Anthony Chambers, who prosecutors say stabbed his friend to death during a drug-fueled argument in a Chinatown apartment

Anthony Chambers, who prosecutors say stabbed his friend to death during a drug-fueled argument in a Chinatown apartment in February 2008.Authorities say Chambers, 52, is a homeless drug addict who frequently stayed at a friend’s studio apartment in Chinatown. On Feb. 10, 2008, they say Chambers and another friend, Edward “Red” Quiles got into a heated argument after Quiles accused Chambers of stealing his stash of heroin. “Drugs are part of the case,” said assistant district attorney Ian Polumbaum. “Drugs explain why these two men joined together, then collided, ending in a homicide.”Polumbaum’s case lays out a timeline where Chambers and Quiles spent a night buying and using heroin before passing out early the next morning. Later, the friend who had rented the apartment, woke up to hear the other two men fighting and “engaged in a physical scuffle.”“Find my [expletive]. Where’s my [expletive],” Quiles allegedly yelled at Chambers. “Mr. Quiles was accusing Mr. Chambers of stealing drugs from him,” Polumbaum said.
Chambers allegedly replied, “I don’t have your stuff.”Then the tenant left the apartment and Chambers later called 911 to summon police. During the fight, prosecutors say Chambers pulled a knife and stabbed Quiles. Chambers fled the apartment, but he and his blood-covered hands were quickly discovered by police, responding to his own 911 call.Quiles bled out and died. Now Chambers is claiming self defense, but prosecutors don’t buy it. It will be up to a jury to decide what’s true in this sad case of drug-fueled death.“Try to reconcile the evidence with the defendant’s own version of what happened,” Polumbaum told jurors. “Pay close attention to his claim that he did this killing in self defense.”

Anthony Chambers, who prosecutors say stabbed his friend to death during a drug-fueled argument in a Chinatown apartment

Anthony Chambers, who prosecutors say stabbed his friend to death during a drug-fueled argument in a Chinatown apartment in February 2008.Authorities say Chambers, 52, is a homeless drug addict who frequently stayed at a friend’s studio apartment in Chinatown. On Feb. 10, 2008, they say Chambers and another friend, Edward “Red” Quiles got into a heated argument after Quiles accused Chambers of stealing his stash of heroin. “Drugs are part of the case,” said assistant district attorney Ian Polumbaum. “Drugs explain why these two men joined together, then collided, ending in a homicide.”Polumbaum’s case lays out a timeline where Chambers and Quiles spent a night buying and using heroin before passing out early the next morning. Later, the friend who had rented the apartment, woke up to hear the other two men fighting and “engaged in a physical scuffle.”“Find my [expletive]. Where’s my [expletive],” Quiles allegedly yelled at Chambers. “Mr. Quiles was accusing Mr. Chambers of stealing drugs from him,” Polumbaum said.
Chambers allegedly replied, “I don’t have your stuff.”Then the tenant left the apartment and Chambers later called 911 to summon police. During the fight, prosecutors say Chambers pulled a knife and stabbed Quiles. Chambers fled the apartment, but he and his blood-covered hands were quickly discovered by police, responding to his own 911 call.Quiles bled out and died. Now Chambers is claiming self defense, but prosecutors don’t buy it. It will be up to a jury to decide what’s true in this sad case of drug-fueled death.“Try to reconcile the evidence with the defendant’s own version of what happened,” Polumbaum told jurors. “Pay close attention to his claim that he did this killing in self defense.”

Paul Finney was stopped by police after he and another man were seen arriving at a house in Lanchester, County Durham

Paul Finney was stopped by police after he and another man were seen arriving at a house in Lanchester, County Durham, which was under observation by officers. He was subsequently found with two bags of cocaine - 40 grammes worth - with a street value of £1,500.
"After being caught he attempted to eat [the drugs] but was prevented from doing so."Martin Towers, prosecutingProsecuting, Martin Towers told Teesside Crown Court: "After being caught he attempted to eat [the drugs] but was prevented from doing so."
A search of the property in question revealed larger quantities of cocaine. Finney's phone also revealed text messages indicative of drug dealing, said Mr Towers. Meanwhile, a bedroom in the house, in Manor Grange, which was used by Finney's co-defendant Clive Roland, was also searched and 1.16g of cocaine was found in a jacket belonging to him, along with a can of CS spray. Both men had an assortment of previous convictions with 35-year-old Finney serving a number of jail sentences. Stephen Duffield, for Finney, who admitted possession of cocaine with intent to supply, said he had turned his life around since the offences, on October 20 2006. He was now working for a construction company and was well paid. He was also clean of drugs, although he continued to take the heroin substitute methadone. Finney, of Bede Terrace, Bowburn, Durham, was given a nine month jail sentence, suspended for two years, by Judge Stephen Ashurst, who said he should pay £750 costs. Roland, 46, of Manor Grange, Lanchester, said he had used drugs for pain relief and claimed the cocaine found to be his possession had been bought months earlier. He admitted possession of drugs and a prohibited weapon. He was given a 12 month community order with a supervision element by the probation service.

Paul Finney was stopped by police after he and another man were seen arriving at a house in Lanchester, County Durham

Paul Finney was stopped by police after he and another man were seen arriving at a house in Lanchester, County Durham, which was under observation by officers. He was subsequently found with two bags of cocaine - 40 grammes worth - with a street value of £1,500.
"After being caught he attempted to eat [the drugs] but was prevented from doing so."Martin Towers, prosecutingProsecuting, Martin Towers told Teesside Crown Court: "After being caught he attempted to eat [the drugs] but was prevented from doing so."
A search of the property in question revealed larger quantities of cocaine. Finney's phone also revealed text messages indicative of drug dealing, said Mr Towers. Meanwhile, a bedroom in the house, in Manor Grange, which was used by Finney's co-defendant Clive Roland, was also searched and 1.16g of cocaine was found in a jacket belonging to him, along with a can of CS spray. Both men had an assortment of previous convictions with 35-year-old Finney serving a number of jail sentences. Stephen Duffield, for Finney, who admitted possession of cocaine with intent to supply, said he had turned his life around since the offences, on October 20 2006. He was now working for a construction company and was well paid. He was also clean of drugs, although he continued to take the heroin substitute methadone. Finney, of Bede Terrace, Bowburn, Durham, was given a nine month jail sentence, suspended for two years, by Judge Stephen Ashurst, who said he should pay £750 costs. Roland, 46, of Manor Grange, Lanchester, said he had used drugs for pain relief and claimed the cocaine found to be his possession had been bought months earlier. He admitted possession of drugs and a prohibited weapon. He was given a 12 month community order with a supervision element by the probation service.

Adi Kauf-Stern, 20, of Tampa, Fla., was charged with second-degree robbery and possession of a controlled substance.

Adi Kauf-Stern, 20, of Tampa, Fla., was charged with second-degree robbery and possession of a controlled substance. Michael Smith, 19, of Mount Kisco, and Timothy Gallo, 19, of Water Mill, were charged with possession of a controlled substance, robbery and criminal possession of a dangerous weapon.Christian Webster, 20, of Southport, Conn., was charged with second-degree robbery, possession of a controlled substance and tampering with evidence when he threw an unspecified weapon into a storm drain, prosecutors said.Greg Sable, 22, a resident assistant at the New Complex dorm where the incident took place and the person whom police say was robbed, was charged with several counts of possession and sale of a controlled substance. Authorities said Sable had been selling Ecstasy, marijuana, cocaine and OxyContin out of his room.All five pleaded not guilty.Police say the accused robbers were dissatisfied with the quality of an earlier cocaine purchase.Bart Zienkiewicz, 18, a freshman from Rhode Island, said he shares a suite with Sable.
Zienkiewicz said he was in his own room around 8 p.m. Thursday when Kauf-Stern knocked on the suite door and went to Sable's room, saying she wanted to buy $50 worth of cocaine, police said.Then, Smith and Gallo rushed into the room and hit Sable with pellet guns, police said.Zienkiewicz said he was ordered into Sable's room and made to lie down on the floor as the men took Sable's drugs, jewelry and money, before fleeing to a car where Webster was waiting, police said."They looked at us and they said, 'Don't say anything to the police, don't call anyone,'" Zienkiewicz said.
Zienkiewicz was issued an order of protection against the four students by Nassau District Judge Sharon Gianelli.Sable had at least nine bags of cocaine and 46 Ecstasy pills in his room, an assistant district attorney said yesterday in First District Court in Hempstead.Kauf-Stern was paid $500 to be part of the alleged revenge scheme, the prosecutor said, who did not identify who paid Kauf-Stern.Edward Zaloba of Forest Hills, Kauf-Stern's attorney, said his client was paid simply to keep quiet and had not known about the crew's plan.Sable's attorney, Martin Geduldig of Garden City, said his client had been struck, robbed and was himself a victim.Webster was ordered held on $200,000 bail, Smith was ordered held on $150,000 bail, Kauf-Stern and Sable each were ordered held on $75,000 bail, and Gallo was ordered held on $60,000 bail.

Adi Kauf-Stern, 20, of Tampa, Fla., was charged with second-degree robbery and possession of a controlled substance.

Adi Kauf-Stern, 20, of Tampa, Fla., was charged with second-degree robbery and possession of a controlled substance. Michael Smith, 19, of Mount Kisco, and Timothy Gallo, 19, of Water Mill, were charged with possession of a controlled substance, robbery and criminal possession of a dangerous weapon.Christian Webster, 20, of Southport, Conn., was charged with second-degree robbery, possession of a controlled substance and tampering with evidence when he threw an unspecified weapon into a storm drain, prosecutors said.Greg Sable, 22, a resident assistant at the New Complex dorm where the incident took place and the person whom police say was robbed, was charged with several counts of possession and sale of a controlled substance. Authorities said Sable had been selling Ecstasy, marijuana, cocaine and OxyContin out of his room.All five pleaded not guilty.Police say the accused robbers were dissatisfied with the quality of an earlier cocaine purchase.Bart Zienkiewicz, 18, a freshman from Rhode Island, said he shares a suite with Sable.
Zienkiewicz said he was in his own room around 8 p.m. Thursday when Kauf-Stern knocked on the suite door and went to Sable's room, saying she wanted to buy $50 worth of cocaine, police said.Then, Smith and Gallo rushed into the room and hit Sable with pellet guns, police said.Zienkiewicz said he was ordered into Sable's room and made to lie down on the floor as the men took Sable's drugs, jewelry and money, before fleeing to a car where Webster was waiting, police said."They looked at us and they said, 'Don't say anything to the police, don't call anyone,'" Zienkiewicz said.
Zienkiewicz was issued an order of protection against the four students by Nassau District Judge Sharon Gianelli.Sable had at least nine bags of cocaine and 46 Ecstasy pills in his room, an assistant district attorney said yesterday in First District Court in Hempstead.Kauf-Stern was paid $500 to be part of the alleged revenge scheme, the prosecutor said, who did not identify who paid Kauf-Stern.Edward Zaloba of Forest Hills, Kauf-Stern's attorney, said his client was paid simply to keep quiet and had not known about the crew's plan.Sable's attorney, Martin Geduldig of Garden City, said his client had been struck, robbed and was himself a victim.Webster was ordered held on $200,000 bail, Smith was ordered held on $150,000 bail, Kauf-Stern and Sable each were ordered held on $75,000 bail, and Gallo was ordered held on $60,000 bail.

