Drug Trafficking

Buju Banton is innocent

John Stirling, Captain Caught With 800 Lbs Of Coke, Took Photos Atop Giant Piles of Cash

​Sure, John Philip Stirling may be Canadian, but he's also the most Miami-flavored drug smuggler to land in local federal court since the heyday of the Cocaine Cowboys. When he was caught at sea last week off Colombia with 800 pounds of coke, the good captain flat-out told the feds: "There's nothi ... More >>

John Stirling, Canadian Busted With 800 Lbs of Coke, Tells FBI "There's Nothing Wrong With Cocaine Trafficking"

​A tip for all you would-be cocaine kingpins: When the FBI catches you off the coast of Colombia with more than 800 pounds of yeyo stashed in your boat, do not argue that "there is nothing wrong with cocaine trafficking." That's exactly the tact John Philip Stirling, a 60-year-old Canadian captain ... More >>

Submarines and Cocaine: 56 Members of "Bandas Criminales" Indicted for Trafficking

​More than 50 members of the Colombian "Bandas Criminales" (AKA BACRIM) drug-trafficking organization have been rounded up after a joint operation based out of Miami. It's the biggest bust of the emerging drug-trafficking gang since Wifredo A. Ferrer, United States Attorney for the Southern Di ... More >>

Miami Drug Smuggler Pleads Guilty, Has His Plane Taken Away

Will somebody wake him up for his mugshot please?​A 50-year-old Colombian drug kingpin was fined $1 million and sentenced to 22 years in prison Wednesday by a federal judge in Miami. And that was the plea deal.Edgar Vellejo-Guarin was indicted in 2001 after Coast Guard officers discovered 4,000 ki ... More >>

Bolivia's Former Top Drug Cop Pleads Guilty to Smuggling Cocaine Into Miami

​Retired Gen. Rene Sanabria, who once ran Bolivia's national anti-narcotics police unit, has pleaded guilty in a Miami court to smuggling cocaine. Sanabria and his co-conspirators were arrested in March and charged with trying to sneak about 315 pounds of cocaine into the Port of Miami.

High Times

​Retired Gen. Rene Sanabria, who once ran Bolivia's national anti-narcotics police unit, has pleaded guilty in a Miami court to smuggling cocaine. Sanabria and his co-conspirators were arrested in March and charged with trying to sneak about 315 pounds of cocaine into the Port of Miami.

Wachovia Now Off the Hook for Laundering Mexican Drug Money

Off the hook for millions in money laundering.​Happy Anniversary, Wachovia!A year after the bank admitted to laundering hundreds of millions in Mexican drug money -- and paying $160 million in fines and penalties -- the company is now off the hook for further punishment.According to the British pa ... More >>

Rene Sanabria, Bolivia's Former Top Drug Cop, Accused of Smuggling Cocaine to Miami

via PlusBoliviaRene Sanabria helped smuggle 220 lbs of cocaine into Miami.​From top drug cop to accused cocaine smuggler. That's the story of Retired Gen. Rene Sanabria. From 2007 to 2008 he ran Bolivia's anti-narcotics police, and since 2009 has been a top adviser to Evo Morales' Interior Minist ... More >>

Buju Banton Found Guilty in Cocaine Case

​Despite a triumphant concert in Miami and a Grammy win within the last few months, Buju Banton's dark days are not behind him. After an initial trial on drug charges was declared a mistrial, Banton has been found guilty of conspiring to set up a Florida cocaine deal back in 2009.

Andres Lopez exposes the Colombian cartels

​Despite a triumphant concert in Miami and a Grammy win within the last few months, Buju Banton's dark days are not behind him. After an initial trial on drug charges was declared a mistrial, Banton has been found guilty of conspiring to set up a Florida cocaine deal back in 2009.

Cocaine King Max Mermelstein's Long-Lost Daughter Found Out He Died Through New Times

Courtesy Rochelle Desiree Mermelstein Gomez​Last year, New Times published a feature detailing the strange last days of Max Mermelstein, the master cocaine smuggler who turned snitch in the mid-80s and died under government protection in 2008. Among the readers: Rochelle Desiree Mermelstein ... More >>

Arizona cop's tale of a Latino drug smuggler shooting him doesn't add up

Courtesy Rochelle Desiree Mermelstein Gomez​Last year, New Times published a feature detailing the strange last days of Max Mermelstein, the master cocaine smuggler who turned snitch in the mid-80s and died under government protection in 2008. Among the readers: Rochelle Desiree Mermelstein ... More >>

Only a fraction of Mexicans get U.S. asylum

Courtesy Rochelle Desiree Mermelstein Gomez​Last year, New Times published a feature detailing the strange last days of Max Mermelstein, the master cocaine smuggler who turned snitch in the mid-80s and died under government protection in 2008. Among the readers: Rochelle Desiree Mermelstein ... More >>

Phoenix, Arizona: America's kidnapping capital is brutal

Courtesy Rochelle Desiree Mermelstein Gomez​Last year, New Times published a feature detailing the strange last days of Max Mermelstein, the master cocaine smuggler who turned snitch in the mid-80s and died under government protection in 2008. Among the readers: Rochelle Desiree Mermelstein ... More >>

A cunning American boy becomes a Mexican cartel soldier and East L.A. executioner

Courtesy Rochelle Desiree Mermelstein Gomez​Last year, New Times published a feature detailing the strange last days of Max Mermelstein, the master cocaine smuggler who turned snitch in the mid-80s and died under government protection in 2008. Among the readers: Rochelle Desiree Mermelstein ... More >>

Cowboy Down: Rob Krentz's family talks about the life and death of the murdered Arizona rancher

