AZMEX F&F EXTRA 29 JAN 2015
Federal judge blasts DOJ lawyers in case of ATF whistle-blower
By William La Jeunesse, Maxim Lott
Published January 29, 2015FoxNews.com
http://www.foxnews.com/politics/2015/01/29/federal-judge-blasts-doj-lawyers-in-case-fast-furious-whistleblower/?intcmp=latestnews
Jay Dobyns is suing the Department of Justice, claiming it retaliated against him and damaged his reputation after he blew the whistle on the ATF's treatment of agents. (Fox Business News)
A federal judge angrily accused Justice Department attorneys in newly unsealed documents of "fraud upon the court" by intimidating a witness in a case involving a former Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives agent who alleges the agency trashed his reputation.
Judge Francis Allegra, who was appointed to the U.S. Court of Federal Claims in 1998 by President Bill Clinton, is presiding over a suit brought by former ATF agent Jay Dobyns against the government agency, which he claims retaliated against him and damaged his reputation. Dobyns infiltrated Hell's Angels and worked on cases involving the Aryan Brotherhood and MS-13 during his law enforcement career.
, In a newly unsealed, Dec. 1, 2014, court ruling that legal experts said was highly unusual, Allegra accused seven Justice Department lawyers of "fraud upon the court, banned them from making any further filings in the case and took the unusual step of directly notifying Attorney General Eric Holder.
"In 40 years of legal practice, government and private, I've never seen that done," said David Hardy, a constitutional law expert who formerly worked in the U.S. Solicitor General's Office.
" ... a federal judge is basically questioning your candor with your court -- it's exceedingly serious."
- Thomas Dupree, former DOJ official
Allegra said the government attorneys may have intimidated a witness and charged that seven of them may have kept illegal behavior secret from the court.
The controversy began after someone burned down the home of Dobyns. Dobyns claimed the ATF failed to protect his family, but the agency claimed Dobyns burned down his own home, a charge he denied. Dobyns then sued the ATF in U.S. Federal Claims Court for damaging his reputation and retaliation.
That's when Justice Department lawyers got involved. In the ruling from last month, Allegra found a key witness in the trial said he was threatened by another ATF agent – and that ATF lawyers told the threatened agent not to tell the judge about it.
US Court of Federal Claims Judge Francis Allegra basted Justice Department lawyers in a recently unsealed ruling made last month.
"[ATF lawyers] ordered the agent in question not to communicate the threat to the court and stated that there would be repercussions if the agent did not follow counsel's instructions," Judge Allegra said in his ruling.
The judge also noted that a tape recording indicates that multiple DOJ lawyers knew about misconduct and did not inform the judge.
"It's a huge issue. Look, a lawyer's stock and trade is his or her integrity, and to have a situation where a federal judge is basically questioning your candor with your court -- it's exceedingly serious," Thomas Dupree, a partner at the prestigious law firm Gibson, Dunn & Crutcher and a former DOJ official from 2007 to 2009, told FoxNews.com.
Allegra's ruling also documents other alleged wrongdoing. When Tom Atteberry, new ATF Agent in Charge of the Phoenix office, tried to reopen Dobyns' arson case, Justice Department attorney Valerie Baker told him not to because it would damage her defense against Dobyns. Atteberry was a witnesses in the case, but the judge didn't hear about the DOJ effort to silence him until trial. Allegra ruled that the DOJ action may amount to 'fraud upon the court."
"It's very, very serious," said Dupree. "Judges don't make allegations like this cavalierly. It's only after they have looked at the evidence and they have deep concerns that something that is not quite right. This is not by any means a run-of-the-mill, routine order."
Last summer, Judge Allegra awarded Dobyns $173,000 in damages and rebuked the ATF for failing to adequately protect Dobyns and his family. The Justice Department appealed that ruling, but in another highly unusual move, Allegra successfully had the case remanded to his court, so he can pursue the seven government lawyers for concealing evidence. Recently unsealed documents obtained by FoxNews.com show that the DOJ disagrees with Allegra's decision to keep the lawyers out of his court.
"[The order] limits the attorney general's authority to select counsel to represent the United States," a legal filing by Acting Assistant Attorney General Joyce R. Branda from Jan. 5 reads.
She added: "We are prepared to move forward with the… proceedings at the Court's convenience."
The judge also sent evidence of the alleged malpractice to the DOJ's Office of Professional Responsibility, which initially opened an investigation. However, legal filings show that the agency soon suspended its investigation, saying it would wait to hear what Judge Allegra finds.
Dobyns' lawyer said that seemed odd given that Judge Allegra had specifically asked DOJ to investigate.
"He asked OPR to investigate these matters," James Reed, Dobyns' attorney, told FoxNews.com. "In nearly a quarter-century practicing law I've never come close to seeing anything like this," he said.
The judge took the unusual step of writing Attorney General Eric Holder directly. (AP)
Others, such as former ATF agents, said they were not surprised given their experience with the agency.
"It is atrocious. If they can do this to a highly decorated federal agent, imagine what they can do to the average Joe," said Vince Cefalu, a former agent who helped expose the Operation Fast and Furious scandal and who successfully sued the ATF for retaliating against him.
The ATF declined to comment on the case. Fox News also asked Attorney General Eric Holder if the lawyers involved had been disciplined. The Department of Justice declined to comment.
Blogger David Codrea, one of the first to discover the unsealed documents, said it shows "a pattern of institutional corruption and arrogance that gets its tone set from the top."
Maxim Lott is a Fox News Channel producer and can be reached at maximlott.com or maxim.lott@foxnews.com
William La Jeunesse joined FOX News Channel (FNC) in March 1998 and currently serves as a Los Angeles-based correspondent.
Thursday, January 29, 2015
Wednesday, January 28, 2015
AZMEX SUPER SPECIAL 28-1-15
AZMEX SUPER SPECIAL 28 JAN 2015
Note: sleep well tonight, if you have a ticket.
Customs and Border Protection to enforce No Fly Zone
Posted: Jan 28, 2015 4:31 PM MST
Updated: Jan 28, 2015 4:31 PM MST
By John Hook, FOX 10 NewsCONNECT
http://www.fox10phoenix.com/story/27966795/2015/01/28/customs-and-border-protection-to-enforce-no-fly-zone
SUPER BOWL 49
GLENDALE, Ariz. - Protecting the Super Bowl is a big task, so how do authorities protect the big game from the air?
It's a menacing machine, a UH-60 Blackhawk Helicopter operated by the U.S. Customs and Border Protection. We climbed aboard to find out what the crew is looking for and how they will protect fans at the Super Bowl.
"We're able to provide a good security blanket of what is going on around the area," said an agent.
CBP has dedicated 100 people, 7 helicopters, and 3 fixed wing aircraft to the Super Bowl. They will work with local and federal authorities enforcing a 30 mile "No Fly Zone" around the University of Phoenix Stadium.
Aside from protecting the skies, the crew of four can be pressed into action in the case of emergency.
"We're here to enforce the flight restrictions, but we also have a lot of different agencies out here, federal and state so if any kind of emergency were to happen we would be able to assist and respond," said an agent.
If an aircraft gets within 10 miles of the Super Bowl, a team of F-16's over the valley are prepared to shoot down any aircraft they deem as an imminent threat.
END
CBP agents use x-ray machine to secure Super Bowl
Posted: Jan 28, 2015 3:15 PM MST
Updated: Jan 28, 2015 4:21 PM MST
By John Hook, FOX 10 NewsCONNECT
http://www.fox10phoenix.com/story/27966114/2015/01/28/cbp-agents-use-x-ray-machine-to-secure-super-bowl
PHOENIX (KSAZ) - Think of the massive security headache going through every truck hauling stuff into Super Bowl 49.
FOX 10 found out the secret to speeding that up.
How do you secure Super Bowl 49 with hundreds and hundreds of huge semi-truck's rolling in and out. Customs and Border Protection is on the job.
"Anti-terrorism is something we deal with every single day and they will bring that expertise to the Super Bowl," said Gil Kerlikowske, CBP Commissioner.
A massive x-ray machine makes sure trucks are carrying food and goods and not bombs. The machine looks more like a section of a car wash.
CBP lines up the semi trucks from end to end, more than half a mile at a time. They then roll by while authorities peer inside.
FOX 10 asked the comissioner if the Paris attacks brought a heightened state of security. "I would say that," said Kerlikowske.
The technology used at the Super Bowl is the same used every day at the Ports of Entry along with the Arizona-Mexico border where agents look for illegal entrants and drugs. The technolgy can determine if something dangerous is on board.
"People in the United States are very concerned, we want them to have a level of trust and confidence that you've got a lot of people out here that are working hard to make sure this event goes off without a hitch," he said.
Some of the trucks are asked to unload all of their cargo before being cleared to go in. And you might wonder why not roll trucks through a stationary x-ray machine? Officials say the radiation is too powerful and dangerous for the driver, so they park the trucks end to end, get the drivers out, and roll the x-ray machine over them.
END
Note: sleep well tonight, if you have a ticket.
Customs and Border Protection to enforce No Fly Zone
Posted: Jan 28, 2015 4:31 PM MST
Updated: Jan 28, 2015 4:31 PM MST
By John Hook, FOX 10 NewsCONNECT
http://www.fox10phoenix.com/story/27966795/2015/01/28/customs-and-border-protection-to-enforce-no-fly-zone
SUPER BOWL 49
GLENDALE, Ariz. - Protecting the Super Bowl is a big task, so how do authorities protect the big game from the air?
It's a menacing machine, a UH-60 Blackhawk Helicopter operated by the U.S. Customs and Border Protection. We climbed aboard to find out what the crew is looking for and how they will protect fans at the Super Bowl.
"We're able to provide a good security blanket of what is going on around the area," said an agent.
CBP has dedicated 100 people, 7 helicopters, and 3 fixed wing aircraft to the Super Bowl. They will work with local and federal authorities enforcing a 30 mile "No Fly Zone" around the University of Phoenix Stadium.
Aside from protecting the skies, the crew of four can be pressed into action in the case of emergency.
"We're here to enforce the flight restrictions, but we also have a lot of different agencies out here, federal and state so if any kind of emergency were to happen we would be able to assist and respond," said an agent.
If an aircraft gets within 10 miles of the Super Bowl, a team of F-16's over the valley are prepared to shoot down any aircraft they deem as an imminent threat.
END
CBP agents use x-ray machine to secure Super Bowl
Posted: Jan 28, 2015 3:15 PM MST
Updated: Jan 28, 2015 4:21 PM MST
By John Hook, FOX 10 NewsCONNECT
http://www.fox10phoenix.com/story/27966114/2015/01/28/cbp-agents-use-x-ray-machine-to-secure-super-bowl
PHOENIX (KSAZ) - Think of the massive security headache going through every truck hauling stuff into Super Bowl 49.
FOX 10 found out the secret to speeding that up.
How do you secure Super Bowl 49 with hundreds and hundreds of huge semi-truck's rolling in and out. Customs and Border Protection is on the job.
"Anti-terrorism is something we deal with every single day and they will bring that expertise to the Super Bowl," said Gil Kerlikowske, CBP Commissioner.
A massive x-ray machine makes sure trucks are carrying food and goods and not bombs. The machine looks more like a section of a car wash.
CBP lines up the semi trucks from end to end, more than half a mile at a time. They then roll by while authorities peer inside.
FOX 10 asked the comissioner if the Paris attacks brought a heightened state of security. "I would say that," said Kerlikowske.
The technology used at the Super Bowl is the same used every day at the Ports of Entry along with the Arizona-Mexico border where agents look for illegal entrants and drugs. The technolgy can determine if something dangerous is on board.
"People in the United States are very concerned, we want them to have a level of trust and confidence that you've got a lot of people out here that are working hard to make sure this event goes off without a hitch," he said.
Some of the trucks are asked to unload all of their cargo before being cleared to go in. And you might wonder why not roll trucks through a stationary x-ray machine? Officials say the radiation is too powerful and dangerous for the driver, so they park the trucks end to end, get the drivers out, and roll the x-ray machine over them.
END
AZMEX I3 28-1-15
AZMEX I3 28 JAN 2015
Note: No response yet from NAFBPO or Local 2544
Jan 28, 11:51 AM EST
Govt tells agents to ID which immigrants not to deport
By ALICIA A. CALDWELL
Associated Press
http://customwire.ap.org/dynamic/stories/U/US_IMMIGRATION_OVERLOAD?SITE=AZCAS&SECTION=HOME&TEMPLATE=DEFAULT&CTIME=2015-01-28-11-51-47
WASHINGTON (AP) -- The Obama administration has ordered immigration agents to ask immigrants they encounter living in the country illegally whether they might qualify under President Barack Obama's plans to avoid deporting them, according to internal training materials obtained by The Associated Press.
Agents also have been told to review government files to identify any jailed immigrants they might be able to release under the program.
The directives from the Homeland Security Department mark an unusual change for U.S. immigration enforcement, placing the obligation on the government for identifying immigrants who might qualify for lenient treatment. Previously, it was the responsibility of immigrants or their lawyers to assert that they might qualify under rules that could keep them out of jail and inside the United States.
It's akin to the Internal Revenue Service calling taxpayers to recommend they should have used certain exemptions or deductions.
The training materials apply to agents for Customs and Border Protection and Immigration and Customs Enforcement. They instruct agents "to immediately begin identifying persons in their custody, as well as newly encountered persons" who may be eligible for protection from deportation.
One training document includes scenarios describing encounters between agents and immigrants with guidance about how agents should proceed, with a checklist of questions to determine whether immigrants might qualify under the president's plans. ICE officials earlier began releasing immigrants who qualified for leniency from federal immigration jails.
Obama in November announced a program to allow roughly 4 million parents of U.S. citizens and legal permanent residents to apply for permission to stay in the country for up to three years and get a work permit. The program mirrors one announced in 2012 that provides protection from deportation for young immigrants brought to the country as children.
CBP Commissioner Gil Kerlikowske said having his agents ask questions about whether an immigrant might qualify for leniency upfront saves time and money and "let's us use our resources, particularly the Border Patrol, for the people who are going to be at the highest level."
Immigrants caught crossing the border remain a top enforcement priority.
Crystal Williams, executive director for the American Immigration Lawyers Association in Washington, said the training will help filter people the government said should not be a priority anyway. She said the training marked the first she has heard of officers being directed to screen immigrants for potential leniency before they were arrested.
"Just because it's a change doesn't mean it's anything particularly radical," Williams said.
Rep. Luis Gutierrez, an Illinois Democrat and vocal supporter of Obama's immigration plans, said having CBP officers screen immigrants out of the deportation line lets the government "move criminals and recent arrivals to the front of the deportation line. The emphasis now is on who should be deported first, not just who can be deported."
