Mexican beauty queen arrested stripped of her Hispanic American beauty title

Laura Zuniga, 23, and seven men were detained at a military checkpoint in central Mexico on Monday. Police found assault rifles and $55,000 in cash in the luxury vehicles they had been driving.Mexican beauty queen arrested in the company of heavily armed, suspected drug traffickers has been stripped of her Hispanic American beauty title, pageant organizers in Bolivia told local media on Saturday.
Zuniga was ordered jailed on Friday for a further 40 days while investigators probe possible ties to violent smuggling gangs.Police say they suspect the dark-haired model, who won the Miss Sinaloa and Queen of Hispanic America pageants earlier this year, was the girlfriend of one of the men arrested. Investigators say he is linked to the Juarez cartel, which operates lucrative smuggling routes into the United States.

"Promociones Gloria, the company that created and is responsible for (the pageant) has dismissed Laura Zuniga as the official Hispanic America Queen 2008," the organisation said in a statement, according to La Paz daily La Razon.

She was to compete in the Miss International pageant next year.
Mexican President Felipe Calderon is battling powerful cartels in his country with soldiers and federal police.

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Takeaway crack gang sentenced

12 men were sentenced for conspiracy to supply Class A drugs throughout east London.
Mobile phones used by the gangs to take orders from drug users received more than 30,000 calls in less than two months, Snaresbrook Crown Court heard.
Seven of the men were members of a gang calling themselves Box, four were from a gang known as Don, and the final defendant was part of a gang nicknamed Laguna by police because of their choice of transport.The court heard that all of the gangs used high-value hire cars as a means of demonstrating their wealth.They would drive to a meeting place where drug users would be waiting. Each car had one driver, one person responsible for receiving the money and a number of passengers who stored the wraps of drugs in their mouths.When a deal was done they would spit out the wraps and pass them to the buyer, instructing them to "mouth" the wrap immediately in a bid to avoid detection and to destroy DNA evidence.Whenever the cars were stopped by police the men could swallow the wraps in order to avoid the drugs being found.
Undercover police officers found that the men were equipped to supply several wraps at a time and even double the order if asked.In February and March of this year, police officers were posing as buyers and wearing concealed cameras in order to record evidence of the operation.The men, all from east London, pleaded guilty and were sentenced by Judge William Kennedy, who said: "Of all the plagues that have brought death and destruction to humankind over the last millennium, the use and misuse of Class A drugs upon the street ranks with the very worst."
He sentenced the members of the Box gang first. Sharif Choudhury, 21, was jailed for three years and nine months and Remo Foa, 21, for three years nine months. Mohammed Rhaman, 22, received the same sentence. Aminul Islam, 20, was detained for two years nine months. Rezaul Islam, 25, was sentenced to four years and Abdul Salam, 21, received a three-year sentence. Ruhel Ahmed, also 21, was jailed for three years six months.The Don gang and the one member of the Laguna gang were sentenced later. Jahagir Alom, 22, was jailed for three years, Nadimul Islam, 32, received a sentence of four years two months, Nazimul Islam, 27, was given three years nine months and Ruhel Miah, 24, was sentenced to four years three months. Laguna gang member Ashrathul Islam, 27, was jailed for three years six months.

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Cocaine worth €175,000 has been seized at Dublin Airport.

Cocaine worth €175,000 has been seized at Dublin Airport.Around 2.5kg of cocaine had been concealed in the back support of two haversacks belonging to a 32-year-old man who had travelled from Santiago, Chile.He was arrested and questioned by gardaí at Dublin Airport, and is expected to appear in court today.Customs officers at the airport have seized drugs with a street value of approximately €8m so far in 2008.

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Santa Busted for Cocaine Possession

Santa Busted for Cocaine Possession

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Daniell Anderson, who took the witness stand in his own defence during the trial, argued he was acting in self-defence when he opened fire on officers

Daniell Anderson, will remain free on bail until a hearing in January to see if the charges against him will be tossed out of court based on allegations that arresting officers used excessive force when taking him into custody.Officially, Mr. Anderson was found guilty of attempting to kill Const. Donald Murray and discharging a firearm with intent to injure Const. Curtis Penner. He was not found guilty of trying to kill Penner.Mr. Anderson had no comment after being ushered out of the courthouse by sheriff's officers.About 40 people -- including top brass from the Winnipeg Police Service and the Winnipeg Police Association -- packed the courtroom for Wednesday's verdict.The hearing to determine whether the guilty verdict against Mr. Anderson will stick has been scheduled for Jan. 14.Winnipeg Police Association president Mike Sutherland said he felt heartened by the guilty findings, but somewhat worried the matter's not over."We're not out of the woods yet," he said after the hearing.Mr. Anderson, who took the witness stand in his own defence during the trial, argued he was acting in self-defence when he opened fire on officers who were executing a search warrant for drugs inside his Winnipeg home. He mistakenly believed armed intruders were coming after him, he said, and he was stunned to later learn the victims were police officers.

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Singaporean,arrested at an international airport in Sweden for possessing 5kg of heroin in her luggage.

Singaporean, who accepted free air tickets from her 'benefactors' to seek medical treatment overseas, was duped into becoming a drug courier, reported China Press.
She was arrested at an international airport in Sweden for possessing 5kg of heroin in her luggage. The drug is said to be of high quality and worth RM3.3 million (S$1.39 million) in the market. The victim, who was reportedly suffering from haemorrhoids, had first befriended her Nigerian benefactors in Kuala Lumpur several months ago.The Nigerians then agreed to sponsor her air tickets to South America and Europe where she could seek advice from medical experts to treat her ailment.
It was reported that the victim, who worked as a security guard, did not realise that the Nigerians were actually members of an international drug syndicate.

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Former England all-rounder Chris Lewis was remanded in custody on Wednesday after being charged with attempting to smuggle cocaine

Former England all-rounder Chris Lewis was remanded in custody on Wednesday after being charged with attempting to smuggle cocaine with an estimated street value of 200,000 pounds into Britain.The 40-year-old was arrested on December 8 after border control officers at London's Gatwick airport found four kilogrammes (nine pounds) of the illegal drug in liquid form in fruit tins in baggage that had arrived from the Caribbean island of St Lucia.Lewis was arrested with Chad Kirnon, a 26-year-old one-time English league basketball player, and they were questioned by customs officials before being charged.The duo appeared via video-link on Wednesday from prison for an administrative hearing at a magistrates court in the southern English town of Haywards Heath.Both men were remanded in custody until January 14. No bail application was made.Lewis has not entered a plea to the charge of importing cocaine but Kirnon has pleaded not guilty.Guyana-born Lewis took 93 wickets during his England Test career and 66 wickets in one-day internationals, at averages of 37.5 and 29.4 respectively.He finished with a Test batting average of 23 but was widely regarded as having failed to live up to the potential of his early years, when he was tipped to become the new Ian Botham.He was branded the "Prat without a Hat" by the tabloid Sun newspaper when, after having his head shaved by team-mate Devon Malcolm, he was forced off the field with sunstroke during an England tour of the West Indies in 1994 after failing to apply suncream or wear any headgear.Lewis retired from county cricket in 2000 because of a persistent hip injury after spells with Leicestershire, Nottinghamshire and Surrey.He re-joined Surrey earlier this year with a view to playing in Twenty20 matches but that plan was scuppered by injury.

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Ishmael Butler, 26, was arrested in the city's Union Street on suspicion of selling drugs in September.

Ishmael Butler, 26, was arrested in the city's Union Street on suspicion of selling drugs in September. About £18,000-worth of heroin and crack cocaine was later recovered from his flat. He said he had been threatened by his former gang and told to help. Butler, from Birmingham, was jailed for 44 months. He admitted being concerned in drug supply at Glasgow High Court. Butler was stopped by plain clothes officers who suspected he was selling drugs after he was spotted speaking to a homeless person. I accept you found it difficult to break away from the drug culture and have accepted full responsibility for your actions Lord Brailsford When he was searched by police they found almost £700 in cash. Heroin and crack cocaine was found when his Great Northern Road flat was searched. Prosecutor Jennifer Bain said: "DNA analysis revealed a partial DNA profile matching that of the accused on various packages which contained heroin. One of the packages containing cocaine also had a DNA profile matching his." The court was told Butler was jailed for four years at Birmingham Crown Court in March 2005 for drugs offences

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Mexican army has seized 11 airplanes from drug traffickers in the northwestern state of Sonora

Mexican army has seized 11 airplanes from drug traffickers in the northwestern state of Sonora, the Prosecutor General of the Republic (PGR) said Wednesday.Soldiers seized the planes Tuesday in Navojoa municipality, near the California Gulf and 1,500km northwest of Mexico City, and also took control of the landing runway located in the community of Moroncarit in Sonora, the PGR said.
Military intelligence staff are investigating the pilots who could be linked to drug trafficking gangs in Mexico's northern states, according to National Defense Ministry (Sedena) sources.

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Two Dutch men were being questioned after heroin with an estimated street value of six million euro was found in a lorry load of flowers.

Drugs squad and Customs officers swooped on two trucks in Dublin Port after they came off a ferry from the UK. The lorries had travelled from Amsterdam. The two men, aged 55 and 39, were arrested after 30kg (66lb) of the drug was found hidden among flowers in the back of one of the vehicles. It is believed the authorities intercepted the trucks after receiving information on suspected drug trafficking through the port.The intelligence operation involved the Garda National Bureau of Criminal Investigation, the National Drugs Unit and Revenue's Customs Service. The men are being detained in Dublin under Section 2 of the Drug Trafficking Act and can be held for up to seven days.

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Arrested a 21-year-old Panamanian as he tried to walk across Gateway International Bridge with four pounds of cocaine strapped to his body

U.S. Customs and Border Protection arrested a 21-year-old Panamanian as he tried to walk across Gateway International Bridge with four pounds of cocaine strapped to his body, officials said.The incident took place 6:25 a.m. Monday, according to a government press release. The suspect, who is a resident of Brooklyn, New York, was sent to secondary inspection point."Under further inspection of the gentleman, the officers noticed he had cocaine strapped to his body," CBP spokesman Eduardo Perez said.The investigation led to 15 packages containing close to four pounds of cocaine valued at $118,000, officials said. The suspect was turned over to Immigration and Customs Enforcement for further investigation."Smuggling organizations will try anything to get their loads into the country," said Michael Freeman, CBP port director for the Brownsville Port of Entry. "Our CBP officers are constantly honing their inspection skills in order to shut down smuggling attempts."

