Category: CNB CRIME

(Video) NEWS 24 SPECIAL REPORT : THE HISTORY OF STEPHEN SWEENEY & GEORGE NORCROSS

In the video below NEWS 24 Special Report looks into the friendship between Stephen Sweeney and George Norcross that began when the two were youngsters.

Stephen M. Sweeney

(born June 11, 1959) is an American executive and

Democratic Party

politician who currently serves as the

President of the New Jersey Senate

. He has served in the

New Jersey Senate

since 2002, where he represents the

3rd Legislative District

. He has been the President of the New

Jersey Senate since January 12, 2010. A Union

Ironworker

by trade, Sweeney is frequently described as a political power broker in New Jersey politics.

George E. Norcross, III

(born March 16, 1956) is an American businessman and a

Democratic Party

organiser and power broker in

New Jersey

.

Norcross is executive chairman of Conner Strong & Buckelew, an insurance brokerage firm. He is chairman of the board of trustees for Cooper University Health Care System and

Cooper University Hospital

both in

Camden, New Jersey

, and has served as a trustee since 1990. He led the effort to create the

Cooper Medical School of Rowan University

and to partner with

MD Anderson Cancer Center

to create the MD Anderson Cooper Cancer Center, which opened in 2013.

[1]

Norcross has been a prominent political leader in New Jersey for more than 30 years, since before he became chairman of the Camden County Democratic Committee in 1989, a position he held until 1993. For many years, he has been named one of the most powerful non-elected political figures in New Jersey by the website

PolitickerNJ.com

.

[2]

[3]

From 2014 through 2019,

[4]

he was named one of New Jersey\’s most powerful people by NJBiz.com.

[5]

He is regarded as New Jersey\’s most powerful unelected leader.

[6]

Norcross is a member of the

Democratic National Committee

. He also belongs to

Mar-a-Lago

, the club owned by United States President

Donald Trump

.

[7]

source Wikipedia

******

SENATE, No. 2173 with Senate Floor Amendments(Proposed by Senator WEINBERG)

ADOPTED: JANUARY 9, 2020

The Senate floor amendments authorize an exemption from mandatory immunization requirements for a child or student who has a sibling who experienced a vaccine injury. To qualify for the exemption, the child or student will be required to submit to the Department of Health documentation of a final determination of vaccine injury issued through the Vaccine Injury Compensation Program administered by the Health Resources and Services Administration in the United States Department of Health and Human Services or a final judgment issued by a court of competent jurisdiction that includes a finding of vaccine injury. Documentation of the department’s approval of a sibling vaccine injury exemption will be submitted to the school or child care center by the child or student, or by the child or student’s parent or guardian, if the child or student is a minor.The amendments allow nonpublic child care centers, preschool programs, elementary and secondary schools, and institutions of higher education to adopt a policy authorizing the admission of children and students who are not in full compliance with mandatory immunization requirements and who do not meet the requirements for a medical or sibling vaccine injury exemption, provided that the facility requires each child or student enrolled in the child care center, preschool program, school, or institution of higher education, or the child’s or student’s parent or guardian if the child or student is a minor, to sign an acknowledgement form, at the time of enrollment, that sets forth the facility’s policy with regard to admitting children or students who are not in full compliance with mandatory immunization requirements and indicates the immunization rates for the facility for the prior academic year. The child care center, preschool program, school, or institution of higher education will additionally be required to prominently post its policy concerning the admission of children or students who are not fully immunized and the facility’s immunization rates for the prior academic year at each entrance to the facility. The Commissioner of Health will be required to adopt rules and regulations concerning the format of acknowledgement forms used by nonpublic schools for this purpose.A child or student who is not in compliance with mandatory immunization requirements who seeks to attend the child care center, preschool program, school, or institution of higher education will be required to provide the facility with written notice of which specific immunization requirements the child or student is not in compliance with and sign a form that states that the child or student, or the child or student’s parent or guardian, as applicable, understands the risks and benefits of vaccination and acknowledges that the child or student may be excluded from attendance in the event of the occurrence of a communicable disease or condition or threat of a communicable disease or condition.The committee amendments restore language in the New Jersey Immunization Information System law that was deleted by prior amendment concerning who may access the system, and instead delete a provision of current law providing that an agency, organization, or other entity authorized to access information in the NJIIS may not use any report made by a healthcare provider in any punitive manner against the provider.

