SLED takes down suspected Midlands' Mexican heroin cartel - WIS News 10 - Columbia, South Carolina |: "It took state and federal investigators a year to investigate and build a case against 21 people suspected of helping Mexican drug cartels push millions of dollars worth of heroin through South Carolina. Wednesday morning, SLED and the DEA took down the remaining members of the cartel.
Agents call the operation 'Black Poppy,' referring to the color of the heroin they've seized throughout the year-long operation. Since October 2009, agents seized more than 30 kilograms of heroin. Agents said three separate distribution 'cells' were working inside the state from Richland-Lexington Counties, Horry-Georgetown Counties, to the Charleston County area.
The final operation started before dawn Wednesday morning as SLED's SWAT team loaded into a BearCat armored vehicle, headed toward South Congaree. Agents were on the way to arrest a Hispanic man, suspected of working for Mexican cartels, pushing heroin through the Midlands."
Tuesday, 12 October 2010
Wednesday, 6 October 2010
Longshoremen accused in huge cocaine bust | 7online.com
Longshoremen accused in huge cocaine bust | 7online.com: "Nearly a dozen people are under arrest including several Longshoremen.
They were arrested in connection with a cocaine trafficking scheme that officials say made millions of dollars.
The port of New York and New Jersey are at the center of the cocaine trafficking conspiracy alleged by the U.S. Attorney which is said to have originated in Panama."
They were arrested in connection with a cocaine trafficking scheme that officials say made millions of dollars.
The port of New York and New Jersey are at the center of the cocaine trafficking conspiracy alleged by the U.S. Attorney which is said to have originated in Panama."
Federal Judge Arrested in FBI Sting Involving Guns, Drugs, Stripper - Crimesider - CBS News
Federal Judge Arrested in FBI Sting Involving Guns, Drugs, Stripper - Crimesider - CBS News: "federal judge was released on a $50,000 bond Monday after he was busted by an undercover agent for allegedly using cocaine, marijuana and other illegal drugs with an Atlanta stripper.
Senior U.S. District Judge Jack T. Camp faces drug and firearms charges for his arrest Friday in which he unwittingly handed over $160 to an undercover law enforcement agent for cocaine and Roxycodone, a narcotic plain reliever that he supposedly intended to use with the exotic dancer. Authorities also seized two guns from the front seat of the judge's vehicle during his arrest, authorities said in a court document released Monday.
Camp, 67, hired four defense attorneys over the weekend to represent him and said little during his brief hearing Monday though his attorney, William Morrison, claimed he was in 'good spirits.' According to Morrison, the judge intends to plead not guilty."
Senior U.S. District Judge Jack T. Camp faces drug and firearms charges for his arrest Friday in which he unwittingly handed over $160 to an undercover law enforcement agent for cocaine and Roxycodone, a narcotic plain reliever that he supposedly intended to use with the exotic dancer. Authorities also seized two guns from the front seat of the judge's vehicle during his arrest, authorities said in a court document released Monday.
Camp, 67, hired four defense attorneys over the weekend to represent him and said little during his brief hearing Monday though his attorney, William Morrison, claimed he was in 'good spirits.' According to Morrison, the judge intends to plead not guilty."
Tuesday, 5 October 2010
grenades were hurled into a crowd by alleged drug dealers
Police pave way for the attackers’ escape: "The peace of an evening stroll was shattered when grenades were hurled into a crowd by alleged drug dealers on Sunday, in Guadalupe, in northern Mexico. Most of the 14 injured were children, the youngest of who was just two years old. All 14 had sustained only minor injuries. The City Hall is suspected to have been the target.
Witnesses claim that the police had cleared the road for the attackers to escape following the explosions. It is claimed by the country’s chief security official that the traffickers allot millions of dollars to buy off the local cops. Little wonder they turn a blind eye to the atrocities committed. In an incident in Mexico, the police were arrested in connection to the Mayor’s unnatural death. The higher authorities have promised an investigation into the matter.
A similar attack, but of a larger intensity had occurred in Morelia, the President’s hometown, two years ago."
Witnesses claim that the police had cleared the road for the attackers to escape following the explosions. It is claimed by the country’s chief security official that the traffickers allot millions of dollars to buy off the local cops. Little wonder they turn a blind eye to the atrocities committed. In an incident in Mexico, the police were arrested in connection to the Mayor’s unnatural death. The higher authorities have promised an investigation into the matter.
A similar attack, but of a larger intensity had occurred in Morelia, the President’s hometown, two years ago."
Homeland Security was tracking a suspicious aircraft that was expected to stop in Bowling Green for refueling.
major drug bust unfolded Friday night as nearly a million dollars worth of cocaine was found on an airplane.
Bowling Green Police say they were acting on a tip from the Department of Homeland Security when they searched a plane at the Bowling Green Regional Airport Friday night.
Homeland Security was tracking a suspicious aircraft that was expected to stop in Bowling Green for refueling.
When the plane landed, police talked to the pilot and passenger and found more than 70 pounds of cocaine on board. The two men were arrested.
Bowling Green Police say they were acting on a tip from the Department of Homeland Security when they searched a plane at the Bowling Green Regional Airport Friday night.
Homeland Security was tracking a suspicious aircraft that was expected to stop in Bowling Green for refueling.
When the plane landed, police talked to the pilot and passenger and found more than 70 pounds of cocaine on board. The two men were arrested.
Monday, 4 October 2010
AFP: Mexican drug war crimes go live on the Internet
AFP: Mexican drug war crimes go live on the Internet: "In the midst of the brutal drug trafficking war encroaching on their lives, thousands of Mexicans every morning check social network websites to see if they will encounter any unpleasant surprises on the way to work or school.
But they are not the only ones.
While average citizens go online to let others know where in their neighborhood a body has been uncovered or if they can expect disruptions from cartels or the Mexican military, the drug gangs themselves also use the tools to manipulate public opinion by making threats and warnings.
The spread of vital information ahead of the daily commute, via social networking technology and sites like Facebook and Twitter, is especially useful in the country's north, near the US border, which has become ground zero for the country's drug war."
But they are not the only ones.
While average citizens go online to let others know where in their neighborhood a body has been uncovered or if they can expect disruptions from cartels or the Mexican military, the drug gangs themselves also use the tools to manipulate public opinion by making threats and warnings.
The spread of vital information ahead of the daily commute, via social networking technology and sites like Facebook and Twitter, is especially useful in the country's north, near the US border, which has become ground zero for the country's drug war."
Sunday, 3 October 2010
14 killed in Mexico shooting
14 killed in Mexico shooting: "shoot-out between two rival gangs in northern Mexico has left 14 people dead, officials said.
The shoot-out occurred Friday in the village of Jose de la Cruz in Durango state and was likely part of a power struggle among drug cartels, officials said Saturday.
The cartels have fought for years over control of the lucrative drug routes from South America to the US. Some 30,000 people have been killed in drug-related violence in Mexico since 2006.
SEARCH"
The shoot-out occurred Friday in the village of Jose de la Cruz in Durango state and was likely part of a power struggle among drug cartels, officials said Saturday.
The cartels have fought for years over control of the lucrative drug routes from South America to the US. Some 30,000 people have been killed in drug-related violence in Mexico since 2006.
SEARCH"
Wednesday, 29 September 2010
Feds: Accused heroin trafficker to plead guilty to officer assault » Knoxville News Sentinel
Feds: Accused heroin trafficker to plead guilty to officer assault » Knoxville News Sentinel: "Antonio Perez Edwards has inked a deal with Assistant U.S. Attorney Kelly Ann Norris to plead guilty this morning to a charge of assaulting a federal officer with a deadly weapon.
Perez was being sought by officers on the FBI’s Safe Streets Task Force in June on warrants charging him with peddling heroin and oxycodone.
When agents boxed in Perez’s vehicle, he rammed Task Force Officer Mark Webber’s police vehicle, the plea deal stated. Webber was knocked onto Perez’s vehicle and rolled across it before falling to the street, injuring his shoulder, Norris wrote."
Perez was being sought by officers on the FBI’s Safe Streets Task Force in June on warrants charging him with peddling heroin and oxycodone.
When agents boxed in Perez’s vehicle, he rammed Task Force Officer Mark Webber’s police vehicle, the plea deal stated. Webber was knocked onto Perez’s vehicle and rolled across it before falling to the street, injuring his shoulder, Norris wrote."
Wednesday, 15 September 2010
A contraband ‘trip’ from India to around the world - Mumbai - DNA
A contraband ‘trip’ from India to around the world - Mumbai - DNA: "“To tell the story of Coleridge without opium is to tell the story of Hamlet without mentioning the ghost,” wrote a critic. Obviously, he was not the only one among the great creative spirits to experience wild flights of fancy under influence. Early men discovered the strange properties of certain plants quite early and sought to give intoxication some legitimacy by associating it with religion. Bhang and ganja have been a part of Indian religious tradition for long. Social consumption was just the natural extension. But what was limited to a select few and to select occasions has broken free of confinement.
The democratisation of the use of drugs has spawned a roaring business enterprise. The trip contraband makes is a complex operation now, involving consumers, suppliers and the supply chain. With drug preferences and the consumer base changing, the business has been in transition.
But Mumbai, with its peculiar connect to all parts of the country, courtesy its vast migrant population, and significant user base, has remained a constant in the drugs map. It also remains a major transshipment point for traditional drugs by virtue of its accessibility by sea and illegal marine routes. But before zeroing in on Mumbai, it is pertinent to have an overview of the drugs scene in the country."
The democratisation of the use of drugs has spawned a roaring business enterprise. The trip contraband makes is a complex operation now, involving consumers, suppliers and the supply chain. With drug preferences and the consumer base changing, the business has been in transition.
But Mumbai, with its peculiar connect to all parts of the country, courtesy its vast migrant population, and significant user base, has remained a constant in the drugs map. It also remains a major transshipment point for traditional drugs by virtue of its accessibility by sea and illegal marine routes. But before zeroing in on Mumbai, it is pertinent to have an overview of the drugs scene in the country."
Monday, 13 September 2010
Ricky Hatton admits cocaine addiction and will enter rehab this week - mirror.co.uk
Ricky Hatton admits cocaine addiction and will enter rehab this week - mirror.co.uk: "Ricky Hatton will check into a rehab clinic this week after tearfully confessing to a year-long cocaine addiction.
The former boxing world champ was caught on camera snorting “industrial” amounts of cocaine during a sordid drink-and-drugs binge a fortnight ago.
Hatton admitted being hooked on the Class A drug in an emotional heart-to-heart with fiancée Jennifer Dooley yesterday.
He told her: “I’ve been an idiot and I’m so sorry and ashamed. I need and want to sort myself out.”
She was horrified to discover Hatton, 31, had seven lines of cocaine during a night out in Manchester.
The bloated ex-boxer then admitted he had been taking the drug for almost a year – beginning shortly after his last fight, when he was knocked out in two rounds by Filipino boxer Manny Pacquiao.
Hatton was caught on film taking out a wrap of cocaine hidden in his shoe before chopping up lines with a credit card in a hotel room.
He then expertly snorted the drug through a rolled up £20 note.
In addition to the seven lines of cocaine that night, he drank 11 pints of Guinness, four vodkas, two glasses of wine and several sambuccas.
But a source close to the retired fighter, who became a national hero as world light-welterweight king, said: “He’s now vowed to get himself clean. He’ll go into a rehab clinic very soon and he has the support of Jen and the rest of his family.”"
The former boxing world champ was caught on camera snorting “industrial” amounts of cocaine during a sordid drink-and-drugs binge a fortnight ago.
Hatton admitted being hooked on the Class A drug in an emotional heart-to-heart with fiancée Jennifer Dooley yesterday.
He told her: “I’ve been an idiot and I’m so sorry and ashamed. I need and want to sort myself out.”
She was horrified to discover Hatton, 31, had seven lines of cocaine during a night out in Manchester.
The bloated ex-boxer then admitted he had been taking the drug for almost a year – beginning shortly after his last fight, when he was knocked out in two rounds by Filipino boxer Manny Pacquiao.
Hatton was caught on film taking out a wrap of cocaine hidden in his shoe before chopping up lines with a credit card in a hotel room.
He then expertly snorted the drug through a rolled up £20 note.
In addition to the seven lines of cocaine that night, he drank 11 pints of Guinness, four vodkas, two glasses of wine and several sambuccas.
But a source close to the retired fighter, who became a national hero as world light-welterweight king, said: “He’s now vowed to get himself clean. He’ll go into a rehab clinic very soon and he has the support of Jen and the rest of his family.”"
Sunday, 12 September 2010
Sergeant Smack lays to rest once and for all the insidious Rumour That Would Not Die about heroin trafficking at the time of the Vietnam conflict
Sergeant Smack is the fitting title of a book that centres on Ike Atkinson, a successful US Army Master Sergeant who parlayed street smarts into a brief career as one of the world's leading heroin peddlers, followed by a lifetime behind bars.
Atkinson was the brains and operator of the Thailand end of a heroin epidemic that swept across North America in the late 1960s and early 1970s, even infecting and crippling US troops in the Vietnam war.
More importantly, this book - breathlessly subtitled The Legendary Lives and Times of Ike Atkinson, Kingpin, and His Band of Brothers - is the gold standard describing this important niche of history of both the US and Thailand.
Seasoned crime reporter and author Ron Chepesiuk has done what no predecessor bothered.
He has put the solid facts of an important era down in black and white. He has wiped out a dozen myths, uncovered important information and made it impossible for future historians to gild the lily, and let a good story overwrite the facts.
Most spectacularly, Sergeant Smack lays to rest once and for all the insidious Rumour That Would Not Die about heroin trafficking at the time of the Vietnam conflict - the cadaver connection.
Chepesiuk eviscerates the ridiculous rumour of smuggling heroin inside the bodies of US servicemen killed in the Vietnam War. Over the years, but particularly in the very early 1970s, dozens of officials and newsmen spent thousands of hours trying to track down this sensational allegation. Sergeant Smack even details its origin, in a careless remark by a panicked assistant district attorney in Maryland.
The myth of the cadaver connection has survived, and is still seen. The 2007 movie American Gangster about the fictional life of the real criminal Frank Lucas revived it.
In the movie, Denzel Washington plays Lucas, who very fictionally flies to Thailand for a few days, travels to the heart of the Golden Triangle to arrange some heroin shipments in the bodies of dead GIs, and flies back home.
In real life, Lucas is now a legend in his own mind. His real part in the heroin epidemic was as a dealer in the US, supplied by the Ike Atkinson gang.
When Lucas dies, his epitaph should read: "He fooled the world into believing the cadaver connection."
To a reader at this end of the heroin connection, Sergeant Smack's most interesting sections deal with the opaque Thai involvement in the trade.
Much work remains, but Chepesiuk is the first important writer to reveal the main supplier to the US smuggling gang, Luchai "Chai" Ruviwat.
A Thai-Chinese businessman who invested with Atkinson in the GI hangout Jack's American Star Bar, Luchai remains a shadowy figure. Lured to the US where he was arrested and imprisoned for years, Luchai is still something of a ghost, who no doubt could shed much light on the men in green and in high places who made the heroin trade possible between the Golden Triangle and Bangkok.
Corruption "was just a part of doing business", reports this book, and foreign embassies routinely reported involvement in the heroin trade by senior military, police, government and "the most respected Thai families".
Example: A prominent hotel in central Sukhumvit Road was built on piles of peddled heroin.
But the US military had no moral high ground. Atkinson's team bought, sold and transported heroin from the green cocoon provided by the US military uniforms they wore. Ostensibly employed by the US government and taxpayers, Atkinson's organised group included chiefs, workers, spotters and drug mules.
In fact, the best you could say is that the US military tried to police itself.
In June 1975, after years as a kingpin, Atkinson received his first sentence for drug smuggling - but continued to run his gang from inside prison.
Chepesiuk details the long, tortured task of law enforcement to bust the Atkinson ring. A key event came in mid-1975 when a hapless military customs agent in Bangkok accidentally discovered a huge heroin stash in a teak-furniture shipment by US Army Sgt Jasper Myrick - a front-page story in the Bangkok Post, but a milestone in busting the kingpin and his band of brothers.
