Robert Young, 60, the South Florida drug smuggler, best known for his role as triggerman in the 1987 slaying of speedboat king Don Aronow,

Robert Young, 60, the South Florida drug smuggler, best known for his role as triggerman in the 1987 slaying of speedboat king Don Aronow, will likely spend the rest of his life in a federal prison.Young's previous three murder convictions, including Aronow's, were more than 20 years ago, court records show. None of the convictions landed him in prison for more than a few years.This conviction carries a mandatory minimum prison term of 15 years and prosecutors could seek life.
Last week's trial was unusual because federal prosecutor Donald Chase accused Young of possessing a Norinco Sporter 7.62 semi-automatic rifle in 2002, when he was serving a 10-year federal sentence on a previous firearms conviction.
Chase told jurors Young maintained control and ownership of the weapon, though he left it with an associate prior to his October 2001 arrest."That's a new one," Young's attorney Paul Donnelly said in closing arguments. "He didn't have control. He didn't have possession. He didn't have access to it."But Chase countered Young discussed the gun in several phone calls he placed from prison, and wanted it used to execute his brother-in-law, who he thought was cooperating with law enforcement.Young's motive was simple, Chase stated in closing arguments: "He had a credo. 'You talk, you die.'"According to testimony at trial, Young ran a drug-trafficking organization, importing cocaine from Central and South America in a hidden compartment on his sailboat. Young obtained the Norinco rifle to protect a shipment of $1.2 million of drug proceeds headed to Guatemala, witnesses said.
In a 2004 interview with federal agents, Young admitted owning the gun but denied wanting his ex-wife's brother dead. He said he wanted the gun planted on Roderick "Rickie" Mudrie, a convicted felon, so he would be arrested.To convict, the jury had to agree Young kept possession of the gun in a legal sense through June 2002."I believe the jury blew it," Donnelly said of the verdict.

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Gregorio A. Messina was arrested along with eight others during an investigation of a major drug trafficking ring

Gregorio A. Messina, 43, pleaded guilty more than a year ago to cocaine possession with intent to distribute and criminal conspiracy. He was sentenced to five years probation on each of the crimes and fined $5,000, according to court papers.
Messina was arrested along with eight others during an investigation of a major drug trafficking ring, the Cirilo “Primo” Lumbrano Corrupt Organization.After wiretapping cell phones, and aided by Spanish-language interpreters, authorities learned the organizational structure of the drug ring and the roles of its various members, and cracked the group.Police also conducted physical surveillance. Most of the suspects were Mexican nationals in the country illegally.Law enforcement authorities followed Lumbrano, who is now 31, to Atlanta, Ga., where he allegedly met with a cocaine supplier, then followed him as he drove back to the local area. He was stopped in Plymouth Township on March 4, 2007.While searching Lumbrano’s car, authorities found a one-kilogram block of cocaine, having a retail value in excess of $100,000, inside the vehicle’s spare tire.Authorities surmised the hiding place after discovering several slashed tires in the closets of residences occupied by some of the drug ring members.Among the items seized as a result of the execution of search warrants for nine locations and five vehicles were: another half-kilogram of cocaine; scales; cocaine packaging materials; a .22-caliber rifle; two shotguns; three handguns; ammunition; a riot helmet; and some $5,000 in cash.Also confiscated were two Nissan Maximas, a Chevrolet Suburban and a Nissan Titan.The breakup of the ring began after police received information in January 2007 from confidential informants about a local cocaine supplier nicknamed “Primo,” according to the criminal complaint.
Though authorities were targeting Lumbrano, Messina was caught with cocaine bought from the gang to give to someone else, according to Montgomery County Assistant District Attorney Tonya Lupinacci, who prosecuted the case.“He bought an ounce of cocaine,” she said. “It’s a significant amount of (the drug).”
Messina, who is a United States citizen, owns a landscaping business in North Wales. He was the last of nine defendants to be sentenced, according to Lupinacci.Lumbrano, a former resident of the 1300 block of Markley Street, pleaded guilty in March to six felony charges of possessing cocaine with the intent to deliver and a seventh felony charge of conspiracy. The admitted ringleader of the drug operation, he was sentenced in June to eight to 20 years in state prison.In August, Lumbrano complained his sentence was too harsh and asked to have the sentence reduced and wanted to withdraw his guilty plea.Also last summer, Luis Omar Bauza, 22, a West Airy Street resident in Norristown, was sentenced to 11 1/2 to 23 months behind bars.
Another Norristown man, Israel Valente-Trujillo, 28, who lives on Cherry Street, pleaded guilty and was sentenced to time served to 23 months in the county prison.
Other drug ring defendants received probationary sentences

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Juan Morales is charged with trafficking cocaine and motor vehicle offenses

Juan Morales, 24, is charged with trafficking cocaine and motor vehicle offenses, according to Lt. Ken Cotta, public information officer for the Police Department.Lt. Cotta said Officer Keith DaCosta stopped Mr. Morales' car Tuesday around 9 p.m. after observing the vehicle had an expired inspection sticker.After learning of a warrant for his arrest, police took Mr. Morales into custody.Police searched the car after the officer smelled burnt marijuana and found about 50 grams of crack cocaine, the cash and a small amount of marijuana.Mr. Morales claimed the cash belonged to a friend, according to Lt. Cotta. The friend was contacted and denied any knowledge of the money, police said.

