A Mexican national who operated as a high-level cocaine trafficker was sentenced today to 232 months in prison for directing an international drug trafficking conspiracy.
According to court documents, Jorge Humberto Perez Cazares, also known as Cadete, 41, of Sinaloa, Mexico, was a leader and organizer of a transnational drug trafficking organization that was responsible for shipping multiple tons of cocaine from Central America into Mexico for further distribution into the United States, specifically Los Angeles. Perez Cazares used violence to protect his narcotics shipments and worked with a close affiliate of the co-leader of the Sinaloa Cartel.
“Jorge Humberto Perez Cazares was a major Mexican narcotrafficker responsible for shipping multiple tons of cocaine from Central America into Mexico for distribution in Los Angeles,” said Matthew R. Galeotti, Head of the Justice Department’s Criminal Division. “Drug traffickers like Perez Cazares use violence to profit off bringing poisonous drugs into the United States with no regard for the welfare of our citizens. Today’s sentence demonstrates that the Department of Justice will not rest in bringing drug trafficking leaders to justice.”
“This sentence marks the downfall of a trafficker who fueled violence and addiction on both sides of the border,” said Assistant Director Jose A. Perez of the FBI’s Criminal Investigative Division. “The FBI and our law enforcement partners will continue to target the command structure of these cartels and dismantle their operations.”
“Jorge ‘Cadete’ Perez Cazares wasn’t just moving multi-ton quantities of cocaine — he was fueling a criminal empire. Perez Cazares funneled substantial amounts of narcotics into the United States and profited off the pain of addiction,” said Acting Administrator Robert Murphy of the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA). “The government proved he was no middleman — he was a leader. And now, justice is delivering a sentence worthy of the destruction he caused.”
In February 2014, U.S. law enforcement targeted Perez Cazares’s Los Angeles-based distribution network, raiding three stash houses and seizing $1.4 million in cash and more than 70 kilograms of cocaine. Around the same time, Perez Cazares personally negotiated a deal with a Guatemalan drug trafficker for over $23 million in cocaine. Days later, he was arrested by Guatemalan authorities while traveling in a truck with 514 kilograms of cocaine. In June 2016, he was arrested again in Mexico pursuant to a U.S. provisional arrest warrant and extradited to the United States on July 30, 2021.
In April 2024, shortly before trial, Perez Cazares pleaded guilty to the sole count of conspiracy to import five kilograms or more of cocaine into the United States.
The FBI Washington Field Office investigated the case. The DEA Miami Office and DEA Guatemala Country Office provided critical assistance. Perez Cazares’s capture and extradition were made possible thanks to key international coordination between the Government of Guatemala, the U.S. Marshals Service, and the Justice Department’s Office of International Affairs.
Trial Attorney Douglas Meisel of the Criminal Division’s Narcotic and Dangerous Drug Section is prosecuting the case.
This case is part of Operation Take Back America, a nationwide initiative that marshals the full resources of the Department of Justice to repel the invasion of illegal immigration, achieve the total elimination of cartels and other transnational criminal organizations and protect our communities from the perpetrators of violent crime. Operation Take Back America streamlines efforts and resources from the Department’s Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Forces and Project Safe Neighborhoods.
A Delaware corporation with a manufacturing facility in Ohio was sentenced today to pay a $500,000 fine, the statutory maximum, after pleading guilty to willfully violating an Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) rule. In addition to the fine, Fabcon will serve two years of organizational probation and comply with a Safety Compliance Plan. The criminal charge is related to an incident where an employee was killed when a pneumatic door closed on his head.
Fabcon Precast LLC makes precast concrete panels at its facility in Grove City, Ohio. Batch operators were employees responsible for operating and cleaning the facility’s only concrete mixer, which discharged concrete from its bottom through a pneumatic door. The mixer had an exhaust valve that, by design, released the pneumatic energy which powered the discharge door to make it inoperable.
The valve’s handle broke off, and was not replaced, prior to June 6, 2020. On that day, batch operator Zachary Ledbetter was injured trying to close the discharge door due to the broken valve. Ledbetter was eventually freed from the door, but he died at a hospital five days later.
“Today’s sentencing reflects Fabcon’s willful failure to implement measures to protect its workers,” said Acting Assistant Attorney General Adam Gustafson of the Justice Department’s Environment and Natural Resources Division (ENRD). “Sadly, this led to Zachary’s death. This tragedy shows the importance of following safety standards.”
“Fabcon Precast LLC willfully failed to adhere to OSHA safety regulations which resulted in the tragic and preventable loss of a worker’s life. This sentencing highlights our steadfast commitment to continue working with OSHA and our law enforcement partners to hold accountable those who jeopardize workers’ safety,” said Special Agent in Charge Megan Howell of the U.S. Department of Labor Office of Inspector General, Great Lakes Region.
Federal law makes it a class B misdemeanor to willfully fail to follow an OSHA safety standard, where the failure causes the death of an employee. The class B misdemeanor is the only federal criminal charge covering such workplace safety violations.
The Department of Labor’s Office of Inspector General investigated the case.
Senior Trial Attorney and Special Assistant U.S. Attorney Adam Cullman, of ENRD’s Environmental Crimes Section and for the Southern District of Ohio respectively, prosecuted the case.
New INTERPOL taskforce targeting criminal networks in Latin America launched during Brazilian state visit to international police’s global headquarters
LYON, France – President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva today underscored Brazil’s commitment to combating transnational organized crime during his visit to INTERPOL, the world’s largest policing organization.
The visit represents a strong endorsement of INTERPOL’s mission and its leadership role as central to tackling one of the most urgent security challenges of our time.
A new INTERPOL Task Force Against Organized Crime in Latin America was also officially launched during the visit of President Lula and the Brazilian delegation, which included Ricardo Lewandowski, Minister of Justice and Public Security, Mauro Vieira, Minister of Foreign Affairs, Andrei Augusto Passos Rodrigues, General Director of the Brazilian Federal Police and the Ministers of Mines and Energy, and of Science, Technology and Innovation.
Aimed at targeting criminal networks and drug trafficking across the region and beyond, the International joint Task force, based at INTERPOL’s offices in Latin America and the Caribbean, will focus on disrupting and dismantling the most dangerous transnational organized crime groups, capturing high-value targets, and targeting the financial infrastructure of these networks.
The Letter of Intent between Brazil and INTERPOL signed during the state visit will see an even greater exchange of information, expertise and best practice in the fight against crime, further strengthening Brazil’s position as a leader in combating all forms of crime.
Welcomed by INTERPOL Secretary General Valdecy Urquiza and President Ahmed Naser Al-Raisi, the Brazilian President was briefed on INTERPOL’s critical work in supporting member countries to protect vulnerable populations, preserve the environment and dismantle organized crime networks.
President Lula said:
“The election of Valdecy Urquiza as Secretary General of INTERPOL is recognition of Brazil’s prominent role in combating transnational crime.
“This Organization works to search for and apprehend some of the most dangerous criminals on the planet, combats terrorism, rescues victims of trafficking and sexual exploitation, and protects the environment.
“Crime is evolving at an unprecedented speed, requiring urgent and coordinated multilateral action.
“No country will be able to defeat transnational crime alone.
“As with other current challenges that require collective action, such as climate change and digital governance, police cooperation will remain a priority in Brazilian foreign policy.”
INTERPOL Secretary General Valdecy Urquiza said:
“We are confronting a security landscape more volatile than ever, as transnational organized crime reaches unprecedented levels — more dynamic, more digital, and more deeply embedded across borders.
“This is no longer just a security issue. Organized crime is a global phenomenon threatening justice, undermining climate resilience, as well as stalling social and economic progress.
“The threat is real, it is growing, and the moment to act is now.
“The agreement between INTERPOL and Brazil sends a powerful message: we are placing the fight against organized crime at the top of the global agenda.
“Now is the time for countries to follow Brazil’s lead and reinforce INTERPOL’s efforts. Only by working together — through a truly global and coordinated response — can we dismantle criminal networks and ensure a safer world for all.”
During the visit, President Lula awarded Secretary General Urquiza with Brazil’s Order of Rio Branco Medal, at the rank of Grand Officer. Established in 1963, the decoration recognizes individuals—both Brazilian and foreign—who have made significant contributions to Brazil’s international relations and global cooperation.
A bus driver who killed a young girl while under the influence of drugs has been jailed for four years.
Martin Asolo-Ogugua was sentenced at Woolwich Crown Court on Monday, 9 June for causing the death of 9-year-old, Turkish and British national, Ada Bicakci by dangerous driving and driving while unfit through drugs.
Asolo-Ogugua, 23 (17.07.01) of Banfield Road, Southwark, fell asleep at the wheel, having taken cannabis the previous night. He mounted the opposite pavement at the exact moment Ada was riding her bike across it with her family.
Detective Sergeant Sam Miles, who led the investigation, said:
“Asolo-Ogugua will have to spend the rest of his life regretting the night he chose to stay awake before getting behind the wheel of a bus with cannabis in his system.
“It’s a night that has cost him his freedom and snatched away the life of an innocent little girl.
“Ada had her whole life ahead of her.
“She lived in the area and attended a local primary school where she was a popular and happy pupil.
“In a remarkable show of courage and humility, Ada’s family chose to take her life forward to help others by donating her organs.
“I can only hope today’s sentence brings some closure for Ada’s family who have remained a pillar of strength throughout these proceedings.”
Police were called to the scene at Watling Street near the junction with Halcot Avenue in Bexleyheath at 09:03hrs on Saturday, 3 August 2024 where a bus had collided with two children, causing what paramedics described as life-threatening injuries to a little girl.
Ada’s family managed to jump to safety, suffering only superficial wounds, but Ada was left with catastrophic injuries.
Ada was taken to hospital but, despite the best efforts of medical staff, she sadly died on the afternoon of Monday, 5 August. Her family have continued to be supported by specialist officers.
At the scene, officers undertook a drug-test on Asolo-Ogugua, which he failed. He was arrested on suspicion of causing serious injury through dangerous driving and drug-driving.
Detectives from the Met’s Roads and Transport team launched an investigation, which included gathering and reviewing CCTV that showed the bus, driven by Asolo-Ogugua, had left its depot around 08:45hrs on the morning of the incident.
Officers followed its route west on London Road, with Ada on a footpath heading east on Watling Street, and pinpointed the moment Asolo-Ogugua fell asleep, with the bus free to drift across the carriageway and into the path of the young family.
Officers built enough evidence to charge him on Thursday, 13 February with causing death by dangerous driving while under influence of drugs as well as driving while over the drug limit.
He pleaded guilty to both offences at Woolwich Crown Court on Tuesday, 22 April.
Asolo-Ogugua was also disqualified from driving for seven years.
Ada’s father, Bora, said:
“The images of that horrific moment remain seared into my mind. That scene replays endlessly, a constant reminder of the day my world fractured beyond repair.
“This tragedy happened on my watch, a father’s ultimate failure. My world has been turned upside down, and with it, the foundations of my family have crumbled.
“My darling Ada. Our thanks are not enough to show our gratitude for you. We will honour your name with acts of magnitude. You will never be forgotten.
“We will make this story one of love and thanks that we owe everybody. Your presence, and passing, will leave a mark in this country and we will fight to make drug driving a part of its history.”
Senior Crown Prosecutor, Miranda Jollie, of the Crown Prosecution Service, said:
“Asolo-Ogugua was reckless and utterly selfish to get behind the wheel of a bus after consuming drugs and put many lives at risk that day.
“His actions have robbed a young girl of her entire life. Our thoughts remain with Ada’s family and friends as they try to come to terms with their unimaginable loss
“I hope his sentence today can help to bring some closure for Ada’s family and highlight the devastating consequences of drug driving.”
A Mexican national who operated as a high-level cocaine trafficker was sentenced today to 232 months in prison for directing an international drug trafficking conspiracy.
According to court documents, Jorge Humberto Perez Cazares, also known as Cadete, 41, of Sinaloa, Mexico, was a leader and organizer of a transnational drug trafficking organization that was responsible for shipping multiple tons of cocaine from Central America into Mexico for further distribution into the United States, specifically Los Angeles. Perez Cazares used violence to protect his narcotics shipments and worked with a close affiliate of the co-leader of the Sinaloa Cartel.
“Jorge Humberto Perez Cazares was a major Mexican narcotrafficker responsible for shipping multiple tons of cocaine from Central America into Mexico for distribution in Los Angeles,” said Matthew R. Galeotti, Head of the Justice Department’s Criminal Division. “Drug traffickers like Perez Cazares use violence to profit off bringing poisonous drugs into the United States with no regard for the welfare of our citizens. Today’s sentence demonstrates that the Department of Justice will not rest in bringing drug trafficking leaders to justice.”