source

TRACK BILL

Gloucester Township PD: January is National Human Trafficking Awareness Month

GLOUCESTER TOWNSHIP, NJ (January 12, 2020)–January is National Human Trafficking Awareness Month and January 11th is designated as National Human Trafficking Awareness Day. The Gloucester Township Police want to raise awareness about the issue of human trafficking. The many scandals and the #MeToo movement have started to bring crimes like sexual harassment

and sexual assault into the light but many people still have the mindset that it will not happen to me or not in my community. Sadly it exists in many communities around the country and even in our own backyard. Knowing what it is and acknowledging that it does exist is the first step into putting a stop to it.

What is human trafficking?

According to the Department of Homeland Security, human trafficking is “modern-day slavery and involves the use of force, fraud, or coercion to obtain some type of labor or commercial sex act.” Human trafficking is not the same as human smuggling, which involves illegal transportation of a person across a border.

Victims of human trafficking are of all genders, ages, races, countries, socioeconomic statuses, and so on. While human trafficking can happen to anyone, people who are already in vulnerable situations – such as people experiencing homelessness – may be more likely to be targeted.

For more resources on Human trafficking and the different types check out

https://www.nsvrc.org/blogs/january-human-trafficking-awareness-month

Address/Location

Gloucester Township Police Department

1261 Chews Landing Rd

Gloucester Township, NJ 08021

Contact

Emergency: 9-1-1

Non-emergencies: 856-228-4500

Mays Landing Man with a Gun Arrested by Winslow Township Police

WINSLOW TOWNSHIP, NJ (January 11, 2020)–Police were dispatched to Red Fox Trail at approximately 20:00 Hours for a report of a man armed with a handgun. Police officers met with a female victim. She reported that she drove and parked in front of her home. As she exited her vehicle, she heard a noise, turned and saw a black male pointing a handgun at her. She screamed and the male fled towards S. Cedar Brook Road. K-9 assistance was called to the area to search for the male. That initial search was unsuccessful in locating the suspect.

Approximately two hours later at 22:02 hours, police received another report of a black male with a gun on E. Central Ave. In this incident it was reported that a male was walking in the center of the roadway appearing as if he were intoxicated. A vehicle being driven by a male was driving on E central Ave and approached the subject in the roadway. When he stopped, the suspect turned and pointed a handgun at the driver. This male fit the same description as the first incident two hours prior. The male ran into an adjacent field and then into a wooded section. A perimeter was setup and another K-9 track was initiated.

At approximately 00:05 hours the male was located and apprehended without incident. He was identified as Dyrelle T. Taylor from Mays Landing. He was taken to Headquarters and charged with aggravated assault and weapons offenses.

He was sent to Camden County Jail to await a Superior Court Hearing.

Winslow Police would like to express our thanks to the following for their assistance:

Camden County Field Communications / Dispatchers

NJSP Aviation Unit

Voorhees Township Police Department

Hammonton Police Department

Monroe Township Police Department

Gloucester Township Police Department.

Winslow Fire Department

Winslow Emergency Medical Services

Suspect:

Dyrelle T. Taylor 26 years Old

6800 Block of Harding Highway

Mays Landing NJ

Asylum Seekers Extorted

Men Sentenced for Scheme Targeting New Immigrants

It was easy for the criminals to spot their targets as buses offloaded passengers into the din of New York City’s Port Authority bus terminal. The men looked for people who had recently entered the United States to seek asylum—distinguishable by the monitoring bands on their ankles or the immigration paperwork they held in their hands.

