Cheddi Jagan :Fifty-nine-year-old citizen of the United States of America is presently in police custody after a quantity of cocaine was discovered

Fifty-nine-year-old citizen of the United States of America is presently in police custody after a quantity of cocaine was discovered in her hand luggage.The incident occurred at around 08:45 hrs yesterday, at the Cheddi Jagan International Airport, as the woman was about to board a flight back to her homeland.According to a police press release, a check by ranks revealed that a total of 1kg. 235 grams of suspected cocaine was concealed in the checked luggage and hand piece of the woman’s luggage.
The woman’s daughter, Petal Caesar, told Kaieteur News that her mother received a call from a friend in the US on Saturday night, asking her to carry up her (the caller) son’s photo album.The son and daughter-in-law of the woman who made the request both came to the home and dropped off the album.She explained that, “My mother just took the album and placed it in her granddaughter’s suitcase, since her own was filled.”
The daughter said that she did not accompany her mother to the airport, but other relatives were there with her.She said that about a half an hour later, she got a phone call informing her about what had happened at the airport.Caesar said that her mother told the police everything, and the police went to the home of the two persons, but they had left the building.The daughter opined that the couple may have gotten a tip-off from persons who knew what had taken place at the airport.She said that her mother has been travelling back and forth between Guyana and the US for some 26 years, and nothing like this ever happened before.According to police sources, charges may be instituted against the woman.

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Arrest of three Guyanese on Saturday, including a brother and sister, in Trinidad with various amounts of cocaine.

Arrest of three Guyanese on Saturday, including a brother and sister, in Trinidad with various amounts of cocaine.
Officials in Trinidad have confirmed that they have held a Guyanese taxi driver after cocaine was found in the walls of his suitcase. They have also held a Florida-based real estate broker and his sister who had the illegal drug strapped to their bodies.The suspects arrived in Trinidad on Saturday, and were in-transit to other destinations when they were apprehended.According to a source in the twin-island republic, at about 07:50 hours, the 34-year-old Guyanese taxi driver was about to board BW 416 en route to St. Maarten when officers from the Organized Crime, Narcotics and Firearms Bureau of the Trinidad and Tobago Police Force, who were on patrol at the airport, carried out a search of his luggage.
During the search, 2.6 kilograms of cocaine, with a street value of TT$1M, were discovered.He was charged for possession of cocaine for the purpose of trafficking.
And, seven hours later, the 34-year-old real estate broker and his 36-year-old sister were about to board BW 480 en route to Fort Lauderdale, Florida, USA when they, too, were searched by the officers, who had observed their suspicious actions.
The drug agents found two kilograms of cocaine with a street value of TT$800,000 strapped to the man’s body.Another three kilograms of the drug, valued at TT$1.2M, were found concealed in a similar manner on his sister.They were also arrested and charged with possession of cocaine for the purpose of trafficking. The trio is scheduled to appear before a magistrate at the Arima Magistrate’s Court today.
Saturday’s exercise was headed by Senior Superintendent of the Trinidad and Tobago Police Force, Simon Alexis, and included ranks from the Customs and Excise Department on the island.Trinidadian officials have expressed concerns about the passengers being able to pass undetected through the Cheddi Jagan International Airport, Timehri.

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Jose Antonio Avianeda Bahena,is being held in the St. Francis County Jail on charges

Troopers say they stopped Jose Antonio Avianeda Bahena, 23, of Brevard, N.C., on Sunday after watching him follow another car too closely and seeing his brake light was out. Troopers say a police dog sniffing around the car jumped through an open window to reach the car's center console. Underneath the console were 12 bundles of cocaine, weighing more than 26 pounds, police said. Bahena is being held in the St. Francis County Jail on charges of defective equipment, felony possession of a controlled substance with intent to deliver and felony possession of drug paraphernalia.

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15-member crew of a South African Airways jetliner was arrested today at London's Heathrow Airport

15-member crew of a South African Airways jetliner was arrested today at London's Heathrow Airport after border agents found 110 pounds of marijuana and about 10 pounds of cocaine in three suitcases, AFP reports. The crew — 10 women and five men, including the pilot — was detained while passing through a customs checkpoint, shortly after landing on the flight from Johannesburg. The pot was valued at $210,000 and the coke roughly $320,000."Interviews will be taking place and will probably go into tomorrow, and then we will decide whether we are going to charge anyone," a Revenue and Customs spokesman said.

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Moorhead authorities seized $2,000 worth of white heroin, a semiautomatic handgun and $2,600 in an investigation that also led to arrests

Moorhead authorities seized $2,000 worth of white heroin, a semiautomatic handgun and $2,600 in an investigation that also led to the arrest of four people. A traffic stop in the 1800 block of 20th Street South in Moorhead late Thursday led to the seizure of 41 bindles of white heroin, which is similar in appearance to a powder cocaine and very rare in the region, Moorhead Lt. Brad Penas said. Black tar heroin is more common in the area, he said.


