David Sauceda

David Sauceda, the Mexican Mafia gang member and murder suspect who escaped from the Bexar County Jail on Oct. 28, was apprehended Saturday by Mexican law enforcement officials at the Mexico home where he was living, authorities announced this morning.
Sauceda, 28, was captured outside a house in Tangancicuaro, a remote city of about 30,000 people in central Mexico, where he was living with his girlfriend and two children, according to the U.S. Marshal's Service.
Sauceda tried to run but was quickly taken in to custody by Mexican immigration officials and state police, who have been working with the Bexar County Sheriff's Office and the U.S. Marshals Service.
Eschewing extradition procedures, Mexican authorities instead immediately deported Sauceda on immigration violations. He was flown to San Antonio to once again face murder, armed robbery and home invasion charges. An additional charge of escape stems from his getaway to Mexico.
"There wasn't an extradition issue at all," said U.S. Marshal LaFayette Collins. "The Mexicans wanted to get rid of him."







Sauceda walked out the front door of the Bexar County Jail in part by duping detention officers into handing him the card of his cellmate, whose personal information he'd memorized.

Sauceda and his brother, Jesse Sauceda, are accused in the November 2006 murder of Juan Guevara, whom they allegedly shot in the head and then ran over in a car. A second man was shot twice and stabbed multiple times, but survived.

Six days later, Sauceda allegedly broke into an elderly woman's home and duct-taped her, stealing cash, jewelry and an ATM card. After fleeing from a police standoff in Corpus Christi the next day, Sauceda was arrested walking down a roadside with a handgun.

In December, Sauceda was named one of the U.S. Marshals Service's 15 most-wanted fugitives.

Craig Petties

Craig Petties alleged drug operation which is estimated to have run from 1995 up until this year. The superseding indictment follows a 40-page one laid against him originally in 2002 before he went on the run.
Petties -- in addition to conspiracy to distribute marijuana and cocaine from the original indictment -- now faces several other charges including conspiracy to commit murder for hire, money laundering and racketeering.
Authorities have learned, since 2002, that Petties' organization allegedly attempted to kill people who interfered with their drug trafficking business.
As far as money laundering charges, the indictment says that Petties used drug money to pay for several expensive cars, a home in Las Vegas as well as one in Memphis.
During raids and arrest, authorities have confiscated several firearms, lots of money and vehicles.
"So far we've had seizures of almost $3 million, little over 2.9 million and something like 40 vehicles and over $600,000 in cash," said U.S. Attorney David Kustoff.
He wanted arrested on January 11 in Mexico, along with a female companion -- believed to have been his girlfriend -- and three other individuals. Petties was apparently running multi-million dollar drug ring while evading arrest in Mexico.
Memphis Police Director Larry Godwin told local FoxNews affiliate that they've begun combing through homicide cases to find connections to Petties or members of his gang. Six others who listed as associates all face the same or similar charges.
Petties and his co-defendants are all in federal custody. If convicted of all charges, he and his associates could face life in prison or the death penalty.
Prosecutors haven't yet to determine what punishments they will seek.

Wilber Varela aka Soap

The body of Wilber Varela, known as "Jabon" or "Soap," was found on Wednesday in a hotel room in Merida state in neighboring Venezuela, said a Colombian police source who asked not to be identified.The boss of Colombia's biggest remaining cocaine cartel was killed by gunfire in Venezuela in an apparent settling of accounts between drug gangs, Colombian security forces said on Friday.




"We have intelligence information that the person found dead in Venezuela is Jabon," the source said.

Varela, a former police sergeant wanted for extradition by the U.S. government for helping to smuggle tonnes of cocaine to the United States, was one of the last Colombian drug kingpins at large after last year's arrest of Diego "Don Diego" Montoya.

The two had battled for control of the Norte del Valle cartel, a violent rivalry that left hundreds of people dead.

The U.S. government had offered a $5 million reward leading to the arrest of Varela, who got his nickname from a brand of soap with the same name.

