19 caught in drug sweep

By Kate Bouey -CASTANET Jan 10, 2017 / 9:42 am

A total of 19 people are facing charges of trafficking in a controlled substance following an RCMP undercover operation in the North Okanagan. The sweep also revealed how the opiod, fentanyl, has tainted street level drugs. Undercover operators were involved in the operation that targeted several local drug trafficking groups over the course of several days in November and December. “The project saw undercover operators purchase various quantities from the street level to half ounces of cocaine, methamphetamine, heroin and fentanyl,” said Const. Jocelyn Noseworthy, RCMP spokesperson. Noseworthy says of the 19 suspects, six have been arrested and remain in custody, six have been arrested and release on conditions for a future court date and seven are wanted on arrest warrants. Drugs were sold on the street as heroin but were later found to contain heroin, fentanyl and mixtures of both “which greatly increases the potency of an already highly toxic and dangerous drug,” Noseworthy said. “This reinforces what has been widely known and reported - persons using illicit drugs do so without knowing what the drug actually contains and as a result put themselves, and potentially others, at significant risk.” “This enforcement initiative is one part of Vernon/North Okanagan detachment's efforts to reduce crime by targeting those specifically responsible for drug trafficking in our community,” said Sgt. David Evans of the targeted policing unit. “Fentanyl is most certainly here and it's availability should be cause for concern for all involved - from the drug user to the health care providers and emergency responders.”
======
Also see http://infotel.ca/newsitem/fentanyl-seized-in-vernon-drug-bust-19-people-charged/it38513

Record fentanyl bust

By The Canadian Press - CASTANET Dec 29, 2016 / 11:34 am

Calgary police say they have seized a large amount of the dangerous and powerful opioid fentanyl. Police say last Friday officers found 35,321 fentanyl pills during a drug bust at a home — a record in the city. Investigators also seized shotguns, rifles, a handgun, a crossbow and other drugs including cocaine, methamphetamine and heroin. Police also found lots of ammunition and sets of body armour. David Pratico of Calgary has been charged with drug and weapons-related offences, including the production of crack cocaine. Illegal fentanyl, which can be up to 40 times stronger than heroin, has been linked to hundreds of deaths across Canada. "This is the largest fentanyl pill seizure in Calgary's history and one of the largest in the province," police said Thursday in a release.

Vancouver homicide suspect arrested in Vernon

by Staff Writer - Vernon Morning Star Vancouver posted Sep 30, 2016 at 12:00 PM
A missing person's case in Vancouver has reached a deadly end, and the suspect in the matter was arrested in the North Okanagan. The body of a missing UBC student was found on the grounds of an abandoned mansion in Vancouver's West End Wednesday. The suspect in the case was arrested the same day in Vernon.Details, courtesy of the Vancouver Police Department, are available here.
=======
Also see http://www.1075kiss.com/top-news-stories/2016/09/30/vernon-arrest-in-student-death

Vernon distillery hit by thieves 1:00 / 1:00

by Staff Writer - Vernon Morning Star posted Sep 26, 2016 at 4:00 PM
A Vernon business is pursuing public assistance after a break-in. Okanagan Spirits Craft Distillery wants to identify the suspects who broke into the 24th Street building Saturday morning. "The duo arrived at the distillery in a Toyota Tundra/Tacoma at about 5 a.m. to take a closer look at a display case, which holds several limited editions of Okanagan Spirits Laird of Fintry Whisky, before returning to their vehicle," said Tyler Dyck, chief executive officer. "Eight minutes later, the two men were witnessed, via surveillance, smashing through the glass door entrance and attempting to break open the display cases, causing thousands of dollars in damage in the process." Spooked by the alarms, the suspects did not make off with any whisky but they did make off with a collection of spirits as they departed the scene "As a family-owned local business, we are saddened by this vandalism and are looking to the public to provide any information they may have using video footage captured from the distillery's surveillance cameras to identify the men," said Dyck.
======
Video of incident at above link.

