2007 in organized crime
Encyclopedia
See also: 2006 in organized crime
, other events of 2007, 2008 in organized crime
and the list of 'years in Organized Crime'
.
2006 in organized crime
See also:2005 in organized crime,other events of 2006,2007 in organized crime and thelist of 'years in Organized Crime'.-----January:* January 13 - Ranking Chicago Outfit member, Joseph "Joey the Clown" Lombardo, is arrested by FBI agents in Elmwood Park, Illinois.* January 8 - Carmen Milano,...
, other events of 2007, 2008 in organized crime
2008 in organized crime
See also: 2007 in organized crime, Timeline of the Mexican Drug War, 2009 in organized crime and the list of years in organized crime.-January:*January 15 - Italian police 'smash' a Nigerian criminal gang involved in human trafficking, sex trafficking and the illegal drug trade...
and the list of 'years in Organized Crime'
Timeline of organized crime
This is a timeline of the history of organized crime.Note: Sources included are Carl Sifakis's The Mafia Encyclopedia, Herbert Asbury's The Gangs of New York and others. Online references also include Thomas P...
.
January
- January - Mexico sends troops to combat violence between drugs cartels in TijuanaTijuanaTijuana is the largest city on the Baja California Peninsula and center of the Tijuana metropolitan area, part of the international San Diego–Tijuana metropolitan area. An industrial and financial center of Mexico, Tijuana exerts a strong influence on economics, education, culture, art, and politics...
. http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/americas/6226865.stm
February
- February 5 - YakuzaYakuza, also known as , are members of traditional organized crime syndicates in Japan. The Japanese police, and media by request of the police, call them bōryokudan , literally "violence group", while the yakuza call themselves "ninkyō dantai" , "chivalrous organizations". The yakuza are notoriously...
boss Ryoichi Sugiura is gunned down in his car in Tokyo. http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/asia-pacific/6341253.stm - February 9 - CubaCubaThe Republic of Cuba is an island nation in the Caribbean. The nation of Cuba consists of the main island of Cuba, the Isla de la Juventud, and several archipelagos. Havana is the largest city in Cuba and the country's capital. Santiago de Cuba is the second largest city...
deports drugs baron Luis Hernando GomezLuis Hernando GomezLuis Hernando Gómez Bustamante is a Colombian drug trafficker for the Norte del Valle Cartel, who was arrested in 2004 and, on July 19, 2007 transported for extradition to the United States on charges of money laundering and drug smuggling...
to ColombiaColombiaColombia, officially the Republic of Colombia , is a unitary constitutional republic comprising thirty-two departments. The country is located in northwestern South America, bordered to the east by Venezuela and Brazil; to the south by Ecuador and Peru; to the north by the Caribbean Sea; to the...
http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/americas/6345111.stm - February 11 - 9 people are killed in a shootout between militia forces, drug dealers and police in Rio de JaneiroRio de JaneiroRio de Janeiro , commonly referred to simply as Rio, is the capital city of the State of Rio de Janeiro, the second largest city of Brazil, and the third largest metropolitan area and agglomeration in South America, boasting approximately 6.3 million people within the city proper, making it the 6th...
. http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/americas/6352759.stm - February 16 - Eugenio Montoya, the leader of the Norte del Valle CartelNorte del Valle CartelThe Norte del Valle Cartel, or North Valley Cartel, is a drug cartel that operates principally in the north of the Valle del Cauca department of Colombia...
is captured by police. http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/americas/6266165.stm
March
- March 7 - British mobster Terry AdamsClerkenwell crime syndicateThe Clerkenwell crime syndicate, most often known as the Adams Family or the A-team by the British press, is alleged to be one of the most powerful criminal organisations in the United Kingdom if not in fact the strongest. By the nature of their position reliable information about them that has not...
is sentenced to seven years for money laundering. http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/england/london/6434391.stm - March 7 - An abandoned truck is found in California containing over $20m worth of marijuanaCannabis (drug)Cannabis, also known as marijuana among many other names, refers to any number of preparations of the Cannabis plant intended for use as a psychoactive drug or for medicinal purposes. The English term marijuana comes from the Mexican Spanish word marihuana...
