Crime Correspondent

Cameron County Constable Precinct 1 Saul Ochoa arrested on charges stemming from possession and distribution of marijuana

Cameron County Constable Precinct 1 Saul Ochoa was arrested Wednesday morning by the FBI on charges stemming from possession and distribution of marijuana, according to federal court documents.FBI spokesman Jorge Cisneros confirmed that Ochoa had been arrested and referred all questions to the U.S. Attorney's Office Southern District of Texas, who could not be immediately reached for comment.An indictment filed Tuesday in the U.S. District Court Southern District of Texas charges Ochoa with four counts of possession with intent to distribute marijuana in incidents over the past three weeks.Each count carries a maximum punishment of five years imprisonment and a $250,000 fine upon conviction.       Ochoa's arrest is the result of the joint investigative efforts of the DEA, FBI and the Port Isabel Police Department. The case will be prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Jody Young.Cisneros would not say where Ochoa was arrested or where he was being detained.His brother is Justice of the Peace Benny Ochoa III of Port Isabel and his cousin is Port Isabel Police Chief Joel Ochoa.Ochoa, who did not face a challenger in the March Democratic primaries, garnered 2,206 votes.

Cameron County Constable Precinct 1 Saul Ochoa arrested on charges stemming from possession and distribution of marijuana

Cameron County Constable Precinct 1 Saul Ochoa was arrested Wednesday morning by the FBI on charges stemming from possession and distributio...

Kenneth Bauer plead guilty to illegal manufacturing of drugs, theft of anhydrous ammonia and breaking and entering

Kenneth Bauer, 61, was scheduled to go to trial today but as part of a plea agreement with the prosecution, he decided to plead guilty to illegal manufacturing of drugs, theft of anhydrous ammonia and breaking and entering. The maximum sentence Bauer could have received if he was found guilty at trial was 11 years in prison, according to Judge Steven Beathard.On Feb. 23, the Fayette County Sheriff’s Office received information about people trespassing at Crop Production Services, 4111 McKillip Road, and deputies located a suspicious vehicle in the area, according to reports. The driver of the vehicle was Bauer, who was reportedly driving under suspension.Bauer was arrested and transported to the sheriff’s office.Deputies checked the business and found evidence of the theft of anhydrous ammonia and also found two sets of footprints in the snow leading away from the rear of the business around the location of the anhydrous ammonia.Deputies followed the tracks and after a lengthy search, a man identified as Thomas D. Woods, 27, of Williamsburg, was located near Hidy Road, according to reports. The search continued with the second set of tracks and a third suspect, identified as Clifford Lee, was located hiding inside of a shed on a local farm.Both Woods and Lee were taken into custody and taken to the sheriff’s office. During interviews with the men, they reportedly admitted their intentions and involvement in the theft of the anhydrous ammonia. Lee and Woods both pleaded guilty to the same charges; Lee was sentenced to four years in prison and Woods was sentenced to three years in prison, both agreed sentences. Bauer has a previous illegal manufacturing of drugs conviction in another county. Judge Beathard also suspended Bauer’s driver’s license for six months.

Kenneth Bauer plead guilty to illegal manufacturing of drugs, theft of anhydrous ammonia and breaking and entering

Kenneth Bauer, 61, was scheduled to go to trial today but as part of a plea agreement with the prosecution, he decided to plead guilty to il...

Alice English 16 years as a prison guard conviction for smuggling drugs and other contraband into Bordeaux jail

Alice English provided "a complete confession," the judge concluded: "It was clear and deliberate, fluid and unrehearsed. It was replete with factual details that were provided spontaneously and without suggestion or prodding.She appears destined to get a lengthy taste of life on the wrong side of the bars.She was hustled into custody and off to Maison Tanguay, the women's prison in Ahuntsic, yesterday, where the Verdun resident will await sentencing following her conviction for smuggling drugs and other contraband into Bordeaux jail in 2005.Her payoff, thus far, for carrying out the smuggling includes $1,000 cash and dismissal from the Quebec prison service. At a morning hearing yesterday, Quebec Court Judge Patrick Healy found English guilty on five counts - four of trafficking in drugs plus one of conspiracy to traffic.She faces potential jail time of 10 to 14 years.English, 55, is a mother of four and a grandmother of 12. Her defence lawyer, Tom Pentefountas, said she has health problems. English has spent relatively little time in a cell; she was freed on $1,000 bail 10 days after she was arrested.The judge will hear pre-sentencing arguments June 5."These are very serious charges, and we now have convictions," the judge said before he ordered English taken back into custody.Evidence showed that while on sick leave, about 5 a.m. on July 7, 2005, English carried coffee cans into Bordeaux containing 110 rocks of crack cocaine, weighing 38.5 grams, 2.8 kilograms of marijuana, 1.1 kilos of hashish, one gram of cocaine, pornographic magazines and five cellphones with batteries.She placed the contraband in a garbage bin, where it was discovered about 6:30 a.m.Sgt. Patrice Lefebvre of the Sûreté du Québec pegged the value of the drugs, once in prisoners' hands, at $257,500. Under questioning by prosecutor Mario Dufresne, Lefebvre told Healy that drugs are worth "four or five times more" inside the prison than on the street.Healy dismissed as "self-contradictory" court testimony English gave in February. He accepted without argument an earlier confession by English videotaped by investigators during which, he noted, the accused appeared relaxed and even joked.

Alice English 16 years as a prison guard conviction for smuggling drugs and other contraband into Bordeaux jail

Alice English provided "a complete confession," the judge concluded: "It was clear and deliberate, fluid and unrehearsed. It ...

Gregory Abbott veteran history teacher was arrested at Sunny Hills High School on suspicion of drugs and weapons violations

