Drug Crimes

Border Patrol checkpoints near Yuma nab hordes of pot users headed back from the beach

Border Patrol Seizes 971 Pounds of Marijuana Being Carried on Horseback

U.S. Border PatrolOne of several horses border agents say were used to bring more than 900 pounds of pot over the border​U.S. Border Patrol Agents made two substantial drug busts this week resulting in the seizure of about 2,400 pounds of weed, 971 of which were being moved on horseback.On Sunday ... More >>

Ohio Lawyer Admits to Taking Money From Arizona-Based Drug Ring

​A lawyer in Ohio pleaded guilty yesterday to money laundering charges stemming from money he received from the leader of a drug ring based in Phoenix. Authorities say 40-year-old Kyle Hunter received more than $100,000 from convicted drug king-pin Leonard Barnhouse. Payment for services rend ... More >>

Two Teenagers Set Record for Largest Attempted Meth Smuggling Ever at Yuma Checkpoint

www.shoelace.org Let's just hope her kids aren't in the backseat.​Two teenage girls made history at a border checkpoint in Yuma, but it's hardly a record that will make their families swell with pride. The two unnamed girls, ages 18 and 19, were arrested by border patrol agents for attempt ... More >>

Shirtless DUI Suspect Passes Out in Front of Cop During Stop

www.yeah-oops.com Feelin' a little wobbly?​If you're too fucked up to stay conscious when getting questioned by a cop, you're too fucked up to be driving a car, stupid.A California man learned that lesson the hard way after passing out in front of a Yavapai County Sheriff's deputy ... More >>

DPS Officers Find 17 Pounds of Meth in Bumper of Chevy Malibu

Arizona DPS​A San Diego man was ridin' dirty through Goodyear yesterday, but Department of Public Safety officers cleaned him up.Rap metaphors aside, a guy got busted with about 17 pounds of crystal meth hidden in the bumper of his car.

George Iknadosian, Accused of Supplying Mexican Cartels With Guns, Sues Arizona, City of Phoenix and Terry Goddard

A Phoenix firearms dealer once accused of supplying ruthless Mexican drug cartels with guns is suing the state, city of Phoenix and Arizona Attorney General Terry Goddard for malicious prosecution. Last spring, state and federal authorities thought they had nailed George Iknadosian, (right), o ... More >>

Terry Goddard Backs Off Assertion That Rancher Was Murdered by Mexican Cartel; Says it's "His Opinion"

Attorney General Terry Goddard​Arizona Attorney General Terry Goddard, the likely Democratic candidate for governor, believes that the murder of Douglas rancher Robert Krentz was probably the act of a scout working for a Mexican drug cartel, despite little, non-circumstantial evidence sugges ... More >>

DPS Announces First Quarter Drug Bust Numbers; They're Impressive

www.mysouthwest.com​Arizona is a hot-bed for drug activity in the United States and the Arizona Department of Public Safety announced this morning just how hot it is. According to DPS, officers recovered nearly $30 million in drugs and more than $2 million in drug money during several ... More >>

Ex-Santa Cruz County Sheriff's Deputy Arrested for Smuggling Cocaine and Gun Charges

www.sodahead.com​A former sheriff's deputy in Santa Cruz County, and another man were arrested on federal drug smuggling and gun charges yesterday.Federal authorities say 29-year-old Jesus R. Contreras -- a former Santa Cruz County Sheriff's deputy -- and 38-year-old Ernesto Castro were arrested y ... More >>

Weed and ATVs: Border Patrol Snags Both in Latest Marijuana Bust

www.rowox.comWhere's the weed at? The Arizona desert, that's where.​Border Patrol agents made another substantial weed bust yesterday and as well as becoming the new owners of hundreds of pounds of weed, agents got some sweet, new toys out of the deal, too.Agents on patrol near Three Points notice ... More >>

U.S. Border Patrol Nabs More Than 1,600 Pounds of Weed in One Weekend

www.pollsb.com​U.S. Border Patrol agents in Arizona have been pretty busy in their war-against-weed, nabbing more than 1,600 pounds of the icky in three separate busts last weekend.The first of the weekend's three big busts happened Friday afternoon when agents working at a checkpoint on Hig ... More >>

Heroin-Filled Hiking Boots Earn Mexican Doctor Seven-Year Prison Sentence

www.nrainsights.com​Two Mexican men, one a medical doctor, were sentenced to prison yesterday for their participation in a heroin-trafficking conspiracy that stretched from a drug cartel in Colombia, through Arizona, and all the way to New York City.Dr. Jose David Portillo-Lopez, 39,&nb ... More >>

