Los Santos Role Play

18 January 2013

(U//LES) Identification of Power Shift in Vinewood Based Firearms Trafficking Organization, as of January 2013


(U//LES) As of January 2013, former Lamaj-Dreshaj Organization enforcer, USPER Victor Petrela, appears to have taken the reigns of the Vinewood Firearms Trafficking Organization after Tamim Sayid Hossaini Al Hamah and his renowned confederate George Bajraktari fled the United States. Reportedly, he may choose to continue his involvement in illicit gambling/bookmaking activities (through puppeteering of associate USPER Emmanouel Ghazarian) and other rackets as well as the trafficking of illegal firearms.

(U//LES) Complications in the international network since February 2013 have left the organization partially starved of illicit firearms. This is believed to be the reason for the introduction of an almost formal hierarchy with members mainly participating in human trafficking, narcotics trafficking and murder for hire. LSPD lip readers interpreted a conversation between USPER Brandon Tolaj and USPER Roger Cardone, known enforcer to LMNT-253 (since defunct) negotiating prices on another member of LMNT-253.

(U//LES) A report from U.S. Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF) detailed the uncovering of a dockside storage vault in Pinar del Rio used as a one-time drop point for the organizations firearms trafficking infrastructure. The vault, registered to a “Khalid Homsi” was used to store illicit firearms coming from Asia. It's thought that USPER Hassan Salehi was employing small time gun traffickers affiliated with Mexico’s drug cartels operating on the border to smuggle firearms into SoCal for USPER George Bajraktari.

(U//LES) ATF later reported that since USPER Hassan Salehi’s disappearance his alleged role in the operation of liaising regularly with the cartels and guaranteeing the illicit firearms safe transportation to Long Beach, Los Santos has been allocated to USPER Emmanouel Ghazarian. Since the changes ATF have been unable to locate any active drop zones.



(U//LES) The following individuals are reported as having ties to the organization in some way, shape or form and who Petrela may trust to bring into his inner circle: USPER Emmanouel Ghazarian, USPER Brandon Tolaj, USPER Patvakan Dezerian, USPER Patrick Kasrati, Presumed USPER Armen Darbinian, Presumed USPER Araz Hovesepian, Presumed USPER Dmitri Vratzian and Presumed USPER Sahak Zadian.

(U//LES) Incidents leading up to this shift in power include Mohammed Roshan’s arrest and murder and Tamim Sayid Hossaini Al Hamah and his confederate George Bajraktari fleeing to a foreign country.



(U//LES) During a routine traffic stop on Mohammed Roshan, an LSPD K-9 alerted the officer conducting the traffic stop of the underside of Roshan’s Mitsubishi. On inspection, the office noticed an after-market hidden compartment and called for assistance. After executing a search warrant, officers towed the vehicle to a nearby garage and began a thorough search. Inside the hidden compartment, officers discovered an estimated 65 pounds of powder cocaine with a street value of nearly half a million dollars. The officers then obtained another search warrant for Roshan’s home which led to the discovery of a cocaine press, money counter, 5 handguns, 2 assault rifles and nearly a pound of plastic explosives.

(U//LES) Mohammed Roshan was stabbed 28 times by what're known as “bone crushers”, large inmate-constructed knives used for murder. Prison authorities believe the Mexican Mafia are responsible for Roshan's murder.

(U//LES) Former leader of the cell and member of the international Al Hamah Network, formerly led by Col. Sayid Hossaini Al Hamah, Tamim Hossaini Al Hamah has reportedly lost control of the Al Hamah Network’s international operations to USPER George Bajraktari. After Tamim’s second-in-command, Mohammed Roshan, was arrested and murdered, Bajraktari appointed USPER Victor Petrela to take control over the California branch of the organization and oversee its operations personally.

(U//LES) During an active operation in Syria, U.S. intelligence forces claimed to see early signs of an internal rift inside the Al Hamah Network. Tamim Hossaini Al Hamah was last sited in early January 2013, since this siting Bajraktari has been ever-present in the organizations Asian network.

