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  • MIL-OSI Global: Trump’s art of the deal horrifies Ukraine and its allies

    Source: The Conversation – UK – By Jonathan Este, Senior International Affairs Editor, Associate Editor

    Browse through Donald Trump’s ghostwritten memoir, The Art of the Deal, and you’ll come across an aphorism which will go some way to explaining the US president’s approach to negotiating. Having established that he would do nearly anything within legal bounds to win, Trump adds that: “Sometimes, part of making a deal is denigrating your competition.”

    It’s an idea which makes a lot of sense when you consider Trump’s record. We saw it time and again on the campaign trail, as he sought to seal the deal with the US public by repeatedly denigrating first Joe Biden and then Kamala Harris. Which begs the question, in seeking to make a deal to end the war in Ukraine, exactly who he sees as the competition he needs to denigrate: Vladimir Putin or Volodymyr Zelensky?

    Trump has certainly gone out of his way to excoriate the Ukrainian president over the past day or two, both in public and on his TruthSocial platform. He has variously blamed Zelensky for starting the war, called him a “dictator without elections” and a “modestly successful comedian … very low in Ukrainian polls” who “has done a terrible job, his country is shattered, and MILLIONS have unnecessarily died”.

    Putin, meanwhile, takes a rather different view of how to seal a deal with the US president. Far from denigrating Trump, he has set out to charm the flattery-loving president with a view to driving a wedge between the US and Europe, claiming that EU leaders had “insulted” Trump during his election campaign and insisting that “they are themselves at fault for what is happening”.

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    The Russian president will be well pleased with the events of the past week or so. After three years of increasing isolation under the Biden presidency, he’s now back at the top table with the US president – two powerful men discussing the future of Europe.

    For the man who, in 2005, complained that the collapse of the Soviet Union had been “the greatest geopolitical catastrophe” of the 20th century, to be back deciding the fate of nations is a dream come true, writes James Rodgers of City St George’s, University of London.

    Rodgers, a former BBC Moscow correspondent, observes that Putin has fulfilled this mission having “conceded not an inch of occupied Ukrainian territory to get there. Nor has he even undertaken to give back any of what Russian forces have seized since the full-scale invasion of Ukraine three years ago.”

    Not only that, but Putin also appears to have enlisted US support for one of the key objectives that encouraged him to invade Ukraine in the first place: preventing Ukraine from joining Nato. That much was clear from the US defense secretary Pete Hegseth’s speech to European defence officials last week. The views of Washington’s European allies (and of the Biden administration) – that Ukraine’s membership of Nato is a matter for the alliance members to decide with Ukraine as a sovereign state in control of its own foreign policy – don’t appear to matter to Trump and his team.



    Read more:
    Ukraine peace talks: Trump is bringing Russia back in from the cold and ticking off items on Putin’s wish list

    Meanwhile, Trump’s policy volte-face over Ukraine and, more broadly, European security in general has driven a dangerous wedge between the US and its allies in Europe. France’s president, Emmanuel Macron, responded by convening a meeting on Monday of the leaders of what the French foreign minister, Jean-Noël Barrot, described as “the main European countries”. This turned out to include Germany, the UK, Italy, Poland, Spain, the Netherlands and Denmark, as well as the Nato secretary-general and the presidents of the European Council and European Commission.

    Passing over the question of how the leaders of the Baltic states felt about this, given they all share a border with Russia (as does Finland) and presumably are well aware of the vulnerability of their position, the fact is Europe is deeply divided over its response to the situation.

    As Stefan Wolff observes, the Weimar+ group of countries that met in Paris only represent one shade of opinion within the EU. Meanwhile, Hungary’s prime minister, Viktor Orbán, is openly scathing about European efforts to support Ukraine, posting on X: “While President @realDonaldTrump and President Putin negotiate on peace, EU officials issue worthless statements.”

    Wolff, an expert in international security at the University of Birmingham, notes that disrupting European unity is a stated aim of the Project 2025 initiative which has guided, if not Trump himself, many of his close advisers. The past week, taking into account both Hegseth’s meeting with European defence ministers and the subsequent appearance by the US vice-president, J.D. Vance, at the Munich Security Conference, has gone a fair way down the path towards achieving that disruption.

    At the same time, Vance’s lecture to the conference – during which he was heavily critical of Europe as “the enemy within” which was undermining democracy and threatening free speech – will have united most of those present in anger and dismay at his remarks.



    Read more:
    Europe left scrambling in face of wavering US security guarantees

    Constitutional matters

    Trump has declared that Zelensky is a “dictator” because he cancelled last year’s election in Ukraine. In fact, Ukraine’s constitution provides that elections are prohibited during periods of martial law. And martial law has been in force since the day of the invasion on February 24 2022.

    Lena Surzhko Harned, a professor of political science at Penn State University, writes that the delegitimisation of Zelensky is a tactic Putin has been striving for from the very start. The Kremlin has pushed the narrative that there is no legitimate authority with which to negotiate a peace deal, and that Zelensky’s government is “illegitimate”.

    “What Putin needs for this plan to work is a willing partner to help get the message out that Zelensky and the current Ukraine government are not legitimate representatives of their country,” writes Harned. “And into this gap the new US administration appears to have stepped.”

    Despite Zelensky still enjoying relatively strong support in recent opinion polls, an election campaign in the middle of this conflict would be a needlessly divisive exercise. And that’s before you consider the potential for Russian interference, which would be seriously debilitating for a country fighting for its survival.

    Putin knows all this – and he also knows by framing the issue in a way that suggests Ukraine is dragging its feet over peace, he will enjoy a propaganda coup. And that’s what he is doing, with the apparent support of the US president.



    Read more:
    In pushing for Ukraine elections, Trump is falling into Putin-laid trap to delegitimize Zelenskyy

    Another way Putin hopes to discredit the Ukrainian leadership is by deliberately excluding it from the talks – at least for the present. Zelensky has said, with the support of his European allies, that there can be no deal without Ukrainian participation.

    It’s easy to see why Zelensky and his allies are so adamant that they should be involved, writes Matt Fitzpatrick, a professor of international history at Flinders University. History is littered with examples of large powers getting together to decide the fate of smaller nations that have no agency in the division.

    Three such shameful debacles determined the history of much of the 20th century – and not in a good way. The Sykes-Picot agreement divided the Middle East between British and French spheres of influence, and sowed the seed for discord which continues to this day. The Munich conference of 1938, at which the fate of Czechoslovakia was decided without any Czech input, showed Adolf Hitler that naked aggression really does pay. And having failed to learn from either of these, in 1945 the Big Three (Russia, the US and Britain) got together at Yalta to carve up Germany, thereby setting the scene for the cold war.



    Read more:
    Ukraine isn’t invited to its own peace talks. History is full of such examples – and the results are devastating

    Deal or no deal

    One of Trump’s assertions this week has been that Zelensky had his chance to strike a deal and avoid all the bloodshed and much of the territorial loss suffered by Ukraine in the three years of war. Reacting to questions about why Zelensky or any Ukrainian diplomats hadn’t been involved in the talks, he scoffed: “Today I heard: ‘Oh, well, we weren’t invited.’ Well, you’ve been there for three years … You should have never started it. You could have made a deal.”

    Stephen Hall, who specialises in Russian and post-Soviet politics at the University of Bath, recalls the early talks in the spring of 2022. He says that the idea – also floated in the press by several commentators – that Ukraine should have concluded a peace deal in March or April of 2022 after talks in Istanbul is absurd.

    While there was momentum for peace, particularly on Kyiv’s part, the two sides were a long way apart on issues such as the size of Ukraine’s military and the fate of territories such as Crimea. “Had Ukraine done a deal based on the Istanbul communique, it would have essentially led to the country becoming a virtual province of Russia – led by a pro-Russian government and banned from seeking alliances with western countries,” Hall writes.



    Read more:
    Ukraine war: the idea that Kyiv should have signed a peace deal in 2022 is flawed – here’s why

    And in any case, back then there was scant support among Ukraine’s allies in Europe and the Biden White House for appeasing Putin by offering him concessions in return for aggression. But that’s now history. Trump and his team appear to have already granted the Russian president some of his dearest wishes before the negotiations proper have even started.

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    – ref. Trump’s art of the deal horrifies Ukraine and its allies – https://theconversation.com/trumps-art-of-the-deal-horrifies-ukraine-and-its-allies-250461

    MIL OSI – Global Reports –

  • MIL-OSI Global: Ukraine war: the idea that Kyiv should have signed a peace deal in 2022 is flawed – here’s why

    Source: The Conversation – UK – By Stephen Hall, Lecturer (Assistant Professor) in Russian and Post-Soviet Politics, University of Bath

    It has been an eventful and, for Ukraine and its European allies, alarming past week or so. First they heard that the US president, Donald Trump, had spent 90 minutes on the phone with his Russian counterpart, Vladimir Putin. In one stroke, Trump upended three years in which his predecessor, Joe Biden, had sought to isolate Russia after its full-scale invasion of Ukraine.

    On the same day, February 12, Trump’s newly installed secretary of defense, Pete Hegseth, told a gathering of senior defence officials in Brussels that Europe would no longer be the primary focus for US security policy, and that Ukraine could not hope to regain the territory Russia had illegally occupied since 2014, nor join Nato.

    Hegseth added that not only would the US not contribute to any peacekeeping force in Ukraine in the event of a peace deal, but that any European peacekeeping operation would not be done under the protection of Nato’s Article 5.

    This was soon followed by the US vice-president, J.D. Vance, telling the Munich Security Conference that it was Europe, not Russia or China, that was the main security threat – the “enemy within” that fostered anti-democratic practices and sought to curtail free speech.

    This week, a US team led by the secretary of state, Marco Rubio, sat down with their Russian opposite numbers led by the foreign minister, Sergei Lavrov, to discuss peace negotiations. Ukraine was not represented. Nor was Europe. Following that, and perhaps taking his cue from Hegseth, Lavrov declared that Russia would not accept any European peacekeepers in Ukraine – deal or no deal.

    Meanwhile, Trump has taken to his TruthSocial media platform to repeat several favourite Kremlin talking points. Ukraine was responsible for the war, he said. Its president, Volodymyr Zelensky, was a “dictator” who had cancelled elections, and whose popularity with his own people was now as low as 4% (it’s actually 57%, at least 10 points higher than Trump’s rating in the US).

    Trump also mocked Zelensky’s concern at his country’s exclusion from the Riyadh talks, telling reporters: “Today I heard: ‘Oh, well, we weren’t invited.’ Well, you’ve been there for three years … You should have never started it. You could have made a deal.”

    This leads us back to the Istanbul communique, produced at the end of March 2022 after initial peace talks between Russia and Ukraine in Antalya, Turkey. Some US commentators have suggested Ukraine could now be better off had it signed this deal.

    Istanbul communique

    What happened in Istanbul, and how close Russia and Ukraine were to an agreement, has been hotly debated, with some arguing a deal was close and others refuting this.

    Ukraine reportedly agreed to a range of concessions including future neutrality, as well as giving up its bid for membership of Nato. Russia, in turn, would apparently have accepted Ukraine’s membership of the EU. This concession, incidentally, is still on the table.

    But there were sticking points, primarily over the size of Ukraine’s armed forces after a deal – Kyiv reportedly wanted 250,000 soldiers, the Kremlin just 85,000 – and the types of weaponry Ukraine could keep in its arsenal.

    There were also issues about Ukraine’s Russian-occupied territory, particularly Crimea – this was projected to be resolved over 15 years with Russia occupying the peninsula on a lease in the meantime. Another Kremlin demand was for Zelensky to stand down as president, with the presidency being taken up by the pro-Russian politician Viktor Medvedchuk.

    Negotiations continued through April 2022, only to break down when Russian atrocities were reported in Bucha, a town Ukrainian troops had retaken as part of their spring counter-offensive. But the fact is, an agreement was never really close.

    The UK’s former prime minister, Boris Johnson, has taken much flack over reports that he urged Zelensky not to accept the deal. But there was never a realistic chance this deal would be acceptable to Ukraine. A neutral Ukraine with a reduced military capacity would have no way to defend itself against any future aggression.

    Had Ukraine done a deal based on the Istanbul communique, it would have essentially led to the country becoming a virtual province of Russia – led by a pro-Russian government and banned from seeking alliances with western countries. As for joining the EU, it was the Kremlin’s opposition to Kyiv’s engagement with the EU in 2013 which provoked the Euromaidan protests and led to Russia’s initial annexation of Crimea the following year.

    What next?

    Kyiv signing the Istanbul communique may have quickly stopped the war and the killing. But the Kremlin has repeatedly shown it cannot be trusted to adhere to agreements – you only have to look at the way it repeatedly violated the Minsk accords of 2015, which attempted to end hostilities in eastern Ukraine.

    Further, a deal that rewards Russian aggression by agreeing to its taking of territory and demanding the neutrality of the victim would undermine global security, and encourage other illegal foreign policy adventurism.

    If the Trump administration has the blueprint of a fair peace deal, it’s hiding it well at this point. Instead, European leaders have been put in a position where they must face the prospect of having to fund Ukraine’s continued defence, while coping with a US retreat from its security guarantees for Europe as a whole.

    Either that or, as my University of Bath colleague Patrick Bury wrote on X this week, accept some pretty dire consequences.

    Europe is facing a crisis that it could have prepared for after Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine in 2022. With Trump back in power, the relationship between the US and Europe appears increasingly fractured. But Europe too is bitterly divided over how to approach this crisis.

    Britain and France initially talked up the idea of providing troops as peacekeepers in Ukraine – but Germany adamantly refused to go along with that plan. Both Emmanuel Macron and Keir Starmer have since rethought the idea (although there is a report that the UK prime minister has considered a scheme for a 30,000-strong “monitoring force” away from the ceasefire line).

    The Kremlin reacts to signals. While it was clearly preparing for the invasion in late 2021, Joe Biden’s statement that he would not send troops to defend Ukraine showed the limits to US involvement. A message that Europe is prepared to dispatch peacekeepers to Ukraine now would send a strong signal to Putin – and the Trump administration – that Europe is serious.

    Stephen Hall does not work for, consult, own shares in or receive funding from any company or organisation that would benefit from this article, and has disclosed no relevant affiliations beyond their academic appointment.

    – ref. Ukraine war: the idea that Kyiv should have signed a peace deal in 2022 is flawed – here’s why – https://theconversation.com/ukraine-war-the-idea-that-kyiv-should-have-signed-a-peace-deal-in-2022-is-flawed-heres-why-250423

    MIL OSI – Global Reports –

  • MIL-OSI Global: Ukraine’s natural resources are at centre stage in the ongoing war, and will likely remain there

    Source: The Conversation – Canada – By Nino Antadze, Associate Professor, Environmental Studies, University of Prince Edward Island

    Three years after Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, the world now knows the exact price for American military support of Ukraine. During a recent interview with Fox News, United States President Donald Trump put a $500 billion price tag on American aid to the war-torn country.

    But there was a catch: the exchange should be made in the form of Ukraine’s valuable natural resources, including rare earth minerals. “We have to get something. We can’t continue to pay this money,” Trump said in the interview.

    Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy has since told his aides to reject the proposal.

    Given the dizzying pace of events that have unfolded since the Trump interview, it’s unclear now whether any deal with Ukraine on its rare earth minerals will ever come to pass. This is especially true given Trump’s subsequent surprise phone conversation with Russian leader Vladimir Putin and ongoing peace talks between the U.S. and Russia that have excluded Ukrainian and European Union officials.

    But there’s little doubt Ukraine’s natural resources will be an important element in future diplomatic negotiations.

    Always a strategic factor

    Ukraine’s rich natural resources have always been a strategic factor in the war. To some extent, Russia’s invasion of Ukraine was driven by the interest to capture and control these resources — including critical minerals, fertile farmland and energy reserves.

    Ukraine’s previous attempts to develop its mineral deposits and energy reserves — such as oil and gas privatization in 2013 and later attracting investments for the development of its mineral resource extraction in 2021 — were cut short first by Russia’s annexation of Crimea in 2014 and then by the full-scale Russian invasion in 2022.

    In 2021, the European Union signed a strategic partnership with Ukraine to include “activities along the entire value chain of both primary and secondary critical raw materials and batteries.”

    The timing of the military campaign against Ukraine may not have been determined solely by the country’s attempts to develop its natural resources, but they have certainly been a factor. Most of these deposits, including oil and gas fields, are located in the eastern and southern regions of Ukraine, which are currently either under Russian occupation or near the front line.

    Ukraine’s mineral wealth

    Ukraine’s mineral wealth amounts to about 20,000 mineral deposits and 116 types of minerals. Most of these deposits are unexplored, with only 15 per cent of all the deposits active prior to the Russian invasion.

    Rare earth minerals are among this mineral wealth as demand for them has skyrocketed in the past several years.

    According to recent estimates, Ukraine has the largest titanium reserves in Europe and seven per cent of the world’s reserves, as well as the largest lithium reserves in Europe. It also has significant production capacity when it comes to rare earth minerals.

    Ukraine also has confirmed deposits of beryllium, uranium and manganese. Before the war, Ukraine was the world’s fifth-largest producer of gallium and is a major producer of neon gas.

    In addition, Ukraine also has large reserves of nonferrous metals, including copper, zinc, silver, lead, nickel, cobalt, as well as one of the largest global reserves of graphite.

    Estimates vary, but Ukrainian critical mineral deposits could be worth trillions of dollars.

    These resources are important from a geopolitical perspective: China has become the major supplier of rare earth minerals on the global market. Not only has China led in the extraction of these minerals, but it also has the largest production and refinement capacity.

    As reliance on Chinese supply has increased, China used it as leverage during the U.S.-China trade dispute in 2019 and stopped rare earth exports to Japan in 2010.

    China’s dominance in this sector means diversifying the supply of rare earth minerals has geopolitical importance, especially for the U.S. and the EU. They want to ensure the supply comes from a strategic partner — Ukraine.

    Ukraine’s natural wealth

    Ukraine’s natural riches go beyond critical minerals and include large deposits of hydrocarbons, particularly natural gas. Ukraine ranks second for natural gas reserves in Europe and fourth in terms of natural gas production.

    Ukraine’s fertile soil — or chernozem, humus-rich grassland soils used extensively for growing cereals and raising livestock — is also economically and strategically important, making the country one of the largest exporters of food globally.

    In 2021, Ukrainian wheat exports accounted for 12 per cent of the global wheat supply, 16 per cent of the global corn supply, 18 per cent of the global barley supply and almost half of the global supply of sunflower seeds, mainly to developing countries.

    Last but not least, Ukraine’s biodiversity, landscapes and ecosystems — some of which have been severely damaged due to the war — are invaluable to the country’s natural environment and essential for the health and well-being of Ukrainians.

