Drug smuggler who evaded jail for 15 years could be found in seconds online

A DRUG smuggling pensioner hid from the law for 15 years – even though he could be found in seconds on the internet. Fugitive John Henry Charles Price went on the run when he absconded from court in 1997. He was standing trial after being stopped at Dover with 10,000 Ecstasy pills worth £150,000. But rather than heading for the Costa Del Sol, or South America like Ronnie Biggs, the Englishman simply moved 200 miles to Powys, where he lived openly under his real name, paid taxes, insured cars and even voted. The elderly crook was finally nabbed in the garden of his Mid Wales home last week and jailed for 12 years. But a quick search by Wales on Sunday revealed he was listed on directory enquiries as living at Old Forest Farm, in Clyro, until 2008. And last week, the 72 year old was living barely a mile away at tumbledown Hendom Cottage, where his past finally caught up with him. Oliver Kirk, representing him in Canterbury Crown Court, told the judge: “He moved to the Welsh borders where he has voted, paid his tax, insured vehicles and received medical treatment using his real name yet was not arrested.” Price, from Strood, Kent, seemingly lived as a model citizen in the village near Hay-on-Wye after fleeing justice. He did not resurface until last week when he was visited by cops after a tip off. Now stooped over and walking with a stick, he is a far cry from when he was sentenced in his absence by Judge Jonathan Langdon on April 8, 1997. However, despite having been jailed for 12 years, having smuggled a huge amount of drugs into the country and having been a wanted man for 12 years, there is no available picture of Price. Speaking to us after the case, his lawyer Mr Kirk said: “They came and arrested him when he was sitting sunning himself in his garden.” Mr Kirk said he did not know exactly why the sudden movement in Price’s case, but added: “It was just decided they would have a look at some old warrants that had been lying around.” Price was arrested by Dyfed-Powys police officers after being told of his whereabouts by HM Revenue and Customs. But the force said investigating his whereabouts had never been down to them. Kent Police said likewise. A spokeswoman said: “It’s not Kent Police. It’s an HMRC job because it is their investigation. “You need to speak to them.” A HMRC spokesman said: “There were all sorts of searches for him all over the place and that was the result. “How we got to him in Wales I really don’t know. I’m not sure we would release that.” But when Wales on Sunday told customs Price was listed on 192.com, the spokesman said: “I see what you mean.” Price had made no attempt to disguise himself while on the run. “He had not grown a beard or left the country,” Mr Kirk said. “He paid his tax and no-one ever located him. “He was very philosophical about it. He had always known that the knock might come at some stage. “To be honest, I rather sort of think he made the best decision under the circumstances. “He is now a very sick man. He is likely to die in prison because he is going to have to serve eight years of a 12-year sentence. “Some might say he made the right choice. He is going to be looked after extra well in prison. If there is any medical attention he needs the prison will provide it. “He is in the best possible place.” Price was said to be most unhappy about the fact he had ever been found guilty at all. “He was fairly aggrieved at being convicted in the first place,” Mr Kirk said. “But I pointed out there is a 28-day time limit for filing grounds of appeal for conviction.” It is understood Price earned a living working as an agricultural engineer repairing tractors while in Wales and went by the name Charlie. One neighbour, who did not want to be identified, said: “He was a lovely old chap but he was not in the best of health. “I was quite shocked by the whole thing. “He didn’t seem like the type. I didn’t even realise it was him until you pointed it out. “He just kept himself to himself.” Another said: “He used the name Charlie.” Hendom Cottage is now fairly run-down, with the name marked on a small wooden sign in the porch window. The grass is long. Tulips and wild flowers are growing. Inside is a desk covered with documents and DVDs. There was a letter marked “John H Price” on a windowsill. Neighbours looked for Price when he went missing last week, concerned something had happened to him. It later turned out he had been arrested. Another neighbour said: “He is not a drug smuggler. There were circumstances at the time. “He is a lovely chap and he has got a lot of good friends around here. We all support him.”

