Zac Pearson, who works in a machine shop nearby, says that he noticed more traffic than usual coming and going from the warehouse. He noticed a lot of large trucks pulling up to the warehouse but he did not know what they were hauling. A tip to the Immigration and Customs Enforcement led to an undercover investigation and the drug bust.

Witnesses say that investigators have been removing bales and bales of marijuana. They have also seen construction equipment and large metal barrels being removed from the warehouse. The Charlotte Fire Department has also been at the scene supervising the use of blowtorches to open some of the metal barrels.

Authorities have not commented on the identities of the suspects in custody, or said how they were tipped off to the drug operation. All nine suspects appeared in federal court on Wednesday and ordered held without bond.

Federal drug charges carry harsher penalties than state charges would. Someone in custody should make sure they understand the severity of the charges they are facing. Consulting with an attorney that specializes in federal drug crimes is the best way to form a plan of action and defense. This is especially important if the subject is a foreign national. The laws can become compounded due to the severity of the charges and immigration status.

Two brothers were implicated in the burglary, Amaury and Amed Villa and nine other people were arrested.  Amaury Villa and his South Florida associates would be charged with plotting to sell the Eli Lilly medications and other pharmaceutical drugs. Amaury Villa himself was charged with possession of nearly 5,000 boxes of prescriptions, including an intravenous cancer drug, which was stolen in the Eli Lilly heist.

The Miami indictment also saw charges brought against Ernesto Romero Vidal, 46, and Roberto Garcia-Amador, 46, with three other thefts: A tractor-trailer shipment of an anti-anxiety drug stolen at a truck stop in Pennsylvania; a shipment of an acne prescription medication stolen at a truck stop in Ohio; and diabetic and epilepsy medications from a warehouse in Virginia.  The ring is suspected to be responsible for the largest amount of stolen goods in the history of the US totaling to more than $100 million.

The ring was also found in possession of thousands of bottles of top-shelf whiskey, thousands of cases of cigarettes, sixty-thousand cellphones, and even 200 inflatable boats.   Most of these illegal distribution rings set themselves up to look like a legitimate business.  US Attorney Wifredo Ferrer said there’s a real threat to consumers if the medicines aren’t properly stored or are tampered with before re-entering the marketplace.

The suspects in this large drug and stolen merchandise bust face an assortment of charges including illegal distribution of controlled substances, a five-year maximum prison sentence, and sale and possession of stolen goods, a ten-year potential prison term.  When you have the possibility of a large prison term it is a great idea to consult an experienced drug defense lawyer.

It is also a concern at the national level in the war on drugs.  The federal government had 12.5 million dollars in cleanup funds in 2010 for the whole USA.  Tennessee had over 4.5 million of those funds allocated to help cleanup meth sites and to dispose of the harmful chemicals created.  A smaller survey of even Blount County in Northeast Tennessee has seen meth labs double from 2011 to 2012, from 12 the whole year to 11 for this year thus far.

The most recent bust occurred when a family noticed their neighbors’ house being burglarized.  It was on Mother’s day that a neighbor of Bennett E. Baker observed a suspicious white van in the Baker’s driveway and was removing items from their residence.  The thieves quickly left the scene of the crime once they knew someone was watching.  Another neighbor followed the van while those left behind called the authorities.

A mobile home on Wildwood road in Maryville Tennessee was the destination of the chase.  The police department discovered an active methamphetamine laboratory using the one pot method.  This method is the easiest but also most dangerous way to cook meth.  It doesn’t require the same amount of equipment but creates the chemical reaction in a less stable way.

Ten people needed to be decontaminated from being in this house while meth was cooked.  Of those ten people only six people were accused with criminal charges.   Edward Ross Maples, 30, was accused of initiating the production of methamphetamine; Russell Sterling McGhee, 55, was accused of maintaining a residence where controlled substances are being used, sold, and manufactured; Reinaldo Velasquez, 26, was accused of initiating the process to produce methamphetamine; Christine Charlene Poole, 31, was accused of encouraging the production of methamphetamine.  Two other people were accused of probation violations or outstanding warrants.  While these allegations hold different disciplines, they will all need an experienced lawyer to guide them in their trials.  If you or a loved one are in a similar position, then you would also benefit from the experience of a tested drug defense attorney.

Legal drugs vs the illegal ones – How are they used?

The legality of a drug usually depends on how it will be used by a person or what it is being used for. There are various kinds of drugs and you should use them under the prescription of the supervision of a doctor. For instance, the barbiturates help you treat anxiety; marijuana can alleviate cancer-induced nausea and amphetamines can cure attention deficit disorder. If you consume such drugs without prescription, this may pose to be a danger to your life and society in general.

What are the federal state and local drug laws and are they binding enough?

