Crime Correspondent

Cosme, Jose Rangel,Hernan Garza arrested each was charged with possession of cocaine with intent to deliver more than 400 grams

Cosme, Jose Rangel,Hernan Garza arrested each was charged with possession of cocaine with intent to deliver more than 400 grams

Cosme, Jose Rangel, 25, and Hernan Garza, 27, were arrested about 7 p.m. Wednesday at a McDonald's in the 3700 block of the Gulf Freeway...

nine kilos of cocaine worth $385,000 in tightly wrapped bricks.Three men, one 24 and the other two 22, face drug trafficking and possession charges.

Police said they conducted a traffic stop on Wednesday near Ellice Avenue and Century Street around 4:30 p.m., and after searching the vehicle, found two kilos of cocaine and $30,000. The seizure of the drugs and cash prompted the arrest of the two men in the vehicle -- police then said their investigation led them to search a home on Strathcona Street. Inside the home they found another nine kilos of cocaine worth $385,000 in tightly wrapped bricks, along with a small amount of crack, $55,000 in cash and nearly 1.5 kilos of Benzocaine."It's an incredible seizure," said Const. Nick Paulet.Three men, one 24 and the other two 22, face drug trafficking and possession charges.None of the men has a criminal record, and it's not known where the drugs came from, police said. Sgt. Darrin Kruger of the Winnipeg police street crime unit said the Strathcona Street home was not a cocaine production facility, and called the seizure "a little dent" in a much larger problem. "There's a lot more in the city," Kruger added.It's the second publicly-announced cocaine bust by city police in the last two weeks.On Feb. 16, police charged two men after they raided a home on Partridge Avenue.It's believed that house was a cocaine-production facility, as an industrial press to press the drug into bricks was seized along with more than $100,000 worth of the drug, along with marijuana, cash and other drug agents. Neither of the seizures is believed to be linked to organized crime -- which may indicate more people are willing to risk running their own independent drug operations for a piece of the huge profits involved. The sheer number of addicts on the streets is pushing up demand, Kruger said. Brian Paterson of Tamarack, a West Broadway second-stage residential drug treatment centre, said as many as 75 per cent of people coming through their doors are s addicted to cocaine.Paterson said he's seen the use of cocaine and crack become "firmly entrenched" among Tamarack's clients in past years.He said the drugs have taken hold in Winnipeg's inner-city, largely due to how inexpensive and easy to get they are, either on the street or through a "dial-a-dealer."He added cocaine and crack addiction is compounded over generations as addicts have children who become addicted in turn."Over a couple of generations it really adds up," Paterson said.

nine kilos of cocaine worth $385,000 in tightly wrapped bricks.Three men, one 24 and the other two 22, face drug trafficking and possession charges.

Police said they conducted a traffic stop on Wednesday near Ellice Avenue and Century Street around 4:30 p.m., and after searching the vehic...

Kempsey Heroin dealing

A man and a woman have been arrested over allegedly suppling heroin in the Kempsey area.Local detectives raided a property at Burnt Bridge y...

Texas court bailiff accused of peddling cocaine and selling guns to the Gulf Cartel

A Texas court bailiff accused of peddling cocaine and selling guns to the Gulf Cartel, two TSA officials indicted for helping to smuggle drugs onto airplanes, and a California evidence tech with sticky fingers and a bad habit. Just another week on the corrupt cop front. Let's get to it:In Brownsville, Texas, a Cameron County court bailiff was arrested last Friday on charges he was dealing cocaine and selling high-powered weapons to Mexico's Gulf Cartel. Oscar Pena, 26, was one of two men arrested after a five-month joint investigation by local authorities, the FBI, and Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) known as Operation Dirty Pig. His charges range from weapons charges to operating a continuing criminal enterprise to possession of cocaine. In raids associated with the arrests, police seized 14 assault rifles, five semi-automatic handguns, a sawed-off shotgun, large amounts of ammunition, a bullet-proof vest, $3,000 in cash, and more than a kilo of cocaine. In Atlanta, two Transportation Security Administration officers and a Delta Airlines employee were indicted Tuesday on charges related to an alleged drug-smuggling operation at the Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport. TSA employees Jon Patton, 44, and Andre Mays, 24, and Delta employee Leslie Adgar, 42, are charged with conspiring to distribute narcotics and attempted distribution of cocaine and heroin. They went down after they agreed to let a man smuggle two kilos of cocaine past security and onto a Delta flight to New York in exchange for $8,000 in December. Unfortunately for the Atlanta trio, their smuggler was also a snitch for the DEA who set them up for two more runs, this time with fake cocaine and heroin. The charges carry a maximum sentence of life in prison and a fine of up to $4 million. The trio are currently out on bond.In Vacaville, California, a former Solano County sheriff's evidence technician pleaded no-contest last Friday to seven felony counts related to the theft of pharmaceutical drugs stored in an evidence room. Sean Colfax Wilson, 35, was facing a 179-count criminal complaint when he copped a plea to two counts of possessing Vicodin and Oxycontin for sale, three counts of burglary, one count of embezzlement of evidence and one count of falsifying evidence. Wilson, who had worked as an evidence tech for the county for two years, was arrested in December 2007 after investigators discovered a large variety of prescription drugs had gone missing. After his arrest, Wilson's attorney told the court Wilson had a substance abuse problem and had taken the drugs for personal use, but he still copped to possession for sale. He faces an April sentencing date and he sits in jail until then.

Texas court bailiff accused of peddling cocaine and selling guns to the Gulf Cartel

A Texas court bailiff accused of peddling cocaine and selling guns to the Gulf Cartel, two TSA officials indicted for helping to smuggle dru...

Sid Clark was quizzed about cultivating cannabis after 300 plants were found during the police raid

Sid Clark, 47, needed hospital treatment after crash-landing his Cessna plane into conifer trees in an elderly couple's back garden in thick fog on Saturday.He was quizzed about cultivating cannabis after 300 plants were found during the police raid on Tuesday evening.Mr Clark has now been released on bail for further investigation.He had taken friend Tim Des Vignes, who was released from prison for a day nearing the end of a sentence for cocaine smuggling, for a flight when it narrowly missed the couple's home in Lyminge in thick fog.Mr Clark's arrest came after he confessed to Yourmaidstone on Tuesday morning that he was a former heroin addict who had enjoyed the high life in a variety of Asian countries - including Thailand and China.He openly spoke of his past at his luxury four-bedroom home in Barming.But the pilot denied that he had been taking Des Vignes, 53, on a drugs pick-up.He said: “We had a full tank of petrol - but we weren’t going to Europe.“We would have had to submit a detailed flight plan to do that and if we landed in somewhere like Holland we would have been arrested for making an illegal flight.“I would never have taken that risk.“Police have got my log book - they can see I was on a local flight.”The father-of-one revealed he planned to take his friend - who was finishing an eight-stretch at cushy open jail Blantyre House in nearby Goudhurst - for a pleasure flight to give him a “treat”. But the pair quickly hit dense fog when they took off from Rochester Airport to fly to Dover and back.He said: “It was very cloudy and my instruments were giving me a false reading. I was a lot lower to the ground than I thought. It was then I saw the trees and we just went straight into them.“We were lucky we cleared the house. We were both hurt although lucky not to have been seriously injured. I feel traumatised now - I don’t think I can face flying again for a month.”Mr Clark learnt to fly while doing “coastal trips” in Thailand eight years ago.He then moved back to Britain where he applied for his national pilot’s licence, the NPPL, at Blackbushe airport near Camberley in Surrey.He said: “It’s great in Thailand - you don’t need a licence to fly. So when I got back it was really easy to get qualified because I already had a lot of experience.”

Sid Clark was quizzed about cultivating cannabis after 300 plants were found during the police raid

Sid Clark, 47, needed hospital treatment after crash-landing his Cessna plane into conifer trees in an elderly couple's back garden in t...

Daniel Gibson’s was stopped as he tried to get into Stockton’s Zanzibar nightclub

Daniel Gibson’s was stopped as he tried to get into Stockton’s Zanzibar nightclub on April 20 last year.After his arrest, 102 more tablets were discovered in his bedroom and another 36 in his car, Teesside Crown Court was told yesterday.Gibson said he would probably have supplied some to his girlfriend and to other friends, said prosecutor Deborah Sherwin.He told police he’d just bought 200 tablets for £90 to last a few weeks, and he would use 20 to 25 a night.Gibson, of Leam Lane, Stockton, admitted possessing a Class A drug with intent to supply.Nigel Soppitt, defending, said Gibson was “delusional” at the time, saw no harm in his lifestyle and stood inline at the club knowing people were being searched.He added Gibson was ostracised and bullied horrendously over a disability which took 20 operations to remedy. So he sought solace and escape in drug experimentation, took Ecstasy from the age of 15 and became “heavily dependent”.Mr Soppitt said Gibson knew his habits ruined his life and landed him in debt, and he had now changed his ways.He said Gibson had no previous convictions and was otherwise an “exemplary young man”.He had a close, supportive family, to whom he confessed his crime, and good references. The judge, Recorder Felicity Davies, told Gibson: “It became clear that you were in the habit of taking an enormous number, perhaps 60 tablets, over the course of each weekend.”She said his crime was without financial gain, and accepted he was now ashamed and had turned his life around.“All in all, you do seem to have come to your senses,” she added.She passed a nine-month prison sentence suspended for 18 months with 180 hours’ unpaid work, and ordered him to pay the full £1,100 prosecution costs.

Daniel Gibson’s was stopped as he tried to get into Stockton’s Zanzibar nightclub

Daniel Gibson’s was stopped as he tried to get into Stockton’s Zanzibar nightclub on April 20 last year.After his arrest, 102 more tablets w...

Michael Layne Smith,Santiago Montiel Aguirre,Jesse Joseph Montoya,Raul Berumen Briseno indicted

Michael Layne Smith, 40, Kilgore, was sentenced to seven years in prison after he pleaded guilty to conspiracy to possess with the intent to distribute at least 500 grams but less than 1.5 kilograms of meth. Smith was indicted along with Jesse Joseph Montoya, 26, Raul Berumen Briseno, 29, both of Longview, and Santiago Montiel Aguirre, 30. Smith bought multiple ounces of meth from defendants in Longview. Briseno has pleaded guilty, admitting that on June 1, he received a telephone call from Smith and discussed meeting him to sell him one pound of meth. Briseno and Aguirre met Smith in Gregg County to distribute the drugs, but were arrested. Law enforcement searched Briseno's vehicle and found two cereal boxes, each containing 1 pound of meth. In U.S. District Judge Leonard Davis's court, U.S. Public Defender Ken Hawk said Smith had a "stunning" history of drug use and needed drug treatment in prison. Smith apologized to the judge, to his family and to society. "I don't want to define what kind of person I am by what I've done because that's not the case," he said. Smith agreed to forfeit a shotgun to the government in the case, which was prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Richard Moore. John Alex White, 29, of Longview, was sentenced to five years in prison after he pleaded guilty to conspiracy to possess with the intent to distribute at least 50 grams of meth. He was indicted in February 2007 with 15 others from Dallas and East Texas for being discovered in the Longview branch of "Operation Icebox," an investigation that began in 2003. White apologized for what he did and said he knew it was bad and that he let down his family and the United States. On Nov. 1, 2006, law enforcement officers executed a search warrant at White's Longview apartment and discovered meth, White admitted. On Jan. 25, 2007, White was with his sister and co-defendant, Clara Arnette White, at her house when authorities conducted a search and found drugs there. White, who admitted to dealing meth, was defended by Clifton Roberson. Moore prosecuted the case.The investigation that began in January 2003 previously led to 19 people being convicted for their involvement in the Tyler-based organization that sold "ice" meth in Tyler, Shreveport and Miami. All 19, who were indicted in March 2006, have been sentenced. In February 2007, eight more people were indicted in the Tyler-based meth ring. Oscar Wade Smith, 37, Harrison County, was sentenced to six years in prison by Davis after he pleaded guilty to conspiracy to possess and distribute less than 50 grams of meth and using a firearm during a drug-trafficking crime. Smith apologized to the judge and to his family for the embarrassment he had caused them. He said he accepted responsibility for what he did, but he was not a bad person. If it wasn't for his divorce and losing his children, he said he didn't think he would have began using drugs. He asked the judge to give him a second change at life with his new wife. Davis sentenced him to one year in prison for the drug count and five years for the gun charge. He also recommended that he undergo drug treatment in prison. Moore prosecuted the case while defense attorney Alex Tandy, of Hurst, represented Smith.

