While the capture of Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro was shocking, what may be even more of a surprise is that his wife, Cilia Flores, was also apprehended by the United States operatives. She’s currently being held in the Metropolitan Detention Center in Brooklyn.

The United States Department of Justice is charging Flores with conspiracy to import cocaine, conspiracy to possess machine guns and destructive devices, and possession of machine guns and destructive devices. Her husband, Maduro, faces an additional charge of narco-terrorism. The couple has been married for 12 years.

While some might not realize it initially, Flores was not an innocent party in her husband’s business dealings. The couple reportedly met while working with Hugo Chavez, Maduro’s predecessor, and it’s said that Flores was really the person behind the curtain and pulling the strings in Maduro’s Presidency. Flores also held the official title of head of intelligence in Venezuela at one point during her career. She’s been nicknamed Latin Lady Macbeth and First Warrior. She also refers to herself as a “combatant.”

According to Flores’s legal representative, Flores sustained substantial injuries when U.S. forces raided the compound in Caracas and arrested her. The raid also reportedly took the lives of many within the couple’s protection squad. Flores appeared in court with bandages over her face and complained of bruising on her ribs.

She pleaded not guilty to all the charges against her.

A Dramatic and Questionable Capture

If you ever find yourself facing criminal charges in a foreign country, then it’s crucial that you quickly hire a global lawyer to represent you. In the average situation, the U.S. Department of Justice would file an indictment, and the individual would be arrested by the law enforcement agents in the foreign country. From there, the person would face an extradition hearing. If the court agrees to extradite the suspect, then they would be transferred to the U.S. to face justice.

In Flores’s case, she was essentially seized and captured by U.S. operatives and brought to the U.S. Some individuals have questioned the legitimacy of the capture, but the U.S. Attorney General has claimed that the president’s Article II powers allowed for the operation to take place.

What’s more, the U.S. doesn’t recognize Maduro as the legitimate ruler of Venezuela, so it wouldn’t be considered a valid legal argument for him or his wife to claim sovereign immunity.

It’s highly likely that all of these challenges will come up in court throughout the couple’s future hearings.

One key advantage of facing charges in America is that accused individuals have the right to hire legal counsel.

Are you currently facing criminal charges in New York or a nearby area? If so, then our legal team here at the Bukh Law Firm can help. We’re available to assist with federal charges, drug crimes, misdemeanors, violent crimes, sex crimes, and more.

Schedule a free case review with our team now by leaving your contact details on our online form.

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Rafael Caro Quintero, a 72-year-old criminal mastermind, has been sought after by United States law enforcement agencies for decades. In fact, he has been listed as one of the FBI’s most wanted criminals since 2018. Upon being placed on this list, the FBI offered a $20 million dollar reward for any information leading to the criminal kingpin’s capture.

Now that he’s in U.S. custody, prosecutors are seeking out the death penalty.

Quintero first captured the attention of United States law enforcement agencies when he gained status in a Guadalajara cartel. He became the leader of this branch before joining the Sinaloa cartel, the largest drug trafficking organization in the world. He quickly became known as the “Narco of Narcos,” and became a heavy transporter of heroin, methamphetamine, cocaine, and marijuana across South America and into the U.S.

As a result of his gang and drug related activities, Quintero caught the attention of DEA agent Enrique “Kiki” Camarena. At some point, the suspect’s profitable marijuana plantations were hit by a drug raid, and the gang blamed the DEA agent Camarena for coordinating the hit. In an act of alleged retaliation, Quintero plotted out the murder of Camarena, who was heavily tortured before he passed away. This 1985 slaying is the same death that’s dramatized in the recent Netflix series “Narcos: Mexico.”

The suspect is pleading not guilty to all charges, while federal prosecutors mull over the possibility of seeking out the death penalty in this case. Even if the death penalty isn’t sought after, Quintero’s charges carry a mandatory minimum sentence of life in prison if he’s convicted.

Currently, the suspect’s family has declined to hire legal representation for Quintero. He will continue to receive court-appointed legal representation.

Gang Related Crimes

In general, any criminal charges you face will ultimately be upgraded if it’s determined that the actions were motivated by a gang or related to gang activity. For instance, when you’ve been accused of committing a felony offense and a judge or jury determines the crime was committed for the benefit of or at the discretion of a criminal street gang, New York gang enhancement laws allow an additional prison sentence to be added to your sentence. With misdemeanor charges, gang involvement is typically seen as an aggravated factor.

Aggravated factors lead to longer sentences, higher sentencing ranges, and harsher overall penalties.

