Kids today... Terrorist's wife tomorrow. This Berenstein-world continues to turn.
Quote:Shamima Begum: IS runaway teen 'could face prosecution in UK'
'A British woman who ran away to Syria as a schoolgirl to join the Islamic State group has been told she could face prosecution if she returns home. Speaking from a Syrian refugee camp, Shamima Begum, now 19, told the Times newspaper she had no regrets but wanted to come back to the UK as she was nine months pregnant.
Ms Begum was 15 when she left the UK in 2015.
In Syria, she married an IS fighter and had two children, who have both died. Security minister Ben Wallace said she would be investigated if she came back. In her interview, Ms Begum showed little remorse for her involvement with the terror group, saying she was not fazed by seeing "beheaded heads" in bins.
"I don't regret coming here," she told Times journalist Anthony Loyd, who found her in the camp. "I'm not the same silly little 15-year-old schoolgirl who ran away from Bethnal Green four years ago." "The caliphate is over. There was so much oppression and corruption that I don't think they deserved victory," she said. "I just want to come home to have my child. I'll do anything required just to be able to come home and live quietly with my child."
But Mr Wallace said any Britons who had gone to Syria to engage or support terrorist activities should be prepared to be questioned, investigated and potentially prosecuted if they came back to the UK. He said there was no consular assistance in Syria and insisted he would not be sending British officials there to rescue Ms Begum. "I'm not putting at risk British people's lives to go and look for terrorists or former terrorists in a failed state," he told the BBC.
Ms Begum was one of three schoolgirls from Bethnal Green Academy who left the UK in February 2015. Ms Begum and Amira Abase, both 15, and Kadiza Sultana, 16, flew from Gatwick Airport to Turkey after telling their parents they were going out for the day. They later crossed the border into Syria.
Kadiza Sultana, Amira Abase and Shamima Begum (l-r) in photos issued by police.
On arriving in Raqqa, Ms Begum stayed at a house with other newly-arrived brides-to-be. "I applied to marry an English-speaking fighter between 20 and 25 years old," she said. Ten days later she married a 27-year-old Dutch man who had converted to Islam -and has been with him since then. The couple escaped from Baghuz -IS's last territory in eastern Syria -two weeks ago.
Her husband surrendered to a group of Syrian fighters as they left, and she is now one of 39,000 people in a refugee camp in northern Syria. Asked whether living in the one-time IS stronghold of Raqqa had lived up to her aspirations, Ms Begum said: "Yes, it did. "It was like a normal life. The life that they show on the propaganda videos -it's a normal life. "Every now and then there are bombs and stuff. But other than that..."
She said that seeing her first "severed head" in a bin "didn't faze me at all". "It was from a captured fighter seized on the battlefield, an enemy of Islam. "I thought only of what he would have done to a Muslim woman if he had the chance," she said...'
For those who don't get the Marvel Universe, it seems Wakanda also holds
the ability of time-travel. The reality is that it's just another false narrative in
order to fool the public that the US political elite are the same as them.
Quote:Kamala Harris Was Accused of Lying About Listening to Tupac and Snoop Dogg. The Truth Is More Complicated.
'It began as a lighthearted moment. Senator Kamala Harris, the California Democrat and former prosecutor who announced her presidential candidacy last month, revealed on a popular radio show this week that she had smoked marijuana during her college years at Howard University in Washington.
But after a viral tweet ignited backlash from marijuana activists and conservatives, Ms. Harris faces accusations that she fabricated parts of her story.
In the midst of answering simultaneous questions about what music she listens to, she appeared to some to say she listened to rap artists like Tupac and Snoop Dogg as she smoked in college, though neither released an album until after she graduated.
Conservative news outlets feasted on what they portrayed as an embarrassing gaffe, with the popular morning show “Fox & Friends” even dedicating a segment to it Wednesday morning.
Less partisan media outlets also publicized the supposed controversy, with some alleging that it was further proof Ms. Harris, who is likely the most viable black woman ever to run for president, was playing up parts of her identity in order to impress black voters.
The only problem: Ms. Harris’s campaign vehemently denies that she ever claimed to be listening to Tupac and Snoop Dogg while in college, and a video recording of the radio interview provides additional context that may support that account.
How it started
Ms. Harris appeared Monday morning on “The Breakfast Club,” the wildly popular and wide-ranging morning radio show that often focuses on hip-hop and black culture.
During her appearance, Ms. Harris discussed her support for marijuana legalization, and said she wanted the federal government to loosen restrictions so the drug could be properly researched.
Charlamagne tha God, one of the show’s hosts, asked Ms. Harris if she had ever smoked marijuana herself -a question presidential candidates have long been loath to answer. Ms. Harris confidently said she had, adding, “and I did inhale.” “It was a long time ago,” Ms. Harris said, laughing.
