Barry Robinson, of College Avenue guilty on all 14 counts of an indictment charging him with selling cocaine

Barry Robinson, of College Avenue guilty on all 14 counts of an indictment charging him with selling cocaine to an undercover informant on Jan. 15, 24, 25, 30 and 31 of 2008. On two occasions, the jury found, Robinson was guilty of a law passed in 2006 accusing him of selling illegal drugs near a school. Robinson’s home is across the street from the Poughkeepsie Middle School.Under state law, Robinson faced a mandatory prison term because he was previously convicted of a felony within the last 10 years. He was arrested for the 2008 drug sales last Feb. 8, about 18 months after he finished serving a 6-to-12-year sentence on a previous conviction for drug sales. Robinson’s attorney, Lee Klein, said his client maintained his innocence and intended to appeal the conviction.

Eugene Cobbs pleaded innocent Tuesday before U.S. Magistrate Judge James Siebert

Eugene Cobbs pleaded innocent Tuesday before U.S. Magistrate Judge James Siebert at the U.S. District Court in Wheeling.Cobbs had been a fugitive after a plane crash near the Wheeling-Ohio County Airport on December 18, 2004.Federal authorities said the Piper Aerostar twin-engine plane was loaded with 520 pounds of cocaine worth $24 million.Last month, Cobbs was arrested in Guadalajara, Mexico and returned to the U.SIf convicted, Cobbs faces up to 25 years in prison and more than $8 million in fines.

Christopher Adams, of Buchanan Street, Blackpool, appeared at Preston Crown Court

Christopher Adams, of Buchanan Street, Blackpool, appeared at Preston Crown Court today (Tuesday, January 27) for sentencing after admitting three counts of supplying cocaine and one of possessing the drug with intent to supply.Operation Nimrod is an intelligence-led operation that targets drug crime across Lancashire.The operation was the culmination of months of evidence-gathering on alleged drug-dealing in Blackpool.A total of 64 people were charged with 222 offences.Lancashire Constabulary is working closely with everyone who plays a part in preventing crime, dealing with crime and working with offenders to make sure both the causes and consequences of drug-related crime are tackled.

Police arrested Gregory Zaborowski, 48, of 104 Daniels Drive, Hawley, at his business, Long Life Transmission

Police arrested Gregory Zaborowski, 48, of 104 Daniels Drive, Hawley, at his business, Long Life Transmission, 7 Roosevelt St., Palmyra, where they discovered 65 packets of heroin, three firearms and more than $2,000 in cash.200 packets of heroin valued at $4,900, plus pills, cash and weapons, were seized at two sites in Wayne County on Tuesday, state police at Dunmore said.A search of his home led to 131 heroin packets, 129 pills, 20 weapons and a bulletproof vest. The unidentified pills were worth $645, police said.Mr. Zaborowski faces several drug-related charges with more pending, police said. He was arraigned Tuesday; bail information was unavailable.

Eugene Cobbs pleaded innocent Tuesday

Eugene Cobbs pleaded innocent Tuesday before U.S. Magistrate Judge James Siebert at the U.S. District Court in Wheeling.Cobbs had been a fugitive after a plane crash near the Wheeling-Ohio County Airport on Dec. 18, 2004.Federal authorities said the Piper Aerostar twin-engine plane was loaded with 520 pounds of cocaine worth $24 million.Last month, Cobbs was arrested in Guadalajara, Mexico and returned to the U.S.If convicted, Cobbs faces up to 25 years in prison and more than $8 million in fines.

Nigerian Ethelbert Nzeagwu, 42, appeared to be was a respectable IT engineer

Nigerian Ethelbert Nzeagwu, 42, appeared to be was a respectable IT engineer, but in reality he led a double life receiving and passing on £25,000 drug packages from South America at his Erith home.
The drugs were sent from Brazil to various European distribution centres including Frankfurt, Madrid and Coventry, before being posted as Parcel Force packages to Nzeagwu. He was caught when customs officers in Coventry intercepted a parcel addressed to a 'Paterson Alberta', at his address in Cooke Square. The dealer was arrested when he signed for the parcel, handed to him by an undercover officer dressed as a Parcel Force driver.. Jailing him last Thursday, Judge Richard Hawkins, QC, told Nzeagwu: "You were the recipient or intended recipient of some seven transactions relating to these drugs, and obviously the court must take a serious view of the conviction of such an offence.

Edgar Peralta was carrying 17 bags of cocaine was shot in the arm after he tried to run from a pair of Queens narcotics cops during a bust

Edgar Peralta was carrying 17 bags of cocaine was shot in the arm after he tried to run from a pair of Queens narcotics cops during a bust, police said Sunday.Edgar Peralta, 27, was listed in stable condition and charged with three counts of possessing and selling drugs - even as investigators tried to determine whether the suspect had a weapon when he was shot, police sources said. Cops were dispatched to an apartment building on 45th Ave. in Flushing at 5:30 p.m. Saturday, police said.
An unmarked NYPD vehicle carrying a plainclothes sergeant and detective from the Queens narcotics unit arrived minutes later and the officers spotted Peralta walking from the building to his car, police said. When the officers approached the car, they saw Peralta smoking a joint, a police source said. Peralta then opened his car door and sprinted off, the source said. While it is not immediately clear what prompted the detective to open fire, cops confirmed that the officer - a seven-year veteran of the NYPD - fired once, striking Peralta in the right arm. Cops have not found any sign that Peralta was carrying a gun or knife, a police source said.

Demond Nigel Sanders,could face penalties ranging up to life in prison when he is sentenced

Demond Nigel Sanders, who drove a gunman to the Aug. 12, 2008, shootout near Warren and Merriman, was convicted Thursday afternoon by Judge Michael Hathaway after he waived his right to a jury trial and decided not to plead guilty, as three other defendants did.Sanders, 29, could face penalties ranging up to life in prison when he is sentenced Feb. 5 by Hathaway for assault with intent to rob while armed, conspiracy to rob while armed and conspiracy to possess more than 1,000 grams of cocaine. Sanders was found not guilty of two other drug charges.Dressed in a suit, he showed no emotion Thursday as Hathaway announced his verdict after a day of testimony in which Sanders took the witness stand and sought to recant an earlier written confession he made to Westland Police Officer Burke Lange."Maybe he can get his grandmother to believe it, but he's not going to get me to believe it," Hathaway said. "That is just preposterous."Sanders' conviction came after earlier guilty pleas by a 50-year-old Garden City man, George Joseph Boldizar, and two 32-year-old Detroit men, Benjamin Bernard Pringle and Roberto Reed. A fifth man, 28-year-old Brian "Cheeseburger" Thomas of Detroit, was shot and killed by police during a shootout outside the now-closed Bob's of Canton-Westland store. Pringle was wounded.
The gunfight erupted on a summer afternoon when gunmen Thomas and Pringle, cocaine-deal conspirator Boldizar and getaway vehicle drivers Sanders and Reed tried to rob a drug informant of three kilos of cocaine rather than pay $60,000. The plot turned violent and bullets rang out when Romulus police emerged from two parked vans and tried to stop the incident.In court Thursday, Officer Lange read aloud a statement in which Sanders admitted driving Boldizar and Thomas to Bob's of Canton-Westland in a 2001 Chevy Lumina, while Reed and Pringle arrived in a black SUV just before the drug informant was confronted as he sat in a silver Mercedes Benz.Sanders told police he was supposed to get $1,000 for driving, but he fled the scene after the shootout erupted and was captured later that evening in Detroit. Sanders confessed in writing that he knew of the cocaine-robbery plot, but he changed his statement Thursday in court.Sanders testified that he didn't know a robbery was planned and that he had merely agreed to give his friend Thomas a ride to Boldizar's house and then to the nearby shopping center. Sanders said he didn't know why the men wanted to go to the shopping center.Under alternate questioning by Assistant Wayne County Prosecutor Maria Petito and defense attorney Richard Glanda, Sanders called his earlier written confession a lie and said he gave it because he feared that, if he didn't, he could face a more serious charge of murdering Thomas. He also said he was afraid that police would harass his family and his girlfriend.Petito, accompanied in court by Westland police Sgt. Michael Harhold, reminded Sanders of a text message he received from Thomas on the morning of the would-be robbery, reminding him that "it's on" for the afternoon of Aug. 12.Sanders confessed to police that he drove away from the scene after the shootout erupted, yet he testified Thursday that he dropped Thomas and Boldizar off, then left before the gunfight happened.
When asked by Petito why he didn't contact police after he heard what had happened, he replied, "I was scared. I didn't know what to do."Sanders will be the last defendant to face sentencing Feb. 5.Pringle pleaded guilty to assault with intent to commit armed robbery, conspiring to possess cocaine and felony firearms in return for a 15-year sentence formally set for Jan. 29.Boldizar accepted a sentence of 10-15 years in prison for his guilty plea to conspiracy to possess cocaine. His formal sentencing is scheduled for Jan. 28.Reed agreed to a 10-year prison term and pleaded guilty to felony firearms, conspiracy to commit armed robbery and possession of cocaine. His sentencing was scheduled for Friday, the day after Sanders' conviction.