Cowboy Down: Rob Krentz's Family Talks About the Life and Death of the Murdered Arizona Rancher

www.nrainsights.com​Two Mexican men, one a medical doctor, were sentenced to prison yesterday for their participation in a heroin-trafficking conspiracy that stretched from a drug cartel in Colombia, through Arizona, and all the way to New York City.Dr. Jose David Portillo-Lopez, 39,&nb ... More >>

Cuban Drug Dealers Found Guilty After Trying to Buy 22 Pounds of Cocaine

www.popartuk.com​When we hear about large amounts of cocaine and Cuban guys we're instantly compelled to make some lame reference to saying hello to "my little friend." The story of two Cuban nationals who tried to buy 22 pounds of cocaine near Tucson last year isn't nearly as sexy as the na ... More >>

Seized: Inside the Brutal World of America's Kidnapping Capital

www.popartuk.com​When we hear about large amounts of cocaine and Cuban guys we're instantly compelled to make some lame reference to saying hello to "my little friend." The story of two Cuban nationals who tried to buy 22 pounds of cocaine near Tucson last year isn't nearly as sexy as the na ... More >>

Asylum Denied: Unlike Refugees from Other Troubled Countries, Only a Fraction of Mexicans Seeking U.S. Asylum Are Accepted -- No Matter Their Wounds or Stories

www.popartuk.com​When we hear about large amounts of cocaine and Cuban guys we're instantly compelled to make some lame reference to saying hello to "my little friend." The story of two Cuban nationals who tried to buy 22 pounds of cocaine near Tucson last year isn't nearly as sexy as the na ... More >>

KPHO Goes After Wife of Phoenix Officer Who Witnessed Police Shooting of Unarmed Man

www.amazon.com​KPHO ran story last night about the criminal history of the wife of the cop who witnessed Phoenix Police Officer Richard Chrisman allegedly go berserk in a Phoenix trailer earlier this month, ultimately killing a dog and an unarmed man.That officer, Sergio Vergillo, was heralded by ... More >>

Border Agents Find 22 Pounds of Heroin in Truck Engine

www.icanhascheezburger.com​We don't claim to be well-versed in the black tar heroin trade, but a pound of heroin seems like a lot. That said, 22 pounds of heroin seems like a shit load -- and that's exactly how much of it border agents found in the engine of a pickup truck that tried to cross into ... More >>

Stench of Alleged Meth Dealer's House Almost Makes Cops Puke -- Dealer Blames House-o-Filth on 13-Year-Old Daughter

MCSOTeresa Ramirez​When Chandler police served a warrant at the home of 47-year-old Teresa Ramirez, an alleged meth dealer now charged with -- among other things -- child abuse, the stench coming from the refrigerator in the home was so revolting it "nearly caused involuntary vomiting to all servi ... More >>

Mesa Woman Brings 5-Year-Old to Meth Deal

MCSOLori Hammar brought a 5-year-old with her when she allegedly sold meth to an undercover cop.​September 22, was apparently "bring a kid to work day" for a Mesa woman, which is never a good idea considering her job is allegedly selling crystal meth.Lori Hammar, 38, was arrested on Tuesday after ... More >>

Eight Members of Hells Angels' Rival Motorcycle Gang, Vagos, Arrested in "Operation Sand Castle"

www.agingerbel.com​Eight members of Vagos, a rival motorcycle gang of the Hells Angels, were arrested yesterday in a massive roundup of alleged motorcycle gangsters -- dubbed "Operation Sand Castle" -- believed to be involved in a July brawl at Rio Lomas Beach in Bullhead City.On July 18, police r ... More >>

Cops Find 85 Pounds of Cocaine in Peoria Home. Three Arrests Made

Department of Public Safety"Cocaine's a hell of a drug" - Rick James​To the right is what 85 pounds of cocaine looks like. This pile of coke, as well as about $28,000 in cash, was found in a Peoria home yesterday by officers from the Department of Public Safety. The home, at 8014 W. Yucca Road i ... More >>

Murdered Father of Murdered 6-Year-Old Was a Drug Dealer

​A Phoenix man found shot to death at his home the day before his 6-year-old son was found murdered in an alley was a drug dealer, court records show.The boy, Xavier Jaquez, was found shot to death Tuesday morning in an alley near his mother's home, near 65th Avenue and Indian School Road, by a C ... More >>

Atlanta Customs Agent, Devon Samuels, Thought He was Shipping Illegal Firearms to Arizona, Feds Say

​ An airport-based agent with the U.S. Customs and Border Protection in Atlanta, Georgia, believed he was shipping drug money and illegal guns to Mexican cartel members in Arizona, officials said Thursday. Agent Devon Samuels, 45, was among 13 people arrested today on suspi ... More >>

Mexico Drug Violence Increasing, Officials Says; 30,196 Killed in Past Four Years

