The Mega Merged Drug Busts Thread

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Doctor gets probation for buying cocaine

Doctor gets probation for buying cocaine

By Tony Gordon Daily Herald Legal Affairs Writer
Wednesday, June 30, 2004

A Libertyville podiatrist was sentenced to 30 months of probation Tuesday for buying an ounce of cocaine from an undercover police informant.

Dr. Lee Tisa was sentenced under a provision of the law that will wipe the conviction off his record if he completes the probation and a drug treatment program without violations.

Tisa, 47, of 318 Broadway St. in Libertyville, has practiced medicine for more than 20 years in Waukegan and Antioch.

Assistant State's Attorney Lauren Kalcheim-Rothenberg said Tisa was arrested about 12:30 a.m. Sept. 10 at his offices at 1616 W. Grand Ave. in Waukegan.

A man had contacted Waukegan police about 90 minutes before Tisa's arrest and told them the doctor had asked him to bring Tisa an ounce of cocaine.

The man agreed to wear a hidden recording device when he met Tisa, and authorities obtained a tape of Tisa agreeing to pay $1,200 for the cocaine.

Waukegan police entered Tisa's offices shortly after the informant left, and Tisa showed police where the cocaine was.

Circuit Judge Christopher Starck also ordered Tisa to pay $3,200 in fines and perform 100 hours of community service while on probation.

Tisa's attorney, James Simonian of Waukegan, said Tisa's record will be cleaned if he complies with the rules of probation and completes drug rehabilitation under the state Treatment Alternatives for Safer Communities program.

Tisa was originally charged with possession of cocaine under a law that mandates a minimum six-year prison term upon conviction, but the charge was reduced to allow probation on June 2 in exchange for his guilty plea.

His license to practice medicine is still current, Simonian said, but the imposition of the sentence and formal entry of the felony conviction on Tisa's record may jeopardize his license's status.

Tisa will be a convicted felon for the next 30 months, and convicted felons are generally prohibited from holding medical licenses in the state.

However, Simonian said he is uncertain how the state Department of Professional Regulation will treat Tisa's case because Tisa's sentence provides for the erasure of the felony conviction upon successful completion of the probation.

Department spokesman Chris Ganschaw said the office will review the information in the Lake County criminal case and determine what action it will take on Tisa's license, which is scheduled for renewal Jan. 31.

Tisa also faces a pending complaint before the department, Ganschaw said.

It alleges Tisa has an outstanding state income tax bill of $16,016 for the year 1996 and failed to file returns for the years 1997 through 2001.

Tisa is scheduled to appear before an department board on the complaint Aug. 30, Ganschaw said.

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Father jailed for trying to steal son's cocaine

Tue 29 June, 2004

LONDON (Reuters) - A father who arranged for an armed gang to rob his drug-dealer son of cocaine worth 4.5 million pounds has been jailed for 20 years.

Martin Williams, 60, passed information to three underworld figures that his son Shane had 76 kilos of cocaine in a house in Sanderstead, south London.

"Your role was despicable," Judge Stephen Kramer at the Old Bailey told the father on Tuesday. "You are a family man, a carpenter. Your motive was pure greed."

During the robbery in May 2003, a stun gun was used to shock Shane Williams, 36, while his friend, taxi driver Nicholas Smith, was hit over the head with a crowbar.

"You may think it was a perfect robbery, a victimless robbery," the jury heard. "Because what drug dealer is going to complain to the police about being robbed?"

But police were already watching the house and all six were arrested.

Shane Williams and Smith were jailed for 20 years for conspiracy to supply cocaine. The three armed robbers received sentences ranging from 18 years to life imprisonment.

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"You may think it was a perfect robbery, a victimless robbery," the jury heard. "Because what drug dealer is going to complain to the police about being robbed?"
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Man I was hoping it was going to say that this guy was dumb enough to call the cops and complain some one stole his blow.
 
Prison drugs found in shoe, court told

An attempt to smuggle drugs into Christchurch Women's Prison in a hollowed-out shoe backfired when it was discovered by prison staff, Christchurch District Court was told yesterday.


Coral Nimo Chernikov, 31, denied three charges of possessing a class B drug, rubifen, for supply.

