• DPMC Moderators: thegreenhand | tryptakid
  • Drug Policy & Media Coverage Welcome Guest
    View threads about
    Posting Rules Bluelight Rules
    Drug Busts Megathread Video Megathread

The Mega Merged Drug Busts Thread

Status
Not open for further replies.
Border efforts called out of sync

Border efforts called out of sync

Agencies must coordinate to control crime, federal report warns\

Billy House
Republic Washington Bureau
Jul. 12, 2004 12:00 AM


WASHINGTON - Federal agencies must better coordinate their efforts to battle drug smuggling and illegal crossings along the nation's remote borderland frontiers with Mexico and Canada, congressional auditors warn in a new report.

"In Arizona, there has been very little coordination or planning between the Border Patrol and land management agencies, even as border agencies' staffing levels have increased in recent years," the General Accounting Office says in its report.

The Border Patrol is responsible for protecting the borders. But the GAO report notes that 820 miles of the about 2,000 total miles of border the United States shares with Mexico are located on federal or tribal lands that encompass national parks, forests and wildlife refuges.

Much of the GAO's focus is on Arizona, where 240 of the 375 miles of border shared with Mexico are managed by the U.S. Forest Service (53 miles), the Bureau of Indian Affairs (70 miles), the Fish and Wildlife Service (65 miles), the Bureau of Land Management (17 miles) or the National Park Service (35 miles).

Because U.S. Border Patrol strategies since the mid- to late1990s have concentrated additional patrol resources in populated areas, much of the cross-border illegal traffic has shifted to these more-remote federal lands in Arizona, the GAO report says.

Evidence of these shifts as documented in the GAO report includes:


• Seizure of more than 100,000 pounds of marijuana, 144 grams of cocaine and 6,600 grams of methamphetamine on the Tohono O'odham Reservation in 2003, compared with the 65,000 pounds of narcotics confiscated the year before.


• Confiscation of 19,000 pounds of marijuana by the Bureau of Land Management on BLM property in Arizona - primarily Ironwood Forest National Monument - in fiscal 2003, up from 2,600 pounds the year before.


• Rising numbers of undocumented immigrants apprehended on Department of Interior lands in Arizona within 100 miles of the border, going from 51 in 1997 to 113,480 in 2000.


• The illegal entry into the United States of an estimated 200,000 undocumented immigrants through the National Park Service's Organ Pipe Cactus National Monument in 2001.


• Estimates that as many as 1,000 undocumented immigrants cross the Fish and Wildlife Service's Cabeza Prieta National Wildlife Refuge each week.

The report also refers to the rising number of undocumented immigrants who have been dying while trying to cross these remote border regions illegally.

And it points to the increased dangers that the shifting illegal activity poses to law enforcement officers, federal agency employees, residents and visitors to national parks, forests, wildlife refuges and tribal nations. The GAO mentions the August 2002 shooting death of a park ranger as he helped Border Patrol agents pursue two men suspected in a drug-related murder.

GAO auditors who paid field visits to Arizona said officials of these other agencies acknowledged "they were unprepared for the increased illegal border activity on their lands," and reported enforcement activities with the Border Patrol often continue to lack coordination.

In addition, the GAO notes that these agencies' efforts to get more federal funding and law enforcement personnel on their own tied to border projects are sometimes disregarded because they are viewed by federal budget officials "as more in keeping with the border security mission of the Border Patrol."

As of May, the Border Patrol still had not issued detailed plans to ensure that interagency coordination occurs, the GAO said.

Given these challenges and increased awareness about the threat of terrorists entering the country, the GAO concludes "it is critical that the Border Patrol and land management agencies closely coordinate their efforts . . . to respond to increased illegal border activity - in populated areas as well as rugged wilderness."

Without such a "coordinated, interagency approach along the Mexican and Canadian borders that takes into account a broader federal perspective, individual federal agencies will continue to consider and fund only their own priorities," the GAO warns.