Drug Squad has arrested two men following a cocaine haul in Mellieħa yesterday afternoon.

The police said they were observing an apartment from which they saw a man leaving. On being stopped by the police, the man was seen throwing away a packet which contained cocaine.The 30-year-old man from Naxxar had €7,700 cash in his possession as well as many clandestine lotto papers.The apartment was later searched in the presence of its owner, a 39-year-old man from Ħamrun. More than 100 grammes of cocaine in eight capsules and a half were found together with more cash and weighing scales.The two men are expected to be arraigned in the coming days.

Police want to speak to Kyle Johnson, 24, about the discovery of high-grade heroin worth £20m at a flat in Meath Road, Forest Gate

Police want to speak to Kyle Johnson, 24, about the discovery of high-grade heroin worth £20m at a flat in Meath Road, Forest Gate, during a raid in December. Mr Johnson, who used to date singer Charlotte Church, had been living in Stratford, on Waltham Forest’s doorstep, and it is believed he could still be in the north east London area. Mr Johnson is described as a light-skinned black male, about 6ft 1in, of medium build, with short shaved black hair. He has a Welsh accent. Mr Johnson has an identical twin brother who is not connected to the investigation.

James Anderson, 27, was convicted on all charges, which include two counts of possession with intent to deliver

James Anderson, 27, was convicted on all charges, which include two counts of possession with intent to deliver, two counts of conspiracy to possess drugs with intent to deliver, drug possession and possession of drug paraphernalia.The investigation progressed after an undercover drug buy was made from Anderson on Dec. 6, 2007, authorities said.His house was searched two days later.The Bedford County District Attorney’s Office said police seized heroin, at least $30,000 in cash and numerous firearms.Assets that were seized – which the state will seek to sell at auction – include a pickup, tractor and motorcycle.“Clearly, the jury did not believe Anderson’s convoluted story about being a hardworking auto mechanic that was able to save nearly $60,000 in cash over a two-year period, despite reporting only $65 in income to the IRS in 2006,” said Travis Livengood, assistant district attorney.“The jury saw James Anderson for exactly what he is – a drug dealer, plain and simple,” he said.Two others have been charged in connection with the ring.

Yolanda Yvette Ugarte is being held without bond at the El Paso County Detention facility on possession with intent to distribute charges.

Drug sniffing dog alerted officers to a 2002 Nissan Altima that 22-year-old Yolanda Yvette Ugarte was driving about 4:30 p.m. Monday. CBP officers found $5,000 in cash and five bundles containing 26.8 lbs. of cocaine in a compartment in the car's undercarriage, officials said.Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents arrested Ugarte, who is a U.S. citizen residing in Socorro. She is being held without bond at the El Paso County Detention facility on possession with intent to distribute charges.The child was turned over to a relative after the drugs were seized, CBP officials said.

Terrance Oneil Thomas was sentenced to 13 years imprisonment for possession with intent to distribute cocaine.

Terrance Oneil Thomas, age 36, of Florence, was sentenced by United States District Judge R. Bryan Harwell to 13 years imprisonment for possession with intent to distribute cocaine. On May 23, 2007, a Florence County Sheriff’s deputy conducted a traffic stop on a vehicle in which Thomas was a passenger. After receiving consent to search the vehicle and passengers, officers found 63 grams of powder cocaine in Thomas’ pants. The case was investigated by the Florence County Sheriff’s Office and the DEA, and Assistant United States Attorney Rose Mary Parham of the Florence office handled prosecution of the case.

Carl "Snaps" Smith sentence also includes time for cooking some of the cocaine into crack

Carl "Snaps" Smith previously had pleaded guilty to drug charges in October. Smith's sentence also includes time for cooking some of the cocaine into crack at an Erie apartment on June 17. Smith will spend five years on probation after serving his 11-year, three-month prison sentence.

Enrique Estrada Araque, 53, and Rene Manual Sanchez, 47, admitted to conspiring to possess with the intention of distributing at least 5 kilograms

Enrique Estrada Araque, 53, and Rene Manual Sanchez, 47, admitted to conspiring to possess with the intention of distributing at least 5 kilograms of cocaine.
Between September 2006 and March 2007, the men and other unnamed conspirators repeatedly brought cocaine to Minnesota, according to their plea agreements. They were arrested in 2007.

Cameron McFarlane, 48, was caught with a large quantity of cocaine in his truck

Cameron McFarlane, 48, was caught with a large quantity of cocaine in his truck on the M80 motorway near Falkirk in central Scotland.McFarlane earlier pleaded guilty to being involved in the supply of a controlled substance and was sentenced at the High Court in Paisley.

Keito Weston,was charged with sale of crack cocaine, possession of crack cocaine,

Keito Weston, 25, of New Britain was believed to be selling crack cocaine in the downtown area, Sgt. Marc Hughes of the Manchester Police Department said.
At 4 p.m. Thursday, Weston arrived at the downtown parking lot near the corner of Chestnut and Forest streets with two other men: Samille Etienne, 25, of Hartford, and a 17-year-old male, who was not identified because he is a minor.Weston went to the parking lot in order to sell crack cocaine to a man who turned out to be an undercover officer with the East Central Narcotics Task Force, Hughes said.
Narcotics officers and local police seized both marijuana and crack cocaine during the arrest. Both Etienne and the 17-year-old were found to be in possession of marijuana, Hughes said.Weston had three felony warrants charging him with previous crack cocaine sales to an undercover officer. He also was arrested in 2006 for sale of crack cocaine, Hughes said.All three men were arrested without incident.Weston was charged with sale of crack cocaine, possession of crack cocaine, possession of crack cocaine with intent to sell, and committing each of those crimes within 1,500-feet of a school.He also was charged with possession of less than 4 ounces of marijuana and interfering with an officer.He was held in lieu of $425,000 bond.
Both Etienne and the 17-year-old were charged with possession of less than 4 ounces of marijuana and possession of marijuana within 1,500-feet of a school.
Etienne was held in lieu of $25,000 bond.The 17-year-old was released on a $25,000 nonsurety bond.Both Weston and Etienne were to be arraigned today in Manchester Superior Court.

Eugenio Montoya Sanchez, 38, the brother of alleged North Valley mastermind Diego Montoya Sanchez, faces between 10 and 30 years in prison

Eugenio Montoya Sanchez, 38, the brother of alleged North Valley mastermind Diego Montoya Sanchez, faces between 10 and 30 years in prison when he is sentenced April 3. The maximum life sentence is prohibited under Colombia's extradition agreement with the U.S.Prosecutors say the Montoyas oversaw a drug empire that smuggled cocaine worth some $10 billion to the U.S. beginning in the early 1990s.Eugenio Montoya admitted in court Friday that he handled the cartel's finances and money-laundering work, including a series of cash "stash houses" in Colombia where as much as $20 million in U.S. currency was hidden. Montoya also acknowledged playing a role in the August 2003 torture, killing and dismemberment of a confederate whom cartel leaders feared was cooperating with authorities."Yes, your honor," Montoya answered when U.S. District Judge Cecilia M. Altonaga asked if the allegations were true.
"You were a high-ranking manager," Altonaga said.Montoya was arrested in January 2007 at a farm outside Cali, Colombia, and later extradited to the U.S. The North Valley cartel emerged in the 1990s as the leading exporter of cocaine to the U.S. - usually via Mexican land routes - following the demise of the earlier Cali and Medellin cartels.

In a written plea agreement, Montoya said he would cooperate with U.S. investigations - possibly including his brother's case - and assist in identifying property and other drug-tainted assets that could be forfeited. That cooperation could result in a future reduction in Montoya's sentence.

Montoya's attorney, Ruben Oliva, said the plea deal was the best possible outcome for his client, who would have faced more prison time if the case had gone to trial. Under the agreement, 10 other charges will be dropped.Diego Montoya, 46, was extradited to Miami on Dec. 12 to face the same indictment as his brother. He has not yet entered a plea.A third Montoya brother who helped run the cartel, Juan Carlos Montoya Sanchez, previously pleaded guilty and was sentenced in 2006 to nearly 22 years in federal prison.

