Sheikh Talal Nasser al-Sabah death sentence hanging over the sheikh for drug trafficking

Sheikh Talal Nasser al-Sabah who is in his fifties, was caught by Kuwaiti police with 10kg (22lb) of cocaine and 165lb of hashish. When sentencing him to death, Judge Humoud al-Mutwatah said that he had “willingly walked the path of evil” and deserved no mercy. Smuggling drugs in the Gulf is a high-risk enterprise, with frequent death sentences for dealers and mules. It is possible Sheikh Talal Nasser al-Sabah believed that being a relative of Kuwait’s rulers would protect him. Now, with a death sentence hanging over the sheikh for drug trafficking, the oil-rich emirate is waiting to see whether the strict rule of law or the kinship ties of the ruling family will prevail. The sheikh, It was the first time that a member of a Gulf royal family had been condemned to death by a court, and is widely seen as a test case for the impartiality of the law in a country where the convict’s relative, the Emir, could pardon his wayward kinsman. The sheikh was the nephew of a previous Emir of Kuwait, Jaber al-Sabah, who died in 2006, and is one of hundreds of members of the huge ruling family. Lawyers at the time hailed the sentence as a sign of the impartiality of the law. Najib al-Wugayyan, a prominent criminal lawyer, called the verdict “a magnificent indication to all that nobody is above the law”.
And isn’t this interesting? A similar case involving a Saudi royal:Strict as the laws are, they are not as harsh as those in Saudi Arabia, where smugglers convicted of trafficking marijuana have been beheaded. Even there, however, a member of the Royal Family, Prince Nayef bin Sultan bin Fawwaz al-Shaalan, has been caught up in drug trafficking. Last year a French court sentenced the Prince in absentia to ten years in jail and a $100 million (£50 million) fine for his part in a plot to smuggle two tonnes of cocaine from Colombia to an airport outside Paris in 1999, using a private aircraft and diplomatic immunity to move the drugs. Since Saudi Arabia has no extradition treaty with France or the US, the Prince was not jailed.
But back to KuwaitThe conviction was not Sheikh al-Sabah’s first run-in with the law. In 1991 he was arrested by Egyptian police and charged with smuggling heroin, although he said at the time that it was all for personal use. Sheikh al-Sabah continues to deny that he is a drug dealer and said that he has left his fate to the Emir. “I am drug-addicted and I am getting cured. I don’t deal,” he told the Kuwaiti newspaper al-Jareeda from his jail cell. “I don’t know whether Kuwaiti society is satisfied with the ruling of the judiciary or not. But it is in the hands of the Emir.”

Dwayne Nairn Charged with trafficking in a controlled substance (crack cocaine),

July 2008 members of the Integrated Guns and Gangs Unit initiated an investigation into an Oakville resident.as the investigation progressed, the Halton Regional Police Service Drug and Morality Bureau became involved.
On August 6th, 2008 at approximately 8:45pm a 42 year old Oakville woman was arrested after police observed her meeting with the original target of the investigation. A quantity of crack cocaine was seized at this time. Moments later the Emergency Services Unit executed a search warrant at 1160 Dorval Drive in Oakville. The adult residents of the apartment were taken into police custody. Two children from the residence were provided with temporary living arrangements by the Children’s Aid Society.Police subsequently obtained and executed a Controlled Drugs and Substances Act search warrant at the Dorval Drive address and seized 22 grams of crack cocaine, 86 ecstasy tablets, 3 grams of marihuana and $750 cash.
Charged with trafficking in a controlled substance (crack cocaine), possession of a controlled substance for the purposes of trafficking (crack cocaine), possession of a controlled substance for the purposes of trafficking (ecstasy) and possession of a controlled substance (marihuana) is: Dwayne Nairn 29 years old of Dorval Drive, Oakville.Charged with possession of a controlled substance for the purposes of trafficking (crack cocaine), possession of a controlled substance for the purposes of trafficking (ecstasy) and possession of a controlled substance (marihuana) is: Natasha Hall 30-years-old of Dorval Drive, Oakville. She is scheduled to appear in Milton court on August 26, 2008Charged with possession of a controlled substance (crack cocaine) is: Tammy Bedder 42 years old of South Forester Park Drive, Oakville.

