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Neighborhood Easter egg hunt interrupted by massive drug bust

SALMON CREEK, Wash. (KOIN) — A neighborhood Easter egg hunt was marred by the threat of violence and a police response that found an unlicensed marijuana business and $108,000.

The incident began around 6 p.m. in the Salmon Creek neighborhood, Clark County Sheriff’s Office said, when a man ran into the neighborhood screaming his roommate was going to shoot him.

When police responded, they found a pot operation in a home at 13318 NE 3rd Court. Authorities said they found more than 45 pounds of pot and $100,000 in cash during a search. They also seized 5 vehicles believed involved in the business.

“It smelled like marijuana,” neighbor Breein Scarlett said. “Overpowering smells.”

It’s believed the business was delivering pot throughout the U.S.

Three people were arrested: Charles J. Yorkovich, 24, Joseph E. Sullivan, 24, and Jordan M. Long, 27. All are from Vancouver.

Yorkovich faces a charge of possession with intent to deliver, while Sullivan and Long were booked on felony drug warrants from Missouri.

The investigation continues.

vancdrugs.jpg



Source and video: http://wavy.com/2016/03/28/neighborhood-easter-egg-hunt-interrupted-by-massive-drug-bust/
 
Agents bust one of the largest drug rings in north Georgia

HALL COUNTY, Ga. —
Drug agents believe they've broken up one of the largest drug rings in the area.

A grand jury indicted 12 people on federal drug charges. They are calling the ring out of Hall County the “Lenox Park Cartel” because virtually every single one of the people arrested lived in the Lenox Park subdivision or knew people who did.

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Agents think the group is responsible for distributing nearly 9,000 pounds of meth throughout north Georgia.

Agents say Ruben Ruiz is the leader, and like nearly all of the others arrested, lived in the neighborhood.

Police photos taken during the initial raids in September show tubs of meth, packets of marijuana and a lot of guns that were seized by agents.

They arrested 12 people on serious state drug charges and, a month later, arrested them again on federal drug charges.

One of those men is Diego Contero. Contero’s sister-in-law insists that he is not a part of the cartel.

“My brother didn’t do it. He didn’t,” Gabriela Silva told Channel 2’s Richard Elliot. “What they're charging him with, they never caught him with the stuff. The only thing he had right here were the rifles and that's all.”

Contero’s wife told Elliot she believes her husband is innocent.

“I feel and I think that everybody that knows him, he is innocent because he wasn't caught with the things they were charging him with. That's why I say he's innocent," said Miriam Silva.

Drug agents disagree. They even arrested Contero's brothers.

The agents seized more than $800,000 dollars in meth, $20,000 dollars in cocaine and $12,000 dollars in marijuana.


Source: http://www.wsbtv.com/news/local/hal...largest-drug-rings-in-north-georgia/185659928
 
Thai police ‘ice’ move to smuggle 282kg of drugs


tha03_300316_dadah.ashx


BANGKOK: Thai police 'iced' a daring move by two Malaysians to use a road route to smuggle methampetamine (ice) into Malaysia when they seized a 282kg consignment at the Sadao Immigration Checkpoint on Wednesday.

The suspects, aged 37 and 59, and driving a Thai-registered Nissan Cefiro and a Proton were arrested at the checkpoint about 5pm, following information from the Malaysian police.

Each man was ferrying 175kg and 107kg of drugs, respectively, in the rear of their vehicles.

Thai Police Chief Pol Gen Chakhtip Chaijinda said the two arrests bring the total number of Malaysians detained for drug smuggling over the past week to 23.

On April 23 and 24, Thai police detained 21 Malaysians linked to a drug syndicate, at several locations in Thailand, seizing 226kg of 'ice' and eight kilogrammes of heroin.

The two Malaysian men were paraded during today's press conference at the Thai Narcotics Suppression Bureau here. Also present was Bukit Aman's Narcotics Director, Datuk Mokhtar Mohd Shariff.

According to Chakhtip, the seizures over the past week make up the largest drug haul by the Thai Police in recent years, and commended his men and the close cooperation with the Malaysian police for the resounding success.

Meawhile, Thai Police Deputy Chief, Pol Gen Pongsapat Pongcharoen said a folllow-up operation was underway to determine whether the seized drugs from the 23 Malaysians were sourced from the same 'factory' located in a neigbouring country.

