The problem with the "Weed & Seed" program ("Area laments loss of program," July 10) is that it isn't used in upscale neighborhoods where the big-time fraud, theft and robbing of widows and orphans occurs. One hundred percent prosecution of drug laws and white collar crime in white areas would do far more "weeding" than going after poor people in the ghettos. Throwing rich criminals in prison would have therapeutic effect on the entire justice system. Taking down these enclaves of stock manipulation and business swindles would improve the financial stability of the region. The investigation should start with Gov. Jeb Bush's administration. Leland Focher, Pensacola [end]
The majority of school-age students in the Pensacola Bay Area will be back in class in a week or so -- back navigating hallways full of bullies, true friends and so-called friends. This could be the year that one of your fears as a parent is realized: Your child is offered alcohol or drugs -- and accepts. Back-to-school time is a good time to find a way to remind your children of your rules and expectations so they'll be able to make smart choices. [continues 460 words]
Money might not be the best way to underwrite the war against crime, but it certainly beats out whatever is second-best. We're talking about Pensacola's loss of $225,000 annually in federal Weed & Seed money -- funds appropriated by Congress that helped keep a lid on lawbreakers in a core area of the city once prone to a high incidence of crime -- particularly at the hand of young offenders. Congress needs to restore that funding. Pensacola's Weed & Seed program, which had received a total of $840,000 since the five-year program's inception in 2001, went dormant in the fall of 2004 when Hurricane Ivan destroyed the building from which the funds were distributed. Its small administrative staff took new jobs elsewhere. Now program administrators have applied for federal money to underwrite a new five-year initiative. [continues 541 words]
Two major drug busts within the past two months in the area reflect two certainties: cocaine trafficking and consumption still abound, and law enforcement officers working hard to rein in on the activity continue to need the public's support. Both police operations -- one that went down in early April in Pensacola, and the other that took place last week in Milton -- involved task forces composed of multiple local, county and state law enforcement agencies. And each resulted in the impoundment at least $100,000 in drugs, guns and cash. [continues 421 words]
Leonard Pitts' column of Feb. 25, "Trading freedoms for security un- American," is typical liberal fare. It seems he's forgotten about some other laws that restrict our freedom in the name of protection. How about the seat belt law, speed limits, motorcycle helmet laws, drug laws, zoning laws and on and on? According to statements from some of the notorious rapists and serial killers incarcerated for their crimes, it was the easy access to and viewing of pornographic material that contributed most significantly to their criminal activity. [continues 101 words]
'Franchise' Sold Cocaine, Ecstasy John H. Cao pleaded guilty Wednesday to a federal drug conspiracy charge involving cocaine and Ecstasy distribution, then was escorted in handcuffs from U.S. District Court. With that, the U.S. Attorney's Office confirmed its biggest catch among 16 suspects arrested so far in a federal drug conspiracy investigation dubbed Operation Bean Counter. Federal prosecutors said Cao, 29, was the leader of a Pensacola-based cell in a drug ring dealing in large amounts of cocaine and Ecstasy. [continues 452 words]
Two Mexican nationals made their first appearance in federal court Wednesday, officially ending a rift that left the U.S. Attorney's Office and Escambia County Sheriff's Office refusing to work together. U.S. Attorney Greg Miller agreed to prosecute Rodrigo Martinez, 36, and Juan Luis Nieves-Villareal, 24, on methamphetamine, cocaine and firearms charges, reversing an earlier decision to redirect the case to the State Attorney's Office. During the suspects' court appearance Wednesday, U.S. Magistrate Judge Elizabeth Timothy scheduled a detention hearing for Monday afternoon. Federal prosecutors are trying to keep the pair in custody. [continues 271 words]
Prosecutor Misses Point By Snubbing Sheriff's Office The News Journal's predictable criticism of my office's decision to discontinue federally prosecuting cases from the Escambia County Sheriff's Office misses the mark and several critical facts along the way. The rules of the federal district court provide that in federal cases law enforcement officers may not disseminate without court authorization information that is not part of the public record. Period. This is one of the laws I am sworn to enforce. [continues 238 words]