Francisco Betancourt, Pascual Rodriguez, or Lucilo Cabrera would then move in on these vulnerable individuals. Rodriguez sometimes claimed to be an immigration official; the others claimed to be helpful strangers. In all events, the men would extort money from these newcomers by making up fees or forcing them to accept unnecessary services. Their most common scheme involved forcing victims into an unneeded and unwanted taxi ride from drivers who were also involved in the plot.

Many of the victims were sent on harrowing, hours-long car rides and were held until their family members could scrape together enough money to pay an exorbitant fare—often more than $1,000.

“They knew they were able to take advantage of these victims,” said Assistant U.S. Attorney Vanessa Richards, who prosecuted the case for the District of Connecticut. She explained that because the victims were hoping to have their petitions for asylum or entry into the country accepted, there was tremendous fear that any interaction with law enforcement put them at risk. So the perpetrators “knew their victims would not call the police,” she said.

The crimes were only uncovered because one individual reached out to police after being victimized by Betancourt and Cabrera and hearing about another new immigrant experiencing the same scheme years later. “This brave woman came forward to tell us: ‘I think something really bad is happening here, and it’s been going on for a long time,’” Richards said.

That person’s tip and the subsequent investigation led to the arrests and convictions of Betancourt, Rodriquez, and Cabrera, as well as one of the drivers, Carlos Hernandez. Each was sentenced to serve between eight and 14 years in prison for kidnapping and extortion in a scheme they had been running for years.

“They knew they were able to take advantage of these victims.”

Assistant U.S. Attorney Vanessa Richards, District of Connecticut

“They would put people in the taxis and drive for hours—they would drive through Pennsylvania before going to Connecticut—and relatives were told they had to pay for that taxi fare,” said FBI Special Agent Jennifer Wagner, who investigated this case from the New Haven Field Office. She said people were forced to borrow money from neighbors and friends or go with the criminals to an ATM to get enough money to pay for the safe return of the victim.

“The fact that they were knocking on the doors of neighbors late at night shows how afraid these family members were for the victims,” stressed Richards.

The court paperwork told the chilling story of one woman from Honduras who, with her two small children, entered the U.S. at the Texas border and applied for asylum. Immigration authorities gave her permission to travel to Connecticut to stay with her sister until her asylum hearing.

When she arrived in New York City to board a connecting bus to Connecticut, Bentancourt approached her and insisted there was no bus to Connecticut, but that he would help her. He then took her bus ticket, grabbed the arm of her small son, and asked for the phone number of a family member.

Betancourt called the victim’s sister and said the victim and her children had ended up in upstate New York, not New York City, and no bus to Connecticut was available. He would put them in a taxi for about $3 per mile, he told the sister. The victim’s sister explained that she didn’t have money for a taxi ride. She pleaded with Betancourt to tell her where her sister and the children were so she could drive to get them. Betancourt hung up on her.

The victim and her children were then brought by subway to Hernandez’s waiting car. Hernandez took the woman’s immigration paperwork and identification and drove the family slowly to Connecticut. He ultimately demanded $900 from the victims’ family members to drop her at an agreed upon meeting place.

After the family was only able to pay him $700, Hernandez locked himself inside the car with the victim’s older child and insisted the family pay another $100 to free the child and reclaim the victim’s immigration paperwork. The family was forced to go with Hernandez to an ATM to withdraw the additional $100.

Despite their fears about speaking to FBI agents about what they had been through, a number of victims provided details and identified the perpetrators. Wagner said that cell phone data was also instrumental in proving the case. After applying for warrants to view the suspects’ cell phone records, investigators could see an incriminating pattern of regular calls and text messages among the co-conspirators and then a cluster of phone calls to their victims’ family members on a single day.

Additional evidence, such as surveillance photos from ATMs and banks, helped solidify the case.

Richards said the long sentences the perpetrators received reflect the seriousness of their crimes and the length of time they had been victimizing people.