Michael Layne Smith,Santiago Montiel Aguirre,Jesse Joseph Montoya,Raul Berumen Briseno indicted

Michael Layne Smith, 40, Kilgore, was sentenced to seven years in prison after he pleaded guilty to conspiracy to possess with the intent to...

Guam International Airport $800,000 in cash and drug paraphernalia were reportedly found in luggage

Two people are in custody after some $800,000 in cash and drug paraphernalia were reportedly found in their luggage at the Guam Internationa...

Ronnie Rothenburg,Stephen Stockall found guilty and sentenced

Ronnie Rothenburg, of Wallace Street, and Stephen Stockall, of Marford Close, Kingsmead, both denied the smuggling bid but were found guilty...

Twelve suspects were arrested in Jasper County and an additional two were arrested in Newton County.

According to Chief Deputy Terry Risner, “We are witnessing an increase in burglaries to residences, thefts and other criminal activity that is directly related to these narcotics. We as a community recently witnessed an increase in daylight residential burglaries in multi-county areas which may exceed over 100, in which prescription drugs were targeted as part of those residential burglaries.”In the early morning hours on Feb. 26, approximately 37 officers area law enforcement agencies conducted the service of numerous drug warrants throughout Jasper and Newton Counties.Those agencies included Jasper County Sheriff’s Department, Newton County Sheriff’s Department, Indiana State Police, Rensselaer Police Department, DeMotte Police Department, Remington Police Department and Francesville Town Marshal. The arrest warrants were a cumulative action from Bi-State Drug Task Force Investigation in cooperation with the aforementioned agencies from August 2007 through the present.This drug investigation not only turned up the normally encountered drugs, including cocaine, heroin and marijuana, but also included a large amount of prescription narcotics. The investigation found that illegal sales of prescription narcotics is on the rise and is now being addressed by agencies such as the Bi-State Drug Task Force and local law enforcement.Charges in Jasper and Newton County ranged from dealing in a scheduled 2 through schedule 4 controlled substances, unlawful sale of legend drugs, dealing in marijuana, dealing in cocaine and theft. Twelve suspects were arrested in Jasper County and an additional two were arrested in Newton County. There are several warrants that have not yet been served as of this release.“Our office would like to recognize the hard work and dedication put forth by the various police officers from the Jasper County Sheriff’s Department, the Rensselaer City Police and the Bi-State Drug Task Force in investigating these cases,” said Kathryn O’Neall, prosecuting attorney. “We also want to recognize the efforts of the DeMotte Police Department, the Remington Town Marshal, the Francesville Town Marshal, the Newton County Sheriff’s Department and the Indiana State Police for their assistance in making the arrests of the individuals charged. Without their hard work and cooperation these cases could not have been filed.”

Twelve suspects were arrested in Jasper County and an additional two were arrested in Newton County.

According to Chief Deputy Terry Risner, “We are witnessing an increase in burglaries to residences, thefts and other criminal activity that ...

Duncan William Nothstein

Duncan William Nothstein, 56, of Milwaukee, Oregon, was found with a small quantity of cocaine in his possession, a news release states. A K...

45 Spanish Drug Mules arrested at Peru’s "Jorge Chávez" international airport in Lima

<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjMRDRgiJ5lnljXJMNRkVP5zB2HuPbPzWaZpOPAItYn5Wu6KsvMlLPqNk4xzyk1CjDVHyvSWsIk3Kz3QTbQURCw8ndXRq1wTK_dnB-pxe5FMesIQun1ro0JR-HuVSnmhUuNVFik78qtWb4/s1600-h/_42942373_xray203.jpg"><img alt="" border="0" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5171574552725330578" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjMRDRgiJ5lnljXJMNRkVP5zB2HuPbPzWaZpOPAItYn5Wu6KsvMlLPqNk4xzyk1CjDVHyvSWsIk3Kz3QTbQURCw8ndXRq1wTK_dnB-pxe5FMesIQun1ro0JR-HuVSnmhUuNVFik78qtWb4/s320/_42942373_xray203.jpg" style="float:left; margin:0 10px 10px 0;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;" /></a> Anti-drug police at Peru’s "Jorge Chávez" international airport in Lima have had their hands full over the last year, arresting nearly two "mules" a day, each carrying an average of five kg of pure cocaine.In 2005, 249 "mules" or drug couriers were arrested. In 2006 there were 454 arrests, and last year the number rose to 721, carrying a total of nearly four tons of cocaine, the police National Anti-Drug Directorate told IPS. The usual method is to swallow some 10 packets or capsules, each containing 100 grams of cocaine. But often larger quantities are carried, with the drug hidden under false bottoms in luggage, camouflaged in different kinds of containers, or attached to the body with adhesive tape. Of the 721 smugglers arrested in 2007, 62.4 percent (453) were Peruvian and the rest were foreigners, particularly from Spain (45), the Netherlands (29) and Brazil (18). Over three-quarters of the Peruvian "mules" were poor or unemployed. According to the histories of detainees taken by the anti-drug police at the airport, the going rate paid by drug traffickers to couriers who swallow cocaine packets and are sent to Brazil or Argentina is about 1,000 dollars. If they are sent to the United States, Europe or Asia, where the drugs have higher value, payment can be between 2,000 and 3,000 dollars. The more the couriers travel, the more they are paid, unless they are caught by the police, or die from cocaine poisoning when a capsule splits open in their bowels. For a poor or unemployed Peruvian, the payment for swallowing the capsules and travelling four or five hours to Buenos Aires or Sao Paulo is extremely attractive, in spite of the risks. The number of people willing to take the risk is increasing. In 2007, 452 were arrested, compared to 193 in 2006. Poverty creates a fertile recruiting ground. <a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj5Guhv4opWODUWfjUYebAyat-DKbsQbHPWGH-g_7GsK9QCh2nnfktpTDJfzVjFhYh4j9g0vMSprFeYmeZfVy4oghIzY5jGuukTB33H8LwmODWFijX6FvtBPOQdD1XVSJClVHzvtpLNN2s/s1600-h/1610662.jpg"><img alt="" border="0" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5171574557020297890" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj5Guhv4opWODUWfjUYebAyat-DKbsQbHPWGH-g_7GsK9QCh2nnfktpTDJfzVjFhYh4j9g0vMSprFeYmeZfVy4oghIzY5jGuukTB33H8LwmODWFijX6FvtBPOQdD1XVSJClVHzvtpLNN2s/s320/1610662.jpg" style="float:left; margin:0 10px 10px 0;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;" /></a> The Peruvian press, accustomed to printing news about "mule" detentions, was nevertheless shocked on Dec. 22 by the arrest of 43-year-old Evelyn Changra, who attempted to travel to Buenos Aires with one kg of cocaine in her stomach, together with her children, aged 17 and 15, who had also swallowed drugs. "This was a very poor family from San Juan de Lurigancho," an anti-drug police officer told IPS, referring to one of the most densely populated shantytown districts of Lima. "The drug trafficker who recruited Evelyn Changra promised her 3,000 dollars if she would take her children along. She accepted because she had never been offered so much money in her life," the source said. A large proportion of Peruvian "mules" also come from Villa El Salvador, Comas and Carabayllo, similar working-class districts on the outskirts of Lima. Of the 721 couriers intercepted at the airport, 303 (42 percent) were heading for Brazil, 148 (20.5 percent) for Argentina and 122 (16.9 percent) for Spain. Recently introduced cut-price commercial flights from Lima to Sao Paulo have encouraged the drug mafias to increase trafficking to Brazil’s biggest city. In Argentina, drug traffickers are active among the large Peruvian community in Buenos Aires, and through relatives, they recruit "mules" from poor districts like San Juan de Lurigancho. In fact, the most important drug lords operating in the Argentine capital come from that part of Lima. "Those we catch tend to be people who stand out because they are obviously nervous, behave suspiciously, or don’t look as if they could afford a plane ticket. But many do manage to leave the country," the police source said. "It’s impossible to take X-rays of everybody, and it’s also impossible to search all the baggage and every object that could potentially be hiding cocaine." As trafficking by "mule" increases, President Alan García announced that he would hold talks with the governments of several countries so that their citizens would serve sentences in their home countries, to ease the overcrowding in Peruvian prisons. The National Prisons Institute told IPS that only 18 percent of the drug couriers arrested have so far been sentenced. In the Santa Monica women’s prison in Lima, there are 1,275 inmates accused of drug-related crimes: 942 Peruvians and 207 foreigners. Less than 240 have already been convicted and sentenced.

45 Spanish Drug Mules arrested at Peru’s "Jorge Chávez" international airport in Lima

Anti-drug police at Peru’s "Jorge Chávez" international airport in Lima have had their hands full over the last year, arresting ne...

Kendra Theoret,Kayla Ann C. Snyder,Cassey O'Byrne charged with first-degree criminal possession of marijuana

Kendra Theoret, 22, Kayla Ann C. Snyder, 20, and Cassey O'Byrne, 28, all of Cornwall, Ont., were charged with first-degree criminal poss...

Alistair Campbell claims he has been falsely accused of involvement in an £8million cocaine smuggling operation is facing nine years in a French j

Forty-six year old Alistair Campbell from Killin had been fighting extradition at the Court of Criminal Appeal, after being found guilty in his absence in France six years ago. <a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjOJwp9hVLCaSp7FVDspZuwniWxtmL0heRDsx8pUt36zImxM7yuSb5wTRUo7XVfp0KOdUuCy6ry4qq4_HkM5exNs8qnkN4oQnV0TsKSjMwY0hhsfcQk7yexFooTUMfyV2DK-rv3bHmHyUI/s1600-h/alistair-campbell-260208.jpg"><img alt="" border="0" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5171422128630962786" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjOJwp9hVLCaSp7FVDspZuwniWxtmL0heRDsx8pUt36zImxM7yuSb5wTRUo7XVfp0KOdUuCy6ry4qq4_HkM5exNs8qnkN4oQnV0TsKSjMwY0hhsfcQk7yexFooTUMfyV2DK-rv3bHmHyUI/s320/alistair-campbell-260208.jpg" style="float:left; margin:0 10px 10px 0;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;" /></a> Perthshire lorry driver who claims he has been falsely accused of involvement in an £8million cocaine smuggling operation is facing nine years in a French jail. The Court of Appeal today upheld a ruling that Campbell had deliberately avoided the trial and should be extradited. Campbell, who has two daughters and two grandchildren, faces being sent to France within ten days.

Alistair Campbell claims he has been falsely accused of involvement in an £8million cocaine smuggling operation is facing nine years in a French j

Forty-six year old Alistair Campbell from Killin had been fighting extradition at the Court of Criminal Appeal, after being found guilty in ...