(U//LES) While regularly communicating with USPER Victor Petrela, Bajraktari is reportedly preparing for the fall of Syria’s Assad Regime. By touching base with other regional cells of the international Al Hamah Network, Bajraktari is attempting to create a monopoly on the region's arms trafficking with himself at the helm.

(U//LES) USPER Victor Petrela has recently shown signs of distancing himself from the organizations Eastern connections. Petrela alongside USPER Emmanouel Ghazarian have notably increased their imports from the Mexican border with the Sinaloa cartel now considered to be the leading source of firearms. U.S. intelligence forces believe the changes inside the Al Hamah Network have resulted in the separation of all five subsidiary networks. Analyst Note: Tamim Sayid Hossaini Al Hamah was thought to be serving as a de facto boss for the organization despite his fleeing to a foreign country, using USPER Victor Petrela as a conduit for his firearms into SoCal. This can no longer be confirmed.

(U//LES) U.S. intelligence forces have recently confirmed a power shift in the Eastern branch of the organization. USPER George Bajraktari is thought to have claimed Tanim Sayid Hossaini Al Hamah’s former position as a de facto boss for the organization. Various International sources have recently been able to verify that all five major subsidiary organizations have turnt their backs on the once dominant firearms network.

(U) Administrative Section

(U) US Person Information: A determination has been made by the FIG Supervisor that the identification of US Person(s) in this SIR is reasonably believed to be necessary to understand the SIR, convey intelligence information, or assess its importance. It is further certified the information is directly related to a law enforcement function of the recipient agencies.

(U) This report has been prepared by the Los Santos Division of the FBI. Comments and queries may be addressed to the Los Santos Field Intelligence Group.
((By posting here you recognize you are apart of the faction, thus giving the faction the right to CK you if events lead to it.

))

Eurasian Organized Crime
Eurasian Organized Crime (EOC) refers to organized crime groups originating from one of the 15 republics of the former Soviet Union. While some of these organized criminal groups originate from Russia, others are from regions in Central Asia (Uzbekistan, Kazakhstan), the Caucasus (Georgia, Azerbaijan, Chechnya, and Dagestan), and the Ukraine. While the majority of Soviet immigrants coming to the United States in the past 40 years have been law abiding, a criminal population also emerged and constitutes the base of domestic EOC.

During the 1970s and 1980s, the United States Immigration and Naturalization Service (INS) reported thousands of Soviet émigrés fleeing to the United States to escape religious and political persecution. It was suspected that during this time the Russian Committee for State Security, or KGB, emptied their prisons of hard-core criminals, exporting them to the United States. In 1989, Congress enacted the Lautenberg Amendment, which allowed up to 50,000 refugees to enter the United States each year. The last major wave of Soviet émigrés to the United States began as a result of eased travel restrictions after the fall of the Soviet Union in 1991.

EOC groups in the state are predominantly Armenian, Russian, and Ukrainian. Members are highly successful in adapting to a variety of criminal schemes. This, in large part, is due to their flexible structure, global connections, and desire for wealth and power. The most economically threatening crimes that EOC groups conduct in the state are healthcare and financial frauds. EOC groups also engage in criminal activities including firearms trafficking, auto theft, cargo theft, extortion, murder, prostitution, money laundering, drugs, insurance fraud, recycling fraud, smuggling, immigration fraud, and human trafficking.

EOC groups can adapt to changing circumstances almost instantly and shift to new criminal schemes as needed. It is not uncommon for EOC groups to shut down a criminal activity and move to different regions or change criminal activity altogether once law enforcement is alerted to them. This ability to react to circumstances and adapt makes EOC a continuing problem for law enforcement.

Unlike other organized crime groups, EOC is unique due to its extremely fluid structure. Levels of EOC organization and sophistication vary depending on the group. The most organized of the EOC groups are referred to as “Vory V Zakone” or “Thieves in Law,” which have been in existence for several decades. This structure of EOC typically has a boss, a hierarchical structure, and a chain of command. Other types of EOC criminal enterprises have loosely based criminal networks that form relationships for mutual benefit. These networks are venture specific and consist of individuals who possess certain positions or roles based on their knowledge, personal characteristics, or experience. Once the criminal enterprise is no longer profitable, the network disbands. At this point, the EOC criminals will move on to form new networks.