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TSA screeners charged in LA drug trafficking probe

Duane Eleby, a suspected drug courier, was all set to sneak 10 pounds of cocaine through a security checkpoint at Los Angeles International Airport last February with the help of a former Transportation Security Administration employee and a screener. Eleby, however, bungled the plan by going to the wrong terminal and was arrested after another TSA screener found the cocaine, which set in motion a series of undercover operations that led to Wednesday's announcement that two former and current TSA employees had been indicted on federal drug trafficking and bribery charges. A 22-count indictment outlined five incidents where the TSA employees took payments of up to $2,400 to provide drug couriers unfettered access at LAX over a six-month period last year. In all, seven people are facing charges, including Eleby. "The allegations in this case describe a significant breakdown of the screening system through the conduct of individuals who placed greed above the nation's security needs," said U.S. Attorney Andre Birotte Jr. Among those arrested and charged are Naral Richardson, 30, of Los Angeles, who was fired by TSA for an unrelated matter in 2010 and accused of orchestrating the scheme; John Whitfield, 23, of Los Angeles, a current TSA screener; Joy White, 27, of Compton, who was terminated last year; and Capeline McKinney, 25, of Los Angeles, also a current screener. It wasn't immediately known if any of the four had retained attorneys. Authorities didn't say what post Richardson, who began working for TSA in 2002, once held. Eleby was given specific written instructions by White last February to ensure his safe passage through the airport, according to the indictment. Instead of going to Terminal 6 where White, who was hired six years ago, was located, Eleby went to Terminal 5 where his plane was scheduled to depart, authorities said. The plan, court documents show, was to have Eleby use a secure tunnel linking the two terminals after he was allowed through security by White. Despite Eleby's arrest, the smuggling scheme continued and federal agents set up a sting where informants were able to pass cocaine and methamphetamine through security checkpoints without further inspection. In one case, after nearly 8 pounds of meth went through an X-ray machine, Whitfield and an operative met in an airport bathroom where Whitfield was paid $600 for his efforts, court documents show. In another instance, McKinney let more than 44 pounds of cocaine pass through her security checkpoint, authorities said. None of the drugs ever made it to their final destination, authorities said. Randy Parsons, TSA's security director at LAX, said the agency is disappointed about the arrests but that it remained committed to holding its employees to the highest standards. If convicted, all four employees face a minimum of 10 years in federal prison. Whitfield, who has worked at TSA since 2008, and McKinney, a seven-year veteran, are under suspension, authorities said. There have been a handful of other arrests of TSA employees since the agency was created in response to the Sept. 11, 2001 terrorist attacks. Last week, former TSA officer Jonathan Best pleaded guilty to conspiracy to distribute and to possess with intent to distribute oxycodone for his role in a painkiller trafficking ring. Another former TSA officer, a former New York police officer and a former Florida state trooper have already pleaded guilty.

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France and Germany want to suspend the Shengen Agreement

They say they want a temporary suspension while the crisis continues. Spain will being introducing border restrictions during the European Central Bank meeting in Barcelona at the start of May.Angela Merkel and Nicolás Sarkozy - The Interior Ministers of France and Germany have written a joint letter in which they call for the reform of, and ‘temporary suspension’ of the Schengen agreement which allows for the free movement between most member states of the EU. They say the change is necessary ‘to control the massive flow of immigrants’. The call comes just ahead of the 25th anniversary of the treaty this coming Monday, although many countries signed up in March 1995. France and Germany consider that a ‘temporary suspension’ is needed during the crisis, and Paris and Berlin speak of ‘provisional’ closure of frontiers, and only when a country in the Schengen space cannot control the flow of immigrants. They say they will give the details to their European partners at the next conference. Meanwhile Spain has announced the suspension of the Schengen Treaty and the re-establishing of frontier controls with France ahead of the European Central Bank meeting which is to be held in Barcelona on May 3. It has not yet been decided how long the border restriction will remain in place, but say it will allow the authorities to act if there is ‘a serious threat to public order or interior security’. The measure will only affect the frontiers between Spain and France from the Basque Country to Cataluña. Reports indicate that it was the Catalan Government to step up the controls in the face of possible disturbances and the arrival of anti-system protestors from other countries in Europe.

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Police in downtown Los Angelese are fighting crime by predicting offences - before they have even happened.

Unlike the usual method of responding to 911 calls, cops use computers which show them 'red spots' where an incident is most likely to occur.

