Sukhray Singh Saran sentenced to six years in prison.

Sukhray Singh Saran 21-year-old Winnipeg man pleaded guilty yesterday to one count of possession for the purpose of trafficking and was sentenced to six years in prison. "There is certainly a tragedy in all of this when you have a person of such a young age (going to prison)," said Crown attorney Jeremy Aikerstream. Police arrested Saran, then 19, and two other men in August 2007, while raiding a Portage Avenue drug den. Court heard police had been monitoring the activities of a criminal group involved in large scale cocaine trafficking in early 2007 when the trail led to a Leila Avenue apartment.

Read more...

Sudinia Johnson, 34 of Hamilton, and Otis Kelly, 40 of Fairfield. Arrested at Pleasant Avenue and Nilles Road in Fairfield,$1 million each bail

Sudinia Johnson of hamilton and Otis Kelly of Fairfield are each in jail on a million dollar bond tonight.The Butler County Sheriff says the two were traveling from Chicago to Butler County with 7 kilos of cocaine.He says authorities tracked the men from Chicago and pulled them over in Fairfield. Deputies also seized five vehicles in the investigation."It's one of the most sophisticated set ups we've ever seen. It's got hydraulics, it's got an alarm system on it. You can't get in to get to those drugs without an alarm going off and you have to set the hydraulics so the safe opens in the back seat." The sheriff says the suspects live in Butler County and distribute the drugs to dealers in the area.Fifteen pounds of cocaine from Chicago, by way of Mexico, estimated to be worth more than $500,000 on the street.Bonds were set at $1 million each for Sudinia Johnson, 34 of Hamilton, and Otis Kelly, 40 of Fairfield. Arrested at Pleasant Avenue and Nilles Road in Fairfield, the pair are charged with drug trafficking and possession.That was most of the haul undercover Butler County sheriff's investigators seized Wednesday in Fairfield in what officials say is the county's second largest cocaine bust. It occurred just a few months after the county's biggest bust."This is the second one of these we have had in about four months. You almost have to be one stupid criminal to come to this community with what we've got going on with the drug seizures and the arrests," Sheriff Rick Jones said Thursday.Jones would give few details about the investigation because he says more arrests are expected.Earlier this summer, a separate federal investigation in Butler County led to a bust where 17½ pounds of cocaine were found hidden in the bumper of a car.

Read more...

Jamel “Bump” Brannon, 28, of no permanent address, was identified as the main organizer of illegal drug sales in Riverside and Black Rock.

Jamel “Bump” Brannon, 28, of no permanent address, was identified as the main organizer of illegal drug sales in Riverside and Black Rock. He remains at large.
Individuals arrested Wednesday in the sweep were: Stacey Matthews, 22, of Condon Avenue; Jonathan Decerro, 17, of Albany Street; Laicie Manzella, 19, of Condon; Yashiara Maldonado, 18, of Condon; Kathleen Wargula, 18, of Laird Avenue; Linda Wargula, 54, of Laird; Charles Lynch, 32, of Grove Street; Michelle Anthony, 25, of Condon. Also, Michael Burgos, 23, of Esser Avenue; Ruben Rosario, 18, unknown address; Deveraux Jaeckle, 16, of Germain Street; James Goree, 33, of Laird; Bobby Johnson, age unknown, of Grote Street; Charles Lynch, 32, of Grote; Mark Lucas, 20, of Laird; Derek Taton, 22, of Loretta Avenue, Town of Tonawanda; Deborah Wagaman, 52, of Herkimer Street; Jennifer Pladas, 32, unknown address; Martin Lauber, 33, of Herkimer; Shannon Fitzpatrick, 24, unknown address; Allen Vance, 35, of Grote; and Antoinette Burhanan, 24, of Grote. Individuals previously arrested on warrants were identified as Doyl Avino, 41; Tyrell Legall, 35; Larry Chavers, 33; Tremaine Williams, 20; Clifford Collier, 45; Jamar Young, 19; Kelly Garcia, 35; Winston Foy, 32; Isaiah Jones, 18; Asante Kwabena, 32; Sterling Rather, 31; Johnny Lewis, 28; and E. Jay Corp, 33. In addition to Brannon, 12 individuals are still wanted on warrants: Dwayne A. Wilson, 37; Johnny Smith, 18; John Shelton, 19; Leandro Juan Rodriguez, 33; Roberto Leon, 17; Marjorie Patterson, age unavailable; James C. Johnson, 22; Kevin D. Jakubczak, 21; Carlo A. Gibson, 23; Marquis L. Ford, 26; Sammy Delgado, 29; and Lamaine Clark, 24.

