Gurdev Samra pleading guilty to growing 1,200 opium poppy plants

Samra, 63, was handed a one-year conditional sentence after pleading guilty to growing 1,200 opium poppy plants at his home on Eldorado Close N.E., which was busted by police last July.The judge took a dim view of the poppy garden, despite the fact cultivation of the plants was for personal use in tea -- something Samra had done since he was a youngster in India.Clearly, there is no place in Canadian society for growth of this product," provincial court Judge William Cummings said. "It is completely offensive to the community. . . . A loud message has to be sent."Indeed, a local expert on the the opium poppy said consuming the plant's seeds is far different than something like the medicinal use of marijuana."The idea of nipping these things in the bud is a good thing," said U of C professor Peter Facchini, who recently received a $650,000 grant for three years of research into the medicinal uses of opium poppy.Opium is a narcotic formed from the resin released when the pods of seeds are broken open. It's used to make pharmaceuticals such as morphine.But it's also an illicit drug, most commonly used to make heroin, a powerful and highly addictive drug.
Although there's no mistaking the swaths of opium poppies grown in places like Afghanistan, many Canadians probably wouldn't know if they had the plants growing in their own gardens -- let alone what to do with the seeds from the flowers.
Samra did, though."Mr. Samra was using the product from the plants in his tea," his lawyer, David Chow, told the judge."He has been in Canada for 16 years, the last seven in Calgary, but this is something he has used since he was a youngster in India," Chow said.
"It is very much a cultural byproduct of his previous environment."
Nevertheless, the judge said although it was a unique set of circumstances, the matter was serious.
Cummings placed Samra under house arrest for the first four months of the sentence, then under a curfew for the last eight months.He must submit to random searches of his person, vehicle and home, as well as attend counselling for substance abuse, and abstain from alcohol and drugs.Samra also must perform 50 hours of community service "to convey the message that these substances are not tolerated," added Cummings.Samra did not make any comment when given the opportunity by the judge before being sentenced.A second charge of possession for the purpose of trafficking was withdrawn following the guilty plea.
The university's Facchini -- who is authorized to study only 100 plants under strict conditions -- agreed that opium use is not uncommon in parts of India, where it is legally grown.He said there are likely others in Calgary doing the same as Samra.
"There's no doubt there are (others). You have a culturally very diverse country, and if you look into the popularity, or the use of opium as a recreational drug, culturally in India it's very common.

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Joy “Joyce” J. Forbes arrested charged with one count of criminal drug conspiracy, a Class X felony, and unlawful possession of a controlled subtance,

Joy “Joyce” J. Forbes, 44, of Chicago, was arrested Friday in Chicago and transported back to La Salle County, where she is charged with one count of criminal drug conspiracy, a Class X felony, and unlawful possession of a controlled subtance, a Class 4 felony.Forbes is cited with having in her possession less than 15 grams of a substance containing heroin.Two other defendants still are at large today, with their arrests expected soon, noted Brian Viscogni, La Salle County's first assistant state's attorney.“We're looking for both of them,” he said Monday. “I don't think they can dodge us for too long.” Their names will be released following the arrests.
Forbes joins 13 other La Salle County and Chicago area residents in the county jail on 91 counts in connection with the drug conspiracy investigation.
Bond is $250,000 on each, Viscogni said.During the investigation known as "Operation Lean In, Lock ‘Em Up,"authorities seized or purchased 79.21 grams of heroin, with an estimated value of $1,584, as well as 25.71 grams of cocaine, estimated at $5,141. Two vehicles, two guns, and $2,141 in currency were also seized. The name of the investigation refers to a song on a MySpace Web page.The song, to a certain extent, taunts the Illinois State Police Zone Three Task Force, County State's Attorney Brian Towne said during a press conference Wednesday at the Etna Road Courthouse.
Towne said arrests of still other individuals are possible later, and that more counts are likely."Hands down, No. 1," he said in ranking the conspiracy operation on a scale of one to 10."To my knowledge, we have never, in the history of the La Salle County State's Attorney's office, had this many people charged with this large a conspiracy," he noted."I'm not aware of any other place in the state where this is being done, with exception of Cook County. Which is why we enlisted their agents in the preparation of this investigation and criminal information for the indictments to follow."Towne said William A. Bradley, 35, operator of Skin Scribe Tattoos, 215 W. Madison St., Ottawa, was arrested on charges of criminal drug conspiracy and unlawful use of a building."Someone had knowledge heroin and or cocaine were being distributed out of (Skin Scribe Tattoos) or the building was used to package those substances for distribution at other locations," Towne said.He said the county has not undergone any forfeiture proceedings on the building at this point.
Also charged in one or more counts of criminal drug conspiracy and illegal possession of and/or intent to deliver a controlled substance are Melissa A. Lobb, 22, 125 E. Lafayette St., Ottawa; Darnell C. Smith, 22, La Salle; and Paul L. Forbes and Michael K. Goldsmith, both 19, Streator.Also, Calvin L. Merritte, 23; Clarence Meritte, 24; Aaron M. Flex, 17; Johnny Q. Andrews, 19; and Joy Forbes, 44, all of Chicago; and Kwame Ridle, 17, University Park.The most serious offenses are criminal drug conspiracy, a Class X, non-probationable felony with six to 30 years in prison. Delivery of a controlled substance, possession of a controlled substance with intent to deliver, and unauthorized permitted use of a building are Class 4 felonies, ranging from one to 15 years in prison.
All 91 counts involve drug-related activity in La Salle County.
Some of those charged as part of the investigation were already in the county jail on unrelated matters. Others, with exception of the three previously noted, were arrested April 1.
The investigation centered around individuals prominent in MySpace Web pages - a group known as the Da Hittaz - bringing narcotics, specifically heroin and cocaine, from Chicago to La Salle County.
"They were Chicago and Cook County residents using La Salle County residents to assist them in their undercover or illegal activities," Towne said.
The investigation into the operation began in October 2007.
"In 2006, we saw them coming from Chicago and began to watch them," Towne said. "We started to develop the sense a conspiracy was going on."
The investigation was initiated as a joint effort by the ISP Zone Three Task Force, LCSA office under direction of Deputy State's Attorney Brian Vescogni, La Salle County Sheriff's Department, Cook County State's Attorney's office and Sheriff's Department, and the Ottawa, La Salle, Peru, Streator and Chicago police departments.
Authorities began checking after they noticed the same people in the vehicles and houses searched when heroin and cocaine were seized by the Task Force and LCSA's office.
The Task Force made controlled buys of heroin and cocaine, then executed search warrants for a number of locations in La Salle County and Chicago areas.
Towne said women - also known as trappers - brought in packaged and unpackaged drugs from the Chicago area by hiding the substances on their bodies. The trappers then gave the drugs to the dealers to sell. By this means, drugs and money were not transported by the same person.
He said La Salle County has a very large problem with controlled drugs and substances because of the nearness to Chicago via Interstates 80 and 55.
"It is a huge problem, specifically heroin and cocaine," he noted.
Towne said some of those charged were not involved just for the money. Addiction was a part of it as well, he said.
All those arrested will go before the La Salle County Grand Jury on Tuesday, April 15. Indictments would be returned on Friday, April 18.
"We believe we've been very successful in cracking this ring," he said. "This organization, to a certain extent, was flaunting their activities in the face of law enforcement for some time."
Towne said it took countless hours, days, and weeks to put the investigation together, and that the agencies did a very good job making sure the entire organization has been brought to justice.
He said authorities believe they succeeded in eliminating the organization. Even so, he said, other drug-related organizations will move in to take their place.
Vescogni said Monday his office wants to try all the defendants together because a single conspiracy is apparently involved.
“It would be a problem if they all want a jury trial because we don't have a place big enough to hold them” he said.
He said a location such as the Ottawa Township High School gymnasium is a possibility.
“We hope to come to trial this summer,” Viscogni said. “There will be a lot of discovery motions to file first. We'll be prepared to try this case.”
Viscogni said the conspiracy concept of the case was extremely time-consuming.
“You need the manpower to do it,” he said, noting La Salle County is the only county in the state outside of Cook County to utilize the concept.
“Almost all the Drug Task Force was working on it.”

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Miguel Ontiveros-Murrillo aka Luis Alberto Erenas-Lunfound guilty of conspiracy to distribute at least 1.5 kilograms of methamphetamine a

Miguel Ontiveros-Murrillo, also known as Luis Alberto Erenas-Luna, had been found guilty of conspiracy to distribute at least 1.5 kilograms of methamphetamine in Nebraska between April 1, 2002, and July 22, 2003, according to the U.S. Attorney's Office for Nebraska.
Testimony at trial showed that Ontiveros-Murrillo transported multiple pounds of meth from Arizona to Nebraska and distributed the drug to dealers in Grand Island, Lincoln and Bellevue, the U.S. Attorney's Office said.
Judge Lyle E. Strom also sentenced Ontiveros-Murrillo to a five-year term of supervised release.
Ontiveros-Murrillo will be deported when his sentence is completed

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Ronald Leslie Fisher on four separate occasions, Fisher sold crack cocaine to a government informant

Ronald Leslie Fisher has been sentenced to serve five years in a federal prison following his convictions on drug charges. pleaded guilty to possessing more than 22 grams of cocaine base, or "crack," and for intent to distribute.
Officials say on four separate occasions, Fisher sold crack cocaine to a government informant. Anchorage police also say they found crack cocaine in Fisher's possession when they made a traffic stop.

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Juan Carlos Ramirez Abadia guilty of criminal association, money-laundering, corruption and the use of false documents, and sentenced him to 30 years

Last week, a Sao Paulo court found Abadia guilty of criminal association, money-laundering, corruption and the use of false documents, and sentenced him to 30 years in jail along with a $US2.7 million fine. The sale of goods belonging to Juan Carlos Ramirez Abadia, a convicted drug trafficker suspected of heading up Colombia's notoriously violent Valle del Norte cartel, included luxury vehicles, DVDs, wine, flatscreen televisions, a watch valued at $US680,000 ($729,748) - and even underwear.
The head of the Julieta Foundation charity receiving the proceeds, Lucien Delmonte, declined to give figures for winning bids but said the first day of the auction, held in Sao Paulo, was a "success''.
Police said more than 5000 people lined up overnight to enter the auction venue, a city horse-racing club.
Teargas had to be used to clear them when they protested about not getting in.
"I skipped out of work to come and I can't get in,'' complained one business owner, Graza Cesar, who said she wanted to buy clothes that had belonged to Abadia's wife.
Authorities said the auction would continue until Sunday.
Abadia, 44, has been held in a Brazilian maximum-security prison since his arrest in Sao Paulo last August.
The US is seeking his extradition to face drug trafficking, money-laundering and murder charges. The US Drug Enforcement Administration estimated he built up a $US1.8 billion fortune from his activities, said to involve smuggling heroin and cocaine into California. Abadia had been hiding out in Brazil from 2004, using fake identification papers and undergoing at least four plastic surgery operations to alter his appearance.

