Remand prisoners at the Sunyani Central Prison in the Brong Ahafo Region have allegedly resorted to acts of vandalism

Remand prisoners at the Sunyani Central Prison in the Brong Ahafo Region have allegedly resorted to acts of vandalism because of frustration resulting from long delays in the adjudication of their cases in the law courts.A convict at the prison, Eric Quaye, who painted a sordid picture of the frustrations of the prisoners and conditions of the remand prison to the Brong Ahafo Regional Minister, Mr Kwadwo Nyamekye-Marfo, last Thursday, said some of the cases had been pending before the courts for between seven and 12 years.Quaye told the minister, who was visiting the prison, that without any provocation, some remand prisoners who had been there for those periods allegedly fought other inmates to relieve themselves of their frustration.He a11eged that some dockets on the cases which were in the custody of the police were missing, while some of the police investigators had refused to escort those on remand to the courts.Currently, there are 839 inmates at the Remand prisoners at the Sunyani Central Prison in the Brong Ahafo Region have allegedly resorted to acts of vandalism, out of which 635 are convicts, 176 on remand and 28 facing trial. The number of prisoners in the region, including those at the Duayaw Nkwanta, Kenyasi and Yeji camps, stands at 1,293.Quaye, who acted as the spokesperson for the inmates, further alleged that even when the police came for prisoners on remand for court, the police returned with the excuse that they did not meet any judges to hear the cases.He intimated that some of the police investigators were in league with the complainants in some of the cases and alleged that some of those complainants had paid money to the policemen handling the cases for them to delay their early adjudication or discontinue with the investigations.In one instance, the spokesperson, who was once working with a mining company in the Brong Ahafo Region but has been incarcerated because of financial malfeasance, said a man who had committed a crime with another per-son had long completed his prison term of 10 years while his accomplice, who is currently suffering from stroke, was on remand.
According to him, remand prisoners were a source of worry to the other inmates, pointing out that “they are difficult to control by the selected leaders of the inmates”.On other problems in the prison, Quaye indicated that some of the convicts were grappling with communicable diseases such as tuberculosis (TB) but the only available drug administered to them was paracetamol, adding that “para is used to serve all sick prisoners”.He emphasised that characteristic of all TB patients, those suffering from the disease coughed and spat anywhere but there were no detergents and soap to clean the cells and other areas.“We use raw water to bath, wash and clean the place,” he said.Quaye said because there were limited toilet facilities for the inmates, some of them soiled themselves while they were in the queue waiting for their turn, while others fought to secure their positions in the queue.One startling revelation he made was that there were minors staying and mingling with the hardened criminals, pointing out that human rights activists did not visit the prison to know the plight of the minors and fight for them.The Brong Ahafo Regional Commander of the Ghana Prison Service, Mr Jacob Agambire, who conducted the regional minister round the premises, corroborated the story told by the spokesperson and said his outfit was using the available resources to manage the prison.

Sydney man has been charged with attempting to smuggle 44 native lizards and snakes on a flight out of Australia

Sydney man has been charged with attempting to smuggle 44 native lizards and snakes on a flight out of Australia, including a rare albino python.The haul of reptiles allegedly found in the 24-year-old's luggage at Sydney airport on Friday included 24 shingleback lizards, 16 bluetongue lizards and four snakes.The snakes have been identified as three black headed pythons and an albino carpet python, an extremely endangered species with numbers estimated to be as low as 100.The albino python is worth about $20,000, while Customs estimates all the reptiles in the smuggling attempt would fetch between $160,000 and $200,000 on the black market.They were detected during x-ray screenings of the man's luggage after he checked in for a flight to Bangkok.The reptiles, hidden in socks and cloth bags, were taken to Sydney Wildlife World, where they have undergone health checks and are being cared for.
The man, from Bonnet Bay, has been granted conditional bail to appear in the Downing Centre Local Court on March 24.He has been charged with attempting to export native species without a permit, which carries a maximum penalty of $110,000 and/or 10 years' jail.Customs and Border Protection spokesman Richard Janeczko said wildlife smuggling was a serious crime."Customs and Border Protection continues to prevent, investigate and prosecute wildlife smuggling attempts into and out of Australia in a bid to end this cruel practice," Mr Janeczko said in a statement on Monday.

Former best friend of John A. "Junior" Gotti says that the famous mob offspring collected drug money and ordered shootings of rivals.

Former best friend of John A. "Junior" Gotti says that the famous mob offspring collected drug money and ordered shootings of rivals. Gambino crime family associate John Alite (AY'-leyt) testified about Gotti's alleged misdeeds on Monday at the Brooklyn trial of a Gambino soldier accused of murder. Alite took the stand as part of a plea deal. He told the jury that on orders from Gotti, he drove a car used in a drive-by shooting in the 1980s. He also claimed Gotti, son of notorious Gambino boss John Gotti, collected monthly cash payments from a drug-dealing operation. Alite is expected to be a key government witness when Gotti goes on trial later this year. Gotti is charged with involvement in three gangland murders and cocaine trafficking.

Police in Milan have said that crimes including weapons and drug trafficking and running of prostitution rings were all co-ordinated through Skype.

Police in Milan have said that crimes including weapons and drug trafficking and running of prostitution rings were all co-ordinated through Skype. This made it difficult for authorities to track calls because practice was for police to tap landlines and mobile phones in investigations.According to Eurojust, Skype was refusing to share its secret encryption system with authorities."Skype co-operates with law enforcement where legally and technically possible. Skype remains interested in working with Eurojust despite the fact that they chose not to contact us before issuing this inaccurate report," Brian O’Shaughnessy, head of corporate communications at Skype, said in a statement, as quoted by EUObserver.EUObserver said Bavarian authorities had tried to track a Skype conversation and even had hired an IT firm to do so, but with no success.Skype was developed by Estonian programmers working for a Danish-Swedish business. In 2005, it was sold to E-Bay and now has more than 350 million users around the world.

District Judge Samuel Kent pleaded guilty to one count of obstruction of justice today and retired from the bench

U.S. District Judge Samuel Kent pleaded guilty to one count of obstruction of justice today and retired from the bench, avoiding a trial on that charge and five others accusing him of sexually abusing two female employees.Kent was scheduled to see a jury selected this morning for his trial on all six felony counts.Few federal judges ever go to trial, but his would have been the first in which a federal judge was accused of sexual charges.“Judge Kent believes that this settlement is in the best interest of all involved,” his attorney, Dick DeGuerin, said after this morning’s hearing.“A trial would have been long, embarrassing and difficult for all involved,” DeGuerin added. He said Kent has retired from the bench.Kent faces up to 20 years in prison on the obstruction charge. Prosecutors have suggested he be sentenced to three years in prison, but the judge is not bound by that recommendationSenior U.S. District Judge Roger Vinson has imposed a gag order on those involved in the case, but allowed DeGuerin to make his statement to the news media.The two female court employees with whom Kent now admits he had non-consensual sexual contact also were barred from speaking by Vinson’s order.Gag orders are designed to protect the rights of defendants from public prejudice before trial. Kent has waived his right to appeal and it is unclear why Vinson would issue a gag order.Kent, who normally speaks in loud, clear tones, all but whispered his guilty plea at the bench. The court reporter strained to hear what he said.Although, in most pleas in the federal courthouse in Houston, defendants are made to state their crimes, neither Kent nor prosecutor Peter Ainsworth stated the crimes in court.
Instead, papers were filed stating that Kent had non-consensual sex with two former female employees between 2003 and 2007.The papers also state that, as part of the investigation into a complaint by one of the women, Kent lied about his relationship with the second woman to the Special Investigative Committee of the 5th Circuit.
Kent signed those papers admitting his wrongdoing.The plea deal includes that prosecutors will dismiss the other five charges still pending against Kent.The two women he is accused of abusing each stood in front of the courthouse this morning while their attorneys made brief statements to the press. Judge Vinson’s gag order prevented them from saying much.“I just think this is a tremendously big day for Cathy,” Rusty Hardin said of Cathy McBroom, Kent’s former Galveston case manager who first came forward and started the judicial investigation that led to the criminal case.“She’s a woman who had the courage to come forward,” Hardin said.“I’m very happy that this part of the process is over,” said McBroom, who still works at the federal courts. “I feel extremely relieved.”She said she looks forward to Kent’s sentencing, set in May.Hardin said he expects the victims will have a chance to speak then. Federal law requires judges to consider the victims’ input in sentencing.
Terry Yates spoke to reporters with his client, Donna Wilkerson. She is the current secretary for Kent, although they have not been working together since charges related to her allegations were added to the case.“She can be a beacon of hope for other people in this situation,” Yates said of Wilkerson, who made no comment herself.Kent, 59, was appointed by President George H.W. Bush in 1990 and was the sole district federal judge in Galveston in most of the ensuing years.The obstruction charge accuses Kent of lying to a 5th Circuit Judicial Council panel that was investigating an accusation that he abused one of his female employees.
The federal probation department will conduct an investigation into Kent’s background. After that is completed, Vinson, of Pensacola, Fla., will take the department’s report into consideration before deciding on Kent’s sentence.Kent was appointed for life and can be removed only by congressional impeachment.The judicial council reprimanded Kent in September 2007. After the obstruction charge was added to the indictment in January, the council said it would reopen its judicial misconduct investigation.It also is possible, if not likely, that the Congress will now look at impeaching Kent to take him off the federal payroll and retirement package he gets as a federal judge. Yates said he expects Congress to act on this very quickly.

"internal cleansing" of the Bandidos

Jury selection was scheduled to begin Monday in the trial of six men charged in connection with a mass slaying in rural southwestern Ontario three years ago.
Eight members or associates of the Bandidos outlaw motorcycle gang were found shot to death and stuffed in four cars abandoned in a field in Shedden, southwest of London, in April 2006.The six accused face eight counts each of first-degree murder.
They are: Michael Sandham, 37, a former Winnipeg-area police officer who became a full-patch member of the Bandidos; Dwight Mushey, 39; Marcelo Aravena, 32; Wayne Kellestine, 59, a notorious local biker whose rural property in Dutton-Dunwich, near the field where the bodies were dumped, is alleged to be the site of an execution-style slaying; Frank Mather, 35 and Brett Gardiner, 24.Meanwhile, another man and a woman are charged with acting as accessories after the fact to the killings.
Among the eight men killed in the massacre were six full-patch members of the Bandidos, most from the Greater Toronto Area. They were: George Jesso, 52, Frank Salerno, 43, George Kriarakis, 28, Luis Manny Raposo, 41, Paul Sinopoli, 30; and John Muscedere, 48. The other victims were associate member Michael Trotta, 31, and Jamie Flanz, 37, a prospect for membership in the gang.
Police labelled the killings an "internal cleansing" of the Bandidos, a Texas-based motorcycle gang, second in size and underworld prestige only to the Hells Angels.
However, the gang's strength in Canada had dwindled at the time of the massacre and the purge virtually wiped out the gang's small Ontario chapter.

former Georgetown police officer Jimmy Fennell was sentenced of two years behind bars on charges of improper sexual activity with a person in custody

former Georgetown police officer Jimmy Fennell was sentenced of two years behind bars on charges of improper sexual activity with a person in custody and 10 years in prison for kidnapping.Fennell waived a jury trial and pleaded guilty last week.
The Williamson County district attorney said "a rogue officer was punished for serious crimes. He will never again hold a peace officer's license."The judge only took a few minutes to decide Fennell's fate. The judge told Fennell that he had shamed his department, his family and that he had shaken the public trust in the police department and therefore he would be receiving the maximum punishment.
District Attorney John Bradley said this case would have been difficult to take to trial due to bad investigative work on behalf of the Georgetown Polce Dept.
He indicated that there was corruption at work and that Fennell had been in charge of his own investigation and had altered evidence to protect himself. Former Georgetown police officer Jimmy Fennell was sentenced to 10 years behind bars.The city is also going to have their hands full due to a federal civil lawsuit that the victim has filed because of Fennell's behavior. Fennell pleaded guilty in May to felony charges of kidnapping and improper sexual activity with a person in custody. The charges come from an Oct. 26 incident in which Fennell responded to a domestic disturbance call at a woman’s home, and according to court documents, he forced the woman to go with him in his patrol car, dance for him and have sex with him.

Danny Davidson,58, a businessman of Brown's Town, St Ann is accused of smuggling millions of dollars worth of cocaine and ganja into the United States

Danny Davidson,58, a businessman of Brown's Town, St Ann is accused of smuggling millions of dollars worth of cocaine and ganja into the United States.He was nabbed last week by members of the Fugitive Apprehension Team.US prosecutors claimed the Jamaican was a member of the Ayala Serna drug smuggling organisation which has been smuggling tons of cocaine and ganja from Colombia through Jamaica and the Bahamas into the United States.Mr. Davidson who was indicted in December 2005 is facing more than 30 counts of conspiracy to import cocaine and ganja into Florida.He's also facing multiple counts of money laundering.The US DEA claimed that on June 15, 2005, Mr. Davidson arranged a shipment of 700 pounds of ganja into Florida.On September 23, 2005 he arranged a shipment of 180 kilograms of cocaine into Plantation, Florida.
A few days later he arranged another shipment of 120 kilograms of cocaine into Florida.US prosecutors say they have the Jamaican on tape making arrangements to import multi-million dollar shipments of narcotics to the US.He's also accused of selling dope to undercover DEA agents.

Emmanuel Ramirez, 25, managed a network of so-called "straw purchasers" who bought several Beretta 9mm handguns from sporting good stores

Fifteen city residents face federal weapons charges in what authorities are describing as one of the largest Valley gun trafficking investigations in years.
All stand accused of conspiring to illegally purchase more than 60 firearms that were smuggled into Mexico between July 2007 and January 2008, federal prosecutors said.According to a 16-count indictment unsealed Monday, Emmanuel Ramirez, 25, managed a network of so-called "straw purchasers" who bought several Beretta 9mm handguns from sporting good stores across the Rio Grande Valley.Ramirez allegedly paid for the weapons and later snuck them south of the border, where it is illegal to own or purchase guns. U.S. law prohibits gun buyers for purchasing a weapon for anyone other than themselves.Federal agents arrested Ramirez, his purported primary recruiter - Carlos Garcia, 21, and several other members of the alleged network over the last four days.Prosecutors allege Ramirez gave Garcia money and instructed him on which weapons to buy.Garcia, then, reportedly paid 13 Brownsville "straw purchasers" ranging in age from 19 to 26 to lie to weapons dealers and say they were buying the guns for their own personal use.The fraudulent purchases were made at three Academy Sports and Outdoors locations in McAllen and Brownsville but were later uncovered by agents with the U.S. Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives and U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement..Federal authorities have stepped up their efforts against such illegal purchasing in recent months, hoping to stem the tide of weapons moving into Mexico.Guns from the United States have been blamed for fueling ongoing violent attacks by the powerful Mexican drug cartels.
The number of criminal cases involving federal gun violations in South Texas are currently a 20-year high, according to records from the Syracuse University-based Transactional Records Access Clearinghouse.Investigators classified Ramirez's case as unusual, however, because of the sheer number of co-defendants involved.
So far, six of the 13 "straw purchasers" have faced a federal magistrate judge on charges of conspiracy and making false statements on firearms records. Arrest warrants have been issued for remaining seven.If convicted, they could each face up to five years in prison for each count and $250,000 in fines.Ramirez and Garcia face additional counts of gun smuggling, punishable by up to 10 years in prison upon conviction.Ramirez's Houston-based attorney - Ira H. Chenkin - did not return calls for comment Monday. It remained unclear whether Garcia had retained an attorney as of Monday afternoon.

Leon Taylor killed himself after shooting his 82-year-old wife, Beatrice Taylor

Police say 82-year-old Leon Taylor killed himself after shooting his 82-year-old wife, Beatrice Taylor, on Saturday. Two newlywed octogenarians are dead in what Eureka police say appears to be a domestic violence dispute. Witnesses say they saw the recently married couple had been arguing in the hours leading up to the shooting. Andy Snow, one of the couple's neighbors, says he called police after he approached the Cadillac parked in the couple's carport and spoke briefly with a flush-faced Leon Taylor. Snow says the car was parked close to the wall so that Beatrice could not get out. Snow says shortly afterward he saw Taylor shoot his wife in the head and then turn the gun on himself. Both were pronounced dead at the scene.

Jacoby Fields and Travis Harris charged with murder and first degree burglary.

Eighteen-year-old Jacoby Fields from Walterboro and 19-year old Travis Harris of Smoaks are now charged with murder and first degree burglary.After more than 5,000 hours and 300 leads, finally authorities believe they've got the ones behind the murder. It's an announcement that brings a little comfort to those struck with so much pain.Tabatha Compton describes the past month as a “living hell,” but seeing how serious everyone was about solving this case has helped ease some pain.
"They have spent endless hours away from their family and their loved ones to help bring justice to my family and myself and I am very grateful for all of it,” Compton said.Authorities are releasing little information about what led them to these two men, but the most important thing, they say, "Ladies and gentlemen, they got it right.” South Carolina Law Enforcement Division's Reggie Loyd says it's “good ole’ fashion policing” that got us to this point, and through those efforts in this case, more criminals are off the streets."There were literally numerous burglaries that were solved during the course of this investigation that are unrelated to this but because of the effort devoted, by all of these agencies, these arrests or charges have been brought,” Loyd said.But the group of investigators present Monday made up a only a fraction of a whole community that contributed.“I wanted to thank everyone including businesses that helped with anything, food, anything to myself, my family and this department....I'm very grateful,” Compton said.Compton's wife wouldn't say whether she would want the death penalty in this case but hearings start Tuesday morning for the two men and she says she won't miss a minute.

Ernie Del Pinto finally has a measure of confidence that the man accused of fatally shooting his son in the face will pay for his alleged crime.

For the first time since his son was gunned down in Thailand last January, Ernie Del Pinto finally has a measure of confidence that the man accused of fatally shooting his son in the face will pay for his alleged crime.An off-duty Thai police sergeant was arrested and charged with premeditated murder in the death of Leo Del Pinto, 25, and for injuring his friend, fellow Canadian Carly Reisig of Chilliwack, B.C. in the town of Pai.Del Pinto, his family and lawyer met for an hour with David Sproule, Canada's ambassador to Thailand in Calgary Monday."I think something came out of this. I'm happy," said Ernie Del Pinto who now expects justice will be done.
"I was (worried) because you'd have everybody say you're never going to get justice," he said. "I was worried about it and I think something will come out of this."The family was hesitant to discuss specifics but was assured that the Canadian government is fully involved in the case and would follow it through to the end.
"He said the police officer, who was originally reassigned, is now off duty and once the full investigation is concluded will go to trial.Del Pinto said for the first time in eight months he is confident that justice will be done.
"What I can tell you is the family is very pleased from the meeting. We have the personal assurance and the personal attendance of the Canadian government in relation to this matter and that's what we wanted," said family lawyer Adriano Iovinelli.
"We're very satisfied with what the family has done up to this point."
The mood is considerably lighter than earlier concerns expressed by the family that Ottawa was stalling in giving them information and that the case would not go to trial.Iovinelli said the investigation is being conducted by DSI, which he said is Thailand's "equivalent of the Royal Canadian Mounted Police" - the highest level of investigation in Thailand.He said once that is concluded there will be a recommendation on prosecution and then proceeding to trial.Iovinelli said the family received double good news about the officer charged in the shooting. He had originally be reassigned to a different district but that has apparently changed."We understand that he is now off duty and we have been assured that three different levels in Thailand have investigated this matter."The officer has said it was self-defence, but Del Pinto's father has said his son was shot at close range in the face and chest for defending Reisig and did nothing to deserve the attack.The Del Pinto family is now content to sit back and wait for the Thai justice system to run its course and Ernie Del Pinto said he intends to be there when the case goes to trial.
Iovinelli said the family is also hoping to meet with Thailand's ambassador to Canada to discuss the case.

Marrion Herrington, 42, appeared at Leeds Crown Court charged with the attempted murder of Ann Smith, 82.

Marrion Herrington, 42, appeared at Leeds Crown Court charged with the attempted murder of Ann Smith, 82.Prosecuting, barrister Simon Kealey told the court how Herrington stood in the bedroom doorway as her partner, Barry Armstrong-Smith, 47, tried to smother his sick mother with two pillows in her room at her bungalow in Acomb, York.Mr Kealey claimed the couple wanted to inherit Armstrong-Smith's share of the house, said to be worth some £40,000, and £2,000 from his mother's savings.
The court heard how Mrs Smith felt a weight on top of her and the sheet and duvet were pulled over her head.She told police that she saw Herrington in the doorway. In a police interview played to the court, Mrs Smith said: "I fought and fought. I thought I was going."Herrington denies attempted murder. Armstrong-Smith admitted a charge of attempted murder at an earlier hearing.

Magomed Yevloyev, was detained Sunday as he landed in Nazran, Ingushetia’s main city. Police claimed that he tried to resist arrest

Magomed Yevloyev, a fierce critic of Ingush President Murat Zyazikov, was detained Sunday as he landed in Nazran, Ingushetia’s main city. Police claimed that he tried to resist arrest, and was shot in the ensuing scuffle. Yevloyev’s attorney, meanwhile, said his client went peacefully into custody, and that he was shot while driving with police, and thrown from the car near a hospital. The opposition figure died while receiving care.Yevloyev was the owner of an online news portal, Ingushetiya.ru, which was known for independent news and reporting from the republic. The website aired many views critical of the current Ingush administration, and reported on government corruption. Authorities had repeatedly targeted the site, which was branded “extremist” and ordered shut by a City Court in June. Its editor-in-chief, Roza Malsagova, fled Russia to seek political asylum in France after a number of politically-motivated criminal cases were launched against her. Malsagova said she had received threats from officials.Ingushetia, which has a predominantly Muslim population, has experienced rising levels of violent crime, with frequent attacks on militsiya and security officials. Zyazikov’s administration has responded with a heavy hand, and has been accused of using excessive force against civilians and opposition activists.A number of rights organizations, including Human Rights Watch, the Moscow Helsinki Group and Memorial, have called for a full investigation of Yevloyev’s death.Local activists, meanwhile, said that Zyazikov may be directly involved. Yevloyev’s relatives have apparently called for a blood feud against Zyazikov and Ingush Interior Minister Musa Medov, vowing to avenge Yevloyev’s death.

Police believe that the double murder committed by Vijayaben's son Rikesh, who later hung himself at the Chauhan residence was premeditated.

Were the murders of Vijayaben Chauhan, 58, and her daughter Jigisha, 33, a heat of the moment murder or was it pre-planned.Police believe that the double murder committed by Vijayaben's son Rikesh, who later hung himself at the Chauhan residence in sector 30 at Gandhinagar, was pre-planned. "The double murder is rooted in a property dispute. The dispute between the mother-daughter and Rikesh was common knowledge. It is quite possible that Rikesh had pre-planned the murder," said police sources. Rikesh had also left behind a suicide note saying that he could not control his anger and was responsible for the double murder. There was no remorse in his suicide note, said police official. Cops believe that the suicide note is a pointer to the fact that the double murder was pre-planned. "We believe that the suicide note, lying nearby Rikesh's body in the master bedroom on ground floor was written before the incident as it does not bear blood spots. In fact, both Rikesh's hands were soaked in blood after the murders. The knife used was also lying beside the body," said JH Algotar, inspector of sector 21 police station. When the incident took place on Saturday morning, there were rumours among the investigators that there was a woman — most probably Diwaliben, Rikesh's maternal grandmother — present at the Chauhan residence soon after the incident took place as she also had a cut on her wrist. However, officials later rubbished the claims and indicated towards the chip of wood that had to be extracted in order to open the door. "It's an open and shut case. Everything became clear after Tejal, Rikesh's wife, recounted various incidents where he confronted his mother over property disputes. They were killed in order to not let them take over. It was the first double murder registered with city police stations," added Algotar.

police sub-inspectors were arrested yesterday for allegedly withdrawing money with an ATM card belonging to a police colleague

Two women police sub-inspectors were arrested yesterday for allegedly withdrawing money with an ATM card belonging to a police colleague. The incident happened in Kandy, during the perahera celebrations.Police said the two SIs had withdrawn Rs. 120,000, using a card belonging to a Kalutara Police Training School SI who had come to Kandy for perahera duty. The visiting police personnel were put up at the Pallakele Training School. It was at the training school that the ATM card had been stolen. The pin number was written in a diary belonging to the SI victim.The two suspects were due to be produced before a magistrate yesterday.

Roberto Pupo Roque, 34, a Cuban immigrant. He was a gun-packing drug dealer died in Lakewood, shot and killed by bail recovery agents.

