Latest news with #gangwars
Telegraph
08-07-2025
- Politics
- Telegraph
Britain will follow Australia into a crime storm with the Tobacco and Vapes bill
'A terrified tobacco runner was forced to tie up his friends and then bind his own feet, before Alameddine gangsters allegedly began cutting off his big toe in a horrific moment that illustrates how violence is part of doing business in Sydney's gang wars.' This opening line, from the Sydney Morning Herald last month, is the kind of thing you might expect in a story about the cocaine trade, but it was a tonne of illegal tobacco stored in a warehouse that the gang was after. Australia has become a cautionary tale of what not to do with tobacco and vapes. It has the highest cigarette taxes in the world and has banned vapes completely. It has always banned the sale of nicotine vapes, but that didn't work so they banned the importation of nicotine vapes. That didn't work either so they banned all vapes and made nicotine vapes available on prescription only. Again, it hasn't worked. For every vape sold on prescription, 1700 are sold on the black market. The most visible sign of failure is the firebombing of tobacconists and vape shops that has become a regular feature of the evening news, especially around Melbourne. There have been more than 230 arson attacks and a string of public shootings in the last two years as gangs fight for market share in the 'tobacco turf wars'. Could it happen here? There is no reason why not. Illicit vapes and counterfeit cigarettes are being sold more or less openly on high streets up and down the country. We have the second highest cigarette taxes in Europe (after Ireland) and the government is on the cusp of introducing the Tobacco and Vapes Bill which will ban a growing number of adults from buying tobacco products from 1 January 2027. Even the Australians haven't been daft enough to dabble with this form of prohibition. The Tobacco and Vapes Bill will also allow the government to restrict the flavours of legal vapes, thereby giving the black market a lucrative new niche. Not content with banning disposable vapes last month, the government is going to double the cost of using refillable e-cigarettes by imposing a tax of £2.20 (plus VAT) per bottle next year. If you wanted to make a bad situation worse, you could hardly design a better set of policies than this. Sales of legal cigarettes nearly halved between 2021 and 2024 despite the number of smokers only falling by 5 per cent. It is obvious that the illicit market picked up the slack and yet HMRC claims that only one in ten cigarettes smoked in Britain is illegal. Reassured by such Panglossian factoids, virtue-signalling politicians have given the Tobacco and Vapes Bill minimal scrutiny and are patting themselves on the back for creating a 'smoke-free Britain'. It is a fantasy bordering on madness. They have picked the worst time to be complacent. The police are too busy to play whack-a-mole with Britain's countless illicit tobacco retailers. A £2 billion drop in tobacco duty revenue has already been added to Rachel Reeves' black hole. For the time being, the violence associated with Britain's booming black market tobacco trade is less visible than Australia's but it will only take a bit more prodding from guileless politicians for it to come out of the shadows.
Daily Mail
26-06-2025
- Daily Mail
Crackdown on Scotland gang war: Police arrest 49 suspects including boy, 17, after spate of shootings, firebombings and assaults rocked Edinburgh and Glasgow
A teenager has been arrested on suspicion of firebombing amid a crackdown against Scotland's violent gang wars - as the total number of people arrested has now risen to 49. A 17-year-old boy is the latest arrest in connection with Operation Portaledge, the ongoing investigation into a series of shootings, firebombings and assaults across the east and west of the country. The spate of violent incidents began in Edinburgh and the east of Scotland in March, but spread to the Glasgow region in April and May. Police Scotland Chief Constable Jo Farrell announced the latest arrest during a meeting of the Scottish Police Authority in Edinburgh on Thursday and urged anyone with information to contact police. She said: 'The support of our communities is essential when it comes to tackling serious and organised crime, preventing violence and getting justice for victims, and I want to thank the public for their assistance so far and encourage anyone else with information to come forward.' Police Scotland said the 17-year-old boy was arrested on Tuesday and charged in relation to two alleged wilful fireraisings in Edinburgh during the early hours of June 9 in Niddrie Marischal Crescent and Campion Road. He was released on an undertaking to appear at Edinburgh Sheriff Court at a later date. In her report for the SPA, the chief constable also reiterated that Scottish police believe there is nothing to suggest that the deaths of two men in Spain are linked to recent incidents in Scotland. The two men, understood to be Eddie Lyons Junior and Ross Monaghan, died after a gunman opened fire outside Monaghans Bar in Fuengirola, Malaga, on May 31. The chief constable's report states: 'Police Scotland is supporting Spanish police following the fatal shootings in Fuengirola. 'At this time, there is no evidence to suggest these deaths are linked to the recent criminal attacks in Scotland being investigated as part of Operation Portaledge or that the shooting was planned within Scotland.' A man has been arrested in Liverpool in connection with the deaths in Malaga. The 44-year-old man appeared at Westminster Magistrates Court on Saturday, June 14 and has been remanded in custody, police said.
