Anthony "Snags" Garcia was charged with leading a drug trafficking network, possession of narcotics

Anthony "Snags" Garcia, 30, was charged Tuesday with leading a drug trafficking network, possession of narcotics, possession with intent to distribute, and distribution, said Prosecutor Jim Avigliano."They were getting packages of two kilos at a time mailed to an address in Paterson (and) they were mailing packages of money back to Puerto Rico," Avigliano said, adding that $48,000 out of a total of $67,000 was seized by authorities at the Paterson Post Office.Garcia was one of six men arrested. The others included his brother Luiz "Take" Garcia, 33, Wilfredo "Old Man" Rivera, 50, and Jeffrey "Phyzil" Crespo, 20, all of Paterson; and Karl Carrion, 32, and Jobany Cruz, 19, both of Newark, according to the prosecutor's office.Avigliano said all five men face similar charges of narcotics possession and distributing.The 35-day investigation was initiated by the prosecutor's Gangs/Narcotics Task Force.
Police were initially looking at the Garcia brothers who were operating out of Passaic County. Anthony Garcia is an alleged member of the Bloods criminal street gang "Dip Set" crew, which is an offshoot of the "Nine Trey," crew. Police determined that Rivera, an employee of the city of Paterson, was running an international cocaine smuggling operation and was the chief supplier. Rivera's operation shipped cocaine to Puerto Rico through the U.S. Postal Service, according to the prosecutor's office."Four packages were intercepted -- three contained two kilograms of cocaine that were destined to Paterson and then to Anthony Garcia," according to a statement from the prosecutor's office. It was learned that the money from the cocaine distribution was shipped back to Puerto Rico through the mail.
One intercepted package that was to be shipped to Puerto Rico contained $48,000. The Garcia brothers also were supplying heroin to Rivera, according to the prosecutor's office. Rivera also allegedly had a heroin distribution operation out of Paterson.Police conducted early morning raids in Newark, Paterson and at Anthony Garcia's Parsippany home located at 959 South Beverwyck Ave.Police seized six kilograms of cocaine, 1,530 baggies of heroin valued at $10 each, a pound of marijuana, a handgun, roughly $67,000 in cash, and three cars: a Corvette convertible, a Cadillac Escalade and a Nissan 350Z.
The prosecutor's office was assisted by U.S. Postal Service Inspectors, the Drug Enforcement Agency, and Clifton Police Department.

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Bartosz Kargul sentenced at Edinburgh Sheriff Court

Bartosz Kargul, 26, was detained by officers from the newly-formed UK Border Agency (UKBA) after arriving on a flight from Brussels in May. Kargul, from Lublin, in Poland, was sentenced at Edinburgh Sheriff Court yesterday after attempting to smuggle over half a kilo of cocaine with a street value of £23,741 into the country by concealing it on his body. He pleaded guilty last month.HMRC assistant director of investigation in Scotland, Anne-Marie Gordon, said: "Today's case sends another significant warning. Smugglers face criminal prosecution followed by the removal of any financial benefits." Kargul's sentence has been backdated to May 1, for time spent on remand.

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Natasha Ennis jailed her for seven years.

previous convictions for her involvement with drugs didn't deter 32-year-old Natasha Ennis from carrying on in the trade.A judge told her at Croydon Crown Court last Friday that it was clear she had been making a living out of trafficking, and he jailed her for seven years.Sent down for 16 months was her lesbian accomplice, Lorna Barnes, 41, of of Green Lane, Penge. Both pleaded guilty to supplying cocaine and heroin.Prosecuting, Shekinah Anson said police were on their drug-tracing Operation Prada in the Penge area in January, and deals were done with Ennis and under-cover officers posing as customers.She was stopped in a car in Maple Road, Penge and police found two bundles of wrapped drugs in her underwear. In her socks they discovered £200 in cash.The drugs turned out to be heroin and cocaine with a street value of around £550.It appeared that Barnes had been using her car to ferry Ennis around. Ennis, of Elmers End, Beckenham, has served prison sentences for one case of drug smuggling and one of dealing. Defending, Brereton Horne said Ennis, when in Jamaica in her early days, had been ostracised by her grandmother because of her sexuality and she came to the UK.Judge Simon Pratt told her: "The indictment shows you dealing in Class A drugs no fewer than six times. It is quite clear you were making your living in drugs.
"You were a regular and commercial street dealer."John Horne, defending Barnes, said she had had a lesbian relationship with Ennis, but this broke up. She never had any financial reward for her part in the dealing.
Judge Pratt told Barnes: "Those who help dealers get sentences of imprisonment because they help the onward distribution of hard drugs into the community"Whether you did it out of love for her or not, it makes no difference.

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Artimus Perkins and Charlene Perkins charged with two counts of felony criminal possession

Artimus Perkins, 32, and Charlene Perkins, 31, live at 239 S. 6th Ave on the first floor. Three of the couple’s children, ages three, four and 16, were home at the time of the search warrant execution. They were released to the custody of a relative and New York State Child Protective Services were notified.The detectives, armed with a search warrant, discovered approximately 80 “rocks” of alleged crack cocaine and an additional gram of alleged powdered cocaine. The cocaine has an estimated street value of $900. Two Pit Bull dogs were also removed from the residence.“The community’s tolerance for drug dealing that often leads to violence is at an all time low, their continued cooperation is a testament to our growing partnership,” said Police Commissioner David Chong. “The fact that there were three children in the home makes this case even more disturbing.”Artimus Perkins has an extensive arrest record that includes prior convictions for narcotics related offenses. Charlene Perkins also has a minor criminal history. The two adults were charged with two counts of felony criminal possession of a controlled substance third degree, three counts of endangering the welfare of a child, a misdemeanor, and two counts of animal cruelty under the Agriculture and Market Law.