All that said, it’s imperative that you seek out quality legal representation if you’ve been accused of committing a crime in New York and there’s a chance that it could be perceived as gang related. Here at Bukh Law Firm, our team of skilled attorneys are specifically qualified to handle drug charges and other potential crimes that could be linked to a gang.

Schedule a free, confidential call with our team here at Bukh Law Firm to discuss your situation in more detail with our team. Together, we’ll work on determining your best course of action based on your circumstances.

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Michael K. Williams was a formerly beloved star of the TV shows “The Wire” and “Boardwalk Empire,” before sadly succumbing to a lethal dose of heroin on September 6, 2021. The drug overdose occurred when Williams purchased heroin that was unknowingly spiked with fentanyl. The drug exchange allegedly occurred at the TV star’s penthouse in Brooklyn.

Police say that the 54-year-old was known to struggle with drugs throughout his life. He’d spoken about this addiction before getting into the television world and while he worked for HBO.

Investigators looking into Williams’ death quickly discovered surveillance footage that showed Irving Cartagena, a 39-year-old, making a hand-to-hand transaction with Williams the day before his death. They further discovered that Williams’ death was a direct result of using the laced heroin.

Even after Williams passed away, police say Cartagena continued to sell the laced heroin in broad daylight within various residential apartment buildings. Early in April, Cartagena plead guilty to selling the fatal substance. He could face up to 40 years in prison when he gets his sentence.

Drug Induced Homicide

In the past, some individuals have perpetuated the claims that consuming and selling drugs are both victimless crimes, but sometimes, there are victims that suffer as a result of controlled substances. When a fatality happens, it’s becoming increasingly common for police departments to seek out serious charges against the dealer.

Depending on where you live, this type of scenario could cause you to face charges like involuntary manslaughter, drug-induced homicide, or even first-degree murder.

All of these crimes come with extremely serious criminal penalties. On top of facing charges for the death itself, these dealers often face additional criminal charges in the form of drug trafficking, which is a severe criminal offense by itself.

In New York, you can face a minimum of 8-20 years in prison for drug trafficking. Drug trafficking is a major felony, and the additional homicide-related charges will also be a felony. Considering the very serious nature of these charges, it makes the most sense to talk with a criminal defense attorney if you ever get accused of peddling drugs that later cause a death.

If you’re facing drug or homicide-related charges in New York, then you can rely on the expertise of our lawyers to help you get through your situation. Schedule a case review with our attorneys now to discuss your situation in more detail.

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The New York Police Department’s explanation that more Hispanics and Blacks are arrested on pot charges because complaints are higher in their communities doesn’t hold up.

While there are many ways to get detained on pot charges, one pattern has stayed true through decades of policy changes in the city: The primary targets are blacks and Hispanics.

Visit almost any courtroom in the city, and they fill the pews. Black, young men, waiting to talk to a judge about a crime that isn’t a crime in many states: possess marijuana. The young men talk about smoking in a housing project hallway or being in a car with a friend who was smoking.

Throughout the city, blacks are arrested on low-level charges at eight times the rate of white, non-Hispanic persons over the past three years. The New York Times found Hispanic persons were arrested at five times the rate. Go to Manhattan and the chasm is even bitter. There, blacks are arrested at 15 times the rate of whites.

Even as crime drops in The Big Apple and the police remain under pressure to justify the low-level arrests, a senior cop told lawmakers that more residents in black and Hispanic neighborhoods call to complain about pot smokers.

An analysis by The New York Times found that wasn’t exactly true. What The Times found is among neighborhoods where people called about marijuana at the same rate, blacks were arrested at a higher rate in the areas with more black residents.

For example, officers in the precinct which includes Canarsie detained people at rates which were over four times as high as the precinct which includes Greenpoint.

The Canarsie precinct is 85% black. Greenpoint? 4% black.

The newspaper’s analysis, blended with interviews with defendants facing pot charges, attorneys, and police officials, paint a picture of uneven enforcement. In some communities, cops are expected by their commanders to be aggressive on the streets, look for marijuana smell on the streets and detain people who are smoking.

Black neighborhoods content with more violent crime and more cops are deployed there. That means residents are more exposed to law enforcement. Nevertheless, marijuana arrests in the city are associated with reductions in serious crime although there is no good evidence of that.

Government surveys show blacks and whites smoke pot at about the same rate. Marijuana smoke drifts down streets all over the city. From the brownstones in upper-class areas of Manhattan to apartment buildings in working-class neighborhoods.

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Simply put, no.

