Park Lane Safe Deposit Ltd raided Milton Woolf,Jacqueline Swann,Leslie Sieff released on police bail

Park Lane Safe Deposit Ltd raided. The raid that closed it down — and two others in Hampstead and Edgware owned by the same people — had been planned for eight months with 300 officers, sniffer dogs and enough firepower to start a small war. The Metropolitan police's assistant commissioner John Yates said it was an "unprecedented operation". Each of the 7,000 boxes would be treated as a potential crime scene. Suspected offences involved ran the gamut of organised crime: drugs, human trafficking, prostitution, fraud, firearms and money laundering. Many of the boxes may have been rented with false identities. Forty-eight hours after the police went in, they revealed some of their findings: £14m in cash, a firearm, counterfeit currency, passports, chequebooks and credit cards, a substantial amount of high value
jewellery and four paintings — three landscapes and still lives in the 17th century Dutch style and a 20th century Russian portrait. At the Hampstead centre, an Edwardian redbrick mansion block on Finchley Road, two police trucks were filled with crates yesterday. Police believe the total value will be in tens of millions. It doesn't take an inspector Poirot to work out that safe deposit centres might
be an ideal place to hide the proceeds of crime. Traditionally no questions
have been asked and ID was not always required. It has even been possible to rent a walk-in room for larger items — the odd Gainsborough, perhaps, or suitcases of swag. There was no regulatory framework until December last year when the 2007 money laundering regulations brought safe deposit businesses under supervision of the Financial Services Authority. Like banks, owners would have to "know their customer" and report any suspicious activity. The 10 safe deposit companies in London — and the two in Manchester and Birmingham — are required to register with the FSA by June 15. At the time of the raids a search of the register showed no results for the parent company of the three vaults, Safe Deposit Centres Ltd. The FSA said an application could be pending. Detectives have stressed that their main targets are criminals who may have used the centres for proceeds of crime. But they also arrested three directors of the safe deposit firm on suspicion of money laundering. By Thursday morning Milton Woolf, 52, Jacqueline Swann, 44, and Leslie Sieff, 60, were released on police bail, to return early in September. Company records show that the business was set up as Hampstead Safe Deposit Vaults in 1983
by Sieff, an accountant from Port Elizabeth in South Africa who became a British citizen. With his wife Jill he also runs the Hampstead School of English in the same mansion block as the vaults. Sieff was joined in the business by Milton Woolf, 52, another South African expatriate. Although hundreds of innocent box owners have been calling the special police centre to claim their belongings, others may be trying to cover their tracks. After the prolific Italian robber Valerio Viccei raided the Knightsbridge safe
deposit centre in 1987, around 30 of more than 120 owners never came forward.
"I'm sure they have all got a story to tell," said the detective in charge of the case. The raids of 2008 will undoubtedly reveal many more.

Geovani Nunez , Jorge Hernandez both 13-year veterans of the Miami Police Department, were paid a combined $39,500 by a man

Officer Geovani Nunez and Detective Jorge Hernandez, both 13-year veterans of the Miami Police Department, were paid a combined $39,500 by a man they thought was involved in numerous illegal businesses, prosecutors said. That man, however, was secretly an FBI informant and all of their conversations were taped.U.S. Attorney R. Alexander Acosta said the case was particularly disheartening in a year when several South Florida police officers have died in the line of duty."It is sad that a handful of individuals choose to repay their colleagues' sacrifice through criminal conduct," Acosta said.Nunez and Hernandez were released on bail after appearing briefly in court Friday. Their lawyers said they would fight the charges, which carry potential life sentences.Nunez's attorney, Michael Catalano, said the FBI sting means that all of the allegedly illegal conduct was staged and not real."They are charged with committing crimes that did not exist," he said.It's was not immediately clear if Hernandez had an attorney.Court documents show that Nunez got involved with the informant in March 2007 after losing a part-time job at a Miami nightclub. Eventually he and Hernandez allegedly helped protect shipments -- sometimes using their police cars to escort trucks -- of what they thought were stolen televisions and computers and at least 12 kilograms of cocaine.Police Chief John Timoney said the two officers would be fired and that he hoped their alleged actions wouldn't hurt morale at the department."These two, as far as I'm concerned, are aberrations," Timoney said.The case is similar to a recent FBI sting that eventually involved charges against five officers of the Hollywood Police Department. Those five all pleaded guilty and four received lengthy prison sentences.

Alfred Porro arrested after it was discovered that cocaine had gone missing from the exhibits

Alfred Porro, 42 years of age, of Governor's Street.The arrest took place after it was discovered that cocaine had gone missing from the exhibits storeroom at New Mole House police headquarters. He was on police bail.Subsequenly, it was reported that cannabis had gone missing from the Irish Town sub-station.Porro has also been charged with theft of a rucksack, a portable play station and games.Police say that following the discovery of the missing cocaine, investigations led detectives to carry out further checksof drugs stored at both police HQ and Irish Town station. Fifty kilos of cannabis resin were found missing, of which 15 kilos have been recovered.Porro retired early from the RGP and was later employed as a civilian storeman. A police statement says he was yesterday released from police bail and charged. "He is currently interdicted," said a spokesman. Porro is appearing in court this morning.

Dannie Conners chief of Kendleton’s fire department was arrested after an undercover drug bust

The chief of Kendleton’s fire department was arrested after an undercover drug bust, KPRC Local 2 reported Friday.The Fort Bend County Narcotics Task Force had been investigating 43-year-old Dannie Conners because of reports that he was selling crack cocaine. During a raid of Conners’ home, deputies said they found crack cocaine, marijuana, weighing scales and packaging materials.Conners has been charged with possession of a controlled substance and possession of marijuana. He was booked into the Fort Bend County Jail.

