Gang Member Pleads Not Guilty In Stabbing Death

 

documented gang member accused of stabbing a transient 19 times after the defendant issued a gang challenge to the victim pleaded not guilty Thursday to a murder charge. Josue Hernandez Gutierrez, 20, was ordered held in lieu of $1 million bail in connection with the slaying of 48-year-old Emiliano Cortez of San Diego. Gutierrez was arrested Monday outside a friend's College area home. Deputy District Attorney Kristian Trocha told Judge David Szumowski that Gutierrez and a 14-year-old boy attacked Cortez about 4:45 a.m. Saturday as he was walking in the 3700 block of T Street, about a half-mile from the home where the victim lived with relatives. Gutierrez issued a gang challenge, and for some reason, the victim responded that he was from a rival gang, the prosecutor said. The defendant then stabbed the victim 19 times, including 10 to the back, Trocha said. Cortez died Saturday night, according to the prosecutor. The 14-year-old was arrested Tuesday at a Chula Vista residence. His case is being handled in Juvenile Court. Police disclosed no suspected motive for the slaying, except that it was believed to be gang-related. There was no evidence that a robbery or other crime was involved, San Diego police Lt. Kevin Rooney said. Residents of the area where the killing happened told investigators a loud argument and a man's screams prompted them to look outside, at which point they saw someone lying on a sidewalk and two people running off to the east. It was unclear why Cortez was walking through the inner-city neighborhood just east of downtown San Diego, though he apparently was not on his way home. Gutierrez was charged with murder, a gang allegation and the use of a knife. He faces 26 years to life in prison if convicted. A status conference was set for March 1 and a preliminary hearing for March 7.

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Mongols Motorcycle Gang Member Convicted of Murdering President of San Francisco Hells Angels

 

federal jury found Christopher Bryan Ablett, a/k/a “Stoney,” a member of the Modesto Chapter of the Mongols outlaw motorcycle gang, guilty of all four felonies with which he was charged including murder in aid of racketeering, assault with a deadly weapon in aid of racketeering, using a firearm during a crime of violence, and using a firearm causing murder during a crime of violence, United States Attorney Melinda Haag announced. The charges stemmed from the defendant’s gang-related murder of Mark “Papa” Guardado, the president of the San Francisco Chapter of the Hells Angels, on September 2, 2008, at 24th Street and Treat Avenue in the Mission District of San Francisco. Evidence at trial showed that Ablett traveled to San Francisco to visit a friend. He was armed with a foot-long military knife and a .357 magnum revolver. Ablett brought with him a Mongols full-patch vest and t-shirt that only a full member of the Mongols is allowed to wear. According to testimony from Bureau of Alcohol Tobacco Firearms and Explosives (ATF) gang expert Special Agent John Ciccone, and former Mongols undercover ATF Special Agent Darrin Kozlowski who infiltrated the gang, the Mongols are an organized criminal motorcycle gang whose primary rival is the Hells Angels motorcycle gang. When word traveled to Guardado that the defendant was wearing a Mongols patch shirt in a bar in the Mission, Guardado went to the street outside the bar and approached Ablett. A fight broke out during which Ablett stabbed Guardado four times and shot him twice, killing him. According to the testimony of FBI Special Agent Jacob Millspaugh, the case agent, the defendant’s phone records showed that he spent the next several hours calling people who were identified as members of the Mongols—showing that he was reaching out as part of the Mongols communication network. The jury rejected the defendant’s defenses of self-defense, defense of his friends, and heat of passion after the defendant took the stand and testified. The jury also found that the defendant murdered Guardado to maintain or increase his position in the Mongols gang, and that the Mongols engaged in racketeering activity. Ablett is scheduled to be sentenced on May 15, 2012. He faces a possible sentence of three terms of life in prison plus 10 mandatory consecutive years, a $1 million fine, and five years of supervised release. Specifically, for the charge of murder in aid of racketeering, in violation of 18 United StatesC. § 1959, Ablett faces a mandatory minimum sentence of life without parole. For the charge of assault with a deadly weapon in aid of racketeering, in violation of 18 United StatesC. § 1959, Ablett faces a maximum sentence of 20 years in prison. For the charge of using a firearm during a crime of violence, in violation of 18 United StatesC. § 924(c), Ablett faces a maximum sentence of life in prison. And for the charge of using a firearm causing murder during a crime of violence, in violation of 18 United StatesC. § 924(j), Ablett faces a maximum sentence of life in prison. However, any sentence following conviction would be imposed by the court after consideration of the United States Sentencing Guidelines and the federal statute governing the imposition of a sentence, 18 United StatesC. § 3553. The case was prosecuted by former Assistant United States Attorney Christine Wong, Assistant United States Attorneys Kathryn Haun, Wilson Leung and William Frentzen, paralegal specialist Lili ArauzHaase, legal techs Marina Ponomarchuk, Daniel Charlier-Smith, and Ponly Tu, all of the Organized Crime Strike Force and Violent Crime Section of the United States Attorney’s Office for the Northern District of California. The case was investigated by the Federal Bureau of Investigation, the Bureau of Alcohol Tobacco Firearms and Explosives, and the San Francisco Police Department.

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Inmate Massacre Highlights Mexico Jail Corruption

 

Nine guards have confessed to helping Zetas drug gangsters escape from prison before other Zetas slaughtered 44 rival inmates, a state official said late Monday, underlining the enormous corruption inside Mexico's overcrowded, underfunded prisons. The top officials and as many as 18 guards at the Apodaca prison in northern Mexico had been detained under suspicion that they may have helped 30 Zetas escape during the confusion of a riot early Sunday in which 44 members of the rival Gulf cartel were bludgeoned and knifed to death. Nuevo Leon state public security spokesman Jorge Domene Zambrano said nine of the guards confessed to aiding the escape. He said it appeared the breakout happened before the deadly fight. The massacre in this northern state was one of the worst prison killings in Mexico in at least a quarter-century and exposed another weak institution that President Felipe Calderon is relying on to fight his drug war. Mexico has only six federal prisons, and so sends many of its dangerous cartel suspects and inmates to ill-prepared, overcrowded state penitentiaries. Drug trafficking, weapons possession and money laundering are all considered federal crimes in Mexico. "The Mexican prison system has collapsed," said Raul Benitez, a professor at Mexico's National Autonomous University who studies security issues. "The prisons in some states are controlled by organized crime." AP A child yells out for her father as she... View Full Caption An increase in organized crime, extortion, drug trafficking and kidnapping has swelled Mexico's prison population almost 50 percent since 2000. But the government has built no new federal prisons since Calderon launched an offensive against drug cartels when he took office in late 2006, leaving existing jails overcrowded. Calderon's administration has renovated three existing state prisons to use as federal lockups. Built to hold about 185,000 inmates, the prison system nationwide now holds more than 45,000 above that capacity, according to figures from the National Public Safety System. Of the 47,000 federal inmates in the country, about 29,000 are held in state prisons. That has drawn complaints from Nuevo Leon Gov. Rodrigo Medina and other state governors, who say their jails aren't equipped to hold members of powerful and highly organized drug cartels. The federal government counters that none of the escapes or mass killings have occurred at federal lockups, and it cites corruption on the state level, not overcrowding, as the main cause of the deaths and escapes. "The constant element has been corruption in the control processes" at the prisons, said Patricio Patino, assistant secretary for the penitentiary system. Prison employees say guards are underpaid, making them more likely to take bribes. And even honest guards are vulnerable to coercion: Many live in neighborhoods where street gangs and drug cartels are active, making it easy to target their families with threats. The same can be said for Mexico's municipal police forces, another weak flank in Calderon's attack on organized crime. Thousands of local officers — often, entire forces at a time — have been fired, detained or placed under investigation for aiding drug gangs. "Yesterday, Apodaca, tomorrow, any other (prison)," columnist Carlos Puig wrote in the newspaper Milenio.

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Dead gangster's assets seized

 

Anti-mafia authorities impounded real estate, automobiles and financial assets from Domenico Campisi, who was shot dead last June in an ambush in the southern Calabria region. He was 44 years old. Campisi was a member of the 'Ndrangheta crime network based in Calabria, considered Italy's most violent and wealthy mafia groups. It was reportedly one of the first time police went after assets of a deceased mafioso.

