The Law 1

Disability Claims Services

2011-02-18T10:11:00.000-08:00

Disability Insurance (DI) insures the beneficiary's income against the chance that disability leaves an employee unable to work. Some types of disability insurance include:

Individual Disability Insurance
If your employer does not provide disability benefits, or you're self employed, you can purchase your own insurance policies to protect your future earnings in the event that a disability makes it impossible to earn. For example, if I own a small business in icy Toronto and slip while walking to the mailbox, I might contact slip and fall lawyers Toronto based law firm to make a claim against this kind of policy.

High Limit Disability Insurance
Most disability policies have limitations on how much money can be given to the disabled. While most policies cap benefits at around $20,000 - $25,000. High Limit Disability Insurance is designed to keep benefits at 65% of income, regardless of the beneficiary's income level.

Key Person Disability Insurance
A "Key Person" is someone that is essential to the operations of a company. Key Person Disability Insurance provides coverage in case a key person becomes disabled.

Workers' compensation
Workers' compensation, or workman's comp, offers payments and medical benefits to employees who are unable to work because of a job-related injury. In the above example I was a Canadian small business owner. If I worked for a small business in Toronto and was injured while performing the duties of employment, I might contact a disability lawyer Toronto based firm to handle my claim if I felt there was negligence on the part of my employer. This is only a brief overview of Disability Insurance and their are variables that effect different policies and claim processes. If you're an American citizen, you can find more information on your State's official website.

Google Accuses Bing of Copying Search Results

2011-02-07T11:41:00.000-08:00

Signup For Spam is petitioning Google and other major Web companies to put spam as the forefront technology issue.

In a recent panel on search engine spam, Google's Matt Cutts accused Bing of copying search results. Microsoft fired back accusing Google of profiting off of search spam. After the panel concluded, the fight was taken to the blogs and microblogs. Microsoft’s head of communications, Frank Shaw, had this to say:
@fxshaw
Frank X. Shaw
1.Don’t be fooled. Google wants to change subject because they’re under investigation in the US and Europe for manipulating search results. - February 1, 2011 11:25 am

For more details and updates on this search engine battle, read Penalty Flag for Unnecessary Spam in Search results.

Dog Breeder Law

2011-01-27T12:25:00.000-08:00

Are there any regulations that govern dog breeding?

This is a question I just asked myself and I'm going to do a quick Google search on the subject to find out what laws apply to dog breeders in my home state.

Why do I care?

Just wanted to write about something and this blog seems to get neglected, most of my effort goes into other blogs. I also wanted to point some of my readers to my friend, and dog breeder, Cathy's website. Spirit Dog Kennels' breeders have some of the cutest aussiedoodle puppies for sale. I guess I could just ask her about breeding laws but I'm sure she's busy right now so let's just see what Google has to say.

Wait, what's an Aussiedoodle?

It's a poodle hybrid dog. If you have a Standard Poodle, an Australian Shepherd, and follow all local rules and regulations, you can professionally breed Aussiedoodle puppies. You can breed miniature and toy ones too.

Statutes differ from state to state but you'll need to maintain the proper licensing to engage in profession dog breeding. I'm not going to get into all the different laws in each state because it's already been done. The Google search I performed above took me right to Animal Law where you can find state by state laws specific to animal breeding. If you're looking for breeders in you're state, check out the dog breeders directory.

How to find out who owns a website

2011-01-26T18:49:00.001-08:00

Want to know who owns the website that keeps sending you spam?
Is there a website you want to contact that doesn't have any contact info listed on the site?

With ip search, you can look up contact information on domain name registrations. It won't always get you in touch with the website, but it's the best place to start if you don't know what to do next. It's a great tool to use to do a little investigative research into websites. I use it regularly to find ip address info too.

Law Degree

2011-01-18T16:29:00.000-08:00

The law and justice industry will experience steady growth well into the future. With a large population to govern, laws must be enforced to ensure the safety of the people and that justice is upheld. A growing industry means that a degree in Criminal Justice and Law can help ensure a well paying job. There is also lots of funding available to students pursuing a degree in law. The online gpa calculator has a resource you can use to search scholarships related to law and I recommend researching all grant opportunities as well.

Funny Traffic Stop!

2010-12-23T15:01:00.000-08:00

This is one of the funniest videos I've seen. A routine traffic stop turns into chaos as a van full of what appears to be illegal Mexican immigrants has a police officer running in circles trying to catch someone. Check out the funny cop video.
Here's another funny video of a bicycle cop falling hard!

Loan Calculator

2010-12-02T22:57:00.000-08:00

Ever wonder how much you'll end up paying in interest on a loan? The online loan calculator will calculate the total loan after interest and give you a detailed payment schedule. It's easy to use and shows the importance of a low interest rate.

Thanks to the real estate pros for making the calculator available.

Electronic cigarettes- Are they worthy?

2010-09-25T09:45:00.000-07:00

We can find many different types of goods available that have demanded to assist people to renounce from smoking but this one here is bit tarnished. This product is aimed at customer satisfaction and hence they are manufactured to look similar to a cigarette but there are also other types of different styles available in which the electronic cigarettes can look like a ballpoint pen. Some people with good intentions think that, this product, the electronic cigarette can help somebody resign the smoking habit while others who are cruel minded think of using it as a weapon to persuade juvenile group to smoke so as to make them possible to be competent to carry on the nicotine convention more easily.

But if the parents do not like the usage of these electric cigarette hence they can test the level of intake of nicotine through various nicotine kits to test for nicotine usage in any form. As the smoker breathe in through the electronic cigarette the air that is produced by the individual is detected by a special type of sensor, this sensor will soon activate a piece of equipment that warm up to produce the vapor.

This equipment is called a heating element. Once the vapor is transformed in to a vapor a nicotine solution, which is stored in the mouthpiece gets released and the vapors enter into the user's mouth. The vapor can be made in to any flavor as per the wish of the user like popular brans or menthol.

Personal Injury Lawyers

2009-04-21T14:39:00.000-07:00

Injury is an unfortunate reality when it comes to many car accidents. When an injury is sustained, many people seek legal help from personal injury lawyers. This is a path recommended by many professionals, i.e. counselors. If someone feels they should be compensated for medical expenses, lost work, etc. the court system is there. Talk to accident lawyers in your area to get information on what options are available and how to get to compensation that may be required to pay for the unfortunate reality of automobile accidents. Chances are, it won't be as much trouble as you might imagine. Finding a good lawyer is no trouble at all these days. Some online resources have all the information you'll need on almost every law firm!

On a side note, it's been a while since we have posted any news on this site. We look forward to gathering more newsworthy stories for our readers very soon. Please remember to grab our rss feed to stay updated.

DEA Case Uncovers Massive Cockfighting Arena in Tennessee

2008-12-30T09:58:00.000-08:00

( NASHVILLE) – Eleven individuals were arrested in Nashville this month and 41 in total over a two-week round-up as part of ‘Project Reckoning, Phase II’ - a multi-agency law enforcement effort led by the DEA that targeted the Mexican drug trafficking organization known as the Gulf Cartel . The operation led agents to a group of drug traffickers who ran a large gambling enterprise in Tennessee that included a massive and intricate cockfighting enterprise which one federal official called the “largest” he has ever seen in the United States.

In addition to the arrests in Tennessee, 30 other people were charged in the following states: Texas, Mississippi, Nevada, Kentucky, North Carolina, and Oklahoma.

Phase I of ‘Project Reckoning’ culminated in September of this year and led to the seizure of $60 million in drugs, and 175 arrests. It also led to the indictment of several alleged leaders of the Gulf Cartel including the following federal fugitives: Ezequiel Cardenas-Guillen, Heriberto Lazcano-Lazcano, Jorge Eduardo Costilla-Sanchez, Miguel Trevino Morales, Omar Trevino, Juan Reyes Mejia-Gonzalez, Hector Manuel Sauceda Gamboa, Jesus Enrique Rejon Aguilar, Mario Ramirez-Trevino, Samuel Flores-Borrego, and Gilberto Barragan.

The 11 defendants were arrested in Nashville on December 5 and they face a variety of drug trafficking charges including conspiracy to distribute marijuana and various federal gambling violations.

To date, Project Reckoning Phase I and Phase II has resulted in the arrest of 621 individuals and the seizure of approximately $71.2 million in U.S. currency, 17,329 kilograms of cocaine, 1,291 pounds of methamphetamine, 19 pounds of heroin, 57,243 pounds of marijuana, 258 vehicles, and 224 weapons.

The investigative efforts in Project Reckoning Phase II were coordinated by the Justice Department’s Special Operations Division, the DEA, FBI, ATF, U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement, Internal Revenue Service, U.S. Marshals Service and attorneys from the Criminal Division’s Narcotic and Dangerous Drug Section. Significant assistance was also provided by a coalition of international investigative agencies spearheaded by DEA offices located in Colombia, Guatemala, Mexico, Panama and Italy with assistance from foreign counterparts in each of those countries.

Five Members of Marijuana Conspiracy Plead Guilty

2008-10-22T07:22:00.000-07:00

OCT 22 -- (ANCHORAGE, AK) – DEA Special Agent in Charge Arnold R. Moorin and Acting United States Attorney for the District of Alaska, Karen Loeffler, announced today, October 21, 2008, that five members of a marijuana-trafficking organization pled guilty in federal court last week. The defendants, Wallie Scott Vierra, 43, of Anchorage; Steven Michael Roberts, 32, of Vancouver, Washington; Keith Harrington Edwards, 38, of Anchorage; Linda Rae Harrigan, 55, of Anchorage; and Judy Carol Staffa, 62, of Manteca, California, admitted to conspiring to distribute at least 1000 kilograms of marijuana into Alaska.

Drug Enforcement Administration Special Agent in Charge Arnold R. Moorin stated, "Vierra was a major player in a losing game and his guilty plea confirms what law enforcement knew all along."

According to plea documents filed in court, the defendants pled guilty to being part of a conspiracy to distribute marijuana in Alaska between 2000 and 2007. The defendants helped arrange for the shipment of approximately 100 pounds of marijuana, or “BC Bud”, from Canada roughly every two to six weeks, primarily concealed in secret compartments in fuel tanks mounted on the beds of pickup trucks. The defendants sent cash to Canada to pay for the shipments, often concealing the cash in the same secret compartments used to transport the marijuana.

Vierra pled guilty to conspiring with Tom Cody to import and distribute over 1000 kilograms of marijuana in Alaska. He also agreed to forfeit approximately $1 million cash, boats, real estate, motor homes and vehicles as proceeds of marijuana trafficking. Cody was murdered in 2005, in furtherance of the “Ranes and Shine” drug conspiracy. In a separate indictment, Vierra pled to money laundering involving a $50,000 check he wrote as part of his investment in Platinum Jaxx Bar and Restaurant. According to plea documents, Vierra also invested approximately $500,000 cash in Platinum Jaxx. Vierra forfeited his approximate 25% interest in Platinum Jaxx to the United States.

Defendants Linda Harrigan, Judy Staffa, Steven Roberts, and Keith Edwards all admitted to driving vehicles hauling marijuana between Canada and Alaska. The indictment lists 68 entries into Alaska from Canada by the alleged conspirators in furtherance of the importation scheme. Additionally, Edwards pled guilty to manufacturing the secret compartments in fuel tanks and Roberts admitted to distributing the marijuana once it arrived in Anchorage.

The defendants are scheduled for sentencing between November 2008 through January 2009.

This case was investigated by the Drug Enforcement Administration, Immigration and Customs Enforcement, Internal Revenue Service–Criminal Investigations and the Alaska State Troopers Major Offenders Unit.

U.S. Customs and Border Protection Joins the National Gang Intelligence Center

2008-10-21T07:23:00.000-07:00

The U.S. Department of Homeland Security’s Customs and Border Protection (CBP) has joined the National Gang Intelligence Center (NGIC). Established in 2005, the NGIC is an FBI led multi-agency effort that integrates the gang intelligence assets of the FBI and other federal, state, and local law enforcement entities to serve as a centralized intelligence resource for gang information and analytical support.

“The addition of CBP will only strengthen the partnership of the NGIC aimed at combating violent crime and gangs,” said Assistant Director Kenneth W. Kaiser.“ The NGIC provides the law enforcement community with a one-stop-shop mechanism for submitting requests for information and conducting relational analysis of gang information as it pertains to past and present gang investigations.”

“CBP has to be an intelligence driven organization to provide information to frontline officers to protect the nation from criminal gangs,” said U.S. Customs and Border Protection Commissioner W. Ralph Basham. “CBP's Office of Intelligence and Operations Coordination recently announced an Anti-Gang Initiative related to fighting the growth, migration, criminal activity, and affiliation of gangs who pose a threat to our nation's security and to public safety. We welcome the ability to add the resources of NGIC to our ongoing efforts to collaborate with other federal agencies and our state and local partners to combat this unique threat.”

The NGIC is designed to combine the manpower and resources of partner federal agencies responsible for investigating and gathering intelligence on violent street and motorcycle gangs. The center supports law enforcement agencies through timely and accurate information sharing and strategic/tactical analysis of federal, state, and local law enforcement information focusing on the growth, migration, criminal activity, and association of gangs that pose a significant threat to communities throughout the U.S.

El Paso Area CBP Officers Nab Fugitives, Seize More than 4 Tons of Marijuana

2008-10-17T13:36:00.000-07:00

U.S. Customs and Border Protection officers working at El Paso area ports of entry nabbed 29 fugitives and seized 8,190 pounds of marijuana during the previous seven days.

CBP officers working at the El Paso, Fabens, Fort Hancock, Presidio, Santa Teresa, Columbus and Antelope Wells crossings also identified numerous immigration, agriculture and export violations during the past week.

Two of the 29 fugitives nabbed this week were sex offenders being sought by law enforcement. On October 10, CBP officers at the Fabens port of entry nabbed a 20-year-old man being sought by Liberty County (Texas) authorities on sexual assault of a child charges. He was turned over to the El Paso County Sheriff’s Department.

On October 16, CBP officers working at the Columbus port of entry apprehended a 23-year-old man who was being sought in Colorado on sex assault charges. He was turned over to the Columbus police department.

“CBP is committed to making sure that all people who enter the U.S. are doing so legally and do not pose a risk to the American public,” said Ana Hinojosa, director of field operations in El Paso. “People sometimes will leave the country for any number of reasons, but the inspections by our CBP officers at our ports of entry frequently foil their plans to avoid capture, when they attempt to reenter the U.S.”

Area CBP officers made 18 drug busts during the past week, confiscating a total of 8,190 pounds of marijuana. One of the smallest drug busts of the week turned out to be one of the most interesting. On October 13, CBP officers working at the Paso Del Norte pedestrian crossing in El Paso discovered six marijuana filled bundles taped to the legs and midsection of a 22-year-old El Paso man who attempted to enter the U.S. from Mexico. The drugs weighed a total 6.2 pounds. The violator and drugs were turned over to the El Paso Police Department for local prosecution.

On the other end of the spectrum, CBP officers working at the Bridge of the Americas commercial cargo facility in El Paso seized 6,820 pounds of marijuana from a commercial truck on October 14. The drugs were concealed in a trailer hauling a shipment of coffee from Mexico to the U.S. A 23-year-old Juarez man was arrested in connection with the failed smuggling attempt.

“Anti-terrorism is our primary mission but our inspections routinely uncover violations of all kinds and sizes,” said Hinojosa. “The activity at our ports this week is a perfect example.”

During the past seven days, CBP officers recorded 100 immigration violations at area ports. Imposters made up the largest group of immigration violators. A total of 38 were identified through thorough document exams. Imposters generally will use a legitimate entry document assigned to another person and present it as their own. Violators generally lose their documents and are returned to Mexico. CBP officers nabbed 36 intended immigrants this week. In these cases, individuals will use a legally issued border-crossing card (laser visa) to live or work in the U.S., which is not authorized. They also lose their documents and are generally returned to Mexico. Area CBP officers also identified 26 people who made false claims to U.S. citizenship, attempted to enter with counterfeit or altered documents, visa overstay violations, and those attempting to enter without inspection.

CBP officers working at area ports recorded a total of seven agriculture violations this week, resulting in $1,800 in penalties being assessed. Prohibited agricultural items seized this week included pork, pork skins, pears, avocados, oranges, apples, and plant seeds. Area border crossers are urged to declare all food items they have acquired abroad to avoid penalties and to help reduce the potential for the introduction of harmful pests and disease. Failure to declare prohibited items can result in a $300 penalty for an initial offense. If properly declared, prohibited food items can generally be abandoned at the port of entry without consequence.

In addition to the agriculture and immigration violations, CBP officers working at El Paso area ports assessed $5,300 in penalties in four illegal export cases. While anti-terrorism is the primary mission of U.S. Customs and Border Protection, the inspection process at the ports of entry associated with this mission results in impressive numbers of enforcement actions in all categories.

FBI Coordinates Global Effort to Nab ‘Dark Market’ Cyber Criminals

2008-10-16T15:18:00.000-07:00

The FBI, in conjunction with many partners in international law enforcement, today announced the conclusion of a two-year undercover operation targeting members of the online “carding” forum known as Dark Market.

Cyber criminals using this forum represented a virtual transnational criminal network spanning numerous countries who were involved with the buying and selling of stolen financial information including credit card data, login credentials (user names and passwords), as well as equipment used in carrying out certain financial crimes. At its peak the Dark Market website had over 2,500 registered members.

A primary objective of this operation was to infiltrate the forum, develop intelligence on its leading members, and in coordination with our U.S. and international law enforcement partners, systematically identify, locate, and arrest them over a sustained period. This operation resulted in 56 arrests worldwide. Additionally, $70 million in economic loss was prevented from the seizure of compromised victim accounts. Separate from these successes, this operation created new leads and more investigative information to pursue. These efforts are being followed up by the FBI and international law enforcement partners.

FBI Cyber Division Assistant Director Shawn Henry said, “In today’s world of rapidly expanding technology, where cyber crimes are perpetrated instantly from anywhere in the world, law enforcement needs to be flexible and creative in our efforts to target these criminals. Leads in many of these investigations take us to the online world of Internet forums, where criminals go to engage in the business of selling and trading innocent person’s credit card numbers and other personal information. By joining forces with our international law enforcement counterparts, we have been, and will continue to be, successful in arresting those individuals and dismantling these forums. The arrests this week in the U.K. are a good demonstration of the coordination taking place today between the FBI, the Serious Organised Crime Agency (SOCA), and other law enforcement agencies around the globe.”

The FBI conducted this operation with the assistance of multiple domestic and international law enforcement partners, including the Computer Crime and Intellectual Property Section of the U.S. Department of Justice, United Kingdom’s Serious Organised Crime Agency, Turkish National Police – KOM Department, Bundeskriminalamt (German Federal Criminal Police in Wiesbaden), and the Landeskriminalamt Baden – Wuerrtemberg (State Police of Baden Wuerrtemberg).

DEA Investigation Targets Pasadena Drug Gang

2008-10-09T15:03:00.000-07:00

OCT 08 -(LOS ANGELES) Timothy J. Landrum, Special Agent in Charge of the Drug Enforcement Administration’s (DEA) Los Angeles Field Division and Bernard K. Melekian, Chief of Police of the Pasadena Police Department announced the arrest of 89 people, and the seizure of 12 pounds of methamphetamine, 2,492 pills of ecstasy and almost 12 pounds of cocaine, in both powder and rock form, as well as dozens of guns in a multi-agency crackdown on gangs and drugs that stretched from Pasadena to the eastern United States.

From July 2008 to October 2008, the DEA deployed their Mobile Enforcement Team (MET) to the Pasadena area to assist local law enforcement with the surge of drug and street gang violence. The investigation primarily targeted members of the Pasadena Denver Lane Bloods drug street gang.

The MET team joined forces with the Pasadena PD, the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF), the United States Attorney’s Office, Central District of California, and the Los Angeles District Attorney’s Office in targeting members of this street gang. The investigation resulted in the arrests of 89 suspects, including 28 charged in federal indictments and 61 facing state charges.

The investigation also revealed that Pasadena area gang members were involved in drug distribution networks with ties to eastern United States cities including, Pittsburgh, Detroit, Atlanta and Cleveland. The DEA MET program was established in 1995 in response to state and local law enforcement’s concerns about the spread of drug trafficking and the associated violence. The DEA MET teams operating throughout the United States are tasked with identifying and dismantling violent drug trafficking groups that have gained a foothold in some urban and rural areas.

DEA Seizes $58 Million Worth of Cocaine on Panamanian Ship

2008-10-03T15:05:00.000-07:00

The Megan Star sits pierside in San Juan.

OCT 02 -- (SAN JUAN, PR) — Vito S. Guarino, the Acting Special Agent in Charge of DEA’s Caribbean Division and Rosa Emilia Rodríguez-Vélez, the U.S. Attorney for the District of Puerto Rico, joined with members of the Caribbean Corridor Initiative (CCI) to announce the seizure of approximately 1,930 kilograms of cocaine with a street market value of $58 million onboard the Panamanian-flagged vessel Megan Star.

As a result of the joint investigative efforts of CCI participants, a U.S. Coast Guard law enforcement detachment onboard the U.S. Naval frigate USS FARRAGUT intercepted the Megan Star in international waters.

After successful coordination between officers of the USCG law enforcement detachment, CCI participating agencies, and the government of Panama, USCG personnel boarded the Megan Star. The vessel was subsequently escorted to the Coast Guard base in San Juan for a more thorough inspection which revealed approximately 1,930 kilograms of cocaine hidden within different sections of the ship.

The Dominican Republic's National Drug Control Directorate (DNCD) provided significant assistance and support to this investigation.

The 10-member crew of the Megan Star, composed of nationals of Costa Rica, Ecuador, India, Nicaragua, and Spain, are in federal custody.

DEA and ICE agents stand guard over the seized cocaine.

The seizure was part of the Caribbean Corridor Initiative, an Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Strike Force and High Intensity Drug Trafficking Area project that investigates South American-based drug trafficking organizations responsible for the movement of multi-kilogram quantities of narcotics utilizing the Caribbean as a transshipment point for further distribution to the United States. The members of this inter-agency group are: the United States Attorney’s Office for the District of Puerto Rico, Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA), U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE), Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI), U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) and U.S. Coast Guard (USCG).

"The Caribbean Corridor Initiative continues to deny drug traffickers the use of the waterways of the Caribbean to smuggle their poisonous cargo of drugs to the world” said DEA Caribbean Division Acting Special Agent in Charge Vito S. Guarino “DEA brings our unique perspective and experience in fighting drug trafficking globally as part of this initiative. DEA will continue employing our expertise in support the Caribbean Corridor Initiative"

“These arrests and mega-kilogram seizure are a clear indication of the success of the Caribbean Corridor Initiative,” said Rosa Emilia Rodríguez-Vélez, U.S. Attorney for the District of Puerto Rico. “We will continue maximizing all of our combined resources to investigate and prosecute those who in flagrant disregard of our laws and way of life try to smuggle illegal drugs and weapons into our area of jurisdiction.”

"This operation is a Caribbean Corridor Initiative success," said Capt. Joanna Nunan, Acting Commander, Coast Guard Sector San Juan. "The Coast Guard is proud to be working alongside our partners from ICE, DEA, FBI, CBP and the U.S. Attorney's Office to prevent drug smuggling on the high seas and keep drugs away from our shores."

“The Caribbean Corridor Initiative is a clear example of the level of teamwork and camaraderie among federal agencies in Puerto Rico,” said Manuel Oyola Torres, special agent in charge of ICE investigations in Puerto Rico. “ICE will continue to work aggressively with our federal counterparts in our efforts to enforce the law and dismantle drug trafficking organizations that use the Caribbean Basin as a conduit to introduce illicit drugs into our country.”

"As long as Caribbean Corridor partner agencies collectively share intelligence and resources to combat illegal drug trafficking in the eastern Caribbean, we will continue to succeed in accomplishing our mission to prevent drug smuggling operations in our area of responsibility and bring drug smugglers to justice," said Marcelino Borges, U.S. Customs and Border Protection Director of Field Operations.

DEA agent Vito Guarino speaks with the media.

"Drug amounts of this magnitude affect several communities which in turn will eventually affect the future of our country, and the future of our country is the children of these communities. Law enforcement must continue this fight against drugs in order to continue to protect our children, our future leaders," said Luis Fraticelli, Special Agent in Charge of the FBI-San Juan Field Office.

Those arrested will be transferred to the Metropolitan Detention Center in Guaynabo, Puerto Rico where they will await for the outcome of their case.

Former Denver Bronco Arrested by DEA

2008-10-01T15:07:00.000-07:00

OCT 01 -- DENVER – Jeffrey D. Sweetin, Special Agent in Charge (SAC) of the Rocky Mountain Division of the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA), announced today the arrest of former Denver Bronco football player Travis Henry. Henry, along with James Mack, was arrested yesterday as a result of a multi-kilogram cocaine transaction that occurred in Centennial, CO. Both subjects are being held pending the filing of federal drug charges in U.S. District Court later today in Denver.

Former Police Chief Indicted on Felony Drug Distribution Charges

2008-09-26T18:13:00.000-07:00

-"Operation Slim Chance"- a drug ring investigation

SEP 25 -- (Albany, NY) JOHN P. GILBRIDE, the Special Agent-in-Charge of the New York Office of the United States Drug Enforcement Administration ("DEA") and Attorney General Andrew M. Cuomo announced today the indictment of former Schenectady Police Chief Gregory Kaczmarek and his wife for taking part in a highly organized narcotics distribution organization that operated in the Capital District and was supplied from Long Island. Gregory Kaczmarek was chief of Schenectady Police Department from 1996 to 2002.

In an indictment unsealed by Schenectady County Court Judge Karen Drago today, a Grand Jury charged Gregory Kaczmarek, 56, and his wife Lisa Kaczmarek, 48, both of Roma Street in Schenectady, with having participated in a cocaine and marijuana drug distribution ring run by Kerry “Slim” Kirkem, 40, of VanVranken Ave. in Schenectady and Guideboard Road in Waterford.

