Former deputy editor received £25,000 from News of the World publisher after starting work as consultant with police force

Former News of the World deputy editor Neil Wallis leaving Hammersmith police station in July. Photograph: Murray Sanders/Mail On Sunday

The relationship between the police and the News of the World has come under fire again amid revelations that Neil Wallis, the former deputy editor of the News of the World, was paid by the paper's publisher for "crime exclusives" while working for the Metropolitan police.

Wallis was secretly paid more than £25,000 by News International after he left the paper and got a contract to work two days a month as a PR consultant with the Met. One story earned him a single payment of £10,000.

The Daily Telegraph claims that internal records obtained by Scotland Yard show that he was paid for providing News International with details of a suspected assassination attempt on the Pope during his visit to the UK last year.

A spokesman for Scotland Yard said the contract it had with Wallis's PR firm, Chamy Media, "had a confidentiality clause, a data protection act clause and a conflict of interest clause within it".

He added that Wallis did not have access to the Met's IT systems.

The revelations that Wallis received money from News International while working for Scotland Yard will raise questions about conflicts of interest.

Last month, it emerged that Andy Coulson, the former editor of the News of the World, continued to receive payments from News International as part of a severance deal after he was employed by the Tory party as its director of communications.

Wallis's solicitor has made a complaint alleging that the police had leaked the information regarding the payments.

 

 

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Spanish jail-house film shows without on-the-run actor

 

A Spanish prison screened a short film made by inmates Friday with one missing ingredient -- a key actor in the jail-house drama is on the run. Inmates spent months making "Guilty", about a murderer haunted by his victim, to show in an annual festival behind bars in Leon, northern Spain, a prison official and media here said. "Among the inmates taking part, there was one in the final stages of his sentence who was allowed out regularly with leave, but who did not come back from one of those leaves," said a prison service spokeswoman. Prisoners completed the film without the missing actor who disappeared at least two months ago, said the spokeswoman for the Secretary General of Penitentiary Institutions. She denied reports he had the leading role. "He may have had some more important scenes but he was not not necessarily the hero." The actor is being sought for breach of a six-year drug-dealing sentence, which had been due for completion in 2012, she said, stressing that he was not considered a danger.

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Mexican Gulf Cartel gangster Manuel Alquisires Garcia paraded with his bling

Mexican marines have recaptured a fugitive suspected trafficker, who had been arrested 13 years earlier, along with the man who was to become the Gulf Cartel's top leader.

Manuel Alquisires Garcia is the cartel's alleged finance officer, the Mexican navy said in a statement, and he was captured by marines on Saturday in the city of Tampico.

Among the items seized allegedly from Manuel Alquisires Garcia included a gold plated pistol, wads of cash and jewellery.

Recaptured: Mexican Navy marines escort Manuel Alquisires Garcia, alias 'El Meme,' during a presentation to the press in Mexico City

Alquisires, aka ‘El Meme’, was originally arrested in June 1998 along with Osiel Cardenas Guillen.

Cardenas later escaped and went on to become the Gulf Cartel's leader before being recaptured in 2003.

 

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He was extradited to the U.S. in 2006 and sentenced last year to 25 years in federal prison.

Alquisires escaped from a prison in Matamoros, across the border from Brownsville, Texas, in 2002, three years after his arrest, prosecutors said yesterday.

The golden gun: A gold plated pistol and jewellery were among the items allegedly seized from Mauel Alquisires Garcia in Mexico

 

Bling seized: Part of the arsenal and personal things of alleged financial agent of the drug 'Cartel del Golfo', Manuel Alquisires Garcia, including wads of cash

Zetas hitmen, who at the time were still allied to the Gulf Cartel, allegedly orchestrated his escape.

He had evaded authorities until Saturday.

Alquisires is suspected of trafficking cocaine from Guatemala for the Gulf Cartel.

Also on Monday, the Mexican navy said it captured 13 gunmen, including a suspect in the killing of a marine, who said to be members of the Zetas drug cartel.

The navy said in a statement the men were arrested Friday in the Gulf coast state of Veracruz and were carrying grenades and computers. 

Mass of weapons: The arsenal and personal items allegedly belonging to Garcia were shown during a presentation to the press in Mexico City

 

Under arrest: Mexican marines escort alleged financial agent of the drug 'Cartel del Golfo', Manuel Alquisires Garcia, aka 'El Meme' and also know as Agustin Sanchez Morua

 

Detained again: Alquisires was originally arrested in June 1998 along with Osiel Cardenas Guillen

 

 

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Authorities Confirm Gun Found In Arizona Is Third At U.S. Crime Scene Tied To ATF's 'Fast And Furious'

 

Authorities confirm a weapon from the failed ATF program 'Operation Fast and Furious' was found at a violent crime scene in Maricopa, Ariz. in 2010. This is the latest in a series of cases where Fast and Furious guns have been linked to violent crimes across the U.S. and Mexico. The two guns found at the scene were an AK-47 and a Beretta pistol, according to the Arizona Department of Public Safety. The AK-47 is linked to Fast and Furious, according to ATF. The weapons were found inside a stolen truck in March 2010 after the driver slammed into two DPS vehicles while trying to evade members of the Arizona Vehicle Theft Task Force, ABC 15 reports. The driver, Angel Hernandez Diaz, was reportedly arrested and charged with multiple crimes, including flight from a pursuing law enforcement vehicle, aggravated assault on an officer with a dangerous instrument or deadly weapon, theft of means of transportation and misconduct involving a weapon, according to court documents. Fast and Furious was an operation launched in late 2009 by the Phoenix office of the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives to follow gun purchasers in hopes that suspects would lead investigators to the heads of Mexican cartels. But hundreds of high-powered rifles and other guns ended up in Mexico, and many now accuse the ATF and the Justice Department of letting the guns "walk" even after safety concerns were raised. Assistant Attorney General Ronald Weich said last week that three weapons linked to Operation Fast and Furious had been used in violent crimes in the U.S.  Weapons linked to the program were used in a December attack along the Southwest border that killed U.S. Border Patrol Agent Brian Terry. Months later, Rep. Darrell Issa, R-Calif, launched his committee's investigation, as the Justice Department's inspector general also opened an inquiry, at Attorney General Eric Holder's direction. On Wednesday, Holder said for the first time that not only he but also other higher-ups at the Justice Department were not aware of the operation as it was being carried out. Holder also suggested politics could be a driving force behind Republican lawmakers' forceful inquiries into the matter. Recently, the man who headed ATF in the midst of it, Ken Melson, was reassigned, and U.S. attorney Dennis Burke, who oversaw the prosecution of cases coming out of the operation, abruptly resigned. At least three men have been charged in connection with the murder of agent Terry, though only one is in U.S. custody. The Justice Department recently informed lawmakers that cases coming out of Operation Fast and Furious will now be led by prosecutors from outside Arizona.

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Police officer who shot dead Mark Duggan will NOT return to duty until probe is complete

 

The firearms officer who shot dead Mark Duggan, the event believed to have triggered the London riots, has not returned to active duty despite reports to the contrary, Scotland Yard has confirmed. Mr Duggan, a father-of-four, was shot in the chest and arm after the taxi he was travelling in was stopped by police near Tottenham Hale on August 5 His death sparked protests in the area which were later followed by rioting. It had been reported that the officer who fired the fatal shot had been returned to duty as part of the Metropolitan Police's CO19 firearms unit, but Scotland Yard have denied this saying he will remain suspended until investigations have been completed. The funeral of Mr Duggan is due to be held today with between 1,500 and 3,000 people expected join a procession through the Broadwater Farm estate where he lived. It was initially reported that Mr Duggan, 29, had shot at police. But ballistic tests later found that a bullet which lodged itself in one officer's radio was police issue. Mr Duggan's relatives have accused officers of deciding to 'shoot to kill' and say they do not believe the gun discovered hidden in a sock belonged to him.

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Australian slain mobster Carl Williams 'was informant'

 

Notorious Australian gangster Carl Williams was offering information to the police in the weeks before he was beaten to death in his jail cell, the trial of his alleged killer has heard. A lawyer who handled Williams' talks with the police said the gangster was preparing to provide the names of some of his underworld associates. The lawyer said Williams had become worried about his safety in prison. His former cellmate Matthew Charles Johnson, 38, denies murder. Johnson has admitted killing Williams, but said it was self-defence, adding that he was in a "kill or be killed situation". At the time, police feared the killing could spark another gangland war in Melbourne's criminal underworld. Williams was already serving a 35-year jail term for murdering three of his rivals when he was killed in April 2010. On the third day of Johnson's murder trial, Williams' former lawyer told the court that the gangster had been ready to tell police the names of other people involved in those murders. Shane Tyrrell said Williams had hoped to get his sentence reduced, as well as having his daughter's school fees paid, in return for the information. However, Mr Tyrrell said his client had become uneasy because prison staff had known about his talks with the police. On Wednesday, Williams' father George had told the jury that Johnson had killed his son because he wanted to benefit from the police deal. George Williams, himself a convicted drug trafficker, said Johnson had asked his son: "Can you get me on board?" Williams was one of Australia's most infamous gangland bosses before he was jailed. His life of crime and the gangland warfare it engendered in Melbourne was the inspiration for the TV series Underbelly.