As the consumption of drugs and the accidents induced by the same are increasingly rising out of control, there are longstanding federal strategies that can be made applicable to abuse the distribution and consumption of the controlled substances like drugs. The key difference between the federal and the state drug laws is that while the majority of the Federal drug convictions are for trafficking, majority of the local and state arrests are done due to possession of drugs. There is a difference between the severities of the consequences after a conviction. The punishments for the Federal drug charges are much harsher and also involve longer sentences. On the other hand, the state convictions tend to be charged as misdemeanors and also involve probation, depending on the criminal history and age of the person.

Drug crimes and the respective charges

In both the state and federal criminal justice courts, most of the cases stem from manufacturing and trafficking of the controlled substances. The controlled substances are listed at different levels or “schedules” in the state and the federal statutes. For instance, Marijuana is listed as Schedule 1 controlled substance and cocaine is listed as Schedule 2 controlled substance and this list includes anabolic steroids under Schedule 3 and so on.

Therefore, when you’re dealing with drugs or the controlled substances, you should educate yourself on the drug laws and the crimes that are nowadays becoming increasingly common. Follow the information given above so as to stay on top of your finances.

This is a guest post by Christina Jones, a writer & editor associated with Oak View Law Group . She has also been contributing to many personal finance blogs as a guest columnist since long.

Allegedly, Chowdhury filled a prescription for a woman who, while driving her vehicle, careened into an elderly individual killing them. Authorities investigated the driver and the six month investigation eventually led the authorities to Chowdhury.

While Chowdhury was out on a $10,000.00 bail for the July 2, 2012 arrest, he went back to being a pharmacist and began filling prescription drugs under certain restrictions. Then in February 2012, DEA agents stampeded his pharmacy and arrested once Chowdhury once more for federal drug crimes. He was arraigned on February 28, 2012. He again was released on bail, but this time it cost him $250,000 in bond money. The United States Attorney Loretta Lynch has commented that this “marks the continuation of this Office’s commitment to combating illegal trafficking of prescription drugs.” If convicted, Chowdhury could face 20 years in prison and a $1 million fine.

If you have been accused of federal drug crimes, contact a federal drug crime attorney who can provide you with the best legal advice possible.

After a five month long investigation, Darlene was raided at her home and was found in possession of marijuana, money and guns. The tipping point of the investigation actually occurred the day before Darlene’s arrest.  Darlene’s son, Jerry Van Dorsey was arrested and was found to be in possession of almost a pound of marijuana, drug paraphernalia, and over 2,000 dollars.  Upon further questioning Dorsey turned over information about his mother that led to her arrest.

Dorsey had worked closely with his mother up until she separated ties with him due to his meth addiction.  Partially this is why he stole the marijuana from his mother in the first place.  He also said that Darlene cut him out of selling a horse trailer.  It is said that Dorsey was the one that scheduled the meeting between his mother and a supplier in Arizona.  By telling the authorities about where this mother load was located, the authorities were able to locate one of the biggest drug kingpins in Oklahoma. “We feel like this is a really big operation,” said Sheriff Jimmie Sooter.  Initial figures assume that 40% of the areas’ marijuana was supplied by Darlene, an area which spans from Oklahoma, Kansas, Arkansas and Missouri.

There was a revolver, a semi-automatic pistol, $2,700 in cash and four pounds of marijuana recovered from Darlene’s ranch and vehicle.  The 73 year old had stacks of money labeled “$15,000” stuffed under her mattress.  “We kept finding more cash and it was so surprising that it was just laying around. It was in closets, underneath the bed. But it wasn’t really hidden.” Darlene originally tried to tell officers the money was part of her retirement fund.  She faces five criminal charges, including possession of marijuana, maintaining a dwelling where drugs are kept or sold, as well as possession of a firearm.

Darlene is not the only grandma that has given up retirement to get back into the work force.   Authorities are saying that older folks are becoming more active in drug trafficking. These people don’t raise as much suspicion and more are turning to drugs as a way to supplement their retirement income in their golden years.  If you or a loved one are experiencing a similar situation, you may want to consider talking to an experienced drug defense lawyer.

Mac Dre created a buzz in the rap game with his glorification of the drug lifestyle.  He was gunned down after a show in Kansas City in 2004 but not before calling attention to the drug culture of Oakland and the surrounding areas in California.  The rap label was long linked to various crimes such as armed robbery and drug dealing by local authorities.  A 4 year investigation has found that a former partner of Mac Dre named Michael Lott, who goes by the stage name Miami Most was at the head of a national drug ring.