Robin Hood was Roberto Pupo Roque, 34, a Cuban immigrant who compared himself to the outlaw of medieval folklore. He was a gun-packing drug dealer, a liar, a thief and a father. The bounty hunters didn't set out to kill Robin Hood. That's just how the thing went down. He was wanted and unwanted. He was a fugitive with an active warrant for his arrest. He was a police informant who traded a missile for freedom and ran from a business called Liberty. He died May 22 in Lakewood, shot and killed by bail recovery agents. Roque was a casualty of a criminal justice system working against itself. Police wanted him free. Prosecutors wanted him jailed. The agents were caught in the middle, tethered to $150,000 in outstanding bail bonds.
They have been cleared of wrongdoing in Roque's death. Lakewood police concluded the shooting was self-defense. In June, Pierce County prosecutors declined to file criminal charges. The bail agents are relieved, but bitter. “It was ridiculous,” said Byron Gross, who fired one of the shots. “It didn't have to happen,” said Mike Beakley, a bail agent and retired Tacoma cop who partnered with Gross that day and fired two shots at Roque. “All of us kept telling each other we shouldn't be doing this,” said Mike Savant, another bounty hunter in on the chase.
“My mind-set the whole time was, ‘Why are we doing this?'” said Forrest Gary Marshall, owner of Liberty Bail Bonds and boss of the quartet that trailed Roque for weeks. The agents say they were driven to the hunt, hamstrung by a prosecutor who wouldn't look beyond the letter of the law. The prosecutor, Mark Von Wahlde, says he went by the book and acted based on what he knew at the time. Public records and interviews reveal a knotty, bureaucratic snarl. The trouble started March 30, when Liberty's office in downtown Tacoma was robbed.
The safe had been pried open. Police investigated, and quickly arrested Shelby King, a Liberty employee. Court records say she confessed. A guilty plea and a conviction for second-degree burglary came six weeks later. King told police she worked with an accomplice: Roberto Roque. Roque was already in trouble. He had three criminal charges against him dating back to January and February – two for drug dealing, one for unlawful gun possession. He had bailed out on all three. Liberty had posted the bonds. It looked as if Roque had ripped off the company that sprang him from jail.
Marshall, Liberty's owner, had two problems. The robbery was one, but an employee and a client had been in on it. That was a potentially bigger deal.
He went through Liberty's books, and looked at Roque's bail contracts. King had signed all of them. The total risk was $150,000. A bail contract is a bit like an insurance policy. A defendant pays a bail company a small sum and promises to appear in court. The bond company pays the court a fraction of the bail – typically a tenth of the actual amount. If the defendant shows up in court as promised, the company gets its money back. If the defendant doesn't show up, the bond company has to corral the defendant, or pay the full freight for the bond. The transaction rests on the defendant's credit. Marshall's run through the books showed Roque's credit was phony. He had offered a house as collateral for bail, but he didn't own the house. Other information in the records hinted at more falsehoods.
Marshall weighed the prospects. Roque had lied about his credit, and he was a suspect in the robbery – a new, serious crime. If he jumped bail, Liberty would be on the legal hook for a six-figure bill. “We immediately instituted a search for the defendant in order to absolve ourselves of liability,” Marshall stated in court documents. So far, Roque had been a model client, attending all his court dates without a miss. He hadn't jumped bail – but his original agreement with Liberty was a sham. By itself, that was enough to justify revoking the bail; and Marshall, freshly robbed, wasn't feeling charitable. He and his partner, Savant, decided to pick up Roque at his next scheduled court appearance and take him to jail. Police records say Marshall called officers beforehand and explained his plan.
On April 8, Roque showed up at the Pierce County courthouse. Marshall and Savant were waiting for him, along with police detectives Cassie Hayes and Ed Baker.
They took him across the street to Liberty's office to fill out the paperwork. The detectives interviewed Roque. Marshall and Savant listened. “I got caught up in this. I made a bad judgment – I'm a screw-up,” Roque said, according to a police report. He admitted robbing the safe. He said he pried it open with a screwdriver. The scheme was King's idea, he said.
The take was about $6,000 in cash. Roque split it with King, and used some of his half to bail her out of jail. She was a friend, he said – he just wanted to help her. “Asked what he did to earn an income, Roque reluctantly said he was a drug dealer,” the police report states. “He said, ‘I don't fight or destroy people.' He said that he had a lot of friends and that they owed him.

“He portrayed himself as a modern-day ‘Robin Hood.' He said that he is known on the street as ‘Cuba.' He said that he helped people in various ways to include paying their rent and that his assistance was sometimes offered via illegal activities.”
Roque cried about his daughters. He didn't want to go to jail. He offered a trade.
“Roque said that he could provide information on organized crime, narcotics and other illicit activity,” the police report states. “He said that he also had information on the whereabouts of what he described as a United States Army missile.”
The detectives called the FBI. Half an hour later, two federal agents arrived at Liberty's office. Marshall could see this was turning into something bigger than a simple robbery, but his chief concern was the outstanding bonds.
Roque had to go to jail. Under the law, that meant Liberty wouldn't have to eat the debt.
The jail is across the street, adjoining the courthouse. Typically, bail agents delivered their defendants straight to the door. That wouldn't happen now, not with the feds getting involved and talk of a hidden missile – but Marshall still had to settle his books. “Detective Hayes informed me and Mike Savant that she was going to take defendant and book him into Pierce County Jail,” Marshall stated in a court affidavit. “I overheard her ask one of the unknown (federal) officers to book defendant into jail on her behalf.”
Roque was in police custody – no longer Liberty's prisoner. Marshall locked the moment on paper, and had the detective sign formal affidavits of surrender.
“Liberty Bail Bonds personnel relinquished custody of Roque to us and we were allowed to transport him to Tacoma Police headquarters to meet with federal agents,” the police report states. Marshall was relieved. Liberty was in the clear. Police had taken Roque into custody, and officers would take him to jail.
Except they didn't. At headquarters, police and federal agents grilled Roque about the missile. What was it? Where was it? “Roque agreed to assist on the condition that he could be at home with his daughters,” the police report states. “We explained that we could not make any promises to him and he was told that even if he didn't go to jail, state charges could be filed later.”
The report states that one of the FBI agents, Todd Bakken, spoke to a federal prosecutor, who agreed not to file charges against Roque if he helped investigators find the missile.
The detectives spoke to a county prosecutor, Frank Krall, and explained the situation. The deal was struck.
Roque had been hand-delivered to police. Already charged with three crimes, he had confessed to a fourth: robbing Liberty's office. Now he was free, still riding on Liberty's credit. Nobody told Forrest Marshall. The next day – April 9 – investigators, following Roque's tip, found the missile in Edgewood at a vacant address. It wasn't a missile. It was a practice rocket, model number M29A2: “a 3.5-inch bazooka rocket practice round with motor,” according to Fort Lewis spokeswoman Catherine Caruso. A county bomb squad found the military-grade rocket, and a Fort Lewis explosives team dismantled it, Caruso said.
The find was peculiar, but it didn't lead to a cache of munitions. Police spokesman Mark Fulghum said no other explosives were found at the site.

Other details are unclear. Police declined to release the incident report to The News Tribune, saying the case was still under investigation.
The M29A2 is 1950s technology, standard-issue ammo for target practice with a shoulder-fired rocket launcher. It does not blow up.
“It wasn't designed to produce a major explosion,” Caruso said. “It had a certain amount of propulsion, just enough explosive material to propel it some distance for training. It was not an immediate threat.
“I don't want to underplay the danger – but it's unlikely that there was an immediate danger to anybody in the neighborhood.” The rocket did not come from Fort Lewis or the United States, Caruso added. The explosives team could not pinpoint its origin.
The rocket could have been new. It could have been a paperweight. Military buffs sell M29A2 rounds online for $50. People find them in attics and garages.
Roque's promised missile was little more than a blank – and he was still free. Marshall was watching Pierce County's online jail roster, waiting for Roque's name to appear – final proof that Liberty was off the financial hook.
The name never showed up. For Marshall, that was bad. If Roque wasn't in jail, Liberty's debt was still hanging. Marshall called Kim Shomer, Liberty's attorney.
Shomer called Von Wahlde, the deputy prosecutor who handled bail issues.
Shomer explained the circumstances: Liberty had done its duty, and delivered Roque to police. It seemed reasonable to forgive the bond. What would it take?
Von Wahlde wasn't going for it. “Mark came back and said to me, ‘Well, I'm not signing off on this,'?” Shomer said in a recent interview. “He told me that there was no way that he was in agreement that this was a valid surrender.”
Marshall couldn't understand it. Roque confesses to robbing his office. Marshall hands him over to police. Police promise to take Roque to jail. They sign a piece of paper that says so, an affidavit of surrender. That wasn't good enough?
“In this particular case, I didn't think it was worth letting go of a good bond,” Von Wahlde said in a recent interview. He added that he had to protect the court's interests. Von Wahlde points to state law – right there in the books, Revised Code of Washington, 10.19.160. The law explains how bail bond companies are supposed to deliver fugitives to jail. “The surrender shall be made to the facility in which the person was originally held in custody or the county or city jail affiliated with the court issuing the warrant resulting in bail,” it states. Von Wahlde hangs his argument on three words: “to the facility.” In his view, that means the bail company makes the delivery, at the jail, in person. Once the bondsman surrenders the defendant at the jail, the bondsman is off the hook,” he said.
The law doesn't mention affidavits of surrender. It doesn't include provisions for police informants who confess to crimes and make creepy promises to lead investigators to military munitions in exchange for release.
Liberty hadn't played by the book. The company hadn't surrendered Roque “to the facility.” In hindsight, attorney Shomer thinks her counterpart took a stringent view too far. “You've got a prosecutor who doesn't see the gray in the world,” she said of Von Wahlde. “He's never worked on the other side to experience and understand the street smarts of it, how things work. The letter of the law doesn't necessarily incorporate the practical application of things.”
Von Wahlde said he didn't hear anything from police or other prosecutors regarding Roque's case. He adds that Liberty hadn't filed any motions with the court asking for forgiveness of the bond. His talks with Shomer were informal.
Shomer agrees, but she points out that going to court wouldn't have changed anything. Von Wahlde would have argued against Liberty.
With that promised opposition, taking the debate to a judge was a gamble. There were no guarantees.
“There was too much money in the street,” Shomer said. “I wish it was only $10,000, and we could have rolled the dice and let a court of law decide – but it was $150,000 – and with that comes consequences.”
Roque's next scheduled court date was April 22. He didn't appear. The court, following routine procedure, issued a warrant for his arrest.
It didn't mean anyone would rush out and grab him – it did mean Liberty was still on the hook for the bond.
he safest option was rounding up Roque – again. Marshall needed help. He called on a pair of contract bail agents – Mike Beakley, 56, and Byron Gross, 35.
All the hunters had decades of experience. Beakley was an ex-Tacoma police officer who'd retired in 1990 with a gunshot wound. Gross had logged 12 years as a bounty hunter in America and Europe.

Savant, 58, had worked in law enforcement and corrections. Marshall, 71, had a business that reached into 22 Washington counties, and he'd made thousands of arrests over the years.

None of the agents could recall a scenario to compare with the confusion surrounding Roberto Roque.

For the next four weeks, the hunters and Roque played cat-and-mouse. They thought they had him cornered in an alley in South Tacoma, but he slipped away in a car.

Roque was using false identities, the agents discovered. For official business, he carried a fraudulent driver's license with the name “Juan Alvarez.”
Informants familiar with Roque told the agents that the fugitive was carrying guns. Gross talked to Bernice Aguaro, the mother of Roque's children, who warned the bail agent to wear a bulletproof vest.

“My husband will shoot and kill you,” she said. “He will shoot you.”

The hunters tried a different angle – Roque's family. In mid-May, Gross visited Aguaro at her home on South Cedar Street in Tacoma.

Roque was gone, avoiding the hunters. Aguaro said he'd cried and kissed his daughters before fleeing.

Gross looked at the home and saw shoddy wiring, jury-rigged electrical connections. That was unsafe, he told Aguaro – grounds for a child-neglect complaint to the state. Gross could make that call, he suggested – unless Roque wanted to show himself.

The ploy worked. Aguaro broke down. Within five minutes, Roque was on the phone to Gross.

“Show us how much you care about your kids,” Gross said, angling for a meeting at the house. “I'll be there in five minutes,” Roque said. “I'm gonna kill you, you son of a bitch. You touch my family, I'll kill you.”
Gross waited three hours. Roque didn't come.
On May 14, Liberty's attorney, Kim Shomer, filed a motion in court to exonerate the bail bond. The filing included an affidavit from Forrest Marshall, who described his interations with Roque: the phony credit, the confession to the robbery, the hand-off to Tacoma police. A ruling would require a hearing in front of a judge. Meanwhile, the hunters kept searching for Roque.
Their next try came May 18. The agents traced Roque to a duplex in South Tacoma.
They spotted him on the porch, wearing a disguise: a gaudy red cone hat and a braided wig. Other tough-looking sorts were with him.
The hunters decided to try for the capture. They called police to let them know what was coming. Police, citing standard procedure, said they couldn't assist – the agents were on their own. Roque escaped again. He and his friends drove off in separate cars, and the agents weren't sure which one to follow. The hunters started from scratch again. Roque was switching vehicles and addresses at dizzying speed. One rumor held that he'd stolen a car at gunpoint. Another said he was staying awake on doses of methamphetamine. “This guy was never in one place for more than 10 minutes,” said Beakley, the retired cop.
With help from an informant, the hunters tracked Roque down once more. The search led to a pair of cars. One belonged to a girlfriend Roque kept on the side.
The agents split up. Marshall and Savant followed one vehicle. Gross and an informant followed the other. They couldn't tell which one Roque was using, but during the chase, Gross saw the flash of a gun and heard two shots.
Gross had to keep his informant out of harm's way. He gave up the chase. Marshall's pursuit went nowhere. The agents still had a line on one of Roque's cars. It was parked at a car lot in Lakewood, waiting for repairs. A check with the business revealed that Roque planned to pick up the car May 22. The setting was perfect – “a tactical dream,” Gross said in reflection.
The agents had little time to figure it, but the plan was obvious. The fenced lot was crammed with vehicles. A narrow gate was the only way in. The only way out was backward. The hunters could roll up with a car and block that route. Roque would be boxed between the wall of cars and the agents. All they had to do was wait. Gross and Beakley, younger and fitter, took the action duty. They would drive the blocking car and confront Roque. Savant and Marshall parked on the other side of the street.
The hunters watched. Roque appeared on schedule in another bad disguise: a wig with fake dreadlock braids. He got into the car.
The trap snapped shut. Gross and Beakley rolled up, leaped from their car and rushed to either side of Roque's, guns drawn. Both men said they shouted, “Bail recovery agent!” All Roque had to do was give up. He floored the gas pedal. The tires howled and spat smoke. The car lurched backward.
Gross saw Beakley stagger. It looked like Roque's car had hit him.
Beakley raised his gun and fired twice. At almost the same moment, Gross fired his weapon. The car stopped. Beakley, unhurt, saw Roque twist toward the passenger seat, reaching for something. Gross, on the other side, grabbed Roque's wrists through the open window.
Roque gurgled, then coughed, coating Gross' arms in a spray of blood.
ross knew what that meant – a lung shot.
“Call 911,” he shouted. All four bounty hunters were cuffed and stuffed – taken in by Lakewood police, seated in separate cells, interrogated. They told their stories. They were released later that day. Roque was dead. A search of his car revealed a duffel bag under the passenger seat. Two guns were inside. Roque's sister claimed his remains, according to the Pierce County Medical Examiner's Office. The agency would not disclose her name, or the funeral home that received the remains – the information is exempt from public disclosure.
Roque's girlfriend, Aguaro, couldn't be reached by The News Tribune. A phone number provided by one of the bounty hunters rang to a disconnection message. Liberty's debt to the court died with Roque. The bonds and the outstanding warrants were officially quashed in June.
Marshall has no quarrel with the investigators who let Roque roam free.
“I don't have any problem with anything TPD and the FBI were doing,” he said. “They thought they were fixing big things.”
He's more concerned about mistaken impressions: the idea that reckless bond agents killed Roque out of revenge. If a prosecutor had been willing to forgive the bond on a police informant, Marshall wouldn't have chased Roque.
“What about my rights?” Marshall said. “Why does the prosecutor get to let this guy walk after he admits he robbed me? Somewhere along the line I got screwed.”
Von Wahlde has had time to reflect in the two months since Roque's death.
He said he considered giving Liberty some slack at the time. He still believes he had a good argument. It was a question of policy versus circumstances.
“If I was to do it all over again, I'd balance the two together,” he said.

Briton was being questioned by police last night in connection with the murder of Suzan Tamim, the Lebanese singer found dead in her Dubai apartment

A Briton was being questioned by police last night in connection with the murder of Suzan Tamim, the Lebanese singer found dead in her Dubai apartment, according to officials at the British embassy.
The man was being held in police custody following his arrest earlier this week. However, it is understood that police are looking at more than one suspect and that one of the main lines of questioning for the man in custody is the whereabouts of a suspected accomplice in the killing. A spokesman for the British consulate in Dubai said: “We can confirm that a British national is helping police with their inquiries with regards to the Suzan Tamim investigation. We are offering him full consular assistance.” The spokesman also confirmed that a consular official had visited the man. It was not known where he was being held.
Suzan Tamim lived in Rimal Tower’s 1113 apartment in Jumeirah Beach Residence in Dubai Marina. Preliminary investigations revealed that she had bought the apartment for Dh2.8 million (US $765,000) just days ago on July 22nd on arrival in Dubai from London.Suzan Tamim's father, Abdul Sattar Tamim, had disclosed that he had evidense that pointed to the hiring of a hitman to kill his daughter. Dubai police have refused to comment on any arrests or lines of inquiry but say the case is heading in a positive direction. The murder investigation was launched after the beautiful Suzan Tamim, 31, was found with her throat cut (possibly decapitated, information not revealed) and multiple stab wounds to her face, mutilated beyond recognition, in her Jumeirah Beach Residence apartment on Monday, July 28th. The office of Justice Minister Ibrahim Najjar said that Lebanon has officially sought the aid of Interpol.
After her divorce from Ali Manzaz, Suzan married Lebanese producer Adel Matooq but the second marriage, too, hit the rocks very soon. In order to get away from the string of cases filed by her second husband, Adel, she travelled secretly to Egypt from Lebanon. Eight months ago, she disappeared from Egypt (she went to London) only to surface in the UAE about a 3 weeks ago. Suzan’s second husband Adel Matooq had in 2004 alleged attempts on his life by Suzan with help from others. Matooq suffered injuries when some unknown assailants shot at him outside his office in Beirut. He alleged that an Egyptian businessman with whom Suzan was having an affair, was behind the attack. The matter is still in court. Matooq also declined to divorce Suzan.
Was this an "Honor Killing" using the Briton hitman or men to mutilate and slaughter Suzan Tamim and how did they track her so fast to an apartment she had just purchased days before the murder (inside information here), it appears that sexy Suzan Tamim was married to two Arab men at the same time when she was murdered. Her husband AdelMaatouk, in a statement, said that he wanted his wife to stop singing and devote her time to the family after their marriage. Maatouk said his wife left Lebanon against his wishes and that the singer's parents had told her not to listen to him, see his webiste photo click here.The night before her body was found, Tamim had a late-night gathering, with about 20 guests partying until the early hours of Monday morning. Her body was found after friends and family grew concerned when they could not contact her all day. A police source said detectives were pursuing a possible lead after a security guard, on duty at Tamim’s Rimal 1 tower the day she was murdered, described a man demanding to know her apartment number. He was last seen entering the lift and heading for her apartment on the 22nd floor about 9am on Monday – which is the time police believe she was murdered.
She was buried in her home town of Beirut on Monday after her body was finally released and flown out of Dubai. As the mystery behind Tamim’s murder deepened, intriguing details continued to emerge about her private life.
Although at the time of her death she was still officially married to Adel Maatouk, her former Lebanese producer, but an Iraqi kick-boxing champion living in the UK by the name of Riyadh al Azzawi held a press conference last weekend claiming he was also married to her and had lived with her in London for 18 months. His brother Mohammed told The National that Mr Azzawi was distraught at the news of Tamim’s death. He also confirmed his brother was still in London and had not attended the funeral, adding: “He is being comforted by friends and has already held a private service for Suzan in London on Friday.”Tamim was never far from controversy throughout her career, her private life rapidly began to overshadow her singing career. Mr Maatouk, who was estranged from her at the time of her death, accused her of stealing Dh1.28 million ($350,000) and she was arrested by Interpol in Egypt in 2005. Months later she faced allegations of being involved in a heroin smuggling ring with her father. Suzan Tamim's last album was produced by production giant Rotana in 2002. Her last song, "Lovers," recorded in 2006, was dedicated to the memory of slain Lebanese Prime Minister Rafik Hariri (killed by a terrorist truck bomb).

Hells Angels targeted several high-profile members by agents working for the police buying and selling drugs

Animosity between the RCMP and the Organized Crime Agency of B.C. led to the failure of a multimillion-dollar investigation into the Hells Angels, a former lead investigator with the agency has alleged in a wrongful dismissal suit.
The investigation, known as Project Phoenix, targeted several high-profile members of the Hells Angels biker gang, with agents working for the police buying and selling large quantities of drugs.
The investigation was completed and reports were sent to Crown counsel for charges.
However, no charges were ever laid, something Allen Dalstrom - the officer who led the investigation and is now suing for wrongful dismissal - blames on infighting between the RCMP and the organized crime-fighting agency.
Dalstrom was fired in 2004 after concerns were raised about his handling of Project Phoenix and over comments he allegedly made to a journalist writing a book about the Hells Angels.
However, in a statement of claim filed in B.C. Supreme Court, Dalstrom argued there were no grounds to fire him and that Phoenix was derailed because of RCMP jealousy over the creation of the organized crime-fighting agency in 1999.
"Certain members of the senior management of the RCMP in British Columbia were opposed to the creation of the OCABC from its inception because the OCABC was given the mandate to carry out investigations that had previously been within the mandate of the RCMP," Dalstrom alleged in his statement of claim.
"The RCMP in British Columbia sought to persuade the province to disband the OCABC and return the mandate for investigating organized crime to the RCMP."
Dalstrom alleged the RCMP attacked his handling of Phoenix "as a means of discrediting the management of the OCABC generally."
According to Dalstrom, a number of outside reviews of Project Phoenix concluded the case had been handled properly.
Documents filed by Dalstrom quote a 2003 independent review of Phoenix which states: "The multimillion-dollar Phoenix investigation could have been prosecuted, but the prosecution was derailed because of interagency jealousies."
The court records do not state who the criminal targets of Phoenix were. However, the Vancouver Sun reported the investigation targeted members of the Hells Angels biker gang.
In his statement of claim, Dalstrom argued that lawyers with the Department of Justice ultimately decided not to prosecute because it would have meant the "persistent interagency dispute between the RCMP and the OCABC" would become public.
"In the opinion of the Vancouver office of the Department of Justice, such an examination would have a negative effect on public order and morale, and on public confidence in the administration of justice," Dalstrom stated.
In 2004, the same year Dalstrom was dismissed, the organized-crime-fighting agency was folded into the new Combined Forces Special Enforcement Unit, an integrated team of RCMP and municipal police officers.
Dalstrom's lawsuit names the province of B.C.; David Douglas, the former chief officer of OCABC who fired him; and Kevin Begg, head of the provincial government's police services division, as defendants.
In his statement of defence, Douglas, a former RCMP officer, denied that Dalstrom was fired without cause, arguing that his "overall performance . . . was not meeting acceptable standards" and that he mismanaged major investigations.
A report on Dalstrom's job performance, prepared by Douglas and filed in court, indicated Douglas had several concerns with how Dalstrom managed Project Phoenix.
Those concerns included that investigators with the project did not adequately handle exhibits, such as properly marking purchased drugs as evidence.
"During the investigation, drugs that had been purchased from one target were then, at a later date, trafficked to another target," Douglas's report stated. "Both cocaine and marijuana were trafficked in this manner."
Similarly, Douglas's report alleged, proceeds from the sale of drugs were also not marked as exhibits, instead forming part of the "cash pool" used by investigators to make future purchases.
Douglas's report argued it was Dalstrom's mismanagement of the case that led to the decision by Crown not to prosecute the offences.
Douglas's report stated he was concerned about a comment in reporter Julian Sher's book, The Road To Hell, in which an "OCA insider" said that, when it came to organized-crime investigations, the RCMP had done "f- all here for 25 years."
According to Douglas's report, Dalstrom at first denied making the statement, but later said he couldn't recall and said, "There's a possibility I made them because that's the way I may have felt about the situation."
In his statement of claim, Douglas denied making the comment to Sher but added that, even if he had, it was not grounds for dismissal as it was "fair comment" and did not reveal any confidential police information.
On June 17, Insp. Andy Richards, a former investigator with OCABC who is now with the CFSEU, filed an affidavit in support of Dalstrom's lawsuit.
Richards, who was Dalstrom's immediate supervisor, said it was his job to prepare regular performance appraisals on Dalstrom.
"Just before Christmas of 2003 Chief Officer Douglas asked me to change two performance appraisals for Mr. Dalstrom," Richards states.
He said Douglas wanted him to change his generally positive appraisals of Douglas' work to ones that cited Dalstrom's work on Phoenix as unsatisfactory.
"This was untrue," states Richards. "I refused to go along. I told Chief Officer Douglas that that would be unethical and unfair. He just shrugged and walked away."
In a phone interview Friday, David Butcher, Douglas's lawyer, denied Richards' allegation that Douglas asked him to change Dalstrom's performance appraisal.
Butcher said he had no further comment on the case.
Richards added in his affidavit that he strongly disagreed with the decision to fire Dalstrom.
"It appeared that Mr. Dalstrom was being fired simply because David Douglas and the RCMP wanted him out of the OCABC," Richards stated. "To my mind, this was simply politics."
According to an affidavit filed by Dalstrom, he was told a week before Christmas 2003 that he had been relieved of his duties and to go home.
"I was not told why I was sent home, who had made the decision, or why," Dalstrom wrote. "I was merely told that there was no work to assign to me."
On Feb. 5, Dalstrom received a letter telling him he was being put on administrative leave because there was no work to do.
"I was devastated," Dalstrom wrote. "It appeared to me that I was losing not just my job, but the career I loved."
Finally, on July 19, 2004, Dalstrom received a letter from Douglas telling him that he had been terminated.
Dalstrom was offered 12 months' severance pay, which he refused.
On April 11, 2006, he filed his wrongful dismissal suit. He said in his affidavit he had not worked since.