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Elderly fugitive sentenced on drug charges

 

A Manitoba fugitive who spent more than 30 years on the run before being arrested in Florida earlier this year has pleaded guilty to drug-smuggling charges. Ian MacDonald, 72, appeared in a Winnipeg courtroom Wednesday morning and offered a guilty plea to one count of conspiring to import narcotics. The Crown and defence lawyers submitted a joint recommendation of a conditional sentence of two years less one day to be served in community. MacDonald, who has been in custody at the Remand Centre since he was extradited from Florida and returned to Manitoba in March. He had been arrested in January after being tracked to his central Florida home but it took some time to arrange his extradition. As part of the conditions of his sentence, MacDonald is under 24-hour house arrest with the exception of medical appointments or emergencies. He can leave his home for four hours a week for personal business, if accompanied by a person approved by the court. MacDonald must also abstain from drugs alcohol and he cannot leave jurisdiction without permission from the court. In 1980, MacDonald — then known as "Big Mac" — was arrested in Florida on a warrant issued by Manitoba police, who suspected he had helped smuggle a large amount of marijuana into the province. While in custody in June of that year, he faked a heart attack and was taken to hospital, where he escaped by conning a guard into removing his leg shackles, Barry Golden, a senior inspector with the U.S. Marshals Service, told CBC News in January. He escaped and lived on the lam for many years, until an officer who had been assigned to the file in 2009 found information in it that led investigators to a home in Pennsylvania, where MacDonald and his wife had once lived under an assumed name. While speaking with people in the area, officers learned the couple had moved to a town in central Florida, where he was located and arrested.

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Dutch police leads the convoy as members of the Dutch divisions of motorcycle clubs Hells Angels and Satudarah gather to demonstrate in Amsterdam

Dutch police leads the convoy as members of the Dutch divisions of motorcycle clubs Hells Angels and Satudarah gather to demonstrate in Amsterdam, the Netherlands, 04 September 2011.

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Source: EPA/BGNES

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Taiwan busts massive drug smuggling ring

 

TAIWAN police say they've busted a drug smuggling ring responsible for transporting $66.06 million worth of narcotics to Australia, New Zealand and Japan. A total of nine suspects have been arrested, including the suspected leader of the ring, 40-year-old Fan Chu-lin, the Criminal Investigation Bureau said on Monday. "This is definitely one of the largest smuggling rings to be uncovered in many years," bureau official Yang Ming-chang said. Over a 10-year period, the group allegedly smuggled hundreds of kilograms of ecstasy and amphetamines from Hong Kong and China to Japan, New Zealand and Australia. It also smuggled large amounts of marijuana from Thailand and Holland into Taiwan. According to preliminary estimates, the drugs smuggled by the group over the 10-year period totalled at least $65.5 million, Yang said. If convicted, Fan could face a minimum 20 years in jail under Taiwanese law.

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China has handed a suspended death sentence to a telecom executive and sentenced another to 15 years in prison after convicting them of taking 5.1 million dollars in bribes from German electronics giant Siemens AG

China has handed a suspended death sentence to a telecom executive and sentenced another to 15 years in prison after convicting them of taking 5.1 million dollars in bribes from German electronics giant Siemens AG, said a report seen on Monday.
Shi Wanzhong, 49, was convicted of accepting bribes while he was head of China Mobile Ltd's operations in the eastern province of Anhui from 2002 to 2009, the influential business daily Caixin reported on its website.
A court in Hebi city, in Anhui's neighbouring province of Henan, gave Shi a suspended death sentence. Subject to good behaviour in prison during the two-year suspension, such sentences are normally commuted to up to 20 years in prison.
Shi's initial trial in May was closed to the public and not reported by state media because it was deemed to involve state secrets. The sentence was upheld by a higher court last month.
The same court sentenced Shi's accomplice, Tian Qu, to 15 years in prison for helping him to secure the illegal payments from Siemens, the newspaper said.
It said Shi and Tian were apparently identified following investigations of Siemens business practices by the US Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) from 2006.
The SEC investigations concluded that Siemens had poured hundreds of millions of Euros into slush funds used for commercial bribery in contract bids in several countries.
After Siemens agreed to pay record fines totalling 1.33 billion dollars in the United States and Germany in late 2008, Chinese authorities received information on the involvement of Chinese citizens via unspecified diplomatic channels, Caixin said.
US court documents in 2008 said a culture of bribery and impunity had flourished at Siemens AG despite repeated warnings from outside and inside the firm.
In 2007, Siemens China fired about 20 employees in connection with corruption charges but the company declined to give details of the charges.

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Death sentence reportedly upheld for pastor

the death sentence handed down in 2010 for the crime of apostasy, to evangelical house pastor Pastor Yousef Nadarkhani, has reportedly been upheld by the third chamber of the Supreme Court in the Shia holy city of Qom.

Pastor Yousef Nadarkhani of the Church of Iran was arrested in his home city of Rasht on 13 October 2009 while attempting to register his church. His arrest is believed to have been due to his questioning of the Muslim monopoly on the religious instruction of children in Iran.

He was initially charged with protesting. However the charges against him were later changed to apostasy and evangelising Muslims.

Pastor Nadarkhani has been held in Lakan prison since that time, and was allowed access to a lawyer and visits from his family for most of his incarceration. He was tried and found guilty on 21 and 22 September 2010, when a death sentence was delivered verbally in court. Written confirmation of the sentence was delivered on 13 November 2010 by the 1st Court of the Revolutionary Tribunal.

The pastor's lawyer filed an appeal on 5 December 2010. However, following a six-month wait for an appeal hearing, the lawyer has confirmed that the appeal was unsuccessful, although so far there has been no official notification of this failure.

Pastor Nadarkhani had been imprisoned previously in December 2006, on charges of apostasy and evangelism, but was released two weeks later in January 2007.

In May, Ayatollah Mesbah Yadzi, a high-profile cleric in Iran, reportedly said that authorities had not done enough to stem the growth of Christian house churches, despite its massive investment in this effort. At a meeting with the heads of the Islamic Propagation Centre of Qom that month, Ayatollah Yadzi underlined the need for better discipline and proper supervision of those authorities involved in the suppression of churches. Yazdi suggested that the government set up a central system to monitor and coordinate the suppression of churches.

CSW’s Advocacy Director Andrew Johnston said: “ CSW condemns the decision to uphold this verdict in the strongest possible terms. The death sentence for the charge of apostasy is not codified in Iranian law. The ruling has deeply worrying implications for all Christians in Iran, and is yet another indicator of the regime's disregard for basic human rights and freedoms.

“Of particular concern is the fact that the Iranian regime often enacts death sentences without advance notice to prisoners' families, lawyers or even the prisoners themselves.

“Consequently, the international community must urgently apply pressure on the Iranian regime to rescind this unjust decision. Freedom to change one’s religion is a fundamental right which Iran pledged to uphold when it signed the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights (ICCPR). Iran must therefore be urged adhere to its commitments under international law.”

 

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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17 Indians on death row

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

 

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

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

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Former sailor could face death penalty in Va. - Navy News | News from Afghanistan & Iraq - Navy Times

Former sailor could face death penalty in Va. - Navy News | News from Afghanistan & Iraq - Navy Times: "former sailor could now face the death penalty for allegedly killing a young Navy wife last year, the city of Virginia Beach announced Monday afternoon.

Robert Lee Sadler, indicted by a grand jury Jan. 3 for first-degree murder in connection with the Sept. 13, 2010, killing of Shana R. Hight, was indicted Monday on one count of capital murder in commission of an abduction and one count of capital murder in the commission of a sexual assault.

Both of the latter charges carry the death penalty in Virginia, said Macie Pridgen, a spokeswoman for the Office of the Commonwealth’s Attorney of Virginia Beach. First-degree murder can result in a sentence of 20 years to life imprisonment."