Matthew Roberts, arranged drug deliveries of more than £1m to his home town of Maesteg, was handed down a 17-year sentence.

Matthew Roberts, arranged drug deliveries of more than £1m to his home town of Maesteg, was handed down a 17-year sentence.As he jailed the group to a total of 82 years, Judge Christopher Llewellyn-Jones QC told Roberts, 36, and his nine co-conspirators that they were helping to spread a “cancer in society”.He said: “Almost daily in this court I listen to cases involving people whose lives have been destroyed by the use of Class A drugs and it is the same story in other courts.“Between June 2006 and February 2007 you conspired to bring substantial quantities of cocaine with a value of up to £1.2m from Liverpool.“In addition there was £48,000-worth of cannabis and an amount of amphetamine which the Crown has been unable to calculate.“In my view drugs are cancer in our society.”He said Roberts had been at the centre of the conspiracy and his wife Diann Lee, 42, who lived with him in a luxury self-build home had been willing to share the lifestyle drug dealing brought, although she believed only cannabis was involved.Her husband had tried to avoid detection by using different people and different vehicles to carry out his deliveries of drugs and large amounts of cash and by constantly changing the mobile phone numbers used.He also set up a tree surgery business “as a front”.“But in an extremely thorough investigation the police were able to stay ahead of you”, the judge said.The regional task force set up Operation Sofitel in 2006 and kept surveillance for months on Roberts and his contacts before moving in as 7kg of cocaine, worth £840,000, changed hands in the car park of B&Q Bridgend. The drugs were enough to supply at least 7,000 people with a wrap of cocaine.When his gang was eventually rounded up and arrested they found he had been dealing with so much cash he had had to buy a money-counting machine.He had also travelled to London to buy a scanner to check his car for bugs but had failed to find the listening device police had planted.Judge Llewellyn-Jones commended the five officers – DC Sarah Murphy, DC Chris Mayo, DC Kevin Gardner, DC Chris Macdonald, and Acting Detective Sergeant Neil Roper – involved in the case for their painstaking work.He added: “They carried out an excellent investigation which has brought to justice people involved in a considerable conspiracy. I commend each of them for their hard work and the prosecuting team for the way the case was presented.”Detective Chief Inspector Debbie Cooper, head of the Regional Task Force, Tarian, said: “These sentences send a message to drug dealers that Operation Tarian will deal with organised crime groups and it’s our full intention to protect communities from the harm and misery that these people intend to cause for their own profit.“The amount of cocaine seized on January 24, 2007 – which these defendants were intending to sell across South Wales – was enough to supply at least 7,000 people with a wrap of cocaine.“But thanks to the dedicated and painstaking investigative work of Tarian staff, which included up to seven months surveillance, these drugs never made it onto the streets

Superior Court judge has indicated she will decide later this month whether Daniel Twomey can enter a special program for drug-addicted offenders

Superior Court judge has indicated she will decide later this month whether a Bergen County man accused of coaching his toddler granddaughter to steal a Seaside Heights arcade worker's purse can enter a special program for drug-addicted offenders.
Judge Barbara Ann Villano said she first wanted to review findings of a drug and alcohol evaluation of Daniel Twomey before she decides whether he will be allowed to enter drug court, a form of rigorous probation in lieu of state prison for defendants whose criminal behavior stems from addiction.
Villano indicated she would make a decision on June 19, said Senior Assistant Ocean County Prosecutor John Foti, who handles drug-court cases for the Prosecutor's Office.Foti had rejected Twomey's application to drug court, saying that with 18 prior convictions dating to 1973, mostly for burglaries and thefts, the 52-year-old Teaneck man was not an appropriate candidate. Twomey appealed Foti's decision to Villano, who presides over drug court.Twomey was captured on a videotape last year allegedly coaching his 4-year-old granddaughter to steal an arcade worker's pocketbook on the Seaside Heights boardwalk.He was arrested in Greenwich, Conn., on Sept. 29 after a television station aired the videotape.On it, a man alleged to be Twomey is seen pushing a young girl under a security door at Lucky Leo's Arcade to steal the employee's purse. The incident happened about 12:15 a.m. on Sept. 16.
Twomey was charged in a February indictment with employing a child to commit a crime and two counts of child-endangerment related to the incident at the arcade. Each of the charges carries a five- to 10-year prison term upon conviction.In addition to his granddaughter, Twomey's 8-year-old grandson was with him at the arcade, authorities said.The indictment also charged Twomey with two counts of theft and one count of receiving stolen property, all charges carrying maximum prison terms of five years.Twomey remains in the Ocean County Jail.

