Crime Correspondent

Carlos M. Madera, 29, of Newark faces $350,000 bail on charges of: leader of narcotics trafficking network

Carlos M. Madera, 29, of Newark faces $350,000 bail on charges of: leader of narcotics trafficking network

Carlos M. Madera, 29, of Newark faces $350,000 bail on charges of: leader of narcotics trafficking network, possession of cocaine, possessio...

Tracy Kyle, 31, of Landing faces $75,000 bail on charges of: possession of cocaine, conspiracy to possess cocaine

Tracy Kyle, 31, of Landing faces $75,000 bail on charges of: possession of cocaine, conspiracy to possess cocaine and endangering the welfar...

Lilybette Garcia, 42, of Dover faces $150,000 bail on charges of: possession of cocaine

Lilybette Garcia, 42, of Dover faces $150,000 bail on charges of: possession of cocaine, possession with intent to distribute cocaine (more ...

Jose R. Jimenez, 29, of Morris Plains faces $150,000 bail on charges of: possession of cocaine

Jose R. Jimenez, 29, of Morris Plains faces $150,000 bail on charges of: possession of cocaine, possession with intent to distribute cocaine...

Elvis R. Galvan-Jimenez, 31, of Newark faces $150,000 bail on charges of: possession of cocaine

Elvis R. Galvan-Jimenez, 31, of Newark faces $150,000 bail on charges of: possession of cocaine, possession with intent to distribute cocain...

Christopher Figueroa-Sanchez, 23, of Dover faces $35,000 bail on charges of: Possession of cocaine

Christopher Figueroa-Sanchez, 23, of Dover faces $35,000 bail on charges of: Possession of cocaine, possession with intent to distribute coc...

Cameron McFarlane, 48, was caught with a large quantity of cocaine in his truck

Cameron McFarlane, 48, was caught with a large quantity of cocaine in his truck on the M80 motorway, close to Falkirk in central Scotland. He pleaded guilty at the High Court in Glasgow today to being involved in the supply of a controlled substance. Prosecutors believe the drug, which was about seven times purer than cocaine normally found in the area, had an estimated street value of £4.2m. McFarlane, who lived in Alloa, Clackmannanshire, with his wife and stepchildren, was stopped by police at about 11.40pm on 10 October. His truck was taken to a revenue and customs office for inspection and he admitted that he was transporting drugs, although he said he did not know what the substance was. Advocate-depute Alistair Carmichael told the court: "The accused informed the police there were what he described as 15 blocks of controlled drugs in the back of the lorry." A search by Central Scotland Police uncovered the drugs, as well as Russian roubles worth £750, the court heard. McFarlane was arrested in the early hours of 11 October. In a police interview, he said he was smuggling the drugs to clear debts owed to a criminal gang. He admitted bringing drugs into the country three times. This went back to a previous conviction several years earlier, he told police. He was once caught trying to smuggle 50,000 cigarettes into the UK and was imprisoned for two years. His failure to bring the tobacco into the country left him saddled with a huge debt and he was compelled to smuggle the drugs to pay this off, the court heard. Mr Carmichael said: "He had since been released from his prison sentence, and he had been working to pay off his debt by transporting large quantities of drugs in and out of the country." The cocaine found in his lorry was 73 per cent pure, Mr Carmichael said. Cocaine seized in the Central Scotland area was normally about 10 per cent pure, meaning the drug had a high street value when cut up and sold. Lord Brailsford, hearing the case, called for social inquiry reports and deferred sentence until next month.

Cameron McFarlane, 48, was caught with a large quantity of cocaine in his truck

Cameron McFarlane, 48, was caught with a large quantity of cocaine in his truck on the M80 motorway, close to Falkirk in central Scotland. H...

Enrique Portocarrero , law enforcement officers here have dubbed him "Captain Nemo

