South Africa's biggest international abalone smuggling ring

Nineteen men accused of operating South Africa's biggest international abalone smuggling ring were re-arrested, released on bail and are to be tried in the Cape High Court later this year.They appeared before magistrate Alta Fredericks minutes after they were arrested in the corridors of Cape Town Magistrate's Court on Tuesday.The 112 charges instituted against the alleged mastermind Yu-Chen (Richard) Chao, 47, of Milnerton, and his co-accused two years ago was struck off the roll in the Cape Town Regional Court on January 28.The State had been granted warrants for the arrest of the accused, who were told to be at court to face the original charges and a contravention of the Prevention of Organised Crime Act (Poca).They are alleged to have been in illegal possession of 470 tons of perlemoen valued at R200-million. The 19 were arrested between June and March 20 last year after a two-year investigation by the Organised Crime Unit.On Tuesday, members of the police's Commercial Crimes Unit guarded the court's corridors while Fredericks addressed the matter for about two hours, working through the usual lunch hour.State advocate Helene Booysen asked that the matter be transferred to the Cape High Court and that bail be fixed.The State set bail ranging from R2 000 to R100 000 on condition that the accused report to their nearest police station once a week.Some of the accused had to surrender their passports, which could be returned once they had produced proof of their international business. The case has been through repeated postponements; movement of the trial between four different courts; the death of one of the accused during the wait and the State's most recent request that the case only start in the Cape High Court two years after their arrest.Fredericks granted the accused bail and referred the matter to the Cape High Court for October 6.

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Daniel Bailey has been told to pay up £194,370 by a court. If he fails to hand over the money within six months, he will face a three-year jail term.

Daniel Bailey (35) avoided prison when he received a 26-week suspended sentence after pleading guilty to producing cannabis. But following a separate investigation into his finances by police, he has been told to pay up £194,370 by a court. If he fails to hand over the money within six months, he will face a three-year jail term.During a hearing brought by police under the Proceeds of Crime Act, Lincoln Crown Court was told officers swooped on Bailey's home, near Spalding, on August 5, 2005. They searched the property and found 22 cannabis plants growing among the flowers in his back garden.More cannabis seedlings were discovered in a shed, and two small lumps of the drug were seized in the house.Bailey was subsequently convicted of production of cannabis, which triggered the probe into his financial affairs.The further enquiries showed that in the six years before his arrest, Bailey had claimed incapacity benefit and income support to the tune of more than £21,000, to which he was...

Vanessa and Juan Bedoya, Meneses and Rodriguez-Jimenez are being held in DuPage County Jail in lieu of $1 million bond each.

Vanessa Bedoya, 37, and Juan Bedoya, 38, both of the 1400 block of Green Oak Trail, Aurora, were charged with possession of a controlled substance with intent to deliver.Juan Meneses, 32, and Gonzalo Rodriguez-Jimenez, 38, both of the 800 block of Amli Court, Aurora, were charged with unlawful delivery of a controlled substance, the Kane County state's attorney's office said.According to prosecutors, on March 25, Rodriguez-Jimenez and Meneses delivered more than 900 grams of cocaineto another unnamed person. Later, more than 900 grams of cocaine were recovered from Juan and Vanessa Bedoya, who are married. The cocaine was recovered at the home of Francisco Bedoya, 36, also of the 1400 block of Green Oak Trail, Aurora. In addition, more than 900 grams of cocaine was recovered in the home of Juan and Vanessa Bedoya, prosecutors said. Officers searched three Aurora homes Tuesday and found 15 kilograms of cocaine, worth about $4.5 million, along with $50,000 in cash and two vehicle...

Riaz Mohammed, used a string of front companies to ship the highly addictive narcotic from Turkey.

Riaz Mohammed, used a string of front companies to ship the highly addictive narcotic from Turkey.The Court heard the "sophisticated" operation involved hiding half-kilo packages of the Class A substance in the hollowed out struts of wooden pallets. But despite the gang's best efforts each of the three importations - two to Dover docks and one which arrived at Heathrow airport - were intercepted during an investigation by the Serious Organised Crime Agency (Soca).Altogether 24kg of the drug - with an estimated street value of £2.3 million - was seized. In the dock with Mohammed, 41, of Lancaster Road, Leytonstone, east London (25 years), were his lieutenant Ibrahim Janturk, 52, from Tottenham, north London (22 years), and "footsoldiers" Cetin Albar, 35, who lived in Clapton Common, east London, and Emircan Aytac, 48, of Boyson Road, Walworth, south-east London, who got 16 years each.Mohammed was convicted by a jury of three counts of conspiracy to import heroin ...

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