Leslie Adgar,Jon Patton admitted conspiring to distribute cocaine and heroin

Former Delta employee Leslie Adgar, 42, and one of the former TSA workers, 44-year-old Jon Patton, admitted conspiring to distribute cocaine and heroin.Andre Mays, 24, the other ex-TSA worker, pleaded guilty to entering a secure airport area in violation of screening requirements.Sentencing is scheduled for Sept. 17. Adgar and Patton face a minimum sentence of 10 years in prison. Mays could receive up to a year.Prosecutors said a confidential source working for the Drug Enforcement Administration arranged in December to smuggle two kilograms of what was purported to be cocaine to New York in luggage carried past security in Atlanta and onto a Delta flight in exchange for $8,000.Two subsequent arrangements were made in January and February involving shipments of fake cocaine or heroin from Atlanta to New York, U.S. Attorney David E. Nahmias said.Rodney G. Benson, in charge of the DEA in Atlanta, said the three "were aggressively investigated for abusing their positions of trust as TSA and Delta employees.""Such misconduct undermines the efforts of law enforcement officers who work so hard to keep our airports safe from the dangerous substances these individuals were attempting to smuggle," Benson said.

William David Wallader acquitted

William David Wallader, 62, was serving a minimum six-month jail term after being found guilty in May.The Court of Appeal in Brisbane has acquitted a former financial adviser, jailed for possessing counterfeit US treasury bonds worth $1.3 billion.
His trial heard he was negotiating the sale of the fake bonds to the Turkish Government when he was arrested. The court is yet to publish its reasons, but in a short hearing this morning allowed the appeal.
Mr Wallader is expected to be released today.

Chilling message to police and soldiers in cities across Mexico: Join us or die.

Violence is spinning out of control is areas along the U.S. Mexico border and now drug cartels are sending a chilling message to police and soldiers in cities across Mexico: Join us or die.The threat appears in recruiting banners that are hung across roadsides and in publicly posted death lists. Cops are receiving additional threats over their two-way radios. At least four high-ranking police officials were gunned down this month, including Mexico’s acting federal police chief
Mexico has battled for years to clean up its security forces and win them the publics respect. But Mexicans generally assume police and even soldiers are corrupt until proven otherwise, and the honest ones lack resources, training and the assurance that their colleagues are watching their backs. Here, the taboo on cop-killing familiar to Americans seems hardly to apply.Police who take on the cartels feel isolated and vulnerable when they become targets, as did 22 commanders in Ciudad Juarez when drug traffickers named them on a handwritten death list left at a monument to fallen police this year. It was addressed to “those who still don’t believe” in the power of the cartels.Of the 22, seven have been killed and three wounded in assassination attempts. Of the others, all but one have quit, and city officials said he didn’t want to be interviewed.

Arrest of an alleged serial killer in Modimolle, Limpopo, came as a result of random DNA tests conducted on several men in the town.

The recent arrest of an alleged serial killer in Modimolle, Limpopo, came as a result of random DNA tests conducted on several men in the town. The man was arrested in Lwamondo in the Vuwani area near Thohoyandou on Friday morning. Provincial police commissioner Calvin Sengani said a task team established to investigate the serial killings in Modimolle had led to the arrest of the 45-year-old man last week.Though Sengani would not reveal the exact circumstances leading to the man’s arrest, he expressed confidence that they had apprehended the right suspect.The man was sought in connection with a spate of rapes and murders in Modimolle between 2004 and 2008.The recently arrested man is expected to appear in the Modimolle magistrate’s court today on kidnapping, murder, indecent assault and abuse charges.Sengani said on April 10 last month, the police cordoned off a section of Phahameng Location and took blood samples for DNA testing to find who was responsible for the killings. The samples were linked to DNA tests done on the bodies of seven children and one adult found. Three children are still missing.
“We are absolutely confident that we have arrested the right person this time,” said Sengani.He said they had relied heavily on the forensic investigations.Police had earlier arrested another man for the deaths. He was arrested in Vuwani on January 19 but had to be released two months later after the state could not link him to the crimesA reward of R250000 was offered for information .These are the victims:
Matshidiso Greycia Makhubela, 3, went missing on September 12 2006. Her body was found a day later. She had been raped.
Rosina Malete, 8, went missing with her brother, Petrus, 11, on March 28 2006. Their decomposed bodies were found on April 5.
Kedibone Princess Shiburi, 19, went missing on July 14 2006. Her body was found 11 days later. Ramaesela Salome Kwinana, 46, went missing on October 8 2006. Her body was found a week later. Johanna Rebecca Baloyi, 8, went missing on April 27 last year and her body was found the following day.
Refilwe Ringani, 8, went missing on June 12 last year and her body was found on July 8. Mokgadi Maria Mafora, 5, went missing on April 5 this year. Her body was found two days later.Nono Johanna Lefawane, 8, went missing on January 10 2005. She has not been found. Joshua Moyati Chauke, 10, went missing on December 28 2005. He has not been found. Johanna Ramokoni Motshabi, 4, went missing on January 11 2006 and has not been found.

Foreign workers who work airside at UK airports do not have to undergo full mandatory criminal records checks

"Anybody who is able to work in a restricted zone is screened in exactly the same thorough way as any member of the public," he added. Foreign workers who work airside at UK airports do not have to undergo full mandatory criminal records checks, the BBC's Newsnight has discovered. Since 2003, staff have been checked against UK criminal records, but offences abroad are not covered. Aviation Minister Jim Fitzpatrick has defended vetting procedures for staff. After the terrorist attacks of 11 September 2001, governments across the world pledged to make airports more secure. In the UK, the government introduced mandatory criminal records checks for all staff working airside.To not do anything about it because it's inconvenient, it's a disgrace But Newsnight has discovered a serious loophole in the legislation. Foreign workers are being employed without undergoing any criminal records checks. The government says it would simply take too long and be too complex to check criminal records from abroad.

Jose Francisco Cardoza Quinteros: an unrepentant, violent former gang leader responsible for attacks and killings in his home country,

Jose Francisco Cardoza Quinteros: an unrepentant, violent former gang leader responsible for attacks and killings in his home country, or a devout Christian trying to turn his life around in British Columbia.
Lawyers for the federal government and Cardoza Quinteros offered competing images in court Friday of a man who claims he fled to Canada to escape his former gang, which he says is out to kill him.A Federal Court judge ultimately agreed Cardoza Quinteros poses a danger to the public and on Friday stayed an earlier immigration board decision to release him.Justice Yvon Pinard ordered him to remain in custody until a judicial review of the original decision, or until his next chance to argue to remain in Canada - known as a pre-removal risk assessment - is finished.Cardoza Quinteros has already been ordered deported because of his gang ties, but he's fighting to stay.The opposing portraits of Cardoza Quinteros offered Friday are mostly due to his own accounts of his life in El Salvador, accounts that varied wildly during a lengthy interview with border officers in Surrey, B.C., when he tried to enter Canada last September.He initially denied he was a member of a gang, but eventually admitted once belonging to the Mara Salvatrucha, a violent organization with thousands of members throughout Central America.Cardoza Quinteros said he was the gang's treasurer, then offered an evolving picture of his involvement in the gang. He first said he only took part in beatings, then gradually changed his story to include four killings and fierce grenade attacks on rival groups.Caroline Christiaens, a lawyer for the federal Immigration Department, offered a suggestion about which version to believe.She said Cardoza Quinteros, a member of Mara Salvatrucha from 1999 until 2004, became adept at using violence to control gang members and eventually left only because he feared for his life, not because he had any desire to change his ways."He wanted to join that gang, he joined voluntarily, and he knew the nature of the gang at the time," said Christiaens.
"He's been involved in crime and violence since the '90s. . . . He's never said that he's remorseful, he's never said what he did was wrong."Cardoza Quinteros later recanted much of what he told border officials, and an immigration board member ruled earlier this week that she doubted he had ever killed anyone.Instead, in ordering him released, board member Daphne Shaw Dyck said Cardoza Quinteros may have exaggerated his past in the erroneous belief that it would help his case.But Christiaens said the discrepancies instead suggest Cardoza Quinteros was lying to minimize and hide his past.Christiaens said Cardoza Quinteros is dangerous and argued Shaw Dyck was wrong in concluding the Salvadoran man did not pose a significant risk to the public.She said his history of violence isn't limited to his gang involvement, and said that risk increases as his deportation draws closer.
"It certainly increases the potential for conflict," she said. "He's under a lot of pressure. He's used to being in a position to control his surroundings through violence."But Cardoza Quinteros's lawyer, Shepherd Moss, noted that his client was released soon after arriving in Canada last September and had lived peacefully in Surrey until he was ordered into custody on April 21 to face another detention hearing.He was living with a supportive family and following all of the conditions imposed on him, had overcome the alcoholism that fuelled his violence in El Salvador, and had found support among church members in Surrey, Moss said.
Moss said his client has demonstrated he can live free in the community while his case works its way through the system, proving his release last September was the correct decision.
"Allowing Mr. Cardoza Quinteros to continue on this path of rehabilitation and better himself is in the public interest," said Moss, who rejected the claim that his client would become violent if faced with confrontation.
"His dedication to the Christian faith will allow him to turn the other cheek. There's no evidence of such lashing out. There's no evidence of random violence, there's no evidence of fights when he's alone on the street and sober."
The judge hearing the case said Cardoza Quinteros's past indeed make him more likely to become violent.
"I do not find that the danger to the public, if a stay is not granted, is purely speculative," Pinard wrote in his decision. "The danger is real and, for the purpose of this motion, it constitutes irreparable harm."
Even though his refugee claim has failed and he has been ordered deported, Cardoza Quinteros is still pursuing other options to remain in Canada.
He has applied for a pre-removal risk assessment to argue he would be put in danger if returned to El Salvador - a process already underway that could be finished soon.
If that fails, Moss told court Friday that he would then apply for a judicial review of the case.

Gary Michael Hilton was indicted in February on charges of murder, kidnapping and two counts of grand theft

Gary Michael Hilton, 61, was indicted in February on charges of murder, kidnapping and two counts of grand theft in the death of Cheryl Dunlap, whose body was discovered December 16 in the Apalachicola National Forest southeast of Tallahassee, Florida.The theft charges involve Dunlap's car and ATM card, prosecutors have said.
Hilton has 30 days to appeal Friday's ruling from Butts County Superior Court Chief Judge Thomas Wilson. William Meggs, of the Florida State Attorney's office, said he is confident Hilton will be extradited to stand trial.Florida prosecutors plan to seek the death penalty against Hilton.Hilton pleaded guilty January 31 to killing Meredith Emerson, 24, after he met her hiking in the North Georgia mountains. Authorities believe Hilton killed Emerson on January 4, three days after she disappeared while on a hike with her dog.Hilton directed authorities to Emerson's body on January 7. An autopsy found she died from blunt-force trauma to the head and was decapitated after she died.Florida investigators have said they know Hilton was near the area at the time Dunlap disappeared, December 1, because he encountered a forestry agent who wrote down Hilton's vehicle's tag number and ran it through a police database. No warrants for Hilton's arrest or other criminal alerts were found.
Police released surveillance camera photos of a man they said was using Dunlap's ATM card to obtain cash on December 2, 3 and 4. Authorities have not released information on how Dunlap died or the condition of her body when it was found.
North Carolina authorities have named Hilton a suspect in the deaths of John Bryant, 80, and his wife, Irene, 84, who disappeared October 21 while hiking in Pisgah National Forest. Irene Bryant's body was found near the couple's car November 9, and a hunter discovered John Bryant's remains

Canada an "international embarrassment," 146 Canadians have been charged overseas for sexually abusing children

At least 146 Canadians have been charged overseas for sexually abusing children, Benjamin Perrin, of the University of British Columbia, has found.And many more Canadians have likely bribed their way out of being charged in jurisdictions such as Thailand and Cambodia where children are easy prey for foreign pedophiles, he said.
The data on Canadians charged abroad between 1993 and 1997 was released to Perrin through a Freedom of Information request."To date, the Canadian policy has been to not aggressively, or even actively, enforce our own child-sex tourism law and that needs to change," Perrin said Tuesday.
"It's one of the most underenforced provisions of the Criminal Code," he said. "It was brought in to confront a serious transnational crime and this is very concerning."Canada's child-sex tourism law was enacted in 1997 and bolstered five years later to no longer require the foreign country where allegations of sexual abuse took place to consent to the charges.Donald Bakker is the only person in Canada to be convicted under the law after he pleaded guilty in 2005.
He received a 10-year sentence for 10 sexual assaults on girls between ages seven and 12 in Svay Pak, Cambodia, where he videotaped his horrific exploits.
But the investigation of Bakker began only after he was arrested in Vancouver for unrelated offences and police found video evidence of him abusing children.
RCMP Staff Sgt. Rick Greenwood, of the RCMP's National Child Exploitation Co-ordination Centre in Ottawa, said police forces around the world are overwhelmed with the number of child-sex cases in developing countries that include Costa Rica and India.
"Internationally, we've got to be set up better," Greenwood said of the Mounties' ability to share intelligence and properly train investigators."We are looking at that quite seriously.""What we're trying to do now is respond for the future so we're better aligned with our international partners," he said, referring to agencies such as Interpol, the FBI and the Department of Homeland Security in the United States.According to the U.S. branch of EPCAT - End Child Prostitution, Child Pornography and Trafficking of Children for Sexual Purposes - Canada is among 44 countries with extraterritorial legislation that allows for the prosecution of its own citizens for sexual crimes committed in other jurisdictions.
But Canada does not conduct its own investigations of child sex abuse overseas. The foreign government must provide Canada with enough evidence to support charges.
Perrin called Canada an "international embarrassment," saying officials often don't ask for any evidence from other jurisdictions.
He said compared to countries like Australia and the United States, Canadian prosecutors are failing to lay charges against suspects in child-sex crimes abroad.

The Justice Department refused comment on the lack of charges in Canada despite several requests from The Canadian Press.

The most recent case of child-sex tourism involves a Quebec aid worker and another man who face multiple charges involving the sexual abuse of children in a Haitian orphanage.

Denis Rochefort, 59, and Armand Huard, 64, will make their next court appearance on April 11 in Quebec City.

Perrin said the case came to light only after the Haitian government contacted the United Nations, which informed the RCMP.

Often, he said, Canadians who see foreign children as easy targets use their Canadian passports as "get-out-of-jail free cards" by moving from country to country to escape detection and that the real number of sexual abuse case will never be known.
Perrin said part of the problem is that the RCMP's liaison officer program doesn't have enough resources in sex-tourism hot spots like Southeast Asia to send a clear message that Canada has a law prohibiting its citizens from exploiting children in developing countries that aren't able to protect themselves from pedophiles.
"The local police and judiciaries are often infant democracies and they are undermined when corruption from western tourists and businessmen allows them to escape charges."
The Justice Department's information on the number of Canadians charged in other countries with child-sex crimes does not include their identities, where in Canada they're from, where they committed their alleged offences or if they eluded other charges by paying officials.
"The very significant concern is that in countries where corruption is rampant - and in many developing countries that is unfortunately the case - Canadians are able to buy their way out of even being charged," Perrin said.
While the identities of suspected sex tourists who molest children overseas are rarely known, the case of Maple Ridge, B.C., resident Christopher Neil has made international headlines.
Neil, 32, was arrested in Thailand last October for allegedly abusing a nine-year-old boy after a worldwide manhunt when Interpol unscrambled his swirled digital images from the Internet.
As Neil awaits his next court date in Bangkok in June, another Canadian, 54-year-old Orville Mader of Abbotsford, B.C., is wanted on a warrant in Thailand for allegedly abusing at least three boys.
But while Neil sits in a Thai jail, Mader slipped back into Canada last year and was arrested at Vancouver International Airport.
He has been charged in Thailand, but the Thais have not formally asked Canada to return Mader and Canada has not charged him here.
Simon Buck, a Vancouver criminal lawyer and member of Beyond Borders, said the non-government group will seek intervener status in the case of Kenneth Klassen, the second Canadian to face child-sex tourism charges for allegedly exploiting girls as young as nine in various jurisdictions including Cambodia.
Klassen, 57, of Burnaby, B.C., is scheduled to go on trial in July.
Buck said prosecutors in every province need to approve more charges against alleged child molesters who conduct their business outside Canada's borders.
"It's probably the resources of the Crown in combination with the perception that they're difficult cases to prove and whether that's the correct perception I don't know because it hasn't been tested (at a trial)," he said.

Timothy Cunningham charged at Cork District Court with having more than £3.5 million in cash and cheques

Timothy Cunningham, 59, was charged at Cork District Court with having more than £3.5 million in cash and cheques from the audacious heist in Belfast, in December 2004.
The moneylender, known as Ted, from Farran, in Co Cork, was charged with trying to launder the money by disposing of it through friends and business associates.
The charges follow a massive cross-border police investigation lasting more than three years, which involved anti- terrorist units, fraud squads and the republic's dedicated Criminal Assets Bureau.Cunningham was accused of having £3.5 million in cash, 200,000 (£155,000) in cheques and three cars, all related to the bank robbery.
He was first arrested in February 2005 and questioned for two days after Irish detectives running Operation Phoenix raided his home and seized sackloads of cash.
A series of other searches in counties across Ireland recovered thousands more in cash as well as cheques allegedly linked to the businessman.Cunningham was arrested at his home yesterday and taken to a police station in Cork before his court appearance.The court heard he had made no reply when the charges were put to him.
One charge alleges he gave a cheque for 56,000 (£43,000) from the heist to his son, Timothy Junior.

Never Get Busted Again, Never Get Raided teaches viewers how to buy, sell and grow pot without going to jail.

Barry Cooper a fast-talking former narcotics cop, is best known for changing sides in the war on drugs in December 2006, when he released Never Get Busted Again. In the DVD, he offered marijuana users advice on how to avoid arrest during traffic stops.Police greeted the movie with sarcasm, but no real concern.
Now Cooper has begun shipping a new title, Never Get Raided, which teaches viewers how to buy, sell and grow pot without going to jail. He also gives tips for identifying undercover officers."Now that's getting a little close to home," said Richard Dickson, who served with Cooper on the West Texas Permian Basin Drug Task Force in the 1990s. "That kind of information affects all kinds of undercover agents. It puts all kinds of operations at risk, even on homeland security issues."
Cooper, who has filed as a Libertarian candidate in the 31st Congressional District in Central Texas, seems to have a talent for flaming the fuzz. Even so, his former colleagues concede he was a star narcotics officer.In eight years, Cooper claims to have taken part in 800 drug busts, 300 of them felonies, and seized more than $500,000 in cash. Photos tell some of the story.In one, with a buzz cut and overgrown mustache, he kneels next to a head-high heap of weed. The photo is marked, "230lbs." In another, a young Cooper stands thumbs-up by PVC pipes stuffed with marijuana and a thick stack of $100 bills. A sign reads: Permian Basin Drug Task Force."He was very good, no doubt," said Dickson, who now works as an investigator for the district attorney's office in Yoakum County, about 50 miles southwest of Lubbock. "Barry always liked to have his picture made with all the dope, even if somebody else knocked down a load. I remember him commenting one time, 'Twenty years from now I'll tell my grandkids I got all this.'"Cooper's former boss, Tom Finley, once called his protege the best drug interdiction officer in Texas, and perhaps the nation. Now a private investigator in Midland, he is more circumspect."He was one of the best we had, but we didn't have but two or three," Finley said last week. "Evidently things have changed a lot since then. He's just trying to make some more money."Cooper turned in his badge and grew his hair long about 10 years ago, after souring on U.S. drug laws and being investigated by the Drug Enforcement Agency for smuggling drugs out of Mexico.
He said he confronted DEA agents about the case."Let me tell you the drugs I smuggled from Mexico," he recalled telling an investigator. "The same drugs everybody smuggles from Mexico - the same ones your informant and my ex-wife smuggled from Mexico - they're called Valiums, and those little green pills that make you speed. Everyone grabs a box of those."
He was never charged with a drug crime. But over the years he has been arrested for allegedly making terroristic threats after a yelling match with a woman in a bar in Big Sandy, Texas. He pleaded guilty to making a verbal threat in that misdemeanor case. He filed for but did not complete Chapter 13 bankruptcy in 1995."The last three months of my law enforcement career, I had started smoking pot," he said recently, sitting at his kitchen table in Big Sandy, a small town east of Tyler. "And I noticed the people I had been arresting were nice people. They had a balanced checkbook, their kids made straight A's, and I was like, 'This drug is not making people crazy.'"He advocates the legalization of all drugs. If the laws changed, he said, addicts would receive better treatment, drug-fueled crime would plummet and illegal drug empires would collapse.It is similar to an argument advanced by Law Enforcement Against Prohibition, an organization of 10,000 members including former judges, prosecutors, federal agents and police officers that opposes the war on drugs."We don't agree philosophically at all on these issues," said Jack Cole, executive director and a 14-year undercover officer for the New Jersey State Police. "He thinks he should be able to school people on how to break the law; we believe in changing the law."Drug laws will be broken, whether or not the law is changed, Cooper said. He's simply trying to help people avoid jail time for non-violent crime:"Americans are not going to stop growing it, they're not going to stop buying it, they're not going to stop smoking it, even if you continue to put them in jail."He said the discovery of seven fields and more than 25,000 plants near Dallas last summer illustrates his point.
Dallas Police Department Deputy Chief Julian Bernal doesn't dispute the public's appetite for marijuana, but he condemned Cooper's tactics."I think it's unconscionable for an ex-law enforcement officer to give tips to criminals. I don't think there's any question he's putting officers in danger, and he bears full responsibility for that."

Roger Reese Kibbe state prisoner suspected of being the "I-5 Strangler" could face the death penalty if he's convicted of six murders committed more t

Roger Reese Kibbe, 68, was arraigned Friday in San Joaquin County on charges he murdered five women in 1986 and a Walnut Creek woman in 1977.He is currently serving a life term at Pleasant Valley State Prison in Coalinga (Fresno County) for strangling a 17-year-old West Sacramento prostitute and leaving her naked body in the mountains south of Lake Tahoe in 1987.Investigators have long said they suspected Kibbe in the other slayings.El Dorado County prosecutors presented some of that evidence at his 1991 trial for Darcie Frackenpohl's murder. The runaway from Seattle was killed after she disappeared from a West Sacramento street frequented by prostitutes.At the time, the state Department of Justice said fibers from nylon rope used by skydivers was among the microscopic evidence linking Kibbe to three of the other slayings. Witnesses alleged Kibbe, who was a skydiver, had a murder kit including handcuffs and scissors.But prosecutors previously said the multiple jurisdictions where the crimes occurred and complications in state law made it difficult to press other charges. California law has since been changed to let one county prosecute crimes from several jurisdictions.Only one of the victims' bodies was dumped in San Joaquin County, but investigators from Sacramento, Napa, Contra Costa and Amador counties all testified before the San Joaquin grand jury that indicted Kibbe on Feb. 25.He faces six counts of murder with special circumstances including rape, kidnapping and multiple murders that make him eligible for the death penalty.According to the indictment and media accounts, Kibbe is charged with the murder of Lou Ellen Burleigh of Walnut Creek in 1977 and five other slayings in 1986:
Stephanie Brown, 19, of Sacramento was sexually assaulted and strangled, her body dumped in a ditch. A crumpled map was found near her car parked along I-5.
Charmaine Sabrah, 26, a mother of three from Sacramento, disappeared after her car broke down along I-5 and she drove off with a strange man who offered to help. Her strangled body was found three months later.
Heedrick, 21, of Modesto, was last seen getting into a car. Her body was found along I-5 five months later.
The other two victims are Katherine Kelly Quinones, 25, and Barbara Ann Scott, 29.
Kibbe is being held without bail for a court appearance Monday.

Police have seized 255 kilograms (560 pounds) of heroin Iranian driver has been detained

Turkish authorities say police have seized 255 kilograms (560 pounds) of heroin hidden in a truck at the Iranian border.Police found the heroin with the help of sniffer dogs during a search after the truck crossed into Turkey from the Gurbulak border point on Sunday.The truck's Iranian driver has been detained.Turkey is a major transit point for drugs from the Middle East and Central Asia on their way to European markets.

"In my heart I knew that she was murdered." launched a murder investigation after the partially naked body of a British teenager was found .

