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Navy nabs 6 tons of cocaine off S. America

Navy nabs 6 tons of cocaine off S. America

Honolulu, HI,
Aug. 15
United Press International

Honolulu, HI, Aug. 15 (UPI) -- A Hawaii-based Navy warship has been compiling an impressive record of drug seizures while patrolling the waters off Central and South America. The Honolulu Star-Bulletin said Sunday the crew of the frigate USS Crommelin has seized nearly seven tons of cocaine and arrested 20 suspected drug smugglers in the eastern Pacific since setting out from Pearl Harbor in May.

The Crommelin's skipper, Cmdr. Don Hodge, told the Star-Bulletin in a telephone interview from Peru that his ship and the Mississippi-based cruiser Ticonderoga picked up nearly two tons of cocaine during a single interception in late June off the coast of Costa Rica.

The frigate also rescued three Costa Rican fishermen in June who had been adrift in their disabled boat for more than two weeks.






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Marijuana stash houses and seizures on the rise

Marijuana stash houses and seizures on the rise

August 15, 2004
Lupita Murillo
KVOA.com


Stash houses and marijuana seizures in Tucson have been dramtically increasing over the last 18 months.

On Tuesday, drug agents busted an international drug trafficking ring.

The Dominguez drug organization had ties to Jamaican smuggling organizations. It's reported they were responsible for bringing up to $1 million worth of marijuana into Southern Arizona every day.

Captain Dave Neri of the Counter Narcotics Alliance, a multi-agency drug task force says, "Just in the investigation we've done with this one group, we have connected them to other stash houses and distributions organizations in LA, Ohio, New York, New Jersey at a minimum."

So how are those drugs crossing the border and ending up in stash houses?

Captain Neri believes, "The proximity of Tucson to the Arizona border; recognizing we are in the easiest pathway to get narcotics across the border."

Once the drugs make it across the border, I- 10 and I-19 are used to funnel the drugs to Tucson and points beyond.

Authorities say they are funneling a lot.

Part of that is because Mexico is growing more marijuana than ever before. Authorities say it seems now the weather there has been so good that growing and harvesting is occurring nearly on a year round basis making the availability so much greater.

It's also more lucrative to smuggle in more amounts of marijuana. It's a matter of economics.

Captain Neri adds, "If you are going to take the risk with 1,000 pounds, might as well take it to 2,000 or 5,000 and we're seeing more and more volumes like that come across. "


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Heroin bust cash 'funded' high life

Heroin bust cash 'funded' high life


By James Madden
The Sunday Mail
17aug04


THREE senior Victorian drug squad detectives and one of their wives, also a police officer, allegedly used money confiscated during heroin busts to fund the purchase of cars, boats, property and cattle.

The police quartet, who are accused of stealing and selling 10kg of high-grade heroin worth $1.5 million, allegedly used the proceeds of regular drug raids and subsequent trafficking operations to fund extravagant lifestyles.

The Melbourne Magistrates Court heard yesterday Senior Detective Ian Ferguson and his wife, Senior Constable Joanne Ferguson, were charged last May along with Senior Detective Glenn Sadler and former detective Stephen Cox with a series of drug and theft offences.

It was claimed the stealing and selling took place between May 1999 and December 2002.

Prosecutor Julian Leckie QC told the court the Fergusons made purchases to the value of $242,042.

They included household furniture, an in-ground pool, a BMW and cattle, despite tax records indicating that their combined after-tax income for the period was just $150,000.

Records showed that during those 3½ years the Fergusons deposited $273,059 in cash into their bank account, while a further $175,077 in "untraced deposits" was uncovered, Mr Leckie said.

The court was told the four accused had, at different times, been heard on police surveillance tapes discussing their expanding wealth.

Detective Sadler, who was once the deputy president of the state's police association, allegedly spoke of his intention to become a silent partner in a $1.2 million brothel. The Fergusons allegedly talked about the value of their properties - said to have been worth $1.1 million - and the possibility of buying a farm and establishing a bed-and-breakfast business.