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U.S. Ordered to Pay $1 Million to Family of Man Murdered by Gangster Whitey Bulger

 

The federal government went too far in shielding an FBI informant from the 1970s through the 1990s, not only tipping him off about state and local police investigations, but even covering up his involvement in several murders. Last week a three-judge panel of the First Circuit Appeals Court in Boston ruled that the family of one of those murder victims, Louis Litif, who was murdered by Boston organized crime boss James “Whitey” Bulger in 1980, was entitled to government compensation of $1.15 million.   Litif, a bookmaker facing murder charges, offered to help the Boston police with a drug conspiracy case against Bulger, who was already secretly informing on the rival Patriarca crime family to the FBI. About three weeks after his offer, Litif was found dead in the trunk of his car. The First Circuit concluded that “there was a pattern of FBI leaks of informants to Bulger,” mainly by Bulger’s FBI handler, John Connolly, who “was present when Litif’s plans to cooperate and incriminate Bulger were made known to the Boston Police, …[and who] leaked the names of between six and twelve informants to” Bulger, at least three of whom, including Litif, were later found dead.   In a similar case last year, the First Circuit ruled that the families of Bulger murder victims Michael Donahue and Brian Halloran could not sue the government for their deaths, because even though FBI leaks led to their murders, the two-year statute of limitations on lawsuits against the government had run out. The difference was the large amount of publicly available information linking the FBI to the Donahue and Halloran murders, compared to the lack of such information in the Litif case.   Former FBI agent Connolly is currently in prison, convicted of racketeering and obstruction of justice in 2002, and of second degree murder in 2008, although his wife runs a website maintaining his innocence. Bulger, who went on the lam in December 1994 and spent 12 years on the FBI’s “Ten Most Wanted” list, was captured on June 22, 2011, and is facing charges for 19 murders.

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Dozens of inmates were killed Sunday in a fierce brawl inside a Mexican prison

Dozens of inmates were killed Sunday in a fierce brawl inside a Mexican prison, authorities said, the latest lethal incident in Latin America's overcrowded, poorly maintained jails.

Officials said at least 44 inmates died at the prison outside the northern industrial city of Monterrey.

Initial reports blamed the violence on efforts to transfer some inmates to another jailhouse elsewhere in the country. But it was also likely that the fighting involved rival drug gangs that increasingly dominate Mexican prisons. One guard was reported having been taken hostage, but none was reported killed.

Public security authorities in Nuevo Leon state, where Monterrey is, said inmates began fighting in one cellblock about 2 a.m. and the violence spread to a second block.

Relatives of inmates gathered before dawn for Sunday visiting hours and realized that something was badly amiss inside. They shoved against security gates to demand information; some told reporters they had heard explosions and seen smoke coming from the prison.

But Jorge Domene, the state's public security spokesman, said all of the dead were killed by knives, other sharp instruments, clubs or stones.

He said authorities regained control of the institution about four hours after the clashes started. Most of the prisoners were incarcerated on drug-trafficking charges and related crimes, Domene said.

Last week, more than 350 people were killed when fire spread through an overcrowded prison in Comayagua, Honduras, underscoring the deteriorating conditions in prisons throughout Latin America.

Mexico'sraging drug war is helping to fill prisons in many cities at more than twice the capacity.

In Sunday's incident, the prison in a town called Apodaca, about 20 miles from Monterrey, was reportedly built to hold 1,500 inmates but had a population of 3,000.

Violence in Mexican prisons, mostly between rival gangs, has killed more than 100 inmates in the last two years. Mass escapes are routine.

Sunday's "tragedy is not an isolated incident, but rather one that is part of a continuous and perverse process of dehumanization in the penitentiary centers," the Monterrey-based Citizens in Support of Human Rights said in a statement. Authorities "have failed to take basic measures to secure the lives and integrity of inmates, as well as of the people who work in these centers."

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Two naval guards of the Italian ship Enirca Lexie, charged with the killing of two Indian fishermen off Kerala

Two naval guards of the Italian ship Enirca Lexie, charged with the killing of two Indian fishermen off Kerala, would be produced before a local magistrate here on Monday afternoon.

The naval guards- Latorre Massimiliano andSalvatore Girone - were arrested by Kerala police on Sunday and brought to the land from the ship, which was intercepted and berthed at Cochin Port. They have been charged with murder under Section 302 of the Indian Penal Code.

The deceased - Valentine Jalastine and Ajeesh Binki - last week set out to sea in a boat along with nine fellow fishermen from Neendakara fishing harbour. They were allegedly killed by the naval guards of the ship, who fired at their boat on February 15.

The Italian authorities have contended that the fishing boat was fired mistaking it to be a pirates' vessel.

After four days of negotiations involving Indian and Italian diplomats, the naval guards were arrested by police in Kochi on Sunday. They were later questioned by a team of senior police officials including Kochi City Police Commissioner M.R. Ajith Kumar and Kollam SP Sam Christy Daniel.

Meanwhile, Cochin Port sources said the Italian vessel would be moved to the outer anchorage within the port limits. The ship is presently inside the oil terminal due to which other oil tankers of various companies are finding it difficult to discharge cargo. Cochin Port and Coast Guard would monitor the movement of the Italian ship, Port sources said.

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passenger plane has been forced into an emergency landing at Auckland airport in New Zealand, after flames spewed from one of its engines.

Passengers on the Air New Zealand Boeing 767 said they heard loud bangs and saw flames shortly after take off.

The airline said the incident might have been caused by an engine bird-strike.

The plane was heading to Perth in Australia with more than 200 passengers on board.

"We were right near the wing so we saw the flames. I thought … what's going on?'' one passenger, Maria McCarthy, told the New Zealand news website Stuff.

The website quoted an Air New Zealand statement as saying the captain of the flight had shut down the left-hand engine and briefed the passengers on board.

He explained that "any flames seen from the engine is not unusual when it is shut down in flight".

The airline said there appeared to be no visible damage to the engine, and engineers were now examining the plane.

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Brazilian court upholds freedom for Italian fugitive

Brazil's Supreme Tribunal has affirmed a decision by the country's former president to reject the extradition of Italian fugitive Cesare Battisti. The court ruled that Battisti should be freed from Brazilian prison immediately.
Italy's foreign ministry responded to the Wednesday night ruling with a promise to take the issue to the International Court of Justice in The Hague, Netherlands.
The Brazilian judges found, by a vote of 6-3, that former President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva's decision to deny Battisti's extradition was "an act of national sovereignty" that the high court could not reverse.
Battisti was condemned to life in prison in Italy for four murders he denies committing in the 1970s while a member of an extremist left-wing group.

 

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Libya mass rape claims: using Viagra would be a horrific first

The international criminal court (ICC) in The Hague has previously launched investigations into the alleged use of systematic rape as a weapon against the civilian population by leaders of the Lord's Resistance Army in Uganda and militia groups in the Democratic Republic of the Congo and the Central African Republic.

But the claim by the ICC's chief prosecutor, Luis Moreno-Ocampo, that the impotency drug Viagra was distributed to Libyan troops as part of an official policy of rape is unprecedented.

The former Congolese vice-president Jean-Pierre Bemba is facing charges that he unleashed his soldiers to commit rape, murder and pillage in the Central African Republic in 2002-03. He has pleaded not guilty. The landmark case will define a commander's legal responsibility to control his troops wherever they are in the world.

Under the ICC's code, multiple rapes constitute a crime against humanity alongside murder, enslavement, forcible transfer of populations and torture.

The international criminal tribunal for the former Yugoslavia also tried suspects for alleged mass rape of detainees during the Bosnian conflict.

It had difficulties securing prosecutions in some cases because it could not show there were enough victims to constitute an attack on a civilian population.

Moreno-Ocampo has already requested arrest warrants against Muammar Gaddafi, his son Saif al-Islam and the country's spy chief, on other charges of crimes against humanity allegedly committed during attempts to crush the country's rebellion.

That request is being considered by ICC judges. Any mass rape allegations adopted by the court would be added to the indictment as fresh charges.

The rape allegation against Gaddafi has already been raised in the UN security council. In April the US ambassador, Susan Rice, said some Libyan troops had been issued with Viagra.

