Matthew McChesney is a big player. We don't know if he is the biggest player

Police had been tracking 29-year-old Matthew McChesney for six months as part of a drug crackdown but the amount of drugs found surprised even them.
"Weight-wise and size...there is no comparison...this is by far the largest marijuana seizure we have ever had," said Ken Fries of the Allen County Sheriff's Department.Police confiscated three tons of pot. It took over an hour to remove it all.Fries said the marijuana was worth about $6 million in street value.
When McChesney was pulled over for a traffic stop, police found 12 pounds of pot and more than $100,000 in cash. The discovery led to a search warrant for his home in the town of Harlan."When I got here I was shocked. We know there are drugs in Allen County and Fort Wayne but to see this quantity in a house...it was mind-numbing"The marijuana was found all over the house from the basement to the upstairs. It was stacked to the ceiling like bails of haySince the amount of drugs is over 200 pounds, the case has been turned over to federal agents. But local police know the impact of the arrest.
"This is certainly a big player. We don't know if he is the biggest player but this makes a major dent in the marijuana supply here in Allen County and Fort Wayne"
Police also found numerous guns in the house and they are continuing to look for more drugs on the property
McChesney could now be facing a minimum of 15 years in prison for drug trafficking and weapons charges.

Martin Amoh,Mario Dacosta were arrested abroad Bangkok Airways PG 171

Police arrested a Ghanaian and a Guinean for allegedly smuggling cocaine on board a flight to this tourist destination island with intent to sell during a full moon party on neighbouring Phangan Island.Martin Amoh, 26, a Ghanaian, and Mario Dacosta, 30, a Guinean, were arrested Thursday night abroad Bangkok Airways PG 171, which has just landed at the Samui Airport.Acting on tip-off, police raided the plane once it arrived.Police found 350 grammes of cocaine hidden in underwear and mobile phones of the two.Police said Docosta also hid most of the drug in his anus.
Records showed that the two had flown from Bangkok to Samui for at least 15 times.
The two admitted that they were heading to Phangan to sell the drug at a full moon party.The drug was worth about Bt52,500.

Cele Markovski ,Danica Jovic imprisoned for drug trafficing

A Brisbane judge has jailed a Gold Coast man for trafficking large amounts of high-grade cocaine and ecstasy.The man's former de facto was also jailed for drug possession.The Supreme Court trial of 52-year-old Cele Markovski and 35-year-old Danica Jovic heard the pair were arrested at Currumbin after an eight-month investigation.It is believed Markovski trafficked millions of dollars worth of drugs and he was described as being at the top of the totem pole in the illegal drug trade. He was sentenced to 15 years imprisonment while Jovic was ordered to serve four years.

Rickie Dawson York aka Mark Burton Convicted Felon 60 Years in prison

Rickie Dawson York, who turned 39 on Tuesday, pleaded guilty to possessing 1.46 grams of meth on Oct. 16. A Smith County jury sentenced the Tyler man after 25 minutes of deliberation in 241st District Judge Jack Skeen Jr.'s court.
The third-degree felony, which carried a punishment range of two to 10 years in prison, was enhanced to a first-degree, with a possible sentence of 25 years to life in prison, because of his two prior felony convictions. York will have to serve 15 years before he is eligible for parole. Bullard Police Officer Shawn Johnson testified that at about 3 a.m. on Oct. 16, he was traveling in the area of U.S. Highway 69 and Farm-to-Market Road 346 when he spotted a car parked in front of a closed business, which had been burglarized in the past. Johnson said he found York sleeping inside the car, which was running with its lights on. The man did not have identification, claimed to be waiting on his girlfriend and said he thought he was in the Chapel Hill area. After receiving consent to search, Johnson said he found two bags of meth and a bag of marijuana in the man's pocket. York asked the officer if there was anything they could do to work something out, but Johnson arrested him. Jurors were shown a videotape of the incident.He possessed 1.46 grams of meth and 2.93 grams of marijuana, according to lab reports.
York, also known as Mark Burton, was convicted of delivering marijuana in Dallas County in 1996 and possessing a prohibited weapon in Smith County in 2006, for which he was on parole. Beginning in 1987, he has also has been convicted of theft, possession of a controlled substance, failure to identify/fugitive from justice, criminal mischief and theft by check.


Assistant Smith County District Attorney Zach Davis said York continued to commit offenses whenever he was released from jail or prison and will never change his behavior. The defendant testified he has had a drug problem for 21 years but, Davis said, he has never sought treatment for his addiction.
He asked the jury to sentence York to life in prison to send him a message to stop using and selling drugs and stealing from people. Defense attorney Steven Comte said the punishment range was 25 years to life only because of York's criminal history, but that he has been punished and has served his sentences for all of his prior convictions.
"There is nothing about Mr. York's history that is violent and life should be reserved for the most heinous individuals out there," he said.
Comte said his client has made some bad decisions and has had problems with addiction, but is a genuinely nice man with a wife and children. He told the jurors to ask themselves what a reasonable sentence would be for possessing little more than 1 gram of meth, adding that he believed it would be a sentence at the low end of the punishment range.