Amanda A. Smith, 20, of Lindley, charged with Criminal Possession of a Controlled Substance Third Degree

Amanda A. Smith, 20, of Lindley, charged with Criminal Possession of a Controlled Substance Third Degree – a class B Felony – and Unlawful Possession of Marihuana – a violation.

Amanda A. Smith, 20, of Lindley, charged with Criminal Possession of a Controlled Substance Third Degree

Amanda A. Smith, 20, of Lindley, charged with Criminal Possession of a Controlled Substance Third Degree – a class B Felony – and Unlawful Possession of Marihuana – a violation.

Juan J. Rodriguez, 21, of Rochester, charged with Criminal Possession of a Controlled Substance Third Degree

Juan J. Rodriguez, 21, of Rochester, charged with Criminal Possession of a Controlled Substance Third Degree – a class B Felony – and Unlawful Possession of Marihuana – a violation.

Juan J. Rodriguez, 21, of Rochester, charged with Criminal Possession of a Controlled Substance Third Degree

Juan J. Rodriguez, 21, of Rochester, charged with Criminal Possession of a Controlled Substance Third Degree – a class B Felony – and Unlawful Possession of Marihuana – a violation.

Durran M. Henderson, 26, of Rochester, charged with Criminal Possession of a Controlled Substance Third Degree

Durran M. Henderson, 26, of Rochester, charged with Criminal Possession of a Controlled Substance Third Degree – a class B Felony – and Unlawful Possession of Marihuana – a violation.

Durran M. Henderson, 26, of Rochester, charged with Criminal Possession of a Controlled Substance Third Degree

Durran M. Henderson, 26, of Rochester, charged with Criminal Possession of a Controlled Substance Third Degree – a class B Felony – and Unlawful Possession of Marihuana – a violation.

Michael J. Loza, 28, of Bath, charged with Criminal Possession of a Controlled Substance Third Degree

Michael J. Loza, 28, of Bath, charged with Criminal Possession of a Controlled Substance Third Degree – a class B Felony – and Criminal Nuisance First Degree – a class E Felony.

Michael J. Loza, 28, of Bath, charged with Criminal Possession of a Controlled Substance Third Degree

Michael J. Loza, 28, of Bath, charged with Criminal Possession of a Controlled Substance Third Degree – a class B Felony – and Criminal Nuisance First Degree – a class E Felony.

Sonya L. Dennis, 41, of 17th Street, Niagara Falls, had pleaded guilty to fifth-degree criminal possession of a controlled substance

Sonya L. Dennis, 41, of 17th Street, Niagara Falls, had pleaded guilty to fifth-degree criminal possession of a controlled substance for having 5.9 grams of crack cocaine when police found her and another woman drinking in a parked car at Main and Niagara streets April 23.

Sonya L. Dennis, 41, of 17th Street, Niagara Falls, had pleaded guilty to fifth-degree criminal possession of a controlled substance

Sonya L. Dennis, 41, of 17th Street, Niagara Falls, had pleaded guilty to fifth-degree criminal possession of a controlled substance for having 5.9 grams of crack cocaine when police found her and another woman drinking in a parked car at Main and Niagara streets April 23.

Panthong "Nik" Khemthong, was arrested along with her boyfriend Chatchai Noppolkrang, 26

Miss Teen Thailand 2007 was arrested yesterday morning for allegedly attempting to bribe state officials to the tune of Bt300,000 to let her alleged drug-dealing boyfriend walk free.
The 20-year-old university student, Panthong "Nik" Khemthong, was arrested along with her boyfriend Chatchai Noppolkrang, 26 - who was named a major ya-ba dealer in Don Mueang area with a previous criminal record - in a police sting operation at 3.30am yesterday when they reportedly delivered the bribe to policemen. This followed Friday night's arrest of Chatchai, wanted for selling ya-ba and Ecstasy pills since last May as well as a night-time property intrusion and assault since February 9 at a Lak Si cinema. A search of his Mini Cooper found two fake drivers' licences and a pistol. Chatchai allegedly confessed to police that he had no ID card and used the drivers' licences in the name of Kampol Jorjong. He said he had bought the gun from fellow drug-dealers years ago. Chatchai then allegedly offered to pay Bt300,000 to the officials in exchange for his freedom. The officials played along, allowing him to get the money. An ensuing sting operation led to his re-arrest and that of his girlfriend Panthong. The two were taken to Don Mueang police station, where police initially charged them with attempting to bribe state officials. Chatchai also faced charges of possessing and carrying a gun in public and using forged documents.
Panthong's name had previously been mentioned in crime news when a youngster shot her male friend dead on March 17 while her group was out clubbing in Chiang Mai.

Panthong "Nik" Khemthong, was arrested along with her boyfriend Chatchai Noppolkrang, 26

Miss Teen Thailand 2007 was arrested yesterday morning for allegedly attempting to bribe state officials to the tune of Bt300,000 to let her alleged drug-dealing boyfriend walk free.
The 20-year-old university student, Panthong "Nik" Khemthong, was arrested along with her boyfriend Chatchai Noppolkrang, 26 - who was named a major ya-ba dealer in Don Mueang area with a previous criminal record - in a police sting operation at 3.30am yesterday when they reportedly delivered the bribe to policemen. This followed Friday night's arrest of Chatchai, wanted for selling ya-ba and Ecstasy pills since last May as well as a night-time property intrusion and assault since February 9 at a Lak Si cinema. A search of his Mini Cooper found two fake drivers' licences and a pistol. Chatchai allegedly confessed to police that he had no ID card and used the drivers' licences in the name of Kampol Jorjong. He said he had bought the gun from fellow drug-dealers years ago. Chatchai then allegedly offered to pay Bt300,000 to the officials in exchange for his freedom. The officials played along, allowing him to get the money. An ensuing sting operation led to his re-arrest and that of his girlfriend Panthong. The two were taken to Don Mueang police station, where police initially charged them with attempting to bribe state officials. Chatchai also faced charges of possessing and carrying a gun in public and using forged documents.
Panthong's name had previously been mentioned in crime news when a youngster shot her male friend dead on March 17 while her group was out clubbing in Chiang Mai.

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Site Specific Privacy Policy run in accordance with http://www.google.com/privacy.html
We can be reached via e-mail at
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For each visitor to our Web page, our Web server automatically recognizes information of your browser, IP address, City/State/Country.
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Rizal Balgos will be deported to the US to stand trial for his crimes

Rizal Balgos, 60, who is now detained at the BI detention center in Bicutan after hiding in the country for more than two years.Balgos was arrested last March 6 by operatives of the BI law enforcement division in front of his residence in Barangay Macate, Bambang, Nueva Vizcaya.Earlier, Libanan issued the mission order for Balgos’ arrest at the request of the US embassy in Manila.“Like all the other fugitives that we have captured, he, too, will be deported to the US to stand trial for his crimes,” the BI chief said, even as he vowed to continue without the letup the BI’s campaign against foreign fugitives believed to be hiding in the country.
According to BI Associate Commissioner Enrique Galang, Balgos was issued an arrest warrant by the US District Court in Hawaii in 2007 for narcotics distribution.
Galang, who is also the commissioner-in charge on law enforcement, said Balgos was implicated in a corruption case involving officers of the Kauai police department who allegedly protected and conspired with him in his drug dealing activities.

Citing information provided by the US embassy, Galang said the police officers made sure that Balgos’ drug dealing activities were not interrupted as he was always informed in advance of forthcoming searches and arrests of known drug lairs and suspects.

This arrangement between Balgos and his police protectors reportedly lasted from 2004 until 2006 when the law enforcement corruption case was uncovered.Balgos, however, fled the US to the Philippines a few months before the Hawaii court issued the warrant for his arrest.A check of the BI’s travel information database revealed that the Balgos is an overstaying alien as he arrived in the Philippines on Aug. 20, 2006 and did not bother to extend his stay in the country.It was also gathered that Balgos is also an undocumented alien as his passport was already canceled by the US government.

Rizal Balgos will be deported to the US to stand trial for his crimes

Rizal Balgos, 60, who is now detained at the BI detention center in Bicutan after hiding in the country for more than two years.Balgos was arrested last March 6 by operatives of the BI law enforcement division in front of his residence in Barangay Macate, Bambang, Nueva Vizcaya.Earlier, Libanan issued the mission order for Balgos’ arrest at the request of the US embassy in Manila.“Like all the other fugitives that we have captured, he, too, will be deported to the US to stand trial for his crimes,” the BI chief said, even as he vowed to continue without the letup the BI’s campaign against foreign fugitives believed to be hiding in the country.
According to BI Associate Commissioner Enrique Galang, Balgos was issued an arrest warrant by the US District Court in Hawaii in 2007 for narcotics distribution.
Galang, who is also the commissioner-in charge on law enforcement, said Balgos was implicated in a corruption case involving officers of the Kauai police department who allegedly protected and conspired with him in his drug dealing activities.

Citing information provided by the US embassy, Galang said the police officers made sure that Balgos’ drug dealing activities were not interrupted as he was always informed in advance of forthcoming searches and arrests of known drug lairs and suspects.

This arrangement between Balgos and his police protectors reportedly lasted from 2004 until 2006 when the law enforcement corruption case was uncovered.Balgos, however, fled the US to the Philippines a few months before the Hawaii court issued the warrant for his arrest.A check of the BI’s travel information database revealed that the Balgos is an overstaying alien as he arrived in the Philippines on Aug. 20, 2006 and did not bother to extend his stay in the country.It was also gathered that Balgos is also an undocumented alien as his passport was already canceled by the US government.

