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Wednesday, 25 March 2009
Thursday, 25 September 2008
Mark Marasi, 37, Juan Carambot, 40, Julio Perez, 32 and Jose Weekes, 20, all of Manhattan; Cessa Eddy, 22, and Jackeline Viera, 28 Arrested
Jose Diaz-Ortega, 28, of the Bronx, instructed underlings in Puerto Rico to pack kilos of cocaine into toy toolboxes and boxes of building blocks, then send them via Express Mail to New York City addresses, according to the indictment.
Federal Drug Enforcement Agency and Postal Inspection Service agents said they seized $84,000 and a .380 caliber handgun from Diaz-Ortega's home on Clay Avenue in June and arrested him the next month. He is being held on $500,000 bail.
During the five-month investigation, four handguns and 8.8 pounds of cocaine were recovered, according to the DEA.Yesterday, agents arrested the other defendants charged in the indictment: Mark Marasi, 37, Juan Carambot, 40, Julio Perez, 32 and Jose Weekes, 20, all of Manhattan; Cessa Eddy, 22, and Jackeline Viera, 28, both of the Bronx; and Jesus Diaz, 36, and Lisa Rodriguez, 36, both of Moonachie, N.J.Prosecutors said Jesus Diaz, a Manhattan check-cashing store employee, laundered between $40,000 and $50,000 of drug proceeds for Diaz-Ortega by sending wire transfers to Puerto Rico.The remaining defendants were arraigned yesterday in state Supreme Court in Manhattan on various conspiracy, money laundering, or drug possession and sale charges. Marasi, Carambot, Perez, Eddy and Viera were ordered held without bail; Weekes was held on $35,000 bail; and Rodriguez and Jesus Diaz were both released. All are due back in court on Oct. 6.
Federal Drug Enforcement Agency and Postal Inspection Service agents said they seized $84,000 and a .380 caliber handgun from Diaz-Ortega's home on Clay Avenue in June and arrested him the next month. He is being held on $500,000 bail.
During the five-month investigation, four handguns and 8.8 pounds of cocaine were recovered, according to the DEA.Yesterday, agents arrested the other defendants charged in the indictment: Mark Marasi, 37, Juan Carambot, 40, Julio Perez, 32 and Jose Weekes, 20, all of Manhattan; Cessa Eddy, 22, and Jackeline Viera, 28, both of the Bronx; and Jesus Diaz, 36, and Lisa Rodriguez, 36, both of Moonachie, N.J.Prosecutors said Jesus Diaz, a Manhattan check-cashing store employee, laundered between $40,000 and $50,000 of drug proceeds for Diaz-Ortega by sending wire transfers to Puerto Rico.The remaining defendants were arraigned yesterday in state Supreme Court in Manhattan on various conspiracy, money laundering, or drug possession and sale charges. Marasi, Carambot, Perez, Eddy and Viera were ordered held without bail; Weekes was held on $35,000 bail; and Rodriguez and Jesus Diaz were both released. All are due back in court on Oct. 6.
Drug gang believed to have supplied class A drugs to West End clubbers have been arrested after a six-month operation.
gang believed to have supplied class A drugs to West End clubbers have been arrested after a six-month operation.Four people, who are thought to have dealt cocaine to partygoers, have been tracked by the Metropolitan Police's Clubs and Vice Unit as part of Operation Fairsailing since April this year.A 24-year-old man was arrested near Marble Arch last Thursday on suspicion of conspiracy to supply class A drugs, and was remanded in custody. A house in Camden was searched later that day, where a man and a woman, both in their late 40s, were arrested for the same offence.
Detective Superintendent Dave Eyles, in charge of operations at the Clubs and Vice Unit, said: "These three have been running a highly organised, and what we believe to be a highly profitable, cocaine supply business. Our investigation has uncovered that the three worked a shift system, with one of them always available to travel anywhere within the M25 to supply cocaine."A fourth gang member, a man in his mid-20s, handed himself in to a central London police station and was also arrested on suspicion of conspiracy to supply class A drugs.Det Supt Eyles added: "Intelligence leads us to believe that the drugs are being bought by people using them as part of a night out clubbing or to sell on to others in that environment. We know that they have been dealing within the M25 but particularly close to some of the well-known West End clubs."London has a world-recognised nighttime economy. The vast majority of licensees work hard to prevent this sort of recreational drug use from taking place in their venues, something we fully support."Through arresting these four, I believe we have disrupted an organised gang, who have controlled much of the sale of cocaine in this environment for a substantial period of time."
Detective Superintendent Dave Eyles, in charge of operations at the Clubs and Vice Unit, said: "These three have been running a highly organised, and what we believe to be a highly profitable, cocaine supply business. Our investigation has uncovered that the three worked a shift system, with one of them always available to travel anywhere within the M25 to supply cocaine."A fourth gang member, a man in his mid-20s, handed himself in to a central London police station and was also arrested on suspicion of conspiracy to supply class A drugs.Det Supt Eyles added: "Intelligence leads us to believe that the drugs are being bought by people using them as part of a night out clubbing or to sell on to others in that environment. We know that they have been dealing within the M25 but particularly close to some of the well-known West End clubs."London has a world-recognised nighttime economy. The vast majority of licensees work hard to prevent this sort of recreational drug use from taking place in their venues, something we fully support."Through arresting these four, I believe we have disrupted an organised gang, who have controlled much of the sale of cocaine in this environment for a substantial period of time."
Friday, 1 August 2008
Spanish police say they have seized 700 pounds (315 kilograms) of heroin and arrested five people.
Spanish police say they have seized 700 pounds (315 kilograms) of heroin and arrested five people. A police statement Friday said four Turks and one Romanian were arrested in an operation at a sports marina in the northeastern port of Sitges, close to Barcelona. Police say the drugs seized Thursday had an estimated street value of euro54 million ($84 million). Police say it is the biggest heroin haul in Spain and one of the biggest in Europe.
Friday, 11 July 2008
Nicholas T. Sheley is suspected of engaging in a murderous two-state crime rampage that left eight people dead including two in Festus.
Jefferson County prosecutors announced first-degree murder charges Thursday against Nicholas T. Sheley, who is suspected of engaging in a murderous two-state crime rampage that left eight people dead including two in Festus.Sheley is alleged to have killed an Arkansas couple, Tom and Jill Estes, at the Comfort Inn near Interstate 55, June 30.He was apprehended without incident in a Granite City bar July 1.Sheley is incarcerated in Illinois where prosecutors in several jurisdictions have also filed murder charges against him.Along with two charges of first-degree murder, Sheley, 28, of Sterling, Ill., is facing two charges of armed criminal action
Jefferson County Prosecuting Attorney Forrest Wegge said no decision has been made on whether to seek the death penalty. That could change soon."It’s on the table and, quite frankly, it’s at the center of the table," Wegge said.When Sheley will appear in Jefferson County to face these charges is an open question.
Wegge met with other prosecutors this week to help coordinate the efforts between various agencies involved in the case.They expect to consult again shortly.
Several factors could influence how soon Sheley appears in a Jefferson County courtroom."It may be in chronological order," Wegge said. "The status of the death penalty in Illinois may have an impact."Festus Police Chief Tim Lewis said local police have yet to speak with Sheley.Wegge said the decision to charge him with murder was made following an evaluation of surveillance tapes and physical evidence.
Police say they believe Sheley "ambushed" the couple on the parking lot and then transported their bodies by truck to a trash container behind a local service station, leaving a trail of blood more than one mile long."If it hadn’t rained you could still follow it," Lewis said.Police say there is still no indication of motive in the killings.Authorities said the Arkansas couple died from blunt force trauma.Lewis said police had generated so many leads that the Major Case Squad may be reactivated in order to gather and analyze more evidence."It’s still an evolving case," he saidLewis said the murders were the first "random killings" he had seen in more than two decades with the Festus Police.No bond has been set for Sheley
Jefferson County Prosecuting Attorney Forrest Wegge said no decision has been made on whether to seek the death penalty. That could change soon."It’s on the table and, quite frankly, it’s at the center of the table," Wegge said.When Sheley will appear in Jefferson County to face these charges is an open question.
Wegge met with other prosecutors this week to help coordinate the efforts between various agencies involved in the case.They expect to consult again shortly.
Several factors could influence how soon Sheley appears in a Jefferson County courtroom."It may be in chronological order," Wegge said. "The status of the death penalty in Illinois may have an impact."Festus Police Chief Tim Lewis said local police have yet to speak with Sheley.Wegge said the decision to charge him with murder was made following an evaluation of surveillance tapes and physical evidence.
Police say they believe Sheley "ambushed" the couple on the parking lot and then transported their bodies by truck to a trash container behind a local service station, leaving a trail of blood more than one mile long."If it hadn’t rained you could still follow it," Lewis said.Police say there is still no indication of motive in the killings.Authorities said the Arkansas couple died from blunt force trauma.Lewis said police had generated so many leads that the Major Case Squad may be reactivated in order to gather and analyze more evidence."It’s still an evolving case," he saidLewis said the murders were the first "random killings" he had seen in more than two decades with the Festus Police.No bond has been set for Sheley
Thursday, 17 April 2008
National police chief, Sereepisut Taemeeyaves, sacked for alleged corruption.
Thai governments tend to rely on the army or the police (or both) to remain in power. So their commands have always been deeply politicised. Like other public institutions they are dominated by a narrow elite of families with tentacles everywhere. “You find the same few surnames wherever you look,” notes Michael Nelson, a political scientist in Bangkok. Indeed, Mr Sereepisut's replacement as police chief has the same surname as a former army chief—his brother.The prime suspects are often the Thai police. Among current cases are a group of border police accused of abducting innocent people and extorting money from them, and a huge car-theft ring thought to have been run by bent coppers. The prime minister, Samak Sundaravej, this month sacked the national police chief, Sereepisut Taemeeyaves, for alleged corruption. Mr Sereepisut insists he is the victim of a conspiracy by crooked subordinates. Earlier this month the justice minister visited Chalor Kerdthes, a former police general serving life in jail, belatedly seeking progress on the “blue diamond” affair of the early 1990s, which wrecked Thailand's relations with Saudi Arabia. After the priceless gem and other jewels were stolen from a Saudi royal palace by a Thai worker, three Saudi diplomats seeking their return were murdered in Bangkok. The Thai police supposedly solved the case but the jewels they sent back to Riyadh were fake. Mr Chalor arranged the murders of the family of a gem dealer involved in the case. It is suspected he can dish the dirt on other former police chiefs.Cases of police graft and abuse of power are legion. In 2003 Thailand's then prime minister, Thaksin Shinawatra—a former mid-ranking policeman and businessman—told police to wage “war on drugs”, resulting in at least 1,300 extra-judicial killings. The army removed Mr Thaksin in a coup in 2006, promising a thorough investigation of the deaths. It had made little progress by last December's election, won by allies of Mr Thaksin. In March the American government's annual human-rights report on Thailand criticised the widespread torture of suspects. Last year 751 people died in prison or police custody. Abuses by police (and soldiers) have worsened an insurgency in Thailand's mainly Muslim southern provinces, in which 3,000 people have died since 2004. Predictably, opinion polls show the police are widely mistrusted. Experts say Thailand's force is not the world's worst: it does have some honest, capable investigators. However, for a country of a fairly high state of development, its record is abysmal. After decades of failed attempts at police reform, a panel set up after the 2006 coup proposed sweeping changes, including creating an independent police-complaints body. Some of the panel's reformists may be sincere. But this looked suspiciously like an attempt to curb Mr Thaksin's power base in the police. Now Mr Samak, although a supposed ally of Mr Thaksin, seems to be building bridges with army chiefs to bolster his own power. So his motives in sacking the police chief and talking of continuing the military government's reforms are also bound to be questioned. Thai public servants are less loyal to the institutions that employ them than to their loose network of connections—relatives, ex-classmates from military training or old university chums. The 2006 coup pitted Mr Thaksin's schoolmates against those of General Sonthi Boonyaratglin, the then army chief. Police reforms elsewhere have generally succeeded only where a public-spirited and untainted political leadership forced them through. When will Thailand get that sort of leadership?
Maurice Praill arrested on a charge of child sexual abuse
Maurice Praill, 77, from Harold Hill, Essex, was sent to Nongplalai prison, Pattaya, after Sudarat Sereewat a member of the country’s National Child Protection Committee complained ‘on behalf of the children of Thailand’.Praill had earlier boasted that a local policeman played the keyboards at his wedding to a 15-yr-old child bride in a ceremony blessed by Buddhist monks.
Praill was convicted in 2001 and sentenced to 14 years in jail for the rape of two under-aged girls in Pattaya. But he never did time. He got bail to appeal against his conviction and when he lost his appeal in 2004, he was given bail again to appeal to Thailand’s Supreme Court.He was arrested again last year together with three other foreigners and charged again with child sex abuse. In this case it was alleged young girls were delivered to foreigners on the back of a motorcycle. One of the alleged victims in this case was the daughter of Praill’s latest maid.
Praill was bailed. But the prosecution subsequently offered no evidence against him although an American was subsequently jailed for 16 years.Then last month Praill was arrested for sexually abusing an eight year old boy. Again he was bailed, this time for 400,000 Thai baht (£6,411).
Praill was convicted in 2001 and sentenced to 14 years in jail for the rape of two under-aged girls in Pattaya. But he never did time. He got bail to appeal against his conviction and when he lost his appeal in 2004, he was given bail again to appeal to Thailand’s Supreme Court.He was arrested again last year together with three other foreigners and charged again with child sex abuse. In this case it was alleged young girls were delivered to foreigners on the back of a motorcycle. One of the alleged victims in this case was the daughter of Praill’s latest maid.
Praill was bailed. But the prosecution subsequently offered no evidence against him although an American was subsequently jailed for 16 years.Then last month Praill was arrested for sexually abusing an eight year old boy. Again he was bailed, this time for 400,000 Thai baht (£6,411).
Ivor Chandler, 56, from Skelton, East Cleveland, fatally stabbed in the throat
A Briton was murdered in Thailand by a mentally disturbed man who was jealous of the man’s forthcoming marriage to his sister.Retired ICI worker Ivor Chandler, 56, from Skelton, East Cleveland, had been taken by a his Thai girlfriend, Chumporn, 28, from the resort of Pattaya to meet her parents, in the northern province of Phetchabun at the weend when Chandler was killed.Shortly after his arrival late last week in the village of Khlong Thom he was attacked by the girl’s brother and fatally stabbed in the throat.Police Captain Komchart Kankasaen said: “The brother, Tui Minim, is now in custody. He is not mentally well. He has to be looked after 24 hours a day by his family. He has been in and out of psychiatric hospitals.”“It seems that he was jealous of all the attention the foreigner. He did not like strangers and he was used to getting all the attention.”Mr.Chandler made regular visits to Thailand to visit his girlfriend. They planned to marry later this year.
John Paul Jones Australian was arrested in Thailand
An Australian was arrested in Thailand after a doctor allegedly discovered 65 plastic bags filled with $31,608 in hashish in his stomach, police said.
John Paul Jones, 51, was visiting the island of Ko Samui when he was rushed to the hospital after complaining of severe stomach pain, the Bangkok Post reported.
An X-ray of Jones's intestine showed a sausage-like string of objects that were surgically removed and identified as 800 grams of hashish.
"Before the operation, Mr Jones looked nervous and asked whether police would be notified. We found 62 black objects obstructing his small intestine. Three packs had burst," Dr Worapob said.It is reported that it took doctors two hours to remove the drugs, which were concealed in condoms and probably smuggled into Thailand from India or Pakistan.Authorities said Jones would be held for questioning and charges.
John Paul Jones, 51, was visiting the island of Ko Samui when he was rushed to the hospital after complaining of severe stomach pain, the Bangkok Post reported.
An X-ray of Jones's intestine showed a sausage-like string of objects that were surgically removed and identified as 800 grams of hashish.
"Before the operation, Mr Jones looked nervous and asked whether police would be notified. We found 62 black objects obstructing his small intestine. Three packs had burst," Dr Worapob said.It is reported that it took doctors two hours to remove the drugs, which were concealed in condoms and probably smuggled into Thailand from India or Pakistan.Authorities said Jones would be held for questioning and charges.
Brit Chetn Dadhwal was stabbed to death after trying to break up a fight between two Thai men.
British reveller at Thailand’s Koh Pan Ghan Full Moon Party was killed, according to a report in the Bangkok Post, which said the 24-year-old Brit was stabbed to death after trying to break up a fight between two Thai men.Chetn Dadhwal, 24, (described as of Indian origin in some press reports) was murdered on Had Rin beach, the main location of the monthly event. The latest tourist killing coincided with an announcement by Thai authorities that they are to issue whistles to tourists and specific travel advice to females, following a spate of murders and rapes in the last few years.Leading Thai behaviour psychologist Pol Maj-Gen Pongpat Chayapan told the Post that ‘many attackers and rapists are psychologically abnormal’ and warned that sun bathing tourists seeking secluded beaches are putting themselves at particular risk. “They tend to choose a quiet spot away from other people, take off the bikini and sunbathe,” he said, describing typical victims. “That’s when the attackers strike.”
Assets of a gang accused of involvement in smuggling Myanmar workers to Thailand siezed
The Department of Special Investigation (DSI) will cooperate with Thailand's police in adopting harsh punishment as well as seizing the assets of a gang accused of involvement in smuggling Myanmar workers to Thailand last week, causing 54 of them to die in a suffocation tragedy, a senior DSI officer said Monday.
Pol. Col. Suchart Wongananchai, commander of the DSI's foreign affairs and international crime office, said after visiting the southern coastal province of Ranong on the Myanmar border to follow-up developments in relation to the 54 Myanmar workers who died of suffocation in a seafood container truck last Thursday that Thailand's response to the incident was being closely watched by international human rights organisations.The workers secretly entered Ranong province and were travelling to Phuket province, locked in the storage compartment of a refrigerated seafood transfer vehicle. A Thai businessman was apprehended Friday in Ranong, but the truck's driver was still at large.As anti-human trafficking laws are not yet enforced in Thailand, Pol. Col. Suchart said the DSI had proposed that assets of those involved in this case should be confiscated.
He said a detailed investigation was conducted after the incident and it was found that an illegal smuggling gang would "earn not less than Bt100,000 per trip".Smuggling of foreign labour into the country should be considered as an economic crime and the freezing of assets should be imposed on the network, Pol. Col. Suchart said.He said 50 survivors from the tragedy would be asked to become witnesses in the criminal case and "not accused persons". Thailand's Ministry of Justice would be responsible for their expenses while staying in Thailand.The DSI is now compiling information on gangs which smuggle Myanmar workers into Thailand via border districts in Kanchanaburi and Tak provinces, he said. The illegal workers are usually sent to work in the fisheries in Samut Songkhram province, near Bangkok
Pol. Col. Suchart Wongananchai, commander of the DSI's foreign affairs and international crime office, said after visiting the southern coastal province of Ranong on the Myanmar border to follow-up developments in relation to the 54 Myanmar workers who died of suffocation in a seafood container truck last Thursday that Thailand's response to the incident was being closely watched by international human rights organisations.The workers secretly entered Ranong province and were travelling to Phuket province, locked in the storage compartment of a refrigerated seafood transfer vehicle. A Thai businessman was apprehended Friday in Ranong, but the truck's driver was still at large.As anti-human trafficking laws are not yet enforced in Thailand, Pol. Col. Suchart said the DSI had proposed that assets of those involved in this case should be confiscated.
He said a detailed investigation was conducted after the incident and it was found that an illegal smuggling gang would "earn not less than Bt100,000 per trip".Smuggling of foreign labour into the country should be considered as an economic crime and the freezing of assets should be imposed on the network, Pol. Col. Suchart said.He said 50 survivors from the tragedy would be asked to become witnesses in the criminal case and "not accused persons". Thailand's Ministry of Justice would be responsible for their expenses while staying in Thailand.The DSI is now compiling information on gangs which smuggle Myanmar workers into Thailand via border districts in Kanchanaburi and Tak provinces, he said. The illegal workers are usually sent to work in the fisheries in Samut Songkhram province, near Bangkok
Two koreans girls were murdered on Tarai Beach on Larn Island
Police were called to Tarai Beach on Larn Island early on April 11 morning to investigate the discovery of 2 bodies thought to be two South Korean tourists, Pattaya City News Online has reported.
Specialist Forensic Officers from Chonburi joined Pattaya Police and Tourist Police Officers at the site as they attempted to determine the cause of death.
Evidence was littered around the shoreline and the bodies were closely inspected by forensic teams who determined that one of the women had died after her head was smashed against a stone. It is then thought the body was dragged into the water and the second woman who is thought to have killed her, tied her hands together with the victim and it is thought she then committed suicide by drowning, using the weight of the dead woman to pull her under the water.