Atkinson's operation ended in a combination of arrests and the 1976 US troop withdrawal from Thailand, but the Thai connection merely evolved. The US busted and jailed the chief supplier to the military ring, Luchai. He was only a cog in the supply chain controlled by senior Thai officials - although described apocryphally by US anti-drug agents as Mr Big.
With this book, author Chepesiuk has turned the corner from crime writer to historian. Sergeant Smack is not a "good read" or "worth having in your reference library". It is a vital and necessary source for anyone seeking to understand the intertwining of cross-border crime, recent Thai history, and the mixed emotions of the US military involvement in Thailand during the Vietnam War.
Atkinson was the brains and operator of the Thailand end of a heroin epidemic that swept across North America in the late 1960s and early 1970s, even infecting and crippling US troops in the Vietnam war.
More importantly, this book - breathlessly subtitled The Legendary Lives and Times of Ike Atkinson, Kingpin, and His Band of Brothers - is the gold standard describing this important niche of history of both the US and Thailand.
Seasoned crime reporter and author Ron Chepesiuk has done what no predecessor bothered.
He has put the solid facts of an important era down in black and white. He has wiped out a dozen myths, uncovered important information and made it impossible for future historians to gild the lily, and let a good story overwrite the facts.
Most spectacularly, Sergeant Smack lays to rest once and for all the insidious Rumour That Would Not Die about heroin trafficking at the time of the Vietnam conflict - the cadaver connection.
Chepesiuk eviscerates the ridiculous rumour of smuggling heroin inside the bodies of US servicemen killed in the Vietnam War. Over the years, but particularly in the very early 1970s, dozens of officials and newsmen spent thousands of hours trying to track down this sensational allegation. Sergeant Smack even details its origin, in a careless remark by a panicked assistant district attorney in Maryland.
The myth of the cadaver connection has survived, and is still seen. The 2007 movie American Gangster about the fictional life of the real criminal Frank Lucas revived it.
In the movie, Denzel Washington plays Lucas, who very fictionally flies to Thailand for a few days, travels to the heart of the Golden Triangle to arrange some heroin shipments in the bodies of dead GIs, and flies back home.
In real life, Lucas is now a legend in his own mind. His real part in the heroin epidemic was as a dealer in the US, supplied by the Ike Atkinson gang.
When Lucas dies, his epitaph should read: "He fooled the world into believing the cadaver connection."
To a reader at this end of the heroin connection, Sergeant Smack's most interesting sections deal with the opaque Thai involvement in the trade.
Much work remains, but Chepesiuk is the first important writer to reveal the main supplier to the US smuggling gang, Luchai "Chai" Ruviwat.
A Thai-Chinese businessman who invested with Atkinson in the GI hangout Jack's American Star Bar, Luchai remains a shadowy figure. Lured to the US where he was arrested and imprisoned for years, Luchai is still something of a ghost, who no doubt could shed much light on the men in green and in high places who made the heroin trade possible between the Golden Triangle and Bangkok.
Corruption "was just a part of doing business", reports this book, and foreign embassies routinely reported involvement in the heroin trade by senior military, police, government and "the most respected Thai families".
Example: A prominent hotel in central Sukhumvit Road was built on piles of peddled heroin.
But the US military had no moral high ground. Atkinson's team bought, sold and transported heroin from the green cocoon provided by the US military uniforms they wore. Ostensibly employed by the US government and taxpayers, Atkinson's organised group included chiefs, workers, spotters and drug mules.
In fact, the best you could say is that the US military tried to police itself.
In June 1975, after years as a kingpin, Atkinson received his first sentence for drug smuggling - but continued to run his gang from inside prison.
Chepesiuk details the long, tortured task of law enforcement to bust the Atkinson ring. A key event came in mid-1975 when a hapless military customs agent in Bangkok accidentally discovered a huge heroin stash in a teak-furniture shipment by US Army Sgt Jasper Myrick - a front-page story in the Bangkok Post, but a milestone in busting the kingpin and his band of brothers.
Atkinson's operation ended in a combination of arrests and the 1976 US troop withdrawal from Thailand, but the Thai connection merely evolved. The US busted and jailed the chief supplier to the military ring, Luchai. He was only a cog in the supply chain controlled by senior Thai officials - although described apocryphally by US anti-drug agents as Mr Big.
With this book, author Chepesiuk has turned the corner from crime writer to historian. Sergeant Smack is not a "good read" or "worth having in your reference library". It is a vital and necessary source for anyone seeking to understand the intertwining of cross-border crime, recent Thai history, and the mixed emotions of the US military involvement in Thailand during the Vietnam War.
Saturday, 31 July 2010
Top Mexico drug lord 'killed' - Americas - Al Jazeera English
Top Mexico drug lord 'killed' - Americas - Al Jazeera English: "Ignacio 'Nacho' Coronel was reportedly killed on Thursday while resisting arrest in the wealthy town of Zapopan in central Mexico.
Speaking to reporters in Mexico City, army spokesman General Edgar Ruiz Villegas said an army raid was closing in on one of Coronel's safehouses when the drug lord opened fire on soldiers.
'Nacho Coronel tried to escape, and fired on military personnel, killing one soldier and wounding another,' Ruiz Villegas said.
'Responding to the attack, this 'capo' died.'
Military officials said Coronel was killed while resisting arrest [Reuters]
Coronel's death marks a major coup for Mexico's president, Felipe Calderon, who declared a war on the country's drug cartels after taking office in 2006.
Coronel, who has been indicted in the US, was said by officials to have been the number three leader of the powerful Sinaloa cartel, which is active in northwestern Mexico.
He was known as the 'King of Crystal' for his dominance of methamphetamine production and trafficking as well as cocaine."
Speaking to reporters in Mexico City, army spokesman General Edgar Ruiz Villegas said an army raid was closing in on one of Coronel's safehouses when the drug lord opened fire on soldiers.
'Nacho Coronel tried to escape, and fired on military personnel, killing one soldier and wounding another,' Ruiz Villegas said.
'Responding to the attack, this 'capo' died.'
Military officials said Coronel was killed while resisting arrest [Reuters]
Coronel's death marks a major coup for Mexico's president, Felipe Calderon, who declared a war on the country's drug cartels after taking office in 2006.
Coronel, who has been indicted in the US, was said by officials to have been the number three leader of the powerful Sinaloa cartel, which is active in northwestern Mexico.
He was known as the 'King of Crystal' for his dominance of methamphetamine production and trafficking as well as cocaine."
Bradford Man Is Jailed Following Largest Cash Seizure In The City
Bradford Man Is Jailed Following Largest Cash Seizure In The City: "Baber BASHIR (35) of Victor Road, Heaton, Bradford was today (30/7) sentenced
Baber Bashirat Bradford Crown Court and ordered to pay a confiscation order following a guilty plea to the charges of Concealing Criminal Property and Possession of False Identity Documents with Intent.
His associate, Ehtsham AHMED (25) of Victor Street, Manningham, Bradford, was sentenced to 12months in prison suspended for 2-years and has to under take 240 hours of unpaid community work.
They came to the attention of the police when they were stopped in a vehicle in the Shipley area of Bradford by West Yorkshire Police on 5th September 2003. When searched, BASHIR was found to be in possession of £1,400 in cash and two mobile phones. AHMED was found to be secreting nine wraps of heroin and crack cocaine in his mouth and both men were arrested on suspicions of possessing a Class A drug with intent to supply.
On searching Bashir’s home address, Police found a further £138,002.50 in cash in varying denominations in carrier bags as well as lose on the floor and on tops of furniture, in his bedroom. Also seized was a bag containing heroin and drugs paraphernalia."
Baber Bashirat Bradford Crown Court and ordered to pay a confiscation order following a guilty plea to the charges of Concealing Criminal Property and Possession of False Identity Documents with Intent.
His associate, Ehtsham AHMED (25) of Victor Street, Manningham, Bradford, was sentenced to 12months in prison suspended for 2-years and has to under take 240 hours of unpaid community work.
They came to the attention of the police when they were stopped in a vehicle in the Shipley area of Bradford by West Yorkshire Police on 5th September 2003. When searched, BASHIR was found to be in possession of £1,400 in cash and two mobile phones. AHMED was found to be secreting nine wraps of heroin and crack cocaine in his mouth and both men were arrested on suspicions of possessing a Class A drug with intent to supply.
On searching Bashir’s home address, Police found a further £138,002.50 in cash in varying denominations in carrier bags as well as lose on the floor and on tops of furniture, in his bedroom. Also seized was a bag containing heroin and drugs paraphernalia."
Saturday, 12 June 2010
The Associated Press: Argentina nabs alleged Colombian money launderer
The Associated Press: Argentina nabs alleged Colombian money launderer: "Luis Caicedo Velandia was arrested as he walked near a Buenos Aires shopping mall April 12 and has been held under extremely high security, according to Argentine authorities, who did not reveal his capture until the United States formally filed a request for his extradition this week.
Caicedo, a former Colombian police official who carried a false Guatemalan passport, is responsible for moving tons of cocaine into the U.S. and laundering billions of dollars in profits, Argentine drug prosecutor Guillermo Marijuan told The Associated Press.
The arrest of Caicedo and three alleged co-conspirators in the United States and Colombia has exposed 'one of the most powerful drug trafficking rings on the continent,' Oscar Naranjo, who directs Colombia's national police force, told the AP in Bogota. Caicedo, he said, was 'capable of giving direct orders' to Colombian cartel leaders.
Representatives of the U.S. Embassy in Buenos Aires, the Justice Department and U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement in Washington declined to comment on the indictment filed in New York City, saying it is a continuing investigation."
Caicedo, a former Colombian police official who carried a false Guatemalan passport, is responsible for moving tons of cocaine into the U.S. and laundering billions of dollars in profits, Argentine drug prosecutor Guillermo Marijuan told The Associated Press.
The arrest of Caicedo and three alleged co-conspirators in the United States and Colombia has exposed 'one of the most powerful drug trafficking rings on the continent,' Oscar Naranjo, who directs Colombia's national police force, told the AP in Bogota. Caicedo, he said, was 'capable of giving direct orders' to Colombian cartel leaders.
Representatives of the U.S. Embassy in Buenos Aires, the Justice Department and U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement in Washington declined to comment on the indictment filed in New York City, saying it is a continuing investigation."
Friday, 11 June 2010
3 people who bought heroin that killed a Middleton man will receive treatment for their addiction | Pierce County Herald | Ellsworth, Wisconsin
3 people who bought heroin that killed a Middleton man will receive treatment for their addiction | Pierce County Herald | Ellsworth, Wisconsin: "Three people who bought the heroin that killed a Middleton man will get treatment for their own addictions.
24-year-old Adriana Martell and 24-year-old Kyle Shebilske, both of Madison, were put on five years on probation yesterday along with 19-year-old Tanya Mack of Middleton. That’s because the victim’s father said he wanted the three to get the treatment they need to live fulfilling lives, instead of going to prison.
25-year-old Jason Swanson died from an overdose of heroin in November of 2008. Dane County Circuit Judge Julie Genovese sentenced the three who bought the drug to a year in jail – but only if they cannot qualify for an intensive treatment program which serves as an alternative to jail. If they qualify, the judge says they’ll only spend a month behind bars."
24-year-old Adriana Martell and 24-year-old Kyle Shebilske, both of Madison, were put on five years on probation yesterday along with 19-year-old Tanya Mack of Middleton. That’s because the victim’s father said he wanted the three to get the treatment they need to live fulfilling lives, instead of going to prison.
25-year-old Jason Swanson died from an overdose of heroin in November of 2008. Dane County Circuit Judge Julie Genovese sentenced the three who bought the drug to a year in jail – but only if they cannot qualify for an intensive treatment program which serves as an alternative to jail. If they qualify, the judge says they’ll only spend a month behind bars."
The Associated Press: Suspected US-born drug smuggler charged in Atlanta
The Associated Press: Suspected US-born drug smuggler charged in Atlanta: "Edgar Valdez Villarreal, who is known as 'La Barbie,' and five others were charged with conspiring to import and distribute cocaine and plotting to launder money. Authorities are offering a reward of up to $2 million for information leading to Villarreal's capture.
Authorities say Villarreal has become one of Mexico's most elusive drug kingpins, and the 36-year-old's mystique has grown partly because he was born in Laredo, Texas. Rodney Benson, the special agent in charge of Atlanta's Drug Enforcement Administration office, said the case 'strikes directly at the core of Mexican drug cartel leadership.'
Villarreal belonged to the notorious Sinaloa drug cartel in Mexico before one of its leaders split and established his own cartel, according to the indictment. Authorities say he is now battling for control and Mexican authorities have found decapitated and mangled bodies they believe are victims of the ongoing fight.
Prosecutors say they used a federal wiretap of a related case in Atlanta in January 2008 to identify Villarreal as the source of thousands of kilograms of cocaine that were imported into the U.S. from 2004 to 2006."
Authorities say Villarreal has become one of Mexico's most elusive drug kingpins, and the 36-year-old's mystique has grown partly because he was born in Laredo, Texas. Rodney Benson, the special agent in charge of Atlanta's Drug Enforcement Administration office, said the case 'strikes directly at the core of Mexican drug cartel leadership.'
Villarreal belonged to the notorious Sinaloa drug cartel in Mexico before one of its leaders split and established his own cartel, according to the indictment. Authorities say he is now battling for control and Mexican authorities have found decapitated and mangled bodies they believe are victims of the ongoing fight.
Prosecutors say they used a federal wiretap of a related case in Atlanta in January 2008 to identify Villarreal as the source of thousands of kilograms of cocaine that were imported into the U.S. from 2004 to 2006."
KVOA.com | Tucson, Arizona New information about 2 bodies found in Pinal County
KVOA.com | Tucson, Arizona New information about 2 bodies found in Pinal County: "new information on two men found dead in the 'smuggling corridor.'
On Sunday, June 6th Pinal County Sheriff Deputies located the bodies of two Hispanic males in a remote desert area near Interstate 8 and milepost 150. This area is a known smuggling corridor and the area where, just five weeks before, Deputy Louie Puroll was shot and wounded after tracking six individuals who were smuggling drugs. The drug smugglers ambushed Deputy Puroll with a handgun and two AK-47 automatic rifles from different tactical positions."
On Sunday, June 6th Pinal County Sheriff Deputies located the bodies of two Hispanic males in a remote desert area near Interstate 8 and milepost 150. This area is a known smuggling corridor and the area where, just five weeks before, Deputy Louie Puroll was shot and wounded after tracking six individuals who were smuggling drugs. The drug smugglers ambushed Deputy Puroll with a handgun and two AK-47 automatic rifles from different tactical positions."
Friday, 4 June 2010
Rehab clinic lambasted after overdose death - Times Online
Rehab clinic lambasted after overdose death - Times Online: "sheriff has criticised one of Scotland’s leading private hospitals over the “entirely preventable” death of a young drug addict.
Kieran Nichol died after he was prescribed the heroin substitute methadone at Castle Craig Hospital in the Borders. A fatal accident inquiry heard that the dying 20-year-old patient was put to bed by staff and told to sleep.
Sheriff Gordon Liddle said in his Determination following the case that it was “difficult to identify anything that went significantly well”.
Castle Craig is one of Europe’s leading rehabilitation clinics, charging about £400 a day. The former leader of Glasgow council, Steven Purcell, and Peter Howson, the artist, have sought treatment there.
Mr Nichol, a valium addict, spent six weeks at the clinic in the autumn of 2005 before discharging himself that October. On December 9, suffering from depression and suspected drug abuse, he was readmitted. He died two days later.
Sheriff Liddle said a “different decision or choice by a number of individuals could have made the difference”."
Kieran Nichol died after he was prescribed the heroin substitute methadone at Castle Craig Hospital in the Borders. A fatal accident inquiry heard that the dying 20-year-old patient was put to bed by staff and told to sleep.
Sheriff Gordon Liddle said in his Determination following the case that it was “difficult to identify anything that went significantly well”.
Castle Craig is one of Europe’s leading rehabilitation clinics, charging about £400 a day. The former leader of Glasgow council, Steven Purcell, and Peter Howson, the artist, have sought treatment there.