Arrested Gilberto Rivera, 25, of Oakdale and Felix Cruz, 29, of Brooklyn

Arrested Gilberto Rivera, 25, of Oakdale and Felix Cruz, 29, of Brooklyn, after they completed a transaction in the parking lot of the Islandia Marriott Hotel on Saturday.Suffolk District Attorney Thomas Spota and Major Walter Heesch, commander of the State Police on Long Island, announced the arrests at a Hauppauge news conference yesterday. Heesch said a kilogram of heroin - about 2 pounds - is worth about $350,000 on the street."We developed information from a confidential source," Heesch said. The district attorney, the Suffolk police and sheriff, and the Drug Enforcement Administration later joined the State Police.Spota said Suffolk had 63 fatal heroin overdoses in 2008 and that Rivera is "a major dealer."These dealers are flooding our community with cheap, potent heroin," Spota said. "It's reaching right down into high school."Detectives seized $25,000 in cash and 5,000 packets of heroin packaged for street sales from inside the men's car, police said.Since Saturday, police have seized about 3 kilograms of heroin, cocaine, oxycodone pills, drug processing equipment and 50 guns from the two ringleaders and their underlings. They also seized about $200,000 in cash.Heroin and cocaine in both powder and crack forms were packaged at an apartment Cruz maintained at 32-15 112th St. in East Elmhurst and were then taken to Suffolk for sale.Rivera used local runners to sell the drugs.
Rivera and Cruz were charged with second-degree possession of a controlled substance with intent to sell. Rivera is also charged with third-degree criminal possession of a weapon and is being held on bail of $25 million or $50 million bond. Cruz's bail is $1 million cash or $3 million bond.Also arrested on various drug, weapons and conspiracy charges were: Rolando Hamilton, Brooklyn; Paul Ortiz, Shirley; Willie Hart, Central Islip; Edward Davis, Bay Shore; Juliann Critelli, Bay Shore; Corarene Singh, Central Islip; Magdalena Davis, Central Islip; Robert Pittell, Centerport; Tariq Williams, Bay Shore; James DeVito, Nesconset, and Marty Hake, West Sayville.

Arrested Gilberto Rivera, 25, of Oakdale and Felix Cruz, 29, of Brooklyn

Arrested Gilberto Rivera, 25, of Oakdale and Felix Cruz, 29, of Brooklyn, after they completed a transaction in the parking lot of the Islandia Marriott Hotel on Saturday.Suffolk District Attorney Thomas Spota and Major Walter Heesch, commander of the State Police on Long Island, announced the arrests at a Hauppauge news conference yesterday. Heesch said a kilogram of heroin - about 2 pounds - is worth about $350,000 on the street."We developed information from a confidential source," Heesch said. The district attorney, the Suffolk police and sheriff, and the Drug Enforcement Administration later joined the State Police.Spota said Suffolk had 63 fatal heroin overdoses in 2008 and that Rivera is "a major dealer."These dealers are flooding our community with cheap, potent heroin," Spota said. "It's reaching right down into high school."Detectives seized $25,000 in cash and 5,000 packets of heroin packaged for street sales from inside the men's car, police said.Since Saturday, police have seized about 3 kilograms of heroin, cocaine, oxycodone pills, drug processing equipment and 50 guns from the two ringleaders and their underlings. They also seized about $200,000 in cash.Heroin and cocaine in both powder and crack forms were packaged at an apartment Cruz maintained at 32-15 112th St. in East Elmhurst and were then taken to Suffolk for sale.Rivera used local runners to sell the drugs.
Rivera and Cruz were charged with second-degree possession of a controlled substance with intent to sell. Rivera is also charged with third-degree criminal possession of a weapon and is being held on bail of $25 million or $50 million bond. Cruz's bail is $1 million cash or $3 million bond.Also arrested on various drug, weapons and conspiracy charges were: Rolando Hamilton, Brooklyn; Paul Ortiz, Shirley; Willie Hart, Central Islip; Edward Davis, Bay Shore; Juliann Critelli, Bay Shore; Corarene Singh, Central Islip; Magdalena Davis, Central Islip; Robert Pittell, Centerport; Tariq Williams, Bay Shore; James DeVito, Nesconset, and Marty Hake, West Sayville.

Death sentence for Luu Van Tuong, 44,from Binh Phuoc province

Luu Van Tuong, 44, was caught red handed on September 13, 2008 by the Tay Ninh provincial police while carrying more than 3.4kg of heroin from Cambodia to Vietnam via the Trans-Asia Highway. Police found 10 packages of solid substance kept inside a carton which was later identified as heroin. Tuong confessed that a Cambodian national named Bon had hired him to transport the carton to Vietnam at a cost of VND50 million. He also said that he had received VND32 million from Bon’s wife to successfully carry a box of heroin to Vietnam in August 2008. In the court room, the jury rejected Tuong’s petitions, upheld the first instance court’s ruling and fined him an additional VND30 million.

Death sentence for Luu Van Tuong, 44,from Binh Phuoc province

Luu Van Tuong, 44, was caught red handed on September 13, 2008 by the Tay Ninh provincial police while carrying more than 3.4kg of heroin from Cambodia to Vietnam via the Trans-Asia Highway. Police found 10 packages of solid substance kept inside a carton which was later identified as heroin. Tuong confessed that a Cambodian national named Bon had hired him to transport the carton to Vietnam at a cost of VND50 million. He also said that he had received VND32 million from Bon’s wife to successfully carry a box of heroin to Vietnam in August 2008. In the court room, the jury rejected Tuong’s petitions, upheld the first instance court’s ruling and fined him an additional VND30 million.

Correctional Facility officer John Gonda, 38, of White Haven, who authorities said “was selling large quantities of cocaine in the Wilkes-Barre area.”

Correctional Facility officer John Gonda, 38, of White Haven, who authorities said “was selling large quantities of cocaine in the Wilkes-Barre area.”The motorcycle gang was responsible for dealing $3.6 million of cocaine throughout the Wilkes-Barre area, Corbett said in announcing Operation Avalanche.Corbett said 19 of the 22 people are in custody.The arrests were the result of a nine-month probe. SWAT teams raided several properties earlier this month, including at the group’s headquarters on Main Street, Ashley

Correctional Facility officer John Gonda, 38, of White Haven, who authorities said “was selling large quantities of cocaine in the Wilkes-Barre area.”

Correctional Facility officer John Gonda, 38, of White Haven, who authorities said “was selling large quantities of cocaine in the Wilkes-Barre area.”The motorcycle gang was responsible for dealing $3.6 million of cocaine throughout the Wilkes-Barre area, Corbett said in announcing Operation Avalanche.Corbett said 19 of the 22 people are in custody.The arrests were the result of a nine-month probe. SWAT teams raided several properties earlier this month, including at the group’s headquarters on Main Street, Ashley

Dasan Riddick,34, of Allentown was a target of a large scale drug operation in Monroe County involving the distribution of bricks of heroin.

Dasan Riddick,34, of Allentown was a target of a large scale drug operation in Monroe County involving the distribution of bricks of heroin.Riddick was arrested by police in the Saylorsburg area Tuesday night. A search of Riddick and his vehicle netted more than six bricks of heroin, marijuana and $1,400 in cash.The street value of the confiscated heroin is estimated at more than $6,000.
Members of the Barrett Township Police, U.S. Drug Enforcement Agency, Stroud Area Regional Police and Monroe County Detectives office assisted in the investigation leading up to the arrest.

Dasan Riddick,34, of Allentown was a target of a large scale drug operation in Monroe County involving the distribution of bricks of heroin.

Dasan Riddick,34, of Allentown was a target of a large scale drug operation in Monroe County involving the distribution of bricks of heroin.Riddick was arrested by police in the Saylorsburg area Tuesday night. A search of Riddick and his vehicle netted more than six bricks of heroin, marijuana and $1,400 in cash.The street value of the confiscated heroin is estimated at more than $6,000.
Members of the Barrett Township Police, U.S. Drug Enforcement Agency, Stroud Area Regional Police and Monroe County Detectives office assisted in the investigation leading up to the arrest.

Ramandeep Johal of Renfrewshire, Scotland claimed that a cousin from Vancouver had forced him to take shipmen of the drugs worth $1.3 million

Ramandeep Johal of Renfrewshire, Scotland claimed that a cousin from Vancouver had forced him to take shipmen of the drugs with $1.3 million in street value but Johal is looking at years in jail and a total collapse of his liquor business after pleading guilty.

An Indo-British millionaire was busted after Canadian authorities found cocaine hidden in hollowed-out gravestones that was destined to his Scotland-based liquor distribution business.

Ramandeep Johal had a memorial inscribed with the name of a fake dead Scots pensioner in a bid to fool customs men. We can reveal his deadly plan was smashed when Canadian Mounties detected traces of coke on the two-foot headstone for 70-year-old "Loving father & husband" Albert Thomas. The stone - which even had its own sentimental poem called Wings Of The Angels - was made of wood laminate and had been painted to make it look like stone. It contained 8937 grammes of cocaine, which was 53 per cent pure and had an estimated street value of around s750,000. Married dad-of-one Johal, of Renfrewshire, was a director of drinks distribution firm Barrell's & Booze.
But he admitted being involved in supplying cocaine at Glasgow's High Court last week. He faces years in jail when sentenced next month. In a special investigation we followed the cocaine trail from the drug barons who control its supply from abroad to the users who pay s2 for a line on the streets of Scotland.
One former associate of Johal said: "He was really slick and believed he was untouchable. "He thought he had all the bases covered and believed headstones were the perfect scam. "He was well known in the drinks trade throughout Scotland and was outwardly a very respectable guy." Canadian investigators intercepted a 'heavy box' which had been posted in British Columbia, addressed to an 'S Adams' but bound for 31-year-old Johal's drinks warehouse in Hillington, Renfrewshire.
The Royal Canadian Mounted Police were called in after border control agents in the country became suspicious of the package and a scan showed traces of cocaine.
Inside they found the memorial, which colleagues smashed open to reveal the drugs cargo. While Johal waited back in Scotland for the package to arrive, Canadian Mounties, British Customs and Strathclyde Police put together an elaborate sting.
The Mounties sent the headstone to Scotland where Strathclyde officers swapped it for a fake. A detective posing as a delivery driver took the replacement package to Johal's drinks warehouse on June 20 last year.
Unsuspecting Johal signed for the box, prompting a full-scale police raid on the premises during which the shamed businessman tried to claim 'S Adams' was a former employee. Johal protested he had been threatened by a cousin in Canada who forced him to receive the drugs. He told police: "I didn't do it of my own free will. Please make sure my family is OK." A Canadian investigator told the Sunday Mail: "He claims a cousin in Canada asked him to do this but we have never been able to find any such cousin. "You would think he would be able to give us a name or location or a way to contact his cousin but he has not been able to give us that information. So we've reached a dead end on that." Johal also stands to see any remaining assets seized under the Proceeds of Crime act although his once-successful business has now gone bust and his home is about to be repossessed. Canada Border Services Agency Pacific Regional Director Blake Delgaty said: "This seizure demonstrates our partnership with law enforcement agencies, both here and abroad, lead to great success. "These joint operations ensure the security of our borders and play a big part in making our communities safer." The cocaine epidemic gripping Scotland was underlined in December when it emerged the number of people treated in hospital for abusing cocaine has increased tenfold in the past decade.
The price of a gram has fallen from an average of s71 in 1999 to s40 this year - meaning users can snort a line for just s2. European Union research found 15 per cent of Scots aged 16 to 34 had used cocaine - three times the EU average.