The identity of the two women is unclear, however a torn up passport was fond on the beach featuring the name, Park Ji Hee. Witnesses mentioned that the two women were seen hand-in-hand on a beach near the crime scene, the night before the incident and there was no evidence that they were fighting in any way. Despite this, Forensic Teams are confident that a third party was not involved in the case which is ongoing at this time in conjunction with the Korean Embassy in Bangkok.
According to Pattaya Daily News, Korean Embassy in coordinated with Pattaya police, collected more evidence from the incident where the two Korean tourist women were found dead around a deserted area, near the reefs on Tha-Rai beach, Koh Larn (Coral Island), Naklua, Chonburi. On April 12, 2008, at 11am, Pattaya police officers had coordinated with Korean Embassy of Thailand to collect more evidence and gathered the information about the death of two Korean women. They had found out that the victims did not travel with a group tour. They had traveled around Koh Larn privately and expected to leave on the same day as there was no accommodation booking record on the Island. Police made observations that, the bodies were found dead at a place which was very far away from the community and very difficult to access, very disordered with thick woods along the way.
The two deceased bodies were found there suspiciously. However, police team took an hour to investigate the area. Pol.Lt.Col.Sumeht Hanwisai, Pattaya investigator, the officer who is in charge of the case, had stated that this murder case is in the several aspects with no clarification whether it was a robbery or a murderousness.
The wounds on their heads were the evidence that it was a murder, the autopsy had stated. The spot where the bodies were found was about 50 meters away from the sea, obviously there was no water would get to the dead bodies but the autopsy found some bubbles in the their blood.
Police investigated the area and found empty beer cans and a foreign whisky bottle, a shoulder bag with no valuable things inside, except a passport , which the picture of the death person was torn out. The passport indicated the name as "Park Ji Hee", a Korean citizen. Police had kept them as evidence. Police also found some Thai baht and Korean currency in their pockets. Koh Larn volunteer police, Mr. Porn Janhom (52), told officers that he saw those two girls were walking along Sa-Mae beach the day before. Police officers revealed that the victims must be attacked and robbed by at least two people, by hitting a hard object on their heads. On April 12, 2008, at 11am, Pattaya police officers had coordinated with Korean Embassy of Thailand to collect more evidence and gathered the information about the death of two Korean women. They had found out that the victims did not travel with a group tour. They had traveled around Koh Larn privately and expected to leave on the same day as there was no accommodation booking record on the Island. Police made observations that, the bodies were found dead at a place which was very far away from the community and very difficult to access, very disordered with thick woods along the way. The two deceased bodies were found there suspiciously. However, police team took an hour to investigate the area.
Pol.Lt.Col.Sumeht Hanwisai, Pattaya investigator, the officer who is in charge of the case, had stated that this murder case is in the several aspects with no clarification whether it was a robbery or a murderousness. The wounds on their heads were the evidence that it was a murder, the autopsy had stated. The spot where the bodies were found was about 50 meters away from the sea, obviously there was no water would get to the dead bodies but the autopsy found some bubbles in the their blood.
Saturday, 12 April 2008
Thai police said they planned to hold some survivors of a human trafficking disaster
Thai police said they planned to hold some survivors of a human trafficking disaster for questioning after witnesses gave police valuable information about the human smuggling network that trafficked them into Thailand from Myanmar.Survivors of the disaster in which 54 migrants died arrive at Ranong Civil Court on Friday.Fifty-four migrants died in the back of a seafood truck headed for the Thai resort town of Phuket on Wednesday night when its air-conditioning failed.Thai police charged 50 of 67 survivors with the civil crime of committing illegal entry to the Kingdom of Thailand on Friday, according to Col.Kraithong Chanthongbai, chief of Suksamran police station, who is charge of the case. A court fined them $32 and ordered them to be deported to Myanmar. Those who cannot pay the fine would serve jail terms, the court heard said. At least 14 minors were deported immediately because they were too young to face court.Two other survivors who remained in hospital would not face prosecution as a sympathetic gesture, police said. According to survivors, each of the 121 people in the truck container had paid about $160 for a driver to take them into Thailand, which has long depended on cheap labor from neighboring countries, such as Burma, Cambodia and Laos.The Thai government lets in only a small number of immigrants from those countries, and that has led to a rise in smuggling cases. Up to 2 million immigrants from Myanmar have fled to Thailand to escape chronic poverty and political conflict at home.Many smuggled migrants who do make it to Thailand end up being abused by their employers.None of the 121 migrants had identity documents, police said, so authorities tried to identify them by relying on the word of survivors. Seventeen bodies had not yet been identified by Friday, when accounts from survivors like Win began to surface.Win spoke from a cell from a police station in Suksumran, where about 65 other survivors have been taken. The police chief there said he expects to see more would-be migrants.
"We still need more labor here," he said. "There are many construction projects going on."
"We still need more labor here," he said. "There are many construction projects going on."
Ian Mighty said in his defence that he was attacked by a group of about nine men. He said he used his knife in self-defence
Freed Ian Mighty, 32, construction worker of Duhaney Park, St Andrew, of a murder charge. Mighty was freed of the murder of 27-year-old construction worker Oneil Campbell, of Duhaney Park, at the end of a three-day trial which was presided over by Justice Horace Marsh.
The Crown led evidence that, on May 3, 2005, 27-year-old Oneil Campbell was fatally stabbed in the chest at a construction site at a school in Duhaney Park.
Crown witnesses, who were cross-examined by defence lawyer Ernest Davis, admitted Mighty was stabbed during the dispute.
Mighty said in his defence that he was attacked by a group of about nine men. He said he used his knife in self-defence.
Following summation by Justice Horace Marsh, the jury retired for two hours and freed Mighty.
The Crown led evidence that, on May 3, 2005, 27-year-old Oneil Campbell was fatally stabbed in the chest at a construction site at a school in Duhaney Park.
Crown witnesses, who were cross-examined by defence lawyer Ernest Davis, admitted Mighty was stabbed during the dispute.
Mighty said in his defence that he was attacked by a group of about nine men. He said he used his knife in self-defence.
Following summation by Justice Horace Marsh, the jury retired for two hours and freed Mighty.
Marine Cesar Laurean wanted in the slaying of a pregnant colleague arrested
Cesar Laurean has finally been apprehended in the small Mexican town of San Juan de la Vina.Unfortunately, since our treaty with Mexico precludes them from turning over fugitives to United States jurisdiction who might face capital puishment,US officials had to promise Mexican Authorities that they would not seek the death penalty if Laurean's convicted. Instead, he'll face life in prison.
Marine Cesar Laurean, wanted in the slaying of a pregnant colleague, visited relatives in Mexico last week, a man who said he was his cousin told The Associated Press Tuesday. CNN first reported that Laurean had briefly stopped by the liquor store of Juan Antonio Ramos Ramirez in Zapopan, just outside Guadalajara. Speaking to The Associated Press late Tuesday from his store, Ramos Ramirez said Laurean walked into his store last Monday or Tuesday and the two cousins exchanged about 10 minutes of small talk about their respective families. Laurean then told Ramos Ramirez, whose mother is Laurean's sister, that he had to get back to two friends waiting outside.
Days later, Ramos Ramirez saw a television report that Laurean was wanted in the U.S. for killing 20-year-old Lance Cpl. Maria Lauterbach.
Authorities have said they suspected that Laurean fled to Mexico, but the comments from Ramos Ramirez were the first public confirmation that the Marine had been in the country.
Sunday, 6 April 2008
Keven Graff given two life sentences for beheading a screenwriter and his neighbor in Hollywood.
former soldier was given two life sentences without parole Friday
Keven Graff avoided the death penalty for the gruesome double-murder in June 2004 after pleading guilty to two counts of murder. Defense lawyer Jennifer Friedman described Graff as "very, very mentally ill" at the time of the killings.Court records showed that the ex-marine killed writer Robert Lees, 91, and his neighbor, 69-year-old doctor Morley Engelson after breaking into their homes in Hollywood in June 2004.Graff attacked Lees with a meat cleaver, decapitated him and took the head with him before scaling a fence and entering Engelson's property where he bludgeoned and stabbed the elderly doctor to death.Along with the murder counts, Graff pleaded guilty to sexual penetration by a foreign object, torture, mayhem and first-degree residential burglary involving each of the victims.
Keven Graff avoided the death penalty for the gruesome double-murder in June 2004 after pleading guilty to two counts of murder. Defense lawyer Jennifer Friedman described Graff as "very, very mentally ill" at the time of the killings.Court records showed that the ex-marine killed writer Robert Lees, 91, and his neighbor, 69-year-old doctor Morley Engelson after breaking into their homes in Hollywood in June 2004.Graff attacked Lees with a meat cleaver, decapitated him and took the head with him before scaling a fence and entering Engelson's property where he bludgeoned and stabbed the elderly doctor to death.Along with the murder counts, Graff pleaded guilty to sexual penetration by a foreign object, torture, mayhem and first-degree residential burglary involving each of the victims.
Qamaruddin Munshi pleaded guilty to conspiracy to supply drugs
Qamaruddin Munshi, aged 28, was given a 1 series BMW by gang boss Christopher Pimblett, which he used on at least 15 occasions to transport kilos of heroin and other drugs to Glasgow.Munshi, of Avondale Street, Brownlow Fold, who worked as a postman in Greater Manchester by day, was caught red-handed by officers from Merseyside Police's drugs unit with a kilo of heroin in his car last April.He pleaded guilty to conspiracy to supply drugs and was one of 17 people to be sentenced at Liverpool Crown Court yesterday.The gang was arrested on April 17, 2007, in a series of drugs raids following an 18-month covert investigation into drugs distribution across the country, but primarily between Merseyside and Strathclyde.
The main distribution centre for the drug supply was concentrated in St Helens, where gang leader Pimblett pulled the strings of his empire.
Pimblett, who sent around £40,000 worth of drugs to Glasgow each week for two years, was jailed for 12 years yesterday.He bought Munshi, who was his main courier, the BMW which he used to carry out his drug runs.
The main distribution centre for the drug supply was concentrated in St Helens, where gang leader Pimblett pulled the strings of his empire.
Pimblett, who sent around £40,000 worth of drugs to Glasgow each week for two years, was jailed for 12 years yesterday.He bought Munshi, who was his main courier, the BMW which he used to carry out his drug runs.
Elliot Blake who died while on a round-the-world trip with his girlfriend.
The body of a 32-year-old Co Louth man who died in Thailand after allegedly taking a cocktail of drugs is expected back in Ireland today.Police said yesterday they had closed the file on the death of Elliot Blake (32), who died while on a round-the-world trip with his girlfriend.Mr Blake, who was understood to be living in Navan, Co Meath, died in a guest house in the early hours of last Monday after he was found staggering on the street.His girlfriend, Claire Duignan (23), from Westmeath, woke in the Top North guest house in the northern Thai capital of Chiang Mai to discover his body.Despite efforts to revive him, he was pronounced dead at the scene.
Police in Thailand said yesterday there was no evidence of foul play in Mr Blake’s death. However, the results of a post- mortem have not been released.The Department of Foreign Affairs confirmed his death, and said it was providing assistance to his family. A spokeswoman refused to comment further, saying it was a private matter.His girlfriend told police that Mr Blake had been a heroin user in Ireland, and had acquired the substitute methadone from a local hospital.“Earlier in the evening we went out for some food and a few drinks, but nothing much,” Ms Duignan said yesterday.“We came back to the guest house and I went to the room, while Elliot stayed downstairs watching TV.“When I left him he was quite normal, then much later when he didn’t come back to the room I went looking for him.“I found him on a nearby road staggering back to the guest house. He was completely different from when I left him and I had to help him back to the room. When I woke up I didn’t realise he had died. I poured water on his face to wake him up but it didn’t work.“We’ve been travelling for a year now, Elliot used to use heroin in Ireland but since we’ve been traveling he hasn’t. When we got to Chiang Mai he went to a hospital and got some methadone.”It is understood Mr Blake may have combined methadone with valium, which led to his death. Chiang Mai is a popular destination with backpackers.
Mr Blake’s family travelled to Thailand earlier in the week to arrange for his body to be flown home.The couple had decided to travel around south-east Asia, and local sources said it was easy to access drugs in Chiang Mai.
Sunday, 30 March 2008
Jiu Ying Wang, Lin Ling Na,Yue Hua Zuo special services at Acupuncture PLUS at Qi-Gong Tui Na
Suffolk police arrested three women Saturday on charges that they gave illegal massages and prostitution services at Acupuncture Qi-Gong Tui Na.
Three women — Jiu Ying Wang, 48, of Ash Avenue in Flushing; Yue Hua Zuo, 49, of Johnson Avenue in Hackensack, N.J.; and Lin Ling Na, 39, of Blossom Avenue in Flushing — were charged with prostitution and giving massages without a license. Wang and Zuo are each facing two counts on the prostitution charge because they performed multiple sex acts in exchange for cash, police said.
The masseuses charged $60 for a standard hour long massage, and depending on the amount of the tip, sometimes as high as $100, the masseuse would perform a sex act on the client, said Sgt. Todd Barone of the Suffolk police crime section.
Three women — Jiu Ying Wang, 48, of Ash Avenue in Flushing; Yue Hua Zuo, 49, of Johnson Avenue in Hackensack, N.J.; and Lin Ling Na, 39, of Blossom Avenue in Flushing — were charged with prostitution and giving massages without a license. Wang and Zuo are each facing two counts on the prostitution charge because they performed multiple sex acts in exchange for cash, police said.
The masseuses charged $60 for a standard hour long massage, and depending on the amount of the tip, sometimes as high as $100, the masseuse would perform a sex act on the client, said Sgt. Todd Barone of the Suffolk police crime section.
Hanna Charlotta Backlund was found murdered at Mai Khao in Phuket
Police have arrested and charged with murder their prime suspect after he gave himself up in Ranong province.
Region 8 Police Deputy Commander Maj Gen Tavat Boonfueng led a team to Ranong to bring Akkaradej Tunkae, 31, back to Phuket, arriving at Tah Chat Chai Police Station in a police van at 5:30 am, it was announced at a press conference this morning.
Akkaradej allegedly told police that he had watched Miss Backlund and her friend Emma Stenman at Mai Khao Beach for three days until on Saturday he spotted Miss Backlund sunbathing alone.He approached Miss Backlund from behind, with a kitchen knife in his right hand taken from his home in Thalang, police said.He grabbed Miss Backlund by her throat with his left hand and, when she attempted to break free, stabbed her in the neck, stomach and side of her body, police added.
After rushing to his home on his motorcycle, he cleaned the knife and hid it in a closet before he changed his clothes, said police.
On Sunday morning, Akkaradej and his daughter traveled by bus to a relative’s home in Chumphon province, police told reporters.
After hearing media reports that police had spoken to locals and were moving in on a prime suspect in the murder, Akkaradej left his daughter in the care of his relative and traveled to a friend’s home in Ranong, the police said.
Akkaradej called his wife and father and told them where he was, which the pair then reported to police. Last night at Tah Chat Chai Police Station, Akkaradej’s father persuaded him by phone to give himself up, the police said.With Akkaradej’s wife and father present, police took Akkaradej into custody in Baan Tublee, Ranong province, at 1:35 am.Lt Gen Thanee Thawisri, commander of Royal Thai Police Region 8, said, “The knife has been found and will be sent to Surat Thani for testing. We will have the results of DNA tests soon and will take samples from the suspect’s clothes, finger nails and tissue.”Akkaradej said, “I feel bad about everything that has happened. The night after I did it I went back to my home and cried. I feel hurt and sad for [Miss Backlund’s] family and also for my family. I accept everything that I did because I feel pity for my own daughter.”The case will be sent to court within one month, said police.The 100,000-baht reward offered by local businesses for information leading to the arrest will be given to Akkaradej’s wife and father, police added.
Christina Palm, acting Swedish consul, told reporters, “I am very happy that the police arrested the suspect so quickly. I would like to thank all the officers involved in this case.”Swedish national Hanna Charlotta Backlund, 26, was found murdered at Mai Khao in Phuket on Saturday. According to reports, the body was dressed in a swimsuit and her throat had multiple stab wounds. There were also lacerations to her back, midriff and hands.Police said that this was an attempted rape. When looking for a motive for an attack on someone wearing nothing but a swimsuit and with no valuables on them, this is clearly not an attempted mugging. Police also said that a group of three or four people are responsible.
“Emma [Hanna’s friend] left the resort to buy some water and she told Hanna that she will join her sunbathing later. About 30 minutes later, she returned to find Hanna dead,” police told the Gazette.Emma, told police that the pair often sunbathed topless. Although she said that they normally did it when no-one was around, it’s open to speculation whether this played a part in Hanna’s tragic death.
This is eerily reminiscent of the Katherine Horton incident in which the British tourist was raped and murdered on Samui in 2006. When that happened, Thaksin made a song and dance about catching the killers because of the potential impact such a case could have on tourism. Now that we have another young woman murdered in a possible botched rape, there really is nothing the current government can do to prevent a backlash.With no witnesses and a recent spate in Phuket of unsolved cases involving murdered foreigners, this could be the straw that breaks the camel’s back. At least in the case of Katherine Horton her killers were brought to justice and given the death penalty.
At the moment, the Post, Nation and, obviously, the Gazette have picked up this story along with IHT.Tourism and Sports Minister Weerasak Kowsurat visited Phuket late Sunday night to ask police to speed up probe into the murder of a tourist on a popular beach of this island province.
Weerasak arrived at the Phuket International Airport at 11:55 pm to find out the progress of the probe into the murder of Charotta Hanna, 27.Weerasak asked police to brief him the details of the beach and the attack.Phuket Police chief Pol Maj Gen Decha Butrnamphet reported to him that the Phuket Tourism Association offered Bt100,000 reward for information leading to the arrest of the murder.
Region 8 Police Deputy Commander Maj Gen Tavat Boonfueng led a team to Ranong to bring Akkaradej Tunkae, 31, back to Phuket, arriving at Tah Chat Chai Police Station in a police van at 5:30 am, it was announced at a press conference this morning.
Akkaradej allegedly told police that he had watched Miss Backlund and her friend Emma Stenman at Mai Khao Beach for three days until on Saturday he spotted Miss Backlund sunbathing alone.He approached Miss Backlund from behind, with a kitchen knife in his right hand taken from his home in Thalang, police said.He grabbed Miss Backlund by her throat with his left hand and, when she attempted to break free, stabbed her in the neck, stomach and side of her body, police added.
After rushing to his home on his motorcycle, he cleaned the knife and hid it in a closet before he changed his clothes, said police.
On Sunday morning, Akkaradej and his daughter traveled by bus to a relative’s home in Chumphon province, police told reporters.
After hearing media reports that police had spoken to locals and were moving in on a prime suspect in the murder, Akkaradej left his daughter in the care of his relative and traveled to a friend’s home in Ranong, the police said.
Akkaradej called his wife and father and told them where he was, which the pair then reported to police. Last night at Tah Chat Chai Police Station, Akkaradej’s father persuaded him by phone to give himself up, the police said.With Akkaradej’s wife and father present, police took Akkaradej into custody in Baan Tublee, Ranong province, at 1:35 am.Lt Gen Thanee Thawisri, commander of Royal Thai Police Region 8, said, “The knife has been found and will be sent to Surat Thani for testing. We will have the results of DNA tests soon and will take samples from the suspect’s clothes, finger nails and tissue.”Akkaradej said, “I feel bad about everything that has happened. The night after I did it I went back to my home and cried. I feel hurt and sad for [Miss Backlund’s] family and also for my family. I accept everything that I did because I feel pity for my own daughter.”The case will be sent to court within one month, said police.The 100,000-baht reward offered by local businesses for information leading to the arrest will be given to Akkaradej’s wife and father, police added.
Christina Palm, acting Swedish consul, told reporters, “I am very happy that the police arrested the suspect so quickly. I would like to thank all the officers involved in this case.”Swedish national Hanna Charlotta Backlund, 26, was found murdered at Mai Khao in Phuket on Saturday. According to reports, the body was dressed in a swimsuit and her throat had multiple stab wounds. There were also lacerations to her back, midriff and hands.Police said that this was an attempted rape. When looking for a motive for an attack on someone wearing nothing but a swimsuit and with no valuables on them, this is clearly not an attempted mugging. Police also said that a group of three or four people are responsible.
“Emma [Hanna’s friend] left the resort to buy some water and she told Hanna that she will join her sunbathing later. About 30 minutes later, she returned to find Hanna dead,” police told the Gazette.Emma, told police that the pair often sunbathed topless. Although she said that they normally did it when no-one was around, it’s open to speculation whether this played a part in Hanna’s tragic death.