Later in the interview, Ms. Harris was asked about her taste in music. She has previously named California artists like Tupac and Snoop Dogg among her favorites.
“What does Kamala Harris listen to?” asked D.J. Envy, another one of the show’s hosts. Before Ms. Harris answered the question, Charlamagne tha God interjected, asking her to say what she listened to while she smoked in college. Everyone laughed, before D.J. Envy appeared to return to his original question.
“Was it Snoop?” he asked. “Oh yeah, definitely Snoop,” Ms. Harris said. “Tupac for sure.”
Chaos ensued. The viral tweet pointed out that Snoop Dogg and Tupac did not debut until Ms. Harris had left college. Then music blogs and conservative outlets begin to write up the exchange.
However, several of them omitted the fact that D.J. Envy had asked Ms. Harris more generally about her music opinions, a key portion in the exchange that makes it unclear whose question Ms. Harris was responding to.
Ms. Harris’s campaign attempted to quell the backlash on Twitter, but “Reefergate,” as her national press secretary, Ian Sams, coined it, had already taken off.
Why it matters
In a crowded and diverse Democratic primary field with no clear front-runner, Ms. Harris has emerged as a top-tier candidate, and the strong rollout of her campaign has increasingly made her a political target.
Liberal critics have long had policy differences with Ms. Harris, saying her record on criminal justice and immigrant rights left much to be desired. Others have pointed out how Ms. Harris’s admission that she smoked marijuana in college flies in the face of her record as a prosecutor and the fact that she opposed marijuana legalization during her time as California attorney general.
Conservatives who support President Trump, meanwhile, have tried to stoke divisions surrounding her candidacy, branding her as inauthentic and manufactured particularly on issues of race and identity.
This month, a viral meme showed a tweet from Ms. Harris clumsily posting about an online challenge popular among young internet users. The tweet was fake, but it didn’t matter -it garnered thousands of shares online.
And in the days after Ms. Harris announced her presidential campaign, another widely spread internet theory claimed she was ineligible to run for president because of her parents’ immigration status. This was also false.
Ms. Harris, whose mother was Tamil Indian and whose father is Jamaican, has rebuffed questions about whether she is “black enough” to appeal to black voters nationally.
“I’m black, and I’m proud of being black,” Ms. Harris said in the “Breakfast Club” interview. “I was born black. I will die black, and I’m not going to make excuses for anybody because they don’t understand.”
Regardless, she’s repeatedly being forced to answer questions about whether she’s pandering for black votes.
Hillary Clinton, the 2016 Democratic presidential nominee and the first woman to win a major party’s presidential nomination, faced similar charges of inauthenticity, driven by internet rumors that were also backed up by questionable evidence.
When Mrs. Clinton visited “The Breakfast Club” in 2016, she ignited controversy after she said she carried hot sauce in her purse. Conservatives and young liberals accused her of trying overtly to win black votes by with a reference to the line “I got hot sauce in my bag” from Beyoncé’s instant classic song “Formation,” which debuted that year.
“Sriracha Gate? Hillary Clinton Mocked Mercilessly for Hot Sauce Comment,” read one headline. “Clinton stirs anger by claiming she carries hot sauce in her bag, like Beyoncé,” read another.
But like Monday’s episode with Ms. Harris, the truth was more complicated: Mrs. Clinton’s well-documented love of hot sauce dated to at least the 1990s -long before “Formation” existed...'
All that money and she ditched yer'... But who yer' gonna blame?
Quote:Bezos’ Trump-Saudi collusion conspiracy theory goes down in flames.
'Amazon founder and Washington Post publisher Jeff Bezos has put forward a horde of what now appear to be provably false accusations and full-blown conspiracy theories surrounding President Trump and the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia’s alleged involvement in publicizing his extramarital activities.
Last month, Bezos unexpectedly broke the news via Twitter that he and his wife of 25 years were getting divorced. Later that day, it became clear that he was pre-empting an embarrassing saga that involved the National Enquirer tabloid acquiring racy texts and photos that the billionaire executive had been sending to his mistress.
Instead of recognizing that he had conducted himself inappropriately and taking responsibility for his actions, Bezos wrote a Medium post accusing various entities of conducting an “extortion and blackmail” campaign against him.
The Amazon founder implied in his post that it was possible the National Enquirer was on a mission to destroy him due to the Washington Post’s coverage of Saudi Arabia and President Trump.
“Here’s a piece of context: My ownership of the Washington Post is a complexifier for me. It’s unavoidable that certain powerful people who experience Washington Post news coverage will wrongly conclude I am their enemy,” Bezos wrote.
“President Trump is one of those people, obvious by his many tweets. Also, The Post’s essential and unrelenting coverage of the murder of its columnist Jamal Khashoggi is undoubtedly unpopular in certain circles.”