Three traffickers were arrested and handed over to judicial officials

Police Commander of Sirjan Colonel Hooshang Pour Rezaei said on Tuesday that the forces under his command confiscated 1,068 kilograms of narcotic drugs at a house.
Speaking to IRNA, he said the drug traffickers were loading the drugs into a truck when they were surrounded and arrested by the police.
The traffickers were to dispatch the consignment to Isfahan, he said.
Three traffickers were arrested and handed over to judicial officials, he said.

Peter Charles Smith sentenced to three years and four months in prison for smuggling cocaine

Peter Charles Smith, Middleton pub landlord and cocaine trafficker who had his conviction quashed by the Court of Appeal has been sent back to jail.used to run the Barber's Arms in Rhodes, was sentenced to three years and four months in prison for smuggling more than £500,000 worth of illegal drugs after being convicted following a retrial.Smith, 65, was originally sentenced to 10 years in jail for bringing eight kilos of cocaine and more than 42 kilos of cannabis resin into the country in 2004.But the Appeal Court quashed his conviction and Smith, of Wellens Way, Rhodes, was freed on bail when they ordered there should be a second trial.Jailing him for the second time, Judge Griffiths-Jones QC, at Maidstone Crown Court, told Smith that the offence was very serious indeed. The judge took into account he had already served the equivalent of four years in prison and had "enjoyed" about a year of freedom on bail before he was re-convicted.At his retrial at Canterbury Crown Court in December, Smith, admitted smuggling cannabis but claimed he knew nothing about the cocaine.The court heard Smith was arrested by customs officers after cocaine valued at £416,000 and cannabis worth £99,000 was discovered hidden in a compartment behind the front seats of his Peugeot van as he entered Dover in 2004.The officers found Smith's fingerprints on the cannabis packets but not the cocaine.Smith claimed he met a man in a bar shortly before he was due to go across the Channel on a booze run and was offered between £1,000 and £2,000 to bring back cannabis.When he arrived in France, he said, he was told to drive to Antwerp, in Belgium, and from there two men then drove him to an industrial estate near Amsterdam where the other men cut blocks of cannabis resin down to smaller sizes to fit into the van's hidden compartment.Smith, who once served in the army and later won an award for saving a child from drowning, claimed the men could have loaded the cocaine while he was away from the van.Passing sentence at Maidstone Crown Court , Judge Griffith-Jones told Smith: "The jury by its verdict plainly rejected the story you advanced. I have absolutely no doubt you knew full well what you were about when you brought the two categories of drugs into the country."

John Hardy arrest warrant after he failed to show up for trial on drug charges.

An arrest warrant was issued Wednesday for John Hardy of Ingramport after he failed to show up for trial on drug charges.But the warrant won’t be acted upon until he returns from Thailand.Mr. Hardy, 50, and David Banfield, 42, of Upper Tantallon, were to begin a four-day trial in Amherst provincial court on drug charges. But Mr. Hardy’s lawyer, Jim O’Neil, told the court his client didn’t show up because of a miscommunication between himself and Mr. Hardy."He is working in the jungles of Asia," Mr. O’Neil said. "He lost track of the trial date because he was so used to me appearing on his behalf through a designation I received from him. He thought today’s (hearing) was for a motion and not for a trial."I accept responsibility for that. It was an honestly held misunderstanding on his part."Mr. Hardy won’t be back in Canada before July 8 because that is the earliest his company is willing to fly him out, Mr. O’Neil said, asking for an adjournment.Mr. Banfield’s lawyer, Mark Knox, asked that his client’s trial be postponed as well because it was essential this client’s defence to have Mr. Hardy present for the trial."I find it difficult to understand how someone could forget their trial date," Judge Carole Beaton said. "I do not want to make light of it, but it’s akin to a student telling his teacher that the ‘dog ate my homework.’ "Judge Beaton said Mr. Hardy bore some responsibility failing to appear.His absence put Mr. Banfield in a difficult position because "it would be prejudicial to his case if we were to go ahead today" without Mr. Hardy being present, she said.The case has been delayed several times since the charges were laid in 2005, and the judge said Mr. Hardy’s absence made it difficult for the court to find time for the trial.She set Oct. 7 to 10 as the new trial dates and ordered the arrest warrant. She ordered Mr. Hardy to appear for a pretrial conference in July and told Mr. O’Neil that "feast, famine, flood or insurrection by the Queen’s enemies" had better not keep Mr. Hardy from the pretrial conference or the new court dates.Mr. Hardy and Mr. Banfield were charged in October 2005 after the RCMP caught two people working a marijuana crop in Wentworth Valley. Police subsequently searched two Wentworth properties, where more than 1,000 plants were seized.The men face charges of possessing more than three kilograms of marijuana for the purpose of trafficking, producing marijuana and theft of less than $5,000 worth of electricity.

