Mega Merged Drug Bust Thread v2.0

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California Deputies Seek Pit Bulls, Find Pot Plants

SAN BERNARDINO, Calif. (AP) - San Bernardino County deputies looking for two vicious pit bulls instead found nearly 2,000 marijuana plants, two suspects, three rifles and two shotguns.

A sheriff's statement Saturday says deputies in Adelanto received complaints from employees at a business saying they'd been attacked by two pit bulls, and traced the dogs to a nearby warehouse on Friday.

The deputies found no it bulls but a huge pot operation, and after a search warrant was obtained a narcotics team seized 1,850 marijuana plants growing in cargo containers, along with about 10 pounds of processed marijuana and the firearms.

The statement says 57-year-old David Lusk and 35-year-old Steven Hall were arrested. They'd been living makeshift bedrooms in the 20,000-square-foot building.

They were booked into Adelanto detention center about a block from their warehouse.

http://www.kolotv.com/news/californ...Seek-Pit-Bulls-Find-Pot-Plants-184614141.html
 
Man beaten during drug deal, deputies say

Four men beat, pistol whipped and hit a Lake City man with a Taser after a drug deal went bad on Sunday afternoon, authorities said.

Kenzo A. Alvarado, 18, of High Springs, and Austin J.H. Wilmoth, 17, of Gainesville, were arrested and investigators are looking for two more suspects, said Alachua County Sheriff's Office spokesman Art Forgey.

The man who was injured, Joel A. Hall, 19, reportedly went to Jonesville Park around 5 p.m. Sunday to sell a half-pound of marijuana to the suspects for $1,700, Forgey said.

He took the weed out of his trunk and went into the back of a White GMC Safari to count the money, Forgey said. Once Hall was inside the van, Wilmoth pulled out a stun gun and jolted Hall with it several times, an arrest report states. Then, Wilmoth pulled out a silver handgun and pointed it at Hall, noted the report, and the four men punched and kicked him.

Hall later told deputies that Wilmoth accused him of stealing from him earlier, the report notes.

Also during the scuffle, one of the assailants pulled out a gun and Hall fought with him for it and the gun went off in the van, the report said.

When the van started moving, Hall opened a side door and jumped out, but it ran over left part of his leg, the report said. He still ran to his car, but, according to the report was overrun by Alvarado and Wilmoth. Alvarado put Hall into a chokehold and Wilmoth shouted at someone to “get some rope,” noted the report.

Hall managed to get away and the van drove off, but not before the suspects slashed Hall's tires, the report said. Hall drove to the Kangaroo on 4300 W Newberry Road on the flat tire and called police, Forgey said.

Hall gave police information about the suspects, and they were found a short time later.

Detectives searched the van and found rope, duct tape, a box of gloves, a knife and an empty stun gun. A bullet hole was found in the middle seat, the report said.

Alvarado was in the Alachua County Jail as of Monday morning with a $285,000 bond. Wilmoth is being processed by juvenile services.

Both suspects were charged with aggravated assault with a weapon, battery, aggravated battery with a deadly weapon, kidnapping, criminal mischief and robbery with a firearm.

http://www.gainesville.com/article/...ES/121229816/-1/www.gainesville.com?p=1&tc=pg
 
Thibodaux chase leads to two drug arrests

After Thibodaux police officers pulled a car over, they arrested a passenger who tried to run and a second passenger who stayed inside, the department said.

bilde


Police said they found two men with marijuana, and one of them had the drug Ecstasy as well. Both are charged with possession with intent to distribute.

Thibodaux Police Department
Both arrests were related to drug-dealing.

Roderick Carter, 37, 112 Iris St., Thibodaux, fled after police made the traffic stop 7:30 p.m. Thursday at Louise Street and Parish Road, Thibodaux Police said in a news release today. They caught him several blocks away.

Elvert Beamon, 26, 205A Patrick Drive, Schriever, stayed in the tan Ford LTD, but he is charged with having marijuana and the drug Ecstasy on him, police said.

The driver, who admitted to smoking marijuana, was released with citations after passing a field sobriety test, police said.