    The country’s nuclear facilities and radioactive sites are also at risk of being compromised, which would result in severe environmental and health ramifications in the region. In fact, a recent Russian drone attack reportedly damaged part of the Chernobyl nuclear facility.

    What’s next for Ukraine’s natural resources

    The fate of Ukraine’s mineral riches will largely depend on how the conflict and post-conflict processes unfold.

    But their existence has already proven to be of strategic importance in the war — first, to Russia, and now to the U.S. as well.

    Ukraine’s natural wealth and how it features in current conversations about the future of the conflict reminds us about the central role resource politics can play in shaping war and peace.

    Nino Antadze does not work for, consult, own shares in or receive funding from any company or organisation that would benefit from this article, and has disclosed no relevant affiliations beyond their academic appointment.

    – ref. Ukraine’s natural resources are at centre stage in the ongoing war, and will likely remain there – https://theconversation.com/ukraines-natural-resources-are-at-centre-stage-in-the-ongoing-war-and-will-likely-remain-there-249254

    MIL OSI – Global Reports –

  • MIL-OSI Security: Carry the Kettle Nakoda Nation — Saskatchewan RCMP Major Crimes: youth charged in relation to homicides on Carry the Kettle Nakoda Nation

    Source: Royal Canadian Mounted Police

    Saskatchewan RCMP has charged a 15-year-old male youth with four counts of first-degree murder, Section 235(1), Criminal Code in relation to the deaths of Tracey Hotomani, Sheldon Quewezance, Shauna Fay and Terry Jack.

    The male youth was arrested by Saskatchewan RCMP on February 18, 2025 on Carry the Kettle Nakoda Nation, SK.

    We will not be able to identify the youth as per the Youth Criminal Justice Act.

    The youth is scheduled to appear via phone in Regina Provincial Court this morning at 9:30 a.m.

    MIL Security OSI –

  • MIL-OSI Security: Indictment Adds Murder and Other Charges Against Maryland Man Accused of Shooting a DCHA Officer

    Source: Office of United States Attorneys

                WASHINGTON – Victor Scott Terrill, 41, of Landover, Maryland, was charged in a 10-count superseding indictment, filed yesterday in U.S. District Court, with first-degree murder while armed and related counts, announced U.S. Attorney Edward R. Martin, Jr., FBI Special Agent in Charge Sean Ryan of the Washington Field Office Criminal and Cyber Division, and Chief Pamela Smith of the Metropolitan Police Department.

                The new charges stem from the February 23, 2024, fatal shooting of a man identified as R.C., and the nonfatal shooting of another man, while Terrill was on pre-trial release in a D.C. Superior Court matter.

                Terrill was initially arrested on February 29, 2024, for the shooting of a District Housing Authority Police Officer at a Southeast apartment building in Washington’s Navy Yard neighborhood. He was subsequently charged with assaulting a law enforcement officer (felony) while armed and unlawful possession of a firearm and ammunition by a felon, and related offenses for that conduct. A Smith & Wesson .40 caliber handgun, recovered in a trashcan following his arrest, was also linked to the February 23 murder and nonfatal shooting. 

                With respect to the fatal shooting, Terrill is charged with one count of first-degree murder while armed (premeditated), one count of unlawful possession of a firearm and ammunition by a felon, and one count of possession of a firearm during a crime of violence. With respect to the nonfatal shooting of the other man, Terrill is charged with one count of assault with intent to kill while armed, one count of assault with significant bodily injury while armed, and one count of possession of a firearm during a crime of violence. Terrill is further charged with committing these offenses while on pretrial release in a Superior Court matter.

                This case is being investigated by the FBI Washington Field Office’s Violent Crimes Task Force and the MPD. It is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorneys Ariel Dean, Justin Song, Meredith Mayer-Dempsey and Special Assistant U.S. Attorney Brendan Horan for the District of Columbia.

                A criminal indictment is merely an allegation, and all defendants are presumed innocent until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in a court of law.

    24cr145

    MIL Security OSI –

  • MIL-OSI Security: Career Offender Sentenced to 10 Years in Federal Prison for Distributing Methamphetamine

    Source: Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) State Crime Alerts (b)

    PROVIDENCE – A 49-year-old former Rhode Island man whom court records reflect is a career offender who has spent nearly half of his life incarcerated, has been sentenced to a further ten years in federal prison for trafficking multiple kilos of methamphetamine into Rhode Island, announced United States Attorney Zachary A. Cunha.

    Carl Sharp, 49, of Peoria, Arizona, who formerly resided in Rhode Island, was sentenced today by U.S. District Court Chief Judge John J. McConnell, Jr., to 120 months of incarceration to be followed by five years of federal supervised release. Sharp pleaded guilty on October 15, 2024, to a charge of distribution of 50 grams or more of methamphetamine.

    Court records reflect that Sharp was previously convicted and incarcerated on unrelated charges involving, among other things: drug trafficking, domestic violence, and assault. Sharp also previously faced a murder charge, but was acquitted of that charge after a key witness in the case died.

    According to court documents and information provided to the court in the current federal case, during an investigation into drugs being shipped through the U.S. Mail to Rhode Island from Western states, the United States Postal Inspection Service identified thirteen packages, six of which were mailed by Sharp. Court-authorized searches of three packages, two of which were mailed by Sharp, resulted in the seizure of a total of 4.44 kilograms of methamphetamine and 249 grams of cocaine.

    One of the packages shipped by Sharp was sent to a Rhode Island residence that he had used previously for his drug trafficking activities, and another parcel was mailed to the residence of an unsuspecting 85-year-old woman who lived alone. After opening the package and finding nearly two kilos of meth wrapped in clothing inside the package, a man knocked on her back door looking for the package.  The woman told the man that she did not have the package, and he left. She then brought the package to the post office.

    A financial investigation into Sharp’s assets determined that between January 2022 and May 2024, he deposited over $320,000 in unexplained cash into his personal bank account.

    The case was prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Sandra R. Hebert.

    The matter was investigated by the United States Postal Inspection Service, with the assistance of the FBI.

    ###

    MIL Security OSI –

  • MIL-OSI Security: West Hartford Man Sentenced to Federal Prison for Participating in Catalytic Converter Theft Ring

    Source: Office of United States Attorneys

    Marc H. Silverman, Acting United States Attorney for the District of Connecticut, announced that YANQUEE RODRIGUEZ, also known as “Yankster Rodriguez,” 28, of West Hartford, was sentenced today by U.S. District Judge Sarala V. Nagala in Hartford to 15 months of imprisonment, followed by three years of supervised release, for participating in a catalytic converter theft conspiracy.

    According to court documents and statements made in court, law enforcement has been investigating the theft of catalytic converters from motor vehicles across Connecticut.  A catalytic converter contains precious metals, can easily be removed from its vehicle, and is difficult to trace, making it a desirable target for thieves.  The average scrap price for catalytic converters currently varies between $300 and $1,500, depending on the model and type of precious metal component.

    The investigation revealed that Alexander Kolitsas owned and operated Downpipe Depot & Recycling LLC (“Downpipe Depot”), which had a warehouse on Park Avenue in East Hartford.  Kolitsas and Downpipe Depot purchased stolen catalytic converters from a network of thieves, including Rodriguez, and then transported and sold the catalytic converters to recycling businesses in New York and New Jersey.  Kolitsas instructed his suppliers on the types of converters that would obtain the most profit upon resale, and he would often meet with them and transact business at his home in Wolcott late at night or behind a family member’s restaurant in Middlebury after hours.

    Business records seized during the investigation revealed that Rodriguez was one of Downpipe Depot’s largest suppliers of stolen catalytic converters.  Between January 2021 and May 2022, Downpipe Depot paid Rodriguez $411,845 for catalytic converters.  Kolitsas paid Rodriguez and his other catalytic converter suppliers a total of more than $3.3 million during that time.

    Rodriguez was arrested on November 15, 2023.  On June 26, 2024, he pleaded guilty to one count of conspiracy to commit interstate transportation of stolen property and one count of interstate transportation of stolen property.

    Rodriguez, who is released on a $100,000 bond, is required to report to prison on May 19.

    Kolitsas pleaded guilty to related charges and awaits sentencing.

    This investigation is being led by the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF), the Internal Revenue Service – Criminal Investigation Division (IRS-CI), and the East Hartford Police Department.  The case is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorneys Lauren C. Clark and A. Reed Durham.

    MIL Security OSI –

  • MIL-OSI USA: Services & Support for Youth Who Repeatedly Go Missing

    Source: US State of New York

    Governor Kathy Hochul today announced a new state initiative launched in Buffalo to connect youth who repeatedly go missing with services and support that address their needs and the circumstances that cause them to leave home. The Runaway Intervention Program: Services, Training, Opportunity, Prevention, or RIPSTOP, pilot program is designed to increase safety and stability and reduce multiple missing episodes, which put youth at risk of harm and victimization. The Scott Bieler Child Advocacy Center at BestSelf is partnering with the Buffalo Police Department and Community Foundation for Greater Buffalo to implement the pilot program developed by the State Division of Criminal Justice Services (DCJS) with support from 10 other state agencies.

    “Public safety is my top priority and I’m committed to using every tool at my disposal to protect all New Yorkers, especially our most vulnerable population,” Governor Hochul said. “That’s why my administration is supporting this pilot program and several other initiatives to provide assistance to our most vulnerable youth. We thank our partners in my hometown of Buffalo for helping us launch this pilot, which, if successful, will be replicated statewide.”

    The pilot will serve children younger than 18 who are involved with social services, and those who are not, providing opportunities to identify specific services and interventions that can reduce or eliminate runaway episodes. The initiative kicked off earlier this week with a community listening circle hosted by the Scott Bieler Child Advocacy Center at BestSelf to raise awareness about the pilot and seek community input. A second session is scheduled for Tuesday, Feb. 25, at the Martha Mitchell Community Center. The listening circle will be closed to the media to facilitate open and honest dialogue and protect privacy of youth and families in attendance.

    New York State Department of Criminal Justice Services Commissioner Rossana Rosado said, “Youth outreach and engagement are critical components in our efforts to prevent crime. When we invest in the future of our youth by providing support, services and opportunities, we improve lives, strengthen families and communities, and increase public safety. I thank Governor Hochul for her commitment to young New Yorkers and my DCJS staff for working with sister state agencies and other partners to spearhead this pilot.”

    The Scott Bieler Child Advocacy Center at BestSelf will administer the two components of the pilot: a Missing Youth Services Referral Program, and a Multi-Disciplinary Runaway Youth Treatment Team. BestSelf plans to hire a youth runaway coordinator to run the referral program, which is funded by a grant from the Community Foundation for Greater Buffalo. The Buffalo Police Department unit that responds to reports of missing persons, child abuse and domestic violence refers children to the Scott Bieler Child Advocacy Center at BestSelf and plans to have an officer at the Center daily as part of the pilot.

    BestSelf CEO and President Elizabeth Woike said, “We’re incredibly proud that our Scott Bieler CAC at BestSelf was chosen as the pilot program, consistently proving itself as the premier CAC in New York State. We are looking at the youth runaway crisis through a preventative lens to address larger health issues down the road. Our commitment remains strong to provide cutting-edge treatment and lead the way in collaboration and advocacy.”

    Youth who are reported missing are at risk of homelessness, exploitation for sex and/or labor trafficking, academic underachievement that can lead to dropping out of school, and involvement in the juvenile justice system. Children with multiple missing episodes are more likely to be depressed, have attempted suicide, and have mental health or substance use issues. Last year, 12,114 reports of missing children younger than 18 were entered into the New York State register, with 94 percent reported by police as runaways. More than half (6,161) of those reports involved a total of 1,772 children. DCJS identified Buffalo for the pilot due to the high number of missing children reports received by the city’s police department, which had already begun working with the Scott Bieler Child Advocacy Center at BestSelf to address the issue. During that same time period, the City of Buffalo had 522 missing child reports, with nearly 200 representing multiple incidents.

    Staff from the Missing Persons Clearinghouse at DCJS will oversee implementation of the pilot and foster ongoing communication and coordination among all national, state and local partners with the goal of improving how different systems respond and support these youth. The New York State Youth Justice Institute, a partnership between DCJS and the University at Albany, will evaluate the pilot’s implementation and outcomes to determine its success and whether it should be replicated in other communities. The Youth Justice Institute strives to build and strengthen the capacity of localities around New York State to adopt evidence-informed youth justice practices by disseminating information, assisting with implementation and assessing efficacy in existing youth justice programs, and by conducting cutting-edge research to advance the science and practice of evidence-based initiatives.

    The following state agencies are participating: the Department of Health; State Education Department; Justice Center for the Protection of People with Special Needs; Office of Addiction Services and Supports; Office of Children and Family Services; Office of Mental Health; Office for People With Developmental Disabilities; Office for the Prevention of Domestic Violence; Office of Victim Services; and New York State Police.

    The New York City Administration for Children’s Services; New York State Association of Chiefs of Police; New York State Sheriff’s Association; New York State Youth Justice Institute; St. Anne Institute; State of New York Police Juvenile Officers Association; National Center for Missing & Exploited Children; and National Child Protection Task Force also are partners in the initiative.

    City of Buffalo Mayor Christopher P. Scanlon said, “I want to thank Governor Hochul for her continued investment in our youth and for recognizing the urgent need to address the challenges facing vulnerable children in our community. One of my administration’s key priorities is collaboration, and the RIPSTOP pilot program is a powerful example of what we can accomplish when we work together. By bringing together New York State, the City of Buffalo, the Buffalo Police Department, the Community Foundation for Greater Buffalo, and the Scott Bieler Child Advocacy Center at BestSelf, we are ensuring that at-risk youth receive the care and support they need. This initiative reflects our collective commitment to building a safer, more supportive future for the children of Buffalo.”

    Justice Center for the Protection of People with Special Needs Acting Executive Director Maria Lisi-Murray said, “We know from our work safeguarding vulnerable populations that runaway youth are particularly susceptible to trafficking, exploitation, and homelessness. They are also often reluctant to seek help from law enforcement or access critical intervention programs. The RIPSTOP pilot will help bridge those safety and communication gaps by getting youth the support they need sooner to reduce the likelihood of recurrent runaway episodes. Thank you to Governor Hochul for continuing to prioritize the safety of New York’s youth.”

    New York State Police Superintendent Steven G. James said, “Providing accessible support services to our youth is imperative for their well-being and is key to reducing the number of runaway and missing episodes. The relationship between law enforcement partners, combined with the execution of effective initiatives are essential in carrying out the mission of keeping the youth of New York State safe. I commend Governor Hochul for her continued commitment in making sure each New Yorker has the assistance available they need.”

    Office of Addiction Services And Supports Commissioner Dr. Chinazo Cunningham said, “Young people with an unstable home life are at increased risk of experiencing harm when it comes to their health, including the impacts of substance use and addiction. Programs like this support our goal to reach at-risk individuals and direct them to the services and help they need. As one of the agencies involved with the development of this pilot program, alongside our partners in state government and community stakeholders, we are looking forward to seeing the benefits that this will bring to youth in the Buffalo area.”

    Office of Victim Services Director Bea Hanson said, “Key to our mission at OVS is advocating for victims’ rights and working to ensure that systems designed to assist them are accessible and meet their needs. We are proud to partner with our sister agencies to improve state services for at-risk youth, protect them from harm and give them the support they need to thrive.”

    About the Division of Criminal Justice Services Missing Persons Clearinghouse

    The Missing Persons Clearinghouse at the State Division of Criminal Justice Services provides investigative support to local, state and national law enforcement, including cold case reviews; assists left-behind family members, and offers internet safety education programs for children and parents, among other responsibilities. Staff members have extensive experience in law enforcement, training and information technology, and the Clearinghouse accepts leads and tips about missing persons cases it has permission to publicize at [email protected] and 800-346-3543.

    About BestSelf Behavioral Health

    BestSelf Behavioral Health is the largest community-based behavioral health organization serving Western New York. It offers comprehensive services for mental health and substance use disorders. The organization serves over 41,000 individuals annually across more than 70 locations, focusing on trauma-informed care and person-centered treatment.

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI Security: Big River First Nation — Update #3: Saskatchewan RCMP: stabbing incidents reported on Big River First Nation

    Source: Royal Canadian Mounted Police

    February 19, 2025
    Big River First Nation, Saskatchewan

    News release

    On February 19, 2025 at 6:00 p.m., Saskatchewan RCMP located and arrested 29-year-old Ryan Lachance at a residence on Big River First Nation.

    Ryan Lachance was wanted by Big River RCMP for charges including aggravated assault and possession of a weapon for a dangerous purpose.

    As a result of additional investigation, Ryan Lachance has also been charged with:

    • four counts possession of ammunition contrary to prohibition order section 117.01(1), Criminal Code; and
    • one count of failing to comply with a release order section 145(5)(a), Criminal Code.

    Ryan Lachance is scheduled to appear in Prince Albert Provincial Court on February 20, 2025.

    –30–

    Backgrounder

    As a result of further investigation, Saskatchewan RCMP determined the third stabbing victim, an adult male, to be a suspect in the first two stabbings that occurred on February 15 on Big River First Nation. Once released from hospital, the adult male was arrested.

    25-year-old Jacky Lachance from Big River First Nation is charged with:
    • two counts, aggravated assault, Section 268(2), Criminal Code;
    • one count, robbery with a weapon, Section 344(1)(b), Criminal Code; and
    • one count, break and enter, Section 348(1)(b), Criminal Code.
    Jacky Lachance is scheduled to appear in Prince Albert Provincial Court on February 18, 2025 (Information #90564732).
    Saskatchewan RCMP continue to look for 29-year-old Ryan Lachance. As a result of continued investigation into the February 15 incidents, Ryan Lachance has been charged with:
    • two counts, aggravated assault, Section 268(2), Criminal Code;
    • two counts, robbery, Section 344(1)(b), Criminal Code;
    • one count, possession of a weapon for a dangerous purpose, Section 88, Criminal Code;
    • one count, mischief under $5000 – damage to property, Section 430(4), Criminal Code;
    • one count, break, enter and commit, Section 348(1)(b), Criminal Code; and
    • two counts, fail to comply with release order condition, Section 145(5), Criminal Code.

    He has also been charged for failing to attend court, Section 145(2)(b), Criminal Code in relation to a missed court date earlier in February.

    Ryan is also wanted on warrant from Big River RCMP in relation to an unrelated aggravated assault that occurred in November 2024.

    Ryan Lachance is described as approximately 5’6″ tall and 150 lbs. He has brown eyes and brown hair. Ryan has a teardrop tattoo under his left eye. He was last seen wearing a black hoodie with a large white logo on it, and black pants. If you see Ryan Lachance, do not approach him. He is considered armed and dangerous.