For individuals without a state-granted medicinal marijuana card, possessing pot, and use are prohibited both in New York State and New York City.

In the city, possession has been liberalized— but not sanctioned. Having up to 25 grams of pot can produce a $100 ticket for a first infraction. The second time around, the prize is a $200 penalty. Go for the third time, and the sanction jumps to $250 and a possibility of spending 15-days in jail.

“Burning” — public use — is a misdemeanor which brings a $250 hit and up to 90-days behind bars.

However…

If you’re white with a tiny amount of pot, you probably won’t have any difficulties. If you’re any other shade, the story changes.

The growing and selling of marijuana has generated billions in the nine states where it is legal — but it is an industry that is overwhelmingly white.

Yes. The disparity is offensive and outrageous, but it’s a fact.

How Do New Yorkers Get Their Pot?

Same as they always did. Despite New York State licensing both clients and clinics, pot offerings are illicit for non-medical marijuana patients. There are thousands of persons working in the illegal pot market.

It’s not unheard of, for instance, for a bicycle livery person to sell an “eighth” for $50.

Jerome ran a bicycle delivery service out of his Lower East Side apartment for years. His clients included well-known corporate types who worked in media and the financial industries. Among his clientele it was an open secret Jerome was also selling pot. He moved pounds of the stuff.

When he was busted, it wasn’t for shoveling around lots of marijuana, but for hawking a single joint to a buddy in the street. His carelessness cost him, and he was caught. But, Jerome is a white guy with a flashy criminal defense lawyer in a Ralph Lauren suit, so he circumvented the charges and walked out of court with a $100 fine.

Legal Pot Supports 150,000 New Yorkers

A new report shows 150,000 Americans are working in the pot industry.

New York took a cocky step in the late 1970s when it passed the Oliveri Statute which authorized a plan to fund a study into the medical use of cannabis. Politicians’ interference undercut the program and left it without funding.

In 2014, New York crafted the Compassionate Care Act which, at first, had hardly any physicians, patients or products.

State officials made changes in 2017. They expanded and improved entree to medical marijuana. New York City attached restricting infirmities like persistent pain and PTSD as well as made it simpler for doctors to get licensed to certify patients. The city also awarded five permits to produce and distribute medical marijuana. The state still does not allow dispensaries to sell cannabis flower — just edibles, tinctures, and a few other modes are allowed.

In Governor Cuomo’s executive budget speech on January 16, the called for a state-funded study on marijuana’s impact in the health, economic and criminal justice arenas. The study will also look at the possible effect of legalization in the states surrounding New York.  Calling for more research was bold — twenty-years ago. Today it is a stalling tactic.

When politicos don’t want to deal with marijuana legalization, they emerge as advocates for science and research.

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Brandon L Woodard was killed in broad daylight in Manhattan in 2012. However, it seems his case is far from over. For the past two months, his mother, Sandra Wellington, has been attending the State Supreme Court in Manhattan, diligently taking notes while the case tries to reach some conclusion.

The accused for the murder include Lloyd T. McKenzie and four men. So far, the identity of the hooded gunman who shot Brandon in the back of the head as he walked on West 58th street near Broadway has not bee revealed. The actual day and time of the murder was caught on a school’s security camera.

Mr. McKenzie, 39, is the only one of the defendants accused of the murder. The other four men -Lature Irvin Sr, Darryl Mason, Michael Wilson and Pedro Deloitte have only been charged with conspiracy to smuggle 11 kilos of cocaine from Los Angeles to New York City over 12 weeks. During the trial, prosecutors have presented evidence that Mr. McKenzie planned the murder of Mr. Woodard on Dec 11, 2012. The reason behind the killing apparently is that he did not want to pay the $161,000 he owed for the 5 kilos of cocaine that he had already received earlier.

It is alleged that Mr. McKenzie’s plan was to meet Mr. Woodard close to a piano store so he could give him the money. But there was another simultaneous plan since Mr. McKenzie was also accompanied by a gunman in a rented sedan. The gunman walked behind Mr. Woodard and shot him in the head while Mr. McKenzie remained seated in his car. So far the gunman has not been identified. At the closing, lead prosecutor Christopher Prevost said that this was a brutal cold and calculated murder.

Unfortunately there were no eyewitnesses who could identify Mr. McKenzie as the car driver. But Quran Pender, a former actor, who was also part of the smuggling ring and now cooperating with law enforcement, mentioned at the trial that he arranged the meeting between Mr. Woodard and Mr. McKenzie. He further stated that Mr. Mackenzie asked him to tell Mr. Woodard to meet him at the piano store on 58th street.

