Two of the people were identified by their first names Ghassem and Zahra.
Ghassem The names of the other four people were not provided, either were details of their alleged offences
Indonesia upheld the death penalty for serious drug offences for three Australians facing execution for trying to smuggle heroin off the resort island of Bali. Lawyers for the three men had hoped a successful constitutional challenge would add weight to their final appeal to the Supreme Court, which had previously escalated their sentence from life imprisonment to death. Should that appeal fail, their last available avenue would be a direct plea to Indonesia's president. The Constitutional Court ruled 6 to 3 that a 2000 constitutional amendment upholding the right to life did not apply to capital punishment. The court added that the right to life had to be balanced against the rights of victims of drug trafficking. Three other Australians on death row here had hoped that a constitutional ruling might lead to a review of their case. Three other Australians are serving between 20 years and life for their involvement in the smuggling ring. The so-called Bali Nine were arrested in 2005 for trying to smuggle 8.2 kilograms, or 18 pounds, of heroin into Australia from Bali
Read more...Tony Manh, 40, the People's Court of Appeals in Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam, reaffirmed the death sentence for Tony Manh, 40, after hearing no new evidence for a reduction in his sentence, a court official told the Associated Press. of NSW, was convicted of trafficking 0.948 kilograms of heroin at the one-day trial , Phan Tanh, deputy head of the People's Court in Ho Chi Minh City, said.
Manh was sentenced to death and ordered to pay a fine of 50 million dong ($3,755 Australian).
Manh was arrested in March after security officers at Tan Son Nhat airport in Ho Chi Minh City found the drugs hidden on his body as he was about to board a plane to Sydney.
The official Vietnam News Agency reported that Manh was paid $US10,000 ($A12,020) by a Vietnamese to smuggle the drug into Australia.The Australian Government plans to lobby Vietnam to commute Manh's death sentence to a jail term once the appeals process has been exhausted.Mr Downer today said the Government had played a part in achieving this outcome for four Australians originally sentenced to death in Vietnam."I've no idea what would happen in this particular case as I understand that Tony Manh has actually pleaded guilty - but in four previous cases, we have successfully appealed for clemency,'' he told Southern Cross Broadcasting."That's not to say we will be successful this time.''Mr Downe
Steven Booker, 29, and Johnny Olvera, 40, were booked into the Tulare County Main Jail on suspicion of possessing a controlled substance for sale, transporting a controlled substance and being under the influence of drugs.
The car they were riding in was pulled over near Avenue 308 and Camp Drive.
Deputies seized a container with 14 grams of methamphetamine, a plastic package with .4 grams of methamphetamine and several small plastic bags commonly used to package drugs, according to a Tulare County Sheriff’s report.
Australian model, Michelle Leslie, 24, was charged in Bali for the illegal possession of two ecstasy tablets after her arrest. She was given a three-month sentence
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Michael S. Rivera was placed under arrest on charges of felony possession of marijuana with intent to distribute and failure to stay within marked lanes.
The Vietnam Airlines plane had been flying for an hour after leaving Ho Chi Minh City on Saturday when an Australian man of Vietnamese descent took ill, airline officials told the state-run Tuoi Tre (Youth) newspaper. A passenger on an Australian-bound plane vomited a nylon bag of white powder suspected to be heroin, causing the plane to return to Vietnam in the latest drug mule case between that country and Australia, officials said.The aircraft turned around and made an emergency landing atTan Son Nhat Airport, where the man coughed up two more bags of white powder. He was detained by police and taken to hospital doctors found 30 red nylon bags in the man's stomach. It identified him as 35-year-old Nguyen Kant.
In March, a man was arrested at the Ho Chi Minh City airport while checking in for a flight to Sydney. He was accused of trafficking 1.1 kg (2.4 pounds) of heroin.
At the same airport in February, an Australian woman was arrested after being caught with 1.5 kg of heroin in her luggage.
Several Australians of Vietnamese descent have been arrested for trafficking heroin to Australia from Vietnam in recent years and at least four were sentenced to death.
Ana María Ríos Bemposta was arrested for allegedly carrying illegal ammunition. she was later released.