Letter writer Kenton Henry's comments ("Medical marijuana use is for states to decide," Viewpoint, July 7) were right on target. President George Bush and his Office of National Drug Control Policy insist that marijuana is no more useful than heroin as medicine, despite the testimonies of several thousand doctors and several hundred thousand patients in the 11 states which permit patient's legal access to their medicine. This does nothing but turn otherwise law-abiding medical patients into criminals. Patients and doctors have been trying to get Washington to listen. Their cries are falling on deaf ears clogged by ardent drug-warrior propaganda. [continues 96 words]
The U.S. House of Representatives on June 15 voted on whether sick and dying people should be sent to jail. Unfortunately the sick and dying lost. The Hinchley-Roahrbacher amendment to the Science, State, Justice, Commerce, and Related Agencies spending bill would have prevented the Justice Department from using funds to prosecute and imprison medical marijuana users in states where medical marijuana has been made legal. This amendment would not have made marijuana legal for "recreational use," and it would not have made medical marijuana legal in all 50 states. [continues 257 words]
Seizure of 9 Ounces of 'Ice' Believed to Be Escambia's Largest Two men were being held without bond Saturday night at Escambia County Jail on charges associated with what could be the county's largest seizure of pure methamphetamine, known commonly as "ice," said Escambia sheriff's spokesman Capt. Joel Mooneyham. Agents with the federal Drug Enforcement Administration on Friday arrested [two names and ages deleted] both believed to be Mexican nationals, on narcotics-related charges. [name deleted] was taken into custody at a hotel on U.S. 29, where agents seized 9 ounces of "ice" -- the pure, smokeable form of methamphetamine -- with an estimated street value of $50,000, Mooneyham said. [continues 119 words]
Officials Believe Many Stolen As One-Way Rides Zack Ward found a burned-out 2002 Jeep Wrangler this week in a wooded area off Barrineau Park Road near Cantonment. The Jeep, its steel wheels melted, is the latest in a rising number of vehicle thefts in Escambia and Santa Rosa counties. Ward, a vehicle theft investigator for the Escambia County Sheriff's Office, said the Jeep, reported stolen June 15, probably was dumped after a joyride, one of the common reasons behind such thefts. In addition to joyrides, chop shops and insurance scams, Ward and other investigators have noted a peculiar trend in Escambia and Santa Rosa area thefts. [continues 373 words]
TALLAHASSEE -- More meth labs are being discovered and seized in Florida, bringing an increased danger to law enforcement and first responders who encounter the volatile, sometimes booby-trapped rigs. The State Fire Marshal will start training first responders this month on how to protect themselves. "Meth makers are domestic terrorists, no doubt about it," said state Chief Financial Officer Tom Gallagher, who oversees the marshal's office. The Drug Enforcement Administration says there were 332 methamphetamine labs seized in Florida last year, up from 28 in 2001. In 2003, 140 meth labs were seized in the 10-county region from Escambia County to Gulf County; in 2004, 169 labs were seized in the region. [continues 280 words]
A large Pensacola Beach home forfeited to federal authorities as a result of the "Operation Sandshaker" drug bust will be auctioned online from June 20-22. Potential buyers will have their first chance to inspect the two-story waterfront home at 1111 Panferio Drive home on Friday. Linda Murphy, the former owner of the Sandshaker Lounge and Package Store, and her husband, Robert, forfeited the home last summer after pleading guilty to conspiracy to distribute large amounts of cocaine. She is serving a two-year term at Tallahassee Federal Correctional Institution. He is serving a 71/2-year sentence at Pensacola Federal Prison Camp at Saufley Field. [continues 223 words]
Treatment completion for substance abuse as a probation requirement tends to work (incentive to change). Florida has the Marchman Act statute that allows for involuntary commitments for assessment and stabilization, and for involuntary treatment in some cases. It is limited in that it is a civil action. Treatment can be a condition of probation with jail time more feasible than under possible civil contempt of court. Bring charges on offenders who drink or use drugs. You love your family member. Find out what is effective. "I don't want him to go to jail" is not effective, or is it literally or figuratively bailing the person out. Jail is better than the morgue. Treatment in lieu of just consequences is not effective. Please do not expect a short, involuntary treatment or detoxification effort to work when pleading for it has not worked. [continues 64 words]
