Heroin dealer William O'Neil had the massive collection frozen by the Scottish Crime and Drug Enforcement Agency

Heroin dealer William O'Neil had the massive collection frozen by the Scottish Crime and Drug Enforcement Agency.Peter Howson has been interviewed by police after elite crimebusters seized £1million of his paintings from a convicted drug dealer.Detectives raided the £1.5million country mansion O'Neil, 43, shares with his partner Denise, 39, just over a week ago and the pair have been charged under proceeds of crime laws.O'Neil's arrest came just four days before Howson received his OBE from the Queen.At the same time, the artist was forced to sell 200 works from his private collection to stave off financial disaster.Glasgow-based Howson - whose fans include Madonna - is one of Scotland's most famous artists but as a sufferer of Asperger's syndrome, a form of autism, he is vulnerable.Friends say that Howson is now working with SCDEA officers in a bid to value the huge collection seized from O'Neil.A pal said last night: "O'Neil and his cronies have squeezed Peter dry. He was on the brink of financial ruin."He is actually relieved that matters have come to a head. This will shock the art world - it's like a movie script."O'Neil was arrested in 2001 and later jailed for seven years after being caught with £250,000 of heroin.Following his imprisonment, he waged a hate campaign on a member of his own legal team and claimed he'd been fitted up by cops.
The drugs gang boss founded Art & Soul Glasgow shortly after his release from prison in 2007.Based in the city's Buchanan Street, Art&Soul began selling Howson's work in an arrangement that stunned the artist's pals.They claim that O'Neil - who lives in the village of Bardowie north of Glasgow - ripped off Howson and put pressure on him to produce lots of work.The friend said: "Peter was treated like a machine. He's such a prolific artist and he handed over countless works to them.
"The problem was he hardly saw a penny in return."O'Neil had an incredible amount of originals. He took over the management of Peter and cornered the market by cutting the supply and forcing up the price."They were encouraging him to do really big pieces because they are worth so much. Peter eventually realised what was happening and took legal action. He's argued that as an Asperger's sufferer, he didn't know what he'd agreed to."He does not consider himself to be under their management but they argue that he is contractually tied to them. It's a real mess."It's shocking that one of Scotland's most famous living artists was effectively the puppet of an organised crime gang and scandalous that he should be almost skint."They were starving him of money, that's why he sold his personal collection on the same day that he got his OBE from the Queen."Range Rover-driving O'Neil's main sidekick is fellow drug dealer Sean Reilly, 43, from Summerston, Glasgow, who was jailed over £600,000 of ecstasy in 2003.The pal said: "O'Neil seems to be the brains while Reilly looks like a real gangster type."Not only are they heavily involved in the art world, but they have an extensive property portfolio."O'Neil used to import Indonesian furniture to Scotland but now runs his art business and is often seen at partner Denise's Bankroll cafe in the city's Milton.He keeps a low profile in the city's criminal underworld but has a track record as a major wholesaler of drugs.
In 1991, he was slashed in the face by rival gangster Ian "Blink" McDonald in Glasgow's Savoy nightclub.Six years ago, he was ordered to hand over £103,845 of dirty money under proceeds of crime laws - but still owes £76,000 of that.The Crown Office said: "Proceedings are active against William John O'Neil in relation to an outstanding confiscation order in connection with proceeds of crime."He is next due to appear at Glasgow Sheriff Court on November 12 for a means inquiry hearing."A friend of Howson added: "He's been told not to speak publicly about this but I understand that he's talked to detectives on several occasions."There are some very murky aspects to this case but the police seem determined to get to the bottom of it."A Glasgow auction house has been asked by the SCDEA to put a value on the art seized from O'Neil and they, in turn, have asked Peter for help."Howson's psychologist Michael McCready said: "You know more about this than I do but obviously I can't talk about an ongoing police inquiry."However, as an Asperger's sufferer, Peter is a very vulnerable person."
Howson once admitted blowing £1million on drink and drugs in five years and has long been linked to Glasgow's underworld.He once revealed that he'd been secretly supplying art to late crime boss Arthur Thompson - a claim he later denied when the taxman launched a probe.In recent years, two other crooks have had Howson works seized under Scot-land's proceeds of crime laws.Last year, Robert Wright, 46, from Glasgow, lost cash and his Howson painting Study For The Opera Don Giovanni Police believe that Wright's £2.8million heroin bust at Glasgow Fruitmarket was linked to O'Neil but couldn't prove it.Later last year, Porschedriving Andrew Johnston, 31, from Kelvindale, Glasgow, had five of his Howsons seized after being jailed for 12 months for concealing criminal property.The SCDEA said last night: "A 43-year old man and a 39-year old female were arrested on October 16 at an address in Bardowie.
"The individuals have been charged with offences under the Proceeds of Crime Act (POCA) and will be the subject of a report to the procurator fiscal." When contacted by the Sunday Mail yesterday, O'Neil said: "I'm offended that you're speaking to me about this."Howson, 51, who was the official war artist during the Bosnian conflict in 1993, declined to comment last night when we got in touch.

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Sean Franklin Lee Fowlkes, 28, is being held without bail on a U.S. marshal’s hold at Inverness Jail.

Sean Franklin Lee Fowlkes, 28, is being held without bail on a U.S. marshal’s hold at Inverness Jail. He is accused of possessing an illegal substance with intent to distribute more than 50 grams of cocaine base, also called crack cocaine, as well as being a felon in possession of a firearm, according to Sue Rutledge, spokeswoman for the U.S. Attorney’s Office in Oregon.Fowlkes reportedly was carrying several bindles of crack cocaine when police stopped his vehicle and arrested him at 9:49 a.m. Wednesday, Oct. 21.Police seized more than a kilogram of crack cocaine, plus powder cocaine, two loaded firearms, a digital scale and more than $87,000 from his vehicle and apartment on Northeast 157th Avenue. Most of the drugs, as well as both guns and cash, were found in a safe and in clothing in the apartment.As packaged, the value of the drugs is estimated at $20,000. But if sold in individual doses on the street, the drugs would be worth $100,000.“This is one of the largest seizures of crack cocaine in a single arrest in Portland, Oregon,” acting United States Attorney Kent S. Robinson wrote in a prepared statement. He also praised the work of the Portland Police Bureau’s Gang Enforcement Team and the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives for their thorough investigation. “It should have a tremendous impact on the available supply of crack cocaine in the community.”Gresham Police Chief Craig Junginger agrees. “Especially with it being five blocks from the city limits,” he said, referring to 162nd Avenue, which divides Portland to the west and Gresham to the east. “You’ve got to believe that some of that (cocaine) would be finding its way into our city.”Fowlkes is a felon with a criminal history of drug and firearms convictions.If found guilty on the drug charges, Fowlkes faces a maximum of life in prison to a minimum of 10 years behind bars. The weapons charge carries a maximum penalty of 10 years in prison.