The entire case is based on Mr. Penders credibility and the defense lawyers as always have tried to undermine his character saying that he has a long history of petty crime and is an untrustworthy character. In fact, the defense has also stated that Mr. Pender orchestrated the murder because he wanted to take over Mr. Woodard’s drug business.

Law enforcement also has phone records showing that Mr. McKenzie was calling Mr. Pender a few minutes before the shooting. For Mr. Woodard’s mother, the trial has revealed some painful stories from his past. Now she waits for the verdict.

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On any given day, at least 135,000 men and women sit idle behind bars on simple drug possession charges. 

Nearly two-thirds of those are in local jails. Most have not been convicted of a crime. They’re in a cell, waiting for their day in court which may be months — or years — off since they can’t afford bail. 

Clevon Citron was arrested for holding half-an-ounce of pot during a 2011 traffic stop in Queens. Since he had convictions for two other offenses, he was sentenced in 2013 to seventeen years in prison. Labeled a “habitual offender” by the courts, Clevon is still appealing his conviction to the New York Supreme Court. 

Clevon’s story is about the waste of human lives, taxpayer money, arrest and incarceration for personal drug use. Clevon could be free making money and providing for his family.

Even before a federal judge told New York City to begin scaling back its stop-and-frisk scheme in 2013, the number of marijuana arrests, among Latinos and blacks, were more likely to be detained for smoking in public than whites. 

The marijuana arrests had no public safety benefit and only accomplished causing lasting damage to people who otherwise had no contact with the justice system. Even today, charges are often dismissed if people stay out of trouble for a year. But twelve-months can be a long time, and during that timeframe, persons can be refused jobs, housing and even enlistment in the military. 

The city is trying to minimize arrests, but it could do more. District attorneys can pave the way by refusing to prosecute these cases. 

Public opposition to pot arrests showed up in the 1970s when well-off families complained to legislators their children were being ruined by petty arrests. The lawmakers barred law enforcement from arresting persons for tiny amounts of pot — unless it was smoked in public. Since then, black and Latino neighborhoods have been hit the hardest by the enforcement policy. 

Bill de Blasio, who became mayor in tk, established policies reducing the number of persons each year for small amounts of pot. Instead of being taken to jail, many persons with small amounts were to be given a summons and permitted to go on their way. Now, the de Blasio administration sees about 20,000 pot arrests each year — half of what the numbers were during the Bloomberg years. 

Longstanding racial differences have remained according to Harry G. Levine, a sociology professor at Queens College. Blacks and Latinos still make up just half of the populace, but they make up 85% of those detained for low-level pot offenses. 

New York City law enforcement argues the arrests occur in places where it receives complaints. The study says differently. According to Levine, arrests are skewed along racial lines everywhere in the city. 

African-Americans are arrested, according to the study, at 15-times the rate of whites in Staten Island and Manhattan and 7-times the rate of whites in Queens. The differences indicated by the analysis are striking in areas where blacks make up a small proportion of the census. 

“Zero tolerance” policing still has its supporters despite being used as a net to corral more dangerous offenders. However, 75% of those arrested in 2016 had never been convicted of a crime. 

New York missed the opportunity to correct the problem in 2012 when a bill which would have made a marijuana offense equitable to traffic violations — instead of a criminal offense — died before getting passed in the State Senate and House.

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In the past two decades, doctors have been prescribing pain pills and sedatives to patients at an astonishing rate. The Feds have been cracking down on many of these doctors turned pill pushers.

Recently, a Manhattan physician got busted for prescribing thousands of narcotics to people who did not even have a clinical exam. The pills were prescribed without any clinical indication for large sums of money.

The doctor in question is Dr. Martin Tesher of Manhattan. He was a good old fashioned family doctor who even made house calls for his patients. Even though he knew that many patients were addicted to pain pills, this did not prevent him from prescribing high doses of narcotics.

In the past 5 years alone Dr. Tesher wrote more than 14,000 prescriptions for oxycodone and his complete loss of moral compass finally landed him in Court. For the past few years, the DEA has been tracking all prescriptions of narcotics in the USA and Dr. Tesher’s name came up as a prolific prescriber of these pills. The prescriptions were written out for nearly 2.2 million oxycodone pills worth an estimated $20 million.

The country has been in a grip of an opiate epidemic with a few people dying almost every week. In 2016, in the five boroughs of NYC there were 1,075 deaths, up by 43% from the previous year. From 2000-2015, the number of deaths from opiates alone have tripled and all over the country there has been a demand for the government to stop doctors over-prescribing these medications. In 2015, it was estimated that nearly 2 million Americans were addicted to opiates, while another 95 million used some type of prescription pain medication regularly.