    Ryan Lachance may be in a stolen black KIA Optima with Saskatchewan license plate 649 NPP. This is not confirmed and Ryan’s whereabouts are currently unknown. On February 17, 2025, Big River RCMP located and seized the grey BMW SUV.

    If you see Ryan Lachance, the black Kia Optima, or if you have information about this investigation, please call police immediately. In an emergency call 911, and in a non-emergency call 310-RCMP. Information can also be submitted anonymously by contacting Saskatchewan Crime Stoppers at 1-800-222-TIPS (8477) or www.saskcrimestoppers.com.

    Saskatchewan RCMP continue to investigate.

    ————————

    Saskatchewan RCMP continue to investigate three stabbing incidents on Big River First Nation.

    On February 15, 2025 at approximately 3:50 p.m., Big River RCMP received a report of a stabbing at a residence on Big River First Nation. Investigation determined an altercation occurred between a male and a female. As a result, the female was injured. The female victim was taken to hospital with injuries described as non-life threatening.

    At approximately 4:00 p.m., Big River RCMP received a report that a stabbing had occurred at a second residence on Big River First Nation. Investigation determined a group of people entered the residence and stabbed a male. The injured male was taken to hospital with injuries described as non-life threatening.

    At approximately 4:20 p.m., Big River RCMP received a report of a male who was stabbed on Big River First Nation. Officers responded and located the male at a third residence on Big River First Nation. The male was transported by STARS to hospital for treatment of his injuries.

    While officers were responding to the third stabbing, they received a report of an attempted armed robbery with a machete in Victoire, SK. Investigation determined a male approached a vehicle and threatened the driver. The driver exited the vehicle and fled. The male suspect was unable to steal the vehicle and fled on foot in an unknown direction.
    Saskatchewan RCMP continue to investigate.

    The Saskatchewan RCMP continue to look for a male suspect in relation to the stabbings. 29-year-old Ryan Lachance is wanted by Big River RCMP in relation to an unrelated aggravated assault that occurred in November 2024. Ryan Lachance is described as approximately 5’6″ tall and 150 lbs. He has brown eyes and brown hair. Ryan has a teardrop tattoo under his left eye. He was last seen wearing a black hoodie with a large white logo on it, and black pants.

    The suspect is considered armed and dangerous, and should not be approached. If you see him, call police immediately by dialling 911 in the case of an emergency, or 310-RCMP in a non-emergency.

    The last confirmed sighting of Ryan Lachance was around 5:30 p.m. on February 15, in the Victoire, SK area. Ryan may be in a stolen black KIA Optima with Saskatchewan license plate 649 NPP OR a grey BMW SUV, but this is not confirmed.

    If you see Ryan Lachance, the black KIA Optima, or the grey BMW SUV, call your local police immediately. Information can also be submitted anonymously by contacting Saskatchewan Crime Stoppers at 1-800-222-TIPS (8477) or www.saskcrimestoppers.com.

    Residents in the Big River First Nation area will note an increased police presence while this investigation continues. People are asked to avoid the areas where police officers are present and follow any police direction provided.

    Saskatchewan RCMP is not currently asking the public’s assistance in locating the second male, Kenneth Joseph, from the initial Crime Watch Advisory. Please remove his name from your reporting.

    ———————

    The Saskatchewan RCMP is investigating three stabbing incidents in the Big River First Nation. Investigators are trying to determine if the incidents are random. Two victims were taken to hospital for treatment.

    The Saskatchewan RCMP is asking members of the public to contact the police if they see Ryan Lachance, 29, who is wanted by the Big River RCMP detachment under an arrest warrant. Ryan Lachance is approximately 1.68 m tall and weighs 68 kg. He has brown eyes and hair. Ryan has a teardrop tattoo under his left eye. He was last seen wearing a black hooded sweatshirt with a large white logo and black pants.

    The suspect is considered armed and dangerous, and should not be approached. If you see him, call the police immediately by dialing 911 in case of emergency, or 310-RCMP if the situation is not urgent.

    The last confirmed sighting of the suspect was at approximately 5:30 p.m. in the Victoire neighborhood of Saskatchewan. The suspect may be driving a black KIA with Saskatchewan license plate 649 NPP or a gray BMW SUV.

    The Saskatchewan RCMP has indicated that an increased police presence has been deployed in the Big River First Nation as part of this investigation. People are asked to avoid areas where police officers are present and to follow all instructions given by the police.

    We will provide an update on this investigation as soon as possible.

    MIL Security OSI –

  • MIL-OSI Security: Mission man sent to prison for drug trafficking, again

    Source: Office of United States Attorneys

    McALLEN, Texas – A 56-year-old convicted felon has been ordered to prison for drug trafficking while on federal supervision, announced U.S. Attorney Nicholas J. Ganjei.

    Salvador Noyola pleaded guilty May 3, 2024.

    Chief U.S. District Judge Randy Crane has now ordered Noyola to serve 188 months in federal prison to be immediately followed by five years of supervised release. On supervised release when he committed the crime, the court included 18 months as part of the sentence for violating that term. In handing down the sentence, Judge Crane warned Noyola, stating “You’ve got to get out of this business… I hope hat you will find another way to make money.”

    In December 2023, authorities arrested Noyola following a search at his residence.

    At the time of the search, law enforcement seized over a kilogram of powdered cocaine.

    Noyola will remain in custody pending transfer to a U.S. Bureau of Prisons facility to be determined in the near future.

    This case is a result of an Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Forces (OCDETF) operation. Homeland Security Investigations, Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives and the Texas Department of Public Safety – Criminal Investigations Division are conducting the OCDETF operation with the assistance of the Hidalgo County Sheriffs Office and the Mission and Alton police departments. OCDETF identifies, disrupts and dismantles the highest-level criminal organizations that threaten the United States using a prosecutor-led, intelligence-driven, multi-agency approach. Additional information about the OCDETF Program can be found on the Department of Justice’s OCDETF webpage. Assistant U.S. Attorneys Roberto Lopez Jr., Lance Watt and Brittany Jensen are prosecuting the case.

    MIL Security OSI –

  • MIL-OSI Security: Meadow Lake — Update – Meadow Lake RCMP: two charged after shooting on Waterhen Lake First Nation

    Source: Royal Canadian Mounted Police

    February 11, 2025
    Meadow Lake, Saskatchewan

    News release

    On February 8, 2025 at approximately 6:15 p.m., Meadow Lake RCMP received a report of a shooting on Waterhen Lake First Nation.

    Officers responded immediately and located an adult male with injuries described as serious in nature. He was transported to hospital for treatment. Investigators were notified he passed away in hospital on February 13.

    Saskatchewan RCMP Major Crimes, Meadow Lake RCMP, Saskatchewan RCMP’s General Investigation Section and Forensic Identification Services have continued to investigate. As a result, on February 16, Logan Lapratt was charged with: one count, second-degree murder, Section 235(1), Criminal Code and Derek Lasas was charged with: one count, manslaughter with a firearm, Section 236(a), Criminal Code in relation to the death of 29-year old Antoine Hamm from Waterhen Lake First Nation.

    Logan Lapratt and Derek Lasas are scheduled to appear in Meadow Lake Provincial Court on February 18, 2025 (Information #90468305 and #90468306).

    Previously released information:

    Meadow Lake RCMP: two charged after shooting on Waterhen Lake First Nation | Royal Canadian Mounted Police

    –30–

    Backgrounder

    Around 6:15 p.m. February 8, 2025, Meadow Lake RCMP received a report of a shooting at a residence on Waterhen Lake First Nation. One male was reportedly injured and was transported to hospital for treatment of injuries. We do not have an update on their condition.

    As a result of continued investigation by Meadow Lake RCMP, Saskatchewan RCMP’s General Investigation Section and Forensic Identification Services, two 42-year-old males were arrested on Waterhen Lake First Nation without incident on February 8, 2025.

    42-year-old Logan Lapratt from Waterhen Lake First Nation is charged with:

    one count, attempted murder, Section 239, Criminal Code;
    one count, aggravated assault, Section 268(2), Criminal Code;
    one count, discharge firearm with intent, Section 244, Criminal Code
    42-year-old Derek Lasas from Waterhen Lake First Nation is also charged with:

    one count, aggravated assault, Section 268(2), Criminal Code;
    one count, possession of a firearm in motor vehicle, Section 94(1), Criminal Code
    Both accused appeared in Meadow Lake Provincial Court on Monday, February 10, 2025

    MIL Security OSI –

  • MIL-OSI Security: Houston Resident Pleads Guilty to Laundering Proceeds From $40 Million Fraud Scheme

    Source: Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) State Crime News

    HOUSTON – A 43-year-old man has admitted to laundering proceeds from a large-scale bank fraud scheme, announced U.S. Attorney Nicholas J. Ganjei.

    Bun Khath admitted that from 2016 to 2021, he conspired with others in a bank fraud scheme involving dozens of loans totaling at least $40 million in fraudulent loan proceeds.  

    As part of the plea, Khath acknowledged opening and maintaining shell companies and bank accounts to collect money from the scheme and then laundering the fraud proceeds by wiring them to bank accounts other co-conspirators controlled.

    Khath and others accomplished the bank fraud by preparing loan applications that contained false and fraudulent information and documents, including fake equipment sales invoices, income tax returns and financial and bank statements.

    U.S. District Keith Ellison will impose sentencing April 29. At that time, Khath faces up to 10 years in federal prison and a $250,000 possible fine or twice the amount involved in the transaction.  

    He was permitted to remain on bond pending that hearing.

    Another Houston resident charged in the case – Hugo Villanueva, 70, – is considered a fugitive, and a warrant remains outstanding for his arrest. Anyone with information about his whereabouts is asked to contact the FBI at 713-693-5000.

    The Federal Housing Finance Agency-Office of Inspector General (OIG), IRS-Criminal Investigation, FBI and Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation-OIG conducted the investigation. Assistant U.S. Attorney Belinda Beek is prosecuting the case.

    MIL Security OSI –

  • MIL-OSI Security: Carry the Kettle Nakoda Nation — Saskatchewan RCMP Major Crimes: two arrested in relation to homicides on Carry the Kettle Nakoda Nation

    Source: Royal Canadian Mounted Police

    Saskatchewan RCMP has arrested two suspects in relation to four homicides on Carry the Kettle Nakoda Nation, SK.

    On February 4, 2025 at approximately 11:15 a.m., File Hills First Nations Police Service received a report of sudden deaths at a residence on Carry the Kettle Nakoda Nation.

    Officers immediately responded. They located four deceased persons in the residence. Saskatchewan RCMP Major Crimes took carriage of the investigation and investigated the deaths as homicides. Initial investigation suggested the residence may have been targeted.

    As a result of continued investigation, Saskatchewan RCMP Major Crimes located and arrested 18-year-old Darrius Racette in Yorkton, SK on February 18, 2025.

    A youth has also been arrested. We anticipate charges will be laid against them later today. Further details will be provided as we are able to. We will not be able to identify the youth as per the Youth Criminal Justice Act.

    Darrius Racette is facing four counts, first-degree murder, Section 235(1), Criminal Code in relation to the deaths of Tracey Hotomani, Sheldon Quewezance, Shauna Fay and Terry Jack.

    “We thank the public for their cooperation and patience as these investigations were conducted. Officers rely on witnesses and members of the community to come forward with information to further investigations,” says Inspector Ashley St. Germaine, Senior Investigative Officer with the Saskatchewan RCMP’s Major Crimes Branch.

    “We also share our condolences with the families and community members impacted by this tragedy.”

    The Saskatchewan RCMP Major Crimes Family Liaison team and Victim Services continue to communicate with the victims’ families.

    File Hills First Nations Police Service, Regina Police Services and Saskatchewan RCMP’s General Investigation Section, Forensic Identification Services, Historical Case Unit, Saskatchewan Enforcement Response Teams, Indigenous Policing Services, and local RCMP detachments all assisted with this investigation.

    Darrius Racette is scheduled to appear in Yorkton Provincial Court on February 20, 2025.

    To our media partners: We understand there were audio issues with our livestream. We have attached the statements to media, as prepared for delivery.

    MIL Security OSI –

  • MIL-OSI USA: America Is Back — and President Trump Is Just Getting Started

    US Senate News:

    Source: The White House
    President Donald J. Trump took office just one month ago, but has already accomplished more than most presidents do in their entire term as he makes good on his promise to usher in the New Golden Age of America.
    Here is a non-comprehensive list of President Trump’s wins after just one month:
    SECURING OUR HOMELAND:
    President Trump declared a national emergency at the border and deployed the military, including the 10th Mountain Division, to secure our nation.
    Illegal border crossings have hit lows not seen in decades as U.S. Border Patrol is re-empowered to once again enforce the law.
    ABC News: “From Jan. 21 through Jan. 31, the number of U.S. Border Patrol apprehensions along the southwest border dropped 85% from the same period in 2024, according to data obtained by ABC News. In the 11 days after Jan. 20, migrants apprehended at ports of entry declined by 93%.”

    Illegal aliens have started turning around in droves amid the crackdown.
    The Department of Homeland Security announced that arrests of criminal illegal immigrants have doubled under President Trump.
    President Trump signed the Laken Riley Act into law, which requires illegal immigrants arrested or charged with theft or violence to be detained — honoring the legacy of Laken Riley, a Georgia college student brutally murdered by an illegal alien released into the country.
    President Trump ended “catch-and-release,” reversing the dangerous Biden-era policy that released dangerous illegal aliens back into our communities.
    President Trump shut down the “CBP One” app, which “paroled” more than one million illegal immigrants into the country.
    A migrant shelter in San Diego announced it will shut down after it has received no new arrivals since President Trump took office.

    President Trump terminated all taxpayer-funded public benefits for illegal aliens.
    President Trump ramped up deportation flights of criminal illegal aliens.
    After President Trump announced “urgent and decisive retaliatory measures” against Colombia over its refusal to accept deportation flights from the U.S., the country’s president quickly backtracked — even offering the use of his personal plane for the deportations.
    El Salvadorian President Nayib Bukele offered to accept deportees of any nationality, including violent American criminals currently imprisoned in the U.S.

    President Trump began transferring criminal illegal aliens to Guantanamo Bay ahead of their repatriation back to their own countries.
    President Trump re-established the successful “Remain in Mexico” policy.
    President Trump restarted construction of the border wall.
    The Trump Administration officially declared Tren de Aragua, MS-13, the Sinaloa Cartel, the Jalisco New Generation Cartel, the United Cartels, the Gulf Cartel, the Northeast Cartel, and the Michoacán Family as Foreign Terrorist Organizations.
    New York City Mayor Eric Adams (D) agreed to allow federal immigration officials to operate on Rikers Island and deport illegal alien criminals following his meeting with Border Czar Tom Homan.
    Mexico announced a deployment of 10,000 troops to the border to combat illegal immigration and fentanyl trafficking, while Canada announced a flurry of measures to combat fentanyl manufacturing and trafficking following President Trump’s imposition of tariffs on the two countries.
    President Trump implemented an additional 10% tariff on imports from China in order to stem the flow of illegal aliens and fentanyl.
    President Trump ordered an end to birthright citizenship.
    President Trump suspended the U.S. Refugee Admissions Program.
    The Department of Justice filed suit against the State of New York and some of its elected officials over their willful failure to follow federal immigration law and announced that it will take action against so-called “sanctuary cities” for their obstruction of U.S. law.
    The Department of Homeland Security “clawed back” tens of millions of dollars in funds paid by rogue FEMA officials to house illegal aliens in luxury New York City hotels.
    President Trump reinstated the death penalty for federal capital crimes.
    PROTECTING AMERICAN WORKERS AND FOSTERING ECONOMIC GROWTH:
    President Trump restored a 25% tariff on steel imports and elevated the tariff to 25% on aluminum imports to protect these critical American industries from unfair foreign competition — a move praised by the Steel Manufacturers Association, the Aluminum Association, and businesses across the country.
    Robert Simon, CEO of JSW Steel USA, praised President Trump’s steel and aluminum tariffs, celebrating them “as a project that will flood the U.S. with jobs as trading partners move their industries to U.S. soil to avoid tariffs.”

    Makoto Uchida, the CEO of global automaker Nissan, said President Trump’s tariffs could push the car manufacturer to move its production from Mexico to the U.S.
    President Trump unveiled a plan for fair and reciprocal trade, making clear to the world that the United States will no longer tolerate being ripped off.
    President Trump secured hundreds of billions of dollars in new investments.
    President Trump announced the largest artificial intelligence infrastructure project in history, securing $500 billion in planned private sector investment — with major CEOs agreeing it would not have been possible without President Trump’s leadership.
    Saudi Arabia declared its intention to invest $600 billion in the United States over the next four years.
    President Trump secured a $20 billion investment by DAMAC Properties to build new U.S.-based data centers.
    Taiwan pledged to boost its investment in the United States.
    Electronics giants Samsung and LG “are considering moving their plants in Mexico to the U.S.” now that President Trump is back in office.

    In February, forecasters from the Federal Reserve Bank of Philadelphia revised their economic growth projections for the first quarter of 2025 up from 1.9% to 2.5%, and their unemployment rate projections for the quarter down from 4.2% to 4.1%.
    After a meeting with President Trump, Stellantis announced it will reopen its assembly plant in Belvidere, Illinois — putting 1,500 employees back to work — and build its next-generation Dodge Durango in Detroit, Michigan. The company also announced new investments in their Toledo, Ohio, and Kokomo, Indiana, facilities.
    President Trump laid out a visionary plan to establish a Sovereign Wealth Fund to maximize the stewardship of the $5+ trillion in assets held by the United States.
    Following President Trump’s victory, the S&P 500 set a new record as the stock market surged to record highs — while major Wall Street firms like JP Morgan Chase posted their highest ever annual profits.
    LOWERING THE COST OF LIVING:
    President Trump directed the heads of all executive departments and agencies to “deliver emergency price relief … to the American people and increase the prosperity of the American worker.”
    President Trump established the National Energy Dominance Council to maximize use of the U.S.’ extensive energy resources, thereby enabling lower energy prices.
    Crude oil prices have fallen over 5% since President Trump took office.
    The Department of Energy postponed burdensome Biden-era efficiency standard rules for the following appliances, saving American consumers large sums:
    Central air conditioners: Biden rules were slated to make air conditioners $1,100 more expensive, according to Alliance for Consumers.
    Gas water heaters: Biden rules were slated to make water heaters $2,800 more expensive.
    Clothes washers and dryers: Biden rules were slated to make washers $200 more expensive.
    Light bulbs: Biden rules were slated to make light bulbs $140 more expensive.
    Walk-in coolers and freezers, commercial refrigeration equipment, and air compressors.

