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Expo Vendors Tout Products, Politics (The Eugene, Oregon 'Register-Guard'
Does A Nice Job Representing The Range Of Participants And Patrons
At The Second Annual World Hemp Expo Extravaganja This Weekend
In Harrisburg, One Of The Largest Hemp Festivals In The United States -
'Thirty Years Ago, Farmers Were Laughing About Soybeans, But Today
It's The Best-Selling Crop In America - And Right Now Hemp's A Joke,
But 30 Years From Now, You Just Watch')
Date: Sun, 19 Jul 1998 01:07:06 -0800
To: mapnews@mapinc.org
From: owner-mapnews@mapinc.org (MAPNews)
Subject: MN: US OR: Expo Vendors Tout Products, Politics
Sender: owner-mapnews@mapinc.org
Reply-To: owner-mapnews@mapinc.org
Organization: Media Awareness Project http://www.mapinc.org/lists/
Newshawk: William Conde
Pubdate: Sat, 18 Jul 1998
Source: Register-Guard, The (OR)
Section: Front Page
Contact: rgletters@guardnet.com
Website: http://www.registerguard.com/
Author: ALLISON LINN
EXPO VENDORS TOUT PRODUCTS, POLITICS
Iya Berry waited an hour Friday to be the first customer at the Hemp Scream
stand.
Berry, who traveled from Hawaii to attend a few hemp festivals on the
mainland, wanted the biggest serving of the chocolate frozen dessert, a
nondairy product made from hemp seed milk and hemp seed oil, plus a hemp
seed cookie. She didn't blink at the $5 price tag.
"I had it last year, and it was so good," Berry said before closing her
eyes and savoring the first bite.
The vendor, Agua Das of Boulder, Colo., was one of more than 150 who
gathered in Harrisburg on Friday for Whee2!, the second annual Hemp Expo.
The for-profit event, which continues today and Sunday, is organized by
High Times magazine.
Many vendors were selling products made of hemp - food, clothes, even teddy
bears (the Environmentally Aware Bear, on sale for $10) and bean bag chairs
(the Green Bag, with a removable, washable hemp cover, yours for $100 to
$150).
At the Hemp Train stand, Oana Bolton of Denver had information on the
feasibility of hemp houses - said to be naturally bug-repellent and
fire-retardant - as well as an all-hemp car that would run on a hemp
oil-based fuel. Other vendors were hoping to appeal to your average earthy
audience with flowing dresses, jewelry, tie-dyed Jerry Garcia banners and
more. And a small but active number of people were at the expo with a
political stance, to spread information about the medical use of marijuana
and efforts to legalize hemp crops in the United States.
Geri Kult, with the Hemp Club of Southern Oregon, sat at a booth with a
loudspeaker, broadcasting messages such as, "Thank you for pot smoking."
Kult, who has been involved in the hemp movement for more than 25 years,
said her goal was to educate people about the medical marijuana measure on
Oregon ballots this year, and to make sure people are registered to vote.
Even vendors without a clear political issue were advocating the
legalization of hemp and/or cannabis on some level. Das, the Hemp Scream
vendor, said his products don't contain any THC, the ingredient in cannabis
that makes people high.
But, he said, they're low-fat and full of protein and vitamins. He
predicted that people will eventually embrace hemp.
"Thirty years ago, farmers were laughing about soybeans, but today it's the
best-selling crop in America," Das said. "And right now hemp's a joke, but
30 years from now, you just watch."
Thousands of people from across the country are expected to attend the Hemp
Expo, making it one of the largest hemp festivals in the United States.
Stephen Gaskin, an advocate for the legalization of marijuana and hemp,
said it's important to have such events to show what nice people hemp
advocates are.
"We are some of the 35 million people who only break one law," he said.
"And that's pretty scary because it's twice as many people as voted for
Ross Perot."
Among those who came for the festivities was Barbara Lefkowitz, whose
trailer was covered with stickers, some put on by her and others added by
strangers at festivals like this one.
Lefkowitz, who is HIV-positive, said she uses marijuana to quell the nausea
that comes from taking protease inhibitors, which in turn help reduce her
chances of developing AIDS symptoms.
Anne, from Long Beach, Calif., and Louise, from Atlanta, were unexpected
visitors to the Hemp Expo, having been taken there by Anne's granddaughter
on the way to visit family in Newport.
The self-proclaimed "LOLs," or "Little Old Ladies," were too shy to give
their full names but did say they were having a good time talking with the
various vendors.
"It reminds me of when my children were growing up," Anne said.
"I'm learning a lot," Louise said, adding that she and Anne had started
joking about how much the two ladies stuck out in the crowd.
"They're making cookies with hemp over there, and there giving away free
samples," Louise said. "I was saying that we need to get us some cookies
and get a buzz on."
Whee2! Hemp Expo
When: 10 a.m. to 1 a.m. today and Sunday
Where: High Five Music in Harrisburg; take Interstate 5 north to Exit 209
and follow signs
Cost: $10 daily admission, $40 for a weekend camping pass, $5 daily to park
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Marijuana Seller Sentenced To Jail Time (MSNBSC Says David Lee Herrick,
A Former San Bernardino County Sheriff's Deputy Who Was Prevented
By Superior Court Judge William Froeberg From Invoking Proposition 215
During His Trial, Despite Its Connection To His Work At The Orange County
Cannabis Co-op, Was Sentenced To Four Years In Prison Friday)
Date: Sat, 18 Jul 1998 22:14:22 -0700
To: mapnews@mapinc.org
From: owner-mapnews@mapinc.org (MAPNews)
Subject: MN: US CA; Wire: Marijuana Seller Sentenced to Jail Time
Sender: owner-mapnews@mapinc.org
Reply-To: owner-mapnews@mapinc.org
Organization: Media Awareness Project http://www.mapinc.org/lists/
Newshawk: compassion23@geocities.com (Frank S. World)
Source: MSNBSC on KNBC
Website: http://www.msnbc.com/local/KNBC/
Pubdate: Sat, 18 Jul 1998
MARIJUANA SELLER SENTENCED TO JAIL TIME
SANTA ANA, July 17 - The first man prosecuted in Orange County for selling
marijuana, despite claims that he provided the drug under a law
decriminalizing its medical use, was sentenced Friday to four years in
prison.
David Lee Herrick, 48, was convicted of two counts of marijuana sales in
May, and acquitted of two other counts.
Superior Court Judge William Froeberg did not allow Herrick to use
Proposition 215 as a defense, nor could Deputy Public Defender Sharon
Petrosino invoke a 'medical necessity' defense, which allows a person to
break the law in certain circumstances.
Before jurors convicted Herrick, they sent a note to the judge asking about
the 'will' of the people in passing Proposition 215, but were told that it
offers no protection for marijuana sales.
Herrick, who was a San Bernardino County sheriff's deputy for a dozen years
before an accident in which he was run over by a car - claimed he provided
the marijuana to members of the Orange County Cannabis Co-op for donations.
Deputy District Attorney Carl Armbrust said Froeberg indicated during the
sentencing hearing that he did not buy Herrick's claim that he thought his
activities were covered under the law.
The judge cited Herrick's law enforcement background, Armbrust said.
Herrick has a prior conviction for selling marijuana that led to his arrest
in Orange County, the prosecutor said.
Herrick served 26 days in jail for possessing marijuana for sale and was on
probation, but left San Bernardino County without notifying his probation
officer.
When his car was spotted at a motel parking lot in Santa Ana, police
checked the computer and learned he was wanted for a probation violation,
Armbrust said.
When police entered his room, they found the marijuana, although according
to police reports, the seven bags were marked 'Not for sale. For medical
purposes only.'
Herrick has been jailed since his May 1997 arrest, so he only has about two
more years on the sentence, Armbrust said. But he could face additional
time for the probation violation.
Armbrust is gearing up for next Friday's pretrial hearing involving Marvin
Chavez, who founded the co-op and was also arrested for marijuana sales.
Armbrust said he subpoenaed the medical records of co-op members to
determine if they really have doctors' prescriptions for the drug. 'I don't
think (Chavez) determines if there is any slip from the doctor,' Armbrust
said. Chavez's attorney, Robert Kennedy, said he will argue to quash the
subpoenas for the medical records.