<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhQc-K-hEq5DoV10z_B72e0-wBMa3pnnrh67yVMwJGU5NWlu3ibGuNP0_hZpD2IguYB4kpuwWValRowni1HpjZa_FSCPNhXgm1xzjAqheOhHQN9ZWlfu2G4MJQErmMIb454_pe5MQd41nA/s1600-h/untitled.bmp"><img alt="" border="0" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5280100387982825570" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhQc-K-hEq5DoV10z_B72e0-wBMa3pnnrh67yVMwJGU5NWlu3ibGuNP0_hZpD2IguYB4kpuwWValRowni1HpjZa_FSCPNhXgm1xzjAqheOhHQN9ZWlfu2G4MJQErmMIb454_pe5MQd41nA/s400/untitled.bmp" style="float:left; margin:0 10px 10px 0;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 140px; height: 110px;" /></a> Enrique Portocarrero , law enforcement officers here have dubbed him "Captain Nemo," after the dark genius of "20,000 Leagues Under the Sea." They say the 45-year-old has designed and built as many as 20 fiberglass submarines, strange vessels with the look of sea creatures, for drug traffickers to haul cocaine from this area of southern Colombia to Central America and Mexico.In Colombia, paramilitary groups still spreading terror.Capping a three-year investigation that involved U.S. and British counter-narcotics agents, Colombia's FBI equivalent, the Department of Administrative Security, arrested Portocarrero last month in the violent port city of Buenaventura, where he allegedly led a double life as a shrimp fisherman.A day later, they descended on Portocarrero's hidden "shipyard" in a mangrove swamp 20 miles south of here and destroyed two of the vessels, which police say were each capable of carrying 8 tons of cargo."He had a marvelous criminal vision," Colombian navy Capt. Luis German Borrero said. "He introduced innovations such as a bow that produced very little wake, a conning tower that rises only a foot above the water and a valve system that enables the crew to scuttle the sub in 10 minutes. He is very ingenious."Authorities say they know little about Portocarrero except that he was arrested in 2003 on drug charges and soon released, a fact he relayed with a smirk when he was nabbed last month. Most important, he once worked at a dry dock in Buenaventura, where he apparently learned his craft.Portocarrero was living well. Police, who reported finding $200,000 hidden in the spare tire of his car, say he had invested his reputed $1-million-per-vessel fees in the purchase of five shrimp boats.Administrative Security officials allege that Portocarrero helped invent "semi-submersibles," as the narco-vessels are called, because they don't dive and resurface like true submarines, but cruise just below the surface.Portocarrero's craft are difficult for counter-narcotics officials to detect on the open seas because their tiny wake creates a negligible radar "footprint." Also, authorities say, the exhaust is released through tubing below the surface, frustrating patrol aircraft's heat-sensing equipment."He knew the rudiments of boat design, but probably had help from a naval engineer along the way," Borrero said.Portocarrero developed a signature design, police say: a sleek V-shaped hull; a sturdy keel, which is the boat's backbone; and an exhaust system that makes the boat look like a monster from the deep.There has been a quantum leap in detection and capture of semi-submersibles in the last two years. Fifteen have been seized, destroyed or scuttled this year in the Pacific and Caribbean, compared with only one in 2006, said Rear Adm. Joseph Nimmich, head of Joint Interagency Task Force South, the Pentagon's anti-narcotics command center, based in Key West, Fla.He estimated that as many as 60 of the vessels have slipped past patrols to deliver cocaine to Mexico and Central America. Colombian agents say Portocarrero may have been in charge of building as many as a third of the subs this year.The trend has U.S. security officials concerned because of the craft's potential for ferrying weapons and terrorists. "If they can't make money transferring drugs, they could always turn to something else to transfer, other illicit cargoes," Nimmich said.A conference on the issue last month in the Colombian city of Cartagena was attended by authorities from 26 countries, including Venezuela, which has forsworn cooperation with U.S. counter-narcotics agents.The development is the latest in the cat-and-mouse game between drug traffickers and counter-narcotics officials. Authorities believe tighter controls on Colombian and Ecuadorean fishing vessels, often used to move drugs, were a factor in the shift to subs. Since mid-2007, all fishing boats in the region have been required to carry GPS devices so police can track their movements.The Colombian navy and police also say that so-called Midnight Express speedboats, supplied by the U.S., have improved their chances of chasing down "go-fast" outboard boats, once the preferred mode of transport."Speed was no longer winning the day," said a high-ranking U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration official based in Colombia who noted the "exponential increase" in the use of stealthy semi-submersible vessels in the last few years. He spoke on condition of anonymity because of security concerns. Police say several cocaine traffickers, looking to regain the advantage, got together to combine their cargoes and buy Portocarrero's boats, which took about six weeks each to build, said an informant who led Colombian coast guard officials to Portocarrero's mangrove shipyard. Each vessel was designed according to the load of drugs, the informant said, with the maximum cargo of 10 tons of cocaine, worth $250 million in street value.Portocarrero's vessels measured up to 60 feet long and were outfitted with complex ballast, communications and power systems, officials said. They were typically powered by 350-horsepower diesel engines, and the four-man crew had state-of-the-art radio, GPS and satellite telephone communications.The subs have a range of 2,000 miles, more than enough to get from here to Mexico's Bay of Tehuantepec, a favored destination, Borrero said.Although the subs are taxing counter-narcotics officials' ability to keep up, DEA officials say they are getting better at detecting the subs, thanks to computerized systems in British patrol aircraft.Law enforcement has also been helped by a law the U.S. Congress passed in October making it possible to convict a boat's crew on the basis of visual evidence that they were manning the subs. Before, crews avoided prosecution by simply scuttling the craft and sinking the drugs, depriving law enforcement of the evidence they needed.Colombian authorities say they expect Portocarrero to be extradited to the United States, though no U.S. charges have yet been filed against him.Some officials fear it's only a matter of time before traffickers take the next "logical" step: the use of real submarines. Although no true submarines have ever been stopped with cocaine, authorities discovered one in 1995 near Bogota being built according to Russian plans."As the interdiction rate against semi-submersibles increases, as it has, will traffickers revert back to the ubiquitous 'go-fasts,' or will they take it to the next level -- a fully submersible craft, unmanned with remote guidance capability?" the high-ranking DEA official said. "The latter has a lot more agencies than just DEA concerned."

Enrique Portocarrero , law enforcement officers here have dubbed him "Captain Nemo

Enrique Portocarrero , law enforcement officers here have dubbed him "Captain Nemo," after the dark genius of "20,000 League...

Billy Sergio Palemene and 33-year-old Ruben Hurtado jailed Hurtado for 15 years with a non-parole period of nine years and Palemene for 12 years

49-year-old Billy Sergio Palemene and 33-year-old Ruben Hurtado were arrested last year after authorities in Brisbane intercepted a package ...

Natalie Ellen Quinn, 26, Calvin Neil Hylton, 41, Briony Marie Dyce, 25, and Camille Danielle Dupee, 19, were arrested Oct. 19

Natalie Ellen Quinn, 26, Calvin Neil Hylton, 41, Briony Marie Dyce, 25, and Camille Danielle Dupee, 19, were arrested Oct. 19 as they disemb...

Diego "Don Diego" Montoya, described as the head of the North Valley Cartel, could spend at least 20 years in prison

