-from jacksonsun.com-

West Tennessee law enforcement authorities recently seized marijuana and methamphetamine in two separate drug busts.

West Tennessee Judicial Violent Crime and Drug Task Force agents working with police in Humboldt and Trenton on Friday seized about 13 pounds of processed marijuana and 139 marijuana plants that were growing indoors, according to a press release from Donny Blackwell, special agent in charge.

Three people were charged with conspiracy to distribute marijuana, including a 16- year-old juvenile from Jackson.

They included Michael Holt of Humboldt and Bradley Scott of Jackson. Holt is also charged with manufacturing marijuana.”A tip came into the Humboldt Police Department early in the morning Friday. Agents started an investigation and within hours had executed two search warrants and made the arrest and the seizures,” the release said. “One suspect fled the scene and is still at large but an arrest is expected.” The investigation is ongoing.

In another drug bust, officers with the 27th Judicial Drug Task Force and the Tennessee Bureau of Investigation charged three people with multiple felony meth charges on July 24.

Officials have a warrant out for the arrest of a fourth suspect, a man who is still at large. The estimated street value of the drugs seized is $9,000, officials said.

William L. Goodman is charged with conspiracy to possess meth with intent to sell or deliver and possession of meth with intent to sell or deliver. He is also charged with school zone offenses because he allegedly had meth in his possession within 1,000 feet of a daycare with the intent to sell and deliver, the release said.

James Paul Bingham was also charged with conspiracy to possess meth with intent to sell or deliver and criminal attempt to possess meth with intent to sell or deliver.

Hattie M. Waggoner is charged with possession of meth with intent to sell or deliver. Jason Forrester has a warrant out for his arrest. Forrester is wanted on charges of conspiracy to sell and deliver meth, the release said.

Authorities said the drugs were shipped to Union City in a UPS package. Agents took an x-ray of the package and determined it contained illegal drugs, the release said.

Agents conducting a surveilance saw Goodman pick up the package and contents. Authorities said further investigations determined that Bingham arranged for the pickup, and Forrester was the sender of the package, the release said.

Bingham and Hattie M. Waggoner were arrested at Forrester’s home, located at 2937 North County Home Road in Union City.

-from abcactionnews.com-

SARASOTA — Sarasota Police announced the arrest of several people Monday after a major drug bust.

Police arrested two men on Friday morning at a location off Fruitville Road.

25-year-old Calvin Mulzac and 32-year-old Clifton Davis were both arrested on multiple drug charges.

On Friday night police searched a location off David Ave. They found more than 57 grams of cocaine, marijuana, several digital scales and a .22 caliber handgun.

Police arrested, 52-year-old Tommy Wheeler, 27-year-old Kenyatta Clayton, 24-year-old Courtney Gregory Demetis Garner, 20-year-old Dante W. Dashel, 22-year-old Michael A. Hinds, 27-year-old Ira J. Coleman and 23-year-old Luke Janssen Linmde.

-from pressofatlanticcity.com-

By Elaine Rose

NORTHFIELD — Two men face drug charges after officers found marijuana plants and other illicit substances when they responded to a Burton Avenue home after responding to a medical emergency, police said Friday.

Atlantic County probation officers knocked on the door of a home on the 500 block of Burton Avenue at 4:14 p.m. Wednesday, when they noticed a man lying on his back and not responding, police said; they called for help out of concern for the man’s safety.

Officers Kristina Ramsi and Peter Czaplinski responded, entered the house and found the man was not ill, but in a deep sleep, police said. Another person was found in the home and the probation officer searched for someone who was wanted on an arrest warrant.

In the course of the search, Lt. Arthur Faden saw drug paraphernalia in plain view, police said. The officers got a warrant and searched the home, where they reported finding substances believed to be illegal drugs and a small, concealed area with 13 suspected marijuana plants.

Steven Nicholas Ranger, 19, was arrested and charged with manufacture of a controlled dangerous substance, possession of drug paraphernalia and possession of less than 50 grams of marijuana. Edward William Ranger, 50, was charged with possession of crack cocaine, possession of less than 50 grams of marijuana and possession of drug paraphernalia, police said.

Both men were released pending court hearings, police said.

-from canada.com-

Police have seized opium poppies capable of producing heroin from a Calgary home in what Canadian authorities are calling an extremely rare bust.

Investigators found 1,500 plants with an estimated value of up to $45,000 in a house in the city’s northeast on Thursday.