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Former Sheriff's Deputy Sentenced To Four Years For Selling Pot
('The Sacramento Bee' Version)
Date: Sat, 18 Jul 1998 22:51:24 -0400
To: mapnews@mapinc.org
From: owner-mapnews@mapinc.org (MAPNews)
Subject: MN: US CA: Former Sheriff'S Deputy
Sentenced To Four Years For Selling Pot
Sender: owner-mapnews@mapinc.org
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Organization: Media Awareness Project http://www.mapinc.org/lists/
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Source: Sacramento Bee (CA)
Contact: http://www.sacbee.com/about_us/sacbeemail.html
Website: http://www.sacbee.com/
Pubdate: 18 Jul 1998
FORMER SHERIFF'S DEPUTY SENTENCED TO FOUR YEARS FOR SELLING POT
SANTA ANA, Calif. (AP) -- A retired sheriff's deputy who volunteered at a
medical marijuana club that took donations was sentenced to four years in
state prison for selling the drug.
The maximum sentence was handed down Friday to David Lee Herrick, a retired
San Bernardino County sheriff's deputy who had been convicted in May.
Herrick, 48, was a volunteer with the Orange County Cannabis Co-Op, which
had a policy of distributing marijuana to the sick.
Co-op founder Marvin Chavez, awaiting trial on a similar felony charge,
criticized Herrick's sentence.
"What they did today was wrong," he said.
The Orange County Superior Court case had been seen as a test of
Proposition 215, the 1996 state initiative that allowed patients with
cancer, AIDS, glaucoma and other illnesses to possess and grow marijuana
for medical use with a doctor's recommendation.
However, the judge refused to allow Herrick to use the initiative as a
defense because the club took donations for the marijuana. The judge said
that amounted to selling the drug, which the initiative doesn't protect.
Herrick, 48, said he started using marijuana to deal with a back injury he
suffered on duty.
Prosecutor Carl Armbrust said Herrick had a previous conviction for selling
marijuana before the initiative was approved.
Judge William R. Froeberg said imposing a lesser sentence would violate his
oath of office.
"He used to be a law enforcement officer," Froeberg said. "He should have
known what he was doing was against the law, especially because he was on
probation for the same thing.
"He's nothing more than a marijuana salesman."
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Not Necessarily Fan Mail ('San Jose Mercury News' Columnist Jim Trotter
Notes His Description Of The National Youth Anti-Drug Campaign As A Waste
Of Money Has Provoked A Response From Chuck Blanchard Of The White House
Office Of National Drug Control Policy, Who Says The Television Ads
By The Partnership For A Drug-Free America Have Been Endorsed As Effective
By The Annenberg School Of Communications)
Date: Sun, 19 Jul 1998 22:13:02 -0400
To: mapnews@mapinc.org
From: owner-mapnews@mapinc.org (MAPNews)
Subject: MN: US CA: Column: Not Necessarily Fan Mail
Sender: owner-mapnews@mapinc.org
Reply-To: owner-mapnews@mapinc.org
Organization: Media Awareness Project http://www.mapinc.org/lists/
Newshawk: Marcus-Mermelstein Family (mmfamily@ix.netcom.com)
Pubdate: Fri, 17 Jul 1998
Source: San Jose Mercury News (CA)
Contact: letters@sjmercury.com
Website: http://www.sjmercury.com/
Pubdate: Sat, 18 Jul 1998
Author: Jim Trotter Mercury News Staff Columnist
NOT NECESSARILY FAN MAIL:
As part of the team that helped design the national youth anti-drug
campaign, I read your column (describing it as a waste of money) with great
interest. When I saw the updated frying pan ad, I, too, was very skeptical.
Yet, when the Annenberg School of Communications tested our ads, this ad
tested as the most effective with our target audience.
You and I are not the audience. Kids are the audience, and the research says
that this ad will work.
About half of the ads are not geared to kids; they are geared toward
parents. There is extensive evidence that kids DO listen to parents on
issues like drugs. The problem is that many parents don't believe that their
kids are affected by drugs. Our parent ads (also tested) are designed to
increase this dialogue.
As the University of Michigan's Monitoring the Future studies (and other
research) have demonstrated, ads aimed at youth attitudes will decrease drug
use if there is a long-term and concerted campaign.
In sum, the media campaign is far more thought-out than you might have been
led to believe.
Chuck Blanchard
Chief Counsel White House Office of National Drug Control Policy
Via e-mail
Well, I have to admit this is the fastest response I've ever received from a
White House office. Come to think of it, it may be the only one. So let's
give Chuck credit for being on his toes. He also invites those interested in
the campaign strategy to check it out at: www.whitehousedrugpolicy.gov. I
wish the campaign well but am still unconvinced this is the best allocation
of resources.
I think there are two fundamental flaws (in the new anti-drug ad campaign).
1. As consumers, we are conditioned to do (buy) something that an ad
references, not to avoid doing it. 2. Teenagers and young adults are often
reflexively opposed to any authoritative message, especially (one that says)
not to do something. I'm sure that's why in large measure that the `Just say
no' campaign failed.
Carl Peters
Via e-mail
``Just say no'' would appear to be the opposite of ``Just do it.'' And yet
the former is about drugs, the latter a shoe company. In time, I think all
those slogans hang out there as relatively meaningless jargon.
Write Jim Trotter at the San Jose Mercury News, 750 Ridder Park Drive, San
Jose, Calif. 95190; call (408) 920-5024 or e-mail to jtrotter@sjmercury.com.
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Prescribing Viagra For Sex Offenders May Become Illegal
('The San Francisco Examiner' Says Assemblyman Robert Prenter
Has Introduced A Bill To The California Legislature, Which Has Previously
Mandated Chemical Castration For Repeat Child Molesters, That Would Punish
Doctors For Prescribing Pfizer's Drug For Impotence To The Wrong People,
Requiring Doctors To Query Their Patients About Their Criminal Background -
Prenter Said He Was Reacting To A Report About An Alleged Case
At The Fresno Veterans Affairs Medical Center, But The Newspaper
Was Unable To Verify It)
Date: Sun, 19 Jul 1998 22:37:32 -0400
To: mapnews@mapinc.org
From: owner-mapnews@mapinc.org (MAPNews)
Subject: MN: US CA: Prescribing Viagra For Sex Offenders May Become Illegal
Sender: owner-mapnews@mapinc.org
Reply-To: owner-mapnews@mapinc.org
Organization: Media Awareness Project http://www.mapinc.org/lists/
Newshawk: compassion23@geocities.com (Frank S. World)
Pubdate: Sat, 18 Jul 1998
Source: San Francisco Examiner (CA)
Contact: letters@examiner.com
Website: http://www.examiner.com/
Author: Robert Salladay Examiner Capitol Bureau
PRESCRIBING VIAGRA FOR SEX OFFENDERS MAY BECOME ILLEGAL
Assembly bill targets sex-enhancing drugs
SACRAMENTO -- A conservative Central Valley lawmaker wants to make it tough
for sex offenders to buy Viagra and other sex-enhancing drugs.
Assemblyman Robert Prenter, R-Hanford, said Friday he will introduce
legislation to outlaw prescriptions of the popular anti-impotency pill to
registered sex offenders in California.
"Obviously, empowering known sex offenders to be able to repeat their crimes
is of great concern," Prenter said. "It would be even more outrageous if it
occurred at taxpayers' expense."
Prenter said he was reacting to a report that a doctor at the Fresno
Veterans Affairs Medical Center prescribed Viagra to a patient whom the
doctor knew was a sex offender.
Under a draft of Prenter's bill, any doctor who prescribes Viagra to someone
they know is a registered sex offender could face up to a year in jail and
be fined up to $20,000. The measure applies to any drug marketed to enhance
sexual performance.
The bill does not make it a crime for a sex offender to possess Viagra, but
"that may be something we would look at in the future," Prenter said.
"There is great concern that some sex offenders stop because they are
impotent and this allows them to be sexually abusive again."
Prenter has written the state Department of Mental Health and the U.S.
Department of Veterans Affairs asking them to clarify their policy on
prescribing Viagra.
