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  • Drug Possession Laws in California

    Drug Possession Laws in California

    ARTICLE OVERVIEW: Have you been caught with drugs in California?  We describe the legal process here. Plus, a section on how drug courts and rehab can help.

    TABLE OF CONTENTS:

    Basic Definitions

    In California, what does it mean to be legally charged with drug possession? Basically, if you are charged with drug possession, it’s because you are either holding a substance either on your person, in your vehicle, or in your place of residence. The state of California recognizes two different types of drug possession:

    1. Simple Possession is when you are carrying an illegal substance on your for your own personal use.

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    2. Possession for Sale is when you are carrying an illegal substance with the intent to sell to others.

    Both crimes result in penalties, However, Possession for Sale is a much more serious offense.

    Specific Laws

    Adult Use of Marijuana Act (Proposition 64) [1]
    California Health and Safety Code 11350 HS [2]
    Proposition 47 [3]
    Uniform Controlled Substance Act [4]

    The Legal Process in California

    When it comes to drug possession laws, how the legal process carries out depends on whether you are being charged for an infraction, a misdemeanor, or a felony. According to the California Criminal Justice System, the legal process typically follows these four basic steps: [5]

    STEP 1. A Crime is Reported

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    In order for this entire process to start, a person first needs to break the law.

    STEP 2. Arrest

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    Depending on witness information, you’ll be arrested by a police officer. This is usually followed by placement in a county jail, where you’ll have the opportunity to ask for and receive bail.

    STEP 3. Prosecution

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    Your case will be heard in a state criminal court. In court, a county district attorney describes the charges and the evidence against you. Then, a judge or a jury will deliver a verdict and/or a sentence. Depending on your circumstances, you’ll either be found guilty or not guilty.

    STEP 4. Corrections

    Depending on the prosecution, you can receive a sentence for jail time, community service, fines, state prison, and/or other penalties. If you’re under the age of 18, your charges will differ from that of a legal adult.

    If you’d like more information on the exact proceedings in the county in which you’ve been charged, you can find contact information on the State of California’s Department of Justice page.

    Burden of Proof

    The “Burden of Proof” is the legal presentation of evidence against you. In order for a California court to properly prosecute you for a drug possession charge, they must establish the following elements beyond a reasonable doubt. This includes evidence of the following:

    1. The substance must be illegal. When you were arrested, the drug you were in possession of was seized by an officer and placed in an evidence storage room. In order for the court to properly prosecute you, they must have sufficient evidence that what you were holding was actually an illicit substance.

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    2. You must know that the drug is illegal. In order to be properly prosecuted, you must have actually known or should have known that the substance you were in possession of is illegal.

    3. You must be in control of that drug. There must be evidence that you were had full control over the illegal substance. There are cases where people are holding an illicit substance and had no idea.

    Sentencing

    Q: What kind of sentencing can you expect for a drug possession charge in California?

    A: It entirely depends on your situation.

    In fact, it’s difficult to pinpoint exactly what kind of sentencing you can expect. A lawyer can be of great help, as they can get a sense of your circumstances. Further, you may be eligible for drug court. If you are struggling with drug addiction, ask about drug court. California drug courts help people receive treatment for addiction…rather than punishment for possession. More on this below.

    Still, there are some general standards in sentencing. People who are in possession with intent to sell can expect to receive a higher penalty than those simply in personal possession. In fact, people who are caught with drugs for personal use will only be charged with a misdemeanor under the Proposition 47 law. Even more so, certain drugs like marijuana have now been legalized in the state. This means that those in possession of marijuana will not be prosecuted unless they are holding more than 28.5 grams. After that amount, it becomes illegal under Proposition 64 and you’ll be charged with drug trafficking.

