arrested are Sara Chikwasa, 40, a resident of Kabinga in Ndola and Alice Sandi Mulonda, 39, a resident of Matero in Lusaka

Emmy Nawale, 28, a resident of Lubuto, Ndola was arrested on arrival aboard an Ethiopian Airline flight.“Ms Nawale, who inserted a block of cocaine in her private parts was operated upon at the University Teaching Hospital to remove the contraband as it was dangerously inserted,” he said.Mr Nyawali said Ms Nawale is admitted to hospital and will appear in court soon.“Others arrested are Sara Chikwasa, 40, a resident of Kabinga in Ndola and Alice Sandi Mulonda, 39, a resident of Matero in Lusaka,” he said.Mr Nyawali said the two, who were on a Kenyan Airways flight, also inserted the cocaine in their private parts.He said this brings the number of women arrested at Lusaka International Airport for drug trafficking in the last seven days to four.“The Commission is saddened with the emerging trend of drug trafficking as it is degrading to the dignity of women in our society,” Mr Nyawali said.Meanwhile, Mr Nyawali said 94 people were arrested across the country for trafficking in cannabis with a total weight of two tonnes.

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Allan Johnston was jailed for three years by Teesside Crown Court

Cocaine dealer Allan Johnston was jailed for three years by Teesside Crown Court last November after police caught him with drugs worth more than £2,000 in a car in Hartlepool.He has now been ordered to pay back £850 after prosecutors used their powers under the Proceeds of Crime Act.Johnston, 37, did not fight the application to claw back his ill-gotten gains and agreed to the confiscation order.They arrived at the sum of £850 after examining his financial records to calculate how much of his assets could be recovered.He jailed after he was caught with a fist-sized package of cocaine weighing 55 grams on February 13 last year.Johnston, who was in the car with his partner, was pulled over by police in Park Road, Hartlepool, shortly after officers saw him in a pub car park.
He offered up the drugs when they asked if there was anything in the car that should not be there.The cocaine was found to be of poor quality at seven per cent pure.
But it had a street value of up to £2,770 and the court heard that between November 2008 and February last year he was a street dealer.The court heard that during that time Johnston, of Masefield Road, Hartlepool, raked in around £300 a week.Scales, £590 and mobile phones were seized when officers later searched his home.
He admitted possession of a Class A drug with intent to supply and also possession of a number of diazepam tablets which were for his personal use.

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convicted 40-year-old Domingo Baez and two co-defendants — 30-year-old Maurisio Ramirez and 32-year-old Gilberto Acevedo,

convicted 40-year-old Domingo Baez and two co-defendants — 30-year-old Maurisio Ramirez and 32-year-old Gilberto Acevedo, both of Wenatchee, Wash. — of conspiracy to distribute cocaine.The jury found that the men conspired to bring between approximately a pound and 11 pounds of the drug to the Billings area between January 2007 and September 2008. They face a minimum mandatory sentence of five to 40 years in prison and up to a $2 million fine.Eddleman and Kurth acknowledged giving cocaine to friends at parties in their Red Lodge and Billings homes.Kurth is serving an eight-month sentence, and Eddleman was sentenced to 2½ years.

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arrested 51-year old Peter Achim Franz

arrested 51-year old Peter Achim Franz suspicious of the man's insecure actions upon his arrival at the airport at 7.30 p.m. flying from Amsterdam on flight number KL 835."We became suspicious as he showed signs of drug taking," Bagus Endro Wibowo said.Officials scanned him and found a small plastic bag containing marijuana placed in his underwear."By using the Ion scan, we also detected traces of cocaine on his hands and bag. The suspect admitted that he consumed cocaine a day before flying to Bali," Wibowo explained.The suspect could be charged with violating a law on narcotics, with a possible sentence of between five and 20 years in prison."The case has been submitted to the Bali Police for further investigation," Wibowo said.
Sr. Com. Kokot Indarto, director of Bali Police's narcotics department, confirmed that he had received the report and was processing the case."We are examining evidence at the Forensic Laboratory."Indarto admitted that the number of drug trafficking and smuggling involving foreign nationals had been increasing significantly over the last few months.Since December 2009, the Bali Police has handled drug-related cases involving seven Iranian citizens who were found to have illegally smuggled 5 kilograms of crystal methamphetamine by swallowing the drug.Ten days later, another Iranian was arrested for illegally trafficking similar drugs using the same modus operandi.Also in December, Australian Robert Paul Mcjannett was caught smuggling 2 grams of marijuana.On new year's eve, a Ngurah Rai official also arrested Malaysian Hoon Yue Chin for smuggling 0.62 grams of crystal meth.In early January, Ngurah Rai officials also arrested a French man for smuggling 0.78 grams of heroin.In the same month, two Malaysian citizens, Chang Cheng Weng and Boo Guang Teik, smuggled 2 kilograms of crystal meth.The last case involved an Indian national Mohamed Umar charged with smuggling 9.8 kilograms of ketamine to Bali.

