Posts Tagged ‘drugs’

Mexican Drug Cartels Avoid Police With Social Networking

April 20th, 2010

A method of avoiding military raids and police checkpoints is now being used by Mexican drug cartels; they now use Facebook and twitter to share information. Police believe the social networking sites have aided the kidnapping of the relatives of businessmen and politicians by helping identify the families of a high profile individual and monitoring their daily activity.

Ordinary citizens have already irritated the authorities by using twitter to alert one another of the locations of breathalyzer checkpoints, they use the name @anitaa_df to message each other and a similar tactic is now being used by the drug dealers.

Twitter and other social networks are being used by organised Crime to communicate with one another through terms and phrases unrecognised by the public. Not only have the cartels used the networks to communicate with each other but also incite terror amongst local communities. Recently the town of Reynosa, whose citizens have been victim of drug gang activity, was terrorized by members of a cartel spreading messages. One such message read; “The largest scheduled shootout in the history of Reynosa will be tomorrow or Sunday, send this message to people you trust that tomorrow a convoy of 60 trucks full of cartel hit men from the Michoacan Family together with members of the Gulf Cartel are coming to take the city and take everyone out alive or dead!”

“Twitter is a serious problem not only to Mexican law-enforcement agencies but to any law or intelligence agencies all over the world,” says Mexican security expert Ghaleb Krame “criminals, drug cartels and terrorist cells are getting more sophisticated in their methods of communication.”

The Mexican government has recently drafted a bill to allow close regulation and monitoring of the use of social networking in Mexico. By helping others break or avoid the law by sharing information is now a criminal act under the new bill. Social media companies themselves will not be targeted by the bill, only the users of the networks. The bill has been controversial in Mexico and many users have slammed the legislation as an excuse to act as Big Brother.

Many websites use SEO to gain visits and these are often the ones with the best SEO Cheshire


Mexican Government Anger At Twitter Use By Drug Cartels

April 19th, 2010

To avoid military raids and police checkpoints; Mexicans cartels have adopted a new technique by using Facebook and Twitter. Government officials have had the social networking sites closely monitored as they believe it has been used to assist the abduction of the relatives of powerful businessmen and politicians. Kidnappers have allegedly identified the families of high profile individuals and monitored their daily activity by using the social networking sites.

The Government has already been frustrated as ordinary citizens have been using twitter to alert one another of the locations of breathalyzer checkpoints via ‘@anitaa_df’ and the possibilities of the network have now been exploited by the drug cartels.

“Twitter is a serious problem not only to Mexican law-enforcement agencies but to any law or intelligence agencies all over the world, because criminals, drug cartels and terrorist cells are getting more sophisticated in their methods of communication.” says Ghaleb Krame, Mexican security expert.

Criminal organisations are using Twitter and other social networks to communicate with one another through keywords that are irrelevant to the general public. The cartels not only use the networks to communicate with each other but also spread fear amongst local communities. One incident involved members of a cartel spreading messages to terrorize the town of Reynosa, which has been bloodied with cartel activity. One such message read; “The largest scheduled shootout in the history of Reynosa will be tomorrow or Sunday, send this message to people you trust that tomorrow a convoy of 60 trucks full of cartel hit men from the Michoacan Family together with members of the Gulf Cartel are coming to take the city and take everyone out alive or dead!”

A bill has been drafted by the government to closely regulate and monitor the use of social networking in Mexico. The bill would make sharing information that helps others break the law or avoid it a criminal act. The bill will not target the social media companies themselves only the users of the networks. The bill has been controversial in Mexico and many users have slammed the legislation as an excuse to act as Big Brother.

To battle the ever rising drug problem in Mexico, the government is undergoing massive law recruitment. Visit Prodo for the most competitive SEO Cheshire


Gazza Charged With Drink Driving

March 26th, 2010

Police have questioned ex-England international Paul Gascoigne after they arrested him in suspicion of being drunk in charge of a vehicle. The legendary Geordie footballer, who has a record of alcohol abuse and depression, was taken into custody after police were called to a disturbance at a takeaway in North Yorkshire.

Describing how he hit rock bottom, Gazza has recalled taking cocaine and drinking a litre of gin per day. He was sectioned under the mental health in 2008 act three times by courts after a long battle with alcohol and substance abuse and addiction. Last year he went public about his continuing problems with aims of making a recovery.

Last year he told BBC Radio 5 Live’s reporter Victoria Derbyshire that he had been clean of drink and drugs for nearly four months. He acclaimed his success to his attending of Alcoholics Anonymous and working on the 12 steps programme.