Rogelio Almanza-Sierra,Brittany Carder,Michael Ellenberger,Florentino Quinonez,Anthony Love,Timothy Kasten,Damien Gambrell,Tanya Kasper arrested drug

Rogelio Almanza-Sierra, 2300 Woodrow Court, Apt. 4, Appleton; possess with intent-cocaine (less than one to five grams); probation, license suspended. Brittany Carder, 805 Powers St., Oshkosh; possession of THC; probation, local jail, license suspended. Michael Ellenberger, 419 Martin St., Neenah; possess drug paraphernalia; forfeiture/fine, license suspended. Damien Gambrell, a.k.a. Janarro Bradley, 2130 Evans St., Oshkosh; manufacture/deliver cocaine (less than one gram), state prison, license suspended, extended supervision. Tanya Kasper, 972 Home Avenue, Menasha; maintain drug trafficking place; probation, license suspended. Timothy Kasten, N181 Springfield Court, Appleton; possess drug paraphernalia; local jail, license suspended. Anthony Love, 528 W. Concordia Ave., Oshkosh; possession of THC; forfeiture/fine, license suspended. Florentino Quinonez, 824 Lincoln St., Menasha; possession of THC; local jail. Shawn Schettle, 1015 S. Washburn St., #134, Oshkosh; possession of THC; local jail, license suspended. Johnathan Zuehlke, 2629 Templeton Pl, Oshkosh; possess drug paraphernalia; forfeiture/fine, license suspended.

Rogelio Almanza-Sierra,Brittany Carder,Michael Ellenberger,Florentino Quinonez,Anthony Love,Timothy Kasten,Damien Gambrell,Tanya Kasper arrested drug

Rogelio Almanza-Sierra, 2300 Woodrow Court, Apt. 4, Appleton; possess with intent-cocaine (less than one to five grams); probation, license ...

Operation Lumberjack.seven arrested for drug offences

Twenty officers with a passive drugs dog visited seven licensed premises in Stockton, Billingham and Thornaby on Saturday night as part of O...

Fiona White tried to traffic 14kg of the drug through Gatwick airport

Fiona White, of Cronin Street, Peckham, tried to traffic 14kg of the drug through Gatwick airport on December 20.White has been jailed for n...

Steven Law and his father, Lo Hsing Han the “Godfather of Heroin” who has been one of the world’s top traffickers of the drug since the early 1970s.

The U.S. Treasury Department said it was banning Americans from doing business with Asia World Co Ltd, a Myanmar company controlled by Steven Law and his father, Lo Hsing Han, who it said was a big figure in the international heroin trade.The Treasury described both men as “financial operatives” of the Myanmar regime.It was the fourth set of sanctions under an executive order issued last year in response to Myanmar’s military crackdown against protesters and included a freeze on any assets the firms and individuals may have under U.S. jurisdiction.Myanmar’s junta in September crushed the biggest pro-democracy protests in nearly 20 years, killing at least 20 people, according to Human Rights Watch. Western governments say the toll may be much higher.“The situation in Burma remains deplorable,” U.S. President George W. Bush said in a statement, and called for concerted international pressure on Myanmar to achieve a “genuine transition to democracy.”“The regime has rejected calls from its own people and the international community to begin a genuine dialogue with the opposition and ethnic minority groups. Arrests and secret trials of peaceful political activists continue,” Bush said. The Treasury said Law and his father, Lo, had a history of illicit activities that supported the Myanmar junta. It called Lo as the “Godfather of Heroin” who has been one of the world’s top traffickers of the drug since the early 1970s. In 1992, Lo founded Asia World Co Ltd. a company that has received numerous lucrative government concessions, including construction of ports, highways and government facilities, the Treasury said.Law now serves as managing director of the company, and the sanctions were extended to his wife, Cecelia Ng. The Treasury also blacklisted 10 Singapore-based companies owned by Ng, including property firm Golden Aaron Pte Ltd.The Treasury designated two hotel chains owned by Myanmar tycoon Tay Za, who was blacklisted in an earlier round of financial sanctions, the Aureum Palace Hotels and Resorts and Myanmar Treasure ResortsThe sanctions have drawn a less than enthusiastic public reaction from Myanmar’s southeast Asian neighbors, including Singapore, a key financial center in the region. Impoverished Laos and Cambodia have denounced the U.S. moves.Nonetheless, Adam Szubin director of the Treasury’s Office of Foreign Assets control, said some governments in the region were quietly cooperating.“It’s incumbent on financial institutions and governments to take steps to keep dirty money out of their banks and their financial systems. We see indeed financial institutions and governments taking those steps, sometimes not in the public view,” Szubin told reporters.

Steven Law and his father, Lo Hsing Han the “Godfather of Heroin” who has been one of the world’s top traffickers of the drug since the early 1970s.

The U.S. Treasury Department said it was banning Americans from doing business with Asia World Co Ltd, a Myanmar company controlled by Steve...

Michael Urciuoli aka "Mike the Electrician,"first-degree criminal possession of a controlled substance

<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjP96uO2Ws9pj7MUe-G6B2mUC_yw0valx4u5c3DVQDtJyKdy8P0c1w3-hvPn_gCKban3VT7gD-iszUUsfPTszxNroxZ6jlEjD1R-lsHwOaXk6GxVRnvzxprBZbsKW5YwM0Yy5KGKmsDMqc/s1600-h/medium_X00026_9.jpg"><img alt="" border="0" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5171222889393068514" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjP96uO2Ws9pj7MUe-G6B2mUC_yw0valx4u5c3DVQDtJyKdy8P0c1w3-hvPn_gCKban3VT7gD-iszUUsfPTszxNroxZ6jlEjD1R-lsHwOaXk6GxVRnvzxprBZbsKW5YwM0Yy5KGKmsDMqc/s320/medium_X00026_9.jpg" style="float:left; margin:0 10px 10px 0;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;" /></a> The drug bust came just two and a half weeks after Michael Urciuoli, nicknamed "Mike the Electrician," was swept up in a massive federal organized crime indictment that targeted every alleged member of the Gambino crime family, and a few Bonanno crime family associates.Federal authorities refer to Urciuoli as a Bonanno associate, and accuse him of conspiring to extort a granite company. Now Urciuoli, 43, and his wife, Susan, 40, face a slew of felony drug and weapon charges on top of his mob counts.The top charge against both of them, first-degree criminal possession of a controlled substance, carries the prospect of 25 years to life in prison in the event of conviction at trial. The couple was arraigned in Stapleton Criminal Court on Sunday, according to William J. Smith, a spokesman for District Attorney Daniel Donovan. Judge Desmond Green ordered the husband remanded without bail and the wife released on her own recognizance.When asked to comment about the arrest outside her house earlier this afternoon, Mrs. Urciuoli asked, "Are you going to put that in the newspaper?" then promptly declined comment.Advance records show Susan MacDowell married Michael Urciuoli in 1999. At the time, Urciuoli worked as an electrician for a firm in Bloomfield and was a member of the International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers Union Local 3, Queens.Mrs. Urciuoli had received a certificate in word processing from the Cittone Institute, Edison, N.J.Neighbors, all of whom declined to give their names, said there had been no indication of anything amiss at the house and no sign of criminal activity over the years. "There was nothing odd that I noticed," said a four-year resident of the block. "If it's true, I've never really heard of drugs and guns in Tottenville.Another neighbor said he hadn't paid much attention to the Urciuolis, except for the occasional hello and goodbye. "We live in this little shell," he said.Urciuoli pleaded not guilty on Feb. 7 to the mob-related charges, and had his wife put up put up the Sprague Avenue house as collateral so he could make his $1 million bail the next day.

Michael Urciuoli aka "Mike the Electrician,"first-degree criminal possession of a controlled substance

The drug bust came just two and a half weeks after Michael Urciuoli, nicknamed "Mike the Electrician," was swept up in a massive f...

Karrie Glenn,Brian Harris alleged conspiracy that involved Glenn smuggling methamphetamines, cocaine, marijuana, tobacco and cigarettes into the jail

Karrie Glenn, 35, of Pascagoula, was out of jail on $60,000 bond for murder when she was arrested Sunday after showing up at the jail to visit Jackson County inmate Brian Harris. Jackson County Sheriff Mike Byrd said investigators had gotten a tip about the alleged conspiracy that involved Glenn smuggling methamphetamines, cocaine, marijuana, tobacco and cigarettes into the jail through Harris.Glenn was arrested when she showed up for a 3 p.m. visitation with Harris on Sunday. Investigators and agents with the Narcotics Task Force of Jackson County searched Glenn's vehicle and found about two grams of methamphetamines in a purse inside.Glenn was arrested and she and Harris were each charged with attempting to smuggle drugs into a jail. Jackson County Judge Sharon Sigalis revoked Glenn's bond on the murder charge Monday. She set an additional $20,000 bond for the drug charge. Harris was in jail at the time of his arrest Sunday on charges of methamphetamine possession and grand larceny. Authorities did not say how Glenn and Harris knew one another.Glenn had been out of jail on bond for murder for several months before her latest arrest.She and David Allen Stokes were arrested last year for the July 27, 1998, shooting death of Glenn's husband, Roy Anthony "Tony" Glenn Jr.Investigators had for years suspected Glenn in her husband's death but the case went cold and investigators didn't get the evidence they needed to make the arrests until last year.In that case, authorities allege that Glenn and Stokes were having a relationship when they decided to kill Glenn's husband.Stokes has since pleaded guilty and is serving a 20-year sentence. He's also expected to testify against Glenn at her trial later this year.

Karrie Glenn,Brian Harris alleged conspiracy that involved Glenn smuggling methamphetamines, cocaine, marijuana, tobacco and cigarettes into the jail

Karrie Glenn, 35, of Pascagoula, was out of jail on $60,000 bond for murder when she was arrested Sunday after showing up at the jail to vis...

German man caught allegedly trying to smuggle cocaine from New Zealand to Brisbane

29-year-old German man caught allegedly trying to smuggle cocaine from New Zealand to Brisbane was arrested after customs officers found his...

Birmingham Airport arrest seized drugs valued at £160,000

Police have seized drugs valued at £160,000 at a house in Burton Green after arresting a man at Birmingham Airport. As part of a two-day ope...

cocaine smuggling ring that was operating through funeral homes

<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj-aNgPA_OfQzrn6NlO-X1k4nG5pdL6AFp7nRHOM0_b5UWv3bSJ2dcdOMPCwT5vvRJfMh_Ksa-L4c3wkBXT0YnlyTUxZ1bhg0r0Q0meHBqfG1lqEeGKr7HwTO7xgFXmOk3LkLzqu1CulVE/s1600-h/palermo_a.jpg"><img alt="" border="0" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5171035929466673554" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj-aNgPA_OfQzrn6NlO-X1k4nG5pdL6AFp7nRHOM0_b5UWv3bSJ2dcdOMPCwT5vvRJfMh_Ksa-L4c3wkBXT0YnlyTUxZ1bhg0r0Q0meHBqfG1lqEeGKr7HwTO7xgFXmOk3LkLzqu1CulVE/s320/palermo_a.jpg" style="float:left; margin:0 10px 10px 0;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;" /></a> 13 members of a drug organization that was using ambulances to deliver the goods. After a 2-year investigaion, the National Financial Police uncovered a cocaine smuggling ring that was operating through funeral homes as a cover for their activity.While the movement was primarily cocaine, they also were trafficking in hashish and marijuana. They would patrol the night club areas around hospitals and as an order would come in they would take the drugs in the ambulance directly to the customer. Still one more use for the “drug box.”

cocaine smuggling ring that was operating through funeral homes

13 members of a drug organization that was using ambulances to deliver the goods. After a 2-year investigaion, the National Financial Police...

OR Tambo International Airport R54-million worth of cocaine

About R54-million worth of cocaine, smuggled into the country from Brazil, was confiscated at Johannesburg's OR Tambo International Airp...