Andrew Lee Usher, formally of 15 Westerham Grove, Beechwood,recovered 250 grams of very high purity cocaine, with about 600.00 cash, when they raided

Andrew Lee Usher, formally of 15 Westerham Grove, Beechwood, was ordered by a court to hand over £71,000 of goods. Teesside Crown Court ruled that he had illegally earned £171,060.71. Middlesbrough Drugs Unit recovered 250 grams of very high purity cocaine, with about £600.00 cash, when they raided his home in March 2005. They also recovered a pistol together with ammunition and a stun gun. Usher was arrested later that day and claimed that he was looking after the drugs for someone. He admitted purchasing the pistol whilst on holiday and that he had found the stun gun in his partners car. In September 2006, Usher was sentenced to three years six months for the drugs offence and 18 months and 12 months for possession of the pistol and stun gun after he pleaded guilty. Detective Inspector Mel Ashley, of Cleveland Police, said: "This is another example of the effects of pursuing the benefits of crime by these individuals and those connected with them. It sends a powerful message that we will continue to seek courts orders which will ultimately remove the financial gains of drug dealing from those who choose to push their drugs on the streets of Middlesbrough."

Daniel James Eaton, pleaded guilty to a felony charge of possession with intent to deliver cocaine

Daniel James Eaton, 25, of the 400 block of Mervine Street, was sentenced in Montgomery County Court to six to 23 months in the county jail after he pleaded guilty to a felony charge of possession with intent to deliver cocaine in connection with a September 2008 incident in the township.Judge Paul W. Tressler, who accepted a plea agreement in the case, also ordered Eaton to complete two years’ probation after he’s paroled from jail. Eaton is eligible for the jail’s work release program during his incarceration.Other charges of possessing a small amount of marijuana and possessing drug paraphernalia were dismissed against Eaton as part of the plea agreement.Court documents indicate township detectives, armed with a warrant, searched Eaton’s home on Sept. 10 after receiving a tip that there were marijuana plants and drug paraphernalia in the home.Upon arrival, detectives seized two small marijuana plants that were found growing in a bedroom of the residence, according to the arrest affidavit. Detectives also discovered three small, clear bags of a white powdery substance setting on a shelf with the marijuana plants.In another bedroom, detectives recovered a hypodermic needle, and in the living room authorities seized two spoons containing a white powdery substance consistent with cocaine, according to the criminal complaint.When he was interviewed by detectives, Eaton confessed to growing the marijuana plants, court documents alleged.“He also admitted that he has both used and sold illegal drugs,” Lower Pottsgrove Detective Sgt. Michael Foltz wrote in the arrest affidavit.Eaton also admitted that the residue found on the seized spoons in the living and in some of the clear bags was cocaine. However, Eaton maintained the clear bags found in the bedroom “may have been some sort of imitation substance he packaged to look like cocaine,” according to the criminal complaint.

Rhys W. Short, brought a backpack to an underage party that allegedly had pre-packaged grams of cocaine

Rhys W. Short, a Portland resident, brought a backpack to an underage party that allegedly had pre-packaged grams of cocaine and brass knuckles in it, according to investigators. A 9-millimeter pistol and switchblade knife were found near the backpack and were identified as belonging to Short, police said. The homeowner was not present at the time of the incident but was later charged with providing premises for the consumption of alcohol by minors. Short was on felony probation from Multnomah County Juvenile Department at the time of his arrest, according to detectives. Another person at the party was a registered sex offender, police said

Durwood Milton Gwyn, 32, had pleaded guilty to possession and distribution of crack cocaine

Durwood Milton Gwyn, 32, had pleaded guilty to possession and distribution of crack cocaine to an undercover informant almost a year ago. He had 41 grams of crack on him when taken into arrest, prosecutors said. Gwyn had two previous convictions of cocaine delivery and twice possessed cocaine with intent to sell within 1,000-feet of a school. Prosecutors said Gwyn was an associate of the Bloods street gang, and is career criminal.

Chris Lewis has appeared in court charged with trying to smuggle cocaine with an estimated value of £200,000 through Gatwick Airport.

Chris Lewis has appeared in court charged with trying to smuggle cocaine with an estimated value of £200,000 through Gatwick Airport.The 40-year-old, of Bruce Road, Brent, north London, appeared via video link at Mid Sussex Magistrates’ Court on Wednesday, alongside co-defendant Chad Kirnon, of Islington, also north London.
Lewis has not entered a plea but Kirnon denies the charge of attempting to import cocaine.No applications for bail were made and the pair were remanded in custody to appear at Croydon Crown Court next month.The charges relate to a routine search of baggage by customs officials after a flight from St Lucia in the Caribbean arrived at Gatwick on December 8.

Felicia J. Bowen,a Falcon Cove Middle School teacher's assistant, was arrested Tuesday.

Felicia J. Bowen, 41, is suspected of buying 2.3 grams of cocaine Dec. 17 in a truck stop parking lot, according to the Broward Sheriff's Office. When deputies approached her, she admitted to the transaction and pulled the small, clear bags containing the powder out of her bra, the Sheriff's Office said.
After an investigation, Bowen, a Falcon Cove Middle School teacher's assistant, was arrested Tuesday. She was released from jail on $1,000 bond.On Jan. 13, Orlando Dager, then a substitute teacher at Cypress Bay High School, landed in jail when a deputy pulled him over and found eight bags — or four pounds — of marijuana in his car. Dager, 24, of Southwest Ranches, has since been released from jail on bond.
Bowen, of Pembroke Pines, also was convicted of a misdemeanor charge of marijuana possession in 2003, public records show. She was sentenced to three days in jail.
The Broward School District hired her in 2000, and her annual salary is $16,406, district spokesman Andrew Feirstein said. She will be reassigned to a position away from children while district officials investigate.

South African Airways three pilots and 12 flight attendants were detained at London Heathrow

South African Airways has opened an investigation after three pilots and 12 flight attendants were detained at London Heathrow yesterday by UK customs authorities.
The carrier says the detention took place after three items of luggage containing contraband were discovered on board a flight from Johannesburg.UK Border Agency officers seized around 50kg of cannabis and arrested the aircraft's crew. The investigation has been passed to HM Revenue & Customs.HM Revenue & Customs says all 15 suspects, following questioning, have been released on unconditional bail pending further enquiries, and are due to report back to investigators at Heathrow on 23 March.The authority's Heathrow spokesman says: "We, together with the UK Border Agency, play a vital role in the fight to prevent illegal drugs from entering the UK and in protecting our communities from the violence and corruption that always accompany this hideous trade."South African Airways points out that no charges have been brought and says it has ensured the crew members have legal representation.
"We are co-operating fully with UK authorities," it adds, stating that it has a "zero-tolerance approach" towards use of its services for criminal activity.
South African Airways has opened an inquiry into the circumstances which also includes its aviation security division and the crime intelligence unit of the South African Police Service.

Police at Rome’s Leonardo da Vinci airport arrested five people in separate drug busts

Italian customs police have arrested five people in separate drug busts, including two Brazilians who tried smuggling in cocaine hidden between packaged meat slices. Police at Rome’s Leonardo da Vinci airport said Tuesday they seized 33 pounds of the drug last week.Police Lt. Giuseppe di Stasio said officers became suspicious when they found packages of red meat in the luggage of the Brazilian man and woman. Inspection showed small packets of cocaine had been hidden between the meat slices.
In a separate operation, police arrested three Argentines who tried to bring in cocaine in a hidden compartment of their suitcase.Di Stasio said the drugs would have had a total street value of euro8 million ($10.4 million).

Lawrence Vigil, 25, pleaded guilty to conspiracy to distribute cocaine.

Lawrence Vigil, 25, pleaded guilty to conspiracy to distribute cocaine. Joe Brewer, 21, has reached a plea agreement, according to federal court documents, but had not officially entered a guilty plea as of Jan. 13.According to federal court documents, Vigil admitted bringing cocaine from Denver, repackaging it and distributing it throughout the Pine Ridge area. The conspiracy began in 2002. Brewer admitted to distributing cocaine.Two co-defendants in the case, Alvina White Bull and Lyle Wilson, are still scheduled for trial in March. Brandon Ecoffey, 25, is also awaiting trial.Daryl Saucedo, 22, Oglala, and Tyler Eagle Bull, 23, have pleaded guilty and are awaiting sentencing. Dominique "Dom" Saucedo, 25, Pine Ridge, and Manuel Garcia, Aurora, Colo., pleaded guilty and have been sentenced.Vigil faces a mandatory minimum of 10 years in prison with a maximum of life in prison and a $4 million fine. He is in custody pending sentencing March 30.