“This sentence marks the downfall of a trafficker who fueled violence and addiction on both sides of the border,” said Assistant Director Jose A. Perez of the FBI’s Criminal Investigative Division. “The FBI and our law enforcement partners will continue to target the command structure of these cartels and dismantle their operations.”
“Jorge ‘Cadete’ Perez Cazares wasn’t just moving multi-ton quantities of cocaine — he was fueling a criminal empire. Perez Cazares funneled substantial amounts of narcotics into the United States and profited off the pain of addiction,” said Acting Administrator Robert Murphy of the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA). “The government proved he was no middleman — he was a leader. And now, justice is delivering a sentence worthy of the destruction he caused.”
In February 2014, U.S. law enforcement targeted Perez Cazares’s Los Angeles-based distribution network, raiding three stash houses and seizing $1.4 million in cash and more than 70 kilograms of cocaine. Around the same time, Perez Cazares personally negotiated a deal with a Guatemalan drug trafficker for over $23 million in cocaine. Days later, he was arrested by Guatemalan authorities while traveling in a truck with 514 kilograms of cocaine. In June 2016, he was arrested again in Mexico pursuant to a U.S. provisional arrest warrant and extradited to the United States on July 30, 2021.
In April 2024, shortly before trial, Perez Cazares pleaded guilty to the sole count of conspiracy to import five kilograms or more of cocaine into the United States.
The FBI Washington Field Office investigated the case. The DEA Miami Office and DEA Guatemala Country Office provided critical assistance. Perez Cazares’s capture and extradition were made possible thanks to key international coordination between the Government of Guatemala, the U.S. Marshals Service, and the Justice Department’s Office of International Affairs.
Trial Attorney Douglas Meisel of the Criminal Division’s Narcotic and Dangerous Drug Section is prosecuting the case.
This case is part of Operation Take Back America, a nationwide initiative that marshals the full resources of the Department of Justice to repel the invasion of illegal immigration, achieve the total elimination of cartels and other transnational criminal organizations and protect our communities from the perpetrators of violent crime. Operation Take Back America streamlines efforts and resources from the Department’s Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Forces and Project Safe Neighborhoods.
The North East London NHS Foundation Trust has been found guilty of a health and safety offence, following an investigation by the Metropolitan Police into the death of 22-year old Alice Figueredo at Goodmayes Hospital in 2015.
The ward manager of the hospital, Benjamin Aninakwa, 53 (25.06.1971) of St Francis Way, Grays was also found guilty of a health and safety offence.
Alice was being treated on the Hepworth Ward at the hospital after being sectioned under the Mental Health Act in February 2015.
During a trial lasting seven months, the court heard that the Trust and Aninakwa failed in their duty of care to protect Alice from harm across the six months she was on the ward, before she took her own life on 7 July 2015.
Alice’s parents, Jane and Max Figueredo, said: “We would like to thank all those involved in the Metropolitan Police, the Crown Prosecution Service and their barristers for their diligent dedication to investigating and prosecuting Alice’s death.
“Thank you for believing that her life mattered and that the way she was so heartbreakingly, abysmally failed by the staff at this hospital, should not just be ignored and kicked into the long grass – which is what we believe NELFT set about doing after Alice died.
“We also want to thank the Judge and the jury in this case for their very evident hard work and conscientious commitment in what has been a much lengthier trial than any of us expected.”
Detective Inspector Jonathan Potter, who led the investigation, said: “My thoughts remain with Alice’s family. They have had to endure years of heartbreak before sitting through a long and difficult trial where they heard time and time again about the tragic series of inactions that led to their daughter’s death.
“This was a complex investigation led by the Metropolitan Police Service, into a unique case that has led to the conviction of the Trust and Benjamin Aninakwa for health and safety offences.
“There is nothing I can say that will bring back Alice, but I hope that today’s verdict offers some comfort to her family.
“While there are thousands of NHS workers that do a commendable job every day, today’s result must also ensure that lessons are learnt to stop the same mistakes happening again.”
Nine months after Alice’s death, following a report by her parents, the Met’s Specialist Crime Command launched an investigation into the Trust and Aninakwa.
To build evidence of the offences committed, officers developed a careful understanding of the ward itself, painstakingly combing through more than 2,600 medical documents, many of them hundreds of pages long, as well as dozens of witness statements from staff, family and friends of Alice. Officers also interviewed Aninakwa and took statements from various members of the trust.
Despite the rarity of a case like this and amid investigative difficulties presented by Covid, officers gathered a range of experts to consult about their experience of being on similar wards. This included nursing staff and psychiatric practitioners, as well as senior colleagues in other NHS trusts and groups including the Care Quality Commission and NHS England.
Their investigation revealed the extent of negligence by the Trust and Aninakwa, who as ward manager, had failed in his responsibility to make sure that Alice was safe.
Although Aninakwa knew that Alice had a history of self-harm – dating back to 2013 when she had previously been admitted, and again in 2015 – officers discovered that he repeatedly failed to report such instances and ensure other staff were aware. This was even though Alice had been, according to Aninakwa himself, his only patient who was actively trying to harm themselves.
In records seen by investigating officers, a mere 13 instances of self-harm were reported, out of a possible 81. Only three of these, out of a possible 19, related to specific items that Alice had used to self-harm on the ward. Even during a scoping exercise by the Trust about the use of possible items, Aninakwa failed to highlight Alice’s history of self-harming behaviour.
As part of a wide range of failings, officers also found that Aninakwa had failed to direct staff to remove specific items from the communal areas of Hepworth Ward. Nor did he ensure that patients were properly observed by staff and that sufficient steps were taken to lock communal areas that were of concern.
Consequently, Alice was able to access one of the communal areas on the ward where she took her own life on 7 July 2015.
Following a complex investigation in partnership with the CPS, the CPS authorised the Met to charge North East London NHS Foundation Trust and Benjamin Aninakwa with health and safety offences corporate manslaughter in September 2023. They were cleared of corporate manslaughter offences at the Old Bailey on Monday, 9 June.
Sentencing will take place at a court and on a date that is yet to be arranged.
Aninakwa was found guilty of an offence under section 7 of the Health and Safety at Work Act, having failed to take reasonable care for the health and safety of others.
The Trust was found guilty of an offence under section 3 of the Health and Safety at Work Act, by failing to ensure that others are not exposed to risks to their health or safety.
Source: United States House of Representatives – Congresswoman Sharice Davids (KS-3)
Today, during Pride Month, Representative Sharice Davids reintroduced her legislation to improve mental health support for at-risk LGBTQI+ youth. A Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) survey of American teenagers foundthat LGBTQI+ students report significantly worse mental health than other students. Also, nearly 40 percentof gay, lesbian, and bisexual teens said they considered committing suicide in 2023. The Pride in Mental Health Actworks to improve physical and mental health in at-risk youth.
“Children here in Kansas and across the country continue to struggle with mental health challenges, but we are failing many of our most vulnerable children on this issue,” said Davids. “MyPride in Mental Health Acttakes a comprehensive and data-driven approach to tackling the mental health crisis among LGBTQI+ youth. By increasing access to mental health support for our children and teens, we can save lives.”
Specifically, the Pride in Mental Health Act:
Increases mental health support for LGBTQI+ youth by updating care standards, developing training for caregivers, identifying school bullying prevention guidelines, and more.
Protects at-risk youth by commissioning a report on the mental health and mental health care of LGBTQI+ youth in foster care and other federal social services programs.
Directs the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA) to review and update resources listed on their website that pertain to LGBTQI+ communities.
ThePride in Mental Health Act has been endorsed by the Congressional Equality Caucus, Human Rights Campaign, GLSEN, National Education Association (NEA), Advocates for Trans Equality, PFLAG National, American Psychological Association (APA), Institute for Health Research & Policy at Whitman-Walker, interACT: Advocates for Intersex Youth, National Alliance on Mental Illness (NAMI), The Trevor Project, Seattle Indian Health Board, and the American Academy of Pediatrics.
“As someone who faced firsthand the challenges of growing up LGBTQI+ while struggling with their mental health, I know how isolating and overwhelming it can be,” said Representative Ritchie Torres (NY-15). “Across the country, LGBTQI+ youth face alarmingly high rates of depression, suicidal ideation, and disproportionate representation in the foster care system. For too long, we’ve failed to meet their needs with the compassion and support they deserve. That’s why I’m proud to co-lead the Pride in Mental Health Act with Rep. Sharice Davids to confront these disparities head-on and ensure every young LGBTQI+ person has access to the care and support they need to thrive.”
“Young people across the country are struggling right now with unprecedented levels of depression and mental health challenges, and it is felt most acutely among LGBTQ+ youth,” said Congressman Sorensen (IL-17). “It’s important this Pride Month that we help our vulnerable youth access the mental health care, treatment, and resources they need to live happy and healthy lives as their full selves. I’m proud to work with my fellow Equality Caucus Co-Chairs, Reps. Davids and Torres, to address this crisis head-on. With this legislation, we can improve and save lives.”
“On behalf of PFLAGers everywhere, I thank Rep. Davids for introducing this important bill providing tools and accountability to SAMHSA,” said Brian K. Bond, CEO, PFLAG National. “Across races, places, genders, and abilities, all people — including LGBTQ+ youth — deserve to thrive as their authentic selves. This bill will ensure access to and measurement of critical behavioral health services, especially for trans youth who are facing unprecedented attacks by people who are seeking to remove the most basic access to healthcare of all kinds.”
“The LGBTQ+ community faces significant barriers to accessing mental health care,” said Hannah Wesolowski, Chief Advocacy Officer, National Alliance on Mental Illness (NAMI). “Ensuring access to early intervention and comprehensive, evidence-based treatment are essential to helping LGBTQ+ individuals with mental health conditions to live well. The Pride in Mental Health Act helps ensure that all individuals affected by mental illness receive the care and support they need and deserve to lead healthy, fulfilling lives within a supportive and inclusive community. NAMI is grateful to Rep. Davids for introducing this legislation and proud to support this important bill.”
“Passing the Pride in Mental Health Act would provide vital resources to support the mental health of LGBTQ+ young people and shine a necessary spotlight on the serious mental health crisis facing our country,” said Mark Henson, Interim Vice President of Advocacy and Government Affairs, The Trevor Project. “The Trevor Project’s research found that 39% of LGBTQ+ young people seriously considered attempting suicide in the past year, yet half of those who wanted mental health care were not able to get it. It’s clear that we need more resources to end suicide among this high-risk group, and this legislation creates a critical avenue for providing the resources, data, and awareness we need to help LGBTQ+ young people across the country lead the happy, healthy lives they deserve.”
“The reintroduction of the Pride in Mental Health Act is a critical step toward closing the persistent behavioral health gaps experienced by LGBTQ+ youth,” said Arthur C. Evans Jr., PhD, CEO, American Psychological Association. “Decades of psychological research show that access to affirming, evidence-based care dramatically improves outcomes for LGBTQ+ individuals. This legislation affirms a simple but powerful principle: every young person deserves the support they need to thrive — without fear, stigma, or discrimination. We commend Representative Sharice Davids for her bold leadership and steadfast commitment to the mental health and well-being of LGBTQ+ youth.”
“LGBTQ+ youth are growing up in a moment of crisis — where their very existence is being debated in legislatures across the country,” said David Stacy, Vice President for Government Affairs, Human Rights Campaign. “They are not just facing the everyday pressures of adolescence, but also the constant drumbeat of rejection and discrimination. Mental health support from affirming, qualified professionals isn’t just helpful — it’s lifesaving. The Pride in Mental Health Act is a crucial response to this national emergency.”
Davids has focused on improving mental health care since taking office. She visitedTyler’s House KC to help launch their summer mental wellness programming, helped secure funding for mental health programsin Wyandotte and Johnson Counties, and advocated for stronger mental health supports in schools. She also helped acquire grants for local police departments to hire more behavioral health specialists to the force, including the Overland Park Police Department’s new Crisis Action Team. Her legislationto renew federal mental health grant programs for health centers, schools, and law enforcement also passed the U.S. House.
New INTERPOL taskforce targeting criminal networks in Latin America launched during Brazilian state visit to international police’s global headquarters
LYON, France – President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva today underscored Brazil’s commitment to combating transnational organized crime during his visit to INTERPOL, the world’s largest policing organization.