Mr Nichol, a valium addict, spent six weeks at the clinic in the autumn of 2005 before discharging himself that October. On December 9, suffering from depression and suspected drug abuse, he was readmitted. He died two days later.
Sheriff Liddle said a “different decision or choice by a number of individuals could have made the difference”."
Thursday, 3 June 2010
Man receives 5 years for possession of heroin | pal-item.com | Palladium-Item
Man receives 5 years for possession of heroin | pal-item.com | Palladium-Item: "Sergio Valenzula-Portela pleaded guilty to one count of possession of heroin, a felony in the first degree before his sentencing on May 28. He also forfeited the 2007 Mercury Mountaineer he was driving at the time of his March 4 arrest.Valenzula-Portela was driving through Preble County when the Ohio State Highway Patrol pulled him over for a traffic violation, authorities said. Police said in reports that he was nervous and gave an improbable story about a trip he was making from Denver to Fort Wayne, Ind.A drug-sniffing dog later alerted to police to four separate compressed packages of heroin in the center console; the total amount of the drug was approximately one kilogram."
Texas police seize 147 Mexico-bound AK-47 rifles | Reuters
Texas police seize 147 Mexico-bound AK-47 rifles | Reuters: "Police in a Texas city just north of the Mexican border said on Wednesday they had seized 147 assault rifles apparently headed for Mexico, where tens of thousands of people have been killed by violent drug gangs.
U.S. | MexicoActing on a tip, police in the border city of Laredo stopped a truck on Saturday and found the AK-47 rifles, along with more than 200 high-capacity magazines, bayonets and 10,000 rounds of ammunition, Laredo police told reporters.
The truck driver and a passenger were arrested in what police said was the biggest weapons seizure in Laredo in a decade."
U.S. | MexicoActing on a tip, police in the border city of Laredo stopped a truck on Saturday and found the AK-47 rifles, along with more than 200 high-capacity magazines, bayonets and 10,000 rounds of ammunition, Laredo police told reporters.
The truck driver and a passenger were arrested in what police said was the biggest weapons seizure in Laredo in a decade."
Wednesday, 2 June 2010
BBC News - Isle of Wight lobster pots cocaine suspects in court
BBC News - Isle of Wight lobster pots cocaine suspects in court: "Three men have appeared in court charged with conspiracy to import cocaine after £8m worth of the drug was found attached to lobster pots.
The men were held in Yarmouth, Isle of Wight, in a operation involving police and the UK Border Agency on Sunday.
Rucksacks attached to the pots were seen off the coast earlier in the day.
Jamie Green, 42, and Daniel Payne, 35, both from the Isle of Wight, and Veljko Protic, 34, from Croatia were remanded in custody until 9 June.
They are due to appear again at Portsmouth Magistrates' Court.
About 330 kilos (728 lbs) of cocaine was recovered from the rucksacks"
The men were held in Yarmouth, Isle of Wight, in a operation involving police and the UK Border Agency on Sunday.
Rucksacks attached to the pots were seen off the coast earlier in the day.
Jamie Green, 42, and Daniel Payne, 35, both from the Isle of Wight, and Veljko Protic, 34, from Croatia were remanded in custody until 9 June.
They are due to appear again at Portsmouth Magistrates' Court.
About 330 kilos (728 lbs) of cocaine was recovered from the rucksacks"
Thursday, 27 May 2010
Former model arrested in Argentina on drug charges - CNN.com
Former model arrested in Argentina on drug charges - CNN.com: "Angela Sanclemente, 30, was picked up the K-Lodges Hostel in Buenos Aires' Palermo neighborhood, police spokesman Maximiliano Lencina told reporters Wednesday afternoon.
Lencina said Sanclemente was registered at the hostel -- popular with foreign university students -- under the name 'Annie' and had told people at the hostel she was from Mexico. She had dyed her brown hair to blonde and was alone in the hostel when detained.
Lencina said Sanclemente has been in touch with her lawyer and will be questioned on Thursday by an Argentine federal judge. She will be transported Wednesday afternoon from the hostel to Airport Security Police offices at the Ezeiza International Airport, he said.
Interpol issued an international arrest warrant for Sanclemente in March. Investigators at the time said they believed she might be in Argentina, where authorities suspected she may be the 'queen-pin' of an international operation that uses models as drug mules to move suitcases loaded with cocaine out of the Buenos Aires airport."
Lencina said Sanclemente was registered at the hostel -- popular with foreign university students -- under the name 'Annie' and had told people at the hostel she was from Mexico. She had dyed her brown hair to blonde and was alone in the hostel when detained.
Lencina said Sanclemente has been in touch with her lawyer and will be questioned on Thursday by an Argentine federal judge. She will be transported Wednesday afternoon from the hostel to Airport Security Police offices at the Ezeiza International Airport, he said.
Interpol issued an international arrest warrant for Sanclemente in March. Investigators at the time said they believed she might be in Argentina, where authorities suspected she may be the 'queen-pin' of an international operation that uses models as drug mules to move suitcases loaded with cocaine out of the Buenos Aires airport."
Thursday, 13 May 2010
sentenced Robert Paul McJannett on Friday under the country's strict narcotics law.
AUSTRALIAN man has been sentenced to five months in prison for possessing 1.7 grams of marijuana on Indonesia's resort island of Bali.
Presiding Judge Nyoman Sutama of Denpasar District Court sentenced Robert Paul McJannett on Friday under the country's strict narcotics law.
The 48-year-old crane operator from Perth was arrested at the Bali airport in December with the marijuana hidden in his luggage.
Prosecutors had initially asked that McJannett be charged with drug smuggling but the charge was reduced to possession after his doctor and psychiatrist said he had a marijuana dependence and used it for himself.
McJannett is expected to be freed on May 28.
Authorites crack down on gangs in NY town -- Page 1 -- Times Union - Albany NY
Authorites crack down on gangs in NY town -- Page 1 -- Times Union - Albany NY: "300 heavily armed federal agents and local police raided homes at dawn on Thursday in Newburgh, N.Y. -- a town that has been plagued by drug-related violence.
Authorities say so far 78 suspects -- 60 alleged Bloods and 18 reputed Latin Kings -- are facing various drug charges."
Authorities say so far 78 suspects -- 60 alleged Bloods and 18 reputed Latin Kings -- are facing various drug charges."
Suspended sentence for Montreal customs agent in Mafia drug smuggling
Suspended sentence for Montreal customs agent in Mafia drug smuggling: "Nancy Cedeno, 35, said she was relieved after learning of the sentence that also requires her to perform 200 hours of community service during the first 18 months of the sentence, which will be followed by another two years’ probation. She is also required to be home between 7 p.m. and 1 p.m. except to carry out her community service, attend medical appointments or take part in parent-teacher meetings for her two young daughters."
The Driftwood Crips, which was hammered by police when 80 people were arrested
May 12 - Jamaican "Shower Posse" President swept up in Toronto Gang Raids: "Last Tuesday when police raided his Greenview Cres. home they allegedly found a large quantity of crack and powder cocaine and a small amount of marijuana, along with a small electronic weigh scale.
“Beans” Johnson, 32, is a minor player with the Falstaff Crips, but he and his two kid brothers once led the Driftwood Crips gang in 2005. He was sentenced to 2 1/2 years and was under a firearm prohibition since pleading guilty to participating in a criminal organization.
The Driftwood Crips, which was hammered by police when 80 people were arrested in June 2007 after a year-long probe, terrorized the Jane-Finch area and trafficked in both drugs and guns. The Johnson brothers were nicknamed “The Three Generals,” police sources said.
“Butter” Fakomi was arrested in both Project Flicker in 2005 and again in Project Corral."
Euro Weekly News | Drug poser for police in Malaga
Euro Weekly News | Drug poser for police in Malaga: "SO MANY drugs have been seized in Malaga Province that police have run out of official storage facilities. With more than 23 tonnes confiscated, huge amounts are now being stored in local police stations. Some stocks – mainly hashish – are locked in cells, in cupboards and drawers in offices, as well as in garages and even cars.
The drugs can only be destroyed after a court deals with a case, and the ovens in which they are destroyed can only handle 600 kilos a day. Some criminals are so keen to get drugs to sell that they even risk taking stocks from police stations."
The drugs can only be destroyed after a court deals with a case, and the ovens in which they are destroyed can only handle 600 kilos a day. Some criminals are so keen to get drugs to sell that they even risk taking stocks from police stations."
Sixth Goa policeman arrested for drugs mafia links- Hindustan Times
Sixth Goa policeman arrested for drugs mafia links- Hindustan Times: "Subinspector Punaji Gawas was arrested for selling seized drugs stored for safekeeping in the police stiorehouse back to the drugs mafia, an official said.
'Gawas was arrested Wednesday evening for his links to the drugs mafia,' Deputy Superintendent of Police Chandrakant Salgaonkar told reporters.
Gawas was first suspended and then placed under arrest.
Gawas, who is the sixth policeman to be arrested for his links to Goa's narcotics mafia, was the officer in charge of the police godown where drugs seized during narcotics raids were stored.
Police had earlier maintained that white ants had devoured the drugs."
'Gawas was arrested Wednesday evening for his links to the drugs mafia,' Deputy Superintendent of Police Chandrakant Salgaonkar told reporters.
Gawas was first suspended and then placed under arrest.
Gawas, who is the sixth policeman to be arrested for his links to Goa's narcotics mafia, was the officer in charge of the police godown where drugs seized during narcotics raids were stored.
Police had earlier maintained that white ants had devoured the drugs."
Colombia druglord pleads for home | Insurance Making | insurance
Colombia druglord pleads for home | Insurance Making | insurance: "Carlos Lehder was extradited to the US in 1987, where he is serving a 55-year sentence for drug smuggling.
Lehder, 61, argues he should have been released two years ago.
He says he struck a deal to have his sentence reduced in return for his testimony against the former Panamanian leader Manuel Noriega"
Lehder, 61, argues he should have been released two years ago.
He says he struck a deal to have his sentence reduced in return for his testimony against the former Panamanian leader Manuel Noriega"
Amadeu Casellas sentenced to three years for drug trafficking « Prisoner Support Bristol ABC
Amadeu Casellas sentenced to three years for drug trafficking « Prisoner Support Bristol ABC: "Court of Barcelona has sentenced anarchist ex-prisoner Amadeu Casellas and what they refer to as his wife Yamileth B.P. to three years and a 2,400 Euros fine for attempting to smuggle heroin into Quatre Camins prison.
Casellas was in prison for over 25 years, till April 2010. He was jailed for the first time in 1979 after a series of bank robberies. He is widely known for his anarchist views and undertook several hunger strikes to protest against prison conditions. He has denied the charges and has also denied being married to Y.B.P., whom he says has been used."
Casellas was in prison for over 25 years, till April 2010. He was jailed for the first time in 1979 after a series of bank robberies. He is widely known for his anarchist views and undertook several hunger strikes to protest against prison conditions. He has denied the charges and has also denied being married to Y.B.P., whom he says has been used."
Cocaine trafficking ring busted in nunnery - ABC News (Australian Broadcasting Corporation)
Cocaine trafficking ring busted in nunnery - ABC News (Australian Broadcasting Corporation): "nuns at the convent in Piacenza 'had no idea it was going on,' Carabinieri Colonel Edoardo Cappellano said.
'A Colombian security guard let in accomplices under the false pretext of pilgrimages or spiritual retreats,' he said.
'Instead of prayer books, he let cocaine through.'
Thirty-three arrests were made, including a dozen Colombians and another 80 people are under investigation.
Italian police believe the Calabrian mafia and at least two Colombian drug cartels are behind the operation and said the arrests dealt 'a major setback to cocaine trafficking' in northern Italy."
'A Colombian security guard let in accomplices under the false pretext of pilgrimages or spiritual retreats,' he said.
'Instead of prayer books, he let cocaine through.'
Thirty-three arrests were made, including a dozen Colombians and another 80 people are under investigation.
Italian police believe the Calabrian mafia and at least two Colombian drug cartels are behind the operation and said the arrests dealt 'a major setback to cocaine trafficking' in northern Italy."
Wednesday, 12 May 2010
Eight Rio Grande Valley Men Arrested as a Result of Drug Trafficking and Money Laundering Indictment | webnewswire.com
Eight Rio Grande Valley Men Arrested as a Result of Drug Trafficking and Money Laundering Indictment | webnewswire.com: "sealed indictment was partially unsealed this morning following the arrest of eight men from the cities of Donna, Edinburg, San Juan and Weslaco during an Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) led multi-agency enforcement action, United States Attorney José Angel Moreno and Jerry Robinette, ICE special agent in charge, announced today. The arrests are the result of an ICE investigation which began in January 2009.
The coordinated ICE-led joint enforcement action resulting in this morning’s arrests included agents and officers of the FBI, Hidalgo County District Attorney’s High Intensity Drug Trafficking Area Task Force (HIDTA), Hidalgo County Sheriff’s Department, the Hidalgo County Constable’s Office - Precinct 4, Pharr Police Department, U.S. Customs and Border Protection Air and Marine Operations, Texas Department of Public Safety and San Juan Police Department."
The coordinated ICE-led joint enforcement action resulting in this morning’s arrests included agents and officers of the FBI, Hidalgo County District Attorney’s High Intensity Drug Trafficking Area Task Force (HIDTA), Hidalgo County Sheriff’s Department, the Hidalgo County Constable’s Office - Precinct 4, Pharr Police Department, U.S. Customs and Border Protection Air and Marine Operations, Texas Department of Public Safety and San Juan Police Department."
Crack cocaine in garbage bag launches Ontario investigation
Crack cocaine in garbage bag launches Ontario investigation: "crew were picking up concrete steps, patio slabs and several bags of garbage for disposal at the location. A local citizen called the company later saying that she had left her keys in one of the garbage bags on the decor centre's property. An employee of the construction company went to find the keys but instead found crack cocaine in the bags. The police were called."
Dealer and thief spared jail sentence (From The Northern Echo)
Dealer and thief spared jail sentence (From The Northern Echo): "David Clark, 33, was said to have been worried by his household’s perilous finances after he was made redundant.
Despite having a record with 88 offences, a judge let Clark walk free after hearing he was “a dedicated family man”.
Recorder David Dobbin was also told that Clark had rarely been in serious trouble for much of the past decade."
Despite having a record with 88 offences, a judge let Clark walk free after hearing he was “a dedicated family man”.
Recorder David Dobbin was also told that Clark had rarely been in serious trouble for much of the past decade."
New Kensington man, mom charged in drug deal gone awry - Pittsburgh Tribune-Review
New Kensington man, mom charged in drug deal gone awry - Pittsburgh Tribune-Review: "20-year-old New Kensington man and his 41-year-old mother are facing drug and other charges after he allegedly forced a Jeannette man to strip to his boxers at gunpoint after a botched drug sale, police said.
Nathaniel Lindgren and Jean Pinko, both of the 300 block of Fourth Avenue, were each released on $25,000 unsecured bond by Westmoreland County Night Court Magistrate James Mahady pending a preliminary hearing."
Nathaniel Lindgren and Jean Pinko, both of the 300 block of Fourth Avenue, were each released on $25,000 unsecured bond by Westmoreland County Night Court Magistrate James Mahady pending a preliminary hearing."
New York Drug Lab Shortcuts Raise Questions - NYTimes.com
New York Drug Lab Shortcuts Raise Questions - NYTimes.com: "Quality assurance workers at the Police Department discovered that the criminalist, Mariem Megalla, 57, ran a test on a sample that came back negative for cocaine on April 29, but instead of doing the required retesting, she changed the label to indicate that the sample was positive, said Paul J. Browne, the department’s chief spokesman.
The quality assurance team retested the sample and determined that it was, indeed, positive for cocaine, Mr. Browne said."
The quality assurance team retested the sample and determined that it was, indeed, positive for cocaine, Mr. Browne said."
Tuesday, 11 May 2010
22 plead guilty in PRico drug-smuggling scheme - wtop.com
22 plead guilty in PRico drug-smuggling scheme - wtop.com: "nine American Airlines employees pleaded guilty to a drug-smuggling scheme that spanned a decade and targeted cities across the United States, authorities said Monday.
