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Top Ten Cities for arresting Americans


The top 10 cities where Americans were arrested and the number taken into custody:
1. Tijuana: 520
2. Guadalajara: 416
3. Nuevo Laredo: 359
4. London: 274
5. Mexico City: 208
6. Toronto: 183
7. Nassau, Bahamas: 108
8. MĆ©rida, Mexico: 99
9. Nogales, Mexico: 96
10. Hong Kong: 90

Arrests WorldWide (Drug Enforcement)

Arrests WorldWide (Drug Enforcement)

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2,500 citizens are arrested abroad. One third of the arrests are on drug-related charges. Many of those arrested assumed as U.S. citizens that they could not be arrested. From Asia to Africa, Europe to South America, citizens are finding out the hard way that drug possession or trafficking equals jail in foreign countries.
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Saturday, November 29

Joseph Frank Micalizzi from Sydney granted bail to a 25-year-old man accused of involvement in a $77 million drug importation into Jandakot airport

Joseph Frank Micalizzi from Sydney was arrested in March after police found a large quantity of methylamphetamines and ecstacy in the luggage compartment of the plane in which Mr Micalizzi was a passenger.Perth Magistrate has granted bail to a 25-year-old man accused of involvement in a $77 million drug importation into Jandakot airport in PerthToday his lawyer Jeremy Scuds told the court, that Mr Micalizzi knew nothing about the drugs and was on the plane for a joy flight.
Magistrate Peter Malone granted Mr Micalizzi $100 thousand bail with a similar surety.He will have to live in Perth, surrender his passport and not go near any departure points within the state.Mr Micalizzi is due back in court later this month.

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Friday, November 28

Robert Tanco was charged with single counts of possession of heroin with intent to deliver

Robert Tanco, of the 1200 block of Fritz Drive, exited the house he shares with Sally Garcia, as police served a warrant at 6:30 p.m., according to court papers. After a brief chase, police collared Tanco and allegedly found the packets of heroin and a large amount of cash. Police did not say how much money he had.Tanco was charged with single counts of possession of heroin with intent to deliver, possession of heroin and possession of drug paraphernalia. He was sent to Northampton County Prison in lieu of $40,000 bail.

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Thursday, November 27

Terence Lamar Campbell, 39, was sentenced Monday

Terence Lamar Campbell, 39, was sentenced Monday by U.S. District Judge Gerald E. Rosen after he pleaded guilty to possession with intent to distribute cocaine and money laundering, the U.S. Attorney's Office said Tuesday. Campbell received more than 100 kilograms of cocaine in August 2001, federal prosecutors said in a statement. He created Wise Choice Management, which purchased and controlled at least 105 pieces of real estate, to disguise his drug proceeds, the statement said.
Campbell's attorney, Henry Scharg, said in a court filing that Campbell knows he broke the law and must face the consequences. "Mr. Campbell has shown much spirituality and maturity while awaiting disposition of his case over the last 30 months, and that he has a great love of family," Scharg said.

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Jeffrey J. LaBarber, 53, and Kaasha S. McClain, 28, both of Maple Drive, admitted to fifth-degree criminal sale of a controlled substance

Jeffrey J. LaBarber, 53, and Kaasha S. McClain, 28, both of Maple Drive, admitted to fifth-degree criminal sale of a controlled substance and were scheduled for sentencing Feb. 3 by Judge Sara Sheldon Sperrazza. LaBarber, who is in ill health, was promised a sentence of no more than a year in the Niagara County Jail, while McClain received no promises and could be sent to prison for up to 2z years. The two had been charged with selling cocaine to undercover police in Wheatfield on Jan. 24 and Feb. 1.

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Michael Larry of Muncie, Ind., was arrested Monday.

Michael Larry of Muncie, Ind., was arrested Monday. He's charged with possession of marijuana with the intent to distribute, possession of cocaine, possession of marijuana and misrepresentation during booking. Once at the jail, deputies say they discovered Larry was wanted in Indiana on a charge of possession of cocaine.

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Jose M. Hernandez, 41, of Ipswich, Mass. was arrested on a charge of trafficking in cocaine by possession and transportation

Jose M. Hernandez, 41, of Ipswich, Mass. was arrested on a charge of trafficking in cocaine by possession and transportation. He is in the Iredell County Detention Center in lieu of a $350,000 bond.Sheriff Phil Redmond said the ICE team made a traffic stop in the southbound lane near the 62 mile marker in northern Iredell County for a traffic violation.During a search of the 2004 Chrysler Town and Country van, the deputies for a hidden compartment in the firewall, and inside the compartment was the cocaine and cash, Redmond said.The cocaine has a street value of $250,000

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Michael Andrew Neave, 42, of Waverley Terrace, Hartlepool, was sentenced to three years in prison


Michael Andrew Neave, 42, of Waverley Terrace, Hartlepool, was sentenced to three years in prison.He appeared in court on September 8, and admitted 21 charges of supplying heroin and six of supplying crack cocaine.Michael Neave.The drug addict was caught dealing £10 and £20 wraps of heroin and crack cocaine between September 26 and November 14 last year, Teesside Crown Court heard.
Paul Cleasby, defending, said: "The defendant received no financial rewards for his part in these matters, it was about feeding his own habit."Judge Les Spittle said: "You were dealing in order to fund your own and your associates' habits.
"It is quite clear to me you were dealing on a daily basis but it was to fund your own habits."The judge jailed Neave for a total of three years for all offences.

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Colin Paul Clark faced 22 charges of supplying heroin after selling it to an undercover police officer on 21 occasions


Colin Paul Clark faced 22 charges of supplying heroin after selling it to an undercover police officer on 21 occasions between October 17 and November 20 last year.Colin ClarkOfficers also observed Colin Paul Clark dealing to members of the public on a further three occasions, said prosecutor Gillian Milton.
When he was arrested last December he was in possession of six wraps of heroin.
He had previously been jailed in 2006 for three years for possession with intent to supply, Teesside Crown Court was told on September 18.Ian Mullarkey, mitigating, said Clark had been a drug addict for 13 years and was dealing to fund his own habit. He claims to be selling drugs on a dealer's behalf.Judge Michael Taylor told Clark: "It is an evil trade and one which you willingly entered into. The courts will do all they can to stamp out that trade, and long sentences must follow, and yours must be five years.

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Teesside Crown Court heard Norman Gary Hanley supplied the two undercover officers with more than £600 worth of heroin in 12 different deals


Teesside Crown Court heard Norman Gary Hanley supplied the two undercover officers with more than £600 worth of heroin in 12 different deals between November and December last year.Norman HanleyOn August 8, the court heard the officers would ring Hanley and arrange to meet at public places including on Raby Road, Grainger Street, Whitby Street and at his home. Many of the transactions were captured on CCTV.Jolyon Perks, prosecuting, said: "Initial contact was made from an introduction by another drug user. "On all occasions throughout this operation the defendant was seen to turn up and when he supplied police had more wraps than he was handing over."
Hanley, of Church Street, Hartlepool, pleaded guilty to 12 counts of supplying heroin at an earlier hearing.Judge Brian Forster QC said: "The courts have to make it clear to people in this area that those who become involved in the supply of heroin are committing a serious offence and can expect a significant sentence of imprisonment."

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Philip michael Quinn jailed for four and a half years


He was seen twice by police dealing in highly-addictive crack cocaine which the judge, Recorder Colin Burn, said caused nothing but misery.
He was also convicted of supplying another dealer with a rock of crack cocaine - who then handed it straight to undercover police.On sentencing Quinn the judge said: "The drug in which you dealt makes this a very serious matter.Philip Quinn
"As you heard during the trial, crack cocaine is a highly-addictive drug for which there is no medical substitute and causes great misery and no doubt a little profit to you."

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Jesus Rafael Larrazolo,claimed he was forced by threats to pick up the drugs, more than 60 pounds of cocaine, in Brownsville.

Jesus Rafael Larrazolo, who resigned from the Department of Public Safety after his Nov. 21 arrest, remained in custody following Wednesday's hearing.Court documents indicate Larrazolo claimed he was forced by threats to pick up the drugs, more than 60 pounds of cocaine, in Brownsville. He was charged with possession with intent to distribute cocaine.Defense attorney Domingo Garza told KGBT-TV that the 35-year-old ex-lawman agreed to surrender his passport, and other restrictions, as a condition of release. A lower bond of $100,000, with 10 percent down, was sought.But federal authorities argued for a pay-in-full higher bond, as two FBI agents testified they received information that Larrazolo, if freed, might flee to Mexico.

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"DJ Blaze and "DJ Hog Head Cheese," 151-month sentence for 28-year-old Kenneth Watkins.

U.S. Attorney's Office on Wednesday announced the 151-month sentence for 28-year-old Kenneth Watkins.Watkins was convicted in August on both counts of a cocaine-related indictment. He was charged with conspiracy to distribute and possess with intent to distribute five kilograms or more of cocaine, and possession with intent to distribute five kilograms or more of cocaine.Prosecutors say Watkins, known as "DJ Blaze and "DJ Hog Head Cheese," and 37-year-old Steven Alexander Aaron were stopped April 22 in Taylor County.A search of a Range Rover, behind hauled by the two men, turned up six bricks of cocaine in a backpack. Prosecutors say Watkins hid the backpack, with $3 million in cocaine, in the Range Rover being transported from Phoenix to Atlanta.Watkins was sentenced Monday.Aaron, who was driving, pleaded guilty to conspiracy to distribute and possess with intent to distribute five kilograms or more of cocaine and was sentenced to 188 months in prison.

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Gustavo Hernandez-Gonzalez transported and sold cocaine to confidential sources working with the street enforcement team.



36-year-old South Lake Tahoe man has been charged with four counts of trafficking in a controlled substance, reportedly selling 56 ounces of cocaine to Douglas County Sheriff’s Office confidential sources.
Gustavo Hernandez-Gonzalez was arrested Nov. 20 following his release from El Dorado County Jail on unrelated drug charges. He was jailed in California in March.
He is in custody in Douglas County Jail and has a hold placed by Immigration and Customs Enforcement.In January and February, detectives of the Douglas County Sheriff’s Narcotics Street Enforcement Team investigated Hernandez-Gonzalez for sales of a controlled substance (cocaine). Hernandez-Gonzalez transported and sold cocaine to confidential sources working with the street enforcement team. A total of 56 ounces of cocaine was sold during those transactions, according to the sheriff’s office.