"We will be conducting a laboratory test on whether the drugs came from the same factory, which just focused on producing pure 'ice' for the market. We suspect this drug factory to be a big one," he said Thursday.

He noted the packaging and the logos for the drugs from the separate seizures were quite similar.

The drugs seized from the 21 Malaysians last week were packaged in an 'instant coffee' and 'biscuit' packaging, while in yesterday's case, the drugs were contained in a 'tea leaf' packaging.

Thai Narcotics Police Chief Pol Lt Gen Rawat Klinkesan said the value of the drugs seized by the Thai police from the two Malaysians yesterday could fetch RM600 million, if sold outside Thailand or Malaysia

cont http://www.thestar.com.my/news/nati...-by-two-malaysians-to-smuggle-282kg-of-drugs/
 
Adelaide drug trafficker makes bid to avoid jail to stay with 18-month-old child

A judge has been asked not to jail a drug trafficker because her baby would suffer separation hardship due to the lack of a mothers and babies unit at Adelaide Women's Prison.

Sorayah Louise Constant, 31, of Woodville, pleaded guilty to six counts of attempting to import a marketable quantity of a border-controlled precursor.

Each offence carries a maximum penalty of 15 years' imprisonment and a $510,000 fine.

The court heard she placed orders for various medications from overseas containing pseudoephedrine which could have produced methylamphetamine hydrochloride with a street value of $102,000.

The offending breached a good behaviour bond for an earlier drug trafficking offence.

Her lawyer, Heather Stokes, asked the District Court not to impose an immediate prison term because Constant's 18-month-old baby would be traumatised by the separation due to the lack of facilities in South Australia for infants to live with their mothers in prison.

Judge Paul Cuthberston said it was a "tall order" to suspend a prison term, but Ms Stokes said it was warranted.

"I have got to ask you to do that because I don't see any benefit to anybody, particularly the community, to having someone sacrificing this child on the altar of general deterrence," Ms Stokes said.

"This woman is a very good mother with a very close, healthy bond with this child; a mother who no longer uses drugs."

Damage to child could be 'permanent'

Ms Stokes said removing a child from their mother at a young age significantly increased the likelihood of dysfunction and criminal behaviour.

"I don't want to end up acting for this child when they're 15 to 18 years old, and that's statistically what's likely to happen," she said.

"The bottom line is, it might be thanks to government lack of concern, or at least lip service to the concern, that we are in a position where this child should not suffer."

Commonwealth prosecutor Alice Bills said while the Crown acknowledged the likely hardship created by Constant's imprisonment and separation from her child, it did not warrant exceptional circumstances to justify leniency.

Judge Cuthbertson said his main concern was for the child.

"The hardship to the mother is perhaps not so important because it's of her own making and it's something she will have to deal with, but for the 18-month-old child it's not of the child's making and the chance is that the damage could be permanent," he said.

"We see it all the time in these courts, people who come in and they say they have had an unfortunate parenting situation."

Judge Cuthbertson will sentence Constant on April 18.

Unit would help only small section of prison population

Adelaide Women's Prison manager Darian Shephard-Bayly told the hearing a mothers and babies unit was discontinued due to concerns about the service's quality.

Darian Shephard-Bayly
PHOTO: Darian Shephard-Bayly says SA is the only state not to have mothers and babies units in prison. (ABC News: Candice Prosser)
He said re-establishing a similar unit would require specific funding and resources and probably only benefit about 5 per cent of the female prison population.

He also said a more holistic approach with parenting programs for the rest of the population would be beneficial.

Without the unit, a child would have little more than two hours of access to its mother if she was jailed.

Mr Shephard-Bayly said the "best-case scenario" was if the "mother was available, and emotionally available not just physically available, to actually provide that care and attachment".

"In terms of women that would be eligible for live-in child accommodation, you are talking probably about 5 per cent of the population in terms of the prison at any one time, but if you talked about women who are mothers it would probably be approaching 80 or 90 per cent at any one time."

He said the state was the only jurisdiction in Australia that did not have mothers and babies units.

A spokeswoman for the Department of Correctional Services said the unit ended in 2005 due to operational needs but the department was "scoping out" strategies to accommodate mothers and children in a mix of parenting programs and reunification programs.