Danny D. Turner accused earlier this year of selling crack cocaine to an undercover officer sentenced to 17 years

Danny D. Turner, 27, who had four previous drug dealing convictions in Dane County involving cocaine, was accused earlier this year of selling crack cocaine to an undercover officer from the Dane County Narcotics and Gang Task Force.
Turner was convicted of the charges on June 2, and sentenced by U.S. District Judge Barbara Crabb to the lengthy prison term.The U.S. Attorney's office said the steep sentence was due to Turner's extensive criminal record, including the drug convictions.

Jacob Wayne Hudson was arrested Friday afternoon by Demopolis police.

Jacob Wayne Hudson, 20, of W. Washington St., Demopolis, was arrested Friday afternoon by Demopolis police.“We did arrest someone who works for the city on Friday afternoon,” interim Demopolis Police Chief Tim Williams said. “But I don’t think it’s appropriate to discuss this arrest. We don’t disclose details about other DUI arrests.”But Hudson’s arrest is unusual in that he is a city employee, and one of its newest firefighters. He is a native of Cullman.He is also charged with carrying a pistol without a permit. Both charges are misdemeanors.“I don’t have any comment at this time,” Demopolis Fire Chief Ron Few said when contacted by The Times. “I don’t want to make a comment that is premature.”

Charles Smith and Mandy Bonner had a handgun inside a tissue box at the hotel room and because of one text message, they are now facing charges.

Charles Smith was also arrested. Detectives say they gathered enough evidence, including drug scales, to put the suspects away.Authorities say Smith and Bonner had a handgun inside a tissue box at the hotel room and because of one text message, they are now facing charges. “To the meth users and makers, we are out there, we are after them and we are going to get them," says Sheriff Sam Cochran.
Cochran says by giving people the opportunity to text message tips is one of the greatest advantages of technology. He says many people will text, before they actually call. “If they text the information to us, they can remain anonymous and therefore they have no fear of retribution from the people they are turning in to us."As for these two--deputies say while they were making meth, someone else was sending a text message to report it.

Maria Arroyo is charged with delivery of a controlled substance, possession with intent to deliver a controlled substance

Maria Arroyo, 49, of Philadelphia, is charged with delivery of a controlled substance, possession with intent to deliver a controlled substance, criminal conspiracy to deliver a controlled substance, criminal use of a communications facility, dealing in proceeds of unlawful activity and involuntary manslaughter.
The charges stem from an investigation by state police Troop G Vice and Narcotics Unit in 2006 and 2007 into a heroin distribution network that connected the Philipsburg and State College areas with Philadelphia. Troopers became aware of at least 15 people who were traveling to Philadelphia from Centre County, purchasing heroin from the same source, then driving back to Centre County and both using and reselling the heroin, according to a news release issued Tuesday by state police. Police say their investigation shows individuals from Centre County purchased more than 7,000 bags of heroin from the Arroyos in 2006 for an average price of $8 a bag. The heroin was resold in Centre County for $30 per bag, police said.
On Dec. 25 and 26, 2006, three people left the State College area and traveled to Philadelphia to purchase heroin. The individuals then returned to Ferguson Township and used the purchased heroin, according to state police. One of the individuals died of an overdose, a death investigated by Ferguson Township police. An autopsy later showed the heroin purchased in Philadelphia was laced with fentanyl.
Police throughout the nation in 2006 issued alerts about fentanyl- laced heroin, which was reported to be responsible for the deaths of hundreds of addicts. Fentanyl is a prescription painkiller that is 50 to 100 times more powerful than morphine, and many addicts purchased and used heroin unaware that it had been mixed with fentanyl. During 2007, according to police, troopers made controlled purchases of heroin that they determined came from the Philadelphia source. They began conducting interviews, and gained the cooperation of many of the individuals involved, police said. They presented their evidence to a statewide grand jury in Harrisburg, and the grand jury on Jan. 8 recommended the filing of charges against Arroyo and her husband, Pedro Arroyo. Their whereabouts were unknown at the time, police said, and District Judge Allen Sinclair issued a warrant for their arrest that day.
At some point — the information from police was unclear on exactly when — Maria Arroyo was taken into custody on other charges by the Philadelphia Police Department and placed in Philadelphia County prison. At that point, police determined that Pedro Arroyo had died in late 2007. Maria Arroyo was transported from Philadelphia to Centre County on Tuesday and arraigned before District Judge Daniel Hoffman. He remanded her to Centre County jail in lieu of $50,000 straight cash bail. A preliminary hearing is scheduled for Aug. 20. State police said they were assisted by Ferguson Township, State College and Philadelphia police and the Attorney General’s Office. The case will be prosecuted by Deputy Attorney General David Gorman