Duncan Haldane was caught with £80,000 of heroin

Duncan Haldane, now 17, had the drugs stashed down his trouser leg when cops stopped a taxi in London Road, Glasgow.They had followed it from a Travel Inn near Kincardine Bridge after a tip-off.
Haldane, of Possilpark, admitted being involved in the supply of one kilo of heroin last April at the High Court in Glasgow yesterday.Taxi driver Craig Douglas, 38, of Ruchhill, and passenger George Trainer, 20, of Possilpark, had not guilty pleas acceptedLord Kinclaven remanded Haldane in custody and deferred sentence until later this month.

Leebert Ramcharan ,Samuel Knowles Two Caribbean smugglers who were designated by the White House as international drug kingpins

Jamaican Leebert Ramcharan led a sophisticated drug smuggling organization that received as many as 15,000 kilos of cocaine from the north coast of Colombia from 1998 to 2004, prosecutors said.
Two Caribbean smugglers who were designated by the White House as international drug kingpins were convicted on smuggling charges and could face life in prison, U.S. prosecutors said on Wednesday.The shipments were stored in Jamaica, later sent to the Bahamas and then transported to the U.S. market, they said.Ramcharan was convicted by a jury of conspiracy to import and conspiracy to possess narcotics with the intent to distribute, the Miami U.S. Attorney's Office said in a statement.
In a separate case, Bahamian Samuel Knowles, who was extradited to Florida in 2006, was found guilty of two drug counts and ordered to forfeit nearly $14 million of illegal proceeds for bringing thousands of kilos of cocaine to the United States in 1995 and 1996, prosecutors said.Several years ago, the Bush administration put both men on a U.S. blacklist that barred American banks from dealing with suspected international drug traffickers or their companies in an attempt to cripple their narcotics businesses.Both were scheduled for sentencing on May 23 and faced possible life prison terms.

Robert Charles Wilson was fined $7000 for importing prohibited goods in breach of the Customs Act 1901.

Customs inspectors at Darwin had another conviction recorded against importers of body building drugs.A Darwin man was yesterday (Tuesday 4 March 2008) found guilty of smuggling performance and image enhancing drugs into Australia.
Customs National Manager Investigations, Richard Janeczko, said this was the second conviction of its type in the Darwin Magistrates Court with in the past two weeks."Customs continues to be vigilant in preventing the smuggling of these types of drugs," Mr Janeczko said.Mr Robert Charles Wilson, 34, was fined $7000 for importing prohibited goods in breach of the Customs Act 1901.Customs investigations began on 20 June 2007 when officers in Melbourne intercepted a parcel from Thailand, destined for a Darwin address.On inspection the parcel was found to contain anabolic and androgenic substances concealed in chocolate boxes.Anabolic and androgenic substances are performance and image enhancing drugs that cannot be imported into Australia.As a result of the detection, Customs investigators searched a property in Larrakeyah, where they seized evidentiary material.On 25 February 2008, a 35-year-old Darwin man was convicted and fined $10,000 for the same offence.
"These convictions send a strong message that Customs is committed to detecting and prosecuting any one involved in smuggling prohibited goods into Australia," Mr Janeczko said.
"While some of these substances are freely available in other countries, Customs will not tolerate their importation into Australia without a permit."

Drug Killing of Eliécer Estribí Guerra, Agner Darío Moreno, José Manuel Pinzón Bazán, Carlos Javier Espino and Víctor Navarro Otero.

Panama's Anti-Drug Prosecutor in Chiriquí is on the trail of a Panamanian citizen suspected to be responsible for the execution of five Panamanians near Neily City in Costa Rica. According to judicial information the suspect frequently crosses the border between Panama and Costa Rica making it difficult for authorities to find him. The suspect was identified with the cooperation of Costa Rica's Judicial Investigation Organism (OIJ), which has conducted several operations as part of their investigation, to include taking statements from protected witnesses. Investigations being conducted in both countries have not ruled out the possibility that these executions might be related to the recent dismantling of a drug smuggling organization several weeks ago in Chiriquí. It is also possible that these drug runners were related to the Mexican "Sinaloa Drug Cartel." Last Wednesday afternoon five bodies were discovered near Neily City, Costa Rica, a few kilometers from the Panamanian border. Killed were Eliécer Estribí Guerra, Agner Darío Moreno, José Manuel Pinzón Bazán, Carlos Javier Espino and Víctor Navarro Otero.

Methylamphetamine haul worth nearly $80 million after searching a plane which flew from New South Wales into Perth's Jandakot Airport.