<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjAN0dWEBmwa-IUTdGgzMB0V-7-1pq3LtT43DqGXz-vwHz3KZKU-SWTy81Our9VR9LhCLfH9j9m07c6WPiL68tRNxxdSHmbg3Y7N1YUBmqwctuzJ3vBjwqMTdFZvWrRYiDy3EEma5fVUTU/s1600-h/weapons1.jpg"><img alt="" border="0" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5279451029086499890" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjAN0dWEBmwa-IUTdGgzMB0V-7-1pq3LtT43DqGXz-vwHz3KZKU-SWTy81Our9VR9LhCLfH9j9m07c6WPiL68tRNxxdSHmbg3Y7N1YUBmqwctuzJ3vBjwqMTdFZvWrRYiDy3EEma5fVUTU/s400/weapons1.jpg" style="float:left; margin:0 10px 10px 0;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 299px; height: 196px;" /></a> Diego "Don Diego" Montoya, described as the head of the North Valley Cartel, could spend at least 20 years in prison if convicted on charges of drug trafficking, money laundering, obstruction of justice and witness retaliation by murder.reputed kingpin of a violent Colombian cartel blamed for smuggling cocaine worth $10 billion to the U.S. arrived here from his native country aboard an FBI plane Friday to face a 12-count federal indictment.Montoya, who did not yet have a U.S. lawyer following his extradition, was being held without bail awaiting an initial court appearance Monday. Under Montoya's leadership, the North Valley Cartel in the mid-1990s become Colombia's dominant cocaine smuggling organization, taking over from the Cali cartel whose leaders also were prosecuted in Miami. At its height, North Valley controlled about 60 percent of Colombia's cocaine trade, authorities said.U.S. Attorney R. Alexander Acosta said the extradition of Montoya has further crippled the cartel. Most of the Colombian cocaine trade is now split among smaller groups, with much of the profits and violence moving to Mexican-run organizations.Montoya, the last of Colombia's major fugitive drug lords, was on the FBI's most-wanted list and the subject of an intense manhunt before his September 2007 capture. He had remained free for years by paying off military and police officials and forming a private militia of several hundred gunmen.The reputed drug lord, who boarded an FBI plane in Bogota, Colombia, wearing jeans, sneakers and a dark jacket under a bulletproof vest, began his criminal career as a cocaine lab "chef," working his way up through transport, export and money-laundering, authorities say."It's through the efforts of the Colombians that we are here today," said Jonathan Solomon, special agent in charge of the FBI's Miami office.U.S. prosecutors said they are seeking forfeiture of some $1 billion in Montoya assets around the world, including luxury condominiums in Aventura and Miami Beach and an 80-foot yacht docked near Miami.Colombian authorities blamed Montoya for upward of 1,500 killings in his illicit career. Montoya's reign is "a tragic story, a story involving the lives of many Colombians murdered by this cartel," said Colombian police Gen. Oscar Naranjo.The brothers who once headed the Cali cartel — Gilberto and Miguel Rodriguez Orejuela — are serving 30-year U.S. prison sentences after pleading guilty to federal charges in Miami in 2006. Several chieftains of its powerful 1980s predecessor, the Medellin cartel, were also tried and convicted in Miami federal court.

Diego "Don Diego" Montoya, described as the head of the North Valley Cartel, could spend at least 20 years in prison

Diego "Don Diego" Montoya, described as the head of the North Valley Cartel, could spend at least 20 years in prison if convicted ...

Sixty-one-year old Eric Allen Kirkpatrick has been charged with first degree murder in the shooting death at a Christmas party

Sixty-one-year old Eric Allen Kirkpatrick has been charged with first degree murder in the shooting death at a Christmas party in Vancouver Friday night.Earlier in the day, police identified the man who was shot and killed as Benjamin David Banky, 40, was killed when a disgruntled former employee walked into the party and started firing shots, Vancouver police said in a news release Saturday. There were more than 12 employees of Tallgrass Distributors Ltd., at the work function when gunshots rang out around 4 p.m. local time. All except Mr. Banky were able to escape uninjured. Mr. Banky was the president of the Vancouver-based company, which is a natural-health-product supplier. The company, originally called Tallgrass Hemp Company, specializes in beauty products based on the hemp plant. Vancouver police locked down the area in the central Mount Pleasant neighbourhood for several hours Friday as they negotiated with the 61-year-old male gunman. Investigators say the man had been fired from the company on Dec. 11. The man surrendered two hours after the shooting.

Sixty-one-year old Eric Allen Kirkpatrick has been charged with first degree murder in the shooting death at a Christmas party

Sixty-one-year old Eric Allen Kirkpatrick has been charged with first degree murder in the shooting death at a Christmas party in Vancouver ...

Alarming number of Americans are vanishing in Mexico where there has been a dramatic increase in the numbers of U.S. citizens

