San Francisco ( Man has alligator to guard his marijuana in bedroom ) 34 pounds

Large pet reptile found guarding Calif. pot stash

By TERRY COLLINS Associated PressAssociated Press

Posted: 01/10/2013 12:04:10 AM MST

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In this photo released by the Alameda County Sheriffs... ((AP Photo/Alameda County Sheriffs))

SAN FRANCISCO—Authorities in Northern California made a snappy discovery during a routine probation check: An alligator-like reptile named "Mr. Teeth," who was apparently protecting a stash of marijuana. When Alameda County Sheriff's deputies entered the Castro Valley home on Tuesday, they not only found 34 pounds of marijuana valued at an estimated $100,000, but also the 5-foot-long caiman inside a Plexiglas tank guarding it in a bedroom. Caimans are usually found in the wetland regions of Central and South America. They're considered close relatives of alligators. "We get guard dogs all the time when we search for grow houses and people stashing away all types of dope. But alligators? You just don't see that every day," Sgt. J.D. Nelson said Thursday. The reptile's owner, Assif Mayar, was arrested Tuesday and later charged with one count of possessing marijuana for sale. Mayar, 32, did not enter a plea during his arraignment in Alameda County Superior Court. He is being held in jail on $20,000 bail and is due back in court on Jan. 15. He could also face citations from the California Fish and Game Commission, including possession of an exotic animal without a permit. Mayar told deputies he got the creature to commemorate rapper Tupac Shakur's 1996 death. "We have come across alligators before, but nobody can remember one this big and situated in such close proximity to act sort of as a sentry to the marijuana," Nelson said.

El Paso ( Juarez woman busted with 25,000 dollars in her purse-Trying to walk into Mexico )

Customs officers in El Paso seize more than $25,000 in cash

By Adriana M. Chávez / El Paso Timeselpasotimes.com

Posted: 01/10/2013 04:00:52 PM MST

 

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Customs and Border Protection officers in El Paso seized... (U.S. Customs and Border Protection)

 

 

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Reporter Adriana M. Chávez

Customs and Border Protection officers in El Paso seized more than $25,000 in cash from a woman trying to walk into Mexico. Customs officials said the cash was apparently hidden in a purse belonging to Irma Ariana Varela Antillon, 29, of Juárez. Officials said Varela was walking south on the Paso Del Norte bridge about 4 p.m. Wednesday when she was selected for inspection by customs personnel. An agent with the U.S. Border Patrol began talking to Varela, then searched her purse and found three bundles of unreported cash in the bag. Agents with Homeland Security Investigations arrested Varela for federal prosecution. She is being held without bond at the El Paso County Jail. "The unreported cash that we seize has an impact on the criminal organizations by making it more difficult for them to further their illicit activities," said Hector Mancha, the port director for Customs and Border Protection in El Paso. "CBP officers and Border Patrol agents performing southbound inspections at all area crossings are generating important enforcement activity regularly."

Douglas Az ( Man arrested with 22,500 dollars in his jacket ) walking border crossing

Cash, marijuana seized at Douglas border crossing

Photos courtesy of U.S. Customs and Border Protection

Luis Carlos Majalca, 24, was arrested Tuesday after agents say they found him walking across the border from Arizona carrying $22,500 in unreported U.S. currency hidden inside his jacket

2013-01-10T11:00:00ZCash, marijuana seized at Douglas border crossingArizona Daily StarArizona Daily Star

43 minutes ago • Arizona Daily Star

Two Mexican nationals were arrested this week in unrelated smuggling incidents at the Douglas border crossing.
Luis Carlos Majalca, 24, was arrested Tuesday after agents say they found him walking across the border from Arizona carrying $22,500 in unreported U.S. currency hidden inside his jacket.
Later in the day, officers referred Maria Josefina Sanchez-Hernandez, 46, for further inspection as she drove into Arizona. A narcotics detection canine alerted to the presence of drugs in her vehicle.
Officers say they found 190 packages of marijuana weighing about 300 pounds throughout the vehicle. The estimated value of the marijuana was $148,000.