Today’s indictment supersedes a May 2008 indictment that charged 24 defendants, including Lisa Kaczmarek, with being involved in a highly organized narcotic distribution network that brought cocaine and marijuana from Long Island to Schenectady.

The Kaczmareks were arraigned this morning in Schenectady County Court. Bail was set for Gregory Kaczmarek at $10,000 cash or $20,000 bond and continued at the same amount for Lisa Kaczmarek. Gregory Kaczmarek was the Chief of Police for the City of Schenectady Police Department from 1996 to 2002.

“It is shocking to all of us that a former police chief is alleged to have been intricately involved in a narcotics ring. But no one is above the law.” said Attorney General Cuomo. “The conduct Greg Kaczmarek is charged with in this case is an insult to all members of law enforcement who put their lives on the line every day to protect us. My office will continue to hold all public servants accountable for their actions, which is what the public expects and deserves. And we will never stop fighting the scourge of drugs, guns, and violence plaguing our neighborhoods.”

The Kaczmareks were both charged in the indictment with the same six crimes based upon their alleged participation in the cocaine and marijuana distribution ring, including:

● Conspiracy in the 2nd Degree (class B felony), which carries a maximum penalty of 25 years in prison.

● Two counts of Criminal Possession of a Controlled Substance in the 3rd Degree (class B felony), both of which carry maximum penalties of nine years in prison.

● Two counts of Criminal Possession of a Controlled Substance in the 4th Degree (class C felony), both of which carry maximum penalties of five and one-half years in prison.

● Conspiracy in the 6th Degree (Class B misdemeanor), which carries a maximum penalty of 60 days in jail.

According to the indictment, the Kaczmareks were in frequent contact with Kirkem, using coded messages to discuss cocaine and marijuana deals. In one instance, after police seized a cocaine shipment on its way from Long Island to Schenectady, Gregory Kaczmarek allegedly advised Kirkem to change his stash houses and get a new phone in order to cover his tracks. During another call with Kirkem, Lisa Kaczmarek volunteered Gregory as a possible “mule” to transport cocaine. She indicated that if he were stopped by law enforcement while transporting the drugs, he could “flash his badge” in order to evade police.

Lisa Kaczmarek was previously indicted by a Schenectady County Grand Jury on a single count of Conspiracy in the Second Degree for her alleged role as a freelance dealer in the drug ring. In the May 8 indictment, 23 other individuals were charged as the result of a 13-month, multi-agency investigation known as “Operation Slim Chance,” led by the Attorney General’s Organized Crime Task Force (OCTF). The Attorney General’s investigation seized over $160,000 in heroin and cocaine along with several firearms and drug paraphernalia. Details about the original indictment and arrests can be found online at www.oag.state.ny.us/media_center/2008/may/may8b_08.html. Nineteen individuals have pleaded guilty thus far, cases are pending against three and two individuals remain at large.

The case is being prosecuted by OCTF Assistant Deputy Attorney General Michael Sharpe under the supervision of First Deputy Assistant Attorney General Peri Kadanoff and Robin Baker, Executive Deputy Attorney General for Criminal Justice. The Attorney General thanked the New York State Police Community Narcotics Enforcement Team, the Drug Enforcement Administration and the OCTF investigators for their continued hard work and participation in the underlying investigation.

The charges against the defendants are merely accusations and the defendants are presumed innocent until and unless proven guilty.

Meth, Cocaine Ring Dismantled in Washington and Idaho

2008-09-26T15:10:00.000-07:00

SEP 26 -- (Seattle) – DEA Special Agent in Charge (SAC) Arnold R. Moorin, the United States Attorney for the Western District of Washington, Jeffrey Sullivan and the United States Attorney for the District of Idaho, Thomas E. Moss announced that more than two dozen subjects face federal cocaine and methamphetamine trafficking charges following a year-long investigation in Seattle, Washington and Rexburg, Idaho.

Fifteen people have been indicted by a federal grand jury in the Western District of Washington and presently eleven are under arrest. Six others are in state or immigration custody. Over the past month, authorities have searched seven locations in Western Washington and seized 20 kilograms of cocaine, sixteen pounds of methamphetamine, approximately $940,000 in cash and numerous cars and watercraft.

Fourteen people have been indicted by a federal grand jury in the District of Idaho and presently thirteen are under arrest. Authorities have searched ten locations in Idaho and seized two pounds of methamphetamine and numerous cars.

“This well established and sophisticated organization controlled by Sinaloan drug sources no longer exists in the Pacific Northwest,” said DEA Special Agent in Charge Arnold R. Moorin. “The investigation is yet another outstanding example of law enforcement partnerships working together as one.”

The federal focus of the investigation intensified in November 2007, when a Cadillac Escalade registered to a Seattle resident was stopped by Oregon State Police as it traveled north on Interstate 5 outside of Salem. Bertario Santos-Rojas was a passenger in the vehicle. A K-9 alerted on the vehicle and with the assistance of Customs and Border Protection, investigators found 31 kilograms of cocaine and more than $11,000 cash hidden in a speaker box in the rear of the vehicle. The driver of the Escalade, and Bertario Santos-Rojas are charged in connection with that seizure in the District of Oregon as well.

Following the traffic stop, the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA), U.S Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE), the Seattle Police Department and King County Sheriff’s Office, continued to gather information about the Santos-Rojas organization. In addition, the DEA and Madison County Sheriff’s Office infiltrated the Rexburg, Idaho cell and identified the Idaho leader as Esteban Rojas-Perez. Multi-jurisdictional task forces continued to gather and share information about the organization.

In June 2008, a wiretap confirmed that Santos-Rojas was working collectively with Rojas-Perez to obtain Mexican sourced methamphetamine and cocaine, which was shipped through California to the Northwest. The organization was utilizing concealed compartments to transport their drugs and money to and from Mexico.

On September 10, 2008, Washington and Idaho law enforcement authorities began the dismantlement of the organization and concluded operations early this morning.

This case was investigated by the Drug Enforcement Administration, Immigration and Customs Enforcement, Ada County Sheriff’s Office, Boise Police Department, Canyon County Sheriff’s Office, Madison County Sheriff’s Office, Nampa Police Department, Seattle Police Department and the King County Sheriff’s Office. Assisting agencies included Idaho State Police, Idaho Falls Police Department, Blackfoot Police Department, Bonneville County Sheriff’s Office, Bingham County Sheriff’s Office, Jefferson County Sheriff’s Office, Rexburg Police Department, and Fremont County Sheriff’s Office.

Cocaine Hidden in Kiddie Toys

2008-09-23T15:15:00.000-07:00

SEP 23 -- (NEW YORK) - New York Drug Enforcement Administration Special Agent-In-Charge John P. Gilbride, Special Narcotics Prosecutor Bridget G. Brennan, and Ron Verrochio, Inspector in Charge of the New York Division, Postal Inspection Service, announced the arrest on Tuesday morning of 9 people in Bronx and Manhattan in connection with a drug importation and money laundering organization that shipped kilograms of cocaine from Puerto Rico to New York City concealed in boxes of children’s toys and puzzles.

During the course of the investigation 4 kilograms of cocaine (8.8 pounds); 4 handguns and $86,400 were recovered. The New York leader of the organization, Jose Diaz a/k/a Jose David Diaz-Ortega, was arrested on July 30, 2008. A total of 9 people have been arrested and charged in an indictment unsealed today.

A five-month investigation revealed that Jose Diaz a/k/a Jose David Diaz-Ortega, directed associates in Puerto Rico to ship kilograms of cocaine, concealed inside children’s toy tool boxes and large building toy container boxes, to New York City. The organization used United States Postal Service Express Mail to make deliveries to drop off addresses in Manhattan and the Bronx. Eight other members of the Diaz-Ortega drug or money laundering enterprise in the Bronx, New Jersey and Puerto Rico, also face top felony charges. The narcotics were destined to be sold to buyers on the East Coast.

One sale occurred on June 5, 2008 at Diaz-Ortega’s Bronx residence. A Connecticut resident purchased a kilogram of cocaine concealed inside a child’s pegboard stool. With the assistance of the New Haven Drug Enforcement Administration District Office and the Ansonia Police Department, the cocaine, still inside the stool, was recovered in the Waterbury, Connecticut area. Diaz-Ortega and Jesus Diaz, an employee in Prima Check Cashing, a money remitter and check cashing business at 1740 First Avenue in Manhattan, are also charged with laundering the proceeds of the narcotics business. As often as twice a week, Diaz-Ortega brought drug proceeds amounting to $40,000-$50,000 to Prima Check Cashing where Jesus Diaz, with the assistance of Lisa Rodriguez, sent wire transfers to associates in Puerto Rico. He also converted drug proceeds received in smaller denominations into $100 dollar bills. Diaz-Ortega stashed currency in his residence at 1314 Clay Avenue in the Bronx.

A June 13, 2008 search warrant at Diaz-Ortega’s home led to the recovery of $86,400 and a .380 caliber handgun. Diaz-Ortega, who was not home at the time, was arrested on July 30, 2008 at First Avenue and 101 st Street in Manhattan. He is being held on bail in the amount of $500,000 cash/ $250,000 bond. His next court date is October 6, 2008 before the Honorable William Wetzel, Supreme Court Part 34. He and eight of his co-conspirators were indicted by a Special Narcotics Grand Jury on August 29, 2008.

This morning a search warrant at Cessa Eddy’s Prospect Avenue Bronx home led to the recovery of a .38 caliber, .25 caliber and .9 millimeter handguns and an ounce of cocaine and an ounce of marijuana packaged in numerous plastic zip lock bags for distribution. Teams of DEA agents and Special Narcotics investigators arrested the remaining defendants charged in the indictment, including: Mark Marasi, Cessa Eddy, Jackeline Viera, Jesus Diaz, Lisa Rodriguez, Juan Carambot, Jose Weekes and Julio Perez.

The defendants will be arraigned this afternoon in Supreme Court Part

175 Alleged Gulf Cartel Members Arrested in Massive International Law Enforcement Operation

2008-09-17T15:21:00.000-07:00

2.4 tons of cocaine (above) was seized in Colon, Panama as part of Project Reckoning.

SEP 17 -- (WASHINGTON) – Attorney General Michael B. Mukasey and DEA Acting Administrator Michele M. Leonhart announced that 175 individuals were arrested today and on Sept. 16, 2008, on charges related to an international drug trafficking cartel in a coordinated enforcement action by hundreds of international, federal, state and local law enforcement officials throughout the United States and Italy . Including the operations announced today, a long-term investigation of one of Mexico’s largest drug trafficking cartels and its U.S. and international distribution networks has resulted in the arrest of more than 500 individuals in the United States, Mexico and Italy to date.

“Project Reckoning,” a multi-agency law enforcement effort led by the DEA, targeted the Mexican drug trafficking cartel known as the Gulf Cartel. Among those indicted are the three alleged leaders of the Gulf Cartel: Ezequiel Cardenas-Guillen, Heriberto Lazcano-Lazcano and Jorge Eduardo Costilla-Sanchez. These individuals, each designated as Consolidated Priority Organization Targets (CPOTs) by the Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Force (OCDETF), have been indicted in U.S. District Court in the District of Columbia on charges that they conspired to import drugs into the United States from Mexico . A CPOT designation is reserved for significant narcotics traffickers who are believed to be the leaders of drug trafficking organizations responsible for the importation of large quantities of narcotics into the United States.

The Gulf Cartel is responsible for the transportation of multi-ton quantities of cocaine, methamphetamine, heroin and marijuana from Colombia, Guatemala, Panama and Mexico to the United States, as well as the distribution of those narcotics within the United States. The Gulf Cartel is also believed to be responsible for laundering multiple millions of dollars in criminal proceeds. Individuals indicted in the cases are charged with a variety of crimes, including: drug trafficking charges related to cocaine and marijuana; solicitation and conspiracy to kidnap; attempted murder; conspiracy to use a firearm in a violent crime; conspiracy to kill and kidnap in a foreign country; interstate and foreign travel in aid of racketeering; money laundering; and other related crimes.

To date, Project Reckoning has resulted in the arrest of 507 individuals and the seizure of approximately $60.1 million in U.S. currency, 16,711 kilograms of cocaine, 1,039 pounds of methamphetamine, 19 pounds of heroin, 51,258 pounds of marijuana, 176 vehicles and 167 weapons. Project Reckoning, a 15-month investigation, combined into one centrally coordinated effort several multi-district enforcement operations that all involved individuals with close ties to the Gulf Cartel. Operation Dos Equis , Operation Vertigo, Operation Stinger and Operation The Family as well as numerous local operations combined to form Project Reckoning.

“By spreading dangerous drugs and resorting to brutal violence, international drug cartels pose an extraordinary threat both here and abroad,” said Attorney General Michael B. Mukasey. “The scope of the threat demands a deliberate and sustained response and the success we have had, such as the takedowns announced today, is due to the combined efforts of federal, state, local and international law enforcement. Although I am pleased with the efforts so far, we cannot and will not rest on these successes. The threat posed by international drug cartels is too great. It will take all of us working together to prevail.”

Samuel Flores-Borrego (AKA Tres)

“We successfully completed a hard-hitting, coordinated and massive assault on the powerful and extremely violent Gulf Cartel,” said DEA Acting Administrator Michele M. Leonhart. “We have arrested U.S. cell heads, stripped the cartel of $60 million in cash, imprisoned their brutal assassins and significantly disrupted their U.S. infrastructure. DEA will continue our relentless attack against this cartel, aiming to dismantle them and stop the violence they inflict on Southwest Border communities.”

“Metro Atlanta unfortunately continues to be a major drug distribution center for the Southeast and beyond. The DEA and our many other law enforcement partners continue to aggressively investigate all aspects of the drug trade,” said U.S. Attorney for the Northern District of Georgia David E. Nahmias. “This major case is another example of their effective, coordinated efforts. The two cartel cells indicted in Atlanta acted like many shipping businesses, coordinating the transportation of truckloads of hidden drugs and millions of dollars in currency across the country and to and from Mexico . Through our sophisticated investigation and prosecutions, we have disrupted these organizations, seized large amounts of their poisons and proceeds, and now will work hard to lock up their members for many years to come.”

“This operation exemplifies the European vision of the international fight against drug trafficking.” Said Dr. Nicola Gratteri, Italian Public Prosecutor for the Anti-mafia District Attorney's Office of Reggio Calabria , Italy.

Alfredo Rangel Buendia, (AKA 'Chicles)

These cases are being handled by attorneys in the Northern District of Georgia; Southern District of Texas; Northern District of Texas; Western District of Texas; District of New Jersey; Eastern District of Louisiana; District of New Mexico; Southern District of Florida; Eastern District of North Carolina; Southern District of New York; and the Criminal Division’s Narcotic and Dangerous Drug Section and Office of International Affairs. In addition, local prosecutions in this case will occur in the states of California , Georgia , Illinois , North Carolina and Missouri.

The investigative efforts in Project Reckoning were coordinated by the Justice Department’s Special Operations Division, the DEA, FBI, U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement, Internal Revenue Service, U.S. Marshals Service and attorneys from the Criminal Division’s Narcotic and Dangerous Drug Section. More than 200 federal, state, local and foreign law enforcement agencies contributed investigative and prosecutorial resources to Project Reckoning through the OCDETF. Significant assistance was also provided by a coalition of international investigative agencies spearheaded by DEA offices located in Colombia , Guatemala , Mexico , Panama and Italy with assistance from foreign counterparts in each of those countries.

An indictment is merely an allegation and is not evidence of guilt. A defendant is entitled to a fair trial in which it will be the government’s burden to prove guilt beyond a reasonable doubt.

Black Mafia Family Members Sentenced to 30 Years

2008-09-12T15:22:00.000-07:00

SEPT 12 -- (Detroit, MI) - Robert L. Corso, Special Agent in Charge of DEA’s Detroit Field Division joined Acting United States Attorney Terrence Berg today to announce that Terry Flenory and Demetrius Flenory, the two brothers who led the large scale drug trafficking organization known as the Black Mafia Family were sentenced in United States District Court.

Both brothers, originally of southwest Detroit, were sentenced after having pleaded guilty to being the leaders of a continuing criminal enterprise involving the large scale distribution of cocaine throughout the United States from 1990 through 2005. United States District Court Judge Avern Cohn sentenced Terry Flenory, 38, and Demetrius Flenory, 40, both, to 30 years for being the leaders of the BMF criminal enterprise. The brothers were also sentenced to 20 years for money laundering.

According to the charges in the indictment, Terry Flenory, 38, and his brother, Demetrius Flenory, 40, operated a drug organization, named the "Black Mafia Family" (BMF), which dealt in multi-kilogram quantities of cocaine in the Detroit metropolitan area beginning in the early 1990's. By the mid 1990's, the organization extended its drug trafficking activities into other parts of the country, including Missouri, Kentucky, Georgia, Alabama, Tennessee, California and Texas. As part of the conspiracy, BMF would use vehicles equipped with hidden compartments to conceal and transport cocaine and the cash generated from the sale of cocaine.

Since 2000, law enforcement officers from across the country have seized over 476 kilograms of cocaine destined for distribution by this organization. More than $5 million in cash was seized by law enforcement officers between October 1997 and June 2005. The members of this organization, using the illegal proceeds of their narcotic sales, purchased and leased numerous luxury vehicles, acquired and sold real property and purchased jewelry while concealing the true source and nature of the funds involved in the transaction through false names and nominee purchasers.

Members of the organization would deposit large amounts of cash derived from the sale of cocaine into various bank accounts which would be used to purchase cashier’s checks and money orders, or be transferred to purchase assets or pay personal expenses in an attempt to provide the appearance of legitimate source of cash. Members of the organization would also purchase winning four-digit State of Michigan lottery tickets with drug proceeds from an individual who obtained them from the true winners in cash. These winning tickets, valued at over $1 million, would be redeemed with the State of Michigan's lottery bureau and used to purchase homes, make mortgage payments, and purchase vehicles, hiding the fact that the true source of the money was derived from Flenorys' drug organization cocaine sales.

Since the indictment in this case, the government has forfeited over $19 million in assets. To date, forfeitures associated with the Flenory organization have included multi-million dollars in jewelry, 13 residences, 35 vehicles, including a Lincoln limousine, an Aston-Martin, BMW’s, Range Rovers, and Bentleys, over $5 million in cash seizures, numerous bank accounts and a money judgment totaling $270 million. The real property is located in Detroit, Canton, Southfield, Ecorse, Romulus, Lithonia, Georgia and Los Angeles, California.

Sixty-five defendants have been charged in this district alone in connection with the Flenory drug organization. Over one hundred co-conspirators have been charged nationwide.

Special Agent in Charge Corso stated, "The BMF was a violent, sophisticated drug smuggling and money laundering organization that began right here in Detroit, Michigan. Terry and Demetrius Flenory expanded what was a small, local operation, into a multi-state, multi-million dollar criminal enterprise with direct links to Mexican based drug-trafficking cartels. Today's sentencings demonstrate that no matter how large the operation, or how much money a drug trafficker makes illegally, eventually the law and justice will catch up. This community and communities across the United States are safer with the Brothers Flenory behind bars. This investigation is a shining example of the tireless efforts and exemplary cooperation between of men and women of DEA and our federal, state and local counterparts across the United States."

Acting U. S. Attorney Berg said, “Combating gangs and other types of organized crime is a priority of this office. Our Project Safe Neighborhoods has recently received $2 million from the Department of Justice. This money will be used to eradicate gangs that use violence to control our neighborhoods and promote drug and gun trafficking, and other crimes. Criminals must look at these sentences and decide if 30 years imprisonment is worth being part of a gang or other criminal organization."

US/Canadian Investigations Dismantle International Marijuana Trafficking Organization

2008-09-11T15:23:00.000-07:00

SEP 10 -- (Syracuse, NY) JOHN P. GILBRIDE, the Special Agent-in-Charge of the New York Office of the United States Drug Enforcement Administration ("DEA"), Andrew T. Baxter, Acting United States Attorney for the Northern District of New York, and William Fitzpatrick, Onondaga County District Attorney, announce the arrest and indictment of eight individuals in connection with a major marijuana distribution organization located in the greater Syracuse, New York area. The marijuana trafficking organization was responsible for smuggling millions of dollars across the New York/Canadian border.

These prosecutions resulted from a joint investigation undertaken by United States and Canadian law enforcement.

The U.S. led four month drug investigation, called Project “River Crossing,” identified a drug trafficking operation responsible for disseminating millions of dollars worth of marijuana throughout Syracuse and Onondaga County. On August 17, 2008, investigators executed five (5) search warrants and arrested eight (8) defendants. As a result of the takedown operation the following items were seized: five (5) vehicles; four (4) firearms which included a loaded .380 handgun, a .38 revolver, a loaded Kel Tech .40 caliber semi-automatic rifle with a loaded 15 round clip, and a 12 gauge shotgun; a bullet proof vest; $53,751 in United States currency; and approximately 60 pounds of marijuana.

This joint investigation involved special agents and officers of the DEA Syracuse Resident Office, Onondaga County Sheriff’s Office, the Ottawa Police Service, the Onondaga County District Attorney's Office, and the United States Attorney's Office. Throughout the investigation, agents and investigators conducted separate but connected wiretap investigations involving key targets in the United States and Ottawa, Ontario, Canada who were supplying the David LAFONTAINE Drug Trafficking Organization (DTO) with large quantities of high grade, Canadian sourced marijuana on a weekly basis. The David LAFONTAINE DTO was responsible for smuggling and transporting bulk shipments of marijuana from Canada into the U.S. through the Akwasasnee-Mohawk Indian Reservation, and then distributing the Marijuana in the greater Syracuse/Onondaga County area and beyond.

Those indicted include the following:

DAVID LAFONTAINE , aka David Lett, age 29, Bridgeport, NY;
RANDY JAREO , age 36, North Syracuse, NY;
EDWARD BURNS , aka EJ, age 28, North Syracuse, NY;
CHARLES CESARIO , aka Bubba, age 27, Bridgeport, NY
MARK MCLOUGHLIN , aka Brother T, Tito, age 28, Clay, NY;
CARL PIERCE , aka Cloudy Day, Mailman, age 45, Hogansburg, NY;
HELENA JACOBS , age 50, Hogansburg, NY; and
CYNTHIA JAREO-LETT , age 33, Bridgeport, NY.

All of these individuals were charged in an Indictment in U.S. District Court with conspiring to possess with intent to distribute marijuana. If convicted, they face a mandatory minimum five or ten year term of imprisonment up to a maximum of life imprisonment, up to a $4 million fine, and at least five years of supervised release following any period of incarceration.

Following the arrests on August 17, 2008 a Joint Police Operation involving the Ottawa Police Service (OPS), the Royal Canadian Mounted Police (RCMP) and the Ontario Provincial Police (OPP) effected twenty search warrants under the authority of the Controlled Drugs and Substance Act on August 26, 2008. This Canadian investigation was headed under “Operation Scarecrow” which commenced in April 2007, as an investigation into an Ottawa based Asian Organized Crime Group involved in the production, trafficking and distribution of large amounts of marijuana throughout the Ottawa area.

Under “Operation SCARECROW” eighteen of the warrants were executed in the City of Ottawa, one in the town of Alexandria and one in the community of Akwesasne. The search warrants were executed in residences. Members of the OPS Tactical Unit assisted in some of the entries.

Project “SCARECROW” effected a total of 230 charges against named individuals. The 230 charges include conspiracy to produce and traffic controlled substances, possession of controlled substances for the purpose of trafficking, participating in a criminal organization and laundering proceeds of crime. Investigators identified the various “cells” of the organization and their role within the production and distribution of the organization. Numerous large-scale indoor marijuana grow operations were located and dismantled; several bulk transactions of marijuana were intercepted as they were being trafficked through various compartments of the Criminal Organization.

The controlled substances seized over the course of the Canadian investigation are worth over 4.5 million dollars. The Integrated Proceeds of Crime Unit and the Asset Forfeiture Unit, seized assets directly related to the proceeds of the organizations criminal activity valued in excess of $ 460,000.00.

Also assisting in this investigation were agents with the Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE), the Syracuse Police Department, agents with the Alcohol, Tobacco and Firearms Enforcement (ATF), the United States Marshals Service, and members of the New York State Police.

Further inquiries can be directed to Assistant U. S. Attorney Carla Freedman at (315) 448-0672 or Assistant District Attorney Christopher Bednarski at (315) 435-2470, the prosecutors handling the case.

Guilty Verdicts for Nevada to Hawaii Meth Ring

2008-09-05T15:30:00.000-07:00

SEP 5 - (LOS ANGELES) Drug Enforcement Administration Special Agent in Charge Timothy J. Landrum announced today that a federal jury returned guilty verdicts on September 2, 2008, against Benjamin Acuna, Anabel Valenzuela and Eddy Olguin, all of Las Vegas, Nevada, for conspiracy to distribute and possess, with intent to distribute, 50 grams or more of methamphetamine. Acuna and Valenzuela were also found guilty of conspiracy to commit money laundering. Acuna and Valenzuela are alleged to be the leaders of a large drug trafficking organization which shipped thousands of pounds of methamphetamine from Las Vegas, Nevada to Hawaii from approximately 2002 to 2005.

On September 3, 2008, the same jury returned additional special verdicts against Acuna and Valenzuela finding that their interests in five real properties located in Las Vegas, Nevada, the contents of five bank accounts and a safety deposit box also held in Las Vegas, Nevada along with an $8,000,000 money judgment should be forfeited to the Government because they were obtained with, or contained, cash proceeds generated from the drug trafficking conspiracy and were involved in, or traceable to, the money laundering offenses committed by Acuna and Valenzuela. The money judgment was derived from the organization's profit from the sale and distribution of 2,000 pounds of methamphetamine within the District of Hawaii.

Another co-conspirator in the case, Antonio Santos, age 40, of Waipahu, Hawaii, was sentenced September 2, 2008, by United States District Judge J. Michael Seabright to 240 months (20 years) in prison for conspiring to distribute and possess, with intent to distribute, 50 grams or more of methamphetamine. According to information produced in connection with court proceedings, Santos was part of the above-described conspiracy wherein he received pound quantities of methamphetamine which were mailed from Las Vegas, Nevada and were then distributed within the District of Hawaii. Santos, in turn, mailed parcels containing cash proceeds from the sale of methamphetamine to Las Vegas and, ultimately, to Acuna and Valenzuela. Santos was convicted after a jury trial in November, 2007.

