31 charged in federal methamphetamine investigation L.A. NOW Los Angeles Times: "charged 31 people following an eight-month investigation into an alleged ring of Mexican traffickers smuggling methamphetamine into California and Washington state.
About 90 pounds of methamphetamine, with a street value of $5 million, was confiscated during the investigation, according to federal documents.
The ring allegedly had wholesale distribution cells in Ontario, Fontana and Upland, and in Turlock in the Central Valley. Methamphetamine also was allegedly shipped to a cell in Othello, a small town in eastern Washington, which is best known for growing about half the country’s potatoes made into French fries.
Ten of those charged are in custody. The rest are at large and presumed to be in Mexico, federal authorities said Thursday. Among them is the ring’s alleged leader, Jesus Marquez-Marquez, a.k.a. “Don Chuy,” who remains in Michoacan, a western Mexico state.
The region is known for heavy immigration into the United States and is where much of Mexican methamphetamine trafficking originated. In the last few years, it has been a main battleground in savage violence among trafficking groups and the Mexican army.
The ring’s alleged main U.S. distributor, David Jimenez-Pedroza, of Corona, is in federal custody in San Diego. If convicted, he and others face life terms in prison."
Thursday 8 April 2010
Unusually stiff sentence for contraband smuggling in small-town Panhandle jail
Unusually stiff sentence for contraband smuggling in small-town Panhandle jail: "What's unusual about this story is not that a small-town Panhandle jailer traded oral sex with female inmates for contraband, but that the local prosecutor pursued the case vigorously and secured a plea bargain for a four-year sentence. He wanted to go for a longer sentence, the DA said, but 'he agreed to a plea deal in the case because victims and other witnesses are scattered throughout the state. Some, he said, are serving prison time, and it would cost taxpayers too much to bring them back"
Jersey City pimp 'Prince' pleads guilty, faces 20 years in prison | - NJ.com
Jersey City pimp 'Prince' pleads guilty, faces 20 years in prison - NJ.com: "Allen E. Brown, aka 'Prince,' pleaded guilty to first-degree racketeering and second-degree theft by extortion before Superior Court Judge Kevin G. Callahan in Jersey City. Under the plea agreement, the state plans to recommend that he be sentenced to 20 years in state prison, including 12 years and nine months of parole ineligibility. Brown, 48, is scheduled to be sentenced May 19.
The plea agreement also calls for Brown's mother, Tecora P. Brown, 73, of Bayonne, to plead guilty on April 19 to third-degree promoting prostitution. She faces probation. The ring also included a niece and nephew of Brown's, authorities said.
'This guilty plea ensures that the defendant will serve a lengthy prison sentence,' said Attorney General Paula Dow. 'Allen Brown liked to call himself 'Prince,' but he was the antithesis of a prince, using narcotics, violence and coercion to keep young women enslaved in a life of prostitution. We have put an end to his reign of human exploitation.'"
The plea agreement also calls for Brown's mother, Tecora P. Brown, 73, of Bayonne, to plead guilty on April 19 to third-degree promoting prostitution. She faces probation. The ring also included a niece and nephew of Brown's, authorities said.
'This guilty plea ensures that the defendant will serve a lengthy prison sentence,' said Attorney General Paula Dow. 'Allen Brown liked to call himself 'Prince,' but he was the antithesis of a prince, using narcotics, violence and coercion to keep young women enslaved in a life of prostitution. We have put an end to his reign of human exploitation.'"
Asian brothel closings raise concerns about sex trafficking - Quincy, MA - Wicked Local Quincy
Asian brothel closings raise concerns about sex trafficking - Quincy, MA - Wicked Local Quincy: "Asian brothel closings raise concerns over the extent of human trafficking in the sex trade
An attractive woman in her mid-20s, greeted her newest client at the apartment door. An $80 house fee bought a 20-minute massage. For an extra $90, “Ming” undressed and provided much more.
The graphic narrative about one john’s sexual transaction at a North Quincy brothel was posted online in 2007 on a site where men swap tales and information about prostitution in communities around the United States. A phone number listed by the author – “Sinner77” – is one of the same used by five people arrested by federal investigators Wednesday and accused of threatening Chinese immigrants to force them into prostitution.
It is no secret that the world’s oldest profession continues to thrive in the Boston area. But the closing of a dozen so-called brothels in this week’s sex-trafficking case begs the question: Are other “masseuses” and “escorts” who advertise services on Craigslist and in publications such as the Boston Phoenix actually unwilling participants in the sex trade?
Special Agent Bruce Foucart, head of New England investigations for U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement, said the agency is “seeing more” organized sex trafficking."
An attractive woman in her mid-20s, greeted her newest client at the apartment door. An $80 house fee bought a 20-minute massage. For an extra $90, “Ming” undressed and provided much more.
The graphic narrative about one john’s sexual transaction at a North Quincy brothel was posted online in 2007 on a site where men swap tales and information about prostitution in communities around the United States. A phone number listed by the author – “Sinner77” – is one of the same used by five people arrested by federal investigators Wednesday and accused of threatening Chinese immigrants to force them into prostitution.
It is no secret that the world’s oldest profession continues to thrive in the Boston area. But the closing of a dozen so-called brothels in this week’s sex-trafficking case begs the question: Are other “masseuses” and “escorts” who advertise services on Craigslist and in publications such as the Boston Phoenix actually unwilling participants in the sex trade?
Special Agent Bruce Foucart, head of New England investigations for U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement, said the agency is “seeing more” organized sex trafficking."
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