The visit represents a strong endorsement of INTERPOL’s mission and its leadership role as central to tackling one of the most urgent security challenges of our time.
A new INTERPOL Taskforce Against Organized Crime in Latin America was also officially launched during the visit of President Lula and the Brazilian delegation, which included Ricardo Lewandowski, Minister of Justice and Public Security, Mauro Vieira Minister of Foreign Affairs, Andrei Augusto Passos Rodrigues, General Director of the Brazilian Federal Police and the Ministers of Mines and Energy, and of Science, Technology and Innovation.
Aimed at targeting criminal networks and drug trafficking across the region and beyond, the International joint Taskforce, based at INTERPOL’s offices in Latin America and the Caribbean, will focus on disrupting and dismantling the most dangerous transnational organized crime groups, capturing high-value targets, and targeting the financial infrastructure of these networks.
The Letter of Intent between Brazil and INTERPOL signed during the state visit will see an even greater exchange of information, expertise and best practice in the fight against crime, further strengthening Brazil’s position as a leader in combating all forms of crime.
Welcomed by INTERPOL Secretary General Valdecy Urquiza and President Ahmed Naser Al-Raisi, the Brazilian President was briefed on INTERPOL’s critical work in supporting member countries protect vulnerable populations, preserve the environment and dismantle organized crime networks.
President Lula said:
“The election of Valdecy Urquiza as Secretary General of INTERPOL is recognition of Brazil’s prominent role in combating transnational crime.
“This organization works to search for and apprehend some of the most dangerous criminals on the planet, combats terrorism, rescues victims of trafficking and sexual exploitation, and protects the environment.
“Crime is evolving at an unprecedented speed, requiring urgent and coordinated multilateral action.
“No country will be able to defeat transnational crime alone.
“As with other current challenges that require collective action, such as climate change and digital governance, police cooperation will remain a priority in Brazilian foreign policy.”
INTERPOL Secretary General Valdecy Urquiza said:
“We are confronting a security landscape more volatile than ever, as transnational organized crime reaches unprecedented levels — more dynamic, more digital, and more deeply embedded across borders.
“This is no longer just a security issue. Organized crime is a global phenomenon threatening justice, undermining climate resilience, as well as stalling social and economic progress.
“The threat is real, it is growing, and the moment to act is now.
“The agreement between INTERPOL and Brazil sends a powerful message: we are placing the fight against organized crime at the top of the global agenda.
“Now is the time for countries to follow Brazil’s lead and reinforce INTERPOL’s efforts. Only by working together — through a truly global and coordinated response — can we dismantle criminal networks and ensure a safer world for all.”
During the visit, President Lula awarded Secretary General Urquiza with Brazil’s Order of Rio Branco Medal, at the rank of Grand Officer. Established in 1963, the decoration recognizes individuals—both Brazilian and foreign—who have made significant contributions to Brazil’s international relations and global cooperation.
Four people allegedly involved in an elaborate Queensland-based money laundering scheme that smuggled cash around the country and washed millions of dollars of criminal proceeds have been charged following an 18-month, multi-agency investigation.
The AFP-led Criminal Assets Confiscation Taskforce (CACT) has also restrained assets across Queensland and NSW suspected of being the proceeds of crime, which have a combined value of about $21 million and include 17 properties, bank accounts and vehicles.
More than 70 members from the Queensland Joint Organised Crime Taskforce (QJOCTF), comprised of the AFP, Queensland Police Service, Australian Border Force, the Australian Criminal Intelligence Commission, AUSTRAC and Australian Taxation Office, executed 14 search warrants at homes and businesses across Brisbane and the Gold Coast on 5 and 6 June 2025.
AUSTRAC and the ATO also provided analytical expertise and support during the investigation, which was centred on Southeast Queensland but also monitored cash dead drops in multiple cities around Australia.
A Brisbane man, 32, from Heathwood, who was allegedly a major client of the money laundering operation and washed $9.5 million in 15 months, was charged on Thursday (5 June) with money laundering and failing to provide the password to a mobile phone. He has been remanded in custody and is scheduled to face Brisbane Magistrates’ Court today (9 June).
In December 2023, the QJOCTF began investigating suspicious financial transactions. The investigation linked the Heathwood man to a company that had received millions of dollars transferred by suspicious third-party transactions.
Investigators following the money trail allegedly identified the man was a customer of a sophisticated money laundering operation allegedly being run through the armoured transport unit of a security company that transferred $190 million cash into cryptocurrency.
Investigations into the source of the $190 million converted into cryptocurrency by the security company remain ongoing.
A Gold Coast man, 48, and woman, 35, who were the director and general manager respectively of the security business, were each charged on Friday (6 June) with a money laundering offence. The couple, from Maudsland, was granted watchhouse bail and is scheduled to face Southport Magistrates Court on 21 July 2025.
Another Brisbane man, 58, from West End, who allegedly funnelled laundered money through a business account to a separate business account controlled by the Heathwood man, was also charged on Friday with two money laundering offences. He was granted watchhouse bail and is scheduled to face Brisbane Magistrates Court on 1 August 2025.
The QJOCTF alleges the Gold Coast-based security company used a complex network of bank accounts, businesses, couriers and cryptocurrency accounts to launder millions of dollars of illicit funds over 18 months.
The security company, which transferred cash between businesses and banks, allegedly mixed cash from its legitimate business arm with illicit funds deposited by suspected criminals.
To further obfuscate the source of the funds from law enforcement, the security company allegedly channelled the money through a web of transactions including through a sales promotion company, a classic car dealership and cryptocurrency exchange services.
The organisation then paid out the funds to beneficiaries using cryptocurrency or those third-party companies.
The Heathwood man allegedly controlled the sales promotion company and received about $9.5 million in cash and cryptocurrency originating from the security company over 15 months.
The QJOCTF will allege the Heathwood man attempted to distance himself from the money laundering scheme by setting his wife up as a ‘straw director’ of the promotions company, while he maintained effective control.
The QJOCTF alleges the West End man was the director of a classic car dealership that received about $6.4 million from the security company and laundered it through his business over a 17-month period.
The director allegedly opened at least seven bank accounts with different banks to conceal the source of the money as he moved it around. The illicit money was then allegedly mixed with legitimate money from the car dealership before being transferred to the sales promotions business.
It is alleged the security company was also the front for the movement of millions of dollars of illicit cash from other states to Southeast Queensland for laundering.
The cash, which was allegedly generated by organised criminal ventures, was left at dead drop locations around the country and collected by a network of couriers who sent it as domestic cargo on flights to Queensland. It was then collected by the security company’s couriers in Southeast Queensland.
During search warrants last week, investigators seized crypto wallets containing about $170,000 in cryptocurrency, $30,000 cash, encrypted devices, along with business records and documents related to the alleged money laundering scheme.
The Maudsland man, 48, the director of the security company, was charged with one count of dealing with the proceeds of general crime, worth $10 million or more, contrary to section 400.2B(6) of the Criminal Code (Cth). The maximum penalty for this offence is 15 years’ imprisonment.
His wife, 35, who was the general manager of the business, was charged with one count of dealing with the proceeds of general crime, worth $10 million or more, contrary to section 400.2B(3) of the Criminal Code (Cth). The maximum penalty for this offence is imprisonment for life.
The Heathwood man, 32, allegedly linked to the sales promotion company, was charged with:
one count of dealing with proceeds of crime, worth $1 million or more, contrary to section 400.3(2B) of the Criminal Code (Cth). The maximum penalty for this offence is 12 years’ imprisonment, and
one count of failure to comply with a 3LA Order, contrary to section 3LA(5) of the Crimes Act (Cth). The maximum penalty for this offence is 10 years’ imprisonment.
The West End man, 58, who was the director of the classic car company, was charged with:
two counts of dealing with proceeds of crime, money or property worth $1 million or more, contrary to section 400.3(2B) of the Criminal Code (Cth). The maximum penalty for this offence is 12 years’ imprisonment
one count of uttering a forged document, contrary to section 488(1)(b) of the Criminal Code (QLD). The maximum penalty for this offence is three years’ imprisonment, and
one count of dealing with identification information to commit or facilitate an indictable offence, contrary to section 408D of the Criminal Code (Qld). The maximum penalty for this offence is 5 years’ imprisonment.
Investigations are ongoing, and further arrests have not been ruled out.
AFP Detective Superintendent Adrian Telfer said money laundering undermined Australia’s national security, the economy and social security system.
‘Many Australians are feeling the financial pinch but remain law-abiding and honest citizens,’ Det Supt Telfer said.
‘Criminals always choose greed over decency and will constantly find opportunities to increase their wealth at the expense of others.’
‘We allege this organisation intentionally concealed and disguised the source, value and nature of their illicit money, and distanced themselves from the funds to try to avoid getting caught by authorities.’
‘This plot was elaborate and calculated, and it demonstrates the lengths criminals will go to make money.’
‘Money laundering investigations are incredibly challenging due to the complex web of deception used by criminals, and this crime cannot be tackled by one agency alone.’
‘This result is a testament to the great work done by the investigators, forensic accountants in the QJOCTF, the CACT, and our Taskforce Avarus partners.’
Queensland Police Service Crime and Intelligence Command, Detective Acting Superintendent David Briese, from the Drug and Serious Crime Group, said money laundering was far from a victimless crime.
‘Criminal networks use money laundering to legitimise their profits and exploit legitimate businesses, harming communities and economies. It fuels serious organised crime, enabling everything from drug trafficking and exploitation to fraud and violence,’ Det a/Supt Briese said.
‘This case demonstrates both the complexity of money laundering operations, and the extreme lengths criminals will go to conceal their illicit gains.’
‘The result reflects the strength of our collaboration across law enforcement, intelligence, and regulatory bodies, and our shared commitment to protecting the public from the harms of serious and organised crime.’
ABF Acting Commander Troy Sokoloff praised the efforts of ABF officers working alongside partner agencies in the QJOCTF.
‘Today’s outcome sends a formidable message to those who seek to engage in criminal money laundering. This act is illegal and unacceptable, and all branches of law enforcement can and will work together to bring such crimes to justice,’ a/Commander Sokoloff said.
‘I would like to acknowledge the dedication of our highly trained investigator who was engaged as a co-case officer for the entirety of this investigation. He has worked tirelessly with his colleagues to achieve this outcome, drawing upon ABF digital intelligence sharing and observations which were critical to the success we see today.’
‘This type of illegal activity is insidious – and the ABF will continue to work hand in hand with its partners to detect and deter such schemes.’
ATO Deputy Commissioner John Ford reinforced the ATO was assisting partner agencies in disrupting, investigating and penalising the perpetrators of organised crime.
‘Serious and organised crime harms our community, economy, government and way of life, and robs the community of funding for essential services such as health and education,’ Mr Ford said.
‘This week’s action is a strong reminder to those involved in money laundering – while you may think you can wash away the evidence, this is simply not the case. We will continue to work together with our partner agencies to disrupt these criminals and hold them to account.’
AUSTRAC National Coordinator, Law Enforcement, Markus Erikson said AUSTRAC intelligence was pivotal in putting a stop to these crimes.
‘The intelligence AUSTRAC provided to law enforcement painted a vivid trail of criminal activity being undertaken by disparate individuals,’ Mr Erikson said.
‘I would like to recognise the businesses who report to AUSTRAC for their commitment to protecting the financial system from harm. Without their reporting, this disruption would not have been possible, and the offending may have continued undetected.’
‘I would also like to acknowledge the incredible work of our partner agencies in this matter. Operations like this take significant resources, hard work, and personal sacrifice to accomplish.’
‘This outcome is a testament to the dedication of everyone involved in Taskforce AVARUS as well as the Queensland Police Service and Australian Taxation Office.’
ACIC National Manager Boyd Doherty emphasised the critical role of the QJOCTF.
‘The ACIC works closely with partners to disrupt the highest threat criminal networks. Serious and organised crime groups thrive off money made from criminal activities,’ Mr Doherty said.
‘We are committed to disrupting the operations of these groups, denying them the ability to profit and making Australia a hostile environment for them to operate in.’
The QJOCTF is a multi-agency team focused on targeting and dismantling transnational serious organised crime networks in Queensland.
Taskforce Avarus was established in 2022 to target the highest priority money laundering threats facing Australia. The Taskforce comprises the AFP, AUSTRAC, ACIC and ABF who work in partnership to uncover methods criminals use to conceal their illegal funds.
The CACT – which brings together the resources and expertise of the AFP, ABF, Australian Taxation Office, ACIC and AUSTRAC – was permanently established in 2012 as a proactive and innovative approach to trace, restrain and ultimately confiscate criminal assets.