Someone on CNN said that the drug production in Afghanistan is up about three times more than it was when the warlords were in control. Is this the way to show "what democracy is," allowing them to grow illegal drugs? Why is drug production in Columbia increasing? I thought the U.S. was paying Columbia to stop it. It's strange that two of the countries that we give so much money to are the major drug producers of the world. I think it's about time that President Bush and our government got as serious about drug production as they are about Iran's nuclear potential, the Syrians in Lebanon and other ways to "improve the opportunities for democracy" in all parts of the world. Voters who believe that drugs are a serious problem should contact the president and your congressmen and let them know you are concerned. [end]
"But others fell on good ground and yielded a crop: some a hundredfold, some sixty, some thirty." Matthew 13:8 Since 2001, Pensacola Weed & Seed Partnership has been planting seeds in hopes of rebuilding lives and producing a better community. As the weeds of crime, drugs and poverty are pulled, the seeds of regeneration and revitalization are planted throughout designated areas to help improve the appearance of the community and the lives of its residents. Kevin Franklin is the "master planter." Through his efforts as the program's site coordinator, his hard work and dedication are beginning to yield a harvest. [continues 440 words]
Criminal Probe Dropped In Downing Of Peru Plane Gloria and John Luttig had no idea that federal prosecutors had been investigating a clandestine Central Intelligence Agency operation that was shut down after a Peruvian Air Force jet fired on a small propeller airplane, killing the Luttigs' missionary daughter and their infant grandchild. The Luttigs, who live in Pace, reacted with frustration and anger to the revelation Sunday that the Justice Department last week dropped a criminal inquiry into whether four CIA officers lied to lawmakers and their superiors about a program that involved CIA surveillance airplanes helping the Peruvian Air Force intercept drug smugglers. [continues 623 words]
Reports that the Department of Homeland Security is a tangled-up mess of bureaucratic wheel-spinning and ineffectual anti-terror efforts resonate given the local target of the department's zeal: An 18-year- old Canadian -- and legal resident of this country -- who was caught with a small amount of marijuana when he was 15. This is about fighting terror? We understand the department's focus on aliens, whether legal or illegal. But just as with air travel restrictions that out of "fairness" target elderly grandmothers with the same zeal as young male immigrants, the Department of Homeland Security seems to have abandoned common sense. [continues 414 words]
The Santa Rosa County Sheriff's Office is looking for the owner of 80 pounds of cocaine that washed ashore last weekend on Navarre Beach. It ranks among Santa Rosa County's largest drug hauls in value and quantity. A bale of 28 bricks wrapped in plastic and burlap was confiscated, similar to hundreds of pounds of cocaine plucked from Gulf of Mexico over the last month off south Louisiana, said Santa Rosa sheriff's spokesman Deputy Jerry Henderson. The cocaine is 90 percent pure, Henderson said. The estimated total value is $1.5 million. But if the cocaine would be "cut" and resold, its actual street value could be higher, he said. [continues 140 words]
It is good to know that State Attorney Curtis Golden and Judge Kim Skievaski are two people that still have some grit. (You remember "grit," the stuff that makes people do what is right regardless of the odds or opinion.) I personally take it as an insult to my intelligence (and I know I am not alone), for high-profile attorneys to ask that we, the taxpayers, foot the bill for intervention programs. These people do have the means and should be intelligent enough to check into an addiction program without my hard-earned dollars paying for their problems! [continues 105 words]