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Hugh Connolly and Mary Casey, both of Foxhole Road in Paignton, were arrested during police raids

Hugh Connolly and Mary Casey, both of Foxhole Road in Paignton, were arrested during police raids on Wednesday, the second day of Operation Blaze.Police hit five Paignton addresses this week as part of intelligence-led investigations, recovering heroin, pills, cash and mobile phones.Connolly and Casey were charged with supplying an undercover police officer with heroin.Five other drug dealers had pleaded guilty on Tuesday when they appeared before magistrates, and Connolly and Casey were arrested as part of the same raids.Connolly, 46, admitted three charges of supplying diamorphine, one charge of being concerned in supplying diamorphine, and one of offering to supply diamorphine.Casey, 36, pleaded guilty to supplying diamorphine.
Chris Bittlestone, prosecuting, said: "Heroin is a pernicious and present problem."
The court heard guideline sentencing for dealing heroin is between 18 months and two years.Mervyn Williams, mitigating, told the court he had no issue with what the prosecution had told magistrates.Connolly and Casey were remanded in custody to appear at Exeter Crown Court on April 6 for sentencing.Magistrates' chairman Ian Handford said the crimes were very serious and not to be treated lightly.

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Luigino Jonis (aged 33), Den Haag, Holland pleaded guilty at Dublin Circuit Criminal Court to possession of drugs for sale and supply

Luigino Jonis (aged 33), Den Haag, Holland pleaded guilty at Dublin Circuit Criminal Court to possession of drugs for sale and supply at the airport on March 9, 2009.
Father-of-four Jonis had flown to Dublin from Johannesburg via Istanbul with 24 kilograms of cannabis in his luggage when he was intercepted by airport customs officials.Garda Keith Morris told Ms Elva Duffy, prosecuting, that shortly after one o’clock he arrived at the customs hall in Dublin airport where an examination of Jonis’ luggage was under way. After passing through an x-ray machine, Jonis’ luggage was found to contain just over 24 kilogrammes of cannabis in a number of brown taped packages contained within two larger decoratively wrapped packages.Garda Morris said that Jonis admitted that he was carrying “grass” and indicated that he had been offered between two and three thousand euro to transport drugs into the country.
He said that Jonis told gardaí that he owed over €8,000 to different banks and for his children’s education in Holland, and had agreed to smuggle the drugs as he “wanted to succeed at something”. Jonis told gardaí that he thought he was carrying three kilograms of cannabis and was unaware that he was actually transporting a significantly larger amount. Garda Morris told Ms Mary Rose Gearty SC, defending, that after making admissions to customs officials, Jonis became very upset and was very worried by the whole situation.Garda Morris accepted that Jonis was financially desperate and that he was not at the very highest end of the scale of drug traffickers.He accepted that Jonis had shown genuine remorse for his actions and was as cooperative as he could have been with both gardaí and customs officials.
Ms Gearty told the court that Jonis was a person of a very industrious nature, who had an extensive CV and had no previous convictions in his native Holland. She said that the incident painted a picture of a man who was clearly desperate and that Jonis had since done everything within his power to mitigate his circumstances.She said that Jonis was subject to racial abuse in prison and that he was currently without the support of his family who could not travel from Holland to visit him.
Judge Tony Hunt said that he agreed that Jonis was at the lower end of the scale of drug traffickers and that he had couriered drugs out of financial desperation. However, he said that Jonis had still couriered a significant amount of cannabis.
Judge Hunt said it was unfortunate that he encountered similar situations almost every day of the week, whereby foreign nationals with financial difficulties were preyed upon by people in the higher echelons of the drugs trade.He said he was taking into account the particular difficulties Jonis encountered serving a prison sentence in an Irish jail and imposed a six year sentence with the final two years suspended provided that Jonis departure the jurisdiction immediately upon completion of the remainder of his sentence.

