Zeta gang leader Gregorio Sauceda Gamboa, one of Mexico's 24 most-wanted drug traffickers arrested

Mexican police on Wednesday arrested suspected Zeta gang leader Gregorio Sauceda Gamboa, one of Mexico's 24 most-wanted drug traffickers.Sauceda Gamboa appears on a list of 24 alleged drug traffickers published by prosecutors in March. Authorities have offered rewards of up to $2.1 million for each suspect. Together with a list of 13 lower-ranking drug suspects, the group covers Mexico's most powerful cartel operators.With Sauceda Gamboa's arrest Wednesday at a home in the border city of Matamoros, across the border from Brownsville, Texas, authorities have arrested five of the 37 whose names appeared on the lists.Sauceda Gamboa, 44, was a former investigative police officer who played a founding role in the Gulf cartel starting in 1996, federal police said.

"Because of his violent character, he was assigned ... to fight off the (rival) Pacific cartel," said Assistant Public Safety Secretary Gen. Javier del Real Magallanes.

The Public Safety Department said the raid on the home was the result of intelligence work and tips.In a reflection of the current swine flu epidemic sweeping Mexico, Sauceda Gamboa was wearing a surgical mask as he was paraded before reporters by police, who also were wearing the masks in addition to the black ski-masks they normally use to hide their identities.Authorities said Wednesday they also seized five rifles and more than 4,500 rounds of ammunition in the raid, and detained a woman believed to be Sauceda Gamboa's wife, along with another man.Sauceda Gamboa helped the Gulf cartel move an average of 10 tons of cocaine and 30 tons of marijuana across the border each month, and briefly headed the gang, police said, although they acknowledged his personal involvement in the operation had declined in recent years.The Zetas are a violent drug gang based in the states along Mexico's Gulf coast, and have been involved in many of the killings that have taken more than 10,650 lives since 2006.

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Jose Ramirez Jr., 31, was arrested Thursday on a charge of manufacture/delivery of a controlled substance

Jose Ramirez Jr., 31, was arrested Thursday on a charge of manufacture/delivery of a controlled substance in Penalty Group 1 over 4 grams and under 200 grams in a drug-free zone, Wichita County court documents showed. Ramirez’s bond was set at $200,000 and he was in the Wichita County Jail Friday.According to the affidavit:Officers with the Wichita Falls Police Department’s Organized Crime Unit and SWAT Team executed a high-risk narcotics search warrant Thursday at 2115 Shepherd. Officers saw Ramirez, who was named in the warrant, leaving and stopped him. The home sits within 1,000 feet of the Wichita Falls High School soccer fields, which makes it a drug-free zone.Police seized 160 grams of cocaine, with a value of $16,000, from the home, a news release from the police department reported. Police also seized more than $800 in cash, two handguns, a shotgun, a 2005 Harley-Davidson motorcycle and a 2002 Chevrolet pickup.The charge is a first-degree felony offense, and a conviction could result in a penalty of five years to life in prison and a fine of up to $10,000, according to police.

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Carlton Brown, 51, had been out on licence since October, when officers found two wraps of cocaine in a car he was driving.

Carlton Brown, 51, had been out on licence since October, when officers found two wraps of cocaine in a car he was driving.
Brown, who lives at the Stoneham Housing Association in Queens Road, Watford, was pulled over by police in London Road, St Albans, on Tuesday, March 24. After a search of the vehicle, police found just over two grams of the class A drug. Brown admitted it was his and pleaded guilty to possession of cocaine, at St Albans Magistrates Court on Friday. Brown told probation about his arrest and, despite the offence, has not been recalled to serve the remainder of his sentence. In mitigation the court was told Brown, who has a number of drug dealing convictions, had bought three wraps of cocaine out of boredom. After release from prison on previous occasions he has found work as a qualified bus driver, but “this time the work isn't there”. The court was told he lives on benefits in a room at the hostel and had started to “feel quite low” and "bored”. Although a drug dealer, he had never taken cocaine before, but bought three wraps just days before his arrest. He took one, but did not like it and planned to dispose of the other two, which he left in the passenger's side of the car, his defence said. He was going through a difficult time, but was really “trying to do the right things” the magistrates were told.
The chairman of the bench said the guidelines recommended a medium level community order or fine for simple possession, which Brown has not been convicted of before. He was ordered to pay £252 in fines and costs. A forfeiture and destruction order was made on the drugs.

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Yorgo Zero who fled to the UK has been jailed after he was caught dealing crack cocaine and heroin.