Acuna and Valenzuela are scheduled to be sentenced January 5, 2009, by United States District Judge Susan Oki Mollway who will also sentence Olguin on December 15, 2008.

The case was the culmination of a three-year investigation by the Drug Enforcement Administration, Internal Revenue Service's Criminal Investigation Division - Las Vegas, Las Vegas Metropolitan Police Department and the Honolulu Police Department.

Leader of Mexican Cocaine Cartel Extradited to The United States

2008-09-04T15:34:00.000-07:00

SEP 4 -- (Manhattan, NY) - JOHN P. GILBRIDE, the Special Agent in Charge of the Drug Enforcement Administration’s New York Field Division, MICHAEL J. GARCIA, the United States Attorney for theSouthern District of New York and PETER J. SMITH, Special Agent-in-Charge of the New York Office of the Department of Homeland Security’s U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (“ICE”) announced last night the extradition of SANTIAGO CHAVEZ-AYON from Mexico to the United States. CHAVEZ-AYON, a leader of a cocaine cartel based in Sinaloa, Mexico, faces narcotics trafficking charges in the Southern District of New York. Mexican authorities, pursuant to a request for a provisional arrest from the United States, arrested CHAVEZ-AYON in Sinaloa, Mexico on August 12, 2005. CHAVEZ-AYON was extradited from Mexico last night, and will be arraigned today in Manhattan federal court.

"Santiago Chavez-Ayon has been charged for the shipment of hundreds of kilos of cocaine into American neighborhoods," said DEA Special Agent-in-Charge JOHN P. GILBRIDE. "Today he faces the consequence of his criminal activity: extradition to the United States. DEA stands firmly with our local and international law enforcement partners in this battle against drug traffickers. We will continue to identify those individuals who make millions of dollars from illegal narcotic shipments into the United States and put them out of business."

According to a previously-unsealed Indictment in this case and evidence presented at the 2005 trial of two of CHAVEZAYON’s co-conspirators, JAIME CHAVEZ and ANASTACIO ACOSTA-FELIX: CHAVEZ-AYON was a leader of the cartel in Sinaloa, Mexico, and from at least July 2002 until at least April 2003, he conspired with at least 14 other individuals to distribute hundreds of kilograms of cocaine in the United States. CHAVEZAYON directly supervised JAIME CHAVEZ, the United States-based leader of this organization, and coordinated the shipment and transportation of this cocaine to the United States, which was then distributed in Los Angeles, Chicago and New York. During court-authorized wire interceptions, CHAVEZ-AYON and JAIME CHAVEZ were intercepted discussing shipments of cocaine, and CHAVEZAYON’s fears that losses of drugs and drug proceeds would get CHAVEZ-AYON killed.

This extradition is the result of a joint investigation involving the United States Attorney’s Office, the New York Drug Enforcement Task Force Group T-21 -- which consists of agents and officers of the Drug Enforcement Administration, New York Police Department and New York State Police -- and ICE in New York, Los Angeles, Chicago and Mexico. U.S. Attorney GARCIA praised the outstanding investigative work of the DEA and ICE. Assistance regarding the extradition was provided by the Criminal Division's Office of International Affairs.

Mr. GARCIA stated: “The extradition of this leader of a Mexican cocaine cartel is the latest example of our continuing cooperation with our law enforcement partners in Mexico to ensure that cartel leaders who target this country face justice in a United States courtroom.”

“This extradition is another example of the great work by our Special Agents and law enforcement partners,” said PETER J. SMITH, Special Agent-in-Charge of the Office of Investigation for ICE in New York. Drug smuggling is a serious crime and ICE will use all of its investigative resources to keep illegal drugs off our streets.”

If convicted, CHAVEZ-AYON faces a maximum sentence of life in prison and a mandatory minimum sentence of 10 years in prison. However, pursuant to an extradition treaty with Mexico, the United States has provided assurances to that it will not seek a life sentence for CHAVEZ-AYON or any other defendant extradited from Mexico.

The charges contained in these Indictment are merely accusations, and the defendant is presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty.

Assistant United States Attorneys ANIRUDH BANSAL and ERIC SNYDER are in charge of the prosecution.

Undercover Narcotics Operations Targets San Diego Gang Members

2008-09-04T15:32:00.000-07:00

SEP 4 -- (San Diego, CA) The Drug Enforcement Administration, San Diego Field Division Mobil Enforcement Team (MET) and Carlsbad Resident Office (CRO), in cooperation with the San Diego County District Attorney and San Diego Police Department, announced the culmination of two undercover narcotics operations targeting gang members in Southeast San Diego that have resulted in drug-related charges being filed against 82 defendants.

“The Drug Enforcement Administration Mobile Enforcement Team’s mission is to assist state and local authorities in their quest to combat gangs and violent crime,” said DEA Special Agent-In-Charge Ralph W. Partridge. “Because of the cooperative efforts with our law enforcement partners, a multi-kilogram crack cocaine distribution organization operated by gang members and their associates has been essentially dismantled from its leadership cell down to its street level drug dealers.”

“Operation Bloodsucker” was launched in March of this year as a response to community concern over increased gang crime. “Operation Lucky Strike” followed two months later, in May of 2008. Both operations focused on mid- and high-level drug dealers of cocaine and their sources.

“Operation Bloodsucker” disrupted drug-trafficking by gangs in the southeastern area of San Diego by scoring a direct hit on the biggest dealer there, a father and son drug operation. “Operation Bloodsucker” resulted in nine search warrants and 34 arrests. In the aftermath, law enforcement identified “up and comers” who sought to fill the void. A second takedown during “Operation Lucky Strike” occurred on Sept. 4, when 15 search warrants were issued and an additional 28 arrest warrants executed.

As part of the operation, law enforcement seized $318,000 in cash, three pounds of crack cocaine, a half pound of crystal methamphetamine, seven kilograms of powder cocaine, more than 300 ecstasy pills, more than 467 pounds of marijuana, 30 vials of PCP and 11 guns. Authorities also removed five drug-endangered children from their parents.

“The majority of drug dealers arrested during these operations are documented gang members and their associates who have violent criminal histories,” said San Diego County District Attorney Bonnie M. Dumanis. “By taking these career criminals off the streets with drug charges, we’re hoping other types of gang crime in these neighborhoods will also decrease.”

Cocaine Cartel Leader to Face Charges in the United States

2008-08-25T15:52:00.000-07:00

AUG 25 --WASHINGTON – Juan Carlos Ramirez-Abadia, a/k/a “Chupeta,” one of the leaders of Colombia’s most powerful cartel, known as the “Norte Valle Cartel” (NVC), was extradited today to face federal charges in the Eastern District of New York and the District of Columbia, Acting Assistant Attorney General Matthew Friedrich of the Criminal Division, Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) Acting Administrator Michelle Leonhart and U.S. Attorneys Benton J. Campbell of the Eastern District of New York and Michael J. Garcia of the Southern District of New York announced.

Ramirez-Abadia was arrested by the Brazilian Federal Police in August 2007. At the time, the U.S. State Department was offering an award of up to $5 million for information leading to Ramirez-Abadia’s capture. Ramirez-Abadia was subsequently convicted on Brazilian charges in a Brazilian court and sentenced to serve 30 years in prison. This week the Brazilian Government authorized the defendant’s extradition to the United States where Ramirez-Abadia will face federal murder, drug trafficking and money laundering charges in the Eastern District of New York and will face federal drug trafficking and racketeering charges in the District of Columbia.

The NVC operated principally in the Norte Valle del Cauca region of Colombia and is allegedly responsible for exporting more than 500 metric tons of cocaine worth more than $10 billion from Colombia to the United States, with Ramirez-Abadia having controlled a large percentage of those drug exports. Ramirez-Abadia is alleged to have employed hundreds of individuals who worked for him in various “offices,” or crews, including: the “Drug Offices,” which allegedly manufactured, transported and exported multi-ton loads of cocaine from Colombia to Mexico, ultimately destined for the United States; the “Money Laundering Offices,” which allegedly employed dozens of money launderers, money couriers, accountants and individuals who operated multimillion dollar “coletas,” or money stash houses; the “Corruption Offices,” which allegedly were responsible for paying bribes to police and public officials in exchange for information about law enforcement actions against members of the NVC; and the “Offices of the Sicarios,” or hitmen, which allegedly employed dozens of gunmen who carried out hundreds of murders, tortures, kidnappings and violent collections of drug debts at the direction of Ramirez-Abadia. To date, law enforcement officers in the United States, Mexico and Colombia have seized more than 48,000 pounds of cocaine from the NVC. In addition, DEA agents in Brazil and Colombia, working with their local counterparts in law enforcement, have assisted in the forfeiture of hundreds of millions of dollars of Ramirez-Abadia’s foreign assets, representing the illegal proceeds of the massive drug operation.

“For years, Ramirez-Abadia and his organization made billions of dollars by exporting misery to the United States through drug trafficking and murder,” stated U.S. Attorney Benton J. Campbell. “His illegal operation included drug manufacturers, couriers, money launderers and accountants, and he and his cohorts resorted to bribery, kidnapping, torture and even murder to further their goal of making as much money as possible. Now, he will be held to account in a U.S. court of law.”

“The Norte Valle Cartel is a sophisticated and dangerous cocaine trafficking organization that, for almost two decades, has smuggled more than $10 billion worth of cocaine from Colombia to the United States,” said U.S. Attorney Michael J. Garcia. “As one of its leaders, Ramirez-Abadia oversaw the complex drug trafficking operation and use of violence to preserve the Cartel’s power and control.”

“Today, one of the most violent and prolific narcotics traffickers in the hemisphere has been extradited to the United States to be held accountable for his crimes. Ramirez-Abadia, a long-time drug kingpin, now faces justice in a U.S. court of law,” said DEA Acting Administrator Michele M. Leonhart. “DEA and our law enforcement partners in Brazil and Colombia successfully targeted and attacked Ramirez-Abadia's assets, having seized more than $700 million in cash and assets from his organization, which put him on the run. DEA will continue to cripple drug kingpins by depriving them of their drug profits and operating funds.”

Ramirez-Abadia was initially indicted on drug trafficking charges in the Eastern District of New York in 1994. On Dec. 21, 2004, the grand jury returned a new indictment charging Ramirez-Abadia with drug trafficking. On June 27 and Aug. 29, 2007, the grand jury returned superseding indictments charging Ramirez-Abadia with: ordering a hit team to shoot and kill Vladimir Biegelman, an employee of Ramirez-Abadia’s drug organization in Queens, N.Y., on Dec. 2, 1993; overseeing a continuing criminal enterprise; international drug trafficking; and conspiring to launder the proceeds of his drug empire.

On March 11, 2004, a federal grand jury in the District of Columbia indicted Ramirez-Abadia and eight other NVC leaders on drug trafficking and racketeering charges, and a superseding indictment was returned on April 29, 2004. The superseding indictment alleges, among other things, that the NVC and its members used violence and brutality to further their goals, including routinely murdering rivals, individuals who failed to pay for drugs and NVC members and associates whose loyalty was suspect. In approximately January 2004, Ramirez-Abadia is alleged to have shot and killed Luis Alfonse Ocampo-Fomeque, a/k/a “Tocayo Patino,” an NVC member, based on Ramirez-Abadia’s suspicion that Ocampo-Fomeque was working as an informant for the DEA.

The District of Columbia case resulted from an investigation led by the U.S. Attorney’s Office in the Southern District of New York, with cooperation and support from the U.S. Attorneys’ Offices in the Eastern District of New York and the Southern District of Florida, as well as the Criminal Division’s Narcotic and Dangerous Drug Section. The U.S. Attorney’s Office in the Southern District of New York is responsible for prosecuting Ramirez-Abadia in the District of Columbia. In addition, the DEA worked with law enforcement in Colombia, Brazil and in the United States in these investigations.

Both the Eastern District of New York and District of Columbia indictments contain forfeiture allegations. The District of Columbia superseding indictment requires Ramirez-Abadia to forfeit $10 billion.

The charges contained in the indictments are merely accusations, and the defendant is presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty.

Law Enforcement Seize over 134 Pounds of "ICE" Meth

2008-08-22T15:53:00.000-07:00

Meth and cocaine seized in the operation.

AUG 22 -- (Phoenix, AZ)– On August 22, 2008, the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA), in conjunction with U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) Contraband Smuggling Unit arrested 3 individuals and seized 134 pounds of “Ice” Methamphetamine and 4 kilograms of cocaine making it one of the state’s largest methamphetamine seizures.

The investigation targeted a major Mexican drug trafficking organization that smuggled cocaine, methamphetamine and marijuana through Arizona for further distribution throughout the United States. On August 22, DEA and ICE agents executed a takedown on key members of the organization when they were observed moving the drugs from a one stash house to another in Phoenix.

The estimated retail (street) value of the methamphetamine is more than $4.8 million dollars

DEA Special Agent in Charge Elizabeth W. Kempshall said, “Today’s operation is a major strike against the Mexican drug cartels that have made Phoenix Metropolitan area a primary hub of drug distribution. We have removed more than 4.8 million dollars of filthy money from these traffickers and have taken hundreds of pounds of dangerous drugs off our streets.

These criminal organizations that prey upon the weak and addicted should know that the law enforcement partnerships in Phoenix are solid, strong and will be fighting you everyday to keep our communities and our citizens safe.”

Crystal methamphetamine, known as "ice," is a highly addictive form of methamphetamine, a stimulant. On the illicit market it is sold in small, inexpensive dosage units that are smoked or injected. Smoking delivers large quantities of methamphetamine to the lungs, producing effects comparable to intravenous injection; these effects are almost immediate after smoking and very intense. "Ice" abuse also results in hallucinations and paranoia.

SAC Kempshall credited the cooperation of ICE and the Phoenix Police Department.

Treasure Valley Man Gets 32 Years for Meth Trafficking

2008-08-14T15:55:00.000-07:00

AUG 14 -- (BOISE, ID) – DEA Special Agent in Charge (SAC) Arnold R. Moorin and the United States Attorney for the District of Idaho, Thomas E. Moss, announced that Graciano Marquez-Huazo was sentenced on August 13, 2008 to 32 years in federal prison for trafficking in methamphetamine.

Special Agent Arnold R. Moorin stated, “It is time for Marquez-Huazo to reap the rewards and legal consequences of his hard work as a large scale methamphetamine cell-head in the state of Idaho. As a result of his illegal actions, he has received 32 years in prison, and we believe that this is a fitting punishment for the crimes he has committed against the many communities in the state of Idaho.”

In mid-2007, Marquez-Huazo was the leader of a large scale organization that was responsible for distributing multi-pounds of methamphetamine to Treasure Valley. Unbeknownst to Marquez-Huazo, his organization was under investigation by the Drug Enforcement Administration and the Idaho State Police.

On October 29, 2007, Juan Manuel Santoyo, a member of Marquez-Huazo’s organization was arrested with approximately four pounds of methamphetamine. The following day, Marquez-Huazo, Eduardo Frias Cobos, Tomas Gonzalez Roldan, and Judith Islas drove from California to Nampa, Idaho, where they were arrested as they attempted to deliver nine pounds of methamphetamine. At the time of Marquez-Huazo’s arrest he was found to be in possession of a loaded pistol.

In May 2008, a federal jury in Boise, Idaho found Marquez-Huazo, Frias Cobos, and Gonzalez Roldan guilty of conspiring to distribute methamphetamine and attempted possession of methamphetamine. The jury also found Marquez-Huazo guilty of possessing a firearm in furtherance of a drug trafficking crime.

The federal prosecution of this organization was part of U.S Attorney Tom Moss’s Idaho Methamphetamine Initiative, which seeks to increase the number of methamphetamine distributors prosecuted in federal court.

California Marijuana Dispensary Owner Convicted

2008-08-07T15:57:00.000-07:00

AUG 7 - (LOS ANGELES) - United States Attorney Thomas P. O’Brien and Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) Special Agent-in-Charge, Los Angeles Field Division, Timothy J. Landrum announced today that a federal jury returned guilty verdicts late yesterday against Charles C. Lynch of Morro Bay, California. LYNCH was convicted of Conspiracy, Possession with Intent to Distribute, Two Counts of Distribution of Marijuana to a Minor and Maintaining a Drug-Involved Premises. These charges carry a mandatory minimum sentence of five years in prison.

Drug Enforcement Administration SAC Timothy J. Landrum said, "Marijuana is the most commonly abused illicit drug in the United States, and more young people today are in drug treatment programs for marijuana dependency than any other drug. Since 1992, drug treatment admissions for marijuana dependency have risen to more than 16 percent, up from six percent. The consequences of marijuana use extend far beyond those who abuse and traffic the drug. The outcome of this trial shows that marijuana distribution is a serious offense, with the possibility of long term penalties. DEA and our law enforcement counterparts will not turn a blind eye to flagrant disregard of our nation’s essential drug laws—laws designed to protect our citizens, communities, and children.”

According to the United States Attorney's office, trial testimony and documentary evidence established that Lynch sold more than $2 million worth of marijuana in nine months, which included numerous sales to young people under the age of 21, many of whom were repeat customers. Two specific counts at trial concerned sales by the store to one of Lynch's minor employees. Receipts and the defendant’s own testimony established that the store sold marijuana to this employee numerous times and even gave the employee free marijuana on his 20th birthday.

The indictment and evidence at trial also showed Lynch's employees distributed marijuana on numerous occasions outside of the store, including one instance where the store's chief security officer sold more than $3,000 in marijuana to undercover officers.

Sentencing is scheduled for October 20, 2008.

"Operation Blackjack" Dismantles Drug Pipeline from New York City to Central NY

2008-07-28T16:03:00.000-07:00

12 Pounds of Cocaine, 4 Guns, $26k Cash, 1 Pound of Marijuana,
Drug Paraphernalia, Ammunition and 2 Cars Seized

JUL 28 -- (SYRACUSE, NY) New York Drug Enforcement Administration Special Agent-In-Charge John P. Gilbride and Attorney General Andrew M. Cuomo announced today the indictment of 15 individuals involved in an alleged narcotics distribution ring where cocaine was transported from the Bronx and sold throughout the Central New York region.

The case involved the seizure of 12 pounds of cocaine worth $500,000, two revolvers, two shotguns, $26,000 in cash, drug paraphernalia, ammunition, and two vehicles.

DEA Special Agent-In-Charge John P. Gilbride said, “DEA and our state and local law enforcement partners are committed to identifying and arresting those responsible for distributing illegal narcotics. The Lockhart duo led this cocaine and crack cocaine distributing organization which led to their arrests and the dismantling of those who worked for them. Syracuse and our surrounding counties in Central New York can be assured that due to these arrests there are less drugs and guns on the streets, making our community safer from the perils of drug abuse.”

Today’s indictment is the result of a multi-agency investigation led by the Attorney General’s Organized Crime Task Force (OCTF) known as “Operation Blackjack.” The allegations included two main players of the drug ring who bought cocaine from suppliers in the Bronx and transported the drugs via car to Central New York to sell to mid-level dealers for distribution in Onondaga, Oswego, Oneida, and Madison counties.

One of the key players in the alleged distribution network, Antwan Lockhart, of N. Jay Street, Rome, was arrested December 23, 2007 when his car was stopped on Route 81 in Tully as he was transporting cocaine from the Bronx. At the scene, 4.5 pounds of cocaine were seized. An additional 2 pounds were taken from Lockhart’s stash house on Midler Ave, Syracuse, and .67 ounces of cocaine were found in another vehicle registered in Lockhart’s name. Lockhart pleaded guilty to criminal possession of a controlled substance in the third degree, for which he received a nine year prison sentence, three year post-release supervision, and forfeited two cars.

The other alleged key leader in the drug distribution network is Edward N. Lockhart, 30, of Caughdenoy Road, Hastings (last known address). As part of the investigation, law enforcement seized 5 ounces of cocaine and a shotgun from Edward Lockhart. He was charged with 20 counts criminal possession and sale of a controlled substance, including six counts of criminal sale of a controlled substance in the second degree (class A-II felony), which carries a maximum penalty of 10 years in prison and lifetime probation for each sales count.

Of the 15 indicted, 14 were charged with conspiracy in the second degree, a class B felony that carries the maximum penalty of 25 years in prison. Additionally, Marton Davis and Kamisha Rashad were each charged with criminal sale of a controlled substance in the second degree, and face the maximum penalty of 10 years in prison. Luis Abreu was charged with criminal possession of a controlled substance in the third degree and Sirena Sharpe was charged with criminal sale of controlled substance in the third degree. Both face the maximum penalty of 9 years in prison. Osbie McClain and Titus Stewart were charged with varying levels of narcotics and weapons related offenses and both face maximum sentences of 12 years in prison.

Onondaga District Attorney William J. Fitzpatrick said, “These arrests send a clear message that those of us who live and work in Central New York will not tolerate drug dealers and narcotics trafficking in our community. We are very appreciative of Attorney General Cuomo’s commitment to helping us rid Syracuse and Onondaga County of those who infuse poison and violence into our community. His office has worked diligently and combined forces with my office and our local enforcement to deliver a crippling blow to the illegal drug market. That kind of cooperative effort and his Upstate Guns, Gangs and Drugs Initiative has made Attorney General Cuomo one of the most effective and respected leaders in our state. I believe the success of Operation ‘Blackjack’ is evident of that.”

Onondaga County Sheriff Kevin E. Walsh said, “Today’s multi-agency sweep has been a resounding success, thanks to a coordinated effort headed up by Attorney General Cuomo’s OCTF. The Sheriff’s office welcomes this collaborative effort, and it is initiatives like the Attorney General’s Upstate Guns, Gangs and Drugs Initiative that will go a long way toward making our County and region safer. The narcotics trade throughout New York has run rampant for too long, and it’s a welcome sign that Attorney General Cuomo continues to make curbing it a priority.”

City of Syracuse Mayor Matthew J. Driscoll said, “Thanks to the hard work of various law enforcement agencies under the leadership of Attorney General Cuomo’s Organized Crime Task Force, another network of deadly narcotics in Central New York has been cut off. The scourge of drug trafficking from the New York City region to upstate communities continues to pose a threat to our neighborhoods and our children. However, it is a threat that we are eliminating by working together and pooling our resources.”

New York State Police Superintendent Harry J. Corbitt said, “Drug trafficking operations originating in New York City have expanded into our upstate communities. However, New York law enforcement agencies on every level, led by Attorney General Cuomo’s Upstate Guns, Gangs and Drugs Initiative, have impacted these operations. Through an organized effort, we worked together to bring down these highly organized drug rings. The state police are committed to working with the Attorney General and other law enforcement colleagues to improve the quality of life in our communities.”

“The impact of illegal drugs and guns on our communities is extensive and widespread,” said Attorney General Cuomo. “It is the goal of my Upstate Guns, Gangs, and Drugs Initiative to intercept the flow of drugs before they infect our neighborhoods. The recent takedown of several drug rings throughout Central and Upstate New York in past months proves that our formula of partnering with federal, state, and local law enforcement agencies is a successful model.”

DEA Foils Indoor Marijuana Grow Operation

2008-07-22T16:18:00.000-07:00

Millions in Potential Profits from Neighborhood Grows

JUL 22 -(RIVERSIDE) Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) Special Agent in Charge Timothy J. Landrum and United States Attorney Thomas P. O’Brien announced the arrest of four individuals and the seizure of 5,600 marijuana plants and approximately $15,000 in U.S. Currency from five homes in San Bernardino, Riverside and Los Angeles counties as part of an investigation into clandestine indoor marijuana grow operations. Today’s arrests and seizures are the result of a year-long investigation that has led to the discovery and dismantling of 33 clandestine indoor marijuana grow operations and the seizure of more than 19,000 marijuana plants.

“Drug traffickers are using sophisticated equipment and measures to transform their seemingly quiet suburban homes into illicit marijuana grow operations,” said DEA Special Agent in Charge Timothy J. Landrum. “These lucrative illegal operations can function with little scrutiny which makes them attractive to the criminal element, but put our communities in harm’s way. As these drug trafficking organizations develop more complex methods of concealing their activities, we will continue to work with our law enforcement partners to seek them out and dismantle their operations.”

Law enforcement officers from the Riverside Police Department, Riverside County Sheriff’s Department and the DEA served search warrants at eight single-family residences, resulting in the seizure of five indoor grows and 5,600 marijuana plants. Each of the indoor grows were similar in construction and were bypassing local utility meters and stealing electricity to support the growing operations. Entire houses were converted into marijuana grow operations. For example, carpets throughout the house were pulled up and stored in a walk-in closet; holes were cut through floors, ceilings, walls, and doors to accommodate electrical wires, water lines, and ventilation duct work; every room contained either growing marijuana plants or, in the case of closets and bathrooms, light ballasts, extra chemical supplies, and fertilizer; windows had drywall covering them on the inside, as did any sliding glass doors. Most of the homes identified in this investigation were located in new construction areas and were purchased for $500,000-$800,000.

“These sophisticated growing operations pose an extreme hazard to our neighborhoods with their dangerous electrical wiring and changes made to the house infrastructure,” said United States Attorney Thomas P. O’Brien. “In addition, any large narcotics operation invites violence, which further endangers families in these suburban communities.”

Each house was capable of generating, based on average plant counts found during the execution of search warrants, approximately $3,000,000 a year. Based upon the number of clandestine indoor grows identified in this investigation, it is estimated these growing operations had the potential to generate more than $60 million annually in illegal drug proceeds.

$20 Million Marijuana Grow in CA National Forest

2008-07-15T16:54:00.000-07:00

JUL 14 -- (San Diego, CA)- Special Agent in Charge (SAC) Ralph W. Partridge announced the removal of over 7,200 marijuana plants yesterday from three cultivated fields located within the Cleveland National Forest, CA. The plants ranged from 3 to 7 feet in height and have an estimated street value of more then $20 million dollars. In addition to the marijuana fields, Agents located the trafficker’s encampment complete with tent, food, shower area, and miscellaneous personal items.