The court also heard that one dealer arranged a visit to a South Melbourne brothel for Detective Ferguson and one of his friends after the drug officer allowed him to purchase heroin on credit.

On another occasion, Detective Ferguson allegedly stuffed more than $100,000 down his socks and in his bum bag during one drug raid.

Two blocks of heroin with a street value of $370,000 were stolen during the same raid.

It was alleged some of the proceeds of the sale of the heroin were later used by Detective Ferguson to buy a BMW for himself and a four-wheel-drive for Detective Sadler, Mr Leckie said.

Detectives Ferguson, Sadler and Cox were formerly attached to the Victorian Drug Squad, which has since been disbanded.

At the time of the alleged offences, Constable Ferguson was stationed at Corio police station, near Geelong, but was introduced to the alleged scam by her husband, the court was told yesterday.

The corrupt activity allegedly began in April 1999 when detectives Sadler and Cox arrested a heroin dealer in the city. At a subsequent raid they found $19,000 in cash and allegedly kept the money.

Detective Ferguson is facing nine charges, including drug trafficking, theft, money laundering and bribery. Constable Ferguson is facing four charges, including money laundering and drug trafficking.

Mr Cox, who has since left the force, has been charged with five counts, including drug trafficking and attempting to pervert the course of justice, while Detective Sadler will face eight charges including blackmail, bribery, theft and drug trafficking.

The hearing, which is expected to last for up to six weeks, continues.

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Undercover cops seize four men, more than pound of cocaine

Undercover cops seize four men, more than pound of cocaine


Tuesday, August 17, 2004
By Michaelangelo Conte
Journal staff writer


Four Hudson County men were arrested and more than a pound of cocaine was seized following a drug purchase by undercover officers from the Hudson County Prosecutor's Office's Narcotics Task Force last week.

Raymond Vasquez, 26, of Union City, and Jersey City residents Alex Vasquez, 27, of Bowers Street; Ericdelma Vega, 26, of Manila Avenue; and Alfredo Diaz, 27, of Manhattan Avenue, all face charges of drug possession with intent to distribute, Hudson County Prosecutor Edward DeFazio said.

The men were arrested in the parking lot of the Ringside Lounge, on Tonnelle Avenue in Jersey City, after investigators purchased of 200 grams of cocaine in an undercover operation, DeFazio said.

Investigators then searched the nearby Manhattan Avenue residence of Raymond Vasquez and found an additional 270 grams of cocaine hidden in the ceiling of his apartment, DeFazio said.

The investigation leading to the arrests was launched in May, after officers made the first in what would be a series of drug purchases from Raymond Vasquez, DeFazio said.

All four were charged with possession of cocaine with the intent to distribute, and Raymond Vasquez was additionally charged with four counts of distribution of cocaine to an undercover officer, DeFazio said.

At the time of the arrests, Ericdelma Vega was out on a $100,000 bail set in March for an arrest on a suspected drug transaction, DeFazio said.

The drug sale and arrest happened in front of Vega's 3-year-old son, who was sitting in the back seat of the father's car, DeFazio said.

Both Raymond and Alex Vasquez were on parole when they were arrested last week, DeFazio said.

Bail for Raymond Vasquez and Ericdelma Vega was set at $150,000 each. Bail for Alfredo Diaz was set at $125,000. Alex Vasquez, also known as Adam Vega, was being held without bail pending further investigation.


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Ripping off marijuana dealers nets prison term

Ripping off marijuana dealers nets prison term

Two of defendants sentenced to eight years in prison

BY JIM HOUSTON
Tue, Aug. 17, 2004
Ledger-Enquirer

If the robbers who ripped off a marijuana-dealing couple thought the crime would not be reported, they thought wrong.

Michael B. Hearn and John Bissell were sentenced to eight years in prison Monday after pleading guilty in Muscogee Superior Court to robbery of a man and woman who had allegedly sold marijuana to one of their cohorts the night before.

