-from kare11.com-

Edina police are investigating an alleged prostitution ring that was operating in an apartment complex located next door to a police and fire substation.

One man is in jail and two women have also been charged in connection with the alleged prostitution ring that was reportedly operated out of the Durham Apartments in the 7200 block of York Avenue.

The criminal complaint outlines an illegal business, that operated in a seventh floor apartment and involved a near-around-the clock schedule. This was the first sting operation for Edina police in several years.

Arrested is 54-year old Guowen Pang who is charged with operating a prostitution ring which is a felony offense. Authorities say they’ve confiscated records that seem to point to an elaborate operation.

“We found one ledger in the apartment after the arrest was made and counted up 34 pages with entries filling the pages. So there were over 500 appointments from September to the 19th of December,” said Edina Police Chief Mike Sitari.

Two other women were taken into custody. One faces a misdemeanor, while the other, who authorities believe was keeping the books, faces a felony.

-from kten.com-

By Hailee Holliday

The District Attorney’s Drug Task Force has arrested a Love County mother and son for allegedly trafficking drugs and weapons near a school in the small community of Greenville. Task force agents say this most recent drug investigation has lead to the 13th drug-related arrest this month, and they say this month has been slow. KTEN’s Hailee Holliday has the story.

46-year-old Therese Hennessy and 27-year-old Keith Hennessy were booked into the Love County Jail on pending charges of trafficking methamphetamines, possession of marijuana, and possession of firearms during the commission of a felony. Task force agents say the arrests were the result of a tip they received and Mr. Hennessy was also wanted on a Carter County warrant. They say the charges against the mother and son will be doubled since the alleged drug activity was occurring near the Greenville elementary school.

Agents say, “When you get into a rural area it’s less common to find stuff near schools in the rural areas but when you get into a populated area such as Ardmore, there are alot of schools so it’s very common to find at least some quantity of drugs there”.

Agents say because of the substantial amount of narcotics found, they are looking for a meth lab they believe could be located near by. The investigation will continue until they locate the possible meth lab and all suspects involved have been arrested.

-from domicantoday.com-

By Martin Wesoly

3 of the cocaine smugglers were arrested on Christmas Eve WARSAW.- Almost 1.5 tons of pure cocaine worth over US$100 million were seized in containers earlier this month in Sweden’s port at Goeteborg, aboard a boat headed to Poland, which Police describes as the largest drug bust in that country’s history

It was reported that the smugglers attempted to transfer the “Colombian cargo” during Christmas Eve, hoping that during this period Customs officers were less watchful and not detect the contraband, but agents from both countries had already set the trap, replacing the cocaine with white powder and waited for someone to claim it.

Polish police were tipped off and the ensuing investigation led to the arrest of 3 suspects on Christmas day. It was reported that 2 of the detainees suspected of coordinating the operation to bring the drug from Colombia to Poland via Scandinavia are Poles, but have Mexican passports, and have been previously charged with taking part in organized crime. It was learned that some 10 people make up the smuggling ring and that other arrests will be announced by Police. So far the South America-Poland smuggling route has for the most part been via Spain and Portugal, but during the holidays the traffickers apparently sought to blaze a new trail, which instead led them to a Polish prison.

-from click2houston.com-

HOUSTON — A man was arrested when deputies found 15,000 pounds of marijuana, worth $25 million, in a northwest Harris County warehouse, officials told KPRC Local 2 Thursday.

The Harris County Sheriff’s Office Narcotics Unit received a tip that Louis Mendez, 29, was in possession of a controlled substance while he was driving a semi-tractor trailer.At about 10 p.m. Wednesday, a deputy spotted Mendez leaving the warehouse and driving his big rig without headlights, according to authorities.

The deputy pulled over Mendez and found cocaine and marijuana, officials said.

A search of the warehouse led to the discovery of 502 bails of marijuana weighing approximately 15,000 pounds. A vehicle and an AR15 assault rifle was were also confiscated from the warehouse.It was one of the largest drug busts in Harris County history.”I’ve been in narcotics since ‘93 and I’ve never seen a load of marijuana as big as this,” said Lt. J.D. Glesmann of the Harris County Sheriff’s Office.Investigators said they believe the marijuana came from Mexico. The big rig came from the Valley.Mendez was charged with possession of a controlled substance and possession of marijuana with intent to deliver.

-from mercurynews.com-

LOS ANGELES - A young girl from Thailand who was struck by a stray bullet a week ago in an exchange of gunfire on the street outside her home has died.

