Joaquin Guzman, the alleged leader of the Sinaloa Cartel His interests include going for walks, reading the Bible, sharing a meal with loyal friends

19:57 head of the Gulf Cartel of Mexico , Hi , I am Osiel Cardenas Guillen 0 Comments

Mexican outlaws knew they'd reached a special level of notoriety when countrymen penned ballads bragging of their exploits.Now, they get MySpace pages.A new breed of crime fan is turning to the Web to humanize drug capos and glorify their deeds.
MySpace is home to the most extravagant tributes, but lower-profile pages have also been created on the rival Facebook. In most cases, profiles are written as though the drug boss himself is the profile creator.Facebook officials said they don't allow profiles that endorse criminal activity, but see pages as forums for discussion.MySpace declined to comment. Tributes posted there include music, photos, videos and messages support, even wishes for a happy holiday season.There are also blunt threats, as well as advertisements for Texas criminal-defense attorneys.
Often straightforward language offers a Sopranos-like look at gangsters who are a blend of Al Capone and Robin Hood.They are despised by many Mexicans, but also respected by some for defying authority and climbing out of poverty.
Joaquin Guzman, the alleged leader of the Sinaloa Cartel — the most powerful syndicate in Mexico — notes the Drug Enforcement Administration is on his trail, but that he is keeping a positive attitude.
Known as "El Chapo," which means shorty, Guzman also says he is a Capricorn, a proud parent and that his sexual orientation is straight. His interests include going for walks, reading the Bible, sharing a meal with loyal friends and killing.Another page notes how much he pays the people around him, how he is always on the move and constantly changing cell phones to avoid detection.Although some of the information matches his FBI wanted poster, it is highly unlikely Guzman, who is perhaps the most hunted man in Mexico, established the page.Experts contend pages are more likely concocted by a Web-savvy younger generation, perhaps teenagers, trying to gain entrance into the lowest echelons of the gangs."Some Mexicans, especially poor, young Mexican men actually admire the wealth, machismo and success of these capos — dead or alive or in jail — no matter how bloody their hands may be," said Bruce Bagley, chairman of the Department of International Studies at the University of Miami."Money, power, violence and mayhem always attracts attention," Bagley said. "These guys are lauding the Robin Hood image; it is in a way what norteño music did in a previous era: it creates an aura around them."
Guzman's reputed cartel rival, Osiel Cardenas Guillen, who was handed over to the United States by Mexico nearly two years ago and faces a coming trial in Houston, also has a few MySpace pages in his honor."Hi, I am Osiel Cardenas Guillen, head of the Gulf Cartel of Mexico," reads an introduction. "Before I was a mechanic and also was a policeman, but, well, things change," it continues.Another profile notes that he likes ranchera music, watches the news to keep up with what is happening with his cartel, and that he hopes to one day kill Guzman and meet former Mexican President Vicente Fox.Being Cardenas' Web friend might be sticky as he is also known by a nickname that translates as friend killer.DEA spokesman David Ausiello said the agency has taken notice of online tributes and monitors the Web."It is difficult to find out who is putting this information on the Internet," he said. "Are they people with intimate knowledge of the organizations or people who are just interested and watching from afar?"Facebook spokesman Barry Schnitt said after the Houston Chronicle pointed out the drug boss profiles to him that the company would look into some and would likely disable any that are fake."If the users want to create a page or a group that celebrates these individuals, that would probably be allowed as long as the pages didn't show or promote drug use or violence," he said.An 18-year-old from California is among several people who posting messages on the sites."What a drag dude," he writes in a message in Spanish to Cardenas. "Hold on, you'll be out soon."

Ottawa police officer who stole crack cocaine is fighting to get his job back

19:50 Ottawa 0 Comments

Ottawa police officer who stole crack cocaine is fighting to get his job back--and his lawyer says the case raises an important issue around the responsibility of police to accommodate officers who suffer from the "disability of drug addiction."
Lawyer Kenneth Jull, who is representing former con-stable Kevin Hall, has formally filed notice of motion for leave to appeal a recent court ruling that struck down the officer's attempt to be reinstated.

The notice says that Mr. Hall's case calls for "important judicial interpretation" regarding the duty of a police force to accommodate officers who suffer from the "disability of drug addiction."