    Misdemeanor Possession

    Most of California’s drug laws are more lenient than that of other states. For example, many people are getting their prior marijuana possession charges expunged due to the new laws. In California, three charges exist for drug possession:

    1. An infraction
    2. A misdemeanor
    3. A felony

    In the Golden State, all personal drug possessions are charged under a misdemeanor. These are crimes with less seriousness than felonies and, in turn, have less severe penalties. If you’re charged with a first-degree misdemeanor, you’ll receive the following penalties:

    • A fine of up to $1,000.
    • Up to 6 months of jail time.

    It should be noted, people who are only receiving a misdemeanor for their drug possession charges will have the opportunity to testify in a drug court. [6] These are specialized courts which offer alternatives to traditional punishments. More specifically, drug treatment and rehabilitation options. You can find out more below.

    Felony Possession

    In the state of California, there are 3 degrees of felonies. What the penalties for these felonies are depends on the crime. One way to better understand the severity of the charge is to identify the drug’s schedule. You can get a feel for possible penalties by either discussing the matter with a lawyer or going to court and finding out the judge’s verdict.

    If you are caught in possession of drugs with the intent to sell OR break specific laws while in possession, you will be charged with a felony. Many times, felonies will result in a large fine, an average of $5,000 to $10,000, and a prison sentence between 2 to 20 years. These specific laws include situations such as:

    • Aggravation or threatening of violence.
    • Consuming illicit drugs on or near school property.
    • Sharing illicit drugs with a minor.

    In most states, each felony class will have a fixed set of punishments. However, in California, things are done a bit differently. Instead of a fixed punishment, California gives judges the freedom to decide a proper punishment based upon the defendant’s crime.

    Drug Schedules

    Legally speaking, there are five “schedules,” or drug classifications, which are designed to rank a substance in terms of how dangerous it is and its likelihood of abuse. Schedule I drugs are considered very dangerous. Possession of schedule I drugs in California can lead to the strictest of possible penalties or sentences. Possession of Schedule V drugs is considered less dangerous. The main drug schedules are as follows:

    Schedule I. The drugs with the highest potential for abuse and are seen to have no accepted medical use.

    Schedule II. The drugs considered the second highest for abuse and have some accepted medical use. Usually, with very severe restrictions.

    Schedule III. The drugs with some potential for abuse and have accepted medical use. Medical professionals would consider their potential for physical dependence to be low and moderate while they have a high psychological dependence risk.

    Schedule IV. Even lower chance of abuse than the prior and have accepted medical use.

    Schedule V. The lowest chance of abuse and have accepted medical use. There remains some chance of both a physical and psychological dependence appearing, however, it’s very limited.

    Other Penalties

    Besides fines and jail sentences, drug possession charges in California often have consequences which can be lifelong. Again, these penalties all depend on your situation. In addiction, the following penalties are also possible during sentencing for drug possession:

    • Inability to obtain a state license or certification.
    • Inability to become eligible for public housing.
    • Inability to obtain certain employment.
    • Inability to obtain some types of government employment.
    • Inability to obtain scholarships and financial aid.
    • License suspension, especially if you’re caught with possession in a vehicle.
    • Probation.

    Alternative Sentences Like Drug Court

    When it comes to drug possession, the California State judicial system is forgiving. This is due to the fact that a drug dependence or addiction is also seen as a mental illness. Instead of facing jail time, you could find yourself in a rehabilitation center. This is the case when evaluating:

    • The person’s needs.
    • The person’s guilt or innocence.
    • The specific laws which apply to the charge(s).

    So, if you were only in possession of a personal amount of an illicit substance, you may qualify for a drug court. These are specialized courts designed to replace traditional punishment with treatment. Instead, drug courts in CA seek to rehabilitate you through 30, 60, or 90 day programs. It’s in California’s best interest to reverse criminal intent related to drug use and, therefore, there’s potential for you to trade in your jail time for something with a positive impact. In order to see if you apply for a drug court, you might want to speak to a lawyer.

    Other Alternatives

    In California, there are other options you can seek after receiving a drug possession charge. The following are legal arguments you may want to make at certain points during your prosecution. In order to make sure these arguments are effective, you might want to discuss it over with a lawyer.