Tran Thi Ngoc Dung possession of 600g or more of heroin is punishable by death

Tran Thi Ngoc Dung, 35, was leaving her hotel in Ho Chi Minh City on her way to a flight home on Sunday when she fell unconscious and was rushed to hospital, Tuoi Tre (Youth) newspaper said. Doctors found she had two condoms full of heroin in her stomach and one of them had burst, the paper said. Ms Dung was still in the hospital but had been put under arrest. It was unclear how much heroin she was carrying.
Vietnam has some of the world's harshest drug laws. Possession of 600g or more of heroin is punishable by death. About a dozen Vietnamese-Australians have been in court in Vietnam for heroin trafficking in recent years. At least four have had their death sentences commuted because of lobbying by the Australian Government.
Australia's Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade said yesterday: "The Australian Consulate-General in Ho Chi Minh City is seeking to confirm media reports that the woman will be arrested on drug charges."Australian woman is under police guard in a Vietnam hospital after a bag of heroin she was allegedly trying to smuggle broke inside her body.The woman had been about to return to Australia when she fell ill and was rushed in critical condition to hospital on Wednesday, a hospital official in Ho Chi Minh City said.The 35-year-old had stopped breathing at one point, but her condition had improved to stable today, said Nguyen Van Xuyen, the director of Saigon General Hospital.
"We found two small plastic bags containing heroin in her anus and one of the bags had broken," Xuyen said.
"This is the first case in which we have found heroin in a person's anus. We have treated people having swallowed heroin before."
Xuyen said the woman came to Vietnam to visit relatives and was about to return to Australia when she was taken to hospital.
"She was in critical condition when she arrived at the hospital, and she would have died if she had been admitted a few minutes later," Xuyen said.
"She woke up yesterday and told us about the heroin."Police were guarding the woman at the hospital and would formally arrest her once she was released, Xuyen said.
The city's anti-narcotics police did not respond to requests for comment.
Trafficking or transporting 600 grams or more of heroin is punishable by death in Vietnam.
In March, an appeals court in Ho Chi Minh City sentenced an Australian woman of Vietnamese origin to death for trafficking heroin.Jasmine Luong, 34, was arrested at the city's Tan Son Nhat Airport in February last year with 1.4kg of heroin hidden in her luggage and shoes.
Several Vietnamese-Australians have been sentenced to death in recent years for drug crimes, but so far none has been executed and several have had their sentences commuted to life in prison.Vietnam this year sentenced at least 22 people to death, including nine for drug crimes.

Mark Standen was charged on Tuesday with conspiracy to import enough pseudoephedrine to manufacture $120 million of the drug methamphetamine

Mark Standen, 51, was charged on Tuesday with conspiracy to import enough pseudoephedrine to manufacture $120 million of the drug methamphetamine, or ice. He also faces a charge of conspiracy to pervert the course of justice.The arrest sent shockwaves through the NSW criminal justice community because of Standen's seniority and his three-decade career investigating narcotics and organised crime.In 1982, Standen gave evidence before the Stewart Royal Commission into Drug Trafficking confirming that he and two colleagues from the Federal Narcotics Bureau had flushed down a toilet 18 foils of hashish.The commission heard that the three agents had raided a Bondi house on May 7, 1979. The occupant, a man called Udy, admitted the drugs were his and later signed a statement confessing possession.Standen told the royal commission he later destroyed the statement as part of efforts to obliterate all traces of the raid."I do not actually specifically remember the incident - I feel fairly certain I would have destroyed it by shredding," Standen recalled under oath.He said he and his fellow officers decided to destroy the drugs and associated paperwork because the amount of drugs was less than 500 grams and charges could not be brought under federal customs laws. The case would have to have been handed to the NSW police.The royal commission was told Standen had been charged under the Public Service Act, a financial penalty had been imposed and that he and a fellow officer were to be barred from joining the federal police when the AFP took over the Federal Narcotics Bureau from the Customs Department.The royal commission later heard that the financial penalty and the charge against Standen and another officer were dropped."I found out to my amazement that that had occurred," the AFP's Detective Chief Superintendent Brian Bates told the commission.He said the charges and fine were dropped after the Commissioner of the AFP, Sir Colin Wood, had determined Standen would not be accepted into the AFP. Chief Superintendent Bates said it was felt that being barred from the AFP was punishment enough.But another senior AFP officer, Chief Superintendent John Reilly, gave a different reason: he told the commission that the charges against Standen weren't pursued because of indecision between two government departments.Standen told the royal commission he had never been punished in any way."When we became part of the federal police in 1979, I was not offered a position in the police field but I was offered a position in the intelligence side … I never actually started in the intelligence area. Before that was due to happen, the decision was changed," he said.The testimony given before the royal commission was enough to raise questions in Federal Parliament.
Labor senator Nick Bolkus asked the Minister for Administrative Services, Senator Tony Messner, "Did Mr Bates say nothing was done about the charges because the two men were to be denied entry to the federal police … and did Mr Bates also say that despite this … they were still transferred to that force? … Was the Government aware of this rather unorthodox series of events?"Senator Messner declined to answer, saying the matters were still under investigation by the Stewart Royal Commission.When Standen was arrested this week, his Crime Commission colleagues voiced disbelief. But claims have emerged since that Standen's alleged gambling problem was well known when he left the AFP in 1996.The NSW Government yesterday announced the state's Police Integrity Commission would oversee the Crime Commission in the wake of the Standen charges.NSW Police Minister David Campbell said the Police Integrity Commission, which has the powers of a royal commission, would oversee all activities of the Crime Commission, effective immediately.
He said the public would expect that past cases involving Standen were "now properly scrutinised".Mr Campbell yesterday also revealed the Independent Commission Against Corruption was first made aware of allegations against Standen in September last year

Henry T. Nicholas III attorneys said in court Thursday that he has been at a $66,000-a-month Malibu drug rehabilitation center since April.

