Dissociation & Fragmented personality disorders

former Boston police officer was sentenced to more than 11 years in federal prison yesterday for conspiring to extort $265,000 on behalf of Colombian drug dealers while in uniform, one of a series of recent corruption scandals in the Police Department.US District Court Judge Rya W. Zobel sentenced Jose A. "Flaco" Ortiz, 46, formerly of Salem, to 11 years and three months in prison followed by five years of supervised release in connection with extortion and cocaine-related charges."Of all our recent cases combating police corruption, this was among the most egregious," US Attorney Michael J. Sullivan said in a statement after sentencing. "To have a uniformed officer, carrying his badge and weapon, extort money on behalf of a Colombian drug ring cuts at the heart of our system of justice." Ortiz pleaded guilty on April 29. He was the fifth Boston officer to plead guilty to federal charges since September. All the cases, including one involving three officer...

John W. Powers, 40, of South Sixth Street, sell suspected drugs to two individuals. Officers in the narcotics unit were reportedly patrolling in the area of Fourth Street and Landis Avenue when they allegedly witnessed Powers talking on a nearby pay phone. At that time, shortly after 10 p.m., an unknown subject walked up to Powers and subsequently purchased what officers believe were drugs, said Ulrich. However, the subject got away on a New Jersey Transit bus that had stopped at the intersection before officers could move in for the arrest. According to police, officers observed Powers enter a nearby vehicle and witness a second alleged drug purchase between him and another man, identified as 34-year-old Leard Jones, of Philadelphia. Detectives at the scene reportedly recovered 50 packages (or 250 bundles, or 2,500 individual doses) of heroin, a small amount of marijuana and $5,034 in cash. Police charged Powers with possession of heroin, possession with the intent to distribute, poss...

Robert Kobash, 48, of East Garden Road, on July 21 was charged with possession of heroin, possession of heroin with intent to distribute, possession of crack cocaine, possession and distribution of a controlled dangerous substance within 1,000 feet of a public school (Maurice Fels School on South Seventh Street), resisting arrest and obstruction of justice. A man allegedly seen buying drugs from Kobash, 32-year-old Victor Torres, of West Chestnut Avenue, was charged with possession of heroin and released on a summons. Kobash is lodged inside Cumberland County Jail on $200,000 bail. According to Ulrich, officers in the area of Seventh and Quince streets last Monday at 7:30 p.m. witnessed Kobash sell drugs from the passenger seat of a vehicle that had just parked near the intersection.

A federal jury in Houston found Ricardo Garcia Heredia, 44, of McAllen, guilty in May of multiple counts of conspiracy and drug possession.The former owner of an Edinburg trucking business wasMonday for his role in a drug smuggling and money laundering ring.Prosecutors allege Garcia used his business - Edinburg-based Earth Transportation - as a front to recruit drivers for cocaine shipments that passed through the Rio Grande Valley

Jeffrey Whitehead, 54, of Enfield and Mark Russell, 41, of Lincoln were indicted by a federal grand jury July 16 for conspiring to distribute drugs. Whitefield also was indicted for Social Security fraud. Both men are incarcerated out of state, according to court documents.Their arraignments in U.S. District Court have not been scheduled.A dozen men and women originally were indicted in November on drug conspiracy and other charges for their alleged involvement in distributing more than 11 pounds of cocaine in the Lincoln and Lee area from 2002 through 2005. A superseding indictment issued earlier this month added Whitehead and Russell.Whitehead is scheduled to be released in December after serving nearly two years in federal prison. He was indicted on drug charges in August 2006 after selling cocaine and heroine the previous summer to undercover officers. He was sentenced in January 2007 to 30 months in prison after pleading guilty to the charges. He is expected to be credited with ti...

David Quick, from Essex, was found guilty of conspiracy to supply class A drugs after a retrial at the Old Bailey and sentenced on July 25.Police arrested Quick in a Dartford layby on the A282 when he pulled over to make a handover with the rest of the group.Officers searched the lorry and found 42kg of cocaine.Quick, who denied the charge, told detectives he had no idea about the drugs but the court heard how he took the truck onto a ferry in France having met with 37-year-old Michael Linker to pick up the stash.But when Quick arrived to meet 34-year-old Alister Morin on April 4 last year, police moved in as Linker tried to retrieve the cocaine from the truck.Morin was arrested in Bow Arrow Lane, Dartford, after being tracked driving to the transfer point.Quick had originally stood trial with Morin from Essex, in April. Morin was convicted for conspiracy to supply class A drugs and imprisoned for 15 years but Quick faced a retrial.Linker from Bristol, and ring-leader, James Scarciglia...

Francis Salerno, faces charges of possession of a controlled substance, possession of drug paraphernalia and resisting arrest. He was arraigned before District Judge Muchael J. Burns and sent to Bucks County prison on $25,000 bail. Police said they found 13 bags of suspected heroin stamped with the logo “Triple Crown” in green writing, two syringes, a cut-in-half drinking straw and blood-stained cotton swabs.

