Criminology and Psychology

Punitive sentences totalling 85 years, which were passed down last week on three English gang members, are unlikely to stem the tide of transatlantic drug shipments. As he fielded calls last week from people eager to discuss the record prison sentences handed down to four drug smugglers over the €440 million haul of cocaine recovered off west Cork, Michael Colgan repeated one message over and over again. Intelligence is key to tackling the highly organised and well-resourced drugs gangs that target the European market, insisted Colgan, the head of the Customs drug enforcement unit. Yet the 1,500 kilos of cocaine was seized off Cork because of an accident that was both dramatic and absurd - the shipment would have safely landed in Ireland if one of the smugglers had not accidentally put diesel, rather than petrol, into the fuel tank of an inflatable boat. The seizure cast a spotlight on Ireland’s part in the international drugs trade and raised a major question for Irish law enforcement...

Charges against Tetra Pak heir Hans Kristian Rausing and wife Eva have been dropped Hans Rausing, 45, an heir to the multi-billion pound Tetra Pak drinks carton empire, was embarrassingly drawn into the public eye in April after his wife Eva, 44, was caught trying to smuggle heroin and crack into a function at London's American embassy.When £10m home the couple share with their four children in exclusive Cadogan Place, Chelsea, was then searched, officers found more crack and heroin - and £2,000 worth of cocaine, enough to fuel a whole nightclub full of drug-users. Typically, addicts caught with such huge quantities of drugs will face a prison sentence.But at Westminster magistrates court yesterday, it was revealed that all charges against the couple are being dropped after a 'protracted correspondence' between their lawyers and the Crown Prosecution Service.Instead, they are each to accept a 'conditional caution', which will probably involve the pair promising to a...

Ramiro Vanoy Murillo, 60, and Francisco Javier Zuluaga Lindo, 38, are among 14 paramilitary members extradited to the U.S. in May for their alleged roles in a massive cocaine smuggling operation in the late 1990s. The two entered their pleas before U.S. District Judge K. Michael Moore in downtown Miami.Under a plea agreement, Vanoy Murillo faces up to 19 years and Zuluaga Lindo more than 17 years behind bars. Prosecutors said they would drop additional charges against the two at sentencing. Each could also face up to $4 million in fines.The Bush administration agreed it would not seek life sentences as a precondition of their extradition. But on Tuesday, Moore reminded the defendants that he was not bound by the plea agreement in deciding sentencing.A lean, bespectacled Vanoy Murillo, sporting a shaved head, and a husky Zuluaga Lindo attended the hearings quietly. Both wore standard beige jumpsuits, their feet in shackles and spoke only in response to the judge's questions.At one p...

In January 1998, Matheson was convicted of accessory after the fact involving a theft of over $500. In August 2000, Matheson was convicted of possession of Methylenedioxy Amphetamine also known as MDMA or Ecstacy and possession of cocaine. As a result of his second conviction, which took place in Allen Parish, Matheson was sentenced to serve nine years in the department of corrections. “It’s a relief to get him off the streets,” said Vernon Parish Sheriff Sam Craft. “He’s got two prior felony convictions and if convicted of these charges he will be a three time loser.” Matheson will face charges of operation of a clandestine methamphetamine laboratory, possession of methamphetamine and possession of drug paraphernalia. On April 4, task force agents along with numerous other law enforcement agencies went to the Matheson’s residence located on 226 Willie Doyle Road in Pitkin. Agents discovered the components of a methamphetamine laboratory at the residence and as a result of the discover...

man is dead after being shot by a sheriff's deputy during a law enforcement sweep through Buffalo to round up members of a violent drug gang. Buffalo Police Commissioner H. McCarthy Gipson says a Niagara County sheriff's deputy fired at the man inside a home Tuesday morning after the man aimed a gun at the officer. The man's name was not released. He was pronounced dead at a Buffalo hospital. The shooting happened as 400 officers from several agencies participated in Operation Third Strike, fanning out at 5 a.m. with federal arrest warrants. About 20 suspects are in custody. The shooting is under investigation

The Libyan authorities have seized 50kg of heroin in a record haul, the interior ministry said in a statement on Monday. Heroin of "pure quality" was seized in the Al-Wahat region in the east of the country, the ministry said. It did not specify if any arrests were made. The statement said that the amount was the largest ever seized in a North African country and the second largest recorded in Libya. Efforts are being made "to eradicate the epidemic" in Libya where illegal narcotics are considered "weapons of mass destruction," the statement said, without elaborating. Drug trafficking carries the death penalty in Libya, a key transit route for drugs that come mainly from Egypt, Morocco and Turkey. Last week the authorities announced they had seized one tonne of hashish in the southeastern region of Tazerbo.

Kelowna RCMP say a marijuana grow operation busted Thursday was linked to the Hells Angels.The Kelowna drug section dismantled a grow operation in the 2000-block of Ethel Street, according to a news release Friday."Seized from the house were 86 'mother plants' and approximately 3,000 immature 'clone plants'. Police believe the house was being used as a clone factory of sorts, whereby the immature plans were being produced from the mother plants and were then available for sale or relocation to other marijuana grow sites," the release stated.Police also seized about $40,000, about eight pounds (3.6 kilograms) of dried marijuana bud and a sawed off pistol-grip shotgun."From evidence gathered at the scene, police suspect the operation is linked to the Hells Angels Organized crime group," the release said.RCMP did not explain what evidence allegedly linked the operation to the Hells Angels, nor could they be reached for comment.A woman, 26, was arreste...