Drug War Issues
In Philadelphia, three Philadelphia police officers were charged Tuesday with plotting to rip off 300 grams of heroin from a drug dealer and then sell it to another drug dealer. The problem was that the intended recipient was actually an undercover DEA agent. Officers Robert Snyder, 30; Mark Williams, 27; and James Venziale, 32, are charged with conspiracy to distribute heroin and related counts. Four other people, including Snyder's wife Christal and three alleged drug dealers are also charged. The plot began when Venziale met with a drug dealer in April and discussed a rip-off plan in which police would stage a vehicle stop to make it seem the drugs were being seized by law enforcement. The actual rip-off went down on May 14, when Williams and Venziale pulled over a vehicle occupied by the plotting drug dealer and an undercover agent. They pretended to arrest the drug dealer, then let the undercover agent drive off with the heroin. Later, they met up with the dealer, who paid them $6,000 for their work, as well as paying Christal Synder an unknown sum.
too much drug cash can corrupt cops
In Morganton, North Carolina, a Caldwell County probation officer was arrested July 8 after being caught illegally delivering prescription pills. James Franklin, 44, is charged with felony trafficking in drugs, opiates by possession. He went down after a five-week investigation by the State Bureau of Investigation that ended with him delivering 120 hydrocodone tablets to an undercover officer. Bail was set at $100,000.
In Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, a Pennsylvania parole officer was charged July 8 with trying to extort a parolee into stealing cash from a drug dealer's home and giving him the money. Paul Dschuhan, 44, is also accused of threatening to kill the parolee if he told authorities about the plot. Dschuhan is also a former state trooper. He faces federal charges.
In Williamsburg, Kentucky, a former Williamsburg police officer pleaded guilty July 8 to being a participant in a drug ring that peddled 10,000 Oxycontin tablets and burglarizing a pharmacy to score more. Kenneth Nighbert, 32, copped to a federal conspiracy charge and now faces up to 20 years in prison. He admitted to using his police cruiser to go to a pharmacy in February 2006, removing electrical meters in a bid to disable the alarm system, helping another man hook a chain to his SUV to pull the doors out of the pharmacy, and then stealing drugs. Nighbert resigned from the force in April 2006 after running into a woman's car in his cruiser while under the influence of drugs. He was arrested in Laurel County in May 2007 carrying a police badge, a loaded pistol, Oxycontin tablets, and $32,000 in cash, which he admitted he planned to use to pay drug debts and buy more pills. He's already done state jail time for that arrest.
In Roanoke, Virginia, a former Pulaski and Radford police officer pleaded guilty July 8 to federal charges he sold and used methamphetamine in his patrol car while in uniform and on duty. Christopher Bond, 32, copped to conspiring to distribute more than 50 grams of methamphetamine. Federal prosecutors alleged that Bond smoked meth in his patrol car with other users and at the homes of other users while in uniform, and that he bought large quantities of meth with other users. He faces a mandatory minimum five-year sentence and up to 40 years. He's free on $100,000 bond until his October 4 sentencing date.
Permission to Reprint: This content is licensed under a modified Creative Commons Attribution license. Content of a purely educational nature in Drug War Chronicle appear courtesy of DRCNet Foundation, unless otherwise noted.
Comments
Bad Cops
My house was raided last July after my 18 y/o son was set up to sell 20 oxycodone 5mg pills to undercover police several days previous. Although my husband and I were notified and came home during the "search", we were kept outside. (my 14 y/o grandaugher had been sleeping and they broke the door in, with guns drawn and flashlight in her face, frisked her asking her bunches of questions, needless to say she was alone and very afraid; they had watched me leave the house minutes before)
They went on to take most medications from the home regardless of who they belonged to. They did not get oxycodone since this was the last of an old prescription. They did take my narcotic patches which cost several
hundred dollars to replace. The officer stated I would get them back in a "couple days", after several days it was, "a couple weeks'. Now a year later, he says I am not getting them back because that is what my son sold, which is NOT true.I phoned his superior and he is not returning my calls. They returned most of the medicines last week, and I now noticed that my patches are not noted on the inventory list.