This is eerily reminiscent of the Katherine Horton incident in which the British tourist was raped and murdered on Samui in 2006. When that happened, Thaksin made a song and dance about catching the killers because of the potential impact such a case could have on tourism. Now that we have another young woman murdered in a possible botched rape, there really is nothing the current government can do to prevent a backlash.With no witnesses and a recent spate in Phuket of unsolved cases involving murdered foreigners, this could be the straw that breaks the camel’s back. At least in the case of Katherine Horton her killers were brought to justice and given the death penalty.
At the moment, the Post, Nation and, obviously, the Gazette have picked up this story along with IHT.Tourism and Sports Minister Weerasak Kowsurat visited Phuket late Sunday night to ask police to speed up probe into the murder of a tourist on a popular beach of this island province.
Weerasak arrived at the Phuket International Airport at 11:55 pm to find out the progress of the probe into the murder of Charotta Hanna, 27.Weerasak asked police to brief him the details of the beach and the attack.Phuket Police chief Pol Maj Gen Decha Butrnamphet reported to him that the Phuket Tourism Association offered Bt100,000 reward for information leading to the arrest of the murder.
'This looks like the wild, wild West, Elijah Jefferson of Starett City was shot twice in the chest
Elijah Jefferson of Starett City was shot twice in the chest about 4:30 a.m. at Nostrand Ave. and Avenue D, a block from Cafe Omar, police said.
The Caribbean-themed club is in a building owned by Councilman Kendall Stewart (D-Flatbush), according to city property records. The venue was hosting a Elijah Jefferson of Starett City was shot twice in the chest about 4:30 a.m. at Nostrand Ave. and Avenue D, a block from Cafe Omar, police said. The Caribbean-themed club is in a building owned by Councilman Kendall Stewart (D-Flatbush), according to city property records. The venue was hosting a "Sexy Can I/Bright Colors" party overnight. Witnesses said more than two dozen men and women, many of whom appeared to be drunk, began arguing after they spilled out of the club.
"I was sleeping and the rowdiness woke me up," said Glynis Selman, 35, a woman who lives in a second-floor apartment on the street. "They were fighting and staggering." Selman said one of the men punched a woman, knocking her to the ground. Then, just as Selman's worried husband pulled her away from the window, two shots rang out. "When I saw the two bodies on the ground, I called 911," said Selman, who saw the bleeding man being cradled by his friend.
"He was holding his head and saying, 'Somebody call 911!'" Selman recalled.
"I said to my husband, 'This looks like the wild, wild West.'"
As several bystanders fled, a man who cops believe may have been the shooter was hit by a passing car, sending him sprawling onto the street, police said. He got up and limped into a white minivan, which then sped off.
Jefferson was taken to Kings County Hospital, where he died about 30 minutes later, police said. No arrests were made. Cops were searching for the shooter and the white minivan yesterday. Investigators were not certain what ignited the fight.
Calls to Stewart's offices were not returned yesterday. He was traveling in the Dominican Republic on political business. Stewart, who was elected to the City Council in November 2001, was subpoenaed earlier this year in a federal probe of charities linked to one of his top aides. He said he was not linked to the probe and has not been charged with a crime. Witnesses said more than two dozen men and women, many of whom appeared to be drunk, began arguing after they spilled out of the club.
"I was sleeping and the rowdiness woke me up," said Glynis Selman, 35, a woman who lives in a second-floor apartment on the street. "They were fighting and staggering." Selman said one of the men punched a woman, knocking her to the ground. Then, just as Selman's worried husband pulled her away from the window, two shots rang out. "When I saw the two bodies on the ground, I called 911," said Selman, who saw the bleeding man being cradled by his friend. "He was holding his head and saying, 'Somebody call 911!'" Selman recalled.
"I said to my husband, 'This looks like the wild, wild West.'"
As several bystanders fled, a man who cops believe may have been the shooter was hit by a passing car, sending him sprawling onto the street, police said. He got up and limped into a white minivan, which then sped off.
Jefferson was taken to Kings County Hospital, where he died about 30 minutes later, police said. No arrests were made. Cops were searching for the shooter and the white minivan yesterday. Investigators were not certain what ignited the fight.
Calls to Stewart's offices were not returned yesterday. He was traveling in the Dominican Republic on political business.
Stewart, who was elected to the City Council in November 2001, was subpoenaed earlier this year in a federal probe of charities linked to one of his top aides. He said he was not linked to the probe and has not been charged with a crime.
Friday, 28 March 2008
Crack down on Sex Trade
The National Police Agency (NPA) said Friday that in cooperation with the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Trade it will restrict the overseas travel of people convicted for arranging sex tours in other countries.
Police will compile a list of criminals involved in the sex trade to be circulated to embassies in order to prevent them obtaining visas beginning next month. The tough step comes as a growing number of Koreans are go overseas to buy sex, degrading the nation’s image the NPA said.The agency will also launch a campaign to crack down on sex tourists traveling to China and other Asian countries.
It will distribute letters to travel agencies across the country advising that ``sex tourists are subject to domestic criminal laws.’’ Police will also strengthen the monitoring of illegal brokers involved in the overseas sex trade for 70 days from next month. They will also enhance cooperation with their counterparts abroad.
In conjunction with this, the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism will introduce education programs for overseas tour guides to combat sex tourism.
Saturday, 9 February 2008
Miguel Andrade is charged with possession with intent to distribute cocaine
Miguel Andrade, 34, of Paterson, N.J., was taken into custody Feb. 7 after he left a Sterling business on Holly Avenue. Andrade is charged with possession with intent to distribute cocaine and is now being held on an Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) detainer.
Loudoun County Sheriff's Office Investigators learned this week that a large quantity of cocaine was transported into the country from South America.
The suspect was allegedly using the Sterling-based import business to smuggle in the drugs. The business in Sterling caters to the South American Hispanic community, providing a variety of services, including importing items from Peru.
It is believed at this time that the import business was unaware that its services were being used to bring narcotics into the community.
The narcotics were carried in suitcases and disguised as 20 bags of candy, containing 600 individually wrapped pieces of cocaine. The amount of cocaine has an estimated street value of more than $100,000.
On Feb. 7 Andrade arrived at the business to pick up the items. After he left, members of the Loudoun County Sheriff’s Office Narcotics unit Jump-Out team apprehended him without incident. Andrade is being held without bond at the Loudoun County Adult Detention Center.
Loudoun County Sheriff's Office Investigators learned this week that a large quantity of cocaine was transported into the country from South America.
The suspect was allegedly using the Sterling-based import business to smuggle in the drugs. The business in Sterling caters to the South American Hispanic community, providing a variety of services, including importing items from Peru.
It is believed at this time that the import business was unaware that its services were being used to bring narcotics into the community.
The narcotics were carried in suitcases and disguised as 20 bags of candy, containing 600 individually wrapped pieces of cocaine. The amount of cocaine has an estimated street value of more than $100,000.
On Feb. 7 Andrade arrived at the business to pick up the items. After he left, members of the Loudoun County Sheriff’s Office Narcotics unit Jump-Out team apprehended him without incident. Andrade is being held without bond at the Loudoun County Adult Detention Center.
Pedro Jose Benavides-Natera, who admitted using money from drug organizations to purchase airplanes, according to Hoenigman's affidavit.
Cessna is the third aircraft sold in the St. Petersburg area during the past two years to become the subject of an international investigation. In addition, a fourth aircraft was seized by Guatemalan authorities in 2004 after it was sold in St. Petersburg, according to its former owner.
The Cessna was sold as part of "a complex international money laundering scheme" to purchase airplanes for drug smuggling, according to an affidavit by FBI agent Michael Hoenigman. It was purchased from St. Petersburg-based Skyway Aircraft, FBI and FAA records state. It was to be used in transporting cocaine from Venezuela to Africa, according to the affidavit.
After being e-mailed a copy of the affidavit, Peters, who owns Skyway, referred questions to attorney Hunter Chamberlin.
"He doesn't know anything" about the airplane being used by drug smugglers, Chamberlin said. "This is a guy who has a very small company. Whatever happens to these airplanes after Mr. Peters sells them, they enter the stream of commerce and the last Larry Peters will see of the airplane."
It is not up to Peters to "do a criminal background check on all his potential customers," Chamberlin said.
Peters has not been contacted by any law enforcement agency from any country, the lawyer said.
FBI officials would not identify the organization. Peters is not named in the affidavit.
The Cessna's connection to drug trafficking turned up in an investigation of Benavides-Natera was part of a conspiracy to purchase aircraft from legitimate aircraft sellers for a Venezuelan-based drug organization using laundered currency from Mexico, according to the affidavit.
There is no information in the affidavit about what happened to the Cessna once it was sold to drug smugglers, and officials from the FBI declined to comment. The U.S. Attorney's Office in Miami did not return a call seeking comment.
Two other planes sold from this area are the subjects of an investigation into the Sinaloa drug cartel in Mexico, according to the Mexican Attorney General's Office.
On April 5, 2006, a DC-9 left St. Petersburg-Clearwater International Airport, bound for Venezuela. Days later, it was seized in Mexico, where the Mexican army found 5.5 tons of cocaine.
In September, a Gulfstream II flew out of the airport. Eight days later, it crashed in the Yucatan peninsula of Mexico. Mexican authorities found 3.7 tons of cocaine onboard.
The cocaine found on the two jets represents "a huge seizure," DEA spokesman Steven Robertson told the Tribune in November. The DEA is not involved in the FBI investigation into the Cessna, said DEA spokeswoman Jeannette Moran.
Peters also has connections to the former owner of the aircraft that crashed in Mexico. Through Atlantic Alcohol, a St. Petersburg-based company trying to import ethanol from Brazil, Peters is a business partner of Joao Malago, who sold the Gulfstream II.
Both Malago and Peters deny any connection to drug smugglers.
Peters refused to comment about the Cessna. In a previous interview, he did talk about a Beechcraft King Air 200 that was seized in Guatemala in 2004.
"We sold the King Air 200 to a gentleman in Venezuela," he said. "After we got into it, we found out some of these airplanes were used for carrying drugs, the one I sold."
After the sale of an aircraft, he said, he has nothing more to do with it.
"We deregister the airplane as soon as we sell it," he said.
The Cessna was sold as part of "a complex international money laundering scheme" to purchase airplanes for drug smuggling, according to an affidavit by FBI agent Michael Hoenigman. It was purchased from St. Petersburg-based Skyway Aircraft, FBI and FAA records state. It was to be used in transporting cocaine from Venezuela to Africa, according to the affidavit.
After being e-mailed a copy of the affidavit, Peters, who owns Skyway, referred questions to attorney Hunter Chamberlin.
"He doesn't know anything" about the airplane being used by drug smugglers, Chamberlin said. "This is a guy who has a very small company. Whatever happens to these airplanes after Mr. Peters sells them, they enter the stream of commerce and the last Larry Peters will see of the airplane."
It is not up to Peters to "do a criminal background check on all his potential customers," Chamberlin said.
Peters has not been contacted by any law enforcement agency from any country, the lawyer said.
FBI officials would not identify the organization. Peters is not named in the affidavit.
The Cessna's connection to drug trafficking turned up in an investigation of Benavides-Natera was part of a conspiracy to purchase aircraft from legitimate aircraft sellers for a Venezuelan-based drug organization using laundered currency from Mexico, according to the affidavit.
There is no information in the affidavit about what happened to the Cessna once it was sold to drug smugglers, and officials from the FBI declined to comment. The U.S. Attorney's Office in Miami did not return a call seeking comment.
Two other planes sold from this area are the subjects of an investigation into the Sinaloa drug cartel in Mexico, according to the Mexican Attorney General's Office.
On April 5, 2006, a DC-9 left St. Petersburg-Clearwater International Airport, bound for Venezuela. Days later, it was seized in Mexico, where the Mexican army found 5.5 tons of cocaine.
In September, a Gulfstream II flew out of the airport. Eight days later, it crashed in the Yucatan peninsula of Mexico. Mexican authorities found 3.7 tons of cocaine onboard.
The cocaine found on the two jets represents "a huge seizure," DEA spokesman Steven Robertson told the Tribune in November. The DEA is not involved in the FBI investigation into the Cessna, said DEA spokeswoman Jeannette Moran.
Peters also has connections to the former owner of the aircraft that crashed in Mexico. Through Atlantic Alcohol, a St. Petersburg-based company trying to import ethanol from Brazil, Peters is a business partner of Joao Malago, who sold the Gulfstream II.
Both Malago and Peters deny any connection to drug smugglers.
Peters refused to comment about the Cessna. In a previous interview, he did talk about a Beechcraft King Air 200 that was seized in Guatemala in 2004.
"We sold the King Air 200 to a gentleman in Venezuela," he said. "After we got into it, we found out some of these airplanes were used for carrying drugs, the one I sold."
After the sale of an aircraft, he said, he has nothing more to do with it.
"We deregister the airplane as soon as we sell it," he said.
Saturday, 2 February 2008
Reginald Haines ,Travis Whitfield ,Selenia Rosa,Delbert Rosa,Deidre Davis
Series of raids conducted over the course of 12 days by the Ocean County Special Operations Group resulted in the arrests of five county residents and the seizure of several different types of drugs.
Ocean County Prosecutor Marlene Lynch Ford announced the arrests, which took place in Lakewood and Toms River, in statements released today. The raids and arrests were not connected, said Capt. Robert Urie of the prosecutor's office.
On Tuesday, 23-year-old Travis Whitfield of Camile Court in Brick was arrested after he was pulled over in a rental vehicle at the corner of Penny Lane and Bay Avenue in Toms River. During the stop, investigator David Fox found approximately eight grams of cocaine on Whitfield, Ford said.
The street value of the cocaine is estimated to be $400. Whitfield was charged with
possession of cocaine and possession of cocaine with the intent to distribute. He was sent to Ocean County Jail where he was being held on $50,000 bail with no 10 percent option.
Four days earlier, on Jan. 25, three Lakewood residents were arrested at their Colleton Street home following a search warrant execution conducted by Sgt. James Van De Zilver of the Lakewood Township Police Department and investigator Leroy Marshall of the prosecutor's office.
Ford said authorities seized approximately a quarter-pound of marijuana, prescription medication, and $1,467 in cash.
Selenia Rosa, 41, Delbert Rosa, 42, and Deidre Davis, 23, were charged with possession of more than 50 grams of marijuana, as well as intent to distribute marijuana, possession of Percocet prescription pills. The trio also face charges for possessing drug paraphernalia related to the seizure of a digital scale and sandwich bags believed to be used to package the drugs.
All three were issued summonses and released pending a future court date.
On Jan. 17, investigator Christopher Diaz pulled over a vehicle driven by 39-year-old
Reginald Haines of Lakewood on Route 9 in Toms River. Ford said a search of Haines's vehicle revealed approximately 20 grams of crack cocaine.
Later, authorities executed a search warrant on Haines's Albert Avenue home where an additional four grams of crack and 102 bags of heroin were allegedly found. The street value of the drugs is estimated to be approximately $2,000, Ford said.
Haines was charged with possession of cocaine, possession of cocaine with the intent to distribute, possession of heroin and possession of heroin with the intent to distribute as well as possession of drug paraphernalia because of a digital scale seized during the warrant execution.
Haines remains lodged in the Ocean County Jail in Toms River where he is being held in lieu of $100,000 bail with no 10 percent option.
Ocean County Prosecutor Marlene Lynch Ford announced the arrests, which took place in Lakewood and Toms River, in statements released today. The raids and arrests were not connected, said Capt. Robert Urie of the prosecutor's office.
On Tuesday, 23-year-old Travis Whitfield of Camile Court in Brick was arrested after he was pulled over in a rental vehicle at the corner of Penny Lane and Bay Avenue in Toms River. During the stop, investigator David Fox found approximately eight grams of cocaine on Whitfield, Ford said.
The street value of the cocaine is estimated to be $400. Whitfield was charged with
possession of cocaine and possession of cocaine with the intent to distribute. He was sent to Ocean County Jail where he was being held on $50,000 bail with no 10 percent option.
Four days earlier, on Jan. 25, three Lakewood residents were arrested at their Colleton Street home following a search warrant execution conducted by Sgt. James Van De Zilver of the Lakewood Township Police Department and investigator Leroy Marshall of the prosecutor's office.
Ford said authorities seized approximately a quarter-pound of marijuana, prescription medication, and $1,467 in cash.
Selenia Rosa, 41, Delbert Rosa, 42, and Deidre Davis, 23, were charged with possession of more than 50 grams of marijuana, as well as intent to distribute marijuana, possession of Percocet prescription pills. The trio also face charges for possessing drug paraphernalia related to the seizure of a digital scale and sandwich bags believed to be used to package the drugs.
All three were issued summonses and released pending a future court date.
On Jan. 17, investigator Christopher Diaz pulled over a vehicle driven by 39-year-old
Reginald Haines of Lakewood on Route 9 in Toms River. Ford said a search of Haines's vehicle revealed approximately 20 grams of crack cocaine.
Later, authorities executed a search warrant on Haines's Albert Avenue home where an additional four grams of crack and 102 bags of heroin were allegedly found. The street value of the drugs is estimated to be approximately $2,000, Ford said.
Haines was charged with possession of cocaine, possession of cocaine with the intent to distribute, possession of heroin and possession of heroin with the intent to distribute as well as possession of drug paraphernalia because of a digital scale seized during the warrant execution.
Haines remains lodged in the Ocean County Jail in Toms River where he is being held in lieu of $100,000 bail with no 10 percent option.
Luis Batista ,Detective Wayne Taylor
Federal prosecutors accused a police detective Thursday of providing confidential information to cocaine dealers - the latest in a series of arrests of NYPD officers on allegations including evidence tampering and forcing a runaway into prostitution
The allegations against Luis Batista were included in a newly unsealed indictment that also charges another officer, internal affairs Sgt. Henry Conde, with tipping off Batista that he was the target of an internal probe.
Batista, 34, pleaded "absolutely not guilty" on Thursday to drug dealing, obstructing justice and other charges, and was expected to be released on $500,000 bond before the weekend. Conde, 34, had pleaded not guilty following his arrest last year.
"If in fact these accusations prove to be true, it's despicable conduct," Police Commissioner Raymond Kelly said following a promotion ceremony at police headquarters.
The federal indictment follows the recent arrests of another detective in the prostitution case and of four more officers in Brooklyn on charges they secretly used money and drugs seized during arrests to pay informants.
Police officials have claimed the corruption cases, while troubling, were unrelated aberrations at the 35,000-officer NYPD.
"Unfortunately the sad reality is that you're always going to have, in that universe of people, some individuals who will violate the public trust," Kelly said.
In the latest case, internal affairs and federal investigators say they unearthed evidence that Batista was part of a drug-dealing operation run by old friends. His attorney, James Moschella, admitted his client knew the dealers and sometimes used them as informants, but said he never committed crimes with them.
On Wednesday, Detective Wayne Taylor and a woman accused of working as his partner pleaded not guilty in Queens to kidnapping, promoting prostitution, assault and endangering the welfare of a child. Prosecutors allege the pair took their 13-year-old victim to parties throughout the city, where about 20 men paid to have sex with her before she escaped to her family.
A third ongoing corruption case in Brooklyn so far has resulted in four officers being arrested, others suspended and their superiors stripped of their commands. The investigation was launched last year after an undercover detective mistakenly revealed on a recording that he and another officer had forged paperwork about a drug arrest, saying that 17 bags of cocaine were seized instead of the real total, 28
Internal affairs investigators say they later learned that after a seizure of 40 bags of cocaine and $250 in November, two other officers stole two bags and $40 to give to an informant as a reward.
The allegations against Luis Batista were included in a newly unsealed indictment that also charges another officer, internal affairs Sgt. Henry Conde, with tipping off Batista that he was the target of an internal probe.
Batista, 34, pleaded "absolutely not guilty" on Thursday to drug dealing, obstructing justice and other charges, and was expected to be released on $500,000 bond before the weekend. Conde, 34, had pleaded not guilty following his arrest last year.
"If in fact these accusations prove to be true, it's despicable conduct," Police Commissioner Raymond Kelly said following a promotion ceremony at police headquarters.
The federal indictment follows the recent arrests of another detective in the prostitution case and of four more officers in Brooklyn on charges they secretly used money and drugs seized during arrests to pay informants.
Police officials have claimed the corruption cases, while troubling, were unrelated aberrations at the 35,000-officer NYPD.
"Unfortunately the sad reality is that you're always going to have, in that universe of people, some individuals who will violate the public trust," Kelly said.
In the latest case, internal affairs and federal investigators say they unearthed evidence that Batista was part of a drug-dealing operation run by old friends. His attorney, James Moschella, admitted his client knew the dealers and sometimes used them as informants, but said he never committed crimes with them.
