2018 - Blog 2.0 - Gangsters Inc. - www.gangstersinc.org
2024-03-29T10:00:01Z
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Brother of Mafia snitch was murdered after he had asked to be removed from witness protection program
https://gangstersinc.org/profiles/blogs/brother-of-mafia-snitch-was-murdered-after-he-had-asked-to-be-rem
2019-01-02T15:37:28.000Z
2019-01-02T15:37:28.000Z
Gangsters Inc.
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<div><p><a href="http://gangstersinc.ning.com/profiles/blogs/brother-of-mafia-snitch-was-murdered-after-he-had-asked-to-be-rem" target="_blank"><img src="{{#staticFileLink}}9237105870,original{{/staticFileLink}}" class="align-center" alt="9237105870?profile=original" /></a>By David Amoruso</p>
<p>The murdered brother of a Calabrian Mafia turncoat had asked to be released from the government’s witness protection program. 51-year-old Marcello Bruzzese was shot dead on Christmas Day last year, when he arrived at his home in the historical center of Pesaro.</p>
<p>The killing had all the indications of a Mafia murder. There was the date: Christmas Day. And there was the modus operandi: Hitmen wearing balaclavas fired 30 bullets that riddled the mob snitch’s brother’s body.</p>
<ul>
<li><strong>READ: <a href="http://gangstersinc.ning.com/profiles/blogs/ndrangheta-leader-giuseppe-pelle-ran-regional-politics-on-behalf" target="_blank">‘Ndrangheta leader Giuseppe Pelle</a> ran regional politics on behalf of Calabrian Mafia</strong></li>
</ul>
<p>Bruzzese’s brother Girolamo became an official member of the <a href="http://gangstersinc.ning.com/profiles/blogs/ndrangheta-overview" target="_blank">‘Ndrangheta</a>, the Mafia group located in <a href="http://gangstersinc.ning.com/profiles/blog/list?tag=Calabria" target="_blank">Calabria</a>. Their father Domenico had also been a ‘Ndranghetista up until he was killed in an ambush.</p>
<p>Girolamo decided to become a <em>pentito</em> after he had a falling out with his clan’s boss, Teodoro Crea. Their beef got so out of hand that, in October of 2003, Girolamo shot Crea, leaving him with little other options but run to police. His testimony led to the convictions of Crea and various other <a href="http://gangstersinc.ning.com/profiles/blog/list?tag=Ndrangheta" target="_blank">‘Ndrangheta</a> mobsters, including several politicians associated with the crime clan.</p>
<ul>
<li><strong>READ: Profile: Powerful</strong> <a href="http://gangstersinc.ning.com/profiles/blogs/powerful-calabrian-mafia-boss-marcello-the-dancer-pesce-arrested" target="_blank"><strong>Calabrian Mafia boss Marcello “The Dancer” Pesce</strong></a></li>
</ul>
<p>His actions placed his brother Marcello in grave danger. Though he was not part of the ‘Ndrangheta, he would be seen as a viable target to get at his snitch brother. That is why he too joined the witness protection program.</p>
<p>It turns out, according to reporting by Italian news agency <a href="http://www.ansa.it" target="_blank">ANSA</a>, that Bruzzese had requested to be released from the program, leaving him vulnerable to mob assassins.</p>
<p style="text-align:left;"><strong>Get the latest on organized crime and the Mafia at Gangsters Inc.'s <a href="http://gangstersinc.ning.com/profiles/blog/list?tag=News">news section</a>.</strong></p>
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<p style="text-align:left;"><strong>Copyright © Gangsters Inc.</strong></p></div>
Investigation: Cocaine delivered faster than a pizza, though cost varies around the world
https://gangstersinc.org/profiles/blogs/cocaine-delivered-faster-than-a-pizza-though-cost-varies-around-t
2018-05-12T12:00:00.000Z
2018-05-12T12:00:00.000Z
Gangsters Inc.