<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjvC01E9FwlYbs3XT2wTHZTRL9sQQTEGiiNWfCzCIN4rP5FnsJyfeaIISJbsmTqLxsQVzA9eE7NllLHuv3KQByrPeIQGsD0Em72O9jODaEMxQ152-Z1qSGCLMmWzWgzOWT56yZF4figwNk/s1600-h/policiafederal.jpg"><img alt="" border="0" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5279447464797360194" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjvC01E9FwlYbs3XT2wTHZTRL9sQQTEGiiNWfCzCIN4rP5FnsJyfeaIISJbsmTqLxsQVzA9eE7NllLHuv3KQByrPeIQGsD0Em72O9jODaEMxQ152-Z1qSGCLMmWzWgzOWT56yZF4figwNk/s400/policiafederal.jpg" style="float:left; margin:0 10px 10px 0;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 285px;" /></a> Alarming number of Americans are vanishing in Mexico where there has been a dramatic increase in the numbers of U.S. citizens who have recently been reported missing or kidnapped along the border with Mexico, reports the Washington Post. Many who have vanished from U.S. cities are still missing and it is feared they will turn up in the mass graves that have been discovered lately in Mexico.U.S. State Dept recently issued Mexico alert said “Recent Mexican army and police force conflicts with heavily-armed narcotics cartels have escalated to levels equivalent to military small-unit combat and have included use of machine guns and fragmentation grenades. Confrontations have taken place in numerous towns and cities in northern Mexico, including Tijuana in the Mexican state of Baja California, and Chihuahua City and Ciudad Juarez in the state of Chihuahua. The situation in northern Mexico remains very fluid; the location and timing of future armed engagements there cannot be predicted”. Public shootouts have occurred during daylight hours near shopping areas in many Mexican border towns. In Ciudad Juarez the body of a man who had been beheaded and whose hands were handcuffed behind him was found hung from the Rotario Bridge in Juarez across the border from El Paso Texas. He had been forcibly kidnapped and carried off two days before according to police. A message from a local criminal organization was left nearby. The gruesome display even for this northern border city long accustomed to drug-related violence was shocked. Shortly after the grisly sighting about 5 a.m., police found the victim’s head in a black bag in a nearby plaza, said state police spokesman Alejandro Pariente. Pariente said the body was wearing black jeans, a red T-shirt and white sneakers, and was handcuffed. A banner apparently directed at rival drug-gang members was hung next to the corpse.The victim’s father was barely able to identify his 23-year-old sons body. Yet one more body was found near the Rio Grande in Juarez, this one shot in the head.Elsewhere, masked men gunned down two police officers in a convenience store in Chihuahua City, the capital of Chihuahua state, where Juarez is located, said Eduardo Esparza, spokesman for the state attorney general’s office. After the killings assailants left a toy pig next to the bodies. A man wearing a pig mask was found hung in a residence in Juarez. Near the body was a message threatening to do the same to others. Police believe the message was from drug gangs.Drug violence has been escalating across Mexico and cartels have turned to increasingly gruesome methods to send a message to their rivals and police.Also in Juarez, the same day four men were found shot to death. And four other men fell victim to gunfire attacks in various places in the city.Elsewhere in town, the cadaver of a man was found hanging from a metal fence in front of an empty house. A mask with the face of a pig had been placed over his head and his hands had been cuffed. There was also a threatening “narco-message” left with the hanged body.Later the same day Mexican army personnel detained four heavily armed men in Cuauhtemoc, Chihuahua the four had with them “an anti-tank rocket launcher, a high explosive rocket, two caliber 308 rifles capable of piercing armor, two cal. 223 AR-15 rifles, a caliber 556 rifle, a .22 caliber rifle, a .22 revolver, a caliber 11.25 pistol, 12 fragmentation hand grenades, a gas grenade and clips of various calibers.” They also had five “͋ level bullet proof vests, bandoleers, gas masks and ID cards of the PGR (Mex. Dep’t. of Justice) plus small amounts of drugs. Most of the front page and the headline on the printed version of a Juarez paper were devoted to the horror which Juarez residents feel because of the level and brutality of all the violence.Tijuana violence does not cease there either it is becoming an everyday affair according to Jose Gonzalez a resident of Tijuana were there is more violence reported and where the finding of cadavers and narco messages keep police agencies on alert on both sides of the border and the civilian population in a state of panic.In Tijuana alone there have been to date more than 700 execution type killings carried out by organized crime that have been counted this year, which makes it one of the most violent in the city’s history. Recently in TJ two more decapitated bodies were found, two police officers were murdered and so were eleven other men, all within a 14 hour period. In a banner headlines on the printed front page of a TJ newspaper read: City policeman executed Physician kidnapped. A second “ministerial police” agent lost his life Wednesday afternoon in TJ. He was driving his car when the occupants of two other vehicles opened fire killing him dead in his car. Two severed human heads were left on top of the lids of each of two blue plastic barrels found near the Otay Mesa border crossing point on the east side of TJ near the California border. The location is just four blocks away from where six persons were killed by gunfire on Monday. The headless bodies were inside the barrels, and a narco message.A “Ministerial Police” commander was killed and his police officer escort was critically wounded Monday afternoon when killers shot them repeatedly while the two were eating at a restaurant. The hit-men left and disappeared as quickly as they had arrived. Recently four men fell victim to a gunfire assault at a junkyard in the Lomas Verdes section of TJ but between 4 p.m. and late evening six other men were shot to death and two others were wounded in two other incidents elsewhere in town.Just yesterday, ten gunmen lost their lives after a shootout with state agents in Nogales, Sonora. The police were attacked with fragmentation grenades; three police and three civilians were wounded.The body of a gagged man was found in Cabo San Lucas his fingers had been chopped off. Eight persons have died in Baja California Norte in the last 24 hours, the product of a spiral of violence. Just recently two Rosarito police officers were assassinated while on patrol. Twenty kilometers away three other persons were murdered. Seven other crimes took place in Chihuahua two men were found dead in Hermosillo, Sonora, two in Culiacan and “some others more” in Guanajuato, Guerrero, the Distrito Federal and Taxco. A related account in “El Universal” (Mexico City) states that violence in Rosarito has cost the lives of seven police and at least a dozen other persons in less than thirty days; it adds that there have been mass resignations of police there because of fear of being murdered. Just some years back Rosarito was a laid back, peaceful ocean beach town.Just recently Baja racer Arron Cooper another American was shot in Mexico while pre-running the Baja 1000 race.

Alarming number of Americans are vanishing in Mexico where there has been a dramatic increase in the numbers of U.S. citizens

Alarming number of Americans are vanishing in Mexico where there has been a dramatic increase in the numbers of U.S. citizens who have recen...

Fatal shooting in south Charlotte that left one man dead happened after armed robbers wearing masks tried to steal from two people

Fatal shooting in south Charlotte that left one man dead happened after armed robbers wearing masks tried to steal from two people who police say are drug dealers, according to officers.The shooting happened about 10:45 p.m. Thursday on Scotch Heather Way. Police say one of the would-be robbers was shot dead after a scuffle, and a resident of the home had injuries that were not life-threatening. Officers had not identified the dead man by Friday night and hadn't released more information about the other people who broke into the townhome.When officers searched the house and a silver BMW belonging to one of the owners, they found marijuana. Also, people they interviewed in connection with the case said the residents were drug dealers, police said. The residents – Ryan Clark Tucker and Sean Nicholls Tobin, both 23 – were charged with possession of marijuana with intent to sell or distribute, possession of drug paraphernalia and maintaining a vehicle for the use or storage of a controlled substance. Homicide detectives will also present their findings to the District Attorney's Office to see if any other charges will be filed against either of the men. The shooting happened in a part of town that had not had a slaying – or many other violent crimes – so far this year. The neighborhood if full of relatively new townhomes, said Capt. Roderick Golding, who oversees the South Division.But neighbors said they'd began to grow suspicious in the past couple months about what was going on inside the house with the silver BMW outside.“A lot of the neighbors said there had been activity going on there for a long time," Golding said. “But they never bothered to call police about it.”