The suspects allegedly smuggled more than 9,000 kilograms (19,800 pounds) of cocaine aboard commercial flights leaving Puerto Rico from 1999 to 2009, according to a statement from the U.S. Department of Justice.
U.S. Attorney Rosa Emilia Rodriguez said the leader of the organization, Wilfredo Rodriguez Rosado, was a part-time employee who recruited workers to help pack suitcases with cocaine and deliver them to Puerto Rico's main airport on pre-loaded airline cargo containers.
A member of the ring would pick the drugs up at airports on the U.S. east coast, including Miami and Orlando, Florida.
The 22 suspects could face up to 15 years in prison. They were arrested in September as part of a joint investigation called 'Operation Heavy Cargo.'"
The suspects allegedly smuggled more than 9,000 kilograms (19,800 pounds) of cocaine aboard commercial flights leaving Puerto Rico from 1999 to 2009, according to a statement from the U.S. Department of Justice.
U.S. Attorney Rosa Emilia Rodriguez said the leader of the organization, Wilfredo Rodriguez Rosado, was a part-time employee who recruited workers to help pack suitcases with cocaine and deliver them to Puerto Rico's main airport on pre-loaded airline cargo containers.
A member of the ring would pick the drugs up at airports on the U.S. east coast, including Miami and Orlando, Florida.
The 22 suspects could face up to 15 years in prison. They were arrested in September as part of a joint investigation called 'Operation Heavy Cargo.'"
The Associated Press: Leaked documents suggest Mexico drug corruption
The Associated Press: Leaked documents suggest Mexico drug corruption: "reported discovery in cartel hands of a sheaf of police documents containing agents' names and contact numbers, along with apparent references to shared U.S. intelligence data, has renewed fears of high-level corruption in Mexico's war on drugs.
The trove of papers — which also included an apparent drug cartel payroll listing police commanders — was found in the car of an associate of Mexico's most powerful drug lord, Joaquin 'El Chapo' Guzman, during a May 2009 bust, the newspaper Reforma said Monday.
The papers appeared to be internal documents, possibly memos or registers, from Mexico's federal Public Safety Department and were listed as evidence of criminal charges, copies of which were obtained by Reforma."
The trove of papers — which also included an apparent drug cartel payroll listing police commanders — was found in the car of an associate of Mexico's most powerful drug lord, Joaquin 'El Chapo' Guzman, during a May 2009 bust, the newspaper Reforma said Monday.
The papers appeared to be internal documents, possibly memos or registers, from Mexico's federal Public Safety Department and were listed as evidence of criminal charges, copies of which were obtained by Reforma."
Police find cocaine hidden in duck embryos
Police find cocaine hidden in duck embryos: "Colombian police discovered four kilos of cocaine intended for export Europe concealed in vials containing duck embryos, reports El Espectador.
The embryos, used to regenerate cells in treatment of cancer, HIV, Alzheimers, Parkinson's and infertility, were surrounded by a protective gel containing dilute cocaine.
In a statement, police said there were over two hundred bottles containing embryos. The final destination of the package was Madrid.
Colombian authorities said this was the first time they have ever seen cocaine smuggled as protective gel for duck embryos.
In the past, quantities of the illegal drug have been found concealed in shipments of coffee, cookies, clothing, and even bananas."
The embryos, used to regenerate cells in treatment of cancer, HIV, Alzheimers, Parkinson's and infertility, were surrounded by a protective gel containing dilute cocaine.
In a statement, police said there were over two hundred bottles containing embryos. The final destination of the package was Madrid.
Colombian authorities said this was the first time they have ever seen cocaine smuggled as protective gel for duck embryos.
In the past, quantities of the illegal drug have been found concealed in shipments of coffee, cookies, clothing, and even bananas."
Monday, 10 May 2010
TODAYonline | Singapore | Death penalty, a trade-off
TODAYonline | Singapore | Death penalty, a trade-off: "case of Malaysian Yong Vui Kong.
The 22-year-old successfully got a stay of execution from a High Court last December - despite the President rejecting his clemency plea - after being sentenced to hang for trafficking 47g of heroin.
He had told the court during his trial he was unaware of the contents of the packages as he was merely following the instructions of his boss in Johor Bahru when he drove into Singapore to deliver them.
But Mr Shanmugam said 'thousands of lives have been ruined due to the free availability of drugs' in cities such as Sydney and New York. It also contributes to soaring crime rates, he added.
'People assume you can have this safety and security without this framework of the law; that you can change it, and yet your safety and security will not be affected,' he said. 'But there are always trade-offs. The difficulty the Government has sometimes in explaining this is that the trade-offs are not apparent. The damage to a large number of others is not obvious.
'You save one life here, but 10 other lives will be gone. What will your choice be?'
If Yong escapes the death penalty, drug barons will think the signal is that young and vulnerable traffickers will be spared and can be used as drug mules, argued Mr Shanmugam.
'Then you'll get 10 more. There'll be an unstoppable stream of such people coming through as long as we say we won't enforce our laws,' he said during his ministerial community visit to Joo Chiat.
Another resident asked about vice activities in the constituency. Mr Shanmugam said the results of efforts to clean up the sleaze in Joo Chiat may not be 'to the satisfaction of everyone' yet, but the situation has 'substantially improved'."
The 22-year-old successfully got a stay of execution from a High Court last December - despite the President rejecting his clemency plea - after being sentenced to hang for trafficking 47g of heroin.
He had told the court during his trial he was unaware of the contents of the packages as he was merely following the instructions of his boss in Johor Bahru when he drove into Singapore to deliver them.
But Mr Shanmugam said 'thousands of lives have been ruined due to the free availability of drugs' in cities such as Sydney and New York. It also contributes to soaring crime rates, he added.
'People assume you can have this safety and security without this framework of the law; that you can change it, and yet your safety and security will not be affected,' he said. 'But there are always trade-offs. The difficulty the Government has sometimes in explaining this is that the trade-offs are not apparent. The damage to a large number of others is not obvious.
'You save one life here, but 10 other lives will be gone. What will your choice be?'
If Yong escapes the death penalty, drug barons will think the signal is that young and vulnerable traffickers will be spared and can be used as drug mules, argued Mr Shanmugam.
'Then you'll get 10 more. There'll be an unstoppable stream of such people coming through as long as we say we won't enforce our laws,' he said during his ministerial community visit to Joo Chiat.
Another resident asked about vice activities in the constituency. Mr Shanmugam said the results of efforts to clean up the sleaze in Joo Chiat may not be 'to the satisfaction of everyone' yet, but the situation has 'substantially improved'."
BERNAMA - Police Seize Heroin Worth RM100,000
BERNAMA - Police Seize Heroin Worth RM100,000: "Penang police detained a man and seized 1,921gm of heroin worth RM100,000 in a raid on an apartment in Greenlane here last Friday.
State police chief Deputy Commissioner Datuk Wira Ayub Yaakob said the man, in his 30s, was detained at about 3.15pm by a team from the state anti-narcotics division.
'Police also seized a Toyota Vios and jewellery worth RM3,000 from the suspect,' he told reporters here Monday.
He said police were still investigating whether the suspect was involved in a syndicate or was operating alone."
State police chief Deputy Commissioner Datuk Wira Ayub Yaakob said the man, in his 30s, was detained at about 3.15pm by a team from the state anti-narcotics division.
'Police also seized a Toyota Vios and jewellery worth RM3,000 from the suspect,' he told reporters here Monday.
He said police were still investigating whether the suspect was involved in a syndicate or was operating alone."
2 Malaysians arrested for drug smuggling | The Jakarta Post
2 Malaysians arrested for drug smuggling | The Jakarta Post: "Baduri Wijayanta, Customs chief at Jakarta's Soekarno-Hatta airport, said Sunday the two were captured last week with 5.6 kilograms (12.35 pounds) of methamphetamine crystals in their luggage.
They arrived Friday on a flight from Singapore that originated in Shenzen, China. It was not clear where the two had boarded the flight.
Wijayanta said authorities haven't found the woman the suspects say was the intended recipient of the drugs.
This is the fifth drug-related case against Malaysians this year.
Indonesia has extremely strict drug laws and convicted smugglers are executed."
The Toll - 5/9/10 - The Case Against Ahmed Wali... | Gather
The Toll - 5/9/10 - The Case Against Ahmed Wali... | Gather: "Ahmed Wali Karzai is the younger half-brother of Afghan President Hamid Karzai, who will be in Washington for high level talks with the Obama administration over the next four days.
It has been widely alleged that Wali Karzai is a drug lord based in Kandahar province in southern Afghanistan. He is also the Provincial Council leader and an elder of the Popalzai Pashtun tribe. Kandahar will soon be the site of a major assault by NATO forces in an effort to wrest control of the area from the Taliban.
On October 4, 2008, the New York Times published an article by James Risen charging that “numerous reports link Wali Karzai to the drug trade, according to current and former officials of the White House, the State Department and the United States Embassy in Afghanistan…”
Seven months earlier, London‘s New Left Review had reported that it was no secret that Wali Karzai had, by then, become “one of the richest drug barons in the country.” The article recounted how, in 2005, when President Karzai complained to Pakistan’s president Musharraf about the cross-border smuggling that was going on, the latter had suggested that “perhaps Karzai should set an example by bringing his sibling under control.”"
It has been widely alleged that Wali Karzai is a drug lord based in Kandahar province in southern Afghanistan. He is also the Provincial Council leader and an elder of the Popalzai Pashtun tribe. Kandahar will soon be the site of a major assault by NATO forces in an effort to wrest control of the area from the Taliban.
On October 4, 2008, the New York Times published an article by James Risen charging that “numerous reports link Wali Karzai to the drug trade, according to current and former officials of the White House, the State Department and the United States Embassy in Afghanistan…”
Seven months earlier, London‘s New Left Review had reported that it was no secret that Wali Karzai had, by then, become “one of the richest drug barons in the country.” The article recounted how, in 2005, when President Karzai complained to Pakistan’s president Musharraf about the cross-border smuggling that was going on, the latter had suggested that “perhaps Karzai should set an example by bringing his sibling under control.”"
Thursday, 6 May 2010
Authorities busted an elaborate plan to smuggle drugs and contraband into
Authorities busted an elaborate plan to smuggle drugs and contraband into
Texas prisons.
2 arrested in interisland drug-smuggling case
2 arrested in interisland drug-smuggling case: "Rolando Alegado Agustin, 40, and Michael Glenn Sullivan, 38, both of Lihu‘e, were arrested the morning of April 6 and released pending further investigation, according to KPD Lt. Eric Shibuya of the Narcotics/Vice Section.
Agustin works for The Gas Company and Sullivan works for Young Brothers, said Shibuya. The two men were allegedly using their employment as means to accomplish the movement of drugs and money between islands and around this island, he said.
The investigation revealed the two men — who are innocent until proven guilty — were allegedly receiving cocaine being shipped to and from O‘ahu on Young Brothers vessels at least once a week for several years."
Agustin works for The Gas Company and Sullivan works for Young Brothers, said Shibuya. The two men were allegedly using their employment as means to accomplish the movement of drugs and money between islands and around this island, he said.
The investigation revealed the two men — who are innocent until proven guilty — were allegedly receiving cocaine being shipped to and from O‘ahu on Young Brothers vessels at least once a week for several years."
Saturday, 24 April 2010
BBC News - Drugs gang jailed after surveillance in UK and Holland
BBC News - Drugs gang jailed after surveillance in UK and Holland: "Christopher Pollock, 37, of Parkview Close, Exhall, Coventry. Jailed for three years and three months.
• Jogendranth Rajcoomar, 57, a former prison governor of Synkere Close, Exhall, Coventry. Jailed for three years and nine months.
• Sunil Rajcoomar, 25, of no fixed abode. Jailed for two years.
• Michael McGlinchey, 58, of Hen Lane, Coventry. Sentenced to three years, two months.
• John Mitchell, 40, of Chichester Road, Greenhithe, Kent. Sentenced to four years, three months.
• Mark Adderley, 52, of Court Oak Road, Harborne, Birmingham. Jailed for three years, nine months.
• Stephen Lismore, 41, of Brittain Drive, Grantham, Lincolnshire. Sentenced to three years, two months."
• Jogendranth Rajcoomar, 57, a former prison governor of Synkere Close, Exhall, Coventry. Jailed for three years and nine months.
• Sunil Rajcoomar, 25, of no fixed abode. Jailed for two years.
• Michael McGlinchey, 58, of Hen Lane, Coventry. Sentenced to three years, two months.
• John Mitchell, 40, of Chichester Road, Greenhithe, Kent. Sentenced to four years, three months.
• Mark Adderley, 52, of Court Oak Road, Harborne, Birmingham. Jailed for three years, nine months.
• Stephen Lismore, 41, of Brittain Drive, Grantham, Lincolnshire. Sentenced to three years, two months."
Friday, 23 April 2010
Dover man charged with trafficking cocaine - WGMD.COM
Dover man charged with trafficking cocaine - WGMD.COM: "35 year old Frank Cuffee is charged with trafficking cocaine and other offenses – and was released after posting a secured bond."
CBP: Man caught with $704K of cocaine : News : KGBT 4
CBP: Man caught with $704K of cocaine : News : KGBT 4: "Rivera-Razo drove up from Mexico at Brownsville’s Gateway International Bridge in a 19996 Chrysler Grand Voyager.
Customs officers allegedly found 16 packages with 22 pounds of cocaine worth $704,000 dollars inside.
Rivera-Razo appeared before U.S. Magistrate Court Judge Ronald Morgan in Brownsville on Thursday morning.
Investigators said Rivera-Razo is a Mexican national from Queretaro, Nuevo Leon.
Judge Morgan denied bond for Rivera-Razo until a Tuesday afternoon hearing."
Customs officers allegedly found 16 packages with 22 pounds of cocaine worth $704,000 dollars inside.
Rivera-Razo appeared before U.S. Magistrate Court Judge Ronald Morgan in Brownsville on Thursday morning.
Investigators said Rivera-Razo is a Mexican national from Queretaro, Nuevo Leon.
Judge Morgan denied bond for Rivera-Razo until a Tuesday afternoon hearing."
80 pounds of pot seized; three arrested - SignOnSanDiego.com
80 pounds of pot seized; three arrested - SignOnSanDiego.com: "largest bust took place about 6 a.m. Wednesday when agents stopped a Dodge Durango SUV on Interstate 8 near the Buckman Springs Road exit. The driver, a 25-year-old man and U.S. citizen, allowed a K-9 dog to search the vehicle, and the dog indicated the SUV may be carrying drugs, the Border Patrol said.
The vehicle was taken to a nearby Border Patrol station, where agents used a scope to look into the gas tank and saw several bundles covered by a plastic wrap. The gas tank was removed, and agents found the bundles contained marijuana, the Border Patrol said. More bundles were also found inside the spare tire. A total of 40 bundles were discovered, weighing about 61 pounds, the Border Patrol said."
The vehicle was taken to a nearby Border Patrol station, where agents used a scope to look into the gas tank and saw several bundles covered by a plastic wrap. The gas tank was removed, and agents found the bundles contained marijuana, the Border Patrol said. More bundles were also found inside the spare tire. A total of 40 bundles were discovered, weighing about 61 pounds, the Border Patrol said."
Wednesday, 21 April 2010
Drug smuggler faces expulsion
Drug smuggler faces expulsion: "Pierre Arold Agnant, the former prison guard convicted of smuggling drugs into the Montreal Detention Centre, will be expelled from Canada the second he is paroled, his defence lawyer told a court.
During sentencing arguments yesterday, Clemente Monterosso said Agnant is a permanent resident and never became a Canadian citizen despite having lived here and having worked as a prison guard for several years.
Monterosso asked Superior Court Justice France Charbonneau to consider Agnant's likely expulsion to Haiti as 'punishment on top of another punishment' when she sentences him on April 30."
During sentencing arguments yesterday, Clemente Monterosso said Agnant is a permanent resident and never became a Canadian citizen despite having lived here and having worked as a prison guard for several years.
Monterosso asked Superior Court Justice France Charbonneau to consider Agnant's likely expulsion to Haiti as 'punishment on top of another punishment' when she sentences him on April 30."