James Munro, a 26-year-old border guard who worked at Quebec's Lacolle border crossing.Munro was the only Canadian Border Services Agency employee arrested in an investigation that centred on an attempt by people based in Montreal and New Brunswick to smuggle 500 kilograms of Colombian cocaine into Canada.Munro appeared in court Friday in St. Jean sur Richelieu, Que., for a bail hearing. He will learn on Tuesday if he is to be released while he faces eight criminal charges.Two Quebecers who allegedly took part in the conspiracy were arrested in Florida on Tuesday and charged with bringing 25,000 MDMA, or ecstasy, pills into the U.S. as part of a deal made with an undercover FBI agent.The two men -- alleged ringleader Sylvain Levert, 41, of Chambly, and Serge (Frenchy) Desilets, 54, of Maniwaki -- were charged in U.S. District Court in Florida. Affidavits filed in their cases suggest the pair counted on the co-operation of more than one customs agent to smuggle drugs in and out of C...

Rodrigo Fiuza has been jailed to 15 years for attempting to smuggle 10 kilos of cocaine into the UK.Police said that Rodrigo Fiuza, a Brazilian national of Mile End Road, was arrested on 25 February 2008 following an intelligence-led operation.He was charged in relation to a Class A controlled drug and being knowingly concerned in the fraudulent evasion of a prohibition on the importation of goods.Fiuza was found guilty at Snaresbrook Crown Court on 15 July.He has also been recommended for deportation on completion of his sentence.The estimated street value of the Class A drug found within small statues in a steel drum in a shipment of airfrieght from Brazil in February, was £1,199,560.A search of Fiuza's garage and house revealed a further steel drum containing electronic scales, a large number of mobile phones and a pseudo reference required by HM Revenue and Customs for non-VAT registered traders to import goods from abroad.Further investigations revealed that there had been a...

An alleged gangster was killed in a shootout in north-west Mumbai last night. Gangster Anand Patil is believed to be from the Hemant Pujari gang. Crime Branch officials say Patil fired at the officials when he was asked to surrender and was killed in the ensuing shootout. The police said today that Anand Patil, allegedly a member of the Pujari gang, had gone to the Laxmi Industrial Estate in suburban Andheri to meet an accomplice, they said. Acting on information, officials from the Crime Branch of the city police were present there and when Patil arrived they asked him to surrender. The police went on to add, “Patil allegedly fired at the officials who in retailiation opened fire at him and in the ensuing shootout the alleged gangster was killed.”

Northern State Prison guard suspected of running a cocaine trafficking ring in Newark and East Orange was arrested yesterday following an 11-month investigation that began after he fatally shot another man, the state attorney general announced. No charges have been filed against Eugene Braswell in connection with the August death of Wali Williams, a convicted drug dealer who shot at Braswell while he was sitting on his porch and was killed when the off-duty officer retrieved his gun and returned fire. But the subsequent investigation by the State Police and state Division of Criminal Justice uncovered a massive drug operation being orchestrated by Braswell out of his Grand Avenue home in Newark. Braswell, 29, is charged with running the drug network, possession of a controlled dangerous substance and possession with intent to distribute, distribution, money laundering and conspiracy. There is no evidence that Braswell, who could face 20 years, was trafficking in drugs at the Newark pri...

Anthony Grady, 27, was under investigation by the Somerset County Prosecutor's Office for drug activity when he was approached Wednesday by officers at Game Stop on Route 206, police said. When the officers identified themselves, Grady fled through the aisles, knocking over a wall display and ducking behind a counter to reach the front door, authorities said. Officers were able to detain Grady, who resisted arrest by flailing his arms and legs, striking and injuring the officers, police said. Once Grady was restrained, police found three bags of co caine in his back pocket, authorities said. A search of Grady's home on Route 206 yielded 28 bags of co caine and $400 in cash, according to authorities. He was charged with second- degree drug possession with in tent to distribute and third-de gree aggravated assault, authorities said. Because his residence is next to Hillsborough Elemen tary School, Grady also was charged with selling drugs within 1,000 feet of a school, a third-de...

Six local men were arrested yesterday morning on drug conspiracy charges following a raid at a McCandless home.The arrests are part of an ongoing investigation that led to the arrests of two men in Florida and six more people in Canada.According to the U.S. attorney's office, the local men who were arrested following an FBI raid on Balmoral Drive have been charged by criminal complaint with conspiracy to distribute more than 100 kilograms of marijuana. Those named in the complaint are: Cuong D. Nguyen, 32, of Elliott; Dung Minh Tran, 33, of McCandless; Christopher George Leventis, 34, of Greenfield; Giacinto Rocco Derenzo, 29, of Cranberry; Magdi Milad Louis, 35, of Ross; and Hau Duy Bach, 19, of McCandless. The criminal complaint is still under seal, and no details related to the case were available. Because they are charged by criminal complaint, a federal grand jury must hand up an indictment within 30 days or the charges will be dismissed.

Police raided Susan Curtis’s Whitley home and discovered Class A and C drugs worth nearly £12,000.Among the haul were amphetamines including speed, cannabis and cannabis resin. She also had drugs paraphernalia including weighing scales, a spoon in a bowl containing white power – amphetamines – and plastic carrier bags used to contain drugs.Reading Magistrates Court heard Curtis, who had never been in trouble with the police before, turned to drug dealing as a way of keeping up-to-date with her mortgage payments so she did not lose her Northumberland Avenue home. At court on Tuesday, Curtis, who has a disabled son, admitted three charges – possession of amphetamine with intent to supply, possession of cannabis with intent to supply and possession of cannabis resin with intent to supply.Prosecuting, Lorna Tagoe said police carried out a drugs warrant at her home at 1.25pm on Wednesday, April 30.Curtis, along with her daughter and another man, were in the house. Miss Tagoe said: “During t...