They are then deployed onto the streets in a bid to deter thugs, burglers and gangsters from going on their next crime spree.

Technical: LAPD cops study an enormous computer screen showing 'red spots' where the next crime is most likely to committed

 

The 'predictive policing' system pulls together crime statistics and pinpoints the areas where most offences are being carried out. Police are then sent to patrol those streets

The programme has some similarities with the hit science fiction film Minority Report.  The movie is set in 2054 and a special police unit is able to arrest murderers before they commit their crimes.

However, unlike LAPD's system who use computer data, those in Minority Report employ special psychics called 'precogs'.

Tom Cruise plays 'PreCrime' captain John Anderton but the system eventually predicts that he will commit a future murder and he has to take flight.

 

 

Such disturbing situations are unlikely to happen with LAPD's system, which uses crime statistics - and not premonitions - to pinpoint the next likely incident.

The system has been trialled in the Foothill division of downtown LA since November and could be rolled out to other areas if it is successful

The 'predictive policing' system being used in the Foothill Division of downtown LA has been developed from the same kind of mathematical calculations used to predict earthquakes and aftershocks.

It analyses the times, dates, and places of recent crimes such as burglaries, break-ins, and car thefts. It also looks at the frequency of offences and predicts how many are likely to be carried out if the trend continues.

If a spate of crimes have happened in one area, or a crook appears to be moving across the region, this is flagged up the software. The data is then aggregated and 'hot spots' are formed.

Capt. Sean Malinowski says the system is able to put police on the streets before crimes have happened.

Futuristic: Tom Cruise, left, as John Anderton in the science fiction hit Minority Report, which uses psychic 'precogs' to predict future crimes

Complex: Anderton uses his special powers to predict crime to map future offenders on a giant computer screen. The premonitions backfired when he was himself accused of a future murder

'Sixty-five percent of our crimes are burglary, grand theft auto and burglary from a motor vehicle. And that's what these boxes represent,' he told CBS.

Los Angeles Police Chief Charlie Beck said the main goal was to prevent crime. Since the system was introduced burglaries are down 33 per cent and violent crime is also down 21 per cent.

Police Chf Beck said: 'I love catching people - it's what I live for - but what I'd rather do is live in a place and work in a place where crime didn't happen.

'Everybody thinks they do their profession as well as it can be done and so they don't need any help. If this old street cop can change the way that he thinks about these things, then I know my kids can do the same.'

He added that the system helps police to use their officers more effectively. It has been tested in the Foothill Division since last November and if it is found to be successful it could be roled out across more divisions in LA.

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British terror supergrass sentence cut by two years

jailed British terrorist has had his sentence cut by two years in a supergrass deal after giving evidence about an al Qaeda-linked “martyrdom” plot in New York, it was revealed today. Former teacher Saajid Badat was jailed for 13 years in 2005 for plotting with shoe bomber Richard Reid to blow up a transatlantic airliner in 2001 in what an Old Bailey judge said was a “wicked and inhuman” plot. He has now had his term reduced by two years under the first “supergrass” deal involving a terror convict, after providing intelligence to US prosecutors investigating an alleged plot to blow up the New York subway on the eighth anniversary of the 9/11 attack. Details of the deal — kept secret for more than two years — were revealed today by the Crown Prosecution Service as a trial of the alleged al Qaeda plotters began in New York. Defendant Adis Medanjanin, a 27-year-old Bosnian-born US citizen, is charged with conspiring to use a weapon of mass destruction, conspiring to commit murder in a foreign country, and providing “material support” to al Qaeda. He is said to have had terrorist training in Pakistan in 2008 and then returned to begin a plot to use beauty parlour chemicals to blow up the subway. Badat, from Gloucester, joined Reid’s shoe bomb conspiracy but pulled out at the last minute.

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Ian Donaldson, 32, bought a fleet of Ferraris, Porsches, Lamborghinis and Hummers with cash made from trafficking cocaine and speed from Spain to Scotland

A SCOT has been accused of ­funding his multi-millionaire lifestyle from the proceeds of an international drugs empire.

Ian Donaldson, 32, bought a fleet of Ferraris, Porsches, Lamborghinis and Hummers with cash made from trafficking cocaine and speed from Spain to Scotland, it is claimed.