Read more...

Carlos Patino Restrepo was flown to the United States and arrived in an armored car for his arraignment Thursday in U.S. District Court

Carlos Patino Restrepo was flown to the United States and arrived in an armored car for his arraignment Thursday in U.S. District Court in Central Islip.Patino Restrepo, 44, is accused of bringing tons of cocaine into the United States beginning in the 1990s, according to court documents, Newsday reported. He is charged with conspiracy to possess and import cocaine into the country, with intent to distribute.He pleaded not guilty before U.S. District Court Judge Joanna Seybert, who ordered him held without bail as a flight risk and a danger to the community.
Patino Restrepo’s New York attorney, Todd Merer, denied that his client had threatened to kill the previous prosecutor and agent on the case, telling Newsday the charges were based on the fraudulent testimony of two or three Colombians.
In Colombia, authorities considered Patino Restrepo an accomplice of top cocaine lord Wilber Varela, who was on the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration’s list of most wanted fugitives, with a $5 million reward for his arrest. Varela was found shot to death earlier this year in Venezuela.The cartel would deliver the cocaine to the Colombian port of Buenaventura, where Mexican transporters loaded it on boats and planes to the United States, according to the U.S. Justice Department.
Patino Restrepo was arrested last year in Colombia, and authorities there approved his extradition to the United States.

Read more...

Jeffrey Conway,who had a trial with Celtic Football Club, agreed to mind drugs for a person he met at a party in return for some cocaine for his own

Jeffrey Conway,who had a trial with Celtic Football Club, agreed to mind drugs for a person he met at a party in return for some cocaine for his own use.
Conway, of Belclare Avenue, Poppintree, Ballymun pleaded guilty at Dublin Circuit Criminal Court to possession of the cocaine in his bedroom at his family home on June 1, 2007.Judge Katherine Delahunt remanded Conway in custody earlier this month to allow her consider reports handed into court before she finalised his sentence.
She told Conway today that she had read the reports carefully and she was now going to adjourn the case again to allow for an updated probation report and urine analysis. She readmitted Conway to bail to allow him to engage with the probation service and adjourned sentencing to next July.Garda Angela McFadden told Mr Garret Baker BL, prosecuting, that when gardaí acting on confidential information attended at the Conway family home, they were met by the accused who brought them to his bedroom and pointed at a wardrobe containing a large shopping bag holding a block of cocaine.Garda McFadden said the cocaine weighed 485.9 grammes and was valued at more than €34,000.Conway, who has no previous convictions, told gardaí he had a met a person at a party who had asked him to mind the drugs and in return he would receive some cocaine for personal use. He said he had been using cocaine heavily for a year and was spending up to €200 a week on the drug. He said he owed about €1,600 to financial institutions, was unemployed and "could not go on without cocaine".Garda McFadden agreed with defence counsel, Mr Luán Ó Braonáin SC (with Mr Paul Greene BL), that Conway had cooperated with gardaí in relation to his own role and was not distributing the drugs himself.Dr David Gibney told Mr Ó Braonáin that Conway had come to him in 2007 seeking assistance in securing a place on a residential detoxification programme. He said Conway had successfully completed the programme and now spoke to transition year students about the dangers of drug addiction.
Dr Gibney said in his experience with drug addicts Conway was "exceptional and had done very well".Mr Ó Braonáin submitted that Conway was a vulnerable individual who dealt with his insecurities via alcohol and cocaine use. He said he was open to exploitation by others as his "default setting" was to say "yes" to people in order to keep them happy and make them like him.He said Conway had "excelled at football" and had a trial with Celtic Football Club as well as playing League of Ireland football. He said Conway had now put together a business plan to set up as a contract plumber.Mr Ó Braonáin said Conway had successfully attended at The Rutland Centre to deal with his drug addiction and was now benefiting other young people in the community by passing on his knowledge of the dangers of drugs.He asked the court to take into account that Conway was "an exceptional and specific offender" who had entered the earliest possible plea of guilty. He said Conway’s family were in court "in bountiful numbers" to support him.