The FBI considers EOC groups to be the top organized crime threat to the United States, estimating roughly 60 percent of FBI cases targeting EOC involve fraud.

EOC groups are also proficient with financial fraud, stealing vast amounts of money from unsuspecting victims and quickly adapting new modus operandi to remain one step ahead of law enforcement. Two of the most common EOC financial frauds are credit card identity thefts and automated teller machine (ATM) or point of sale (POS) credit card skimming. Credit card thefts can occur in numerous ways, and EOC members often sell the stolen information to third parties who make criminal use of the information.

ATM or POS credit card skimming takes advantage of unsuspecting consumers using ostensibly legitimate ATM or POS transactions such as gasoline pump credit card devices. Electronic skimming devices are used to capture account information, such as the name on the account, the account number, and the personal identification number that is embedded in the magnetic strip on the back of debit or credit cards. Once a card is swiped through a skimmer, the information contained in the magnetic strip is stored in the electronic device and eventually downloaded to a computer. The account information that is captured can be used in a variety of ways: criminals may sell the account information to other criminals, order products and services online with the stolen account information, use the account information to create new counterfeit cards, or simply withdraw cash. According to law enforcement sources, it is very difficult to stop this type of activity once account information has been compromised.

EOC groups also stage auto accidents that yield high profits at relatively low risk. Staged accident rings typically consist of cooperative doctors and clinics, lawyers, chiropractors, and office administrators. The EOC ring thoroughly rehearses its drivers and witnesses prior to a staged accident so they provide detailed and consistent stories. The accident is staged, a police report is obtained, and the ring files fake claims for legal and medical services. The ring reaps thousands of dollars in insurance settlements for each phony incident.

Auto theft has become an extremely lucrative way for EOC groups to generate profits. Vehicles are stolen and shipped overseas where EOC members can receive up to three times the value of the car in the United States. EOC members will also sell stolen vehicles domestically under market value through print or Internet advertising. Unsuspecting buyers discover their newly purchased vehicles are stolen when attempting registration with the Department of Motor Vehicles. EOC groups also steal vehicles, disassemble them, and store the stripped parts. When the stripped vehicle is recovered by law enforcement authorities and is designated a salvaged vehicle, the EOC group purchases the stripped vehicle at the auto auction and reassembles it with the stored parts. The vehicle is then sold for a profit.

Some EOC groups can be extremely violent and will use extortion and kidnapping as a way to send a message or to gain control of criminal markets. Extortion and kidnapping rings are typically aimed at victims within their own ethnic communities because they are generally afraid to report criminal acts to law enforcement authorities for fear of retaliation.

EOC rings are active in human smuggling and trafficking. Their international network of contacts and expertise in counterfeiting documents enables them to import women from Eastern Europe and Russia with falsified visa applications. If they are unable to obtain documentation, the women are smuggled into the United States through Mexico. Once in the United States, EOC members force them to work in prostitution, strip clubs, and massage parlors. EOC groups frequently confiscate their victims’ travel documentation while forcing them to pay off their travel debt.

EOC members may associate with other criminal organizations. The drug trade has not been without EOC influence, and some EOC groups traffic heroin, cocaine, marijuana, and ecstasy. It is suspected that some EOC members may exchange weapons for drugs with Mexican DTOs. According to law enforcement authorities, EOC groups have been known to have ties to the EME and African American street gangs.

Eurasian Organized Crime Analysis and Trends
EOC groups continue to challenge law enforcement with their ability to undertake multiple criminal activities simultaneously. EOC groups often network with other criminal groups, and law enforcement agencies are challenged with the large volume of subjects involved in each case. Large, complex cases that involve multiple jurisdictions, resources, and personnel strain law enforcement budgets and are difficult to sustain.

EOC figures in the United States will continue to engage in high profit, low risk, or transnational crimes. Profitable healthcare fraud will remain a major EOC criminal activity. Healthcare fraud does not result in long prison terms, and EOC members do not fear prison time in the United States.

While medical, financial, and auto theft fraud are the foundation of EOC activity, these groups are extremely ingenious and will devise new criminal activities. It can be expected that EOC groups will continue to grow and evolve with new ventures for creating profits.