Assistant District Attorney Lew Barrow said the Feb. 21 robbery of Tiffany Lane and Anthony Littlefield apparently was conceived after their friend Brandon Williams bought marijuana from the couple the evening before at the Super 8 Motel, xxxx xxxx xxxxx Road.

The couple had more marijuana and obviously had the money from the earlier sale, so the plot was hatched to take both, Barrow told Chief Judge Kenneth Followill. Co-defendant April Lamb, 25, called to set up another marijuana buy, then went to the motel and knocked on the couple's door, but when the door opened, Hearn and Bissell forced their way into the room, attacking Littlefield with brass knuckles and threatening him with a knife while Lamb occupied Lane, he said.

When the trio left with about a quarter-pound of marijuana and an undisclosed amount of money, the couple saw Brandon Williams sitting in the car in which the group left, Barrow said.

The prosecutor said the plea bargain included reducing the armed robbery charges against Hearn and Bissell to robbery and dismissing two counts of aggravated assault and possession of a weapon during a crime.

Williams is docketed for a guilty plea before Followill on Friday. Lamb's case remains active while psychological evaluations are being conducted, according to records.

Followill followed the plea bargain recommendation, ordering Hearn and Bissell to serve eight years in prison, followed by four years on probation.


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Accused grower caught watering plants, agents say

Accused grower caught watering plants, agents say


Monday, Aug 16, 2004
By KEITH KINNAIRD
Bonner County Daily Bee

Agents camped at grow site

SANDPOINT -- A month-long investigation into a marijuana growing operation culminated Saturday with the arrest of a Bonner County man, the Sundance Drug Task Force announced on Monday.

Colten Judd Plue, a 25-year-old Rapid Lightning Road resident, was arrested when he showed up to water the marijuana plants, the task force said. He is charged with manufacturing a controlled substance, a felony.

The size and location of the growing operation were not disclosed by task force officials, nor were those details noted in court documents. A review of the call log kept by Bonner Dispatch showed only one drug-related entry on Saturday, a controlled substance violation report in the 4000 block of Upper Gold Creek Road at about 4:30 p.m. However, it could not be confirmed Monday if the call related to Plue's arrest.


Appearing via video feed from the Bonner County Jail on Monday, Plue heard the charge read against him. Judge Quentin F. Harden fixed Plue's bail at $7,500. A preliminary hearing to determine if enough evidence exists to try Plue on the manufacturing charge is pending in the magistrate division of 1st District Court.

Plue is pleading innocent to the charge, according to court documents filed by his Sandpoint attorney, Bryce Powell. A records search at the Bonner County Courthouse showed Plue had a clean criminal record, aside from some motor vehicle-related citations.

Members of Sundance, a joint task force operated by the Sheriff's Office and Sandpoint Police Department, said they have been investigating the case for more than a month. Agents have been monitoring activity at the grow site and spent nearly a week camped out at the location.

Plue allegedly arrived at the site on Saturday afternoon with his dog. Agents said they watched Plue water the plants using plastic jugs and water from a nearby creek. Plue was then arrested without incident.

Agents said Plue told them he used marijuana infrequently and said he thought growing it "would be a good way to pay some bills."

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You're joking right? All this shit for the sake of stopping a quarter of a pound for hitting the streets?

Sheez, they might as well get Interpol to be busting into the kindergarten labarotories... they'd be bigger seizures!
 
Haywood County - Mayor Sharpe dodges felony drug charge

Haywood County - Mayor Sharpe dodges felony drug charge

By KARY BOOHER
Aug 18 2004
Jackson Sun.com

Haywood County Mayor John Sharpe will not have to face a felony cocaine possession charge that, if successful, could have sent him to prison for at least eight years.

Instead, in a criminal case that has now slowly stretched into its fourth month and already spurred Sharpe to admit to drug and alcohol abuse, the Haywood County mayor could face only minimal jail time and a small fine. A grand jury handed down one count against Sharpe for possession of a schedule 2 controlled substance on Monday night, according to the Haywood County Circuit Court Clerk's office on Tuesday.

