Thread: Arrests, seizures, drug busts, etc. for 7/26/12

CBP Officers Seize Unreported Currency and Methamphetamine at the Laredo Port of Entry

U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) officers and agents seized nearly $96,000 in unreported currency along with five pounds of methamphetamine in two unrelated enforcement actions at two of Laredo’s international crossings.

Wednesday, July 25, 2012
By: Special to The Laredo Sun

LAREDO, TX– The currency interception occurred on Friday, July 20, while CBP officers and Border Patrol agents conducting outbound (southbound) inspections at the Lincoln Juarez international bridge came across a 2005 Nissan Pathfinder driven by a 25-year-old U.S.citizen from Azle, Texas.A CBP officer referred the woman driver along with a female passenger and the SUV for a secondary examination that resulted in the discovery and extraction of eight bundles containing approximately $94,300 in unreported currency concealed within the vehicle.

An additional $1,663 was also found on the driver.

The methamphetamine seizure occurred on Sunday, July 22, at the Gateway to the Americas Bridge (Bridge One) when a 27-year-old U.S. citizen from Conway, South Carolina attempted to enter the country from Mexico, as a pedestrian.

The primary officer referred the man for a secondary inspection that resulted in two packages of alleged crystal methamphetamine found on the man. The alleged crystal meth weighed a total of five pounds and has an estimated street value of $75,000.

CBP officers seized the unreported currency, the narcotics and the Nissan Pathfinder. The driver and the pedestrian were turned over by CBP officers to Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) special agents for further investigation.

“These two seizures are a testament to the dedication of CBP officers that are working in both the inbound and outbound areas, in the protection of this country’s borders, stopping unreported currency from being exported in a manner contrary to federal statutes and keeping hard narcotics from entering the U.S.,” said Joe Uribe, Acting CBP Port Director, Laredo.

Individuals are permitted to carry any amount of currency or monetary instruments into or out of the U. S.; however, if the quantity is more than $10,000, it must be reported.

This includes U.S. or foreign coins currently in circulation, currency, traveler’s checks in any form, money orders, and negotiable instruments or investment securities in bearer form.

Failure to declare may result in seizure of the currency and/or arrest.

CBP Officers Seize Unreported Currency and Methamphetamine at the Laredo Port of Entry -The Laredo Sun -Local News

FBI E-Mail Updates

Richard A. McFeely Named Executive Assistant Director of the Criminal, Cyber, Response Services Branch July 26, 2012 - Washington, D.C. Ronald T. Hosko Named Assistant Director of Criminal Investigative Division July 26, 2012 - Washington, D.C. Memphis Man Sentenced to 40 Years in Federal Prison July 25, 2012 - Memphis Former Ft. Campbell Soldier Guilty of Violating Child Pornography Laws While Residing on Military Bases July 25, 2012 - Louisville Mortgage Broker Pleads Guilty in Fraud Scheme July 25, 2012 - Washington Pirente Sentenced to 168 Months in Federal Prison for Distribution of Child Pornography July 25, 2012 - Salt Lake City Member of Drug Organization Sentenced to 28 Years July 25, 2012 - Norfolk www.fbi.gov

I.C.E.News Release

July 25, 2012
Newport News, VA
Member of drug organization sentenced to 28 years


NEWPORT NEWS, Va. — A Virginia man was sentenced to 28 years for his participation in a complex drug trafficking network. The investigation was conducted by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement's (ICE) Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) and the Peninsula Narcotics Enforcement Task Force, which includes the Virginia State Police and the Newport News and Hampton police departments.

Robert Edward Sargent Jr., 43, of Newport News, Va., pleaded guilty March 28 to directing a criminal enterprise that was responsible for distributing between 50 to 150 kilograms of cocaine.

Sargent was charged, along with several co-defendants, in a superseding indictment returned Jan. 10. According to court documents, Sargent ran a drug organization, located in the Aqueduct Apartments and Woodlawn Apartments in the Denbigh area of Newport News, responsible for dealing cocaine, cocaine base and marijuana. Sources of supply in New York, California, Georgia, North Carolina and Texas distributed quantities of drugs to Sargent for further distribution on the Virginia Peninsula.