A man has been jailed for life for fatally stabbing his victim during an unprovoked attack in a Battersea car park two years ago.
Earl Morin-Briton, 36 (22.01.87), of Rosehill, Sutton was found guilty on Friday, 6 June of murdering 32-year-old Theo Porteous and possession of a knife following a trial at Kingston Crown Court.
At his sentencing on Monday, 9 June he was jailed for life to serve a minimum of 27 years.
Detective Chief Inspector Wayne Jolley, from Specialist Crime South, who led the investigation, said: “My thoughts remain with Theo’s family and friends who have had to sit in court and re-live the devastating events of that day. Nothing will ever bring Theo back to them but I do hope this outcome will give them some sense of closure.
“Morin-Briton murdered Theo in an unprovoked and senseless attack in broad daylight. Theo was simply sitting in his car when Morin-Briton approached him, saying something which caused Theo to get out of the vehicle. What he was tragically unaware of was that the defendant had in his possession a large knife which he then used to stab Theo numerous times.
“Our investigation combined solid detective work with crucial CCTV evidence – enabling us to get justice for Theo’s family and take a very dangerous individual off the streets.”
The court heard that at around 12.35hrs on Saturday, 24 August 2023 Theo was sat in the car park of a block of flats in Nine Elms, Battersea when Morin-Briton approached his vehicle and spoke to him through the open driver’s window. Theo got out of the vehicle and was immediately confronted by Morin-Briton who pulled a knife from his shorts and stabbed him three times – to his face, neck and back.
Members of the public witnessed the attack, and once Morin-Briton left the scene, they rushed to Theo’s aid. Despite their best efforts, and those of the Metropolitan Police officers and paramedics from the London Ambulance Service who were called to the scene, Theo sadly died from his injuries.
Detectives launched an immediate investigation, trawling through hours of CCTV. The attack on Theo was captured in full on CCTV, and further footage was obtained from a variety of locations, including buses and trains to track Morin-Briton’s movements that day.
After identifying him through their enquiries, officers launched a manhunt and Morin-Briton was arrested just over a week later – on 1 September – at an address in Norwood. He was charged the following day.
Woman invented business to claim Covid loan then sent money to Poland
Jagoda Rubaszko guilty of fraud after inventing a business to apply for a £50,000 Covid Bounce Back Loan which she then sent to bank accounts in Poland
Rubaszko invented a business to get a £50,000 Covid Bounce Back Loan – which was paid out to five bank accounts in Poland
She told Insolvency Service investigators a man called Daniel told her how to apply for the loan – but provided no evidence he exists
Sentenced to six-month curfew and 18-month suspended sentence
A woman who pretended to run a business to secure a £50,000 Covid Bounce Back Loan has been sentenced for fraud following an investigation by the Insolvency Service.
Jagoda Rubaszko, 37, of Old Ruislip Road, Northolt, invented an administrative service business which she falsely claimed had a turnover of £210,000.
In reality, she had no business – and the £50,000 loan she received was sent to five separate bank accounts in Poland.
Rubaszko told investigators she had been contacted by a man called Daniel who told her how to apply for the loan, and to declare herself bankrupt to avoid having to repay it.
Rubaszko was sentenced to 18 months imprisonment, suspended for 21 months, for fraud by misrepresentation at Isleworth Crown Court on 5 June 2025.
She will be tagged and under curfew between 7.30pm and 6am every day for six months, and must complete 175 hours of unpaid work.
The Insolvency Service is seeking to recover the fraudulently obtained funds under the Proceeds of Crime Act 2002.
Mark Stephens, Chief Investigator at the Insolvency Service, said:
Jagoda Rubaszko claimed to be a business director, but she had no business at all. She invented a turnover of £210,000 even though her bank accounts showed no business dealings.
She invented a man called Daniel, who she has blamed for her actions, claiming he had told her to apply for the loan, and she believed she’d get away with this by declaring herself bankrupt.
What is definitely real, is that she took money which was meant to help businesses during a difficult period, and sent that funding off to the bank accounts of five men in Poland.
As a result, reality has now caught up with her.
Rubaszko applied to a bank for a Covid Bounce Back Loan on 26 April 2021, which was approved on 28 April 2021 and paid into her bank account.
In the application, she claimed she had been operating a business since 1 March 2020 and had a turnover of £210,000. But investigations into Rubaszko’s finances showed her tax returns were no higher than £15,100 each year between 2019 and 2021.
In a prepared statement, Rubaszko claimed to have been contacted by a man called Daniel, who told her how to apply for the loan, and to declare herself bankrupt to avoid repaying it.
But Rubaszko admitted she had never met Daniel, even though she said she paid him a £17,500 commission for his ‘help’ after receiving the £50,000.
Her bank records showed no such payment was made – instead, 22 smaller payments up to £11,690 were made to five individual bank accounts in Poland over a two-month period.
After declaring herself bankrupt, Rubaszko was subject to a 10-year Bankruptcy Restrictions Undertaking (BRU) on 12 May 2023. The BRU prevents her from managing a limited company until 2033.
Further information
Jagoda Rubaszko is of Old Ruislip Road, Northolt. Her date of birth is 18 September 1987.
Individuals subject to a disqualification order or undertaking are bound by a range of restrictions
NEW YORK, June 09, 2025 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) — Monteverde & Associates PC (the “M&A Class Action Firm”), has recovered millions of dollars for shareholders and is recognized as a Top 50 Firm in the 2024 ISS Securities Class Action Services Report. We are headquartered at the Empire State Building in New York City and are investigating:
Servotronics, Inc. (NYSE:SVT), relating to the proposed merger with TransDigm Group Incorporated. Under the terms of the agreement, a subsidiary of TransDigm will commence a tender offer to acquire all the outstanding shares of Servotronics for $38.50 per share in cash.
Southern States Bancshares, Inc. (NASDAQ:SSBK), relating to the proposed merger with FB Financial Corporation. Under the terms of the agreement, Southern States’ shareholders will receive 0.800 shares of FB Financial common stock for each share of Southern States stock.
ACT NOW. The Shareholder Vote is scheduled for June 26, 2025.
LENSAR, Inc. (NASDAQ:LNSR), relating to the proposed merger with Alcon. Under the terms of the agreement, LENSAR shareholders will receive $14.00 per share, with an additional non-tradeable contingent value right offering up to $2.75 per share in cash conditioned on the achievement of certain milestones.
ACT NOW. The Shareholder Vote is scheduled for July 2, 2025.
iCAD, Inc. (NASDAQ:ICAD), relating to the proposed merger with RadNet, Inc. Under the terms of the agreement, iCAD stockholders will receive 0.0677 shares of RadNet common stock for each share of iCAD common stock held at the closing of the merger.
ACT NOW. The Shareholder Vote is scheduled for July 14, 2025.
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Source: Northern Territory Police and Fire Services
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Source: United States House of Representatives – Congresswoman Pramila Jayapal (7th District of Washington)
WASHINGTON — U.S. Representative Pramila Jayapal (WA-07), Ranking Member of the Subcommittee on Immigration, Security, Integrity, and Enforcement, released the following statement regarding the Trump Administration’s escalations of violence and abuse of power in Los Angeles, California.
“On Friday and Saturday, the Trump Administration conducted a series of increasingly militarized immigration actions, utilizing law enforcement from numerous agencies and calling out the National Guard without a request or support from the Governor. They arrested David Huerta, the President of SEIU California, who was peacefully protesting the raids, as well as rounding up over 120 immigrants at least, according to initial reports. ICE also denied entry to Members of Congress — who have the legal authority and responsibility to conduct unannounced oversight visits — at both the LA detention center, where people were being held, as well as the Adelanto Detention Center, where detained people were reportedly transferred.
“The people of Los Angeles were non-violently protesting the injustices they have seen with Trump’s mass deportation agenda, the Administration’s sweeping up people of various legal statuses, and denying access to counsel to those detained. These peaceful protestors were exercising their constitutional rights to use their voices to speak out against this injustice and were met instead with tear gas and rubber bullets from an Administration that refuses to allow free speech or dissent in this country.
“Trump is weaponizing the military against U.S. citizens and immigrants alike with no regard for the rule of law in this country — even threatening force on nonviolent protesters. This isn’t just an attack on immigrants, it is an attack on our foundational freedoms. Detained people must be provided with access to counsel, and the militarized raids by the federal government must stop immediately.
“I urge every person using their right to protest to continue to do so peacefully, even as the Trump Administration escalates violence.”
Issues: Civil Rights, Public Safety & Criminal Justice
CHARLESTON, W.Va. – Charles Dana Johnson II, 36, of Cairo, pleaded guilty today to being a felon in possession of a firearm.
According to court documents and statements made in court, on November 17, 2024, a law enforcement officer conducted a traffic stop of a vehicle driven by Johnson in Parkersburg. Johnson admitted that he possessed a loaded SCCY model DVG-1 9mm pistol and a loaded Walther model P22 .22-caliber pistol that the officer found in Johnson’s waistband during the traffic stop.
Federal law prohibits a person with a prior felony conviction from possessing a firearm or ammunition. Johnson knew he was prohibited from possessing a firearm because of his prior felony convictions for possession with intent to deliver heroin on October 2, 2016, and first-degree robbery on January 12, 2012, both in Wood County Circuit Court.
Johnson is scheduled to be sentenced on October 2, 2025, and faces a maximum penalty of 15 years in prison, up to three years of supervised release, and a $250,000 fine.
Acting United States Attorney Lisa G. Johnston made the announcement and commended the investigative work of the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF) and the Wood County Sheriff’s Office.
United States District Judge Irene C. Berger presided over the hearing. Assistant United States Attorney Lesley C. Shamblin is prosecuting the case.
This case is part of Project Safe Neighborhoods (PSN), a program bringing together all levels of law enforcement and the communities they serve to reduce violent crime and gun violence, and to make our neighborhoods safer for everyone. On May 26, 2021, the Department launched a violent crime reduction strategy strengthening PSN based on these core principles: fostering trust and legitimacy in our communities, supporting community-based organizations that help prevent violence from occurring in the first place, setting focused and strategic enforcement priorities, and measuring the results.
This case is also part of Operation Take Back America, a nationwide initiative that marshals the full resources of the Department of Justice to repel the invasion of illegal immigration, achieve the total elimination of cartels and transnational criminal organizations (TCOs), and protect our communities from the perpetrators of violent crime. Operation Take Back America streamlines efforts and resources from the Department’s Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Forces (OCDETF) and Project Safe Neighborhoods (PSN).
A copy of this press release is located on the website of the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of West Virginia. Related court documents and information can be found on PACER by searching for Case No. 2:25-cr-27.
WASHINGTON – Alvin Alexis Cruz Garcia, 27, of Washington, D.C., was found guilty on June 6, 2025, by a Superior Court jury for the beating death of Ramon Gomez Yanez at the Ogden Market in Northwest, announced U.S. Attorney Jeanine Ferris Pirro and Chief Pamela Smith of the Metropolitan Police Department (MPD).
Cruz Garcia was found guilty of one count of second-degree murder while armed following a 4-day trial. Superior Court Judge Todd Edelman scheduled sentencing for August 1, 2025.
According to the government’s evidence, at approximately 8:28 p.m. on March 23, 2021, 38-year-old Ramon Gomez Yanez, parked his car and made his usual stop at the local food market, Ogden Market, located at 1500 Ogden Street NW. When Mr. Gomez came back outside, the defendant was standing on the sidewalk and urinating much too close to the back of Mr. Gomez’s car. The Ogden Market surveillance video, with no audio available, showed some exchange of words and then showed the defendant punch Mr. Gomez down to the ground. While Mr. Gomez was down on the sidewalk, the defendant kicked and punched Mr. Gomez multiple times in the head area, and then just walked away. Mr. Gomez died at the scene from his head and neck injuries.
Although there were no witnesses to the homicide and no witnesses to identify the defendant from the Ogden Market video, MPD and Metro Transit Police tracked the defendant through a series of CCTVs along the 14th Street corridor and through the metro transit system. These efforts ultimately led MPD to a witness that could identify the defendant in a metro rail car video and to other corroborating identification evidence to build the case.
This case was investigated by the Metropolitan Police Department with valuable assistance from the Metro Transit Police Department.
It is being prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorneys Jin Park and Katrenia Shelly.
ALBUQUERQUE – A Becenti man is facing federal charges after allegedly causing a fatal crash.