It’s not just rare in Calgary - it’s rare nationwide, said RCMP spokesperson Sgt. Sylvie Tremblay. “We’ve never heard of such a seizure before,” she said yesterday.

Because of the narcotics it can yield, opium poppies themselves are a controlled substance in Canada.

Gurdev Samra, 62, of Calgary has been charged with possession for the purpose of trafficking and production of opium poppies.

-from associatedcontent.com-

By Rachel Krech

According to a Cook County Sheriff’s Department press release, a four-month prostitution bust across the county and in the city of Chicago resulted in the official arrests of 254 men and women. A large amount of those people had turned to the internet to advertise their prostitution services throughout the city and even the county.

The Cook County prostitution crackdown targeted both male customers and the female prostitutes themselves all over Cook County. The operation also branched out and targeted prostitutes who advertised on craigslist, a popular “for sale” website.

At the end of the four-month bust, 145 women and 49 men were charged with crimes involved with prostitution. The women were charged with street prostitution and the men with solicitation of a sex act. An additional 60 women were arrested for prostitution for advertising their sexual services on the craigslist website. Most ads on the site offered sexual acts in exchange for money. Two of the women were arrested twice in the operation.

Sheriff Thomas J. Dart said, “Some have argued that prostitution is a victimless crime…but in truth, prostitution victimizes entire communities by spreading disease, exploiting underprivileged women, destroying families, and driving down property values.” Most of the craigslist arrests came when the women posted ads with nude or semi-nude photos of themselves. Undercover police officers would contact the women on craigslist, pretending to be interested in their sexual services. The undercover police officers would then arrange to meet the women at various hotels throughout the County and the city of Chicago and as soon as the woman made an agreement for sexual acts for money, they were arrested by the officer. Some women even traveled from different parts of the country to meet up with the perspective customers. Most of the advertised prostitutes online charged between around $150 and $300 an hour for their services.

The other women arrested were typical prostitutes gathered together and working at street corners in low-class or broken down neighborhoods throughout the city and Cook County. Most of these women offered between $10 and $50 for a specific sex act.

The final sting in the operation included undercover female officers posing as prostitutes. Once the male customer offered the undercover officer money in exchange for sex acts, they were arrested. Police arrested only 49 men. They also impounded the offenders’ cars. The offenders’ had to pay a $500 impound fee on top of the bail and other costs.

-from iol.co.za-

Hong Kong - Customs officials in Hong Kong said Friday they had seized a record 160 kilogram haul of high-grade cocaine with a street value of more than $14-million (about R97-million).

The cocaine was found stashed on a container vessel that arrived in Hong Kong from Panama and was hidden in two containers carrying purified water.

Five men and two women, all from Hong Kong, were arrested in connection with the seizure, which followed a lengthy surveillance operation, a customs spokesman said.

Investigations show that the cocaine, the biggest haul found in a single operation in Hong Kong, was destined for other countries, with Hong Kong used as a transit point. - Sapa-DPA

-from wdam.com-

Nearly two dozen drug suspects are behind bars in Lamar County today, following a series of predawn raids by law enforcement officers.

The Lamar County Sheriff’s Department, along with the state Bureau of Narcotics and the state Department of Corrections, conducted the raids.

Officials were targeting primarily prescription drug dealers, who often get their drugs from out of state.

Most of the suspects face charges for sale of a controlled substance.

They all made their first appearances before Justice Court Judge Bill Anderson.

-from boston.com-

By Johanna Seltz

WEYMOUTH — Police say they interrupted a drug deal in the Wal-Mart store parking lot and confiscated small bags of cocaine and heroin.

“I wish I could say it was unusual, but it’s not: Drugs are everywhere,” said police Lieutenant George Greenwood.

Detectives were patrolling at about 1 p.m. July 16 when a woman pulled her vehicle into an out-of-the-way part of the lot, police said. After the woman made a call on her cellphone, a yellow Nissan pulled up and a man got out who appeared to have something in his hand, police said.

Police approached the woman’s car and discovered a “small baggie of heroin,” which she said she had just bought. Police said they found six bags of heroin and 12 bags of cocaine in the man’s car.

Ivan Guadalupe, 31, of Dorchester was charged with distribution of heroin, possession of heroin and cocaine with intent to distribute, and violating drug laws near a school or park, Greenwood said. Guadalupe pleaded not guilty in Quincy District Court and was released after posting bail. A hearing is scheduled for Sept. 6, according to a court official.