Australia police have seized a massive methylamphetamine haul worth nearly $80 million after searching a plane which flew from New South Wales into Perth's Jandakot Airport.Police have arrested and charged the pilot and passenger with drug-related offences. Organised Crime Squad and State Security Investigation Group officers intercepted a Piper Aztec plane, which left from New South Wales on Tuesday, after it arrived at Jandakot around 5pm yesterday. Detectives searched the twin engine aircraft and found a bag allegedly containing 22kg of methylamphetamine and 8.85kg of ecstasy (approximately 35,000 tablets). The NSW pilot and his 24 year old passenger were both interviewed at the Organised Crime Squad offices and each was charged with Possess Methylamphetamine With Intent to Sell or Supply and Possess MDMA (ecstasy) with Intent to Sell or Supply. Both men were due to appear in the Perth Magistrate’s Court today.

Pedro Perez ,Manuel Rameriz charged with drug trafficking and possession

Two men, police say are illegal immigrants, appeared in court on charges they tried to sell a large amount of heroin to undercover officers. Pedro Perez and Manuel Rameriz are each charged with drug trafficking and possession. Investigators are unsure if those are their true identities. Apparently the men call each other different names than the ones they gave police. Prosecutors say the men tried to sell over two pounds of heroin, worth 300-thousand dollars to undercover cops. Perez is held on a 200-thousand dollar bond. The judge set bond for Rameriz at 600-thousand.

Francisco Rafael Arellano Felix the eldest of five brothers who control the drug cartel in Tijuana deported

Francisco Rafael Arellano Félix, the eldest of five brothers who control the drug cartel in Tijuana, is back in Mexico after being freed from a United States prison this week, Mexican authorities said. He was released at a border crossing in El Paso and walked to Mexican soil, where family members met him, ushered him into a sedan and drove off. The authorities say there are no outstanding charges against him in Mexico. For years, Mr. Arellano Félix, 58, ran the powerful Tijuana cartel, known for ruthless killings and the smuggling of tons of cocaine. Mexican authorities arrested him in 1993 and sentenced him to 11 years in prison, and he stayed in prison two more years while he fought extradition to the United States. He was finally transferred to the United States in 2006 and convicted of selling cocaine to an undercover agent in 1980. He served a year and five months in an American prison. Two of his brothers are currently in prison, one died in a shootout in 2002 and one is at largeFrancisco Rafael Arellano Felix was sentenced to six years in federal prison last year in San Diego on cocaine charges from a 1980 drug bust. He was returned to Mexico Tuesday after getting credit for time served in Mexican prison while he awaited extradition, said Justice Department spokeswoman Laura Sweeney. Arellano Felix faces no charges in Mexico, said an official with Mexico's Attorney General office on condition of anonymity. The official, who was not authorized to speak for attribution, said Arellano Felix returned through Ciudad Juarez, a Mexican border city across from El Paso, Texas. Arellano Felix, a Mexican citizen, was extradited in 2006 after serving a decade-long sentence in Mexico on unrelated weapons charges. The deportation "reflects the conclusion of a cooperative effort between the United States and Mexico to ensure that he faced justice for crimes committed on both sides of the border," Sweeney said. Arellano Felix pleaded guilty in June to one count of conspiring to distribute cocaine and one count of possessing about half a pound of the drug with the intent to distribute it. He sold it to an undercover narcotics agent at a San Diego motel, authorities said. He was arrested while counting cash from the transaction, but fled to Mexico the following month after being released on $150,000 bond. His 2006 extradition came a month after Arellano Felix's younger brother, Francisco Javier, was captured by the U.S. Coast Guard aboard a sport-fishing yacht in international waters off La Paz, Mexico, and taken to San Diego to face drug charges. The younger Arellano Felix pleaded guilty in September to running a continuing criminal enterprise and conspiracy to launder money. Prosecutors said he agreed to plead guilty after then-Attorney General Alberto Gonzales agreed not to pursue the death penalty. U.S. authorities have requested the extradition of Benjamin Arellano Felix, who was captured in 2002 in Puebla, Mexico, east of Mexico City. He is being held in a Mexican jail. Another brother, Ramon Arellano Felix, was shot to death the same year in the Pacific tourist port of Mazatlan.

Melasti Three Death sentences Si Yi Chen, Tan Duc Thanh Nguyen and Matthew Norman to life sentences