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Jeffrey Riggins was sentenced to 36 years

Jeffrey Riggins, 44, was sentenced to 36 years in federal prison by U.S. District Judge Juan Sanchez, according to the office of U.S. Attorney Pat Meehan.
Last November, a jury in federal court in Philadelphia convicted Riggins of 24 counts of possession with intent to deliver cocaine and one felony gun possession charge. The case was investigated by the Drug Enforcement Administration and was prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney John Gallagher.
Riggins and several others were arrested in December 2006 after local, state and federal authorities investigated the Mafia-El Don organization for months.
Police said the drug gang distributed 50 kilograms of cocaine with a street value of $4 million in the Lehigh Valley between the summer and winter of 2006, mainly out of an Easton restaurant called Cesar's Mexican Cocinar on Butler Street. The cocaine was also sold at J&M Collision on Sumner Avenue in Allentown and at a home/store on Ferry Street in Easton, authorities said.
Riggins, police said, purchased large quantities of cocaine from Mafia-El Don for redistribution.The arrests were part of Operation White Market, the first case prosecuted under the federally funded Route 222 Corridor Anti-Gang Initiative.
Investigators purchased more than 1 kilogram of cocaine in undercover buys using informants and conducted stakeouts of the gang's activities, authorities said.

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Austrian police seized a drug body-packer in the City Innsbruck

Austrian police seized a drug body-packer in the City Innsbruck, according to the report of the Austrian TV and Radio on Tuesday. The suspect, a 31 year-old Nigerian, concealed about 1.3 kilograms cocaine with a black market price of about 260,000 euros, in his stomach and smuggled by taking a train from Germany to Innsbruck. Austrian police captured him as a suspect during an anti-drug investigation. A total of 137 cocaine capsules were found in his stomach during the X-ray examination.
This case was estimated to be related to the Nigerian drug-dealing case, which was cracked by the Austrian police at the beginning of March, according to Austrian media.

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Aram Alkazoff aka Dr. Pill dealt prescription drugs from his home in southwest Detroit

The man they call Dr. Pill because they say he dealt prescription drugs from his home in southwest Detroit. Sheriff Warren Evans said his office had warrants signed by the county prosecutor for Aram Alkazoff, 58, and his partner, Karen Dye Kulin, 39. Both face felony charges of delivering and manufacturing a controlled substance with maximum sentences of 20 years and 7 years, respectively, if convicted.
What officers didn't expect Thursday afternoon, after raiding Alkazoff's home in the 9200 block of Lane, were the four or five people who came to the home to sell what police called substantial amounts of prescription drugs to Alkazoff for resale, Evans said. All were arrested on charges of illegal possession of prescription drugs. "Every now and then you get lucky," Evans said about the additional arrests.
Alkazoff, who is not a doctor, was first arrested in January when deputies seized nearly 1,000 prescription pills from his home and $200,000 in cash from a bank safe-deposit box. The pills deputies found at his home then -- among them were Vicodin, Xanax, Methadose, Seroque and Soma -- were analyzed, and formed the basis of the arrest warrant deputies executed Thursday. Evans, who took part in the raid, said officers found more pills that must be analyzed and empty prescription bottles at Alkazoff's home Thursday. Alkazoff was convicted in 1984 of delivery and manufacture of a controlled substance. He was sentenced in 1987 on the conviction, served three years, and was released in 1990. Alkazoff and Dye were being held in Wayne County Jail. They are scheduled to be charged in 36th District Court today.

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Joseph John Mansour thought he had a special relationship with Tony Mokbel, and could not break away from his influence.

Joseph John Mansour pleaded guilty to six charges including trafficking a large commercial quantity of methamphetamines.The Supreme Court heard he was involved with a drug-trafficking syndicate known as The Company, that sent hundreds of thousands of dollars to Mokbel, before his arrest in Greece two years ago.
In sentencing, Justice Betty King said the turnover of The Company was more than $4-million and the profits enabled Mokbel to maintain his life on the run in relative comfort. She told the Court, the accused thought he had a special relationship with Mokbel, and could not break away from his influence. Mansour will serve a non-parole period of seven years.

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Security forces have killed 12 drug smugglers

Iranian security forces have killed 12 drug smugglers and seized 500kg of narcotics in two operations near the border with Afghanistan, state media says.The drug traffickers were killed near the city of Taibad in Khorasan Razavi province in the last 48 hours, the official IRNA news agency said, without elaborating.Iran is on the heroin smuggling route to the West from Afghanistan, the world's number one producer of the opium poppy which is the key ingredient for heroin.More than 3,300 Iranian security personnel have died fighting drug smugglers since Iran's 1979 Islamic revolution.

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Pieter Van Den Hoek arrested at Harwich

Pieter Van Den Hoek, aged 34, from Brins Clavs Plein 4 Werkendam, Holland, was arrested at the port and stands accused of being knowingly concerned in the importation of prohibited drugs.Following the discovery of the suspected drugs by the UKBA, the case was passed to HM Revenue and Customs (HMRC) investigation officers to examine.Van Den Hoek, who was arrested on Thursday, appeared in court on Friday and was remanded in custody for seven days by Colchester magistrates.
The UKBA found the substances in a vehicle at Harwich and included 52 kgs of tablets, suspected to be ecstasy, and 37 kgs of white powder, thought to be cocaine.
The seizure of the suspected drugs came just days after two sisters were jailed for a total of 39 years after customs officers foiled their plan to smuggle more than £5 million worth of heroin through Harwich.
Dutch nationals Jacquline Merceij, 40, and her sister Manon Merceij, 46, were sent to prison at Chelmsford Crown Court last month for 21 years and 18 years respectively. During their two week trial the court heard that HMRC officers had stopped a white van carrying furniture that had arrived on the ferry from the Hook of Holland. Officers removed some of furniture and inside discovered a large quantity of drugs. In total they recovered over 114kgs of heroin with a street value in excess of £5 million. Both sisters were arrested and charged with smuggling offences.In recent months border authorities have intercepted large hauls of smuggled Class A drugs and with the independent Revenue and Customs Prosecution Office (RCPO) have successfully prosecuted a number of cases.
Also last month, a 51-year-old mother of four was jailed for six years after attempting to smuggle nearly two kilos of cocaine through Stansted Airport.

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Karleus Fitzgerald Dennis was pronounced dead at hospital after he was rushed from the home on Whitman Seymour Road Tuesday morning

Karleus Fitzgerald Dennis, 24, of Prospect was pronounced dead at hospital after he was rushed from the home on Whitman Seymour Road Tuesday morning. Witnesses said Mr. Dennis had been unwell for a short while, and was forced to leave work that morning.
Police said he appeared to be suffering from a seizure before his death.Royal Cayman Islands Police Superintendent Marlon Bodden said a post mortem revealed Mr. Dennis had at least two packets of cocaine in his stomach and likely died because the packages burst while they were inside his body.
“This is not the first case of drugs being transported within the body into the Cayman Islands,” Mr. Bodden said. “It is nonetheless extremely sad and worrying.”
That worry may be compounded by the fact that the RCIPS recently arrested a 22–year–old man on suspicion of importation of cocaine after he was found with several packets of the drug in his stomach.
The suspect has since been released on bail. He was not injured from carrying the drug packets in his stomach.RCIPS Superintendent Kurt Walton said it seems the suspect in this case was being used as a drug courier or ‘mule’.
“The practice of using drug mules in this way is common across the world and costs many lives,” Mr. Walton said. “I want to warn people that smuggling drugs in this way is like playing Russian roulette. It’s a huge gamble with your life. It is very common for packets to burst, resulting in a painful death.”
Usually, the drug carrier swallows cocaine that has been packaged into pellets and placed inside a latex glove or condom. The drugs are recovered when the latex wrapping is passed through the drug carrier’s digestive system.Illegal substances are transported in this way because it is very difficult to detect them using the standard methods employed at airports such as drug sniffing dogs or metal detectors. However, full body X–rays will detect such a drug carrier.Drug mules who carry illegal substances inside the body are also referred to as ‘swallowers’ or ‘internal carriers.’ This method of drug importation is used most often with cocaine, heroin and ecstasy.

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Top members of the Canary Island Government were implicated in irregularities in the awarding of concessions for the placing of wind farms

El País reports that the corruption was revealed by the sacked General Director of the Siemeca wind company in 2005, who claimed that top members of the Canary Island Government were implicated in irregularities in the awarding of concessions for the placing of wind farms. Now the paper says that the Anti-corruption Prosecutor, Luis del Rio, has established the exchange of privileged information between Celso Perdomo and others, with the details revealed in a series of illegal emails. Perdomo is alleged to have paid 23,000 € into foreign bank accounts at the time. New has been breaking regarding corruption on the Canary Islands linked to the generation of wind power. Recordings made of conversations between the ex General Director for Industry of the Canary Regional Government. Celso Perdomo, and several businessmen have now come to light, following the first indications of corruption dating back to 2004 and 2005.
Now the prosecutor is calling for a six year prison sentence for Perdomo.
Finally Celso Perdomo was sacked from his post, and the Canary Island Supreme Court ruled that the concessions awarded were no longer in place. Now a new tender is being published offering concessions for some 600 projects for wind farms on the islands.