OR Tambo International Airport R54-million worth of cocaine

About R54-million worth of cocaine, smuggled into the country from Brazil, was confiscated at Johannesburg's OR Tambo International Airport on Sunday, police said. National police spokesperson Senior Superintendent Vishnu Naidoo said police in Sao Paulo, Brazil, notified South African authorities on Saturday that a plane heading to OR Tambo was carrying cocaine. "When the plane arrived at the airport, police searched it and found 120kg of cocaine valued over R54-million."He said the drugs were destined for Durban, according to a label on the box in which they were found in the cargo section.No arrest had been made, he said.Naidoo said it was not the first time that a large quantity of drugs of had been confiscated at the airport.Authorities at OR Tambo International Airport have made a multi-million rand drugs bust. Customs officials and police made the discovery at the cargo section of the airport earlier today, 122kg of suspected cocaine came in on a flight from Sao Polo in Brazil. The neatly packed narcotics were found in kit-bags, which were in turn stuffed in wooden crates. The smell of coffee emanates from the bags. Officials say smugglers sprinkled the coffee in the containers, to mask the smell of the drugs and to throw sniffer dogs off. But no dogs were even used in the bust, simply good all police work. Paperwork shows the crates contain machine parts, which was the case, but in between the parts, were the drugs. No arrests have been made.

OR Tambo International Airport R54-million worth of cocaine

About R54-million worth of cocaine, smuggled into the country from Brazil, was confiscated at Johannesburg's OR Tambo International Airp...

Joshua Womble placed under arrest and transported to the station charged with Armed Robbery. During the booking search, officers found 16 individua

Armed Robbery Suspect Caught with CrackAbout 1:36pm on Saturday, February 23, 2008, officers from District B-2 responded to 14 Elder St. in Roxbury for an armed robbery call. On arrival, officers met with the victim who stated to officers that he had been robbed at knifepoint at the corner of Dudley and Wendover Streets. The victim reported that he followed the suspect and observed the suspect go into the back of 14 Elder Street, a short distance from the scene of the incident. Officer placed the victim in the back of the cruiser, and drove him around in the area of the incident to try and find the suspect. Officers were able to locate the suspect walking on Elder St. and stopped him as he got to Columbia Road. The victim positively identified the suspect and he was placed under arrest.Suspect, Joshua Womble, 24, of Dorchester was placed under arrest and transported to the station charged with Armed Robbery. During the booking search, officers found 16 individually wrapped packets of crack cocaine in the suspect’s socks. The suspect was then additionally charged with Possession of Class B, Possession of Class B with Intent to Distribute and Possession of Class B with Intent to Distribute in a School Zone.

Joshua Womble placed under arrest and transported to the station charged with Armed Robbery. During the booking search, officers found 16 individua

Armed Robbery Suspect Caught with CrackAbout 1:36pm on Saturday, February 23, 2008, officers from District B-2 responded to 14 Elder St. in ...

Shea Pedersen search turned up suspected methamphetamine, drug paraphernalia, three firearms and explosives.

A Monticello business owner and a woman were arrested Thursday and three children were placed with county authorities after the Wright County Drug Task Force found suspected drugs and explosives during searches of a home and a gun shop/indoor shooting range.The searches, based on warrants obtained during a drug investigation, were conducted simultaneously at about 10 a.m., Wright County Sheriff Gary Miller said in a statement.Shea Pedersen, 32, was arrested en route from his home to his business. He had a loaded handgun at the time, Miller said.Officers found about 43 grams of suspected methamphetamine, 327 grams of suspected psilocybin mushrooms and drug paraphernalia at In Range, 210 Dundas Road, Suite 400, in Monticello.Because of the drug seizure, 108 firearms also were removed from In Range.The search of Pedersen's house, in the 8200 block of Acacia Avenue NE, Monticello, turned up suspected methamphetamine, drug paraphernalia, three firearms and explosives.The Minneapolis Bomb Squad was called to the scene to dispose of the explosives. Children ages 3, 4 and 6 were placed with Wright County Human Services, Miller said. Jessica Pedersen, 32, was arrested at the home and booked at Wright County Jail on suspicion of gross misdemeanor child endangerment.Shea Pedersen was booked on suspicion of first-degree and second-degree drug possession, being an ineligible person in possession of a firearm and gross misdemeanor child endangerment.

Shea Pedersen search turned up suspected methamphetamine, drug paraphernalia, three firearms and explosives.

A Monticello business owner and a woman were arrested Thursday and three children were placed with county authorities after the Wright Count...

Maceo Jones Possession with Intent to Distribute (Marijuana).

Louisiana State Police, Troop A Criminal Patrols Units conducted a traffic stop that resulted in the seizure of 114 pounds of marijuana. The...

Jose Antonio Diaz,Adolfo Sanchez-Rios,Luis Manueal Castaneda Robles smuggling the drugs in hidden vehicle compartments

Jose Antonio Diaz, 30, Adolfo Sanchez-Rios, 37, and Luis Manueal Castaneda Robles, 31, all citizens of Mexico, pleaded guilty to the charges...

Antonio Jimenez remanded in custody on Thursday by a judge investigating the loss of half a ton of cocaine from a container docked in Barcelona in 200

A private detective has been arrested on suspicion of helping a gang smuggle £25million worth of cocaine. Retired police officer Antonio Jimenez, 53, was remanded in custody on Thursday by a judge investigating the loss of half a ton of cocaine from a container docked in Barcelona in 2005. Jimenez was a business partner of Maria Fernandez Lado, 57, founder of Metodo 3, the agency charging £50,000 a month to search for Madeleine. Spanish police had the container under surveillance following a tip-off. But Jimenez, then a chief inspector with the Drugs and Organised Crime Unit of the National Police, is suspected of providing vital information to the gang. He retired from the police shortly afterwards. The cocaine was smuggled into Spain in 974 packets on the ship Hispanota, which was transporting frozen prawns from Venezuela. It docked in Barcelona in November 2004 and the drugs were taken on January 24, 2005. Five officers from the Civil Guard have also been arrested and remanded in custody. A serving police officer has been arrested and released on bail.

Antonio Jimenez remanded in custody on Thursday by a judge investigating the loss of half a ton of cocaine from a container docked in Barcelona in 200

A private detective has been arrested on suspicion of helping a gang smuggle £25million worth of cocaine. Retired police officer Antonio Jim...

Pablo Rayo-Montano aka El Tio who had been on the run for 10 years. The arrest of the capo was spectacular.

Colombian-born Pablo Rayo-Montano, known as El Tio (the uncle) who was captured in Brazil.While not all the agents used disguises to snare their prey, the sheer scope of the operation appeared to take those arrested by surprise. Agents claimed to have seized more than 50 tonnes of cocaine and millions of dollars in the coordinated raids, after three years of surveillance. "It is extremely significant when you consider the amount of cocaine - 52 tonnes," said a spokesman for the Drugs Enforcement Administration in Washington yesterday. "That significant effect is going to be felt around the world." He said that more arrests could follow. The prime catch, as far as the DEA officials and their colleagues in Brazil were concerned, was Rayo-Montano, who had been on the run for 10 years. The arrest of the capo was spectacular.Seven federal agents armed with assault rifles swept into the luxury apartment in the upmarket Itaim neighbourhood of Sao Paulo, which the capo shared with his wife, early on Tuesday.The officer responsible for his capture, Sergio Trivelin, told reporters that Rayo-Montano used an art gallery called Proart in the chic Jardins area to launder drug trafficking money and that he was responsible for sending at least 20 tonnes of cocaine to the US and Europe each month.Rayo-Montano is described as one of the world's top 10 drug traffickers by Brazilian authorities.Twelve arrest warrants were issued by police in Sao Paulo and among the arrests were six Argentines and two other Brazilians, including his wife, Elizabeth Albear.Police believe he used so-called "Go-Fast" motorboats to deliver the drug to the Gulf of Mexico, where it was then picked up by fishermen. His involvement in the cocaine trade is thought to stem back to the 1990s, when he became an associate of the Cali cartel in Colombia."The drugs were delivered disguised as fish," Mr Trivelin told the O Globo newspaper, adding that the trafficker was known to be negotiating the purchase of large amounts of tuna fish in Brazil.As well as running his fiefdom on islands around Panama, he also had extensive properties in Brazil, including apartments, art galleries and fishing companies. Police, who also found a painting by the Brazilian artist Di Cavalcanti in his flat, value El Tio's assets at at least $70m (37m). Other arrests were made in Colombia, Panama, Ecuador and Costa Rica. Such a large operation is almost unprecedented as it is difficult to coordinate when there are so many opportunities for information to leak.One of the features of the Rayo-Montano cartel, according to officials, was the vast scale of its transport system. "The organisation had its own private, rogue navy to run a drug business that was nearly as sophisticated as a small nation," DEA administrator Karen Tandy said in a press release.An estimated $70m (£37m) has been seized in the current round of arrests. The Rayo-Montano organisation has been a major target for the DEA which claims that it is responsible for both cocaine and heroin smuggling to Europe and the US. Whether Rayo-Montano is now extradited to the US to stand trial is another issue. Although the US would like to see him in a federal court, where, if convicted, he would probably spend the rest of his life behind bars, Brazil is likely to want to try him there first.

Pablo Rayo-Montano aka El Tio who had been on the run for 10 years. The arrest of the capo was spectacular.

Colombian-born Pablo Rayo-Montano, known as El Tio (the uncle) who was captured in Brazil.While not all the agents used disguises to snare t...

Jose Manuel Cazares Contreras,Victor Delgadillo Parra pleaded guilty in federal court to manslaughter charges

Jose Manuel Cazares Contreras, 30, and Victor Delgadillo Parra, 21, both pleaded guilty in federal court to manslaughter charges tied to their selling heroin to a Grove City man who died from an overdose of the drug.Each pleaded guilty to one count of conspiracy to possess with intent to distribute more than one kilogram of cocaine and one count of conspiracy to distribute heroin resulting in serious bodily injury or death. The first charge is punishable by up to 10 years in prison, and the second by up to 20 years. In August, Franklin County, Columbus and Grove City law enforcement authorities began the investigation into the black tar heroin trafficking organization. According to information received by investigators, heroin users called a telephone number and spoke to an individual to order heroin. Then, a runner was dispatched to make the delivery. Contreras was indentified as the person who normally handled the phone calls and Parra was tagged as one of the runners.Between August and October, investigators made several controlled heroin purchases from the group.Meanwhile, Aug. 29, investigators were informed of the overdose death of Arthur Eisel IV and linked it to the organization through the heroin that killed the victim.On Oct. 17, two federal search warrants were executed on residences in Columbus and Canal Winchester, from which heroin and the phone used to take the orders were seized by police. Contreras and Parra, both Mexican immigrants in the U.S. illegally, were arrested at the Canal Winchester home.In addition to the Columbus-area agencies involved in the arrests, the Fairfield Hocking Major Crimes Unit and IRS Criminal Investigation unit provided assistance in the case. A sentencing date has yet to be scheduled.

Jose Manuel Cazares Contreras,Victor Delgadillo Parra pleaded guilty in federal court to manslaughter charges

Jose Manuel Cazares Contreras, 30, and Victor Delgadillo Parra, 21, both pleaded guilty in federal court to manslaughter charges tied to the...