Samara Williams, aged 22, claimed she was forced into the crime

Samara Williams, aged 22, claimed she was forced into the crime but a judge at Doncaster Crown Court said every prison visitor was aware of the consequences of trying to pass drugs to inmates. The court was told the mum-of-two was so upset at being caught that she physically attacked a custody officer at Doncaster police station when she was placed in a cell for the first time.She pleaded guilty to possessing heroin and crack cocaine with intent to supply and a separate charge of common assault and was given a two-and-a-half year prison sentence.
Prosecutor Megan Rhys said staff at Lindholme Prison became suspicious of Williams when she visited her boyfriend because she was seen putting something inside a packet of crisps.Before she could hand them to her boyfriend the bag was seized and two wraps of heroin and crack cocaine found inside. After her arrest she would not co-operate in the police cells and custody detention officer Samantha Higgins suffered sprained fingers and scratches to her arms when Williams attacked her.
She also refused to say who had told her to take the drugs to Lindholme from her home in Bracken Road, Wincobank, Sheffield.Her barrister, David Taylor, described it as "a very sad case" because she had no previous convictions and two very young children, aged six and four, to look after.The judge, Recorder Andrew Campbell, QC, jailed Williams for two and a half years, including one month for assualting the custody officer

Narco Bling Colt 45 hitman embellished with rubies and emeralds in the shape of a crown

Colt 45 hitman embellished with rubies and emeralds in the shape of a crown, or the inscription on the firearm of a high-ranking rival proclaiming: "Better to die on your feet than live on your knees." A third trafficker gold-plated his weapon and set 221 diamonds on its handle.All three weapons now lie together in display cases alongside other examples of "narco bling" at the drug trafficking museum in Mexico City."This room has examples of the culture of people who traffic drugs; it can be a little eccentric," said Captain Claudio Montane, a guide at the military museum, whose exhibits include bulletproof clothes and a shrine to the popular folklore hero Jesús Malverde, a bandit turned "narco saint". The gallery also contains a wooden door carved with a smuggler ready for battle, and a photograph of a trafficker's baby posed in front of a dozen rifles. The museum, first opened in 1985 and repeatedly expanded, has taken on added resonance in a country in the grip of some of the worst drugs-related violence in the western hemisphere.Mexico's cartels control most of the Colombian-grown cocaine heading to the US. They also oversee local production of methamphetamines, cannabis and heroin, as well as supply in a growing domestic market. A recent report estimated that 500,000 Mexicans are directly involved. Last year, deaths from drugs-related crime more than doubled to a record 5,600.The museum is used as an education tool for officers being sent off to face the traffickers. Its first rooms trace drug culture in Mexico, from the religious use of hallucinogenic cacti to the rise of some of the most powerful criminal organisations in the world.The museum evokes the lower echelons of the industry with a lifesize recreation of a mountainside camp where a gun-toting mannequin guards fields of opium poppies. Another display exhibits letters written by growers threatening or pleading with the military to leave their crops alone.

A photograph shows a huge banner spread out across a remote sierra to be read from the air: "Sirs, we know it's your job but we want to negotiate."

Much is made of the satellite communications technology traffickers use in transporting drugs. But what catches the visitor's eye is the traffickers' creativity. A frame of a picture of the Virgin of Guadalupe is stuffed with cocaine, as are a couple of dead armadillos. "They can be very ingenious," said Montane.
Demand is high for museum tours. The numbers of soldiers involved in anti-drug operations has grown to an estimated 25,000 since December 2006 when Mexico's president, Felipe Calderón, launched an offensive to quell a turf war between rival cartels which has, so far, had the opposite effect. The aim of the museum is not to detail the war as much as understand its roots, says Montane: "The most effective way of combating narco trafficking is to understand it better."

Peter Scharmach racing car driver arrested in Thailand on drugs charges has returned to Christchurch after paying a $26,000 bond

Kiwi racing driver could face up to 20 years in a Thai prison after being arrested for allegedly attempting to sell drugs in a Phuket nightclub.Peter Scharmach, 44, was arrested after he left a popular nightclub at Patong Beach in his car and was stopped for a routine check at a police checkpoint.Thai police say they discovered a small amount of methamphetamine, ecstasy, and cannabis, as well as five small sealable plastic bags, foil-paper, and plastic tubes used to inhale or smoke the drugs.German-born Scharmach, who has New Zealand residency and who is well-known in New Zealand motorsport circles, was charged with possession of drugs with the intent to sell. He was freed on bail.A New Zealand Embassy spokesman in Bangkok confirmed yesterday that a New Zealand resident had been arrested in Phuket. He said Scharmach had not approached the embassy for consular support.In photos taken just after his arrest, Scharmach was shown seated and flanked by Thai police officials, with money, cellphones and bags of drugs on a table in front of him.His lawyer, Siwa Bol, said Scharmach had asked police to release his passport so he could travel to Germany for business reasons before he returned to Thailand to face court on January 13.Mr Bol said Scharmach had pleaded not guilty to the charges, on the basis that he was a businessman who did not make a living from dealing drugs.

Peter Scharmach racing car driver arrested in Thailand on drugs charges has returned to Christchurch after paying a $26,000 bond, a rare break from the country's notoriously tough stance on drugs.

Peter Scharmach, 44, could face up to 20 years in jail after he was arrested in Phuket on December 13 and charged with possession of drugs with the intent to sell.A small amount of methamphetamine, ecstasy and cannabis, sealable plastic bags and other drug paraphernalia were allegedly found in his car when he was stopped at a routine police checkpoint.Scharmach's Thai lawyer, Siwadol Keawpharouk, said German-born Scharmach paid 500,000 baht (about NZ$26,000) for his bail bond and left Thailand on December 30.He vehemently denied the charges, Mr Keawpharouk said.Public prosecutors can let him go to do his business but he must come back to Thailand in time [for a court hearing]." Scharmach, who owns a property in Christchurch and is the sole director of two New Zealand companies, including a mail order business, returned here over New Year, before heading to Germany.
He had been in Thailand for only six days when he was arrested. His case was due before Thai courts last Tuesday, but was delayed because police were waiting for test results on the drugs allegedly found with him.It was expected the case would now begin in the middle of next month, Mr Keawpharouk said.Fellow Kiwi racing driver Eddie Bell, who competed with Scharmach in the 2007 Mini Challenge, said he had spoken to him on his return to New Zealand."He didn't really go into it too much.
"I know that he's a bit upset that it's been broadcast the way it was and it sounded like it was all taken out of context."A photograph of Scharmach in custody after his arrest shows money, cellphones and bags of drugs laid out on a table in front of him.
Associates have described him as a "man of mystery" and a "very wealthy" globetrotter, who also had business links in Australia.Thai politics expert Jodi York, of Wellington, said Scharmach faced a tough situation. Foreigners caught with drugs were often treated more harshly, particularly if there was an attempt to sell them.A high profile case would also be harder to resolve though bribes, an otherwise commonplace practice, she said."Once it gets to a high profile, confrontational situation, it will be followed through [the courts]."Wellington woman Phyllis Tarawhiti spent 11 years in a Thai prison after being sentenced to life imprisonment in 1995 when she was caught with $4 million of heroin strapped to her body.
"You really don't want to have go to jail there. Their jails are awful," Ms York said.

100 Bulgarian nationals have been arrested in 2008 in South American countries for drug trafficking

100 Bulgarian nationals have been arrested in 2008 in South American countries for drug trafficking, Bulgarian news agency BGNES quoted Bulgarian National Radio on January 19 2009.They had been caught trafficking drug from South America to Europe and in most cases were people with previous criminal offences or people with low incomes who had been promised easy money in return.The Bulgarians, mostly in their 20s and 30s, have been involved on the drug trafficking by Nigerian traffickers, BNR said. According to the BNR, there were two or three groups of Nigerians currently operating in Bulgaria, searching for people willing to become “mules” for them and bring drugs from South America to Europe.The starting point of most trips from Europe to South America were Istanbul, Madrid, Barcelona and Brussels, BNR said.Each “mule” could swallow between 800 and 100 grams of cocaine. The standard pay for the service was 1000 euro a person a trip. The “mules” got their money trough courier services.

Olpeth Ververgaert jailed for 20 years plus a Serious Crime Prevention Order

Dutchman Olpeth Ververgaert, 50, was arrested when police stopped a lorry carrying Dutch frikandel sausages at Woolley Edge service station on the M1 at Wakefield and discovered a massive drug stash intended for buyers from Leeds. He admitted conspiracy to import cannabis but denied conspiracy to import heroin and conspiracy to supply amphetamines. A Leeds Crown Court jury convicted Ververgaert of both the denied charges after a trial. The court heard Ververgaert successfully imported 1,168 kilos of cannabis worth £10m; 43 kilos of heroin worth £2.1m and 38 kilos of amphetamines with a street value of £1.1m. William Harbage QC, for Ververgaert, said: "We do say he is not the Mr Big of the operation, Mr Big doesn't get involved shifting pallets." Jailing Ververgaert for 20 years, Judge Paul Hoffman told him it was a "very sophisticated" smuggling operation, adding: "There may be somebody higher up the chain than you, there often is. But if you were not Mr Big, you were Mr Big Enough." Judge Hoffman also made a Serious Crime Prevention Order banning Ververgaert from the UK for five years after he is released from prison.
Ververgaert had told the court he was trying to set up a legitimate business, ACR, to export the popular Dutch frikandel sausages to the UK, but hit financial problems. He said he was introduced to an Englishman who wanted him to use his company as a front to smuggle cannabis. The sausages and drugs would be delivered to a depot in Slough and buyers would arrange to meet Ververgaert in a refrigerated truck. He would then drive the pallets out in the truck. Police found £1m worth of amphetamines hidden inside the consignment of sausages after it was stopped at Woolley Edge service station on the M1 at Wakefield last February. The previous day, Dutch police recovered heroin and cannabis worth more than £4m hidden in similar boxes at a cold store in Rotterdam. Between October 2007 and the discovery of the drugs last February, 51 pallets had already been exported to the UK. Ververgaert told the court he had started off packaging the cannabis in the consignments of sausages in Holland, but as the illegal trade grew he gave that job to another man while he dealt with buyers in the UK. ACR rented premises in Rotterdam where the sausages were repackaged with the drugs. The pallets were then shipped to cold storage in Slough. The operation was exposed when a fork lift truck driver in Rotterdam accidentally damaged one of the boxes. Of the six pallets in the load, five had shrink-wrapped boxes containing cannabis and the other load contained heroin.