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Jorge A. Leija, 43, allowed smugglers to drive cars loaded with cocaine through his entry lane at the Eagle Pass border crossing

Jorge A. Leija, 43, allowed smugglers to drive cars loaded with cocaine through his entry lane at the Eagle Pass border crossing, about 140 miles southwest of San Antonio, without inspection, according to testimony by an unnamed Drug Enforcement Administration agent.Mr. Leija was paid hundreds of thousands of dollars from January 2001 to October 2006, the agent said at a bail hearing on Thursday in Federal District Court in Del Rio, Tex.Court documents said Mr. Leija was also paid $30,000 to make false statements on an application he submitted in September 2003 to obtain an American passport for another person.Mr. Leija worked as an inspector for 11 years, said Rick Pauza, a Customs and Border Protection spokesman in Laredo, Tex.
Late last month, a federal grand jury indicted Mr. Leija on charges of conspiracy to possess with intent to distribute cocaine and making a false statement. He was arrested on Oct. 30.Mr. Leija had been placed on administrative duty more than two years before his arrest and assigned to a desk job, said his lawyer, Richard F. Gutierrez.Mr. Leija’s arrest is the latest in scores of corruption cases the past few years involving agents along the nearly 2,000-mile border with Mexico

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Jaime "The Hummer" Gonzalez captured

Mexican federal police on Friday captured Jaime "The Hummer" Gonzalez, a leader of the armed wing of the Gulf drug cartel, and flew him to the capital after a shootout near the U.S.-Mexican border, police said.Gonzalez, a deserter from the Mexican army and a founding member of the drug gang's feared execution squad known as the Zetas, was caught in the city of Reynosa near McAllen, Texas in a carefully planned police operation.Security forces burst in on Gonzalez in a house and nabbed him without firing a shot, police said.But a group of armed men brazenly tried to free him from police custody near the Reynosa airport.After a lengthy gun battle, police fought off the attackers and transferred Gonzalez to the capital under heavily armed guard.
Officials distributed images of a gold-plated gun and bundles of cash they said belonged to Gonzalez, who is also wanted in the United States for drug trafficking.It is the latest in a string of high-profile drug arrests since President Felipe Calderon took office in 2006 and deployed thousands of troops and federal police to drug hot spots around the country.On Thursday, the army captured a massive arsenal of weapons believed to belong to the Gulf cartel that included over 400 pistols, machine guns and sniper rifles, half a million bullets, nearly 300 grenades, a rocket launcher and explosives.

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John Patrick Patton , Michael Anthony Guevara possible death sentence for foreigners convicted of smuggling cocaine

Prosecutors at the Tangerang District Court sought the death sentence for three foreigners convicted of smuggling cocaine into the country through Soekarno-Hatta International Airport in February.Prosecutors Teuku Rahman and Haryadi said in a hearing Thursday evening the defendants, a Thai woman, Thitirat Charoensuk, 24, and two British men, Michael Anthony Guevara, 34, and John Patrick Patton, 52, were proven guilty of smuggling the drugs. The prosecutors said the defendants violated Article 82 of the 1997 Drug Law. The article carries a maximum penalty of execution.
"The defendants intentionally smuggled 515 grams of cocaine into the country," Teuku Rahman told the panel of judges presided over by Haryono, with two other members Barmen Sinurat and Arthur Hangewa. He said Guevara and Patton were the owners of the cocaine, and had asked the Thai woman to take the drugs to Indonesia. The defendants were shocked to hear the penalty demand. Charoensuk fainted. The defendants were arrested soon after their arrival at the airport on Feb. 20. Customs and excise officers became suspicious after Charoensuk appeared to be nervous at the customs check point. After being examined, officers found drugs estimated to be worth Rp 2 billion (US$181,000) hidden in a bag she was carrying. An interrogation led officers to arrest Michael Anthony and his Thai girlfriend Naksri, who flew from Thailand to Jakarta on the same flight. "Naksri was released later because she was not involved in the smuggling attempt," Eko Darmanto, chief of intelligence at the Customs office, said Friday. The police subsequently learned of the alleged receiver's address and arrested John Patrick Patton in Cilandak, South Jakarta, seizing eight grams of cocaine from him. The presiding judge postponed the hearing until Monday to hear the defendants' lawyer Husin Tuhuteru read out the defense.

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Rachael S. Padilla pleaded not guilty to third-and fourth-degree criminal possession of a controlled substance.

Rachael S. Padilla, 39, formerly of Lincoln Avenue, Lockport, pleaded not guilty to third-and fourth-degree criminal possession of a controlled substance. Cocaine was allegedly found during a May 9 police raid on her apartment. She was convicted of third-degree possession Jan. 17 for throwing two bags of cocaine out the window as police searched her apartment for two men on Jan. 1, 2007. But she didn’t receive her one-year prison term from State Supreme Court Justice Richard C. Kloch Sr. until Sept. 5.

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al-Kassar has provided military equipment to violent factions in Nicaragua, Brazil, Cyprus, Bosnia, Croatia, Somalia, Iran and Iraq.

wealthy arms dealer with a checkered past sought to make millions of dollars by selling heavy weaponry to Colombian militants fighting American forces, a prosecutor said Wednesday at the start of his federal trial.

When approached by men posing as members of the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia - classified by the United States as a terrorist group - Monzer al-Kassar "without hesitation agreed to supply them with everything they asked for and more," prosecutor Brendan McGuire said in opening statements.

Told they needed surface-to-air missile systems, rocket-propelled grenade launchers, thousands of machine guns and millions of rounds of ammunition for the Colombian rebels, al-Kassar responded, "No problem," the prosecutor said.

