Fed, state and local news

1. Drone to Patrol Part of Border With Canada (New York Times, 07 Dec 2008)
Federal Customs and Border Protection authorities are preparing to launch unmanned aircraft patrols from this state, the first time such monitoring will occur along the nation's northern border. A Predator B aircraft, delivered to Grand Forks on Saturday, will make runs along the northern edge of North Dakota using sensors that can provide video and detect heat and changes to landscape, Customs and Border Protection officials said. The plane, which can go 260 miles per hour and fly as high as 50,000 feet, can stay aloft for 18 hours. The first missions, designed to help spot people crossing the border illegally or avoiding ports of entry, are expected to start next month. Similar aircraft have patrolled the nation's southern border since 2005, where they have helped lead to the discovery of more than 18,000 pounds of marijuana and 4,000 illegal immigrants, a spokesman for the agency said.
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2. Experts' Report Urges Changes in National Security System (Washington Post, 04 Dec 2008)
A bipartisan panel of foreign policy experts, including some associated with the incoming Obama administration, has recommended changes in the White House national security apparatus that would provide the president and his staff with new tools to ensure interagency cooperation. Chief among its recommendations is merging the National Security and Homeland Security councils and creating a director for national security who would manage implementation of the president's policies rather than just coordinate the views of Cabinet members and present them to the president, as the national security adviser currently does.
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3. More problems for major post-9/11 security program (AP, 04 Dec 2008)
A seaports security program spurred by the 9/11 attacks has hit yet another snag, causing concern that commerce could be slowed during the busy holiday season. House Homeland Security Chairman Bennie Thompson said ID card applications for about 3,000 seaport workers were inadvertently deleted by the program's contractor, Lockheed Martin. The Mississippi Democrat's panel oversees the program that aims to make sure potential terrorists cannot access sensitive security areas of U.S. seaports. "The department's implementation of the program has been an abysmal failure," Thompson wrote in a letter dated Thursday to Homeland Security Secretary Michael Chertoff.
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4. U.S. to Raise 'Irregular War' Capabilities (Washington Post, 04 Dec 2008)
The Pentagon this week approved a major policy directive that elevates the military's mission of "irregular warfare" -- the increasingly prevalent campaigns to battle insurgents and terrorists, often with foreign partners and sometimes clandestinely -- to an equal footing with traditional combat. The directive, signed by Deputy Defense Secretary Gordon England on Monday, requires the Pentagon to step up its capabilities across the board to fight unconventionally, such as by working with foreign security forces, surrogates and indigenous resistance movements to shore up fragile states, extend the reach of U.S. forces into denied areas or battle hostile regimes.
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5. Chertoff Urges Tighter Security (Washington Post, 04 Dec 2008)
The Nov. 26 terrorist attacks on Mumbai underscore the need for U.S. authorities to counter the security threat posed by small boats, strengthen the U.S. Coast Guard and keep the Federal Emergency Management Agency within the Department of Homeland Security, Secretary Michael Chertoff said yesterday. A pending FBI and DHS analysis of last week's raid in which terrorists apparently approached the coastal Indian city in a stolen fishing boat and rubber dinghies before killing at least 171 people contains "no great revelations," the homeland security secretary said. That's because U.S. intelligence officials in 2007 identified dangers posed by the reemergence of terrorist safe havens in South Asia and have long fretted about the exploitation of increasingly sophisticated consumer technology such as Global Positioning System devices and cellular and satellite phones, he said.
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6. Company to admit making false statements (The Morning Call, 10 Dec 2008)