Beginning in 2000 Sargent was bringing in multi-kilogram quantities of cocaine from New York for redistribution. The drug proceeds were then transported back to New York. At some point in 2009 or 2010, Sargent began receiving shipments of drugs from California and then having the proceeds hand delivered back to California. He employed a large network of couriers and distributors to make his organization successful. During the course of the conspiracy Sargent had approximately $250,000 seized by law enforcement or stolen by co-conspirators yet he continued his operation.

Assistant U.S. Attorney Eric Hurt is prosecuting the case on behalf of the United States from the Eastern District of Virginia.

U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) is the largest investigative arm of the Department of Homeland Security.
ICE is a 21st century law enforcement agency with broad responsibilities for a number of key homeland security priorities. For more information, visit www.ICE.gov. To report suspicious activity, call 1-866-347-2423 or complete our tip form.

• U.S. Dept of Homeland Security
• Member of drug organization sentenced to 28 years

DEA raids: 5M packets of synthetic drugs seized, 91 arrested

By Anonymous
Observer-Dispatch
Posted Jul 26, 2012 @ 02:08 PM
Last update Jul 26, 2012 @ 02:17 PM
WASHINGTON —
The federal Drug Enforcement Administration today announced that Wednesday’s Operation Log Jam drug raids resulted in 91 arrests and the seizure of nearly 5 million packets of synthetic drugs nationwide.

Officers and investigators from the DEA, the Immigration and Customs Enforcement Office of Homeland Security Investigations, the Internal REvnue Service Criminal Investigations unit and state and local law enforcement agencies around the country joined together to conduct raids at 265 separate locations in 90 cities Wednesday, officials said.

The search warrants targeted locations involved in all levels of the manufacture and distribution of illegal synthetic drugs across 30 states, DEA Administrator Michele Leonhart said.

“This operation is the first nationwide, coordinated U.S. law enforcement strike specifically targeting designer synthetic drugs…,” Leonhart said. “Today we are moving beyond just legislating and scheduling these dangerous substances. We have taken decisive action at every level of this dangerous industry.”

Altogether, Leonhart said, agents seized:

• 4.8 million packets of synthetic cannabinoids
• Enough materials to produce 13.6 million additional packets of synthetic cannabinoids
• 167,000 packets of synthetic cathinones
• Enough materials to produce 392,000 additional packets of synthetic cathinones
• $36 million cash
• $6 million in other assets
• 53 weapons

In addition to the agencies named above, U.S. Customs and Border Protection and the U.S. Postal Inspection Service also were involved in cracking down on drugs entering the U.S. from other countries, officials said.

“Together we’re sending a clear message to those who profit from the sale of these dangerous substances,” Leonhart said. “You are nothing more than a drug trafficker and we will bring you to justice.”

She and other officials said the arrests and seizures were made possible through a combination of the recently signed federal Synthetic Drug Control Act of 2012 and the Controlled Substances Analog Enforcement Act.

Officials said additional long-term investigations into the manufacture and distribution of synthetic drugs are underway and that more arrests are expected in the future.

During the news conference, James Chaparro, acting director of the Immigration and Customs Enforcement Office of Homeland Security Investigations, also addressed those who are involved in the synthetic drug trade:

“Although the formulas that make up these illicit chemical cocktails may be complex, the message here today is quite simple,” he said. “Drugs are dangerous and they are illegal. If you’re involved in the manufacture, importation, distribution or sale of these chemicals, we will come after you.”

DEA raids: 5M packets of synthetic drugs seized, 91 arrested - Utica, NY - The Observer-Dispatch, Utica, New York