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illegal smuggling of “odorless cocaine”, cocaine that is undetectable by taste or smell.

illegal smuggling of “odorless cocaine”, cocaine that is undetectable by taste or smell. I never knew such kind of cocaine exists! I heard that sometimes this odorless cocaine is mistaken as coffee sweetener.The movie mentions about the reaction of cocaine (benzoylmethyl ecgonine) with plaster of Paris to form “odourless cocaine”. In order to transport cocaine abroad, the villain uses Ganeshji idols formed using cocaine and plaster of Paris. This will be identified when these idols will be dipped in some solvent. I do not remember what it was! After dipping these idols in that solvent, a white powder will be obtained. Essentially, it is cocaine appearing in powder form is a salt, typically cocaine hydrochloride (CAS 53-21-4). Cocaine in its purest form is a white, pearly product.Using the body as container is one of the methods of smuggling heroin and cocaine using drug mules. It is often done by swallowing latex balloons (often condoms, or fingers of latex gloves) or special pellets filled with the goods, and recovering them from the feces later (such a smuggler is called a swallower or internal carrier; the practice is also called body packing or body stuffing). It is a common, but medically dangerous way of smuggling small amounts of drugs: a mule can die if a packet bursts or leaks before exiting the body. And, in “Ayyan” movie they have shown this! A person carrying heroin inside his body by swallowing heroin filled in fingers of latex gloves faces this situation in the movie, where in a packet bursts or leaks before exiting the body. People are sometimes X-rayed at airports etc. to check for drug pellets but not always.Unlike cocaine, heroin is often smuggled by people who swallow large numbers of small capsules (50-90), allowing them to transport up to 1.5 kilograms of heroin per courier. However, elsewhere cocaine is smuggled this way. World annual cocaine consumption currently stands at around 600 metric tons, with the United States consuming around 300 metric tons, 50% of the total, Europe about 150 metric tons, 25% of the total, and the rest of the world the remaining 150 metric tons or 25%. Organized criminal gangs operating on a large scale dominate the cocaine trade. Most cocaine is grown and processed in South America, particularly in Colombia, Bolivia, Peru, and smuggled into the United States and Europe, the United States being the worlds largest consumer of Cocaine, where it is sold at huge markups; usually in the US at $50–$75 for 1 gram (or a "fitty rock"), and $125–200 for 3.5 grams (1/8th of an ounce, or an "eight ball").

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79 kg of heroin at the Kapitan Andreevo border crossing with Turkey

Customs officials seized on Saturday (October 24th) 79 kg of heroin at the Kapitan Andreevo border crossing with Turkey. The officers found the drugs in a car with German plates and believe the heroin stash was destined for the German market. The driver, who holds dual German-Turkish citizenship, was arrested along with the Turkish national travelling with him.

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Bandidos club house confiscation of over a hundred kilos of cocaine, marijuana, hash, amphetamines and thousands of Ecstasy tablets.

Raids across Germany in recent weeks have resulted in the arrest of several suspected members of the gang, and the confiscation of over a hundred kilos of cocaine, marijuana, hash, amphetamines and thousands of Ecstasy tablets. Investigators searched around 50 apartments and houses in northern Germany and Rhineland-Palatinate, as well as a Bandidos club house.Miriam Cruchter, an investigator at the Customs Criminal Investigation Office told the news magazine Focus, "We have started to notice more and more Bandidos members are drug couriers and dealers. We will have to keep closer tabs on them."Police identified a 27-year-old gang member from the small town of Oranienburg just outside Berlin as one of the main coordinators of the drug ring. Reports say he repeatedly smuggled hash and cocaine into the country and sold it. The suspect is a member of the Chicanos, described as a supporting sub-group of the Bandidos.The Bandidos are embroiled in a European-wide rivalry with the Hells Angels, another biker gang suspected of organised crime activities, that has often descended into violence.A 32-year-old man was killed in a shoot-out at a Bandidos bar in Duisburg in North Rhine-Westphalia earlier this month, and in August a member of a biker gang was shot and killed in Berlin’s Hohenschönhausen district.

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Three Edmonton drug dealers – including a full-patch member of the local Hells Angels – have been convicted on charges of conspiring to traffic cocain