. http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/americas/6438987.stm - March - Italian police arrest over 200 CamorraCamorraThe Camorra is a Mafia-type criminal organization, or secret society, originating in the region of Campania and its capital Naples in Italy. It is one of the oldest and largest criminal organizations in Italy, dating to the 18th century.-Background:...
suspects as part of a crackdown in NaplesNaplesNaples is a city in Southern Italy, situated on the country's west coast by the Gulf of Naples. Lying between two notable volcanic regions, Mount Vesuvius and the Phlegraean Fields, it is the capital of the region of Campania and of the province of Naples...
and southern Italy. http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/europe/6471917.stm - March 19 - Sniffer dogsDetection dogA detection dog or sniffer dog is a dog that is trained to and works at using its senses to detect substances such as explosives, illegal drugs, or blood. Hunting dogs that search for game and search dogs that search for missing humans are generally not considered detection dogs...
in Johor BahruJohor BahruJohor Bahru is the capital city of Johor in southern Malaysia. Johor Bahru is the southernmost city of the Eurasian mainland...
, Malaysia, lead police to discover up to $3m in DVD and CD pirate copiesWarezWarez refers primarily to copyrighted works distributed without fees or royalties, and may be traded, in general violation of copyright law. The term generally refers to unauthorized releases by organized groups, as opposed to file sharing between friends or large groups of people with similar...
. Crime bosses respond by putting a price on their heads. http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/asia-pacific/6478235.stm
April
- April 2 - Irish drug lordDrug lordA drug lord, drug baron or kingpin is the term used to describe a person who controls a sizable network of persons involved in the illegal drugs trade. Such figures are often difficult to bring to justice, as they might never be directly in possession of something illegal, but are insulated from...
Brian Brendan WrightBrian Brendan WrightBrian Brendan "The Monocle" Wright is an Irish criminal involved in fixing horse races by doping more than 20 race horses in 1990 as well as a drug trafficker who is estimated to have smuggled 3 tons of cocaine into Great Britain over a period of two years...
is found guilty of running an international cocaineCocaineCocaine is a crystalline tropane alkaloid that is obtained from the leaves of the coca plant. The name comes from "coca" in addition to the alkaloid suffix -ine, forming cocaine. It is a stimulant of the central nervous system, an appetite suppressant, and a topical anesthetic...
-smugglingIllegal drug tradeThe illegal drug trade is a global black market, dedicated to cultivation, manufacture, distribution and sale of those substances which are subject to drug prohibition laws. Most jurisdictions prohibit trade, except under license, of many types of drugs by drug prohibition laws.A UN report said the...
operation. http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/england/london/6503357.stm - April 3 - Peruvian President Alan García authorizes the use of military aircraftMilitary aircraftA military aircraft is any fixed-wing or rotary-wing aircraft that is operated by a legal or insurrectionary armed service of any type. Military aircraft can be either combat or non-combat:...
to destroy drug laboratoriesClandestine chemistryClandestine chemistry is chemistry carried out in secret, and particularly in illegal drug laboratories. Larger labs are usually run by gangs or organized crime intending to produce for distribution on the black market...
in the Amazon jungleAmazon RainforestThe Amazon Rainforest , also known in English as Amazonia or the Amazon Jungle, is a moist broadleaf forest that covers most of the Amazon Basin of South America...
. http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/americas/6520863.stm - April 3 - Mexican police arrest suspected drug lordDrug lordA drug lord, drug baron or kingpin is the term used to describe a person who controls a sizable network of persons involved in the illegal drugs trade. Such figures are often difficult to bring to justice, as they might never be directly in possession of something illegal, but are insulated from...
Victor Magno Escobar in TijuanaTijuanaTijuana is the largest city on the Baja California Peninsula and center of the Tijuana metropolitan area, part of the international San Diego–Tijuana metropolitan area. An industrial and financial center of Mexico, Tijuana exerts a strong influence on economics, education, culture, art, and politics...
http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/americas/6522679.stm - April 6 - The wearing of hooded Easter penitents is allowed once again in the town of CorleoneCorleoneCorleone is a small town and comune of approximately 12,000 inhabitants in the Province of Palermo in Sicily, Italy....
. It had been banned for the previous 40 years due to its use in mafia assassinationAssassinationTo carry out an assassination is "to murder by a sudden and/or secret attack, often for political reasons." Alternatively, assassination may be defined as "the act of deliberately killing someone, especially a public figure, usually for hire or for political reasons."An assassination may be...
s. http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/europe/6533149.stm - April - Brazilian police arrest 20 suspected members of a gang specializing in contract killingContract killingContract killing is a form of murder, in which one party hires another party to kill a target individual or group of people. It involves an illegal agreement between two parties in which one party agrees to kill the target in exchange for consideration, monetary, or otherwise. The hiring party may...
s in the state of PernambucoPernambucoPernambuco is a state of Brazil, located in the Northeast region of the country. To the north are the states of Paraíba and Ceará, to the west is Piauí, to the south are Alagoas and Bahia, and to the east is the Atlantic Ocean. There are about of beaches, some of the most beautiful in the...