Taaron Bowman pleaded guilty to possession with intent to distribute crack cocaine

Taaron Bowman, 43, pleaded guilty to possession with intent to distribute crack cocaine in January, according to a news release. After seeing Bowman participate in what looked like a drug deal on July 31, 2007, members of the Huntington Drug and Violent Crimes Task Forces pulled over his car and found 23 grams of crack cocaine, the release states.Bowman admitted in January that he was selling the crack, according to the release.U.S. District Judge Robert C. Chambers imposed the sentence.In a separate case, Chambers sentenced Thomas E. Farris, 44, to 70 months in prison for being a felon in possession of a gun.Farris, who had previous felony convictions in both federal and state court, had a .38 caliber Hi Point pistol on Sept. 11, 2007, the release states.Also on Monday, an Ohio woman pleaded guilty to driving heroin to Huntington from Columbus, the release said.Tiffany Horn, 21, of Columbus, was driving a rental car when a Huntington Police officer with a drug-sniffing dog stopped her, the release states. The officer found 134 bags of heroin, as well as three guns and ammunition inside a black bag.Horn faces up to 20 years in prison when sentenced by Chambers on Nov. 17.

Joseph Bennett was arrested Friday evening at the Blue Water Bridge in Port Huron.

Joseph Bennett of Scarborough, Ontario, was arrested Friday evening at the Blue Water Bridge in Port Huron. Authorities say Bennett's truck was selected for a random search and a canine team uncovered a stash of pills behind the dashboard. A total of 58 bags containing more than 275,000 pills of Ecstasy were found. A Customs and Border Protection spokesman says the haul's street value is $6.5 million or more. A message seeking comment was left for Andrew Wise, who represented Bennett at a detention hearing Monday in U.S. District Court in Detroit. A preliminary examination is scheduled for Aug. 22.

Gary Hardy convicted of masterminding one of the county's biggest ever narcotics empires.

Gary Hardy has been convicted of pumping millions of pounds worth of class A drugs into Ashfield after masterminding one of the county's biggest ever narcotics empires. He controlled the Ashfield drugs scene through fear and violence and swamped the district with huge quantities of heroin and amphetamines between 2000 and 2007. The Mansfield businessman, who ran the criminal gang alongside convicted dealer John Dawes until he was jailed in 2005, earned millions of pounds from his underworld activities to finance a lavish lifestyle. Hardy consistently denied the charges during a two-month trial at Nottingham Crown Court and claimed his millionaire lifestyle had been funded through the profits of his extensive property and luxury car rental business. But a 12-man jury, which took more than three days to deliver its verdicts, declined to believe Hardy's lies and found him guilty of supplying heroin and amphetamines, of money laundering, of having £14,000-worth of cash gained through criminal activities and possessing criminal cash. But Hardy, who is expected to receive a lengthy prison sentence, was cleared of conspiracy to supply cocaine and four counts of conspiracy to supply cannabis. Fellow gang member and brother Paul Hardy is also facing jail after he was convicted for his part in flooding Ashfield and north Nottinghamshire with heroin and amphetamines. Paul Hardy, a crack cocaine addict, was also convicted of two charges of supplying cannabis resin and possessing criminal cash – but was cleared of a further count of supplying amphetamines and two charges of supplying cannabis. His former girlfriend Zoe Chapman, who has had five of his children, was found guilty of supplying amphetamines to a drug dealer lower down the chain between after Paul Hardy decided to lay low following interest from police. The brothers' mother June Muers, who had no previous convictions, was convicted of supplying amphetamines and cannabis resin, which she kept in a garden shed at her former Pearl Avenue home, and possessing thousands of pounds in drugs money. But Clipstone man Carl Busby, who had been accused of laundering hundreds of thousands of pounds of drugs money on behalf of Gary Hardy between May 2003 and December 2006, was cleared of all charges. The gang members are expected to be sentenced at Nottingham Crown Court some time in September.