She said 24 beds for women at the Adelaide Pre-Release Centre had recently opened, which would provide further opportunities to facilitate contact between mothers and their children in a community setting.

http://www.abc.net.au/news/2016-03-...-bid-to-avoid-jail-to-stay-with-child/7285268
 
Maidstone man arrested after $13m LSD seized

A Maidstone man has been charged with multiple counts of drug importation after $13 million worth of LSD was seized.

The 39-year-old man was arrested after officers from the Altona North Divisional Response Unit and Taskforce Icarus raided addresses in Maidstone and Tottenham on Wednesday

The joint taskforce known as Icarus includes investigators from Australian Federal Police, Victoria Police and Customs.

It was established to target people using international mail for criminal activity within Victoria.
Advertisement

The man was investigated under Operation Spores, which started after Border Force officers detected a number of incidents of commercial quantities of LSD being imported.

He appeared in the Melbourne Magistrates Court on Thursday charged with multiple counts of drug importation.

He was bailed on a $250,000 bond to appear in the same court on July 7.

Strict bail conditions include reporting to police and a curfew.

Superintendent Stuart Bateson said Victoria Police had worked closely with other agencies to interrupt the supply of dangerous drugs to the community.

"On this occasion we seized a commercial quantity of LSD, valued at approximately $13 million," he said.

"We will continue to target anyone responsible for importing and distributing illegal drugs and encourage anyone with information to contact Crime Stoppers on 1800 333 000 or go online at www.crimestoppersvic.com.au."

The maximum penalty importing a commercial quantity of a border controlled drug is life imprisonment.

Read more: http://www.theage.com.au/victoria/m...lsd-seized-20160402-gnws7d.html#ixzz44eJgv85F
Follow us: @theage on Twitter | theageAustralia on Facebook

One of the biggest busts I have heard of for LSD in Australia. Life imprisonment for one of the safest recreational drugs? Fuck that.
 
this bust was bigger tho - It happened over a decade ago, and the link has expired but the article is still archived on BL -

FEDERAL police arrested a 52-year-old Byron Bay artist yesterday after seizing a massive haul of hallucinogenic drugs worth $45 millionin in raids on three homes.

The bust - the largest batch of LSD to have been found in Australia - is the second record drug seizure by the Australian Federal Police in less than a month after it impounded a load of amphetamines in The Philippines last month, destined for the Gold Coast.

The AFP hailed the operation as a major success yesterday. "This was a two-month probe conducted by intelligence teams here in Brisbane," AFP Brisbane office manager Paul Jevtovich said.

Mr Jevtovich refused to reveal the source of the LSD, citing the need to protect the ongoing investigation, which involves 30 police officers.

During searches of the Byron Bay and Ocean Shores houses, police seized 19 small bottles of liquid LSD, 1kg of cannabis, 20g of ecstasy, a small amount of cash and computer equipment.

Mr Jevtovich said the confiscated LSD would have made up to 4 million doses.

About 212,000 tabs of paper printed with red hearts that were to be impregnated with the drug also had been confiscated.

"The issue is not so much its value," Mr Jevtovich said.

"LSD is a dangerous drug and federal agents have been able to stop a large amount of it from being distributed on the street."

The Byron Bay man has been charged with possession of a commercial amount of LSD reasonably suspected of being imported, and possession of prohibited drugs.

He will appear in Byron Bay Court on April 23.
 
They don't say the actual amount of LSD, just "$13m" worth. And it's Australia so that could be like 3 sheets.
 
Man Gets 13 Years in Prison in Drugs and Dirty Bomb Case
By LARRY NEUMEISTER, ASSOCIATED PRESS NEW YORK — Apr 4, 2016

A Colombian man who had a role in what prosecutors said were efforts to transport drugs and help a terror group obtain weapons to build a dirty bomb to attack Americans was sentenced Monday to 13 years in prison.

Jhon Jairo Cruz Trejos was sentenced in Manhattan federal court by Judge Naomi Reice Buchwald, who said he deserved more than the mandatory minimum of 10 years in prison because the allegations were more serious than a typical international drug deal.

Assistant U.S. Attorney Emil J. Bove III said Cruz Trejos was ready to assist in "attacks of the greatest order." In court papers, prosecutors described him as a freelance weapons trafficker, saying he sought in 2010 and 2011 to obtain enriched uranium so a South America-based terror group could build a dirty bomb. The government said the group wanted to attack U.S. military personnel or a U.S. embassy in Colombia.

Before the sentence was announced, Cruz Trejos said he wasn't anti-American and talk of weaponry was bluster.