Popular Indian resort state of Goa have launched a murder investigation after the partially naked body of a British teenager was found last month on a beach.The announcement came after doctors conducted a fresh autopsy and concluded 15-year-old Scarlette Keeling was murdered, and did not drown as local police had initially insisted. "We are investigating it as a murder case," senior Goa state police official Kishan Kumar said, after a panel of three doctors conducted a six-hour examination of the body. "There will be detentions now," he said, without providing details, though sources say the owner of a cafe on popular Anjuna beach where Ms Keeling was last seen alive is likely to be questioned. But Mr Kumar denied allegations by Fiona MacKeown, Ms Keeling's mother, that police had initially tried to hush up the murder. "Police never failed in their duty. They were right on the track," said Mr Kumar. Ms MacKeown pointed to the large numbers of bruises on her daughter's body to bolster her call for a second examination after an earlier autopsy concluded the girl drowned in the choppy Arabian Sea. The first autopsy found only five bruises on Ms Keeling's body, but yesterday's examination discovered as many as 50, with at least half of them believed to have been inflicted before she died. Ms MacKeown's lawyer also said the family suspects Ms Keeling may have been sexually assaulted. "When a 15-year-old girl is found with her panties and shorts pulled down by the sea and covered with bruises... there is a possibility of sex assault," Vikram Varma said. The autopsy panel did not confirm rape but said that some of the injuries indicated sexual assault, a Times of India report said overnight.Ms MacKeown welcomed the autopsy findings.
"We have been saying this since day one," she said.
"In my heart I knew that she was murdered."
Mr Varma also alleged police in Anjuna beach hid vital information about the circumstances in which Ms Keeling's body was found.
Local politicians have also queried the police, noting that an officer who initially investigated the case had been suspended for covering up a murder four years ago.
Ms MacKeown, from Devon in southwest England, brought her oldest daughter and five younger siblings to Goa for a six-month stay in November. Ms Keeling's body was found lying on the beach with her clothes partially removed on February 18 while the rest of her family was travelling in the neighbouring state of Karnataka.
Ms MacKeown had wanted her daughter to accompany the rest of the family on the trip, according to Mr Varma, but the two squabbled and Mr Keeling was allowed to remain in Goa. The month before Ms Keeling's death, the Federal Government asked authorities in popular tourist destinations like Goa to review security measures after a spate of highly publicised sexual attacks on foreigners. Goa receives about 400,000 foreign tourists each year.

Murder-suicide in Sydney industrial premises at Robertson Place, Jamisontown

An attempted murder-suicide in Sydney's west has left one man dead and another fighting for his life with a slashed throat, police say.Police called to industrial premises at Robertson Place, Jamisontown, at about 1.30pm (AEDT) Sunday found the body of a man believed to be in his 50s.A second man in his 30s, who police believe was attacked by the older man, was taken to Nepean Hospital for treatment of a slash wound to his throat.Police are investigating the matter as an attempted murder-suicide, and specialist forensic officers are examining the scene for clues.A post-mortem examination would be carried out within days to determine the deceased man's cause of death, they said.

William Donald Collins,arrested and charged with possession of methamphetamine

William Donald Collins, 24, of Summersville, was arrested and charged with possession of methamphetamine with intent to distribute (a class B felony) after deputies conducted a massive manhunt in the woods at the end of County Road 7400, south of Newburg.Phelps County deputies arrested a Summersville man Thursday morning after he ran into the woods with three other suspects who fled from a deputy who attempted to stop their car for a traffic violation in connection with a missing license plate.According to a spokesperson for the Phelps County Sheriff’s Department, Collins was a passenger in a white, two-door, 1990’s model Chevrolet. A pursuit ensued when the car sped away, traveling south on State Highway T at 9:30 a.m.The deputy saw the occupants of the car throwing items out of the window.As the car turned off the highway and east onto County Road 7400, one passenger jumped out and ran into the woodsThree other passengers remained in the car and tried to outdrive the deputy, but the road came to a dead-end. The driver of the car tried to continue on an old fire trail, but the car became mired in mud.The remaining three suspects jumped out of the car and ran into the woods.The pursuit lasted 15 minutes.A massive manhunt followed the pursuit with up to 12 Phelps County deputies scouring the woods for the fugitives.In approximately one hour, deputies caught and arrested Collins as he walked through the woods.Of the remaining three suspects, two have been identified but not found. Warrants are being sought on Gregory Scott Bates, 40, of Alton, Mo. and Joshua Harris, 26, of West Plains.One suspect remains unidentified.The items tossed out the window included a plastic bag containing methamphetamine.Collins was released Friday to the Missouri Department of Corrections for a parole violation, pending Phelps County charges.The Phelps County Sheriff’s Department is asking for help in locating the three fugitives.

Coast Guard Cutter Hamilton recovered $55 million worth of cocaine

The crew of the Coast Guard Cutter Hamilton recovered $55 million worth of cocaine from the Eastern Pacific Ocean Feb. 29. An MH-65C helicopter crew from the Coast Guard's Helicopter Interdiction Tactical Squadron (HITRON) in Jacksonville, Fla., underway with the Hamilton, spotted the bales while flying a patrol of the area.
The helicopter was on its first search pattern when one of the crew members saw six bales clumped together. The crew marked the position of the bales and vectored the boat in for recovery. The source of the cocaine was not found, but an estimated 1800 kilograms (nearly two tons) was recovered. The Coast Guard, along with the Navy, has been searching the Pacific waters of Central America for illegal activity, and it is believed the crew of a smuggling vessel fearing capture may have dumped the drugs.
This is the first time a Coast Guard vessel has used the MH-65C helicopter for drug interdiction operations during a patrol of Pacific Central American waters. The MH-65C is similar to the HH-65 helicopter that is most well known for its role in search and rescue missions. However, the MH-65C has been modified for use in counter narcotics operations and HITRON crews flying the helicopter are armed with a high-powered .50 caliber rifle used for disabling the engines of smuggling vessels.
The crew of the Hamilton began their patrol after leaving San Diego Jan. 29.
The Hamilton is a 378-foot high endurance cutter homported in San Diego.

Anthony Pellicano and Hollywood's rich and famous

Private investigator Anthony Pellicano was the architect of a corrupt, criminal enterprise that spied on Hollywood's rich and famous and was fueled by greed, a federal prosecutor said Thursday during opening statements in the wiretapping trial.
"This is a case about corruption," Assistant U.S. Attorney Kevin Lally said while laying out the government's case against Pellicano and four co-defendants.
Clients "would pay a premium fee to discredit, and in some cases destroy, their adversaries," he said.Pellicano, 63, is accused of running a criminal enterprise that wiretapped phones and bribed police and telephone workers.Pellicano is acting as his own attorney and indicated he would give an opening statement.
Pellicano wore a prison-issued green jacket, gray shirt and green pants. As Lally spoke, the balding private eye watched through glasses with his head rested on his hand.He could provide some fireworks for the eight-man, four-woman jury when he cross-examines some of his former clients and employees who are expected to testify.
Federal prosecutors have released a list of 127 potential witnesses in the case that included Sylvester Stallone, Chris Rock and Garry Shandling. It was not clear, however, how many people would actually testify.The trial is expected to last about 10 weeks.One of the first witnesses will be retired baseball player Matt Williams, who had a bitter divorce battle in 2002 with his second wife, actress Michelle Johnson.Prosecutors said in a court filing they have an audio recording of Williams and Pellicano but didn't elaborate on its content.Prosecutors estimate Pellicano, retired Los Angeles police Sgt. Mark Arneson and former telephone company employee Rayford Earl Turner collected nearly $2 million from what they say was a racketeering scheme."At the end of the day I hope the jurors understand one thing - that I'm not a criminal enterprise," Pellicano told The Associated Press in an interview last month from federal prison. "If they understand that I'm ecstatic."
Pellicano and his co-defendants, including Kevin Kachikian and Abner Nicherie, have pleaded not guilty.Fourteen people have been charged, and seven already pleaded guilty to a variety of charges including perjury and conspiracy. Six of those seven, including film director John McTiernan and former Hollywood Records president Robert Pfeifer, were expected to be called as witnesses.Other prominent Hollywood players on the potential witness list include one- time Walt Disney Co. (DIS) president and agent Michael Ovitz; Brad Grey, chairman and chief executive officer of Paramount Pictures, a unit of Viacom Inc. (VIA); and Ron Meyer, president and chief executive officer of Universal Studios, a unit of NBC studios, which is a unit of General Electric Co. (GE).Stallone and Shandling were alleged victims in the case.Federal authorities previously questioned Ovitz, Grey and Meyer about their connections to Pellicano. Representatives of Rock retained Pellicano in a paternity battle, according to court documents.

Emperors Club VIP.seven-diamond woman arrested

Four organizers and managers of an international ring were arrested after they ranked prostitutes on a Web site with one to seven diamonds -- charging wealthy clients $2,000 extra for a seven-diamond woman, prosecutors said Thursday.U.S. Attorney Michael Garcia announced that charges were unsealed in Manhattan accusing the four of participating in a prostitution ring that called itself Emperors Club VIP.Authorities said the defendants arranged connections between wealthy men and more than 50 prostitutes in New York, Washington D.C., Los Angeles, Miami, London and Paris. Clients paid between $1,000 and $5,500 per hour for services.The defendants were charged with conspiracy to violate federal prostitution laws. Two of those charged were also accused of conspiring to launder more than $1 million in illicit proceeds from the prostitution crimes.All four were arrested Thursday morning and were expected to make an initial court appearance later in the day. Welcome to the only social introduction service providing exclusive, beautiful,
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Robert Matthew Bentley conspiracy to commit computer fraud and computer fraud

Pensacola, Florida - Gregory R. Miller, United States Attorney for the Northern District of Florida, announced today the guilty pleas of Robert Matthew Bentley, 21, Panama City, Florida, to conspiracy to commit computer fraud and computer fraud.
Bentley was indicted by a federal grand jury in Pensacola, Florida in November 2007. The case originated in December 2006 when the London Metropolitan Police (“The Met”) Computer Crime Unit requested assistance from the United States Secret Service after European representatives of the United States-based “Newell Rubbermaid” Corporation and at least one other European-based company contacted The Met to report a computer intrusion against the companies’ European networks.
The indictment resulted from a multi-year criminal investigation by the United States Secret Service, primarily involving the London (England) Resident Office, the Paris (France) Field Office, the Philadelphia (Pennsylvania) Field Office, the Seattle (Washington) Field Office, the Jacksonville (Florida) Field Office, the Tallahassee (Florida) Resident Office, the Panama City (Florida) Field Office, the Santa Ana (California) Resident Office, the Los Angeles (California) Field Office, the Wilmington (Delaware) Field Office, and the CERT Coordination Center at Carnegie Mellon (Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania).
Secret Service worked the investigation together with the Finland National Bureau of Investigation, the London Metropolitan Police, the Westminster (California) Police Department, and the Federal Bureau of Investigation Philadelphia (Pennsylvania) Field Office.
Bentley agreed to a detailed factual summary filed at the time of his guilty plea outlining his role in the computer intrusions. Bentley and other unnamed co-conspirators infected hundreds of computers in Europe with “adware” that cost tens of thousands of dollars to detect and neutralize.
Bentley and others received payment through a Western European-based operation called “Dollar Revenue” for unauthorized intrusions and placement of the adware. Bentley used computers in the Northern District of Florida to accomplish the intrusions and to receive payment.United States Attorney Miller observed, “The identification, indictment, and conviction of Bentley constitutes a significant success in a complex international investigation, and resulted from the outstanding cooperation of the many participating law enforcement agencies. The use of “botnets” – a series of computers covertly controlled by Bentley and his co-conspirators to accomplish the intrusion of victim computer systems – is a major focus of computer-related criminal investigations worldwide.
Botnets are responsible for much of the malicious activity conducted on the Internet. “Botherders” or “Botmasters” operate within a group of computer hackers on a global scale, making this computer crime one of the most pervasive forms of organized criminal activity plaguing law enforcers in this country and abroad.”
Bentley is scheduled to be sentenced by United States District Judge Richard Smoak on May 28, 2008. He faces a maximum penalty of 10 years imprisonment, a $250,000 fine, and 3 years of supervised release for each charge. He must pay a special monetary assessment of $100 for each charge.
The case is being prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Thomas P. (Tom) Swaim of the Pensacola Division.

Kenneth Harman charged with murdering Michael Castle

Kenneth Harman, of Cannon Bridge, Tonbridge, Kent, will appear at Sevenoaks Magistrates Court charged with murdering Michael Castle.
A 54-year-old man is appearing in court charged with the murder of a man found stabbed to death on his houseboat.
The 61-year-old's body was discovered inside his boat, called Impulse, on the River Medway near Cannon Bridge at Tonbridge, last Friday. A post-mortem examination revealed he died from stab wounds.

Morgan Michelle Hoke The ponytail bandit arrested in Bangkok

Hoke, 21, and her 26-year-old husband, Stuart Michael Romine, are accused of robbing banks in Texas, including one in Austin, and possibly in California and Washington. The couple arrived in Bangkok on Jan. 20, according to arrest warrants.Bank robbery suspect Morgan Michelle Hoke, accused of being the woman dubbed the "ponytail bandit," could have reinvented herself here. In downtown Bangkok, street vendors offer forged American driver's licenses for about $35. Medical clinics provide plastic surgery for a fraction of U.S. prices. Hotel owners often look the other way if guests give false names. The combination of lax law enforcement, easy hospitality and thousands of backwater towns has attracted a wide roster of fugitives to Thailand and other nations in Southeast Asia. Hoke was detained Feb. 13 at a hotel popular with budget travelers and was extradited to the U.S. the next day. Romine flew from Thailand to India on Feb. 10 and is still being sought, Thai police said. The day Hoke was detained, Thai police also arrested Earl Bonds, a 42-year-old American wanted in St. Louis on child molestation charges. He was turned over to U.S. officials Thursday for extradition. The two are part of a long and growing list of American fugitives caught in Thailand. One of the most prominent recent extraditions was of James Vincent Sullivan, a multimillionaire who once lived in Palm Beach, Fla., and in 2006 was sentenced to life in prison for arranging his wife's murder in Atlanta. In another high-profile case, Saner Wonggoun, then 59, a Thai-born American citizen, was extradited to the U.S. in 2006 on charges of murdering his wife in California. He had been living in Thailand for 12 years when police found him working in a market. Although Thai immigration police do not release statistics on how many foreign fugitives have been caught in Thailand, the nation of 65 million people extradites many foreigners each year, said Suppachai Paladech, an inspector with the department.
"If you type 'fugitive' and 'Thailand' into Google, you get a lot of news," he said. "Some people think they can escape here." (The Google search produces about 171,000 hits.) Fugitives are attracted to Southeast Asia partly because of lax enforcement of immigration laws, experts said. Americans like Hoke can blend in easily in Thailand, where more than 7,000 U.S. expatriates legally reside and work. And last year, more than 700,000 American tourists visited Thailand. Thousands of foreigners living in Thailand make frequent "visa runs," trips to neighboring countries to renew monthlong tourist visas, and many are able to work without legal documentation. Because Thailand gets millions of foreign tourists each year, "it's easy for someone to hide themselves in some of the tourist places," Suppachai said.
The problem is clear in the Khao San district of Bangkok, where Hoke was detained last week. Residents and tourists said many hotels do not ask guests to register with their passport numbers, as required by Thai law. An open trade in fake documents also makes Thailand attractive to fugitives. Vendors sell fake identification cards and driver licenses, and Web sites offer second passports. One Web site advertising to people "who are seriously considering moving to Thailand ... perhaps for the rest of their lives" included a link to buy a passport from the African nation of Burkina Faso.
Thailand's borders with Cambodia, Laos and Myanmar — nations, experts said, that are less likely than Thailand to extradite criminals — also are poorly patrolled, said Punthip Kanchanachittra Saisoonthorn, a law professor at Bangkok's Thammasat University. The Thai government has taken steps to catch fugitives. After the deportation of American John Mark Karr, who falsely confessed in 2006 to murdering JonBenet Ramsey, the Colorado girl whose death made headlines in 1996, Thailand's immigration department limited the number of times foreigners could renew tourist visas, though locals say corrupt officials sometimes break the rules.
Karr, who was arrested in California in 2001 and charged with possession of child pornography, had lived in Thailand on and off for nearly two years and taught English to elementary school students in Bangkok.
Karr "was sort of a tripwire" for the Thai government to improve surveillance of foreigners, said Michael Turner, a spokesman for the U.S. Embassy in Bangkok.
"Since then, it's become a little more difficult" for Americans to stay illegally, Turner said.
Thai immigration police used information Hoke had listed on customs forms to find her within hours of receiving her name and photograph from the FBI.
But some Thais complained that their government had not done enough to keep criminals out of Thailand. Putich Santichaivoravei, a 23-year-old engineering student in Bangkok, said he was surprised that Hoke and her husband remained in Thailand for nearly a month after a source had contacted California police to say Hoke was the "ponytail bandit." "It's not good that felons can come to Thailand," Putich said as he relaxed in a downtown park. "We don't know who is a criminal and how to protect ourselves from them."

Guyana's most-wanted man - alleged gang leader Rondell Rawlins - is responsible for the January killings in Lusignan.

Gunmen dressed in military uniforms and took weapons from a police station in Bartica, 80 miles (130km) south-west of the capital Georgetown. The attack is the second blamed on gangs in recent weeks. On 26 January, 11 people - including five children - were killed when gunmen attacked the village of Lusignan. At least six gunmen arrived in Bartica late on Sunday by a speedboat on the Essequibo River and attacked the town's police station, regional official Hilbert Knights said.
Health Minister Leslie Ramsammy said nine of the civilians killed included five people who were sleeping in hammocks alongside the river, outside Bartica's police station. The town of 15,000 people is a supply centre for miners prospecting for gold and diamonds in the country's interior. Police believe that Guyana's most-wanted man - alleged gang leader Rondell Rawlins - is responsible for the January killings in Lusignan. He has accused the authorities of kidnapping his 18-year-old pregnant girlfriend and has promised to carry out further attacks.
Authorities have offered a reward of $150,000 for the capture of Mr Rawlins, who is also wanted over the murder of a government minister in 2006.

Seifert's extradition has been welcomed by groups campaigning for Nazi war criminals to be brought to justice

Michael Seifert arrived in Rome from Canada where he had been fighting a battle against extradition. An Italian military tribunal convicted him in absentia in 2000 of 11 murders at a prison camp in the northern city of Bolzano. Seifert admits to having been a guard at the camp but denies being involved in atrocities. Seifert arrived shortly before dawn from Toronto on a military jet. The military prosecutor behind the case, Bartolomeo Constantini, described him as "a little wobbly" after leaving the plane. Mr Constantini says Seifert has a pacemaker but is generally healthy. Seifert was taken to a prison near Naples and was to undergo a medical examination. He may serve the sentence under house arrest because of his age.
The Verona-based military tribunal that convicted him heard testimony that Seifert committed acts of brutality while an SS guard. Seifert disguised his past while living in Canada Witnesses accused him of leaving a prisoner to starve to death, raping and killing a pregnant woman and gouging an inmate's eyes out. Towards the end of World War II, the Bolzano camp was used to house Jews, resistance fighters and German army deserters who were being transported further north.
Seifert was born in Ukraine and went on to work as a Nazi guard after the German occupation. After the war, he concealed his past and entered Canada in 1951.
In 2002, he was arrested after a request from Italy. His attempts to resist extradition reached a dead end in Canada's Supreme Court last month when it refused to hear his appeal. His lawyers argued that he had been convicted unfairly in Italy. They also accused the Canadian authorities of bias.
Seifert's extradition has been welcomed by groups campaigning for Nazi war criminals to be brought to justice. Avi Benlolo, of the Friends of Simon Wiesenthal Center for Holocaust Studies in Canada, said it was critical that Seifert faced justice in Italy. "It sets an example for other war criminals, not only Nazi war criminals, but war criminals related to Rwanda, Bosnia, Darfur or any other genocide," he said.

Illegal street race "There were just bodies everywhere; it was horrible," Crystal Gaines,

"It's probably one of the worst scenes I've seen," said Prince George's County Police Cpl Clinton Copeland.Eight people were killed when a car veered into a crowd at an illegal street race in the United States. The crash happened at about 0340 (0840 GMT) on Route 210 just outside Accokeek in Maryland - about 20 miles (32km) from Washington DC. At least six people were injured, police said. Their conditions were not immediately known.
A white sedan went out of control and ploughed into the crowd of spectators on the roadside, Cpl Copeland said. It was followed by a tractor-trailer that may also have hit bystanders as it tried to avoid the crash, he said. Witnesses told the Associated Press news agency that a crowd of about 50 people had just watched two cars speed past in the race, when another car veered into spectators. Police said the darkness and the smoke coming from the cars meant the approaching driver probably could not see the crowd on the road. Seven people were pronounced dead at the scene, and an eighth later died in hospital.
"There were just bodies everywhere; it was horrible," Crystal Gaines, 27, told AP.
Her father was among the dead. "He wasn't breathing, he wasn't moving," she said. "His body was in pieces." Victims' bodies were scattered along a 183-metre (200-yard) stretch of road, police said. The driver of the sedan was not seriously hurt and has been interviewed but no charges were pending, Cpl Copeland said.

Phillip Bennett pleading guilty to conspiracy and fraud charges

Refco's collapse was the fourth-biggest US bankruptcy case.Phillip Bennett was speaking in court after pleading guilty to conspiracy and fraud charges that could seem him given a prison sentence of up to 315 years.
Refco went bust in 2005. It has since come out of bankruptcy protection.
Prosecutors said Bennett had prevented auditors and investors discovering the losses the firm and customers suffered.
The charges included conspiracy to commit securities fraud, wire fraud, bank fraud, money laundering and making false filings to the Securities and Exchange Commission.
The US government said that Refco and its customers had built up heavy losses in the mid-1990s when the company was privately owned with Bennett in charge.
The firm went public in 2005 but filed for bankruptcy weeks later after the $430m black hole in its books was revealed.
Bennett, who is from the UK, said he took "full responsibility" for his actions and apologised to those "harmed" by his conduct. His lawyer added: "He has candidly acknowledged his involvement in the matter. He was forthcoming and candid and wants to put this matter behind him." Bennett will be sentenced in May, with a maximum term of up to 315 years. US District Judge Naomi Reice Buchwald said a lengthy term would not be unusual for someone "facing sentencing in the post-Enron era

Fawzi Falih faces imminent beheading for sorcery

Fawzi Falih faces imminent beheading for sorcery unless the King issues a rare pardon. But the influential rights group has stopped short of asking for intervention from foreign governments in the case, which has captured international attention and highlighted discriminatory aspects of the Saudi justice system, where courts often fail to follow due process.
Such was the case in the trial of Ms Falih, Human Rights Watch argues.
Religious police arrested the illiterate woman in 2005, allegedly beating her before forcing her to fingerprint a false confession. Her accusers included a man who claimed that she rendered him impotent with her sorcery.
In April 2006 the Saudi courts ruled the woman should be put to death to “protect the creed, souls and property of this country”.
In a letter sent to the King this week, Human Rights Watch wrote: “King Abdullah should halt the execution of Fawza Falih and void her conviction for ‘witchcraft’.
“The religious police who arrested and interrogated Fawza Falih and the judges who tried her in the northern town of Quariyat never gave her the opportunity to prove her innocence against the absurd charges,” it said.
Christophe Wilcke, the Human Rights Watch researcher in charge of the case, said: “I do feel that we have hope that she will be saved, by demonstrating how many things went wrong in her trial, and that we can persuade the King.”
Mr Wilcke said that Ms Falih was tried for the vague crime of witchraft and was convicted on the basis of faulty evidence. Apparently, Ms Falih’s lawyers were not even allowed in the courtroom. The trial, Human Rights Watch argues, failed to meet the Kingdom’s own standards of justice.
However, under Saudi law, Ms Falih has run out of avenues to appeal her sentence. Her life can only be saved by a rare intervention from King Abdullah. The last time he issued such a pardon was in December, for an 18-year-old girl from Qatif who was sentenced to lashes after she was gang-raped. Her sentence was reversed in response to a chorus of international protest, which included rare criticism from Washington, Saudi Arabia’s long-time ally. This time, Human Rights Watch has stopped short of asking for similar intervention: “This is a matter for Saudi to deal with,” Mr Wilcke said.

Ashley Ervin, 18, was automatically sentenced to life

Ashley Ervin, 18, was automatically sentenced to life without parole for her part in the May 26, 2006 death of Brady Davis, 61. She was driving the getaway car for Dexter Johnson and Keithron Fields, also charged with capital murder.
Investigators said Johnson, 19, and Fields,18, attacked Davis while he was cleaning a barbecue grill at a carwash in the 11300 block of Homestead near Little York. He was later found down beside his truck, dead from a single gunshot wound.
In his closing arguments, Ervin's attorney, Mike Monk, said Ervin didn't intend to be part of a robbery and murder.He said she was an honor student who fell in with the wrong crowd.Because she was 17 at the time of the offense, she wasn't eligible for the death penalty, said prosecutor Lisa Andrews.Davis's death was one of four that summer that police have linked to Ervin, Johnson and Fields.In one of the cases, Johnson and Fields were convicted in the carjacking murders of Maria Aparece and Huy Ngo. Two other suspects, Timothy Randle, 20, and a juvenile, were arrested in the June 18 incident where Aparece was raped before the couple were forced out of the car and into the woods, where they were shot in the head.
Fields was convicted in September and sentenced to life in prison.
Johnson, the alleged ringleader of the group, was sentenced in June to die for the double murder.Also implicated in the crime spree, which includes the shooting death of Jose Lopez, found in the 6900 block of Annunciation, is Alvie Butler, 23, who faces trial next week, Andrews said.Randle is also awaiting trial, while prosecutors have not charged the juvenile.