Marian Serea, 24, was sentenced to ten years in prison at Harrow Crown Court

Marian Serea, 24, was sentenced to ten years in prison at Harrow Crown Court last Friday for importing Class A drugs. Police arrested him when more than a kilo of cocaine was delivered to his home in Edgware. Acting Detective Sergeant Figo Forouzan, of Harrow CID, who worked on the case, said: “I’m happy with the sentence. “He could have got more but he had only been in the country for a few weeks and his lawyers made a lot of the fact it’s going to be hard for him as he doesn’t speak English. “This really sends a message out to the public that anyone thinking of this sort of crime should think twice.”
Serea had only been in the UK for three weeks when police intercepted a parcel of cocaine being sent to his home, in Westleigh Gardens, from South America.
When scientists analysed the contents of the parcel in the lab they discovered it contained 720g of 100 per cent pure cocaine and the overall contents of the parcel, which weighed 1.12kgs, had an estimated value of more than £144,000. An undercover officer was disguised as a postman to deliver the package and Serea was arrested when he produced his passport to sign for the drugs.
Serea was sentenced to ten years in prison at Harrow Crown Court last Friday for importing Class A drugs.
ADS Forouzan said: “This was one of the first cases in court to be affected by new laws regarding anonymous witnesses which were brought in just last week.
“That meant our undercover officer had to jump through a lot of hoops in order to testify and protect his identity.
“Serea answered no comment in interview, but then came out and said in court he had collected the package for someone he was renting the house from, despite it having his name on it. ”It would be very nice for someone to send a package worth that much to someone they don’t know.” The jury took just an hour to return the guilty verdict. ADS Forouzan did not rule out the possibility of Serea having tried the same scam before, as he had lived in Spain for three months before coming to the UK.

Sergio Lopez-Martinez, a Spanish national, was removed without incident and turned over to Spanish INTERPOL agents

Sergio Lopez-Martinez, a Spanish national, was removed without incident and turned over to Spanish INTERPOL agents who were waiting for him at the Madrid Barajas Airport in Spain.Lopez-Martinez was allegedly involved in a shooting on Nov. 9, 2006 at Orrius and La Roca del Valles in Barcelona, Spain. He is alleged to have acted in concert in the fatal shooting of Jose Fort Caballe. On May 14, 2007, the judicial district of Barcelona issued an arrest warrant for Lopez-Martinez for the offenses of murder and drug trafficking."Apprehending dangerous foreign fugitives hiding in the United States is a top priority of ICE and our international law enforcement partners, including European Union authorities and INTERPOL," said Michael Rozos, field office director for the ICE Office of Detention and Removal Operations in Florida. "It is in the interest of public safety and justice around the world to capture and return wanted fugitives to their native countries to face justice."
ICE received information from the U.S. National Central Bureau of INTERPOL that Lopez-Martinez might be living in Miami. ICE deportation officers, working closely the U.S. and Spanish INTERPOL offices and the Miami Beach Police Department, subsequently launched an intensive investigation to locate the suspect.
Further investigation revealed that Lopez-Martinez had entered the United States on Feb. 17, 2007 under the Visa Waiver Program with authorization to remain in the country for a period of time not to exceed May 16, 2007. Lopez-Martinez remained in the United States beyond his period of admission in violation of law.
On July 3, 2008, he was arrested without incident by ICE fugitive operations deportation officers at his residence located at 7125 Bay Drive in Miami Beach. He was subsequently processed for removal under the provisions of Section 217 of the Immigration and Nationality Act ( INA ) and held in ICE custody pending his removal.

