Two members of the alleged gang activities have now been found guilty of taking part in the deaths of two men. Authorities had alleged that two men were strangled, their bodies were dissolved in lye and the remains dumped at a ranch near San Diego.
The two defendants are being described as mid-level members of the alleged drug trafficking gang. They are the first of 12 defendants to go to trial in San Diego.
]]> The recent trial involved allegations that the defendants had lured two men to a residence in the Paradise Hill's neighborhood for a drug deal. Authorities claimed that the defendants kidnapped the two men and held them for ransom for roughly two weeks.Prosecutors apparently argued before a jury that the men who had been kidnapped were ultimately killed and their bodies were placed in drums of lye. Authorities say alleged gang members barbequed food to cover up smells from the alleged kidnapping and murder scheme.
The jury handed down its guilty verdicts Wednesday. The two defendants face potential life sentences without parole. Sentencing is expected this summer in San Diego.
Authorities claim that the gang killed nine people between 2004 and 2007. Officials say that gang members also tried to kill a Chula Vista police officer.
Source: Los Angeles Times, "Members of Mexican drug gang are convicted in San Diego killings," Richard Marosi, May 17, 2012
]]>Authorities say that the massive pot farm was filled with an estimated $100 million worth of marijuana plants--mostly young plants measuring one to two-feet tall. The park rangers and deputies conducting the raid say that roughly 34,000 marijuana plants were destroyed. Officials say that the marijuana growing operation is the largest found in the Santa Monica Mountains in seven years.
]]> A spokesman for the Angeles District of the park system says that no arrests were made during the raid. However, officials claim that three men were seen fleeing the area. No doubt with the size of the alleged illegal marijuana cultivation operation, authorities will look long and hard in trying to link the cultivation area to anyone who officials believe that they can charge for the operation.However the spokesperson for the parks says that because it takes a large amount of effort to catch anyone, for the park system "The goal really is to get rid of the drugs and restore the site."
In addition to destroying the marijuana found in Topanga State Park, officials claim to have carted off more than 500 pounds of materials linked to the cultivation operation, including batteries, fertilizer, propane tanks, banned pesticides and trash.
Source: Los Angeles Times, "$100-million pot farm destroyed in Topanga State Park raid," Tony Barboza, May 14, 2012
]]>Two men were taken into custody on suspicion of drug crimes. It is unclear from media reports how the two men--who are reportedly from Alhambra--were tied to the Diamond Bar residence. Neighbors do not even know who owns the property, and law enforcement claims that they believe the home is being rented.
]]> Authorities say that the alleged marijuana cultivation operation was fairly well concealed. Detectives claim to have found a filtration system in the home to keep the smells inside the home. Deputies also say that the windows were covered in the austerely furnished house. Neighbors were reportedly unaware that the alleged marijuana grow was located inside the home.Police claim that they seized 400 pounds of pot and more than 1,000 marijuana plants during the Diamond Bar raid. Officials estimate the value of the marijuana to be as high as $4 million.
The Sheriff's narcotics bureau apparently put the home under surveillance before obtaining a search warrant to enter the home. While law enforcement says a utility company technician became suspicious of the amount of electricity used in the home, authorities say the operation was powered by energy stolen from Southern California Edison.
A spokesman for the Sheriff's office says detectives estimate that $100,000 worth of electricity was stolen. The spokesman says detectives think the marijuana cultivation operation has been around for about three years, and was the sole use of the private residence.
The two Alhambra men taken into custody were booked into jail on suspicion of possession of marijuana for sales. Authorities say that each of the two men accused of drug crimes posted bond and were released by Tuesday afternoon.
Sources:
Seven people, including customers and employees of the dispensary were detained during the law enforcement raid, although no direct federal drug charges have yet been filed after the operation. Law enforcement says that evidence seized during the raid has been turned over to the U.S. Attorney's Office for potential prosecution. Officials say that two people were taken into custody after the raid on unrelated warrants.
This blog has reported several stories concerning the crackdown on federal marijuana laws involving dispensaries operating under California state law. California voters support the use of marijuana for medical purposes under a duly authorized prescription. Now, two federal lawmakers from California and a U.S. Representative from the East Coast are crying foul over the federal crackdown on medical marijuana dispensaries.