Prenter said he began writing the bill in May, after hearing about the
alleged incident in Fresno. The incident was reported by the Fresno media
this week, but the names of the doctor and patient were not released.
A spokesman for the Fresno VA hospital said the hospital has never allowed
doctors to prescribe the drug on the premises and the pharmacy does not
distribute it. All doctors, however, are free to prescribe any drug they see
fit outside of work.
"We don't know where that story is coming from," hospital spokesman David
Phillips said of news accounts this week.
In the past three months, doctors nationwide have written more than 2
million Viagra prescriptions. Caught off guard by the tremendous demand for
the drug, insurance companies and hospitals have been scrambling to figure
out whether to cover the costs for patients.
A national panel at the VA is evaluating the drug's safety and writing
guidelines covering whether to prescribe the drug to sex offenders. Most VA
hospitals have declined to distribute the drug until the guidelines are
completed.
"We expect the policy within a few months," said Joe Barison, a spokesman at
the VA's regional headquarters in Los Angeles.
In Fresno, some doctors expressed concern about having to ask patients about
their criminal history.
"I think that kind of check-off list in a routine private urologic practice
might, in fact, hamper a patient-doctor relationship," Dr. William Schiff
told the Fresno Bee recently.
California already requires chemical castration for repeat child molesters.
1998 San Francisco Examiner
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Wild Marijuana To Be Cut Down Sunday In Dane County ('The Associated Press'
Says A Program Called The Wisconsin Cannabis Enforcement And Suppression
Effort Will Cut Feral Hemp Stands Near Madison Sunday - Sergeant
Mark Twombly Of The Dane County Narcotics And Gang Task Force Says,
Even Though Its Potency Is Only 0.5 Percent To 1 Percent, 'You Can Get A Buzz
Off It - It's Available To Kids And Can Get Them Hooked On It And They End Up
Addicted To Other, Harmful Substances')
Date: Sun, 19 Jul 1998 10:45:14 -0700
To: mapnews@mapinc.org
From: owner-mapnews@mapinc.org (MAPNews)
Subject: MN: US WI: Wire: Wild Marijuana to be Cut Down Sunday in Dane County
Sender: owner-mapnews@mapinc.org
Reply-To: owner-mapnews@mapinc.org
Organization: Media Awareness Project http://www.mapinc.org/lists/
Newshawk: compassion23@geocities.com (Frank S. World)
Source: Associated Press
Pubdate: Sat, 18 Jul 1998
WILD MARIJUANA TO BE CUT DOWN SUNDAY IN DANE COUNTY
MADISON, Wis. (AP) -- Marijuana that grows wild in Dane County is to be cut
down Sunday.
Most of the marijuana is left over from hemp farming during the two World
Wars, Sgt. Mark Twombly of the Dane County Narcotics and Gang Task Force
said.
The effort is part of the Wisconsin Cannabis Enforcement and Suppression
Effort program.
Authorities already know where much of it is, based on flyovers in
state-owned aircraft, citizen complaints, routine patrol and "kids stopped
with dope in their cars, who tell us where they found it," Twombly said.
Eradicating wild marijuana is a good use of tax money and officer time, he
said, even though its potency is only 0.5 percent to 1 percent compared to
6.66 percent for high-quality, commercially grown marijuana.
"You can get a buzz off it. Even though it isn' t high-grade marijuana, it's
available to kids and can get them hooked on it and they end up addicted
to other, harmful substances, said Twombly, county CEASE coordinator.
"It does present a significant problem. We have kids running out in people'
s fields, trespassing, to get to this stuff."
The best way to get rid of the wild weed is to yank it out by the roots,
Twombly said.
"But at this time of year it' s four to eight feet tall, so we' ll probably
chop it down and burn it," he said.
Copyright 1998 Associated Press.
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Shakedown Charges Raise New Corruption Concerns (MSNBC
Says Three Chicago Police Officers Are Free On Bond After Being Charged
With Home Invasion And Armed Robbery - Two Off-Duty Wood District
Police Officers Who Witnessed The Alleged Home Invasion And Extortion
Reported The Incident)
Date: Sun, 19 Jul 1998 11:11:39 -0700
To: mapnews@mapinc.org
From: owner-mapnews@mapinc.org (MAPNews)
Subject: MN: US IL: Wire: Shakedown Charges Raise New Corruption Concerns
Sender: owner-mapnews@mapinc.org
Reply-To: owner-mapnews@mapinc.org
Organization: Media Awareness Project http://www.mapinc.org/lists/
Newshawk: Patrick Henry (resist_tyranny@mapinc.org)
Source: MSNBC/WMAQ
Website: http://www.msnbc.com/local/WMAQ/
Pubdate: Sat, 18 Jul 1998
SHAKEDOWN CHARGES RAISE NEW CORRUPTION CONCERNS
CHICAGO, July 18 - Three Chicago police officers are free on bond after
being charged with home invasion and armed robbery.
At a bond hearing, prosecutors called Officers John Labiak, Rodney
Carriger, and Ernest Hutchinson a danger to the community who showed
particular brazenness in their alleged shakedown. But Judge Nicholas Ford
said the defendants have substantial community ties, and are unlikely to
flee. Bond was set at $75,000.
An attorney representing two of the defendants called the decision fair.
They are all married, they are all residents of Chicago, they all own
homes. They're going to come to court. They're going to fight this, said
attorney Joe Roddy.
The incident allegedly began June 23 when the cops entered a garage at 1200
West Huron as a door was closing. One woman was handcuffed as police
searched the house without a warrant. When another woman asked to see a
warrant, Officer Hutchinson allegedly spat on her.
Police found two illegal guns and a small amount of marijuana. When the gun
owner returned home, the three cops allegedly demanded $8,000 or he'd go to
jail. When he paid, the cops left.
Two off-duty Wood District police officers who allegedly witnessed the
shakedown reported the incident. The alleged victims have filed a civil
lawsuit in federal court.
The officers are charged with armed robbery, home invasion, and official
misconduct. Although the incident allegedly happened last month, the
charges were filed Thursday.
Yesterday, while taping this weekend's edition of News Channel 5's City
Desk, Police Superintendent Terry Hillard said cops under suspicion
shouldn't expect any breaks.
If you do the right thing...not only will myself, but the command staff
will stand behind you, he said. But if you get out there and you commit
some type of violation of the law...we're going to come after you.
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Top Motorcycle Racer Suspended After Positive Marijuana Test
('The Associated Press' Says Anthony Gobert Of Australia,
Second In AMA Superbike Standings, Was Prevented From Competing Sunday
At The Mid-Ohio Sports Car Course In Lexington - 'I Did Have A Bit Of Smoke'
He Said)
Date: Sun, 19 Jul 1998 10:55:02 -0700
To: mapnews@mapinc.org
From: owner-mapnews@mapinc.org (MAPNews)
Subject: MN: US OH: Top Motorcycle Racer Suspended After Positive Marijuana Test
Sender: owner-mapnews@mapinc.org
Reply-To: owner-mapnews@mapinc.org
Organization: Media Awareness Project http://www.mapinc.org/lists/
Newshawk: Patrick Henry (resist_tyranny@mapinc.org)
Source: Associated Press
Pubdate: Sat, 18 Jul 1998
TOP MOTORCYCLE RACER SUSPENDED AFTER POSITIVE MARIJUANA TEST
LEXINGTON, Ohio (AP) - Anthony Gobert, a leader in one of the nation's top
motorcycle racing series, has been suspended from competition for the rest
of the year after testing positive for marijuana.
The suspension was announced Friday by the American Motorcyclist
Association after the organization received results of a urine sample taken
earlier in the day.
The positive test was his second this month and third since last fall.
Gobert, 22, of Australia, was banned indefinitely from racing at the world
level last fall after testing positive at an event in the Czech Republic. A
similar test result this month made him ineligible for an AMA event at
Laguna Seca, Calif.
In addition, he admitted smoking marijuana June 21 following a third-place
finish at a race in New Hampshire.
Gobert was second in points in the AMA Superbike standings and was
scheduled to compete in a 100-kilometer event Sunday at the Mid-Ohio Sports
Car Course. He has won three races this season and was two points behind
two-time defending series champion Doug Chandler in the Superbike
standings.