A former deputy assistant attorney general in the Justice Department, John Malcolm, said the new instructions limit immigration agents.
"Agents are being discouraged away from anything other than a cursory view" of an immigrant's status and qualification for leniency, said Malcolm, who works as a senior legal fellow at the conservative Heritage Foundation think tank in Washington.
Under Obama's plans, the government is focused on deporting immigrants with serious criminal records or who otherwise pose a threat to national security or public safety. For the most part, under the new policy, immigrants whose only offense is being in the country without permission aren't supposed to be a priority for immigration officers.
While the administration has estimated that as many as 4 million people will be eligible for protection from deportation, the Congressional Budget Office estimated about 2 million to 2.5 million immigrants are expected to be approved for the program by 2017. As many as 1.7 million young immigrants were estimated to be eligible for the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals program, but since its 2012 creation only about 610,000 people have successfully signed up.
Associated Press writer Christopher Sherman in Mexico City contributed to this report.
Follow Alicia A. Caldwell on Twitter at http://www.twitter.com/acaldwellap
Note: No response yet from NAFBPO or Local 2544
Jan 28, 11:51 AM EST
Govt tells agents to ID which immigrants not to deport
By ALICIA A. CALDWELL
Associated Press
http://customwire.ap.org/dynamic/stories/U/US_IMMIGRATION_OVERLOAD?SITE=AZCAS&SECTION=HOME&TEMPLATE=DEFAULT&CTIME=2015-01-28-11-51-47
WASHINGTON (AP) -- The Obama administration has ordered immigration agents to ask immigrants they encounter living in the country illegally whether they might qualify under President Barack Obama's plans to avoid deporting them, according to internal training materials obtained by The Associated Press.
Agents also have been told to review government files to identify any jailed immigrants they might be able to release under the program.
The directives from the Homeland Security Department mark an unusual change for U.S. immigration enforcement, placing the obligation on the government for identifying immigrants who might qualify for lenient treatment. Previously, it was the responsibility of immigrants or their lawyers to assert that they might qualify under rules that could keep them out of jail and inside the United States.
It's akin to the Internal Revenue Service calling taxpayers to recommend they should have used certain exemptions or deductions.
The training materials apply to agents for Customs and Border Protection and Immigration and Customs Enforcement. They instruct agents "to immediately begin identifying persons in their custody, as well as newly encountered persons" who may be eligible for protection from deportation.
One training document includes scenarios describing encounters between agents and immigrants with guidance about how agents should proceed, with a checklist of questions to determine whether immigrants might qualify under the president's plans. ICE officials earlier began releasing immigrants who qualified for leniency from federal immigration jails.
Obama in November announced a program to allow roughly 4 million parents of U.S. citizens and legal permanent residents to apply for permission to stay in the country for up to three years and get a work permit. The program mirrors one announced in 2012 that provides protection from deportation for young immigrants brought to the country as children.
CBP Commissioner Gil Kerlikowske said having his agents ask questions about whether an immigrant might qualify for leniency upfront saves time and money and "let's us use our resources, particularly the Border Patrol, for the people who are going to be at the highest level."
Immigrants caught crossing the border remain a top enforcement priority.
Crystal Williams, executive director for the American Immigration Lawyers Association in Washington, said the training will help filter people the government said should not be a priority anyway. She said the training marked the first she has heard of officers being directed to screen immigrants for potential leniency before they were arrested.
"Just because it's a change doesn't mean it's anything particularly radical," Williams said.
Rep. Luis Gutierrez, an Illinois Democrat and vocal supporter of Obama's immigration plans, said having CBP officers screen immigrants out of the deportation line lets the government "move criminals and recent arrivals to the front of the deportation line. The emphasis now is on who should be deported first, not just who can be deported."
A former deputy assistant attorney general in the Justice Department, John Malcolm, said the new instructions limit immigration agents.
"Agents are being discouraged away from anything other than a cursory view" of an immigrant's status and qualification for leniency, said Malcolm, who works as a senior legal fellow at the conservative Heritage Foundation think tank in Washington.
Under Obama's plans, the government is focused on deporting immigrants with serious criminal records or who otherwise pose a threat to national security or public safety. For the most part, under the new policy, immigrants whose only offense is being in the country without permission aren't supposed to be a priority for immigration officers.
While the administration has estimated that as many as 4 million people will be eligible for protection from deportation, the Congressional Budget Office estimated about 2 million to 2.5 million immigrants are expected to be approved for the program by 2017. As many as 1.7 million young immigrants were estimated to be eligible for the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals program, but since its 2012 creation only about 610,000 people have successfully signed up.
Associated Press writer Christopher Sherman in Mexico City contributed to this report.
Follow Alicia A. Caldwell on Twitter at http://www.twitter.com/acaldwellap
AZMEX UPDATE 27-1-15
AZMEX UPDATE 27 JAN 2015
Note: Have to wonder how he came up with the 10K bond? Among other things.
BTW, persons in the country illegally are prohibited from possessing firearms under both state and federal laws.
Immigrant accused of killing store clerk over cigarettes was out on bond
azfamily.com
Posted on January 27, 2015 at 2:01 PM
Video shows killing of Mesa QuikTrip employee over cigarettes
Employee killed in shooting at Mesa QuikTrip
PHOENIX (AP) -- Federal authorities say an immigrant accused of killing a Phoenix-area convenience store clerk over a pack of cigarettes was out on bond and awaiting deportation hearings.
Apolinar Altamirano, 29, pleaded guilty in 2012 to a burglary charge but did not serve time in prison. U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement took Altamirano into custody on Jan. 3, 2013, after learning of his conviction in Maricopa County in Arizona. But after reviewing his case, ICE found he was eligible for bond, a spokeswoman said in a statement issued Monday.
"After reviewing his immigration and criminal history, which showed only this conviction, ICE determined that under applicable law Mr. Altamirano was eligible for bond. Mr. Altamirano posted a $10,000 bond on January 7, 2013. Mr. Altamirano's removal case was still pending with the immigration courts at the time of his most recent arrest," the statement said.
Altamirano was free on bond when two injunctions against harassment were issued against him in the Phoenix suburb of Mesa. An injunction against harassment is similar to a protection order.
In one order, a woman accused Altamirano of threatening to kill her several times and of pointing a gun at her boyfriend. The last order was issued against Altamirano on Jan. 14.
Altamirano is now facing a first-degree murder charge, among others, after the shooting death of 21-year-old Grant Ronnebeck last week.
Police say the suspect dumped change on the counter from a jar to pay for cigarettes while repeatedly telling Ronnebeck, "You're not gonna give me my cigarettes." Then, the assailant pulled out a gun and repeated the same statement - even as Ronnebeck tried to hand him a pack - before opening fire.
The victim was shot in the face.
Altamirano was arrested after a pursuit across much of the Phoenix area that ended with a crash.
In arguing against bail, the prosecutor cited the fact that the suspect is in the country illegally and has a criminal record.
Police searched his car after the killing and found a 9 mm handgun, two packs of Marlboros and several casings of ammunition.
Read more: http://www.azfamily.com/news/Immigrant-accused-of-killing-store-clerk-was-out-on-bond-289971271.html#ixzz3Q3eR9jHa
Note: Have to wonder how he came up with the 10K bond? Among other things.
BTW, persons in the country illegally are prohibited from possessing firearms under both state and federal laws.
Immigrant accused of killing store clerk over cigarettes was out on bond
azfamily.com
Posted on January 27, 2015 at 2:01 PM
Video shows killing of Mesa QuikTrip employee over cigarettes
Employee killed in shooting at Mesa QuikTrip
PHOENIX (AP) -- Federal authorities say an immigrant accused of killing a Phoenix-area convenience store clerk over a pack of cigarettes was out on bond and awaiting deportation hearings.
Apolinar Altamirano, 29, pleaded guilty in 2012 to a burglary charge but did not serve time in prison. U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement took Altamirano into custody on Jan. 3, 2013, after learning of his conviction in Maricopa County in Arizona. But after reviewing his case, ICE found he was eligible for bond, a spokeswoman said in a statement issued Monday.
"After reviewing his immigration and criminal history, which showed only this conviction, ICE determined that under applicable law Mr. Altamirano was eligible for bond. Mr. Altamirano posted a $10,000 bond on January 7, 2013. Mr. Altamirano's removal case was still pending with the immigration courts at the time of his most recent arrest," the statement said.
Altamirano was free on bond when two injunctions against harassment were issued against him in the Phoenix suburb of Mesa. An injunction against harassment is similar to a protection order.
In one order, a woman accused Altamirano of threatening to kill her several times and of pointing a gun at her boyfriend. The last order was issued against Altamirano on Jan. 14.
Altamirano is now facing a first-degree murder charge, among others, after the shooting death of 21-year-old Grant Ronnebeck last week.
Police say the suspect dumped change on the counter from a jar to pay for cigarettes while repeatedly telling Ronnebeck, "You're not gonna give me my cigarettes." Then, the assailant pulled out a gun and repeated the same statement - even as Ronnebeck tried to hand him a pack - before opening fire.
The victim was shot in the face.
Altamirano was arrested after a pursuit across much of the Phoenix area that ended with a crash.
In arguing against bail, the prosecutor cited the fact that the suspect is in the country illegally and has a criminal record.
Police searched his car after the killing and found a 9 mm handgun, two packs of Marlboros and several casings of ammunition.
Read more: http://www.azfamily.com/news/Immigrant-accused-of-killing-store-clerk-was-out-on-bond-289971271.html#ixzz3Q3eR9jHa
Monday, January 26, 2015
AZMEX UPDATE 26-1-15
AZMEX UPDATE 26 JAN 2015
Note: "The helicopters and X-ray machines are from Tucson and Nogales, some of the busiest spots in the nation for the smuggling of drugs and immigrants." Anywhere BUT the border? There is no doubt the we have a corrupt federal government, but this is really bad.
A lowly citizen might think the NFL could afford it's own or rent security.
Border Protection lends a hand for Super Bowl security
A U.S. Customs and Border Protection Black Hawk helicopter flies above University of Phoenix Stadium, site of the NFL Super Bowl XLIX football game, for a security demonstration for the media Monday, Jan. 26, 2015, in Glendale, Ariz. The Black Hawk helicopters and truck-sized X-ray machines have been brought to the Super Bowl venue to assist with the security effort. (AP Photo/Ross D. Franklin)
by Astrid Galvan / Associated Press
azfamily.com
Posted on January 26, 2015 at 4:55 PM
GLENDALE, Ariz. (AP) -- Black Hawk helicopters and truck-sized X-ray machines that are typically deployed along the U.S.-Mexico border have been brought to the Super Bowl venue to assist with the security effort.
U.S. Customs and Border Protection showed off the technology Monday as it helps with Super Bowl security.
Commissioner R. Gil Kerlikowske was on hand for a demonstration of the agency's Black Hawks and large mobile X-ray machines that are used to detect contraband and explosives. The helicopters and X-ray machines are from Tucson and Nogales, some of the busiest spots in the nation for the smuggling of drugs and immigrants.
Kerlikowske said Arizona's border with Mexico still has adequate security while some equipment is used in Glendale for the Super Bowl.
He said it's not just the technology that will help keep the big game safe, but the expertise behind it.
"The real key about this equipment is the people who operate them," Kerlikowske said.
The CBP is also deploying about 100 officers who will assist other federal and local law enforcement agencies.
The X-ray machines are mobile and the size of a large truck.
They slowly pan outside a semi-truck while operators inside the X-ray machine look for anomalies. The X-ray machines are in heavy use at the Mariposa Port of Entry in Nogales, one of the busiest ports of entry for commerce in the country.
Within a few minutes, the X-ray machines will have scanned an entire semi-trailer, looking for contraband and explosives.
The CBP also will use its Tucson-based helicopters and Black Hawks to monitor the air during the game, when other aircrafts are not allowed to fly nearby. The Black Hawks are used by the CBP and the Border Patrol for a variety of missions, including for rescuing border crossers who become sick or injured. They've also recently been commonly used to arrest so-called scouts, or men who act as lookouts in the desert for drug and human smuggling organizations.
Read more: http://www.azfamily.com/news/Border-Protection-lends-a-hand-for-Super-Bowl-security-289854831.html#ixzz3Pyd8ukrx
Note: From combating drug and human smuggling to preventing terrorism? Interesting change in wording.
Nogales Police, other departments benefit from anti-terrorism money
Posted: Jan 21, 2015 6:08 PM MST
Updated: Jan 22, 2015 4:22 PM MST
By Barbara Grijalva
http://www.tucsonnewsnow.com/story/27908587/nogales-police-other-departments-benefit-from-anti-terrorism-money
NOGALES, AZ (Tucson News Now) -
Nogales Police are getting about $1 million from the federal government to help prevent terrorism this fiscal year. Other Arizona cities and counties are also receiving millions of dollars in Department of Homeland Security money right now. Operation Stonegarden gave the city of Tucson $4.8 million from 2007 through 2013.
Tucson Police, Marana Police, Pima County Sheriff's deputies and a lot of departments get Operation Stonegarden grants intended to fight terrorism.
Over the years, Operation Stonegarden has provided Nogales Police with vehicles, communications equipment, infrared sensors and other tools. But the main thing it provides is money to pay for overtime. In the areas around Nogales that appeal to drug and human smugglers, the overtime benefits both Nogales residents and Border Patrol.
"They let us know that a certain area is - they're encountering certain things there. And our operations are geared to support their mission in those areas. But once again, like I mentioned, you know, if something does occur outside of that area our officers are always ready and able to assist other officers with whatever incident they're dealing with," said Lt. Carlos Jimenez with the Nogales Police Department.
One issue cities and counties have encountered is how Operation Stonegarden funds can mean bigger pensions for local officers. One way Nogales and other jurisdictions have found to diminish that problem is to limit how much Operation Stonegarden overtime officers are allowed to work.
Lt. Jimenez said this year the Nogales Police Department is buying something like a GPS system for its vehicles to dispatch them more efficiently.
END
Drug trafficking resumes; officers arrest key scouts
Posted: Saturday, January 24, 2015 10:24 am
Staff Reports
http://www.trivalleycentral.com/casa_grande_dispatch/area_news/drug-trafficking-resumes-officers-arrest-key-scouts/article_dc626e58-a3ed-11e4-b525-471e2528b14d.html
With the holidays over, drug smugglers who frequently traverse through Pinal County have resumed their activities and the West Desert Task Force is back at work to stop illegal drugs from entering the country.
Drug smuggling through the area happens year-round, but a press release from the Pinal County Sheriff's Office said activity slows during the holidays.