Read more...

Traci C. Buckley, 28, smuggled a “dangerous narcotic” into the jail by passing it to inmate Raymond H. Sitterly, 31.

Traci C. Buckley, 28, smuggled a “dangerous narcotic” into the jail by passing it to inmate Raymond H. Sitterly, 31. Deputies didn’t identify the drug.The pair were arrested on Saturday during the act of smuggling, deputies said, after a week-long investigation by detectives and corrections staff members.Both were charged with first degree promoting prison contraband, a felony. Buckley was arraigned in Oxford and released on her own recognizance. Both are scheduled to appear in Town of Norwich Court at a later date, police said.

Read more...

Thomas McIntyre, 40, was caught after police raided his home in Cairnton Place, Tillicoutry,

Thomas McIntyre, 40, was caught after police raided his home in Cairnton Place, Tillicoutry, last May. Detectives moved in after quizzing users who confessed to often buying drugs from McIntyre.
At the High Court in Glasgow, McIntyre admitted being concerned in the supply of heroin between 1 January and 10 May last year. It emerged he had already served a five year jail-term for drug dealing after being convicted in 2003. He accepts that heroin brings misery, he knows that better than most Liam O'Donnell Defence lawyer
Judge Lord Bracadale reduced the latest sentence from seven years due to his guilty plea. The court heard police questioned several addicts after being alerted to McIntyre's drugs trade. One man admitted he had acted as a "runner" for the accused to help deliver heroin. Officers then raided McIntyre's home on 10 May last year.
A woman there admitted that McIntyre sold drugs. Police also seized £865 in cash and two mobile phones. A number of text messages on the phones were from users looking to buy drugs. McIntyre was later detained and admitted dealing heroin on a daily basis. Liam O'Donnell, defending, said McIntyre had been lured back into drugs on his release from jail and had been spending up to £1,000-a-day on cocaine and heroin for himself. The lawyer added: "He was approached by an individual claiming that money was owed. He accepts that he had a choice, but chose to re-enter the world of drug dealing. "He is a man who has not made money through drugs, but made money for others. He accepts that heroin brings misery, he knows that better than most."
Mr O'Donnell also said McIntyre's mother had disowned him and that he had latterly been living with friends. McIntyre also admitted failing to appear for a previous court date. Lord Bracadale sentenced him to 12 months on that charge to run concurrently with the six and a half years.

Read more...

Sebastian Araujo, 42 and Moises Solano, 50

Sebastian Araujo, 42 and Moises Solano, 50 were scheduled to appear for a bond hearing Tuesday after police found 25 kilos of cocaine, with an estimated street value of more than $2.5 million, on them at a North Side gas station.
After Grand Central Area Spanish Gang Task Force officers received information that a vehicle was being used to transport a large quantity of narcotics from Texas to Chicago, they set up surveillance at a North Side gas station that was supposed to be the drop-off point for the drugs.They saw the vehicle approach the gas station and detained two men, Sebastian Araujo, 42 and Moises Solano, 50, at the scene, according to a release from police News Affairs.While they were being held, a drug-sniffing dog was brought in, who detected something in the rear panels of the vehicle's back seats, the release said.Police removed the panels and found numerous cellophane-wrapped brick-like objects, which were tested and found to be cocaine, the release said. A total of 25 kilos of cocaine was recovered, which has an estimated street value of more than $2.5 million.Araujo and Solano, both of near west suburban Northlake, were taken to the Albany Park District police station for processing and charged with possession of a controlled substance. They were expected to appear for a bond hearing Tuesday, police said.