Carter is charged with resisting an officer, flight from an officer, possession with intent to distribute marijuana, and two failure to appear Terrebonne Parish warrants, records show. He is in the Lafourche Parish jail in lieu of bonds totaling $30,250, but he cannot leave at the request of the Terrebonne Parish Sheriff's Office.

Beamon is charged with resisting an officer and possession with intent to distribute marijuana and Ecstasy. He is in the Lafourche Parish jail in lieu of bonds totaling $51,000.

http://www.houmatoday.com/article/2...tle=Thibodaux-chase-leads-to-two-drug-arrests
 
Dominican, US agents seize 900 kilos of cocaine

SANTO DOMINGO, Dominican Republic (AP) — U.S. and Dominican authorities have seized about 900 kilograms (1,984 pounds) of cocaine thrown off a speedboat.

The Caribbean country's National Drug Control Agency says the boat was heading toward a bay west of the capital Sunday when it was detected by the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration.

The DEA reported the suspicious vessel, and three Dominican aircraft and four military boats began pursuing the speedboat. The Dominican anti-drug agency says the traffickers threw bales of cocaine into the sea in international waters during the chase and escaped.

Members of the U.S. Coast Guard recovered the drugs and sent them to the U.S. island of Puerto Rico.

Earlier this month, Dominican authorities confiscated a cocaine load of 1,870 kilograms (4,122 pounds) from an abandoned boat in the same bay.

http://thegardenisland.com/news/wor...cle_b8327fa5-3105-5acc-9e39-22a83ebea5df.html
 
Prison guard jailed for drug smuggling

A former prison guard has been jailed for two years for smuggling drugs into a Waikato facility, despite an emotional plea from his sister for home detention.

Perive Mila Faafitu Matuaitofiga, 25, was sentenced in the Hamilton District Court today to two years and one month in jail after he was convicted on seven corruption charges.

Matuaitofiga was caught on August 17 last year, just eight months after he started working at the prison, and it was discovered he had smuggled in contraband seven times to an inmate at a payment of $500 each time.

On that day in August he was found with 41 grams of cannabis, 70 grams of tobacco and eight pills containing the Class C drug 4-Mec.

His sister Valaauina Seu told the court Matuaitofiga had been a model son and brother but his actions brought shame on the family, particularly her father who felt the Samoan community now shunned the family.

"He was supposed to be professional at his job but instead he was an easy target because he's soft."

But Judge Philip Connell said the public had a right to expect members of authority would carry out their duties lawfully.

"The prison service itself, its prison officers, the courts, the police and most important of all the general public need to be reassured that corruption is not tolerated within this country's prisons.

"Offending like this erodes the confidence of the public in the Corrections Department and their ability to keep communities safe."

Judge Connell said Matuaitofiga used his authority as a prison officer to benefit financially because he was in debt, and that did not qualify him for home detention.

http://www.theaucklander.co.nz/news/prison-guard-jailed-drug-smuggling/1722572/
 
Ontario couple charged with beastiality involving a dog after police discover indoor marijuana grow-op

A Milton, Ont. couple faces charges related to beastiality involving a dog, unlawful possession of a firearm and numerous charges related to a marijuana grow-op, police say.

Officers from the Halton Regional Police executed a search warrant on a residence in the Nassagawea area of Milton on Jan. 17 and discovered a “sophisticated” indoor marijuana growing operation, police said in a release.

Inside the building, which was also being used as a dog kennel, were 1,637 marijuana plants.

During the search, officers seized evidence related to beastiality involving a dog, roughly $9,500 in harvested marijuana, anabolic steroids and a 12-gauge shotgun, police said.

Two young children were found living at the residence with the couple.

Ryan Brett, 34, faces several charges including producing a controlled substance (marijuana), possession for the purpose of trafficking, and beastiality.

Donna Fleury, 34, has been charged with beastiality, unlawful possession of a firearm, and contravention of storage regulations respecting a firearm.

National Post

http://news.nationalpost.com/2013/0...ter-police-discover-indoor-marijuana-grow-op/
 
Michael Douglas's son Cameron placed in solitary confinement

The son of actor Michael Douglas has been placed in solitary confinement.

Cameron Douglas is currently serving a 10-year sentence in federal prison.