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Seized 3 tons of cocaine mixed into a shipment of guano bound for Spain.

Police in Peru say they have seized 3 tons of cocaine mixed into a shipment of guano bound for Spain.A four-month investigation led to the seizure at a warehouse in the capital of Lima, anti-drug police Col. Cesar Cortijo said Monday.Cortijo said the drugs belonged to a trafficking ring that smuggled cocaine out of the country mixed with other products. Four Peruvians and a Colombian were arrested.Police delayed announcing the Dec. 4 raid because it was initially impossible to calculate how much cocaine was mixed with the guano, the nitrogen- and phosphate-rich droppings of birds and bats.Cortijo said the cocaine was destined for Barcelona, Spain.Peru is the world's largest producer of coca and cocaine after Colombia, and it is also a major source of guano, harvested from excrement-stained islands off its southern coast. Most is used as fertilizer in Peru's fields, but some is shipped overseas, where it is a favorite among organic gardeners.

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Police in the Falkland Islands said nearly $1.5 million worth of cocaine disappeared from a double-locked cell at a police station.

Police in the Falkland Islands said nearly $1.5 million worth of cocaine disappeared from a double-locked cell at a police station.Officers at the Port Stanley station, where the 29 packets of cocaine were being stored after they were confiscated from a fishing boat in October, said the two suspects arrested in connection with the raid were jailed at the police station but they were allowed free use of a corridor at night time that allowed access to the cell holding the drugs, The Times of London reported Monday.A court was told one of the suspects had reached between the gap between the bottom of the cell door and floor and removed the drug packets one at a time over the course of several days. Officers said they found last week that 23 of the 29 packets were missing.Investigators said they do not know what became of the drugs but they are looking into whether they were flushed down a toilet or smuggled off the island.

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Coast Guard and Navy personnel offloaded more than 11 metric tons of cocaine from the USS Samuel B. Roberts

Coast Guard and Navy personnel offloaded more than 11 metric tons of cocaine from the USS Samuel B. Roberts (FFG 58) Friday morning in Mayport, Fla.The 498 bales of cocaine consisted of cocaine seized by various Coast Guard and Navy units from separate cases in the Eastern Pacific Ocean and Caribbean Sea. The drugs were offloaded and transferred to law enforcement personnel on scene.Law enforcement officials will possibly keep a portion of the drugs for future prosecution and the remaining cocaine will be destroyed.

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Iran hanged three convicted drug traffickers in a prison in the southeastern city of Zahedan on Saturday

Iran hanged three convicted drug traffickers in a prison in the southeastern city of Zahedan on Saturday, the Fars news agency reported.Two of the men, identified only as P.D. and M.M., had been found guilty of smuggling 36.5 kilograms and 40 kilograms of heroin respectively, the news agency said.The third man, identified as V.A.R., was convicted of smuggling 15 kilograms of opium and 14.5 kilograms of heroin.The latest hangings took to at least 223 the number of executions in Iran this year, according to an AFP count.Amnesty International says Iran carried out more death sentences in 2007 than any other country apart from China, executing 317 people.Capital offences include murder, rape, armed robbery, drug trafficking and adultery.

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MAXIMUM-security prisoner will be charged for allegedly masterminding a major drug distribution operation from a smuggled mobile phone

Sydney MAXIMUM-security prisoner will be charged for allegedly masterminding a major drug distribution operation from a smuggled mobile phone in his jail cell.Incredible details have emerged after more than 100 police swarmed into Sydney’s southwest today and swooped on a dozen houses, as part of a major investigation into drug trafficking, The Daily Telegraph reports. The co-ordinated raids also included a number of search warrants being executed in Victoria. They are targeting people allegedly on the outside doing the bidding of the caged kingpin. Police today revealed that both cops and Department of Corrective Services are involved in the investigation, which allegedly uncovered the man running a drug syndicate on the outside of prison that sold up to $250,000 a week in cocaine, ice and cannabisacross NSW and Victoria. Shortly after 6am (AEDT) police executed warrants at 12 premises in western Sydney and four in Melbourne, police said. Drugs, firearms and cash have been seized during the operation and further arrests are likely, police said. State Crime Command MEOCS detectives commenced Strike Force Skelton in April this year when they became aware the inmate had access to a smuggled mobile phone in his prison cell. With the knowledge of those only at the highest level at the Department of Corrective Services, MEOCS began intercepting and monitoring the inmate’s mobile phone.

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Discovered more than 140 pounds of cocaine concealed inside concrete decorative pedestals being shipped from Mexico

Discovered more than 140 pounds of cocaine concealed inside concrete decorative pedestals being shipped from Mexico through the Port of Los Angeles to Australia, Schoch said. BEST officers alerted Australia's Federal Police and that country's Customs Service, which assisted in the investigation that led to the arrest of three Mexican nationals who were charged with drug trafficking."They packed 64 kilos inside the pedestals, then poured concrete around them," Schoch said. "The pedestals were packed inside one of thousands of shipping containers on a vessel."In a separate case, officers intercepted two caches of weapons that investigators determined were bound for Mexico. They included a grenade launcher, numerous semiautomatic AR-15s, a sawed-off rifle, bulletproof vests and a silencer that authorities said were destined for drug cartels in Mexico.

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Angus McDonald has pointed the finger at three of the people he says were involved with him in a plot to import millions of pounds worth of drugs

Angus McDonald drug runner has pointed the finger at three of the people he says were involved with him in a plot to import millions of pounds worth of drugs into South Cumbria.Angus McDonald, 44, was the first prosecution witness in the trial of two men and a woman accused of helping to launder some of the £35m made from importing cannabis into Windermere.One of the men, John James “Jim” Nightingale, is also accused of being one of those who conspired to import the drug from Spain.
Prosecution witness McDonald, of Craig Walk, Windermere, has already pleaded guilty to drugs conspiracy and money laundering charges.Yesterday he became the key witness in the Carlisle Crown Court trial of Nightingale, Sharon Ambrose, and Duncan William Maxwell, who he says were involved with him.The court heard how a gang – led by Liverpool-born George Tymoszycki, who lived in the Lake District for several years – arranged for huge amounts of cannabis to be shipped from Spain to a cash and carry warehouse in Windermere.The plot was foiled when police in Seville became suspicious of a consignment of five pallets awaiting shipment.They found 4½ tonnes of cannabis – worth £12m if it had ever reached the streets of Britain – and replaced it with sand and bricks before sending it on its way. The alleged ringleaders were arrested when it arrived in Cumbria and charged with various drug dealing and money-laundering crimes.McDonald said he and Nightingale had been arrested at the Windermere cash and carry while unloading the pallets of boxes which, unknown to them, contained only the sand and bricks left there by the Spanish police.Further investigations showed that cannabis worth a total of £35m could have been sent in four previous consignments.The prosecution says the conspiracy was masterminded by Tymoszycki, who died in June, before he could be brought to justice. Those on trial are his ex-wife Sharon Ambrose, 48, of Storrs Park, Bowness; Nightingale, 65, of Lane End West, Bowness, who runs a car hire business in Windermere and used to work at Holker Ford in Barrow; and Duncan William Maxwell, 43, of Lake Road, Bowness.
Nightingale has pleaded not guilty to conspiring with others to supply cannabis and to money laundering, while Ambrose and Maxwell have both denied money-laundering.
In evidence yesterday McDonald said all of the defendants had been involved to some extent.He said Maxwell had given him £100 to pay into his building society account £10,000 in cash, which was delivered to him in a carrier bag. He said Maxwell had told him the money belonged to Tymoszycki, who wanted it kept “hush-hush” so the taxman did not get to hear of it.McDonald said he paid in more money on other occasions, sometimes dividing it into smaller amounts after being told that Tymoszycki believed “it wasn’t so noticeable” if it was done like that.He said after paying money into his account he wrote and signed cheques – without filling in any name as the payee.Only later, he said, did he discover that someone else had written in the name “S Ambrose” as payee.The trial continues.

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Lucky and Flo, Malaysian organised crime gangs have put a price on their heads.

Lucky and Flo, black Labrador Retrievers, have been trained to detect 'optical discs' by scent. Their success has meant that Malaysian organised crime gangs have put a price on their heads. The dogs' talents emerged as a campaign said by organisers to be the largest ever collaboration on anti-piracy in the UK was officially launched yesterday. The pilot initiative, involving the Metropolitan Police, the Motion Picture Association and the UK Film Council among others, aims to make London a "fake free zone" by the time of the 2012 Olympics. Higher Education and Intellectual Property Minister David Lammy helped launch the initiative.
He said: "Legislation alone will not combat counterfeiting and piracy. "Good law is great but enforced law is better. "The Fake Free London campaign sends a clear message that we are all serious about tackling this problem. "This partnership will ensure that consumers, legitimate businesses and their employees are protected from those that choose to break the law." Copyright theft cost the film and television industries £486 million in 2007. The campaign aims to educate local government, businesses, traders and the wider community about the seriousness of piracy. In the first two-week period of the programme, 39 arrests were made. This included 82 seizures in Tower Hamlets, Brent & Harrow and Lewisham. In total around 90,250 DVDs were seized along with credit cards and a computer. Adrian Wootton, head of Film London said: "The general public need to know that piracy has a devastating loss to the UK film and TV industry... "This not only affects the livelihoods of tens of thousands of people who work in the UK film industry but may start to impact on the creativity and quality of films themselves."

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600 cannabis plants with a street value upwards of £500,000 were discovered after police raided the property on Yarm Lane.

