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Police arrest ninja team that targeted drug dealers
Police arrested two men dressed like ninjas and armed with Asian martial arts weapons who said they were delivering warning letters to drug dealers and users.
Calling themselves "Shinobi warriors," the men carried knives, throwing stars, swords, nunchucks and a bow and arrows. Police arrested two men dressed like ninjas and armed with Asian martial arts weapons who said they were delivering warning letters to... more -
Dealers get crafty when it comes to hiding their drugs
In the basement of an Omaha home, a narcotics investigator pushed a chest of drawers away from a wood-paneled wall and found a door — and way more than he expected.
Behind the wall was a secret room where drugs were stashed — along with the drug dealer's girlfriend.
The illicit lair had a bed, clothes, toiletries and bottles of urine. The dealer apparently let out his girlfriend when his wife was at work, said retired Omaha Police Sgt. Mark Langan.
"He had worse trouble trying to explain that to his wife than trying to explain what he had in his house to us," Langan said.
With cases such as that, Nebraska and Iowa investigators weren't surprised at recent news about drugs being smuggled in hidden compartments on trains. Union Pacific is challenging $38 million in federal fines after the Border Patrol repeatedly found drugs hidden in railcars.
The places where drug dealers and users hide their wares is limited only by their imaginations, area officers say.
"These people have a lot of time to think of stuff like this," said Sheriff Steven MacDonald in Fremont County, Iowa.
Cops searching cars find secret compartments that seem straight out of a spy movie.
"The electronics to get into these false compartments is just ingenious," said Mark Overman, a Scottsbluff police detective. "Step on the brake, tune the radio to a certain station and then activate the brake lights — that might kick the compartment open."
Area cops find drugs in cars in a variety of places: inside seats, tires, gas tanks, lights and hollowed car batteries.
One drug ring cut open drive shafts, inserted plastic pipes filled with drugs and welded the shafts shut, Overman said.
Another dealer tried to blend in with the locals by using a horse trailer to haul horses — and 100 pounds of marijuana under the trailer's false floor, Overman said.
Animals were a distraction in the most unusual case recalled by a Nebraska National Guard counter drug team leader. A man hid his methamphetamine in the bottom of his pet snakes' tank.
In homes, detectives find drugs inside air ducts, in safes under carpeted floors, inside TV sets and wrapped like meat in the freezer. They see false bottoms on cans that look like they would contain pop, hair spray and Pennzoil.
State troopers recently found cocaine underneath chips in a canister of Pringles, Nebraska State Patrol Lt. Scott Kracl said.
Suspects sometimes unintentionally give cops a helping hand.
Omaha police once opened an address book and found a list titled "Hidden cocaine locations." Ajax can. Butter drawer. Shirt pocket.
Yes, it was correct.
In another case, detectives noticed a dirty shovel in the basement, which had a dirt floor, near a spot that looked like it had been recently refilled. A little underground sleuthing netted 10 pounds of meth.
Dealers frequently bury their treasure. "You can get out on a county road, you can look around and see no one's coming," Overman said. "You go out and bury it by a road sign."
The saddest spots are drugs hidden around young children: in car seats, diaper bags, even clothes or diapers children were wearing.
Some people conceal drugs in, um, their own hidden compartment. "We'd run up on people and see them put their hands in their pants," Langan said.
A few times a year, Omaha police get court orders to have medical professionals search suspects' bodies.
The biggest find: A female dealer hiding 17 grams of crack cocaine, about half the size of a golf ball.
Suspects sometimes swallow the goods.
Omaha police get a court order to pump a stomach when a suspect's life may be in danger. If not, they wait until what went in comes out. In the basement of an Omaha home, a narcotics investigator pushed a chest of drawers away from a wood-paneled wall and found a door — ... more -
Peaches Geldof caught on tape giving cash to star drug dealer
Peaches Geldof is to be questioned by police after she was filmed handing cash to an alleged drug dealer to the stars.
Peaches, 19, was seen giving Jonny Blagrove up to £190 and saying to him: "I'm going to need Valium tomorrow after this." Peaches Geldof is to be questioned by police after she was filmed handing cash to an alleged drug dealer to the stars. ... more -
man busted for trying to sell fake crack-cocaine to elderly
A 22-year-old man is accused of balling up pieces of bread and trying to sell them as crack cocaine to senior citizens in a Florida nursing home... A 22-year-old man is accused of balling up pieces of bread and trying to sell them as crack cocaine to senior citizens in a Florida nu... more
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A drug deal caught from every angle
For the "streetview" feature of Google Maps, the search engine's agents tour around city neighborhoods in a discreet van. Sometimes they catch more than just identifiable landmarks. Here, on a notorious drug trafficking corner on the South Side of Chicago, Google shows what looks very much like a transaction between a black man in long shorts and a baseball cap, and a sedan, numberplate clearly visible. For the "streetview" feature of Google Maps, the search engine's agents tour around city neighborhoods in a discreet va... more
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Geeks Vs. Drug Dealers: Can You Tell The Difference?
I love comparison charts. Especially ones that compare drug dealers with computer geeks. I mean, I'm constantly getting the two confused. And now I know why! It's all coming together for me today. I love comparison charts. Especially ones that compare drug dealers with computer geeks. I mean, I'm constantly getting the two c... more
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UK street drugs an £8 billion industry
The scale of Britain's illicit drug economy has been put into numbers by the Home Office. Estimates that there are "300 major importers, 3,000 wholesalers and 70,000 street dealers involved in a trade with a turnover of between £7bn and £8bn a year." It's a real supply and demand retail economy, too. The report says that the average drug slinger employs salaried staff and raises their heroin prices when demand peaks during Christmas.
happy christmas, love. i got you some horse. The scale of Britain's illicit drug economy has been put into numbers by the Home Office. Estimates that there are "300 majo... more -
Top Colombia 'drug lord' arrested
His name is Diego Montoya...he killed my father...prepare to die. Police in Colombia have captured suspected drug baron Diego Montoya, the country's interior minister says. His name is Diego Montoya...he killed my father...prepare to die. Police in Colombia have captured suspected drug baron Diego Montoya... more
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Meth in Montana
Butte, Montana serves as a case study to illustrate the devastating effects of Methamphetamine on communities throughout Montana.
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BC Bud
VC2 Producer Franklin Lopez examines the marijuana business in British Columbia.
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