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Philly abortion doc may face death sentence - Tuesday, March 8, 2011 | 3:18 a.m. - Las Vegas Sun

Philly abortion doc may face death sentence - Tuesday, March 8, 2011 | 3:18 a.m. - Las Vegas Sun: "Prosecutors notified a Philadelphia doctor charged with killing a patient and seven babies at his abortion clinic that they intend to pursue the death penalty against him.

Dr. Kermit Gosnell, 70, ran a filthy West Philadelphia medical practice that served as a pill mill by day and an abortion mill by night, a grand jury concluded in January after a two-year investigation.

The multiple deaths and tender age of the babies _ allegedly killed with scissors after being born alive _ are the aggravating circumstances that warrant the death penalty for Gosnell, Assistant District Attorney Joanne Pescatore said Wednesday.

Defense lawyers have suggested that Gosnell, his wife and eight other defendants who worked at the neighborhood clinic treated poor women and minorities when no one else would.

Gosnell's lawyer said his client would die of old age before a death sentence would ever be carried out.

'Dr. Gosnell is never going to get the death penalty,' lawyer Jack McMahon said after a brief court hearing. 'You have a 70-year-old man, and it makes the case three times as long and as costly.'

Gosnell is being held without bail on eight counts of murder, and was not brought to court for the formal arraignment. His next hearing is set for March 30."

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influx of highly hallucinogenic, potentially lethal but -- in most states -- fully legal drugs sold as "bath salts"

influx of highly hallucinogenic, potentially lethal but -- in most states -- fully legal drugs sold as "bath salts" has law enforcement and drug abuse experts very concerned.

According to Mark Ryan, director of the Louisiana Poison Center, in the first month of 2011, there have already been 248 bath salts-linked calls nationwide from at least 25 states, compared to 234 calls during the whole of 2010.

The $20 packets are available in corner stores, truck stops and on the Internet, and marketed as bath salts or sometimes plant food and come with the (often-ignored) disclaimer, "not for human consumption." They're not subject to regulation even though they contain various potent chemicals, including mephedrone, which is a stimulant.

"It's a derivative that's very similar to amphetamines, and its side effects are largely the same side effects we see with amphetamines in large dose," said Jeffrey Baldwin, professor of pharmacy practice and pediatrics at the University of Nebraska Medical Center in Omaha, which seems not to have experienced this scourge -- at least not yet. "[Those side effects] would be increased heart rate and blood pressure, not sleeping, not eating and eventually becoming paranoid."

The "salts" come with gentle-sounding names like Ivory Wave and Vanilla Sky and are typically snorted, smoked, injected and even mixed with water as a beverage.

"If you take the very worst of some of the other drugs -- LSD and Ecstasy with their hallucinogenic-delusional type properties, PCP with extreme agitation, superhuman strength and combativeness, as well as the stimulant properties of cocaine and meth -- if you take all the worst of those and put them all together this is what you get. It's ugly," added Ryan, who recounted some harrowing stories.

"The psychosis is impressive," he said.

One man barricaded himself in an attic with a rifle, Ryan said, vowing to "kill the monsters before they kill me," while another user vowed to remove their own liver with a mechanical pencil.

The products have also been linked to suicides, not to mention hospitalizations, and on Tuesday investigators confirmed the presence of bath salt drugs in the blood of a man who killed a sheriff's deputy in Tippah County, Miss., ABC News reported.

Once an addled user gets to the emergency room, they're not controllable with normal sedatives such as valium, even in high doses, Ryan noted.

And when doctors try to wean patients off stronger sedatives or even antipsychotic medications, they just become uncontrollable again. "The longest I heard was someone who was sedated for 12 days and the psychosis came right back," Ryan said. "The huge concern is the possibility that some of these effects could be permanent. We don't know because we've never tested it on humans."

At least with older drugs, sedation works and the patient returns to "normal," at least until they hit the streets again.

Also worrisome is the fact that while all of the products "have the same basic chemical structure," small changes in the chemical composition give you different side effects, which clinicians then have to learn how to deal with.

Despite these trips -- which users readily admit are horrible -- the cravings are so intense they often go back to the drug.

Louisiana has already banned the products, via a decree from the governor's office that recently made them a Schedule 1 substance, putting them in the same class as heroin. Now law enforcement officials in that state -- and Florida, which enacted a similar decree -- can do more than just charge people with a misdemeanor for using or selling the fake bath salts.

Federal regulation of the products could take much longer. "We are actively studying and researching the abuse data to see if [the compounds in 'bath salts'] warrant scheduling. We evaluate the addictive potential and the harm to the user," explained Rusty Payne, a spokesman for the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA). "But we are not the only agency involved -- the Department of Health and Human Services is also involved. It can take years, though it may not."

The agency is also looking into whether it should try to get a 12-month emergency rule to control the substances, he said.

In the meantime, lawmakers in Mississippi are close to enacting a ban on the bath salt drugs there, and this week a measure to outlaw the products neared passage in Kentucky, according to the AP.

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Reporters Sans Frontières - TV station owner facing possible life sentence or death penalty also exposed to mob violence

Reporters Sans Frontières - TV station owner facing possible life sentence or death penalty also exposed to mob violence: "Reporters Without Borders condemns an armed attack on Kuwait City-based Scope TV, which was overrun by about 150 people brandishing knives and pistols on 17 October. Some 10 people were injured in the course of the violence, the privately-owned satellite TV station’s executive director told the news agency Reuters."

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Buju Banton Drug Case: Judge Declares Mistrial | Billboard.com#/news/buju-banton-drug-case-judge-declares-mistrial-1004117147.story#/news/buju-banton-drug-case-judge-declares-mistrial-1004117147.story#/news/buju-banton-drug-case-judge-declares-mistrial-1004117147.story

Buju Banton Drug Case: Judge Declares Mistrial | Billboard.com#/news/buju-banton-drug-case-judge-declares-mistrial-1004117147.story#/news/buju-banton-drug-case-judge-declares-mistrial-1004117147.story#/news/buju-banton-drug-case-judge-declares-mistrial-1004117147.story: "Florida judge declared a mistrial for Jamaican reggae star Buju Banton, who was accused of conspiring to buy cocaine from an undercover police officer last year.

U.S. District Judge James Moody made the decision after the 12-person jury sent him a second note saying they couldn't reach a verdict.

In an earlier note, jurors said they were having trouble reaching an agreement on Monday (Sept. 27) shortly after returning from a weekend recess. Moody then sent them back to keep trying. Deliberations had begun Thursday after a four-day trial.

The jurors declined to tell reporters about their deliberations."

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FIFA has no intention to investigate Moreno former World Cup referee arrested this week on a drug smuggling charge

The Associated Press: FIFA has no intention to investigate Moreno: "Soccer's governing body has no intention at this time to investigate a former World Cup referee arrested this week on a drug smuggling charge.
Bryon Moreno, who made a series of controversial decisions in the 2002 second-round match that saw South Korea eliminate Italy, was caught Monday at John F. Kennedy Airport with bags of heroin attached to his body, according to U.S. federal prosecutors.
Italian players and officials had long labeled his calls against them suspicious, and some voiced their complaints again this week.
'The arrest of Byron Moreno appears to be completely unrelated to football,' FIFA said in a statement Thursday to The Associated Press. 'Mr. Moreno is not an international referee since several years now. At the time of writing, no investigation is foreseen from (the) FIFA side.'
His lawyer, Michael Padden, said Thursday that Moreno would not address question's about his decisions in the South Korea-Italy match.
'Under the current circumstances, Mr. Moreno will not be making any public statements about any subject,' Padden said in an e-mail."

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Oak Island undercover drug investigation - Pot, cocaine, pills seized | StarNewsOnline.com

Oak Island undercover drug investigation - Pot, cocaine, pills seized | StarNewsOnline.com: "Williams' day-time appearance was part of a false identity he adopted as an undercover investigator for the Oak Island Police Department. His assignment: infiltrate Oak Island's street-level drug world so authorities could strike at traffickers peddling illicit substances in this small, oceanfront community in Brunswick County.
'With his experience, he was able to get in and become a part of the community and make friends and buy what he needed to buy,' Oak Island Police Chief Van Eddinger said about Williams, a 17-year veteran of law enforcement, at a press conference Wednesday.
The operation was kept highly confidential, unknown to all but three members of the 25-officer Oak Island Police Department, said Sgt. Tony Burke.
Burke said he acted as Williams' liaison with authorities and often ran surveillance on the undercover agent's controlled drug purchases.
'The first few were nerve-racking,' Williams said of the drug purchases. 'You never know when you go to that one if a person is going to recognize you.'
Williams checked in daily with Burke, sometimes multiple times per day, the sergeant said.
'It was a very quiet operation by design,' Burke said of the operation, 'both for safety's sake and success.'
The operation finally ended after 21 months, when on Tuesday multiple local, state and federal agencies orchestrated a series of arrests, searches and seizures at suspects' locations in Oak Island, Boiling Spring Lakes, Southport and the Supply area."