Donaldson also owned luxury villas and powerboats and enjoyed a playboy lifestyle on the Costa del Sol and Tenerife.

But last week the Spanish National Court in Madrid heard sensational claims that he was the money man for a gang of drug-smugglers led by fellow Glaswegian Ronald O’Dea, 45.

Prosecutors claim Donaldson spent at least £7.2million on cars and property, funded by his lucrative smuggling operation.

Lead prosecutor Dolores Lopez Salcedo is demanding hefty sentences for the gang, including 21 years for alleged ringleader O’Dea and 18 years for Donaldson.

She also wants Donaldson to be fined a staggering £24million.

Ms Salcedo outlined an incredible fleet of supercars seized from Donaldson – a Ferrari F430 Spider, a Ferrari 599GTB Fiorano, two Hummers, a Porsche Cayenne turbo, an Audi Q7 4x4, two BMWs and a Mercedes 63 AMG.

The court was told Donaldson and his fellow gang members spent their days in bars and restaurants on the Costa del Sol and the holiday island of Tenerife.

It was there that they are alleged to have plotted the transfer of massive consignments of drugs to the UK.

Spanish police launched an undercover surveillance operation following a tip-off from their British counterparts.

By tapping the gang’s mobile phones, Spanish detectives discovered a consignment was about to be smuggled in a lorry travelling by ferry from Calais to Dover.

British police swooped on the vehicle on the M40 in Oxfordshire and seized 68.5kg of amphetamines in 29 bags hidden in tanks of liquid used to clean cows’ udders.

Donaldson and O’Dea, pictured, went on trial last week with fellow Scots Jim MacDonald, 62, and Mary Hendry and Londoners Steve Brown, 45, and Deborah Learmouth, 49.

A panel of three judges were told that Operation Sendero began in July 2008 when detectives from the UK’s Serious Organised Crime Agency emailed the Drugs and Organised Crime Squad in Madrid.

They provided the names and telephone numbers of several British drug-trafficking suspects based in Spain.

Spanish police began a surveillance and phone-tapping operation under the supervision of an investigative judge.

The court heard the suspects used evasive driving techniques to try to avoid being followed and used codes and nicknames while speaking on their mobile phones.

Donaldson, who is 5ft 8in, was nicknamed The Kid while 6ft Steve Brown was referred to as The Big Man.

The inspector who led the investigation told the court: “While under surveillance they enjoyed their days, they went out to eat in restaurants, they went to bars. In their phone conversations none of them ever mentioned work, a business or a job, nothing.

“Ian Donaldson had a level of life that was extremely agreeable, with holidays and luxury cars.

“He went out in the marina area of Marbella and in Tenerife, as well as on a yacht. He had a large villa in Tenerife.

“From the telephone conversations between other suspects it was deduced that Ian controlled the money.”

Donaldson, once cleared of a gangland kidnap in Scotland, was the director of Tenerife-based Ian’s Sports Cars Ltd, which was supposed to buy and sell luxury cars.

But the detective said the company was merely a front for drugs money.

He added: “The company did not really exist, it had no commercial activity.”

The Spanish police also claim Donaldson was protected by hefty bodyguards who escorted him to and from the millionaires’ playground of Puerto Banus.

One undercover officer told the court: “We followed him one day from one of his houses down to the boat in Puerto Banus.

“He had people in vehicles in front and behind him. They were in two Hummers. The men were very well-built, very strong.”

On September 22, 2008, Donaldson and three others were stopped at Glasgow Airport attempting to board a Globespan flight to Malaga with £50,000 hidden in their luggage.

The money was confiscated and Donaldson was released.

It was claimed that after this the gang began preparing the shipment of speed that was eventually seized in Oxfordshire.

After the shipment was discovered, Spanish cops swooped on dozens of properties including Donaldson’s £1million villa in the south of Tenerife.

The fleet of luxury cars was seized during that raid and police also found 11 mobile phones and 20 SIM cards in the villa.

Donaldson was arrested in Scotland on an international warrant in March 2009 and was extradited to Madrid four months later.

He spent more than a year on remand before being released on bail of £135,000.

His fortified home in Renton, Dunbartonshire, was raided by the Scottish Crime and Drugs Enforcement Agency in July 2009.