Rakesh Gupta murdered

Police is yet to find out any motive behind the murder of Shrachi Group top official Rakesh Gupta. Forty eight hours have passed but no arrests have yet been made. Gupta was found murdered on Sunday beside a pond, stuffed in a sack.
A CID team today visited the murder spot. Later, they also interrogated a staff of Shrachi Group who worked under Gupta. Some of his relatives were also questioned.
An officer said that the CID team is also trying to find out who Gupta met on the day of his death. They are investigating whether any financial transaction could be a motive behind his murder. Five teams of policemen have been formed to the hasten the investigation.
Meanwhile, Babita Gupta, widow of Rakesh is ailing. She is pregnant and the news of her husband's has clearly traumatised her. Rakesh's mother, Mrs Kamala Devi Gupta is also said to be ill. “He was an honest man and loved everybody. He never even used harsh language. We are waiting for justice,” said a relative of Gupta.

Jerrold Redmond two counts of heroin charges

Jerrold Redmond, previously of Bellevue, was sentenced Tuesday by Judge Harry Sargeant for two counts of heroin charges.43-year-old man was sentenced to 90 days in jail for trafficking in heroin charges stemming from two incidents in 2006.On May 9, 2006, in Bellevue, Redmond sold more than a gram of heroin in the vicinity of a juvenile — a third degree felony, according to Sandusky County Common Pleas Court records. On June 7, 2006, in Bellevue, Redmond used a Dodge truck to again sell heroin — a fifth degree felony

Carly Reisig,John Leo del Pinto shot another bullet into his heart

Carly Reisig, 24, said the policeman had no grounds at all for the attack - and that after he shot fellow Canadian John Leo del Pinto, the officer turned his gun on her and shot her in the chest.A young Canadian woman told how a Thai policeman shot dead her best friend in Pai in the North, then shot another bullet into his heart as he lay on the ground.

Jack Burch III According to police, they found a note demanding money that was signed with Burch’s full name and complete address

Jack Burch III was in the custody of federal pre-trial service employees when he disappeared Monday.He had been taken to a health care facility in downtown Portland to receive a medical evaluation, but he walked away from the facility at about 12:30 p.m.Burch is suspected of a robbery at the Bank of America in Gresham on Jan. 17. He was apprehended one block away from the bank they believed he robbed. If they hadn’t apprehended him, police said a personalized demand note with his name and address on it would have helped in his arrest.According to police, they found a note demanding money that was signed with Burch’s full name and complete address, including apartment number and zip code.Burch is described as white, 6 feet 1 inches tall, 120 pounds with short brown hair and hazel eyes. He wears glasses, officials said.

Jonathan Lamar Davis to its list of fugitives wanted for violent crimes

FBI has added Jonathan Lamar Davis to its list of fugitives wanted for violent crimes. Davis is wanted for his alleged involvement in the armed robbery of a bank in Raleigh, North Carolina in January 2008 and fleeing to avoid prosecution

Biggera Waters man has been charged with multiple fraud offences and police are searching for two more persons of interest

A 29-year-old Biggera Waters man has been charged with multiple fraud offences and police are searching for two more persons of interest.shut down an alleged identity theft ring in Queensland which is suspected of generating more than $1million through fraud.Superintendent Brian Hay, of Queensland police's fraud and corporate crimes group, said a bank in Oxley alerted police on Thursday after a man tried to apply for a loan with suspicious documents.Investigations led the police to raid two homes on Sunday, one in Biggera Waters and one in Coomera, where they found 81 identification documents, including Queensland driver licences, Medicare cards, bank cards, credit cards and identification cards.Supt Hay said he believed some of the documents had been stolen and others had been home-made using computers laminators, stamps, paint and other equipment.He said detectives from the Oxley District Criminal Investigation Branch, together with the Identity Crime Unit and State Crime Operations Command, had shut down the organised identity crime syndicate.Police have identified two more men who may be able to assist with inquiries and are calling for public assistance as to their current location and activities.

Jim Hayes was convicted by the federal jury

Jim Hayes, a former three-term mayor, was convicted by the federal jury of 16 of the 27 counts he was charged with, including conspiracy, theft, fraud, misapplication of federal funds, money laundering and failing to file tax returns.
Hayes was accused of helping funnel hundreds of thousands of dollars to himself and to help finish a $2 million home for the Lily of the Valley Church of God in Christ, where he serves as pastor.
The indictment accused Hayes of diverting the money from $2.9 million in government funds issued to a tutoring and mentoring center run by his wife.
His wife, Murilda "Chris" Hayes, previously pleaded guilty to a reduced number of charges. She did not testify against her husband and was not in the courtroom on Monday.Sentencing was set for May.

Doyle simply crossed the people you don't cross on the Costa, the Russians.'

Russian mafia hitmen shot dead Dublin gangland member Paddy Doyle on the Costa del Sol, senior gardai claimed this weekend. Doyle, the survivor of a vicious criminal turf war in south Dublin which has claimed at least 10 lives, was gunned down in Estepona last Monday. Veteran detectives with the Garda Siochana's 'Operation Anvil', the drive against Dublin's crime gangs, said the 27-year-old had beaten up a close relative of a Russian mafia leader based on the southern Spanish coastline.

'From what our Spanish colleagues have told us, this was a professional Russian hit. There were 13 shots and we don't think they wasted a bullet. It has a military-trained assassin written all over it, possibly ex-special forces,' a senior detective told The Observer. 'The intelligence coming back from the Costa del Sol is that Paddy Doyle crossed the Russian mafia, which is something you do there at your peril.'

The officer said shortly after Christmas Doyle got involved in a brawl with a young Russian man whom he severely beat up. Unknown to Doyle, the man was related to a senior Russian mafia figure. True to form, on a warm afternoon in one of Spain's most popular destinations for tourists and holiday-home owners, vengeance was exacted in a ruthless fashion.

Doyle, a career criminal, had been the chief suspect in two murders carried out in his native city in 2002 and 2005. He had eluded the gardai and went on the run via Liverpool, Manchester and eventually the favoured destination for many of Ireland's crime lords, Spain's Costa del Sol. From there he helped run a drugs empire smuggling vast amounts of cocaine from Spain into Ireland.

But around 2pm last Monday, Doyle finally met his match. He was travelling in the front passenger seat of a BMW 4X4 driven by one Gary Hutch. As Hutch drove the car towards La Cancelada outside Estepona they were ambushed. According to eyewitnesses two men from a green car opened fire, smashing the windscreen and hitting the passenger door. Hutch crashed the car and he and Doyle ran for cover.

What happened next demonstrated a clinical, military-style ruthlessness on behalf of the attackers. One of the gunmen singled out Doyle and shot him at least twice in the head. At least 13 bullets were fired at Doyle who died at the scene. A terrified Hutch, meanwhile, crouched in terror and waited until the gunmen had left before presenting himself at a local police station.

Reports back in Ireland tried to link Doyle's murder to the feud between two criminal gangs that have been at war in the Crumlin-Drimnagh districts of south Dublin since 2001. However, a senior Garda officer and veteran of the force's 'Operation Anvil' revealed the real identity of Doyle's assassins - the Russian mafia.

Less than 24 hours after Doyle's murder, cocaine valued at about €9.2million was seized by Spanish police in Estepona close to the shooting. Doyle was on his way to meet a British criminal when his car was ambushed and this triggered speculation that his death was linked to the drugs haul, in which an Irishman was one of eight arrested.

But back in Dublin the officer with intimate knowledge of Doyle and his gang insisted there was a more prosaic reason for his demise.

'Doyle was typical of the third generation of gangland "soldier" from Dublin. He was aggressive, showy and started fights at a whim. He and his ilk are unlike the older Irish criminal types on the Costa who live a very quiet life and just get on with their business. Our intelligence suggests Doyle simply crossed the people you don't cross on the Costa, the Russians.'

This article was written by Henry McDonald, and appeared in the Observer on Sunday, February 10 2008 on p.21 of the News section.

Escaped from a prison in France with two other inmates in a hijacked helicopter

Escaped from prison in France with two other inmates in a hijacked helicopter was arrested in Calpe on Monday morning, in an operation run in collaboration with police in France.fugitive who escaped from a prison in France with two other inmates in a hijacked helicopter was arrested in Calpe on Monday morning, in an operation run in collaboration with police in France.
The Civil Guard names him in a press release as 30 year old J.C.M., and said his arrest followed previous arrests in Calpe when he gave officers false identities. Enquiries made to police in France revealed that he was wanted on an international warrant for the escape from the prison in Aiton in December 2005, where he was serving 30 years for bank robbery.
The two other inmates who escaped with him were both caught shortly after the escape, one of them in Girona, Cataluña.

Guardia Civil’s organised crime unit mounted a anti-drugs operation in Palma.

Guardia Civil’s organised crime unit mounted a anti-drugs operation in Palma.
A series of raids were mounted simultaneously with a number of drugs swoops carried out across Spain as part of a nationwide operation.
Yesterday morning, armed officers wearing ski masks and with air support from a Guardia Civil helicopter stormed at least two properties in the Son Gotleu neighbourhood of the capital.
The operation was still ongoing last night but at least 13 people had been arrested.
Police sources also confirmed that over eight kilos of various drugs have been seized over the past two weeks since the operation was first given the all clear by police chiefs.
It was also revealed last night that further arrests may be made .
Police are not ruling out another wave of raids on suspect properties in Palma.

Paddy Doyle had been riddled with a total of 15 bullets.

Spanish press reports that Detectives are now trying to establish a link between the murder of Paddy Doyle and Tuesday’s haul of 115 kilos of cocaine, also in Estepona. Following a series of clues found after Monday’s shooting the Costa del Sol Drugs and Organised Crime Unit (Udyco) set up a number of controls in the Estepona area. On Tuesday officers approached a group of people moving furniture around. On inspecting the pieces, ranging from wardrobes to sofas, they discovered the 115 kilos of cocaine hidden in secret compartments inside. Seven people, six British and one Irish, were arrested. One of them was a minor.
Later on Tuesday the police searched the home of one of the suspects arrested during the drugs raid, a villa with two swimming pools, on an Estepona estate. There officers confiscated around 80,000 euros in cash, a firearm and a number of documents. Another two people were arrested in this search, including a Moroccan woman and another minor, taking the total number of suspects in custody up to nine.
The post mortem examination,revealed that Doyle had been riddled with a total of 15 bullets.

David Francis Giles :Hells Angels chapter was expanding operations in Kelowna

A judge determining the fate of a senior member of Vancouver's East End Hells Angels and two alleged associates accused of cocaine possession and trafficking asked some blunt questions today of the federal prosecutor.
"Where's the direct evidence of money going to the Hells Angels?" asked B.C. Supreme Court Justice Anne MacKenzie.
"You need not prove a financial benefit," explained prosecutor Martha Devlin, during her third day of final arguments at the trial, which began last year.
"The benefit to the club is the reputation of the club and the status of the End End chapter of the Hells Angels."
She said the Hells Angels chapter was expanding operations in Kelowna in 2005 to take advantage of the lucrative cocaine trafficking market in the Okanagan city.
"They are planting their flag," Devlin said of the Hells Angels expansion, which included establishing a clubhouse in Kelowna and a number of members of the East End chapter moving there.
David Francis Giles, 58, a Hells Angels member for more than 20 years, is accused of possessing cocaine for the purpose of trafficking "for the benefit of, at the direction of, or in association with a criminal organization, to wit: the East End chapter of the Hells Angels."
Also on trial are alleged Hells Angels associates David Roger Revell, 43, and Richard Andrew Rempel, 24, who are accused of cocaine trafficking and possessing cocaine for the purpose of trafficking in association with a criminal organization -- the Hells Angels.
The trial has heard how police offered $1 million to a former Vancouver strip club bouncer, Michael Plante, who infiltrated the East End chapter of the Hells Angels and worked as a police agent.
Plante was paid $500,000 and will get the rest after he testifies at a number of pending trials. He is living under a new identity, but didn't enter the witness protection program.
During the $10-million investigation, police also wiretapped phones and placed listening devices in the Hells Angels clubhouse and inside Giles' Kelowna home.
The police probe resulted in the arrest of 18 men, including five full members of the Hells Angels, the son of the East End chapter president, and a dozen alleged associates.
The trial has heard how police seized three kilograms of cocaine from a Kelowna storage locker in April 2005, which prompted a flurry of e-mail activity between the BlackBerry phones later seized from Revell and Rempel.
The next day, police seized a green Chrysler Intrepid that the Crown contends had been observed during police surveillance picking up cocaine at the storage locker.
The car, which had been on Rempel's used car lot before it was ditched on a lot outside of Kelowna, was found to contain five kilograms of cocaine hidden in a secret compartment.
Police also found a Hells Angels Nomads "support wear" black hoodie at Rempel's residence, which Devlin contends indicated Rempel was aware of who he was dealing with -- Giles and other members of the Hells Angels motorcycle club.
"Mr. Rempel is involved in criminal activity," Devlin told the judge. "Our position is that Revell and Rempel know they are involved with Mr. Giles and the club... They are doing it at the behest of Giles."
She alleged Hells Angels members operate in small "cells" to avoid police detection.
"It's all done in association of the club with the power of the patch behind them," the prosecutor explained.
The patch refers to the winged death's head patch that full members of the Hells Angels wear on the backs of jackets.
Police allege the Hells Angels East End chapter is one of the most powerful and wealthiest gangs in B.C.
Devlin recalled the trial heard one Hells Angels member telling an aspiring Hells Angel member:
"If you get taken down, we all get taken down -- the club gets taken down."
She added: "They conduct their business to ensure the sanctity of the club."
The Crown contends that Giles paid for Revell and Rempel to fly to Calgary and, that when Giles' girlfriend mentioned the $500 airfares went on her credit card, Giles was heard saying on a wiretap call that he had earned $30,000 from Revell.
In the midst of the cocaine seizures, the prosecutor pointed out, Revell met with Giles. And after Revell was arrested in April 2005, Devlin said, he went to Giles home in May 2005, where a listening device captured their candid discussion about the eight kilograms of cocaine that had been seized, with Giles offering: "We'll get back up."
Devlin added: "Mr. Giles is alive to the fact that it's not a drug ripoff by a rival... and it's not going to stop them -- they are going to get back up."
The trial is expected to continue Monday at the Vancouver Law Courts with the three defence lawyers beginning their final arguments.

David Francis Giles "power of the patch," East End chapter of the Hells Angels

$10-million police investigation targeting the East End chapter of the Hells Angels, police secretly listened to the conversations of a longtime member David Francis Giles.
When on the phone, Giles referred to himself as "Gyrator" and would often tell people not to discuss things over the phone. Instead, he'd arrange to meet his associates in parking lots and restaurants.
prosecutor Martha Devlin, in her final arguments Wednesday at the trial of Giles and two co-accused who are accused of cocaine possession and trafficking, suggested Giles repeatedly discussed what would be best for the Angels.
Such as this statement he made on June 14, 2005, after police installed a "bug" (listening device) inside the clubhouse in Kelowna: "This ain't about what it can do for you, it's supposed to be what you can do for the club," Giles said.
The prosecutor suggested the John F. Kennedy style quote shows Hells Angels work together to maintain the club's strength and reputation.
Devlin also played another 2005 recording of Giles discussing his plan to set up a new chapter of the biker club in Kelowna and how he didn't want anyone "riding on our coat tails."
Giles was heard saying he only socializes and talks to people who are "going to benefit this house."
The prosecutor suggested the "house" Giles was talking about is the Hells Angels, which Giles had been a member of for 20 years at that time.
"Giles made clear to the members of the club that they should not allow the Hells Angels name, reputation or authority to be used by anyone other than club members," the prosecutor told B.C. Supreme Court Justice Anne MacKenzie.
"In essence, Giles maintained that the East End Hells Angels should invoke the power of the patch in Kelowna," Devlin added.
The "power of the patch," the prosecutor said, refers to the deaths head patch worn on the back of jackets by full members of the club.
The case stems from a two-year, $10-million police investigation that resulted in charges against 18 men, including six Hells Angels, in July 2005. It was the largest police probe in B.C. to target the East End chapter of the Hells Angels, long considered to be the wealthiest and most sophisticated biker gang in the province.
The central issue at trial is whether the East End chapter is a criminal organization, which was alleged in an indictment filed July 11, 2005 by Canada's deputy attorney-general. If the Crown succeeds in its criminal-organization prosecution, it could put the assets of all East End chapter members -- real estate holdings, cars and motorcycles -- at risk of seizure under B.C.'s Civil Forfeiture Act.
It could also make it easier to seize property following future Hells Angels and other trials, although the criminal-organization case would have to be made each time.
The Hells Angels in B.C. have worked hard to maintain their notorious reputation and achieve a "stranglehold on the criminal activity in B.C.," including drug trafficking, extortion and weapons offences, Devlin said

child prostitution network

Italian police have made scores of arrests and rolled up a child prostitution network. Fifty-one people were arrested in Italy and 15 in other countries, mainly the Netherlands. They are accused of human trafficking, exploitation and kidnapping. In Nigeria, Nigerian women took very young children from orphanages to work in the drug trade and as prostitutes. The children are also believed to have been taken from asylum centres in the Netherlands. The police operation began in October 2007 when, at the request of the Dutch government, 22 Nigerians were detained in Nigeria, various European countries and the US.

Wayne Carey was a drunken thug

Wayne Carey was a drunken thug, using his head as a battering ram and had "anger management issues", a Miami police officer said today.
Miami Police Lieutenant Bill Schwartz said Carey was a "mess'' and should have left his aggression on the football field. Instead he used "his famous foot" to kick an officers in the mouth.
"I doubt in a case like this extradition will be forced, however, I'm sure that the cops with the sore faces and fat lips would like to see it.''
Carey's girlfriend Kate Neilsen told police the former football great turned commentator had smashed a wine glass on her face.

"It looks as though that he used his wine glass to try to knock out his girlfriend, his foot and elbow to try to knock out some cops and his head to try to knock out a police car,'' Lt Schwartz said.
He said the officers did not know who Carey was then.
"To us, he was just another thug.''
Lt Schwartz said if found guilty of the charges, each penalty could be up to 15 years in jail.
"If he is convicted, he could face some serious time,'' he said.
While Carey is scheduled to appear in court in Miami next month, it is unlikely authorities will spend the money to extradite him if he fails to show.
"The young woman had lacerations to her mouth and her neck, apparently she had been hit in the face with a wine glass,'' Lt Schwartz told the Nine Network.
"She told us Mr Carey had done this.
"When officers went and spoke to him, he immediately was belligerent, starting striking out at the officers, in fact, kicked one of the officers in the face with his foot, elbowed another one in the side of the face.
"They had to wrestle him down and handcuff him.
"When he was in the police car, he used his head as a battering ram and tried to smash a hole between the front compartment of the police car and the prisoner compartment.
"If he had just co-operated with the officers, this would have probably been a lot simpler matter, but by attacking the officers, he multiplied his problems by a thousand times.''
Lt Schwartz told 3AW that Carey had been aggressive from the moment they responded to a call for help from his girlfriend, Kate Neilson.
With lacerations across her face, Neilson had told officers Carey had smashed a glass on her face.
"Mr Carey became belligerent when we approached him - in fact, he ended up kicking one of our officers in the mouth with his famous foot," Lt Schwartz said.
"He struck another officer in the side of the head with his elbow and he had to be subdued.
"Then once he was handcuffed and in the police car, he took his head and tried to bash a hole in the partition between the prisoner's side and the officer's.
"Clearly Mr Carey has anger management issues and he seemed to be upset with the entire world that particular morning.
"I think the main injury was to the reputation of one of Australia's finest athletes."
Miami Police detective Delrish Moss said, to stop Carey hurting himself and damaging the car, the officers put him into a hobble restraint.
"Basically what that is, is a leather strap that's tied around his leg and his hands, the end of it is then put outside of a closed car door where the restraint restricts some of his movement so he can't move back and forth or side to side,'' the US police detective said.
"That way, he doesn't hit his head and he doesn't cause himself any harm.''
Det Moss said police were called to the Brickell Bay condominium complex, known as the Mandarin Oriental Hotel, on the upmarket Brickell Key island in central Miami just after midnight on October 27.
"(Kate Neilson) did have lacerations and bruises that were consistent with some sort of struggle and having been struck,'' he said.
Though he didn't have any tests for intoxication, Det Moss said Carey was "drunk and did smell of alcohol''.
Det Moss said Carey was charged with assault on a public servant, aggravated battery and resisting arrest with violence.
The first two charges carry jail terms of up to 15 years in prison, and the third up to five years in jail, he said.
Each charge also carries a fine of up to $10,000.

Carey is due to face the Miami-Dade County Court on February 15, and faces possible extradition from Australia if he fails to appear.

Meanwhile, Victoria Police Chief Commissioner Christine Nixon said police were still investigating an incident involving Carey in Port Melbourne on Sunday night.

"That matter's still undergoing investigation and we haven't completed that yet,'' she told ABC radio.

"The police are conducting a range of investigations around

Anuchit Lamlert sentenced to death

A Thai national who murdered two Russian female tourists in a resort 70 miles southeast of Bangkok, in February, has been sentenced to death, a Russian Embassy spokesman in Bangkok said Monday.
Tatiana Tsimfer, 30, and Lyubov Svirkova, 25, were shot dead while sitting on Jomthien beach on the night of February 24 in the popular tourist resort of Pattaya.
Anuchit Lamlert, 24, who confessed in court to having committed the murders, was found guilty of five crimes: murder, attempted armed robbery, illegal possession of a firearm, discharging a weapon in a public place, and using drugs.
Lamlert, who had a previous criminal record for robbing foreigners, said earlier his only goal was to rob the women, but he had to shoot them as they were yelling and screaming.
"The court found the suspect guilty of all charges and sentenced him to death," Alexei Bulkin said.
The spokesman said Lamlert could still appeal his sentence.

Mara Salvatrucha MS-13

MS-13, which is the abbreviation of Mara Salvatrucha, was started in Los Angeles, California during the civil war in El Salvador. In 2005, the FBI declared MS-13 to be the most dangerous gang in the United States and the entire world.Who are they? Members of Mara Salvatrucha, better known as MS-13, who are mostly Salvadoran nationals or first generation Salvadoran-Americans, but also Hondurans, Guatemalans, Mexicans, and other Central and South American immigrants. And according to our recent national threat assessment of this growing, mobile street gang, they could be operating in your community...now or in the near future.


MS-13 gets the majority of their finances from smuggling and selling cocaine. They also get money from selling guns, women and children, getting money to murder people, theft, and killing police officers. A gang member can be recognized by tattoos covering his or her body and are for the most part Spanish. These gangsters have expanded from Central America to California, throughout major cities in the United States, and are now starting to show up in suburban America
MS-13 members perpetrate violence – from assaults to homicides, using firearms, machetes, or blunt objects – to intimidate rival gangs, law enforcement, and the general public. They often target middle and high school students for recruitment. And they form tenuous alliances...and sometimes vicious rivalries...with other criminal groups, depending on their needs at the time.They've severed the fingers of their rivals with machetes...brutally murdered suspected informants, including a 17-year-old pregnant federal witness...attacked and threatened law enforcement officers...committed a string of rapes, assaults, break-ins, auto thefts, extortions, and frauds across the U.S....gotten involved in everything from drug and firearms trafficking to prostitution and money laundering...and are sowing violence and discord, not just here in the U.S., but around the world.

we’ve concluded that while the threat posed by MS-13 to the U.S. as a whole is at the "medium" level, membership in parts of the country is so concentrated that we've labeled the threat level there "high."
Here are some other highlights from the FBI's MS-13 threat assessment:
MS-13 operates in at least 42 states and the District of Columbia and has about 6,000-10,000 members nationwide. Currently, the threat is highest in the western and northeastern parts of the country, which coincides with elevated Salvadoran immigrant populations in those areas. In the southeast and central regions, the current threat is moderate to low, but recently, we've seen an influx of MS-13 members into the southeast, causing an increase in violent crimes there.
MS-13 members engage in a wide range of criminal activity, including drug distribution, murder, rape, prostitution, robbery, home invasions, immigration offenses, kidnapping, carjackings/auto thefts, and vandalism. Most of these crimes, you'll notice, have one thing in common – they are exceedingly violent. And while most of the violence is directed toward other MS-13 members or rival street gangs, innocent citizens often get caught in the crossfire.
MS-13 is expanding its membership at a "moderate" rate through recruitment and migration. Some MS-13 members move to get jobs or to be near family members – currently, the southeast and the northeast are seeing the largest increases in membership. MS-13 often recruits new members by glorifying the gang lifestyle (often on the Internet, complete with pictures and videos) and by absorbing smaller gangs.
Speaking of employment, MS-13 members typically work for legitimate businesses by presenting false documentation. They primarily pick employers that don't scrutinize employment documents, especially in the construction, restaurant, delivery service, and landscaping industries.
Right now, MS-13 has no official national leadership structure. MS-13 originated in Los Angeles, but when members migrated eastward, they began forming cliques that for the most part operated independently. These cliques, though, often maintain regular contact with members in other regions to coordinate recruitment/criminal activities and to prevent conflicts. We do believe that Los Angeles gang members have an elevated status among their MS-13 counterparts across the country, a system of respect that could potentially evolve into a more organized national leadership structure.
The FBI has been placing more and more resources on the front lines of the MS-13 problem. There are an estimated 10,000 MS-13 gang members in the US and five times as many in the countries that attended the conference.
In 2004, the FBI created the MS-13 National Gang Task Force. In 2005, the FBI helped create a National Gang Information Center and outlined a National Gang Strategy for Congress. Last year, the MS-13 task force coordinated a series of arrests and crackdowns in the U.S. and Central America that involved more than 6,000 police officers in five countries. Seventy-three suspects were arrested in the U.S.; in all, more than 650 were taken into custody.

arrests in connection with Benazir's Bhutto assassination had been made

Another suspect had been arrested for alleged involvement in killing of Pakistan People's Party (PPP) Chairperson and former Prime Minister Benazir Bhutto on Dec. 27, officials said.
The suspected had been detained along with Aitezaz Shah, a 15-year teenager, whose arrest was announced earlier, have been sent to Islamabad from Dera Ismail Khan for further queries.
More arrests are expected based on initial investigation and efforts are being made to trace the contacts of suspects with Baitullah Mehsud, the Associated Press of Pakistan (APP) reported quoting the ARY One World, a Dubai-based Pakistani news channel.
The arrests in connection with Benazir's assassination had been made and investigations are continuing, Interior Secretary Syed Kamal Shah confirmed on Sunday.
Shah told media that they are looking into all aspects and they are not saying anything unless it is corroborated through investigations.
Benazir was killed in a gun and suicide bomb attack at an election rally in Rawalpindi.

