https://www.rt.com/usa/419781-us-navy-cadets-drugs-investigation/
Claims of drug ring at US Naval Academy selling cocaine, LSD on dark web trigger probe
Published time: 25 Feb, 2018 11:47
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United States Naval Academy midshipmen salute during the national anthem before the game between the Notre Dame Fighting Irish and the Navy Midshipmen at Notre Dame Stadium, November 18, 2017 / Matt Cashore / Reuters
As many as dozens of midshipmen are being investigated for an alleged drug abuse, Fox News reported. The investigation revolves around allegations of a drug ring at the US Naval Academy, the leading institution in charge of commissioning officers for the Navy and the Marine Corps.
Read more
60 US Navy admirals snared in ‘Fat Leonard’ corruption scandal
As of Sunday, three Navy cadets were accused of selling cocaine, ketamine, which is a powerful sedative substance, and LSD to their classmates who purchased the drugs via the dark web using bitcoin, Fox said, citing several midshipmen currently enrolled at the academy.
The midshipmen estimated the number of students complicit in drug-dealing to be as high as two dozen. Last week, the Drug Enforcement Agency (DEA) searched the rooms of suspects using drug-sniffing dogs, and discovered cocaine.
One female midshipman, who reportedly possessed the drug, tried to escape but was apprehended and taken for questioning. In the middle of investigation, the Naval Academy command ordered a snap drug tests for all 4,500 cadets, though the probe mainly targets the 23rd company and its roughly 150 midshipmen.
“We are continuing to work with [Naval Criminal Investigative Service] on these reported allegations,” Naval Academy spokesman Commodore David McKinney said in an emailed statement cited by the local media. He added that the Navy “has a zero tolerance for drug abuse and takes all allegations of misconduct very seriously.”
The Midshipmen Regulations Manual stipulates that the “wrongful use, possession, or willful involvement” in drugs results in mandatory separation from the Naval Academy. However, this is not the first time members of the US Navy have been investigated for drug-related offenses.
Earlier in February, it emerged that American sailors stationed in the Japanese city of Yokosuka were probed for “alleged drug use and distribution,” according to 7th Fleet spokesman Commodore Clay Doss.
In April last year, one active-duty and two retired Navy SEALs told CBS some of their colleagues were tested positive for cocaine, methamphetamine, heroin, marijuana, and ecstasy. In the damning report, one of the SEALs said the growing drug epidemic inside their ranks saw “our foundation, our culture, erode in front of my eyes.”
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https://www.rt.com/news/381169-korea-soldiers-busted-meth/
US soldiers charged in S. Korea after $12mn worth of meth found in cereal boxes
Published time: 17 Mar, 2017 16:40
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Crystal Methamphetamine © Ralph Orlowski / Reuters
According to the US military newspaper Stars and Stripes, the two 20-year-old privates, stationed at the Camp Humphreys base near Pyeongtaek, tried to send 9lbs worth of meth using the military’s mail service, hiding the drug inside boxes of cereal.
“It’s the largest amount of drugs found coming through the APO [Army Post Office],” senior prosecutor Kang Susanna told the Stars and Stripes by telephone.
READ MORE: Drug smuggling TSA and airport employees shipped 20 tons of cocaine in 18 years - DOJ
The scheme was uncovered in December, when a package sent through the Military Postal Service Agency was intercepted by customs at Incheon International Airport after suspicious items were detected on X-ray. The ensuing investigation involved local police, customs, the Pyeongtaek prosecutor’s office, US military police and the American Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA).
Read more
Pot shots: Marijuana catapult seized at US-Mexico border
The methamphetamine, sent from California, had a street value of 13.6 billion South Korean won ($12 million), and could have been used by 130,000 people, the Stars and Stripes reported prosecutors as saying.
One of the two soldiers charged is accused of receiving the drugs at his army address, the other of handing the drugs over to a civilian. Only the second soldier is currently being held in custody.
Two South Koreans have also been arrested in connection with the case, and four others are currently wanted. Authorities believe the drug ring was being run out of the Gangnam neighborhood in Seoul, better known for the music video ‘Gangnam Style’ by South Korean rapper Psy, where an earlier raid uncovered a safe holding over 3oz of meth and a smaller amount of cocaine.
Methamphetamine is one of the most widely used drugs in the Asia-Pacific region, mainly being produced in China as well as rebel-held regions of Myanmar and, allegedly, North Korea. In response to what they believe to be the scourge of illegal drugs, leaders in the region have taken a hardline approach, notably the Philippines’ Rodrigo Duterte. Over 7,000 people have been killed during Duterte’s anti-drug campaign since he took office last year, according to figures from the Philippine National Police.