Holly Deane-Johns is expected to return home to Perth this week.
Deane-Johns has spent seven years of a 31-year sentence in a Thai prison for trying to send 10 grams of heroin in the mail to Australia.
The Thai government and authorities in Australia recently agreed to allow her to serve out the rest of her time in a Western Australia jail.
Garry Henderson, 40, of Broughton, Flintshire, and Clive Minshull, 40, from near Mold, were arrested and were jailed at Mold Crown Court after admitting conspiracy to supply. Henderson also admitted supplying the drug and was jailed for eight years. Minshull was jailed for three-and-a-half years for supplying heroin.
Henderson must produce an affidavit of all his means, savings and income, so that an investigation can be carried out under The Proceeds of Crime Act and a financial hearing will be held in March.
Barry Hess,50 executive from Melbourne could face the death penalty in Bali after prosecutors decided to charge him with trafficking marijuana and hashish.
a former Ansett executive and general manager of Bali's collapsed airline Air Paradise, was arrested last month after police allegedly found 14.4 grams of hashish and 2.7 grams of marijuana in his Kuta home.
Initially police charged Hess with drug possession, which carries a 10-year sentence.
Fernando Carpio Cedeno, 23, of the Dominican Republic was arrested Monday evening on I-59, allegedly with 8.7 pounds of cocaine. Authorities say its street value is nearly a quarter of a million dollars.
Read more...Two bakers, a husband and wife team, have been arrested in the Sicilian city of Palermo for baking cocaine-laced bread rolls, a police spokesman said Monday.
The spokesman said the couple added cocaine to the dough used for the 'special' rolls, which were sold to a stream of steady clients.
During a search of the bakers' apartment, another 40 grams of cocaine, intended for the same purpose, was discovered.
They were charged with drug dealing, and now face six to 20 years behind bars.
11 kilograms (24 pounds) of crystal meth and over 9,000 ecstasy pills have been seized in this year's largest haul in St. Petersburg, local drug police said Monday.
Police uncovered several drug stashes after detaining three people in possession of 2 kg (over 4 pounds) of crystal meth, and a large batch of ecstasy pills.
The haul also included cocaine and methadone, a strong prescription drug that has a similar effect to heroin.
An investigation is underway to find the dealers who supplied the drugs, and the delivery channels in Russia's second city.
Estonian police have discovered over $1 million worth of various drugs in an apartment in Tallinn, Estonia, the police press service said Monday.
Policemen found more than 70 kg (154lb) of hashish, 1.5 kg (3lb 50z) of cocaine, 0.3 kg (11oz) of heroin, and several packs of marijuana in the apartment.
Two people were detained on suspicion of drug storage and trafficking.
Joshua Blackburn, 32, is believed to have broken into the evidence locker room at highway patrol headquarters in Santa Ana.Deputy District Attorney Susan Schroeder said he was arrested in Riverside County and the cocaine was recovered.
Blackburn is being held on $4m bail at Orange County Jail.
Woodward:•William Shaun Powell, 24, of Ridgeland for possession of crack cocaine, marijuana and Oxycodone.•Calvin Andrew Holloway, 25, of New York for possession of Oxycodone and marijuana.•Carlos Lee Russell, 42, of Ridgeland for possession of Oxycodone and marijuana and two counts of unlawful possession of a handgun.•Clayton Clark Lowther, 29, of Ridgeland for possession of Valium and four outstanding magistrate court bench warrants for traffic violations.•Laura Kristen Meador, 42, of Bloomingdale, Ga., for possession of Valium.
Read more...Zeferi Hernandez-Gonzalez, 40, has been charged with trafficking cocaine and sale and distribution of cocaine.
Read more...Felipe Candido-Anastcio, 35, and Jose Luis Jimenez-Rojas, 25, have been charged with trafficking cocaine,
Read more...Russian custom officers in the port of St. Petersburg discovered over 20 kilograms (44 pounds) of cocaine on a Liberian ship, local officials said Tuesday.
"The Baltic Melody sailing under a Liberian flag, which had arrived from Ecuador, was stopped in the course of an investigation," a spokesman said.