600 cannabis plants with a street value upwards of £500,000 were discovered after police raided the property on Yarm Lane.Officers from Stockton Drugs Unit and Stockton Neighbourhood Support Team swooped on the premises as part of an intelligence-led operation.Landlord Shakil Hussain, 32, said he had been renting out the flat - which is above a separate shop unit - to a tenant he believed was from the Far East.He said: “I was shocked to find this going on after police told me about the raid. I had no idea.“The flat was seriously damaged, I don’t know the full extent because at the moment it is still a crime scene and I haven’t been in yet.“But it will need completely refurbishing. It had been nicely done out, I don’t know how much it will cost me.”Mr Hussain said the shop below was entirely separate from the first and second floor flat rented out above, and was due to reopen as a clothes shop.A Cleveland Police spokesperson said today: “Enquiries are ongoing at the moment to trace the persons responsible who rented these premises. Mr Hussain is not a suspect in the case.”As well as 304 mature cannabis plants and 320 young cannabis seedlings, police discovered a large amount of cannabis bush drying out in the loft area of the building. Together these drugs are estimated to have a potential street value of more than £500,000.They also found “professional” equipment used for cultivating the plants - hydroponics, sophisticated lighting, fans and ventilation

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Five men were charged in Malmö on Friday for transporting 19 kilogrammes of heroin

Five men were charged in Malmö on Friday for transporting 19 kilogrammes of heroin, half of which was confiscated in Serbia.The heroin taken in Serbia was being transported to Sweden by automobile. The rest was found by police during a raid at a bus garage in Norrköping in central Sweden.According to prosecutor Kristina Ehrenborg Staffas, most of the drug was headed for the Nordic market.

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Canadian authorities seized over 9 million contraband cigarettes and arrested 46 people

Canadian authorities seized over 9 million contraband cigarettes and arrested 46 people, including some North Country residents during a smuggling crackdown in the Cornwall area.According to officials, over 5,000 pounds of tobacco, 9.7 million cigarettes, and 50 cartons of flavored cigars were confiscated, along with 43 vehicles seized.Of the 46 people arrested, 8 were listed as Americans. According to the Watertown Daily Times, the as-yet unidentified people include residents of Hogansburg, Akwesasne and Rooseveltown.The 12-day enforcement blitz was coordinated by Royal Canadian Mounted Police with help from Canada Border Services Agency, Cornwall Community Police, Ontario Provincial Police, Quebec Provincial Police and Ontario Ministry of Revenue Special Investigations branch.Authorities said the tobacco was believed to have been manufactured in the United States and then smuggled into Canada.

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Jesus Rafael Larrazolo Bond has been set at $500,000

Bond has been set at $500,000 for a Texas Department of Public Safety trooper charged with possession of 26 kilograms of a controlled substance (cocaine) with intent to distribute.During a Wednesday morning hearing, U.S. Magistrate Felix Recio set bond on 35-year-old Jesus Rafael Larrazolo.Larrazolo was arrested 10 a.m. Saturday in the parking lot of Best Buy as he was loading his car with cocaine, Brownsville police said, adding he had just received the cocaine from another man, who fled the scene.Brownsville police were in the area conducting unrelated surveillance when they observed Larrazolo with suspicious suitcases that carried the cocaine, according to police.During the hearing, Assistant U.S. Attorney James Lancaster asked the court to refuse bond because of reports that Larrazolo's family was raising money to make bond and fears that he would flee and use a new identity in Mexico.Larrazolo worked with the DPS for four years.FBI Agent Melanie Davis took the stand and responded to questions from defense attorney Noe Garza.Davis said that she learned through conversations with the district attorney's office and agents with the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration that Larrazolo was a flight risk.
"The DA's office has provided information that the defendant's family has money set up for bond," Davis said. "We have been led to believe that if he were to make bond he would travel into Mexico to get his ID changed."The FBI agent stated that Larrazolo's family ties in Mexico are powerful and wealthy enough that they would allow him to disappear."The DEA told us that his uncle has ties to the federal police in Mexico," Davis said. "We were told that the defendant has bragged to a colleague at the DPS that he has credentials to carry a weapon in Mexico."Garza called to the stand FBI Agent Damon Flores, and questioned him about the credibility of intelligence reports that Larrazolo is a flight risk. Flores said the information came from secret informants, but he did not speak directly to them. "I was told they were trustworthy," Flores said.

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Four men have been ordered held without bond on charges they distributed heroin to dozens of young people in the Centreville area.

Four men have been ordered held without bond on charges they distributed heroin to dozens of young people in the Centreville area.The men are among ten people charged last week in a heroin distribution ring in northern Virginia that police say was responsible for at least three deaths.According to court records, many of the deaths involved current and former students of Westfield High School. Nine people identified in a federal complaint charging them with conspiracy to distribute heroin are all aged 19 to 22.None of the defendants spoke during Tuesday's hearing, and their lawyers declined to comment after the hearing.

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Kevin Hiebert serving a life sentence in a Greek prison for drug smuggling is now considered an international fugitive after he vanished last week

Kevin Hiebert serving a life sentence in a Greek prison for drug smuggling is now considered an international fugitive after he vanished last week after nine years in custody, the Winnipeg Free Press has learned.Kevin Hiebert, 35, had been pleading with the Canadian government to intervene in his case and arrange a prison transfer that would allow him to return to home soil. He doesn't deny criminal responsibility, but says he has served enough time for the crime.Hiebert had reportedly grown more desperate in recent weeks after conditions inside the prison deteriorated to the point where inmates began a hunger strike.Kevin Hiebert received a life sentence for smuggling 2 kg of cocaine into Greece.
Handout Hiebert's father signed him out of prison for an approved "vacation," which allows well-behaved inmates a temporary supervised release. He didn't return.
Hiebert's father, Dick, returned to his home in Texas over the weekend and has told friends he doesn't know where Kevin is."He has been ignored for a very long time," longtime friend and supporter Cam Patterson said Monday."What exactly brought this on, I can't say. Something has obviously pushed him to decide to do this. But I think we've left him there too long. It's a question of how much longer can he stay there until you lose the person completely?"Hiebert was one of seven Winnipeggers arrested for drug smuggling in late 1999 and early 2000, allegedly tied to the same smuggling operation. The RCMP said at the time that all were likely recruited on behalf of a Nigerian drug-trafficking ring operating out of Greece. The first four people arrested in September 1999 in Amsterdam led authorities to Hiebert. Police were waiting for him at the Athens airport as he tried to smuggle two kilograms of cocaine in the heels of three pairs of shoes.At Hiebert's trial the following September, his Greek lawyer told Hiebert he could expect a sentence of three to five years, but the judges shocked the courtroom when they imposed a life sentence, with no eligibility of parole for 10 to 15 years, and a $150,000 US fine.Hiebert - who had no prior criminal record - immediately wanted to appeal the sentence, but was told that hearing couldn't be held until 2005 at the earliest. He was told that his best bet would be to apply for a transfer to Canada, where he could serve his sentence in a Canadian prison. To do that, he would have to sign away his right to appeal.Hiebert's lawyer, Michael Mercury, said Canada has a prison-transfer treaty with Greece and Hiebert has applied three times - only to be rejected each time. Mercury said Greek officials told him the opposition came from Ottawa.

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Police have seized 4 kg (9 lbs) of cocaine near Moscow's Domodedovo Airport

Police have seized 4 kg (9 lbs) of cocaine near Moscow's Domodedovo Airport, the largest local cocaine haul so far this year, a police spokesman said on Monday.
Police found the drugs in a Lexus-330 car in which a Chechen man and woman were travelling, along with a Latvian man. The car was stopped for a check on the Domodedovo highway, 43 km south of Moscow"During the search, police found a bag in the trunk containing white powder. Tests identified the powder as cocaine. The total weight of the drugs was 3.7 kg,"

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Eduardo Arellano Felix, an original member of a notorious cartel, is nabbed after a shootout in Tijuana.

Police capture key drug suspect
Eduardo Arellano Felix, an original member of a notorious cartel, is nabbed after a shootout in Tijuana.

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Thitirat Charoensuk was sentenced to 14 years in prison

Thai woman was sentenced to 14 years in prison Wednesday for trying to smuggle 500 grams of cocaine into the country early this year, media reports said. The West Java Banten's Tanggerang district court found Thitirat Charoensuk, 24, guilty for violating the country's tough anti-narcotic laws. In addition to handing down a 14-year jail sentence, the court also ordered the defendant to pay a fine of 60 million rupiah (5,330 dollars), chief judge Haryono said in the court ruling, the state-run Antara news agency reported. In previous court hearings, government prosecutors had sought the death penalty for Thitirat. Thitirat was arrested in late February with British national Michael Anthony Guevera, Antara said, adding that the cocaine was divided into three packages, wrapped in condoms and carried in her vagina. Indonesia defends the death penalty as a necessary deterrent in a country with a growing drug problem. In July, the country executed two Nigerians found guilty of heroin offences - the first drug offenders to be put to death in four years. Indonesian authorities recently vowed to speed up the executions of nearly 70 other drug traffickers on death row despite international calls for the country to halt capital punishment. Nearly half of those on death row are foreigners, including three Australians involved in the failed "Bali Nine" plot to smuggle more than 8 kilograms of heroin to Australia in 2005.

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Eight people were arrested in south London and two women and 10 men were arrested in Teesside on suspicion of conspiracy to supply controlled drugs.

Eight people were arrested in south London and two women and 10 men were arrested in Teesside on suspicion of conspiracy to supply controlled drugs.The raids follow a two-and-a-half-year investigation into members of alleged crime gangs based in north Kent and Billingham in Teesside, who are believed to have smuggled drugs into the UK from Spain and other European countries via France.The operation was co-ordinated by Kent Police, which mobilised about 90 officers across three police forces.
One of those arrested in south London is being questioned by the Serious Organised Crime Agency (Soca).Det Insp Thomas Richards of Kent Police's serious and organised crime unit said: "This is a very complex operation involving multiple law enforcement agencies and what we believe is a web of sophisticated criminal activity across the UK, Spain, France and other European countries."Every arrest had to happen at the same time to ensure no one was tipped off and the quality and integrity of evidence seized was preserved.The operation, which also involved officers from Cleveland Police and Soca, is believed to be the largest and most complex for Kent Police in the past five years.Some of the arrests were also in relation to money laundering and mortgage fraud, police said.