Anthony Hilenski, 44, faces up to 10 years in prison on the worst of the charges Authorities said an unidentified woman called Woodbridge police dispatchers on Feb. 22 to report an accident on Liberty and Warner streets involving a man supposedly having a seizure.The dispatcher overheard the woman tell the man to "act normalbecause the police are coming," authorities said.When police arrived, the car was gone. The officers found a broken curb and guide wire for a utility pole. A witness told them a small, light-colored car with a loud muffler was had been involved in the one-car crash.Police spotted Hilenski in the area driving a tan Nissan sedan, authorities said.He was sweating profusely despite temperatures in the 30s and was unable to keep his balance, according to police.He admitted getting into the minor accident with his two young children in the rear of the car, authorities said.He also told police that he had taken phenobarbitol, a sedative, and later admitted to bei...

Arrested a doctorate degree holder, Mr. Asianya Okey Francis, from Anambra State, with 100 wraps of cocaine concealed in his stomach. The suspect was apprehended at the Murtala Muhammed International Airport, Ikeja, Lagos, during the screening of passengers of a Virgin Nigeria flight to London.A statement by Ofoyeju Mitchell, NDLEA Head of Public Affairs, this morning, disclosed that Asianya left Nigeria for the United States in search of greener pastures in 1978. He had his first and second degrees in Architectural construction at Texas Southern University in 1982 and 1983. He later proceeded to study Business Philosophy at Carolina Christian University, Mapo Shad, United States, where he obtained his doctorate degree in 1995.In his confessional statement, Asianya, a father of three, said that he indulged in the criminal act in a desperate bid to save his 15-year-old daughter that has a hole in the heart.“My 15-year-old daughter has a hole in the heart and I have spent so much. I ...

David Crowley, 22, was incarcerated on a parole violation when police received an anonymous tip that he has drugs. Upon searching his cell, police say they found 19 tie off bags of crack/cocaine hidden in a pair of socks. Police say the drugs totaled 9 grams in weight. Crystal Peguero, 17, of Schenectady, was arrested on unrelated drug charges when police say they found 2 tie off bags of crack/cocaine hidden inside of her bra. Each suspect is set to be arraigned in Colonie Town Court.

Robert Dupree White, 33, is accused of selling cocaine to an undercover informant working for the Muncie-Delaware County Drug Task Force, and the informant's wife. Defense attorney Jake Dunnuck on Monday told Delaware Circuit Court 2 jurors that his client did not deal or possess cocaine on Nov. 29, 2006, as prosecutors allege."The evidence will not bear out what is being said here," Dunnuck said. Chief Deputy Prosecutor Jeffrey Arnold told jurors they would both see and hear the drug deal, which allegedly occurred at 3600 S. Mock Ave. Informant Mike Davis was wearing a wire, Arnold said, and DTF officers videotaped the transaction. "There will be no question," the chief deputy prosecutor said.Dunnuck said the DTF's use of confidential informants would come under scrutiny during the trial, along with the investigation that targeted White. In his opening statements, Arnold maintained Davis was not working off any charges and helped the DTF at the insistence o...

Anthony Taylor, 28, of 587 Beacon Circle, and Timothy Visneau, 27 of 76 Keith St., and 126 Union St., apartment 715, Westfield. Each was charged with trafficking cocaine in excess of 200 grams. Springfield Police Sgt. John M. Delaney, aide to Commissioner William J. Fitchet, said police had 76 Keith St. under surveillance after developing information that it was a source of drug activity. Taylor and Visneau were both considered suspects, he said. Officers observed Visneau pacing on the sidewalk in front of 76 Keith St. shortly after 7:30 p.m., Delaney said. After a few moments, officers observed a Toyota SUV turn onto Keith Street, drive past the house, make a U-turn and then stop in front. The driver, Taylor, got out and began talking with Visneau for a few moments. Officers moved in when Visneau and Taylor unloaded a blue ice cooler from the rear of the vehicle, Delaney said. Taylor tried to flee and was tackled by officers. Inside the cooler, police found two bricks of pure cocaine,...

A Pole and a citizen of Guinea in West Africa have been detained at Warsaw’s International Airport, attempting to smuggle cocaine into the country in their stomachs.The Pole had swallowed 53 capsules, each containing about 10 grams of the drug, and African as many as 140 capsules. The market value of the smuggled narcotics is about half a million zlotys, an equivalent of 150, 000 euros. The Police and customs officers were tipped off that the traffickers would be arriving to Warsaw. As nothing was found in their luggage, the two men were subjected to X-ray tests. They began their journey in Guinea, flying to Warsaw via Paris and Brussels. Drug smuggling carries a prison sentence of up to 15 years.

The three were convicted of possessing cocaine for sale or supply. They were arrested after their boat capsized. During the 42-day trial, the court heard "some idiot" had put diesel into the engine instead of petrol. Perry Wharrie, 48, of Pryles Lane, Essex, Joe Daly, 41, of Carisbrook Avenue, Bexley, and Martin Wanden, 45, of no fixed address, also known as Anthony Claud Linden, had denied the charges. On 2 July last year, a stranger ran into a farmhouse near Mizen Head in west Cork looking for help for a companion with whom he had been fishing, he claimed, when their boat overturned in rough seas. The farmer called the emergency services who saved the man's life but they also recovered 61 suspicious packages floating in the water around the upturned rigid inflatable boat. Perry Wharrie (48) of Pyrles Lane, Loughton, Essex and Joe Daly (41) of Carrisbrooke Avenue, Bexley, Kent each denied three charges including possessing cocaine for sale or supply at Dunlough Bay on J...

