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Police discovers firearms in US embassy van in Bolivia | EUTimes.net

noreply@blogger.com (Rhonda's Commentary) — Thu, 29 Mar 2012 05:46:00 +0000

Well done Bolivian Police, just like Representative Darrell Issa uncovering the corruption of Eric Holder in Fast and Furious.

Police discovers firearms in US embassy van in Bolivia | EUTimes.net

Police discovers firearms in US embassy van in Bolivia

Posted by EU Times on Mar 28th, 2012 // 1 Comment

A policeman outside the US embassy in La Paz, Bolivia

Bolivian police officers have discovered firearms in a van belonging to the US embassy during a routine search in the country’s northeast.

Bolivia’s Interior Minister Carlos Romero said that the firearms, including three shotguns, a revolver and more than two-thousand cartridges, were found in the northeastern city of Trinidad on Tuesday, AFP reported.

Police stopped the vehicle for inspection following a tip from intelligence services, the minister said, calling the incident a matter of “national security.”

“We’re talking about actions that put the security of the nation in danger, about actions that call into question the respect for state institutions and the laws of the Bolivian state,” he said.

Bolivian President Evo Morales has recently stated that he would shut down the American embassy in La Paz if Washington continues to interfere in Bolivia’s internal affairs.

“If the US embassy continues bothering Bolivia, as it is doing now, then it is best we close the United States embassy in Bolivia because we are anti-imperialist, anti-capitalist and anti-neoliberals,” Morales said.

Morales has been publicly critical of US policies towards his nation, charging that a number of non-governmental organizations (NGOs) have been engaged in spying against the country on behalf of the US.

The American embassy in Bolivia has issued a statement, claiming that Washington often provides weapons and ammunition to local police officers in many other countries to protect US diplomatic installations.

Source

Tags: American Embassy, Bolivia, Carlos Romero, Evo Morales, Firearms, La Paz, Police, Policeman,Trinidad, US Embassy

1 Response to " Police discovers firearms in US embassy van in Bolivia "

evevalin says:
29/03/2012 at 9:38 am
Well Done Bolivia!! Everyone should stand up too mad amerika!

People in neighborhoods who plot to control other peoples property or sale thereof

noreply@blogger.com (Rhonda's Commentary) — Wed, 29 Feb 2012 01:39:00 +0000

People in neighborhoods who plot to control other peoples property or sale thereof by manipulating Homeowners Associations and coercing, threatening, gangstalking – a serious crime itself – and violence and fear, where the property is for sale across State lines, are criminals and must be prosecuted under Federal Law.

The RICO law, 18 USC §1962(c), prohibits “any person employed by or associated with any enterprise engaged in… activities… which affect[] interstate… commerce, to conduct… such enterprise’s affairs through a pattern of racketeering activity…” (emphasis added)

§ 1961 (1) defines a “racketeering activity” as

(A) any act or threat involving murder, kidnapping, gambling, arson, robbery, bribery, extortion, dealing in obscene matter, or dealing in a controlled substance… which is chargable under State law and punishable by imprisonment for more than one year [or] (B) any act which is indictable under any of the following provisions of title 18, United States Code: Section 201… (emphasis added)

One of the acts “indictable under any of the following provisions of title 18″ is extortion, which is defined by § 1951(a) as when someone “obstructs, delays, or affects commerce or the movement of any article or commodity in commerce, by robbery or extortion or attempts or conspires so to do (sic)…” That section further defines extortion as “the obtaining of property from another, with his consent, induced by wrongful use of actual or threatened force, violence, or fear, or under color of official right.”

And § 1961 (5) defines a “pattern of racketeering activity” as “at least two acts of [even the same] racketeering activity…”

California extortion laws are defined in Penal Codes 518 to 527 PC. Penal Code 518 defines extortion (which is commonly referred to as blackmail) as:

using force or threats to compel another to give you money or other property,

using force of threats to compel a public officer to perform an official act, or

being a public official and compelling another to give you money or other property acting under color of official right.

Backlink: The Justice of God: None: People in neighborhoods who plot to control other peoples property or sale thereof

Rhonda's Commentary: Mules, Drugs, Lawyers and the Military

The Justice of God: Fast And Furious Investigation

noreply@blogger.com (Patron St. Stephen Protomartyr ستيف في فيستا) — Thu, 02 Feb 2012 15:36:00 +0000

The Justice of God: Fast And Furious Investigation

Oversight Committee Hearing live at 9:00 AM Eastern Time, 6:00 AM Pacific Time, February 2, 2012

C-SPAN and C-SPAN II not showing this live.

FIVE YEAR GUN RUNNING OPERATION - ARIZONA ATF - EXPOSED BY UNITED STATES CONGRESS OVERSIGHT COMMITTEE. CONTEMPT CITATION IN OFFING IF HOLDER CONTINUES TO STONEWALL. REP. BURTON INCREDULOUS AT TESTIMONY.

DarrellIssa Darrell Issa

Here is my full letter to #Holder. Stop stonewalling or face contempt charges. Choice is his: 1.usa.gov/z0SKMK. #tcot #fastandfurious

31 Jan

http://oversight.house.gov/images/stories/Letters/2012-01-31_DEI_to_Holder_re_Feb_4_deadline.pdf

See below especially, and see here also on Twitter http://twitter.com/#!/search?q=%23FastAndFurious

On Twitter: See #FastAndFurious

See below:

FORTRESS HOLDER: A Year of Justice Department Stonewalling

LETTER TO HOLDER: Comply with Fast & Furious Subpoena or Face Contempt Charges

BACKGROUND MEMO: The Role of Top Justice Department Officials in Fast & Furious

ISSA TO HOLDER: When did you first know about Fast and Furious?

REP.MEEHAN
discovers ATF, ICE, DEA & IRS all involved in Fast and Furious

WHITE HOUSE
received information from ATF on Operation Fast and Furious

Fast and Furious: Who is Accountable?

Attorney General Holder, Does The Buck Stop With You?

Issa Pushes Holder for Truth on Handling of Fast and Furious

Chaffetz to AG Holder: Where Is Communication B/W DOJ, Obama

Gowdy Questions AG Holder on Key Players Involved with Fast & Furious

Ross to AG Holder: You Can Delegate Authority, But You Cannot Delegate

Gowdy to AG Holder: Wiretaps for Operation Fast & Furious and Hierarchy of Key DOJ

Issa on Fast & Furious: AG Holder and DOJ Continue To Delay Oversight Investigation

@GOPoversight: #FastAndFurious hearing about to start. Watch live at FastAndFuriousInvestigation.com #tcot #holder #p2

@GOPoversight: REPORT: #Holder & top @TheJusticeDept officials had extensive knowledge of #FastAndFurious, did nothing: http://t.co/mIwzYfCH #tcot #p2

@KatiePavlich: "The minority report won't be much use of you because it basically says nothing happened," -Issa #fastandfurious #fact

@GOPoversight:&nbspWhen #Holder found out about gunwalking programs...he did nothing. - http://t.co/EnXXGtUn

@GOPoversight:&nbspDid #Holder discipline anyone from any gunwalking programs? -http://bit.ly/A7uTfG #fastandfurious

@GOPoversight:&nbspPutting #Holder under oath for #FastAndFurious testimony - http://t.co/EnXXGtUn

@DarrellIssa: "It's groundhog day and Brian Terry's family and taxpayers still waiting for #FastAndFurious answers from @TheJusticeDept" - @Darrelissa

@sgtbetsysmith:&nbspI can't wait to hear what #Holder & @TheJusticeDept have to say about #FastAndFurious today. Thank you @DarrellIssa for your tenacity!

@GOPoversight: #FastAndFurious hearing about to start. Watch live at FastAndFuriousInvestigation.com #tcot #holder #p2

@GOPoversight:&nbspREPORT: #Holder & top @TheJusticeDept officials had extensive knowledge of #FastAndFurious, did nothing: http://t.co/mIwzYfCH #tcot #p2

HOLDER THREATENS REPRESENTATIVE ISSA WHO TOLD HOLDER THAT CONGRESS CAN'T BE GAGGED BY A COURT ORDER THAT HOLDER THREW OUT: Holder to ISSA: "You act at your peril if you think that's the truth." #fastandfurious

HOLDER THREATENING A MEMBER OF CONGRESS!!

Representative Chaffetz says Holder is having those under him purposefully not tell him what is going on so he can claim ignorance.

received yesterday -

Attorney General Eric Holder Will Testify Thursday, Feb. 2
Watch Live

Dear Stephen,

Tomorrow Attorney General Eric Holder will be appearing before the Oversight and Government Reform Committee to testify about the Justice Department's failures in authorizing and directing deadly Operation Fast & Furious. You can watch this hearing starting at 6:00 a.m. (PST) by clicking here.

The Congressional investigation of Operation Fast & Furious is of great importance to many Americans. Attorney General Eric Holder and the Justice Department he oversees on behalf of the President have been unwilling participants in our efforts to uncover the source of responsibility in this botched gun-walking operation that knowingly allowed thousands of illegally purchased weapons to be trafficked across the border into the hands of drug cartels. Tens of thousands of Justice Department pages that document Fast & Furious have been withheld from Congressional investigators despite the issuance of subpoenas. That disregard is unacceptable.

This week I informed the Attorney General in a letter that if his department continues to obstruct the investigation, proceedings will begin to hold him in contempt of Congress. I discuss this more in the news clip posted below.

Operation Fast & Furious has already claimed the life of at least one and been the source of violent crime on both sides of the southern border. The American people have a right to know who is responsible for it, why the Justice Department let it continue, and why the truth is being stonewalled. Tomorrow we hope to get some of those answers. Remember you can watch live starting at 6:00 a.m. (PST).

Sincerely,

Darrell Issa
Member of Congress

ISSA: Holder Will be Held in Contempt if DOJ Does Not Comply

ISSA: Holder will be held in contempt if DOJ doesn't comply with Fast and Furious Subpoena

noreply@blogger.com (Patron St. Stephen Protomartyr ستيف في فيستا) — Thu, 02 Feb 2012 02:01:00 +0000

ISSA: Holder will be held in contempt if DOJ doesn't comply with Fast and Furious Subpoena

Attorney General Eric Holder Will Testify Thursday, Feb. 2
Watch Live

Sincerely,

Darrell Issa
Member of Congress

Private Spies: DOD Investigating Use Of Contractors To Track, Kill Militants

noreply@blogger.com (Patron St. Stephen Protomartyr ستيف في فيستا) — Wed, 25 Jan 2012 05:14:00 +0000

We salute the DOD for stopping murder for hire under the false pretense of "National Security."

Private Spies: DOD Investigating Use Of Contractors To Track, Kill Militants

ANNE FLAHERTY and DEB RIECHMANN 03/15/10 08:05 PM ET

WASHINGTON — A Defense Department official is under investigation for allegedly hiring private contractors to gather intelligence on suspected insurgents in Afghanistan and Pakistan, a U.S. official said Monday.

The official, who spoke on condition of anonymity to discuss the case, told The Associated Press that Michael D. Furlong directed a defense contract to gather information about the region that could be shared with military units. After military officials suspected that he was using Defense Department money for an off-the-books spy operation, defense officials shut down that part of the contract, the official said.

The story was first reported by The New York Times in Monday's editions, quoting unidentified military and business sources as saying that Furlong, now a senior civilian employee at Lackland Air Force Base in San Antonio, Texas, hired subcontractors who had former U.S. intelligence and special forces operatives on their payrolls. The newspaper said some of the information collected by the contractors was used to track down and attack militants.

"The story makes some serious allegations and raises numerous unanswered questions that warrant further review by the department," Pentagon spokesman Bryan Whitman said Monday.

The military in mid-2008 put Furlong in charge of a program to use private companies to gather information about Afghanistan's political and tribal culture, the Times reported.