According to court documents, on July 3, 2024, Joey Martin, 55, an enrolled member of the Navajo Nation, killed John Doe by operating a vehicle without due caution.
Martin is charged with involuntary manslaughter and will remain in third party custody pending trial, which has not yet been scheduled. If convicted of the current charges, Martin faces up to eight years in prison.
U.S. Attorney Ryan Ellison and Philip Russell, Acting Special Agent in Charge of the Federal Bureau of Investigation’s Albuquerque Field Office, made the announcement today.
The Navajo Nation Police Department and Navajo Department of Criminal Investigations. Assistant U.S. Attorneys Brittany DuChaussee and Michael Pahl are prosecuting the case.
An indictment is merely an allegation. All defendants are presumed innocent until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in a court of law.
Source: United States Bureau of Alcohol Tobacco Firearms and Explosives (ATF)
Burlington, Vermont – The United States Attorney’s Office for the District of Vermont stated that on May 30, 2025, Samuel Blatt, 33, of Colchester, Vermont, was sentenced by Chief United States District Judge Christina Reiss to a term of 49 additional months’ imprisonment to be followed by a 3-year term of supervised release. Blatt has been detained in the custody of the State of Vermont since his arrest on March 15, 2024. Judge Reiss also ordered that Blatt pay $14,100 in restitution. Blatt previously pleaded guilty to the March 5, 2024, robbery of the Union Bank in Johnson, Vermont.
According to court records, between February 28, 2024, and March 14, 2024, Blatt committed the robberies of four banks in Vermont, and attempted the robbery of a fifth bank. On February 28, 2024, Blatt entered the M&T Bank in Essex, Vermont and handed the teller a note demanding money, stating that he wanted $100 bills with “No dye packs,” “No bait money,” and “Fast.” Blatt obtained approximately $1000 from M&T Bank. On March 5, 2024, Blatt entered the Union Bank in Johnson, Vermont and handed the teller a note which stated, “Give me all $100’s, $50’s, $20 bills fast, no dye packs.” During the robbery, Blatt stated to bank employees in effect, “This is not a joke, you know what to do, give me all your money.” Blatt obtained approximately $5,300 from Union Bank. On March 13, 2024, Blatt entered a Community Bank in Burlington, Vermont, stated that he was robbing the bank and handed a bank employee a note that stated, “Give me all $100-, $50-, and $20-bills, no dye packs. Fast.” Community Bank employees did not comply with Blatt’s demands, and he left the bank. On March 13, 2024, Blatt entered the TD Bank in Winooski, Vermont, and displayed a note to the teller that stated in effect that he wanted $20’s, $50’s and $100’s but no dye packs. Blatt obtained approximately $600 from TD Bank. On March 14, 2024, Blatt entered the North Country Federal Credit Union in Alburgh, Vermont. Blatt asked a teller, “Can I cash a check if I don’t have an account here?” When the teller told Blatt no, he handed the teller a note and asked “What about this one?” The note stated, “Give me all the 100’s, 30’s and 20’s you have!!!” Blatt obtained approximately $7200 from NCFCU.
Acting United States Attorney Michael P. Drescher commended the collaborative investigatory efforts of the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives, the Essex Police Department, the Lamoille County Sheriff’s Department, the Winooski Police Department, the Burlington Police Department, the Grand Isle County Sheriff’s Department, the Williston Police Department, and Homeland Security Investigations.
The case was prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorneys Colin Owyang and Jason Turner. Blatt was represented by Assistant Federal Defender Sara Puls.
Ottawa, ON – Globally, illegal, unreported, and unregulated (IUU) fishing is a major contributor to declining fish stocks and the destruction of marine habitats. IUU fishing also undermines the livelihoods of legitimate fish harvesters and impacts food security in vulnerable coastal communities, affecting millions of people.
Today, Fisheries and Oceans Canada (DFO) launched its third annual high seas patrol to deter IUU fishing in the high seas of the North Pacific, including near the Aleutian Island chain, focusing on migratory routes for key species like Pacific salmon.
The mission, known as Operation North Pacific Guard (Op. NPG), is led by DFO fishery officers and supported by the Canadian Coast Guard and the Royal Canadian Mounted Police to protect fish stocks under Canada’s Pacific Salmon Strategy Initiative and Canada’s Indo-Pacific Strategy. As a Pacific nation, Canada is committed to deepening its engagement and its role across the Indo-Pacific region as an active and reliable partner.
Fishery officers and support personnel will patrol over 15,000 km while onboard the Canadian Coast Guard vessel, the CCGS Sir Wilfrid Laurier, a high endurance, multi-purpose vessel that is also a light icebreaker, and is biofuel capable. The expert crew will conduct high seas boardings and inspection operations under international law to ensure compliance with regulations and to detect IUU fishing.
During this mission, Canada’s CCGS Sir Wilfrid Laurier will make a special port visit during Expo 2025 in Osaka, Japan, where members of the public can visit the vessel and learn about Canada’s role in fighting IUU.
In addition to monitoring and enforcement by sea, Canada is conducting daily aerial surveillance this summer out of Hokkaido, Japan. Air patrols conducted by DFO fishery officers will monitor fishing vessels and support partner countries to ensure compliance with international law. Canada’s air surveillance program has previously identified significant conservation concerns related to shark finning and illegal marine mammal harvest, including the harpooning of dolphins, and pollution events that threaten the marine environment. Continued monitoring for these activities will allow Canada to hold non-compliant vessels accountable.
As a Pacific nation, Canada recognizes that the Indo-Pacific region will play a significant and profound role in Canada’s future. Every issue that matters to Canadians—national security, economic prosperity, respect for international law and human rights, democratic values, public health, protecting our environment—will be shaped by the relationships that Canada, along with its partners, have with countries throughout the Indo-Pacific.
Fines have been issued and people received warnings during a crackdown on vehicle offences and other compliance issues in the region’s national parks and State forests.
In response to local community concerns around illegal motorbike usage, from the noise nuisance to environmental damage, rangers conducted targeted compliance operations.
Senior Ranger Greg reiterates that people should not think they can break laws including the road rules just because they have entered a State forest or national park.
The public are advised that they are responsible for their conduct.
“We will take appropriate compliance and enforcement action to any illegal and unsafe activities within Queensland’s protected areas,” Ranger Greg said.
“If you wouldn’t do it in the middle of Stanthorpe or the local botanic gardens don’t do it in a national park or State forest.
“Our number one priority is the safety of visitors and staff working on our protected areas, and to ensure all visitors can enjoy these natural spaces safely.
“Illegal riding of motorbikes not only endangers riders but also threatens the safety of visitors, our staff, wildlife, and the environment.
Rangers engaged with a number of people in Broadwater State Forest, Main Range National Park, Durikai State Forest and Girraween National Park in relation to unlawful camping, fossicking and other illegal conduct.
A 56-year-old Stanthorpe man was fined $1288 after he and his teenage son were found riding motorbikes in an area closed to all motorised vehicles. Concerningly, the teenager was riding an unregistered motorbike and due to his age didn’t hold a driver’s licence.
The operation also resulted in fines being issued for camping and fossicking offences, including:
1x $322 fine issued at Main Range National Park after a group of 4 were found camping, despite only purchasing a single person camping permit.
1x $483 fine issued for a person fossicking at without a valid fossicking licence.
Rangers are reminding all visitors that a fossicking licence for an individual currently costs $9.33 per month, and a camping permit currently costs just $7.25 per person per night with children under the age of five staying for free.
“We encourage the community to report any illegal activity to the Queensland Parks and Wildlife Service or local police.”
Unlawful activity and antisocial behaviour in national parks and State forests can be reported anonymously by calling 1300 130 372.
The Lancet has released its second global commission report on Adolescent Health and Wellbeing. Adolescents are defined as 10- to 24-year-olds. The report builds on the first one, done in 2016. The latest report presents substantial original research that supports actions it recommends to be taken across sectors as well as at global, regional, country and local level. The co-chairs of the commission, Sarah Baird, Alex Ezeh and Russell Viner, together with the youth commissioners lead, Shakira Choonara, give a guide to the report’s findings.
What were the key findings?
The report noted significant improvements in some aspects of adolescent health and wellbeing since the 2016 report. These include reductions in:
communicable, maternal and nutritional diseases, particularly among female adolescents
the burden of disease from injuries
substance use, specifically tobacco and alcohol
teenage pregnancy.
It also found that there had been an increase in age at first marriage and in education, especially for young women.
Despite this progress, adolescent health and wellbeing is said to be at a tipping point. Continued progress is being undermined by rapidly escalating rates of
non-communicable diseases and mental disorders, accompanied by threats from compounding and intersecting megatrends. These include climate change and environmental degradation, the growing power of commercial influences on health, rising conflict and displacement, rapid urbanisation, and the aftermath of the COVID-19 pandemic.
These megatrends are outpacing responses from national governments and the international community.
What’s unique about today’s cohort of adolescents?
Born between 2000 and 2014, this is the first cohort of humans who will live their entire life in a time when the average annual global temperature has consistently been 0.5°C or higher above pre-industrial levels.
At roughly 2 billion adolescents, they are the largest cohort of adolescents in the history of humanity. And this number will not be surpassed as populations age and fertility rates fall in even the poorest countries.
They are the first generation of global digital natives. They live in a world of immense resources and opportunities, with unprecedented connectedness made possible by the rapid expansion of digital technologies. This is true even in the hardest-to-reach places.
Growing participation in secondary and tertiary education is equipping adolescents of all genders with new economic opportunities and providing pathways out of poverty.
These opportunities, however, are not being realised for most adolescents. Increasing numbers continue to grow up in settings with limited opportunities. In addition, investments in adolescent health and wellbeing continue to lag relative to their population share or their share of the global burden of disease.
Investments in adolescents accounted for only 2.4% of the total development assistance for health in 2016-2021. This was despite the fact that adolescents accounted for 25.2% of the global population in that period and 9.1% of the total burden of disease. We use development assistance as a measure because, while governments also invest in adolescents, it’s difficult to account for how much this is. For example, when a government supports a health facility, it serves the entire population.
Yet, the report provides evidence to show that the return on investments in adolescent health and wellbeing is highly cost-effective and at par with investments in children.
What’s the news for adolescents in Africa?
The report recognises the special place of Africa in the global future of adolescents. It notes that, by the end of this century, nearly half of all adolescents will live in Africa.
Currently, adolescents in Africa experience higher burdens of communicable, maternal and nutritional diseases, at more than double the global average for both male and female adolescents. They also have a higher prevalence of anaemia, adolescent childbearing, early marriage and HIV infection. They are much less likely to complete 12 years of schooling and more likely to not be in education, employment, or training.
Female adolescents in sub-Saharan Africa have the highest adolescent fertility rate at 99.4 births per 1,000 female adolescents aged 15-19 (the global average is 41.8). They have also experienced the slowest decline between 2016 and 2022.
Globally, there was progress in reducing child marriage between 2016 and 2022. But in eight countries in 2022, at least one in three female adolescents aged 15–19 years was married. All but one of these eight countries were in sub-Saharan Africa. Niger (50.2%) and Mali (40.6%) had the highest proportion of married female adolescents.
The practice of child marriage is declining in south Asia and becoming more concentrated in sub-Saharan Africa. As the report notes:
it continues because of cultural norms, fuelled by economic hardships, insurgency, conflict, ambiguous legal provisions, and lack of political will to enforce legal provisions.
What should be Africa’s focus areas?
Beyond adolescent sexual and reproductive health concerns in sub-Saharan Africa, obesity is increasing fastest in the region. This illustrates the vulnerability of adolescents to the power of commercial interests.
Since 1990, obesity and overweight has increased by 89% in prevalence among adolescents aged 15–19 years in sub-Saharan Africa. This is the largest regional increase.
The absence of data on adolescents is a problem. Adolescents in sub-Saharan Africa are absent in many data systems. For example, data on adolescent mental health in sub-Saharan Africa is virtually absent.
Stronger data systems are needed to understand and track progress on the complex set of determinants of adolescent health and wellbeing.
Another area of concern is the massive inequities within countries, often gendered or by geography. While female adolescents in Kenya are experiencing substantial declines in the burden of HIV and sexually transmitted infections, adolescent males are experiencing increasing burdens. In South Africa, years of healthy life lost to maternal disorders show more than 10-fold differences between the Western Cape and North West provinces.