PA: An Upper Macungie Township cargo carrier will plead guilty to illegally transporting goods on commercial air flights without the necessary security clearances. In agreeing to plead guilty to two federal charges of making false statements to the U.S. Department of Homeland Security, Yourway Transport, of 7020 Snowdrift Road, will be placed on probation for two years and pay a fine of $250,000, according to the guilty plea agreement filed with the U.S. District Court in Philadelphia. Assistant U.S. Attorney Seth Weber, who is prosecuting the case, could not be reached for comment. Yourway officials also could not be reached for comment. The charges, filed last month, alleged that Yourway backdated necessary security documents required by the Transportation Security Administration after cargo had been transported.
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7. More are getting away with murder in US (AP, 08 Dec 2008)
Despite the rise of DNA fingerprinting and other "CSI"-style crime-fighting wizardry, more and more people in this country are getting away with murder. FBI figures reviewed by The Associated Press show that the homicide clearance rate, as detectives call it, dropped from 91 percent in 1963 _ the first year records were kept in the manner they are now _ to 61 percent in 2007. Law enforcement officials say the chief reason is a rise in drug- and gang-related killings, which are often impersonal and anonymous, and thus harder to solve than slayings among family members or friends. As a result, police departments are carrying an ever-growing number of "cold-case" murders on their books.
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8. Fort Dix witness cites terrorism threat (UPI, 10 Dec 2008)
CAMDEN, N.J. - U.S.-based Muslim terror groups don't need to be sophisticated to be effective, says a prosecution witness at the terrorism trial of five New Jersey men. The five are accused of plotting to enter the Fort Dix U.S. Army base in New Jersey and kill as many soldiers as they could, but defense attorneys say the naturalized Muslim immigrants never carried out any planning unless goaded to by a paid FBI informant who had infiltrated their group. Wrapping up their case Tuesday, prosecutors called a terrorism expert to the stand in Camden, N.J., who said jihadists can learn to cause mayhem merely by watching video instructions on the Internet, the Philadelphia Inquirer reported. Evan Kohlmann, a researcher, writer and analyst, told jurors training videos found on two of the defendants' computers were "some of the classics put out by (al-Qaida)," adding, "You don't have to be very sophisticated to kill people. Guys who have very simple weapons and a very simple plan can cause a lot of damage."
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9. Terrorism charges against Georgians detailed (The Atlanta Journal-Constitution, 10 Dec 2008)
Atlanta terrorism defendants Syed Haris Ahmed and Ehsanul Islam Sadequee communicated with and gave information to terrorists bent on waging violent jihad, according to new indictments by a federal grand jury. In newly amended indictments against each man, prosecutors added information on the breadth of the defendants' communications before their arrests two years ago. Both men are charged with conspiring to provide material support to terrorists. That includes their trying, in 2005, to join Lashkar-e-Taiba, the militant group that India blames for the bloody three-day siege of Mumbai last month. Ahmed and Sadequee have pleaded not guilty and will be tried separately. Ahmed's trial is set for June 1 in federal court in Atlanta. Sadequee is to stand trial next August. They are being held without bond.
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10. Prosecutors seek yet another sentencing for Ressam (AP, 09 Dec 2008)
Federal prosecutors are seeking yet another sentencing for an al-Qaida-trained terrorist convicted of plotting to bomb Los Angeles airport at the turn of the millennium _ this time without credit for helping to convict a fellow terrorist. Ahmed Ressam was sentenced for the second time last week to 22 years in prison for plotting to bomb Los Angeles International Airport on the eve of the millennium. Prosecutors say that isn't long enough, and the guideline range is 65 years to life. In a motion made public Tuesday, the U.S. attorney's office asked to withdraw a document prosecutors filed several years ago acknowledging that Ressam cooperated with investigators.
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STATE AND LOCAL NEWS