McDonald’s restaurant used by two New Philadelphia men attempting to shoot heroin.

Police kicked open a bathroom door at the downtown McDonald’s restaurant Friday night and found two New Philadelphia men attempting to shoot heroin.Canton police reports said one of the men quickly flushed his syringe and spoon down the toilet.
Cole A. Hurst, 21, of 610 Ashwood Lane NW, and William E. Stevens, 34, of 157 Beaver Ave. NE, were arrested on charges of felony aggravated drug possession and possession of drug abuse instruments, Stark County Jail records said. Hurst was additionally charged with felony evidence tampering.Police caught the men “in the act of attempting to shoot heroin” at the fast-food restaurant at 319 Tuscarawas St. E about 6:45 p.m. Friday, jail records said.

Sentenced 12 drugs smugglers to a total of 155 years in jail

Afghan courts have sentenced 12 drugs smugglers to a total of 155 years in jail after their arrests led to the seizure of heroin and opium valued at $97mn, a British team said yesterday.The men were all from the southern province of Helmand, the heart of Afghanistan’s illegal drugs production, and were convicted in the past six months, the British-run provincial reconstruction team said in a statement.
“A bonus is that more than half of the 19 tons of opium, and 206kg of heroin, that were seized when those men were arrested would have been heading for the United Kingdom,” it quoted British police adviser Dave Wright as saying.Police said the drugs would have a street value in Britain of at least $97mn, an official said.
The men were sentenced in the capital Kabul to between 10 and 17 years each, reaching a total of 155, and ordered to pay nearly $247,000 in fines.

$4.5 million of heroin ,Two men, from Singapore, were arrested and charged with possessing and supplying a prohibited drug

Two men who allegedly jumped in a taxi with $4.5 million of heroin have been arrested in inner Sydney and will appear in court on Saturday.Police stopped the taxi on George Street just before 10am (AEDT) on Friday morning.They uncovered a suitcase which contained the high-grade heroin in plastic resealable bags.
The two men, from Singapore, were arrested and charged.Later in the day police also searched serviced apartments in Chatswood, in the city's north.The two men were arrested by specialist police from the Joint Asian Crime Group, which targets Asian crime syndicates in NSW.The Group is made up of NSW police, the Australian Federal Police, Customs, the Australian Crime Commission and the NSW Crime Commission.The men were charged with possessing and supplying a prohibited drug. They were refused bail and are due to appear in Parramatta Bail Court on Saturday.

Ivan Gonzalez-Bejarano was sentenced by U.S. District Judge Steven D. Merryday to life in prison

Ivan Gonzalez-Bejarano was sentenced by U.S. District Judge Steven D. Merryday to life in prison on charges of conspiring to import and distribute more than five kilograms of cocaine.Prosecutors call Gonzalez-Bejarano a "Colombian cocaine kingpin," and he was found guilty of the charges in October after a two-week jury trial.For more than 20 years, Gonzalez-Bejarano was the head of an organization that smuggled into the U.S. about 30,000 kilograms of cocaine that had a wholesale value of more than $500 million, according to testimony at the trial.Also today, the U.S. Attorney's Office announced that five Jamaican nationals extradited to the U.S. in July each pleaded guilty to drug smuggling charges.They are: Robroy Williams, nicknamed "Spy," 51; Norris Nembhard, known as "Dido," 53; Glenford Williams, also known as "Toe," 55; Vivian Dalley, nicknamed "Jungo," 49; and Herbert Henry, known as "Scary," 46.The five people pleaded guilty to charges of conspiracy to import more than five kilograms of cocaine and more than 1,000 kilograms of marijuana into the U.S., prosecutors say.Williams also pleaded guilty to conspiring to possess with intent to distribute more than five kilograms of cocaine while aboard a vessel subject to the jurisdiction of the U.S., prosecutors say.According to court documents, Jamaica serves as a shipment point for cocaine from Colombia to the U.S. Williams and Nembhard made deals to accept delivery in Jamaica of cocaine shipments between 600 and 1,000 kilograms, prosecutors say.The cocaine was delivered by go-fast vessels, and small quantities from these shipments were sold in Jamaica with larger quantities going to the U.S. by air or sea, often through the Bahamas, prosecutors say.In Jamaica, the cocaine, along with large amounts of marijuana and hash oil, was stored in rural safe houses controlled by Williams and maintained by co-defendants Glenford Williams and Ivan Kenneth Huggins, who were sentenced in 2006.
The go-fast boats landed at various Jamaican beaches, including Negril and Montego Bay, investigators say. Robroy Williams and Nembhard paid members of the Jamaican Constabulary Force, including co-defendant Herbert Henry, to provide security and transportation of the cocaine, prosecutors say.Couriers and money changers, including Dalley, returned the money made from the sale of cocaine to Colombia, prosecutors say.

Routine traffic stop on an interstate highway in Montgomery led to the discovery of more than 23 kilograms of cocaine in a truck.

Routine traffic stop on an interstate highway in Montgomery led to the discovery of more than 23 kilograms of cocaine in a truck.Montgomery police spokesman Captain Huey Thornton said officers found the cocaine worth about $2 million on Thursday.Thornton said the vehicle was stopped for a traffic violation on Interstate 85 north.Authorities declined to say whether charges were filed against the suspects because of the ongoing investigation.

Leroy Carr, 47, was convicted in October of possession of cocaine with intent to distribute.

Leroy Carr, 47, was convicted in October of possession of cocaine with intent to distribute. Case records and court testimony revealed Carr’s long history of contacts with immigration enforcement agents at the U.S.-Canada border. Typically, he carried large amounts of cash and known smuggling tools, including night vision goggles and a GPS system with coordinates to a known smuggling trail.Carr gave agents the information that led to his arrest in September 2007. He’d lost track of 31 kilograms of cocaine stashed in a hiding place near the border. He asked immigration agents to send out a news release indicating the drugs had been seized; he believed the announcement would stop his suppliers from seeking retribution for the lost shipment.After Carr’s call the drugs were found near the entrance to a Boy Scout camp.“The evidence presented at trial demonstrated that this was not Carr’s first time trafficking cocaine, and that on the contrary, he had smuggled drugs across the border on numerous occasions on behalf of the Hell’s Angels,” said Kate Crisham, assistant U.S. attorney.

Barotsz Janiszewski, 28, was one of three Polish nationals caught trying to smuggle 15 kilos of the Class A drug into the UK

Barotsz Janiszewski, 28, was one of three Polish nationals caught trying to smuggle 15 kilos of the Class A drug into the UK while they were working on the DFDS Queen of Scandinavia ferry on November 28, 2006.The three men cycled off the ferry on push bikes, before being stopped by customs officials who wanted to search their rucksacks, Newcastle Crown Court was told.But the men fled before their bags could be examined, ditching the drugs nearby.Karol Piotr Tomaszewski, 31, and Sebastian Piasecki, 23, were both caught, arrested and charged with importing cocaine.Yet despite Janiszewski leaving his wallet and passport on board the ship he made it back to his home in Poland, before handing himself in to investigating officers.
All three men said they were given the rucksacks from another man onboard, and believed they were smuggling cigarettes and vodka into the UK.At a trial in 2007 Tomaszewski and Piasecki said they were paid 200 euros to carry the rucksacks off the ship. Both men were cleared of being knowingly concerned in the importation of cocaine. Janiszewski, who was brought back to the UK to face trial, was cleared of the same charge.All three men were released from custody.

P&O Cruises' Arcadia Smugglers have been sentenced -- to a combined 48 years in prison.