Moreno-Ocampo said the question until recently had been whether Gaddafi himself could be associated with the rapes "or is it something that happened in the barracks?"

"But now we are getting some information that Gaddafi himself decided [to authorise the rapes] and this is new.

"It never was the pattern he used to control the population. The rape is a new aspect of the repression. Apparently he decided to punish using rapes."

The chief prosecutor said there was evidence of Libya acquiring "containers" of such drugs "to enhance the possibility to rape women".

He said it was difficult to know how widespread the rape was but he had received information there were several hundred victims in some areas.

 

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How I've Stayed Married to My Business Partner | BNET

How I've Stayed Married to My Business Partner | BNET: "Shortly after my wife Rina and I met, we decided to go into business together. Our company Philip Stein, sells luxury watches that emit special frequencies designed to lower the stress of the wearer. Rina has a background in the watch retail industry and I have a degree in business, so it seemed like a perfect plan. But working together wasn’t as easy as we’d thought.

We butted heads at almost every opportunity. I am a very disciplined and analytical decision maker, whereas Rina is more emotional and intuitive. When we started out in 2003, we had just three employees, so the time lost in disagreement wasn’t such a big deal. But when our watch was featured on “Oprah” and our product received huge national exposure, we knew we had to find a more effective way of working together if we were going to succeed on a larger scale — and stay married."

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Mike DeStefano Dead; A Tribute to the 'Recovery Comic'

Mike DeStefano Dead; A Tribute to the 'Recovery Comic' "Mike DeStefano, whose recovery from heroin addiction fueled his no-holds-barred comedy, has died from a heart attack.

DeStefano, who was in his 40s, was born in the Bronx in New York, and according to his official bio, became a heroin user at the age of 15. Fifteen years later, he kicked his addiction and began working as a drug counselor. A spontaneous decision to entertain a crowd of fellow addicts turned into a full-fledged career in comedy.

In addition to his appearances on 'Late Night With Conan O'Brien,' 'The Howard Stern Show' and 'Comedy Central Presents,' DeStefano was a featured performer at HBO's Aspen Comedy Festival and the Just for Laughs Festival in Montreal. Last year he competed on NBC's 'Last Comic Standing,' making it to the final five. His one-man show, 'A Cherry Tree in the Bronx,' was scheduled for a one-night-only performance this week at New York's Barrow Street Theater."

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US charity pays British drug addicts to be fitted with contraceptive coils | Mail Online

US charity pays British drug addicts to be fitted with contraceptive coils | Mail Online: "A US charity has paid 26 female drug addicts in Britain to have contraceptive coils or implants fitted, it was reported today.

Project Prevention said it had made initial payments of £60 and a UK-based charity is hoping to launch a similar scheme.

Barbara Harris, who founded the US charity, triggered an ethical storm in October after offering to pay British addicts £200 if they were sterilised."

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Charlie Sheen: Hugh Laurie's Two And A Half Men dream sequence in House | Mail Online

Charlie Sheen: Hugh Laurie's Two And A Half Men dream sequence in House | Mail Online: "Since the start of his very public meltdown a few weeks ago, Charlie Sheen has, unsurprisingly, left himself open to mocking and ridicule.

But in the wake of the Saturday Night Live spoof and Jimmy Fallon's mock cologne advert for 'Winning', another scene emulating the ranting, chain-smoking star has become the most talked about today - and it wasn't even intentional.

Last night in the U.S., English actor Hugh Laurie appeared as Sheen's character from Two And A Half Men in a dream sequence in his show House - ironically just hours after Sheen was fired from his show."

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Fred Wills has owned over the years under the “Big Daddy” name,Crime Scene - DEA claims big Va. drug bust

Crime Scene - DEA claims big Va. drug bust: "The Drug Enforcement Administration says it has busted one of the largest drug rings in the Hampton Roads area.
The federal agency says the $9 million operation was allegedly run for the past 10 years by the owner of a Virginia Beach restaurant.
Fred Phillip Wills Jr., his wife, Makishea Bobbi Wills, and Kendall Dwight Callaham were arrested earlier this week on a federal indictment on multiple drug distribution charges.
The indictment alleges that the three sold more than 244 pounds of cocaine and smaller quantities of marijuana and laundered the proceeds through the numerous restaurants Fred Wills has owned over the years under the “Big Daddy” name.
Family members at the latest restaurant and Wills' lawyer declined to comment."

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Hooker Claims There Was Cocaine in Charlie Sheen's Room - Charlie Sheen

Hooker Claims There Was Cocaine in Charlie Sheen's Room - Charlie Sheen: "So much for rehab! Charlie Sheen was not only drunk last night when he was escorted to the hospital, cocaine was reportedly found in his room as well!

The hooker that was accompanying Charlie claims there was a bunch of blow in the room. 'The prostitute says Charlie was using cocaine,'"

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EXCLUSIVE: Charlie Sheen Tests Positive For Cocaine | Radar Online

EXCLUSIVE: Charlie Sheen Tests Positive For Cocaine | Radar Online: "Charlie Sheen tested positive for cocaine after his bizarre meltdown in a New York hotel room, RadarOnline.com learned exclusively.
Sheen, 45, was taken to a New York hospital by ambulance early Tuesday morning after trashing his hotel room at The Plaza when he thought a prostitute had stolen his wallet.
'Cops told Sheen he could either go to the hospital or the (police) station,' a source told RadarOnline.com.
Sheen went to the hospital and was checked in for a psych evaluation.
'After that incident, a battery of tests were run on Sheen. He tested positive for cocaine,' the source told RadarOnline.com. 'And he's only been out of rehab for two months.'"

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Did Charlie Sheen test positive for cocaine in hotel matter? | HollywoodNews.com

Did Charlie Sheen test positive for cocaine in hotel matter? | HollywoodNews.com: "Charlie Sheen has some new, major problems on his hands after being involved in a hotel and hospitalization incident that may have had something to do with cocaine.
It is being alleged that Sheen tested positive for cocaine after being removed from the hotel where he reportedly destroyed his room, states RadarOnline.com. Sheen was reportedly taken to the hospital and given a number of tests including one that allegedly found he had been doing cocaine.
Sheen has been out of rehab for a couple months now after being involved in a domestic violence matter. He has reportedly been doing cocaine for a number of weeks now ever since his release.
Do you think Charlie Sheen is back on drugs?"

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Paul Gascoigne in rehab in last-ditch bid to avoid Xmas in jail | The Sun |News

Paul Gascoigne in rehab in last-ditch bid to avoid Xmas in jail | The Sun |News: "43-year-old - nicked on Thursday on suspicion of possessing coke - has been told that staying sober is the only chance he has of keeping out of prison.
Cops had found him slumped at home with the Class A drug in front of him after a worried pal dialled 999 fearing the former Newcastle and Spurs ace had overdosed.
came two days after Gazza was warned he faces a jail term after admitting drink-driving in court. He could get three months after he was caught in his blue MG sports car while four times the limit.
He also faces a separate drink-drive trial next month."

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Lindsay Lohan Back In Rehab Over Cocaine « Wow Celebrities

Lindsay Lohan Back In Rehab Over Cocaine « Wow Celebrities: "Lindsay Lohan Avoids Jailtime and is Sent Back to Rehab
When does she not catch a break??? Lindsay Lohan has avoided jail time (for the ga-zillionth time) and has been ordered back to rehab. Full story is below… Lohan was let off fairly easy (like always) in court today by Judge Elden Fox who unlike the deputy district attorney….didn’t believe 180 days in the slammer would serve"

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man, who claimed to be the former drug dealer of Angelina Jolie, has said that the ‘Salt’ star was on cocaine

man, who claimed to be the former drug dealer of Angelina Jolie, has said that the ‘Salt’ star was on cocaine while she was interview by Charlie Rose in 2000 to promote ‘Girl, Interrupted.
Franklin Mayer said that Jolie, who rambled in the Rose interview about her role as Gia, the drug-addicted model she played in an HBO film, was on drugs herself at the time.
“She’d taken coke. She did the show and then she came back over after,” the New York Post quoted him as saying.
Jolie said in 1998 of her Gia role, “I hate heroin because I have been fascinated with it.”
Meyer said he met her in 1997 at the Chelsea Hotel and claimed he saw her two to three times a week when she was in New York, either at her apartment or at the hotel.
“She would generally spend about 100 dollar each time. That would buy maybe half a gram of coke and a 10th of a gram of heroin,” he concluded.