24 other people including Miami Most and other artists associated with Thizz were charged with distributing ecstasy, heroin, cocaine, marijuana, and codeine cough syrup.  These drugs were not just distributed in the Bay area but also around the United States.  The business model of Thizz Entertainment is thought to gain finances for making records by selling all of these different drugs.  Rappers also associated with this drug bust include Major Norton, known by the rap name of “Dubee”; Gaylord Franklin, also known as “Geezy”; and Bruce Thurmon, who raps under the name “Little Bruce.”  Miami Most is still on the run along with 9 other people charged with distributing these illegal substances.

The amounts of illegal substances are staggering as authorities seized nearly 45,000 Ecstasy pills along with 4 pounds of crack cocaine, a half-pound of heroin and $200,000 in suspected profits tied to the Vallejo-based drug trafficking operation.  A grow operation located on a total of 230 acres of property, which is worth about $1 million, was also seized by federal agents.  As suspects were found across the US, it is believed that drugs were being shipped to places such as Oklahoma City, Milwaukee, Atlanta, and New York City to connections made while on tour.

“Using drug money to finance a rap label is a strategy not uncommon to many young men trying to leave tough urban neighborhoods,” said Davey D, a Bay Area journalist and hip-hop expert.  As a means to an end, dealing drugs is a very dangerous business.  If you or a loved one has been caught distributing drugs for any reason, please contact an experienced drug defense attorney.

Plata is the cousin of former governor of Tamaulipas Manual Cavazos Lerma which is how Gilberto became a police officer in the first place.  It is believed that not only is Plata connected to the government but has also been involved with the Gulf Cartel since 2002.  This is the same Gulf Cartel that is said to be the biggest and most violent cartel in Mexico.

Gilberto Lerma Plata is being held for conspiring to distribute more than 1000 kilograms of marijuana and more than 5 kilograms of cocaine.   This is a total amount smuggled into the United States since 2006.  Being connected with the Gulf Cartel means it is more difficult to prosecute.  “These people are very powerful. They have the inside intelligence to the cartels on the Mexican side; they have the contact on the American side of the fence,” says former DEA supervisor Phil Jordan.

The arrest is seen as a major boon for the war on drugs.  Since Gilberto has connections to both the cartel in and out of Mexico and the police of Tamaulipas, there is a lot of information he can give.  “He even can identify some of the cells we have operating on the American side,” Jordan said.  While this situation won’t be similar to most people facing drug charges, it does illustrate how serious drug offences are handled.  If you or a loved one are facing charges for drugs, please contact an experienced drug defense lawyer.

Cloyd was busted on September 2, 2011 while he was trying to pass through border patrol. He was driving a truck that had a trailer attached to it. Border Patrol approached his vehicle intending to conduct an immigration investigation when canines signaled that drugs were in the trailer. The patrol officer asked Cloyd standard questions regarding the contents of trailer such as whether he could produce a receipt and the weight of the goods. When Cloyd was unable to answer these questions, the patrol officer inspected the trailer and found the bundles of drugs hidden under some corn silage.

After Cloyd was arrested and to build their case against him, the DEA and Border Patrol obtained a search warrant for Cloyd’s iphone. After the search was conducted, it was discover that the night before his arrest, he texted “. . . the big bosses wanna meet with me . . . I kno they r gonna ask me to bring something else back.”

Cloyd pled guilty to the federal drug crimes in January of 2012. In addition to the 70 months of federal prison, Cloyd will be on supervised released for four years.

If you are arrested for federal drug crimes, you need to hire a top Chicago criminal defense attorney to defend you in federal court.

For several months, Mendocino County, California implemented an experimental program that allowed medical marijuana growers to freely grow marijuana if they paid the County government a $1,500.00 fee. Further, the growers had to agree to comply with certain regulations regarding water usage and odor control. This program proved to be an excellent way to regulate the legal medical marijuana growing industry in Mendocino.

Recently, this experimental program came to an abrupt halt when the U.S. Attorney for Northern California threated to initiate a federal drug crime lawsuit against the County. The U.S. Attorney accused the county of assisting in the production of an illegal drug even though under California state laws growing medical marijuana in compliance with certain regulations is perfectly legal. The U.S. Attorney for the Northern District of California’s threat is only a minor part of the federal government’s latest crackdown on federal drug crimes in California. Although the crackdown is spearheaded by the federal government, it is unclear as to whether President supports the crackdown.

According to the New York Times, in 2006 Obama made the comment that he inhaled marijuana when he smoked pot because “that was the point.” Obama has also stated that he would not interfere with state medical marijuana laws, but so far during his administration he has also failed to make any changes to federal drug crime laws, including the use of medical marijuana.

For now, U.S. Attorney for California appears just to be doing his job by enforcing federal drug crime laws. If you are in trouble for federal drug crimes, you need to contact a top Chicago criminal defense lawyer who can provide you with aggressive legal counsel regarding your federal drug crimes.