Gregory Abbott, 31, of Placentia has taught history at the school for seven years, police said in a statement. He was arrested Tuesday on suspicion of possessing a weapon on a school campus and possessing narcotics for sale. Police said they made the arrest after receiving an anonymous phone tip that he was selling drugs.The caller contacted police at about 10 a.m. Tuesday to report that he had purchased drugs from a teacher at the high school named Abbott who kept a gun in his car,police said.A school police officer then contacted administrators at the high school, reached Abbott in his classroom and got permission to search his car. Inside, they found the shotgun, some prescription drugs and marijuana packaged for sale, police said.Abbott was then arrested without incident.He was being held this morning at Fullerton City Jail on $25,000 bail, police said.<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiP9U2FT9jFP785I8kiBlTAl3h5mo29G9BhtW7IkO2B_y4fPFzKFmUHX_elegn8FERmgf4LmLdf6HJNF2e-57_ib-fvb4Fjb7Ahlhw02tjkhvjYb5u5eDqDUIWXRspvDGs-MIV1F-cOyho/s1600-h/AbbottMED.jpg"><img alt="" border="0" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5205569549673109058" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiP9U2FT9jFP785I8kiBlTAl3h5mo29G9BhtW7IkO2B_y4fPFzKFmUHX_elegn8FERmgf4LmLdf6HJNF2e-57_ib-fvb4Fjb7Ahlhw02tjkhvjYb5u5eDqDUIWXRspvDGs-MIV1F-cOyho/s400/AbbottMED.jpg" style="float:left; margin:0 10px 10px 0;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;" /></a> Gregory Abbott, 31, of Placentia, was booked at the Fullerton city jail on suspicion of possession of a weapon on a school campus and possession of narcotics for sale. He posted bail of $25,000 and was released.veteran history teacher was arrested at Sunny Hills High School on suspicion of drugs and weapons violations Tuesday after police found an unloaded shotgun and a significant amount of marijuana in his vehicle in a school parking lot. The arrest came after an anonymous tip from a 911 caller who claimed to have bought drugs from the teacher. Abbott has taught history at Sunny Hills for the past seven years, according to authorities. Abbott also previously coached cross country, and track and field at the school before being removed from the coaching staff by school officials. An anonymous call to 911 just before 10 a.m. Tuesday touched off the investigation into drugs and guns. The caller said "he had purchased drugs from a person he believed to be a teacher at Sunny Hills," said Fullerton police Sgt. Mike MacDonald. "The caller also said the person, who he identified as Abbott, had a weapon in his vehicle."Confronted in his classroom by the police high school resource officer, Abbott consented to have his vehicle searched, MacDonald said. Along with the shotgun, the officer found marijuana and prescription drugs packaged and ready to be sold, MacDonald said.Tuesday's arrest isn't the first time Abbott has found himself in the middle of a controversy at Sunny Hills. The school's boys and girls cross country teams lost their chance at Southern Section cross country championships last year after they were excluded from postseason activity because of an illegal practice held on the Mount San Antonio College course. Abbott was the head coach. Mount SAC, the host site of the cross country preliminaries and the finals, had already been closed to practices when the teams practiced there anyway. When school officials found out, they reported the situation to the Southern Section office.Several parents accused Abbott of orchestrating the unauthorized practice, even instructing runners to dress incognito so that they would not be recognized as Sunny Hills athletes. School officials denied those charges. Abbott was later removed from his position as the head coach, but continued to teach history at Sunny Hills.

Gregory Abbott veteran history teacher was arrested at Sunny Hills High School on suspicion of drugs and weapons violations

Gregory Abbott, 31, of Placentia has taught history at the school for seven years, police said in a statement. He was arrested Tuesday on su...

Angel Rivera charged with driving while under the influence, possession of heroin, possession with intent to sell, possession of drug paraphernalia

<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgC5XEi65D9GCMcYavNjnJsBkezCUtjgQK2uPkx-ams4bAKpMif0BGBDctksRm1b-cuyxmLewr07uv0_eEMNWpRBBonyS33OofSDWRZZFxr_Eqh0Aji9kTJQoEu0Vc1c2AvkXmRFm5E1hM/s1600-h/39161911-23064619.jpg"><img alt="" border="0" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5204463818932688386" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgC5XEi65D9GCMcYavNjnJsBkezCUtjgQK2uPkx-ams4bAKpMif0BGBDctksRm1b-cuyxmLewr07uv0_eEMNWpRBBonyS33OofSDWRZZFxr_Eqh0Aji9kTJQoEu0Vc1c2AvkXmRFm5E1hM/s400/39161911-23064619.jpg" style="float:left; margin:0 10px 10px 0;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;" /></a> A man who police said passed out behind the wheel at a local intersection last night was arrested on drug charges after 290 bags of heroin were found in the car.Police received a call about 11:30 p.m. about a driver who appeared to be passed out at the intersection of Tolland Turnpike and Adams Street. Officers found Angel Rivera, 59, of Sunrise Avenue in New Britain in the driver's seat, his head against the steering wheel and the car in drive.They woke him up and got the car to a safe location, where he failed a field sobriety test, police said. Officers found 290 bags of heroin in his glove box, they said; they also found $772.Rivera was charged with driving while under the influence, possession of heroin, possession with intent to sell, possession of drug paraphernalia and other charges, he said. Rivera was in custody on $100,000 bail this morning and was scheduled to be arraigned in Superior Court in Manchester this afternoon.

Angel Rivera charged with driving while under the influence, possession of heroin, possession with intent to sell, possession of drug paraphernalia

A man who police said passed out behind the wheel at a local intersection last night was arrested on drug charges after 290 bags of heroin w...

Amy Gilbert was arrested at Gatwick Airport

Amy Gilbert, of Bellgreen Lane, was arrested at Gatwick Airport on Sunday (May 15). UK Border Agency (UKBA) officers stopped her after she a...

Martin Stephen Patience

Martin Stephen Patience, of Oldstead, Crown Woood, admitted trying to smuggle 7.35kgs of cocaine when he was stopped by customs officers at ...

Elisa Vazquez Sanchez sentenced to 9 1/2 years

Elisa Vazquez Sanchez was accompanied by a 13-year-old boy and an 11-year-old girl when she was stopped at London's Heathrow Airport on ...

Leebert Ramcharan White House-designated Drug Kingpin, was sentenced today

Leebert Ramcharan, a U.S. White House-designated Drug Kingpin, was sentenced today by U.S. district Court Judge Patricia A. Seitz to 440 months’ imprisonment on his March 5, 2008 conviction on charges of conspiracy to import and conspiracy to possess with intent to distribute five (5) kilograms or more of cocaine.Ramcharan and co-defendant Williams, who was also convicted at trial, were arrested in the Montego Bay area of Jamaica in 2004, and extradited from Jamaica to the United States in 2007, after their extradition was approved by the Jamaican Supreme Court. According to the evidence presented at trial, defendant Ramcharan was the leader of a sophisticated cocaine smuggling operation in Jamaica. From 1998 through 2004, this drug organization received as much as fifteen (15) thousand kilograms of cocaine imported via go fast vessels from the Northern Coast of Colombia. The cocaine was then stored in Jamaica, and subsequently it was transported to the Bahamas on boats and airplanes. Ultimately, the cocaine was imported into the U.S. for distribution and sale in South Florida. Mr. Acosta commended the extraordinary cooperation of the Colombian National Police, the Jamaican Constabulary Force, the Royal Bahamian Police Force, and the Drug Enforcement Administration, Miami Field Division, Jamaican Country Office, Bahamian Country Office and Bogota Country Office. The case was prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorneys Alicia Shick and Arthur Wyatt.