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Gavin Archibald Thorburn charged with smuggling cocaine into the UK

Gavin Archibald Thorburn, of Scatterill Close, Bradwell, was arrested on Monday as he landed at Birmingham international airport on a flight from Nairobi via Dubai.A 32-year-old man has been arrested on suspicion of smuggling three kilos of cocaine into the UK.Officers from the newly formed UK Border Agency (UKBA) seized the drugs which were found concealed in luggage.Mr Thorburn was charged with attempting to import three kilos of cocaine with a value of £120,000 - this would have doubled or even trebled once 'cut' by drug dealers. He was charged under the Customs and Excise Management Act 1979 and remanded in custody until next week.
Steve Roper, Detection Manager for UKBA, said: "This is an excellent result and an example of good joint working by our teams of officers. "We will continue to work with our partners in HMRC to tackle smugglers who attempt to bring goods illegally into the UK. "We hope this sends out a clear message that our approach is one of zero tolerance.
"Regional airports should not be seen as a 'soft touch' for smuggling activities."

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Perry Wharrie, Joseph Daly ,Martin Wanden all deny charges including possession of cocaine for sale or supply

Joseph Daly (aged 41),1 from 9, Carisbrook Avenue, Bexley, Kent, called to the home of Tom Lydon on Sunday afternoon July 1, 2007.Mr Lydon said he knew Daly “since he was a baby”, the defendant being his wife’s nephew. He said he and Daly sat down and watched the Munster Football Final together and that Daly then obliged him by helping to move cattle from one field to another.“If I needed anything he would be the first man to come around,” he said.John Branch of Bexley, Kent, knew Daly for 30 years and said the defendant did work for him on a patio between June 11 and 14, 2007.
Brian Lydon, first cousin and good friend of Daly, said that in June 2007 he got a phone call from Daly asking him to bring a boat over from England to Ireland but he could not do so due to holidays and such matters.
Gloria Hayhoe, Martin Wanden’s sister, testified in relation to where her brother was on January 16, 2007 when the prosecution alleged that he purchased a mobile phone in Bantry using the false name, Steven Witsie.
“There is no way he could have been there on the 16th of January, he was with us (in England),” Mrs Hayhoe said.Her sister, Elaine Carpenter, said that the youngest sister, who was very close to their brother, Martin Wanden, had died days earlier and that Martin was with the family attending to matters at the home of the deceased at that time. Asked about him allegedly buying a phone in Bantry on Tuesday, January 16, Mrs Carpenter said: "I cannot see how, he was with us most of Tuesday."
Defendants, Perry Wharrie (aged 48), of 60, Pryles Lane, Essex, England, Joseph Daly (aged 41), from 9, Carisbrook Avenue, Bexley, Kent, and Martin Wanden (aged 45), who is also English but has no fixed abode all deny charges including possession of cocaine for sale or supply when its street value exceeded €13,000 on July 2, at Dunlough Bay, Mizen, Goleen, Co Cork.
Earlier yesterday at Cork Circuit Criminal Court Judge Seán Ó Donnabháin asked for the nine men and three women to be brought into Courtroom 2 at 11.30 a.m. and he said: “A personal matter has arisen for one of the jurors. I propose to release this juror from further service. We will continue with 11.”The young woman who was released from further service then left the courtroom and the other two women and nine men returned to the jury room to allow for further legal argument in their absence.

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Neil Francis MacKinnon,Christopher Aaron MacNeil are charged with possession for the purpose of trafficking in cocaine and with conspiracy

Christopher Aaron MacNeil, 35, of Kempt Head Road, who is charged with possession for the purpose of trafficking in cocaine and with conspiracy to trafficking in the drug, is now scheduled to stand trial April 7 on the charges.
MacNeil was previously released on conditions including the posting of a $20,000 surety.
Meanwhile, Neil Francis MacKinnon, 50, of Florence, who faces similar charges to MacNeil, made a brief court appearance Monday during which his case was adjourned until Thursday for a possible bail hearing. He continues to be on remand at the Cape Breton Correctional Centre.

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Savdhul Zaman convicted the former Middlesbrough light-welterweight star earlier this year.

Savdhul Zaman, 25, of Westbourne Grove, North Ormesby, had denied conspiracy to supply a Class C drug, but a jury convicted the former Middlesbrough light-welterweight star earlier this year.
Two co-accused, John Coltman, 28, and Zameer Ahmed, 25, were also sentenced. They were both staying in the Stainton Street house.
Coltman, of Longlands Road, Middlesbrough, denied the conspiracy and was found guilty. He was given a 16-week prison sentence, suspended for two years, with 80 hours unpaid work.Ahmed, of Pickering Road, Thornaby, admitted his role in the drugs conspiracy.The judge passed a 36-week prison sentence, suspended for 12 months, with 150 hours unpaid work.