During the traffic stop, police arrested Alfredo Portales, 32, believed to be from Wisconsin, and Reva Martinez, 30, of an unknown address, according to a news release.Portales is being held on suspicion of first-degree possession of a controlled substance and felon in possession of a firearm. Martinez is being held on suspicion of first-degree possession of a controlled substance.A search warrant was then executed, resulting in the seizure of three-quarters of a pound of marijuana and a small amount of white heroin. That led to the arrest of Raul Garcia, 28, Moorhead, who is being held on suspicion of second-degree and fourth-degree controlled substance possession, the release said. Police also arrested Ruben Medrano, 39, Moorhead, during the investigation on outstanding felony warrants, the release said.

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Calvin Roberts plus four charged with conspiracy to import 92 kilos of cocaine into the United States

27-foot boat and two men with suspicious answers. A dog sniffed, the men rolled and authorities soon had a cocaine conspiracy.

Palm Beach police learned of a Wellcraft boat arriving from the Bahamas through the Palm Beach Inlet, according to an arrest affidavit released Thursday by the U.S. Attorney's Office.Palm Beach officers stopped the boat shortly after 8 p.m. Boat operator Calvin Roberts, 34, from the Bahamas, told them the vessel belonged to a friend and they were taking it to Riviera Beach to have work done. But he didn't know his friend's last name. Phillip Curry, 30, also from the Bahamas, said he was just along to shop, but he had no money or credit cards, the report said.A drug-sniffing dog led officers to a hidden cabinet holding 37 kilogram-sized bags of cocaine. Another 51 bags were found elsewhere on the boat. Roberts told U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration and Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents that he was to get $2,000 and was given a phone number to call. Agreeing to cooperate, he called the number and spoke with Johnacio Smith, 33, of Lauderhill, who told him to sleep on the boat.The next day, Smith met a tow company employee at Phil Foster Park, where Smith was arrested with $2,000, the report said. Smith then led investigators to Michael Roberts, 29, of the Bahamas, the report said. He called Michael Roberts saying the tow company wanted more money. Roberts met Smith in Delray Beach and was also arrested, the report said.
Roberts told investigators he'd met Bahamian Anton Jones, 30, at the Hard Rock Casino in Hollywood. Jones gave him $2,000 plus $800 to pay Smith and money for the boat tow, he said. Roberts called Jones to ask for more money for the tow. They met and Jones was arrested, the report said.The five were charged with conspiracy to import 92 kilos of cocaine into the United States, the U.S. Attorney's Office said.

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Leroy Carr called federal agents and told them he had stashed two backpacks containing nearly 70 pounds of cocaine near the border.

Leroy Carr first came to the attention of federal agents at the Washington-Canadian border after being spotted with equipment commonly used by smugglers, including night-vision goggles and a Global Positioning System device.According to the U.S. Attorney's office, in August of 2007 Carr called federal agents and told them he had stashed two backpacks containing nearly 70 pounds of cocaine near the border.
Agents say Carr wanted them to send a press release saying the cocaine had been seized, so that the smuggling ring he worked for would not retaliate against him for stealing the cocaine. Those backpacks were later found by a Boy Scout.The 47-year-old was sentenced by Judge Ricardo Martinez in U.S District Court in Seattle on Friday.

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Philadelphia police say they've arrested three people who were trafficking 68 kilograms of cocaine.

Philadelphia police say they've arrested three people who were trafficking 68 kilograms of cocaine.Deputy Commissioner Bill Blackburn says the cocaine was hidden inside furniture that was filled a rental truck. Police stopped the truck Friday afternoon in the Juniata Park neighborhood of Philadelphia and got a search warrant.
In addition to the cocaine, Blackburn says police seized three handguns and "an undetermined amount of U.S. currency."Blackburn says investigators are still trying to determine the real names of the three people arrested. He says city police will ask federal authorities to take over the investigation.

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Perth,container from the United Arab Emirates 24kg of undeclared molasses-flavoured tobacco.

Customs say they have disrupted a tobacco smuggling ring after they executed search and seizure warrants in Perth.Investigations began on December 19 when Customs officers at the Fremantle Container Examination Facility selected a container from the United Arab Emirates for inspection.When officers unpacked the container they detected 24kg of undeclared molasses-flavoured tobacco.The tobacco was found in six boxes labelled as tomato paste and randomly distributed throughout the cargo container. Each box contained eight 500g satchels of the tobacco.Customs investigators then carried out search and seizure warrants in Malaga, Marangaroo and Mirrabooka where they found another 16kg of flavoured tobacco.Customs National Manager of Investigations Richard Janeczko said he believed this was a "brazen attempt" to avoid paying more than $20,000 in legitimate Commonwealth revenue.
"In addition to the evasion of duty, tobacco that has been illegally imported is unlikely to meet the strict health and hygiene standards of tobacco products that are legally imported into the country," he said."Charges are expected to be laid by summons against those who are responsible for this importation."Customs said the maximum penalty for this type of offence is 10 years' imprisonment and-or a fine of $275,000.