]]> The U.S. House members are proposing to cut off funding for Department of Justice efforts to interfere with medical marijuana in states that wish to have their own medpot laws. The U.S. House Representatives are proposing an amendment to a Department of Justice funding bill. The amendment would bar the DOJ from using federal tax money to pursue enforcement efforts that interfere with state laws involving medical marijuana.The U.S. House Representative from Carmel says that, "It is time for the federal government to stop targeting the legal vendors that are providing safe access to this treatment, and instead focus limited resources on those who sell illicit drugs." He is joined by representatives from Huntington Beach, California, and New York in the bipartisan proposal to curb the federal crackdown on medical marijuana.
The measure seems to have at least some level of bipartisan support. Democrats and Republicans across the country have publicly criticized the federal raids on medical marijuana dispensaries, and the three representatives proposing the DOJ funding amendment to bar funding for medpot raids cross party lines.
So far, roughly 200 medical marijuana dispensaries have closed in California under the federal drug crime crackdown.
Sources:
The 21-year-old student had been in a residence that was apparently targeted by the DEA; however, few details about the DEA suspicions are available in the media. Agents reportedly took the UC San Diego student into custody during the raid and carted him off to the DEA office in Kearny Mesa.
The student says that he was interrogated at the office, and then says the DEA said that he was free to go, and no drug charge--or any other type of criminal charge--has been brought against the young man.
]]> But the student was not literally free to go on that day, or for many days to follow. The young man sat alone in a cell without food and without water. The days started to mount, and by the third day, the young man says that he began to hallucinate. He grew more and more concerned for his life as he sat isolated in that tiny cell. The student says that he was forced to drink his own urine for any hope of maintaining hydration.The student believes he lost 15 pounds as he sat without food, water or human contact for nearly five days. His calls for help eventually turned to screams for assistance as he sat alone in the cell. He could hear DEA personnel in nearby cells, but his own calls for help were ignored, he says.
The man was eventually found in that cell, and DEA officials took the young man to the hospital for treatment. The man's kidneys were on the brink of failure, and he spent three days in intensive care recovering from his uncharged stay in a cell. The DEA reportedly apologized Wednesday for the incident.
Most Californians understand that our system of government has a variety checks and balances that are built in to our Constitution. Normally, most people envision the checks and balances that exist between the branches of government as important constitutional guarantees.
Los Angeles criminal defense lawyers know that our constitutional guarantees against unreasonable government intrusion and rights to due process of the law serve as an important checks and balances against the power of the government.
The story about the San Diego student may have made national headlines due to its outrageous events, but it is important to note that constitutional violations continue to occur in criminal cases. Criminal defense attorneys scrutinize evidence and procedures in criminal cases to keep a check on government power.
Source: MSNBC, "DEA apologizes to student left for days in cell with no food or water," Sarah Grieco and Rory Devine, NBCSanDiego.com, May 2, 2012
]]>Officials claim that Feb. 2, 2011, an alleged drug courier arranged to have a TSA screener look the other way as nearly 5 kilograms of cocaine was to pass through an X-ray machine at LAX, according to a federal indictment. Authorities claim that the courier went to the wrong terminal on that day and federal authorities seized the cocaine.
]]> The Drug Enforcement Administration says that a former TSA agent allegedly orchestrated five separate drug deals between alleged drug couriers and TSA agents at LAX. The four people linked to the TSA and three alleged drug couriers were named in a 22-count federal drug crimes indictment that issued April 25.The indictment alleges that the former TSA agent arranged for couriers to carry drugs through LAX airport checkpoints through allegedly bribing TSA agents or screeners. Five separate incidents are alleged in the federal indictment. The TSA workers are accused of taking bribes to pass marijuana, cocaine or methamphetamine through airport security on five occasions between February and July 2011.
The indictment alleges that the Former TSA agent who arranged the drug trafficking deals also apparently worked to arrange the alleged couriers, or mules, to carry the drugs through security.
The DEA claims that after the alleged courier went to the wrong terminal in February 2011, an undercover DEA operative conducted stings by working through the alleged mastermind of the TSA bribery scheme to set up deals to bribe TSA agents or screeners to pass drugs through airport security. The government created alleged crimes in the sting operation appear to be, at least part, of the evidence against those accused of participating.
The current and former TSA workers face life sentences if convicted of the federal bribery and drug crimes. The former TSA agent accused of making the arrangements reportedly was fired by the TSA in 2010 for undisclosed reasons.