technology billionaire was a drug fiend who trafficked in cocaine, Ecstasy, and methamphetamine, spiked the drinks of business associates and employees, hired prostitutes for himself and others, and maintained several narcotics dens, including one in an underground lair at his Los Angeles mansion, prosecutors charge. In a remarkable federal indictment unsealed today in Los Angeles, Broadcom co-founder Henry T. Nicholas III is portrayed as an out-of-control wild man who scored drug caches for Super Bowl parties and rock festivals and had his dealer invoice him for these illicit purchases. A copy of the felony drug conspiracy indictment against Nicholas, who is reportedly worth about $2 billion, can be found below. The 48-year-old Nicholas, who was charged with securities fraud in a separate U.S. District Court case, allegedly "used threats of physical violence and death and payments of money to attempt to conceal his unlawful conduct," according to the indictment. Prosecutors allege that, in June 2002, Nicholas and Broadcom entered into a $1 million settlement agreement with an employee who was aware of the executive's "unlawful narcotics activity." The hefty payout, which Broadcom covered, contractually prevented the employee from speaking about Nicholas's drug abuse. The billionaire apparently did little to conceal his drug transactions. On one occasion, in the lobby of Broadcom's southern California headquarters, he directed an employee to provide cash to a courier "in exchange for an envelope containing controlled substances," the indictment charges. On a drug-fueled 2001 private plane flight--during which Nicholas allegedly used and distributed narcotics--the pilot was forced to don an oxygen mask due to the "marijuana smoke and fumes." According to a March 2008 Forbes story, Nicholas, with an estimated net worth of $1.8 billion, is ranked 677 on the list of the world's wealthiest individuals.allegations that the billionaire drugged his business cohorts, hired prostitutes and maintained a drug warehouse that grabbed headlines.A pair of indictments unsealed Thursday charge the 48-year-old with conspiracy and securities fraud in an alleged scheme to backdate stock options that ultimately forced Broadcom to write down $2.2 billion in profits last year. But prosecutors also detailed a litany of drug charges that apparently came as a surprise to Nicholas and his attorneys.The charges threaten to ground a high-flying lifestyle that prosecutors say featured the former CEO jetting around the world in his two private planes, building a secret lair under his house and hiring strippers to party at a private warehouse stocked with cocaine, methamphetamine and ecstasy.Defense attorney Gregory Craig said that Nicholas was innocent and would prevail."It's a kitchen-sink attack on Dr. Nicholas. They're trying to throw everything at him from eight years ago," Craig said.At a court hearing, U.S. Magistrate Arthur Nakazato set Nicholas' bail at $3.3 million. He also ordered random weapons searches and drug tests by the government, home detention, electronic monitoring and the disabling of Nicholas' two private planes. Nicholas, in handcuffs and wearing gray slacks and a white shirt with no tie or belt, nodded vigorously when asked if he agreed to the conditions of release.Nakazato said he was concerned that Nicholas' extreme wealth could allow him to flee at any moment. He indicated that Nicholas' current Newport Coast home, valued at $15 million to $18 million, would be no impediment to flight for "one of the wealthiest men in the world." Nakazato also said he was bothered by government allegations that Nicholas had threatened and hit a grand jury witness last year during an argument on a private jet."If you flee, I will detain you and I will order an arrest warrant and I'll have the marshals and the FBI going on a hunt for you," Nakazato said. "And when they bring you back, I'm not going to show much mercy."
An arraignment hearing was set for June 16. Nicholas did not enter a plea.
Also indicted on the stock-option backdating was Broadcom's former chief financial officer, William J. Ruehle. He was not charged with the drug violations.Ruehle, 66, was released on $2.6 million bail and surrendered his passport, although he will be allowed to take three international trips that were already planned. He will also be arraigned on June 16.Ruehle's attorney, Richard Marmaro, said in a statement, "Bill Ruehle is innocent of the charges in the indictment, and he looks forward to the opportunity to clear his good name in a court of law."Nicholas, who has a Ph.D. in electrical engineering, co-founded Broadcom Corp. in 1991 with Henry Samueli. The company, which makes microchips for cell phones and broadband Internet devices, reported a strong first-quarter profit in April and forecast second-quarter sales of $1.08 billion to $1.13 billion, ahead of Wall Street expectations.The 18-page indictment on drug charges alleges that Nicholas kept four properties in Orange County and Las Vegas, including a warehouse in Laguna Niguel, Calif., where he stashed and distributed cocaine, methamphetamine and ecstasy.He later remodeled the warehouse with private rooms and furnished it with art and high-end electronics.The court documents also claim Nicholas hired prostitutes and escorts for himself, his employees and customers and conspired to get illegal prescriptions for drugs such as Valium.In 2001, Nicholas smoked so much marijuana during a flight on a private jet between Orange County and Las Vegas that the pilot had to put on an oxygen mask, the indictment states.At a July 1999 Woodstock concert in Rome, N.Y., Nicholas gave a technology executive ecstasy without the executive's knowledge, the indictment states. Nicholas also allegedly spiked a technology executive's drink with ecstacy in New Orleans in early 2000.Nicholas required his unnamed co-conspirators to provide detailed invoices for drugs they sold to him, and used code names such as "party favors" and "refreshments" to conceal what was being sold, prosecutors claimed.
The allegations recall two earlier civil lawsuits filed against Nicholas that accused him of rampant drug use and hiring prostitutes. One lawsuit was cited by prosecutors in a motion filed Thursday that sought to deny bail for Nicholas.
That suit was filed by Nicholas' former bodyguard and personal assistant, Kenji Kato. A second lawsuit was filed last year by a construction crew that claimed they were hired to build an underground lair for Nicholas where he could indulge in sex with prostitutes and drug use.The workers claimed Nicholas failed to pay them millions of dollars and used intimidation and death threats to prevent them from leaving the project, which was kept secret from Nicholas' wife and city inspectors.Nicholas faces a total of 21 counts in both indictments. The drug charges carry a maximum combined sentence of 20 years in prison. He could face up to 340 years in prison on the stock backdating charges.Ruehle faces 21 counts in the stock options indictment, which accuses him of filing false statements with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission, falsely certified financial reports and committed wire fraud. Ruehle could face up to 370 years if convicted of all counts.Backdating stock options, which often are granted as hiring and retention incentives, is legal. Companies across the company have run into trouble when they failed to account for the true cost that the backdating created because omitting that cost sometimes inflated the companies' income.
Last month, securities regulators cited Nicholas, Samueli and Ruehle in a civil suit alleging they falsified the company's reported income. The SEC also cited Broadcom general counsel David Dull, but Dull and Samueli were not named in Thursday's criminal indictments.Nicholas served as CEO and president from Broadcom's inception until he resigned in 2003. At the time, he said he stepped down to try to repair his relationship with his wife.Nicholas' attorneys said in court Thursday that he has been at a $66,000-a-month Malibu drug rehabilitation center since April.