U.S. Border Patrol Agents Arrest Leader of Houston-Based Alien Smuggling Organization; Sentenced to 41 Months in Prison (Thursday, July 26, 2012) Tampa, Fla. — U.S. Customs and Border Protection Border Patrol agents assigned to the Tampa Station intercepted and arrested the leader of a Houston-based group that transported illegal aliens throughout the United States. The driver, Jose Francisco Guerra, 29, a Mexican national living in Houston, Texas, pled guilty to the charges of Conspiring to Transport Illegal Aliens and for Aiding and Abetting in the Transportation of Illegal Aliens. On July 16, Jose Francisco Guerra, a Mexican national, was sentenced to 41 months in prison by the U.S. District Court, Middle District of Florida. Guerra was the last co-conspirator in the organization to be sentenced. Seven other members of his organization were previously sentenced for their roles in the case: On August 17, 2011, Heber Gonzalez-Almendares, 29, Honduran national, was sentenced to 8 months in prison. In November 2011, Hernan Hernandez-Romero, 27, Honduran national, was sentenced to 24 months in prison. On December 20, 2011, Jose Mauriacio Orellana-Ayala, 39, Honduran national, was sentenced to 18 months in prison. On January 27, 2012, Ricardo Garcia Ruiz, 29, Mexican national, was sentenced to 12 months in prison. On February 13, 2012, Rigoberto Bautista-Villanueva, 39, Honduran national, was sentenced to 42 months in prison. Luis Figueroa-Cruz, 30, Honduran national, was sentenced to 9 months in prison; and Alejandro Zavala-Nickols, 40, Honduran national, was sentenced to 5 years of probation. The case was investigated by CBP U.S. Border Patrol and U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement Homeland Security Investigations in Tampa and prosecuted by Senior Litigation Counsel Donald L. Hansen of the U.S. District Court in Tampa. The CBP U.S. Border Patrol Miami Sector is committed to ensuring America’s borders remain safe and that dangerous individuals are prevented from making it further into the interior of the United States and into our communities. CBP welcomes assistance from the community. Citizens are encouraged to report suspicious activity, including drug and alien smuggling. They can remain anonymous by calling the Border Patrol toll free number at (877) 872-7435. U.S. Customs and Border Protection is the unified border agency within the Department of Homeland Security charged with the management, control and protection of our nation's borders at and between the official ports of entry. CBP is charged with keeping terrorists and terrorist weapons out of the country while enforcing hundreds of U.S. laws. U.S. Border Patrol Agents Arrest Leader of Houston-Based Alien Smuggling Organization; Sentenced to 41 Months in Prison - CBP.gov

NYC authorities halt speedy motorcycle thieves

TOM HAYS, Associated Press
TOM HAYS, Associated Press
Updated 02:31 p.m., Thursday, July 26, 2012

NEW YORK (AP) — A ring of bandits made high-end motorcycles suddenly disappear — and illegal guns appear — on New York City streets in a lucrative smuggling scheme, authorities said Thursday.

The ring dispatched "steal teams" in stolen minivans — their backseats removed — to comb upscale neighborhoods like Greenwich Village and Brooklyn Heights for Ducatis, Hondas and other bikes of choice, authorities said. Then they would stop alongside parked bikes, slide open the van door and lift them inside before driving off.

"In most instances, this took no more than 30 seconds," Police Commissioner Raymond Kelly said at a news conference where he and District Attorney Cyrus Vance announced enterprise corruption and other charges against 33 people.

The investigation stemmed from a report last year of a Yamaha stolen in Tribeca. Over the next several months, police learned that the defendants had swiped more than 60 motorcycles worth about $500,000.

"The streets served as outdoor showrooms where crews would go shopping," Kelly said.

Black market dealers would pay about $2,000 for each stolen bike before having them dismantled, wrapped in plastic and shipped for resale in Caribbean and African nations and elsewhere under labels reading "household goods."

The ring also diversified "like any good business" by dealing illegal guns in Harlem, Vance said.

Prosecutors allege that during the probe, an undercover detective bought 15 weapons — most believed smuggled from southern states — from the ring. The cache included three semiautomatic assault rifles.

Investigators also learned that the bandits tried to escape detection with counter-surveillance — identifying unmarked police vehicles and taking photos of them.

NYC authorities halt speedy motorcycle thieves - seattlepi.com

FBI E-Mail Updates

Charlotte Man Sentenced to 15 Years in Prison for Child Pornography-Related Charges July 26, 2012 - Charlotte Admitted Associate of New England La Cosa Nostra Sentenced to Prison for Participation in Hobbs Act Extortion Conspiracy July 26, 2012 - Boston District Man Sentenced to More Than 14 Years in Prison for Conspiracy and Firearms Charges Following Investigation into Drug Trafficking Ring July 26, 2012 - Washington Portsmouth Bail Bondsman Pleads Guilty to Bribing Public Officials July 26, 2012 - Norfolk McPherson County Man Charged With Producing Child Pornography July 26, 2012 - Kansas City Business Owner Pleads Guilty in Mortgage Fraud Scheme That Cost Lenders More Than $1 Million July 26, 2012 - Washington www.fbi.gov