. http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/americas/6552727.stm - April 17 - Iccho ItohIccho Itoh, born , was the mayor of the Japanese city of Nagasaki; he first took office in 1995. He was a graduate from Waseda University, and majored in political science.-Career:...
, mayor of Nagasaki, is shot twice in a suspected Yakuza attack. He dies soon after. http://today.reuters.co.uk/news/articlenews.aspx?type=topNews&storyid=2007-04-18T090641Z_01_L17695616_RTRUKOC_0_UK-JAPAN-SHOOTING.xm - April 23 - The United States Coast GuardUnited States Coast GuardThe United States Coast Guard is a branch of the United States Armed Forces and one of the seven U.S. uniformed services. The Coast Guard is a maritime, military, multi-mission service unique among the military branches for having a maritime law enforcement mission and a federal regulatory agency...
make a record seizure of over 20 tonnes of cocaineCocaineCocaine is a crystalline tropane alkaloid that is obtained from the leaves of the coca plant. The name comes from "coca" in addition to the alkaloid suffix -ine, forming cocaine. It is a stimulant of the central nervous system, an appetite suppressant, and a topical anesthetic...
worth $600m. http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/americas/6586549.stm
May
- May 15 - Top Mexican anti-drug officials Jose Nemesio Lugo and Jorge Altriste are murdered. http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/americas/6656171.stm
- May 16 - Five Mexican policemen are killed and several abducted in the town of CananeaCananea-Economy:Mining is the main source of revenue for Cananea and will be for the foreseeable future. Eighty percent of the population is directly or indirectly supported by mining companies in Cananea. The first and most important mining company is Mexicana de Cananea, S.A. de C.V. owned by and...
. Drug cartels are believed to responsible for the attack. Eight attackers were reportedly killed by police hours later.http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/americas/6664215.stm - May 17 - A fugitive from Italy connected with the CamorraCamorraThe Camorra is a Mafia-type criminal organization, or secret society, originating in the region of Campania and its capital Naples in Italy. It is one of the oldest and largest criminal organizations in Italy, dating to the 18th century.-Background:...
is captured in LancashireLancashireLancashire is a non-metropolitan county of historic origin in the North West of England. It takes its name from the city of Lancaster, and is sometimes known as the County of Lancaster. Although Lancaster is still considered to be the county town, Lancashire County Council is based in Preston...
, England. http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/uk/6668035.stm - May 18 - Retired Yakuza Hisato Obayashi gives himself in to police after a two day standoff during which he shot at both his family and police and held his wife hostage. http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/news/world/asia/article1811146.ece
- May 29 - A gang of seven men are sentenced to death in IndonesiaIndonesiaIndonesia , officially the Republic of Indonesia , is a country in Southeast Asia and Oceania. Indonesia is an archipelago comprising approximately 13,000 islands. It has 33 provinces with over 238 million people, and is the world's fourth most populous country. Indonesia is a republic, with an...
for setting up and running a large-scale ecstasyMethylenedioxymethamphetamineMDMA is an entactogenic drug of the phenethylamine and amphetamine class of drugs. In popular culture, MDMA has become widely known as "ecstasy" , usually referring to its street pill form, although this term may also include the presence of possible adulterants...
factory, capable of producing a million pills a week. http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/asia-pacific/6702053.stm
June
- June 1 - A large car theft ring are sentenced in a British court. http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/england/london/6710897.stm
- June 6 - All five defendants in the Roberto CalviRoberto CalviRoberto Calvi was an Italian banker dubbed "God's Banker" by the press because of his close association with the Holy See. A native of Milan, Calvi was Chairman of Banco Ambrosiano, which collapsed in one of modern Italy's biggest political scandals...
murder trial are acquitted. http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/europe/6726353.stm - June 6 - Robert DeCicco, an associate of the Gambino crime familyGambino crime familyThe Gambino crime family is one of the "Five Families" that dominates organized crime activities in New York City, United States, within the nationwide criminal phenomenon known as the Mafia . The group is named after Carlo Gambino, boss of the family at the time of the McClellan hearings in 1963...