Part of the original $22 million contract that Furlong was directing remains intact, the official told the AP, because it provides the funding for nine workers involved in information-gathering, translation and similar work. Those workers are employed by International Media Ventures with offices in Florida, Texas and elsewhere.

Nine employees from International Media Ventures were hired by the U.S. military to serve as information analysts and in other administrative jobs at the International Security Assistance Force headquarters operations center in Kabul, said Maj. Steven Cole, a spokesman for the international military coalition in Afghanistan.

"We are not aware of, nor responsible for, any other activities performed by this company or any of its subsidiaries," Cole said.

Furlong continues to work for U.S. Strategic Command as a "strategic planner and technology integration adviser" at the Joint Information Operations Warfare Center at Lackland Air Force Base.

Master Sgt. Kevin Allen, a spokesman for U.S. Strategic Command, said Furlong began working there in February 2008 but was soon assigned to support U.S. Central Command, which oversees the war in Afghanistan.

Allen declined to make Furlong available for an interview or confirm that Furlong was under investigation.

____

Riechmann reported from Kabul.

Covina arrests mystify a neighborhood

noreply@blogger.com (Patron St. Stephen Protomartyr ستيف في فيستا) — Fri, 13 Jan 2012 16:15:00 +0000

Covina arrests mystify a neighborhood

After two Mexican federal agents and two others were arrested in July on drug-related charges, little has emerged about the case and residents are puzzled.

By Paul Pringle

January 2, 2009
[http://www.latimes.com/]

The residents of North Monte Verde Drive, a stretch of oak-shaded suburban calm in the Covina area, normally would feel safe knowing that two off-duty police officers were visiting the neighborhood.

Not this time. These officers were far from home -- agents of the Mexican federal police -- and they ended up on the wrong side of a bust, with a fortune in cash that prosecutors say was tied to narcotics trafficking.

The raid in July raised the specter that the often-brutal workings of the Mexican drug trade have reached deep into Southern California. But five months later, the fuller background of the case remains a mystery.

"We all just sort of went, 'Yikes!' " Susan Wood, a longtime Monte Verde resident, said of the possible link between her neighborhood and the mayhem a country away. "This isn't a drug-trafficky area at all."

No connections to Mexican drug syndicates have been alleged in the Covina case, and defense attorneys say there are none. But speculation has been fueled by the fact that authorities have been unusually tight-lipped about the circumstances surrounding the arrests and the direction of their investigation.

One of the Mexican suspects, a federal police commander based in the border city of Mexicali, is believed to have been the target of an assassination attempt there last summer, when gunmen shot up his car and killed two of his aides.

The commander, Carlos Cedano Filippini, 35, was not in the vehicle at the time. Mexican media reported that Cedano abandoned his job after the shooting.

He was the second Mexican federal officer arrested in a Southern California drug probe in three weeks. Earlier in July, agents from the state Bureau of Narcotic Enforcement arrested Omar Lugo and another man in Riverside County on suspicion of transporting 154 pounds of cocaine in their car. A judge later ordered the two suspects released, ruling in favor of defense attorneys who said officers had lacked probable cause to search the car, said Orlando Lopez, a special agent in charge for the bureau. That ruling is under appeal and an investigation is continuing, Lopez said.

Narcotics-related violence in Mexico claimed more than 5,000 lives last year, as rival drug cartels battle over smuggling routes and beleaguered government forces press a crackdown. The spoils of the carnage are narcotics bound for the United States -- Southern California is a top trans-shipment point -- but there have been few outward signs here of cartel operations and attendant bloodshed.

Like Wood, other Monte Verde residents said they know nothing about the case beyond what they had learned in news reports, and very little about the occupants of the spacious home where the Mexicans were taken into custody. Some residents were fearful of being quoted by name.

"It's like a TV show," a neighbor said of the case.

Arrested along with the agents were two U.S. citizens, siblings Hector and Julissa Lopez. Their parents, who live in the 4,800-square-foot house at the end of a long driveway, have not been implicated, authorities say.

Julissa Lopez, 36, is the common-law wife of Cedano, the commander from Mexico's Federal Investigative Agency, that nation's equivalent of the FBI. Also charged is one of Cedano's officers, Victor M. Juarez, 36.

The four have pleaded not guilty and are awaiting trial in Los Angeles County Superior Court on charges of possessing more than $630,000 as part of an alleged drug transaction. If convicted, they face a maximum of four years in prison.

A stakeout team of narcotics investigators stormed the house and spotted the defendants walking out of a bedroom, according to prosecutors. Seized along with the suitcase full of cash were a money-counting machine, other bundles of currency, heat-sealable packets for the bills, and lists of payments and debts for narcotics, authorities say. Defense attorneys have said the lists were innocent jottings of family activities.

No drugs were found, but a police dog trained to sniff out narcotics residue showed a positive response to the suitcase and to other items in the bedroom, investigators say.

A preliminary hearing provided scant insight into the probe, with testimony focusing mainly on details of the surveillance and search of the house.

Deputy Dist. Atty. Oscar Plascencia, who is prosecuting the case, declined to comment, as did officials of the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration and the Los Angeles Police Department, which are conducting the investigation. Shortly after the arrests, a DEA spokeswoman said the stakeout team had not expected to encounter Mexican agents at the house, but she did not elaborate.

Mexican authorities did not return phone calls.

Robert I. Friedman Red Mafiya Jewish or Russian Mafia ?

noreply@blogger.com (Patron St. Stephen Protomartyr ستيف في فيستا) — Wed, 23 Nov 2011 16:33:00 +0000

Here - Robert I. Friedman Red Mafiya Jewish or Russian Mafia ?:

Very revealing and compelling online book. I highly recommend it for its forthright character. As I have said elsewhere, for those interested, quit looking for a overweaning Jewish only conspiracy to blame for everything. That is, I might say, a racist viewpoint in the first place. They are involved, but with a large number of gentiles at the same time. This shows the involvement of Jews in Communist/post-Communist (though Putin and the Communists are still in charge) crime in Russia and spreading from there to many places. That actually has been a very long time element of the transnational criminal underworld; which underworld has ethnicities of all sorts. By the way, they don't obey the law in the first place, so why would anyone expect them to observe national borders? Hence the transnational character is very real and a very important aspect of what they are all about.

A brief excerpt to show the inside development of what is revealed.

Robert Friedman Red Mafiya Jewish Mafia or Russian mafia 4/6
TARZAN 151
circles to have a criminal lineage that could be traced to Meyer Lansky, the mobster who once boasted that the Mafia was bigger than U.S. Steel. According to Brighton Beach gangster Vladimir Ginzberg, the Russian mobsters, out of deference, call the energetic, silver-haired Seidle Stariyk, the Russian word for "old man." (Seidle denies that he knew Lansky or has ever done business with organized crime.) Brent Eaton, a veteran DEA agent, says that Seidle has been under investigation by numerous federal agencies for more than twenty years, although he has never been indicted. "Bill Seidle is a great guy," William Lehman, a former Democratic congressman, told me. Lehman, who represented South Florida for twenty years, said Seidle "enjoyed Tarzan's out-rageousness. I've know Bill for fifty years and he's always run a kosher business. There are no blemishes."
Seidle took a shine to Tarzan the moment they met. "Tarzan was a boisterous, big-mouthed Yiddel," Seidle told me in a Yiddish drawl, one hot, buggy day in Miami. "He's a Jewboy, you know. Just a big-mouth kid, always bragging, boisterous, but very nice, very kind ... I would describe him as a very, very dear friend. I was close to him. He was close to our family. They loved Tarzan. They think a lot of him. They still feel the same."

It is apparent from this example that the Russian mobsters schmooze everybody they can, when it is in their interests. Bottom line though, they are the worst of the worst of criminals.

What occurs here to the thinking person is the extremely real potential and probability of the transnational underworld being used by Intelligence Saboteurs for undermining regimes throughout the world.

If you want a real factually based look into the Russian mob in the United States and U.S. Law enforcement righteous fight against them read this book.

This brief excerpt below shows how they are heavily involved in the transnational drug trade. From other sources we know that the shadow "government" in transnational Intelligence gathering and subversion bases themselves largely in this vile trade. That "shadow government" has never, for all their Freemasonic base and internecine plots and acts of illegal usurpation, been a real or lawful government of anyone anywhere.

Robert Friedman Red Mafiya Jewish Mafia or Russian mafia 4/6
152 RED MAFIYA
lights and a landing strip. Tarzan boasted to at least two government undercover agents that he was using aircraft to ferry in tons of marijuana from Jamaica. He allegedly even recruited his geeky-looking younger brother, Alex, to mule seven large, green garbage bags stuffed with marijuana from New York City to Porky's. "Alex was so afraid of being robbed that immediately after receiving the drugs, he spent the night in a New York City hotel rather than at his own home; he then drove the entire trip without stopping for the night because he was convinced that he would be apprehended carrying the drugs," asserts a federal wiretap affidavit.
Marijuana was, for Tarzan, a gateway drug. Before long, he had moved on to cocaine. At the time, the Russian Mafiya had little contact with the Colombian drug cartels, though they were eager to remedy that failing. Tarzan helped forge a connection, brokering cocaine deals between the Colombians and the most powerful mob family in St. Petersburg. In one instance, according to the DEA, he smuggled more than one hundred kilos of cocaine in crates of freeze-dried shrimp that were flown from Guayaquil, Ecuador, to St. Petersburg. He also ran coke directly out of Miami, a charge he hotly denies. The street price for cocaine in Russia was $60,000 per kilo; for every kilo, Tarzan made a thousand dollars.

A very informative and compelling and readable book. By all means read it. And keep in mind and support all the brave FBI and DEA and other law enforcement agencies and individual law officers that fight against this plague.

THE WORLD'S LARGEST DRUG FIELD -- (BY DENNIS EISENBERG) (Extension of Remarks - July 27, 1990)

noreply@blogger.com (Patron St. Stephen Protomartyr ستيف في فيستا) — Sat, 29 Oct 2011 23:09:00 +0000

From Federation of American Scientists - fas.org/irp/congress http://www.fas.org/irp/congress/1990_cr/h900727-syria.htm

THE WORLD'S LARGEST DRUG FIELD -- (BY DENNIS EISENBERG) (Extension of Remarks - July 27, 1990)

[Page: E2519]

---

HON. ROBERT K. DORNAN

in the House of Representatives

FRIDAY, JULY 27, 1990

Mr. DORNAN of California. Mr. Speaker, for some time now I have been trying to educate my colleagues on the brutal nature of the Assad regime in Syria. Syria is a state sponsor of terrorism. Syria's Armed Forces occupy large areas of Lebanon, thus denying the Lebanese people chance at true political reconciliation. The Syrian Government also runs drugs out of the Bekaa Valley in Lebanon, which is the issue I want to address today.

Mr. Dennis Eisenberg has written an article on Syrian drug-running which appeared recently in The World and I magazine. The title of the article says it all: `The World's Largest Drug Field.' Mr. Eisenberg describes the poppy and cannabis fields that cover this part of Lebanon. He describes the connection between the Syrian drug-runners and the Irish Republican Army, an organization too many people in this country are willing to apologize for. He describes how Assad's younger brother, Rifaat, was the chief of a vast network smuggling opium and heroin to North America and Europe in diplomatic pouches.

I urge all my colleagues to read this article. I am sure it will open some eyes. I would then invite my colleagues to join me in cosponsoring my bill H.R. 2797, which would impose a trade embargo on the gangster state Syria:

(BY DENNIS EISENBERG)

As the U.S. government cracks down on the Colombian drug traffic, Lebanon's lush Bekaa Valley has emerged as the largest `killing field' on the globe. Already producing 80 percent of the world's cannabis, its farmers have now planted a record acreage of poppies to cope with the growing demand for the even more profitable heroin.