They also have kept my other son's hunting rifle which was unloaded, locked in it's case up in the attic! We have been told to request it back from the judge at the main courthouse which involves a lawyer or research at the Law Library which we are willing to do.
Can u tell me if it it legal for them to keep my medicine and what I might do to get it back? We did not get any notice of their intention whatsoever. No paperwork.
This has devestated my son, and the family. They forced him to "actiively" set up another person, whom he somewhat knew from highschool and who is now threatening him. (that boy is serving mandatory prison time 3 yrs, which makes me sick in my stomach) My boy was given 3 yrs. probation, which is tolerable although a bit long, but the Felony is the worst part. He and most of these young men are making dumb, impulsive choices and given their age and without any prior problems whatsoever, I think the Felony Charge is way over the top and will follow him while he hasn't begun to live as an adult yet. I know I made dumb mistakes at 18, from what I remember.... The police think of these kids as scum, without redemption, and I sensed their satisfaction in sticking this to him. Of course, the narcotics police in our township are all of about 30 years old, so I believe their ego is getting the best of them and they have become "BADGE HEAVY". I am againse Mandatory Minimum Punishment and offer my support to you. Thank you for your help. Dee Lock, Bensalem, PA
In reply to Bad Cops by Deirlo (not verified)
Oxycodone Arrest and Doctor Patient Confidentiality
I think it is unlawful for the police to even take your medication from you, as it was not related to the accused crime, and it is definitely unlawful to prevent someone from taking their prescribed medications. It also brings to mind doctor/patient confidentiality. I don't think the police even have a right to know your medical information, let alone, take your medicine from you. They probably think differently, but their beliefs have no bearing on the written laws, unless the laws aren't being enforced. If that's the case, why did you even get raided if they don't care about the laws?
lol
they "forced him" to sell Oxy's? bullshit. he's a retard who thought he was slick.
In reply to lol by Anonymous666 (not verified)
Mr Anon.........@ 11.05 is a
Mr Anon.........@ 11.05 is a jerk don't take that to heart, I doubt he has raised childen because if he had a clue he would not mouth off w/o ALL the facts.
Good luck to you Mam !!
In reply to lol by Anonymous666 (not verified)
Forced to sell Oxycontin
He may have been "forced" to sell Oxycontin under duress. They probably threatened to charge him with possession of the rifle, and possession of the patches (the ones that were not inventoried by them), even though he did not possess them. Cops do this all the time, especially narcotics officers. I know people who have worked with the police to set other people up, in an exchange to have their charges dropped, because the got busted doing stupid stuff. It is very common. The police will sometimes also threaten your family's safety and freedom (this is very obviously unlawful, but does anyone actually believe any of these "good cops" out there are going to arrest their brothers in blue?). These threats can be great motivators for someone to act against their will, and do something they would otherwise not have done, and would be done under duress. That is force. I don't think the police physically forced their will onto him,but did you actually think that is what was being said? I doubt it.
RE: lol
About 500 years ago Niccolo Macchievelli wrote about times when society was run by those that would do bribery, blackmail and murder to get what they want.
Prohibition
The narcs are the worst. I do not understand why the police officers in Virginia and Kentucky are receiving so much time since no one was actually hurt by their actions. If I were the boss, I would simply fire them.
However, I do find it frightening to know that a cop is driving around on methamphetamine.
Corpus delicti
Challenge their jurisdiction: See http://marcstevens.net/articles/20-bureaucrats-never-have-a-case.html for an example;
"It doesnât matter what âchargeâ, indictment or complaint is brought against someone by a prosecutor; bureaucrats never have a case; their very nature dictates they canât. While many would cry out in protest, no doubt those invested economically and/or emotionally in statism, it is nonetheless an accurate statement."
and
"The requirement of standing, however, has a core component derived directly from the Constitution. A plaintiff must allege personal injury fairly traceable to the defendant's allegedly unlawful conduct and likely to be redressed by the requested relief.â Allen v. Wright, 468 U.S. 737, 751 (1984) (emphasis added)
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