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José Luis Hernández, the President of the Polaris World group linked to perversion of the course of justice Mayor

The Mayor faces charges of perversion of the course of justice and the mis-use of public funds.Daniel García Madrid from the Partido Popular is reported to have exchanged building land with worthless plots in a deal with the Polaris World company
More details on the latest corruption allegations in Torre Pacheco, where the PP Mayor, Daniel Garcia Madrid, has been ordered to prison without bail by instruction judge in San Javier, Salvador Calero. He has replaced the earlier judge in the case, Aránzazu Moreno, who is on maternity leave.
El País reports that the mayor made a plot of land for building available to the Mar Menor Golf Resort, from the Polaris World company, in exchange for other plots of land described as ‘useless’. The difference in worth of the two plots is estimated by the prosecutor to be as much as five or six million €, but Polaris World was only called on to reimburse the public coffers by 455,331 €.Daniel García Madrid is linked to alleged irregularities in both Torre Pacheco and Fuente Álamo and the President of Polaris World is also chaged in the case
The Partido Popular Mayor of Torre Pacheco, Daniel García Madrid, has been arrested this morning in connection with alleged real estate corruption in the town, and also in Fuente Álamo. The arrest follows that of the municipal architect, Ramon Cabrera, who was detained in the same case on March 31, and came at 8,30 this morning when the Mayor was on his way from his home to the Town Hall.
He has now been taken to the courts in San Javier to go before the judge Salavador Calero. Reports indicate he faces charges of carrying out activities not compatible with a public servant, fraud, misuse of public funds, influence peddling, bribery, perversion of the course of justice and revealing secrets,
Another person who is charged in the case is the businessman Facundo Armero, an ex shareholder in Polaris World, who is reported to have received favoured treatment from the Town Halls in Torre Pacheco and Fuente Álamo.
Also facing charges in the case are the town planning councillor, Santiago Meroño, and the councillor for public works, Josefa Marín.José Luis Hernández, the President of the Polaris World group, one of the leading companies in residential tourism, is also charged in the case, as is a second businessman, named only with the initials J.M.F.F.

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Harminder Chana,Atif Khan,Patrick Kuster charged with conspiracy to supply up to £20m ($40m, 25m euros) worth of Heroin.

Three men were remanded in custody after appearing in court yesterday charged with conspiracy to supply one of the largest hauls of heroin ever seized in Britain.
The three appeared at Richmond Magistrates Court in south-west London charged with conspiracy to supply up to £20m ($40m, 25m euros) worth of the hard drug.
"This is one of the largest ever seizures of heroin by police in the UK," said Detective Chief Inspector Peter Beyer, from the Specialist Crime Central Task Force of London's Metropolitan Police.
Harminder Chana, 30, and Atif Khan, 32, both from east London, and Patrick Kuster, 35, from the Netherlands, were told to reappear at nearby Kingston Crown Court on June 9. No applications for bail were made.
The magistrates heard how on Thursday police seized 356kg of heroin with a street value of up to £20m from two cars at a motorway service station near Maidstone, south-east of London.

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Jose Rodolfo Escajeda aka "El Riquin," indicted on charges of conspiracy to import and distribute controlled substances.

Jose Rodolfo Escajeda, alias "El Riquin," is considered a fugitive and is the target of a multi-agency organized-crime task force for allegedly running a ring that transported shipments of marijuana and cocaine into the U.S. for Mexican drug cartels, DEA officials said.Escajeda, a Mexican citizen, was indicted on charges of conspiracy to import and distribute controlled substances. If convicted, he faces between 10 years and life in prison.The Escajedas, who are based in the village of Guadalupe across the Rio Grande near Tornillo, are believed to control a 120-mile corridor east of El Paso, DEA spokesman Matthew Taylor said. "When you control a part of the border, it's a major organization."The Escajeda organization allegedly smuggled more than 400,000 pounds of marijuana between 2000 and 2006.
In 2006, members of the Escajeda ring were involved in the highly publicized border standoff between Hudspeth County sheriff's deputies and men dressed as Mexican soldiers when a drug-filled SUV became stuck in the Rio Grande. Months after the standoff, Mexican federal agents raided 18 houses in Guadalupe that belonged to the Escajeda family and seized vehicles and even two tigers, the DEA and newspaper archives said. Last year, Mexican agents arrested Oscar Alonso Candelaria Escajeda, who was then the head of the drug gang, and Ivan Gandara Trejo, his brother-in-law and security chief.

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Britons arrested who produced methamphetamine in the Czech Republic for the British market.

Czech police say they have detained five men, including two Britons, who produced methamphetamine in the Czech Republic for the British market.
Police said Friday the gang would buy legal drugs containing in pharmacies, process them into methamphetamine and transport it to Britain with the help of an airline employee.Members of the gang would manufacture half a kilogram (one pound) of methamphetamine every week. If they are tried and convicted, they could receive 15-year jail sentences.Police did not release the names of the three Czechs and two Britons.

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Iranian security forces have killed 12 drug smugglers

Iranian security forces have killed 12 drug smugglers and seized 500 kg of narcotics in two operations near the border with Afghanistan, state media said on Wednesday.The drug traffickers were killed near the city of Taibad in Khorasan Razavi province in the last 48 hours, the official IRNA news agency said, without elaborating.Iran is on the heroin smuggling route to the West from Afghanistan, the world's number one producer of the opium poppy which is the key ingredient for heroin.More than 3,300 Iranian security personnel have died fighting drug smugglers since Iran's 1979 Islamic revolution.

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Ketamine is a veterinary drug, but is hot in the trance/club circuit abroad

The manufacture of ketamine, a hallucinogen, is legal in India. Not classified as a controlled substance, it can be bulk-manufactured Ketamine is a veterinary drug, but is hot in the trance/club circuit abroad International pressure has led India to notify that exporters must get the nod from the Commissioner of Drugs
Legally manufactured in India. Illegally consumed at rave parties from Ibiza to California. That's ketamine hydrochloride—the chemical that induces euphoria, triggers off hallucinations and keeps party animals in a trance through the night. Ironically, in India, it is classified as a veterinary drug primarily used to anaesthetise pets—thus available over the counter. However, ketamine has attracted very little attention in this country since its abuse among Indians is limited largely to Goa's trance and techno music crowd.
Ketamine can be injected, snorted or imbibed orally. The effect of the drug varies from person to person, and can last up to 24 hours. Its use can result in delirium, amnesia and impaired motor function. While the drug was tried by acid gurus like Timothy Leary in the '60s, its popularity is linked to the dance-trance movement taking wings in the '80s. Called 'Special K' by the rave party crowd, it is taken along with other drugs like cocaine and has suddenly become popular as an alternative to LSD. Long-term abuse can lead to loss of memory and eyesight besides nervous and mental disorders. An overdose can be lethal.
In India, ketamine is manufactured legally since it is not classified as a controlled drug. But evidence of it being shipped in bulk to Southeast Asia and the Americas has alerted drug enforcement officials. This year, the Directorate of Revenue Intelligence (DRI) seized 53 kg of the drug concealed in export shipments from Tamil Nadu. Earlier, 80 kg of it was found abandoned by a passenger at the Thiruvananthapuram airport. There have also been seizures in Mumbai. Says Rajiv Walia of the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC): "There has been a lot of concern in Southeast Asian countries. There have been bilateral discussions with India to include the drug on the controlled list here."
Lately, international pressure has led to India taking the first step to check the trafficking of the drug. It has issued a notification that makes it mandatory for exporters of ketamine to obtain a clearance certificate from the office of the commissioner of drugs, Gwalior. "This new notification will prove to be a major impediment to the trafficking of ketamine from India," Dr P. Babu, additional director general, DRI, Chennai, told Outlook. Tamil Nadu has been identified as the hub of the illicit trade in the drug.
Indian authorities are yet to get a fix on how much ketamine is being manufactured in the country. Investigations reveal that much of the drug originates from Maharashtra and Gujarat. According to DRI sources, the directorate has sought information from state governments to get a fix on the leakages that are finding its way into the illicit trade. But going by seizures, it could easily run into several hundreds of kilos being trafficked beyond India's borders annually.
What drives the illegal trade is the easy availability of ketamine and the huge profit margins involved. One kg of the drug costs Rs 35,000 in India but retails at Rs 10 lakh abroad. Little wonder then that India, which bulk-manufactures the drug, is a major source of ketamine.

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Christopher Pimblett ran his sophisticated drug trafficking empire from his lavish St Helens home.

The racket was run by husband and wife Christopher and Sharon Pimblett from their St Helens home.The couple, who have since divorced, dispatched vans with heroin and cocaine hidden inside.The drivers would then return to St Helens with plastic bags stuffed full of cash.By raking in around £40,000 a week, the couple are estimated to have made more than £4m over two years.Yesterday, Christopher Pimblett was jailed for 12 years after Judge Brian Lewis ruled he was the “controlling mind” of the gang.He organised couriers and shipments, and liaised with Glasgow-based Fergus Smith – who was in control of the Scottish side of the organisation.Smith was locked up for 10 years and Pimblett’s former wife Sharon jailed for four years.Judge Lewis said Sharon Pimblett, a former pharmacy worker who was tearful throughout the proceedings, had an “active” role in assisting her husband.He jailed the 17-strong gang, who were convicted of conspiracy to supply Class A, B and C drugs from January 1, 2005 to April 17, 2007, for a total of 108 years and two months.He said: “This was a large-scale, relatively sophisticated operation which was active for a period of over two years.”He added: “Class A drugs are the greatest social problem of our time.”Judge Lewis said the scale of the racket was obvious from the seizures police made – more than 10kg of cocaine, 50kg of cannabis, 12,000 ecstasy tables and more than £400,000 cash.However, that did nothing to prevent the operation continuing.
When officers raided the homes of gang members they found wads of cash, drums full of cutting agents and drug paraphernalia including cocaine presses. The gang was making so much profit they invested in money-counting machines.Expensive cars were shared between the gang and some members were planning to buy property abroad.Now a drugs gang who lived the high-life are behind bars.
Kingpin Christopher Pimblett ran his sophisticated drug trafficking empire from his lavish St Helens home.But Pimblett and his now ex-wife Sharon earned their £40,000 a week income by running drugs to Scotland and getting dealers to sell them on the streets of St Helens.The couriers were paid a few hundred pounds a trip, but Pimblett and those closet to him amassed a mountain of cash.Around £400,000 was found by police in safes buried in the garden of Philip Brown, Pimblett’s step-father.Detective Inspector Andy Black, of Merseyside Police’s Matrix unit, said: “They all had nice houses, nice cars and enjoyed travelling and foreign holidays.“Around the time Pimblett was arrested, he was talking about buying a house abroad and we know others had already done so.“Ian Moffatt was arrested by us on the Tarmac at Heathrow as he came back from one of numerous trips to Spain.”
Financial investigators are already a long way down the road to stripping the gang of their ill-gotten gains under the Proceeds of Crime Act.