The Syrian-born al-Kassar and a co-defendant, Luis Felipe Moreno Godoy, face multiple charges, including conspiracy to provide aid and equipment to a terrorist organization and to kill U.S. citizens and officials.

Al-Kassar's lawyer insisted his client was a legitimate businessman who believed the deal was legal.

"There's nothing illegal about being an international arms merchant," said the attorney, Ike Sorkin.

Cooperators with the Drug Enforcement Administration first contacted Al-Kassar in late 2006, telling him they represented the Colombian rebel group known as FARC. They arranged to meet with al-Kassar and Godoy, his assistant, in 2007 at al-Kassar's palatial home in Marbella, near the southern resort city of Malaga in Spain.

The evidence against the men includes secretly recorded videotapes of the sit-downs that "will take you into the heart of the weapons deal designed to kill Americans," McGuire told jurors.

During the sting, more than $400,000 was wired from New York to Spain as down payment, but no weapons ever changed hands.

An indictment unsealed last year said al-Kassar has provided military equipment to violent factions in Nicaragua, Brazil, Cyprus, Bosnia, Croatia, Somalia, Iran and Iraq.

"Some of these factions have included known terrorist organizations, such as the Palestinian Liberation Front," the indictment said, "the goals of which included attacks on United States interests and United States nationals."

In addition to "bombings, massacres, kidnappings and other acts of violence within Colombia," FARC is "the world's largest supplier of cocaine," the indictment said.

Al-Kassar stood trial in Spain in 1995 on charges he supplied assault rifles used by Palestinian militants in the hijacking of the Italian cruise ship Achille Lauro in 1985, but was acquitted for lack of evidence.

If convicted, both defendants face possible sentences of life in prison.

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Andrew Snelgrove, 46, is also being sought in connection with wounding and possession of a firearm.

A MAN wanted for an attempted murder in south London is among 10 suspects named today as dangerous British criminals who are believed to be hiding out in the Costa Blanca area of Spain.

Andrew Snelgrove, 46, is also being sought in connection with wounding and possession of a firearm. He is believed to have fled to Spain after the wounding in Lewisham on 24 June, 1999.

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'most wanted' appeals in the Malaga region of Southern Spain 13 out of 30 British fugitives have been recaptured.

British ex-pats in Spain are being urged to join in the hunt for the 10 most wanted villains on the run from UK justice. Skip related content
Related photos / videos Hunt For Criminals On The Costa All the criminals are thought to be hiding among the thousands of Brits who have settled in Alicante and the towns and villages along the Costa Blanca.

Some of the fugitives will have disguised themselves, some will be using aliases. All are described as "dangerous".

They are wanted for various crimes, including kidnap, attempted murder, sex offences, extortion and fraud.

"These people are living in Spain, using the ex-pat community as cover and in most cases carrying on their criminality which is having an effect in Spain and in the UK," said Bill Hughes, director general of the Serious Organised Crime Agency.

His investigators have tracked their targets so far with surveillance and informants, but now need the public's help in locating them.


Mr Hughes said: "Our message to these criminals is that you will not escape to the Sun, we will find you and bring you back."

The fugitives include company boss Dean Rice, 47, who jumped bail last year before he was sentenced to life for conspiracy to kidnap an employee he had accused of stealing money.

His victim said Rice's firm, Erith Storage in Kent, was a front for drug smuggling and described how he was abducted by a gang at gunpoint and driven to a deserted farm near Ashford, where he was beaten, tied up and interrogated by Rice.

A couple even appear on the most wanted list - Anthony Kearney, 43, and his partner Donna McCafferty, 41, are wanted in Scotland for fraud.

Anyone who spots a fugitive is asked to ring a dedicated Crimestoppers hotline that will be answered by staff in the UK.

The number to call from Spain is 900 555 111. All calls are anonymous.

Information can also be passed on via the Crimestoppers website.

In previous 'most wanted' appeals in the Malaga region of Southern Spain 13 out of 30 British fugitives have been recaptured.

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Most Wanted

At a meeting held in Alicante on Thursday, a joint Spanish / British police venture called Operation Captura 2, released the following details of criminal suspects on the run here in Spain.

The Serious Organised Crime Agency (SOCA) issued the descriptions and photographs below of the criminals. All are understood to be in the Alicante area of the Costa Blanca, a favourite haunt of criminals, who rely on underworld sources for protection from justice.

Alan McDonald Gordon aged 46, is 6ft 2intall with short-cropped grey receding hair, blue eyes and a pierced left ear. He is on the run from northern area police, accused of drug dealing.

Anthony Kearney aged 43, is 5ft 9in tall and has blue eyes, dark hair and a roundish face. The Strathclyde Police wants him for obtaining benefits from the Department of Work and Pensions fraudulently and setting up false accounts.

Donna McCafferty aged 41, Kearney’s partner, is 5ft 6in tall with reddish auburn hair and greenish blue eyes. She is also wanted by Strathclyde Police for a string of fraud offences between 1999 and 2004.

Thomas Cochran aged 50, is 5ft 11in tall, often wears glasses, has a dagger tattoo on his right arm and is wanted by Strathclyde Police to face drug-dealing charges.

The initiative follows the launch of Operation Captura in October 2006 in the Costa del Sol where descriptions of 30 criminals were released resulting in 13 arrests. British police hope publicity generated by the release to the RTN of the pictures will lead to their arrests.