​ Violence in Mexico seems to be increasing, with wars between drug gangs claiming a record 12,456 lives from January to November of this year, a top Mexican official said today. All told, said Mexican Attorney General Arturo Chavez, 30,196 people have died in the drug wars since President Fe ... More >>

Brother/ Uncle of Murdered Phoenix Father and Son Eyed in Slayings

Christopher Licon​The brother of a Phoenix man found shot to death in his home earlier this week is a suspect in the man's murder. He's also a suspect in the murder of his brother's son -- the suspect's 6-year-old nephew, who was found shot to death in alley, the Phoenix Police Department announce ... More >>

Christopher Licon Charged With Murder and Kidnapping in Deaths of Brother and Nephew

Phoenix Police DepartmentChristopher Licon is accused of murdering his own brother and 6-year-old nephew.​It seemed only a matter of time, but the uncle of a 6-year-old boy found shot to death in a Phoenix alley last month has been charged with murder and kidnapping for the death of the boy and hi ... More >>

Deputy Louie Puroll Fired by Pinal County Sheriff Paul Babeu Over Comments Made to New Times Reporter

Pinal County Sheriff's Deputy Louie Puroll is out of the job.​The Pinal County Sheriff's Office confirmed today what New Times first reported last night: Deputy Louie Puroll has been fired over comments he made to New Times reporter Paul Rubin following Rubin's story on Puroll's account of w ... More >>

President Obama Signs Anti-Border Corruption Act Into Law; Requires All Prospective Border Agents to Undergo Polygraph Test

​President Obama has signed into law a measure that requires that all prospective Customs and Border Protection employees undergo a polygraph test.It seems like a no-brainer, especially considering that federal officials who investigate corruption within the agency say that polygraph ... More >>

Filmmaker Bringing Documentary on Drug-Cartel Violence to Arizona

​When independent filmmaker Charlie Minn saw the news of the Tucson shooting rampage on January 8, it drew an ominous likeness to what he's seen in Juarez, Mexico. "What happened in Tucson a couple of Saturdays ago happens in Juarez every day," Minn says. "Every day." Minn is unleashing a new ... More >>

Federal Grand Jury Indicts 34 in Gun and Drug Trafficking Ring

www.world.guns.ru​A federal grand jury has indicted 34 people in a massive drug and firearm trafficking ring. The indictment, unsealed this morning, alleges that defendants were helping supply Mexican drug cartels with weapons bought in Arizona. The indictment alleges that between September 2009 a ... More >>

Surprise Dad Tells Cops 14-Year-Old Stole Weed From His Son

www.libertypundits.com​Attention drug dealers: when your weed gets ripped off by a 14-year-old kid, the cops are the absolute last people you want to tell about it. A Surprise man apparently didn't get the memo.Police arrested 35-year-old Sean Corwin earlier this week after they found him pounding ... More >>

Weed Stench Leads Cops to Forest of Marijuana Inside Chandler Home

Chandler Police DepartmentSir Jorien Dwayne Marcette Jackson's house reeks of weed.​If you were to grow more than 300 weed plants inside your house, here's a bit of information that might come in handy next time you're in the Febreeze aisle at Walmart: it's gonna stink. A Chandler man's indoor wee ... More >>

Weed Stench Leads Cops to Forest of Marijuana Inside Chandler Home

Chandler Police DepartmentSir Jorien Dwayne Marcette Jackson's house reeks of weed.​If you were to grow more than 300 weed plants inside your house, here's a bit of information that might come in handy next time you're in the Febreeze aisle at Walmart: it's gonna stink. A Chandler man's indoor wee ... More >>

Police Arrest Six Illegal Immigrants in Human Smuggling Operation; Cops Find a Bunch of Weed Too

MCSO Francisco Ruben Martinez-Granillo, charged with possession of marijuana for sale, kidnapping for ransom, smuggling humans for profit, and theft by extortion.​Police arrested six illegal immigrants in Phoenix Wednesday, accusing them of charges ranging from human smuggling, kidnapping f ... More >>

Jan Brewer's Quest to Find Headless Cartel-Linked Bodies in Desert Finally Yields Fruit...in a Chandler Home

www.allhiphopsports.com​Remember last year when Arizona Governor Jan Brewer crowed about all the headless bodies littering the Arizona desert?"Law enforcement agencies have found bodies in the desert either buried or just lying out there that have been beheaded," the gaffe-prone governor squawked. ... More >>

Pinal County Sheriff's Office Gets Anonymous Tip About Guys Loading Truck Full of Pot Next to Interstate. 227 Pounds of Weed Later...