Read more...

Brian Mounsey, 50, of Stockton-on-Tees, once sentenced to death in Thailand for drug dealing but commuted to 40 years in prison.

Richard Arthur Daniels, 38, of Beechwood Road, Wibsey, was jailed for ten years. Anthony Davies, 27, of Lloyds Drive, Low Moor, got six years.

A third Bradford man, Dean Martin, 30, of Glendale Drive, Wibsey, is expected to be sentenced next week. Daniels had admitted a charge of conspiring to supply cocaine. Davies and Martin pleaded guilty to conspiring to supply class A drugs.

The court heard that much of the prosecution case was built around surveillance of the mastermind John Roe, 40, of Workington, Cumbria, who organised one major pick up of imported cocaine and cannabis valued at £29,000 from London. Police secretly recorded his conversations as he journeyed from Bradford to London. He was jailed for 12 years. The gang included a man, Brian Mounsey, 50, of Stockton-on-Tees, once sentenced to death in Thailand for drug dealing but commuted to 40 years in prison. He was jailed for ten years. The senior detective who led the investigation said the gang was regarded by police as the number one threat to law and order in Cumbria.
Detective Inspector Jason Hudson, of Cumbria Constabulary’s serious and organised crime unit, said: “The impact of these convictions can’t be underestimated.”
The conspiracy involved links with drug barons in Yorkshire and outside the UK. Roe admitted three charges of conspiring to supply cannabis, and one each of conspiring to supply cocaine and amphetamines. Surveillance gave police key evidence against the gang’s importer, Gino Obiekezie, a 34-year-old London man with a Nigerian passport, who admitted two counts of conspiring to supply class A drugs and one of importing cocaine. He was jailed for eight years.

Read more...

Miguel Fernando Villarreal-Ochoa guilty of conspiring to posses and possessing with intent to distribute more than five kilograms of cocaine.

Miguel Fernando Villarreal-Ochoa guilty of conspiring to posses and possessing with intent to distribute more than five kilograms of cocaine.The trial for the 35-year-old owner of Villarreal Transport started last Wednesday with the jury making their decision at 8 p.m. Friday.Brownsville FBI agents received information that a large amount of narcotics was located at a certain address in Brownsville.
Authroties found cocaine and thousands of dollars of cash af Villareal-Ochoa's Brownsville home.The trucking company owner is expected to be sentenced on Jan. 26, 2009 where he faces 10 years to life in prison and a maximum fine of $4 million dollars.

Read more...

Eduardo Arellano Felix captured by Mexican law enforcement agents

Mexican law enforcement agents have captured Eduardo Arellano Felix, a suspected leader of the brutal, Baja California-based drug cartel responsible for smuggling large amounts of cocaine, marijuana, and methamphetamine to the United States.
The U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration had offered $5 million for information leading to his capture. Arellano has been indicted in U.S. federal court in San Diego. Mexican officials said Sunday that Arellano was arrested at a Tijuana residence Saturday night, along with his daughter. The daughter's name was not available. They have been taken to Mexico City, as is the case with most high-profile arrests in drug cases. The DEA also confirmed Arellano's detention. It is the latest in a series of arrests in recent years that has weakened the organization. As the cartel has lost its grip on the lucrative drug-smuggling routes into the United States, a deadly battle for control of the Tijuana region has ensued. Eduardo Arellano's arrest follows that of his three brothers, Benjamin, Francisco Rafael and Francisco Javier, and the death of a fourth, Ramon, who was killed in a 2002 shootout with Mexican police in the state of Sinaloa.
Eduardo Arellano, nicknamed El Doctor, has been described as a reclusive former medical student in charge of overseeing the group's finances. With the removal of his brothers, he played an increasingly important role. A nephew, Fernando Sanchez Arellano, has been said to be in charge of the group's day-to-day operations. But Sanchez has been challenged by a former crew leader, Eduardo Garcia Simental, known as El Teo, and their battle has claimed the lives of close to 150 people in Tijuana in the past month.