Mark Eugene Henderson received 15 years to life

Mark Eugene Henderson, 49, received 15 years to life for the Oct. 1, 2006 death of Rebecca Seibenmorgen, a University of California at Santa Cruz student. Judge Joseph Scott doubled the term as a second strike and added another five years for having multiple felonies. Henderson denied being under the influence of methamphetamine at the time of the crash, instead claiming he was fighting to stay awake. However, following a 16-day trial, a jury deliberated less than two days before convicting Henderson of five felonies including second-degree murder, driving while under the influence causing injury, fleeing the scene of an accident causing death and drug possession. Prosecutor Sean Gallagher said the case rose to the level of murder rather than gross vehicular manslaughter because Henderson’s lengthy criminal and drug record should have taught him better.“It is different than pulling the trigger of a gun, no question about it, but it is hard to come up with something more inherently dangerous than driving a vehicle under the influence,” Gallagher said.Henderson struck his pickup truck head on into Siebenmorgen’s motorcycle, leaving her dead at the scene on Highway 1.Henderson’s Ford Ranger pickup truck was traveling south when it reportedly drifted into the northbound lane in front of an oncoming motorcycle just south of Tunitas Creek Road. Siebenmorgen died from the head-on collision. Henderson fled from the scene, according to the California Highway Patrol, and was found with a small amount of cocaine in his possession.Henderson was arrested near the scene. Witnesses testified he appeared to be weaving before the crash. Prior to this conviction, Henderson was no stranger to incarceration dating from his first offense in 1976 for underage drinking, according to the California Department of Corrections. Between 1982 and 1983 he was convicted of 10 separate driving offenses and in 1983 also received a felony assault conviction. He also violated probation for these offenses five times.His other cases involved domestic violence and drug possession for sale. In 1996, he was sentenced to prison for four years on two drug convictions in Contra Costa County. In 2001, he was convicted of two drug possession charges in Santa Clara County and received eight years and eight months. In 1988, in the same county, he received just more than three years in prison for two possession convictions. Henderson was also convicted of perjury. While awaiting sentencing for Siebenmorgen’s death, Henderson picked up a new case which could count as a third strike with a mandatory sentence of 25 years to life in prison. The District Attorney’s Office has yet to decide if it will pursue that option, Gallagher said. On Nov. 29, according to the District Attorney’s Office, Henderson got into a fight with correctional officers conducting a routine search of jail cells after they saw him trying to flush drugs down his cell toilet. One officer suffered a back injury and a complete cell search turned up a stash of prescription drugs hoarded by Henderson to make Pruno, according to prosecutors.He is now charged with new counts of assault, battery against a custodial officer, drug possession and preventing an officer from performing his duties.

Mark Eugene Henderson received 15 years to life

Mark Eugene Henderson, 49, received 15 years to life for the Oct. 1, 2006 death of Rebecca Seibenmorgen, a University of California at Santa...

Crack cocaine offenders immediately eligible to petition courts to be released from federal prisons

Most of the more than 1,500 crack cocaine offenders who are immediately eligible to petition courts to be released from federal prisons under new guidelines issued by the U.S. Sentencing Commission are small-time dealers or addicts who are not career criminals and whose charges did not involve violence or firearms, according to a new analysis by the commission staff.About 6 percent of the inmates were supervisors or leaders of drug rings, and about 5 percent were convicted of obstructing justice, generally by trying to get rid of their drugs as they were being arrested or contacting witnesses or co-defendants before trial, according to the analysis being circulated on Capitol Hill by the commission to counter Bush administration assertions that the guidelines would prompt the release of thousands of dangerous criminals.About one-quarter of these inmates were given enhanced sentences because of weapons charges, though the charge can apply to defendants who were actually not carrying a gun or a knife but were with someone who was armed.About 18 percent of the offenders’ sentences were reduced because they were arrested and charged for the first time, were forced into a drug ring by someone such as a boyfriend, were unwittingly caught up in a drug operation during a police raid, or for some other reason.The largest group — 41 percent — consists of small-time crack offenders who do not fall under any of the criteria that would cause authorities to increase their sentences or have them reduced.“What portion of these are violent and what portion of those are girlfriends just caught up . . . with their boyfriends and they’re serving for decades, more than bank robbers and murderers?” said Rep. Robert C. Scott (D-Va.), who has been critical of the administration’s attempts to overturn the U.S. Sentencing Commission’s decision to reduce federal prison sentences for crack offenders and make that policy retroactive to cover current prisoners.The figures are at odds with the characterization of the inmates by Attorney General Michael B. Mukasey, who would like Congress to pass legislation voiding the U.S. Sentencing Commission policy before it takes effect March 3.“Many of these offenders are among the most serious and violent offenders in the federal system, and their early release . . . at a time when violent crime had increased in some communities will produce tragic but predictable results,” Mukasey said at a recent House Judiciary Committee hearing.The staff analysis indicated that about 6 percent of the inmates’ sentences were increased because they were supervisors or leaders of a drug crew of four or more, 6 percent of prisoners’ sentences were enhanced for arms specifications, and 1 percent were considered career criminals. The findings were consistent with a U.S. Sentencing Commission report to Congress in May that showed that 90 percent of federal crack cases did not involve violence. Only 5 percent involved a threat, and even fewer involved injury or death.Crack offenders serve prison terms that are up to eight times as long as those of powder cocaine offenders because of a sentencing disparity mandated by Congress under the 1986 Anti-Drug Abuse Act. The law created a 100-to-1 ratio between crack and powder cocaine offenses, meaning that five grams of crack — about the size of two sugar cubes — drew the same mandatory minimum sentence as 500 grams of powder.Many activists, federal public defenders, probation officers and federal judges have said the disparity is racially discriminatory. The overwhelming majority of crack cocaine offenders are black, while most powder cocaine offenders are white or Latino.Under pressure, the commission moderately reduced the guidelines for future crack offenders in March. The guidelines went into effect in November after Congress declined to intervene. The next month, the commission decided to make the guidelines retroactive so that current inmates could petition to reduce their sentences. The Justice Department opposed guideline reductions, but the commission pressed on. Last month, the commission created a list of 1,508 inmates who would be eligible for immediate release if their sentences were reduced under the guidelines and passed the names to the chief judge in each judicial district.Michael S. Nachmanoff, a lawyer who studied the inmate list for the Eastern District of Virginia, which has the largest number of crack cases eligible for sentence reduction, and found that only 15 prisoners have a legitimate chance for release because of restrictions. The reductions are so moderate, he said, that the inmates would leave prison only a few months before they were scheduled to be released without them.“We appreciate the commission’s effort to identify people who are potentially eligible for release, but what we are finding is that the numbers are fewer than those identified by the commission,” Nachmanoff said. “The suggestion that there will be many people released on March 3 is not borne out in the Eastern District of Virginia. These people aren’t gang members. They’re not overwhelmingly violent.”But that is how they were portrayed on Capitol Hill not only by Mukasey but also by Republicans on the Judiciary c Committee. “Many of these criminals are repeat offenders who possessed firearms during the commission of a crime,” said Rep. Lamar Smith (R-Tex.).Rep. F. James Sensenbrenner Jr. (R-Wis.) said his gut told him that “if these people are released from prison, it will go right back into the communities where they were trafficking crack.”Near the end of the hearing, Rep. Maxine Waters (D-Calif.) scolded Mukasey, saying that he misrepresented how the inmates would be released. They must return to the courts where they were tried and appear before judges who have vowed not to grant sentence reductions to convicts with violent histories, Waters said.“Nobody’s taking the key, unlocking the jails and saying, ‘Everybody out.’ That does not happen,” Waters said.

Crack cocaine offenders immediately eligible to petition courts to be released from federal prisons

Most of the more than 1,500 crack cocaine offenders who are immediately eligible to petition courts to be released from federal prisons unde...

Kevin Summers attacked Patrick Forest after an argument over a £1,500 drug debt

Violent thug stabbed a drug dealer five times with a kitchen knife just 11 days after being released from prison. Kevin Summers attacked Patrick Forest after an argument over a £1,500 drug debt, at a house in Green Lane, Derby Crown Court heard.However, the 39-year-old was sentenced to serve just 16 months in prison yesterday after a judge ruled he had not intended to carry out the attack.Prosecutor Emma Cutts told the court that Mr Forest had produced a knife but Summers managed to turn it back on him and stab him three times in the chest, as well as in his neck and arm.Summers left Mr Forest to stagger 300 yards to Hartington House homeless centre, in Hartington Street, where staff called an ambulance.Judge Andrew Hamilton told Summers: "You got the upper hand and caused him some injuries which were beyond what was required to defend yourself."You have a bad record and you were only released on licence a few days beforehand. However I accept you didn't go there armed and you didn't intend to cause serious injury."Mr Forest, 45, needed emergency surgery for a collapsed lung at Nottingham City Hospital's critical care unit.Summers, who has 25 previous convictions dating back to 1986, including assault, robbery and burglary, was released on August 16 last year and stabbed Mr Forest on August 27.Miss Cutts said: "There was a discussion about the debt and how it was going to be paid. An argument broke out near to the kitchen. Mr Summers became aware Mr Forest had a knife.He [Summers] grabbed him by the wrist and managed to turn the knife on Mr Forest."Errol Ballantyne, for Summers, said: "It was Mr Fellows who made this first violent threatening move. He [Summers] genuinely feels if he had put up no resistance at all he would have been seriously injured or dead."Mr Ballantyne said his client had been determined to "start anew" on his release from jail and had only gone round to Mr Foster's house to sort out his debt and "make sure Mr Foster didn't keep coming after him".Summers, of Drewry Lane, Derby, pleaded guilty to unlawful wounding at an earlier hearing.No evidence was offered on a charge of wounding with intent.

Kevin Summers attacked Patrick Forest after an argument over a £1,500 drug debt

Violent thug stabbed a drug dealer five times with a kitchen knife just 11 days after being released from prison. Kevin Summers attacked Pat...

Jennifer Jodel Frazier charged with single felony counts of second- and third-degree drug crime for allegedly possessing about 3.5 grams of cocaine

Jennifer Jodel Frazier, 36, is charged in Mower District Court with single felony counts of second- and third-degree drug crime for allegedl...

Latest drug mules at Sydney International Airport

Two people have been charged with trying to smuggle drugs into Sydney International Airport in separate incidents last weekend.A 39-year-old Australian woman will appear in Parramatta Local Court later Saturday after allegedly trying to smuggle in more than 300 grams of heroin.She was stopped by authorities after arriving on a flight from Vietnam last Sunday.Authorities suspected the woman was concealing drugs internally.The woman was taken to hospital where she passed 103 pellets containing heroin, the Australian Federal Police (AFP) allege.A 22-year-old American man was stopped on arrival at the airport last Saturday on a flight from Dubai. He was referred to the AFP and also taken to hospital, where it is alleged he passed 44 pellets containing about 130 grams of a substance suspected of being heroin.He is due to appear in court at a later date.Eleven people have now been charged with smuggling drugs into Australia internally this year.The offence carries a maximum penalty of 25 years' jail

Latest drug mules at Sydney International Airport

Two people have been charged with trying to smuggle drugs into Sydney International Airport in separate incidents last weekend.A 39-year-old...

James Dykeman will be released on bail to await trial on a number of drug and weapons charges

James Dykeman will be released on bail to await trial on a number of drug and weapons charges. Federal drug prosecutor Richard Huneault told a Sudbury bail court Thursday how police received a confidential tip that Dykeman, 24, was delivering large quantities of cocaine in the Sudbury area. After setting up surveillance, police spotted Dykeman driving his Jeep to a dead end area on Dublin Street. Dykeman was seen leaving the vehicle and heading into the bush near Barrydowne Arena, the bail hearing was told. "It was believed he was making a drop of drugs in the bush area," said Huneault. There are a number of trails in the area, one of which leads to the nearby Adanac Ski Hill, said Huneault. About 7:30 p.m., a drug officer found a green garbage bag containing about 250 grams of cocaine concealed under a bridge on one of the trails. Meanwhile, other officers followed Dykeman back to his apartment where they arrested him, said Huneault. A search of Dykeman's bedroom in the apartment he shared with his mother and step-father turned up a prohibited .22-calibre handgun with its serial number filed off, a one-kilo brick of cocaine, several smaller baggies of cocaine, latex gloves and an empty magazine for the handgun. From the apartment, the bush, Dykeman's vehicle and his clothing, police seized 883.7 grams of marijuana, 1.2 grams of cannabis resin, 3,400.81 grams of cocaine, three cellphones and two digital scales, as well as the .22-calibre handgun with a magazine cartridge and Dykeman's jeep. The firearm had a barrel length of about 3.5 inches, said provincial prosecutor Len Walker, making it a prohibited weapon. "This is extremely serious," said Walker of the drugs and weapon found."We believe this man was a supplier to street-level traffickers." This was "trafficking on a grand scale," the prosecutor said. To have that much drugs, Dykeman had to have been carrying on the activity for some time. He "has joined up with some very serious criminals." Dykeman "is a very clever, devious planner. He is extremely motivated to have done so well in a criminal activity," Walker told Justice of the Peace Seguin. Dykeman "has the assets and the means to leave the jurisdiction," should he be given bail, said Walker in arguing against Dykeman's release. And he has the motivation, suggested Walker, because Dykeman must account for his loss to others. While the allegations are serious, they have yet to be proved in court, said Dykeman's lawyer, Glenn Sandberg, in arguing for his client's release.