The notice states that "judicial consideration and interpretation of the duty to accommodate is a matter of significance in the areas of employment law, labour relations and human rights throughout the province and the country."
Mr. Hall, 45, has been suspended with pay since December, 2005.He was ordered dismissed in December, 2006, following a police disciplinary hearing. He admitted to taking crack cocaine from motorists he stopped as well as from the evidence locker.
After his dismissal was ordered, Mr. Hall filed an appeal with the Ontario Civilian Commission on Police Services, which upheld the original ruling a year ago.
The officer then filed an appeal with the divisional court, which handles appeals of decisions made by administrative hearings and tribunals.The divisional court ruled on Dec. 10 that the tribunal's decision was reasonable.During an interview this week, Mr. Jull said people might have had a different opinion toward the officer if he had been addicted to alcohol."If you're dealing with something like cocaine or marijuana or anything that's illegal, you've got to be careful, I say, to not let the punishment paradigm transcend the rehabilitative paradigm of getting the guy back," he said.

Drugs counsellor turned to crime and carried out six armed raids in two months.

18:07 William Hill Bookmakers 0 Comments

Drugs counsellor turned to crime and carried out six armed raids in two months.The High Court in Glasgow was told Paul Campbell, 32, terrified staff at five bookmakers and a store during his crimewave in the city.Campbell, a former heroin addict who had rebuilt his life to become a drugs counsellor, first struck in Ladbrokes in Sauchiehall Street on July 6.He threatened staff with what appeared to be a handgun and made off with £460.In August, Campbell struck four times at William Hill Bookmakers in Byres Road, Kelvingrove Street, Cathcart Road and St Enoch Square.
On each occasion he brandished what appeared to be a gun and demanded cash.His final robbery was at Farmfoods in Byres Road, Glasgow, on September 3 when he threatened staff with a knife and escaped with £200.The court heard at four of the raids Campbell left behind items from which forensic experts were able to obtain his DNA.
Simon Collins, prosecuting, said: "Over the course of two months the accused carried out six very similar robberies."The total amount taken by the accused was £2770. None of the money was recovered."At the time of the offences the accused was unemployed and in receipt of benefits."Campbell, of Cleveland Street, Charing Cross, admitted carrying out five armed raids on bookmakers by presenting a handgun or imitation handgun to staff.He also pleaded guilty to presenting a knife at a member of staff in Farmfoods and robbing her.His lawyer Tony Graham told the court: "Mr Campbell is a reformed heroin addict who became a drugs counsellor."Judge Lord Brailsford deferred sentence on Campbell until January 19 at the High Court in Paisley.He called for a background report and an assessment of the danger Campbell poses to the public.

Crack cocaine use hastens HIV disease progression

20:14 Crack cocaine use hastens HIV disease progression 0 Comments

Crack cocaine use hastens HIV disease progression, investigators report in the January 1st 2009 edition of the Journal of Acquired Immune Deficiency Syndromes. The research, which was conducted amongst drug users in Miami, found that crack cocaine users had poorer adherence to antiretroviral. But this was only a partial explanation as the investigators found that crack cocaine users who were had taking anti-HIV drugs experienced more rapid falls in their CD4 cell count and increases in their viral load."

ROGER AVARY FACES MANSLAUGHTER CHARGES

08:11 ROGER AVARY FACES MANSLAUGHTER CHARGES 0 Comments

Most well-known for co-penning Pulp Fiction with Quentin Tarantino and directing an adaptation of The Rules of Attraction, Avary has been slammed with gross vehicular manslaughter and two felony counts of causing bodily injury while intoxicated for the Ventura County drunk driving crash that killed one passenger and severely injured Avary’s wife in January.

Drug overdose deaths on Teesside are caused by "lethal cocktails", an investigation has found.

14:08 Teesside 0 Comments

Drug overdose deaths on Teesside are caused by "lethal cocktails", an investigation has found. In 2007, 18 people died from drug abuse - many of whom were in treatment programmes - and Cleveland Police ordered an investigation. It found that Teesside did not have a worse problem than other areas but more needed to be done to help victims. Experts recommended better education on the dangers of taking mixtures of drugs or "cocktails", even small quantities. They also recommended addicts who dropped out of treatment be more rigorously followed up. The report found that those most at risk of becoming drug addicts were white, single, jobless men aged between 30 and 40, and living alone. The inquiry was carried out by police and health professionals. Professor Peter Kelly, executive director for public health on Teesside, said: "Every drug-related death is a tragedy for all involved. "This work highlights the risks associated with substance abuse and makes recommendations to improve the already very good local services further."