Officials of the Department of Homeland Security, and the departments of Interior, Agriculture, Justice, and the Office of Management and Budget reviewed a draft of the report and generally agreed with the GAO's conclusions.

The various agencies are working to address the concerns, said Michael Dino, an assistant director of the GAO based in Los Angeles.

Here
 
Federal charges levied against reputed drug trafficker

Federal charges levied against reputed drug trafficker

Lance Martin/Herald Senior Staff Writer

JACKSON - A Murfreesboro man reputed to be a major cocaine trafficker in a three-county area now faces federal charges.

Northampton County Sheriff Wardie Vincent said four local crack cocaine-related charges against Steve Junior Lassiter, 24, were dropped. The man, who lived off Indian Branch Road near the Hertford County line, now faces the several federal charges including:

€ One count of conspiracy to possess more than 50 grams of crack cocaine. He could receive 10 years to life if convicted.

€ Three counts of distribution of more than 5 grams of crack cocaine. For those three charges and a charge of possession with intent to sell and distribute more than 5 grams of crack cocaine, he could get five to 40 years.

€ One count of distribution of more than 5 grams of crack cocaine. For that count, he could get 10 years to life.

€ One count of use of a firearm in furthering a drug trafficking crime. For that count, he could get five years to life.

Lassiter was being held in federal custody pending a bond hearing in Greenville Tuesday.

That Lassiter faces federal charges means the U.S. Attorney's Office suspects him to be a major drug trafficker in Bertie, Hertford and Northampton counties, Vincent told reporters Thursday. "There was a lot of interest in him from these sheriff's offices and police agencies."

Lassiter is believed to have taken over a thriving operation from his brother, who was arrested earlier this year in Hertford County. Vincent did not have specifics on that case. Officers believe Lassiter moved to Northampton County about three to four months prior to his arrest in May by Northampton County officials.

"He was under a lot of pressure. They were tracking him closely in Hertford and Bertie," Vincent said. The sheriff said Lassiter may have believed he could continue his operation in Northampton.

"We got numerous calls," Vincent said. "The numerous (traffic) made them (neighbors) a little uncomfortable."

Undercover agents made buys totaling 200 grams of crack cocaine from Lassiter in Northampton County. "We purchased as high as $3,000 worth from him at one time," Vincent said.

Vincent said officers believe the operation could have easily brought in between $15,000 to $20,000 a week.

Northampton County Drug Agent George Reed said an asset forfeiture of $1 million was also set for Lassiter, meaning he could possibly owe up to $1 million in drug taxes.

The sheriff said he was pleased to see Lassiter facing federal charges. "Because we're looking at maximum time, this could take him off the street for a matter of time," he said.

At the time of his arrest in May, an assessor with the N.C. Department of Revenue determined the taxes Lassiter owed were so great that his vehicle, numerous household appliances such as the washing machine and dryer and furniture such as end tables, compact disks and DVDs were seized. A shotgun and $1,400 in cash also were taken.


Link
 
His life is completely gone, hate reading things like this and hearing about such tough sentences.
 
Forty-eight kilos of heroin taken from police station

Forty-eight kilos of heroin taken from police station

Police have established a special squad to catch Hamit Bayram and his associates and recover the missing drug cache.

July 12 - The scandal surrounding the Van police station has grown over the weekend after it was revealed that 48 kilos of heroin had been removed from the building.

The story began with the detention last week of Hamit Bayram, the son of a former parliamentary deputy, during a drugs operation. It was alleged Bayram had tried to sell a quantity of drugs to an undercover police officer. Bayram was reported to have said that he could provide a further 100 kilos of heroin if requested.
However, after being taken into custody and transferred to the Van police station, Bayram called his associated, who descended on the building removed him from the cells. The raid took place in the presence of between 20 to 30 police officers.

It has now been revealed that Bayram’s men also took the 48 kilos of heroin that had been confiscated when their leader had been detained.