"I would like to express to you how deeply sorry I am for having agreed to participate," Cruz Trejos said. "Your honor, my conduct was wrong."

The 44-year-old defendant said he's never held a gun and had no connections to deliver drugs to anyone in the United States. He said he was trying to arrange a drug deal to raise financing for a municipal business he was starting.

His lawyer, Guy Oksenhendler, called him "a bumbler, getting involved in something he had no experience in."

"My client made a terrible, terrible decision," Oksenhendler said.

Cruz Trejos was arrested in February 2014 in Colombia, where he remained in custody until he was extradited to the United States in April 2015.

Prosecutors had asked in court papers that he be sentenced to 15 years in prison, saying he had sought military-grade weapons for at least two paramilitary groups in South America that were designated by the U.S. Department of State as foreign terrorist organizations.

Operatives working at the direction of the FBI posed as associates of Russian organized crime as they arranged with Cruz Trejos and others to broker weapons deals involving high enriched uranium, surface-to-air missiles, explosives and machine guns between Colombian paramilitary groups and the FBI operatives, prosecutors said.

Prosecutors said Cruz Trejos proved his intentions in November 2013 when he delivered 17 kilograms of cocaine and 86 million Colombian pesos to an FBI confidential source as a down payment to buy about 100 firearms.

http://abcnews.go.com/US/wireStory/man-13-years-prison-drugs-ny-dirty-bomb-38147628
 
Drug trio jailed for $30 million methamphetamine haul hidden in Chevy Impala

A TRIO involved in an international drug cartel that smuggled almost $30 million of methamphetamine into Melbourne have been jailed.

It looked like just another classic American muscle car when the 1967 US Chevrolet Impala arrived at the docks at Melbourne Port in September 2014.

But concealed beneath the rear quarter panels of the classic car that had travelled from California was hidden almost 30kg of methamphetamine with a street value of $29.2 million dollars.

Addressed to Besim Beqiri, the car eventually made its way to his Hillside home, but not before customs officials removed the massive haul.

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In its place they put an inert substance, but it looked similar enough to the expected delivery to fool Beqiri and his two mates.

One of them, Spanish national Jacinto Rodriguez-Conejo, was flown from Madrid to help complete the multi-million drug operation.

His sole job was to extract the drugs from car, while Italian national Bruno Hajko, who was working here on a 457 visa, was a go-between for the men.

Rodriguez-Conejo removed what he thought was 30kg of methamphetamine from the car, shortly before being arrested by police.

Beqiri, who maintains he was a stooge who claims he had no idea about the drugs stash, and Hajko were arrested shortly after.

After the massive haul was uncovered police launched an investigation into the three men, tapping their phones and utilising tracking devices to monitor them.

County Court judge Felicity Hampel said today that despite a code used by the three men, police were left in no doubt about their plans.

It was, she said, a sophisticated, highly organised and well planned crime.

The men, who pleaded not guilty to all charges, stood trial on counts of attempting to possess a commercial quantity of a border control drug.

Rodriguez-Conejo was also charged with possession of a marketable quantity of cocaine after police found almost $500,000 of the drug during a raid of his hotel room.

The men were found guilty of all charges, and faced life behind bars.

Jailing the men today Judge Hampel said they had gambled with their lives, and lost.

Beqiri was jailed for 15 years, and must serve 11 years before being eligible for parole, while Hajko was jailed for 11 years and must serve a 7 year minimum.

Rodriguez-Conejo was jailed for 16 years with a minimum of 11 years and six months.

Source: www.heraldsun.com.au/news/law-order...a/news-story/33f8e257445ceff55f5420862032a465
 
Police arrest four men following alleged $1m marijuana bust in Melbourne’s south-east

Police have arrested four men after swooping in on a property in Frankston which allegedly contained $1 million dollars’ of marijuana.

Police allege the men were using a family home in Frankston to run the cannabis operation.

“We have four rooms under lights and one processing room which is quite a large concern,” Victoria Police Sgt Sam Booth told 9NEWS.

Police seized 400 marijuana plants from the Skye Road property, and dismantled the grow rooms which were covered in aluminium sheeting, tangled electrical cords and hydroponic lights..

“The offenders are of Asian descent and one of them is an illegal immigrant, at this stage and once we have processed him we'll be contacting the immigration department to have him put in detention,” Mr Booth said.

Neighbours contacted the police with suspicions about criminal activity inside the house but weren’t expecting such a large scale operation.

