Criminology and Psychology

Anti-drug police at Peru’s "Jorge Chávez" international airport in Lima have had their hands full over the last year, arresting nearly two "mules" a day, each carrying an average of five kg of pure cocaine.In 2005, 249 "mules" or drug couriers were arrested. In 2006 there were 454 arrests, and last year the number rose to 721, carrying a total of nearly four tons of cocaine, the police National Anti-Drug Directorate told IPS. The usual method is to swallow some 10 packets or capsules, each containing 100 grams of cocaine. But often larger quantities are carried, with the drug hidden under false bottoms in luggage, camouflaged in different kinds of containers, or attached to the body with adhesive tape. Of the 721 smugglers arrested in 2007, 62.4 percent (453) were Peruvian and the rest were foreigners, particularly from Spain (45), the Netherlands (29) and Brazil (18). Over three-quarters of the Peruvian "mules" were poor or unemployed. According...

The world's cheapest cocaine is processed across the border from El Cruce in Colombia's Catatumbo region, using cheap Venezuelan gasoline, U.S. and Colombian anti-drug and military officials say.Venezuela Leftist rebels fighting Colombia's U.S.-backed military have increasingly found refuge in Venezuela, where they get weapons, food, medical treatment and a smuggling route for the cocaine that keeps them afloat. Former rebels, local citizens and Colombian officials told The Associated Press that hundreds or even thousands of Colombian insurgents are in Venezuela at any given time.Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez, who last month publicly recognized the rebels as "insurgent forces," denies directly supporting them. He blames Colombia for failing to police their 1,370-mile border.But former rebels say the two main Colombian rebel groups, the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia, or FARC, and the National Liberation Army, or ELN, buy protection from high-ranking Ven...

Police here and elsewhere throughout the country say that drug smugglers are disguising themselves as music stars and driving large tour buses on Tennessee highways and across the country’s interstates. Police on Thursday night observed a tour bus that was driving reckless and upon making a traffic stop found more than $1.5 million hidden in fake speakers in the bus traveling on Interstate 75 north of Chattanooga. The bus which was originally pulled over because it was spotted weaving in and out of traffic, police said. Authorities said this is not the first time they have pulled over a fake tour bus and found millions of dollars in drugs and cash.Police in California and Texas have also stopped tour buses for traffic violations and instead of finding their favorite pop singer, country band or church group, have made discoveries of large amounts of drugs and money.One state trooper said that it has happeneded to him twice in the past eighteen months and sees this as the next big idea o...

Passengers travelling on domestic flights or between European Union countries could have to hand over up to 19 pieces of information including their credit card details and mobile phone number. The proposal is revealed in a draft of EU anti-terror plans that would cover every air passenger entering or leaving EU countries seen by the Guardian. It reports that Britain wants to extend the plan to include sea and rail travel, all domestic flights and those between EU countries. The Home Office says a pilot of the passenger name record system has already resulted in more than 1,400 arrests, but the scheme has been denounced by civil libertarians and data protection officials.The newspaper reports that according to a questionnaire circulated to EU members by the European Commission, the UK is the only country of 27 EU member states that wants the system used for “more general public policy purposes” besides fighting terrorism and organised crime. A Home Office spokeswoman said: “We broadly ...

Assassins blasted Ricardo Rosas Alvarado, a member of an elite state police force, with a blizzard of bullets pumped out of AK-47 assault rifles. Alvarado crumpled at the wheel of his sedan, yet another victim of the weapons known here as "goat's horns" because of their curved ammunition clips, and which can fire at a rate of 600 rounds per minute. The killing, Mexican authorities said, was a panorama of blood, shattered glass and torn metal that brutally showcased the firepower of Mexico's drug cartels. But that was just the warm-up. Two hours later, a small army of cartel hit men descended on a federal police office and bunkhouse in this crowded city at one of the world's busiest border crossings. None of the officers, who had recently been sent here to crush the drug gangs terrorizing the city, were killed in the hail of more than 1,200 bullets, authorities said. But police veterans understood the message delivered to the newcomers: "Welcome to Tijuana. Ou...

Alice English was charged with smuggling fully 2.8 kilograms of marijuana, as well as crack, cocaine, hashish, cellphones and pornography into the Bordeaux jail. She copped to it in videotaped testimony this week, but said she only did it once, and only because inmates had threatened her children—and she added that other guards must have been complicit in the arrangement, since there was no other way inmates could have known such details. Pierre-Arold Agnant, a guard at the Montreal Detention Centre, was nabbed last year for allegedly accepting bribes to allow a gang-controlled smuggling ring to bring drugs into the facility. It's impossible to know for sure, but Jackson said recently he suspected as much contraband entered prisons via staff as via visitors.