Hundreds of acres of fruit orchards, wheat fields, and vineyards of the Bekaa Valley--known in Roman times as the breadbasket of the world--have been uprooted to make way for the intensive cultivation of crops in eager demand by international drug dealers.

The Syrian government, which invaded the area to `bring law and order,' is an active partner with local merchants and raked in an estimated $1 billion last year. This money was desperately needed, as the Syrians have to pay off their vast debts to the Soviet Union before Moscow will supply any more sophisticated missiles, fighter planes, and other weapons for President Hafez Assad's 800,000-strong army.

Syrian troops not only guard the poppy and cannabis fields to prevent theft and ensure that supplies are not sold to competing bidders, but they also intervene to settle disputes between rival terrorist gangs, who have their own drug estates and transportation networks to Scandinavia, France, Finland, Holland, Belgium, and West Germany. Yasser Arafat's PLO (known locally as the `poppy lovers' organization') uses its links
with the Irish Republican Army (IRA) to rake in massive profits from sending drugs via Holland to its network of agents in Britain, West Germany, and Ireland for international distribution. Terror groups today spend far more time as merchants of death selling drugs than carrying out violent attacks for their cause.

European police first stumbled on this trade when Scotland Yard special units, in cooperation with the Dutch Narcotics Squad, unearthed a haul of 300,000,000 pounds' worth of top-grade `Lebanese Gold' transported from Lebanon in two freighters chartered by the PLO. Earlier, and six-man PLO squad led by one of Arafat's chief aides, Ali Mahmoud Buro, was arrested at Heathrow Airport after customs men found a 150-kilogram cache of Bekaa Valley cannabis in their luggage.

Following up on these leads as well as information from Western intelligence services operating in the Middle East, Scotland Yard detectives recently cracked down on a vast IRA-PLO money-laundering operation. The IRA was using British banks and other financial organizations to purchase arms with their drug profits for terrorist operations in Ireland, Britain, Germany, and France.

An intelligence source told me: `Most of the IRA and Arab terror group leaders spend far more time and energy today buying legal businesses under registered company names and stashing money away in their private banking accounts than fighting for `freedom and liberation.'

Experts say the drug trade is worth $6 billion a year to Lebanon. The street value in Western cities is a staggering $150 billion.

As no one in Lebanon even pretends to try to stop the growth of cannabis and poppies, three-quarters of the 4,280-square-kilometer Bekaa Valley is cultivated with these two crops. The Muslim farmers in the eastern and central valleys of the Bekaa, especially in the town of Manara, have concentrated on the easy-to-grow cannabis weed to provide Western marijuana and hashish users with their needs. Poppies, which are the source of opium before it is converted into heroin, require greater skill in care and extraction and until recently have been planted near the homes of local peasants.

Farmers have discovered, however, that heroin is a far more profitable crop. They have been helped by the Syrians, who supplied them with mobile laboratories transported in army trucks. As a result, peasants can plant poppies among cannabis fields even in the mountains of the Bekaa to increase their profits. Heroin from the Bekaa is considered to be superior even to the best quality Turkish-produced drug.

Masterminding the entire operation in the Bekaa today is Gen. Ghazy Kenaan, chief of Syrian military intelligence. He keeps a particularly close eye on the intensely cultivated Hermel district located next to the Syrian area, recognized as the home of the highest quality `Lebanese Gold' cannabis. To oblige the large North American market for a black `pot' product, the crop from here is mixed with oil to create just the right color demanded by both Canadian and U.S. dealers.

The overall godfather of the Lebanese drug trade was, until recently, Assad's ambitious younger brother, Rifaat. The CIA has revealed that the 54-year-old Rifaat was chief of a vast network smuggling opium and heroin to North America and Europe in diplomatic pouches. Israeli army intelligence reports that Syrian army helicopters are used to speed up the international distribution of Rifaat's evil trade by flying processed drugs out of Damascus to Europe and North America.

An international playboy with seven wives, dozens of mistresses, and 17 known children, Rifaat has amassed a vast fortune from the drug business. Western intelligence agencies have details of frequent meetings between Rifaat and terrorist leader Abu Nidal as well as with Arafat's PLO chiefs. Because Rifaat was suspected by his brother of planning to depose him, he was sent into temporary exile--to live in immense luxury in his heavily guarded villa on the French Riviera.

The heroin now being shipped all over the world is produced throughout the entire Bekaa Valley, particularly in Baalbek, Hermel, Hellanyeh, Niha, Abbasyeh, Barqa, Iaat, Zarazeer, and Kuddam. Even tiny villages are producing more than 70 kilograms a year, with the total output having doubled to 2,500 kilograms since 1985. Dealers are hoping to double this quantity yet again with this spring's bumper crop. During the height of the season, the entire marketplace in Baalbek is one vast wholesale drug supermarket, with truckload after truckload piled high with the golden weed and processed opium wending its way westward to the country's ports.

Although the civil war in Lebanon is theoretically one between various Christian and Muslim sects, there is close cooperation between all groups when it comes to the mind-boggling profits being made from the drug business. The local trades are mostly Christian Lebanese who buy entire harvests from one Muslim village after another. In return for `protection' by Syrian soldiers in areas controlled by Damasus, they hand over half their profits to officers working under Kenaan.

I was told by an intelligence source: `The entire Lebanon is really a country of 24 fiefdoms, each one ruled by its own Mafia chief whose wealth and power spring from the drug trade. The Lebanese civil war is really about who controls the best cannabis and poppy fields as well as ports from where to export the drug harvest. It also explains why the Syrian government refuses to withdraw from the Bekaa and has even strengthened its vast armies stationed there.

`Those Lebanese who refused to play ball with the Syrian occupiers soon learnt the error of their ways,' he added. `Some were shot and others had their entire stock of cannabis and heroin `confiscated.' So lucrative has this trade become that there is now rivalry between the various Syrian intelligence agencies and lower rank army officers who also want a share of the loot. Several shooting incidents have taken place and even some highranking officers have been shot or court-martialed.'

To establish order, the crack 25,000-strong Syrian presidential guard, called Defense Brigades of the Revolution--created by Rifaat and considered still loyal to him--was sent from Damascus to take over control of the Bekaa Valley drug business.

[Page: E2520]

U.S. satellite photographs supply proof of this by the number of tanks and heavy artillery platforms in the midst of cannabis and poppy fields. The tents of Syrian army units are pitched in every village and farm of eastern Lebanon.

Foreigners or international drug traffickers trying to penetrate the area in an effort to make local deals with farmers are turned back or arrested by the guards of Kenaan's agents. U.S.-made tractors and other agricultural equipment supplied by the Syrians to villagers have speeded up harvesting during the past two years. One reason for this is the growing value of the Bekaa Valley as the world's major source of this modern scourge in Britain and other Western countries. This is particularly true as the governments of other suppliers, such as Burma and Thailand, under American pressure, have been trying to cut down and destroy poppy fields.

American officials, armed with satellite pictures, sent a special delegation to Damascus 18 months ago to ask Assad to destroy drug crops in Bekaa Valley areas under his control. Hoping to get economic aid from the United States, Syria saw to it that some cannabis fields were ploughed under, with television cameras proudly recording the event. But as one official told me: `Go back there today and you will see the poppy and cannabis flourishing better than ever.'

In January, two members of Syrian military intelligence were sentenced to eightyears' imprisonment in Paris for drug trafficking. Mohammed Fartuzi and Ahmed Ali were caught after trying to smuggle eight tons of cannabis by ship from the Syrian-controlled Lebanese port of Tripoli to France. Evidence was accepted that the former Syrian military attache in Paris and a senior Syrian army commander directed the smuggling of Lebanese drugs to Europe.

There is one handle on this, however. The Syrians are desperately anxious to establish closer ties with the United States, since Damascus faces a deepening economic crisis. Syria's major ally, the Soviet Union, is in upheaval and refuses to supply its Middle East ally with credit to purchase the modern weapons it craves in order to achieve its goal of military parity with Israel.

Two years ago, when pressure was exerted by Washington, the Syrians made cosmetic efforts to burn at least some of the drug fields. And this was at a time when the Syrian-Russian relationship was at its fruitful peak.

With the United States able to supply proof garnered by satellite pictures and on-the-ground intelligence, it will be very difficult for the Syrians to brush off demands to cease their drug export business, particularly as U.S. economic aid is needed to save the country from economic collapse. It is up to the United States to apply this leverage in a constructive way.

END

Drug Situation in Canada - 2006

noreply@blogger.com (Patron St. Stephen Protomartyr ستيف في فيستا) — Wed, 26 Oct 2011 12:23:00 +0000

From: Google

Drug Situation in Canada - 2006

Dec 17, 2007 ... The Drug Situation Report 2006 provides a strategic overview of the illicit drug ... and pickup points for marihuana delivered by private helicopters. ... In January, Edmonton RCMP seized 1180 marihuana plants as well as a ...

www.rcmp-grc.gc.ca/drugs-drogues/drg-2006-eng.htm

LA Times: Ultralight aircraft now ferrying drugs across U.S.-Mexico border

noreply@blogger.com (Patron St. Stephen Protomartyr ستيف في فيستا) — Wed, 26 Oct 2011 02:12:00 +0000

Ultralight aircraft now ferrying drugs across U.S.-Mexico border

Mexican organized crime groups are using ultralight aircraft to drop marijuana bundles in agricultural fields and desert scrub across the U.S. border. The incursions are hard to detect and are on the upswing.

May 19, 2011|By Richard Marosi, Los Angeles Times

They fly low and slow over the border, their wings painted black and motors humming faintly under moonlit skies. The pilots, some armed in the open cockpits, steer the horizontal control bar with one hand and pull a latch with the other, releasing 250-pound payloads that land with a thud, leaving only craters as evidence of another successful smuggling run.

Mexican organized crime groups, increasingly stymied by stepped-up enforcement on land, have dug tunnels and captained boats to get drugs across the U.S.-Mexico border. Now they are taking to the skies, using ultralight aircraft that resemble motorized hang gliders to drop marijuana bundles in agricultural fields and desert scrub across the Southwest border.

What began with a few flights in Arizona in 2008 is now common from Texas to California's Imperial Valley and, mostly recently, San Diego, where at least two ultralights suspected of carrying drugs have been detected flying over Interstate 8, according to U.S. border authorities.

The number of incursions by ultralights reached 228 in the last federal fiscal year ending Sept. 30, almost double from the previous year. Seventy-one have been detected in this fiscal year through April, according to border authorities.

Flying at night with lights out, and zipping back across the border in minutes, ultralight aircraft sightings are rare, but often dramatic. At least two have been chased out of Arizona skies by Black Hawk Customs and Border Protection helicopters and F-16 jet fighters. Last month, a pair of visiting British helicopter pilots almost crashed into an ultralight during training exercises over the Imperial Valley.

The smuggling work is fraught with danger. High winds can flip the light aircraft. Moonlight provides illumination, but some pilots wear night-vision goggles. Others fly over major roads to orient themselves. Drop zones are illuminated by ground crews using strobe lights or glow sticks. There is little room for error.

At least one pilot has been paralyzed; another died in a crash.

In Calexico, Det. Mario Salinas was walking to his car one morning last year when he heard something buzzing over the Police Department on 5th Street. "I hear this weird noise, like a lawn mower. I look up and I see this small plane," said Salinas, who pursued the aircraft before it eluded him as it flew over the desert.

The ultralight activity is seen as strong evidence that smugglers are having an increasingly difficult time getting marijuana over land crossings. Authorities noticed a surge in flights in Imperial County after newly erected fencing along California's southeast corner blocked smugglers from crossing desert dunes in all-terrain vehicles.

U.S. Border Patrol agents, accustomed to scouring for footprints and tracks in the sand, have had to adapt. They are now instructed to turn off their engines and roll down their windows so they can listen for incursions by air.