Sydney-man Matthew Norman along with two others; Thanh Duc Tan Nguyen and Si Yi Chen, are to have their death sentences reduced to life. Known as the Malasti Three following their arrest at a hotel of that name in 2005, the three later had their sentences increased by Indonesia's court system, despite an appeal. Australian Scott Rush, who is also on death row, is now in the final stages of preparing a review into his own case, with the ruling seen as a positive step for Rush's own appeal.
Rush had the same treatment during appeal, with the Indonesian courts actually increasing his sentence to death following the appeal. In his first televised interview this month, Rush said that he had little idea of the consequences because of his only minor travel experience. "I didn't know what I was risking, I didn't know there was a death penalty, I didn't know anything about Bali really," he said.
Mr Rush went on to say that he regretted the decision, and the problems it had caused to his family, adding that the thought of execution weighed daily.
"They had a lot of... expectance for me I guess, I mean I do feel bad... It weighs on my mind pretty much every second of the day," he said.
"I mean I can't have a normal conversation like I used to be able to because of this.
"It's always in my mind. Always in the back of my head or it stops sometimes at the front."
Three Australians convicted of heroin smuggling in Indonesia have had their death sentences reduced to life imprisonment, their lawyer said Thursday.Judges in Jakarta decided to spare the lives of three of the so-called "Bali Nine" gang of drug smugglers who tried to traffic heroin from the Indonesian resort island of Bali back to Australia in 2005."The Supreme Court made its ruling about four days ago and it commutes the death sentences for Si Yi Chen, Tan Duc Thanh Nguyen and Matthew Norman to life sentences," lawyer Erwin Siregar told AFP by telephone from Bali.The three, now aged between 21 and 24, were arrested in a hotel room in Bali with a small quantity of heroin shortly after others in the gang were arrested at the island's airport.The gang's three ring leaders, Scott Rush, Myuran Sukumaran and Andrew Chan, remain on death row, while the three other members are serving prison sentences ranging from life to 20 years.Australian Foreign Minister Stephen Smith said the government was trying to confirm the court's decision."If the reports are accuratethen of course it's very welcome," he told Nine Network television.Australian media said court documents and an interview with one of the judges revealed that the trio's previous good character, and their youth, had influenced the decision to drop the death sentences.Judge Hakim Nyak Pha said there had been "intense discussion" about what penalty was appropriate, Australia's Daily Telegraph reported. "They are not masterminds," the judge said.The three had expressed remorse and apologised to the court.Chen, Nguyen and Norman were known as the Melasti Three because they were arrested at the Melasti hotel in Bali.None of the three had drugs on them at the time, but police found 350 grammes of heroin in a suitcase in their room.Siregar, their lawyer, said he had been informally notified of the Supreme Court ruling and that he was seeking a copy of the official verdict.
The spokesman of the Indonesian Supreme Court could not be immediately reached for comments.

Marcus Thomas was arrested after police said they found cocaine and a handgun in a pickup truck during a traffic stop

Denver Broncos defensive tackle Marcus Thomas was arrested after police said they found cocaine and a handgun in a pickup truck during a traffic stop.He was charged with possession of a controlled substance and released from jail Sunday after posting a $2,500 bond.Thomas slipped to the fourth round of last year's draft because of off-field problems. He had been considered a potential first-round pick.
Thomas and the driver were arrested early Saturday after police received a call from the Florida Highway Patrol asking them to look for a pickup with a driver who might be impaired.The police report said both men denied any knowledge of the cocaine. Police also said a semiautomatic pistol was seen inside the glove compartment.
Thomas' lawyer, Charles Truncale, said police found a small bag of what appeared to be a "trace amount" of cocaine and his client "did not possess it."
"Nor did he have any knowledge of it, until the stop of the vehicle," Truncale said. "That's what happened. He is not guilty of the charge for which he has been arrested.""The owner/operator of the vehicle has since admitted the cocaine was his and no cocaine was ever found on Marcus Thomas," the Broncos said in a statement, "Within hours of his release, Marcus had a test which confirmed that there was no cocaine in his system."The team would not comment on the source of its information, club spokesman Patrick Smyth said.Police Chief James Boivin said both men still face a possible felony charge because at the time of the arrest neither said he owned the cocaine. A call to the state attorney's office in Green Cove Springs was not immediately returned.homas was suspended most of his final college season at Florida in 2006. He had tested positive for drugs and violated curfew and his agreement to attend drug rehabilitation class.He started five games last season and had 20 tackles in 16 games.

arrested two Bangladeshis for attempting to smuggle narcotic pills into the country

Customs officers at the Kuwait International Airport have arrested two Bangladeshis for attempting to smuggle narcotic pills into the country, reports Al-Qabas daily.
According to a security source the suspects put up a brave appearance to pretend nothing was wrong with them. Their behavior caught the attention of customs officers and the passengers were whisked away for a thorough check.
The officers then searched their baggage and found 700 pills in the baggage of one man and 150 with the other.

Asian drug dealers have been arrested

Three Asian drug dealers have been arrested by the General Department of Drug Control (GDDC) officials.Director General of GDDC Brigadier Sheikh Ahmed Al-Khalifa told the press that he set up an undercover team to put the gang under 24 hour police surveillance when news about their activities around the Al-Salmi and Al-Nuwaiseeb borders reached his table.The securitymen trailed one of the suspects to a location in Jleeb Al-Shuyoukh where he went to deliver the stuff to a woman who acted as the distributor of the drugs and arrested the trio during the course of transaction.The suspects were referred to relevant authorities for further investigation.