Deputy's Deadly Force Sparks Outrage Among Neighbors A 27-year-old Warrington man was shot and killed early Friday morning during a struggle with an Escambia County sheriff's deputy, sparking outrage among the victim's neighbors and friends and prompting an investigation by state law enforcement officials. Joseph Golden was shot outside the front door of his unit at Jackson Square Apartments on Blanton Court as his girlfriend and five children watched from inside the apartment. "They killed him for nothing," said Nicole Lewis, 14, a witness to the shooting, which took place just before 6 a.m. [continues 755 words]
Regarding Leonard Pitts' article of June 12 in which he blamed the late President Reagan for turning his (Pitts') community into a killing field of crack heads, where children were orphaned, mothers were prostitutes and fathers were zombies. I wonder if Mr. Pitts has considered that, just perhaps, these people in his community that he described could have ended up in such circumstances because of personal choices that they made in their individual lives. To blame President Reagan and his administration is both ludicrous and inane unless Mr. Pitts is advocating that the government start making personal choices for each individual in how to lead his or her life. Is that what he is suggesting? That smacks as a form of government and control that I don't think any American would condone. Harold D. Eyerly Pensacola [end]
Since 1975, cigarettes unfortunately have consistently been the substance used by the greatest number of high school students on a daily basis. The good news is that smoking among high school students has declined 40 percent since its peak in 1997, according to a government report released this week. The decrease was so dramatic that for the first time in more than a decade, the percentage of high school smokers is lower than the percentage of adult smokers, which was recognized as an especially encouraging sign by the government. [continues 257 words]
Condo Owner Must Forfeit Home For Ties To Major Cocaine Ring Scott Carstens never used cocaine, nor did he profit from it financially. But he obtained a small amount of cocaine for his girlfriend on several occasions, and he willingly lent his Pensacola Beach condominium to Jackie Seale, a longtime friend well-known for selling cocaine. U.S. District Judge Roger Vinson on Wednesday sentenced Carstens, a 52- year-old contractor, to two years in federal prison followed by three years of probation for his role in "Operation Sandshaker," a three-year investigation that revealed large amounts of cocaine being sold on Pensacola Beach. He also ordered him to forfeit his $230,000 condominium to the U.S. government. [continues 834 words]
If I choose to imbibe a substance, I should do so responsibly. I should take proper steps to insure that injury to myself or others does not occur. I am quite capable of doing so and do not need "big brother" telling me it's forbidden simply because too many people are ignorant of the difference between the words "use" and "abuse." Contrary to popular anti-drug rhetoric, they are not synonymous. Furthermore, I lament seeing my tax dollars go to pay for the prosecution of one who wants to sit in his house and get high. Our laws should focus toward crimes with victims, such as rape, murder and theft. [continues 92 words]
Given the dangers that drug use among teenagers present, it is understandable that we would want to protect them from using drugs. While the idea of steering America's children clear of drugs has broad support, President Bush's $23 million proposal to randomly test students for drug use before they can participate in after-school activities is drawing opposition from some parents, school administrators and civil liberties activists. Congress should join in opposition. Even though the intent of the plan has some merit, random drug testing is an infringement on the constitutional rights of students to be free of government intrusion. It also places an unnecessary burden on schools and their limited resources. [continues 250 words]
Why is it that the people who were implicated and arrested in Operation Sandshaker all received their pictures in the paper as mug shots, addresses listed, employment listed, vehicles impounded listed, yet the latest cocaine arrests reported Friday, Jan. 23, in the News Journal did not provide the public with the same information? Is this equitable reporting or is this because the News Journal sees Operation Sandshaker arrests as being more "worthy" of exploitation because of the color, employment, income, etc., of the implicated persons? [continues 96 words]