SAC Partridge stated, “This drug organization destroyed a substantial amount of natural vegetation in their quest to set up this illegal grow. DEA will continue to work with the U.S. Forest Service and other state, local and federal agencies, through the Domestic Cannabis Eradication/Suppression Program, to protect our natural resources from the contamination and damaged caused by drug trafficker’s illicit use of our public lands.”

The DEA’s Domestic Cannabis Eradication /Suppression Program (DCE/SP) is a nationwide law enforcement program. Established in 1979 the program provides funding, operational support and training to over 100 participating state and local agencies. The San Diego County’s Marijuana Eradication Program is an integrated effort comprised of law enforcement officers from the San Diego County Sheriff’s Department, local police departments and Special Agents of the Drug Enforcement Administration.

Thus far this year marijuana has been eradicated in more than 60 sites and an estimated 128,000 plants have been seized. In 2007 marijuana was eradicated from 225 outdoor sites located within San Diego County.

The agencies that participated in the eradication at the Cleveland National Forest were the DEA Narcotics Task Force, U.S. Forest Service, U.S. Bureau of Land Management, San Diego Sheriff’s Department and the California National Guard.

FBI Rescue Hostage in Atlanta Area Drug House

2008-07-15T16:26:00.000-07:00

JUL 15 -- Atlanta, GA – Victor Abiles Gomez, 20, Omar Mendoza-Villegas, 19, and Gerardo Solorio Reyes, 23, all from Mexico and illegally in the United States, made an initial appearance in federal court on Monday, July 14 on charges related to a drug-related kidnapping incident.

According to United States Attorney David E. Nahmias and information presented in court, on Friday, July 11, DEA Strike Force and FBI SWAT agents, working in conjunction with Gwinnett County authorities, successfully located and extricated a hostage who had been held in the basement of a middle-class neighborhood residence in Gwinnett County for nearly one week. The kidnapping victim, a 31-year-old man originally from the Dominican Republic, appeared to be severely dehydrated and badly beaten when agents found him chained to wall near a mattress in the home’s unfinished basement, where he had been bound and gagged.

Also found in the basement was an assault rifle and flex cuffs. His alleged captors, Gomez, Mendoza-Villegas, and Solorio Reyes, attempted to flee from authorities during the enforcement action, but were captured and arrested. Statements provided by the victim, as well as one of his captors, reveal that he was being held as ransom for a drug debt of approximately $300,000 owed to an individual identified only as “Tio.”

“It is clear that the Atlanta metropolitan area has become a breeding ground for Mexican-based organized crime fueled by drug trafficking,” said Rodney G. Benson, DEA Special Agent in Charge of the Atlanta Field Division. “These traffickers unleash ruthless forms of violence in order to protect and defend their drugs and cash. DEA and our federal, state and local law enforcement colleagues will not tolerate such actions and will continue to vigorously pursue those who continue to indulge in this dubious trade.”

“This case illustrates the increasing level of dangerous, violent activity we are seeing in North Georgia and around the country in relation to the operation of Mexican-based drug organizations. The drug dealers not only dispense their poisons in our communities, they treat each other brutally - and their violence also puts at risk innocent bystanders, like the residents of this Gwinnett County neighborhood,”said United States Attorney Nahmias. “With tips from and the support of the law-abiding residents of our communities, we will continue our work of dismantling the drug organizations and locking up those who engage in such violence.”

Acting on confidential information of a possible kidnapping, federal and local authorities had established surveillance late Friday afternoon of the house, located at 755 East Fork Shady Drive, Lilburn, Georgia. Shortly thereafter, the three defendants were observed at the residence. Apparently upon seeing the authorities, all three attempted to flee. They were pursued and ultimately arrested. Searching the home, agents found the victim inside the basement, where he appeared to be hyperventilating. Agents immediately removed his gag and provided him with fluids and medical attention. The victim was arrested and detained as a material witness. He remains in federal custody.

After speaking with the victim at the scene, as well as one of his alleged captors, agents learned that the victim had been lured to Atlanta from Rhode Island, purportedly to complete a vehicle purchase transaction with “Tio.” The victim met “Tio” at a Gwinnett area restaurant, and the two then rode to the East Shady Fork Drive residence. Upon entering the garage, the victim was ambushed and assaulted by seven men, several of whom had firearms. After being beaten, he was chained to a wall near a mattress in the basement where agents ultimately found him.

While holding the kidnapping victim, his alleged captors, including “Tio,” contacted the victim’s wife in Rhode Island in an effort to collect a drug debt of $300,000 that he supposedly owed. The victim admitted to having drug proceeds in this amount, but indicated that he tried to avoid involving his wife for fear of her safety being jeopardized. The victim was constantly threatened and ill-treated during the ordeal.

The investigation of this case, including the location of “Tio,” and the related drug activity is continuing.

This case is being investigated by Special Agents of the DEA, Strike Force Group One, with assistance from the FBI Swat Team and the Gwinnett County Police Department.

Modesto Football Coach Indicted for Cocaine Trafficking

2008-06-30T16:59:00.000-07:00

JUN 30 -- SACRAMENTO, Calif.—United States Attorney McGregor W. Scott and Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) Special Agent in Charge Javier F. Peña, announced today that ARMANDO VASQUEZ PEREZ, 28, of Modesto, California, and three others, were indicted today of five counts of conspiracy to distribute cocaine and distribution of cocaine. The five counts allege that PEREZ, a youth sports coach, was the cocaine supplier for a conspiracy that began in July 2007 and ended with his arrest on June 13, 2008. This case is the product of an extensive investigation by the Drug Enforcement Administration.

According to Assistant United States Attorney Jason Hitt, who is prosecuting the case, PEREZ was indicted along with JAIME FLORES, 25, NARCISCO MARTINEZ, 27, and GUADALUPE GUTIERREZ, 33, all of Modesto. According to the court documents, MARTINEZ sold large quantities of powder cocaine to a DEA undercover agent in September 2007 and May 2008. During the investigation, agents discovered that MARTINEZ was in frequent telephone contact with PEREZ before and after the cocaine deals. Law enforcement suspected PEREZ was supplying cocaine to MARTINEZ through his cousin FLORES. Subsequent investigation confirmed that suspicion. Specifically, on May 9, 2008, during an undercover drug transaction with MARTINEZ, agents watched and videotaped MARTINEZ meet with PEREZ and FLORES, at Los Compadres Auto Sales. According to the criminal complaint filed in the case, this meeting was consistent with MARTINEZ returning to his drug supplier, PEREZ, and providing him with some of the proceeds from the drug sale.

The investigation culminated on June 12, 2008, when the undercover agent arranged to purchase 2½ kilograms of cocaine from MARTINEZ in Modesto. After a series of recorded calls, MARTINEZ arrived at a Rite Aid parking lot in Salida, at which time MARTINEZ was arrested. At the time of his arrest, law enforcement discovered that MARTINEZ was in possession of approximately two kilograms of cocaine. Agents seized approximately one pound of cocaine from MARTINEZ’s residence at 904 Countryside Lane, Modesto. After being placed under arrest, MARTINEZ admitted that his cocaine supplier in July 2007 was PEREZ and FLORES. Agents served a federal search warrant at 1010 Sylvan Meadows Drive, Modesto, a residence MARTINEZ had been earlier that day. From the location, law enforcement seized approximately one kilogram cocaine and arrested FLORES. Agents also discovered a “kilo press,” a device commonly used by drug traffickers to add adulterant to existing bricks of cocaine and then press the adulterated kilogram of cocaine back into the form of a kilogram brick. The street value of the seized cocaine is approximately $60,000.

The defendants are scheduled to be arraigned on the indictment by Judge Kimberly J. Mueller at 2:00 p.m., on June 27, 2008. The maximum statutory penalty for conspiracy to distribute and possession with intent to distribute at least 500 grams of cocaine is 40 years in prison. The maximum statutory penalty for distribution of cocaine is 20 years in prison. In this case, each defendant faces a mandatory minimum of five years in prison on Counts 1 and 5 of the indictment based upon the amount cocaine alleged in those counts. The actual sentence, however, will be determined at the discretion of the court after consideration of the Federal Sentencing Guidelines, which take into account a number of variables and any applicable statutory sentencing factors. The charges are only allegations and the defendants are presumed innocent until and unless proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt.

High-Level Drug Traffickers Arrested in Joint US/Canada Case

2008-06-18T12:00:00.000-07:00

June 18 --(Washington, DC) – Yesterday, the RCMP arrested four high-level Canadian drug traffickers in Montréal, concluding a major investigation named Project Caverne that was led by the Combined Forces Special Enforcement Unit (CFSEU) and U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA). The four suspects arrested by the RCMP are allegedly responsible for importing at least 35 tons of cocaine into Canada between 1996 and 2003, and for transporting an estimated 25 tons of cocaine from Texas to New-York in the years 2002 and 2003 only. The U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration / Corpus Christi worked closely with the RCMP on this investigation.

The four persons arrested are: Miguel Torres, 36, of Blainville; Firmino Tavares, 51, of Dollard-des-Ormeaux; Giovanni Somma, 40, of Montréal; and Gerardo Hurtado, 45, currently imprisoned at the Ste-Anne-des-Plaines penal institution near Montréal. The latter was arrested by the RCMP in September 2004 in connection with another drug investigation.

The information obtained as part of Project Caverne, launched in 2007, corroborate certain evidence from past investigations and establish the commission of criminal offences that allegedly took place in Canada between January 14, 1996, and August 2004.

The evidence gathered in Project Caverne serves to establish, among other things, that Miguel Torres and Firmino Tavares allegedly imported into Canada an estimated 2,154 kilograms of cocaine between September and November 2003. The evidence also serves to establish that Miguel Torres allegedly transported 2,294 kilograms of cocaine from Houston to New-York City over the same period.

The drug originating from Colombia was introduced into Mexico through various means and then smuggled into the United States. It was then shipped to New York or Montréal to be sold to local criminal organizations. Facilitators and truckers were used to transport the cocaine from Texas to its final destination for distribution. The drug was delivered to criminal organizations in exchange for a $1,000 commission for each kilogram sold. Miguel Torres and Firmino Tavares worked separately, each covering a specific distribution area. As for Giovanni Somma and Gerardo Hurtado, they abetted the commission of the offences.

Yesterday, the CFSEU executed four search warrants in order to gather additional evidence, seize offence-related property and arrest the suspects. The findings of these searches could be used to further the investigation.

The charges laid as part of Project Caverne will include conspiracy to import cocaine, conspiracy to traffic in cocaine, conspiracy for possession of property obtained by crime, cocaine importation, cocaine trafficking and criminal organization offence.

Photos of Record-Breaking Seizure In Afghanistan

2008-06-13T17:02:00.000-07:00

JUN 13 -- (Washington, DC) - The U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) is releasing photos today of the record-breaking hashish seizures in Afghanistan which occurred on June 9, 2008.

Hashish located in underground bunkers.

The 262-ton hashish seizure is the largest of any known drug seizure. Operation Albatross was a result of the joint effort between the Government Islamic Republic of Afghanistan and DEA’s Foreign-Deployed Advisory and Support Teams (FAST). Operation Albatross was also supported by the North Atlantic Treaty Organization International Security Assistance Force (NATO-ISAF), U.S. Department of Defense (DoD) and the U.S. Department of State.

Search warrants were executed on five narcotics super-labs and numerous underground drug-bunkers in Spin Boldak, located in Kandahar Province. The search warrants were served in Taliban-controlled areas of the region. Twelve suspects were also arrested during Operation Albatross.

DEA re-established its office in Afghanistan in 2002. DEA is involved in; training and assisting Afghan law enforcement officials in interdiction techniques, law enforcement methodology and investigative practices. DEA’s joint operations assist the Afghanistan Government in stabilizing the rule of law and enhancing the operational capabilities of their law enforcement personnel.

Alaska Man Gets 30 Years For Importing Ton of Canadian Pot

2008-06-05T17:04:00.000-07:00

JUN 5 -- (Anchorage, AK) – DEA Special Agent in Charge Arnold R. Moorin and United States Attorney for the District of Alaska, Nelson P. Cohen, announced that Thomas P. Ranes, a resident of Alaska was sentenced on June 4, 2008 to 30 years' imprisonment for his leadership role in a large scale marijuana conspiracy that imported over a ton of Canadian pot to Alaska.

On February 8, 2008, Ranes, 33, pleaded guilty in federal court to marijuana conspiracy, money laundering, and international money laundering. Ranes also admitted culpability in the death of Thomas Cody, the former leader of the conspiracy.

“This is a good example of federal, state, and local law enforcement working together, and at the end of the day, we have a safer community for all,” said DEA Assistant Special Agent in Charge Harvey Goehring.

According to court documents, Ranes admitted that beginning in early 2003 until April 22, 2006, he conspired with Thomas Cody, Joseph Bryant, Dennis Shine and others to import and distribute over 1,000 kilograms of marijuana. In May 2005, Ranes convinced Dennis Shine to kill Cody by telling him he would get one-half million dollars for doing it.

On June 1, 2005, Shine murdered Cody by lying in wait in Cody’s home. After Cody’s death, Ranes assumed a greater role in the conspiracy until his arrest in April 2006. In July 2007, Cody’s body was recovered from the Jim Creek area.

Joseph Bryant killed himself in June 2005, shortly before he was to be indicted for his role in the conspiracy.

This investigation was conducted by the Drug Enforcement Administration, Alaska State Troopers Major Offender’s Unit, Internal Revenue Service – Criminal Investigations Division, and the Bureau of Immigration and Customs Enforcement.

Customs Officer Arrested For Importing Narcotics

2008-05-28T17:09:00.000-07:00

MAY 28 -- (Manhattan, NY) Early this morning Supervisory Customs and Border Protection Officer WALTER GOLEMBIOWSKI, Customs and Border Protection Officer JOHN AJELLO, and others were arrested on narcotics importation and bribery conspiracy charges.

“These arrests demonstrate the combined will of law enforcement to put an end to illicit smuggling, be it illegal narcotics or intellectual property," stated DEA Special Agent-in-Charge JOHN P. GILBRIDE. "This investigation epitomizes the role of the Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Strike Force which combines the resources of federal, state and local agencies involved to identify and dismantle smuggling organizations operating across international borders.”
Based on the information obtained through its investigation, the Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Strike Force identified a number of individuals who assisted in clearing shipments of hashish, other controlled substances, and counterfeit goods through United States Customs at JFK, including WALTER GOLEMBIOWSKI -- a supervisor in United States Customs and Border Protection at JFK -- who regularly accepted and solicited bribes to permit shipments of contraband to pass through Customs without inspection.

Similarly, the investigation led to the identification of SHARUK SARIARI, a freight forwarder, and VICTOR JUZUMAS, two Customs brokers who used their association with GOLEMBIOWSKI to clear shipments of illicit cargo; SEAN MILLS, operations manager of a cargo cooperative, who conspired to bypass possible inspection at a container freight station by delivering a shipment of contraband directly from the plane to his co-defendants; and KAI LI and TOMMY LI, two importers of counterfeit goods and controlled substances. Law enforcement also identified JOHN AJELLO, a Customs and Border Protection Inspector at JFK who worked with GOLEMBIOWSKI, and also accepted bribes as part of the conspiracy. Based in part on information provided by confidential witnesses, the Strike Force, ICE-OPR, and DHS-OIG initiated an undercover operation and recorded numerous meetings and phone calls involving GOLEMBIOWSKI, AJELLO, and the other defendants. During those meetings and calls, the defendants plotted to bring narcotics and other contraband -- including counterfeit Rolex, Cartier, and Chanel watches, and designer sunglasses -- into the United States through JFK, undetected by law enforcement. On multiple occasions, GOLEMBIOWSKI was captured on audio and video accepting bribes to help his co-conspirators bring in illegal drugs and counterfeit goods without detection.

The arrests were the culmination of a lengthy investigation into a network of individuals importing large quantities of hashish and other controlled substances and contraband into the United States through John F. Kennedy International Airport in New York (“JFK”). The investigation was launched by the New York Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Strike Force (“OCDESF”) -- which is comprised of agents and officers of the DEA, the New York City Police Department, the United States Internal Revenue Service Criminal Investigation Division, the Department of Homeland Security’s Bureau of Immigration and Customs Enforcement, the Federal Bureau of Investigation, the New York State Police, the United States Marshals Service, the United States Secret Service, and the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives. It resulted in the indictment and successful prosecution of over twenty individuals -- from distributors to overseas sources of supply -- and the seizure of over 600 pounds of imported hashish and a significant quantity of narcotics proceeds in the United States and France.

Count	Defendant	Maximum Penalty
Count One: Narcotics Importation Conspiracy (2004 - 2008)	WALTER GOLEMBIOWSKI	40 years in prison (minimum 5 years in prison), fine of the greater of $2 million or twice the gross gain or loss from the offense, life supervised release
Count Two: Bribery Conspiracy (2004 - 2008)	WALTER GOLEMBIOWSKI	5 years in prison, fine of the greater of $250,000 or twice the gross gain or loss from the offense, 3 years supervised release
Count Three: Narcotics Importation Conspiracy (2008)	WALTER GOLEMBIOWSKI SHARUK SARIARI VINCENT JUZUMAS SEAN MILLS KAI LI WEI LAM	20 years in prison, fine of the greater of $1 million or twice the gross gain or loss from the offense, life supervised release
Count Four: Bribery Conspiracy (2008)	WALTER GOLEMBIOWSKI JOHN AJELLO SHARUK SARIARI VINCENT JUZUMAS KAI LI WEI LAM	5 years in prison, fine of the greater of $250,000 or twice the gross gain or loss from the offense, 3 years supervised release

The charges by defendant and the possible maximum sentences are as follows:

GOLEMBIOWSKI, 65, resides in Bethpage, New York. AJELLO, 51, resides in Hicksville, New York. SARIARI, 51, resides in Ft. Lee, New Jersey. JUZUMAS, 46, resides in Merrick, New York. MILLS, 37, resides in Woodbridge, New Jersey. LI, 28, and LAM, 37, both reside in Fort Lee, New Jersey.

The results of these arrests were announced by JOHN P. GILBRIDE, Special Agent in Charge of the New York Office of the United States Drug Enforcement Administration (“DEA”), MICHAEL J. GARCIA, the United States Attorney for the Southern District of New York, STEVEN J. MOCSARY, the Special Agent in Charge of the Department of Homeland Security, Bureau of Immigration and Customs Enforcement, Office of Professional Responsibility, Investigations East (“ICE-OPR”), GREGORY K. NULL, the Special Agent in Charge of the Department of Homeland Security, Office of Inspector General, Office of Investigation, Philadelphia Field Office (“DHS-OIG”), and RAYMOND W. KELLY, Police Commissioner of the City of New York (“NYPD”).

“Smuggling any kind of illegal commodity raises troubling issues at a time of deep concern over national security. The threat is heightened when a government official accepts bribes to help smugglers breach our borders,” said Mr. GARCIA. “Thanks to the tireless work of our law enforcement partners, including internal investigators from DHS and ICE, these defendants will no longer be able to profit from their corruption of the public trust.”

Mr. MOCSARY stated, “Immigration and Customs Enforcement, Office of Professional Responsibility is dedicated to aggressively pursuing all allegations of corruption involving employees and civilians within our area of responsibility, especially in a border security environment. ICE, OPR takes great pride in protecting the integrity of all ICE and Customs and Border Protection employees. Additionally, this case serves as a textbook example of the cooperation between the federal, state and local law enforcement agencies involved in the successful outcome of this investigation.”

Mr. NULL stated, "Acts of corruption within the Department of Homeland Security represent a threat to our nation and undermine the honest and hardworking employees who strive to maintain the integrity of the Department. Corruption will not be tolerated and those who choose to break the law will be pursued aggressively."

Assistant United States Attorneys JEFFREY A. BROWN, MARGARET GARNETT, GLEN G. MCGORTY, and AMY FINZI are in charge of the prosecution.

The charges contained in the Complaint are merely accusations, and the defendants are presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty.

Chattanooga Councilman Among 33 Arrested On Drug Charges

2008-05-14T17:23:00.000-07:00

MAY 14 -- (Chattanooga, TN) – DEA, state, and local officials arrested 33 Chattanooga area residents Tuesday, May 14 including City Councilman John “Duke” Franklin as part of a two-year investigation into a drug trafficking organization which operated in Tennessee and Georgia.

According to the indictment, Franklin conspired with Michael Kelley, 44, to commit money laundering and to obstruct justice in connection with the seizure of over $69,000 in drug proceeds.

“Drugs and money are a lethal combination that helps to breed the very corruption that is evident in this case. Taking-down drug trafficking organizations like this one is a good way to help break this unfortunate and sometimes tragic cycle. This investigation would not have been possible without the cooperation of our local, state and federal counterparts,” said DEA Special Agent in Charge Rodney G. Benson.

The DEA investigation initially targeted a drug trafficking organization led by Marcus Lewis, 24, in Chattanooga and North Georgia that moved in excess of 40 kilograms of cocaine per month throughout the two states. The investigation eventually linked Lewis and Kelley, and then Kelley with Councilman Franklin.

The indictment alleges that Franklin used his influence to knowingly falsify legal documents in order aide Kelley recoup $69,000 which was seized by the Chattanooga Police Department during a traffic stop in March 2008. It is also alleged that Franklin purchased cocaine from Kelly on more than one occasion, and that he used his assigned city telephone to conduct drug trafficking business.

If convicted on all charges, Franklin could spend 25 years in prison.

DEA was aided in this investigation by the Hamilton County Sheriff’s Office Narcotics and Special Operations Division, Tennessee Bureau of Investigation, Chattanooga Police Department, Internal Revenue Service, and the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Eastern District of Tennessee.

Members of Colombian Paramilitary Group Extradited to the United States

2008-05-13T17:24:00.000-07:00

MAY 13 -- WASHINGTON – Fourteen alleged members of a former paramilitary and drug-trafficking group known as the Autodefensas Unidas de Colombia (AUC), including high-ranking former leaders, have been extradited from Colombia to the United States to face drug trafficking charges, the Department of Justice announced today. Defendants face charges in the District of Columbia, the Middle District of Florida, the Southern District of Florida, the Southern District of New York and the Southern District of Texas. Defendants will make their initial appearances in the districts in which they are first brought into the United States.

Indicted defendants face charges including: conspiracy to import cocaine; conspiracy to manufacture and distribute cocaine; possession, manufacture or distribution of cocaine; providing material support to a designated terrorist organization; and money laundering. As part of the extradition requests, the United States has provided assurances to the government of Colombia that it will not seek a life sentence for any of the defendants, but instead will ask for a prison term of years.

“These extraditions are yet another substantial step by the government of Colombia, in partnership with the United States, to hold accountable those who support terrorist organizations and send illegal drugs into this country,” said Attorney General Michael B. Mukasey. “We commend the courage of the Government of Colombia, which recognizes that these crimes pose a serious threat to both of our nations. With continued cooperation, we will ensure that those who commit such crimes face justice.”

“Fourteen leaders of one of the world's largest and most powerful drug-trafficking organizations arrived in handcuffs on U.S. soil today. They range from kingpin to bloque commanders who all used the drug trade to finance their illegal activities and poison Americans with multi-tons of cocaine," said DEA Acting Administrator Michele M. Leonhart. "With these extraditions, President Uribe demonstrates once again his unparalleled commitment to ridding Colombia of the drug trade and narco-terrorist organizations.”

According to the indictments, the former AUC members facing charges are:

Nodier Giraldo-Giraldo (District of Columbia); Charged in a superseding indictment returned on March 2, 2005, with conspiracy to manufacture and distribute cocaine with intent to import into the United States, aiding and abetting the conspiracy and a forfeiture allegation.
Hernan Giraldo-Serna (District of Columbia); Charged in a superseding indictment returned on March 2, 2005, with conspiracy to manufacture and distribute cocaine with intent to import into the United States, aiding and abetting the conspiracy and a forfeiture allegation.
Edwing Mauricio Gomez-Luna (District of Columbia); Charged in a superseding indictment returned on March 2, 2005, with conspiracy to manufacture and distribute cocaine with intent to import into the United States, aiding and abetting the conspiracy and a forfeiture allegation.
Eduardo Enrique Vengoechea-Mola (District of Columbia); Charged in a superseding indictment returned on March 2, 2005, with conspiracy to manufacture and distribute cocaine with intent to import into the United States, aiding and abetting the conspiracy and a forfeiture allegation.
Martin Peñaranda-Osario (District of Columbia); Charged in a superseding indictment returned on March 2, 2005, with conspiracy to manufacture and distribute cocaine with intent to import into the United States, distribution of cocaine with the intent to import into the United States, aiding and abetting that offense and a forfeiture allegation.
Rodrigo Tovar-Pupo, a/k/a “Jorge 40” (District of Columbia); Charged in a superseding indictment returned on March 2, 2005, with conspiracy to manufacture and distribute cocaine with intent to import into the United States, aiding and abetting the conspiracy and a forfeiture allegation.
Salvatore Mancuso-Gomez (District of Columbia); Charged in a superseding indictment returned on Sept. 17, 2002, and unsealed Sept. 24, 2002, with conspiracy to manufacture and distribute cocaine with intent to import into the United States, aiding and abetting that offense and a forfeiture allegation.
Juan Carlos Sierra-Ramirez (District of Columbia); Charged in an indictment returned on Sept. 17, 2002, and unsealed Sept. 24, 2002, with conspiracy to manufacture and distribute cocaine with intent to import into the United States, conspiracy to possess with intent to distribute cocaine on board a vessel subject to U.S. jurisdiction, possession with intent to distribute cocaine on board a vessel subject to U.S. jurisdiction, aiding and abetting those offenses, and a forfeiture allegation.
Diego Fernando Murillo-Bejarano, a/k/a “Don Berna” (Southern District of New York); Charged in a superseding indictment filed July 12, 2004, and unsealed on July 22, 2004, with a dual object narcotics conspiracy: to import cocaine into the United States, and to distribute cocaine, knowing and intending that it would be imported into the United States. He is also charged with conspiracy to commit money laundering.
Diego Alberto Ruiz-Arroyave (Southern District of Texas); Charged in a superseding indictment returned on Oct. 14, 2004, and unsealed on June 28, 2006, with conspiracy to provide material support and resources to the AUC. The defendant is also named in a forfeiture allegation.
Ramiro Vanoy-Murillo, (Southern District of Florida); Charged in a fourth superseding indictment filed on Nov. 18, 1999, with conspiracy to distribute cocaine; conspiracy to import of cocaine into the United States, and money laundering conspiracy.
Francisco Zuluaga-Lindo, (Southern District of Florida); Charged in a fourth superseding indictment filed on Nov. 18, 1999, with conspiracy to distribute cocaine, conspiracy to import of cocaine into the United States, and money laundering conspiracy.
Guillermo Perez-Alzate (Middle District of Florida); Charged in an indictment returned on Dec. 11, 2002, and unsealed on May 13, 2008, with conspiracy to import cocaine into the United States, conspiracy to manufacture and distribute cocaine knowing that it would be imported into the United States, and a forfeiture allegation.
Manual Enrique Torregrosa-Castro (Middle District of Florida); Charged in an indictment filed May 3, 2007, with conspiracy to distribute cocaine, conspiracy to import cocaine into the United States, and two forfeiture allegations.