Five convicts executed in Kerman prison | Only Democracy For Iran
Five convicts executed in Kerman prison | Only Democracy For Iran: "Iran has hanged five men convicted of various crimes including drug smuggling and rape in a south-eastern province, a news agency reported on Monday.
The men were executed in a prison in the south-eastern province of Kerman, Iran’s Students News Agency reported, without saying when the hangings took place.
Murder, adultery, rape, armed robbery, drug trafficking and apostasy – the renouncing of religion, in this case Islam – are all punishable by death under Iranian Syariah law practiced since the 1979 Islamic revolution."
The men were executed in a prison in the south-eastern province of Kerman, Iran’s Students News Agency reported, without saying when the hangings took place.
Murder, adultery, rape, armed robbery, drug trafficking and apostasy – the renouncing of religion, in this case Islam – are all punishable by death under Iranian Syariah law practiced since the 1979 Islamic revolution."
IRAN: THREE PEOPLE HANGED IN TAIBAD
IRAN: THREE PEOPLE HANGED IN TAIBAD: "Three people were hanged in the prison of Taibad (Taybad) northeastern Iran, reported the Iranian daily newspaper Quds.
The men who were not identified by name were convicted of drug trafficking according to the report"
The men who were not identified by name were convicted of drug trafficking according to the report"
IRAN: FOUR HANGED FOR DRUG SMUGGLING
IRAN: FOUR HANGED FOR DRUG SMUGGLING: "Iran hanged four men in a prison in the southeastern province of Kerman for drug smuggling, Iran's Students News Agency reported, quoting local judicial authorities without saying when the hangings took place. The report identified the executed men as Mehdi N., Feizollah B., Nazar B. and Gholam H."
Tuesday, 20 April 2010
Mexican drug czars encroach on Colombian cocaine cartels | Washington Examiner
Mexican drug czars encroach on Colombian cocaine cartels | Washington Examiner: "Mexican drug organizations are “dipping further ... into Colombia’s cocaine market,” said a U.S. law enforcement official, with knowledge of Mexican and Colombian drug operations.
That was echoed by Rep. Ted Poe, R-Texas, who recently visited U.S. military officials and law enforcement personnel in Colombia. He said there is evidence “the Mexican drug cartels are sending their members out of Mexico and into Colombia.”
Poe, who is calling for hearings on the growing violence along the U.S.-Mexican border, said the expansion of Mexico’s cartels should be a warning to both the U.S. and the Mexican governments. “They’re more ruthless and violent than even their Colombian counterparts, and according to our guys on the ground they want more control of Colombia’s cocaine trade.”"
That was echoed by Rep. Ted Poe, R-Texas, who recently visited U.S. military officials and law enforcement personnel in Colombia. He said there is evidence “the Mexican drug cartels are sending their members out of Mexico and into Colombia.”
Poe, who is calling for hearings on the growing violence along the U.S.-Mexican border, said the expansion of Mexico’s cartels should be a warning to both the U.S. and the Mexican governments. “They’re more ruthless and violent than even their Colombian counterparts, and according to our guys on the ground they want more control of Colombia’s cocaine trade.”"
Saturday, 17 April 2010
Top News: Colombian drug lord arrested by Brazil police (photos)
Top News: Colombian drug lord arrested by Brazil police (photos): "Nestor Caro Chapparro, is 'one of Colombia's four top drug traffickers.'
According to the National Drug Threat Assessment 2009, 'Mexican drug trafficking organizations (DTOs) represent the greatest organized crime threat to the United States today. They threaten our economy, our communities, our children - all for obvious reasons. '"
Haaba | S.Leone arrests London-bound drugs mule
Haaba | S.Leone arrests London-bound drugs mule: "Godwin Okonkwo, 37, allegedly gulped down the packages on Sunday minutes before he attempted to board the flight at Freetown International Airport, police said.
An international conference on drug trafficking in Praia, Cape Verde, in 2008 warned that West Africa risked becoming an epicentre for drug trafficking.
A UN report launched at the meeting said at least 50 tonnes of cocaine from South America transits West Africa every year. Much of the drugs are shipped to Europe by drug mules on commercial flights, it said"
An international conference on drug trafficking in Praia, Cape Verde, in 2008 warned that West Africa risked becoming an epicentre for drug trafficking.
A UN report launched at the meeting said at least 50 tonnes of cocaine from South America transits West Africa every year. Much of the drugs are shipped to Europe by drug mules on commercial flights, it said"
Friday, 16 April 2010
Man tied to Hells Angels gets 10 years
Man tied to Hells Angels gets 10 years: "Lloyd MacDonald, 39, was handed the sentence Thursday after admitting to possessing 11 guns -- including a fully automatic Ingram submachine gun and an Uzi machine gun -- along with ammunition and drugs in what a federal prosecutor described as a York Street stash house.
The guns and drugs were uncovered during a two-and-a-half-year undercover operation by the province's Biker Enforcement Unit that wrapped up in January with the arrest of MacDonald and seven others, including full-patch Hells Angels and Ontario Nomads member Mario 'Five Cent' Sincennes and hangaround Craig Haines.
The investigation, dubbed Project Beckenham, was launched in August 2007 after police learned that the Hells Angels were making overtures through the Ottawa-based Nomads to take over the drug trade in Brockville, Prescott and Gananoque by waging a campaign of violence and intimidation."
The guns and drugs were uncovered during a two-and-a-half-year undercover operation by the province's Biker Enforcement Unit that wrapped up in January with the arrest of MacDonald and seven others, including full-patch Hells Angels and Ontario Nomads member Mario 'Five Cent' Sincennes and hangaround Craig Haines.
The investigation, dubbed Project Beckenham, was launched in August 2007 after police learned that the Hells Angels were making overtures through the Ottawa-based Nomads to take over the drug trade in Brockville, Prescott and Gananoque by waging a campaign of violence and intimidation."
Cocaine ring arrests in northwest suburbs - chicagotribune.com
Cocaine ring arrests in northwest suburbs - chicagotribune.com: "'Dial-a-Rock' by police, the ring operated out of a 'stash house' in Schaumburg, where kilos of cocaine, purchased for $28,000 apiece, were brought in to be cooked into crack or packaged as powder cocaine, authorities said in court Thursday.
Operators would receive orders by phone — as many as hundreds each day — and runners, many recruited from Jalisco, Mexico, would deliver to customers, sometimes in quantities totaling a kilo per week, officials said.
The man alleged to be the kingpin of the ring, Ector Cortez, 40, of the 2800 block of Algonquin Road in Rolling Meadows, was ordered held in lieu of $1 million cash bail Thursday on charges of unlawful criminal drug conspiracy and unlawful possession of a controlled substance with intent to deliver, authorities said."
Operators would receive orders by phone — as many as hundreds each day — and runners, many recruited from Jalisco, Mexico, would deliver to customers, sometimes in quantities totaling a kilo per week, officials said.
The man alleged to be the kingpin of the ring, Ector Cortez, 40, of the 2800 block of Algonquin Road in Rolling Meadows, was ordered held in lieu of $1 million cash bail Thursday on charges of unlawful criminal drug conspiracy and unlawful possession of a controlled substance with intent to deliver, authorities said."
Alleged drug mule seized in Sierra Leone - Worldnews.com
Alleged drug mule seized in Sierra Leone - Worldnews.com: "Sydney police bust alleged interstate"
IC Publications
IC Publications: "Godwin Okonkwo, 37, allegedly gulped down the packages on Sunday minutes before he attempted to board the flight at Freetown International Airport, police said.
An international conference on drug trafficking in Praia, Cape Verde, in 2008 warned that West Africa risked becoming an epicentre for drug trafficking.
A UN report launched at the meeting said at least 50 tonnes of cocaine from South America transits West Africa every year. Much of the drugs are shipped to Europe by drug mules on commercial flights, it said."
An international conference on drug trafficking in Praia, Cape Verde, in 2008 warned that West Africa risked becoming an epicentre for drug trafficking.
A UN report launched at the meeting said at least 50 tonnes of cocaine from South America transits West Africa every year. Much of the drugs are shipped to Europe by drug mules on commercial flights, it said."
Saturday, 10 April 2010
Sindh Today – Online News » John Terry’s father charged for supplying cocaine
Sindh Today – Online News » John Terry’s father charged for supplying cocaine: "Chelsea skipper John Terry’s father has been charged with cocaine dealing, after he was allegedly caught on camera by an undercover newspaper reporter last November.
Ted Terry, 55, allegedly supplied three grams of the Class A drug after saying: “The stuff’s all right. I get off on it.”
Essex Police launched an investigation after being handed a video, which led to Ted’s arrest.
It is alleged the deal took place in the toilets of the Unit 4 wine bar in Chafford Hundred – yards from Ted’s modern terraced home.
“We can confirm a 55-year-old man from Chafford Hundred has been charged with the supply of cocaine, which is a Class A drug. He has been bailed to appear before Basildon Magistrates’ Court on May 13,” The Sun quoted Essex Police, as saying.
Jobless Ted was said to have bragged how his 29-year-old son had given him a 15,000-pound Rolex."
Ted Terry, 55, allegedly supplied three grams of the Class A drug after saying: “The stuff’s all right. I get off on it.”
Essex Police launched an investigation after being handed a video, which led to Ted’s arrest.
It is alleged the deal took place in the toilets of the Unit 4 wine bar in Chafford Hundred – yards from Ted’s modern terraced home.
“We can confirm a 55-year-old man from Chafford Hundred has been charged with the supply of cocaine, which is a Class A drug. He has been bailed to appear before Basildon Magistrates’ Court on May 13,” The Sun quoted Essex Police, as saying.
Jobless Ted was said to have bragged how his 29-year-old son had given him a 15,000-pound Rolex."
The Political Junkie: Drug Cartel Takes over Smuggling Routes to U.S.
The Political Junkie: Drug Cartel Takes over Smuggling Routes to U.S.: "After a two-year battle that has killed more than 5,000 people, Mexico's most powerful kingpin now controls the coveted trafficking routes through Ciudad Juarez. That conclusion by U.S. intelligence adds to evidence that Joaquin 'El Chapo' Guzman's Sinaloa cartel is winning Mexico's drug war. The agent told The Associated Press those sources have led U.S. authorities to believe that the Sinaloa cartel has edged out the rival Juarez gang for control over trafficking routes through Ciudad Juarez, ground zero in the drug war. 'If you control the city (Ciudad Juarez), you control the drugs,' the federal agent said."
Drug gang hangs two from bridge near Mexico City | Reuters
Drug gang hangs two from bridge near Mexico City | Reuters: "two men were found stripped to the waist and hung by the neck from the bridge near a shopping mall early Friday morning in Cuernavaca, said the attorney general's office for Morelos state, which includes the city.
Mexican media reported the hitmen riddled the bodies with bullets before fleeing the scene.
'Given the characteristics of this act, the killings appear to be linked to drug cartels and it is something we are seeing more of in the area,' said a spokesman for the attorney general's office who declined to be named.
Drug violence is raging across Mexico and almost 20,000 people have died in the fight among cartels and with Mexican security forces since President Felipe Calderon launched his army-led crackdown on drug gangs in late 2006."
Mexican media reported the hitmen riddled the bodies with bullets before fleeing the scene.
'Given the characteristics of this act, the killings appear to be linked to drug cartels and it is something we are seeing more of in the area,' said a spokesman for the attorney general's office who declined to be named.
Drug violence is raging across Mexico and almost 20,000 people have died in the fight among cartels and with Mexican security forces since President Felipe Calderon launched his army-led crackdown on drug gangs in late 2006."
Friday, 9 April 2010
B.C. man sentenced to 3 years in U.S. jail for drug smuggling - Crime Gossip
B.C. man sentenced to 3 years in U.S. jail for drug smuggling - Crime Gossip: "B.C. man will likely have to put the brakes to his trucking business after being found guilty in a U.S. court of trying to smuggle 76 kilograms of Cocaine across the border. Sukhvinder Shoker, 43, owner of B.C.'s Careful Movers and Delivery Services, was handed a three-year sentence and three years of Probation in U.S. District Court in Seattle on Friday for acting as a drug mule. Shoker's truck was stopped on Oct. 10, 2009 as he tried to re-enter Canada"
Drug Task Force Finds Heroin, Cocaine; Arrests Four - WBAY-TV Green Bay-Fox Cities-Northeast Wisconsin News
Drug Task Force Finds Heroin, Cocaine; Arrests Four - WBAY-TV Green Bay-Fox Cities-Northeast Wisconsin News: "officers arrested Andrew Shuck, 22, of Green Bay.
They say he was attempting to deliver 30 grams of heroin, valued up to $7,500, and five pounds of marijuana.
Officers also arrested Ryan Delbene, 23, and Vincent Reyna in Luxemburg.
Investigators say the two were attempting to spot law enforcement and allow Shuck to make the transaction without being detected.
Police then searched two Green Bay homes and arrested James Nemetz, 23, for maintaining a drug trafficking place and possession of a number of drugs.
In their investigation, officers seized marijuana, cocaine, heroin, ecstasy and prescription pills.
Officers are seeking charges against Shuck, Delbene, and Reyna of heroin possession with intent to deliver, marijuana possession with intent to deliver. Shuck also faces a bail jumping charge.
The drug task force is seeking charges against Nemetz including maintaining a drug trafficking place, possession of drug paraphernalia to manufacture, possession of narcotics or synthetic narcotics, and manufacture to deliver cocaine."
They say he was attempting to deliver 30 grams of heroin, valued up to $7,500, and five pounds of marijuana.
Officers also arrested Ryan Delbene, 23, and Vincent Reyna in Luxemburg.
Investigators say the two were attempting to spot law enforcement and allow Shuck to make the transaction without being detected.
Police then searched two Green Bay homes and arrested James Nemetz, 23, for maintaining a drug trafficking place and possession of a number of drugs.
In their investigation, officers seized marijuana, cocaine, heroin, ecstasy and prescription pills.
Officers are seeking charges against Shuck, Delbene, and Reyna of heroin possession with intent to deliver, marijuana possession with intent to deliver. Shuck also faces a bail jumping charge.
The drug task force is seeking charges against Nemetz including maintaining a drug trafficking place, possession of drug paraphernalia to manufacture, possession of narcotics or synthetic narcotics, and manufacture to deliver cocaine."
OFAC names two African military leaders as Drug Kingpins | World-Check
OFAC names two African military leaders as Drug Kingpins | World-Check: "US Treasury has sanctioned* the Air Force Chief of Staff.and former Navy Chief of Staff, of Guinea-Bissau, as narcotics kingpins, for their alleged major involvement in the trafficking of South American narcotics through West Africa, en route the European market. Ibraima Papa Camara, the Guinean Air Force Chief of Staff, and Jose Americo Bubo Natchuto, the former Navy chief of Staff, have been named as Specially Designated Drug Trafficking Kingpins [SDNTK]. Naming active-duty military officers as drug kingpins is sending a strong signal to the countries of West Africa. The question is: are they are listening ?
Treasury stated that the two sanctioned individuals:
'are both involved in narcotics trafficking in Guinea-Bissau, including linked to an aircraft suspected of flying a multi-hundred kilogram shipment from Venezuela to Guinea-Bissau July 12, 2008**.'"
Treasury stated that the two sanctioned individuals:
'are both involved in narcotics trafficking in Guinea-Bissau, including linked to an aircraft suspected of flying a multi-hundred kilogram shipment from Venezuela to Guinea-Bissau July 12, 2008**.'"
Cochabamba cocaine trial continues / News / The Foreigner — Norwegian News in English
Cochabamba cocaine trial continues / News / The Foreigner — Norwegian News in English: "trial of the two remaining women charged with trying to smuggle cocaine out of Bolivia last year recommenced today, four months after the indefinite adjournment.
Acquittal refused
Stine Brendemo Hagen (19) and Madeleine Rodriguez (23) were transported to the courthouse yesterday.
NRK reports efforts by Moises Kestelbaum Gamarra, Rodriguez’s defence counsel, to postpone the trial further, failed.
Gamarra said he believes his client should be acquitted because she wasn’t offered an interpreter at the time of her arrest, which contravenes Bolivia’s Constitution.