Donaldson gave evidence in Madrid on Wednesday, claiming he was a legitimate businessman who made his money from a number of ventures in Scotland in Spain.

He is a director of a Scottish company IRD Services Ltd, which rents out construction machinery, and was also part-owner of Scruffy Murphys nightclub in Gran Canaria until 2007.

He said he made an average of £10,000 per week from the nightclub alone.

Donaldson said: “I was involved in buying and selling cars and houses in Scotland from a very young age.

“There were different avenues for making money. I received money from my Scottish company, my Tenerife company and my Gran Canaria company.

“In Spain I sell cars for cash. I have sold more than 30 luxury cars.”

Donaldson denied prosecution claims he owns a powerboat, Wee Joe II, and that he sold another boat for almost £1million.

Powerfully built O’Dea told the court he made his money from his company ­Fountain Drinks, which supplies soft drinks, beers and ­spirits to restaurants and bars in Scotland.

O’Dea, who owns a £687,000 mansion in Marbella, is described by prosecutors as “the leader of the group”.

He told the court he travelled between Spain and Scotland every two weeks to visit his son.

Ms Salcedo said the pair deserved long prison terms for their role in drug- trafficking and money- laundering operations.

She has also demanded heavy sentences for the rest of the gang.

MacDonald, accused of being in charge of transporting the drugs, should get at least 18 years, while Brown, who also faces forgery charges, could get 20 years.

Learmouth, a travel agent who has lived in Spain for 25 years, faces nine years for drugs offences while ­Hendry faces five years for money-laundering.

Two other defendants – Brian Rawlings, 66, and Joseph Campbell, 52 – were on bail and failed to show at the trial.

All deny the charges and the trial continues.

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Western embassies targeted in Afghanistan attacks

 

Gunmen have launched multiple attacks across the Afghan capital Kabul. Western embassies in the heavily-guarded, central diplomatic area are understood to be among the targets as well as the parliament building in the west. There are reports that up to seven different locations have been hit. The Taliban has admitted responsibility, saying their main targets were the British and German embassies. There is no word at this stage on any casualties.

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Taliban free hundreds from Pakistan prison

Hundreds of prisoners are believed to have escaped from a jail in northwest Pakistan after it was attacked by anti-government fighters armed with guns and rocket-propelled grenades. Some of those who escaped from the facility in the town of Bannu, in the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province, early on Sunday morning were "militants", an intelligence official told the Reuters news agency. "Dozens of militants attacked Bannu's Central Jail in the early hours of the morning, and more 300 prisoners have escaped," Mir Sahib Jan, the official, said. In Depth   Profile: Pakistani Taliban "There was intense gunfire, and rocket-propelled grenades were also used." Many of those who escaped following the raid were convicted Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) fighters, Al Jazeera's Kamal Hyder reported from Lahore. A prison official in Bannu confirmed that "384 prisoners have escaped". A police official identified one of the inmates who escaped as a "dangerous prisoner", who took part in one of the attempts to kill the former president, Pervez Musharraf. The TTP, an umbrella organisation for anti-government groups that are loosely allied with the Taliban in Afghanistan and al-Qaeda, took responsibility for the attack. A spokesman for Hakeemullah Mehsud, TTP's leader, confirmed to Al Jazeera that the group was responsible for the attack. Another Taliban spokesman told Reuters: "We have freed hundreds of our comrades in Bannu in this attack. Several of our people have reached their destinations, others are on their way.".   Our correspondent said the attack took place in the early morning and had resulted in an exchange of fire that had left several people wounded. "After the attack the paramilitary and regular military forces came to that location and tried to surround the area," he said. "They have arrested up to a dozen men, but most of the people have indeed escaped." The injured were rushed to a local hospital in Bannu. Sources told Al Jazeera that as many as 150 fighters were involved in the attack. After blowing up the gates of the main prison at around 1:30am local time (20:30 GMT on Saturday), they entered the compound and freed the inmates, the sources said. The attackers had arranged for the transportation of the inmates from the facility. A police official told Reuters that Bannu's Central Jail held 944 prisoners in total, and that six cell blocks had been targeted in the attack.