, is shot three times in a drive-by shootingDrive-by shootingA drive-by shooting is a form of hit-and-run tactic, a personal attack carried out by an individual or individuals from a moving or momentarily stopped vehicle without use of headlights to avoid being noticed. It often results in bystanders being shot instead of, or as well as, the intended target...
but manages to escape alive. DeCicco's father is George DeCiccoGeorge DeCiccoGregory "Big Georgie" DeCicco is a New York mobster and longtime Caporegime in the Gambino crime family. DeCicco is one of the last capos of the old John Gotti regime in the 1980s who haven't been under any indictment until now...
a longtime Gambino family captain, brother of the family's former underboss Frank DeCiccoFrank DeCiccoFrank DeCicco also known as Frankie D and Frankie Cheech was a New York mobster and labor racketeer for the Gambino crime family...
. http://www.nypost.com/seven/06062007/news/regionalnews/mob_hit__miss_in_brooklyn_regionalnews_murray_weiss__patrick_gallahue_and_leela_de_kretser.htm - June 8 - Rudolph Izzi, a soldier in the Genovese crime familyGenovese crime familyThe Genovese crime family , is one of the "Five Families" that dominates organized crime activities in New York City, United States, within the nationwide criminal phenomenon known as the Mafia . The Genovese crime family has been nicknamed the "Ivy League" and "Rolls Royce" of organized crime...
, is found shot dead in his BrooklynBrooklynBrooklyn is the most populous of New York City's five boroughs, with nearly 2.6 million residents, and the second-largest in area. Since 1896, Brooklyn has had the same boundaries as Kings County, which is now the most populous county in New York State and the second-most densely populated...
home. http://www.nytimes.com/2007/06/08/nyregion/08mob.html?ex=1338955200&en=7805ed123f03d831&ei=5088&partner=rssnyt&emc=rss - June 14 - British drug lord Curtis Warren is released from a Dutch prison. http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/england/merseyside/6752867.stm
- June 19 - Jury selection starts for the trial of Chicago OutfitChicago OutfitThe Chicago Outfit, also known as the Chicago Syndicate or Chicago Mob and sometimes shortened to simply the Outfit, is a crime syndicate based in Chicago, Illinois, USA...
boss Joey "The Clown" LombardoJoseph LombardoJoseph Patrick “Joey the Clown” Lombardo Sr. , also known as "Joe Padula," "Lumbo," and "Lumpy", is an imprisoned American mafioso and a high-ranking member of the Chicago Outfit crime organization...
http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/americas/6769669.stm - June 23 - Guatemalan drug baron Otto Roberto Herrera GarciaOtto Roberto Herrera GarciaOtto Roberto Herrera García is a Guatemalan national and career criminal, best known for turning Guatemala into a corridor for U.S.-bound cocaine....
is captured by police in Colombia. http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/americas/6229090.stm - June 27 - 19 people die in a fierce gun battle between drugs gangs and police in Alemao, Rio de Janeiro. http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/americas/6247608.stm
- June 29 - An abandoned boat containing 1.2 tons of cocaine is discovered off the coast of SenegalSenegalSenegal , officially the Republic of Senegal , is a country in western Africa. It owes its name to the Sénégal River that borders it to the east and north...
. http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/africa/6254496.stm
July
- July 20 - Luis Hernando GomezLuis Hernando GomezLuis Hernando Gómez Bustamante is a Colombian drug trafficker for the Norte del Valle Cartel, who was arrested in 2004 and, on July 19, 2007 transported for extradition to the United States on charges of money laundering and drug smuggling...
is extradited to the US. http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/americas/6907701.stm - July 26 - A BBCBBCThe British Broadcasting Corporation is a British public service broadcaster. Its headquarters is at Broadcasting House in the City of Westminster, London. It is the largest broadcaster in the world, with about 23,000 staff...
investigation reveals a child trafficking ring in BulgariaBulgariaBulgaria , officially the Republic of Bulgaria , is a parliamentary democracy within a unitary constitutional republic in Southeast Europe. The country borders Romania to the north, Serbia and Macedonia to the west, Greece and Turkey to the south, as well as the Black Sea to the east...