Fatal shooting in south Charlotte that left one man dead happened after armed robbers wearing masks tried to steal from two people

Fatal shooting in south Charlotte that left one man dead happened after armed robbers wearing masks tried to steal from two people who polic...

former U.S. Army Ranger Luke Sommer sentenced to 24 years in prison for an August 2006 bank robbery in Tacoma, Wash.

Peachland resident and former U.S. Army Ranger Luke Sommer, 22, who holds dual U.S. and Canadian citizenship, has been sentenced to 24 years in prison for an August 2006 bank robbery in Tacoma, Wash.The robbery was carried out by five men in black masks and military garb brandishing AK-47 assault rifles and semi-automatic handguns. It netted $50,000.Bank staff were threatened with death if they did not comply with the gang's demands to open the vault.The gang was tracked down to a barracks in the military base at Fort Lewis, Wash., after a bystander recorded the licence plate number on the robbers' escape vehicle.Sommer had recruited two other Army Rangers to take part in the robbery, and two Canadians.The others have all pleaded guilty and are awaiting sentencing.Sommer fled to B.C. following the robbery and was arrested in his parents' home in Peachland by the RCMP and later extradited to Washington state.The U.S. Attorney's office said Sommer planned to use the proceeds from the robbery to start a crime family in B.C. to rival the Hells Angels.The U.S. District Court was told that a "blood bath" would likely have ensued had police confronted the gang during the robbery. The robbers carried hundreds of rounds of ammunition, wore body armour, possessed a hand grenade and carried a military medical kit.

former U.S. Army Ranger Luke Sommer sentenced to 24 years in prison for an August 2006 bank robbery in Tacoma, Wash.

Peachland resident and former U.S. Army Ranger Luke Sommer, 22, who holds dual U.S. and Canadian citizenship, has been sentenced to 24 years...

Martrey Antwain Newby, 24, and Theron Jermaine Thompson, 35.convicted

Martrey Antwain Newby, 24, and Theron Jermaine Thompson, 35.On Wednesday, Louise W. Flanagan, the chief U.S. district court judge, sentenced Newby to 35 years in federal prison. In July, a jury convicted Newby of conspiracy to distribute more than 50 grams of crack cocaine and five counts of possession with the intent to distribute crack cocaine.On Thursday, Flanagan sentenced Thompson to 26 years in federal prison. Thompson pled guilty Sept. 11 to distributing more than 50 grams of crack cocaine, three counts of possession with intent to distribute five grams of crack cocaine and distribution of crack cocaine.Thompson and Newby were arrested after drug activity investigations by the New Bern Police Department. During the investigations, police discovered Thompson had been involved in drug operations as early as 1999, distributed more than 2,900 grams of crack cocaine and distributed more than 11 kilograms of powder cocaine.In a trial, evidence included five videos of Newby distributing crack cocaine. One of the videos showed Newby selling or buying drugs while a child was in a safety seat in the back of the car.Police discovered Newby had distributed crack cocaine since he was released from state prison in September 2006. Newby was previously convicted of armed robbery, possessing with intent to sell or deliver marijuana and assaulting a government official.The New Bern Police Department is still investigating drug activity in the area.

Martrey Antwain Newby, 24, and Theron Jermaine Thompson, 35.convicted

Martrey Antwain Newby, 24, and Theron Jermaine Thompson, 35.On Wednesday, Louise W. Flanagan, the chief U.S. district court judge, sentenced...

Dhymitruy Bouryiotis and 36-year-old Montgomery Read Hill, both from the Vancouver, B.C., area, were arrested

Federal officials say two Canadians were arrested on a beach in northwest Washington as they were allegedly preparing to smuggle about 260 p...

Gilbert Onuoha (44), a Nigerian national, last Saturday after he allegedly tried to courier around 1 kg of heroin

<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhTNPl24yVkgEkbuju1HK-On58bf7DS3RHt2zipH9aMPCsTIIlHvA4GgAU8cK9atH-EvZDwqiSs0URERBPoye7EzyKe9TcTyjSk1PRhZddLlNUe1YJkpOR_d44QFg6AXKmVwxTY1HBAKkA/s1600-h/Gilbert-Onuoha.jpg"><img alt="" border="0" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5279324997833453458" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhTNPl24yVkgEkbuju1HK-On58bf7DS3RHt2zipH9aMPCsTIIlHvA4GgAU8cK9atH-EvZDwqiSs0URERBPoye7EzyKe9TcTyjSk1PRhZddLlNUe1YJkpOR_d44QFg6AXKmVwxTY1HBAKkA/s400/Gilbert-Onuoha.jpg" style="float:left; margin:0 10px 10px 0;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 120px; height: 172px;" /></a> Gilbert Onuoha (44), a Nigerian national, last Saturday after he allegedly tried to courier around 1 kg of heroin from a local courier service in Mira Road to South Africa.The seized contraband is believed to be worth Rs 50 lakh in the international market. Onuoha is the first person to be arrested by the Mumbai police for attempting to smuggle drugs through a courier service. The local courier forwarded the consignment to a reputed courier firm in Andheri (E), where suspicious employees tipped off the police. One of the two packages had two photo frames stuffed with the narcotic.The other package had heroin stuffed into 22 motorcycles footrests. Gilbert was called and subsequently arrested at the office of the courier service. Deputy Commissioner of Police (ANC) Vishwas Nagre Patil said the contraband was wrapped neatly in small polythene packets, and covered with a layer of carbon paper and adhesive tape, making it impervious to the scrutiny of X-ray scanners, and security monitors."The parcel had the address and mobile number of a woman in Cape Town, South Africa, jotted on it," said Assistant Police Inspector P N Kamble. The address was subsequently found to be fake. Gilbert, a native of Anambra, Nigeria, is a school dropout and has been in India for the last six months on a business visa. Gilbert told the police that his friend of two years, Ken, paid him Rs 4,000 to courier the parcel, and promised to pay him another Rs 50,000 once the consignment reached its destination.