An indictment is a formal charging document notifying the defendant of his charges. All persons charged in an indictment are presumed innocent until proven guilty.

On May 7, 2008, Carlos Mario Jimenez-Naranjo, a/k/a. Macaco, was extradited from Colombia to the United States to face drug trafficking charges in the District of Columbia and the Southern District of Florida. Before his arrest, Jimenez-Naranjo was allegedly one of the top leaders of the AUC.

The Department of Justice is pleased that these individuals will also face justice in the United States, and remains committed to working with the Government of Colombia to ensure that the Justice and Peace Process is fully implemented. Victims participating in this process can use existing legal mechanisms to access the defendants. Colombia and the United States cooperate extensively via multilateral legal assistance agreements and conventions, as well as the letters rogatory and letter request processes.

The cases in the District of Columbia will be prosecuted by attorneys assigned to the Criminal Division’s Narcotic and Dangerous Drug Section (NDDS). The cases in the Middle District of Florida, the Southern District of Florida, the Southern District of New York and the Southern District of Texas will be prosecuted by the U.S. Attorney’s Office for each of the districts. The investigations in these cases were led by the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration and the FBI, with significant assistance provided by law enforcement in Colombia. The extraditions of all the defendants resulted from the cooperative efforts of the government of Colombia, the Colombian Fiscal General, NDDS, the Criminal Division’s Office of International Affairs, the U.S. Attorneys’ Offices involved in the cases and the U.S. Department of State.

Undercover Operation Targets SDSU Campus

2008-05-06T17:27:00.000-07:00

96 Arrested on Drug-Related Charges
Fraternity Members Advertised Cocaine Sales Using Text Messages

Cocaine and money seized by DEA agents on and off the campus of San Diego State University.

MAY 6 -- (San Diego, CA) – Ralph W. Partridge, Special Agent in Charge of the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) San Diego Field Division and the San Diego County District Attorney’s Office and the San Diego State University (SDSU) Department of Public Safety today announced the culmination of an extensive undercover drug operation on the San Diego State University campus resulting in the arrest of 96 individuals, including 75 students selling or buying cocaine, marijuana, or ecstasy.

In May of 2007, an SDSU student was found dead of a drug overdose in her bedroom. As a result, SDSU police began an undercover investigation known as “Operation Sudden Fall.” Undercover officers determined students and non-student were heavily involved in selling drugs for profit, on and off campus. DEA Agents infiltrated several student drug distribution cells and more than 130 drug purchases and seizures were made during the five-month operation.

“Our children are our biggest asset and absent a safe, drug free learning environment, their chances of succeeding are greatly diminished. The San Diego State University Police and SDSU administration are to be commended for their swift actions in confronting the drug use problem on campus,” said DEA Special Agent in Charge Ralph W. Partridge. “This investigation spotlights two tragedies. The tragic drug overdose deaths of two college students and secondly, the shattered futures of those students who choose to continue to engage in the illicit sale and usage of a myriad of controlled substances. A drug free learning environment for our children should be the norm, not the exception.”

As a result of the investigation, 75 SDSU students and 21 non-students have been arrested for various drug offenses ranging from possession of marijuana and cocaine to sales of cocaine. One student arrested was a cocaine dealer on campus who was just one month away from obtaining his Masters Degree in Homeland Security and also worked as a student Community Service Officer on campus and reported to the campus police. Another student arrested for possession of 500 grams of cocaine and two guns is a Criminal Justice major.

At the same time the undercover operation was underway, a second fatal drug overdose occurred when a 22-year old Mesa College student died from an accidental cocaine overdose in an SDSU fraternity house on February 26, 2008.

“This operation shows how accessible and pervasive illegal drugs continue to be on our college campuses, and how common it is for students to be selling to other students,” said DA Dumanis. “It’s unfortunate that it took the accidental cocaine overdose of a student to refocus attention on the problem.”

As the operation continued, DEA and SDSU Police infiltrated seven campus fraternities and discovered that in some fraternities, most of the members were aware of organized drug dealing occurring from the fraternity houses by its members. Undercover Agents purchased cocaine from fraternity members and confirmed that a hierarchy existed for the purpose of selling drugs for money.

In one instance a member of the Theta Chi fraternity sent out a mass text message to his “faithful customers” stating that he and his “associates” would be traveling to Las Vegas for the weekend and would not be able to complete cocaine sales during that time. He noted that they were having a “sale” on cocaine and listed the reduced prices.

Evidence seized includes four pounds of cocaine, 50 pounds of marijuana, 48 hydroponic marijuana plants, 350 ecstasy pills, psilocybin (mushrooms), 30 vials of hash oil, methamphetamine, various illicit prescription drugs, one shotgun, three semi-automatic pistols, three brass knuckles and $60,000 in cash.

Doctor Indicted on Federal Drug Trafficking Charges for Writing Oxycontin Prescriptions for Cash

2008-04-30T17:30:00.000-07:00

APR 30 - -- (LOS ANGELES) – A physician who operated a clinic in San Fernando has been indicted on federal narcotics charges for allegedly writing prescriptions for the powerful and addictive painkiller oxycodone for people he did not examine and who simply paid him as much as $300 for a prescription. Masoud Bamdad, 54, of Granada Hills, was named in a 23-count indictment returned late yesterday afternoon by a federal grand jury in Los Angeles. Bamdad has been in custody since his arrest on April 17, 2008, by special agents with the Drug Enforcement Administration.

A criminal complaint filed at that time alleged that Bamdad accepted cash payments for writing “huge numbers of prescriptions” for narcotics sold under brand names such as Oxycontin, Vicodin and Xanax. In at least one case, Bamdad allegedly wrote prescriptions for people who had not come to his office. The indictment includes 17 counts of prescribing oxycodone (the generic name of the Schedule II narcotic marketed under the brand name Oxycontin) without a medical purpose. The indictment also contains five counts of prescribing oxycodone without a medical purpose to persons under 21. The twenty-third count of the indictment is criminal forfeiture, which seeks the forfeiture of property and funds obtained through illegal activity. “More than 48 million Americans have abused prescription drugs, and prescription drugs are the second most commonly used illegal drug by teens to get high,” said Timothy J. Landrum, DEA Special Agent in Charge. “Many are obtaining these dangerous controlled substances from doctors like Dr. Bamdad. It is unfortunate that someone would abuse their position of trust to prey on those who are vulnerable to the abuse of these drugs.”

According to court documents, as part of the investigation DEA agents conducted undercover operations in which they posed as people seeking drugs. Bamdad allegedly wrote prescriptions after brief visits, calling one undercover agent a drug addict and receiving cash payments that he simply put into his pocket. During the undercover meetings, Bamdad either did not examine or made only cursory examinations of the undercover agents, nor did he take thorough medical histories from them. Bamdad prescribed narcotic pain medications despite the undercover agents' statements that they were not experiencing significant pain, that they were taking them for enjoyment, or that they were seeking narcotic prescription medications on behalf of others. During one meeting, Bamdad and an undercover agent discussed the street price of Oxycontin.

According to the complaint, during the course of the investigation agents learned that large numbers of individuals were being recruited from San Diego-area homeless shelters to pose as “patients” at Bamdad’s office for the purpose of obtaining prescriptions. In exchange, the homeless individuals would receive $100 and a free lunch. The pills obtained with the prescriptions were later sold on the street. Bamdad was arrested several days after the DEA learned from a Los Angeles Police detective that a 23-year old man died of an apparent overdose of narcotics that had been prescribed days earlier by Bamdad. On April 10 – while the deceased man was participating in an outpatient rehabilitation program – the man obtained a prescription for oxycodone and alprazolam from Bamdad. On April 13, while he was being driven to an in-patient rehabilitation center, the man handed his parents the empty prescription bottles.

The next day, the man was found dead in his room. “Doctors have the responsibility to ensure that narcotics are made available only to patients who truly need the curative effects of the drugs,” said United States Attorney Thomas P. O’Brien. “Dr. Bamdad is accused of violating this basic medical principal by writing prescriptions to people who clearly were obtaining powerful, addictive drugs for recreational purposes or for selling on the street.” Based on observations of Bamdad’s work hours and the number of patients he appeared to be seeing, the DEA estimates that Bamdad’s prescription writing generated approximately $100,000 in cash each week. After reviewing pharmacy records, the DEA determined that Bamdad wrote prescriptions for approximately 70,000 Oxycontin tablets in 2007, making him among the top five Oxycontin prescribers in the area covered by the DEA’s Los Angeles Field Division (seven large California counties, and the states of Nevada and Hawaii).

Both an indictment and a criminal complaint contain allegations that a defendant has committed a crime. Every defendant is presumed innocent until and unless proven guilty. Bamdad is scheduled to be arraigned on the indictment on May 12, 2008, in United States District Court in Los Angeles. The charge of prescribing a Schedule II narcotic without a medical purpose carries a maximum possible penalty of 20 years in federal prison. For the charges that allege he illegally wrote prescriptions for people under 21, that statutory maximum penalty rises to 40 years in prison. The investigation of Dr. Bamdad was conducted by the Drug Enforcement Administration, with the assistance the Costa Mesa Police Department, the Los Angeles Police Department, the San Fernando Police Department, the Baldwin Park Police Department and the Medical Board of California.

Seattle DEA Targets Suppliers And Financiers of Indoor Marijuana Grows

2008-04-23T17:33:00.000-07:00

APR 23 -- (Seattle, WA ) – DEA Special Agent in Charge (SAC) Arnold R. Moorin and the United States Attorney for the Western District of Washington, Jeffrey Sullivan, announced that two garden supply companies and the office of a mortgage broker were searched by federal agents today in connection with “Operation Green Reaper,” a crackdown on suppliers and financiers of illegal indoor marijuana grows. A federal grand jury in Seattle has indicted the owners of GREENHOUSE GARDEN SUPPLY of Tukwila, Washington, and SCITEK GARDEN SUPPLY of Auburn, Washington, for Conspiracy to Manufacture Marijuana and Conspiracy to Commit Money Laundering. The offices of Jet City Mortgage of Kent, Washington, as well as the home of the mortgage company owners, were also searched today in connection with possible mortgage fraud related to numerous homes where marijuana grows have been discovered.

“The cultivation of indoor grown marijuana poses a danger to everyone in our community,” said DEA Special Agent in Charge Arnold R. Moorin. “These grows use toxic fertilizers and pesticides, have jury-rigged electrical wiring, and leave behind mold and contamination. These homes are a magnet for other crime – in the last year grow houses have been the scene of robberies and murders. The DEA is committed to working with our state, local and federal law enforcement partners to ensure that the neighborhoods where our children play and where families invest their life savings are safe. We will continue to direct our efforts to attacking the infrastructure of these criminal enterprises, in an effort to provide healthier environments for all.”

According to documents unsealed today, the Drug Enforcement Administration and local law enforcement began investigating the garden supply shops in January, 2007. Using confidential informants and materials discovered at marijuana grows, investigators allege that GREENHOUSE GARDEN SUPPLY and its owner QUYEN THE NGUYEN, of Renton, Washington, provided crucial equipment, advice and trash disposal service to those setting up indoor marijuana grows. Financial records reveal that deposits to the company business account are more than twice the income reported to the Washington State Department of Revenue. Some eighty percent of the money deposited is in cash.

The investigation of SCITEK GARDEN SUPPLY and its owner THIET VAN TRAN, of Seattle, Washington, also began in January 2007. Investigators noted ads in Vietnamese newspapers showing marijuana leaf logos and pictures of specialized equipment. Surveillance of the business revealed bags filled with denuded marijuana stalks and potting soil. The business was connected to grows that totaled more than 14,700 plants. While the business’ reported income was very modest, over eighteen months between August 2006 and January 2008, the business took in more than $900,000 with 90% percent of the deposits in cash. The indictment alleges that more than $1.1 million in cash was laundered through SCITEK GARDEN SUPPLY and related bank accounts during this period. In addition, two rings of marijuana growers associated with SCITEK GARDEN SUPPLY were indicted by the grand jury.

According to the search warrant affidavit filed in connection with Jet City Mortgage of Kent, Washington, investigators have determined that nineteen homes where marijuana grows were discovered were purchased using the services of Jet City Mortgage. A review of a sampling of the loans reveals that documents related to the purchasers’ income and employment were falsified. According to the affidavit, various small business owners were paid a fee of up to $600 to falsely verify employment. Jet City Mortgage and one of its owners, who was also a real estate agent, generated substantial fees and commissions by pushing the purchases through with falsified loan information. No criminal charges have been filed in connection with any of the mortgage transactions.

“The scourge of marijuana grow houses that has gripped British Columbia is moving south and invading our neighborhoods,” said United States Attorney Jeffrey Sullivan. “By targeting the businesses that promote, supply and establish these grows, we hope to stop the organized criminal groups that destroy lives while making millions through drug trafficking.”

The indictments unsealed today charge these defendants with Conspiracy to Manufacture Marijuana and Conspiracy to Launder Money:

PHAT FUGU, LLC, a/k/a Greenhouse & Garden Supply, 4451 S 134th Pl, Tukwila
QUYEN THE NGUYEN, 43, Renton
SCITEK GARDEN SUPPLY, LLC, 1720 Pike St. NW, #4, Auburn
THIET VAN TRAN, a/k/a David Tran, 41, Sammamish
TRUONG QUANG LAM, a/k/a Tony Lam, 32, Auburn
ELLIS V. NGUYEN, 57, Lynnwood
TAM MINH DANG, 44, Kent
SON HOANG BUI, 40, Lynnwood
TRAN SO LUONG, 46, Lynnwood
BE TRAN NGUYEN, 67, Auburn
QUE THI DANG, 58, Auburn
SARINA THI TRIEU, 43, Puyallup
TUONG TRUNG DUONG, 48, Puyallup
DIEP DAC MACH, 44, Renton
VAN THI TRIEU, 35, Puyallup
HENRY PHUNG, 37, Renton

Conspiracy to Manufacture Marijuana is punishable by a mandatory minimum ten years and up to life in prison and a $4 million fine. Conspiracy to Commit Money Laundering is punishable by up to twenty years in prison.

This was an Organized Crime and Drug Enforcement Task Force (OCDETF) investigation, providing supplemental federal funding to the federal and state agencies involved. The case is being investigated by the Drug Enforcement Administration, the South Snohomish County Narcotics Task Force (SSCNTF includes officers from Lynnwood Police, Edmonds Police, and Mountlake Terrace Police.), the Valley Narcotics Enforcement Task Force (VNET includes officers from the Kent, Renton, Auburn, and Tukwila Police Departments), the Seattle Police Department, Washington State Patrol, Port of Seattle Police, King County Sheriff’s Office, the Internal Revenue Service Criminal Investigation (IRS-CI), and the Washington State Department of Financial Institutions (DFI).

Owners/Managers and Drivers of Commercial Bus Companies Indicted For Drug Trafficking

2008-04-23T17:32:00.000-07:00

APR 23 -- (Houston, TX) – Eighteen individuals , including alleged drug traffickers and the owners/operators of commercial bus companies operating from Mexico into the Rio Grande Valley to numerous U.S. cities and their drivers, have been indicted for transporting large loads of marijuana and cocaine in specially modified commercial buses and money laundering. The indictment is the result of a long-term Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Force (OCDETF) investigation dubbed Operation Road King II. United States Attorney Don DeGabrielle announced the unsealing of the indictment today at a press conference. The 16-count indictment returned by a Houston grand jury March 31, 2008, was unsealed today.

John P. Walters, the Director of the White House Office of National Drug Control Policy, on an official visit to the Houston area, attended the press conference and commented upon the positive impact the coordinated and cooperative effort federal, state and local law enforcement action has had on reducing the supply of drugs and the concomitant reduction in demand.

Special Agent in Charge Andrew Bland of FBI Houston, together with Special Agent in Charge Zoran B. Yankovich of DEA Houston, recognized their law enforcement colleagues in the High Intensity Drug Trafficking Area Task Force (HIDTA) which, in this case, included the Houston Police Department, Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE), Customs and Border Protection (CBP), and the Texas Department of Public Safety (DPS) for their long-standing commitment and outstanding contributions to this OCDETF investigation. The U.S. Marshals Service, also a member of HIDTA, was recognized for its extraordinary efforts during the arrest process.

The indictment, unsealed today, describes the use of specially modified commercial buses by alleged drug traffickers interested in smuggling contraband into the United States from Monterrey, Mexico, or transporting contraband from the Rio Grande Valley to Houston and Dallas, Texas; Allentown, Pa.; Joliet, Ill. and elsewhere. The indictment alleges the owners or managers of the Transtar, Neptune Tours, Los Primos, USA-MEX and Ameri-Mex commercial bus companies, with offices and terminals in Monterrey, Mexico and Rio Grande City, Roma, San Antonio and Houston, Texas, used their various companies as a front for their drug transport services, and hired drivers and loaders to transport the illegal cargo in hidden compartments built into the bus or in areas not accessible to the public. In exchange for the services, the indictment alleges the owners/managers of the bus companies received thousands of dollars in kickbacks from the proceeds of the drug loads from which they drew their share and paid the drivers and loaders. According to the indictment, this drug transport service has been in operation since at least November 2001 and is responsible for transporting hundreds of kilograms of cocaine, thousands of pounds of marijuana from the border to points north and millions of dollars in drug proceeds south to Mexico. OCEDTF Operation Road King II targeted this organization beginning in 2001 and through the use of tried and true investigative techniques, communication, coordination and cooperation, ultimately established a more sophisticated undercover operation. Through that undercover operation, more than 570 kilograms of cocaine, 3,000 plus pounds of marijuana and the thousands of dollars in cash have been seized. Additionally, this multi-agency investigative effort has lead to arrests in and the seizure of 200 kilograms of cocaine in Allentown and 1,100 pounds of marijuana in Joliet. Information gathered through the investigation was shared with law enforcement agencies in other U.S. cities including New York, North Carolina, New Jersey, Tennessee, Alabama, Florida and Maryland.

The indictment identifies Abel Trevino Jr., 43, of Houston; Oscar Jaime Garcia Prado, 42, a resident alien residing in Brookshire, Texas; Miguel Montemayor, 39, a resident alien residing in Roma, Texas; Victor Hinojosa, 41, a resident alien residing in Houston; and Eduardo Trevino, 40, of Linares, Mexico, as the owners/managers of the various commercial bus companies operating as fronts for transporting cocaine and marijuana from Mexico to various locations in the U.S. in exchange for cash payments. The amount of the payment often depended upon the kind of drug, the size of the load and its ultimate destination. For example, the indictment alleges the defendants charge from $500 per kilogram of cocaine bound for the U.S. side of the border to $7,000 per kilogram of cocaine bound for New York. The buses were specially equipped with hidden compartments to conceal loads of contraband from detection. According to allegations in the indictment, the owner/managers discussed ways to operate their buses to protect themselves from detection by law enforcement including changing the names of the bus companies as loads of cocaine and marijuana were seized to claiming the buses were leased to others. Abel Trevino, Montemayor and Hinojosa were arrested today in Houston. A warrant remains outstanding for the arrest of Prado and Eduardo Trevino.

Leticia Enedina Fournier, 58; Guadalupe Karr Cortez, 47, an illegal alien, Jesse Trevino, 48, a resident alien, and Alejandro Carmargo-Guerra, 59, a resident alien, all of Houston; Victor Rocha, 39, a resident alien residing in Dickinson, Texas, and Enrique Alvaro Saldana, 53, a resident alien residing in Roma, Texas, are alleged co-conspirators hired by the owner/managers as bus drivers and loaders who were paid by the owners/managers to transport and deliver the drug loads hidden aboard the commercial buses as directed by the owners/managers. This morning, investigating agents arrested Trevino and Rocha in Houston, Carmargo-Guerra in Waco, Texas, and Cortez in Lake Charles, La. Warrants remain outstanding for the arrest of Fournier and Saldana.

Guadalupe Castaneda, 46, of Roma, Texas; Eduardo Cirilo, 42, of Pharr, Texas; Eduardo Salinas, 29, of Mission, Texas; Jose Armando Muniz, 33, of Weslaco, Texas; Rafael Armando Ramirez, 32, an illegal alien residing in the Houston area; Luis Larios, 36, and Robert Salazar Rivera, 48, both of Monterrey, Mexico, are accused of utilizing and paying for the services of the bus companies to transport loads of cocaine and marijuana to various locations in the United States. Eduardo Salinas was arrested this morning in McAllen, Texas, while Cirilo was arrested today in Baton Rouge, La. Warrants remain outstanding for the arrest of Castaneda, Muniz, Ramirez, Larios and Rivera.

All 18 defendants are charged in the conspiracy to possess with intent to distribute cocaine and marijuana and face no less than 10 years and a maximum of life imprisonment if convicted. Most of the defendants are also charged with conspiracy to launder drug proceeds and face a maximum of 20 years imprisonment if convicted. The remaining 14 counts of the indictment charge various defendants with aiding and abetting the possession with intent to distribute varying amounts of either cocaine for marijuana and face punishment ranges upon conviction from a maximum of five years imprisonment to life imprisonment and millions of dollars in fines.

The indictment also serves notice on the defendants of the intent of the United States to forfeit their interests in a number of real properties located in east Houston, Texas, which were allegedly used to facilitate or obtained with proceeds from the crimes alleged in the indictment.

This case will be prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Jesse Rodriguez.

An indictment is a formal accusation of criminal conduct, not evidence. The defendant is presumed innocent unless and until convicted through due process of law.

Associate of Colombian Narco-Terrorist Group Extradited to United States on Cocaine Importation Charges

2008-04-22T13:36:00.000-07:00

APR 22 -- (New York, NY)-MICHELE M. LEONHART, Acting Administrator of the United States Drug Enforcement Administration joined with MICHAEL J. GARCIA, the United States Attorney for the Southern District of New York, to announce that JUAN JOSE MARTINEZ VEGA, a/k/a “Gentil Alvis Patino,” a/k/a “Chiguiro,” a close associate of the Fuerzas Armadas Revolucionarias de Colombia (Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia, or “FARC”), has been extradited from Colombia to the United States to face cocaine importation conspiracy charges. The FARC is Colombia’s main leftist rebel group, which has been designated by the State Department as a Foreign Terrorist Organization. On March 1, 2006, the United States unsealed an historic indictment charging fifty defendants -- all the FARC’s top leadership (the “FARC leaders”) -- with cocaine importation conspiracy.

According to the Indictment: The FARC, which occupies large swaths of territory in Colombia, is responsible for the production of more than half the world’s supply of cocaine and nearly two-thirds of the cocaine imported into the United States. During its tenure, the FARC has evolved from a leftist rebel organization into the world’s leading cocaine manufacturer. In the mid-1980s, as cocaine production in Colombia began to expand, the FARC taxed all aspects of the cocaine trade. In the 1990s, the FARC leaders, recognizing the profit potential of the cocaine trade, ordered that the FARC become the exclusive buyers of the raw material to make cocaine, known as cocaine paste, in all areas under FARC occupation.

The FARC leaders set strict rules to control the cocaine trade, including the requirement that farmers sell all cocaine paste they produced to the FARC at the prices set by the defendants. Large markets were set up throughout Colombia, where farmers sold the cocaine paste. The FARC leaders stated that enforcement of such rules was crucial to the FARC’s survival, because the organization would not be able to finance its operations without the money it earned through the cocaine trade.

The FARC leaders required their commanders to enforce FARC’s cocaine policies through violent, often lethal means. Calling it “Revolutionary Justice,” the FARC leaders ordered that any farmer who violated their cocaine policies should be murdered, an order which was carried out with frequency.

Once the FARC purchased the cocaine paste, the FARC leaders directed that the drugs be brought to jungle cocaine laboratories under FARC control, where the paste was converted into ton quantities of finished cocaine and shipped out of Colombia to the United States and elsewhere. To transport the finished cocaine out of Colombia, the FARC secured and operated clandestine air strips in its territories.

The FARC is a hierarchical organization comprised of twelve to eighteen thousand members, and is led by a seven member Secretariat and a 27 member Central General Staff, or Estado Mayor, responsible for setting the cocaine policies of the FARC. At the lowest level, the FARC is made up of 77 distinct military units organized by their geographical location, called Fronts. Clusters of Fronts form seven distinct Blocs, each of which is led by a Bloc Commander. Various FARC Fronts coordinate their cocaine and cocaine paste manufacturing and distribution activities, based on their geographical location and whether they have a local FARC cocaine conversion laboratory. In addition, Fronts located on Colombia’s borders were primarily responsible for transporting cocaine outside of Colombia, and facilitating the exchange of cocaine and cocaine paste for weapons and supplies used by the FARC. The FARC leaders also required the Fronts to finance themselves through cocaine manufacturing and distribution. FARC Fronts able to produce the greatest revenue were responsible for contributing money and resources to support other Fronts that generated smaller drug revenues. Narcotics proceeds were distributed throughout the FARC, for the enrichment of the Secretariat, Estado Mayorand Bloc Commanders, and in order to purchase weapons and supplies for all members of the FARC.