“It is important for everyone to know that law enforcement is looking after you regardless of your immigration status,” said Wagner. “Something will be done to the people who break the law.”

Resources

Fourth Defendant Convicted in Immigrant Kidnapping and Extortion Scheme Sentenced to 135 Months in Prison

Man Who Victimized Immigrants in Kidnapping and Extortion Scheme Sentenced to 135 Months

Man Who Victimized Immigrants in Kidnapping and Extortion Scheme Sentenced to 14 Years in Prison

New York Man Who Victimized Immigrants in Kidnapping and Extortion Scheme Sentenced to Eight Years in Prison

13 Defendants Indicted in Connection with Monmouth County Drug Trafficking Conspiracy

Two Defendants Charged with Unlawfully Possessing Firearms

TRENTON, N.J. – Thirteen defendants have been indicted for their roles as members, associates, and suppliers of a drug-trafficking conspiracy that distributed cocaine and crack cocaine in and around Monmouth County, U.S. Attorney Craig Carpenito announced today.

Damion Helmes, Dawn Stephens, Shantay Walker, Keith Logan, Shamar Dudley, Tonya Underwood, Elizabeth Conover, Curtis Jenkins, Ralph Lee, and Eric Yarbrough were charged with conspiracy to distribute and possess with intent to distribute more than 280 grams of crack cocaine. Additionally, Helmes, Stephens, Walker, Logan, Dudley, Underwood, Conover, Jenkins, Lee, Yarbrough, Derrick Hayes, Dequan Copeland, and Cassius Williams were charged with conspiracy to distribute and possess with intent to distribute more than 500 grams of cocaine. Helmes was also charged with possession with intent to distribute cocaine and crack cocaine, possession of a firearm in furtherance of a drug-trafficking crime, and with being a felon in possession of a firearm. Hayes was also charged with being a felon in possession of a firearm.

According to the documents filed in this case and statements made in court:

Between April 2019 and August 2019, the defendants and others engaged in a narcotics conspiracy that operated primarily in municipalities throughout Monmouth County – including Cliffwood, Keansburg, Matawan, Keyport, Red Bank, Long Branch, Neptune, and Asbury Park, as well as Brick Township in Ocean County – and which sought to profit from the distribution of cocaine and crack cocaine. Through the interception of telephone calls and text messages pursuant to court-authorized wiretap orders, and other investigative techniques, law enforcement officers learned that defendant Helmes obtained regular supplies of cocaine from defendants Hayes and Copeland. Helmes then re-distributed that cocaine, portions of which he converted into crack cocaine, for profit, to other conspirators, distributors, sub-dealers, and end users throughout Monmouth County. During the wiretap portion of the investigation, law enforcement intercepted numerous communications by and between the conspirators regarding such issues as cocaine quality and availability, pricing, packaging, quantity, and customer satisfaction.

The defendants were originally charged by complaint on Aug. 22, 2019. Dudley was previously charged by indictment.

The count of conspiracy to distribute 280 grams or more of crack cocaine carries a maximum penalty of life in prison, a ten-year mandatory minimum term of imprisonment, and a maximum fine of $10 million. The count of conspiracy to distribute 500 grams or more of cocaine carries a maximum penalty of 40 years in prison, a five-year mandatory minimum term of imprisonment, and a maximum fine of $5 million. The count charging Helmes with possession with intent to distribute cocaine and crack cocaine carries a maximum sentence of 20 years in prison and a $1 million fine. The count charging Helmes with possession of a firearm in furtherance of a drug trafficking crime carries a statutory mandatory minimum term of imprisonment of 5 years and a maximum potential penalty of life in prison, and must be served consecutive to the sentence imposed on the drug trafficking crime. The felon in possession counts against Helmes and Hayes carry a maximum sentence of 10 years in prison. Each firearms count also carries a maximum fine equal to the greatest of $250,000, twice the gross amount of pecuniary gain that any persons derived from the offense, or twice the gross amount of any pecuniary loss sustained by any victim of the offense.