    1. Pretrial Diversion

    You can only receive a Pretrial Diversion if you are a first-time offender of a nonviolent crime. It can be looked at as probation in which you must be accepted and will be responsible for:

    • Drug tests
    • Cannot commit further crimes
    • Community service
    • Reporting monthly to a supervising officer

    2. Pretrial Intervention

    Similar to a Pretrial Diversion, a Pretrial Intervention is set up for those who do have prior criminal offenses and seek out probation. If you’re accepted into this program, you will be responsible for:

    • Not committing further crimes
    • Drug addiction assessments and evaluations
    • Drug treatment and rehabilitation
    • Obey specific rules set out by court
    • Regular court appearances

    3. “Motion to Suppress”

    Depending on your situation, you might have the opportunity to request a “Motion to Suppress”. This is when evidence is illegally obtained and, due to this, your case is automatically dismissed. Since many drug arrests are based on police’s speculation, there are often times where encounters become illegal. In order to get a true sense if your situation qualifies, you’ll want to talk over particular facts with a lawyer.

    4. Submission of a Plea

    For some individuals, it’s in their best interest not to receive jail time nor drug treatment. To instead carry on with their lives with as little consequences as possible. When you submit a plea, you’re negotiating a minimal probation sentence.

    5. Go to Trial

    You might not be guilty of the drug possession charge currently attached to your name. If so, you might want to go to court and plead innocence. Not only will you hold the potential to resolve the case, but you might even win something from the state.

    When to Contact a Lawyer

    Hiring a lawyer may or may not be in your best interest. Upon your arrest, you’ll have a general sense of how serious your drug possession charge is. Since each case is so unique and since California penalizes crimes on a case-to-case basis, a lawyer may be in your interest. S/He will have the ability to investigate these unique circumstances and fight for your best outcome.

    However, you might not be able to afford a lawyer. If this is the case, you’ll want to see if you qualify for a public defender. In essence, these are free lawyers who provide legal advice which you can use to defend yourself.

     You’ll want to research a lawyer before you decide upon one. Make sure he/she holds a license and holds good reviews from previous clients. If you’re looking for more information on the lawyer of interest, you should check out California’s State Bar.

    Your Questions

    Still have more questions concerning drug possession laws in California? If so, feel free to post them in the comments sections below. If you have further information regarding these laws or advice to give to people who have broken them, we’d also love to hear from you. We try to reply to each comment in a prompt and personal manner.

    Reference Sources: [1] Adult Use of Marijuana Act (Proposition 64)
    [2] California Legislative Information: California Law Code 11350 HS
    [3] California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation Proposition 47
    [4] California Legislative Information: Uniform Controlled Substance Act|
    [5] LAO: California’s Criminal Justice System
    [6] California Courts: Drug Courts
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    View the original article at addictionblog.org

  • El Chapo Trial Ends, Leaving Drug Lord Facing Life In Prison

    El Chapo Trial Ends, Leaving Drug Lord Facing Life In Prison

    El Chapo’s sentencing hearing is set for June 25.

    The three-month long trial of El Chapo, whose real name is Joaquín Guzmán Loera, came to an end on Tuesday (Feb. 12), the New York Times reports. Guzmán was found guilty of leading a Mexican drug cartel, the Sinaloa cartel, and aiding in smuggling tons of drugs into the United States. He was found convicted on all 10 charges he faced. 

    The determination from the jury was given more than a week after the deliberations started in Federal District Court in Brooklyn, New York. During the trial, 56 witnesses spokes against Guzmán, 14 of whom had worked with him at one point. 

    “Confronting this onslaught, Mr. Guzmán’s lawyers offered little in the way of an affirmative defense, opting instead to use cross-examination to attack the credibility of the witnesses, most of whom were seasoned criminals with their own long histories of lying, cheating, drug dealing and killing,” the Times reports. 

    Guzmán’s sentencing hearing is set for June 25. He faces life in prison, though it is not yet determined where he will serve his time.