Authorities have set up a special task force to catch Bayram. A full enquiry has been promised by officials into the circumstances of the raid on the Van police station

LInk
 
30,000 Ecstasy tabs seized
Three suspects arrested by locals, DEA
By Naush Boghossian, LA Daily News
July 13, 2004

GLENDALE -- One of the biggest caches of suspected Ecstasy in the city's history -- 30,000 tablets -- was seized Tuesday, and police arrested three men on suspicion of distributing the illegal drug.

Search warrants served Monday in Glendale and San Bernardino also resulted in the seizure of six kilograms of suspected cocaine and $50,000 to $100,000 in cash, said Glendale Lt. Gary Montecuollo.

"This is probably one of the largest seizures of Ecstasy in Glendale," said Montecuollo, adding that the drugs are believed to have a street value of at least $450,000.

"If we can take 30,000 tablets off the street ... that's a very positive effort to get that drug out of the hands of people who are going to use it."

Citing the ongoing investigation, police refused to release the names of the three suspects. They are expected to face federal drug charges.

U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration offices in Los Angeles and El Paso, Texas, along with the Albuquerque Police Department, asked Glendale police for their help on a narcotics investigation in which they believed a source of supply and distribution to New Mexico lived in Glendale.

Police are attempting to identify the source of the narcotics, and anticipate more arrests.

"This is a large-scale narcotics supplier of the Los Angeles area and to some distributors residing in the New Mexico area," said Glendale police narcotics investigator Joe Allen. "We're continuing to look into items of evidence obtained throughout the investigation that will help lead us to additional suppliers of the narcotics to these individuals."

Link
 
Festival ecstasy dealer jailed

Festival ecstasy dealer jailed Jul 14 2004

POLICE recovered a massive haul of ecstasy tablets after searching a car heading for a festival.

Officers grew suspicious of the car containing five people parked up at the Heritage Park car park, at Greenfield, near Holywell.

They found 524 ecstasy tablets destined for an all-day music festival at a holiday camp at Prestatyn.

Stuart Lesley Wooster, of Portsmouth, admitted possessing the drugs with intent to supply. But the 24-year-old claimed he was simply a courier.

His claims were rejected at an earlier hearing and yesterday Wooster was jailed for three years at Mold Crown Court.

Anna Price, prosecuting, said that all five car occupants were arrested but Wooster took responsibility for them, and said: "It's only a bit of money for Christmas."

The drugs had a potential street value of up to £2,600.

Nic Parry, defending, said his client deserved credit for accepting the drugs were his. Wooster was a man of good character whose first period of imprisonment filled him with terror.

He was a broken young man who had truly lost everything.

Link
 
Last edited:
30,000 Ecstasy tabs seized

July 13/2004

Three suspects arrested by locals, DEA


By Naush Boghossian
Staff Writer


GLENDALE -- One of the biggest caches of suspected Ecstasy in the city's history -- 30,000 tablets -- was seized Tuesday, and police arrested three men on suspicion of distributing the illegal drug.
Search warrants served Monday in Glendale and San Bernardino also resulted in the seizure of six kilograms of suspected cocaine and $50,000 to $100,000 in cash, said Glendale Lt. Gary Montecuollo.

"This is probably one of the largest seizures of Ecstasy in Glendale," said Montecuollo, adding that the drugs are believed to have a street value of at least $450,000.

"If we can take 30,000 tablets off the street ... that's a very positive effort to get that drug out of the hands of people who are going to use it."

Citing the ongoing investigation, police refused to release the names of the three suspects. They are expected to face federal drug charges.

U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration offices in Los Angeles and El Paso, Texas, along with the Albuquerque Police Department, asked Glendale police for their help on a narcotics investigation in which they believed a source of supply and distribution to New Mexico lived in Glendale.

Police are attempting to identify the source of the narcotics, and anticipate more arrests.

"This is a large-scale narcotics supplier of the Los Angeles area and to some distributors residing in the New Mexico area," said Glendale police narcotics investigator Joe Allen. "We're continuing to look into items of evidence obtained throughout the investigation that will help lead us to additional suppliers of the narcotics to these individuals."

