- Blow suppliers around the world suffered a huge blow
Friday when a stash of cocaine worth an estimated $330 million has was yacht on
the South Pacific island of Vanuatu in a joint operation involving Australia
and the United States. Yes, the same Vanuatu that was once the site of a season
of “Survivor.” In the present, the island was the site of the seizure of more
than 1,600 pounds of the Bolivian marching powder, which were discovered
concealed in engine compartments and the keel area of the vessel, called “Raj.”
The task force that made the bust had been working with South Pacific nations
since 2010 “to investigate organized crime syndicates using yachts and similar
vessels travelling through the region with cocaine shipments bound for
Australia,” an official statement said. In July, the task force received
intelligence that led them to begin “Operation Basco,” targeting the Raj. DEA
Senior Attache David Cali was more than happy to puff out his chest and
proclaim that the seizure of a ginormous pile of Colombian nose candy sent a
strong message to organized crime gangs. “This seizure is another fine example
of the successes achieved when international law enforcement collaborates to
rid our societies of the evils of drugs,” Cali said in the statement.
“Organized crime syndicates should know that we are prepared, willing and able
to combine our skills, resources and efforts to target them.” Not to be
outdone, Karen Harfield, Australian customs’ national director of compliance
and enforcement, chimed in with her own statement. “It doesn’t matter how
sophisticated the concealment – and these drugs were particularly well-hidden –
law enforcement authorities have access to the intelligence, tools and expertise
to find and seize them,” Harfield added. Amazingly enough, no arrest have yet
been made, which seems odd because all of that cocaine has to belong to someone
and so does the boat……….
- Oh good, Congress is threatening to accomplish something,
look the hell out. Never mind that Congress never accomplishes anything; our
nation’s elected officials are vowing to step in because the NFL and NFL Players Association can't get their
sh*t together on HGH testing. Specifically, the top Democrat on the House
Oversight and Government Reform Committee is making threats to that effect
because the NFLPA is "holding HGH testing hostage" after more than
two years of squabbling with the league over the issue. Rep. Elijah Cummings of
Maryland said the union "continues to disregard its promise to implement
HGH testing” and as a result, Congress may have to step in. "Continuing to
block HGH testing in this way essentially will force Congress to intervene,
which nobody wants,” Cummings added. The situation has become even more clogged
up since the oversight committee held a hearing in December to take a look at
the science behind blood tests for human growth hormone. Testing for HGH is
mildly important because it is, after all, a banned performance-enhancing drug
that is hard to detect and has been linked to health problems such as diabetes,
cardiac dysfunction and arthritis. So far, two seasons have passed sans testing
since the August 2011 labor deal paved the way for it. Cummings cited "extraordinary concessions from the
NFL, numerous meetings with Members of Congress, and a parade of experts verifying
the validity of HGH testing” and laid the blame at the NFLPA’s feet. "After
two years of negotiations, the NFLPA is now holding HGH testing hostage because
of matters wholly unrelated to testing,” Cummings added. The main issue at the
moment continues to be whether commissioner Roger Goodell -- or someone he
designates -- will continue to hear appeals for violations other than a
positive test. At present, Adolpho Birch, the NFL senior vice president of
labor policy and government affairs, and George Atallah, the NFLPA assistant
executive director of external affairs, are the ones trying to hammer out a
final deal………
- California and surfing have always been a natural fit. Surfing-centric
inventions are also a natural fit for the Sunshine State and Solana Beach
native Mike Railey is continuing the tradition. Railey has finally finished an
idea he began working on 13 years ago, putting the technology of a WaveRunner watercraft
into his surfboard. The powered surfboard is the result and Railey said the
process of creating it was a dodgy one at times. "I went down to the hobby
shop, bought all the parts, glued it in my board and it leaked and barely
worked," Railey said. After nine years of hard work, setbacks and revised
ideas, the WaveJet was perfected. The board features two small engines that
suck in water from the ocean and churn it back out from the belly of the board.
The WaveJet’s engine is built in nearby Santee and it is also wireless in the
sense that it sports a Bluetooth wristband that turns the engine on and off with
a press of a button. With the engine, riders have up to 20 pounds of thrust --
enough to let them stand up on their board as they ride out over the breakers
without paddling. Having artificial power also allows folks to surf when
conditions might be too much for human power. "I'm able to go out on
really big days where it's a struggle to get out or even get into the
wave," Railey said. So far, Railey has sold more than 600 WaveJets at a
price of $4,500. Lifeguards in North Carolina and Rhode Island are using the
board to save lives because they can hold on to a person while the WaveJet does
all the paddling. Another solid use for the product is allowing people with
disabilities to surf. Railey is also working on a jet to power ocean kayaks………
- Fish in a barrel, eh Oklahoma City police? In one of the
cheapest and easiest arrests ever, OKC’s finest arrested rapper 2 Chainz - real name
Tauheed Epps - after finding pot on his tour bus. Yes, one of the biggest
stoner rappers on the scene and one who performed with Lil Wayne and T.I. in
Oklahoma City on Wednesday evening, was arrested for drug possession. How the
cops ever cracked that case, the world will never know. The incident began when
Epps refused to get off his tour bus after officers stopped the vehicle as it
approached a local motorway at around midnight because of an illegal taillight.
When they approached the bus, officers noticed signs of drug use. The driver
was arrested immediately, but according to Sgt. Jennifer Wardlow, the other passengers prevented police
officers from entering the bus by closing and locking the interior door. It was
a brilliant strategy that somehow failed when the police towed the bus to a
nearby police training center and investigators obtained a warrant. All 11
people on board were arrested around 9 a.m. and were booked into Oklahoma
County Jail. They were charged with obstructing a police officer and will
likely face drug charges in the days ahead. For now, those charges are stalled
out because even though drugs were found on the bus - shocker - officers don't
know which of the passengers they belonged to. Epps seems a likely suspect, as
he has already been arrested for marijuana possession twice this year: first in
Maryland in February, and then again in Los Angeles in June. All of these
arrest can only build his street cred as he prepares to release his second
studio album, “B.O.A.T.S. II: Me Time” on Sept. 10………
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