That charge is a simple misdemeanor, meaning that, if convicted, Sharpe would have to pay a maximum fine of $750 and serve jail time of up to 11 months and 29 days. The grand jury did not hand down indictments on the misdemeanor possession charges of marijuana and drug paraphernalia stemming from the original complaint. The main charge was felony possession of more than a gram of crack cocaine with intent to distribute, a charge that carries a maximum sentence of 30 years in prison and a $100,000 fine.

Sharpe, 39, is to be arraigned at 9 a.m. Monday in Circuit Court.

''All I can say is we expected the indictment for simple possession because that's what it was,'' said Sam Watridge, the attorney representing Sharpe. ''He has not sold drugs ever. The videotape they have exonerates him for selling cocaine.''

Watridge said he could not comment further because Judge Alan Wallace asked him and District Attorney Garry Brown not to make public comments, although no gag order has been issued.

Brown could not be reached for comment.

All this comes more than four months after Sharpe was arrested at 3:10 a.m. on April 16 at a Best Western motel near Brownsville in a reverse sting operation.

In an exclusive interview in May, Sharpe confessed to having a drug and alcohol addiction and admitted to using crack cocaine in the hours before his arrest. However, he insisted that the felony cocaine possession charge was excessive, saying he had only $19 in his wallet and that the street value of a gram of crack is about $100.

Monday's indictment also comes two months after Brown, acting on the unanimous resolution from county commissioners, filed an ouster suit to remove Sharpe from office.

A suspension hearing is scheduled at 2:30 p.m. Thursday in Circuit Court. Sharpe could be suspended from his job that pays $56,900 annually, then have a hearing on the ouster suit itself, said County Attorney Tommy Hooper. If Sharpe wins that case, he would be owed back pay and could return to office, Hooper said.

Brown has filed a motion to strike five paragraphs from the ouster suit complaint, which had nearly 20 accusations against Sharpe.

Those paragraphs had accused Sharpe of manipulating the county budget to add $5,500 to his salary without approval. Sharpe then countered by asking for the suit to be dismissed, and County Trustee William ''Sonny'' Howse gave a deposition in which he said he was present at those meetings and said Sharpe did not manipulate the budget.

If Sharpe is completely removed from office and commissioners place the county mayor's job on the November ballot, it would have to be done before noon on Sept. 7, said Allen King, the acting chairman of the county commission.


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Police share $2.75 million from Oakland drug lab

Police share $2.75 million from Oakland drug lab

By Don Thompson
ASSOCIATED PRESS

12:42 a.m. June 2, 2004

SACRAMENTO – State and local police agencies are sharing in $2.75 million seized from an Oakland company that federal prosecutors say once supplied more than half the methamphetamine lab equipment and chemicals to Central Valley drug manufacturers.

Custom Lab Supply Inc. forfeited $3.75 million, a portion of the $20.4 million the company earned between January 1995 and November 1997 selling chemicals and supplies for cash. In 1996 and 1997, the company was the state's largest retailer selling chemicals for cash, according to federal prosecutors.

On Tuesday, Drug Enforcement Administration Deputy Administrator Michelle Leonheart and U.S. Attorney McGregor W. Scott distributed a portion of the seized money to state and local police agencies that helped bring down the lab.

The money will be shared by the Stanislaus Drug Enforcement Agency, Sacramento Police Department, California Bureau of Narcotics Enforcement and the California Highway Patrol.

The investigation targeted commercial suppliers of chemicals and equipment used in the production of methamphetamine, capitalizing on a state program that tracks chemical cash sales above $100 to control the production of meth and other illegal drugs.

Prosecutors said more than $6.7 million, or 95 percent of the company's 1996 sales, were comprised of six items – iodine, red phosphorous, hydrogen chloride gas, Freon, sodium hydroxide and equipment for heating substances.