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Tanweer Razak, 28, Piotr Izbicki, 26, Rukhsar Bashier, 34, and Ajaz Arif, 33, are accused of running four cannabis factories in Middlesbrough,

Tanweer Razak, 28, Piotr Izbicki, 26, Rukhsar Bashier, 34, and Ajaz Arif, 33, are accused of running four cannabis factories in Middlesbrough, after more than 1,100 plants were seized in a series of raids at four addresses in the town in October last year.Razak, of Elm Park, West Reading, Bashier of Brooker’s Hill, Shinfield, and Arif and Izbicki, both of Basingstoke Road, Whitley, have all denied conspiring to produce cannabis at the two-week long trial at Teesside Crown Court.Sarah Mallett, prosecuting, said the properties were bought to set up sophisticated factories which suggested commercial cultivation and national distribution of the drug.
Defence barristers made closing speeches on Thursday, saying there was a lack of evidence of knowledge or agreement in a conspiracy, or linking the accused to the cannabis.Taxi driver Razak is alleged to be the unscrupulous, money-motivated “mastermind” or “top man”. His counsel, Caroline Goodwin, said if he was the brains of the outfit, he did it in “the most cack-handed way”. The Crown says Izbicki acted as a go-between and was heavily involved in the day-to-day management of the properties. His barrister David Lamb said the builder was just a worker who thought he was doing a fair day’s work “in the wrong place at the wrong time”.
One “Mr Tai” was said to be “a dark figure lurking behind the conspiracy” who exerted a grip on others, threatened Izbicki and abused Arif’s trust.
The prosecution said Arif bought all four homes in 2007. Arif said he knew nothing of the cannabis production until he was arrested. Peter Sabiston, defending Arif, said he was “given a few bob to tell a few white lies on a mortgage application form and ask no further questions”. It is alleged Bashier was an investor financing the illicit enterprise. Stan Reiz, for Bashier, said he was a credible, respectable, successful businessman and the only evidence against him was five banker’s drafts said to be deposits for the properties. Judge Michael Taylor is to sum up the case against the four today and the jury is due to be sent out. On the judge’s direction earlier in the trial, the jury acquitted a fifth defendant, Tokeer Akhtar, 27, of Elm Park, West Reading.

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Geoffrey Slade was arrested when officers found drugs during a search of the vehicle he was driving.

Geoffrey Slade, 48, of Penton Hook Farm, appeared before Brighton Magistrates' Court today following the discovery of approximately 40kgs of cocaine at Newhaven Port yesterday.UK Border Agency (UKBA) officers at Newhaven intercepted Slade at the inward tourist controls after he had arrived on a ferry from Dieppe.He has been remanded in custody and will reappear at the court on Monday.Regional director south of UKBA Carole Upshall said: "This is another excellent result. We will continue to work with our partners in HMRC to tackle the smugglers who attempt to bring goods illegally into the UK."

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Paul Brierley was jailed for 18 months after he pleaded guilty to two charges of possession of Class C drugs with intent to supply them

Paul Brierley, 23, told police that he would hand the baby to the prisoner he was visiting in Holme House Prison, Stockton, and at the same time he passed across drugs.Prison staff grabbed him after receiving information about the visits when he was accompanied by the baby’s mother, the prisoner’s partner, said prosecutor Kristian Mills.
Brierley was searched and he was caught with herbal cannabis and Subutex tablets.
When police interviewed him he said that he had done it a few times before and he had been paid £30 for each delivery, Teesside Crown Court was told.Mr Mills added: “The method of getting the drugs in was that they would have been passed over with the baby.”Ruth Phillips, defending, said: “He has been more than candid and he has made the situation worse for himself by doing so.”She said that when Brierley was nine his father was murdered and he had spent years in and out of local authority care.
He became involved with undesirables who were heavily involved in the drugs scene and pressure was brought on him to smuggle drugs into prison.
On occasions when he refused he was threatened with reprisals.
Judge Les Spittle told Brierley: “Although I am not sentencing you for it I have to take into account that this was not the first time, and you have been doing it for money.
“What you were doing and you admitted it to police was that you were knowingly taking drugs into prison. Whatever pressure may have been upon you it seems you were doing it for money.”
Brierley, of Bolckow Road, Grangetown, was jailed for 18 months after he pleaded guilty to two charges of possession of Class C drugs with intent to supply them on July 17 last year.

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Azaha Abd Rani,Zainun Mohd Noor couple with four children, three of whom are below 16 years, was sentenced to death by the High Court in Malaysia