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Philip Doo (52), Christopher Wiggins (42) and David Mufford (44) were brought before a special sitting of Clonakilty District Court on Saturday night

Philip Doo (52), Christopher Wiggins (42) and David Mufford (44) were brought before a special sitting of Clonakilty District Court on Saturday night amid tight security. A force of up to 30 gardaí, including detectives armed with Uzi submachine guns, surrounded the courthouse.The three men, all from Britain, were charged that on November 5th, 2008, on the vessel Dances with Waves , a ship not registered in any country or territory, they had possession of cocaine knowing it was intended to be imported illegally.The offence, which is contrary to Section 34 (2) (4) of the Criminal Justice Drugs Trafficking Act 1994, carries a maximum penalty upon conviction at Circuit Court level of a a fine or seven years in jail or both.
Det Garda Ronan Cowley of the Garda National Drugs Unit gave evidence of arrest, charge and caution in relation to Mr Doo, of Rocklands House, Higher Manor Road, Brixham, Devon, and told the court that Mr Doo did not wish to reply to the charge after caution.Det Garda David Kennedy of the Garda National Drugs Unit gave evidence of arrest, charge and caution in relation to Mr Wiggins, of Apartment Six, Block 10, Mirador de Costalita, Cancelada, Estepona, Malaga.He said Mr Wiggins made no reply to the charge.

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60-foot sloop 'Dances With Waves', detained off the coast of Ireland last Friday

The 60-foot sloop 'Dances With Waves', detained off the coast of Ireland last Friday with over 1,800kg of cocaine on board, was apparently doomed to arrest from almost the minute it left the Caribbean.Suspicions over 'Dances With Waves' mounted when she was detected in waters off Trinidad & Tobago. Just 17 months ago, the catamaran 'Lucky Day', whose 1,554kg cocaine shipment was seized in Dunlough Bay in west Cork, began her transatlantic journey from precisely these same waters.
As the sloop battled gales and mountainous seas to cross the Atlantic with her cargo of 1,875kg of cocaine, her every movement was watched by the US Drug Enforcement Agency, the Portugal-based Maritime Analysis and Operations Centre; the UK's elite Serious Organised Crime Agency and Ireland's Joint Drugs Taskforce.Experts suggest that the yacht was tracked on radar in the Caribbean by a long range P-3 Orion surveillance aircraft, before being tracked by US satellites and 'black', or virtually undetectable radar, before its position was relayed ashore by Irish aircraft.

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Nigerian visitor stood trial on Sunday in the Criminal Court of First Instance for possessing drugs for trafficking.

Nigerian visitor stood trial on Sunday in the Criminal Court of First Instance for possessing drugs for trafficking.The 37-year-old defendant, in detention now, was caught at the Dubai International Airport on September 3 with 96 capsules of cocaine in his possession. A customs inspector stated in the interrogations that while on duty at the airport, they suspected the accused so they referred him to the inspection room.“The scan on his stomach showed strange particles inside, which turned out to be capsules containing drugs,” the witness said. There were 55 capsules in his stomach. Drugs were also found hidden inside a hat that was put in a plastic bag and tied to his waist.The suspect admitted to the police inspectors that he was trying to smuggle the drugs into the UAE.
The drugs seized from him weighed 1,385 grams.

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Police say they seized more than half a ton of cocaine hidden in the hold of a river barge

Police say they seized more than half a ton of cocaine hidden in the hold of a river barge near Brazil's Amazon jungle city of Manaus.Police say the 528 kilograms (1,200 pounds) of cocaine was produced in Peru and that its final destination was Europe. It was the biggest drug seizure so far this year in the region.Police say drug traffickers from Peru and Colombia are increasingly using the tributaries of the Amazon river to transport the drug to Manaus, and from there to Europe or the United States.Also on Friday, federal police seized 11 tons of marijuana hidden in a truck in the southwestern state of Mato Grosso do Sul.

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Tests are to begin on cocaine worth an estimated £406m seized off the south-west coast of Ireland

Tests are to begin on cocaine worth an estimated £406m seized off the south-west coast of Ireland. They are expected to confirm the haul as the country's biggest ever drugs seizure. Over one-and-a-half tonnes of cocaine were found on a 60ft yacht stormed by Irish authorities 200 miles at sea on Wednesday night.
The yacht, which had been tracked from the Caribbean, arrived at Castletownbere, County Cork, on Friday. The haul is expected to eclipse a seizure made last year in Dunlough Bay, west Cork, as the biggest ever in Irish territories. The drugs are to be weighed and analysed for purity. Two British men and a man from Dublin, all aged between 44 and 52, have been arrested in connection with the find.

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/europe/7715905.stm

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Police arrested seven men, from Argentina, Brazil and Guinea, at Lisbon Airport last week after authorities found over 60,000 doses of cocaine

Judiciary Police arrested seven men, from Argentina, Brazil and Guinea, at Lisbon Airport last week after authorities found over 60,000 individual doses of cocaine in their possession.The men were being used as drug ‘mules’ and hid the drugs in their clothes and in secret compartments of their suitcases. Four of them hid the cocaine in their bodies and spent several days in hospital under medical supervision. They were all aged between 26 and 56 years of age and their purpose was to transport cocaine and sell it in Spain, Portugal and Italy.The men had been targeted beforehand in investigations carried out by the Portuguese Drug Enforcement Agency (DCITE), in conjunction with similar foreign agencies and Interpol, and with the cooperation of Immigration Control (SEF) and Customs officials.

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Port of Halifax border officers have seized over 27 kilos of heroin with an estimated street value of over $11 million

Border officers discovered the drugs on Oct. 22 while searching a marine container bound for Ontario from Pakistan. The container was identified by the targeting unit that examines the manifests of all containers arriving in the Port of Halifax and identifies those requiring full physical inspection.Canada Border Services Agency (CBSA) announced today that its officers at the Port of Halifax have seized over 27 kilos of heroin with an estimated street value of over $11 million. Officers searched 430 boxes and suspected heroin was found in 81 cardboard boxes. Officers used x-ray technology to confirm dark images inside the boxes. The boxes were opened and searched revealing 161 packages totalling 27.8 kilograms.“Our officers are the first line of defence in protecting Canadians from the devastating social impact and criminal activity associated with the smuggling of illegal drugs,” says Andrew LeFrank, director Nova Scotia District CBSA. “Seizing illegal drugs at our borders ensures that those drugs are kept off our streets.”Once the drugs were identified, the CBSA with the assistance of the RCMP's National Ports Enforcement Team (NPET) in Halifax began a joint operation / investigation in order to apprehend the persons responsible for the importation of the drugs. This operation includes the RCMP Drug Section in Toronto who coordinated the controlled delivery of the container destined for Toronto.On October 30th, this investigation led to the seizure of the drugs and the successful arrest of five individuals in the Toronto area.

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Tecate Police Chief Three days into the job, he is killed by 25 gunmen

Three days into the job, he is killed by 25 gunmen. This happened hours after the a smuggling tunnel was discovered running from Tecate, Mexico to the United States. No ties have actually been made to the tunnel and the Police Chiefs' murder, but one can draw logical conclusions that is the reason, the owner of the tunnel lost not only the tunnel but 5 million in marij More..uana stored there.

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Four crewmen from a semisubmarine captured in June pleaded guilty today to federal drug charges.

Four crewmen from a semisubmarine captured in June pleaded guilty today to federal drug charges.The crewmen were aboard the third semisub interdicted this year. The 50- to 60-foot vessel was spotted June 16 by a Marine patrol unit in the eastern Pacific northwest of the Ecuador-Colombia border.By the time the Coast Guard arrived, the sub's crew members were in the water and the vessel was sinking, a federal prosecutor has said. Crew members later told investigators they were instructed to scuttle the vessel after they spotted an airplane circling overhead. Guardsmen managed to get some bales of cocaine out of the sub before it slipped into the sea.Crew members told agents the vessel had 6 to 8 tons of cocaine onboard that was to be delivered to a Mexican fishing vessel 700 miles off the coast of Colombia, according to plea agreements signed by the four defendants.One of the crew members told agents he was paid 40 million pesos, or about $23,500; another said he was paid 30 million pesos or about $17,625.One of the crewmen told investigators he asked someone he knew who was involved in construction of the vessels in Buenaventura, Colombia, for work. He was sent to Cali, Colombia, where a man named Ritchie gave him a bag containing 30 million pesos. He returned to Buenaventura, where he was eventually taken to an estuary off the coast of Colombia, where he was told he would be part of a crew that would make a delivery 700 miles off the coast.
All four defendants are expected to plead guilty to a charge of conspiracy to possess more than 5 kilograms of cocaine with the intent to distribute, a charge that carries a prison sentence of 10 years to life.Crew members of other semisubs who have been sentenced have received prison terms ranging from nine years to 17 years, six months.

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Daniel Barerra,aka The Madman. 10 and a half tons of cocaine

Daniel Barerra,aka The Madman.The Madman Barerra has become one of the two powerful drugs traffickers in the country, moving multi-ton shipments of cocaine every month. He has made alliances with the powerful Marxist rebels of the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia (Farc), which supply him with much of the coca base he processes into cocaine. Barerra is known to move through the eastern plains of Colombia and into Venezuela, where he often bases himself, out of reach of the Colombian security forces and the US Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA). President Hugo Chavez of Venezuela does not cooperate with the US anti-drug agencies and the Colombian drug lords like Barerra have taken advantage of this to not only turn Venezuela into one of the principal transit nations for cocaine bound for Europe, but to live there beyond the reach of Colombian and international law enforcement agencies.
"We can categorically state that this seizure of 10 and a half tons of cocaine is a mighty blow to the criminal gang led by the Madman Barerra," said General Naranjo, standing in the middle of thousands of kilo bricks of cocaine.
The drugs, seized after a six-month intelligence operation which tracked a drug route up to Barranquilla, were hidden among boxes of children's toys. They were being moved in two containers travelling on trucks that were about to be put on a ship and dispatched to the Mexican city of Veracruz.

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Sentenced a Taiwanese man to 22 years in jail for trying to smuggle heroin out of the country

Cambodian court has sentenced a Taiwanese man to 22 years in jail for trying to smuggle heroin out of the country.Judge Chhay Kong at Phnom Penh Municipal Court says he sentenced Liao Ichun after finding him guilty of trying to smuggle 240 grams of the drug into Taiwan.A number of Taiwanese nationals have been detained and jailed for trying to smuggle heroin through the airport in the Cambodian capital over the past year.Although drug arrests have increased, Cambodia is becoming an increasingly popular trafficking point for methamphetamine and heroin, particularly since Thailand toughened its stance on illegal drugs in 2002.