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Jessica Almada, who has spent the last eighteen months behind bars pending trial, has been cleared on charges of drug-smuggling

Argentinian model Jessica Almada, who has spent the last eighteen months behind bars pending trial, has been cleared on charges of drug-smuggling by a judge in Barcelona. Jessica, who turned 20 during her incarceration, was arrested with fellow model and compatriot, Belén Téllez, who has also been cleared, at Barcelona's El Prat airport after their manager and fellow passenger, Alejandro Jorge Panno, was found to be carrying 16kg of cocaine in four suitcases. Panno, who insisted during his trial that the girls knew nothing about the drugs, was convicted to serve 11 years behind bars and was fined two million euros. Jessica's lawyer revealed yesterday that the girls are planning to claim compensation for the time they spent in jail, but recognised that it is going to be difficult given that it is normal for foreigners awaiting trial to be remanded without bail given the high perceived risk that they would try and flee the country if granted bail.

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Otis "Cowboy" Carden,Terry "Ox" Gilmore Thirty people have been arrested, identified as part of the Carden organization.

A cache of weapons that included the launcher, fully automatic rifles, an "elephant gun," and handguns of various sizes and shapes was put on display today by the sheriff and law enforcement officers from other jurisdictions that participated in the nearly year-old probe.The investigative team focused its attention on Otis "Cowboy" Carden, 26, and Terry "Ox" Gilmore, 34, who are accused of being the ringleaders. Sgt. Ian Floyd said everyone else arrested worked for these two.
"Some stole vehicles," Floyd said. "Others broke into houses and stole guns."The investigation began last summer after a vehicle theft, he said. From there, it led to drugs and guns and stolen property.Judd said there was no evidence the ring was smuggling guns.The ring bought and sold stolen goods and dealt mainly in methamphetamine, he said. Although the public was undisturbed by the ring, Judd said members would be very violent to those who didn't pay debts or tried to rip them off.
Judd said victims were fearful of coming forward.
"One guy had the pudding beat out of him," Judd said. "This is one of the more violent groups we've encountered recently. They were violent toward each other and those who dealt drugs and stole property if they didn't pay up."
Three members of the ring remained at large, he said."But our guys are coming after you," he said.
The ring made money off drugs and the sale of stolen property. The guns mostly were bought and sold among the members, Judd said, and were used for protection and intimidation.The origins of the bomb launcher remained a mystery, he said. The ring member who procured it said he bought it for $100, Judd said, "and sold it to a ring leader buddy for $400. But we don't know where it came from."Charges against those arrested included dealing in stolen property, drug possession and dealing, and theft.
Carden was arrested Jan. 23 in Osceola County by the U.S. Marshals with 11 grams of meth and $9,000 in his possession, authorities said. He was charged by a federal grand jury this week with being a felon in possession of a firearm and possession of a machine gun.Gilmore, who authorities said described himself as the "muscle" of the organization, was arrested Feb. 8 on charges including grand theft auto, resisting an officer without violence and drug possession.
Thirty people have been arrested since last summer, identified as part of the Carden organization.

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Jason Callahan was arrested for reportedly being in possession of cocaine and paraphernalia faces additional charges

Jason Callahan, was being processed for his earlier arrest.“Callahan was patted down prior to arrest, after arrest and upon entering the jail facility,” Gonzalez reported. “Callahan was asked numerous times if he possessed any other type of illegal contraband on his person. Callahan repeatedly stated ‘no.’ ”
But when corrections deputies removed Callahan’s clothing, they found a cigarette pack wrapped into a drawstring in his shorts. Inside was a glass crack pipe with cocaine residue copper and a cigar container with four crack rocks inside. Callahan was being held on bond Friday at the Lee County Jail.

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Albert Morales,Melinda Nieves were charged with third-degree and seventh-degree criminal possession of a controlled substance

Albert Morales, 19, and Melinda Nieves, 21, both of West Street, LoConte said.
Morales and Nieves were charged with third-degree and seventh-degree criminal possession of a controlled substance, as well as second-degree criminal sale of a controlled substance, LoConte said.
As a result of the arrests, $4,000 and about 40 grams of heroin were seized, LoConte said. The arrests followed undercover operations and continuous surveillance against the targeted individuals, LoConte said.
Members of the Syracuse Drug Enforcement Agency office, Utica police, and the Oneida County District Attorney’s Office also assisted with the investigation into heroin sale, possession and distribution across the state, including Oneida and Clinton counties, LoConte said.

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Jerry Germaine Douglas arrested on charges of trafficking in cocaine

Jerry Germaine Douglas. Burbaugh said that through a confidential informant detectives were able to arrange a drug transaction with Douglas, a former Marion resident now living in Worthington, suspected for some time of drug trafficking.
"When he arrived at the meeting location in Delaware, (authorities) got him pinned," Burbaugh said. "Once we got him pinned in, Douglas was apprehended without trouble."A passenger in Douglas' vehicle, Haven Nelson, attempted to flee, but was apprehended a few hundred yards away, Burbaugh said.Authorities recovered 126 grams of powder cocaine with an approximate street value of $12,600 from Douglas, who was arrested on charges of trafficking in cocaine. Nelson also faces drug charges after authorities located approximately 40 grams of marijuana with an approximate street value of $400 on him.Simultaneous to that operation, Burbaugh said officers with the Marion City Police Department and deputies with the Marion County Sheriff's Office were conducting surveillance on several locations in the Marion area. Officers arrested two men, Derrick and Brandon Darling, on charges of trafficking in heroin as they attempted to leave a Leader Street address.In addition, Eric Meachem was arrested on Latourette Street, found in possession of 40 balls of heroin with an approximate street value of $850 and a handgun. A woman with him, Jessica Shroats, was arrested on a charge of drug possession.Authorities also executed search warrants at 630 and 632 E. Center St. and arrested occupants there, Troy Blevins and Shawn Thomas, on charges of trafficking in heroin.In addition, a total of over $2,600 in cash was seized. The cases have been forwarded to the Marion County Prosecutor's Office for consideration of filing formal charges.
Burbaugh said that while many of the individuals arrested know one another, he would not describe this as a drug ring, but rather separate cases completed at the same time. The investigations into these cases began after receiving complaints on many of the listed addresses and through the use of confidential informants.
"We tried to hit them all in one day," Burbaugh said. "It's easier to apprehend them all at once because once word gets out, subjects start leaving the area."

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Abdi Aziz Elmi admitted two counts of possessing class A drugs with intent to supply

Police found large quantities of cocaine and heroin belonging to Abdi Aziz Elmi after a routine stop in the St Michael’s area of Camberley in October last year.After a search of a house in which he was lodging, officers found almost 20 grams of heroin and eight grams of cannabis.The drugs had a combined street value of almost £3,000.They also retrieved a laptop computer that was stolen from a house in Farncombe, near Godalming.The 38-year-old admitted two counts of possessing class A drugs with intent to supply, and one charge of handling stolen goods.
He was sentenced at Guildford Crown Court on Friday to 21-months behind bars.
Ruby Selva, prosecuting, told the court Elmi was stopped on St Michael’s Road because he looked drunk.He was searched and £760 and evidence of needles were found.
Officers later uncovered a package of white power that had been stuffed in his boxer shorts, as well as his drugs and scales at a house in St Michael’s Road.Elmi, from Hardford Drive, Camberley, has a string of previous convictions for dishonesty, robbery, burglary, and drug dealing.
Paul Jackson, defending, said: “Primarily there are three people who contact him [for drugs] and all three of these are his friends. This supports the position it was only social supply.
“This is a man who has been addicted to heroin for 13 years.”
Prosecutors agreed Elmi had only been selling drugs to friends, much to the dismay of presiding Judge Derek Inman.“I have read the basis of plea and it appears that was accepted by the prosecution,” judge Inman said.
“Although that surprises me and other people in the court, I feel bound by that.”
He added: “Class A drugs lead to the degradation of people who become addicted to them and like you have to turn to serious crimes to fund their habits.”

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Brandon A. Edwards charged with two counts of possession of a controlled substance

Brandon A. Edwards, 35, of Wilmer, Ala., was arrested shortly after a sheriff's deputy searched his vehicle in a stop about 12:41 a.m. Thursday at Mississippi 613 and Carlos Keyes Road in Hurley. He was charged with two counts of possession of a controlled substance after deputies reported finding a couple of bags of cocaine and marijuana. Edwards, authorities said, was sitting in the front passenger seat of his red 1996 Toyota Corolla, with his girlfriend driving and another friend in the back seat, when they were stopped for weaving. The arresting officer said he got suspicious when he noticed Edwards and the other passengers were nervous.
Deputies seized an undisclosed amount of cocaine and about 48 grams of marijuana.
Edwards was the only one arrested. He was taken to the Jackson County jail pending a bond hearing.

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Graeme Ferguson died after being chained and beaten in a Montreal warehouse four days earlier

Robin Cote, 42, was arrested by Montreal Police on March 27 on a Canada-wide warrant for the 2005 slaying of 27-year-old Graeme Ferguson, said an Ottawa police news release issued late Thursday afternoon.Cote is to appear in court on Friday.
Ferguson died outside an Ottawa bus station in July 2005 due to blood clots caused by being chained and beaten in a Montreal warehouse four days earlier.
The beating took place after he agreed to carry $500,000 worth of cocaine in a suitcase from Vancouver to Montreal, but showed up in Montreal without it. Ferguson said he had left the cocaine behind in Ottawa after he saw police at the bus station.
Four men were sentenced in August 2006 to two to nine years in prison each for their role in the beating. At the time, police were still looking for Cote and 29-year-old Paul Layoun.Layoun remains at large, wanted for first-degree murder.
In addition to first-degree murder, Cote has also been charged with conspiracy to kidnap, kidnapping, extortion, aggravated assault with a weapon and conspiracy to traffic cocaine.