In his letter ("Ineffectual law") on Jan. 21, Zac Arnold states, "If I choose to do anything, malevolent or benign, I must accept the consequences of those actions." I wonder if he has fully considered everything implied in this argument. If he injures someone else while in a drug-induced fog can he pay all their medical expenses, lost wages, etc., from his own funds, not from insurance because that passes some of the responsibility on to others? If he damages another person's property can he pay, once again from his own funds, to repair their property? Not likely. If his actions result in another person's death, can he restore their life and health? Of course not. [continues 119 words]
In response to Betty Belfiore's and Robin Blake's letters on Jan. 27 regarding "Operation Sandshaker" no longer being worth covering, both must have an IQ less than their shoe size to make light of the seriousness of drugs. Perhaps if they experienced the fear of a drug addict breaking into their home at 2 a.m. they would feel differently. I have not felt peace in my home since it happened to me over a year ago. Drugs are like cancer and it just keeps spreading. Maybe "prominent citizens" of our community could afford their habit, but as it spreads to the poor they resort to burglary, hold-ups, rapes, even murder to get money for their habit. And this all starts with people just like those arrested in Operation Sandshaker. Drugs do affect everyone. Just think: Those "prominent citizens," while high, get behind the wheel of their cars and jeopardize everyone on the roads. To the Sheriff's Office - keep up the good work. We need a drug-free community. Rita Kalanick Pensacola [end]
'Celebrities' A Front To Supply Cocaine To West Pensacola Four "Warrington Celebrities" charged with selling large amounts of cocaine on the west side of town pleaded guilty in federal court Tuesday. The four - James D. Warren, 33; Terry M. Newkirk, 27; Edward K. Newell, 26; and Michael V. Newell, 22 - admitted to being part of a large group that had been bringing cocaine into the Pensacola area for several years. Authorities are continuing their investigation of the "Warrington Celebrities," a local rap group that investigators say was a front for drug trade. The four, who were indicted in mid-January, agreed to cooperate with that investigation. [continues 300 words]
I am shocked and appalled over the "Operation Sandshaker" calamity. After a three-year investigation and an enormous amount of money spent, very little drugs, money or weapons were confiscated. Everyday working-class citizens are being showcased in the media and prosecuted by overzealous lawyers, trying to make headline news. Why is it so important to have local prominent citizens of this community facing the maximum amount of punishment prescribed by the law? How does this help our community or better our society? Why have hard-core criminals, murderers, child molesters, thieves and rapists behind bars when we can have nonviolent, upper middle class, regular people filling the cells? [continues 86 words]
The only things left for 11 federal suspects in Operation Sandshaker to argue are their sentences. With one guilty plea Tuesday and the announcement of another guilty plea, each of the people indicted in federal court in early December now has pleaded guilty to conspiring to distribute cocaine. Pensacola Beach contractor Scott Carstens entered his guilty plea Tuesday before U.S. District Judge Roger Vinson, who set sentencing for April 14. Also on Tuesday, Vinson unsealed the guilty plea of Denise Winkler, a South Florida woman whose Dec. 18 plea was closed to the public at her attorney's request. The U.S. Attorney's Office requested that the plea be made public Tuesday, and Vinson lifted his order. [continues 354 words]
We couldn't help being amused by Bo Godwin's letter ("Rights are gone," Jan. 14). The old saying, "Me thinks he doth protest too much" comes to mind. It is evident that Godwin has a real issue with law enforcement. He finds it necessary to wave his flag for the drug dealers and those who break the law. We personally would rather wave our flag for the men and women in law enforcement who lay their lives on the line every day to look after our rights. [continues 111 words]
With the recent media coverage of the ever-so-famous "Operation Sandshaker," it seems impossible for the 51 suspects to prove their innocence or to get on with their lives. It has been six weeks since this media frenzy began and still the media treats it as if it happened yesterday. What new news has there been since the first 10 days? How many lives were affected by the 51 arrests? Let us keep in mind that all of these people have family, friends and co-workers. They are saddened and broken-hearted by the "sting" operation and have to relive it every time they open a newspaper. Most of those arrested had careers they had spent a lifetime developing. [continues 62 words]