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Lorenzo Alvarez, 40, of Yuma Ariz., and passenger Laura Ramirez-Vasquez, 25, of Mexico.face federal charges for narcotics possession, distribution

The Fairfield Police, working in cooperation with the Department of Homeland Security, Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE), seized a large quantity of cocaine and heroin on Friday, Nov. 21, following a traffic stop on Passaic Ave., said Deputy Chief Steven Gutkin.Officer Jeffrey Didyk stopped a 2007 Chevrolet Aveo on Passaic Avenue around 4 p.m. for a routine motor vehicle violation and discovered the driver Lorenzo Alvarez, 40, of Yuma Ariz., and passenger Laura Ramirez-Vasquez, 25, of Mexico.Upon further investigation police and federal agents found three suitcases containing 56 kilograms of cocaine and 27 kilograms of heroin.
The two suspects had just arrived at the Essex County Airport in Fairfield in a small private Cessna plane. They rented a car at the airport and were allegedly on their way to New York City when they were stopped.The narcotics have an estimated street value of $4.7 million, Gutkin said.
Alverez and Vazquez were later released to the custody of ICE agents and will face federal charges for narcotics possession, distribution and conspiracy.

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Brandon Ecoffey, 25, Pine Ridge, pleaded not guilty to a federal grand jury indictment charging him with conspiracy to distribute cocaine

Brandon Ecoffey, 25, Pine Ridge, pleaded not guilty to a federal grand jury indictment charging him with conspiracy to distribute cocaine and marijuana and possession with intent to distribute cocaine. He is charged along with seven others in connection with a conspiracy that prosecutors believe began in 2002 or earlier on the Pine Ridge Indian Reservation. If convicted of conspiracy, he would face a mandatory minimum of 10 years in prison with a maximum of life in prison. Conspiracy to distribute marijuana is punishable by a mandatory minimum of five years with a maximum of 40 years in prison upon conviction. The possession charge carries a maximum penalty of 20 years in prison upon conviction. Large fines are also possible. Ecoffey was released pending trial.

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Shane Tyon, 32, and Donroy Ghost Bear, 43, both pleaded guilty in U.S. District Court to a charge of conspiracy to distribute a controlled substance.

Shane Tyon, 32, and Donroy Ghost Bear, 43, both pleaded guilty in U.S. District Court to a charge of conspiracy to distribute a controlled substance. Both face at least 10 years in prison when sentenced Feb. 3.According to federal court documents, Tyon was a courier and a street-level dealer for the conspiracy between 2001 and 2006. Ghost Bear traveled to Denver to get cocaine and also distributed drugs on the reservation during that same time.Tyon and Ghost Bear are the last of five co-defendants to plead guilty in the case. Dale Ecoffey pleaded guilty to possession with intent to distribute and was sentenced to 70 months in prison. Jeremy Waters pleaded guilty to the same charge and received a 23-month sentence. Vince Lafferty also pleaded guilty to possession and will be sentenced Dec. 23.Conspiracy has a maximum penalty of life in prison and a $4 million fine. Tyon and Ghost Bear are in custody pending sentencing.

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Jose Angel Bruno Melgar, handed a $20 bill and .4 grams of cocaine, which has a street value of $20, to a dancer in exchange for a lap dance.

Jose Angel Bruno Melgar, 19, was arrested outside Jiggles Tavern, an 18-and-over strip club on 7455 S.W. Nyberg St. in Tualatin, on Saturday, Oct. 25. A bouncer reported to police that Bruno Melgar handed a $20 bill and .4 grams of cocaine, which has a street value of $20, to a dancer in exchange for a lap dance. He was escorted outside where he was arrested just after 10 p.m. Tualatin police said the employees of Jiggles did a commendable job of policing their business. Bruno Melgar was convicted on Nov. 17, for one count of delivery of cocaine, a felony, and was sentenced to two years of probation as well as community service work.

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Sentenced Dwight Shumate, 27, of Chicago, Ill., to two years in prison for possession of cocaine.

Sentenced Dwight Shumate, 27, of Chicago, Ill., to two years in prison for possession of cocaine.Shumate, who pleaded guilty Oct. 28, had small bits of crack cocaine on his jeans when police stopped him July 27 at 25th Avenue and Hobart Street in Gary. An officer stopped Shumate for failing to make a complete stop at the stop sign. When the officer walked up to the car, he noticed Shumate frantically reach down next to the driver's seat and spotted the small bits of crack on his jeans.Deputy prosecutor Jason Denny prosecuted the case.

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Timothy Rebello Badal pleaded guilty to the charge of possession of narcotics for the purpose of trafficking

Timothy Rebello Badal of 193 Middle Road, La Penitence, Georgetown initially pleaded guilty to the charge of possession of narcotics for the purpose of trafficking when it was read to him by Magistrate Hazel Octive-Hamilton.It is alleged that on November 25 at CJIA, Timehri, Badal had in his possession three kilogrammes of cocaine for the purpose of trafficking.Customs Anti-Narcotics Unit (CANU) Prosecutor Oswald Massiah told the court that on the day in question the accused was about to board LIAT flight number 4778 to Barbados.A suitcase, which was checked in earlier by Badal, was scanned and appeared to contain some suspicious objects. As a result the accused was prevented from boarding the aircraft and he identified the suitcase as his.Further, Massiah said, in Badal’s presence a detailed search was carried out by CANU officers on the suitcase and the alleged substance was found concealed. The man was arrested and taken to CANU Headquarters.Massiah informed the court that while in CANU’s custody the accused offered an explanation to the officers. Badal, Massiah said, had stated he was taking the suitcase containing the substance to Barbados. On arrival in Barbados, the accused told CANU, he would have removed his personal belongings from the suitcase and handed it over to a taxi driver who would then have given him US$7,000.In his explanation to the court, Badal said he did not know that the suitcase contained drugs. The accused said he was just transporting the suitcase to Barbados so he would have an opportunity to get a job when he got there.“When I was at the airport,” Badal explained, “I didn’t know it was drugs in the suitcase until a CANU officer took me to the suitcase and asked if it belonged to me. I told them yes.”According to Badal, he had spoken to a friend from Barbados who told him that he would be able to get a job for him there.“He tell me that it gon make things easy for me travelling for the first time. That is why I take the opportunity because I was going there to get a job,” Badal insisted.The man further told the court that on the day in question he put his clothes into a bag and a car picked him up at his home. According to Badal, the man in the car took his clothes from the bag and packed them into the suitcase. He repeated to the magistrate that he didn’t know cocaine was in the suitcase.Magistrate Octive-Hamilton then informed the accused that officials at the airport would always ask whether you had packed your own suitcase. She told the man that there was a reason for that question being asked as it served to remind individuals about the risk they placed themselves in when they did not pack their own luggage.At this point, attorney-at-law Euclin Gomes entered appearance for the accused and informed the court that his “client wished to change his plea to not guilty”.According to Gomes, at the time Badal pleaded guilty he was unrepresented and he did not know the consequences of that plea. Gomes did not make an application for bail.“Justice is all about fairness in this court,” Magistrate Octive-Hamilton stated after granting the attorney’s application for a change of plea.Badal was remanded to prison and he has to appear at the Providence Magistrate’s Court on December 5.

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Sentence passed Alan Malkov and Vladimir Agronik (34 years old) were found guilty of having Extasy in their posession with intent to supply.

Sentenced was passed today on two Jewish men involved in an International drug smuggling case.The two are alleged members of a gang who export extasy from Europe to the USA, Australia, New (Zealand, Japan and Thailand.Both the USA and Thailand had issued arrest warrants for the men, who were fooled into a fake sale by US D.E.A. agents and Thai Vice Squad at the end of last year.They were caught with over 20 thousand Extasy pills.The Courts made the unanimous decision to Execute the two men - a further two men, Thai Nationals from Chiang Mai were sentenced, but the Death penalty was lowered because they admitted their guilt and these two should get away with about 25 years each in prison and a further fine of 2 million baht.
In room 709 of the National Criminal Courts in Ratchadapisek on the 25th of November Mr. Alan Malkov (37 years old), and Mr. Vladimir Agronik (34 years old) were found guilty of having Extasy in their posession with intent to supply. The two were tricked into a dummy sale by Thai police in conjuncton with US D.E.A. agents, who "bought" 20,049 pills at a propsed sale of 5 dollars per pill from Mr. Malkov, who had agreed to deliver the goods to the Wiang Tai hotel in Soi Rambutri near the Khao Sarn Road in Bangkok.At 21:00 there, Mr.Agronik appeared with a red suitcase containing the drugs and dleivered it to the undercover policemen, upon which the police raided and arrested him.After making the arrest of Mr.Agronik, the police managed to arrest Mr. Malkov in front of the Boots pharmacy in Thanon Jakrapong .The defendant denied the charges, but the Judges considered the facts and testimonies of the witnesses, and ordered both men to be Executed as punishment.On the same day - Two Chiang Mai men were sentenced to Life Imprisonment and 4 Million baht fines each; Mr. Chadtri jantdtong (46) and Mr. Ja Er Jalorbu (28) were caught with 38 thousand "Yaba" pills (methyl amphetamine). Because they agreed to their guilty plea, they were shown mercy and not given the Death Sentence, having their sentences lowered to 25 years and a 2 million baht fine each.

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Susanna Janury was recommended for deportation to Malaysia on completion of her sentence

Susanna Janury was recommended for deportation to Malaysia on completion of her sentence.The 36-year-old was caught with 2.1kg of 100 per cent pure cocaine concealed in the lining of her suitcase after arriving at the Castle Donington airport from Gambia.She admitted illegally importing the class A drug on April 29.
Jonathan Gosling, prosecuting, said Janury arrived from Malaysia on April 15, with a ticket home for a month later.She met up with a member of a drug smuggling gang in London, who arranged for her to fly to Gambia on April 22 to collect the cocaine, returning to East Midlands four days later.
Leicester Crown Court was told Janury's passport showed she had travelled extensively, including a one-day visit to Peru and trips to Spain and India.
She had sought visas to China and Australia.
Judge Michael Pert QC said: "It shows she's a professional courier."
Graham Huston, defending, said: "She's been used for a considerable time by a well-organised gang, although it's not known if any trips were dummy runs.
"She has been used like cattle and sent to places, only to be met with abuse when she gets back.
"It's difficult to understand the extent of poverty and need where she comes from.
"After her divorce, her husband took the children because she had no money.
"The small amount of money she would have received would have enabled her to get her children back."
He said Janury also needed to pay for care for her sick mother.
Mr Huston said: "It's a case of a lamb to the slaughter and she had no comprehension of what was involved, the amount or purity."
Judge Pert told her: "I have to sentence you for importing a large and valuable consignment of a very dangerous drug."
After the case, Steve Watson, senior investigation officer for Revenue and Customs, said: "We are working alongside the newly formed UK Border Agency to stop these dangerous drugs entering the UK and to reduce the associated harm to our communities.

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Tuesday, November 25

British Olympic boxer Bradley Saunders has been questioned by police on suspicion of dealing cocaine


British Olympic boxer Bradley Saunders has been questioned by police on suspicion of dealing cocaine, it emerged on Tuesday.Saunders, 22, who was a big medal hope at the Beijing Games, was held after a police sniffer dog found what was believed to be £12,000 of the drug in his back garden.A warrant was executed at his semi-detached home in Cragside, Sedgefield, County Durham, at 1pm on Monday. The boxer was taken away for questioning with his girlfriend Stephanie Elliott, also 22, and the couple were held overnight at Spennymoor Police Station. A Durham Police spokesman said the couple were later released on police bail.The dog alerted officers to a tin which contained more than 300g of white powder. It was sent away for analysis.Saunders was tipped to bring back a gold medal from the summer games and was criticised after he said he was relieved to be going home to his young family after a shock defeat in his second fight.