But the Prosecution claimed one of the accused speaks Spanish, and both women were offered help from the Norwegian Consulate General in La Paz. Judge Jean Luis Ledezma refused Gamarra’s request, and ordered the trial be reconvened today."
Acquittal refused
Stine Brendemo Hagen (19) and Madeleine Rodriguez (23) were transported to the courthouse yesterday.
NRK reports efforts by Moises Kestelbaum Gamarra, Rodriguez’s defence counsel, to postpone the trial further, failed.
Gamarra said he believes his client should be acquitted because she wasn’t offered an interpreter at the time of her arrest, which contravenes Bolivia’s Constitution.
But the Prosecution claimed one of the accused speaks Spanish, and both women were offered help from the Norwegian Consulate General in La Paz. Judge Jean Luis Ledezma refused Gamarra’s request, and ordered the trial be reconvened today."
Investigators arrest four men and seize $1M in Bronx heroin bust - NYPOST.com
Investigators arrest four men and seize $1M in Bronx heroin bust - NYPOST.com: "Investigators seized $1 million worth of heroin yesterday in The Bronx.
Seven kilos of heroin had already been cut and placed in 50,000 glassine envelopes that sell for about $20, said the city Office of the Special Narcotics Prosecutor.
Four people were busted in the Parkchester raid, where stamps for branding drugs with names like 'Heat Wave,' 'Maserati' and 'Body Bag,' were found.
Luis Lara, 28, Wilson Rodriguez, 33, and Yalxon Antonio, 27, all of the Bronx, and Jose Polo, 28, of Manhattan, are accused of drug possession."
Seven kilos of heroin had already been cut and placed in 50,000 glassine envelopes that sell for about $20, said the city Office of the Special Narcotics Prosecutor.
Four people were busted in the Parkchester raid, where stamps for branding drugs with names like 'Heat Wave,' 'Maserati' and 'Body Bag,' were found.
Luis Lara, 28, Wilson Rodriguez, 33, and Yalxon Antonio, 27, all of the Bronx, and Jose Polo, 28, of Manhattan, are accused of drug possession."
Latin American Herald Tribune - Spaniard Arrested in Dominican Republic on Drug Smuggling Charges
Latin American Herald Tribune - Spaniard Arrested in Dominican Republic on Drug Smuggling Charges: "During a raid conducted today (Tuesday) at the office of the Startmable company ... documents were seized providing evidence of the links of the said firm with the Prado Universal company, the owner of the 1,200 kilos of cocaine seized from Del Tiempo Marquez in Spain,” the Santo Domingo prosecutor’s office said.
After the arrest of Del Tiempo Marquez in Spain, Dominican authorities seized a luxury apartment building owned by the businessman located in an exclusive sector of Santo Domingo.
In addition, authorities confiscated a yacht belonging to the Spanish businessman and also a villa in the Casa de Campo tourist complex that Del Tiempo used to rent.
At the time of his arrest in Barcelona, Del Tiempo Marquez had been living for several years in the Dominican Republic, where he conducted regular business operations and, according to photographic evidence, had managed to gain access to powerful political figures."
After the arrest of Del Tiempo Marquez in Spain, Dominican authorities seized a luxury apartment building owned by the businessman located in an exclusive sector of Santo Domingo.
In addition, authorities confiscated a yacht belonging to the Spanish businessman and also a villa in the Casa de Campo tourist complex that Del Tiempo used to rent.
At the time of his arrest in Barcelona, Del Tiempo Marquez had been living for several years in the Dominican Republic, where he conducted regular business operations and, according to photographic evidence, had managed to gain access to powerful political figures."
Man Arrested For Attempting To Smuggle 'Lady Gaga' Heroin - News Story | Music, Celebrity, Artist News | MTV News
Man Arrested For Attempting To Smuggle 'Lady Gaga' Heroin - News Story | Music, Celebrity, Artist News | MTV News: "members of the Syracuse Police Special Investigations Division received a tip that a large amount of heroin was being delivered on a bus from New York City. When that bus arrived at 5 p.m., police found more than 15 grams of heroin in the possession of a 27-year-old man, whom they took into custody.
And here's where Lady Gaga comes in to the story.
According to Syracuse's The Post-Standard, police discovered 400 glassine bags, each containing a tan powder that tested positive for heroin, hidden in the pants of a bus passenger named Jeffrey J. Williams. Each bag was stamped in red ink with the words 'Lady Gaga.'
All told, police discovered 15.6 grams of 'Gaga' heroin — with an estimated street value of $6,000 — on Williams' person. He was arrested and charged with two felony counts and a misdemeanor count of criminal possession of a controlled substance.
At press time, MTV News' phone calls to the Syracuse Police Department requesting comment had not been returned.
While Gaga herself had nothing to do with the incident (or the heroin), she's now joined a list of entertainers and celebrities who have unwittingly lent their names to street drugs. Earlier this year, Newark police uncovered 500 bricks of 'Lil Wayne'-branded heroin — with a street value of some $250 million — hidden in the interior of an SUV. And in 2009, Border Patrol agents in Washington state arrested a man attempting to smuggle 67 pounds of Benzylpiperazine pills, a drug that causes a euphoria similar to that experienced with Ecstasy, into the U.S. Most of the pills were stamped with the likeness of Bart Simpson, but others were marked with a silhouette of President Barack Obama."
And here's where Lady Gaga comes in to the story.
According to Syracuse's The Post-Standard, police discovered 400 glassine bags, each containing a tan powder that tested positive for heroin, hidden in the pants of a bus passenger named Jeffrey J. Williams. Each bag was stamped in red ink with the words 'Lady Gaga.'
All told, police discovered 15.6 grams of 'Gaga' heroin — with an estimated street value of $6,000 — on Williams' person. He was arrested and charged with two felony counts and a misdemeanor count of criminal possession of a controlled substance.
At press time, MTV News' phone calls to the Syracuse Police Department requesting comment had not been returned.
While Gaga herself had nothing to do with the incident (or the heroin), she's now joined a list of entertainers and celebrities who have unwittingly lent their names to street drugs. Earlier this year, Newark police uncovered 500 bricks of 'Lil Wayne'-branded heroin — with a street value of some $250 million — hidden in the interior of an SUV. And in 2009, Border Patrol agents in Washington state arrested a man attempting to smuggle 67 pounds of Benzylpiperazine pills, a drug that causes a euphoria similar to that experienced with Ecstasy, into the U.S. Most of the pills were stamped with the likeness of Bart Simpson, but others were marked with a silhouette of President Barack Obama."
South African Sentenced to Death in China for Drug Smuggling - BusinessWeek
South African Sentenced to Death in China for Drug Smuggling - BusinessWeek: "South African has been sentenced to death in China after being found guilty of smuggling drugs, the Department of International Relations and Cooperation said in an e-mailed statement today.
South Africa’s government is in talks with Chinese authorities to commute the sentence, the statement said. The case has been referred to the High Court in Beijing after a court in Guangzhou upheld the death penalty decision yesterday, it said."
South Africa’s government is in talks with Chinese authorities to commute the sentence, the statement said. The case has been referred to the High Court in Beijing after a court in Guangzhou upheld the death penalty decision yesterday, it said."
Caseyville man pleads guilty to cocaine charges | St. Louis Crime Beat | STLtoday
Caseyville man pleads guilty to cocaine charges | St. Louis Crime Beat | STLtoday: "Ace Hart Jr. of Caseyville pleaded guilty today to three counts of distribution of cocaine and one count of conspiracy to distribute and possess with intent to distribute cocaine.
The charges stem from crimes in St. Clair County between September 2007 and May 2009.
The distribution charges carry penalties of up to 20 years in prison, a fine of up to $1 million and at least three years of supervised release. On the conspiracy charge, Hart, 31, faces between five and 20 years in prison, a fine of up to $1 million and at least three years of supervised release.
Sentencing for Hart, the son of St. Clair County deputy coroner Ace Hart, has been set for July 10."
The charges stem from crimes in St. Clair County between September 2007 and May 2009.
The distribution charges carry penalties of up to 20 years in prison, a fine of up to $1 million and at least three years of supervised release. On the conspiracy charge, Hart, 31, faces between five and 20 years in prison, a fine of up to $1 million and at least three years of supervised release.
Sentencing for Hart, the son of St. Clair County deputy coroner Ace Hart, has been set for July 10."
Saturday, 27 February 2010
Paul Grafton had a £160,000 house, changed his car 16 times in nine years and flew to Las Vegas with his wife to watch a boxing contest.
Grafton, 33, collected more than £20,000 in a range of benefits by claiming to be a single man, living alone, and out of work.The reality was that he was living with his wife and their daughter in relative luxury – mostly funded by his law-breaking.
Police first investigated the benefit fraud and charged both Grafton and his wife, Joanne Dickson, 31, in January last year.During surveillance, detectives noted that he frequently visited a fishing cabin in Redcar, east Cleveland, with other men.
The cabin – along with the Middlesbrough homes of Grafton and an associate, David Foy – were searched for drugs.Almost £600 worth of cocaine and £555 in cash was found at Foy’s house in Millbrook Avenue during the raid on January 9.It later emerged that he allowed Grafton to use his home to store drugs, and split them from bulk deals into smaller packages.Both men admitted a charge of possessing Class A drugs with intent to supply when they were due to go on trial.Grafton also admitted a number of benefit fraud offences, but ultimately no evidence was offered against his wife.However, a judge told her: “Anybody with any commonsense could see you have come within a whisker of being convicted.”Recorder David Wilby, locked up Grafton, of Eastbourne Gardens, for a total of four years, and sentenced Foy to 21 months.Foy also admitted a common assault and an assault occasioning actual bodily harm against his then-partner last November.Last night, Cleveland Police hailed the success of their Operation Weller, and the Too Much Bling, Give us A Ring campaign.Inspector Dave Turnbull, of the force’s economic crime unit, said: “The residents of communities in Teesside know who the drug dealers and criminals are.
“Every day they see them flaunting their wealth. Most do not work – yet can afford designer clothes, the latest electrical goods and have overseas holidays while claiming benefits.“The Too Much Bling campaign that ran in 2008 was aimed at encouraging the public to report people who they suspected were committing crime and who appeared to be living beyond their means.
“As a result, a lot of intelligence including information on Grafton was received.
“The economic crime unit money laundering team found evidence that Grafton was cheating the benefit system and was supplying controlled drugs that was funding an extravagant lifestyle.”
Brian Russell, for Grafton, said he had also funded his lifestyle by “reckless borrowing” on credit cards and loans from people.
Paul Newcombe, for Foy, said: “Facing the prospect of going to prison for the first time in his life is daunting.”
Police first investigated the benefit fraud and charged both Grafton and his wife, Joanne Dickson, 31, in January last year.During surveillance, detectives noted that he frequently visited a fishing cabin in Redcar, east Cleveland, with other men.
The cabin – along with the Middlesbrough homes of Grafton and an associate, David Foy – were searched for drugs.Almost £600 worth of cocaine and £555 in cash was found at Foy’s house in Millbrook Avenue during the raid on January 9.It later emerged that he allowed Grafton to use his home to store drugs, and split them from bulk deals into smaller packages.Both men admitted a charge of possessing Class A drugs with intent to supply when they were due to go on trial.Grafton also admitted a number of benefit fraud offences, but ultimately no evidence was offered against his wife.However, a judge told her: “Anybody with any commonsense could see you have come within a whisker of being convicted.”Recorder David Wilby, locked up Grafton, of Eastbourne Gardens, for a total of four years, and sentenced Foy to 21 months.Foy also admitted a common assault and an assault occasioning actual bodily harm against his then-partner last November.Last night, Cleveland Police hailed the success of their Operation Weller, and the Too Much Bling, Give us A Ring campaign.Inspector Dave Turnbull, of the force’s economic crime unit, said: “The residents of communities in Teesside know who the drug dealers and criminals are.
“Every day they see them flaunting their wealth. Most do not work – yet can afford designer clothes, the latest electrical goods and have overseas holidays while claiming benefits.“The Too Much Bling campaign that ran in 2008 was aimed at encouraging the public to report people who they suspected were committing crime and who appeared to be living beyond their means.
“As a result, a lot of intelligence including information on Grafton was received.
“The economic crime unit money laundering team found evidence that Grafton was cheating the benefit system and was supplying controlled drugs that was funding an extravagant lifestyle.”
Brian Russell, for Grafton, said he had also funded his lifestyle by “reckless borrowing” on credit cards and loans from people.
Paul Newcombe, for Foy, said: “Facing the prospect of going to prison for the first time in his life is daunting.”
Thursday, 25 February 2010
Michael Daly, 49, teamed up with a police killer to smuggle in £235million worth of the drug in an inflatable boat.
Michael Daly, 49, teamed up with a police killer to smuggle in £235million worth of the drug in an inflatable boat.
But the bungling smugglers recruited by Daly and murderer Perry Wharrie overloaded the vessel and filled the spare tank with diesel instead of petrol.
It capsized in a storm, spilling 62 bales of high-quality cocaine into the sea. Two gang members swam ashore and the other was hauled to safety by a helicopter.
Millionaire crook Daly is already serving eight years for an almost identical crime aimed at landing £4million worth of cocaine on a beach in Kent.
He turned to high-stakes crime after being dismissed from the Metropolitan Police for drink-driving.
Using his Scotland Yard experience, he built a drugs empire, investing the proceeds in property in Britain and Ireland. Investigators found £30,000 of his in a safety deposit box in London store Harrods.
Daly went into partnership with Wharrie, 50, jailed for life in 1989 for the murder of off-duty PC Frank Mason. He was released in 2005.
Blackfriars Crown Court in London yesterday heard how the gang had planned to get rich like “high-stakes gamblers at the Casino Royale”, sailing the drugs from the Caribbean to a rendezvous with the smugglers off the Irish coast.
The drugs left Barbados in May 2007 on a catamaran called Lucky Day but the transfer was sunk by bad luck, bad weather and bungling.
A joint investigation in Britain and Ireland has resulted in convictions for six of the gang.
Martin Wanden, the former detective’s brother Joe Daly and Wharrie were convicted in Ireland, while another member, Gerard Hagan, pleaded guilty.
But the bungling smugglers recruited by Daly and murderer Perry Wharrie overloaded the vessel and filled the spare tank with diesel instead of petrol.
It capsized in a storm, spilling 62 bales of high-quality cocaine into the sea. Two gang members swam ashore and the other was hauled to safety by a helicopter.
Millionaire crook Daly is already serving eight years for an almost identical crime aimed at landing £4million worth of cocaine on a beach in Kent.
He turned to high-stakes crime after being dismissed from the Metropolitan Police for drink-driving.
Using his Scotland Yard experience, he built a drugs empire, investing the proceeds in property in Britain and Ireland. Investigators found £30,000 of his in a safety deposit box in London store Harrods.
Daly went into partnership with Wharrie, 50, jailed for life in 1989 for the murder of off-duty PC Frank Mason. He was released in 2005.
Blackfriars Crown Court in London yesterday heard how the gang had planned to get rich like “high-stakes gamblers at the Casino Royale”, sailing the drugs from the Caribbean to a rendezvous with the smugglers off the Irish coast.
The drugs left Barbados in May 2007 on a catamaran called Lucky Day but the transfer was sunk by bad luck, bad weather and bungling.
A joint investigation in Britain and Ireland has resulted in convictions for six of the gang.
Martin Wanden, the former detective’s brother Joe Daly and Wharrie were convicted in Ireland, while another member, Gerard Hagan, pleaded guilty.
federal grand jury indictment alleges Michael Olsen, 35, of Milton, ran the drug ring involving over 5 kilograms of cocaine and 5 grams of crack from
federal grand jury indictment alleges Michael Olsen, 35, of Milton, ran the drug ring involving over 5 kilograms of cocaine and 5 grams of crack from out of Rizzo Bros. auto detailing shop, which did little legitimate business, the office of the U.S. Attorney for Vermont said.
Olsen is accused of directing others to mail cash, usually over $20,000, to dealers in California and Arizona, who then had the cocaine sent to other locations in Vermont, where it was distributed, prosecutors said.