Where there’s been strong political leadership, remarkable changes have been seen. Take the case of Benin Republic. The adolescent fertility rate in the country declined from 26% in 1996 to 20% in 2018 and child marriage from 39% to 31% over the same period. Strong political leadership has also led to substantial reductions in female genital mutilation or cutting. This fell from 12% of girls in Benin in 2001 to 2% in 2011–12 among 15–19-year-old girls in Benin Republic. Political leadership also facilitated the expansion, by the national parliament in 2021, of the grounds under which women, girls, and their families could access safe and legal abortion.
But for every country that takes positive steps to protect the health and wellbeing of adolescents, several others regress.
The last decade has witnessed regression in several countries. In 2024, The Gambia attempted to repeal a 2015 law criminalising all acts of female genital mutilation or cutting. In 2022, Nigeria’s federal government ordered the removal of sex education from the basic education curriculum.
What are the recommended courses of action?
The report calls for a multisectoral approach across multiple national ministries and agencies, including the office of the head of state, and within the UN system.
Coordination and accountability mechanisms for adolescent health and wellbeing also need to be strengthened.
Laws and policies are needed to protect the health and rights of adolescents, reduce the impact of the commercial determinants of health, and promote healthy use of digital and social media spaces and platforms.
Strong political leadership at local, national, and global levels is essential.
The report also calls for prioritised investments, the creation of enabling environments to transform adolescent health and wellbeing, and the development of innovative approaches to address complex and emerging health threats.
It calls for meaningful engagement of adolescents in policy, research, interventions and accountability mechanisms that affect them.
Without these concerted actions, we risk failing our young people and losing out on the investments being made in childhood at this second critical period in their development.
The current adverse international aid climate is particularly affecting adolescents as much development assistance relates to gender and sexual and reproductive health. Concerted action in addressing adolescent health and wellbeing is an urgent imperative for sub-Saharan Africa.
Alex Ezeh is a fellow at the Stellenbosch Institute for Advanced Study (Stias).
Russell Viner and Sarah Baird do not work for, consult, own shares in or receive funding from any company or organisation that would benefit from this article, and have disclosed no relevant affiliations beyond their academic appointment.
SOUTH BEND – Four men have been sentenced by United States District Court Judge Damon R. Leichty after pleading guilty to various fentanyl drug and gun related charges, announced Acting United States Attorney Tina L. Nommay.
Tyler Wood, 23 years old, of Michigan City, Indiana was sentenced to 160 months in prison followed by 5 years of supervised release after pleading guilty to conspiracy to distribute 400 grams or more of fentanyl, distribution of fentanyl, and illegal use of a communications facility.
Clinton Rouse, 24 years old, of Michigan City, Indiana, was sentenced to 188 months in prison followed by 5 years of supervised release after pleading guilty to conspiracy to distribute 400 grams or more of fentanyl and distribution of fentanyl.
Justin Hervey, 27 years old, of Michigan City, Indiana, was sentenced to 125 months in prison followed by 5 years of supervised release after pleading guilty to conspiracy to distribute 400 grams or more of fentanyl and unlawful possession of a firearm.
Raquan Perry, 23 years old, of Gary, Indiana, was sentenced to 72 months in prison followed by 3 years of supervised release after pleading guilty to conspiracy to distribute 400 grams or more of fentanyl and unlawful possession of a firearm.
According to documents in the case, Wood, Rouse, Hervey, and Perry worked together to distribute fentanyl pills throughout Michigan City over a period of approximately 10 months, between October 2023 and July 2024. During the spring of 2024, Wood and Rouse lived with a supplier from Michigan who obtained tens of thousands of pills from the Detroit area that were transported to Michigan City to be sold to buyers with the assistance of sub-distributors such as Hervey and Perry. Law enforcement seized approximately 10,000 of these fentanyl pills during its investigation.
This case was investigated by the Drug Enforcement Administration and the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives with assistance from the Michigan City Police Department, the LaPorte County Sheriff’s Office, the LaPorte County Prosecutor’s Office, and the DEA North Central Laboratory. The case was prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorneys Lydia T. Lucius and Katelan McKenzie Doyle.
This case is part of Project Safe Neighborhoods (PSN), a program bringing together all levels of law enforcement and the communities they serve to reduce violent crime and gun violence, and to make our neighborhoods safer for everyone. On May 26, 2021, the Department launched a violent crime reduction strategy strengthening PSN based on these core principles: fostering trust and legitimacy in our communities, supporting community-based organizations that help prevent violence from occurring in the first place, setting focused and strategic enforcement priorities, and measuring the results.
This case was part of an Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Forces (OCDETF) investigation. 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.
RANCHO CUCAMONGA, Calif., June 09, 2025 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) — iPower Inc. (Nasdaq: IPW) (“iPower” or the “Company”), a tech and data-driven ecommerce services provider and online retailer, today announced that it has made a deposit payment to initiate the production of a new, fully integrated equipment line as part of its broader U.S.-based manufacturing strategy under the “Made in USA” module of its SuperSuite platform.
This payment secures the start of equipment production for iPower’s new joint venture, United Package NV LLC (“United Package”), and represents a key milestone in reshoring strategic manufacturing capabilities. The equipment is expected to complete production within two months, with shipping, installation, and testing to follow thereafter. The Company is targeting a full operational launch in Q4 2025.
“Our investment in United Package marks a major step forward in our strategic goal to localize key manufacturing functions,” said Lawrence Tan, CEO of iPower. “By initiating production now, we are not only strengthening our operational resilience, but also creating additional value for our partners and customers through faster delivery, quality control, and service agility. This initiative reinforces our long-term vision of building a stronger, more sustainable supply chain ecosystem in the U.S.”
In addition to iPower’s digital sales infrastructure and nationwide fulfillment capabilities, United Package will benefit from the offline sales channels and established B2B customer base of its joint venture partner — significantly accelerating go-to-market efficiency and customer reach.
Together, the joint venture is poised to offer:
Shortened lead times and improved delivery reliability
Localized control over production timelines and quality
Optimized inventory management with real-time visibility
Expanded access to both digital and traditional sales channels
This development also reinforces iPower’s long-term strategy to integrate its “Made in USA” module into the SuperSuite platform — providing end-to-end support for domestic manufacturing, from legal and compliance guidance to facility setup, labor sourcing, logistics and last-mile delivery.
About iPower Inc.
iPower Inc. is a tech and data-driven online retailer, as well as a provider of value-added ecommerce services for third-party products and brands. iPower’s capabilities include a full spectrum of online channels, robust fulfillment capacity, a nationwide network of warehouses, competitive last mile delivery partners and a differentiated business intelligence platform. iPower believes that these capabilities will enable it to efficiently move a diverse catalog of SKUs from its supply chain partners to end consumers every day, providing the best value to customers in the U.S. and other countries. For more information, please visit iPower’s website at www.meetipower.com.
Forward-Looking Statements
All statements other than statements of historical fact in this press release are forward-looking statements. These forward-looking statements involve known and unknown risks and uncertainties and are based on current expectations and projections about future events and financial trends that iPower believes may affect its financial condition, results of operations, business strategy, and financial needs. Investors can identify these forward-looking statements by words or phrases such as “may,” “will,” “expect,” “anticipate,” “aim,” “estimate,” “intend,” “plan,” “believe,” “potential,” “continue,” “is/are likely to” or other similar expressions. iPower undertakes no obligation to update forward-looking statements to reflect subsequent events or circumstances, or changes in its expectations, except as may be required by law. Although iPower believes that the expectations expressed in these forward-looking statements are reasonable, it cannot assure you that such expectations will turn out to be correct, and iPower cautions investors that actual results may differ materially from the anticipated results and encourages investors to review other factors that may affect its future results and performance in iPower’s most recent Annual Report on Form 10-K and subsequent SEC filings for more detailed information.
Source: The Conversation – USA – By Kendall Deas, Assistant Professor of Education Policy, Law, and Politics, University of South Carolina
Originally developed as a tool to help Black children attend better schools, school voucher programs now serve a different purpose.Drazen via Getty Images
School voucher programs that allow families to use public funds to pay tuition to attend private schools have become increasingly popular.
The first vouchers were offered in the 1800s to help children in sparsely populated towns in rural Vermont and Maine attend classes in public and private schools in nearby districts.
After the U.S. Supreme Court’s 1954 Brown v. Board of Education decision, in which justices ruled that separating children in public schools on the basis of race was unconstitutional, segregationists used vouchers to avoid school integration.
More recently, school voucher programs have been pitched as a tool to provide children from low-income families with quality education options.
As a scholar who specializes in education policy, law and politics, I can share how current policies have strayed from efforts to support low-income Black children.
History of school voucher programs
Over time, as school voucher policies grew in popularity, they evolved into education subsidies for middle-class families. Peter Dazeley/Getty Images
Research from education history scholars shows that more recent support for school choice was not anchored in an agenda to privatize public schools but rooted in a mission to support Black students.
Over time, as school voucher policies grew in popularity, they evolved into subsidies for middle-class families to send their children to private and parochial schools.
School choice policies have also expanded to include education savings account programs and vouchers funded by tax credit donations.
School voucher programs can negatively impact the quality of public schools serving Black students. Connect Images via Getty Images
States looking to add or expand school choice and voucher programs have adopted language from civil rights activists pushing for equal access to quality education for all children. For example, they contend that school choice is a civil right all families and students should have as U.S. citizens. But school voucher programs can exclude Black students and harm public schools serving Black students in a host of ways, research shows.
Since the Brown v. Board ruling, school voucher programs have been linked to racial segregation. These programs were at times used to circumvent integration efforts: They allowed white families to transfer their children out of diverse public schools into private schools.
For example, private schools that receive voucher funding are not always required to adopt the same antidiscrimination policies as public schools.
School voucher programs can also negatively impact the quality of public schools serving Black students.
As some of the best and brightest students leave to attend private or parochial ones, public schools in communities serving Black students often face declining enrollments and reduced resources.
In cities such as Macon, Georgia, families say that majority Black schools lack resources because so many families use the state’s voucher-style program to attend mostly white private schools.
Moreover, the cost of attending a private or parochial school can be so expensive that even with a school voucher, Black families still struggle to afford the cost of sending children to these schools.
Vouchers can siphon school funding
Voucher programs can disproportionately affect funding in majority Black school districts. kali9/Getty Images
Research from the Economic Policy Institute, a nonpartisan, nonprofit think tank based in Washington, D.C., shows that voucher programs in Ohio result in majority Black school systems such as the Cleveland Metropolitan School District losing millions in education funding.
Another example is the Marion County School District, a South Carolina system where about 77% of students are Black.
Marion County is in the heart of the region of the state known as the “Corridor of Shame,” known for its inadequate funding and its levels of poor student achievement. The 17 counties along the corridor are predominantly minority communities, with high poverty rates and poor public school funding because of the area’s low tax base due to a lack of industry.
On average, South Carolina school districts spent an estimated US$18,842 per student during the 2024-25 school year.
In Marion County, per-student funding was $16,463 during the 2024-2025 school year.
By comparison, in Charleston County, the most affluent in the state, per-student funding was more than $26,000.
Returning voucher policy to its roots
Rather than focus on school choice and voucher programs that take money away from public schools serving Black students, I argue that policymakers should address systemic inequities in education to ensure that all students have access to a quality education.
Establishing restrictions on the use of funds and requiring preferences for low-income Black students could help direct school voucher policies back toward their intent.
It would also be beneficial to expand and enforce civil rights laws to prevent discrimination against Black students.
These measures would help ensure all students, regardless of background, have access to quality education.
Kendall Deas 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.
Public health officials in Plymouth are warning people about blue tablets being sold illegally as Valium. These tablets may come in blister packs with Arabic writing.
This follows the news that three people died after taking what is believed to be these tablets.
Professor Steve Maddern, Director of Public Health for Plymouth City Council, said:
“Any loss of a life is a tragedy, and we want to prevent it happening to anyone else. We’re very concerned about these tablets. We cannot currently speculate about the content of these drugs whilst they are being tested, but we do want people to be aware. They might look like Valium, but they could be contaminated with another substance and therefore more toxic. If you or someone you know has these tablets, do not take them.”
What to do if someone becomes unwell
If someone has taken drugs and becomes unwell, call 999 straight away or take them to Derriford Hospital’s Emergency Department. Don’t wait—doctors and nurses are there to help, not to judge.
If the person is unconscious but breathing, put them in the recovery position. This helps keep their airway clear. You can find more advice on the FRANK website.
Reducing the risk
The safest option is not to take these pills at all. But if you do choose to use drugs:
Don’t use alone. Being with someone else could save your life.
Take a small amount first and wait to see how it affects you.
Don’t all take drugs at the same time—stagger your use so someone is always alert.