    The total cost of federal regulations in 2023 was a record-breaking $2.1 trillion, or $15,788 per U.S. household, according to the Competitive Enterprise Institute. By requiring agencies to identify at least ten existing rules, regulations, or guidance documents to be repealed for every one rule they promulgate, President Trump has put the U.S. on track to severely reduce regulatory costs for everyday Americans.
    The National Associations of Manufacturers found the cost of federal regulations was even greater — at $3.079 trillion in 2022.

    Secretary Sean Duffy’s very first action at the Department of Transportation was to initiate rulemaking resetting Corporate Average Fuel Economy (CAFE) standards — effectively eliminating the Biden-era electric vehicle mandate.
    NBER economist Mark R. Jacobsen “estimates that a one-mpg increase in CAFE standards costs consumers of all income levels approximately 0.5% of their income in the first year of the increase. By the 10th year following the increase, however, this cost becomes regressive, as the increase drives up the price of used cars. A one-mpg increase in CAFE standards costs consumers earning less than $25,000 per year 1.12% of their income, but only costs consumers earning more than $75,000 per year 0.41% of their income.”

    RE-ESTABLISHING AMERICAN STRENGTH:
    President Trump secured the release of six American hostages in Venezuela, two Americans in Afghanistan, an American-Israeli citizen in Hamas captivity, a Pennsylvania teacher in Russian captivity, and an American citizen in Belarus — bringing the total number of American hostages released under President Trump to 11.
    President Trump spoke with Russian President Vladimir Putin and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy in pursuit of finally securing peace as negotiations get underway.
    President Trump restored maximum pressure on Iran, “sanctioning an international network for facilitating the shipment of millions of barrels of Iranian crude oil worth hundreds of millions of dollars to the People’s Republic of China.”
    President Trump redesignated the Iran-backed Houthis as a Foreign Terrorist Organization.
    President Trump hosted Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu for a visit where he proposed a bold vision for securing lasting peace in Gaza.
    Former U.S. Ambassador to Israel David Friedman described the proposal as “brilliant, historic and the only idea I have heard in 50 years that has a chance of bringing security, peace and prosperity to this troubled region.”

    President Trump hosted Japanese Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba, who announced his intention to “elevate Japan’s investment in the United States to an unprecedented amount of $1 trillion,” import “historic” quantities of LNG from Alaska, and open new auto plants in the U.S.
    President Trump hosted Jordan’s King Abdullah II, who announced that the Kingdom will accept 2,000 sick children from Gaza “as quickly as possible.”
    President Trump hosted Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi for a visit where they announced new deals between the two countries on immigration, trade, energy, and artificial intelligence.
    President Trump banned funding to UNRWA — a United Nations agency that employed hundreds of Hamas and jihad operatives.
    President Trump imposed sanctions on the International Criminal Court, which has illegitimately asserted jurisdiction over internal U.S. matters and baselessly targeted Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.
    President Trump reinstated the Mexico City Policy to ensure no taxpayer dollars support foreign organizations that perform, or actively promote, abortion in other nations.
    The Department of State ordered embassies worldwide to only fly the American flag — not activist flags.
    President Trump declared all foreign policy must be conducted under the President’s direction, ensuring career diplomats reflect the foreign policy of the United States at all times.
    The Department of State declared that U.S. foreign policy will be America First going forward.
    Following a visit from Secretary of State Marco Rubio, Panamanian President José Raúl Mulino agreed to withdraw from China’s Belt and Road Initiative, a debt-trap diplomacy scheme the Chinese Communist Party uses to gain influence over developing nations.
    The U.S. rejoined the Geneva Consensus Declaration, which promotes and strengthens opportunities for women and girls around the world, and protects the family as the fundamental unit of society.
    President Trump cracked down on anti-Semitism by canceling visas for foreign students who are Hamas sympathizers.
    President Trump ordered the immediate dismissal of the Board of Visitors for the Army, Air Force, Navy, and Coast Guard following years of woke ideologies infiltrating U.S. service academies.
    The U.S. Army barred transgender people from enlisting and stopped using taxpayer funds for sex change surgeries.
    President Trump reinstated, with backpay, U.S. service members who were discharged under the military’s nonsensical COVID-19 vaccine mandate.
    Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth restored Fort Liberty, North Carolina, to “Fort Bragg,” in honor of a World War II hero.
    President Trump withdrew the U.S. from the World Health Organization.
    President Trump paused enforcement of the overregulation of American businesses abroad, which negatively impacted national security.
    President Trump proclaimed “Gulf of America Day” after the Department of the Interior officially established it on its mapping databases.
    President Trump initiated a process to build a next-generation missile defense shield over the United States.
    UNLEASHING AMERICAN ENERGY:
    President Trump declared a National Energy Emergency to unlock America’s full energy potential and bring down costs for American families.
    President Trump rescinded every one of the Biden Administration’s job-killing, pro-China, anti-American energy regulations.
    President Trump empowered Americans with choice in vehicles, showerheads, toilets, washing machines, light bulbs, and dishwashers, and killed Biden-era regulations that restricted water flow and mandated inadequate light bulb standards.
    President Trump terminated the job-killing Green New Scam.
    President Trump withdrew from the disastrous Paris Climate Agreement, which unfairly ripped off our country.
    President Trump paused federal permitting for massive wind farms, which degrade our natural landscapes and fail to serve American consumers.
    President Trump reversed bureaucratic regulations that impeded Alaska’s ability to develop its vast natural resources.
    President Trump re-opened 625 million acres for offshore drilling, which Biden banned in his waning days, in order to “drill, baby, drill.”
    President Trump scrapped an Obama-era rule on greenhouse gases.
    President Trump ended the Liquefied Natural Gas pause and approved the first LNG project since the Biden Administration banned them last year.
    BRINGING BACK COMMON SENSE:
    Health systems across the nation stopped or downsized their sex change programs for minors following President Trump’s “Protecting Children from Chemical and Surgical Mutilation” executive order.
    In Illinois, Chicago’s Lurie Children’s Hospital paused sex-change surgeries for patients under 19 as it “work[s] to understand the rapidly evolving environment.”
    In Colorado, Denver Health announced it would stop performing sex change surgeries on minor children, while UCHealth said it was ending so-called “gender-affirming care” for all minors.
    In Washington, D.C., Children’s National Hospital “paused” prescribing puberty blockers and hormone therapies for minors, while Northwest Washington Hospital did the same.
    In Virginia, VCU Health and Children’s Hospital of Richmond “suspended” providing transgender-related medication and surgeries for minors, while UVA Health also “suspended” transgender-related services for minors.

    President Trump ended the unfair, demeaning practice of forcing women to compete against men in sports — which resulted in the NCAA changing its rules.
    The Department of Education launched investigations into the California Interscholastic Federation and the Minnesota State High School League over their failures to comply.

    President Trump made it the official policy of the U.S. government that there are only two sexes.
    President Trump banned COVID-19 vaccine mandates at schools that receive federal funding.
    President Trump rolled back the Biden-era push to mandate paper straws.
    President Trump instructed the Secretary of the Treasury to stop production of the penny, which cost 3.69 cents each to make.
    President Trump directed full enforcement of the Hyde Amendment, which bars taxpayer dollars from being used to fund or promote elective abortion.
    The Department of Transportation terminated the approval for New York City’s burdensome “congestion pricing” scheme.
    RESTORING ACCOUNTABILITY AND TRANSPARENCY IN GOVERNMENT
    President Trump established the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) to maximize government productivity and ensure the best use of taxpayer funds — which has already achieved billions of dollars in savings for taxpayers.
    President Trump commenced his plan to downsize the federal bureaucracy and eliminate waste, bloat, and insularity.
    President Trump ordered federal workers to return to the office five days a week.
    President Trump ordered federal agencies hire no more than one employee for every four employees who leave.
    President Trump ended the wasteful Federal Executive Institute, which had become a training ground for bureaucrats.
    President Trump ordered the termination of all federal Fake News media contracts.

    President Trump ordered the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau — the brainchild of Elizabeth Warren, which funneled cash to left-wing advocacy groups — to halt operations.
    President Trump ordered an end to anti-Christian bias in the Federal Government.
    President Trump ordered an examination of all regulations to assess any infringements on Americans’ Second Amendment rights.
    The Environmental Protection Agency canceled tens of millions of dollars in contracts to left-wing advocacy groups, announced an investigation into a scheme by Biden EPA staffers to shield billions of dollars from oversight and accountability, and put 168 “environmental justice” employees on leave.
    President Trump stopped the waste, fraud, and abuse within USAID — ensuring taxpayers are no longer on the hook for funding the pet projects of entrenched bureaucrats, such as sex changes in Guatemala.
    President Trump ordered an end to the weaponization of the Federal Government against American citizens.
    The Department of Justice immediately began rooting out politically motivated lawfare that occurred in the Biden Administration.

    President Trump reversed the massive over-expansion of the IRS that took place during the Biden Administration.
    President Trump eliminated discriminatory DEI offices, employees, and practices across the bureaucracy alongside a return to merit-based hiring — including at the Federal Aviation Administration, where the Biden Administration specifically recruited individuals with intellectual disabilities and psychiatric issues.
    As a result, taxpayer-funded PBS closed its DEI office, Disney dropped two of its DEI programs, Goldman Sachs ended its DEI policy, and Institutional Shareholder Services announced it would no longer consider diversity of company boards when making its voting recommendations.
    The Federal Communications Commission opened an investigation into discriminatory DEI policies at Comcast, an entity it regulates.

    President Trump ordered an end to all censorship of Americans by the federal government.
    President Trump ordered a review of funding for all non-governmental organizations, so taxpayers are no longer funding those that undermine America’s interests.
    The Department of State issued a “pause” on existing foreign aid grants to ensure accountability and efficiency.

    President Trump lifted last-minute collective bargaining agreements issued by the Biden Administration, which sought to impede reform.
    President Trump overrode bureaucratic red tape that limited water availability in California following the failure of the state’s water system during the devastating wildfires.
    President Trump terminated the Biden-era electric vehicle mandate.
    President Trump suspended the Biden-era EV charging program, which had resulted in just eight charging stations despite $7.5 billion earmarked for the program.

    President Trump shut down the wasteful Biden-era “Climate Corps” program.
    The Federal Communications Commission took action against a Soros-backed radio station that leaked sensitive information about ICE operations.
    President Trump ordered the declassification of documents related to the assassinations of President John F. Kennedy, Jr., Robert F. Kennedy, and Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.
    President Trump opened the White House Press Briefing Room to non-legacy media outlets as the White House sets a new standard for transparency in the digital age.
    President Trump reinstated press privileges for roughly 440 journalists who the Biden Administration sought to silence.
    President Trump fired members of The Kennedy Center’s Board of Trustees amid their obsession with perpetuating radical, left-wing ideology at taxpayer expense.
    President Trump revoked the security clearances of the 51 “spies who lied.”
    EMPOWERING THE AMERICAN PEOPLE
    President Trump established the Make America Healthy Again Commission, which redirects the national focus to promoting health rather than simply managing disease.
    President Trump took executive action to expand access to in vitro fertilization (IVF).
    President Trump established the White House Faith Office to protect Americans’ religious liberty.
    President Trump ordered an end to the radical indoctrination of children in K-12 schools that receive federal funding.
    President Trump took executive action to support parents in choosing the best education for their children.
    President Trump established the Presidential Working Group on Digital Asset Markets to strengthen U.S. leadership in digital finance.
    President Trump granted full and unconditional pardons to 23 pro-life Americans who were unjustly persecuted by the Biden Administration.
    President Trump pardoned two Washington, D.C., police officers who were imprisoned simply for doing their jobs of apprehending criminals.
    President Trump has had his cabinet confirmed by the Senate at a far faster pace than his predecessors, with a majority of his cabinet earning confirmation in his first month.

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI USA: Attorney General James Sues Nation’s Largest Vape Distributors for Fueling the Youth Vaping Epidemic

    Source: US State of New York

    NEW YORK – New York Attorney General Letitia James today announced a lawsuit against 13 major e-cigarette, or “vape,” manufacturers, distributors, and retailers for their role in fueling the youth vaping epidemic. These companies are responsible for illegally distributing, marketing, and selling flavored disposable vapes – including popular brands such as Puff Bar, Elf Bar, Geek Bar, Breeze, MYLE, and more – which have become extraordinarily popular among minors. An Office of the Attorney General (OAG) investigation found that these companies market highly addictive, candy- and fruit-flavored nicotine products to underage consumers, mislead customers about the safety and legality of their products, illegally ship products to New York, and violate health regulations designed to curb youth vaping.  

    With this action, Attorney General James is holding the nation’s leading vape distributors accountable for their role in this public health crisis. The landmark lawsuit seeks hundreds of millions of dollars, including financial penalties for wide-ranging violations of local, state, and federal laws; damages and restitution for the public health impact of the companies’ illegal actions; the recovery of all revenue made from unlawful activity; and the establishment of an abatement fund to address the youth vaping crisis in New York. 

    “The vaping industry is taking a page out of Big Tobacco’s playbook: they’re making nicotine seem cool, getting kids hooked, and creating a massive public health crisis in the process,” said Attorney General James. “For too long, these companies have disregarded our laws in order to profit off of our young people, but we will not risk the health and safety of our kids. Today, we are taking critical steps toward holding these companies accountable for the harm they have caused New Yorkers.” 

    The vaping industry has adopted deceptive, inescapable marketing strategies that are reminiscent of the tactics that made the tobacco industry infamous. Vaping companies directly target youth with bright, colorful packaging, candy and fruit flavors, social media and influencer campaigns, and unproven claims that their products are “safe” alternatives to cigarettes. The vape products the defendants often help develop, design, and even taste-test are intended to attract young people, with eye-catching, cartoonish packaging and flavors like “Blue Razz Slushy,” “Sour Watermelon Patch,” “Unicorn Cake,” “Fruity Bears Freeze,” “Cotton Candy,” “Rainbow Rapper,” “Sour Fruity Worms,” “Fruity Pebbles,” and “Strawberry Cereal Donut Milk,” to entice kids.

    Vape companies use bright, colorful packaging and candy and fruit flavors to entice children.

    The OAG investigation found that these companies often rely on social media in their marketing and ensure their vapes are abundantly available within walking distance of schools in an effort to reach young consumers. The companies also make use of celebrity or influencer endorsements, sponsor brand activations and social media photo opportunities at popular festivals and events, and promote dangerous vaping trends and challenges to drive engagement online. One company, Puff Bar, ran a social media advertisement during the early days of the pandemic lockdown that billed their vapes as “the perfect escape from back-to-back zoom calls [and] parental texts.”

    Vaping advertisements feature bright colors and candy, as well as illegal discounts and relatable language to attract kids.

    The investigation also revealed that vape companies have long been aware that their products pose health risks to users – and are particularly harmful to youth – but have continued to target young people with deceptive and misleading messages about the products’ safety. In particular, the companies’ advertisements often position vaping products as a safer, healthier alternative to cigarettes. One of the defendants has even advanced conspiracy theories in an attempt to brush away concerns over the safety of vaping, repeatedly pushing the idea that state governments were campaigning to crush vaping in an attempt to boost tobacco sales for financial gain. In addition, despite knowing that New York banned the sale of flavored vapor products in 2020, the companies have continued to sell these products while intentionally misleading customers about the legality of the sales.

    None of the companies named in the lawsuit have received authorization from the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) for their fruit – or – candy flavored vapes, making their sale illegal under federal law. Attorney General James’ lawsuit alleges the companies have knowingly and intentionally ignored FDA warning letters and regulations, as well as the federal Prevent All Cigarette Trafficking (PACT) Act, which prohibits online sales of vaping products to consumers and unlicensed retailers. In addition to violating federal bans on shipping these products, the companies fail to register with the appropriate authorities, verify recipients’ ages, or follow any other shipping restrictions.

    Attorney General James also alleges that these vape companies have blatantly disregarded New York state public health laws, including several policies enacted in recent years to curb youth vaping. In 2020, New York banned the sale of flavored vapor products, restricted the shipment and transport of nicotine products, and raised the legal purchase age for all vapes to 21. The state also banned coupons and discounts on vapes, and began requiring certain companies to disclose dangerous ingredients in their vapes. The vape companies named in this lawsuit have repeatedly and knowingly violated these laws.

    The OAG investigation uncovered widespread evidence of this illegal conduct, including documents showing illegal shipments of flavored vapes to New York residential addresses, communications demonstrating companies’ knowledge of health and legal risks, and company advertisements and social media campaigns that misleadingly promoted vapes as safe and fun.

    The rise in youth vaping has reversed years of progress in reducing tobacco and nicotine use among adolescents. According to the New York State Department of Health (DOH), e-cigarette use among high school students has skyrocketed over the past decade, with flavored vapes being the most commonly used tobacco and nicotine product among youth. Attorney General James’ lawsuit highlights the severe health risks associated with vaping, including nicotine addiction, respiratory issues, and long-term cognitive impairments. According to the American Lung Association, some vape ingredients have been found to cause irreversible lung damage, while nicotine exposure during adolescence can permanently alter brain development. Kids who use nicotine products are also at increased risk for future addiction to other drugs. 

    The rapid rise popularity of vaping among teenagers reversed years of progress in reducing youth nicotine use. 

    For their illegal conduct and role in fueling the youth vaping crisis, Attorney General James is seeking broad relief from the companies, including a permanent ban on selling flavored vapes in New York, significant financial penalties and restitution for harm caused to New Yorkers, public corrective statements to inform consumers of the dangers of vaping, and the creation of an abatement fund to address and mitigate the effects of the public health crisis these companies helped create. In addition, OAG is pursuing total disgorgement of all revenues earned as a result of illegal activity. In total, Attorney General James is seeking hundreds of millions of dollars in financial compensation for the havoc these companies’ products and marketing have wreaked on New York’s kids and their health and well-being.

    The manufacturers, distributors, and retailers named in the lawsuit are Puff Bar, MYLE Vape, Pod Juice, Mi-One Brands, Happy Distro, Demand Vape, EVO Brands, PVG2, Magellan Technology, Midwest Goods, Safa Goods, EVO Brands, and Price Point Distributors, as well as Price Point principals Weis Khwaja, Hamza Jalili, and Mohammad Jalili. 

    “These predatory companies purposefully preyed on our classmates and peers, irreparably damaging our lives,” said Erin Kennedy, founder of anti-vaping advocacy group at East Hampton High School and a frontline witness to the second youth nicotine epidemic. “Therapeutic tools are the only useful actions to try to help the second wave of youth nicotine addiction. Money received from lawsuits with vaping companies must be funneled to therapeutic treatments to try and undo the harm, even death, created by these exploitative companies.”

    “I thank Attorney General James for her significant financial commitment to Suffolk County to hopefully invest in community-based therapeutic treatments for my friends and classmates who have been poisoned and now struggle with nicotine addiction,” said Samantha Price, founder of anti-vaping advocacy group at East Hampton High School and a frontline witness to the second youth nicotine epidemic.  