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A murder hunt was launched today after two coast guards were gunned down on an island off the coast of Alaska.

The victims' bodies were found at their work station inside the Kodiak Island Coast Guard office by a colleague early this morning.

Police and FBI are scouring the island for the mystery assassin who they believe struck between 7am and 8am, shortly after the victims arrived for work.

Killing: The victims' bodies were found at their work station inside the Kodiak Island Coast Guard office by a colleague early this morning

Coast Guard spokewoman Sara Francis said the rest of the roughly 60 enlisted personnel and civilians working at the station have been accounted for.

Capt. Jesse Moore, commanding officer of the Coast Guard base on Kodiak, said the shootings likely occurred sometime between 7 and 8 a.m., soon after the two victims arrived for work inside one of the communication station buildings.

The captain said he was not aware of any threats or anything else that might have indicated problems at the station. The station is equipped with security cameras, but it was not yet known if they captured any evidence, he said.

 

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Moore said the base was 'deeply saddened' by the loss of two shipmates.

'This is a tragic event and we are going to do everything we can to look after the families of victims, to take care of them and to protect the residents and citizens and other Coast Guard employees in Kodiak,' Moore said.

After the shooting, security was increased at the base, about 8 miles from the island's largest city of Kodiak. Officials called on the city's 6,300 or so residents to remain calm and vigilant.

Francis said added security was in place at the base and an adjacent school.

The station listens for radio transmissions from mariners and aircraft, Petty Officer Charly Hengen said. The staff is responsible for relaying distress calls to other Coast Guard stations and offices.

The station has 'secure front doors,' Hengen said, and requires staff and visitors to show identification. Francis said visitors and those not actually working at the station are usually provided escorts.

The Coast Guard said the victims' identities would be released after family members were notified.

The FBI said agents flew to Kodiak from Anchorage, about 250 miles away.

Rear Adm. Thomas Ostebo, the commander of Coast Guard operations in Alaska, was in New London, Conn., for a conference at the Coast Guard Academy but left ahead of schedule.

Ostebo could not be reached for comment, according to academy spokesman David Santos.

The shooting occurred almost 11 years after another fatal shooting involving the Coast Guard on another Alaska island, St. Paul Island, which is about 660 miles west of the city of Kodiak.

A man killed a Coast Guard officer whom he believed was having an affair with his estranged wife.

 

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Britain is losing billions of pounds in taxes because of its failure to crack down on the black market in drink, cigarettes and fuel

DISCLAIMER:Text may be subject to copyright.This blog does not claim copyright to any such text. Copyright remains with the original copyright holder.

Britain is losing billions of pounds in taxes because of its failure to crack down on the black market in drink, cigarettes and fuel, according to a report.
The tax gap would have been more than enough to fund a 1p cut in the basic rate of income tax.
The TaxPayers' Alliance, which compiled the study, warns that David Cameron's plan to set a minimum price for alcohol - in a bid to tackle binge drinking - will exacerbate the smuggling problem.

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Antiquities smugglers thrive in bankrupt Greece

    Faced with massive public debt, Greece is finding that its fabled antiquity heritage is proving a growing burden - with licensed digs postponed, illegal ones proliferating, museum staff trimmed and valuable pieces stolen.

"Greece's historic remains have become our curse," whispered an archaeologist at a recent media event organized to protest spending cuts imposed on the country for the past two years as a condition for European Union and International Monetary Fund loans.

With Greece moving into a fifth year of recession, licensed archeology digs are finding it ever harder to obtain public funds while antiquity smuggling is on the rise, archaeologists warned at the meeting.

"There are an increasing number of illegal digs near archaeological sites," said Despina Koutsoumba, head of the association of Greek archaeologists.

"Some of them are excavated by semi-professionals who work for art trafficking networks. Others are done by treasure hunters," she said.

Last month, Greek police arrested 44 people and recovered thousands of ancient coins and numerous Byzantine icons after smashing a large antiquity smuggling ring in northern Greece.

In October, another gang was arrested in possession of Macedonian golden grave offerings from the 6th century BC that were valued at $14.8 million.

Some senior archaeologists have argued that given the lack of funds for archaeological research, it would be wiser to rebury valuable discoveries to better protect them.

