Criminal gang with political connections to go before the beak

On Monday, the Kielce prosecuting office accused Leszek S. and twelve other people of being members of a gang that allegedly profited from the illegal sale of weapons and narcotics, ran extortion rackets and committed numerous robberies and assaults. The charges come following a lengthy police operation that involved the crime syndicate being infiltrated by members of Central Investigation Bureau for some 20 months. "The gang has been accused of several dozen crimes. Four members of the organization have been accused of running an organized crime ring headed by Leszek S.," revealed Janusz Bors, Kielce's deputy prosecutor. Leszek S. and six other suspects have been in custody since March 2003. (Rzeczpospolita, pp. A1, A3) M.M.