Andrew Bullock, 29, of Essex Junction; Matthew Rivers, 24, of South Burlington; Roddy Superneau, 45, of Colchester; Sonya Robar, 36, or Essex Junction; Joel Root, 36, of St. Albans; Melissa Root, 39, of St. Albans; and Jason Smith, 31, of Burlington are facing drug distribution charges.
Olsen, Allison Simpson, 38, of South Burlington and Melissa Stuart, 33, of Colchester are accused of money laundering in alleged schemes in which drug money was deposited into a business bank account from which paychecks were drawn and vehicles were purchased with drug proceeds and kept in other people’s names, prosecutor said.
Olsen and a telephone company employee also are charged with accessing phone records of Drug Enforcement Administration agents so that Olsen could determine which witnesses were talking with the DEA, the indictment said.
Olsen is accused of directing others to mail cash, usually over $20,000, to dealers in California and Arizona, who then had the cocaine sent to other locations in Vermont, where it was distributed, prosecutors said.
Andrew Bullock, 29, of Essex Junction; Matthew Rivers, 24, of South Burlington; Roddy Superneau, 45, of Colchester; Sonya Robar, 36, or Essex Junction; Joel Root, 36, of St. Albans; Melissa Root, 39, of St. Albans; and Jason Smith, 31, of Burlington are facing drug distribution charges.
Olsen, Allison Simpson, 38, of South Burlington and Melissa Stuart, 33, of Colchester are accused of money laundering in alleged schemes in which drug money was deposited into a business bank account from which paychecks were drawn and vehicles were purchased with drug proceeds and kept in other people’s names, prosecutor said.
Olsen and a telephone company employee also are charged with accessing phone records of Drug Enforcement Administration agents so that Olsen could determine which witnesses were talking with the DEA, the indictment said.
Phuong Thi Tran, 39, of Mississauga, Ontario, "operated a network of smugglers who distributed large amounts of ecstasy" to drug dealers in the United
Phuong Thi Tran, 39, of Mississauga, Ontario, "operated a network of smugglers who distributed large amounts of ecstasy" to drug dealers in the United states.
Tran has been charged in Michigan as well as Pennsylvania. Her organization is accused of delivering 100,000 ecstasy pills to dealers in Philadelphia and Boston.Tran pleaded guilty to one count of conspiracy to distribute ecstasy and methamphetamines and one count of conspiracy to possess with the intent to distribute ecstasy. The case was investigated by Immigration and Customs Enforcement, the DEA, and other law enforcement agencies from both nations. Tran will be sentenced in June.
Tran has been charged in Michigan as well as Pennsylvania. Her organization is accused of delivering 100,000 ecstasy pills to dealers in Philadelphia and Boston.Tran pleaded guilty to one count of conspiracy to distribute ecstasy and methamphetamines and one count of conspiracy to possess with the intent to distribute ecstasy. The case was investigated by Immigration and Customs Enforcement, the DEA, and other law enforcement agencies from both nations. Tran will be sentenced in June.
Charlie Nunn, of the 300 block of Hill Street, allegedly grew the marijuana in a pair of specialty tents
Charlie Nunn, of the 300 block of Hill Street, allegedly grew the marijuana in a pair of specialty tents -- purchased from a company in Illinois called Big Grow Hydroponics -- in his garage with lights and heaters. Police said Nunn also had a .357 Magnum, multiple cell phones and a pair of brass knuckles.Police said they watched Nunn four months before raiding his home Monday. They had believed most of his illicit activity centered on selling heroin and syringes and were surprised to find the grow house, police said.
"It was just good police work," Bethlehem Detective Sgt. William Kissner said.
Bethlehem police say they seized these marijuana plants from the Hill Street home.
Police Commissioner Stuart Bedics said growing operations are not uncommon, but this one was unique.
"We've never seen this type of apparatus," Bedics said, gesturing to the tall, black and green tent that Nunn allegedly used to store and grow the marijuana plants.
Lt. Mark DiLuzio said the marijuana plants each produce 1 pound of marijuana with a total street value of $100,000 -- growers could harvest up to four times a year.
Nunn was charged with eight drug-related offenses and a weapons offense. He was sent to Northampton County Prison in lieu of $25,000 bail.Nunn was also involved in an alleged theft in Hellertown earlier this month in which two men took his girlfriend's backpack, police said. Nunn held onto the thieves' truck as they drove away, police said. He was thrown from the truck and treated for injuries.
"It was just good police work," Bethlehem Detective Sgt. William Kissner said.
Bethlehem police say they seized these marijuana plants from the Hill Street home.
Police Commissioner Stuart Bedics said growing operations are not uncommon, but this one was unique.
"We've never seen this type of apparatus," Bedics said, gesturing to the tall, black and green tent that Nunn allegedly used to store and grow the marijuana plants.
Lt. Mark DiLuzio said the marijuana plants each produce 1 pound of marijuana with a total street value of $100,000 -- growers could harvest up to four times a year.
Nunn was charged with eight drug-related offenses and a weapons offense. He was sent to Northampton County Prison in lieu of $25,000 bail.Nunn was also involved in an alleged theft in Hellertown earlier this month in which two men took his girlfriend's backpack, police said. Nunn held onto the thieves' truck as they drove away, police said. He was thrown from the truck and treated for injuries.
Angie Sanselmente Valencia who police believe may have run a drug trafficking operation using models and atttractive women.
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30-year-old Angie Sanselmente Valencia who police believe may have run a drug trafficking operation using models and atttractive women.Miss Valencia is wanted for allegedly using a squad of women to transport cocaine from South America to Europe.Police say they discovered the operation when they arrested a 21-year-old woman carrying 55 kg of cocaine at Buenos Aires' Ezeiza Airport.Angie Valencia was crowned Colombia's Coffee Queen in 2000 and she is believed to live in Argentinalingerie model is believed to be the mastermind behind an all-women drug gang that smuggles cocaine into Britain. An international arrest warrant has been issued for Angie Sanselmente Valencia, 30, who is said to only hire glamour models to transport the drugs from South America to Europe.It’s believed that Colombian-born Valencia had been seeing a Mexican drug lord known as ‘The Monster’ but split with him at the end of last year to form her own cocaine-smuggling gang.She is said to describe the women working for her as ‘unsuspicious, beautiful angels’. The women are told to be ‘nice, but not flashy’.Valencia, who was crowned Colombia’s ‘Queen Of Coffee’ in 2000, left modelling and moved to Argentina late last year to establish her network.Her ‘angels’ were paid £3,200 for each trip they made and one of her gang is believed to have boarded a flight every 24 hours with the packages of cocaine.From Argentina they would fly up to the Mexican Caribbean resort of Cancun and from there they would smuggle them into Europe.However her network began to unravel several weeks ago when one of her ‘drug mules’ was caught at Argentina’s Ezeiza International Airport in Buenos Aires carrying 55kg of cocaine.The 21-year-old woman began to talk and within 12 hours police investigators had arrested a further three people.The drug mule had made no attempt to hide the cocaine in her suitcase because she’d been told no one would stop her at the airport, according to Argentine newspaper La Nacion.Police are now investigating the gang’s links to people working at the airport.
Following the arrests Valencia promptly disappeared from a four-star hotel in Buenos Aires but is still believed to be in the South American country.
She’d arrived from Mexico last December with her beloved pet Pomeranian dog. Investigators tried to trace her through the address to which the animal was registered but it only led them to an abandoned warehouse.
Joseph Failazu, 32 and Yahye Ceefay, 25jailed for 12 years and fined €50,000 today after admitting in court to having imported nearly a kilo of drugs
Nigerian man was jailed for 12 years and fined €50,000 today after admitting in court to having imported nearly a kilo of drugs hidden in capsules in his stomach and his rectum.
In a similar case, a man from Gambia was jailed for 10 years and fined €20,000, after he admitted importing 250 grams hidden in capsules in his stomach.
Both men were arrested separately last August after flying i from Spain.
Chief Justice Vincent DeGaetano in handing down sentence said that the two accused, Joseph Failazu, 32 and Yahye Ceefay, 25, were part of a wider criminal organisation which had used them to achieve its ends, but they were well aware of what they were doing and the consequences of their actions.
The court, however, had noted their early guilty plea.
In a similar case, a man from Gambia was jailed for 10 years and fined €20,000, after he admitted importing 250 grams hidden in capsules in his stomach.
Both men were arrested separately last August after flying i from Spain.
Chief Justice Vincent DeGaetano in handing down sentence said that the two accused, Joseph Failazu, 32 and Yahye Ceefay, 25, were part of a wider criminal organisation which had used them to achieve its ends, but they were well aware of what they were doing and the consequences of their actions.
The court, however, had noted their early guilty plea.
Sunday, 21 February 2010
sentenced 25-year-old Raymond D. Wooley of Carbondale in United States District Court in Benton.
Wooley previously pleaded guilty to one count of conspiracy to distribute crack cocaine. He will spend 11 years in federal prison.The violation took place between august 2006 and august 2008, in Jackson County. Two of Wooley's co-defendants have already been sentenced for their involvement in the crack cocaine conspiracy. Three more have pleaded guilty and are awaiting sentencing.
David Redshaw, 38, of Crieff Walk in Hartlepool
David Redshaw, 38, of Crieff Walk in Hartlepool, pleaded guilty to throwing drugs into the Stockton jail on December 8 last year. He was due to be sentenced at Teesside Crown Court.
Tuesday, 9 February 2010
Teodoro Garcia Simental was arrested by Mexican federal police without the suspect firing a shot, and immediately flown to Mexico City.
Teodoro Garcia Simental, blamed for a years-long campaign of massacres, beheadings and kidnappings that chased away tourists and caused social upheaval in northern Baja California, was arrested by Mexican federal police without the suspect firing a shot, and immediately flown to Mexico City.The heavyset Garcia, believed to be in his mid-30s, with close-trimmed hair and a goatee, scowled and dabbed at his mouth as he was paraded before television cameras at a police base wearing a zippered warm-up jacket.
Better known for savage killing rampages than narco-business acumen, the man nicknamed "El Teo" bedeviled Mexican authorities for years and narrowly escaped capture several times. Last January, authorities arrested the man they said admitted being Garcia's body disposal expert. Known as El Pozolero, or "the stew maker," he claimed, authorities said, to have dissolved 300 bodies in barrels of caustic chemicals.Mexican federal authorities, acting on intelligence provided by the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration, said they tracked Garcia down after a five-month surveillance operation. He was captured in an upscale area in the southern part of the city."Today another Mexican cartel leader was taken off the street and is no longer able to carry out his bloody turf war," said Michele Leonhart, acting administrator of the DEA. "This was not an isolated event: It exemplifies the growing effectiveness of our information sharing with [Mexican President Felipe Calderon's] administration, and our continued commitment to defeat the drug traffickers who have plagued both our nations."Though Garcia was not considered to be in the top echelon of Mexican drug lords, few reputed crime bosses have had such a ruinous effect on a region. Mexican authorities say he was responsible for hundreds of killings during a nearly two-year power struggle with rivals in the Arellano Felix drug cartel, in which he had once been a top-ranking lieutenant.Garcia is said to have branched out from traditional drug trafficking and focused his criminal empire on extortion and kidnapping, targeting all levels of society. During his reign, hundreds, perhaps thousands, of Tijuana residents moved out of the border city to avoid being kidnapped, and more than 42 police officers were killed.
Better known for savage killing rampages than narco-business acumen, the man nicknamed "El Teo" bedeviled Mexican authorities for years and narrowly escaped capture several times. Last January, authorities arrested the man they said admitted being Garcia's body disposal expert. Known as El Pozolero, or "the stew maker," he claimed, authorities said, to have dissolved 300 bodies in barrels of caustic chemicals.Mexican federal authorities, acting on intelligence provided by the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration, said they tracked Garcia down after a five-month surveillance operation. He was captured in an upscale area in the southern part of the city."Today another Mexican cartel leader was taken off the street and is no longer able to carry out his bloody turf war," said Michele Leonhart, acting administrator of the DEA. "This was not an isolated event: It exemplifies the growing effectiveness of our information sharing with [Mexican President Felipe Calderon's] administration, and our continued commitment to defeat the drug traffickers who have plagued both our nations."Though Garcia was not considered to be in the top echelon of Mexican drug lords, few reputed crime bosses have had such a ruinous effect on a region. Mexican authorities say he was responsible for hundreds of killings during a nearly two-year power struggle with rivals in the Arellano Felix drug cartel, in which he had once been a top-ranking lieutenant.Garcia is said to have branched out from traditional drug trafficking and focused his criminal empire on extortion and kidnapping, targeting all levels of society. During his reign, hundreds, perhaps thousands, of Tijuana residents moved out of the border city to avoid being kidnapped, and more than 42 police officers were killed.
Spain have busted an international drug trafficking gang after arresting 48 members, most of them hailing from Tanzania.
Media reports say the gang distributed cocaine, heroin, hashish and narcotic pills from Asia and South America across Europe. The reports claim further that the gang used drug mules to bring the drugs into Spain.
The gang is said to be controlled by a couple based in Santander, and that most of those arrested are from Tanzania. Spanish police started investigations in May 2008 after an Argentinian man was arrested at Barcelona airport with over a kilo of cocaine in 72 pellets in his stomach.
A total of 43.5 kilogrammes of cocaine, 5.8kg of heroin and an unspecified amount of hashish were seized in the operation, and authorities said the arrested suspects will be slapped with charges ranging from conspiracy, drug trafficking, smuggling, forgery, and usurpation of civil status.
Reports from that country say the gang appears to be an organized network of mostly Tanzanian nationals, with horizontal structures and cells acting independently but in coordinated fashion, united by ties of kinship and fellow vendors who had settled in Argentina, Brazil, Greece and Turkey.
The gang is said to have taken advantage of ‘people from their own country’ and lured them with the promise of earning money, using them as mules to transport drugs hidden in their luggage or objects into Spain.
In August last year, the police arrested a member of the network as he was going to Valencia to carry out a transaction which involved half a kilo of heroin. Subsequently, the law enforcers arrested a Japanese man with 4.5 kilos of heroin in Barcelona.
And finally, in several homes in Barcelona the police arrested three people including the suspected head of the organization - a Tanzanian citizen - and a Spanish woman, both residents of Santander, from where they are believed to have led operations.
Contacted for comment late last week, the Deputy Director of Criminal Investigations in Tanzania, Peter Kivuyo said he was not aware of the reports but pledged to consult the international police (Interpol) for further details.
The gang is said to be controlled by a couple based in Santander, and that most of those arrested are from Tanzania. Spanish police started investigations in May 2008 after an Argentinian man was arrested at Barcelona airport with over a kilo of cocaine in 72 pellets in his stomach.
A total of 43.5 kilogrammes of cocaine, 5.8kg of heroin and an unspecified amount of hashish were seized in the operation, and authorities said the arrested suspects will be slapped with charges ranging from conspiracy, drug trafficking, smuggling, forgery, and usurpation of civil status.
Reports from that country say the gang appears to be an organized network of mostly Tanzanian nationals, with horizontal structures and cells acting independently but in coordinated fashion, united by ties of kinship and fellow vendors who had settled in Argentina, Brazil, Greece and Turkey.
The gang is said to have taken advantage of ‘people from their own country’ and lured them with the promise of earning money, using them as mules to transport drugs hidden in their luggage or objects into Spain.
In August last year, the police arrested a member of the network as he was going to Valencia to carry out a transaction which involved half a kilo of heroin. Subsequently, the law enforcers arrested a Japanese man with 4.5 kilos of heroin in Barcelona.
And finally, in several homes in Barcelona the police arrested three people including the suspected head of the organization - a Tanzanian citizen - and a Spanish woman, both residents of Santander, from where they are believed to have led operations.
Contacted for comment late last week, the Deputy Director of Criminal Investigations in Tanzania, Peter Kivuyo said he was not aware of the reports but pledged to consult the international police (Interpol) for further details.