County legislators have proposed laws to notify school districts and other groups about arrests for heroin possession and sales.

09:43 on Dec. 18. , The Nassau Legislature will vote on its measure Dec. 15; the Suffolk Legislature 0 Comments

Prompted by a surge in heroin use on Long Island, county legislators have proposed laws to notify school districts and other groups about arrests for heroin possession and sales.The Nassau-Suffolk County School Boards Association opposed the initial drafts of the legislation, arguing that they overstepped the counties’ authority to impose legislation on school districts and put too much burden and liability on the schools.The Suffolk bill has been revised as a result and would now result in monthly notification on a Web site while also mapping where heroin arrests take place. But in Nassau, Legislator David L. Mejias of Farmingdale is pushing ahead with his bill, which would immediately notify school districts and selected other groups of heroin-related arrests.The bills — to be called the Natalie Ciappa Law in Nassau and Natalie’s Law in Suffolk — were named after an 18-year-old Massapequa resident who died of a heroin overdose in June at a party in Seaford. The Nassau Legislature will vote on its measure Dec. 15; the Suffolk Legislature, on Dec. 18.
Nassau’s bill would require law enforcement officials to notify the school district, synagogues, churches, PTAs, civic and community organizations in an area where any arrest for possession or sale of heroin takes place. If a student is arrested for possession or sale in a different town from his or her own, both the home school district and the district where the arrest is made would be notified.
Suffolk County introduced a similar measure, sponsored by Legislator Wayne R. Horsley of Babylon.After the bills were introduced, the school boards association voiced concerns and eventually met with Suffolk legislators. Among other things, the association asked that notification be made quarterly by the counties’ police commissioners.Lorraine Deller, the executive director of the association, said, “We are concerned that the proposals immunized from liability any official, employee or agency of the county and their police departments, but made no effort to provide immunization of liability for schools.”She also pushed for notification beyond only school districts, as the bills initially required. Both were amended to do that.
The Suffolk legislation was also amended to make notification monthly and on a county Web site. But Mr. Mejias said he had the support of educational groups that include superintendents and PTAs and that while he had altered the bill to broaden those who would receive the information, he would not amend it further.
Mr. Mejias said he was “shocked and dismayed” that the school boards association “would rather not know vital information that could save children’s lives.”“Parents expect their kids to experiment with alcohol, but never with heroin,” he said. “We want schools and parents to know if there is someone in the community who is involved or has been arrested so they can be on the lookout.”
Lawrence W. Mulvey, the Nassau police commissioner, said he supports the legislation. “In my experience, the schools have been in denial over how serious the heroin problem is,” he said. “Parents are in the dark, and it’s going on right before their eyes.”November this year, there were 198 arrests for heroin sale or possession in Nassau, up from 152 in all of 2007, the county police said. In Suffolk, there were 766 heroin-related arrests through November this year, up from 597 in all of 2007, the police said. Doreen and Victor Ciappa, Natalie’s parents, have publicly supported the legislation, which they say could help prevent tragedies similar to their daughter’s.“Natalie was everybody’s dream child,” Mrs. Ciappa said. “She was in the honor society, a cheerleader and sang the national anthem at school events. We knew that she went to parties, and I was concerned that she was experimenting with pills and cocaine, but I never once considered heroin. If I had known, I believe that things would have been different. Heroin took away her life.”

contaminated cocaine cut with an antibiotic used to rid animals of worms.

22:06 skin infections and pneumonia. , sores in the mouth or around the anus , swollen glands , Symptoms include persistent fever and chills 0 Comments

BC health officials are warning of contaminated cocaine which has led to serious illness in at least 10 Vancouver Island and Lower Mainland cases.The patients suffered from bone marrow suppression and an abnormally low number of a type of white blood cell, a spokeswoman for the Ministry of Healthy Living and Sport said.
Health authorities began seeing the cases a few months ago, with the most recent one reported this month, the spokeswoman said.Provincial health officer Dr. Perry Kendall said the people who came down with the conditions used powdered cocaine believed to be from the same batch sold in the province."The drug that is contaminating the cocaine is something called levamisole, … which suppresses the white cell count and makes them vulnerable to infections," Kendall said.
He said levamisole is an antibiotic used to rid animals of worms.People who used powdered cocaine and became ill should see a doctor or street nurse, he said.
Symptoms include persistent fever and chills, swollen glands, sores in the mouth or around the anus, skin infections and pneumonia.