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Calif. Marine's death sentence reduced to life - San Jose Mercury News

Calif. Marine's death sentence reduced to life - San Jose Mercury News: "Marine's death sentence for a 1996 killing of a Camp Pendleton officer has been reduced to life in prison.
Marine Corps spokesman Cpl. Michael Stevens, said Tuesday that a military court has re-sentenced Sgt. Jessie Quintanilla for the fatal shooting of his executive officer, Lt. Col. Daniel Kidd, and the wounding of his commander, Lt. Col. Thomas Heffner.
Stevens says he has no further details.
Quintanilla was convicted in November 1996 at Camp Pendleton, Calif., on charges of premeditated murder and attempted murder but a military court sent the case back in 2006 because of legal errors."

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Man With Machine Gun Storms Into Courtroom, Kills Three Judges | ChattahBox News Blog

Man With Machine Gun Storms Into Courtroom, Kills Three Judges | ChattahBox News Blog: "Continuing the trend of increasing violent crimes in the region, a man stormed a courtroom this morning in China’s Hunan province and began shooting with a submachine gun.
The man, named by officials as Zhu Jun, was a 46-year-old security head at the local post office.
He was reportedly angry that he had divorced his wife a few years before, but had not gotten what he thought was a fair share of their possessions in the split.
Jun walked into the court just before 10 AM local time, while a group of judges were deliberating on a case.
He began to shoot, killing three judges immediately, and injuring three others."

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Paul Grafton had a £160,000 house, changed his car 16 times in nine years and flew to Las Vegas with his wife to watch a boxing contest.

Grafton, 33, collected more than £20,000 in a range of benefits by claiming to be a single man, living alone, and out of work.The reality was that he was living with his wife and their daughter in relative luxury – mostly funded by his law-breaking.
Police first investigated the benefit fraud and charged both Grafton and his wife, Joanne Dickson, 31, in January last year.During surveillance, detectives noted that he frequently visited a fishing cabin in Redcar, east Cleveland, with other men.
The cabin – along with the Middlesbrough homes of Grafton and an associate, David Foy – were searched for drugs.Almost £600 worth of cocaine and £555 in cash was found at Foy’s house in Millbrook Avenue during the raid on January 9.It later emerged that he allowed Grafton to use his home to store drugs, and split them from bulk deals into smaller packages.Both men admitted a charge of possessing Class A drugs with intent to supply when they were due to go on trial.Grafton also admitted a number of benefit fraud offences, but ultimately no evidence was offered against his wife.However, a judge told her: “Anybody with any commonsense could see you have come within a whisker of being convicted.”Recorder David Wilby, locked up Grafton, of Eastbourne Gardens, for a total of four years, and sentenced Foy to 21 months.Foy also admitted a common assault and an assault occasioning actual bodily harm against his then-partner last November.Last night, Cleveland Police hailed the success of their Operation Weller, and the Too Much Bling, Give us A Ring campaign.Inspector Dave Turnbull, of the force’s economic crime unit, said: “The residents of communities in Teesside know who the drug dealers and criminals are.
“Every day they see them flaunting their wealth. Most do not work – yet can afford designer clothes, the latest electrical goods and have overseas holidays while claiming benefits.“The Too Much Bling campaign that ran in 2008 was aimed at encouraging the public to report people who they suspected were committing crime and who appeared to be living beyond their means.
“As a result, a lot of intelligence including information on Grafton was received.
“The economic crime unit money laundering team found evidence that Grafton was cheating the benefit system and was supplying controlled drugs that was funding an extravagant lifestyle.”
Brian Russell, for Grafton, said he had also funded his lifestyle by “reckless borrowing” on credit cards and loans from people.
Paul Newcombe, for Foy, said: “Facing the prospect of going to prison for the first time in his life is daunting.”

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Michael Daly, 49, teamed up with a police killer to smuggle in £235million worth of the drug in an inflatable boat.

Michael Daly, 49, teamed up with a police killer to smuggle in £235million worth of the drug in an inflatable boat.
But the bungling smugglers recruited by Daly and murderer Perry Wharrie overloaded the vessel and filled the spare tank with diesel instead of petrol.
It capsized in a storm, spilling 62 bales of high-quality cocaine into the sea. Two gang members swam ashore and the other was hauled to safety by a helicopter.
Millionaire crook Daly is already serving eight years for an almost identical crime aimed at landing £4million worth of cocaine on a beach in Kent.
He turned to high-stakes crime after being dismissed from the Metropolitan Police for drink-driving.
Using his Scotland Yard experience, he built a drugs empire, investing the proceeds in property in Britain and Ireland. Investigators found £30,000 of his in a safety deposit box in London store Harrods.
Daly went into partnership with Wharrie, 50, jailed for life in 1989 for the murder of off-duty PC Frank Mason. He was released in 2005.
Blackfriars Crown Court in London yesterday heard how the gang had planned to get rich like “high-stakes gamblers at the Casino Royale”, sailing the drugs from the Caribbean to a rendezvous with the smugglers off the Irish coast.
The drugs left Barbados in May 2007 on a catamaran called Lucky Day but the transfer was sunk by bad luck, bad weather and bungling.
A joint investigation in Britain and Ireland has resulted in convictions for six of the gang.
Martin Wanden, the former detective’s brother Joe Daly and Wharrie were convicted in Ireland, while another member, Gerard Hagan, pleaded guilty.

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federal grand jury indictment alleges Michael Olsen, 35, of Milton, ran the drug ring involving over 5 kilograms of cocaine and 5 grams of crack from

federal grand jury indictment alleges Michael Olsen, 35, of Milton, ran the drug ring involving over 5 kilograms of cocaine and 5 grams of crack from out of Rizzo Bros. auto detailing shop, which did little legitimate business, the office of the U.S. Attorney for Vermont said.
Olsen is accused of directing others to mail cash, usually over $20,000, to dealers in California and Arizona, who then had the cocaine sent to other locations in Vermont, where it was distributed, prosecutors said.
Andrew Bullock, 29, of Essex Junction; Matthew Rivers, 24, of South Burlington; Roddy Superneau, 45, of Colchester; Sonya Robar, 36, or Essex Junction; Joel Root, 36, of St. Albans; Melissa Root, 39, of St. Albans; and Jason Smith, 31, of Burlington are facing drug distribution charges.
Olsen, Allison Simpson, 38, of South Burlington and Melissa Stuart, 33, of Colchester are accused of money laundering in alleged schemes in which drug money was deposited into a business bank account from which paychecks were drawn and vehicles were purchased with drug proceeds and kept in other people’s names, prosecutor said.
Olsen and a telephone company employee also are charged with accessing phone records of Drug Enforcement Administration agents so that Olsen could determine which witnesses were talking with the DEA, the indictment said.

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Phuong Thi Tran, 39, of Mississauga, Ontario, "operated a network of smugglers who distributed large amounts of ecstasy" to drug dealers in the United

Phuong Thi Tran, 39, of Mississauga, Ontario, "operated a network of smugglers who distributed large amounts of ecstasy" to drug dealers in the United states.
Tran has been charged in Michigan as well as Pennsylvania. Her organization is accused of delivering 100,000 ecstasy pills to dealers in Philadelphia and Boston.Tran pleaded guilty to one count of conspiracy to distribute ecstasy and methamphetamines and one count of conspiracy to possess with the intent to distribute ecstasy. The case was investigated by Immigration and Customs Enforcement, the DEA, and other law enforcement agencies from both nations. Tran will be sentenced in June.

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Charlie Nunn, of the 300 block of Hill Street, allegedly grew the marijuana in a pair of specialty tents

Charlie Nunn, of the 300 block of Hill Street, allegedly grew the marijuana in a pair of specialty tents -- purchased from a company in Illinois called Big Grow Hydroponics -- in his garage with lights and heaters. Police said Nunn also had a .357 Magnum, multiple cell phones and a pair of brass knuckles.Police said they watched Nunn four months before raiding his home Monday. They had believed most of his illicit activity centered on selling heroin and syringes and were surprised to find the grow house, police said.
"It was just good police work," Bethlehem Detective Sgt. William Kissner said.
Bethlehem police say they seized these marijuana plants from the Hill Street home.
Police Commissioner Stuart Bedics said growing operations are not uncommon, but this one was unique.
"We've never seen this type of apparatus," Bedics said, gesturing to the tall, black and green tent that Nunn allegedly used to store and grow the marijuana plants.
Lt. Mark DiLuzio said the marijuana plants each produce 1 pound of marijuana with a total street value of $100,000 -- growers could harvest up to four times a year.
Nunn was charged with eight drug-related offenses and a weapons offense. He was sent to Northampton County Prison in lieu of $25,000 bail.Nunn was also involved in an alleged theft in Hellertown earlier this month in which two men took his girlfriend's backpack, police said. Nunn held onto the thieves' truck as they drove away, police said. He was thrown from the truck and treated for injuries.