A couple with four children, three of whom are below 16 years, was sentenced to death by the High Court hereThursday for heroin trafficking five years ago.
High Court Justice Ahmad Maarop also convicted them of possession of the narcotic and sentenced them to 15 years to jail, from their date of arrest in 2003, which they are to serve before their execution.
Justice Ahmad, now a Court of Appeal Justice, however, granted them a stay on the death sentence pending an appeal.
Azaha Abd Rani, 49, and his wife Zainun Mohd Noor, 42, both from Kelantan, were composed and unfazed when Justice Ahmad Maarop read out the verdict.
However, Azaha grasped his wife 's left hand when leaving the dock after the sentencing.“Based on our country’s law, it is a mandatory death sentence for those convicted of drug trafficking and it’s our (court) responsibility to mete out the death penalty,” said Justice Ahmad.The court also noted that Azaha, a taxi driver, had given a sworn statement while Zainun chose to remain silent without calling any witnesses in her defence.
The couple were charged under Section 39B (1)(a) of the Dangerous Drugs Act and Section 12 (2) of the same act for trafficking and being in possession of heroin, respectively.They were convicted of distributing 12.25g of heroin on December 7, 2003, in front of BP petrol kiosk in Kampung Jabi, Besut.They were also convicted of being in possession of 9.57g of heroin on the same date, time and area. Earlier in mitigation, defence counsel Aziz Derasi appealed to the court for a lighter sentence in viewof the fact that the offence was their first and they were parents to four children aged 24 years, 15 years, 11 years, and nine years.
But the Deputy Public Prosecutor Othman Abdullah argued that there was only one sentence reserved for cases under Section 39B and that was the death penalty.

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James Williams imprisoned for three years after he admitted allowing the premises to be used for the production of class A drugs.

James Williams imprisoned for three years after he admitted allowing the premises to be used for the production of class A drugs.Williams was originally charged with five offences including producing ecstasy and ketamine tablets on or before January 14, possession of drugs with intent to supply and possessing a firearm.
But the 35-year-old, who has no previous convictions, denied being involved in the drugs operation.He accepted allowing dealers to use his property.Officers entered the second floor flat at about 8.45pm after a 999 call from a neighbour.
They discovered more than 3,300 pills containing ecstasy and ketamine in packages in the kitchen, living room and bedrooms, worth up to £16,000.A heavy-duty pill press was found under a duvet.But it was when officers searched a transit van outside they thought they had made the real find.Inside was a smooth-bore shotgun with cartridges and two bags containing a total of 101,588 pills, worth up to £500,000.Charles Lander, prosecuting, said analysis later revealed they contained no illegal drugs.
Experts ruled it was likely they had been made from the same tablet press, before the ones containing ecstasy, and could have been sold for the same amount.
Judge Holloway said: “It’s just like having a production line – once you have the ability to produce in bulk and open up the facility those who are using it can produce as many as they like.”One man is still on bail in connection with the find and police are trying to trace at least two others.

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Lyle Niemi sentenced to 14 years in prison

Lyle Niemi has been on trial before a jury for the past month in a Barrie court. He has admitted that he was the pilot who flew a small jet engine plane into the Simcoe Regional Airport just north of Barrie on Nov. 7, 2001. But Niemi has insisted he did not know that nine hockey bags that were loaded on his plane contained 269 kilograms of pure cocaine, along with 17 bricks of hashish.

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Edgar Collazo is now known as a heroin dealer

Edgar Collazo had been a petty criminal — a few traffic violations and a domestic violence arrest over the last several years.But the 36-year-old is now known as a heroin dealer. He’s in Lee County Jail charged with three felony counts of heroin possession, three counts of selling heroin within 1,000 feet of a school or day care, one count of heroin trafficking under 30 kilos and resisting arrest.
Undercover officers with the department conducted a buy with Collazo at the Wendy’s on Palm Beach Boulevard. A small purchase was made there, with the promise to buy the rest after the undercover officer could test if it was good. Then as Collazo went to his Oleander Avenue home to await a call from the buyer, he was pulled over by another officer.Officer Jason Pate reported Collazo was stopped at the end of his driveway, and despite multiple commands to walk back to the vehicle, Collazo continued to approach the front door. When the officer tried to place him under arrest, Collazo tried to run, Pate reported. He was quickly caught was taken in with no further incident.He is being held at Lee County Jail on $125,500 bond.

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Ryan Welgos Nelson Raul-Gamez, were arrested in Silverthorne following an undercover investigation that wa

Suspected heroine dealer Ryan Welgos waived advisement Wednesday in Garfield County District Court where the Aspen resident was formally charged with nine felonies.
Welgos and his alleged supplier, Nelson Raul-Gamez, 24, of Aurora, were arrested June 19 in Silverthorne following an undercover investigation that was spurred by the Drug Enforcement Agency (DEA). DEA officials said the March 23 overdose of Aspen visitor Adam Peterson sparked the probe. The DEA and the Two Rivers Drug Enforcement Team, which assisted with the investigation, claim that the heroin that led to Peterson’s overdose came from Welgos.Since the arrest Welgos, 30, has been in Garfield County Jail. His bond is $40,000.
Meanwhile, with his hair cropped short, Welgos appeared before Magistrate Lain Leoniak wearing a black and white striped suit with a thick leather belt binding his cuffed hands to his waist.He appeared calm as he approached the defendant’s table — his parents looking on from across the courtroom.Welgos’ attorney, Arnold Mordkin of Snowmass Village, asked Magistrate Lain Leoniak to waive advisement of the charges, which were filed by prosecutor James Leuthauser. The charges include two counts of conspiracy to sell heroin, a schedule I drug, as well as two counts of possession with intent to distribute, two counts of distribution, two counts of possessing more than one gram, and one count of unlawful use of heroin.Mordkin also filed a motion for a gag order prohibiting anyone involved in the case, including attorneys for both sides and law enforcement officials, from speaking in public or to the press.After the hearing, Mordkin claimed that a DEA press release featured federal agents “shooting their mouths off” and “patting themselves on the back” for arresting his client.Mordkin also argued that statements made by Garfield County Sheriff Lou Vallario seeking the “maximum sentences allowable” against Welgos unfairly prejudice the case.
“That poisons the jury pool,” Mordkin said. “There’s a process we go through … You don’t sentence people until he gets convicted.”Mordkin said Welgos has no police record and deserves to be treated fairly.
“This is a guy who’s never been in trouble before,” Mordkin said. “Maybe these people will shut up for a while.”Welgos’ next court appearance is scheduled Aug. 28 at 8:15 a.m., with District Court Judge Daniel B. Petre expected to preside. It is uncertain whether he will plead on the charges, and Mordkin hopes the judge will consider his motion to restrict any pre-trial publicity.