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Europe is being flooded by smuggled Russian-made cigarettes worth at least $1 billion a year

Europe is being flooded by smuggled Russian-made cigarettes worth at least $1 billion a year, an international investigation has discovered. * * * The new underground smoking trade involves only one brand, Jin Ling, which is turning up in more cities and countries across Europe every month. Jin Ling, virtually unknown to the authorities three years ago, has grown so rapidly that law enforcement officials say it now rivals Marlboro as the top smuggled brand being seized in the European Union. * * * It is only sold illegally — smuggled by gangs who hope to pocket immense profits by selling unlicensed, untaxed cigarettes on black markets across Europe. * * * The scale and striking growth of Jin Ling smuggling has marked it as a major new development in organized crime, prompting European customs agencies to respond by launching “Operation Baltic” early in 2008. * * * German customs and police investigators believe that Jin Ling is being distributed and sold through organized crime networks, including Vietnamese and Lithuanian gangs, and policed by local enforcers.

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Bret W. Hendren, 46, was charged with helping the leader of a drug- trafficking outfit, Thomas Ranes, conceal the source of $93,000 in cash

Anchorage resident Bret W. Hendren, 46, was charged with helping the leader of a drug- trafficking outfit, Thomas Ranes, conceal the source of $93,000 in cash by using it as a down payment on a motor home and trailer, prosecutors said. Ranes gave Hendren the cash in $5,000 increments; in one case the cash smelled of marijuana, prosecutors said. Prosecutors say Hendren took a total of about $150,000 in cash from Ranes, who is serving a 30-year sentence for his role in the operation. Hendren is facing up to 20 years in prison at his sentencing Feb. 3.

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Danielle Haylor, 29, from Squirrel Close, Langley Green, denies attempting to supply the Class A drug to convicted armed robber Tim Cole

Danielle Haylor, 29, from Squirrel Close, Langley Green, denies attempting to supply the Class A drug to convicted armed robber Tim Cole.She also denies possessing 23 tablets of diazepam, a Class C drug better known as Valium, which is illegal without a prescription.Prosecutors say she posted a book to Cole in Lewes Prison, with 3.17g heroin hidden inside the spine, in January last year.A jury at Hove Trial Centre was told that the heroin was 40 per cent pure, and there was enough for more than
30 doses, costing £10 each.Interviewed by police, Haylor told them she had sent CDs, clothes and books to Cole in jail, but denied sending him any drugs.In a transcript of the interview, read out by prosecutor Walton Hornsby and DC Nick Jones, Haylor said that on two occasions she had sent Cole a package from a friend of his.She denied touching or even seeing the contents, but said she thought she was sending him more books.Haylor said she had visited Cole in prison, both at Highdown and Lewes.At one point, she was banned from visiting him for three months, and afterwards was only allowed in for 'closed' visits, with a screen between them.
Although the prison governor wrote to her to tell her the decision had been made, the letter did not explain why.Haylor told police she had no idea why she had been banned, and had not been given an answer when she phoned the prison to find out.
Haylor denies the charges. The case continues.

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Guyana Police Force are anxiously waiting to examine the bodily contents of a female American to confirm that she did ingest cocaine in an attempt to

Drug agents from the Guyana Police Force are anxiously waiting to examine the bodily contents of a female American to confirm that she did ingest cocaine in an attempt to smuggle the drug to her home country.The 23-year old woman was nabbed at the Cheddi Jagan International Airport, Timehri on Tuesday while she was an outgoing passenger to New York.According to a senior police official, an x-ray showed a foreign substance which is suspected to be cocaine in the woman’s stomach.The American is at present a patient at the Georgetown Public Hospital where she is being closely monitored.The official said that acting on information and the fact that the women fitted a particular profile, she was intercepted before she boarded the aircraft.The official told this newspaper that the woman disclosed that she had stayed at a Roxanne Burnham Gardens address after arriving in Guyana.Investigators are hopeful that the foreign object is excreted as soon as possible since if it is indeed cocaine and it ruptures in her body, it can cause significant health problems or even death for the woman.Several persons have been held at the main port of entry and exit after ingesting cocaine.However, some unlucky persons have died as a result of the cocaine packets rupturing in their stomachs.In one strange case, an American citizen jumped to his death while he was being monitored for ingesting the illegal drug at a city hospital.

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Fifteen Afghans may face the death penalty in the United Arab Emirates

Fifteen Afghans may face the death penalty in the United Arab Emirates for smuggling 202 kg (445 lb) of heroin hidden in the fuel tanks of trucks, newspapers reported on Thursday.Prosecutors in the emirate of Sharjah sought the death penalty against the group who are accused of smuggling the drugs worth $10.9 million into the Gulf Arab state, the daily Khaleej Times said.Three of the suspects, who operated a business importing fruits and food as a cover, are still at large.

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Customs officers at the Haditha border crossing in Qurayat foiled an attempt to smuggle nearly one-and-a-half million Captagon pills

Customs officers at the Haditha border crossing in Qurayat foiled an attempt to smuggle nearly one-and-a-half million Captagon pills into the country during the Eid Al-Fitr holidays. Zayed bin Atallah Al-Zayed, the director of Haditha Customs, said the crossing point witnessed heavy traffic during the holidays with more than 35,000 vehicles carrying about 110,000 passengers leaving the Kingdom and 38,000 vehicles with some 150,000 passengers arriving from neighboring countries.
“Our officers deployed in full force to meet the pressure, which is normal this time of the year. We also managed to inspect all cargo trucks and passenger baggage without causing any disruption in the traffic movement,” said Al-Zayed.

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Marina Dollinger post office clerk and her husband were detained , along with another individual, on suspicion of importing three kgs of cocaine

Tel Aviv post office clerk and her husband were detained Monday night, along with another individual, on suspicion of importing three kgs of cocaine from Peru to Israel, and their custody was extended by seven days. Ten days ago, German customs authorities discovered the package, en route from Peru, containing the drugs, which were hidden among dozens of children's toys. Advertisement The German officials noticed that the package was destined for Israel, and notified their Israeli counterparts. Israeli customs authorities transferred the package to the Israel Police's Tel Aviv District narcotics unit, which later returned it to customs.
The package was allowed to reach its destination at the Hayarkon post office, and on Sunday, say police, it was picked up by Shaul Dudlazek, 37, of Kfar Harutzim, at the window of postal clerk Marina Dollinger, 45, of Bat Yam. Detectives from Tel Aviv police's elite unit for handling organized crime followed Dudlazek to a gas station in Ra'anana, where he met with Dollinger's husband Ron and allegedly handed him the package. The detectives, who had been documenting the exchange on camera from a concealed location, arrested both men and brought them in for questioning.
"We suspect that this trio, who were assisted by the fact that the woman is a post office employee, were involved in importing cocaine from Peru to Israel. We're now checking whether this was an isolated incident or there were similar attempts in the past, and whether other individuals were involved in importing the drugs," Chief Superintendent Yedidia Sabagh, the head of Tel Aviv police's anti-drug unit, told Haaretz. On Monday, the three suspects had their remands extend by seven days.

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Pilot of a Colombian drug-smuggling plane landed at a clandestine airstrip in the vast Amazon rainforest, his every move was being watched from high

When the pilot of a Colombian drug-smuggling plane landed at a clandestine airstrip in the vast Amazon rainforest, his every move was being watched from high up in the sky.Guided by a high-tech spy-plane circling thousands of feet above the clouds, Brazilian police arrested the pilot minutes later and confiscated 300 kg of cocaine. Police hope the bust, which took place several weeks ago, will soon allow it to lock up an entire international drug gang.In the face of growing international pressure to better preserve the Amazon, Brazil is increasingly betting on intelligence and technology in its uphill battle to tackle illegal activities.

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£1.2 million worth of cocaine was seized during a raid on P and O’s luxury ship Arcadia

Four people have been charged with drug trafficking offences after £1.2 million worth of cocaine was seized during a raid on a cruise ship. Customs officers swooped on P and O’s luxury ship Arcadia as it docked in Southampton at 6.30am yesterday and arrested seven people. Four of those arrested had a total of 30 kilos of cocaine strapped to their bodies, it was discovered. Four have now been charged with attempting to smuggle drugs. They are expected to appear before Southampton Magistrates Court today. Three others have been released on bail pending further investigations. The operation, which took place at the docks throughout the day, involved teams of customs investigators and UK Border Agency detection officers.
A spokesman for HM Revenue and Customs (HMRC) said the seized cocaine weighed about 66lb and had an estimated street value of up to £1.2m. She said the seven arrested were from Birmingham and Manchester.

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Cocaine with an estimated street value of €161,000, has been seized by customs officers at Dublin Airport.

Cocaine with an estimated street value of €161,000, has been seized by customs officers at Dublin Airport.The drugs were discovered when officers stopped a 44-year-old Dutch man and searched his bags.The 2.3kg package of the drugs was concealed in the back support of a haversack, compressed in plastic packaging.The man had arrived on a flight from Amsterdam having previously travelled from Quito in Ecuador.He was arrested and handed over to the Garda Drugs Unit in Santry for questioning and is due to appear in Dublin District Court later.

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Viktor Bout said his arrest and trial had been arranged by the United States because he refused to become an American spy

Suspected Russian arms dealer detained in Thailand said his arrest and trial had been arranged by the United States because he refused to become an American spy. Viktor Bout, 41, was arrested in March in Bangkok during a joint police operation led by agents from the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA). The second hearing in his case in a Thai court started on Friday. In an interview published Friday in Kommersant, a Russian business daily, Bout said Washington fabricated charges against him after he had refused to work as an informant. "I was approached by some recruiters, especially in South Africa, who said it would be good if I shared with them information about the situation in one country or another and offered me a lot of perks. But I was not interested and I refused," Kommersant quoted him as saying. "They attempted to recruit me because we worked with Libyans and ... some other countries that the Americans had an interest in. And after I refused, the UN started a sham investigation," he added.
Western law enforcement agencies consider Bout to be "the most prominent foreign businessman" involved in trafficking arms to UN-embargoed destinations, including the Democratic Republic of Congo and Angola. UN reports say Bout set up a network of more than 50 cargo aircraft around the world to facilitate his arms shipments, earning the nickname "merchant of death." Bout admitted that his company transported weaponry around the world as part of its business operations, but said the shipments were legal. "Everyone is attempting to picture me as an 'arms baron' or a 'merchant of death' ... but all shipment companies deliver weaponry, which is considered a legal cargo if declared properly," he said. DEA prosecutors accuse Bout of conspiring with others to sell millions of dollars worth of weapons to the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia (FARC), a leftist group listed by the United States as a terrorist organization. Thailand received in early May a formal request from Washington to extradite Bout to the United States, where he has been indicted on four charges: conspiracy to kill Americans and U.S. officers or employees, conspiring to provide material support to terrorists, and conspiring to acquire and use an anti-aircraft missile. The former officer in the Russian army faces a life sentence if tried in a U.S. court, while Thai authorities earlier announced that they would not press charges against Bout. Bout's Russian lawyer, Yan Dasgupta, said Thursday that the United States had no chance of securing extradition of his client under Thai law. "As a lawyer I can say with certainty that if the case is reviewed [by Thai court] in line with the law, there is no chance for his extradition whatsoever," Dasgupta said.