U.S. Attorney Carpenito credited Special Agents and Task Force Officers of the FBI, Newark Division, Red Bank Resident Agency, Jersey Shore Gang and Criminal Organization Task Force (including representatives from the Bradley Beach, Brick, Howell, Toms River, Union Beach and Marlboro police departments, and the Monmouth County Sheriff\’s Office) under the direction of Special Agent in Charge Gregory W. Ehrie; the Red Bank Police Department, under the direction of Chief Darren McConnell; the Keansburg Police Department, under the direction of Chief James Pigott; the Middletown Police Department, under the direction of Chief Craig Weber; the Monmouth County Prosecutor’s Office, under the direction of Monmouth County Prosecutor Christopher J. Gramiccioni; the Highlands Police Department, under the direction of Chief Robert Burton; the Holmdel Police Department, under the direction of Chief John Mioduszewski; and the Long Branch Police Department, under the direction of Chief Jason Roebuck, with the investigation leading to today’s charges.

The government is represented by Assistant U.S. Attorney Ian D. Brater of the U.S. Attorney’s Office’s Criminal Division in Trenton.

The charges and allegations contained in the superseding indictment are merely accusations and the defendants are presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty.

Former Newark Police Officer Admits Bribery And Assisting In Preparing False Federal Tax Return

NEWARK, N.J. – A former Newark police officer today admitted soliciting and accepting cash payments from a brothel owner in Newark in exchange for protecting brothels from police action, and to failing to report those cash payments on his personal federal income tax returns, U.S. Attorney Craig Carpenito announced.

Julio I. Rivera, 50, of Old Bridge, New Jersey, pleaded guilty before U.S. District Judge Madeline Cox Arleo in Newark federal court to two counts of an indictment charging him with bribery (Count Six) and aiding and assisting in the preparation of a false 2015 personal federal tax return (Count 13).

According to documents filed in this case and statements made in court:

From September 2014 to August 2015, Rivera solicited and accepted cash payments from a Newark brothel owner (“Individual 1”) who ran brothels located on Lafayette Street and Emmet Street. In exchange for these cash bribes, Rivera performed official acts and violated his lawful duties for the benefit of Individual 1, including declining to arrest individuals who were committing and promoting prostitution, agreeing to protect these individuals from arrest by other Newark police officers, and agreeing to take adverse action against a competing brothel. Rivera collected between $40,000 and $95,000 in bribes in exchange for protecting those and other brothels in Newark.

Rivera also intentionally withheld information from his tax preparer regarding the cash bribes that he received, which caused Rivera’s filed federal tax returns for certain tax years, including 2015, to understate the total amount of income that Rivera received. Rivera stipulated that this misconduct resulted in a loss to the IRS of $15,000 to $40,000.

The maximum potential penalty for the count of bribery is 10 years in prison and the maximum potential penalty for the tax fraud is three years in prison; both counts carry a maximum potential fine of up to $250,000 or twice the gross gain or loss from the offense. Sentencing is scheduled for April 30, 2020.

U.S. Attorney Carpenito credited special agents of the FBI, under the direction of Special Agent in Charge Gregory W. Ehrie in Newark, and special agents of IRS-Criminal Investigation, under the direction of Special Agent in Charge John R. Tafur, with the investigation leading to today’s guilty plea.

The government is represented by Assistant U.S. Attorney Cari Fais of the Special Prosecutions Division in Newark.

Defense counsel: Kristen Santillo Esq., New York

Philadelphia-Area Doctor Sentenced to Prison for Unlawfully Distributing Oxycodone

A Philadelphia-area doctor was sentenced to 12 months and one day in prison and ordered to pay a $100,000 fine yesterday for the illegal distribution of

oxycodone.