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Francisco Burciaga has been charged federally with possession with intent to distribute the heroin

Francisco Burciaga was driving north on Interstate 25 near the south end of Raton when he was pulled over by an officer for failing to use his turn signal correctly. The traffic stop led to a search of the SUV that yielded the heroin stashed in a false compartment behind the rear bumper cover, according to an affidavit filed in federal court in Albuquerque by a U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration officer.
The DEA took over the case after Burciaga was arrested. He has been charged federally with possession with intent to distribute the heroin that the DEA estimates would be worth at least $500,000 if sold on the street. The street value for drugs such as heroin varies greatly from place to place and the 36 pounds siezed from Burciaga's SUV could have brought significantly more money in some locations, according to the DEA.Burciaga's lack of proper signaling June 24 caused New Mexico Motor Transportation Officer John Valdez to stop the SUV at about 5:55 a.m. According to the federal affidavit, Valdez could smell a "pungent chemical odor" from the vehicle and later smelled a similar odor coming from Burciaga. The lone occupant of the SUV, Burciaga had a Texas driver's license, but the SUV was registered to him at a Phoenix address. Authorities identified Burciaga as being from El Paso, Texas. The affidavit says the SUV was registered and insured to Burciaga June 23, the day before the traffic stop near Raton. Burciaga told Valdez he was traveling from Phoenix to Chicago.During the stop, Valdez checked with a criminal information system that records criminal incidents involving people going through checkpoints at the U.S.-Mexico border. That check found that Burciaga had "two positive hits related to narcotics," according to the affidavit.
After citing Burciaga for the turn-signal violation, Valdez asked Burciaga if there was anything illegal in the SUV and Burciaga responded with, "Wanna look?" and opened the rear door of the vehicle, the affidavit says.Valdez called for assistance and Raton Police Department Officer Cory Coca brought his police dog, Aros, to the scene. Aros indicated that some sort of drugs were in the vehicle, the affidavit indicates.
A search revealed the heroin - in 24 individually-wrapped packages - in the false compartment, the affidavit says.Burciaga on Thursday was ordered by a federal judge to remain in custody after Burciaga waived his right to a preliminary trial. In making his decision, the judge noted that Burciaga had "a criminal history with prior convictions and a prior drug offense charge."

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Peter Storer pleaded guilty to possession of heroin, cannabis, and buprenorphine

Peter Storer, 38, of Spilsby Road, pleaded guilty at Boston Magistrates' Court to possession of heroin, cannabis, and buprenorphine – a heroin substitute – on April 17.Jim Clare, prosecuting, said Storer had been reported to police at around 6.40am for sleeping in a shed in Chapel Passage, Boston.When the officer arrived at the scene, Storer was caught snorting heroin from tinfoil, and also in possession of cannabis, Mr Clare said.A strip-search followed at the police station, and a cellophane wrapper was discovered in Storer's bottom containing buprenorphine.
Terry Boston, in mitigation, said Storer had been prescribed the heroin substitute.
He added, however, that his client pleaded guilty because he was unable to produce documentation to prove the claim."Why he tried to hide it in such a peculiar place I have no idea," he said.Mr Boston continued: "He is an addict and he does need to take these drugs. "He has been getting some help towards it, but clearly he is not responding very well to the treatment." The court fined Storer £200 for possession of the drugs, and also ordered him to pay £60 for costs, and the £15 victim surcharge.A forfeiture order was also made for the destruction of the drugs.

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Trapper Hively and Sarah Casto were arrested at the Lancaster Motel after police say they allegedly found heroin and needles in a motel room

Trapper Hively, 26, pleaded not guilty to one count of possession of heroin. He is in Fairfield County Jail on a $10,000 10 percent cash bond and a $5,000 recognizance bond.Hively and Sarah Casto, 23, of Lancaster, were arrested Friday at the Lancaster Motel after police say they allegedly found heroin and needles in a motel room.Casto, 23, who was wanted on a 2007 bench warrant, was arraigned on an alleged probation violation Friday following the arrest. No bond was set for her.
Lancaster Police Sgt. Matt Chambers said Sarah Casto and Trapper Hively were arrested just after 9 a.m. Friday at the motel, 533 S. Columbus St.
Adult probation officers were acting on a tip Friday when they, along with Lancaster police, say they found 17 hypodermic needles and 10 balloons containing what they believe to be heroin in the room.The Fairfield-Hocking Major Crimes Task Force arrived on the scene shortly thereafter. A third person in the room at the time of the arrests was not charged, Chambers said.

