Drug trafficking, guns, large amounts of cash and even a former NFL player, were all part of a joint law enforcement operation that garnered over a dozen arrests in Longview.

Drug trafficking, guns, large amounts of cash and even a former NFL player, were all part of a joint law enforcement operation that garnered over a dozen arrests in Longview. 13 arrests were made in Longview connected to an investigation by federal agents that had dated back to January 2010. Charged with counts of conspiracy, drug trafficking, weapons, all were taken off the streets in the past week.

"I think that is the best thing that could have happened and its long overdue," says Longview resident Janine Corbin.

A surprise on the arrest list was 27 year old Willie Andrews of Longview, a former Baylor University student, and former player for the NFL's New England Patriots.

"I'm sorry that the young man football player ended up in the middle of it," Corbin says.

The 13 arrested had lengthy arrest records, a combined 120-plus arrests. Agents confiscated over 30-thousand dollars in cash , and 17 firearms from the group.

"We need them off the street especially if they have guns and stuff that its not safe for us and our children around here," says south side resident Leslie Perez.

"Very dangerous, its been a lot of scared people," says Corbin.

Some are just glad the group is off Longview streets.

"The best thing that could have happened was done, they got them off the street," Corbin says.

All of those arrested are being held on federal detainer, and could face anywhere from 10 years to life in prison on the array of charges against them. Andrews last played for the New England Patriots in 2007.

Two Kings Cross nightclub employees have been arrested for dealing cocaine after about 50 police officers stormed the Darlinghurst Road premises last night.

Two Kings Cross nightclub employees have been arrested for dealing cocaine after about 50 police officers stormed the Darlinghurst Road premises last night.

Police say there were about 50 patrons inside the Showgirls nightclub when the police officers, some of whom were riot squad officers, stormed inside.

It is reported other officers were in plain clothes, and police were executing a search warrant after a tip-off three weeks ago.

A covert operation led them to believe nightclub staff were selling drugs.

During the raid a 35-year-old man and a 30-year-old man were arrested.

They have been charged with supplying cocaine and will appear in court in the coming weeks.

Kings Cross police have also applied for an urgent closure order which will shut the nightclub for at least 72 hours.

longtime aide to Nation of Islam leader Louis Farrakhan today denied allegations of ties to drugs and terrorism that led to his detainment in Guyana.

Akbar Muhammad spoke to The Associated Press in front of the main police headquarters in the capital of Georgetown, where he is being held.

"It's a massive distortion," he said. "In 51 years in the ministry, I've never been involved in anything like terrorism, much less drugs."

Muhammad, who was not handcuffed, was led into an unmarked police car by an officer and said he was returning to the hotel where he was arrested yesterday to retrieve his heart medications before being taken back to jail. A police officer tried to intervene to prevent the questioning.

Assistant Police Commissioner Seelal Persaud said yesterday he had information that Muhammad was involved in drugs and terrorism. Persaud has declined further comment, except to say that a second suspect, Canadian-Guyanese citizen Phillip Muhammad, also was arrested.

Akbar Muhammad arrived in the South American country earlier this week to participate in rallies organised by black activists, as well as to give several lectures. He has visited Guyana several times but had never been detained previously.

Defence lawyer Nigel Hughes said he filed a habeas corpus petition today to free Muhammad and accused police of detaining him without evidence.

Muhammad has worked with Farrakhan since the 1960s and is the international representative for the Nation of Islam, according to a biography released by the Truth Establishment Institute, which handles speaking engagements for him.

In April 2009, he pleaded guilty to one count of mail fraud and received a five-year probation in September 2009, according to court records. He was accused of using different names to obtain lines of credit and mortgages from 1983 through 2007.

Muhammad said he was shocked by the police allegations in Guyana.

"For them to be putting this all over the world for my family and friends to read is a massive embarrassment," he said. "There is something else going on. I have no history of terrorism with all my years in the ministry."