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Monday, November 24

Department of Public Safety Trooper Jesus Rafael Larrazolo, 35, made his first appearance in federal court

State trooper has been charged with possession with intent to distribute cocaine after police said they saw him accept two suitcases full of the drug in a parking lot.state trooper has been charged with possession with intent to distribute cocaine after police said they saw him accept two suitcases full of the drug in a parking lot.The U.S. Attorney's office said in a statement that Department of Public Safety Trooper Jesus Rafael Larrazolo, 35, made his first appearance in federal court Monday. DPS spokeswoman Lisa Block said Larrazolo resigned shortly after his arrest Friday.Brownsville police and agents from the FBI's Special Investigations Unit saw Larrazolo pull into a Best Buy parking lot next to another vehicle, then take two suitcases from it. Larrazolo was dressed in street clothes, but identified himself as a trooper when police approached. He was carrying a gun.There were 26 kilograms of cocaine in the suitcases. According to court records, Larrazolo told a Texas Ranger after his arrest that he had been forced by threats to pick up the drugs.Block said Larrazolo joined the department in October 2002 and was working as a commercial vehicle enforcement officer in Cameron County. The FBI is investigating the case.It was not immediately clear from court records if Larrazolo had an attorney.

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Sunday, November 23

Williams and Donte R. Hardin, 20, arrested

Williams and Donte R. Hardin, 20, were arrested upon the completion of the transaction on suspicion of their involvement in this and previous illegal drug sales occurring during the two-week investigation, Beckman said. According to a Police Department news release, Williams was arrested on suspicion of three counts of distribution of a controlled substance near schools and the unlawful transfer of weapons. Hardin was arrested on suspicion of distribution of a controlled substance near schools, operating a motor vehicle with a revoked license and resisting arrest. About three hours later, officers were tipped off to a drug sale in a parking lot located at 2001 W. Worley St. This resulted in the arrest of Christopher D. Turner, 32, for the possession of 7 grams of crack cocaine, which he attempted to destroy while resisting officers, Beckman said. Turner was arrested on suspicion of second-degree trafficking, tampering with physical evidence and resisting arrest.

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Luke Ryan was caught trying to smuggle cocaine and cannabis to inmates at Winchester jail


Luke Ryan was caught trying to smuggle cocaine and cannabis to inmates at Winchester jail, a court has heard. Police were lying in wait for Luke Ryan, pictured, at the prison after suspicions were raised about his conduct. They found cocaine, cannabis and cannabis resin in the 34-year-old’s black Reebok bag. Heroin and more than £3,000 in cash was found at his Southampton home, it was claimed Winchester Crown Court heard that Ryan told police he was taking the items into the jail because he was being blackmailed. He said inmates had threatened to tell the prison governor about his second job as a doorman of a nightclub, something he was suspended for in April 2007. In a second interview with police in March, Ryan produced two letters – dated in December 2007, before his arrest – in which he claims he wrote to the prison, highlighting the situation he was in. In them the ex-Surrey police officer admitted bringing CDs and pornographic material into the jail and said he had been “subject to a campaign of threats, intimidation and bullying”. Stephen Parish, prosecuting, said: “Make no bones about this, these letters were forged in the sense the defendant wrote them after the event in an attempt to pervert the course of justice and to pretend he’d brought things to the attention of the prison. “This qualifies for The Man Booker Prize for fiction.” Mr Parish, referring to messages on a Nokia mobile phone found at Ryan’s flat, added: “They show first of all that this defendant was far more involved than he said and secondly that he was not acting under any duress.” Ryan, of Hill Lane, denies a conspiracy to supply cocaine and a lesser charge of possession of the drug, with intent to supply. He also pleaded not guilty to a conspiracy to supply cannabis and cannabis resin and a further charge of possessing heroin with intent to supply

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Stephen Speight, 43, of Whinney Banks Road, Middlesbrough, was sentenced to three-and-a-half years in prison

Stephen Speight, 43, of Whinney Banks Road, Middlesbrough, was sentenced to three-and-a-half years in prison Police executed a search warrant at his friend’s home in Barsford Road, Thorntree, where they found Speight with 2.915g of heroin worth about £291. Speight, who was also carrying £733 in cash, made full admissions to the police and admitted he had been selling heroin for around seven days, Teesside Crown Court heard.Prosecutor Richard Parsell said: “The defendant admitted the drugs were his and said his intention was to sell them.“He admitted he had been supplying heroin over the past week and volunteered the information that he had sold about 20 wraps. There’s no evidence of this, apart from his own admissions.”Officers discovered a plastic tub containing heroin in two separate packets and three foil wraps. In the room there was also drugs paraphernalia, including scales and a Stanley blade. There was also a single Subutex tablet with a street value of £5.
Back in 2001, Speight was sentenced to four years in prison after he sold heroin to police officers who were carrying out a test purchase.Mitigating, Paul Green described Speight as a “street level dealer and nothing more” and said he was “particularly disappointed with himself.”

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Gary Kilcup, 40, was sentenced to 15 years in prison. His sister, Nicola Kilcup, 36, got a 12-year sentence and her husband, Shawn Vanell Piper, 38.

Gary Kilcup, 40, was sentenced to 15 years in prison. His sister, Nicola Kilcup, 36, got a 12-year sentence and her husband, Shawn Vanell Piper, 38, was given a 13-year sentence.Gary Kilcup appeared before U.S. District Judge Robert Lasnik on Friday. His sister and brother-in-law were sentenced last week.Prosecutors sought a lengthy sentence for Gary Kilcup, noting that he has prior convictions for manslaughter and drug trafficking. Still, Kilcup told Lasnik Friday that "I'm about as dangerous as Santa Claus," according to a news release from the U.S. Attorney's Office.Lasnik told Kilcup that he had abused the public's trust for the last time. One more offense after this 15-year stretch, the judge said, and Kilcup will go away for life."You don't get the benefit of the doubt when you have abused the trust of the community repeatedly," the judge said.Agents from the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives took down the organization last year, arresting 15 people and seizing drugs and firearms.They dubbed the investigation "Operation Clean Ride" since some of the drugs were being sold out of Kilcup's business, Extreme Auto Detail in South Seattle.The agents said the case was unusual because the Kilcups and Piper were older than most of the drug dealers they run across.When Kilcup was arrested in March, according to court documents, he was in possession of cocaine and packaging materials. He later confessed to moving at least 20 pounds of cocaine over the past year.Agents mounted a series of controlled drug buys during the investigation, and captured many of them on videotape. They also tapped a telephone, on which they recorded Kilcup making drug deals even after his initial arrest.
Much of the drugs were being sold to gang members, who were reselling them

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Friday, November 21

Vonnie Williams, 44, was sentenced to 30 years in prison. His co-defendant Aaron Washington, 42, was sentenced to 15 years.



Vonnie Williams, 44, was sentenced to 30 years in prison. His co-defendant Aaron Washington, 42, was sentenced to 15 years. The pair were facing a maximum penalty of 99 years in prison. Juneau drug dealers received hefty prison sentences Thursday for operating a cocaine smuggling and dealing ring. Both were convicted last month of running a multiyear drug-smuggling and drug-dealing operation that used several people, oftentimes women who had been lovers with at least one of the pair, to smuggle in cocaine on commercial flights to Juneau. The estimated street value the pair smuggled in or dealt from 2003 to 2007 was nearly $1.7 million, according to Juneau District Attorney Doug Gardner. Superior Court Judge Patricia Collins said the different sentences were a reflection, in part, of Williams' "terrible" criminal record and Washington's better prospects of being rehabilitated. During the sentencing hearing Wednesday, Gardner said that Williams had exhausted his chances to change his ways and had to be locked up for a long time to protect the community from the havoc Williams created with his actions and the drugs he sold. "He is just not going to rehabilitate," Gardner said, adding that a longer sentence similar to those handed out for more violent crimes such as murder and kidnapping was appropriate. "It's hard to conceive of another crime when the human wreckage piles up as high as it has in this particular case." Williams, speaking for the first time in court since his trial began, said that he was a drug addict who was being set up to take the fall for a whole group of drug users, many of whom he said testified against him at his trial. "I'm going to take full responsibility for what I did. I will be sentenced for what I did," Williams said. "I don't want to be sentenced for what everybody else did." By contrast, Washington used his time to speak in court to apologize to the community for his actions. "It was immoral, unethical and out of character," said Washington, who also spoke for the first time in court since the trial began. Washington said he deserved to be punished, but asked for leniency, citing the fact that he'd already had to miss the birth of a grandchild and spending time with his dying mother because of the charges. "I suffered," Washington said, while choking up. "I just need an opportunity to correct what I did wrong. I just need an opportunity." Collins said she believed that Washington, who had no significant criminal record prior to this year, had shown remorse and had a "good" chance of being rehabilitated, if he stayed away from drugs. But she said Williams had only the slimmest of chances of being rehabilitated. Collins said she was troubled that the statements made in court by Williams didn't recognize the scope of his crime and the number of people who were likely affected by his actions. "When we talk about these kinds of quantities, it's hard to imagine that (the drugs weren't) finding their way, somehow, to (children)," Collins said. Williams also was sentenced Thursday for his role in the theft of checks from Taku Smokeries last year. And Washington was sentenced for another drug dealing crime that he was found guilty of earlier this year. The additional sentencing had no effect on total prison time. Both Washington's and Williams' sentences could be reduced if certain requirements, such as behaving in prison, are met. According to Collins, Williams could be released in 20 years; Washington could be free in seven and a half years. Lawyers for the pair said they will appeal the trial's verdict shortly. The lawyers said they were unable to present their full case to the jury because some of their witnesses weren't granted immunity from prosecution, while some of the state's witnesses were.

