 U.S. dollars found in his wallet. On 16 January 2012, Thomas Gisby of the United Nations narrowly escaped an assassination attempt via bomb at his house in Whistler . Gisby fled to Mexico to escape the Wolfpack Alliance. On 28 April 2012, Gisby was shot dead shortly after 9am while waiting in a line at a Starbucks in Nuevo Vallarta . Gisby was shot twice from behind with
30430-498: Was never white. Maybe he was born white, but his soul was never White." After graduating from high school in 1993, Roueche worked in a variety of sales jobs and opened a restaurant which soon failed. James Coulter, the best friend of Roueche recalled: "It started slowly. I started using E-ecstasy-just to stay awake and stay balanced because when you take ecstasy and you drink, it sort of counterbalances, you don't get high from ecstasy and you don't get drunk from drinking. But as soon as
30609-524: Was not swifter on his third trip. One of the helicopter pilots working for the UN gang was Dustin "Princess" Haugen. A joint Canadian-American police investigation known as Project Frozen Timbers was launched against the UN gang. On the night of 9 May 2006 as part of Project Frozen Timbers, Haugen was observed flying in a helicopter with another UN gang member, Daryl Desjardins across the border. Upon landing in Washington state, Haugen and Desjardins handed over five hockey bags to three men waiting for them in
30788-463: Was sentenced in absentia to seven years in prison. Bayani is believed to have fled Canada for Mexico. The journalist Jerry Langton wrote that the United Nations gang "which had actually been incorporated in opposition to the Hells Angels-were now working for them". The United Nations gang soon into conflict with the Independent Soldiers gang. The conflict with the Independent Soldiers led to
30967-459: Was sentenced to 12 years in prison for conspiracy to traffic cocaine. The sentence was then reduced to seven years and two months after time served was taken into consideration. In September 2009, the Integrated Gang Task Force reported that eight associates were murdered since the public warning by the police that those associated with Jon, Jarrod, and Jamie Bacon avoid the trio or be potentially marked for death by rival criminals. In May 2010, Jamie
31146-431: Was sentenced to 30 years and $ 8 million in fines. He was flown to Seattle to answer to the charges. Other members arrested as part of the international investigation were UN members Kris Neri, Daryl Johnson, and Douglas Vanalstine. Jong Ca John Lee is believed to have supplied the gang with guns. On June 9, 2007, the Vancouver Police Department (VPD) was called to his residence due to an unanswered 911 call. Lee answered
31325-424: Was serving time in the juvenile centre. Le named the gang Red Scorpions, red denoting blood and Scorpion being the name of his brother known by the nickname Scorpion. In March 2008, he fled to his native Vietnam fearing arrest on an ongoing investigation and a Vancouver police sting operation. Moving later to Thailand, Hong Kong, and China, he was intercepted as he arrived in Manila, The Philippines on June 17, 2009 and
31504-464: Was somewhat unusual in the UN gang in coming from an impoverished, broken home where both his parents were heroin addicts and bank robbers. Coulter served as the gang's enforcer or "mediator" as he called it. Coulter used steroids and working out at local gym to bulk up to 220 pounds to improve his ability to beat up other people. Coulter described the gang: "You go to a club with 20, 30, 40 guys, and as soon as you get there, you give hugs to everyone. It
31683-405: Was taken to hospital, where he died of his injuries. Jonathan (also known as Jon), Jarrod, and Jamie Bacon were a trio of gangsters from Abbotsford, British Columbia who are suspected of multiple firearms and drug trafficking charges. Known as the Bacon Brothers , they were initially members of the United Nations gang. In 2006, the brothers partnered with the Red Scorpions, a major rival of
31862-470: Was targeted and related to ongoing gang conflict. After expanding to other parts of Canada, the criminal organization became more structured. It adopted a hierarchy system using military ranks. Each province in the country is attributed a Commander who chooses different Generals for each city. This method of work enabled the high-ranked members of the organization to stay more discreet and safe from police arrests as their identities stay unknown. According to
32041-479: Was the time when the Medellin Cartel hired Israeli soldier Yair Klein to train militiamen and assassins. Los Zetas became infamous for being founded by US-trained Mexican commandos . Together with Kaibiles from Guatemala , they set up camps to train future sicarios and soldatos. Other Mexican cartels who trained their members include the Jalisco Cartel , who trained their members for three months in ambushes, codes of silence and discipline, inside camps. In
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