"Let us leave our antiquities in the soil, to be found by archaeologists in 10,000 AD, when Greeks and their politicians will perhaps show more respect to their history," Michalis Tiverios, a professor of archeology at Thessaloniki's Aristotelio University, told Ta Nea daily newspaper in early March.

For now, the penury seems to have spared the work of foreign archeology schools that have helped bring to light some of the country's most important sites from the late 19th century onward.

But even here, creative accounting is sometimes called for.

"The Greek state is obliged to provide a certain share of financing for each excavation," said a foreign school representative, speaking on condition of anonymity. "But as there's no more money available, we put in our budget calculations the use of state facilities such as storage areas or lots."

Greek archaeologists said last month that funding for the country's archaeological service fell by 35 per cent to 12 million euros ($15.7 million US) last year, and will be further reduced this year.

One out of 10 culture ministry employees has been dismissed, and 3,500 temporary staff brought in to allow museums, sites and excavations to operate.

Greece's financial difficulties and staff shortages did not take long to attract unwanted attention.

In January, a Picasso and two other artworks were stolen from the Athens National Gallery during a staff strike. A month later, two armed men stole 70 objects from a museum in ancient Olympia, birthplace of the ancient Olympic Games.DISCLAIMER:Text may be subject to copyright.This blog does not claim copyright to any such text. Copyright remains with the original copyright holder. 

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Guatemala captures drug boss linked to Mexican gang

 

Guatemala has captured a suspected top drug trafficker with close ties to Mexico's brutal Zetas drug gang, which has made bloody incursions into the Central American nation. The Guatemalan government said on Tuesday police and United Nations investigators had arrested Horst Overdick, alias "El Tigre" (the tiger) during a raid on his home in San Lucas Sacatepequez 20 km (12 miles) west of Guatemala City. Interior Minister Mauricio Lopez said Overdick was the most important nexus for the Zetas in the northern half of Guatemala, where drug gangs have left a grim trail behind them. In May 2011, the Zetas beheaded 27 farm workers in northern Guatemala in a dispute with the farm's owner over cocaine moving from South America to the United States. U.N. officials have been posted to Guatemala to help investigate corruption and organized crime rings. Overdick controlled key smuggling routes along the border with Mexico and coordinated shipments of cocaine coming from South America headed to the United States, officials said. A New York district court has requested Overdick's extradition for conspiracy to traffic cocaine. (Reporting by Mike McDonald; Editing by Anthony Boadle)

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457 Citizens in Brazilian Prisons

 