Extra RCMP resources deployed to Vernon after three shootings in the city

By Charlotte Helston INFONEWS.CA May 17, 2016 - 9:00 PM
VERNON - An escalation of violence in Vernon has the RCMP calling in additional resources. Members of the Combined Forces Special Enforcement Unit of B.C.’s uniform gang enforcement team will be coming to Vernon to assist local officers after a series of violent incidents, including three shootings since April, Sgt. Lindsey Houghton confirms. “Our members do this regularly in communities around the province when there’s escalations in violence,” Houghton says. The additional officers will assist general duty members and major crime investigators, Houghton says. While police have said the upswing in violent incidents is believed to be targeted and related to the drug trade, they are not commenting on any possible gang affiliations. The incidents include bullets hitting a home on Pottery Road, a boy being sent to hospital with a gunshot wound, and a violent break and enter in Coldstream. “Having two to three incidents like this in a short period of time I think concerns everybody, not just police but the community in general,” Houghton says. While it’s common for the Combined Forces Special Enforcement Unit to be deployed to communities around B.C., it’s not every day they come to Vernon. “From (our) perspective, we don’t, and haven’t, spent a lot of time in Vernon in the last number of years. Most of our investigative time has been spent in Kelowna and southern parts of the Okanagan,” Houghton says. The rise in violent offences in the Vernon area comes on the heels of a shooting incident in Williams Lake and ongoing gun violence in Surrey. “It would be fair to describe them (Williams Lake and Surrey) as hotspots. The term we can use is flare-ups in certain communities or regions,” Houghton says. “There are typically a couple of hotspots around the province.” He adds it’s not unusual for activity to pick up in the spring and summer when better weather and longer days provide criminals with more opportunities to ply their trade. Vernon RCMP have acknowledged drug trafficking is a problem in the city and say they are cracking down on street level dealers. As of late April, officers had arrested six individuals in five separate dial-a-dope investigations. The types of drugs seized included heroin, methamphetamine and cocaine.

BIZARRE ASSORTMENT OF STOLEN ITEMS FROM ACROSS NORTH OKANAGAN

September 29, 2015 - 12:30 PM Charlotte Helston -INFOTEL.CA
VERNON - Thieves have been doing brisk business in the North Okanagan recently as they pillaged business after business in recent days. RCMP spokesperson Const. Jocelyn Noseworthy says there doesn’t appear to be any reason for the spike other than it just happens sometimes. "It’s not unusual,” she says. "We do get (spikes) but for whatever reason this week seems to be a bit of an increase.” Topping the list is an expensive raid of MRS Management on Commonage Road. Thieves cut open the gates to the business sometime overnight of Sept. 25 to 26. Noseworthy says it appears they backed up a dually truck and trailer suggesting they knew what they would find: A Volvo skid steer/backhoe and a Volvo mower, worth a total of $90,000. That same night, the compound for Priest Valley Arena on 35 Avenue was broken into and they stole — of all things — two to three sheets of hockey arena glass and 30 to 40 aluminum supports. Thieves also broke into Latitude Marine on 25 Avenue on Sept. 24 and damaged private boats being stored, though its not clear if anything was stolen. Police believe it was the same people responsible for breaking into LB Chapman Construction, also on 25 Avenue, between Sept. 22 and 24. There they broke into two travel trailers and stole an ‘unknown quantity’ of items. Earlier in the week, police found a rather odd theft at the intersection of Okanagan Landing Road and Cummins Road between Sept. 18 and 19. Thieves made off with two 14-foot corrugated culverts. They weigh more than 500 pounds each and are worth roughly $1,200. Also on Sept. 19, someone made an early morning withdrawal from the compound of B.C. Forestry on Reservoir Road in Coldstream. They stole a 2006 Ford F-250 truck and used it to steal gasoline and mechanical equipment including chainsaws, a fire pump, maps, GPS system and a radio. The truck has since been recovered in Kelowna. If you can help police find any of these items or know the people involved, call Vernon RCMP at 250-545-7171 or CrimeStoppers at 1-800-222-8477.