Yorgo Zero who fled to the UK has been jailed after he was caught dealing crack cocaine and heroin.Undercover police trapped Yorgo Zero, 26, during Operation Grassland – one of the UK's biggest ever operations to snare drug dealers.Zero, who sought refuge here in 2000, was jailed for four-and-a-half years at Leeds Crown Court.Prosecutor, Philip Adams, said undercover police set themselves up in a flat in Eastmoor, Wakefield, as a front for the drug sting operation.The court heard Zero, of Beech Avenue, Wakefield, was involved in selling crack cocaine and heroin to officers posing as users over a period of seven days last June.
He met undercover officers at a number of locations to do the deals, including Linton Road at Eastmoor and Westgate in Wakefield city centre.When arrested in a restaurant in Wakefield last December he had 14 wraps of crack cocaine, six wraps of heroin and £773 cash stuffed down his underpants.Zero had admitted a string of charges related to dealing Class A drugs.Jailing him for four-and-a-half years, Judge Kerry Macgill said: "Drug dealers like you are not welcome in this country. It is a matter of discretion for the Home Secretary whether or not you are deported."Operation Grassland has seen sentences of over 100 years handed out to drug dealing criminals.Police arrested 105 people as officers tried to rid the city streets of dealers and drugs in Operation Grasslands.Raids were carried out in Agbrigg, College Grove, Eastmoor, Lupset, Portobello, Horbury and Ossett after officers were given information from members of those communities.So far 78 offenders have been through the courts and have been given jail sentences totalling 109 years.

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Aaron Kelly, aged 27, of Woodland Walk, Castlefield, admitted five counts of supplying heroin and cocaine in November and December.

Aaron Kelly, aged 27, of Woodland Walk, Castlefield, admitted five counts of supplying heroin and cocaine in November and December.

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Peter Kelly, aged 30, of Woodland Walk, Castlefield, admitted three counts of supplying heroin and cocaine in November.

Peter Kelly, aged 30, of Woodland Walk, Castlefield, admitted three counts of supplying heroin and cocaine in November.

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Darren Hall, aged 24, of Bamford Close, Runcorn, admitted three counts of supplying heroin in September and December.

Darren Hall, aged 24, of Bamford Close, Runcorn, admitted three counts of supplying heroin in September and December.

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John Waring, aged 31, of Woodland Walk, Runcorn, admitted three counts of supplying heroin in September.

John Waring, aged 31, of Woodland Walk, Runcorn, admitted three counts of supplying heroin in September.

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Roy Taggart, aged 44, of Speke, admitted 11 counts of supplying heroin, cocaine and crack cocaine in September and October.

Roy Taggart, aged 44, of Speke, admitted 11 counts of supplying heroin, cocaine and crack cocaine in September and October.

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Paul Cashen, aged 21, of Wavertree, admitted nine counts of supplying heroin and cocaine during October

Paul Cashen, aged 21, of Wavertree, admitted nine counts of supplying heroin and cocaine during October

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Peter Fortune, aged 22, of Old Sawn, admitted four counts of supplying heroin and cocaine in October.

Peter Fortune, aged 22, of Old Sawn, admitted four counts of supplying heroin and cocaine in October.

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Eamon Tierney, aged 42, ofWindmill Hill, admitted four counts of supplying heroin and cocaine on October 7.

Eamon Tierney, aged 42, ofWindmill Hill, admitted four counts of supplying heroin and cocaine on October 7.

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Bernard Shaw, aged 44, of Frodsham, admitted 10 counts of supplying heroin and cocaine between October and November.

Bernard Shaw, aged 44, of Frodsham, admitted 10 counts of supplying heroin and cocaine between October and November.

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Connor Hart, aged 19, from Liverpool, admitted 10 counts of supplying heroin and cocaine between September and November.

Connor Hart, aged 19, from Liverpool, admitted 10 counts of supplying heroin and cocaine between September and November.

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Gary Worsley, aged 47, of Cambridge Street, Widnes, admitted one count of supplying heroin on August 4.

Gary Worsley, aged 47, of Cambridge Street, Widnes, admitted one count of supplying heroin on August 4.

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Georgina Grant, aged 46, of Levens Way, Widnes, admitted one count of supplying cocaine on August 13.

Georgina Grant, aged 46, of Levens Way, Widnes, admitted one count of supplying cocaine on August 13.

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Lisa Wardle, aged 28, of Wavertree, admitted two counts of supplying cocaine and heroin on July 17.