Prosecutor Brent Stanaway said Chernikov was one of a number of women alleged to have used a new pair of running shoes in an attempt to smuggle a syringe, cannabis and three rubifen tablets into the prison, the charge against Chernikov relating only to the latter substance.

The left shoe had its interior pulled out and rubber lining hollowed to make a cavity to conceal the items, with a note for the intended recipient.

The shoes were inside a badly wrapped shoebox. The Crown alleged Chernikov's fingerprint was found on the box.

A courier was originally hired to deliver the parcel to the prison, but it could not be accepted because the necessary paperwork had not been completed.

On July 22, Chernikov took the parcel out to the prison in person, handing it to a Corrections officer. The package was opened as a routine precaution and the shoe lining checked, where the packages were found.

Chernikov told police she delivered the parcel on behalf of another woman, and denied knowing anything about its contents. She explained the fingerprint on the box by saying she had been told to tidy up the package.

The Crown alleges Chernikov was effectively in possession of the three tablets of Rubifen.


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Home Damaged As Cops Raid Grow Op That Wasn't

HOME DAMAGED AS COPS RAID GROW OP THAT WASN'T

(CN BC)A rueful Efrin Ramirez surveyed the damage to his front door Monday afternoon, pointing out where a police battering ram had dented the heavy-duty metal and ripped apart the door jamb.

The North Surrey resident won't be paying for that door, or for three others kicked in during an RCMP raid on the Ramirez home in the 12800 block of 114A St. Saturday night that found no evidence of any illegal activity.

The detachment has promised it will cover the cost of repairs and has apologized to the family after officers armed with a drug search warrant forced their way inside while the Ramirez family, Efrin, his wife Rosemarie and their two children, were visiting relatives in Vancouver.

Ramirez pulled into his driveway about 9 p.m. to be greeted by an apologetic RCMP officer who showed him the search warrant.

"There's no indication at all that these people are connected to anything shady," Surrey RCMP Sgt. Dave Attfield told The Leader Monday.

Sgt. Attfield said he cannot disclose the evidence that was used to obtain the search warrant for the Ramirez address, but promised an internal review will be conducted "to determine what lessons, if any, can be learned from this."

Attfield said even though the Ramirez residence is a well-maintained home with a flower garden in the front yard, many houses that contain indoor grow ops are carefully maintained to fool suspicious neighbours and police.

Ramirez was philosophical about the raid Monday, shrugging as he showed how he's installed a new lock higher up as a temporary fix for the deadbolt broken by the Mounties.

"My mother-in-law wants us to move," Ramirez said, but he is reluctant to leave his neighborhood, even though other houses in the area have been identified as grow ops.

here
 
Drug bust dents heroin trafficking

TRENTON, N.J. - State authorities seized an apartment building, a Maserati and more than $400,000 in cash and bank assets while cracking a major heroin distribution ring in the state, the attorney general said Wednesday.

The bust - the largest single seizure in Criminal Justice Division history - accounts for up to 75 percent of heroin trafficking in Trenton and a significant portion of heroin distribution statewide, Attorney General Peter C. Harvey said.

"I've heard the streets have been quieter. There is no product," said Assistant Attorney General Terry Merced.

Twelve people were arrested in coordinated raids in Trenton, Newark, Irvington, East Orange, Elizabeth and Philadelphia after authorities intercepted a Trenton-bound shipment of heroin, the Attorney General's Office said.

Charges include conspiracy, leading a narcotics network, racketeering and distribution of a controlled dangerous substance.

Five other people being sought by authorities remain at large, including the alleged ringleader, Charles Hamilton, 34, of Irvington.

Harvey said the yearlong, multi-agency probe targeted several levels of heroin dealers, most with ties to the Bloods street gang.

"We view ourselves as big-game hunters," Harvey said. "Our goal is to take out organizations."

Harvey said the goal of his ongoing "Gangs, Guns & Drugs" initiative is to penetrate the increasingly sophisticated financial structure of drug distribution networks, including seizing mutual funds, real estate and luxury cars.