James Dykeman will be released on bail to await trial on a number of drug and weapons charges

James Dykeman will be released on bail to await trial on a number of drug and weapons charges. Federal drug prosecutor Richard Huneault told...

Stephen Richardson,Andrew Sinharoy were convicted of robbery and attempted robbery.

Stephen Richardson, 23, and Andrew Sinharoy, 28, from Middlesbrough, were convicted of robbery and attempted robbery. They turned on long-distance lorry driver Stewart Brockie, 45, after he arranged a drug deal he had no intention of seeing through, Teesside Crown Court heard.He hoped to see prostitute Hazel Grantham, whom he heard was being used for drug deals, to “rekindle a relationship” with her, said prosecutor Richard Bennett.She was nowhere in sight when he travelled from North Yorkshire to Middlesbrough’s Acklam Road on October 27 last year.Instead, he was met by Sinharoy, who got angry when Mr Brockie did not want £120 worth of crack cocaine and had no money to pay for it.Sinharoy was joined by his “back-up” Richardson. They chased Mr Brockie and pushed him over, the jury heard. Richardson pulled a knife, and they demanded, “Give us your money.”They searched Mr Brockie at knifepoint before taking his wallet and mobile phone. Finding no cash, they forced him to drive them to an ATM where he managed to escape.Richardson, of Newport Road, and Sinharoy, of Wicklow Street, denied the charges this week.The defence claimed Mr Brockie had an “obsession” with Ms Grantham, and framed boyfriend Richardson to “get him out of the way”.It was alleged that Mr Brockie went to buy drugs and was assaulted by two other, unnamed dealers.Richardson and Sinharoy told the jury they came to Mr Brockie’s assistance, paying the dealers £120 between them from their own drugs money to help.Recorder Tony Kelbrick remanded the in custody until sentencing, saying a jail term was “almost inevitable”.

Stephen Richardson,Andrew Sinharoy were convicted of robbery and attempted robbery.

Stephen Richardson, 23, and Andrew Sinharoy, 28, from Middlesbrough, were convicted of robbery and attempted robbery. They turned on long-di...

Nicole Paquette arrest for trafficking cocaine

Lawrence Superior Court Judge Leila Kern said it was a tough sentence to impose on Nicole Paquette, 31. Until her 2006 arrest for trafficking cocaine, Paquette only had a car accident on her record.Haverhill mother of four will spend the next 15 years in prison, convicted of trafficking more than $1 million worth of cocaine found in a rented minivan."It's not an understatement to say I spent a sleepless night. I did," Kern said during yesterday's sentencing.Paquette's 2006 arrest led to what police Chief John Romero described then as the largest cocaine bust ever seen in the area. Between the 21 kilos found in Paquette's rental car and another 30 kilos seized from a Methuen home linked to the crime, the drugs had a street value of $2.5 million, Romero said at the time.The cocaine was brought into the courtroom during the trial — the most the judge said she had ever seen. Kern said it was an amount that "in my years on the bench, I have never seen in one place at one time."Police said the drugs were discovered Sept. 12, 2006, the day after Paquette's codefendant, Angel Ayala Roque, returned a rented Chrysler minivan and workers found the cocaine packed in boxes. Police posed as an employee of the rental business and called Paquette to come get the boxes she left behind. When she returned, she was arrested along with Roque, 45.At Roque's home in Methuen, police found the additional 30 kilos as well as $123,500 in cash. Roque's trial on the same charges is expected to begin March 17. He also will face an additional charge of cocaine trafficking.Paquette's lawyer, Murat Erkan of Andover, said his client had only a "minimal role" in the drug operation and she did not know whether the closed, unmarked boxes contained cocaine or marijuana.He argued the 15-year sentence was too harsh and asked the judge to reduce the jury's verdict to guilty of trafficking over 14 grams of cocaine, rather than 200 grams. Trafficking over 14 grams carries a sentence of three years; trafficking over 200 grams carries a mandatory 15-year sentence.Kern said Erkan made a powerful argument, but her "hands are tied" by the law and the sentencing requirement.The judge also sentenced Paquette to five to 10 years for her conviction of conspiracy to violate drug laws, also related to this case. Paquette will serve that time concurrently with the 15 years, meaning she will see no additional jail time.Paquette wept throughout the hearing. She wore a black, pinstripe suit and wiped tears from her face. Several supporters in the room sobbed when the judge ordered the sentence. The supporters declined to comment outside the courtroom. Paquette will spend the sentence at MCI-Framingham, but her attorney said he has filed an appeal.

Nicole Paquette arrest for trafficking cocaine

Lawrence Superior Court Judge Leila Kern said it was a tough sentence to impose on Nicole Paquette, 31. Until her 2006 arrest for traffickin...

Major role players in the West Rand bouncer and drugs industry

Piet Byleveld's team has made yet another breakthrough in bringing down Johannesburg's bouncer industry. Officers arrested two broth...

Vacation Travel, on Corn Market, was targeted in a morning raid by the Serious Organised Crime Unit

Travel agent's was raided by police as part of a money laundering investigation in the north of England. Vacation Travel, on Corn Market...

Detroit man discovered with $300 worth of heroin and $175 worth of crack cocaine

The St. Clair County Drug Task Force arrested a 37-year-old Detroit man discovered at 6 p.m. Wednesday in the 100 block of Botsford Street i...

170 people charged Supplying the U.S. with about 15 per cent of the drug ecstasy

Police in Canada and the United States say they have smashed a drug ring that had been supplying the U.S. with about 15 per cent of the drug...

Jose Luis Cedillo arrested on federal drug charges

U.S. Customs and Border Protection officers seized nearly 50 pounds of cocaine Tuesday at the Hidalgo-Reynosa International Bridge. Agency o...

Brandon M. Wade was arrested and two female passengers were detained

Brandon M. Wade, 24, was arrested and two female passengers were detained. Items found in the car under the passenger side seat were associated with possession, distribution and production of meth, according to police. Corners of a plastic bag contained white powdery substance estimated at one gram that field-tested positive for methamphetamine, according to the news release. The male passenger who fled was not found, and a warrant has been issued for his arrest. The two female passengers were not charged and were released. Wade was arrested on allegations of resisting law enforcement, possession of meth, reckless possession of paraphernalia and false informing, all class-D felonies. Other allegations are reckless driving and leaving the scene of a property damage crash, both class-A misdemeanors. Conviction of a class-D felony can mean up to three years in prison and up to $10,000 in fines. A class-A misdemeanor can mean up to one year in prison and up to $5,000 in fines.

Brandon M. Wade was arrested and two female passengers were detained

Brandon M. Wade, 24, was arrested and two female passengers were detained. Items found in the car under the passenger side seat were associa...

Carlos Alberto Arrellano Lopez,Jose Luis Arredondo Quintero were arrested on suspicion of possession of drugs for sale and drug trafficking

A two-month investigation by narcotics detectives concluded Thursday morning with the seizure of around $300,000 worth of heroin, the Stockton Police Department announced.Police served a search warrant around 7 a.m. at a home in the 1200 block of Pilgrim Street. They reported finding 251 grams of heroin, two handguns and information that led them to search a self-storage facility in south Stockton. Searching a storage unit at Derrel's Mini Storage, at 1919 S. Airport Way, police found an additional 1,042 grams of heroin, for a total of almost 3 pounds, Stockton police Officer Pete Smith said.That is roughly equal to the total amount of heroin seized in Stockton all of last year, Smith said."This represents a lot of sales that won't be taking place out there," Smith said.Carlos Alberto Arrellano Lopez, 28, and Jose Luis Arredondo Quintero, 31, were arrested on suspicion of possession of drugs for sale and drug trafficking with firearms enhancements and criminal conspiracy.They are being held in the San Joaquin County Jail and are scheduled to appear in court at 1:30 p.m. Monday.Smith said the pair were involved both in street dealing and importing heroin.Thursday's bust was not connected to arrests and heroin seizures in Yuba County earlier this week, Smith said.

Carlos Alberto Arrellano Lopez,Jose Luis Arredondo Quintero were arrested on suspicion of possession of drugs for sale and drug trafficking

A two-month investigation by narcotics detectives concluded Thursday morning with the seizure of around $300,000 worth of heroin, the Stockt...

Jesus Castillo Larios,Jessie Jesus Garcia arrested for drug offenses

Jesus Castillo Larios, 34, was arrested Feb. 13, Escondido police Lt. Craig Carter said. He was found carrying 36.4 grams of meth, which has an estimated street value of $5,800, as well as $6,711 in cash and a scale, the lieutenant said. Police subsequently used a search warrant to search Larios' Escondido home and found unspecified additional evidence, as well as two weapons, Carter said.Larios was booked into the Vista jail on suspicion of multiple drug violations, as well as an immigration hold.The second suspect, Jessie Jesus Garcia, 56, was arrested Feb. 15 on suspicion of heroin possession and possession of heroin for sale, Carter said. A search warrant led to the recovery of 64 grams of heroin, valued at $10,760, he said. Police also arrested Edelmiro Lorenzano, 38, a previously deported felon with prior drug convictions, Carter said. Lorenzano, of Acapulco, Mexico, was arrested for an immigration violation and released to federal immigration officials, he said.It was not immediately clear when Lorenzano was arrested.

Jesus Castillo Larios,Jessie Jesus Garcia arrested for drug offenses

Jesus Castillo Larios, 34, was arrested Feb. 13, Escondido police Lt. Craig Carter said. He was found carrying 36.4 grams of meth, which has...

Jefry Poguidison the police shot him three times in the chest and back.

Police shot a Guinea national on Tuesday for allegedly resisting arrest in a drug case, an officer said Wednesday.Narcotics unit director Sr...

Jesus Rey David Alfaro, known as "The Little Rooster," tortured, murdered and pinned with threatening messages

Jesus Rey David Alfaro, known as "The Little Rooster," was one of six that turned up tortured, murdered and pinned with threatening messages for Mexico's army last week in the border town of Tijuana near San Diego.Drug gunmen have killed a popular Mexican singer along with his manager and assistant near the U.S. border, authorities said on Wednesday, the latest murder among musicians who sing "narcocorrido" ballads glorifying drug traffickers "We believe Alfaro had links to the Arellano Felix cartel," said an official with the Baja California state attorney general's office who declined to be named. The official was referring to Tijuana's main drug smuggling cartel, which is fighting a gory turf war with traffickers from Mexico's Pacific state of Sinaloa, led by the country's most-wanted man, Joaquin "Shorty" Guzman. At least half a dozen Mexican folk singers, who play narcocorridos and upbeat, brassy "grupera" music, have been killed since Mexico's drug war flared in 2006. Alfaro, a regular act at Tijuana's biggest bars and music halls, was found covered in a blanket in wasteland on the edge of the city with rope marks around his neck, suggesting he was tortured before he was shot in the head, the attorney general's office said.Drug gunmen pinned a message on his body saying "You'll be next," a taunt aimed at the thousands of soldiers sent by President Felipe Calderon to Tijuana to crush the drug gangs and clean up police forces working with the cartels. Tijuana, long a transit point for narcotics heading to the United States, has seen a spike in murders this past year, with drug gangs even killing children. More than 2,500 people were killed in drug violence in Mexico last year and at least 320 people have died so far this year.