. http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/europe/6917308.stm - July 26 - The FBIFederal Bureau of InvestigationThe Federal Bureau of Investigation is an agency of the United States Department of Justice that serves as both a federal criminal investigative body and an internal intelligence agency . The FBI has investigative jurisdiction over violations of more than 200 categories of federal crime...
shuts down a major international Chinese media piracy ring, believed to have distributed illegal software with a total selling price of over 2 billion dollars. http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/technology/6917127.stm
August
- August 7 - Brazilian police arrest top Norte del Valle CartelNorte del Valle CartelThe Norte del Valle Cartel, or North Valley Cartel, is a drug cartel that operates principally in the north of the Valle del Cauca department of Colombia...
boss Colombian Juan Carlos Ramírez AbadíaJuan Carlos Ramírez AbadíaJuan Carlos Ramírez Abadía is a drug trafficker who, until his capture, was one of the leaders of the North Valley Cartel , who was wanted on drug smuggling, murder and RICO charges in the United States of America...
in Rio. http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/americas/6935515.stm - August 10 - Chinese authorities report to have foiled a plot by SnakeheadSnakehead (gang)Snakeheads are Chinese gangs that smuggle people to other countries. They are found in the Fujian region of China and smuggle their customers into wealthier Western countries such as those in Western Europe, North America, Australia, and some nearby wealthier countries such as Taiwan and...
gangsters to smuggle a dozen young men abroad by posing them as martial artistsMartial artsMartial arts are extensive systems of codified practices and traditions of combat, practiced for a variety of reasons, including self-defense, competition, physical health and fitness, as well as mental and spiritual development....
from the Shaolin Temple. http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/asia-pacific/6940672.stm - August 15 - 6 men with connections to the 'Ndrangheta are shot dead in Germany after exiting a pizzaria. The murders are believed to be related to the San Luca feudSan Luca feudThe San Luca feud or Vendetta of San Luca is a long running conflict between two clans of the 'Ndrangheta—an Italian organized crime organisation—that began in 1991 in Italy's Calabria region in the village of San Luca....
.http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/europe/6947247.stmhttp://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/europe/6949274.stm - August 27 - Arrests are made over the murder of Russian journalist Anna PolitkovskayaAnna PolitkovskayaAnna Stepanovna Politkovskaya was a Russian journalist, author, and human rights activist known for her opposition to the Chechen conflict and then-President of Russia Vladimir Putin...
, linking the case to a Chechen organized crime groupChechen mafiaThe Chechen mafia is one of the largest organized crime groups operating in the former Soviet Union next to established Russian mafia gangs, which originally consisted of criminals of Chechen ethnicity who later also tried to recruit former Russian special military forces, police and army officers...
and former FSB agents. http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/europe/6965253.stm - August 28 - A girl of three survives a gangland execution where three were killed and two injured in HertfordshireHertfordshireHertfordshire is a ceremonial and non-metropolitan county in the East region of England. The county town is Hertford.The county is one of the Home Counties and lies inland, bordered by Greater London , Buckinghamshire , Bedfordshire , Cambridgeshire and...
, England. http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/england/beds/bucks/herts/6968619.stm The deaths were later believed to be over a drugs debt of £600. http://www2.dailyexpress.co.uk/posts/view/17695/Assassins-of-suburbia - August 30 - Police in Italy arrest more than 30 suspects in the connection with the 'Ndrangheta murders in Germany. http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/europe/6970067.stm
September
- September 10 - Joey "The Clown" LombardoJoseph LombardoJoseph Patrick “Joey the Clown” Lombardo Sr. , also known as "Joe Padula," "Lumbo," and "Lumpy", is an imprisoned American mafioso and a high-ranking member of the Chicago Outfit crime organization...
and four other defendants are found guilty of various charges ranging from murder to racketeering. http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/americas/6988754.stm - September 10 - Colombian drug lordDrug lordA drug lord, drug baron or kingpin is the term used to describe a person who controls a sizable network of persons involved in the illegal drugs trade. Such figures are often difficult to bring to justice, as they might never be directly in possession of something illegal, but are insulated from...
Diego MontoyaDiego Leon Montoya SanchezDiego León Montoya Sánchez , also known as Don Diego, is a former Colombian crime boss leader of the Norte del Valle drug cartel...
is captured in his home province of Valle del CaucaValle del Cauca DepartmentValle del Cauca is a department of Colombia. It is in the western side of the country, facing the Pacific Ocean, and it is considered one of the most important departments in the Republic of Colombia. Its capital is Santiago de Cali...
. He had previously been one of the FBI's Ten Most Wanted FugitivesFBI Ten Most Wanted FugitivesThe FBI Ten Most Wanted Fugitives list arose from a conversation held in late 1949 between J. Edgar Hoover, Director of the United States Federal Bureau of Investigation, and William Kinsey Hutchinson, International News Service Editor-in-Chief, who were discussing ways to promote capture of the...
. http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/americas/6987953.stm - September 27 - Joseph "The Clown" Lombardo is found guilty of the 1974 Seifert murder.