A criminal case has been opened. The offenders face up to seven years in prison and a million ruble fine ($40,000) if found guilty.
Renae Lawrence, an inmate at Kerobokan Prison.
Djaja said Lawrence was one of 14 inmates whose sentence reduction suggestion had gone to the director general for consideration.
"For Renae Lawrence, we are still waiting for approval from (the) director general because for some convicted in cases of drugs ... they must get approval from director general," he said.
Lawrence was part of a nine-member ring that tried to smuggle 8.2kg of heroin from the Indonesian resort island to Australia.
Six of them are on death row. Lawrence is serving a 20-year jail term for her part in the plot.
The group was caught by Indonesian police in April 2005 following a tip-off from Australian Federal Police
Australian drug smuggler Schapelle Corby has been denied a Christmas Day reduction in her sentence because she had a mobile phone in her jail cell earlier this year.
The governor of Bali's Kerobokan Prison Ilham Djaja today said Corby was not among 81 prisoners recommended for a sentence reduction to mark today's religious holiday in Indonesia.
"We didn't suggest her (to have sentence reduction) because she is still under punishment over violation of hand phone usage inside the prison a few months ago," Djaja said.
"One violation means one year of no remission," Djaja said.
It is the second time Corby has been denied a sentence reduction this year because of the mobile phone indiscretion, with the Gold Coast beauty student also missing out on Indonesia's Independence Day in August.
Corby was arrested in October 2004 at Denpasar Airport with 4.2kg of marijuana in her boogie board bag after arriving on a flight from Australia.
She was jailed for 20 years but has maintained her innocence.
Police have arrested a 25-year-old man and charged him with taking part in the manufacture of amphetamine and property damage.
It is alleged an explosion occurred while amphetamine was being "cooked" in the house.
Lauren Cullen, 23, was arrested after collecting a bag from the luggage carousel. The bag contained 570g of crystal methamphetamine in a shampoo bottle and 560g of cocaine in a talcum powder bottle. when Cullen was stopped there was a raid by NSW police on premises associated with Singh, which found 1kg of methylamphetamine, half a kilogram of cocaine and two methylamphetamine labs.
Singh's jacket also was found to contain $23,800 in cash, Ms Matteo said.
Jeffery L. Hudson, 45, of Dry Branch Road, was charged with trafficking.
Read more...Vertrees Brown, 61, of Breezy Hill Drive, was charged with two counts of trafficking and possession of drug paraphernalia.
Read more...Pamela M. Jones, 29, of WTLO Road, Somerset, was cited for possession of marijuana, third-degree possession of a controlled substance, possession of a controlled substance not in a proper container and operating on a suspended driver’s license.
Read more...Joe Cantu, 47, of San Antonio, had been found dead with more than 13 stab wounds.
The authorities said they had not determined the motive for the killing. But one official, who spoke on the condition of anonymity because he was not authorized to disclose information related to the case, said it appeared that the killing might have involved a drug-related dispute.
The killing followed the assassinations last week of four federal police officers and the killing two weeks ago of the chief of the state police unit in Nuevo Laredo and of the director of the city's emergency response system.
West Africans, selling marijuana in Bangkok is a profitable business. One kilogramme bought for 10,000 baht in Nong Khai can be divided into small quantities and sold for up to 200 baht per gramme, depending on the perceived wealth of the customer.
The raid on November 30 was under the overall command of the NSB Commissioner, Pol Lt-Gen Wut Liptapallop and his deputy, Pol Maj-Gen Aditep Panjamanond. Pol Maj-Gen Amaresrit, who assigned Pol Col Ittipol Kitsuwan from Division 1 to put everything together, was in charge of planning, execution and coordination of the operations with other agencies, such as the Office of the Narcotics Control Board and the Food and Drug and Administration. The operation was observed by officers from the United States Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA). They have been working with the Thai anti-narcotics agencies for decades and have collaborated in many large seizures and arrests of important drug traffickers.
According to Pol Maj-Gen Amaresrit, a number of a foreign drug gangs are currently active in Thailand, but the syndicates from West African nations are the most troublesome.