If you’re using alone, tell someone your plans or use the BuddyUp app by Cranstoun so someone can check on you.
Carry naloxone if you can. It’s a medicine that can reverse opioid overdoses, and it won’t harm someone even if they haven’t taken opioids. Having naloxone nearby could save a life. In some cases, more than one dose is needed, so carrying extra is a good idea. You can get naloxone for free in Plymouth from:
Harbour, Hyde Park House, Mutley
Hamoaze House, Mount Wise
North Road West Medical Centre
Adelaide Street GP Surgery
St Levan GP Surgery
Detective Inspector Michelle Dunn from Devon and Cornwall Police said: “We are currently investigating the unexplained deaths of three men in Plymouth which occurred over the weekend.
“At this time, the deaths are believed to be drug related and we are working closely with our partner agencies to establish the full circumstances.
“Anyone with information which may assist police is asked to call 101 or report via our website quoting reference 50250144278.”
If you’re looking for help with your own drug use, contact Harbour on 01752 434343 or visit harbour.org.uk.
Hamoaze House offers support for anyone affected by someone else’s drug or alcohol use. Their Affected Others group meets every Friday from 1–3pm. Call 01752 566100 to get in touch.
Anyone with information about these pills are asked to contact police through theirwebsite, or call 101.
Paddy Hill spent more than 16 years in prison for murders he did not commit. One of the so-called Birmingham Six who were wrongfully convicted for the Birmingham pub bombings in 1974, he was proof that exoneration and financial compensation do not fix a miscarriage of justice.
When I met him in July 2023, more than 30 years after his release from prison, his ordeal continued to haunt him. He was in his late 70s, looking frail and far from the “12 and a half stone” man he was in Parkhurst Prison. He had very little appetite and was in poor health. The little sleep he was able snatch was marred by screaming nightmares.
Neither of us knew it at the time, but this was to be his final interview. He died aged 80, on December 30 2024. I sat down to talk with Hill in his living room. Struggling to control his emotions, he told me: “Sometimes I sit in the bedroom … and I’m crying my eyes out like a child and I don’t know what the fuck happened … I’ve been so fucking screwed up.”
The ITV docudrama Mr Bates vs the Post Office thrust wrongful convictions into mainstream consciousness in January 2024 – a quarter of a century after the Post Office began prosecuting sub-postmasters and mistresses for fraud, theft, and false accounting and 15 years after Rebecca Thomson’s Computer Weekly article exposing the Horizon IT system as the potential culprit.
Now the public could finally see the human impact of miscarriages of justice on these upstanding – and, more importantly, innocent – members of their communities. Public outrage followed.
But despite the mass quashing of hundreds of convictions, and amid promises of speedy financial compensation, progress has been pitiful. While collecting a National Television Award in September 2024, former sub-postmistress Jo Hamilton confirmed that out of the “555 group”, those involved in the litigation which exposed the Horizon scandal, “more than 300 haven’t been paid yet, including Sir Alan Bates”.
Sadly, this timescale is far from unusual. In July 2023, Andrew Malkinson finally had his 2003 rape conviction overturned after several unsuccessful appeals, including unsuccessful applications in 2012 and 2020 to the Criminal Cases Review Commission (CCRC), the independent body which investigates potential miscarriages of justice.
Crucially, the CCRC did not commission the DNA testing that finally exonerated him and did not review police files which would have shown that Greater Manchester Police had withheld crucial evidence at his trial.
Malkinson spent 17 years in prison maintaining his innocence. Perversely, he could have been released sooner had he falsely confessed. He was eventually exonerated thanks to the help of the charity Appeal, which commissioned those crucial DNA tests and unearthed the disclosure failures.
The CCRC has since acknowledged in an independent review that it “failed Mr Malkinson” with chairperson Helen Pitcher OBE (whose recent resignation was welcomed by the Ministry of Justice) eventually expressing “sincere regret and an unreserved apology on behalf of the commission”. All of this happened 12 months after Malkinson called on the CCRC to apologise to him. Malkinson said it was “shameful” that the CCRC has kept private the names of those responsible for his ordeal and delayed the publishing of the report highlighting its mishandling of his case.
The true number of miscarriages of justice is unknown. In the UK, the CCRC referral rate averages 2% including appeals of sentence. In the US, estimates of wrongful conviction and imprisonment range from 6% to 15.4%.
The Insights section is committed to high-quality longform journalism. Our editors work with academics from many different backgrounds who are tackling a wide range of societal and scientific challenges.
Inevitably, some innocent people will have their appeals denied and will remain convicted for the rest of their lives. The trauma of remaining legally guilty of a crime you did not commit cannot be overstated.
But persistent psychological ill-effects can be seen even in those who have been formally exonerated, including long-term effects on their employment and relationships.
I’ve been examining cases like this as part of a research project into the experiences of people who suffer grave miscarriages of justice. Working with Dr Mandy Winterton at Edinburgh Napier University, I interviewed several men who have been imprisoned for crimes they did not commit.
As academics with psychology and sociology backgrounds, we were predominantly interested in how victims were affected by such injustices. Previous research has documented the litany of mental health and social effects on those who have been wrongfully convicted and exonerated, and the flaws in the criminal justice system that are to blame. But little attention has been paid to individual experiences. While there were clear commonalities in the men’s stories, they all had unique perspectives.
Of the people we spoke to, Hill and a man called Jimmy Boyle spoke to us on the record and specifically requested that they be named. I have given the other men featured here pseudonyms to protect their anonymity.
Paddy Hill
Hill’s story is particularly harrowing. On November 21 1974, shortly after 8pm, bombs exploded in two pubs in Birmingham, England, killing 21 people and injuring around 200 others. They were attributed to the Provisional Irish Republican Army (IRA), which had detonated many bombs in the West Midlands in the previous year.
Hill and his friends were arrested at Heysham Docks as they were boarding the ferry to Belfast to attend the funeral of an old friend who had been a member of the IRA. Hill said that they were initially interviewed at Morecambe police station in Lancashire, and the West Midlands Police took over their questioning the next day.
Hill and his co-accused were, says Hill, tortured by the West Midlands serious crime squad. They were subjected to anti-Irish verbal abuse, hours-long beatings over several days, mock executions, were burned with cigarettes, and deprived of sleep, food and drink. Unable to withstand this, four of the six men eventually signed false confessions, condemning them all to life imprisonment in 1975 for the murders. The six men brought a civil action against the West Midlands Police which was thrown out in 1980 by Lord Denning.
These shocking revelations eventually reached the public consciousness thanks to investigative journalist and former Labour MP Chris Mullin, who uncovered evidence of police wrongdoing and corruption. His work informed the group’s court of appeal hearing in 1987. However, the convictions were upheld by Lord Chief Justice Lane. It was only at their second appeal in 1991, after Mullin had uncovered more evidence of their innocence, that they were finally exonerated.
Despite other lines of enquiry which could have led to the real bombers – including a confession and several named suspects – the Crown Prosecution Service (CPS) decided in 2023 that there was insufficient evidence to prosecute, denying justice to the families of those killed and injured.
The impact on Hill’s family was enormous. With such public vitriol for the Birmingham Six, his wife and children had to move house regularly and change their names to avoid being recognised. He told me:
Everywhere they went, sooner or later somebody found out who they were and then they’d pick on them. And sometimes my kids were going to school and they couldn’t even remember what fucking name they were supposed to be using, they were that confused.
Hill’s marriage ended while he was in prison. “I told her to divorce me. I said: ‘Meet someone, you want to get married, don’t worry about me.’ And that was it.”
He later remarried, but his relationship with his children was irretrievably destroyed. “Along the way I lost my own kids, because I came out of jail and I didn’t feel nothing for my kids. I still don’t … I’ve spent more time here with you than I have done in the last 20 fucking years with my kids.”
Though he was referred to psychologists for support, he told me none were able to help him. Over and above the pains of imprisonment, the wrongfully convicted are betrayed by the very people that we are led to believe are there to protect us. The justice system has wrought on them the worst injustice, and many will suffer from enduring anger and mistrust of authorities.
When we met, Hill was still consumed by his anger and felt badly let down: “Over the years I realised I was never going to get any professional help from the government, even though we have it in writing that they have a duty of care towards us – but they’ve never done nothing to help us … If they did, they would acknowledge what they’ve done wrong.”
Up until his death, Hill had spent much of the past 30 years helping other survivors of miscarriages of justice. Initially intending to spend his first 12 months of freedom campaigning, he “got involved with the families, and it was then I realised how bad the families had it … That’s what kept me going, coming out and campaigning.”
He established the Miscarriages of Justice Organisation (Mojo), a Glasgow-based charity dedicated to supporting the wrongfully convicted. It provides advocacy for clients in prison, aftercare and reintegration services, and dedicated psychological support offered pro-bono by a clinical psychologist.
But the demand far exceeds Mojo’s ability to help, and it may take several months for a case to be assessed. Euan McIlvride, the organisation’s legal officer, told me it typically receives “250 applications a year, and we will probably support only ten of those because the rest of them don’t meet the requirements for our support … We have finite resources.”
For Hill, keeping busy provided some relief from thinking about his ordeal.
…When you aren’t doing something, all you’re going to do is sit there and think … about things you don’t fucking want to think about. I don’t know what happens to me when I go to sleep … [My wife] hears me screaming … kicking and punching everything … I’ll be watching television and all of a sudden … BANG! It’s like a non-stop video going through your head all the time.
Chained to a radiator
The Police and Criminal Evidence Act 1984 (Pace), which came to effect in 1986, aimed to reduce miscarriages of justice by balancing the powers of the police and the public. Pace provides safeguards for suspects during questioning, puts a limit on how long suspects can be questioned for, and insists that interviews be recorded.
This makes it easier to detect when protocols have not been followed or there may have been mistreatment or intimidation.
It doesn’t prevent such wrongdoing, however.
I spoke with one man, who I am calling Mark, who was wrongfully convicted of murder in 1988. He told me there were over one hundred breaches of Pace in his case, including being handcuffed to a hot radiator, being denied food and water, and being denied a solicitor.
One of his co-accused, a vulnerable adult, had also falsely confessed to the crime. Mark lost his first appeal in 1990 but his case went to the CCRC when it was established in 1997. The CCRC brought in another police force to investigate. He said:
When I saw [their] report … I nearly fell off my chair and nearly choked on my coffee … Everything I had said all those years ago … the handcuffing to the radiators, they proved it. All the breaches of the Police and Criminal Evidence Act … that we were interviewed off the record … Making up notes and stuff like that. I couldn’t believe it. I knew we were going home.
He subsequently pursued a civil action against the police which was settled out of court, with the force insisting the settlement did not mean it was admitting liability.
Mark also suffered a marital breakdown, after he and his wife lost their baby daughter while he was on remand:
It ripped the guts out of my marriage, you know. My wife was only 17-18, same age as me … She had a husband inside and she lost a child. And you’ve got to look at the economical impact and the mental impact it had on her … She was just as much a victim as what I was.
He started taking drugs in prison: “I didn’t care if I lived or died because I had lost everything, as far as I was concerned.”
But Mark turned himself around, got off drugs and availed himself of all the education he had access to, including law and human rights, to build the strongest possible case for his appeal. With the aid of a human rights lawyer the CCRC referred his conviction in 1998, which was then quashed by the Court of Appeal in 1999. He had spent 11 years in prison as a convicted murderer.
‘The innocence test’
After his exoneration, Mark was successful in securing over £600,000 compensation for his ordeal, though he had over £37,000 deducted for “saved living expenses”. A House of Lords ruling in 2007 deemed that those receiving compensation for a miscarriage of justice can have the amount reduced to account for “savings” made while in prison – for costs such as food, housing and other bills that they would have had to pay had they not been wrongfully incarcerated.
Considering the difficulties people face accessing any financial compensation for their wrongful imprisonment, this adds further insult to injury. The rule has since been scrapped following the high-profile Malkinson case – but deductions made prior to this are not being reimbursed.
Mark was given no financial counselling or support, and he rapidly spent the money – more than he had ever had in his life – while trying to block out his pain:
By the time six months had gone, I’d spent the hundred grand [interim payment] on wine, women, drugs … ’cause I couldn’t cope with what was going on … That was my way of blotting out all the things I saw in prison.
The money also caused a rift in his family – something echoed by others I have spoken to. After the death of his mother, his family “went their own ways”.
Nowadays, only a small proportion of those exonerated will ever receive financial compensation due to the requirements of the so-called “innocence test”.