Gregory Todd Holland, 22, of 17 Elmhurst Drive, was arrested on a charge of dealing cocaine, a Class A felony. He is being held in the Wayne County Jail on a bond of $50,000.Terrill Montez Holland, 22, also of 17 Elmhurst Drive, was arrested on a charge of possession of cocaine, a Class D felony. He was released on bonds of $15,205. Police said the men are brothers.Also, authorities said they recovered 9.9 grams of cocaine.John Burnett, who was driving the vehicle, was arrested on a charge of maintaining a common nuisance, a Class D felony. He was released on a $5,000 bond.Police spotted Burnett's vehicle, a white four-door Lincoln, at 11:43 p.m. in the 3000 block of East Main Street.the vehicle sparked interest because a similar vehicle was used in a robbery last week, police said.The vehicle used in the robbery was also a white, four-door Lincoln. Burnett told police he purchased the vehicle two weeks ago.Burnett was followed until he was pulled over at East Main and 22nd streets...

Nicole Paquette’s arrest in 2006 led to what police Chief John Romero called the area’s largest cocaine bust.Police found 21 kilograms of cocaine in boxes in Paquette’s rental van and another 30 kilos in a Methuen home, which combined Romero said had a street value of $2.5 million.Paquette’s lawyer argued that his client had only a "minimal role" in the drug operation and did not know whether the closed, unmarked boxes contained cocaine or marijuana.The trial of co-defendant Angel Ayala Roque is scheduled to start next month.

Sumner County attorney found himself on the other side of the law for allegedly trying to smuggle drugs into the jail.Investigators said Jocelyn Mims conspired with an inmate to pick up a plastic cup full of drugs from a road pull-off, and bring it to the jail. hough authorities got word of the plan, and found the cup at the drop-off site. Inside the cup, police found Zanax, marijuana, and tobacco. Mims has also worked as a public defender in Sumner County.

The drug traffickers were caught after police bugged the ringleader's fleet of luxury cars. Recep Yilmaz, 67, was caught boasting of his profits of up to £100,000 a week from the smuggling ring which shipped the class A drug in bulk from Europe. A Hastings man was part of an international drug smuggling ring which planned to flood the streets of Britain with £7 million of heroin, the Old Bailey has heard. Sean Harrison, 41, of Hilly Glen Close, who organised the heroin on the continent, pleaded guilty to conspiracy to supply class A drugs earlier this month. But police swooped after learning that a shipment of 69.1kg was on its way to Britain, organised by David Powell, 50. The lorry containing the heroin, worth a street value of around £7million, was driven by John Rae, 41. Police discovered the deal after bugging the Mercedes and Jaguar owned by car dealer Yilmaz, known as the 'Top Man,' who has pleaded guilty to his role in the conspiracy. Mert Goren, 27, who took posses...

One of the Bali Nine has spoken publicly for the first time on the electronic media about his situation and his hopes of being able to leave a Bali jail, despite that fact that he faces the death penalty. Scott Rush, who was arrested on drug trafficking charges in Indonesia, has spoken to SBS Television from his prison cell. He says he never realised the implications that his actions could have, or that it was even possible to be executed for smuggling heroin. Donna Field reports. DONNA FIELD: These are dark days for Scott Rush. The 22-year-old from Brisbane is far from home in a foreign prison, with little to think of but impending death at the hands of an Indonesian executioner. He was originally sentenced to life in prison for his role in an attempt to smuggle eight kilograms of heroin from Indonesia to Australia in 2005. He appealed, but rather than being shortened, his sentence was increased to death. Scott Rush spoke to SBS Television's "Cutting Edge" program about ...

An express mail package from Puerto Rico that contained about 2 pounds of cocaine was seized by deputies and its Polk County recipient was arrested Wednesday, according to Sheriff's Office reports. Victor Encarnacion, 30, of Kissimmee was arrested and charged with trafficking cocaine over 200 grams, reports said. The package, addressed to Ariel Mendez at 739 Caribou Drive in Kissimmee, was flagged by postal inspectors in Puerto Rico as being suspicious and forwarded to the USPS Postal Inspectors in Orlando, reports said. A federal search warrant was obtained after drugs were detected by a K-9 unit. When the package was inspected, detectives found 1 pound and 14 ounces of cocaine hidden inside bags of coffee. Another search warrant was then obtained for the Kissimmee address in Polk County where the package was to be shipped, according to the arrest affidavit.Undercover detectives and a postal inspector delivered the package to that address and a man identifying himself as Mendez si...

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