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From StopTheDrugWar.Org 'Corrupt Cops' of the week reports

moose eater

Well-known member
https://stopthedrugwar.org/chronicle/2023/apr/27/weeks_corrupt_cops_stories


An Oklahoma cop ripped off both the department and his fellow officers, an Arizona prison guard takes the whole family along for a smuggling trip, and more.



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In Warner Robbins, Georgia, the entire drug unit of the Warner Robins Police Department was put on leave Monday as an investigation into allegations of misconduct unwinds. Houston County officials said they were notified of the allegations involving members of the Narcotics Investigation Unit, prompting the DA's office to begin the investigation. No details of the investigation have been released so far "due to this being a pending investigation," but any evidence of criminal misconduct will be referred to a county grand jury. The Georgia Bureau of Investigation is assisting with the investigation.


In Irvine, California, an Arizona prison guard was arrested last Friday after he got caught smuggling drugs with his wife and kids along for the ride. Fernando Urratiaguillen, 34, was arrested in Irvine after officers found 23 kilograms of methamphetamine and one kilogram of heroin inside the vehicle's gas tank on Tuesday. He also served as an Army National Guardsman. He is charged with with two felony counts of possession of a controlled substance with intent to sell, two counts of sale or transport of a controlled substance, two felony enhancements of a controlled substance in excess of 20 kilograms and two enhancements of possession of a substance exceeding one kilogram. At last report, he was still in jail with bail set at $3 million.

In Omaha, Nebraska, a former Omaha police officer was arrested Monday for allegedly helping two gangs move drugs, trading drugs for sex, and tipping off drug dealers to investigations. Johnny Palermo was arrested along with another Omaha police officer and a city council member. He is being held without bond because the federal judge said he cannot be trusted and is facing 15 felony counts, including multiple counts of wire fraud, conspiracy and abusing the public trust.

In Durant, Oklahoma, a former Durant police lieutenant was arrested Monday on charges he stole tens of thousands of dollars in seized drug money and in funds belonging to the Fraternal Order of Police (FOP). Billie Joe Jones, 47, allegedly made off with $67,000 in his role as a narcotics officer and pocketed another $37,000 in FOP funds over the four years he was at the department. He was the financial officer for the FOP. He went down, when, upon his retirement, the FOP became aware of "financial discrepancies" and alerted the police department, which then found seized drug money missing. He faces two counts of felony embezzlement. If convicted, he faces up to eight years in prison and a $10,000 fine on each count.

In Brooklyn, New York, a former New York City prison guard was sentenced Tuesday to a year and a day in federal prison for taking more than $34,000 in bribes in exchange for smuggling contraband including drugs and cell phones into the Rikers Island prison where she worked. Katrina Patterson went down after the Department of Corrections found cell phones and drugs in a prisoner's cell and recovered text messages incriminating her. She had earlier pleaded guilty to bribery.

Drug War Issues Police Corruption

***Edit: not all of the embedded links seem secure to my fairly skookum security system, so I'm posting entire articles here, rather than encouraging folks to use the embedded links.

If people wish to read the journal more directly, without the security notices I was receiving from their embedded links, plug stopthedrugwar.org into the browser's address/url bar, and click. I get no security notices when I do that.****
 
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moose eater

Well-known member
I've subscribed to this publication for decades.

I highly recommend them (Pun may or may not have been intended).

The 'Corrupt Cops' features have been a highlight for me for many years.

"Know thine enemy".
 

moose eater

Well-known member
This one is either corruption that had yet to be uncovered, or extreme stupidity:

Always a good cover for a dealer/cop; "We were just in the process of apprehending the suspect when.....(insert cover story of choice here)."

The rag I posted from also covers lots of weekly or monthly legalization news re. cannabis as well.

There were several articles in the publication this week from which the above article was taken.

But the Corrupt Cops Stories of the Week have always been my most cynically entertaining go-to.

And there have been some serious DOOZIES.
 

moose eater

Well-known member
Also from this week, I believe, re. the reintroduction of the Safe Banking Act that would allow folks in the legal cannabis realm to utilize commercial banks.

Home » Drug War Chronicle » Issue #1185

SAFE Banking Act Reintroduced in Both House and Senate [FEATURE]​

by psmith, April 27, 2023, 11:50pm, (Issue #1185)
Posted in:
The SAFE Banking Act is back. Bipartisan legislation to increase public safety through statutorily authorizing state-legal marijuana businesses access to the financial sector was reintroduced in both the House and the Senate on Thursday.