    “Vaping continues to be a public health issue for teens and young adults and has been exacerbated by irresponsible marketing strategies,” said Dr. Susan Gasparino, Medical Director of the Clinical and Community-Based Programs at the Center for Community Health & Prevention at the University of Rochester Medical Center. “I applaud and sincerely thank Attorney General Letitia James for, once again, taking action to hold these companies accountable. Her efforts, paired with the counseling and educational services like those we provide at our Center’s clinic, are what it takes to see change and advocate for the health of our young people.” 

    “Parents Against Vaping is enormously grateful to New York’s Attorney General Letitia James and her team for their ongoing commitment to and leadership in the fight to protect kids from a predatory industry that seeks to addict an entire generation to nicotine,” said Meredith Berkman, Co-Founder of Parents Against Vaping. “By going after those who deliberately market, promote, and peddle illegal flavored vapes to minors, causing serious negative health consequences that can impact young people for years to come, the Attorney General makes clear that she will not allow these bad actors to continue making enormous profits while harming New York’s children.” 

    “The vaping industry has taken advantage of youth as a vulnerable and profitable market through flavoring, advertising, and sales techniques, putting their health at risk,” said Melissa Safford, Program Director of Uplift Irondequoit. “Our coalition and community work hard to promote prevention amid a market that is flooded with false claims surrounding the safety and benefits of vaping. It is wonderful to see that Attorney General James is continuing to be a champion for youth’s health, protecting them from the vaping industry.” 

    “The Long Island Council on Alcoholism and Drug Dependence (LICADD) offers our professional support to the continued leadership by our New York State Attorney General Letitia James in her unwavering efforts to keep New Yorkers safe from unscrupulous marketing strategies flagrantly targeting our youth and exposing them to dangerous and addictive nicotine products,” said Steve Chassman, Executive Director of LICADD. “Nicotine is a potent mind- and mood-altering drug that potentially develops into a physical and psychological dependence. The implications of nicotine intoxication and dependence for young people on their mental, physical, academic, and social well-being are far reaching when dangerous levels of nicotine are consumed at a vulnerable age. These dangerous products are being callously marketed as ‘candy-like’ materials, distorting the harmful effects the drug has on human development. LICADD commends Attorney General Letitia James for fighting for the health and wellness of our youth who are potentially falling prey to monetary greed and a total disregard of public health.” 

    This lawsuit builds on Attorney General James’ efforts to hold the vaping industry accountable. Last month, Attorney General James filed a lawsuit against a retailer in upstate New York for knowingly selling vapor products to underage customers. In April 2023, Attorney General James secured $462 million from Juul Manufacturers for its role in the youth vaping epidemic. In August 2021, Attorney General James co-led a bipartisan coalition calling on the FDA to regulate e-cigarettes and oral nicotine products. In December 2020, Attorney General James ordered dozens of retailers across the state to immediately stop selling e-cigarette products to underage customers and to stop selling flavored vaping products in violation of New York state law. Also in December 2020, Attorney General James held a roundtable with elected officials, students, and parents on the subject of vaping among young people in New York state. In July 2020, Attorney General James cracked down on three online retailers that were illegally selling e-cigarettes online to consumers in New York, including minors. In April 2019, Attorney General James led a coalition of seven states in urging the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) to take stronger action in addressing the scourge of e-cigarette use among youth by taking proposed measures such as strengthening guidance, beginning enforcement earlier, and banning online sales of e-cigarettes.   

    This matter is being handled by Special Counsel Monica Hanna with assistance from Health Care Deputy Bureau Chief Leslieann Cachola, Special Counsel for Complex Litigation Collen Faherty, Assistant Attorneys General Alex Finkelstein, Wil Handley, and Joy Mele, Legal Assistants Ketty Dautruche and Dana-Ann Henry, and Document Review Managers Carol Cheng and Kristin Petrella, under the supervision of Health Care Bureau Chief Darsana Srinivasan. Data analysis was provided by Data Scientist Blythe Davis under the supervision of Deputy Director Gautam Sisodia and Director Victoria Khan of the Research and Analytics Department. The Health Care Bureau is part of the Division of Social Justice which is led by Chief Deputy Attorney General Meghan Faux and overseen by First Deputy Attorney General Jennifer Levy.   

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI Security: Dillon — Saskatchewan RCMP Major Crimes: two males charged in suspicious death investigation

    Source: Royal Canadian Mounted Police

    As a result of continued investigation, Saskatchewan RCMP Major Crimes have arrested and charged two males in relation to the death of 25-year-old Mason Morrison from Dillon, SK. The two males were arrested at a residence in Dillon on February 17, 2025. The victim’s family has been notified and victim services made available to them.

    Resulting from further investigation, 22-year-old Levi Noltcho from Dillon, SK and a 17-year-old male from the Buffalo Narrows RCMP Detachment area are each charged with one count, manslaughter, Section 236(b), Criminal Code.

    We are unable to identify the 17-year-old male as per the Youth Criminal Justice Act.

    Levi Noltcho and the 17-year-old male appeared in Buffalo River Provincial Court on February 19, 2025.

    Saskatchewan RCMP Major Crimes continue to investigate.

    MIL Security OSI –

  • MIL-OSI Security: Aberdeen Man Sentenced to More than 10 Years in Prison for Drug Trafficking

    Source: Office of United States Attorneys

    Oxford, MS – An Aberdeen man was sentenced Wednesday to 140 months in prison for distribution of methamphetamine.

    According to court documents, Brandon Lenoir, 43, of Aberdeen, Mississippi pleaded guilty in the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Mississippi to distribution of methamphetamine.  Lenoir was sentenced by U.S. District Court Chief Judge Debra Brown in Oxford on Wednesday to 140 months in prison for drug trafficking. He was further sentenced to five years of supervised release.

    Lenoir is a repeat offender having been convicted on prior occasions of drug and firearms crimes.

    “Methamphetamine destroys individuals, families and communities, and those who traffic it deserve to go to prison,” said U.S. Attorney Clay Joyner. “I commend the joint efforts of our AUSA, the DEA and the Mississippi Bureau of Narcotics in removing this repeat drug offender and the poison he peddles from our streets.”

    “The DEA is committed to ensuring our communities remain safe and free from the devastating impacts of drug trafficking. The lengthy sentence handed down to a repeat offender underscores the seriousness of these crimes and our unwavering determination to hold those who contribute to the cycle of addiction accountable,” said Assistant Special Agent in Charge Anessa Daniels-McCaw. “Together, we will continue to work diligently to protect our neighborhoods from the dangers of drugs.”

    The Drug Enforcement Administration, alongside the Mississippi Bureau of Narcotics investigated the case.

    Assistant U.S. Attorney Chad M. Doleac prosecuted the case.

    This investigation and resulting case is part of an Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Forces (OCDETF) operation. OCDETF identifies, disrupts, and dismantles the highest-level criminal organizations that threaten the United States using a prosecutor-led, intelligence-driven, multi-agency approach. Additional information about the OCDETF Program can be found at https://www.justice.gov/OCDETF. 

    MIL Security OSI –

  • MIL-OSI Security: Indian National Indicted for Possession of Child Sexual Abuse Material

    Source: Office of United States Attorneys

    NEW ORLEANS, LOUISIANA – Acting U.S. Attorney Michael M. Simpson announced that on February 6, 2025, ASHISH KAPOOR, a/k/a “Romy Kapoor,” (“KAPOOR”) age 28, a national of India, was indicted for Possession of Child Pornography, in violation of Title 18, United States Code, Sections 2252(a)(4)(B) and (b)(2).

    If convicted, KAPOOR faces a maximum sentence of 20 years imprisonment, a fine of up to 250,000.00, a period of supervised release up to life, and a mandatory special assessment fee of $100.00.

    According to the indictment, on or about December 20, 2024, KAPOOR possessed digital videos and computer images containing visual depictions of prepubescent minors engaging in sexually explicit conduct.

    Acting U.S. Attorney Simpson reiterated that the indictment is merely a charge and that the guilt of the defendant must be proven beyond a reasonable doubt.

    This case was brought as part of Project Safe Childhood, a nationwide initiative to combat the growing epidemic of child sexual exploitation and abuse launched in May 2006 by the Department of Justice.  Led by United States Attorneys’ Offices and the Criminal Division’s Child Exploitation and Obscenity Section (CEOS), Project Safe Childhood marshals federal, state and local resources to better locate, apprehend and prosecute individuals who exploit children via the Internet, as well as to identify and rescue victims. For more information about Project Safe Childhood, please visit www.projectsafechildhood.gov.

    The case was investigated by the United States Department of Homeland Security, the United States Customs and Border Protection, and the New Orleans Police Department.  It is being prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Maria Carboni of the Financial Crimes Unit.

    MIL Security OSI –

  • MIL-OSI Security: Bokeelia Man Pleads Guilty To Possessing Child Sexual Abuse Material

    Source: Office of United States Attorneys

    Fort Myers, Florida – Acting United States Attorney Sara C. Sweeney announces that Vincent Jay Yau (42, Bokeelia) has pleaded guilty to possession of child sexual abuse material. Yau faces a maximum penalty of 20 years in federal prison. Yau has agreed to forfeit his laptop and cellphone which were used to commit the offense. A sentencing date has not yet been set.

    According to court documents, Homeland Security Investigations served a federal search warrant on Yau’s residence and located multiple electronic devices attributed to Yau. On those devices agents located thousands of files containing child sexual abuse material (CSAM). Some of the CSAM files depicted toddlers.

    This case was investigated by Homeland Security Investigations. It is being prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Mark Morgan.

    This case was brought as part of Project Safe Childhood, a nationwide initiative launched in May 2006 by the Department of Justice to combat the growing epidemic of child sexual exploitation and abuse. Led by United States Attorneys’ Offices and the Criminal Division’s Child Exploitation and Obscenity Section (CEOS), Project Safe Childhood marshals federal, state, and local resources to locate, apprehend, and prosecute individuals who sexually exploit children, and to identify and rescue victims. For more information about Project Safe Childhood, please visit www.justice.gov/psc.

    MIL Security OSI –

  • MIL-OSI Security: North Battleford — Battlefords RCMP: three arrested after fleeing from police in stolen vehicle

    Source: Royal Canadian Mounted Police

    On February 14, 2025 at approximately 10:45 p.m., Battlefords RCMP received a report of a firearm discharge in North Battleford, SK. Investigation determined the firearm was discharged from a vehicle with three individuals inside; no injuries were reported to police.

    Battlefords RCMP responded immediately and located the suspect vehicle in the parking lot of a business on 99th Street. The vehicle fled the scene. Officers activated emergency lights and attempted a traffic stop. The vehicle did not stop. Officers initiated a pursuit and attempted to use a tire deflation device to stop the vehicle, however it fled southbound through Battleford to the Red Pheasant First Nation.

    Officers patrolled the Red Pheasant First Nation in an effort to locate the suspect vehicle. RCMP Police Dog Services and Saskatoon Police Service both assisted with this search.

    At approximately 12:30 a.m. on February 15, 2025, officers located the suspect vehicle stuck in a ditch on the Red Pheasant First Nation. One adult male suspect was arrested at the scene.

    Investigation determined the vehicle had been stolen earlier that night. Officers located a firearm and a magazine a short distance from the vehicle.

    Officers then received a report that the two additional suspects were at a residence on the Red Pheasant First Nation. Officers attended the residence and arrested the two adult male suspects.

    As a result of investigation, 21-year-old Jamieson Thomas of Sweetgrass First Nation is charged with:

    • one count, possession of a weapon for dangerous purpose, Section 88(1), Criminal Code;
    • one count, flight from peace officer, Section 320.17, Criminal Code;
    • one count, theft of truck, Section 333.1(1), Criminal Code;
    • one count, operate a conveyance in a manner dangerous to the public, Section 320.13(1), Criminal Code;
    • one count, careless use of a firearm, Section 86(1), Criminal Code;
    • one count, possession of firearm/weapon/device ammunition in motor vehicle, Section 94(1), Criminal Code;
    • one count, discharge firearm while being reckless, Section 244.2(3), Criminal Code; and
    • one count, unauthorized possession of a firearm, Section 91(1), Criminal Code.

    18-year-old Kojac Adams of Sweetgrass First Nation is charged with:

    • one count, possession of a weapon for dangerous purpose, Section 88(1), Criminal Code;
    • one count, operate a conveyance in a manner dangerous to the public, Section 320.13(1), Criminal Code;
    • one count, flight from peace officer, Section 320.17, Criminal Code;
    • one count, careless use of a firearm, Section 86(1), Criminal Code;
    • one count, possession of a firearm when knowing possession unauthorized, Section 92(1), Criminal Code;
    • one count, possession of firearm/weapon/device ammunition in motor vehicle, Section 94(1), Criminal Code;
    • one count, theft of truck, Section 333.1(1), Criminal Code;
    • one count, resisting/obstructing peace officer, Section 129(a), Criminal Code;
    • one count, fail to comply with release order condition, Section 145(5)(a), Criminal Code; and
    • four counts, weapons possession contrary to order and fail to surrender authorization, Section 117.01(1), Criminal Code.

    23-year-old Mackenzie Wahobin of Red Pheasant First Nation is charged with:

    • one count, possession of a weapon for dangerous purpose, Section 88(1), Criminal Code;
    • one count, flight from peace officer, Section 320.17, Criminal Code;
    • one count, careless use of a firearm, Section 86(1), Criminal Code,
    • one count, discharge firearm with intent, Section 244.2(3), Criminal Code;
    • one count, unauthorized possession of a firearm, Section 91(1), Criminal Code;
    • one count, possession of firearm/weapon/device ammunition in motor vehicle, Section 94(1), Criminal Code;
    • one count, theft of truck, Section 333.1(1), Criminal Code;
    • one count, resisting/obstructing peace officer, Section 129(a), Criminal Code;
    • one count, fail to comply with probation orders, Section 733.1(1), Criminal Code; and
    • one count, operate a conveyance in a manner dangerous to the public, Section 320.13(1), Criminal Code.

    Jamieson Thomas, Kojac Adams and Mackenzie Wahobin made their first appearance in North Battleford Provincial Court on February 18, 2025.

    MIL Security OSI –

  • MIL-OSI Security: Twenty-Nine-Year-Old Arrested, Charged With Threatening to Shoot Up Elementary School

    Source: Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) State Crime Alerts (c)

    A man who threatened to shoot up a Lubbock elementary school has been arrested and charged, announced Acting U.S. Attorney for the Northern District of Texas Chad Meacham.

    Stephen Patrick Furr, 29, was charged via criminal complaint with interstate threatening communications and arrested Monday afternoon. He made his initial appearance before U.S. Magistrate Judge Amanda ‘Amy’ R. Burch Wednesday morning.

    “The foresight of a single tipster – coupled with the prompt action of law enforcement – may have saved dozens of young lives,” said Acting U.S. Attorney Chad Meacham. “The adage holds true: If you see something, say something. You may help law enforcement avert a tragedy.”

    “The defendant’s concerning social media posts were reported to the FBI, and the resulting law enforcement response ensured no one was harmed,” said FBI Dallas Special Agent in Charge R. Joseph Rothrock. “The FBI and our partners are committed to protecting the communities we serve, and we encourage the public to remain vigilant and report suspicious or threatening behavior to law enforcement.”

    According to the complaint, on Feb. 2, the FBI received a tip about threats posted on BlueSky, a microblogging site.

    “Thinking about going out and buying a gun,” the user posted. “When in Texas, shoot [expletive] [expletive] am I right? Good thing I live next to an elementary school.”

    The posts escalated from musings about a possible future shooting to statements that the user had a gun and intended to carry out a school shooting: 

    “Will be fun to legally shoot up a school,” the user posted. “I can already smell the blood.”

    “Anyone wanna sign my gun?” he added.

    The user also posted images from the March 2019 shootings in Christchurch, New Zealand, which killed 51 people and injured 89 more.

    Agents identified the user of the account as Mr. Furr and visited him at his home in Lubbock on Feb. 3.

    According to the complaint, Mr. Furr was “disheveled and unkempt.” He allegedly screamed incoherent profanities and stated that he would not talk to the agents until the President confirmed their identity.

    Officers contacted two of Mr. Furr’s family members, who stated that Mr. Furr had also threatened them.

    A criminal complaint is merely an allegation of criminal conduct, not evidence. Like all defendants, Mr. Furr is presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty in a court of law.

    If convicted, he faces up to five years in federal prison.

    The Federal Bureau of Investigation’s Dallas Field Office – Lubbock Resident Agency conducted the investigation with the Lubbock Police Department. Assistant U.S. Attorney Jeffrey Haag is prosecuting the case.

    Members of the public can report potential threats to the FBI by calling 1-800-CALL-FBI or online at tips.fbi.gov.

    MIL Security OSI –

  • MIL-OSI United Kingdom: Mayor of London’s St Patrick’s Day Festival returns on Sunday 16 March

    Source: Mayor of London

    • London’s St Patrick’s Day parade and Trafalgar Square celebrations to take place on Sunday 16 March
    • Londoners and visitors can look forward to a free, family-friendly afternoon of entertainment in the heart of the capital
    • Paralympic gold medal winning cyclist Katie-George Dunlevy and Olympic gold medal boxer Kellie Harrington will be Grand Marshals of this year’s parade

    The Mayor of London, Sadiq Khan, has today announced that London’s famous St Patrick’s Day Festival and parade will return on Sunday 16 March. The celebrations bring together Londoners and visitors in the heart of the capital to honour the immense contributions of London’s Irish community.

    Irish Paralympic gold medal winning cyclist Katie-George Dunlevy and Olympic gold medal winning boxer Kellie Harrington are this year’s Grand Marshals. Following their incredible success in Paris last year, Katie-George and Kellie will lead the spectacular parade of more than 50,000 people through central London. There will be great floats, marching bands, and dance troupes as the procession weaves its way from Hyde Park Corner, past Piccadilly, Trafalgar Square, and on to Whitehall.

    Trafalgar Square will be the centre of the celebrations with a free afternoon of entertainment hosted by Irish-Indian-Malaysian DJ and broadcaster Tara Kumar. The main stage will feature a wide range of family-friendly performances, including world-class acts Kíla, Irish Women in Harmony, Ragz-CV, and many more.

    Celebrity chef Anna Haugh is returning to demonstrate how to cook Irish culinary delights, and there will be food stalls to suit all tastes.

    This year’s programme includes the Peace Heroines exhibition, an art project which celebrates Ireland’s unsung women heroes. Visitors can also enjoy the Irish Creative Collective Sessions showcasing the best of Ireland’s comedy, music, and film and TV shorts.

    There will be an opportunity to learn traditional Irish dancing steps in the Irish Dance Zone, while in the Children’s Zone Artburst will run free creative workshops using recycled materials to promote sustainability – a key theme for this year’s event.