Florida Miramar ( Hit and Run suspect at McDonalds - kills 6 yr old boy )

6-year-old killed, struck twice by hit-and-run driver in Miramar

By Marc Caputo The Miami Herald

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A 6-year-old boy was killed Wednesday night as his relatives watched the same driver hit him twice before driving off at a Miramar McDonald’s, police said.
D’Andre Binns was pronounced dead at Memorial Regional Hospital and Miramar police have been searching, so far in vain, for the killer who drove a white car, possibly a Dodge Charger with 22-inch rims
“It’s a horrific scene,” police spokeswoman Tania Rues said
“We just need one phone call, one tip to catch the person who did this,” Rues said. “The car obviously has front-end damage, probably a shattered windshield. It should be easy to spot.”
D’Andre was hit by the white car as he crossed the 6200 block of Miramar Parkway in front of the McDonald’s where his family had just gotten food.
A relative, identified as either the boy’s uncle or father, was crossing the street with D’Andre’s cousin in his arms. He was probably unaware the boy was following him, Rues said.
That’s when the white car hit D’Andre, who smashed into the car’s windshield. The driver swerved multiple times and D’Andre fell off the car, Rues said. The car then ran over D’Andre, drove off and was last seen heading south on State Road 7/U.S. 441.
D’Andre’s mother, who was sitting in a parked car at the McDonald’s when he slipped away, saw her child killed.
“She is distraught,” Rues said.
Anyone with information should call Broward Crime Stoppers at 954-493-TIPS (8477).

Read more here: http://www.miamiherald.com/2013/01/10/3176080/6-year-old-killed-struck-twice.html#storylink=cpy

Japan ( Body found in food warehouse freezer- Been there a year )

Body found in food warehouse freezer in Niigata

CrimeJan. 10, 2013 - 07:00AM JST( 5 )

NIIGATA —

Police said Wednesday that a body was found in a food warehouse freezer in Myoko, Niigata Prefecture.
According to police, the body was found on Tuesday morning. Fuji TV quoted officers as saying that the skeletal remains were those of a man around 175 cm in height, wearing a blue tracksuit, who is thought to have died around a year ago.
A cardboard box and a pillow were also reportedly found in the freezer. Police say that the man’s remains showed no obvious signs of serious injury and that the cause of his death remains under investigation.

Syria ( 48 Iranians freed in exchange for 2,000 prisoners women and children )

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Associated Press/IHH - In this photo provided by the Turkish Islamic aid group IHH, freed Syrian prisoners released by the Syrian government are seen in Damascus, Syria, Wednesday, Jan. 9, 2013. Syrian rebels …more freed 48 Iranians held captive since August, Iranian state TV reported Wednesday, part of what appeared to be the first major prisoner swap of the civil war. The deal, reportedly coordinated by the IHH, will also involve the release of more than 2,000 Syrians held by Bashar Assad's regime, Turkey's state-run agency Anadolu Agency reported. (AP Photo/IHH) less

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DAMASCUS, Syria (AP) — Rebels freed 48 Iranians on Wednesday in exchange for more than 2,000 prisoners, including women and children, held by Syrian authorities — a deal struck after rare negotiations involving regional powers Turkey, Qatar and Iran.

It was the first major prisoner swap since the uprising began against President Bashar Assad nearly 22 months ago.

Iran is one of Assad's main allies, and the Iranians, who were seized outside Damascus in August, were a major bargaining chip for factions trying to bring down his regime in the civil war that has killed more than 60,000 people.

The exchange also highlighted the plight of tens of thousands of detainees languishing in Syrian prisons, many of whom were picked up at street protests and have not been heard of since.

The group of 48 Iranians arrived Wednesday at the Sheraton hotel in several vans escorted by Syrian security forces. Looking disheveled but healthy, they were greeted by Iran's ambassador in Damascus, Mohammad Riza Shibani, and several Iranian clerics who distributed a white flower to each of the men, some of whom broke down in tears.

"The conditions placed (by the captives) were difficult, but with much work ... we succeeded in securing this release," Shibani told reporters. "I hope such tragedies will not be repeated."

He said their release was a result of elaborate and "tough" negotiations, but did not elaborate. The Syrian government, which rarely gives details on security-related matters, had no official comment and it was not clear what prompted the exchange

Crosbyton Texas ( Amber Alert -2yr old girl -suspect in red ford focus )

Amber Alert issued for 2-year-old girl missing from Crosbyton, Texas

By Aaron Bracamontes / El Paso Timeselpasotimes.com

Posted: 01/08/2013 03:30:39 PM MST

Leah Aguirre (Provided by National Center for Missing and Exploited Children)

An Amber Alert has been issued for a 2-year-old girl from Crosbyton, Texas. Leah Marie Aguirre has been missing since about 11 a.m. and is believed to be with a Hispanic man named Miguel in a red Ford Focus. The Crosbyton Police Department are searching for Leah and believe she is in "grave or immediate danger." It is not known what Leah was wearing at the time she went missing. Anyone with information on Leah is asked to call Crosbyton police at 806-368-1926. Aaron Bracamontes may be reached at abracamontes@elpasotimes.com; 546-6156. Follow him on Twitter @AaronBrac.