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Daniel Rendon aka Don Mario his men killed a handful of gunmen sent by a former paramilitary boss to assassinate him

Wanted drug lord Daniel Rendon, known as "Don Mario," says in the recording that his men killed a handful of gunmen sent by a former paramilitary boss to assassinate him. The tape shows 25 men who Rendon claims to have captured.
"We have had to join forces to defend against an extermination campaign," he says in the video, which was seized by police in Bogota and broadcast on local television.
National police chief Gen. Oscar Naranjo said two undercover police officers were among the seven killed. Rendon said they were working for his rivals.
"That is a very serious accusation. The police must clarify what these officers were doing there," said Pablo Casas, an analyst at Bogota think tank Security and Democracy.Corruption among state security forces has long been a problem in the world's biggest cocaine-exporting country.
Naranjo called for the 25 hostages to be freed and warned that killings among former right-wing paramilitaries still tied to the cocaine trade are rising sharply.
Rendon is the brother of a former paramilitary warlord known as "El Aleman," or "The German," who is in prison after disarming in a government peace deal.Rendon accuses another demobilized paramilitary chief, Diego Fernando Murillo, or "Don Berna," who once dominated the underworld in Medellin, of trying to kill him in a bid to dominate smuggling in the Gulf of Uraba, a departure point for cocaine shipments.
Murillo issued a statement dismissing the charge as a "clumsy set-up." It said he has left the drug business in accordance with the peace deal.
More than 30,000 "paras" have demobilized over the last five years in a process criticized by human rights groups for not forcing ex-militia leaders to dismantle their drug-smuggling and extortion networks.The government admits that thousands of demobilized paramilitaries such as Rendon have returned to crime. The right-wing militias were formed in the 1980s to help drug traffickers and cattle ranchers combat Marxist rebels.

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Griffith Mortimer Davies sold heroin that was kept in a tin hidden in a compost heap.

Griffith Mortimer Davies, 70, sold heroin that was kept in a tin hidden in a compost heap. A jury at Swansea Crown Court found Davies guilty of possessing heroin with intent to supply. Davies, of Penlan in the city, denied the charge and claimed he was looking after the tin for someone else. He said he had no idea what was inside it but refused to identify who it belonged to. Prosecuting barrister Mark Spackman accused him of supplementing his state pension by dealing in Class A drugs, never mind how surprising that was for a man of his age. The trial had heard that the circular tin was found in the compost heap by police who raided his home and it contained heroin in 18 "wraps'' of foil.
Davies, who was wearing a dinner suit and a black bow tie when he gave evidence on Wednesday, was convicted by the jury. He was bailed for sentencing later this month but Judge Keith Thomas warned him to prepare for jail.

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Donald Perruso sentenced to four to eight years in state prison

Donald Perruso sentenced to four to eight years in state prison for a string of burglaries, thefts and a chase with police.Donald Perruso prior to his arraignment last June before District Judge Ralph Litzenberger.Perruso, son of Wilson Mayor David Perruso, has battled heroin addiction since he was a teenager and was on a heroin-fueled binge last summer when he committed the crimes over a roughly two-week period, defense attorney Chris Shipman said.
"You were on a bender, on a spree and you have an extensive prison record," McFadden said before sentencing Perruso.
She also ordered he pay more than $6,000 in restitution for two burglaries and a theft and fined him more than $4,200. Shipman asked that the judge send Perruso to prison as quickly as possible to begin drug treatment

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Mandy Sharp was jailed for four months consecutively to her previous sentence, which was due to end this month, after she pleaded guilty

Mandy Sharp, 39, was brought from prison to Teeside Crown Court to be sentenced for supplying the Class B drug after serving eight months for two previous drug offences.
The 47 grammes of amphetamines were in a plastic tub and a plastic bag, and she admitted they were hers.
Kristian Mills, prosecuting, said that Sharp had been on bail on April 17 last year for possession of Class B and C drugs, and she admitted to a probation officer that she made a conscious decision to continue supplying drugs.Peter Kilgour, defending, said she had been open with the police and she had not claimed that she was holding the drugs for someone else.She first came to the attention of the courts when she was 33, and before then she was an ordinary mother bringing up her children under difficult circumstances.She said that she had been drug free since she was jailed last August, which did not always happen in prison. She was willing to accept the help of the Probation Service to reduce her drug use on her release.He added:"She has a child of 21 months, she just wants to get out and become a mother again.
"I ask for the opportunity that she can simply go back to being a mother."
Judge Les Spittle told her:"You deliberately decided that you would make as much as you could before you were locked up.
"It was a conscious and deliberate decision by you to benefit yourself before you faced the consequences of an inevitable prison sentence for what you had done before.
"But frankly, I and the probation officer can see no basis on which I can suspend the sentence. You have got to pay the price. It's up to you, if youreally want to get away from drugs, put your actions where your words are.
"If you really want to be a mother again then behave like one."
Sharp of Warren Street, Middlesbrough, was jailed for four months consecutively to her previous sentence, which was due to end this month, after she pleaded guilty to supplying a Class B drug.

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Robin Cote arrested to face several charges, including first-degree murder

Robin Cote was arrested by Montreal police on March 27 and returned to Ottawa on Thursday to face several charges, including first-degree murder, according to Ottawa police.A Canada-wide warrant for Mr. Cote's arrest was issued in January 2006.
Mr. Ferguson, a 27-year-old British Columbia native, was hired as a drug mule to transport 17 kilograms of pure Colombian cocaine to Ottawa before he was killed over a botched delivery, according to earlier court proceedings related to the case.four men admitted in court to their role in Mr. Ferguson's death. Mr. Cote is scheduled to appear in court on Friday.He faces charges of first-degree murder, conspiracy to kidnap, kidnapping, extortion, aggravated assault with a weapon, robbery and conspiracy to traffic cocaine.Paul Layoun, 29, is still wanted on a Canada-wide warrant in connection with Mr. Ferguson's death.

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Raymond Nevitt the walking fraud machine believed to be in Puerto Banus

Nevitt, who vanished after a conviction in 2006, is believed to be in Puerto Banus or Marbella in Spain.

International arrest warrants have been issued for Raymond Nevitt, 43, from Manchester, after his conviction at the city's crown court on Thursday.
He was found guilty in his absence of five charges of fraudulent trading worth £3.25m after an 11-week trial. He was first convicted of defrauding the taxpayer in 2006 but was released on bail by a judge before being sentenced. Manchester Crown Court heard Nevitt described as a "slick, brash and forceful" man who once took part in the Gumball Rally. He was featured on television alongside celebrities such as Damon Hill and Vic Reeves during the international road-race.
Nevitt used money from his firm, computer parts company Ravelle, to fund his lavish lifestyle, including exotic trips and fast cars. Greater Manchester Police began investigating the "Ravelle Group" of companies, including PC2GO Ltd and "Just Printers Ltd" in 2001.
As his firms were going under Nevitt forged paperwork so firms would lend him money on the strength of bogus orders. IBM Global Financing lost £1,600,000 whilst Barclays Sales Finance lost £654,857. Other creditors lost about £1,000,000, the court was told. Det Con Julian King, from Greater Manchester Police Commercial Fraud Unit, said: "This was a complex and elaborate fraud that allowed Nevitt to live an opulent and lavish lifestyle. "Several small companies also failed both in the UK and on the Continent as a result of this fraud. "Ray Nevitt has lots of contacts in the north-west, and some areas of Spain, and many people will recognise him. If anyone knows where he is, I urge them to call us."

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Czech Anti-Drug Centre (NPC) recently detained members of two alleged drug dealing gangs, a group suspected of selling pervitine (methamphetamine)

Police from the Czech Anti-Drug Centre (NPC) recently detained members of two alleged drug dealing gangs, a group suspected of selling pervitine (methamphetamine) to Britain and foreigners who police say trafficked in heroin, NPC spokesman Bretislav Brejcha told journalists. The pervitine lab that the first group operated has been one of the biggest that the police recently revealed. Brejcha said an airline employee helped transport the pervitine to Britain. Police will release more information on both cases, dealt with within operations codenamed Lotus and Captain, on Friday. In 2007, Czech police arrested 2031 individuals suspected of drug-related crimes, including 130 foreigners. Police registered an increased interest in cocaine in the Czech Republic of which 37.6 kg were seized last year, or eight times more than in 2006. They also seized some 20 kg of heroin and about 5 kg of pervitine.
The NPC has long criticised the fact that medicines containing pseudoephedrine from which pervitine can be produced are sold without a prescription in the country. In 2007, some four million packages of these medicines were sold. The Czech Pharmacists Chamber estimates that some 80 percent of the packages were used for pervitine production.

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Vincent Branson,Heather Tennant,Cory Williams detectives discovered more than 200 grams of cocaine and two pounds of marijuana in a dresser drawer.

Vincent Branson, 28, of 158 Hirn St., and Heather Tennant, 28, of 5996 Egypt Pike. While searching the home, detectives discovered more than 200 grams of cocaine and two pounds of marijuana in a dresser drawer. On a coffee table in front of where Branson was seated was a .45 caliber handgun with several rounds of ammunition. Detectives also found 7 grams of cocaine in Tennant's purse.Later, another resident of the home, Cory Williams, 27, arrived at the scene, saw authorities conducting the search and attempted to leave, backing his vehicle into a pole. He was arrested, and detectives found about a half-pound of marijuana in his bedroom.
Authorities also found drug scales and $5,527 in cash in the home, and agents also seized two vehicles, three flatscreen televisions, jewelry and a laptop computer.
Branson, Barfield and Tennant were charged with drug abuse-possession of cocaine. Williams was charged with permitting drug abuse."We are trying to keep the dealers off the street," Nichols said.Nichols also believes the drugs they discovered at the residence were for more than personal use.
"It's obvious the drugs were going to be for distribution purposes," he said.
Late Wednesday afternoon the Ross County Sheriff's Office issued a warrant at a local bank for a safe deposit box owned by Branson.In the box was $136,000 in cash along with $10,000 in jewelry."We acted on information we received last night which led us to the safe deposit box," he said.

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Jamie Ellis aka Jamie Grainger total of 19 other burglaries he admitted were taken into consideration by the court for his sentence

Jamie Ellis, 23, is believed to have been responsible for a wave of burglaries that has struck St Mellons, Cardiff.The drug addict, who is more commonly known as Jamie Grainger, was caught red-handed during a burglary in Meadvale Road, St Mellons, Cardiff, on February 28, when a neighbour rang police.
At Cardiff Crown Court he pleaded guilty to that burglary and one other in Kazemain Bungalows, Newport Road, Cardiff, the previous day.A total of 19 other burglaries he admitted were taken into consideration by the court for his sentence.
Detectives believe Ellis would have made some £29,000 from his criminal activities during a crime spree in St Mellons and Old St Mellons that started in December last year.The first offence he admitted was only eight days after he was released from prison on licence in December last year.Detective Constable Steve Colston of the Cardiff East burglary squad said officers believed Ellis had been responsible for pushing up the area’s burglary statistics.Det Con Colston said: “This is an individual we were looking for and we are thankful to the neighbour who contacted us.
“Hopefully, there will now be a significant reduction in the number of burglaries in this part of Cardiff.”Ellis, of Trowbridge Green, Trowbridge, Cardiff, was a given four-and-a-half year sentence after he pleaded guilty to two counts of burglary.
A suspended sentence was activated which means Ellis will serve another six months in jail bringing the total to five years.His lawyer told the court he was committing the burglaries to feed a heroin addiction.