    U.S. attorney for the Eastern District of New York, Richard P. Donoghue, spoke outside the courthouse. He stated that the verdict was a victory. “There are those who say the war on drugs is not worth fighting,” Mr. Donoghue added. “Those people are wrong.”

    Guzmán’s lawyers say they plan to file an appeal. 

    “When he came here he was already presumed guilty by everyone, unfortunately. We weren’t just fighting evidence, we were fighting perception,” said A. Eduardo Balarezo, one of his lawyers. 

    Despite the fact that aspects of the cartel were uncovered and Guzmán was convicted, the Times reports that the Sinaloa cartel is still in operation. In fact, the Drug Enforcement Administration states that in 2016 and 2017, when Guzmán was taken into custody for the final time, heroin production in Mexico still grew by 37% and border seizures of fentanyl “more than doubled.”

    Ángel Meléndez, the special agent in charge for Homeland Security Investigations, tells the Times that the outcome of this case drives home an important message to others involved in trafficking.

    “One of the important things about this conviction is that it sends a resounding message,” he said. “You’re not unreachable, you’re not untouchable and your day will come.”

    View the original article at thefix.com

  • Airline Crew Allegedly Involved in $20 Million Drug-Trafficking Ring

    Airline Crew Allegedly Involved in $20 Million Drug-Trafficking Ring

    Police say the key players in the alleged drug ring used crew members to hide drugs on their bodies for flights to various Australian cities.

    At least one airline worker and seven other suspects were arrested this month in Australia on drug-trafficking charges after authorities said they smuggled in more than $15 million of heroin, meth and cocaine as part of an international drug syndicate. 

    In a series of raids over the course of 10 days, the Australian Federal Police and Victoria Police collared key players in the alleged criminal ring, which had relied on crew members to hide the drugs on their bodies during flights destined for major Down Under cities like Melbourne and Sydney, according to the Australian Broadcasting Corporation.

    “This is a significant seizure but I think reality would say that it’s not the total amount of drugs that this team have brought into this country,” Assistant Commissioner Tess Walsh of the Victoria Police told the Australian outlet. 

    The final bust netted six kilograms of heroin, eight kilograms of meth and half a kilo of coke. Authorities also seized pricey cars, various drug paraphernalia and $100,000 in cash, according to news reports.

    It’s not clear how long the illicit dealings had been going on.

    “Intelligence would tell us that this crew has been operating for some years, I would say five plus,” Walsh said. “I don’t know whether or not it’s decades.”

    Based on a five-month investigation – dubbed Operation Sunrise – it appears the Vietnamese drug ring was based in Melbourne and made use of the small Malaysian airline for its seedy endeavors. 

    “Malindo Air stands ready to co-operate with all the relevant authorities be it in Australia or in Malaysia in this regard,” the company said in a statement. “As a responsible international air carrier, Malindo Air does not condone any act that is criminal in nature or misconduct by our personnel. All our flight and cabin crew are adequately trained & continuously appraised in all aspects of their conduct to comply to our stringent operating standards.”

    The implicated crew member has since been suspended pending termination, the company said, framing the entire thing as “an isolated incident.”

    Although Malindo only acknowledged one crew member’s involvement, CNN reported that two airline staffers were implicated.

    So far, four of the arrestees – all women – have been charged with importing controlled drugs, the network reported. Authorities did not immediately release their names. 

    View the original article at thefix.com

  • US, Canada Issue Travel Advisory For China After Controversial Drug Smuggling Case

    US, Canada Issue Travel Advisory For China After Controversial Drug Smuggling Case

    China has shot back by issuing a travel advisory warning of their own against Canada.

    Canada has warned its citizens to “exercise caution” while in or visiting China after a Chinese court sentenced a Canadian citizen to death for allegedly smuggling drugs.