Three employees of Entreprises Cara arrested after authorities dismantled an alleged cocaine-importing ring at Pierre Elliott Trudeau Airport

The Mounties say six of the seven Montreal-area suspects arrested face a total of 17 criminal counts related to importing drugs and conspiracy to import drugs. Three employees of a catering service have been arrested after authorities dismantled an alleged cocaine-importing ring at Montreal's Pierre Elliott Trudeau International Airport. The three were among seven men who were nabbed Wednesday as about 60 police officers moved in. The trio were employed by Entreprises Cara, a company which provides services to the travel industry and the Montreal airport. The Mounties say six of the seven Montreal-area suspects arrested face a total of 17 criminal counts related to importing drugs and conspiracy to import drugs. RCMP Insp. Andre Lemyre says the arrests followed an investigation that began in August 2006. "The goal of the investigation was to dismantle an alleged criminal organization that specialized in importing cocaine at Pierre Elliott Trudeau International Airport,'' he told a news conference. Lemyre said the role of the Cara employees was to get the drugs out of the airport after the cocaine arrived by plane from the Dominican Republic. The employees had a card to give them access to restricted zones, but Lemyre would not comment when asked how they received security clearance. He said it was the responsibility of Transport Canada and stressed that airlines were not directly involved. "There were two airlines used, but the focus of the investigation was on a criminal organization and not on the airlines,'' he added. "It's an organization that infiltrated the airport and used the facilities to reach their goal.''
Searches conducted earlier led to the seizure of 16 kilograms of cocaine, four Toyotas and two firearms.
The drugs were seized during three airport inspections by the Canada Border Services Agency. Agents uncovered a first shipment of five kilograms of cocaine in September 2007, a second of nine kilograms last January and a third of two kilograms in April.
Lemyre said the stolen vehicles were seized in nearby Riviere-des-Prairies in a container bound for Africa through the Port of Montreal. The illicit drugs were found in unclaimed luggage, in the cargo hold and in a garbage can on a plane.
Lemyre also said the drugs were to be distributed to streets gangs. He added there may be more arrests because the investigation is continuing. The investigation was carried out by the RCMP's federal airport investigation branch with help from Montreal police and the border services agency.


--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

John Briscoe received a six-year prison sentence at Galway District Court

John Briscoe showed the gardai 52 ecstasy tablets when they entered the house and he told them he had more stashed away upstairs. He took them to his bedroom where he produced a shoe box full of tablets. He told them he was getting paid €1500 to mind the tablets for another person, whom he refused to name.John Briscoe (32), No 1 Mingban, Ballycrissaune, Portumna, received a six-year prison sentence at Galway District Court last Friday afternoon after pleading guilty to having 9,640 ecstasy tablets, with a street value of €96,460, in his possession which were for sale or supply to others at his home on July 16, 2006.Briscoe, whose date of birth is July 8, 1975, and co-accused, Philip O’Dwyer (24), Ballykeeland Road, Carrick-on-Suir, Co. Tipperary, were both arrested and detained for questioning after gardai raided Briscoe’s home in the early hours of July 16, 2006, and gatecrashed a birthday party which was in full swing at the time.O’Dwyer pleaded guilty last week also to being found in possession of 195 ecstasy tablets, worth €1950, at Briscoe’s address in Portumna, on July 16, 2006, which were for sale or supply to another.Garda Shaun Durkan of the Galway Drugs Unit gave evidence that Gardai, acting on confidential information, obtained a search warrant and went to Briscoe’s house at 12.15 a.m. on the date in question.Garda Durkan said that while he did not accept this explanation there was no evidence or proof available to suggest otherwise. He said the 9,464 tablets seized were valued at €10 each. He said he and his colleagues were surprised to find such a large amount of ecstasy in such a rural setting as Briscoe’s house was situated in a very isolated area between Portumna and Ballinasloe.Garda Durkan said a party was in full swing at the time which Briscoe had organised to celebrate his birthday and 15 people were present. Some of them had arrived that day or a few days beforehand at the house. The court heard Briscoe is a native of Portumna and is an unemployed tiler with no previous convictions for drug offences.
Garda Durkan said the guests were searched and O’Dwyer was found to be in possession of 195 ecstasy tablets. He said he had just bought them from Briscoe and he had intended selling them to his friends.Garda Durkan said O’Dwyer was a native of Carrick-on-Suir and since this incident had occurred he had gone home to live with his parents and had not come to the attention of the Gardai since. He said he had been very co-operative when questioned.Both men were described as being recreational drugs users and the court was told O’Dwyer was no longer taking drugs.Bernard Madden, SC, for Briscoe, said his client regularly takes hash and “Speed” and has a long history of drug use. He said that his client was not addicted and was not a “junkie”. He said Briscoe was at the lower end of the drug hierarchy and could not name the person he was holding the drugs for out of fear for his own safety.
Mr. John O’Donnell, BL, for O’Dwyer, said his client had only been supplying himself and his mates with the drug. He said O’Dwyer had been taking drugs at the time but was now back at home under the watchful eye of his parents and the local Sergeant in Carrick, who had told the probation service he would be very surprised if O’Dwyer ever got into trouble again.Judge Raymond Groarke sentenced Briscoe to six years in prison and he sentenced O’Dwyer to nine months.

