Latest news with #drugdebt
RNZ News
25-05-2025
- RNZ News
No coroner's inquiry into fatal hit and run in Dunedin
The scene of the fatal hit and run. Photo: RNZ / Tim Brown A coroner's inquiry will not be opened into the death of a Dunedin man killed in a hit and run in 2022. Sean Buis suffered fatal blunt force injuries when he was run down in the suburb of Mornington in July 2022, following a falling-out over a drug debt. Lance Moore - who was identified as a 'drug associate' of 28-year-old Buis - later admitted a charge of manslaughter, and was jailed. Justice Eaton heard Moore drove to Eaton Park to find Buis, and drove his vehicle directly at him intending to knock him down and demand repayment. Moore fled the scene without offering aid to Buis. In a decision released on Monday, Coroner Mary-Anne Borrowdale said the circumstances of Buis's death were fully examined during the criminal proceedings. She found an inquiry was not necessary or desirable. Sign up for Ngā Pitopito Kōrero, a daily newsletter curated by our editors and delivered straight to your inbox every weekday
CBC
23-05-2025
- CBC
Life sentence for Calgary man who shot drug dealer in the back
A Calgary man who fatally shot a drug dealer in the back has been handed a life sentence. In November, Sam Frank Barbera was convicted by a jury of second-degree murder in the death of Jonathan Huebner, 39. After hearing sentencing arguments earlier in the week, Justice David Labrenz handed down Barbera's sentence on Friday, ordering him to serve at least 11 years before he can apply for parole. Back in June 2022, Barbera was using drugs and living in a garage in Forest Lawn. The night before the killing, Barbera and his girlfriend Sidney had been up all night, doing crack and meth. On June 14, 2022, Huebner and his girlfriend arrived at the garage. Calgary man fatally shot over drug debt, jury hears Huebner told Barbera that Sidney owed him money. Barbera testified that Heubner's girlfriend had held Sidney against her will at a home for three days earlier that month. Since then, he said Sidney was paranoid and had brought home a shotgun. The two men fought. After they separated, Barbera picked up a shotgun. He fired one shot, hitting Heubner in the back as he was headed out of the garage. Barbera testified he meant to fire a warning shot and "didn't know this was going to happen."
BreakingNews.ie
20-05-2025
- BreakingNews.ie
Judge issues warrant for 'in hiding' jockey after he fails to do community service for drugs charge
A Judge has ordered an arrest warrant to be issued for a Co Donegal horse-racing jockey who is 'in hiding' over a drug debt after he failed to complete a community service order. Oran Brown was convicted in court after being caught with over €11,000 worth of drugs at his home in June 2020. Advertisement In 2023, the Lifford sportsman was ordered to do 240 hours of community service after gardaí raided his home and found drugs and cash. Last month, Donegal Circuit Court heard that he has been unable to undertake that part of his sentence. The case was adjourned to today to see if Brown could be contacted to explain why he had not undertaken the community service in lieu of the prison sentence. Brown's barrister, Mr Peter Nolan, explained that his client has been in hiding over a drug debt. Advertisement 'Oran Brown has an individual looking for him to pay a drug debt. 'He is in hiding. He can't comply with the community service order as he is in fear of third parties,' he said. The case was brought back before the court by the Probation Service due to Brown's non-compliance with the order. The case was mentioned again on Tuesday, but the Probation Service told the court that they had made 'numerous efforts' to contact Brown but had still not heard back from him. Advertisement A spokesperson for the service said they had tried to reach the accused by phone and had sent him letters since last November, but had still not heard back from him. They also confirmed that Brown had not completed any of the 240 community service hours imposed in lieu of time in jail. Judge John Aylmer said he was satisfied that Brown was aware of the order and issued a warrant. Previously, Brown was sentenced to a three-and-a-half-year term in prison, which was suspended for three and a half years, for the possession of cannabis for the purpose of selling or supplying to others. Advertisement He was also ordered to complete 240 hours of community service in lieu of 6 months in prison on a charge of the unlawful possession of cocaine. Gardai, armed with a search warrant, swooped on Brown's home at Collate, Lifford on June 25th, 2020. Detectives seized €8,668 worth of cannabis and cocaine with a street value of €2,504.81. Some of the cannabis was found in deal bags. A Zopiclone tablet, valued at €2, was also located in the raid. Advertisement A grinder, weighing scales and a quantity of Ziploc bags were also found. Quantities of Diazepam and Xanax were found in a Tommy Hilfiger bag in the property, while gardaí observed a line of suspected cocaine on top of a dresser. A quantity of cocaine was found inside a safe, which also contained €7,225 and £2,480 sterling in cash. Brown was searched, and a cylinder containing cannabis and a grinder was located on his person. Almost £9,000 in cash was found inside a safe and, after being arrested, Brown told gardaí he 'smoked a lot of weed and sniffed cocaine'. He added, "I won't lie, I sold a few bags of weed too." Brown said the cash was given to him by his parents and grandparents for his birthday the month before. He refused to give gardaí the PIN for his mobile phone as he said there was 'stuff on the phone' that he didn't want them to see. Detective Garda Michelle Kelly said gardaí were unable to access data from the phone as the PIN was not provided. In court in 2023, Mr Nolan said his client, who he said was a 'conditional apprentice' at the time, began taking cocaine 'to keep the weight stabilised'. 'Stupidity led him to these circumstances,' Mr Nolan said. At the time of sentencing, Judge Aylmer said, 'It was clear from all the paraphernalia found on the premises that there was a significant amount of dealing going on. 'This is an unusual case where he deserves a second chance. It is with some hesitation, but it is a case that it may be dealt with better on a non-custodial basis given all of the features."