    The travel advisory, issued on January 14, came on the heels of a similar warning to US citizens from the Department of State on January 3. Both actions have been linked in the media, though not by any of the three countries, to the arrest of a Chinese business executive in Canada on alleged fraud related to US sanctions on Iran, which was followed by the detainment of two high-profile Canadians in China amidst angry salvos and fraying diplomatic relations between all three countries.

    China has shot back by issuing a travel advisory warning of their own against Canada, advising Chinese citizens to “fully evaluate risks” of traveling to the north American country.

    Seemingly at the center of this flurry of activity is Robert Lloyd Schellenberg, a 36-year-old Canadian who had been sentenced in 2016 to 15 years in prison for his alleged role in a methamphetamine smuggling operation.

    Schellenberg, who claimed that he was a tourist who had been framed by Chinese criminals, earned a retrial from an appeals court in December 2018. But in a one-day trial on January 14, 2019, the Dalian Intermediate People’s Court declared him a “principal culprit” in the smuggling scheme and imposed the death penalty. Schellenberg is expected to appeal the ruling.

    Canada’s Global Affairs noted that approximately 200 Canadians are currently being held in China for a “variety of alleged infractions.” That number has largely remained stable, according to the department, until the arrest of Sabrina Meng Wanzhou in Vancouver on December 1.

    Meng, who is the chief financial officer of the Chinese telecommunications company Huawei, was apprehended at the request of the United States for her alleged role in fraudulent activity related to violation of US sanctions against Iran.

    President Donald Trump has said that he would intervene in the case in the name of preserving US relations with China.

    Nine days after Meng’s arrest, former Canadian diplomat Michael Kovrig and businessman Michael Spavor were arrested in China on allegations of “endangering national security,” which the South China Morning Post said was a term used by China to allege espionage. 

    As both The New York Times and Business Insider noted, the ruling has been viewed by foreign policy experts as an attempt to influence Canada’s decision to extradite Meng to the United States.

    Prime Minister Justin Trudeau told the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation on January 14 that Schellenberg’s sentence was “of extreme concern to us as a government, as it should be to all our international friends and allies, that China has chosen to begin to arbitrarily apply [the] death penalty.”

    Hours after Schellenberg’s sentencing, Canada’s Global Affairs issued the travel warning – the second such advisory from a world power against China in less than a month.

    The United States warned citizens, and in particular, US-Chinese or Americans of Chinese heritage to be aware of “exit bans,” which Beijing can use to “compel US citizens to participate in government investigations, to lure individuals back to China from abroad and to aid Chinese authorities in resolving civil disputes in favor of Chinese parties.”

    View the original article at thefix.com

  • Ultralight Plane Drops Meth in California

    Ultralight Plane Drops Meth in California

    Officials say the meth that was dropped by the ultralight plane was worth more than $1.4 million.

    On Sunday, an ultralight plane slipped through the airspace between the US and Mexico with no lights on, dropping 60 bundles of methamphetamine and a get-away bike for the person who would pick up the drugs, into a farm field in Calexico, California, a town just over the border. 

    Despite the fact that the plane had no lights, border agents responded to where it was believed to have flown and found bundles full of a white powder that later tested positive for meth, according to The Desert Sun. Agents arrested two people in the area who they suspect were there to pick up the drugs from the plane. 

    Although the Calexico area is better known for drug tunnels that funnel narcotics into the US, Gloria Chavez, chief patrol agent in the area, said that planes also pose a risk when they are used by drug smugglers. 

    “Ultralight aircraft not only pose a threat to legitimate air traffic in the vicinity, but also to national security,” she said. “These aircraft are able to carry small payloads of dangerous cargo or dangerous people.”

    While 60 packages might have been a relatively small amount for drug smugglers, officials say the drugs dropped on Sunday are worth more than $1.4 million. 

    After making the drop, the plane flew back toward Mexico. The two people who were arrested were turned over to the Drug Enforcement Administration, which will be investigating the incident. 

    Calexico is a city of more than 38,000 on the border. Its sister city, Mexicali, sits just on the other side. The area is known for having tunnels used by cartels to smuggle narcotics into the United States. Earlier this year, a man who operated one of those tunnels was sentenced to 10 years in prison. 

