Note: has anyone ever mentioned corruption on this side of the border?
ICE officer in Arizona faces drug charges after chase
Oct. 19, 2011 11:39 AM
Associated Press
http://www.azcentral.com/news/articles/2011/10/19/20111019arizona-ice-
officer-drug-smuggling-charges-and-chase.html
A deportation officer with U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement
led Arizona state police and federal agents on a high-speed chase in
his government vehicle, throwing bundles of marijuana out of the
window as he fled, the Department of Public Safety said Wednesday.
The deportation officer, whose name has not been released, had been
under surveillance for more than month after a known smuggler who had
been arrested gave authorities a tip about the officer in an effort
to get lenient treatment, DPS Officer Carrick Cook told the
Associated Press.
When DPS and federal agents tried to pull the officer over Tuesday
after he picked up a load of marijuana in the desert with his
unmarked ICE pickup truck, the officer fled, leading agents on a 45-
minute chase at speeds of up to 110 mph as he threw 10 of the 14
bundles of pot that he had in the truck out of the window, Cook said.
"He got pretty desperate," Cook said.
The chase ended when the officer's vehicle rolled over and he gave
himself up. He was booked into Pima County jail on charges of
smuggling and felony flight.
DPS has not released his name, citing sensitivity because of their
partnership with federal authorities.
ICE spokesman Vinnie Picard also declined to release the officer's name.
"ICE is cooperating with federal and state authorities in this
matter," Picard said in a statement. "We hold our officers and agents
to the highest levels of responsibility and are committed to
supporting the agencies investigating this incident."
Note: the inevitable link to the SDNM?
APNewsBreak: ICE officer arrested in pot smuggling
Associated Press | Posted: Wednesday, October 19, 2011 1:01 pm |
Comments
http://azstarnet.com/news/state-and-regional/article_e50d4926-
d1c0-56ea-84c6-2fe8853e5f94.html
A deportation officer with U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement
led Arizona state police and federal agents on a high-speed desert
chase in his government vehicle, throwing bundles of marijuana out of
the window as he fled, the Department of Public Safety said Wednesday.
The deportation officer, identified as Jason Alistair Lowery, 34, had
been under surveillance for more than month after a known smuggler
who had been arrested gave authorities a tip about the officer in an
effort to get lenient treatment, Department of Public Safety Officer
Carrick Cook told The Associated Press.
Lowery, who lives in the Phoenix suburb of Chandler, does not yet
have an attorney.
DPS and federal agents tried to pull Lowery over Tuesday after he
picked up a load of marijuana in the desert with his unmarked ICE
pickup truck, Cook said. The officer fled, leading agents on a 45-
minute chase at speeds of up to 110 mph as he threw 10 of the 14
bundles of pot that he had in the truck out of the window, he said.
"He got pretty desperate," Cook said.
The chase began in the Vekol Valley about 45 miles south of Phoenix
and ended just south of Sacaton, about 20 miles as the crow flies
northwest from where the chase began. It ended when Lowery's truck
rolled over and he gave himself up.
DPS believes Lowery was taking the marijuana to a man working for a
drug cartel whose house served as the nexus of the drug distribution.
Lowery was booked into Pinal County jail on charges of smuggling and
felony flight and was turned over to ICE custody Wednesday morning.
The sheriff's office also booked the man who was to receive the
marijuana, identified as 33-year-old Joshua Duane Powell of Arizona
City.
At Powell's home, police found 14 rifles and guns in the trunk of his
car, seven of which had been reported stolen, according to a DPS
document.
The document also said that Powell had been out on a $25,000 bond
stemming from a separate investigation last month in which multiple
bulletproof vests, weapons, stolen night-vision equipment, hundreds
of rounds of ammunition and various drugs were found in his home.
"Since his release only a few weeks ago, (Powell) has amassed a small
arsenal of weapons and has proven to continue involvement in the
illicit drug trade," the document said.
Powell does not yet have an attorney and he has declined interview
requests from the news media.
ICE spokesman Vinnie Picard declined to say how long that Lowery had
worked for the agency or other details about him or the case.
"ICE is cooperating with federal and state authorities in this
matter," Picard said in a statement. "We hold our officers and agents
to the highest levels of responsibility and are committed to
supporting the agencies investigating this incident."
No comments:
Post a Comment