The indicted members of the Secretariat and Estado Mayor, noting that the FARC could not survive without the proceeds generated from cocaine manufacturing, directed its members to attack and disrupt coca eradication fumigation efforts. The FARC leadership ordered its members to take countermeasures against fumigation, including shooting down fumigation aircrafts; forcing local farmers to participate in rallies against fumigation; and attacking Colombian infrastructure to force the Colombian Government to divert resources from fumigation. Recognizing that the United States has contributed significantly to Colombian fumigation efforts, the FARC leaders also ordered FARC members to kidnap and murder United States citizens in order to dissuade the United States from its continued efforts to fumigate and disrupt the FARC’s cocaine manufacturing and distribution activities.

Much of the FARC’s conflict with what had been Colombia’s main right wing paramilitary organization, the Autodefensas Unidas de Colombia, (the “AUC”), has been over control over coca-growing areas. The FARC’s army has been used, to a significant degree, to advance its cocaine trafficking efforts, including through campaigns against the AUC in coca-rich regions in an attempt to take control of the cocaine profits in those areas, and strategically defending areas of high coca production from advances of the Colombian Government.

MARTINEZ VEGA was a FARC associate who worked closely with the FARC’s 16th Front and assisted the FARC in procuring weapons, ammunition, money and other materials in exchange for cocaine and cocaine paste. Over several years, MARTINEZ VEGA made dozens of such deliveries to the 16th Front, including a delivery in February 2002 of approximately 37 tons of weapons and ammunition in exchange for approximately 2,500 kilograms of cocaine paste and 750 million Colombian pesos. MARTINEZ VEGA is also alleged to have led, in 1996, a squad of FARC members which located four other FARC members suspected of stealing arms which the FARC purchased with cocaine, all of whom were immediately executed. MARTINEZ VEGA was presented today in District of Columbia federal court before United States United States District Judge THOMAS F. HOGAN. Co-defendant ERMINSO CUEVAS CABRERA, a/k/a “Mincho,” the first charged FARC leadership defendant to be extradited, arrived in the United States from Colombia on September 19, 2007. According to the indictment, CUEVAS CABRERA, a/k/a “Mincho,” was a manager of cocaine laboratories for the FARC’s 14th Front, where he oversaw the production and distribution of hundreds of tons of cocaine for the benefit of the FARC and for his brother, indicted defendant JOSE BENITO CABRERA CUEVAS, a/k/a “Fabian Ramirez,” current member of the FARC’s Estado Mayor. CUEVAS-

CABRERA was arraigned on September 20, and ordered detained pending trial. Co-defendant JORGE ENRIQUE RODRIGUEZ MENDIETA, a/k/a “Ivan Vargas,” was extradited from Colombia and had his initial Court appearance in the United States on November 5, 2007.

RODRIGUEZ MENDIETA served as a member of the Estado Mayor of the FARC, the Front Commander of the 24th Front, a member of the leadership of the FARC’s Middle Magdalena Bloc, and a FARC special forces commander. In these roles, he directed the purchase of hundreds of thousands of kilograms of cocaine paste, and transmitted billions of Colombian pesos in drug proceeds to higher ranking FARC officials. He is further charged with operating a FARC cocaine-processing laboratory. As commander of the 24th Front, RODRIGUEZ MENDIETA is alleged to have ordered the murder of at least eight farmers. RODRIGUEZ MENDIETA is also alleged to have led FARC military campaigns ordered by the FARC Secretariat against the AUC in order to retake coca-rich lands, and to have ordered a FARC member to shoot down fumigation planes. RODRIGUEZ MENDIETA is also alleged to have plotted with another charged defendant to retaliate against United States law enforcement officers who were conducting this investigation.

RODRIGUEZ MENDIETA was arraigned on November 29, 2007, and ordered detained pending trial. The State Department has offered $75 million in rewards for information leading to the arrest of the highest-ranking FARC leadership defendants, who remain fugitives. “The FARC remains the largest, most profitable, and most dangerous narcotics trafficking organization in the world. It poses a serious threat not only in Colombia, but also on the streets of New York and other American cities, where it’s cocaine is sold,” said U.S. Attorney GARCIA.

"Juan Martinez-Vega operated at the FARC's core, dealing arms and ammunition in exchange for thousands of kilos of cocaine that ultimately made its way to American neighborhoods," said DEA Acting Administrator LEONHART. "Martinez Vega's extradition serves as another blow to FARC operations and demonstrates this country's aggressive pursuit and prosecution of drug criminals who seek profit from poison."

The investigation resulting in these charges was led by the United States Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of New York, working with the New York Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Strike Force (which is comprised of agents and officers of the United States Drug Enforcement Administration, the New York City Police Department, the United States Internal Revenue Service Criminal Investigation Division, the Department of Homeland Security Bureau of Immigration and Customs Enforcement, the Federal Bureau of Investigation, the New York State Police, the United States Marshals Service, the United States Secret Service and the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives), and the DEA’s Bogota, Colombia, Country Office. The investigation, conducted under the auspices of the Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Force (“OCDETF”) Program, involved unprecedented cooperation from the Colombian Military, the Colombian National Police, and the Colombian Fiscalia. Mr.

GARCIA praised all the law enforcement partners involved in the investigation, and thanked the Criminal Division's Office of International Affairs for their involvement in the extradition process.

The case is being supervised by the Office’s International Narcotics Trafficking Unit. The charges contained in the Indictment are merely allegations. All defendants are presumed innocent unless and until convicted in a court of law.

Operation Tienda Hielo Nets 52 Arrests, Seizure of More Than 100 Pounds of Methamphetamine Ice

2008-04-17T17:37:00.000-07:00

APR 17 -- (Little Rock, AR) – William J. Bryant, Assistant Special Agent in Charge of the Little Rock District Office of the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA), along with Jane W. Duke, United States Attorney for the Eastern District of Arkansas, and numerous other federal, state, and local officials were on hand today in Little Rock to highlight the results of a three-year joint drug trafficking investigation operationally dubbed “Tienda Hielo” or “Ice Store.”

The investigation, which primarily focused on methamphetamine trafficking in the Batesville, Arkansas area, was initiated by local DEA agents and the 16th Judicial District Drug Task Force in mid-2005 based on intelligence gathered in numerous other investigations. According to ASAC Bryant, DEA agents became aware, through multiple sources, of a large-scale methamphetamine ring in Batesville that was distributing “ice”—which is methamphetamine having a purity level greater than 80%—from Mexico. The investigation subsequently revealed that the group was not only selling portions of the shipments locally, but was also transporting and re-distributing the drugs in other cities such as Memphis, Tennessee; Kansas City, Missouri; Des Moines, Iowa; and Indianapolis, Indiana.

Federal officials highlighted the arrests of 52 individuals in connection with this investigation. Authorities were quick to point out, however, that this figure does not include many additional defendants that were charged as part of splinter or spin-off distribution cells from the organization. When included, the number of total defendants is conservatively estimated to be in excess of 65. These splinter cases also resulted in significant other drug seizures of methamphetamine and marijuana. See attached spreadsheet for additional information as to each defendant charged in connection with Operation Tienda Hielo.

According to officials, Interstates 40 and 30 were the primary corridors used for transporting the drugs to Arkansas. After being produced in Mexico, the drug shipments would cross the border and wind up in one of three “hub” areas—San Diego, California; Phoenix, Arizona; or Dallas, Texas. From each of these hubs, the drugs would be routed to Arkansas and, ultimately, to Independence County. On multiple occasions, the drugs were concealed within automobiles loaded on a multi-vehicle transport carrier. Once the carrier arrived in Batesville, the vehicles would be off-loaded, driven to remote locations, and the drugs removed. “This really was a fairly savvy group of individuals,” Duke stated. “Rather than transporting large amounts of bulk currency back to Mexico and risk seizure of it on the highway, they would often take the drug proceeds and buy all manner of goods locally. They would then load vehicles full of these goods and transport the goods (and any remaining currency) back to Mexico. Once in Mexico, they would sell the goods on the street, thereby converting them back to cash.”

Duke stated, “Methamphetamine is a highly addictive and devastating drug. There is no way people are able to remain ‘social’ or ‘recreational’ meth users. It eventually overtakes every aspect of a person’s life. We have seen case after case where people think they can use methamphetamine occasionally and still maintain a family, a career, a home, and their health. But, the addictive nature of this drug is such that you simply cannot. Eventually, the acquisition and use of methamphetamine completely consumes a user. Left in the wake are broken families, ruined careers, repossessed homes, and serious health problems.”

During the course of this investigation, agents seized over 100 pounds of methamphetamine ice. According to DEA reporting, the average national price for a gram of ice, which is a common user amount, rose to $244 last year. Thus, if the drugs seized in this case had been sold in gram quantities, it would have yielded over $11 million dollars for this particular group. Even if it had been sold in larger quantities such as by the pound, it would have grossed well over $2,000,000. “Fortunately, we are seeing some real progress in the war on methamphetamine,” Duke said. “We see this progress firsthand through investigations like Operation Tienda Hielo. We also see this progress echoed in the national drug statistics, which reflect a rise in the price of methamphetamine, a lower number of methamphetamine seizures, and a lower level of overall drug purity. All of this tells us that we are seriously and negatively impacting the illegal methamphetamine trade.” Last year, federal officials seized a total of approximately 2,770 pounds of methamphetamine. This figure represents the lowest seizure amount since 2002.

ASAC Bryant stated, “This operation was a textbook example of true multi-agency coordination. Through the invaluable assistance of our federal, state, and local partners, we have been able to disrupt and dismantle a significant narcotics trafficking organization with ties traceable to a violent Mexican drug cartel. Quite frankly, results don’t get much better than this.” Bryant added that contributing state and local agencies are able to equitably share in any assets seized during the course of a federal drug investigation such as this. “That’s quite significant in this case since we have seized and forfeited over $247,000 in assets.”

To date, the investigation has resulted in the entry of guilty pleas by 10 individuals.
Numerous others have been prosecuted stateside in the involved counties. Of the three federal defendants that have already been sentenced, the lengthiest prison term imposed has been 11 years, 3 months. However, much lengthier sentences are anticipated in upcoming proceedings. Four individuals, Juan Aguilar, Edel Sandoval, Felip Valdez-Cortez, Sr., and Alfredo Martinez, remain fugitives. Many defendants face possible sentences of up to life in prison if convicted.

Numerous federal, state, and local agencies participated in this investigation. These
include:

The Drug Enforcement Administration - Little Rock District Office, Fayetteville
Resident Office, San Diego and Riverside, California District Offices, Des Moines, Iowa
Resident Office, and Indianapolis, Indiana District Office. The DEA Little Rock District Office Task Force Group One, which is composed of the following agencies:
Little Rock Police Department
Jacksonville Police Department
Pine Bluff Police Department and
The Arkansas Highway Police

The DEA Little Rock District Office Task Force Group Two, which is composed
of the following agencies:
North Little Rock Police Department
Pulaski County Sheriff's Department and
The Arkansas State Police

The United States Attorney’s Office - Eastern District of Arkansas, Assistant United
States Attorneys Anne Gardner, Marsha Clevenger, and Kevin Alexander

The Federal Bureau of Investigation
Immigration and Customs Enforcement
The Internal Revenue Service - Criminal Investigations Division
The Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco and Firearms
The United States Marshals Service
The Arkansas Army National Guard
The Arkansas Air National Guard
The Oklahoma Bureau of Narcotics
The 16th Judicial District Drug Task Force
The 2nd Judicial District Drug Task Force
The 20th Judicial District Drug Task Force
The 17th Judicial District Drug Task Force
The Central Arkansas Drug Task Force
The White County Sheriff’s Department
The Van Buren County Sheriff’s Department
The Independence County Sheriff’s Department
The Maumelle Police Department
The Sherwood Police Department
The Jonesboro Police Department and
The Craighead County Sheriff’s Department

Operation Ghost Rider Rids Rockland County of Violent Drug Traffickers

2008-04-10T17:40:00.000-07:00

APR 10 -- New York Drug Enforcement Administration Special Agent in Charge John P. Gilbride and Rockland County District Attorney Thomas Zugibe announced the arrest of 24 individuals who were responsible for narcotics trafficking throughout Rockland County.


Seized weapons.	Seized items.

DEA Special Agent in Charge John P. Gilbride stated, “This investigation’s success is due to united commitment of law enforcement to make our communities safe from the perils of drug abuse. From the source of supply to the drug distributors all those responsible have been brought to justice to face the consequences of their actions.”

Operation Ghost Rider began in August of 2007 and was initiated by the Rockland County Narcotics Task Force (RCNTF). Information was gleaned that led to the identification of a narcotics trafficking organization known as the “Building Three Crew”. As a response the Task Force conducted street buys and surveillances, which led to securing eavesdropping warrants.


Seized items.	Associate SAC Jimmy Fox III addresses the Press

Working together with the Rockland County Narcotics Task Force, the New York Drug Enforcement Task Force (NYDETF) Group T-31, which is comprised of agents and officers of the Drug Enforcement Administration, the New York Police Department and the New York State Police this operation led to the identification of 27 individuals responsible for cocaine distribution. Throughout the operation over 55,000 phone conversations were intercepted where the defendants were either ordering cocaine from their supplier or supplying cocaine to other individuals throughout Rockland County.

In the early morning of April 9, 2008, members of the New York Drug Enforcement Task Force, the Rockland County Narcotics Task Force, Orangetown Police Department, Clarkstown Police Department, New York State Police, New York Police Department, Rockland County Sheriffs Department, Haverstraw Police Department, Spring Valley Police Department, South Nyack Police Department, Piermont Police Department, Ramapo Police Department and Suffern Police Department effected arrest warrants for 24 of the defendants. The Office of the New York City Special Narcotics Prosecutor also collaborated in the investigation. Special Narcotics indicted Edward Monsanto, Angel Perez-Baez, Juan Castro and Diogenis Gonzalez on Criminal Possession of a Controlled Substance in the First Degree subsequent to their arrest on February 18, 2008 and the seizure of 3½ kilograms of cocaine in Upper Manhattan.

As a result of this collaborative investigation, Operation Ghost Rider resulted in the indictments of 27 individuals, the seizure of 4 kilograms of heroin, 10 decks of heroin, 3 ½ kilograms of cocaine, scales and drug packaging material, a .25 Caliber Beretta handgun, $31,000 of US Currency, 5 handguns, handcuffs, bullet proof vests and ammunition.

Southern California Doctor Charged with Anabolic Steroid and Human Growth Hormone Distribution

2008-04-10T17:38:00.000-07:00

Indictment Alleges Importation of Human Growth
Hormone from China for Distribution in the United States

APR 10 -- SAN JOSE – United States Attorney Joseph P. Russoniello announced that a federal grand jury in San Jose has indicted Dr. Ramon Scruggs, 60, of Tustin, California, Allan Danto, 54, of San Diego, California, and Heidi MacPherson, 39, of Laguna Niguel, California on counts of conspiracy to commit offenses against the United States, conspiracy to commit money laundering, and money laundering. In addition, Dr. Scruggs is also charged with four counts of distribution of anabolic steroids and four counts of misbranding drugs held for sale with intent to defraud and mislead.

The indictment, which was returned under seal on March 6, 2008, was unsealed today. The conspiracy charge against all three defendants alleges that the defendants conspired to: (1) distribute anabolic steroids in a manner which was outside the scope of professional medical practice, and not for a legitimate medical purpose; (2) smuggle human growth hormone into the United States in a manner contrary to law; and (3) misbrand drugs held for sale with intent to defraud and mislead.

According to the indictment, Dr. Scruggs was a physician who operated his medical practice at New Hope Health Center located in Costa Mesa, California. Under the name of New Hope Health Center, Scruggs and two employees in his office, Mr. Danto and Ms. McPherson, conspired to distribute anabolic steroids, human growth hormone (“HGH”) and various other prescription drugs in a manner outside the usual course of practice, for non-legitimate purposes, including performance enhancement, aesthetic body improvement and other non-medical reasons.

The non-legitimate prescriptions written by Dr. Scruggs were forwarded to pharmacies both inside and outside the state of California, including Signature Pharmacy, in Orlando, Florida, and the drugs were subsequently delivered from the pharmacies to Dr. Scruggs’s clients throughout the United States, including the Northern District of California. At other times, syringes were pre-loaded with anabolic steroids and sent directly from the New Hope Health Center to Dr. Scruggs’s clients.

The defendants are not in custody, and their initial appearances have not yet been scheduled.

The maximum statutory penalty for the count of conspiracy to commit offenses against the United States in violation of 18 U.S.C. § 371 and for each count of distribution of anabolic steroids in violation of 21 U.S.C. § 841 is five years imprisonment and a $250,000 fine.

The maximum statutory penalty for each count of misbranding drugs held for sale with intent to defraud and mislead in violation of 21 U.S.C. § 331(k) and 333(b) is three years imprisonment and a $250,000 fine.

The maximum statutory penalty for the count of conspiracy to commit money laundering in violation of 18 U.S.C. § 1956 and the count of money laundering in violation of 18 U.S.C. § 1956 is 20 years imprisonment and a $500,000 fine.

However, any sentence following conviction would be imposed by the court after consideration of the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and the federal statute governing the imposition of a sentence, 18 U.S.C. § 3553.

Matt Parrella, Jeff Nedrow, and Jeff Finigan are the Assistant United States Attorneys who are prosecuting the case with the assistance of Brenda Hodgen and Susan Kreider. The prosecution is the result of a four-year investigation by the Drug Enforcement Administration, the Food and Drug Administration Office of Criminal Investigations, and the Internal Revenue Service Criminal Investigation.

Please note, an indictment contains only allegations against an individual and, as with all defendants, Dr. Scruggs, Mr. Danto, and Ms. McPherson must be presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty.

Mexican Mayor Charged with Trafficking Multi-Kilogram Quantities of Cocaine

2008-04-02T17:43:00.000-07:00

APR 2 -- (Manhattan, NY) JOHN P. GILBRIDE, the Special Agent-in-Charge of the United States Drug Enforcement Administration ("DEA") and MICHAEL J. GARCIA, the United States Attorney for the Southern District of New York announced that RUBEN GIL, a/k/a "Gavilan," a/k/a "Padrino," arrived in New York yesterday evening to face charges of trafficking multi-kilogram quantities of cocaine within the United States. GIL, who was elected mayor of Izúcar de Matamoros in the state of Puebla, Mexico in November 2007, was arrested in California on March 23, 2008.

"This arrest exemplifies the commitment of global law enforcement to identify and arrest those individuals responsible for trafficking cocaine into New York," said DEA Special Agent in Charge JOHN P. GILBRIDE. "With international law enforcement's united front we will protect our nation from the perils of narcotics by continuing to investigate drug trafficking organizations operating across the globe."

According to the Indictment filed in December 2007 in Manhattan federal court and statements made during a bail hearing in Los Angeles federal court: From 2005 through at least November 2007, GIL, 41, along with co-defendant MARTIN NELSON GARCIA, participated in a far-reaching narcotics trafficking conspiracy, in which they arranged for the transportation and delivery of cocaine to co-conspirators in the New York metropolitan area. In November 2007, GIL arranged for the delivery of approximately 11 kilograms of cocaine to the New York metropolitan area. This followed a 22 kilogram cocaine delivery to the New York metropolitan area, which GIL's partner and co-defendant GARCIA, arranged in June 2006.

In addition, as detailed during a bail hearing in Los Angeles federal court, GIL has been responsible for the trafficking and delivery of additional large shipments of cocaine over the course of several years. GIL often transported cocaine inside tractor-trailer trucks used by a national moving company controlled by GIL. In March 2004, the DEA seized approximately 150 kilograms of cocaine that had been transported by a truck bearing the name "Gil Moving & Storage," which was being driven by GIL's brother, EDUARDO GIL. GIL is charged with one count of conspiracy to distribute cocaine and possess with intent to distribute cocaine.

If convicted, GIL faces a maximum sentence of life in prison and a mandatory minimum sentence of 10 years in prison. GIL is scheduled to appear before United States District Judge JOHN E. SPRIZZO on April 3, 2008.

Mr. GARCIA praised the outstanding investigative work of the DEA's New York Drug Enforcement Task Force, which includes agents and officers of the DEA, New York City Police Department, and New York State Police, as well as the assistance provided by the Orange County Regional Narcotics Suppression Program, the DEA’s Los Angeles Field Division, the Rockland County Narcotics Task Force, and the DEA's Mexico City Country Office. Mr. GARCIA also thanked the United States Customs Border Protection and the United States Marshals Service for its work in effecting GIL's arrest and transfer to the Southern District of New York. Additionally, Mr. GARCIA expressed his gratitude to Mexican law enforcement authorities for their coordination in the investigation.

"The arrest of RUBEN GIL, charged with transporting significant quantities of cocaine within the United States, is the result of extraordinary cooperation of international law enforcement partners, and our commitment to investigate and prosecute narcotics traffickers," said United States Attorney MICHAEL J. GARCIA.

Assistant United States Attorneys AVI WEITZMAN, PARVIN MOYNE, and ANNA ARREOLA are in charge of the prosecution.

The charges contained in the Indictment are merely accusations, and the defendant is presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty.

California Doctor-Lawyer Couple Get Five Years For Growing and Selling Marijuana

2008-03-20T17:44:00.000-07:00

MAR 20 -- (Sacramento, CA) - United States Attorney McGregor W. Scott and Drug Enforcement Administration Assistant Special Agent in Charge Gordon Taylor, announced that Dr. MARION P. FRY, 50, a medical doctor, and DALE C. SCHAFER, 52, a lawyer, husband and wife, of Cool, California, were each sentenced on March 19, 2008, by United States District Judge Frank C. Damrell, Jr. to 60 months in federal prison. On August 16, 2007, a federal jury found the defendants guilty of conspiracy to sell marijuana, to grow over 100 marijuana plants, and to sell over 100 marijuana plants.

This case was the product of long-term investigations by the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) and the El Dorado County Sheriff’s Office.

According to Assistant United States Attorney Anne Pings, who prosecuted the case, Judge Damrell, in sentencing the defendant, stated that he took “no pleasure in imposing sentence,” remarking on the congressionally mandated five-year sentence. The court observed that with their “passion for the drug … their judgment got clouded” and their “self-aggrandizement took over.” The evidence presented at trial showed that from 1999 until the end of 2001, when the DEA served a judicially authorized search warrant at their residential property, the defendants sold dried marijuana and marijuana plants from their office in Cool to persons acquiring recommendations from Dr. FRY for use of marijuana, for a fee. These recommendations enabled the holder to avoid arrest under California’s “medicinal” marijuana law, Proposition 215. The proposition provides a legal defense to state (not federal) criminal charges when marijuana is possessed for treatment of a serious medical condition.

Evidence introduced at trial, however, showed that FRY sold these recommendation statements to people for diagnoses such as asthma, alcoholism, and sore elbow. On cross-examination, SCHAFER admitted that by 2001, the couple had made approximately $750,000 to $1,000,000 selling these recommendation statements to over 5,000 customers who had visited their office in Cool. It was to these customers the defendants sold dried marijuana in plastic bags and as marijuana plants. Some of the customers testified at trial the hand-to-hand sales took place in the fire station parking lot near their office. Other customers signed up at the office for home delivery of dried marijuana or plants. The couple also employed a delivery man who drove to customers’ homes and delivered bags of marijuana and marijuana plants.

“The federal ban on growing and selling marijuana is without equivocation. The defendants were fully aware of this federal prohibition, yet proceeded to openly sell marijuana from their business in El Dorado County. Today’s sentencing—mandated by Congress—is the consequence of their decision to flagrantly violate federal law” stated United States Attorney McGregor Scott.

The DEA investigation began in 2001 when eight parcels of marijuana the defendants were shipping to customers were intercepted. It was revealed at trial that payment for marijuana deliveries would be made by check, payable to the “Law Office of Dale C. Schafer” which were deposited into the law office bank account. At trial, several witnesses testified that after buying a recommendation paper from FRY at the defendants’ office in Cool, or other locations where the defendants held “workshops” or “clinics,” they then purchased marijuana directly from the defendants, their delivery man, or SCHAFER’s adult son. One witness testified that after buying a recommendation paper, SCHAFER’s adult daughter, who posed as a “paralegal” at the office, telephoned her and informed her that they were selling marijuana and asked if she wanted to place an order. SCHAFER’s adult son later delivered the marijuana to the witness’s home. The son told the witness to make the check payable to his father’s law office so that if there were any questions later, they could claim the check was for legal services.

During the trial, the prosecution played an audiotape of FRY offering to sell four plants and indoor growing lights to an undercover officer for $400. In the tape she is also heard encouraging the undercover officer to buy marijuana plants and lights from her instead of going to another supplier, saying that the other establishment was “staked out by narcs.” The government’s evidence also included a recording made by an undercover officer who called the defendants’ office and was told that he could buy small marijuana plants for $5 a piece. When they executed the search warrant at the defendants’ house, the DEA agents seized over 30 plants and large quantities of dried and harvested marijuana. They also located an underground bunker outfitted with lights and fans to grow marijuana, a multi-car garage converted into an indoor hydroponic growing facility, a customized indoor drying room, and plants growing in a greenhouse and an outdoor garden area. The trial exhibits included photos of SCHAFER and the couple’s minor children harvesting marijuana plants from this garden area and “trimming” marijuana bud inside the residence.

The court released the defendants on bail pending their anticipated appeal to the Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals. As a condition of her release, the court prohibited Dr. FRY from directly or indirectly recommending “medicinal” marijuana.