David Peter Lindley and Robert Michael Matthews found guilty of importing 810kg of cannabis

David Peter Lindley, 45, of Dorchester Road, Maiden Newton, was found guilty of importing 810kg of cannabis along with his accomplice Robert Michael Matthews, 65, of Mackmillan Road in Rowley Regis, West Midlands.Both had previously served prison sentences for importation of cannabis.During the nine-day trial at Dorchester Crown Court, a jury was told how shrink-wrapped bars of cannabis resin were imported to Lindley's business address - Manorwood Furniture on the Casterbridge Industrial Estate, Dorchester, in October 2005.The delivery was sent from Spain using parcel carrier TNT after an earlier 'dummy-run' of builders' rubble was sent to the same address.The drug had a street value of £1.6 million and was uncovered when Customs officers inspected it on arrival in into the UK.Jury members were taken through details of phone calls that police traced between Lindley, in Dorset, and Matthews who was living in Spain.Throughout the trial both men denied any involvement in the conspiracy.Giving evidence, Lindley repeatedly told the court he had no involvement in the plot 'whatsoever'.But yesterday a jury returned a unanimous verdict of guilty for both defendants.Judge Harvey Clark told the men they had not been deterred by previous prison sentences for importing cannabis.He said: "With that background you can be properly regarded as professional drug smugglers."Not only have you done this before in both cases, but the sentences passed then did not deter you from doing it again."The judge added: "The financial rewards of drug smuggling on this scale are very considerable, matched only perhaps by sentencing powers of the court when drug smugglers are found guilty."You both played for high stakes and you lost."
Lindley and Matthews were both sentenced to twelve years in prison, with half their sentence to be served on licence.Speaking after the case, Detective Chief Inspector Neil Redstone of Dorset Police said: "Today's verdict has come as a result of painstaking, but ultimately very important, good old fashioned detective work.
"From a relatively early point in the investigation it was clear that Lindley was involved in the importation of a large quantity of cannabis.
"Officers from my team then uncovered the involvement of Matthews in the conspiracy.
"A very small team of detectives from the major crime investigation team then spent months piecing together the evidence in this case."

Julian Patrick Garcia arrested on charges of possession with intent to distribute cocaine and possession with intent to distribute marijuana.

Julian Patrick Garcia arrested on charges of possession with intent to distribute cocaine and possession with intent to distribute marijuana.
He's also charged with bringing contraband into a jail, conspiracy to distribute controlled substances, attempt to commit a felony by furnishing drugs to a prisoner and a misdemeanor count of possession of drug paraphernalia.Bond was set at $56,000.The arrest stems from an investigation into allegations an inmate was arranging for drugs to be smuggled in.

Isaac Abeidu Aidoo, aka Goodies, has pleaded not guilty to narcotic offences.

The Managing Director of Goodies Music Productions, Isaac Abeidu Aidoo, aka Goodies, has pleaded not guilty to narcotic offences. Consequently, the circuit court trying him following his arrest at the Kotoka International Airport has remanded him in prison custody and adjourned the case to August 11, 2008. Aidoo was initially being tried at the Regional Tribunal on charges of possessing and attempted exportation of narcotic drugs. The prosecutor, ASP Kofi Blagodzi, told the court that Aidoo allegedly swallowed 80 pellets of cocaine and attempted to smuggle them to the United Kingdom. He said at about 10.45p.m. on April 23, this year, Aidoo arrived atthe Kotoka International Airport to board a Ghana International Airlines flight to London. While going through departure formalities, operatives of the Narcotics Control Board (NACOB) suspected Aidoo of carrying drugs in his stomach. Aidoo was, therefore, escorted to the 37 Military Hospital for an X-ray, which revealed that he had some foreign materials in his stomach. He was subsequently arrested and put under surveillance and in the process, he expelled 80 pellets of a whitish substance suspected to be cocaine. Aidoo informed the police during interrogation that one Abdul Haid, a musician residing at East Legon, Accra, had given him the drugs to be delivered to one Willie, for a fee of $3,000. According to the prosecutor, Aidoo failed to lead the police to arrest the said Abdul.