Source: Los Angeles Daily Breeze, "4 TSA screeners at LAX arrested for allegedly taking bribes," Art Marroquin, April 25, 2012
]]>LA deputies reportedly investigated the potential drug smuggling tip and say that they confirmed that the vessel was a panga boat. Deputies then called in the U.S. Department of Homeland Security. Federal officials dispatched its air and marine unit and authorities claim that three people aboard the panga dumped items overboard before an ocean pursuit began.
]]> Federal officials claim the three aboard the panga were smuggling marijuana from Mexico. Officials apparently caught up to the panga roughly 11 nautical miles southwest of Point Dume and took three Mexican nationals into custody on suspicion of drug smuggling.Federal authorities say that the U.S. Coast Guard has found roughly 80 bales of marijuana in the ocean and federal officials suspect that the bales can be linked to the panga boat chase. The U.S. Coast Guard is reportedly looking for more contraband in the ocean.
A spokesperson for U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement says that each of the bales found in the ocean weighs 20 pounds. The alleged marijuana drug smuggling incident is reportedly the fourth such maritime drug smuggling interdiction off the Los Angeles Coast in less than a week, according to a report in the LA Daily Breeze.
The three Mexican Nationals reportedly remain in custody and authorities expect to present the three Mexican nationals for prosecution on federal drug smuggling charges.
Few details are known concerning what authorities may have found on the boat itself. The Los Angeles Times reports that the panga was towed into Marina Del Rey Tuesday night.
Sources:
Los Angeles Daily Breeze, "UPDATED: 80 bales of pot recovered; 3 suspected smugglers from Mexico held after pursuit off Malibu coast," April 25, 2012
Los Angeles Times, "Three suspected drug smugglers arrested off Malibu" April 25, 2012
]]>An Indio Police spokesman says that each day saw arrests in the mid 30s, primarily related to alleged alcohol or drug offenses. Drug arrests included allegations of possession of illegal drugs and possession with intent to sell offenses, according to Indio Police.
However, some allegations involving alleged drugs at Coachella have certainly caught the attention of the media, even though those alleged drug-related issues are not apparently connected to any suspicion of law enforcement. Incidents involving Noel Gallagher and Rihanna have made waves in the media.
]]> Criminal charges require an evidentiary basis, but that standard may not apply as strongly to the media. Controversy has erupted over an exchange in the social media between Rihanna and MTV surrounding a photo that some media outlets have described as involving cocaine, while others say involves marijuana.Meanwhile, Noel Gallagher, former Oasis front-man now appearing under his solo moniker "Noel Gallagher' High Flying Birds" who performed at Coachella, says that he felt as if he were at an airport when he was searched at the festival. He says that he was subjected to a body search when he arrived. He says that security officials found 30 pills in his backpack. He says the search uncovered a bottle of sleeping pills.
Obviously, the media coverage of the stars is unrelated to any law enforcement allegations and no criminal charges are suggested that involve either Gallagher or Rihanna.
Sources:
Beverly Hills Courier, "Fewer Arrests During Final Weekend of Coachella Music Fest," April 23, 2012
The Sun, "Noel Gallagher rap over sleeping tablets at US gig," Gordon Smart, April 16, 2012
National Post, "Rihanna white powder controversy: Was it marijuana or cocaine?" Leah Collins, April 20, 2012
]]>The Senate Public Safety Committee voted Tuesday 4-2 to approve the measure that seeks to reduce the drug crimes to misdemeanor level offenses. Those voting for the measure reportedly say that drug treatment programs are a better option than long prison sentences for the drug possession offenses.
]]> One of the sponsors and, at least on California District Attorney, have publicly stated that long prison sentences for people convicted of personal possessory drug offenses essentially do not do anyone any good. However, law enforcement and the California District Attorneys Association may see things differently.The association of prosecutors in the state and the California State Sheriffs' Association oppose the measure, essentially speculating that reducing jail exposure for drug possession will lead to an increase in property crimes and violence. Some of the dispute appears to center on drug treatment.
On the on hand, a California State Senator who supports the bill says that drug users who get treatment are less likely to commit other crimes than those sent away to prison for lengthy sentences. He says that, "Without this bill they are not going to get treatment."
A Senator from San Diego, who voted against the bill, says that lengthy prison sentences for personal possession charges may act as "a hammer" to force drug treatment programs and fears that losing that "hammer" may lead to a lack of compliance.