In the latest operation, which began on June 25, authorities seized a quarter-million dollars worth of heroin; the apartment building in East Orange; 12 weapons, including an Uzi submachine gun; 15 late-model vehicles, and three motorcycles. They also froze bank accounts totaling $132,600 and $271,000 in cash.

A social club in Hudson County believed to be part of the cartel's assets is pending seizure, authorities said.

Authorities say Hamilton was responsible for bringing regular shipments of street-packaged heroin from northern New Jersey to Trenton. Merced said it would be processed in Trenton into individual doses, which sell for $10-$20 on the street. An estimated 20,000 doses were distributed weekly on Trenton's streets.



Published date: 6/30/04
Author: ANGELA DELLI SANTI, associated Press
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150,000 painkillers and anti-anxiety pills found

Hays painkiller cache biggest ever

By ANITA MILLER - News Editor
Posted: Wednesday, Jun 30, 2004 - 04:12:34 pm CDT


Sixteen crates full of pharmaceuticals were seized June 22 by the Hays County Narcotics Task Force.

Authorities say the more than 150,000 painkillers and anti-anxiety pills found in a Dripping Springs storage unit last week not only represent the largest pharmaceutical seizure in the history of the Hays County Narcotics Task Force but also the largest in the history of the Austin office of the DEA.

That's according to Task Force Commander Chase Stapp, who said the street value of the pharmaceuticals would top $1 million.

The task force and DEA held a press conference Tuesday morning at the Hays County Law Enforcement Center to announce the seizure and arrest of a 55-year-old former pharmacist. Donald Eugene Cook of Austin was arrested on June 23, one day after the task force executed a search warrant at the Best Storage complex. Cook is currently in federal custody without bail.

The pills were in 16 crates in large, pharmacy-sized bottles. Stapp said there were approximately 145,000 tablets of Hydrocodone, a painkiller known as Vicodin and Lortab, and about 6,000 tablets of Alprazolam, which is commonly known as Xanax.



He said they had apparently been diverted from a warehouser, wholesaler or transporter, but the investigation hasn't yet narrowed down the exact source. "I wish we could say we'd discovered it but we haven't," said Stapp, adding that both the Texas Pharmacy Board and the DEA's Diversion Unit are aiding the investigation.

The break in the case came on June 22, when a task force investigator identified as Eric Spriegel received information that a large quantity of the drugs were being stored in a Dripping Springs area mini storage unit.

By that evening, investigators had zeroed in on the Best Storage and obtained a search warrant.

Stapp said the owners and operators of the storage units were not involved. He did say more arrests are expected.

Federal charges were filed in the case "primarily because of the amount of the drugs involved," Stapp said, because there was the potential for them to be distributed to so many people.

"This was uncommon for our task force," he said. "Our most common seizures with pharmaceuticals are one bottle or two bottles or someone forges a prescription to obtain this stuff."

He said Cook was working at a glass company at the time of his arrest but was licensed as a pharmacist until 1989.

Here
 
Kenner detectives overhear setup for drug deal, make arrest

Kenner detectives overhear setup for drug deal, make arrest

The Associated Press
6/30/2004, 10:29 a.m. CT


KENNER, La. (AP) — Two Kenner police detectives, stopped at a traffic light, overheard a man arranging a drug deal on his cell phone, police Capt. Steve Caraway said.

The detectives were in an unmarked police car on Airline Drive on Monday afternoon when they heard the suspect's conversation, Caraway said Tuesday.

"He was discussing Vicodin tablets he could sell for $5 a pill and was setting up a meeting location," Caraway said.

The detectives pulled over the man's car, advised him of his rights and asked him about the conversation, Caraway said.

"He told them he was getting ready to meet a friend to sell him some pills," Caraway said. The suspect handed over a bag containing 31 tablets of hydrocodone, a painkiller, Caraway said.

Brook Pitre, 31, of New Sarpy was booked with possession and distribution of the tablets, Caraway said. He was released from the Jefferson Parish Correctional Center in Gretna on $15,000 bond

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I hate it when people are in public and they are practically yelling into the cell phone. This should be a lesson to people who talk loud on cell phones in public. You never know who is around.
 
yeah pretty retarded thing to do. I would at least have my windows up. and shit if the other dude is buying 31 pills at 5$ each he is getting fucked. Be carful when on cell phones
 
Hmm is text save? ahem here is a word of advice DO not text and drive at the same time I almost got in so many wrecks doing that lol Especially on the highway I almost went in the ditch Lol not good
 
I bet he feels like a really big moron. Stupid people always get caught... this is just like those drug dealers that get caught for going 100mph in a 30mph zone while carrying 200 kilos of cocaine.... stupidity gets you caught.
 