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Four suspected Scottish criminals are featured on a list of the ten most wanted British criminals on the run in Spain released by Crimestoppers

Four suspected Scottish criminals are featured on a list of the ten most wanted British criminals on the run in Spain released by Crimestoppers and the Serious Organised Crime Agency (Soca).

The list was issued as part of a joint operation with the Spanish authorities, in the hope that the expatriate and holidaying public can help bring identify the criminals and bring them to justice.

Spain has traditionally been a popular hideaway for British criminals on the run, and the list focuses on criminals believed to be hiding in the Costa Blanca area around Alicante.

The message from the authorities now is that with improved extradition treaties and relationships, suspects can be brought back more easily to face trial from the ‘Costa del Crime’.

Bill Hughes, Director General of Soca, said: "This is an innovative partnership which is proving to be very successful, and is delivering a simple message to criminals; you won't escape to the sun, we will find you and bring you back."

The appeal follows the launch of Operation Captura in October 2006 in the Costa del Sol where descriptions of 30 criminals were released resulting in 13 arrests.

The Scottish suspects are:

Thomas Cochran, 50, wanted on drug offences.
He's 5ft-11, with a tattoo of a dagger on his right arm and is known to use the name Thomas Caldwell.

Alan McDonald Gordon, 46, wanted on drug charges.
He's 6ft-2, has blue eyes and his left ear is pierced.

Anthony Kearney, 43, wanted for fraud.
He's 5ft 9in with blue eyes and uses as many as nine aliases, including Philip Hanscombe.

Donna McCafferty, 41, accused of working with Kearney.
She's 5ft 6in with blue/green eyes and uses five different names.

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Lucha contra la delincuencia en la Costa del Sol

Lucha contra la delincuencia en la Costa del Sol
La delincuencia en otros países tiene cada vez más influencia en el Reino Unido. Aunque Crimestoppers es una organización benéfica y como tal no tiene ningún mandato oficial para actuar fuera del Reino Unido, trabaja eficazmente en proyectos que pueden ayudar a reducir la delincuencia en el Reino Unido.

España lleva muchos años siendo un atractivo y soleado escondite para muchos británicos prófugos de la justicia. Pero todo esto cambió en 2004, cuando entraron en vigor las órdenes de detención europeas, facilitando la extradición de los delincuentes británicos para ponerlos a disposición del sistema penal británico.

Lucha contra el narcotráfico
A pesar de que en su gran mayoría los ciudadanos que forman la comunidad de expatriados respetan la ley, la enorme afluencia de turistas y su conveniente ubicación hacen del sur de España un lugar ideal para el tráfico de drogas. Recientemente, a raíz de una serie de asesinatos y conflictos similares a los de la mafia, se calculó que había casi 40 organizaciones delictivas británicas operando en las costas, en su mayoría dedicadas al tráfico de drogas.

Ningún lugar donde esconderse
En vista de los excelentes resultados de la sección “Most Wanted” (Los más buscados) de nuestra página Web, Crimestoppers vio el potencial de ampliar su poder y aprovechar el alcance internacional de Internet. Vimos otra oportunidad para luchar contra la delincuencia moderna con una solución moderna y, para ello, nuestro equipo empezó a organizar la campaña Operación Captura, una campaña online que funciona a través de Most Wanted.

Dave Cording, director de operaciones de Crimestoppers, resume claramente los objetivos de esta campaña: “Pusimos en marcha este proyecto para combatir el creciente nivel de delincuencia a manos de delincuentes británicos, que en su mayoría viven y se esconden en la Costa del Sol. En particular, queremos promover esta campaña entre la comunidad de expatriados británicos en España, respetuosos de la ley y que, sin saberlo, pueden tener como vecino a un delincuente buscado por la ley”.

Una asociación perfecta
En octubre de 2006, se lanzó una prueba piloto de tres meses de la iniciativa Operación Captura, dirigida por Crimestoppers y SOCA (Oficina británica contra el crimen organizado) con diez llamamientos de información sobre delincuentes implicados en casos de delincuencia organizada graves y que aparecían en la sección “Los más buscados”. Los llamamientos se referían tanto a personas buscadas por asesinato como a narcotraficantes.

Gracias a la amplia cobertura dada tanto por los medios de comunicación británicos y españoles, pronto se lograron buenos resultados con varios de los delincuentes a los que se les seguía el rastro y que fueron detenidos principalmente gracias a la información recibida por Crimestoppers.

Además de los dos socios principales, Operación Captura no podría haber empezado su andadura sin la valiosa asistencia del Ministerio de Asuntos Exteriores y de la Commowealth, los cuerpos y fuerzas de seguridad del Estado, la Embajada británica y el Gobierno español en Madrid. La empresa de telefonía Telefónica también desempeñó un papel importante en la organización del proyecto al poner en marcha un número de teléfono gratuito – 900 555 111 – que sólo se diferencia en unos pocos dígitos de nuestro número de asistencia principal. Todas las llamadas a este número son respondidas en el Reino Unido por el Centro de Llamadas de Crimestoppers, que funciona 24 horas al día los 7 días de la semana.

Éxito
Tras la publicación de los primeros llamamientos en octubre de 2006 se publicaron otros veinte. De un total de 30, hasta la fecha se han llevado a cabo trece detenciones. Como resultado de este notable éxito, la campaña se ha ampliado con el pleno apoyo de las autoridades españolas en Alicante y la zona de la Costa Blanca, otro refugio habitual para los delincuentes británicos.

