Latest news with #drugtrafficking
CBC
an hour ago
- CBC
Regina Provincial Correctional Centre officer charged in drug trafficking investigation
An officer from the Regina Provincial Correctional Centre (RPCC) has been charged following an investigation into suspected drug trafficking into the facility. The investigation was launched in 2023 after a 36-year-old inmate at the RPCC was charged with possession for the purpose of trafficking and conspiracy to commit an indictable offence, RCMP said in a news release Wednesday. It found the inmate had an accomplice outside of the RPCC that had been assisting with purchasing, packaging and transporting drugs to an officer at the facility, RCMP said. A 35-year-old woman, who is not the officer in question, was charged with conspiracy to commit an indictable offence. Upon further investigation, RCMP identified the correctional officer involved, the release said. Justin Amyotte, 44, from Regina has been charged with crimes including one count of conspiracy to commit the indictable offence of trafficking a controlled substance, one count of breach of trust by a public officer and possession of property obtained by crime under $5000, according to the release.
The Sun
3 hours ago
- The Sun
Brit ‘drug mules' avoid death penalty over £300k plot in Bali as court reveals short sentence due to ‘polite behaviour'
THREE Brits who faced the death penalty for allegedly smuggling £300,000 of cocaine into Bali have been let off with a one-year sentence. The trio from Hastings and St Leonards-on-Sea in East Sussex were stopped at Bali's international airport in February with 17 packages of cocaine, according to court documents. 5 5 5 Lisa Stocker, 39, a mum-of-three, and her partner, Jon Collyer, 39, had travelled from the UK via Qatar and were stopped in Indonesia's capital after a routine airport x-ray detected suspicious packages. The couple first appeared in court on February 3 alongside Phineas Float, 31, who was accused of receiving the packages at an airport hotel. Presiding judge Heriyanti said on Thursday morning that all three suspects had violated article 131 of Indonesian Narcotic law. But Heriyanti added that the trio had admitted their offences and behaved "politely", and as a result, he was reducing their sentence. All three defendants said that they accepted the verdict and would not file an appeal. They have been serving time since February, which will count towards their sentence. This means they are expected to be released early next year. In the past, convicted drug traffickers - especially those caught with large amounts - have been executed by firing squads in Indonesia. Those who escape the death penalty are often sentenced to life imprisonment. In mid-July, lead prosecutor Made Dipa Umbara suggested the trio might be able to avoid a serious prison sentence. New CCTV of Brit 'mule' Bella May Culley 'smuggling £200k of cannabis' released as cops slam her claims she was coerced He announced they will ask to "sentence the defendants to one year in prison" each, minus the time already served. Umbara noted that all three had behaved well in court, apologised for their role in the smuggling plot and promised not to reoffend. On July 15, Ms Stocker broke down in tears as she told the court she had been conned into carrying illicit packages. She claimed a friend gave her the packages of Angel Delight in the UK and asked her to take them to Bali. Ms Stocker said in June: "Jon and I had been to Bali twice carrying packages from [him]. I was shocked after finding out it was cocaine." In mid-July, she again claimed she had no idea that her suitcase was full of narcotics. Her partner, Mr Collyer, admitted what they did was "very stupid" as he told Judge Heriyanti: "I won't do it again." Mr Float remained quiet as he sat in court after being involved in a shouting match during a previous hearing. Back in June, while walking to the courtroom for the first day of his trial he yelled at journalist "f*** off". 5 5
Malay Mail
7 hours ago
- Malay Mail
In Kelantan, couple charged with trafficking over 67kg of cannabis in Kuala Krai, faces death or life imprisonment