"That is short-lived, however, and members of law enforcement have already become aware of hilltop scouts returning to the hills on the Tohono O'odham Nation," a PCSO press release said.
Hilltop scouts position themselves at higher elevations and act as traffic guards, alerting drug smugglers about law enforcement activities in the area and advising them on which paths they should take.
Last year, the West Desert Task Force, a collaborative effort between the Pinal County Sheriff's Office and federal agencies, began targeting scouts, carrying out three stings that each lasted several days.
As a result of the stings, 19 people were arrested and most were charged with conspiracy and possession of marijuana for sale, a Class 3 felony.
Most have been sentenced to several years in prison, the press release said.
Two defendants have cases outstanding that are set for trial this month.
Since the West Desert Task Force began in 2012, it has seized 101 tons of marijuana, made 1,677 apprehensions and seized or recovered 514 vehicles and 67 firearms, according to the press release.
The task force, which is supported by the High Intensity Drug Trafficking Area and Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Force and works in association with the Alliance to Combat Transnational Threats, is tasked with combating narcotics trafficking in the region.
END
5000 cartridges seized at bus station
Details Published on Saturday January 24, 2015,
Written by Staff / El Diario
http://www.eldiariodesonora.com.mx/nota.php?nota=44231
Nogales.
Elements of the Mexican Army and Municipal Transit Police seized two suitcases with over 5000 rounds of ammunition that were abandoned in the middle of Autotransportes Guasave bus station on this border.
Reports of Public Security said it was at 10:30 hours Municipal Transit agents were alerted by employees of the plant on the presence of two suitcases that had more than 24 hours at the dockside.
Once in place an employee told the soldiers that since Thursday there were in the area of ascent and descent of passengers two bags of black color, they did not know how they got there, or to whom they belonged, but weighing a lot.
It was at that moment in front of the bus station was passing a military vehicle, so agents asked them to open the suitcases noting that there were two cartons of soft drinks brands Thunder and Dr. Twist up.
Inside authorities found two drum magazines used for a long weapon, each in a brown box tied with masking tape inside the cartons were found 140 boxes with 20 rounds of ammunition caliber 7.62x39 .
While in the other case other boxes which contained 124 boxes each of 20 rounds, all of the same caliber and brand, WPA Polyformance. Also were found four boxes of 20 cartridges of the same caliber but brand Tula Ammo, totaling 5,300 rounds of ammunition for assault rifle.
The munitions were taken by the authorities to public safety building where they were brought before a judge who ordered they remain in possession of the military authorities, to make them available to the Federal Public Ministry.
Note: "The helicopters and X-ray machines are from Tucson and Nogales, some of the busiest spots in the nation for the smuggling of drugs and immigrants." Anywhere BUT the border? There is no doubt the we have a corrupt federal government, but this is really bad.
A lowly citizen might think the NFL could afford it's own or rent security.
Border Protection lends a hand for Super Bowl security
A U.S. Customs and Border Protection Black Hawk helicopter flies above University of Phoenix Stadium, site of the NFL Super Bowl XLIX football game, for a security demonstration for the media Monday, Jan. 26, 2015, in Glendale, Ariz. The Black Hawk helicopters and truck-sized X-ray machines have been brought to the Super Bowl venue to assist with the security effort. (AP Photo/Ross D. Franklin)
by Astrid Galvan / Associated Press
azfamily.com
Posted on January 26, 2015 at 4:55 PM
GLENDALE, Ariz. (AP) -- Black Hawk helicopters and truck-sized X-ray machines that are typically deployed along the U.S.-Mexico border have been brought to the Super Bowl venue to assist with the security effort.
U.S. Customs and Border Protection showed off the technology Monday as it helps with Super Bowl security.
Commissioner R. Gil Kerlikowske was on hand for a demonstration of the agency's Black Hawks and large mobile X-ray machines that are used to detect contraband and explosives. The helicopters and X-ray machines are from Tucson and Nogales, some of the busiest spots in the nation for the smuggling of drugs and immigrants.
Kerlikowske said Arizona's border with Mexico still has adequate security while some equipment is used in Glendale for the Super Bowl.
He said it's not just the technology that will help keep the big game safe, but the expertise behind it.
"The real key about this equipment is the people who operate them," Kerlikowske said.
The CBP is also deploying about 100 officers who will assist other federal and local law enforcement agencies.
The X-ray machines are mobile and the size of a large truck.
They slowly pan outside a semi-truck while operators inside the X-ray machine look for anomalies. The X-ray machines are in heavy use at the Mariposa Port of Entry in Nogales, one of the busiest ports of entry for commerce in the country.
Within a few minutes, the X-ray machines will have scanned an entire semi-trailer, looking for contraband and explosives.
The CBP also will use its Tucson-based helicopters and Black Hawks to monitor the air during the game, when other aircrafts are not allowed to fly nearby. The Black Hawks are used by the CBP and the Border Patrol for a variety of missions, including for rescuing border crossers who become sick or injured. They've also recently been commonly used to arrest so-called scouts, or men who act as lookouts in the desert for drug and human smuggling organizations.
Read more: http://www.azfamily.com/news/Border-Protection-lends-a-hand-for-Super-Bowl-security-289854831.html#ixzz3Pyd8ukrx
Note: From combating drug and human smuggling to preventing terrorism? Interesting change in wording.
Nogales Police, other departments benefit from anti-terrorism money
Posted: Jan 21, 2015 6:08 PM MST
Updated: Jan 22, 2015 4:22 PM MST
By Barbara Grijalva
http://www.tucsonnewsnow.com/story/27908587/nogales-police-other-departments-benefit-from-anti-terrorism-money
NOGALES, AZ (Tucson News Now) -
Nogales Police are getting about $1 million from the federal government to help prevent terrorism this fiscal year. Other Arizona cities and counties are also receiving millions of dollars in Department of Homeland Security money right now. Operation Stonegarden gave the city of Tucson $4.8 million from 2007 through 2013.
Tucson Police, Marana Police, Pima County Sheriff's deputies and a lot of departments get Operation Stonegarden grants intended to fight terrorism.
Over the years, Operation Stonegarden has provided Nogales Police with vehicles, communications equipment, infrared sensors and other tools. But the main thing it provides is money to pay for overtime. In the areas around Nogales that appeal to drug and human smugglers, the overtime benefits both Nogales residents and Border Patrol.
"They let us know that a certain area is - they're encountering certain things there. And our operations are geared to support their mission in those areas. But once again, like I mentioned, you know, if something does occur outside of that area our officers are always ready and able to assist other officers with whatever incident they're dealing with," said Lt. Carlos Jimenez with the Nogales Police Department.
One issue cities and counties have encountered is how Operation Stonegarden funds can mean bigger pensions for local officers. One way Nogales and other jurisdictions have found to diminish that problem is to limit how much Operation Stonegarden overtime officers are allowed to work.
Lt. Jimenez said this year the Nogales Police Department is buying something like a GPS system for its vehicles to dispatch them more efficiently.
END
Drug trafficking resumes; officers arrest key scouts
Posted: Saturday, January 24, 2015 10:24 am
Staff Reports
http://www.trivalleycentral.com/casa_grande_dispatch/area_news/drug-trafficking-resumes-officers-arrest-key-scouts/article_dc626e58-a3ed-11e4-b525-471e2528b14d.html
With the holidays over, drug smugglers who frequently traverse through Pinal County have resumed their activities and the West Desert Task Force is back at work to stop illegal drugs from entering the country.
Drug smuggling through the area happens year-round, but a press release from the Pinal County Sheriff's Office said activity slows during the holidays.
"That is short-lived, however, and members of law enforcement have already become aware of hilltop scouts returning to the hills on the Tohono O'odham Nation," a PCSO press release said.
Hilltop scouts position themselves at higher elevations and act as traffic guards, alerting drug smugglers about law enforcement activities in the area and advising them on which paths they should take.
Last year, the West Desert Task Force, a collaborative effort between the Pinal County Sheriff's Office and federal agencies, began targeting scouts, carrying out three stings that each lasted several days.
As a result of the stings, 19 people were arrested and most were charged with conspiracy and possession of marijuana for sale, a Class 3 felony.
Most have been sentenced to several years in prison, the press release said.
Two defendants have cases outstanding that are set for trial this month.
Since the West Desert Task Force began in 2012, it has seized 101 tons of marijuana, made 1,677 apprehensions and seized or recovered 514 vehicles and 67 firearms, according to the press release.
The task force, which is supported by the High Intensity Drug Trafficking Area and Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Force and works in association with the Alliance to Combat Transnational Threats, is tasked with combating narcotics trafficking in the region.
END
5000 cartridges seized at bus station
Details Published on Saturday January 24, 2015,
Written by Staff / El Diario
http://www.eldiariodesonora.com.mx/nota.php?nota=44231
Nogales.
Elements of the Mexican Army and Municipal Transit Police seized two suitcases with over 5000 rounds of ammunition that were abandoned in the middle of Autotransportes Guasave bus station on this border.
Reports of Public Security said it was at 10:30 hours Municipal Transit agents were alerted by employees of the plant on the presence of two suitcases that had more than 24 hours at the dockside.
Once in place an employee told the soldiers that since Thursday there were in the area of ascent and descent of passengers two bags of black color, they did not know how they got there, or to whom they belonged, but weighing a lot.
It was at that moment in front of the bus station was passing a military vehicle, so agents asked them to open the suitcases noting that there were two cartons of soft drinks brands Thunder and Dr. Twist up.
Inside authorities found two drum magazines used for a long weapon, each in a brown box tied with masking tape inside the cartons were found 140 boxes with 20 rounds of ammunition caliber 7.62x39 .
While in the other case other boxes which contained 124 boxes each of 20 rounds, all of the same caliber and brand, WPA Polyformance. Also were found four boxes of 20 cartridges of the same caliber but brand Tula Ammo, totaling 5,300 rounds of ammunition for assault rifle.
The munitions were taken by the authorities to public safety building where they were brought before a judge who ordered they remain in possession of the military authorities, to make them available to the Federal Public Ministry.
AZMEX SPECIAL 26-1-15
AZMEX SPECIAL 26 JAN 2015
US banks support Sonora 'Coyotes'
Details Published on Sunday January 25, 2015,
Written by Special
http://www.eldiariodesonora.com.mx/nota.php?nota=44291
Mexico.
The trafficking of undocumented Central Americans has become big business for US banks, as it is through them that 'moves' the cash flow.
Dionisio Díaz takes a seat in the Evangelical Christian Assembly Church, located in an office complex in Doraville, a suburb of Atlanta. It has been a week of six days of work for the crew of gardeners, mowing and trimming bushes. The undocumented immigrant, 37, a native of Guatemala, take a Bible and joins dozens of worshipers singing a hymn in Spanish.
When Saturday evening church service ends in late October, Diaz gets up to greet the pastor. "My dream is to be up there, preaching the gospel, as you," Diaz says with a broad smile on his face. "I have been blessed by God to get here."
Other more earthly powers also helped Diaz on his trip to the United States: he hired a band of smugglers or coyotes, those who crossed the US border to a safe house in Mesa, Arizona, and from there to Georgia.
Diaz paid part of the journey was using one of the largest US banks, Wells Fargo & Co.
It is a story that repeats itself over and over in that river of illegal immigrants from Latin America to the United States. According to the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime, the 'coyotes' capture 10 billion dollars a year for about 3 million illegal crossings along the Mexican border.
Large banks such as Bank of America Corp., JPMorgan Chase & Co. and Wells Fargo, have been used as financing vehicles for industry of human trafficking, as confirmed by evidence of a federal criminal case against a gang of 15 traffickers and court orders of prosecutors in Arizona, Maryland and Texas.
BIG BUSINESS
"The smuggling is big business," says Stephen Adaway, Head of Unit Research trafficking Department of Homeland Security in Washington. "And they could not operate at this scale without the banks."
At a dinner of rice and fish in the Rincon Latino Restaurant in Doraville, Dionisio Díaz describes how banks were crucial to make the trip achieved six thousand 600 kilometers from Sibinal, a village west of Guatemala, Georgia.
Diaz, of slim build, speaking in a low voice and discreet. Just before dawn on December 1, 2012, Dionisio and his nephew, Danilo, 22, crossed on foot Guatemala border with Mexico and traveled by bus to the northern Mexican city of Altar. (SON) There, they found the coyote, Rafael, at 2 am in the dark main square.
HUNDREDS OF ACCOUNTS UNDER SUSPICION
These researchers instructed banks to seek common patterns smugglers as large cash deposits made in a state which were then removed almost immediately in the southwest.
Banks identified and marked hundreds of accounts for the fiscal investigated, according to an affidavit by a federal agent. Banks were not accused of any crime.
Phoenix police found the same patterns of transactions and seized hundreds of accounts at Bank of America, JPMorgan and Wells Fargo from 2006 to 2008. Since March 2013, prosecutors in Arizona have gotten court orders to shut 325 other accounts suspected of belonging the gangs of traffickers in Bank of America and Wells Fargo.
And from June to September 2014, in what officials called Operation Coyote, the Department of Homeland Security seized $ 950,000 in 504 accounts in banks in Arizona, Maryland and Texas.
There is nothing illegal per se to make a cash deposit in a bank; people do it all the time. But by failing to prevent traffickers from using their institutions, banks continue to allow illegal and often violent trafficking, says Tom Welch, who heads the financial crimes unit in the office of Arizona Department of Homeland Security.
'SUSPECT'
"Regulators and bankers are not doing a good job in monitoring their accounts, do not employ a ordinary level of suspicion," said former Arizona Attorney General Terry Goddard, who led investigations of trafficking in persons while he was the head of the prosecutor's office in 2003-2010.
The Bank Secrecy Act of 1970 and the Patriot Act of 2001 require US banks monitor any transaction that may be linked to money laundering and other crimes, including human smuggling. Banks must designate an official responsible for such compliance, identify the crimes that their customers are at risk of committing and develop policies to detect and stop this type of transaction.
Banks must report any suspected criminal activity to the Financial Crimes Enforcement Network, an agency of the Treasury of the United States. FinCEN submitted reports of suspicious activity to the police for further investigation.
But for years the smugglers have been smarter than banks and regulators. In January 2006, prosecutors ordered JPMorgan and Wells Fargo seek accounts suspected of being used by coyotes.
'WE ARE LOSING'
"We are concerned that so much money is being passed. We are losing the battle, "says Welch.
From 2013 prosecutors and federal agents began pressuring banks to take action against traffickers, with mixed results, says Arizona Attorney General spokeswoman Stephanie Grisham.
