Latest Organized crime News
Accused lookout in James 'Whitey' Bulger prison killing pleads guilty, gets no additional time
CLARKSBURG, W.Va. (AP) — The man accused of acting as lookout during the prison killing of notorious Boston gangster James “Whitey” Bulger won’t serve additional prison time after pleading guilty Monday to a charge of lying to federal agents. Sean McKinnon, wearing shackles,...
Honduras plans to build a 20,000-capacity 'megaprison' for gang members as part of a crackdown
TEGUCIGALPA, Honduras (AP) — The president of Honduras has announced the creation of a new 20,000-capacity “megaprison," part of the government's larger crackdown on gang violence and efforts to overhaul its long-troubled prison system. President Xiomara Castro unveiled a series...
Haitian leaders oust police chief and appoint a new one as gang violence claims officers’ lives
PORT-AU-PRINCE, Haiti (AP) — Haitian leaders have ousted Frantz Elbé, the beleaguered director of Haiti’s National Police, following months of criticism that he wasn’t doing enough to protect officers under assault by gangs. A government official not authorized to speak to the...
Spiraling criminal violence causes morgue to overflow, foul odors to spread in Ecuadorian city
QUITO, Ecuador (AP) — Spiraling criminal violence in one of Ecuador’s most dangerous cities caused a buildup of unidentified and unclaimed bodies that exceeded the capacity of Guayaquil's main morgue, officials confirmed Thursday. The government of Guayas, the province of which...
Highly potent opioids are showing up in drug users in Africa for the first time, report says
ABUJA, Nigeria (AP) — Traces of highly potent opioids known as nitazenes have for the first time been found to be consumed by people who use drugs in Africa, according to a report released Wednesday by the Global Initiative Against Transnational Organized Crime, a nonprofit organization. ...
AP sources: 8 people with possible Islamic State ties arrested in US on immigration violations
WASHINGTON (AP) — Eight people from Tajikistan with suspected ties to the Islamic State group have been arrested in the United States in recent days, according to multiple people familiar with the matter. The arrests took place in New York, Philadelphia and Los Angeles and the...
Thousands of displaced residents in southern Mexico fear returning to their homes after violence
YAJALON, Mexico (AP) — Thousands of residents displaced by violence that intensified this week in the southern Mexican state of Chiapas remained fearful Tuesday of returning to their homes. Authorities have had to set up camps for more than 4,000 displaced people who fled the town...
In Italy's Puglia region, women take the lead in challenging the local mafia at great personal risk
LECCE, Italy (AP) — It was a scene straight out of “The Godfather.” On the night of Feb. 1, a bloody goat head with a butcher’s knife through it was left on the doorstep of Judge Francesca Mariano’s home in southern Italy, with note beside it reading, “like this.” ...
Cop, judge, journalist, activist, prosecutor, volunteer: Women challenge the mafia in Italy's Puglia
A remarkable group of women is challenging the power structures of the Sacra Corona Unita, Italy’s fourth main organized crime group that operates in southern Puglia, the heel of Italy’s boot. They are doing it at great personal risk, arresting and prosecuting clan members,...
Beyond gangland shootouts and drug trafficking, Italy's mafia is a threat to democracy
ROME (AP) — Last month, an Italian administrative court confirmed the dissolution of the city administration of the Puglia city of Neviano, after an investigation determined that local officials were being unduly influenced by the mafia. The decision barely made news in Italy,...