The New York Post reports that the 34-year-old former actor failed a drug test earlier in January, prompting officials to move him to an isolated prison cell.

Cameron Douglas is currently serving time at a federal prison located in Loretto, Pennsylvania after being arrested for possession of crystal meth and drug smuggling.

He was originally given a five-year sentence in April 2010, but had his sentence extended the following year after pleading guilty to possession of drugs in prison.

It is still unknown if the younger Douglas will be given extra time in custody for his failed drug test, and it is not clear how long he will spend in solitary confinement.

He will not be eligible for release until 2018.

http://www.digitalspy.com.au/showbi...n-cameron-placed-in-solitary-confinement.html
 
Two Arabs Suspected of Being Drug Mules Arrested

The Judea and Samaria Police arrested two Palestinian-Arabs on the Allenby bridge, suspected of being drug mules. The two were carrying illegal pills on them which were most likely Ecstasy tablets, imported from Jordan to Israel.

The suspects, a 31-year-old Arab from Hevron and a 38-year-old Arab woman from Azaria, admitted to acting as drug mules.
Click to expand...

http://www.israelnationalnews.com/News/Flash.aspx/260196#.UPzAj6V8PHg
 
Dartmouth man gets two-year jail term on drug charges

A young man from Dartmouth is headed to federal prison after pleading guilty to three sets of charges.

Kevin Alexander MacDougall, 23, of Glen Manor Drive appeared in Dartmouth provincial court Thursday with lawyer Brian Smith.

MacDougall was sentenced to two years in prison on charges of possessing cocaine and marijuana at his former residence on Appian Way in Dartmouth in January 2010.

He also pleaded guilty to refusing the breathalyzer and was fined $1,200. That charge stemmed from a Jan. 9 single-vehicle crash on Main Street in Dartmouth.

The driver of the white Chevy Tahoe was seen running away from the scene of the 2 a.m. accident. MacDougall was arrested a little while later near Sullivans Pond in Dartmouth and remained in custody after the Crown opposed his release.

Judge Tex Tax tacked on another 14 days to MacDougall’s prison sentence after he admitted breaching his bail conditions by being out past his curfew.

Meanwhile, MacDougall has a trial set for March 21 and 22 in Dartmouth court on two counts each of criminal negligence causing bodily harm and dangerous driving causing bodily harm. Those charges are from a hit-and-run incident on the Angus L. Macdonald Bridge that injured two police officers in November 2009.

Police pulled over a vehicle at an impaired driving checkpoint at the Dartmouth end of the bridge at about 3 a.m. Two officers approached the vehicle to speak with the driver and its occupants but it quickly accelerated, dragging one officer a short distance and throwing the other to the pavement.

The officers were treated at hospital and released. MacDougall was arrested in January 2010 following an investigation by a regional police-RCMP integrated unit. The drug charges were laid after police executed a search warrant at his home.

http://thechronicleherald.ca/metro/529111-dartmouth-man-gets-two-year-jail-term-on-drug-charges
 
Eight arrested in undercover drug investigation in Horry County

Complaints about drug activity in Loris led Horry County police and agents with the 15th Judicial Circuit Drug Enforcement Unit to perform an undercover narcotics operation, said Sgt. Robert Kegler, with Horry County police.
Officers went to The Bottom in Loris Thursday to investigate the drug activity and arrested eight people on various charges.

Tony Conner, 63, Ricky Lee Shaw, 49, Fulecia Ebron Daniles, 34, George W. Bellinger, 56, Judy Mae Barnes Curry, 55, all of Loris and Quangte Denise Alston, 29 of Longs are charged with attempting to posses drugs. All are being held at J. Reuben Long Detention Center.


Horry County woman charged with child neglect after children found in motel room with dead man, drugs

Horry County police continue dog fighting investigation, three Loris men charged

Harrison Ranenell, 66, of Loris is charged with public disorderly conduct and is being held at J. Reuben Long Detention Center.