Credit card skimmers prompt public warning by RCMP

August 19, 2015 - 4:30 PM John McDonald INFO-Tel Multimedia

THOMPSON-OKANAGAN - Police in the Central Okanagan are once again warning about card skimmers after the devices were discovered in Vernon and Kamloops. Spokeswoman Const. Anne Donnelly of the Kelowna RCMP fraud section, said in a press release there are ways to foil the scam, which requires both your debit card number and your personal identification number. The skimmer is inserted into the legitimate debit/credit card slot on a gas pump. It reads your card number while a strategically placed camera records your PIN when you punch it in. Just by covering the PIN pad when punching in your number you can foil the attempted fraud even if the skimmer gets your card data. “Cover your hand when entering your PIN," she says. "Getting the data of the mag stripe of your card is only part of the puzzle.”

She also recommends pulling gently on the card slot to see if anything comes loose or moves around. If anything appears suspicious, Donnelly recommends you avoid using the machine and report it immediately to the business where it is located.

Kamloops Mounties release photos of credit-card skimmer

By: Kamloops This Week  in Crime, Law & Order, News, Police July 31, 2015

Kamloops Mounties have released photos of a credit-card skimmer that was installed in a gas-pump payment slot in Valleyview last week. Staff Sgt. Edward Preto said the photos are being released to make the public aware of the type of card skimmer used to capture credit-card information at the Chevron gas station at 1795 Trans-Canada Hwy. That unit has been sent to the RCMP’s technical unit for analysis, to determine if the scam netted thieves customers’ PIN numbers. Preto said Chevron has told police it has put measures in place to prevent such incidences from happening at all Chevron gas stations in British Columbia. As illustrated in the photographs, the skimmer is difficult to detect and appears to be a normal part of card reader. Skimmers are used by organized crime throughout Canada to access credit-card information. Skimmed data could be used to manufacture a counterfeit card or the data could be used to make telephone or Internet purchases (also referred to as “card not present” fraud). While a Chevron employee discovered the skimmer on July 16, Mounties did not alert the public, via the media, until July 28.  Police explained the 12-day delay by saying they did not want to cause “undue alarm if there was no risk.” An analysis of the skimmer and a review of Chevron records should determine whether the card skimmer was able to collect data. If there was no remote download, police said it’s unlikely the scam netted any information before it was discovered. To be certain, Mounties are advising motorists who gassed up on or shortly before July 16 to review bank and credit-card records.

RCMP arrest serial bank robber suspect at motel in northwestern Alberta

January 30, 2015 - 4:25 PM Info-Tel Multimedia:

GRANDE PRAIRIE, Alta. - An RCMP tactical team has arrested a man wanted in up to nine bank robberies across Western Canada. Mounties say a 26-year-old suspect was taken into custody Friday afternoon at a motel in Grande Prairie, Alta. Police say no one was hurt in the takedown and charges are pending. The first robbery police recorded was Dec. 1 in Princeton, B.C. Eight days later, the same robber was 200 kilometres to the north, where he held up the Interior Savings Credit Union in Vernon. Between Dec. 19 and Jan. 28, the same suspect jumped between the three provinces, holding up banks in High River, Alta., Merritt, B.C., Swift Current, Sask., Lethbridge, Alta., Claresholm, Alta., Langley, B.C., and Dawson Creek, B.C. Police released photos of the man entering the banks he robbed and, in every one, he was dressed in black, wearing dark glasses and either a hoodie or a toque.

$90,000 excavator reported stolen from Vernon business

September 26, 2014 - 2:36 PM Charlotte Helston Info-Tel Multimedia

VERNON - A $90,000 John Deer excavator has been reported stolen from a Vernon area business, apparently taken sometime overnight September 25. Police aren't sure exactly what time the machine was taken from Brandt Tractor, located at 3104 48 Avenue, but say it happened between 10 p.m and 7 a.m. RCMP spokesperson Gord Molendyk says someone broke the lock to gain entrance to the compound through the west fence. The business doesn't have video surveillance but Mounties believe the 2014 yellow and grey boom 50G John Deer excavator was likely removed from the property aboard a trailer hauled by a truck. Anyone with information can contact Vernon RCMP at 250-545-7171 or remain anonymous by calling Crime Stoppers at 1-800-222-8477.