The Washington Post has taken to extreme measures in publishing unrelentingly negative stories against Saudi Arabia. Following Khashoggi’s death, The Post became weaponized into an open forum for foreign governments and radical Islamist and jihadi groups opposed to Saudi Arabia’s role in the Middle East.
The Post routinely falsely categorized its deceased Islamist columnist Khashoggi as a democracy advocate, a journalist, and a voice for reform, none of which is even remotely true...'
Far from it!
Quote:'...“For reasons still to be better understood, the Saudi angle seems to hit a particularly sensitive nerve,” Bezos said in promoting the evidence-free conspiracy theory that Saudi Arabia was involved in his personal affairs.
With each day that passed, Bezos appeared to become more and more convinced that the publicizing of his extramarital affair was the result of a Trump-Saudi-National Enquirer collusion conspiracy. They were all out to get him, for a variety of reasons, he concluded.
As recently as this past weekend, a private investigator hired by Mr. Bezos was telling reporters (including individuals who work for Bezos’ Washington Post) that it was possible the Trump administration itself had “hacked” his text messages.
All three parties alleged in the Bezos conspiracy theory immediately and unequivocally rejected the idea that they were involved at all.
Nonetheless, the government “hacking” and Trump-Saudi conspiracy theory set off a firestorm in the media, with unrelenting coverage on CNN and MSNBC, along with countless legacy media reporters and NeverTrump commentators parroting the completely unproven claims trotted out by the Bezos machine.
Some commentators, such as CNN’s Don Lemon, even celebrated the conspiratorial allegations as a “boss move.”...'
Boss -as in Slave-Boss?! Don wouldn't know a cosnpiracy even if his boyfriend Chris
Cuomo shoved it up his ass for him!
Quote:'...But the simple truth is much less compelling. This week, we found out that the Bezos investigation has concluded, only to report that it was his mistress’s brother who apparently leaked the text messages to the Enquirer. The AP reported Monday:
“Private investigators working for Jeff Bezos have concluded that the brother of the Amazon CEO’s mistress leaked the couple’s intimate text messages to the National Enquirer.”
And just like that, the Trump-Saudi Arabia-National Enquirer collusion conspiracy theory -akin to the evidence-free Trump-Russia conspiracy theories that have saturated the media for the past three years -has disappeared.
In an attempt to redirect his embarrassing misdeeds, Jeff Bezos smeared President Trump and the government of Saudi Arabia and falsely accused them of wrongdoing.
Given how his prized pet project, the Washington Post, has covered President Trump and Saudi Arabia over the past couple of years, they certainly should not expect an apology from Bezos any time soon...'
What the hell is going on -on the shores of NE Canada?
Quote:Mystery over 15th foot that washed ashore in northwest Canada
The foot, believed to be that of a male under 50, was wearing a men's US size 9.5
light grey Nike trainer manufactured in 2017.
'Coroners are appealing for the public's help to identify the person whose foot washed ashore in Vancouver last year, the 15th to turn up in northwest Canada since 2007.
The foot, believed to be male, was in a light grey Nike Free RN trainer with a black Nike swoosh logo and white base, white laces and a blue sock. But authorities have not been able to establish who the person is after the limb was discovered on the British Columbia shoreline.
Pictures of the shoe, which was found at Vancouver's 30th Street beach entry point in September, were released by the British Columbia Coroners Service (BCCS). The shoe is a men's US size 9.5 with an OrthoLite insert. It was manufactured between 1 Feb and 17 April 2017 and appeared to be in relatively new condition.
Using DNA evidence, the BCCS has determined the latest foot is that a man's but they have not been able to match it with any of the DNA profiles on file for missing persons. Based on the bone structure of the foot, the service's identification specialist believes the man was under 50 when he died.
It is the 15th human foot found on British Columbia shorelines since August 2007. Ten of those feet have been identified as belonging to seven people who died by accident or suicide, while five remain unidentified.
"Typically, our process would be that we would work with any of the available information that we would find at a scene to help determine the identity, but, in this case, we've exhausted those options," Andy Watson, a BCCS spokesperson said.
"So, now we're turning to the public, in hopes that we can get some information to help create a match and determine the identification," he added. He insisted the bizarre trend is not linked to "any sort of suspicious circumstance" and isn't "cause for panic".
The mystery of where the feet have come from has prompted much lurid speculation. Theories have included organised crime murders, remnants from bodies that have floated across the Pacific Ocean following the 2004 tsunami and a serial killer with a particularly twisted signature.
But, according to Watson, feet are often the part of human remains that are found, as they easily separate from the body and remain afloat thanks to the foam shoe sole...'
I'd build a wall to stop this sh*t happenin'... just sayin'.