END
US banks support Sonora 'Coyotes'
Details Published on Sunday January 25, 2015,
Written by Special
http://www.eldiariodesonora.com.mx/nota.php?nota=44291
Mexico.
The trafficking of undocumented Central Americans has become big business for US banks, as it is through them that 'moves' the cash flow.
Dionisio Díaz takes a seat in the Evangelical Christian Assembly Church, located in an office complex in Doraville, a suburb of Atlanta. It has been a week of six days of work for the crew of gardeners, mowing and trimming bushes. The undocumented immigrant, 37, a native of Guatemala, take a Bible and joins dozens of worshipers singing a hymn in Spanish.
When Saturday evening church service ends in late October, Diaz gets up to greet the pastor. "My dream is to be up there, preaching the gospel, as you," Diaz says with a broad smile on his face. "I have been blessed by God to get here."
Other more earthly powers also helped Diaz on his trip to the United States: he hired a band of smugglers or coyotes, those who crossed the US border to a safe house in Mesa, Arizona, and from there to Georgia.
Diaz paid part of the journey was using one of the largest US banks, Wells Fargo & Co.
It is a story that repeats itself over and over in that river of illegal immigrants from Latin America to the United States. According to the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime, the 'coyotes' capture 10 billion dollars a year for about 3 million illegal crossings along the Mexican border.
Large banks such as Bank of America Corp., JPMorgan Chase & Co. and Wells Fargo, have been used as financing vehicles for industry of human trafficking, as confirmed by evidence of a federal criminal case against a gang of 15 traffickers and court orders of prosecutors in Arizona, Maryland and Texas.
BIG BUSINESS
"The smuggling is big business," says Stephen Adaway, Head of Unit Research trafficking Department of Homeland Security in Washington. "And they could not operate at this scale without the banks."
At a dinner of rice and fish in the Rincon Latino Restaurant in Doraville, Dionisio Díaz describes how banks were crucial to make the trip achieved six thousand 600 kilometers from Sibinal, a village west of Guatemala, Georgia.
Diaz, of slim build, speaking in a low voice and discreet. Just before dawn on December 1, 2012, Dionisio and his nephew, Danilo, 22, crossed on foot Guatemala border with Mexico and traveled by bus to the northern Mexican city of Altar. (SON) There, they found the coyote, Rafael, at 2 am in the dark main square.
HUNDREDS OF ACCOUNTS UNDER SUSPICION
These researchers instructed banks to seek common patterns smugglers as large cash deposits made in a state which were then removed almost immediately in the southwest.
Banks identified and marked hundreds of accounts for the fiscal investigated, according to an affidavit by a federal agent. Banks were not accused of any crime.
Phoenix police found the same patterns of transactions and seized hundreds of accounts at Bank of America, JPMorgan and Wells Fargo from 2006 to 2008. Since March 2013, prosecutors in Arizona have gotten court orders to shut 325 other accounts suspected of belonging the gangs of traffickers in Bank of America and Wells Fargo.
And from June to September 2014, in what officials called Operation Coyote, the Department of Homeland Security seized $ 950,000 in 504 accounts in banks in Arizona, Maryland and Texas.
There is nothing illegal per se to make a cash deposit in a bank; people do it all the time. But by failing to prevent traffickers from using their institutions, banks continue to allow illegal and often violent trafficking, says Tom Welch, who heads the financial crimes unit in the office of Arizona Department of Homeland Security.
'SUSPECT'
"Regulators and bankers are not doing a good job in monitoring their accounts, do not employ a ordinary level of suspicion," said former Arizona Attorney General Terry Goddard, who led investigations of trafficking in persons while he was the head of the prosecutor's office in 2003-2010.
The Bank Secrecy Act of 1970 and the Patriot Act of 2001 require US banks monitor any transaction that may be linked to money laundering and other crimes, including human smuggling. Banks must designate an official responsible for such compliance, identify the crimes that their customers are at risk of committing and develop policies to detect and stop this type of transaction.
Banks must report any suspected criminal activity to the Financial Crimes Enforcement Network, an agency of the Treasury of the United States. FinCEN submitted reports of suspicious activity to the police for further investigation.
But for years the smugglers have been smarter than banks and regulators. In January 2006, prosecutors ordered JPMorgan and Wells Fargo seek accounts suspected of being used by coyotes.
'WE ARE LOSING'
"We are concerned that so much money is being passed. We are losing the battle, "says Welch.
From 2013 prosecutors and federal agents began pressuring banks to take action against traffickers, with mixed results, says Arizona Attorney General spokeswoman Stephanie Grisham.
END
AZMEX SPECIAL 25-1-15
AZMEX SPECIAL 25 JAN 2015
Congress on the border
Delegation meets with ranchers and learns of security challenges
SHAR PORIER | HERALD/REVIEW
Sat, 01/24/2015 - 6:12pm
MARK.LEVY@SVHERALD.COM Texas Congressional Representative Michael McCaul addresses media Saturday on the Ladd Ranch along the United States/Mexico border in Palominas. McCaul, who brought 22 of his colleagues from across the country to tour the border, is the chairman of the Committee on Homeland Security. Ranch owner John Ladd, left, and District 2 Representative Martha McSally flank McCaul during his talk.
(CLICK on photo above, to see even more photos from this story)
http://www.svherald.com/content/shar-porier/2015/01/24/393605
PALOMINAS — After a day of round table talks with ranchers and a tour of the U.S./Mexico border in Cochise County on Saturday, a group of 21 congressional representatives have a broader view of border problems.
Initiated by newly-elected U.S. Rep. Martha McSally (R-Arizona) and U.S. Rep. Michael McCaul (R-Texas,) the largest group to ever come to the local border saw for themselves just what Border Patrol agents and Americans living in this area have to deal with on a daily basis.
"To hear from the ranchers first hand about the threats that come from across the border, shows the needs to secure it," said McCaul in a brief statement after the tour.
McCaul is chairman of the House Committee on Homeland Security and McSally is chairperson of the subcommittee on Emergency Preparedness, Response and Communications.
The committee on Homeland Security has proposed a bill, the Secure Our Borders First Act, that calls for the placement of more Border Patrol agents on the border, the construction of additional forward operating bases, the installation of more fencing where needed, and to begin using the latest technology in an effort to stop crime at the border, McCaul said.
"This will be the strongest border security bill ever passed by the Congress. We intend to get that bill passed next week," added McCaul. "For too long we just haven't had the political will to get that done. I feel confident that we will get this done."
McCaul said the committee asked McSally what she wanted to see in the bill.
After her discussions with ranchers, one of the main objectives the ranchers wanted to have fulfilled is to have the Border Patrol actually patrol the border. She explained that she offered an amendment to the bill that would put the Border Patrol on the border.
"We want to increase the number of forward operating bases and have a rapid reaction capability. Ideally, the illegal activity will be detected well south of the border, so that can be deterred or interpreted (intercepted) as close to the border as possible," McSally said.
Eyes in the sky are part of the technology that she wants to see used so that traffickers do not make it further inland, creating dangers that local law enforcement officer have to face. The committee wants to ensure that the Border Patrol has the necessary equipment to do their jobs.
Data gathered by federal officials shows that 44 percent of all illegal traffic coming across the border with Mexico is traveling through the Tucson sector. That figure is unacceptable to McCaul and the committee members.
"We need to see what's coming in. The threats are real. The drug cartels, the drug traffickers with drugs that poison our kids and the potential terror threats are real. It's a national security issue," emphasized McCaul. "(This is) a way to stop the bleeding. Secure this border once and for all."
He and the delegation will take back to Washington what they saw and heard and will be working to pass the bill.
Rep. Renee Ellmers, (R-District 2) of North Carolina commented, "I think that's one of the things that's so important. We're in Washington and we're talking about these issues and we're hearing different opinions. And the debate goes on. It certainly helps to come here and talk with the ranchers. We can get an idea of what will work and what won't work. It's hard to debate an issue when you haven't been there. This has been incredibly educational for me."
McSally was appreciative of the assistance of Naco ranchers Jack Ladd and John Ladd to set up meetings with ranchers from east of Nogales all the to Douglas.
John said the meeting held Sunday with border ranchers from one end of the county to the other was "way more productive."
"I think they have a better understanding of just what the border is and I'm very optimistic after today that there might be something very positive coming. We've been dealing with this for 25 years. It's time that we fix the problem," said John. "These people are smart, they listen. I'm really optimistic that we really have an opportunity to get something done."
As to just when these actions to protect the border might begin, McCaul indicated it could be by the end of the year. He thinks the bill will be fast-tracked, especially since the Senate has an identical bill proposing similar measures waiting for approval.
However, the Border Patrol Union and the Secretary of Homeland Security Jeh Johnson oppose the bill.
According to McCaul that is because they do not like Congress telling them how to do their jobs.
"We gave them time to get the job done," said McCaul sternly. "They have not gotten the job done. I believe it's time for Congress to lead. It's the first time we are going to tell them sector by sector how to get the job done with sensor surveillance, aviation, whatever we think is needed. Maybe they don't like that."
Secure Our Borders First Act
The Secure Our Borders First Act requires the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) to achieve 100 percent operational control of high traffic areas of the southwest border in two years — and the entire southwest border in five years — and establishes a commission to independently verify that the border is secure.
The legislation enforces penalties on DHS political appointees if the administration does not meet the terms of the bill.
Additionally, the bill provides sector-by-sector analysis of threats and needs on the border and attaches to that the resources necessary to gain operational control. This includes the allocation of technology capabilities in each sector along the southern border, the construction and replacement of fencing and access roads, and additional flight hours.
The legislation also bolsters border security by providing Border Patrol agents access to federal lands, granting flexibility to Customs and Border Protection to relocate resources, fully funding the National Guard on the border and increasing grants funding for local law enforcement agencies who assist in securing the border.
— Congressional Committee on Homeland Security
END
Congress on the border
Delegation meets with ranchers and learns of security challenges
SHAR PORIER | HERALD/REVIEW
Sat, 01/24/2015 - 6:12pm
MARK.LEVY@SVHERALD.COM Texas Congressional Representative Michael McCaul addresses media Saturday on the Ladd Ranch along the United States/Mexico border in Palominas. McCaul, who brought 22 of his colleagues from across the country to tour the border, is the chairman of the Committee on Homeland Security. Ranch owner John Ladd, left, and District 2 Representative Martha McSally flank McCaul during his talk.
(CLICK on photo above, to see even more photos from this story)
http://www.svherald.com/content/shar-porier/2015/01/24/393605
PALOMINAS — After a day of round table talks with ranchers and a tour of the U.S./Mexico border in Cochise County on Saturday, a group of 21 congressional representatives have a broader view of border problems.
Initiated by newly-elected U.S. Rep. Martha McSally (R-Arizona) and U.S. Rep. Michael McCaul (R-Texas,) the largest group to ever come to the local border saw for themselves just what Border Patrol agents and Americans living in this area have to deal with on a daily basis.
"To hear from the ranchers first hand about the threats that come from across the border, shows the needs to secure it," said McCaul in a brief statement after the tour.
McCaul is chairman of the House Committee on Homeland Security and McSally is chairperson of the subcommittee on Emergency Preparedness, Response and Communications.
The committee on Homeland Security has proposed a bill, the Secure Our Borders First Act, that calls for the placement of more Border Patrol agents on the border, the construction of additional forward operating bases, the installation of more fencing where needed, and to begin using the latest technology in an effort to stop crime at the border, McCaul said.
"This will be the strongest border security bill ever passed by the Congress. We intend to get that bill passed next week," added McCaul. "For too long we just haven't had the political will to get that done. I feel confident that we will get this done."
McCaul said the committee asked McSally what she wanted to see in the bill.
After her discussions with ranchers, one of the main objectives the ranchers wanted to have fulfilled is to have the Border Patrol actually patrol the border. She explained that she offered an amendment to the bill that would put the Border Patrol on the border.
"We want to increase the number of forward operating bases and have a rapid reaction capability. Ideally, the illegal activity will be detected well south of the border, so that can be deterred or interpreted (intercepted) as close to the border as possible," McSally said.
Eyes in the sky are part of the technology that she wants to see used so that traffickers do not make it further inland, creating dangers that local law enforcement officer have to face. The committee wants to ensure that the Border Patrol has the necessary equipment to do their jobs.
Data gathered by federal officials shows that 44 percent of all illegal traffic coming across the border with Mexico is traveling through the Tucson sector. That figure is unacceptable to McCaul and the committee members.
"We need to see what's coming in. The threats are real. The drug cartels, the drug traffickers with drugs that poison our kids and the potential terror threats are real. It's a national security issue," emphasized McCaul. "(This is) a way to stop the bleeding. Secure this border once and for all."
He and the delegation will take back to Washington what they saw and heard and will be working to pass the bill.
Rep. Renee Ellmers, (R-District 2) of North Carolina commented, "I think that's one of the things that's so important. We're in Washington and we're talking about these issues and we're hearing different opinions. And the debate goes on. It certainly helps to come here and talk with the ranchers. We can get an idea of what will work and what won't work. It's hard to debate an issue when you haven't been there. This has been incredibly educational for me."
McSally was appreciative of the assistance of Naco ranchers Jack Ladd and John Ladd to set up meetings with ranchers from east of Nogales all the to Douglas.
John said the meeting held Sunday with border ranchers from one end of the county to the other was "way more productive."
"I think they have a better understanding of just what the border is and I'm very optimistic after today that there might be something very positive coming. We've been dealing with this for 25 years. It's time that we fix the problem," said John. "These people are smart, they listen. I'm really optimistic that we really have an opportunity to get something done."
As to just when these actions to protect the border might begin, McCaul indicated it could be by the end of the year. He thinks the bill will be fast-tracked, especially since the Senate has an identical bill proposing similar measures waiting for approval.
However, the Border Patrol Union and the Secretary of Homeland Security Jeh Johnson oppose the bill.
According to McCaul that is because they do not like Congress telling them how to do their jobs.
"We gave them time to get the job done," said McCaul sternly. "They have not gotten the job done. I believe it's time for Congress to lead. It's the first time we are going to tell them sector by sector how to get the job done with sensor surveillance, aviation, whatever we think is needed. Maybe they don't like that."
Secure Our Borders First Act
The Secure Our Borders First Act requires the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) to achieve 100 percent operational control of high traffic areas of the southwest border in two years — and the entire southwest border in five years — and establishes a commission to independently verify that the border is secure.
The legislation enforces penalties on DHS political appointees if the administration does not meet the terms of the bill.
Additionally, the bill provides sector-by-sector analysis of threats and needs on the border and attaches to that the resources necessary to gain operational control. This includes the allocation of technology capabilities in each sector along the southern border, the construction and replacement of fencing and access roads, and additional flight hours.