Jeremy Jamal Bromell, 22, of Loris, is charged with failure to appear. He was released from jail Friday morning.

http://www.myrtlebeachonline.com/2013/01/25/3293458/eight-arrested-in-undercover-drug.html
 
Five Arrested, Heroin and Cash Seized in Binghamton Drug Raid

From Broome County Sheriff's Department:

Area police agencies arrested five people during search warrants conducted in the City of Binghamton, resulting in the seizure of over 600 packets of heroin and over $20,000 in cash, as well as other drugs.

Members of the New York State Police, the Vestal Police Department, the Broome County Special Investigations Task Force and the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration arrested:

Juan Dela Cruz, age 33, of 9 Telegraph Street, Binghamton, New York;
Mike Dela Cruz, age 31, of New York City;
William G. Michalski, age 42, of 35 Dean Street, Deposit, New York;
Paul E. Michalski, age 44, of 35 Dean Street, Deposit, New York, and;
Shaquana Riles, age 22, of 9 Telegraph Street, Binghamton, New York

The investigation spanned approximately three months, focusing on heroin sales on the Southside of Binghamton. The heroin seized during the raids has an approximate street value of over $10,000.

William and Paul Michalski were arrested when a search warrant was executed upon their vehicle on Conklin Avenue. Located during the search were 33 packets of heroin, suboxone, drug paraphernalia and a blackjack.

Juan and Mike Dela Cruz were arrested after police executed a search warrant at Juan Dela Cruz’s residence at 9 Telegraph Street, Binghamton. A search of the residence yielded 572 packets of heroin and over $20,000 in cash. Mike Dela Cruz was found in possession of small amounts of marihuana and Ecstacy.

Juan Dela Cruz, William Michalski and Paul Michaski, were all charged with Criminal Sale of a Controlled 3rd degree and Criminal Possession of a Controlled Substance 3rd degree (possession with intent to sell). The Michalski’s were also charged with Criminal Possession of Drug Paraphernalia 2nd degree and Criminal Possession of a Weapon 4th degree. All three were remanded to the Broome County Jail without bail.

Mike Dela Cruz was issued appearance tickets for Criminal Possession of a Controlled Substance 7th degree and Unlawful Possession of Marihuana, returnable to the City of Binghamton Court at a later date.

Shaquana Riles was issued an appearance ticket for Criminal Facilitation 4th degree, returnable to the City of Binghamton Court at a later date.

http://www.newschannel34.com/conten...nd-Cash-Seized-in/1f20clbm6UChIK2ITWP8Ow.cspx
 
Northamptonshire drugs baron jailed for nine years

A key player in the wholesale supply of cocaine in Northampton has been jailed for nine years.

Christopher Peachment, aged 41, formerly of Selt Close, Long Buckby, was jailed for nine years at Northampton Crown Court yesterday for three charges of possession of Class C drugs with intent to supply and one charge of possession of Class A drugs with the intent to supply.

The career criminal, who has 91 previous convictions including a string of drugs and firearms offences, was found in possession of around £300,000 of drugs after police raided a basement flat in East Park Parade, Kingsley, on Wednesday, September 21, 2011.

Peachment was asleep in the flat at the time and denied being either the tenant or having knowledge of the drugs.

Officers discovered half a kilo of cocaine, as well as 18.5kg of cutting agents, and thousands of pills, all concealed in various locations, including a small brick room hidden behind a full-length mirror and skirting board.


Police also found a press and moulds.

They said Peachment acted as a “cutter and blocker”, cutting up the cocaine and mixing it with the Benzocaine to dilute the drug before pressing the powder back into a block form.

The cocaine blocks would then be sold to dealers to cut up and sell on the streets.

Judge Richard Bray yesterday “completely rejected” Peachment’s claim that he was working for a second man, Chris Clark, adding: “There is no credible evidence put before me that Chris Clark even existed.”


The court was told Peachment was jailed in June 2003 for possession of an enormous drugs haul, including £81,000 of cannabis, £20,000 of amphetamines, £8,000 of methandrone, £1,500 of cocaine and £1,900 of ecstasy.

He was subject to a confiscation order for £251,000 and is currently in prison for defaulting on payments.

Sentencing Peachment, Judge Bray said: “I have to sentence you for very serious drug dealing. I have already found you played a vital role in the supply of cocaine. There was also a very substantial amount of class C drugs.