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Mark Warne ,Katie Dukes face the prospect of a lengthy jail term after pleading guilty

Mark Warne faces the prospect of a lengthy jail term after pleading guilty to having the drugs last autumn.A second defendant, Katie Dukes, also 28 years old, pleaded guilty to simple possession of the drugs before a jury could be sworn in on the morning of her trial.couple, who live together in Willington Road, Redhouse, admitted having the heroin between Tuesday September 11 and Saturday September 15 last year.Warne pleaded guilty to possessing a class A drug with intent to supply and Dukes to possession of heroin.
A third person, Martin Randall, of Balham, London, had also been charged with possession with intent to supply and was alsodue to stand trial.But the prosecution offered no evidence after reading a psychologist's report which had been compiled on the 18-year-old.They also dropped a charge of having a firearm when prohibited from doing so which relate solely to Warne allegedly having a .177 air pistol during the same period of time.Judge Douglas Field, sitting at Swindon Crown Court, recorded formal not guilty verdicts on the two matters and Randall was discharged.He adjourned the hearing for the other two until Wednesday April 30 to allow the probation service to compile pre-sentence reports on them.Rob Ross, for Warne, told the court "While he is entirely accepting he will receive a lengthy jail sentence the court would require a report."The judge remanded Warne in custody and release Dukes on bail on the condition she lives and sleeps at her home.

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Dubai International Airport, two Afghan visitors stood trial yesterday for illegally bringing in and possessing 47.6 kilograms of heroin

Two visitors have denied smuggling heroin and claimed that a man promised them a job if they delivered almonds to someone in Sharjah. The two Afghan visitors stood trial yesterday for illegally bringing in and possessing 47.6 kilograms of heroin, which was professionally packed inside almonds, as charged by the Public Prosecution.
The suspects, 63-year-old A.S. and 19-year-old K.A., denied their charges and pleaded not guilty before the Dubai Court of First Instance. They claimed that they were unaware the almonds were stuffed with heroin. Customs officers at Dubai International Airport foiled the duo's attempt to smuggle the heroin out of the airport into the emirate and referred them to Dubai police's Anti-Narcotics Department on September 19, 2007. After inspection, police found about 47.6kg of heroin in the almonds which were hidden in 86 small bags.A 28-year-old Emirati customs inspector said in his statement to the Public Prosecution: "The 19-year-old suspect arrived in Dubai onboard an Afghan airline. A colleague of mine suspected that he carried something unlawful and took him to a search room. The suspect carried two handbags in which the almonds were placed. Each handbag contained paper bags, inside each of there were ten smaller nylon bags. Each nylon bag contained a handful of almonds. We discovered that the heroin was packed in small transparent sacks and each stuffed inside an almond."The 28-year-old witness said K.A. claimed that a man named Sajid handed him the handbags in Kandahar and asked him to deliver it to someone in Sharjah. "The suspect claimed that he didn't know that he carried heroin and thought it was almonds. He also said he was promised a job and $2,500 (Dh9,100) cash after delivery," he added. A 26-year-old customs inspector arrested the 63-year-old suspect in a similar manner and he gave the same statement.
An anti-narcotics police corporal testified: "The suspect who was scheduled to receive the drugs in Sharjah cut loose and we are still searching for him. "

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Juan Camacho Calderon pleaded guilty to conspiracy to possess and distribute 500 grams or more of meth

"I'm guilty 100 percent," Calderon said through a Spanish-speaking interpreter in U.S. Magistrate Judge John Love's court.Juan Camacho Calderon, 40, a suspected leader in the organization, pleaded guilty to conspiracy to possess and distribute 500 grams or more of meth, 5 kilograms or more of cocaine and more than 1,000 marijuana plants, from December 2004 through Oct. 11, 2007. He faces 10 years to life in prison. Calderon admitted that the cocaine and meth were acquired from Mexico and sold in Tyler and the surrounding area. He admitted he was a leader in the conspiracy. On Oct. 11, 2007, Calderon told Maria Lopez that he thought someone was following him and told her to gather a kilogram of cocaine, a rifle, ammunition and about $27,400 from his ranch, at 10570 Farm-to-Market Road 14 in Smith County, and hide them, court documents state. Also located at his ranch were two shotguns, two rifles, a revolver and more than 240 rounds of various ammunitions.
Calderon is represented by U.S. Public Defender Ken Hawk, while Assistant U.S. Attorney Allen Hurst is prosecuting the case. The defendant was charged with 20 others in a 37-count indictment after a yearslong investigation, dubbed "Operation Thin Ice," netted $24,000 in cash, 15 firearms, ammunition, 3.5 pounds of meth, 6 kilograms of cocaine and drug paraphernalia.
On March 12, Andres Sosa-Saucedo, also known as "Llantas," 39, pleaded guilty to the conspiracy and admitted he sold 57 grams of cocaine at his business, Andrew's Used Tires, 6164 Reynolds Road in Tyler. Sosa-Saucedo had a recorded telephone conversation with Calderon in which Calderon asked him to find customers who would buy larger amounts of cocaine, but he found none. Sosa-Saucedo said Calderon talked about horses and colts, but he knew colts referred to cocaine. In the conspiracy, defendants allegedly obtained meth and cocaine from multiple sources and grew marijuana to sell out of their homes and the tire business. They also allegedly sold weapons and used firearms to protect the drug business. The government is seeking forfeiture of the cash and guns, as well as six properties in Smith County.

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Found actress Natasha Collins dead in the bath

"She took sufficient cocaine to kill people anyway."
found actress Natasha Collins dead in the bath But paramedics were unable to revive Natasha, 31, an actress, who had burns over 60 per cent of her body.Yesterday, a pathologist said it was likely the cocaine caused her to collapse while the hot tap was running, causing the horrific injuries.The level of the drug in her blood was 3.42mg per litre while a level of a fifth of that - 0.7mg - can be fatal.Speight, 43, was sworn in to give evidence at yesterday's inquest at Westminster Coroners' Court.But he told coroner Dr Paul Knapman he had nothing to add to what he had told police or the evidence of other witnesses. He was only told last month he would not face charges over his fiancee's death in January.The court was also told Natasha showed the signs of long-term drug abuse, with a 1cm hole in the septum of her nose.
Paramedic James Eaton told the inquest Speight was "distressed" when he arrived at the couple's penthouse flat in St John's Wood, London, adding: "He just asked us to help the patient."But there was no output from Natasha's heart and her body was covered in scalds.The coroner said police found Speight kneeling over his girlfriend's body.He admitted to police that the couple had taken cocaine, saying: "We were partying."The court had heard the couple had been holed up for two days in their flat taking drugs .Speight then told officers that he and Natasha had drunk wine and vodka and taken sleeping tablets at about 4am on January 3 because they were having trouble sleeping.Natasha had also been having period-related stomach pains.When Speight was sworn in yesterday, the coroner asked him: "For very understandable reasons you are very upset. Is there anything you would like to say in addition to the evidence?"He replied: "No, I can't think of anything."
Asked if there was any of the evidence which may be misleading, he said: "Not that I can think of, no."Pathologist Professor Sebastian Lucas said: "It is not so much the amount of cocaine (that can be fatal) but the way the cocaine reacts which is unpredictable."He told the inquest the cocaine abuse could have caused Natasha to collapse and the subsequent burns then killed her.Prof Lucas gave the cause of death as cocaine toxicity and immersion in hot water.Recording a verdict of misadventure, the coroner said: "In the privacy of their flat, they had embarked on adventurous behaviour, ignoring the risks."She has suffered the consequences by the ending of her life. It is a tragedy for all concerned."It seems that while Mr Speight was asleep, at some stage she got up and had a bath."It is more likely than not she had some heart problem in the bath that caused her to lose consciousness and unfortunately she had the hot tap still going.A joint statement from Speight, who resigned from the BBC in February, and Natasha's family said: "Natasha was a loving daughter, fiancee, sister and friend with a very positive attitude towards life.
"She was always thinking of others. We are devastated that her life was cut short and we miss her deeply."She will always remain in our hearts."

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Ricardo McKendrick Sr,aka"Little Ricky" Ricardo McKendrick Jr charged with conspiracy to distribute cocaine and possession with intent to distribute

"We are not playing around," he said. "We are taking the city back. Anyone who doesn't understand that needs to get out." Ricardo McKendrick Sr., 56, and his son Ricardo McKendrick Jr., 36. They were charged with conspiracy to distribute cocaine and possession with intent to distribute, according to Police Commissioner Charles H. Ramsey.U.S. Attorney General Patrick L. Meehan described the father, known as "Little Ricky," as a "big-time drug dealer in a family-run operation."Seven 55-gallon drums filled with cocaine were confiscated, along with a pile of cocaine bricks, authorities said.
Police said the sophisticated operation, uncovered in a stash house in the 2600 block of Federal Street, included a hydraulic press that pressed the cocaine into one-kilogram bricks. Blackburn said the operation also included a machine that cut the cocaine with inert ingredients.About $62,000 in cash and a .38-caliber handgun were seized at the house - but far more money was allegedly found in Woodstown, N.J., at a property owned by a member of the family. There, police said, they found 15 duffel bags filled with between $500,000 and $800,000 in cash.Officials were tight-lipped about where the cocaine came from, where it was headed, and how it was distributed. They said they could not say more because the investigation was continuing.The seizure, officials said, was the result of a joint operation involving Philadelphia police undercover narcotics units, the FBI, and the U.S. Attorney's Office.Blackburn said he expected the seizure to put a dent in cocaine trafficking, especially in South Philadelphia. "I think there will be a shortage of drugs on the street," he said, "but not for an extended period of time."The haul far outstripped a February 2007 cocaine bust that authorities said then was the largest in the city's history. In that seizure, police confiscated 100 kilograms of cocaine worth $10 million that was hidden amid boxes of moldy papayas inside a tractor-trailer.Mayor Nutter, on hand for yesterday's news conference, praised the cooperation of the various law enforcement agencies.