The Norte del Valle gang, based near the western city of Cali, is the only Colombian cartel that still controls all areas of the business from cultivation of coca plants to production of cocaine and its exportation. (Reporting by Luis Jaime Acosta; Writing by Hugh Bronstein; Editing by John O'Callaghan)

Frank Contreras aka TANK

Frank Contreras, 19, a former Miami Beach High student, was charged with first-degree felony murder Thursday. Detectives had arrested Charles J. Greenfield, 33, on the same charge late Wednesday.
Investigators say the pair provided heroin to Mark S. Harris, 21, who was found dead of an overdose on Jan. 24 in his truck in a municipal parking lot off 41st Street and Prairie Avenue.
Greenfield told Miami Beach Detective Wayne Holbrook that Harris was his pot-and-cocaine buddy.
According to an arrest report, Harris went to Greenfield's mid-Beach apartment Jan. 23 and paid Greenfield $60.
Greenfield called Contreras, who dropped by and gave them baggies of heroin and cocaine. Brokering the heroin deal netted Greenfield $10, police said.
Harris walked out, injected himself in the truck and died, police said.
By law, someone who commits certain felonies -- in this case, selling drugs -- can be charged with felony murder if someone dies in the process.
In November, Miami Beach police arrested Christopher Rodriguez, 22, a security guard, after he allegedly sold Ecstasy pills to a 15-year-old on her way to party in South Beach. The teen was hospitalized and died. Rodriguez, who told police he had just started selling drugs, is awaiting trial on charges of first-degree felony murder and selling a controlled substance.
In February 2007, Miami-Dade police charged Melanie Mazzotti, 30, with first-degree murder in the death of jailed boyfriend Edward Hawkins, 26. Police alleged she smuggled drugs in a package that he then swallowed to conceal from corrections officers.
The package later burst in his stomach and killed him.

pornographic images Edison Chan, Gillian Chung, Cecilia Cheung, and Bobo Chan.

According to news sources, a 29 year old unemployed man was arrested on Wednesday after police tracked down his IP address for his involvement in the recent spread of pornographic images on the Internet involving Hong Kong pop singers Edison Chan, Gillian Chung, Cecilia Cheung, and Bobo Chan. The images were subjects of hot debate over its authenticity. Police are only revealing that they have discovered evidence at the suspect’s home and that he may not be the main culprit who first released these images.
The recent scandal obviously caused deep distress for the involved celebrities - Edison was said to have flew out of HK to cool his ire. Police are urging that netizens will discontinue the distribution of these images across the web.

Alex Del Nogal

Alex Del Nogal was arrested in Trapani, Sicily, south Italy, for his alleged involvement in drug traffic among Colombia, Argentina, Venezuela and Europe, and he will be prosecuted next week in the Sicilian capital of Palermo, local media reported, as quoted by Efe.
Del Nogal was arrested last September when he tried to enter Italy, as the police issued a search and arrest order for him under charges of alleged drug traffic. He faced trial last January 25.
However, the judge hearing the case released Del Nogal from prison on a technicality, despite the request of the prosecution to keep the defendant in jail for alleged risk of flight.
The Venezuelan Embassy in Rome told Efe that Alex Del Nogal, following his release from jail, was in a foreigners' shelter in Trapani waiting for being deported to Venezuela.
The Embassy said it had no information on his new arrest.
According to local media, the prosecution asked for his detention again arguing that there was a high risk of flight.
Last January 25, Alex Del Nogal was prosecuted together with his brother Richard del Nogal -who was convicted to 15 years in jail and who has not been arrested yet. Four Italian citizens were also convicted to jail terms in this case.

Kameron Lawhead

Kameron Lawhead, 33, of Kilauea, to two consecutive five-year terms for the crimes.
Lawhead argued with the judge and offered a “thank you” upon receiving the sentence.
Lawhead was convicted Oct. 31 for the two Class C felonies, each punishable by up to five years of imprisonment.
Deputy Prosecutor Marc Guyot recommended the court impose the maximum sentence of 10 years when presenting the case.
The convictions stem from a 2006 incident in which Lawhead was found asleep with a nearby glass pipe.
Upon further investigation, it was confirmed that the pipe contained methamphetamine.
After a three-day trial, the jury deliberated for less than two hours before reaching its unanimous verdict.
Prosecuting Attorney Craig DeCosta also prosecuted the case on behalf of the state; Honolulu attorney Emmanuel G. Guerrero represented Lawhead.