Four people who were arrested in October for attempting to smuggle 20 kilos of cocaine worth £1.7 million aboard P&O Cruises' Arcadia have been sentenced -- to a combined 48 years in prison.Camille Dupee (19), Briony Dyce (25), Calvin Hylton (41) and Natalie Quinn (26) were each handed 12 year sentences. All had previously pleaded guilty to the offence at Southampton Crown Court on 15 December 2008.The smugglers, all passengers aboard Arcadia, were caught by UK Border Agency (UKBA) detection officers in the Customs' channels at Southampton Mayflower Cruise Terminal on 19 October 2008. The product in question was strapped to their bodies. Arcadia was returning to Southampton after a 23-night cruise to the Caribbean.Cases of individuals simultaneously vacationing and smuggling drugs are not unheard of. In April of this year, a cocaine bust took place aboard Royal Caribbean's Brilliance of the Seas during a 10-night Panama Canal cruise. In 2004, police in Tampa arrested 52 people involved in an operation in which, that's right, crack cocaine was being smuggled into New Orleans via cruise ship.

Quirino Paulino admitted before the New York Prosecutor’s Office to having shipped around 33 tons of cocaine to the United States

Quirino Paulino admitted before the New York Prosecutor’s Office to having shipped around 33 tons of cocaine to the United States from 1996 to 2002 and laundering millions of dollars originating from drug trafficking. The figures are in Paulino’s plea bargaining agreement with New York’s South District Office of the Prosecutor
This document, as far as the part that concerns Dominican Republic, was introduced yesterday in the National District Court of Appeals, during the hearing in the case against Paulino’s wife, Belkis Elizabeth Ubrí, where she appealed her 5 year prison sentence laundering money from drug trafficking.In the hearing the Justice Ministry dropped the charges against Ubrí, but the judge postponed it for February 19, to give her lawyers time to file a translation of Paulino’s agreement with United States authorities. The document was filed at the request of the lawyers of the codefendant in the case,m retired colonel Pedro Julio Goíco (Pepe).
The document also states that Paulino gave to the United States US$14.5 million, money that the U.S. authorities decided to cede to the Dominican authorities, as part of the agreement.

Leroy Carr, 47, of Federal Way, Washington was sentenced today in U.S. District Court in Seattle to 14 years in prison

Leroy Carr, 47, of Federal Way, Washington was sentenced today in U.S. District Court in Seattle to 14 years in prison and five years of supervised release for Possession of Cocaine with Intent to Distribute.On August 7, 2007, Carr contacted ICE agents at the border claiming that he had stashed 31 kilograms of cocaine in two blue backpacks near the border. Carr indicated the drugs were hidden in the brush near the entrance to a boy scout camp. Carr said he stashed the drugs August 3rd, and when he returned on August 4th, they were gone. CARR wanted the ICE agents to put out a press release saying the government had seized the drugs, so that the organized criminal group he works for would not retaliate against him for stealing the drugs. Two weeks later, on August 21, 2007, a Boy Scout Ranger called the Northwest Regional Drug Task Force and reported two blue backpacks he had just found near the entrance to a Boy Scout camp that appeared to contain cocaine. The backpacks were dry and in good shape. Tests showed they contained 31 kilograms of cocaine.At trial Carr testified falsely, trying to claim he never possessed the drugs and didn’t really know where they were, even though he had specifically described the location to the ICE agents and even drew them a map.

Charles Alan Ramsay, was charged this morning with two counts of felony possession of cocaine.

Charles Alan Ramsay, was charged this morning with two counts of felony possession of cocaine.Ramsay, 41, was charged with third-degree possession of three grams or more of cocaine, which carries a maximum penalty of 20 years in prison and a $250,000 fine. He was also charged with a lesser, included charge of fifth-degree possession of cocaine. Ramsay was arrested Thursday afternoon shortly after Nissalke pleaded guilty to terroristic threats for an incident in May.Winona Police Investigator Jay Rasmussen noticed Ramsay exhibiting “suspicious behavior” after coming out of a bathroom on the third floor of the courthouse around 1 p.m., Winona Police Deputy Chief Paul Bostrack said. Police Chief Frank Pomeroy said Ramsay had been touching his nose with his hands “as if he had just ingested something with his nose.”
Police evidence technician Angela Evans went into the conference room Ramsay had been using as a make-shift office and discovered a trace amount of cocaine on the table, according to reports.The Winona County Attorney’s Office was contacted and the case was referred to the sheriff’s department, which has jurisdiction over the courthouse.Ramsay was arrested around 3:30 p.m. by three officers, including Sheriff Dave Brand. Brand said a K9 unit sniffed Ramsay’s coat and briefcase and “got a hit” on the briefcase. A search warrant was executed on the case and other items, and police found cocaine, Brand said.Ramsay was held in the Olmsted County Jail overnight Thursday and made his first appearance in court this morning. Assistant City Attorney Bruce Nelson requested bail be set at $10,000 and requested a blood test from Ramsay before he could be released. Ramsay protested, saying a search warrant would be necessary. Judge Jeff Thompson set bail at $10,000 and denied Nelson’s request. Ramsay posted bail shortly after the hearing.Ramsay’s case will be prosecuted by the Dakota County Attorney’s Office because of conflicts of interest in the Winona County Attorney’s Office.It was not immediately clear how the charges would affect Nissalke’s plea deal or his pending charges of murder in the 1985 stabbing death of Ada Frances Senenfelder.

Anthony Hyginus, a suspected drug pusher was made to excrete 99 wraps of cocaine.

suicide mission embarked upon by Anthony Hyginus, a suspected drug pusher, on his way to Spain on Christmas day was terminated when he was made to excrete 99 wraps of cocaine.He had swallowed them after he was arrested at the Murtala Mohammed International Airport (MMIA), Lagos.National Drugs Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) Spokesman, Mitchell Ofoyeju, said Hyginus excreted the 99 wraps, but doctors had to operate on him to take out another wrap, making a total 100.Hyginus is recuperating at a hospital in Lagos.Mitchell quoted NDLEA Chairman, Ahmadu Giad, as saying that "others must learn from Hyginus' case and shun drug trafficking."We have lost some young and promising Nigerians as a result of drug ingestion. This unwholesome habit must stop."Hyginus, who hails from Imo State, said he was promised 3,500 Euros to deliver the drug in Spain.

police arrested Alfredo Portales and Reva Martinez,

police arrested Alfredo Portales, 32, believed to be from Wisconsin, and Reva Martinez, 30, unknown address, according to a news release.Portales is being held on suspicion of first-degree possession of a controlled substance and felon in possession of a firearm. Martinez is being held on suspicion of first-degree possession of a controlled substance.A search warrant was then executed that resulted in the seizure of three-fourths of a pound of marijuana and a small amount of white heroin. That led to the arrest of Raul Garcia, 28, Moorhead, who is being held on suspicion of second-degree and fourth-degree controlled substance possession, the release said.Police also arrested Ruben Medrano, 39, Moorhead, during the investigation on outstanding felony warrants, the release said.
Authorities from the Moorhead Police Department, Clay County Sheriff’s Department, West Fargo Police Department and the North Dakota Bureau of Criminal Investigations conducted the investigation, the release said.

Jorge Solano Cortes was flown to the United States on Thursday

Jorge Solano Cortes was detained by Togolese police in November in an anti-drugs operation backed by the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA). Seven other Colombians, a Costa Rican and a Mexican were also detained, along with a South African, a Ghanaian and two Togolese.Police said the group was planning to fly 500 kg of cocaine from the northern town of Niamtougou in Togo, which is sandwiched between Ghana and Benin, to the Atlantic port of Lome from where it was to be smuggled in containers to Europe.Solano Cortes was flown to the United States on Thursday, Togo's government said in a statement, after it agreed to an extradition request from the U.S. Justice Department. He was wanted in the United States on charges of cocaine-smuggling.United Nations anti-narcotics experts say an increase of cocaine trafficking on West Africa's Atlantic seaboard in recent years has turned it into a "Coke Coast", with Colombian cartels using flotillas of planes and boats to smuggle drugs to Europe.Traffickers work with locals, sometimes in government or military and police circles, the experts say.Over the last three years, law enforcement authorities have made major cocaine seizures in Guinea-Bissau, Senegal, Mauritania and Sierra Leone and have also focused on bauxite-producer Guinea as a suspected trans-shipment hub.The experts say this pressure has driven the traffickers to seek out smaller states like Gambia, Togo or Benin

