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.

Read More

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.

Read More

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.

Read More

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.

Read More

£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.

Read More

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.

Read More

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.

Read More

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.

Read More

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.

Read More

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.

Read More

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.

Read More

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.

Read More

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

Read More

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

Read More

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.

Read More

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.

Read More

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.

Read More

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."

Read More

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.

Read More

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.

Read More

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.

Read More

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.

Read More

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.

Read More

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.

Read More

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.

Read More

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.

Read More

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.

Read More

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.

Read More

Kaohsiung International Airport trafficking ring has brought at least NT$100 million worth of heroin into Taiwan

Criminal Investigation Bureau announced Friday that a police task force had arrested two drug mules returning from Cambodia a day earlier and seized 835 grams of pure heroin.A spokesman for the bureau said that the task force -- formed after police received tips about a cross-border drug trafficking ring -- consisted of officers from the bureau's third brigade and police units in Keelung, northern Taiwan, and in Kaohsiung, southern Taiwan.
After learning that the ring's leader, a 45-year-old man identified by the surname Hsiang, went to Cambodia again with his girlfriend from China on Sept. 10, the task force began to place them under surveillance.
Upon their return at Kaohsiung International Airport Thursday, the couple were subjected to a body search, leading to the discovery of 835 grams of pure herion in the heels of the shoes of Hsiang's girlfriend, identified by her surname Li.
According to the spokesman, the trafficking ring has brought at least NT$100 million worth of heroin into Taiwan by using people with no criminal records as drug mules, paying each of them NT$100,000 for a successful trip, plus an all expenses-paid holiday in Cambodia.After returning from Cambodia, the drug mules would ride a high speed train from Kaohsiung to Taoyuan in northern Taiwan to deliver the drugs to members of Hsiang's ring, the spokesman said.The Criminal Investigation Bureau is still trying to track down the other members of the drug ring.

Read More

Russian arms dealer Viktor Bout, which could send the man dubbed the "Merchant of Death" to the United States to face terrorism charges.

Thailand's criminal court must decide whether there is enough evidence to extradite Viktor Bout to the United States, where he could face life in prison for allegedly funnelling arms to some of the world's bloodiest conflict zones.
Thai court on Monday opened extradition hearings for alleged Russian arms dealer Viktor Bout, which could send the man dubbed the "Merchant of Death" to the United States to face terrorism charges.Bout did not speak to reporters as he entered the courtroom in shackles, an orange prison-issue outfit and running shoes.The stocky former Soviet air force officer was arrested in Bangkok in March after a sting operation headed by US agents, and Monday's proceedings opened with Bout's lawyers filing an appeal against his detention."I have submitted the petition that Viktor Bout has been detained illegally," his Thai lawyer Preecha Prasertsak told reporters, but did not say on what grounds they were contesting the detention.
The judge told the court that a separate date would be set to discuss the petition, and opened the extradition hearings.Lawyers questioned the first witness for the prosecution, a Thai foreign ministry official, on technical details of the arrest and extradition case. A US embassy official and Thai police officer were also due to testify Monday.The fourth and final prosecution witness and witnesses for the defence will be called to the stand on October 10.During the sting operation, Bout allegedly agreed to supply surface-to-air missiles to US anti-drug agents posing as rebels from Colombia's Marxist FARC group, which Washington considers a terrorist organisation.He has been charged with conspiracy to kill US officers or employees and conspiracy to acquire and use an anti-aircraft missile.Bout has been held at a maximum-security prison outside Bangkok since his arrest on March 6, and has complained that he has been jailed unlawfully on "fabricated American accusations".
A US indictment accuses Bout of using a fleet of cargo planes to transport weapons and military equipment to Africa, South America and the Middle East.He is accused of being a global gun-runner since the 1990s, and is believed to have supplied arms to the Taliban militia, Osama bin Laden's Al-Qaeda terror network and former Liberian leader Charles Taylor.His apparent downfall came after the 12-month undercover sting in which US Drug Enforcement Administration agents infiltrated Bout's inner circle posing as FARC rebels seeking an arsenal of weapons.

Read More