New Jersey Physician Sentenced to 11 Years for Conspiracy to Distribute Narcotic Painkillers

2008-03-06T18:22:00.000-08:00

MAR 6 -- (NEWARK, NJ) Gerard P. McAleer, Special Agent in Charge (SAC), of the Drug Enforcement Administration New Jersey Division along with Attorney Christopher J. Christie announced a Bloomfield physician was sentenced to 132 months in federal prison today for conspiring to distribute thousands of OxyContin and Percocet pills. U.S. District Judge Stanley R. Chesler, who presided over the four-week trial, also ordered Dr. Joan Jaszczult DO, age 46, to pay a fine of $12,500 and serve three years of supervised release upon the completion of her prison term. Judge Chesler remanded the defendant to the custody of the U.S. Marshal to begin serving her sentence. On Sept. 17, 2007, after three hours of deliberations, a jury convicted Jaszczult of one count each of conspiracy to distribute oxycodone and distribution of oxycodone. In convicting Jaszczult, the jury found that Jaszczult conspired to distribute oxycodone, the main ingredient in narcotic painkillers such as OxyContin and Percocet, with co-conspirators who bought prescriptions from her and subsequently distributed the pills on the streets of northern New Jersey. The jury also found that Jaszczult illegally distributed oxycodone on June 30, 2005, when she wrote and sold a Percocet prescription to a cooperating government witness in the name of someone whom she had never met and who was not a patient of hers. Jaszczult was arrested on Sept. 20, 2005, by Special Agents of the Drug Enforcement Administration and the Federal Bureau of Investigation on the two-count Indictment. In addition to Jaszczult, 29 individuals were arrested in a long-running undercover operation code-named “PILL COLLECTOR.” All of the defendants pleaded guilty prior to trial except for Jaszczult and Joseph A. Bruzzi, Jr., 33, of Lyndhurst, who pleaded guilty during the trial.

The drug distribution count on which Jaszczult was convicted related to Jaszczult’s acceptance of cash payments in her Bloomfield office in exchange for writing 1,499 prescriptions for OxyContin as well as for other oxycodone-based narcotics such as Percocet. Co-conspirators were able to obtain the prescriptions from Jaszczult in their names for non-existent medical conditions. They were also able to obtain them in the names of individuals whom Jaszczult had never examined, diagnosed, treated, or otherwise met. In order to avoid detection, the cash paying “patients” utilized a large number of national and independently owned pharmacies to fill the illegally obtained prescriptions. Once in possession of the actual pills, the “patients” would sell them, for huge profits, to middlemen who would then further distribute them for additional profits. The substantive count on which Jaszczult was convicted related to Jaszczult’s sale of a Percocet prescription to the confidential informant. The case was prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorneys Jonathan W. Romankow and R. Joseph Gribko.

International Arms Dealer Arrested On Terrorism Charges In Bangkok

2008-03-06T17:45:00.000-08:00

MAR 6 -- DEA Acting Administrator Michele M. Leonhart and Michael J. Garcia, the United States Attorney for the Southern District of New York, announced the arrest of Victor Bout, an international arms dealer charged with conspiring to sell millions of dollars worth of weapons to the Fuerzas Armadas Revolucionarias de Colombia (the "FARC") -- a designated foreign terrorist organization based in Colombia. Bout and co-defendant Andrew Smulian were arrested yesterday on the U.S. charges by Thai authorities in Bangkok.

According to court documents, between November 2007 and February 2008, Bout and Smulian agreed to sell to the FARC millions of dollars worth of weapons including surface-to-air missile systems (SAMs) and armor piercing rocket launchers. During a series of recorded telephone calls and emails, Bout and Smulian agreed to sell the weapons to two confidential sources (CSs) working with the DEA, who held themselves out as FARC representatives acquiring these weapons for the FARC for use in Colombia.

In addition, during a series of consensually recorded meetings in Romania, Smulian advised the CSs, among other things, that Bout had 100 SAMs available immediately and could also provide helicopters and armor piercing rocket launchers. During one of the meetings with the CSs, Smulian provided one of the CSs with a digital memory stick that contained an article about Bout, and documents containing photographs and specifications for the SAMs and armor piercing rocket launchers that Smulian had previously said Bout could provide.

In between his meetings with the CSs, Smulian spoke to Bout over a cellphone provided to him by one of the CSs at the direction of the DEA. During one of these conversations, Bout and Smulian discussed the $5 million delivery fee for the weapons.

Bout and Smulian are charged with conspiracy to provide material support or resources to a designated foreign terrorist organization. If convicted, the defendants each face a maximum sentence of 15 years' imprisonment.

The U.S. plans to pursue the extradition of the defendants from Thailand.

The international law enforcement operation announced today was the result of cooperation between the DEA, the Royal Thai Police, the Romanian Border Police, the Korps Politie Curacao of the Netherlands Antilles, and the Danish National Police Security Services.

Mr. Garcia praised the investigative work of the DEA and thanked the Royal Thai Police for their assistance. Mr. Garcia also thanked the Romanian Border Police, the Romanian Prosecutor's Office Attached to the High Court of Cassation and Justice, the Korps Politie Curacao of the Netherlands Antilles, and the Danish National Police Security Services, for their cooperation, and thanked the U.S. Department of Justice Office of International Affairs.

"Viktor Bout and Andrew Smulian agreed to arm terrorists with high-powered weapons that have fueled some of the most violent conflicts in recent memory," said U.S. Attorney Michael J. Garcia. "Today, they face charges in the United States for agreeing to provide weapons to a terrorist organization that has threatened, and continues to threaten, American interests."

"DEA and our partners now have this terrorist supporter in custody where he can no longer ply his deadly trade," said DEA Acting Administrator Michele M. Leonhart. "This arms trafficker was poised to arm a narco-terrorist organization, but he now faces justice in the United States."

52 Arrested On Drug Charges In Buffalo, NY

2008-02-21T18:23:00.000-08:00

FEB 21 -- (Buffalo, NY) John P. Gilbride, the Special Agent-in-Charge of the New York Office of the United States Drug Enforcement Administration ("DEA”) announced the culmination of Operation Shamrock which netted the arrests of 10 defendants on a number of drug charges. DEA coordinated these arrests with 42 other arrests by the Buffalo Police Department in the same area of Buffalo.

DEA Special Agent in Charge John P. Gilbride stated, “This investigation has cleaned up South Buffalo in a concerted effort to rid this community of drugs. These arrests demonstrate our commitment to weeding out those responsible for littering our communities with drugs. The individuals arrested in Operation Shamrock were on a lucky streak that has now come to an end.”

In August of 2007, the DEA Buffalo Task Force Group, along with the Buffalo Police Department and the New York State Police initiated an investigation which targeted the drug trafficking activities of various individuals in Buffalo, NY. This investigation was the result of citizen complaints of organized drug trafficking and gang-related drug trafficking activity specifically in South Buffalo.

With the assistance of federal, state and local law enforcement it was learned that one of the drug trafficking organizations was spear headed by two brothers; Michael Sylvia and Shawn Sylvia who face federal charges for sales of illegal narcotics in addition to the other 8 defendants in this investigation.

This investigation was a diligent effort to rid the streets of the scourge of illegal drugs in an area (South Buffalo) not necessarily known for crime or drug use. It was found that a network of illegal marijuana and controlled substances were being sold throughout the Buffalo area and this effort resulted in the seizure of several ounces of marijuana and cocaine as well as $35,000 cash.

This operation was productive in large part to the great cooperation between the Drug Enforcement Administration, Buffalo Police Department, the New York State Police, the Federal Bureau of Investigation SWAT Team, Cheektowaga Police Department, Niagara Falls Police Department and the United States Attorney’s Office, Western District of New York.

Guatemala Extradites Colombian Heroin Trafficker

2008-02-12T18:25:00.000-08:00

FEB 12 --(Manhattan, NY) JOHN P. GILBRIDE, the Special Agent-in-Charge of the New York Office of the United States Drug Enforcement Administration ("DEA"), MICHAEL J. GARCIA, the United States Attorney for the Southern District of New York and JOSEPH R. GUCCIONE, the United States Marshal for the Southern District of New York, announced that ALIRIO MUNOZ-MUNOZ, a citizen of Colombia, arrived in New York on Saturday, February 9, 2008 after being extradited from Guatemala on federal charges of conspiring to import at least 5 kilograms of heroin into the United States. MUNOZ-MUNOZ is the third defendant to be extradited from Guatemala in connection with this case; the earlier extraditions of codefendants LUIS LEMUS and JAVIER ARMAS-REYES were the first extraditions of drug traffickers from Guatemala on federal charges in over a decade. MUNOZ-MUNOZ is expected to be presented later today in Manhattan federal court.

DEA Special Agent in Charge JOHN P. GILBRIDE stated, “This effort to bring to justice those responsible for illegal drug distribution is representative of international law enforcement’s goal – to identify and arrest drug traffickers. This extradition marks the end of one drug trafficking organization’s ability to smuggle heroin into our community.”

According to the Indictment filed in Manhattan federal court: From October 2003 to June 2004, MUNOZ-MUNOZ participated in a conspiracy to import kilogram-quantities of heroin into the United States. MUNOZ-MUNOZ’s co-conspirators assisted in the distribution of the narcotics and the collection of their proceeds, in New York. A shipment of 5 kilograms of heroin belonging to the conspiracy was seized from a hidden compartment in a car in the Bronx in 2004.

MUNOZ-MUNOZ is charged with one count of conspiracy to import heroin into the United States, one count of conspiracy to distribute heroin, and one count of possessing heroin with intent to distribute it. If convicted, MUNOZ-MUNOZ faces on each count a maximum sentence of life in prison and a mandatory minimum sentence of 10 years in prison.

Mr. GARCIA praised the investigative efforts of the Drug Enforcement Administration's New York Drug Enforcement Task Force -- which includes agents and officers of the DEA, the New York City Police Department, and the New York State Police – and the DEA's Guatemala country office. Mr. GARCIA also thanked the Office of International Affairs of the Criminal Division of the Department of Justice and the United States Marshals Service for their work in effectuating the extradition. Mr. GARCIA expressed his gratitude to the Guatemalan authorities and law enforcement community for its cooperation in the investigation. Assistant United States Attorney JESSICA A. ROTH is in charge of the prosecution.

The charges contained in the Indictment are merely accusations, and the defendant is presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty.

Drug Kingpin Convicted Of Running Heroin Organization In The Bronx And Queens

2008-02-08T18:26:00.000-08:00

FEB 8 -- (Manhattan, NY) JOHN P. GILBRIDE, the Special Agent-in-Charge of the New York Office of the United States Drug Enforcement Administration ("DEA") and MICHAEL J. GARCIA, the United States Attorney for the Southern District of New York announced that JOSE RODRIGUEZ NIEVES, a/k/a "Menor," a/k/a "Cuba," was found guilty late yesterday of charges related to his leadership of a highly lucrative drug organization responsible for distributing hundreds of kilograms of heroin in the Bronx from 1995 to January 2005. The trial took place before the Honorable Loretta A. Preska and a jury.

DEA Special Agent in Charge JOHN P. GILBRIDE stated, “Throughout this operation the DEA and our law enforcement partners identified an organization responsible for importing, packaging and distributing thousands of bags of heroin to be distributed in New York. All those responsible have been placed under arrest and today the leader of the drug organization has been convicted by members of the same community he was poisoning with heroin.”

According to the evidence at trial: RODRIGUEZ was the principal organizer, leader, and administrator of a drug organization that obtained hundreds of kilograms of heroin from Colombian suppliers in Queens, New York, and then prepared the heroin for distribution in the Bronx. During the ten-year period, RODRIGUEZ employed over a dozen people to work in heroin "mills" where bags of heroin were prepared, packaged, and delivered to heroin distribution "spots" in the Bronx.

In preparing the heroin, RODRIGUEZ and his workers mixed the heroin with chemicals including animal tranquilizers to create a potent and addictive drug that became popular with drug addicts and other users in the Bronx. RODRIGUEZ and other members of the drug organization used a number of vehicles with hidden compartments or "traps" to transport the kilograms of heroin within the New York City area. Specifically, RODRIGUEZ’s heroin was sold in the vicinity of Bryant Avenue in Bronx, New York -- where his mother used to own a townhouse in which agents seized ammunition and evidence relating to RODRIGUEZ’s heroin organization -- and in the vicinity of Vyse Avenue, also in the Bronx. In the ten years that RODRIGUEZ’s organization was in operation, it earned millions of dollars from heroin sales. During the course of the investigation, law enforcement agents and officers seized over $2.7 million in cash, 108 pieces of jewelry worth more than $160,000, and several expensive and antique vehicles. RODRIGUEZ was convicted of leading and organizing a continuing criminal enterprise ("CCE"), conspiring to distribute heroin, and possessing heroin with the intent to distribute it. He faces a mandatory minimum sentence of life imprisonment on the CCE count, and mandatory minimum sentences of 10 years and maximum sentences of life on the heroin conspiracy and distribution counts. RODRIGUEZ is scheduled to be sentenced by Judge PRESKA on May 7, 2006.

Other individuals who participated in RODRIGUEZ’s heroin organization were arrested and have subsequently pleaded guilty to heroin trafficking and/or firearms offenses. These defendants include: - JULIO CRUZ ANDINO, a/k/a "Julio Ismael Cruz," a/k/a "Julio Andino Cruz," a/k/a "Julio Andino," a/k/a "Julio Cruzismael," who pleaded guilty on September 14, 2006; - LUIS ANTONIO CABAN who pleaded guilty on September 22, 2006; - MELVIN GONZALEZ CORDOBA who pleaded guilty on October 24, 2006; - JESUS MORALES, a/k/a "Tony," a/k/a "Carlos Perez," who pleaded guilty on September 12, 2006; - RAYMOND ALICEA who pleaded guilty on September 5, 2006; - CARLOS ALICEA who pleaded guilty on September 15, 2006; - MARTIN BLAS ALICEA, a/k/a "Martin Alice," a/k/a "Martin O. Alicea," who pleaded guilty on September 6 2006; - JOVANNY CORREDOR who pleaded guilty on September 7, 2006; - EPIFANIO DICENT, a/k/a "John Dicent," who pleaded guilty on September 18, 2006; - PAQUITO RODRIGUEZ who pleaded guilty on November 6, 2006; - EDWIN SUAREZ, a/k/a "Tato," who pleaded guilty on May 30, 2006; and - JEFFREY CARDONA who pleaded guilty on March 9, 2005. All of these individuals await sentencing.

Mr. GARCIA praised the investigative efforts of the DEA’s New York Drug Enforcement Task Force -- which includes agents and officers of the DEA, New York City Police Department, and New York State Police for their assistance in the investigation, arrest and prosecution of RODRIGUEZ and many members of his organization.

Assistant Untied States Attorneys REED M. BRODSKY and GURUANJAN S. SAHNI are in charge of the prosecution.

United States Announces Historic Extradition of Iranian Heroin Trafficker To New York

2007-12-14T09:51:00.000-08:00

(New York) Michele M. Leonhart, the Acting Administrator of the United States Drug Enforcement Administration ("DEA")and Michael J. Garcia, the United States Attorney for the Southern District of New York announced the extradition yesterday from Austria to New York of HUSSEIN KARIMI, a/k/a "Hussein Karimi Rikabadi," a/k/a "Hossein Salim Khani," an Iranian national previously living in Romania, on charges relating to the importation of heroin into the United States from Afghanistan and Pakistan.

"For nearly a decade, Hussein Karimi Rikabadi ran an international drug conglomerate suspected of distributing heroin in the Middle East, Western Europe and North America," said DEA Acting Administrator Michele M. Leonhart. "His organization moved hundreds of millions of dollars worth of heroin from Pakistan and Afghanistan through Iran and Turkey. Now this globetrotter's journeys have taken a detour to a courtroom in the Southern District of New York where he will face American justice."

According to the Indictment filed in Manhattan federal court: Since 1998, KARIMI led an international heroin trafficking organization (the "Rikabadi Organization") responsible for the worldwide distribution of thousands of kilograms of Southwest Asian heroin. The Rikabadi Organization purchased heroin from suppliers in Afghanistan and Pakistan, and arranged for the heroin to be transported through various countries including Iran and Turkey. The Rikabadi Organization’s heroin was imported into the United States, Canada, and Western European countries and sold for hundreds of millions of dollars. KARIMI controlled the heroin-trafficking activities of his organization from locations in Romania. KARIMI was arrested in March 2007 while attempting to cross from Austria to the Republic of Azerbaijan.

The extradition was the result of the cooperative efforts of the United States Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of New York, the DEA, and the United States Marshals Service, working together under the auspices of the New York Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Strike Force" (Strike Force) which is comprised of agents and officers of the United States Drug Enforcement Administration, the New York City Police Department, the United States Internal Revenue Service Criminal Investigation Division, the Department of Homeland Security Bureau of Immigration and Customs Enforcement, the Federal Bureau of Investigation, the New York State Police, the United States Marshals Service, the United States Secret Service and the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives, in close coordination with Romanian law enforcement authorities. This extradition arises from the first-ever international narcotics enforcement operation on which United States and Romanian law enforcement authorities jointly collaborated. Mr. GARCIA praised the investigative work of the DEA. Mr. Garcia also thanked Romanian law enforcement authorities, including the Romanian Frontier Police, for their assistance in the investigation.

"KARIMI’s extradition demonstrates yet again how effective international law enforcement cooperation can be in the effort to eradicate global drug organizations," said United States Attorney Michael J. Garcia.

If convicted, KARIMI faces a maximum sentence of life in prison and a mandatory minimum sentence of 10 years in prison. KARIMI is expected to be presented in Manhattan federal court tomorrow. Assistant United States Attorneys Boyd M. Johnson III, Jocelyn Strauber, Anjan Sahni, and David O’Neil are in charge of the prosecution.

Mexican-Based International Drug Trafficking Organization Takes Big Hit in US

2007-12-11T09:52:00.000-08:00

Large Amounts of Cocaine, Crystal Methamphetamine and Millions of Cash Seized

DEC 11 -- Atlanta, GAFederal, state and local agents completed the initial searches and arrests in two multi-jurisdictional, multi-agency investigations coordinated through the Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Forces (OCDETF) program. The investigations targeted major Mexican drug trafficking organizations that smuggled cocaine, methamphetamine and marijuana into the United States for distribution in Georgia, California, North Carolina, New York, and elsewhere. These investigations focused on two separate Mexican-based drug organizations that regularly cooperated in using transportation routes into and out of the Atlanta area.

The evidence seized during the searches and arrests just over the past two days includes 111 kilograms of cocaine, 17 pounds of crystal methamphetamine, approximately $8,000,000 to $10,000,000 in cash and at least 32 firearms, including handguns and assault rifles.

Cash and Weapons Seized

The two investigations were code named “Operation Shooting Star” and “Operation Latitude Adjustment.”

Operation Shooting Star was initiated in October 2006 and was led by the David Wilhelm Atlanta OCDETF Strike Force. In March 2006, the Atlanta High Intensity Drug Trafficking Area (HIDTA) Task Force began investigating the Georgia-based traffickers identified in Operation Latitude Adjustment. Both investigations have been designated as OCDETF investigations, which recognizes the highest priority cases for Federal drug prosecution.

Operation Shooting Star has resulted in arrests of 35 individuals and the execution of 19 search warrants. Operation Latitude Adjustment has resulted in the arrests of 12 individuals and the execution of six search warrants.

Investigators determined that the targeted organizations regularly transported large quantities of cocaine, methamphetamine, and marijuana from the Mexican states of Nuevo Leon, Guerrero, and Michoacan to the Atlanta area, and then transported currency accumulated from the sale of the drugs back through Atlanta to be smuggled across the Southwest border to Mexico.

Rodney G. Benson, Special Agent in Charge of DEA Atlanta said, “Today, law enforcement disrupted and dismantled two distinct, but inter-related Mexican-based drug trafficking organizations that shared common resources. These organizations might still be thriving, had it not been for the spirited efforts of over 300 dedicated law enforcement officers representing a myriad of agencies. We have removed in excess of 27 million dollars of filthy money from these traffickers and have taken thousands of pounds of dangerous drugs off of our streets. True justice has been served.”

Drugs Seized

United States Attorney David E. Nahmias said, “These operations have crushed two major drug trafficking organizations. The seizure of all this dope and all this money and the arrest of all of those players in the organization means that somewhere in Mexico right now, there are some very unhappy drug kingpins. Our message to them is that we will continue to do everything we can to make the Atlanta area a place where they don’t dare to operate. The two operations are allegedly linked by drug dealers using the same couriers of both drugs and money. Targets in both Operation Shooting Star and Operation Latitude Adjustment received narcotics from common suppliers in Mexico. These are on-going investigations and our many agencies working together will continue the aggressive fight against the illegal drugs that poison communities in Georgia and across the country.”

Jack Killorin, Atlanta HIDTA Director, said, “Today’s operation is a major strike against the Mexican drug cartels that have made the Atlanta Metropolitan area a hub of drug distribution in the Eastern United States. In Georgia, this result required the highest level of coordination among the Drug Enforcement Administration, the Wilhelm OCDETF Strike Force and the Atlanta High Intensity Drug Trafficking Area Task Force. The HIDTA effort was led by a DEA Special Agent and an Atlanta Police Department investigator, but involved all HIDTA participating agencies. Communities around the country are benefiting today from their collaborative effort, dedication, and no small sacrifice.”

In Operation Shooting Star, the drug trafficking organization allegedly coordinated the receipt and distribution of cocaine, methamphetamine and marijuana to states all along the Eastern Seaboard and into the Midwest. The organization also used Atlanta as the hub for the collection of drug proceeds from its East Coast distributors for shipment back to Mexico. In just the six months preceding the takedown, Operation Shooting Star seized over $12,000,000 in drugs and drug proceeds just from the Atlanta area, along with numerous weapons, including handguns and assault rifles. The investigation also has identified and dismantled sham businesses established by the organization that were used to facilitate and disguise its drug trafficking activities.

The 20 defendants indicted by a federal grand jury on December 4, 2007, in Operation Shooting Star are:

JOSE LUIS BENITEZ-TORNES,a/k/a “Cholo”; MARIO ALBERTO GUERRERO- MARTINEZ, a/k/a “Moyo,” and “Pepe”; “EL AS,” a/k/a “Ace,” (real name unknown); FNU LNU, a/k/a “Liceniado”; FNU LNU, a/k/a “Rucco”; FNU LNU, a/k/a “Tejon”; FNU LNU, a/k/a “Peluche”; EDGAR CAMACHO TORRES, a/k/a “Pollo”; RAMIRO OCHOA PENALOZA, a/k/a “Medico”; OPHELIA PINEDA; FRANCISCO VEGA SANTANA, a/k/a “Frai”; ENEYDA ROMERO MOLINA, a/k/a “Nena”; FNU LNU, a/k/a “Jonathan”; JOAQUIN SUAREZ FLORES; JUAN ANTONIO RAMOS SANCHEZ; “JORGE” (real name unknown); LUIS CORDERO PENA; JOSE MACIAS MARTINEZ; JESUS EMMANUEL GUADARRAMA; FELIPE SANTANA; and FAUSTO VILLA-MOJICA, a/k/a “Guero.”

25 additional defendants were charged by criminal complaints filed on December 6 and 7, 2007, in Operation Shooting Star:

ALFONSO RODRIGUEZ FRANCO, a/k/a “CHAVO”; KEVIN JIMENEZ-CASTILLO, a/k/a “JOSE”; J. JESUS TORRES-OCHOA; JOSE MENDOZA-SOLORZANO; DAMIAN LOPEZ-GONZALEZ, a/k/a “UM-2"; ALEJANDRO GUTIERREZ-BEIZA; ANTERO PINEDA-CAMACHO; JULIAN ORTUNO-HERRERA; MARTIN MAGANA-BERNAL; ANGEL HARO-PEREZ, a/k/a “UM-23";ARTURO TORRES-ZARAGOZA, a/k/a “ANDRES FRUTOS”; JESUS GARCIA CORONA, a/k/a “UM-76"; LEOPOLDO CASTANDA HERRERA; JOSE JESUS ESPINOZA FARIA; JOSE MAGANA ZAVALA; SALVADOR GONZALEZ-FLORES; JULIO CESAR AVALOS CERPAS, a/k/a “CESAR”; VICTOR GONZALEZ-FLORES; AURELIO CHAVEZ MALDONADO, a/k/a “KIYE”; CARLOS ALBERTO GUTIERREZ; JOSE TAPIA-CORNESO, a/k/a “UM-144"; MANUEL MAGANA-SAGRERO; LORENZO PINEDA-IBARRA, a/k/a “UM-1247"; JUAN AGUIAR MARTINEZ, a/k/a “UM-237"; and MARCO ANTONIO RODRIGUEZ MAGANA, a/k/a “TONO.”

In Operation Latitude Adjustment, the drug trafficking organization allegedly used Atlanta primarily as a transshipment and distribution point. While some of the drugs may have stayed in the Atlanta area for consumption, investigating agents believe the majority of the drugs were forwarded to other areas along the East Coast of the United States, including Tennessee, North Carolina, South Carolina, Florida, Alabama, and Virginia.

The California portion of the operation, called Operation Funk 49, began in April 2004, after tips led investigators to distributors in San Diego, California, which began a three-year undercover investigation in that area. Federal, state, and local law enforcement in San Diego have executed over a dozen coordinated search warrants resulting in the arrests of 59 defendants there, as well as the confiscation of 1,246 pounds of cocaine, 604 pounds of methamphetamine, two pounds of heroin, and over $9.1 million in cash. In Georgia, over 585 pounds of cocaine were seized as well as $1.26 million dollars. An additional $767,000 was seized by DEA in New York as the result of information uncovered in the investigation.

22 defendants were indicted by a federal grand jury in Atlanta on December 4, 2007

10 JFK Airport Employees Charged in International Drug Smuggling and Distribution Schemes

2007-10-16T09:55:00.000-07:00

(BROOKLYN, NY) A complaint was unsealed this morning in federal court in Brooklyn charging 18 defendants, including 10 employees at John F. Kennedy Airport, for their participation in an international heroin and cocaine importation organization, a drug distribution scheme, and bulk U.S. currency smuggling. As part of the two-year investigation, federal agents seized more than 46 kilograms of cocaine, 25 kilograms of heroin, and 3 kilograms of MDMA (ecstasy). The investigation leading to the charges announced today was conducted by United States Immigration and Customs Enforcement (“ICE”), with assistance provided by the Drug Enforcement Administration, Customs and Border Protection, and the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey.