Tony Mokbel extradition of Australia's most wanted fugitive in two weeks

Greeces Supreme Court said it would issue its final ruling on the extradition of Australia's most wanted fugitive in two weeks.An Australian court had sentenced Tony Mokbel to 12 years in jail in absentia for cocaine trafficking, and he is also wanted on suspicion of ordering and paying for the murder of rival crime boss Lewis Moran and another man. He denies any involvement. "Our decision will be announced on March 18 at 1300 (2200 AEDT)," presiding judge Giorgos Sarantinos told the court as Mokbel sat quietly. Mokbel, 41, arrived at Greece's highest court in Athens today to argue against his forced return to Melbourne, where he faces about 20 criminal charges including two of murder. Mokbel's lawyer, Alexandros Lykourezos, asked Supreme Court judges to postpone the hearing for up to 45 days to allow Lebanese authorities to prepare a separate extradition request for Mokbel on drug smuggling charges. Mokbel holds Lebanese citizenship. Mokbel, who was arrested in an Athens suburb last year, has claimed he could not receive a fair trial in Australia due to biased press reports. His lawyers today tried to postpone the decision further but the court rejected their request. Mokbel has been in jail in Greece since his arrest in early June. He had lived in the country for nine months with his girlfriend, a daughter and another child. His lawyers have insisted that months of negative publicity in Australia, and comments by senior politicians regarding Mokbel and his arrest in Greece, are likely to deny him the chance of a fair trial.

Albanian drugs gang wanted for supplying cocaine across the south of England.

criminal drug gang believed to be supplying cocaine was targeted in a series of dawn raids in Oxfordshire today.Officers swooped on 14 homes in Oxford, Didcot, Deddington and Banbury, seizing thousands of pounds worth of cocaine and cash.Police said the homes are believed to be linked to an Albanian drugs ring wanted for supplying cocaine across the south of England. 10 men from Oxfordshire were in custody being quizzed by police on suspicion of dealing class A drugs.Det Supt David Poole said: "This is an organised group of criminals operating throughout a number of police areas."We will take any action necessary to stop the supply of illegal and dangerous drugs, which cause so much harm to our communities."My message is, if you are involved in selling illegal drugs we will be coming to get you next."Around 100 police officers from Oxfordshire and the Thames Valley Organised Crime Unit, based in Kidlington, took part in the raids which began at 7am.An estimated £10,000 worth of cocaine was seized from homes in Garsington Road, Oxford, The Paddocks in Deddington and Mendip Heights, in Didcot.Around £20,000 in cash and a number of suspects' vehicles were also seized.A cocaine press - used in the supply of the drug - was also discovered by police at one of the properties.Raids took place in Crowell Road, Troy Close and Garsington Road in Cowley; Kestrel Crescent in Blackbird Leys; Stowford Road and Margaret Road in Headington; Cowley Road in East Oxford; and Arthray Road in Botley.Homes in Sage Close, Valley Road and South Bar Street, in Banbury, were also raided during the operation.
Six other raids connected with the operation were carried out in Hampshire, Wiltshire and Berkshire, leading to three arrests.A 56-year-old woman from Margaret Road, Oxford, who asked not to be named, said she saw police officers raid the house at about 7am.She said: "That house was a cannabis factory last year and we were not happy then. Now it has been raided a second time. As a neighbour I'm not happy it is happening again."A pensioner in The Paddocks, Deddington, said: "I thought we lived in a nice quiet village, but obviously we do not."Supt Brendan O'Dowda, Oxford's police commander, said: "Today's activity is evidence that we are working hard to protect our public from drug-related crime and that we are putting the organised criminal and crime syndicates firmly on the back foot."The operation was not connected to a series of 30 raids which targeted a £5.5m drug empire across London and the Home Counties, last month

RHS3030 associate of Tony Mokbel $400,000 was sent to Mokbel

"I transferred funds overseas to Mokbel - I think I was money laundering," RHS 3030 said.An associate of Tony Mokbel said he realised it was a "silly idea" to send large sums of money to the fugitive drugs baron while he was hiding in Greece."In hindsight, it was a silly idea at the time, but I was doing it as a favour for a mate."Investigators believe as much as $400,000 was sent to Mokbel as he evaded arrest.The man, who can only be identified as RHS3030, was giving evidence in the trial of nine men accused of manufacturing 42kg of amphetamines.They are alleged to be key members in an amphetamine manufacturing network known as "The Company" which was controlled by Mokbel until his arrest in Greece in June last year.
The hearing, before magistrate Maurice Gurvich, also heard that RHS3030 had given his passport to Mokbel "for analysis" but never received it back.Mokbel skipped bail with a false passport in the middle of his trial on cocaine importation charges last year and was convicted and sentenced in absentia to a minimum of nine years' jail.He is now fighting extradition to Australia from jail in Athens RHS3030 also recalled how he had made a room available in his house for the manufacture of amphetamines, although he had played no part in the process.
"I saw 10 bags weighing around two kilograms each," he said.
RHS3030, who was a long-term user of cocaine, said he believed he was immune to prosecution in return for giving evidence in the case.
"I believe I have indemnity but there was no promise going forward," he said.
The accused face six charges each including trafficking commercial quantities of methamphetamines worth $4.2 million and dealing with the proceeds of crime.

