Drug bust yields 1,700 pounds of marijuana worth $15M

WEST HAVEN, Conn. (AP) — Connecticut police arrested two men and seized an estimated $15 million in marijuana after discovering a storage facility was being used illegally as a hub for pot distribution in the Northeast, authorities said Thursday. West Haven police said local officers and agents with the...

Man with Aryan Brotherhood ties pleads guilty in drug case

SACRAMENTO, Calif. (AP) — A man affiliated with the white supremacist Aryan Brotherhood prison gang pleaded guilty Monday to conspiring to distribute heroin and methamphetamine inside and outside California's prisons, federal officials announced. Samuel Keeton, 41, of Menifee, pleaded guilty to conspiracy...

Mexico charges ex-security chief who faces trial in US

MEXICO CITY (AP) — Mexican officials said Sunday they want to prosecute former security chief Genaro Gará Luna in his own country, despite the fact he faces trial in the U.S. for allegedly protecting a drug gang. The action follows a U.S. decision to drop charges against another former top Mexican...

German far-right party member charged with drug smuggling

BERLIN (AP) — A former regional official with the far-right Alternative for Germany party has been charged on allegations he was involved in smuggling 36 kilograms (almost 80 pounds) of cocaine into a northern port, authorities said Thursday. Marcus Hoffmann, 46, faces charges of drug trafficking and...

15 reputed mobsters in Philly, south Jersey face charges

PHILADELPHIA (AP) — Fifteen alleged members and associates of the south Philadelphia and southern New Jersey organized crime family face federal racketeering and related charges. According to a superseding indictment unsealed Monday, the defendants engaged in racketeering conspiracy, illegal gambling,...

Alleged Sinaloa Cartel member extradited to US from Italy

New York (AP) — A former Mexican federal police officer accused of trafficking drugs for the Sinaloa Cartel was extradited this week to the U.S. from Italy, the U.S. Department of Justice announced Thursday night. Ramón Santoyo-Cristobal, also known as “Dr. Wagner,” faces charges of...

Mexico says it wants its ex-officials tried in Mexico

MEXICO CITY (AP) — Mexico's foreign secretary said Thursday the country no longer wants officials accused of corruption to be put on trial in the United States, a move that could scale back a tradition that saw most of Mexico’s corruption cases tried north of the border. However, a spokesman for...

US drops case against ex-Mexican general after pressure

NEW YORK (AP) — The United States on Wednesday dropped a high-profile drug trafficking and money laundering case against a former Mexican defense secretary, an extraordinary reversal that followed an intense pressure campaign from Mexico. The full scope of Mexico’s pressure was not clear and...

US judge approves request to drop drug trafficking charges against Mexico's former defense secretary

US dropping case against former Mexican defense secretary

MEXICO CITY (AP) — The U.S. Justice Department is dropping its drug trafficking and money laundering case against former Mexican Defense Secretary Salvador Cienfuegos, Attorney General William Barr said Tuesday. Barr said the department would drop its case so Cienfuegos “may be investigated and, if...