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Angie Sanselmente Valencia who police believe may have run a drug trafficking operation using models and atttractive women.

30-year-old Angie Sanselmente Valencia who police believe may have run a drug trafficking operation using models and atttractive women.Miss Valencia is wanted for allegedly using a squad of women to transport cocaine from South America to Europe.Police say they discovered the operation when they arrested a 21-year-old woman carrying 55 kg of cocaine at Buenos Aires' Ezeiza Airport.Angie Valencia was crowned Colombia's Coffee Queen in 2000 and she is believed to live in Argentinalingerie model is believed to be the mastermind behind an all-women drug gang that smuggles cocaine into Britain. An international arrest warrant has been issued for Angie Sanselmente Valencia, 30, who is said to only hire glamour models to transport the drugs from South America to Europe.It’s believed that Colombian-born Valencia had been seeing a Mexican drug lord known as ‘The Monster’ but split with him at the end of last year to form her own cocaine-smuggling gang.She is said to describe the women working for her as ‘unsuspicious, beautiful angels’. The women are told to be ‘nice, but not flashy’.Valencia, who was crowned Colombia’s ‘Queen Of Coffee’ in 2000, left modelling and moved to Argentina late last year to establish her network.Her ‘angels’ were paid £3,200 for each trip they made and one of her gang is believed to have boarded a flight every 24 hours with the packages of cocaine.From Argentina they would fly up to the Mexican Caribbean resort of Cancun and from there they would smuggle them into Europe.However her network began to unravel several weeks ago when one of her ‘drug mules’ was caught at Argentina’s Ezeiza International Airport in Buenos Aires carrying 55kg of cocaine.The 21-year-old woman began to talk and within 12 hours police investigators had arrested a further three people.The drug mule had made no attempt to hide the cocaine in her suitcase because she’d been told no one would stop her at the airport, according to Argentine newspaper La Nacion.Police are now investigating the gang’s links to people working at the airport.
Following the arrests Valencia promptly disappeared from a four-star hotel in Buenos Aires but is still believed to be in the South American country.
She’d arrived from Mexico last December with her beloved pet Pomeranian dog. Investigators tried to trace her through the address to which the animal was registered but it only led them to an abandoned warehouse.

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Joseph Failazu, 32 and Yahye Ceefay, 25jailed for 12 years and fined €50,000 today after admitting in court to having imported nearly a kilo of drugs

Nigerian man was jailed for 12 years and fined €50,000 today after admitting in court to having imported nearly a kilo of drugs hidden in capsules in his stomach and his rectum.
In a similar case, a man from Gambia was jailed for 10 years and fined €20,000, after he admitted importing 250 grams hidden in capsules in his stomach.
Both men were arrested separately last August after flying i from Spain.
Chief Justice Vincent DeGaetano in handing down sentence said that the two accused, Joseph Failazu, 32 and Yahye Ceefay, 25, were part of a wider criminal organisation which had used them to achieve its ends, but they were well aware of what they were doing and the consequences of their actions.
The court, however, had noted their early guilty plea.

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sentenced 25-year-old Raymond D. Wooley of Carbondale in United States District Court in Benton.

Wooley previously pleaded guilty to one count of conspiracy to distribute crack cocaine. He will spend 11 years in federal prison.The violation took place between august 2006 and august 2008, in Jackson County. Two of Wooley's co-defendants have already been sentenced for their involvement in the crack cocaine conspiracy. Three more have pleaded guilty and are awaiting sentencing.

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David Redshaw, 38, of Crieff Walk in Hartlepool

David Redshaw, 38, of Crieff Walk in Hartlepool, pleaded guilty to throwing drugs into the Stockton jail on December 8 last year. He was due to be sentenced at Teesside Crown Court.

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Bomb blast killed two men in Adelaide.

The man, of suburban Munno Para West, has not been charged in relation to the fatal explosion that claimed the lives of a Hells Angels bikie gang associate and a convicted drug dealer.The pair died when a homemade bomb went off in a car at suburban Enfield before dawn.Police believe the bomb was triggered by accident and a rival gang member was the intended target.The man charged was detained after police went to the home of one of the dead men and found a second bomb.He was also charged with drug and firearms offences and was remanded in custody to appear again in the Elizabeth Magistrates Court in March.

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Joseph Ferraiolo was targeted.

"To me it seems like there was some inside or some targeting here because we never ever had problems here," says Steve Frydman who has owned a real estate business on the second floor of this building for 20 years.
In that time he says he's never experienced the violence police say took place right below his office, "the space that they rented here was always quiet and discrete I never saw any unusual amount of people at once that would come here."
Things changed Tuesday just after 8pm. Hamden Police were called to a Touch of Color tattoo parlor where they found 64-year-old Ferraiolo shot to death.
There were signs of a struggle inside the shop but few clues pointed to the shooter. Now investigators are looking at all leads, including Ferraiolo’s possible affiliation to motorcycle gangs.
"Summer time they have a lot of bike guys coming over there," Jimmy Patel owns a package store close to Touch of Color, he remembers seeing the bikes parked outside.
But Kaleb Edgar, a tattoo artist at the parlor tells NBC Connecticut News that nothing illegal happened in the shop.
Bob Piccirillo, the owner of Hamden Barber Shop, also calls the connection police are trying to make between Ferraiolo and a gang a stretch, "have I seen bikes? I’ve seen some but it’s not like they all congregate. Like I said, I’ve seen a couple of them but that is kind of surprising to me."
Edgar says Ferraiolo is survived by four adult children. Anyone with information on the shooting is asked to call the Hamden Police Department.

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“RIP King Of The Hill.”

Another said: “True Bad Man. RIP bro. Never forgotten.”
And another said: “Words cannot explain how we all feel as you were a true friend to us all and you did many good things for us all and helped us out in ways others would not.
“You were at the top but still had time for us at the bottom. Just to know you and call you a friend was an honour. The respect you had for others around will be very missed. We all turned to you in our times of need. And now we all seem so lost now you have gone.”‘King of the Hill’ who was found shot dead in the Cheshire mansion of a controversial businessman Arran Coghlan.

Stephen ‘Aki’ Akinyemi, 44, was said to be a prominent member of the notorious Cheetham Hill gang, which is believed to be behind major crime and the supply of drugs in Manchester.He was known for enjoying champagne and cruising Manchester’s clubland in his silver Porsche, with the private registration AKI.He had a string of previous convictions and most recently had been jailed for 13 months in 2006 for violent disorder.At the time of his death, he was on bail for allegedly attacking someone with a baseball bat outside the Lounge 31 nightclub in the city centre in November.He was found with serious stab injuries at Mr Coghlan’s Alderley Edge home on Tuesday afternoon. He was wearing a stab vest.But a post-mortem examination revealed he had died of a gunshot wound, not knife injuries.Mr Coghlan was also discovered with stab injuries at the scene and he was taken to hospital under police guard. He was later discharged although he remains in police custody after being arrested on suspicion of murder.Last night a tribute page to Mr Akinyemi on social networking website Facebook, titled ‘RIP AKI’, had more than 600 members.
Another said: “True Bad Man. RIP bro. Never forgotten.”
And another said: “Words cannot explain how we all feel as you were a true friend to us all and you did many good things for us all and helped us out in ways others would not.“You were at the top but still had time for us at the bottom. Just to know you and call you a friend was an honour. The respect you had for others around will be very missed. We all turned to you in our times of need. And now we all seem so lost now you have gone.”Mr Coghlan was cleared in 1996 of murdering Stockport ‘Mr Big’ Chris Little, who was shot dead at the wheel of his Mercedes.In 2003, Mr Coghlan stood trial for the murder of drug dealer David Barnshaw, who was kidnapped and forced to drink petrol before being burned alive in the back of a car in Stockport in 2001.But the case collapsed when it was revealed police had failed to pass on important information about another possible suspect.

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shoulder-bumping" members of the Hells Angels and the Throttle Lockers

shoulder-bumping" members of the Hells Angels and the Throttle Lockers puppet gang inside the nightclub, provoking a street fight outside.