Death of a 25-year-old Puerto Rican woman inside a New Hampshire motel room nine days ago has sparked several arrests

01:53 Salem. 0 Comments

Death of a 25-year-old Puerto Rican woman inside a New Hampshire motel room nine days ago has sparked several arrests, including that of a fugitive living in Lawrence who allegedly used the woman and her twin sister as "drug mules" to smuggle cocaine from the Dominican Republic.On Nov. 27, police in Salem, N.H., received a 911 call from the Park View Inn, a local motel. Inside a room there, police found Mally Cruz-Rodriguez dead. Her twin sister, Nelly, was also in the room, but police said she was not forthcoming about the circumstances of her sister's condition.But from the moment they entered the room, authorities suspected Mally Cruz-Rodriguez was a victim of drug intoxication."Due to the evidence in the room, the situation, and the fact that the women had just come into the country the night prior from the Dominican Republic, the medical staff that responded knew that [drug intoxication] was a definite possibility," Captain Shawn Patten of the Salem Police Department said yesterday by phone.Patten would not disclose what type of evidence was found in the room.Preliminary autopsy results later revealed that Cruz-Rodriguez probably died of acute cocaine intoxication after ingesting a significant quantity of the drug wrapped in rubber bags, Patten said. She and her sister, both of Puerto Rico, had flown from the Dominican Republic to Miami and then to Logan Airport. From Logan, they headed to Salem.The surviving sister was questioned but not held by authorities. Once police determined the cause of her sister's death, they "went on a very active search" for Nelly Cruz-Rodriguez, believing that she had also ingested cocaine. Police found her at a local mall, and determined that she had ingested cocaine wrapped in rubber bags. The sister was rushed to a hospital where she underwent emergency surgery to remove the drugs.Investigators were led to Angel Baez-Gil, 48, as the man who allegedly enlisted the twins as drug mules. Salem police notified the Lawrence Police Department, and Baez-Gil was picked up three days ago on a fugitive warrant. Baez-Gil used aliases, was a fugitive wanted in Wisconsin on cocaine trafficking charges, and was living in the country illegally, Patten said.
Baez-Gil waived extradition to New Hampshire and was arraigned yesterday on charges of conspiracy possession with intent to distribute cocaine. He was held without bail and on an Immigration and Customs Enforcement detainer.Nelly Cruz-Rodriguez was also arraigned yesterday and charged with possession with intent to distribute cocaine. Escolastico Suero, 45, of Lawrence, was arrested on the same charges in connection with the case. The suspects were each held on $100,000 cash bail.Patten said he is not certain about the size and reach of the drug operation, but he said there will probably be additional arrests in the case. Prosecutors will also consider whether to issue homicide charges against any of the defendants.Last Thursday, in an unrelated case, police in Salem arrested three Lawrence men on charges of distributing, selling, and possession of crack cocaine, after authorities conducted a drug sting at a hotel in Salem.

Rap star DMX is in hot water again, after skipping a court hearing where he was to face drug charges.

01:48 DMX is currently in rehab 0 Comments

Rap star DMX is in hot water again, after skipping a court hearing where he was to face drug charges. His attornies claim that DMX is currently in rehab.Rapper DMX has another warrant out for his arrest - the third one this year - after he failed to show up in court on Friday (December 5).The troubled star was due to appear in Maricopa County court to face 13 felonies, including animal cruelty, identity theft and drug possession, however, his attorney revealed DMX is in an undisclosed rehabilitation facility as the reason for his no-show.Charles Kozelka told MTV News that his client had been “in and out” of several rehab facilities recently, but Judge Michael Kemp wouldn’t accept this as a reason, raising his bond to $120,000 cash.