LInk
 
Police arrest woman suspected of trying to smuggle Ecstasy

Last Update: 13/07/2004 12:36

Police arrest woman suspected of trying to smuggle Ecstasy

By Roni Singer, Haaretz Correspondent

Ben-Gurion Airport police on Tuesday arrested a 31-year old female resident of Holon after they found 55,000 Ecstasy tablets wrapped in M & M candy packages hidden in her baggage.

Police detectives decided to search the woman's baggage after she aroused suspicion after returning to Israel from Zurich. Detectives found a hidden compartment in the woman's suitcase in which the Ecstasy tablets were hidden.

The tablets were estimated to have a street value of some NIS 5 million.

The suspect, transferred into Tel Aviv district police custody, is not cooperating with investigators.

According to airport police statistics, 150,000 similarly-wrapped Ecstasy tablets have been confiscated at Ben-Gurion during the past number of months from individuals attempting to smuggle them into the country.

The trial of former energy minister Gonen Segev, also suspected of attempting to smuggle Ecstasy into Israel, is set to begin shortly.

According to the suspicions against him, Segev left the Ecstasy tablets, also disguised in M & M wrappers, in the Amsterdam airport when he realized he had attracted the attention of authorities.

Link
 
16-year-old club hostess arrested for selling Ecstasy tablets

July 10/2004

SINGAPORE : A 16-year-old club hostess has been arrested for selling Ecstasy tablets at Club Millennium KTV at Furama Hotel.

Central Narcotics Bureau officers arrested her and her companion minutes after she sold five Ecstasy tablets to an undercover agent.

CNB then proceeded to raid the KTV lounge and arrested a total of 10 hostesses, a male PR manager and a male customer on suspicion of taking the drugs.

The young hostess will be investigated for trafficking, and if convicted, faces a minimum sentence of five years in jail.

CNB officers continued their blitz and arrested the woman's associates -- two 18-year-old men and a 25-year-old man -- and netted another 12 suspected abusers. - CNA

Link
 
Border Patrol nets about $3.8 million in marijuana

July 14/2004

Odessa American

Two men accused of smuggling marijuana into the country in jalapeño cans were among four arrested late last week by the U.S. Border Patrol.
Border Patrol agents seized about $3.8 million in marijuana in three separate cases. The narcotics weighed more than 4,800 pounds.
In all three cases, the arrested men, the vehicles and the narcotics were turned over to the Drug Enforcement Administration. The identities of the suspects were not available Tuesday.

About 10:30 p.m. Friday, two men driving a Penske three-ton international harvester entered the checkpoint south of Marfa. The men claimed to be transporting goods they had purchased in Presidio to El Paso. Border Patrol agents who searched the truck discovered several pallet loads of six-pound cans of jalapeños. About 540 of the jalapeño cans had marijuana in sealed pouches. The total weight of the drugs was 1,647 pounds valued at more than $1.3 million.

Also, about 10 a.m. Friday, Alpine station agents arrested a 45-year-old Krum man driving a 2000 Ford pickup. The man is accused of dumping 2,980 pounds of marijuana in the area. Border Patrol agents were able to track truck tires and the driver’s footprints from the place where the driver was arrested to where the marijuana had been dumped, a news release said. The value of that marijuana is estimated at about $2.4 million.
Finally, agents at the Marfa checkpoint found 234 pounds of marijuana about 10:30 p.m. Thursday in a 1978 Ford pickup driven by a 37-year-old Pecos resident. The drugs were hidden in cement bags in the back of the pickup and had an estimated value of $187,680, a news release said.

Link
 
Supermodel Busted For Coke

Model prisoner:
Beauty in coke bust

BY SCOTT SHIFREL
DAILY NEWS STAFF WRITER


Hot young mannequin and Tribeca tenant Ingrid Parewijck is the new face of a sexy men’s cologne, but her latest pose is for a mug shot after being busted at JFK with three bags of cocaine.