Gobert has been nicknamed ``Wild Child'' because, much like the Chicago
Bulls' Dennis Rodman, he regularly changes his hair color. He showed up at
Mid-Ohio with pink hair and also has competed with hair dyed fuchsia,
fire-engine red, blond, black and a combination of black and blond.
``I was wrong. Just plain wrong,'' Gobert said following the Laguna Seca
event. ``I did have a bit of smoke after Loudon (site of the New Hampshire
race), in celebration, which I didn't realize would be considered a serious
problem. ...
``I would never do it before or during a race, because racing is everything
to me, and I know I have disappointed a lot of people, most of all my fans
and teams.
``I hope everyone will chalk this up to a true mistake in judgment, and
give me another chance to bring home a championship.''
-------------------------------------------------------------------
Trooper Says He Was Ostracized By Superiors Because Of Report
('The Boston Globe' Says A Suffolk Superior Court Jury
Heard Opening Statements Yesterday In A Civil Trial Against The State Police,
One Of The First Trials Under Massachusetts' Whistle-Blower Law,
Brought By State Trooper Robert Monahan When He Languished
Without An Assignment For A Year And A Half After He Reported
That Federal Law Enforcement Agencies Had Paid Hundreds Of Thousands
Of Dollars To An Informant Suspected Of Drug Running, Money Laundering,
And Hiring Other Troopers To Conduct Illegal Wiretaps)
Date: Sun, 19 Jul 1998 10:05:14 -0700
To: mapnews@mapinc.org
From: owner-mapnews@mapinc.org (MAPNews)
Subject: MN: US MA: Trooper Says He Was
Ostracized by Superiors Because of Report
Sender: owner-mapnews@mapinc.org
Reply-To: owner-mapnews@mapinc.org
Organization: Media Awareness Project http://www.mapinc.org/lists/
Newshawk: emr@javanet.com (Dick Evans)
Source: Boston Globe
Contact: Letters@globe.com
Website: http://www.boston.com/globe
Author: Wm F. Doherty
Pubdate: Sat, 18 Jul 1998
TROOPER SAYS HE WAS OSTRACIZED BY SUPERIORS BECAUSE OF REPORT
State Trooper Robert Monahan believed he had done the right thing when he
reported that federal law enforcement agencies had paid hundreds of
thousands of dollars to an informant suspected of drug running, money
laundering, and hiring other troopers to conduct illegal wiretaps. But
after making the allegations, Monahan says his investigation was
terminated, his supervisors were pressured to protect the informant, and he
languished without an assignment for a year and a half. Yesterday, a
Suffolk Superior Court jury heard opening statements in Monahan's civil
trial against the State Police, one of the first trials under the state's
whistle-blower law. Monahan, 40, of Dorchester, said he sued under the law
because he is still bitter over the coverup.
He is seeking an unspecified amount of damages.
''They tried to kill the messenger,'' he said. In his lawsuit, Monahan,
says federal officials pressured his superiors to protect the informant,
Michael L. Taylor, from prosecution. But his superiors maintain Monahan had
conducted a rogue investigation outside of his duties at the time and had
requested what became his next assignment - patrolling the Massachusetts
Turnpike.
The state whistle-blower statute, passed in 1994, is designed to protect
public employees who expose wrongdoing. The first verdict under the law was
returned earlier this month in Norfolk Superior Court. Monahan, a state
trooper since 1985, contends that while investigating an international
marijuana smuggling ring, he discovered that Taylor, a private detective,
had been paid as an informant by the Boston offices of the FBI, the Bureau
of Alcohol Tobacco and Firearms, the Drug Enforcement Administration, and
the US Customs Service.
Earlier this year, a Middlesex County grand jury indicted Taylor on
wiretapping and drug charges.
Taylor is awaiting trial. In his opening statement, Eric Maxwell, Monahan's
lawyer, said the trooper's superiors ''chose to try and destroy him,
branding him insane, unreliable, and incompetent and removing him from the
job he loved for political convenience.'' But Assistant Attorney General
James A. Sweeney, who is representing the State Police, told the jury that
Monahan's allegations were taken seriously. In court documents, Monahan
said Taylor had been arrested for several crimes but the charges had been
dropped under questionable circumstances. When he reported his finding,
Monahan said his superiors discredited it. Days after sending his report to
then-State Police Colonel Charles Henderson, Monahan said he was ordered to
terminate his investigation of Taylor. The trooper said he was directed to
speak to Paul V. Kelly, at the time the federal prosecutor who was handling
several drug cases in Boston in which Taylor was an informant.
According to court documents, Kelly allegedly said Taylor was a valuable
informant, and it would be embarrassing if he was indicted. After sending
his report, Monahan said he was increasingly ''ostracized and isolated'' by
State Police officials.
From May 1994 until he was transferred in January 1995, Monahan said he
''was assigned virtually no duties and was prohibited from working on any
criminal cases'' and was the only Massachusetts State Police trooper
subject to such an order. In an affidavit, then- Lieutenant Colonel
Francis Reilly said Monahan, although assigned to the State Police's Asset
Forfeiture unit, had continued working on a drug investigation left over
from his assignment in the Suffolk narcotics unit during the late 1980s.
Reilly said he ordered the trooper not to work on investigations which were
outside the responsibility of the asset forfeiture unit.
-------------------------------------------------------------------
A Brooklyn Prosecutor Faces Drug Charges ('The New York Times'
Says Assistant Brooklyn District Attorney Jason Friedman Was Busted
With Four Friends, Sharing Some Cannabis Outside A Concert
Featuring Jimmy Page And Robert Plant At Madison Square Garden
Thursday Night)
Date: Sat, 18 Jul 1998 22:09:38 -0700
To: mapnews@mapinc.org
From: owner-mapnews@mapinc.org (MAPNews)
Subject: MN: US NYT: A Brooklyn Prosecutor Faces Drug Charges
Sender: owner-mapnews@mapinc.org
Reply-To: owner-mapnews@mapinc.org
Organization: Media Awareness Project http://www.mapinc.org/lists/
Newshawk: emr@javanet.com (Dick Evans)
Source: New York Times (NY)
Contact: letters@nytimes.com
Website: http://www.nytimes.com/
Pubdate: Sat, 18 Jul 1998
A BROOKLYN PROSECUTOR FACES DRUG CHARGES
An assistant Brooklyn district attorney was arrested outside Madison Square
Garden on Thursday night on charges of possession of marijuana and hashish,
the police said early yesterday.
The assistant district attorney, Jason Friedman, 30, was arrested by
narcotics officers from the Midtown South precinct about 9:30 P.M. on a
night when Jimmy Page and Robert Plant, the surviving members of Led
Zeppelin, were performing in a reunion concert at the Garden. Also arrested
were William Rumbold, 32, of Rochester; Michael Krebs, 30, of Brooklyn;
Michael Chrumba, 32, of Huntington Station, N.Y., and Scott Rawiszer, 32,
of Suffern, N.Y., said Officer Dennis Laffin, a Police Department
spokesman.
Officer Laffin said police officers observed the five passing a marijuana
cigarette and smoking it. When officers approached, Friedman tossed a bag
and metal object onto the ground, Officer Laffin said. That bag contained
hashish and the metal object was Friedman's district attorney's shield,
Officer Laffin said. Investigators speaking on the condition of anonymity
said that it was the first time in recent memory that someone from a
district attorney's office had been arrested on drug charges.
-------------------------------------------------------------------
The Life Of A Gangster ('The Vancouver Sun' Portrays Phin Van Nguyen,
A Vietnamese Immigrant To Vancouver, British Columbia, Allegedly Involved
In The City's Illicit Heroin Trade)
Date: Wed, 22 Jul 1998 19:01:52 -0500
To: mapnews@mapinc.org
From: owner-mapnews@mapinc.org (MAPNews)
Subject: MN: CANADA: The Life Of A Gangster
Sender: owner-mapnews@mapinc.org
Reply-To: owner-mapnews@mapinc.org
Organization: Media Awareness Project http://www.mapinc.org/lists/
Newshawk: creator@mapinc.org
Source: Vancouver Sun (Canada)
Pubdate: Sat 18 Jul 1998
Section: News A1 / Front
Contact: sunletters@pacpress.southam.ca
Website: http://www.vancouversun.com/
Author: Rick Ouston
THE LIFE OF A GANSTER
The 34-year-old Vietnamese man passes himself off as a lowly kitchen
worker and clam digger, apologizing in a letter to immigration
officials that he "hadn't speak and understand English."