They are the most lethal and dangerous, because they are selling drugs locally. Amaresrit noted.
He added: "Several West African gangs are active now in Thailand and we are going after them. They smuggle drugs, especially heroin, from Thailand to other countries and import cocaine and other drugs to Thailand. Many live here illegally, without a passport, or possess a counterfeit or altered one. Some have overstayed their visas." Jachike was found to be in possession of a South African passport with his photo in it, but he told the police during a later interrogation that he is a Nigerian national. A Lesotho passport with a photo of another person was also found in his room. Another suspect who gave his name as Mayabma produced no passport and didn't give his nationality. There are several hundreds West Africans in Thai jails now.
"The heads of the syndicates are very clever," he continued. "They don't live in the areas where the gangs operate, but in suburbs like Phrakanong or Prawet where we have less control over them. Their people stay around Sukhumvit and sell drugs to the locals. More often than not but they are addicted themselves, usually to cocaine," Amaresrit said.
Jesse James Elliott is charged with possession for the purpose of trafficking cocaine, marijuana, and magic mushrooms, as well as possession of property obtained by crime and careless storage of a firearm.
Read more...Golden Lumpkin, Lakeisha M. Tillman, 20, of 199 Broadway St., second floor, were among those arrested Dec. 10. They were charged with possession of cocaine with intent to distribute, conspiracy to violate drug laws and violation of a drug-free school zone, Springfield police documents state.
Eric E. Lumpkin, also arrested Dec. 10, was charged with trafficking cocaine, conspiracy to violate drug laws, possession of marijuana with intent to distribute, violation of a drug-free school zone and possession of a firearm without a license, documents state.
Jason Welsh, 24, Amanda Madarasz, 22, of Oshawa, are charged with two counts of possession for the purpose of trafficking and possession of a controlled substance.
George Baker, 27, of Falby Ct., Ajax, is charged with trafficking of a controlled substance, five counts of possession for the purpose of trafficking and two counts of unauthorized possession of a prohibited weapon (brass knuckles).
Kristina Facchini, 18, of Flowers Cres., Ajax, is charged with trafficking of a controlled substance and possession for the purpose of trafficking.
4,200 grams of cocaine seized in what investigators call one of the biggest drug busts in years in western MassachusettsThey were allegedly found packaged and ready for distribution.In addition to the cocaine, five pounds of marijuana, $20,000 in cash, two guns and two cars were seized.
Read more...Semaphore woman,23 has been arrested getting off a plane at Adelaide Airport in what police say is one of the state's biggest 'ice' busts.It is alleged by the police that the Adelaide woman was attempting to smuggle the drugs – about 570 grams of ice and 567 grams of cocaine – in a shampoo bottle and baby powder container in her suitcase
Read more...Jarrell Lee Pierc, 48, and Trung Minnell Barnett, 26, both of East Point, were charged with trafficking in cocaine and possession of marijuana with intent to distribute, according to DTF Lt. Jody Thomas. Also arrested was 29 year-old Prentice Deon Hamm, of Union City, charged with sale of cocaine, trafficking in cocaine, sale of marijuana and possession of marijuana with intent to distribute, said Thomas.
The bust occurred after Pierc, Barnett and Hamm arrived at the station and made contact with undercover DTF agents. Hamm sold agents approximately 28 grams of suspected marijuana and approximately two grams of suspected cocaine, Thomas said. Found in the vehicle during the subsequent search was approximately one pound of suspected marijuana and approximately 70 pre-packaged grams of suspected cocaine, said Thomas.
John Tutton and Tommy McKinnon. jailed for 30 years sentenced Britons John Tutton, 56, and Tony Mackinnon, 35, to 30-year jail terms was told by South Africa's leading anti-drug fighter on Friday.
At the end of South Africa's biggest drug trial, regional magistrate Fred Heuer, sitting in Camperdown, imposed 20-year sentences for dealing in 8,1 tons of dagga, and 20-year terms for dealing in 150kg of cocaine.
The cocaine, seized at Tongaat, was worth R52,5-million and the dagga, seized at Felixstowe harbour, England, R11-million.
