21 cops suspected of crime links detained

Last Updated on Thursday, 13 November 2008 09:20 Written by halejd Thursday, 13 November 2008 09:20

By Sandra Dibble

UNION-TRIBUNE STAFF WRITER

November 12, 2008

TIJUANA – Twenty-one city and state police officers suspected of having links to organized crime have been taken into federal custody in Tijuana, Baja California officials announced yesterday.

Francisco Blake Mora, Baja California’s secretary-general, said the detentions result from an investigation by the federal organized crime unit known as SIEDO. More detentions are possible, Blake said.

Those in custody include 19 Tijuana municipal officers and two state agents. None of the municipal detainees has been identified, but a police source who asked to remain anonymous confirmed the detention of Javier Cárdenas, the municipal department’s liaison with U.S. law enforcement agencies.

The Baja California Attorney General’s Office identified the two state agents. Jorge Quintero Colmenero is assigned to homicide investigations, and Felipe Sánchez Amezquita is in the auto theft division.

It was unclear yesterday where the detainees were being held, but suspects in organized crime investigations are typically flown to Mexico City for questioning. It would be up to federal prosecutors to decide whether there is enough evidence to press charges, said Rommel Moreno Manjarrez, Baja California’s attorney general.

The detentions come as police agencies at all levels struggle to shake the influence of powerful drug cartels. The battle between criminal groups for control of Tijuana, a key smuggling route to the lucrative U.S. market, has led to weeks of violence, with 230 homicides recorded since late September.

The first detentions occurred Monday afternoon as a number of officers were summoned to the Morelos military base near downtown Tijuana. The detentions “were of such importance that it was determined they would be carried out in the military installations,” said Blake, whose position is akin to lieutenant governor.

Cárdenas, the San Diego liaison, was taken into custody yesterday morning as he arrived at the main municipal police headquarters in downtown Tijuana, according to the police source and first-hand accounts of Mexican reporters.

Mayor Jorge Ramos and Tijuana’s secretary of public safety, Alberto Capella, joined state and military officials in announcing the detentions. Capella said close to 200 officers have either been fired, pressured to leave, or voluntarily resigned in the past 11 months.

Victor Clark, a human rights activist and longtime observer of criminal trends, said this week’s federal action “at first sight looks like an important blow,” against organized crime. He said previous purges by Ramos’administration have targeted lower-ranking officers who were lesser players, but the current detentions appear to involve higher-ranking commanders.

What happens in the coming weeks will be a test of whether there is sufficient evidence against the officers. In a similar operation in 2002, 42 police officials were detained, including the Tijuana police chief and top state prosecutor in the city, who were suspected of cooperating with the Arellano Félix cartel.

Within days, all but 10 were released. The chief and the prosecutor returned to Tijuana and reclaimed their posts.

via http://www.signonsandiego.com/news/mexico/tijuana/20081112-9999-1m12tjcops.html

Don’t answer the door wearing pot

Last Updated on Thursday, 13 November 2008 09:18 Written by halejd Thursday, 13 November 2008 09:18

Redwood Times

Article Launched: 11/12/2008 07:36:40 AM PST

On Monday, Nov. 3, deputies from the Mendocino County Sheriff’s Office were summoned to a residence on Fairbanks Road in Covelo to stand by while a former resident of the house retrieved personal belongings.

When they arrived, there were met by Dustin Langenderfer and Kenneth Berman. The men had marijuana particles and a strong odor of fresh marijuana on their persons. Deputies entered the residence and found the men had been manicuring marijuana and packaging it for sales.

Deputies obtained a search warrant and conducted a search of the residence. They found 30 pounds of processed marijuana, a large portion of which had been packaged for sales. The search also revealed records of sales, scales, packaging materials, several firearms, $1,600 in cash, and a concealed weapons permit in the name of George Bowen. A small hash lab was also found.

Further investigation revealed that Bowen, age 67, was the owner of the property and had hired Langenderfer and Berman to manicure and package marijuana. Bowen arrived at the residence while the deputies were serving the warrant and claimed protection under the Medical Marijuana law.

Deputies concluded that evidence at the scene was not consistent with a medical marijuana operation and Bowen was arrested for cultivation and possession for sale. He was released on a signed promise to appear in Mendocino Superior Court.

via http://www.redwoodtimes.com/local/ci_10964209

Fire reveals illegal marijuana operation

Last Updated on Thursday, 13 November 2008 09:15 Written by halejd Thursday, 13 November 2008 09:15

By Dana Yates

Police discovered an illegal marijuana growing operation in Millbrae yesterday after a fire broke out in a home at 1308 Vista Grande at approximately 11:10 a.m. Tuesday.

Millbrae Firefighters discovered pot plants throughout the home and called police.

“The cause of the fire was electrical that came from illegal wiring,” said Ron Lavezzo, Millbrae Fire Department division chief.

Lavezzo confirmed police were on scene, but declined to comment further.

Often, police are tipped off to illegal pot farms when firefighters respond to electrical fires. Growers avoid detection by stealing electricity straight from power poles and install electrical converters inside the house to help power numerous lamps, Marc Alcantara, of the San Mateo County Narcotics Task Force, told the Daily Journal in September.

The task force works year-round to stop drug trafficking in the county and usually spends the summer eradicating outdoor gardens usually hidden in the coastal ridge. However, more and more illegal growers are moving indoors — ruining rental properties, stealing electricity and producing more plants, Alcantara said.

The growers commonly rent a house with no intention of anyone living there. They convert rooms to grow marijuana, often assigning different rooms to different parts of the operation — seedlings, mature plants, drying and packaging. Someone using a false name rents the homes, mostly in north county cities like South San Francisco and Daly City.

Once inside, the criminals often ruin the home by cutting holes in the ceilings for ventilation. In one case, a four-foot vent system was cut into the ceiling and through a second floor to the roof, Alcantara said.

Dana Yates can be reached by e-mail: dana@smdailyjournal.com or by phone: (650) 344-5200 ext. 106.

via http://www.smdailyjournal.com/article_preview.php?id=100934