Feature Articles

October 23, 2000

Round Up The Usual Suspects

By John William Tuohy

John William Tuohy is a writer who lives in Washingon, D.C.

compiled by John William Tuohy

BOSTON: The headquarters of alleged Boston gangster Whitey Bulger is falling down. Falling bricks from the buildings facade forced city officials to shut down a section of a busy road way in the city. The building houses a bar room which Whitey Bulger, who is now on the run and on the FBI's most wanted list, used as his headquarters when he ruled over that portion of the city.

TOKYO: The National Police Agency is seeking funds in its upcoming fiscal budget to combat cyber-terrorism and establish two organized crime investigation centers.

CHICAGO: Leonard Japp Sr., widely recognized as the entrepreneur behind the modern, corn oil-fried potato chip, died Thursday. He was 96. Japp grew his company from a two-person operation delivering nuts and pretzels to Al Capone's speakeasies in 1927 to a business that currently employs 1,000 people and sells snacks in Illinois, Indiana, Wisconsin, Michigan, Missouri, Minnesota and Iowa.

WASHINGTON: A two-year, 12-nation operation seized $1 billion worth of cocaine bound for Europe and North America, dealing a ``real crippling blow'' to a major Colombian drug smuggling network. "Operation Journey" had shut down a drug trafficking operation that used commercial vessels to ship tons of cocaine via Venezuela to 12 countries.

LONDON: British gangster Reggie Kray has been released from prison early after a doctor concluded that he had only weeks to live.

"The decision followed confirmation from a hospital consultant that Mr. Kray is gravely ill, that his condition is terminal and his life expectancy is a matter of weeks" the Home Office said.

Kray, 66, the last survivor of three criminal brothers, has been receiving medical treatment at the Norfolk and Norwich Hospital, where he underwent an operation earlier this month.

He has been in jail for more than 30 years, but was allowed out in April to attend the funeral of his elder brother Charlie, who died while serving a jail sentence for plotting to smuggle cocaine.

Reggie and his twin, Ronnie, achieved notoriety in the late 1960s when they ruled London's murky underworld by day and rubbed shoulders with celebrities by night.

Both twins were jailed for life in 1969 -- Reggie for the murder of a minor underworld figure Jack ``The Hat'' McVitie.

Ronnie died in Broadmoor prison in 1995. Charlie was buried alongside him at a plot in east London.

Mr. Tuohy can be reached at MobStudy@aol.com

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