Detenciones hasta la fecha
James HURLEY – condenado por el asesinato de un policía y prófugo de la justicia desde 1994. Fue detenido en 2007 en los Países Bajos por narcotráfico.

Ian WHITE – contrabandista de tabaco, que planeó y organizó una estafa del IVA por valor de 6 millones de libras, detenido en España. Fue juzgado en rebeldía, declarado culpable y condenado a seis años de cárcel el 11 de marzo de 2004. Fue deportado al Reino Unido el 20 de septiembre de 2007 y, tras comparecer ante los tribunales, fue encarcelado para empezar a cumplir su condena.

Anthony SIMMONDS – buscado por importar grandes cantidades de cannabis desde España y por estafar 4 millones de libras en IVA. Detenido en España en diciembre de 2006, fue extraditado al Reino Unido a principios de 2007. En el juicio fue condenado a tres años de cárcel. También fue condenado a tres meses de cárcel por fuga. Cumple las dos condenas de manera consecutiva.

Clifford HOBBS – se fugó de camino al juzgado en Londres donde debía enfrentarse a un juicio por el robo de 1,25 millones de libras de un camión de seguridad. Fue detenido en España y extraditado al Reino Unido en agosto de 2007.

Dante LATRECHE – buscado por una estafa con tarjetas de crédito. Detenido en el Reino Unido en 2007 ha sido condenado a una pena de cárcel condicional.

John DOWDALL – buscado por importar grandes cantidades de cannabis desde España en 2003. Fue juzgado en rebeldía, declarado culpable y condenado a cinco años de cárcel el 17 de mayo de 2005. Tras ser detenido en España, fue extraditado al Reino Unido en septiembre de 2007. Tras ser puesto a disposición judicial, fue condenado a otros cuatro meses de cárcel, que cumplirá de manera consecutiva a su primera condena.

Markcus JAMAL – buscado por conspiración de asesinato de Nageeb El Hakem en 2005. Fue detenido en España y extraditado al Reino Unido en enero de 2007.

John SETON – buscado por el asesinato de Jon Bartlett en marzo de 2006. Detenido en los Países Bajos y extraditado al Reino Unido en mayo de 2007.

Donald HAISMAN – buscado por tráfico de drogas y detenido en Bélgica en febrero de 2008.

Lisa SANDERSON – buscada por conseguir hipotecas inmobiliarias mediante estafa (3 delitos en total, junto con otros 7 con un valor monetario total de 1,2 millones de libras). Fue detenida en Portugal en septiembre de 2008.

Robert SPIERS – buscado por estar relacionado con un disparo en un bar en el Reino Unido. Fue detenido en España en julio de 2008 tras estar fugado durante dos años.

James GULLIFORD – el 30 de abril de 2003 fue acusado de apuñalar a otro hombre con un destornillador por una deuda relacionada con las drogas. Fue detenido en España en enero de 2008.

John Cearney BARKER – buscado por dos órdenes de detención europeas por tráfico de cocaína y anfetaminas por valor de más de 110.000 libras en 1998 y 1999 en Escocia. Fue detenido en España a principios de año.

Comunicade de prensa: Búsqueda de criminales Británicos en Alicante

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POLISH national has been charged with drug smuggling offences after police seized cocaine with a street value of about £500,000 at Birmingham Airport.

POLISH national has been charged with drug smuggling offences after police seized cocaine with a street value of about £500,000 at Birmingham Airport.

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Ricardo Larios-Trujillo, 20-year-old Ramon Cortez and 34-year-old Homer charged with possession with intent to distribute

Ricardo Larios-Trujillo, 20-year-old Ramon Cortez and 34-year-old Homer
Larios, all of Lawrenceville; 30-year-old Rigoberto Delgado-Orozco
of Buford and 29-year-old Alexander I. Acher of Southborough,
Mass., were also charged with possession with intent to distribute
more than 5 kilograms of cocaine.The U.S. Attorney's Office says Larios-Trujillo, Delgado-Orozco,Cortez and Larios belong to a Hispanic street gang called South
Side Myfas, and along with Acher used Larios-Trujillo's Monster Car
Audio in Lawrenceville to store and distribute cocaine.

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Angela Lavonne Chiles was found in possession of prescription pills

Angela Lavonne Chiles was found in possession of prescription pills when she started her Wednesday morning shift. Investigators then discovered that she had been taking other contraband into the facility.Authorities say Chiles was fired and booked into jail on charges of introduction of contraband into a detention facility and unlawful compensation for official behavior.

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Thomas McKendrick was jailed for eight years for attempting to import over £20,000 worth of heroin into the Isle of Man

Thomas McKendrick was jailed for eight years for attempting to import over £20,000 worth of heroin into the Isle of Man, inside his body. Detective Sergeant Allan Thompson told Howard Caine it was a substantial amount of the drug and he was constantly amazed by the methods employed by couriers, and the risks taken by end us

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Indicted Woodrow Ormiston on five counts related to drug dealing.