Read more...

Antonio F. Ropiza pleaded not guilty to a count of second-degree murder

Antonio F. Ropiza, 30, of Riverhead, pleaded not guilty to a count of second-degree murder Monday in Riverhead Town Justice Court, court officials said.Town Justice Allen Smith ordered Ropiza held in county jail without bail.According to police, Beatrice Shaw's mother discovered her daughter's dead body inside her apartment around 3:15 p.m. Friday. Police said Ropiza stabbed Shaw the night before after he fought with Shaw over some crack cocaine he'd obtained from her. Defense lawyer James Saladino of Riverhead said his client had suffered an unspecified brain injury 10 years ago and had recently been taking medication."He told police he stopped taking his medication a month ago," Saladino said. "I don't know if he completely understands what is going on."Deputy Insp. Robert Oswald, commanding officer of the Suffolk police major crimes bureau, said the defendant and victim had a "casual relationship between them based on their mutual use of crack cocaine.""He was dissatisfied with the quality or quantity of crack cocaine he had gotten from her," Oswald said.Ropiza, of 12 Fairview Dr., is due back in court on Oct. 30.

Read more...

Courtney T. Moragne, was sentenced for unlawful gun possession and possession of crack cocaine with intent to sell

Courtney T. Moragne, 26, formerly of Pierce Avenue, was sentenced for unlawful gun possession and possession of crack cocaine with intent to sell, both felonies.
Agents from the U.S. Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms & Explosives worked on the case with Niagara Falls Police. Assistant U.S. Attorney Richard P. Maigret said Moragne was arrested with crack cocaine in June 2006, November 2006 and again in January 2007.Moragne also was found to be in possession of loaded firearms during both of the 2006 arrests, Maigret said. He pleaded guilty to criminal charges in May.

Read more...

Demont Story, of 14408 Brandon Court in Dale City, faces a federal charge of conspiracy to distribute five or more kilograms of cocaine.

Demont Story, of 14408 Brandon Court in Dale City, faces a federal charge of conspiracy to distribute five or more kilograms of cocaine. Police charged 17 people, one from the Dale City area, with distributing massive amounts of cocaine in Prince William County. Multiple kilograms of cocaine from Chicago, with a street value of nearly $20,000, were distributed throughout the county, officials announced at a Monday afternoon press conference. “The myth that large scale cocaine trafficking is not present in this area, we are proving today that it is here,” Joseph Persichini, assistant director of the FBI Washington, D.C. Field Office said.
Officials said Story for many years coordinated the purchase of the drugs, transporting them from Chicago and selling them in Prince William, said Persichini.
When officials began their investigation in 2005 they found Story had employed his uncle, Dennis Story, of Chicago, to transport the drugs from Chicago to Virginia. Both were arrested in March. The trafficking operation began in 2004, however, it is unclear how many kilograms of cocaine were sold in Prince William County, Persichini said. Officials also would not speculate on how much money the drug ring brought in. Another Woodbridge man who officials said conspired with Story is still on the loose. Gary Lewis, 33, of 2140 Jennings Street, also faces federal charges of conspiracy to distribute five or more kilos of cocaine.

Read more...

Narendra Kalidas Suchak was stopped by customs officers at Dover docks in Kent on Friday evening after he arrived on a ferry from Calais.