Quote:Joaquin 'El Chapo’ Guzman, Sinaloa Cartel Leader, Convicted of Running a Continuing Criminal Enterprise and Other Drug-Related Charges
Joaquin Archivaldo Guzman Loera, known by various aliases, including “El Chapo” and “El Rapido,” was convicted today by a federal jury in Brooklyn, New York of being a principal operator of a continuing criminal enterprise –the Mexican organized crime syndicate known as the Sinaloa Cartel -a charge that includes 26 drug-related violations and one murder conspiracy.
Guzman Loera was convicted of all 10 counts of a superseding indictment, including narcotics trafficking, using a firearm in furtherance of his drug crimes and participating in a money laundering conspiracy. The verdict followed a 12-week trial before U.S. District Judge Brian M. Cogan. Guzman Loera faces a mandatory sentence of life imprisonment at his sentencing scheduled on June 25.
Acting Attorney General Matthew G. Whitaker, U.S. Department of Homeland Security Secretary Kirstjen Nielsen, Assistant Attorney General Brian A. Benczkowski of the Justice Department’s Criminal Division, U.S. Attorney Richard P. Donoghue for the Eastern District of New York, U.S. Attorney Ariana Fajardo Orshan for the Southern District of Florida, Acting Administrator Uttam Dhillon of the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA), FBI Director Christopher Wray, Executive Associate Director Derek Benner of U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement’s Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) and Acting U.S. Marshal Bryan T. Mullee of the Eastern District of New York, announced the verdict.
The Evidence at Trial:
As proven at trial, Guzman Loera was a principal leader of the Sinaloa Cartel, a Mexico-based international drug trafficking organization responsible for importing and distributing vast quantities of cocaine, marijuana, methamphetamine and heroin into the United States.
The evidence at trial, including testimony from 14 cooperating witnesses; narcotics seizures totaling over 130,000 kilograms of cocaine and heroin; weapons, including AK-47s and a rocket-propelled grenade launcher; ledgers; text messages; videos; photographs and intercepted recordings, detailed the drug trafficking activity of Guzman Loera and his co-conspirators over a 25-year period from January 1989 until December 2014. Guzman Loera was repeatedly referred to by witnesses as one of the leaders of the Sinaloa Cartel.
Guzman Loera oversaw the smuggling of narcotics to wholesale distributors in Arizona, Atlanta, Chicago, Los Angeles, Miami, New York, and elsewhere.
The billions of illicit dollars generated from drug sales in the United States were then clandestinely transported back to Mexico. Guzman Loera also used “sicarios,” or hit men, who carried out hundreds of acts of violence in Mexico to enforce Sinaloa’s control of territories and to eliminate those who posed a threat to the Sinaloa Cartel.
Drug Trafficking
In the course of the decades-long drug trafficking conspiracy, the Sinaloa Cartel transported tens of thousands of kilograms of narcotics from Central and South America for distribution in the United States.
Guzman Loera used various methods to transport the cartel’s narcotics into the United States, including submarines, carbon fiber airplanes, trains with secret compartments and transnational underground tunnels. Multiple witnesses testified about seizures by law enforcement officers of massive amounts of cocaine, heroin and marijuana linked to the Sinaloa Cartel. One of the largest seizures of drugs bound for the United States involved over seven tons of cocaine concealed in jalapeño cans.
The jury also heard recordings of Guzman Loera’s own damning words discussing his drug trafficking, corruption and violence. The calls included Guzman Loera discussing sending “ice,” meaning methamphetamine, to Los Angeles, California; Minneapolis, Minnesota; Ohio and Tucson, Arizona.
Communications Network
Guzman Loera also utilized a sophisticated encrypted communications network to operate the global narcotics trafficking operation. As an information technology engineer testified at trial, Guzman Loera paid him one million dollars to purchase and set up a network to enable the defendant to communicate via the internet with his drug trafficking associates in Colombia, Ecuador, Canada and the United States without fear of being intercepted by law enforcement or his rivals. The witness devised a secret and secure system, consisting of encrypted cell phones and encrypted apps.
Cartel Violence
The success of the Sinaloa Cartel relied upon the use of violence to maintain their power throughout the region and beyond. Numerous co-conspirators testified that Guzman Loera directed his hitmen to kidnap, interrogate, torture and shoot members of rival drug organizations, at times carrying out acts of violence himself
A former hitman testified that Guzman Loera beat two men with a tree branch until their bodies “were completely like rag dolls,” before shooting the men and ordering their bodies be tossed into a bonfire. The former hitman also testified that Guzman Loera interrogated a rival drug cartel member, shot him and ordered that he be buried alive. In an intercepted call, the jury heard Guzman Loera order one of his sicarios to kidnap rival cartel members, but not to kill them without first checking with him.