Leebert Ramcharan White House-designated Drug Kingpin, was sentenced today

Leebert Ramcharan, a U.S. White House-designated Drug Kingpin, was sentenced today by U.S. district Court Judge Patricia A. Seitz to 440 mon...

Allen Keith Greynolds,Michael Stephen Peck both arrested and charged with delivery

Allen Keith Greynolds, 53, of Carolina, was arrested and charged with delivery of a controlled substance, crack cocaine. Greynolds has yet to post bond and is still currently being housed in the North Central Regional Jail in Doddridge County. Michael Stephen Peck, 28, of Fairmont, was arrested and charged with delivery of heroin. Peck was released on a $25,000 personal recognizance bond. Marion County Sheriff Junior Slaughter said he was not surprised that there have been recent arrests for delivery of crack cocaine in the area. He added that cocaine and marijuana have been an ongoing problem in the area for some time now. “But it disturbs me that heroin is making its way into Marion,” Slaughter said. Six other Marion residents have also been arrested on drug charges recently. Melanie Ann Keener, 49, of Fairmont, was arrested and charged with obtaining a controlled substance by fraud. Heather Ann Keener, 26, of Fairmont was arrested and charged with obtaining a controlled substance by fraud. It is unknown if the two Keeners are related. Christopher Alan Spencer, 21, of Fairmont, was arrested and charged with delivery of a controlled substance, marijuana. Jimmy Lee Howard Jr., 38, of Fairmont, was arrested and charged with possession with intent to deliver marijuana. Jennings Harold Frederick, 25, of Fairmont, was arrested and charged with delivery of a controlled substance, marijuana. Richard Allen Floyd, 30, of Fairview, was arrested and charged with possession of marijuana with intent to deliver. Although the arrests were all made in the same time period, the cases are not necessarily related, Slaughter said.

Allen Keith Greynolds,Michael Stephen Peck both arrested and charged with delivery

Allen Keith Greynolds, 53, of Carolina, was arrested and charged with delivery of a controlled substance, crack cocaine. Greynolds has yet t...

Joshua T. Zinewicz charged with possession of heroin

<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgq58s8-sx4XdX2pyFdHRi_lp703wWr1vpS-_DElcVTBpsVYEUmZS48UYv9gCrxMENEoqg7uZFfcyq7uxFi7uQiSwyol2sCwVxjXiXgLsjtBpLtHddr1ZK4pyPKkZCDSqWsXIMoTOL1cP0/s1600-h/z.jpg"><img alt="" border="0" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5203847701579109874" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgq58s8-sx4XdX2pyFdHRi_lp703wWr1vpS-_DElcVTBpsVYEUmZS48UYv9gCrxMENEoqg7uZFfcyq7uxFi7uQiSwyol2sCwVxjXiXgLsjtBpLtHddr1ZK4pyPKkZCDSqWsXIMoTOL1cP0/s400/z.jpg" style="float:left; margin:0 10px 10px 0;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;" /></a> Joshua T. Zinewicz, 26, of 15 Scotland Road was stopped in his green Ford Explorer on Town Street at Washington Street Extension Tuesday night.Police said heroin — 6,000 bags in all — was discovered in a hidden hydraulic compartment where the passenger side airbag would be. Police also seized $4,500 in cash and the Explorer. The heroin, police said, was portioned into 600 bundles and had a street value of between $60,000 and $120,000.Zinewicz was charged with possession of heroin and possession of more than one ounce of heroin with intent to sell. He was arraigned Wednesday in Norwich Superior Court. City police detectives had learned early Tuesday of the possible large-scale drug deal, court documents show. Specifically, police said they found out Zinewicz would be transporting a large amount of heroin from New York City to Norwich.Zinewicz was placed under surveillance Tuesday and was being watched when he met with a man with a record of drug arrests at the McDonald’s on Town Street. Zinewicz later drove to Bronx, N.Y., to visit a heroin supplier, police said.City police had contacted federal agents with the Drug Enforcement Administration who were waiting in the Bronx. At 7:55 p.m. Tuesday, Zinewicz was seen entering and leaving an undisclosed address in Bronx, police said. The eventual arrest, shortly after 10 p.m., was conducted with aid from the New London Police Department K-9 unit. In court, Zinewicz was ordered held under a combined medical and suicide watch and scheduled to return June 12 to Norwich Superior Court.

Joshua T. Zinewicz charged with possession of heroin

Joshua T. Zinewicz, 26, of 15 Scotland Road was stopped in his green Ford Explorer on Town Street at Washington Street Extension Tuesday nig...

Peggy Vanhorn, Gary Vanhorn, Jr arrested for selling heroin.

Peggy Vanhorn and her son Gary Vanhorn, Jr. were arrested Thursday morning for selling heroin.A mother and son in Berkeley County are keeping their business in the family, and now they're facing felony charges.The Berkeley County Sheriff's Office searched their home at 739 Loop Road and found heroin, drug paraphernalia and a large amount of cash.The arrests come after an eight-month investigation where officers were able to buy drugs from the home.Investigators say there may be more arrests in connection to the charges.<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj3WplLyuzcvUHvx54aEitP48a9V6h1V4wfZ36Bbxode8nqB17F45032824rTSVtmqU7CZeTEKKo_0yX6IdjBfUItisKwEMPKXDu_zKKNq5BvI4-QzxFJs1NVfoXvrRLxkb3mFtC0ZqonA/s1600-h/Vanhorn_-Gary2008-05-22-1211472620.jpg"><img alt="" border="0" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5203844841130890706" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj3WplLyuzcvUHvx54aEitP48a9V6h1V4wfZ36Bbxode8nqB17F45032824rTSVtmqU7CZeTEKKo_0yX6IdjBfUItisKwEMPKXDu_zKKNq5BvI4-QzxFJs1NVfoXvrRLxkb3mFtC0ZqonA/s400/Vanhorn_-Gary2008-05-22-1211472620.jpg" style="float:left; margin:0 10px 10px 0;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;" /></a>The arrests came after the Sheriff’s Office Special Response Team served a search warrant at a home in the 700 block of Loop Road for illegal narcotics, the release said. Gary Vanhorn Jr., 30, of 739 Loop Road, was and charged with three felony counts of distribution of a controlled substance (heroin) and one felony count of possession of a controlled substance with intent to deliver (heroin), according to the release. <a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi62bzXpT99mckXrrVdeDSFopGvTJTAYt8mIyNy2DjLiSzNhon6J3fdd6SUNWyaddErP0i6ffztzm1rBR32IO6TTFBVs1l-eD7Zn-8MILnDhByzUtYVFYM27kPeHW6bi9sYgM9zvfIrn1I/s1600-h/Vanhorn_-Peggy2008-05-22-1211472632.jpg"><img alt="" border="0" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5203844845425858018" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi62bzXpT99mckXrrVdeDSFopGvTJTAYt8mIyNy2DjLiSzNhon6J3fdd6SUNWyaddErP0i6ffztzm1rBR32IO6TTFBVs1l-eD7Zn-8MILnDhByzUtYVFYM27kPeHW6bi9sYgM9zvfIrn1I/s400/Vanhorn_-Peggy2008-05-22-1211472632.jpg" style="float:left; margin:0 10px 10px 0;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;" /></a>His mother, Peggy Vanhorn, 51, also of 739 Loop Road, was charged with one felony count of possession of a controlled substance with intent to deliver (heroin), the release said. Both were arraigned by Magistrate Harry L. Snow, who set a $100,000 bond for Mr. Vanhorn and a $25,000 bond for his mother. Mr. Vanhorn was in Eastern Regional Jail in Martinsburg, W.Va., Thursday evening. His mother was no longer in jail after she and her son were admitted at 7:05 a.m., according to jail records. According to the news release, Sgt. B.F. Hall, Lt. G. Harmison and Cpl. C.S. McCulley of the of the sheriff's office's Criminal Investigations Division initiated an investigation into drug activity at the Loop Road address in September after receiving information that drugs were being sold from the residence. Investigators were able to conduct several controlled drug buys of heroin. Deputies seized approximately seven grams of heroin during the search. They also seized drug paraphernalia and a large amount of United States currency as part of the investigation. The street value of the seized heroin is approximately $3,000, the release said.