    According to NBC News San Diego, 48-year-old Manuel Gallegos-Jimenez operated the tunnel, which was about a quarter of a mile long and had lights, ventilation and an elevator that could fit 10 people. The tunnel started in Mexico and emerged in the front room of a home in Calexico. 

    The case was significant because law enforcement watched the construction of the tunnel unfold after traffickers purchased the house in 2015. The tunnel began operating in February of 2016 and was raided in April of that year.

    At that time, law enforcement found nearly 3,000 pounds of drugs at the home, including marijuana worth $1.2 million and cocaine worth $22 million.

    View the original article at thefix.com

  • El Chapo Trial Begins In New York City

    El Chapo Trial Begins In New York City

    Joaquín Guzmán is accused of running the Sinaloa drug cartel from 1989 to 2014.

    The high-security trial for one of the world’s most well-known criminals—Joaquín “El Chapo” Guzmán—began this week in New York City. 

    The federal trial, according to AFP, began Monday (Nov. 5) and is expected to last about four months. 

    Guzmán is accused of having led the Sinaloa cartel from 1989 to 2014. During those years, prosecutors say that the cartel was responsible for bringing 340,892 pounds of cocaine into the U.S. from Mexico, in addition to heroin, methamphetamine and marijuana—making a total of $14 billion. 

    Currently facing charges of international drug trafficking, conspiring to kill rivals, gun charges and money laundering, Guzmán was extradited from Mexico in January 2017 and has been in solitary confinement in the U.S. ever since, spending 23 hours per day in his cell.

    He is only allowed visits from his lawyer and twin daughters—even his wife, Emma Coronel, is not allowed to see him. 

    This is not the first time Guzmán has been captured. In 1992, he was arrested in Guatemala and spent more than seven years in prison, but then escaped in 2001. He was again arrested in 2014, then escaped 14 months later before being arrested most recently in January 2016. 

    While the alleged cartel leader maintains his innocence, the government has been building a case against him, which includes more than 300,000 pages of documents and at least 117,000 recordings.

    AFP reports that of the several hundred witnesses will testify, some are in witness protection programs while others are in jail. 

    The trial is expected to be the most expensive federal trial in U.S. history, costing millions of dollars. 

    Jury selection took place Monday (Nov. 5) through Wednesday. CNN reports that five men and seven women were chosen. The 12 individuals include “several immigrants, Spanish speakers and people with relatives in law enforcement.”

    Some potential jurors expressed fear over being involved in the trial.

    “What scares me is that his family could come after jurors and their families,” one of the women told the court, according to AFP. She added that she felt “nervous” and “unsafe.”

    CNN reports that other jurors were dismissed for various reasons; one juror asked for Guzmán’s autograph and another said he liked to order a sandwich called “El Chapo.”

    The 12 chosen jurors will remain anonymous and will be escorted to federal court daily by U.S. Marshals, CNN reports.  

    View the original article at thefix.com

  • Unsuspecting Driver Turned Into "Blind Mule" For Drug Operation

    Unsuspecting Driver Turned Into "Blind Mule" For Drug Operation

    Deputies found 5 pounds of yet unidentified drugs stuffed into four packages secreted away underneath the man’s pickup truck.

    A Mexican worker crossing the border for his job flagged authorities after he discovered a cache of drugs stuck to the bottom of his truck.

    The unidentified driver—who lives in Tijuana but works in California—called the San Diego Sheriff’s Office Thursday morning after spotting something unusual apparently magnetized to his fender, according to ABC affiliate KGTV.

    When deputies showed up, they found 5 pounds of drugs stuffed into four packages secreted away underneath the pickup. 

    Afterward, the man’s neighbor told authorities he’d seen some men messing with the truck the night before. 

    “It’s our feeling that someone targeted this car because he could cross the border every day with the SENTRI pass and they were probably waiting to collect the narcotics later today,” Sgt. Tim Chantler told the TV station.