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hundred kilos of heroin with an estimated street value of £4.5million has been seized by police in Finsbury Park.

hundred kilos of heroin with an estimated street value of £4.5million has been seized by police in Finsbury Park.The heroin was discovered in the back of a Renault van, stopped by officers in Upper Tollington Park, at 3.30pm on Thursday.The stop, which was part of a planned operation, was carried out by Operation Trident officers with the assistance of armed officers from C019.A 45-year-old man was arrested in the van. Another man, also aged 45, and a 38-year-old woman were arrested a short time later in Seven Sisters Road, Holloway.
All are currently in custody at east London police stations and enquiries continue.
Detective Inspector Malcolm Davies, from Operation Trident, which deals with black on black gun crime, said: "This is a major seizure and will severely disrupt the organised criminal networks in north east London. The offence of drug trafficking is a pernicious crime that directly impacts on the public of London. This seizure and arrests demonstrates SCD8's commitment to disrupting and dismantling major organised crime networks in London.

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Terrence Bowler led the £62 million syndicate which brought the drugs into the UK hidden in boxes of flowers from the Netherlands.

Terrence Bowler led the £62 million syndicate which brought the drugs into the UK hidden in boxes of flowers from the Netherlands.
He will be sentenced, along with 11 others, at Southwark Crown Court in London for his leading role in one of Britain's biggest drugs smuggling networks.
At one point, the gang was shipping in consignments worth up to £750,000 a week and would use an east London bureau de change to clean up its "dirty" profits. A 14-month undercover investigation found that the drugs were imported into the UK through Harwich ferry port in Essex and taken to a warehouse in Chatham, Kent. But officers at the port intercepted a shipment of 494lb (224kg), worth more than £750,000 to the gang, on July 16 2008, prompting a major change in tactics.
From September 2008, the drugs were shipped to Hull and taken to a warehouse in Leeds, West Yorkshire, before being transported to one of a number of lock-up garages in Kingston, Worcester Park, Epsom and Ashtead, where the skunk cannabis would be unpacked and stored.
Along with Bowler, who led the gang's so-called board of directors, 11 others now face jail in connection with the network.
Bowler, 40, of St Albans Road, Kingston, Surrey, Peter Moran, 37, of Fulham Palace Road, Fulham, west London; and Mark Kinnimont, 40, of Claremont Road, Surbiton, Surrey, made up the board of directors and all pleaded guilty to conspiracy to import controlled drugs and conspiracy to launder the proceeds of crime.
Liam Salter, David Couchman and Timothy Sullivan represented the next level of authority. Salter, 39, of Reeds Rest Lane, Tadworth, Surrey, Couchman, 38, of Sweeney Crescent, Southwark, south London, and Sullivan, 38, of Ash Court, Epsom, Surrey, all pleaded guilty to conspiracy to supply controlled drugs and conspiracy to launder the proceeds of crime.
Asim Bashir, 35, of The Drive, Ilford, Essex, made sure that the drug money was included with legitimate cash and laundered through the financial system. He was convicted of laundering the proceeds of crime.
Details of the case can only now be reported for the first time due to legal reasons. All the convicted defendants will be sentenced "within two or three weeks", the judge said.

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American Pain a ``pill mill.''