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Chinedu Leonard Momah pleaded guilty to possession with intent to distribute more than 500 grams of a mixture and substance containing cocaine.

Chinedu Leonard Momah of Lagos received the maximum 235-month prison term.Momah in February pleaded guilty to possession with intent to distribute more than 500 grams of a mixture and substance containing cocaine.A co-defendant, 46-year-old Johnson Obiegbu of Amityville, New York, pleaded guilty May 30 in the smuggling case and was sentenced to 97 months in prison.Canisters of cocaine were found Oct. 29 in two bags X-rayed after being checked for a flight from Dallas-Fort Worth International Airport to Gatwick Airport.

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Johnson Fayiah was arrested at Belfast International Airport after getting off a flight from Amsterdam

Johnson Fayiah, 26, was arrested at Belfast International Airport after getting off a flight from Amsterdam.A search proved he had swallowed 75 ten gram packets of cocaine. He was jailed for 4.5 years at Antrim Crown Court.

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Alexandru Sabau 100,000 Ecstasy tablets, which he intended to trade for 25 kilograms of cocaine

Alexandru Sabau, 37, was arrested near his apartment in Newport Beach Friday after he arrived for a roadside meeting to finalize a drug deal with an informant, Jennifer Silliman, deputy special agent in charge of the U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement's Los Angeles airport office said.
Investigators found in the trunk of Sabau's rental car 100,000 Ecstasy tablets, which he intended to trade for 25 kilograms of cocaine, Silliman said. The pills typically sell for $20 each on the street, she said.
"We believe this individual was seeking to bring significant quantities of Ecstasy into Southern California from Canada, which he told our informants he intended to use as collateral to obtain caches of cocaine for export back to Canada," Robert Schoch, special agent in charge of ICE's Los Angeles office said.
Investigators executing a search warrant at Sabau's apartment also found a small amount of cocaine and about $14,000 in cash. Sabau was charged with conspiracy to distribute a controlled substance and faces up to 20 years in prison if convicted. He was ordered held pending a July 8 bail hearing, ICE spokeswoman Virginia Kice said. He will be arraigned in U.S. District court July 21. His attorney, Deputy Federal Public Defender Hayne Yoon, declined to comment. Sabau's immigration status was under investigation, Kice said.
His arrest capped a three-month undercover probe which arose from several minor narcotics cases in Santa Monica and West Los Angeles, authorities said.

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Steven Harrison was addicted when he allegedly solicited bribes of up to $250 from as many as 14 Hispanic motorists during illegal traffic stops

Steven Harrison, 26,was addicted when he allegedly solicited bribes of up to $250 from as many as 14 Hispanic motorists during illegal traffic stops last fall.Harrison -- already facing more than 20 counts of official misconduct, intimidation and theft -- was arrested while free on bail June 20 on the West Side with 10 wraps of heroin in his pocket. He's now also charged with possession of heroin.Chicago officers spotted him buying the dope on the platform at the Cicero Green Line L station about 7:40 p.m., police said.Harrison seemed close to tears as he appeared Friday before Cook County Circuit Court Judge Rosemary Higgins. At one point, Higgins barked at Harrison, "Stop with the puppy dog eyes," adding, "You held a position in the community, but you have chosen to flout the law."
Harrison, of the 3800 block of West 107th Place, has been in the County Jail, isolated for his own safety, since his latest arrest. He was fired by Oak Lawn in October after being charged with the shakedowns.His attorney, Brian Bennett, urged Higgins to release Harrison so he could receive treatment for his addiction, explaining that Harrison's health insurance benefits had expired following his firing and that there were no drug treatment programs that would accept him while he was jailed.Harrison's parents would keep a close watch on him once he was released, Bennett said.

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Auguste Durand,Michael Santiago Rikers Island correction officers were fired on Wednesday after they were accused of smuggling marijuana, alcohol

Two Rikers Island correction officers were fired on Wednesday after they were accused of smuggling marijuana, alcohol and tobacco to an inmate who is awaiting trial in the death of a police officer last July, officials said.
Stephen J. Morello, a spokesman for the city’s Department of Correction, said it was not yet clear exactly when the two officers, Auguste Durand, 31, and , 24, smuggled the contraband to the inmate, Lee Woods. Mr. Woods is housed in the punitive segregation unit of the George R. Vierno Center at Rikers Island. On Tuesday, jail officials were tipped off about the smuggling, and they discovered the items during a search on Tuesday night, Mr. Morello said.
Officers Durand and Santiago had worked in the Correction Department since August, and they were still in a probationary period, Mr. Morello said. Their dismissal was reported on Wednesday by The New York Post. A representative from the correction officers’ union did not immediately return calls seeking comment.
On Wednesday, Mr. Woods was prevented from attending a court hearing while prison officials tried to determine whether he possessed other illegal items, including a weapon, Mr. Morello said. On Thursday morning, Mr. Woods failed a magnetometer test, a search for metal on or inside a person. Officers did not find any visible sign of metal on Mr. Woods, and he was allowed to attend a court hearing but was required to wear mitts and remain shackled, according to a spokesman for Charles J. Hynes, the Brooklyn district attorney.Mr. Woods, Dexter Bostic and Robert Ellis are charged with firing from a car at Officers Russel Timoshenko and Herman Yan on July 9 during a traffic stop in Brooklyn. Officer Timoshenko died five days later.
Also on Thursday, Mr. Bostic was taken to Elmhurst Hospital Center after complaining that he had fallen in the shower at the jail. He was treated and returned to custody.