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Thursday, November 20

Sandra Lee Winkler, 51, of Milwaukee is charged with one count of delivery of a controlled substance, 1 gram or less of cocaine


Sandra Lee Winkler, 51, of Milwaukee is charged with one count of delivery of a controlled substance, 1 gram or less of cocaine, as well as one count of possession of a cocaine. According to the complaint, Milwaukee police and U.S. postal inspectors were following Winkler last week while she worked her route. They watched her park outside her home on S. 36th St. After Winkler went inside, another person drove up and went inside for several minutes, then drove away, the complaint says.
Winkler then left in her mail truck and was followed to the 1500 block of S. 38th St., where she met briefly with a woman and handed her something, according to the complaint. That woman then got into a car and drove away. The woman in the car later was seen smoking as her 3-year-old child sat next to her, according to the complaint. When police stopped the car, they found crack cocaine and a crack pipe in her purse. She told officers she had just gotten the crack from Winkler, her mother, the complaint says.Meanwhile, Winkler stopped near the 3800 block of W. Mitchell St. and got into the back of the truck shortly before a postal inspector opened the rear door and found her smoking crack, according to the complaint.Winkler told police that she had been using the drug daily for a couple of years and used the back of the mail truck for privacy, the complaint says.Winkler has been employed by the Postal Service eight years and will remain on leave without pay pending the criminal case, said Breck Nolin, the deputy special agent in charge of the service's inspector general's office in Illinois.If convicted of delivery of the drug, Winkler would face up to 10 years in prison and $25,000 in fines. The second count comes with penalties of up to a year in jail and $5,000 in fines. Her driving privileges could be suspended up to five years on each count. Any revocation imposed

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Mohammad Mahdi Zaghari was charged with trafficking in cocaine

Mohammad Mahdi Zaghari, 22 of West Cope Road, was charged with trafficking in cocaine, 58 grams, and conspire to traffic in cocaine, according to the arrest warrants. His bond was set at $20,000.

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Alexis R. Marrero,discovered he had a switchblade knife.

Alexis R. Marrero, 31, on Dolson Avenue around 9 p.m. for an equipment violation and while interviewing him, discovered he had a switchblade knife. After arresting Marrero on the weapons charge, they searched his vehicle and found approximately 200 grams of cocaine.Marrero was sent to Orange County Jail without bail.

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Julian Robert Cazabon, 38, pleaded guilty to conspiring with the police informer and others to smuggle cocaine.

Julian Robert Cazabon, 38, pleaded guilty to conspiring with the police informer and others to smuggle cocaine. The County Court heard the supergrass and another man, Shanu Krawiec, organised foreigners to act as drug couriers and to deposit cash into accounts in Australia. The informer was sent ATM cards so he could obtain the money overseas to buy more cocaine and pay for courier expenses. Cazabon's first job for the drug network was to meet and greet a drug mule on arrival at Sydney Airport in September last year. Defence lawyer John Kelly said his client, a long-term drug addict, used to buy his amphetamines from the supergrass and owed him a lot of money. After receiving threats, Cazabon went into hiding, but later agreed to meet the supergrass in Thailand. He refused to help traffic drugs there, but agreed he would try to pay off his $10,000 debt some other way and was later instructed to meet a man at Sydney Airport who had swallowed 1kg of cocaine. But the man, Michael McGrath, was arrested by Canadian police before he boarded the flight.
Cazabon said he got paid only $1000 for his role and had been terrified of the supergrass after receiving threats over the phone and a break-in at his parents' home. The court was told the police informer was fighting extradition to Australia from the Netherlands, where he was arrested in December last year. Judge Frank Gucciardo adjourned sentencing, pending a medical report.

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Rhianna Haddox is charged with three felony counts of sale of cocaine within 1,000 feet of a church.

Deputies busted an East Naples woman they say sold cocaine to an undercover investigators three times over the last two months.And unfortunately for 26-year-old Rhianna Haddox, her Green Valley Circle apartment is just 270 feet from a church - earning her a bumped-up charge.Deputies say Haddox sold to their investigator on October 15, October 28 and November 8.Each purchase was $150, according to the sheriff's office.Haddox is charged with three felony counts of sale of cocaine within 1,000 feet of a church.

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Hamilton County Sheriff Billy Long arrested Feb. 2 on extortion, money laundering and drug charges and later resigned sentenced to 14 years in prison

A federal judge sentenced a former sheriff in Tennessee to 14 years in prison on Wednesday for convictions that included shaking down convenience store clerks for protection money and transporting cocaine by the pound.U.S. District Judge Harry S. Mattice Jr. told former Hamilton County Sheriff Billy Long he deserved no special treatment. There is "just a lot of anger, a sense of betrayal in the community," the judge said. "I'm not sure I've seen anything as egregiously venal."Long asked the court for mercy, saying he takes full responsibility for what he did and asks "God's forgiveness."The 55-year-old was arrested Feb. 2 on extortion, money laundering and drug charges and later resigned. He pleaded guilty in May.Court records show the FBI began investigating Long using the Rev. Eugene Overstreet, a Chattanooga mortuary owner who is a convicted felon, as an undercover informant.Before the sentencing, Assistant U.S. Attorney Gary Humble reminded the judge that Long gave a gun to Overstreet, knowing he was a convicted felon, and told him to throw it away if he used it.An FBI agent's affidavit says Long told agents he was involved in drug trafficking, and that hours before his arrest he had loaded 10 kilograms — or 22 pounds — of cocaine into the trunk of a car.Court records said Long also accepted $17,400 from Eastern Indian convenience store owners "to protect their video poker business and other illegal activity" such as products used to make methamphetamine, and threatened at least one for failing to "fulfill his campaign donation promise" to Long.Another record said Long, who is white, said that during his campaign for sheriff he was introduced to Overstreet, who is black, as a man who could "help him with the African American vote." It says Overstreet also said he could help with the votes of "entrepreneurs from India."

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Misty Gallo asked Schenectady County Court Judge Karen Drago to accept a sentence of less than five years as part of an earlier plea bargain

Misty Gallo asked Schenectady County Court Judge Karen Drago to accept a sentence of less than five years as part of an earlier plea bargain in the case. Korkocz cited mental health issues and alleged Gallo was coerced by a co-defendant to take part in the drug ring.Drago, however, rejected the application after a lengthy closed-door conference. She indicated she had listended to the recordings of state police wiretaps and had become well apprised of what members were doing or allegedly doing."I know it's hard for you to accept, but you were a major player in this organization," Drago said, noting the large amount of drugs brought into the area from Long Island.Gallo had hoped for a four-year sentence, but Drago rejected that deal in June. The judge had also said she would accept nothing less than 5 1/2 years, but ultimately agreed to the five-year deal, something Assistant Attorney General Michael Sharpe noted in court. Sharpe also noted that Gallo had faced indictment on more counts had she not taken the previous deal.Gallo was among two dozen arrested in the ring earlier this year, including ringleaders Kerry Kirkem and Oscar Mora. Of 25 defendants, 21 have pleaded guilty, including Gallo, Kirkem and Mora. Three cases remain pending, against former Schenectady police chief Gregory Kaczmarek, his wife, Lisa, and Wilfred Cordero.Gallo was among the first arrested in the case, taken into custody in March. Authorities said she made multiple trips to Long Island at the direction of Kirkem to bring back shipments of cocaine and heroin.
On Feb. 20, authorities seized more than $23,000 in drugs from her car, but didn’t tell her. Instead, they let her go on her way to see how the organization would react.Gallo was also charged last week at the Schenectady County Jail with making graffiti, accused of drawing on her cell wall.

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Anthony S. Womack, aka "T-Money," 34, was convicted after a three-day trial by a jury

Anthony S. Womack, aka "T-Money," 34, was convicted Wednesday after a three-day trial by a jury on the sole count of an indictment charging him with distribution of more than 5 grams of crack cocaine, said A. Courtney Cox, U.S. attorney for the Southern District of Illinois.The violation took place Dec. 13, 2007, in Madison County. Trial evidence showed the defendant delivered about 29 grams of crack cocaine to a buyer in exchange for $1,900 at an apartment in Alton, Cox said.Womack is scheduled to be sentenced on Feb. 27, at which time he will face potential penalties of not less than 10 years' and up to life imprisonment, a fine of up to $4 million, or both, a term of at least eight years' supervised release, and a $100 special assessment.The investigation was conducted by the Alton Police Department, the Federal Bureau of Investigation's Safe Streets Task Force, the Drug Enforcement Administration and the Alton Police Department. Assistant U.S. Attorney Don Boyce prosecuted the case.

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Larry Negron, 32, of Colonial Drive was charged with possession of cocaine and possession of more than 5 ounces of cocaine with intent to distribute.

Larry Negron, 32, of Colonial Drive was charged with possession of cocaine and possession of more than 5 ounces of cocaine with intent to distribute, according to authorities. He was lodged in the Ocean County Jail in Toms River in lieu of $100,000 bail, set by Superior Court Judge Barbara Ann Villano.Paris Acguirre, 27, also of Colonial Drive, also was charged with possession of less than a half-ounce of cocaine. His bail was set at $20,000 by Municipal Court Judge Scott Basen.Authorities said they executed a search warrant at a Chestnut Street property in Lakewood, a commercial automobile accessory shop known as 2 NT Stage and operated by Negron. A second search warrant executed at Negron's home resulted in the seizure of approximately 300 grams of cocaine with a street value of $30,000. In addition to the drugs, police reported they seized approximately $31,000 in cash.Police said they also searched a Chevrolet S10 pickup truck occupied by Maximinio Madrigada and Julio Magana-Estrada, both of Lakewood, and seized a kilogram of cocaine with a street value of approximately $100,000 as well as $2,000 in cash.Madrigada, 34, of Elm Street, was charged with possession of cocaine and possession of more than 5 ounces of cocaine with intent to distribute. His bail has been set at $150,000, police said.Magana-Estrada, 18, also of Elm Street, was charged with possession of cocaine and possession of more than 5 ounces of cocaine with intent to distribute. His bail has been set at $150,000, police said.A search warrant also was executed at the home of Enrique Miguel-Ascencio, 42, of Mountain View Drive. The search resulted in the seizure of $74,000 in cash, less than a half-ounce of cocaine, three semiautomatic handguns and a revolver. A digital scale also was seized, authorities said.Miguel-Ascencio was charged with possession of cocaine and possession of drug paraphernalia. His bail was set at $50,000, police said.The investigation took about two months, county authorities reported. It is continuing, and more arrests are expected, they said.

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Joanne Pellew faces losing about $1.4 million in assets after being convicted of a serious drug offence.

Kooey fashion designer Joanne Pellew faces losing about $1.4 million in assets after being convicted of a serious drug offence.Pellew and her husband Ramli Hajinoor were found guilty of conspiring to sell or supply cannabis after their District Court trial last month.The couple's defence counsel David Moen's will now have to prove to the court their assets were not acquired with funds gained from the sale of cannabis.
The pair's sentencing hearing was adjourned this afternoon until mid December, to allow Mr Moen time to produce evidence to the court that legally-obtained funds were used in the purchase or repayment of loans for the property.Mr Moen said the court should consider the value of the property which will be confiscated from the couple in its sentencing.The court was told the couple owns two properties worth more than $1.3 million and other assets totalling $20,000.Mr Moen said Pellew would also lose her 49 per cent stake in Kooey, her glamourous swimwear label, because of her conviction."She will inevitably have to resign as director of the company - she will lose that interest," he said."It's always been a life ambition of her [to advance that]... it's a positive dream and it's a shame it will come to an end in a short space of time."The couple were remanded in custody to appear for sentencing on December 12.

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Monday, November 17

Manjit Dhanoa, 31, Harvishal Kler, 23 and Bakshish Ghai, were part of an international gang involved in bringing heroin into Canada.