Peggy Vanhorn, Gary Vanhorn, Jr arrested for selling heroin.

Peggy Vanhorn and her son Gary Vanhorn, Jr. were arrested Thursday morning for selling heroin.A mother and son in Berkeley County are keepin...

Patricia Ruggiero charged with possession of heroin; possession of heroin with intent to sell; possession of crack cocaine;

Ruggiero also had an outstanding warrant at the time of her arrest, according to police. She was additionally charged with two counts of identify theft; two counts of false statement to procure a credit card; two counts of illegal use of a credit card; one count of larceny in the fourth degree; and one count of larceny in the sixth degree. Patricia Ruggiero, 30, of Danbury, was charged with possession of heroin; possession of heroin with intent to sell; possession of crack cocaine; possession of crack cocaine with intent to sell; possession of narcotics; possession of narcotics with intent to sell; possession of hallucinogenic; possession of hallucinogenic with intent to sell; possession of crack cocaine with intent to sell within 1500 feet of a school; possession of drug paraphernalia; and risk of injury to a minor. She was issued a $500,000 bond. As a result of the Willow Park Apartments investigation, police say they also charged Sandy Almonte, 24, of Edgewood Street in Danbury, with possession of marijuana. She was released on a written promise to appear in court. Search warrants for the Park Avenue apartment unitwere served around 8:30 p.m. last night. Police say their investigation is continuing and more arrests are expected

Patricia Ruggiero charged with possession of heroin; possession of heroin with intent to sell; possession of crack cocaine;

Ruggiero also had an outstanding warrant at the time of her arrest, according to police. She was additionally charged with two counts of ide...

David Fazzina Jr, Erika Wellern charged with possession of heroin and drug paraphernalia because police found evidence of heroin use.

A pair who police said tore gutters off local buildings, including a church, to sell as scrap metal were arrested Thursday after a foot chas...

Daniel Galloway pleaded guilty to possession of Class C drugs with intent to supply

Daniel Galloway, 23, was searched when he began to act suspiciously during a visit to Holme House Prison, Stockton. Two heroin substitute tablets were found on him, which he said had been given to him by a fellow-visitor. Galloway, of Diamond Road, Thornaby, pleaded guilty to possession of Class C drugs with intent to supply when he appeared at Teesside Crown Court. The hearing heard that two days before the offence was committed on 22 February, Galloway had been given a three month suspended jail sentence by Teesside Magistrates' Court for attempted theft. The hearing also heard that the Subutex tablets sell for £60 each in prison. Rebecca Smith, defending Galloway, said: "He is under no illusion how serious the offence is. "He has been under the influence of drugs since the age of 12. He wants to rid himself of drugs but he is subject to outside influences at the present."Sentencing him Judge George Moorhouse said: "The message must go out loud and clear to others that if they take drugs into prison they are going to receive a very severe sentence. "You must have seen the effect of drugs on yourself over the years."

Daniel Galloway pleaded guilty to possession of Class C drugs with intent to supply

Daniel Galloway, 23, was searched when he began to act suspiciously during a visit to Holme House Prison, Stockton. Two heroin substitute ta...

Jerry Michael Bussell, is charged with two counts of possession with intent to deliver cocaine and is being held on a $1 million bond,

Jerry Michael Bussell, 51, is charged with two counts of possession with intent to deliver cocaine and is being held on a $1 million bond, Sterling Heights police said today. <a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgpM8mZoQKzyvAggc0esSCFBGKCg48ldvG09GPJ3m7NLMMnIDl-4w895X_I1-CeW_PkauHd44SGHj4g3rFjad6_hvDSlOy572sNOdw84_hlMbU482sVF78ZTFIaL5lWbk1Z1bZji9tEm6Y/s1600-h/jerry.jpg"><img alt="" border="0" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5202525865734333298" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgpM8mZoQKzyvAggc0esSCFBGKCg48ldvG09GPJ3m7NLMMnIDl-4w895X_I1-CeW_PkauHd44SGHj4g3rFjad6_hvDSlOy572sNOdw84_hlMbU482sVF78ZTFIaL5lWbk1Z1bZji9tEm6Y/s400/jerry.jpg" style="float:left; margin:0 10px 10px 0;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;" /></a>He was arraigned May 1 in 41A District Court in Sterling Heights. A May 13 preliminary exam was adjourned because Bussell wanted a court-appointed attorney. No new preliminary exam date has been set.Officers stopped him April 29 in the area of 14 Mile and Van Dyke and found about 3 ounces of cocaine and a large amount of cash in his vehicle.They interviewed him and he told them about a large amount of cocaine in a storage facility on Merrill Street. Officers with the city’s Crime Suppression Unit searched the facility and found 25 kilos of cocaine.

Jerry Michael Bussell, is charged with two counts of possession with intent to deliver cocaine and is being held on a $1 million bond,

Jerry Michael Bussell, 51, is charged with two counts of possession with intent to deliver cocaine and is being held on a $1 million bond, S...