"We're trained to look down and at the fence. Now we have to look up for tell-tale signs of ultralight traffic," said Roy D. Villarreal, deputy chief patrol agent of the El Centro sector in the Imperial Valley.

Although the new trend poses serious challenges, authorities point out that ultralights are a decidedly inefficient way of getting drugs across the border. Traffickers who once moved thousands of pounds of drugs across the border now appear to be packing their loads by the pound, not the ton, authorities say.

The ultralights — lightweight planes typically used as recreational aircraft — are customized for smuggling purposes. All-terrain wheels are added for bumpy landings. Second seats are ripped out to add fuel capacity. Drugs are loaded onto metal baskets affixed to the bottom of the framing. From 150 to 250 pounds of marijuana are generally carried, depending on the weight of the pilot. Some ultralights are shrouded in black paint, with even the plastic tarp covers for the marijuana blackened for stealth entries.

Radar operators at Riverside County's Air and Marine Operations Center, where general aviation air traffic across the country is monitored, have trouble detecting the aircraft.

Flying as low as 500 feet, their small frames are hard to distinguish from trucks. Many appear, then disappear from radar screens. Others never appear at all, and the ultralight trend has prompted border authorities to develop new radar technologies specifically designed to detect the aircraft.

"There are indications of larger amounts of activity," said Tony Crowder, director of the Air and Marine Operations Center, which is housed at March Air Reserve Base.

The close cooperation among radar operators, helicopter pilots and agents on the ground has resulted in some successes.

Ultralight pilots no longer land on U.S. soil after authorities began responding quickly to offloading sites. The Mexican Army has seized four ultralights around Baja California in recent weeks after being tipped off by U.S. authorities.

source: http://articles.latimes.com/2011/may/19/local/la-me-border-ultralight-20110520

The honor of the French Gendarmerie - Pierre-Olivier Combelles

noreply@blogger.com (Patron St. Stephen Protomartyr ستيف في فيستا) — Thu, 20 Oct 2011 07:53:00 +0000

The honor of the French Gendarmerie - Pierre-Olivier Combelles:

Tuesday, October 18, 2011

The honor of the French Gendarmerie

In the body of a stationery wholesaler, I met two policemen who came to shop for office supplies. In uniform, boots, their motorcycles parked outside the store entrance, they waited politely until I finish to request information to the cashier. Seeing the left sleeve of their blue jacket of France, the shield decorated with three fleurs de lys on a blue field, I spoke to them telling them that they were probably the only body to wear the French military royal arms of France on the uniform. Smile, one of two policemen then asked me if I knew what those three lilies represented almost immediately adding: "The Father, Son and Holy Spirit." I replied that I knew and that William of Nangis had written during the Middle Ages, it was also guarded by the Faith and Wisdom Chivalry. They explained that this was the badge of the police fleurdelysé Ile-de-France and they were different for each region of France, the Auvergne volcanoes representative example.

It is our honor to wear and gendarmerie, with dignity, on the blue uniform of France, the eternal symbol of Christian France and royal nation free, fair, high, generous.

Bethune

An Enigma: Vast Israeli Spy Network Dismantled in the US By Sylvain Cypel Le Monde March 5, 2002 Translated by Malcolm Garris

noreply@blogger.com (Patron St. Stephen Protomartyr ستيف في فيستا) — Sat, 15 Oct 2011 17:31:00 +0000

An Enigma: Vast Israeli Spy Network Dismantled in the US
By Sylvain Cypel
Le Monde
March 5, 2002
Translated by Malcolm Garris

It is undoubtedly the largest case of Israeli spying in the United States – that has been made public – since 1986. In June 2001, an investigative report detailed the activities of more than one-hundred Israeli agents, some presenting themselves as fine arts students, others tied to Israeli high-tech companies. All were challenged by the authorities, were questioned, and a dozen of them are still imprisoned. One of their tasks was to track the Al-Qaida terrorists on American territory – without informing the federal authorities. Elements of this investigation, taken up by American television Fox News, reinforce this thesis: that Israel did not transmit to the United States all the evidence in its possession on the preparation of the September 11 attacks.

The latest issue of the Online Intelligence Letter, a publication specializing in questions of information, has revealed that a vast Israeli spy network operating on American territory was dismantled.

It is the biggest affair involving the Mossad (the Israel’s external security agency) in activity against the United States since Jonathan Pollard, an employee of the US Navy, was condemned to life in prison, in 1986, for spying for Israel’s benefit. Which was the real scale of this network? The facts evoked by an American investigative report do not indicate if the network obtained the information it was after, or if the authorities dismantled it in its initial phase.

According to the chief editor of Online Intelligence, Guillaume Dasquié, this "vast network of Israeli intelligence agents was neutralized by the counter-espionage services of the Department of Justice." The Americans "would have apprehended or expelled close to 120 Israeli nationals."

M. Dasquié gives a report on a "61-page review article" from June 2001, given to the American justice department by a "task force" made up of agents of the DEA (Drug Enforcement Administration) and some INS (Immigration and Naturalization Service) agents "who were associated with the FBI and the office of investigation of the US Air Force." Questioned by Le Monde, Will Glaspy, of the Public Affairs department of the DEA, authenticated this report, and said the DEA "holds a copy."

This is not the first time that information relating to Israeli espionage appeared in the United States since the Pollard affair. In June 1999, the review Insight had described, at length, a "secret" investigation by division 5 of the FBI regarding Israeli phone-tapping targeting the White House, the State Department and the National Security Council.

After the attacks of September 11, very little detailed information had come out about the arrest of some sixty Israelis. Finally, from the 11th to the 14th of December 2001, the Fox News television channel aired an investigation in four parts into Israeli espionage in the United States, in the broadcast "Carl Cameron Investigates." The Israeli embassy in Washington immediately responded by stating that it did not contain "anything true." American Jewish organizations such JINSA (Jewish Institute for National Security Affairs), AIPAC (America-Israel Political Action Committee) and others, denounced the report as a "machination." Fox withdrew from its Internet site, one day and half after its posting, all the material related to this investigation.

Le Monde requested three times with Fox News to provide a tape of the broadcast. It was never done. On February 26, Fox told our correspondent in New York that sending it posed "a problem," without being specific. Le Monde, however took note of the whole script in this investigation. Carl Cameron evokes "a vast secret investigation held there" relating to "140 Israelis made to pass for students of the University of Jerusalem or Betzalel Academy of Arts [which have] unceasingly sought to come into contact with civil servants and, according to a document, targeted and penetrated military bases, dozens of buildings of the DEA, FBI, and others."

His investigation focused on two aspects. Firstly, could the Israelis have had preliminary knowledge of the September 11 attacks and not informed the Americans? His sources, explains Carl Cameron, tell him: "The principal question is ‘how they could they have not known?’" On the screen, his editor-in-chief tells him thus: "Certain reports confirm that the Mossad sent representatives to the United States to warn them, before September 11, of the imminence of a major terrorist attack. That does not go

in the direction of an absence of warning." Cameron’s response: "The problem is not the absence of warning, but the absence of useful details" compared to those which American services suspect Israel of having held.

The second round of the investigation touched on Israeli companies providing administrative services for American companies, which would conceal information. It was aimed at the manufacturer of Amdocs software, placed on Wall Street, which lists, for the 25 major telephone companies of the United States, all the calls coming into and originating from American territory, as well as the companies Nice and Comverse Infosys, the latter providing the data-processing programs to American law enforcement agencies authorized to eavesdrop on private phone conversations. Comverse is suspected of having introduced into its systems of the "catch gates" in order to "intercept, record and store" these wire-taps. This hardware would render the "listener" himself "listened to."

Question to Cameron: "Are there reasons to believe the Israeli government is implicated?" Answer: "No, none, but a classified top-secret investigation is underway." The broadcast had been shown beforehand to the highest persons in charge of the CIA, the FBI, the NSA (the agency in charge of phone-taps), theDEA and the American Justice Department, none of which objected to its airing.

The report submitted to the American Justice Department, to which Le Mondehad access, shows that many of the "fine-arts students" suspected of illicit activity have a military past in Israeli information or advanced technology units. Some entered and left the United States on several occasions, remaining each time for short periods. Several are related to the hi-tech Israeli companies of Amdocs, Nice and Retalix.

Challenged, a "coed" saw her guarantee of $10,000 paid by an Israeli working at Amdocs. Questioned, two others admitted being employed by Retalix.

Le Monde obtained other information not contained in this report. Six of the intercepted "students" had a cellular telephone bought by an Israeli ex-vice-consul in the United States. Two others, at an unspecified time, arrived in Miami by direct flight from Hamburg, and went to the residence of an FBI agent, to try to sell him artwork, left again for the Chicago airport to go to the residence of an agent of the justice department, then again took a plane directly for Toronto – all in one day.

More than a third of these "students," who, according to the report, moved in at least 42 American cities, stated they resided in Florida. Five at least were intercepted in Hollywood, and two in Fort Lauderdale. Hollywood is a town of 25,000 inhabitants to the north of Miami, close to Fort Lauderdale. At least 10 of the 19 terrorists of 9/11 were residing in Florida.

Four of the five members of the group that diverted American Airlines flight number 11 – Mohammed Atta, Abdulaziz Al-Omari, Walid and Waïl Al-Shehri, as well as one of the five terrorists of United flight 175, Marwan Al-Shehhi – resided all at various times in... Hollywood, Florida. As for Ahmed Fayez, Ahmed and Hamza Al-Ghamdi and Mohand Al-Shehri, who took over United flight 75, like Saïd Al-Ghamdi, Ahmed Al-Haznawi and Ahmed Al-Nami, of United flight 93 which crashed September 11 in Pennsylvania, and Nawaq Al-Hamzi, of AA flight 77 (crashed into the Pentagon), they all at one time resided at Delray Beach, in the north of Fort Lauderdale.

This convergence is, inter alia, the origin of the American conviction that one of the tasks of the Israeli "students" would have been to track the Al-Qaida terrorists on their territory, without informing the federal authorities of the existence of the plot.

Two enigmas remain. Why was the Israeli network a priority of drug enforcement agents? An assumption: the DEA is the main American agency inquiring into the money laundering. A network such as Al-Qaida used "dirty" [funding], and the Taliban’s Afghanistan was the primary exporter of opium in the world. Why this astonishing "cover" of false students canvassers for poor artwork? The Israeli network seemed to hold lists of names. Its members knew at which office or which private residence to go. The objective was apparently to make contact, even for a short time.

According to an Israeli specialist in espionage, "this story is a ridiculous joke, and is not serious." Contacted, the services of the Israeli Prime Minister still had not, as of Monday evening March 4, answered our questions. The American Justice Department indicated to us that "a dozen" of these "students" would still be imprisoned indefinitely, and all the others had been released or deported. The FBI indicated to us that it will not make "any comment at this stage." The CIA, the FBI, the DEA, the INS, the NSA, the Justice Department and the Pentagon have all designated an investigator on this file.

U.S. Federal Investigators catch spies under patriot anti-terrorism law, or for immigration violations

noreply@blogger.com (Patron St. Stephen Protomartyr ستيف في فيستا) — Sat, 15 Oct 2011 17:13:00 +0000

Video: Israel Is Spying In And On The U.S.? Part 1
Documents say they, "targeted and penetrated military bases." The DEA, FBI and dozens of government facilities, and even secret offices and unlisted private homes of law enforcement and intelligence personnel.
Israel Is Spying In And On The U.S.? Part 1 BRIT HUME, HOST: It has been ... Carl
Cameron Investigates Part 1 - Israel Is Spying In And On The U.S.?. ...

www.informationclearinghouse.info/article7545.htm

Israel Is Spying In And On The U.S.? Part 1

BRIT HUME, HOST: It has been more than 16 years since a civilian working for the Navy was charged with passing secrets to Israel. Jonathan Pollard pled guilty to conspiracy to commit espionage and is serving a life sentence. At first, Israeli leaders claimed Pollard was part of a rogue operation, but later took responsibility for his work.