Four hundred and fifty-seven Nigerians convicted or awaiting trial for drug trafficking offences are being held in several Brazilian jails, the chairman of the House of Representatives Committee on Diaspora, Abike Dabiri-Erewa, said yesterday. The Nigerians include a 72-year-old woman, Fausat Abosede; Lara Salami (62), Theresa Ezezue (60), Vivian Ajibua (57), Ngozi Dike (51), Amina Yusuf (51), Moronranti Afolayan (48), Benedicta Nneka (42), Stella Odilli (37), Ajibola Olajumoke (36), Folake Lawson (35), Vivian Etuwe (31) and Amaka Isilabo (28). Abosede, while recounting her ordeal to members of the committee who were on a fact-finding mission to the country, said that she was brought to Brazil for treatment, but when the treatment was not forthcoming, she decided to return to Nigeria. On her way back, she was given a bag to deliver to a certain Pastor Patricia when she got to Nigeria but was arrested at the airport when drugs were discovered in her bags. Dabiri-Erewa told newsmen at a briefing that the committee was mulling arrangements that will enable the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) to situate its operatives at Brazilian international airports to identify and check activities of Nigerian drug traffickers. She charged relevant government agencies to intensify enlightenment on the dangers and other effects of drug trafficking. She added that the officials of the country had informed the committee that a draft agreement had been sent to the Nigerian foreign affairs officials on exchange of prisoners but, since then, no response had been received on the subject. She however vowed that the committee would revisit the said proposal with a view to making an agreement between the two countries. Meanwhile, a Nigerian, Mrs Doris Chibuko, has been identified as one of those killed at Oikos University, Oakland, California, when a lone gunman opened fire on students and teachers Monday inside the small Christian university located in East Oakland. Doris Chibuko, 40, was studying for a nursing degree at the university and was just two months away to her graduation when she was killed by One (pronounced oh-knee) Goh, a disturbed former nursing student at the university, who later turned himself in to the authorities at a Safeway superstore located at the South Shore Centre in Alameda. Doris, an Enugu State indigene, had worked as a lawyer in Nigeria and had moved to the US in 2002 with her husband, Efanye, after their marriage the same year. The deceased and Efanye had three kids of ages 3, 5, and 8, according to friends of the family. Several Nigerians resident in the Bay Area trooped to the Chibuko family home located in San Leandro Hills to commiserate with the family after news filtered out that she had been killed in the deadly mass shooting regarded as Oakland's worst in over 20 years. The Alameda County Coroner's Office had earlier announced that other dead victims hailed from Korea, Nepal, the United States and the Philippines. The identities of six of the victims were released. The identity of the seventh is being withheld until the victim's next-of-kin is located and informed of the death, according to the Coroner's office. The names of the victims are Judith Seymore, 53, from San Jose; Lydia H. Sim, 21 from Hayward; Sonam Chodon, 33, from El Cerrito; Kim G. Eunhea, 23, from Union City; Doris Chibuko, 40, a Nigeria residing in San Leandro and Tshering Butia, 38, from San Francisco. Meanwhile, our correspondent gathered that the suspect, Goh, is still being held by the police. All efforts to have the official comments of the Nigerian Ambassador to the United States, Prof. Adebowale Adefuye proved abortive as all calls made to his phone were not answered. US, Nigeria partner against drug cartel In a related development, the United States government is collaborating with Nigeria in dislodging drug cartels operating in the African continent. The areas of cooperation being considered include training, legal framework, exchange of intelligence and logistics. This was disclosed when a delegation of staff of the United States House Subcommittee on Africa, Health and Human Rights with the management visited the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) in Lagos. The United States Congressional staff members Gregory Simpkins and Ms. Algne Sajery led by the United States consul-general, Mr. Joseph Stafford, were received by the director-general of the NDLEA, Mr. Femi Ajayi. Ajayi described the visit as mutually beneficial. "The agency is pleased to work with the United States. We have enjoyed your support over the years and we need more assistance against drug cartels to counter new techniques of drug smuggling. The team has taken note of our challenges as well as capacity gap. This visit will further empower us to strengthen our strategies and advance the United States drug control policies," Ajayi stated. Gregory said the United States government wants to see how best it can further partner with Nigeria in the anti-narcotics campaign. Gregory said "Drug trafficking is a global problem affecting countries of the world. We are here to observe your operations and see where and how we can assist. Africa is of concern to the United States because the activities of drug cartels in the region also affect us. The NDLEA is getting more efficient and result-oriented but we want to sustain and seek further capacity-building for operatives. Nigeria is one of our critical partners because of the volume of cargoes at the sea ports." Stafford said, "The United States government is happy with the efforts of the NDLEA and will continue to assist and work with Nigeria." The visiting team is scheduled to visit other African countries before returning to the United States.

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Mexico extradites drug lord Jesus Zambada to US

 

One of Mexico's biggest alleged drug lords, Jesus Zambada, has been extradited to the United States. Known as "The King", Mr Zambada is charged with running a huge cross-border drug-trafficking operation. An indictment filed in New York accuses him of being one of the ringleaders of the powerful Sinaloa cartel. Outgoing Mexican President Felipe Calderon has pledged to arrest the country's top drug traffickers before he leaves office. Jesus Zambada, who was first arrested in Mexico City in 2008, is accused of smuggling some 120 tonnes of cocaine with an estimated street value of $10bn (£6.3bn) into the US by air, land and sea. Mexican officials said on Wednesday that he had been removed from a maximum security prison near the US border and put on a plane to New York, where he will face charges. The Sinaloa cartel, which he reportedly led alongside his brother, Ismael, is also accused of carrying out hundreds of acts of violence, including murders, kidnapping and torture. The arrest of Mr Zambada puts pressure on the man thought to have been his former boss, Joaquin "Shorty" Guzman, currently the world's most wanted drug trafficker with a $5m dollar reward on his head.

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