But on the street he swaggers and smirks as only a powerful gang
leader can. Dressed in tailored suits and casually tossing orders to
his underlings, the man who tried to take over the Vancouver and
Nanaimo heroin trade ordered beatings and kidnappings and randomly
attacked fellow members of the Vietnamese community to establish his
power.
His name is Phin Van Nguyen (pronounced Win) and for years, according
to a report from B.C.'s secretive Coordinated Law Enforcement Unit
(CLEU), he has been behind shootings and mayhem that tore into the
legitimate Vietnamese community. On the street they called him Gai da
-- literally, "older brother" in Vietnamese, but used only to refer to
gang hierarchy, not family relationships.
An immigrant from Vietnam, he was ordered deported in 1996, although
he continues to live in Vancouver. After years of crime and gang
activity, Nguyen applied for Canadian citizenship, a step that would
prove to be his downfall. The application precipitated an
investigation by immigration authorities, who subsequently ruled that
Nguyen was a danger to Canadian society. His citizenship application
was denied and he was ordered removed from the country. The removal
order was challenged but confirmed by a judge and reinstated in May of
this year.
An immigration department spokesman says Nguyen will be deported as
soon as the required paperwork and travel documents are complete.
Though Nguyen could not be reached for comment for this story, his
lawyers deny their client was a criminal mastermind, calling the CLEU
allegations preposterous, hearsay and without foundation. But a
federal court judge considered the claims strong enough to rule that
Phin Van Nguyen must go.
The CLEU report on Nguyen is a window on a criminal organization said
to be behind a string of crimes that looked like unrelated acts of
violence but were, in fact, connected to a years-long struggle to
control the city's heroin trade. The shootings, the beatings and the
extortions lit the night sky of the Downtown Eastside with the red and
blue flashing lights of police cars and terrorized law-abiding members
of the Vietnamese community.
The Hoang Gia restaurant at 535 East Hastings Street was a popular
night-time meeting spot for younger Vietnamese immigrants in 1993.
People would gather with friends who knew their language in this
strange, new city, drinking the strong "French coffee" sweetened with
condensed milk popular in their homeland.
It was considered a safe hangout, until a new group of men started
showing up unannounced and attacking single victims with broken beer
bottles and glasses. The assaults came out of the blue, lightning
quick, some against drug dealers, others against law-abiding patrons
of the restaurant.
One of the main participants in the brutal assaults, and the man
directing other attacks, was Phin Van Nguyen, police informants told
Vancouver police department Constable Eric Wickberg.
"Phin was making it known that his gang was in Vancouver to take over
the Vietnamese drug trade," Wickberg would later write in a CLEU
report to immigration officials. "They intended to prove how powerful
they were by the use of unprovoked violent attacks against drug
dealers and other legitimate members of the Vietnamese community."
Nguyen had come to the attention of B.C. police agencies in 1992.
Police believed he bought and sold heroin, moving the expensive drug
in multi-ounce units which street dealers would later break down into
packages of a half or quarter gram for resale.
Nguyen had arrived at Vancouver International Airport on April 23,
1990, telling immigration authorities that he had been living in a
refugee camp in Hong Kong and was hoping to acquire landed-immigrant
status. He arrived with a wife and child, and spent time in Kingston,
Ont. and Nanaimo before returning to Vancouver in 1993.
Sources in the Vietnamese community told Wickberg that Nguyen and his
accomplices were believed to have committed several violent home
invasions and drug ripoffs of rival dealers.
He had not been charged or convicted of any offences -- some
immigrants were willing to share their knowledge with Wickberg but too
frightened to be seen as cooperating with the police by testifying or
laying complaints.
Left unsaid in the CLEU report were the problems police face trying to
get criminal convictions in communities cut apart from the Canadian
mainstream by language, coercion and violence.
Nguyen and his group started taking over the Little Saigon Restaurant
at 406 East Hastings later in 1993, extorting free food and
intimidating other customers. At this time the group of men were
living in an apartment on Union Street near the restaurant in the
city's Downtown Eastside.
On Nov. 11, 1993, Nguyen and eight of his "underlings" had a parking
dispute with a Vietnamese male living in the apartment complex, police
say.
"Using pieces of wood they attacked this person and beat him
unconscious," Wickberg wrote. Nguyen and others were charged with
assault causing bodily harm, but were acquitted.
"During the course of the trial there was open intimidation in the
court by the accused toward the victim. At the end of the trial they
were acquitted due to the change in some of the witness testimony,"
Wickberg said.
On Dec. 7, 1993, a member of Nguyen's gang called Dinh Xuan Cao was
shot outside a casino in Nanaimo. Cao survived and told police his
wounds stemmed from an attempt by robbers to steal his money.
"It is more likely that this was retaliation for Phin and his group's
conflict with the local drug dealers in that area," the CLEU report
said.
The only criminal charge -- plea-bargained down from a raft of other
charges -- to result in a conviction against Nguyen occurred because
of a sloppy home invasion at 6 a.m. on Dec. 12, 1993.
Nguyen and nine males who police described as "members of his gang"
showed up at the basement suite at 2735 Oxford Street in Vancouver. It
was thought the men who lived there worked for a rival Vietnamese drug
dealer, and Nguyen had arranged a home invasion robbery to rip off
their drugs.
Two of the three men had nothing to do with drugs, but all were
awakened when Nguyen and his men burst into the suite, armed with
knives, a blue-steel .357 Magnum and a Browning high-power 9 mm
semi-automatic. Both pistols were loaded.
The three men were bound with electrical wire, stabbed, beaten with
gun butts and fists, a subsequent court trial would be told.
Nguyen directed the interrogation and the search of the apartment,
threatening the men with death if they didn't reveal the location of
money and drugs.
The assault was noisy enough to awaken residents living upstairs who
called 911.
Police arriving at the scene found 10 fully dressed males and three
frightened Vietnamese men, two in underwear and one in blue pajamas.
The gang members were arrested, jailed and photographed. The victims
identified their assailants from the photos.
Shown a Polaroid of Nguyen, one of the victims was quoted by a police
officer as saying: "He's the leader, big brother, dai ga."
Nguyen was collecting welfare at the time and driving a near-new
silver Toyota Camry, which was found parked at the back of the home.
Dressed nattily in a grey turtleneck and dark suit, the ringleader was
jailed and charged with robbery, unlawful confinement and using a
weapon in an assault.
Nguyen would later also be charged with attempting to obstruct justice
by threatening one of the victims with a further beating if he said
anything to police.
While in custody, police said, Nguyen threatened to kill one of the
sheriffs and was involved in numerous fights with other prisoners.
Nguyen and his accomplices were held in jail for the 14 months it took
for the case to reach court. Days after the trial began, three of the
accused, including Nguyen, pleaded guilty to unlawful confinement. The
Crown dropped the other charges against them and the men were held in
jail for a further nine months.
Finally released in 1995, Nguyen started insulating himself from his
gang's street operations, allowing his henchmen to take direct control
of some of the younger Vietnamese males in the gang while Nguyen
remained in the background, sharing the profits, police said.
One of his most trusted lieutenants set up gambling houses where
members of the gang took a percentage from each game. By now, police
referred to Nguyen's followers as "Phin's boys."
An inter-gang squabble arose in September 1995, when one of Nguyen's
associates returned to Vietnam with Nguyen's wife.
Believing that gang member Kevin Minh Nguyen -- no relation -- knew
where his wife had fled, the gang leader had the man kidnapped and
held in one of the group's gambling houses at 3040 East Fifth Avenue.
"There he was tied up, beaten repeatedly and forced to drink his own
urine. This was done by Phin as well as by others at Phin's
direction," Wickberg wrote.
"Kevin subsequently escaped and charges were laid against Phin and
several others in his gang. Just before the case came to trial, Kevin
suddenly disappeared and has not been seen since. There is speculation
that either he was paid to disappear or he was executed. Either would
have been done at Phin's direction."