KUALA KRAI, July 24 — A married couple was charged in the Magistrates' Court here today with two offences involving the trafficking and possession of cannabis and methamphetamine two weeks ago. No plea was recorded from Wan Muhamad Aziem Ashraf Wan Mustafa, 31, and his wife Wan Matraf Azlinda Wan Mat, 49, as the charges fall under the jurisdiction of the High Court. According to the first charge, the couple is accused of trafficking 67.75 kg of cannabis by the roadside at Padang Sembilan here, at approximately 4am on July 11. They were charged under Section 39B(1)(a) of the Dangerous Drugs Act 1952, which provides for the death penalty or life imprisonment and a minimum of 15 strokes of the cane, upon conviction. For the second charge, they are accused of possessing 15.1 g of methamphetamine at the same location, date, and time. The charge is framed under Section 12(2) of the Dangerous Drugs Act 1952, which carries a maximum sentence of five years' imprisonment and up to nine strokes of the cane, upon conviction. Deputy public prosecutor Mazlinda Mohd Nor appeared for the prosecution, while the accused were unrepresented. The court fixed September 23 for case mention and submission of the chemistry report. — Bernama
Daily Mail
8 hours ago
- Daily Mail
Mom, 21, charged with drug trafficking after 'being caught smuggling cannabis from Thailand'
A British mother has been charged with trafficking drugs into Germany after being caught allegedly smuggling cannabis from Thailand. Cameron Bradford, 21, from Hertfordshire, was arrested at Munich Airport on April 22 when she attempted to collect her luggage. Authorities had become suspicious after she allegedly changed her flight at the last minute, having originally been due to fly to London Heathrow via Singapore. Her family had filed a missing person report after raising concerns when she did not return home as expected, but then learned the next day she was in Germany. Bradford was arrested and held in custody - and has been charged with attempted transit of cannabis and abetting the international trafficking of cannabis. The mother, who has a young son, is set to make an appearance at a hearing in Munich District Court on August 6 as authorities continue to investigate. A Foreign Office spokesman said today: 'We are supporting a British woman who is detained in Germany and are in contact with her family and the local authorities.' Bradford's arrest is one of a series of cases involving suspected young British female drug mules stopped by police at airports in countries around the world. Following her arrest, Munich chief prosecutor Anne Leiding said: 'We can confirm that we are conducting proceedings in this matter. The defendant is still in custody.' Germany legalized cannabis for recreational use by adults in February 2024, but this did not extend to tourists - and the unauthorized import of the drug is illegal. Thailand decriminalized cannabis in 2022, but last month brought in new rules which restrict the sale of the drug to those with a doctor's prescription. A UK Border Force and Thai customs agreement called Operation Chaophraya which aims to reduce attempted cannabis smuggling was launched in July last year. The British Home Office said in April that the scheme was working after cannabis arrivals by post from Thailand dropped by 90 per cent in the first three months of 2025. Parcels from Thailand must now be checked before they are shipped - and over 50 British nationals have been arrested in Thailand for attempted cannabis smuggling since the operation began. MailOnline contacted the Munich Public Prosecutor's Office and the UK's Foreign Office for comment today. A series of other cases in recent months have seen Brits arrested abroad for alleged drug smuggling. One of the most high profile involves 18-year-old Bella Culley, from Billingham in County Durham, who was arrested in Georgia in May after allegedly carrying 12kg of cannabis and 2kg of hashish into the country from Thailand, where she had been on vacation. She could face up to 20 years in jail if convicted, and her next hearing is scheduled for tomorrow.