11. AK: Seward port security gets funding boost (Fort Mill Times, 10 Dec 2008)
KENAI, Alaska - The state's tax on cruise ship passengers will help pay for a boost in security at the Port of Seward. The Kenai Peninsula Borough Assembly has given more than $380,000, which will help pay for the construction of a security dock and other improvements. Seward City Manager Phillip Oates says a security dock would be built in the northeast section of the city's Small Boat Harbor next to the cruise ship dock.
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http://www.fortmilltimes.com/124/story/387205.html

12. AZ: Smugglers engage in clone wars (KVOA, 10 Dec 2008)
TUCSON, AZ - Drug and immigrant smugglers are always looking to get a leg up on law enforcement. In just the last month, smugglers have been caught twice hiding their goods behind popular American brands. On November 14, Department of Public Safety agents in Arizona pulled over, what they believed was a UPS truck. To their surprise, the truck was actually an picture-perfect clone of a UPS truck whose purpose was to hide smuggled goods. Inside the vehicle, agents seized 2,118 lbs of Marijuana worth over $1 million on the street. The UPS clone was duplicated with incredible detail. According to the report, "The suspects painted the truck a shade of brown similar to UPS brown and affixed reflective yellow decals in the same general areas as an authorized UPS vehicle." The report states, "The cloned vehicle also displayed a homemade Arizona license plate and the authentic plate number assigned to UPS in Phoenix [...] a search of UPS's vehicle inventory revealed the vehicle number on the cloned UPS truck was an actual number assigned to an authentic UPS truck servicing the Tucson area." This isn't the first time smugglers have duplicated a well-known American brand in their smuggling attempts. Also in November, agents seized a cloned Budweiser vehicle, which housed 13 illegal Mexican and Chinese immigrants.
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13. AZ: Smuggling Syndicate Crushed in "Operation En Fuego," AG's Office Says (Phoenix New Times, 11 Dec 2008)
Arizona Attorney General Terry Goddard will reveal details tomorrow of the break-up of large smuggling syndicate thanks to the work of several law enforcement agencies (but not the Maricopa County Sheriff's Office). While Sheriff Joe Arpaio was rousting corn vendors and trying to one-up Mesa Police Chief George Gascon, the Phoenix police, Arizona Department of Public Safety and the U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement Bureau were working more quietly on busting the high-level smugglers. Now it's those agencies, and state prosecutor Goddard, that appear to be doing the most on the immigration front.
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14. AZ: 19 suspected immigrants, smugglers arrested near Tonopah (The Arizona Republic, 10 Dec 2008)
Law enforcement officers have arrested 11 suspected human smugglers and eight illegal immigrants following a traffic stop near Tonopah, officials announced Wednesday. Two people fled from a Toyota minivan after a Department of Public Safety officer attempted to stop the vehicle on Interstate 10 near Tonopah around 9 p.m. Thursday, police said. After the vehicle stopped, the driver and six passengers fled and were apprehended. The driver, Paxtor-Alvarez Roberson, was charged with human smuggling. The passengers were processed as illegal immigrants from Mexico and Guatemala.
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15. CA: Record haul in LA gun-gifts swap (BBC, 09 Dec 2008)
A scheme run by Los Angeles police to encourage people to hand over weapons in exchange for shopping vouchers has taken in a record haul this year. Police running the gun amnesty in Compton, in south Los Angeles county, say they collected 965 weapons, well up on the 387 guns surrendered in 2007. Officers say the economic downturn may be behind the increase. The scheme allows people to hand in weapons anonymously in return for gift cards worth at least $100 (£67).
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16. FL: Security huddle promises safe Super Bowl (St. Petersburg Times, 11 Dec 2008)
TAMPA - The meeting Wednesday included representatives from the FBI, Homeland Security and Energy departments, and the Coast Guard. But the topic of conversation wasn't the war in Iraq or port security. It was Super Bowl XLIII, set to be played Feb. 1 at Raymond James Stadium. The meeting at the stadium drew about 100 law enforcement officers from more than a dozen organizations. Ultimately, about 900 agents and officers will help keep the game safe, organizers say. "This is not the Super Bowl of security," said NFL vice president of security Milt Ahlerich. "We try very hard not to have security overwhelm our fans."
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http://www.tampabay.com/news/publicsafety/article933452.ece