Lawyers acting for Nguyen argued that speculation and vanishing
witnesses did not prove their client was a criminal mastermind.
"It's important to point out that the so-called details in
[Wickberg's] report are a compilation of source information, i.e.
rumour and gossip," lawyer Jerry Cikes said at an immigration hearing.
"It's puffery, smoke and mirrors."
But among the Vietnamese community in Nanaimo, a big shot from
Vancouver was letting it be known that he was taking over the heroin
trade in that island city. The gang leader called himself "Phin Huu"
-- the street name that Nguyen had adopted to protect his identity.
Members of the Phin Huu gang provoked a fight with some of Nanaimo's
heroin dealers in a popular karaoke spot on Dec. 10, 1995. A Phin
associate called Cuong Chung shot two males from the other group,
whose friends retaliated by beating to death a member of Nguyen's
gang. All three are currently facing charges of attempted murder or
murder.
By the spring of 1996, members of Phin's boys started hanging around
several Vancouver restaurants, selling their drugs. Former Vancouver
Sun reporter Nicole Parton caused a public stir when she wrote a
first-hand account of how she bought heroin at the counter of what was
then the Casablanca Vietnamese Restaurant at 535 East Hastings.
Vancouver city council voted to revoke the restaurant's business
licence and shut it down.
Reopened by a new owner and called the Blue Sky Restaurant, the
building once again became a magnet for Phin's boys, who stabbed the
new owner with a broken beer bottle while trying to extort money. They
were charged with the assault -- and the restaurant mysteriously
burned down that same year.
"No charges were ever laid related to this arson, however it is
believed this same group was involved," Wickberg wrote.
By late 1996 Nguyen returned to Vietnam to visit his family in the
northern city of Hong Gai. Police sources said he took $10,000 with
him to "make drug connections and likely bring drugs back to Canada
upon his return," Wickberg wrote. Customs officers were instructed to
pay close attention to anything brought back by members of his gang.
Still on probation for the unlawful confinement conviction, Nguyen
committed a pivotal mistake -- he applied for Canadian citizenship,
which brought his case to the attention of the federal immigration
department.
A section of the immigration act allows Canada to deport anyone
convicted in this country of a crime punishable by as much as 10 years
in prison -- the maximum penalty for his confinement conviction.
An unidentified immigration officer wrote a note on Nguyen's file:
"This appears to be just the kind of case that this legislation was
written for."
A federal judge agreed and Nguyen was ordered deported in 1996. His
lawyers delayed his departure for two years by asking for a judicial
review based largely on an argument that the CLEU report contained
hearsay evidence.
Federal court justice Yvon Pinard dismissed the application, ruling
that "it must be remembered that these allegations are consistent with
the violent offence for which he was convicted, are the result of
extensive investigation, and were not refuted . . . ."
Nguyen attended his own hearing on Aug. 6, 1997, using crutches after
being shot in a leg and the chest. He has never revealed to police the
identity of whoever tried to kill him the previous month.
Nguyen's deportation order was reinstated May 25.
During the past year, Phin Van Nguyen has lived in a house in the 2200
block of East 33rd Avenue, and another which he shared with a
common-law wife and a child in the 4000-block Beatrice. Today, he is
waiting for a knock on the door by immigration authorities ready to
escort him to Vietnam.
'I WAS SO UPSET AND I BEATEN HIM. . .'
Even after six years in Canada, Phin Van Nguyen had only a rudimentary
command of the English language, having spent most of his time
immersed in the Vietnamese emigre community.
Told that he was considered a danger to Canadian society because of a
confinement conviction, Nguyen tried in a letter to immigration
officials to explain away the charge by claiming he was the victim of
the men he confined, arguing they cheated him in a card game.
"So I move to Vancouver I met some my friends they made to me some bad
things on 13th of November 1993 I played card gambling with some of
them. I was lied by them they are dishonest trick and got my money by
that way, when I knew that I was so upset and I beaten him and I tied
his hands till police came," Nguyen wrote. "Please forgive me
everything I did before give to me last chance in my life let me try
my best to build up my future as your wish from me. One more time I
beg you forgive me."
-------------------------------------------------------------------
Heroin - Our $1.6 Billion Habit ('The Sydney Morning Herald'
Describes A Yet-To-Be-Released Report The Newspaper Has Obtained,
Written By Four Of Australia's Leading Drug Researchers, Titled
'Running The Risks')
Date: Sat, 18 Jul 1998 01:34:19 -0400
To: mapnews@mapinc.org
From: owner-mapnews@mapinc.org (MAPNews)
Subject: MN: Australia: Heroin: Our $1.6Bn Habit
Sender: owner-mapnews@mapinc.org
Reply-To: owner-mapnews@mapinc.org
Organization: Media Awareness Project http://www.mapinc.org/lists/
Newshawk: Ken Russell
Pubdate: Sat, 18 Jul 1998
Source: Sydney Morning Herald (Australia)
Contact: letters@smh.fairfax.com.au
Website: http://www.smh.com.au/
Author: Greg Bearup
HEROIN: OUR $1.6BN HABIT
Australia's heroin epidemic appears to have peaked but the effects will be
felt for years, with thefts to buy the drug estimated at up to $1.6 billion
a year.
This week the Australian Bureau of Statistics released figures revealing a
surge in heroin-related crimes, especially armed robbery, which saw an
additional 2,000 robberies in NSW alone.
In a yet-to-be-released study obtained by the Herald, titled Running the
Risks, four of Australia's leading drug researchers estimate that regular
heroin users steal a total of between $500 million and $1.6 billion a year
to support their habit.
In interviews for the study in south-western Sydney, 202 heroin users
reported earning $237,291 from crime in the previous week, an average of
$1,175 each.
The main author of the study, Dr Lisa Maher, said she believed that the
epidemic, at least in Sydney, appeared to have peaked in 1995 and 1996 and
that the take-up rate looked to be slowing.
"Like most epidemics it moves in cycles and this one appears to be past its
peak," she said.
While less that 2 per cent of Australians had tried heroin, Dr Maher said, a
1996 survey of schools in south-western Sydney showed that in one school 11
per cent of 13-year-old boys had tried heroin in the previous year.
The effects of the 1995-96 peak is now being felt through increased
break-and-enters, armed robberies and car thefts because it takes up to two
years from initiation to the drug to dependency, which is when the
criminality begins in earnest.
Professor Ian Webster, head of public health at the University of NSW and a
member of Prime Minister's drug advisory council, said that the study was an
"extremely important" one.
It highlighted the need for an integrated approach to dealing with the
problem involving not only law enforcement but education, grass roots
support and the health system.
Australia had led the world in reducing harm "to both the individual and the
public" but there was a political shift back towards law enforcement to
solve the problem and "this emphasis could cause us to lose ground we have
gained".
A spokeswoman for the Acting Police Minister, Mr Knowles, said the problem
with heroin in NSW was a direct result of the Federal Government cutting
funding to the Australian Federal Police and Customs.
She said that all heroin was imported and that 80 per cent of it came to
Sydney. Until Mr Howard got serious about stopping the problem at the border
it would continue.
The reason Australia suffered such an epidemic in the first place appears to
be related to a flood of high-grade and cheap heroin which effectively
halved its cost, Dr Maher said.
Since the end of the study in 1997 there has been further drop in price from
$30 to $20 a cap.
This was combined with some "pretty aggressive and strategic marketing" of
the drug.
"There also seemed to be some targeting of the poor and disadvantaged
areas," Dr Maher said.
She said the reason for the apparent slow down in initiation rates appeared
to be a wary younger generation having seen their "older brothers and
sisters and, in some cases, their parents" become addicted.
While there had been a targeting of certain areas the idea of the "drug
pusher" was inaccurate and most users were offered the drug by friends.
The study also showed that aggressive policing may actually cause harm on
the health front as well as driving users to commit other crimes.
"One of our participants, a 17-year-old Vietnamese-Australian, had supported
her habit through street level selling but was unable to sell because of the
police presence," she said. "She held a knife to a shopkeepers throat to get
her money."
Dr Maher said that rather than a "get tough on junkies" policy there needed
to be an expansion of methadone programs and needle exchanges.