    The SENTRI pass allows for quicker border-crossing in separate commuter lanes, which could make SENTRI users more tempting targets. 

    The driver is not suspected in the botched drug-running operation because he alerted authorities to the packages. 

    “I would be checking my vehicle every day before I cross the border,” Chantler said, “because if you get caught at the border you’re going to have a lot of explaining to do.”

    Police are awaiting test results before specifying what drug they found in the hidden packages. 

    The use of unsuspecting drivers as so-called “blind mules” has become more common in recent years—though until relatively recently, the government denied such things ever happened, according to the San Diego Tribune. 

    Until 2011, federal prosecutors routinely put DEA agents on stand to testify that “blind mules” were a fantasy made up by desperate defense lawyers hoping to spring their clients. 

    But that year, feds changed their tune after the FBI recorded a conversation between drug traffickers talking about a blind mule operation involving a fourth grade teacher. 

    Though that find forced feds to admit blind mules were real, it’s still not clear how common they are.

    “Over the course of my 31-and-a-half years, I say it is rare—I’m talking very rare—to find somebody who doesn’t have some knowledge or isn’t implicated in some way of having narcotics in their vehicle,” Joe Garcia of Homeland Security Investigations told the California paper in 2015. “It’s just uncommon.”

    View the original article at thefix.com

  • Meth Shipment Was Disguised As Aztec Artifacts

    Meth Shipment Was Disguised As Aztec Artifacts

    A drug ring attempted to ship nearly 12 kilograms of meth to Hawaii disguised as decorative Aztec items.

    At first glance, they might have appeared to be ancient artifacts, or at least cheesy souvenir imitations, but a shipment of Aztec-style statues and calendars actually contained pure methamphetamine bound for Hawaii, federal officials say. 

    On Oct. 15, agents from Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) arrested eight people around Los Angeles, alleging they were involved in a drug ring that attempted to ship nearly 12 kilograms of meth to Hawaii disguised as decorative Aztec items. Officials say these were part of a “nearly 90-pound shipment that appeared to be colorful, decorative Mexican items, including replicas of the 500-year-old Aztec calendar stone.”

    A ninth suspect was already in federal custody on unrelated charges. 

    “Methamphetamine—no matter how it’s packaged—is a powerful drug that devastates our communities,” Mark Zito, assistant special agent in charge for HSI Los Angeles said in a press release. “HSI will continue to closely collaborate with our federal, state and local law enforcement partners to keep this dangerous contraband from reaching our streets.”

    Over the course of the last year, members of the ring have sent other meth shipments to Hawaii, the feds said. 

    The individuals named on the federal indictment in the case are Felix Salgado, 28, of Perris, who allegedly bought wholesale quantities of meth for the conspiracy; Vaimanino Lee Pomele, 49, of Garden Grove, who allegedly orchestrated the shipments to Hawaii and his wife, Alejandra Pomele, 44, who allegedly delivered narcotics; and six others.

    Recently meth seizures have been on the rise, fueled by Mexican cartels pushing the drug. 

    “They came in with much purer, much cheaper meth and just flooded this region of the country,” Richard Salter, a Drug Enforcement Administration agent with 27 years of experience, told KITV in September.  

    U.S. Customs and Border Protection has seen a 50% increase in the amount of meth seized compared to this time last year, according to Anne Maricich, deputy director of field operations for the agency’s San Diego ports of entry.

    “The other hard narcotics like cocaine, heroin and fentanyl, we see them—they’re prevalent at our border crossings, but nowhere near the quantities that we see of meth,” she said.

    View the original article at thefix.com

  • Gang Accidentally Filmed Themselves Prepping Drone Drug Drop

    Gang Accidentally Filmed Themselves Prepping Drone Drug Drop

    During an attempt to smuggle drugs into prison, Scottish gang members managed to give police ample evidence to lock them up.

    The Scottish gang members who accidentally filmed themselves loading up drugs on a prison-bound drone are now bound for prison themselves. 