Ten years of one sentence is to run concurrently with the other, giving the men effective terms of 30 years each.
Convicted of smuggling tonnes of cocaine from South Africa.
Police seized a staggering 178 kilos of pure cocaine and eight tonnes of cannabis worth nearly s5million - all of it destined for the UK.
The bust stopped a smuggling operation which saw an estimated s350million of drugs transported over six years - the second biggest haul in South African history.
Police arrested a 31-year-old Oshawa, Ontario, man after searching his tractor trailer at 1:28 a.m. Friday when he was trying to enter the United States via the Blue Water Bridge.
He was driving a D&D Freight truck hauling carrots from Toronto to Chicago, said Port Huron police Lt. Paul Reid.The marijuana was discovered in the trailer of the truck.The driver currently is being held in St. Clair County jail
Lauren Cullen, Marie Dunne, Daniel Faiello and Patrick Singh
It is alleged they were part of a joint enterprise to bring a large quantity of drugs into South Australia.
Half a kilogram of cocaine and the same amount of methamphetamine was found in luggage, allegedly belonging to the accused Cullen.
Police swooped on Cullen on Friday when she went to collect her bags after arriving from Sydney with the co-accused Dunne and Singh.
In opposing bail for Faiello, the prosecution said detectives had intercepted conversations between all four accused.
Magistrate Grasso ordered a home detention bail report for Faiello and remanded all in custody until January.
Sarah Mendoza, 29, of Tylersport, was arrested for selling cocaine in the parking lot of the Friendly's restaurant in Hatfield, police criminal complaint said.
Read more...Anthony Bacon, 51, and Lisa Wilson, 45, of Buckingham, are facing charges of criminal conspiracy to possess cocaine and possession of drug paraphernalia after police found a crack pipe in Bacon's back pocket, according to a police criminal complaint document.
Read more...Allan D. Newberry, 35, and Clyde L. Clemons, 25, of Memphis, Tenn., arrested and taken to the Hempstead County Detention Center where they made a first judicial appearance Monday before Hempstead County District Judge Tony Yocom on a single charge of possession of marijuana with intent to deliver.
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26-year-old Danny Varela, 23-year-old Daniel Troya, 23-year-old Ricardo Sanchez Jr. and 20-year-old Juan Gutierrez facing the same charges was 18-year-old Liana Lopez of Greenacres.All were booked into the Palm Beach County Jail on allegations of planning to sell at least 500 grams of cocaine between May and October.
Charles Taylor, 39; Adam Bennett, 20; and Deborah Anderson, 41, all of 935 Canal St., La Salle were charged with felony unlawful possession of a controlled substance at 9:24 p.m. Saturday at their residence.
Police and members of Illinois State Police Zone 3/La Salle Task Force found an unspecified amount of heroin, prescription drugs, drug paraphernalia and an unspecified amount of U.S. currency.
La Salle police were investigating two heroin overdoses that happened at 7:25 p.m. in the 100 block of Eighth Street and at 7:30 p.m. in the 900 block of 24th Street and concluded the heroin came from the house.
both on charges of possession of a controlled substance (prescription pills) between 28-200 grams and possession of marijuana between 4 ounces-5 pounds. Both posted $7,500 bail Saturday afternoon. Also jailed was Mikel Jonathan Bellows, 18, who remains in prison on a charge of possession of marijuana between 4 ounces-5 pounds, and three outstanding warrants charging him with moving violations carrying a total of $560 fines.
The search uncovered about 500 prescription pills, including Hydrocodone and Alprazalam, two bottles of liquid codeine, and more than half pound of marijuana.
Paraphernalia removed included numerous scales and baggies used in the distribution of narcotics.
The officers also found two handguns, a .45-caliber loaded Smith & Wesson and a .25-caliber Derringer which sat on a box of ammunition within easy access of the suspects. They seized about $1,000 in cash.
Hydrocodone tablets can sell on the street for as much as $5 each. The estimated street value of the seized contraband is about $3,000
TWO prison officers have been arrested on suspicion of smuggling drugs and mobile phones into a Greater Manchester jail.
Both men work at the privately-run Forest Bank prison in Salford, which has had a chequered history since it opened in 2000.