On Wednesday, Detective Wayne Taylor and a woman accused of working as his partner pleaded not guilty in Queens to kidnapping, promoting prostitution, assault and endangering the welfare of a child. Prosecutors allege the pair took their 13-year-old victim to parties throughout the city, where about 20 men paid to have sex with her before she escaped to her family.
A third ongoing corruption case in Brooklyn so far has resulted in four officers being arrested, others suspended and their superiors stripped of their commands. The investigation was launched last year after an undercover detective mistakenly revealed on a recording that he and another officer had forged paperwork about a drug arrest, saying that 17 bags of cocaine were seized instead of the real total, 28
Internal affairs investigators say they later learned that after a seizure of 40 bags of cocaine and $250 in November, two other officers stole two bags and $40 to give to an informant as a reward.
Felix A. Perez, Felix "Junito" Perez, Top end dogs for the city of Nashua
Felix A. Perez, 53, nicknamed "Felo," and his 24-year-old namesake son, Felix "Junito" Perez, 24.
They were two of the biggest cocaine dealers in Nashua, police charge, moving at least a couple kilos a month. Until their recent arrests, both lived in an apartment at 3-25 Burns Hill Road, Hudson
Then there's Felo's younger brother, Manuel Perez, 47, also known as Rolando, and his girlfriend, Aideliz Quiles, 21, both of 2 Ash Court. They were two of the biggest heroin dealers in the city, police said.
"They were the top end dogs for the city of Nashua," Detective Lt. Scott Hammond said in announcing the arrests Friday.
Police arrested Manuel Perez and Quiles last week. Felix Perez, the younger, was arrested earlier last month, and his father was picked up in November. Police held off on announcing the arrests because the investigation remains ongoing, in both directions of the supply chain, Hammond said.
"Things are in motion," he said.
The federal Drug Enforcement Administration is looking into where the Perez brothers bought their heroin and cocaine, Hammond said. He declined to comment on that end of the business, except to say it was out-of-state.
The brothers each supplied a regular group of mid-level drug dealers in the Nashua area, and police are looking into them as well, Hammond said.
"We are still conducting an active investigation into the people they were dealing with," he said.
The Perez brothers kept their two lines separate, Hammond said. Manuel Perez sold heroin, and only heroin. Felix A. and Felix J. Perez sold cocaine and nothing but cocaine, he said. It was more profitable that way, he said.
"They do this on purpose," Hammond said. "They split the business so they don't take each other's business."
Each one of the four defendants is currently jailed on state drug charges, but the cases ultimately will be prosecuted in federal court, Hammond said.
"Additional charges will be brought forward on all of them," he said.
Police also are investigating in the hope of locating any assets that they can grab under drug forfeiture laws. The family lived in rental properties, and their vehicles weren't worth taking, Hammond said.
Police and the DEA worked on the investigation together, with the feds bringing funding, agents and equipment that made it all possible, Hammond said.
Tips from citizens and drug addicts led police to the drug ring,
Drug dealing in Nashua tends to be a furtive, indoor affair, Hammond said, and open dealing on the streets is rare. Dealers typically won't even sell to strangers, without an introduction from someone they already know, he said.
Still, police were able to buy heroin and cocaine directly from all four defendants, he said.
Police found more than 150 grams of heroin, roughly $15,000 worth, when they searched 2 Ash Court on Jan. 25, and they seized more than 20 ounces of cocaine, about $50,000 worth, from purchases and searches involving Felix A. and Felix J. Perez.
Michael Todd Fulwood,
Michael Todd Fulwood, 36, pleaded guilty Thursday in U.S. District Court in Oxford to a felony charge of conspiracy to commit witness tampering, authorities said.
The investigation dates to March 8, 2003, when Patrolman Adam McHann allegedly violated a teenager's civil rights by ordering a police dog to bite and maul him for no reason.
Assistant Police Chief Scott Gentry and McHann are scheduled for trial Feb. 11.
McHann is charged with depravation of civil rights.
Federal prosecutors say Fulwood and Gentry were not directly involved in the attack. However, in the weeks following the incident, Gentry and Fulwood allegedly tried to cover up McHann's purported wrongdoing, telling a concerned fellow officer that filing a complaint might end his law enforcement career, according to the indictment.
As part of the plea agreement, Fulwood admitted Thursday in court that he and Gentry conspired to pressure the officer not to report the incident, according to prosecutors.
Fulwood and Gentry also lied to an FBI agent about their role in allegedly trying to cover up the incident, authorities said.
According to the indictment, Gentry acknowledged in a taped conversation that McHann's use of force was illegal but pressured him to "keep it quiet."
Fulwood reinforced Gentry's instructions by saying that there is a "silent code" among officers, according to court documents.
The three officers have been relieved of duties with pay from the Olive Branch Police Department.
If convicted, McHann could be sentenced to a maximum 10 years in prison and/or $250,000 in fines; and Gentry and Fulwood could be sentenced to a maximum 20 years in prison and/or $750,000 in fines each.
The investigation dates to March 8, 2003, when Patrolman Adam McHann allegedly violated a teenager's civil rights by ordering a police dog to bite and maul him for no reason.
Assistant Police Chief Scott Gentry and McHann are scheduled for trial Feb. 11.
McHann is charged with depravation of civil rights.
Federal prosecutors say Fulwood and Gentry were not directly involved in the attack. However, in the weeks following the incident, Gentry and Fulwood allegedly tried to cover up McHann's purported wrongdoing, telling a concerned fellow officer that filing a complaint might end his law enforcement career, according to the indictment.
As part of the plea agreement, Fulwood admitted Thursday in court that he and Gentry conspired to pressure the officer not to report the incident, according to prosecutors.
Fulwood and Gentry also lied to an FBI agent about their role in allegedly trying to cover up the incident, authorities said.
According to the indictment, Gentry acknowledged in a taped conversation that McHann's use of force was illegal but pressured him to "keep it quiet."
Fulwood reinforced Gentry's instructions by saying that there is a "silent code" among officers, according to court documents.
The three officers have been relieved of duties with pay from the Olive Branch Police Department.
If convicted, McHann could be sentenced to a maximum 10 years in prison and/or $250,000 in fines; and Gentry and Fulwood could be sentenced to a maximum 20 years in prison and/or $750,000 in fines each.
Wilber Varela
Colombia's top cocaine lord Wilber Varela, who ran the notorious Norte Valle Cartel and had a five million dollar bounty on his head, was found shot dead in Venezuela, Caracas' narcotics chief said Friday.
The bullet-riddled body of Varela, known by the nicknames "Jabon" (soap) and "Detergente" (detergent), was discovered Wednesday along with that of another man in a tourist cabin in northwestern Venezuela, authorities said.
"It has been conclusively proven that this is drug trafficker Wilber Varela," said Nestor Luis Reverol, head of Venezuela's National Anti-drug Agency.
"Thirty-two matching characteristics have been verified" matching the body to the suspect, Reverol told reporters.
The two bodies were discovered in the cabin in Loma de Los Angeles, Merida state -- close to Venezuela's border with Colombia -- by the owner of the establishment who entered the cabin because no one had come out, according to Reverol.
"The body was less than 48 hours old," he said. The bodies had "more than seven bullet wounds" in them, he added.
Varela, a former policeman aged in his 50s, launched his drug operations in the 1980s as a member of a group of hit men working for the Cali drug cartel.
The Norte Valle Cartel grew strong after the dismantling of the Cali and Medellin cartels in the mid-1990s left a power vacuum in the business. The new group was credited with handling some 60 percent of the cocaine flowing out of Colombia, according to estimates.
Varela was put on the US Drug Enforcement Administration's list of most wanted fugitives, with a five-million-dollar reward for his arrest.
He was indicted by the US Justice Department on May 6, 2004, which called him the head of Colombia's most powerful cocaine cartel, allegedly responsible at the time for exporting 500 tonnes of cocaine worth 10 billion dollars to the United States.
The indictment said the cartel used the paramilitary Autodefensas Unidas de Colombia forces to protect its drug routes and laboratories.
The cartel collected its drugs in the Valle del Cauca region and then shipped them to the Pacific port of Buenaventura, where they were transferred to Mexican drug transporters for shipping via boats and aircraft to the United States, according to the indictment.
Varela's death brings to an end the era of the three big Colombian cartels, with their once huge presence filled by numerous harder-to-detect small trafficking organizations, according to Colombian experts.
Sine 2004 a number of top Norte Valle Cartel figures have been arrested or killed; last year Diego Montoya and Juan Carlos Ramirez were nabbed in Colombia and Brazil, respectively.
"No clear deputy exists" who could replace Varela to run the cartel now, Gustavo Alvarez, a Colombian expert on narcotics trafficking, said Friday.
"The void is very large" in running the trade.
The bullet-riddled body of Varela, known by the nicknames "Jabon" (soap) and "Detergente" (detergent), was discovered Wednesday along with that of another man in a tourist cabin in northwestern Venezuela, authorities said.
"It has been conclusively proven that this is drug trafficker Wilber Varela," said Nestor Luis Reverol, head of Venezuela's National Anti-drug Agency.
"Thirty-two matching characteristics have been verified" matching the body to the suspect, Reverol told reporters.
The two bodies were discovered in the cabin in Loma de Los Angeles, Merida state -- close to Venezuela's border with Colombia -- by the owner of the establishment who entered the cabin because no one had come out, according to Reverol.
"The body was less than 48 hours old," he said. The bodies had "more than seven bullet wounds" in them, he added.
Varela, a former policeman aged in his 50s, launched his drug operations in the 1980s as a member of a group of hit men working for the Cali drug cartel.
The Norte Valle Cartel grew strong after the dismantling of the Cali and Medellin cartels in the mid-1990s left a power vacuum in the business. The new group was credited with handling some 60 percent of the cocaine flowing out of Colombia, according to estimates.
Varela was put on the US Drug Enforcement Administration's list of most wanted fugitives, with a five-million-dollar reward for his arrest.
He was indicted by the US Justice Department on May 6, 2004, which called him the head of Colombia's most powerful cocaine cartel, allegedly responsible at the time for exporting 500 tonnes of cocaine worth 10 billion dollars to the United States.
The indictment said the cartel used the paramilitary Autodefensas Unidas de Colombia forces to protect its drug routes and laboratories.
The cartel collected its drugs in the Valle del Cauca region and then shipped them to the Pacific port of Buenaventura, where they were transferred to Mexican drug transporters for shipping via boats and aircraft to the United States, according to the indictment.
Varela's death brings to an end the era of the three big Colombian cartels, with their once huge presence filled by numerous harder-to-detect small trafficking organizations, according to Colombian experts.
Sine 2004 a number of top Norte Valle Cartel figures have been arrested or killed; last year Diego Montoya and Juan Carlos Ramirez were nabbed in Colombia and Brazil, respectively.
"No clear deputy exists" who could replace Varela to run the cartel now, Gustavo Alvarez, a Colombian expert on narcotics trafficking, said Friday.
"The void is very large" in running the trade.
Marcelino Hernandez, Melchor DelBosque and Edgar Morales Monday.
Austin Police arrest three drug suspects Marcelino Hernandez, Melchor DelBosque and Edgar Morales Monday.
APD confiscated almost 18 pounds of cocaine and about $40,000 in cash from the three.
The suspects are all charged with possession of a controlled substance with intent to deliver
Ship, the Blue Atlantic,Drugs
The ship, the Blue Atlantic, was spotted on the high seas on Thursday by a French military vessel, which intercepted and towed it to the port.
South American cartels are increasingly trying to send their drugs to Europe through West Africa.
If this had hit the Liberian market, it would have destroyed the entire country
They said they had not yet decided whether to burn the cocaine or dump it into the ocean.
They were concerned that dumping it could have a negative impact on the environment.
Ashford Pearl, the head of Port Security in Monrovia said 92 barrels of cocaine had been seized.
"It is huge; if this had hit the Liberian market, it would have destroyed the entire country," he said.
Officials said all nine members of the crew arrested on board the ship were Ghanaians who were immediately turned over to the Liberian police.
"They arrested the vessel on high seas; it wasn't in the Liberian waters, but they towed it to Liberia because the ship was flying the flag of Liberia," Mr Pearl said.
West Africa, has increasingly become a point favoured by Latin American drug cartels because of weak local law enforcement and a largely unsupervised coastline.
The drugs are flown or shipped across the Atlantic and then onto markets in Europe.
The past year has seen large cocaine seizures in other countries in the region including Ghana, Guinea Bissau, Senegal and Sierra Leone
Stephen Beach,Timothy Donald Larson
Stephen Beach and Timothy Donald Larson, both 22, were arrested in the rear parking lot of the Sizzler on North Carson Street when police got a report that the men seemed suspicious sitting in a parked car.
As an officer approached, he allegedly witnessed the men trying to hide items. After asking the men to step out of the vehicle, the officer stated in the arrest report, he noticed a hypodermic needle sticking out from between the passenger seat and the center console. When the item was recovered it was loaded with a "black tar" substance suspected to be heroin.
Two additional balloons of heroin and a spoon with drug residue were recovered from the vehicle as well, the report states.
Beach is being held on suspicion of felony possession of heroin, Carson City warrants charging felony burglary and grand larceny, three counts of possession of drug paraphernalia and a misdemeanor violation of a suspended sentence. Bail was set at $9,606.
Larson is being held on suspicion of felony possession of heroin and misdemeanor hypodermic needle. His bail was set at $3,632.
As an officer approached, he allegedly witnessed the men trying to hide items. After asking the men to step out of the vehicle, the officer stated in the arrest report, he noticed a hypodermic needle sticking out from between the passenger seat and the center console. When the item was recovered it was loaded with a "black tar" substance suspected to be heroin.
Two additional balloons of heroin and a spoon with drug residue were recovered from the vehicle as well, the report states.
Beach is being held on suspicion of felony possession of heroin, Carson City warrants charging felony burglary and grand larceny, three counts of possession of drug paraphernalia and a misdemeanor violation of a suspended sentence. Bail was set at $9,606.
Larson is being held on suspicion of felony possession of heroin and misdemeanor hypodermic needle. His bail was set at $3,632.
Anthony Pryor, Quing Hua
Anthony Pryor and his Chinese wife Quing Hua profited from illegal Asian immigrants -probably brought to Britain by people traffickers - who sold sex at the listed house.
So many men visited that police said the Sudbury, Suffolk, cemetery was "like Piccadilly Circus".
Pryor, 59, and Quing, 37, of Epping, Essex, who denied running three brothels, wept as Judge David Turner said they'd drawn young women into their "depraved arrangements".
So many men visited that police said the Sudbury, Suffolk, cemetery was "like Piccadilly Circus".
Pryor, 59, and Quing, 37, of Epping, Essex, who denied running three brothels, wept as Judge David Turner said they'd drawn young women into their "depraved arrangements".
Friday, 1 February 2008
Sithiwe Princess Mali; Patheka Grey; Simphiwe Sikam; Sithembele Mema and Renek Dayimani.
Five people suspected of smuggling perlemoen worth more than R40 000 has appeared in the East London Magistrate’s Court on Wednesday.
The five, three men and two women, were arrested after a car chase on Sunday on the East Coast Resorts road after police was informed about the haul.
A second driver in a metallic green BMW managed to give police the slip.
In the boot of a car, police found 11 bags containing 639 shelled abalone, weighing around 104kg and with a street value of around R42 000.
The five suspects were identified as: Sithiwe Princess Mali; Patheka Grey; Simphiwe Sikam; Sithembele Mema and Renek Dayimani.
The group, all aged between 24 and 4o, were given R1000 bail each and will appear again in court in March.
The five, three men and two women, were arrested after a car chase on Sunday on the East Coast Resorts road after police was informed about the haul.
A second driver in a metallic green BMW managed to give police the slip.
In the boot of a car, police found 11 bags containing 639 shelled abalone, weighing around 104kg and with a street value of around R42 000.
The five suspects were identified as: Sithiwe Princess Mali; Patheka Grey; Simphiwe Sikam; Sithembele Mema and Renek Dayimani.
The group, all aged between 24 and 4o, were given R1000 bail each and will appear again in court in March.
Ebrahim Lembada,Mohammed Patel ,Egilio Varela ,Muzi Mndvoti ,Zakhele Gamede
Ebrahim Lembada from Mozambique and Mohammed Patel were given bail of R15000 each.
The three other accused – Muzi Mndvoti and Zakhele Gamede from Swaziland, and Egilio Varela from Mozambique – were remanded in custody.
The men were arrested on Monday in Badplaas shortly after they drove a 14-ton truck allegedly filled with cigarettes past the Mahamba border post.
“The horse-and-trailer truck that normally transports coal was escorted by a car and was spotted by the Ermelo flying squad,” Hlathi said.
According to police the driver of the truck was instructed to stop but he drove on.
“The police fired warning shots and eventually called for back-up when the truck failed to stop,” said Hlathi.
The truck came to a stop after its front tyre was punctured by a bullet.
“The men tried to bribe the police with R50000,” Hlathi said.
The case was postponed to February 8. – Sapa
The three other accused – Muzi Mndvoti and Zakhele Gamede from Swaziland, and Egilio Varela from Mozambique – were remanded in custody.
The men were arrested on Monday in Badplaas shortly after they drove a 14-ton truck allegedly filled with cigarettes past the Mahamba border post.
“The horse-and-trailer truck that normally transports coal was escorted by a car and was spotted by the Ermelo flying squad,” Hlathi said.
According to police the driver of the truck was instructed to stop but he drove on.
“The police fired warning shots and eventually called for back-up when the truck failed to stop,” said Hlathi.
The truck came to a stop after its front tyre was punctured by a bullet.
“The men tried to bribe the police with R50000,” Hlathi said.
The case was postponed to February 8. – Sapa
Hiew Siat Foong,Sim Geok Ngo
Hiew Siat Foong, 46, and Sim Geok Ngo, 39, were caught smuggling 60 bottles of Arak Rajang, 12 bottles of Smirnoff Vodka and 408 cans of Tiger Beer at the Kuala Lurah Control Post on January 28, 2008.
The duo only declared 12 cans of Tiger Beer as they crossed the border.
The court ordered for the undeclared booze to be forfeited to the state and the vehicle to be returned to the women.
The duo only declared 12 cans of Tiger Beer as they crossed the border.
The court ordered for the undeclared booze to be forfeited to the state and the vehicle to be returned to the women.
Cigarettes were seized at the Kulata border
Tens of thousands of cigarettes were seized at the Kulata border crossing between Bulgaria and Greece on January 31.
Nikolai Shoushkov, head of customs at the border crossing, said the cigarettes were found in a car with a Bulgarian registration.
The cigarettes were found in the luggage and in hidden compartments in the car, Focus news agency quoted Shoushkov as saying.
The cigarettes had Serbian and Bulgarian excise labels, but accompanying documents needed to export the cigarettes were missing and the quantities exceeded European norms for free export of cigarettes several times, Shoushkov said. The cigarettes had been seized and a statement had been taken.
The cigarettes were intended for the Italian market, Shoushkov said.
As the Sofia Echo reported in November 2007, a person is allowed to export a total of 800 cigarettes for personal use to an EU country, which means four cartons a person.
Nikolai Shoushkov, head of customs at the border crossing, said the cigarettes were found in a car with a Bulgarian registration.
The cigarettes were found in the luggage and in hidden compartments in the car, Focus news agency quoted Shoushkov as saying.
The cigarettes had Serbian and Bulgarian excise labels, but accompanying documents needed to export the cigarettes were missing and the quantities exceeded European norms for free export of cigarettes several times, Shoushkov said. The cigarettes had been seized and a statement had been taken.
The cigarettes were intended for the Italian market, Shoushkov said.
As the Sofia Echo reported in November 2007, a person is allowed to export a total of 800 cigarettes for personal use to an EU country, which means four cartons a person.
Tottenham, Leytonstone,Palmers Green, Enfield, Holloway and Kidderminster.Raids
operation hit at the heart of an organised Turkish gang thought to have made millions transporting heroin, cash and people from China
The smugglers are believed to have charged their victims up to £21,000 in return for being placed in hidden compartments in lorries,boats and trains taking them across Asia and into Europe.
Cops also arrested a third Chinese national during the Peckham raid on suspicion of possession of a fake passport. They were also in custody at a London police station yesterday.
The flat is above a shop that has been empty since October. It sits between Easy Link Business Centre and Hilaac Express Cafe.
A witness said she had seen young Chinese women coming and going but no large groups. She said after the raid cops were carrying out bags of DVDs.
Yesterday lunchtime, laundry could be seen hanging in the window of the two-storey building.