Claims of drug ring at US Naval Academy selling cocaine, LSD on dark web trigger probe
Published time: 25 Feb, 2018 11:47
Get short URL
United States Naval Academy midshipmen salute during the national anthem before the game between the Notre Dame Fighting Irish and the Navy Midshipmen at Notre Dame Stadium, November 18, 2017 / Matt Cashore / Reuters
- 487
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As many as dozens of midshipmen are being investigated for an alleged drug abuse, Fox News reported. The investigation revolves around allegations of a drug ring at the US Naval Academy, the leading institution in charge of commissioning officers for the Navy and the Marine Corps.
Read more
60 US Navy admirals snared in ‘Fat Leonard’ corruption scandal As of Sunday, three Navy cadets were accused of selling cocaine, ketamine, which is a powerful sedative substance, and LSD to their classmates who purchased the drugs via the dark web using bitcoin, Fox said, citing several midshipmen currently enrolled at the academy.
The midshipmen estimated the number of students complicit in drug-dealing to be as high as two dozen. Last week, the Drug Enforcement Agency (DEA) searched the rooms of suspects using drug-sniffing dogs, and discovered cocaine.
One female midshipman, who reportedly possessed the drug, tried to escape but was apprehended and taken for questioning. In the middle of investigation, the Naval Academy command ordered a snap drug tests for all 4,500 cadets, though the probe mainly targets the 23rd company and its roughly 150 midshipmen.
“We are continuing to work with [Naval Criminal Investigative Service] on these reported allegations,” Naval Academy spokesman Commodore David McKinney said in an emailed statement cited by the local media. He added that the Navy “has a zero tolerance for drug abuse and takes all allegations of misconduct very seriously.”
The Midshipmen Regulations Manual stipulates that the “wrongful use, possession, or willful involvement” in drugs results in mandatory separation from the Naval Academy. However, this is not the first time members of the US Navy have been investigated for drug-related offenses.
Earlier in February, it emerged that American sailors stationed in the Japanese city of Yokosuka were probed for “alleged drug use and distribution,” according to 7th Fleet spokesman Commodore Clay Doss.
In April last year, one active-duty and two retired Navy SEALs told CBS some of their colleagues were tested positive for cocaine, methamphetamine, heroin, marijuana, and ecstasy. In the damning report, one of the SEALs said the growing drug epidemic inside their ranks saw “our foundation, our culture, erode in front of my eyes.”
Like this story? Share it with a friend!
https://www.rt.com/news/381169-korea-soldiers-busted-meth/
US soldiers charged in S. Korea after $12mn worth of meth found in cereal boxes
Published time: 17 Mar, 2017 16:40
Get short URL
Crystal Methamphetamine © Ralph Orlowski / Reuters
- 17676
According to the US military newspaper Stars and Stripes, the two 20-year-old privates, stationed at the Camp Humphreys base near Pyeongtaek, tried to send 9lbs worth of meth using the military’s mail service, hiding the drug inside boxes of cereal.
“It’s the largest amount of drugs found coming through the APO [Army Post Office],” senior prosecutor Kang Susanna told the Stars and Stripes by telephone.
READ MORE: Drug smuggling TSA and airport employees shipped 20 tons of cocaine in 18 years - DOJ
The scheme was uncovered in December, when a package sent through the Military Postal Service Agency was intercepted by customs at Incheon International Airport after suspicious items were detected on X-ray. The ensuing investigation involved local police, customs, the Pyeongtaek prosecutor’s office, US military police and the American Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA).
Read more
Pot shots: Marijuana catapult seized at US-Mexico border The methamphetamine, sent from California, had a street value of 13.6 billion South Korean won ($12 million), and could have been used by 130,000 people, the Stars and Stripes reported prosecutors as saying.
One of the two soldiers charged is accused of receiving the drugs at his army address, the other of handing the drugs over to a civilian. Only the second soldier is currently being held in custody.
Two South Koreans have also been arrested in connection with the case, and four others are currently wanted. Authorities believe the drug ring was being run out of the Gangnam neighborhood in Seoul, better known for the music video ‘Gangnam Style’ by South Korean rapper Psy, where an earlier raid uncovered a safe holding over 3oz of meth and a smaller amount of cocaine.
Methamphetamine is one of the most widely used drugs in the Asia-Pacific region, mainly being produced in China as well as rebel-held regions of Myanmar and, allegedly, North Korea. In response to what they believe to be the scourge of illegal drugs, leaders in the region have taken a hardline approach, notably the Philippines’ Rodrigo Duterte. Over 7,000 people have been killed during Duterte’s anti-drug campaign since he took office last year, according to figures from the Philippine National Police.