October
- October 16 - Italian police confirm that witness to a 'Ndrangheta murder case hanged himself after being disowned by his family. http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/europe/7047307.stm
- October 18 - Hundreds turn up at the funeral of Taiwanese crime boss Chen Chi-liChen Chi-liChen Chi-li , nicknamed King Duck, was a gangster from Taiwan, best known for heading the United Bamboo Gang...
, boss of the United Bamboo GangUnited Bamboo GangThe United Bamboo Gang is the largest of Taiwan's three main Triads. They are reported to have roughly 10,000 members. The membership consists largely of waishengren, and has close ties to the Kuomintang; they are said to be motivated as much by political ideology as by profit...
. http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/asia-pacific/7050628.stm
November
- November 1 - The mob-related murder cases against former FBIFederal Bureau of InvestigationThe Federal Bureau of Investigation is an agency of the United States Department of Justice that serves as both a federal criminal investigative body and an internal intelligence agency . The FBI has investigative jurisdiction over violations of more than 200 categories of federal crime...
agent Lindley DeVecchioLindley DeVecchioLindley DeVecchio is a former U.S. Federal Bureau of Investigation agent in charge of managing mob informants. DeVecchio worked for the FBI during the Mafia wars in New York during the 1980s and 1990s....
are dropped by prosecutors because of conflicting evidence. - November 2 - Mexican authorities seize a record 23.5 tons of cocaine at the port of ManzanilloManzanillo, ColimaThe name Manzanillo refers to the city as well as its surrounding municipality in the Mexican state of Colima. The city, located on the Pacific Ocean, contains Mexico's busiest port. Manzanillo was the third port created by the Spanish in the Pacific during the New Spain period...
. http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/americas/7074668.stm - November 5 - Sicilian mafia boss Salvatore Lo Piccolo is captured near the capital of Palermo. Lo Piccolo had been on the run for 20 years. http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/europe/7078647.stm
- November 26 - United Brotherhood of Carpenters President Douglas J. McCarronDouglas J. McCarronDouglas J. McCarron is a labor union activist and, since 1995, president of the United Brotherhood of Carpenters and Joiners of America.-Early life and career:...
ordered an emergency, temporary supervision over Manhattan East Side Local 157, citing allegations of bribery, ties to members of the GenoveseGenoveseGenovese is an Italian surname meaning, properly, someone from Genoa, but more often , a clever person, a generalization particularly in Southern Italy of people from Genoa....
and GambinoGambino crime familyThe Gambino crime family is one of the "Five Families" that dominates organized crime activities in New York City, United States, within the nationwide criminal phenomenon known as the Mafia . The group is named after Carlo Gambino, boss of the family at the time of the McClellan hearings in 1963...
crime families, and no-show business agents; the Local's top three officers resigned, while two Local shop stewards are under federal indictment. Interestingly, the Executive-Treasurer of the N.Y.C. District Council of CarpentersN.Y.C. District Council of CarpentersThe N.Y.C. District Council of Carpenters maintains jurisdiction over all carpentry work and exhibition work in the New York City area. The council is under UBC Trusteeship, after the firing of the current Executive Secretary-Treasurer, which is the highest position in the union, Michael J Forde...
, Michael Forde, maintains his top position while facing a re-trial in Manhattan state court on charges of accepting bribes from non-union contractors and splitting the payments with the former acting boss of the Lucchese crime familyLucchese crime familyThe Lucchese crime family is one of the "Five Families" that dominates organized crime activities in New York City, United States, within the nationwide criminal phenomenon known as the Mafia . The family originated in the early 1920s with Gaetano "Tommy" Reina serving as boss up until his murder...
. Local 157's President, William HanleyWilliam HanleyWilliam Hanley is an American author, playwright and screenwriter. Among other works, he has written the plays Slow Dance on the Killing Ground, Whisper in my good ear, and Mrs. Dally has a Lover, and the teleplays Who'll Save Our Children?, The Long Way Home, and The Attic: The Hiding of Anne Frank...
, was removed from his position, and a federal grand jury was empaneled to investigate the charges, including allegations that Hanley prevailed upon a contractor to hire one Joseph Vecchiarello, an organized crime figure with no carpentry skills.