Paul Ely

Paul Ely, 38, a officer at HMP Garth prison, Ulnes Walton, a few miles from Leyland and Chorley, had volunteered to escort the girlfriend of defendant Lee Campbell across the city centre late one evening last July.
Campbell, however, got the wrong impression and punched Mr Ely who fell to the ground and banged his head on the pavement near to the Anne Summer's shop in Fishergate, Preston.
Mr Ely, who lives with his wife Pauline in Freckleton, near Blackpool, was left in a coma and it seemed unlikely that he would survive.
Doctors operated to relieve bleeding to the brain and a fracture to the skull was repaired.
He still needs constant care and is only allowed to go home at weekends.
Campbell, 22, a former amateur boxer of Fenton Road, Fulwood, in Preston, pleaded guilty to a charge of causing grevious bodily harm and was sentenced to 18 months in prison.
Detective Inspector, Dave Mckenna, said: "These are the catastrophic consequences of alcohol fuelled violence.
"It was one punch which resulted in severe brain damage and has left a man in need of constant care maybe for the rest of his life.
"I would like to warn others that they will receive a custodial sentence and be held responsible for their actions while under the influence of alcohol."

Sean Anthony Belser, Amadu Shuluman Jalloh aka Kamara Mohamed and "Jay,"

Amadu Shuluman Jalloh of Oxon Hill in Prince George's County also was charged with attempted murder after he escaped from the Laurel Regional Medical Center on Nov. 13, wrested a gun from a state trooper and fired at her before fleeing, police said. He was captured five hours later hiding in a shed.
Police also have charged two other suspects in the car theft ring. They will be arraigned next month.
The two might have gotten away, except one suspect, Sean Anthony Belser, 37, of Washington, left a cell phone on the passenger's seat of one of the SUVs, according to charging documents.
A dispatcher posing as a Good Samaritan contacted Belser and arranged a meeting at a Fallston gas station to return the phone.
"The guy had three cell phones and probably could've done without one," said Trooper Ryan Orner.
When Belser arrived at the gas station with Richard Morris Melton, 52, of Capitol Heights in Prince George's County, they were arrested, according to court documents.
Police said they recognized the two men from the Nov. 10 video surveillance at the auto dealership.
"Basically, the [method] was to go to a dealership, get brand-new or [slightly used] vehicles, mostly SUVs and put them in a storage facility in Prince George's until they were ready to be shipped," Orner said. "A trucking company came down and the vehicles were loaded in a container and shipped to a port in Newark. All the vehicles were then shipped to Sierra Leone and Ghana."
The auto theft ring operated in Prince George's, Harford and Anne Arundel counties in Maryland as well as in New York, North and South Carolina, police said.
Melton and Belser, who both have prior convictions, were charged with second-degree burglary, malicious destruction of property, attempted theft, unlawful taking of a motor vehicle and conspiracy to commit theft and theft.
Troopers said they set up surveillance at a Hyattsville storage facility where they found more stolen vehicles and arrested Jalloh, who was renting the units.
Jalloh, also known as Kamara Mohamed and "Jay," is an illegal immigrant who had been reported before, police said.
Jalloh is being held without bond at the Prince George's County Correctional Center in Upper Marlboro.
Troopers said they have not determined how many cars were stolen, although they estimate the number to be in the hundreds.
Six months ago, an unrelated East Coast auto ring was uncovered in an interstate effort among 16 law enforcement agencies, including Maryland authorities.
More than 70 vehicles were stolen in New Jersey, New York, Maryland, Virginia, Florida and Texas and shipped to Greece, Jordan, Egypt and West African countries, authorities said.
Thieves have options, said Trooper Christopher Thomas of the Maryland State Police auto theft unit.
"If they want newer cars, they get them from dealerships," said Thomas. "The opportunity may present itself in the parking lots. And for insurance, people who are behind on their payments tend to find these people and get their vehicles shipped out of country to get the insurance money."
Stolen vehicles sell for double the manufacturer's market value in foreign countries, authorities say. Sometimes, the cars are auctioned at foreign ports and end up in the hands of politicians and high-ranking officials, Thomas said.
"It's beginning to be a big problem in the East Coast in different states," he said. "The cars are being shipped all over - Nigeria, Sierra Leone or over to Europe. It appears to be growing because you didn't hear about it as much five years ago."
Of a million auto thefts each year, about 400,000 cars are never recovered, according to the National Insurance Crime Bureau, an organization that tracks insurance fraud and vehicle theft. While many of those cars are dismantled in "chop shops," others are driven across the border or shipped overseas.

Ryan Hadfield,Roy Dowie ,Sean Mullaney.

Ryan Hadfield (born 18/05/84) of Thornhill Road, Droylsden pleaded guilty to money laundering. He has been sentenced to three years and four months in jail.Roy Dowie (born 25/11/1980) of Morley Road, Radcliffe, had earlier pleaded guilty to conspiracy to supply class A drugs, possession of a prohibited firearm, possession of prohibited ammunition, and money laundering. He was sentenced to 10 years in jail.
His associate Liam Garside (born 03/07/76) of Hilldale Avenue, Blackley, pleaded guilty to conspiracy to supply class A drugs. He has been jailed for five years.
Sean Mullaney (born 13/07/66) of Bury New Road, Heywood pleaded guilty to conspiracy to supply class A drugs and was sentenced to four years.
As part of an ongoing anti-drugs investigation officers obtained a warrant to search a flat in The Advent, off Great Ancoats Street, on 3 May 2007.
The search immediately showed evidence that the flat had been used to produce controlled drugs, specifically cocaine. About 400 grams of the drug, worth an estimated street value of £15,000, was found in the flat.
Officers also found a 25kg tub of Lidocaine, often used when 'cutting' cocaine. The amount of this adulterant was such that, along with the pure cocaine found, it is estimated the factory could produce around £1.6m of street-level cocaine.
Whilst the search was going on Dowie returned to the flat, where he was arrested for manufacturing class A drugs. His car was also subsequently searched, and cash, passports and documentation relating to a safety deposit box at a bank were found.
Later that evening Ryan Hadfield was seen sitting outside the address in a car. He was smoking cannabis so officers searched his car. Inside they found a shoebox containing £49,000. Hadfield was arrested on suspicion of money laundering and being concerned in the manufacture of class A drugs.
After interview, both men were charged with conspiracy to supply cocaine.
The investigative team was granted a warrant to access the safety deposit box, details of which were found in Dowie's car.
Inside this box they found another shoebox containing £44,000 in cash, bringing the total of money seized from the men to £93,150. They also discovered a magnum revolver and five live bullets in the box. This gun was forensically recovered, and Dowie was subsequently charged with possession of a prohibited weapon, and ammunition.
Hadfield was also charged with money laundering and possession of cannabis that day. Liam Garside, who had been paying rent for a year on the flat at the Advent, and whose name was on the lease, handed himself in to police on 7 June 2007 after numerous attempts to trace him. He too was later charged with conspiracy to supply class A drugs.
Officers also traced another one of the trio's associates who they suspected of being involved in dealing cocaine.
Sean Mullaney was staying at his mum's house in Bury and a warrant to search the address was granted. There they found a further half a kilo of cocaine, and Mullaney was subsequently charged with supplying class A drugs.
Detective Sergeant Damian Gething, from North Manchester CID said: "The factory that we discovered had the capacity to make around £1.6m worth of cocaine, which would have been sold on our streets. A large amount of a dangerous drug has been removed from circulation, and a deadly weapon seized. I am pleased with the results of this raid.
"These men were not only making copious amount of cocaine but also showed all the signs of high-level criminality like owning guns and storing thousands in cash in shoeboxes.
"We are working hard to tackle people like this, who clearly think they are above the law and can operate with impunity. As today's result shows, they were wrong."
This raid was part of Operation Gladiator - an operation dedicated to targeting criminal and anti-social behaviour that has an impact on the local community.
Greater Manchester Police is continuously gathering intelligence in order to remove these criminals from our streets. The future success of the operation relies on the information received from people across north Manchester, without which convictions like this would be much more difficult to achieve.

Drugs with a street valued of £1,400 seized

3 men were arrested and drugs with a street valued of £1,400 seized during an operation at Evesham railway station on Friday evening.
Cocaine and heroin were recovered from two locations after one man was arrested on the northbound platform shortly after the departure of what had been the 5.45pm arrival from London.
Two others are believed to have fled down the railway track. The police helicopter was called in and they were later arrested near the Tesco store on Worcester Road, just a few hundred yards away.
"These important arrests reflect the ongoing work in tackling those who would seek to bring illicit drugs into south Worcestershire," said police spokesman Richard Bull. "The clear message is that weare always here to challenge and counter this type of criminal."
Police also want to hear from anyone who was on the Worcester to Evesham train which arrived about 6pm, as they believe the man arrested at the station may have been behaving suspiciously on the journey.

Robert Lane Camp

Robert Lane Camp, who owns Camp Landscaping in Deer Park, Texas, was charged by criminal complaint with encouraging Juan Leonardo Quintero-Perez, the accused killer of Officer Johnson, to unlawfully enter the United States and with harboring Quintero-Perez.
The complaint was filed in federal court Monday, following an investigation by ICE special agents and the Houston Police Department. Camp surrendered to federal authorities at the U. S. Marshals Service where he was arrested. His initial appearance before US Magistrate Judge Stephen William Smith is set for 2 p.m. Wednesday.
According to court documents, Quintero-Perez was charged in 1998 with indecency with a child, a state felony offense. Quintero-Perez identified Camp as his employer at the time. Camp posted a $10,000 bond for Quintero-Perez, and he was released. Quintero-Perez was convicted and sentenced to probation for the state charges.
Afterwards, immigration officers deported Quintero-Perez. However, he illegally reentered the country in 1999. Camp is accused by a federal criminal complaint of aiding Quintero-Perez to illegally return to the country in 1999, and providing Quintero with a job and a residence to lease upon Quintero-Perez' illegal return.
The criminal complaint against Camp alleges that in September 2006 Officer Johnson stopped Quintero-Perez, who was driving one of Camp's work vehicles. Officer Johnson arrested Quintero-Perez for failing to provide a driver's license.
The officer handcuffed Quintero-Perez and placed him in his patrol car. State prosecutors have alleged that Quintero-Perez shot Johnson from the back seat of the patrol car with a gun he had hidden on his person. Officer Johnson died of his injuries. Quintero-Perez, who is charged with Officer Johnson's capital murder, remains in state custody pending trial. He faces the death penalty if convicted.
"Officer Rodney Johnson's terrible murder illustrates that hiring and harboring illegal aliens is not a victimless crime," said Robert Rutt, special agent in charge of the ICE Office of Investigations in Houston.
"Many illegal aliens, especially aliens with criminal convictions, are desperate to avoid being detected and apprehended. These people also tend to take desperate actions, and the results are often tragic," he said.
Each of the two federal felony offenses alleged in the complaint carry a statutory maximum punishment of five years in prison, and a $250,000 fine upon conviction.

Babloo Srivastava ,Fazl-ur-Rehman

Delhi Police Monday formally charged, under the Maharashtra Control of Organised Crime Act (MCOCA), mobster Babloo Srivastava and his accomplice Fazl-ur-Rehman for threatening to kidnap a Delhi-based businessman for ransom.
The Special Cell, an anti-terrorist wing of Delhi Police, filed the charge-sheet against Babloo and his accomplice in the court of Additional Sessions Judge B.R. Kedia, who posted the matter to Jan 29.
Under the MCOCA, the police have to file the charge-sheet in the case within 180 days of the arrest of the accused.
Srivastava was brought to Delhi from Bareilly Jail in Uttar Pradesh on a warrant to present him in a city court. He was arrested July 27, 2006.
The Special Cell of Delhi Police lodged a first information report (FIR) under MCOCA against Srivastava and Fazl-ur-Rehman Dec 29, 2006. The police alleged that the two were running an extortion racket in the capital during the period 1983-97.
The police arrested Fazl-ur-Rehman Aug 6 last year from Sonouli near India-Nepal border for allegedly kidnapping another businessman and demanding ransom from his family.
More than 40 criminal cases, including those relating to murder, extortion, kidnapping and attempt to murder, are pending against the duo.

Ricardo Francis Scarpino contract Killing

One of the men shot to death Saturday night outside an upscale downtown restaurant had notorious Vancouver Island connections.
Ricardo Francis Scarpino, a 37-year-old from West Vancouver, has been identified as one of the two victims shot dead in front of a Vancouver restaurant Saturday in the city's latest gangland-style shooting.Witness said she heard six shots
Scarpino was driving an SUV on his way to his own engagement party at Gotham, an upscale steakhouse in downtown Vancouver, police said, when the incident happened.
Scarpino, his fiancée and two other men were in the 2007 Land Rover when it stopped in front of the restaurant shortly after 10 p.m. and shots rang out.

Scarpino was driving an SUV on his way to his own engagement party at Gotham, an upscale steakhouse in downtown Vancouver, police said, when the incident happened.
Scarpino, his fiancée and two other men were in the 2007 Land Rover when it stopped in front of the restaurant shortly after 10 p.m. and shots rang out.
At a news conference Sunday afternoon, Vancouver police spokesman Const. Tim Fanning described the incident as a "targeted shooting."
"As they were about to get out of the car, two men ran west across the street ... fired a number of shots into the car, killing two of the men," said Fanning.
He said Scarpino was "well-known" to police and and that he was involved in criminal activity.
"[Scarpino] was tied to a lot of other criminals and involved in criminal activity and that's why we believe it's a targeted attack and he was on someone's list to kill."

The other victim was a 38-year-old man, also from West Vancouver. He was not known to police.
That victim's name has not been released.
Police said the area where the restaurant is located is one of the busiest parts of downtown Vancouver at night.
After the shooting, the suspects fled on foot, and "disappeared" between buildings, according to police.
More than 200 witnesses have already been interviewed, leading to conflicting descriptions, police say.
A few blocks away two guns were recovered Saturday night, but police would not confirm if they were involved in the incident
Party guest taken into custody
Meanwhile, a 47-year-old Vancouver man who was a guest at the engagement party has been taken into custody on weapons and drug charges
Shortly after the shooting, police said, two men tried to leave the restaurant and one of them dropped a semi-automatic handgun to the ground
Fanning said the man was handcuffed and he was found to have a small amount of cocaine on him.
The man was not identified, but Fanning said he was not known to police.

Wayne Cook.Steven Kerr Robinson

Wayne Cook, 45, of Robert Street, Hindsford, was found guilty at Manchester Crown Court of two offences under the Anti-Terrorism, Crime and Security Act 2001.
At an earlier hearing, Steven Kerr Robinson, aged 42, also of Robert Street, Hindsford, pleaded guilty to two offences, also under the Anti-Terrorism, Crime and Security Act 2001. His plea can now be reported on following the conclusion of the proceedings against Cook.
advertisement The charges relate to two packages Robinson and Cook sent to a journalist in Scotland and a councillor in Blackburn.
The packages had miniature vodka bottles in them containing a highly concentrated dose of a potentially lethal chemical sodium peroxide.
In a more diluted state sodium peroxide, also known as caustic soda, is used as a heavy-duty cleaning chemical.
But the concentration found in the bottles sent to the two victims was such that if even a small amount had been drunk it could have led to death.
The chemical can also be very dangerous if handled without protection.

Robert Gluhareff

Investigators say he killed himself, instead of reporting to prison. Deputies in Person County, North Carolina, found the body of Robert Gluhareff in the woods, dead from an apparently self-inflicted gunshot wound. Gluhareff founded the Wellspring Academy in Halifax County, a Christian school for troubled boys. Last year, he was convicted of bank, tax and mail fraud, for stealing money from the parents he promised to help.
Gluhareff was scheduled to report to prison last week, to serve a 212-year sentence.

Dana H. Davis

Dana H. Davis, 46, on Sept. 17 investigated for a stolen car when they detected a “strong, pungent odor” consistent with the production of methamphetamine, Licking County Assistant Prosecutor Duke Frost said during today’s hearing.
The Central Ohio Drug Enforcement Task Force was called in and ingredients, including anhydrous ammonia and peeled batteries, were found in a locked shed near Davis’ 152 Irving Wick Drive, Lot 55, trailer, Frost continued. Inside of a locked safe in his trailer, CODE-TF detectives discovered 6.81 grams of methamphetamine, documents on how to produce the illegal substance, cutting agents and $1,004.
Before his two-day trial was to begin this morning, Davis changed his plea on charges of illegal manufacture of methamphetamine in the vicinity of a juvenile, a first-degree felony; illegal assembly or manufacture for the possession of methamphetamine in the vicinity of a juvenile, a first-degree felony; and aggravated possession of methamphetamine, a fifth-degree felony, with a money forfeiture specification.
The defendant and his attorney Harry Panitch said Davis had turned a corner in his life.
Davis told Marcelain that he had once been a contributing member of society as an owner of a small business and, thanks to programs offered at the Licking County Justice Center, he was feeling like he was back in charge after years of submission to his methamphetamine addiction.
“I haven’t felt like this in I couldn’t tell you how long,” he said.
Frost said the defense was ignoring Davis’ criminal history.
“Let’s be clear,” Frost said. “What he’s offering the community is the manufacture of drugs. ...The state feels he’s one of the bad guys.”

Marcelain noted Davis was convicted in Preble County in October 2006 for trafficking and producing methamphetamine as well. He was sentenced to the minimum two years — the case is being appealed — and has not served a day, he said.
“How could another minimum sentence be considered justice?” the judge asked Davis.
Due to his past conviction, the lightest Marcelain could have imposed would have been five years, Frost, who asked for at least an eight-year term, said.
A representative of CODE-TF, who asked to remain anonymous in the media, told Marcelain that Davis’ drug factory was especially heinous because of its location in a crowded housing area.
“(The production of methamphetamine) not only endangers the individual, but anyone in the vicinity ... The possibility of explosion and fire is very high,” he said.
Frost said the juvenile specification applied because a young girl lived in a neighboring trailer within 100 feet of the methamphetamine production.
The $1,004 that was seized will be forfeited to the task force, said Common Pleas Judge Thomas Marcelai

Amy Fitzpatrick brother Dean Fitzpatrick Interviewed by Guardia Civil

Guardia Civil in Mijas are today interviewing the brother of missing Irish girl Amy Fitzpatrick as efforts continue to fiind the Dublin teenager.
A spokesman for the family confirmed that 17-year-old Dean Fitzpatrick was being interviewed by police in Mijas, where Amy went missing 13 days ago.
He said the questioning was part of a routine inquiry, as were earlier interviews with the girl's mother and stepfather.
The search for Amy has this week been scaled down as police in Spain admit the authorities are not certain that they are dealing with an abduction case.
An two-day search last week, involving some 230 police officers and volunteers, in Mijas, Fuengirola and parts of Marbella failed to turn up any clues.
Amy had not attended school for several months and last week, the headmaster of her secondary school in Mijas said her frequent absences from school since 2005 had been reported to her family and the local authorities.

Petar Pantic,Dragan Losic, Luigi Vitale ,Charlie Kambouris

Petar Pantic 30, is believed to have bought a one-way ticket to Serbia - a country with no extradition arrangements with Australia - at a time when he was due to appear in an Adelaide court on unrelated charges of importing pornography. federal Government may be forced to request the extradition of a key "person of interest" in the cruise ship death of Dianne Brimble after the man fled Australia.
The Adelaide Magistrates Court last week heard that police had been unable to find Mr Pantic to serve a summons on the charges of importing a prohibited item and making a false statement to a customs officer.
Australian government solicitor Rosie Sidey, who appeared to present the case against Mr Pantic, yesterday said she was unable to comment on the prosecution's position concerning Mr Pantic's whereabouts.
She told the court last week a fresh summons would be sought "if and when" Mr Pantic returned to Australia. No extradition treaty exists between Australia and Serbia, but if Mr Pantic does not return, the Attorney-General's department could seek a provisional arrest through Interpol or directly from Serbia.
A spokesman for the Attorney-General's department said there was nothing to stop the Australian Government requesting a citizen's extradition.
Mr Pantic was allegedly caught with six DVDs of hard core pornography at Adelaide airport after returning from Singapore in September last year.
He faces a possible maximum fine of $22,000.
Andrew Moffa, who represents Mr Pantic as well as Dragan Losic and Luigi Vitale - also named in the Brimble inquest - said he had not spoken to Mr Pantic recently.
He said Mr Losic and Mr Vitale remained in the country.
A spokeswoman for the NSW Director of Public Prosecutions said the Brimble case was still being considered, after it was referred from the Coroner in July.
Mark Wilhelm, Leo Silvestri, Ryan Kuchel and Matthew Slade shared the Pacific Sky cabin where Brimble died, the rest of their party - Mr Losic, Mr Pantic, Mr Vitale and Charlie Kambouris - were in another cabin nearby.
Mr Pantic told the inquest Mr Wilhelm had sex with Brimble in his cabin after she took the drug known as fantasy on the night of her death in September 2002.

Roberto Pulido ,Nelson Carrasquillo ,Carlos A. Pizarro

Pizarro and former officers Roberto Pulido and Nelson Carrasquillo admitted to conspiring to protect the transport and sale of 100 grams of cocaine last year for drug dealers who turned out to be undercover federal agents.
Pizarro, a 10-year veteran of the force who worked in the city's South End neighborhood, pleaded guilty in September.
"Taking all things into account we think the sentence imposed was appropriate and fair," said his lawyer, R. Bradford Bailey. "Our client addressed the court himself and profusely apologized to the court, his family, and the Boston Police and informed the judge that he was ready to be held accountable for what he had done and make no excuses for it."
Bailey said Pizzaro's wife was at the sentencing; he is also the father of two children, ages 6 and 10. Pizarro could have faced up to 24 years in prison, but the reduced sentence was part of an agreement with prosecutors that required him to give the government a detailed account of his criminal involvement and forfeit the $17,000 he was paid to protect the drugs.
"The sentence imposed today reflects an important consensus that corrupt police are among society's worst offenders," US Attorney Michael J. Sullivan said in a statement. "They corrode the public's faith in our system of justice, they create mistrust in the communities they were sworn to serve, and they tarnish the badge so many good officers wear proudly."
In June 2006, Pizarro and the two other officers guided a truck which they thought was carrying a shipment of cocaine worth about $2 million to a commercial garage in Boston.
Pizarro provided surveillance of the garage while a second truck came to pick up the drugs. He then guided the truck out of the city, according to the US attorney's office.
About two weeks later, the officers traveled to Miami to meet with men they believed were cocaine dealers. They were paid for their services and took money to protect a future shipment. They were arrested by federal agents after receiving the payment.
Pulido and Carrasquillo pleaded guilty soon after the start of their trials last month. Both are scheduled to be sentenced in February.
Officer Edgardo Rodriguez pleaded guilty last month to conspiring with Pulido to distribute steroids. He will be sentenced in February.
allegations arose about other officers hosting illegal after-hours gambling parties, prompting Police Commissioner Edward F. Davis to vow to investigate other possible corruption.

cocaine, heroin, marijuana, and OxyContin said that most likely the culprit was an officer because only police are allowed into the d

Boston Police Department central drug depository has revealed that someone either improperly removed or tampered with drugs confiscated in nearly 1,000 cases, Commissioner Edward F. Davis said today.
The drugs taken included cocaine, heroin, marijuana, and OxyContin, said Davis, who said that most likely the culprit was an officer because only police are allowed into the depository.
The FBI, prosecutors from Suffolk District Attorney Daniel F. Conley's office, and Boston police have launched a criminal investigation to determine who stole the drugs. And the revelation that at least one officer may have stolen drugs has sparked Davis to launch audits of all department units.
"We're really going to shake the place out and make sure that every department is up to national standards," Davis said.