US_Capitol_west_side%20wikip_56.JPG

Reps. Earl Blumenauer (D-OR) and Dave Joyce (R-OH) and Sens. Jeff Merkley (D-OR) and Steve Daines (R-MT) are the lead sponsors of the Secure and Fair Enforcement (SAFE) Banking Act of 2023, which also has more than three dozen cosponsors in the Senate.

The bill addresses the inconsistent and costly access that state-legal medical and recreational marijuana businesses contend with as a result of marijuana's continuing illegality under federal law. Because pot is still federally illegal, banks fear they could run afoul of regulators or even prosecutors under the complex anti-money laundering rules in place for controlled substances. SAFE Banking would bar federal banking regulators from:
  • Prohibiting, penalizing or discouraging a bank from providing financial services to a legitimate state-sanctioned and regulated cannabis business, or an associated business (such as a lawyer or landlord providing services to a legal cannabis business);
  • Terminating or limiting a bank's federal deposit insurance primarily because the bank is providing services to a state-sanctioned cannabis business or associated business;
  • Recommending or incentivizing a bank to halt or downgrade providing any kind of banking services to these businesses; or
  • Taking any action on a loan to an owner or operator of a cannabis-related business.
This legislation would also create a safe harbor from criminal prosecution and liability and asset forfeiture for banks and their officers and employees who provide financial services to state-sanctioned cannabis businesses, while maintaining banks' right to choose not to offer those services. The bill also provides protections for hemp and hemp-derived cannabidiol (CBD) related businesses.
For the first time, it explicitly extends the safe harbor to Community Development Financial Institutions (CDFI) and Minority Depository Institutions (MDI). CDFIs and MDIs support underserved communities who face challenges in accessing capital and provide affordable access to financial services.
"This legislation will save lives and livelihoods. It is past time that Congress addresses the irrational, unfair, and unsafe prohibition of basic banking services to state-legal cannabis businesses," said Rep. Blumenauer, founder and co-chair of the Congressional Cannabis Caucus. "The House has passed the SAFE Banking Act on a bipartisan basis seven times. I am delighted that the Senate is joining us in making it a priority."
Last year, much to the ire of the marijuana industry, although the House indeed repeatedly passed the measure, it was stalled in the Senate by Majority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-NY) and Sen. Cory Booker (D-NJ), who were holding out for a full-blown marijuana legalization bill or other broad reform measures. By the time they realized they did not have the votes for legalization and were ready to move the bill in the Senate, Minority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-KY) was in a position to kill it -- and did so.
"Forcing legal businesses to operate in all-cash is dangerous for our communities; it's an open invitation to robbery, money laundering, and organized crime -- and it's way past time to fix it," said Senator Merkley. "For the first time, we have a path for SAFE Banking to move through the Senate Banking Committee and get a vote on the floor of the Senate. Let's make 2023 the year that we get this bill signed into law so we can ensure that all legal cannabis businesses have access to the financial services they need to help keep their employees, their businesses, and their communities safe."
(Regarding the dangerousness of forcing pot businesses to deal in cash, see the report from StoptheDrugWar.org Executive Director David Borden, Dangerous Delays: What Washington State (Re)Teaches Us About Cash and Cannabis Store Robberies.)
"As it stands, the federal government has denied state-legal cannabis companies the same access to financial services as every other legal business across the Buckeye State and our country," said Rep. Joyce, co-chair of the Congressional Cannabis Caucus. "Not only does this distort the market in a growing industry, but it also forces businesses to operate in all cash, making them and their employees sitting ducks for violent robberies. The bipartisan SAFE Banking Act will allow cannabis businesses to operate legally without fear of punishment by federal regulators, making our communities safer."
Splits in the drug reform community last year over whether to support the SAFE Banking Act or hold out for a "SAFE Plus" or legalization bill with social equity components appear to have abated somewhat. The Drug Policy Alliance (DPA), which had been in the latter camp previously, is not endorsing the bill, but is not opposing it either, citing strengthened data collection among other provisions in the new version.
"The improvements to the study and data collection provisions in the SAFE Banking Act are a welcome addition to the bill," said Maria Perez Medina, DPA Director of the Office of Federal Affairs. "These minor modifications to the bill will ensure that timely and more comprehensive data collection takes place to measure whether banking services are being provided in a fair way. While there remains much more work to be done and we remain neutral on the legislation, the changes are an encouraging sign that the bill is headed in the right direction," she added.
"As this legislation moves forward, more should be done to lessen the barriers to entry small marijuana businesses face in obtaining commercial lending. Without this, it remains impossible for them to compete with large, multi-state operators," Perez Medina continued. "As such, we look forward to continuing working with stakeholders to improve this bill in a way that most benefits the communities that have been disproportionately impacted by prohibition."
And while the National Organization for the Reform of Marijuana Laws (NORML) naturally wants legalization, it has consistently supported SAFE as well, and continues to.
"If cannabis businesses are to have any hope of operating safely, transparently, and in a manner that is competitive with the existing underground market, Congress must pass SAFE Banking now," said NORML Political Director Morgan Fox. "It is irresponsible to shut this heavily regulated industry out of the US financial system. Every day that Congress fails to act further endangers small businesses and consumers, puts regulators and law enforcement at a disadvantage, and facilitates the activities of unlicensed operators and criminal organizations."
Now, let's see if this thing can pass Congress this year.
 