Weapons
The Sinaloa Cartel had unfettered access to weapons. A law enforcement witness showed the jury over 40 AK-47s that were seized in El Paso, Texas before they could be delivered to Guzman Loera in Mexico. Additionally, witnesses identifed photographs of various weapons, including grenades and a rocket-propelled grenade launcher utilized by the Sinaloa Cartel. Guzman Loera’s personal arsenal included a gold plated AK-47 and three diamond-encrusted .38 caliber handguns, one emblazoned with his initials, “JGL.”
Corruption
The evidence presented at trial demonstrated that to further the interests of the Sinaloa Cartel, Guzman Loera and his organization took advantage of a vast network of corrupt government officials. These officials ranged from local law enforcement officers, prison guards, state officials, high ranking members of the armed forces, as well as politicians.
These corrupt officials assisted Guzman Loera and his organization in exchange for millions of dollars’ worth of bribery payments. For example, according to the testimony of several witnesses, in many instances, Guzman Loera and his workers were warned of pending law enforcement operations which allowed Guzman Loera to avoid capture on multiple occasions.
In other instances, Guzman Loera, through his employees, paid officials to turn a blind eye to trafficking activities in an effort to facilitate the shipment of drugs, weapons, and bulk cash.
Money Laundering
Guzman Loera’s lucrative drug trafficking business generated billions of dollars in illicit proceeds. Guzman Loera used various methods to launder money including bulk cash smuggling from the United States to Mexico.
One of the largest seizures was of $1.26 million seized from hidden compartments in a truck driven by Guzman Loera’s brother in Douglas, Arizona in 1989. In addition to the bulk cash smuggling, Guzman Loera oversaw numerous shell companies, including a juice company and a fish flour company to launder the cartel’s narcotics trafficking proceeds.
“I am pleased that the Department has brought Joaquin Guzman Loera (El Chapo) to justice by securing a conviction against this drug kingpin, who was a principal leader of the Sinaloa Cartel,” said Acting Attorney General Whitaker.
“As was clear to the jury, Guzman Loera’s massive, multi-billion dollar criminal enterprise was responsible for flooding the streets of the United States with hundreds of tons of cocaine, as well as enormous quantities of other dangerous drugs such as heroin and methamphetamine.
The trial evidence also overwhelmingly showed that Guzman’s unceasing efforts to expand his cartel’s control and consolidate its power left a wake of corruption and violence in communities in both Mexico and the United States.
This case demonstrated the extraordinary reach of the U.S. government, our tenacity and commitment to pursuing kingpins like Guzman whom -if their power is unchecked -will, like Guzman, develop what for 25 years was an almost unstoppable capacity to move massive quantities of drugs into our country.
Guzman had the capital to absorb huge losses and run his enterprise with impunity; the enormous power to corrupt; and the capability to employ violence on a massive scale. This case, and more importantly, this conviction serves as an irrefutable message to the kingpins that remain in Mexico, and those that aspire to be the next Chapo Guzman, that eventually you will be apprehended and prosecuted.
Finally, this verdict demonstrates that the United States, working in close partnership with the Mexican government, will continue to bring all possible resources to bear in its fight against international drug traffickers and their violent organizations.”
“The guilty verdict against Joaquin Guzman Loera, one of the most violent and feared drug kingpins of our time, is a testament to the hard work and courage of America’s frontline law enforcement personnel, including ICE’s Homeland Security Investigations,” said DHS Secretary Nielsen.
“They gathered substantial evidence over multiple investigations, which made his extradition to the United States and a successful prosecution possible. Today’s verdict sends an unmistakable message to transnational criminals: you cannot hide, you are not beyond our reach, and we will find you and bring you to face justice.
Like Guzman, you will suffer the consequences of your criminal behavior. I applaud the brave men and women at DHS who helped make this conviction possible and thank our interagency and international partners for their exceptional work.”
“Guzman Loera’s bloody reign atop the Sinaloa Cartel has come to an end, and the myth that he could not be brought to justice has been laid to rest,” said U.S. Attorney Donoghue. “Today, Guzman Loera has been held accountable for the tons of illegal narcotics he trafficked for more than two decades, the murders he ordered and committed, and the billions of dollars he reaped while causing incalculable pain and suffering to those devastated by his drugs.
Today’s verdict is the culmination of the tireless work of countless brave members of law enforcement, here and abroad, and we congratulate them. The Department of Justice is committed to eradicating criminal organizations that fuel America’s drug epidemic, and our mission will continue until it is completed.”
“The conviction of former Sinaloa Cartel leader Joaquin Guzman Loera strips the power from a man who employed horrific acts of violence to infect communities, throughout the United States and abroad, with the venom of illicit drugs,” said U.S. Attorney Fajardo Orshan.