Narendra Kalidas Suchak, 56, of Mason Row, Hamilton, was stopped by customs officers at Dover docks in Kent on Friday evening after he arrived on a ferry from Calais.
Upon inspection of his Audi car they said they discovered five packages hidden in the rear quarter panels, containing approximately 5kg of the drug.Further inquiries led to £3,500 in cash being recovered from a house in Leicester.HM Revenue & Customs (HMRC) spokesman Bob Gaiger said: "This was an excellent detection by UK Border Agency officers which led to the seizure of a large amount of cash under the Proceeds of Crime Act."HMRC together with UKBA play a vital role in the fight to prevent illegal drugs from entering the UK and in protecting our communities from the violence and corruption that always accompany this hideous trade."

Read more...

Jesus Zambada Garcia, the brother of a suspected drug kingpin in the northwestern state of Sinaloa, was among 16 people captured

Jesus Zambada Garcia, the brother of a suspected drug kingpin in the northwestern state of Sinaloa, was among 16 people captured Monday after a gunbattle in the Mexican capital, said Attorney General Eduardo Medina Mora. The attorney general said Zambada, whose nickname means "the king," commanded one of four branches of the so-called Sinaloa cartel, leading its operations in central Mexico. Zambada is the brother of Ismael Zambada and an associate of Joaquin "Shorty" Guzman, the most-wanted trafficker in Mexico, officials said. Jesus Zambada controlled smuggling of cocaine and chemical ingredients for the production of methamphetamine through Mexico City's airport, Medina Mora said. Authorities have focused increasing attention in recent months on drug smugglers' use of the country's largest airport.
Jesus Zambada is also linked to a number of gruesome drug killings in central and western Mexico, prosecutors said. "The arrest of Jesus Zambada Garcia, the King, stands out, without a doubt, as one of the most significant by President (Felipe) Calderon's government to date," Medina Mora told reporters. "It is not the only one in recent months, nor will it be the last in the months to come." Investigators are looking into Zambada's possible role in the assassination of the acting federal police chief, Edgar Millan Gomez. The police commander was ambushed in his Mexico City home in May by a gunman, and authorities have long suspected Sinaloa traffickers were behind the slaying. Marisela Morales, who runs the organized-crime unit of the attorney general's office, called Zambada "one of the most important" smugglers of cocaine and methamphetamines into Mexico.

Read more...

Jonathan G. Salgado-Alvarez, 36, of 19 Sargent St.was phony.

Jonathan G. Salgado-Alvarez, 36, of 19 Sargent St. — was phony.When troopers tried to fingerprint him at the state police barracks in Leominster, they determined he had used sandpaper or some abrasive material to grind off the ridged skin of his fingerprints in an apparent attempt to conceal his identity.Salgado-Alvarez displayed a driver's license with a number that came back to a different person in Puerto Rico with a different name and date of birth than those listed on the license.
Police said they found 454 grams of cocaine hidden in a back seat compartment of a 2000 Buick Century that was registered to a man living at the Lawrence address. Salgado-Alvarez claimed the man was his roommate.Salgado-Alvarez was charged with trafficking cocaine, unlicensed operation, marked lanes violation, refusing to identify himself, and providing a false name to police. He was scheduled to be arraigned in Fitchburg District Court yesterday.State Trooper John McDonald stopped the Buick Century after watching it swerve between marked lanes on Route 2 westbound in Fitchburg just before Exit 30 late Tuesday afternoon.McDonald said he got suspicious while walking up to the car when he smelled an excessive amount of a masking agent used to cover up other odors.The trooper knew something was wrong when the driver handed him a bogus driver's license, could not immediately remember the name of the car's registered owner, and failed to give the full name of the girlfriend he claimed he was going to see. The trooper also notice a loosened dashboard and glove box.A state police dog detected narcotics in the man's car. After towing it to the state police barracks, state troopers and a Fitchburg police detective discovered a "hide" — an illegal alteration to a motor vehicle used to conceal and transport contraband — inside the passenger side rear seat.In the hide, police found two plastic bags, one a little bigger than a softball, the other slightly smaller. The bags contained a total of 125 small baggies containing what they said they believe is cocaine.