American Pain a ``pill mill.'' But the Lake Worth pain clinic operated more like a factory, churning through 250 patients a day, paying doctors as much as $44,000 a week, and distributing more than two million painkillers in a single year.Those details are contained in a forfeiture lawsuit the U.S. attorney's office filed this week seeking to seize three houses from American Pain's owner, Christopher George. The suit was filed Wednesday, the same day federal agents and local sheriff's deputies raided American Pain and two other clinics operated by George's twin brother, Jeffrey.American Pain is only one of as many as 200 loosely regulated pain clinics now operating in South Florida, making the region the chief supplier of black-market pills for much of the eastern United States. The explosion of clinics -- and the coinciding spike in prescription overdose deaths in the state -- has prompted lawmakers and law enforcement to begin cracking down on the industry.In the suit, prosecutors said George has been under investigation on suspicion of drug trafficking and money laundering for 18 months. Investigators said George tried to conceal his role as American Pain's owner by listing his mother and girlfriend as ``straw owners'' on corporate records. But George, 29, of Royal Palm Beach, has not been charged with any crimes.The suit describes American Pain as a massive -- and massively lucrative -- enterprise, attracting 250 patients a day from Kentucky, Ohio and South Carolina to buy painkillers. Prosecutors described the patients as mules in a drug-running circuit throughout the South: Out-of-state couriers could buy one pill of the painkiller oxycodone at American Pain for $5, and resell the narcotics in their home states for as much as $80 a pill, the suit says.Investigators tracked 147 cash deposits totaling more than $14 million that flowed through American Pain's bank accounts in 2009 alone. A George associate told an undercover agent that George was trying to launder as much as $40 million in assets, the suit says.Neither George nor his lawyer, James Eisenberg, could be reached for comment Thursday. But Eisenberg previously has said that the George brothers broke no laws while running their businesses.The pain-clinic business was also generous to the five doctors who worked at American Pain: Dr. Cynthia Cadet of Fort Lauderdale; Dr. Jacob Dreszer of Hollywood; Dr. Roni Dreszer of Hollywood; Dr. Michael Aruta of Boca Raton; and Dr. Beau Boshers of Palm Beach Gardens. Combined, they received $5.1 million in payments last year for providing exams and writing prescriptions at the clinic, prosecutors say.
These five doctors ordered more than 2.1 million oxycodone pills in 2009 through American Pain, prosecutors say. All five physicians are among the top 20 doctors who dispensed the most oxycodone in the United States last year, the suit says, citing DEA data.Prosecutors said they were reviewing allegations that the doctors were paid based on the number of patients they saw. The doctors were not paid employees of the clinic, but were paid as independent contractors, the suit says.None of the five doctors has ever been disciplined by the state medical board, records show. No doctor would comment for this story.
``There's an ongoing investigation. I can't answer those questions,'' Boshers told The Miami Herald on Thursday. According to the government's lawsuit, he ordered 439,599 oxycodone pills in 2009 through American Pain, which paid him $1.2 million.

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Wayne Coleiro, 38, of Bryony Close, Walkden, was jailed for two-and-a-half years.Matthew Neale, 38, of Halton Bank, Irlam, was given seven years

Wayne Coleiro, 38, of Bryony Close, Walkden, was jailed for two-and-a-half years.Matthew Neale, 38, of Halton Bank, Irlam, was given seven years behind bars have been brought to justice after police smashed a huge cocaine supply network.
The men were part of a group of nine, who all admitted conspiracy to supply class A drugs, were caught following a major undercover operation.The gang was caught red-handed last March when cops found two kilos of cocaine and a blender to ‘cut’ the drug at a house in Miles Platting, Manchester.After they were jailed, Detective Chief Inspector John Ogden, of the Serious Crime Division of Greater Manchester Police, said: "Our investigation unearthed a lucrative and widespread criminal network involved in selling drugs."We have smashed a major drugs ring by disrupting the supply of lethal drugs on to our streets and it is very pleasing to see the main players behind bars."We targeted this ring because GMP is committed to clamping down on the illicit trade of drugs and I hope these sentences act as a warning to anyone who is currently involved in drug-related activity or who may be considering becoming involved in it."

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Royston Wellington of Hadfield Street remanded to prison when he appeared before her for allegedly being found with a quantity of cocaine

Royston Wellington of Hadfield Street remanded to prison when he appeared before her for allegedly being found with a quantity of cocaine in his possession for the purpose of trafficking.He entered a not guilty plea to the charge of possession of narcotics for the purpose of trafficking when he appeared at the Georgetown Magistrate’s Court.He denied that on February 23 at East La Penitence he had eight grammes of cocaine in his possession for the purpose of trafficking.He was represented by attorney-at-law Sasha Roberts who applied for bail on the grounds that he had a medical condition that may deteriorate if incarcerated without receiving his medication.However, the magistrate informed her that that was not a special reason for bail to be granted to her client in a matter of this nature.Prosecutor Joel Ricknauth then requested that Wellington be remanded to prison and a date be set for the commencement of his trial.

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Jason L. Davidson, 26, of 53 1/2 Harrison St., Greenville, had charges held for disorderly conduct and furnishing drug-free urine

Jason L. Davidson, 26, of 53 1/2 Harrison St., Greenville, had charges held for disorderly conduct and furnishing drug-free urine before District Judge Lorinda L. Hinch, Mercer.State parole agents brought Davidson to the Mercer police station in handcuffs after they found the small bottle tied to a string in his sweatpants, Mercer police said.The urine was in case Davidson had to take a urine test, he told police.
While being brought to the station, he became unruly and had to be told not to yell and swear in public, police said.