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Rebecca Jayne Hall sold the officer a foil wrap containing 0.11 grammes of diamorphine, a Class A controlled drug, in return for a £10 payment.

Rebecca Jayne Hall sold the officer a foil wrap containing 0.11 grammes of diamorphine, a Class A controlled drug, in return for a £10 payment.
The test purchase was carried out by Derbyshire Constabulary as part of Operation Hartley, a crackdown on drug supply in the High Peak and Derbyshire Dales.
Prosecutor John Cooper told High Peak Magistrates' Court last Wednesday how the undercover officer had made telephone calls on November 14 in an attempt to purchase heroin.
"At 19.17 the officer made a third call and was told to go to a telephone kiosk next to the Bulls Head public house on Fairfield Road," he said."The officer attended the phone box and made another call, when he was told someone would be along to meet him.
"Approximately 30 to 40 seconds later, a woman walked towards him. She held out her right hand and he gave her a £10 note."He turned his hand over and she had dropped a silver foil wrap into it. This was later tested and found to be heroin, with a street value of £10."Hall, 23, of Fairfield Road, originally denied the offence in interview, but was later picked out during a video identity parade.
She pleaded guilty to supplying heroin, but magistrates decided their sentencing powers were not sufficient and committed her for sentence at Derby Crown Court on April 18.James Riley, defending, said: "The defendant had no direct involvement with these telephone conversations. She was at the flat at the time and was told someone was out there and to go and hand them this in exchange for £10."She is a drug user who has been used by the more sophisticated drug dealers."Mr Riley added Hall was determined to break the habit and get free from drugs.

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Juan C. Bedoya,Francisco Bedoya, Vanessa Bedoya, Gonzalo Rodriguez-Jimenez, and Juan G. Meneses,possession of a controlled substance

Francisco Bedoya, 36; Juan C. Bedoya, 38, and his wife, Vanessa Bedoya, 37; Gonzalo Rodriguez-Jimenez, 38; and Juan G. Meneses, 32; each is charged with possession of a controlled substance with intent to delivery.Detectives seized 15 kilograms of cocaine – worth $4.5 million – along with more than $50,000 in cash and two cars.They were arrested Tuesday and remain in jail awaiting court appearances

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Philip F.Sassone was conducting drug transactions at the Jiffy Lube location after normal business hours

Philip F. Sassone Jr., 23, take part in a drug deal after the Rantoul Street business closed Tuesday. Police went in to arrest Sassone and said they found approximately 10 grams of cocaine in 11 bags hidden inside a pack of cigarettes.
Sassone, of 37 Dunlap St., Salem, is charged with cocaine possession with intent to distribute and a school-zone violation. The business is near Briscoe Middle School.
A woman who answered the phone at the Beverly Jiffy Lube denied Sassone was arrested at work and had no comment.
"Mr. Sassone was conducting drug transactions at the Jiffy Lube location after normal business hours," said Patrolman John McCarthy, police spokesman. "During the course of this investigation, it was learned that Mr. Sassone had conducted transactions during normal business hours, as well."
Sassone's arrest is the second time in just over a year that police have arrested a Jiffy Lube employee for allegedly selling cocaine while on the job.
On March 28, 2007, Jiffy Lube employee Derek Ellcock, then 25, of Salem, was charged with distribution of crack cocaine. Jiffy Lube spokesman Virginia Sanchez said the company is aware of the arrest on Tuesday.
"We will fully cooperate with local authorities and are conducting our own internal investigation of the matter," Sanchez said. "We do not condone illegal activity of any kind that involves our service centers, and we take this matter very seriously."
Sassone was arrested by police Sgt. Michael Cassola, Detectives Thomas Nolan and Richard Ganey, and Patrolmen Harold Geary and Michael Flynn.

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Mayor of Izucar de Matamoros ,Ruben Gil was arrested in California on March 23, 2008

The mayor of Izucar de Matamoros in the state of Puebla, Mexico, who is under US indictment charging him with narcotics trafficking, has been brought to New York City to face charges.Ruben Gil was arrested in California on March 23, 2008. The law enforcement investigative team in the United States included the Rockland County, NY Narcotics Task Force.It is alleged that from 2005 through at least November 2007, Gil, 41, along with co-defendant Martin Nelson Garcia, participated in a far-reaching narcotics trafficking conspiracy, in which they arranged for the transportation and delivery of cocaine to co-conspirators in the New York metropolitan area.In November 2007, Gil arranged for the delivery of 11 kilograms of cocaine the New York area. That followed a 22 kilogram cocaine delivery to New York, which they arranged in June 2006.

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Ten year old boy who was allegedly raped by four classmates allegedly recorded by one of the aggressors on their mobile phone

Ten year old boy who was allegedly raped by four classmates in the Almeria town of Adra, is suffering nightmares and panic attacks according to a psychologists report drawn up at the Mental Health centre at El Ejido. The attack, by four classmates who are all also under age, allegedly took place close to the CEIP Nueva Andalucía school in the town, although not on the premises and outside school hours. The medical report advises a change of school and place of residence for the victim who is also on medication. The victim’s mother, Maria Teresa S.B. has called on the Guardia Civil and under age prosecutor to re-open the case which was initially archived as those accused had not reached the penal age of 14 in Spain. The attack was also allegedly recorded by one of the aggressors on their mobile phone.

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Robbing the money from the collection box placed where the faithful go to light a candle.

Security cameras at the San Juan Bautista Church in Coín, Málaga, have allowed the Civil Guard to identify who was responsible for robbing the money from the collection box placed where the faithful go to light a candle. Three women, two sisters and another local woman, all of them Spanish, were recorded making off with the collection, estimated at 120 €, and what’s more all three turned round to face directly into the camera. The recording shows how one kept watch while the other two broke the padlock.

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Malaga banks held up in the space of five minutes by a man in a blue wig

Malaga banks held up in the space of five minutes by a man in a blue wig last week. Witnesses say an individual burst into a branch of Unicaja in Malaga on Tuesday morning, brandishing a shotgun. He was dressed in sunglasses, a green jacket and a blue wig according to the two customers and three members of staff in the bank at the time. Although the gun appeared to be fake, employees handed over the contents of the till to the intruder, who fled the scene. Just five minutes later police received a call from an office of Banesto on the Calle Frigilana. Two men, one of whom fitted the description of the robber in Unicaja, allegedly threatened staff with a sawn-off shotgun.But the second robbery did not go as planned. They escaped with a grand total of just under 40 euros before making a getaway on a motorbike. Witnesses say the robbers attacked a 30-year-old man who needed medical treatment as a result.

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David Bruce Houston is facing up to 10 years in jail after prosecutors on the Indonesian resort island of Bali accused him of possessing drugs.

Australian man is facing up to 10 years in jail after prosecutors on the Indonesian resort island of Bali accused him of possessing drugs.
Police found 3.5 grams of marijuana when they raided a house rented by David Bruce Houston in the Kuta tourist district on December 12, a state prosecutor told a Bali court.Houston, 38, is charged with possessing and keeping an illegal dangerous substance. He also faces two subsidiary charges, narcotics consumption and being an addict.The court heard witness statements from three police officers and a neighbour. The defendant's 19-year-old Indonesian wife testified in his favour.
Houston is one of a number of Australians to have been arrested for drugs possession or trafficking in Bali in recent years.Schapelle Corby was sentenced to 20 years in jail in 2005 for smuggling marijuana into Bali. She had her final appeal overturned last week.She is housed in the same island prison as the so-called Bali Nine, who were convicted of smuggling heroin from Indonesia to Australia in 2005.
Houston's trial will resume next week.

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Costa del Sol villas and quality apartments in good locations are crashing by as much as £20,000 to £80,000.

Sellers are also gravitating towards auction houses, where properties can achieve a fast sale at knock-down prices. Inez Rix of Direct Auctions says she has seen a huge increase in business from owners desperately trying to offload property. "Things are getting worse and people are dropping prices drastically where they can."
On Direct Auction's website, properties are being listed as much as 60 per cent below their original valuations. Banks have been incredibly slow to alter their valuation criteria and take account of the crash, but nonetheless, their figures show the kinds of reductions that are now available. A one two-bedroom apartment near Fuengirola, for example, was recently valued at £148,000 and has dropped to £84,000 – that's £64,000 less. Another two-bed property in the same location is listed at £44,000 less than its valuation. One lovely villa in Marbella valued on paper at £570,000 is now on the market at £492,000, a drop of nearly £80,000.
As property prices dip, Rix has seen an increase in the number of owners falling into negative equity, and the banks are sitting on a growing cache of repossessions. One would expect the institutions to sell them off at rock-bottom prices but this is not happening, because there is no precedent of mass repossessions in Spain.
"Many people realise they aren't going to sell their homes in a month of Sundays and are just walking away," says Rix. "The banks are being slow to sell properties to cover their costs but we expect more properties to come on to the market over the next two years." Which means anyone prepared to play a waiting game could bag a real bargain. Most properties showing big reductions are new-builds, bought by investors hoping to sell before completion and in advance of the mortgage kicking in, a practice known as flipping. However, there are also rural properties and exclusive estates being sold at rock-bottom prices by owners who have simply been caught out by the upheaval.
Derek Blaney stopped selling off-plan several years ago when he saw the market becoming overheated and says more responsible agents are glad that the recent scandals and market forces have made the industry more transparent. "Things had to be cleaned up," he says. "Property was being seen as a sheer commodity, people were buying through greed and with no emotional attachment."
Who can blame buyers when they were being wooed with promises of huge returns that now seem impossible? With the credit crisis biting deep, there may be further room for prices in Spain to fall. For those who bought in Spain a year or two ago, none of this will come as any consolation. But for those looking to buy a place in the sun, it's worth following the selling prices of the nicer properties, and steering well clear of vast developments. At some stage, the outlook will change. It may not boom, but it must at some stage level off. And buyers who get the timing right could be on to a good deal indeed.