Indicted Woodrow Ormiston on five counts related to drug dealing.On Monday, Ormiston entered a plea to one count of the indictment – distributing 500 grams or more of cocaine – as well as a new charge recently filed by federal prosecutors.Late last week, Assistant U.S. Attorney Robert Trgovich filed a single charge of wire fraud, accusing Ormiston of providing false information to mortgage lender Countrywide Home Loans in order to obtain a mortgage. Ormiston claimed to make $6,000 a month as owner of Furious Cycles, according to court documents.Ormiston also consented to giving up a pair of Harley-Davidson motorcycles and $66,000 in cash to the federal government, according to court documentsAlong with Ormiston, the grand jury indicted Michael A. Bower, 32, on counts of conspiracy to distribute at least 500 grams of cocaine, maintaining a building for the purpose of dealing drugs, possessing firearms to further a drug crime, money laundering and two counts of dealing cocaine.
The two men were accused of trafficking drugs out of Waynedale homes from January to April. Also indicted were Kevin Bender, 45, and Dan Phillips, 46, both of Fort Wayne. They are accused of dealing cocaine and witness tampering. Last spring, federal prosecutors obtained indictments for Alan Lichty and Shane Silvers, both of Fort Wayne.Each is charged with conspiring to deal 500 grams or more of cocaine, dealing cocaine and possessing a firearm to further a drug crime. Lichty was indicted on five additional charges of dealing cocaine, as well as an additional charge of possession of cocaine with the intent to distribute, court documents said.
According to court documents, agents with the U.S. Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives as well as officers with the Fort Wayne Police Department gathered information about Bower and Ormiston since 2005. Silvers lived in a home owned by Bower and would pick up cocaine from Ormiston’s home.Investigators found drugs in a garage of a house owned by Ormiston, where he would leave drugs for dealers to pick up and then leave money in their place, court documents said.
When Fort Wayne police arrested Ormiston in May, he had $21,600 in cash in his truck, as well as four cell phones and about a gram of cocaine, according to court documents. According to the indictments against Bower, in August Bower obtained a loan from GMAC to buy a 2007 Chevrolet Avalanche, saying he was employed by SS Computer & Tech for four years, with an income of $40,000 a year. Investigators learned Bower started SS Computer & Tech to hide money earned by dealing drugs, according to court documents.

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Gerard Hagan sentence of ten years is to be backdated to July 2007.

Gerard Hagan, with an address in Liverpool, was to be paid GBP£5,000 to ensure the safe arrival of the cocaine from the Caribbean to Ireland.He was one of four men involved in the operation, which ended in disaster after the boat sank off the coast of west Cork on the 2nd of July last year.Two of the other men involved were sentenced to 30 and 25 years, while Mr Hagan's sentence of ten years is to be backdated to July 2007.

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Antonio Galarza was arrested in the northern city of Monterrey on suspicion of weapons violations and money laundering on Saturday.

Antonio Galarza was arrested in the northern city of Monterrey on suspicion of weapons violations and money laundering on Saturday.Galarza is suspected to be the leader of the Gulf Cartel in the border city of Reynosa, a major point for smuggling cocaine into the US.Suspected members of the Zetas, the paramilitary arm of the Gulf Cartel, hung a series of banners along the roads in the Pacific coast resorts of Acapulco and Zihuatanejo on Saturday, accusing federal officials of protecting a rival cartel.Near Mexico City, 11 policemen were shot to death in about half a dozen drug-related attacks over three days, prosecutors said on Sunday.Alberto Bazbaz, the Mexico state prosecutor, said police had arrested 10 people suspected of links to the killings, which occurred on highways and police checkpoints on the outskirts of the capita

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Ragip and Kemal Shabani channeled 1.5 tons of heroin through Europe

Ragip and Kemal Shabani channeled 1.5 tons of heroin through Europe from the mid-1990s until 2003, when they were shut down, prosecutors said. They used a small town in Kosovo as their base with branches in Macedonia, Albania, Spain and the Czech Republic, according to the Federal Criminal Court.The trial — considered one of Switzerland's largest-ever drug cases — was held under high security in the southern town of Bellinzona, with only some relatives and journalists allowed into the courtroom.Judge Jean-Luc Bacher sentenced Ragip Shabani to 15 years in prison for breaking Swiss narcotics law, and ordered the 42-year-old to pay 300,000 francs ($261,400) in court costs.Kemal Shabani, 28, was given only a two-year suspended sentence for participating in a criminal organization, and was charged 90,000 francs ($78,400) in court costs.Defense lawyers said they would appeal the verdict, which also ordered that the Shabanis' assets be confiscated. The assets include five luxury cars and Kosovo properties such as houses, restaurants and shopping centers.
The court dropped a charge of money laundering for lack of evidence.The brothers' father, 69-year-old Tariq Shabani, was acquitted in the case and was granted compensation of 47,000 Swiss francs ($41,000) for his time in custody during the investigation.Bacher said the verdict took into account the fact that Switzerland had only partial jurisdiction in the case because much of the drug smuggling allegedly happened in other countries.The Shabani clan had already come under suspicion in some countries before the 1998-99 Kosovo war, but it continued to operate after the territory was placed under U.N. administration, the indictment said.A six-year investigation led to the arrest of Ragip Shabani in 2003 in Macedonia's capital of Skopje. His brother and father were arrested in Germany in 2005, according to the indictment.Police across Europe confiscated 970 kilograms (2,140 pounds) of heroin during raids carried out from 1997 to 2003 in Austria, France, Germany, Hungary, Italy, Slovenia, Switzerland and Kosovo, which is now an independent country.

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Hunger strike in Greek prisons

Inmates in Greek prisons are planning to launch a hunger strike against the bad conditions in these institutions, Vima reports.
Protests are expected to escalate on Monday, where the strike is expected to start. Prisoners have addressed a list of 16 requests for the Ministry of Justice, most of them linked to observing human rights and providing medical service.