Courtesy Rochelle Desiree Mermelstein Gomez​Last year, New Times published a feature detailing the strange last days of Max Mermelstein, the master cocaine smuggler who turned snitch in the mid-80s and died under government protection in 2008. Among the readers: Rochelle Desiree Mermelstein ... More >>

Badlands: From ground zero of the immigration crisis along the Mexican border

Courtesy Rochelle Desiree Mermelstein Gomez​Last year, New Times published a feature detailing the strange last days of Max Mermelstein, the master cocaine smuggler who turned snitch in the mid-80s and died under government protection in 2008. Among the readers: Rochelle Desiree Mermelstein ... More >>

Latin America's Top Ten Lady Drug Smugglers: An Illustrated Guide

Police are after a former beauty queen who's accused of being the ringleader of a gang of pinups who also work as international drug smugglers. Angie San Clemente Valencia is a bosomy 30-year-old Colombian who's accused of paying her merry band of strumpets $5,000 for carrying pounds of blow from Me ... More >>

Dwyane Wade Nemesis "Bogus Baron" Backs Up His Noble Pedigree

We're pretty sure the guy in the hoodie is a Count. Ten days ago, Riptide broke the story that Dwyane Wade had filed a $100 million libel suit against former business partner and current nemesis Baron Richard von Houtman. The reason: a series of inflammatory emails sent to Miami Heat coac ... More >>

All for the Monet

The trail of a $6 million art heist in France ends in suburban South Florida.

Black Tuna Gang Leader Gets Out of Jail

Robert Platshorn was the first big bust of the War on Drugs. Almost 30 years later, he's free and talking.

The Herald Kuehne Connection

Robert Platshorn was the first big bust of the War on Drugs. Almost 30 years later, he's free and talking.

Raw Returns

Just released from prison, Miami hip-hop icon DJ Raw is ready for the takeover

Miami: See It Like a Drug Dealer

During Miami's cocaine heyday in the Eighties, weird and interesting and scary things happened all over town all the time. Our coke map of Miami is by necessity incomplete, but even selected highlights make the point: Blow knew no neighborhood boundaries.

Awash in a Sea of Money

Billions in cash generated by the cocaine trade fueled Miami's economy

A Profusion of Corpses

Former Miami homicide detective Nelson Andreu's memories are etched in blood

Forever Missing Part 2

Donna Weaver hoped to get help from the FBI in finding her husband. Instead she got crooked agents working with violent drug dealers

BEST POET

Will "Da Real One" Bell

Contra Campaign

John Kerry once took a shot at Miami's Felix Rodriguez for his part in the Iran-contra scandal. Now the Bush family friend is shooting back.

Heavy Traffic

Miami attorney Joaquin Perez helps drug kingpins get minimum jail time, maximum profits, by cooperating with the feds

Under Suspicion

Despite a history of corruption in its north district substation, the Miami Police Department won't get tough with its own cops

Blood in the Streets

The murderous violence that has recently gripped Opa-locka may have died along with its most infamous victim

Best Defense

The murderous violence that has recently gripped Opa-locka may have died along with its most infamous victim

Deadly Cargo

Big payoffs. Gruesome murders. Nosy feds. Life as a cargo handler at MIA just ain't what it used to be.

My Lawyer, the Criminal

Attorney Russell Carbone played dirty. How dirty? Try conspiracy, obstruction of justice, and perjury.

In Pursuit of Willy and Sal, Part Two

Having lost their case against the drug kingpins, federal prosecutors vowed to convict jury foreman Miguel Moya of bribery. Didn't quite work out that way.

Our Hero the Drug Dealer

The feds call Rickey Brownlee one of South Florida's biggest narco-traffickers. His friends and neighbors in Opa-locka call him a valiant victim.

Uncertain Justice

Was Panamanian strongman Manuel Noriega really a drug trafficker? Or is it possible he was set up by the U.S. government? Try asking a few dozen people who should know.

Crime & Nourishment

In Miami breaking bread has become an intricate part of breaking the law

The Impossible Victory

The feds spent years building their case against drug kingpins Willy Falc centsn and Sal Maglutaa. Life in prison was assured. Too bad the jury didn't see it that way.

The Trial of Willy & Sal

Smuggling coke by the ton and making money by the bushel. Getting tortured in Panama and eating smoked pork loin in Houston. The courtroom show is riveting, but like Al says, where's the justice?

The Boulder Boys Must Die

When federal prosecutors seek the death penalty in drug-related murders, the defendants are almost always black. Why should Miami's first "kingpin" case be any exception?

Guns R Us

You live in Rio de Janeiro and you've got a little problem with an overzealous police force. Your difficulties could be solved with a few hundred assault rifles and a couple of tons of ammo. Welcome to Miami!

In Havana, On Drugs

As faith in the revolution sinks to new lows, kids in Cuba are getting high

The Further Adventures of Willy and Sal

Being thrown in jail was supposed to bring down the curtain on Miami drug lords Willy Falc and Sal Magluta. But there was an encore: Death threats, clandestine cameras, illegal searches, and major security violations.

A Mutt Above

Overheard in a local schoolyard: "I'll trade you a Kirby Puckett rookie card for a Kirby the Cocaine Canine"

The Further Adventures of Willy and Sal

Chapter Two, in which the alleged drug kingpins are linked to a cellular telephone smuggled into their unit in the federal pen

Falcon and Magluta

Chapter Two, in which the alleged drug kingpins are linked to a cellular telephone smuggled into their unit in the federal pen

Dirty Money

Chapter Two, in which the alleged drug kingpins are linked to a cellular telephone smuggled into their unit in the federal pen