Sharon Ann Shirk was sentenced in a Trinidadian court Thursday after pleading guilty in June for trying to smuggle 5.3 kilos of liquified cocaine

Sharon Ann Shirk, 57, was sentenced in a Trinidadian court Thursday after pleading guilty in June for trying to smuggle 5.3 kilos of liquified cocaine in bottles of wine. Court heard Shirk was already seated on a Caribbean Airlines flight bound for Toronto last June when she was called off the aircraft and asked to identify her red and black suitcase. The mother of two, whose family in Toronto has refused to comment, will serve three years' hard labour at the Golden Grove Jail. Her lawyer Sean Cazabon unsuccessfully pleaded for leniency, citing Shirk's age. Readers of the Trinidad Express newspaper, who were seeking comment on the story posted on their website, were barraged with e-mails calling for a stiffer sentence for Shirk.
"Not sufficient time to serve," one reader wrote. "A Trinidadian caught in a similar crime in Toronto would be getting 15 years." Another reader said Shirk should be forced to serve all her time in Trinidad rather than being extradited to Canada to finish her sentence. "The jail sentence must send a message to others," another wrote. "She must go to jail for longer even though Trinidad has good relations with Canada." Shirk will reappear in Trinidad court on Aug. 15 to face a Customs and Excise Office charge of attempting to export prohibited goods.

Nestor Ramirez,was convicted one count of conspiracy and one count of possession with intent to distribute

Nestor Ramirez, 28, New Brighton, Minn., was convicted Wednesday on one count of conspiracy and one count of possession with intent to distribute in a case where the Franklin County Sheriff’s Office seized almost 550 pounds of cocaine. “That qualifies as one of the largest cocaine seizures in state history,” said U.S. Attorney Eric Melgren. Ramirez was arrested Oct. 17, 2007, on Interstate 35 in Franklin County. He was a passenger in a 2006 Chevrolet cargo truck driven by co-defendant Manuel Barraza-Martinez. A Franklin County deputy stopped the truck after authorities were tipped by Georgia authorities that the truck might have an electrically operated hidden compartment that could hold drugs or cash. Truck was driven to the Franklin County Noxious Weed Department in Ottawa, where officers connected a battery charger to wires beneath the truck, causing the first row of trays in a cargo box to open. Inside, they found almost 250 kilograms of cocaine in kilo-sized packages. Ramirez is set for sentencing Nov. 3. He faces a penalty of not less than 10 years and not more than life on each count.

John Halligan,and Alan Macaulay were packaging heroin with a potential street value of £32,250.

John Halligan, 40, and Alan Macaulay, 30, were packaging heroin with a potential street value of £32,250.It was in seven plastic bags, which were thrown out of a window as police burst into the house. The bags were recovered from the back garden.
The court also heard that Macauley tried to escape by jumping from a first-floor window. He claimed that was because he thought there was a warrant out for his arrest.Halligan, of Avon Tower, Motherwell, and MacAulay, a prisoner in Barlinnie, admitted being concerned in the supply of heroin.Macaulay also admitted having a small quantity of cannabis resin with a street value of £40 in his possession.
Judge Lord Hodge deferred sentence on both men until next month at the High Court in Edinburgh.He remanded them in custody and told them: "The supply of Class A drugs is a curse on our society."

Pasquale ''Pat'' Barbaro,Rob Karam ,John William Samuel Higgs.arrested

arrested as Griffiths man Pasquale ''Pat'' Barbaro, Crown casino high-roller and Tony Mokbel mate Rob Karam and the founder of the Black Uhlans bikie gang in Melbourne John William Samuel Higgs.Various close relatives of Mr Barbaro, 46, were named in the Woodward Royal Commission as being members of the Calabrian Mafia gang responsible for the 1977 murder of Donald Mackay.Mr Keelty revealed 400 AFP agents conducted more than 10,000 hours of secret surveillance on gang members and that the AFP estimated the international drug syndicate was responsible for 60 per cent of all drug importations into Australia.Members of various organised crime gangs collaborated with each other in a rare case of unity to fund and organise the massive ecstasy shipments. AFP intelligence suggests Australian members of the Calabrian mafia played major roles in the international syndicate.
They teamed up with criminals from other gangs, including some of Lebanese extraction. A founding member of a Melbourne bike gang was among those arrested today. One of those arrested in Griffith in New South Wales has strong links to the Calabrian mafia cell responsible for the murder of anti-drug campaigner Donald Mackay. That Australia was on the smuggling route of an international gang dominated by the Calabrian mafia came as no surprise to Italian organised crime experts.
The Calabrian secret society at the centre of the global drug racket is known in Calabrian dialect as N'Dranghita. N'Dranghita has had very strong cells in Australia since at least the 1930s.
It is particularly prevalent in Melbourne, Mildura and Shepparton in Victoria, Griffith in New South Wales, Adelaide and Canberra.
N'Dranghita is called L'Onorata Societa or the Honoured Society by some Italians, La Famiglia or the Family by others, and simply the mafia by most in Australia.
It is the gang responsible for the the 1977 murder of Griffith anti-drugs crusader Donald Mackay. N'Dranghita has been responsible for growing and distributing much of Australia's marijuana for decades. It also got involved in heroin importations in 1978 through now dead crime boss Robert Trimbole and is known to have been involved in massive cocaine importations since at least 2000.
The AFP has been working closely with several overseas law enforcement agencies to gather evidence to bust the network's Australian arm. The arrests followed the arrival in Melbourne on July 24 of a shipping container with three 50kg bags of cocaine hidden in a load of coffee.