Simon Jenkins jailed for six years at Teesside Crown Court ,Mark Leighton was locked up for four years

Simon Jenkins and Mark Leighton as key players in "the distribution of misery" after handling almost two thirds of a kilo of the class A drug.Jenkins, 26, of Selby Grove, Hartlepool, was jailed for six years at Teesside Crown Court, after a jury found him guilty of possessing a class A drug with intent to supply.Leighton, 44, pleaded guilty to a similar offence and was locked up for four years.Recorder Simon Wood said both were "relatively high in the chain of command".He said: "Even if it was as labourers or foot soldiers, your part in that chain is important, as you were both close to a significant dealing operation."You have become an essential means in that process of distribution of misery."The cocaine, which had a street value of between £34,000 and £43,000, was found after police searched Leighton's flat in Thackeray Road, Rift House, Hartlepool, on September 14 last year.They found 645 grams of the drug stored in packets and containers around the flat – some of it wrapped in lottery tickets.A set of digital scales and a chemical to mix with the cocaine were also seized along with a "dealer list" of names and numbers found in a kitchen drawer.Joanne Kidd, prosecuting, said Jenkins was sitting in the living room which was being used as a "work station" where the cocaine was being cut, mixed and bagged up ready for sale.Paul Cleasby, mitigating for Leighton, said he had been pressured into storing the drug for people higher up the network, who had access to his flat.He added that Leighton told police it was "more than my life is worth" to name them. Mr Cleasby said: "It wasn't his enterprise, he didn't profit to a significant extent."He was financially vulnerable at the time and these people, who are cold and calculating enough to profiteer in this industry, use people like Mark Leighton."Jenkins, who started taking cannabis at 13, was earlier convicted by a jury after his trial heard how his fingerprints were found on the cocaine.He had insisted he had merely handled the drugs on discovering them in the flat.Robin Denny, defending Jenkins, said: "Obviously the amount is considerable but he was a labourer so to speak.

Kevin Hebert,Joel Kist Jr charged them with possession of heroin, possession of heroin with intent to sell and possession of drug paraphernalia.

Kevin Hebert, 24, and Joel Kist Jr., 23, both of 1 Lisa Ave., and charged them with possession of heroin, possession of heroin with intent to sell and possession of drug paraphernalia.Hebert was also charged with interfering with an officer. He is being held on a $100,000 bond while Kist is being held on a $2,500 cash bond.
The Office of the Jewett City Resident Trooper said the case is still under investigation.

Crisanto Ragasa,Perry Johnson arrested along with 91 alleged offenders

A four-day dragnet involving 10 federal, state and local agencies operating on the Big Island led to the arrest of 91 alleged drug and violent-crime offenders on 130 warrants last week, the U.S. Marshals Service announced yesterday.Called Operation Pono, the effort focused on fugitives with warrants or criminal histories related to narcotics, sexual assault or other crimes of violence, the Marshals Service said.
"In our opinion the capture of career criminals will result in reduction of crime and safer communities," said U.S. Marshal Mark Hanohano.Hawaii County police Maj. Marshall Kanehailua said many of the people arrested were probably hiding out, lying low. But some were also actively engaged in new crimes, and capturing them will reduce crime, he said."We definitely see a downturn in crime in specific areas," he said.The operation resulted in 13 new criminal cases, the Marshals Service said."Fugitives like Crisanto Ragasa, who was wanted for drug trafficking and firearms possession, or Perry Johnson, who was wanted for kidnapping and terroristic threatening, are now both behind bars," a statement said.Some of the suspects posted bail as soon as they were arrested, Kanehailua said. But if they fail to appear in court, they will have bail bondsmen looking for them, too.Many are lifelong residents of the Big Island. "Where are you going to go? They might be on the run locally, but eventually they get caught," he said.Police often know where the offenders are."We just don't have time to go out and get them," Kanehailua said.The 91 arrests represent not quite half of the 200 offenders sought, he said. Officials started to put the operation together about a month in advance. "That's a lot of numbers for a short period," he said.About 50 officers took part in the operation, compared with another Operation Pono in 2004, when 35 officers arrested 98 offenders in seven days.Such operations are relatively simple because the existence of bench warrants means a judge has already heard evidence against the suspects, Kanehailua said.In contrast, Operation Island Pipeline in 2001, which shut down an international heroin ring and resulted in 58 arrests, required 13 months of gathering evidence before arrests could be made.