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Randy Quaid, the actor who portrayed the ne're-do-well cousin Eddie in the National Lampoon's Vaction movies wants asylum in Canada

Randy Quaid, the actor who portrayed the ne're-do-well cousin Eddie in the National Lampoon's Vaction movies wants asylum in Canada, saying he's afraid of a shadowy group he believes is responsible for killing a number of his Hollywood friends.

Actor Randy Quaid and his wife, Evi, were released on cash bonds of $10,000 each after a bizarre appearance Friday at an Immigration and Refugee Board hearing in Vancouver.

There, the pair -- arrested a day earlier on outstanding U.S. warrants -- told an adjudicator that the actor has had eight close friends murdered in recent years and fear they could be next.

In a handwritten note, given by their lawyer to media, the couple said: "Yes we are requesting asylum from Hollywood 'STAR WHACKERS.'"

Those he counts among his "murdered" friends includes actors Heath Ledger and David Carradine.

Ledger died in 2008 from an apparent drug overdose, while Carradine died last year, from what police said was auto-erotic asphyxiation.

The Quaids were arrested in Vancouver this week on outstanding warrants from the United States.

They were whisked past a cluster of reporters and photographers and into a detention-review hearing before the Immigration and Refugee Board. They said they feel they have been unfairly treated by the U.S. justice system. They promised they would appear at future hearings if released.

"I would not do anything to besmirch my reputation any further than it has been," the actor said.

"I'm trying to do damage control."

Added his wife: "I feel safe here."

Their clothing slightly rumpled, Evi leaned on her husband during the hearing, and both appeared relieved upon learning they would be released.

Their next appearance in front of the board is set for Oct. 28.

Vancouver police say they received a call for assistance on Thursday and while checking the identities of the pair -- who turned out to be Quaid and his wife -- authorities learned they were wanted on outstanding warrants.

Arrest warrants were issued for the Quaid and his wife after they reportedly failed to show up for a court hearing in Santa Barbara, California, on allegations they were squatting in the guest house of a home they once owned.

The formerly Oscar-nominated Quaid is best-known for his role as Cousin Eddie in the National Lampoon's Vacation movies, but he has also held supporting roles in such Hollywood blockbusters as Brokeback Mountain, Kingpin and Independence Day.

Quaid and his wife say they entered Canada on Oct. 17, a day before bench warrants for their arrest were issued in the United States.

The Canada Border Services Agency argued at the detention review hearing that the pair should be kept in custody.

"Both are fugitives from justice," said CBSA representative Jim Murray.

But Evi Quaid insisted they would not flee, if released.

"I say it in front of the world press," she said.

Quaid's arrest comes one day after Duane Chapman -- better known as Dog the Bounty Hunter -- threatened to come after the fugitive.

"I hope Randy Quaid and his wife are watching right now," said Chapman, a reality TV star and bounty hunter, while appearing on the Lopez Tonight, a late-night TV show hosted by comedian George Lopez.

"We're announcing that he has a chance to call these authorities to turn himself in," Chapman said.

"At least do it for your wife and for how you were raised. If not, the Chapman family is coming after you."

He said Quaid has been struggling lately and was not himself.

"We need to do, like, an intervention, Dog-style."

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Randy Quaid, the actor who portrayed the ne're-do-well cousin Eddie in the National Lampoon's Vaction movies wants asylum in Canada

Randy Quaid, the actor who portrayed the ne're-do-well cousin Eddie in the National Lampoon's Vaction movies wants asylum in Canada, saying he's afraid of a shadowy group he believes is responsible for killing a number of his Hollywood friends.

Actor Randy Quaid and his wife, Evi, were released on cash bonds of $10,000 each after a bizarre appearance Friday at an Immigration and Refugee Board hearing in Vancouver.

There, the pair -- arrested a day earlier on outstanding U.S. warrants -- told an adjudicator that the actor has had eight close friends murdered in recent years and fear they could be next.

In a handwritten note, given by their lawyer to media, the couple said: "Yes we are requesting asylum from Hollywood 'STAR WHACKERS.'"

Those he counts among his "murdered" friends includes actors Heath Ledger and David Carradine.

Ledger died in 2008 from an apparent drug overdose, while Carradine died last year, from what police said was auto-erotic asphyxiation.

The Quaids were arrested in Vancouver this week on outstanding warrants from the United States.

They were whisked past a cluster of reporters and photographers and into a detention-review hearing before the Immigration and Refugee Board. They said they feel they have been unfairly treated by the U.S. justice system. They promised they would appear at future hearings if released.

"I would not do anything to besmirch my reputation any further than it has been," the actor said.

"I'm trying to do damage control."

Added his wife: "I feel safe here."

Their clothing slightly rumpled, Evi leaned on her husband during the hearing, and both appeared relieved upon learning they would be released.

Their next appearance in front of the board is set for Oct. 28.

Vancouver police say they received a call for assistance on Thursday and while checking the identities of the pair -- who turned out to be Quaid and his wife -- authorities learned they were wanted on outstanding warrants.

Arrest warrants were issued for the Quaid and his wife after they reportedly failed to show up for a court hearing in Santa Barbara, California, on allegations they were squatting in the guest house of a home they once owned.

The formerly Oscar-nominated Quaid is best-known for his role as Cousin Eddie in the National Lampoon's Vacation movies, but he has also held supporting roles in such Hollywood blockbusters as Brokeback Mountain, Kingpin and Independence Day.

Quaid and his wife say they entered Canada on Oct. 17, a day before bench warrants for their arrest were issued in the United States.

The Canada Border Services Agency argued at the detention review hearing that the pair should be kept in custody.

"Both are fugitives from justice," said CBSA representative Jim Murray.

But Evi Quaid insisted they would not flee, if released.

"I say it in front of the world press," she said.

Quaid's arrest comes one day after Duane Chapman -- better known as Dog the Bounty Hunter -- threatened to come after the fugitive.

"I hope Randy Quaid and his wife are watching right now," said Chapman, a reality TV star and bounty hunter, while appearing on the Lopez Tonight, a late-night TV show hosted by comedian George Lopez.

"We're announcing that he has a chance to call these authorities to turn himself in," Chapman said.

"At least do it for your wife and for how you were raised. If not, the Chapman family is coming after you."

He said Quaid has been struggling lately and was not himself.

"We need to do, like, an intervention, Dog-style."

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Drug Trafficker Arrested, Held on $1 Million Bond - WGHP

Drug Trafficker Arrested, Held on $1 Million Bond - WGHP: "Dace Lavon Glenn, 25, of Winston-Salem, was charged with two counts of trafficking cocaine and maintaining a 2008 Dodge Charger for the purpose of selling drugs.

Glenn was transported to Forsyth County Jail Saturday night and held on $1 million bond. He is scheduled to appear in court Nov. 4.

State Department of Corrections records show that in March 2009, Glenn was sentenced to three years' probation on drug possession charges."

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Gucci Mane's Entourage Pleads, Checks Rapper Into Rehab For Cocaine Addiction

Gucci Mane's Entourage Pleads, Checks Rapper Into Rehab For Cocaine Addiction: "rapper Gucci Mane has reportedly checked into a rehab for an alleged cocaine addiction. This isn’t the first time that Gucci Mane has reportedly checked into a rehab. Back in August 2009, the rapper was reported then to have been checked into a rehab.

This followed reports back then that the rapper was heading back to jail after failing a urine test. This was while Gucci was on probation.
The new reports come from an alleged Narcotics Anonymous source who revealed the information to Ozone Magazine last night that the regular scheduled meetings at the facility of Riverwoods Psychiatric Center in Riverdale, GA were interrupted when allegedly members of Gucci Mane’s entourage caused a bit of ruckus outside the facility.
Reportedly the members — including Gucci Mane’s manager and lawyer — were outside seemingly arguing but pleading with rapper Gucci Mane to get some help at the facility for his addiction, or else his only alternative was possible more jail time."