"Buyers (were) bringing in as much as $50,000 cash for a single transaction," Scott said. "At trial, a Drug Enforcement Administration chemist testified that the chemicals and equipment sold by Custom were capable of producing 51,000 pounds of methamphetamine."

http://www.signonsandiego.com/news/state/20040602-0042-ca-labindictment.html
 
Man Tries to Smoke Crack as He Sinks Into Lake

[size=big]Man Tries to Smoke Crack as He Sinks Into Lake[/size]

[size=big]N[/size]ORTH PATCHOGUE, N.Y. (AP) — A police chase ended when a Long Island motorist drove into a backyard pond and tried to smoke a crack pipe just before his car sank, police said.

Officers tried to stop Yasyn Abdul-Mattin, 32, after seeing him driving erratically at about 12:16 a.m. Friday, Suffolk County Police said.

Instead of pulling over, Abdul-Mattin took off and went up a private driveway, continuing into a backyard pond, police said in a news release.

Police said Abdul-Mattin refused to get out of the car and tried to light a crack pipe instead. Just before the car sank, he climbed out a rear window that an officer had broken, police said.

Police said they were charging Abdul-Mattin, of Smithtown, with driving while impaired by drugs and several traffic violations.

Read Original

 
Marijuana activist handed three months in jail

Marijuana activist handed three months in jail

Friday, August 20, 2004 - Page A6

Saskatoon -- One of Canada's best-known marijuana activists was sentenced yesterday to three months in jail after pleading guilty to trafficking when he passed a marijuana cigarette to a supporter.

Marc Emery, president of the B.C. Marijuana Party, was charged with trafficking after he spoke at a political rally at the University of Saskatchewan in March.

Mr. Emery's lawyer said the sentence is too strict for simply passing one joint to another person.

Outside the courthouse, Mr. Emery said his devotion to marijuana won't change. CP

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Storage space yields 50 pounds of pot

Storage space yields 50 pounds of pot

By STEVE LIEBERMAN
THE JOURNAL NEWS
(Original publication: August 21, 2004)

A Spring Valley police anti-terrorism detail acted on information that led to 50 pounds of marijuana in a Monsey storage unit being seized and a Nanuet man arrested on a felony drug charge, police said yesterday.

Ramapo police charged John A. Guarino, 43, of Spur Drive with first-degree criminal possession of marijuana. Guarino was arraigned yesterday and held on $50,000 bail in the county jail.

The marijuana seizure and arrest started with anti-terrorism planning by the Spring Valley Police Department.

Officer Ted Hughes of the anti-crime unit was talking to managers of several storage businesses in the village on Wednesday about allowing bomb- and drug-sniffing dogs to randomly inspect self-storage businesses, Spring Valley Police Chief Anthony Furco said.

The businesses rent large locked spaces to people. Checking such business has become a priority in anti-terrorism efforts, especially with the four-day Republican National Convention opening Aug. 30 in Manhattan.

Suburban police departments are operating as part of a web of intelligence gathering and sharing through the state Homeland Security Office, federal agencies and the New York City Police Department.

Furco said yesterday that someone told Hughes about suspicious activity involving drugs at a Monsey storage unit. Hughes called the Ramapo police and the investigation began.

Ramapo police obtained a search warrant Wednesday afternoon from Justice Sam Colman to search a unit at Public Storage, 185 Route 59 in Monsey, Ramapo police Sgt. John Lynch said yesterday.

The Ramapo and Spring Valley anti-crime units searched the unit Wednesday night, said Lynch, who oversees the Ramapo Police Department Detective Bureau. Police also used drug-sniffing dogs from the Waldwick, N.J., and Suffern police departments.

"The officers discovered more than 50 pounds of marijuana inside," Lynch said. "They did a good job."

The business' records indicated that Guarino rented the storage unit, he said, so police arrested him on the felony charge. He was arraigned yesterday morning by Ramapo Justice Rhoda Schoenberger, who set bail at $50,000.