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Sentenced Walter Taylor, age 28, of Baltimore today to 210 months in prison

Sentenced Walter Taylor, age 28, of Baltimore today to 210 months in prison, followed by five years of supervised release, for conspiracy to distribute and possess with intent to distribute heroin. The sentence was announced by United States Attorney for the District of Maryland Rod J. Rosenstein; Baltimore City State’s Attorney Patricia C. Jessamy; Baltimore Police Commissioner Frederick H. Bealefeld III; and Special Agent in Charge Richard A. McFeely of the Federal Bureau of Investigation. According to Taylor’s guilty plea, from 2004 until July 2008, he was a street level distributor in a drug organization that sold heroin under the brand name “Dynasty” in the Westport section of Baltimore City. During the period of the conspiracy, Taylor was observed by law enforcement in and around the “street shop,” distributing heroin to customers. Taylor admits that he and the other members of the organization conspired to distribute at least 30 kilograms of heroin. United States Attorney Rod J. Rosenstein thanked Baltimore City Assistant State’s Attorney Keri Borzilleri for her assistance in the investigation and prosecution. Mr. Rosenstein commended Assistant United States Attorney James T. Wallner and Special Assistant United States Attorney Christopher M. Mason, a cross-designated Baltimore City Assistant State’s Attorney assigned to EXILE cases, who are prosecuting the case.

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Steven P. Guzman, 24, was seen in the parking lot of a Dunkin’ Donuts on Lakeville Road where he agreed to sell the bags

Steven P. Guzman, 24, was seen in the parking lot of a Dunkin’ Donuts on Lakeville Road where he agreed to sell the bags to another person for an unknown amount of money at 9:07 p.m., according to Narcotics/Vice Bureau detectives.
He was found to have 102 bags of heroin on him, each bag marked “Coming Up,” police said.Guzman was charged with criminal possession of a controlled substance and criminal sale of a controlled substance. He will be arraigned at First Distrcit Court in Hempstead on Sunday.

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Kristin Metz, 29, had faced a possible life term in the 2008 murder of Stevie May.

Kristin Metz, 29, had faced a possible life term in the 2008 murder of Stevie May. The lesser sentence resulted from an agreement between prosecutors and Metz’ defense team that was approved by state District Judge Ray Wheless. No witnesses testified during the punishment phase.As part of the deal, the defense waived the right to appeal."It was a fair sentence," said lead prosecutor John Lee Schomburger. "There was not any intent to kill."Defense attorney Tom D'Amore said he also was pleased with the sentence: "It was done...to avoid the risk to our client of a greater sentence."A Collin County jury found her guilty Friday of causing May’s death by injecting her with heroin at her request.The verdict in the unusual trial came moments before state District Judge Ray Wheless was about to send the panel home for the weekend. When the verdict was announced, May's mother, Kathleen May, sobbed openly in the courtroom.A few feet away, Metz, 29, appeared calm. But she broke down in tears moments later as her attorney, Scott Palmer, sought to reassure her.
"How could they do this?" she pleaded. "How do I have any faith in justice?"
The case against Metz was considered a rarity because she was charged with murdering someone who authorities acknowledge was voluntarily committing the same criminal act: possession of heroin.Evidence at the trial shows that at the behest of May, Metz purchased heroin from a Carrollton dealer so they both could use it back at the McKinney apartment Metz shared with her husband. But when May had trouble injecting herself, Metz — her best friend — did it for her, authorities say. The 21-year-old mother died inside Metz's apartment.

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Balwant Nagra, 29, had pled guilty earlier in Sarnia court to importing cocaine

Balwant Nagra, 29, had pled guilty earlier in Sarnia court to importing cocaine on Aug. 6, 2007.Through an interpreter, Nagra pleaded for a lesser sentence so he could stay with his family. He is married with a young child, who could be heard crying throughout the proceedings.When the sentence was announced, a female family member collapsed on the courtroom floor. She was taken to hospital with chest pains.
Justice Mark Hornblower said seven years was an appropriate sentence, even if the vulnerable Nagra was preyed upon by sophisticated commercial drug traffickers.
Hornblower quoted an appeal court judgment setting sentencing guidelines for cocaine smuggling at seven to 10 years for first offences.Untold misery results from hard drug use, Hornblower said.Nagra, who had no prior criminal record, came to Canada to make a better life for himself, and appears to have been successful until the cocaine smuggling, Hornblower said.U.S. Drug Enforcement Agency officers notified Canadian authorities to watch for Nagra's truck after a cocaine shipment was tracked electronically from California to Detroit. The DEA alert was part of an international investigation code-named E-Paragon.DEA agents planted the tracking device after watching cocaine being added to a truckload of plums in California.In Michigan, two plum boxes holding 33 packages of cocaine were transferred to Nagra's truck before he crossed the Blue Water Bridge.After seizing the drugs, Canadian authorities released Nagra without charges so that E-Paragon could continue. He then drove Canadian routes only.Nagra was charged in November 2008 when the operation ended with multiple arrests in British Columbia.The investigation revealed Canadian marijuana and chemicals used in methamphetamine production were being traded for cocaine in a cross-border drug swap.Federal prosecutor Michael Robb said outside the courtroom there's a market for Canadian marijuana in California, and some chemicals are easier to obtain in Canada.
Toronto-based defence lawyer John Norris said Nagra viewed drug running as an easy way to escape financial problems, but is now heavy with remorse.Nagra wrung his hands and wept during sentencing.He was offered $10,000 to cross the border with the cocaine.Courier fees normally range from $500 to $1,000 per kilogram, with $1,000 the more common fee, said Robb.A report filed with the court estimate the cocaine's value at $1 million to $2.6 million, depending on how it would have been sold.