Now Fox News has learned some U.S. investigators believe that there are Israelis again very much engaged in spying in and on the U.S., who may have known things they didn't tell us before September 11. Fox News correspondent Carl Cameron has details in the first of a four-part series.

Published: 12/12/01 FOX News. Part 1 of a 4 part series: [links:] Part 2- Part 3 - Part 4
These items have since been removed from the FOX News web site:

Carl Cameron Investigates Part 1 - Israel Is Spying In And On The U.S.?

Author: Carl Cameron

Part I:
BRIT HUME, HOST: It has been more than 16 years since a civilian working for the Navy was charged with passing secrets to Israel. Jonathan Pollard pled guilty to conspiracy to commit espionage and is serving a life sentence. At first, Israeli leaders claimed Pollard was part of a rogue operation, but later took responsibility for his work.

Now Fox News has learned some U.S. investigators believe that there are Israelis again very much engaged in spying in and on the U.S., who may have known things they didn't tell us before September 11. Fox News correspondent Carl Cameron has details in the first of a four-part series.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

CARL CAMERON, FOX NEWS CORRESPONDENT: Since September 11, more than 60 Israelis have been arrested or detained, either under the new patriot anti-terrorism law, or for immigration violations. A handful of active Israeli military were among those detained, according to investigators, who say some of the detainees also failed polygraph questions when asked about alleged surveillance activities against and in the United States.

There is no indication that the Israelis were involved in the 9-11 attacks, but investigators suspect that they Israelis may have gathered intelligence about the attacks in advance, and not shared it. A highly placed investigator said there are "tie-ins." But when asked for details, he flatly refused to describe them, saying, "evidence linking these Israelis to 9-11 is classified. I cannot tell you about evidence that has been gathered. It's classified information."

Fox News has learned that one group of Israelis, spotted in North Carolina recently, is suspected of keeping an apartment in California to spy on a group of Arabs who the United States is also investigating for links to terrorism. Numerous classified documents obtained by Fox News indicate that even prior to September 11, as many as 140 other Israelis had been detained or arrested in a secretive and sprawling investigation into suspected espionage by Israelis in the United States.

Investigators from numerous government agencies are part of a working group that's been compiling evidence since the mid '90s. These documents detail hundreds of incidents in cities and towns across the country that investigators say, "may well be an organized intelligence gathering activity."

The first part of the investigation focuses on Israelis who say they are art students from the University of Jerusalem and Bazala Academy. They repeatedly made contact with U.S. government personnel, the report says, by saying they wanted to sell cheap art or handiwork.

Documents say they, "targeted and penetrated military bases." The DEA, FBI and dozens of government facilities, and even secret offices and unlisted private homes of law enforcement and intelligence personnel. The majority of those questioned, "stated they served in military intelligence, electronic surveillance intercept and or explosive ordinance units."

Another part of the investigation has resulted in the detention and arrests of dozens of Israelis at American mall kiosks, where they've been selling toys called Puzzle Car and Zoom Copter. Investigators suspect a front.

Shortly after The New York Times and Washington Post reported the Israeli detentions last months, the carts began vanishing. Zoom Copter's Web page says, "We are aware of the situation caused by thousands of mall carts being closed at the last minute. This in no way reflects the quality of the toy or its salability. The problem lies in the operators' business policies."

Why would Israelis spy in and on the U.S.? A general accounting office investigation referred to Israel as country A and said, "According to a U.S. intelligence agency, the government of country A conducts the most aggressive espionage operations against the U.S. of any U.S. ally."

A defense intelligence report said Israel has a voracious appetite for information and said, "the Israelis are motivated by strong survival instincts which dictate every possible facet of their political and economical policies. It aggressively collects military and industrial technology and the U.S. is a high priority target."

The document concludes: "Israel possesses the resources and technical capability to achieve its collection objectives."

(END VIDEO CLIP)

A spokesman for the Israeli embassy here in Washington issued a denial saying that any suggestion that Israelis are spying in or on the U.S. is "simply not true." There are other things to consider. And in the days ahead, we'll take a look at the U.S. phone system and law enforcement's methods for wiretaps. And an investigation that both have been compromised by our friends overseas.

HUME: Carl, what about this question of advanced knowledge of what was going to happen on 9-11? How clear are investigators that some Israeli agents may have known something?

CAMERON: It's very explosive information, obviously, and there's a great deal of evidence that they say they have collected — none of it necessarily conclusive. It's more when they put it all together. A bigger question, they say, is how could they not have know? Almost a direct quote.

HUME: Going into the fact that they were spying on some Arabs, right?

CAMERON: Correct.

HUME: All right, Carl, thanks very much.

New Comment Section Added September 09, 2011

FBI nabs ruthless Boston mob boss in California

noreply@blogger.com (Patron St. Stephen Protomartyr ستيف في فيستا) — Thu, 06 Oct 2011 16:00:00 +0000

FBI nabs ruthless Boston mob boss in California

Published: Thursday, June 23, 2011 8:25 a.m. MDT

By Greg Risling, Associated Press

SANTA MONICA, Calif. — Boston mob boss James "Whitey" Bulger was captured near Los Angeles after 16 years on the run that embarrassed the FBI and exposed the bureau's corrupt relationship with its underworld informants.

After an international manhunt, the FBI finally caught the 81-year-old Bulger at an apartment in Santa Monica along with longtime girlfriend Catherine Greig on Wednesday, just days after the government launched a publicity campaign to locate the fugitive crime boss by circulating pictures of Greig on daytime TV and on billboards, the FBI said.
Click to enlarge
Police and FBI surround the apartment building in Santa Monica, Calif., where fugitive crime boss James "Whitey" Bulger and his longtime companion Catherine Greig were arrested, Wednesday evening, June 22, 2011. The two were arrested without incident, the FBI said. Bulger was the leader of the Winter Hill Gang when he fled in January 1995 after being tipped by a former Boston FBI agent that he was about to be indicted.
David Zentz, Associated Press
Police and FBI surround the apartment building in Santa Monica, Calif., where fugitive crime boss James "Whitey" Bulger and his longtime companion Catherine Greig were arrested, Wednesday evening, June 22, 2011. The two were arrested without incident, the FBI said. Bulger was the leader of the Winter Hill Gang when he fled in January 1995 after being tipped by a former Boston FBI agent that he was about to be indicted.

The arrest was based on a tip from the campaign, said Steven Martinez, FBI assistant director in Los Angeles. He would not give details.

Bulger had a $2 million reward on his head and rose to No. 1 on the FBI's Ten Most Wanted list after Osama bin Laden was killed.

An inspiration for the ruthless gangland boss in the 2006 Martin Scorsese movie "The Departed," Bulger was wanted for 19 murders. One victim was shot between the eyes in a parking lot at his country club in Oklahoma. Another was gunned down in broad daylight on a South Boston street to prevent him from talking about the killing in Oklahoma. Others were taken out for running afoul of Bulger's gambling enterprises.

"He left a trail of bodies," said Tom Duffy, a retired state police major in Massachusetts. "You did not double-cross him. If you did, you were dead."

At the same time he was boss of South Boston's murderous Winter Hill Gang, a mostly Irish mob, Bulger was an FBI informant, supplying information about the rival New England Mafia. But he fled in January 1995 when an agent tipped him off that he was about to be indicted.

That set off a major scandal at the FBI, which was found to have an overly cozy relationship with its underworld informants, protecting mob figures and allowing them to carry out their murderous business as long as they were supplying useful information.

A congressional committee, in a draft report issued in 2003, blasted the FBI for its use of Bulger and other criminals as informants, calling it "one of the greatest failures in the history of federal law enforcement."

Police gave no immediate details on Bulger's arrest.

Bulger lived on the third floor of the Princess Eugenia, a three-story, 28-unit building of one- and two-bedroom apartments three blocks from a bluff overlooking the Pacific Ocean. Neighbors said the couple did not stand out.

Barbara Gluck, who lived on the same floor as the couple, said she didn't know their names but recognized them from photos on the Internet after their arrest.

Gluck described Greig as "sweet and lovely" and said they would have "girl talk" when they ran into each other in the building. Bulger became angry whenever he saw the two of them talking, and would say, "Stop talking to her," Gluck said.

"He was nasty," she added. At one point, Greig said Bulger had a "rage issue," the neighbor said.

Bulger and Greig were scheduled to appear in Los Angeles federal court Thursday. He faces federal charges that include murder, conspiracy to commit murder, narcotics distribution, extortion and money laundering. Greig, 60, is charged with harboring a fugitive.
Click to enlarge
Police and FBI surround the apartment building in Santa Monica, Calif., where fugitive crime boss James "Whitey" Bulger and his longtime companion Catherine Greig were arrested, Wednesday evening, June 22, 2011. The two were arrested without incident, the FBI said. Bulger was the leader of the Winter Hill Gang when he fled in January 1995 after being tipped by a former Boston FBI agent that he was about to be indicted.
David Zentz, Associated Press
Police and FBI surround the apartment building in Santa Monica, Calif., where fugitive crime boss James "Whitey" Bulger and his longtime companion Catherine Greig were arrested, Wednesday evening, June 22, 2011. The two were arrested without incident, the FBI said. Bulger was the leader of the Winter Hill Gang when he fled in January 1995 after being tipped by a former Boston FBI agent that he was about to be indicted.

The arrest brings an end to a manhunt in which the FBI received reported sightings of Bulger and Greig from all over the U.S. and parts of Europe. In many of those sightings, investigators could not confirm whether it was Bulger.

On Monday, the FBI announced a new publicity campaign that asked people, particularly women, to be on the lookout for Greig. The 30-second ad started running Tuesday in 14 TV markets to which Bulger may have ties and was to air during programs popular with women roughly Greig's age, including "The View" and "Regis and Kelly."

The campaign pointed out that the blond-haired Greig had plastic surgery several times before going on the lam and was known to frequent beauty salons.

The hunt for Bulger touched the highest level of Massachusetts politics. Bulger's younger brother, William, was one of the most powerful politicians in the state, leading the Massachusetts Senate for 17 years and later serving as president of the University of Massachusetts. He resigned the post in 2003 under political pressure.

William Bulger told a congressional committee that he spoke to his brother by phone shortly after he went on the run but had no idea about his whereabouts.

He declined to comment to The Boston Globe about his brother's arrest.

"Whitey Bulger has left behind in the Boston area a lot of victims and a lot of pain, and I think for them and for justice in general, it's a great day," said William Christie, an attorney for the families of two alleged Bulger victims.

Bulger, nicknamed "Whitey" for his shock of bright platinum hair, grew up in a gritty South Boston housing project and went on to become Boston's most notorious gangster.

Along with Stephen "The Rifleman" Flemmi, he led the Winter Hill Gang, which ran loansharking, gambling and drug rackets in the Boston area. U.S. Attorney Donald K. Stern said in 2000 that the two were "responsible for a reign of intimidation and murder that spanned 25 years."

He went on the run after being warned by John Connolly Jr., an FBI agent in Boston who had made Bulger an informant 20 years earlier. Connolly was convicted of racketeering in 2002 for protecting Bulger and Flemmi, also an FBI informant.

Bulger provided the Boston FBI with information on his gang's main rival in an era when bringing down the Mafia was one of the bureau's top national priorities.

The Boston FBI office was sharply criticized when the extent of Bulger's alleged crimes and his cozy relationship with the FBI became public in the late 1990s.

In 2002, the FBI received the most reliable tip in three years when a British businessman who had met Bulger eight years earlier said he spotted Bulger on a London street.