The number of prescriptions Dr. Tesher was writing eventually caught the eye of the federal authorities. On his website Dr. Tesher declares himself as a pain management expert but prosecutors said that the 81 year old physician has never had any type of pain management training.

His downfall came when he supplied three confidential informants with opiates but he did not examine them nor did he even ask about their addiction. Dr. Tesher rarely kept any medical records and simply ignored all signs of addiction. He is set to be sentenced soon. He will have to give up all his illegally earned money plus spend some time in jail. It is unlikely he will ever practice medicine again.

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A busy pain-management physician in the region may not be very busy for awhile.

Federal prosecutors believe Eugene Gosy to be among the greediest. They backed up their claim by accusing the physician of running a criminal enterprise that gave out over 300,000 illicit prescripts over the last 48-months.

The accusations against Gosy are just part of an 115-count indictment. Included in the document are allegations that the administered painkillers to clients that did not have a valid medical reason for their need.

As a local opoid epidemic is sweeping through the region, Gosy’s indictment is just the newest in a string of felonious charges.

 “Gosy was the primary provider in the city,” said John Flickinger, the region’s supervising agent with the DEA. “Dr. Gosy penned innumerable prescriptions; more than any of the biggest medical facilities in New York.”

According to investigators, most were not only unlawful, but they were also deadly as well.

At teh center of the charge is the accusation that Gosy, 55, pushed profit over care; a comparison that led prosecutors to equate the doctor to a drug dealer in Washington Heights.

The indicment gains Gosy notoriety as the sixth physician to risk prosecution surrounding illegal prescriptions.

Gosy has been linked to huge prescription rates for some time. In 2009, he handed out a greater number or regulated medications than any physician in the city. Flickinger stated that Gosy reached the same pinnacle in 2012.

Gosy’s Defense lawyer, Joel Daniels, was quiet regarding his client’s questionable record. Daniels noted that Gosy’s work treats many sufferers with debilitating pain.

Daniels also claimed the government’s case pushes medical issues surrounding Gosy’s clinic into an illegal enterprise.

“The testimony will prove that all prescriptions provided to Dr. Gosy’s patrons were for medical purposes,” Daniels said. “We are certain that the court will recognize that what Dr. Gosy did was not illegal.”

The indictment claims that the physician set up a renewal process which resulted in over 300 illegal refills daily. Gosy is accused of collusion to dispense controlled drugs as well as the illegal administration of opiates.

The indictment further accuses Gosy with charging the state workers’ payment arrangement for office visits made by his patients during a time when Gosy was in Hungary.

The probe, led by the FBI’s Health Care Fraud Task Force has already started a relinquishment claim against Gosy. In September, two of his vehicles — a $125K Ferrari and a $100K Fort GT couple were seized.

“Dr. Gosy let his patrons down. He let his community down,” said Holly Hubert, assistant special agent.

Several other physicians have been investiaged and indicted with unlawfully providing painkillers including oxycodone.

One of the earliest doctors, Pravin Mehta, 77, agreed to bargain with prosecutors and admitted to giving out illicit pain medicine at his medical clinic from 2007 until 2011.

Another physician, Matthew Bennett, admitted illegally giving out painkillers at his practice and was imprisoned for three years.

On Tuesday, a typed message was posted outside Gosy & Associates’ clinic alerting patients that the practice was closed because of an “emergency”. The clinic’s website showed a statement Tuesday night informing patients, with an appointment, to reschedule

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The foreign press is starting to jump on the idea that Ambien contributed somehow to the death of actor Heath Ledger. See, for example, this Sydney Morning Herald article suggesting that “hundreds have had bizarre and potentially dangerous reactions to the drug” in Australia.

I have little to add to this, other than to note that Ambien was just one of a number of drugs found near Ledger and that the “bizarre” side-effects for which Ambien has gained some notoriety have to do with somnambulistic behavior, which obviously isn’t what took place in Ledger’s situation.

Jack Nicholson has also weighed in on this issue without really adding anything that seems relevant.  He told reporters at a press conference that “I almost drove off a cliff” after taking Ambien. But in that case it sounded more like he was suggesting that he was woozy or uncoordinated than that he was literally driving while asleep, as has been the claim in some other unrelated incidents involving Ambien. In any event, Nicholson’s anecdote seems to cast roughly zero light on what happened to Ledger.

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