outlaw biker John Reginald Alcantara, 36, was also found guilty of possession of proceeds of crime, possession of marijuana, possession of an unregistered gun, possession of an unlicensed Taser and possession of butterfly knives.As well, Court of Queen’s Bench Justice Doreen Sulyma found Sean David Critch, 27, guilty of possession of cocaine for the purpose of trafficking, possession of proceeds of crime and possession of marijuana.She also convicted Nicholas James Roberts, 26, of cocaine trafficking and possession for the purpose of trafficking.The trio were part of a large group of alleged drug dealers in a dial-a-doper operation that was taken down by a joint investigation by city police and RCMP, known as Project KOKER, which involved extensive wiretapping.
The three men were convicted after a four-month trial.During the trial, court heard Alcantara was the “hands-off overseer” or “CEO” of the large-scale dial-a-doper operation while his brother-in-law, Beau Michael Yakimishyn, 27, was in charge of distribution.Roberts was known as a “food boss,” who supplied cocaine to the lower-level street dealers, while Critch was a higher-level dealer with others working below him.In March, Yakimishyn was handed a prison sentence of 10 1/2 years after pleading guilty to cocaine trafficking.Court heard Alcantara was arrested on Jan. 19, 2006, and police went to his home armed with a search warrant three weeks later. There, officers found $15,000 cash stashed in a bag in the trunk of a car and in a box of Christmas lights on a shelf in the garage.Police also seized some marijuana and a Luger pistol found in the garage, a Taser and a machete found in the master bedroom and butterfly knives found in the den.Officers also seized a police scanner and a safe containing another Taser, assorted jewelry, a radio frequency jamming device and various pieces of identification bearing Alcantara’s photograph, but under different names.“This evidence clearly is indicative of Alcantara’s participation in criminal activity,” said Sulyma.Court also heard that despite never being seen going to work or having supplied supporting documents to his accountant to back up his claim that he was a “management consultant,” Alcantara owned “expensive assets” such as a Cadillac, a Harley Davidson motorcycle, an Arctic Cat snowmobile and a Rolex watch.A three-day sentencing hearing is set to begin Dec. 2.In November 2006 police announced they had seized 20 kilos of cocaine, three kilos of marijuana, methamphetamine, guns, prohibited weapons and more than $2 million in cash, cars, trucks, motorcycles, recreational vehicles, jewelry and homes as part of Project KOKER.

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Timothy Warren, 33, could face as much as a 50-year prison sentence if convicted of Class A felony

Timothy Warren, 33, could face as much as a 50-year prison sentence if convicted of Class A felony possession of a schedule I substance with intent to deliver.Police said information was received Thursday indicating Warren was heading back from an undisclosed location with a large amount of heroin.During a traffic stop in the 5200 block of Franklin Street, police said they recovered from his vehicle 31 grams of heroin inside 128 packets along with more than $2,000 in cash.Warren, at the time, was residing at a motel on Franklin Street just north of U.S. 20, police said.
Since the arrests of 11 alleged heroin and cocaine dealers on May 20, Michigan City Police Detective Dave Legros said, Warren had been under investigation and it appeared he was attempting to take over the business of the heroin dealers that were taken into custody.

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Robert B. Long and Jason P. Edwards were convicted of conspiracy and drug charges

Robert B. Long and Jason P. Edwards were convicted of conspiracy and drug charges for their part in a scheme to steal marijuana and money from drug dealers, they were acquitted on firearms charges.Convictions on the gun charges could have meant 55 years of extra prison time for Long, 35 -- an effective life sentence -- plus five additional years for Edwards, 38."It's always a sad day when police officers are convicted on federal charges," U.S. Attorney Timothy M. Morrison said outside the U.S. district courthouse in Downtown Indianapolis.The jury's,verdict still will hold the men accountable, Morrison said, and "provides some sense of justice to those people who think law enforcement personnel are immune from the law."After two hours of deliberation, the jury convicted Long and Edwards of conspiracy and several counts of actual or attempted drug possession with intent to distribute.The half-dozen incidents played out under the FBI's watch from March to June 2008. Investigators engineered several of the incidents, including a $20,000 shakedown of a drug courier, an intercepted package containing marijuana and a videotaped theft of marijuana and cash from a supposed drug house, planted there by the FBI.A third former officer, James D. Davis, 34, has pleaded guilty to his role and faces 10 to 15 years in prison.In court documents, prosecutors also outlined allegations of earlier graft by Long and Edwards going back years, but the jury was barred from hearing those claims.Kevin McShane, Edwards' attorney, said later that the jury's verdict was fair.Long's attorneys, Ralph Staples and Jeffrey Mendes, were pleased by convictions that could result in Long's release by the time his grandchildren are born.They had challenged the firearms charges in part by arguing that even when Long carried a gun, it never left his holster and didn't further the crimes. Edwards, on suspension at the time from the Indianapolis Metropolitan Police Department, didn't have a gun.

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Leong Paul, 56, from Newport, south Wales, picked up the drugs from a service stop near Antwerp in Belgium

Leong Paul, 56, from Newport, south Wales, picked up the drugs from a service stop near Antwerp in Belgium, HM Revenue and Customs (HMRC) said. He then attempted to smuggle them into the UK through Dover, Kent, hidden in his vehicle, but the haul was found. He denied smuggling but was found guilty at Canterbury Crown Court.
HMRC said it began an investigation after staff discovered the drugs stash as Paul returned from a trip to Gottingen, Germany, in April 2007 . Paul denied any knowledge of the drugs but evidence was collected, including a mobile phone and doctored vehicle tachograph records. After being found guilty by a jury, Judge Adele Williams told Paul that he had attempted to smuggle a drug capable of causing serious harm, and on rare occasions even death. Paul's only consideration was self enrichment by flooding the UK's streets with over 165 kilos of ecstasy tablets Malcolm Bragg, assistant director of criminal investigation at HMRC, said it was only through a "detailed and professional investigation" that Paul's claims that he was unaware of the drugs was proved false. "Paul's only consideration was self-enrichment by flooding the UK's streets with over 165 kilos of ecstasy tablets," he added. According to HMRC, the court was told that Paul was alone in the lorry when it was intercepted at Dover Eastern Docks early on 14 April, 2007.
A search of the vehicle revealed 11 boxes at the front of the trailer containing the ecstasy tablets and he was arrested.
During interview Paul denied the smuggling attempt. He claimed to have made a direct run from his drop off in Germany, and had not met anyone on the way home. However, analysis of the vehicle tachograph showed that 75km of his return journey had not been recorded, corresponding to investigations which suggested that he had indeed stopped at the Antwerp services.

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Gerald (Skinny) Ward Senior member of the Hells Angels get nine years in prison for ordering associates to deal cocaine.

Senior member of the Hells Angels get nine years in prison for ordering associates to deal cocaine.Gerald (Skinny) Ward was found guilty of directing the commission of a criminal offence for the benefit of a criminal organization.The 61-year-old founding member of the Niagara Hells Angels chapter had pleaded guilty to cocaine trafficking and possessing the proceeds of crime.Court heard Ward directed five other members and associates of the Hells Angels to deliver four kilograms of high-grade cocaine to a former member of the Oshawa chapter of the gang who became a police agent.Justice John McMahon says Ward was clearly behind the drug transactions.
McMahon said 14 years is an appropriate sentence for Ward, but credited Ward with five years already served in prison since his arrest in September 2006.