“This is seriously aggravated by your record. You are a career criminal, and it is plain you have not been deterred by previous court sentences.”

http://www.northamptonchron.co.uk/n...e-drugs-baron-jailed-for-nine-years-1-4720192
 
poledriver said:
A young man from Dartmouth is headed to federal prison after pleading guilty to three sets of charges.

Kevin Alexander MacDougall, 23, of Glen Manor Drive appeared in Dartmouth provincial court Thursday with lawyer Brian Smith.

MacDougall was sentenced to two years in prison on charges of possessing cocaine and marijuana at his former residence on Appian Way in Dartmouth in January 2010.
Click to expand...

That's fucked... pretty scary to see a sentence like that for possession in Canada.
 
6 tons of marijuana seized at U.S.-Mexican border

HOUSTON, Jan. 25 (Xinhua) -- U.S. border patrol agents have seized more than six tons of marijuana at a border checkpoint in the U.S. state of New Mexico, in one of the agency's largest drug seizures, authorities said Friday.

The U.S. Customs and Border Protection agency said border agents at the Lordsburg station in New Mexico, which borders Mexico, seized the drug this week after stopping four vehicles travelling in a caravan, according to the news website KOB.com.

Agents found in the vehicles about 13,000 pounds (6.5 tons) of marijuana, with a street value of about 10.9 million U.S. dollars, according to the report.

U.S. Homeland Security Investigations arrested two Mexican nationals, aged 39 and 29 respectively, in connection with the seizure, the report said.

http://www.shanghaidaily.com/article/article_xinhua.asp?id=121747
 
4 Highland Park cops face up to 50-year sentences in bribery, drug trafficking case

A scheme that began with two Highland Park police officers taking bribes from a criminal defendant grew into a conspiracy with two colleagues to deliver cocaine to a drug trafficker, authorities said Friday.

The four officers were arraigned in federal court on drug trafficking, bribery and firearm charges.

Charged are Anthony Bynum, 29, Price Montgomery, 38, and Craig Clayton, 55, all of Highland Park, and Shawn Williams, 33, of Detroit.

"Our community deserves to be served and protected by police officers who perform their jobs with integrity," U.S. Attorney Barbara McQuade said. "Police officers who take bribes and participate in criminal activities will be discovered and prosecuted."

Judge Laurie J. Michelson set bond for each at $10,000. They all were represented by Rafael Villarruel, a federal public defender.

Bynum, who wiped away tears from his bloodshot eyes as he looked over the criminal complaint, was also ordered to wear a tether and to have a curfew after the government argued he might be a flight risk.

Montgomery, who shares an apartment with Bynum, was told to find another place to live during court proceedings.

Assistant U.S. Attorney Dave Gardey said Bynum, a former Detroit Public Schools officer, would be a danger to the community as well, citing complaints of "beatings" and "pistol-whipping" of arrestees.

The four are due back in court Feb. 15.

According to the FBI, Bynum and Montgomery arrested a man in August for carrying a firearm, beat him and stole jewelry and $1,700 from him.

Authorities allege the arrested man, while in the hospital, offered to pay the officers to dismiss the charges against him. The officers agreed and were captured on videotape taking payments totaling $10,000 in cash from the man, who had become a confidential source for the FBI, the U.S. Attorney's Office said.

Later, Montgomery and Bynum agreed to transport and deliver 2 kilos of cocaine for the confidential source, who they thought was a drug trafficker, authorities say.

Federal authorities say on Nov. 15, both officers protected and delivered what they thought was 2 kilos of cocaine from Oakland Mall in Troy to a location in Taylor.

Each was paid $1,500 for his role, the feds say.

The two then recruited Williams and Clayton to help deliver a second, larger shipment Wednesday. They delivered 4 kilos of what they thought was cocaine, again from Oakland Mall, according to authorities.

Bynum and Montgomery were each paid $1,500, while Williams and Clayton each got $1,000, the U.S. Attorney's Office said. The officers each carried a firearm, and some carried their police badges, authorities allege.

Each defendant faces a maximum of 40 years in prison for conspiring to distribute cocaine, authorities say. Additionally, each faces a maximum of 10 years in prison on the bribery charges and a five-year consecutive sentence on the charge of carrying a firearm during a drug trafficking offense.