17. LA: New Orleans Man Indicted for Murder of DEA Supervisory Special Agent Thomas J. Byrne (PRNewswire-USNewswire via COMTEX, 11 Dec 2008)
NEW ORLEANS - Ameal Parker, a/k/a Ameal Varnado, age 46, of New Orleans, was charged by a federal grand jury today in a one-count indictment with the murder of DEA Supervisory Special Agent Thomas J. Byrne, announced U.S. Attorney for the Eastern District of Louisiana Jim Letten. According to the indictment, on August 28, 2008, Supervisory Special Agent Byrne was visiting New Orleans in his official capacity while attending the U. S. Department of Justice-sponsored Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Force Southeast Regional Conference. The conference, which took place at a downtown hotel, began on August 26, 2008. Supervisory Special Agent Byrne died on August 30, 2008, at Tulane University Hospital from injuries he received from a beating during an assault and robbery in the early morning hours of Thursday, August 28, 2008.
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18. NE: New Anti-Terrorism Group In Metro (WOWT, 10 Dec 2008)
A new effort has been launched in the Omaha Metro to combat terrorism. It's called the Terrorism Early Warning Group (TEWG), and it draws upon several area law enforcement agencies. The Omaha Police Department as well as the sheriff departments in Douglas, Sarpy and Washington counties are members. Emergency fire and health agencies within these same counties are also participating. The Omaha Police Department says the TEWG was created to improve inter-agency communications, analysis, and information sharing. By doing that law enforcement hopes to reduce the threat to public safety. A central element of the TEWG is a new website, www.otewg.org, where member agencies can share information. It also has a link where members of the public can ask questions, provide tips and report suspicious activity. The Omaha Metro Area TEWG can also be contacted anonymously at 1-888-789-2616.
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19. NY: Bio terrorism preparedness drills ready Herkimer County for disaster
Tools (WKTV, 10 Dec 2008)
HERKIMER, N.Y. - Bio terrorism preparedness drills were held at three different locations throughout Herkimer County on Wednesday. The clinics were held to make sure Herkimer County Public Health Personnel are ready in case of disaster. The drills were held at Herkimer Elementary School, Herkimer County Community College, and Town of Webb School. The goal was to make sure multiple locations could simultaneously deliver vaccines in a proper manner during an emergency. For the purposes of the drills, over 700 flu shots were used in place of vaccines.
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20. NY: Rockland receives $1 million grant for terrorism preparedness efforts (Mid Hudson News, 11 Dec 2008)
NEW CITY - Rockland County has been awarded over $1 million from the State Homeland Security Program to support preparedness efforts in the event of terrorist attacks. The U.S. Department of Homeland Security Federal Emergency Management Agency provides the funding. The Rockland County Sheriff's Department submitted an application for funding in October. The Sheriff's Department, Office of Fire & Emergency Services, Health Department and EMS will utilize the funds. Twenty-five-percent of the total grant will be used by law enforcement agencies in the county. The grant will support planning, training and exercises associated with preparedness and prevention activities in the case of a terrorist event. Funds will also cover personal protective equipment for law enforcement agencies, along with reimbursement for holding training sessions.
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21. NY: Counter terrorism units to visit local malls today (Record Online, 10 Dec 2008)
Law enforcement officials in Orange and Sullivan counties will conduct checks on commercial vehicles and increase public awareness of terrorist activity in an effort to optimize holiday shopper security. On Tuesday, Counter Terrorism Zone 4 will deploy its Counter Terrorism Action Teams (CTAT) to shopping areas where they will perform checks on vehicles making deliveries to shopping centers. The teams, made up of 70 law enforcement personnel from 25 agencies, will discuss terrorist indicators with the public and will pass out flyers with New York's anti-terrorism slogan "If you see something, say something."
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22. NY and more: Local man among 11 arraigned in illegal immigrant smuggling (Observer, 11 Dec 2008)
United States Attorney Terrance P. Flynn announced the arraignments on the indictments of 11 defendants, from New York, Pennsylvania, West Virginia and Ohio. A local man, Jesus Francisco Escalante of Dunkirk, was one of those arraigned Wednesday in the Western District of New York along with Sergio Antonio Resendiz Martinez of Salamanca; Honorio Banda Mireles of Bradford; Maurilio Bautista Feria of Allegany; Javier Banda Mireles of Depew; Miguel Angel Antimo Mireles of New Martinsville, W.Va.; Alvaro Soto Paz and Agustin Quinones Torres, both of Willoughby, Ohio and Alejandro Garcia of Wheeling, W.Va. Simon Banda Mireles of Depew and Alberto Antimo Mireles of New Martinsville, W.Va. are expected to be arraigned before U.S. Magistrate Judge Hugh B. Scott today. Each of the defendants was charged with harboring and concealing illegal aliens, primarily undocumented Mexicans, who had been smuggled into the United States for the purpose of employing these aliens at seven Mexican restaurants, three in Western New York, one in Bradford, one in Mentor, Ohio, one in Wheeling, W.Va. and one in New Martinsville, W.Va. Harboring illegal aliens carries a maximum punishment of 10 years in prison and/or a $250,000 fine.
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23. TX: Two arrested in East Texas for international organized crime (KLTV, 10 Dec 2008)
An international organized crime operation in East Texas, linked to coin operated machines? 2 Russian nationals are jailed, arrested with thousands of dollars in change, and now it's believed a nationwide criminal operation has been uncovered. KLTV 7's Bob Hallmark has more on our international burglars, and the East Texans who stopped them in their tracks. "When I got here, everybody was screaming, they were trying tell me what was going on, these guys were begging me not to ruin their life," said Cara May, the assistant apartment manager at Misty Ridge. Workers at Misty Ridge knew something wasn't right when they walked up to their laundromat and saw two men emptying out coin boxes.
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http://www.kltv.com/Global/story.asp?S=9500327