Cpl. Annie Linteau said the officers charged, Const. Chris MacDonald of Prince Edward Island, and Const. Kiel Samotej of Alberta, remain on duty though they are also the subject of an internal code of conduct review.MacDonald, 40, and Samotej, 25, were in the Okanagan with others on vacation. They are due to make their first appearances in a Kelowna courtroom April 22.

Kelowna resident Errol Milsom-Gardener, 25, will appear in court April 8 for allegedly striking Mac-Donald, who ended up in hospital.Linteau said the fight outside the night club involved 15 to 20 individuals wearing Hells Angels and Throttle Lockers colours and about seven members of MacDonald's group."This alleged assault involved a 'shoulder bump' inside the nightclub and is believed to have instigated the much larger altercation that later took place outside," she said.

Linteau said a shoulder bump would constitute an assault if it was done intentionally, which is what the evidence showed in this case. The shoulder bump did not result in anyone being injured, she said.

After the incident inside, the Mountie group left the bar and the biker group followed them.

"The group of 15 to 20 tracked them down the street for about half a block and that's where the altercation happened," Linteau said.

While the Mounties could identify the bikers, Linteau said she didn't know if the bikers knew there were police officers in the opposing group.

She said others with Mac-Donald sustained minor injuries that did not require hospitalization. Mac-Donald was held overnight at Kelowna General Hospital and then released.

Kelowna RCMP investigated the fight and sent the findings to Crown counsel for consideration of criminal charges, Linteau said. Those charged were approved Feb. 5.

The Hells Angels established a Kelowna chapter in the summer of 2007, and several members of the notorious biker gang have moved to the Okanagan.

The Throttle Lockers are one of several puppet clubs that have surfaced across B.C. over the past year. Police say these clubs have a direct relationship to the Hells Angels. The Throttle Lockers club is based in 100 Mile House and has about 10 members and ties to the Kelowna Hells Angels.

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motorcycle gangs played any role in the shooting death of a tattoo parlor owner.

 Police say Ferraiolo was ambushed Tuesday night outside his parlor, A Touch of Color, on Dixwell Avenue. The medical examiner's office says he died of multiple gunshot wounds. gangs played any role in the shooting death of a tattoo parlor owner.Chief Thomas Wydra said Wednesday that police are investigating whether the victim, 64-year-old Joseph Ferraiolo, had any affiliation, membership or involvement in any motorcycle gang, and whether his killing may have been retaliation for something.Wydra declined to say why police were looking at motorcycle gangs and wouldn't say if any suspects had been identified. Investigators are looking for a black truck they say was connected to the killing.

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Chris Little was known to police in Stockport as an empire-builder

Chris Little was a product of Greater Manchester, a city now coping with some of the most viciously criminal neighbourhoods in urban Europe. As a local villain, he was known to police in Stockport as an empire-builder rather than 'self-employed builder' as he had lately styled himself. In reality, he was a feared racketeer. One man who betrayed him was bundled into a small dark room with only the Rottweiler for company.
Little's gangs of doormen provided 'security' at nightclubs in Stockport. One club run by rivals was targeted in a gun attack recently.Earlier this year, Little recruited young men to launch a spate of arson attacks in Stockport in which schools, shops and vehicles were damaged by firebombs. No one was hurt, but about pounds 1m worth of damage was done.Although the police suspected Little of organising the attacks (thought to have been carried out as a show of strength), he was never charged.Lately, Little had tried to expand his empire into the Stretford area, stepping on the toes of drug barons there.He owned a nice house in a good area of Stockport, but probably his greatest pride and joy was the Merc - a black 500 SLE. With the Rottweiler, nobody would surprise him; with the car, nobody would catch him. It turned out to be a fatal double delusion.As he stopped at traffic lights in Stockport Road, Marple, on Friday night, a white Ford Granada travelling in the same direction pulled up alongside. The shots came from its open window.Under the dying man's foot, the automatic Merc sped off, colliding with two vehicles and injuring four people.At the dead man's home yesterday, the Rottweiler could be heard barking.

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Arran Coghlan, 39,guarded by armed police in hospital while being treated for knife wounds.

Arran Coghlan, 39,guarded by armed police in hospital while being treated for knife wounds.His business associate Stephen ‘Aki’ Akinyemi, 36, was found stabbed to death in his bathroom following an alleged row.Yesterday, officers were searching Coghlan's £2million converted chapel in Alderley Edge, Cheshire – known as ‘Millionaires’ Row’ where Premiership footballers rub shoulders with soap stars.
Members of his family have been taken into protective custody.Police said yesterday: ‘A 39-year-old man has been arrested on suspicion of murder and is receiving hospital treatment.’Akinyemi, from Cheetham Hill, Manchester, suffered fatal knife wounds despite wearing a stab proof vest.Coghlan, dialled 999 as Akinyemi lay dying, suffered serious knife injuries to his upper body.The call, made at 2pm on Tuesday, occurred after father of one Coghlan - who survived an attempt on his life in a bar on New Years Day 2009 - was suspected by police of building a multi-million pound crime empire.In 1996 he was acquitted of the gangland murder of drug baron Chris Little dubbed the Devil Dog Mobster because he set rottweilers on rivals.
Little, 32, was shot dead at the wheel of his Mercedes.Coghland was cleared .In 2002 Coghlan stood trial accused of murder again after claims he kidnapped and burnt to death petty drug dealer David Barnshaw, 32, in the boot of a car in September 1999.
Jurors were told that Coghlan – who has a bed shaped like a pirate ship – had ‘built an empire through ruthless violence, demanding respect and loyalty from all those who worked for him.’ The case against him and others collapsed when it was revealed police had failed to pass on important information about another possible suspect.
Coghlan, nicknamed ‘Az’ on the registration plate of his Bentley Turbo, has always denied any involvement in wrongdoing and claimed detectives were involved in a ‘campaign to get him at all costs’.
He is now suing the Greater Manchester force after it emerged a disgraced senior detective had withheld vital evidence from a file which linked the second of the murders to another suspect.
Despite his alleged underhand connections, many neighbours thought he was an accountant. Residents of Alderley Edge include Manchester City star Carlos Tevez, cricketer Freddie Flintoff and Coronation Street actress Samia Ghadie.
On New Year’s Day 2009, Coghlan was stabbed in the head face and back as he partied with friends at Cobdens bar in his native Stockport, Greater Manchester.
The knifeman was never traced but police suspect the attack was linked to mobsters from the Cheetham Hill gang.

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Teodoro Garcia Simental was arrested by Mexican federal police without the suspect firing a shot, and immediately flown to Mexico City.

Teodoro Garcia Simental, blamed for a years-long campaign of massacres, beheadings and kidnappings that chased away tourists and caused social upheaval in northern Baja California, was arrested by Mexican federal police without the suspect firing a shot, and immediately flown to Mexico City.The heavyset Garcia, believed to be in his mid-30s, with close-trimmed hair and a goatee, scowled and dabbed at his mouth as he was paraded before television cameras at a police base wearing a zippered warm-up jacket.
Better known for savage killing rampages than narco-business acumen, the man nicknamed "El Teo" bedeviled Mexican authorities for years and narrowly escaped capture several times. Last January, authorities arrested the man they said admitted being Garcia's body disposal expert. Known as El Pozolero, or "the stew maker," he claimed, authorities said, to have dissolved 300 bodies in barrels of caustic chemicals.Mexican federal authorities, acting on intelligence provided by the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration, said they tracked Garcia down after a five-month surveillance operation. He was captured in an upscale area in the southern part of the city."Today another Mexican cartel leader was taken off the street and is no longer able to carry out his bloody turf war," said Michele Leonhart, acting administrator of the DEA. "This was not an isolated event: It exemplifies the growing effectiveness of our information sharing with [Mexican President Felipe Calderon's] administration, and our continued commitment to defeat the drug traffickers who have plagued both our nations."Though Garcia was not considered to be in the top echelon of Mexican drug lords, few reputed crime bosses have had such a ruinous effect on a region. Mexican authorities say he was responsible for hundreds of killings during a nearly two-year power struggle with rivals in the Arellano Felix drug cartel, in which he had once been a top-ranking lieutenant.Garcia is said to have branched out from traditional drug trafficking and focused his criminal empire on extortion and kidnapping, targeting all levels of society. During his reign, hundreds, perhaps thousands, of Tijuana residents moved out of the border city to avoid being kidnapped, and more than 42 police officers were killed.

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Spain have busted an international drug trafficking gang after arresting 48 members, most of them hailing from Tanzania.