Police were called to the prison, which houses 1,040 young offenders and adults from across the region. Three staff were initially arrested but one was released within hours.
Gemma Marie Martin of Church Road, Bexley Heath, Kent forged her way into the prison with the intent to supply Class A and C drugs. Martin told Police that she had been approached by drug dealers in the Southampton area who knew that she worked for a firm of solicitors. She then agreed to smuggle drugs into Camp Hill Prison in Newport in return for payment. She got into the prison by arranging a false legal visit - using a fake letter from the solicitors where she worked. Martin was detained after the drugs were found when she was searched.
Read more...Paula Carney was convicted at Stafford Crown Court in September of possessing heroin and cannabis with intent to supply.
Mr Nick Burn, prosecuting, said the smuggled items wrapped in clingfilm were recovered after Carney (41) of Othello Close, Liverpool, was stripped searched in the prison after being stopped by a sniffer dog. Detectives also recovered a mobile phone SIM card in the clingfilm.
Paula Hale, of Pant Celydd, Margam, will spend a year behind bars herself after admitting drug possession with intent to supply
Prosecutor Richard Evans told Hale’s sentencing hearing at Cardiff Crown Court that prison officers overheard inmate Richard Lamb-Davies on the phone. His conversation alerted them that an attempt would be made to smuggle drugs into the jail.
On May 15 this year, mother-of-three Hale visited HMP Cardiff and, before being searched, was asked if she was carrying any contraband.
Hale produced two cling-film packages – one containing 6.96 grammes of cannabis and the second a similar amount of heroin.
Iain Wilson, aged 30, appeared at Northampton Crown Court accused of trying to smuggle heroin and ecstasy into HMP Rye Hill, a privately-run prison near Daventry.
He pleaded not guilty to two charges of possessing class A drugs with intent to supply it to an unnamed inmate on March 23.
Speaking only to confirm his name and not guilty pleas, Wilson denied knowing the mobile phones contained five grams of MDMA and 15 grams of heroin.
Stuart Yeung, defending, said he would be arguing duress, Wilson having allegedly been threatened by an inmate to bring the phones in, and that he had no knowledge he was carrying drugs.
Police have arrested a man for attempting to smuggle drugs into Maidstone prison after CCTV operators believed they saw someone throwing a package onto the roof of the prison.
Town centre patrols were alerted by CCTV during the evening of 10 December and later arrested a 42-year-old man for possession of cannabis resin and intending to supply a Class A drug.
Special Constable Aaron Butcher, who made the arrest, commented: ‘We are aware of alleged incidents when drugs have found their way into the prison and we are currently working to tackle this issue. The arrest shows we take these kinds of offences extremely seriously and we will continue to investigate incidents and arrest those responsible.’
Michael Arundel was jailed for three years when he appeared at Teesside Crown Court.
The court heard how Arundel was arrested after being seen acting suspiciously in the street. The 27-year-old appeared agitated and was putting his hand down the back of his trousers, the court heard.
A strip search revealed he had a package hidden inside him. Before the package could be retrieved by police, Arundel pulled it out and placed it in his mouth.
Officers had to restrain him to prevent him from swallowing it, said prosecutor Patricia Mancina.
When the package was examined it was found to be a plastic bag containing 19 wraps of heroin.
Arundel, of Stamford Street, Middlesbrough, admitted possessing the Class A drug with intent to supply on the basis that he was holding the drugs for somebody else.
The Northwest Regional Drug Taskforce, a multi-agency drug investigation group, served search warrants at the homes of Bodie L. Gwinner, 2141 Mount Baker Highway, and Matthew Gwinner, 2613 Dakin St., in Bellingham. They also raided several rooms at the Whispering Firs Motel in Alger, finding a half-pound of methamphetamine, which has a street value of around $10,000.
Bellingham Police Lt. Rick Sucee said an estimated 15 arrests were made in connection with the operation, which centered on the two brothers’ properties and circle of friends.
Bodie Gwinner was arrested without incident and booked into Whatcom County Jail. Police are still searching for Matthew Gwinner, who was not home when officers served the search warrant. The names of the rest of the arrested suspects were unavailable Wednesday evening.