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The Panamanian National Police seized a total of 870 kilos of cocaine in two operations in the past 24 hours.

The Panamanian National Police seized a total of 870 kilos of cocaine in two operations in the past 24 hours. The largest bust, 620 kilos, was recovered on Monday night in Coco Solo and was found inside boxes of pineapples destined for Belgium. The second bust of 150 kilos happened in a luxury home in Panama City's exclusive Coco del Mar neighborhood. Two Colombian men were arrested in this bust. Another 100 kilos of cocaine was discovered in an abandoned 4x4 SUV in La Pesa de La Chorrera near a police checkpoint. Wholesale cocaine destined for the drug using consumers of the world continues to run freely through the streets of Panama.

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largest Ecstasy seizures ever in California, 45 kilograms of the drug with a minimum street value of almost $2 million

largest Ecstasy seizures ever in California, 45 kilograms of the drug with a minimum street value of almost $2 million were found at a West Oakland house Friday during a series of law enforcement raids from Willits to the East Bay, authorities said Tuesday.Besides the powder form of the drug found in Oakland, a huge manufacturing lab was dismantled in Willits in Mendocino County, and at least nine people, including the ringleader suspect from El Cerrito, his brother and two Emeryville residents, were arrested.State Attorney General Jerry Brown said the suspects were part of a “dangerous drug ring” that operated Ecstasy labs around Northern California. Brown said the ring “posed a threat topeople and the environment.”Besides the Ecstasy powder, authorities found 28 pounds of hallucinogenic mushrooms, 30 pounds of marijuana and $531,000 in cash at the West Oakland house in the 1000 block of 39th Street. At a warehouse on Yerba Buena Avenue in Emeryville, authorities found 50 marijuana plants and what is suspected to be LSD in powder and liquid form.State Bureau of Narcotic Enforcement Special Agent in Charge John George said Tuesday the powder seized could be used to make at least 88,000 Ecstasy pills that could sell for $15 to $40 each. He said the mushrooms had a street value of at least $156,000 and the marijuana at least $90,000.

Arrested at the Oakland house were Leon Haskell, 34, and Tappie Dufresne, 37, of Emeryville.

The series of raids culminated an investigation that began in November. The state Bureau of Narcotic Enforcement initially teamed with the Mendocino County Sheriff’s Office after an anonymous tip alerted agents to a possible lab operating in Mendocino County.
Agents monitored the site and identified the cook as Jonathan Passel, 46, of El Cerrito, whom George said is the ringleader suspect. He was followed to several locations, including the Oakland residence, residences in Willits, Redwood Valley and El Cerrito, and warehouses in San Rafael and Emeryville, agents said.
Based on surveillance and other evidence, Bureau of Narcotic Enforcement agents, the West Contra Costa County Narcotics Enforcement Team, the Mendocino County Major Crimes Task Force and seven other Northern California police agencies served nine warrants Friday in four counties.Passel was arrested at what police say is the Mendocino County lab site.Agents there seized a .45-caliber pistol, thousands of dollars worth of chemicals, commercial-grade laboratory glassware, and more than 100 gallons of toxic, poisonous and flammable liquids and solids. Hazardous chemicals and laboratory equipment filled 40 large barrels.Paul Passel, 64, Jonathan Passel’s brother, was arrested at a house in the 1800 block of Key Boulevard in El Cerrito but was cited at the scene and released due to medical issues. Agents seized 11/2 pounds of marijuana and lab glassware at the residence.None of the suspects would talk to authorities. They were booked at Mendocino County Jail on suspicion of a variety of charges, including manufacturing and possession of a controlled substance and conspiracy, authorities said.

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kilogram of cocaine bought for $20,000 in the US can now be sold in Australia for $200,000

kilogram of cocaine bought for $20,000 in the US can now be sold in Australia for $200,000, making it one of the most attractive drug markets in the world. Lebanese and Italian groups have traditionally dominated the Australian cocaine trade because of their highly organised structure and strong connections with South American cartels. But in recent years, just about every major organised crime group, from bikies to Triads through to Serbian groups, have begun trading in the illicit drug - and are even working together. Authorities are closely monitoring prices as an indicator of the amount of cocaine available, with police intelligence suggesting criminals are manipulating supply in order to maximise their cut. But the influx of players vying for domination in Australia’s major cities, together with an unrelenting flow of the drug through smuggling routes, has seen the price of cocaine plummet. Despite the strong profits, the price of the drug has been slashed by up to 42 per cent within a 12-month period, according to the latest figures from the Australian Crime Commission (ACC). The street-price for a gram of cocaine fell from $350 in New South Wales and $250 in South Australia to $200 in both states in the 2006/07 financial year. ACC chief executive officer Alistair Milroy confirmed the increased number of groups entering the trade could be a factor in the price cuts. "Organised criminal groups employ a range of strategies to deliberately manipulate their control over illicit drug markets or to enter new drug markets," Mr Milroy said. This may include aggressive marketing through undercut or reduced prices, or agreements between major players to set prices."

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Alejandro “Alex” Rodriguez, 44, was the target of a months-long investigation, conducted jointly with the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration

Castroville business owner is in federal custody after a raid on his auto repair shop Tuesday yielded a pound of cocaine, authorities said Wednesday. Medina County Sheriff Randy Brown said Alejandro “Alex” Rodriguez, 44, was the target of a months-long investigation, conducted jointly with the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration, that focused on the Castroville Collision Center on U.S. 90. Brown said undercover officers had bought cocaine at the shop as long ago as 2003 and that the latest investigation indicated Rodriguez was “a major player” in the drug trade.
DEA Assistant Special Agent Thomas Hinojosa said Rodriguez was charged with conspiring to possess and distribute cocaine, possessing cocaine with intent to distribute, and aiding and abetting.