Gilbert Onuoha (44), a Nigerian national, last Saturday after he allegedly tried to courier around 1 kg of heroin

Gilbert Onuoha (44), a Nigerian national, last Saturday after he allegedly tried to courier around 1 kg of heroin from a local courier servi...

Charlisa Andrews, 34, of 1134 Oak St. was arrested on two counts of distribution of crack cocaine.police located crack cocaine and weapons.

Police located crack cocaine and weapons.Three suspects were arrested for distribution of illegal drugs and one for possession. All individuals are innocent until proved guilty in a court of law.Four residents were also arrested from the home for outstanding capias warrants, which means the subjects had a guilty judgement through plea, appearance in court or arraignment in jail, and did not pay the fine within the required time period. Police arrested these suspects:Charlisa Andrews, 34, of 1134 Oak St. was arrested on two counts of distribution of crack cocaine.Jorell Benson, 24, of 8446 Chadburn Crossing was arrested for possession of crack cocaine.Trimons Benson, 30, of 1321 Bragg St. was arrested for distribution of crack cocaine. Thornton said police also had six capias warrants on the suspect.Keontaye Giles, 21, of 1608 Yarborough St. was arrested for distribution of crack cocaine. Thornton said police had 10 capias warrants on the suspect.The remaining four suspects arrested at Oak Street were not taken into custody in connection with crack cocaine possession or distribution, but were arrested for capias warrants, Thornton said. “They were inside the residence at the time we served the warrants,” he said. Karsten King, 29, of 933 Hill Street had two capias warrants.Katorri King, 22, of 1667 Crouson Street had three capias warrants.Laronica McQueen, 30, of 706 N. Union Circle arrested for four capias warrants.Angela Phillips, 41, of 2018 W. Fairview Ave. was arrested for five capias warrants.

Charlisa Andrews, 34, of 1134 Oak St. was arrested on two counts of distribution of crack cocaine.police located crack cocaine and weapons.

Police located crack cocaine and weapons.Three suspects were arrested for distribution of illegal drugs and one for possession. All individu...

Jessica Guinyard, age 20, and De Anne Browne, age 21, both U.S. citizens, were arrested at Newark Airport in connection with the smuggling attempt.

<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhie4JbEovpWhIowIDj77PSB7KVzNPLYoJqrxQBI3XFvXum72Ysi2BlJrAZ_GXMrQ9Uo8H7DdzW3IaRNoXdHUxUJ1Cown4p8LfnPbDxghs9m7bmA0-kafBbOPBBsANLW8WZfvzcUC2QGfI/s1600-h/suitcase_5f360.jpg"><img alt="" border="0" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5279323418207931330" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhie4JbEovpWhIowIDj77PSB7KVzNPLYoJqrxQBI3XFvXum72Ysi2BlJrAZ_GXMrQ9Uo8H7DdzW3IaRNoXdHUxUJ1Cown4p8LfnPbDxghs9m7bmA0-kafBbOPBBsANLW8WZfvzcUC2QGfI/s320/suitcase_5f360.jpg" style="float:left; margin:0 10px 10px 0;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 240px;" /></a> U.S. Customs and Border Protection arrested two women who attempted to smuggle more than 12 pounds of cocaine concealed in two false sided bags. Jessica Guinyard, age 20, and De Anne Browne, age 21, both U.S. citizens, were arrested at Newark Airport in connection with the smuggling attempt.On Wednesday afternoon, CBP officers selected Guinyard for a routine baggage inspection when she arrived on a flight from San Jose, Costa Rica. Guinyard presented one Pullman style bag for inspection. During her interview, Guinyard indicated that she was traveling with Browne. Upon examination of her bag, CBP officers noticed that the inside walls of the bag felt unusually thick and heavy. A probe of the inside walls revealed a white powdery substance which field tested positive for cocaine. Inspection of Browne’s bag also yielded false sides containing cocaine. “CBP is committed to interdicting narcotics at our ports of entry and identifying the perpetrators who facilitate such brazen attempts to smuggle narcotics into the U.S.,” said Robert E. Perez, director of Field Operations for CBP in New York. More than 12 pounds of cocaine with a street value of more than a half million dollars was seized and turned over to Immigration and Customs Enforcement for further investigation. “We will continue working together with our Department of Homeland Security partners to identify and dismantle drug trafficking organizations to keep illegal drugs from being distributed throughout our communities,” said Matthew J. Etre, acting special agent in charge of ICE’s Office of Investigations in Newark.

Jessica Guinyard, age 20, and De Anne Browne, age 21, both U.S. citizens, were arrested at Newark Airport in connection with the smuggling attempt.

U.S. Customs and Border Protection arrested two women who attempted to smuggle more than 12 pounds of cocaine concealed in two false sided b...

Sentenced Terrence A. Parker to 10 years in prison

Sentenced Terrence A. Parker to 10 years in prison Friday then suspended half of that and ordered the 30-year-old to serve five years on supervised probation upon his release from prison.The first-time felon also must pay a $50,000 fine and court costs or go back to prison and serve the additional five years.Parker had more than 28 grams of cocaine in his possession when a state trooper stopped him while the Hattiesburg resident was traveling from Texas to Mississippi. Webster District Attorney Schuyler Marvin, in a news release, commends the trooper for searching the vehicle and finding the cocaine.During his presentence investigation, Parker indicated he was trying to make some money for his family. "Committing crimes is not a way to take care of your family," said Webster Chief Assistant District Attorney Sherb Sentell, who prosecuted the case. "Now Parker will spend at least five years away from his family serving a hard-labor sentence. And he must pay a $50,000 fine when he is released."

Sentenced Terrence A. Parker to 10 years in prison

Sentenced Terrence A. Parker to 10 years in prison Friday then suspended half of that and ordered the 30-year-old to serve five years on sup...

Former England pacer Chris Lewis arrested by UK Border Agency (UKBA) staff at Gatwick when four kg of cocaine worth £200,000

Former England pacer Chris Lewis, 40, was arrested by UK Border Agency (UKBA) staff at Gatwick when four kg of cocaine worth ?200,000 were f...

