-from foxnews.com-

SEATTLE — Federal drug agents seized more than 36 pounds of cocaine and $203,000 in cash during overnight raids in Burien.

Thursday’s raids ended a 10-month investigation into a Burien-based cocaine ring with ties to Mexico.

The Drug Enforcement Administration and the King County Sheriff’s Office used wiretaps and surveillance to dismantle the organization. In all, 17 people were arrested and 16 have been indicted in U.S. District Court, including 10 people arrested in April.

Court documents say agents seized an additional 2 kilograms of cocaine, three guns, cars and $40,000 in cash during the March arrests.

The drug ring centered on the El Flamingo Restaurant in Burien.

Court documents say the accused ringleader, 30-year-old Domingo Bailon-Yanez, is related to the restaurant owner and was indicted.

Also indicted were 43-year-old restaurant manager Rigoberto Sabalsa-Lozano, of SeaTac, and 26-year-old bartender Carla Rodriguez-Romero, of Kent.

The DEA called the investigation Operation Pink Tiger. The cocaine came wrapped in bright-pink cellophane.

-from necn.com-

(NECN: San Diego, CA) - The FBI and Drug Enforcement Agency announced today that they had arrested 100 people, including 75 students, during a major drug operation in and around the campus of San Diego State University today.

Special Agent in Charge Ralph Partridge of the DEA says the operation, called “Operation Sudden Fall” was planned after the death of an SDSU student on campus in 2007. The DEA says that agents seized 50 pounds of marijuana, 2 kilos of cocaine, hundreds of ecstasy pills, guns and $60,000 in cash in the operation.

The university president says all the students involved have been suspended and their housing privileges on campus have been revoked. An unknown number of the students were from fraternities, and the university president says that those houses will be thrown off campus if the houses were at all complicit in the drug activity.

Agents say the marijuana growing operation did not happen on campus.

-from news.com.au-

TWO more men have been charged over one of Australia’s biggest drug busts - the importation of one million ecstasy tablets.

Customs and Australian Federal Police uncovered the shipment of illegal drugs, with an estimated street value of $40 million, in June 2006.

Some 350kg of methamphetamine or MDMA, totalling 1.2 million tablets, was found in vacuum-sealed bags inside a shipping container of ink which arrived in Melbourne from Canada via Hong Kong.

Two men were charged yesterday over the drug haul, bringing to five the total number of people now charged over the matter.

A 53-year-old Australian citizen, living in Hong Kong, was arrested when he arrived in Sydney on an international flight yesterday.

A 40-year-old Sydney man was arrested yesterday following the raid of a property at Campsie, in the city’s southwest.

Police said a second raid at suburban Strathfield yielded cash and chemicals.

Both men face charges of conspiracy to import and possession of a border controlled drug and are due in a Sydney court today.

-from chicagotribune.com-

By Matthew Walberg

Police seeking fourth suspect

Three people were arrested and police were seeking a fourth person in connection with a drug bust early Wednesday in Markham.

Following a three-month undercover operation, Markham police, along with Illinois State Police, executed search warrants about 5:30 a.m. at four homes on the south suburb’s east side.

Police seized a small amount of crack cocaine, a semiautomatic handgun with a loaded 30-round ammunition clip, a shotgun and rifle combo, more than $1,000 in cash and scales and other items used for drug distribution, said Police Detective Tony DeBois.

Two men and a woman were in custody and charges were expected to be lodged against them Thursday morning, DeBois said. He said another woman who was targeted in the inquiry was not home at the time of the raid.

The raid was the culmination of an investigation dubbed “Operation Nuisance Abatement,” which began after residents and village officials complained about increased drug sales in the area.

The suspects allegedly sold between $500 and $1,000 in drugs a day and were considered low-level dealers, but DeBois said the investigation was ongoing.

“We’re going after the low-level guys because they bring a lot of violence to the community,” he said. “We’re just slowing it down while we build cases. This is just the beginning—you’re going to see a lot more of this.”

-from wnewsj.com-

By Rose Cooper

Two large sources of the methamphetamine supply in Clinton County were shut down with the arrests of two Midland men in separate drug busts Friday morning by the Clinton County Sheriff’s Office. Also arrested were two other Clinton County residents and a resident from Highland County.

Search warrants were served simultaneously at the residence of Karl G. Smith, 43, of North Broadway Street, Midland, and Travis M. Commins, 35, of Cuba Pike, Midland.

“Karl Smith and Travis Commins both have been large sources of methamphetamine in the Midland and Clinton County area for close to 10 years,” said Sgt. Doug Eastes, a detective with the Clinton County Sheriff’s Office. “They’ve been busted a couple of times and have served prison time. Travis has only been out of prison six to eight months, and Karl has been out about a year to 1 1/2 years,” he said.

Eastes said Smith was “discovered in close proximity of a methamphetamine lab. Also, Mr. Smith was found in possession of methamphetamine. A search of his property resulted in the location of more chemicals used in the manufacture of methamphetamine, a firearm and more methamphetamine finished product.”

He continued, “Smith has a prior conviction for aggravated possession of dangerous drugs, a felony three, where he was found in possession of a large amount of methamphetamine a couple years back,” Eastes said.

Also arrested at Smith’s residence were Danny A. Calloway, 43, of Woodville Road, Blanchester, and Highland County resident Alicia L. Knisley, 26, of Lynchburg.

Calloway was initially charged with possession of methamphetamine, a fifth-degree felony.