Windows were smashed and the door held shut with a screwdriver.
Detective Superintendent Steve Richardson, of the Met's Special Intelligence Section, said: "We have today dismantled two organised criminal networks involved in what is suspected to be large-scale human smuggling into the UK.
"We are committed to taking out these networks and this operation is the latest in our collaboration with a growing number of law enforcement agencies in Europe and the UK to work to achieve this mission."
Raids also took place in Tottenham, Leytonstone,Palmers Green, Enfield, Holloway and Kidderminster.
Another 10 people were arrested - all on suspicion of
The smugglers are believed to have charged their victims up to £21,000 in return for being placed in hidden compartments in lorries,boats and trains taking them across Asia and into Europe.
Cops also arrested a third Chinese national during the Peckham raid on suspicion of possession of a fake passport. They were also in custody at a London police station yesterday.
The flat is above a shop that has been empty since October. It sits between Easy Link Business Centre and Hilaac Express Cafe.
A witness said she had seen young Chinese women coming and going but no large groups. She said after the raid cops were carrying out bags of DVDs.
Yesterday lunchtime, laundry could be seen hanging in the window of the two-storey building.
Windows were smashed and the door held shut with a screwdriver.
Detective Superintendent Steve Richardson, of the Met's Special Intelligence Section, said: "We have today dismantled two organised criminal networks involved in what is suspected to be large-scale human smuggling into the UK.
"We are committed to taking out these networks and this operation is the latest in our collaboration with a growing number of law enforcement agencies in Europe and the UK to work to achieve this mission."
Raids also took place in Tottenham, Leytonstone,Palmers Green, Enfield, Holloway and Kidderminster.
Another 10 people were arrested - all on suspicion of
Brett Kebble bullet-riddled body Titty Twisters strip clubs
bullet-riddled body of mining tycoon Brett Kebble in September 2005
The Secret Boss: Bulelani Ngcuka
Former head of the NPA.
Famously told the country there was a prima facie case against Jacob Zuma but he would not be prosecuted with his financial adviser Schabir Shaik.
Selebi has accused Ngcuka of continuing to run the Scorpions - despite his resignation - and giving orders to the unit's head, Leonard McCarthy.
Selebi tells of having a heated argument with Ngcuka.
The French Connection: Jurgen Kogl
A businessman who was reportedly Jacob Zuma's largest benefactor after Schabir Shaik.
Kogl was linked to French arms company Thales (formerly Thomson CSF) and accused of paying off Zuma's car and property debts worth hundreds of thousands of rands.
He was caught up in Shaik's corruption trial when his name came up in an encrypted fax confirming his link to the French company.
, who has been convicted of fraud and corruption
Kogl is an ex-Namibian who managed empowerment company Africa Renaissance.
He has a connection to Thabo Mbeki and the ANC.
In the Selebi affair, Kogl's name creeps into a top-secret National Intelligence Estimate (2005) that Selebi allegedly leaked to Agliotti.
The report contained allegations against Selebi made by Kogl.
Selebi allegedly tasked Agliotti to find out who exactly Kogl was.
, who has been convicted of fraud and corruption
Philanthropist: Gavin Varejes
Another shadowy friend of Jackie Selebi caught in the web and accused of having a corrupt relationship with the top cop.
Embroiled in the R250-million collapse of Tigon but emerged unscathed.
Varejes heads a company called Richmark Holdings, involved in security, IT, property and communications.
He is also a close friend of Andrew Phillips, owner of The Ranch and Titty Twisters strip clubs (which were raided by police and seized by the Asset Forfeiture Unit).
Selebi, it has been reported, has holidayed at Verejes's coastal development, Uvongo Falls. Verejes claimed Selebi paid for the holiday,
Verejes's company also arranged a 2003 holiday to Mauritius for Selebi's family - which Selebi allegedly paid for.
The Tailor: Yussuf Surtee
Businessman and close friend of Nelson Mandela.
Agliotti claims he was a friend of Surtee's and that the pair met with Selebi.
Surtee popped up in the corruption trial of Schabir Shaik, with Pierre Moynot, from French arms company Thomson, revealing that his code name was "the tailor" and that he supplied them with information in the multibillion-rand arms deal.
Surtee was also responsible for Mandela's wardrobe and, upon wishing him a happy 88th birthday, Surtee called Mandela a father and a friend.
Selebi lashes out at the Scorpions for using the media to wage a smear campaign against him.
But no newspaper gets it tougher than the M&G.
Selebi has accused the paper of going on a bosberaad with the Scorpions to chisel out the details of the smear campaign - an allegation that editor Ferial Haffajee has vehemently denied.
The M&G was the first to expose the Scorpions' investigations into Selebi and the Kebble criminal network, and has weathered attempts by the Scorpions to get court interdicts to stop it publishing sensitive information.
Selebi's Hope: Lawrence Mrwebi
A top Scorpion and Gerrie Nel's counterpart in KwaZulu Natal
Selebi has used Mrwebi's affidavit in his court application to stop the Scorpions from charging him
In the statement, Mrwebi claims that the top management of the Scorpions held a secret meeting on July 25 last year in which they plotted strategies to avoid being disbanded
The statement confirms Selebi's allegations that he is the "life and death" of the unit and that they have conspired to bring him down for their own purpose.
However, the NPA has replied in court, saying Mrwebi was a disgruntled employee facing disciplinary action.
Selebi's Men: Andre Pruis, Raymond Lalla, Johan De Beer and Tim Williams
Commissioner Andre Pruis has long been at Selebi's side.
From court documents it is clear that Pruis has been caught in the web and has negotiated on behalf of Selebi, dealt with the media and Selebi's nemesis, Paul O'Sullivan.
Pruis is a crucial player in the 2010 World Cup and is the security man for the event.
Divisional Commissioner Raymond Lalla is head of crime intelligence for the police.
He was involved in dealing with Paul Stemmet when he was a police reservist and running Palto, a dubious security company.
Several years ago, the police had to protect Lalla from six hitmen, allegedly hired by a South American drug cartel to assassinate him.
Divisional Commissioner Johan De Beer used to head the detective branch, and Commissioner Tim Williams - mentioned in passing in the court papers - has taken over from Selebi.
The Negotiator: Mulange Mphego
Selebi's man working in crime intelligence-gathering.
Agliotti claims he knew Mphego from when he worked with the police as an informer and thought of him as a very senior member of the police
Mphego, Agliotti has said in an affidavit, was present at the January 4 meeting when he was "tricked" into signing an affidavit for the police.
Dennis Kekana & Tanya Volschenk
Both named by Agliotti in his rebuttal of the "drunk" January 4 statement.
Agliotti says Kekana called him off a golf course to a Sandton hotel room to compile an affidavit for the police.
Volschenk was someone Agliotti claims he knew from past business deals, who typed the statement on her laptop.
Kekana reportedly has close links to the NIA and Manala Manzini, the director-general.
Selebi's Girl: Ntombi Matshoba
Selebi is accused of having a girlfriend named Ntombi and a 10-year-old son by her.
They met and worked together when Selebi was in the ANC's social welfare department.
She later branched out into the corporate world - allegedly with a little help from Selebi.
Ntombi allegedly kept up her relationship with Selebi to secure business deals and, evidence suggests, worked with Clinton Nassif's company and with Paul Stemmet.
Selebi's Enemy: Warren Goldblatt
It seems Paul O'Sullivan is not the only one vying for the position of Selebi's nemesis.
Goldblatt, owner of a security outfit called AIN, has also made the list
Agliotti said Selebi hated AIN and was out to destroy it.
AIN was contracted by Durban Roodepoort Deep, the company that blew the lid on Kebble's father.
Henry Beukes also worked for AIN, Agliotti said.
The Driver
Mentioned in papers as Selebi's bodyguard and driver.
Another driver is named in court papers as "Andries".
The Secret Boss: Bulelani Ngcuka
Former head of the NPA.
Famously told the country there was a prima facie case against Jacob Zuma but he would not be prosecuted with his financial adviser Schabir Shaik.
Selebi has accused Ngcuka of continuing to run the Scorpions - despite his resignation - and giving orders to the unit's head, Leonard McCarthy.
Selebi tells of having a heated argument with Ngcuka.
The French Connection: Jurgen Kogl
A businessman who was reportedly Jacob Zuma's largest benefactor after Schabir Shaik.
Kogl was linked to French arms company Thales (formerly Thomson CSF) and accused of paying off Zuma's car and property debts worth hundreds of thousands of rands.
He was caught up in Shaik's corruption trial when his name came up in an encrypted fax confirming his link to the French company.
, who has been convicted of fraud and corruption
Kogl is an ex-Namibian who managed empowerment company Africa Renaissance.
He has a connection to Thabo Mbeki and the ANC.
In the Selebi affair, Kogl's name creeps into a top-secret National Intelligence Estimate (2005) that Selebi allegedly leaked to Agliotti.
The report contained allegations against Selebi made by Kogl.
Selebi allegedly tasked Agliotti to find out who exactly Kogl was.
, who has been convicted of fraud and corruption
Philanthropist: Gavin Varejes
Another shadowy friend of Jackie Selebi caught in the web and accused of having a corrupt relationship with the top cop.
Embroiled in the R250-million collapse of Tigon but emerged unscathed.
Varejes heads a company called Richmark Holdings, involved in security, IT, property and communications.
He is also a close friend of Andrew Phillips, owner of The Ranch and Titty Twisters strip clubs (which were raided by police and seized by the Asset Forfeiture Unit).
Selebi, it has been reported, has holidayed at Verejes's coastal development, Uvongo Falls. Verejes claimed Selebi paid for the holiday,
Verejes's company also arranged a 2003 holiday to Mauritius for Selebi's family - which Selebi allegedly paid for.
The Tailor: Yussuf Surtee
Businessman and close friend of Nelson Mandela.
Agliotti claims he was a friend of Surtee's and that the pair met with Selebi.
Surtee popped up in the corruption trial of Schabir Shaik, with Pierre Moynot, from French arms company Thomson, revealing that his code name was "the tailor" and that he supplied them with information in the multibillion-rand arms deal.
Surtee was also responsible for Mandela's wardrobe and, upon wishing him a happy 88th birthday, Surtee called Mandela a father and a friend.
Selebi lashes out at the Scorpions for using the media to wage a smear campaign against him.
But no newspaper gets it tougher than the M&G.
Selebi has accused the paper of going on a bosberaad with the Scorpions to chisel out the details of the smear campaign - an allegation that editor Ferial Haffajee has vehemently denied.
The M&G was the first to expose the Scorpions' investigations into Selebi and the Kebble criminal network, and has weathered attempts by the Scorpions to get court interdicts to stop it publishing sensitive information.
Selebi's Hope: Lawrence Mrwebi
A top Scorpion and Gerrie Nel's counterpart in KwaZulu Natal
Selebi has used Mrwebi's affidavit in his court application to stop the Scorpions from charging him
In the statement, Mrwebi claims that the top management of the Scorpions held a secret meeting on July 25 last year in which they plotted strategies to avoid being disbanded
The statement confirms Selebi's allegations that he is the "life and death" of the unit and that they have conspired to bring him down for their own purpose.
However, the NPA has replied in court, saying Mrwebi was a disgruntled employee facing disciplinary action.
Selebi's Men: Andre Pruis, Raymond Lalla, Johan De Beer and Tim Williams
Commissioner Andre Pruis has long been at Selebi's side.
From court documents it is clear that Pruis has been caught in the web and has negotiated on behalf of Selebi, dealt with the media and Selebi's nemesis, Paul O'Sullivan.
Pruis is a crucial player in the 2010 World Cup and is the security man for the event.
Divisional Commissioner Raymond Lalla is head of crime intelligence for the police.
He was involved in dealing with Paul Stemmet when he was a police reservist and running Palto, a dubious security company.
Several years ago, the police had to protect Lalla from six hitmen, allegedly hired by a South American drug cartel to assassinate him.
Divisional Commissioner Johan De Beer used to head the detective branch, and Commissioner Tim Williams - mentioned in passing in the court papers - has taken over from Selebi.
The Negotiator: Mulange Mphego
Selebi's man working in crime intelligence-gathering.
Agliotti claims he knew Mphego from when he worked with the police as an informer and thought of him as a very senior member of the police
Mphego, Agliotti has said in an affidavit, was present at the January 4 meeting when he was "tricked" into signing an affidavit for the police.
Dennis Kekana & Tanya Volschenk
Both named by Agliotti in his rebuttal of the "drunk" January 4 statement.
Agliotti says Kekana called him off a golf course to a Sandton hotel room to compile an affidavit for the police.
Volschenk was someone Agliotti claims he knew from past business deals, who typed the statement on her laptop.
Kekana reportedly has close links to the NIA and Manala Manzini, the director-general.
Selebi's Girl: Ntombi Matshoba
Selebi is accused of having a girlfriend named Ntombi and a 10-year-old son by her.
They met and worked together when Selebi was in the ANC's social welfare department.
She later branched out into the corporate world - allegedly with a little help from Selebi.
Ntombi allegedly kept up her relationship with Selebi to secure business deals and, evidence suggests, worked with Clinton Nassif's company and with Paul Stemmet.
Selebi's Enemy: Warren Goldblatt
It seems Paul O'Sullivan is not the only one vying for the position of Selebi's nemesis.
Goldblatt, owner of a security outfit called AIN, has also made the list
Agliotti said Selebi hated AIN and was out to destroy it.
AIN was contracted by Durban Roodepoort Deep, the company that blew the lid on Kebble's father.
Henry Beukes also worked for AIN, Agliotti said.
The Driver
Mentioned in papers as Selebi's bodyguard and driver.
Another driver is named in court papers as "Andries".
Michael P. Pfrommer
A jury returned a guilty verdict Wednesday on aggravated assault charges against Michael P. Pfrommer.
Authorities said Clayton police officer Stanley Williams was tackled when he responded to a domestic-violence incident at Pfrommer's home in September 2006.
Pfrommer faces a maximum of five years in prison, officials said. Superior Court Judge M. Christine Allen-Jackson revoked Pfrommer's $2,500 bail. He will remain in Gloucester County Jail until he is sentenced on April 4.
Authorities said Clayton police officer Stanley Williams was tackled when he responded to a domestic-violence incident at Pfrommer's home in September 2006.
Pfrommer faces a maximum of five years in prison, officials said. Superior Court Judge M. Christine Allen-Jackson revoked Pfrommer's $2,500 bail. He will remain in Gloucester County Jail until he is sentenced on April 4.
Sgt. Weiss Rasool
Sgt. Weiss Rasool, 30, joined the county police in 2000 and is assigned to patrol the McLean district. He has been suspended with pay pending the outcome of an internal investigation, Officer Don Gotthardt said.
During a brief hearing in federal court in Alexandria, Rasool pleaded guilty to one misdemeanor count of unauthorized computer access. The maximum sentence is one year in prison, though sentencing guidelines call for probation or up to six months.
In a statement of facts filed by the government and signed by Rasool, authorities said Rasool used the Fairfax police computer system June 10, 2005, to access the Virginia Criminal Information Network and the National Crime Information Center to check three license plates. After learning that the plates were registered to a leasing company -- which authorities say Rasool had reason to believe was providing vehicles to federal investigators -- Rasool told his friend that the plates had been traced to a company, not an individual.
That phone call was being monitored by federal agents on a wiretap authorized by the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Court, court records show. The subject of the surveillance has since been convicted of felonies in U.S. District Court in Alexandria, but a spokesman for the U.S. attorney's office declined to identify him yesterday.
The agents could tell from the phone call that Rasool and their target had spoken before, court records state. And because Rasool was not conducting a police investigation or other official business, he was breaking the law by accessing the state and federal databases.
In addition, authorities said, Rasool checked his own name and others in the national crime database more than 15 times to determine whether he or other individuals were registered in the Violent Crime and Terrorist Offender File, also a federal violation when not done as part of a police investigation. Rasool is a native of Afghanistan and a naturalized U.S. citizen.
Outside the courtroom, Rasool declined to discuss specifics of the case. But he said he had not intended to harm an investigation or damage the United States.
"I couldn't serve in the military because of family issues," Rasool said. "But this country's done so much for me. I will defend it, protect it and serve it until the last drop of my blood."
Rasool's attorney, James W. Hundley, said Rasool "didn't divulge any information he shouldn't divulge." He said a member of Rasool's mosque asked the police officer to "check license plates he was concerned about" on vehicles he suspected had been following him.
Hundley said Rasool told his friend that he would be able to provide only limited information, mainly whether the cars were registered to companies or individuals. He found they were registered to a company, Hundley said, and left a voice-mail message to that effect.
The cars apparently were being used for federal surveillance, Hundley said. He said that he did not know the name of the person being watched and that Rasool "had no reason to believe this person was the subject of an investigation."
Rasool only recently learned of the investigation, Hundley said, apparently after the target was convicted of immigration offenses and deported.
Hundley said Rasool was checking the federal terrorism "watch list to see if he or others close to him were incorrectly listed. None of them were, and he never divulged it. And anyone that was on the watch list, he didn't divulge that either."
Rasool is scheduled to be sentenced April
During a brief hearing in federal court in Alexandria, Rasool pleaded guilty to one misdemeanor count of unauthorized computer access. The maximum sentence is one year in prison, though sentencing guidelines call for probation or up to six months.
In a statement of facts filed by the government and signed by Rasool, authorities said Rasool used the Fairfax police computer system June 10, 2005, to access the Virginia Criminal Information Network and the National Crime Information Center to check three license plates. After learning that the plates were registered to a leasing company -- which authorities say Rasool had reason to believe was providing vehicles to federal investigators -- Rasool told his friend that the plates had been traced to a company, not an individual.
That phone call was being monitored by federal agents on a wiretap authorized by the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Court, court records show. The subject of the surveillance has since been convicted of felonies in U.S. District Court in Alexandria, but a spokesman for the U.S. attorney's office declined to identify him yesterday.
The agents could tell from the phone call that Rasool and their target had spoken before, court records state. And because Rasool was not conducting a police investigation or other official business, he was breaking the law by accessing the state and federal databases.
In addition, authorities said, Rasool checked his own name and others in the national crime database more than 15 times to determine whether he or other individuals were registered in the Violent Crime and Terrorist Offender File, also a federal violation when not done as part of a police investigation. Rasool is a native of Afghanistan and a naturalized U.S. citizen.
Outside the courtroom, Rasool declined to discuss specifics of the case. But he said he had not intended to harm an investigation or damage the United States.
"I couldn't serve in the military because of family issues," Rasool said. "But this country's done so much for me. I will defend it, protect it and serve it until the last drop of my blood."
Rasool's attorney, James W. Hundley, said Rasool "didn't divulge any information he shouldn't divulge." He said a member of Rasool's mosque asked the police officer to "check license plates he was concerned about" on vehicles he suspected had been following him.
Hundley said Rasool told his friend that he would be able to provide only limited information, mainly whether the cars were registered to companies or individuals. He found they were registered to a company, Hundley said, and left a voice-mail message to that effect.
The cars apparently were being used for federal surveillance, Hundley said. He said that he did not know the name of the person being watched and that Rasool "had no reason to believe this person was the subject of an investigation."
Rasool only recently learned of the investigation, Hundley said, apparently after the target was convicted of immigration offenses and deported.
Hundley said Rasool was checking the federal terrorism "watch list to see if he or others close to him were incorrectly listed. None of them were, and he never divulged it. And anyone that was on the watch list, he didn't divulge that either."
Rasool is scheduled to be sentenced April
Two Turkish-led People smuggling gangs arrested
After dawn raids on 12 locations in London and one in the British Midlands that resulted in 13 arrests, Scotland Yard officials said they had broken up two Turkish-led gangs engaged in “large-scale human smuggling” into Britain. Police commanders said the gangs charged Chinese migrants up to $42,000 each for journeys that could take up to 18 months, with stopovers at safe houses in Belgium and France, where additional arrests were made. The police said the raids demonstrated a resolve by European governments to curb criminal gangs that run an underground railroad for illegal immigrants along with other rackets that include heroin smuggling and money laundering.
Sunday, 27 January 2008
White slaves in Italy
A joint international investigation of “24 hours” daily and “168 hours” weekly revealed the scheme for transforming Bulgarian girls into white slaves in Italy. The investigation includes their narratives, taped in Rome, Rimini, Padua, Venice, Pescara and other places as well as opinions of ecclesiastics working with the support of Vatican and trying to save the girls. About this topic Italian and Bulgarian policemen are also talking, the Bulgarian ambassador in Rome as well and many others.
Two of the girls did not hide their names and faces, others whished to remain anonymous. Most authoritative Italian foundations have helped them to be saved and to begin a new life. They are supported also by the Italian police after they accepted to collaborate to the state. The editorial office has at its disposal audio and video tapes of our sources involved in the investigation.