-------------------------------------------------------------------
The Drug-Runners Who Shamed A Regiment (Britain's 'Telegraph'
Says One Of Britain's Most Distinguished Regiments Was Publicly Shamed
Yesterday When Seven Of Its Soldiers Were Convicted Of Smuggling Cocaine,
Heroin And Ecstasy Worth Millions Of Pounds Across The English Channel)
Date: Sun, 19 Jul 1998 10:38:33 -0700
To: mapnews@mapinc.org
From: owner-mapnews@mapinc.org (MAPNews)
Subject: MN: UK: The Drug-Runners Who Shamed A Regiment
Sender: owner-mapnews@mapinc.org
Reply-To: owner-mapnews@mapinc.org
Organization: Media Awareness Project http://www.mapinc.org/lists/
Newshawk: mistyron@bigfoot.com (Misty)
Source: Telegraph, The (UK)
Contact: et.letters@telegraph.co.uk
Pubdate: Sat, 18 Jul 1998
Author: Nigel Bunyan
THE DRUG-RUNNERS WHO SHAMED A REGIMENT
ONE of Britain's most distinguished regiments was publicly shamed yesterday
when seven of its soldiers were convicted of organising cross-Channel
drug-runs. Seven men, all past or present members of 39th Regiment, Royal
Artillery, used weekend leave to import cocaine, heroin and ecstasy worth
millions of pounds. They would set out for Amsterdam in pairs on a Friday
night, drop off their drugs in Liverpool on Sunday and return to their
barracks , near Newcastle upon Tyne, in time for guard duty on a Monday
morning.
The non-stop trips covered 1,300 miles.
At the end of a three-week trial at Liverpool Crown Court, three soldiers
were convicted of conspiring to import drugs.
Another four have previously admitted their involvement in the smuggling
ring. All will be sentenced on Thursday. David Turner, QC, prosecuting,
told the jury: "Until this case, those who man Customs were entitled to
feel that the least likely drug smugglers were those who had sworn an oath
to protect the realm.
This case has changed that perception. These men abused their position as
British Servicemen and, instead of protecting the country, provided for
drug importers a cross-frontier transport system."
Customs officers broke up the gang after an 18-month investigation with the
national crime squad and military police.
At one stage, the rogue soldiers were under 24-hour surveillance even
inside their barracks.
Some were photographed telephoning their paymasters from a camp callbox.
A senior Customs investigator said last night: "They were like a League of
Gentlemen, recruiting among themselves, handing out the drug-runs to men
they had served with. Most spent their profits on new cars or paid off
debts.
They came to regard the collections as nice little weekend earners." Gang
members are known to have made at least 15 trips.
For centuries the Royal Artillery has lived up to its twin mottoes: -
Ubique (Everywhere) and Quo Fas et Gloria Ducunt (Whither Right and Glory
Lead Us). Customs investigators estimate that, in total, the men brought
back cocaine, heroin, amphetamines and ecstasy worth £12.5 million.
They received between £3,000 and £5,000 for their runs. Some are thought to
have made up to £85,000. Those involved would catch an overnight ferry to
France and drive non-stop to Amsterdam. Drugs were hidden in a secret
compartment in the soldiers' cars. At Customs, they allayed suspicion by
piling duty-free beer on the back seats and flashing their military ID
cards to the officers. Customs officers were alerted to the gang on Jan 13,
1996, when they spotted one of them passing through Dover as a foot
passenger.
Peter O'Toole, 26, from Liverpool, was not a soldier but had served with
the Royal Fleet Auxiliary. Customs put him under surveillance and saw him
meet two men in a red Honda Civic. They were Paul Bromiley, 31, the main
courier, and Peter Jackson, 30, both gunners in the 39th Regiment. All
three were arrested and Bromiley's car searched.
Customs officers found a hidden compartment but, because it was empty, they
had to let the men go.
Nevertheless, a Customs intelligence team began to monitor the movements of
the trio. In the months that followed, they uncovered an ever-widening
network of soldiers making trips through several ports.
Favourite drug routes were Ramsgate-Dunkirk and Dover-Calais. However, they
also used the Channel Tunnel. It was while using the tunnel route that Dale
Mills, 26, another gunner, celebrated a "successful" trip by having his
picture taken. He is seen beaming at the camera's lens, the fingers of one
hand held in a victory salute.
The negative was recovered by Customs. Paul Wright, 29, left the Army to
become one of the gang's meeting party in Liverpool. Jackson, from Greater
Manchester, did more drug-runs than others but would delegate to others if
he had been rostered for weekend guard duty. When the regiment was posted
to Cyprus in 1996, Bombardier Kevin Jones, 31, came to the fore. Jones, of
Newcastle upon Tyne, James Bull, 29, of Inskip, Merseyside, and Mills, of
Northampton, were found guilty of conspiring to smuggle drugs. Those who
have admitted conspiracy are: Jackson; Bromiley, of Preston; and civilians
O'Toole, of Liverpool, and Darren Williams, 27, of Ellesmere Port. Billy
Stott, 20, of Oldham, and Paul Wright, 29, of Liverpool, admitted being
concerned in importing drugs.
-------------------------------------------------------------------
Squaddies Ran £2.5M Drugs Ring (The Version In Britain's 'Independent')
Date: Sun, 19 Jul 1998 17:28:37 -0500
To: mapnews@mapinc.org
From: owner-mapnews@mapinc.org (MAPNews)
Subject: MN: UK: Squaddies Ran £2.5m Drugs Ring
Sender: owner-mapnews@mapinc.org
Reply-To: owner-mapnews@mapinc.org
Organization: Media Awareness Project http://www.mapinc.org/lists/
Newshawk: Martin Cooke (mjc1947@cyberclub.iol.ie)
Source: Independent, The (UK)
Pubdate: Sat, 18 Jul 1998
Contact: letters@independent.co.uk
Website: http://www.independent.co.uk/
Author: Jonathan Foster
SQUADDIES RAN £2.5M DRUGS RING
A MAJOR drugs trial which has badly damaged the reputation of one of
Britain's most famous regiments was drawn to a close yesterday.
Customs officials believe that the 18-month investigation, codenamed
Operation Cruiser, involved the smuggling into Britain of up to £12m
of heroin, ecstasy, amphetamines and cocaine by soldiers and former
servicemen with the 39th Regiment Royal Artillery.
During the trial, it emerged that more than £1m of drugs had been
found in two taxi cabs in Liverpool. In all, £2.5m of drugs were
seized.
One of the men, Dale Mills, 26, was found guilty of importing
narcotics at Liverpool Crown Court yesterday. On Thursday two others -
Bombardier Kevin Jones, 31, and former gunner James Bull, 29 - were
convicted of taking part in the same two-year plot.
Six other men, four of them either serving or former members of the
regiment, based at Abermarle, near Newcastle upon Tyne, have already
pleaded guilty to various drug charges. They are serving soldiers
Peter Jackson, 29, Paul Bromiley, 30, and Billy Gee Stott; Paul
Wright, 29, a former gunner; and Peter O'Toole, 26, and 27-year-old
Darren Williams. All nine will be sentenced next week. A tenth man,
Jason Foster, 25, a lance bombardier, was cleared by the court.
The trial brings to an end one of the most extraordinary and
embarrassing cases ever to involve the military in Britain. Customs
officers hope it will also cut off one of the major drugs supply lines
to the North-west.
The ring was exposed two years ago after Customs officers grew
suspicious of a foot passenger who arrived at Dover in Kent on a ferry
from Calais. They found that the man had receipts for £4,500 cash
deposited during the previous month and he claimed he was "buying
property in Dusseldorf".
Officers were further alarmed when he walked over to a red Nissan
waiting to leave the docks. He climbed in, the car was pulled over
and, on a cloudy night in January 1996, the British Army fell under
suspicion of drug-running.
In the Nissan were two off-duty gunners from 39th Regiment Royal
Artillery back from Calais on the same sailing as their passenger.
They carried passports and authentic military identification.
There was no contraband in the car, and Customs officers were used to
soldiers travelling frequently to and from continental postings. But
why had Paul Bromiley and Peter Jackson picked-up Peter O'Toole in the
car park? Why would soldiers from barracks in the North-east travel
out from Hull and return two days later through Calais? And why had
two storage spaces been created in the car, concealed behind the rear
seat?