Raymond Kwame Amankwah, a Ghanaian described as one of the most wanted drug barons,Mandy Veit, Irena Beata Ciaslak have been arrested in Brazil

Raymond Kwame Amankwah, a Ghanaian described as one of the most wanted drug barons, has been arrested in Brazil through collaboration between the German Federal Police and its Brazilian counterpart. He was arrested alongside two women, Mandy Veit, a German, and Irena Beata Ciaslak, a German-Polish, at the Pinto Martins Airport in Fortaleza, the capital of Ceara State in December 2007. The three were said to be working for a Nigerian group in Sao Paulo, Brazil. Amankwah was waiting for the two women, Mandy and Irena, who were due to fly to Lisbon, Portugal, each of them carrying 3.08 kilogrammes and 3.097 kilogrammes of cocaine, respectively. The Daily Graphic, in its August 13, 1996 edition, published a story in which the then Narcotics Unit of the Ghana Police Service had Amankwah, also known as Chanda Keita, wanted. The Southwark Crown Court in the United Kingdom was said to have issued a bench warrant for his arrest in 1995 for being the brain behind a crack cocaine network whose bust led to the discovery of 5.5 kilogrammes of cocaine valued at £l million. It was also indicated that prior to that, INTERPOL had also issued a warrant for Amankwah’s arrest in 1990 on behalf of the judicial authorities in France for violating that country’s legislation on drugs acquisition, possession and importation.The police said Raymond possessed two passports - a Ghanaian passport issued on July 19, 1988 and bearing the name Kwame Amankwah, while the other, an Ivorian passport, bore the name Kouame Amangouah and issued in Abidjan on November 15, 1985.The Daily Graphic, in April 1995, reported that the British Police had seized £1 million worth of cocaine and that a Ghanaian ringleader had been declared wanted. It said three accomplices - Mariame Keita, said to be Amankwah's wife, Andre N'Guessan, a drug distributor, and Charles Oppong, said to be Amankwah's lieutenant - had since been tried and were serving prison terms ranging from five to 20 years. Confirming the arrest in a correspondence to the Daily Graphic, a Director of the Brazilian Supreme Court, Ms Madeleine Lacsko, said the three suspects were arrested after security personnel searched Mandy's and Irena's luggage at the airport while the two were waiting to fly to Lisbon at 7:30 p.m. and found the drugs hidden in false compartments. It said Raymond, holder of Ghanaian passport number H1878450, was in custody at the House of Deprivation Provisional Freedom of Caucaia, while Mandy, holder of German passport number A0883780, and Irena, bearer of German passport number 176705648, were being kept at female prisons at Presidio Desa, Auri Moura Costa. It said the three were found to be part of an international drug trafficking network, a Nigerian drug mafia in Sao Paulo, Brazil.The correspondence said Amankwah had been in Brazil from January to November 2007, without leaving the country, and returned to Ghana in November 2007 for the marriage of his daughter. It said investigations revealed that while in Brazil, Amankwah was receiving income from his business in Ghana, including some bank transfers and deposits on his international card. It said he was staying at a hotel where he was paying between $500 and $800 monthly. It said the Brazilian police had information that Amankwah had come to Brazil raise a drug trafficking gang to supply drugs to Europe. The correspondence said it was established that Amankwah's experience was highly needed by the mafia because the cost of a kilogramme of pure cocaine in Europe was 40,000 euros, while the price in Fortaleza, Brazil was only $12,000. It said Amankwah was apprehended with the help of seven security men, after he had resisted arrest. It said Amankwah had met Mandy and Irena on November 28, 2007 and handed the bags containing the drugs to the two ladies.It said although Mandy and Irena denied knowledge of the contents of the luggage, the police argued that they could not be innocent, having accepted fully paid international trips with monetary rewards just for the delivery of the bags. The correspondence said Amankwah later allegedly confessed that they all knew what they were doing and acknowledged taking the drug from Ken Chukwuma, popularly known as Don, between the Paulista and Blanca avenues in Sao Paulo to hand it over to the ladies. It said the investigations traced the international trafficking operations of the gang from neighbouring Benin where Mandy had been invited by a German, Thomas Kamp, for holidays and later given a bag containing drugs to be delivered in France for a fee of 4,500 euros, adding that Irena was also part of the trip to Benin and benefited from a similar inducement. It said Kamp again met Mandy in Brazil and offered her 5,000 euros to deliver a bag containing drugs in London. It explained that Kamp later left for London but Irena later joined Mandy in Brazil for the same purpose. The correspondence said it was established that Amankwah was the contact person in Sao Paulo from whom the two ladies were to pick the bags containing the drugs. According to it, the German police had been trailing Mandy for some time, although Irena had not come to security notice in Germany yet. It, however, said Irena's brother had been jailed in Peru for drug trafficking. It said a Federal Judge, Dr Danilo Sampaio Fontenelle, sitting at 11th Vara, me Carlos, on March 24, 2008, for a pre-trial, declined bail for the suspects because of the seriousness of the case and the international dimension of the crime. The judge, it said, also explained that the suspects were experienced international drug dealers who posed a serious danger to society if they were granted bail because they had no permanent address and no profession and, therefore, it was better that they were kept in jail. It said Dr Edmac Trigueiro Lima is leading the prosecution, while Amankwah was being represented by two lawyers, Dr Paul Napoleao Quezado and Dr John Marcelo De Lima Perdrosa.

Raymond Kwame Amankwah, a Ghanaian described as one of the most wanted drug barons,Mandy Veit, Irena Beata Ciaslak have been arrested in Brazil

Raymond Kwame Amankwah, a Ghanaian described as one of the most wanted drug barons, has been arrested in Brazil through collaboration betwee...

Agent Ramiro Flores Jr used his federal credentials and badge to bypass U.S. Transportation Security Administration screeners

Fellow agents described Ramiro Flores Jr.,as a longtime member of the Border Patrol’s ranks in McAllen.Agent Ramiro Flores 36, of McAllen, used his federal credentials and badge to bypass U.S. Transportation Security Administration screeners at McAllen-Miller International Airport with about 13.2 pounds of the drug hidden in a piece of luggage.Once inside the secure area of the airport, he is accused of swapping the bag with an awaiting accomplice, before both men boarded a flight to Houston’s Bush Intercontinental Airport.Houston police arrested both men Thursday as they exited the plane.According to a criminal complaint filed in the case, Flores unknowingly met with a federal informant earlier in the week to plan the drug smuggling trip. The man offered him $400 up front and an additional $6,000 once the trip was completed.A search of the Flores’ McAllen home after his arrest uncovered $340 of the initial payment, U.S. attorneys said.Federal authorities said it remains unclear whether Flores had made previous smuggling trips. TSA policy allows armed, on-duty local and federal law enforcement officers to bypass airport checkpoints with the proper identification, according to the agency’s Web site. Flores, however, was not supposed to be on duty at the time of his trip, prosecutors said.It was unclear Friday whether he had retained an attorney. Several phone calls to his home Friday were not returned.