Ivan Gonzalez-Bejarano Colombian drug lord was sentenced to life in prison

Ivan Gonzalez-Bejarano was sentenced by U.S. District Judge Steven D. Merryday to life in prison on charges of conspiring to import and distribute more than five kilograms of cocaine.In a related case, five Jamaican nationals have pleaded guilty to charges of smuggling drugs into the U.S., the U.S. Attorney's Office announced today.The two investigations were conducted by Operation Panama Express, which targets Colombian drug smuggling operations. Members of U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement, the FBI, IRS and U.S. Coast Guard are part of the task force.
Prosecutors call Gonzalez-Bejarano a "Colombian cocaine kingpin," and he was found guilty of the charges in October after a two-week jury trial.For more than 20 years, Gonzalez-Bejarano was the head of an organization that smuggled into the U.S. about 30,000 kilograms of cocaine that had a wholesale value of more than $500 million, according to testimony at the trial. U.S. Attorney's Office announced that five Jamaican nationals extradited to the U.S. in July each pleaded guilty to drug smuggling charges.They are: Robroy Williams, nicknamed "Spy," 51; Norris Nembhard, known as "Dido," 53; Glenford Williams, also known as "Toe," 55; Vivian Dalley, nicknamed "Jungo," 49; and Herbert Henry, known as "Scary," 46.The five people pleaded guilty to charges of conspiracy to import more than five kilograms of cocaine and more than 1,000 kilograms of marijuana into the U.S., prosecutors say.
Williams also pleaded guilty to conspiring to possess with intent to distribute more than five kilograms of cocaine while aboard a vessel subject to the jurisdiction of the U.S., prosecutors say.According to court documents, Jamaica serves as a shipment point for cocaine from Colombia to the U.S. Williams and Nembhard made deals to accept delivery in Jamaica of cocaine shipments between 600 and 1,000 kilograms, prosecutors say.The cocaine was delivered by go-fast vessels, and small quantities from these shipments were sold in Jamaica with larger quantities going to the U.S. by air or sea, often through the Bahamas, prosecutors say.In Jamaica, the cocaine, along with large amounts of marijuana and hash oil, was stored in rural safe houses controlled by Williams and maintained by co-defendants Glenford Williams and Ivan Kenneth Huggins, who were sentenced in 2006.The go-fast boats landed at various Jamaican beaches, including Negril and Montego Bay, investigators say. Robroy Williams and Nembhard paid members of the Jamaican Constabulary Force, including co-defendant Herbert Henry, to provide security and transportation of the cocaine, prosecutors say.Couriers and money changers, including Dalley, returned the money made from the sale of cocaine to Colombia, prosecutors say.

Johanne Axelexen Vinther Sentenced To 15 Years In Prison In Cambodia

Johanne Axelexen Vinther, 45, was arrested at a post office in the capital Phnom Penh last year as she tried to send 10,761 tablets containing codeine in packages to the U.S. and Canada.The drugs can be easily bought at street-side pharmacies throughout Phnom Penh, but are restricted in most Western countries.Chhay Kong, a judge at Phnom Penh Municipal Court, said Vinther was guilty of drug trafficking and sentenced her to 15 years in jail.The judge also ordered Vinther to pay a fine of $7,500.Chhay Kong also sentenced a 28-year-old son of Vinther in absentia to 15 years behind bars and ordered him to pay a fine of the same amount.Vinther denied she smuggled the drug, calling the verdict against her and her son "unjust."
"I did not commit any crimes. They (judges) don't even know what codeine is. They compare it to heroin. It was never heroin. It is not a hard drug," she said after the court hearing."It is something for the pain - painkillers."Vinther said she would appeal against the verdict within a month and would even seek a "royal pardon" from Cambodia's King Norodom Sihamoni.Impoverished Cambodia is becoming an increasingly popular trafficking point for methamphetamines and heroin, particularly since neighboring Thailand toughened its stance against illegal drugs in 2002.However, arrests for violations involving pharmaceuticals are much less common.

James Brown, 33,and Aurora Chavies, 27 were charged with possession of cocaine and for intent to distribute the cocaine

James Brown, 33, of South Amboy, and Aurora Chavies, 27, of Perth Amboy, were charged with possession of cocaine and for intent to distribute the cocaine, police said. Brown was additionally charged with resisting arrest when he attempted to flee. "A detective from the township's Special Investigations and Narcotics Unit observed a 2000 Chrysler Concord swerving on Florida Grove Road in Hopelawn," said Capt. Robert Hubner, head of the unit. Hubner said police stopped the Concord and saw the cocaine in the back seat. Police recovered seven individual bags of cocaine and two large bags of cocaine, which amounted to 9 ½ ounces of the controlled dangerous substance, police said. Police also seized $1,489 in cash from Brown.
Bail for Brown and Chavies was set at $50,000 each, with no 10 percent option.

Esteban Garza, 33, was charged by Immigration and Customs Enforcement officers with possession with intent to distribute 13.72 kilograms of cocaine

Esteban Garza, 33, was charged by Immigration and Customs Enforcement officers with possession with intent to distribute 13.72 kilograms of cocaineThe arrest took place Sunday at 5:41 p.m. when Garza drove a 2001 Ford Explorer to an inspection booth. The suspect gave a negative declaration when asked if he had anything to declare and said that the vehicle belonged to a friend, the criminal complaint stated.The agency press release said Garza was sent to a secondary inspection station where other officers noticed possible tampering in an area behind the vehicle's backseat. Cisco, a narcotics detecting dog, was brought to the vehicle and confirmed the officers' suspicions by alerting them to the presence of drugs inside the vehicle, the release said. Field operations officers discovered 20 packages containing 13.72 kilograms. or over 30 pounds of cocaine valued at nearly $1million, authorities added.
Garza was arrested by CBP and turned over to ICE for further investigation and prosecution.According to the criminal complaint, Garza was going to be paid $1,000 for transporting an unspecified amount of drugs into the U.S.

Desmond W. Thompson, 39, has been charged with first degree drug trafficking in the first degree.

A Missouri Highway Patrol Trooper who made a traffic stop yesterday and took an alleged drug dealer off the streets.After speaking with the driver, the trooper became suspicious of criminal activity, and asked for and received consent to search the vehicle where five kilos of cocaine were found.Desmond W. Thompson, 39, of Brooklyn, NY., has been charged with first degree drug trafficking in the first degree. He is scheduled to be back in court on February 11, 2009 for his preliminary hearing.Thompson is being held in the Greene County jail on $75,000 bond.

Former England cricketer Chris Lewis was further detained by police after he appeared in court to be charged with attempted drug smuggling.

Former England cricketer Chris Lewis was further detained by police Wednesday after he appeared in court to be charged with attempted drug smuggling.The 40-year-old former allrounder was arrested last month at Gatwick Airport when nearly 9lb (4kg) of liquid cocaine, worth about 200,000 pounds ($295,910; €229,290), was found in his baggage hidden in fruit tins.Lewis, who played 32 tests and 53 one-day internationals in the 1990s, had flown in from the Caribbean island of St. Lucia with former amateur basketball player Chad Kirnon, who was also charged Wednesday.
Lewis spoke only to confirm his name and date of birth during a brief appearance and will reappear at the same court on Jan. 21.Lewis had a low batting average of 23 and retired from county cricket in 2000 because of a persistent hip injury after spells with Leicestershire, Nottinghamshire and Surrey.He played one match last season for Surrey's Twenty20 team but he scored just two runs and conceded 29 runs off two overs. His attempted comeback then ended because of injury.

Sam Taylor Nepal bureau chief of French news agency Agence France Presse (AFP) has been detained by Kathmandu’s drug squad

British citizen Sam Taylor was detained from a restaurant in Thamel, the capital’s tourist hub, Friday by a police patrol.The Nepal bureau chief of French news agency Agence France Presse (AFP) has been detained by Kathmandu’s drug squad on the suspicion of possessing drugs, police said.An official at the Sorukhutte police station that has jurisdiction over Thamel told IANS that Taylor has been kept under detention for further investigation.Taylor had taken charge in Nepal around three years ago. Prior to this, he had worked in Vietnam for German news agency DPA.Since the Maoists formed the government last year, Home Minister Bam Dev Gautam has called for an anti-sleaze crackdown in Thamel, known for its infamous massage parlours and dance bars that serve as a front for sex workers.Taylor’s detention comes after a high-profile drug arrest in Singapore last year.In July, Peter Lloyd, the New Delhi-based correspondent of Australian Broadcasting Corporation, was arrested in Singapore for alleged drugs possession while on vacation.

Gerald Moore Jr., who is charged with possession with intent to sell and deliver heroin, conspiracy to sell and deliver heroin

Gerald Moore Jr. (left) and Berthiah Long II were arrested in a residence where authorities seized heroin, marijuana and related supplies. New Hanover County Sheriff’s deputies arrested a local man and seized 54 bags of heroin, a handgun and the red star stamp they say he used to market his product from his home Thursday night.After a two-week undercover investigation, 10 deputies served a search warrant at 502 Angelfish Court at 6:30 p.m., according to Capt. David Ciamillo.Inside, deputies found the heroin and a .38-caliber revolver, Ciamillo said, as well as “saleable amounts” of marijuana and the glycine baggies, rubber bands and red star stamp used to package the heroin.The residence belonged to Gerald Moore Jr., who is charged with possession with intent to sell and deliver heroin, conspiracy to sell and deliver heroin, manufacturing of heroin, possession with intent to sell and deliver marijuana and maintaining a dwelling for the purpose of selling those controlled substances. Moore was also charged with possession of drug paraphernalia. He is being held under a $50,000 secured bond.Berthiah Long II was also in the dwelling and is charged with possession with intent to sell and deliver heroin, conspiracy to sell and deliver heroin and possession of a firearm by a felon. He posted a bond of $15,000 after the arrest.Ciamillo said the investigation was part of a crackdown by the Sheriff’s Office on heroin distribution in New Hanover County. “We are doing everything humanly possible to curb this problem,” Ciamillo said.