Knisley also was in possession of methamphetamine, Eastes said. “Miss Knisley was on parole through Highland County on meth related charges,” he said.

Knisley is being held in the Highland County Jail for parole violation, according to Eastes.

“A search of the Commins property resulted in various chemicals and equipment used in the manufacture of methamphetamine being found on the property. Also, finished product was found inside the residence,” Eastes said.

Commins’ girlfriend, Corie J. Williams, 20, of West Main Street, Clarksville, was arrested at his residence. Eastes said Williams was on probation through the Clinton County Common Pleas Court and was arrested for probation violation.

Bond was set at $52,500 for Smith, Commins is being held on $27,500 bond and Calloway was held on $2,500 bond. Williams is being held without bond.

Eastes said numerous additional charges are pending the results from the Miami Valley Crime Lab analysis.

The special response team from the Highland County Sheriff’s Office served the search warrant at the Commins residence. Clinton County deputies served the warrant at Smith’s residence, with assistance provided by the Blanchester Police Department.

“I want to thank the Highland County Sheriff’s Office and Sheriff (Ron) Ward for coming down and helping us,” Eastes said. “With such a big operation as we had Friday with two separate meth labs on two different sites in one area, we had to have extra assistance from them.”

Highland County deputies also assisted in the clean-up of hazardous waste and made preparations for the Drug Enforcement Administration to send their clean-up crew to remove the hazardous waste.

Eastes said road patrol deputies have been “stepping up activity” in the Midland area. “Information we’ve been receiving was the direct result of their hard work and information from the citizens of Midland,” he said.

“I want to thank the residents of Midland for their patience,” said Clinton County Sheriff Ralph D. Fizer Jr. “When we hit these guys, we want to have good charges so we can send them back to prison. All the deputies and detectives did a good job and we will continue the drug busts.”

Eastes added, “The job’s not done yet, but we definitely put a big dent in it.”

-from wfxl.com-

By Jenna McWilliams

ALBANY,GA. — Local law enforcement agencies made several drug-related arrests this weekend. Gordon Street, South Madison Street and Cotton Street were blocked in order to cut down on drug activity in the area.

Drug agents arrested 20-year-old Jody Edwards, 26-year-old David Harper, 27-year-old Zerike Jones, and 36-year-old Megan Marshal on multiple drug charges including possession with intent to sell. Authorities also made seven other arrests after blocking off sections of east Albany while trying to catch people coming to the area to buy drugs.

Major Derrell Smith of the Albany/Dougherty Drug Unit says, “While we were out there we actually had people from the community coming up and thanking us for being in the area because it’s had so many problems over there.”

Authorities say they’re working with the District Attorney’s office for possible seizure of the grocery store that was busted for selling alcohol without a license.

-from myrtlebeachonline.com-

By Claudia Lauer

Nine people were arrested late Friday night in an accidental drug bust in what police described as a “crack party'’ in Atlantic Beach.

Police officers were patrolling near Skeeter’s Motel on 31st Avenue when one of them overheard a motel guest mention there was a crack party happening in one of the rooms, police said. The officers knocked on the door where they found nine people sitting with crack pipes and drugs in plain view, police said.

They arrested Raishes Bellamy, 44, Karen Rowell, 43, and Michael Trotman, 43, North Myrtle Beach; Shayne Small, 29, of Nichols; Phillip Farmer, 58, Brian Burchfield, 35, and Brian Williams, 27, of Atlantic Beach; Derrick Eutsey, 33, of Longs; and Ralph Fulmer, 48, of Little River. All nine were charged with manufacturing crack cocaine or methamphetamines, and distributing, selling or buying crack cocaine near a school.

All nine had bond hearings Sunday morning, according to jail officials. Bail was set at $10,000 for Trotman, Eutsey, Fulmer and Williams; and at $4,000 for Bellamy, Burchfield, Farmer, Rowell and Small.

Bellamy, Rowell, Small, Farmer, Williams, Fulmer, Burchfield and Eutsey were being held at J. Reuben Long Detention Center as of late Sunday night. According to jail officials, Trotman had posted his bond Sunday afternoon.

-from timesofmalta.com-

The police have arrested 19 men and a woman in six operations during which cannabis, cocaine and ecstasy were seized.

The first discovery of drugs was made on April 26 when the Drug Squad and Msida police arrested a man aged 28 from Marsa and a man aged 20 from Attard after they were found in possession of cocaine

The following day, three men aged between 19 and 22, all from Sta Venera, were arrested after they were found taking cannabis in a public garden in Sta Venera.

On Thursday, officers from the Drug Squad were deployed to two parties in Qawra and St Julians. At the former, five youths aged 16-28 from Dingli, Hamrun, Attard, Birkirkara and Mosta were arrested after they were found in possession of cannabis, ecstasy and cocaine.

Four men and a woman aged 21 to 25 were arrested at the other party. They are residents of San Gwann, Ghaxaq, St Julians and Birkirkara. All were found in possession of drugs and two will also be accused of drug trafficking.

Last Friday, a 32 year old man was arrested in St Paul’s Bay after he was found in possession of 22 packets of cocaine which were about to be sold.

That was followed by the arrest of a Briton, aged 43 and resident of St Paul’s Bay, who were also in possession of cocaine.

On Friday-Saturday night two men aged 21 and 22, of Naxxar, were arrested at Dingli cliffs after they were observed taking drugs by a police patrol.

Investigations are continuing and arraignments will be made in the coming days, the police said.