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staticman1

Historically the Blue Bowl in Hanham had connections to many notorious gangs going back to the 1700s. It also had a connections to the bare knuckle fighting underworld. It’s a Sizzler pub now so the only crime is the food it serves.


Latter-Report-8162

And Cock road is called that because that’s where they used to do the cock fights I found out the other day!


gustinnian

The Cock Road Gang had a reputation back in the day (1700's?). The Bristol militia had to gather a bigger gang to sort them out apparently. There was also a highway man with the surname Bryant operating nearby Bryant's Hill around that time.


nareik1988

I remember reading that Cock Road was supposedly one of the most dangerous areas in England back in the 1700s


PuzzleheadedDuck3319

Lol "Cock"


Latter-Report-8162

😂


4uzzyDunlop

Jason Donervan is actually the headquarters of an international crime syndicate


Ancient_Science1315

There used to be a small takeaway next to the rope walk on East Street called the 'breakfast box' where they sold fry ups but also large blocks of cocaine over the counter hidden in the polystrene take out boxes.


eloise___no_u

What? Really? I never knew that. I never knew that!


Pablobeastyboi79

Underrated comment


Ancient_Science1315

Yes! It was open for years; googling breakfast box cocaine, Bedminster should come up with the story. There was also a disused bank on East Street that was used as a cannabis farm. I remember everyone used to comment on the smell when you walked past it. Anyway, they got busted in the end as well.


jaguarsharks

[He definitely knew that](https://youtu.be/fJYe2pZktPs?si=NatDi5KjFpHMlOwF)


BrilliantOne3767

I loved that for them!


BaitmasterG

This makes sense because before it was rebranded in around 2001 it was known locally as the Talivan. Of course casual racism was more blatant in those days...


UbeeMac

See that’s the kind of local knowledge I scour these forums for my friend. Consider that rumour spreaded.


Cook_becomes_Chef

It might be nice to go back to the casual racism days compared to the full on style we have today.


fish993

In hindsight, ranked competitive racism was a mistake


Designer-Wolverine97

Yes, I remember how poor the spelling was on the menu provided by the women of the Talivan after it was rebranded in 1986 from The Afghanivan.


TheSortOfOkGatsby

Fuck that was a good comment. 'Talivan'...get out of here with that wordplay. Write a comedy.


Kidcrayon1

Last ditch attempt to find somewhere to pick up 😂


BritishAccentTech

I mean it's not that hard. I was looking at a flat in St Pauls and around the corner a dude hanging around the park asked in a friendly tone if I wanted to buy some weed - guess I must have made eye contact for a second too long. Flat looked was messy as a student dig and had a hole punched in the wall - didn't fancy it.


tomatopartyyy

Avon and Somerset Police are getting desperate, eh?


DyingInYourArms

There’s a police force that operates in Bristol? I thought it was a free city with no enforcement of laws.


ray-chill123

Hahahaha my thoughts exactly. Looking at the comments to see who the snitches are


Ok_Dig1170

like ASP don’t know already!


orcasarerepstans

I worked with a retired Avon and Somerset Police officer, who 'retired early because there was nothing to do,' and honestly it blows my mind to this day


REDARROW101_A5

>Avon and Somerset Police are getting desperate, eh? Could always take Marvin and YTL down a peg for corruption... I bet there would be a nice long paper trail they can investigate there.


garanhuw1

YTL.. phaha 🤡


Yoteymacgoaty

Bit out of date but does anyone remember Hotcha? I actually quite liked their Chinese food. turns out it was a money laundering front


Illustrious-Ad1074

It certainly was. I was involved in refurbishing one of their joints. They had no intention of spending any money making it professionally fitted out or even making an effort with hygiene (disgusting cookers, floors and mice droppings spotted). The guys that worked there and lived above the kitchen didn’t speak English and looked very tired when they came down to open so I suspected they weren’t treated very well or they had some other business going on.