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Police seized £50,000 worth of cocaine in Fife

man is due to appear in court on Monday after police seized £50,000 worth of cocaine in Fife. Fife Constabulary said the 21-year-old man, from Glenrothes, was arrested in Inverkeithing on Friday after being caught with the drugs. He is expected to appear at Dunfermline Sheriff Court. A spokesman for the force said the arrest was part of its commitment to Fife residents that it would target drug dealing.

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Three drug smugglers were killed and a policeman was wounded in a shootout with Saudi police

Three drug smugglers were killed and a policeman was wounded in a shootout with Saudi police in the southern province of Asir, according to an official spokesman of the Drug Combating Department.Maj. Ibrahim Abu Hulayel said on Thursday that one of the smugglers killed in the shooting was the gang leader. He said the incident took place on Wednesday after police surrounded a house in Asir province where suspected smugglers were hiding. He said that police confiscated 71 kg of hashish that remained after the smugglers set fire to their stash. “The smugglers were trying to escape from police after setting fire to the drugs,” Abu Hulayel said, and added that a police officer sustained deep wounds to his chest and hand. Police have arrested three African members of the gang. “Two of them received slight wounds during the gun battle and have been taken to hospital for treatment,” he added.
Last week, border guards in the southern region of Najran foiled an attempt to smuggle 1,205 kilogrammes of hashish into the kingdom from Yemen. Two smugglers were arrested during that operation after a gun battle.

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Joaquin "El Chapo" Guzman. operation, named Money Train, shut down a key trafficking corridor for the cartel

Federal authorities Wednesday announced indictments against the alleged leaders of six drug distribution rings charged with transporting cocaine and methamphetamine for one of Mexico's largest drug cartelsThirty-five people face smuggling and conspiracy charges in what authorities described as a trafficking network based in the Imperial Valley. About $20 million in drugs and cash were seized during the 18-month investigation, according to federal prosecutors.They said the alleged traffickers are linked to the Sina- loa cartel, which has long controlled a trafficking corridor through the Baja Cali- fornia capital of Mexicali into Calexico, a small town in the Imperial Valley.The rings allegedly smuggled the drugs hidden inside compartments of cars. The cash proceeds, sometimes bundled in plastic bags labeled $10,000, were shipped back to Mexico also hidden in cars, authorities said.Seizures of bulk cash shipments triggered the investigation, as agents with the Drug Enforcement Administration were able to trace the money back to the Sinaloa cartel, said Eileen Zeidler, an agency spokeswoman.
In one case, authorities discovered $1.7 million hidden inside the sidewall of a truck.U.S. Atty. Karen Hewitt of the Southern District of California said the operation, named Money Train, shut down a key trafficking corridor for the cartel, which is believed to be led by Mexico's most wanted man, Joaquin "El Chapo" Guzman.
The total cash seizures of $9 million, Hewitt said at a San Diego news conference, ranked among the largest ever in the San Diego area.Nineteen members of the organizations were arrested this week, four of them in Mexico. Sixteen suspects are at large, authorities said.The rings operated in the small Imperial Valley towns of Brawley and El Centro, where they hired couriers to drive the drug-laden cars through the border crossing in Calexico, authorities said.Others would then deliver the drugs to major cities across the United States, including Los Angeles, Chicago and New York, Zeidler said.The suspects are scheduled to be arraigned today in El Centro. If convicted, they face sentences ranging from 10 years to life in prison.

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MSC Peru from Buenaventura, Colombia,Cocaine with an estimated street value of $7 million was seized at the Freeport Container Port

Cocaine with an estimated street value of $7 million was seizedat the Freeport Container Port, marking the second time in less than a month that a big drug bust has been made at that facility.According to police reports late yesterday, acting on information they received, a team of Bahamian and Inter-national Law Enforcement personnel – with the assistance of Container Port agents – conducted a search of a container and discovered the large quantity of cocaine concealed inside a compartment of a machine.The drugs, weighing over 650 pounds was en route to the United States, but has now been flown to New Providence for further investigation.
In September three and a half million dollars in cocaine was seized at the Container port shortly after it arrived on island. Acting on a tip, the Drug Enforce-ment Unit inspected a 40-foot metal container that had just been off-loaded onto the storage bay and found three large black duffle bags with the drugs concealed among a shipment of sugar.The narcotics had just arrived aboard the MSC Peru from Buenaventura, Colombia, with a cargo of containers that were in transit to Port Au Prince, Haiti. The captain and crew of the vessel were interviewed, but no arrests were made. The drugs were flown to the capital aboardan 'Operation Bat' helicopter, where DEU officials investigation, along with International Law Enforcement agencies.
Earlier in March of this year, Grand Bahama Drug Interdiction officers discovered another shipment of illegal drugs at the Freeport Container Port, with a street value of $4.5 million dollars.While searching a 20-foot metal container that had been off-loaded onto the storage bay, officers found five large black nylon duffle bags containing a quantity of suspected cocaine beneath a shipment of palm oil.
That container had arrived aboard the MSC CAROUGE, inbound from Equador and was awaiting transshipment on to Spain. The illegal narcotics, which weighed in at 150 kilograms, also was later transported by an Op-Bat helicopter to the Drug Enforcement Unit headquarters in New Providence.

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Three suspects from mainland province Liaoning who allegedly sold illicit drugs to prostitutes in Macau

Three suspects from mainland province Liaoning who allegedly sold illicit drugs to prostitutes in Macau were apprehended by the Judiciary Police (PJ) yesterday.
The narcotics division received a report on Sunday that drug activity would be conducted near a hotel in Nape. Police surveillance was in place afterwards and until midnight the "target" was sighted and then was followed by police to a hotel lobby, PJ spokesman Chan Kin Hong said.
Mr Chan said the man, surnamed Sun, 27, might have noticed he was being followed and thus dropped some tissue papers on the floor before police caught him.
It was found that the tissue papers wrapped two grams of "ice" and 15 pills of "yaba", which police said came from the mainland and had a street value of 5,000 patacas.
Police raided an apartment in Nape later where another suspect, surnamed Li, 41, was arrested and a large quantity of drug consumption and packaging apparatus were seized, Mr Chan said.
Sun told police he was instructed by Li to bring out the drugs and sell them to prostitutes who looked for businesses in local casinos.
The apartment of Sun was also raided and lots of drug consumption and packaging apparatus were seized.
Mr Chan said a woman, surnamed Wang, 28, was also caught in Sun's apartment in Nape whom police believed was involved in the drug activities that had been going on for about a month.
The three suspects were all from Liaoning Province, China and had overstayed in Macau.
They were sent to the Public Prosecutions Office and will be charged with drug crimes.

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smashed what a Guardia Civil spokesman called ;one of the most important crime networks in Spain

Organised Crime Brigade (ECO) in collaboration with the Central Operative Unit (UCO) smashed what a Guardia Civil spokesman called ;one of the most important crime networks in Spain; last week. In an operation dubbed Centry-Paris, 44 people were arrested in Malaga, Algeciras, Melilla, Granada, Jaen and Alicante. Fourteen were arrested in Malaga city, five in Marbella, two in Benalmadena, one in Torremolinos, one in Cartama and one in Estepona. However, it was the vast amounts of money they spent on clothes and jewellery in Avenue Montaigne in Paris and on luxury cars in Germany that gave them away, the Guardia spokesman said. Another 11 accomplices were arrested and more than three tons of hashish were seized. The Guardia spokesman said the network had been completely dismantled, from the people who bought the drug in Morocco to those who distributed it to several European countries. Those arrested included 34 Spaniards, 13 Moroccans, four Frenchmen, two Dutchmen, one Palestinian and one Gibraltarian. The investigation began in October last year when ECO-Malaga were tipped off that a Moroccan with a long police record had moved from Torrevieja in Alicante - where police pressure was too hot for him - to the Costa del Sol. In addition to the drug trafficking charges, the men also face charges of illegal possession of arms, falsifying documents, money laundering and illicit association against the public health, among other things. Earlier in the week, the police arrested 121 people in what has been described as the country’s “biggest-ever operation against child pornography on the internet”. Millions of images that show child sex abuse were seized in a series of nationwide raids, which uncovered a network spanning 75 countries. Police said two of those held were using their own children to make pornography. A further 96 people have been charged with possession and distribution of child pornography. The arrests, made over a period of seven days, were part of a long-term operation which began in July last year with the help of Brazilian police. Those detained include bank clerks, porters and airline pilots, and some are foreigners resident in Spain. Enrique Rodriguez, from the police Technological Investigation Brigade, told reporters that the network was enormous, involving 18,000 IP addresses across the world, including 1,600 in Spain. IP addresses are unique numbers that identify each computer connected to the internet. He said the foreign leads will now be followed up through Interpol. The raids bring to 1,200 the number of people arrested for child pornography in Spain over the past five years

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Davis Metro Narcotics Strike Force arrested 14 men and one woman

14 men and one woman were arrested last week. One of the men, Robert Rosier, is the apartment manager. Police say he was likely just using the drugs, but some of the suspects were living with him. All the suspects except Rosier are from Honduras.Officers from the Davis Metro Narcotics Strike Force began investigating the group about three months ago. Undercover officers also bought heroin from them.
Typically, investigations like this can take a year. But police say there have been three overdoses in Davis County in the past month, so they wanted to move quickly to shut this group down. Neighbors are glad because they suspected something was going on. Kathleen Tilley said she and others saw "cars coming and going and stopping for a few minutes and then coming back out, and people that we never see around here."
"Some of the drug use was becoming very apparent, meaning people were using kind of out in the open. Even during our surveillance, it was becoming a problem for neighbors in that area," said Lt. Allen Swanson, commander of the Davis Metro Narcotics Strike Force. Police say the suspects have been deported before, some of them numerous times, but they came back into the United States. Some have even been convicted of drug-related felonies in the past. Immigration officials say they were using fake Social Security numbers and fake names. Investigators say during the bust, several people showed up to buy drugs. They also were arrested