The legislation also bolsters border security by providing Border Patrol agents access to federal lands, granting flexibility to Customs and Border Protection to relocate resources, fully funding the National Guard on the border and increasing grants funding for local law enforcement agencies who assist in securing the border.
— Congressional Committee on Homeland Security
END
Friday, January 23, 2015
AZMEX UPDATE 23-1-15
AZMEX UPDATE 23 JAN 2015
Note: In response to several requests: Take the time to read some of the details in this one.
"given bond by federal immigration authorities after pleading guilty"
Especially arrests and felony conviction. Kidnapping?
Thx
Suspect in US illegally before shooting death of Mesa store clerk
Posted: Jan 22, 2015 5:07 AM MST
Updated: Jan 23, 2015 10:30 AM MST
By Steve Stout
Mesa police cordoned off a QT convenience store and gas station after a clerk was shot to death early Thursday morning. (Source: CBS 5 News)
Pictures of 21-year-old Grant Ronnebeck show him as happy and full of life. (Source: Facebook)
News that he had been gunned down devastated his friends. (Source: Facebook)
Apolinar Altamirano in his booking photo Jan. 22, 2015. (Source: Maricopa County Sheriff's Office)
MESA, AZ (CBS5) -
An undocumented immigrant from Mexico was out on bond when he allegedly shot a store clerk in Mesa on Thursday.
Apolinar Altamirano, 29, was captured early Thursday morning in the West Valley after a chase with Mesa police and Arizona Department of Public Safety officers.
He is suspected of shooting and killing Grant Ronnebeck, 21, a clerk at the QT store at 414 S. Stapley Dr.
Police said surveillance video showed Altamirano walking into the QT about 4 a.m. Thursday and asking Ronnebeck for a pack of cigarettes. Ronnebeck asked several times what type of cigarettes, and Altamirano pointed to a pack behind the counter, a Mesa police officer said.
Altamirano then dumped a jar of coins onto the counter and Ronnebeck told him he needed to pay for the cigarettes first, the officer said.
Altamirano became agitated and pulled a gun and pointed it at Ronnebeck, who then tried to hand the suspect the pack of cigarettes.
Altamirano said, "You're not going to give me my cigarettes," and fired one shot into Ronnebeck.
Altamirano calmly walked behind the counter, over Ronnebeck's body and grabbed several packs of cigarettes before slowly walking out of the store.
A witness who had been in the store when Ronnebeck was shot flagged down an officer and provided a description of the suspect and the car he was driving, the officer said.
Mesa officers stopped a car and driver matching the descriptions and saw a handgun in the front passenger seat. As they tried to talk with the driver, he sped away, the officer said.
Several law enforcement agencies chased the car, and Arizona Department of Public Safety officers eventually stopped him at 19th Avenue and Buckeye Road, about 25 miles from the crime scene.
Police said Altamirano had been cited for trespassing at the same store Jan. 9 and was served with an injunction for harassment Jan. 19.
The Maricopa County Attorney's Office said Altamirano is in the U.S. illegally and was out on bond while U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement determined whether he should be deported.
Altamirano was booked into the Maricopa County Jail on felony counts of armed robbery, burglary, illegal possession of a weapon, unlawful flight and related charges.
He was being held on $1 million bond.
His next court appearance is scheduled for 8:30 a.m. Jan. 29.
Police said Altamirano was removed from the same store for trespassing on Jan. 9.
He also was served with an injunction against harassment on Jan. 19 and is a convicted felon, which prohibits him from possessing firearms.
Altamirano has a short criminal history. He was arrested in August 2012 and in January 2013, he took a plea deal for second-degree burglary to have theft and kidnapping charges dismissed. He was sentenced to two years of probation.
QuikTrip officials issued this statement Thursday afternoon:
"As you are aware, law enforcement is still conducting their investigation. QuikTrip is absolutely devastated and heart broken by this tragic loss. Our deepest sympathies, thoughts and prayers are with our employee's family."
No other information was available.
Read more: http://www.kpho.com/story/27911249/suspect-caught-in-deadly-mesa-store-shooting#ixzz3PgFMWgKx
QuikTrip clerk killed, suspect is in country illegally
Posted: Jan 22, 2015 4:55 AM MST
Updated: Jan 23, 2015 12:18 PM MST
By FOX 10 News Staff
http://www.fox10phoenix.com/story/27911126/2015/01/22/clerk-reportedly-shot-at-mesa-quiktrip-suspect-in-custody
MESA, Ariz. - Officials say a suspect who gunned down a clerk at the QuikTrip near Stapley and Broadway is in the country illegally.
The clerk, Grant Ronnebeck, is being remembered as someone who was well-liked by people he worked with and by customers.
Mesa Police say an altercation occurred early Thursday morning that escalated to the clerk being shot. They say a customer, 29-year-old Apolinar Altamirano, came in with a pile of change to pay for a pack of cigarettes. While counting the change, Altamirano pulled out a gun and opened fire.
Ronnebeck was 21-years-old and worked the late shift at the QT store. He was at the register on Thursday morning when Altamirano allegedly walked in.
"The clerk at that point does grab a pack of cigarettes and hands them to the suspect, at which point the suspect shoots the clerk, even though he has just given him the pack of cigarettes," said Det. Steve Berry.
After Altamirano fled, Mesa Police Det. Steve Berry says a witness who heard the altercation and the shooting was able to flag down a Mesa police officer.
A description of Altamirano's car eventually led them to him. He then reportedly led officers on a 25-mile pursuit through the valley.
The pursuit ended when the vehicle crashed near 27th Avenue and Buckeye. Altamirano was taken into custody and is now facing murder charges.
During Altamirano's initial court appearance, the prosecutor says he is in the country illegally and was recently given bond by federal immigration authorities after pleading guilty to a burglary charge.
Samantha Hansen went to high school with the clerk and the two remained friends. "He had a big heart, he was a loving, outgoing, I mean for something like this to happen to him, you know is just unfair."
QuikTrip issued the following statement on the shooting:
"On behalf of the QuikTrip Family, we wish to express our deepest sympathies, our thoughts, and prayers to Grant's family, his friends, and co-workers. There are not enough words to capture our profound sorrow. QuikTrip is absolutely devastated and heart-broken by the tragic loss of Grant."
"Grant worked for QuikTrip for 4 and ½ years. He was extremely dedicated and very well-liked by his co-workers and customers. We will miss Grant's constant smile and his drive to be the best."
end
Note: In response to several requests: Take the time to read some of the details in this one.
"given bond by federal immigration authorities after pleading guilty"
Especially arrests and felony conviction. Kidnapping?
Thx
Suspect in US illegally before shooting death of Mesa store clerk
Posted: Jan 22, 2015 5:07 AM MST
Updated: Jan 23, 2015 10:30 AM MST
By Steve Stout
Mesa police cordoned off a QT convenience store and gas station after a clerk was shot to death early Thursday morning. (Source: CBS 5 News)
Pictures of 21-year-old Grant Ronnebeck show him as happy and full of life. (Source: Facebook)
News that he had been gunned down devastated his friends. (Source: Facebook)
Apolinar Altamirano in his booking photo Jan. 22, 2015. (Source: Maricopa County Sheriff's Office)
MESA, AZ (CBS5) -
An undocumented immigrant from Mexico was out on bond when he allegedly shot a store clerk in Mesa on Thursday.
Apolinar Altamirano, 29, was captured early Thursday morning in the West Valley after a chase with Mesa police and Arizona Department of Public Safety officers.
He is suspected of shooting and killing Grant Ronnebeck, 21, a clerk at the QT store at 414 S. Stapley Dr.
Police said surveillance video showed Altamirano walking into the QT about 4 a.m. Thursday and asking Ronnebeck for a pack of cigarettes. Ronnebeck asked several times what type of cigarettes, and Altamirano pointed to a pack behind the counter, a Mesa police officer said.
Altamirano then dumped a jar of coins onto the counter and Ronnebeck told him he needed to pay for the cigarettes first, the officer said.
Altamirano became agitated and pulled a gun and pointed it at Ronnebeck, who then tried to hand the suspect the pack of cigarettes.
Altamirano said, "You're not going to give me my cigarettes," and fired one shot into Ronnebeck.
Altamirano calmly walked behind the counter, over Ronnebeck's body and grabbed several packs of cigarettes before slowly walking out of the store.
A witness who had been in the store when Ronnebeck was shot flagged down an officer and provided a description of the suspect and the car he was driving, the officer said.
Mesa officers stopped a car and driver matching the descriptions and saw a handgun in the front passenger seat. As they tried to talk with the driver, he sped away, the officer said.
Several law enforcement agencies chased the car, and Arizona Department of Public Safety officers eventually stopped him at 19th Avenue and Buckeye Road, about 25 miles from the crime scene.
Police said Altamirano had been cited for trespassing at the same store Jan. 9 and was served with an injunction for harassment Jan. 19.
The Maricopa County Attorney's Office said Altamirano is in the U.S. illegally and was out on bond while U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement determined whether he should be deported.
Altamirano was booked into the Maricopa County Jail on felony counts of armed robbery, burglary, illegal possession of a weapon, unlawful flight and related charges.
He was being held on $1 million bond.
His next court appearance is scheduled for 8:30 a.m. Jan. 29.
Police said Altamirano was removed from the same store for trespassing on Jan. 9.
He also was served with an injunction against harassment on Jan. 19 and is a convicted felon, which prohibits him from possessing firearms.
Altamirano has a short criminal history. He was arrested in August 2012 and in January 2013, he took a plea deal for second-degree burglary to have theft and kidnapping charges dismissed. He was sentenced to two years of probation.
QuikTrip officials issued this statement Thursday afternoon:
"As you are aware, law enforcement is still conducting their investigation. QuikTrip is absolutely devastated and heart broken by this tragic loss. Our deepest sympathies, thoughts and prayers are with our employee's family."
No other information was available.
Read more: http://www.kpho.com/story/27911249/suspect-caught-in-deadly-mesa-store-shooting#ixzz3PgFMWgKx
QuikTrip clerk killed, suspect is in country illegally
Posted: Jan 22, 2015 4:55 AM MST
Updated: Jan 23, 2015 12:18 PM MST
By FOX 10 News Staff
http://www.fox10phoenix.com/story/27911126/2015/01/22/clerk-reportedly-shot-at-mesa-quiktrip-suspect-in-custody
MESA, Ariz. - Officials say a suspect who gunned down a clerk at the QuikTrip near Stapley and Broadway is in the country illegally.
The clerk, Grant Ronnebeck, is being remembered as someone who was well-liked by people he worked with and by customers.
Mesa Police say an altercation occurred early Thursday morning that escalated to the clerk being shot. They say a customer, 29-year-old Apolinar Altamirano, came in with a pile of change to pay for a pack of cigarettes. While counting the change, Altamirano pulled out a gun and opened fire.
Ronnebeck was 21-years-old and worked the late shift at the QT store. He was at the register on Thursday morning when Altamirano allegedly walked in.
"The clerk at that point does grab a pack of cigarettes and hands them to the suspect, at which point the suspect shoots the clerk, even though he has just given him the pack of cigarettes," said Det. Steve Berry.
After Altamirano fled, Mesa Police Det. Steve Berry says a witness who heard the altercation and the shooting was able to flag down a Mesa police officer.
A description of Altamirano's car eventually led them to him. He then reportedly led officers on a 25-mile pursuit through the valley.
The pursuit ended when the vehicle crashed near 27th Avenue and Buckeye. Altamirano was taken into custody and is now facing murder charges.
During Altamirano's initial court appearance, the prosecutor says he is in the country illegally and was recently given bond by federal immigration authorities after pleading guilty to a burglary charge.
Samantha Hansen went to high school with the clerk and the two remained friends. "He had a big heart, he was a loving, outgoing, I mean for something like this to happen to him, you know is just unfair."
QuikTrip issued the following statement on the shooting:
"On behalf of the QuikTrip Family, we wish to express our deepest sympathies, our thoughts, and prayers to Grant's family, his friends, and co-workers. There are not enough words to capture our profound sorrow. QuikTrip is absolutely devastated and heart-broken by the tragic loss of Grant."
"Grant worked for QuikTrip for 4 and ½ years. He was extremely dedicated and very well-liked by his co-workers and customers. We will miss Grant's constant smile and his drive to be the best."
end
AZMEX F&F EXTRA 23-1-15
AZMEX F&F EXTRA 23 JAN 2015
Steller: Unsealed Dobyns files look bad for DOJ
ARIZONA DAILY STAR
Tim Steller, columnist at the Arizona Daily Star.
13 hours ago • By Tim Steller
http://tucson.com/news/local/column/steller-unsealed-dobyns-files-look-bad-for-doj/article_c880c43b-6f55-5201-b0b8-0ab6dd6cc964.html
Retired ATF agent Jay Dobyns' lawsuit against the federal government alleged they broke a settlement deal with him and mistreated him, in part by calling him a suspect in the 2008 arson of his own Tucson home.
Newly unsealed documents in his case suggest that the government misbehaved during the trial in 2013, leading to DOJ attorneys being barred from filing further documents in the case. More eerily, the misbehavior may have extended to surveillance of Dobyns' Phoenix attorney even up into this month.
For people like me, who have sympathized with Dobyns but tried to reserve judgment about his case, the documents push us further into the retired agent's camp. You can't read the few filings that have been unsealed in the case without wondering why the Justice Department is going to such extremes and spending so much on what is, at base, a relatively minor contractual dispute that could have ended years ago.
The case began in October 2008, went to trial in 2013 and reached an apparent conclusion in August 2014 when Court of Claims Judge Francis Allegra awarded Dobyns $173,000, a fraction of what he had demanded. But in between, Dobyns published a book about his infiltration of the Hells Angels and became a fierce critic of the agency's Operation Fast and Furious, a Phoenix-based investigation that led to thousands of guns being smuggled into Mexico.
Maybe that's why, when I took a peek into the sealed courtroom in June 2013, the Justice Department had four attorneys and two paralegals at their table, to Dobyns' one attorney and one paralegal.
One of the recently unsealed documents, a Dec. 1 opinion by Judge Allegra, finally explains why in October the judge voided his original decision, made in August, to award Dobyns $173,000. (He later reversed his decision to void the judgment, which still stands.) The reason: The judge believed that Justice Department attorneys had "committed fraud on the court."
One area in which Allegra decided deception had occurred was in the treatment of Thomas Atteberry, the special agent in charge of ATF's Phoenix office, and Carlos Canino, then the assistant special agent in charge of the agency's Tucson office. In 2012, a Justice Department attorney, Valerie Bacon, asked both Atteberry and Canino not to reopen the investigation into the arson at Dobyns' Tucson home because it could hurt the Justice Department's defense in this case.