This is the story of Iliana Dimitrova from Vratza town, forced by his boyfriend to become a prostitute
My name is Iliana – I was 21 years old, when they made me a prostitute. In Vratza I met one boy, an Albanian – Dragan Leskei, his friend had a Bulgarian girlfriend. For about a month they used to come to the restaurant owned by Valter Papazki and his brother Georgi – The culturist guy, where I’ve worked as a waitress. I had no problems with the brothers.
With the Albanian – talks, jokes, drinks, tips – little by little we’ve get to know each other, we become close and they started to talk over with me: come to Italy, people there are making good money. I’ve hesitated for whole one month. Then I made an international passport and get a French visa – it was easier to get visa for France. We’ve tried to enter through Slovenia – they did not permit us. But we’ve succeed through Austria though.
Dragan had told me he has a house in Rome, where I will live, till I find a work. He used to urge me to learn the language, he used to explain to me that I will take care for children or for elderly people – this will be my job. He had promised to earn up to 1000 lv per month. This is a lot of money, because I will live to his place without to pay a rent. I tempted and I left. I did not know anybody in Italy except him.
There were people in Bulgaria occupied with
the organization of the traveling
The name of the driver is Valerian. He had a Mercedes and had transported up to 3-4 persons, and charged them 450 lv each. Most recently he used to drive people towards Kolefero. To this place he had driven half of the gypsies from Liliache village, Vratza region.
Valerian had known many Bulgarians who had leaved for 5-6 years in Chikane village near Rome. They were from a village near Vratza town. I stayed to their place 2-3 hours till the Albanian came to pick me up.
I had lived with him and 3 more Albanian in his digs for a month. He had not force me to become a prostitute, he used to help me to get used with the life in Rome. But he started to become more and more jealous, he did not allow me to talk to anybody – neither to girls not to boys, he started to meddle into my life. That is why I left him and went to the Bulgarian family in Chikane.
But there were no work at all. The time has passed and they told me: we will go to one acquaintance of our – Tzvetomir, he is born in 1969, he works as a life-guard at the seaside in Tor san Lorenso.
They introduced us to each other, he was from Sofronievo village. I explained to him that I am looking for a job and asked him if he hear something that might be appropriate for me to give me a call.
After a week he called me and told me to come immediately to his place. I packed my luggage and left. Together we started to ask for a job, but all over the place we’ve received only negative responses. This lasts for three months. But he used to tell me – don’t worry, you may take whatever you want to eat and drink, you will give me back the money when you start to work. This way I lived from June to the beginning of August. We had lived in a garage near the beach; there was no warm water, nothing at all. We used to have a bath into a wash basin with a cold water admixed with a sand. After two months Tzvetomir flied into a rage: you owe me money, we have to settle the accounts with you.
Either you go to work on the street,
or I will sell you!
“How you will sell me!?”, I am telling him. “I will give you back the money, but you see what the situation is”. “I do not care”, he replies. “Either you go to work on the street, or I will sell you!” We quarreled for two days. Then he came together with Kiril, a friend of him. I knew he is dealing with prostitutes. He used to speak with a soft accent; he was not from Vratza region. They told me: “Get dressed, we are going out”.
They picked up my stuffs and we left with Kiril’s BMW. They emptied my handbag; they took my passport, everything. Yet I had no choice and they took me out on the street to work. I used to work on three places. For the first one Kilir told me that it is his region. It was located at the industrial zone of the town. They put condoms into my handbag and explained to me how much to take for an oral sex, how much for a standard one and how much for the rest of the services I would offer. The first day was very poor. The clients are clear about everything and are telling you by their own how to act. They explain to you – the other girls are doing this, the other that. This way passed my appointment with the first client.
I used to try to tell Tzvetomir that I am a human being and I am not a good for sell and that he can not be a master of me. He replied that he does not care and that he wants back his money. He told he has plans to come back to Bulgaria to open a gas station in his village and that he needs money. He used to want to earn at least 300 EURO per night and if I had not the money the problems begun.
In the beginning he used to behave comparatively well with me. Afterwards he started to make scandals each and every night and to repeat: I do not like this, we have to do this thing this way, I want to show me how you used to do it with this client, with the other client and so on. Then he started to make rows for the money, why I earned so little.
He forced me to write down the registration numbers of the clients, how old they are, what exactly they’ve told me. He used to order me before to enter into the client’s car to put on my mobile phone and to come to save me if something happens.
What he possible could do! I am all alone, but he is 30 km away. The first month I used to go to work from 2 p.m. till 6 p.m. After we’ve changed the place – we went towards Ostia. There I worked during the nights, because during the daytime
The black prostitutes were on the streets
And they’ve wanted to beat us
But they are real savages! Tzvetomir found some Romanian friends, one Romanian girls used to work for them, she do it because she wanted to, she was a little bit crazy.
They robbed me on the first week, The Italian guys were doped. One of them was like a skeleton, he pretended as if he wanted to hire me. He took me to some place with the car and there another man appeared and pulled out a knife. The one on one of my side another on the other side and both started to shout at me: Give us the hand bag! I shout: No! Then he stabs me in the leg. He cut the handle of the bag and kicked me.
I had all kinds of clients, among them there were perverts as well. One wanted to make a pee into his mouth. Other had bold heads, all covered with tattoos. Once I went with one of these and in the beginning he seemed normal to me. Then he started to speak, to explain how it was in the prison, how he has killed people – it was terrible!
The Romanians carried us out with the car. In Ostia on the street have worked Romanian girls, girls from Spain, black women – it was very hard to find a place, they chase us away all the time. We’ve managed to get along with the other prostitutes, despite they’ve fall upon to beat us. We used to tell them – however we will be beaten either by you or by the pimps, we make no difference. So, please leave us in peace.
Tzvetomir and the Romanian have passed constantly and if we were not at the specific place – they beat the life out of us. We used to work near Ostia – right in front of the sea there is a big pine wood,
the place is called
Kastel Fusano
It was terrible! Toped and drug addicted used to come, they made a lot of problems, because they could not finish fast.
They used to stay in the car longer and I had to concoct something to tell Tzvetomir. For not beat me I used to lie him – I used to tell him that I’ve forgot to dial him or the line has broken down, but everything was useless.
Even though he personally forced me to become a prostitute he treated me as we were boyfriends, he used to introduce me to his friends. He started to get drunk and started to attack me with questions: Why you passed with this guy 30 seconds more and something like this. Do you know that if you’ve been back to your place earlier you could get at least one more client.
I was a prostitute for several months and then I met one Italian, a client of mine. He asked for my telephone number and he wanted to go out together for a pizza, to a hotel. After I used to go out with him I did not want to be with other clients. And I used to lie Tzvetomir, that the day has been poor. The Italian used to give me more money, but I used to refuse them, because I had not any way to justify this money. When Tzmetomir found the money he started to beat me. This was the reason why the Italian used to bring me coca-cola, cigarettes, something to eat – 2-3 times a week. I used to hide them into a safety place in the wood.
The break of the camel’s back came
On New Year’s Day
We used to celebrate at Tzvetomir’s friend. There were other prostitutes as well. The men get drunk and ordered us to make them strip-tease. They used to applaud us and to put money into our underwear. At down together with Tzvetomir we came back to the garage where we used to live. I poured cold water into the wash basin and started to take a bath. All of a sudden Tzvetomir rushed and roared: “Why you take off your clothes?” I shrink back into the corner of the garage. He started to jostle me with fists on my head; he used to kick me in the stomach. It lasted about an hour, but finally I managed to pluck out of him. I grab a glass and throw it into the wall. With a peace of glass I cut my veins and blood spilled all over the place. Tzvetomir step back and suddenly he became gentler. On the other day he gave me as a present a gold bracelet. This was the first time he called me “lady”. But later he added the price of the bracelet to my debt to him. And soon after this everything started from the very beginning.
Iliana’s saving
Tzvetomir stated to Iliana she owes him 1000 lv. and will work for him till she pays her debt.
He takes her all the money. They go our together for shopping – they buy everything they need for the house, drinks, cigarettes and everything he wants. This expenses though he adds to Iliana’s debt.
(Cvetomir is in the center, on the left of Iliana)
This way she gives him back the money but at the same time her debt enrages.
“In a certain moment it made no difference for me. No matter how much money I used to earn my debt used to become bigger and he used to beat me each and every night.”, the girls recalls. Then the Italian client who is in love with her decides to help her. After the end of one of their meetings, with a SMS he invites her to go out together for a pizza. She hides the messaged from Tzvetomir, because he is drunk again and he will beat her. But she forgets to delete the message – in the morning he founds it and make a big scandal. The day after he expects her to come back from work and again is very drunk. She goes to bed and at one time
he wakes her up
with a fists in her head.
He cracks her ear-drum.
“You will not go to emergency aid; you will not go to work.” He shouts. He keeps her cooped up for two days and on the third day he sends her at the street. “How to go out, it is so cold out there, it is February; the ear hurts me a lot?”, Iliana cries. “I do not care”, Tzvetomir shouts. At the street she gets a client and asks him to give her a ride to the hospital. She calls Tzvetomir from the hospital to tell him she does not give him away. She lies to the doctors she had some fight with a gipsy woman.
She comes back and Tzvetomir does not strike at her for a week. Then he starts to beat her again. Bulgarians from Chikane village call and just because she has spoke with them Tzvetomir slaps her twice very hard.
“I am leaving!”, she decides firmly.
“You can’t”, he shouts. When he understands that she is unflagging he throws her away without a phone, without anything. She calls the police from a telephone booth. They come and she explains to them that she had broken with her boyfriend and she does not want to come back to him but he does not give her back her cloths. She
still does not want to
make a complaint
against Tzvetomir after he forced her to be a prostitute.
The police take his data and worn him to leave her in peace.
They tell him that if she does not call them by 24 hours, they will arrest him. Iliana explains them that she has a daughter in Bulgaria and that he threatens her using this fact. Tzvetomir used to tell her that if she gives him away to the police, he will send people to kidnap her daughter and to sell or kill her. The child by that time is 6 years old.
“I did not gave him away, but said that we’ve quarreled and I want to leave him”, Iliana tells.
She takes the bus to Rome. She calls her Italian friend. He accommodates her into a boarding-house, he gives her money, and they together are looking for a job. Later
He rents a house near by Rome
and they start to live together
He is about 40-years old, married man. A month later he gives her money and helped her to obtain a permit to enter her native country Bulgaria. Iliana goes back to Vratza, she issues a passport of her daughter and takes her to Rome.
She lives with the Italian about one month more, and then he goes back to his wife. Meanwhile he has arranged with the assistance of his friends from the police Iliana to make a complaint against Tzvetomir. She brings the policemen to the places where she has worked as a prostitute. But Tzvetomir has changed his lodging and has found Iliana’s new telephone number. He calls her and convinces her to come back to him. Iliana pretends she is prone to do this and pumps information out of him about the place where she can find him. She determines his new address and informs the police.
After her departure Tzvetomir
has taken three new
girls to work for him.
They live in a rented house in Tor san Lorentzo. He is arrested at the same place. One of the girls reconfirms Iliana’s testimonies that Tzvetomir has threatened her in the same way as Ilaia. He is detained for 6 months. “After he is out on bail after one Bulgarian guy pays for him. This is the same Violin who regularly drives a bus from Bulgaria to Rome”, Iliana says.
For six months period she is put in an asylum with nuns, but she had a row with the supervisor. She wants to take her away her child on the ground of she does not cares for her daughter. They expel her and call to other asylums not to accept her, because she provokes problems. But sister Ester from “Karitas” takes her and 6 months Iliana lives in her asylum. They become friends. Afterwards Iliana succeeds to rent a municipality home.
She works at two places as a cleaning lady and an ironer
at the first one till 2 p.m. but the second from 5 p.m. to 10 p.m. She walks around the congested Roma streets with her motor bike, a present from her Italian friend. She already leaves together with her daughter, mother and her little brother. She thinks Tzvetomir lives in piece in Tor San Torino, he has changed the lodgings and drives VW Golf. She has seen him once at the square in front of Termini station; she passed by him on her motor bike.
“I am afraid of him, but not during the day – he could not dare to teach me. The six months in prison are not enough for him, he has to pass through all this that I was forced to do”, the girl says with tear drops in her eyes.
The Italian madam
“Tzvetomir and Kiril used to know one Italian woman, that had brothels in Tor san Lorentzo. Her name is Marina D.”, Iliana tells.
Marina had had connections with policemen and if some verification starts she always been warned. Then only one girl used to go out of the brothel together with her and she has presented her as a maid. Marina has owned 3 houses with at least 3 girls in each one of the houses. Kiril had two of them – Sylvia and Ivka, the third one has worked for the Italian woman.
“Unexpectedly the one of the Kiril’s girl disappeared – she went out on the evening and we never saw her again. Kiril tried to find her, but without a success.”, Iliana Says. The other girls had been Kiril’s mistress as well. He had connection with the Bulgarian force groups – they’ve constantly came to his place. They’ve bring him some little machines thanks to which he could earn money out of the poker automated machines. All day long Kiril was occupied with this – he used to go from one hall to another.
“I was against to work into the house, although it was an oasis of vegetation. There were rumors that clients with sexual perversion are tying the girls to the chairs, gag their mouths and start to mock at them. Even Madam Marina was tortured and
humiliated this way.”, Iliana says.
The houses were under the control of another Italian woman, Adriana, she is approximately 50 years old. She had drove Hyundai with leather damask. “As you see her you could never imagine she is dealing with prostitutes. She had a lot of money. They were very close with Kiril’s girlfriend, they used to go for shopping and bars together.”, Iliana recalls. Afterwards Kilir’s girlfriend also became Madam and other girls started to work for her and used to compete Adriana’s business. Soon after they quarreled and started a war for clients.
Sister Ester:
They kill the girls
and cut them with knives
Sister Ester since 8 years is a chief of International department of “Caritas”, an organization that supports the victims of traffic with people.
The asylum that she is in charge of have been opened 4 years ago. Sister Ester arranged the visit with Iliana whom they’ve helped to come back to the normal life.
- Sister Ester, which one of the girls you are taking care of is the most affected by the pimps?
- One was coop up in one apartment for 7 long months. The apartment was with shutters, she has lived in artificial light – this has been the place where she has served her clients. They locked her during the night and they have carried her products to cook herself. For this 7 month period she has leaved the apartment only twice.
- How she was saved?
- She has become pregnant, the pimp has not locked her one night and she managed to escape. She has read a tall free number in the metro station for assistance of the victims of trafficking with people. She was ruined – physically and mentally, she has been convinced that her life will be over in that apartment.
- Was she beaten black and blue?
- No, she was not, but one of the girls was covered all over her body with razors as a punishment. Another one was with dislocated shoulder, third one was lost three teeth and her palm was cut very bad.
- Is always the violence the reason why the girls are running away?
- One girl was escaped because the pimps have given her too little money in comparison with what she has earned.
- How much?
- They have given her 2000 EURO monthly, but she has earned 300-400 EURO per day. She lives with us at the moment.
- What is the situation after the changes adopted in the Italian legislation?
- The last change in the law imposed shifting of the girls from the streets to apartments. This is even more dangerous for them, because diminishes their chances to communicate with other people and to be saved.
- Where in Rome are located these apartments?
- At almost every cross-street at the ring road.
- Are there cases girls to refuse to be prostitutes any more because they’ve fallen in love and had had an affair?
- Yes, an Italian came once in “Caritas” and he wanted to help him to save one girl. She has refused to testify against her pimps, because among them there were members of her family. Later the girl and the Italian man get married and now they have two wonderful children and I am their godmother.
- Did some of the girls try to kill themselves?
- Yes, one Ukrainian girl was lost all her humanity. She was into a deep depression, she used to refuse to rise from the bed, we hardly have convinced her to eat something. She passed in this condition about 20 days, afterwards little by little she started to recover herself.
- How the pimps control the girls?
- They raped them at their arrival, afterwards they threaten and beat them. In addition they tell them that they will force their sisters to become prostitutes also, that members of their families will be beaten or directly liquidated.
- Are the pimps dangerous?
- It happens to kill the prostitutes who have testified against them, or to sell their children.
- Who are the cruelest?
- The Albanians, but recently the Romanian as well. But nobody is as cruel as the Albanians. But we have to remind – they are supported by the Italians.
- Are the pimps participants of the organized criminality?
- All this is part of a huge organization. Some are responsible for the deliveries of fresh bodies, others forced them to work here. There are many different chains, this business is not under the supervision of one and the same people, and there are many people of different nationalities involved in this. There are Bulgarians, Italians also. The route of the traffic is changing all the time – once it may pass through Bulgaria, other time through some other place.
- Does the policemen help the pimps sometimes?
- No, but there is one policeman who has taken advantage of the services the girls for free of course.
In Sofronievo village they know
That Tzvetomir have been arrested
“Yes. There were such rumors in the village about Tzvetomir – that he has been put in Italian jail and they’ve detained him because he forced girls to become prostitutes”, Anatoli Angelov mayor of Sofronievo village says.
He also states Tzvetomir’s parents are divorced and his mother has married for second time. His father all day walks around the village with his horse and his cart and is looking for some work. Tzvetomir’s brother Hrisim is doing the same before to go off somewhere in Sofia.
The father has earned some money, he has been ready to do the work for a bottle of wine or brandy. “Hard-working people, they use to drink, but they are quiet and do not make problems.”, the mayor claims.
70-80 people have left Sofronievo and now are in Italy. The mayor had not heart among the women from his village to have prostitutes. Most of the people who have left were over 45-years old, and they left to Italy to look after elderly people.
Before to leave, Tzvetomir had had several long lasting relationships in the village. For a long time he has lived in his father’s house with the legal adviser of the Kozlodui Atomical Electric plant. He has been very close also with a woman from the village – Marieta. He is still in contact with her and they are friends.
She is married to an Italian
and most of her time she spends in Italy.
After Tzvetomir’s arrest she has driven his father to visit him after he was release from jail. Marieta’s house is close to the gas station on the main road to Vratza, the neighbors say.
We are welcomed by a teenager over there, who introduces himself as a big friend of Tzvetomir and obviously he is ready to tell us good things about him.
In that moment Marieta proper comes, she appears to be his mother. She comes with a car, accompanied by her husband with a thick gold chain on his neck.
The woman is also ready to talk about Tzvetomir, as well as to have photos, but her husband warns her not to do this. But yet she states Tzvetomir is a very good boy and he has never been occupied with bending someone to be a prostitute. She is convinced that he has been get into a hot water by Iliana, who was jealous and was mad about the fact he do not want to be with her.
According to Marieta and the man who refuses to introduce himself, Iliana has prostituted in secret and when Tzvetomir has known about this he has driven her away. “Iliana was a true prostitute yet in Bulgaria before to leave to Italy”, the man declares. He claims she first has worked for the Albanians and after they’ve driven her away she has been in a very hard situation. Tzvetomir has taken pity on her and has taken her from the street, but she has made him this dirty trick, he claims. The man though rejects to declare this officially.
According to him many other girls have lived at Tzvetomir’s place in Italy, but none one of them was forced to become a prostitute.
Tzvetomir’s father, who appears with his cart and starts to work at Marieta’s yard – they are really close. The man does not like to talk a lot – he hardy manages to say that he has been in Italy and has seen his sons, who “used to go to some people to sign some papers”. Marieta and the man explain that Tzvetomir is obliged to go every day to the police to sign. They do not think he will be putted into prison. They are accepting to resent our number to him and to call us in the editorial office in order to write his opinion.
Tzvetomir did not want to call.
According to non-official information he is sentenced by a court of the first instance and now he appeals. According to the Italian law for inclining to a prostitution and violence the punishment is between 6 and 10 years.
Russians and Albanians
are controlling the business
The body business in Italy is under the control of the Russian and the Albanian mafia. The Albanians are even more powerful after they’ve taken the place of the Turkish groups in the drug market. They are working together with the Italian organized criminality. The Bulgarian criminal groups have some misunderstanding with the Albanians.
These disputes are founding expression in trashes of Bulgarian pimps and prostitutes. It is a common practice the Albanian pimps pull Bulgarian girls and they force them to work for the Albanians. This is the reason why the Bulgarian pimps pay them some kind of tax voluntary.
The Romanian mafia also manages their prostitutes and is in a dispute for the leading role with the Albanians. The Bulgarians often come into unions with Albanian and Romanians in the traffic of prostitutes also through Kosovo, Tirana and Bucharest.
