AZMEX UPDATE 24 DEC 2014
Merry Christmas Feliz Navidad
Note: Inside job?
Arizona prosecutors want ex-officers' case dismissed
December 24, 2014 @ 1:36 pm
http://ktar.com/23/1794037/Arizona-prosecutors-want-exofficers-case-dismissed
PHOENIX (AP) -- The disappearance of a key wiretap document in an Arizona corruption case has led prosecutors to seek the dismissal of charges against three former sheriff's officers accused of helping a cartel-connected heroin smuggling ring.
The request to dismiss charges against the former employees of Maricopa County Sheriff Joe Arpaio's office came after it was recently discovered that a wiretap application that must be completed to get electronic surveillance was never actually filed. The discovery led defense attorneys to ask a judge to throw out all evidence arising from the wiretap.
Prosecutors, who have accepted blame for not filing the document with the court, asked a judge late Monday to throw out charges against the three ex-officers and three others, including the alleged ring's leader, who authorities say was working with a high-ranking Sinaloa drug cartel figure.
Prosecutors also are seeking to void the convictions of 11 others who have already pleaded guilty to drug charges in the case. Some have completed their punishments, while others are still serving prison sentences.
Jerry Cobb, a spokesman for the Maricopa County Attorney's office, which is prosecuting the case, said the dismissal being sought would leave open the possibility that charges could be refiled if independent evidence of the crimes surfaced. "That wiretap was so critical to the case," Cobb said.
The case has served as an embarrassment to Arpaio's office since the three employees were arrested in 2011.
The agency issued a statement Wednesday saying the investigation was solid and that sheriff's officials were disappointed with recent developments in the case.
The three are accused of helping the ring smuggle heroin from Mexico into metro Phoenix and launder its illegal proceeds through two companies. They pleaded not guilty to charges.
Former sheriff's Deputy Alfredo Aguirre Navarrette, a one-time member of Arpaio's elite immigration squad, is accused of driving smuggling vehicles, laundering money and using a police database to pass information along to members of the drug ring.
He also was accused of assisting a separate immigrant smuggling group by operating a stash house and transporting immigrants in the country illegally from Arizona to California. Authorities say Navarrette, while out on bail, was pulled over while driving a suspected immigrant smuggling vehicle. He has been jailed since.
The sheriff's office launched an internal investigation in 2010 after a confidential informant told police that Navarrette was seen snorting cocaine and bragging about his work for the drug ring while at a party.
Former jail officers Marcella Marie Hernandez and Sylvia Rios Najera were accused of helping launder the ring's drug proceeds. At the time of her arrest, Hernandez was pregnant with the alleged ring leader's child.
If a judge grants the dismissal request, all that would remain of the case would be insurance fraud and arson charges against Navarrette, who is accused of causing a fire to a car in 2010.
END
Number of federal inmates rise: Sheriff
Published on Wednesday December 24, 2014,
Written by Rosalia Muñoz
http://www.eldiariodesonora.com.mx/nota.php?nota=42673
Nogales Az.
The number of federal inmates increased in the prison of Santa Cruz County after they reached zero last month.
Sheriff Tony Estrada said last week received 100 prisoners, most of them are undocumented immigrants who received a sentence of 30, 60 or 90 days, for illegally entering the country.
For each inmate the county receives $ 65 per day from the federal government, which greatly benefits the economy of the prison, which was severely affected by declining resources by the County in recent months.
If the number of federal inmates continues at the current level, the district jail should exceed revenue
expectations for the year, the county manager Carlos Rivera said.
The Sheriff said he was very happy that this represents progress for them and hopes to continue receiving inmates.
END
Al alza internos federales: Sheriff
Detalles Publicado el Miercoles 24 de Diciembre de 2014,
Escrito por Rosalia Muñoz
http://www.eldiariodesonora.com.mx/nota.php?nota=42673
Nogales Az.
El número de reclusos federales aumentó en la cárcel del Condado de Santa Cruz después de que estos llegaron a cero el pasado mes.
El sheriff Tony Estrada manifestó que la semana pasada recibieron a 100 reclusos, la mayoría de ellos son indocumentados que recibieron una condena de 30, 60 o 90 días, por ingresar ilegalmente al país.
Por cada interno, señaló, reciben 65 dólares diarios de parte del gobierno federal, lo que beneficia en gran medida la economía de la prisión, la cual se vio severamente afectada por la disminución de recursos por parte del Condado en meses anteriores.
Si el número de internos federales continúa en el nivel actual, el distrito de la cárcel debe superar las expectativas de ingresos para el año, informó el administrador del condado Carlos Rivera.
El Sheriff dijo sentirse muy contento por que esto significa un avance para ellos y espera continuar recibiendo internos.
FIN
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