“Today’s verdict is a reminder to all, that our international borders do not protect narco-traffickers and the cartels’ criminal enterprises from federal prosecution. U.S. Attorney’s Offices across the nation stand united with our domestic and foreign law enforcement partners, as we continue our fight against transnational criminal organizations.”
“The reign of Joaquin Guzman Loera’s crime and violence has come to an end,” said FBI Director Wray. “As leader of the Sinaloa Cartel, Guzman Loera carried out and directed acts of brazen violence as he oversaw the import and distribution of vast amounts of illegal drugs throughout the United States.
But today, through the steadfast determination and collective efforts of the FBI and our law enforcement partners both domestic and abroad, and due to our continuing partnership with the Government of Mexico, justice has been served.”
“Today’s conviction of Joaquin “El Chapo” Guzman demonstrates the dedication and determination of the men and women of DEA to bring the world’s most dangerous and prolific drug trafficker to justice,” said DEA Acting Administrator Dhillon.
“Those who bring drugs and violence into the United States that destroy lives and communities will not be tolerated, nor evade our reach. The success of this case is a testament to the strength of our relationship with our Mexican counterparts. DEA will continue to pursue justice worldwide and protect Americans.”
“HSI is committed to using our unique border authority to target and dismantle transnational criminal organizations responsible for trafficking narcotics and bringing violence into the United States,” said HSI Executive Associate Director Benner. “Through collaboration with local, federal and international law enforcement partners, HSI special agents were able to bring an end to Joaquin Guzman Loera’s criminal activities, and help ensure he was brought to justice.”
“The conviction of Joaquin “El Chapo” Guzman demonstrates what is possible when law enforcement works collectively and coordinates their efforts,” said Acting U.S. Marshal Mullee.
“The U.S. Marshals Service ensured the integrity of the judicial process in this case. From providing safe and secure detention and transportation of the world’s most notorious drug kingpin to ensuring the anonymity of the jury, protecting the judge, attorneys, witnesses and the public, the Marshals Service proudly played its important role in the process.
I would like to express my gratitude to all of our law enforcement partners who worked tirelessly in support of our mission. They are the talented men and women of the New York City Police Department, Federal Protective Service, 24th Civil Support Team of the New York National Guard, and the Federal Bureau of Prisons.
The U.S. Marshals take our responsibility of protecting the federal judicial process very seriously. We must anticipate and deter threats, while continuously developing and employing innovative protective tactics. We carry out these responsibilities with precision every day across the country. The successful prosecution of Joaquin “El Chapo” Guzman stands as a shining example of our mission.”
When sentenced by Judge Cogan, Guzman Loera faces a mandatory life sentence without the possibility of parole for leading a continuing criminal enterprise, and a sentence of up to life imprisonment on the seven remaining drug counts. After the verdict, the government will seek a forfeiture money judgment for billions of dollars constituting the cartel’s illegal drug-trafficking proceeds.
The government’s case is being prosecuted by U.S. Department of Justice Trial Attorneys Amanda Liskamm, Anthony Nardozzi, Michael Lang and Brett Reynolds of the Criminal Division’s Narcotic and Dangerous Drug Section, Assistant U.S. Attorneys Gina Parlovecchio, Andrea Goldbarg, Michael Robotti, Patricia Notopoulos and Hiral Mehta of the Eastern District of New York and Assistant U.S. Attorneys Adam Fels and Lynn Kirkpatrick of the Southern District of Florida.
The case was investigated by the DEA, HSI and the FBI, in cooperation with Mexican, Ecuadorian, Netherlands, Dominican, and Colombian law enforcement authorities. Substantial assistance was provided by the U.S. Attorneys’ Offices in the Northern District of Illinois, the Western District of Texas, the Southern District of New York, the Southern District of California and the District of New Hampshire.
The Department of Justice’s Office of International Affairs also played an integral role in securing the extradition of Guzman Loera to the United States, in cooperation with authorities of the Mexican government, without which his extradition and prosecution would not have been possible.
The investigative efforts in this case were coordinated with the Department of Justice’s Special Operations Division, comprising of agents, analysts and attorneys from the Criminal Division’s Narcotic and Dangerous Drug Section; DEA New York, DEA Miami, FBI Washington Field Office, FBI New York Field Office, FBI Miami Field Office; HSI New York, HSI Nogales; Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives; U.S. Marshals Service; IRS Criminal Investigation; U.S. Bureau of Prisons, NYPD and New York State Police.
This case is the result of the ongoing efforts by the Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Force (OCDETF), a partnership that brings together the combined expertise and unique abilities of federal, state and local law enforcement agencies. The principal mission of the OCDETF program is to identify, disrupt, dismantle and prosecute high level members of drug trafficking, weapons trafficking and money laundering organizations and enterprises.