The Criminal Justice Act 1988 made it difficult for applicants to receive compensation because there had to be a newly discovered fact – not available at the time of their original trial – that they could use to make the case that they had suffered a miscarriage of justice.
The definition of what constitutes a miscarriage of justice has become more restrictive over time, meaning an applicant now must provide evidence, beyond reasonable doubt, of their innocence. In the absence of a key witness admitting to falsifying their statement or DNA evidence proving innocence, this is unlikely.
Like Hill, Mark struggled to adjust after his exoneration and release, and found support to be woefully lacking:
I had nobody to talk to, no money, no job, no house. I didn’t have any prospects. I phoned up my solicitor … I remember saying: ‘Why did you get me out?’ It was difficult to adjust … I slept with a hammer … under my pillow – I was very paranoid … All they did was give me tablets and told me to get on with my life. No counselling. Nothing. They didn’t know what to do with people like me.
Mark still suffers with post-traumatic stress disorder and depression, and has never been able to work a normal job. He continues to campaign for the wrongfully convicted and to increase awareness of miscarriages of justice. He credits this work with giving him a sense of purpose.
Jimmy Boyle – not innocent enough?
I also spoke to James Boyle, who was acquitted at retrial of historical sexual offences after he had spent five years in prison. Boyle, from Rutherglen, who likes to be known as Jimmy, has always maintained these offences never happened.
From the outset, Boyle found processes quite at odds from how we are told they are supposed to be. He said: “Things that you should have: for example, presumption of innocence – nonsense, it doesn’t exist. None of these rights exist in reality.” He claims that lines of evidence undermining the allegations against him were not investigated. Further, he encountered professionals in the criminal justice system who he says were incompetent and even “malicious” and “criminal”.
To add further insult, he was later told that he was not considered exonerated because he did not provide evidence proving his innocence (he failed the “innocence test”). As a result, the General Teaching Council for Scotland did not reinstate him and he was unable to return to his teaching career which he had found enormously fulfilling.
Like others I have spoken to, Boyle, now in his 60s, hasn’t been able to work since his release:
There was so much involved, and fighting with the Teaching Council – you know, it was full time. It really was full time when you’re dealing with these agencies … I do plenty [at Mojo] – I’ve spoken at a number of events … But I had to continue fighting my own fight.
Martin: total lack of victim support
Miscarriages of justice have a huge effect on a person’s mental health. But my research found the impact begins long before a conviction – with effects such as anxiety, trauma and depression resulting from the wrongful allegation.
Martin (not his real name) detailed the difficulties he experienced from his initial wrongful allegation of rape – including isolation, lack of advice, and a lack of appropriate mental health support. He said:
I kept [the rape allegations] to myself and it was horrific, because I didn’t know what was going to happen … Once I was charged … I went to my GP because I was severely depressed. I could barely function. [Counselling] was actually making things worse rather than better … I had looked online … There’s victim support and there’s witness support, but if you’ve been accused there is absolutely nothing.
It took over three years from the initial allegation to court proceedings, during which time two other allegations of rape and indecent assault were made and charges were brought. Martin kept the allegations from his employers and friends:
You don’t mention it because if you mention it, you’re opening the box and then that becomes a big thing – and God help how you’re going to feel at the end of that conversation.
Convicted of rape and indecent assault (the second and third charges), he was sentenced to four years in prison, but successfully appealed on the basis that the Moorov doctrine was misapplied.
Moorov is a principle of Scottish law which allows evidence of one crime to corroborate evidence of another. As the charges against him were considered to corroborate one another, having been acquitted of the key (first) charge he should have been acquitted of all. Instead, he spent about a year in prison – yet he considers himself fortunate.
The guy [Andrew Malkinson] that won his appeal the other day spent 17 years in prison. I only spent one. And although I shouldn’t have spent any, it could have been a hell of a lot worse. There are a lot of people that haven’t been able to clear their names, there are a lot of people that have spent a long time in prison. I spent one year and managed to clear my name, so I should be thankful for what little happiness I’ve managed to get out of it.
Martin was fortunate in that he’d had a good education and had taken detailed notes during his trial, which assisted his appeal. He also helped other prisoners who were struggling to complete required forms for themselves, and managed to get a job in the prison kitchen.
Since his release, he has pursued a law degree, eager to use his experience for positive change in the justice system. “I think it’s given me a new perspective really … You know what, life’s too short – let’s just get on with it.”
What needs to be done?
People wrongly accused of crimes are in dire need of support from the moment the initial allegation is made, to help them navigate the complex legal processes and challenging psychological effects of being wrongly accused.
Currently there is woefully inadequate mental health support at all stages, from initial allegation to post-release.
Of course, there are many guilty people in prison who protest their innocence – but support should not be denied to those who maintain their innocence.
Reforms are needed to make it easier for an innocent person to appeal their conviction. The CCRC has suffered a decline in funding, from £9.24 million in 2004 to £6 million in 2022. Over this period, the workload has more than doubled while the Ministry of Justice has reduced CCRC commissioners’ terms of employment from full-time salaried positions to one-day-a-week contracts, making the workload unsustainable.
People may also face significant barriers in accessing evidence that would exonerate them such as police files, without which they have little hope of a successful appeal. This was evident in the Malkinson case, where the charity Appeal accessed the police files the CCRC had refused to look at.
The lack of accountability and consequences for those who purposely harm innocent people causes further anger and distress to the wrongfully accused and convicted. Yet those affected rarely even receive an apology. This needs to change.
Finally, there needs to be greater public awareness of wrongful convictions and allegations, their causes and consequences, and an understanding of their devastating and long-term effects. As Hill told me the year before he died:
People think you come out and they give you a few quid … [then you] walk off into the sunset and live happily ever after. If only. I would love to go to bed at night like an ordinary fucking person … without waking up so angry and tense.
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This work was supported by the BA/Leverhulme Trust grant SRG1819190884. Many thanks to Dr Mandy Winterton, co-Investigator on this research, and to the Miscarriages of Justice Organisation (MOJO) for supporting us by facilitating access to clients.
Faye Skelton is affiliated with the Miscarriages of Justice Organisation having joined the Board of Directors in April 2025.
Source: The Conversation – UK – By Stephen Clear, Lecturer in Constitutional and Administrative Law, and Public Procurement, Bangor University
Since returning to office, Donald Trump has often called the US legal system into question. He has criticised judges as activists, challenged the role of the courts and insisted some firms do free legal work in support of his administration’s causes to make up for working for some of his political opponents.
Meanwhile, Vice-President J.D. Vance has advised US Supreme Court chief justice John Roberts that he ought to be “checking the excesses” of the lower courts.
And Stephen Miller, deputy White House chief of staff, said: “We are living under a judicial tyranny,” after the US Court of International Trade ruled the president didn’t have the power to impose international trade tariffs. Meanwhile, judges are asking for more security to protect them from threats.
Trump’s federal investigations and volley of executive orders (presidential directives that don’t require legislative approval by Congress) have also put enormous pressure on law firms. And a recent report shows that both trust in law firms’ independence, and even the rule of law itself, is perceived as under threat in the US. But what does this mean, and why is it important?
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The president has taken action against law firms in two prominent ways:
First, by federal investigation. Specifically, letters to a group of 20 law firms from the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission. These demanded information about their diversity, equality and inclusion (DEI) policies, based on the proposition that any sort of treatment of underrepresented groups that appeared preferential to them in policy, or practice, was unequal treatment for other groups, and, consequently, discriminatory.
Second, the president has passed numerous executive orders introducing punitive measures on specific law firms that previously represented clients opposing his administration, or employed attorneys involved in past investigations against him. His administration has also revoked government contracts and suspended security clearance from buildings. In practice, the orders would prevent attorneys from accessing from where they work, such as courthouses and federal agencies.
In response, some prominent law firms have sought to mitigate the fallout with the Trump administration by entering into agreements with it. These have included pledging US$1 billion (£730,000,000) in pro bono (free) legal services supporting causes aligned with Trump’s agenda.
For example, support for veterans, representing police officers, and antisemitism prevention. Noteworthy is that law firm Paul, Weiss, Rifkind, Wharton & Garrison have now agreed to discontinue certain DEI policies, in addition to committing US$40 million (£29.4 million) in pro bono work for the president’s causes. In response the Trump administration has now lifted restrictions against them.
Judges say they are under threat.
More broadly, it has been reported that 70% of the US Justice Department civil rights division’s attorneys are leaving their posts. The mass exodus is believed to be part of attempts to reshape the division into one focused on enforcing executive orders.
The consequences of these developments are that the president’s actions have led to a significant realignment in the legal professions. Some US attorneys have reported that law firms are now more hesitant to engage in pro bono work that could be viewed as opposing the administration’s policies.
By contrast, some lawyers are now trying to establish independent firms aimed at defending civil servants and challenging federal overreach, ensuring at least some, albeit less resourced, support for underrepresented groups.
Trump criticizes judges and legal activists.
Other lawyers have sought legal action against the orders as unconstitutional interference. Some of these have led to success. For example, Perkins Coie challenged theirs and got it struck down. The concern here centred around their representation of Democratic presidential candidate Hillary Clinton. In arriving at the decision, the district judge ruled the president’s actions to be an “overt attempt to suppress and punish certain viewpoints”.
Why this matters
These developments call into question the balance between governmental influence and the independence of lawyers in upholding the rule of law. Lawyers must be impartial in representing their clients in order to effectively represent their interests, and allow the judiciary to fulfil their duty of checks and balances on the government’s decisions.
When unfettered power is wielded by the government, and the law is undermined, scope for monitoring the constitutionality of decision making is compromised.
The rule of law is a foundational principle of western democracies. It means that everyone is subject to the law, including governments. Laws must be applied equally, fairly and consistently, and no one is above them.
In essence, laws govern the nation, not arbitrary decisions by individuals in power. In that sense, following the rule of law helps prevent tyranny, protect people’s rights and liberties, and ensures a stable and predictable society.
In order to deliver these objectives, an independent legal sector is needed. Trump’s actions are a threat to achieving this cornerstone US constitutional principle. Some have gone as far as to suggest that by entering into agreements with Trump, law firms have become subsidiaries of his administration.
A recent study on trust in the rule of law found that Americans’ trust in lawyers was already undermined, even before the second Trump administration.
The results, based on public attitudes in 2024, compared public perceptions in Germany, the Netherlands, Spain, Italy, Norway, the UK and the US. Norway and the UK ranked highest in respect of trust in the rule of law (81% and 74% respectively), and Spain and Italy were least trusted (49% and 43%).
The results for the US are interesting. Around 71% of American respondents stated that they had a high level of trust in the rule of law. Yet the country came third from the bottom under the metric “you feel like you are in good hands in US courts”.
The reasons for this are implied in the responses to the other questions in the survey. The US performed second worst (just behind Spain) in respect of belief that judges could be biased. The US also performed worst of all in the category where the public were asked if lawyers were impartial (just 41% agreed).
In interpreting these results it is important to note that the survey was conducted in 2024, prior to Trump’s second term. But anti-elite and anti-judge rhetoric pointing to arguments for more presidential power and less judicial oversight had already been prominent in the first Trump term, and the 2024 campaign.
The results expose the already fragile nature of trust in the legal sector in the US, and underline how this could be ramped up further after the announcements in recent weeks.
Stephen Clear 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.
The Inland Revenue Department (IRD) today alerted the public to fraudulent SMS messages purportedly issued by the department which invite recipients to claim a profits tax subsidy via a hyperlink provided.
The IRD clarified that it has no connection with the fraudulent SMS messages and has reported the case to Police for further investigation.
It reminded the public to stay alert to suspicious SMS messages and not visit the hyperlinks provided in such messages nor disclose any personal information.
The IRD is on the SMS Sender Registration Scheme under the Office of the Communications Authority, meaning all SMS messages issued by the department will bear “#HK IRD” in the SMS Sender ID to help people to verify the sender’s identity.
Source: Hong Kong Government special administrative region
The Inland Revenue Department (IRD) today (June 9) alerted members of the public to fraudulent SMS messages purportedly issued by the IRD, which invite recipients to claim profits tax subsidy via a hyperlink provided.
The IRD clarified that it has no connection with these SMS messages and has reported the case to the Police for further investigation.
The IRD is registered in the SMS Sender Registration Scheme of the Office of the Communications Authority. All SMS messages issued by the IRD will bear “#HK IRD” in the SMS Sender ID to enable members of the public to verify the identity of the SMS sender. Members of the public should stay alert to suspicious SMS messages, not visit hyperlinks provided in such messages, and not disclose any personal information.