Ramandeep Johal of Renfrewshire, Scotland claimed that a cousin from Vancouver had forced him to take shipmen of the drugs worth $1.3 million

Ramandeep Johal of Renfrewshire, Scotland claimed that a cousin from Vancouver had forced him to take shipmen of the drugs with $1.3 million in street value but Johal is looking at years in jail and a total collapse of his liquor business after pleading guilty.

An Indo-British millionaire was busted after Canadian authorities found cocaine hidden in hollowed-out gravestones that was destined to his Scotland-based liquor distribution business.

Ramandeep Johal had a memorial inscribed with the name of a fake dead Scots pensioner in a bid to fool customs men. We can reveal his deadly plan was smashed when Canadian Mounties detected traces of coke on the two-foot headstone for 70-year-old "Loving father & husband" Albert Thomas. The stone - which even had its own sentimental poem called Wings Of The Angels - was made of wood laminate and had been painted to make it look like stone. It contained 8937 grammes of cocaine, which was 53 per cent pure and had an estimated street value of around s750,000. Married dad-of-one Johal, of Renfrewshire, was a director of drinks distribution firm Barrell's & Booze.
But he admitted being involved in supplying cocaine at Glasgow's High Court last week. He faces years in jail when sentenced next month. In a special investigation we followed the cocaine trail from the drug barons who control its supply from abroad to the users who pay s2 for a line on the streets of Scotland.
One former associate of Johal said: "He was really slick and believed he was untouchable. "He thought he had all the bases covered and believed headstones were the perfect scam. "He was well known in the drinks trade throughout Scotland and was outwardly a very respectable guy." Canadian investigators intercepted a 'heavy box' which had been posted in British Columbia, addressed to an 'S Adams' but bound for 31-year-old Johal's drinks warehouse in Hillington, Renfrewshire.
The Royal Canadian Mounted Police were called in after border control agents in the country became suspicious of the package and a scan showed traces of cocaine.
Inside they found the memorial, which colleagues smashed open to reveal the drugs cargo. While Johal waited back in Scotland for the package to arrive, Canadian Mounties, British Customs and Strathclyde Police put together an elaborate sting.
The Mounties sent the headstone to Scotland where Strathclyde officers swapped it for a fake. A detective posing as a delivery driver took the replacement package to Johal's drinks warehouse on June 20 last year.
Unsuspecting Johal signed for the box, prompting a full-scale police raid on the premises during which the shamed businessman tried to claim 'S Adams' was a former employee. Johal protested he had been threatened by a cousin in Canada who forced him to receive the drugs. He told police: "I didn't do it of my own free will. Please make sure my family is OK." A Canadian investigator told the Sunday Mail: "He claims a cousin in Canada asked him to do this but we have never been able to find any such cousin. "You would think he would be able to give us a name or location or a way to contact his cousin but he has not been able to give us that information. So we've reached a dead end on that." Johal also stands to see any remaining assets seized under the Proceeds of Crime act although his once-successful business has now gone bust and his home is about to be repossessed. Canada Border Services Agency Pacific Regional Director Blake Delgaty said: "This seizure demonstrates our partnership with law enforcement agencies, both here and abroad, lead to great success. "These joint operations ensure the security of our borders and play a big part in making our communities safer." The cocaine epidemic gripping Scotland was underlined in December when it emerged the number of people treated in hospital for abusing cocaine has increased tenfold in the past decade.
The price of a gram has fallen from an average of s71 in 1999 to s40 this year - meaning users can snort a line for just s2. European Union research found 15 per cent of Scots aged 16 to 34 had used cocaine - three times the EU average.

Alfredo Lira Jr.23-year-old of Dallas pleaded guilty Tuesday in Tyler to conspiracy to possess with intent to distribute cocaine.

Alfredo Lira Jr.23-year-old of Dallas pleaded guilty Tuesday in Tyler to conspiracy to possess with intent to distribute cocaine.
Prosecutors say Lira was arrested April 16, 2008, in Dallas with about 13 pounds of cocaine.Investigators say Lira bought the cocaine in San Antonio, for distribution in the Tyler area.Lira also was wanted in East Texas on 2002 charges of distribution of methamphetamine. Lira last August pleaded guilty to those charges.
No sentencing date has been set for Lira, who also faces a $3 million fine.

Alfredo Lira Jr.23-year-old of Dallas pleaded guilty Tuesday in Tyler to conspiracy to possess with intent to distribute cocaine.

Alfredo Lira Jr.23-year-old of Dallas pleaded guilty Tuesday in Tyler to conspiracy to possess with intent to distribute cocaine.
Prosecutors say Lira was arrested April 16, 2008, in Dallas with about 13 pounds of cocaine.Investigators say Lira bought the cocaine in San Antonio, for distribution in the Tyler area.Lira also was wanted in East Texas on 2002 charges of distribution of methamphetamine. Lira last August pleaded guilty to those charges.
No sentencing date has been set for Lira, who also faces a $3 million fine.

Moises B. Martinez Jr., a prison case manager, and guard Sylvia Castillo Chairez were indicted last week

Moises B. Martinez Jr., a prison case manager, and guard Sylvia Castillo Chairez were indicted last week in Midland. Jacob C. Guzman was indicted on Jan. 28, though his Midland lawyer, Dan Wade, believes a second indictment was also issued last week.
All three defendants worked at the Reeves County Detention Center in Pecos.Martinez and Chairez turned themselves in Tuesday morning. Guzman turned himself in earlier.Investigators said the three are accused of taking cash from inmates to smuggle in contraband including tobacco and cell phones.According to an indictment against Guzman, investigators allege the guard was paid $100 by someone in Tennessee to smuggle tobacco into the prison in September 2008. When the tobacco was found during a search before Guzman could go into the jail, the indictment alleges, he tried to destroy it.Wade declined to comment on the case against Guzman Tuesday.Court records do not list lawyers for Martinez or Chairez.
Investigators said Martinez is accused of taking five bribes, ranging from $500 to $900 to smuggle contraband into the prison between June and July 2008.Chairez is accused of taking six bribes of $500 to $1,100 to smuggle cell phones into the prison between November 2007 and June 2008. Investigators said Chairez was paid by someone in New York.The Reeves County Detention Center, a sprawling prison complex at the edge of Pecos, is owned by the county but run by Boca Raton, Fla.-based GEO Group Inc. The prison houses about 3,000 federal criminal immigrant inmates.The facility suffered widespread damage in two riots in as many months in December and January. Relatives of inmates at the jail have claimed that poor conditions, including a lack of medical care, prompted the inmates to riot. County officials have said repairs could cost up to $20 million.

Moises B. Martinez Jr., a prison case manager, and guard Sylvia Castillo Chairez were indicted last week

Moises B. Martinez Jr., a prison case manager, and guard Sylvia Castillo Chairez were indicted last week in Midland. Jacob C. Guzman was indicted on Jan. 28, though his Midland lawyer, Dan Wade, believes a second indictment was also issued last week.
All three defendants worked at the Reeves County Detention Center in Pecos.Martinez and Chairez turned themselves in Tuesday morning. Guzman turned himself in earlier.Investigators said the three are accused of taking cash from inmates to smuggle in contraband including tobacco and cell phones.According to an indictment against Guzman, investigators allege the guard was paid $100 by someone in Tennessee to smuggle tobacco into the prison in September 2008. When the tobacco was found during a search before Guzman could go into the jail, the indictment alleges, he tried to destroy it.Wade declined to comment on the case against Guzman Tuesday.Court records do not list lawyers for Martinez or Chairez.
Investigators said Martinez is accused of taking five bribes, ranging from $500 to $900 to smuggle contraband into the prison between June and July 2008.Chairez is accused of taking six bribes of $500 to $1,100 to smuggle cell phones into the prison between November 2007 and June 2008. Investigators said Chairez was paid by someone in New York.The Reeves County Detention Center, a sprawling prison complex at the edge of Pecos, is owned by the county but run by Boca Raton, Fla.-based GEO Group Inc. The prison houses about 3,000 federal criminal immigrant inmates.The facility suffered widespread damage in two riots in as many months in December and January. Relatives of inmates at the jail have claimed that poor conditions, including a lack of medical care, prompted the inmates to riot. County officials have said repairs could cost up to $20 million.

Charged Rafael A. "Benny" Rivera, 27, of Brooklyn, N.Y., with three counts of possession of a controlled substance with the intent to deliver.