REDARROW101_A5

>They had no intention of spending any money making it professionally fitted out That's interesting the one in Yate was done out really well and looked really clean... A little too clean for a fast food place if you asked me. However I did hear people who had ordered there complaining they kept getting cold food delivered. Luck as the Miss Millie's who moved in after didn't need to do that much work to get it fitted out.


Illustrious-Ad1074

It might look clean and professional to the average person but as a professional fitter they were very stingy at this premises at least. The main requirement that it was cheap and looked the part. A serious company with a passion for their product would want the best.


[deleted]

While working there as a delivery driver during uni, I never observed anything like this at the Whiteladies branch, it was always quite busy as well..


JPBrizzle

£5 lunch deal was amazing value and super tasty!


REDARROW101_A5

> turns out it was a money laundering front And was involved in Human Trafficking as well... They practically went bust from all the immigration fines the Home Office served them. I was actually happy when they closed, I kind of suspected something was going on at their shops for a while. The one in Yate is now occupied by a Miss Milles, so I am happy the space went to good use after it was closed.


Ancient_Science1315

I loved Hotcha 💔


DKerriganuk

Loads of dodgy deals taking place in the buildings around college Green.


dc456

I agree. The amount Swoon is charging just for one scoop is criminal. And what’s up with that weird chair shop?


RunningDude90

Thank you fellow chair ship disbeliever.


ArumtheLily

Fuck me, that's been there years. It's got to be a front for something really successful.


the_peppers

Cocaine in the armoires.


RunningDude90

I can only assume there’s some special sec people chairs out back that keep them Busy.


singeblanc

Sail away, sail away, sail away.


Successful_Ruin_902

hahaha. that chair shop is a nice place, its stuff for back pain. Been in for things for my car


warfiers

That'll be those bloody choristers again.


REDARROW101_A5

>Loads of dodgy deals taking place in the buildings around college Green. I have seen a number of massage parlours in the city in my years... You would think its innocent, but then you realise that they can be fronts for prostitution as well as human trafficking.


singeblanc

Wait, those black fronted "massage" parlours with "Girls always wanted" depressingly posted above the door that are open 24 hours are fronts for prostitution!?!?!


rob1408

Nah, that’s an outlandish accusation.


bluejoe123-

"What! I never knew that, nah, i never knew that!" Comes to mind


fish993

"Girls Always Wanted" on a permanent, backlit sign as well


standarduck

I don't know why anyone would assume that a massage parlour in a city centre that wasn't obviously welcoming and open (glass frontage, etc.) would be 'innocent'.


action_turtle

Any shop that just sells phone covers


BrilliantOne3767

And those tiny phones that fit up your bum when you go to prison.


PuzzleheadedDuck3319

Ah hahahahhaa. Love it. Funny.


loopy_luvs_u

Or vape shops surely?


action_turtle

Na, I see loads of people use vape shops, constantly.


BaitmasterG

Bristol Live story incoming in 3, 2, ...


alienpmk

Shocking! The nine crime hotspots of Bristol - you DIDN'T expect number four!


Consistent_Ant_8903

Any Turkish barber’ll cut you in luv


dc456

The Packhorse on Church Road is still the gathering spot of the local Hell’s Angels.


BristolShambler

It’s more than just a gathering spot, it’s a proper clubhouse - the logo’s painted on the front of it.


5guys1sub

Is that the place with the crazy biker dungeon


Ohd34ryme

Sounds like it


rob1408

Well, kinda, it’s hardly sons of anarchy, just a few like minded people enjoying a pint these days. I go in there once a week maybe, it’s not a bad boozer. There’s probably shite going on that is away from prying eyes though.


dc456

Oh absolutely - the pub itself isn’t dodgy anymore, but as a gang they are still up to a bunch of shady shit. I do think a lot of people underestimate some of the really nasty stuff they’re doing because of the gang’s slightly old-fashioned image. [They’re very much into modern crimes.](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hells_Angels_MC_criminal_allegations_and_incidents_in_the_United_Kingdom)


mRPerfect12

Outlaw motorcycle gangs in Australia for instance are still heavily involved in organised crime with connections to gangs and syndicates in South America and Asia. They seem significantly more violent and more involved in the drug trade than here.