24. WY: Cody airport gets TSA scanner OK (AP, 9 Dec 2008)
CODY, Wyo. - A plan to put a high-tech baggage screening device in the new Yellowstone Regional Airport terminal in Cody has been scrapped. The Transportation Security Agency had recommended a screening machine that would scan both carryon and check-in luggage simultaneously. But federal officials now say the technology is not available for small airports like the one in Cody. Installing the new machine would have required the Yellowstone Regional Airport Joint Powers Board and the designers to alter the terminal's design to accommodate it.
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KEY PEOPLE

25. Bush Says U.S. Has Transformed National Security Strategy Against Terrorism (U.S. Department of State, 10 Dec 2008)
Washington - The results of efforts by the United States to thwart global terrorism are unfolding slowly and unevenly, but there are encouraging signs, President Bush said. And in confronting terrorism, Bush said, the United States also transformed its national security strategy and its armed forces, which have played a sobering and critical role in the struggle. "As part of our transformation effort, we are arming our troops with intelligence, and weapons, and training, and support they need to face an enemy that wages asymmetric battle," Bush said in a December 9 speech in West Point, New York. "This enemy hides among the civilian population, and they use terror tactics like roadside bombs to attack our forces, to demoralize [the] local population, and to try to shake the will of the American people." And the United States has upgraded and enhanced its counterterrorism capabilities as well as developed a new and more effective counterinsurgency strategy that focuses on the importance of following up security gains with benefits in people's daily lives and livelihoods, the president said.
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http://newsblaze.com/story/20081210070709tsop.nb/topstory.html

26. Top US Military Officer Concerned Economic Crisis Could Cause More Terrorism (By Al Pessin, Pentagon, 10 Dec 2008)
The top U.S. military officer says he is concerned that the global economic crisis could create instability and, potentially, more terrorism around the world, particularly in African countries and other relatively poor areas.

Admiral Mike Mullen says the global economic downturn could create more terrorists.

"I'm very concerned about the global financial crisis and its impact globally on security," he said. "I think it will impact on security, over a period of time. As food prices continue to go up, as other costs continue to go up, as this pressure is brought globally, I think the possibilities for increased instability, as opposed to increased stability, are there. Without being precise about where that might happen, I just think the extent of this, or the length of this, is going to have an impact on increased instability in countries that are already under a great deal of pressure because their economies aren't that healthy in the first place."

Admiral Mullen says jobs are the key link between the economy and security.

"With a stable economy, jobs come," he said. "You are able to expand and create the kind of positive cycle that gets you away from the violence and other options for unemployed young men, in particular."

At a Pentagon news conference, the admiral also noted that terrorists need places to train and take refuge, and he says economic troubles can also result in more of those, as governments have fewer resources to devote to securing their territory. He says the problem puts "enormous" pressure on African countries in particular, where many governments have very large areas to defend and terrorists have been trying to gain a foothold.

"I am concerned about the potential for a safe haven in Somalia, as I am in Yemen," Adm. Mullen said. "And I try to pay attention to the evolution of potential safe havens, these two in particular, and specifically to the one in Somalia. So I'm extremely concerned about that."

Admiral Mullen, the Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, did not suggest any U.S. military operations to eliminate or prevent the creation of terrorist safe havens. The Pentagon has a variety of programs designed to improve the defense capabilities of partner nations in Africa and elsewhere, and the U.S. government also has aid and development programs that may help ease the impact of job losses caused by the economic downturn. But the admiral says the effort to reduce global terrorism may get more difficult as job losses increase and all countries tighten their defense budgets, including the United States.