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Chris Houston, who plays for Newcastle Knights in the National Rugby League competition, has been charged with supplying ecstasy and cocaine

Chris Houston, who plays for Newcastle Knights in the National Rugby League competition, has been charged with supplying ecstasy and cocaine according to reports in Australian newspapers on Monday.
The 25-year-old second-row forward will appear in court next month, and has been suspended by his club.
"Newcastle Knights player Chris Houston has been stood down immediately and indefinitely following reports he was charged this afternoon on drug-related allegations," a Knights statement said on Monday.
Houston's teammate Danny Wicks was charged with six counts of supplying prohibited drugs and two counts of drug possession in December.
Wicks' younger brother and his sister-in-law have also been charged as part of a police investigation into drugs suppliers, along with soccer player Steven Stefanovski.
Wicks and Houston both moved to Newcastle from Sydney club St George Illawarra at the end of 2007.
Wicks agreed to cancel his $180,000-a-year contract in December, the Sydney Morning Herald reported, while Houston is contracted to the Knights until 2012.
It is the second year in a row that the sport has been hit by controversy ahead of a new season, which begins in two weeks.
Last year, Manly and Australia fullback Brett Stewart had to be removed from NRL advertisements following allegations of sexual assault.
Former Newcastle and Australia star Andrew Johns also made headlines after his retirement in 2007 when he was caught in possession of ecstasy in Britain, and later admitted he had been a regular user of the drug during his career.

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Paul Grafton had a £160,000 house, changed his car 16 times in nine years and flew to Las Vegas with his wife to watch a boxing contest.

Grafton, 33, collected more than £20,000 in a range of benefits by claiming to be a single man, living alone, and out of work.The reality was that he was living with his wife and their daughter in relative luxury – mostly funded by his law-breaking.
Police first investigated the benefit fraud and charged both Grafton and his wife, Joanne Dickson, 31, in January last year.During surveillance, detectives noted that he frequently visited a fishing cabin in Redcar, east Cleveland, with other men.
The cabin – along with the Middlesbrough homes of Grafton and an associate, David Foy – were searched for drugs.Almost £600 worth of cocaine and £555 in cash was found at Foy’s house in Millbrook Avenue during the raid on January 9.It later emerged that he allowed Grafton to use his home to store drugs, and split them from bulk deals into smaller packages.Both men admitted a charge of possessing Class A drugs with intent to supply when they were due to go on trial.Grafton also admitted a number of benefit fraud offences, but ultimately no evidence was offered against his wife.However, a judge told her: “Anybody with any commonsense could see you have come within a whisker of being convicted.”Recorder David Wilby, locked up Grafton, of Eastbourne Gardens, for a total of four years, and sentenced Foy to 21 months.Foy also admitted a common assault and an assault occasioning actual bodily harm against his then-partner last November.Last night, Cleveland Police hailed the success of their Operation Weller, and the Too Much Bling, Give us A Ring campaign.Inspector Dave Turnbull, of the force’s economic crime unit, said: “The residents of communities in Teesside know who the drug dealers and criminals are.
“Every day they see them flaunting their wealth. Most do not work – yet can afford designer clothes, the latest electrical goods and have overseas holidays while claiming benefits.“The Too Much Bling campaign that ran in 2008 was aimed at encouraging the public to report people who they suspected were committing crime and who appeared to be living beyond their means.
“As a result, a lot of intelligence including information on Grafton was received.
“The economic crime unit money laundering team found evidence that Grafton was cheating the benefit system and was supplying controlled drugs that was funding an extravagant lifestyle.”
Brian Russell, for Grafton, said he had also funded his lifestyle by “reckless borrowing” on credit cards and loans from people.
Paul Newcombe, for Foy, said: “Facing the prospect of going to prison for the first time in his life is daunting.”