https://gangstersinc.org/members/GangstersInc
<div><p><a href="http://gangstersinc.ning.com/profiles/blogs/cocaine-delivered-faster-than-a-pizza-though-cost-varies-around-t" target="_blank"><img class="align-center" src="{{#staticFileLink}}9237107879,original{{/staticFileLink}}" alt="9237107879?profile=original" width="600" /></a>By David Amoruso</p>
<p>Violence and suffering be damned, cocaine remains one of the world’s favorite recreational <a href="http://gangstersinc.ning.com/profiles/blog/list?tag=Drugs" target="_blank">drugs</a>. A newly released report by the Global Drug Survey explored its cost and availability around the world. They found that home drug delivery is becoming more popular, with <a href="http://gangstersinc.ning.com/profiles/blog/list?tag=Cocaine" target="_blank">cocaine</a> arriving faster than the pizza courier.</p>
<p>“Easy access and higher purity are likely to lead to escalating use and harm amongst people,” Professor Adam R Winstock, founder and CEO of the <a href="https://www.globaldrugsurvey.com" target="_blank">Global Drug Survey</a> writes. “Speedy home shopping delivery is part our lives and represents the expansion and sophistication of retail markets around the world. In the same way that online shopping is leading to the decimation of many high streets, the online drugs trade may be putting many street dealers out of business.”</p>
<p>He adds, “Our findings show that illicit drugs like cocaine are just another commodity and that as with any competitive market place, a retailer with something to sell will look to maximize the purchase experience in order to gain a competitive edge over other suppliers.”</p>
<p>For its 2018 report the <a href="https://www.globaldrugsurvey.com" target="_blank">Global Drug Survey</a> researched the drug-taking habits of 130,000 people across 44 countries. Results show that same day cocaine delivery is the norm, while in many major cities, you really can get cocaine quicker than pizza.</p>
<p>In countries like <a href="http://gangstersinc.ning.com/profiles/blog/list?tag=Brazil" target="_blank">Brazil</a>, the <a href="http://gangstersinc.ning.com/profiles/blog/list?tag=Netherlands" target="_blank">Netherlands</a>, <a href="http://gangstersinc.ning.com/profiles/blog/list?tag=Denmark" target="_blank">Denmark</a>, <a href="http://gangstersinc.ning.com/profiles/blog/list?tag=Colombia" target="_blank">Colombia</a>, <a href="http://gangstersinc.ning.com/profiles/blog/list?tag=Scotland" target="_blank">Scotland</a>, and <a href="http://gangstersinc.ning.com/profiles/blog/list?tag=England" target="_blank">England</a> the percentage of people who say they can get cocaine faster than a pizza ranges from a stunning 36 percent in England to 44 percent in Brazil. Of people in the United States who participated in the survey 23.6 percent say their drug dealer is speedier than the pizza boy.</p>
<p><span style="font-size:14pt;"><strong>The cost of a gram of cocaine</strong></span></p>
<p>Though it arrives faster than a pizza pie, it does cost a lot more. Addiction, violence, and suffering notwithstanding, Global Drug Survey found that prices for a gram of cocaine vary around the world. In Colombia, at the source of much of the globe’s cocaine supply, you can get a gram for €5 euros ($6 dollars). That’s below the average of South America where a gram is worth around €10 euros ($12 dollars).</p>
<p>As the infamous <a href="http://gangstersinc.ning.com/profiles/blogs/drug-cartels" target="_blank">drug cartels</a> begin smuggling the product across the world, prices increase. Nowhere is a gram of cocaine more expensive than in <a href="http://gangstersinc.ning.com/profiles/blogs/organized-crime-in-australia" target="_blank">Australia</a> and New Zealand where on average a gram costs around €200 euros ($240 dollars).</p>
<p>In <a href="http://gangstersinc.ning.com/profiles/blog/list?tag=Europe" target="_blank">Europe</a> prices average between €60 to €80 euros ($72 to $95 dollars) for a gram of coke with a 60 to 70 percent purity level. Here we see an interesting indication of a country’s importance as a global narcotics hub. In <a href="http://gangstersinc.ning.com/profiles/blog/list?tag=Netherlands" target="_blank">the Netherlands</a> and <a href="http://gangstersinc.ning.com/profiles/blog/list?tag=Belgium" target="_blank">Belgium</a>, both countries with a large port and easy access into mainland Europe, a gram of cocaine is the cheapest in all of Europe, going for €48 euros ($57 dollars) in the Netherlands to €51 euros ($61 dollars) in Belgium, far below the average of €60 euros.</p>
<p><em>You can read the entire report at <a href="https://www.globaldrugsurvey.com" target="_blank">Global Drug Survey</a>.</em></p>
<ul>
<li><strong>Check out the latest news on organized crime and the Mafia at our <a href="https://gangstersinc.ning.com/blog/list/tag/news">news section</a></strong></li>
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<p><strong>Copyright © Gangsters Inc.</strong></p>
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FIFA capo Sepp Blatter boozing with Russian mob boss
https://gangstersinc.org/profiles/blogs/fifa-capo-sepp-blatter-boozing-with-russian-mob-boss
2015-05-28T09:50:42.000Z
2015-05-28T09:50:42.000Z
Gangsters Inc.