moose eater

Well-known member

Singapore Hangs Man for Two Pounds of Weed, CO Senate Passes Psychedelic Regulation Bill, More... (4/26/23)​

by psmith, April 26, 2023, 05:01pm, (Issue #1185)
Posted in:
A bipartisan bill addressing xylazine gets filed, Texas Republican senators block a fentanyl test strip bill, and more.

fentanyl_strip_2_2.jpg

Fentanyl test strips. Texas GOP senators are blocking a bill to decriminalize them. (Creative Commons)
Psychedelics

Colorado Senate Advances Psychedelic Regulation Bill Without Local Ban Authority. The Senate on Tuesday approved Senate Bill 23-290, which amends the regulatory framework created by the voter-approved Natural Medicine Act. The bill creates regulations for unlicensed psychedelic facilitators, restrictions on home mushroom and natural medicine cultivation, and criminal penalties for the unlicensed sale of those substances. Under the bill, the Department of Revenue, which already oversees the state's liquor, marijuana, and gambling industries, would regulate licensed psychedelic manufacturing, distribution, and other business activities. The bill does not include language allowing local governments to ban psychedelic businesses. The bill now goes to the House, where it first heads to the House Finance Committee.
Drug Policy
Senators Cruz and Welch File Bill Targeting Xylazine. Senators Ted Cruz (R-TX) and Peter Welch (D-VT) on Wednesday filed the Testing, Rapid Analysis, and Narcotic Quality (TRANQ) Research Act to address the rapid rise of the veterinary tranquilizer as a drug used in conjunction with street narcotics. The Office of National Drug Control Strategy (ONDCP -- the drug czar's office) designated xylazine mixed with fentanyl as an "emerging threat" earlier this month.
While xylazine has some opioid-like properties, it is not an opioid and is not responsive to opioid overdose reversal drugs. It is also linked to physical ailments such as necrosis, which can result in the loss of limbs.
The TRANQ Research Act "directs the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) to take steps to enhance understanding of tranq and other novel synthetic drugs, develop new tests for detection, and establish partnerships with front-line entities that are often the first points of contact with new street drugs." It does not contain any criminal provisions. Companion legislation has also been filed in the House.
Harm Reduction
Texas Fentanyl Test Strip Decriminalization Bill Stalled in Senate. Even as the state faces a fentanyl overdose crisis, Senate Republicans are blocking action on a bill to decriminalize fentanyl test strips, House Bill 362, that has already passed the House. Senate Criminal Justice Committee Chairman Sen. John Whitmire (D-Houston) said Republican members of the committee fear that the move will encourage drug use. "It's just illogical, but there's a belief by some members that it might safeguard the use," he said Tuesday. Gov. Greg Abbott (R) supports the legislation, and the legislative session still has a few more weeks left, so supporters continue to hope it can still pass this year.
International
Singapore Ignores International Appeals, Executes Man for Two Pounds of Marijuana. Singapore hung Tangaraju Suppiah, 46, on Wednesday after he was convicted of conspiring to traffic two pounds of marijuana. The execution came despite an international campaign to spare his life, including an appeal from the UN Human Rights Commission and another from Global Drug Policy Commission member Richard Branson. While many other countries, including some of Singapore's neighbors are moving towards a more lenient approach to drugs and rejecting the death penalty, Singapore remains unmoved. "Tangaraju was accorded full due process under the law and had access to legal counsel throughout the process," the Central Narcotics Bureau said, adding without a hint of irony that the death penalty is "part of Singapore's comprehensive harm prevention strategy."
 
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