Highland Park Police Chief Kevin Coney said a ring and $1,700 taken from the arrested man never turned up.

Coney was looking into the conduct of the officers before the FBI investigation due to complaints from citizens that they were stealing money and other property from them and assaulting them.

In one case, a complainant said Bynum and Montgomery arrested him at a gas station on Woodward and then stole $13 in cash and a bottle of Dolce & Gabbana cologne from his car.

Another arrestee said he was beaten on the back and head while he was handcuffed.

"The illegal actions of these officers do not represent or reflect the ethical standards and values consistent with the Highland Park Police Department," Coney said. "We remain committed to providing our citizens with first-class public safety and ensuring our officers display integrity at all times."

Roy Roberts, DPS emergency financial manager, said none of the alleged activities occurred on district grounds or involved any students.

"I applaud the leadership of our Police Department for cooperating fully and am highly appreciative of the efforts of the agencies in the FBI-led Public Corruption Task Force who brought this matter to justice," Roberts said.
Click to expand...

http://www.detroitnews.com/article/...ng-case?odyssey=mod|newswell|text|FRONTPAGE|p
 
Celebrities arrested in Indonesia drug raid

Indonesian drug police have arrested a group of celebrities and a politician for allegedly taking drugs at a private party.

Indonesian drug police have arrested a group of celebrities and a politician for allegedly taking drugs at a private party.

The country's Narcotics Agency says it raided a house in Jakarta's south and detained 17 people.

A spokesman for the drug squad says capsules of ecstasy powder had been dissolved in lemonade and two marijuana joints were also found.

Among those arrested was the owner of the house, a high profile Indonesian TV and movie actor, Raffi Ahmad, and three other celebrities.

It's also understood that a local government MP and former model, Wanda Hamidah, was also among the group.

Police say they questioned the suspects and did urine tests for evidence of drug use.

It is not yet known what the fate of the partygoers will be.

http://www.radioaustralia.net.au/in...ities-arrested-in-indonesia-drug-raid/1079482
 
UK - Drug charge student Alex Pearson faces jail - but will do his exams first

A STUDENT arrested for possessing thousands of pounds worth of drugs following the death of a trainee doctor has been warned he could go to prison.

But Alex Pearson will not be sentenced until June – to give him time to do his university exams.

The 20-year-old pleaded guilty to possessing ecstasy and cannabis with intent to supply and possessing methoxetamine, which had a total value of about £2,000.

He was arrested by police when 19-year-old Doug Ferguson died after becoming ill at a house in Chandler’s Ford last summer.

Doug, a former student at Peter Symonds College in Winchester and Thornden School in Chandler’s Ford, was in his first year at Bristol university where he was studying medicine when he died.

Initial post mortem results to discover how he died proved inconclusive.

His family described him as a “fun-loving, popular young man who liked to live life to the full”.

Dozens of Doug’s friends gathered at Hiltingbury Recreation Ground in the aftermath of his death to light candles and release Chinese lanterns in his memory.

Flowers and messages were left at the skate park, a favourite haunt of the student, and notes were also written on the ramps.

But Mark Ashley, defending, stressed the charges had no link with the death.

He urged the court to adjourn sentencing until after Pearson, who is in his final year at university, sat his exams in May.

Mr Ashley explained: “There is a good chance he will come out with a 2:1 and there is more chance of him keeping on the straight and narrow with that under his belt rather than having wasted two and a half years.”

The judge granted his application and told Pearson he would be sentenced on June 7, extending his bail with the warning that all options, including prison, were open.

As previously reported by the Daily Echo, an investigation by the Independent Police Complaints Commission (IPCC) is under way because officers were in contact with Doug, of Cranford Gardens, Chandler’s Ford, shortly before he died.

The IPCC last night confirmed that the enquiry is ongoing and the findings will be shared with Doug’s family when it is complete.