Police in Freetown yesterday confirmed the apprehension of a key suspect (name withheld) in connection with the unscheduled landing of an aircraft loaded with cocaine at the Freetown International. The Assistant Inspector General of Police (AIGSL), Oliver Sumasa, interviewed by a local radio station , disclosed that the police arrested a key suspect while another major one is at large. The AISLP , presently heading investigations team into the unscheduled landing of an aircraft loaded with cocaine at Sierra Leone's Freetown International Airport, also announced that Police have placed at stake US $10m for the capture of Gibrilla Kamara ( GK ), one of the main suspects .Mr. Sumasa made the statement during a radio interview with the We Yone radio talk-show "APC on Target" programme. The Police boss revealed that traffickers have identified Sierra Leone and other West African countries including Senegal as a transit point for drugs into other parts of the continent ...

Paul Birkenshaw, 28, of Sycamore Avenue, Peacock, Wakefield, jailed for three-and-half years for three charges of supplying heroin, Paul Kay, 27, jailed for three years for three charges of supplying heroin, Craig Hampshire, 31, of Wrenthorpe Lane, Wrenthorpe, jailed for two years for three charges of supplying class A drugs and Gareth Lee Price, 28, jailed for three years for supplying heroin. Police spent months gathering evidence before making their move. Detective Chief Inspector Simon Beldon who led the investigation said: "This operation was set up to remove Class A drug dealers from the streets of the Wakefield District and put them behind bars where they belong."I hope this sends a clear message to dealers that we will use a variety of tactics to disrupt their activity, and make them face the consequences of their actions. "We also realise that the disruption to the markets means that drug users have also had their supply cut, and we have been supported by worker...

Shawn Sadler, aka Tagulifu Barber or Carlos T. Watts, 37, of Ladson, was sentenced to 20 years and 10 years of supervised release. Sandy Sandiford, 37, of New York, was sentenced to 5 years, 10 months in prison, and five years supervised release. Sadler and Sandiford were arrested in July 2002 sitting in a car outside a Northeast Richland County home after a deputy found $120,000 in cash in the trunk. Officers obtained a search warrant and found more than seven kilograms of cocaine inside the home and a car with electronically controlled hidden compartments for drug smuggling in the garage. Service records found inside indicated Sadler had driven the car.Other members of the conspiracy have been sentenced.

Imprisoned since early May,James Douglas Willson was convicted after a Cessna 337 he reportedly was flying was seized by Moroccan police on a rural road, according to a statement from the Moroccan news agency.retired Des Plaines pilot convicted of international drug trafficking in Morocco isn't getting adequate medical care and may not survive his 7-year prison sentence, a family member says. James Douglas Willson, 67, suffers from diabetes and kidney failure and has lost 35 pounds, said his daughter, Marilyn Brief."My dad's body is shutting down," Brief said. "He's dying."Willson piloted the twin-engine plane and landed it in Morocco to load drugs, according to the statement, which said two Moroccans also received prison sentences. Brief and Mouafik Anis, Willson's Moroccan attorney, said that Willson was a passenger on the plane, which took off in Spain but was forced to make an emergency landing in Morocco.A friend of Willson's recently delive...

Northumbria Police set out to infiltrate and dismantle a major cocaine syndicate which had connections from Tyneside to Merseyside.This £100,000 haul of high-grade cocaine was seized as part of their racket before it was distributed on the region’s streets.Five members of the gang were sentenced at Newcastle Crown Court following Operation Skopie – a probe into drug dealing and money laundering. The investigation was launched after Stanton Clay, from North Shields, was arrested coming through the Tyne Tunnel in May last year carrying two kilos of cocaine worth between £80,000 and £100,000.Clay was subsequently convicted of conspiring to supply class A drugs and jailed for four years on April 11.Police officers uncovered evidence which linked Clay to criminals involved in trafficking class A drugs from Merseyside to North Tyneside. Gang leader Anthony Goicoechea was using his sandwich bar, Cafe 34, as a cover. During raids at Rennington Close, Cullercoats, and a nearby rented garage, of...

Franller Villanueva, 20, of Jefferson Ave., was shot three times after running from troopers and pointing a gun at one, State Police Lt. James Barnes said. Villanueva, who underwent surgery this morning at Wilson Regional Medical Center in Johnson City, remained in critical condition this afternoon, Barnes said.He gave this account of the incident:The incident began about 2:25 a.m. today when someone reported that there was a man with a gun outside a Washington Avenue tavern. When troopers Michael Woytach and Keith E. Blanchfield arrived to assist Endicott police, a bystander said the man with the gun was Villanueva, and pointed to a man who was leaving the area on a bicycle.Woytach gave chase in his Chevrolet Tahoe and Blanchfield pursued on foot as Villanueva rode to Jefferson Avenue. Near 10 Jefferson Ave., the Tahoe and the bicycle collided, and Villanueva ran down the driveway. When Woytach left the Tahoe and gave chase, Villanueva made a threatening move with a semi-automatic han...

Edgar "el Chamaco" Santana was arrested by Drug Enforcement Agents for allegedly helping broker cocaine shipments from Central America through Puerto Rico to New York.Santana is a welterweight with a 24-3 record and 15 knockouts. His fights have been seen on HBO and other sports channels and he trained at Gleason's gym, according to his online biography. As Santana was led away by authorities Friday, the boxer just shook his head when asked what this arrest might mean for his career. He was wearing a t-shirt that read, "The pressure of survival in the big city will make you lose sight of your dream .. Hang in there."Santana's next fight was scheduled for August 6 and was planned to be televised on ESPN.Santana is one of 12 suspects charged in the case. Investigators said hundreds of thousands of dollars in cash and drugs were seized in the year-long investigation. DEA agents said the cocaine was shipped in packages sent via the U.S. mail. The investigation, ...