Tony Mokbel investigation Police raid three houses at Burnside and Reservoir

Police raided three houses at Burnside and Reservoir about 6am today as part of the Mokbel investigation, codenamed Operation Magnum.The raids were the culmination of a 14-month operation targeting associates who allegedly used proceeds of crime to organise Mokbel's great escape.A man and two women were arrested and were this morning being questioned at St Kilda Road police complex.
The arrests come almost three weeks after Mokbel was extradited to Australia in a dramatic end to more than two years on the run.The drug boss disappeared while on trial for cocaine smuggling in March 2006.It is believed he was holed up at an associate's property in Bonnie Doon, in Victoria's high country, before fleeing Australia eight months later.Mokbel was arrested in Athens in June 2007 and returned to Australia via a luxury Gulfstream jet on May 17 after a seven-month extradition battle.He is serving a minimum nine years' jail at Barwon Prison's high security unit after being convicted in absentia for smuggling two kilograms of cocaine from Mexico.Mokbel also faces a further 15 charges, including two for the murders of underworld rivals Lewis Moran and Michael Marshall and a string of drugs charges.
A 63-year-old Reservoir man is expected to be charged with trafficking a drug of dependence, conspiracy to pervert the course of justic, accessory after the fact and deal with proceeds of crime.
Two Burnside women, aged 46 and 34, are both expected to be charged with conspiracy to pervert the course of justice, accessory after the fact and deal with proceeds of crime.This morning's raids follow the execution of more than 50 search warrants throughout NSW, Queensland and Western Australia in recent months, police said.

James Anthony McCabe Melbourne detective on loan to Australia's top crime-fighting agency has pleaded guilty to stealing drugs from a dealer

James Anthony McCabe, 39, was due to stand trial yesterday on armed robbery and drugs charges in the NSW District Court. But he agreed to plead guilty to a lesser charge of robbery in company, with the drugs charges to be considered only as an aggravating factor when he is sentenced. McCabe, a Victorian police officer on secondment to the National Crime Authority, was charged after a NSW Police Integrity Commission investigation in 2004. The commission heard evidence from several NCA informants that McCabe and his partner, former NSW police officer Samuel John Foster, set up drug deals and stole cash and drugs in phony busts. Foster and McCabe were investigating Asian organised crime for the NCA, now the Australian Crime Commission. "The methodology involved was to arrange a purchase of prohibited drugs from a person known as a drug trafficker," a statement to the court said. "As the deal was finalised, Foster would arrive with another person and pretend to arrest those present. "Foster would then persuade the drug trafficker his primary interest was in arresting (the informants) . . . and he was prepared to ignore and go easy on the drug trafficker. "On the basis that the loss of drugs was preferable to arrest, the drug trafficker would be willing to cut his losses and depart without the drugs or monies." McCabe yesterday admitted his role in one such bust, involving the theft of a "significant" quantity of methylamphetamine (speed) in 2002. McCabe fled to Cambodia after the PIC hearings and was informally extradited to stand trial last year. His barrister, Louise McManus, applied yesterday for the trial to be permanently stayed, arguing Cambodian and Australian authorities had not followed due process in returning McCabe to Australia. Judge Michael Finnane dismissed the application. McCabe was released on continuing bail until a sentencing hearing on July 11. Foster was jailed in December to a maximum of 7 1/2 years for drug, robbery, deception and corruption offences.

Mohammad Asif Pakistani fast bowler has been arrested at Dubai airport on charges of possessing illegal drugs