Based upon the report of the arguments in the Los Angeles Times, it appears that those opposed to the proposed measure seem to argue that potential future non-compliance with treatment programs for drug possession justifies a lengthy prison sentence in California's overcrowded prisons for a current conviction to avoid speculative future allegations of yet uncommitted and uncharged crimes that are not drug-related offenses.
The Senate panel approved the measure Tuesday--the bill still needs the approval of the full Senate and the Assembly to reach the governor's desk.
Source: Los Angeles Times, "Senate panel supports lesser penalties for heroin, meth possession," Patrick McGreevy, April 17, 2012
]]>The raids at homes in Pomona and Van Nuys followed closely on the heels of the bust of the Mexican national last week. Authorities claim to have found 160 pounds of methamphetamine in the home raids last week. Authorities say that neither home has residents, but it is unclear from the media whether law enforcement is looking to expand their search for other people who police can link to the homes.
]]> Authorities claim that they dismantled methamphetamine manufacturing labs at each of the Southern California homes after the raids. Officials say that in addition to the large quantities of methamphetamine, police discovered supplies commonly used to refine meth at the residences, as well as scales, packaging materials and other items that law enforcement may seek to use as evidence in any future drug trafficking or drug manufacturing charges.The Mexican national was taken into custody on serious drug charges, and Immigrations and Customs Enforcement has lodges a detainer against the man.
Source: Los Angeles Daily News, "Meth labs raided in Van Nuys, Pomona," Christina Villacorte, April 13, 2012
]]>The investigation began after Redlands police thought that heroin-related overdoses and drug busts were beginning to increase in 2010 and 2011. Redlands police began an investigation to find some kind of heroin trafficking cell last June. The chief of police began seeking assistance from other agencies and the probe reportedly uncovered evidence that the heroin was tied to drug suppliers in Mexico. Agencies brought into the investigation reportedly include the San Bernardino County Sheriff's Department and the Drug Enforcement Administration.
]]> Redlands officials say that the alleged drug trafficking ring has transporting a pound of heroin each week from Mexico and bringing it into Redlands, Highland and Yucaipa. Authorities characterize the alleged ring as a pyramid scheme involving local suppliers and street level heroin dealers.News reports suggest that some people in Redlands first became addicted to Oxycontin, and that served as a gateway to heroin use because the heroin was reportedly cheaper.
Five people named in the federal indictment reportedly have not yet been arrested.
Federal drug charges can expose a defendant to significant prison time if convicted of the alleged crimes. Eleven of the 20 people indicted in the alleged Inland Empire drug trafficking ring could face up to 40 years in prison, if convicted. Nine more of the accused reportedly have previous drug-related felony convictions on their records. Authorities say that those nine people could see an additional 10 years tacked onto the 40 year sentence, if convicted of the current federal drug charges.
Sources:
Los Angeles Times, "20 indicted in Inland Empire heroin investigation," Sam Quinones, April 11, 2012
Riverside Press-Enterprise, "REDLANDS: Federal indictments issued in heroin trafficking case," Jan Sears, April 10, 2012
]]>Monday, prosecutors refilled the case to expand the number of counts against the well-respected doctor to a total of 20 felony counts. The physician appeared in court and pled not guilty to the various prescription medication-related charges.
]]> Irvine police and prosecutors in Orange County say that the doctor wrote 22 Adderall prescriptions in a former girlfriend's name after the couple broke up and she had moved out. Police claim that the apparent prescription medication scheme came to their attention after the former girlfriend's insurance company denied coverage for a prescription on October 2011. Police claim that the doctor gave his ex-girlfriend's driver's license to the pharmacist and fled from the Target store.Law enforcement says that they opened an investigation after the alleged pharmacy incident, and learned that the doctor had a new girlfriend. Police say that the doctor prescribed several drugs, including Adderall, for his new girlfriend between October 2011 and January 2012.
Law enforcement seems to acknowledge that the woman used the medications, but have reportedly wedged criminal allegations into the new girlfriend's prescriptions ion the theory that the doctor used some of the medications. The doctor reportedly has a legitimate prescription for Adderall from his own personal doctor.
The expanded charges primarily relate to the allegations involving the doctor's new girlfriend. Prosecutors added fifteen felony counts to the criminal case Monday, all related to the allegations involving the doctor's new girlfriend, according to the Orange County register.
The doctor is free on $25,000 bail and faces up to 11 years and 8 months in state prison if he is convicted of the charges.