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Dublin €100,000.heroin seizure

A man has been arrested in Dublin following the seizure of heroin with an estimated street value of €100,000.A garda spokesman said the heroin was seized following the search of a building in the Benburb St area of Dublin late last night.The man in his early 40s is currently being detained at Store Street Garda station.

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Jacob Friskie was sentenced to three years in prison

Edmonton-based Lebanese gang set up a staffing system similar to that used by oil rigs and diamond mines, where teams of two dealers would rotate into Iqaluit every six weeks, typically importing a half million dollars in product each time and exporting a similar quantity of cash on the way out.RCMP Constable James Morrison, one of the lead investigators, said there was no crack in Iqaluit before the gang hit town. Soon, local residents were burning through their life's savings to pay the steep price of $200 per 0.8-gram hit, and some turned to crime to feed their habit, he said. Customers ran the gamut from well-paid professionals to the poor and vulnerable living on social assistance."The North is relatively untouched when it comes to gang turf in the drug trade, unlike the South, which tends to be carved up between established organized crime groups," Constable Morrison explained. With high profit margins and no costly violence associated with competition, Nunavut was an attractive environment to a gang looking to expand its wealth and influence.
But in Iqaluit, a territorial capital with a population of just 6,000 people, it wasn't long before police were watching the dealers' every move. They dismantled the operation for the first time in September, 2007, charging Mohammed Jamal Cherkaoui and Rafic El-Cherkaowi of Edmonton with trafficking cocaine. Six months later, in what police called a carbon-copy investigation, they arrested three more from Edmonton on cocaine charges.Among them was Alicia Belcher, a 22-year-old woman nabbed after getting off a flight from Iqaluit to Yellowknife. A police dog sniffed out her bag in a lineup, and officers asked to search it. She told them they wouldn't find drugs, but they would find money.Ms. Belcher was carrying $240,000 in cash sealed in vacuum-packed plastic bags. She had flown to Nunavut from Edmonton only a few days earlier on a $3,000 ticket, the most expensive airfare available.
She said she would have been paid $1,000, less than 0.5 per cent of the amount she was carrying, for bringing the money back to Edmonton, although police say her cut was actually much higher. At her sentencing, her lawyer explained that she was a high-school dropout who had drifted away from her family and fallen in with a crowd of "fast people who had lots of money as well as nice cars and houses."One of those people was Jacob Friskie, 24, whom she linked up with shortly after arriving in Nunavut. Mr. Friskie and his friend Darrean Hall had been in Nunavut since February, and were under RCMP surveillance from the moment they arrived. They were replacing two other street dealers, whose apartment they moved into, and whose cellphones they continued to use.The operation was fairly straightforward. The drugs were stored in one apartment and the cash was stored in another. Mr. Friskie would enter the apartments for short periods to replenish his stash of 0.8-gram-bags of crack, and made his deliveries by taxi after taking orders on his cellphone. When they raided the apartments, police found a two-page ledger of customers' names and phone numbers, along with 1.7 kilograms of crack, worth about $372,000.In sentencing Mr. Friskie, the judge weighed the arguments of the Crown, which said "he came from Edmonton to this isolated community with the sole intention of preying on the Inuit," and the defence, which said that Mr. Friskie "barely knew where Nunavut was on the map" and certainly didn't know about the specific vulnerabilities of the population.At Mr. Friskie's sentencing in the Nunavut Court of Justice, Mr. Justice Rene Foisy condemned "the white people from outside that come up here dealing drugs."
Judge Foisy called Mr. Friskie a parasite for feeding off the weakness of others.
"Nunavut is different than other jurisdictions because it is extremely largely populated by Inuit; it is the Inuit territory. By and large these are not people of means; these are poor people who have to struggle to live. ... When dealing with crack cocaine or other very addictive drugs their small resources are spent to feed a habit which they ... [acquired] as a result of people like you coming into this territory."A high-school dropout who had worked as a house framer before falling in with the gang, Mr. Friskie was sentenced to three years in prison, and given credit for 12 months time served in pretrial custody. Ms. Belcher was sentenced to 12 months in jail. Mr. Cherkaoui and Mr. El-Cherkoawi will be tried in March and are assumed innocent until proven guilty.

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