Washington Post
10 hours ago
- Politics
- Washington Post
France's new prison regime for drug kingpins shines the spotlight on a possible successor to Macron
PARIS — They are France 's most dangerous drug kingpins, according to the country's justice minister — prison inmates so wealthy and powerful that even behind bars, they can continue to order assassinations, run narco-trafficking operations and launder money. Flexing his powers as minister in charge of the French penal system, Gérald Darmanin's solution to the problem is contentious. He is moving 100 inmates — men he describes as 'France's biggest criminals' — into an austere maximum security penitentiary in the country's north that critics say has echoes of tough U.S. prisons. The move is also possibly vote-catching for Darmanin, who has joined a growing field of possible successors to President Emmanuel Macron after the next election, less than two years away. In the newly reinforced Vendin-le-Vieil prison, the selected inmates will be locked in individual cells for 23 hours on most days. Largely cut off from the world, Darmanin argues they will no longer be able to fuel drug-related violence, which has become a political issue ahead of the 2027 presidential election. 'We are here to guarantee that they don't speak to the outside, that they don't continue their trafficking outside, that they don't corrupt prison officers, magistrates, police officers and gendarmes,' Darmanin said on primetime evening television after the first 17 inmates were transferred this week to Vendin-le-Vieil from other, less secure facilities. France has had a long history of both notorious prisons (the Bastille) and prisoners — both real (Napoleon) and fictional ('The Count of Monte Cristo'). Still, Vendin-le-Vieil's lock-up conditions are exceptional, similar to the ultra-secure 'Supermax' prison in the United States and Italy's tough 'carcere duro' incarceration rules for Mafia members. Vendin-le-Vieil already houses some of France's most infamous prisoners — including Salah Abdeslam , lone survivor of a team of Islamic State extremists that terrorized Paris in 2015 , killing 130 people in gun and bomb attacks. To make way for the specially selected 100 inmates — some already convicted, others in pre-trial detention — many other Vendin-le-Vieil inmates were moved out. The newcomers will be grouped together in the prison's new 'Section for Combatting Organized Crime,' with reinforced security and regulations, and equipped with systems to block mobile phone signals and drones. Among those on the list for Vendin-le-Vieil is Mohamed Amra, nicknamed 'The Fly," who staged an escape last year that killed two guards and then fled to Romania before he was captured and returned to France. The newcomers will have just one hour a day in a prison exercise yard, in groups of no more than five. The rest of the time, they will mostly be confined to individual cells fitted with holes so prison guards can handcuff them before moving them and with ratchet systems so inmates can't yank the doors open or shut when they have to be unlocked. They will be guarded by 250 wardens — elsewhere, the ratio is usually 20 guards to 100 inmates, Darmanin told French broadcaster TF1. Instead of unlimited calls with family members from prison phones, they will be limited to a maximum of two hours, twice a week — a restriction that Darmanin says will make monitoring their conversations easier. Prison visiting rooms have also been equipped with security glass dividers, to prevent physical contact between inmates and visitors. Darmanin says this will prevent mobile phones and other contraband from being smuggled in. The new Vendin-le-Vieil inmates also won't have the rights accorded in other prisons of intimate time with partners and family members. Darmanin said the conditions will be 'extremely hard' but are necessary because France risks 'tipping into narco-banditry' in the absence of tough decisions. Critics say Darmanin is taking a gamble by grouping together so many inmates he describes as dangerous. 'From what I know, even when they're placed under the strictest isolation, they're so smart that they always find ways to communicate with each other,' said May Sarah Vogelhut, an attorney for one of the 17 prisoners transferred this week. 'It's almost more like a networking club for billionaire narco-traffickers.' She and others also say the tough conditions could inflict an unacceptable toll on the prisoners' mental health. Vogelhut said her 22-year-old client was a major drug dealer in the southern French port city of Marseille and was convicted and sentenced to 25 years for torturing his victims. He is appealing his sentence. Held in isolation in another prison before his transfer to Vendin-le-Vieil, his biggest concern was the glass barrier that will prevent him from hugging his mother and touching other visitors, Vogelhut said. 'What shocks me the most in this new detention center is that the visits happen through a security glass intercom — you know, like what we French see in American movies, when the person is behind a glass and you talk through a phone,' she said. 'I find that inhumane. I mean, imagine that a guy spends 10 years there — for 10 years, he can't hug his mother?' she said. 'I think it's going to dehumanize them.' First as a minister for public accounts, then as interior minister and since last December as justice minister, Darmanin has proven to be one of Macron's most loyal lieutenants. His close ties with the unpopular president, who can't run again, could work against Darmanin if he runs in 2027. But his government experience and tough-on-crime rhetoric could work in his favor with voters. Darmanin has announced plans for at least two other high-security prison units for convicted and accused drug traffickers, one of them in the overseas territory of French Guiana. Vogelhut accuses Darmanin of angling for votes and playing on 'French people's fears and anxieties.' 'It won't solve any problems,' she said. 'There won't be any less crime.'