Assistant Attorney General Brian A. Benczkowski of the Justice Department’s Criminal Division, U.S. Attorney William M. McSwain of the Eastern District of Pennsylvania, Special Agent in Charge Michael T. Harpster of the FBI’s Philadelphia Field Office, Special Agent in Charge Maureen Dixon of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services Office of Inspector General’s (HHS-OIG) Philadelphia Regional Office, Special Agent in Charge Jonathan A. Wilson of the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration’s (DEA) Philadelphia Field Division and U.S. Marshal Eric S. Gartner of the Eastern District of Pennsylvania made the announcement.

Richard Ira Mintz, D.O., 69, of Dresher, Pennsylvania, was sentenced by U.S. District Judge Michael M. Baylson of the Eastern District of Pennsylvania, who also ordered Mintz to serve three years of supervised release and 90 days of home confinement following release. Mintz pleaded guilty in March 2019 to eight counts of distributing controlled substances (oxycodone) outside the scope of professional practice and not for a legitimate medical purpose.

Mintz has surrendered his medical license and DEA Certificate of Registation.

The FBI, HHS-OIG, DEA, U.S. Marshals Service, Pennsylvania Attorney General’s Office, and Philadelphia Police Department investigated the case. Trial Attorney Adam G. Yoffie of the Criminal Division’s Fraud Section is prosecuting the case. Assistant U.S. Attorney Michael S. Macko of the Eastern District of Pennsylvania handled the parallel civil case, in which Mintz paid a $107,584 monetary penalty.

The Fraud Section leads the Medicare Fraud Strike Force.  Since its inception in March 2007, the Medicare Fraud Strike Force, which maintains 15 strike forces operating in 24 districts, has charged more than 4,200 defendants who have collectively billed the Medicare program for nearly $19 billion.  In addition, the HHS Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services, working in conjunction with the HHS-OIG, are taking steps to increase accountability and decrease the presence of fraudulent providers.

The year 2020 marks the 150th anniversary of the Department of Justice.  Learn more about the history of our agency at

www.Justice.gov/Celebrating150Years

.

FAC Prevails in Lawsuit Against Bakersfield Over Open Meetings, Records Violations

The First Amendment Coalition has

prevailed

in a lawsuit against the city of Bakersfield, with a judge ruling that the city council violated open-government laws when it held three closed-door sessions to discuss city finances and then refused to release public records related to those meetings.

The ruling, a complete victory for FAC and Californians Aware, which sued to enforce California\’s open-meetings and open-records laws, requires the city to turn over records, record any future closed-door sessions for a year as a preventative measure and pay attorney fees associated with the lawsuit.

FAC and CalAware

filed suit

in 2017 under the Ralph M. Brown Act and the California Public Records Act after learning the council held three closed-door sessions from July through September of that year to discuss city finances and a proposed sales tax increase, eventually placed on the ballot as Measure N and passed by voters.

The lawsuit brought to light damning emails from staff to council members showing that city leaders discussed in secret fundamental issues of city governance, including revenue, staffing and taxation. The city defended the closed-door sessions by saying discussions involved anticipated litigation, and therefore were exempt from the Brown Act\’s public meeting requirements.

Kern County Superior Court Judge Stephen Schuett rejected that argument. \”To permit the City Council to use this exception as a subterfuge to allow the discussion of the City’s critical budget issues, the potential solutions to those issues, impacts on City revenues, and potential staff layoffs and curtailing of services would allow the exception created by section

54956.9

to swallow the rule,\” the judge said in his 16-page ruling issued on Wednesday, Jan. 8.

\”The City Council shut the public out of crucial discussions on exactly the kinds of topics California law requires be discussed in full public view,\” said FAC Executive Director David Snyder. \”Bakersfield refused for two years to back down from its position that it was entitled to this extraordinary secrecy. They were wrong, and we are grateful Judge Schuett has set them straight.\”

In ordering the city to record its closed-door sessions for a year, Judge Schuett said the city \”has demonstrated a pattern of past conduct that indicates the existence of potential future violations.\”

He added: \”Moreover, the City has been adamant that it has not violated the Brown Act by considering these issues in closed session. In light of that, the Court may presume that the City will continue similar practices absent the court\’s intervention.\”

Attorney Kelly Aviles of Los Angeles is representing both FAC and CalAware in the case.