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Uniformed policeman 'cuffed and raped heroin addict' - Crime, UK - The Independent

Uniformed policeman 'cuffed and raped heroin addict' - Crime, UK - The Independent: "former heroin addict told a court today how a blackmailing police officer cuffed her hands behind her back and then raped her over a settee in her home while still in his uniform.
Pc Stephen Mitchell kept her under his control for four years after he made her perform a sex act on him in a police station interview room once he had arrested her, Newcastle Crown Court heard."

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Keith Richards: Ready to Experiment With Drugs Again | ThirdAge

Keith Richards: Ready to Experiment With Drugs Again | ThirdAge: "Keith Richards wants to “road-test” any new drugs that are invented.
The Rolling Stones legend is open about having used illegal substances in the past, including heroin and cocaine."

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known member of the “Folk Nation” street gang was arrested for selling cocaine

URGENT task force arrests alleged gang member for selling cocaine | poughkeepsiejournal.com | Poughkeepsie Journal: "known member of the “Folk Nation” street gang was arrested for selling cocaine following a tip received by the Ulster Regional Gang Enforcement Narcotics Team on Tuesday, police said.

Gabriel Valles, 29, of Kingston, was charged with third degree criminal sale of a controlled substance, third and fifth degree criminal possession of a controlled substance, all felonies, and first degree loitering, a misdemeanor.
Valles was scheduled to appear in Kingston City Court at a later date."

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The Press Association: Doherty to face court on cocaine charge

The Press Association: Doherty to face court on cocaine charge: "Rock star Pete Doherty is due to appear in court charged with cocaine possession after detectives investigated the suspected overdose death of heiress Robin Whitehead in London.
The 31-year-old Babyshambles star was charged with holding the class A substance when he answered bail at a central London police station last month.
He is due to appear before Thames Magistrates' Court on Monday morning.
Doherty was one of four people arrested after the 27-year-old film-maker died from a suspected overdose on Sunday January 24.
A Metropolitan Police spokesman said the offence is alleged to have taken place between January 21 and 25.
Two of Doherty's close friends were also charged with drugs offences. Peter Wolfe, 42, of Bury St Edmunds, Suffolk, who was staying in the flat where Miss Whitehead died, was charged with supplying cocaine.
He was also charged with two counts of possessing cocaine. Musician Alan Wass, 29, of Latimer Road, west London, was charged with cocaine possession."

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Drugs with an estimated street value of more than £3 million have been recovered in a raid

Drugs with an estimated street value of more than £3 million have been recovered in a raid, police have said.
Officers raided an industrial unit in Nuneaton Street, in the east end of Glasgow, on Thursday as part of ongoing operations to tackle serious and organised crime.
They recovered a large quantity of drugs, believed to be heroin, cannabis and other controlled drugs, worth £3.35 million.

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Drug Implant for Opioid Addiction Looks Effective

Drug Implant for Opioid Addiction Looks Effective: "Implanting the addiction-treatment drug buprenorphine in people who are opioid-dependent seems to reduce cravings in the short term, researchers say.
By delivering a low but continuous dose of the medication, the implant is designed to reduce the risk that patients addicted to heroin or prescription painkillers (such as Oxycontin) will relapse after missing doses of buprenorphine or simply stop the daily, under-the-tongue treatment altogether.
Dr. Walter Ling, from the University of California, Los Angeles, and his colleagues report their findings in the Oct. 13 issue of the Journal of the American Medical Association."

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'Rape cop’s five victims' | The Sun |News

'Rape cop’s five victims' | The Sun |News: "SEX predator cop raped five women and indecently assaulted two more, a court was told yesterday.
PC Stephen Mitchell, 42, allegedly boasted to one terrified victim: 'I'm the law - I can do anything.'
Mitchell allegedly attacked the bewildered women, often heroin addicts or petty thieves, in the cells, his car or on the street.
He raped one junkie in her own home after handcuffing her hands behind her back, it was claimed."

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Lindsay Lohan treated for 'cocaine dependence' - Bloginity News

Lindsay Lohan treated for 'cocaine dependence' - Bloginity News: "Lindsay Lohan is reportedly being treated for cocaine addiction.
The actress is currently undergoing a rehab treatment program at the Betty Ford Clinic in Los Angeles and according to website RadarOnline.com, she has a dependency for the Class A drug.
A source said: “Lindsay’s primary problem is cocaine. She went through a thorough assessment, and it was discovered that she has a high dependence for cocaine.”
Lindsay – who has previously confessed to experimenting with the drug – is believed to be doing well in the clinic and responding well to treatment.
The source said: “At this point, Lindsay is at a critical point of her detoxification and recovery, and she is doing well.”
Lindsay, 24, has her own treatment team in the facility which is comprised of a personal physician, nurse, psychologist, primary counsellor, case manager, spiritual care counsellor, family counsellor, dietician, fitness trainer and chemical dependency technician."

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Kate Moss's Cocaine Scandal Doubled Her Salary | PopEater.com

Kate Moss's Cocaine Scandal Doubled Her Salary | PopEater.com: "supermodel Kate Moss, any press is good press. Moss's agent, Sarah Doukas, tells UK's Daily Mail that after the supermodel's highly publicized 2005 cocaine scandal, records show her earnings have increased.

Doukas admits that in the days surrounding the incident -- in which the Daily Mirror published pictures of Moss snorting the illegal substance -- she reached out to the top fashion companies to soothe their fears.

'I basically just spent a lot of time on the phone trying to reassure her big clients that you can't believe everything you read and, unfortunately, all press actually is good press in this world we live in,' she says. 'So keep calm, don't have a knee-jerk reaction,' she recalled.

Although H&M, Chanel and Burberry terminated their contracts with the then 31-year-old model, the sting didn't last long.

'I knew that some of my great clients, that were huge clients to her, they stuck by and said, 'We are in your capable hands, we will stick by her' -- and they did,' says Doukas, who was soon brokering Moss a new deal with Burberry and campaigns for Dior, Longchamp, Louis Vuitton, Stella McCartney, Roberto Cavalli, Versace, Rimmel, Bulgari, and Agent Provacateur, among others, less than a year after her reputation was allegedly tarnished."

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Rapper Ronald 'Ra Diggs' Herron who bragged about violence on Twitter, YouTube is drug kingpin: feds

Rapper Ronald 'Ra Diggs' Herron who bragged about violence on Twitter, YouTube is drug kingpin: feds: "rapper who boasted on Twitter about beating a murder rap is a violent drug kingpin who flooded Brooklyn's Gowanus Houses with crack and heroin, the feds said Wednesday.
Ronald (Ra Diggs) Herron, charged with eight others in a federal indictment, provided prosecutors with a wealth of incriminating evidence in his YouTube videos and in his Twitter musings.
He tweeted that he has '5000 n----- with them lorcins [handguns] ready to turn the pigs kids into orphins,' federal court papers reveal.
The videos depict the ex-con wearing body armor and brazenly firing guns at a target range."

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BBC News - Drug users are turning to legal highs - report

BBC News - Drug users are turning to legal highs - report: "Young adults are turning to so-called legal highs as they seek alternatives to other drugs, according to experts.
The National Treatment Agency for Substance Misuse report warned the drugs had emerged as an alternative to the 'low quality' of other substances.
Over the past years, the number seeking help for cocaine, crack cocaine and heroin use all fell.
But this was largely down to large reductions in the under 25 age group, as the number of over 40s actually increased"

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Singer pleads guilty in cocaine case - Glendale News Press

Singer pleads guilty in cocaine case - Glendale News Press: "21-year-old pop singer for the group Girlicious pleaded guilty this week to a felony possessing cocaine charge after Glendale police in March reportedly found more than a dozen small packages of cocaine in her purse.
Natalie Mejia, a Diamond Bar resident, had originally entered a not guilty plea in April to one felony count of possession of cocaine with the intent to sell.
But Mejia changed her plea Wednesday in the Los Angeles County Superior Court in Pasadena after prosecutors offered her a deal requiring her to enroll in a narcotics abuse treatment program and stay out of trouble for 18 months, officials said."

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International Football - Chile defender tests for cocaine - Yahoo! Eurosport

International Football - Chile defender tests for cocaine - Yahoo! Eurosport: "Chile defender Roberto Cereceda has tested positive for cocaine and faces a two-year suspension, his club Colo Colo said.


The positive results of both A and B samples came from a test after a match against Bolivia's Universidad de Sucre last month in the Copa Sudamericana, South America's equivalent of the Europa League."