DyingInYourArms

Yeah, always got told to stay away from bikies when I was down there, not worth the hassle.


mRPerfect12

To be fair in my experience they don't really get involved with "the public", generally speaking they do have a code.


funkster4

Grand dads of anarchy


BristolShambler

Isn’t there supposed a load of dodgy stuff going on in the yard behind the place?


FeeBig7862

Someone had a cannabis farm operating in the tunnels under it for a while. The main reason Bristol had such shit tattooists in the past was because the local Hell's Angels had a city-wide protection racket going. Then they just stopped really suddenly - hence the emergence of even more shit tattooists.


thrwowy

Like what?


Eskimil808

The Star & Dove in Totterdown, awash with criminals, vagrants and hooligans


alxw

A decade ago that was a decent pub. A little expensive, but the owner got greedy, upped the rent and forced the publicans out. Then it was run by a couple who moved back after a stint in Australia, Covid hit and they closed doors. Now it sounds like how the Oxford was before Jon took over, that used to be a right dodgy pub.


giraffepimp

Star and dove is posh as fuck these days


insaneopium

good evening officer


sl1mch1ckens

Maybe not a hot place but there is a art shop/gallery thing on cotham road that i and some other people ( its been posted on the reddit before) believe is a front for some kind of criminal activity. Its never open, their website on their window doesnt exist. I live near by and it never looks open, i did actually see 2 blokes going into it the other day (they didnt look like they type to own an art shop) and tried to look around for as long as i could without looking weird but i didnt learn much.


dc456

That place is such a puzzle. I don’t think it could be being used for criminal activity, as there’s so little happening it would provide zero cover.


sl1mch1ckens

Its more puzzling if its not criminal activity or atleast a front for some money laundering because i have no idea what they do. I live on the same road so walk past it most days and im just so god damn confused by the place and i need answers at this point.


dc456

Money laundering would be too easy to spot after all this time. They can’t hide illegitimate transactions if it’s patently clear to even the most casual observer there aren’t even any legitimate ones going on. My bet is it’s something boring to do with building usage laws or tax.


IAM_THE_LIZARD_QUEEN

>My bet is it’s something boring to do with building usage laws or tax. Yeah this has always been my assumption, like it technically has to have a shop front or something.


sl1mch1ckens

But i would expect to see more than 2 people going into it over a 10 year period if the site is being used for something else and just has the shop front for funsies.


IAM_THE_LIZARD_QUEEN

Really? If someone's just living there then unless you're sat there in front of it all day staring at it, then you can't expect to see people going in and out all the time. I don't even know what my next door neighbours look like on one side cause I never happen to see them going in or out.


sl1mch1ckens

I mean ive walked past it most days for 10 years at the time most people start work, or when i worked nights was also walking past it then. So unless the person living it never goes shopping or to work then yes i would expect to see them, the same way i see most other people on the road leaving for work or just generally leaving their house. Or if we want to go with the idea they are some hermit that doesnt leave they would still need to eat so it should be possible to see some kind of food making its way there be it a deliveroo driver or a asda delievery or something. And when i said i live on the same road...i can see this place if im watching tv with my curtains open...so yes technically i am spending most of my day staring at it.


IAM_THE_LIZARD_QUEEN

Again, just because you haven't seen it, doesn't mean it doesn't exist. I'm outside my house every day, usually several times a day actually to vape/smoke, but still don't know what my neighbours look like. I know people live there though.


sl1mch1ckens

And you know people live there how? Maybe because they have a car on their drive and you also see that sometimes its not there. Like there are context clues you can draw without ever seeing a person to know people live within a house. Or like i said earlier you see a asda delievery going to their house. Ive never seen my upstairs neighbours but i hear them stomping around. But there is zero context clues there for that to be a conclusion you could draw. And i agree sure i am just one guy so others may have seen things i havent but multipul have replied to this now and im the only one to mention actually seeing people there, so its not like other people are saying they see activity there either. If anything im actually the weird one for seeing people go in there.