Ernest B. Cecil

Ernest B. Cecil, was sentenced to 12 years in a federal prison on Friday for his role in conspiring to sell drugs.
While he was a police officer, Cecil, 50, and former Metro Officer Charles Williams III robbed another drug dealer of cocaine but made it look like a legitimate law enforcement stop.
Their actions allowed Cecil's nephew, Corey Cecil, to escape with the cocaine and make $70,000 from the sale, officials said.
The nephew testified against the pair, who were both convicted

William White,Jose R. Silva ,Justen Kasperzyk

Jose R. Silva had been allowed to plead guilty three months ago to one count of deprivation of individual rights as a result of what authorities determined to be his relatively minor role in the police misconduct. He was sentenced by Senior U.S. District Judge Alan H. Nevas.Federal prosecutors said in court in Bridgeport Monday that Silva was implicated in crimes with former Detective Justen Kasperzyk. Both men reported to White.
Silva was one of six men caught in a joint state-federal investigation that focused on the city police department's narcotics unit and the principals in a family-owned, New Haven area bail bond business.
Former police Lieutenant William White, the one-time head of the city narcotics squad and the senior figure implicated in the law enforcement sting, has admitted stealing tens of thousands of dollars of what he thought was drug money and taking thousands more in bribes from the bail bondsmen. He pleaded guilty to theft and bribery conspiracy and could be sentenced to four years in prison later this month.

Broderick Jones ,Darek Haynes ,Eural Black

Eural Black was sentenced on Thursday to 40 years in prison, colleague Broderick Jones received 25 years, and ex-cop Darek Haynes received 19 years.
"You and your merry band essentially raped and plundered entire neighborhoods," U.S. District Judge Ronald A. Guzman said in sentencing Jones, admitted leader of the ring.
Black the only one of the three who didn't plead guilty and was convicted at a jury trial got the mandatory minimum because he was found guilty of two gun charges.
A joint FBI and Chicago police investigation of the ring in 2005 led to charges against the former officers and five alleged drug dealers, the Associated Press reported.
Prosecutors said the drug dealers tipped off Jones to where police could steal drugs, adding the accused policemen would then raid the place and instead of arresting drug dealers, resold the drugs.

Schangua "Britney" Jackson,Traci Michelle Tennarse

Houston police Officer Traci Michelle Tennarse and her boyfriend used $17,000 they got from a police informant to buy 50 pounds of marijuana, assistant Harris County District Attorney .
Tennarse was arrested Wednesday after she carried the marijuana to the second floor of an East Freeway motel and handed it to the informant, Emmons said.
The arrest followed an investigation that dates back to October, but Emmons declined to say today whether officials believe Tennarse and boyfriend Clarence Davis, 48, have been trafficking in marijuana for a long time.
Tennarse, 29, a three-year HPD officer, could not be reached for comment today. She was released from the Harris County Jail Wednesday after posting a $34,000 bond on a charge of delivery of marijuana.
Davis and another woman, Schangua "Britney" Jackson, 19, also were charged with marijuana delivery, Emmons said. Jackson was with Tennarse and Davis during the marijuana delivery but her connection to the couple, who lived together in a home in Spring owned by Tennarse, was not clear, Emmons said.
Tennarse worked at HPD headquarters on Travis in downtown Houston.
Tennarse first traveled to the La Quinta in the 11900 block of East Freeway after she got off work Wednesday, Emmons said.
She traveled to the motel in a car she rented, Emmons said.
Emmons her office, HPD's Internal Affairs Division and HPD narcotics investigators were involved in the sting operation.
Tennarse was arrested at the motel shortly before 4 p.m. Wednesday.
Tennarse was sworn in as police officer officer in January 2006. She worked at a desk job that involved checking finger print records of people processed through the city jail, police said.
Tennarse was scheduled to make an initial appearance in the Harris County 174th District Court but her formal arraignment was delayed until Feb. 8, Emmons said.
Tennarse has been suspended with pay pending while the investigation continues.
Tennarse has a MySpace page on which she describes herself as a police officer who makes more than $60,000 a year, a 2003 graduate of Texas Southern University and a 1996 graduate of Aldine High School.
Tennarse lists herself as having received a bachelor's degree from TSU in criminal justice.
TSU registrar Marilynn Square confirmed today that Tennarse graduated with a degree in administration of justice in May 2003.
Tennarse lives in a $140,000 home in Spring, according to public records.

K L Jain, Sumesh Dua,Vijay Kohli, Manish Soni ,Sachin Gandhi ,Avinder Singh

Three men accused of drugging businessmen and then fleeing with their valuables were arrested by the crime branch on Thursday.
Claiming inspiration from the stories of none other than Charles Sobhraj, the three men - Manish Soni (36), Sachin Gandhi (28) and Avinder Singh (45) - duped businessmen not just in Delhi but also Haryana, Punjab, Madhya Pradesh, Maharashtra, Rajasthan, Goa and Nepal. They were allegedly involved in as many as 70 such cases.
Importantly, the police have also arrested three Delhi jewellers for buying stolen items from the con men. Two of them are prominent Karol Bagh jewellers - Vijay Kohli, who owns New Jhelum Jewellers, and Sumesh Dua, the owner of Maharani Jewellers. Another Karol Bagh jeweller K L Jain, the owner of Kailash Jewellers, is on the run. The owner of Aggarwal Jewellers, Manish Aggarwal, in Ashram has also been arrested for the same offence.
"As many as 23 mobile phones, Rs 16,000 cash, several ATM and credit cards and four cars were seized from them. A huge quantity of sedative tablets was also found. The three were planning to flee to Nepal when they were caught," said additional commissioner (crime) Satyendra Garg, adding that while Soni belongs to Delhi, Gandhi and Avinder are from Karnal.
All three of them were arrested by the newly formed crime branch unit, SOS, which is headed by ACP Rajbir Singh. Soni was arrested from Tilak Nagar. The other two were arrested from Alipur in northwest Delhi. They told the police that they usually used Larpose to induce sleep in their victims. These tablets were procured from Karnal.
Their victims include a Safdarjung Enclave businessman who was summoned for a business meeting to a Connaught Place hotel. He was drugged and the accused fled with his credit cards and mobile phones. They purchased jewellery worth more than Rs 40,000 with the cards. In several such cases, the three accused masqueraded as businessmen.
For this, they hired luxury vehicles and travelled by air. Some of their victims were NRIs whom they met in flights or trains. The police said that they visited Kathmandu frequently. "Whenever their efforts yielded more than Rs 50,000, they went to Nepal and visited casinos there," said a police officer.
Ajay Chowdhury, a former resident of New Delhi, was allegedly Sobhraj's trusted lieutenant in the 70s, helping him commit a series of murders, robberies and passport thefts, according to the Nepal police and Interpol.
Chowdhury is also suspected of burning the victims' bodies to prevent quick identification.
According to Interpol, in December 1975, Sobhraj and Canadian Marie-Andree Leclerc, who was his mistress as well as second accomplice, came to Kathmandu from Bangkok, where they had set up base.
In Bangkok, Sobhraj and his partners killed Dutch tourist Henricus Bintanja and his girlfriend Cornelia Hemker. Then Sobhraj and Leclerc used the victims' passports to arrive in Kathmandu.
According to the Nepal police, Sobhraj befriended American backpacker Connie Jo Bronzich and her companion Canadian Laurent Carriere in Kathmandu, killed both and, following his old modus operandi, burnt the bodies.
Chowdhury was also in Kathmandu at that time and was spotted in the five-star hotel where Sobhraj was staying. He is also believed to have been involved in the grisly double murder.
"After the discovery of the bodies, we traced Chowdhury to a hotel in Kathmandu - Monumental Lodge near the historic royal palace in Basantapur," says Bishwa Lal Shrestha, who was the police officer investigating the case in 1975.
"But he gave us the slip. When we reached the lodge, we found he had slipped out minutes before."
The trio - Sobhraj, Leclerc and Chowdhury - left Nepal by land to go to Varanasi in India, where they continued with murders and robberies.
Sobhraj's luck ran out in 1976 when both he and Leclerc were arrested and sent to jail. She agreed to testify against him, was paroled and deported to Canada. In 1984, the 38-year-old Leclerc died of ovarian cancer.
However, despite Delhi Police's attempts to nab him, Chowdhury remained at large.
According to a book published on Sobhraj, in 1976 the three had gone to Malaysia where Chowdhury was sent on an errand to collect gems from a mining town. When he returned, the two men went into a jungle but only Sobhraj returned.
Shrestha, however, discounts the theory that Chowdhury was murdered by Sobhraj to obliterate records of their crimes.
"Chowdhury was spotted much later in Germany," he says.
When the nearly three-decade-old double murder case file was reopened in Nepal in 2003 following Sobhraj's arrest in Kathmandu, the police once again began a lookout for Chowdhury.
"I feel Nepal is safer for him than India," Shrestha says. "The Indian police are more organised, also, he is better known in India. In Nepal, after 30 years, it would be easy for Chowdhury to hide himself."

Dave Butorac

Dave Butorac, 29, a resident of suburban Aldergrove, just east of Vancouver, is charged in the second-degree murder last year of two drug-addicted prostitutes - one in Abbotsford and the other in Langley, B.C.
The body of a third woman was found near his home two years ago but Butorac has not been charged with her death. Cpl. Dale Carr of the Integrated Homicide Investigation Team said the evidence pointed to "what we considered possibly a serial killer.""We're looking at him strongly for other homicides, I can't get into the evidence we have gathered," Carr told reporters.
Police are also looking for a white Chevrolet Cavalier Z24 coupe linked to the accused.
there's been a lot of attention focused on the services available to prostitutes in the Downtown Eastside after serial-killer Robert Pickton was convicted last month of second-degree murder in the deaths of six women. But the needs of vulnerable women in other areas can't be ignored.
"Willy Pickton is gone but there's so many other women who are continuing on in the lifestyle of sex-trade work that's really risky that there's not enough support for them," she says.

Cesar Armando Laurean

Cesar Armando Lauren (photo), of Clark County, Nevada, is a marine who was trained as a personnel clerk but listed as Unauthorized Absence status, at the Marine Corps Base in Camp Lejeune, N.C.. He was accused of raping the missing pregnant marine Maria Lauterbach. The latest evidences from detectives indicated that Armando Laurean had possibly murdered Lauterbach and buried her burned body in a shallow grave at his house backyard.
Marine Cpl. Cesar Armando Laurean was seen getting on or off a Greyhound bus in Shreveport, La., Saturday night, said Shreveport police Chief Henry Whitehorn Sr.Laurean, whom Lauterbach accused of rape, disappeared early Friday morning. He was last seen in a black Dodge pickup.Investigators have found blood spatters on the ceiling and a massive amount of blood on the wall of the home of Laurean, Sheriff Brown said. It appeared that someone had tried to wash and paint over the blood, he said."The blood splatters indicate a violent, violent attack," Brown said. "I do think this case is going to be a bizzare ending - when I say bizarre, more than a death and a burial."In a fire pit in the backyard of Laurean's home, authorities found burnt human remains roughly six inches to one foot underground, said Dr. Charles Garrett, the Onslow County medical examiner. Once fully recovered, he said, the remains will be sent to the state medical examiner's office in Chapel Hill for a positive identification using dental records.A nationwide search for Laurean continued Saturday, a day after Brown identified him as the key suspect in the death of 20-year-old Lance Cpl. Maria Frances Lauterbach. She disappeared in December, just days after meeting with military prosecutors to talk about her allegation that Laurean raped her.

Thailand Dark Side Britons tourist murder capital.

Anuchit Lumlert, 24, has been arrested for the murder of two Russian women at the Thai resort of Pattaya to watch the sun rise, police said on Friday.
“He said he wanted to rob them, but had to kill them because one of the two victims saw his face,” police chief Lieutenant General Aswin Kwanmuang, who led the investigation in a city notorious as an international criminals’ haven 90 miles (150 km) from Bangkok, told Reuters news agency.
Other investigators said Anuchit was suspected of 10 robberies in the Pattaya area and killed the Russian women when high on drugs because they screamed.

Tatiana Tsimfer, 30, and Lyubov Svirkova, 25, arrived in Thailand on holidays within a tourist group
As Pattaya Daily News informs, they received the information from a receptionist at Dragon Beach Hotel, where the girls were staying.
The victims were in their beach clothes slumped in their deck chairs.
Lyubov Svirkova was shot four bullets (one in her left arm, three in the abdomen) from a 9-mm gun.
Tatiana Tsimfer was hurt in her back. Both were shot with a 9mm pistol at a close range. A mobile phone, a pack of cigarettes, and two small bottles of Thai whisky were found on the table.

Two Russian female tourists who were shot dead at a beach in Pattaya resort were not involved in sex industry, Russia’s Consul in Bangkok Vladimir Pronin announced today in an interview to RSN.
“The girls were common tourists and came to see the country for the first time ever. Various versions are being investigated, witnesses are questioned. Mass police forces are engaged in the investigation. Generally speaking, the whole Thai police are occupied with it.”
Thai police examined lists of passengers who arrived in Thailand on the same flight with the girls. They do not rule out, the murderer arrived on that flight too.
As Pattaya Daily News reported today, a tourist guide is named among key suspects on the case. Hу was reportedly fixed by CCTV cameras while running from the beach after the girls were shot dead. The man has since disappeared, the paper reports.
On any given day, tens of thousands of prostitutes can be seen working the brothels, bars, streets, hotel lobbies, beach fronts and even shopping malls of this gaudy city. Pattaya is also the focus for high levels of criminal activity involving international gangs from Russia, Germany, the UK and China. The number of deaths of British nationals' in Pattaya is hard to ascertain – though some sources claim that it is up to four every week, neither the FCO nor the Thai authorities have any data they are prepared to release. However, what can be speculated with some confidence is that of the 226 average annual deaths of British citizens in Thailand recorded by the FCO, a large percentage are in Pattaya. (The FCO refuse to list causes of deaths, so we must also speculate as to the reasons for this morbid hotspot. Anecdotal evidence suggests straightforward causes of death for some, such as road accidents and health problems; then there are the suspicious-sounding "suicides" – jumping from balconies seems to be a favoured method.)
Toby Charnaud, brutally slain by his Thai wife. Now, his family want to know why our Government is so reluctant to warn that Thialand is one of the most dangerous places on earth for its British residents 17 Britons have been murdered in Thailand since 2003
Toby Charnaud, an English expat living in the upmarket beach resort of Hua Hin, Thailand. On 27 March 2005, Charnaud was murdered in horrific circumstances. The 41-year-old was lured into the house near Hua Hin that he had bought for his Thai ex-wife, Panadda Laoruang, to live in. There, after a home-made gun failed to kill him, three men hired by Laoruang beat him to death with a heavy object. His body was partially cremated in a fire pit, cut into small pieces and scattered around a nearby forest Somsak Papai and Wisunt Samaksri were arrested in connection with Toby Charnaud's murder .On average, about 50 civilian UK nationals are murdered around the world each year This means that almost 10 per cent of all murders of Britons abroad are committed in Thailand , given that Thailand comprises only 0.6 per cent of all foreign travel from UK shores.
The murder rate is perhaps surprising; of the 420,000 annual British travellers to Thailand, a tiny percentage are the victims of crime.
Yet its dark side is quite visible. Hua Hin, where Charnaud lived and worked, is one of Thailand's most relaxed resorts, located 150 miles south of Bangkok. Long a getaway for Thai royalty, who have attracted a whole section of the Thai elite in their wake, it has a smattering of seedy bars, but the town is a picture of innocence compared with Pattaya, 150 miles north across the Gulf of Thailand. It is here that the country's less-welcome foreign visitors encounter the darker, more dangerous reaches of Thai culture; it is here that Thailand's huge sex industry has its epicentre.
At present FCO information regarding deaths in Thailand is limited. Andy Pearce, the deputy head of mission at the British Embassy in Bangkok, admits that the murder rate of Britons resident in Thailand is about the same as the domestic Thai rate – roughly five times higher than in the UK – but adds that this is only an estimate. (There are thought to be about 50,000 British resident in the country at present.) "To create the kind of advice needed on murder rates would require a greater statistical base and more research," he says.

In early 2006, just after the brutal rape and murder of the young British backpacker Katherine Horton on a deserted Koh Samui beach, and following an 18-month period in which nine Britons were murdered, the FCO had a revealing internal debate about what safety advice they should give to British nationals travelling to Thailand, as an email obtained by the BBC under the Freedom of Information Act testifies: "The trouble with [giving advice about the murder rate]... is that it would effectively highlight the number of murders over the past year or more here, which in the current circumstances could have a disproportionate impact on Thailand's reputation and legitimate commercial interests."
No amount of number-crunching by the officials at the British Embassy could have saved Charnaud. While his end was brutal, the reasons for it were never genuinely clear. "The only thing we know is that she killed him for financial reasons," says Hannah. "Som [who was sentenced to life in prison for the murder, along with three accomplices in a Thai courtroom in September 2006] thought she could get Toby's money through their son, Daniel. But she was never going to get a penny." "It has been an horrific time for us all," adds Martha, "but the family hasn't fallen apart." (Daniel is now living happily in the UK with family members.)
Yet Charnaud's family believe British officials in Thailand could have done a lot more to assist them, something that led to their local MP, James Gray, asking questions in Parliament in 2006. "In direct contrast to the Thais, who handled the whole thing very well, at every step our embassy was insensitive, ineffective and incompetent," says Hannah. "When Toby's remains were found they sent us a short email, complete with graphic details. This was done after they had spoken to the press. They offered help with DNA testing and then made that extremely difficult

British-registered sailboat 600 kilos (1 320 pounds) of cocaine

Spanish police have seized 600 kilos (1 320 pounds) of cocaine on a sailboat in the Atlantic bound for Spain in a drugs operation that netted seven suspects, including three Europeans, police said on Saturday.
The cocaine had been transferred to the British-registered sailboat off the coast of the island of Antigua in the Antilles, a police statement said.
Police, who had been following the sailboat since last month, intercepted it between the Portuguese islands of the Azores and Madeira and found on board 600 packets each containing a kilo of cocaine.
Three European crew members from France, Italy and Spain were arrested in the operation. Four others from Colombia, Venezuela and the Dominican Republic, picked up by police in Madrid, are suspected of being responsible for the drugs network, police said.

Operation Thaw: cocaine siezure

Cocaine worth more than 1.5 million euros has been seized in north Dublin.
Gardai discovered the drugs during a series of planned raids of a number of premises in Coolock this morning.
Firearms, ammunition and drugs paraphernalia were also seized.
The raids took place just after 8 o'clock this morning and involved the Coolock Drugs Unit and the Garda Divisional Search Team.
It was part of the ongoing Operation Thaw, which targets the sale and supply of drugs in the Coolock area.
The cocaine was found at two houses on Grove Lane.
A smaller amount of cocaine and heroin was seized from a nearby mobile home, along with ammunition and drugs paraphernalia.
It has led Gardai to believe that they may have uncovered a major cocaine factory.
No arrests have yet been made.

Armando Garcia $1 million bond

Armando Garcia was arrested Thursday for investigation of trafficking a controlled substance.
He is being held in Ada County Jail on a $1 million bond.
Boise police say detectives purchased or seized more than 14 ounces of brown heroin, valued at about $80,000, during the investigation.
Boise police Sgt. Mike Harrington says there was evidence that the man had been selling 6 to 8 ounces of heroin a week in the Boise area for as long as two years.

400 pounds of cocaine from a pickup truck on the banks of the Rio Grande

U.S. Border Patrol agents seized more than 400 pounds of cocaine from a pickup truck on the banks of the Rio Grande.
Agency officials estimate the street value of the drugs at more than $15 million, according to a news release from the U.S. Border Patrol.
Agents responded to a report of suspicious activity Friday south of Donna. They spotted several people loading bundles onto a green pickup truck parked on the riverbank. Agents tried to stop the truck as the driver headed for Military Highway. The driver sped away from agents toward the river.
Agents caught up to the truck, and they say several people swimming across the river into Mexico, agency officials said.
Authorities searched the truck and found the bulk of cocaine. No arrests were made in connection with the seizure.
The seizure marks one of several made in recent months. From Oct. 1, 2007 to New Year’s Eve, agents in the Rio Grande Valley Sector seized 1,473.75 pounds of cocaine, which has an estimated street value of more than $47 million, agency officials said.

Don Miguel Pavy, David Callender, Romeo Jerome

Don Miguel Pavy, 33, David Callender, 26, Romeo Jerome, 22, all of Cumana, Toco, are charged with being in possession of marijuana for the purpose of trafficking in contravention of Section 5(4) of the Dangerous Drugs Act.
They were held by police with 336 kilogrammes of marijuana and were subsequently denied bail when they appeared before Senior Magistrate Cheril-Anne Blake in the Sangre Grande Magistrates’ Court on November 26 last year. On that occasion, they were advised of their right to apply to a judge in chambers for bail.
Four days later, the men’s attorney Maillard Howell, applied to Soo-Hon for bail, asking the judge to consider the fact that the men were first-time offenders. Bail totalling $15 million was granted, but more than a month later, the men have been unable to secure bail for such a large quantum.
Howell will ask Soo-Hon to vary her bail in an in-chambers hearing next week Friday.

Learie Patterson

Learie Patterson, 27, a tailor of Moriah in Tobago died at about 4.30 am in the Intensive Care Unit (ICU) after remaining unconscious following the December 31 incident, when he was struck on the head during a dispute with a jeweler.
The altercation in which the jeweler himself was stabbed repeatedly by Patterson, is said to have occurred at a building in Scarborough where the men’s respective businesses were located.
The police file on the matter will be forwarded to Director of Public Prosecutions (DPP) Geoffrey Henderson who will advise investigators as to what course the investigation should take. Police sources said a criminal charge could be laid against the jeweler or the case could go the way of a Coroner’s Inquest. Detective Corporal Judith Leander of the Scarborough CID is spearheading investigations.

Interpol president on Corruption Charges:Jackie Selebi,

South Africa's national police commissioner, who faces charges of corruption and trying to protect a convicted drug smuggler, is to stand down temporarily but will not be sacked.
President Thabo Mbeki said Saturday that Jackie Selebi, who also holds the largely ceremonial post of Interpol president, had been given «extended
leave» with immediate effect.
The National Prosecuting Authority said Friday it would charge Selebi with corruption and defeating the administration of justice because of his «generally corrupt relationship» with Glen Agliotti, who was last year convicted of drug smuggling and stands accused of murder. It said charges would be filed imminently.
Mbeki sought to reassure a nervous public that the government would continue its fight against crime in a country which has more than 50 murders a day.
«Work will go on as normal. The police and all of its ranks will continue with its work as normal,» he told a press conference.
But the news came as a further blow to South Africa's international image. ANC President Jacob Zuma, who hopes to become national president in 2009, is due to go on trial in August on corruption, fraud, money laundering and racketeering charges.
Selebi tried unsuccessfully to block the indictment against him in Pretoria's High Court on Friday. The judge dismissed it, saying that the administration of justice would be brought into disrepute if Selebi were not prosecuted.
Mbeki said that Timothy Charles Williams, deputy national commissioner for crime intelligence and crime detection, would be acting police chief. He said it was up to Interpol, the world's largest police organization, to decide on Selebi's future. He was due to stand down later this year after his four-year term in office.
Interpol's General Secretariat said it was «carefully monitoring» the situation, and the matter involving Selebi would be discussed at its executive committee meeting in February.
«While it would be inappropriate for Interpol to comment on the ongoing investigation in South Africa, it should be stated that President Selebi has significantly helped the organization and its member countries to enhance security and police co-operation worldwide,» it said in a statement on its web site.
Mbeki's press conference came after a tumultuous week. On Tuesday, armed police arrested Johannesburg's top prosecutor, Gerrie Nel, who led the investigation of Selebi, and hauled him away in handcuffs. Nel is due in court Monday on charges of defeating the ends of justice _ charges that the prosecuting authority says are without foundation.
The turf war between the police and prosecutors also comes at a time when the prosecuting authority _ the equivalent of America's FBI _ is under criticism for its decision to press charges against Zuma.
The ANC congress that elected Zuma last month resolved to disband the prosecuting authority's elite anti-crime unit called the Scorpions _ a decision that risks further weakening the fight against crime.

Police statistics released in December said that there were 8,925 murders and 23,507 reported rapes between April and September last year nationwide _ both down slightly from the previous year. But other crimes like robbery and cash in transit heists have soared.
Prosecutors allege Agliotti gave Selebi cash handouts «as and when he requested,» bought clothes for him and his family and gave him 30,000 rands (US$4,400; ¤3,000) to pay for a dinner in Paris when he was elected head of Interpol. The payments totaled at least 1.2 million rands (US$175,000; ¤118,300) between 2000 and 2005, the prosecuting authority said.
The prosecuting authority also accused Selebi of turning a blind eye to Agliotti's involvement in transporting large quantities of illegal drugs. The prosecutors said Selebi also informed Agliotti that British intelligence authorities were investigating him.
Agliotti reached a plea bargain with prosecutors last year whereby he pleaded guilty to smuggling drugs into the country and received a suspended 10-year prison sentence and a fine. In return, he agreed to testify against drug gangs. There have been reports that he might be the star witness in a trial against Selebi, though prosecutors have not confirmed this.
Mbeki summarily suspended chief prosecutor Vusi Pikoli last September after he issued a warrant for the Selebi's arrest. Acting prosecuting chief Mokotedi Mpshe withdrew the warrant and ordered an independent investigation of the case against Selebi. That probe was conducted by outside legal experts who recommended Selebi be charged.