Charged Rafael A. "Benny" Rivera, 27, of Brooklyn, N.Y., with three counts of possession of a controlled substance with the intent to deliver.He had already been charged Thursday with unlawful delivery of a controlled substance and criminal use of a communications facility. The new charges doubled his bail to $400,000. Rivera, Kailey R. Radnor, 20, of Zullinger and Joshua D. Gage, 28, Waynesboro, had their preliminary hearings postponed to March 24 in Franklin County Central Court, to give them time to consult lawyers. The preliminary hearing for the fourth suspect, Heather N. Manning, is scheduled for April 14. The Waynesboro Police officer assigned to the drug task force filed the charges on every suspect, but waited until Monday to file the charges against Manning. The drug task force identified Rivera as the supplier of large amounts of heroin into the area. Though he lives in New York, he allegedly shared a residence with Radnor on Zana Court in Washington Township. Investigators found more than 1,200 small bags of heroin, some cocaine and marijuana and $4,500 in cash in the home. The drug task force did not know the approximate weight of the heroin recovered. Each packet, which sells on the street for $20 to $30, could be one or several doses, depending on the user, according to information obtained from the drug task force.
Before they located the residence, a confidential informant told investigators that some of Rivera's associates learned of his arrest and planned to come from New York to take over his business.
Radnor, who was driving Rivera when the task force arrested him, was charged with criminal conspiracy to deliver a controlled substance and possession of a small amount of marijuana. She is in Franklin County jail in lieu of $50,000 bail. Investigators learned of Rivera and Radnor's involvement after finding $660 worth of heroin at the home of Gage and Manning. Both were charged with possession with the intent to deliver a controlled substance. Manning's two small children were present at the time of the search. The drug task force was assisted by Waynesboro Police Department in the investigation. Officers from Chambersburg Police Department and Pennsylvania State Police's K-9 unit assisted with the search warrant raids on the two residences on Thursday and Friday.

Charged Rafael A. "Benny" Rivera, 27, of Brooklyn, N.Y., with three counts of possession of a controlled substance with the intent to deliver.

Charged Rafael A. "Benny" Rivera, 27, of Brooklyn, N.Y., with three counts of possession of a controlled substance with the intent to deliver.He had already been charged Thursday with unlawful delivery of a controlled substance and criminal use of a communications facility. The new charges doubled his bail to $400,000. Rivera, Kailey R. Radnor, 20, of Zullinger and Joshua D. Gage, 28, Waynesboro, had their preliminary hearings postponed to March 24 in Franklin County Central Court, to give them time to consult lawyers. The preliminary hearing for the fourth suspect, Heather N. Manning, is scheduled for April 14. The Waynesboro Police officer assigned to the drug task force filed the charges on every suspect, but waited until Monday to file the charges against Manning. The drug task force identified Rivera as the supplier of large amounts of heroin into the area. Though he lives in New York, he allegedly shared a residence with Radnor on Zana Court in Washington Township. Investigators found more than 1,200 small bags of heroin, some cocaine and marijuana and $4,500 in cash in the home. The drug task force did not know the approximate weight of the heroin recovered. Each packet, which sells on the street for $20 to $30, could be one or several doses, depending on the user, according to information obtained from the drug task force.
Before they located the residence, a confidential informant told investigators that some of Rivera's associates learned of his arrest and planned to come from New York to take over his business.
Radnor, who was driving Rivera when the task force arrested him, was charged with criminal conspiracy to deliver a controlled substance and possession of a small amount of marijuana. She is in Franklin County jail in lieu of $50,000 bail. Investigators learned of Rivera and Radnor's involvement after finding $660 worth of heroin at the home of Gage and Manning. Both were charged with possession with the intent to deliver a controlled substance. Manning's two small children were present at the time of the search. The drug task force was assisted by Waynesboro Police Department in the investigation. Officers from Chambersburg Police Department and Pennsylvania State Police's K-9 unit assisted with the search warrant raids on the two residences on Thursday and Friday.

Arrested Katie M. Luessenhop, 26, of 250 S. Edwards Blvd., Apt. 146, Lake Geneva, on charges of felony bail jumping.

Arrested Katie M. Luessenhop, 26, of 250 S. Edwards Blvd., Apt. 146, Lake Geneva, on charges of felony bail jumping. She is accused of having contact with someone she was prohibited from contacting under the provisions of her bond, Undersheriff Kurt Picknell said.The arrest was the result of an ongoing drug investigation, and a charge of felony possession of heroin also has been referred to the district attorney's office, he said.Luessenhop was released March 11 on a $10,000 cash bond and was scheduled to appear in court at 1 p.m. today.Luessenhop is charged with felony possession of heroin and misdemeanor possession of cocaine. She was arrested Sept. 18, after police were called to the school parking lot for a disturbance, according to the criminal complaint.She gave police a small wrapped container, which she said contained cocaine. She also gave police a file folder inside which was a small plastic bag containing a powder, according to the complaint. Police then searched her purse and found another small bag containing powder.The samples where sent to the state crime lab, where testing revealed two of the samples to be heroin and one of the samples to be cocaine, according to the complaint.Luessenhop pleaded not guilty to the charges Feb. 25.

Arrested Katie M. Luessenhop, 26, of 250 S. Edwards Blvd., Apt. 146, Lake Geneva, on charges of felony bail jumping.

Arrested Katie M. Luessenhop, 26, of 250 S. Edwards Blvd., Apt. 146, Lake Geneva, on charges of felony bail jumping. She is accused of having contact with someone she was prohibited from contacting under the provisions of her bond, Undersheriff Kurt Picknell said.The arrest was the result of an ongoing drug investigation, and a charge of felony possession of heroin also has been referred to the district attorney's office, he said.Luessenhop was released March 11 on a $10,000 cash bond and was scheduled to appear in court at 1 p.m. today.Luessenhop is charged with felony possession of heroin and misdemeanor possession of cocaine. She was arrested Sept. 18, after police were called to the school parking lot for a disturbance, according to the criminal complaint.She gave police a small wrapped container, which she said contained cocaine. She also gave police a file folder inside which was a small plastic bag containing a powder, according to the complaint. Police then searched her purse and found another small bag containing powder.The samples where sent to the state crime lab, where testing revealed two of the samples to be heroin and one of the samples to be cocaine, according to the complaint.Luessenhop pleaded not guilty to the charges Feb. 25.

Robert Shannon is going to federal prison for 20 years.

Shannon’s lawyer told the judge at sentencing Friday that his client is a “glorified mule” and that others ran the drug empire, but prosecutors say Shannon controlled a vast transportation network that used the Hells Angels for muscle. Shannon’s fleet of trucks carried pipes with marijuana stashed inside, trailers with false walls and drugs in RVs and even a church van. “It was huge. You're talking about tens of thousands of pounds of cocaine. Tens of thousands of pounds of marijuana,” said ICE Agent in Charge Leigh Winchell. Shannon set up shell companies with forged documents to move his vehicles through the border and even offered drug suppliers a guarantee against the cops intercepting the load. “If 100 of the 7,100 pounds of marijuana we seized during this investigation were taken off, the guys who provided the marijuana would be compensated and insured for a percentage of that load. It's big business,” said Asst. U.S. Attorney Adam Cornell. At sentencing, the judge didn’t buy prosecutors’ arguments that Shannon threatened a co-conspirator who cooperated with law enforcement. This is a big drug case with 38 other people indicted or convicted. Some of them include Americans who received the drugs and used Shannon’s trucks to ship cocaine up into B.C.

Robert Shannon is going to federal prison for 20 years.

Shannon’s lawyer told the judge at sentencing Friday that his client is a “glorified mule” and that others ran the drug empire, but prosecutors say Shannon controlled a vast transportation network that used the Hells Angels for muscle. Shannon’s fleet of trucks carried pipes with marijuana stashed inside, trailers with false walls and drugs in RVs and even a church van. “It was huge. You're talking about tens of thousands of pounds of cocaine. Tens of thousands of pounds of marijuana,” said ICE Agent in Charge Leigh Winchell. Shannon set up shell companies with forged documents to move his vehicles through the border and even offered drug suppliers a guarantee against the cops intercepting the load. “If 100 of the 7,100 pounds of marijuana we seized during this investigation were taken off, the guys who provided the marijuana would be compensated and insured for a percentage of that load. It's big business,” said Asst. U.S. Attorney Adam Cornell. At sentencing, the judge didn’t buy prosecutors’ arguments that Shannon threatened a co-conspirator who cooperated with law enforcement. This is a big drug case with 38 other people indicted or convicted. Some of them include Americans who received the drugs and used Shannon’s trucks to ship cocaine up into B.C.

Yvan Cech, 65, receive a 13-year sentence for his role in smuggling 700 kilos of cocaine

Yvan Cech, 65, receive a 13-year sentence for his role in smuggling 700 kilos of cocaine, packed into aluminum ingots, into the country where much of it was sold to the Hells Angels.The sentence is considerable when Cech’s age is factored in, as well as the fact he has no prior convictions. At the time of his arrest in 2006, the Slovakian-born businessman, who is a Canadian citizen, owned and operated a hotel-casino in the Dominican Republic while splitting much of his time in Quebec City. But, Levasseur argued before Superior Court Justice Guy Cournoyer at the Montreal courthouse Friday morning, Cech played the most important role in the conspiracy as a high-level drug smuggler.The prosecutor pointed out that Richard Sanschagrin, a former police officer, received a 12-year prison term for role. Chagrin received the ingots once they entered Canada, warehoused the shipments before distributing the cocaine.Cech’s son-in-law, Atilio Martinez, a 47-year-old Kirkland resident, received a 9-year prison term for handling the distribution and accounting for Cech’s network while working out of a photo shop on Jean Talon St. E. Cournoyer wanted to hear Levasseur and defence lawyer Julio Peris’s thoughts on whether Cech’s questionable arrest in the Dominican Republic should factor into his sentence.
On May 8, 2006, Cech was sitting on an Air France plane at the airport in Santo Domingo about to head off to Paris when he was arrested by four Dominican Republican police officers. This was three days before the Sûreté du Québec made more than 20 arrests in this province in Project Fusion, the investigation into Cech’s network and clients.By the beginning of that month, the SQ knew they had to act fast if they still wanted to arrest Cech while he lived in the Dominican Republic. Investigators knew Martinez had flown to the Dominican Republic to meet with Cech to discuss the fact that $761,000 had been seized by police from Martinez’s home in Kirkland along with accounting documents. They were worried Cech was going to head to the Czech Republic where he had a residence and it would be more difficult to return him to Canada.

Cech claims he was held in a filthy cell in the Dominican Republic for three days, was unable to sleep, was given no food and was unable to contact a lawyer before SQ officers escorted him to Canada on May 12, 2006. He was only able to speak to a lawyer after he was brought to the SQ’s headquarters on Parthenais St. Without sleeping for four days he decided to collaborate with police. He gave 29 statements to investigators, but eventually refused to sign a contract that would make him a prosecution witness. He pleaded guilty to drug trafficking and gangsterism in December.