    Paul Reilly and Michael Martin were hit with nearly four years in the hoosegow following their ill-fated flight, according to The Scotsman.

    The duo was aiming to send the drugs over the walls and into Perth Prison, where Martin’s brother was expecting to reel in the pills and pot, according to the New York Post.

    But, while packing the narcotics onto the remote flyer, Martin accidentally turned on the drone’s camera and recorded more than 18 minutes of footage of him and his gang prepping the drug load.

    “If there was an award for the movie with the most inept director,” prosecutor Michael Sweeney said, “then it would have been won by the accused.”

    The footage showed both men—along with a third still-unidentified suspect—neatly packing Kinder Eggs full of drugs to send into the prison. Though the video even managed to show the gang’s house number, the criminal crew turned out to be better at filming than they were at flying, as the drone was eventually found crashed outside the prison yard.  

    When they recovered the wrecked flyer, authorities found a micro SD card full of the incriminating evidence. 

    “I don’t think they were aware the drone was actually filming at that time. I’m assuming he was looking at the drone to check if it was on, if it was functioning,” PC Nicholas Schembri said in court. “He was maybe making sure it was properly set-up. From the footage I viewed you could see clearly a tattoo on his neck.”

    The crew tried to exercise some element of caution, covering their hands with gloves to shield their fingerprints and DNA from the drone—but that turned out to be a futile precaution.

    That arrest came just months after authorities in the UK collared another set of gang members accused of making dozens of drone flights into prisons. In that case, it was an outdoor wildlife camera that tipped off police to the illicit flying operation and landed eight people behind bars. 

    View the original article at thefix.com

  • Narco Submarines Give Coast Guard A Run For Their Money

    Narco Submarines Give Coast Guard A Run For Their Money

    The DEA estimates that 30 to 40% of narcotics coming into the country are hauled on the homemade submarines.

    Narco subs seem to be on the rise as a stealthy method of smuggling drugs, a shift that comes amid booming cocaine production in the South American country most known for it.

    In the first nine months of 2018, the Colombian navy caught 14 drug-hauling vessels, three times as many as they intercepted the year before according to Business Insider.

    In 2017, the U.S. Coast Guard offered similar observations, reporting a “resurgence” in low-profile vessels like subs.

    But those captures likely represent only a small fraction of the drug-laden subs headed stateside, according to the online news outlet. The DEA estimated that 30 to 40% of narcotics coming into the country are hauled on the homemade submarines – and authorities are probably only catching 5% of them, Insider reported.

    The shift comes amid a boom in the coke-making industry in Colombia, where there is now more land dedicated to coca-growing than ever before in the nation’s history, according to the New York Times. 

    “It’s a curve that’s permanently going up and hasn’t reached its inflection point,” the Colombian defense minister, Guillermo Botero, told reporters this year. 

    The first time U.S. authorities snagged a drug-running sub wasn’t until 2006, when law enforcement intercepted a homemade vessel hauling 3 tons of blow near Costa Rica’s Pacific Coast. 

    Five years later, American authorities encountered their first stealth sub on the other side of the isthmus, in the Caribbean. Though the traffickers tried scuttling the vessel to ditch the load, authorities ultimately recovered 14,000 pounds of coke from the craft. 

    Since then, Colombian crime rings have pumped out an estimated 100 drug subs per year, launching them in the country’s rivers where there is relatively little policing to stop them. And, as the blow industry continues booming, traffickers have more and more money to pour into making sure their underwater vessels are ever more sophisticated and able to escape detection. 

    But the recent uptick in intercepted subs may not mean that there’s more of them. Coast Guard officials told Business Insider that’s actually a sign of anti-trafficking success. Yet, Mike Vigil, former chief of international operations for the DEA, chalked it up to the sheer volume of drug trafficking on the high seas. 

    “They may be capturing more,” he said, “but again, that’s because there’s a hell of a lot more being using to smuggle drugs.”

    View the original article at thefix.com