Read the full ruling

Cape May Police Arrest NC Man for Pos. of Assault Firearms and other Weapon Related Charges

Cape May County Prosecutor Jeffrey H. Sutherland and Cape May City Police Chief Anthony Marino announce the arrest of Dustin A. Peters, 25 of Wilmington, North Carolina for Possession of Assault Firearms, Unlawful Possession of Handgun,

Possession of Hollow Point Ammunition, high capacity magazines and other weapon related charges.

The investigation is a joint effort of the Cape May Police Department, Coast Guard Police Department, Coast Guard Investigative Services, Cape May County Prosecutors Office, and Federal Bureau of Investigation Joint Terrorism Task Force.

On January 9, 2020, Peters was stopped by Coast Guard Security for a routine security check on his vehicle at the entrance to the USCG Base TRACEN. During this check Peters was observed to be in possession of hollow point ammunition. As per security protocols a further investigation was initiated and it was discovered that Peters was in possession of a handgun in violation of New Jersey Statutes. At this time as per co- current jurisdiction agreements the Cape May Police Department was brought into the investigation.

Upon further investigation, Peters was found to be in possession of an illegal assault weapon, numerous high capacity magazines for this weapon, body armor, and many rounds of ammunition. It was determined during the course of the investigation that Peters came to the base to attend a graduation ceremony.

Peters was subsequently charged with Unlawful Possession of a Weapon (2nd Degree), Unlawful Possession of a Machine Gun (2nd Degree), Possession of an Assault Firearm (2nd Degree), Possession of Prohibited Weapon (4th Degree), Possession of Hollow Point Ammunition (4th Degree), and ten counts of Possession of High Capacity Ammunition Magazines (4th Degree). * Peters was lodged in the Cape May County Correctional Facility pending Court proceedings as per bail reform.

Members of the Cape May County Prosecutors Office and the Federal Bureau of Investigation Joint Terrorism Task Force were notified and responded to assist due to the types of weapons and ammunition found and that the incident occurred at a military base.

*Any charges are merely accusations and the defendant is presumed innocent until and unless he is proven guilty.

Philadelphia CBP K9 Proves Practice Makes Perfect with Outbound Marijuana Seizure during Training

Release Date:

January , 2020

PHILADELPHIA

– Coaches always preach that practice makes perfect and that the more you train, the better you perform.

CBP narcotics K9 Dasha

This axiom was clearly on display Tuesday when a U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) narcotics detector dog team in Philadelphia discovered nearly 500 grams of marijuana being shipped from San Francisco to Barcelona, Spain while practice detection skills in an air cargo hangar.

K9 Dasha caught the marijuana scent in a postal parcel manifested as “Zoomingos Monkey with Banan” that was packaged in an outbound mail container. The CBP K9 officer opened the package and noticed a silver pouch that contained a single bag with 468.4 grams, or about one pound, of marijuana.

The CBP K9 team seized the marijuana, which has a street value of about $800.

“Customs and Border Protection officers remains steadfast in our commitment to disrupt narcotics smuggling attempts, and our highly-skilled narcotics detector dog teams are on the frontline of this effort,” said Casey Durst, CBP’s Director of Field Operations in Baltimore. “Illicit narcotics interdictions is one way in which CBP contributes to the safety and safety of our communities.”

Nearly 500 grams

of marijuana destined for

Barcelona, Spain.

CBP officers screen international travelers and cargo and search for illicit narcotics, unreported currency, weapons, counterfeit consumer goods, prohibited agriculture, and other illicit products that could potentially harm the American public, U.S. businesses, and our nation’s safety and economic vitality.

CBP seized an average of 4,657 pounds of illicit narcotics every day during 2018 across the United States. Learn about what CBP accomplished during \”

A Typical Day

\” in 2018.

Learn more about CBP at

CBP.gov

.