Stories related to: drug dealing

Mexicans increasingly accuse state troops of beating and murdering innocents on their mission to curb violent drug cartels, Time reports. Since the state assigned 25,000 soldiers to fight drug-runners 2 years ago, troops have killed at least 13 unarmed people—while traffickers have added 1,800 more to the tally. "These soldiers are idiots," a witness to a shooting said. "What protection do they give us?" More »

Broadcom co-founder Henry Nicholas pleaded not guilty yesterday to securities fraud and drug charges, the AP reports. The former microchip king was accused of false accounting as well as dropping ecstasy into associates’ drinks, running a drug warehouse, and using bribery and death threats to keep it all quiet. The company’s former CFO also pleaded not guilty to fraud. More »

Voters in a northern California county have backed a measure tightening one of America's loosest pot laws, the San Francisco Chronicle reports. State law allows Californians to grow six marijuana plants each for medicinal use, but Mendocino County allowed its residents 25 plants each for any use. The county's residents will now have to make do with the standard six. More »

Indoor pot farms are sprouting up around California and causing some bad vibes in the Golden State, the Los Angeles Times reports. In one northwest community, authorities estimate that 1,000 of 7,500 homes are devoted to cultivating marijuana, cutting into the housing supply and raising safety concerns. Many residents complain that out-of-staters are flooding in to take advantage of liberal laws about medical marijuana. More »

Olympic gold-medalist Tim Montgomery has been indicted for dealing heroin, the Virginian-Pilot reports. “They said I sold 100 grams of heroin to an informant,” Montgomery told the paper in a jailhouse interview, noting that he has “no idea” why he’s been charged. The sprinter, now 33, was banned from track for doping and faces sentencing next month in a $5-million check-kiting case. More »

The brother of gubernatorial call girl Ashley “Kristen” Dupre has legal problems too: He pled guilty in New Jersey this week to possessing heroin with intent to distribute. Already on probation for other drug charges, Kyle Youmans will likely get more probation when he is sentenced next month, the Asbury Park Press reports. More »

Arabella Churchill, the bohemian granddaughter of Winston who founded both a rock concert and a charity, has died of pancreatic cancer at age 58, the Telegraph reports. Arabella was said to have been Winston's favorite grandchild, but she found the famous name to be a mixed blessing. "I'm immensely proud of my grandfather...but I was no good at being a Churchill," she said in June. More »

Old drug and bookmaking charges felled a co-chair of Fred Thompson’s presidential bid today, the AP reports. Philip Martin stepped down as head of Thompson’s fundraising group after his criminal record surfaced, including charges of conspiracy and cocaine trafficking in the 1970s and '80s. “I deeply regret any embarrassment this has caused,” Martin said. More »

GOP White House contender Sen. Fred Thompson has been traveling to campaign stops around the nation on the private jet of his close adviser, fundraiser and pal Philip Martin, a former drug dealer with a criminal record. Campaign officials insist Thompson was unaware of convictions for marijuana and cocaine trafficking of the man dubbed "the head of Thompson's Air Force," reports the Washington Post. More »

Robert Chambers, the notorious "preppie killer" who served 15 years in prison for strangling a young woman in Central Park during what he said was rough sex, has been arrested for repeatedly selling cocaine to undercover police, according to law enforcement authorities. Chambers, 41, struggled with police during the raid and broke one officer's wrist, the New York Times reports. More »

Drug traffickers are pursuing the middle-school crowd by mixing snortable dope with everyday products like cold medicine and candy, and pushing the product under kid-friendly names. A blend of black tar heroin and Tylenol PM labeled "cheese" has been linked to the deaths of 19 teenagers in Dallas. More »