Several inmates at a state prison near Sacramento were injured Friday when about 150 convicts were involved in a "large-scale riot involving weapons,"

Several inmates at a state prison near Sacramento were injured Friday when about 150 convicts were involved in a "large-scale riot involving weapons," officials said.

Guards at the California State Prison-Sacramento fired a shot into the air and used pepper spray and rubber-baton bullets to quell the melee, which began just after 10 a.m. in an exercise yard, according to the California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation.

Inmates are currently being assessed for injuries, and those with more severe injuries are being transported to local hospitals by ambulance and state vehicles," department representatives said in a statement. "The majority of the inmates involved sustained minor injuries as a result of the incident.  Two inmates were stabbed multiple times during the incident and are being treated at an outside hospital."

The prison has been placed on a partial lockdown pending an investigation into what caused the disturbance, said Terry Thornton, a prison spokeswoman.
The facility, opened in 1986, houses approximately 3,000 primarily maximum-security  inmates, most serving long sentences or determined to be "management problems" in other prisons, the department's written statement said.

Organized crime syndicates in Greece have been expanding steadily over the past decade

Organized crime syndicates in Greece have been expanding steadily over the past decade. The existence of an abundance of illegal firearms and illicit market for them, the concentration in certain locales of illegal immigration populations, and the severe economic crisis gripping the country have provided an ideal climate in which criminal groups are able to arm themselves, recruit “foot soldiers” and generally increase their clout.

Greek authorities estimate that some 1.5 million firearms exist in the country; however, the number of licensed owners of hunting rifles does not exceed 300,000 people, meaning that the rest of the weapons are illegally owned.

Over the past three years, police investigations accompanying the arrests of members of the so-called “neo-terrorist” groups Revolutionary Struggle and the Conspiracy Cells of Fire proved that terrorists were able to easily obtain weaponry on the black market. Weapons including pistols and ammunition are being imported by crime groups from Albania and the ex-Yugoslavia and ex-Soviet Union states, through a variety of illegal arms trafficking channels.

The Greek police estimate that currently some 300 gangs involved in trafficking weapons operate in the country. The main points of entry for them have been identified as the Greek-Albanian borders and the south coast of Crete (for weapons imported from the Middle East by ship).

The Security Directory of Police in the Attica region (which includes Athens) has issued over the years around 5,000 licenses for weapons for personal protection to citizens such as politicians, businesspeople, journalists and others who have proved their susceptibility to armed attack. All in all, only 10,000 pistols and revolvers are licences and are accounted for.

On the other hand, in the Attica prefecture alone, it is calculated that 100,000 arms are being held by citizens. The people trafficking weapons in Athens are mostly also involved in the drugs trade, racketeering and armed robberies. The black market is a very good source of a secondary income on top of their primal illegal activities.

The weapons being sold are divided into two major categories: the ‘clean’ ones, and the ‘dirty’ ones- which include those of unclear provenance. The first category includes weapons that have not been used in any previous criminal act, while the second category comprises weapons that have passed through several hands; thus, ownership of the latter becomes a risky proposition, as police may wrongly identify this purchaser with a crime, if the gun is associated with earlier robberies, homicides or other gun crimes of which the purchaser would not be aware.

On the black market in Greece, weapons prices vary significantly. For example, a Czech CZ pistol costs from a 1,000-2,000 euros, while an Austrian Glock 17 goes for up to 2.500 Euros. The equally famous Italian Berretta currently sells for around 800-1,000 Euros. Lesser value is registered for a Russian Tokarev (just 500-600 euros) and a Magnum 357 (500 euros). The prices are for used weapons; for ‘clean’ ones, prices can quadruple.

The black market for weapons exists in many areas in Athens, such as in the central Omonoia Square, and the Liosia region in the north-eastern outskirts of the city. Police note that the drugs trade and arms trafficking go hand in hand, and there have been numerous cases of barter exchange in criminal groups that sell heroin or cocaine for arms.