December
- December 14 - CamorraCamorraThe Camorra is a Mafia-type criminal organization, or secret society, originating in the region of Campania and its capital Naples in Italy. It is one of the oldest and largest criminal organizations in Italy, dating to the 18th century.-Background:...
boss Edoardo ContiniEdoardo ContiniEdoardo Contini is an Italian Camorra boss. He is the founder and head of the Contini clan, a Camorra clan with its central base in the Arenaccia, that also operates in the Poggioreale, Vasto, Mercato and San Carlo all'Arena suburbs of Naples.He is known as Faccia d'Angelo and o Romano, due to...
is captured in NaplesNaplesNaples is a city in Southern Italy, situated on the country's west coast by the Gulf of Naples. Lying between two notable volcanic regions, Mount Vesuvius and the Phlegraean Fields, it is the capital of the region of Campania and of the province of Naples...
after more than seven years on the run. http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/europe/7145953.stm - December 18 - New Jersey Attorney GeneralNew Jersey Attorney GeneralThe Attorney General of New Jersey is a member of the executive cabinet of the state. The office is appointed by the Governor of New Jersey and term limited...
Anne MilgramAnne MilgramAnne Milgram was the Attorney General of New Jersey from June 2007 to January 2010.Milgram had served as First Assistant Attorney General, the second-highest position in the New Jersey Department of Law and Public Safety, having taken office on February 14, 2006...
announced the indictment of 32 members and associates of the Lucchese crime familyLucchese crime familyThe Lucchese crime family is one of the "Five Families" that dominates organized crime activities in New York City, United States, within the nationwide criminal phenomenon known as the Mafia . The family originated in the early 1920s with Gaetano "Tommy" Reina serving as boss up until his murder...
, including its top captain in New Jersey, Ralph Perna, and two of the family's top New York leaders, Joseph DiNapoliJoseph DiNapoliJoseph "Joey Dee" DiNapoli , is a high-ranking member of the Lucchese crime family, holding the rank of caporegime or captain, in the family's Ruling Committee/Panel, controlling the day-to-day operations since 2003, along with Aniello "Neil" Migliore and Matthew Madonna...
and Matthew MadonnaMatthew MadonnaMatthew Madonna is a caporegime with the Lucchese crime family who was heavily involved in narcotics trafficking and bribery of government officials.-Narcotics trafficking:...
. The indictment alleges that the wiseguys even had an ongoing operation with members of the BloodsBloodsThe Bloods are a street gang founded in Los Angeles, California. The gang is widely known for its rivalry with the Crips. They are identified by the red color worn by their members and by particular gang symbols, including distinctive hand signs...
gangGangA gang is a group of people who, through the organization, formation, and establishment of an assemblage, share a common identity. In current usage it typically denotes a criminal organization or else a criminal affiliation. In early usage, the word gang referred to a group of workmen...
, whereby they were providing inmates in a New Jersey prison with drugs and other contraband. - December 19 - Lucchese crime familyLucchese crime familyThe Lucchese crime family is one of the "Five Families" that dominates organized crime activities in New York City, United States, within the nationwide criminal phenomenon known as the Mafia . The family originated in the early 1920s with Gaetano "Tommy" Reina serving as boss up until his murder...
soldier John Baudanza was sentenced to 7 years in prison and $20,500 in restitution for heading a violent stock pump-and-dump scheme for over 10 years. - December 19 - Ailing Staten Island and Brooklyn-based Gambino crime familyGambino crime familyThe Gambino crime family is one of the "Five Families" that dominates organized crime activities in New York City, United States, within the nationwide criminal phenomenon known as the Mafia . The group is named after Carlo Gambino, boss of the family at the time of the McClellan hearings in 1963...
captain George DeCiccoGeorge DeCiccoGregory "Big Georgie" DeCicco is a New York mobster and longtime Caporegime in the Gambino crime family. DeCicco is one of the last capos of the old John Gotti regime in the 1980s who haven't been under any indictment until now...
pleaded guilty to running a loan sharking operation from 1999 to 2007. DeCicco is the uncle of former family underboss Frank DeCiccoFrank DeCiccoFrank DeCicco also known as Frankie D and Frankie Cheech was a New York mobster and labor racketeer for the Gambino crime family...
and father of associate Robert DeCicco who was nearly killed in an attempted murder outside a Brooklyn social club earlier in the year. DeCicco was the last of the captains either alive on still on the street from the days of John GottiJohn GottiJohn Joseph Gotti, Jr was an American mobster who became the Boss of the Gambino crime family in New York City. Gotti grew up in poverty. He and his brothers turned to a life of crime at an early age...