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Nigeria Prison Service is recruiting special duty officers, otherwise known as hangmen.

Nigeria Prison Service is recruiting special duty officers, otherwise known as hangmen.Saturday Punch investigation showed that the recruitment started about four years ago when it was discovered that the service had only two hangmen. Since the beginning of the exercise, the number has risen to about 12, with Lagos State having at least four hangmen. It was, however, gathered that 10 of the new hangmen were yet to master the intricacies involved in executing condemned convicts by hanging. Saturday Punch gathered from a reliable source in the NPS that for now, the men, who were also trained as general duty officers, would be involved in routine prison work until their skills were needed. He said, “We see the reluctance of the state executives to sign the death warrants as a temporary issue. They are confused for now and see the death penalty as a political issue. We believe that as democracy progresses, they will see the need to follow due process.”Saturday Punch also found out that there were about 300 inmates on death row nationwide, out of which over 100 were in Lagos State. A senior official in one of the prisons in the state told our correspondent that the warrants for the execution of some of the death row inmates had been on the state governor’s table since 2000.He said the immediate past governor, Asiwaju Bola Tinubu, did not sign any and Governor Babatunde Fashola has not done so too. The source added, “But Tinubu commuted some of the death row inmates sentences to life imprisonment.”The source said the recruitment of more hangmen was a routine procedure pending when the governors decided to sign warrants. He said, “When you are called to execute an inmate, it must be done precisely. There is no room for mistake. The person must die at once; not that the person will not die and you will have to do it again. So, there is a need to get people who are well trained to handle this job.”Explaining further on the process of execution, the source said, “There is no big deal about it. You know that only a few people in the service know these hangmen. To others, they are just colleagues. It is for their safety and state of mind. So, that is why a hangman will not operate in a state as general duty officers. If a time comes for them to perform their duties, a date will be fixed and the headquarters in Abuja will invite the person or persons they want to use.“Nobody, except the state comptroller will know the real reason and he would have told the person. From Abuja, the person will go to the place of assignment. It won’t take more than three days. Two days to set up and test run, and the D-day. He will come back and none of his colleagues will know.”
The NPS spokesman, Kayode Odeyemi could not be reached on the telephone, but the Lagos State NPS spokesman, Ope Fatinikun, confirmed the presence of the hangmen in the command. He, however, said he had no idea of their identity or number.Fatinikun also admitted that there were a large number of death row inmates in the prisons in the state, explaining, “We have six females and 101 in the maximum prison. But some of them are still fighting for their lives at the Appeal Court and Supreme Court. But many of them are awaiting the governor’s signature.”

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Antonio Iovine,nicknamed “o’ninno” — the baby — because of his small stature, is wanted for murder and other crimes

Mr Iovine, 44, nicknamed “o’ninno” — the baby — because of his small stature, is wanted for murder and other crimes, and is listed among the 30 most dangerous criminals in Italy. He has been on the run for 12 years.According to an investigation that was published in Corriere della Sera yesterday the villa of Mr Iovine may be only the tip of an iceberg. Italian police sources suggested that there were scores of similar cases in the Naples area of Nato service personnel living in houses that were owned by the Camorra. There are several Nato facilities in the area, notably a US telecommunications centre in Bagnoli and the US Air Force base at Capodichino.American Nato officers have been renting a villa near Naples for years that belongs, indirectly, to Antonio Iovine, a clan chieftain of the Camorra, the Neapolitan Mafia
“It’s ludicrous, isn’t it? The coffers of Nato, to which Italy also contributes, are helping to fill the coffers of the Camorra,” Franco Roberti, the co-ordinator of the local anti-Mafia bureau, said.The villa rented by the American officers, near the town of San Cipriano d’Aversa, was bought in 1986 by Mr Iovine’s mother, with what investigators believe were the wages of his criminal activities. Because it is registered in her name, prosecutors have so far failed to present sufficient evidence of its criminal origins.The two-storey villa is surrounded by a high wall topped by a fence with several video cameras along its perimeter. It is only 18 miles from the US bases.Colonel Carmelo Burgio, who heads the 1,360 Carabinieri in the Naples area, which is infested by the many family-based clans that make up the Camorra, said: “Last year we succeeded in sequestering €100 million [£79 million] of assets belonging to the Bianco-Corvino clan of the Camorra, including about 50 villas. We then discovered that 40 of these were rented out to Nato personnel. Most of them are still living there, with the difference that the rent, which ranges between €1,500 and €3,000 a month, is now paid into a state fund.”
Colonel Burgio said that the Camorra clans were masters at camouflaging their purchases, which were used to launder illegal earnings. He said that Mr Iovine’s wife, who was arrested in July for extortion and for managing contacts between her husband and other clan chiefs, “has letters from friends saying they gave her as presents everything of any value in her house, furniture, TVs, clothes everything”. There were even hundreds of pairs of expensive shoes, each with a “present note” from a friend.The military duty officer at the US Embassy in Rome said that he had no knowledge of the situation and declined to comment. Military personnel at the American Joint Forces Headquarters in Naples and at the Capodichino airbase also said that they knew nothing of the matter, and that nobody was available to comment.

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Cleveland Police stopped a man on the A689 near Hartlepool and discovered cash

Officers from Cleveland Police stopped a man on the A689 near Hartlepool and discovered the cash, which lead to the search of a flat in Ingleby Barwick. Police found what they believed was class A drugs, including crack cocaine and amphetamines, at the property in Hadleigh Walk on Thursday. A 24-year-old man was arrested and questioned by police.