Source: The Orange County Register, "Doctor pleads not guilty to bogus prescriptions," Greg Hardesty, April 9, 2012
]]>Drug Enforcement Agency officials claim apparently claim in a search warrant that the federal raids were part of an investigation into federal drug trafficking crimes. The recent raids appear to be a part of a continuing assault on California's law authorizing medical marijuana collectives to serve medical marijuana patients.
]]> Sources indicate that the Lake Elsinore facility served roughly 1,500 California medical marijuana patients each month during its operation. Federal officials say that federal law does not recognize California's authority to legally run such cooperatives, and the feds announced a crackdown on medical marijuana in October.DEA officials seem to claim that California's medical marijuana laws-laws enacted after voters approved medical marijuana in 1996-are not intended to allow large scale or for profit operations. DEA officials apparently decided to descend upon the Lake Elsinore cooperative under the theory that too many patients sought prescription marijuana from the collective.
No arrests have been reported in the recent Lake Elsinore raids; however, the facility reportedly has closed its doors while the legal issues surrounding the raids are determined in court.
The recent Lake Elsinore raids are not an isolated incident since U.S. attorneys announced their intent to crackdown on medpot collectives. Many collectives have seen similar raids, including a recent collective raid in Murrieta and several others in French Valley.
Source: Riverside Press-Enterprise, "LAKE ELSINORE: Medical marijuana dispensary raided," Michelle L. Klampe, April 4, 2012
]]>Police went to the second student's classroom on that day, searched him and reportedly arrested him on suspicion of possession of marijuana. Law enforcement accuses the young man of distributing three other brownies that same day. A 16-year-old was also implicated by the high school investigation, and that young man was arrested for possession of marijuana.
]]> The allegations did not stop with the arrests of students. Law enforcement have pulled a 48-year-old Long Beach man into the criminal justice system on allegations that he was involved in the events at the school, while acting from afar. Police say that the Long Beach adult had purchased brownies at a local dispensary and then directed the young man from the school to sell the marijuana brownies to students on campus.The Press-Telegram reports that the adult was arrested on a series of drug charges and booked into jail with bail set at $70,000.
Long Beach Police and the school district teamed up a week later and conducted a raid at the school. Police randomly searched seven classrooms during the coordinated raid and as many as five students are now accused of a variety of offenses. Two Poly High students were arrested in the raid on marijuana charges. Two more were cited for marijuana or drug paraphernalia offenses. One student is accused of possessing a box-cutter at the high school.
California's juvenile justice system works somewhat differently from the adult system. The juvenile system has as one of its goals the treatment and rehabilitation of juvenile offenders. Juveniles may not necessarily have as many constitutional protections as adults who have been accused of a crime.
In some cases, the goal of the juvenile system can be beneficial in negotiating a favorable outcome for a child accused of a crime. However, the juvenile justice system can also, many times, lead to long-lasting harsh direct and collateral consequences for a student.
Juveniles accused of an offense, and their families, can speak with an experienced Los Angeles juvenile defense lawyer for an assessment of individual allegations and for assistance in navigating the complex rules and issues that can arise in a juvenile case.
Source: Long Beach Press-Telegram, "Marijuana-laced brownies lead to arrests at Poly High School," Kelly Puente, April 2, 2012
]]>Three men in their 20s were reportedly arrested on marijuana cultivation or drug manufacturing charges. It is unclear in the media what the gang officers were investigating in the Long Beach neighborhood and reports do not make any suggestion that the March 30 raid was gang related. California law treats allegations of offenses that are purportedly affiliated with gang activities more harshly than alleged offenses standing alone.
]]> Police claim that inside the private home they found several types of alleged cultivation operations. Law enforcement says that they seized roughly 22 marijuana plants, as well as Psilocybin mushrooms and alleged peyote.A sergeant with the Long Beach Police told the Press-Telegram that law enforcement believes the alleged cultivation or manufacturing operations were for personal use. Police do not believe the three men who were arrested during the raid were selling any drugs.
In addition to the alleged drugs, police say that they found a variety of creatures in the residence. Animal control officers reportedly took custody of four boa constrictors, three tarantulas and a scorpion, which law enforcement says will be held until the animals can be returned to their owner.
Source: Long Beach Press-Telegram, "3 men face drug charges after police raid Long Beach home," Mar. 30, 2012
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