Lisa Wardle, aged 28, of Wavertree, admitted two counts of supplying cocaine and heroin on July 17.

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Paul Geddes, aged 26, of Wavertree, admitted eight counts of supplying heroin and cocaine between July and August.

Paul Geddes, aged 26, of Wavertree, admitted eight counts of supplying heroin and cocaine between July and August.

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David Mufford, 44, from Devon, pleaded guilty to possession of cocaine with intent to supply

David Mufford, 44, from Devon, pleaded guilty to possession of cocaine with intent to supply at Cork Circuit Criminal Court, in the Irish Republic. The 1.9 tonnes of cocaine, worth about 675 million euros (£610m), were recovered off the Irish coast in 2007. Mufford, of Clennon Lane, Torquay, will be sentenced on 8 May with Philip Doo, from Brixham, Devon, and Christopher Wiggins, from Malaga, Spain. Doo and Wiggins pleaded guilty to the same charge last week.

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Eric Leal, 29, of the 11000 block of Vista del Sol, was arrested

Eric Leal, 29, of the 11000 block of Vista del Sol, was arrested April 17 in a bar's parking lot at 1709 Saul Kleinfeld Drive on charges of possession of cocaine, two family violence warrants and 11 outstanding traffic warrants.Police approached Leal while he was sitting in a vehicle. He was arrested on the warrants and police later found 26 baggies of cocaine weighing 14 grams.

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Ryan Falvey, 19, of the 1900 block of Paseo Rio, was arrested

Ryan Falvey, 19, of the 1900 block of Paseo Rio, was arrested about 1:30 a.m. Tuesday at the Circle K store at 11701 Montwood. Police said they found him in possession of 14.1 grams of the drug. Falvey was arrested on charges of possession of cocaine and manufacture delivery of controlled substance.

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Nicholaus Searles on three counts of dealing a schedule IV substance charged with one count is a Class A felony

Nicholaus Searles made his initial appearance Friday in La Porte Circuit Court on three counts of dealing a schedule IV substance. One count is a Class A felony, which in Indiana is punishable by anywhere from a 20- to 50-year sentence.According to court documents, Searles is accused of selling heroin on three occasions beginning Aug. 19, 2008, in the 700 block of Jackson Street. Police said he helped carry out a $60 exchange at that location.Five days later, police observed Searles sell heroin in the 1300 block of West Indiana 2 near Al's Supermarket after he pulled up in a gold van. On Aug. 29, Searles again sold about $60 in heroin after meeting a buyer in the 300 block of I St.He was overheard telling the customer he was trying to "make rent," police said.Searles once lived in the 500 block of Ohio Street, and when asked by Judge Tom Alevizos where he resides now, the defendant replied "nowhere." Most recent documents filed in the case list Searles as homeless.
Searles also asked the court for a public defender, saying, "I don't have any family or friends."He also revealed money he was making at a construction job he worked at until last week was going for drugs.The court as part of its standard procedure also asked Searles if he was under the influence of any foreign substances to make sure he understood the proceedings. He said the only effects he was feeling were from "heroin withdrawals."Searles said the only money he has is an account at La Porte County Jail to buy snacks and other supplies. Alevizos placed a hold on $100 of that money to help reimburse the county for the expense of his public defender.
Searles was given a Oct. 13 trial date.

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Daniel Rendon-Herrera, known by the alias "Don Mario," was charged with conspiring to support the Autodefensas Unidas de Colombia

Daniel Rendon-Herrera, known by the alias "Don Mario," was charged with conspiring to support the Autodefensas Unidas de Colombia (AUC) rightist paramilitary group, which the U.S. State Department has designated a foreign terrorist organization. He also was charged with conspiring to import thousands of kilograms of cocaine into the United States.Acting U.S. Attorney Lev Dassin unsealed the grand jury indictment against Rendon-Herrera and five others on Tuesday. If convicted, Rendon-Herrera faces a maximum sentence of life in prison.The once-feared cocaine baron was captured last week, with authorities saying he was hiding under a palm tree in the jungles of northern Antioquia province. He is in custody in Colombia."The charges against Rendon-Herrera and his capture represent significant steps in the fight against the most dangerous narco-terrorist groups," Dassin said in a statement.Rebekah Carmichael, a spokeswoman for the U.S. Attorney's office in Manhattan, declined comment when asked if U.S. authorities had requested extradition.Colombian Defense Minster Juan Manuel Santos told reporters at the time of the arrest that Rendon-Herrera, who once offered his gunmen a $1,000 reward for each policeman they killed, is responsible for at least 3,000 murders.His ruthless style recalled that of Colombia's best-known drug baron, Pablo Escobar, who waged war against the state in the 1980s until he was gunned down by security forces on a Medellin rooftop in 1993.
Rendon-Herrera is the brother of a jailed paramilitary warlord known as "El Aleman," or "The German," a nickname he earned for his reputation of enforcing strict discipline among his troops.
Rendon-Herrera is accused of running cocaine trafficking in the area controlled by his brother in the 1990s, when right-wing paramilitaries battled leftist guerrillas for control of rural Colombia.The South American country, the world's largest cocaine producer, has become less violent under President Alvaro Uribe, who has used billions of dollars in U.S. military aid to battle the guerrillas and disarm the paramilitaries.Much of the cocaine is smuggled to the United States through Mexico, where thousands of people have been killed by Mexican cartels that have taken over from Colombian gangs as the dominant drug traffickers in the Americas.