Drug Investigation Leads To Gambling Operation Two local men face state charges of racketeering and are suspected of operating a gambling operation with ties to a Central American company. Scott Andrew Carstens, 52, of the 2500 block of Mary Fox Drive in Gulf Breeze, and Keith M. English, 30, of the 400 block of Fort Pickens Road on Pensacola Beach, each face one count of racketeering, a first-degree felony that carries a maximum punishment of 30 years in prison and a $10,000 fine. [continues 611 words]
The innocuous statement to excuse the use of drugs and the problems some of our local residents are having with the local crackdown on users has some upset. There are troops in Afghanistan and Iraq trying to resolve a problem that hit us directly by the Twin Towers attack where more people were killed than at Pearl Harbor. If anyone from the U.S. had been caught giving aid to the Nazis in World War II they would have been held as traitors. [continues 121 words]
I can recall the days when you could leave a window open or a screen door to catch a little fresh air. But now it's "dead bolts," chains, alarm systems, etc., added to your home. With the drugs and crime on the streets, along with no jobs, the "rats" are taking away the freedom and trust we had. You hear of so many burglaries, robberies and home invasions, it's sickening. At times you may be afraid to even leave your home or even give someone directions when asked. Let's don't forget when a person knocks on your front door and keeps you busy and the "rat" slips in a window or a back door. For us to get our trust and freedom back, let's work together to clean the streets of drugs and crime. Keep your eyes and ears open. Join your Neighborhood Watch programs. Be proud and say "enough is enough." Ron Brandenburg Pensacola [end]
In response to those who have criticized lately the libertarian philosophy on legalized and/or decriminalized drug use, let me share some thoughts. Put aside for the moment that alcohol and tobacco, two "legal" drugs, cause more deaths than cocaine, marijuana and just about every other drug used regularly in the United States. Let's instead focus on the fact that as I sit here writing this letter, I do so in my body. Yup, my body. Not yours, not anybody else's, but mine. If I choose to sleep all day and not go to work, that's my right, though the consequence may be that I become unemployed. If I choose to do anything, malevolent or benign, I must accept the consequences of those actions. [continues 68 words]
Each time the Supreme Court takes more of our rights away we're told how free we still are. Now, police perjury, burglary and planted evidence are prevalent and called "good police work" by some. Criticize this corrupt system at our own risk, as police beatings and tortured confessions are common. People are maimed and killed in their homes by marauding police in their barbaric drug raids where police and informants share all forfeiture spoils. Thanks to DNA and patriotic outside groups, some innocent people are rescued from death row. How many more innocent victims, convicted of capital and lesser crimes, sit in prison with long sentences, framed by police and prosecutors? [continues 98 words]
More and more I'm reading viewpoints concerning the drug bust and a liquor store called Geronimo. It seems that as long as whites are talking about other races it's OK and no one should be offended, after all "we are being fair." Why not name the liquor store "President Bush Spirits" to show respect for him, or let all the users of drugs in the black community out of jail, after all they were just "recreational users too." "And why beholdest Thou the mote that is in thy brother's eye, but considerest not the beam that is in thine own eye?" [continues 91 words]
A felony conviction in Florida triggers not one, but two kinds of punishment - - one visible, the other hidden. First, a conviction often means a prison term. But once that debt is paid, and just as the former inmate begins piecing together a shattered life, barriers to finding a place to live and getting a job kick in. Telling felons they are free to rejoin civil life but then placing obstacles in their way is bad public policy. This "yes-but" behavior has become a much bigger problem recently. It took 200 years, from 1789 to 1990, for America's prison population to reach the one million mark. Then, in only 10 more years the number of people behind bars doubled to two million. A lot of the increase consists of non-violent drug offenders who don't deserve the double punishment they often get. [continues 613 words]