They wouldn't let women drive in Saudi Arabia because... well, because they're women.
I suppose the smarter way would be to use a taxi company and a competent driver.
Maybe not.
Quote:Six-year-old boy who was dragged from a taxi and butchered with broken glass in front of his screaming mother in Saudi Arabia
*Zakaria Al-Jaber was reportedly killed by a taxi driver in Medina, Saudi Arabia
*Shia Rights Watch claimed it was a `beheading' in an act of sectarian violence
*Group have said mother was asked if she was Shia moments before attack
'The first pictures have emerged of a six-year-old boy who was brutally killed with broken glass in front of his screaming mother in Saudi Arabia.
Zakaria Al-Jaber
Zakaria Al-Jaber was in a taxi with his mother, on their way to the shrine of the Prophet Muhammad in Medina, when a car drove up and the boy was dragged out. The taxi driver reportedly dragged the boy towards a coffee shop in the Al-Tilal area before smashing a glass bottle and slitting his throat.
The attacker slit the six-year-old's throat with a shard of glass before stabbing him repeatedly as both his mother and a nearby police officer attempted to stop the brutal attack, TMV reported.
Sajid Hussain shared pictures of the boy on Twitter, calling for 'justice' and saying: 'Smallest coffins are the heaviest'. He said: That's barbaric how that Saudi driver beheaded 6years old Zakariya. 'You don't need to be a Shia or Sunni. Try to be a a Human first. Justice Delayed means Justice Denied.'
An unknown man had reportedly asked the mother if she was Shia before the attack, to which she answered yes. It is not known why the boy was targeted, but Saudi officials have reportedly claimed the attacker was suffering from mental health issues.
Shia Rights Watch, a group which defends the rights of the minority Shia Muslims, has said the boy was killed on Thursday in an act of sectarian violence but claimed it was a `beheading'.
They said: 'The Saudi Shia community came together today in mourning and to show solidarity with the parents. 'The community also reported this incident is a result of ongoing violations and lack of protection by the Saudi authority toward its Shia population.'
Shia Rights Watch, whose headquarters are in Washington D.C., said the `beheading' must be addressed ASAP.They added: 'Shia Rights Watch, other human rights NGOs and activists have long advocated for the rights of this minority through campians, UN and other entities.
'However the population still suffers because of the lack of international commitment to end such violations. 'Beheading of a young child in such manner must be addressed ASAP.'..'
It seems the sleepy village of New Tredegar in the county of Gwent doesn't like the idea of a child-murderer
in the midst and thirty-three years is a long time to wait for a particular kind of justice.
Quote:Child killer 'stabbed 176 times and nails ripped out after neighbours rumble 80s secrets'
Haunting CCTV images have revealed the last moments of a child killer just hours before he was stabbed 176 times.
'David Gaut, 54, was stabbed more than 150 times while still alive and a further 26 times after he died in the horrific attack. His fingernails were then cut off as “punishment” for killing a child in the brutal murder “carried out by his neighbours”. The convicted child killer had been released on parole in November 2017 when he moved to a sleepy Welsh village in Gwent.
CCTV footage of Gaut.
He had served 33 years behind bars after being found guilty of battering his girlfriend’s son, Chi Ming Shek, to death while babysitting him. The tot died of multiple injuries including a broken arm, injured liver and spleen and a fractured skull. And when his girlfriend Jane, then aged 23, returned home she romped with Gaut before finding her son’s dead body under a chest of drawers.
After learning last summer that Gaut had served three decades in prison for the murder in 1985, his new neighbour, David Osborne, 51, and co-accused Ieuan Harley, 23, allegedly teamed up to kill him. Newport Crown Court heard how the accused led him to a flat in New Tredegar and carried out the bloody murder.
The accused: Harley and Osborne.
Osborne and Harley then allegedly dragged Gaut’s dead body back to his own flat as they attempted to clean up the bloodbath and torch a car to "destroy incriminating items". But the body was discovered the next day by cops after another neighbour raised the alarm.
The court heard that a pathologist found at least 150 stab wounds all over Gaut's body from at least one knife and a screwdriver. He had also been slashed a further 26 times after he died, the jury were told.
Today the court saw haunting CCTV images of Gaut’s last moments on the day he was killed between August 1-4 last year. The images showed him buying train tickets at around 11.39am at Caerphilly train station in south Wales before he was seen walking along a train platform. Gaut was also captured on CCTV in a Morrisons supermarket on August 2. The trial was adjourned for the day today after a juror was taken ill.
Osborne and Harley deny the murder of Gaut. The trial continues...'
Quote:The Rasmussen Reports daily Presidential Tracking Poll for Monday shows that 52% of Likely U.S. Voters approve of President Trump’s job performance. Forty-seven percent (47%) disapprove.