Manjit Dhanoa, 31, Harvishal Kler, 23 and Bakshish Ghai, were part of an international gang involved in bringing heroin into Canada. Dhanoa, who is alleged to be the ring leader of the drug gang, is absconding and a Canada-wide warrant for his arrest.After an extensive probe, the Royal Canadian Mounted Police (RCMP) investigation unit at Toronto's Pearson International Airport cracked the gang network last week.Intensive investigations got underway after Canada Border Services Agency (CBSA) officers at Toronto airport arrested couriers with 12.8 kg of heroin.Revealing the modus operandi of the drug gang, police on Friday said that the Indo-Canadian men are allegedly part of a criminal organisation that uses human couriers to smuggle heroin through Toronto's airport.The drug was then distributed throughout North America.According to police, the three men used to recruit couriers and arrange their travel to a number of South Asian countries to pick up heroin from their contacts there. "This group stood to make a significant profit at great expense to the health and well being of our citizens," the RCMP said in a statement.
"It takes the kind of partnerships seen in this investigation to effectively combat criminal enterprise and protect our communities," it added.

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Samantha Ann Morgan pleaded guilty in September to possession of cocaine.

Samantha Ann Morgan pleaded guilty in September to possession of cocaine. She must do 120 hours of community service and will be under house arrest for the next 90 days with a curfew of 11 p.m, according to a plea bargain accepted Wednesday by state District Judge Ken Anderson.
District Attorney John Bradley said the plea deal offered was standard for someone with a first felony offense, the Austin American-Statesman reported Thursday in its online edition.According to an affidavit, the cocaine was discovered during a strip search at the Williamson County Jail after she was arrested on June 18 following a traffic stop involving a vehicle in which she was riding. When an officer tried to arrest her, Morgan kicked the officer and ran, the affidavit says.

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Cesar Lares-Torres pleaded guilty to one count of dealing cocaine

Cesar Lares-Torres pleaded guilty to one count of dealing cocaine, and he will not face a count of conspiracy drug dealing, said Lares-Torres' lawyer, James D. Tunick. Lares-Torres will also forfeit $66,700 and a 2003 Honda Accord listed in the indictment.Lares-Torres faces as many as 20 years in prison.Lares-Torres, a Mexican national, was arrested by Lake County drug interdiction police on Interstate 65 near Lowell. Officers said they found about $65,000 in cash during that stop.Lares-Torres has been jailed since April, when Magistrate Judge Andrew Rodovich ruled he was a flight riskThe affidavit against Lares-Torres says information on the amount of cocaine he sold came from two confidential informants who witnessed drug sales.
A judge still must accept the plea agreement, but Tunick predicted no problems with the agreement's acceptance. No sentencing date was set Wednesday, Tunick said.

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Timothy S. Saunders, 44, of 22nd Street, was arrested Jan. 9 by Niagara Falls police, who reported finding more than 3 ounces of cocaine

Timothy S. Saunders, 44, of 22nd Street, was arrested Jan. 9 by Niagara Falls police, who reported finding more than 3 ounces of cocaine in his car on South Avenue. His sentencing date is Feb. 20.

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Qadree M. Fields, 25, of Eighth Street, was arrested March 18 in Niagara Falls with 1.58 grams of cocaine in his vehicle. He is to be sentenced Jan. 1

Qadree M. Fields, 25, of Eighth Street, was arrested March 18 in Niagara Falls with 1.58 grams of cocaine in his vehicle. He is to be sentenced Jan. 13.

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Kalu Oleka Ude, 43, of Rue de Begeqk, Lome, Togo, was arrested by UK Border Agency (UKBA) officers

Kalu Oleka Ude, 43, of Rue de Begeqk, Lome, Togo, was arrested by UK Border Agency (UKBA) officers when he arrived on a flight from Gambia last Tuesday, an HMRC spokesman said.A search found the drugs, which could have fetched up to £150,000 on the streets once "cut" by dealers, the agency said.Oleka Ude has been remanded in custody at Manchester City Magistrates' Court.Peter Hollier, of the HMRC, said: "Working with our colleagues in the UKBA we will take every action to detect, seize and bring those smuggling drugs into the country before the courts."

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Gary Eugene Yates Jr., 22, of the 100 block of North Franklin Street, and Conway J. Evans, 27, Philadelphia, each were convicted of intent to deliver

Gary Eugene Yates Jr., 22, of the 100 block of North Franklin Street, and Conway J. Evans, 27, of Lindburg Boulevard, Philadelphia, each were convicted Wednesday of charges of possession with intent to deliver cocaine and conspiracy to possess cocaine with the intent to deliver it after a three-day jury trial in Montgomery County Court.The charges stemmed from a cocaine cooking and packaging operation that Pottstown police dismantled at the North Franklin Street apartment on May 26, 2006. Prosecutors alleged Evans supplied the cocaine and assisted with cooking it while Yates helped cook it and prepare it for street sale."Conway Evans was very high on the food chain of drug dealers. He was a supplier to drug dealers," said Assistant District Attorney Nathan Schadler. "This verdict today cut off several drug houses from their supplier."

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Marcus D. Nelson was sentenced Wednesday to 16 years in prison for conspiracy and attempted possession with intent to distribute cocaine.

Marcus D. Nelson was sentenced Wednesday to 16 years in prison for conspiracy and attempted possession with intent to distribute cocaine.Forty-two-year-old Renee Garcia was sentenced to seven years on the same charges.Assistant U.S. Attorney Stephen Cooper says Nelson, Garcia and others cooperated in receiving cocaine shipped from California to be resold in the Fairbanks area.U.S. District Court Judge Ralph Beistline says Nelson's previous criminal record was considered in his lengthy sentence.

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Merilyn Bouler died in a two-car crash , she had cocaine in her coat pocket

Merilyn Bouler died in a two-car crash here Friday night, she had cocaine in her coat pocket, police said Wednesday.Bouler, 39, an English teacher at Pierce Middle School in Merrillville, was being treated at The Methodist Hospitals emergency room in Gary when the cocaine was discovered.She died from blunt force trauma shortly after her car was hit broadside then slammed into a house at 19th Avenue and Taft Street about 11:30 p.m.Police described the amount of cocaine as small, "for personal use," and declined to elaborate further. The drug was confiscated by police, but the total weight was not released Wednesday.Results of her toxicology report won't be available for several more days, Lake County Coroner David Pastrick said.Bouler's son, Jonte Barber, 9, died in the crash, while her older son, Markel Evans, 11, was critically injured. The other driver, Felix Ross, was arrested for drunken driving after police obtained a .14 percent blood alcohol level. The standard for drunken driving in Indiana is .08 percent.Traffic investigators said they learned Ross was driving east and ran a red light as he crossed Taft Street at 19th Avenue. But Ross has told some people he had the right of way when he entered the intersection.The cars hit a traffic signal before Bouler's car crashed into the house. Firefighters had to cut occupants from the car before they could be treated for injuries.Co-workers, friends and students described Bouler as dedicated and faithful during memorials at her church and school this week.Funeral services for Bouler and her son are set for 11 a.m. Saturday at St. John Baptist Church, 2457 Massachusetts St.

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William Parrot, 26, was being held on $55,000 bond today after a routine check by probation officials turned up cocaine and a loaded handgun

William Parrot, 26, was being held on $55,000 bond today after a routine check by probation officials turned up cocaine and a loaded handgun at his home, authorities said.Parrott, who was convicted in Marion County earlier this year, was taken into custody after police and probation officials conducted a routine check at his new Carmel-area residence in the 9600 block of Copley Drive."The sad part is it's this kind of case that undermines the rehabilitation opportunities that community corrections can provide," said Hamilton County Administrative Chief Deputy Prosecutor Jeff Wehmueller."It can really help some people . . . but not this defendant."Parrott, a former Indianapolis resident who had been charged with dealing cocaine as a class A felony, received a nine-year sentence in March, with all but one year suspended, after pleading guilty to the charge as a class B felony.
Wehmueller said Parrott was serving his year of community corrections punishment and was on home detention when Marion County police and probation officials accompanied by a Hamilton County sheriff's deputy made an unannounced visit to his home.
"They searched his 4-year-old son's room and found a handgun tucked in the pillow case on top of his son's bunk bed," said the prosecutor. "It was loaded with a magazine and had a live round in the chamber."Wehmueller said the search also turned up a fake driver's license bearing Parrott's photo and another man's name, and more than three grams of cocaine in a trash bag."We're prosecuting him," said Wehmueller, who acknowledged that Marion County authorities could also send Parrott to prison for failing to comply with terms of his sentence. "What Marion County chooses to do or not do with him is not our place to say."Parrott was scheduled for an initial court hearing in Hamilton County today on charges of possession of a firearm by a serious violent felon, possession of cocaine, identity deception and possession of false government identification.Wehmueller said he would also ask for a 15-day hold to allow Marion County probation authorities to initiate action that would keep him in jail pending prosecution.

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Jonathan Craig Burgoyne consented to be tried in Supreme Court

Jonathan Craig Burgoyne, 29, consented to be tried in Supreme Court during a short preliminary hearing in Truro provincial court Friday.He is charged with trafficking in ecstasy in North River on Aug. 16, 2007.Mr. Burgoyne is also facing trials and a sentencing on a number of other drug-related charges, and according to police, stands to lose $310,000 in properties, vehicles and other assets seized during a proceeds-of-crime investigation that wrapped up recently.RCMP say that investigation began in the fall of 2007 after Mr. Burgoyne and brothers Curtis and Christopher Lynds were arrested and charged with numerous drug trafficking offences following a lengthy undercover police investigation.Police say Mr. Burgoyne faces 20 counts of possession of proceeds of crime and one of money laundering and will make his first court appearance on those charges in Truro Jan. 7. Six other people face similar charges, including the Lynds brothers, who are currently serving federal prison terms for drug trafficking convictions.Mr. Burgoyne was already convicted on one charge of trafficking cocaine in Supreme Court on Oct. 15 and will be sentenced Dec. 15. That offence occurred July 12, 2007, in East Mountain.Other charges, including possession of drugs for the purpose of trafficking and charges involving illegal tobacco, are also before the courts.

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Sunday, November 16

Laredo North station cocaine with a total weight of 259.2 pounds and an estimated street value of $8.3 million siezed

Border Patrol agents from the Laredo North station disrupted an attempt to smuggle cocaine this morning. Agents patrolling in Laredo became suspicious of a small white Chevrolet cargo van and attempted to stop the vehicle by activating the emergency lights on their marked patrol vehicle. The driver of the van did not stop. The agents followed the van at a safe distance but stopped following it when the van entered a school zone. A few minutes later the agents saw the van parked near an empty lot at the intersection of Garza and San Bernardo streets. Agents checked the van and saw no one inside or in the area immediately around the vehicle. Inside the van they found five cellophane-wrapped bundles. The bundles contained cocaine with a total weight of 259.2 pounds and an estimated street value of $8.3 million. The cocaine and the van were turned over to the Drug Enforcement Administration

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Friday, November 14

Phillip Quinn was yesterday convicted of supplying pal Michael Neave with crack cocaine during a swoop on drug dealers.