Daryl "Dazzy" Session reiterated his drug dealing but said he never ordered the killing of three men who robbed him.

He was a drug dealer but no killer, Daryl "Dazzy" Session said Friday.As he stood before U.S. District Judge David G. Larimer to be sentenced for running a drug ring that brought more than 100 kilograms of cocaine to Rochester, Session reiterated his drug dealing but said he never ordered the killing of three men who robbed him. "I'm sorry I did wrong by selling drugs," Session said. "I never wanted to compound my involvement by being in shootouts and stabbings and things like that. ... My mother raised me to respect people, and that's the way I've been."But Larimer, who found after a hearing that Session had indeed ordered hits on three people — resulting in the death of one — called Session a danger to the community and ordered him to prison for 33 years."I can't think of someone more violent than someone who doesn't do the dirty deed himself but hires someone to do it," Larimer said.Session, 36, pleaded guilty in January to charges of conspiracy to distribute cocaine, possession of cocaine, and possession of a firearm in furtherance of drug traffic. He faced at least 25 years in prison because he pleaded guilty without a plea agreement with prosecutors, said Assistant U.S. Attorney Douglas E. Gregory.At a sentencing hearing this summer, witnesses testified that Session paid $10,000 to kill Leonard "Fendy" Spears, 26, who was gunned down in a car at West Main and King streets on June 3, 2001. Two other men also were targeted; one was shot and survived and one escaped."He was a defendant who considered a human life was worth $10,000," Gregory said.Court documents said Session was exacting revenge against the men, who had shot him in the leg in March 2001 during the attempted robbery of a drug house he ran as part of his drug operation from January 2000 through April 2005.Larimer found that the shootings were revenge for the robbery and shooting but weren't done in furtherance of the drug trade. The judge's ruling, however, allowed him to enhance Session's penalty

Daryl "Dazzy" Session reiterated his drug dealing but said he never ordered the killing of three men who robbed him.

He was a drug dealer but no killer, Daryl "Dazzy" Session said Friday.As he stood before U.S. District Judge David G. Larimer to b...

Israeli citizen Moshe Abdulak, Peruvians Jorge Tragadona Modena, 41, Edmundo Zayers Neyra, 61, Manuel Tregear Muñoz, José Panta Girón were arrested

international drug ring, allegedly headed by an Israeli man, is out of business after Caribbean, Peruvian and Spanish police intercepted cocaine shipments hidden in lead-plated heavy machinery designed to fool airport x-ray security scans.Peru’s anti-drug unit, or Dirandro, sniffed out the drug traffickers in early October, after being tipped off by officials from the Bahamas. The island’s anti-drug authorities seized 294 kilos of cocaine concealed in lead-plated heavy machinery they determined had been shipped from Peru.Five days after the Bahamas drug bust, Spain seized 600 kilos of cocaine, also shipped from Peru, and also concealed in the same manner.On Nov. 19, Peru’s police drug enforcement unit, Dirandro, carried out four simultaneous raids in Lima’s districts of Miraflores, Ate, Chorrillos and San Isidro, seizing more than half a ton of cocaine.The illicit cargo, destined for the Middle East, is valued at approximately $150 million.Israeli citizen Moshe Abdulak, 53, and Peruvians Jorge Tragadona Modena, 41, Edmundo Zayers Neyra, 61, Manuel Tregear Muñoz, 53 and José Panta Girón were arrested.

Israeli citizen Moshe Abdulak, Peruvians Jorge Tragadona Modena, 41, Edmundo Zayers Neyra, 61, Manuel Tregear Muñoz, José Panta Girón were arrested

international drug ring, allegedly headed by an Israeli man, is out of business after Caribbean, Peruvian and Spanish police intercepted coc...

Keith Jeremy who "orchestrated the conspiracy" and was jailed for 18 years, was ordered to pay back £1m

Keith Jeremy, 43, of Sutton Coldfield, Martin Askew, 39, of no fixed abode, David Loone, 45, of Solihull, and John Pollard, 35, were jailed last December. Jeremy, who "orchestrated the conspiracy" and was jailed for 18 years, was ordered to pay back £1m at Birmingham Crown Court on Wednesday. Askew, who is serving a five-year jail term, was also told to pay back £1m. The gang was involved in smuggling cocaine, amphetamines and cannabis into the UK. West Midlands Police confiscated more than 300kg of drugs which it said had an estimated street value of £30m. Pollard, from Cossall, Nottinghamshire, who was sentenced to five years for drug trafficking, was told to pay back £34,000 at the confiscation hearing. Loone, who was sentenced to two years in jail for money laundering, was ordered to pay back £24,000. Det Ch Insp Mark Griffiths said more than £480,000 of cash had already been seized as well as "millions of pounds of drugs, which the gang had invested a lot of money in prior to their capture". He said: "This operation stopped a substantial amount of deadly drugs getting to the streets where they would have harmed people and blighted communities. "We have now stripped an entire crime gang of both drugs and the benefit of their criminal lifestyle." Four other men were also jailed last year in connection with investigation.

Keith Jeremy who "orchestrated the conspiracy" and was jailed for 18 years, was ordered to pay back £1m

Keith Jeremy, 43, of Sutton Coldfield, Martin Askew, 39, of no fixed abode, David Loone, 45, of Solihull, and John Pollard, 35, were jailed ...

Stopped Joice Way Hardin Jr. in a 1995 Suburban smelled marijuana and that Hardin kept "fumbling in center console."