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Antonio Ayala, 57, Elkhart, sold cocaine to undercover officers three times before his arrest last April.

Antonio Ayala, 57, Elkhart, sold cocaine to undercover officers three times before his arrest last April. He entered guilty pleas to the offenses, all Class A felonies. Defense attorney Jim Stevens pointed out his client had lived 56 years with non-criminal behavior and served 14 years in his country’s army. His client is a “bright, intelligent man” Stevens said, but had cocaine addiction problems. He asked for the standard sentence for a Class A felony conviction, with some time suspended. Deputy prosecuting attorney David Francisco pointed out the weight of the cocaine that Ayala sold, with amounts increasing in each purchase. It was pointed out that the man violated the terms of his visa by obtaining a job at an Elkhart plant and after being convicted of a felony will be deported. He had obtained a driver’s license and used another person’s Social Security number, the judge was told.Judge Shewmaker said the man “is old enough to know better” and he felt an enhanced sentence is in order. He imposed three 45-year prison sentences and ordered them to be served concurrently. He noted credit for 288 days spent in jail.

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Jimmy Smith Cape Cod’s biggest dealer of cocaine and heroin

Jimmy Smith, 29, was charged with trafficking over 200 grams of cocaine and heroin, illegal possession of a large-capacity weapon and being an armed career criminal, among other charges.Barnstable police arrested Smith in October after an on-and-off investigation spanning 10 years.“Taking Jimmy Smith off the street made an enormous difference in the volume of cocaine that’s available in the Hyannis area,” Barnstable Lt. Sean Balcom said after today’s indictments, adding police believe it was Smith who was supplying mid-level drug dealers.Smith has a lengthy record of assault charges and has been convicted of drug distribution. He was also convicted on a manslaughter charge in the 1996 beating death of a New Bedford man. He used a Big Wheel children’s tricycle to strike the man in the head during an altercation on Fresh Holes Road, Barnstable police have said.Smith allegedly eluded law enforcement officials over the past decade by staying at different locations and avoiding direct contact with drug sales on the street, police said.The grand jury today also returned indictments against six of Smith’s alleged cohorts. Anita Dixon, 25, and Dominic Torres, 22, with whom Smith apparently shared a Sandwich residence, were both charged with trafficking over 200 grams of heroin and cocaine, and other charges. John Viust, 17, Tyrone Gomes, 23, and Matthew Amick, 29, were all charged with trafficking cocaine. Clifford Reed, 35, was charged with heroin trafficking.Dates will now be set for arraignment in Barnstable Superior

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Bartosz Janiszewski was one of three crewmen who cycled away from the Queen of Scandinavia at North Shields

Bartosz Janiszewski was one of three crewmen who cycled away from the Queen of Scandinavia at North Shields, each carrying a rucksack containing the drug.All three ran away after refusing to allow their bags to be searched when they were stopped at a portside barrier by customs officials.Mr Janiszewski managed to make his way back to Poland despite having no wallet or passport, but later contacted the legal authorities in his homeland to be interviewed.The 28-year-old, who was later extradited, told Newcastle Crown Court he had agreed to take the rucksack into the country on behalf of someone else, believing it contained cigarettes. He denied a charge of being knowingly concerned in the illegal importation of a class A drug and wept as he was cleared yesterday after a three-day trial.His two co-accused were both acquitted of the same charge after a trial in Newcastle in 2007.One of them had been detained after dropping his rucksack into the river. The second fled towards a housing estate after shrugging off his rucksack, but was arrested as he made his way back to the port.The court heard each of the rucksacks contained five kilos of cocaine with a combined value of £1.8m.Mr Janiszewski, a steward on board the ferry, had spent several months on remand in a British prison awaiting trial. His acquittal means he will now return to Poland, his Manchester-based solicitor Rob Gillooley said.“Mr Janiszewski co-operated fully with the Polish authorities in respect of these matters,” he said. “It was he who approached them.“The result of the trial – which we feel is the right and proper result – is a testament to his co-operation and the preparation of the case.“Mr Janiszewski has found the whole proceedings rather stressful and is relieved that the proceedings have concluded and concluded to a satisfactory end.”

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Richard Jansen,B.C. trucker caught as part of a multi-million dollar drug smuggling ring linked to the Hells Angels pleaded guilty

B.C. trucker caught as part of a multi-million dollar drug smuggling ring linked to the Hells Angels pleaded guilty in a Seattle courtroom Thursday.Chilliwack resident Richard Jansen, 33, admitted he used his Scorpion Transport company to truck 158 kilos of B.C. bud across the border last June 5.The drug shipment was just one load from more than 1,700 pounds of cocaine, 7,000 pounds of pot and about $3.5 million U.S. that have been seized by authorities or linked to the drug ring.Jansen will face a minimum of five years and a maximum of 40 when he is sentenced by Chief U.S. District Court Judge Robert S. Lasnik on April 10, the U.S. Attorney’s office said in a release.Jansen was arrested following a three-year investigation into the ring led by Hells Angel associate Robert Shannon, of Maple Ridge, and car dealer Devron Quast, of Abbotsford.Both Shannon and Quast pleaded guilty last fall and are in U.S. custody awaiting their sentencing in March. They will face at least 10 years behind bars each. The indictment said they were the leaders of the international drug gang working "on behalf of the Hells Angels Motorcycle Club."The U.S. court has so far not revealed how the Hells Angels is linked to the drug traffickers, but the The Jansen admitted his role was to facilitate the shipment of marijuana by truck across the border. Court files said the drugs were hidden inside hollowed-out logs on trucks, within the false walls of cargo containers and vehicles, within loads of commercial lumber, inside large plastic pipes, and in the interior of a propane tanker.

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Jorge Hernandez former Miami police officer accused of providing protection for purported shipments of cocaine

former Miami police officer accused of providing protection for purported shipments of cocaine will spend nine years in prison.According to a news release, Judge Patricia A. Seitz also sentenced Jorge Hernandez on Thursday to three years of supervised release after the competition of his prison term.Geovani Nunez, who was also arrested after an eight-month undercover FBI operation, has already been sentenced to 11 years and three months in prison. Both Hernandez and Nunez had previously pleaded guilty to the charge.Prosecutors said the veteran officers were paid a combined $39,500 by a man they thought was involved in numerous illegal businesses. That man, however, was secretly an FBI informant and all of their conversations were taped.