The world’s most comprehensive legalized heroin program

03:20 Switzerland’s heroin program 1 Comments

Swiss voters passed the plan with support from 68 percent of voters, as part of a series of national referendums on illegal drug policy. Swiss voters recently rejected another referendum to decriminalize cannabis, despite widespread police tolerance for moderate use of the drug.The program, which began in Zurich more than a decade ago, is described by The New York Times as “the world’s most comprehensive legalized heroin program.” It allows about 1,300 addicts to visit specialized clinics at 23 government-approved centers across the country to inject legally the drug up to twice a day, as a last resort. The clinics also provide treatment for other medical or mental health issues.Supporters say that the program, which began in Zurich more than a decade ago, has been effective in booting addicts out of the country’s infamous “needle parks” and lowering drug-related crime. But opponents, such as the United States and the UN narcotics board, say that it aids drug abusers, and sends the wrong message to youth. Switzerland’s heroin program is now being emulated by governments around the world, while some have already been involved in similar efforts, but on a smaller scale. Australia and Canada have started their own programs, and the Netherlands in 2006 began a small program with 15 treatment centers that serve about 600 patients.Some countries are giving Swiss-style heroin injection programs a trial run, such as Belgium, Germany, Spain and Canada, which embarked on a three-year pilot project endorsed by the Canadian Institutes of Health. Britain has allowed licensed doctors to prescribe heroin since the 1920s, and Denmark approved a two-year trial of prescription heroin last February.
Although more countries seem to be giving legalized heroin treatment the green light, global drug laws are not necessarily becoming more relaxed.The 63-percent bloc of Swiss citizens who voted against decriminalizing marijuana and growing the plant for personal use may have learned a lesson from Britain’s attempt at loosening legal punishment for using cannabis last year, which largely backfired as marijuana use increased, drug-related crime rose despite a drop in marijuana arrests, and research suggested serious psychological effects. Recent research suggests that long-term marijuana use may be more harmful than previously thought, according to the BBC.
Additionally, more countries have been moving toward limiting what is now a widely legal drug: tobacco. Earlier this year, India became the latest country, joining Turkey, the Netherlands, France and the UK in passing laws to limit smoking in public places.In an unexpected turn of events, the Netherlands’ decision to ban smoking tobacco at its iconic cafes over the summer may have had the surprising effect of forcing customers to resort to smoking pure cannabis, which is not regulated by the new law.

Mexican meth labs BANANA FLAVORED DRUGS

03:01 Mexican meth labs 0 Comments

Meth, which can be taken in pills, snorted or injected, is cheaper than cocaine or heroin and has a long-lasting high. But the drug is highly addictive and is very difficult to treat.Meth use in Mexico has quadrupled in six years, according to a survey by the health ministry. The study, to be released in the coming weeks, shows 0.5 percent of the Mexican population has tried meth, more than double the 0.2 percent of the U.S. population who have used it.One 23-year-old who gave her name as Violeta started using hard drugs like crack-cocaine as a teenager working in a Mexico City strip club. She tried meth for the first time when dozens of pills were passed around on a tray at a party.She once stopped breathing after a bad hit of the drug, which accelerates the heart rate."The last thing I remember is having a great time dancing. Then I woke up in the hospital. Apparently I was convulsing in the bathroom," she said.As U.S. authorities cracked down in recent years on the sale of the drug's ingredients, busting "mom and pop" labs in blue collar garages and bathrooms, Mexican gangs that already smuggled huge quantities of cocaine and marijuana into the United States moved in to meet the demand for meth.
They are now churning out tons of meth in "super labs".The trade is a part of a bitter fight in Mexico which has pitted rival drug gangs against each other and the security forces. The conflict has worsened this year with a record number of murders.
Last year, Mexican police found $206 million. a world record drug cash haul, in the mansion of Chinese-born "meth king" Zhenli Ye Gon. He made his fortune importing meth's ingredients from Asia.In Mexico City's historical center, meth labs are hidden in the basements of normal-looking houses. Dealers take the drug, sometimes banana flavored, to schools to sell.Addicts shooting up in the dry ravines in the shadow of the U.S.-Mexico border in Tijuana were the first wave of meth users. Many were deported immigrants who got their first taste of the drug in the United States.
"It's really easy to find. First they give it to you for free but later you have to buy it," said one slight 10-year-old who called himself Gilberto at a drug treatment center in Tijuana, just across the border from San Diego.