His recovery hit a wall last December when he was arrested and given a fixed penalty notice for being drunk and disorderly in Newcastle.

Gascoigne had struggled to cope with depression after a hip replacement in 2007; he fell into a spiral of drink and drugs and checked into the Marriot hotel in Gateshead for an extended stay. He binged on hundreds of bottles of wine and gin from the minibar and explained how he found it difficult to get drunk, a common issue for alcoholics.

Former Newcastle-United player had become so delusional he thought his toy parrots were talking to him at which point his sister Anna feared he would commit suicide. After contacting police and hotel staff they found him asleep in his hotel room bath. He was dragged away and was checked into rehab. “I couldn’t believe it. I’d gone from being a national hero to a mental hospital. I’d never felt so embarrassed and ashamed” He recalls.

Its not the first time Gascoigne has been involved in driving offences since he has a record of speeding, drink driving and careless driving


Should McGwire’s Revelation Be Chided or Respected?

February 18th, 2010

Many fans of baseball were surprised by Mark McGwire’s recent confession. The slugger had used steroids for the greater part of his baseball career, as this gave him an unfair edge and contributed to the mammoth seasons that we as fans witnessed.

Most baseball players are thought to have used steroids in order to pump up their offensive stats, thereby securing more valuable contracts in the process. In McGwire’s case, things were different. He simply wanted to recover from any injuries in less time than he’d otherwise be able to.

You may remember that the beginning of McGwire’s career was marked by many injuries that saw him missing the majority of some seasons as a result. His potential was never realized because of this, despite the fact that he averaged more home runs per at bat than any other player of his time.

His strategy seemingly paid off. During the 1990s, McGwire experienced fewer injuries than he had in the prior years, despite the fact that he was older. He also saw a significant boost in his home run total.

Everything came together in 1998, a year in which McGwire set baseball history. Having broken a seemingly unbreakable record held by Roger Maris, the St. Louis Cardinal hit an astounding 70 home runs during the course of the year.

Just a few short years later, a few steroid allegations by Jose Canseco and some admissions by others shocked and devastated baseball fans. Many began to speculate that McGwire was under the influence of these illegal substances too.

In retrospect, it should have been obvious that McGwire and others were using illegal substances. There was no other way to explain the unprecedented jumps in production, and the baseball world should have been keen to this.

Many wonder if McGwire’s recent confession should warrant consideration for the Hall of Fame. While he has failed to make it during the last few seasons, he’s been bold enough to publicly admit what many had already suspected.

See more of this author’s advice regarding the wood bar stools and wood step stool.


The H1Ni Virus, The FDA, And You

February 17th, 2010

Now that people are frightened of the swine flu (H1N1) epidemic, the FDA and FTC are on the lookout for unapproved products on the market that are meant to be a treatment. There was even an incident in October of 2009 where an Internet website stated that its supplements could prevent H1N1; this issues a Warning Letter by both the FTC and FDA.

The company apparently used H1N1 in a title on a web page and made several flu-related statements on its web site promoting an immune-boosting formula, including daily antioxidant, multivitamin-mineral supplement, astragalus. The site stated that astragalus was, “a well-known immune-boosting herb that can help ward off colds and flu.” This is a classic dietary supplement marketing blunder.

The original statement includes the fact that astragalus can help your immunity to certain things, providing that this claim can be verified. Unfortunately, this claim also includes the fact that astragalus can completely prevent the flu, which is an unsubstantiated statement which has not been verified. The claim implies that this supplement will completely prevent the onset of disease, which means that it must be classified as a drug. This ‘drug’ was not approved by the FDA.

This type of marketing might get some people to buy the product, but in this case the sellers got more than what they bargained for. The fact is, most people selling dietary supplements do just fine with their claims on the product labels. But they do not realize that FDA and FTC regulate marketing materials at point of sale websites too. Once the web designers connect with the product marketers and they find all of that virtually free real estate to state their product claims they are off and running. In this case, they ran right into the FDA and the FTC.

With the help of FDAImports.com, you can consult the decades of experiences that our attorneys and consultants have to avoid these terrible errors.

FDAImports.com was founded by Benjamin L. England, Esq., a former FDA professional with 20 years of direct FDA experience, 17 years of which were obtained inside FDA. Mr. England is now a privately practicing FDA lawyer managing food, drug, medical device, cosmetic, and electronic product regulatory compliance, international trade and customs law. FDAImports.com specializes in making the complex understandable.