Daily Mail
19-05-2025
- Daily Mail
BREAKING NEWS Bombshell claims emerge after Bankstown mum was kidnapped from her home and brutally murdered
Kidnappers who abducted a mother and shot her dead before leaving her in a burnt-out car had sent her husband countdown messages leading up to her execution. Thi Kim Tran, 45, was abducted at gunpoint from her Bankstown home, in Sydney 's south-west, on April 17, hours after she finished working at a nail salon. The mother-of-two was forced to strip naked in her driveway before a group of five masked intruders dragged her into an SUV about 10.30pm and drove away. The couple's eight-year-old son was also bashed with a baseball bat and left for dead, while their eldest son, 15, was left traumatised by the attack. The eight-year-old boy woke from a coma two weeks after the attack, in which he suffered severe head injuries. Ms Tran's body was found in a burning vehicle in nearby Beverly Hills, about 6km from her home, an hour later. Police believe the group of men who kidnapped Ms Tran had been pursuing her husband, Tung Nguyen, for weeks before turning their attention to his loved ones. Detectives are investigating if Ms Tran's kidnapping and murder were part of a ploy to force Mr Nguyen into paying a drug debt, T he Daily Telegraph revealed. 'There are conflicting reports as to how much was owed, anywhere between seven kilograms (worth roughly $1.2 million) and 70 kilograms (worth as much as $8 million),' a police source told The Daily Telegraph. It's alleged a Vietnamese drug cartel had messaged Mr Nguyen ransom countdown messages 20 minutes, 10 minutes and five minutes before stripping Ms Tran and setting her body alight. 'It's unclear if he was out of service range or what, but he didn't receive them,' the police source said. Investigators are working to find whether Ms Tran was shot in the head before the SUV fire. A bullet casing was discovered on the floor of the burnt-out vehicle, but forensic pathologists have been unable to confirm if there were bullet wounds on Ms Tran's charred remains. 'You'd expect we'd be able to say definitively one way or the other, but we can't,' the source said. NSW Police Homicide Squad commander Detective Superintendent Joe Doueihi earlier aired allegations that a gang was behind the murder in a press conference. He said officers believed there was a 'conflict' between Mr Nguyen and 'upper echelons' of the organised crime network. 'This woman and her children were in no means involved or had knowledge of what their partner or their father was up to,' Superintendent Doueihi said. Mr Nguyen has been assisting investigators and has not been charged in relation to Ms Tran's death. Superintendent Doueihi alleged Mr Nguyen had worked for the organised crime group for 'several months' before the attack. He was previously known to police for minor drug-related offences. The crime network Mr Nguyen was involved in allegedly manufactured. methamphetamine. A property in Springdallah, a rural Victorian town almost 1,000km away from the Bankstown home, was a key part of the investigation. The police source claimed a group of men had burst into a farmhouse on the property where drugs were being manufactured just weeks before Ms Tran's death. They were looking for Mr Nguyen. 'They broke in and beat up the workers who were there, so they'd been looking for him for some time,' the source said. Victoria Police raided the alleged drug lab in Springdallah as part of a collaboration with NSW Police Homicide Squad's Strike Force Bushfield. An associate of Mr Nguyen committed suicide in the weeks after Ms Tran's murder. However, police believe the man's death at a home in Balmain was due to the breakdown of a personal relationship, rather than guilt over the mother's death. Ms Tran's coworkers recalled her being 'happy and normal' as she finished work on the day of her death. As the Easter long weekend approached, she'd been excited to take extra days off and spend quality time with her children.
BBC News
16-05-2025
- BBC News
Victim stabbed attacker with bladed knuckleduster, court hears
A man who was being attacked by two other men in the middle of the night stabbed one of them with a bladed knuckleduster after "panic took hold", a court has heard. Mathew Boyde and Roy Kneale-Hammond, both 22, had kicked down the man's door in Ramsey and attacked him in his living room in the early hours of 5 July over a drug Courthouse heard the victim stabbed Boyde, who was wearing a balaclava, in the chest in self-defence as the pair kicked and punched him. Boyde and Kneale-Hammond have been jailed for one year and eight months. Kneale-Hammond had earlier sent text messages to the man stating it was "tax day", which the court heard was a reference to drug debt the messages was a threat that the victim should "get it sorted or I'll be sitting in your living room when you wake up". 'Had to use knife' At about 01:40 BST on 5 July, Kneale-Hammond attempted to call the man several times, but received no man was then awakened by a "loud bang" at his door and the sound of footsteps on the court heard he had armed himself with a knuckleduster that had a blade after "panic took hold" of and Kneale-Hammond, along with another man who was also wearing a balaclava, barged into his living room and attacked the struggle Boyde's mask was pulled off and he was stabbed several three men ran away when neighbours in the building responded to the court heard Boyde spent nine days in hospital for treatment for several stab wounds, after he was found bleeding at Ramsey Bus initially it was the victim that was arrested for the injuries he had inflicted, the charge was later withdrawn and Boyde and Kneale-Hammond were pleaded guilty to Graeme Cook said the victim "did sadly have to use a knife because he wasn't aware of what was going to happen".Jailing Boyde and Kneale-Hammond, the deemster said it was an "appalling" offence "by any stretch of the imagination". Read more stories from the Isle of Man on the BBC, watch BBC North West Tonight on BBC iPlayer and follow BBC Isle of Man on Facebook and X.