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CBC News - Health - Screen time linked to kids' psychological issues

CBC News - Health - Screen time linked to kids' psychological issues: "Children who spend more than two hours a day in front of the computer or television are more likely to experience psychological difficulties, new research from Britain suggests.
The British study of more than 1,000 children aged 10 and 11 found children who spent more than two hours daily watching TV or on the computer had higher psychological difficulty scores.
The link, observed even among kids who were physically active, was strong enough to prompt the authors to conclude that limiting children's screen time may be necessary.
'While low levels of screen viewing may not be problematic, we cannot rely on physical activity to compensate for long hours of screen viewing,' said lead author Angie Page, from the University of Bristol's Centre for Exercise, Nutrition and Health Sciences.
Researchers tested children's psychological health through questionnaires that rated their emotional and behavioural well-being."

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George Michael has his Freedom | The Sun |News

George Michael has his Freedom | The Sun |News: "He had been found slumped at the wheel of his car after it smashed into a branch of photo store Snappy Snaps in July.
The singer, who had a previous conviction for the same offence, was told by District Judge John Perkins that there was no option but jail.
Michael was first sent to tough Pentonville Prison in North London but was moved to the softer Category C Highpoint, where Moors murderer Myra Hindley served the last three years of her life sentence.
He was seen laughing and joking with partner Kenny Goss over the weekend while on a prison visit."

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George Michael has his Freedom | The Sun |News

George Michael has his Freedom | The Sun |News: "POP star George Michael was released from jail today.
The former Wham! singer, 47, was freed from Highpoint Prison in Suffolk and returned to his home in Highgate, North London.
He had been sentenced to eight weeks in prison for drug driving last month after crashing his Range Rover while high on cannabis."

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The Associated Press: Ohio executes man who killed lover over ATM card

The Associated Press: Ohio executes man who killed lover over ATM card: "Ohio man who bludgeoned his girlfriend to death and then stole her ATM card to buy crack cocaine apologized to the woman's family before he died by lethal injection Wednesday.
Michael Benge's execution is Ohio's eighth lethal injection in 2010 — the most put to death in a year since Ohio resumed capital punishment in 1999. The previous high was seven in 2004.
Ohio's highest number of executions occurred in 1949, when 15 men died by electric chair.
Ohio's execution total this year is second to Texas, which has put 16 people to death in 2010. Texas executed a record 40 people in 2000 — the most since the state began using lethal injection in 1982.
Benge, 49, of Hamilton in southwest Ohio, was convicted of aggravated murder, aggravated robbery and gross abuse of a corpse in the 1993 death of Judith Gabbard, his live-in girlfriend, who was upset about his drug use.
Gabbard's daughter, son and brother watched Benge's execution."

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Heroin Addiction Hits Suburban Teens Hard | Geo Blog

Heroin Addiction Hits Suburban Teens Hard | Geo Blog: "Kristen Delgado, 18, talks about overdosing on heroin, the double life of heroin addiction, and her realizations about what heroin and drug treatment may hold. Read more about her heroin addiction story at www.usnews.com"

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Heroin Detox, What you Need to Know | Heroin Addicts

Heroin Detox, What you Need to Know | Heroin Addicts: "Heroin Detox: One of the Toughest Drug Habits to Kick
A heroin addict knows best how difficult it is to get away from this addiction. It is one of the toughest drug habits to kick. With so many resources out there today, it is easier to step away from this lifestyle and begin the recovery process. In 2009, there was a national survey performed on recovering addicts and those seeking substance abuse therapy, heroin detox and/or rehab.
Statistics for 2009 show that there were at least 335,000 addicts who sought detox and/or heroin rehab for their heroin habit. Unfortunately, the numbers of folks addicted to the drug that did not seek help in 2009 was even higher than the number of people who have received or sought treatment. It is possible to recover from this drug. A large number of people who sought treatment are still in recovery today, and many more people are kicking the heroin habit now."

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Is Heroin on Tonight's Dinner Menu? - ParentDish

Is Heroin on Tonight's Dinner Menu? - ParentDish: "'You wouldn't inject your children with junk ... So why are you feeding it to them?'

That's the chilling message addressed to parents in this public service announcement created by The Precinct Studios in Australia, in response to the childhood obesity epidemic.

Apparently, childhood obesity isn't just an American problem."

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prostitute seeking fame on The X Factor was yesterday exposed as a cocaine user, before she was kicked out of the competition on last night’s show.

prostitute seeking fame on The X Factor was yesterday exposed as a cocaine user, before she was kicked out of the competition on last night’s show.
Chloe Heald was secretly filmed taking the drug before reportedly charging a customer £450 for a two-hour sex session — days before her weekend TV appearance.
The revelations again call in to question the judgement of producers,who were last week accused of glamorising prostitution when they refused to axe Miss Heald, 19.



Read more: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/tvshowbiz/article-1315346/X-Factor-2010-Chloe-Mafia-kicked-cocaine-snorting-revelations.html#ixzz10j6xUjn7

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Paris Hilton denied entry to Japan following cocaine conviction | Mail Online

Paris Hilton denied entry to Japan following cocaine conviction | Mail Online: "Paris Hilton arrived back to America today after being refused entry to Japan following her recent arrest for cocaine possession.The 29-year-old heiress was pictured disembarking a private jet at Van Nuys, California on Wednesday night.It comes after she had been detained and questioned for six hours after landing at Narita International Airport in Tokyo earlier in the week.After further questioning by immigration officials, it was decided the socialite should return to the States."

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Aaron Sorkin: 'Hardest thing I do every day is not take cocaine' - USATODAY.com

Aaron Sorkin: 'Hardest thing I do every day is not take cocaine' - USATODAY.com: "Aaron Sorkin not only talks about writing his new Facebook movie, The Social Network, in the new W magazine. He also opens up about his crack addiction in the mid-90s:
'I had what they call a 'high bottom.' My life didn't fall apart before I got into rehab. I didn't lose my job or run over a kid or injure anyone when I was high. But the hardest thing I do every day is not take cocaine. You don't get cured of addiction--you're just in remission.'"

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Ricky Hatton stripped of boxing licence after cocaine allegations | Metro.co.uk

Ricky Hatton stripped of boxing licence after cocaine allegations | Metro.co.uk: "Manchester-based fighter was also fined £20,000 after a British Boxing Board of Control hearing, although he is still able to work in the sport as a promoter.

Ricky Hatton has been stripped of his boxing licence (PA)
It came after the two-time world champion was filmed by the News of the World allegedly using cocaine during a 'ten-hour drink and drugs binge'.
Hatton, 31, who made his professional debut in 1997, is currently at a rehabilitation clinic and facing a police inquiry.
'The board is especially concerned to keep the sport of boxing free from drugs, whether taken for recreational or performance enhancing reasons, and to be vigilant in identifying and dealing with cases of alcohol abuse,' the organisation said in a statement.It added that Hatton is currently not an active boxer and his physical condition is such that it has decided to withdraw his licence to fight."

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Ricky Hatton stripped of boxing licence after cocaine allegations | Metro.co.uk

Ricky Hatton stripped of boxing licence after cocaine allegations | Metro.co.uk: "Manchester-based fighter was also fined £20,000 after a British Boxing Board of Control hearing, although he is still able to work in the sport as a promoter.

Ricky Hatton has been stripped of his boxing licence
It came after the two-time world champion was filmed by the News of the World allegedly using cocaine during a 'ten-hour drink and drugs binge'.
Hatton, 31, who made his professional debut in 1997, is currently at a rehabilitation clinic and facing a police inquiry.
'The board is especially concerned to keep the sport of boxing free from drugs, whether taken for recreational or performance enhancing reasons, and to be vigilant in identifying and dealing with cases of alcohol abuse,' the organisation said in a statement.It added that Hatton is currently not an active boxer and his physical condition is such that it has decided to withdraw his licence to fight."