AP JOHN ROGERS Wednesday, April 16, 2014
LOS ANGELES -- The former city manager of Bell was sentenced Wednesday to 12 years in prison and ordered to make restitution of $8.8 million in a corruption scheme that nearly bankrupted the small, blue-collar city. Robert Rizzo apologized during sentencing in Los Angeles County Superior Court, telling the judge he breached the public's confidence. Rizzo previously pleaded no contest to 69 counts including conspiracy, misappropriation of public funds and falsification of public records. It was revealed in 2010 that Rizzo was giving himself an annual salary and benefits package of $1.5 million in the city where a quarter of the population lives below the federal poverty line. His $800,000 in wages alone was double that of the president of the United States. On Monday, Rizzo was sentenced separately to 33 months in federal prison for income tax evasion after he acknowledged reporting more than $700,000 in phony deductions to reduce tax liability on money authorities say he stole from Bell. The sentence in the corruption case will run concurrently with the federal term. Rizzo will serve the first 33 months in federal prison then go to state prison. He will be on parole for three years after he serves his time. At the time of his plea in the corruption case, Rizzo had offered to help prosecutors convict his chief assistant, Angela Spaccia, who was later sentenced to nearly 12 years in prison. (more)

An audit by the state controller's office found Bell illegally raised property taxes, business license fees, sewage fees and trash collection fees; illegally diverted gas taxes and other state and federal funds; and issued $50 million in voter-approved municipal bonds for a public park that was never built. A good portion of that money, auditors found, went into the lucrative salaries and pensions that Rizzo, Spaccia and other top officials collected."The city of Bell's internal control system was virtually non-existent," state Controller John Chiang said when the audit was issued. "All of the city's financial activities and transactions evolved around one individual - the former chief administrative officer."
-------
Also see: http://www.usatoday.com/story/news/nation/2014/04/16/bell-california-corruption-robert-rizzo-sentenced/7788143/

excerpt:
Under a deal with prosecutors, five former City Council members pleaded no contest to misappropriating city funds, and Kennedy will begin sentencing them in June. Punishments range from probation to four years in prison, and all must make restitution and never again seek public office. One council member, a preacher, was acquitted. Last week, Rizzo's deputy, Angela Spaccia, was sentenced to 11 years and eight months in state prison for misappropriating public funds by giving herself enormous raises. When a jury found her guilty in December, her salary was $564,000. On the witness stand, Spaccia acknowledged that she felt she was earning too much when her salary passed $340,000, but argued that it was not criminal.
--------
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/City_of_Bell_scandal

Canadian charged in 'Heartbleed' attack on tax agency

OTTAWA (Reuters) Wed Apr 16, 2014 2:46pm EDT
- Canadian police have arrested a 19-year-old man and charged him in connection with exploiting the "Heartbleed" bug to steal taxpayer data from a government website, the Royal Canadian Mounted Police (RCMP) said on Wednesday. In what appeared to be the first report of an attack using a flaw in software known as OpenSSL, the Canada Revenue Agency (CRA) said this week that about 900 social insurance numbers and possibly other data had been compromised as a result of an attack on its site. The suspect, Stephen Solis-Reyes, was arrested at his home in London, Ontario on Wednesday and faces criminal charges of unauthorized use of computer and mischief in relation to data. "It is believed that Solis-Reyes was able to extract private information held by CRA by exploiting the vulnerability known as the Heartbleed bug," the RCMP said in a statement. Police seized Solis-Reyes computer equipment and scheduled his court appearance for July 17, 2014. Internet companies, technology providers, businesses and government agencies have been scrambling to figure out whether their systems are vulnerable to attack since the flaw was disclosed a week ago. Security experts have warned that more attacks will follow.

