Crime Correspondent: Washington

Miguel Angel Mejia reputed cocaine kingpin extradited

<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj1luhOVgaiklhaZ5TFL1qdGB2A7aPW3c3ttJHZ8rxCW5QYLXR5sLWjpSSY3XSKJF_NAvKdXoFyoyP9lPUn9dpMGXJWndQBt_L4HzsS83ulLD7cRjmpDm8m0H5_KfNAo-S6R8Rfvrec6ss/s1600-h/miguel23a.jpg"><img alt="" border="0" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5309402896934058290" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj1luhOVgaiklhaZ5TFL1qdGB2A7aPW3c3ttJHZ8rxCW5QYLXR5sLWjpSSY3XSKJF_NAvKdXoFyoyP9lPUn9dpMGXJWndQBt_L4HzsS83ulLD7cRjmpDm8m0H5_KfNAo-S6R8Rfvrec6ss/s400/miguel23a.jpg" style="float:left; margin:0 10px 10px 0;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 308px; height: 202px;" /></a> Colombia extradited reputed cocaine kingpin Miguel Angel Mejia on Wednesday, making him the 16th paramilitary warlord dispatched to the United States on drug trafficking charges in less than a year.The 49-year-old Mejia was an anomaly among far-right militia bosses. After initially demobilizing in a peace pact with the government, he returned to being a fugitive and authorities say he ran a major drug gang.His extradition Wednesday aboard a DEA Super King turboprop plane was confirmed by Col. German Jaimes, deputy director of Colombia's judicial police, who said Mejia was bound for Washington, D.C. News media were not invited to witness the departure. Police killed Mejia's twin brother and alleged crime partner Victor in an April 2008 raid. Mejia himself was captured the next month in a false compartment in a truck cab. The United States had offered $5 million rewards for the capture of either Mejia, who were known as the twins, "Los Mellizos" in SpanishMiguel Angel was first indicted in the United States in 2000 and is to be tried in District of Columbia federal court.He and brother began trafficking in the 1990s and shipped 4 to 10 metric tons of cocaine to the United States and Europe monthly, according to Col. Cesar Pinzon, chief of Colombia's judicial police.Mejia's lawyer, Angelica Maria Martinez, told The Associated Press on Wednesday that her client faced no charges in Colombia but nevertheless confessed to leading a far-right militia that she said was responsible for the massacre of 10 people in 2004 in a town called Flor Amarillo. Prosecutors say they are investigating Mejia's involvement in many more killings. Martinez said Mejia was hoping that in exchange for confessing to his crimes and handing over ill-gotten gains he might negotiate a reduced sentence in the United States.U.S. prosecutors have shown themselves ill-disposed to such deals, however, seeking prison terms of well over 20 years for other Colombian paramilitary warlords extradited there on drug trafficking charges.Since taking office in 2002, President Alvaro Uribe has extradited more than 800 criminal suspects to the United States to stand trial, the vast majority on drug trafficking charges.

Miguel Angel Mejia reputed cocaine kingpin extradited

Colombia extradited reputed cocaine kingpin Miguel Angel Mejia on Wednesday, making him the 16th paramilitary warlord dispatched to the Unit...

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

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

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

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

Ramiro Vanoy Murillo, 60, and Francisco Javier Zuluaga Lindo, 38, are among 14 paramilitary members extradited to the U.S.

Ramiro Vanoy Murillo, 60, and Francisco Javier Zuluaga Lindo, 38, are among 14 paramilitary members extradited to the U.S. in May for their alleged roles in a massive cocaine smuggling operation in the late 1990s. The two entered their pleas before U.S. District Judge K. Michael Moore in downtown Miami.Under a plea agreement, Vanoy Murillo faces up to 19 years and Zuluaga Lindo more than 17 years behind bars. Prosecutors said they would drop additional charges against the two at sentencing. Each could also face up to $4 million in fines.The Bush administration agreed it would not seek life sentences as a precondition of their extradition. But on Tuesday, Moore reminded the defendants that he was not bound by the plea agreement in deciding sentencing. A lean, bespectacled Vanoy Murillo, sporting a shaved head, and a husky Zuluaga Lindo attended the hearings quietly. Both wore standard beige jumpsuits, their feet in shackles and spoke only in response to the judge's questions. At one point, asked his level of education, Vanoy Murillo responded: "I did not attend school. I am learning to read now in prison."The two are accused of conspiring to import thousands of kilograms of cocaine into the U.S. through Mexico. According to the defendants' attorney Dennis Urbano, Zuluaga Lindo offered to provide a boat for transport. Vanoy Murillo offered to sell some of the cocaine. Colombian President Alvaro Uribe said he decided to extradite the men because they were still committing crimes from Colombian prisons and had failed to pay restitution to victims. The rest of the 14 were extradited to Tampa, Washington, Houston and New York. So far, Diego Murillo, 47, is the only other member of the extradited group to have pleaded guilty. He entered his plea in June to drug trafficking charges in Manhattan federal court and faces a sentence of up to 33 years in prison. He is scheduled to be sentenced Dec. 18. Human rights organizations claimed Diego Murillo was behind hundreds of murders in Colombia as part of the right-wing United Self-Defense Forces of Colombia, known by the Spanish acronym AUC.Thousands of Colombians have lodged formal complaints of "atrocious crimes" against the paramilitaries _ including murder, rape and kidnapping. Hundreds of mass graves are thought to remain hidden in Colombia.