GANG

27. CA: Prosecutors go after assets of LA gang members (AP, 08 Dec 2008)
Los Angeles prosecutors on Monday filed the state's first lawsuit seeking to seize homes, businesses and other assets from known members of the city's largest gang to cripple their criminal enterprises. The lawsuit, filed against nine leaders of the 18th Street gang who are all serving prison time, is believed to be the first of its kind in the nation. It aims to reduce the wealth accumulated by gang leaders through illegal activities. "The days of allowing vicious gang criminals to accumulate and spend their ill-gotten gains _ sometimes even from behind bars _ are over. It's time the gang leaders literally pay for their crimes," City Attorney Rocky Delgadillo said.
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28. NV: Indictments Unsealed Against Alleged Organized Crime Ring (LasVegasNow.com, 10 Dec 2008)
An organized crime strike force has unveiled the results of their two year investigation into a Eurasian crime ring that may have stolen millions. Nearly two dozen suspects were rounded up in Las Vegas and in California. Law enforcement officials released specifics Tuesday about what they say is a massive fraud and counterfeiting operation. Two suspects are still on the run, but the task force made up of FBI, Secret Service Agents, and detectives from Metro and Henderson, along with other agencies, did a remarkable job of scooping up nearly everyone they wanted to nab. In all, 22 suspects were arrested, 15 were named Tuesday on federal charges. 10 will face state charges and while the allegations do not involve violent crime, lawmen were taking no chances.
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http://www.lasvegasnow.com/Global/story.asp?S=9494120

29. Bodies of 13 teens found dumped in western Mexico (Reuters, 04 Dec 2008)
The bodies of 13 teenagers were dumped by the side of a dirt road outside a town in Mexico's marijuana-producing state of Sinaloa, the latest mass killing in the country's raging drug war, authorities and media said. Passers-by found the bodies near a stolen truck in the early hours of Thursday. The victims had been shot and killed, possibly lined up first, the Sinaloa state attorney general's office said. Local media in Sinaloa said all the dead were teenagers. It was the latest group killing since drug traffickers killed 11 people in a bar in Ciudad Juarez, near Texas, in October. In August, drug hitmen dumped 11 beheaded bodies in southern Mexico and killed 13 people, including a baby, in a tourist town in the northern state of Chihuahua.
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NARCO TRAFFICKING

30. GA: Man Charged with Smuggling Cocaine - in Coat Hangers (MyFOX Atlanta, 9 Dec 2008)
ATLANTA -- Federal agents arrested a man at Hartsfield-Jackson airport and have charged him with drug trafficking because of what screeners spotted on x-rays. Julio Almonte is behind bars Tuesday after authorities said they found thousands of dollars worth of cocaine in a very unusual place Clayton County authorities said they've never seen it before. Someone tried to smuggle drugs into the country -- inside a coat hanger. The 28-year-old suspect was arrested Monday night after a random screening by federal agents.
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31. NY: Police crack massive CNY-based drug smuggling ring (WSYR, 10 Dec 2008)
Syracuse, New York - Federal authorities say they've taken down a huge drug smuggling operation centered in the Syracuse area. Investigators say the group was bringing marijuana over the border from Canada to the St. Regis Mohawk Reservation in Northern New York, where it was then taken to the Onondaga Nation. Once it arrived at the Onondaga Nation, investigators say the marijuana was then distributed to places as far out as Long Island and Philadelphia. Twenty nine people in all are facing charges; 23 of them are from the Syracuse area. The acting U.S. Attorney for this area says the group was responsible for bringing thousands of pounds of marijuana and millions in cash across the New York-Canadian border. During the bust, agents seized 100 pounds of marijuana, $350,000 in cash, ten vehicles and five guns.
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32. NY: Drugs Smuggled Through Akwesasne Reservation (WCAX, 10 Dec 2008)
Investigators say they broke up a drug ring that involved several Indian Reservations in New York, including one from our area. The feds say pot and cash were smuggled into the U.S. from Canada through the Akwesasne Mohawk Reservation. From there-- it went to reservations near Syracuse and Buffalo. The proceeds were then fed back into Canada using the same route. 29 people were arrested, five from the Akwesasne Reservation.
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33. TX: Man held in drug smuggling, buying of 'cop killer' gun (EL Paso Times, 11 Dec 2008)
EL PASO -- A federal grand jury Wednesday indicted a U.S. citizen living in Juárez on charges of smuggling drugs and an immigrant and of providing false information to buy weapons, including an FN Herstal 5.7 "cop killer" handgun allegedly used in a crime in Mexico City, the U.S. Attorney's Office said. Ramon Eduardo Gandara, 30, faces up to life in prison if convicted in the 35-count indictment. The government seeks the forfeiture of $185,000 allegedly linked to illegal activity. On Nov. 4, Gandara was arrested when 243 grams of cocaine, 17.5 grams of methamphetamine, pills and an undocumented immigrant were found in a recreational vehicle that Gandara was driving from Mexico at the Bridge of the Americas, a complaint affidavit by an Immigration and Customs Enforcement agent alleges.
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http://www.elpasotimes.com/ci_11191054?source=most_viewed