Atteberry and Canino were listed as witnesses in the case, but the judge didn't hear about the DOJ effort to squelch the investigation until the trial, which he considered a concealment by the Justice Department. They went ahead and reopened the case, which remains unsolved, anyway.
More alarming was the other "fraud on the court" that Allegra cited: "An ATF agent who testified in this case may have been threatened by another witness during the trial." Justice Department attorneys ordered the agent not to report the threat to the court or he would face repercussions, Allegra said.
A separate filing by Dobyns' attorney, James Reed, identifies the threatened agent as Christopher Trainor and says the threats have since been reported to the Justice Department's Office of Professional Responsibility. In earlier years, Trainor conducted an internal investigation into ATF's handling of the fire at Dobyns' home.
Understanding the Dobyns case through its sporadically unsealed filings can be a bit like trying to grasp a book by reading every 10th page, but it seems that this apparent misconduct by the DOJ attorneys is what led Allegra to make a dramatic ruling on Oct. 24. That day, he barred seven Justice Department attorneys who had led the case until then from making any further filings in the case. The DOJ is fighting that ruling.
But perhaps the most bizarre and worrisome allegations emerged in Reed's Jan. 11 filing, which was originally filed under seal but unsealed by the judge except for a few redacted words. Reed, who is based in Phoenix, wrote that he "has felt himself under extreme surveillance for the last sixty days, both fixed and moving, and under lesser levels of surveillance for many months before that."
"In the last 30 days," Reed wrote, "counsel's automobile has been broken into but with nothing stolen, as apparently has been his home, for which counsel has filed Phoenix Police Department complaints."
Reed reported in his filing that he asked a retired ATF agent whom he knows, Joseph Slatalla, an expert in surveillance, about his experiences. Slatalla was also a witness in the Dobyns case.
"Slatalla confirmed that the undersigned is not imagining these things; undersigned counsel is under both fixed and moving constant surveillance by multiple personnel."
In fact, after Slatalla met Reed at his law office in December, someone driving a car parked at the office followed Slatalla home, Reed wrote. Reed asked the judge to schedule a status conference to discuss the apparent surveillance and whether it is being conducted by the Justice Department.
Let's assume for a minute that Reed is imagining things — or at least that if he is being watched, it isn't by the Justice Department. Let's even assume that the "fraud on the court" that Allegra has found was just an innocent misunderstanding.
It still boggles the mind why the DOJ has fought Dobyns so hard for so long and at such great cost, even after a loss at trial that was so narrow it could almost be called a win.
END
Steller: Unsealed Dobyns files look bad for DOJ
ARIZONA DAILY STAR
Tim Steller, columnist at the Arizona Daily Star.
13 hours ago • By Tim Steller
http://tucson.com/news/local/column/steller-unsealed-dobyns-files-look-bad-for-doj/article_c880c43b-6f55-5201-b0b8-0ab6dd6cc964.html
Retired ATF agent Jay Dobyns' lawsuit against the federal government alleged they broke a settlement deal with him and mistreated him, in part by calling him a suspect in the 2008 arson of his own Tucson home.
Newly unsealed documents in his case suggest that the government misbehaved during the trial in 2013, leading to DOJ attorneys being barred from filing further documents in the case. More eerily, the misbehavior may have extended to surveillance of Dobyns' Phoenix attorney even up into this month.
For people like me, who have sympathized with Dobyns but tried to reserve judgment about his case, the documents push us further into the retired agent's camp. You can't read the few filings that have been unsealed in the case without wondering why the Justice Department is going to such extremes and spending so much on what is, at base, a relatively minor contractual dispute that could have ended years ago.
The case began in October 2008, went to trial in 2013 and reached an apparent conclusion in August 2014 when Court of Claims Judge Francis Allegra awarded Dobyns $173,000, a fraction of what he had demanded. But in between, Dobyns published a book about his infiltration of the Hells Angels and became a fierce critic of the agency's Operation Fast and Furious, a Phoenix-based investigation that led to thousands of guns being smuggled into Mexico.
Maybe that's why, when I took a peek into the sealed courtroom in June 2013, the Justice Department had four attorneys and two paralegals at their table, to Dobyns' one attorney and one paralegal.
One of the recently unsealed documents, a Dec. 1 opinion by Judge Allegra, finally explains why in October the judge voided his original decision, made in August, to award Dobyns $173,000. (He later reversed his decision to void the judgment, which still stands.) The reason: The judge believed that Justice Department attorneys had "committed fraud on the court."
One area in which Allegra decided deception had occurred was in the treatment of Thomas Atteberry, the special agent in charge of ATF's Phoenix office, and Carlos Canino, then the assistant special agent in charge of the agency's Tucson office. In 2012, a Justice Department attorney, Valerie Bacon, asked both Atteberry and Canino not to reopen the investigation into the arson at Dobyns' Tucson home because it could hurt the Justice Department's defense in this case.
Atteberry and Canino were listed as witnesses in the case, but the judge didn't hear about the DOJ effort to squelch the investigation until the trial, which he considered a concealment by the Justice Department. They went ahead and reopened the case, which remains unsolved, anyway.
More alarming was the other "fraud on the court" that Allegra cited: "An ATF agent who testified in this case may have been threatened by another witness during the trial." Justice Department attorneys ordered the agent not to report the threat to the court or he would face repercussions, Allegra said.
A separate filing by Dobyns' attorney, James Reed, identifies the threatened agent as Christopher Trainor and says the threats have since been reported to the Justice Department's Office of Professional Responsibility. In earlier years, Trainor conducted an internal investigation into ATF's handling of the fire at Dobyns' home.
Understanding the Dobyns case through its sporadically unsealed filings can be a bit like trying to grasp a book by reading every 10th page, but it seems that this apparent misconduct by the DOJ attorneys is what led Allegra to make a dramatic ruling on Oct. 24. That day, he barred seven Justice Department attorneys who had led the case until then from making any further filings in the case. The DOJ is fighting that ruling.
But perhaps the most bizarre and worrisome allegations emerged in Reed's Jan. 11 filing, which was originally filed under seal but unsealed by the judge except for a few redacted words. Reed, who is based in Phoenix, wrote that he "has felt himself under extreme surveillance for the last sixty days, both fixed and moving, and under lesser levels of surveillance for many months before that."
"In the last 30 days," Reed wrote, "counsel's automobile has been broken into but with nothing stolen, as apparently has been his home, for which counsel has filed Phoenix Police Department complaints."
Reed reported in his filing that he asked a retired ATF agent whom he knows, Joseph Slatalla, an expert in surveillance, about his experiences. Slatalla was also a witness in the Dobyns case.
"Slatalla confirmed that the undersigned is not imagining these things; undersigned counsel is under both fixed and moving constant surveillance by multiple personnel."
In fact, after Slatalla met Reed at his law office in December, someone driving a car parked at the office followed Slatalla home, Reed wrote. Reed asked the judge to schedule a status conference to discuss the apparent surveillance and whether it is being conducted by the Justice Department.
Let's assume for a minute that Reed is imagining things — or at least that if he is being watched, it isn't by the Justice Department. Let's even assume that the "fraud on the court" that Allegra has found was just an innocent misunderstanding.
It still boggles the mind why the DOJ has fought Dobyns so hard for so long and at such great cost, even after a loss at trial that was so narrow it could almost be called a win.
END
Tuesday, January 20, 2015
AZMEX Fwd: NAFBPO Press Release 01/18/15
Begin forwarded message:
.
Sent: Monday, January 19, 2015 9:20 AM
Subject: NAFBPO Press Release 01/18/15
Dear Friends:
PLEASE DISTRIBUTE WIDELY
Attached is a PRESS RELEASE from The National Association of Former Border Patrol Officers
As long as Sanctuary Cities, welfare, education and jobs, and principally lack of enforcement and enabling by the federal government, are made available to the undocumented alien we will not be able to secure the physical border. America must secure all fifty states first. Then we can talk about the physical border. This includes defunding the non governmental organizations that encourage open borders who are making billions of dollars from Illegal Immigration in this country which continues to drive America further toward collapse.
Zack Taylor, Chairman and Border Security Expert
NAFBPO.org
Tuesday, January 13, 2015
AZMEX SPECIAL 13-1-15
AZMEX SPECIAL 13 JAN 2014
Note: "may have procured their weapons through an illegal channel"
There are no "legal" channels for these in France nor the rest of the EU.
It has also been observed that much of the "traffic" is run by "immigrants/refugees" from the balkans.
Especially the Albanians and Bosnians, and more than a few of the other ethnic groups.
Forget not that much, if not most, of the world's arms trafficking is to serve the agendas or feed the corruption of various governments.
Algerian and other crime / terror organizations seem to be primary customers we are told.
A article in RTL claims they got the weapons in a Belgium black market, but not too sure about that.
Like much of western Europe, Belgium also has a "immigrant" problem.
BTW, Coulibaly had vid (on French media) with a krinkov AK variant. Le Figaro reports he also had a Tokarev pistol
thx
Where are the guns in France coming from?
Military-class arms are illegal in France, but experts see influx from conflict zones, countries with looser regulations
January 9, 2015 3:10PM ET
by Colette Davidson
http://america.aljazeera.com/articles/2015/1/9/guns-france-armstraffickig.html
PARIS — The AK-47s and rocket launcher apparently used in this week's attacks in France have raised the question of how such weapons are getting into a country with strict gun laws — and where they are coming from.
The Wednesday massacre at Paris' Charlie Hebdo office, which left 12 dead, and Friday's Montrouge shooting of a police officer and hostage situation at Porte de Vincennes were all carried out with weapons that are illegal in France.
In France individuals, except for certified collectors, are prohibited from owning military-class arms. Those hoping to possess a handgun or hunting rifle in France must pass a stringent background check and a mental health evaluation and must obtain a license.
While semi- and fully automatic firearms are illegal in France, they have become increasingly common in recent years. The Paris-based National Observatory for Delinquency, a government body created in 2003, reports that the number of illegal weapons in France has been steadily increasing by double-digit percentages for the last several years.
In October 2014, raids of several homes in four corners of France revealed stashes of hundreds of weapons, including assault rifles, machine guns and automatic pistols. Forty-eight people were arrested in what was discovered to be a major Internet weapon-trafficking ring, with its headquarters thought to be in Paris.
Most of the arms found on the black market in France and other Western European countries hail from countries with a proliferation of guns and loose or poorly enforced regulations or are trafficked from conflict zones, according to experts.
"One of the reasons we see a lot of Kalashnikovs and AK-47s on the black market is because Russia has just upgraded the Kalashnikov, and that has created massive stockpiles of the older models," said Kathie Lynn Austin, an expert on arms trafficking and the director of the Conflict Awareness Project, an international nongovernmental organization dedicated to investigating major arms traffickers.
Weapons left over from wars are also often trafficked across borders, which was the case after the Libyan revolution in 2011. The New York–based nonprofit Foreign Policy Association says that there are millions of weapons from the conflict and there is little regulation by government officials.
"There are definitely concerns of these weapons making their way into Western Europe," says Glenn McDonald, a senior researcher at the Geneva-based research group Small Arms Survey.
Austin said some governments enter into what she calls the gray market trade, in which arms sold legally can end up on the black market. "This involves weapons that originate from a legal government transfer," she said, "but when they arm proxy forces to carry out their national security agendas, they may use illicit channels or black market arms brokers to carry out the deal."
There are approximately 1,000 manufacturers of legal weapons in nearly 100 countries. The governments of the five permanent members of the U.N. Security Council — Russia, China, the U.S., the U.K. and France — are the main exporters, and Western European nations like Germany and Belgium also export significant stocks.
Experts say arms brokers play a primary role in black market trafficking, often forging government documents or licenses to complete deals.
France's government tightened its regulations on illegal arms possession in 2012, approving longer jail terms and bigger fines for those in possession of illicit weapons after Mohamed Merah shot and killed seven people in Toulouse. But it's unclear how stringently the laws have been enforced.
McDonald said it is possible that the suspects involved in the Charlie Hebdo attacks may have procured their weapons through an illegal channel — through an arms broker in France or by making a cross-border trip to acquire one — but for now, their source is unknown.
According to him, Europe has been hesitant to conform to stricter directives when it comes to the illicit arms trade because of the red tape and cost involved. But the latest attacks are likely to change that, and the European Union has moved toward putting in place stronger regulations in recent years.
In 2013, Interpol created a centralized tracking system, the Illicit Arms Records and Tracing Management System (iARMS), for Interpol member countries to report lost, stolen, trafficked and smuggled firearms. And Europol, the EU's law enforcement agency, said in a communications document that year that disrupting illicit manufacturing and trafficking in firearms would be one of its priorities for 2014 through 2017.
The initiative includes looking at the rise in e-trafficking, the sale and purchase of illicit firearms over the Internet.
Many final purchases of illegal arms take place over the Internet, with payment methods in place like bitcoin that make it almost impossible to trace buyers. With a few clicks, users can purchase an AK-47 for less than $2,000.
END
Computer translated from RTL.
Several weapons of the Kouachi brothers and Coulibaly come from Belgium
Published January 13, 2015 at 2:39 p.m.
0170 0
http://www.rtl.be/info/monde/france/plusieurs-armes-des-freres-kouachi-et-de-coulibaly-viennent-de-belgique-video--691407.aspx
Kouachi coulibaly Weapon Charlie Hebdo
The machine gun Coulibaly from Belgium. Kalashnikovs and rocket launchers Kouachi brothers have also been purchased in Brussels, near the Gare du Midi. The investigation is ongoing on the group of terrorists.
The information was published by the DH on Tuesday, which claims to have "very good sources." According to our colleagues, departmental authorities have confirmed that the weapon used by Amedy Coulibaly comes from Brussels. The weapon was used by the terrorists during the hostage taking of the Porte de Vincennes.
Kalashnikovs and grenade launchers bought for € 5000 in Brussels
Kalashnikovs and rocket launchers used by Kouachi brothers have also been purchased in Brussels for just € 5000 around the South Station. This is not the first time that Coulibaly, Kouachi and other terrorists were using Belgium to obtain weapons. The terrorist cell allegedly tried to buy some to organize the escape of Smain Ait Ali Belkacem and other extremist leaders.
"We need two calibers, ten grenades, [...] negotiates a low price"
According to the news website Mediapart, a note was found by a member of the cell, addressed to an accomplice. "We need two Kalashes, two calibers, ten grenades. Try to be as fast as you need it. It is for you to talk to the brother who sells arms. My brother does not know, then negotiate a low price, "read the note.