News.com.au
23-06-2025
- News.com.au
The Road To War: Family feud that sparked Sydney's gang wars
Sydney's underworld has exploded in recent months in an escalation in the city's underworld wars. The most recent was a triple shooting in the heart of Sydney's west, which critically injured a female kebab shop worker who was caught in the crossfire. Alleged underworld figure and the man at the 'epicentre' of a simmering underworld feud, Samimjan Azari, 26, was targeted for the fourth time last Monday when two masked men stormed a Turkish food outlet at Auburn and opened fire on him and another man acting as his bodyguard. The underworld war that has been ongoing since late-2020 has escalated to a new level, something many who have followed closely in recent years would have thought was impossible. But gang wars are not a new thing for the suburbs of the Harbour City, in fact, they have been raging - with highs and lows - for the best part of the last 20 years. A new doco-series from The Daily Telegraph delves into Sydney's first gangland war between the Razzaks and the Darwiches. The conflict between the two began in the wake of the Sydney Olympics as the two families went toe-to-toe, gunning each other down in public and spraying the opponents' homes with more bullets than police could count. At one point, the Darwiches even considered using a rocket launcher to annihilate their rivals. The Road to War is the latest docu miniseries from The Daily Telegraph, taking you inside the biggest gang conflicts this city has seen. Episode one 'Til Death Do Us Part - which was released today - looks at how a drug dealer being robbed in 2001 sparked the city's first gangland war. It started when Bilal Razzak robbed a drug dealer who worked for a rival crime family, the Darwhiches in early 2001. Tensions simmered for two years before an all out war broke out the likes which Sydney had never seen. How to watch The Road To War After Bilal Razzak robbed the drug dealer he was confronted by Adnan Darwiche and his enforcer, Khaled Taleb and bashed at a Bankstown shopping centre. Tit-for-tat drive-by shootings followed before Ali Abdul-Razzak, who was married to the sister of Adnan Darwiche, arranged a sit-down of the two factions. It failed and violence reigned on Sydney's streets for the next eight years. In 2009, the final chapter played out when Abdul Darwiche was shot in front of his family as he walked out of a restaurant in Bass Hill. 'It was unprecedented. There had been nothing like this before. The underworld killers like Neddy Smith and the like did their business quietly. They more often than not disposed of the bodies in shallow graves,'' says retired Detective Superintendent Stuart Wilkins. 'This was in your face, confronting intimidation and violence against police and the public. They would shoot and leave bodies in car parks, outside restaurants and service stations. Wherever, wherever they decided to attack somebody, they were shot and killed.'
Daily Mail
02-06-2025
- General
- Daily Mail
Desk-bound Scots bobbies told they will need fitness training to get them back on the beat
They have enjoyed a slower-paced life, sitting behind their desks manning the backroom operations. But a major Police Scotland shake-up to put more boots on the ground means officers used to the indoor environment have to step back out once again. Scores off staff are going from long-term desk jobs to dangerous frontline roles - but it has been claimed they'll need skills and fitness retraining to deal with the transition. News of the reshuffle comes as the cash-strapped force struggles to get a grip on deadly gang wars being fought in parts of the country. Ruthless feuding between drug lords and notorious criminal families has seen over a dozen attacks including fire bombings and gun violence as the grapple for control that kicked off in Edinburgh spread to Glasgow in recent months. Drugs and people trafficking and other violent crimes are also stretching the thin blue line to breaking point amid shrinking numbers of officers, which fell to the lowest level since 2007 in the middle of last year. The Scottish Police Federation (SPF), which represents the rank and file, yesterday warned officers working desk jobs for years will need to be 'prepared for the demands of frontline policing'. David Kennedy, SPF general secretary, said they had concerns about the transition for those who had been 'non-operational' for an extended period of time. Mr Kennedy said: 'Issues such as refresher training, fitness and welfare are paramount to ensure officers are fully prepared for the demands of frontline policing. 'The Federation has emphasised that any move back to operational duties must be supported appropriately to safeguard both the officers and the public.' According to Mr Kennedy, there are also issues around 'flexible working' for officers involved. He said: 'We are aware that a lot of officers who work 9 to 5 do so because they have caring responsibilities and they will now need to apply for flexible working.' Mr Kennedy was also critical of police Scotland's use of 'on call', which means officers may be required to be available for duty outside of their regular shift. He said: 'On call is another major concern as we believe that Police Scotland relies too heavily on this in the day-to-day 24/7 of policing.' And he added: 'You can shake it up as much as you want but you can't get more from less and Police Scotland needs more police officers'. The force is recruiting extra civilian staff to free up scores of desk officers for operational duties in a bid to improve visibility in communities and boost the fight against crime. The overhaul spearheaded by Chief Constable Jo Farrell reverses moves of previous years that saw bobbies pulled from the beat for back office roles after budget cuts saw civilian staff made redundant. Now the Contact Centre, Firearms Licensing and Investigation section is among the first to see the 'release officers from these roles back to front line policing roles'. According to a force report, 32 officers in firearms licensing will switch back to local policing with civilians being recruited to replace them, with the 'rebalancing' of the force set to see hundreds more moved from desk jobs to bolster the thin blue line. The report says: 'We plan for a further uplift of 30 police staff in the future and further remodelling of the function. 'At the end stage, we should release 58 dedicated and approximately 300 non-dedicated police officer firearms enquiry officers from the function in a phased approach. 'We are also carrying out a rebalancing of the workforce mix within our contact centres. Phase one - replacing 25 constable posts and 10 sergeant posts with 25 staff posts - was completed this quarter. 'It is expected that phase two - replacing a further 50 constables and 20 sergeants with 50 staff posts - will be complete by quarter four 2025/26.' Seven months after taking up the top job in June 2023, Chief Constable Jo Farrell said she was 'shocked' by the lack of focus on frontline policing. She said the force was being 'held under water on a daily basis' by the scale of demand it faces, and highlighted officers being taken off the front line to do work that should be done by civilian police staff. Police Scotland declined to elaborate over the ultimate number of officers expected to be switched from desk jobs to the frontline as part of the force's 'rebalancing' blueprint. But it said, all officers are expected to maintain fitness levels for operational duties as they can be deployed operationally for major incidents or policing events. Assistant Chief Constable Alan Waddell added yesterday: 'The Chief Constable has been clear that bringing frontline policing to its strongest position is a priority. 'We began the additional deployments from back-office and corporate functions across the organisation in November 2024, which is already enabling frontline officers to stay in communities to prevent crime and address threat, risk and harm. 'Routine refresher training is already carried out and we are working to identify additional training requirements and will support these as required.' ACC Waddell added: 'We recognise the challenges that caring responsibilities can place on our people, which frontline officers on shift patterns are not immune to either.