Cournoyer already ruled last month that the circumstances surrounding the arrest were not enough to declare a stay of proceedings in Cech’s case. But he said yesterday it was clear “something happened,” likely with the goal of pressuring Cech into becoming an informant.“I have three or four deductions but they were not introduced as evidence,” the judge said.Peris argued the questionable arrest should be factored into Cech’s sentence. He also argued the fact that it took the Crown more than a year to turn over the evidence it had in the case to the defence should also be factored in.The defence lawyer did not ask for a specific sentence length but asked that his client be left with only three years left to serve when Cournoyer renders his decision on April 17.Cech has already served the equivalent of nearly six years behind bars while awaiting the outcome of his case.

Yvan Cech, 65, receive a 13-year sentence for his role in smuggling 700 kilos of cocaine

Yvan Cech, 65, receive a 13-year sentence for his role in smuggling 700 kilos of cocaine, packed into aluminum ingots, into the country where much of it was sold to the Hells Angels.The sentence is considerable when Cech’s age is factored in, as well as the fact he has no prior convictions. At the time of his arrest in 2006, the Slovakian-born businessman, who is a Canadian citizen, owned and operated a hotel-casino in the Dominican Republic while splitting much of his time in Quebec City. But, Levasseur argued before Superior Court Justice Guy Cournoyer at the Montreal courthouse Friday morning, Cech played the most important role in the conspiracy as a high-level drug smuggler.The prosecutor pointed out that Richard Sanschagrin, a former police officer, received a 12-year prison term for role. Chagrin received the ingots once they entered Canada, warehoused the shipments before distributing the cocaine.Cech’s son-in-law, Atilio Martinez, a 47-year-old Kirkland resident, received a 9-year prison term for handling the distribution and accounting for Cech’s network while working out of a photo shop on Jean Talon St. E. Cournoyer wanted to hear Levasseur and defence lawyer Julio Peris’s thoughts on whether Cech’s questionable arrest in the Dominican Republic should factor into his sentence.
On May 8, 2006, Cech was sitting on an Air France plane at the airport in Santo Domingo about to head off to Paris when he was arrested by four Dominican Republican police officers. This was three days before the Sûreté du Québec made more than 20 arrests in this province in Project Fusion, the investigation into Cech’s network and clients.By the beginning of that month, the SQ knew they had to act fast if they still wanted to arrest Cech while he lived in the Dominican Republic. Investigators knew Martinez had flown to the Dominican Republic to meet with Cech to discuss the fact that $761,000 had been seized by police from Martinez’s home in Kirkland along with accounting documents. They were worried Cech was going to head to the Czech Republic where he had a residence and it would be more difficult to return him to Canada.

Cech claims he was held in a filthy cell in the Dominican Republic for three days, was unable to sleep, was given no food and was unable to contact a lawyer before SQ officers escorted him to Canada on May 12, 2006. He was only able to speak to a lawyer after he was brought to the SQ’s headquarters on Parthenais St. Without sleeping for four days he decided to collaborate with police. He gave 29 statements to investigators, but eventually refused to sign a contract that would make him a prosecution witness. He pleaded guilty to drug trafficking and gangsterism in December.

Cournoyer already ruled last month that the circumstances surrounding the arrest were not enough to declare a stay of proceedings in Cech’s case. But he said yesterday it was clear “something happened,” likely with the goal of pressuring Cech into becoming an informant.“I have three or four deductions but they were not introduced as evidence,” the judge said.Peris argued the questionable arrest should be factored into Cech’s sentence. He also argued the fact that it took the Crown more than a year to turn over the evidence it had in the case to the defence should also be factored in.The defence lawyer did not ask for a specific sentence length but asked that his client be left with only three years left to serve when Cournoyer renders his decision on April 17.Cech has already served the equivalent of nearly six years behind bars while awaiting the outcome of his case.

Monica Aguirre charged with possession with intent to distribute cocaine

Monica Aguirre shuffled her feet as she made her way to the lectern to address U.S. District Judge Felix Recio.During the hearing, Aguirre's attorney, Noe Garza, asked Recio to give his client time to clear pending judicial matters. The matters include a pending arrest warrant for failure to appear in Cameron County Court-at-Law No. 3 and various unpaid traffic tickets in Los Fresnos.Because of the pending judicial matters, Recio denied bond and said, "There is no condition or combination of conditions that would reasonably assure the defendant's appearance at further court proceedings."Aguirre, charged with possession with intent to distribute cocaine, was arrested March 4 as she allegedly tried to cross the B&M International Bridge driving a red Jeep with 15.35 kilograms of cocaine hidden in a secret compartment.
Her two infant sons accompanied Aguirre. The children were released to the custody of a relative.

Monica Aguirre charged with possession with intent to distribute cocaine

Monica Aguirre shuffled her feet as she made her way to the lectern to address U.S. District Judge Felix Recio.During the hearing, Aguirre's attorney, Noe Garza, asked Recio to give his client time to clear pending judicial matters. The matters include a pending arrest warrant for failure to appear in Cameron County Court-at-Law No. 3 and various unpaid traffic tickets in Los Fresnos.Because of the pending judicial matters, Recio denied bond and said, "There is no condition or combination of conditions that would reasonably assure the defendant's appearance at further court proceedings."Aguirre, charged with possession with intent to distribute cocaine, was arrested March 4 as she allegedly tried to cross the B&M International Bridge driving a red Jeep with 15.35 kilograms of cocaine hidden in a secret compartment.
Her two infant sons accompanied Aguirre. The children were released to the custody of a relative.

Edvinas Leonavicius, jailed for 11 years

Edvinas Leonavicius, 25, arrived at the Eastern Docks on May 8. UK Border Agency officers discovered the drugs in 17 brown-taped packages hidden beneath the gear stick in the centre consol of the vehicle he was driving. When questioned by HMRC investigators Leonavicius stated he was visiting Chester as a tourist for one week.
The parcels contained 12 kilos of ecstasy and half a kilo of cocaine, worth £260,000.
Sentencing at Canterbury Crown Court on Thursday Her Honour Adele Williams said: "There was a degree of sophistication with this importation, containing a quantity of dangerous class A drugs which wreak havoc with peoples lives."

Edvinas Leonavicius, jailed for 11 years

Edvinas Leonavicius, 25, arrived at the Eastern Docks on May 8. UK Border Agency officers discovered the drugs in 17 brown-taped packages hidden beneath the gear stick in the centre consol of the vehicle he was driving. When questioned by HMRC investigators Leonavicius stated he was visiting Chester as a tourist for one week.
The parcels contained 12 kilos of ecstasy and half a kilo of cocaine, worth £260,000.
Sentencing at Canterbury Crown Court on Thursday Her Honour Adele Williams said: "There was a degree of sophistication with this importation, containing a quantity of dangerous class A drugs which wreak havoc with peoples lives."

Joaquín Guzmán Loera, is one of 38 new billionaires.

Joaquín Guzmán Loera, is one of 38 new billionaires.For eight years Joaquín Guzmán Loera reportedly managed his international drug smuggling operation from behind bars while enjoying a lavish prison life with access to booze, women and a home entertainment system. Then in January 2001, facing extradition to the U.S., Guzmán slipped into a laundry cart and escaped.Since then "El Chapo," or Shorty, as he is called, has tightened his grip on Mexico's drug trade as head of the Sinaloa cartel, one of the biggest suppliers of cocaine to the U.S. It is a lucrative business to be in these days. Thirty-five million people in the U.S. use narcotics or abuse prescription drugs, spending more than $64 billion annually. The Drug Enforcement Agency and other industry experts believe Guzmán, 54, has controlled anywhere from a third to half of the wholesale Mexican drug market over the past eight years. In 2008 Mexican and Colombian traffickers laundered between $18 billion and $39 billion in proceeds from wholesale shipments to the U.S., according to the U.S. government. Guzmán and his operation likely grossed 20% of that--enough for him to have pocketed $1 billion over his career and earn a spot on the billionaires list for the first time.While others with ten-figure fortunes have criminal records, Guzmán is probably the only one for whom the U.S. government is offering a $5 million reward for his capture. "He clearly is a sociopath and willing to engage in high levels of violence, but he is skillful in managing these turbulent waters," says Bruce Bagley, chairman of international studies at the University of Miami. While traditional drug cartels are built around a family hierarchy, Guzmán's operates more as a confederation of different groups. He hires gangs that have peeled off from competitors, offering attractive profit sharing. "The Sinaloa cartel is kind of a new animal in a way. He offers them a better deal," adds Bagley.Guzmán grew up in the Pacific coast state of Sinaloa in a rural region that has produced big drug traffickers. The farm boy was likely exposed to the trade at a young age. Officials say he honed his drug-running skills working for different gangs, most notably as an airplane logistics expert for Miguel Angel Félix Gallardo, "El Padrino," or the Godfather, the country's leading trafficker at the time. Gallardo was arrested in 1989.By the early 1990s Guzmán had started his own international firm. Business didn't always run smoothly. In 1993, at the northern border, Mexican authorities seized a 7-ton shipment of cocaine, believed to be his, that was hidden in chili pepper cans. The same year rival gang members, apparently trying to kill Guzmán at the Guadalajara airport, bumped off a Catholic cardinal instead. Also that year he was captured and convicted for homicide and drug trafficking.A 1995 U.S. indictment alleges he directed a vast network of employees and assets, including warehouses in California, New Jersey and Chicago; a tunnel, running 65 feet deep and 1,416 feet long, between Mexico and Otay Mesa, Calif.; an executive jet rental business; and railcars carrying cooking oil. At least one of his employees was in charge of paying off Mexican prosecutors and police, allegedly dropping $1 million in cash in 1991 for the release of Guzmán's brother, "El Pollo," from a Mexico City prison. (El Pollo was murdered in 2004.)How long can Guzmán, who may be in Guatemala, continue to elude authorities? The Mexican government is trying to crack down on the murderous drug trade that has killed 6,000 people in the past year, including Guzmán's son, who was gunned down in May. It has dispatched thousands of soldiers to hot zones. In November it arrested the nation's top antidrug authority for allegedly agreeing to a $450,000-per-month deal to tip off drug traffickers about raids and arrests. That pressure, along with more pressure from rival drug gangs, appears to be making business harder for Guzmán but hasn't persuaded him to get out of the industry

Joaquín Guzmán Loera, is one of 38 new billionaires.