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Malta 13 people have been questioned by the drug squad in connection with four separate cases

13 people have been questioned by the drug squad in connection with four separate cases. Theses incidents started on Saturday with a raid on a bar in Birkirkara after reports were received that drugs were being sold within the bar itself. When the police arrived, the barman, a 33-year-old man from Floriana, was seen trying to dispose of a capsule containing around 10 grams of cocaine. The barman and a 39-year-old woman from Zejtun, were both arrested. The second raid happened on Sunday afternoon on the Floriana granaries. Nine men between the ages of 19 and 27 were arrested during an organised party, after they were found to be carrying cannabis, cocaine and ecstasy. Two of these men are being accused of drug trafficking.
On Wednesday, a 32-year-old Libyan man was arrested in connection with the discovery of 3.4 kilograms of heroin at the airport on September 17. One Maltese woman and three more Libyan men had already been arrested in connection to the event.
The final incident occurred on Thursday morning when a 35-year-old man from Gambia seemed to be acting suspiciously after arriving on a flight from Girona, Spain. The man was held and later found to be carrying 250 grams of cocaine in his stomach.
The man did not admit to the charges brought against him in court but has been denied bail.

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Sydney international mail centre Precursor chemicals Investigations

Customs investigators in Victoria have arrested and charged two men and one woman with importing a commercial quantity of border-controlled precursor chemicals.
A 23-year-old man, 18-year-old man and a 20-year-old woman, all from Brunswick in Melbourne, were arrested on Monday in Shepparton.Investigations began on 21 September 2008 when Customs officers at the Sydney international mail centre detected a package from Canada containing 160 medicine bottles labelled as 'caffeine'. Further examination of the package allegedly identified approximately 112,000 tablets that tested positive for ephedrine, a precursor used to manufacture methamphetamine. Customs investigators, with the assistance of officers from Shepparton police, executed Customs search and seizure warrants at two residential premises in the Shepparton area on Monday. The 23-year-old man was arrested by Customs, remanded in custody overnight and released on bail yesterday. The 18-year-old man and 20-year-old woman were also arrested and released on bail.
All three are due to appear in the Melbourne Magistrates Court on 12 December 2008.
Customs National Manager Investigations, Richard Janeczko, said this investigation highlighted Customs ability to intercept precursor chemicals at the border and investigate those allegedly responsible for their import.
"Precursor drug smuggling is a risky business," he warned.
"There is every chance you will be detected and the penalties can include severe fines or imprisonment."The maximum penalty for this offence is 25 years imprisonment and/or a $550,000.00 fine.

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10 year jail sentence for a South African visitor who handed over a bag containing cocaine to a policeman at Dubai airport.

"We found ten pouches of suspected drugs inside one of his bags."
Dubai A court has confirmed a 10 year jail sentence for a South African visitor who handed over a bag containing cocaine to a policeman at Dubai airport. The Dubai Court of Appeal upheld the initial verdict, ten years in jail and a Dh50,000 fine, for the 39-year-old, M.V., who earlier pleaded guilty to smuggling cocaine which he admitted he intended to send to Switzerland. He will be deported after serving his sentence. Records show an Emirati policeman initially thought the South African was joking when he approached the counter at Dubai International Airport to hand over the drugs."He said he was carrying cocaine and wanted to hand it over," the 22-year-old policeman testified. "I informed my supervisor who took him to a search room.
The Public Prosecution charged the South African with smuggling and possessing approximately 4.3kg of cocaine with the intention of exporting it from the country.
The visitor confessed during interrogation at the Public Prosecution that a Nigerian suspect had asked him to transport the cocaine to someone in Zurich, Switzerland.

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Drug mules are playing a 'game of chance' with their lives as they swallow liquid cocaine to try to make some quick money.

Drug mules are playing a 'game of chance' with their lives as they swallow liquid cocaine to try to make some quick money.Narcotics police on the island are on the lookout for smugglers who could be heading to the island after gulping down scores of homemade drug capsules.Seeing "nothing but dollar signs", the mules can swallow up to a kilo of liquid cocaine - which has a street value in Bermuda of about $30,000. They line their stomachs with liquid cocaine pellets stashed inside latex, even though the tiniest of tears can cause the liquid drug to seep out and kill them.This form of drug smuggling - known as body packing - is on the increase across the world and overdoses and deaths are not uncommon. Narcotics officer Sergeant Hayden Small spoke to the Bermuda Sun about the police service's "growing concern" and suggested swallowers could already be getting onto the island.Sgt. Small, who has specialized in narcotics for 12 years, said: "These swallowers are putting their own lives at risk, but they don't care, all they see is the dollar signs. It doesn't take much for the latex to rip then the liquid drug can seep into the body. Just a couple of drips of liquid cocaine leaking in your stomach can be lethal."Swallowers can become sick on the plane then perish to death. Once liquid cocaine leaks into your stomach, you've gone and you're not coming back."The technique involves dissolving the crystalline white cocaine in water then creating homemade pellets using a machine which supposedly ensures an airtight seal. Drug mules used to swallow drugs inside of condoms or balloons, but it is now thought that the fingers of surgical latex gloves, which are more sturdy, are the material of choice. However, the release of gastric acids in the stomach can burn through the latex, and leakage nearly always means a massive overdose and death.Drug mules can swallow anything from 10 to 120 pellets of cocaine - which are about two inches long and half an inch wide. If the cocaine was about 75% pure, 120 pellets (or a kilo) of cocaine would make between $27,000 and $30,000 on Bermuda's streets.The mules will take tablets to induce constipation during the course of the trip then take laxatives when they have arrived at a pre-arranged address. The amount of cash depends on the number of pellets they can swallow, but they only usually get paid at the end of the journey after the safe delivery of the consignment.Sgt. Small stressed that although no one had been caught with drugs in liquid format in Bermuda, it was extremely difficult to detect. As airport X-ray machines can only scan luggage rather than people, the majority of swallowers are believed to slip through undetected.Sgt. Small said: "This is something that has been brought to our attention. Drugs are getting into the island and this could be through swallowing in liquid format.
"We don't know of it happening in Bermuda for sure, but we are on the lookout because it is already a trend around the world."Most large drug seizures in Bermuda tend to take place at the airport or at the docks. Sgt. Small said at the airport, drugs can be found at the freight shed, at courier businesses or the Bermuda mail processing centre. He added that neither Customs nor police officers can infringe upon people's human rights unless they have specific intelligence to suspect someone has swallowed drugs. Detecting drugs in the stomach involves swabs being taken and the suspect having to wait at the hospital under guard until the drugs have passed through their system.Sgt .Small said the street value of cocaine and heroin made them the drugs of choice to swallow, but all drugs continue to be smuggled into the island.He said: "A small amount of cocaine or heroin are easy to conceal when swallowing. Cannabis isn't as popular as it becomes bulky and it doesn't have the street value to make it worthwhile to swallow."Sgt. Small stressed it "wasn't worth the risk" to smuggle drugs. "We are watching you," he warned: the police study the travel movements of anyone they suspect as well as "locals heading to non-traditional destinations." Sgt. Small added that there was also "a lot more information [shared] between agencies" such as Customs, the National Drug Council and even the FBI.He said: "It's a chance you take, but it's a huge chance. You are playing with your life. If you take the chance then you have to deal with the consequences."

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Burlington man has been arrested for allegedly importing 3.5 kilograms of heroin into Canada

A 44-year-old Burlington man has been arrested for allegedly importing 3.5 kilograms of heroin into Canada.The drugs are worth an estimated $1,050,000.Officials said the arrest was made last Wednesday after a joint investigation between Halton police, the Royal Canadian Mounted Police Greater Toronto Area Drug Section and Canada Border Services Agency.The Greater Toronto Area Drug Section seeks to identify, disrupt and dismantle drug trafficking organizations that are having the most significant impact in Canada.
As a result of the investigation, a residence on Glendor Avenue in Burlington was searched. Officials have not released any details of how the drugs were allegedly smuggled into the country.

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Mireles-Andrade four hollowed-out wooden plaques of the Virgin Mary filled with cocaine were seized at the Hidalgo-Reynosa International Bridge.

Four hollowed-out wooden plaques of the Virgin Mary filled with cocaine were seized at the Hidalgo-Reynosa International Bridge.U.S. Customs and Border Protection officers seized about five pounds of cocaine after they stopped Victor Hugo Mireles-Andrade, 23, a U.S. citizen from Chicago. The drugs have a street value of almost $147,000.Agents said Mireles-Andrade walked to the pedestrian checkpoint at the bridge and turned over his suitcase to officers for a routine x-ray examination. The x-ray revealed the cocaine inside the hollow wooden plaques.
Mireles-Andrade was transfered to Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents, who continue to investigate the smuggling attempt. He remains in federal custody.

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Luciano Angrilli the manager at Prewett’s two nightclubs Khrome and Ecstasy has fled

Convicted Sarasota businessman Daniel Prewett of federal drug charges of Trafficking In Cocaine and money laundering charges, Prewtt Ran his cocaine operation out of his "front" an accounting firm at 5777 Beneva Rd Sarasota Fl during regular office hours, Prewett was the "main guy" in the Sarasota Cocaine powder Business. A confidential informant (CI) for Immigrations and Customs Enforcement (ICE) recorded video of a meeting with Sarasota businessman Daniel Prewett about laundering $100,000 in supposed drug money. On the video, Prewett tells the confidential informant to write down his full name on a form. “Felipe,” the informant says. “You know, no full names.”Later on the tape, Luciano Angrilli (his pic, he has fled), the manager at Prewett’s two nightclubs (Khrome and Ecstasy), tells the confidential informant (CI) about the benefits of Costa Rica and laundering the money through a loan. The confidential source then has an undercover agent bring in the $100,000 cash and tells Prewett he will go the loan route. Prewett, 58, former owner of Jackson Hewitt tax franchises and two Sarasota nightclubs, got a federal prison term of 16 years and is currently in the Fort Dix NJ facility .