Yahoo
26-05-2025
- Yahoo
Cops continue hunt for masked gang after machete attack on Edinburgh kingpin Mark Richardson's pal
Cops are continuing their hunt for a masked gang following a "machete attack" on Edinburgh's cocaine kingpin Mark Richardson's close friend at his home in the capital. On March 22 at 9.20pm, David McMillan was rushed to hospital and treated for serious injuries after the incident at his home on Pitcairn Grove. The attack has been confirmed to be linked to the gangland wars that have erupted across Scotland, reports The Daily Record. READ MORE: Edinburgh takeaway up in flames as emergency services race to scene READ MORE: Edinburgh police swoop on city centre as busy road cordoned off by officers Police are treating the incident as attempted murder as they continue their hunt for four balaclava-wearing men in dark clothing who remain at large. It is believed that the men got out of a grey-coloured Land Rover Discovery and assaulted 54-year-old McMillan before fleeing the scene. Subsequent inquiries have established the Land Rover Discovery travelled eastbound along the M8. A source told the Record: 'David saw a gang of four guys outside his house. 'So he went out to confront them along with a security guy he's employed to help his wife feel safer. 'He managed to hit one about the head and wrestled a phone from him. The attackers were trying to film it. 'David was then hit in the skull with the machete which left an open wound. Nothing life threatening though. But he and his minder then still managed to chase them away. David then drove himself to the hospital. When cops on patrol realised it was him they escorted him to hospital with their blue lights on so they could jump the traffic lights.' Officers are appealing to any drivers on the M8 on the night to contact them. Detective Superintendent Paul Grainger said: 'This has been a targeted attack and we are continuing our enquiries to identify those responsible. 'We know the Land Rover Discovery drove along the M8 eastbound last night. It may have been driven at speed or erratically so I would appeal to any motorists with dash cams to check their footage as the images could be significant to our investigation. 'If anyone has any information regarding this crime, please contact us.' Earlier this year, violence erupted in the capital after Dubai-based Mr Big - recently unmasked as former Rangers ultra and Union Bears boss Ross McGill - was ripped off in a £500,000 cocaine deal by kingpin Richardson's cronies. It is understood his foot-soldiers used fake cash during a botched deal. Ever since, gangster Mr Big has been targeting the homes, properties and businesses of Richardson's associates. It is the third time McMillan has been targeted in recent weeks. Join Edinburgh Live's Whatsapp Community here and get the latest news sent straight to your messages. On April 17, two masked thugs set fire to McMillan's front door while children slept inside. The culprits torched the property before fleeing the scene. Just three weeks later on May 8, a white Land Rover SUV in his driveway went up in flames after his family returned home from a shopping trip. Shocking images of the charred wreckage showed a scorched baby seat in the back of the burnt-out vehicle. Cops arrested and charged three men aged 18 and one aged 31 with fire-raising at the home. The latest attack comes just three days after two men were injured in a separate machete attack at a garage owned by Glasgow crime clan member Robert Daniel. The violent incident took place outside the 50-year-old's CS Accident repair shop in East Kilbride on Monday. Two men, aged 41 and 45, were injured in the incident. The Record understands Robert was the intended victim as his family have been targeted over their association with Richardson. Cops have committed to coming down hard on those involved in the violence in an investigation, known as Operation Portaledge, which has seen multiple properties smashed into during dawn raids at homes in Glasgow, Hamiltonhill, Milton of Campsie and Wishaw. A total of 41 people have been arrested in the Glasgow and Edinburgh regions amid the wide-ranging probe. Police Scotland Chief Constable Jo Farrell said the investigation is a priority for forensics teams. Sign up for Edinburgh Live newsletters for more headlines straight to your inbox