Vernon RCMP investigate pepper spray assault on international students

by Roger Knox - Vernon Morning Star posted Mar 3, 2014 at 11:00 AM
The public is being asked to help Vernon RCMP as they investigate the pepper spray assault of three teenaged international students Saturday. The three Asian students were walking on a path near Fulton Secondary at 10 p.m., either coming from or going to the Landing Plaza, when they were bothered by a group of teenage boys. “It appears there were anywhere from three-to-five men harassing the students,” said Vernon RCMP spokesperson Gord Molendyk. “The international students were pepper sprayed.” The trio managed to make it to the home they are staying at. They were treated by emergency health services personnel for the pepper spray. “The students did not recognize anyone from the group,” said Molendyk, who added “there were insensitive taunts” being directed toward the students. Molendyk also said there is some indication that four individuals earlier in the evening approached a vehicle in the vicinity of the assault on the students and confronted the driver with pepper spray, and that “perhaps a knife or what appeared to be a knife was seen.” A police service dog team was called after the assault on the students. The canine followed a track east on Fulton Road to Okanagan Avenue, then north to 16th Avenue where the scent was lost. Anybody with any information on the assault or the people who committed it is asked to call the Vernon RCMP at 250-545-7171, or call Crime Stoppers anonymously at 1-800-222-8477.

Undercover cops infiltrate Vernon drug trade

December 02, 2013 - 1:12 PM Info-Tel Multimedia By Charlotte Helston
VERNON - It would have seemed like a typical drug deal. Crack cocaine or heroine exchanged for cash on a Vernon street. But what 16 dealers didn’t know was their customers were undercover cops. Operation ‘EPACESETTER’ was executed in September, leading members of the Vernon Targeted Policing Section to recommend trafficking charges against 11 men and five women. A total of 21 street quantity drug buys of powder cocaine, crack cocaine and heroin were made during the four-day operation. While many of the charges have already been approved by Crown counsel, several others are awaiting charge approval and arrest warrant execution. Of the 16 people charged, 13 have previous criminal records and 10 have previous convictions for drug related offences. “Drug use and trafficking is a root cause of a large percentage of crime that affects our local citizens, through ongoing efforts like this we hope to reduce it,” Sgt. David Evans, of the Targeted Policing Unit said. Such operations are conducted once or twice a year. Undercover drug investigations have led to the prosecution of several dealers in the past year. “Our detachment will endeavor to continue to disrupt drug trafficking activities in an effort to prosecute those responsible,” Evans said.

Police seize gun parts made from plastic

by The Canadian Press - Castanet Oct 25, 2013 / 7:32 am

British police said Friday they have seized components of a gun made from plastic on a 3-D printer and are testing to see whether it was a viable weapon. The Greater Manchester Police force said officers found a plastic magazine and trigger, along with a 3-D printer, in a raid against suspected gang members. Forensic specialists are examining the parts to see whether the gun would have worked. Police said that if the gun were viable it would be the first such seizure in Britain. Earlier this year a Texas company said it had successfully test-fired a handgun created with a 3-D printer, and posted blueprints for the weapon online. Such printers can be paired with a home computer to manufacture objects using layers of high-density plastic. Authorities worry the technology could allow anyone to manufacture guns which would pass unnoticed through metal detectors. "These could be the next generation of firearms and a lot more work needs to be done to understand the technology and the scale of the problem," said Detective Inspector Chris Mossop of the force's organized crime unit. Police said one man was being questioned on suspicion of making gunpowder.