Iver Lopez, 54, of Pembroke Pines, Fla., was arrested on two drug charges and a motor vehicle violation. He will be arraigned Wednesday, prosecutors said.Arkansas highway police stopped a shipment of cocaine that they estimate is worth more than $4 million.Police said the drugs were found in a tractor-trailer that stopped at the Alma Highway Police Station on Interstate 40 in Crawford County. During the inspection, police found 440 pounds of cocaine. Highway Police Chief Ron Burks said the find amounts to the largest discovery of illegal drugs by the agency this year. His truck contained produce and was believed to be traveling from California to Maryland.

10-month investigation into illegal gang activity in Lowell culminated in 10 arrests Friday, as well as the seizure of several bags of marijuana and nearly $70,000 in cash, according to the Boston Globe. The raid also netted more than a dozen firearms, including semiautomatic handguns, a MAC-11 machine pistol, and a rifle with a bayonet attached, police say. City, state and federal police officers took part in the investigation, which targeted the Tiny Rascal Gang, a group from California whose members are largely of Southeast Asian descent. Police Superintendent Kenneth Lavallee said the gang now has roughly 100 members in the Lowell area, following an increase in the city’s Cambodian population. "We're talking a violent criminal enterprise that was very significant in the city of Lowell," Lavallee said. "We've made a major move here.” The Tiny Rascals have allegedly been involved in a series of violent crimes over the last 10 years, including 5 homicides and o...

ABC's director of news will travel to Singapore this week in the hope of speaking with the broadcaster's South Asia correspondent, Peter Lloyd, who faces 20 years in jail and 15 strokes of a cane if convicted on serious drug charges. News boss John Cameron will be the second senior ABC executive to fly to Singapore - the head of ABC's legal services, Rob Simpson, arrived on Friday - following Lloyd's arrest on Thursday. The journalist has been charged with trafficking about one gram of methamphetamine to a Singaporean for $S100 ($75) at a hotel early this month and for allegedly being in possession of about one gram of the stimulant methamphetamine, also known as ice. The ABC was unwilling to comment on Lloyd's predicament yesterday, but in a statement said that Mr Simpson was yet to meet directly with Lloyd. Foreign Minister Stephen Smith is also due to arrive in Singapore late tonight for previously arranged ASEAN discussions. However, the minister's office sa...

Two Pakistanis were caught on July 14 with 122 “bullets” of heroin in their stomachs, attempting to smuggle the drugs into the Maldives, police have said. Two Maldivians have also been arrested over the case.The four were arrested in a joint operation between customs and police, said Mohamed JInah, head of the police Drug Enforcement Unit (DEU), at a Thursday press briefing. Aftab Ahmed, 49 and Nadheem Moghul, 41, were arrested last Monday as they travelled via Colombo into Maldives, with heroin in their stomachs weighing a total of 865.094 grams, according to Jinah. The two Maldivians arrested are Visham Shafeeq, 23, and Ahmed Nabeel, 22. Jinah described Visham as “deeply involved” in the drugs trade, and said Nabeel is Visham’s “partner”. “We noticed the two tried to find the drugs in order to sell them on two occasions during the operation we conducted,” he said. Visham is “reported to play a big role in bringing in the most dangerous type of heroin, or pure heroin.”According to Jin...

A year-long police investigation is said to have uncovered evidence that five shipments of marijuana were sent from New Jersey to Bermuda during the past 12months. Those details are contained in a press statement on the US Drug Enforcement Agency website, which went on to add that the arrests were made on Tuesday after a police dog sniffed out 700lbs of marijuana hidden inside concrete pillars at a warehouse in Orange, New Jersey.Two men – one of them the husband of a Bermuda MP – have been arrested in the US accused of sending cannabis worth $15 million to Bermuda. One of the arrested men is Dennis Pamplin, who is the husband of UBP MP Patricia Gordon-Pamplin. The other man is Brian Henry.Last night, Shadow Minister of Works and Engineering Mrs Gordon-Pamplin, expressed shock at the news."I don't know enough. I need to digest what's going on. I am not really in a position to comment. If their (police) suggestion is true, I am shocked and that's all Ican say,"she...

ABC foreign correspondent and accused drug trafficker Peter Lloyd has been discharged from a Singapore hospital and offered bail ahead of his next court appearance on Friday.The public broadcaster sent its senior legal adviser, Rob Simpson, to help Lloyd, who was formally charged at a private hearing in Changi General Hospital's prison ward with trafficking and possession of the methamphetamine ice. Lloyd, the ABC's South Asia correspondent, was on leave in Singapore when arrested on Wednesday. News of the arrest of the Australian Broadcasting Corporation's (ABC) much respected South Asian correspondent Peter Lloyd has left his colleagues and the company management quite stunned and shocked. Most of them in New Delhi and back at the company's headquarters in Australia are still unable to comprehend how a journalist so versed in Asian drug laws could be accused of breaking them. According to news.com.au, Lloyd could face harsh punishment, including being caned 15 times a...