Agent Ramiro Flores Jr used his federal credentials and badge to bypass U.S. Transportation Security Administration screeners

Fellow agents described Ramiro Flores Jr.,as a longtime member of the Border Patrol’s ranks in McAllen.Agent Ramiro Flores 36, of McAllen, u...

Diego Fernando Murillo indictment charges that he conspired to import thousands of kilograms of cocaine into the United States

<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgd_J8TtdfG8YzOvT7-V8ZoTUgKbyAigdDSify2krmYgjhq-4OhendTU3Oq0fDOgk0xiuT6sPD4Y7m-lgmv_3m37zcijYuqJlXZkaCHUwMxNh-SAyQ2U6PAor4sEDf_ciN6isNAKDj-1Mg/s1600-h/indict190.jpg"><img alt="" border="0" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5200895461789033250" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgd_J8TtdfG8YzOvT7-V8ZoTUgKbyAigdDSify2krmYgjhq-4OhendTU3Oq0fDOgk0xiuT6sPD4Y7m-lgmv_3m37zcijYuqJlXZkaCHUwMxNh-SAyQ2U6PAor4sEDf_ciN6isNAKDj-1Mg/s400/indict190.jpg" style="float:left; margin:0 10px 10px 0;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;" /></a> Diego Fernando Murillo, 47, was extradited from Colombia on Tuesday along with 13 other jailed warlords as part an effort by President Álvaro Uribe to take a hard line against them and defuse a scandal. Mr. Murillo had been held in Colombia since 2005.The heavyset Mr. Murillo, who has a prosthetic leg and entered the courtroom with a pronounced limp, held his loose-fitting blue jeans up with one hand. He appeared weary and remained seated as his lawyer entered the not guilty plea. The indictment against Mr. Murillo charges that he conspired to import thousands of kilograms of cocaine into the United States and to launder the drug proceeds. Prosecutors said the group for which he was the de facto leader, United Self-Defense Forces of Colombia, supported its paramilitary activities and enriched its leaders through drug trafficking. The State Department has designated it as a foreign terrorist organization. During the brief court proceeding, Paul R. Nalven, a lawyer for Mr. Murillo, portrayed him as a pleasant and placid diplomat who served as a negotiator between Colombia’s government and the right-wing paramilitary faction he heads. Contending that his client “conducts himself like a gentleman” and presents “zero physical threat,” Mr. Nalven asked the judge, Richard M. Berman of Federal District Court, to consider overruling a decision by the United States Marshals Service to house Mr. Murillo in a high-security section of the federal jail in Manhattan. Judge Berman suggested that Mr. Nalven contact federal jail authorities. One of the prosecutors, Eric Snyder, an assistant United States attorney, acknowledged that Mr. Nalven’s client was a sophisticated man, but he painted a very different picture of him. “We argue that he is a sophisticated man who is capable of being the de facto leader of a 15,000-strong paramilitary organization, which was a cocaine importation empire,” Mr. Snyder told the judge. “We would also argue that, as opposed to being a tranquil person, we will offer evidence that he was in fact an assassin in Medellín” in his earlier years. Responding to Mr. Nalven’s contention that his client respected authority, Mr. Snyder said Mr. Murillo was “widely believed to have been involved in the murder” of a member of the Colombian Congress. Others of the extradited warlords had been tied to senior lawmakers in the Colombian Congress and to members of Mr. Uribe’s family. Mr. Snyder said the murder of the member of Congress led to Mr. Murillo’s arrest, but investigators have said the investigation into Mr. Murillo, who was believed to be responsible for much of the cocaine that wound up in New York City, began there in 2003 with a New York detective who first heard about him from an informant.

Diego Fernando Murillo indictment charges that he conspired to import thousands of kilograms of cocaine into the United States

Diego Fernando Murillo, 47, was extradited from Colombia on Tuesday along with 13 other jailed warlords as part an effort by President Álvar...

Francis P. Peron was arrested Officers found glass pipes with white residue in his home, along with syringes, several empty baggies and $4,000

Francis P. Peron, 44, was arrested at 9 a.m. after troopers with the Alaska Bureau of Alcohol and Drug Enforcement, working with federal pro...

Correctional officer Ivan Duke Peters charged with possession of marijuana with intent to sell

Correctional officer Ivan Duke Peters, 34. He was taken into custody while on duty. Peters was charged with possession of marijuana with int...

Rawle A. London was arrested yesterday after it was discovered that he had money, drugs and a cell phone in his possession.

Rawle A. London was arrested yesterday after it was discovered that he had money, drugs and a cell phone in his possession. All are items pr...

Prison officer Adam Vega is accused of plotting to smuggle more than an ounce of cocaine into the Connally Prison Unit in Kenedy.

Prison officer Adam Vega, 21, was arrested in Karnes County. Vega is accused of plotting to smuggle more than an ounce of cocaine into the Connally Prison Unit in Kenedy.Sneaking contraband into a prison is a felony. If convicted, Vega faces from five years to life in prison.“The biggest measure to try to keep the contraband out is just someone’s own honesty and integrity,” said Oscar Mendoza, warden of the McConnell Unit at Beeville.Unfortunately, in the past five years, 219 Texas prison employees were caught trying to sneak contraband to inmates. More than 31 employees have been arrested this year.“Any investigation (that) is initiated on the inside and it takes us to the outside, then we’ll follow those leads and complete the investigation, no matter where it’s at,” said Lt. Terry Cobbs, of the Office of the Inspector General in the Texas Department of Criminal Justice. The OIG investigates every incident, employee, guard or inmate who tries to sneak in contraband, and with more than 143,000 thousand inmates in Texas prisons, the department will never run out of work.Prisoners are constantly looking for ways to get their hands on banned items. “Whatever you could think of that they possibly do, I promise you they’ve already done that,” Cobbs said.In the past, drugs were hot commodities, and they still are. In 2008, drugs were confiscated 903 times at Texas prisons. So far this year, they have been confiscated 225 times.When the TDCJ went tobacco-free in 1994, tobacco became the number one item. However, the fastest growing problem in prisons today is cell phones. Last year 561 cell phones were confiscated in Texas prisons. Sometimes, inmates con their relatives or friends into unknowingly bringing contraband into the prisons. And sometimes it comes back to bite the inmate.“There’s the mom who called the warden at one of the facilities and asked if her son could be moved to another location because his cellular reception was not very good where he was housed at,” Cobbs said. But when it’s an employee, plotting with the inmates, there’s nothing funny about it. “He (Vega) was put up in this jail right here,” said Karnes County Sheriff David Jalufka. “He made a $75,000 bond. So I mean he will come before the grand jury in a short time. He will be tried right there on the second floor just like the convicts we try that do anything out here at TDCJ.”