Nine-year-old Charupa Wongwistiri died Tuesday at Childrens Hospital, hospital spokesman Steve Rutledge said Wednesday. Charupa’s mother, searching for a better life for her daughter, brought her to the United States about a year ago.

Prosecutors initially said they planned to file charges Wednesday against two men arrested in connection with the case, but Jane Robison, a district attorney’s spokeswoman said they would delay the filings pending further investigation.

Cesar Zamora, 24, and Steven Andrew Castanon, 20, were being held on $50,000 bail each for investigation of attempted murder. Charupa’s death will likely change that.

Charupa was standing next to her mother in the family’s kitchen in their Angelino Heights neighborhood west of downtown on Dec. 20 when a car pulled up to Zamora and Castanon, who were on the street, and opened fire, authorities said.

The men returned gunfire, and one of the bullets struck Charupa in the head. The shooting was gang related, police said.

Detectives said Wednesday they were trying to identify the car and a man who shot at Zamora and Castanon.

-from bigforkeagle.com-

A collaborative effort by the Northwest Drug Task Force, Montana State Division of Criminal Investigations, Immigration and Customs Enforcement and Montana State Adult Probation and Parole has led to the arrests of six mid- to high-level methamphetamine traffickers in the area. The arrests have been the result of a 10-month investigation targeting drug trafficking organizations, specifically methamphetamine dealers in the valley. Information gathered during the investigation suggests these individuals are mid- to high-level meth dealers.
The investigation points to the benefit of combining state, federal and local agencies to combat drug trafficking organizations in the area. During 2005, the drug task force added a federal Immigration and Customs Enforcement officer. During 2006, the task force gained two Montana State Narcotics officers. These three additional officers have years of drug enforcement experience and have proven to be invaluable in assisting the investigation.Dallas Reid Keopfli, 47, was arrested on Dec. 12 and is charged in federal court with distribution of dangerous drugs. Charles Gregory, 41, was arrested on Dec. 12 and is charged with distribution of dangerous drugs.Clifford James Erlandson, 40, was arrested Dec. 13 and is charged with distribution of dangerous drugs.Robert Matthew Bancroft, 37, was arrested by task force officers on Nov. 29 and is charged with possession of dangerous drugs and distribution. The case will be presented to the U.S. Attorney’s office for additional charges.Myrtle Baldwin, 71, was arrested on Dec. 7 and is charged with federal charged of conspiracy to distribute dangerous drugs. During the arrest, she was in possession of two ounces of crystal meth and $9,000 in cash.Dallas Herman, 43, was arrested on Aug. 30 and is charged with possession of dangerous drugs with the intent to distribute. The arrest is the result of a probation search with the assistance of task force officers. More than five ounces of meth were seized as a result of the search. The case will be presented to the U.S. Attorney’s office for additional charges.The investigation is still ongoing with more arrests expected.

-from wjbdradio.com-

State Police have released details on a search warrant executed on a St. Rose mobile home in Clinton County last week that yielded over 23 pounds of marijuana. Two people have been arrested as part of the on-going investigation of drug activity in the metro-east. 25-year-old Alex Pearse of Caseyville and 21-year-old Nicole Shumate of Collinsville are being held for possession of cannabis with intent to deliver and possession of cannabis. Bond for Pearse has been set at 100-thousand dollars. Bond for Shumate is set at 50-thousand.

Police say the cannabis seized at the mobile home on Main Street in St. Rose were in one pound packages. Cannabis plants and other items related to the production of cannabis were also allegedly found. State Police were assisted in the bust by the Metropolitan Enforcement Group of Southern Illinois and the Clinton County Sheriff’s Department.

-from newsday.com-

NEW YORK (AP) _ Lucrative drug smuggling and gambling rings have been busted, leading to 17 arrests and the seizure of $1 million, authorities said Wednesday.

Fourteen men were arrested on charges of promoting gambling, and three were arrested on charges of conspiracy to possess marijuana, Suffolk County District Attorney Thomas Spota said.

“Surveillance … established that the gambling ring took in an average of $165,000 a week in bets,” Spota said.

The bookmaking operation focused on professional and collegiate sports and involved electronic transfers to Costa Rica, generating $8.6 million a year, he said.

The drug investigation sprung out of the gambling probe while investigators were conducting surveillance.

Four men were trying to buy 100 pounds of pot for $300,000 in California when the plot was thwarted, investigators said.

Police started arresting the men last month. The men have been released and are scheduled to be arraigned in March.

One more man, an attorney from Freeport, has eluded arrest on a conspiracy charge and was being sought, prosecutors said.