Tag:

Smuggling

NJ Dad Living In $1M Home Who Smuggled Tech, Ammo For Russia Sentenced In NY Court: DOJ NJ Dad Living In $1M Home Who Smuggled Tech, Ammo For Russia Sentenced In NY Court: DOJ
NJ Dad Living In $1M Home Who Smuggled Tech, Ammo For Russia Sentenced In NY Court: DOJ Two suburban husbands — one from New Jersey, the other from New Hampshire — lived comfortable family lives while secretly helping Russia obtain U.S.-made technology and sniper ammunition, federal prosecutors announced on Tuesday, Aug. 19. Vadim Yermolenko, 43, of Upper Saddle River, NJ, a dual U.S. and Russian citizen, was sentenced to 30 months in prison for his role in the illicit network, according to the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Eastern District of New York. His co-defendant, Alexey Brayman, 38, of Merrimack, NH, an Israeli citizen born in Ukraine, pleaded guilty and is awaiting se…
$22.5M Gold Heist Suspect Caught In PA Smuggling 65 Guns Into Canada: DOJ $22.5M Gold Heist Suspect Caught In PA Smuggling 65 Guns Into Canada: DOJ
$22.5M Gold Heist Suspect Caught In PA Smuggling 65 Guns Into Canada: DOJ A man wanted in one of the biggest gold thefts in Canadian history has admitted in U.S. court to smuggling dozens of guns—including fully automatic machine pistols—back into Canada, federal prosecutors say. Durante King-Mclean, 26, of Cambridge, Ontario, pleaded guilty in Harrisburg on Tuesday, May 14, to conspiracy to traffic firearms after a Pennsylvania traffic stop exposed a shocking weapons pipeline stretching from Florida to the Canadian border. He had 65 handguns crammed into the trunk of a rental car, each one hidden inside a sock, authorities said. Among them were stolen weapons, …
Egg Smuggling Soars As US Prices Spike, Fentanyl Seizures Drop: CBP Egg Smuggling Soars As US Prices Spike, Fentanyl Seizures Drop: CBP
Egg Smuggling Soars As US Prices Spike, Fentanyl Seizures Drop: CBP U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) is cracking down on a surprising contraband at the border—eggs. Egg-related seizures have surged 116% in the first two months of 2025 compared to the same period last year, with officials reporting 3,254 interceptions, according to CBP data. The spike comes as U.S. egg prices continue to soar, driven by a historic avian flu outbreak decimating poultry farms nationwide. Meanwhile, fentanyl seizures have fallen 32% year-over-year. While President Donald Trump has vowed to curb fentanyl trafficking, the more immediate smuggling crisis appears to be brea…
NJ Corrections Officer Sentenced For Smuggling Phones Into Jail NJ Corrections Officer Sentenced For Smuggling Phones Into Jail
NJ Corrections Officer Sentenced For Smuggling Phones Into Jail A former Atlantic County corrections officer will spend time in prison after he smuggled cell phones into the county's jail, authorities said. Gerald Oquendo, 35, of Mays Landing, was sentenced on Tuesday, Jan. 23 to three years in state prison, the Atlantic County Prosecutor's Office announced. He'll be eligible for parole after two years. Investigators said two family members of an inmate paid Oquendo to bring cell phones into the Atlantic County Justice Facility. Recorded audio captured the family members and inmate talking about the smuggling.  Surveillance video showed Oquendo br…
Rockland Woman, Son Sold $4M Worth Of Smuggled, Misbranded Animal Drugs, Pesticides: Feds Rockland Woman, Son Sold $4M Worth Of Smuggled, Misbranded Animal Drugs, Pesticides: Feds
Rockland Woman, Son Sold $4M Worth Of Smuggled, Misbranded Animal Drugs, Pesticides: Feds A 70-year-old Rockland County, NY grandmother and her son illegally sold $4 million worth of misbranded, unregistered, and unapproved animal drugs and pesticides smuggled into the U.S. from China, federal authorities charged. Bien King of Congers and Khalil King, 36, of New York City operate a pet supply company in the Bronx called “Little City Dogs,” which caters to customers who want to avoid the cost of local veterinary clinics and treat their dogs' and cats' common ailments themselves. Both have been in a years-long battle with the government over their practice of formulating de-wormin…
Essex Jail Officer, GF Stung By FBI In Scheme To Smuggle In Tobacco, Cell Phones: Feds Essex Jail Officer, GF Stung By FBI In Scheme To Smuggle In Tobacco, Cell Phones: Feds
Essex Jail Officer, GF Stung By FBI In Scheme To Smuggle In Tobacco, Cell Phones: Feds A corrections officer and his girlfriend were busted for smuggling tobacco and cellphones into the Essex County Jail from a source who turned out to be an undercover FBI agent, federal authorities said. Efrin Wade, 34, and Yairisa Lizardo, 29, both of Jersey City, accepted $14,000 for the illegal acts and apparently were counting on another $30,000 when they were busted, U.S. Attorney for New Jersey Philip Sellinger said following their arrests on Tuesday, March 14. Wade, who’d worked as a corrections officer at the Essex County Correctional Facility (ECCF) in Newark since February 2020, be…
GOTCHA! JC Fugitive Wanted For Contraband Drone Drops Into Fort Dix Prison Captured In Vermont GOTCHA! JC Fugitive Wanted For Contraband Drone Drops Into Fort Dix Prison Captured In Vermont
Gotcha! JC Fugitive Wanted For Contraband Drone Drops Into Fort Dix Prison Captured In Vermont U.S. Marshals in Vermont captured a Jersey City fugitive wanted for smuggling tobacco, phone chargers and other contraband into the federal prison at Fort Dix using drones. Jason “Juice” Loayza, 29, was scheduled for a first federal court appearance appearance Wednesday in Burlington following his capture on Tuesday, U.S. Attorney Craig Carpenito said. The smuggling operation lasted several months before officers at Fort Dix spotted a drone with a dangling fishing line hovering above a housing unit, Carpenito said. They found the bolts removed to a rooftop hatch, along with an inmate with …