Seattle City Attorney To End Marijuana Possession Cases

January 29th, 2010

In what many see as a great move, newly elected Seattle City Attorney Pete Holmes has declared that he will make good on a campaign promise he made and stop prosecuting marijuana possession cases. Although Holmes is a good attorney, has he really considered all of the consequences/fallback from such a decision? Let’s analyze some of the possible outcomes of such a decision.

Let’s not get too far without calming the fears of all you dooms day prophesiers out there. Drug czars will still be prosecuted. People that have pounds and pounds of pot will still be prosecuted. The people that won’t be prosecuted will be the college kid that gets caught with a joint. Rest easy.

One potential consequence to this new direction is the dissemination of pot all over the city of Seattle. Worst case scenario type of people now envision people smoking a joint while they are walking down the street, when they step out to take a “smoke” break, and any other time they darn well please. Not prosecuting it for some means it will begin to take over the city.

This scenario, if really thought through, is unlikely. First, marijuana is so widely used throughout the U.S. that the only thing this will do is save college kids from getting busted with a joint out on the street. In other words, it will save stupid people from having to deal with the hassle of a drug possession charge.

One consequence I see, as a Seattle criminal attorney, is a likely drop in revenues for some people that have been making a tidy living off of these type of cases. All that business will be gone (and the city will be saving a ton of money too). Although I don’t market to this type of crowd or do this much business, for some it could be a pretty big hit.

Another consequence for us attorneys, in addition to the fee, will be the fun of these cases (from a theoretical standpoint). Cops usually get the marijuana off of people by searching them illegally or using some less than straightforward tactics to search them. This makes marijuana possession cases one of the few areas where search and seizure law, and the Constitution, can be utilized. That may be gone.

This decision, overall, is likely a good one. It benefits the city (money saved), the cops (no more piddly pot investigations), and pot smokers (no more college lives ruined with a pot possession conviction). People don’t care about marijuana anymore, likely with good reason. It was about time this change was made.

Learn more about what a Seattle criminal attorney does. Stop by our blog where you can find out all about what criminal attorneys in Seattle can do for you.


Drug Crimes Are Not Only A Grown-up Problem Anymore

December 17th, 2009

There was once a time when drug crimes mainly affected grown folks, and people did not have to worry so much for their kids. But as the years have passed, crimes involving drugs are including younger and younger age groups. The following paragraphs will provide some useful advice regarding keeping your kids safe.

When we were children, our parents used to warn of us such dangers as talking to a stranger. When they sent us to school, they did not have to worry so much about us doing drugs or committing crimes. However, kids are now selling drugs at school, or in some cases even giving them away for free. It is not only the adults anymore, it is now the kids, as well.

The schools are now common places for kids to get and experiment with drugs. While schools have zero tolerance policies for this type of behavior, it still occurs. It is no longer safe to stop with telling your kids not to talk to strangers. It is important to be direct with them when you explain the dangers associated with drugs.

The company your child keeps can increase or reduce their chances of getting caught up drugs. It is important to get to know who your kids hang out with and what they are doing. Do not be afraid to seem intrusive. It is not about being best friends with your kids, it is about being a good parent. Picking your children’s friends is not a fool-proof way to ensure they will not get involved in drugs at school. However, it can reduce the chances.

If you take prescription medication, you should watch it closely. Hide it where your child would never think to look if you have to. More and more kids are stealing their parents prescription pills to give or sell to their friends. When it is in the medicine cabinet, kids have easy access to it. If you have to, count your pills and write down how many you take.

Watch what your child does on the internet. Use parental control settings to help monitor what they have access to. Forbid chat rooms or constant instant chatting, or watch conversations closely. Read their email and text messages on a regular basis. A nosy parent is an informed parent. Being nosy often helps parents see the warning signs before their kids get in too deep to get out.

Finally, being an active part of all aspects of your child’s life can significantly decrease the chances of your child becoming involved with drugs. Attend extra curricular activities with your children, and communicate regularly with their educators. This will help you discover any potential problem early and reduce the likelihood of your child committing drug crimes.

When we were growing up, drug crimes did not happen so much at school. It was mainly an adult problem, that mostly adults faced. Times have changed and now our children are affected. By following the tips and advice given above, you can help prevent it from affecting your child.

If you need someone to help defend you against drug crime charges, then consider having criminal lawyer LyonsSnyder by your side. Defending clients in Florida is what LSLG in Fort Lauderdale specializes in.