Read more...

Tyrone Fleming was charged with possession of a controlled substance and drug paraphernalia, and illegal transportation of alcohol

Tyrone Fleming, 45, of Deerfield, Fla., was charged with possession of a controlled substance and drug paraphernalia, and illegal transportation of alcohol, police said.traffic stop of a semi truck in Plainfield turned into a drug arrest when cocaine and drug paraphernalia were found in the passenger's possession, police said.
Illinois State Police and Plainfield police stopped the truck at Lockport and Dillman Streets on Friday because it was oversize, police said.

Read more...

Stacey Goss, 31, pleaded guilty to a charge of conspiracy to possess with intent to distribute 50 or more grams of crack cocaine.

Stacey Goss, 31, pleaded guilty June 18 to a charge of conspiracy to possess with intent to distribute 50 or more grams of crack cocaine. U.S. District Judge Mark R. Kravitz sentenced her to 120 months in prison followed by five years of supervised release.According to the U.S. attorney's Connecticut office, Goss, also known as "Binky," was among 22 people named Feb. 14 in a 30-count indictment handed up by a grand jury charging them with offenses including drug trafficking and witness-tampering in connection with a drug distribution ring in southwest Connecticut.Goss, who has been detained since her arrest Feb. 20, was accused of distributing crack to customers and street-level dealers on behalf of her co-conspirators, acting U.S. Attorney for Connecticut Nora R. Dannehy said in a prepared statement.

Read more...

Richard Compton was caught with £320,000 worth of the Class A

Richard Compton was caught with £320,000 worth of the Class A substance near the M74 motorway at Lesmahagow in October last year. He drove on the wrong side of the road and crossed a central reservation in a bid to escape a police patrol car. When officers finally stopped him his face was covered in white powder. At the High Court in Edinburgh, the former salesman from Livingston, West Lothian, admitted being concerned in the supply of cocaine and amphetamine. The 41-year-old also admitted driving dangerously by driving at excessively slow speed, on the wrong side of the road, crossing a central reservation, weaving from lane to lane and narrowly avoiding collisions. He further pled guilty to driving while unfit through drink or drugs. The court heard that officers recovered two kilos of cocaine from the Honda Civic Compton he was driving. The Class A drug was found to be double the level of purity normally available in street deals. A further search at Crompton's home in Livingston found one and a quarter kilos of amphetamine in a fridge, worth £12,000.
Crompton told police he had been getting blocks of amphetamine and then packaging it into smaller amounts for another, whom he refused to name. He said he had driven to London from Livingston to pick up a package when he was stopped by police as he returned on 24 October last year. He was to be paid £1,000 for the journey but never got the cash after getting stopped. Judge Lord Bracadale told Crompton he would have jailed him for seven years for the crimes, but for his guilty pleas. He was also banned from driving and ordered to re-sit a test because of the motoring offences.

Read more...

Freddie Lopez Jr. of Ruskin, Juan Antonio Ramos of Ruskin and Arnold Castaneda of Wimauma are each charged with felony cocaine trafficking

Freddie Lopez Jr. of Ruskin, Juan Antonio Ramos of Ruskin and Arnold Castaneda of Wimauma are each charged with felony cocaine trafficking. Each was held without bail at the Orient Road Jail today.Authorities arrested the men about 4:40 p.m. Wednesday at Big Bend Road and U.S. 301 South in Riverview, jail records show.According to affidavits, Ramos, 28, arranged for the other men to sell 12 ounces of cocaine to the detective for $6,000.Lopez supplied the cocaine, affidavits state. All three met with the detective for the exchange, affidavits state.

