Suspected Colombian cocaine trafficker extradited from the Dominican Republic to US

October 13th, 2009 BOGOTA - Police seized two tonnes of cocaine in a ranch in northwestern Colombia and arrested a minor who was guarding the load, the authorities said Tuesday. The raid took place over the weekend in a rural area in the municipality of Necocli, in the province of Antioquia.

October 9th, 2009 Smuggler jailed 3 years for deadly voyage to PRSAN JUAN, Puerto Rico — A Dominican smuggler has been sentenced to three years in prison for a sea voyage carrying illegal immigrants to Puerto Rico that took the lives of three people. Simeon de la Cruz was captain of a vessel that landed in western Puerto Rico with roughly 70 immigrants in October 2007 after two women and a man drowned during the trip across treacherous waters from the Dominican Republic.

September 30th, 2009 DR cops find ostriches, boars on fugitive's farmSANTO DOMINGO, Dominican Republic — Police raiding a Dominican Republic farm allegedly owned by a drug fugitive found a menagerie of exotic animals including ostriches and a wild boar. Prosecutor Alejandro Moscoso says a warehouse on farmland outside Santo Dominigo allegedly owned by Puerto Rican fugitive Jose Figueroa Agosto was used to store drugs.

September 30th, 2009 DomRep debates access to property to reach beachSANTO DOMINGO, Dominican Republic — Legislators in the Dominican Republic are debating whether to allow residents access rights to private property so they can reach beaches, rivers and lakes. President Leonel Fernandez recently submitted a proposal to amend the constitution, which currently bars people from entering such property.

September 17th, 2009 Dominican agents check dictionaries, find cocaineSANTO DOMINGO, Dominican Republic — Dominican authorities have intercepted packets presumed to be cocaine sewn in the lining of dictionaries. The shipment was left at a Dominican post office to be mailed to an address in Madrid.

August 12th, 2009 SANTO DOMINGO - A mob killed a man suspected of robbing a Santo Domingo residence by pelting him with stones and bottles and stabbing him, the Dominican National Police said. The killing occurred Sunday when the unidentified man was surprised by a group of people while he was allegedly stealing goods from a house in the Dominican Republic's capital.

August 8th, 2009 Reputed drug kingpin Montoya to plead guiltyMIAMI — Diego "Don Diego" Montoya, reputed boss of Colombia's notorious North Valley cocaine cartel who was once on the FBI's most wanted list, is set to plead guilty next week to U.S. drug charges.

July 28th, 2009 5 killed in attack on Colombia coca eradicatorsBOGOTA — Colombian authorities say three soldiers and two civilians have been killed in a rifle and grenade attack on a boat carrying coca eradication workers. They say six people also have wounds and six more are missing.

July 25th, 2009 Colombian: 16 rebels, 1 soldier killed in fightingBOGOTA — The Colombian military says at least 16 suspected guerrillas and one soldier have been killed in clashes. Defense Minister Gen.

July 10th, 2009 Colombian coffee comes with smuggled cocaineNEW ORLEANS — Customs agents discovered an extra ingredient in a shipment of Colombian coffee: nearly a half-ton of cocaine. U.S. Customs officer Troy Simon said Thursday it was his agency's biggest cocaine find at the Port of New Orleans since more than two tons turned up in a transformer shipment about 10 years ago.

June 17th, 2009 DomRep police: Smoke kills 2 who set cocaine afireSANTO DOMINGO, Dominican Republic — Dominican authorities say two suspected drug dealers have died of smoke inhalation after trying to burn cocaine before police could find it. The spokesman of the National Drug Control agency says that Mauricio Encarnacion Castillo and Ramon Antonio del Rosario set the evidence on fire after exchanging gunfire with police conducting a raid.

June 2nd, 2009 Colombian paramilitary member sentenced in TexasHOUSTON — A member of a Colombian paramilitary group has been sentenced in a Texas federal court to 7 1/2 years for plotting to acquire anti-aircraft missiles and other powerful weapons in exchange for cocaine. Diego Alberto Ruiz Arroyave (AH'-roe-jah-veh) pleaded guilty in October to conspiring to provide material support to the United Self-Defense Forces of Colombia, or AUC.

May 8th, 2009 Panel: 'Dear Pineapple' OK in Dominican RepublicSANTO DOMINGO, Dominican Republic — A judicial panel says Dominicans are free to name their kids "Dummy Ruiz," ''Dear Pineapple" and other unusual monikers if they choose. The Central Electoral Commission has rejected a proposal to ban any names that could be confusing or give no indication of gender, such as Querida Pina (Dear Pineapple) and Tonton Ruiz (Dummy Ruiz).

May 6th, 2009 Haitian migrant decapitated in Dominican RepublicSANTO DOMINGO, Dominican Republic — Dominican police are investigating the decapitation of a migrant from neighboring Haiti. Police Maj. Jose Llubres says the victim's body was found Saturday in the Buenos Aires neighborhood of the capital, Santo Domingo.

April 21st, 2009 Dominican Republic mulls ban on bizarre names SANTO DOMINGO, Dominican Republic — The Dominican Republic is considering a ban on unusual monikers following an increase in the number of names based on car brands, intimate body parts and other things. The names range from the bizarre — "Dear Pineapple", "Iloveyou Lover" — to the commercial — "Mazda Altagracia" and "Toshiba Fidelina." A judge with the Central Electoral Commission said such names should be rejected because they are confusing and give no indication of a person's gender.