YES Why people would speed with drugs in their car is way beyond me that's for sure

They are probably like "well if I go 40 over the speed limit I won't look odd like I only went 4 over" RIiight
 
i would agree about havin' my windows up if i'm on a cell phone...and where i live i know 99.9% of the cops unmarked units....even the Grand Prix and Explorer...but Kenner is a lot bigger than where i live although it's about 1 1/2 hours away from me...so i guess it would be hard to figure out all the unmarked units
 
He should not have admitted guilt....first of all...second of all undercover cops are still easy to spot..
Never ever give a confession ..he could have gotten posession now , due to his own statement, hes going to get distribution charge, which is federal on Rx stuff.

These are the kind of idiots that give chemical users a bad name.
 
Damn I know this sounds sick...but from the point of view of an ex addict and someone still on methadone... I hate yto think of how many addicts are dopesick over that..thats alot of suffering people even if they did "do it to themselves"
 
Methadone said:
Damn I know this sounds sick...but from the point of view of an ex addict and someone still on methadone... I hate yto think of how many addicts are dopesick over that..thats alot of suffering people even if they did "do it to themselves"
Click to expand...

Yeah, I agree
 
North Shore busts net oxy ring

North Shore busts net oxy ring
By J.M. Lawrence and Tom Farmer
Thursday, July 1, 2004

Undercover agents pretending to live in Gloucester public housing uncovered a web of North Shore oxycodone dealers, including a Gloucester High baseball coach arrested yesterday along with 35 others.

``It's a shame to see someone from the schools involved with it,'' lamented long-time City Councilor Gus Foote, who chairs the Gloucester Housing Authority.

Jared Knowlton, a 29-year-old assistant varsity baseball coach who also worked as a Manchester-Essex Regional High School substitute teacher, appeared before a federal magistrate yesterday and was held without bail.

Coaching associates were shocked by the charges. One described Knowlton as a ``rah rah kind of guy'' who was very knowledgeable about the sport and had been under consideration for the head coaching spot.

Yesterday, Knowlton was suspended until further notice.

The eight-month investigation by Drug Enforcement Administration agents, Essex sheriff's deputies and Cape Ann law enforcement resulted in federal charges against 23 people and state charges against 13.

Knowlton and 11 others accused of selling oxycodone, also known as OxyContin, were one of three drug organizations uncovered, according to federal prosecutors. The others sold heroin and crack.

Agents claim the ring's supplier for oxycodone was Carlos Espinola, 27, of Peabody, who funneled drugs to University of Massachusetts at Lowell student Joseph Baldassano, 23, of Gloucester.

Baldassano and Knowlton were secretly taped meeting undercover agents at a Peabody restaurant on Dec. 2. Baldassano sold the agents 100 pills for $5,500, and Knowlton put the cash in his pocket, according to an affidavit filed in court.

Knowlton allegedly called himself ``Ghost'' during the meeting and revealed that he was a ``high school history teacher and baseball coach.''

Other undercover buys from members of the ring involved as many as 500 pills sold for prices ranging from $50 to $80 per pill, according to the government.

Also charged in federal court yesterday with dealing oxycodone were Keith Behsman, 26, of Lowell; Jose Melo, 28, of Peabody; and Gloucester residents Matthew Cream, 22; Jason Matthews, 24; Joseph Allen, 26; Jonathan Mitchell, 24; James Gardner, 25; Philip Albert Jr., 26; Archibald Macleod, 21; and Giuseppe Torrente, 23.

http://news.bostonherald.com/localRegional/view.bg?articleid=34016
 
who the hell in there right mind would pay 50+ for 100 pills....


i wouldnt pay more than 40 for one!!



sniff out the cops by the high prices dumbasses.....greed took out another group of people
 
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