's reign. - December 28 - Colombo crime familyColombo crime familyThe Colombo crime family is the youngest of the "Five Families" that dominates organized crime activities in New York City, United States, within the nationwide criminal phenomenon known as the Mafia ....
figure Alphonse PersicoAlphonse PersicoAlphonse T. Persico, known as Little Allie Boy or just Allie Boy, is a former acting boss of the Colombo crime family from the 1980s and 1990s. He is not to be confused with his uncle of the same name, who was also a Colombo family mobster known as "Allie Boy", who died in 1989.-Background:Born in...
is found guilty of the murder of William Cutolo, Sr.. He awaits sentencing. - December 29 - The entire police force in the Mexican town of Playas de Rosarito, Baja California, is disarmed from their weapons after suspicion of collaborating with drug cartels. http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/americas/7163818.stm
Arts and literature
- Alpha DogAlpha DogAlpha Dog is a 2007 crime drama film written and directed by Nick Cassavetes, first screened at the Sundance Film Festival on January 27, 2006, with a wide release the following year on January 12, 2007. The film is based on the true story of the kidnapping and murder of 15-year-old Nicholas...
(film) - American Gangster (film)
- No Country For Old MenNo Country for Old Men (film)No Country for Old Men is a 2007 American crime thriller directed by Joel Coen and Ethan Coen, and starring Tommy Lee Jones, Javier Bardem, and Josh Brolin. The film was adapted from the Cormac McCarthy novel of the same name...
(film) - OutlawOutlaw (2007 film)Outlaw is a 2007 action-crime-drama film written and directed by British filmmaker Nick Love. Outlaw stars Sean Bean, Danny Dyer, Bob Hoskins, Lennie James, Rupert Friend and Sean Harris.The film is set in the United Kingdom in 2006...
(film) - Smokin' AcesSmokin' AcesSmokin' Aces is a 2006 crime film, written and directed by Joe Carnahan. It stars Jeremy Piven as a Las Vegas magician turned mafia informant and Ryan Reynolds as the FBI agent assigned to protect him...
(film) - We Own the NightWe Own the NightWe Own the Night is a 2007 American crime drama film written and directed by James Gray and starring Joaquin Phoenix, Mark Wahlberg, Eva Mendes and Robert Duvall. It is the third film directed by Gray, and the second film to feature Phoenix and Wahlberg together, the first being The Yards...
(film)
Deaths
- February 5 - YakuzaYakuza, also known as , are members of traditional organized crime syndicates in Japan. The Japanese police, and media by request of the police, call them bōryokudan , literally "violence group", while the yakuza call themselves "ninkyō dantai" , "chivalrous organizations". The yakuza are notoriously...
chief, Ryoichi Sugiura. - February 11 - 9 people are shot in a gun battle in a Rio de JaneiroRio de JaneiroRio de Janeiro , commonly referred to simply as Rio, is the capital city of the State of Rio de Janeiro, the second largest city of Brazil, and the third largest metropolitan area and agglomeration in South America, boasting approximately 6.3 million people within the city proper, making it the 6th...
slum, including 1 off-duty policeman. - April 17 - Iccho ItohIccho Itoh, born , was the mayor of the Japanese city of Nagasaki; he first took office in 1995. He was a graduate from Waseda University, and majored in political science.-Career:...
, mayor of Nagasaki. - May 15 - Mexican anti-drug officials Jose Nemesio Lugo and Jorge Altriste.
- May 16 - Five Mexican police officers and eight gang members.
- June 8 - Gambino crime familyGambino crime familyThe Gambino crime family is one of the "Five Families" that dominates organized crime activities in New York City, United States, within the nationwide criminal phenomenon known as the Mafia . The group is named after Carlo Gambino, boss of the family at the time of the McClellan hearings in 1963...
mobster Rudolph Izzi. - June 27 - 19 people die in a fierce gun battle between drugs gangs and police in AlemaoRio de JaneiroRio de Janeiro , commonly referred to simply as Rio, is the capital city of the State of Rio de Janeiro, the second largest city of Brazil, and the third largest metropolitan area and agglomeration in South America, boasting approximately 6.3 million people within the city proper, making it the 6th...
, Rio de Janeiro. - July 30 - Scottish crime boss, Thomas McGrawThomas McGrawThomas "Tam" McGraw , also known as "The Licensee" or "Wan-Baw McGraw", was a gangster involved in organised crime including extortion, narcotics and drug trafficking in Glasgow, Scotland....
"The Licensee". - August 6 - Cuban Organized Crime Boss Jose Miguel Battle, Sr.
- August 15 - 6 men connected to the 'Ndrangheta are shot dead in Germany.
- August 28 - Three die in a gangland hit in Hertfordshire, England.
- October - United Bamboo Gang boss Chen Chi-li.
- October 16 - 'Ndrangheta informer Bruno Piccolo is found to have committed suicide.