    On the big screen there will be clips of The Song Cycle, a film that documents Nick Kelly and his band Dogs as they cycled from Dublin to Glastonbury to perform at last year’s festival. They’ll be cycling all the way from Dublin to London to join the parade before performing on the main stage.

    London’s St Patrick’s Day Festival is a wonderful opportunity to experience the warmth, creativity and culture of the capital’s Irish community while celebrating the enduring ties between London and Ireland.

    Mayor of London, Sadiq Khan, said: “London’s St Patrick’s Day celebrations are a key part of our capital’s cultural calendar and I’m delighted that each year the festival gets bigger and better. I’m proud that we host this major event to honour and celebrate Irish culture and the immense contributions of our capital’s Irish community. From business and public service to the arts and culture, Irish Londoners have played – and continue to play – a vital role in shaping the very fabric of our city, making London a better, brighter and more prosperous place for everyone. Lá Fhéile Pádraig Sona Daoibh!”

    Ireland’s Ambassador to the UK, Martin Fraser, said: ““The Embassy of Ireland is delighted to support and be part of this event once again. It is a joyful and diverse celebration of Irish arts and culture, with a fantastic programme devised by our friends at the London Irish Centre.

    “St Patrick’s Day in London is truly special, bringing together not only our Irish community but all friends of Ireland here in Britain, and people from around the world who feel a connection to Ireland. It is also a wonderful way to recognise the contribution of the Irish diaspora to London over so many years.

    “The parade and Trafalgar Square show is consistently a highlight in London’s cultural calendar and one which we are so proud to be part of – made all the more special this year by the presence of our Olympic medallists Grand Marshals: para-cyclist Katie-George Dunlevy and boxer Kellie Harrington. It is an honour to have the opportunity to walk alongside these exceptional Irish athletes. We are also happy to highlight the inclusion this year of the “Peace Heroines” exhibition, a series of portraits by the artist FRIZ celebrating the role of women in the Good Friday Agreement. 

    “I know that this year’s events will be a great success, with thanks to the hard work and creativity of all involved, and with the support of Mayor Sadiq Khan.

    “Beannachtaí na Féile Pádraig oraibh go léir!”

    Grand Marshal, Irish Olympic gold medal winning boxer Kellie Harrington, said: ” I am honoured to be attending as Grand Marshal alongside my good friend Katie George Dunlevy in the London St Patrick’s Day Parade on March 16th. I have always gone to the St Patrick’s Day Parade in Ireland on Dublin’s O’Connell St, this be my first Parade away from home and I am very excited to celebrate it with everyone in London. I look forward to celebrating with you all. “

    Grand Marshal, Irish Paralympic gold medal winning cyclist Katie-George Dunlevy, said: “”I’m really honoured and excited to be part of the St Patrick’s Parade and Festival on March 16th in London. I take such pride in representing our wonderful country on the world stage, at the Paralympics. After such an incredible year, where I came home with three medals and retained my time trial title, this is truly the cherry on top!”

    Séamus MacCormaic, CEO of the London Irish Centre, said: “The London Irish Centre are honoured to be Programme Partner for the London St Patrick’s Festival 2025 and to curate the iconic concert in Trafalgar Square each year. This special event acknowledges and celebrates the contribution of Irish communities to London, and we are proud to be part of this story for the past 70 years. Our Culture Team will bring a diverse programme of Irish arts and culture to the iconic Trafalgar Square and celebrate the creativity and huge contribution of the Irish community in London. We want to thank the Mayor Sadiq Khan and London Authority for working with us. and to everyone who works so hard to make this festival such a huge success.”

    Ger Hayes, Managing Director of the event’s title sponsor Sisk, said: “We are delighted to continue our sponsorship of the London St Patrick’s Day parade yet again this year. 

    “St Patrick’s Day is an excellent opportunity for our diverse workforce, many of whom who are Irish diaspora to come together with their friends and family to celebrate with us. 

    “As an Irish business, it is crucial for us to remain active in the London Irish community. We do a lot of voluntary work in the communities in which we operate and have built an excellent relationship supporting the Kilburn Irish Pensioners group in Brent.  

    “As an Irish business, we have been operating in London since the 1980’s and we have completed many major projects including the redevelopment of the Royal Academy of Arts and we are currently building the new Great Ormond Street Children’s Hospital Children’s Cancer Centre.

    “We would like to wish everyone a Happy St Patrick’s Day!”

    Tourism Ireland’s Acting Deputy Head of Great Britain, David Wood, said: “St Patrick’s Day Festival in London’s Trafalgar Square returns for a fantastic day showcasing the vibrancy of Irish culture, arts, food and community. Join Tourism Ireland in celebrating on the 16th March for the festival’s 22nd year. Visit us on the stand for a warm welcome and to find out the latest news and reasons to visit the island of Ireland in 2025.”

    MIL OSI United Kingdom –

  • MIL-OSI Security: Fourteen Members of Bandidos Motorcycle Gang Indicted for Offenses Including Racketeering, Assault, and Murder

    Source: Federal Bureau of Investigation FBI Crime News (b)

    HOUSTON – A 22-count indictment has been unsealed in the Southern District of Texas (SDTX) following an operation targeting multiple members of an allegedly violent, transnational motorcycle gang in the Houston metropolitan area.

    Current and former members of the Bandidos Outlaw Motorcycle Gang and Mascareros Motorcycle Club are charged for their alleged roles in a criminal enterprise engaged in violent criminal activity in and around Houston. The Mascareros is a support club of the Bandidos.

    Several of those are expected to make their initial appearance before U.S. Magistrate Judge Dena Hanovice Palermo at 2 p.m. Feb. 20.

    A federal grand jury returned an indictment Feb. 11 against 14 members and associates of the Bandidos outlaw motorcycle gang accusing them of various crimes, to include engaging in a conspiracy to commit racketeering activity and committing violent crimes in furtherance of the gang such as murder, attempted murder and assault. The indictment alleges the Bandidos are a self-identified “outlaw” motorcycle organization with a membership of approximately 1,500 to 2,000 in the United States and an additional 1,000 to 1,500 members internationally, including in Mexico.

    “Ensuring the safety of the public is SDTX’s paramount concern,” said U.S. Attorney Nicholas J. Ganjei. “The indictment here not only alleges shocking crimes of violence, but also alleges that these offenses were committed openly and wantonly, where any innocent member of the public could have been hurt or killed.” 

    “Today’s indictment is an important step in eliminating the Bandidos Outlaw Motorcycle Gang,” said Supervisory Official Antoinette T. Bacon of the Justice Department’s Criminal Division. “The Bandidos declare war on rivals—and they wage that war on our streets. Criminal behavior like this has no place in America, and the Department of Justice is fully committed to bringing peace back to our communities.”

    The indictment alleges that beginning in 2019, a violent turf war erupted between the Bandidos and B*EAST, a rival outlaw motorcycle gang in the Houston area. As part of this turf war, Bandidos national leadership allegedly put out a “smash on site” order to commit physical assaults, including murder, against B*EAST members. The turf war has resulted in gunfire exchanged on public roadways and in public establishments with innocent civilians present, according to the charges.

    John M. Pfeffer aka Big John, 32, Darvi Hinojosa aka 10 Round, 35, Bradley Rickenbacker aka Dolla Bill, 37, all of Katy; Michael H. Dunphy aka Money Mike, 57, Cleveland; Christopher Sanchez aka Monster, 40, Tomball; and Brandon K. Hantz aka Loco and Gun Drop, 33, Crosby; are charged with conspiracy to commit racketeering activity. Pfeffer, Dunphy, Hinojosa, Rickenbacker and Sanchez are further charged with multiple counts of assault in aid of racketeering. Pfeffer, Hinojosa, Rickenbacker and Sanchez are also charged with using a firearm during and in relation to a crime of violence, while Sanchez faces charges of being a felon in possession of a firearm. Hantz is also charged with arson.

    Pfeffer, Hinojosa, Rickenbacker and Sanchez each face up to life in prison if convicted, while Dunphy and Hantz each face up to 20 years on each of their counts upon conviction.

    The indictment also charges David Vargas aka Brake Check and First Time, 33, Houston, with murder in aid of racketeering; using a firearm during and in relation to a crime of violence resulting in death; attempted murder in aid of racketeering; and using, carrying, brandishing, discharging and possessing a firearm during and in relation to the attempted murders. All those charges relate to the killing of a rival and the shooting of two others. Murder in aid of racketeering carries a mandatory life sentence or the death penalty, if convicted.

    Further, Pfeffer and Rickenbacker are also charged with assault in aid of racketeering and using a firearm during and in relation to a crime of violence  along with Marky Baker aka Pinche Guero and Guero, 40, Ronnie McCabe aka Meathead, 56, and Jeremy Cox aka JD, 37, all of Houston; Roy Gomez aka Repo, 50, Richmond; and Marcel Lett, 56, Pearland. These charges are in relation to an alleged assault and robbery that resulted in the death of a rival. If convicted, they face up to life in prison.

    Hinojosa is also charged along with John Sblendorio aka Tech9, 54, Houston, with conspiracy to commit murder in aid of racketeering, attempted murder in aid of racketeering, assault in aid of racketeering and using a firearm during and in relation to a crime of violence in connection with the shooting of a rival gang member. Hinojosa is also charged with conspiracy to distribute cocaine and three counts of possession with intent to distribute cocaine. Sblendorio and Hinojosa each face up to life in prison, if convicted.

    In addition, Sean G. Christison, aka Skinman, 30, Katy, is charged with possession with intent to distribute cocaine and possession of a firearm in furtherance of a drug trafficking crime. He faces a maximum penalty of life imprisonment. 

    The FBI, Texas Board of Criminal Justice – Office of Inspector General, Texas Department of Public Safety and Montgomery County Sheriff’s Office conducted the Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Forces (OCDETF) investigation with the assistance of Harris County Sheriff’s Office; Houston and Pasadena Police Departments; Texas Alcoholic Beverage Commission; LaMarque and Katy Police Departments; U.S. Marshals Service; Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives; and the Cypress-Fairbanks Independent School District Police Department. 

    OCDETF identifies, disrupts and dismantles the highest-level drug traffickers, money launderers, gangs and transnational criminal organizations that threaten the United States by using a prosecutor-led, intelligence-driven, multi-agency approach that leverages the strengths of federal, state and local law enforcement agencies against criminal networks. Additional information about the OCDETF Program can be found on the Department of Justice’s OCDETF webpage.

    This case is being prosecuted as part of the joint federal, state and local Project Safe Neighborhoods (PSN) Program, the centerpiece of the Department of Justice’s violent crime reduction efforts. PSN is an evidence-based program proven to be effective at reducing violent crime. Through PSN, a broad spectrum of stakeholders work together to identify the most pressing violent crime problems in the community and develop comprehensive solutions to address them. As part of this strategy, PSN focuses enforcement efforts on the most violent offenders and partners with locally based prevention and reentry programs for lasting reductions in crime.

    Assistant U.S. Attorneys Byron H. Black and Kelly Zenón-Matos of the Southern District of Texas are prosecuting the case in partnership with Trial Attorneys Grace H. Bowen and Christopher Taylor of the Department of Justice’s Criminal Division – Violent Crime and Racketeering Section.

    An indictment is a formal accusation of criminal conduct, not evidence. A defendant is presumed innocent unless convicted through due process of law.

    MIL Security OSI –

  • MIL-OSI Security: Crips Gang Member Charged With Ordering Murders in 2011 and 2015

    Source: Office of United States Attorneys

    RUBIN MOYE, a/k/a “Nut,” Directed Others to Kill, Leading to the August 2011 Murder of Phillip Richards and the March 2015 Murder of Michelle Cox.

    Matthew Podolsky, the Acting United States Attorney for the Southern District of New York, and HSI Acting Special Agent in Charge Michael Alfonso announced today the unsealing of an Indictment charging Rubin Moye, a/k/a “Nut,” with ordering murders in 2011 and 2015.  As alleged, MOYE, a member of the Santana Block Crips set that operated around 2000 Valentine Avenue in the Bronx, ordered the murders of rival gang members or associates, leading fellow Crips to shoot and kill Phillip Richards on August 4, 2011, and Michelle Cox on March 4, 2015, neither of whom was a member of the rival gang.  In between those murders, MOYE himself shot a gang rival’s mother.  MOYE, who was previously detained in federal custody on separate charges, will be presented today before U.S. Magistrate Judge Sarah Netburn.  The case is assigned to U.S. District Judge J. Paul Oetken.  

    Acting U.S. Attorney Matthew Podolsky said: “Rubin Moye allegedly terrorized his community for years, engaging in gang warfare on the streets and in apartment buildings in the Bronx.  As alleged in the Indictment, Moye ordered fellow Crips gang members to murder rivals resulting in the shooting deaths of two people, and he personally attempted to kill a rival’s mother by shooting her in the head.  These vicious crimes occurred years ago, but this Office and our partners at HSI and the NYPD do not forget the victims of violent crime, and we will not stop pursuing justice for them.”

    Acting Special Agent in Charge Michael Alfonso said: “The defendant’s indictment for the 2011 and 2015 murders of innocent victims underscores HSI New York’s commitment to its enduring mission: the safety of our public regardless of how much time has passed. Together with our law enforcement partners, we refuse to let lawlessness run unchecked on the streets of New York City. I commend HSI’s Violent Gang Task Force, together with the NYPD and the Southern District of New York, for its unwavering pursuit of justice on behalf of our communities.”          

    According to the allegations in the Indictment,1 MOYE was a member of the Santana Block Crips set that sold drugs and engaged in violent crimes around 2000 Valentine Avenue in the Bronx—a building known as “Two Stacks.” This Crips set engaged in racketeering activity to enrich its members, preserve and protect its power, and promote and enhance its activities in that neighborhood, and they did so through drug sales, firearms offenses, robberies, and acts involving murder.  On August 4, 2011, MOYE directed a co-conspirator (“CC-1”) to kill a rival gang member (“Rival-1”) or someone associated with that rival gang member, and in the course of trying to do so, the co-conspirator shot and killed Phillip Richards, an innocent bystander, near East 181st and Lafontaine Avenue in the Bronx.  On November 19, 2011, MOYE shot Rival-1’s mother in the chest and head in retaliation for Rival-1’s alleged murder of MOYE’s brother, who was a leader of MOYE’s Crips set.  Rival-1’s mother survived the shooting.  Additionally, on March 4, 2015, MOYE directed CC-1 and a second co-conspirator (“CC-2”) to find and kill someone associated with Rival-1.  CC-1 and CC-2 then located Michelle Cox, a/k/a “Destiny,” who was a friend of Rival-1, in the stairwell of an apartment building, and CC-2 shot her in the head, killing her.

    *                 *                 *

    MOYE, 42, of the Bronx, New York, is charged with two counts of murder in aid of racketeering, which carries a mandatory minimum sentence of life in prison; two counts of murder while engaged in a narcotics conspiracy, which carries a mandatory minimum sentence of twenty years’ imprisonment and a maximum sentence of life; and two counts of murder through the use of a firearm, which carries a maximum sentence of life.

    The statutory minimum and maximum sentences are prescribed by Congress and provided here for informational purposes only, as any sentencing of the defendant will be determined by the judge. 

    Mr. Podolsky praised the outstanding work of the Homeland Security Investigations’ Violent Gangs Task Force and the New York City Police Department’s Bronx Violent Crimes Squad.   

    The case is being handled by the Office’s Violent and Organized Crime Unit.  Assistant U.S. Attorneys Frank Balsamello, Matthew Hellman, Michael Herman, and Ashley Nicolas are in charge of the prosecution.

    The charges contained in the Indictment are merely accusations, and the defendant is presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty.

    1 As the introductory phrase signifies, the entirety of the text of the Indictment and the description of the Indictment set forth herein constitute only allegations, and every fact described should be treated as an allegation.

    MIL Security OSI –

  • MIL-OSI Security: U.S. Attorney Rachelle Aud Crowe for the Southern District of Illinois departs from post

    Source: Office of United States Attorneys

    FAIRVIEW HEIGHTS, Ill. – Rachelle Aud Crowe, the United States Attorney for the Southern District of Illinois, who has served as the chief federal law enforcement officer in the district, has departed from the position, effective Feb. 18. She releases the following statement:

    “It has been my honor to serve the Southern District of Illinois as the United States Attorney. Announcing my departure accompanies many emotions, but my heart is full of gratitude.

    Working for the Department of Justice and leading an office of talented attorneys, dedicated legal staff and supportive administrative employees has been a lifelong dream. It was my privilege to guide the Department on matters of policy, procedure and management as a member of the Attorney General’s Advisory Committee and the Domestic Terrorism Executive Committee.

    I have been fortunate to partner with the local, state and federal law enforcement officers to seek justice for victims and improve public safety. In addition to prosecuting hundreds of criminal cases, the office represented the government effectively in civil lawsuits and recovered millions of taxpayer dollars.

    I will cherish the time I spent at the federal courthouses. I’m thankful to the district judges for their judicial oversight, it’s been my honor to work with and learn from them. The future for the office is bright, and I’m confident the employees will continue to exceed their high standard of excellence, integrity and functionality.

    Thank you for the encouragement during my service.”

    “From the beginning, USA Crowe has been a champion of the FBI mission,” said FBI Springfield Special Agent in Charge Christopher Johnson. “The combination of the FBI’s investigative efforts and the Southern District of Illinois’ commitment to uphold the law has brought justice for victims and made our communities a safer place to live.”

    “It’s been a pleasure working alongside U.S. Attorney Crowe,” Drug Enforcement Administration St. Louis Division Special Agent in Charge Michael Davis said. “She’s been a tremendous partner and we’re grateful for her service. Her commitment to helping remove the threat of drugs and those who distribute them across Southern Illinois has been invaluable.”

    “U.S. Attorney Crowe has been a tremendous partner for the Illinois State Police,” said ISP Director Brendan F. Kelly. “U.S. Attorney Crowe supported our Public Safety Enforcement Group and its work, bringing charges and winning convictions in numerous criminal cases, and was instrumental in holding people accountable and bringing them to justice.”

    “United States Attorney Rachelle Crowe has been an engaged and dedicated law enforcement partner, and we thank her for her dedication in the support of ATF’s mission in Southern Illinois,” said ATF Assistant Special Agent in Charge Shannon Hamm. “ On behalf of the men and women of ATF, we wish nothing but the best for United States Attorney Crow now and into the future.”

    Ali M. Summers is the Acting U.S. Attorney for the Southern District of Illinois. She joined the office as an Assistant U.S. Attorney in 2012.

    MIL Security OSI –

  • MIL-OSI Security: Man charged with bribery offences in Met Counter Terrorism investigation

    Source: United Kingdom London Metropolitan Police

    A man has been charged with a number of bribery offences following an investigation by Counter Terrorism Policing.