Jesus Rey David Alfaro, known as "The Little Rooster," tortured, murdered and pinned with threatening messages

Jesus Rey David Alfaro, known as "The Little Rooster," was one of six that turned up tortured, murdered and pinned with threatenin...

Panama police arrested a Bulgarian national carrying a large quantity of cocaine

Panama police arrested a Bulgarian national carrying a large quantity of cocaine on February 20, Focus news agency reported. The 29-year-old, whose last name was withheld, was carrying the drug in a secret compartment in his suitcase, and was arrested at Panama City's Tocumen international airport. He was traveling to Valencia, in Spain, which is believed to have been his final destination, Focus news agency said, quoting local news website Terra. Panama authorities have arrested several Bulgarians over recent months on drug-related charges as they continue their war on drugs. The Bulgarian was is part of a joint programme by the Panama national police and airport authorities to combat drug trafficking. In January, police in the Latin American country arrested another two Bulgarians, aged 36 and 39, who were though to be part of an organized crime group smuggling cocaine from Columbia to Western Europe via Panama. Another Bulgarian national, believed to be involved in smuggling drugs from Latin America into Europe in yachts, was shot in Panama in November.

Panama police arrested a Bulgarian national carrying a large quantity of cocaine

Panama police arrested a Bulgarian national carrying a large quantity of cocaine on February 20, Focus news agency reported. The 29-year-old...

Pedro Jose Benavides-Natera, goes on trial in Miami next month

Pedro Jose Benavides-Natera, goes on trial in Miami next month and more arrests may be forthcoming, thanks to a confidential informant who shed light on the drug-money-for-aircraft laundering scheme, the documents show. The documents were filed in U.S. District Court for the Southern District of Florida in October. In them, FBI agent Michael Hoenigman says the informant was "personally involved with a confederation of individuals" whose job was to scout out U.S. aircraft desired by Venezuela-based drug traffickers and help broker transactions to buy them to ferry cocaine shipments around the globe.Last year's arrest of Benavides was part of a more sweeping investigation of money laundering schemes aimed at uncovering the purchase of aircraft in the United States by South American traffickers, the court documents show.Steve Robertson, a spokesman at the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration in Washington, described the schemes as "very imaginative" since they involved the purchase of a tangible asset for multiple possible uses."In addition to the product, in this case an airplane that has a high resale value, it's something they can use to use for their smuggling," he said.

Pedro Jose Benavides-Natera, goes on trial in Miami next month

Pedro Jose Benavides-Natera, goes on trial in Miami next month and more arrests may be forthcoming, thanks to a confidential informant who s...

Joseph Pulliam has prior felony convictions for unlawful use of a weapon

Joseph Pulliam, According to the release, officers with the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives and the Missouri State Highw...

Garry Chupurdy 18 years jail. Chupurdy's girlfriend Qing Hong Xiang six years and Aaron Brown got four years

U.S. District Judge B. Avant Edenfield sentenced the ring leader, Garry Chupurdy to 18 years behind bars. Chupurdy's girlfriend Qing Hong Xiang is going away for six years and their accomplice Aaron Brown got four years. The three were using Chupurdy's boats to transport a large amount of marijuana from Jamaica to the United States. They would throw the drugs overboard off the Georgia coast, then use dive gear to retrieve it and sell it. Chupurdy, Xiang and Brown pleaded guilty last fall. Members of the Beaufort/Jasper Multi Agency Drug Task Force initiated a drug investigation into a subject living in the Thunderbolt Georgia area and frequenting the Beaufort County South Carolina area. This subject was identified as Garry Clifford Chupurdy, and it was learned that he was responsible for the importation of several thousands of pounds of marijuana being brought into the United States. A drug investigation was initiated by The Drug Task Force when they received information from confidential sources having knowledge of Chupurdy's involvement of importing large quantities of marijuana by boat (Cat's Meow) from Jamaica to the United States. Chupurdy had ties to the Beaufort County area and had lived on Hilton Head Island for several years. The investigation began in the middle of year 2006 and was concluded near the middle of 2007. Investigation revealed Chupurdy was involved in importing approximately 1500 pounds in 2006 and 2000 pounds of marijuana in 2007. Chupurdy would make yearly drops of smuggled marijuana in the Atlantic Ocean off the coast of South Carolina and Georgia and would ultimately retrieved the marijuana and package it for distribution. Case Officers conducted countless hours of surveillance in South Carolina, Georgia and North Carolina. Money and drug seizures were made in each one of these states.This case was primarily worked by agents assigned to the Beaufort/Jasper Multi Agency Drug Task Force, Immigration Customs Enforcement (Charleston) and the United States Coast Guard Investigative Division (Georgia). Near the conclusion of this investigation Immigration Customs Enforcement (Georgia), Georgia Bureau of Investigation, South Carolina Law Enforcement Division, Chatham-Savannah Counter Narcotics Team, Savannah Chatham Metropolitan Police Department Dive Team, Thunderbolt Police Department, The Bureau of Alcohol Tobacco Firearms, Customs Border Protection in Savannah Georgia, Jacksonville Air and Marine Operations Branch based in Jacksonville Florida and the U.S. Coast Guard all assisted with the investigation. The case was prosecuted in both the Districts of South Carolina and Georgia. In June of 2007 several search warrants were executed in the Charleston, Beaufort, Thunderbolt and Savannah area which resulted in the seizure of several boats, illegal narcotics, weapons, currency, property, art work, vehicles and other miscellaneous items.On February 19, 2008, Garry Chupurdy was sentenced in the United States District Court in Savannah, Georgia to 220 months in Federal Prison. Two other individuals (Qing Hong Xiang and Aaron Lee Browne) were also sentenced because of their involvement in the trafficking of marijuana. Xiang received 78 months and Browne received 52 months in Federal Prison.

Garry Chupurdy 18 years jail. Chupurdy's girlfriend Qing Hong Xiang six years and Aaron Brown got four years

U.S. District Judge B. Avant Edenfield sentenced the ring leader, Garry Chupurdy to 18 years behind bars. Chupurdy's girlfriend Qing Hon...

Alan Simms, Mark Duncan, Mark Hargreaves and Graham Haylock jailed for a combined total of 16 years.

Alan Simms, Mark Duncan, Mark Hargreaves and Graham Haylock jailed for a combined total of 16 years.Teesside Crown Court heard that the heroin dealing operation was run from the Bay View Hotel on Newcomen Terrace, Redcar.In January last year, shortly after being released from prison, Duncan got involved by allowing Haylock to use his phone to make deals. The pair later fell out and Duncan began running the operation himself, the court heard.Undercover cops used test purchasing methods to buy Class A drugs from Simms and Hargreaves.Officers then raided in September and arrested the four. A month later the hotel was the subject of a crack house closure order.Police estimated the dealers were making up to £3,000 a week, with up to 70 visitors a day, causing “misery” for people living nearby.The four pleaded guilty to the charge of conspiracy to supply Class A drugs. Haylock pleaded guilty to an additional five charges of supplying Class A drugs.Michael Bosomworth, defending Duncan, said: “He accepts being the leading light from the time Graham Haylock and he fell out.” <a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhkXbYtD0WcVY_Ep2gGGiaHQizN2FRtb9cQtlu-Cpwpxhz4jK4INfoBGgLDS7VLbkM6OtbmTg-aZ7osHdaY8Ip1YT9PM5Fw79Adv8UXrupzv-kTJ7JDME-lGNWe6DufI8I0G6V71NQwLI0/s1600-h/30FAB80E-FE4E-FEB9-54D3454668C71245.jpg"><img alt="" border="0" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5169117401935288178" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhkXbYtD0WcVY_Ep2gGGiaHQizN2FRtb9cQtlu-Cpwpxhz4jK4INfoBGgLDS7VLbkM6OtbmTg-aZ7osHdaY8Ip1YT9PM5Fw79Adv8UXrupzv-kTJ7JDME-lGNWe6DufI8I0G6V71NQwLI0/s320/30FAB80E-FE4E-FEB9-54D3454668C71245.jpg" style="float:left; margin:0 10px 10px 0;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;" /></a> Richard Hermann, defending Simms, said: “He has a genuine remorse. He has a real understanding of the effect drug dealing has on the wider community.”Judge Tony Briggs jailed Duncan, 38, of Denham Green, Pallister Park, Middlesbrough, for six years. Haylock, 29, of Newcomen Terrace, Redcar, was jailed for five years. Hargreaves, 33, and Simms, 39, both also of Newcomen Terrace, were jailed for two and a half years.The judge said: “This was a serious conspiracy to supply Class A drugs.“It does not need me to tell you what misery Class A drugs cause. All you have to do is look at your respective life histories to see proof of it.”

Alan Simms, Mark Duncan, Mark Hargreaves and Graham Haylock jailed for a combined total of 16 years.

Alan Simms, Mark Duncan, Mark Hargreaves and Graham Haylock jailed for a combined total of 16 years.Teesside Crown Court heard that the hero...

Andrew Sinharoy,Stephen Richardson deny robbery and attempted robbery

Mr Richardson, 23, of Edward Street, Stockton, and Mr Sinharoy, 28, of Wicklow Street, Middlesbrough, deny robbery and attempted robbery. The trial continues.Stewart Brockie is said to have arranged to meet a dealer in the hope his former girlfriend would turn up after he heard she was selling heroin on the streets. A jury at Teesside Crown Court was told how the North Yorkshire man had lost touch with his ex-lover, from Middlesbrough, but had been given a mobile phone number for the dealer she was working for and called to arrange a deal, in Middlesbrough, on October 27 last year. But the woman never turned up and, instead, Mr Brockie was said to have been met by Andrew Sinharoy, after travelling from his home in Catterick.Richard Bennett, prosecuting, said Mr Sinharoy became aggressive after being told by Mr Brockie - who did not use drugs - that he did not want any crack cocaine. Mr Sinharoy is alleged to have told Mr Brockie that he had paid £120 for the drugs and that he was going to have to give him some money. The court was told that Mr Sinharoy called a friend, Stephen Richardson, and the pair robbed Mr Brockie.Mr Bennett said the pair stole Mr Brockie's wallet and mobile phone, before threatening him with a knife and ordering him to drive to a cash-point to get some money.The jury was told that the men went to Sainsbury's, in Middlesbrough. Mr Bennett said the victim took an opportunity to flee inside the store and seek help from staff, while Mr Sinharoy and Mr Richardson ran away. The pair were later arrested, but claimed they rescued Mr Brockie from an attack by drug-dealers and paid off his debt, then went to the cash-point to retrieve their money.

Andrew Sinharoy,Stephen Richardson deny robbery and attempted robbery

Mr Richardson, 23, of Edward Street, Stockton, and Mr Sinharoy, 28, of Wicklow Street, Middlesbrough, deny robbery and attempted robbery. Th...

Search of the vehicle revealed 194 pounds of Marijuana

A DPS Officer stopped a rental car westbound on I-10, near Picacho Peak north of Tucson, February 14, for an equipment violation. <a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiB9JTw_4aOpcThqKOYqRxo3dO591iNeSGfPppmvtA05FG241wkh-W6eerC2fQqB7So2FsuATsuKQOqW4FHW_g3u7i-4kKYnVnxlUaJCC0bYop2ADkVzY1TzI5Oa_4Y-IU8XU4un3J1v0Y/s1600-h/car2.jpg"><img alt="" border="0" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5169109924397225810" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiB9JTw_4aOpcThqKOYqRxo3dO591iNeSGfPppmvtA05FG241wkh-W6eerC2fQqB7So2FsuATsuKQOqW4FHW_g3u7i-4kKYnVnxlUaJCC0bYop2ADkVzY1TzI5Oa_4Y-IU8XU4un3J1v0Y/s320/car2.jpg" style="float:left; margin:0 10px 10px 0;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;" /></a> In searching the vehicle, officers found a burlap bundle of marijuana on the rear floorboard, according to the report. Three more bundles of Marijuana were also found in the trunk for a total to 175 pounds. The driver was arrested and the vehicle seized.According to the report, the next morning, a DPS Officer stopped a vehicle northbound on Interstate 19 between Tucson and Nogales where a search of the vehicle revealed 194 pounds of Marijuana. The driver was arrested for possession of marijuana, possession of marijuana for sale and transportation of marijuana for sale.Director Vanderpool calls this “Another excellent example of the due diligence performed everyday on the highways of this state by DPS Officers.”