Martin Wanden’s six-bedroom home with sweeping sea views at Llandudno, Cape Town, is to be auctioned after being seized by the Asset Forfeiture Unit.Wanden is on trial in the Cork Circuit Criminal Court after being arrested in July last year — while bobbing in the sea, off the Irish coast, along with bales of cocaine worth R1-billion. The drug bust set off an international probe, involving authorities in SA, who investigated alleged money laundering, and the US, UK and Spain. authorities hope the luxury home, which boasts a spa-bath, a wraparound terrace with a pool, four-car garage and views of the coast, will fetch around R14-million. An inflatable boat and a black Range Rover — reportedly given to the builder of the house by Wanden’s wife, Sonya (who was found hanged this year in a psychiatric hospital in Britain) when she tried to dispose of their assets. Wanden has denied being the driver of the boat that capsized with the drugs about 48km off the west Cork coast.Wanden told the ...

Brian D. Underwood, 31, and Holly J. King, 38, were indicted in April for using a residence at 1106 Pine St. to make methamphetamine after being arrested by Sun Prairie police and state Department of Justice agents. Although cooking the ingredients to make methamphetamine creates a strong odor, Sun Prairie police didn't receive a tip about Underwood's activity until earlier this year, said Assistant U.S. Attorney David Reinhard. After their search of Underwood's garage, authorities brought in a hazardous waste cleanup team to remove contaminate residue and equipment from the once-functioning methamphetamine lab, he said.Prior to obtaining a search warrant, police learned that Underwood had acquired 140 grams of pseudoephedrine from area pharmacies, said Reinhard. Underwood told authorities that he made methamphetamine three times a week between March 9, 2007 and March 18, 2008, Reinhard said.Reinhard said Underwood made about 200 grams of methamphetamine during the past yea...

Brandon Drumgoole was found guilty of possession of marijuana and drug paraphernalia charges last week in Jackson County District Court.According to the Jackson County Clerk of Court’s Office, Drumgoole has appealed the convictions and has an Aug. 25 date in Superior Court. WCU spokesman Daniel Hooker said Drumgoole has been suspended indefinitely depending the outcome of his appeal. A 6-6, 230-pound senior defensive end from Greensboro who transferred from Wake Forest, Drumgoole started eight games last season and finished with 55 tackles, fifth-best on the team. Drumgoole, who also started four games in 2006 and finished with 28 tackles, received sentences of 45 days suspended for 24 months, supervised probation and a fine of $100 and costs on each of the two convictions. Since Wagner replaced Kent Briggs as head coach in January, at least 14 players who were on the team last season have been dismissed or left the team, including 10 who have started games.

Brandon Drumgoole was found guilty of possession of marijuana and drug paraphernalia charges last week in Jackson County District Court.According to the Jackson County Clerk of Court’s Office, Drumgoole has appealed the convictions and has an Aug. 25 date in Superior Court. WCU spokesman Daniel Hooker said Drumgoole has been suspended indefinitely depending the outcome of his appeal. A 6-6, 230-pound senior defensive end from Greensboro who transferred from Wake Forest, Drumgoole started eight games last season and finished with 55 tackles, fifth-best on the team. Drumgoole, who also started four games in 2006 and finished with 28 tackles, received sentences of 45 days suspended for 24 months, supervised probation and a fine of $100 and costs on each of the two convictions. Since Wagner replaced Kent Briggs as head coach in January, at least 14 players who were on the team last season have been dismissed or left the team, including 10 who have started games.

Sotiris Christos Andreas, of The Ridgeway, Enfield, was caught when customs officers searched his car in Dover last September.They discovered 20 kilos of cocaine in a false floor which ran the length of the vehicle.Over 14 kilos of the cocaine were 100 per cent pure and the entire haul had a street value of £800,000 which would have increased significantly when cut by drug dealers. Mr Andreas, who turned 50 two days before he was sentenced on Friday at Canterbury Crown Court, denied the charge of being knowingly concerned in the fraudulent evasion of the prohibition on importing a class A drug.Also convicted was Cypriot national Pavlos Petrou Andronicou, 61, who lived in St Ann's Road, Edmonton, before being sent to Belmarsh Prison where he is serving two and a half years for importing cannabis.He also denied the charge and received a 19-year sentence after being found guilty.

Karla Von Hagen, 18 at the time of the offence, broke down in tears in the courtroom as the sentence was read and was taken away by provincial courthouse security. Judge Tom Ferris gave Von Hagen 18 months for the crack cocaine, six months for the marijuana and three months for a breach of undertaking. The sentences are to be served concurrently, meaning at the same time. Von Hagen admitted to smuggling a package in her vaginal cavity into the prison Saskatchewan Penitentiary, but claimed she didn’t do the packaging and didn’t know what was in it. When she got to the prison, Von Hagen was tested and searched for drugs and brought into an interview room. She was nervous, according to the Crown, and after a trip to the bathroom produced the package. Inside the package, prison staff found two rocks of crack and about $160-$200 worth of marijuana. She was released on undertaking, until she was observed by police drinking beer at a local bar in March 2007 and charged with the breach. She pl...