Prison officer Adam Vega is accused of plotting to smuggle more than an ounce of cocaine into the Connally Prison Unit in Kenedy.

Prison officer Adam Vega, 21, was arrested in Karnes County. Vega is accused of plotting to smuggle more than an ounce of cocaine into the C...

Found 32kg of cocaine and £6,000 from the rear quarter panels of Mark Bunton's car

Mark Bunton, 52, from Hoddesdon, Hertfordshire was stopped by HM Revenue and Customs (HMRC) officers at Dover on June 14 last year. He was d...

Paul Clough,Paul Stromberg convicted of conspiracy to commit a drug trafficking offence outside the UK.

<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEilEFnmNKNRLXDuVqDQp1BCqRaIITem0sb9KQn8LNCX91LU-Ajzp1OoY3k4H6O5roqhKKVbKr0i1cm6L0M0TsZ2g9wiwe04hn2xcCYfAjUYZeAk7ub7Ba-JHCgq0kriwA2CcCnh_zq90KM/s1600-h/drugs.jpg"><img alt="" border="0" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5200885338551116562" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEilEFnmNKNRLXDuVqDQp1BCqRaIITem0sb9KQn8LNCX91LU-Ajzp1OoY3k4H6O5roqhKKVbKr0i1cm6L0M0TsZ2g9wiwe04hn2xcCYfAjUYZeAk7ub7Ba-JHCgq0kriwA2CcCnh_zq90KM/s400/drugs.jpg" style="float:left; margin:0 10px 10px 0;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;" /></a>In February of last year, undercover police in Venezuela filmed the Samantha arriving in a warehouse in the port city of Puerto Caballo. Paul Stromberg and Paul Clough will be sentenced later Police seized the boat, and used X-ray equipment to examine it, the court heard. They discovered a substantial number of blocks hidden in the lower half of the boat beneath a false floor. The jury was told after drilling through the floor, they discovered 337 kilos of cocaine said to be "almost perfectly pure". Once "cut" with other drugs it would have had a street value estimated at more than £40m. When he was arrested, Stromberg told detectives from the Serious Organised Crime Agency (Soca), that he was a simple businessman who had property deals and catering interests. The court heard he said: "I'm not a man of lavish means by a long shot; I struggle like the rest of us." Stromberg, of Abergavenny, Gwent, was convicted of conspiracy to commit a drug trafficking offence outside the UK. He had earlier pleaded guilty to possession of the class A drug with intent to supply.The plans of Paul Clough, 44, of Leeds and property dealer Paul Stromberg, 42, to bring their haul of 81% pure cocaine into Britain was foiled by an X-ray, London's Woolwich Crown Court heard. The speedboat, called Samantha, was bought in Venezuela and was to be shipped by container to Portugal before arriving at British shores, the jury heard. But Venezuelan officials who examined the boat in February 2007 found 300 blocks of cocaine concealed skilfully within the fibreglass hull of the vessel and in total 337 kilograms of cocaine were beneath the area of the fuel tank. Clough had earlier pleaded guilty to conspiracy to commit a drug trafficking offence outside the UK.A date for sentencing has yet to be set.

Paul Clough,Paul Stromberg convicted of conspiracy to commit a drug trafficking offence outside the UK.

In February of last year, undercover police in Venezuela filmed the Samantha arriving in a warehouse in the port city of Puerto Caballo. Pau...

Raja Ali Arshad,Shazad Majid admitted conspiring to supply Class A drugs

When officers raided the address in Oxford Road, Linthorpe, an attic bedroom revealed a drug-dealing treasure trove - £1.16m of heroin, £4,000 of high-purity cocaine and £626 of crack cocaine, Teesside Crown Court heard.Police have welcomed the convictions of four men embroiled in a huge narcotics conspiracy after Teesside’s biggest ever drugs haul.The Middlesbrough ring could have put millions of pounds worth of cocaine and heroin on to the streets of Teesside.Raja Ali Arshad, 26, who lived at the Oxford Road home, and Shazad Majid, 29, of Westbourne Grove, North Ormesby, admitted conspiring to supply Class A drugs between December 31, 2006 and July 19 last year.Arshad’s brother Murthaza Arshad, 24, also of Oxford Road, and Amin Younis, 31, of Brafferton Road, denied the charge but were convicted by a jury after a four-week trial.Detective Constable Jim Devine said: “Four people who would have poured misery on to the streets will now themselves have a period of time to consider the implications of their ill-gotten trades.”The men will be sentenced in about two weeks’ time.

Raja Ali Arshad,Shazad Majid admitted conspiring to supply Class A drugs

When officers raided the address in Oxford Road, Linthorpe, an attic bedroom revealed a drug-dealing treasure trove - £1.16m of heroin, £4,0...

Anna Budinger pleaded guilty to drug charges

<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg2VnXD9a_Qc9uuPEWyqatACjz8A-ypX-AQ6k5rv1ckfzIhzZijzJB95lngRSKl2yw05-GraDi5ORWjg3T4W_SZcRx8V-ngMf9VjD5leb1EOHwaH_pyMzYxurMIJ92FC0cDqn_8tCkmSFc/s1600-h/16219148_240X180.jpg"><img alt="" border="0" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5198876574743172450" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg2VnXD9a_Qc9uuPEWyqatACjz8A-ypX-AQ6k5rv1ckfzIhzZijzJB95lngRSKl2yw05-GraDi5ORWjg3T4W_SZcRx8V-ngMf9VjD5leb1EOHwaH_pyMzYxurMIJ92FC0cDqn_8tCkmSFc/s320/16219148_240X180.jpg" style="float:left; margin:0 10px 10px 0;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;" /></a> Anna Budinger was a custodian at Kaimuki High School when she arrested more than two years ago with more than 1/8th of an ounce of crystal methamphetamine, or ice. She pleaded guilty to drug charges.In court on Friday, she again admitted that guilt. "I made a mistake. I crossed a boundary. I know I need to go into treatment," she told the judge.Prosecutors wanted Budinger sentenced to 10 years behind bars because she was a school staff member when she was arrested.Her defense attorney asked for probation, because Budinger had no prior convictions and did not sell drugs to students."The issue was how far away in her car she was located, but it doesn't involve schoolchildren at all," attorney Johnaaron Jones said.However, Budinger admitted to Circuit Court Judge Michael Town that she was still using ice and that the drug would show up if she were tested.Town criticized Budinger for failing to enter a drug treatment program while awaiting sentencing.He sentenced her to one year in prison, but suspended all but 180 days of the prison term. Budinger must also serve five years probation drug free or face additional jail time.