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Jack Onyango Gradus,Kenya Airways crew member was arrested at Heathrow airport as he tried to smuggle cocaine worth £300,000

Kenya Airways crew member was arrested at Heathrow airport as he tried to smuggle cocaine worth £300,000 (Kshs. 35.1 million) on a KQ flight from Nairobi.Mr Jack Onyango Gradus, 29, was arrested by the UK Border Agency last Saturday after arriving at Heathrow from Nairobi last Saturday.

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Emmanuel Lima of Cape Coral, Florida, was booked into the St. Martin Parish Correctional Center on Possession of Cocaine

During a traffic stop at the intersection of Interstate 10 and Grand Point highway, St. Martin Deputies were led to believe the vehicle in question may have contained illegal contraband. Deputies say they were granted permission to voluntary search the vehicle. During the search, Deputies stated that approximately 2 Kilos of suspected Cocaine was located. The driver, 20 year old Emmanuel Lima of Cape Coral, Florida, was booked into the St. Martin Parish Correctional Center on Possession of Cocaine With The Intent To Distribute of 400 grams.

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Andrew Morawski,well-known Cannifton Road metal artist was sentenced to four years in a federal penitentiary

Andrew Morawski,well-known Cannifton Road metal artist was sentenced to four years in a federal penitentiary for his part in an elaborate scheme to deal cocaine across the Quinte region. Andrew Morawski, 46, pleaded guilty to conspiracy to commit an indictable offence for his role of being an upper-level cocaine salesman-debt collector on behalf of one of three criminal gangs who toiled in the drug trade in Eastern Ontario. Morawski was one of 27 arrested as part of an 18-month undercover police probe dubbed Project Fortitude: an operation that culminated last August when 350 tactical officers simultaneously raided 37 different locations stretching from Toronto to Napanee — with the bulk being within the Quinte region.
In addition to the arrests, police seized more than $7 million in drugs, guns and property as part of the initiative, which investigators claimed cut the legs from under major drug traffickers in the Bay of Quinte region. Morawski is the first of the Fortitude arrests to be dealt with. The single father of one was caught both on police wire taps and during surveillance operations working for one of “three separate conspiracy groups” selling cocaine and other drugs in the local area, recalled Crown prosecutor Pamela Larmondin Thursday, while reading from a joint sentencing submission. On behalf of the head of his criminal group, Morawski “was selling cocaine at the ounce level ... (and) collecting debts” from users and other dealers, she said. During the course of his criminal duties, Morawski would often threaten to use members of the Hells Angels motorcycle gang to collect any outstanding arrears from anyone who couldn’t pay up. He “was quite active and indeed selling up to multiple ounces (of cocaine) per week,” Larmondin said, noting Morawski’s teenaged son “was assisting” with the distribution scheme. When police searched his Cannifton Road home last August, about 34 grams of cocaine, some marijuana and seven marijuana plants were seized, she added. Defence lawyer Scott McMahon lamented the circumstances his client found himself in a little more than a year ago, saying Morawski was “one of a handful of people in Canada” who demonstrate a unique talent working with metals as an artist.To bolster his claim, McMahon presented numerous magazine clippings in addition to letters from art critics, museum curators and others in the art industry telling of “what kind of a contribution (Morawski) has made to metal artwork. Morawski, who moved to this area in the 1990s, has also made appearances on CityTV's Breakfast Television, a popular Toronto program and was featured on a U.S. home show. “It’s a crying shame,” McMahon said while chronicling his client’s achievements. That said, Morawski “came to court with dirty hands” and wanted to come clean by pleading guilty at the earliest possible date, McMahon said. In agreeing with the joint submission for sentencing, Judge Stephen Hunter noted Morawski’s 135 days spent in pre-trial custody. “And I find this sentence appropriate, given all the circumstances,” Hunter said. “Certainly, Mr. Morawski, it appears you have a lot to offer the community in a number of ways.”

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Richard Rivera conspired to distribute crack cocaine

Richard Rivera, 33,faces five years of probation after he completes his 121-month sentence. The U.S. attorney's office said Rivera pleaded guilty in July to one count of conspiracy to possess with intent to distribute 50 grams or more of crack cocaine.
According to court records, in October 2007, Rivera and James Scott of Biddeford, Maine, conspired to distribute crack cocaine and in October 2007 Rivera bought powder cocaine in Newington. Rivera then transported the powder cocaine to a motel room in Biddeford, where Scott "cooked" the cocaine into crack. On Oct. 18, 2007, Rivera and Scott drove Rivera's car, which contained about 246 grams of crack, from Maine to Manchester to sell the crack. That's when they were arrested.
Scott pleaded guilty to the same charge in August. He awaits sentencing and faces a mandatory minimum of 10 years in prison.

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Suspected heroin dealer Ryan Welgos of Aspen will spend at least two more weeks behind bars