She's the new face of a sexy French cologne, but that didn't put Kennedy Airport drug inspectors off the scent - they said they found her with three bags of cocaine.
Hot young model Ingrid Parewijck was busted Saturday night after arrival from Paris when a routine customs inspection found her carrying 2.7grams of the drug, Queens prosecutors said.

The Belgian beauty had one plastic package in her right front pants pocket and two more in her brown leather handbag, according to a criminal complaint.

Last month, Parewijck's profile and bare back were featured in advertisements introducing a new men's fragrance, L'Instant de Guerlain Pour Hommes, from the same famous perfumer that produces Shalimar, Samsara and Vetiver.

At the airport, Parewijck, 25, a tall, thin blond who has graced the likes of Vogue, Elle and Photo magazines, was led off in handcuffs to spend most of the night in a dingy holding cell, a Port Authority police spokesman said.

"She was scared ... petrified," said a source who attended Parewijck's arraignment in Queens Criminal Court the next morning.

"This is not a situation ... where this is for sale," her lawyer, Gregory Watts, told the judge, according to a transcript of the proceeding. "It may be just a problem she has regarding drug abuse."

"It's pretty pathetic if it is for personal use," Judge Laura Ward shot back. "I've seen more than my fair share of models convicted on drug charges doing five to 15 years in jail... .

"If you put that stuff up your nose one time, that's one time too many. Do you understand that?"

"Yes," Parewijck replied.

The model, who faces up to 15 years in prison if convicted, was released without bail.

Parewijck shares a fifth-floor loft in a fashionable Tribeca building with a roommate, Fabiana Lutti, who said yesterday she has not seen her high-flying friend in about a month.

Lutti said she was "not happy" to hear of Parewijck's arrest.

Their building is near Next Model Management, the agency that represents Parewijck.

Neither the head of Next Model Management, Faith Kates, nor Parewijck's attorney returned calls seeking comment yesterday.


Link
 
Traffic stop nets 283 pounds of marijuana

Traffic stop nets 283 pounds of marijuana
By LARRY HENDRICKS
Sun Staff Reporter
07/14/2004

Nearly 300 pounds of marijuana heading from Tucson to Chicago made a detour Monday afternoon into the hands of highway patrol officers in Flagstaff.
Sgt. Rod Wigman with the Flagstaff office of the Arizona Department of Public Safety said an officer pulled over the driver of a 1993 Ford Crown Victoria for speeding on Interstate 40 just east of the city at approximately 2:45 p.m.

The officer spoke with the female driver, who displayed signs of nervousness during the contact, Wigman said. The officer, suspecting a crime might be in progress, asked if he could search the car.

"Right after the driver refused consent, the driver told the officer they had a few partially burnt marijuana cigarettes in the ash tray," Wigman said.

Once armed with probable cause, the officer searched the car and found 283 pounds of marijuana in the trunk.


The marijuana had been wrapped in mustard, contact paper and cellophane, Wigman said. It has a street value of more than $450,000.

Arrested on charges of possession and transportation of marijuana for sale were Amber C. Alfonso, 19, Franklin Park, Ill., and Gerardo A. Barillas, 22, Tampa, Fla.

The two were traveling from Tucson to Chicago, Wigman said.

"They said they were just going on a big road trip," Wigman said.

He added that detectives believe Alfonso and Barillas were serving as "mules" or transporting the drugs for another party.

According to information from the Metro anti-narcotics task force in Flagstaff, marijuana sells on the street for approximately $25 a quarter-ounce. That would give Monday's seizure a cash value of $452,800.

In 2003, officers with DPS in northern Arizona seized 10,631 pounds of marijuana. In 2002, officers seized 5,310 pounds of marijuana.


Link
 
the driver told the officer they had a few partially burnt marijuana cigarettes in the ash tray


Why in the hell would you be smoking pot wile driving with all that weed in the car. That is pretty stupid
 
Authorities in Calif. seize 33,000 doses of ecstasy

Authorities in Calif. seize 33,000 doses of ecstasy headed for N.M.