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

shoplifter was told by a judge that he was being locked up as a favour after being caught for a fresh spate of offences.Judge Peter Bowers told hopeless drug-addict Stuart Wood: "By the time you come out, you will be bright-eyed and bushy-tailed, as they say."After jailing Wood for two-and-a-half years, the judge added: "Get yourself on a drug-free wing, if you can, and sort your life out."The only thing I can do is give you a sufficiently long sentence so by the time you come out you won't have the same dependency upon drugs."Teesside Crown Court heard that Wood went on a month-long shoplifting spree shortly after being freed from jail in April for similar offences.The 30-year-old racked up 14 offences in and around his home town after repeatedly being caught and given bail either by police or magistrates. In all, he committed 11 thefts from shops and one burglary, failed to surrender to court and failed to give a sample for a drugs test.The shoplifting wa...

MEMBER of a County Durham drugs gang who has been on the run from police for 11 years is now believed to be abroad, a court was told yesterday.Police have been trying since 1997 to arrest Trevor Bowman on a judge's warrant, Teesside Crown Court was told.Bowman and four other men were convicted at Teesside Crown Court on April 16 1997 of being concerned in the supply of cannabis. Bowman disappeared before he could be sentenced but the others were jailed for between 12 months and three years. Prosecutor Shaun Dodds said it was believed that Bowman is abroad.The hearing was adjourned for another year to try to trace Bowman, whose last known address was Hollyhurst Road, West Cornforth.

Michael Hunt’s home in Haswell Court, Stockton, was searched by police on April 19 last year and Hunt, 30, threw a package containing 24.3g of heroin, worth £2,430 on the streets, out of a window, Teesside Crown Court heard.Digital scales and 11 pieces of paper carrying his phone number were also found, said prosecutor Harry Hadfield.While on bail during long delays bringing the case to court, Hunt was caught with heroin on April 1 this year.He ran from police in Talbot Street, Stockton and discarded three packages in a garden. They contained a total of 280.6g of heroin, worth £14,180.A drugs squad officer believed only a trusted member of the illicit drugs market would be caught with that amount, the court heard. Hunt had some scales in his pocket and 2.3g of cannabis.He admitted two charges of possessing a Class A drug with intent to supply and one of possessing a Class C drug. He had previous convictions, but none for drug dealing. Brian Russell, for Hunt, said: “The people who are ...

Paul Edward Russon, 34, of Bickersteth Close, Stockton, is charged with possessing large quantities of cocaine, amphetamine and cannabis resin with intent to supply. He is also charged with five firearms offences - possessing two prohibited weapons, a Beretta 9mm semi-automatic pistol and a .38 revolver, and possessing a silencer and 9mm and .38 rounds of ammunition without a certificate. Russon did not enter any pleas to the charges as he appeared at Teesside Crown Court via video link to Holme House Prison in Stockton today.No bail application was made during the short hearing and Judge Peter Bowers remanded Russon in custody until a plea and case management hearing on August 29.Russon was arrested in connection with the police search of a home on Bickersteth Road on June 24.Officers found handguns, ammunition and quantities of cannabis, amphetamine and cocaine believed to have a potential street value of more than £1 million.

Four men are accused of involvement in a plot to produce cannabis after more than 1,100 plants with a potential value of up to £250,000 were found in four Middlesbrough homes, pictured above the cannabis farm found in the house on Roworth Road.The crops were seized in a series of police raids on Roworth Road, Arlington Road, Ambleside Grove and Glenfield Drive in October last year. Prosecutor Sarah Mallett said the properties were bought to set up sophisticated factories which suggested commercial cultivation and national distribution of the drug. Tanweer Razak, Piotr Izbicki, Rukhsar Bashier and Ajaz Arif all deny conspiring to produce cannabis.Defence barristers made closing speeches yesterday, saying there was a lack of evidence of knowledge or agreement in a conspiracy, or linking the accused to the cannabis.Taxi driver Razak, 28, is alleged to be the unscrupulous, money-motivated “mastermind” or “top man”. His counsel, Caroline Goodwin, said if he was the brains of the outfit, he ...

Savdhul Zaman is a former England international light welterweight boxer. He and John Coltman, aged 27, one of his tenants in Stainton Street, North Ormesby, denied charges of conspiracy to supply Class C drugs but were found guilty by a jury.Another tenant, Zameer Ahmed, aged 25, admitted the charge. The trio were all sentenced at Teeside Crown Court. Coltman, now of Longlands Road, Middlesbrough, was given a four-month prison sentence, suspended for a year, with 80 hours of unpaid work.Ahmed, of Pickering Road, Thornaby, near Stockton, was given a nine-month sentence, suspended for a year, with 150 hours of community work. During the court case Zaman, of Westbourne Grove, North Ormesby, claimed he was not aware of illegal activity involving about £12,000 worth of cannabis at the house. He said his fingerprints were found on packages of the drug because he had touched them as he tidied the house before putting it up for sale. Another man, Richard Bellamy, 23, from Wharncliffe Side, Sh...

Timothy Jones, 37, of Youngstown, Ohio, was convicted of distribution of cocaine and possession of cocaine with intent to distribute in a bench trial before Superior Court Judge Julie Marino. Jones and his girlfriend, Joan Davis, was arrested Aug. 23, 2007 by the Somerset County Prosecutor's Office Organized Crime and Narcotics Task Force after detectives saw Davis conduct a hand-to-hand cocaine deal with a third party. In February Davis pled guilty and attempted to exonerate Jones by claiming he was not involved in her cocaine sale or possession. During the trial, both Jones and Davis testified Jones was not involved in Davis' drug activities. But Marino found their testimony was not credible, and that Jones and Davis worked together to sell cocaine. At the time of his arrest, Jones was on probation for a February 2006 conviction for distribution of drugs in Union County. Jones also has a 1991 conviction for aggravated assault in Ohio. Because of his record, Jones is eligible ...