    Nathan Gill, 51 (06.07.1973) of North Wales, was charged via postal requisition with one count of conspiracy to commit bribery, under the Criminal Law Act 1977, and with eight counts of bribery, under the Bribery Act, 2010.

    He is due to appear at Westminster Magistrates’ Court on Monday, 24 February.

    The investigation has been led by detectives from the Met’s Counter Terrorism Command and a man was previously interviewed under caution on 3 March, 2022 in connection with bribery allegations.

    Further enquiries were carried out by officers and after authorisation by the Crown Prosecution Service Counter Terrorism Division, the man was subsequently charged as above.

    MIL Security OSI –

  • MIL-OSI Security: Milton — Ontario RCMP shuts down prolific Cyber-fraudsters

    Source: Royal Canadian Mounted Police

    Two Toronto residents are facing criminal charges after allegedly defrauding hundreds of Canadian victims out of millions of dollars. The couple are believed to have used technology that allowed them to conceal their phone number in order to pose as bank, government or police employees to deceive their victims and trick them out of their hard-earned savings.

    iSpoof.cc” was a website used by as many as 38,000 subscribers worldwide to make unauthorized phone calls while displaying a caller ID falsely indicating that they were legitimate callers. This particular technology allowed criminals to purchase a subscription in order to use the service to impersonate trusted corporations. The Toronto couple is believed to be among the top 50 most active subscribers in the world.

    Ontario RCMP’s Cybercrime Investigative Team (CIT) Toronto conducted search warrants on the residence belonging to the suspects which has yielded a trove of seized items including electronic devices. Investigators will conduct analysis on these devices to uncover further evidence of these crimes, which were responsible for de-frauding at least 570 victims out of millions of dollars in Canada. We expect the number of identified victims will increase as a result of the execution of search warrants yesterday.

    According to the Cybercrime unit, the couple used a variety of different spoofing, phishing and smishing schemes to target their victims.

    Chakib Mansouri (29) and Majdouline Alouah (31) face the following charges:

    • Fraud, contrary to section 380(1) of the Criminal Code
    • Unauthorized use of Computer contrary to section 342.1 of the Criminal Code
    • Laundering Proceeds of Crime, contrary to section 462.31 of the Criminal Code
    • Unauthorized Possession of Credit Card Data, contrary to section 430(1.1) of the Criminal Code
    • Possessing the Proceeds of Crime, contrary to section 354 of the Criminal Code

    Both suspects were arrested and remanded to Maplehurst and Vanier and will appear remotely in Court at 10a.m. on February 21st, Ontario Court of Justice, 2201 Finch Avenue West, Toronto.

    The Cybercrime Unit would like to thank the following partners, the London Metropolitan Police, the Dutch National Police, EUROPOL, EUROJUST, Toronto Police, Peel Regional Police, FINTRAC, the Canadian Anti-Fraud Centre (CAFC), and the National Cybercrime Coordination Centre (NC3) for all the hard work and collaboration provided during the course of the investigation.

    “This investigation underscores the critical importance of international cooperation in the global fight against cybercrime. In our interconnected world where cyber threats transcend borders, collaboration between law enforcement agencies, both domestically and internationally, is essential. The work we do together exemplifies our commitment to holding cyber criminals accountable and protecting Canadians.

    The impact of this type of cybercrime has devastating impacts on our families and communities. I encourage all Canadians to help protect themselves by learning to be cyber safe. If you think you have been targeted by cyber criminals, please call the Canadian Anti-Fraud Centre at 1-888-495-8501.”

    — Lina Dabit, Inspector in charge of Cybercrime Investigative Team Toronto, Central Region RCMP

    Fast Facts

    The RCMP Cybercrime Investigative Team (CIT) Toronto investigates the highest levels of cybercrime threatening Canadians and our national interests. This includes cybercrime directed against:

    • Institutions of government
    • Critical infrastructure of national importance
    • Key Canadian institutions and businesses with a high economic impact

    Working in partnership with domestic and international partners to investigate, prosecute, and disrupt significant threats within the cybercrime ecosystem including criminals who develop malware, provide cybercrime services and infrastructure, and facilitate attacks against critical infrastructure, including Foreign State actors and advanced persistent threats.

    The Canadian Anti-Fraud Centre processed 49,432 reports in 2024 representing 34,621 victims who lost a total of $638,000,000.

    If you have any information relating to this or any other acts of fraud contact local police, or one of the contacts below:

    • The Canadian Anti-Fraud Centre at 1-888-495-8501
    • Anonymously through Crime Stoppers at 1-800-222-8477 (TIPS), at any time

    MIL Security OSI –

  • MIL-OSI Global: Trump’s move to closer ties with Russia does not mean betrayal of Ukraine, yet – in his first term, Trump was pretty tough on Putin

    Source: The Conversation – USA – By Tatsiana Kulakevich, Associate Professor of Instruction in the School of Interdisciplinary Global Studies, University of South Florida

    Traditional Russian wooden nesting dolls depict U.S. President Donald Trump and Russian President Vladimir Putin at a gift shop in Moscow on Feb. 13, 2025. Tatyana Makeyeva/AFP via Getty Images

    The United States’ steadfast allegiance to Ukraine during that country’s three-year war against Russia appears to be quickly disintegrating under the Trump administration. President Donald Trump on Feb. 19, 2025, called Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy “a dictator” and falsely blamed him for the war that Russia initiated as part of a land grab in the countries’ border regions.

    Zelenskyy, meanwhile, said on Feb. 19 that Trump is trapped in Russian President Vladimir Putin’s “disinformation space.”

    The intensifying bitterness comes as the U.S. and Russia started talks in Saudi Arabia, without including Ukraine, on how to end the conflict.

    The U.S. and Russia have long been adversaries, and the U.S., to date, has given Ukraine more than US$183 billion to help fight against Russia. But that funding came when Joe Biden was president. Trump does not appear to be similarly inclined toward Ukraine.

    Amy Lieberman, a politics editor at The Conversation U.S., spoke with Tatsiana Kulakevich, a scholar of Eastern European politics and international relations, to understand the implications of this sudden shift in U.S.-Russia policy under Trump.

    Kulakevich sees Trump’s moves that could be perceived as self-interested as instead part of a calculated strategy in preliminary discussions.

    An airplane passenger reads a Financial Times article about U.S. President Donald Trump and Russian President Vladimir Putin on Feb. 19, 2025.
    Horacio Villalobos Corbis/Corbis via Getty Images

    Can you explain the current dynamic between the U.S., Ukraine and Russia?

    People should not panic because the U.S. and Russia are only holding exploratory talks. We should not call them peace talks, per se, at least not yet. It was to be expected that Ukraine was not invited to the talks in Saudi Arabia because there is nothing to talk about yet. We don’t know what the U.S. and Russia are actually discussing besides agreeing to restore the normal functioning of each other’s diplomatic missions.

    People are perceiving the U.S. and Russia as being in love. However, Trump’s Russia policy has been more hawkish than often portrayed in the media. Looking at the record from the previous Trump administration, we can see that if something is not in the interests of the U.S., that is not going to be done. Trump does not do favors.

    He approved anti-tank missile sales to Ukraine in 2019. That same year, Trump withdrew from the Intermediate-Range Nuclear Forces Treaty, an agreement with Russia that limited what weapons each country could purchase, over Russian violations.

    In 2019, Trump also issued economic sanctions against a Russian ship involved in building the Nord Stream 2 gas pipeline. These sanctions tried to block Russia’s direct gas exports to Germany – this connection between Russia and Germany was seen by Ukraine as an economic threat.

    Based on Trump’s talks with Russia and remarks against Ukraine, it could seem like the U.S. and Russia are no longer adversaries. How do you perceive this?

    There are no clear indications that Russia and the U.S. have ceased to be adversaries. Despite Trump’s occasional use of terms like “friends” in diplomacy, his rhetoric often serves as a tactical maneuver rather than a genuine shift in alliances. A key example is his engagement with North Korea’s Kim Jong-un, where Trump alternated between flattery and threats to extract concessions.

    Even if the U.S. is meeting with Russia and the public narrative seems to say otherwise, strategically, abandoning Ukraine is not in the United States’ best interests. One reason why is because the U.S. turning away from Ukraine would make Russia happy and China happy. Trump has treated China as a primary threat to the U.S., and China has supported Putin’s invasion of Ukraine.

    U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio is also still saying that everyone, including Ukraine, will be at the table for eventual peace talks.

    The allegations that Russia was holding some information over Trump and blackmailing him started long before this presidential term and did not stop Trump from imposing countermeasures on Russia during his first term. The first Trump administration took more than 50 policy actions to counter Moscow, primarily in the form of public statements and sanctions.

    What does the U.S. gain from developing a diplomatic relationship with Russia?

    Trump is a transactional politician. American companies could profit from the U.S. aligning with Russia and Russian companies, as some Russian officials have said during the recent Saudi Arabia talks with the Trump administration. But the U.S. could also benefit economically from the Trump’s administration’s proposed deal with Ukraine to give the U.S. half of Ukraine’s estimated $11.5 trillion in rare earth minerals.

    Zelenskyy rejected that proposal this week, saying it does not come with the promise that the U.S. will continue to give security guarantees to Ukraine.

    Historically, since the Cold War, there has been a diplomatic triangle between the Soviet Union – later Russia – China and the U.S. And there has always been one side fighting against the two other sides. Trump trying to develop a better diplomatic relationship with Russia might mean he is trying to distance Russia from China.

    A similar dynamic is playing out between the U.S. and Belarus’ authoritarian leader, Alexander Lukashenko, a co-aggressor in the war in Ukraine. Lukashenko is close with both Russia and China. The U.S. administration is looking to relax sanctions on Belarusian banks and exports of potash, a key ingredient in fertilizer, in exchange for the release of Belarusian political opposition members who are imprisoned. There are over 1,200 political prisoners in Belarus. This U.S. foreign policy strategy is aimed at providing Lukashenko with room to grow less economically dependent on Russia and China.

    A worker clears snow from a cemetery in Kramatorsk, Ukraine, on Feb. 17, 2025. More than 46,000 Ukrainian soldiers have died in combat since Russia launched a full-scale invasion in February 2022.
    Pierre Crom/Getty Images

    Is this level of collaboration between the U.S. and Russia unprecedented?

    While U.S.-Russia relations are often defined by rivalry, history shows that pragmatic cooperation has occurred when both nations saw mutual benefits – whether this relates to arms control, space, counterterrorism, Arctic affairs or health.

    Moreover, the U.S. has always prioritized its own interests in its relationship with Russia. For example, the U.S. and its allies imposed sanctions on Russia’s uranium and nickel industries only in May 2024, over two years after Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine in February 2022. This was due to the United States’ strategic economic dependencies and concerns about market stability if it sanctioned uranium and nickel.

    Even after Russia invaded Crimea – an area of Ukraine that Russia claims as its own – in 2014 and provided support for Russian separatists in Ukraine’s Donbass region, the U.S. and other Western countries imposed largely symbolic sanctions. This included freezing assets of Russian individuals, restricting some financial transactions and limiting Russia’s access to Western technology.

    We should also notice that Trump in January 2025 promised to sanction Russia if it does not end the Ukraine war. The U.S. still has not removed any existing sanctions, which signals its commitment to a tough stance on Russia, despite perceptions of a close relationship between Trump and Putin.

    Given Trump’s transactional approach to foreign policy, his tough rhetoric on Zelenskyy could be a deliberate negotiation strategy aimed at pressuring Ukraine into making greater concessions in potential peace talks, rather than signaling abandonment.

    Tatsiana Kulakevich does not work for, consult, own shares in or receive funding from any company or organization that would benefit from this article, and has disclosed no relevant affiliations beyond their academic appointment.

    – ref. Trump’s move to closer ties with Russia does not mean betrayal of Ukraine, yet – in his first term, Trump was pretty tough on Putin – https://theconversation.com/trumps-move-to-closer-ties-with-russia-does-not-mean-betrayal-of-ukraine-yet-in-his-first-term-trump-was-pretty-tough-on-putin-250359

    MIL OSI – Global Reports –

  • MIL-OSI Security: Eighth man charged in ongoing National Security Act related investigation

    Source: United Kingdom London Metropolitan Police

    Counter Terrorism Policing detectives have charged an eighth person in relation to an ongoing investigation linked to offences under the National Security Act.

    Ashton Evans [K], 20 (11.01.2005) of Newport, Gwent, was charged on Wednesday 19 February with possession with intent to supply class A drugs, contrary to section 5(3) of the Misuse of Drugs Act, 1971 and with failing to report information about acts of terrorism, contrary to section 38B of the Terrorism Act, 2000.

    In addition, Dylan Earl [A] was also further charged via postal requisition in February with possession with intent to supply class A drugs, contrary to section 5 (3) of the Misuse of Drugs Act, 1971 and possession of criminal property, contrary to section 329 of the Proceeds of Crime Act, 2002.

    The charges were authorised by the Crown Prosecution Service following ongoing liaison with the investigation team and Evans is due to appear at Westminster Magistrates’ Court from 14:00hrs on Thursday, 20 February.

    Earl is due to appear at the same court on 26 February.

    MIL Security OSI –

  • MIL-OSI Asia-Pac: Correctional Services Department Annual Review 2024 (with photos)