Phillip Quinn was yesterday convicted of supplying pal Michael Neave with crack cocaine during a swoop on drug dealers.Neave called Quinn, 41, and arranged to buy some of the highly addictive drug for a supposed user, who unbeknown to either of them was a undercover policeman.The conversation was recorded on a secret wire and the officer drove to Quinn's home in Sheriff Street, Hartlepool.The policeman watched as Neave and Quinn climbed into a car before Neave returned with a £20 wrap of crack cocaine.Quinn denied selling him the drug and claimed Neave must have had it already or got it from somewhere else.But a jury of eight women and four men at Teesside Crown Court took just over 30 minutes to unanimously find him guilty of the offence.The court earlier heard Neave complained after buying the drug how he had difficulty opening the wrap because of the way it had been tightly tied.
He referred to Quinn as "Philly 50 Knots".The deal took place in Sheriff Street on November 9 last year during Cleveland Police's Operation Beckford and Quinn was arrested when officers searched his house on May 1.Neave, 42, of Waverley Terrace, Hartlepool, who Quinn had known since their schooldays, was sentenced to three years in prison in September.He had admitted 27 counts of supplying Class A drugs, including the crack cocaine sold to Quinn, between September 26 and November 14 last year.Quinn was remanded in custody until he is sentenced on a date still to be fixed.

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Liaquet Ali was not the “architect or planner” of the drugs plot which could have brought more than £500,000 worth of skunk cannabis onto the streets.

Liaquet Ali was not the “architect or planner” of the drugs plot which could have brought more than £500,000 worth of skunk cannabis onto the streets.Defence barrister Balbir Singh said 50-year-old Ali was used by others as a “front” in order to secure the lease of the premises they had chosen for the large-scale operation - the former Probation Service office building in Longlands Road, Middlesbrough.
Mr Singh said his client was initially unaware of what the building would be used for until the papers were signed.“He became aware, of course,” said Mr Singh. “But he never, ever visited the Longlands after the cannabis farm was set up.”
His three co-conspirators were sentenced two weeks ago.Organiser Shafiq Aziz, 39, of Fountains Drive, Acklam, was jailed for three years.Damion Clenaghan, 23, of Cobham Street, was given an eight-month prison sentence suspended for two years with 200 hours’ unpaid work for his role as “errand boy”.Kaleem Khan aka Kevin Felton, 26, of Lothian Road, was given a 12-month prison sentence suspended for two years with 300 hours’ unpaid work for being the group’s “patsy”.Ali, of Clifton Street, Middlesbrough, pleaded guilty to conspiracy to produce the Class C drug of cannabis - the same charge faced by his three co-conspirators.Judge Peter Armstrong gave Ali a 12-month jail sentence suspended for two years, with 12 months supervision and 300 hours’ unpaid work.He said: “In 2007 or thereabouts, having led a hard-working life in the steel industry and as a taxi driver, I think you attempted and got a little greedy by the possible rewards from this scheme.“But this scheme was not of your making. You were not the organiser of it, you were not the architect. This was a foolish episode in your life.”The court heard Ali made no financial benefit from the conspiracy.The former Probation Service was raided in a major police operation on May 21 last year.The four-storey property had been converted into a cannabis factory. Rooms were filled with plants as well as ducting, cabling, fans, hoses, a ventilation system, heat lights suspended by wires, transformers and timers.
Officers seized 2,136 cannabis plants at various stages of growth and about 2,000 root sections from plants.A “conservative estimate” put the crops’ potential yield at 50kg, worth more than £500,000.

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Thai police arrested Kuo Te-tsai, 42, in the southern beach town of Phuket

Thai police arrested Kuo Te-tsai, 42, in the southern beach town of Phuket on Sunday, said Lt. Gen. Priewphan Damaphong, Thailand's deputy national police chief. Police also arrested a Thai accomplice, Phongthat Pongsathirsakul, he said.
Police moved in to make the arrests after receiving information that the heroin would be shipped out of Thailand to Western countries in the coming days, he said.
Police found 229 pounds of heroin pressed into 261 bars and stuffed into cylinders hidden beneath the cement floors of a house Kuo was renting, Priewphan told a news conference. The confiscated heroin has a local value of more than US$2.9 million, a Thai police statement said, adding that its street value abroad would be about 10 times that amount, or US$29 million. "This heroin had come from the Golden Triangle and was going to be shipped to Taiwan before going to markets in Western countries," Priewphan said. The Golden Triangle is a heroin-producing area where the borders of Burma, Laos and Thailand converge. The US Drug Enforcement Administration had been tracking Kuo and alerted Thai authorities in August that he had entered the country, Priewphan said. DEA official Andre W. Kellum said he could not elaborate on the heroin's destination since the investigation was ongoing. The case is "very significant because a kilo of heroin on the streets of America goes for a great deal of money," he told the news conference.
Drug trafficking in Thailand is punishable by death.

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Charles Bernhardt and Tyronne Greir, are charged with felony drug charges

Charles Bernhardt, 43, of McKean Street in Philadelphia and Tyronne Greir, 38, with no fixed address, are charged with felony drug charges, the degree of which a judge must decide in court, according to court records. District Judge John Kelly sent both men to Bucks County prison in lieu of $75,000 bail. Their preliminary hearing is scheduled for Nov. 19 in the district court of Joseph Falcone in Bensalem. Monday's bust follows a car stop last month in Bensalem during which police said they recovered $350,000 worth of black tar heroin normally produced in Mexico and $82,000 in cash.That case, against Philadelphia residents Jose Francisco Zacarias Pena, 28, and Giselle Lozada, 25, is pending. Their preliminary hearing is scheduled for Nov. 26.

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David Charles McCormick,admitted to Furness magistrates yesterday that on September 29 he was in possession of heroin.

David Charles McCormick, 33, of no fixed abode, admitted to Furness magistrates yesterday that on September 29 he was in possession of heroin.Mr Lee Dacre, prosecuting, said police received a report of a man behaving suspiciously in Ladbrokes at around 6.50pm.Officers attended and spoke to the man, before taking him outside. They searched him and found a wrap of brown powder and he ran away.
Mr Dacre said officers pursued McCormick and he threw away silver foil, which was recovered and found to have stain marks on it.Mr Dacre added: “He made a full and frank admission and said he was a long-term heroin user and had bought separate one-gram deals for £25 each and smoked some of the heroin that day.”Mr Michael Graham, defending, told the court that McCormick had some personal difficulties and reverted to old habits.He was under the impression that the only assistance available to him was a methadone programme, and he refused to take that because he felt it was too addictive.McCormick also pleaded guilty to two breaches of bail and Mr Graham explained that he suffered a form of arthritis that affected every joint in his body, which made it very difficult to attend morning appointments.Sentencing McCormick to 120 days in prison, presiding magistrate John Jones said: “You have had many opportunities to work with the court and other agencies, but you have failed to do so and failed to co-operate with court orders.”He was also sentenced to seven days in prison for each of the bail breaches.

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Justin P. Morin, sold UMass student Darby Fassett five bags of "American Gangster" heroin

Justin P. Morin, 21, of 20 Jackson St., sold UMass student Darby Fassett five bags of "American Gangster" heroin on the day before Fassett was found overdosed in his Hadley home, according to police. Fassett was rushed to Cooley Dickinson Hospital in Northampton where he was declared dead on arrival. Although Morin was charged with distribution of heroin in Northampton District Court, a Hampshire County grand jury found that there is sufficient evidence to indict him for involuntary manslaughter.

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Harvishal Kler, 23, and Bakshish Ghai, 22, are charged with conspiracy to import heroin into Canada.

Harvishal Kler, 23, and Bakshish Ghai, 22, are charged with conspiracy to import heroin into Canada. A Canada-wide warrant has been issued for Manjit Dhanoa, 31.Two Brampton men are facing charges and police are looking for another in connection with a heroin importation and distribution gang that was smuggling the drug in through Pearson International Airport.The RCMP's Toronto Airport General Investigation Impact Team say they've dealt the ring a blow this week with the arrests.Three men are alleged to be part of a criminal organization that used human couriers to smuggle heroin through the airport and then distribute the drugs to North American markets. Police say the group recruited couriers and arranged for their travel to a number of South Asian countries to pick up heroin for delivery to Canada.Canada Border Services Agency (CBSA) officers at Pearson were instrumental in the interception of couriers and a total of 12.8 kilograms of heroin was seized."This group stood to make a significant profit at great expense to the health and well being of our citizens" said RCMP Inspector Dean Dickson, officer in charge of the Toronto airport detachment. "It takes the kind of partnerships seen in this investigation to effectively combat criminal enterprise and protect our communities".

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Waltiko Q. Fludd,reported Monday to begin serving a five- to seven-year state prison sentence

Waltiko Q. Fludd, 32, of 6 Inglewood St., reported Monday to begin serving a five- to seven-year state prison sentence. He pleaded guilty Oct. 22 to three counts of trafficking in cocaine. A co-defendant, Gary A. Gaulin Jr., of 67 Cochran St., Chicopee, was sentenced on Oct. 1 to an eight-year prison term after pleading guilty to trafficking cocaine. The state dropped prosecution of Irving A. Ramsey, of 50 Hartley St., who had been arrested with Gaulin and Fludd. The three were arrested by undercover narcotics detectives on Oct. 2, 2007, at 1177 Boston Road. Fludd was charged with trafficking cocaine on different dates in September and October of 2007.

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Annette Penfield Agents found 46 packages of cocaine weighing 81 pounds.

Annette Penfield of Petersburg, Va., was stopped about 9:30 p.m. Sunday after crossing the Gateway International Bridge from Mexico. Customs officers noticed discrepancies in the trunk of the 1996 BMW she was driving and a drug-sniffing dog alerted them to the scent of cocaine. Agents found 46 packages of cocaine weighing 81 pounds.

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Robert Young, 60, the South Florida drug smuggler, best known for his role as triggerman in the 1987 slaying of speedboat king Don Aronow,

Robert Young, 60, the South Florida drug smuggler, best known for his role as triggerman in the 1987 slaying of speedboat king Don Aronow, will likely spend the rest of his life in a federal prison.Young's previous three murder convictions, including Aronow's, were more than 20 years ago, court records show. None of the convictions landed him in prison for more than a few years.This conviction carries a mandatory minimum prison term of 15 years and prosecutors could seek life.
Last week's trial was unusual because federal prosecutor Donald Chase accused Young of possessing a Norinco Sporter 7.62 semi-automatic rifle in 2002, when he was serving a 10-year federal sentence on a previous firearms conviction.
Chase told jurors Young maintained control and ownership of the weapon, though he left it with an associate prior to his October 2001 arrest."That's a new one," Young's attorney Paul Donnelly said in closing arguments. "He didn't have control. He didn't have possession. He didn't have access to it."But Chase countered Young discussed the gun in several phone calls he placed from prison, and wanted it used to execute his brother-in-law, who he thought was cooperating with law enforcement.Young's motive was simple, Chase stated in closing arguments: "He had a credo. 'You talk, you die.'"According to testimony at trial, Young ran a drug-trafficking organization, importing cocaine from Central and South America in a hidden compartment on his sailboat. Young obtained the Norinco rifle to protect a shipment of $1.2 million of drug proceeds headed to Guatemala, witnesses said.
In a 2004 interview with federal agents, Young admitted owning the gun but denied wanting his ex-wife's brother dead. He said he wanted the gun planted on Roderick "Rickie" Mudrie, a convicted felon, so he would be arrested.To convict, the jury had to agree Young kept possession of the gun in a legal sense through June 2002."I believe the jury blew it," Donnelly said of the verdict.

