Eight tightly wrapped kilogram bricks sit on a table, representing what an organized crime group will smuggle into Edmonton every other day.

Along with 11 half-pound bags of marijuana, the cocaine bricks were seized during a Sunday raid of a home at 166th Avenue and 88th Street. They were displayed Wednesday afternoon at the west-Edmonton headquarters of Alberta Law Enforcement Response Team.Police said the real coup was the arrest of a "high-ranking member" of an unnamed organized crime group. He was known to police."It is a bit of a coup," said Edmonton police Insp. Kevin Galvin, who is on loan to the response team."Generally speaking, we don't see high ranking members involved. They insulate themselves quite efficiently." Police are also looking for a second, lower ranking group member Galvin described as "influential. The cocaine bricks have an approximate wholesale value of $46,000 each, he said. Galvin described the seizure...

Read more »

ARMED gardai investigating the activities of a major crime gang based in west Dublin have arrested a second suspect.

Detectives from the Organised Crime Unit (OCU) detained the man after raiding his house in Ballymore Eustace, Co Kildare, yesterday evening.The suspect, who is a foreign national, was being questioned by officers last night at Naas garda station where he was being held on suspicion of possession of a firearm.Gardai can detain the suspect without charge for up to three days.Meanwhile, the first suspect, who was arrested by detectives after they stopped two cars outside Ballymore Eustace on Sunday night has been released without charge.A file will now be prepared for the Director of Public Prosecutions, who will determine if criminal charges should be brought against him.HandgunThe 30-year-old man, who is from Lucan, was arrested after detectives foiled what they believed to have been an attempt...

Read more »

popular resort city of Acapulco has emerged as one of the new hot spots of organized crime.

While many of Mexico’s tourist areas have remained separate from the bouts of drug violence buffeting the country, the popular resort city of Acapulco has emerged as one of the new hot spots of organized crime.A bloody week in which more than two dozen people were killed, and five decapitated bodies were found around the city, is the latest marker of Acapulco’s decline.As Excelsior reports, many of those murdered in the resort were taxi drivers, who often work as lookouts for one drug gang or another. On the year, 42 cab drivers have been murdered in the city, according to figures from the newspaper Reforma.The recent wave of violence has led to a broader spike in crimes against the population in this port city, including people unconnected to organized crime.Twenty-three local gasoline stations...

Read more »