Dangerous new drug was Okanagan bound

FRIDAY, 25 OCTOBER 2013 02:00 DON PLANT Kelowna Daily Courier

Two West Kelowna women face importation charges after border agents intercepted three large packages containing the main ingredient in bath salts, a potentially lethal drug that's relatively scarce in Canada. Senior representatives of the RCMP and the Canadian Border Services Agency flew to Kelowna on Thursday to reveal the 16 kilograms of methylone arrived by mail from China in August. The seizure is the largest of its kind in B.C. and the biggest in Canada in two years. "This large quantity of this very dangerous drug did not make it on the streets of this country," said Sgt. Peter Thiessen, federal spokesman for the RCMP in B.C. "This is a new amphetamine - a new type of drug that appears to be making its way into Canada. There's been some examples of it to the east. Now we're starting to see it in B.C. That becomes a big concern." One parcel arrived at the CBSA's international mail centre in Vancouver Aug. 23 and two more on Aug. 26. Each weighed more than five kg and declared the contents as table salt. All three were sent from China and addressed to a business in West Kelowna. Border officers X-rayed the contents and noticed large amounts of powder. Suspicious, they opened them and found a light-brown crystal substance wrapped in plastic and sealed in foil pouches. "It didn't look like or smell like sodium chloride. So they persisted with the field test and subsequently the lab tests which confirmed their instincts," said Heather Ardiel, chief of the mail centre. A lab test confirmed the powder as an amphetamine called methylone, an illegal drug that looks like salt and can be extremely dangerous, said Thiessen. Bath salts are common in the U.K. and the U.S. Police have recovered small amounts in the Atlantic provinces and Ontario, but seldom in Western Canada. The two women were arrested Sept. 19. RCMP are withholding their ages and names until they're formally charged. Thiessen wouldn't say how investigators singled them out. Police often repackage contraband once border agents discover it and allow its delivery so officers can make an arrest. Thiessen would only say officers have "many different strategies" in this type of investigation. If undetected, the bath salts could have been sold in the Central Okanagan, across B.C. and Canada. Like other synthetic drugs, they can comprise a lethal combination of stimulants and other drugs or toxins. They're highly addictive and users can easily overdose, Thiessen said. Young people ages 15 to 20 are the most vulnerable because they tend to experiment with new drugs. They can snort, smoke or inject bath salts. A user's heart rate may spike. Chest pains and high blood pressure are typical. They can become paranoid or psychotic to the point they hallucinate or get violent, said Thiessen. Most amphetamines intercepted in Canada originate in China, said Ardiel. The CBSA seized 149 shipments of amphetamines in 2012, 52 of them in Vancouver, Ardiel said. To learn more about synthetic drugs, visit drugawareness.bc.rcmp.ca.

Cops should be able to issue tickets to pot smokers: police chiefs

Winnipeg Free Press  By: James Turner  Posted: 12:29 PM
Police should have the option of writing tickets to penalize pot users caught with less than 30 grams of the drug, the Canadian Association of Chiefs of Police said at a news conference in Winnipeg Tuesday morning.  Allowing police officers the discretion to issue tickets for simple possession of cannabis would cut down on policing and court costs in dealing with the crime, and better reflect "community standards" that exist today regarding use of the drug, CACP President Jim Chu, also the Chief Constable of the Vancouver Police Department, said. Hundreds of CACP delegates from across Canada are meeting in Winnipeg this week and voting on resolutions they believe reflect progressive change for Canadian law-enforcement. "The CACP is not in support of decriminalization or legalization of cannabis in Canada," Chu said. "It must be recognized, however, that under the current legislation the only enforcement option for police, when confronted with simple possession of cannabis, is to either turn a blind eye or lay charges." Of the delegates who voted, only one came out against the resolution, Chu said.  The total number of votes was not available. The CACP now plans to enter into discussions with the federal government, as any change to the way simple pot possession is enforced will require changes to the Controlled Drugs and Substances Act. The CACP says the ticket-enforcement regime fall under a section of the federal Contraventions Act. CACP Drug Abuse Committee Chair Chief Mark Mander said the issue is a "timely" one given recent debate over marijuana and its criminalization. He described the amount of time and money spent on pushing minor pot-possession cases through the courts as a "significant burden" on the justice system. "A ticket is quick," said Chu.