Kameron Lawhead

Kameron Lawhead, 33, of Kilauea, to two consecutive five-year terms for the crimes.
Lawhead argued with the judge and offered a “thank you” upon receiving the sentence.
Lawhead was convicted Oct. 31 for the two Class C felonies, each punishable by up to five years of imprisonment.
Deputy Prosecutor Marc Guyot recommended the court impose the maximum sentence of 10 years when presenting the case.
The convictions stem from a 2006 incident in which Lawhead was found asleep with a nearby glass pipe.
Upon further investigation, it was confirmed that the pipe contained methamphetamine.
After a three-day trial, the jury deliberated for less than two hours before reaching its unanimous verdict.
Prosecuting Attorney Craig DeCosta also prosecuted the case on behalf of the state; Honolulu attorney Emmanuel G. Guerrero represented Lawhead.

Shane Leslie Wood,Joseph A. Oliveira Jr,Larry D. Simms Jr,Frank Gonzales,Eddie Cabassa ,Dan M. Danforth

Larry D. Simms Jr., 24, of Waterville and Eddie Cabassa were arrested after police caught them trying to flush more than 100 grams of lump, crack cocaine down a toilet.
Police said the rock was two-thirds the size of a softball.
The cocaine reportedly clogged the toilet, requiring the Winslow Public Works Department to remove the toilet from the floor and haul it away for police as evidence.
Winslow Police Chief Richard Grindall said it was the largest crack cocaine bust in memory. He said the estimated street value of the crack is between $7,500 and $10,000
Both men are charged with aggravated trafficking and with falsifying evidence for allegedly trying to flush away the drugs.
They each face up to 30 years in prison.
Simms is charged additionally with possession of another drug and with violating the conditions of his release.
An indictment is not a determination of guilt, but is rather a conclusion that there is enough evidence against a defendant to proceed with a trial in Superior Court.
Other indictments handed down this week include drug charges against Dan M. Danforth, 37, of Canaan, charged by the grand jury with aggravated trafficking and possession of the narcotic Oxycodone. The crimes are alleged to have happened in Sidney in December.
The trafficking charge is a Class A felony, punishable by up to 30 years in prison.
Also indicted by the grand jury was Frank Gonzales, 52, of Waterville, charged on eight separate criminal charges.
Gonzales is charged with felony burglary of a home in Waterville Jan. 12, assault, aggravated criminal trespass, criminal mischief, violating a protection order and other charges the same day against the same female victim, according to the grand jury.
He also is charged with violating a protection order on Jan. 11 for having contact with the same woman at her residence.
Other indictments include:
Joseph A. Oliveira Jr., 18, of Charleston, on charges of furnishing cocaine last Dec. 5 in Waterville. He is charged additionally with operating after suspension, failure to give his correct name and with attaching improper motor vehicle registration plates.
Jacob Olivares, 27, of Waterville, charged with trafficking in Oxycodone, Jan. 11, in Waterville.
n Peter J. Dubord, 47, of Augusta, indicted on a charge of criminal operating under the influence. Aug. 30, 2007, in Waterville. Dubord has two prior OUI convictions within the past 10 years.
He also is charged with operating beyond license restriction the same day.
Shane Leslie Wood, 40, of Vassalboro, charged by the grand jury with marijuana cultivation and trafficking in more than a pound of marijuana last December. He is charged additionally with violating the conditions of his release in January.