    Source: Hong Kong Government special administrative region

    Correctional Services Department Annual Review 2024 (with photos)
    Correctional Services Department Annual Review 2024 (with photos)
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         The following is the translation of the speech given by the Commissioner of Correctional Services, Mr Wong Kwok-hing, at the annual press conference today (February 20): Foreword      The Safeguarding National Security Ordinance officially came into effect upon gazettal in 2024, reflecting the determination of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region Government to safeguard national security and building momentum for stable social development. Shouldering the missions of safeguarding national security and maintaining social stability, the Correctional Services Department (CSD) was committed to ensuring the effective delivery of its custodial and rehabilitation work in the past year. At the same time, the CSD has been actively extending its reach beyond the prison walls to proactively promote support for offender rehabilitation and conduct crime prevention education in the community through utilising the CSD’s unique resources, with a view to nurturing young people into law-abiding social leaders. (1) Overview of penal population      In 2024, the number of admissions to correctional institutions (including convicted persons, remands and detainees) increased 7 per cent to 18 438 as compared with 2023. In addition, the average daily penal population at correctional institutions also increased significantly to 9 550 persons in 2024 from 8 498 persons in 2023, representing an increase of 12 per cent. The average daily occupancy rate also rose from 75 per cent to 85 per cent.      The year-on-year rate of increase in the average daily number of remands has been over 15 per cent since 2021. The respective number of persons stood high at 3 650 in 2024, representing an increase of 18 per cent as compared with 3 096 persons in 2023, which hit a new record high since 2000.       On the other hand, since 2021, the CSD has assisted to detain adult detainees who are non-Hong Kong residents detained under the Immigration Ordinance. The number of detainees increased by 36 per cent, from 580 in 2023 to 787 in 2024, while the average daily number of detainees substantially increased by 72 per cent from 185 in 2023 to 318 in 2024.       In 2024, the number of admissions to correctional institutions owing to their involvement in offences relating to the black-clad violence (including riots, unlawful assembly) and their contravention of the Hong Kong National Security Law/Safeguarding National Security Ordinance was 410 (64 of them were involved in the contravention of the Hong Kong National Security Law/Safeguarding National Security Ordinance). Compared to 950 in 2023, the number of such admissions dropped by 540, representing a decrease of 57 per cent. As at December 31, 2024, the number of persons in custody involved in offences relating to the black-clad violence and those contravening the Hong Kong National Security Law/Safeguarding National Security Ordinance was 591, representing a decrease of 24 per cent as compared to 776 in 2023.      In response to the ever-changing penal population, especially the increasing population of remands, the CSD has deployed part of the capacity of individual correctional institutions to admit remands in order to alleviate the overcrowding situation of the reception centre. Moreover, the Department has already commenced the in-situ partial redevelopment of Lai Chi Kok Reception Centre, which will increase its capacity for admitting adult male remands in the long run. The Department will continue to closely monitor the changes in penal population and flexibly redeploy resources having regard to the actual operational needs to adjust the capacity for persons on remand in a timely manner. (2) Custodial work      Despite the increasing number of admissions and the growing penal population in the past year, which posed formidable challenges to both the governance and security of correctional institutions, correctional officers continued to stay united and stand fast to their posts. With the continued adoption of the nip-in-the-bud strategy, under which intelligence collection and search operations were stepped up, coupled with the application of technology and the upgrading of facilities and equipment, we strived to combat illicit activities and acts of indiscipline, thereby maintaining the good order and discipline of correctional institutions.      With regard to intercepting the smuggling of dangerous drugs into institutions, under the intensive measures by the Department, there were only six seizure cases of suspected dangerous drugs last year, representing a significant decrease of over 60 per cent as compared with 16 cases in 2023. Five of the cases were found in body-cavity concealment of newly admitted persons in custody; and the remaining one case was found in the mail sent to a person in custody. In addition, the Department continued to take a proactive approach by conducting a total of 12 547 joint search/special search/night raid operations in correctional institutions last year, covering 20 589 locations. Mobile X-ray scanners were also introduced to enhance the efficacy of search operations and strengthen the deterrent effect.          In 2024, as the number of admissions to and the penal population of correctional institutions kept increasing, the number of cases involving acts of indiscipline and violent acts among persons in custody also rose. In 2024, the number of disciplinary charges against persons in custody was 6 393. Counted against the penal population, there were 669 disciplinary cases per 1 000 persons in custody, representing an increase of 7 per cent as compared with 628 cases in 2023. The top three charges were “offending good order and discipline”, “possession of any unauthorised article” and “disobeying the orders of correctional officers”, which accounted for 35 per cent, 28 per cent and 18 per cent of the total number of disciplinary charges respectively. In 2024, a total of 3 412 persons in custody were subject to disciplinary charges, representing an increase of 401 persons or 13 per cent as compared with 3 011 persons in 2023. Among them, 618 committed disciplinary offences three or more times, involving 2 837 disciplinary charges, which accounted for 44 per cent of the total number of disciplinary charges.      In 2024, a total of 382 cases involving violent acts were recorded, representing an increase of 9 per cent as compared with 351 cases in 2023. These cases mainly involved fighting among persons in custody and assaulting others. Among these cases, 26 cases of a more serious nature were referred to the Police for follow-up, representing an increase of 18 per cent as compared to 22 cases in 2023. The number of correctional officers who were injured after being attacked or while stopping violent acts was 20, representing an increase of 33 per cent as compared to 15 in 2023.       In 2024, five cases of concerted acts of indiscipline among persons in custody were recorded, representing an increase of one case over 2023. The number of participants involved in the above incidents was 49 in total.      To maintain the good order and discipline of correctional institutions, apart from combating various kinds of acts of indiscipline through strict law enforcement by institutional staff, the Regional Response Team carried out a total of four operations in 2024 to support the security work of correctional institutions, which involved the handling of incidents like collective actions against the institutional management and group fights among persons in custody.       Apart from combating illicit activities and acts of indiscipline among persons in custody, correctional officers must stay vigilant at all times to detect and prevent any self-harm acts by persons in custody. Under the concerted efforts of correctional officers, a total of 18 self-harm cases were recorded in 2024, representing a significant decrease of 40 per cent as compared with 30 cases in 2023. (3) Rehabilitation      In 2024, the Department enhanced its rehabilitation work on all fronts by fully implementing various measures, including strengthening the determination of persons in custody to rehabilitate, extending the reach of rehabilitation programmes beyond the prison walls, and making an all-out effort to seek participation in and support for rehabilitation work from all sectors of the community, with a view to assisting persons in custody to turn over a new leaf and reintegrate into society.      To address the special rehabilitation needs of persons in custody involved in the black-clad violence and contravening the Hong Kong National Security Law/ Safeguarding National Security Ordinance, the Department continued to launch a number of diversified rehabilitation programmes under the Project PATH to enhance their knowledge of the Chinese traditional culture, foster good character and moral education, and teach them to appreciate and pass down Chinese culture. A flag-raising and foot drill competition was held for the first time with an aim to enhance their sense of national identity.      Furthermore, to enable persons in custody to obtain more opportunities for upward mobility, the CSD launched “Project JET” in October 2022 to provide one-stop training and career development opportunities for persons in custody, encouraging them to make life planning early, make full use of their talents and contribute to society. The project includes life planning, in-centre training, post-release internship, formal employment and a mentoring scheme. “Project JET” was awarded the Community Corrections Award, an excellence award by the International Corrections and Prisons Association last year.      The CSD launched the Rehabilitation Dog Services in early 2024 at Lo Wu Correctional Institution and Phoenix House to provide animal-assisted therapies to persons in custody in need, with a view to improving their depression and anxiety and reducing their violent tendencies. Moreover, the Rehabilitation Dog Services Internship Programme implemented at Phoenix House helps halfway house trainees build self-confidence and develop a sense of responsibility through caring for rehabilitation dogs. Trainees and rehabilitation dogs were arranged to visit elderly service centres to conduct caring visits, thereby giving back to society.      In 2024, the Department also set up two family therapy centres at the Multi-purpose Family and Rehabilitation Service Centres in Tuen Mun and Sheung Shui to organise different kinds of treatment programmes for rehabilitated drug addicts under statutory supervision and rehabilitated persons with violent tendencies or radical thoughts. By extending the in-prison psychological and family counselling services to the community, the Department aims to help them resolve family problems so that they can rebuild family relationships smoothly.      In 2024, the Department set up the Correctional Rehabilitation Research Unit to envision evidence-informed rehabilitation services through promoting research and making reference to the latest international research findings. Last year, the Unit published two issues of “Insight”, a research bulletin, with contents covering “the effect of education programmes on the psychological conditions and rehabilitation motives of persons in custody”, “how rehabilitation dogs enhance psychological health”, and “the application of sports activities on male persons in custody”. Moreover, the Unit has also endeavoured to enhance professional exchanges and its network with overseas, Mainland and local research consultants and practitioners, so that they can consider collaborative research issues on rehabilitation services.      On education, to further enable the inaugural graduates of the Ethics College who have obtained the Diploma of Applied Education to pursue higher qualifications, a two-year full-time Associate of General Studies distance programme was organised in the Ethics College in September 2024 to provide persons in custody with an option for further studies. Meanwhile, the CSD has also extended the Ethics College to Pik Uk Prison to provide a half-day Associate of General Studies programme and half-day vocational training for graduates of the Ethics College who are unable to complete the associate degree programme during the remainder of their sentences. This allows them to receive short-term educational and vocational training and continuously equip themselves in preparation for reintegration into society for academic and career pursuits upon their imminent release.      The overall passing rate of public examinations taken by persons in custody was 88.4 per cent last year (85.3 per cent and 90.6 per cent for adult and young persons in custody respectively), representing an increase of 5.7 percentage points over 2023. One person in custody obtained a total of 25 marks in six papers under the Hong Kong Diploma of Secondary Education Examination. Four additional persons met the general entrance requirements for local universities. Moreover, one person in custody was awarded a doctoral degree, and 11 others were awarded bachelor’s degrees.      On vocational training, the Department provides 13 market-oriented vocational training courses to young persons in custody, and 43 vocational training courses with more than 1 700 training places, an increase of 300 places as compared with 2023, for lawfully residing adult persons in custody who are due for discharge within 24 months and eligible for employment to enrol on a voluntary basis.       Last year, the overall passing rate of vocational training examinations taken by persons in custody was 99.5 per cent (99.3 per cent and 100 per cent for adult and young persons in custody respectively). Their employment rates after six months of employment follow-up period upon release were 87.3 per cent and 78.4 per cent respectively.　　      Moreover, the Department has endeavoured to establish close partnerships with organisations and individuals from different sectors of the community, with a view to providing comprehensive rehabilitation services. The Department held in June last year the first Rehabilitation Partners Award Scheme Presentation Ceremony to honour 120 non-governmental organisations (NGOs), charitable institutions, commercial organisations, post-secondary institutions, etc, in recognition of their active support for persons in custody and rehabilitated persons over the past two years, as well as to encourage different sectors of the community to become Rehabilitation Partners and support rehabilitation work.　　     Over the past 20 years and so, based on the year of discharge, Hong Kong’s recidivism rate (the percentage of readmission of local persons in custody to correctional institutions following conviction for a new offence within two years after discharge) has recorded a significant decrease from 39.9 per cent in 2000 to 21.8 per cent in 2022. The hard-earned result reflects the perseverance and hard work of correctional officers, the firm determination of persons in custody and rehabilitated offenders to turn over a new leaf, as well as the support for offender rehabilitation from all sectors of the community. (4) Community education      The CSD’s Rehabilitation Pioneer Project (RPP) provides a series of community education activities to disseminate to young people the four key messages of safeguarding our country and home, leading a law-abiding and drug-free life as well as supporting offender rehabilitation. Last year, the Department strengthened its patriotic education for young people to enhance their sense of national identity and raise their understanding of our country. A total of 45 133 participants joined various RPP activities last year, representing an increase of 2.5 per cent as compared with 44 015 in 2023.      To further promote the coverage of the Rehabilitation Pioneer Leaders (RPL) in the community, the Department continued a school-based programme to provide on-campus training. Currently, a total of six schools have joined the school-based programme, and the total number of RPL trainees has exceeded 600, representing an increase of 49 per cent as compared to that at the end of 2023. The Department also continued to enhance the diverse training programmes for RPL to help them develop their potential, including organising two certificate courses in 2024, namely Foundation Certificate in Correctional Studies and Criminal Legal Studies and Foundation Certificate in Moral and Personal Management, both pitched at Level 2 under the Hong Kong Qualifications Framework for Secondary One to Three RPL trainees to strengthen their awareness of making joint effort to build a society underpinned by the rule of law, foster positive thinking and establish good virtues.      Upholding the principle of sustainable development, the Department launched an initiative called “Captain Gor Union” and its mobile application last December, establishing a membership system for the RPP to recruit primary and secondary students as members. The members will then be arranged to join different activities promoting national security, national education, crime prevention, anti-drug and support for offender rehabilitation messages, as well as cultural exchange activities. The new membership system not only makes youth development work more systematic and sustainable but also helps recruit young people with great potential to join the RPL, with a view to continuously bringing in new blood to the Department’s youth uniformed group.      The Department organised different types of exchange activities under the theme “exploring our country ･ caring the community” last year. RPL trainees were arranged to visit different places on the Mainland, such as Wuhan, Beijing, Tianjin and Urumqi, and participate in volunteer activities. In addition, at the end of last year, the Department implemented a comprehensive co-operation programme with the charitable organisation, Long Caring, and arranged for RPL trainees to be the first uniformed youth group to join a tour to the Hong’an Hope Town in Hubei to enable them to learn about our country’s poverty alleviation work and the road to great rejuvenation of the Chinese nation.      Furthermore, in celebration of the 75th anniversary of the founding of the People’s Republic of China, the Department organised the first 3×3 Basketball Invitation Game for Hong Kong Uniformed Youth Groups in celebration of National Day last October to unite different uniformed youth groups in Hong Kong, aiming to promote patriotism through positive sport games, enhance young people’s sense of national identity and nurture them into a new generation with an affection for our country and Hong Kong and a positive mindset. (5) Human resources      In 2024, a total of 30 Officers and 344 Assistant Officers II were recruited. As at December 31, 2024, there were 674 vacancies for disciplined staff, accounting for 10.3 per cent of the overall establishment of the Department. The Department continued to implement the Post-retirement Service Contract Scheme last year to relieve the manpower strain. As at December 31, 2024, a total of 127 retirees were recruited. About 45 Officers are expected to be recruited this year, and the year-round recruitment for the post of Assistant Officer II will continue to fill the relevant vacancies.      Multipronged recruitment strategies were adopted last year to attract more talents who aspire to serve the community to join the Department, which achieved remarkable overall results. The total number of Assistant Officers II recruited in 2024 saw an increase of 18.6 per cent as compared with 290 in 2023.      In addition, the Department continued to work closely with different support service centres for ethnic minorities and schools last year. A variety of activities were organised to attract non-ethnic Chinese to apply for the vacancies of the CSD. In 2024, an additional 13 non-ethnic Chinese correctional officers were appointed. As at December 31, 2024, a total of 66 non-ethnic Chinese correctional officers were employed by the Department.      On staff training, to enhance patriotism and national security awareness among correctional officers, the Department continued to include training elements of national security, national education and patriotic education in the recruit training and training courses for serving staff, including inviting legal professionals and renowned scholars to host talks and sharing sessions, and arranging for correctional officers to visit the National Security Exhibition Gallery, the Patriotic Education Centre and the Chinese People’s Liberation Army Hong Kong Garrison Exhibition Center at Ngong Shuen Chau Barracks, as well as organising study and exchange visits to the Mainland for correctional staff. In 2024, 130 related activities were organised by the Department with over 2 600 staff members participating in the activities. (6) Application of innovation and technology      Last year, the Department continued to introduce innovation and technology projects to correctional facilities to assist the institutional management in enhancing management and operational efficiency and raising the security level of facilities. For example, the Department introduced the Second Generation Automatic Drone Patrol and Monitoring System to Tong Fuk Correctional Institution and implemented the Artificial Intelligence Coastal Surveillance System on Hei Ling Chau.      In addition, the Department continued its efforts to tie in with the Government’s Smart City Blueprint by digitising its public services. The Approved Hand-in Articles e-Ordering Service was implemented in all correctional institutions last December, enabling relatives and friends of persons in custody to purchase approved hand-in articles for them via an online platform. The articles are directly delivered to the correctional institutions concerned by the supplier. The service not only reduces the time visitors spend sourcing the articles in the market and the inconvenience of carrying them to the correctional institutions, but also shortens the time for correctional officers to conduct security checks and handle the articles, thereby enhancing the operational efficiency of correctional institutions.      Meanwhile, the CSD launched two new technology projects, namely Digital Incarceration Proof and Chatbot Service, at the end of last year to bring convenience to the public. Members of the public may apply for the Digital Incarceration Proof through the “iAM Smart” mobile application, instead of having to visit the CSD Headquarters in person as in the past. Furthermore, the Chatbot Service is provided on the CSD website and its mobile application. Through the use of chatbot “Ching Ching” to handle public enquiries, the efficiency of the public enquiry service can be raised. (7) Deepening collaboration with the Mainland and international partners      The CSD has been fostering professional collaboration with the Mainland and overseas correctional institutions to establish close partnerships and create opportunities for co-operation on issues of mutual concern, making its best endeavours to tell good correctional stories and to tell good stories of Hong Kong.      The Department held the first Greater Bay Area Correctional Services Tactical Skills Competition in January this year, with the participation of seven teams from correctional organisations in the Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area (GBA). The event effectively facilitated the exchange of experiences in crisis management between the CSD and correctional organisations in the GBA, with a view to enhancing the tactical skills of the response teams and their emergency response capabilities.      Apart from fostering exchanges and connections within the GBA, the Department has also actively integrated into our country’s Belt and Road Initiative. In March last year, the Department and the Hungarian Prison Service (with Hungary being the first European country to sign the Belt and Road co-operation agreement) signed a Memorandum of Understanding. Through formulating and promoting co-operation programmes including experience sharing in correctional services, personnel exchanges and joint research, the development of the two correctional authorities could be enhanced, and long-term co-operation relationship could be established, thereby deepening professional exchanges about international correctional services.      In November last year, the Department further enhanced its role as an international link by hosting the 42nd Asian and Pacific Conference of Correctional Administrators. About 140 correctional chiefs and representatives from 30 Asia-Pacific countries and regions (including 16 Belt and Road countries) attended the Conference, themed “Collaboration for Sustainable and High-quality Development”, to conduct professional exchanges about correctional services and the future development, with a view to strengthening and facilitating regional co-operation and further enabling counterparts from different places to gain a better understanding of the unique advantages and latest developments of Hong Kong’s correctional system. (8) Priorities in the coming year      Concluding its efforts made in 2024, the CSD achieved significant progress in various areas of its work. Looking forward, the Department will build on its success and seek changes while maintaining stability. We will continue to make innovations with professionalism in the three major areas of work, namely custodial work, rehabilitation and community education, with a view to making the CSD an internationally acclaimed correctional services institution.      On custodial work, following the successful organisation of the Greater Bay Area Correctional Services Tactical Skills Competition early this year, the CSD plans to set up the Hong Kong Correctional Services Response Tactics Training Base at Cape Collinson Correctional Institution to provide professional tactical skills training courses for officers of correctional institutions on the Mainland and overseas as well as local law enforcement officers to facilitate in-depth exchanges of response tactics and related skills between correctional institutions and professional law enforcement agencies in different jurisdictions and the CSD’s response teams, thereby enhancing their professionalism and response capabilities to deal with prison emergencies.      The Department will continue to introduce elements of innovation and technology into correctional facilities to raise operational efficiency, enhance institutional security and strengthen the self-management ability of persons in custody. These include the installation of the Persons in Custody Integrated Intelligent Communication System, the Electric Locks Security System, the Movement and Location Monitoring System, the Smart Visitor Management System, etc, in different institutions progressively. Moreover, the Department plans to set up a Penal Lab at Cape Collinson Correctional Institution jointly with the Hong Kong Science and Technology Parks Corporation in the first half of this year, where tailor-made innovative solutions can be tested, so that more smart initiatives tailored for penal settings can be introduced to enhance operational efficacy and service quality of the Department.      Following the launch of the Social Visit e-Booking Service, the Department plans to introduce a new e-booking option for video social visits to enable relatives and friends of persons in custody to make appointments via the Department’s webpage or its mobile application for video visits at the five Multi-purpose Family and Rehabilitation Service Centres located in the urban area. The new service can not only enhance the operational efficiency of the Department but also bring convenience to relatives and friends of persons in custody.      As for rehabilitation work, the Correctional Rehabilitation Research Unit will continue to carry out research studies in collaboration with local universities to promote evidence-informed rehabilitation services. The Unit plans to share its research findings with stakeholders and the public this year, including rehabilitated persons’ desistance from re-offending, and the use of social media of young persons in custody before incarceration and its impact on their mental health, in the hope of providing guidance on the formulation of future strategies for rehabilitation and crime prevention work.      Moreover, to address the rehabilitation needs of persons in custody serving short-term prison sentences, the Department is in discussion with an NGO to provide with them one-stop rehabilitation support services during imprisonment and after release, which include assessments made by professional social workers, participation in personal growth sessions, and the establishment of a positive social network after release. Such services can help rehabilitated persons establish positive values, develop law-abiding awareness, explore personal strengths, build self-confidence and set life goals, thereby reducing their recidivism risk. Under the collaborative project, the Correctional Rehabilitation Research Unit will carry out a three-year research project in collaboration with a local university and an NGO to track the rehabilitation situation of service users after release.      Furthermore, in view of the remarkable results of the Rehabilitation Dog Services Programme launched last year, the Department plans to conduct further studies with local universities and extend the programme to institutions for adult male persons in custody, with a view to benefitting more persons in custody in need.                  As regards community education, the Department will strengthen youth education in terms of its breadth and depth to nurture young people into a new generation with law-abiding awareness and affection for our country and Hong Kong.      With regard to expanding the breadth of youth education, the Department will make greater effort to enhance its connection with schools in various districts to further increase the number of schools joining the school-based RPL programme to recruit more RPL trainees.      The Department will extend its collaboration with other departments to jointly organise more publicity activities to promote crime prevention and anti-drug messages. For example, in view of an escalating trend of taking “space oil drug”, the Department will join hands with the Narcotics Division to organise the Creation and Rehabilitation Programme under the theme of “space oil drug” at Stanley Prison next month to disseminate anti-drug messages to participating students.       With regard to expanding the depth of youth education, to encourage young people to obtain an in-depth understanding of our country’s overall development trend, the Department will provide RPL trainees with job tasting opportunities on the Mainland to enable them to establish Mainland networking and raise their understanding of the Mainland market to assist them in realising their life planning and seizing national development opportunities.      A microfilm premiere on national security will be held this April to deepen the dissemination of messages about national security and the importance of the rule of law among participating secondary students and members of youth uniformed groups.      Lastly, in order to enhance the promotion of correctional work and the dissemination of the message of support for offender rehabilitation to the general public, since January this year, the Correctional Services Department Sports Association (CSDSA) has operated an online gift sales platform for charity named “Made in Prison” (MIP), which aims to foster a caring heart in the community through the sale of handcraft products made by persons in custody to the public. The charity online gift sales platform is operated by the charity fund under the CSDSA. All proceeds from the sale, after deducting necessary costs, will be donated to various local registered charities, thereby promoting the development of the local charity industry as well as providing persons in custody with opportunities to contribute to society.      In its future development, the MIP will introduce more innovative green elements. The Department and the Hong Kong Polytechnic University (PolyU) signed a Memorandum of Understanding in early February this year, under which PolyU’s patented technology for making 3D printing material with spent coffee grounds will be applied to the industrial production work performed by persons in custody. PolyU will also provide vocational training in product design for persons in custody to assist them in designing more environmentally friendly spent coffee grounds products, which will be available for sale on the MIP platform. The development of the platform signifies the CSD’s sheer determination to care for the underprivileged, the environment and the community in an innovative way.

     
    Ends/Thursday, February 20, 2025Issued at HKT 15:40

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    MIL OSI Asia Pacific News –