Susan Vance day care owner charged with maintaining a place where a controlled substance is sold her son, Mark Scott, was selling cocaine

Investigators have charged the day care owner,Susan Vance, with maintaining a place where a controlled substance is sold. They said her son, Mark Scott, was selling cocaine and marijuana out of her in-home day care and she knew about it.Investigators said it was an undercover narcotics team that learned that the day care was also a drug house."They went in posing as drug users for the purpose of buying drugs. Once they got in, they saw all the drugs, the scales; they saweverything that's used for this type of illegal activity," said Jacksonville Sheriff's Office spokesman Ken Jefferson.Investigators said during one undercover buy, Vance came in a bedroom and saw her son selling cocaine and marijuana to the officer. According to the police report, the officer told her he'd better put the drugs away and she said, "Yeah, because her dad is a police officer," as she pointed to a girl she was watching inside the residence.Jefferson said as far as the sheriff's office knows, a police officer's child did not attend the day care. However, he said parents need to do their homework before leaving their children anywhere."Always do a careful and thorough background check on whomever you're going to leave your children with," Jefferson said.According to the state, Vance did have a license. According to DCF records, the Vance Family Day Care only had only minor violations during inspections.In the past, Vance was cited for unsanitary living conditions and some broken toys that could be hazardous to children.
DCF is investigating the incident. It could permanently revoke the license for the day care.Vance has been released from jail on bond. Her son remained in jail on Thursday evening on a $75,000 bond.

Felipe Ibarra guilty on two counts of delivery of a controlled substance

Felipe Ibarra guilty on two counts of delivery of a controlled substance, Ecstasy; one count of possession of Ecstasy with intent to deliver; and one count of having drugs, Ecstasy and three guns.The jury recommended 20 years at the Arkansas Department of Correction and fines of $25,000 on each of the drug delivery charges. The possession with intent to deliver charge netted a recommendation of 15 years and a $20,000 fine. The drugs and guns brought a recommendation of 25 years.
Ibarra sold 18 Ecstasy pills to a confidential informant on two occasions. Police found three more pills when they raided his home on Arkansas 265 south of Greenland. There was a 12 gauge shotgun, a 9 mm rifle and a large-caliber revolver in Ibarra's closet.The confidential informant, who had been arrested with items used to make methamphetamine, said he'd known Ibarra since the two were in sixth or seventh grade. Ibarra had no previous criminal convictions.Police recorded both buys and actually watched one buy go down in Ibarra's driveway. Ibarra was four days past his 18th birthday when the first of the buys occurred.
Blair Brady, Ibarra's defense attorney, argued that police and prosecutors were painting an inaccurate picture of Ibarra's participation in the drug trade. Brady said Ibarra was not a major dealer and sold his own drugs to his old friend when asked."This is not 'Miami Vice,'" Brady told jurors."What kind of friend sells poison to another for money," deputy prosecuting attorney Mark Booher asked jurors.
Circuit Judge William Storey sentenced Ibarra immediately. Storey allowed the drug-only charges to run concurrently but ordered Ibarra to serve the drugs and guns charge consecutively.Storey said the verdicts should put others on notice that such behavior won't be tolerated in Washington County.Ibarra was tried Wednesday on four of almost a dozen charges he faces. Remaining are more drug charges and an allegation Ibarra and another man fired shots at a University of Arkansas fraternity house after they were thrown out of a party for trying to sell Ecstasy to guests.