On Thursday, Bulger's picture on the Ten Most Wanted list was spanned by a red banner that said "Captured." Greig's photo, with the same banner, was displayed prominently.
Click to enlarge
Police and FBI surround the apartment building in Santa Monica, Calif., where fugitive crime boss James "Whitey" Bulger and his longtime companion Catherine Greig were arrested, Wednesday evening, June 22, 2011. The two were arrested without incident, the FBI said. Bulger was the leader of the Winter Hill Gang when he fled in January 1995 after being tipped by a former Boston FBI agent that he was about to be indicted.
David Zentz, Associated Press
Police and FBI surround the apartment building in Santa Monica, Calif., where fugitive crime boss James "Whitey" Bulger and his longtime companion Catherine Greig were arrested, Wednesday evening, June 22, 2011. The two were arrested without incident, the FBI said. Bulger was the leader of the Winter Hill Gang when he fled in January 1995 after being tipped by a former Boston FBI agent that he was about to be indicted.

John Weiskopf, who lives across the street from Bulger's Santa Monica building, said he recognized Bulger when he saw his photo on the Internet.

"I recognized him. I said 'Holy Smokes,'" he said.

"From what I understand, these were really gracious easy-going people," Weiskopf said. "They don't come out with fangs, they just blended in."

Duffy, the retired state police major in Massachusetts, said the people who lived in South Boston saw Bulger as a Robin Hood figure who protected them from drug dealers and other criminals. In reality, Bulger controlled the drug trade in Boston and committed murders as a matter of routine, Duffy said.

"Killing people was their first option," he said of Bulger and his gang.

He added: "There was this horrendous misconception that he kept drugs out of South Boston, when actually, he controlled the drug trade in South Boston. If you were a drug dealer, you didn't operate in South Boston without paying him."

Along with the federal charges in Boston, Bulger faces murder charges in Oklahoma in the killing of a businessman and in Miami in the killing of a gambling executive. Both slayings were in the 1970s.

Associated Press writer Christopher Weber contributed to this report from Los Angeles. Risling also reported from Los Angeles

Department of Justice Canada

noreply@blogger.com (Patron St. Stephen Protomartyr ستيف في فيستا) — Mon, 03 Oct 2011 06:17:00 +0000

Department of Justice Canada:

September 30, 2011

RIA Novosti: Russian organized crime 'significant threat' to U.S. - report | World | RIA Novosti

noreply@blogger.com (Patron St. Stephen Protomartyr ستيف في فيستا) — Thu, 29 Sep 2011 21:52:00 +0000

Russian organized crime 'significant threat' to U.S. - report | World | RIA Novosti:

World

Russian organized crime 'significant threat' to U.S. - report

Russian organized crime 'significant threat' to U.S.

20:47 25/07/2011

WASHINGTON, July 25 (RIA Novosti)

Russian and Eurasian organized crime networks represent a significant threat to economic growth and democratic institutions in the United States, a report released by the U.S. presidential National Security Staff on Monday.

The report warned that Russian organized crime syndicates and oligarchs with criminal links may attempt to "collude with state or state-allied actors to undermine competition in strategic markets such as gas, oil, aluminum, and precious metals."

"Not only are criminal networks expanding, but they also are diversifying their activities, resulting in the convergence of threats that were once distinct and today have explosive and destabilizing effects," the report said.

The report - entitled Strategy to Combat Transnational Organized Crime: Addressing Converging Threats to National Security - named "The Mogilevich Organization" as one such organized crime syndicates.

Semion Mogilevich is wanted by the United States for fraud, racketeering, and money laundering and was recently added to the FBI's Ten Most Wanted fugitives list.

Mogilevich was arrested by Russian police on tax charges in January 2008 and was released pending trial in July 2009. Other members of his organization remain at large.

Another "prominent concern" is nuclear material trafficking in the former Soviet Union.

"The United States will continue to cooperate with Russia and the nations of the region to combat illicit drugs and TOC," the report says.

Bureau of Intelligence and Research

noreply@blogger.com (Patron St. Stephen Protomartyr ستيف في فيستا) — Thu, 29 Sep 2011 15:37:00 +0000

Bureau of Intelligence and Research:

The Bureau of Intelligence and Research (INR) is headed by Assistant Secretary Philip S. Goldberg.

INR's primary mission is to harness intelligence to serve U.S. diplomacy. Drawing on all-source intelligence, INR provides value-added independent analysis of events to Department policymakers; ensures that intelligence activities support foreign policy and national security purposes; and serves as the focal point in the Department for ensuring policy review of sensitive counterintelligence and law enforcement activities. The bureau also analyzes geographical and international boundary issues. INR is a member of theU.S. intelligence community.

Home | State of California - Department of Justice - Kamala D. Harris Attorney General

noreply@blogger.com (Patron St. Stephen Protomartyr ستيف في فيستا) — Wed, 28 Sep 2011 16:57:00 +0000

Home | State of California - Department of Justice - Kamala D. Harris Attorney General

AG's Spotlight

Fighting Transnational Gangs

San Diego County Sheriff’s Department | William D Gore, Sheriff

noreply@blogger.com (Patron St. Stephen Protomartyr ستيف في فيستا) — Tue, 27 Sep 2011 16:46:00 +0000

San Diego County Sheriff’s Department | William D Gore, Sheriff:

Links

San Diego County Sheriff's Department:

U.S. Customs and Border Protection - Newsroom

noreply@blogger.com (Patron St. Stephen Protomartyr ستيف في فيستا) — Tue, 27 Sep 2011 10:37:00 +0000

U.S. Customs and Border Protection - Newsroom:

-	CBP Team Finds Success in Iraq During Eight-Month Deployment - 09/22/2011

-	Miami CBP Officer Awarded Homeland Security Investigations Partner of the Year Award - 09/14/2011

-	Following Training in Texas, CBP Team Deploys to Advise, Train Iraqi Officials - 09/16/2011

-	Molaski Accepts Command of CBP Canine Program in El Paso, Texas - 09/14/2011

-	‘Passport Day’ Encourages U.S. Citizens to Apply for Travel Document - 09/13/2011

-	CBP Trade Day: Bersin Engages Key Trade Groups - 09/01/2011

-	Border Wars' New Season Premieres Sunday at 9 - 08/29/2011

CBP Responds to Hurricane Irene – Information and Advisories
This page will contain information, advisories and notifications from U.S. Customs and Border Protection related to Hurricane Irene as it progresses up the East Coast.

Members of the public who live in the hurricane’s projected path are encouraged to pay close attention to local authorities and to visit the Department of Homeland Security’s Ready.gov site to learn more about disaster preparedness.

-	CBP Commissioner Bersin Hosts Second Meeting of 12th Term Trade Advisory Committee in Long Beach - 08/24/2011

-	CBP Commissioner Bersin Addresses Inaugural Border Mayors Conference - 08/17/2011

-	CBP Commissioner Delivers Remarks at 2011 Border Security Conference - 08/17/2011

-	CBP Signs Anti-Corruption Agreement with DHS Inspector General - 08/16/2011

-	Historic New Orleans Customhouse Rededicated After Devastation of Hurricane Katrina - 08/09/2011

-	Commissioner Addresses Past, Present, Future of Southwest Border Security - 08/04/2011

-	Progress and Next Steps Discussed at Blue Campaign Anniversary

-	'You Did Us Proud' - Targeting Center Staff Honored for Work in Apprehension of Times Square Bomber - 08/02/2011

-	Aguilar Meets with Trade Groups to Improve Economic Competitiveness - 07/28/2011

-	CBP Takes Part in EAA AirVenture 2011 - 07/26/2011

-	Construction Begins on New Tornillo-Guadalupe Port of Entry - 07/21/2011

-	DHS's Heroes of the Frontline Highlights Work of CBP Employee - 06/30/2011

-	CBP Joins CPSC in Promoting Fireworks Safety - 06/22/2011

-	Pascua Yaqui ETC Officially Designated as WHTI-Compliant Travel Card - 06/09/2011

-	CBP, NTEU Sign Historic Bargaining Agreement - 06/03/2011

-	CBP, Qatar Discuss Secure Travel Cooperation - 05/25/2011

-	W.Va. Sen. Rockefeller Among Leaders at Global Borders College Opening - 06/07/2011

-	CBP Vehicle Export Team is 'Watchful Eye' at Port of Miami - 05/19/2011

-	Memorial to Fallen Dedicated at CBP Training Center - 05/17/2011

-	CBP Dedicates Ready Lane at Eagle Pass, Furthering Program's Success - 05/17/2011

-	CBP Hosts World Customs Organization IT Conference in Seattle - 05/17/2011

-	Central American Nations, CBP Discuss Regional Aviation Security - 05/16/2011

-	CBP, ICE Return Cultural Artifacts to Peru - 05/13/2011

-	China, U.S. to Collaborate on Trade, Security - 05/11/2011

-	President Obama Tours CBP's El Paso Port Operations - 05/10/2011

	2011 Police Week Events

-	CBP, ICE Officials Return Pre-Columbian Artifacts to Panama - 04/27/2011

-	WCO IT Conference and Exhibition to be Held May 11-13, Seattle, Wash. - 04/27/2011

-	Korea, CBP to Work Toward Mutual Trusted Traveler Recognition - 04/26/2011

-	CBP Offering Preclearance Services for All U.S.-Bound Flights at Ireland’s Dublin Airport - 04/22/2011

-	Abu Dhabi Customs, CBP to Cooperate on Cargo Targeting - 04/22/2011

-	Collaborative Supply Chain Security in Focus at 2011 Trade Symposium - 04/15/2011

-	Video: Commissioner Tells Trade Symposium 'We Cannot Be Strong without Being Economically Strong'

-	CBP Hosts French Customs and Excise - 04/13/2011

-	CBP Trade Symposium 2011 Launches - Two-day Lineup Includes Key Business, Government Leaders - 04/19/2011

-	Commissioner Bersin Hosts First Meeting of 12th Term Advisory Committee in Washington - 04/13/2011

-	Asst. Commissioner Winkowski Testifies on Resources at Ports of Entry - 04/06/2011

-	CBP, DHS Officials Discuss 21st Century Border - 04/01/2011

-	U.S., New Zealand Agree to Expand Mutual Recognition - 03/28/2011

-	CBP Opens New Operational Integration Center in Mich. - 03/30/2011

-	CBP Dedicates New Peace Arch Port Facility - 03/24/2011

-	World Customs Organization IT Conference, Seattle, May 11-13 - 03/21/2011

-	Napolitano, CBP Officials Explore Southwest Border Security, Prosperity - 03/18/2011

-	Trusted Trade, Automation among Topics of Trade Roundtables - 03/16/2011

-	DHS, CBP Approve Additional U.S. Ports of Entry for Flights to and from Cuba - 06/13/2011

-	Commissioner Urges Joint Vetting, Targeting by Asia-Pacific Partners - 03/03/2011

-	CBP Commissioner Addresses Future Border Issues at Wilson Center - 03/02/2011

-	Journalist Roland Martin Headlines Headquarters Black History Event - 02/25/2011

-	CBP Deputy Commissioner Shares Insights on Border Security, Technology Efforts - 02/24/2011

-	Representatives from Trade Groups Cite Progress, Cooperation in Meetings with CBP Commissioner - 02/09/2011

-	Border Wars Marathon to Run All Day Feb. 12 - 02/08/2011

	As Valentine's Approaches, CBP Flower Inspections Increase This folder contains press releases, photos, videos, facts and figures about CBP's screening of millions of fresh cut flowers imported to the U.S. in advance of Valentine's Day. Information from around the agency provides a nationwide picture of the massive effort to keep out harmful pests and diseases.

-	DHS, CBP Publish Final Rule Allowing Additional U.S. Ports of Entry for Flights To and From Cuba - 02/03/2011

	CBP Provides Support for Super Bowl XLV

-	Video and Images: Cross-Border Catapult - 01/27/2011 File size - 11,248 KB

-	Save the Date: Trade Symposium Set for April 13, 14 - 12/30/2010
	pdf - 442 KB.

