drug-filled suitcases, complete with passenger tags, were obvious inside jobs, federal authorities say.

Two major drug smuggling operations landed 12 people behind bars Thursday, all charged in schemes that relied on Northwest/Delta airlines baggage handlers to sneak marijuana and cocaine aboard flights headed for Detroit Metro Airport.

One of the operations shuttled in drugs from Jamaica, while the other involved marijuana flown in from Houston.

According to court documents, drug-filled suitcases would arrive in Detroit, either marked with a red X or with white or black plastic bags tied to their handles for easy identification. The suitcases went from the bellies of the planes to the conveyor belts and then the carousels, documents show. There, drug-trafficking suspects or their hired helpers would scoop them up, then head to airport curbside pickup and drive off with the goods in the trunk, according to documents.

"We knew right away only certain people have the ability to do what these guys did," said Brian Moskowitz, special agent in charge of U.S. Immigration Customs and Enforcement Homeland Security Investigations in Detroit. Court records charge that Northwest/Delta airlines baggage handlers at Metro Airport were in cahoots with airport employees in Jamaica. The scheme was discovered on Jan. 23, 2010, when a federal agent learned about a drug seizure by Jamaican Customs involving roughly 53 pounds of marijuana headed for Detroit.

Those charged in the Jamaican operation were: Christopher Bradley, 36, of Inkster; Cordell Coke, 37, of Canton; Kevin Jernigan, 49, of Dearborn Heights; Huram Josephs, 41, of Ypsilanti; Rex Lee, 27, of Dearborn, and Glenford Stephens, 48, of Lathrup Village. All were arrested Thursday and are jailed pending a detention hearing today.

They were charged with importing controlled substances, possession with intent to distribute a controlled substance and conspiracy of possession with intent to distribute a controlled substance.

According to a complaint unsealed Thursday, a Northwest/Delta employee in Jamaica used his employee code to prepare and place official Northwest baggage tags on suitcases that contained drugs and were headed for Detroit. The baggage tags had the names of actual, unwitting passengers, authorities said.

Charged in a separate scheme involving baggage handlers shuttling marijuana between Detroit and Houston were: Floyd Adams, 41, of Brawley, Calif.; Kelvin Atwater, 40, of Saginaw; LaDale Callaway, 39, of Houston; Cher Denton, 38, of Detroit; Clifford Skinner, 38, of Detroit, and Yohanis Watson, 37, of Houston. They were all charged with possession with intent to distribute marijuana.

Delta said in a statement that the company has cooperated with the investigation and suspended the employees without pay.

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17 Indians on death row

UAE court hearing an appeal filed by 17 Indians sentenced to death for murdering a Pakistani man today adjourned the case till May 19 and asked the defendants and the victim's kin to reach a settlement by that date on the 'blood money'. Lawyers and members of Indian community handling the case said they will make all efforts to reach a settlement in the given time. On March 28 last year, the Sharjah Court of First Instance had pronounced the death sentence on 17 Indian nationals, who were accused of killing Pakistani national Misri Khan in January, 2009. Since then 12 hearings have been held in this case. "The family of the victim has agreed for a compromise and we will make all efforts possible to find a settlement with Mohammed Ramzan, who has been appointed to negotiate blood money payment on behalf of the victim's family," S P Singh Oberoi, a founder member of Indian Punjabi Society, told PTI. Oberoi has helped settle various such cases in the past and have also paid blood money on behalf of Indians facing death sentence in Dubai. On December 30 hearing last year, Ramzan said he has the power of attorney and that the victim's family is ready for compromise.On February 24, the judge gave two months time for compromise. However, the settlement could not be reached during the stipulated time. According to Oberoi, following today's hearing, the judge ordered that the two sides should settle the Diya (pardon) money as per Sharia Law outside the court in three weeks. The court will reconvene on May 19. Meanwhile, in a statement today, the Indian consulate in Dubai said the defence lawyers have been working relentlessly to persuade the Sharjah Court of Appeals to review the judgement of the Court of the First Instance. "We fully respect the local judicial process and are cognisant of all its aspects. The Government of India is doing all it can to safeguard the interests of the accused. Our lawyers will continue to defend the accused," the statement said. Out of 17 Indians, 16 are from Punjab while one is from Haryana.

 

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Two men suspected of the deadly bombing earlier this month in a Belarusian underground station will face terrorism charges and a potential death sentence

Two men suspected of the deadly bombing earlier this month in a Belarusian underground station will face terrorism charges and a potential death sentence, officials said Friday.
The men have confessed to carrying out the April 11 bombing in the capital Minsk, which killed 14 people and injured more than 200. The Belapan news agency reported that the crime is serious enough for the filing of terrorism charges.
The maximum punishment for terrorism is execution by a pistol shot to the neck.
The men, both residents of the central city Vitebsk, have admitted to carrying out two previous bombings, officials said, and all of the attacks were intended to destablize the country.
Belarusian President Aleksandr Lukashenko, a former collective farm boss who has ruled the country since 1996, launched a wide-ranging crackdown against potential opponents and critics in the wake of the April bombing.
He has called for a speedy trial and severe punishment for the accused bombers and their suspected accomplice, a woman.

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