The investigation progresses into accomplices
To finance their arsenal, the Kouachi brothers seem to have made counterfeiting and trafficking. Their possible source of financing in Yemen is under investigation. And authorities are investigating the group and accomplices of terrorists. The objective is to determine if there is a more structured cell.
In Bulgaria, a French person was arrested on 1 January for attempting to visit Syria is suspected of being linked to Sherif Kouachi. He should soon be extradited to France. The companion of Amedy Coulibaly is actively sought. Hayat Boumeddiene was seen in a Turkish airport on January 2, before moving to Syria a few days later. In Turkey, she was accompanied by a man whose entourage is known to French intelligence services for membership in the radical movement.
"he sank into crime following the death of his friend"
Gradually, the investigators are able to reconstruct the past murderers. d;Amedyy Coulibaly went from delinquency to jihadism has its origin in an arrest that turned tragic in September 2000. Then aged 17, he and his best friend, Ali, were arrested following a motorcycle theft. But the intervention goes bad, and a police trainee kills the accomplice of Amedy Coulibaly.
The officer received a dismissal, so qu'Amedy Coulibaly was arrested and convicted. According to a former close acquaintance, the behavior of the young man has changed dramatically after the event. "It was a very respectful person, discreet. He fell into delinquency in September 2000, following the death of his friend. It has stuck to the bottom of his heart. He was imprisoned, and his father died. he asked the judge to have an outlet for the funeral, and the judge refused. All this has had an impact, "says former a friend.
The time in prison d'Amedy Coulibaly likely played a role in his drift toward radicalism. Indeed, the man met Cherif Kouachi in 2005 during his incarceration. Of that time was born a continuous link between all killers. Now converted to jihadism, they were ready to commit terrorist acts.
end
Plusieurs armes des frères Kouachi et de Coulibaly viennent de Belgique
Publié le 13 janvier 2015 à 14h39 | 2235 | 8 réactions
Plusieurs armes des frères Kouachi et de Coulibaly viennent de Belgique
0170 0
http://www.rtl.be/info/monde/france/plusieurs-armes-des-freres-kouachi-et-de-coulibaly-viennent-de-belgique-video--691407.aspx
kouachi coulibaly Arme Charlie Hebdo
Le fusil-mitrailleur de Coulibaly vient de Belgique. La Kalachnikov et le lance-roquettes des frères Kouachi auraient également été achetés à Bruxelles, près de la gare du Midi. L'enquête se poursuit sur l'entourage des terroristes.
L'information a été publiée par la DH ce mardi, qui affirme disposer de "très bonnes sources". D'après nos confrères, les instances ministérielles ont confirmé que le fusil-mitrailleur utilisé par Amedy Coulibaly vient de Bruxelles. L'arme a été utilisée par le terroriste durant la prise d'otages de la Porte de Vincennes.
Une Kalachnikov et un lance-roquettes achetés 5.000 € à Bruxelles
La Kalachnikov et le lance-roquettes utilisés par les frères Kouachi auraient aussi été achetés à Bruxelles pour à peine 5.000€ aux alentours de la gare du Midi. Ce n'est pas la première fois que Coulibaly, Kouachi et d'autres terroristes faisaient appel à la Belgique pour obtenir des armes. La cellule terroriste aurait tenté d'en acheter pour organiser l'évasion de Smaïn Aït Ali Belkacem et d'autres leaders extrémistes.
"On a besoin de deux calibres, dix grenades, […] négocie un prix bas"
D'après le site d'information Mediapart, un mot a été trouvé chez un membre de la cellule, adressé à un complice. "On a besoin de deux kalachs, de deux calibres, dix grenades. Essaye de faire au plus vite car on en a besoin. C'est à toi de parler avec le frère qui vend les armes. Mon frère ne connaît rien, alors négocie un prix bas", indiquait le mot.
L'enquête sur les complices progresse
Pour financer leur arsenal, les frères Kouachi semblent avoir fait de la contrefaçon et du trafic. Leur possible source de financement au Yémen est en cours d'investigation. Et les autorités sont en train d'enquêter sur l'entourage et les complices des terroristes. L'objectif est de déterminer s'il existe une cellule plus structurée.
BulgarieEn Bulgarie, un Français arrêté le 1er janvier pour avoir tenté de se rendre en Syrie est soupçonné d'être en lien avec Chérif Kouachi. Il devrait être rapidement extradé en France. La compagne d'Amedy Coulibaly est activement recherchée. Hayat Boumeddiene a été aperçue dans un aéroport turque le 2 janvier, avant de passer en Syrie quelques jours plus tard. En Turquie, elle était accompagnée par un homme dont l'entourage est connu des services de renseignement français pour appartenance à la mouvance radicale.
Hayat
"Il a sombré dans la délinquance suite à la mort de son copain"
Petit à petit, les enquêteurs parviennent à reconstituer le passé des meurtriers. Le basculement d'Amedy Coulibaly de la délinquance au jihadisme trouverait son origine dans une arrestation qui a tourné au drame en septembre 2000. Alors âgé de 17 ans, lui et son meilleur ami, Ali, sont arrêtés suite à un vol de moto. Mais l'intervention dérape, et un stagiaire de police tue le complice d'Amedy Coulibaly.
Le policier a bénéficié d'un non-lieu, alors qu'Amedy Coulibaly a été arrêté et condamné. D'après un ancien proche, le comportement du jeune homme a radicalement changé suite à cet évènement. "C'était une personne très respectueuse, discrète. Il a sombré dans la délinquance en septembre 2000, suite à la mort de son copain. Ça lui est resté au fond de son cœur. Il a été incarcéré, et son père est décédé. Il a demandé au juge d'avoir une sortie pour l'enterrement, et le juge a refusé. Tout ça a eu un impact", explique l'ancien ami.
Le passage en prison d'Amedy Coulibaly a vraisemblablement joué un rôle dans sa dérive vers le radicalisme. En effet, l'homme a rencontré Chérif Kouachi en 2005 durant son incarcération. De cette époque est né un lien continu entre tous les tueurs. Désormais convertis au jihadisme, ils étaient prêts à commettre des actes terroristes.
fin
Note: "may have procured their weapons through an illegal channel"
There are no "legal" channels for these in France nor the rest of the EU.
It has also been observed that much of the "traffic" is run by "immigrants/refugees" from the balkans.
Especially the Albanians and Bosnians, and more than a few of the other ethnic groups.
Forget not that much, if not most, of the world's arms trafficking is to serve the agendas or feed the corruption of various governments.
Algerian and other crime / terror organizations seem to be primary customers we are told.
A article in RTL claims they got the weapons in a Belgium black market, but not too sure about that.
Like much of western Europe, Belgium also has a "immigrant" problem.
BTW, Coulibaly had vid (on French media) with a krinkov AK variant. Le Figaro reports he also had a Tokarev pistol
thx
Where are the guns in France coming from?
Military-class arms are illegal in France, but experts see influx from conflict zones, countries with looser regulations
January 9, 2015 3:10PM ET
by Colette Davidson
http://america.aljazeera.com/articles/2015/1/9/guns-france-armstraffickig.html
PARIS — The AK-47s and rocket launcher apparently used in this week's attacks in France have raised the question of how such weapons are getting into a country with strict gun laws — and where they are coming from.
The Wednesday massacre at Paris' Charlie Hebdo office, which left 12 dead, and Friday's Montrouge shooting of a police officer and hostage situation at Porte de Vincennes were all carried out with weapons that are illegal in France.
In France individuals, except for certified collectors, are prohibited from owning military-class arms. Those hoping to possess a handgun or hunting rifle in France must pass a stringent background check and a mental health evaluation and must obtain a license.
While semi- and fully automatic firearms are illegal in France, they have become increasingly common in recent years. The Paris-based National Observatory for Delinquency, a government body created in 2003, reports that the number of illegal weapons in France has been steadily increasing by double-digit percentages for the last several years.
In October 2014, raids of several homes in four corners of France revealed stashes of hundreds of weapons, including assault rifles, machine guns and automatic pistols. Forty-eight people were arrested in what was discovered to be a major Internet weapon-trafficking ring, with its headquarters thought to be in Paris.
Most of the arms found on the black market in France and other Western European countries hail from countries with a proliferation of guns and loose or poorly enforced regulations or are trafficked from conflict zones, according to experts.
"One of the reasons we see a lot of Kalashnikovs and AK-47s on the black market is because Russia has just upgraded the Kalashnikov, and that has created massive stockpiles of the older models," said Kathie Lynn Austin, an expert on arms trafficking and the director of the Conflict Awareness Project, an international nongovernmental organization dedicated to investigating major arms traffickers.
Weapons left over from wars are also often trafficked across borders, which was the case after the Libyan revolution in 2011. The New York–based nonprofit Foreign Policy Association says that there are millions of weapons from the conflict and there is little regulation by government officials.
"There are definitely concerns of these weapons making their way into Western Europe," says Glenn McDonald, a senior researcher at the Geneva-based research group Small Arms Survey.
Austin said some governments enter into what she calls the gray market trade, in which arms sold legally can end up on the black market. "This involves weapons that originate from a legal government transfer," she said, "but when they arm proxy forces to carry out their national security agendas, they may use illicit channels or black market arms brokers to carry out the deal."
There are approximately 1,000 manufacturers of legal weapons in nearly 100 countries. The governments of the five permanent members of the U.N. Security Council — Russia, China, the U.S., the U.K. and France — are the main exporters, and Western European nations like Germany and Belgium also export significant stocks.
Experts say arms brokers play a primary role in black market trafficking, often forging government documents or licenses to complete deals.
France's government tightened its regulations on illegal arms possession in 2012, approving longer jail terms and bigger fines for those in possession of illicit weapons after Mohamed Merah shot and killed seven people in Toulouse. But it's unclear how stringently the laws have been enforced.
McDonald said it is possible that the suspects involved in the Charlie Hebdo attacks may have procured their weapons through an illegal channel — through an arms broker in France or by making a cross-border trip to acquire one — but for now, their source is unknown.
According to him, Europe has been hesitant to conform to stricter directives when it comes to the illicit arms trade because of the red tape and cost involved. But the latest attacks are likely to change that, and the European Union has moved toward putting in place stronger regulations in recent years.
In 2013, Interpol created a centralized tracking system, the Illicit Arms Records and Tracing Management System (iARMS), for Interpol member countries to report lost, stolen, trafficked and smuggled firearms. And Europol, the EU's law enforcement agency, said in a communications document that year that disrupting illicit manufacturing and trafficking in firearms would be one of its priorities for 2014 through 2017.
The initiative includes looking at the rise in e-trafficking, the sale and purchase of illicit firearms over the Internet.
Many final purchases of illegal arms take place over the Internet, with payment methods in place like bitcoin that make it almost impossible to trace buyers. With a few clicks, users can purchase an AK-47 for less than $2,000.
END
Computer translated from RTL.
Several weapons of the Kouachi brothers and Coulibaly come from Belgium
Published January 13, 2015 at 2:39 p.m.
0170 0
http://www.rtl.be/info/monde/france/plusieurs-armes-des-freres-kouachi-et-de-coulibaly-viennent-de-belgique-video--691407.aspx
Kouachi coulibaly Weapon Charlie Hebdo
The machine gun Coulibaly from Belgium. Kalashnikovs and rocket launchers Kouachi brothers have also been purchased in Brussels, near the Gare du Midi. The investigation is ongoing on the group of terrorists.
The information was published by the DH on Tuesday, which claims to have "very good sources." According to our colleagues, departmental authorities have confirmed that the weapon used by Amedy Coulibaly comes from Brussels. The weapon was used by the terrorists during the hostage taking of the Porte de Vincennes.
Kalashnikovs and grenade launchers bought for € 5000 in Brussels
Kalashnikovs and rocket launchers used by Kouachi brothers have also been purchased in Brussels for just € 5000 around the South Station. This is not the first time that Coulibaly, Kouachi and other terrorists were using Belgium to obtain weapons. The terrorist cell allegedly tried to buy some to organize the escape of Smain Ait Ali Belkacem and other extremist leaders.
"We need two calibers, ten grenades, [...] negotiates a low price"
According to the news website Mediapart, a note was found by a member of the cell, addressed to an accomplice. "We need two Kalashes, two calibers, ten grenades. Try to be as fast as you need it. It is for you to talk to the brother who sells arms. My brother does not know, then negotiate a low price, "read the note.
The investigation progresses into accomplices
To finance their arsenal, the Kouachi brothers seem to have made counterfeiting and trafficking. Their possible source of financing in Yemen is under investigation. And authorities are investigating the group and accomplices of terrorists. The objective is to determine if there is a more structured cell.
In Bulgaria, a French person was arrested on 1 January for attempting to visit Syria is suspected of being linked to Sherif Kouachi. He should soon be extradited to France. The companion of Amedy Coulibaly is actively sought. Hayat Boumeddiene was seen in a Turkish airport on January 2, before moving to Syria a few days later. In Turkey, she was accompanied by a man whose entourage is known to French intelligence services for membership in the radical movement.
"he sank into crime following the death of his friend"
Gradually, the investigators are able to reconstruct the past murderers. d;Amedyy Coulibaly went from delinquency to jihadism has its origin in an arrest that turned tragic in September 2000. Then aged 17, he and his best friend, Ali, were arrested following a motorcycle theft. But the intervention goes bad, and a police trainee kills the accomplice of Amedy Coulibaly.
The officer received a dismissal, so qu'Amedy Coulibaly was arrested and convicted. According to a former close acquaintance, the behavior of the young man has changed dramatically after the event. "It was a very respectful person, discreet. He fell into delinquency in September 2000, following the death of his friend. It has stuck to the bottom of his heart. He was imprisoned, and his father died. he asked the judge to have an outlet for the funeral, and the judge refused. All this has had an impact, "says former a friend.
The time in prison d'Amedy Coulibaly likely played a role in his drift toward radicalism. Indeed, the man met Cherif Kouachi in 2005 during his incarceration. Of that time was born a continuous link between all killers. Now converted to jihadism, they were ready to commit terrorist acts.
end
Plusieurs armes des frères Kouachi et de Coulibaly viennent de Belgique
Publié le 13 janvier 2015 à 14h39 | 2235 | 8 réactions
Plusieurs armes des frères Kouachi et de Coulibaly viennent de Belgique
0170 0
http://www.rtl.be/info/monde/france/plusieurs-armes-des-freres-kouachi-et-de-coulibaly-viennent-de-belgique-video--691407.aspx
kouachi coulibaly Arme Charlie Hebdo
Le fusil-mitrailleur de Coulibaly vient de Belgique. La Kalachnikov et le lance-roquettes des frères Kouachi auraient également été achetés à Bruxelles, près de la gare du Midi. L'enquête se poursuit sur l'entourage des terroristes.