Eladio Valadez has been sentenced to 20 years in prison for trying to smuggle 182 pounds of marijuana across the Sarita checkpoint

It took a jury about half an hour Wednesday to reach a guilty verdict against Eladio Valadez in the 105th District Court in Kingsville.The 51-year-old Alice man has been sentenced to 20 years in prison for trying to smuggle 182 pounds of marijuana across the Sarita checkpoint.Valadez was facing a second-degree felony charge of possession of marijuana, but a prior drug conviction elevated the charge to a first-degree felony, said District Attorney John Hubert.Visiting Judge Federico Hinojosa handed down the 20-year prison sentence. Valadez faced as long as life in prison.Hubert said Border Patrol stopped Valadez at the Sarita Checkpoint on April 6 and found the marijuana hidden amongst boxes of fruit. According to testimony, Valadez was a professional drug smuggler who had smuggled marijuana past the checkpoint before and brought it into Corpus Christi.

Ling Yiu-kay, 55, pleaded guilty to two counts of trafficking in dangerous drugs, one of which involved the minor.

In sentencing, High Court Judge Judianna Barnes Wai-ling said though Ling was not the mastermind of the drug trafficking scheme, the case was aggravated by the fact that a child was used .The judge also said that Ling committed the offense when he was on bail for another drug offense, and that most of his 15 previous convictions were drug-related.The Primary 4 girl is now in the custody of Po Leung Kuk. Her 50-year- old mother was once charged with ill- treatment, a count later dropped because of a lack of evidence.The court had heard that Ling was introduced to the girl's mother by a friend. It was alleged the mother instructed her to travel to Shenzhen on her own to collect a "gift," even though the girl said she was reluctant to do so.
Immigration records showed that from July 2007, Ling and the girl traveled together to and from Shenzhen more than 40 times. The girl traveled alone to the Lo Wu checkpoint to collect the heroin and midazolam tablets and took them back to Hong Kong in her rucksack.

Rex Pelote Sr., a leader of a local narcotics ring, pleaded guilty to a federal drug-trafficking charge.

Rex Pelote Sr., a leader of a local narcotics ring, pleaded guilty to a federal drug-trafficking charge. Pelote Sr., 44, lived on the 800 block of 21 Street NE, pled guilty to “conspiracy to distribute one kilogram or more of heroin.” His guilty plea was entered in U.S. District Court on Tuesday.Pelote, according to the release, “led a heroin distribution ring that operated in the Langston Terrace” housing project. Pelote’s “lieutenant,” Edward T. “Bootsy” Farley, 47, also entered a guilty plea on the conspiracy charge.The release goes on to state that four of Pelote’s street-level dealers also pled guilty to a conspiracy charge: Charles “Black” McRae, 57, Gerald “Orleans” Anderson, 40, Dannie “Smiley” Jones, 54, and Cornelius “Chuck” Farley, 40.The defendants will be sentenced on March 18, 2009. Pelote and Farley face sentences of 17 years and 15 years.“According to the evidence the government would have presented at trial, between at least April 2007 and April 2008, Pelote controlled an organization that was responsible for smuggling heroin into the District of Columbia, processing and packaging that heroin, and selling it in Langston Terrace, NE,” the release states. “Edward Farley assisted Pelote in distributing the drugs to various runners for street-level distribution.”Evidence recovered in various stash house included secret drug containers (”false-bottom cans”), hundreds of small, empty ziplock bags, thousands in cash, and “numerous bags of heroin.”The U.S. Attorney’s Office notes that law enforcement was prepared to present audio and video evidence of multiple drug buys from various members of the conspiracy. “A court-ordered wiretap revealed telephone conversations between Pelote and his co-conspirators in which they coordinated their extensive

David Trejo was sentenced to 60 years

David Trejo was sentenced to 60 years by Circuit Judge Samac Richardson for possession of more than 2 kilos of cocaine with a street value of more than $50,000.
Trejo was sentenced as a subsequent drug offender and also as a habitual offender, meaning he must serve the complete 60-year sentence."Cocaine is one of the most dangerous and most addictive drugs sold on our streets," said Guest. "Those who supply these drugs are some of the worst offenders because of the negative impact that drugs have on our society. Drugs are at the root of many of the crimes that we see in the district attorney's office, so I am proud that we were able to remove a drug dealer from our society for six decades."During a routine traffic stop, a Madison County sheriff's deputy asked Trejo for his license, noticing that Trejo and his passenger were acting nervous. The deputy also noticed a strong odor of air freshener.The deputy went back to his car and called in the driver's license number and learned that Trejo had previously been arrested for possession of marijuana and also for possession of cocaine with intent to distribute. He then requested a search of the car, which Trejo denied.The deputy advised both Trejo and his passenger that he would use a drug dog and that both would have to exit the vehicle. When the deputy approached the passenger, she turned away from him. The deputy then asked her to turn in his direction, and when she did, the deputy saw what was later determined to be several bricks of cocaine under her shirt. At the scene, Trejo told the deputy that the cocaine was his.

Ronald E. Fusko,and Dallas E. Abbott seized an undisclosed amount of crack cocaine from the men and charged each with cocaine possession

Ronald E. Fusko, 48, of 2230 Sixth St. SW, and Dallas E. Abbott, 47, of 2316 Gridley Ave. NE, were arrested at 7:17 p.m. Friday at Shroyer Avenue and Third Street SW, Stark County Jail records said.Canton Police pulled over the car, driven by Abbott, who failed to use his turn signal, jail records said. Abbott was also driving with a license that had been suspended.Police seized an undisclosed amount of crack cocaine from the men and charged each with cocaine possession. Fusko was additionally charged with drug paraphernalia possession and Abbott with driving under suspension.

Myron Brown, charged with possession of heroin and marijuana, intent to distribute

Myron Brown, 25, was lodged in the Atlantic County Jail in lieu of $125,000 bail.
He is charged with possession of heroin and marijuana, intent to distribute, eluding police and resisting arrest, as well as several motor-vehicle citations.
Police saw Brown making "a hand-to-hand drug transaction" at about 7:20 p.m. on the 1300 block of Caspian Avenue. Brown tried to drive away from police, out of Atlantic City, and near the Casino Motel in Absecon he jumped out of his moving car, which an officer chased down and stopped.Brown tried to enter a motel room, but failing to, he fled into the marsh behind the building. Police caught Brown there and struggled to handcuff him. A search of the motel room yielded 46 bags of what tested positive as heroin, police said.

Jose Burgos charged with trafficking cocaine and possession of a Class A substance with intent to distribute.

Jose Burgos charged with trafficking cocaine and possession of a Class A substance with intent to distribute.Springfield police said they found 0.2 grams of marijuana in Burgos's pocket during his booking. He was arrested Friday by the city's vice control unit, which alleges that Burgos had 119 crack cocaine rocks and 45 bags of heroin in his car. Burgos is being held on $50,000 bail and is scheduled be arraigned tomorrow in Springfield District Court.Law enforcement officials said yesterday that most arrests for possession of marijuana are made in conjunction with other drug seizures."You rarely see people getting arrested for under an ounce of marijuana. Usually it was a wiseguy or it was an arrest leading to something else," said Sergeant Sean Sweeney of the Barnstable Police Department. No one in Barnstable had been issued a citation for marijuana possession as of midday yesterday, Sweeney said.

Chijioke Stephen Obioha convicted and sentenced to death.

20-year-old Ghanaian has been sentenced to death in Singapore for trafficking 2.6kg of cannabis.The High Court convicted and sentenced Chijioke Stephen Obioha on Tuesday after a 21-day trial held last year, it said.Under Singapore's tough anti-drug laws, the death penalty is mandatory for anyone caught trafficking more than 15 grams of heroin, 30 grams of cocaine or 500 grams of cannabis.The death penalty is carried out by hanging.Narcotics officers arrested Obioha in April 2007 following a surveillance operation. He had come to Singapore in 2005 to try out for a football club, the report said.He was not hired but remained in the city-state working as a middle man for electronics goods dealers. His immigration pass expired in January 2007.Human rights groups have strongly urged Singapore to abolish the death penalty, but the government maintains that it plays a key role in keeping crime down and is a strong deterrent to organised crime gangs.In December 2004 Singapore hanged a 25-year-old Australian drug runner Nguyen Tuong Van, despite appeals for clemency by then Prime Minister John Howard.Two convicted African drug traffickers were put to death in 2007 after their appeals for clemency were turned down and despite protests from the United Nations and rights activists