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Michael Daly, 49, teamed up with a police killer to smuggle in £235million worth of the drug in an inflatable boat.

Michael Daly, 49, teamed up with a police killer to smuggle in £235million worth of the drug in an inflatable boat.
But the bungling smugglers recruited by Daly and murderer Perry Wharrie overloaded the vessel and filled the spare tank with diesel instead of petrol.
It capsized in a storm, spilling 62 bales of high-quality cocaine into the sea. Two gang members swam ashore and the other was hauled to safety by a helicopter.
Millionaire crook Daly is already serving eight years for an almost identical crime aimed at landing £4million worth of cocaine on a beach in Kent.
He turned to high-stakes crime after being dismissed from the Metropolitan Police for drink-driving.
Using his Scotland Yard experience, he built a drugs empire, investing the proceeds in property in Britain and Ireland. Investigators found £30,000 of his in a safety deposit box in London store Harrods.
Daly went into partnership with Wharrie, 50, jailed for life in 1989 for the murder of off-duty PC Frank Mason. He was released in 2005.
Blackfriars Crown Court in London yesterday heard how the gang had planned to get rich like “high-stakes gamblers at the Casino Royale”, sailing the drugs from the Caribbean to a rendezvous with the smugglers off the Irish coast.
The drugs left Barbados in May 2007 on a catamaran called Lucky Day but the transfer was sunk by bad luck, bad weather and bungling.
A joint investigation in Britain and Ireland has resulted in convictions for six of the gang.
Martin Wanden, the former detective’s brother Joe Daly and Wharrie were convicted in Ireland, while another member, Gerard Hagan, pleaded guilty.

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federal grand jury indictment alleges Michael Olsen, 35, of Milton, ran the drug ring involving over 5 kilograms of cocaine and 5 grams of crack from

federal grand jury indictment alleges Michael Olsen, 35, of Milton, ran the drug ring involving over 5 kilograms of cocaine and 5 grams of crack from out of Rizzo Bros. auto detailing shop, which did little legitimate business, the office of the U.S. Attorney for Vermont said.
Olsen is accused of directing others to mail cash, usually over $20,000, to dealers in California and Arizona, who then had the cocaine sent to other locations in Vermont, where it was distributed, prosecutors said.
Andrew Bullock, 29, of Essex Junction; Matthew Rivers, 24, of South Burlington; Roddy Superneau, 45, of Colchester; Sonya Robar, 36, or Essex Junction; Joel Root, 36, of St. Albans; Melissa Root, 39, of St. Albans; and Jason Smith, 31, of Burlington are facing drug distribution charges.
Olsen, Allison Simpson, 38, of South Burlington and Melissa Stuart, 33, of Colchester are accused of money laundering in alleged schemes in which drug money was deposited into a business bank account from which paychecks were drawn and vehicles were purchased with drug proceeds and kept in other people’s names, prosecutor said.
Olsen and a telephone company employee also are charged with accessing phone records of Drug Enforcement Administration agents so that Olsen could determine which witnesses were talking with the DEA, the indictment said.

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Phuong Thi Tran, 39, of Mississauga, Ontario, "operated a network of smugglers who distributed large amounts of ecstasy" to drug dealers in the United

Phuong Thi Tran, 39, of Mississauga, Ontario, "operated a network of smugglers who distributed large amounts of ecstasy" to drug dealers in the United states.
Tran has been charged in Michigan as well as Pennsylvania. Her organization is accused of delivering 100,000 ecstasy pills to dealers in Philadelphia and Boston.Tran pleaded guilty to one count of conspiracy to distribute ecstasy and methamphetamines and one count of conspiracy to possess with the intent to distribute ecstasy. The case was investigated by Immigration and Customs Enforcement, the DEA, and other law enforcement agencies from both nations. Tran will be sentenced in June.