Searches of apartments turned up about $2,000 worth of suspected crack cocaine, some marijuana, narcotic packaging material and two digital scales, police said. They also found suspected cocaine inside a 2002 Ford Expedition in the driveway.
A 32-year-old female resident was arrested on charges of possession of cocaine with intent to deliver, second offense; maintaining a drug house, second offense; and possession of marijuana, police said.
Her 40-year-old neighbor was arrested for first offense counts of the same charges. His 35-year-old roommate was charged with maintaining a drug house, second offense; and the fourth person, a 19-year-old who lives on Hills Haven Road in Buchanan, was charged with possession of marijuana and a warrant for possession of marijuana.
Two Utah resident refugees accused of importing more than 400 pounds of an exotic stimulant from Ethiopia made an appearance in federal court Friday.
Patrick Bahati, 23, and Sherif Kadir Sirage, 42, both of Salt Lake City, appeared in federal court after being arrested last Wednesday on charges of importation of a controlled substance.
Federal prosecutors moved to have both men held in federal custody pending trial, arguing that the importation of more than 400 pounds of khat constitutes a danger to the community.
Khat is a flowering evergreen shrub native to East Africa and the Arabian Peninsula. The plant is typically chewed like tobacco and creates a feeling of euphoria. The plant is banned in much of Europe, East Africa, Arabian Peninsula and the United States. It is considered a schedule I to a schedule IV controlled substance in the United States, depending on its freshness.
According to charging documents, both men had two large shipments of khat brought in from Addis Ababa, Ethiopia, via air shipment. A shipping company worker noticed a strong spice smell coming from the packages and noted that their contents did not match shipping documents, which listed contents as "false banana flour, basil, pepper, hop, grounded pea, lipia and thyme."
James Lamar Pettus, 31 of Opelika, charged with three counts of unlawful distribution of controlled substances.
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Harold Lee Glaze, 55 of Opelika, charged with two counts of unlawful distribution of controlled substances.
Martha Elaine Moore, 51, of Opelika, charged with one count of unlawful distribution of controlled substances.
Durr Ashmore, 69 of Opelika, charged with one count of unlawful distribution of controlled substances.
Demetrius Sanchez Moore, 18 of Opelika, charged with one count of unlawful distribution of controlled substances.
Mary Frances Ogletree, 43 of Opelika, charged with one count of unlawful distribution of controlled substances. She is already serving time in the Lee County Detention Center on unrelated charges.
Karen Louise Malone, 48 of Opelika, charged with one count of unlawful distribution of controlled substances. She is already serving time in the Lee County Detention Center on unrelated charges.
George Willie Hughley, 24 of Opelika, charged with one count of unlawful distribution of controlled substances. He is already serving time in the Lee County Detention Center on unrelated charges.
James Haywood Waldrop, 26 of Opelika, charged with one count of unlawful distribution of controlled substances. He is already serving time in the Lee County Detention Center on unrelated charges.
Luthur Lamark Menefield, 25 of Auburn, charged with one count of unlawful distribution of controlled substances. He is already serving time in the Lee County Detention Center on unrelated charges.
George Dooley ,25 of Opelika. He is currently serving time in state prison.
Ronald Welborn, 52 of Opelika, charged with one count of unlawful distribution of controlled substances.
Read more...Tony Milner, 32 of Opelika, charged with one count of unlawful distribution of controlled substances.
Read more...Robin Lacarris Clifton, 46 of Opelika, charged with three counts of unlawful distribution of controlled substances.
Read more...Darlene Alcudia, 42 of Opelika, charged with three counts of unlawful distribution of controlled substances.
Read more...Marcos Hernandez Alcudia, 35 of Opelika, charged with one count of unlawful distribution of controlled substances. He is also being deported from the United States.
Read more...Felicia Moody Floyd, 32of Opelika, charged with one count of unlawful distribution of controlled substances.
Read more...Rebecca McLoughlin, 25, was locked up for two years at Teesside Crown Court in October after she admitted possessing more than a kilo of amphetamine with intent to supply.