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Gregorio A. Messina was arrested along with eight others during an investigation of a major drug trafficking ring

Gregorio A. Messina, 43, pleaded guilty more than a year ago to cocaine possession with intent to distribute and criminal conspiracy. He was sentenced to five years probation on each of the crimes and fined $5,000, according to court papers.
Messina was arrested along with eight others during an investigation of a major drug trafficking ring, the Cirilo “Primo” Lumbrano Corrupt Organization.After wiretapping cell phones, and aided by Spanish-language interpreters, authorities learned the organizational structure of the drug ring and the roles of its various members, and cracked the group.Police also conducted physical surveillance. Most of the suspects were Mexican nationals in the country illegally.Law enforcement authorities followed Lumbrano, who is now 31, to Atlanta, Ga., where he allegedly met with a cocaine supplier, then followed him as he drove back to the local area. He was stopped in Plymouth Township on March 4, 2007.While searching Lumbrano’s car, authorities found a one-kilogram block of cocaine, having a retail value in excess of $100,000, inside the vehicle’s spare tire.Authorities surmised the hiding place after discovering several slashed tires in the closets of residences occupied by some of the drug ring members.Among the items seized as a result of the execution of search warrants for nine locations and five vehicles were: another half-kilogram of cocaine; scales; cocaine packaging materials; a .22-caliber rifle; two shotguns; three handguns; ammunition; a riot helmet; and some $5,000 in cash.Also confiscated were two Nissan Maximas, a Chevrolet Suburban and a Nissan Titan.The breakup of the ring began after police received information in January 2007 from confidential informants about a local cocaine supplier nicknamed “Primo,” according to the criminal complaint.
Though authorities were targeting Lumbrano, Messina was caught with cocaine bought from the gang to give to someone else, according to Montgomery County Assistant District Attorney Tonya Lupinacci, who prosecuted the case.“He bought an ounce of cocaine,” she said. “It’s a significant amount of (the drug).”
Messina, who is a United States citizen, owns a landscaping business in North Wales. He was the last of nine defendants to be sentenced, according to Lupinacci.Lumbrano, a former resident of the 1300 block of Markley Street, pleaded guilty in March to six felony charges of possessing cocaine with the intent to deliver and a seventh felony charge of conspiracy. The admitted ringleader of the drug operation, he was sentenced in June to eight to 20 years in state prison.In August, Lumbrano complained his sentence was too harsh and asked to have the sentence reduced and wanted to withdraw his guilty plea.Also last summer, Luis Omar Bauza, 22, a West Airy Street resident in Norristown, was sentenced to 11 1/2 to 23 months behind bars.
Another Norristown man, Israel Valente-Trujillo, 28, who lives on Cherry Street, pleaded guilty and was sentenced to time served to 23 months in the county prison.
Other drug ring defendants received probationary sentences

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Monday, November 10

Juan Morales is charged with trafficking cocaine and motor vehicle offenses

Juan Morales, 24, is charged with trafficking cocaine and motor vehicle offenses, according to Lt. Ken Cotta, public information officer for the Police Department.Lt. Cotta said Officer Keith DaCosta stopped Mr. Morales' car Tuesday around 9 p.m. after observing the vehicle had an expired inspection sticker.After learning of a warrant for his arrest, police took Mr. Morales into custody.Police searched the car after the officer smelled burnt marijuana and found about 50 grams of crack cocaine, the cash and a small amount of marijuana.Mr. Morales claimed the cash belonged to a friend, according to Lt. Cotta. The friend was contacted and denied any knowledge of the money, police said.

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Jorge A. Leija, 43, allowed smugglers to drive cars loaded with cocaine through his entry lane at the Eagle Pass border crossing

Jorge A. Leija, 43, allowed smugglers to drive cars loaded with cocaine through his entry lane at the Eagle Pass border crossing, about 140 miles southwest of San Antonio, without inspection, according to testimony by an unnamed Drug Enforcement Administration agent.Mr. Leija was paid hundreds of thousands of dollars from January 2001 to October 2006, the agent said at a bail hearing on Thursday in Federal District Court in Del Rio, Tex.Court documents said Mr. Leija was also paid $30,000 to make false statements on an application he submitted in September 2003 to obtain an American passport for another person.Mr. Leija worked as an inspector for 11 years, said Rick Pauza, a Customs and Border Protection spokesman in Laredo, Tex.
Late last month, a federal grand jury indicted Mr. Leija on charges of conspiracy to possess with intent to distribute cocaine and making a false statement. He was arrested on Oct. 30.Mr. Leija had been placed on administrative duty more than two years before his arrest and assigned to a desk job, said his lawyer, Richard F. Gutierrez.Mr. Leija’s arrest is the latest in scores of corruption cases the past few years involving agents along the nearly 2,000-mile border with Mexico

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Jaime "The Hummer" Gonzalez captured

Mexican federal police on Friday captured Jaime "The Hummer" Gonzalez, a leader of the armed wing of the Gulf drug cartel, and flew him to the capital after a shootout near the U.S.-Mexican border, police said.Gonzalez, a deserter from the Mexican army and a founding member of the drug gang's feared execution squad known as the Zetas, was caught in the city of Reynosa near McAllen, Texas in a carefully planned police operation.Security forces burst in on Gonzalez in a house and nabbed him without firing a shot, police said.But a group of armed men brazenly tried to free him from police custody near the Reynosa airport.After a lengthy gun battle, police fought off the attackers and transferred Gonzalez to the capital under heavily armed guard.
Officials distributed images of a gold-plated gun and bundles of cash they said belonged to Gonzalez, who is also wanted in the United States for drug trafficking.It is the latest in a string of high-profile drug arrests since President Felipe Calderon took office in 2006 and deployed thousands of troops and federal police to drug hot spots around the country.On Thursday, the army captured a massive arsenal of weapons believed to belong to the Gulf cartel that included over 400 pistols, machine guns and sniper rifles, half a million bullets, nearly 300 grenades, a rocket launcher and explosives.

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John Patrick Patton , Michael Anthony Guevara possible death sentence for foreigners convicted of smuggling cocaine

Prosecutors at the Tangerang District Court sought the death sentence for three foreigners convicted of smuggling cocaine into the country through Soekarno-Hatta International Airport in February.Prosecutors Teuku Rahman and Haryadi said in a hearing Thursday evening the defendants, a Thai woman, Thitirat Charoensuk, 24, and two British men, Michael Anthony Guevara, 34, and John Patrick Patton, 52, were proven guilty of smuggling the drugs. The prosecutors said the defendants violated Article 82 of the 1997 Drug Law. The article carries a maximum penalty of execution.
"The defendants intentionally smuggled 515 grams of cocaine into the country," Teuku Rahman told the panel of judges presided over by Haryono, with two other members Barmen Sinurat and Arthur Hangewa. He said Guevara and Patton were the owners of the cocaine, and had asked the Thai woman to take the drugs to Indonesia. The defendants were shocked to hear the penalty demand. Charoensuk fainted. The defendants were arrested soon after their arrival at the airport on Feb. 20. Customs and excise officers became suspicious after Charoensuk appeared to be nervous at the customs check point. After being examined, officers found drugs estimated to be worth Rp 2 billion (US$181,000) hidden in a bag she was carrying. An interrogation led officers to arrest Michael Anthony and his Thai girlfriend Naksri, who flew from Thailand to Jakarta on the same flight. "Naksri was released later because she was not involved in the smuggling attempt," Eko Darmanto, chief of intelligence at the Customs office, said Friday. The police subsequently learned of the alleged receiver's address and arrested John Patrick Patton in Cilandak, South Jakarta, seizing eight grams of cocaine from him. The presiding judge postponed the hearing until Monday to hear the defendants' lawyer Husin Tuhuteru read out the defense.

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Friday, November 7

Rachael S. Padilla pleaded not guilty to third-and fourth-degree criminal possession of a controlled substance.

Rachael S. Padilla, 39, formerly of Lincoln Avenue, Lockport, pleaded not guilty to third-and fourth-degree criminal possession of a controlled substance. Cocaine was allegedly found during a May 9 police raid on her apartment. She was convicted of third-degree possession Jan. 17 for throwing two bags of cocaine out the window as police searched her apartment for two men on Jan. 1, 2007. But she didn’t receive her one-year prison term from State Supreme Court Justice Richard C. Kloch Sr. until Sept. 5.

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Thursday, November 6

Ricardo Larios-Trujillo, 20-year-old Ramon Cortez and 34-year-old Homer charged with possession with intent to distribute

Ricardo Larios-Trujillo, 20-year-old Ramon Cortez and 34-year-old Homer
Larios, all of Lawrenceville; 30-year-old Rigoberto Delgado-Orozco
of Buford and 29-year-old Alexander I. Acher of Southborough,
Mass., were also charged with possession with intent to distribute
more than 5 kilograms of cocaine.The U.S. Attorney's Office says Larios-Trujillo, Delgado-Orozco,Cortez and Larios belong to a Hispanic street gang called South
Side Myfas, and along with Acher used Larios-Trujillo's Monster Car
Audio in Lawrenceville to store and distribute cocaine.

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POLISH national has been charged with drug smuggling offences after police seized cocaine with a street value of about £500,000 at Birmingham Airport.

POLISH national has been charged with drug smuggling offences after police seized cocaine with a street value of about £500,000 at Birmingham Airport.

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Angela Lavonne Chiles was found in possession of prescription pills

Angela Lavonne Chiles was found in possession of prescription pills when she started her Wednesday morning shift. Investigators then discovered that she had been taking other contraband into the facility.Authorities say Chiles was fired and booked into jail on charges of introduction of contraband into a detention facility and unlawful compensation for official behavior.

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Thomas McKendrick was jailed for eight years for attempting to import over £20,000 worth of heroin into the Isle of Man

Thomas McKendrick was jailed for eight years for attempting to import over £20,000 worth of heroin into the Isle of Man, inside his body. Detective Sergeant Allan Thompson told Howard Caine it was a substantial amount of the drug and he was constantly amazed by the methods employed by couriers, and the risks taken by end us

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Wednesday, November 5

Indicted Woodrow Ormiston on five counts related to drug dealing.