Suspected heroin dealer Ryan Welgos of Aspen will spend at least two more weeks behind bars after a hearing that could have led to his release was postponed Thursday.Welgos, 31, has been awaiting a decision on a potential plea agreement that would call for him to plead guilty in Garfield County Court to attempted distribution of a Schedule I controlled substance.In exchange, Welgos would receive a suspended sentence of three to six years in state prison, as long as he entered and completed drug court. He had faced nine felony counts, ranging from conspiracy to distribute drugs to drug possession with intent to distribute.The proposal, originally brokered in November, has been delayed because of a change in attorneys.
Snowmass Village attorney Arnold P. Mordkin had represented Welgos. But Mordkin had to withdraw from the case, shortly after he brokered the deal with prosecutors, because he agreed to head the district attorney’s office in Aspen.Mordkin has since filled the position.As a result, Carbondale defense attorney Chip McCrory stepped in to take the case, and a special prosecutor had to be named to avoid a potential conflict of interest. That prompted Judge Daniel Petre to order the new attorneys in the case to review the deal before he or another judge could potentially sign off on the proposal. As of Thursday, a special prosecutor had not been named in the case, although the court approved an order authorizing the appointment in early December.
“We’re frustrated. No progress for two months,” said McCrory outside the courtroom after the hearing was postponed Thursday. Senior District Court Judge Ed Ruland scheduled a follow-up hearing for 8:15 a.m., Jan. 22. At that time, it is believed a special prosecutor will be in place.“One would hope,” McCrory said.
McCrory also filed a motion Thursday to reduce the $40,000 bond Welgos is being held on at Garfield County jail. The thinking is that if there is another postponement in the case, the court might approve the motion and allow Welgos to go free while the two sides tie up any loose ends.The motion calls for Welgos to be released on a personal recognizance bond.Welgos has been locked up since he was arrested June 19, with Nelson Raul-Gamez in Silverthorne, after an investigation headed by the Drug Enforcement Administration. The investigation stemmed form the March overdose death of Adam Ryan Peterson. He was visiting Aspen at the time of his death.The case against Raul-Gamez was transferred last month to Summit County Gregory Elston, a third suspect in the case, was given a two-year deferred sentence and two years of supervised probation for possession of a schedule II substance. It was part of a plea agreement he reached in October.As part of the deal, prosecutors dropped a heroin distribution charge against Elston, an Aspen resident.

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Leonidas Vargas Convicted Colombian drug baron with links to two major smuggling cartels was shot dead in a Madrid hospital

Convicted Colombian drug baron with links to two major smuggling cartels was shot dead in a Madrid hospital where he was being treated for a lung disease, officials said.Leonidas Vargas was arrested in Madrid in July 2006 and convicted of possessing more than 1,000 pounds of cocaine, a police spokesman said.The Colombian Embassy said he had worked with drug lords linked to the Medellin and Cali cartels.Vargas had been sentenced to 19 years in prison and was transferred to the Doce de Octubre hospital for treatment on Jan. 2.Police and hospital chiefs said at least one person entered the 60-year-old’s room at Doce de Octubre Hospital and fired four shots.
Vargas was arrested in Madrid in July 2006 and convicted of possessing 500kg of cocaine.When he was arrested near a Madrid hotel he also had a fake Venezuelan passport and the Colombian Embassy said he had worked with such drug lords as the late Gonzalo Rodriguez Gacha and Pablo Escobar, the Medellin cartel leader who was killed in shootout with Colombian police in 1993.After Escobar’s death, his cartel’s role as a major drug smuggling ring was taken by the Cali cartel which the Rodriguez family controlled.Witnesses say two people entered Vargas' room on the fifth floor of the hospital. One man took out a pistol with a silencer and fired four shots at Vargas, who was asleep. His killing is believed to be part of a settling of accounts between rival drug-trafficking organisations, Vargas assumed a low profile after being released in Colombia, but in the 1980s he was allied with the powerful Medellin drug cartel of Pablo Escobar. An idea of the scale of his wealth at the time was revealed after the Colombian state seized $29m worth of properties from him.

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Decomposed bodies of two Arab men were found on Friday evening in a car parked in the parking lot behind Al Kuwaiti Hospital

Decomposed bodies of two Arab men were found on Friday evening in a car parked in the parking lot behind Al Kuwaiti Hospital.Sharjah Police Criminal Investigation Department director Yousif Al Naqbi said that at around 5:30pm the police received a call from Al Kuwaiti hospital informing that a passerby noticed bad smell emanating from the parking lot.When the staff searched the parking lot they found the decomposed bodies in a Toyota Corolla, a hire car, with the plate number K Dubai 38728.“The bodies had been in the parking lot for at least four days,” Al Naqbi said.
The forensic laboratory preliminary report revealed that Abdulla Kareem Darwish, 30 and Ghulam Abdul Rasoul Darwish, 32, died of heroin overdose.The police later arrested two men and a woman, all Iranian in their houses in Al Qadisia Area.
During the interrogation, the three suspects reportedly said they were having a party in their house with the two Arab men. The two men took overdose of heroin and the group tried to rush them to the emergency room at Al Kuwaiti hospital.However, the two men died on the way and the trio panicked and left the bodies in the car in the parking lot and took a cab to return home.The family of the two deceased reported them missing at the Al Seera police station four days ago. While, Abdulla Kareem Darwish was married and had children, Ghulam Abdul Rasoul Darwish was single.
Both were working in a contracting company in Sharjah. During interrogation, the Iranian trio allegedly confessed to consuming drugs with the victims and said the drugs were bought from other individuals in Sharjah.Police are also on the lookout for the drug dealers.The three suspects have been charged with drug consumption, not informing the police of the crime and, prostitution, as the woman was unmarried and having a relationship with one of the men. Al Naqbi urged Sharjah residents to cooperate with the police to curb the drug problem.

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Angel Orlando Garcia Urquiza, a top operative in the Ciudad Juarez-based cartel, which at one point was considered Mexico’s largest drug ring

2008 beauty queen of the drug-plagued state of Sinaloa, Laura Zuniga, center, is shown to the press with other unidentified suspects after she was detained with guns and large amounts of cash in the city of Zapopan, Mexico, Tuesday Dec. 23, 2008. Zuniga has been arrested after she was found riding with suspected gang members in a truck filled with weapons and and some $53,300 in U.S. currency. (Associated Press)
GUADALAJARA, Mexico — A Mexican beauty queen arrested in a truck filled with weapons was dating a man suspected of leading the powerful Juarez drug cartel, police said Wednesday.The boyfriend of Miss Sinaloa Laura Zuniga is Angel Orlando Garcia Urquiza, a top operative in the Ciudad Juarez-based cartel, which at one point was considered Mexico’s largest drug ring, said Jalisco Public Security Secretary Luis Carlos Najera.The couple was traveling with six alleged bodyguards in Zapopan, outside the colonial city of Guadalajara, when soldiers stopped their two trucks at a military checkpoint on Monday, police said.Inside, authorities found a large stash of weapons, ammunition and $53,300 in U.S. currency.The alleged relationship between Garcia and Mexico’s well-known reigning beauty queen shows how deep powerful drug gangs have penetrated society, stretching well beyond bribing police and officials.