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Krystle Dawn Mitchelitis,Charles Matthew Cook,Rejean Arsenault,Robert Vezina charged with possession of cocaine

Three bricks of the drug with a total weight of 3,352 grams were seized in a room at the Cambridge Suites, Monday night, after police executed a search warrant. The amount the drug carries an estimated street value of $670,000, more than double the amount of the police’s largest seizure of $250,000 last week.
“This has been an ongoing investigation that the street crime unit has been undertaking for the last couple of months in regards to cocaine, its distribution and its source locations,” said Staff Sgt. Paul Jobe. “We figure this will have a substantial impact on the streets, but it’s not long-term, we have to keep up.”
Four males and one female were arrested; one from Sydney, three from Quebec and one from Toronto. Police reported Tuesday that another suspect in the case remains at large.
Five people appeared in provincial court Tuesday charged with possession of cocaine for the purpose of trafficking and conspiracy to traffic in cocaine.
The five are: Charles Matthew Cook, 22, George Street, Sydney; Rejean Arsenault, 52, Pointe Fortune, Que.; Robert Vezina, 58, LaSalle, Que.; Michael Giordano, 41, Saint-Lazare, Que.; and Krystle Dawn Mitchelitis, 19, Toronto.
Federal prosecutor David Iannetti opposed the release of the five who were remanded into custody until Thursday for bail hearings for Giordano, Cook and Mitchelitis and status hearings for Arsenault and Vezina, who have asked for bail hearings in French.
Arsenault will be represented by a lawyer from Quebec.
While the investigation continues, Chief Dave Wilson expressed concerns the drugs may be tied to organized crime.
“My best guess is yes,” said Wilson, when asked about the operation being the work of organized crime. “Until we complete the investigation we won’t know for sure.
“I think it’s a possibility because there are so many Cape Bretoners right now going to work transient wise, so they are all across the country and they are making these contacts, contacts with people who are working in the criminal world and coming back here they have a connection to bring the stuff in.”
With two substantial seizures in the past seven days, Jobe said the months of work by the street crime unit is beginning to show great successes.
“This is all based on investigative techniques and getting into the bowels of the drug trade,” he said. “We’ve started off at the street level, now the officers have targeted the major seizures at the higher level and we will continue.”
The large amount of cocaine being seized by police continues to support the theory that the drug has become the drug of choice in Cape Breton, a trend which bothers Jobe.
“Since I’ve been here I’ve seen cocaine become the drug of choice and hashish is almost non-existent on the street today as opposed to a number of years ago when (hashish) was the drug of choice,” said Jobe. “We’re living in an advanced age and we’ve seen the OxyContin age when that was a very serious drug on the street. We’ve now gone to cocaine and my only fear is what’s coming next.”

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Keflavík International Airport threesome arrested for carrying a total of one kilo amphetamine

A couple in their late twenties or early thirties, traveling from Amsterdam, were caught at customs control at Keflavík International Airport on Friday carrying a total of one kilo of certain substances, allegedly amphetamine, in their underwear.
The couple were traveling with a man in his fifties who was arrested for theft on Snaefellsnes peninsula, west Iceland, in 2003. Following his arrest the man was evicted and barred from returning to Iceland. They are all Polish citizens, as Morgunbladid reports.
According to Sudurnes Chief of Police Jóhann R. Benediktsson one of the customs officers had recognized the man who had been evicted in 2003.
The threesome was sentenced to custody until April 11 while the case is being investigated.

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James E. Drugis, Wood Dale, Roselle;Rigoberto Gomez, Alberto Flores

Police arrested 24 people on charges based on suspicion they either supplied, sold or bought the cocaine throughout DuPage County. Authorities also confiscated a cache of cocaine and seven guns.The task force interviewed more than 100 witnesses, developed informants, executed search warrants, conducted extensive surveillance, and obtained wiretaps to secretly listen to hundreds of recorded conversations, including many drug buys.The first sweep of arrests came March 14. On Thursday, a DuPage County grand jury indicted most of the defendants, from the alleged suppliers to low-level buyers. Authorities kept working the investigation through the weekend, when the final arrests were made.The main targets remained Tuesday in the DuPage County
James E. Drugis, 33, 289 N. Catalpa Ave., Wood Dale; Santino Colella, 57, 25 Whippoor Will Court, Roselle; Alberto Flores, 31, 337 N. Poplar, Bensenville; Rigoberto Gomez, 32, 1812 Elmwood, Berwyn; and Gabriel Salgado-Laguna, 33, 1824 Mozart, Chicago.
The co-defendants, except for Drugis, need $1 million cash for their release. Drugis must post $750,000 cash. It was his neighbor whose complaint sparked the probe. The men are charged with felony criminal drug conspiracy and unlawful possession of a controlled substance with the intent to deliver.defendants caught facing similar drug charges include: Colella's wife, Elvira, 54, of Roselle; Drugis' roommate, George S. Zakrzewski, 29, of Wood Dale; a neighbor, Victor Rios, 44, 401 Catalpa Ave., Wood Dale; Carol L. Bottoms, 55, 22W310 Peterson Ave., Glen Ellyn; Manuel Contreras, 23, 322 Virginia Ave., Bensenville; Robert C. Hannum, 42, 213 Vermont St., Villa Park; and Frankie Folisi, 28, 2139 Pepperwood Lane, Glendale Heights.
At least five people alleged to be low-level buyers also were indicted. The other defendants will be named during today's news conference.
Besides Wood Dale officers, the task force includes members of the DuPage Metropolitan Enforcement Group, U.S. Drug Administration, Roselle Police Department and the DuPage County state's attorney's office.

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Cory Randall convicted for possession of methamphetamine

Cory Randall convicted for possession of methamphetamine with intent to deliver after a one-day trial.Randall, 31, will be sentenced in May but not before Assistant Prosecutor Bill O’Grady presents evidence of Randall’s prior criminal convictions. With a prior 2004 conviction for possession of meth lab components, the maximum penalty for his charge would double to 40 years.But because the state also alleged he had convictions in 1997 in Grayling for possession of a concealed weapon, in Branch County for breaking and entering in 2001, accessory after the fact in a felony in 2003, and the meth lab, the maximum penalty as a four-time felony offender could be life in prison.

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Joel Bohemier pleaded guilty yesterday to one count of cocaine trafficking

A judge agreed to release Bohemier on bail yesterday so he can "get his affairs in order" before beginning a penitentiary sentence in October.
Bohemier, 37, was one of 18 people arrested last December following a year-long undercover police investigation targeting organized crime dubbed Project Drill.
Bohemier pleaded guilty yesterday to one count of cocaine trafficking. Additional counts of marijuana trafficking and possession of goods obtained by crime will be dealt with at a sentencing hearing Oct. 7.
The Crown and defence will be jointly recommending a prison sentence, the duration of which will depend on Bohemier's behaviour while on bail, said prosecutor Chris Mainella.
Justice Doug Abra consented to Bohemier's bail release after family members agreed to sign sureties for $100,000.
"If Mr. Bohemier can't stay on the straight and narrow, his family is going to pay a severe financial penalty," Mainella said.
While on bail, Bohemier is to observe an absolute curfew except while working as a mover. Career criminal Scott Robertson was paid $500,000 to buy drugs from Project Drill suspects while police recorded the proceedings. Among those caught in Project Drill's net are several Hells Angels and associates and local Hells Angels president Dale Donovan. Court documents describe Bohemier as an "independent" drug dealer who was selling marijuana by the pound and cocaine by the multi-ounces

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Misty Lawrence plead guilty to three counts of distribution of cocaine and one count of aiding and abetting the distribution of crack cocaine

Misty Lawrence, 22, of Derry, plead guilty Monday, March 31, to three counts of distribution of cocaine and one count of aiding and abetting the distribution of crack cocaine in the United Sates District Court.On three separate dates in November of 2006, Lawrence sold cocaine to an undercover police officer. On Dec. 5, 2006, Lawrence assisted a co-defendant in the distribution of crack cocaine to an undercover police officer. Lawrence is scheduled to be sentenced on May 14, 2008. Lawrence faces a maximum sentence of 20 years. She is being detained pending sentencing.The case was investigated by the Manchester Police Narcotics Investigation Unit and prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Debra M. Walsh.

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Misty Lawrence plead guilty to three counts of distribution of cocaine and one count of aiding and abetting the distribution of crack cocaine

Misty Lawrence, 22, of Derry, plead guilty Monday, March 31, to three counts of distribution of cocaine and one count of aiding and abetting the distribution of crack cocaine in the United Sates District Court.On three separate dates in November of 2006, Lawrence sold cocaine to an undercover police officer. On Dec. 5, 2006, Lawrence assisted a co-defendant in the distribution of crack cocaine to an undercover police officer. Lawrence is scheduled to be sentenced on May 14, 2008. Lawrence faces a maximum sentence of 20 years. She is being detained pending sentencing.The case was investigated by the Manchester Police Narcotics Investigation Unit and prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Debra M. Walsh.

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Kyle Davidson was found to be supplying cocaine

Kyle Davidson was found to be supplying the class-A drug after he defrauded a company by ordering plumbing equipment on their account.Police searched the 19-year-old's home looking for the equipment and found the cocaine in a bag in his bedroom.
At Edinburgh Sheriff Court today, Davidson pleaded guilty to obtaining £1,442.43 of goods by fraud on January 14 and being concerned in the supply of cocaine at his home at Niddrie Mill Drive, Edinburgh, on February 2.Davidson had worked for a plumbing firm until October last year, which had a contract with Factotum letting agency.In January, he went to Graham The Plumbers Merchants in the city's Temple Park Crescent where he pretended to still be working for the plumbing firm and ordered a boiler, a shower and plumbing accessories worth more than £1400 on the Factotum account."The person who served him recognised him as having been present with the owner of the company and accordingly the goods were charged to that account as requested by the accused," fiscal depute Sally Clark told the court.
She said the following day, a member of staff at Factotum became concerned about suspicious transactions on the company account and contacted police.Officers raided Davidson's home and found a bag of white powder which was later tested and found to be 250 grams of cocaine with an estimated street value of £12,500.
Davidson, whose address is given as Edinburgh Prison, is due to be sentenced later this month following background reports.

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Cornelius Roets pleaded guilty at Edinburgh Sheriff Court to the importation of herbal cannabis

Cornelius Roets, 44, was stopped by customs officers after flying in from South Africa via Amsterdam in February.When they asked if he had packed his bag himself Roets claimed it had been packed by a man named Frank in South Africa who paid him £1200 to transport it to Scotland.He said he did not know what was in the bag but admitted suspecting there might be drugs.Roets pleaded guilty today at Edinburgh Sheriff Court to the fraudulent evasion of a prohibition on the importation of herbal cannabis under the Misuse of Drugs Act at Edinburgh Airport on February 24 this year.Roets, a prisoner in Edinburgh Prison, was remanded in custody until he is sentenced later this month.

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