Lynch said marijuana had a street value of up to $1,200 per pound, depending on the quality and the market. Marijuana also is sold in smaller amounts, in ounces and in so-called "nickel" and "dime" bags.

Police think their anti-terrorism efforts will continue to produce information about other potential crimes.

"This was a legitimate part of the duties we've all been assigned," Lynch said. "We're talking to people about potential terrorism. We're happy the way this played out."

Furco said anti-terrorism planning was part of the duties for the department's anti-crime unit, which includes Hughes and Officers Daniel McWilliams and John Beltempo.

"We're not saying by any means there is terroristic activity in this case," Furco said. "We weren't looking for drugs in this case. The process of police work led to different information. This was part of the mission we have."

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Thousands of pills, 22 pounds of marijuana seized in Eunice

Thousands of pills, 22 pounds of marijuana seized in Eunice

Stephanie Kirk
August 22, 2004
dailyworld.com

The city of Eunice became the scene of the largest prescription pill seizure in parish history this week.

Police recovered about $145,000 of illegal drugs from residents in the city. Agents in an undercover investigation recovered 9,500 Xanax pills, 9,000 Lortab pills and 22 pounds of marijuana, according to St. Landry Parish Sheriff Howard Zerangue.

Arrested in connection with the incident was Janice D. Lantz, 39, xxx xxxxxx St., Eunice. She was charged with conspiracy to possess with intent to distribute marijuana, Alprazolam (Xanax) and Hydrocodone (Lortab).

Also arrested was Daniel Doucet, 30, xxx xxxxx xxxx St., Eunice, He was with the same offense.

Details about the arrest could not be released because the investigation is ongoing, according to the sheriff's department.

Zerangue did say the suspects were turned over to the U. S. Marshal for prosecution by the U. S. Attorney's Office in the western district of Louisiana.

Parish drug agents worked with the United States Drug Enforcement Administration Task Force during the investigation.

The DEA Task Force consists of DEA agents, task force agents from the parish, Louisiana State Police, Lafayette Police Department, Iberia Parish Sheriff Department, Acadia Parish Sheriff Department. St. Mary Parish Sheriff Department and the Louisiana National Guard.

Zerangue thanked citizens who took time to give drug information.

"All information ascertained through phone calls is placed under investigation, and sometimes it takes time to work. All calls are confidential," the sheriff said.

Anyone with information about illegal drug activity is encouraged to call St. Landry Parish Drug Task Force at 948-6516 extension 3217.

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Man, 71, on oxygen, arrested for crack cocaine
By ALEXA DUKE, The Daily News
August 22, 2004

The golden years are supposed to be a time of rest, relaxation and enjoying the fruits of your labors.

Seventy-one-year-old Ernest Adolphus Tribble will be enjoying the fruits of his most recent labor behind bars, if officers from the East Texas Narcotics Task Force have anything to say about it.

"We had received information that he (Tribble) was selling drugs and had a prostitution ring operating from his home," said Task Force Commander Mickey Hadnot on Thursday. "We executed a search warrant and a 71-year-old man dragging an oxygen tank was arrested. He was found in possession of approximately two ounces of crack cocaine, two handguns, a rifle and a shotgun."

Hadnot said there was a female at the home in the xxxx block of Farm to Market Road xxx when officers arrived, but she "was not actually engaged in her trade when we got there. He said she was (a prostitute)."

Hadnot said Tribble had been in the area for the past seven years, but was in the penitentiary for drug trafficking before that time.

"Considering his medical condition and talking to him, he was like, 'I sell cocaine, I have (prostitutes), I sell beer, and when I get out of jail I'm going to start selling cocaine. I ain't got anything to live for, I'm already 71 years old, what are they going to do to me?'" Hadnot said. "There's very little doubt that when he gets out, and I'm sure he will because of his medical condition, he'll be right back at it."