Search of the vehicle revealed 194 pounds of Marijuana

A DPS Officer stopped a rental car westbound on I-10, near Picacho Peak north of Tucson, February 14, for an equipment violation. In search...

Schoeman Gerhardus at Islamabad International Airport recovered five kilograms of heroin hidden in secret cavities of his baggage.t

The Anti-Narcotics Force (ANF) has arrested a national of South Africa after recovery of a huge quantity of heroin from his possession, a spokesman of the ANF said here on Tuesday.Brigadier Muhammad Asif Alvi, force commander at the ANF Regional Directorate, Rawalpindi, received a tip-off that an international drug mafia group would attempt to smuggle heroin from Islamabad to Johannesburg, the spokesman said.Acting on the tip-off, the regional director asked the concerned authorities to make a plan to foil the attempt, he said. Accordingly, different teams were constituted to counter the attempt. A team of ANF, consequently, intercepted a passenger Schoeman Gerhardus, a South African national, at Islamabad International Airport, proceeding to South Africa bya flight EY-232 bound for Johannesburg, and recovered five kilograms of heroin hidden in secret cavities of his baggage. During questioning, the suspect told the investigators that before indulging in the drug smuggling, he was working as a safari guide in a town, Senekal. He said that in 2005, following instructions of the mafia chief, he travelled to Cracus, Venezuela, to fetch cocaine. He said that he stayed there for eight months and remained involved in money-laundering but could not fetch cocaine. On June 21, 2008, he arrived in Lahore on a trip to smuggle heroin to meet the demand of drug mafia and reached Islamabad the next day. He said that he stayed with his friends in Islamabad and arranged heroin for smuggling. He said that after getting heroin, two Pakistani drug dealers, working for the international drug mafia, picked him up from his residence and dropped him at Islamabad International Airport where he was caught.

Schoeman Gerhardus at Islamabad International Airport recovered five kilograms of heroin hidden in secret cavities of his baggage.t

The Anti-Narcotics Force (ANF) has arrested a national of South Africa after recovery of a huge quantity of heroin from his possession, a sp...

Serving Metropolitan Police officer was arrested in May last year on suspicion of corruption and being involved in the supply of illegal substances.

Six men have been charged with drugs offences as part of an anti-corruption investigation.A 44-year-old serving Metropolitan Police officer ...

John James Boyd appeal dismissed

John James Boyd, 32, was jailed after pleading guilty to helping import $80,000 worth of ecstasy from British Columbia in Canada, in 2005.The 2024 ecstasy tablets were mailed to an address at Mermaid Beach, on the Gold Coast, but the parcel was intercepted by authorities who found cheap toys and the ecstasy tablets, wrapped in a smaller package using birthday gift paper.Federal Police used plain tablets to replace the ecstasy before the box was repackaged and sent to Mermaid Beach on November 2, 2005.The court was told a federal officer delivered the package and police waited outside the home while a co-accused accepted the parcel.Within 15 minutes Boyd emerged from the house with the parcel and was arrested by police. Boyd had sent a total of $16,080 to Canadian bank accounts in October 2005. He said he was a heavy steroids user and became involved in the importing of a package because he owed his steroids supplier money.Boyd, who said he believed the package contained steroids, appealed on the grounds the sentence was manifestly excessive.He argued the crown had exaggerated his role in the importation, he had been an unwitting party to importing ecstasy and there had been threats made against him.In an unanimous written judgment, which became available today, the Court of Appeal dismissed the appeal.The Court of Appeal's President Margaret McMurdo said Boyd was in the Australian army before spending six years in the NSW police force where he worked in indigenous communities, did charity work and received a bravery award.Justice McMurdo noted since he had left the police Boyd had continued his charity work in detention centres and was working as youth counsellor at the time of his arrest."He is a mature man. His prior community work makes his involvment in this offence all the more puzzling," she said. Justice McMurdo said, however, there was no support for the proposition the sentence was manifestly excessive and the appeal should be dismissed.

John James Boyd appeal dismissed

John James Boyd, 32, was jailed after pleading guilty to helping import $80,000 worth of ecstasy from British Columbia in Canada, in 2005.Th...

Operation Medicine Boyz arrests Raheem Williams,Hassan Bellamy, Tuqran Clemons,Jihad Waiters,Shantaya McTerrell

The Essex/Federal Gang Suppression Partnership made the new arrests in recent days in East Orange and Newark, but it still has not tracked down the ring's alleged leader, Maurice Gaskins, 26, of East Orange, authorities said. Picked up in a series of raids last week were Tuqran Clemons, 34, of East Orange, Shantaya McTerrell, 24, of Newark, Jihad Waiters, 28, of East Orange, Hassan Bellamy, 25, of East Orange and Raheem Williams, 24, of Newark. In making the arrests, investigators seized some 300 Percocet pills and 25 Oxycontin pills along with $211 in cash, said Detective Dante Pasquale of the Essex County Prosecutor's Office. Operation Medicine Boyz, a 12-month undercover operation, closed down a conspiracy in which "runners" were dispatched to the area of Broad Street and Branford Place to purchase prescription drugs -- Oxycontin, Percocet and Tussionex -- from Medicaid recipients in exchange for cash or heroin, Pasquale said. The ring would then sell the pills to recreational drug users at a high markup, as much as $45 a pill, authorities said. The tablets cost $18 to $22 in the pharmacy. The first round of Operation Medicine Boyz yielded the arrests of George Coleman, 38, of East Orange, Jason Evans, 32 of Newark, Barry Williams, 52, of Newark, Mahajir Salaam, 23, of Newark and Lonnie Miller, 38, of Newark. Investigators still are hunting for Gaskins and Kassan Bellamy, 25, of East Orange, who is Hassan's brother.

Operation Medicine Boyz arrests Raheem Williams,Hassan Bellamy, Tuqran Clemons,Jihad Waiters,Shantaya McTerrell

The Essex/Federal Gang Suppression Partnership made the new arrests in recent days in East Orange and Newark, but it still has not tracked d...

Leslie Adgar,Jon Patton, Andre Mays,TSA employees conspired to distribute narcotics through Hartsfield-Jackson Airport

Leslie Adgar, 42, of Decatur, Ga., Andre Mays, 24, of Atlanta, and Jon Patton, 44, of Lawrenceville, Ga., were indicted by a federal grand jury after a sting operation set up by the federal government. The indictment charges Patton and Adgar with conspiring to distribute narcotics and attempting to distribute cocaine and heroin on three dates drugs were smuggled through Hartsfield-Jackson to New York. Mays is charged with the drug conspiracy and attempting to distribute cocaine on Dec. 19, 2007. The charges carry a maximum sentence of life in prison and a fine of up to $4 million. U.S. Attorney David Nahmias said Leslie Adgar, 42, of Decatur, Jon Patton, 44, of Lawrenceville and Andre Mays, 24, of Atlanta, were indicted by a federal grand jury on charges relating to a drug-smuggling operation at the airport. “These individuals allegedly abused their positions at Hartsfield-Jackson Airport to smuggle drugs past security and onto Delta flights,” Nahmias said. “This indictment should serve as a cautionary tale for others who would betray the trust that the public places in the frontline workers at our nation’s airports: such illegal conduct will be discovered and the offenders swiftly brought to justice. We appreciate the good work of our law enforcement partners and the cooperation of Delta Air Lines in this investigation.” According to the indictment and information presented in court, Patton and Mays are TSA employees working at Hartsfield-Jackson. Adgar is a Delta Air Lines Inc. (NYSE: DAL) employee, also assigned to Hartsfield-Jackson. In December 2007, a confidential source working for the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) brokered a deal with TSA employee Patton to send two kilograms of cocaine through Hartsfield-Jackson to New York. Patton set transportation fees of $5,000 for the first kilogram of cocaine and $3,000 for every kilogram after. Patton allegedly provided the source with a piece of luggage that was later used to carry the two kilograms of cocaine past security and onto the Delta flight. On Dec. 19, 2007, at the direction of the DEA, the source met with Patton and a second TSA employee, Mays, at Hartsfield-Jackson and handed them a carry-on bag packed with two kilograms of fake cocaine and $4,000. Both Patton and Mays were in TSA uniform and on duty at Hartsfield-Jackson when they took the luggage. The $4,000 was one-half of the total $8,000 transportation fee; the plan was for the source to hand the second $4,000 to Adgar in New York when the sham drugs were delivered. After taking the source's bag, Patton and Mays went into a bathroom in Hartsfield-Jackson's North Terminal. About two minutes later, Patton was seen inside the bathroom standing outside of a closed bathroom stall talking to Mays in the stall. Patton no longer had the bag. Mays was not visible, but the bag was on the floor inside the stall outside of which Patton was standing. Patton and Mays then exited the bathroom together. Patton once again was carrying the bag. Mays, who had entered the bathroom with his coat open, now had his coat closed. Mays was next spotted on the other side of the security check point. Patton allegedly walked around the magnetometers, sending the bag through the x-ray machine. Patton and the bag were not challenged by TSA screeners. Patton retrieved the bag and eventually met with Adgar in the T concourse, giving her the bag. Adgar immediately boarded a Delta flight to New York's LaGuardia Airport. After arriving at LaGuardia, Adgar met with the source, who paid Adgar the remaining $4,000 of the smuggling fee. Adgar allegedly gave the source his bag with the two kilograms of fake cocaine. Adgar later boarded another Delta flight and came back to Atlanta. In late January, the source and Patton negotiated a second smuggling transaction. On Jan. 23, the source traveled to Hartsfield-Jackson and gave Patton with the same carry-on bag that was used in the December deal. This time, however, the bag was packed with one kilogram of fake heroin and $4,500. Patton was in uniform and on duty when he took the luggage. After taking the bag, Patton allegedly passed the heroin through the security checkpoint without notice. He then went near Gate T-8 and gave Adgar the bag. Adgar then boarded a Delta flight bound for LaGuardia Airport. After arriving in New York, Adgar deplaned and returned the bag with the sham heroin in it to the source. In exchange, the source handed Adgar the remaining $4,500. Adgar later boarded a Delta flight from New York to Orlando. A third and final transaction happened Feb. 15. The source and Patton negotiated a three-kilogram cocaine deal, again from Atlanta to New York. The source arrived at Hartsfield-Jackson and gave Patton with the same carry-on bag that had been used in the previous two deals. The bag was packed with three kilograms of fake cocaine and cash. Patton was again in TSA uniform and on duty at Hartsfield-Jackson when he took the luggage. Patton allegedly passed the fake cocaine through security without incident. Inside the airport, Patton provided Adgar with the bag. Adgar was arrested by DEA agents while attempting to board a Delta flight to LaGuardia Airport. Patton and Mays were arrested shortly thereafter. "These individuals allegedly abused their positions at Hartsfield-Jackson Airport to smuggle drugs past security and onto Delta flights," said U.S. Attorney David E. Nahmias. "This indictment should serve as a cautionary tale for others who would betray the trust that the public places in the frontline workers at our nation's airports: such illegal conduct will be discovered and the offenders swiftly brought to justice."

Leslie Adgar,Jon Patton, Andre Mays,TSA employees conspired to distribute narcotics through Hartsfield-Jackson Airport

Leslie Adgar, 42, of Decatur, Ga., Andre Mays, 24, of Atlanta, and Jon Patton, 44, of Lawrenceville, Ga., were indicted by a federal grand j...