Read more...

Athletics coach Trevor Graham was sentenced by a U.S. judge on Tuesday to one year of home confinement

Athletics coach Trevor Graham was sentenced by a U.S. judge on Tuesday to one year of home confinement for lying to federal agents investigating the BALCO doping scandal, according to media reports.Graham's attorney and prosecutors were not immediately available for comment.Graham triggered a huge steroid scandal by anonymously sending the U.S. Anti-Doping Agency a syringe with a then-undetectable steroid that was traced back to the Bay Area Laboratory Co-Operative (BALCO), a San Francisco-area company.The scandal affected athletics, baseball and American football, and led to prison time for BALCO founder Victor Conte and others, including Olympic sprinter Marion Jones.Jamaican-born Graham formerly trained Jones and disgraced sprinters Tim Montgomery and Justin Gatlin.Graham, who ran in the 1988 Olympic 4x400 meters relay for Jamaica, was convicted in May of lying over his relationship with Angel Heredia, a Mexican athlete who testified he sold performance-enhancing drugs to Graham and his athletes.In July, the U.S. Anti-Doping Agency said Graham had been banned for life from coaching or participating in activities of several sports organizations including the U.S. Olympic Committee.Former San Francisco Giants slugger Barry Bonds, baseball's all-time home run leader, has also been indicted in connection with the BALCO scandal. He has denied knowingly taking performance-enhancing drugs.

Read more...

Email Ewald Banai,was arrested by Revenue and Customs officers when he arrived at Belfast International Airport on a flight from Amsterdam

Email Ewald Banai, a 57-year-old Surinamese national resident in Holland, was arrested by Revenue and Customs officers when he arrived at Belfast International Airport on a flight from Amsterdam in October last year. During routine questioning, officers became suspicious and Mr Banai was arrested and taken to a nearby hospital for X-ray examination. One hundred small packages were recovered and on subsequent testing proved to contain a total of 1.07 kilos of cocaine with a street value of £207,000. Sentencing him at Antrim Crown Court, Judge Grant described Banai as "a habitual re-offender". He had previous involvement in Holland for drugs offences relating to cocaine and heroin. The judge said he wanted to "stamp out the illegal importation of drugs into Northern Ireland". John Whiting, Assistant Director Criminal Investigation and the HMRC said after the case; "HMRC is working closely with the police and other law enforcement agencies such as the Serious Organised Crime Agency to protect the public from the significant and damaging effects drugs have on our communities. "This collaboration is helping to protect the UK from the violence and corruption that always accompanies the trade in illegal drugs.

Read more...

Gangsta Rapper Thomas Mandigo expects a life sentence

Thomas Mandigo was arrested in April on drug possession charges. He was found guilty of the crime several weeks ago. Prosecutor Jason Jones said that Mandigo glorified his gangster and drug selling lifestyle with videos placed on You Tube.
Monday, a Caddo judge determined that Mandigo is a four-time felony offender, and that's something that he can consider during sentencing, according to the multi-offender bill. Mandigo is set to be sentenced next Tuesday. Jones expects a life sentence.

Read more...

Miss Louisiana Teen USA, Lindsey Evans, has been stripped of her title following her arrest for alleged possession of marijuana

Miss Louisiana Teen USA, Lindsey Evans, has been stripped of her title following her arrest for alleged possession of marijuana, which the police found in her purse after she and three girlfriends were apprehended for leaving a restaurant without paying the bill. (For more details, read our earlier story.)Paula Miles, president of the company that sponsors the Miss Louisiana Teen USA pageant, gave TMZ an advance copy of her statement:Lindsey Evans has been part of an organization that believes in opportunities when earned and consequences when warranted. Due to recent circumstances, Lindsey has been relieved of her duties as Miss Louisiana Teen USA 2008 effective immediately."
She had only 10 days left.

Read more...