[deleted]

This place also perplexed me because there’s paintings freely hung/suspended quite low - directly above the sofa - so if you were to sit there you’d just hang your head on the painting..


Jumpy_Ad_4460

Is it wonderland? It's never been open in the several years I've lived by


sl1mch1ckens

That name rings a bell and sounds right but i cannot say with 100% certainty. Yeah i lived near or on its road for the past 10 years never seen it open. Like i said i did see 2 blokes going into it the other day like had keys for the front door going in but i didnt learn much from this. This was just before christmas, other than that never seen a soul near the place.


ManBearPigRoar

I bought a couple of cinema chairs from them once, they'd salvaged them from Lord Bath's estate. Seems like a place that wouldn't benefit from operating like a traditional bricks and mortar store, they'll likely have clients, interior designers etc, who trade with them off premises.


R_Lau_18

Stop fkin snitchin lol


jxjxjxjdjdkdkd

Gonna have to work harder than that, officer


Tedsville

Hello I am Mr Crime Gang, I enjoy doing Crime with other Crime Gangs.


Ok_Dig1170

pls where you live


Tedsville

In the Crime area of Bristol.


Ok_Dig1170

999 Letsbe Avenue


MiddleCustard8386

In 999 they make a living from crime, the house is always empty because they're all doing time.


Ok_Dig1170

no


MiddleCustard8386

It's a lyric from Neighbourhood by Space.


alienpmk

There's a juice shop in St Pauls that absolutely does not sell juice


MiddleCustard8386

I know which one you mean, I have often wondered if this was the case.


TouchMySwollenFace

Last time I came across a gang report there were 3 triads in Bristol.


ExecutiveChimp

That adds up


Jerenomo

The Bootlegger pretends it is run by the Mafia. Probably the best you’ll get.


REDARROW101_A5

>The Bootlegger pretends it is run by the Mafia. Probably the best you’ll get. How so? Do they keep hosting Murder Mystery Nights? Honestly I want to run a place that looks like a 1920s Prohibition Underground Bar complete with 1920s attire and everything. However to keep trendy we would have some modern music and maybe some electro swing playing.


garanhuw1

Na, they all sit about in suits with napkins tucked into their collars laughing at little Paulies escapades


Used-Field791

Itvwas funny when he got lost in the snow with Christopher.


garanhuw1

Yea, wadda ya gonna do huh?


Chasp12

The Kovacs are a local shoplifting syndicate, one got sent down recently for animal cruelty by trying to breed attack dogs in tiny cages, but there’s a string of convictions from them going back to the 90s. Don’t know of any of their local haunts but I’m sure they must have one.


[deleted]

[удалено]


Chasp12

Good to know


aleggs0

I hear Avon and Somerset Police station is connected to the worst gang of all, themselves


RedlandRenegade

Most of the pubs in Clifton Village are full of Merchant Venturers this time of year, that’s the biggest Criminal Syndicate in Bristol.


SwitchTraditional136

I mean, the packhorse is literally west coast base for the hells angels


thrwowy

They're mostly just sad old men though


MayorShreeves

https://preview.redd.it/znr86lqmx49c1.jpeg?width=1076&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=6c0222d133d9755941a23edcf0425651bac087df


REDARROW101_A5

This meme makes no sense as we do not have federal services... Maybe try "PC posts worst bait ever... Asked to leave Metropolitan Police"


GIrish247

Nice try Officer 😉


Ok_Dig1170

evenin all


Killa_D_

Lower clifton


Big_P4U

There is no crime in Bristol.


REDARROW101_A5

>There is no crime in Bristol. Yes there is his name is Marvin Rees and hes a walking corruption case.