L'information a été publiée par la DH ce mardi, qui affirme disposer de "très bonnes sources". D'après nos confrères, les instances ministérielles ont confirmé que le fusil-mitrailleur utilisé par Amedy Coulibaly vient de Bruxelles. L'arme a été utilisée par le terroriste durant la prise d'otages de la Porte de Vincennes.
Une Kalachnikov et un lance-roquettes achetés 5.000 € à Bruxelles
La Kalachnikov et le lance-roquettes utilisés par les frères Kouachi auraient aussi été achetés à Bruxelles pour à peine 5.000€ aux alentours de la gare du Midi. Ce n'est pas la première fois que Coulibaly, Kouachi et d'autres terroristes faisaient appel à la Belgique pour obtenir des armes. La cellule terroriste aurait tenté d'en acheter pour organiser l'évasion de Smaïn Aït Ali Belkacem et d'autres leaders extrémistes.
"On a besoin de deux calibres, dix grenades, […] négocie un prix bas"
D'après le site d'information Mediapart, un mot a été trouvé chez un membre de la cellule, adressé à un complice. "On a besoin de deux kalachs, de deux calibres, dix grenades. Essaye de faire au plus vite car on en a besoin. C'est à toi de parler avec le frère qui vend les armes. Mon frère ne connaît rien, alors négocie un prix bas", indiquait le mot.
L'enquête sur les complices progresse
Pour financer leur arsenal, les frères Kouachi semblent avoir fait de la contrefaçon et du trafic. Leur possible source de financement au Yémen est en cours d'investigation. Et les autorités sont en train d'enquêter sur l'entourage et les complices des terroristes. L'objectif est de déterminer s'il existe une cellule plus structurée.
BulgarieEn Bulgarie, un Français arrêté le 1er janvier pour avoir tenté de se rendre en Syrie est soupçonné d'être en lien avec Chérif Kouachi. Il devrait être rapidement extradé en France. La compagne d'Amedy Coulibaly est activement recherchée. Hayat Boumeddiene a été aperçue dans un aéroport turque le 2 janvier, avant de passer en Syrie quelques jours plus tard. En Turquie, elle était accompagnée par un homme dont l'entourage est connu des services de renseignement français pour appartenance à la mouvance radicale.
Hayat
"Il a sombré dans la délinquance suite à la mort de son copain"
Petit à petit, les enquêteurs parviennent à reconstituer le passé des meurtriers. Le basculement d'Amedy Coulibaly de la délinquance au jihadisme trouverait son origine dans une arrestation qui a tourné au drame en septembre 2000. Alors âgé de 17 ans, lui et son meilleur ami, Ali, sont arrêtés suite à un vol de moto. Mais l'intervention dérape, et un stagiaire de police tue le complice d'Amedy Coulibaly.
Le policier a bénéficié d'un non-lieu, alors qu'Amedy Coulibaly a été arrêté et condamné. D'après un ancien proche, le comportement du jeune homme a radicalement changé suite à cet évènement. "C'était une personne très respectueuse, discrète. Il a sombré dans la délinquance en septembre 2000, suite à la mort de son copain. Ça lui est resté au fond de son cœur. Il a été incarcéré, et son père est décédé. Il a demandé au juge d'avoir une sortie pour l'enterrement, et le juge a refusé. Tout ça a eu un impact", explique l'ancien ami.
Le passage en prison d'Amedy Coulibaly a vraisemblablement joué un rôle dans sa dérive vers le radicalisme. En effet, l'homme a rencontré Chérif Kouachi en 2005 durant son incarcération. De cette époque est né un lien continu entre tous les tueurs. Désormais convertis au jihadisme, ils étaient prêts à commettre des actes terroristes.
fin
AZMEX EXTRA 13-1-15
AZMEX EXTRA 13 JAN 2015
Note: A real M4? If so, how and where did he get it? Photos at links.
Douglas CBP Officers Seize Assault Rifle
Release Date: January 13, 2015
http://www.cbp.gov/newsroom/local-media-release/2015-01-13-000000/douglas-cbp-officers-seize-assault-rifle
CBP officers assigned to the Port of Douglas located an assault rifle when they searched a smuggler attempting to go south into Mexico
DOUGLAS, Ariz. — A local man was arrested Jan. 10 after Customs and Border Protection officers conducting routine outbound inspections at the Port discovered an M-4 assault rifle strapped to the 21-year-old's right side.
Officers seized the weapon and turned the subject over to U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement's Homeland Security Investigations for further investigation.
end
Note: A real M4? If so, how and where did he get it? Photos at links.
Douglas CBP Officers Seize Assault Rifle
Release Date: January 13, 2015
http://www.cbp.gov/newsroom/local-media-release/2015-01-13-000000/douglas-cbp-officers-seize-assault-rifle
CBP officers assigned to the Port of Douglas located an assault rifle when they searched a smuggler attempting to go south into Mexico
DOUGLAS, Ariz. — A local man was arrested Jan. 10 after Customs and Border Protection officers conducting routine outbound inspections at the Port discovered an M-4 assault rifle strapped to the 21-year-old's right side.
Officers seized the weapon and turned the subject over to U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement's Homeland Security Investigations for further investigation.
end
AZMEX HEROIN MEDIA 13-1-15
AZMEX HEROIN MEDIA ADVISORY 13 JAN 2015
Note: It is a serious and growing problem.
Remains to be seen if the cronkite people get it right, as many here do not have that much confidence in the organization.
BTW, Tonight, 6:30 pm (1830) AZ time. Tuesday, Jan. 13th 2015 is the correct time and date.
Thx
All Ariz.TV stations to simulcast special report on heroin | Tonight @ 6:30 p.m.
by Tami Hoey
azfamily.com
Posted on January 7, 2015 at 6:26 AM
Updated today at 6:51 AM
http://www.azfamily.com/home/All-ArizTV-stations-to-simulcast-special-report-on-heroin-287735061.html
PHOENIX -- In a highly unusual collaboration, every broadcast TV station and most radio outlets across Arizona will air simultaneously a 30-minute, commercial-free investigative report produced by Arizona State University student journalists on the growing perils of heroin use.
Teams of advanced journalism students at the Walter Cronkite School of Journalism and Mass Communication also will produce packages of digital stories and data analyses available on the Web, an accompanying mobile tablet app, and Spanish-language and radio versions of the documentary.
The statewide simulcast of "Hooked: Tracking Heroin's Hold on Arizona" will air Jan. 13 on the 33 TV stations in Phoenix, Tucson and Yuma and most of the state's radio stations. The air time will be 6:30 p.m. on most stations.
Art Brooks, president and chief executive officer of the Arizona Broadcasters Association, developed the idea after learning of the seriousness of the issue and organized the backing of the state's broadcast industry.
"The scourge of heroin and opioid addiction is killing hundreds of Arizonans, and the growing problem is reaching epidemic levels," Brooks said. "Broadcast stations are fiercely competitive, but our industry leaders are bonding together on this public danger in order to save lives."
During and after the telecast, the ABA will sponsor a call center for viewers seeking counseling or more information on heroin and opioid addiction. A 100-phone center with trained counselors will be set up in the studios of Arizona PBS on the sixth floor of the Cronkite Building on ASU's Downtown Phoenix campus.
Gordon Smith, president and chief executive officer of the National Association of Broadcasters, lauded the Arizona initiative.
"It is nothing short of extraordinary to have every TV broadcaster in a state come together and jointly agree to air – commercial free in a widely viewed time slot – an important piece of public service journalism," said Smith, a former U.S. senator from Oregon who leads the trade association of the nation's TV and radio broadcasters.
"It is a testament to the greater leadership of the Arizona Broadcasters Association and the general managers across the state and their tremendous commitment to their communities," Smith said. "I have no doubt that the Cronkite heroin project will make a real impact on this critical public health issue and save lives."
The Arizona Broadcasters Association championed a similar project in 2008. That special report, which focused on crystal meth in Arizona, was produced by an out-of-state company. Brooks said the Arizona general managers would only agree to donate their airtime again if the new project was produced by the Cronkite School.
"The ABA and the leaders of Arizona's broadcast stations have great confidence in the Cronkite School's students and faculty and their ability to produce a powerful, objective and informative 30-minute TV special that we will be proud to air on all of our stations," said Brooks, a member of the Cronkite Endowment Board of Trustees.
Cronkite is devoting eight faculty members and 70 students to the semester-long project.
"We are activating the full resources of the Cronkite School for this critically important project," said Dean Christopher Callahan. "It is a great testament to our fantastic students and professors that the state's broadcast industry has such faith in their work and abilities."
The special TV report is spearheaded by a team of students led by Jacquee Petchel, a Cronkite professor and Pulitzer Prize-winning investigative reporter and editor.
Another Pulitzer winner, Knight Chair Steve Doig, is leading a team of students who are analyzing data on more than 10 million Arizona hospital emergency room cases, including more than 2,000 heroin overdoses, as well as census demographics to pinpoint the patterns and hot spots of heroin abuse.
The Cronkite News bureau in Phoenix, led by Steve Elliott, a Cronkite professor and former Associated Press bureau chief in Phoenix, is producing a series of multimedia stories for the Web that will be available to all media outlets.
The New Media Innovation and Entrepreneurship Lab, directed by Retha Hill, former vice president of Black Entertainment Television and a digital media pioneer, is creating a tablet app on the history of heroin.
The Cronkite Public Insight Network Bureau, led by veteran public radio journalist Rebecca Blatt, is deploying the network to locate sources not previously tapped by journalists.
Associate Professor Fran Matera and students in the Cronkite Public Relations Lab are producing a strategic communications plan for the TV special. The Arizona Newspapers Association is encouraging newspapers across the state to run promotional ads for the special report.
---
Click here for information on a special screening and panel discussion
---
http://hookedaz.cronkitenewsonline.com/
Read more: http://www.azfamily.com/news/All-ArizTV-stations-to-simulcast-special-report-on-heroin-287735061.html#ixzz3OiRhmUHX
Note: It is a serious and growing problem.
Remains to be seen if the cronkite people get it right, as many here do not have that much confidence in the organization.
BTW, Tonight, 6:30 pm (1830) AZ time. Tuesday, Jan. 13th 2015 is the correct time and date.
Thx
All Ariz.TV stations to simulcast special report on heroin | Tonight @ 6:30 p.m.
by Tami Hoey
azfamily.com
Posted on January 7, 2015 at 6:26 AM
Updated today at 6:51 AM
http://www.azfamily.com/home/All-ArizTV-stations-to-simulcast-special-report-on-heroin-287735061.html
PHOENIX -- In a highly unusual collaboration, every broadcast TV station and most radio outlets across Arizona will air simultaneously a 30-minute, commercial-free investigative report produced by Arizona State University student journalists on the growing perils of heroin use.
Teams of advanced journalism students at the Walter Cronkite School of Journalism and Mass Communication also will produce packages of digital stories and data analyses available on the Web, an accompanying mobile tablet app, and Spanish-language and radio versions of the documentary.
The statewide simulcast of "Hooked: Tracking Heroin's Hold on Arizona" will air Jan. 13 on the 33 TV stations in Phoenix, Tucson and Yuma and most of the state's radio stations. The air time will be 6:30 p.m. on most stations.
Art Brooks, president and chief executive officer of the Arizona Broadcasters Association, developed the idea after learning of the seriousness of the issue and organized the backing of the state's broadcast industry.
"The scourge of heroin and opioid addiction is killing hundreds of Arizonans, and the growing problem is reaching epidemic levels," Brooks said. "Broadcast stations are fiercely competitive, but our industry leaders are bonding together on this public danger in order to save lives."
During and after the telecast, the ABA will sponsor a call center for viewers seeking counseling or more information on heroin and opioid addiction. A 100-phone center with trained counselors will be set up in the studios of Arizona PBS on the sixth floor of the Cronkite Building on ASU's Downtown Phoenix campus.
Gordon Smith, president and chief executive officer of the National Association of Broadcasters, lauded the Arizona initiative.
"It is nothing short of extraordinary to have every TV broadcaster in a state come together and jointly agree to air – commercial free in a widely viewed time slot – an important piece of public service journalism," said Smith, a former U.S. senator from Oregon who leads the trade association of the nation's TV and radio broadcasters.
"It is a testament to the greater leadership of the Arizona Broadcasters Association and the general managers across the state and their tremendous commitment to their communities," Smith said. "I have no doubt that the Cronkite heroin project will make a real impact on this critical public health issue and save lives."
The Arizona Broadcasters Association championed a similar project in 2008. That special report, which focused on crystal meth in Arizona, was produced by an out-of-state company. Brooks said the Arizona general managers would only agree to donate their airtime again if the new project was produced by the Cronkite School.
"The ABA and the leaders of Arizona's broadcast stations have great confidence in the Cronkite School's students and faculty and their ability to produce a powerful, objective and informative 30-minute TV special that we will be proud to air on all of our stations," said Brooks, a member of the Cronkite Endowment Board of Trustees.
Cronkite is devoting eight faculty members and 70 students to the semester-long project.
"We are activating the full resources of the Cronkite School for this critically important project," said Dean Christopher Callahan. "It is a great testament to our fantastic students and professors that the state's broadcast industry has such faith in their work and abilities."
The special TV report is spearheaded by a team of students led by Jacquee Petchel, a Cronkite professor and Pulitzer Prize-winning investigative reporter and editor.
Another Pulitzer winner, Knight Chair Steve Doig, is leading a team of students who are analyzing data on more than 10 million Arizona hospital emergency room cases, including more than 2,000 heroin overdoses, as well as census demographics to pinpoint the patterns and hot spots of heroin abuse.
The Cronkite News bureau in Phoenix, led by Steve Elliott, a Cronkite professor and former Associated Press bureau chief in Phoenix, is producing a series of multimedia stories for the Web that will be available to all media outlets.
The New Media Innovation and Entrepreneurship Lab, directed by Retha Hill, former vice president of Black Entertainment Television and a digital media pioneer, is creating a tablet app on the history of heroin.
The Cronkite Public Insight Network Bureau, led by veteran public radio journalist Rebecca Blatt, is deploying the network to locate sources not previously tapped by journalists.
Associate Professor Fran Matera and students in the Cronkite Public Relations Lab are producing a strategic communications plan for the TV special. The Arizona Newspapers Association is encouraging newspapers across the state to run promotional ads for the special report.
---
Click here for information on a special screening and panel discussion
---
http://hookedaz.cronkitenewsonline.com/
Read more: http://www.azfamily.com/news/All-ArizTV-stations-to-simulcast-special-report-on-heroin-287735061.html#ixzz3OiRhmUHX
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