Brian Jackie Harper pleaded guilty to conspiring to possess and distribute heroin

Brian Jackie Harper, who was sentenced in New Bern federal court, pleaded guilty in December to conspiring to possess and distribute heroin.His conviction was part of an operation dubbed Man O War between September 2005 and October 2006, the release stated.Harper has prior convictions for cocaine trafficking, cocaine possession with intent to deliver and heroin possession with intent to deliver, the news release said.The N.C. State Bureau of Investigation, Wilmington police and Onslow County Sheriff's office investigated the case.Harper was arrested after investigators made numerous controlled heroin buys, the release said.The buys netted nearly 400 grams of heroin, said New Hanover District Attorney Ben David.New Hanover County Assistant District Attorney Timothy Severo prosecuted the case in federal court as part of a partnership between the county district attorney's office and the U.S. Attorney's office to prosecute serious drug offenses in federal court.Severo has been designated as a special assistant United States attorney.
"This plea demonstrates our continued commitment to aggressively prosecute criminals who are distributing heroin in our community," David said Monday.

Lynden Hale admitted driving while disqualified, possessing class A drugs

Lynden Hale, 25, of Ovenden Way, Ovenden, Halifax, admitted driving while disqualified, possessing class A drugs, handling stolen goods and driving without insurance.Bradford Crown Court heard that police knew Hale was a banned driver but saw him in a Suzuki Alto. When he was searched, he had heroin in his pocket.

Sport utility vehicle stopped 25 bags of heroin inside.

State troopers are searching for the driver of a sport utility vehicle in which 25 bags of heroin were found in plain sight.Florida Highway Patrol troopers pulled over the Isuzu SUV on Interstate 95 near 135th Street on Monday night after the driver was using the shoulder to pass other vehicles.Lt. Pat Santangelo said the driver and passenger both ran away, but the passenger was eventually caught. Troopers have the driver's license, though, and said they were confident he would be arrested.

Vincent S. Pace pleaded guilty in January to a felony charge of third-degree criminal possession of a controlled substance

Vincent S. Pace, 57, of May Street agreed to forfeit $14,000 in cash that police seized from his home when police raided it last Sept. 13. Four ounces of cocaine was found in the home that day as well. He pleaded guilty in January to a felony charge of third-degree criminal possession of a controlled substance.
Police said Pace sold cocaine in the Glens Falls and southern Essex County areas, but also was an avid golfer who police had been told frequently sold the drug to fellow players at golf tournaments around the North Country.He will have to serve at least 4 years in prison before becoming eligible for parole. He will have to spend 2 years on parole under the terms of his plea deal.

Seven men jailed for life and fined BD5,000

seven men involved in a major drug smuggling ring that shipped hundreds of tonnes of hashish from Iran to Bahrain were jailed for life and fined BD5,000 yesterday. Another two were jailed for 10 years and also fined BD5,000 after they were convicted of selling the drugs in Bahrain. Three more were jailed for three years each for their part in receiving and delivering the drugs, as well as using them.
However, only 10 of them appeared in court yesterday to hear the verdict. Two of the men involved in shipping the drugs have already fled the country having previously been convicted on separate drugs charges, which carried jail sentences of 10 years each.All those convicted yesterday are Bahrainis aged 22 to 33.The international drug smuggling operation was brought to an abrupt end during a police raid in Seef in November 2006. The raid followed an investigation in which an undercover Kuwaiti policeman agreed to buy 500kg of hashish from one of the Bahraini defendants at a rate of BD550 per kilogram. Bahraini authorities provided money to be used in the sting operation, along with a car for the Kuwaiti policeman, into which he could load the drugs. He agreed to buy 300kg of hashish the first day and 200kg the next day from a Bahraini dealer and was told to bring BD165,000 for the first transaction.
They allegedly arranged to make the exchange at Al A'Ali Shopping Complex, Seef, but three drug squad officers were hiding in the boot of the undercover officer's car when the dealers showed up.When he handed over the cash to them the three officers burst out of the boot and arrested two drug dealers at the scene, despite them resisting. A third man was later arrested after he initially managed to escape.
During questioning, one of them admitted that the drugs were shipped to Bahrain from Iran, tied to a buoy and dumped in the sea off the Bahrain coast.Four of the Bahraini defendants then found the drugs using a Global Positioning System and brought them into the country.

47-year-old man and a 23-year-old woman appeared in Port Macquarie Local Court on Friday charged over the alleged supply of heroin

Arrest of a man and a woman last week for supplying heroin in the Macleay follows the recent deaths of two people from heroin overdoses, police said yesterday.
A 32-year-old Kempsey woman died following a heroin overdose on December 5, and police allege she was supplied by the two people arrested last week.
A 31-year-old man died from an overdose in January but it is unclear if the heroin was from the same supplier.The 47-year-old man and a 23-year-old woman appeared in Port Macquarie Local Court on Friday charged over the alleged supply of heroin.Kempsey detectives conducted an investigation, Operation Horan, looking into ongoing heroin supply within the local region.Last Thursday police executed a search warrant at a Burnt Bridge property and arrested the two alleged heroin suppliers.It will be alleged that a quantity of heroin and cash was found at the premises.
The pair were taken to Kempsey Police Station where they were charged with supplying drugs offences, possessing a prohibited drug, and dealing in the proceeds of crime.
Police said the man and woman were refused bail when they appeared in court on Friday.