Media reports say the gang distributed cocaine, heroin, hashish and narcotic pills from Asia and South America across Europe. The reports claim further that the gang used drug mules to bring the drugs into Spain.
The gang is said to be controlled by a couple based in Santander, and that most of those arrested are from Tanzania. Spanish police started investigations in May 2008 after an Argentinian man was arrested at Barcelona airport with over a kilo of cocaine in 72 pellets in his stomach.
A total of 43.5 kilogrammes of cocaine, 5.8kg of heroin and an unspecified amount of hashish were seized in the operation, and authorities said the arrested suspects will be slapped with charges ranging from conspiracy, drug trafficking, smuggling, forgery, and usurpation of civil status.
Reports from that country say the gang appears to be an organized network of mostly Tanzanian nationals, with horizontal structures and cells acting independently but in coordinated fashion, united by ties of kinship and fellow vendors who had settled in Argentina, Brazil, Greece and Turkey.
The gang is said to have taken advantage of ‘people from their own country’ and lured them with the promise of earning money, using them as mules to transport drugs hidden in their luggage or objects into Spain.
In August last year, the police arrested a member of the network as he was going to Valencia to carry out a transaction which involved half a kilo of heroin. Subsequently, the law enforcers arrested a Japanese man with 4.5 kilos of heroin in Barcelona.
And finally, in several homes in Barcelona the police arrested three people including the suspected head of the organization - a Tanzanian citizen - and a Spanish woman, both residents of Santander, from where they are believed to have led operations.
Contacted for comment late last week, the Deputy Director of Criminal Investigations in Tanzania, Peter Kivuyo said he was not aware of the reports but pledged to consult the international police (Interpol) for further details.

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Raydel Lopez Uriarte and Manuel Garcia Simental are believed to be top lieutenants in a cartel blamed for a string of massacres

Raydel Lopez Uriarte and Manuel Garcia Simental are believed to be top lieutenants in a cartel blamed for a string of massacres, police killings, beheadings and kidnappings in Tijuana.Two reputed leaders of a drug cartel that waged a years-long campaign of terror in Tijuana were arrested Monday in the Baja California port city of La Paz, according to U.S. authorities.Raydel Lopez Uriarte and Manuel Garcia Simental are believed to be top lieutenants of a gang blamed for a string of massacres, police killings, beheadings and kidnappings that has caused many residents to flee the border city.The arrests by Mexican federal police, coming a month after the capture of alleged cartel leader Teodoro Garcia Simental, are the latest blows against the gang. Authorities feared Lopez Uriarte and Manuel Garcia Simental, Teodoro's younger brother, were planning to reignite a gang war for control of Tijuana's drug trafficking routes.Lopez Uriarte was known for his narrow escapes and flair for self-promotion: His nickname, "Muletas," or crutches, stands for the trail of disabled people he's left behind, and he outfitted his crew with uniforms featuring a patch designed with a skull and crutches crossed underneath.
At least 1,400 people have been slain in Tijuana drug violence since the beginning of 2008.

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Smugglers caught in Sweden face 10 months in prison for smuggling 70 kilos of Khat

Smugglers caught in Sweden face 10 months in prison for smuggling 70 kilos of Khat while the same offense in Denmark only gives 30 days in the brig. Politicians are demanding harsher punishment.

Khat, also known as quaat, is a substance made from euphoria-inducing buds and is especially popular in Somalia. The substance is chewed to achieve a narcotic sense of bliss. Illegal in most countries khat is addictive and widely used within Somali communities in Denmark.

The Social Democrats are adamant that the punishments for khat related offences are too lax and need to be on the same level as those handed out in neighbouring Sweden.
‘The Øresund Bridge is too poorly manned on the Danish side, making it easy to smuggle drugs and weapons,’ said spokeswoman, Karen Hækkerup.‘And it doesn’t help that Khat smugglers receive such mild sentences in Denmark. The government must address this and we want to be a part of raising the punishment for Khat to equal that of Sweden,’ she added.Khat smuggling has been linked with the financing of the Somali terrorist organization, al-Shabaab and Berlingske newspaper recently established the importance of Denmark in the Khat smuggling industry. But Justice Minister Brian Mikkelsen was confident that the police were focused on khat smuggling and said he was strongly considering the prospects of stiffening the sentences handed down for smuggling the narcotic into Denmark. ‘I take a serious look at anything involved in the financing of terrorism and it’s a problem if money obtained from crime in Denmark is sent to Somalia and al-Shabaab since terrorism in Somalia has ramifications for western Europe. I don’t have any qualms about tougher punishments. Not only is it a criminal milieu, there is a lot of illegal money involved, and many families are devastated due to an addiction that forces them out of work and education. So hopefully we can toughen up the sentences in Denmark.’ said Mikkelsen.

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Matthew Feavyour was found guilty in September 2009 for his role in the importation of cannabis resin with an estimated street value of £270,000

Matthew Feavyour was found guilty in September 2009 for his role in the importation of cannabis resin with an estimated street value of £270,000 hidden in air conditioning units. Andrew Rickard and Gary Moore pleaded guilty at the start of the trial. Birmingham crown court sentenced the three men on February 4 for their conspiracy to supply the Class B drug cannabis. Detectives busted the gang's drug smuggling scam in 2009 following a lengthy police operation codenamed Stagnate. Police officers intercepted the consignment smuggled into the UK from the Netherlands on April 2009. The recovered drugs were concealed in eight boxes containing air conditioning unit access doors, which were specially constructed for the job. Some 380 'soap bar' blocks weighing 94.8kg in total were recovered.
Moore had ordered the manufacture of air conditioning units with hollow panels, where the cannabis could be hidden while transporting it from Holland.
Feavyour was sentenced to six years, Moore was sentenced to six-and-a-half years in jail and Rickard got four years for trafficking cannabis from Holland. Operation Oscilllate: Heroin smugglers jailed In a separate police operation (Operation Oscillate) two men have been jailed following an attempt to smuggle more than 1.5m worth of heroin into the UK by hiding it in the packaging of adiabatic air coolers. In July 2007, a consignment of class A drugs was intercepted by customs officers at Birmingham Airport. The heroin was concealed in the pallets carrying the coolers supplied by a Turkish firm and bound for a freight forwarding firm in the West Midlands. Thirty packages of heroin weighing almost 30kg were seized.
Each of the adiabatic air-coolers were valued at between £2,000-£5,000. The police recovered eight out of 19 units that came into the UK via the same route. Eleven units are still missing. Police say the units could have been dumped, sold for scrap or sold on. Two men were sentenced at Nottingham Crown court in December 2009 to 18 and 25 years for their part in the heroin smuggling. Police are still seeking a third man.

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Saika Marong and Mohamed Wissely holding them guilty under the Narcotics Drugs and Psychotropic Substances Act.

Delhi court has awarded 10 years' rigorous imprisonment to two Nigerian nationals for possessing 400gm of cocaine and heroin in their tented premises in Madangir in 2005. "Convicts are involved in the trafficking of cocaine and heroin. Illegal trade of such a high quantity would have adverse impact on the lives of uncountable persons," special judge Sanjiv Jain said. The court also imposed a fine of Rs 1 lakh each on convicts Saika Marong and Mohamed Wissely holding them guilty under the Narcotics Drugs and Psychotropic Substances Act. A third accused, Roy Alphonse Chinguwile, was declared a proclaimed offender during the trial after he jumped the bail granted to him on the ground that he was suffering from cancer.

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Blair Dorner of Cameron ISD, 30 miles southeast of Temple, was pulled over Wednesday in Taylor, a town in Williamson County.

Blair Dorner of Cameron ISD, 30 miles southeast of Temple, was pulled over Wednesday in Taylor, a town in Williamson County.Cameron Superintendent Rodney Fausett tells News Channel 25, Dorner has been placed on administrative leave until their internal investigation is completed.The teacher is out of jail on a $11,000 bond.

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Police in Vantaa have uncovered one of the largest cocaine distribution rings in Finland

Police in Vantaa have uncovered one of the largest cocaine distribution rings in Finland. A total of fifteen suspects have been questioned during the investigations, five of whom are now in detention. One of the prime suspects is said to have trained restaurant security personnel. In addition to Finnish suspects, the ring includes nationals from Nigeria, Gambia, France and Syria. The gang is thought to have smuggled around 1.5 kilograms of cocaine last year. This is equivalent to some 86,000 doses with a street value of around 150,000 euros. Cocaine was packed into egg-sized containers which the smugglers had swallowed and then brought into the country. House searches led to the confiscation of narcotics from several locations amounting to 350 grams. Police say this is one of the largest ever seizures in Finland and equivalent to some 20,000 doses. However, they believe it only represents about ten percent of the overall consignment of cocaine. Security Trainer Is A Prime Suspect Among the prime suspects is a Finn involved in the security sector, who is believed to have acted as a wholesaler in the illicit dealing.
Police confiscated a large sum of cash from him along with cocaine and a 9 mm. Glock handgun of the type also used by law enforcers. He was involved in the licensed training of restaurant security personnel. The cocaine was sold in restaurants in the city centre of Helsinki and at partiesProsecutions are anticipated later this month.