Ian Gayle

Ian Gayle, 43, admitted acting as a drug courier and pleaded guilty to possessing 46.2 grams of crack-cocaine with intent to supply.
Gayle, of Fairfield Road, Edmonton had been renting a room in a house in Galway Avenue in Ipswich when the property was searched on December 5 last year.
Godfried Duah, prosecuting, said Gayle directed police to an amount of “weed”. However two packages of crack-cocaine, £480 in cash, a mobile telephone, electronic scales and a razor blade with traces of a white substance were also found.
Gayle told police he was given “a substantial amount” of drugs to bring to Ipswich by someone he owed £25,000 to.
The court heard that the crack-cocaine was worth about £4,600, was 49 percent pure and therefore able to be “cut” further for street deals.
Mr Duah said Gayle had previous convictions for dealing Class A, B and C drugs.
Roger Thomson, mitigating, said his client had been a crack-cocaine addict since he was 16 and was under pressure by London dealers to courier the drugs.
Judge McKittrick said: “Your case, I know, is because you owed money to big boys in London. They pressurised you to come to Ipswich to supply to people who no doubt sell on the street. However, if pressure was put on you to sell drugs I have absolutely no sympathy for you at all.”
He said Gayle had 16 previous drug convictions in New York and London and had been offered help in the past to combat his addiction. But just two years ago he had been jailed for three years for attempting to export drugs from Jamaica.
He added: “I think people like you pose a risk to people in this town.”

Javier Lopez Cardenas,Jose Luis Martinez

Javier Lopez Cardenas, 31, and Jose Luis Martinez, 29, arrived in a truck just before 3 p.m. with the packaged kilos of cocaine in a laundry bin.
The transaction was made and officers quickly swooped in to complete the deal.
The two men, both South Putnam residents, are expected to face federal indictments for trafficking, with a possibility that charges may include conspiracy to distribute cocaine. As it now stands they face maximum life terms under federal sentencing guidelines.
Cardenas has a previous criminal record with several arrests, while Martinez is on probation in Putnam County for a 2003 possession of cocaine conviction.
After their arrest Tuesday, they were booked into the Putnam County Jail. The DEA took possession of the cocaine.
The wholesale purchase price of $240,000 makes this biggest drug bust in Putnam County history.
“It is the largest seizure in one instance,” said Maj. Keith Riddick. “We’ve had multiple cases that were more n the one we just did in Marion, for instance n but as far as one transaction, 10 ‘keys’ is largest that we can recall.”
In addition to sheriff’s detectives and the DEA, the operation included support from the U.S. Immigration and Customs Service (ICE) and the Naval Criminal Investigative Service.
Riddick was quick to point out that the amount of drugs seized is feather in the cap, but his agency will make an arrest whether it’s a kilo of cocaine or one crack rock.
“We’ll take the single rock arrest Friday night or the 10 ‘key’ arrest we made yesterday,” he said. “All of these cases we work on. We keep going up the ladder.
“The whole idea is to follow the dope to its source and stop the source.”
Sheriff Dean Kelly said he was ecstatic with the outcome of the operation and praised the efforts of all the law enforcement agents involved.
“Such cases as this one are made possible because of the incomparable relationships that exist between the (sheriff’s office) and their federal law enforcement brothers,” he said.
Riddick said the investigation will continue and more arrests are expected

Daniel J. Nicksic

Daniel J. Nicksic left St. Thomas More School in the back of a police car Wednesday, under arrest for cocaine possession
Daniel J. Nicksic left St. Thomas More School in the back of a police car Wednesday, under arrest for cocaine possession.
Nicksic, 29, was taken into custody after students had left for the day and was "very cooperative" with police officers who arrested him on a warrant for possession of a controlled substance, Hammond Police Chief Brian Miller said. "
I'm very saddened," said Principal Chet Nordyke on Wednesday. "We had no idea (about the charges). He was a nice guy."
Nicksic was found with a small quantity of what appeared to be cocaine in his car during a Sept. 7 traffic stop in the 4300 block of Cameron, Miller said.
Nicksic had joined the faculty at St. Thomas only a week earlier, Nordyke said, and a background check conducted before he was hired by the diocese showed no prior criminal record.
Nicksic previously worked as a substitute in Hammond.
He was not formally charged until Wednesday, as prosecutors had to wait for the State Police crime lab to complete tests on the drugs confiscated at the scene.
Nicksic's laid-back attitude put off some parents, though it made him popular with students, said several St. Thomas More parents, who declined to give their names.
"I'm not surprised," said one father with two children enrolled. "The guy was from a different planet. My kids didn't like him much. He was always going off somewhere to smoke cigarettes and drinking Red Bull (energy drinks). "He was a goofball."
Nordyke convened a meeting with staff members after Nicksic was led out of the building.
"We prayed for him and his family, and also for our school and students," he said