<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgOKtbLSiuDjL5l7Txq11N66icmBWEEL8R5u7V1hyphenhyphen787sDkl4QrGwY51F_Pb73PSacMqyv961hc1FE6RDbbRtTbDC-4thlwjGA0tRunGwS5gFRGEkmYQyeOcZ8zGmWCcCD-Rktsj7Us-4o/s1600-h/kbcuxn-hardinjoicewayjr.jpg"><img alt="" border="0" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5276039947304315042" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgOKtbLSiuDjL5l7Txq11N66icmBWEEL8R5u7V1hyphenhyphen787sDkl4QrGwY51F_Pb73PSacMqyv961hc1FE6RDbbRtTbDC-4thlwjGA0tRunGwS5gFRGEkmYQyeOcZ8zGmWCcCD-Rktsj7Us-4o/s400/kbcuxn-hardinjoicewayjr.jpg" style="float:left; margin:0 10px 10px 0;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 230px; height: 172px;" /></a> Stopped Joice Way Hardin Jr. in a 1995 Suburban smelled marijuana and that Hardin kept "fumbling in center console."During a vehicle search, Biggerstaff reported finding 8 grams of cocaine including 15 individually wrapped crack cocaine rocks along with powder cocaine.Biggerstaff also reported finding less than one-half ounce of marijuana along with drug paraphernalia.Hardin, 35, of Gastonia was booked into Gaston County Jail under a $20,000 bond on charges of possession with intent to sell and deliver cocaine, felony possession of cocaine, manufacturing cocaine, maintaining a vehicle/dwelling for keeping a controlled substance, possession of marijuana up to one-half ounce and drug paraphernalia.

Stopped Joice Way Hardin Jr. in a 1995 Suburban smelled marijuana and that Hardin kept "fumbling in center console."

Stopped Joice Way Hardin Jr. in a 1995 Suburban smelled marijuana and that Hardin kept "fumbling in center console."During a vehic...

Texas Tech reserve DB De'Shon Sanders was arrested in a drug bust

Texas Tech reserve DB De'Shon Sanders was arrested in a drug bust early this morning in downtown Lubbock. He has been charged with felon...

Alan Souto veteran Passaic County Sheriff's Officer pleaded guilty today to stealing cocaine from a department evidence room

Veteran Passaic County Sheriff's Officer pleaded guilty today to stealing cocaine from a department evidence room and selling it to drug...

Peter Lloyd has been sentenced to 10 months in prison in Singapore

ABC foreign correspondent Peter Lloyd has been sentenced to 10 months in a Singapore prison after being caught in possession of a small amount of methamphetamine or "ice" in the island state famous for its hardline stance against drugs.Lloyd had pleaded guilty to three drugs charges including possessing ice. He was composed as he learned of his fate.He was handcuffed and taken to Changi prison after saying goodbye to his distressed former wife, Kirsty McIvor.Earlier his lawyer had told the court that Lloyd wanted to be reunited with his nine-year-old son, who is seriously ill.Lloyd, 42, appeared before Singapore's subordinate court, where a judge, Hamidah Ibrahim, handed down the sentence.Lloyd, who had postings in Bangkok and New Delhi and covered some of the most traumatic stories in the region over the past five years, has said he became an infrequent user of ice because it eased the recurrent nightmares he was suffering due to post-traumatic stress disorder.The well-regarded television and radio journalist had also split from his wife and come out as a homosexual in the months prior to his arrest.It had been thought that the dropping of an earlier trafficking charge against Lloyd augured well for a lesser sentence. The trafficking charge carried a maximum penalty of 20 years in prison and 15 strokes of a rattan cane, an excruciatingly painful punishment.His lawyer, Hamidul Haq, has previously expressed the view that Lloyd, who was on $S60,000 ($61,000) bail, would get a prison sentence of one year.AAP reports: The ABC later said the conviction meant Lloyd's employment with the national broadcaster had now ended. "Peter Lloyd has been sentenced to 10 months in prison in Singapore today on drug-related charges, and as such the ABC's employment relationship with Peter has come to an end," an ABC Corporate spokeswoman said in a statement."This is due to the fact that Peter is unavailable to work."The ABC has valued and respected Peter as an employee and as an outstanding journalist who is widely admired by colleagues and industry peers."The broadcaster spent more than $65,000 on initial legal support, counselling and related travel expenses since Lloyd's arrest earlier this year.

Peter Lloyd has been sentenced to 10 months in prison in Singapore

ABC foreign correspondent Peter Lloyd has been sentenced to 10 months in a Singapore prison after being caught in possession of a small amou...

Orville Cunningham, aged 42, was arrested earlier this year after the discovery of a large quantity of drugs, cash and UK passports

Orville Cunningham, aged 42, was arrested earlier this year after the discovery of a large quantity of drugs, cash and UK passports at a house in Lewisham. Two Jamaican passports under the names of Orville Cunningham and Douglas Anderson were also found hidden in locked suitcases, as well as correspondence under the name of Douglas Moon. Police found out that Cunningham, Anderson and Moon were the same person and he was traced to Wricklemarsh Road in Blackheath. In May police raided the property, which was Cunningham’s home address, and seized bags containing 3.14kg of crack cocaine, 1.378kg of heroin and 254g of cocaine, as well as £30,631.21 in cash. Officers also found two bags containing around £42,810 in cash and crack cocaine in the central console of a Lexus car. Cash amounting to £183,420 was also found in the boot of another vehicle nearby. Cunningham admitted to police he had been dealing £20,000 of illegal drugs a day since February 2007, but said he had been forced to do it due to threats of violence. Although he confessed he had bought a passport in the name of Douglas Anderson from a Nigerian, Cunningham would not explain to police why he had it in his possession. Cunningham pleaded guilty in July to four charges of possessing heroin and crack cocaine with intent to supply, one charge of possessing a false passport and two charges of possessing criminal property amounting to £256,697.21 in cash. At Woolwich Crown Court on Friday (November 28) he was sentenced to nine years in jail Detective Inspector Robert Boggon said: “It appears Cunningham was involved in a criminal network which laundered money and supplied street drug dealers, thus feeding gang and serious youth violence and knife-enabled crime. “We are continuing to investigate whether he has any other financial assets from his criminal activities that should be seized in the future."

Orville Cunningham, aged 42, was arrested earlier this year after the discovery of a large quantity of drugs, cash and UK passports

Orville Cunningham, aged 42, was arrested earlier this year after the discovery of a large quantity of drugs, cash and UK passports at a hou...