The defendants arrested in New York earlier today have their initial appearances scheduled this afternoon before United States Magistrate Steven M. Gold, at the U. S. Courthouse, 225 Cadman Plaza East, Brooklyn, New York.

According to the complaint, 10 defendants participated in a drug organization led by HENRY POLANCO, who operated from the Washington Heights section of Manhattan. POLANCO dealt with drug suppliers in the Dominican Republic, who provided him with large quantities of heroin and cocaine. In order to smuggle the drugs into the country, POLANCO primarily relied on corrupt airline employees at JFK and abroad. In the Dominican Republic, the airport employees concealed narcotics in luggage on board international commercial flights destined for JFK. At JFK, corrupt airline employees supervised by JORGE ESPINAL, including Delta Airline employee ERIK ERAZO, diverted the contraband to a “safe” area before the luggage could be inspected by law enforcement. Thereafter, ESPINAL and ERAZO delivered the drugs to other members of the organization for distribution. MIGDALIA SOSA, an employee of Aramark and ESPINAL’s girlfriend, served as a lookout, monitoring law enforcement activity at the airport arrival area and reporting back to ESPINAL.

Utilizing court-authorized wire taps of the defendants’ telephones; law enforcement agents not only identified the members of the organization, but also interrupted its activities. For example, in August 2007, ICE agents intercepted a drug supplier advising POLANCO that, “he was flying,” meaning a narcotics courier had left the Dominican Republic carrying drugs. Alerted to the imminent arrival, Customs and Border Protection officers and ICE agents went to a secure corridor used by arriving international passengers to enter the Customs area for inspection. There, the agents and officers encountered ESPINAL and ERAZO, who immediately left the area. ESPINAL then telephoned POLANCO, warned him of the presence of law enforcement, and asked POLANCO to direct the courier to leave the “gift,” or drugs, on the plane. Instead, POLANCO ordered the courier to leave the plane with the drugs and enter the airport, where he was promptly arrested by law enforcement in possession of a suitcase containing more than 10 kilograms of cocaine and two kilograms of heroin.

The investigation also uncovered the criminal activity of seven other defendants, six of whom were airport employees, who participated in a drug distribution ring led by ERAZO. One additional defendant, VICTOR PEREZ was charged with ESPINAL for smuggling cash to the Dominican Republic. As members of the drug importation organization, HENRY POLANCO, JORGE ESPINAL, ERIK ERAZO, MARCO POLANCO, DIOMEDES MARCELINO, MIGDALIA SOSA, ELSEN VASQUEZ, DIGGITY “LNU,” LILO “LNU,” and SHORTY “LNU” are charged with conspiracy to import a controlled substance, and if convicted each faces a maximum sentence of life imprisonment and a $4 million fine. For their participation in the drug distribution scheme, ERIK ERAZO, CHRISTIAN AGUIRRE, GARY GONZALEZ, ERIK CARINO, VICKY PAMALONE, CHRISTOPHER SMITH, LUIS JUAREZ, and ROGER MATTOS are charged with conspiracy to distribute and possess with intent to distribute a controlled substance, and if convicted each faces a maximum term of imprisonment of 20 years and a $1million fine.

The defendants JORGE ESPINAL and VICTOR PEREZ are charged with conspiracy to engage in bulk cash smuggling, and if convicted each faces a maximum term of imprisonment of five years and a $250,000 fine.

United States Military Officer Sentenced to Over 17 Years in Prison for Importing Ecstasy on United States Air Force Aircraft

2007-08-31T09:56:00.000-07:00

MANHATTAN, NY – JOHN P. GILBRIDE, the Special Agent-in-Charge of the New York Office of the United States Drug Enforcement Administration (“DEA”) and MICHAEL J. GARCIA, the United States Attorney for the Southern District of New York announced that Master Sergeant JOHN FONG of the United States Air National Guard was sentenced on August 31, 2007 to 210 months in prison on federal narcotics charges stemming from his importation of Ecstasy on board a U.S. Air Force plane. The sentence was imposed by United States District Judge JOHN G. KOELTL.

“Justice has been served. John Fong betrayed the public trust by smuggling illegal drugs into the very community he was entrusted to protect. For his betrayal and for his illegal drug trafficking, he will be spending the next 17 years behind bars,” stated Special Agent in Charge John P. Gilbride.

FONG, 38, and his co-defendant FRANKLIN RODRIGUEZ, a former Captain in the United States Air National Guard, both pleaded guilty on May 19, 2006, to one count of conspiring to import into the United States, and one count of conspiring to possess and distribute Ecstasy. The charges were the result of an international investigation of the importation of Ecstasy on military aircraft and the distribution of the drug in the United States. As set forth in the Indictment: On April 12, 2005, RODRIGUEZ and FONG flew from Germany to Stewart Air National Guard Base in Newburgh, New York, aboard a United States Air Force C-5A “Galaxy” cargo aircraft on which they had hidden more than 200,000 Ecstasy pills. RODRIGUEZ also stored Ecstasy pills and approximately $725,000 in cash in his apartment in the Bronx, New York, and RODRIGUEZ and FONG stored approximately 60,000 pills in an automobile in Tampa, Florida. Judge KOELTL sentenced RODRIGUEZ to 17 ½ years’ imprisonment on October 13, 2006.

Mr. GARCIA praised the efforts of the Drug Enforcement Administration and the members of the New York Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Strike Force, who led the investigation along with this Office. The Strike Force was formed in May 2004, with the stated purpose of identifying, targeting, and dismantling the world’s most sophisticated and powerful narcotics trafficking organizations. Consisting of more than 200 law enforcement officers from the United States Drug Enforcement Administration, the New York City Police Department, the United States Internal Revenue Service Criminal Investigation Division, the Department of Homeland Security Bureau of Immigration and Customs Enforcement, the Federal Bureau of Investigation, the New York State Police, the United States Marshals Service, the United State Secret Service and the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives, the Strike Force combines the resources and talents of the participating agencies to bear against the largest suppliers of illegal drugs to the United States.

Mr. GARCIA also thanked the military personnel at Stewart Air National Guard Base, the United States Air Force, Office of Special Investigations, and the United States Department of Defense, Defense Criminal Investigative Service, for their assistance.

Online Drug Ring Dismantled

2006-12-27T09:41:00.000-08:00

Sea Ray seized during investigation

(New York, NY)-Four defendants have been charged with drug distribution, money laundering and tax fraud. The joint investigation leading to the charges was conducted by the Drug Enforcement Administration, Internal Revenue Service and the US Marshals Service. Four of the defendants were arrested on December 21, 2006 in Miami, Florida; Antonio Quinones, Jose Lopez, Herman Quinones and Michael Depinillos. This investigation, known as "Operation Click 4 Drugs," targeted an organization which distributed large quantities of Schedule III and Schedule IV controlled substances via the internet which resulted in the seizure of $817,000 cash, $4.2 million dollars worth of property, 2 automobiles, 1 Sea Ray marine vessel and two loaded guns.

Seized Ferrari

The owner of the company, Antonio Quinones, ran this illegal organization like a business. The business’ operation would begin when a customer using the internet to buy controlled substance would visit one of the websites Quinones operated. The customer would input personal credit card information and fill out a medical questionnaire in order to purchase drugs. The questionnaire would be forwarded to physicians overseas. The physicians would approve the online questionnaire, issue a prescription and email the prescription to a pharmacy. Throughout the country, pharmacies would fill out the prescriptions and ship the drugs to the customers.

A physician issuing a prescription without meeting the patient constitutes a violation of the requirement for a prescription to be for a legitimate medical purpose. During the course of this investigation, there were several undercover Internet purchases from four of the organization’s websites.

DEA Special Agent-in-Charge John P. Gilbride stated, ""Prescribing beyond the scope may sound like a title for a good novel. However, in this case, "Operation Click-for Drugs", prescribing beyond the scope is what these greedy individuals are being charged with for illegally trafficking prescription medication over the internet. This organization’s greed and disregard for the law and safety of the public put lives at risk by delivering drugs without proper medical approval. The DEA is focused on identifying and shutting down these rogue internet pharmacies in order to keep our children and our community safe from the perils of prescription drug abuse. Let this serve as a warning to those who operate rouge internet pharmacies that DEA and our law enforcement partners will find you and put you out of business.


Seized Guns

The cases are being prosecuted by Eastern District of New York Assistant United States Attorney Marcos Ramos.

DEA Creates First-Ever National Meth Site Registry

2006-12-05T09:43:00.000-08:00

DEC 5 -- (Washington, D.C.)-Today, the Drug Enforcement Administration announced that, as a free public service, DEA’s webpage (www.dea.gov) will post locations in each state where known methamphetamine clandestine labs or dumpsites were located so that individuals can be aware of possible meth contaminated sites within their communities. This is the first such national listing of seized former meth sites available to the public.

“In a cruel twist of fate, people who have never used or manufactured meth have become some of its hardest hit victims after unknowingly buying property contaminated by chemicals and waste generated from a meth lab,” said DEA Administrator Karen P. Tandy. "This registry gives home owners a new tool to help them ensure that their dream house is not a hidden nightmare.”

The website will contain addresses reported by a variety of law enforcement agencies where chemicals or other items related to meth production were found or dumped. Users of this posting should be aware of its limitations – data is reported voluntarily from a wide variety of sources, and may not be comprehensive.

Concerned parties should check any entry of interest, by contacting local law enforcement and local health departments. Further, these entries should not be used as a substitute for advice from a licensed professional familiar with the specific facts and circumstances.

THIRTEEN CHARGED IN NORTH SHORE COCAINE CONSPIRACY

2006-09-21T09:45:00.000-07:00

Tractor Trailers used to Smuggle Cocaine into Massachusetts

SEP 21--Boston, MA... Thirteen individuals have been named in an Indictment unsealed late yesterday with operating a cocaine distribution conspiracy in and around Lynn, Revere and Dorchester. A three-month wiretap investigation resulted in the seizure of a total of approximately 150 kilograms of cocaine that had been transported to Massachusetts - in at least two instances by tractor trailer.

June W. Stansbury, Special Agent in Charge of the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration in New England, and United States Attorney Michael J. Sullivan announced today that a federal Grand Jury returned an Indictment charging thirteen individuals with participating in a conspiracy to possess with intent to distribute 5 kilograms or more of cocaine. Eleven of the defendants are also charged with at least one additional count of possession with intent to distribute 5 kilograms or more of cocaine.

“Residents of the North Shore should not have to live with drug dealers operating in their communities - brazenly conducting their drug deals in mall parking lots and truck stops,” stated U.S. Attorney Sullivan. “Individuals, whether they live in the suburbs or in the heart of the City, should be able to walk their streets and go about their daily activities without fear or exposure to drug activity and potential related violence. We will continue to work closely with our federal, state and local partners to enhance the quality of life in neighborhoods throughout Massachusetts.”

According to the Indictment and documents previously filed with the Court, from approximately mid-May 2006 through August 2006, agents conducted a court-authorized wiretap investigation of a cocaine distribution ring operating in and around Lynn, Revere and Dorchester. The wiretaps captured conversations of the defendants allegedly arranging for meetings to pick up, distribute and pay for wholesale quantities of cocaine that were being shipped into Massachusetts from other parts of the country including New Jersey and Texas. As a result of the investigation, investigators were able to intercept three separate deliveries of cocaine after they had been received by various of the defendants in Massachusetts. The largest single
delivery, 123 kilograms of cocaine, was seized by investigators on August 14, 2006, in Lynn.

“Transporting cocaine by tractor trailer, van, car or on foot leads to only one destination, prison,” said DEA Special Agent in Charge Stansbury. “We will not allow traffickers to turn our interstates into cocaine highways. As this case demonstrates it’s a dead end.”

All of the defendants were arrested on complaints in August except for two. DANIEL MUESES was arrested yesterday in New Jersey. The last defendant, JOSEPH OVALLE is believed to be in the Dominican Republic and is considered a fugitive at this time. If convicted, each of the defendants faces a mandatory minimum sentence of 10 years in prison up to a maximum of life.

Former Physician Sentenced for Distributing Performance-Enhancing Drugs to NFL Players

2006-07-18T09:47:00.000-07:00

COLUMBIA, S.C. – An alternative medicine physician who formerly practiced in West Columbia, S.C., was sentenced today in federal court for conspiracy to distribute anabolic steroids and Human Growth Hormone (HGH). Chief U.S. District Judge Joseph F. Anderson, Jr., sentenced James M. Shortt, 59, to twelve months and one day in prison.

Shortt admitted during his guilty plea last March that he conspired to distribute anabolic steroids and HGH to NFL football players, bodybuilders and law enforcement officers for purposes of performance enhancement. The Controlled Substances Act prohibits distribution of anabolic steroids solely for performance enhancement as being outside the scope of legitimate medical practice.

Federal sentencing guidelines projected Shortt’s sentence to range from zero to six months incarceration. However, prosecutors sought a higher sentence, based on several factors: (1) the advisory sentencing guidelines did not sufficiently address the seriousness of the defendant's conduct in trafficking in performance enhancing drugs; (2) the guidelines failed to include HGH as a drug-trafficking offense; (3) the defendant's prescribing of steroids to a teenager was not accounted for by the guidelines; and (4) recent changes in the sentencing guidelines suggested that a more punitive sentence was appropriate.

Based in part upon the government’s argument, and also on what Judge Anderson perceived as a “lack of remorse” on the part of Shortt, the court rejected the zero to six months sentencing range and instead sentenced Shortt to one year and one day in prison. With the additional day in prison, Shortt can qualify for good behavior credit while incarcerated, potentially resulting in a shorter term of approximately 10 and a half months. Following his release from prison, Shortt will be placed on supervised release for two years.

The case was investigated by agents of the Drug Enforcement Administration. Assistant U.S. Attorneys Winston D. Holliday, Jr., and Jane B. Taylor of the Columbia, S.C., office handled the case.

33 Arrested in West Fresno Drug Bust

2006-05-22T09:48:00.000-07:00

Suspected Gang Members Nabbed and 37 lbs of ‘Ice’ Seized
in Joint Operation

37 lbs of Meth seized in the Operation

(FRESNO, CA) – Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) Special Agent in Charge (SAC) Javier F. Pena, Eastern District of California U.S. Attorney McGregor Scott, Fresno Police Chief Jerry Dyer, Alcohol Tobacco and Firearms (ATF) Special Agent in Charge (SAC) Stephen K. Martin and Fresno County District Attorney Elizabeth Egan announced the arrest of 33 individuals as part of a joint operation targeting drug dealers and gang members in West Fresno.

In addition to the arrests, 37 lbs of “ice” methamphetamine, 2.5 lbs of crack cocaine, 2.2 lbs of cocaine, $122,000 in cash, two assault pistols, two assault rifles, one high-powered rifle, one sawed-off shotgun, and six other firearms were seized.

At the request of Fresno Police Chief Jerry Dyer, a team of special agents from the DEA – known as a Mobile Enforcement Team (MET) – were deployed to Fresno in October 2005 to target drug trafficking organizations and gangs operating on the city’s west side. During the course of the investigation approximately 20 federal and state search warrants were served targeting distribution locations throughout the area. Many of these warrants were served in the vicinity of public schools and public housing areas.

“Mobile Enforcement Teams were designed to help communities like Fresno deal with drug traffickers who have set-up shop in their neighborhoods. We come in to take them out – it’s that simple,” said SAC Javier F. Pena.

Of the 33 individuals arrested, 18 were the result of federal indictments and 15 were arrested for state violations. Outstanding federal arrest warrants remain for Oscar Chavez, 24, of Madera, and Gregory Lee Simpson, 47, of Fresno.

“I commend Police Chief Dyer’s leadership in calling in the troops to aggressively pursue drug trafficking in Fresno,” said U.S. Attorney McGregor Scott. “The results of this collaborative crackdown speak for themselves: 33 arrests, and the seizure of 37 pounds of 'ice' methamphetamine, nearly 5 pounds of cocaine, and 12 firearms.”

Chief Dyer said, “With the help of the D.E.A., the A.T.F. and the Department of Justice, the Fresno Police Department has sent a strong message to drug dealers and users: you will not take over our neighborhoods.”

“Indiscriminant violence is often caused by armed drug dealers. Working together, we are confident that the MET team approach is an effective way to disrupt violence that can harm innocent citizens,” stated Special Agent in Charge Stephen K. Martin of ATF’s San Francisco Field Division.

District Attorney Elizabeth A. Egan stated, “This is an example of the positive impact law enforcement can have when we work together in a collaborative effort.”

This case is being prosecuted by the United States Attorney’s Office in the Eastern District of California and the Fresno County District Attorney’s Office. The charges are only allegations and the defendants are presumed innocent unless proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt.

Drug Enforcement Administration Highlights Year’s Accomplishments

2005-12-28T09:39:00.000-08:00

(Washington, D.C.) In 2005, the Drug Enforcement Administration has continued to effectively adapt to the increasingly complex challenges that face modern-day drug enforcement. While it is difficult to exactly quantify the progress made in a given year, the DEA is proud to share the news of some of our important successes of 2005 with the American public. Achieving such progress on this important national issue is encouraging news for us all.

The range of DEA’s accomplishments – from stripping drug criminals of their exorbitant profits, to shutting down illegal Internet “pharmacies,” to completing a huge nationwide methamphetamine sweep resulting in more than 400 arrests - indicates that while the current drug situation certainly remains difficult and complex, the DEA has developed equally complex and highly effective strategies to combat even the most sophisticated traffickers.

Listed below are Drug Enforcement Administration successes from Fiscal Year 2005. They are divided into categories that reflect the top priorities of the agency: financial investigations and investigations of money laundering organizations; pursuing Internet drug traffickers; arresting, indicting, and extraditing members of large drug organizations; investigating those who use drug profits to fund terrorist activities and also assisting law enforcement officers in countries that have been victimized by terrorist groups; assisting local law enforcement officers in the United States; and reaching out to the American public to increase awareness about drugs and drug abuse.

Financial and Money Laundering Operations:

*

DEA Operations stripped drug traffickers of nearly $1.9 billion in drug proceeds. This includes $1.4 billion in asset seizures and $477 million in drug seizures.
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Investigations that began as “following the money” led to the seizure of 947 kilograms of cocaine, 21,650 pounds of marijuana, and 7 kilograms of heroin.
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In July, 2005, the DEA announced the “Money Trail Initiative.” This initiative highlights the large scale impact of DEA-led financial investigations on major drug organizations. To date, the DEA has seized more than $36.2 million in proceeds that traffickers are trying to smuggle from the U.S. to where the drug organizations are located.
*

As a result of the “Money Trail Initiative,” there have been 230 arrests and seizures of 181 vehicles, 72 firearms, and more than 3,400 pounds of cocaine.
*

The DEA conducted Operation Mallorca, a multi-jurisdictional Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Force (OCDETF) money laundering operation that identified four Colombian-based money brokers who laundered $12 million in illicit drug proceeds through the Colombian Black Market Peso Exchange (BMPE). The BMPE is a system where drug traffickers sell drug proceeds in U.S. dollars to brokers for pesos. The investigation resulted in the arrest of 81 individuals and the seizure of $7.8 million.

Internet Drug Trafficking:

*

In combating the recent development of traffickers selling prescription drugs over the Internet, the DEA seized over $21.6 million in cash, property, computers and bank accounts.
*

The DEA announced the Virtual Enforcement Initiative (VEI). The first major operation of this new initiative was Operation “Cyber Chase,” which, in April, resulted in the identification of over 200 web sites that illegally sold pharmaceutical drugs. Because of this year-long OCDETF operation, more than 20 criminals were arrested in eight U.S. cities and four foreign countries. Until they were arrested, these “e-traffickers” had been operating in the United States, India, Asia, Europe and the Caribbean, and were using their rogue pharmacies to distribute drugs world-wide.
*

Another VEI Operation, CYBERx, for the first time targeted e-trafficking located solely within the United States. The alleged drug dealers who operated these rogue Internet pharmacies received prescription orders for controlled substances over the Internet, which were then shipped to the doors of many U.S. citizens-sometimes without any prescription needed. These alleged criminal pharmaceutical drug traffickers had averaged more than $50,000 a day in profits from their illegal Internet based enterprise.
*

Operation Gear Grinder, a 21-month OCDETF investigation, targeted eight major Mexican steroid manufacturing companies, their owners, and their trafficking associates. DEA intelligence analysts and diversion investigators found that 82 percent of the steroids seized and analyzed are of Mexican origin. A large majority of those steroids originated from the eight companies identified in Operation Gear Grinder. These businesses conducted their sales via the Internet, and DEA estimates their combined total U.S. steroid sales are $56 million per year.

Major Arrests/Incidents:

*

The DEA conducted and led the first nationally-coordinated methamphetamine sweep in more than 200 cities in the U.S. Operation Wildfire resulted in more than 427 arrests and the seizure of more than 208 pounds of meth.
o In addition, Operation Wildfire resulted in the seizure of: 56 clandestine labs, 200,000 pseudoephedrine tablets, 524 pounds of precursor chemicals, 123 weapons, 28 vehicles and $255,000 in US currency.
o Also, because of Operation Wildfire, 30 children were rescued from methamphetamine-infested housing.
*

In July 2005, after a joint U.S.-Canadian law enforcement investigation using delayed notice search warrants, the DEA discovered the first tunnel between Canada and the U.S. constructed to traffic illegal drugs. The tunnel, stretching from British Columbia, Canada, into Washington State, was 360 feet long and 3 to 10 feet in depth. Three people were apprehended trying to transport marijuana and ecstasy through the tunnel. DEA oversaw the destruction of the illegal underground tunnel.
*

The RODRIGUEZ-Orejuela brothers, founders of the notorious Cali Cartel, were extradited from Colombia to the United States. The Cali Cartel was the world’s chief supplier of cocaine in the 1990s and earned and trafficked an estimated $8 billion of drugs a year. Gilberto RODRIGUEZ-Orejuela was extradited on December 4, 2004 and his brother Miguel RODRIGUEZ-Orejuela was extradited on March 11, 2005. The RODRIGUEZ-Orejuela brothers had been indicted as the result of OCDETF investigations conducted by the DEA offices in New York, Miami, and Bogotá.

Drug Organizations:

* This year, DEA dismantled over 1,007 Priority Target Organizations, an 82 percent increase over FY 2004.

War on Terror:

*

During FY 2005, DEA disrupted 8 and dismantled 2 Priority Target Organizations (PTO’s) with links to terrorist organizations.
*

The DEA, for the first time ever, deployed Foreign Advisory Support Teams (FAST) to Afghanistan, in order to help the Afghan government become self-reliant in counter drug enforcement.
*

The DEA extradited the first Afghani narcotics trafficker, Haji Baz Mohammed, to the Southern District of New York for prosecution. Mohammed was indicted in 2004 as part of a New York DEA led investigation. Mohammed was designated by President Bush on June 1, 2005 as a kingpin under the Foreign Narcotics Kingpin Designation Act.
*

An investigation led by the DEA resulted in the arrest of Bashir Noorzai, who is known to have provided weapons and manpower to the Taliban in exchange for the protection of his drug crops in Afghanistan.
*

The DEA helped to arrest Abdul Malik (aka Abdul Mohammad), a member of Hezb-e-islami-a fundamentalist Islamic terrorist group-for the murder of two Afghani narcotics officers.
*

The DEA has trained over 128 Counter Narcotic Police in Afghanistan. (12 are women)
*

Two Fuerzas Armadas Revolucionarias de Colombia (FARC) finance officers were extradited from Colombia to the U.S. to face charges on drug trafficking, money laundering and providing material support to terrorism.

Assisting Local Law Enforcement:

*

The DEA assisted in the rescue and cleanup efforts in the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina.
o DEA’s Air Wing, along with the Dallas, Houston, Atlanta, St. Louis, and Miami Field Divisions collectively deployed 113 special agents and special agent/pilots to provide assistance to 13 law enforcement agencies in Louisiana, Mississippi, and Alabama.
o DEA special agents provided patrol assistance on a rotating basis in 21-day shifts.
o As of September 19, 2005, the DEA Air Wing transported 70,000 pounds of supplies and equipment (including but not limited to night vision goggles, guns, and ammunition) to perform law enforcement and search and rescue efforts for DEA employees and Louisiana and Mississippi hurricane victims.
o DEA special agents worked with hospitals to transport medicine to law enforcement personnel to combat hepatitis A and B. These provisions allowed DEA and law enforcement partners to sustain their rescue missions.
o DEA partnered with Texas and Arkansas pharmacy boards on emergency prescription refill procedures in response to requests from Louisiana, Mississippi, and Alabama.
o DEA assisted with 24-hour security patrols and ultimately rescued over 3,340 civilians including over 70 abandoned elderly residents at a flooded nursing home.
o To meet local law enforcement needs, DEA secured 130 cars through the asset forfeiture fund and loaned them to local law enforcement departments that lost their vehicles.
*

DEA also provided drug enforcement training to 40,000 state and local police officers in FY 2005. This training included Clandestine Laboratory Training, Diversion Training, Drug Unit Commanders Training, Federal Law Enforcement Analyst Training, Narcotics Commander Leadership Training, and other DEA tactical and in-service related training.

Outreach and Public Awareness:

*

In 2005, DEA provided victim, witness, and drug-endangered children awareness training to over 9,000 recipients, including DEA Basic Agent classes and the clandestine lab training unit, domestic offices, nationwide conferences, and over 20 organizations.
*

The DEA developed and launched a public website for teens that provides information on the consequences of drugs to users and non-users and gives teens the tools they need to make sound decisions to reject drugs. Included in www.justthinktwice.com is information on methamphetamine, prescription drugs, drugged driving, drug endangered children, marijuana, drug legalization, federal penalties for drug trafficking, real life stories, and many other topics. During the first month of operation, 300,000 Internet users accessed the site.