PCSOFernando Sanchez-Moyinedo (left), and Prior Marcano​Sometimes people are practically begging to be arrested -- like the two goons who allegedly decided to load 227 pounds of pot into their truck on the side of an interstate highway Wednesday. The Pinal County Sheriff's Office announced the ar ... More >>

Pinal County Sheriff's Office Suspects Deadly Shooting Near Interstate 8 Related to Mexican Drug Smuggling

​One man is dead and another wounded after they were shot in Pinal County while smuggling marijuana from Mexico, according to the Pinal County Sheriff's Office. PCSO spokesman Tim Gaffney tells New Times that six individuals believed to be in the "rip crew" -- a gang that rips off drug ... More >>

Arizona Cops Spend the Day Learning How to Combat Voodoo Used by Mexican Drug Cartels

catalog.com​In case you're wondering what 350 Arizona police officers were up to today, they were learning how to deal with any voodoo, witchcraft, or demonic possession that Mexican drug cartels might try to cast on law enforcement. According to the East Valley Tribune, Robert Almonte, the U.S. ... More >>

Border Agents Killed by Train Were Tracking "Drug Traffickers," According to AG Tom Horne -- Which is News to Border Patrol Authorities

James KingTom Horne apparently knows something Border Patrol doesn't. That or he's making things up.​Two Border Patrol agents were killed this morning when their unmarked SUV was hit by a train near Gila Bend, and Arizona Attorney General Tom Horne is already implicating illegal drug traffickers i ... More >>

Border Agents Killed in Train Wreck Identified. Drugs Found on Group Sought by Agents -- AG Tom Horne Apparently Did Know Something Border Patrol Didn't

Border Patrol Agents Eduardo Rojas and Hector Clark​The identities of the two Border Patrol agents killed this morning when their SUV collided with a train have been released. In addition to the release of the agents' identities, it turns out Attorney General Tom Horne was right -- members o ... More >>

Two Former Pima County Sheriff's Deputies Charged for Allegedly Ripping Off Drug Dealers

​The United States Department of Justice announced today that two former Pima County Sheriff's deputies have been indicted on charges that they used their positions as law enforcement officials to help three other men rip off drug dealers and steal government-seized narcotics.Francisco J. Jimenez, ... More >>

Authorities: Mexican Drug Cartel Suffers "Death Blow;" Billion-Dollar Trafficking Ring Busted Up by Law Enforcement Agencies

ICE​Federal, state, and local law enforcement agencies claim to have delivered a "death blow" to a Mexican drug trafficking ring that was running $33 million worth of drugs through Arizona every month.Authorities announced this morning the results of "Operation Pipeline Express," a 17-month invest ... More >>

Prescott Couple Accused of Baking Out Hotel Room With Heroin Smoke as 11-Month-Old Played in Crib

MCSOStefani Bindes and her baby-daddy, Matthew Nakihei, are accused of child abuse after police found heroin in the hotel room they've been staying in with their 11-month-old daughter.​Heroin's not good for anyone -- especially an 11-month-old baby, like the one who was found in a Scottsdale hotel ... More >>

Mexican Smugglers Exploit the Corrupt Reputation of U.S. Border Officers

MCSOStefani Bindes and her baby-daddy, Matthew Nakihei, are accused of child abuse after police found heroin in the hotel room they've been staying in with their 11-month-old daughter.​Heroin's not good for anyone -- especially an 11-month-old baby, like the one who was found in a Scottsdale hotel ... More >>

Sara Petsinger's Meth/Topless Massage Shop Closed For Business Thanks to Undercover Mesa Cop

MCSOSara Petsinger​Sara Petsinger, 31, is going to need a new job -- her meth/topless massage business was shut down yesterday when she was arrested for selling meth and heroin to an undercover Mesa police officer...in a school zone...as an 8-year-old slept in her apartment.Petsinger and her co-de ... More >>

Sinaloa Drug Cartel Now Short $7.8 Million, 435 Pounds of Meth, and 650 Pounds of Weed -- Compliments of Arizona Law Enforcement Agencies

WikipediaJoaquin Guzman-Loera is the head of the Sinaloa Cartel. He's also one of the richest men in the world.​The Sinaloa drug cartel recently suffered what local law enforcement agencies are considering a "significant blow" -- a 15-month investigation has led to the arrest of more than 200 peop ... More >>

Border Agent, Corrections Officer Charged With Helping Traffickers Smuggle Drugs Into U.S.

​A U.S. Border Patrol agent and a corrections officer with the Arizona Department of Correction were arrested yesterday on charges that they helped a drug trafficking organization (DTO) smuggle drugs into the United States.Ivhan Herrera-Chiang, 29, a U.S. Border Patrol agent stationed in Yuma, and ... More >>

Larry Walters Apparently Never Saw A Bronx Tale; Accused Of Murdering a Guy Over 20 Bucks

If only 57-year-old Larry Walters had heeded the advice explained in the above clip from A Bronx Tale, 51-year-old Lonnie Raines might still be alive.But he didn't, and now Walters is accused of murdering Raines -- over twenty bucks.