Indicted Woodrow Ormiston on five counts related to drug dealing.On Monday, Ormiston entered a plea to one count of the indictment – distributing 500 grams or more of cocaine – as well as a new charge recently filed by federal prosecutors.Late last week, Assistant U.S. Attorney Robert Trgovich filed a single charge of wire fraud, accusing Ormiston of providing false information to mortgage lender Countrywide Home Loans in order to obtain a mortgage. Ormiston claimed to make $6,000 a month as owner of Furious Cycles, according to court documents.Ormiston also consented to giving up a pair of Harley-Davidson motorcycles and $66,000 in cash to the federal government, according to court documentsAlong with Ormiston, the grand jury indicted Michael A. Bower, 32, on counts of conspiracy to distribute at least 500 grams of cocaine, maintaining a building for the purpose of dealing drugs, possessing firearms to further a drug crime, money laundering and two counts of dealing cocaine.
The two men were accused of trafficking drugs out of Waynedale homes from January to April. Also indicted were Kevin Bender, 45, and Dan Phillips, 46, both of Fort Wayne. They are accused of dealing cocaine and witness tampering. Last spring, federal prosecutors obtained indictments for Alan Lichty and Shane Silvers, both of Fort Wayne.Each is charged with conspiring to deal 500 grams or more of cocaine, dealing cocaine and possessing a firearm to further a drug crime. Lichty was indicted on five additional charges of dealing cocaine, as well as an additional charge of possession of cocaine with the intent to distribute, court documents said.
According to court documents, agents with the U.S. Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives as well as officers with the Fort Wayne Police Department gathered information about Bower and Ormiston since 2005. Silvers lived in a home owned by Bower and would pick up cocaine from Ormiston’s home.Investigators found drugs in a garage of a house owned by Ormiston, where he would leave drugs for dealers to pick up and then leave money in their place, court documents said.
When Fort Wayne police arrested Ormiston in May, he had $21,600 in cash in his truck, as well as four cell phones and about a gram of cocaine, according to court documents. According to the indictments against Bower, in August Bower obtained a loan from GMAC to buy a 2007 Chevrolet Avalanche, saying he was employed by SS Computer & Tech for four years, with an income of $40,000 a year. Investigators learned Bower started SS Computer & Tech to hide money earned by dealing drugs, according to court documents.

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Gerard Hagan sentence of ten years is to be backdated to July 2007.

Gerard Hagan, with an address in Liverpool, was to be paid GBP£5,000 to ensure the safe arrival of the cocaine from the Caribbean to Ireland.He was one of four men involved in the operation, which ended in disaster after the boat sank off the coast of west Cork on the 2nd of July last year.Two of the other men involved were sentenced to 30 and 25 years, while Mr Hagan's sentence of ten years is to be backdated to July 2007.

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Monday, November 3

Antonio Galarza was arrested in the northern city of Monterrey on suspicion of weapons violations and money laundering on Saturday.


Antonio Galarza was arrested in the northern city of Monterrey on suspicion of weapons violations and money laundering on Saturday.Galarza is suspected to be the leader of the Gulf Cartel in the border city of Reynosa, a major point for smuggling cocaine into the US.Suspected members of the Zetas, the paramilitary arm of the Gulf Cartel, hung a series of banners along the roads in the Pacific coast resorts of Acapulco and Zihuatanejo on Saturday, accusing federal officials of protecting a rival cartel.Near Mexico City, 11 policemen were shot to death in about half a dozen drug-related attacks over three days, prosecutors said on Sunday.Alberto Bazbaz, the Mexico state prosecutor, said police had arrested 10 people suspected of links to the killings, which occurred on highways and police checkpoints on the outskirts of the capita

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Ragip and Kemal Shabani channeled 1.5 tons of heroin through Europe

Ragip and Kemal Shabani channeled 1.5 tons of heroin through Europe from the mid-1990s until 2003, when they were shut down, prosecutors said. They used a small town in Kosovo as their base with branches in Macedonia, Albania, Spain and the Czech Republic, according to the Federal Criminal Court.The trial — considered one of Switzerland's largest-ever drug cases — was held under high security in the southern town of Bellinzona, with only some relatives and journalists allowed into the courtroom.Judge Jean-Luc Bacher sentenced Ragip Shabani to 15 years in prison for breaking Swiss narcotics law, and ordered the 42-year-old to pay 300,000 francs ($261,400) in court costs.Kemal Shabani, 28, was given only a two-year suspended sentence for participating in a criminal organization, and was charged 90,000 francs ($78,400) in court costs.Defense lawyers said they would appeal the verdict, which also ordered that the Shabanis' assets be confiscated. The assets include five luxury cars and Kosovo properties such as houses, restaurants and shopping centers.
The court dropped a charge of money laundering for lack of evidence.The brothers' father, 69-year-old Tariq Shabani, was acquitted in the case and was granted compensation of 47,000 Swiss francs ($41,000) for his time in custody during the investigation.Bacher said the verdict took into account the fact that Switzerland had only partial jurisdiction in the case because much of the drug smuggling allegedly happened in other countries.The Shabani clan had already come under suspicion in some countries before the 1998-99 Kosovo war, but it continued to operate after the territory was placed under U.N. administration, the indictment said.A six-year investigation led to the arrest of Ragip Shabani in 2003 in Macedonia's capital of Skopje. His brother and father were arrested in Germany in 2005, according to the indictment.Police across Europe confiscated 970 kilograms (2,140 pounds) of heroin during raids carried out from 1997 to 2003 in Austria, France, Germany, Hungary, Italy, Slovenia, Switzerland and Kosovo, which is now an independent country.

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Saturday, November 1

Michael Pavlou, 21, jumped from his bedroom window when police arrived at his home, but he was arrested nearby.

Michael Pavlou, 21, jumped from his bedroom window when police arrived at his home, but he was arrested nearby.When he was taken to the police station he handed over about £3,500 of amphetamine in his sock, said prosecutor David Lamb.Pavlou said that he had been handed the powder by a friend, and he admitted that he had handled it before in return for free amphetamine and cash.He had a 2005 conviction for possession of heroin, Teesside Crown Court was told.Peter Wishlade, defending, said that Pavlou, from the Ragworth estate, lived in an area where the police were not respected, and when they called at his door his first reaction was to run away.
Pavlou had turned to using amphetamine to rid himself of addictions to heroin and crack cocaine.Mr Wishlade added: “He fully anticipates what is going to happen to him today, that he is going to be made subject to a custodial sentence.“When he got to the police station following his arrest he volunteered that the amphetamine was in his sock.“He took it out and he handed it to the police.”Judge Tony Briggs told Pavlou: “Those who are involved in the supply of drugs to others always run the risk of custodial sentences.“In this case you have passed the custody level, and custody is inevitable.“There is nothing in evidence that you are anything other than a harbourer of these drugs, which enables the sentence to be somewhat reduced.”
Pavlou, of Doncaster Crescent, Ragworth, was jailed for 15 months after he pleaded guilty to possession of a Class B drug with intent to supply it on February 14.

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Steven Allen Longbrake of Central Point was convicted of manufacturing methamphetamine

Steven Allen Longbrake of Central Point was convicted of manufacturing methamphetamine for his role in packing and repacking drugs for distribution, Polk County prosecutor Harold Cuffe said.On Sept. 5, Longbrake was in Polk County Circuit Court on an unrelated drug case and was to be taken into custody when he attempted to run from a sheriff's deputy, Cuffe said. He soon was caught before leaving the building.While in jail, Longbrake reportedly wrote to another inmate and bragged that he was hiding methamphetamine that he had brought to court with him. Deputies searched him and found small bags of methamphetamine and packaging materials, Cuffe said.Longbrake was sentenced to eight months in jail on the manufacturing methamphetamine conviction Friday.

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Larry Norris Canada, 25, pleaded guilty Friday to using and carrying a firearm during a drug-trafficking crime

Larry Norris Canada, 25, pleaded guilty Friday to using and carrying a firearm during a drug-trafficking crime. He faces at least five years in federal prison and a fine of up to $250,000.Marchello Dornell Miller, 27, pleaded guilty Friday to possession with intent to distribute crack cocaine. He faces up to 40 years in prison and a fine of up to $2 million.Clifton Earl Robinson, 33, pleaded guilty Friday to possession of a firearm by an unlawful user of a controlled substance. He faces up to 10 years in federal prison and a fine of up to $250,000.Quincy Head, 27, pleaded guilty Thursday to being a felon in possession of a firearm. He faces up to 10 years in federal prison and a fine of up to $250,000.
James Darrell Lister Jr., 27, pleaded guilty Thursday to possession with intent to distribute and distribution of cocaine and crack cocaine. He faces up to 40 years in federal prison and a fine of up to $2 million.Larry Donell George, 26, pleaded guilty Thursday to possession with intent to distribute crack cocaine. He faces up to 40 years in federal prison and a fine of up to $2 million.
According to information in court, since January 2006, the defendants had been distributing crack cocaine in the Longview area.
An 87-count federal indictment was returned on May 13, charging 29 people, including these six, with federal crimes.

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Octavio Mendoza-Morales, 36; Heriberto Montenegro-Mendez, 33; and Hector Villarruel-Lopez, 38. They were charged with conspiracy to distribute meth

Three men arrested in the largest methamphetamine seizure in Oregon have been convicted on drug and conspiracy charges. A federal jury returned guilty verdicts on all counts of a 10-count indictment against Octavio Mendoza-Morales, 36; Heriberto Montenegro-Mendez, 33; and Hector Villarruel-Lopez, 38. They were charged with conspiracy to distribute methamphetamine, heroin and cocaine, and various counts of possession. They were arrested after a 20-month investigation by the federal Drug Enforcement Administration and an Oregon interagency police team. The ringleader, Ricardo Mendoza-Morales, was recently sentenced to 25 years in prison following his guilty plea last summer. Prosecutors said more than 40 pounds of methamphetamine was seized. In addition, almost three kilograms of heroin, some cocaine, five vehicles with hidden compartments and $197,000 in cash were seized.

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Tasmania Todd Arthur Smith was sentenced to two-and-a-half years, and 40 year old Anthony Wayne Coleman 9 months trafficked ecstasy tablets

Two men who trafficked ecstasy tablets smuggled into Tasmania on the Spirit of Tasmania ferry have been given jail terms.37 year old Todd Arthur Smith was sentenced to two-and-a-half years, and 40 year old Anthony Wayne Coleman 9 months.
23 year old Matthew Christopher Pepper was given a three-month suspended sentence for his lesser role.The court heard Smith had received nearly 4,000 ecstasy tablets in the deal, with a street value of nearly $200,000.He gave Coleman one thousand tablets to distribute, and Pepper was enlisted to be a middle man.
In the Hobart Criminal Court, Justice Peter Evans said their willingness to distribute the drugs was startling and deplorable.

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