DEA Splits, Bolivia Hits
July 7th, 2009 by RickA factory converted into a cocaine laboratory in Bolivia, that could produce up to 100kg (220 lbs) of cocaine per day, was raided by Drug Enforcement officers of the Bolivian government. According to senior Bolivian anti-narcotics officer, Oscar Nina, five Colombians were arrested.
The factory was the 4th largest raided since early 2009. Bolivian Interior Minister Alfredo Rada blames U.S. anti-narcotics officials for not locating the factory, that they estimate has been running for a year.
Previously in 2008, Bolivia booted the DEA from it’s borders and accused Washington with conspiring against the left wing government of President Evo Morales.
As a reward for doing and finding what the DEA could not, the U.S. announced last week that they were cutting trade benefits for Bolivia and reimposing duties on some imported Bolivian goods.
NZ Cops Taking a Bite Out of Crime
May 27th, 2009 by Joseph
Call it law imitating life.
Some officers in New Zealand are now being trained in all phases of the processing and manufacturing of several “Class A” drugs. Officers part of the clan (clandestine) lab teams are learning the art of how to make hard drugs such so they are able to safely take-down labs setting up shop anywhere deemed appropriate by the producer.
One area of concern, is the inevitability of officers to start dipping their batons in the bacon grease. But assistant police commissioner, Gavin Jones shrugs off this notion by admitting it is difficult to tell which cops are using:
(Police are) no more likely than the general population (to produce, sell and/or abuse drugs), who can download virtually anything off the internet these days.
Kiwi police are also involved a “joint research venture” with Environmental Science and Research to figure out the strains and THC levels of New Zealand’s popularly circulated weed. Jones estimates the current figures are outdated since the last testing which happened in 1996, when the average THC level of weed tested in New Zealand was at 3%.
San Joaquin Valley Calls for Federal Help to Fight Meth
December 17th, 2008 by Perry
Merced County District Attorney Larry Morse II and Police Chief Russ Thomas met with DEA officials recently to discuss a $500,000 coordination effort. The program is aimed at addressing the increasing methamphetamine trade in the valley, calling it a North Valley High-Intensity Drug Trafficking Area (HIDTA).
Officials said the money would mostly go towards equipment and funding overtime for officers involved in assisting with eradication efforts.
The program’s supporters cited Vice President-elect Joseph Biden as one of its more famous supporters, as similar programs have been created to target meth nationwide. Merced county officials reported last year that it found 52 clandestine labs.