Tribble was arrested Wednesday night and booked into the Rusk County Jail at around 1 a.m. He was arraigned in front of Pct. 5 Justice of the Peace Bob Richardson on one second degree felony charge of possession of a controlled substance. His bond was set at $30,000.

Jail records show that he was released from custody at 1:30 p.m. Thursday.

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Marijuana Charges for Couple Growing in the Front Yard!

Confrontation leads to pot arrest

08/20/04

Peel police said a man and woman were arrested last Tuesday after about 50 marijuana plants were found growing in the couple's front yard.

Peel Regional Police said officers were dispatched at about 3 p.m. to investigate a possible assault. A private citizen called police and reported seeing a woman being assaulted by a man in the Castlemore Road area. When the man and woman got into a car and drove away, the citizen followed, according to police reports.

They briefly pulled into the driveway of a Gore Road home before driving off again. Police said the Good Samaritan lost sight of the car after it drove away.

When officers arrived to investigate, they could not find the alleged assailant and victim, so they went to the house where they briefly stopped, a police report said.

While at the house, officers saw what they believed to be marijuana plants growing in the front yard and arrested the home's occupants. About 50 plants worth approximately $84,000 on the street were seized, police reported.

Frederick Pyke, 42, and Iliva Garritano, 38, are charged with production of a controlled substance and possession of drugs for the purpose of trafficking. Pyke was held for a bail hearing and Garritano was released under a promise to appear in court

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'Email drug dealer' sacked from Prudential HQ

August 23 2004

Two employees at financial services provider Prudential have been sacked after their e-mail conversations allegedly showed they had been dealing drugs at work.

The two workers, believed to be a man and a woman, from Prudential’s head office in Stirling, were dismissed after the company deciphered specially coded e-mails.

Six others have been subject to disciplinary action after the Prudential's bosses launched an investigation into the matter, according to the Daily Record.

The six were accused of being involved in the drug dealing after their names were found on the alleged dealers' e-mail lists, the newspaper said.

The Scottish police, who reportedly found quantities of amphetamines, cannabis and ecstasy at the couple’s home, are now investigating the matter.


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Jail for 'cannabis factory' workers
By Steve Evans, icCoventry
Aug 23 2004

Two men who worked as the gardener and odd-job man running a cannabis 'factory' in Nuneaton have been jailed.

Judge Richard Cole, who jailed the pair at Warwick Crown Court, told them: "People who take part in the production of dangerous drugs have to realise that they go to prison if caught."

The court heard that two bedrooms of a rented house in James Street, Nuneaton, were used as growing rooms.

Another room was used for propagating cuttings and the hall was used as a drying room.

Robert Liddle, 44, of Moore Road, Barwell, near Hinckley, was jailed for 18 months and Mark Nettleton, 41, of Belle View Road, Barwell, was sent to prison for nine months.

Liddle pleaded guilty to producing cannabis and Nettle-ton admitted being concerned in its production.

They denied a charge of possessing 1.78 kilos of cannabis with intent to supply it and being concerned in the supply of cannabis.

Prosecutor Neal Williams said Nuneaton police went to the house last July to check on a vehicle. When the house door was opened, one of the officers noticed "a very strong aroma of cannabis," he said.

Officers went inside to carry out a drugs search and Mr Williams told the court: "In the bedrooms they found what was in effect a cannabis-growing factory with all the related hydroponic equipment, lighting and so on which was necessary for the growing of the crop and the drying of it."

Inside the house, the court heard, there were about 200 cannabis plants, some of which were almost ready to harvest, plus a "significant" quantity of cannabis being dried and various other quantities of the drug around the house.

Liddle, who was described as the "gardener" and who had previous convictions for growing cannabis, was offered a weekly wage of £350 by a man who recruited him for the operation. He refused to name the man.

The court was told he had worked at the house for three months and was due to get £4,200 - plus some of the crop.

Nettleton was the odd-job man. The judge was told that he had been hired to help Liddle and received a small amount of cannabis for his own use as payment.

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