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Michael Pavlou, 21, jumped from his bedroom window when police arrived at his home, but he was arrested nearby.

Michael Pavlou, 21, jumped from his bedroom window when police arrived at his home, but he was arrested nearby.When he was taken to the police station he handed over about £3,500 of amphetamine in his sock, said prosecutor David Lamb.Pavlou said that he had been handed the powder by a friend, and he admitted that he had handled it before in return for free amphetamine and cash.He had a 2005 conviction for possession of heroin, Teesside Crown Court was told.Peter Wishlade, defending, said that Pavlou, from the Ragworth estate, lived in an area where the police were not respected, and when they called at his door his first reaction was to run away.
Pavlou had turned to using amphetamine to rid himself of addictions to heroin and crack cocaine.Mr Wishlade added: “He fully anticipates what is going to happen to him today, that he is going to be made subject to a custodial sentence.“When he got to the police station following his arrest he volunteered that the amphetamine was in his sock.“He took it out and he handed it to the police.”Judge Tony Briggs told Pavlou: “Those who are involved in the supply of drugs to others always run the risk of custodial sentences.“In this case you have passed the custody level, and custody is inevitable.“There is nothing in evidence that you are anything other than a harbourer of these drugs, which enables the sentence to be somewhat reduced.”
Pavlou, of Doncaster Crescent, Ragworth, was jailed for 15 months after he pleaded guilty to possession of a Class B drug with intent to supply it on February 14.

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Steven Allen Longbrake of Central Point was convicted of manufacturing methamphetamine

Steven Allen Longbrake of Central Point was convicted of manufacturing methamphetamine for his role in packing and repacking drugs for distribution, Polk County prosecutor Harold Cuffe said.On Sept. 5, Longbrake was in Polk County Circuit Court on an unrelated drug case and was to be taken into custody when he attempted to run from a sheriff's deputy, Cuffe said. He soon was caught before leaving the building.While in jail, Longbrake reportedly wrote to another inmate and bragged that he was hiding methamphetamine that he had brought to court with him. Deputies searched him and found small bags of methamphetamine and packaging materials, Cuffe said.Longbrake was sentenced to eight months in jail on the manufacturing methamphetamine conviction Friday.

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Larry Norris Canada, 25, pleaded guilty Friday to using and carrying a firearm during a drug-trafficking crime

Larry Norris Canada, 25, pleaded guilty Friday to using and carrying a firearm during a drug-trafficking crime. He faces at least five years in federal prison and a fine of up to $250,000.Marchello Dornell Miller, 27, pleaded guilty Friday to possession with intent to distribute crack cocaine. He faces up to 40 years in prison and a fine of up to $2 million.Clifton Earl Robinson, 33, pleaded guilty Friday to possession of a firearm by an unlawful user of a controlled substance. He faces up to 10 years in federal prison and a fine of up to $250,000.Quincy Head, 27, pleaded guilty Thursday to being a felon in possession of a firearm. He faces up to 10 years in federal prison and a fine of up to $250,000.
James Darrell Lister Jr., 27, pleaded guilty Thursday to possession with intent to distribute and distribution of cocaine and crack cocaine. He faces up to 40 years in federal prison and a fine of up to $2 million.Larry Donell George, 26, pleaded guilty Thursday to possession with intent to distribute crack cocaine. He faces up to 40 years in federal prison and a fine of up to $2 million.
According to information in court, since January 2006, the defendants had been distributing crack cocaine in the Longview area.
An 87-count federal indictment was returned on May 13, charging 29 people, including these six, with federal crimes.

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Octavio Mendoza-Morales, 36; Heriberto Montenegro-Mendez, 33; and Hector Villarruel-Lopez, 38. They were charged with conspiracy to distribute meth

Three men arrested in the largest methamphetamine seizure in Oregon have been convicted on drug and conspiracy charges. A federal jury returned guilty verdicts on all counts of a 10-count indictment against Octavio Mendoza-Morales, 36; Heriberto Montenegro-Mendez, 33; and Hector Villarruel-Lopez, 38. They were charged with conspiracy to distribute methamphetamine, heroin and cocaine, and various counts of possession. They were arrested after a 20-month investigation by the federal Drug Enforcement Administration and an Oregon interagency police team. The ringleader, Ricardo Mendoza-Morales, was recently sentenced to 25 years in prison following his guilty plea last summer. Prosecutors said more than 40 pounds of methamphetamine was seized. In addition, almost three kilograms of heroin, some cocaine, five vehicles with hidden compartments and $197,000 in cash were seized.

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Tasmania Todd Arthur Smith was sentenced to two-and-a-half years, and 40 year old Anthony Wayne Coleman 9 months trafficked ecstasy tablets

Two men who trafficked ecstasy tablets smuggled into Tasmania on the Spirit of Tasmania ferry have been given jail terms.37 year old Todd Arthur Smith was sentenced to two-and-a-half years, and 40 year old Anthony Wayne Coleman 9 months.
23 year old Matthew Christopher Pepper was given a three-month suspended sentence for his lesser role.The court heard Smith had received nearly 4,000 ecstasy tablets in the deal, with a street value of nearly $200,000.He gave Coleman one thousand tablets to distribute, and Pepper was enlisted to be a middle man.
In the Hobart Criminal Court, Justice Peter Evans said their willingness to distribute the drugs was startling and deplorable.

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