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Benjimen G. Chaltry, 35; Jacob L. Martin, 26; and Robert J. Rogers, 31; were charged Monday with felony counts of possession of 10 to 50 grams

Benjimen G. Chaltry, 35; Jacob L. Martin, 26; and Robert J. Rogers, 31; were charged Monday with felony counts of possession of 10 to 50 grams of heroin with intent to deliver, which is punishable by up to 15 years in prison. All three remain in jail on cash bonds: $50,000 for Martin, $45,000 for Rogers and $30,000 for Chaltry.
“(Chaltry) was going to Chicago to purchase heroin that was then going to be sold in Marinette County,” Assistant District Attorney Joel Urmanski said while arguing for the high cash bonds. “It’s indicated this is not the first time there was a trip to Chicago to make a purchase.”According to Adams:Nelson was doing traffic enforcement on northbound Interstate 43 near the southern county line when he noticed a car with several equipment violations and two occupants not wearing seatbelts. He then discovered the driver, Chaltry, had a revoked license.After Martin lied about his name, Nelson searched the car and its occupants. The heroin was found in the car and in the passengers’ possessions, including 60 baggies that were stuffed in Rogers’ shoe.Adams said each of the baggies, called bindles, typically sells for $80 to $100.
All three men are also charged with misdemeanor cocaine possession, and Martin and Rogers are charged with misdemeanor possession of drug paraphernalia. Martin also faces a count of obstructing an officer.Martin is wanted in Brown County, where a judge issued a warrant in June after he failed to appear on a charge of felony marijuana possession, online court records show.Rogers, who was strapped into his chair during a video court appearance from jail, is the only one of the three with a felony record, though all three have multiple misdemeanor convictions, according to court records. Rogers has been convicted of felony burglary and theft, as well as misdemeanors including damage to property, battery and possession of drug paraphernalia; Chaltry has three drunken driving convictions and one marijuana possession conviction; and Martin’s prior convictions include resisting an officer and possession of drug paraphernalia.

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Aaron Diaz, 31,and Steven Pedraza, 22, of Hartford, Conn., were both taken into custody Sunday, according to state police.

Aaron Diaz, 31,and Steven Pedraza, 22, of Hartford, Conn., were both taken into custody Sunday, according to state police.The incident began after State Police Trooper Brendhan Shugrue had stopped a 2009 Jeep Cherokee on Interstate 91 north of Exit 16 for a traffic violation, but later learned neither Diaz nor Pedraza had the authority to be driving the vehicle, according to state police.Diaz, the driver of the vehicle, had allegedly struggled with police as they attempted to arrest him and fled the scene on foot, according to state police. While running, Diaz allegedly threw a bag containing 500 bags of heroin, according to state police, which troopers recovered.With the assistance of a state police helicopter and search dogs, state police were eventually able to locate Diaz on Westfield Road and Hillside Avenue, and place him under arrest. He is facing charges of using a motor vehicle without authority, trafficking in heroin, a subsequent offense of possession of heroin with the intent to distribute, conspiracy to violate narcotic laws, assault and battery on a police officer and resisting arrest, according to state police.
Some area residents took notice of the circling police helicopter and troopers in their neighborhood during the manhunt."Not sure what is going on, but police said they are searching for someone and to stay inside our house. This neighborhood is not an area of Holyoke that usually has criminal activity," states Roosevelt Avenue resident Sandy Dias in an e-mail to abc40 and Fox 6 Sunday during the search.
Pedraza, who had been a passenger in the vehicle, had also been arrested for using a motor vehicle without authority and conspiracy to violate narcotics laws, according to state police.Both men had been held overnight at the Northampton State Police Barracks while awaiting arraignment in Holyoke District Court Monday.

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John Hill, Peter McLeod and Kevin O'Hagan were seized at Puerto Plata Airport airport as they tried to board two flights to London.

John Hill, Peter McLeod and Kevin O'Hagan were seized at Puerto Plata Airport airport as they tried to board two flights to London.Cops swooped on the trio following a tip-off from the Scottish Crime & Drug Enforcement Agency.Sources said the cocaine was destined for the Glasgow area.Colombian cocaine had a very high purity and it could have been bulked up into more than 100 kilos, netting up to £2.5million.Sources claim the trio were working for a serious organised crime group.Hill, 53, from Linlithgow, West Lothian, was booked to travel home on a Thomas Cook flight. McLeod, 25, and O'Hagan, 28, both from Glasgow, were due to return to the UK on a separate charter. Both flights were scheduled to arrive at London Gatwick Airport.Local cops had been told by the SCDEA to look out for the trio and they were snared after an x-ray machine detected 7.14 kilos of cocaine in a suitcase on February 1.The SCDEA's Allan Moffat said: "By the time this seizure hit Scotland's streets, it would have grown in volume."The purity would have decreased after dealers bulked it with adulterants - some of them dangerous substances in their own right."

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Police have charged the wife of former Coffin Cheater Troy Mercanti with stealing tens of thousands of dollars from a trust fund

Police have charged the wife of former Coffin Cheater Troy Mercanti with stealing tens of thousands of dollars from a trust fund set up for the benefit of the children of slain gang member Marc Chabriere.In an attempt to ward off violence between the Cheaters and Mercanti's new gang the Finks, police and the Australian Crime Commission launched an investigation into the allegations last year.Yesterday they charged Tammy Cherie Kingdon with four counts of stealing and one of property laundering.It is understood that police are also investigating the theft of money from a trust fund set up by Mercanti in 2000 after the death of his close friend Richard Vickers.Police would not confirm last night whether any of the four stealing charges related to the Vickers trust.It is believed the property laundering charge flows from using the allegedly stolen funds in the purchase of the Finks' Balga clubhouse in Ms Kingdon's name last year.Ms Kingdon was at home when gang crime squad officers raided the family's Duncraig house yesterday.
She was released on bail to appear in Joondalup Magistrate's Court on Thursday. Mercanti, who is in jail for assault, is understood to have been charged with offences related to the same investigation.Mr Chabriere was shot dead in a hail of bullets in 1998 at the height of the gang war between the Coffin Cheaters and Club Deroes.Andrew Wayne Edhouse was charged but acquitted of the murder.After Mr Chabriere's funeral, the Coffin Cheaters organised a trust fund to help provide for Mr Chabriere's children.Senior gang members were put in charge of the trust, including Mercanti, who was sensationally expelled from the gang in 2008 on "bad standing" after being bashed by up to 15 members.Within months, Mercanti joined the Finks bikie gang and a Finks member was shot in the shoulder as he rode his motorcycle with three other men near Wooroloo, sparking fears of a new and deadly gang war.
The Finks Balga clubhouse was then bought in Mrs Mercanti's name.Mercanti was refused parole this month and is not due for release until next year.

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44-year-old Richard Crayton of Mosinee charged with the distribution of heroin

44-year-old Richard Crayton of Mosinee charged with the distribution of heroin, which resulted in the death of an individual from use of the substance. If convicted, Crayton faces a mandatory minimum penalty of twenty years in prison and a maximum penalty of life in prison.The charge against Crayton results from an investigation conducted by the Merrill Police Department. The prosecution of this case has been assigned to Assistant U.S. Attorney David Reinhard.

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Johnnie Stephens, 28, New Washington, as he left the Polaris Mall in Columbus.Troopers found 8.8 grams of heroin

Johnnie Stephens, 28, New Washington, as he left the Polaris Mall in Columbus.Troopers found 8.8 grams of heroin, valued at more than $1,200, and an additional 10 balloons of the drug in the vehicle.Officials say Stephens purchased the heroin from two Columbus-area drug runners who Delaware County detectives also arrested.The sellers had 85 balloons of heroin, a Toshiba laptop and $2,400 in cash. Officials say Stephens purchased the drugs from the two sellers and paid with cash and the laptop, which was likely stolen.Huron County Sheriff’s Sgt. Annette McLaughlin said her department has worked with other agencies for several months to track Stephen’s whereabouts.Stephens will face felony charges of possession of heroin in Delaware County after the highway patrol sends the substance to its lab for testing, McLaughlin said. The degree of the felony depends on the weight of the drug.Stephens has served time for similar drug offenses in the past and sells drugs to heroin users in the Willard and Plymouth areas, officials said.

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