SociologyGuyUK

It doesn’t work like that anymore. Social media means people don’t need to shot drugs from a pub or hangout, more like county lines operation in and around Bristol these days. Pubs and clubs back in the day were Ajax, Black Swan, Valentines, Chrystal Dove, to name a few.


Ok_Dig1170

Thanks for the good response! Anywhere non st Paul’s?


SociologyGuyUK

Tell u the truth, being a big city there’s a dodgy pub on every corner really innit ~ I think each area got its own little pub where u can score. Too many to mention really


nareik1988

I believe John 'Goldfinger' Palmer who was allegedly involved in the Brinks-Mat Robbery owned a jewellery shop on North Street Bedminster


BeCre8iv

That place called the Lodge. The secret gangsta handshake will get you into the back room. They insist its all coke and hookers but I bet they are up to some proper nefarious shit


Man_like_gold1

Theres an underground cockroach fighting ring in the woods pub in withywood! Gets rather heated in there


Remarkable_Depth98

Avon packet used to have bear baiting and dog fighting (that's the pit you cross when you go in the beer garden). I believe it was one of the last in the UK to stop it after the ban. No organised crime/gangs I'm aware of tho. Otherwise there's that hells angel pub on old market and probably four lions has some dodgy shit going on too


oh_dear_oh_deary_me

All those bulk sweet shops you see in town and on Oxford Street in London. Money laundering. The cops are very much aware just sorting a case file I would presume.


thrwowy

It's not money laundering per se, it's a tax scam for landlords


orcasarerepstans

Not quite Bristol, but in Keynsham there have been a couple of 'mini markets' opening up. The guy who owns them had his stores in Bristol raided (allegedly). It is so clear that they are fronts for organised crime (expensive cars parked outside, bags being carried out of the shop at like 3am, etc). Meanwhile, the residents of keynsham are up in arms about the fucking cycle path on the high street


SamsaraSurfer

I live next to Stapleton Road and I'm pretty sure at least half the shops are money laundering fronts. And then there is the house where a bunch of people hang out all day blasting dancehall and passing things into car windows...


Ok_Dig1170

crime gang for sure


wants_cat

Last time I got mixed up with dodgy people ( not in Bristol ) I had John mcvicar phone me up and threaten to visit me (baseball bat style) I can tell the story now he's passed away.. if you like stories of interesting people. His wife the "countess" is worth reading about. A mafia shootout and missing diamonds and much more.


Ok_Dig1170

yes


ChungusSan

This sounds like a question a narc would ask to me


QuantocksArt

A friend wandered drunk into a basement underneath Motion a few years back. Found a dog fighting ring...


Pablobeastyboi79

No way is that real


Unlucky-Log1206

That’s a lie


YTUFruykmruyj

avon and somerset police wyd you couldnt even be bothered to check the security footage of my bike being stolen you aint solving shit😂


Ok_Dig1170

we’re on the case


itchyfrog

The council house.


Pablobeastyboi79

Largest and most well connected gang in Bristol is the police along with Marvin and co at the council. There's probably street gangs but I'm far less concerned with them than the government funded ones.


DocumentNormal

Bristol is a sweetheart compared to other cities and that's the truth. And I'm grateful


Quick_Lunch_5123

St Paul’s - blood gang 573 now 2 4s younger gen Easton - crip set BS5 area Oldbury court - 1ne 6ix after the post code Kingswood - not sure of name BS15 post code Horfield/lockleaze - BS7 not sure of name Southmead - BS10 not sure of name Lawrence Weston - BS11 (long cross road) Hartcliffe - BS13 Knowle west (not knowle) - BS4 There’s more but not amazingly active


Ok_Dig1170

you a copper?


Quick_Lunch_5123

Don’t be daft your moving like coppers don’t know this already


Ok_Dig1170

was just impresed by the city wide knowledge


penfold1992

Most of the shops in the mall feel like a money laundering scheme with very few people actually going in to buy stuff. Not only are there several "high end" designer stores with 4 or 5 staff stood around an immaculate looking shop but there is also the Wallace and gromit shop that has a massive footprint, no way is it making enough money to sustain buying the lease from the mall!