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Benito Hernandez organization bought the narcotic along the Mexican border, transport it in vehicles to Williamson County and sell it

Benito Saucedo Hernandez bought the narcotic along the Mexican border, transport it in vehicles to Williamson County and sell it to local distributors, authorities said. U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration agent Greg Thrash said law enforcement officials had known of Hernandez's organization for several years, but Hernandez was skilled in surveillance and flew under the radar. That is, until Monday, when authorities caught up with him. "They all finally raise their head, and their head gets caught in the net," Thrash said. By Monday, federal and local law enforcement authorities had arrested Hernandez and 11 others in Taylor and Elgin. Eight of them, including Hernandez, were arrested Monday when officials simultaneously executed four narcotics search warrants. Officials also seized two guns, about a half a kilogram, or about a pound, of cocaine and approximately $20,000 during the searches, Thrash said. The arrests came after more than two years of investigation into cocaine distribution in the Taylor area, Thrash said. He said Hernandez was the leader and others arrested were either buying cocaine from him or helping him sell it.
"He was essentially a wholesaler," Thrash said. "The Benito Hernandez organization was quite significant. And it's extremely significant in a smaller town such as Taylor." Thrash did not have a dollar estimate of how much money officials think Hernandez was making. Hernandez and eight others were indicted in federal court April 7 on charges of conspiracy to distribute more than 5 kilograms of cocaine and possession of a controlled substance with intent to distribute, according to court documents. The first charge is punishable by up to 10 years in federal prison; the second charge is punishable by up to 20 years. Officials did not release the names of those who are indicted but not in custody.
In addition to Hernandez, the following people face federal charges: Arturo Garcia, 34, of Taylor; Pauline Gamboa, 34, of Leander; Gabriel Anthony Ross, 28, of Taylor; Ivan Navaro Almazon, 25, of Elgin; Willson Chealiang Ng, 37, of Austin; Slade Leighton Brockman, 28, of Granger; and Higinio Almazan, 26, of Elgin.
Also, Carmene Dominguez, 42, and Javri Euan, 17, both of Taylor, and Mario Almazan of Elgin were charged with possession of cocaine, a second-degree felony punishable by up to 20 years in prison. Eduardo Garcia, 19, of Taylor was charged with possession of marijuana, a Class B misdemeanor, punishable by up to 180 days in jail.

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Philip Doo, 52, and Christopher Wiggins, 42, pleaded guilty to possession with intent to supply of cocaine from South America

Philip Doo, 52, and Christopher Wiggins, 42, pleaded guilty to possession with intent to supply of cocaine from South America believed to be worth more than 650 million euro (£580 million).Doo, from Devon, and Wiggins, based in the Costa del Sol in Spain, pleaded guilty at a brief hearing in Cork Circuit Criminal Court.
The pair were detained after Irish navy, gardai and customs swooped on the 60ft ocean-going boat, Dances With Waves, 170 miles off the west Cork coast last November.Intelligence agencies had tracked the boat for two months across the Atlantic.A third man, David Mufford, of Torquay, Devon, is also accused of being involved in the smuggling operation and will be brought before the court on Monday to enter a plea.The two men spoke quietly in soft English accents as they entered their guilty pleas in the packed courtroom.Doo, of Higher Manor Road, Brixham, wore a dark sweatshirt and lowered his balding head. Wiggins, of Estepona, Malaga, wore a pair of glasses and dark checked shirt.The two drug smugglers showed no emotion as they were led away by prison guards.Judge Patrick J Moran remanded them in custody to be sentenced on May 8.

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