Joaquín Guzmán Loera, is one of 38 new billionaires.For eight years Joaquín Guzmán Loera reportedly managed his international drug smuggling operation from behind bars while enjoying a lavish prison life with access to booze, women and a home entertainment system. Then in January 2001, facing extradition to the U.S., Guzmán slipped into a laundry cart and escaped.Since then "El Chapo," or Shorty, as he is called, has tightened his grip on Mexico's drug trade as head of the Sinaloa cartel, one of the biggest suppliers of cocaine to the U.S. It is a lucrative business to be in these days. Thirty-five million people in the U.S. use narcotics or abuse prescription drugs, spending more than $64 billion annually. The Drug Enforcement Agency and other industry experts believe Guzmán, 54, has controlled anywhere from a third to half of the wholesale Mexican drug market over the past eight years. In 2008 Mexican and Colombian traffickers laundered between $18 billion and $39 billion in proceeds from wholesale shipments to the U.S., according to the U.S. government. Guzmán and his operation likely grossed 20% of that--enough for him to have pocketed $1 billion over his career and earn a spot on the billionaires list for the first time.While others with ten-figure fortunes have criminal records, Guzmán is probably the only one for whom the U.S. government is offering a $5 million reward for his capture. "He clearly is a sociopath and willing to engage in high levels of violence, but he is skillful in managing these turbulent waters," says Bruce Bagley, chairman of international studies at the University of Miami. While traditional drug cartels are built around a family hierarchy, Guzmán's operates more as a confederation of different groups. He hires gangs that have peeled off from competitors, offering attractive profit sharing. "The Sinaloa cartel is kind of a new animal in a way. He offers them a better deal," adds Bagley.Guzmán grew up in the Pacific coast state of Sinaloa in a rural region that has produced big drug traffickers. The farm boy was likely exposed to the trade at a young age. Officials say he honed his drug-running skills working for different gangs, most notably as an airplane logistics expert for Miguel Angel Félix Gallardo, "El Padrino," or the Godfather, the country's leading trafficker at the time. Gallardo was arrested in 1989.By the early 1990s Guzmán had started his own international firm. Business didn't always run smoothly. In 1993, at the northern border, Mexican authorities seized a 7-ton shipment of cocaine, believed to be his, that was hidden in chili pepper cans. The same year rival gang members, apparently trying to kill Guzmán at the Guadalajara airport, bumped off a Catholic cardinal instead. Also that year he was captured and convicted for homicide and drug trafficking.A 1995 U.S. indictment alleges he directed a vast network of employees and assets, including warehouses in California, New Jersey and Chicago; a tunnel, running 65 feet deep and 1,416 feet long, between Mexico and Otay Mesa, Calif.; an executive jet rental business; and railcars carrying cooking oil. At least one of his employees was in charge of paying off Mexican prosecutors and police, allegedly dropping $1 million in cash in 1991 for the release of Guzmán's brother, "El Pollo," from a Mexico City prison. (El Pollo was murdered in 2004.)How long can Guzmán, who may be in Guatemala, continue to elude authorities? The Mexican government is trying to crack down on the murderous drug trade that has killed 6,000 people in the past year, including Guzmán's son, who was gunned down in May. It has dispatched thousands of soldiers to hot zones. In November it arrested the nation's top antidrug authority for allegedly agreeing to a $450,000-per-month deal to tip off drug traffickers about raids and arrests. That pressure, along with more pressure from rival drug gangs, appears to be making business harder for Guzmán but hasn't persuaded him to get out of the industry

Sandy Rodriguez Brito, 21, of San Juan, Puerto Rico, was apprehended Saturday night at Luis Munoz Marin International Airport

Sandy Rodriguez Brito, 21, of San Juan, Puerto Rico, was apprehended Saturday night at Luis Munoz Marin International Airport while waiting for two drug mules to fly in from the Dominican Republic. U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents arrested Brito at the airport about 10 p.m.Brito fled from a Salem motel room on Nov. 25, when one of three drug mules he hired began absorbing small bags of cocaine lodged in her digestive tract, according to police and court documents. Mally Cruz Rodriguez, 25, was pronounced dead at Caritas Holy Family Hospital in Methuen, Mass., shortly after her sister, Nelly Cruz Rodriguez, another drug carrier, called 911.Nelly Cruz Rodriguez also suffered from drug intoxication and was rushed to an area hospital to have several bags of cocaine removed from her. Federal officials revealed yesterday that a grand jury has indicted Brito and four others in connection with the case. They are Brito's sister Dionaliz; a cab driver Escolastico Suero, 45, of Methuen; Angel Baez-Gil, 45, of Lawrence; and Nelly Cruz Rodriguez, according to federal officials.Brito and his sister accompanied the three drug mules on a flight from Puerto Rico to Fort Lauderdale and then to Boston. Suero picked up the group at the airport with Baez-Gil, according to police affidavits.Suero, Baez-Gil and Nelly Cruz Rodriguez remain jailed as they await trial. Federal officials will bring Brito to New Hampshire, but no exact date has been set, police Capt. Shawn Patten said yesterday."We've worked closely with the federal authorities to make sure all the people involved in this case are brought to justice," Patten said. "We're looking forward to getting Mr. Brito back to the state of New Hampshire to face these charges."It's unclear what charges Brito, who has yet to be extradited, will face. Salem police said previously he could be charged in connection with supplying the fatal drugs that caused Cruz Rodriguez's death. The federal indictments, handed down last month, remain sealed in U.S. District Court.
Police were first alerted to the drug ring when Cruz Rodriguez made the 911 call from the Park View Inn about her ailing sister.Brito had allegedly taken suitcases belonging to the sisters and abandoned them with $40 cash and a cell phone when he fled with his sister and a third drug mule, according to a police affidavit.A key clue came about when detectives found a drugstore receipt for laxatives inside the motel rooms the group rented. Surveillance footage from a CVS in North Andover, Mass., showed Brito, Baez-Gil and Suero buying the laxatives around 3 a.m. on Nov. 25.Dionaliz Rodriguez Brito remains at large, but authorities are pursuing leads on her whereabouts.

Sandy Rodriguez Brito, 21, of San Juan, Puerto Rico, was apprehended Saturday night at Luis Munoz Marin International Airport

Sandy Rodriguez Brito, 21, of San Juan, Puerto Rico, was apprehended Saturday night at Luis Munoz Marin International Airport while waiting for two drug mules to fly in from the Dominican Republic. U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents arrested Brito at the airport about 10 p.m.Brito fled from a Salem motel room on Nov. 25, when one of three drug mules he hired began absorbing small bags of cocaine lodged in her digestive tract, according to police and court documents. Mally Cruz Rodriguez, 25, was pronounced dead at Caritas Holy Family Hospital in Methuen, Mass., shortly after her sister, Nelly Cruz Rodriguez, another drug carrier, called 911.Nelly Cruz Rodriguez also suffered from drug intoxication and was rushed to an area hospital to have several bags of cocaine removed from her. Federal officials revealed yesterday that a grand jury has indicted Brito and four others in connection with the case. They are Brito's sister Dionaliz; a cab driver Escolastico Suero, 45, of Methuen; Angel Baez-Gil, 45, of Lawrence; and Nelly Cruz Rodriguez, according to federal officials.Brito and his sister accompanied the three drug mules on a flight from Puerto Rico to Fort Lauderdale and then to Boston. Suero picked up the group at the airport with Baez-Gil, according to police affidavits.Suero, Baez-Gil and Nelly Cruz Rodriguez remain jailed as they await trial. Federal officials will bring Brito to New Hampshire, but no exact date has been set, police Capt. Shawn Patten said yesterday."We've worked closely with the federal authorities to make sure all the people involved in this case are brought to justice," Patten said. "We're looking forward to getting Mr. Brito back to the state of New Hampshire to face these charges."It's unclear what charges Brito, who has yet to be extradited, will face. Salem police said previously he could be charged in connection with supplying the fatal drugs that caused Cruz Rodriguez's death. The federal indictments, handed down last month, remain sealed in U.S. District Court.
Police were first alerted to the drug ring when Cruz Rodriguez made the 911 call from the Park View Inn about her ailing sister.Brito had allegedly taken suitcases belonging to the sisters and abandoned them with $40 cash and a cell phone when he fled with his sister and a third drug mule, according to a police affidavit.A key clue came about when detectives found a drugstore receipt for laxatives inside the motel rooms the group rented. Surveillance footage from a CVS in North Andover, Mass., showed Brito, Baez-Gil and Suero buying the laxatives around 3 a.m. on Nov. 25.Dionaliz Rodriguez Brito remains at large, but authorities are pursuing leads on her whereabouts.

Keith Morez, 60, Sevenoaks, and fellow gang members Chris Brown, 55, from Greenhithe, and Gerard Dutton, 61, from Suffolk,jailed for 10 years

Keith Morez, 60, from Sevenoaks, and his unemployed fellow gang members Chris Brown, 55, from Greenhithe, and Gerard Dutton, 61, from Suffolk, were each given 10-year sentences at Kingston Crown Court.The Metropolitan Police’s Projects Team spent several months investigating the organised criminal network, which involved importing and supplying cannabis from southern Spain, as part of Operation Cromer.
Det Insp Grant Johnson said: “This group was highly organised in the way they imported drugs.“They used criminal contacts in the UK and Spain, going out of their way to disassociate themselves from the cargo by using false companies and deliberately deceiving legitimate haulage companies.”The Met’s Projects Team passed intelligence onto Her Majesty’s Revenue and Customs (HMRC) officers who searched a Spanish registered lorry in April last year finding 1.5 tonnes of cannabis resin with a street value of around £4.2million.The lorry was seized in Coquelles Port in Normandy, France, and had been travelling from Murcia in Spain bound for the UK. The drugs were found hidden in six pallets of floor tiles when the vehicle reached England.In July, 2008, another Spanish-registered lorry was stopped by HMRC officers at the Port of Dover where they discovered 1.56 tonnes of the now class B substance worth around £4m that had been hidden in pallets of ‘dressed stone’.Intelligence from the seizures led Guardia Civil Grupo de Drogas officers to search a warehouse in southern Spain where a further 690 kilos of cannabis valued at £1.93m was found.
DI Grant Johnson said: “Both of these lorry loads were significant seizures, headed for the streets of the capital and these sentences are testament to how seriously both the police and judicial system, take this dangerous, newly reclassified, class B drug.”Morez, of Billet Hill, ran a legitimate traffic management company but was found to be a senior member of the drug network, the Met said.He acted as Brown’s right-hand man, liaising with criminals in Spain and was responsible for transporting the drugs once they reached the UK.Police arrested him in October last year while he was in his car on the A20 in Kent. He pleaded guilty on January 13 this year before sentencing at Kingston with the other men last Friday.Detectives found that Brown was in total control of the importation side of the trafficking and actively involved in both lorry hauls of drugs seized.He was seen meeting face-to-face with Spanish drug suppliers and kept in telephone contact with Morez and Dutton.
Brown was arrested in his car near the Dartford Bridge in July last year.Dutton set up two fake companies so the gang could use them to employ legitimate haulage companies to import the loads of cannabis from Spain into the UK.He was arrested in north Yorkshire in July last year. Police said the lorry drivers and haulage companies involved in the case were innocent victims and had been duped into believing they were carrying genuine loads of tiles and stone.Bob Gaiger, a spokesman for HMRC, said: “This is a perfect example of the successful working partnership that exists between the Met Police and HMRC.“We will continue to work together to prevent drugs from entering the UK and harming our communities. We will not only focus on those transporting these deadly drugs, but also those who mastermind and finance this illegal activity.”