Mexican media report that traffickers with their visible wealth often have their pick of women in states like Sinaloa, where Zuniga is from and the home of the cartel of the same name. The popular musical genre "Narco-corridos" glorifies traffickers’ exploits and gangs often have prefered bands who play their private parties. A number of Mexican musicians linked to cartels have been murdered in recent years.

Zuniga won the Miss Sinaloa pageant this year. She placed third in the Miss Mexico contest, whose winner competes for the Miss Universe title, and was crowned Miss HispanoAmericana, beating out contestants across Latin America.She was expected to represent Mexico in an international contest in January.Pageant organizers say they are awaiting the results of the investigation before deciding whether to strip her of her crowns.Garcia’s brother, Ricardo, was arrested in 2005 and police said he was responsible for 20 percent of Mexican narcotics sold on U.S. streets at the time. He reportedly earned nearly $1 billion a month smuggling Colombian cocaine and marijuana into the United states through corridors near Juarez, across the border from El Paso.The Juarez cartel was considered the country’s largest drug ring under the leadership of Amado Carrillo Fuentes, known as "Lord of the Skies" because the gang flew planes packed with cocaine directly into U.S. territory.Carrillo died in 1997 from botched plastic surgery to alter his appearance and investigators say control of the cartel fell to his brother, Vicente.The gang split in 2004 after other powerful smugglers tried to move in on its trade, and Vicente, fearing for his life, went into hiding.In his absence, according to federal prosecutors, Ricardo Garcia Urquiza took control of a faction after forging contacts with Colombian drug producers while studying to become a surgeon.After being arrested, Zuniga told police they were planning on traveling to Bolivia and Colombia to go shopping.Zuniga’s father, Jesus Esteban Zuniga, said her daughter had told him she was going to a Christmas party in Guadalajara. He told the Associated Press that he does not believe his daughter is involved in drug trafficking."She’s a good daughter," he said. "She’s always focused on her work and she’s had a spotless reputation … until now."

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Mahendrapaul Doodnauth, 45, of Seguin Court, Etobicoke, was arrested in Ontario on last Friday and has been charged with importing cocaine

Mahendrapaul Doodnauth, 45, of Seguin Court, Etobicoke, was arrested in Ontario on last Friday and has been charged with importing cocaine, conspiracy to import cocaine, and possession of cocaine for the purpose of trafficking under the Controlled Drugs and Substances Act. He appeared in court via video on Tuesday and was remanded. No details were available on Tuesday's court appearance.Officers are still investigating whether there is any local criminal involvement and have not ruled out more arrests. They said they don't know whether any of the drug was intended to be sold on Saint John streets.The ship, which authorities declined to name, has the capacity to crry 559 12-metre cargo containers and makes regular trips between Saint John and the Caribbean.In this case, the cocaine was packaged in 1,653 resealable plastic bags and packed inside cardboard partitions that had been split open. Cardboard partitions are commonly used in boxes of goods to keep glass bottles from knocking together and shattering.In this case, the cocaine-laden partitions were shielding bottles of green hot sauce; 77-79 per cent pure cocaine was found in 551 of 1,250 boxes of the sauce.On Tuesday morning, representatives from the Canadian Border Services Agency (CBSA), Saint John Police Force and the RCMP held a press conference displaying all but two kilograms of the high-quality cocaine. The Durham Regional Police Service of Whitby, Ont., was also involved in the operation.

"This certainly highlights the risk that is present in the Port of Saint John for the importation of narcotics," said Don Collins, CBSA director of the southern N.B./P.E.I. district.

The ship was searched on Dec. 11 as a result of information gathered by undercover officers during the past three months as they worked to try to identify the source of cocaine that is on the streets in and around Toronto, said Jamie Bastarache, CBSA chief of enforcement and intelligence for the Atlantic region."The investigation alerted police to a criminal network distributing and selling on the streets," he said.CBSA detector dogs alerted officers and X-ray technology narrowed down the drug's location, Collins said. Police are "fairly confident" the cocaine was loaded in Guyana.This is the third drug seizure by the CBSA in the Atlantic region this year. Since January, CBSA investigations in the Atlantic region have yielded more than 622 kilograms of illegal drugs valued at more than $72 million.The CBSA searches about eight to 10 per cent of containers arriving at Saint john's port daily as a result of information received, Collins said.

"Our port is a small port and we are seen by Upper Canadians as being somewhat of a sleepy community," said Insp. Darrell Scribner of the Saint John police.

"It takes a big bite out of the cocaine available."

Public Safety Minister Peter Van Loan said law-enforcement collaborations like the one that made the bust are "tried and true".

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Kalamazoo men were sentenced Tuesday to federal prison for conspiracy to distribute five or more grams of crack cocaine

Kalamazoo men were sentenced Tuesday to federal prison for conspiracy to distribute five or more grams of crack cocaine, according to a press release from the Kalamazoo Valley Enforcement Team. Thomas Charles Davis, 34, was sentenced to 17 1/2 years in prison, which is to be followed by five years of supervised release and 200 hours of community-service work. Travis Sentell Farris, 24, was sentenced to 6 1/2 years in prison, which is to be followed by five years of supervised release and 200 hours of community-service work. The multijurisdictional drug agency worked with the U.S. Drug Enforcement Agency on the cases.

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Serbia ,cocaine, the street value of which estimated at some EUR 50,000, was found in a car owned by a Leskovac resident

Police officers with Leskovac MUP confiscated close to one kilogram of cocaine while conducting a regular control, it was announced on Thursday.The 939 grams of the drug, rarely found in Serbia due to its high price, is the largest amount seized in the past couple of years.The cocaine, the street value of which estimated at some EUR 50,000, was found in a car owned by a Leskovac resident identified with his initials, N.B. A police statement today did not provide any further details pertaining to the suspect's identity and age, and said only that the drugs were to be sold outside the town.

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