“It’s a little bit surprising I wouldn’t have expected that next door,” one neighbour said.

The four men remain in police custody.


Read more at http://www.9news.com.au/national/20...-in-melbournes-south-east#tfg6yhgkmdqiReyt.99
 
Police arrest four men following alleged $1m marijuana bust in Melbourne’s south-east

Police have arrested four men after swooping in on a property in Frankston which allegedly contained $1 million dollars’ of marijuana.

Police allege the men were using a family home in Frankston to run the cannabis operation.

“We have four rooms under lights and one processing room which is quite a large concern,” Victoria Police Sgt Sam Booth told 9NEWS.

Police seized 400 marijuana plants from the Skye Road property, and dismantled the grow rooms which were covered in aluminium sheeting, tangled electrical cords and hydroponic lights..

“The offenders are of Asian descent and one of them is an illegal immigrant, at this stage and once we have processed him we'll be contacting the immigration department to have him put in detention,” Mr Booth said.

Neighbours contacted the police with suspicions about criminal activity inside the house but weren’t expecting such a large scale operation.

“It’s a little bit surprising I wouldn’t have expected that next door,” one neighbour said.

The four men remain in police custody.


Read more at http://www.9news.com.au/national/20...-in-melbournes-south-east#tfg6yhgkmdqiReyt.99

In the video on that link you can see the cops giggling as their chopping the weed lol
 
Marijuana haul worth $2.5m seized across south-east Queensland

Police have charged 11 people after a major drug bust uncovered more than 300kg of cannabis in a car and homes in Brisbane and on the Gold Coast.

Detectives estimate the drugs are worth $2.5 million.

A number of searches were triggered after a car was stopped about 8pm on the Smith Street Motorway in the Gold Coast suburb of Parkwood and found to contain 90kg of marijuana.

Police believe the car was carrying the drugs from southern states intended for sale in south-east Queensland.

Police then conducted coordinated searches on properties in Southport, Caboolture and Redcliffe, uncovering an additional 210kg of cannabis and $10,940 in cash.

Police also searched other properties at Strathpine, Clontarf and on the Gold Coast this morning, and allegedly found a further 13kg of cannabis and some amphetamine.

http%3a%2f%2fprod.static9.net.au%2f_%2fmedia%2f2016%2f04%2f21%2f14%2f26%2f160421_goldcoastbrisbanedrugbustmarijuana.ashx%3fw%3d603


The searches were conducted as part of a 12-month Operation Goldensilk investigation by the Major and Organised Crime Squad, with police already having disrupted several deliveries of drugs to stop them being distributed and to gather further information.

Previous intelligence had also suggested that criminal associates were sourcing cannabis from interstate and distributing it through a network of suppliers, police said.

As a result of the operation, four people have been charged with 26 drug-related offences and were expected to appear in court today.

Seven other people have been charged with 18 offences and are expected to appear in court over the next three weeks.

Detective Inspector Steve Blanchfield said the bust was a significant achievement.

http%3a%2f%2fprod.static9.net.au%2f_%2fmedia%2f2016%2f04%2f21%2f14%2f26%2f160421_goldcoastbrisbanedrugbustmarijuana2.ashx%3fw%3d603


"This is another example of the continued commitment by the Major and Organised Crime Squad to identifying and prosecuting high level criminal organisations causing the greatest impact to the Queensland community and specifically the south east corner," he said.

Read more at http://www.9news.com.au/national/20...oss-south-east-queensland#tGqlotDSbsmLqgKj.99
 
All those Australian $ prices for drugs are hilarious.. I'm surprised they don't just get a guy to put his pinky in the corner of his mouth and say, "1 trillion dollars hahaha!"

The Chevy Impala with Cali/Mexican meth--they were claiming that meth was worth like 15-20x more than the purchase price in CA.
 
yeah ridiculous how they price the busts. I think they do it by working out street prices per gram or something? Not the real cost per Kilo or anything like that.
 
All those Australian $ prices for drugs are hilarious.. I'm surprised they don't just get a guy to put his pinky in the corner of his mouth and say, "1 trillion dollars hahaha!"

The Chevy Impala with Cali/Mexican meth--they were claiming that meth was worth like 15-20x more than the purchase price in CA.

1 gram of ice (higher grade meth) costs about $700 here. You can see why everyone is dealing the stuff.
 
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