Kovelan Bangaru, AKA Kole Bugari

Australia's most wanted , former business high-flyer Kovelan Bangaru, is expected to be transported under high security from the US to a Sydney jail cell within days.
The US Marshals, the American government's primary fugitive hunting organisation, confirmed today it was holding Bangaru in the US ahead of extradition to Australia.
The 40-year-old father of two is accused of fleecing $A27 million from 70 investors, including "mum and dad investors", when his Sydney-based Streetwise property development company collapsed in 2005 and he fled to California.
"I can confirm he is still in our custody," a US Marshals spokesman told AAP today.
The US Marshals declined to give details of plans to transport Bangaru.
Bangaru was well-known in Australia before his demise, developing multi-million dollar Sydney harbourside penthouses, properties in Queensland, Victoria, Sydney and on the NSW south coast and featuring in news articles in publications such as The Australian Financial Review.
Australian authorities, in documents filed in the US courts, allege Bangaru would tell potential investors that sports stars, such as Australian cricketers Brett Lee and Michael Slater, were investors in his company.
"I have made many successful partnerships with Mr Slater and Mr Lee and I have made many people lots of money," Bangaru is accused of telling one victim who invested $A500,000 with Streetwise.
Bangaru was arrested by US authorities in an exclusive residential area in southern California's Orange County in April after upset Australian investors helped track him down.
He has been held in a jail in Santa Ana, south of Los Angeles, since the arrest and it was originally believed he would fight extradition.
However, on December 5 in the US District Court he entered into a "charge bargain agreement" with Australian prosecutors in which he agreed to plead guilty to 11 of the 16 serious fraud charges.



"Kovelan Bangaru and the Australian prosecutors have entered into a 'charge bargain' agreement to resolve the pending criminal charges against the fugitive," Bangaru's US lawyer, Charles Pereyra-Suarez, wrote in a document submitted to US District Court judge Oswald Parada on December

Darin Richardson

Darin Richardson, was shot twice after he pointed a pistol at two detectives and a plainclothes officer who tried to stop him in the street.
Investigators believe the revolver Richardson brandished may have been the same one used in 2005 to wound an officer in Austell, Ga.
That shooting earned Richardson a prominent place on the FBI's "most wanted'' list, but it was a chance meetingthat led to Tuesday night's violence.
NYPD spokesman Paul Browne said a group of drug investigators on a routine patrol decided to stop Richardson after spotting him emerging from a shop at around 9 p.m., fiddling with something tucked in his belt.
Thinking the bulge was a weapon, they circled around the block, then flashed their badges and ordered Richardson to halt. Two of the officers fired when Richardson pulled a gun and ignored orders to drop it, Browne said.
Several witnesses at the scene confirmed that one or more of the police officers shouted "Put it down! Put it down!'' before opening fire, Browne said.
It wasn't until later that authorities learned that Richardson was wanted in connection with the shooting of a police officer in Georgia's Cobb County.
Cobb County Police said in a news release that Richardson was charged with shooting an officer twice on Aug. 20, 2005, after police tried to question him at a gas station.
The officer was wounded, but survived. Richardson escaped on foot.
Police suspect that the weapon used in that shooting was a revolver reported stolen by one of Richardson's acquaintances on the day of the crime. That same gun was found lying in the street after Richardson was shot in Brooklyn on Tuesday.

Raji Mann,Sanjeev Mann

Two brothers are facing over a dozen charges as the result of an eight-month investigation into an alleged "dial-a-doper" drug trafficking network.
Project Image saw the recent arrests of Raji Mann, 24, and his brother Sanjeev Mann, 21, who were arrested quietly outside of a relative's home.
They are in custody and will appear in court Monday.
Both accused are known to the Southern Alberta Gang Enforcement Team.
"It puts a dent into the market for cocaine trafficking, which is big in Alberta, and also the manufacture of crack," said Insp. Joan McCallum of the Integrated Response to Organized Crime Unit.
"They have to know that we're watching them."

David Ragsdale

David Ragsdale, accused of fatally shooting his wife in Lehi on Sunday, before an initial court hearing on Jan. 14.
If prosecutors are not ready to file charges by then, Buhman said they will ask 4th District Judge Lynn Davis to postpone Ragsdale's first court appearance.
Ragsdale, 35, was arrested on suspicion of aggravated murder, a potential capital offense, for allegedly shooting to death his 30-year-old wife Kristy Ragsdale in the parking lot of a Lehi LDS church, in front of her mother and several witnesses. He is being held in the Utah County jail without bail.
Kristy Ragsdale was planning to file for divorce, her attorney has said.
Greg Skordas, David Ragsdale's lawyer, said Tuesday that he met with his client Sunday and Monday, and they will not seek a court hearing before next week. He declined further comment.
A funeral for Kristy Ragsdale is in the planning stages, but it is expected to be held Saturday at the Lehi stake center where she attended church, an LDS Church spokesman said.

Monica Thomas-Harris ,Curtis "Keno" Harris

Monica Thomas-Harris and Curtis "Keno" Harris, who were reported missing Thursday night, when relatives asked for the public's help in finding the 37-year-old woman who reportedly disappeared.
One employee said he knew it was them because he checked Harris' identification before renting him the $55-a-night room.
Another employee, Lawrence Parra, said he recognized the couple from photos in the newspaper.
"She was standing outside as he was getting the room," Parra said.
Police received a call about 11:20 a.m. of a person down in the motel room. When they arrived, they discovered the man and woman were dead.
"It does appear to be a murder-suicide," said public information officer Diana Salazar. "We are not looking for any outstanding suspects."
Salazar would confirm only that a black man from Chino and a black woman from Upland, both in their 30s, were found dead in Room 208 in the motel at 11435 Whittier Blvd.
Police said the man used a handgun to kill the woman before killing himself.
Neighbors said they did not hear any noises from the motel room Friday night.
"I know gunshots, and there were no gunshots," said Juan Montiel, a Petaluma resident who was staying at the motel with his wife.
The missing couple were reportedly traveling in a 2001 Ford Expedition, with the license-plate number of 4UGR263. The same vehicle was seen parked at the motel and being towed by police for evidence on Saturday.
One employee, who did not want to be identified, said he became suspicious when the couple did not check out at 11 a.m. Saturday. After repeated calls to the room, he sent a maid to check up on the couple.

Christopher McCuin

Christopher McCuin, age 25, "would stand in the roadway and wouldn't let people pass and he would talk to himself." McCuin, according to his neighbor, "acted crazy."
Eccentric, yes. Troubling, sure. But blocking the road and talking to himself were comically benign behaviors compared to what McCuin is now accused of doing.
Police in Texas say that McCuin began the first weekend of the new year by kidnapping and killing his ex-girlfriend Jana Shearer, age 21.
After he allegedly bludgeoned her to death, McCuin took Shearer's body to his mom's garage.
A short time later, McCuin led his mother and her boyfriend to the scene, which had become an abbatoir.
They fled in horror.
McCuin called 911. He told the operator that he'd killed Shearer. He told the operator what he was doing to Jana Shearer's remains

Maria Frances Lauterbach

Maria Frances Lauterbach, 20, was reported missing Dec. 19 by her mother, who was the last person to speak with her, on Dec. 13. It is not clear why the disappearance wasn't made public earlier.
Her cell phone was found Dec. 20 near the main gate at Camp Lejeune. Lauterbach is with the 2nd Marine Logistics Group.
Investigators are calling her disappearance suspicious, saying her mother reported that Lauterbach was going to testify about an incident she witnessed on base.
"There are several findings and pieces of evidence that have been discovered that cause law

James Patrick

James Patrick: Police in Delaware County, Pa. are searching for an accused child rapist with a tricky disappearing act. James Patrick was standing trial on charges that he raped an 11-year-old girl in 1998, when cops say he asked to leave court to call his elderly mother. Cops say Patrick took off, and hasn’t been seen since.

Unknown Helen Hill Killer

Unknown Helen Hill Killer: In New Orleans, young filmmaker Helen Hill and her physician husband Paul were awakened by an intruder — cops say the next thing they knew, he opened fire. Now, a year later, police have new information that may help find her killer.

Leonard Ray Harper

Leonard Ray Harper: Police thought accused murderer Leonard Ray Harper was hiding out in Spain or South America, but now they have confirmation Harper could be back in his old digs — San Antonio, Texas. A convicted murderer called cops from jail and told them what they needed to know to place Harper back in town.

Donald Farrell Killer

Donald Farrell Killer: Saturday, October 27, 2007 was Rowan University’s homecoming, a night that brings thousands of people to the campus to celebrate and watch the football game. It was on this night that a group of four to five men brutally beat a 19-year-old student to death as a group of his friends stood by helplessly.

Nancy and Joey Bochicchio’s killer

Boca Raton, Fla. police are still looking for Nancy and Joey Bochicchio’s killer. Cops say their best lead is a composite sketch of a man wanted in another violent attack in Boca Raton. The similarities between that case and the Bochicchios’ murders are eerily similar, and police believe the man in the sketch could be involved with the vicious double homicide of mom Nancy and 8-year-old daughter Joey.

shooting

Dothan police are investigating a shooting into an occupied home Thursday night in the 700 block of Arlington Avenue, according to a statement released by police spokesman Officer Thomas Davis.
Someone drove by a home on Arlington Avenue around 10:51 p.m. and fired a gun several times, police say. The gunmen fled the area driving an early 1990s silver four-door model Ford Crown Victoria.
No one suffered any injuries in the shooting.

Chief James Ibori,Kema Chikwe

The hearing of the bail application of former governor of Delta State, Chief James Ibori, on Friday was stalled when the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission said it needed time to respond to issues raised in the accused person’s fresh affidavit.
Also, the former governor did not exhibit signs of ill-health on Friday when he appeared before Justice Mohammed Shuaibu of the Federal High Court in Kaduna. Rather, he looked hale and hearty. He was flown to the National Hospital, Abuja from Kaduna on Wednesday and discharged on Thursday.
THE London Metropolitan Police say the immediate past Governor of Delta State, Chief James Ibori, used British banks to stash £20 million public funds to finance his flamboyant lifestyle, The Sunday Times of London reported yesterday.
However, efforts of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) to prosecute Chief Ibori for alleged corruption may have run into a fresh hitch after Britain returned investigation documents to the anti-graft agency asking for the authorisation of the Attorney-General of the Federation to use them in the London court process.
EFCC recovers N15m from Kema Chikwe
The same EFCC has recovered N15 million from one-time Aviation Minister, Dr. Kema Chikwe, being her alleged share of business deal with one Samuel Iheanacho, Managing Director of an engineering company.
Chief Ibori is being investigated by the Metropolitan Police for allegedly laundering the money during 2005-06, using a web of high-street banks in London and an international array of front companies.
The London Sunday Times citing a witness statement made by a financial investigator working for the Met, said Ibori used accounts at branches of HSBC, Barclays and Abbey to buy luxury cars and homes.
These include a £4 million mansion in Hampstead, North London, a nearby flat for a mistress and a country retreat in Dorset. Ibori owned a Bentley Continental GT, a Jaguar and an armoured Mercedes-Benz Maybach

It said since 2005, funds from Nigeria, intended for education and engineering projects, “(were) allegedly stolen by James Ibori (and) have been laundered through the UK banking system.”
One payment of £275,873 was made to a Mayfair car dealership for an armour-plated Maybach limousine in 2005.
Ibori, who denies the accusations, has not been charged with any wrongdoing. His lawyers declined to comment.
The investigation is looking at payments by Shell and Chevron-Texaco to his businesses in Delta State. Over three years, Shell, Chevron and the Nigerian National Petroleum Company allegedly paid £3.6 million into a Barclays account controlled by Ibori for renting out houseboats to foreign employees.
Last Thursday, the Court of Appeal confirmed a freeze on Ibori’s UK assets, worth £17.1 million.
According to an affidavit, the Met intervened at an unspecified date to block his purchase of a private jet from Bombardier, the manufacturers, for $20 million (£9.8 million) while he was still in office and receiving an official salary of just £12,000 a year.
An associate who met Ibori in New York in September told The Sunday Times that he was “desperate to prove that his hands are clean.”
The Met has recently launched a crackdown on foreigners using Britain as a haven for corruptly acquired assets. Ibori is the third Nigerian governor to be investigated under the Proceeds of Crime Act introduced in 2002.
The two others charged with money laundering in London jumped bail. One has since been convicted of corruption by a Nigerian court, while the other is on trial.
HSBC, Abbey and Barclays declined to comment but said they would cooperate fully with any police investigation.
AGF-EFCC feud creates fresh hitches in Ibori’s case
Efforts by the EFCC to prosecute Chief Ibori for alleged corruption while in office has run into a fresh hitch as Britain returned investigation documents to the anti-graft agency asking for the Attorney-General of the Federation’s authorisation to use them in the London court process.
The British authorities had earlier asked the EFCC to furnish it with details of its findings on the allegation of corruption against Chief Ibori while in office which it did without recourse to the AGF, Chief Michael Aondoakaa.
It was gathered that the documents were returned because they were not signed by the AGF and, therefore, could not be used.
“The honourable Attorney-General may, therefore, authorise the Metropolitan Police through the appropriate channels to use the materials enumerated above for their legal processes,” he said in the letter dated September 28, 2007.
It was, however, learnt that the AGF who had requested the same documents without being given by the EFCC, rejected it, as he was said to have noted that the request by the Metropolitan Police should have been sent to him, in the first instance.
Sources said the AGF reported the development to the President who gave him a backing.
Also listed were accounts of various companies said to have been traced to Chief Ibori or his relations.
The included Bainexnox Ltd account with UBA, MER Engineering Ltd account with UBA, Global Little Drops Nig. Ltd account with Zenith and Oceanic Banks, Silhouette Travels and Tours account with Zenith and Prime Chambers account with Zenith.
Also contained in the document is the copy of a letter from the Corporate Affairs Commission confirming that about three companies used in siphoning fund from Delta State were registered with it.

Three migrants died

Three migrants among dozens trying to reach Spain from Northwest Africa in a wooden boat died and two others were in serious condition, officials said Saturday.
A Spanish patrol ship spotted the boat, which was carrying 88 people, in the Atlantic Ocean off the southern coast of the Canary Island of Tenerife early Saturday, an Interior Ministry spokeswoman said. The survivors were rescued, she said.
Four of the migrants, whose precise point of origin was unknown, were rushed to a hospital, the spokeswoman said.
Of 70 survivors in good health, nine were thought to be minors among them was a baby girl believed to be around 2 years old the spokeswoman said.

Amy Fitzpatrick new photo

Audrey Fitzpatrick: PRESS Conference (updated text)

Audrey Fitzpatrick The mother of Amy, Irish girl 15 years of age who had disappeared on January 1 in Mijas (Malaga), today gave a press conference at the Ocean Hotel to publicize her missing daughter and help with information for the search.
The mother, Audrey Fitzpatrick, read a statement in English, "If anyone has seen Amy to contact with the Civil Guard or phone: 062 or 112," Audrey asked.
"Someone must know something," said the mother, while he called "especially in the British Community, on the Costa del Sol which is extensive having lived for five years in the town. Amy is a popular girl ".
The family of the child reported that the night of 31 and day 1, Amy was with a friend, Ashley,they were babysitting in a house on the Calypso urbanisation . "She was wearing a faded black mini skirt, a black 'Diesel'shirt and also some high black boots," according to her mother .
"She is a very thin girl with brown hair, a very pale color," she continued. In addition, during the press conference leaflets were distributed with a photo and description of the girl to help the search.
"A girl can not disappear from the face of the earth, which is why I ask the people to try to recall whether they had seen anything. Any little information is useful," asked the mother.

Amy Fitzpatrick: UPDATED: Another Mystery Disappearance (like the Mcanns) on Spanish Costas

Spanish police have begun an investigation after an expatriate teenager disappeared on her way home from a nearby friend’s house.
Amy Fitzpatrick, 15, has not been seen since the evening of New Year’s Day, when she left the friend’s home on the Costa Del Sol.
Officers from the Spanish Civil Guard searched waste ground yesterday in the tourist resort of Riviera Del Sol, near Fuengirola, as part of their hunt for the Irish teenager. The land is close to the route that Amy would have taken on her ten-minute walk back to the home she shares with her mother, brother and stepfather.
She spent New Year’s Eve at her friend’s house, babysitting for the girl’s younger brother, and stayed the night before the pair headed to a local shopping centre on January 1. Amy then returned to the friend’s house before heading home at about 10pm.
Her mother, Audrey, 39, said last night that she had not heard anything from her daughter since a telephone call early on the day she vanished.
“The last time we spoke was on New Year’s Day morning when she rang to wish me happy new year.”
Mrs Fitzpatrick, from Dublin, said that she was starting to fear the worst. “I’ve racked my brains for a reason as to why Amy might want to go off on her own and I can’t think of one. She’s never done anything like this before. We’ve traced the route we think she would have taken but found no clues as to what might have happened to her. It’s a route she knows well and involves a walk of about two minutes down a dirt track.
“All I want is for Amy to pick up a phone and ring me or a friend and say she’s OK but at the back of my mind is that horrible fear that something’s happened to her and she can’t.”
The disappearance has shocked Riviera del Sol’s expatriate community. Police have spoken to the couple that Amy had been babysitting for on New Year’s Eve, an English woman and her Spanish husband. They have also questioned the teenager’s schoolfriends, including a dozen British expatriate families who live in the area.
Mrs Fitzpatrick was preparing last night to distribute hundreds of appeal posters showing her daughter’s face. The teenager’s brother, Dean, 17, had spent the day taking police officers to see friends in the hope that someone had heard from her.
Ritchie Harris, a family friend, said: “Amy is a very pretty girl and although she’s mature for her age and likes to mix with an older crowd, she’s only 15 and still very much of a youngster.” Mr Harris, originally from London, said that he had been helping in the search for Amy, and had spent Thursday night scouring her e-mails and speaking to her friends via the online MSN Messenger service for clues as to her whereabouts.
A police helicopter spent part of yesterday flying over waste ground close to Amy’s home. The land, sandwiched between a motorway running along the Costa del Sol and houses leading down to the Mediterranean, is popular with dog walkers. Amy, who has dark, shoulder-length hair, was wearing a black jacket, dark tracksuit bottoms, a black Diesel T-shirt and black furry boots when she was last seen.
She moved to the Costa del Sol with her mother 3½ years ago. Her step-father, Dave McMahon, is an estate agent in the Spanish resort. It is understood that her natural father lives in the Irish Republic.
A spokesman for the Civil Guard in Málaga was unable to comment on local reports that a stranger driving a white van had been spotted targeting children in the area.
_________________

Michelle Rodriguez

Michelle Rodriguez went to jail in Lynwood, California, Sunday to begin serving her 180-day sentence for violating her probation in a DUI case.
In October, the former Lost star, 29, was sentenced after she admitted she had violated her probation by failing to provide proof of completion of community service and for drinking three times while wearing her alcohol-monitoring anklet.

Bianca N. Washington

Bianca N. Washington, of East Avenue, after officers found her, dressed in pink pajamas, with a baggie that held 4.5 grams of crack. She is charged with drug trafficking and drug abuse.
A caller told officers Dec. 31 that there were two women wearing pink pajamas at Cairo Place, going door to door trying to sell crack.
When patrol officers arrived, they saw Washington in a parking lot. She was indeed wearing pink pajamas and tried to run, Lt. Rick Edwards said.

550 street Deals

South Australian police say they have seized the equivalent of 550 street deals of amphetamines in drug raids in the state's south-east.
Four arrests have been made after a number of searches over the past two days.
Police allege a total of $29,000 in cash was seized and 21 grams of amphetamines.

Adelaide airport

Customs Seized cocaine and methamphetamine, also known as ice, from a suitcase which arrived on a flight to Adelaide yesterday.
Three people aboard the flight were arrested.
A fourth man, allegedly carrying $24,000, was arrested later in Adelaide.
A further three people were arrested in Sydney after overnight police raids netted more illegal drugs, guns and steroids.

Child Pornography Australia

Police have arrested 31 men on child pornography charges in a large-scale Australiawide investigation since August, an officer said Thursday.
Police have arrested 24 men in the latest phase of their investigation -- 10 in New South Wales state, seven in Victoria state, three in Queensland state, three in Western Australia state and one in South Australia state, Australian Federal Police Acting National Manager of High Tech Crime Operations Kevin Zuccato said.
They are aged between 30 and 70, and include a teacher, a former police officer and a forensic psychologist, he said. Zuccato said at least one child had been identified as being at risk, and has been removed from harm.

Reference

The ALP's Shadow Attorney-General, Kelvin Thomson, has resigned after admitting he wrote a reference in 2000 for the fugitive crime figure, Tony Mokbel.

Tony Mokbel (update)

Tony Mokbel, who was arrested in Athens in June and continues to fight his extradition, still has secret sources of income that fund his legal team in Greece.Fourteen people were arrested across Melbourne overnight following the capture of fugitive crime boss Tony Mokbel in Greece.
Victoria Police Chief Commissioner Christine Nixon said more than 120 police officers raided 22 properties across Victoria in the wake of Mokbel’s capture yesterday in Athens.
Fourteen people were arrested and nine were due to appear in Melbourne Magistrates’ Court today.
"These raids were connected with the arrest of Mokbel and are part of an operation called Magnum," she told reporters.
"A large amount of cash, drugs and firearms have been seized as a result of these raids
Detective Superintendent Richard Grant (crime strategy group) said that while the Mokbel syndicate had been smashed, splinter groups continue to operate.
"We would not say it has collapsed but it is collapsing. These people do not give up. They are very resilient. There is so much money to be made that they continue to operate even when they are under investigation," he said.
Detective Superintendent Grant said while work continued on preparing for a series of Mokbel-related court hearings, the taskforce was set to launch a series of fresh investigations into new targets. He said any future investigations would use the same methods developed by Purana and would involve other enforcement bodies, including the Australian Crime Commission and the Taxation Department. While taskforce policing was expensive and drains resources, Detective Superintendent Grant said a joint study by Victoria Police, the ACC and Macquarie University showed Purana more than paid its way.
The joint study found Purana Phase One — which investigated underworld murders — cost $11.3 million but returned $60.5 million. Detectives seized drugs valued at $300,000, proceeds of crime ($2.5 million) and closed five commercial amphetamine labs. The disruption of crime by the arrests of the major players is estimated to have saved $57.7 million.
"The closing of clandestine labs resulted in drugs not hitting the street and as a consequence there were substantial savings to the community and health services through harm avoided," he said. The study estimated the disruption of drug production for 12 months resulted in a return on investment of 536%. Detective Superintendent Grant said the State Government had committed $92 million over six years to fight organised crime and police had to provide a business model to show that the money was used efficiently.
Purana phase one was the highest priority investigation in Victoria and virtually monopolised the police electronic and physical surveillance capacity — bugging 500,000 telephone conversations, taping 53,000 hours of conversations with secret listening devices and conducting 22,000 hours of physical surveillance. As a result, 58 offenders were charged with 298 offences and six key underworld figures became prosecution witnesses.

cocaine smuggler Tony Mokbel is trying to get his Victorian murder and drug charges heard in Lebanon.
Australian officials have been lobbying the Greek and Lebanese governments in a bid to foil Mokbel's latest legal tactic.
They are trying to ensure Mokbel is extradited to Victoria to face two murder charges, 16 drug charges and two charges relating to conspiracy and attempting to pervert the course of justice.
Mokbel is accused of murdering underworld heavyweight Lewis Moran in 2004 and drug dealer Michael Marshall in 2003.
Details of Mokbel's new attempt to avoid being extradited to Australia may emerge during a court battle this week.
Mokbel, 42, is due in the Supreme Court in Athens today to appeal against a Greek court's July 26 decision to grant Australia's request to extradite him to Victoria.
Australian officials are confident Mokbel will be extradited to Australia rather than Lebanon but they will not know for sure if their intense lobbying has succeeded until Mokbel is on the plane to Melbourne.
Mokbel's lawyers expressed surprise yesterday Australia would try to convince Lebanon not to extradite him.
"I would like to know exactly what type of lobbying the Australians did," said Mokbel's Melbourne-based lawyer, Mirko Bagaric.
"The implication is they are offering Lebanon some form of inducement and making quite inappropriate requests of a sovereign country not to do what it is entitled to do.
"I hope that implication is wrong. Justice would be better served if Mokbel was tried in Lebanon."
If Mokbel's lawyers are able to get his charges heard in Lebanon he might never return to Australia.
Lebanon almost never allows the extradition of its citizens, and Mokbel is a Lebanese citizen.
He would serve any sentence imposed in Lebanon.
Mokbel's lawyers are believed to have argued to Lebanese authorities they should try Mokbel, as he would never get a fair trial in Australia.
Having the Victorian murder and drug charges heard in Lebanon would present a logistical and security nightmare for federal and Victorian police, as witnesses and prosecutors would probably need to be flown to Lebanon.
Some of the crucial witnesses against Mokbel are serving long jail terms in Victoria and authorities would be loath to allow them out of the country to testify.
They would have to rely on being able to convince Lebanes