Italy is the headquarters of the Nigerian groups that also have serious interests in the trade with fresh bodies. Apart of the street business with fake branded glasses, hand bags, watches and accessories they are controlling also the black skin seductresses at the street that offer the lowest prices of sex services. Tangible presences in this business have also the Russians, Ukrainians and Moldavians mafia guys. The Russian mafia in Italy is in charge of more serious deeds as money laundry.
They brush the girls
like a street rubbish
In January 2002 Silvio Berluskoni proposes brothels to be opened, banned with a law since 1958 under pressure of Vatican. The public indignation explodes the campaign “Clean hands” starts against the prostitutes who sweep over the streets. The police make dozens of arrests of pimps and trafficants.
Rimini resort,
The native town of Frederico Felini,
is the hottest spot of the prostitution in Italy at that time. Over 4000 hotels are full of tourists. It swarms with East-European bands. “The first mass actions against prostitutes start in Rimini and Bolognia”, the deputy police chief in Rimini,
Richo Sabato recalls.
“We detained 800 prostitute from Nigeria, Albania, Bulgaria, Moldova, Russia. We arrested and put in jail 650 pimps”.
During these actions hundreds of girls start to talk. Over 30 organizations are taking care for their saving. “We used to hide them in communes”, Djanpietro from “Papa Ioan XXIII” tells. That organization has saved more than 4000 girls. Many other new girls start to come some of them used to pretend to repent. “We’ve disclosed that parts of them are spying for the pimps”, he recalls.
The police start to chase Bulgarian pimps
In 2001 the police in Modena arrests 36 Albanians accuse of exploitation of girls from Eastern Europe. The net is active in Torino, Bolognia, Ferara and Mantua. Among the victims there are also Bulgarians, driven by Bulgarian trafficants. In Torino a band of four Bulgarians is revealed. They’ve attracted girls from Sofia, Sandanski and other towns by promising them legal work. In March 2002 39-years old Bulgarian girl complains to the police that she has been kidnapped and has been forced to prostitute by another Bulgarian girl and two Albanians. During the investigation it becomes clear that the channel is ruled by VIS force group from Plovdiv.
In May 2003 the cops arrest at the street in the exotic sea resort Peskara a Bulgarian prostitute without documents.
The police “release” the girl under observation. Soon they reveal that Plovdiv group of pimps and trafficants regularly are replenishing the streets with new prostitutes. After one-year work the police arrest 5 Bulgarian pimps and 15 girls, offering their bodies at “Ponte Lingo’s” sea side street. After the operation they start to track out 13 more Bulgarian, tangled into the pimp’s devil-fish. Part of them is unapproachable.
One more girl
is ready to leave
For just 5 minutes not far away from Vratza “24 hours” daily representative almost persuaded a street girl to be driven to work in Italy and taped the incident with a hidden camera.
The prostitute explained that she blows for 15 levas but the standard sex is 20 levas. Prior she has worked for bigger amounts abroad. There she has earned 70 levas for blowing and 100 EURO for full service.
She has come back because her pimp did not pay her. The girl ponders over our proposition to drive her to work in Italy. She was ready to give her answer on the next day. The editorial office has a videotape.
The investigation is realized with the assistance of the Danish Organization of the Investigational Journalists. Read in the next issues the stories of other Bulgarian girls, forced to be prostitutes, as well as details about mafia nets in Bulgaria and Italy.
Bulgarian Investigative Journalism Center (BIJC) is an nongovernmental and uncommercial foundation, whose main goal is to organize and produce journalistic inquiries against the corruption and the organised crime. BIJC popularize the investigative journalism in Bulgaria and in the European Union.The foundation unites bulgarian journalists with experience in the area of the investigative journalism.
Thursday, 17 January 2008
Yvonne Narine
Yvonne Narine, 63, who was convicted in November of one count of solicitation of murder, was sentenced to the term on Friday in Superior Court in Riverside. She also was ordered to pay restitution to the victim, Harry Narine, who was 57 at the time of the crime.
The prosecution of Narine stemmed from an Aug. 16, 2006, meeting with two undercover Corona police detectives.In that meeting, prosecutors said, Narine talked about killing her husband, who was a correctional officer at the California Institution for Men in Chino. At the time, the Narines were attempting to reach a settlement in a divorce.
The officers tape-recorded the conversation with Yvonne Narine, who could be heard telling the detectives that police knew she wanted her husband killed.
Narine believed that, following the stabbing death of another officer at the Chino prison, killing her husband there would not be traced to her, according to police.
Her attorney, Deputy Public Defender Jennifer Mullins, said during the trial that her client never intended to have her husband killed and that no money exchanged hands.
Narine had been drinking the day of the meeting with detectives, Mullins told jurors earlier. She also said Narine was intimidated and was afraid to disappoint a neighbor who had arranged the meeting with the undercover officers.
The prosecution of Narine stemmed from an Aug. 16, 2006, meeting with two undercover Corona police detectives.In that meeting, prosecutors said, Narine talked about killing her husband, who was a correctional officer at the California Institution for Men in Chino. At the time, the Narines were attempting to reach a settlement in a divorce.
The officers tape-recorded the conversation with Yvonne Narine, who could be heard telling the detectives that police knew she wanted her husband killed.
Narine believed that, following the stabbing death of another officer at the Chino prison, killing her husband there would not be traced to her, according to police.
Her attorney, Deputy Public Defender Jennifer Mullins, said during the trial that her client never intended to have her husband killed and that no money exchanged hands.
Narine had been drinking the day of the meeting with detectives, Mullins told jurors earlier. She also said Narine was intimidated and was afraid to disappoint a neighbor who had arranged the meeting with the undercover officers.
Stephen Bruce Porter
Stephen Bruce Porter guilty of eight charges, including burglary and deprivation of liberty, as well as three counts of rape.
Porter was arrested in February last year after a 19-year-old student was repeatedly raped in her home at Wooloowin by a man who stole bedsheets and cash when he left.
The prosecution is seeking a sentence of 16 to 18 years.
Porter's defence counsel told the court he was a member of the Stolen Generations who was taken from his own family when he was very young, passed between foster homes and eventually sent to boys' homes, juvenile detention and jail.
Porter was arrested in February last year after a 19-year-old student was repeatedly raped in her home at Wooloowin by a man who stole bedsheets and cash when he left.
The prosecution is seeking a sentence of 16 to 18 years.
Porter's defence counsel told the court he was a member of the Stolen Generations who was taken from his own family when he was very young, passed between foster homes and eventually sent to boys' homes, juvenile detention and jail.
Christopher Allen Scheibe aka Sgt. Joseph Anthony Ramirez
Christopher Allen Scheibe to five years in prison, suspending all but the 123 days he had served, and ordered him to repay the county Police Department $2,500 for the cost of responding to the hoax. Scheibe also was sentenced to five years' probation
Scheibe entered an Alford plea to one count of making a false statement regarding the use of a destructive device, meaning that he did not admit guilt but conceded that prosecutors had enough evidence to convict him. Prosecutors dropped four other charges.
Scheibe, of the 600 block of Jumpers Hole Road, called police Sept. 8 and identified himself as Sgt. Joseph Anthony Ramirez, who had returned from his third tour of duty in Iraq to find that his wife had cheated on him and taken their two children to Michigan, according to charging documents.
He told police that he and three other disgruntled Iraq war veterans, equipped with an assault rifle with a high-powered scope and 30 rounds of ammunition, had barricaded themselves with five hostages in his home . He said he wanted flak jackets sent to all troops in Iraq and demanded to speak with the president. He said he was ready to die if police did not comply.
After closing roads and bringing in a special-response team, police determined that the elaborate scenario was a hoax.
Scheibe entered an Alford plea to one count of making a false statement regarding the use of a destructive device, meaning that he did not admit guilt but conceded that prosecutors had enough evidence to convict him. Prosecutors dropped four other charges.
Scheibe, of the 600 block of Jumpers Hole Road, called police Sept. 8 and identified himself as Sgt. Joseph Anthony Ramirez, who had returned from his third tour of duty in Iraq to find that his wife had cheated on him and taken their two children to Michigan, according to charging documents.
He told police that he and three other disgruntled Iraq war veterans, equipped with an assault rifle with a high-powered scope and 30 rounds of ammunition, had barricaded themselves with five hostages in his home . He said he wanted flak jackets sent to all troops in Iraq and demanded to speak with the president. He said he was ready to die if police did not comply.
After closing roads and bringing in a special-response team, police determined that the elaborate scenario was a hoax.
Tuesday, 8 January 2008
MV Rozen
MV Rozen, was reported hijacked by pirates off the coast of Somalia . An American warship was on its way to the scene, this morning, BBC News reported, adding that there were no immediate demands from the pirates, who boarded the ship armed with AK-47’s.
The ship had just delivered 1,800 tons of food aid in Puntland, a semi-autonomous region in northeastern Somalia, when the pirates attacked. It is unclear whether any of the crew were injured.
Somali pirates are becoming a well-known problem in the shipping corridors along east Africa — and Time reports that they now rival the armed gangs who plague the Malacca Straits and the South China Sea.
But the operator of the Rozen, Motaku Shipping of Mombasa, Kenya, has had a particularly rough time of it in recent years.
Pirates: Beach Boy, instructed the reporter on some of the finer points of hijacking a ship:
Bedlam erupted on the ship’s decks as the pirates tried to round up the frightened crew. Lukman and two others were on the bridge. They switched on the public address system and started beating the captain until his shouts for the crew to surrender blared over the ship’s loudspeakers. “Please, they are killing me,” he cried.
Mr. Gwin spent enough time with real-life pirates to learn that one of them, Jhonny Batam, had a reputation as “a gentleman of opportunity” and a talent for singing Rod Stewart’s “Sailing.” Another, known as Beach Boy, instructed the reporter on some of the finer points of hijacking a ship:
I kicked off my shoes and copied the technique. The bamboo’s natural joints offered a good grip, even when wet, and its stiffness made it easier to climb than a rope. To reach the decks of taller ships, Beach Boy said they would lash two or three bamboos together. I reached the top and slid down. “You could be a pirate,” Muhammad said. The others laughed. I started to put on my shoes when I felt a powerful grip on my shoulder and a cold blade of a parang on the back of my neck. “Then you grab the first sailor you see,” Muhammad barked in my ear. “Tell me where the money is!” My heart skipped a beat before I realized he was just demonstrating the next step in an attack: “And the sailor will follow you like a water buffalo.”
Mr. Gwin spent enough time with real-life pirates to learn that one of them, Jhonny Batam, had a reputation as “a gentleman of opportunity” and a talent for singing Rod Stewart’s “Sailing.” Another, known as Beach Boy, instructed the reporter on some of the finer points of hijacking a ship:
I kicked off my shoes and copied the technique. The bamboo’s natural joints offered a good grip, even when wet, and its stiffness made it easier to climb than a rope. To reach the decks of taller ships, Beach Boy said they would lash two or three bamboos together. I reached the top and slid down. “You could be a pirate,” Muhammad said. The others laughed. I started to put on my shoes when I felt a powerful grip on my shoulder and a cold blade of a parang on the back of my neck. “Then you grab the first sailor you see,” Muhammad barked in my ear. “Tell me where the money is!” My heart skipped a beat before I realized he was just demonstrating the next step in an attack: “And the sailor will follow you like a water buffalo.”
Saturday, 13 October 2007
100 "suitcase sized" nuclear weapons are unaccounted for.
retired General Alexander Lebed, former secretary of the Russian Security Council, told the CBS news program "60 Minutes" that he believes more than 100 "suitcase sized" nuclear weapons are unaccounted for. Lebed's charge elicited an immediate response from several senior Russian government officials, including Prime Minister Viktor Chernomyrdin, who denied the existence of these weapons—known in the West as atomic demolition munitions (ADMs)—and argued that the Russian arsenal remains safe and secure. The State Department also reiterated its strong confidence in Russia's command and control system. Lebed's account is detailed in a new book, One Point Safe, by journalists Andrew and Leslie Cockburn.
2005 stolen firearms
Court records showed Kenneth Wayne Cashwell and William Ellsworth Grumiaux pleaded guilty earlier in the year to possessing, receiving and concealing between May 2003 and August 2005 stolen firearms which had been "shipped or transported in interstate or foreign commerce".
The records, which showed both men agreed to cooperate with authorities and testify about any crimes they knew of in plea deals filed last November,
The records, which showed both men agreed to cooperate with authorities and testify about any crimes they knew of in plea deals filed last November,
unlicensed weapons and equipment
Federal prosecutors are investigating whether staff from controversial US security company Blackwater smuggled weapons to Iraq, according to reports.
Some employees are alleged to have sent over unlicensed weapons and equipment, that could have been used by a group labelled as terrorist by the US.
The North Carolina-based firm said it was not aware of such an investigation.
Some employees are alleged to have sent over unlicensed weapons and equipment, that could have been used by a group labelled as terrorist by the US.
The North Carolina-based firm said it was not aware of such an investigation.
Wednesday, 3 October 2007
stun gun use
The National Criminal Intelligence Service, which is planning to launch an investigation into stun gun use, said this rise could partly be attributed to evidence that ordinary people and businessmen were buying them in France and Thailand, where they are legal, and bringing them back to the UK.
report on gun crime commissioned by the Home Office
Illegal firearms have become increasingly accessible to younger offenders who appear more likely to use these firearms recklessly,” a report on gun crime commissioned by the Home Office cautioned last year.
2,710 handguns known as HS95s which were smuggled out of Croatia in the late 90s
mayhem that can be caused by a single batch of illegal weapons was demonstrated by a study of 2,710 handguns known as HS95s which were smuggled out of Croatia in the late 90s. One was used to shoot Derek Dunne, an Irish gangster, in the neck after he opened the door to his Amsterdam home in January 2000. In May the following year another weapon from the same consignment was wielded by the Basque gunman who assassinated Manuel Giménez Abad, a Spanish politician, in Madrid.
909 firearms last year along with 61,867 rounds of ammunition.
When police moved in, they found that Cinga had sold 18 Baikal IZH-79s pistols to the pair. Each came with a silencer and 20 rounds of ammunition. Banking records showed that Smith had transferred around £2,500 to Lithuania before his arrest.
At Blackfriars crown court yesterday, Cinga, 34, was jailed for seven years and Smith, 47, for 10½. The sentencing of Magee, 43, was adjourned.
Officers from Operation Trident, the Scotland Yard unit set up nine years ago to reduce shootings and murders among black men in particular, seized 909 firearms last year along with 61,867 rounds of ammunition. In one raid on a suburban semi opposite a school in Dartford, Kent, they are alleged to have found hundreds of firearms mounted on every available stretch of wall space. Further seizures were made around London by police who are not members of the 300-strong Trident team, as well as by other police forces. Customs officers, meanwhile, intercepted 762 firearms and 7,407 rounds being smuggled into the UK last year. They often discovered the firearms had been parcelled up with consignments of drugs. Police believe that eastern Europe - particularly the Baltic states - are the source of many of the illegal firearms in the UK.
At Blackfriars crown court yesterday, Cinga, 34, was jailed for seven years and Smith, 47, for 10½. The sentencing of Magee, 43, was adjourned.
Officers from Operation Trident, the Scotland Yard unit set up nine years ago to reduce shootings and murders among black men in particular, seized 909 firearms last year along with 61,867 rounds of ammunition. In one raid on a suburban semi opposite a school in Dartford, Kent, they are alleged to have found hundreds of firearms mounted on every available stretch of wall space. Further seizures were made around London by police who are not members of the 300-strong Trident team, as well as by other police forces. Customs officers, meanwhile, intercepted 762 firearms and 7,407 rounds being smuggled into the UK last year. They often discovered the firearms had been parcelled up with consignments of drugs. Police believe that eastern Europe - particularly the Baltic states - are the source of many of the illegal firearms in the UK.
Guns are being smuggled into the UK using online auction sites such as eBay
Guns are being smuggled into the UK using online auction sites such as eBay, according to a report by MPs due out this week.
Although the sale of weapons is illegal on eBay, the report is expected to say that villains are getting round the barriers by buying component parts, such as barrels, firing mechanism and triggers.
According to the Sunday Times, which has seen a copy of the report, the committee of MPs is to call on the Government to take action.
The paper quotes the report as saying: "This loophole is a potential route for illicit weapons into the UK and should be addressed."
Although the sale of weapons is illegal on eBay, the report is expected to say that villains are getting round the barriers by buying component parts, such as barrels, firing mechanism and triggers.
According to the Sunday Times, which has seen a copy of the report, the committee of MPs is to call on the Government to take action.
The paper quotes the report as saying: "This loophole is a potential route for illicit weapons into the UK and should be addressed."
You can buy one for £50 or £70 with a load of ammunition
The smuggling of the weapons, some of which he said were manufactured in India and China, others sold in Eastern Europe, was made easier due to easier communications and international travel connections.
Mr Gray, who has written the book Armed Response about his experiences in the Met, described Britain's borders as "porous to say the least".
"Buying weapons in Europe and bringing them into England is not really a problem, bringing them in to the Kent Cinq Ports is even less of a problem," Mr Gray said.
"It is very easy," he added
Mr Gray said he believed the extent gun crime was being "underplayed" in Britain.
He said "The number of weapons that are in criminal hands I would suggest has gone up enormously."
And Mr Gray said nowadays, on the streets of a city like Manchester it could be possible to get hold of a gun within hours: "If you were a member of a certain fraternity and of a certain age group I don't think you would have trouble getting one at all. Within an hour, I suspect, if you were in touch with the right people."
Mr Gray even said he thought it was possible Kalashnikov AK47 assualt rifles could be making their way into this country.
"In places like India, we have village craftsmen who can clone a Kalashnikov assault rifle very efficiently. India, China all over the place.
"The Kalashnikov is one of the most lethal weapons in the world, but it is also commonly available."
Mr Gray said he believed gun crime in the UK was spiralling: "Gun crime in general is rising, it is out of control. I believe the public do not have a full picture of what is going on nor the extent of it."
He said the weapons were available for under £100, along with bullets.
"You can buy one for £50 or £70 with a load of ammunition, I understand. Guns have been made for the past two centuries, there are loads of them out there," he revealed.
Mr Gray was not hopeful for the future of cracking down on gun crime, despite the Government's proposed Violent Crime Bill, saying Brits would have to learn to live with it.
"I don’t think we are going to be able to stamp it out I think we are going to have to live with it," he said.
"It is very difficult for the British public to digest what they are now faced with, but they have no choice.
"It will never be possible to train enough armed policemen, let alone recruit them to deal with the problem as it is now. The resources required are absolutely enormous and our society would change
Mr Gray, who has written the book Armed Response about his experiences in the Met, described Britain's borders as "porous to say the least".
"Buying weapons in Europe and bringing them into England is not really a problem, bringing them in to the Kent Cinq Ports is even less of a problem," Mr Gray said.
"It is very easy," he added
Mr Gray said he believed the extent gun crime was being "underplayed" in Britain.
He said "The number of weapons that are in criminal hands I would suggest has gone up enormously."
And Mr Gray said nowadays, on the streets of a city like Manchester it could be possible to get hold of a gun within hours: "If you were a member of a certain fraternity and of a certain age group I don't think you would have trouble getting one at all. Within an hour, I suspect, if you were in touch with the right people."
Mr Gray even said he thought it was possible Kalashnikov AK47 assualt rifles could be making their way into this country.
"In places like India, we have village craftsmen who can clone a Kalashnikov assault rifle very efficiently. India, China all over the place.
"The Kalashnikov is one of the most lethal weapons in the world, but it is also commonly available."
Mr Gray said he believed gun crime in the UK was spiralling: "Gun crime in general is rising, it is out of control. I believe the public do not have a full picture of what is going on nor the extent of it."
He said the weapons were available for under £100, along with bullets.
"You can buy one for £50 or £70 with a load of ammunition, I understand. Guns have been made for the past two centuries, there are loads of them out there," he revealed.
Mr Gray was not hopeful for the future of cracking down on gun crime, despite the Government's proposed Violent Crime Bill, saying Brits would have to learn to live with it.
"I don’t think we are going to be able to stamp it out I think we are going to have to live with it," he said.
"It is very difficult for the British public to digest what they are now faced with, but they have no choice.
"It will never be possible to train enough armed policemen, let alone recruit them to deal with the problem as it is now. The resources required are absolutely enormous and our society would change
“What we’re seeing is the emergence of this, and a whole series of undesirable things emerging from new media,”
Three Scottish teenagers from Glasgow’s Xcross gang put a video on YouTube in which they gloated over the killing of a 21-year-old father.
In the film they threaten another man - called Jinky - with the same punishment: “Jinky, wee man, get back to Norfy [a tower on a local council estate] before we murder ye like Willie Smith, ye dafty, do you want to get put in a box an’ all?”