I'm writing about the thoughtful editorial, "FDA is correct in banning ephedra" (Jan. 3). I'd like to add that when amphetamines were legally available without a prescription at local pharmacies for pennies per dose, we didn't have a meth problem like we do today. When amphetamines were removed from the legitimate market and criminalized, the seeds of today's meth epidemic were planted. Sometimes, the simple and easy solution is not always the best solution. Kirk Muse, Mesa, Ariz. [end]
Neighbors, Friends In Case Have Residents Thinking Twice Pensacola Beach is not a place for secrets. It's a community where, at least among the locals, news travels fast and gossip even faster. "If you live here long enough, you practically know what time everybody goes to bed," said April Hargrove, a beach resident for 20 years. "If somebody gets in a fight with their boyfriend, you find out about it. If somebody got drunk on Friday night, you find out about it." [continues 1590 words]
Burleson-Mowrey Admits Delivering Cocaine, Denies Knowing Seale`s Activities Another suspect facing federal drug conspiracy charges in the "Operation Sandshaker" investigation into cocaine trafficking on Pensacola Beach reversed her plea to guilty Friday. Bonnie Burleson-Mowrey, 39, said she had "made some bad decisions and been lied to a lot," but she admitted to helping friends get drugs from her boyfriend, Mitchell "Jackie" Seale on several occasions. Seale and three other suspects pleaded guilty Dec. 12 to a federal charge of conspiracy to distribute more than 5 kilograms of cocaine. [continues 467 words]
Three Face Upgraded State Charges In Case State drug charges against millionaire businessman Charles Switzer were downgraded Thursday, while charges against three other suspects in a cocaine ring were upgraded. Switzer, 54, was arrested last month on a charge of trafficking in cocaine. But on Thursday, prosecutors filed two lesser charges of possession of cocaine and one charge of conspiracy with intent to possess cocaine. Assistant State Attorney John Simon said prosecutors reduced the charges after reviewing the evidence. "We needed to look at some more things in the evidence before we decided what charges to file," Simon said. [continues 451 words]
Escambia Sheriff Discusses Operation Sandshaker Some drug cases are easy. Deputies hear something, they check it out, they make an arrest. Other drug cases aren't easy. They take years of preliminary investigation and groundwork, months of intensive work, a big commitment of manpower, several agencies working together, court orders to carry out surveillance, and perfect secrecy. Operation Sandshaker, the much-talked-about cocaine case that came to light in early December and has resulted in about 49 arrests and at least eight guilty pleas so far, falls in the latter category. [continues 2142 words]
After as many as 155 deaths and 16,000 other "adverse reactions" -- such as strokes and heart attacks -- the FDA did the right and needed thing by banning the "dietary supplement" ephedra. Touted as a weight-loss aid, ephedra flies below the radar of regulation by falling into the "dietary supplement" category of substances. That basically seems to mean that its manufacturers and sellers could make all kinds of claims about its supposed benefits so long as they informed customers that none of these claims were proven or sanctioned by the Food and Drug Administration. [continues 434 words]
`Sandshaker' Court Appearances Continue While most facing federal charges in the "Operation Sandshaker" drug investigation have been quick to admit participating in the cocaine trafficking operation, the suspects being prosecuted in state court have not. Four more defendants Friday morning pleaded not guilty to cocaine charges in state court. In all, 26 people have entered not guilty pleas to an array of cocaine-related offenses in state court, and more court appearances are scheduled in coming weeks. Karen Knowles Dyess, James Allen King, Vivian Elizabeth McGinnis and Christian Andrew Anderson - whose name originally was not included among the list of people taken into custody during the first wave of arrests in early December - entered not guilty pleas Friday before Circuit Judge Frank Bell. [continues 352 words]
Program Helps Clients Kick Habit, Stay Out Of Jail For some, it's a great chance - maybe the last. A few criminals who have been found guilty of substance abuse are given a shot at rehabilitation in the Non-Secure Drug Treatment Program operated by Keeton Corrections Inc. in Pensacola. Brenda Parker, director of the local facility, said the company has a contract with the Florida Department of Corrections and operates facilities in Kentucky, Alabama, Tennessee and Florida. The Pensacola program, which opened in the fall on Brent Lane, is licensed for 60 clients. [continues 287 words]