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Lindsay Lohan could face only 1 day in jail for cocaine -- again - Canada Canada Celebrity Headlines | Examiner.com

Lindsay Lohan could face only 1 day in jail for cocaine -- again - Canada Canada Celebrity Headlines | Examiner.com: "Lindsay Lohan, caught with cocaine in her system earlier this month, could be facing only 1 day in jail despite earlier convictions.
TMZ reports that that the Herbie: Fully Loaded actress will not be charged for the amphetamines found in her system via mandatory drug testing -- due to an improperly prepared court report that the Probation Office considers to be 'too vague.'
The court will still consider a sentence against the 24-year old performer for cocaine discovered during the testing -- though overcrowding is expected to play a huge factor in giving the actress another early release."

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Ricky Hatton says sorry to fans over drugs - mirror.co.uk

Ricky Hatton says sorry to fans over drugs - mirror.co.uk: "Ex-WORLD boxing champion Ricky Hatton has apologised to fans for his descent into drink and drugs hell.
Hatton admitted to 'dabbling' in class A drugs after being secretly filmed in a hotel.
But the dad-of-one insisted he never took cocaine until after he retired from boxing and his life went down hill."

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Lindsay Tested Positive For Cocaine! | PerezHilton.com

Lindsay Tested Positive For Cocaine! | PerezHilton.com: "Sources are reporting that the drug that Lindsay Lohan tested positive for in her latest drug test was cocaine!"

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'El Chapo' Guzman, has established a franchise here

The 7.30 Report - ABC: "Australia's surge in cocaine use is being fuelled by highly sophisticated importations by one of the most brutal and powerful syndicates involved in Mexico's drug war - the Sinaloa Cartel.

Intelligence sources have told the ABC's 7.30 Report that around half the cocaine now entering these shores is coming from Mexico, and that the cartel driven by Mexico's most wanted man, 'El Chapo' Guzman, has established a franchise here."

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The Associated Press: Police to speak to Hatton over cocaine allegations

The Associated Press: Police to speak to Hatton over cocaine allegations: "Greater Manchester Police say they will speak to former boxing champion Ricky Hatton about newspaper allegations he snorted cocaine in a hotel room.
A photograph on the front page of a British tabloid on Sunday appeared to show Hatton snorting the drug during a night out. The former four-time world champion in two weight divisions has since been admitted to a rehabilitation clinic.
Police say they are aware of the allegations and 'once his rehabilitation has been completed, officers will be speaking to Mr. Hatton.'
Hatton, who has been diagnosed with depression and a drinking problem by a specialist, has not fought since losing to Manny Pacquiao in May 2009 but hasn't officially retired"

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Alarming Statistics on Cocaine Use | Vistabay

Alarming Statistics on Cocaine Use | Vistabay: "following statistics on Cocaine show just how dangerous and prevalent the drug is in our society.
1 of 4 surveyed Americans of the age range 26-34 has already taken drugs.
Minnesota Institute for Public Health and drug prevention resource center informs that 5,000 grown-ups in America take cocaine for the first time daily. (1985)
The statistics shows that 22-25 million people have already taken cocaine at least one time. Different interrogation data tell that there are more than two million cocaine-takers in America nowadays.
Cocaine is the reason of over the half of visits for emergency rooms where drug taking is concerned.
Every year the number of cocaine addicts has been gradually growing for the recent time. For 1975 this number was 30,000. In 1986 it has grown to 300,000 and to 361,000 in 2000.
The per cent of drug-users among the students over the recent 5 years has increased from 2% in 1994 to 4,8% in 2000.
8,2% of high school pupils surveyed in 2001 told they have already taken cocaine.
In the period between 1997 to 2000 the deals relating with cocaine were the most popular in emergency rooms.
Men take cocaine twice as much as women take it. Special informal agencies for the office of National Drug Control Policy tell that the amount of constant cocaine addicts is over 3,6 million people.
Juveniles from 18 to 25 is the group with which the using of cocaine is the most popular.
The amount of people, who have taken marijuana before using cocaine is 90%.
About 300,000 babies were born in 1988 spoiled with cocaine."

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Possible Cocaine Addiction Trigger Uncovered: Protein Linked to Mental Retardation May Be Controlling Factor in Drug’s Effect in the Brain | Science Magazine News

Possible Cocaine Addiction Trigger Uncovered: Protein Linked to Mental Retardation May Be Controlling Factor in Drug’s Effect in the Brain | Science Magazine News: "new study, the scientists first looked at the expression of MeCP2 in the brain after exposure to cocaine. They found that expression was increased in those animals given extended access to the drug.
'At that point,' Kenny said, 'we wanted to know if this increase was behaviorally significant -- did it influence the motivation to take the drug?'
Using a virus to disrupt expression of MeCP2, the scientists found that rats consumed less and less cocaine. Intriguingly, levels of miR-212 were also far higher in those animals. Because increases in miR-212 suppress attraction to cocaine, the disruption of MeCP2, in essence, put miR-212 in charge and reduced vulnerability to the drug.
'We concluded that MeCP2 may play an important role in addiction by regulating the magnitude by which miR-212 expression is increased in response to cocaine,' said Kenny. 'In other words, MeCP2 seems to control just how much you can protect yourself against the addictive properties of cocaine.'
Intriguingly, that was not the end of the story. In addition to MeCP2 blunting miR-212 expression, the scientists also found that the opposite was also true -- that miR-212 could in turn decrease levels of MeCP2. This suggests that both are locked together in a regulatory loop. Importantly, the two had opposite effects on the expression of a particular growth factor in the brain -- called BDNF -- that regulates just how rewarding cocaine is.
While the new study fills in an important piece of the puzzle, the Kenny lab is hard at work to further increase our understanding of addiction."

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KI Media: Cambodia opens first methadone clinic for heroin users

KI Media: Cambodia opens first methadone clinic for heroin users: "Cambodia has launched the country's first methadone-treatment programme, in a new approach to help heroin users.

The World Health Organization (WHO) told the BBC that addiction was widely viewed in Cambodia as a social problem, rather than a health issue.

Until now the government has favoured treatment centres which emphasise hard work and exercise.

But health workers and human rights groups have criticised the facilities, describing them as 'labour camps'.

The opening of the methadone clinic is the culmination of years of gentle persuasion by organisations which work with drug users."

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Canadian Police Warn About LSD-Laced Gummy Bears

Canadian Police Warn About LSD-Laced Gummy Bears: "Drug smuggling has gone to new creative lengths when authorities in Canada found gummy bear candy laced with the drug LSD.
Police in Cranbrook, British Columbia, say that this new drug smuggling trend was discovered last spring when they found a suspicious bag of gummy bears during a drug raid, according to Canoe.ca . The candy was found in an odd place, which prodded officials to get the gummy bears tested.
CTV News reported that the bears were sent to a lab, and LSD, also known as Lysergic Acid Diethylamide, was confirmed to be present."

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Canadian Police Warn About LSD-Laced Gummy Bears

Canadian Police Warn About LSD-Laced Gummy Bears: "Drug smuggling has gone to new creative lengths when authorities in Canada found gummy bear candy laced with the drug LSD.
Police in Cranbrook, British Columbia, say that this new drug smuggling trend was discovered last spring when they found a suspicious bag of gummy bears during a drug raid, according to Canoe.ca . The candy was found in an odd place, which prodded officials to get the gummy bears tested.
CTV News reported that the bears were sent to a lab, and LSD, also known as Lysergic Acid Diethylamide, was confirmed to be present."

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No evidence Buckfast ban would work, say police - Telegraph

No evidence Buckfast ban would work, say police - Telegraph: "Chief Superintendent Bob Hamilton, of Strathclyde Police's territorial policing unit, said “people would drink something else” and the price and availability of cheap alcohol was the real problem.
Holyrood’s health committee also heard there was no evidence to support Labour’s claim that selling alcohol below cost would help tackle Scotland’s binge drinking epidemic. The two proposals were the central recommendations of Labour’s alcohol commission, which tried to provide alternatives to the SNP’s policy of minimum unit pricing, a move the party opposes.
The commission was supposedly independent but Professor Sally Brown, its chair, admitted its members had been picked by Labour and there was no proof a “floor” price would work."