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Patrick Yacubovich faces an array of charges after police said he sold heroin to two underage girls and also resisted arrest

Patrick Yacubovich, 21, of 160 Old Middletown Road, faces an array of charges after police said he sold heroin to two underage girls and also resisted arrest.Yacubovich was arrested last night after Orangetown police received a tip that drugs were being sold at his home, Detective Patrick Frawley said.Detectives and members of the Police Department's Special Enforcement Unit went to the home just before 9 p.m. and were greeted by a 16-year-old girl who appeared to be under the influence of narcotics, Frawley said.She told police that her friend was passed out in Yacubovich's bed, which is where officers found a 17-year-old girl, he said.Both girls told police they had ingested heroin that they bought from Yacubovich, who became combative with police, shoved one officer and resisted arrest.Police said that with the assistance of the Rockland County District Attorney's Office, they obtained a warrant that allowed them to search the home.Following the search and investigation, Yacubovich was charged with two felony counts each of third-degree criminal possession of a controlled substance and third-degree criminal sale of a controlled substance.He was also charged with 15 counts of possession of a hypodermic needle, one count of seventh-degree criminal possession of a controlled substance, two counts of unlawfully dealing with a child, two counts of endangering the welfare of a child and resisting arrest, all of which are misdemeanors.
Frawley said police found 15 used needles in Yacubovich's bedroom. The man's parents were out of town at the time of their son's arrest, police said.
Yacubovich was additionally charged with three counts of unlawful possession of marijuana and one count of second-degree harassment, all violations. The harassment charge was for shoving the police officer.
Yacubovich was arraigned in Orangetown town Justice Court and sent to the Rockland County jail on $10,000 bail. He is due back in court at a later date.Frawley said Yacubovich has been going to New Jersey to buy heroin for several people who live in Pearl River.Yesterday, Yacubovich took the girls to Patterson, N.J., to buy drugs, Frawley said.Police declined to release the girls' names due to their age.
They were taken to police headquarters in Orangeburg, where their parents were called. After medical permission was given, the girls were taken by ambulance to Nyack Hospital, where they were checked and released, police said.

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Hema and Pius Onwaso Okolonta arrested

The arrests of Hema and Pius Onwaso Okolonta, the Nigerian,on Saturday came following a tip off that the woman would handover a drug consignment to him which she had brought from Jammu and Kashmir.
Police had prior information that Hema had gone to Jammu to take a delivery of heroin on June 27 and will come back the next day and she will handover the consignment to Okolonta near Metro station in Nawada here.
As the duo reached the spot, both of them were apprehended by a waiting police team and 3.05 kg of heroin were allegedly recovered from them, Deputy Commissioner of Police (Special Cell) Alok Kumar said. Interrogation revealed that the entire network was led by one Zorawar based in Lahore and his alleged main conduit was one Rummy, who was receiving these consignments at Jammu.
Rummy was further supplying these drugs to different Nigerians in Delhi and surroundings areas, Kumar said. Hema has worked in Bhojpuri films and is aspiring actress and model, Kumar said adding she came into contact with Okolonta through a friend of his whom she had met in the bar. Okolonta, who came on tourist VISA in 2006 for six months and now overstaying, allegedly lured her into this drug trade, he said. A case has been registered and further investigations are on.

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Benjamin Arellano Felix known as "El Min", to be extradited

Mexico agreed on Tuesday to extradite drug lord Benjamin Arellano Felix to the United States as suspected drug hitmen killed another six people in a border city in the latest round of a killing spree.Arellano Felix, known as "El Min", was head of the powerful Tijuana cartel that operates across the U.S. border from San Diego, California until his capture in early 2002.Mexico's Attorney General's office said Arellano Felix will be tried in a Southern California court on charges of smuggling tonnes of cocaine into California between 1990 and 2000.The decision overturns a decision in May by a Mexican federal judge to block the extradition.Arellano Felix, whose cartel is now run by sister Enedina and brother Eduardo, is the latest high profile Mexican drug lord to be extradited by the government of President Felipe Calderon, who took office in 2006.Calderon extradited former Gulf cartel leader Osiel Cardenas to Texas in January 2007, marking increased U.S.-Mexico cooperation in the drug fight.Mexican drug violence is spiraling as cartels fight each other for control of smuggling routes.The latest six to die in Ciudad Juarez in northern Mexico brought the death toll in the city bordering El Paso, Texas, to 41 since the start of the weekend, police said. Gunmen killed 17 people on Sunday alone.Over 500 people have been killed in Ciudad Juarez since the start of the year, making it the most deadly city in Mexico's drug war, despite a large deployment of well-armed troops and federal police.Calderon said on Tuesday the surge in killings in places like Ciudad Juarez was due to local gangs battling over ever smaller smuggling turf.
More than 4,000 people have been killed in drug violence since December 2006, when Calderon took office. More than 1,600 people have been killed this year, a faster rate than in 2007.