Prewett also wired $80,000 to an undercover bank account so Luciano Angrilli, a man who ran his nightclubs, could buy 10 kilograms of cocaine from undercover agents. SARASOTA -- Three men met at the Ritz-Carlton to talk business -- the sale of several kilos of cocaine, and a way to launder drug money to leave no trace of the crime -- according to federal court records. An informant tells federal agents Daniel Prewett is involved in selling cocaine and ecstasy at two nightclubs he owns, Khrome and Ecstasy. Two informants, posing as drug dealers, offer to sell cocaine to the manager of the two clubs, Luciano Angrilli (pic above), at the Sarasota Ritz-Carlton. An undercover DEA agent delivers $100,000 of supposed drug money to Prewett two times, and both times Prewett wires $90,000 to an undercover DEA account from an account belonging to J.H. Investment Services, Inc.. Angrilli was arrested on drug possession charges when he went to a commercial storage warehouse to load the cocaine into his trunk.


Luciano Angrilli pleaded guilty to conspiracy to possess cocaine in March of 2008 but never showed up for sentencing in which he faced more than 10 years in prison, federal prosecutors said. "He pled and fled," Assistant U.S. Attorney James Muench told a federal judge. "I'm guessing he's in Italy, the office does not know if Angrilli left the country -- or if he left the country at all.


Federal agents who posed as cocaine dealers say Angrilli and another man, Michael Parsons, met them at a Sarasota commercial storage warehouse and loaded kilograms of cocaine into his trunk. Parsons pleaded guilty to a related charge and is serving a 4 1/2-year Federal prison term at the Pensacola Fl facility.

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160 kilograms of cocaine was seized in a joint effort by Hickory Hills and Justice police

160 kilograms of cocaine was seized in a joint effort by Hickory Hills and Justice police, authorities said Friday, adding it was worth more than $15 million.On Thursday, more than 100 kilograms of cocaine was found at a residence in the 7800 block of 98th Street in Hickory Hills, police from that community said in a news release. The investigation led authorities to a second location on the 8900 block of 84th Street in Justice, where they found more than 50 kilograms of cocaine.Detectives seized a total of four cars, which "were equipped with hidden compartments used to conceal drugs," the statement said. A stolen .45-caliber handgun also was recovered at the Justice location.Four suspects were taken into custody. Police did not release their identities as charges were pending.

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arrested two suspected drug traffickers at the Murtala Muhammed International Airport

The National Drug Law Enforcement Agency NDLEA has arrested two suspected drug traffickers at the Murtala Muhammed International Airport (MMIA), Lagos for allegedly ingesting 147 pieces of substances that tested positive for cocaine. The suspects described as a factory worker in Italy and a trader in Onitsha allegedly swallowed the substance for the sum of 7,300 Euros.
One of them was caught on September 17, 2008 at about 8 pm when the result of scanning conducted on him proved positive for drug ingestion. The suspect who claims to live in Padova, Italy was on his way to deliver drugs in Amsterdam when he was arrested at the centre screening point. In his confessional statement said that he ingested 75 wraps of cocaine for a fee of 3500 Euros and that he was compelled to carry drugs because he needed money to bring home the corpse of his elder brother.
The second suspect was nabbed on September 15, 2008 at the central screening point at about 1031 pm on his way to Berlin, Germany.
The suspect who hails from Orlu Local Government Area of Imo State said he was promised 3,800 Euros with a part payment of 700 Euros also claimed that was his first time of trafficking in narcotic drugs. He ingested 73 wraps of cocaine weighing 1.390 kilogrammes.The cases according to the NDLEA Commander at the Airport, Mr. Victor Cole-Showers are under investigation and will be charged to court.

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car stopped for speeding led to an arrest and the seizure of 55 pounds of cocaine and five pounds of heroin.

car stopped for speeding led to an arrest and the seizure of 55 pounds of cocaine and five pounds of heroin.State police troopers pulled over the car after its driver was speeding on I-94 near M-51 in Van Buren County.During the stop, the troopers found a hidden compartment in the car and 27 kilo-shaped packages. Of those, 25 tested positive for cocaine and the other two tested positive for heroin.The estimated street value of the drugs is $1 million.
Though he wasn't involved in this particular bust, Capt. Joseph Taylor of the Kalamazoo Valley Enforcement Team said I-94 from Chicago through Detroit is a haven for traffickers, and they're tough to spot."They're very, very skilled," Taylor said. "Hidden compartments in the vehicles are very common, very well done and very difficult to find unless you're an expert in that area."A US Department of Justice drug market analysis of 2008 cites Kalamazoo and Grand Rapids as primary drug markets for a High Intensity Drug Trafficking Area because of their proximity to both Detroit and Chicago. The report adds many gangs distribute the drugs in the area, and there are around 70 gangs in Kent County alone.Cocaine, heroin and marijuana are commonly available throughout West Michigan counties. But, the report states, there is an almost unlimited demand."The profit potential is almost unlimited. If they get hit at that level with a million-dollar seizure, they just write that off as collateral damage, when they've got tens of millions, hundreds of millions of dollars."Capt. Taylor said law enforcement across the state are fighting an uphill battle. "It's a very profitable business," he said, "and it will continue to be a problem for this country."The suspects names have not been released at this time. The investigation is still underway.

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Three men have been arrested by a strike force investigating the alleged smuggling of cocaine into Sydney from South America.

Three men have been arrested by a strike force investigating the alleged smuggling of cocaine into Sydney from South America.Two Merrylands men were arrested at Moore Park yesterday, while a 31-year-old Colombian man was taken into custody in Sydney's CBD.Police say they also discovered a drug lab in a raid on a Merrylands home, where they found a large amount of cash, a gun and ecstasy tablets with a street value of $12,000.The Colombian man and a 22-year-old Merrylands man have both been charged with offences including conspiracy to import a border controlled drug.The third man arrested was released after questioning.

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Navy P-3 Orions working with Coast Guard teams have spotted two of the self-propelled, semi-submersible (SPSS) craft

Navy P-3 Orions working with Coast Guard teams have spotted two of the self-propelled, semi-submersible (SPSS) craft trying to make their way from Colombia up to the west coast of the U.S. in the Pacific ocean. Intelligence helped them know where to look.Rear Adm. Ted N. Branch says the Navy P-3 Orions used in the interdictions have radar and forward looking infrared sensors that can detect these low profile SPSS craft on the ocean.These types of smuggling vessels are fabricated in the jungles of Colombia and designers have moved on from earlier wood and fiberglass models to steel and fiberglass. Their low topside profile creates a small radar cross section, so maritime patrol aircraft have the best detection track record so far, according to the Coast Guard.On Sept. 13, a Navy P-3 Orion directed a U.S. Navy warship to one SPSS so a Coast Guard team could board the vessel. The boarding party surprised the four Colombians aboard, who then opened valves to scuttle the vessel. The Coast Guard crew was able to get the valves closed, allowing the 59-foot long SPSS and seven tons of cocaine to be seized.In the other case on Sept. 17, the P-3 directed the Coast Guard cutter Midgett to an SPSS 400 nautical miles south of the Mexico-Guatemala border in the Pacific. Seven tons of cocaine valued at $196 million were seized, but the SSPS sank after the drugs were removed.

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three tons of cocaine have been discovered aboard a shrimp trawler"Juan Alejandro"

three tons of cocaine have been discovered aboard a shrimp trawler off the Pacific coast of Chiapas, Mexico, officials have announced.
The Mexican Navy spotted the "Juan Alejandro" on Wednesday, and an inspection of the vessel led to the discovery of 3,100 packets of cocaine in one of the water reservoirs, the Mexican Attorney General's office said.The six members of crew, members of an association of Mexican fishermen, were arrested by authorities.
A mini-submarine from Colombia was found carrying nearly six tons of cocaine in the same area of Mexico's Pacific coastline in July.

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arrested two British nationals in Delhi recently and seized three courier packets with 'charas', which was bound for the Netherlands.

Courier companies and post offices are being increasingly targeted by drug traffickers to send out contrabands from the country since tracking the sender is difficult, anti-narcotics officials say. Officials point out that though traffickers earlier used more human couriers and sea routes to send out narcotic drugs, recent cases which various agencies have busted, show that sending out drugs through couriers and even post offices has now become a preferred option for many.
"They are being used more because it is difficult for an agency to get hold of the sender. The sender can give a false address and make a good escape. In case of human couriers, they can be arrested and investigating further linkages is easy," a top Directorate of Revenue Intelligence (DRI) official said. The agency had recently intercepted and seized a courier truck carrying a consignment of VCDs and DVDs of devotional music and films in Ludhiana which was bound for Canada via the national capital after it was found to contain around six kg of heroin.
Close on the heels of this case, the Narcotics Control Bureau had also arrested two British nationals in Delhi recently and seized three courier packets with 'charas', which was bound for the Netherlands. "India is not a source market but a transit point. Drugs are procured from neighbouring countries which are then sent out through India. We have asked the courier companies to ensure that they are not used to send out narcotics to foreign countries," a senior anti-narcotics official said.
DHL, one of the world's largest courier firms, said all packets that are send abroad from India are always screened using the latest technology to prevent any misuse.
"As a process, once a consignment reaches Delhi (DHL facility), every shipment sent internationally through the network is necessarily screened using stringent international security measures and sophisticated scanning (Ion scan and X-ray) equipment". One of the biggest seizures by anti-narcotic agencies from a courier consignment in recent past was done by the NCB in the national capital region at Noida. In March this year, NCB raided a call centre in Noida and seized a number of pre-labelled packets of an international courier company with large quantity of banned drugs in it. This was followed by the agency busting a software firm in the capital which was allegedly involved in illegal online trading in pharmaceutical drugs. With the arrest of four person including a postal agent, NCB had seized over 90,000 various regulated and banned tablets valued at over Rs one crore in the international market that were to be smuggled out through post. "Monitoring courier packets being send out becomes tough for anti-narcotics officials. We are in regular touch with courier agencies and keep telling them about steps that could be taken to ensure more safety and alertness," a senior NCB official said.
The DRI points out that responsibility for not allowing contrabands to be sent out through couriers also rests with courier firms. "One just cannot shy away from responsibility. Precautions and steps should be taken by the firms in this regard," a DRI official said.

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