https://gangstersinc.org/members/GangstersInc
<div><p><a href="http://gangstersinc.ning.com/profiles/blogs/fifa-capo-sepp-blatter-boozing-with-russian-mob-boss"><img class="align-center" src="{{#staticFileLink}}9237044868,original{{/staticFileLink}}" alt="9237044868?profile=original" width="540" /></a></p>
<p>By David Amoruso</p>
<p>The FBI dealt a huge blow to one of the world’s most corrupt “legitimate” organizations, yesterday, when it charged nine officials of the Fédération Internationale de Football Association (FIFA) with racketeering, wire fraud, and money laundering conspiracies after they enriched themselves through the corruption of soccer and its most prestigious tournament, the World Cup. FIFA boss Sepp Blatter, however, managed to escape indictment, for now.</p>
<p>How he achieved this is anyone’s guess. Journalists and officials have compiled plenty of evidence of corrupt behavior by Blatter, but were unable to make anything stick in court. Until now, perhaps.</p>
<p>Blatter enforces a strict code of silence within FIFA and has a large following of loyalists eager for another payday. Unfortunately for him, his underlings are greedier than he thought. One of them, Charles Blazer, the long-serving former general secretary of CONCACAF and former U.S. representative on the FIFA executive committee, was caught by the FBI in an unrelated scheme and was given the choice to cooperate or go to prison. Blazer spilled his guts and taped numerous meetings and conversations with corrupt FIFA members.</p>
<p>And FIFA has many of those corrupt members scheming round the clock.</p>
<p>Several alleged schemes relate to the payment and receipt of bribes and kickbacks in connection with the selection of the host country for the 2010 World Cup and the 2011 FIFA presidential election. That election was won by current FIFA president Sepp Blatter, who, a FIFA spokesperson told reporters yesterday, was “relaxed and calm.”</p>
<p>It’s the typical reaction reporters and the public have come to expect from Blatter. After decades of scheming around the world without any crackdown by law enforcement, he grew more arrogant by the minute. Never was this clearer then when he awarded the 2018 World Cup tournament to Russia and the 2022 World Cup to Qatar.</p>
<p>Playing soccer in the middle of the summer in the heat of Qatar? Let’s just agree that FIFA officials were blinded by the Qatar sun and millions of dollar bills.</p>
<p><a href="http://www.facebook.com/GangstersInc" target="_blank"><img class="align-right" src="{{#staticFileLink}}9237045496,original{{/staticFileLink}}" alt="9237045496?profile=original" width="312" /></a>And regarding Russia, well, Blatter had decided on that one somewhere around 2005 when he had a cozy meeting and a few bottles of expensive booze at the trendy China Club in Moscow with Russian Mafia boss Alimzhan Tokhtakhounov (that's him on the far right toasting with Blatter on the far left.)</p>
<p>Tokhtakhounov was officially there in his role as chairman of the Russian Football Association, but unofficially he was there to get Russia to host the 2018 World Cup. And the one person to see about that, of course, is Sepp Blatter.</p>
<p>Always eager to meet new big spenders with an interest in sports, Blatter saw no problem in hanging out and drinking some booze with Tokhtakhounov. Why would he? How could he have known this was a hardcore <a href="http://gangstersinc.ning.com/profiles/blogs/russian-mafia-overview">Russian mobster</a>?</p>
<p>Well, he could’ve checked the Gangsters Inc. website where a <a href="http://gangstersinc.ning.com/profiles/blogs/russian-boss-alimzhan">profile of Tokhtakhounov</a> has been up since 2002 or he could have googled his name to find out he was the man who had fixed the figure ice skating competition at the Winter Olympics in Salt Lake City and was wanted by the FBI.</p>
<p><a href="http://www.facebook.com/GangstersInc" target="_blank"><img class="align-right" src="{{#staticFileLink}}9237045856,original{{/staticFileLink}}" alt="9237045856?profile=original" width="312" /></a>Not to mention that Tokhtakhounov had been convicted in Italy of money laundering and working with the Italian Mafia and spent one year in prison there before he was released and fled to the safety of Moscow. In Russia he continued his career which revolved around racketeering and sports.</p>
<p>Cheers to that, you can imagine Blatter saying.</p>
<p>You can also imagine what the FBI must’ve been thinking when it saw the FIFA president laughing and boozing at an exclusive Moscow nightclub together with a Russian mob boss they were seeking to arrest.</p>
<p>“[This] should send a message that enough is enough. After decades of what the indictment alleges to be brazen corruption, organized international soccer needs a new start—a new chance for its governing institutions to provide honest oversight and support of a sport that is beloved across the world, increasingly so here in the United States. Let me be clear: this indictment is not the final chapter in our investigation,” stated Acting United States Attorney Currie at a press conference announcing the charges against FIFA.</p>
<p>Let us hope so. Since the capo di tutti capi is still out there. And I’m not talking about Russian Mafia boss Alimzhan Tokhtakhounov. Though, technically, he’s still out there as well.</p>
<ul>
<li><strong>Back to the <a href="https://gangstersinc.org/profiles/blogs/russian-mafia-overview">Russian Mafia section</a> on Gangsters Inc.</strong></li>
<li><strong>Check out the latest news on organized crime and the Mafia at our <a href="https://gangstersinc.ning.com/blog/list/tag/news">news section</a></strong></li>
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</ul>
<p><strong>Copyright © Gangsters Inc.</strong></p>
<p> </p>
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