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Shanu Krawiec appeared in Melbourne Magistrates' Court on Friday and was charged with two counts of importing illegal drugs into Australia

Shanu Krawiec appeared in Melbourne Magistrates' Court on Friday and was charged with two counts of importing illegal drugs into Australia. He was remanded in custody to appear again on October 3. Mr Krawiec, 32, is one of several Australians charged during a three-year Australian Federal Police investigation. AFP agents claim the probe smashed the global smuggling syndicate allegedly run by the supergrass from Amsterdam. An extradition request to get the supergrass back to Melbourne was approved in April but he is still in an Amsterdam jail pending an appeal. Before he left he provided police with the names of his celebrity cocaine customers. Those he dobbed in included top models, entertainers and other members of Melbourne's A list. The AFP claims the arrest of Mr Krawiec in Thailand allegedly shut down the Bangkok end of the supergrass's worldwide operation.
Thai police played a major role in tracking down and arresting Mr Krawiec for the AFP on January 24 and AFP agents flew into Melbourne with him last week.
The syndicate was allegedly operating out of the Netherlands sending drugs to Australia, Canada, Thailand and other countries. AFP intelligence suggests the gang specialised in getting couriers to hide cocaine in their bodies. The supergrass, who is the only alleged syndicate member whose name remains suppressed, secretly taped Tony Mokbel for police. He was also instrumental in getting Victoria's drug squad scrapped in 2001. Evidence gathered by him was crucial to the convictions of two corrupt members of the squad. The supergrass fled overseas in May 2004 when underworld figures put a $1 million bounty on his head after discovering he was an informer. A Melbourne man who played a minor role in the syndicate was jailed this month. Alexander Leigh Neil Pugh, 32, was given a three-month sentence.
Melbourne Magistrates' Court was told Pugh's job was to help Mr Krawiec organise money for the operation's cocaine imports.

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Johnston Fayiah was sentenced to four and a half years by Antrim Crown Court

Johnston Fayiah, 26, who has an address in the Netherlands but a family in Nigeria, was sentenced to four and a half years by Antrim Crown Court.
Judge Patrick Lynch told Fayiah if the bags had burst he would have ended up as "a corpse rather than a prisoner". The drugs, with an estimated value of £100,000, were discovered in an X-ray. The judge added that while Fayiah had acted out of his "own personal greed - for narrow financial gain", he was prepared to accept he was a drug courier, rather than a major player. Fayiah, with an address at Honzelean, Kemper, was stopped by customs because "he fitted the profile of a potential courier" after coming off an Amsterdam flight at Belfast's International Airport on 5 January, 2008. When initially questioned he denied having any drugs, but agreed to have an X-ray, which showed up the 300 grams of the Class A drug contained in the packets.
Despite this however, he claimed to know nothing about them, before admitting that he had been approached "by a man called Dan" who'd paid him 500 euro, with the promise of a further 1,000 euro upon his return to Holland. Defence said Fayiah, who has a wife and child in Nigeria, had escaped the west Africian country when he was 17 during a civil war which claimed the lives of his parents. He added that Fayiah agreed to take the drugs because "he was in extreme financial difficulties at the time".

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Bakhos Jalalaty The founder of DJ's Fine Foods had offered his marital home near Windsor and $100,000 from his wife's aunt's retirement fund

Bakhos Jalalaty, 45, of Maroota, had offered his marital home near Windsor and $100,000 from his wife's aunt's retirement fund to try to secure his freedom.The founder of DJ's Fine Foods of Blacktown was appearing via a videolink from Parklea jail before magistrate Allan Moore in Central Local Court this afternoon.
Jalalaty was charged earlier this month by federal police with allegedly conspiring with the deputy head of investigations for the NSW Crime Commission, Mark Standen, to import 600 kilograms of pseudoephedrine that was to be used in the manufacture of $30 million worth of the drug ice.The alleged chemicals were to have been hidden in bags of rice in a container shipment from Pakistan that were to be sent to Jalalaty's business.But in refusing bail today, Mr Moore said that "any security being offered is minimal'' to the alleged financial gain that the product was to be sold for. He ordered Jalalaty to reappear before the court on August 6.
Earlier in court, Jalalaty's barrister Greg Jones disputed the clarity of secretly recorded telephone intercepts by federal police, which allegedly reveal a plot by Standen to import the chemicals.Mr Jones told Sydney Central Local court that at least half of the conversations contained on 14 CDs of phone intercepts were "unclear" when he listened to them.
Both Jalalaty and Standen, 51, were also charged with conspiring to supply a prohibited drug and conspiring to pervert the course of justice.
Twelve others have also been arrested in the Netherlands. The alleged go-between in the conspiracy with Standen and Jalalaty, British national James Kinch, 49, was arrested in Thailand.Mr Jones told Mr Moore today that a 24-page statement of alleged facts relied upon by federal police to charge his client was based on extracts from listening device recordings of telephone conversations between September 2007 and May of this year.
Mr Jones said he listened to copies of the alleged recorded conversations contained on 14 CDs."Thirty per cent are clear, 50 per cent are unclear and the remaining 20 per cent (of the recordings) fall within a grey area (of interpretation)," he said.
Mr Jones said that in 1996, the High Court ruled that telephone intercepts had to be accurately recorded to be relied upon in evidence.

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