Meter mechanic steals 5 tons of quarters

by The Canadian Press - CASTANET Aug 17, 2013 / 9:53 am
From the moment parking Buffalo, NY meter mechanic James Bagarozzo began his scheme to steal from the machines, his life became overrun with quarters. He stashed them in his pockets, in a sack in his truck, in closets at his house.  Over more than eight years, he brought home $210,000 worth of quarters, 10,500 pounds (4,760 kilograms) of them, which he dutifully rolled and packed in $500 boxes to be exchanged for cash at banks on his lunch hour. On Friday, a judge imposed a 2 1/2-year sentence on Bagarozzo, who blamed a gambling addiction and an illness he believed would kill him before he built a nest egg for his family. "With all its problems, the last thing the city of Buffalo needs is employees who don't do what they're paid to do," U.S. District Judge Richard Arcara said as he rejected a defence plea for home confinement or community service. From 2003 through 2011, the meter mechanic spent the first half of every workday stealing from 70 to 75 metres, prosecutors said. Rather than fix machines, he broke them so that quarters would collect on top where he could grab them with his hands instead of dropping into the collection canister. Bagarozzo apologized during a brief statement to the court and said he accepted responsibility. "I have hit rock bottom and I have had to come up with my family and friends," the 58-year-old said. A former co-worker, Lawrence Charles, followed Bagarozzo's lead, stealing $15,000 in quarters over about five years, prosecutors said. He was expected to get six months to a year in prison. His sentencing also was supposed to be Friday, but it was postponed until Aug. 29. The employees came under scrutiny in 2011 after Parking Commissioner Kevin Helfer noticed the city's new computerized pay stations were bringing in far more money than the old quarter-fed parking meters. "What may have begun as a theft of nickels and dimes, in the end was the equivalent of a major bank heist," U.S. Attorney William Hochul said. Since the arrests, the city's annual parking meter revenue has increased by more than $500,000, Helfer said. At the time of his arrest, investigators found $40,000 in cash in the ceiling of Bagarozzo's bedroom, $4,100 in a dresser and $3,000 worth of quarters in closets in bags and boxes around the house. Prosecutors said the money allowed Bagarozzo to send his daughters to college and pay off his mortgage, but defence attorney James Harrington said virtually everything was lost at casinos. In court papers, Harrington wrote that Bagarozzo's stealing began in 2003 following a serious episode of Crohn's disease that left him believing he did not have long to live. "He said he was worried about his wife and two teenage daughters and that they would have little if he died," the lawyer wrote.

Carbon trading at risk

 LYON - The intangible nature of the global carbon trading markets puts them at risk for exploitation by criminal networks, according to a new law enforcement guide produced by Interpol.  The Guide to Carbon Trading Crime (.pdf) examines the areas within the industry which have the potential to be manipulated by criminals, through securities fraud, insider trading, embezzlement, money laundering and cybercrime.  (Interpol) 

http://www.primetimecrime.com/

Coldstream Residents Okay After Boston Blasts

Written by Peter McIntyre  107.5 KISSFM Monday, 15 April 2013 15:16
 Coldstream resident and RCMP Corporal Gerry Kovacs was in Boston to watch his wife Marni take part in the Boston Marathon. Kovacs says his wife finished about ten minutes before the first explosion which occurred about 100 feet from where he was standing. "I had just left that area. I was right beside the grandstands and I had spent about eight hours there with a bunch of people I became pretty good friends with. I left because my wife had crossed the finish line and I walked around the back of the building to meet the runners and I felt the explosions. There was the first one, then a second one. I could taste the explosives in the air," Kovacs told Kiss FM on a phone interview from his hotel in Boston. Kovaks (pictured) says he's never seen so many people concerned for their safety. "I saw fear in thousands of people, like big fear. Children were running, screaming, and mothers were chasing their children, running away." Kovacs says he and his wife are hoping to fly back home tomorrow, although at this point the city has been in a lock down state. Beth Regehr and her dentist husband Dave from Coldstream were also at the event, with Beth running. The staff at Dr. Regehr's office in Vernon says they are okay. About 14 Okanagan athletes were taking part in the event. Former MP Stockwell Day of Kelowna had been listed as a participant, but he pulled out of the race and is okay. About two thousand Canadians were running in today's marathon but there's no word that any of them were hurt. At least two people were killed -- and more than 100 others were injured. A Rhode Island state trooper who ran in the race says he saw at least 25 to 30 people with missing legs. Boston police say no suspect has been taken into custody in connection with the explosions near the finish line. Police Commissioner Edward Davis also says that the fire at a library a few miles away and more than an hour later doesn't appear to be related to the explosions at the race on Monday. He says the fire may have been caused by an incendiary device. U-S President Barack Obama says investigators don't know who is behind the two explosions, but he vowed that they will find out, and whoever is responsible ''will feel the full weight of justice.''