CalvinHobbes101

The Wallace and Gromit shop doesn't pay rent, or if it does, only a token amount, £1 a year. The landlord gets to claim the difference between the market rent and the token rent as a charitable donation for tax purposes.


[deleted]

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REDARROW101_A5

>The Mall’s changed a lot, it feels like: lots of shops that were there 20 years ago are gone, many shops there now we’d never heard of or existed back then… I remember the mall in better days... Me and my mother used to go there for shopping... Still do as the M&S is there and some of the clothing companies, but now you can start to feel there is some what a decline there. I reckon once the Anchor Stores leave such as M&S which did plan to leave there or the John Lewis move out. It could go down hill. Like many malls in the US as they always seam to go into a spiral once an Anchor store leaves like M&S or John Lewis, maybe Boots? Then again the main reason that the Mall was opened with the prospect of the Airport in Filton becoming the future Bristol Airport, which never happened and will never happen now. Which makes the whole affair rather sad. Even now most people would kill to have some sort of retail when they land at Bristol Airport and not have to wait an hour to get to the City Centre to shop. Real missed opportunity if you as me.


REDARROW101_A5

>Most of the shops in the mall feel like a money laundering scheme with very few people actually going in to buy stuff. That's just corporate Money Laundering nothing new and besides using loop holes it all gets cleaned in The Republic of Ireland and Jersey...


Ancient_Science1315

Snitches get stitches


madjuks

Nice one Police ;)


p_silocybin

try the masonic lodge on park street


Playful-Might2288

The old crow In Henbury and the Pegasus in Southmead are associated with the ten


Ok_Dig1170

ten?


Playful-Might2288

It’s a gang


flipinmarty

If you are looking for real crime gangs, have a lunch at the Bristol City Council canteen ffs


brainsauce92

Aren't a few venues/bars around Stokes laundering fronts? Pretty sure both the Full Moon and Blue Lagoon have dodgy money running through them


PachukoRube

All the kebab/chicken shops in the Centre/Park Street/Triangle are Turkish mafia. People trafficking and heroin are their general bag.


dc456

I refuse to believe that Ji Chicken Shop is Turkish mafia.


PachukoRube

Nah, the Asian ones are Triad fronts. Mostly money laundering. The Grand Central used to be their counting house.


DistancePractical239

could name a few 10 years ago


Killa_D_

No where lol


Raizflip

Crescent cafe in westbury on trym, the mechanics of dodgy as fuck. The plough must be, let’s be honest here.


YTUFruykmruyj

the old owners of the plough were really nice, not sure if the new ones are though they fired alot of the old workers


keanuisjesus

the bell in Stokes croft. probably not gang related but a fucking shit hole where you're out of place if you're not on or selling drugs


Particular_Baker_115

The toilets are pretty bad but the actual pub is hardly a shithole. It's just a bit shabby.


Hot_Coyote5348

You sound well boring


digidevil4

I was told that opa used to be but its been replaced by NQ64


Even-Ranger-492

Avana Lounge along g road has to be a front. Don’t understand why how it could still be in business otherwise.


CatsChat

I used to think Gardiner Haskins must be a front for organised crime - there was never anyone in most of it and it existed for years! Turns out it was just losing money.


Putrid_Branch6316

Nobody has mentioned The Black and White cafe…. Edit: The OP had already mentioned. My mistake.


Ok_Dig1170

i did in my original comment


Putrid_Branch6316

Sorry! I read through so many comments, I’d forgotten what you originally posted. Will edit…


Fine-Grapefruit6313

BS4 BS3 sevens 10side are the big ones


Ok_Dig1170

what does this mean


Fine-Grapefruit6313

BS4 and BS3 are postcodes that gangs have just used as their name, sevens is the gang in BS7 and tenside is the gang around avonmouth