Ramiro Vanoy Murillo, 60, and Francisco Javier Zuluaga Lindo, 38, are among 14 paramilitary members extradited to the U.S.

Ramiro Vanoy Murillo, 60, and Francisco Javier Zuluaga Lindo, 38, are among 14 paramilitary members extradited to the U.S. in May for their ...

Dale I. McCoy

Dale I. McCoy was found guilty of a charge of third-degree criminal possession of a controlled substance, a felony, and the non-criminal violation of unlawful possession of marijuana, after a two-day trial. McCoy was arrested by Hudson Falls Police after authorities received a report from the Cumberland Farms on Main Street the night of July 21 that a man appeared to be selling drugs in the store parking lot. Police who responded found McCoy, 28, in possession of four packets of heroin and several small bags of marijuana, officials said. McCoy told police he had not been selling drugs, however. The charge of which the jury convicted him alleged McCoy had heroin with the intent to sell. McCoy had refused a plea deal that would send him to state prison for up to three years. In light of the conviction, he could now face up to 12 years in prison. Washington County Judge Kelly McKeighan, who presided over the trial, scheduled sentencing for Feb. 22. McCoy was sent to Washington County Jail without bail pending that sentencing. The case is being prosecuted by Washington County First Assistant District Attorney Katherine Henley, and McCoy is being represented by Washington County Public Defender Patrick Barber.

Dale I. McCoy

Dale I. McCoy was found guilty of a charge of third-degree criminal possession of a controlled substance, a felony, and the non-criminal vio...

Jack Toal, Gregory Korniloff , Louis Diaz

Jack Toal, Gregory Korniloff and Louis Diaz filed the class-action suit on behalf of themselves and 400 other agents who worked in the city between 1973 and 1985. They asked for at least $50 million in punitive damages. "Most of the movie is not true," said Toal, who identified himself as one of the agents who worked with Lucas after he became an informant. "If they had said, 'this is based on a false story,' it would have been a lot better." Korniloff said in the suit that he was a lead agent assigned to the case and was present when agents and police officers raided Lucas' home in Teaneck, N.J. in 1975 — a scene depicted in American Gangster. In the film, which was released in November, corrupt narcotics agents shoot the drug dealer's dog, assault his wife and brazenly steal currency stashed in the house while making the arrest. The suit said that in real life, the search was carried out legally; nearly $585,000 in currency was seized in accordance with a valid search warrant.

Jack Toal, Gregory Korniloff , Louis Diaz

Jack Toal, Gregory Korniloff and Louis Diaz filed the class-action suit on behalf of themselves and 400 other agents who worked in the city ...

Tonya Bell

Bell, 50, of Oxon Hill, Md., pleaded guilty in October to multiple counts of aggravated assault while armed and assault with a dangerous weapon, along with a charge of cruelty to children. District of Columbia Superior Court Judge Herbert Dixon gave Bell the maximum sentence allowed under the plea agreement she reached with prosecutors.She injured nearly 50 people when she plowed her car through a street festival while high on crack cocaine was sentenced to 25 years in prison Tuesday. According to prosecutors, Bell had gone on a crack binge in the 24 hours before the street festival, consuming $700 worth of the drug. She then placed her 7-year-old daughter in the back seat of her station wagon and headed toward Unifest, a church-sponsored street festival in southeast Washington. At speeds of up to 70 mph, Bell made two passes through the area, knocking people to the side and under the car. A police officer who tried to pull her over said she was laughing as she drove. Her station wagon was finally stopped when officers crashed their scooters under the vehicle and a man jumped through the window to put the transmission in park.

Tonya Bell

Bell, 50, of Oxon Hill, Md., pleaded guilty in October to multiple counts of aggravated assault while armed and assault with a dangerous wea...

Cynthia McCarty

Cynthia McCarty, 41, of Washington, was arrested November 27 by Washington Police and charged with driving under the influence; driving on a...

Philip Lee Morgan

Philip Lee Morgan, 39, of Washington, was arrested by Washington Police and charged with driving under the influence and with a traffic viol...

Jack Edward Kirk

Jack Edward Kirk, 31, of Rayle, was arrested December 20 by Washington Police and charged with driving under the influence of alcohol; and w...

J.W. Carter Jr

J.W. Carter Jr., 48, of Washington, was arrested December 11 by Washington Police and charged with driving under the influence of alcohol; p...

James Dylan Kirk

James Dylan Kirk, 22, of Washington, was arrested December 20 by Washington Police and charged with driving under the influence of alcohol; ...

Kelvin Wright

Kelvin Wright, 22, of Washington, was arrested December 22 by Georgia State Patrol trooper and charged with possession, manufacture, distrib...

Shaka Brantley

Shaka Brantley, 28, of Washington, was arrested December 7 by Wilkes County deputies and charged with possession, manufacture, or distributi...

Sergio D. Ware

Sergio D. Ware, 23, of Washington, was arrested December 7 by Washington Police and charged with possession, manufacture, or distribution, e...

Ronnie Miller

Ronnie Miller, 39, of Washington, was arrested December 2 by Washington Police and charged with felony sale, distribution, possession, etc. ...