Mohammad Asif has been arrested at Dubai airport on charges of possessing illegal drugs, cricket officials said Tuesday.The 25-year-old Asif was seized while returning home from India after featuring in a domestic event which ended on Sunday, Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) officials said."Yes, we can confirm about Asif's arrest. He was stopped at Dubai airport on charges of carrying opium and was supposed to be brought before the magistrate on Tuesday," the official said.PCB human resources director Nadeem Akram said he was in Dubai and has also hired a lawyer to assist Asif."I am in Dubai as part of the PCB's efforts to get Asif cleared. As far as we know a contraband item was in his wallet which he himself did not know and it's in a very small quantity," Akram told AFP by telephone."He was detained at the airport and was interrogated. As far as we know no first incident report has been lodged as yet but police have conducted several tests on Asif including a urine test. A lawyer has also been hired," he said."We have not been officially told about the nature of the substance and quantity. There have been lots of speculations."PCB spokesman Shafqat Nagmi told a news conference in the eastern city of Lahore that Asif said the substance involved was medicine."The lawyer said Asif is in good spirits and he is looking forward to returning home. It is all based on some assumptions -- he said he had some medicine and they don't know about it," Nagmi said."The UAE (United Arab Emirates) has strict procedures -- they want to probe the matter to determine what the substance is. We are hopeful the entire issue is due to some misunderstanding."The arrest is just the latest controversy to hit Pakistan's troubled cricket team over the past two years.Asif was banned for one year after he tested positive for the steroid nandrolone in October 2006. Fellow paceman Shoaib Akhtar was banned for two years on the same charge.The bans were however lifted on appeal two months later. Akhtar meanwhile is appealing a lifetime ban imposed in April for repeated disciplinary problems.Asif was named on Monday as one of five pacemen in a 16-man squad to take part in next week's one-day tri-series in Bangladesh.He has had recent problems with injury, undergoing an operation in Australia in December after an elbow problem recurred during the one-day series against South Africa two months earlier.He missed Pakistan's tour of India late last year before being ruled out of the five-match home series against Zimbabwe.

Tatum O'Neal, who was this week arrested for allegedly buying crack cocaine blamed death of her dog

Tatum O'Neal, who was this week arrested for allegedly buying crack cocaine, said she was tipped over the edge by the death of her dog three weeks ago. O'Neal may face up to a year in jail after being charged with criminal possession of a controlled substance. It was reported she was caught buying crack cocaine from a homeless street vendor three blocks from her Manhattan home. Former drug addict O'Neal has reportedly blamed her dog's death for pushing her over the edge. "Just when I was about to change that and wreck my life, the police came and saved me," she said, The New York Post reports. "There's no excuse for what I did. I lost my Scottish terrier, Lena, three weeks ago. That seemed to set me off."
A judge released her from custody yesterday on her own recognisance and she was ordered to return on July 28. At the age of 10, O'Neal became the youngest person to win a competitive Academy Award for her supporting role in Paper Moon, in which she starred along with her father, Ryan O'Neal. She married tennis star John McEnroe in 1986 and after their divorce in 1992 McEnroe won custody over their three children following a protracted battle.

Lamon Glenn Washington,Tammi Mae Chapman jailed for their involvement in a drug conspiracy to import and distribute cocaine

Lamon Glenn Washington, 34, and Tammi Mae Chapman, 20, were sentenced recently to serve 87 months and 32 months, respectively, for their involvement in a drug conspiracy to import and distribute cocaine, prosecutors said.
Washington -- also known as "Monte" -- was accused of paying Chapman to bring in the drugs from Seattle on two occasions in the spring of 2006, according to prosecutors. Chapman later recruited another courier to replace her; that courier was caught in the summer of 2006 and has already been sentenced.
The conspiracy involved a total of more than 2 kilograms of cocaine, according to prosecutors. Judge Ralph Beistline imposed the sentence.

Vicente Esteves arrested on conspiracy and money laundering charges

Vicente Esteves, 35, and his wife, Chantal, 30, masterminded a cocaine smuggling ring from their fortress-like home and amassed a wealth of luxury goods that included dozens of pairs of Prada shoes and around 100 Rolex watches. The two were arrested on conspiracy and money laundering charges after a 14-month investigation, federal and county officials said. The $1 million (£500,000)-a-week operation used commercial airline flights to move drugs from Mexico and Colombia into the United States and to send millions of dollars back, investigators said.
The proceeds were then allegedly laundered through two real estate companies run by Esteves that had no legitimate business. Authorities described the opulent lifestyle the couple led behind the gates of their home in New Jersey. The couple "attempted to hide behind the beauty of suburbia," said Gerard McAleer, special agent in charge of the Drug Enforcement Administration's New Jersey office. "It's like something out of the movie 'Scarface'," he said referring to the 1983 movie in which Al Pacino and Michelle Pfeiffer play a Cuban drug dealer and his wife living a life of luxury.
"They had walk-in closets where there were 100 pairs of Prada shoes, still in the boxes. There were so many they had Polaroid photos taped to the boxes to keep track of them. "There were also 100 Rolex watches," Agent McAleer said. "I'm not sure Donald Trump has 100 Rolex watches. That's the kind of money that was being made."
Seven people have been arrested so far including one suspect who was found carrying $100,000 (£50,000) in cash as he attempted to board a commercial flight from Newark to Miami, authorities said. Authorities also seized 150 pounds of cocaine with a street value of $2 million (£1 million), plus $2 million (£1 million) in cash.

Johnnel Bowens,Sandy Wilcher were charged with possession and distribution of drugs

Johnnel Bowens, 31, and Sandy Wilcher, 41, both of Jersey City, were charged with possession and distribution of drugs, resisting arrest, aggravated assault on a police officer and other charges around 6 p.m. after being caught with 2,000 bags of heroin and more than 1,000 vials of cocaine, reports said.Two cops responding to the tip knocked on the door of an apartment at 177-183 Bergen Ave., where a caller said a group of possibly six male non-residents carrying three bags had entered, reports said.Bowens opened the door approximately 10 inches, and cops observed three tennis ball-sized clear bags and one sandwich bag of a white powdery substance, one black plastic bag, a digital scale, a yellow bowl and a box of empty clear glass vials on a table 10 feet from the door in plain sight, reports said.Bowens yelled and attempted to slam the door on the police before he and Wilcher ran and exited from a bedroom window - with Wilcher losing a shoe in the process. They were spotted by two back-up officers at the rear of the building, reports said.The two men split up but each was caught after a short chase, police said.Bowens, who was carrying $3,061 of suspected drug proceeds in cash, and Wilcher were transported to the city police station at the South District.