Keith Morez, 60, Sevenoaks, and fellow gang members Chris Brown, 55, from Greenhithe, and Gerard Dutton, 61, from Suffolk,jailed for 10 years

Keith Morez, 60, from Sevenoaks, and his unemployed fellow gang members Chris Brown, 55, from Greenhithe, and Gerard Dutton, 61, from Suffolk, were each given 10-year sentences at Kingston Crown Court.The Metropolitan Police’s Projects Team spent several months investigating the organised criminal network, which involved importing and supplying cannabis from southern Spain, as part of Operation Cromer.
Det Insp Grant Johnson said: “This group was highly organised in the way they imported drugs.“They used criminal contacts in the UK and Spain, going out of their way to disassociate themselves from the cargo by using false companies and deliberately deceiving legitimate haulage companies.”The Met’s Projects Team passed intelligence onto Her Majesty’s Revenue and Customs (HMRC) officers who searched a Spanish registered lorry in April last year finding 1.5 tonnes of cannabis resin with a street value of around £4.2million.The lorry was seized in Coquelles Port in Normandy, France, and had been travelling from Murcia in Spain bound for the UK. The drugs were found hidden in six pallets of floor tiles when the vehicle reached England.In July, 2008, another Spanish-registered lorry was stopped by HMRC officers at the Port of Dover where they discovered 1.56 tonnes of the now class B substance worth around £4m that had been hidden in pallets of ‘dressed stone’.Intelligence from the seizures led Guardia Civil Grupo de Drogas officers to search a warehouse in southern Spain where a further 690 kilos of cannabis valued at £1.93m was found.
DI Grant Johnson said: “Both of these lorry loads were significant seizures, headed for the streets of the capital and these sentences are testament to how seriously both the police and judicial system, take this dangerous, newly reclassified, class B drug.”Morez, of Billet Hill, ran a legitimate traffic management company but was found to be a senior member of the drug network, the Met said.He acted as Brown’s right-hand man, liaising with criminals in Spain and was responsible for transporting the drugs once they reached the UK.Police arrested him in October last year while he was in his car on the A20 in Kent. He pleaded guilty on January 13 this year before sentencing at Kingston with the other men last Friday.Detectives found that Brown was in total control of the importation side of the trafficking and actively involved in both lorry hauls of drugs seized.He was seen meeting face-to-face with Spanish drug suppliers and kept in telephone contact with Morez and Dutton.
Brown was arrested in his car near the Dartford Bridge in July last year.Dutton set up two fake companies so the gang could use them to employ legitimate haulage companies to import the loads of cannabis from Spain into the UK.He was arrested in north Yorkshire in July last year. Police said the lorry drivers and haulage companies involved in the case were innocent victims and had been duped into believing they were carrying genuine loads of tiles and stone.Bob Gaiger, a spokesman for HMRC, said: “This is a perfect example of the successful working partnership that exists between the Met Police and HMRC.“We will continue to work together to prevent drugs from entering the UK and harming our communities. We will not only focus on those transporting these deadly drugs, but also those who mastermind and finance this illegal activity.”

Francisco S. Perez, posted the $20,000 bail and disappeared

Francisco S. Perez, posted the $20,000 bail and disappeared — only to be caught Wednesday with a cache of weapons, including an assault rifle, body armor, marijuana and other drugs.This time he is being held without bail, Deputy Pima County Attorney Richard Wintory said.Perez's story is not uncommon, said Wintory, who contends judges often set bail too low because they rely on questionable information or mistaken perceptions.To prove his point, Wintory had staff members compile statistics on bail conditions set in all Counter Narcotics Alliance cases for the past five years.They found nearly a quarter of those arrested by the alliance disappear after they are released, Wintory said — a statistic he calls especially alarming because they may be among the most dangerous offenders in the community.
While their motivation is drug running, the nature of the business frequently involves weapons, violent assaults, home invasions, kidnappings for ransom and even murder — sometimes with innocent victims caught up in the crossfire.
Rick Peck, Pretrial Services director, could not verify Wintory's numbers but noted that 16 percent of those arrested for all types of crimes in Pima County abscond after being released from jail.When judges set bail, they are supposed to consider the charges, family ties, employment, financial resources, criminal record, length of time in the community and history of making past court dates.
Much of that information is gathered by Pretrial Services.Wintory believes judges give too little consideration to the type of charges Counter Narcotics Alliance defendants are facing.More significantly, he believes judges rely too heavily on information Pretrial Services gets from defendants' families about their community ties without independent verification."It isn't their ties to the community we should be concerned about," he said. "It's that they have resources and an interest in staying in business. The absconders we've caught are caught committing more of the same types of crimes."Counter Narcotics Alliance defendants, if convicted, almost always face mandatory prison time, Wintory said. Yet if a defendant's wife says the defendant has lived in the same house and worked for the same employer for decades, her word is taken at face value without verification.Too many times, detectives later learn the defendant's address is non-existent and the claimed employer has never heard of the defendant, he said.
Here is one statistic he discovered: Of the Counter Narcotics Alliance's arrestees who run, the largest share — 33 percent — are those who actually posted bail. The rest vanished after being released on their own recognizance or to a Pretrial Services monitoring program.A few show up again, but only when they're arrested for committing another serious crime, such as in Francisco Perez's case, Wintory said.
County Attorney Barbara LaWall said she suspects drug dealers flee more frequently than most suspects because they put up cash. Other defendants put up the equity in their homes or the homes of their loved ones and are unwilling to lose their property to a bail bondsman if they run.Wintory also determined that of the 526 people Counter Narcotics detectives have arrested over the last five years, 304 have been released on bail, on their own recognizance or to Pretrial Services.
A third of those who took flight after posting bail vanished before they were arraigned, Wintory said. That means they hadn't been officially informed of the charges against them and given an opportunity to say "not guilty," so they can't be tried in absentia.If his numbers are accurate, they are a "cause for concern" and need to be looked into, Presiding Tucson City Court Judge Tony Riojas said.
But Riojas and Pretrial Services Director Peck defended Pretrial Services, saying the department does a good job compiling information for judges in a short time.
Peck said he doesn't believe there is a widespread problem with absconders in the general population. He wouldn't comment on Wintory's figures for the more dangerous Counter Narcotics Alliance defendants because his office doesn't separate the numbers that way.

Francisco S. Perez, posted the $20,000 bail and disappeared

Francisco S. Perez, posted the $20,000 bail and disappeared — only to be caught Wednesday with a cache of weapons, including an assault rifle, body armor, marijuana and other drugs.This time he is being held without bail, Deputy Pima County Attorney Richard Wintory said.Perez's story is not uncommon, said Wintory, who contends judges often set bail too low because they rely on questionable information or mistaken perceptions.To prove his point, Wintory had staff members compile statistics on bail conditions set in all Counter Narcotics Alliance cases for the past five years.They found nearly a quarter of those arrested by the alliance disappear after they are released, Wintory said — a statistic he calls especially alarming because they may be among the most dangerous offenders in the community.
While their motivation is drug running, the nature of the business frequently involves weapons, violent assaults, home invasions, kidnappings for ransom and even murder — sometimes with innocent victims caught up in the crossfire.
Rick Peck, Pretrial Services director, could not verify Wintory's numbers but noted that 16 percent of those arrested for all types of crimes in Pima County abscond after being released from jail.When judges set bail, they are supposed to consider the charges, family ties, employment, financial resources, criminal record, length of time in the community and history of making past court dates.
Much of that information is gathered by Pretrial Services.Wintory believes judges give too little consideration to the type of charges Counter Narcotics Alliance defendants are facing.More significantly, he believes judges rely too heavily on information Pretrial Services gets from defendants' families about their community ties without independent verification."It isn't their ties to the community we should be concerned about," he said. "It's that they have resources and an interest in staying in business. The absconders we've caught are caught committing more of the same types of crimes."Counter Narcotics Alliance defendants, if convicted, almost always face mandatory prison time, Wintory said. Yet if a defendant's wife says the defendant has lived in the same house and worked for the same employer for decades, her word is taken at face value without verification.Too many times, detectives later learn the defendant's address is non-existent and the claimed employer has never heard of the defendant, he said.
Here is one statistic he discovered: Of the Counter Narcotics Alliance's arrestees who run, the largest share — 33 percent — are those who actually posted bail. The rest vanished after being released on their own recognizance or to a Pretrial Services monitoring program.A few show up again, but only when they're arrested for committing another serious crime, such as in Francisco Perez's case, Wintory said.
County Attorney Barbara LaWall said she suspects drug dealers flee more frequently than most suspects because they put up cash. Other defendants put up the equity in their homes or the homes of their loved ones and are unwilling to lose their property to a bail bondsman if they run.Wintory also determined that of the 526 people Counter Narcotics detectives have arrested over the last five years, 304 have been released on bail, on their own recognizance or to Pretrial Services.
A third of those who took flight after posting bail vanished before they were arraigned, Wintory said. That means they hadn't been officially informed of the charges against them and given an opportunity to say "not guilty," so they can't be tried in absentia.If his numbers are accurate, they are a "cause for concern" and need to be looked into, Presiding Tucson City Court Judge Tony Riojas said.
But Riojas and Pretrial Services Director Peck defended Pretrial Services, saying the department does a good job compiling information for judges in a short time.
Peck said he doesn't believe there is a widespread problem with absconders in the general population. He wouldn't comment on Wintory's figures for the more dangerous Counter Narcotics Alliance defendants because his office doesn't separate the numbers that way.