The Mid-Hampshire coroner, based at Winchester, said no date will be set for the inquest into Doug’s death until the results of the investigation are known.

http://www.dailyecho.co.uk/news/dis...his_exams_first/?action=complain&cid=11200629
 
U.S. border patrol seizes more than 9,000 pounds of pot

U.S. border patrol agents in the Rio Grande valley seized more than 9,000 pounds of marijuana over the past four days. The pot was worth over 7 million dollars.
One group of smugglers they were pursuing escaped back to Mexico, but agents did arrest one man.
During the same stretch of time, border agents tell us, they rescued five men who were being smuggled into the U.S. in a closed cargo trailer. Those men will be sent back to Mexico.

http://www.kens5.com/news/US-border-patrol-seizes-more-than-9000-pounds-of-pot--188762511.html
 
Canadian trucker acquitted of drug charges

Federal court trials are unusual, and acquittals in those trials are even rarer.

An Ontario truck driver transporting orange juice to Florida beat the odds Friday when a jury in U.S. District Court in Buffalo found him not guilty of smuggling drugs across the border.

Lawyers for Andrew A. Woolcock, of Brampton, argued during the trial that someone else must have planted the drugs in his tractor-trailer, and they presented documents showing there was plenty of opportunity for that to happen.

“The documents proved the orange juice delivery had been scheduled four days before," said Kimberly A. Schechter, an assistant federal public defender.

During the trial, Schechter and fellow public defender Daniel Greene tried to make the case that, yes, Woolcock owned the tractor-trailer, but, no, he was not the one who hid drugs inside the truck.

The drugs, about 5,000 pills containing the psychedelic tryptamine, were stored in zip-lock plastic bags and hidden behind a panel near the fuse box in Woolcock’s truck.

Schechter presented a series of documents, including manifests, logs and invoices, to show there were several opportunities for someone else to plant the drugs without her client’s knowledge.

She also argued that unless the prosecution could prove Woolcock knowingly and intentionally took part in smuggling the drugs into the U.S., the jury should find him not guilty.

A jury acquitted Woolcock of each of three felony counts against him, including the smuggling charge.

Federal prosecutors declined to comment on Woolcock’s acquittal, but during the trial, they presented a series of witnesses, including agents with the Department of Homeland Security, who testified about finding the illegal drugs in Woolcock’s truck.

The government, in court papers filed before the trial, also pointed to a previous drug investigation involving Woolcock – Canadian law enforcement investigated him in 2009 – but acknowledged the probe never resulted in a conviction.

http://www.buffalonews.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20130128/CITYANDREGION/130129140/1010
 
Brothers sentenced in Switzerland over Moroccan drug ring

GENEVA, Jan 29 (Reuters) - Two brothers who worked for financial firms were sentenced to prison on Tuesday for laundering money through Swiss bank accounts for a Moroccan drug smuggling ring, Geneva authorities said.

The two men were part of a family network thought to be run by Swiss and French citizens of Moroccan origin selling cannabis from North Africa to France and Spain, said the Geneva judicial authority.

Swiss and French authorities launched an investigation code-named 'Virus' in October after they discovered a safe hidden behind a wardrobe in Geneva holding cash and valuables worth around 3 million Swiss francs ($3.25 million).

Investigators arrested 20 people and froze accounts at several Geneva banks.

Switzerland is seeking to widen the powers of its anti-money laundering unit as part of a campaign to shed its image as a tax haven.

In 2011, it identified suspicious asset flows totalling a record 3 billion Swiss francs.

Geneva's judicial authority said the brothers, who were unnamed in accordance with Swiss privacy laws, had admitted accepting bundles of cash in plastic bags as part of the operation.

One of the brothers is a former employee of HSBC, the bank confirmed on Tuesday, and faces up to two years in prison.

"We fired the employee after our internal investigation last year. Our investigation showed that the bank was not in any way involved in this matter," said HSBC spokesman Medard Schoenmaeckers.

The man's older brother works for a "Geneva-based wealth management firm" and was sentenced to a maximum sentence of three years, the Geneva authority said.

A third person accused of being involved in the operation is still awaiting a verdict, it added.

($1 = 0.9221 Swiss francs) (Reporting by Emma Farge; Editing by Andrew Heavens)

http://uk.reuters.com/article/2013/01/29/swiss-money-laundering-idUKL5N0AYJ1O20130129
 
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