Trump's highest level of approval since shortly after his inauguration.
The latest figures include 39% who Strongly Approve of the job Trump is doing and 39% who Strongly Disapprove. This gives him a Presidential Approval Index rating of 0. Source
The Democrat's and All Liberal/Progressive Socialist are pulling their hair out of their heads and Denying this Report.
I'm sure they'll explain that only Deplorables in the Ply Over States were Polled and that their was a mistake because we are all Un-intelligent/ Illiterate Hillbillies. Not the Elites of Hollywood and California and New York Socialist who all know what Americans want and need.
I was wondering why we'd had a spate of illegal migrant crossings in the English Channel and what
was causing the sudden reporting of the incidents.
It seemed silly that only now, during the parliamentary in-fighting, that the mainstream media were
flagging up the dangerous voyages from France and I just thought it was a journalistic trend to give
it some attention now.
The MSM started being reporting in November of last year and then seemed to stop just after January 2019.
Almost all were Iranians and by the articles printed, all of them were apprehended. The timing just didn't
make sense and the stupidity of the illegal invaders -that actually succeeded in reaching the British shores,
was puzzling.
Then this dubious tale emerged and even though it sounds like it comes straight out of a fictional
spy novel, is this really how clandestine security agencies go on?! The beginning scenes from
'Dark Knight Rises' comes to mind with a dumbed-down CIA catching a foreign scientist, but at least
they used an aeroplane!
Quote:MI6 spies 'smuggled a defecting Iranian nuclear scientist into the UK on a dinghy by using Channel migrant crisis as cover'
*The nuclear technician is thought to have hidden among other Iranian migrants
*The inflatable boat landed in Lydd, Kent, on New Year's Eve with 12 migrants
*Joint operation involved MI6, the CIA and Mossad, who hatched plan in October
*CIA and MI6 are keen to question the man about Iran's nuclear programme
'British spies smuggled an Iranian nuclear scientist to the UK across the English Channel on a dinghy after using the migrant crisis as cover, it has been claimed.
The 47-year-old man is thought to have hidden among other Iranians on an inflatable boat when making the crossing. The scientist travelled by 3,000 miles by land to the French coast near Calais after he was reportedly smuggled out of his homeland and into neighbouring Turkey by the Israeli secret service Mossad.
The Iranian scientist, who has information about Iran's nuclear programme and reportedly helped plan the 2012 assassination of Tehran's top nuclear expert Mostafa Ahmadi Roshan, arrived in Lydd, Kent, with 12 other migrants on New Year's Eve.
But MI6 faced a problem. They wanted to interview the scientist, and help him make his way on to America, but, unlike the US, Britain is still part of the nuclear Iran Deal.
Not wanting to jeopardize the deal by being seen to help a defector, MI6 decided on the unusual method of 'extraction' in a joint operation with Mossad and America's CIA.
'Once in France, the question of how to get him into Britain remained. We couldn't simply fly him in. Though unusual, it was determined infiltrating him into a group of fellow migrants preparing to cross the Channel by boat offered one solution.'
The plot, which was hatched in October, was complicated by President Donald Trump ending US support for the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action, which is aimed at preventing Iran from building nuclear weapons via an inspection regime and suspension of sanctions.
A source told the Sunday Express: 'This wasn't without its challenges. 'His absence was noted quickly and we were informed that a special unit of Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps had been dispatched. 'Once in France the question of how to get him into Britain remained.
'We couldn't simply fly him in. 'Though unusual, it was determined infiltrating him into a group of fellow migrants preparing to cross the Channel by boat offered one solution.'
MI6 interviewed the nuclear technician on Iran's nuclear plans before he was flown to America. For decades Western nations have been concerned about Iran's nuclear programme, accusing Tehran of seeking atomic weapons. Iran long has said its program is for peaceful purposes, but it faced years of crippling sanctions.
The 2015 nuclear deal Iran struck with world powers, including the U.S. under President Barack Obama, was aimed at relieving those fears. Trump, who campaigned on a promise to tear up the nuclear deal, said he ultimately pulled America out of the accord over Iran's ballistic missile programme and its malign influence on the wider Middle East...'
So basically, the security services of the United Kingdom are willingly-involved in smuggling people across a border
knowingly performing a criminal act. Even though America (I presume the Mail means the United States!) wanted
the Iranian scientist for purposes that we're not told, The Daily Mail happily reports that MI6 interviewed him before
putting him on a plane to the US.
Sheesh, an alleged scheme so sensitive on so many levels that it ends-up in The Daily Mail!
Now... what was that word Trump calls 'em?!
![[Image: 9678206-0-image-a-1_1549903064636.jpg]](https://i.dailymail.co.uk/1s/2019/02/11/16/9678206-0-image-a-1_1549903064636.jpg)
