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."

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."

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."

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."

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"

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."

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."

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."

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."

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."

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."

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 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."

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."

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'."

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."

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.”"

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."