Anna Budinger pleaded guilty to drug charges

Anna Budinger was a custodian at Kaimuki High School when she arrested more than two years ago with more than 1/8th of an ounce of crystal m...

Anselmo Zepeda"major" cocaine trafficker in Ohio, Michigan, Indiana and Illinois.

Anselmo Zepeda, 52,a "major" cocaine trafficker in Ohio, Michigan, Indiana and Illinois was indicted in December 1998 as part of Operation Crackshot. A Mexico native, he was a fugitive until 2005, when FBI agents and the Chicago police made a series of drug arrests. They noticed his name, compared notes and determined it was Zepeda, the man who trucked in millions of dollars worth of cocaine from the Southwest to the Midwest.Mihm noted that Zepeda was the main source of drugs for the Gangster Disciples and the Vice Lords street gangs. In Chicago, he supplied the Four Corner Hustlers."You were in the big business of drugs," noted Mihm, before noting that U.S. probation officers linked Zepeda alone to more than 500 kilograms of cocaine."That's more than 1,000 pounds of cocaine. That's a staggering amount," the judge said.Zepeda pleaded guilty in U.S. District Court as part of a rare, fully negotiated deal with federal prosecutors. Such deals are not common in federal court, where a person's sentencing range is often determined after an investigation by the U.S. Probation Office.The 210-month sentence would run concurrently to two similar 210-month sentences he is serving from federal drug convictions in Indiana and northern Illinois.Kelly of Chicago was convicted in late 1996 and sentenced to 24 years in federal prison for moving hundreds of pounds of cocaine in the Peoria area between 1988 and 1995.Involving local, state and federal authorities, Operation Crackshot took aim at the Gangster Disciples in Peoria and produced charges against about 160 defendants. More than 100 gang members went to prison as a result.

Anselmo Zepeda"major" cocaine trafficker in Ohio, Michigan, Indiana and Illinois.

Anselmo Zepeda, 52,a "major" cocaine trafficker in Ohio, Michigan, Indiana and Illinois was indicted in December 1998 as part of O...

Epiphane Castang, and Nelle George Charged with importing a controlled substance

Charged with importing a controlled substance are Epiphane Castang, 34, and Nelle George, 24, both of St. Lucia. Instant cake mix turned into an instant drug seizure for Canada customs officers at Pearson International Airport recently.<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh7cn3BmIe2iQa_nH-Wk2lWiD-jrMrOTUOTzj5m80VpdZCeY5p1HDXsW54tMVD6H6enwzoAMpjp-yGFM6xF9RUKOLBoPZkn3dcgvA_lbsR3tDZ8EEe7CiF8Lwxun8EvI-G5DcQyMVNMngE/s1600-h/7cdb0bc647688d5edf29d5f57fb3.jpg"><img alt="" border="0" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5198647622921524546" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh7cn3BmIe2iQa_nH-Wk2lWiD-jrMrOTUOTzj5m80VpdZCeY5p1HDXsW54tMVD6H6enwzoAMpjp-yGFM6xF9RUKOLBoPZkn3dcgvA_lbsR3tDZ8EEe7CiF8Lwxun8EvI-G5DcQyMVNMngE/s320/7cdb0bc647688d5edf29d5f57fb3.jpg" style="float:left; margin:0 10px 10px 0;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;" /></a> It was followed with an instant investigation by the Peel Children's Aid Society (CAS), as the two women accused of smuggling in the drugs, arrived on a flight with four children.After Canada Border Services Agency (CBSA) officers discovered the 12 kilograms of cocaine on April 26, which was hidden inside packages of instant cake mix and powdered food, the RCMP charged Quebec residents 37-year-old Sandra Colette Nalvarte, and her mother, 73-year-old Olinda Hortencia Smith, with importing a controlled substance. The drugs have a street value of more than $1.5 million.The two women and children came into Pearson on a flight from Peru, according to the RCMP.Nalvarte's four children are in the custody of Peel CAS pending a review. This week meanwhile, CBSA officers made two separate cocaine seizures on May 5. Both were on the same flight from St. Lucia.During the first incident, a 24 year-old man was charged after customs officers intercepted 4.5 kilograms of cocaine worth more than $560,000, which was "secreted in the spine of the luggage," according to CBSA spokesperson Patrizia Giolti. Daryl Augustin, of St. Lucia, has been charged with importing a controlled substance.Later, CBSA officers arrested a man and woman after 11.5 kilograms of cocaine was found hidden inside "false-sided luggage." The cocaine has a street value of more than $1.4 million.

Epiphane Castang, and Nelle George Charged with importing a controlled substance

Charged with importing a controlled substance are Epiphane Castang, 34, and Nelle George, 24, both of St. Lucia. Instant cake mix turned int...

Joseph Calleja, 30, and his brother Noel, 28 and Doreen Bugeja, 33, all from Santa Venera were charged with heroin possession and trafficking

Joseph Calleja, 30, and his brother Noel, 28 and Doreen Bugeja, 33, all from Santa Venera were charged with heroin possession and trafficking on 6 May and before. The drugs were found after a raid by the Police Drug Squad. A total of 35 grammes of heroin and 10 grammes of cocaine were seized.Doreen Bugeja pleaded not guilty to heroin trafficking, but admitted to charges of simple possession. She was also accused of relapsing in view of previous convictions. The court, presided over by Magistrate Doreen Clarke refused a bail application, but recommended that the Corradino Correctional Facility Director to allow the accused to enrol in a drug rehabilitation programme. The court will pass sentence on 16 May.Joseph Calleja pleaded guilty to heroin possession and trafficking as well as relapsing in view of previous convictions. The court will pass sentence with regard to this case also on 16 May.The younger of the brothers, Noel, pleaded not guilty to charges of heroin and cocaine possession and trafficking. He also pleaded not guilty to assaulting a number of police officers, relapsing in view of previous convictions as well as committing a crime while under the operative period of a suspended prison sentence. Police Inspector Jesmond Borg prosecuted while Dr Mark Busuttil and Dr Stephen Tonna Lowell appeared for the accused.

Joseph Calleja, 30, and his brother Noel, 28 and Doreen Bugeja, 33, all from Santa Venera were charged with heroin possession and trafficking

Joseph Calleja, 30, and his brother Noel, 28 and Doreen Bugeja, 33, all from Santa Venera were charged with heroin possession and traffickin...