-	CBP, ICE, USPIS Partner to Stop Fake NHL Winter Classic Gear - 12/29/2010

-	CBP Leaders Pay Wounded Warriors a Holiday Visit to Say 'Thanks' - 12/22/2010

-	Detroit Red Wings Pay Tribute to Fallen Agent Terry - 12/17/2010

-	Commissioner Takes Part in Dedication of Donna-Rio Bravo International Bridge - 12/15/2010

-	Bersin Hosts Second Series of Meetings with Trade Groups - 12/10/2010

-	Commissioner Challenges Chamber of Commerce Audience to Adopt New View on Security, Trade - 12/08/2010

-	Bersin Shares Security Vision With Aviation Executives - 12/06/2010

-	CBP Hosts International Trade Day Event on Capitol Hill - 11/17/2010

-	Commissioner Bersin Testifies on Air Cargo Security - 11/16/2010

-	View Live Streaming of Commissioner Bersin's Testimony at Senate Committee on Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs, 3:15 p.m. ET - 11/16/2010

-	Commissioner Bersin Hosts Trade Advisory Committee Meeting in D.C. - 11/12/2010

-	Commissioner Bersin Holds Trade, Travel Roundtables - 11/09/2010

-	CBP Initiates the Center of Excellence and Expertise and Account Executive Pilots - 10/22/2010

-	Secretary Napolitano, Commissioner Bersin Discuss Accomplishments During San Diego Visit - 10/21/2010

-	CBP Agriculture to Participate in USA Science and Engineering Festival This Weekend - 10/19/2010

-	Business Organizations Conducting Survey on U.S.-Mexican Border Views - 08/19/2010

-	CBP Canine Program Aids Government of Mexico - 09/08/2010

-	Commissioner Bersin Delivers Keynote Address at Border Security Conference - 08/19/2010

-	CBP Participates In Joint News Conference on Arrest - 08/13/2010

-	Commissioner Bersin Visits Detroit for Trade Advisory Meeting - 08/06/2010

-	CBP Information Technology ‘Industry Day’ Scheduled for August 13 - 08/05/2010

	CBP At EAA Airventure 2010

-	TV Show COPS to Feature CBP This Saturday - 07/26/2010

-	Agencies Unite, Launch Blue Campaign to Fight Human Trafficking - by Jay Mayfield - 07/23/2010

-	Video: Agencies Warn of Hazards of Fireworks - 07/02/2010 file size - 32,972 KB

-	CBP Holds Press Conference on Hurricane Alex Preparations - 07/01/2010

-	CBP and CPSC Join Forces to Protect the Public by Promoting Fireworks Safety - 06/29/2010

-	CBP Policymakers and Field Managers Converge at Trade Conference - 06/28/2010

-	Commissioner Shares Trade Vision at CBP Conference - 06/22/2010

-	Flag Day: CBP's Ensign Was America's First For Government Agency - 06/11/2010

-	Commissioner Addresses Exporter/Importer Conference - 06/08/2010

-	Ancient Fossils Seized by CBP Officially Returned to China - 05/26/2010

-	Secretary Napolitano Announces Elimination of Paper Arrival/Departure Form to Streamline Secure Visa Waiver Program Travel 05/20/2010

-	President Obama Honors Fallen Officers at National Peace Officers' Memorial Service - 05/17/2010

-	CBP 2010 Ceremonies Honor Fallen Heroes - 05/14/2010

-	ICE, CBP and El Salvador Celebrate Recovery of Pre-Columbian Artifacts in Joint Investigation into Smuggling Ring Selling on E-Bay - 05/13/2010

-	Commissioner Has First Meeting with Trade Advisory Committee in Philadelphia - 05/13/2010

-	National Geographic Repeating 'Border Wars' - 05/11/2010

-	‘Hero’ CBP Officers Honored at New York Mets Game - 05/10/2010

-	New Border Vision Tour Stops in San Diego - 05/07/2010

-	President Praises CBP Personnel in Arrest of Bombing Suspect - 05/06/2010

-	Video: President Praises CBP Personnel in Arrest of Bombing Suspect - 05/06/2010 wmv file - 9,100 KB

-	CBP Honors Fallen Officers at the 2010 Blue Mass - 05/05/2010

-	Commissioner Bersin Provides a ‘New Border Vision’ During Visit to El Paso - 04/30/2010

-	New CBP Commissioner Bersin Participates in Employee, Stakeholder Forums during Visit to Laredo, Texas - 04/29/2010

-	CBP Joins ICE, Federal Partners for Intellectual Property Protection Ceremony - 04/27/2010

-	Deputy Commissioner Aguilar Emphasizes More Communication, Collaborative Work with the Trade at NCBFAA 2010 Conference - 04/15/2010

	CBP Canine Program Anniversary

-	CBP Reminder: Kinder Eggs are Banned from Import - 03/31/2010

-	Defense Association Honors CBP, 3 Leaders for Service, Sacrifice - 03/12/2010 'Every American citizen and enterprise has been served by the character, bravery, integrity and initiative that Customs officers and Border Patrol agents have provided daily for our nation’s security and prosperity.'

-	CBP Assists Super Bowl XLIV Security Operation - 02/09/2010

	CBP Supports Haiti Relief Efforts

-	National Geographic Show 'Border Wars' Premiers with Soaring Ratings - 01/13/2010

-	Acting Commissioner Ahern Discusses State of the Border with Canadian, Mexican Officials at Annual CBP Trade Symposium - 12/14/2009

-	CBP International Affairs Office Participates in Africa Security Cooperation Conference - 12/11/2009

-	2009 Trade Symposium Kicks Off in Washington, D.C. - 12/09/2009

-	California Port Managers Shave Heads for Good Cause - 11/27/2009

-	Acting CBP Commissioner Ahern Announces Retirement Plans - 11/23/2009

-	National Intellectual Property Rights Coordination Center Partners Take Part in International Week of Action on Illegal Pharmaceuticals - 11/20/2009

-	Secretary Napolitano Announces Rule Proposing Permanent Global Entry Program - 11/19/2009

-	Department of Homeland Security and Tohono O’odham Nation Announce Agreement to Develop Enhanced Tribal Card - 11/03/2009

-	CBP K-9s Steal the Show at AKC ‘Meet the Breeds’ Event - 10/26/2009

-	CBP Assists Partners in Drug Seizure worth Millions - Thousands of Marijuana Plants Found Growing Near Canadian Border - 10/02/2009

-	Havre Sector Hosts Grand Opening of Sweetgrass Station, Town Hall Meeting - 10/02/2009

-	APHIS to Increase User Fees Oct. 1 - 09/29/2009

-	Secretary Napolitano Applauds President Obama’s Intent to Nominate Alan Bersin as CBP Commissioner - 09/22/2009

-	CBP and ICE Repatriate Ancient Fossils to China - 09/15/2009

-	Department of Homeland Security and Seneca Nation of Indians Announce Agreement to Develop Enhanced Tribal Card - 09/10/2009

-	Secretary Napolitano Announces Global Entry Expansion to 13 Additional Airports - 08/12/2009

-	DHS Secretary Speaks at 2009 Border Security Conference - 08/12/2009

-	'Homeland Security USA' to Return for Remainder of Summer - 08/10/2009

-	A National Dialogue on the Quadrennial Homeland Security Review - 07/17/2009
	pdf - 226 KB.

-	International Drug Ring Dismantled with Help from CBP - 07/09/2009

-	Assistant Commissioner Baldwin Touts CBP’s Role in Fireworks Safety at CPSC Event - 07/02/2009

-	White House Ceremony Recognizes Laredo Federal Workers - 07/02/2009

-	Cocaine Smuggling Vessel Becomes Diver’s Paradise - 06/12/2009

-	Secretary Napolitano Announces $60 Million in Operation Stonegarden Grants - 06/08/2009

-	Map Follows Progress of Southwest Border Fence Project - 12/25/2009 For Accessibility Information: OPA508CONTACT@cbp.dhs.gov
	pdf - 4,233 KB.

-	CBP Ceremony Remembers Fallen Inspector Kenneth Ward - 06/03/2009

-	Homeland Security Assistant Secretary Visits CBP El Paso Operations - 05/29/2009

-	Honor, History and Hope at Asian-Pacific American Heritage Month Celebration - 05/18/2009

-	CBP Honors Fallen Heroes at 2009 Valor Memorial, Wreath Laying Ceremonies - 05/18/2009

-	CBP Participates in Public Service Recognition Week on National Mall - 05/07/2009

-	Orange County Men Indicted on Federal Charges of Smuggling Birds from Vietnam into U.S. - 05/07/2009

-	Secretary Napolitano Signs Agreement on Aviation Preclearance Security Operations with Bermuda - 04/23/2009

-	United States and The Netherlands Launch Air Travel Partnership to Streamline Border Processing - 04/23/2009

-	Acting Commissioner Highlights CBP's Role in Trade Security - 04/22/2009

-	DHS Secretary Napolitano Visits Southwest Border - 04/16/2009

-	Former Commissioner Basham Receives Homeland Security Award - 02/27/2009

-	Deputy Commissioner Ahern Addresses Air and Marine Senior Leadership, Visits CBP Locations in Puerto Rico - 02/11/2009

-	Secretary Napolitano Pays 1st Visit to CBP, Thanks Work Force - 02/06/2009

-	CBP Helps Secure Presidential Inauguration Events - CBP Personnel and Assets Assist as Estimated 2 Million Witness Ceremony - 01/21/2009

-	Deputy Commissioner Ahern Pledges Smooth Transition at Exporter/Importer Conference - 01/14/2009

-	CBP to be Featured in New ABC Reality Series - 12/15/2008 For Accessibility Information: OPA508CONTACT@cbp.dhs.gov
	pdf - 18 KB.

-	CBP Hosts 2008 Trade Symposium: Continuity Through Transition - Partnerships with Other Federal Agencies and the Trade Community Key to Implement CBP Trade Strategy Under New Administration - 10/31/2008

-	Securing America’s Borders - CBP 2008 Fiscal Year in Review - 11/05/2008

-	CBP Announces Support for National Gang Intelligence Center - 10/20/2008

-	Smuggler Suspect Going to Court - 10/15/2008

-	CBP Partners with Trade Community to Address Priority Issues - 09/24/2008

-	Rio Grande Flooding Closes Presidio Port; Officers Aid Repair Efforts - 09/22/2008

-	'Magic Kharpet' Takes Flight to Fight Agricultural Pest - 09/19/2008

	Human Trafficking Symposium Follow-Up - 10/08/2008

-	CBP Employees, Ronald Reagan Building Agencies Commemorate 9/11 - 09/11/2008

-	CBP, ICE Join Forces to Fight Human Trafficking - Joint Symposium in Washington, D.C. Focuses on Partnership, Best Practices - 09/10/2008

-	Multiple Seizures Made as CBP, Department of Agriculture, Coast Guard Join Efforts - 09/08/2008

-	CBP Presents WHTI Outreach Plans to News Media - 09/04/2008

	Mission Appreciation Campaign

-	Deputy Commissioner Visits CBP Field Operations Academy Graduation - 08/20/2008

-	Uniform Rules of Origin for Imported Merchandise Amendment Proposed - 07/25/2008

-	Secretary Napolitano Announces Elimination of Paper Arrival/Departure Form to Streamline Secure Visa Waiver Program Travel 05/20/2010

-	Joint Announcement From The U.S. Departments Of State And Homeland Security On Passport Card Production - 07/23/2008 For Accessibility Information: OPA508CONTACT@cbp.dhs.gov

-	Agriculture Quarantine Inspection Partnership Council Visits Detroit - 07/23/2008

-	Ed Kwas: U.S. Customs Service Manager and Innovator - 07/15/2008

-	DHS Announces New Center to Target Unsafe Products - 07/11/2008

-	CBP Partnership Renders 32 Apprehensions in the U.S. Virgin Islands - 06/19/2008

-	Homeland Security, Commerce Secretaries Remark on State of Immigration - 06/10/2008

-	Trade Not Forgotten, While Security is Key - 06/05/2008

-	CBP Seizes $22 Million Worth of Counterfeit Brand Name Merchandise - 05/21/2008

-	National Geographic’s ‘Border Wars’ to be Rebroadcast - 05/13/2008

-	CBP Honors Fallen Heroes - 05/04/2009

-	Trade Facilitation, Strategy Discussed in DC - 05/12/2008

-	Supply Chain Security is Key, Says Commissioner - 05/07/2008

-	CBP Shines at Public Service Recognition Week - 05/06/2008

-	Conference Focuses Efforts to Protect American Agriculture - 05/02/2008

	Border Security

	Technology

	Trade

	Travel

	Careers

	Inside CBP

	CBP in the News

-	Featured RSS Feeds - A Collection of Important RSS feeds on CBP.gov These RSS (Really Simple Syndication) Feeds are made available to easily share information from the U.S. Customs and Border Protection Web Site.