Last Update: 07/14/2004 6:21:59 PM
By: Todd Dukart

Police in Glendale, California, seized $400,000 worth of ecstasy they say was headed to New Mexico.

Police say the drugs were found with three men in the Los Angeles-area city, who may be tied to a major drug distribution ring based in New Mexico.

The 33,000 doses of ecstasy were also found with 10 pounds of cocaine, which is worth at least $120,000, and nearly $100,000 in cash.

The Drug Enforcement Agency says the load was headed to northern New Mexico. The Glendale Police Department says it’s the largest load of ecstasy it’s ever seen.

Authorities hope to be able to catch more people linked with the three men arrested, so their names are not being released.

Link
 
Labradors 'were used as drug couriers'
By Oliver Poole, Telegraph (UK)
(Filed: 16/07/2004)

Two labradors had 21 cocaine canisters placed in their stomachs by a gang trying to smuggle the drug into Britain, a court was told yesterday.

Rex, a golden labrador, and Frispa, a black labrador, were on a plane from Colombia when their poor condition was noticed by a vet during a stopover in Amsterdam.

He saw they had four-week-old surgical scars on their bellies and detected hard objects around Rex's stomach. X-rays showed packets inside both the animals' body cavity beside their internal organs.

John Cooper, QC, prosecuting, said at Norwich Crown Court that several canisters had fused to the connective tissue inside Frispa, meaning that they could not be removed without killing her.

However, the condition had made the dog very weak and Customs officials were told that, if the objects were left in place, she would not survive and was put to sleep.

Several members of the gang were detained at Stansted airport, Essex, when 1.13 kilograms of cocaine worth £126,000 was recovered.

Sophia McPherson, 24, a student at St Martin's College in London, was arrested when she arrived at the airport to pick up the dogs from the Martinair flight on Oct 3 and charged with conspiracy to import Class A drugs.

Three others, Gregory Graham, 27, of Harrow, north-west London, and Glenroy Kentish, 28, of Hitchin, Herts, were arrested in a nearby lay-by shortly afterwards.

Kaye Chapman, also of Harrow, who police say was originally intended to pick up the dogs, was arrested later that day. All four have pleaded not-guilty.

The trial continues.

Link
 
^ Those poor doggies, in pain for four weeks! I hope these assholes get charged with animal cruelty on top of the drug charges.
 
Family Says Opium Was For Pets
3 Arrested After Opium Found In Garden
TheIowaChannel.com
July 16, 2004

PELLA, Iowa -- The family charged earlier this week after police found opium in their back yard said the plants were for pets.

Central Iowa drug agents made a big bust Tuesday. Investigators found about 20,000 opium plants -- which is about 3,000 pounds -- at xxxx xxxxx Ave. in rural Pella. Officers arrested three people from Pella: Al Yang, 61; Xay Vue Yang, 52; and Samantha Yang, 39. All three were charged with manufacturing of a controlled substance.

The Yang family garden is full of fresh fruit and flowers. The neighbors thought they were beautiful.

"Pretty red flowers, just in the garden and the garden was full," said Jodi Lautenbach, the Yangs' neighbor.

Sam Yang said she never imagined she would be arrested for growing opium. She claims the opium is medicine for her animals when they get injured.

"Snake bite. Get rid of pain," said Yang.

Police are not so sure. They say opium can be used to make drugs like heroin. According to officers, the garden was overflowing with opium to the tune of 20,000 plants.

It's a rare find in Iowa.

"It was new and different for us. We have never run into it before," said Marion County Sheriff Greg Verwers.

Drug agents seized some of the flowers as evidence and destroyed most of the others. A few still grow in the Yang family garden.

The family insists they are not in the drug business.

"Never sold this. Never in my life. My dad, my mom -- we live here 11 years, we never did any drugs or cocaine here," Yang said.

Officers also said they seized a large sum of U.S. currency, along with foreign currency. Yang said that money was brought from Laos.

Link
 
Status
Not open for further replies.
Top