Customs let the three men go, but an investigation was launched which
revealed that the soldiers spent time off-duty using their private
cars and Army identification to run a 13-trip drugs caravan from
Holland to Liverpool.
"The Army were shaken," a Customs investigator said. "It was the first
time military personnel had been involved at this level. There have
been cases discovered of small quantities of drugs for personal use by
soldiers, but nothing on this scale."
The gang's trial heard that soldiers enjoyed a "privileged position as
travellers". But any privilege has now ended, according to Customs and
the Ministry of Defence (MoD).
"Customs officers haven't known since abolition of British forces
number plates if cars entering the country belonged to squaddies," the
Customs investigator said. "But an officer may still have been swayed
- he gives a car a pull, the driver shows his passport and then
flashes a warrant card. The officer doesn't associate a soldier with
drugs smuggling."
Military Police seconded an investigator to work with the 20-member
Customs team, and co-operation has subsequently become routine,
including regular sharing of intelligence.
"We didn't think smuggling by soldiers happened before," a MoD
spokesman said. "Other men in 39th Regiment had noticed that something
wasn't quite right with these men - extra money in their pockets, car
loans being paid off, that sort of thing."
The soldiers were being paid between £2-5,000 a trip, a cheap rate
for loading a hatchback with a typical payload of eight kilograms of
drugs plus 48,000 tablets. But it was good money for men such as
Bromiley and Jones, gunners in their thirties taking home about £550
a month. Bromiley paid £27,525 into his TSB accounts during the 18
months.
When 39th Regiment took its multiple rocket launchers off on a tour of
duty in Cyprus in June 1996, regular runners were decommissioned. But
Jones remained in Britain and readily assumed the drug courier duties.
He bought a Honda Civic, made three runs to the continent, and banked
£22,800.
Suspicions at barracks of new-found wealth identified many of the
soldiers to the investigation team. But command was probably vested in
O'Toole, the foot passenger who first aroused suspicion. A 26-year-old
Liverpudlian who variously described himself as a Merchant Navy cook
or a painter and decorator, O'Toole's mobile phone and pager were
busy. He also handled distribution of the drugs in Liverpool and
banked £81,000 during the18 months.
It is a tale that has severely damaged the reputation of the regiment.
Its motto - Whither Right and Glory Lead - has been left tainted.
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In A Major Sting Customs Men Let Drugs Worth £250.000 Into Britain (Britain's
'Express' Says It Has Learned That Undercover Customs Officers Handed Over
Three Kilos Of Heroin To Informers, Then Lost Track Of It, And Now Believe
It's Being Sold On British Streets)
Date: Sun, 19 Jul 1998 10:48:17 -0700
To: mapnews@mapinc.org
From: owner-mapnews@mapinc.org (MAPNews)
Subject: MN: UK: In a Major Sting Customs Men Let Drugs Worth £250.000 Into Britain
Sender: owner-mapnews@mapinc.org
Reply-To: owner-mapnews@mapinc.org
Organization: Media Awareness Project http://www.mapinc.org/lists/
Newshawk: mistyron@bigfoot.com (Misty)
Source: The Express (UK)
Contact: express.letters@express.co.uk
Pubdate: Sat, 18 Jul 1998
Author: Kirsty Walker
IN A MAJOR STING CUSTOMS MEN LET DRUGS WORTH £250,000 INTO BRITAIN.
THEN IT ALL WENT WRONG.... AND NOW THE HEROIN IS ON OUR STREETS.
Heroin worth £250,000 disappeared after undercover Customs officers
handed over the drugs to informers, The Express has discovered. Now the
lethal haul is believed to have been sold on Britain's streets. Amateurish
mistakes by two separate Customs teams led to officers losing track of
three kilos of the drug. The blunders, in Leeds and Glasgow, are being
investigated and Customs insiders admit they are deeply embarrassed by it
all. An internal inquiry is also going on into the use of informants who
participate in drug smuggling operations. This follows the collapse of
four high-profile court cases in the last two years.
In almost identical cases, Customs teams in the two cities were given
information by grasses about separate heroin smuggling operations from
Pakistan. Under careful surveillance by Pakistan and British authorities
as well as Customs, the informers were allowed to collect two consignments
of heroin, worth £3.5m, in Pakistan. The drugs were then brought into
the country by undercover officers.
The first consignment of 20kg was destined for Leeds in July last year.
The second was taken to Glasgow in November.
To catch the head traffickers behind the importing of both consignments,
the informers arranged for "middlemen" in Leeds and Glasgow to collect a
sample of the heroin. This is standard business procedure used by drug
dealers. After trailing the middlemen, the officers carry out the "sting" -
arresting the leader as the sample is handed over to him for analysis. The
smugglers are then arrested and the drugs recovered.
Due to surveillance mistakes, both middlemen escaped with one-and-a-half
kilo samples of heroin. Neither have been recovered. Custom officials
have never admitted the loss of the drugs until The Express learned of the
debacle. It is thought that the informers who were paid £35,000 for the
jobs, then tipped off both Pakistani gangs that were being trailed. The
heroin - 70 per cent pure - may have been sold to children as young as 12
in Glasgow and Leeds for as little as £2 a wrap.
Shaukat Ali, the middleman in the Glasgow case, was arrested after
disappearing with the sample and has since been jailed for five years.
Although there were other arrests in both cases Ali, from Oldham, is the
only trafficker to be convicted.
One Customs insider said: "It is very embarrassing that three kilos of
heroin have disappeared. A lot of questions are being asked. The whole
issue of participating informers is a very sensitive one. "In both these
cases, it was human error that the drugs went missing. "Unfortunately,
incidents such as this do happen and that is the risk we take when we deal
with informants who, by their nature are not altogether trustworthy.
"Officers on cases such as these work under awfully difficult conditions
and have to make split-second decisions. Heroin dealers are dangerous,
sophisticated and professional criminals. "It only takes one traffic light
to turn to red and the whole operation is blown."
The two incidents have raised serious questions about dealings with
informants, especially after a string of collapsed court cases led to known
criminals walking free.
Customs pay up to £1,000 cash per kilo of heroin to the criminal sources
who provide information and work for them. In return, the informants are
often provided with immunity from the law and protection. An increasing
number of dealers are now turning on their colleagues to profit from the
arrangement. Customs rely heavily on their information to seize drugs.
A report by the National Audit Office last week found that Customs had
seized nearly double their target amount of drugs in the last 12 months.
Drugs worth £3.3 billion were discovered entering Britain and officers
smashed 103 smuggling operations - way above their target figures of £1.7
billion seized drugs and 108 dismantled organisations. The vast majority
of these successes came after information was provided by informers. There
have been problems with the arrangement, though. One insider said:
"Informers are our biggest risk because once they know how the system works
they come to the conclusion that it's money for old rope." An official
Customs spokesman said: "The movement of drugs m one country to another
using participating informants to identify and arrest traffickers is a
proven method successfully used by us. "This method has been tested
through the courts on a number of occasions. Disquiet has been expressed
in respect of some recent cases. We are reviewing all aspects of them."
The official added: "We are aware that on two occasions samples of heroin
regrettably have got onto the streets. This was due to operational
difficulties and these cases are being thoroughly investigated." A new
drugs scandal emerged yesterday with the revelation that the Ministry of
Defence has launched an investigation into how a haul of cannabis came to
be found aboard a destroyer. A "rigorous" inquiry was said to be going on
over the discovery on a Royal Navy vessel. The MoD confirmed the
investigation on HMS Newcastle "following a drugs related incident." The
probe comes after a report that a two-kilo haul of cannabis with a street
value of £4,000 was recovered from the Type 42 destroyer. "A naval
investigation team is conducting an investigation into HMS Newcastle," said
an MoD spokesman. "The investigation is ongoing and could take a matter of
days rather than hours."
The ship was believed to be returning from a six-month tour of duty in the
West Indies when the haul was discovered. It is stood to have been helping
the Americans with anti-drug smuggling exercises in the Caribbean. Navy
detectives have taken fingerprints from all the crew, including the
captain. The destroyer has now returned to Portsmouth.
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[End]
to 1998 Daily News index for July 16-22