Raydel Lopez Uriarte and Manuel Garcia Simental are believed to be top lieutenants in a cartel blamed for a string of massacres
Raydel Lopez Uriarte and Manuel Garcia Simental are believed to be top lieutenants in a cartel blamed for a string of massacres, police killings, beheadings and kidnappings in Tijuana.Two reputed leaders of a drug cartel that waged a years-long campaign of terror in Tijuana were arrested Monday in the Baja California port city of La Paz, according to U.S. authorities.Raydel Lopez Uriarte and Manuel Garcia Simental are believed to be top lieutenants of a gang blamed for a string of massacres, police killings, beheadings and kidnappings that has caused many residents to flee the border city.The arrests by Mexican federal police, coming a month after the capture of alleged cartel leader Teodoro Garcia Simental, are the latest blows against the gang. Authorities feared Lopez Uriarte and Manuel Garcia Simental, Teodoro's younger brother, were planning to reignite a gang war for control of Tijuana's drug trafficking routes.Lopez Uriarte was known for his narrow escapes and flair for self-promotion: His nickname, "Muletas," or crutches, stands for the trail of disabled people he's left behind, and he outfitted his crew with uniforms featuring a patch designed with a skull and crutches crossed underneath.
At least 1,400 people have been slain in Tijuana drug violence since the beginning of 2008.
At least 1,400 people have been slain in Tijuana drug violence since the beginning of 2008.
Smugglers caught in Sweden face 10 months in prison for smuggling 70 kilos of Khat
Smugglers caught in Sweden face 10 months in prison for smuggling 70 kilos of Khat while the same offense in Denmark only gives 30 days in the brig. Politicians are demanding harsher punishment.
The Social Democrats are adamant that the punishments for khat related offences are too lax and need to be on the same level as those handed out in neighbouring Sweden.
‘The Øresund Bridge is too poorly manned on the Danish side, making it easy to smuggle drugs and weapons,’ said spokeswoman, Karen Hækkerup.‘And it doesn’t help that Khat smugglers receive such mild sentences in Denmark. The government must address this and we want to be a part of raising the punishment for Khat to equal that of Sweden,’ she added.Khat smuggling has been linked with the financing of the Somali terrorist organization, al-Shabaab and Berlingske newspaper recently established the importance of Denmark in the Khat smuggling industry. But Justice Minister Brian Mikkelsen was confident that the police were focused on khat smuggling and said he was strongly considering the prospects of stiffening the sentences handed down for smuggling the narcotic into Denmark. ‘I take a serious look at anything involved in the financing of terrorism and it’s a problem if money obtained from crime in Denmark is sent to Somalia and al-Shabaab since terrorism in Somalia has ramifications for western Europe. I don’t have any qualms about tougher punishments. Not only is it a criminal milieu, there is a lot of illegal money involved, and many families are devastated due to an addiction that forces them out of work and education. So hopefully we can toughen up the sentences in Denmark.’ said Mikkelsen.
Khat, also known as quaat, is a substance made from euphoria-inducing buds and is especially popular in Somalia. The substance is chewed to achieve a narcotic sense of bliss. Illegal in most countries khat is addictive and widely used within Somali communities in Denmark.
The Social Democrats are adamant that the punishments for khat related offences are too lax and need to be on the same level as those handed out in neighbouring Sweden.
‘The Øresund Bridge is too poorly manned on the Danish side, making it easy to smuggle drugs and weapons,’ said spokeswoman, Karen Hækkerup.‘And it doesn’t help that Khat smugglers receive such mild sentences in Denmark. The government must address this and we want to be a part of raising the punishment for Khat to equal that of Sweden,’ she added.Khat smuggling has been linked with the financing of the Somali terrorist organization, al-Shabaab and Berlingske newspaper recently established the importance of Denmark in the Khat smuggling industry. But Justice Minister Brian Mikkelsen was confident that the police were focused on khat smuggling and said he was strongly considering the prospects of stiffening the sentences handed down for smuggling the narcotic into Denmark. ‘I take a serious look at anything involved in the financing of terrorism and it’s a problem if money obtained from crime in Denmark is sent to Somalia and al-Shabaab since terrorism in Somalia has ramifications for western Europe. I don’t have any qualms about tougher punishments. Not only is it a criminal milieu, there is a lot of illegal money involved, and many families are devastated due to an addiction that forces them out of work and education. So hopefully we can toughen up the sentences in Denmark.’ said Mikkelsen.
Matthew Feavyour was found guilty in September 2009 for his role in the importation of cannabis resin with an estimated street value of £270,000
Matthew Feavyour was found guilty in September 2009 for his role in the importation of cannabis resin with an estimated street value of £270,000 hidden in air conditioning units. Andrew Rickard and Gary Moore pleaded guilty at the start of the trial. Birmingham crown court sentenced the three men on February 4 for their conspiracy to supply the Class B drug cannabis. Detectives busted the gang's drug smuggling scam in 2009 following a lengthy police operation codenamed Stagnate. Police officers intercepted the consignment smuggled into the UK from the Netherlands on April 2009. The recovered drugs were concealed in eight boxes containing air conditioning unit access doors, which were specially constructed for the job. Some 380 'soap bar' blocks weighing 94.8kg in total were recovered.
Moore had ordered the manufacture of air conditioning units with hollow panels, where the cannabis could be hidden while transporting it from Holland.
Feavyour was sentenced to six years, Moore was sentenced to six-and-a-half years in jail and Rickard got four years for trafficking cannabis from Holland. Operation Oscilllate: Heroin smugglers jailed In a separate police operation (Operation Oscillate) two men have been jailed following an attempt to smuggle more than 1.5m worth of heroin into the UK by hiding it in the packaging of adiabatic air coolers. In July 2007, a consignment of class A drugs was intercepted by customs officers at Birmingham Airport. The heroin was concealed in the pallets carrying the coolers supplied by a Turkish firm and bound for a freight forwarding firm in the West Midlands. Thirty packages of heroin weighing almost 30kg were seized.
Each of the adiabatic air-coolers were valued at between £2,000-£5,000. The police recovered eight out of 19 units that came into the UK via the same route. Eleven units are still missing. Police say the units could have been dumped, sold for scrap or sold on. Two men were sentenced at Nottingham Crown court in December 2009 to 18 and 25 years for their part in the heroin smuggling. Police are still seeking a third man.
Moore had ordered the manufacture of air conditioning units with hollow panels, where the cannabis could be hidden while transporting it from Holland.
Feavyour was sentenced to six years, Moore was sentenced to six-and-a-half years in jail and Rickard got four years for trafficking cannabis from Holland. Operation Oscilllate: Heroin smugglers jailed In a separate police operation (Operation Oscillate) two men have been jailed following an attempt to smuggle more than 1.5m worth of heroin into the UK by hiding it in the packaging of adiabatic air coolers. In July 2007, a consignment of class A drugs was intercepted by customs officers at Birmingham Airport. The heroin was concealed in the pallets carrying the coolers supplied by a Turkish firm and bound for a freight forwarding firm in the West Midlands. Thirty packages of heroin weighing almost 30kg were seized.
Each of the adiabatic air-coolers were valued at between £2,000-£5,000. The police recovered eight out of 19 units that came into the UK via the same route. Eleven units are still missing. Police say the units could have been dumped, sold for scrap or sold on. Two men were sentenced at Nottingham Crown court in December 2009 to 18 and 25 years for their part in the heroin smuggling. Police are still seeking a third man.
Saika Marong and Mohamed Wissely holding them guilty under the Narcotics Drugs and Psychotropic Substances Act.
Delhi court has awarded 10 years' rigorous imprisonment to two Nigerian nationals for possessing 400gm of cocaine and heroin in their tented premises in Madangir in 2005. "Convicts are involved in the trafficking of cocaine and heroin. Illegal trade of such a high quantity would have adverse impact on the lives of uncountable persons," special judge Sanjiv Jain said. The court also imposed a fine of Rs 1 lakh each on convicts Saika Marong and Mohamed Wissely holding them guilty under the Narcotics Drugs and Psychotropic Substances Act. A third accused, Roy Alphonse Chinguwile, was declared a proclaimed offender during the trial after he jumped the bail granted to him on the ground that he was suffering from cancer.
Blair Dorner of Cameron ISD, 30 miles southeast of Temple, was pulled over Wednesday in Taylor, a town in Williamson County.
Blair Dorner of Cameron ISD, 30 miles southeast of Temple, was pulled over Wednesday in Taylor, a town in Williamson County.Cameron Superintendent Rodney Fausett tells News Channel 25, Dorner has been placed on administrative leave until their internal investigation is completed.The teacher is out of jail on a $11,000 bond.
Police in Vantaa have uncovered one of the largest cocaine distribution rings in Finland
Police in Vantaa have uncovered one of the largest cocaine distribution rings in Finland. A total of fifteen suspects have been questioned during the investigations, five of whom are now in detention. One of the prime suspects is said to have trained restaurant security personnel. In addition to Finnish suspects, the ring includes nationals from Nigeria, Gambia, France and Syria. The gang is thought to have smuggled around 1.5 kilograms of cocaine last year. This is equivalent to some 86,000 doses with a street value of around 150,000 euros. Cocaine was packed into egg-sized containers which the smugglers had swallowed and then brought into the country. House searches led to the confiscation of narcotics from several locations amounting to 350 grams. Police say this is one of the largest ever seizures in Finland and equivalent to some 20,000 doses. However, they believe it only represents about ten percent of the overall consignment of cocaine. Security Trainer Is A Prime Suspect Among the prime suspects is a Finn involved in the security sector, who is believed to have acted as a wholesaler in the illicit dealing.
Police confiscated a large sum of cash from him along with cocaine and a 9 mm. Glock handgun of the type also used by law enforcers. He was involved in the licensed training of restaurant security personnel. The cocaine was sold in restaurants in the city centre of Helsinki and at partiesProsecutions are anticipated later this month.
Benjimen G. Chaltry, 35; Jacob L. Martin, 26; and Robert J. Rogers, 31; were charged Monday with felony counts of possession of 10 to 50 grams
Benjimen G. Chaltry, 35; Jacob L. Martin, 26; and Robert J. Rogers, 31; were charged Monday with felony counts of possession of 10 to 50 grams of heroin with intent to deliver, which is punishable by up to 15 years in prison. All three remain in jail on cash bonds: $50,000 for Martin, $45,000 for Rogers and $30,000 for Chaltry.
“(Chaltry) was going to Chicago to purchase heroin that was then going to be sold in Marinette County,” Assistant District Attorney Joel Urmanski said while arguing for the high cash bonds. “It’s indicated this is not the first time there was a trip to Chicago to make a purchase.”According to Adams:Nelson was doing traffic enforcement on northbound Interstate 43 near the southern county line when he noticed a car with several equipment violations and two occupants not wearing seatbelts. He then discovered the driver, Chaltry, had a revoked license.After Martin lied about his name, Nelson searched the car and its occupants. The heroin was found in the car and in the passengers’ possessions, including 60 baggies that were stuffed in Rogers’ shoe.Adams said each of the baggies, called bindles, typically sells for $80 to $100.
All three men are also charged with misdemeanor cocaine possession, and Martin and Rogers are charged with misdemeanor possession of drug paraphernalia. Martin also faces a count of obstructing an officer.Martin is wanted in Brown County, where a judge issued a warrant in June after he failed to appear on a charge of felony marijuana possession, online court records show.Rogers, who was strapped into his chair during a video court appearance from jail, is the only one of the three with a felony record, though all three have multiple misdemeanor convictions, according to court records. Rogers has been convicted of felony burglary and theft, as well as misdemeanors including damage to property, battery and possession of drug paraphernalia; Chaltry has three drunken driving convictions and one marijuana possession conviction; and Martin’s prior convictions include resisting an officer and possession of drug paraphernalia.
“(Chaltry) was going to Chicago to purchase heroin that was then going to be sold in Marinette County,” Assistant District Attorney Joel Urmanski said while arguing for the high cash bonds. “It’s indicated this is not the first time there was a trip to Chicago to make a purchase.”According to Adams:Nelson was doing traffic enforcement on northbound Interstate 43 near the southern county line when he noticed a car with several equipment violations and two occupants not wearing seatbelts. He then discovered the driver, Chaltry, had a revoked license.After Martin lied about his name, Nelson searched the car and its occupants. The heroin was found in the car and in the passengers’ possessions, including 60 baggies that were stuffed in Rogers’ shoe.Adams said each of the baggies, called bindles, typically sells for $80 to $100.
All three men are also charged with misdemeanor cocaine possession, and Martin and Rogers are charged with misdemeanor possession of drug paraphernalia. Martin also faces a count of obstructing an officer.Martin is wanted in Brown County, where a judge issued a warrant in June after he failed to appear on a charge of felony marijuana possession, online court records show.Rogers, who was strapped into his chair during a video court appearance from jail, is the only one of the three with a felony record, though all three have multiple misdemeanor convictions, according to court records. Rogers has been convicted of felony burglary and theft, as well as misdemeanors including damage to property, battery and possession of drug paraphernalia; Chaltry has three drunken driving convictions and one marijuana possession conviction; and Martin’s prior convictions include resisting an officer and possession of drug paraphernalia.
Aaron Diaz, 31,and Steven Pedraza, 22, of Hartford, Conn., were both taken into custody Sunday, according to state police.
Aaron Diaz, 31,and Steven Pedraza, 22, of Hartford, Conn., were both taken into custody Sunday, according to state police.The incident began after State Police Trooper Brendhan Shugrue had stopped a 2009 Jeep Cherokee on Interstate 91 north of Exit 16 for a traffic violation, but later learned neither Diaz nor Pedraza had the authority to be driving the vehicle, according to state police.Diaz, the driver of the vehicle, had allegedly struggled with police as they attempted to arrest him and fled the scene on foot, according to state police. While running, Diaz allegedly threw a bag containing 500 bags of heroin, according to state police, which troopers recovered.With the assistance of a state police helicopter and search dogs, state police were eventually able to locate Diaz on Westfield Road and Hillside Avenue, and place him under arrest. He is facing charges of using a motor vehicle without authority, trafficking in heroin, a subsequent offense of possession of heroin with the intent to distribute, conspiracy to violate narcotic laws, assault and battery on a police officer and resisting arrest, according to state police.
Some area residents took notice of the circling police helicopter and troopers in their neighborhood during the manhunt."Not sure what is going on, but police said they are searching for someone and to stay inside our house. This neighborhood is not an area of Holyoke that usually has criminal activity," states Roosevelt Avenue resident Sandy Dias in an e-mail to abc40 and Fox 6 Sunday during the search.
Pedraza, who had been a passenger in the vehicle, had also been arrested for using a motor vehicle without authority and conspiracy to violate narcotics laws, according to state police.Both men had been held overnight at the Northampton State Police Barracks while awaiting arraignment in Holyoke District Court Monday.
Some area residents took notice of the circling police helicopter and troopers in their neighborhood during the manhunt."Not sure what is going on, but police said they are searching for someone and to stay inside our house. This neighborhood is not an area of Holyoke that usually has criminal activity," states Roosevelt Avenue resident Sandy Dias in an e-mail to abc40 and Fox 6 Sunday during the search.
Pedraza, who had been a passenger in the vehicle, had also been arrested for using a motor vehicle without authority and conspiracy to violate narcotics laws, according to state police.Both men had been held overnight at the Northampton State Police Barracks while awaiting arraignment in Holyoke District Court Monday.
John Hill, Peter McLeod and Kevin O'Hagan were seized at Puerto Plata Airport airport as they tried to board two flights to London.
John Hill, Peter McLeod and Kevin O'Hagan were seized at Puerto Plata Airport airport as they tried to board two flights to London.Cops swooped on the trio following a tip-off from the Scottish Crime & Drug Enforcement Agency.Sources said the cocaine was destined for the Glasgow area.Colombian cocaine had a very high purity and it could have been bulked up into more than 100 kilos, netting up to £2.5million.Sources claim the trio were working for a serious organised crime group.Hill, 53, from Linlithgow, West Lothian, was booked to travel home on a Thomas Cook flight. McLeod, 25, and O'Hagan, 28, both from Glasgow, were due to return to the UK on a separate charter. Both flights were scheduled to arrive at London Gatwick Airport.Local cops had been told by the SCDEA to look out for the trio and they were snared after an x-ray machine detected 7.14 kilos of cocaine in a suitcase on February 1.The SCDEA's Allan Moffat said: "By the time this seizure hit Scotland's streets, it would have grown in volume."The purity would have decreased after dealers bulked it with adulterants - some of them dangerous substances in their own right."
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