Darren Hill

Darren Hill was charged with trafficking in cocaine, manufacture of crack cocaine, possession of marijuana with intent to distribute and possession of ecstasy. Hill was additionally arrested on an open warrant charging him sale and delivery of a controlled substance
DeLand police and the West Volusia Narcotics Task Force raided Hill's residence, 713 Laisy Drive, at about 6 a.m. and seized two digital scales and a glass bowl with cocaine residue, authorities said. Agents also said they discovered cocaine residue on the stove, a sign that crack was being manufactured at the home, according to authorities.
In all, agents said they seized about 107 grams of crack cocaine, 13 grams of powder cocaine, 16 grams of marijuana and one ecstasy pill. Agents said they also recovered a pressure washer that had been reported stolen by the Volusia County School District.
Hill was booked into the Volusia County Branch Jail in Daytona Beach without bond.

Paul Muscat

A Gozitan part-time farmer was yesterday jailed for 18 years and fined €45,000 (Lm19,318) after a panel of jurors found him guilty to cultivating, possessing and trafficking in over 19 kilogrammes of dried cannabis leaves worth €47,100 (Lm20,220).
After five hours deliberation, the panel of jurors found Paul Muscat, 59, from Nadur, guilty by seven votes to two to cultivating cannabis in his fields at Wied Bingemma limits of Nadur Gozo. He was also found guilty by eight votes to one of trafficking in cannabis and being in possession of the drug in circumstances denoting that it was not for his personal use.
He was unanimously acquitted of associating himself with other people to traffic cannabis.
Muscat was arrested on 16 December 2003 after the police had put him under surveillance.
In handing down his judgment, Mr Justice Joseph Galea Debono, said he took into consideration the damage that drugs cause to society, the considerable amount of cannabis found in Muscat’s possession as well as the uniformity of penalties inflicted in similar cases.
In his submissions on penalty defense counsel Joe Brincat reminded presiding judge Mr Justice Joseph Galea Debono that Muscat was boarded out of work due to his cardiac problems.
For her part, prosecutor Dr Lara Lanfranco from the Office of the Attorney General said Muscat had no qualms in trying to defend himself by throwing mud at the police. The jurors certainly did not believe his version of events, she said, as they had found him guilty.
On Tuesday, Muscat in his testimony had accused a sergeant of hitting him in the face and chest, and an inspector of threatening him and his wife.
This matter had unfortunately thrown bad light on the police force as Muscat’s version of events had been reported faithfully by the media, she said.

Akram Omar Ibrahim Tawerghi

A Libyan man was remanded in custody yesterday after pleading not guilty to possessing a “considerable amount” of cannabis resin with intent to traffic it.
Akram Omar Ibrahim Tawerghi, 23, was accused of being in possession of the cannabis which was found in circumstances denoting it was not for his personal use.
The court heard how on Wednesday night, the police caught Mr Tawerghi in possession of a “considerable amount” of cannabis, hidden in a container in his sock.
The accused told the police, and repeated in court yesterday, that the cannabis was for his personal use and that he had no intention of selling it.
Magistrate Doreen Clarke turned down a request for bail and Mr Tawerghi was remanded in custody.
Police Inspector Nadia Lanzon and Carlo Ellul prosecuted while Dr Leon Bencini appeared for the accused.

Timothy Dullum

Timothy Dullum, 38, is due in court today after his arrest this morning outside 704 Keck Avenue, where police say he set up a meth lab. According to a probable cause affidavit filed in the case, Dullum admitted doing so and told authorities that he used and sold the drug.
Evansville Police Department officers went to the home shortly before 2 a.m. in response to a narcotics complaint and met Dullum as he was leaving, the affidavit said.
A search of his jacket turned up a substance that tested positive for meth, along with $475 in cash, the affidavit said.
Officers then searched the house, where police said they discovered numerous items associated with an active meth lab, including propane and torch tanks that tested positive for meth, according to the affidavit.
According to the Indiana Offender Database, Dullum is on parole for March 2007 drug dealing conviction. It said he also has a Feb. 2005 conviction for a similar offense.