Mark Standen an assistant director of criminal investigations with the commission, was arrested this afternoon at his Sydney office

Mark Standen, 51, of Bateau Bay on the NSW Central Coast, an assistant director of criminal investigations with the commission, was arrested this afternoon at his Sydney office by Australian Federal Police (AFP). A 45-year-old Maroota man was also arrested over his alleged involvement in the syndicate following AFP raids at properties in the Sydney suburbs of Blacktown, Campbelltown, Alexandria, St Helens Park Maroota, the Sydney CBD and Bateau Bay on the Central Coast this afternoon, the Australian Federal Police said."The AFP can confirm that this evening a 51-year-old man and a 45-year-old man were each charged with offences in relation to an alleged conspiracy to import border controlled precursor chemicals into Australia,'' an AFP spokeswoman said.The spokesman said the 45-year-old man was not an AFP officer, NSW police officer or border control officer. She was unable to say whether he had been released on bail. Mr Standen is one of two assistant directors of criminal investigations at the commission. A former AFP officer, Mr Standen had been employed by the commission since 1996.
Mr Standen was arrested over alleged involvement in attempting to import enough ephedrine chemicals, hidden in a consignment of basmati rice, to produce more than $120 million worth of ice, News Ltd reports.Police will allege he was working with a criminal syndicate in the Netherlands to bring the chemicals into Australia. The AFP spokeswoman was unable to confirm the nature of any other arrests overseas, following reported raids in Europe, Thailand and Sydney. A spokesman for the Dutch national Police Wim de Bruin said the national police could not comment on the wider investigation until 9am tomorrow Dutch time. Mr Standen and the 45-year-old man are expected to appear at Sydney's Central Local Court tomorrow morning.Last week, Dutch police arrested 12 men and one woman in relation to organising and financing the transportation of pseudoephedrine from Pakistan to Australia and from the Congo to Belgium.Twelve of the people are Dutch residents and one man was living in Germany, police in the Netherlands said.The busting of the drugs ring has led to arrests in a number of countries, including that of one of Australia's top crime fighters Mark Standen, and a British man caught in Thailand. Standen, 51, of the NSW Crime Commission, has been charged with conspiracy to import 600kg of pseudoephedrine, a precursor for the manufacture of the drug ice. Standen, from Bateau Bay on the NSW Central Coast, has also been charged with conspiracy to supply a large commercial quantity of a prohibited drug and conspiracy to pervert the course of justice.
Another man arrested by Australian police, 45-year-old Bakhos Jalalaty of the Sydney suburb of Maroota, faces the same charges. In a media statement issued late tonight (AEST), the Dutch police said a 42-year-old man from Almere in central Holland was considered the main suspect in the international drug ring. "The main suspect maintained international contacts, among other persons through an English intermediary, with both the suppliers and the clients of the ephedrine and was also responsible for financing these deals,'' the statement said. "He worked together with his fellow suspects who acted as criminal service providers. They arranged for transports in sea containers, deck cargos, financial matters and documents. They also acted as intermediary between suppliers in Pakistan and Congo and clients in Australia and Belgium.''
Dutch investigations into the international ring started in 2006, when 92kg of ephedrine hidden in the boot of a car was seized at Antwerp in Belgium on May 31.
Dutch police said the drug came from the Congo and was possibly destined for the Netherlands. Two people were arrested over the seizure, Dutch police said.
In subsequent investigations, Dutch police discovered a transport of pseudoephedrine from the Congo to Australia had been cancelled because of problems with a supplier.
Because of these problems, Dutch police say the group changed their attention to Pakistan, where a trial shipment with basmati rice was sent to Australia in a sea container and arrived in October 2007. A second rice container holding a batch of pseudoephedrine was subsequently sent and arrived on April 25 this year.
The container was intercepted by Australian Federal Police (AFP) but today Deputy Commissioner of Operations Tony Negus said no trace of the chemical was found.
He refused to comment on reports the shipment was stolen by a rival crime gang en route. The Dutch investigation has led to the seizure of firearms, an undisclosed amount of money, administrative records and computer equipment, Dutch police said.
The 12 men and one woman, aged 35 to 66, have been remanded in custody.
Dutch public prosecutors have requested the extradition of the man arrested in Germany.

Tim O’Toole was arrested in Marbella

Tim O’Toole was arrested in Marbella as the gang prepared to transfer the shipment, originally from Venezuela, to speed boats off the coast of Spain.
The drugs were destined for all parts of Europe, with millions of pounds worth heading for Britain’s streets. O’Toole – known as the Invisible Man – masterminded the huge transport operation. Last night a British customs source said: “O’Toole was a major player as the sentence indicates. “This was Europe’s biggest cocaine smuggling network and it was the first of what were intended to be a series of large-scale shipments. “Had this not been stopped, tons of the stuff could have ended up in Britain.” Middle-aged O’Toole, from Ireland, had a luxury villa and fast cars in Marbella. He also spent time in London. He was arrested three years ago after a year-long inquiry codenamed Operation Tulle. It involved British Customs, the Met Police and cops in Spain and Portugal. O’Toole’s assets were seized when he appeared in court in Madrid. The gang’s Spanish godfather Daniel Baula Carballo was fined £290million and jailed for 17½ years. Third ringleader Gonzalo Ferreiro was jailed for 13½ years and fined £144million.