McLoughlin, of Briar Road, Thornaby, challenged the sentence, maintaining her punishment was excessive.
And her jail term was cut to 12 months when her case went to London’s Appeal Court.
The court heard the mother-of-two was prosecuted after police searched her home and found 1.4 kilos of amphetamine in the fridge freezer. The drugs haul had a potential street value of over £14,000, but was heavily adulterated and of limited purity.
German authorities found 330 lbs of heroin in a truck in northwestern Germany in one of country's biggest seizures of the drug, police said on Friday.
The heroin, worth around 6 million $8.6 million according to the prosecutor's office in Muenster, had been stashed in travel bags inside a truck from Turkey.
The vehicle was stopped in Bocholt, near the border with the Netherlands, and the 32-year-old driver was taken into custody, the Federal Criminal Police Office said in a statement.
Paula Richards, 45, of Bennett Square, Whipton, was sentenced to 12 months in prison at Exeter Crown Court yesterday.
The court heard that Richards was asked to bring heroin into prison by her partner Thomas Smith, 29, because he was being threatened by another person.
A telephone call from Smith to Richards was recorded and, although reluctant at first, she agreed to bring in the drugs and did so on June 9.
She went to the prison and was seen on CCTV removing an item from the front of her trousers and passing it to Smith, who put it down his trousers. Prison officers found it to be 3.25g of heroin with a street value in the region of £200.
Richards was arrested and when she was interview admitted taking the drug into the prison.
Neil Mounce was growing cannabis after a raid at his home in Pinwood Meadow Drive, Beacon Heath.Officers found cannabis plants being grown, dried and bagged up for sale, and £4,500 in drugs-related cash. Exeter Crown Court heard Mounce also bred reptiles as a hobby.has admitted: producing 261gms of cannabis over 11 months; possessing 364gms of cannabis with intent to supply when he was arrested; possession of 29gms of cannabis and four sedative tablets and possessing criminal property of £4,500 cash. He also pleaded guilty to charges of supplying class C drugs, involving cannabis and cannabis resin.
A 24-year-old man has been arrested following the seizure of nearly 40kg of cannabis resin in Dublin this morning.
The drugs, worth an estimated €260,000, were seized by members of the Garda National Drugs Unit following a planned search in Tallaght.
The man is being held at Tallaght Garda Station under section 2 of the Criminal Justice Drug Trafficking Act 1996.
Sergeant David Nyarko, Lance Corporals Dwamena Yabson and Peter Bundorin sentenced to two years imprisonment each for corruption by a public official. The sentences run concurrently.
They were charged in connection with the missing cocaine brought into the country on April 25, last year, by the vessel M.V. Benjamin.
The three policemen were alleged to have collected an undisclosed amount in US
dollars from Sheriff Asem Dakeh popularly called Limping Man who is wanted by the police for the importation of 77 parcels of the cocaine, 76 of which were offloaded at the Kpone beach near Tema.
El Dorado police recovered marijuana, codeine cough syrup, firearms, and digital scales in three drug busts that resulted in the arrest of three people this week. Aleck C. Gayle, 33, appeared in Union County District Court (UCDC) on Friday on charges of delivery of a controlled substance, three counts, possession of a controlled substance with intent to deliver, failure to keep records (maintaining a drug premises), and possession of drug paraphernalia.
Gayle, who was arrested Wednesday, was issued a bond of $10,000.
Arrested on drug charges Friday morning were 33-year-old Willie Simmons Jr., and 27-year-old Jerrell Hodge.
Arvy James Flanigan, 23, fled in a vehicle with his wife and an associate prior to execution of the warrant and was stopped by Corinth police after a short pursuit.
During the pursuit Flanigan was observed tossing something out the driver’s window that was later recovered and identified as methamphetamine, according to the sheriff’s office.
Officers recovered 60 grams of methamphetamine, $1,000 in currency and six firearms.
Flanigan was arrested and charged with manufacture or delivery of more than 4 grams but less than 200 grams of a controlled substance, Penalty Group 1, a first-degree felony punishable by life in prison or a term of 5 to 99 years, and a fine up to $10,000.
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