Caught by the police, the three stars of the disturbing internet movie pleaded guilty to culpable homicide last week, allowing the story of their online bragging to be told. Plastered all over the Scottish newspapers last week, it is hardly surprising that the shock that such videos exist have begun to lead to calls for better regulation of the video-sharing website.
In the past fortnight MPs have queued up to criticise YouTube in an attempt to look tough on law and order, in response to the spate of gun crime. As a result, John Whittingdale, who chairs the Commons Culture Select Committee, is considering a public enquiry into the topic.
“What we’re seeing is the emergence of this, and a whole series of undesirable things emerging from new media,” Mr Whittingdale said. “There are also concerns about cyber-bullying and about the use by some Islamic fundamentalist groups of some pretty appalling websites.”
In the film they threaten another man - called Jinky - with the same punishment: “Jinky, wee man, get back to Norfy [a tower on a local council estate] before we murder ye like Willie Smith, ye dafty, do you want to get put in a box an’ all?”
Caught by the police, the three stars of the disturbing internet movie pleaded guilty to culpable homicide last week, allowing the story of their online bragging to be told. Plastered all over the Scottish newspapers last week, it is hardly surprising that the shock that such videos exist have begun to lead to calls for better regulation of the video-sharing website.
In the past fortnight MPs have queued up to criticise YouTube in an attempt to look tough on law and order, in response to the spate of gun crime. As a result, John Whittingdale, who chairs the Commons Culture Select Committee, is considering a public enquiry into the topic.
“What we’re seeing is the emergence of this, and a whole series of undesirable things emerging from new media,” Mr Whittingdale said. “There are also concerns about cyber-bullying and about the use by some Islamic fundamentalist groups of some pretty appalling websites.”
Don't blow your life away - Trident launches hard-hitting new advertising campaign
targeting 13 to 19 year olds in a bid to dissuade them from becoming the gunmen of the future.
Trident launched a powerful advertising campaign targeting 13 to 19 year olds in a bid to dissuade them from becoming the gunmen of the future.
The campaign features radio and TV ad’s produced from real prisoners views to bring the message home: "Don’t blow your life away."
Trident launched a powerful advertising campaign targeting 13 to 19 year olds in a bid to dissuade them from becoming the gunmen of the future.
The campaign features radio and TV ad’s produced from real prisoners views to bring the message home: "Don’t blow your life away."
Magnum pistols bought for £400
The street talk was of Magnum pistols bought for £400, of replica firearms which sell for £50 and can be converted to fire bullets retailing at £1 a time. The talk is chilling because it seems so incongruous on tree-lined suburban streets on a warm August afternoon. Then someone tells you to take a look at YouTube.
Two grainy films, crude but terrifying, mirror each other, each beginning with the street sign for their precious turf and moving on to show guns, dogs, cars and motorbikes. The Crockys get to the point swiftly with a picture of a heavy weapon, followed by shots of a revolver with its chamber open, a sawn-off shotgun and a handgun with an ammunition clip. The pictures of the arsenal are interwoven with footage of wheelies on a trail bike, pit bull terriers and a circling quad bike.
Two grainy films, crude but terrifying, mirror each other, each beginning with the street sign for their precious turf and moving on to show guns, dogs, cars and motorbikes. The Crockys get to the point swiftly with a picture of a heavy weapon, followed by shots of a revolver with its chamber open, a sawn-off shotgun and a handgun with an ammunition clip. The pictures of the arsenal are interwoven with footage of wheelies on a trail bike, pit bull terriers and a circling quad bike.
People are being warned of a new threat from organised crime gangs
People are being warned of a new threat from organised crime gangs, many of them from Romania, who are targeting cash machines and stealing millions of pounds each year.
The crooks are using pinhole cameras, card skimmers and other gadgets to obtain personal identification numbers, card details and in many cases the cards themselves, from customers.
Detective Inspector Roger Cook, head of the City of London Police's Cheque and Credit Card Unit, said cash machine fraud had cost the banks more than £30m so far this year.
He said the gangs - some of which are also involved in human trafficking and prostitution - were becoming more and more sophisticated and were spreading out across the UK.
The crooks are using pinhole cameras, card skimmers and other gadgets to obtain personal identification numbers, card details and in many cases the cards themselves, from customers.
Detective Inspector Roger Cook, head of the City of London Police's Cheque and Credit Card Unit, said cash machine fraud had cost the banks more than £30m so far this year.
He said the gangs - some of which are also involved in human trafficking and prostitution - were becoming more and more sophisticated and were spreading out across the UK.
London's gang culture has identified 169 separate groups
A police report on London's gang culture has identified 169 separate groups, with more than a quarter said to have been involved in murders.
Gangs are responsible for more than a fifth of youth crime in London, according to the Metropolitan Police report seen by BBC London.
The unpublished report found that nearly half of London gangs had been involved in serious assault.
Three teenagers have died in shootings in south London in two weeks.
The largest number of gangs are said to be in Hackney, east London (22 gangs); Enfield in north London (13); Lambeth and Merton in south London (12 gangs each); Waltham Forest in north east London (11) and Brent in north west London (11).
Gangs were found to have around 20 to 30 members, and to commit crimes in smaller groups of three to six.
It's definitely a war out there
Former gang leader
African-Caribbean gangs were described as the largest group, followed by south Asian and white gangs.
Religion was also found to be a defining factor, with some gangs comprising solely Muslim or Catholic members, for example.
The report distinguished between 19 gangs considered responsible for a high level of harm and 29 regarded as using a medium level.
A former gang leader said some young people became gang members in order to feel protected.
"They feel safe within a gang because you have got older people in the gang who are always going to look after you," he said.
"You are always moving as a pack. It's as you fight in a war.
"If you are fighting in a war you are not going to send just one soldier out. It's definitely a war out there."
Impact 'enormous'
Criminologist Dr John Pitts, from the University of Bedfordshire, said: "There are probably no more than 1,500 to 2,000 young people in gangs in all of London, but their impact is enormous."
Dr Pitts said the influence of gangs could determine which schools and colleges young people felt able to go to.
"There are quite a number of youth workers in London boroughs who are finding it impossible to run a service," he added.
Fifteen-year-old Billy Cox is the latest victim of violence blamed on gangs.
There does seem to be evidence of a rise in the number of gangs
Metropolitan Police Commander Paul Minton
He was shot in the chest at the family home in Clapham, south London.
Gangs are responsible for more than a fifth of youth crime in London, according to the Metropolitan Police report seen by BBC London.
The unpublished report found that nearly half of London gangs had been involved in serious assault.
Three teenagers have died in shootings in south London in two weeks.
The largest number of gangs are said to be in Hackney, east London (22 gangs); Enfield in north London (13); Lambeth and Merton in south London (12 gangs each); Waltham Forest in north east London (11) and Brent in north west London (11).
Gangs were found to have around 20 to 30 members, and to commit crimes in smaller groups of three to six.
It's definitely a war out there
Former gang leader
African-Caribbean gangs were described as the largest group, followed by south Asian and white gangs.
Religion was also found to be a defining factor, with some gangs comprising solely Muslim or Catholic members, for example.
The report distinguished between 19 gangs considered responsible for a high level of harm and 29 regarded as using a medium level.
A former gang leader said some young people became gang members in order to feel protected.
"They feel safe within a gang because you have got older people in the gang who are always going to look after you," he said.
"You are always moving as a pack. It's as you fight in a war.
"If you are fighting in a war you are not going to send just one soldier out. It's definitely a war out there."
Impact 'enormous'
Criminologist Dr John Pitts, from the University of Bedfordshire, said: "There are probably no more than 1,500 to 2,000 young people in gangs in all of London, but their impact is enormous."
Dr Pitts said the influence of gangs could determine which schools and colleges young people felt able to go to.
"There are quite a number of youth workers in London boroughs who are finding it impossible to run a service," he added.
Fifteen-year-old Billy Cox is the latest victim of violence blamed on gangs.
There does seem to be evidence of a rise in the number of gangs
Metropolitan Police Commander Paul Minton
He was shot in the chest at the family home in Clapham, south London.
third fatal shooting of a teenager in south London in less than two weeks
The Metropolitan Police commissioner, Sir Ian Blair, has held an emergency meeting after the third fatal shooting of a teenager in south London in less than two weeks.
join a gang or participate in gang delinquency
A new study confirms that parental behavior can affect how likely teenagers are to join a gang or participate in gang delinquency.
But the study also reveals that the same behaviors that discourage gang activity in teens from one ethnic group might have no effect, or even encourage gang activity, in teens from a different ethnic group.
The same research indicates that gang intervention programs, which often focus on teens' peer relationships, could be more effective if they also addressed the parent-teen relationship.
But the study also reveals that the same behaviors that discourage gang activity in teens from one ethnic group might have no effect, or even encourage gang activity, in teens from a different ethnic group.
The same research indicates that gang intervention programs, which often focus on teens' peer relationships, could be more effective if they also addressed the parent-teen relationship.
Teen Gang and Gang Violence has taken on a new light in today's age.
Gangs prey on the weak child that yearns to fit in with a false illusion they are accepted into the “cool crowd”. With most Gangs as with Teen Cults, they can convince your child that joining "their Gang or Cult" will make them a "well-liked and popular" teen as well as one that others may fear. This gives the teen a false sense of superiority. Remember, many of today’s teens that are acting out negatively are suffering with extremely low self confidence. This feeling of power that they believe a gang or cult has can boost their esteem; however they are blinded to the fact that is dangerous. This is how desperate some teens are to fit in.
In reality, it is a downward spiral that can result in damage both emotionally and psychically. We have found Teen Gangs and Teen Cults are sometimes hard to detect. They disguise themselves to impress the most intelligent of parents. We have witnessed Gang members who will present themselves as the "good kid from the good family" and you would not suspect their true colors.
In reality, it is a downward spiral that can result in damage both emotionally and psychically. We have found Teen Gangs and Teen Cults are sometimes hard to detect. They disguise themselves to impress the most intelligent of parents. We have witnessed Gang members who will present themselves as the "good kid from the good family" and you would not suspect their true colors.
Friday, 27 July 2007
Blackpool tops drink-deaths table
Blackpool has a higher number of alcohol-related deaths per head of population than anywhere else in England and Wales, new figures show.
Thirty out of every 100,000 people died from drinking in the resort from 2001 to 2003, the Office for National Statistics (ONS) said.
Manchester, Liverpool, Preston and Barrow had the next highest figures.
Brighton and Hove, Salford, Corby, Sandwell and Camden were also in the top 10.
The ONS said in 2003 there were 6,580 deaths from alcohol-related illnesses, such as liver disease, in England and Wales - up from 5,970 in 2001.
"We are about 10 years from being where we would like to be"
Prof John Ashton, Director of Public Health in the North West
Men accounted for almost two thirds of those who died, while there was a large variation between different regions.
In the North West, there were 15.1 deaths per 100,000 of the population, compared to 7.7 in the East.
The North East (13.1), the West Midlands (12.5) and London (12.3) also had high rates.
In Blackpool, 43.9 men died per 100,000 population, almost three times the national average.
Prof John Ashton, Director of Public Health in the North West, blamed the "binge drinking" culture of the north of England for the problem.
Deaths per 100,000 of population
Thirty out of every 100,000 people died from drinking in the resort from 2001 to 2003, the Office for National Statistics (ONS) said.
Manchester, Liverpool, Preston and Barrow had the next highest figures.
Brighton and Hove, Salford, Corby, Sandwell and Camden were also in the top 10.
The ONS said in 2003 there were 6,580 deaths from alcohol-related illnesses, such as liver disease, in England and Wales - up from 5,970 in 2001.
"We are about 10 years from being where we would like to be"
Prof John Ashton, Director of Public Health in the North West
Men accounted for almost two thirds of those who died, while there was a large variation between different regions.
In the North West, there were 15.1 deaths per 100,000 of the population, compared to 7.7 in the East.
The North East (13.1), the West Midlands (12.5) and London (12.3) also had high rates.
In Blackpool, 43.9 men died per 100,000 population, almost three times the national average.
Prof John Ashton, Director of Public Health in the North West, blamed the "binge drinking" culture of the north of England for the problem.
Deaths per 100,000 of population
Deaths due to alcohol have doubled in the past 14 years
, figures show.
The biggest rises were seen in men and women in their thirties and forties who were the first generation to start binge drinking as teenagers.
Data from the Office of National Statistics show that 8,386 people died last year from alcohol-related diseases, more than double the death toll of 4,144 in 1991.
Doctors and health campaigners have called on the Government to do more to tackle alcohol-related diseases instead of just focusing on the law and order aspects of binge drinking.
Medics have raised concerns that men and women in their twenties are now dying from liver disease brought on by drinking to excess.
Almost 30 men per 100,000 aged 35 to 54 died from alcohol-related causes last year, more than double the figure in 1991. A similar trend was seen in women, with 14 per 10,000 dying from drink last year, also double the rate 14 years ago
The biggest rises were seen in men and women in their thirties and forties who were the first generation to start binge drinking as teenagers.
Data from the Office of National Statistics show that 8,386 people died last year from alcohol-related diseases, more than double the death toll of 4,144 in 1991.
Doctors and health campaigners have called on the Government to do more to tackle alcohol-related diseases instead of just focusing on the law and order aspects of binge drinking.
Medics have raised concerns that men and women in their twenties are now dying from liver disease brought on by drinking to excess.
Almost 30 men per 100,000 aged 35 to 54 died from alcohol-related causes last year, more than double the figure in 1991. A similar trend was seen in women, with 14 per 10,000 dying from drink last year, also double the rate 14 years ago
2,301 people were arrested for being over the legal drink-drive limit.
Last year 12% of people arrested for driving over the limit in Northern Ireland were from two eastern European countries, the BBC has learned.
Using a Freedom of Information request the BBC found that in the last year 2,301 people were arrested for being over the legal drink-drive limit.
Of those 4% were Polish and 8% Lithuanian. Overall they account for no more than about 1% of NI's population.
Nearly three quarters arrested were from NI and 8% from the Republic.
DRINK DRIVE (BREATH)
Canada - 4
Czech Republic - 10
Hungary - 6
India - 6
Iran - 2
Ireland - 173
Latvia - 21
Lithuania - 187
Poland - 81
Portugal - 38
Russian Federatiion - 6
Slovakia - 9
South Africa - 10
Ukraine - 13
Zimbabwe - 3 Figures from PSNI
The investigation, by BBC Northern Ireland's Newsline programme suggests there is a major problem with drink driving in some of Northern Ireland's immigrant communities.
Using a Freedom of Information request the BBC found that in the last year 2,301 people were arrested for being over the legal drink-drive limit.
Of those 4% were Polish and 8% Lithuanian. Overall they account for no more than about 1% of NI's population.
Nearly three quarters arrested were from NI and 8% from the Republic.
DRINK DRIVE (BREATH)
Canada - 4
Czech Republic - 10
Hungary - 6
India - 6
Iran - 2
Ireland - 173
Latvia - 21
Lithuania - 187
Poland - 81
Portugal - 38
Russian Federatiion - 6
Slovakia - 9
South Africa - 10
Ukraine - 13
Zimbabwe - 3 Figures from PSNI
The investigation, by BBC Northern Ireland's Newsline programme suggests there is a major problem with drink driving in some of Northern Ireland's immigrant communities.
Saturday, 21 July 2007
It's possible that these new drugs will be the new coffee
It's possible that these new drugs will be the new coffee
Professor Trevor Robbins, University of Cambridge
Ritalin, now prescribed to children with attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD), has already been used by some students to improve their performance in exams.
Modafinil, used now to treat sleep disorders, has been shown to help people remember numbers more effectively.
It can also make people think more carefully before making decisions.
There is also a type of molecule called ampakins, which enhance the way some chemical receptors in the brain work, suggesting drugs could be developed to improve people's memory when they are tired.
The Foresight report states: "In a world that is increasingly non-stop and competitive, the individual's use of such substances may move from the fringe to the norm, with cognition enhancers used as coffee is today".
But the availability of such drugs would open up a range of social and ethical questions, including whether it should be permitted for people to use them to gain advantage over others.
How they should be monitored would also be an issue.
Professor Trevor Robbins, University of Cambridge
Ritalin, now prescribed to children with attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD), has already been used by some students to improve their performance in exams.
Modafinil, used now to treat sleep disorders, has been shown to help people remember numbers more effectively.
It can also make people think more carefully before making decisions.
There is also a type of molecule called ampakins, which enhance the way some chemical receptors in the brain work, suggesting drugs could be developed to improve people's memory when they are tired.
The Foresight report states: "In a world that is increasingly non-stop and competitive, the individual's use of such substances may move from the fringe to the norm, with cognition enhancers used as coffee is today".
But the availability of such drugs would open up a range of social and ethical questions, including whether it should be permitted for people to use them to gain advantage over others.
How they should be monitored would also be an issue.
Brain-boost drugs 'to be common'
Healthy people, including children, might one day take drugs to boost their intelligence, scientists predict.
The think-tank Foresight, outlined the scenario in an independent report looking at potential developments over the next 20 years.
Such "cognitive enhancers" could become as "common as coffee", they suggest.
Scientists did not rule out children taking exams facing drug tests, as sportsmen do, to see if any have taken 'performance enhancing substances'.
The report was compiled by 50 experts, who set out their predictions for the next two decades
The think-tank Foresight, outlined the scenario in an independent report looking at potential developments over the next 20 years.
Such "cognitive enhancers" could become as "common as coffee", they suggest.
Scientists did not rule out children taking exams facing drug tests, as sportsmen do, to see if any have taken 'performance enhancing substances'.
The report was compiled by 50 experts, who set out their predictions for the next two decades
UK army tested 'stay awake' pills
Special forces sometimes have to stay awake for 48 hours or more
A controversial drug which can keep people awake for days has been tested by the UK military, MPs have been told.
Modafinil pills - known on the drugs scene as "zombies" - are used to treat the rare sleeping disorder narcolepsy.
The Ministry of Defence reportedly stockpiled thousands of pills ahead of the Iraq war but they have never been given to combat personnel.
Defence contractor Qinetiq told the commons' science committee the drug had recently been tested for military use.
Qinetiq scientist Dr Anna Casey told the Science and Technology Committee the MoD funded research into stimulant and performance-enhancing drugs and dietary supplements.
"One is always looking for something that would give military personnel an extra edge," she told the committee which is investigating the use of such drugs in sport.
A controversial drug which can keep people awake for days has been tested by the UK military, MPs have been told.
Modafinil pills - known on the drugs scene as "zombies" - are used to treat the rare sleeping disorder narcolepsy.
The Ministry of Defence reportedly stockpiled thousands of pills ahead of the Iraq war but they have never been given to combat personnel.
Defence contractor Qinetiq told the commons' science committee the drug had recently been tested for military use.
Qinetiq scientist Dr Anna Casey told the Science and Technology Committee the MoD funded research into stimulant and performance-enhancing drugs and dietary supplements.
"One is always looking for something that would give military personnel an extra edge," she told the committee which is investigating the use of such drugs in sport.
The strange case of the man who took 40,000 ecstasy pills in nine years
Doctors from London University have revealed details of what they believe is the largest amount of ecstasy ever consumed by a single person. Consultants from the addiction centre at St George's Medical School, London, have published a case report of a British man estimated to have taken around 40,000 pills of MDMA, the active ingredient in ecstasy, over nine years. The heaviest previous lifetime intake on record is 2,000 pills.
Though the man, who is now 37, stopped taking the drug seven years ago, he still suffers from severe physical and mental health side-effects, including extreme memory problems, paranoia, hallucinations and depression. He also suffers from painful muscle rigidity around his neck and jaw which often prevents him from opening his mouth. The doctors believe many of these symptoms may be permanent.
The man, known as Mr A in the report in the scientific journal Psychosomatics, started using ecstasy at 21. For the first two years his use was an average of five pills per weekend. Gradually this escalated until he was taking around three and a half pills a day. At the peak, the man was taking an estimated 25 pills every day for four years. After several severe collapses at parties, Mr A decided to stop taking ecstasy. For several months, he still felt he was under the influence of the drug, despite being bedridden.
Though the man, who is now 37, stopped taking the drug seven years ago, he still suffers from severe physical and mental health side-effects, including extreme memory problems, paranoia, hallucinations and depression. He also suffers from painful muscle rigidity around his neck and jaw which often prevents him from opening his mouth. The doctors believe many of these symptoms may be permanent.
The man, known as Mr A in the report in the scientific journal Psychosomatics, started using ecstasy at 21. For the first two years his use was an average of five pills per weekend. Gradually this escalated until he was taking around three and a half pills a day. At the peak, the man was taking an estimated 25 pills every day for four years. After several severe collapses at parties, Mr A decided to stop taking ecstasy. For several months, he still felt he was under the influence of the drug, despite being bedridden.
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