Maurice Johnson was sentenced to 20 years in federal prison and will remain on supervised probation 10 more years after that following a sentencing hearing Monday in Chattanooga on a federal cocaine distribution guilty plea.The 38-year-old former Sweetwater High School basketball star pleaded guilty in April to one count of a multi-count indictment that charged him with running a major crack cocaine ring out of a Madisonville game room.Assistant U.S. Attorney Steve Neff said Johnson tried to withdraw his guilty plea at the last minute, however Judge R. Allan Edgar ruled the defendant did not meet the criteria to be granted a plea withdrawal.Johnson’s criminal past bumped up the minimum sentence requirement on his latest conviction.“He had a federal felony drug conviction (in 2001) and that bumped it up from 10 to 20 years,” Neff said of the minimum sentence Johnson could serve.The court waived any major fines against Johnson because of his inability to pay but Johnson is to pay a $100 ...

Vernon Lee Nolan of 850 Adams Creek Road was arrested at his home by Craven County Sheriff narcotics officers. He is charged with possession with intent to sell and deliver cocaine, selling and delivering cocaine and trafficking in cocaine. To be charged with trafficking in cocaine, a suspect must have possession of more than 28 grams.Narcotics officer Russ Akers said cocaine with a street value of $10,000 was confiscated from Nolan, along with several hundred dollars.Akers said the arrest came after a number of undercover drug buys from Nolan. Nolan is in jail with his bail set at $75,000.

Dillon O'Brien (36), of Clonsilla, Dublin, was charged with 14 offences between January 2005 and March 2007. The charges alleged that he brought a controlled drug, diamorphine, vodka and mobile phones to prisoners at Mountjoy, contrary to section 6(2), of the Criminal Law Act 1976. One charge alleged the prison officer conspired with Wayne Bradley and another person to commit a breach of section 83 of the Criminal Justice Act 2006 by supplying cocaine to David Mulvey, contrary to common law, between March 12 and March 12 last year.Garda David Carolan told Judge Miriam Malone in the Circuit Criminal Court that O'Brien was arrested at 6.50am yesterday. He was remanded on bail of €1,000 and ordered to sign on three times a week at Blanchardstown garda station. O'Brien will reappear at Dublin District Court on August 26. The four other men were all remanded on bail by Judge Malone to appear at the same court on July 29. Sean Hinchon (30), of St Ronan's Close, Clondalkin, Du...

Steven Page, 38, is charged with possession of a controlled substance. Police said Page was released on $10,000 bail. Barenaked Ladies singer Steven Page has been arrested in New York with possession of cocaine.Police in Syracuse, N.Y. said Page was arrested Friday along with two American women after police noticed something suspicious in an apartment in the village of Fayette.As [the officers] approached the apartment they saw people in the window sitting at a table and it looked like they were engaged in something. There was a white capsule and a white powdery substance that later tested positive for cocaine." said Capt. Bill Bleyle with the Manlius Police Department in New York State.Bleyle said a further search of the apartment turned up more cocaine and some marijuana. However he said the charges in connection with Page only related to the cocaine.Page's manager, Terry McBride, said he cannot comment while the matter is before the courts, but added he's confident his ...

Joseph Gardner, 68, and Irene Gardner, 66, were arrested about 7 a.m., police said. Police had a search and seizure warrant for the Gardners' home as part of an investigation into the distribution of cocaine, police said. Members of the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration, the canine units of the Manchester Police Department and the Norwich Police Department assisted Plainfield police, police said. Each Gardner was charged with possession of cocaine, possession of cocaine with intent to sell, possession of cocaine within 1,500 feet of a school and possession of cocaine within 1,500 feet of a school with intent to sell, police said. Each Gardner was released on $10,000 bail and is scheduled to appear at Danielson Superior Court on July 28.

Yasemin Vatansever and Yatunde Diya, both 17 and from north London, were given year-long sentences by a court in Accra after their arrests last July at Kotoka Airport in the capital, Accra. Some 13lb of cocaine with a street value of about £300,000 was found in their luggage.

Naomi Williams of London was arrested at the Norman Manley International Airport last month while preparing to board a flight to England.The narcotics police say three pounds of cocaine which is worth millions on the streets in England was found in her luggage.When captured Ms Williams, a student at a University in England said nothing.Tuesday, she clutched a Bible while her attorney Lancelot Clarke applied for bail.Senior Magistrate Glen Brown had initially offered bail amounting to $5 million but reduced the figure to $3 million at the request of her attorney. She is to return to court on September 3. In recent months, the narcotics police have reported an increase in the trafficking of cocaine out of the country.

"It's not like I've never done anything wrong," Aaron Washington said. Aaron Washington, a 42-year-old merchant, stands accused of delivering cocaine to a Juneau woman that police later arrested on suspicion of drunken driving. The driver told police she was selling the drug for Washington. Charges were brought by a grand jury indictment based on witness testimony. In September, Washington will again face a jury as a codefendant in a larger trial wherein the state alleges he conspired to run a criminal enterprise that imported and sold pounds of cocaine in Juneau since 2003 with alleged partner Vonnie Williams, 44. A joint investigation between the Juneau police and Alaska State Troopers resulted in 19 drug-related charges against Washington. A woman who claims to have been Washington's source of "kilo after kilo" of cocaine is behind 11 of the charges. The organized crime is thought to be the first of its kind in Juneau. In a jailhouse interview, Washin...