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Charlie Nunn, of the 300 block of Hill Street, allegedly grew the marijuana in a pair of specialty tents

Charlie Nunn, of the 300 block of Hill Street, allegedly grew the marijuana in a pair of specialty tents -- purchased from a company in Illinois called Big Grow Hydroponics -- in his garage with lights and heaters. Police said Nunn also had a .357 Magnum, multiple cell phones and a pair of brass knuckles.Police said they watched Nunn four months before raiding his home Monday. They had believed most of his illicit activity centered on selling heroin and syringes and were surprised to find the grow house, police said.
"It was just good police work," Bethlehem Detective Sgt. William Kissner said.
Bethlehem police say they seized these marijuana plants from the Hill Street home.
Police Commissioner Stuart Bedics said growing operations are not uncommon, but this one was unique.
"We've never seen this type of apparatus," Bedics said, gesturing to the tall, black and green tent that Nunn allegedly used to store and grow the marijuana plants.
Lt. Mark DiLuzio said the marijuana plants each produce 1 pound of marijuana with a total street value of $100,000 -- growers could harvest up to four times a year.
Nunn was charged with eight drug-related offenses and a weapons offense. He was sent to Northampton County Prison in lieu of $25,000 bail.Nunn was also involved in an alleged theft in Hellertown earlier this month in which two men took his girlfriend's backpack, police said. Nunn held onto the thieves' truck as they drove away, police said. He was thrown from the truck and treated for injuries.

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Angie Sanselmente Valencia who police believe may have run a drug trafficking operation using models and atttractive women.

30-year-old Angie Sanselmente Valencia who police believe may have run a drug trafficking operation using models and atttractive women.Miss Valencia is wanted for allegedly using a squad of women to transport cocaine from South America to Europe.Police say they discovered the operation when they arrested a 21-year-old woman carrying 55 kg of cocaine at Buenos Aires' Ezeiza Airport.Angie Valencia was crowned Colombia's Coffee Queen in 2000 and she is believed to live in Argentinalingerie model is believed to be the mastermind behind an all-women drug gang that smuggles cocaine into Britain. An international arrest warrant has been issued for Angie Sanselmente Valencia, 30, who is said to only hire glamour models to transport the drugs from South America to Europe.It’s believed that Colombian-born Valencia had been seeing a Mexican drug lord known as ‘The Monster’ but split with him at the end of last year to form her own cocaine-smuggling gang.She is said to describe the women working for her as ‘unsuspicious, beautiful angels’. The women are told to be ‘nice, but not flashy’.Valencia, who was crowned Colombia’s ‘Queen Of Coffee’ in 2000, left modelling and moved to Argentina late last year to establish her network.Her ‘angels’ were paid £3,200 for each trip they made and one of her gang is believed to have boarded a flight every 24 hours with the packages of cocaine.From Argentina they would fly up to the Mexican Caribbean resort of Cancun and from there they would smuggle them into Europe.However her network began to unravel several weeks ago when one of her ‘drug mules’ was caught at Argentina’s Ezeiza International Airport in Buenos Aires carrying 55kg of cocaine.The 21-year-old woman began to talk and within 12 hours police investigators had arrested a further three people.The drug mule had made no attempt to hide the cocaine in her suitcase because she’d been told no one would stop her at the airport, according to Argentine newspaper La Nacion.Police are now investigating the gang’s links to people working at the airport.
Following the arrests Valencia promptly disappeared from a four-star hotel in Buenos Aires but is still believed to be in the South American country.
She’d arrived from Mexico last December with her beloved pet Pomeranian dog. Investigators tried to trace her through the address to which the animal was registered but it only led them to an abandoned warehouse.

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Joseph Failazu, 32 and Yahye Ceefay, 25jailed for 12 years and fined €50,000 today after admitting in court to having imported nearly a kilo of drugs

Nigerian man was jailed for 12 years and fined €50,000 today after admitting in court to having imported nearly a kilo of drugs hidden in capsules in his stomach and his rectum.
In a similar case, a man from Gambia was jailed for 10 years and fined €20,000, after he admitted importing 250 grams hidden in capsules in his stomach.
Both men were arrested separately last August after flying i from Spain.
Chief Justice Vincent DeGaetano in handing down sentence said that the two accused, Joseph Failazu, 32 and Yahye Ceefay, 25, were part of a wider criminal organisation which had used them to achieve its ends, but they were well aware of what they were doing and the consequences of their actions.
The court, however, had noted their early guilty plea.

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sentenced 25-year-old Raymond D. Wooley of Carbondale in United States District Court in Benton.

Wooley previously pleaded guilty to one count of conspiracy to distribute crack cocaine. He will spend 11 years in federal prison.The violation took place between august 2006 and august 2008, in Jackson County. Two of Wooley's co-defendants have already been sentenced for their involvement in the crack cocaine conspiracy. Three more have pleaded guilty and are awaiting sentencing.

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