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5 Pinoy 'drug mules' on death row in China

For the latest Philippine news stories and videos, visit GMANews.TV

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Ricky Hatton admits cocaine addiction and will enter rehab this week - mirror.co.uk

Ricky Hatton admits cocaine addiction and will enter rehab this week - mirror.co.uk: "Ricky Hatton will check into a rehab clinic this week after tearfully confessing to a year-long cocaine addiction.
The former boxing world champ was caught on camera snorting “industrial” amounts of cocaine during a sordid drink-and-drugs binge a fortnight ago.
Hatton admitted being hooked on the Class A drug in an emotional heart-to-heart with fiancée Jennifer Dooley yesterday.
He told her: “I’ve been an idiot and I’m so sorry and ashamed. I need and want to sort myself out.”
She was horrified to discover Hatton, 31, had seven lines of cocaine during a night out in Manchester.
The bloated ex-boxer then admitted he had been taking the drug for almost a year – beginning shortly after his last fight, when he was knocked out in two rounds by Filipino boxer Manny Pacquiao.
Hatton was caught on film taking out a wrap of cocaine hidden in his shoe before chopping up lines with a credit card in a hotel room."

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AFP: Boxer Hatton to seek help after cocaine revelations

AFP: Boxer Hatton to seek help after cocaine revelations: "Former two-weight world champion Ricky Hatton is to seek help after a newspaper published photos and video footage of the boxer allegedly snorting cocaine.
The News of the World secretly filmed Hatton, who has not fought since being knocked out in the second round of his May 2009 showdown with Manny Pacquiao in Las Vegas, supposedly using 'industrial quantities' of the drug during a marathon 10-hour drinking session.
Hatton's spokesman Max Clifford told talkSPORT on Monday: 'The thing is now to sort out the problem, to get him to have treatment and hopefully win this battle.
'I think he'll be going today (Monday to get professional help) to talk to the people he needs to talk to. To talk to the people who are experts in these circumstances.
'I think the intention is that he's going to be looked after and hopefully will listen and find out what they tell him and what treatment they give him.
'He needs expert advice and help, as anyone in these circumstances does and, from the conversation I had with him yesterday, that will start today.
'I've spoken to his dad and Paul Speak (his agent) and they all speak with one voice, he needs help and we're all going to make sure that he gets the best help possible as quickly as possible.'"

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British Troops' Afghan Heroin Smuggling Under Spotlight

British Troops' Afghan Heroin Smuggling Under Spotlight: "British troops' role in the smuggling of heroin from southern Afghanistan could no longer be kept under wraps. The British Defense Ministry on Sept. 12 confirmed there were allegations that soldiers were using military planes to smuggle drugs out of Afghanistan, but called them 'unsubstantiated.' However, they said they said they are investigating and taking precautions.
British troops moved into the southern province of Helmand in 2005 at the time the opium explosion in that province began. It was during the British troops' presence in the province that the Taliban took overall control there. Under the watchful eyes of some 9,000 British troops, opium production in Helmand rose from 1,500 tons to 4,200 tons.
Last year, Britain's Sunday Times reported one drug dealer telling the newspaper that members of the military were the second largest buyers of heroin after foreign drug lords. The newspaper was told: 'The soldiers whose term of duty is about to finish, they give an order to our boss. They are carrying these drugs in the military airlines and they can't be reached because they are military. They can take it to the U.S.A. or England.' A team of detectives from Britain's Ministry of Defence's special investigations branch is believed to be heading the investigation into the claims.
Throughout this period when the British troops were smuggling drugs, London kept attacking Afghan President Hamid Karzai's brother as the main drug lord in the area, with the aim to create an anti-Karzai lobby among policymakers and legislators in Washington."

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DND: Heroin claims unfounded - Brantford Expositor - Ontario, CA

DND: Heroin claims unfounded - Brantford Expositor - Ontario, CA: "Neither British nor Canadian troops are under investigation for having allegedly smuggled heroin out of Afghanistan, despite 'unfounded' media reports suggesting they are, according to a senior Canadian defence department official.
In fact, there aren't even substantiated allegations that such a heroin smuggling ring even exists, the official said.
The Sunday Times in Britain reported over the weekend that Canadian troops at Kandahar airport and British troops in Helmand province's Camp Bastion were allegedly involved in a large heroin-smuggling operation.
The report suggested there are allegations troops were using military aircraft to smuggle large quantities of heroin out of Afghanistan.
'Media reports this past weekend suggesting that Canadian Forces personnel have been implicated in a British-led investigation into heroin smuggling by military personnel in Afghanistan are unfounded,' said Col. Tim Grubb, Canadian Forces provost marshal, in a statement released Monday. 'The Canadian Forces Military Police have confirmed with Britain's Royal Military Police that no such investigation is underway and that no such allegations have been made against either British or Canadian personnel.'"

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Heroin - It's cheap. it's deadly, and teens think it's no big deal - News & Views - Cover Story - Gambit - New Orleans

Heroin - It's cheap. it's deadly, and teens think it's no big deal - News & Views - Cover Story - Gambit - New Orleans: "I've spent 11 months of the last two years in jail,' says Arun Rahman, who dropped out of one of the area's most expensive private schools two years ago, in his senior year, to try to kick a heroin addiction. It didn't work.
  Rahman, 20, talked to Gambit in late August, just four days out of a seven-month, court-ordered stay at the Narconon rehabilitation center in Baton Rouge. It cost his parents $36,000 to send the former National Merit Scholarship finalist there. Meanwhile, his older sister just graduated from Yale and is on a graduate placement in Paris. Rahman used to feel impatient — that he was missing out on many things because of his addiction. Rehab has helped him accept that he must move at his own pace, he says.
  Rahman left Benjamin Franklin High School after he was caught selling marijuana in the parking lot. 'They (school officials) said they had the right to expel him, but 'because we know he can make a new beginning, we're not going to put it on his record,'' says Rahman's mother, Zeenat Rasheed. 'It was in the middle of exams, so they let him finish his exams and said, 'Please just take him away.''
  Rahman's family did just that. He applied and was admitted to a private school, but his family did not tell the school of his drug history. His academic record earned him a scholarship, but the school had no inkling of Rahman's drug problem. His mother admits they withheld that information from the school, which has a policy of expelling students who use or deal drugs on campus.
  No doubt that school would not have admitted Rahman had it known of his drug problems."

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Taliban Deface Koran to Sell Heroin - Washington Times

Taliban Deface Koran to Sell Heroin - Washington Times: "The Taliban are using pages torn from the Koran to package heroin sold on the streets by kids. ISAF forces operating in Souther Afghanistan found children with 'pockets of heroin and wads of cash' according to USA Today's Gregg Zoroya. The heroin was packaged in ripped up pages from Islam's most holy document. The story also details how the Islamic radicals are using children, aged three and up, as human shields or to plant roadside bombs, as well as peddling drugs to help fund the insurgency. Perhaps the State Department could explain to the Taliban that desecrating the Koran is un-American"

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NWI facing return of laced heroin, ODs :: Local News :: Post-Tribune

NWI facing return of laced heroin, ODs :: Local News :: Post-Tribune: "Fentanyl-laced heroin appears to have returned to Northwest Indiana, leading to an increase in drug overdoses and deaths, according to Porter-Starke Services.
Rocco Schiralli said in a letter to the Post-Tribune that the lethal mix has helped kill six people in Porter County in the last two months, along with more than 20 near-fatal overdoses."

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Identifying the Worst Effects Among Heroin Abusers

Identifying the Worst Effects Among Heroin Abusers: "Heroin is a highly addictive drug semi-synthetic opioid drug. This central nervous system depressant is one of the highly abused illegal drugs in United States. According to a survey by NSDUH (National Survey on Drug Use and Health) in 2008, there was an increase in Heroin abuse in teenagers from 153,000 in 2007 to 213,000 in 2008. Around 114,000 aged 12 or older used Heroin for the first time in 2008. These statistics clearly state that many people are getting addicted to this harmful drug which has numerous negative effects on the abusers.

Many harmful effects such as miscarriages, heart infections, death from overdose, HIV/AIDS and hepatitis etc., are associated with Heroin abuse. Following are the worst effects among Heroin abusers:

Ugly features in appearance
Heroin abusers will have very ugly physical appearance. They appear skinny, unkempt and less hygienic. The person's veins will be collapsed, will have keloids, pus discharge from the scars all over the body due to regular injection of the drug.

Droopy stance
Heroin addicts appear drowsy or very much relaxed. They have trouble sitting, standing or changing positions. They appear lost in their own world. They have to drag themselves to walk, as they feel some heaviness in their legs and arms."

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