-	CBP.gov Información en Español - 10/16/2009

-	Auctions - 01/08/2008 U.S. Customs and Border Protection has authorized EG&G/CWS Marketing and Rod Robertson Enterprises to auction off CBP general order merchandise and seized and forfeited property. All proceeds from the auction of general order merchandise and vehicles are returned to the government.

-	CBP.gov Quicklinks - 02/18/2009

-	Homepage NewsTicker

-	GSA - 02/28/2011

-	Video - 03/01/2011
	(l8506822579.c85068.g.lm.akamaistream.net/D/580/85068/v0001/reflector:22579)

FBI — Ten Most Wanted

noreply@blogger.com (Patron St. Stephen Protomartyr ستيف في فيستا) — Tue, 27 Sep 2011 07:26:00 +0000

FBI — Ten Most Wanted

Ten Most Wanted

The FBI is offering rewards for information leading to the apprehension of the Ten Most Wanted Fugitives. Select the images of suspects to display more information.

Go to Link for the FBI's Ten Most Wanted

"Notice: The official FBI Ten Most Wanted Fugitives list is maintained on the FBI website. This information may be copied and distributed, however, any unauthorized alteration of any portion of the FBI's Ten Most Wanted Fugitives posters is a violation of federal law (18 U.S.C., Section 709). Persons who make or reproduce these alterations are subject to prosecution and, if convicted, shall be fined or imprisoned for not more than one year, or both."

The Justice Department Celebrates the United States’ Entry into the Open Government Partnership « USDOJ: Justice Blog

noreply@blogger.com (Patron St. Stephen Protomartyr ستيف في فيستا) — Tue, 27 Sep 2011 05:15:00 +0000

The Justice Department Celebrates the United States’ Entry into the Open Government Partnership « USDOJ: Justice Blog:

Home » Briefing Room » The Justice Blog

The Justice Department Celebrates the United States’ Entry into the Open Government Partnership

September 20th, 2011 Posted by Tracy Russo

President Obama made openness a priority of his Administration, committing to an “unprecedented level of openness in Government” on his first full day in office.

In the years since that declaration more information has been released under Freedom of Information Act, and made available on government websites, than ever before. The federal government continues to use technology in innovative ways that harness government information to improve the lives of ordinary citizens.

As President Obama today signs the Open Government Partnership declaration, the Justice Department is proud to highlight some of the ways that it has advanced America’s open government agenda and created a more efficient and effective government through greater transparency, participation, and collaboration.

As the “flagship initiative,” of its Open Government Plan, the Justice Department pledged a new “FOIA Dashboard.” The site, FOIA.gov, launched earlier this year. It is a comprehensive resource for government-wide FOIA compliance data and educational information.

FOIA.gov presents data on agency FOIA processing, including the numbers of FOIA requests made and processed by each agency, the disposition of those requests, the time taken to respond, and any backlogs of pending requests. That data can be compared and contrasted between agencies and over time. Users can select the criteria they want to examine and then run a report on the site.

As an educational resource, FOIA.gov contains material about how the FOIA works and what to expect during the process, and also provides contact information for all government agencies with links to their FOIA websites.

The department has also begun posting newly digitized reference materials – including legislative historiesand archived speeches of former Attorneys General. These materials were previously available only to department employees.

The legislative histories track the development and passage of laws that were deemed of interest to the department or in which the department played a vital role.

In addition, speeches from past Attorneys General are being digitized and posted online. Dating from 1933 to 2009, many of these documents have never before been widely available. These documents will prove to be a treasure trove to librarians, researchers and anyone else interested in the department’s history and documents.

An open and good government is much more than releasing information. It is about harnessing the skills and talents of the American people, establishing greater collaboration among Federal agencies, and ensuring that the taxpayer’s money is wisely spent. To that end, today, the department is recommitting itself to the principles that the President announced on his first day in office and exemplified in our work since then.

In the upcoming months the Department of Justice plans to convene an Interagency Technology Working Group to focus on expanding the use of technology in the core elements of FOIA administration.

Agencies across the government have already embraced technology to assist in receipt and tracking of requests and generation of Annual FOIA Reports. The next step is to improve and streamline administration of the FOIA. Improving this process will allow agencies to respond to requests more quickly and will further reduce backlogs.

In the coming months, the Office of Information Policy, will seek input from interested stakeholders and lead an effort to transform the administration of the FOIA.

For more information on the Justice Department’s Open Government efforts, visit justice.gov/open.

POSTED IN: Office of Information Policy, Office of Public Affairs |

PERMALINK

News from DEA, Domestic Field Divisions, El Paso News Releases, 09/23/11

noreply@blogger.com (Patron St. Stephen Protomartyr ستيف في فيستا) — Tue, 27 Sep 2011 03:50:00 +0000

News from DEA, Domestic Field Divisions, El Paso News Releases, 09/23/11: "News Release [printer-friendly page]
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Date: September 23, 2011
Contact: Diana Apocada
915-832-6074

Eighty-Four Defendants Charged with Drug Trafficking
Offenses as a Result of DEA "MET" Operation in Roswell, New Mexico

Joseph Arabit, SAC El Paso Division, James R. "Rob" Coon,
Joseph Arabit, SAC El Paso Division, James R. "Rob" Coon, Chaves County Sheriff, and Al Solis, Chief, Roswell Police Chief announce results of MET operation.

SEP 23 – ALBUQUERQUE -- Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) Special Agent in Charge Joseph M. Arabit and United States Attorney Kenneth J. Gonzales announced that 57 Roswell residents have been charged with federal drug trafficking offenses in 45 federal indictments and six federal criminal complaints that were unsealed yesterday. Another 27 Roswell residents have been charged with state drug trafficking offenses in state criminal complaints, and are being prosecuted by Janetta B. Hicks, District Attorney for the 5th Judicial District of the State of New Mexico.

The charges against the 84 defendants are the result of an intensive three-month long investigation led by a Mobile Enforcement Team (MET) from the DEA’s El Paso Division Office in conjunction with Chaves County Metro Narcotics HIDTA Task Force. Most of the 84 defendants were arrested yesterday in a massive law enforcement operation involving more than a hundred and fifty federal, state and local law enforcement officers. Officers also executed six federal search warrants at five residences and one business in Roswell during yesterday’s operation.

As of early this morning, 49 of the 57 federal defendants and 17 of the 27 state defendants were in custody. Eight federal defendants and ten state defendants have yet to be arrested and are considered fugitives. Many of the defendants are charged with distributing methamphetamine. Others are charged with distributing cocaine, heroin, marijuana and prescription drugs. The defendants made their initial court appearances in Roswell yesterday. The federal defendants remain in custody pending detention hearings that will be held in federal court in Las Cruces next week.

The DEA’s MET program was created in 1995 in response to violent drug-trafficking organizations in towns and cities across the nation. MET teams are deployed on a temporary basis to assist state, local, and tribal law enforcement in the disruption or dismantlement of violent drug trafficking. There have been 14 MET deployments in New Mexico since the inception of the program. The MET deployment in Roswell was initiated based on a request from U.S. Attorney Gonzales and the Roswell Police Department to address a surge in violent criminal street gang activity directly associated with drug trafficking in Chaves County.

During the MET’s three-month investigation, agents made approximately 60 undercover drug buys and executed four federal search warrants in addition to the search warrants that were executed yesterday. In addition, the agents seized 14 firearms, including four AK-47 rifles, four AR-15 rifles, and six semi-automatic handguns, during the investigation. Prior to yesterday’s operation, 2,446 gross grams of methamphetamine, 861 gross grams of cocaine, 338 gross grams of heroin, 133 gross grams of marijuana and pharmaceutical narcotics were obtained through undercover drug purchases and seizures. During yesterday’s operation, agents seized an additional five firearms including a shotgun, five vehicles, and quantities of methamphetamine, cocaine, heroin, marijuana and pharmaceutical narcotics.

In announcing yesterday’s arrests, U.S. Attorney Gonzales commended the cooperative efforts of federal, state and local law enforcement, and said: “Earlier this year, community leaders in Roswell asked my Office to work with them in tackling the escalating drug trafficking and gang related violence in Chaves County. We immediately agreed, and enlisted the help of our federal law enforcement partners, like Mr. Arabit and the DEA. Together, we embarked on a coordinated effort to crackdown on drug trafficking and gang violence in Chaves County, and to help bring about positive change for the people who live there. Although yesterday’s law enforcement operation was part of our response to Roswell’s request for help, it is also part of our statewide fight against drugs and the cycle of violence that goes hand in hand with drug trafficking. The federal law enforcement community remains committed to working with Ms. Hicks, Police Chief Al Solis, Sheriff Rob Coon as well as other state and local officials to safeguard families throughout New Mexico.”

“Drug abuse and related criminal activity can have particularly devastating effects in our communities and rural areas,” said DEA Special Agent in Charge Arabit. “By combining our resources and expertise to investigate, arrest, and prosecute those responsible for dealing illegal drugs in Roswell and southeastern New Mexico, DEA and our state and local law enforcement partners are working to reduce overall crime and improve the quality of life for area residents. The arrests in this operation are a positive step in that direction.”

District Attorney Hicks said, “The DEA and Chaves County Metro Narcotics Task Force should be commended for all of their hard work in this investigation. The District Attorney’s Office is pleased to work closely with the United States Attorney’s Office in aggressively pursuing these cases. We are all working together to make the citizens of Chaves County safer.”

Agents and officers from the following law enforcement agencies supported the DEA MET and Chaves County Metro Narcotics HIDTA Task Force during yesterday’s law enforcement operation: the Roswell Police Department, the Chaves County Sheriff’s Office, the Lea County Region VI Task Force, the Carlsbad Police Department, the Eddy County Sheriff’s Office, the Pecos Valley Task Force, the New Mexico State Police, the United States Marshal’s Service, the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives, the Federal Bureau of Investigation, U.S. Homeland Security Investigations, the Bureau of Indian Affairs, and U.S. Border Patrol.

The federal cases are being prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorneys Terri Abernathy, John Crews, Sarah Davenport, Amanda Gould, Jessica Jarvis, Ron Jennings, Aaron Jordan, Nathan Lichvarcik, Marisa Lizarraga, Donald Moore, Michael Nammar, Michael Pleters, Ravi Sinha and Jacob Wishard. The state cases are being prosecuted by Assistant District Attorneys Donald Moore and Matthew Stone.

Charges in indictments and criminal complaints are only accusations. All criminal defendants are presumed innocent until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt.

The DEA El Paso Division encourages parents, and their children to visit the following interactive websites at www.justhinktwice.com, www.GetSmartAboutDrugs.com and www.dea.gov

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