34. WA: Everett-based sailors nail drug smugglers (Seattle Post Intelligencer, 10 Dec 2008)
A Navy frigate from Everett that was deployed to help fight drug trafficking in the Eastern Pacific Ocean, scored a huge hit last Friday when it intercepted a fishing vessel carrying more than 4.5 metric tons of cocaine with an estimated value of $90 milllion, Navy officials said Monday. The USS Rodney M. Davis was working in tandem with a Navy anti-submarine helicopter detachment and a U.S. Coast Guard law enforcement detachment when the drug bust was made, capturing nine suspected drug smugglers, 4th Fleet officials said. The drugs and arrests were made under the authority of the Coast Guard law enforcement detachment 106 aboard the ship, Navy officials said. The Davis has been deployed to serve under U.S. Naval Forces Southern Command with the U.S. 4th Fleet, and the Joint Interagency Task Force-South, to intercept drug smuggling from South and Central America and in the Caribbean Sea in cooperation with other nations.
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http://blog.seattlepi.nwsource.com/nowhearthis/archives/156563.asp

35. Mexico Drug Cartels Send A Message of Chaos, Death (Washington Post, 04 Dec 2008)
The death squads of the drug cartels are killing in spectacularly gruesome ways, using the violence as a language to deliver a message to society. Increasingly, bodies show unmistakable signs of torture. Videos of executions are posted on the Internet, as taunts, as warnings. Corpses are dumped on playgrounds, with neatly printed notes beside them. And very often, the heads have been removed.
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36. Money to Fight Drug Gangs Is Released to Mexico (New York Times, 03 Dec 2008)
The United States formally released on Wednesday the first part of a $400 million aid package to help Mexico fight drug trafficking, a sign of how much more involved the United States is becoming in Mexico's brutal drug war. The agreement signed here makes almost $200 million available for different programs to strengthen Mexico's law enforcement agencies, treat drug addiction and upgrade the judiciary. "It should be said: sometimes the narcotraffickers are better coordinated and integrated in their transnational activities than those that are confronting them," said United States Ambassador Antonio O. Garza. The money is part of a three-year, $1.4 billion plan, called the Merida Initiative. Congress approved the first $400 million, plus an additional $65 million for Central America, Haiti and the Dominican Republic in June. The Bush administration has asked for an additional $550 million for 2009, with $450 million of that slated for Mexico.
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http://www.nytimes.com/2008/12/04/world/americas/04mexico.html?ref=americas

37. Killings in Drug War in Mexico Double in '08 (New York Times, 08 Dec 2008)
Killings linked to Mexico's drug war have more than doubled this year compared with 2007 and are likely to grow even further before they begin to fall, Attorney General Eduardo Medina-Mora said Monday. The prosecutor tied the sharp increase in deaths to a battle for control among cartels and a power vacuum created by a series of high-profile arrests and seizures. The number of gangland killings reached 5,376 from the beginning of the year until Dec. 2, a 117 percent increase over the 2,477 killings in the same period in 2007, Mr. Medina-Mora said in a luncheon meeting with foreign correspondents.
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http://www.nytimes.com/2008/12/09/world/americas/09mexico.html?ref=americas

CYBERTHREAT & THEFT

38. Foreign min. denies reports of Russian cyber attacks on Pentagon (Ria Novosti, 04 Dec 2008)
The Russian Foreign Ministry described on Thursday media reports that Russia had been involved in cyber attacks on the Pentagon as "groundless" and "irresponsible." According to media speculation in Washington, the Pentagon's computer systems suffered a large-scale cyber attack. Some media sources reported that Russia, which was accused of similar attacks on Estonia in 2007 and more recently on Georgia, was one of the countries suspected of being involved. The Los Angeles Times cited a U.S. defense source as saying "This one was significant, this one got our attention." However, Russia's Foreign Ministry dismissed the reports in a statement saying, "Speculation about Russia's involvement in cyber attacks on Estonian and Georgian networks has been considered. In conditions of global computerization and the growing threat of the use of IT and telecom technology for unfriendly purposes, such informational leaks are not only groundless, but also irresponsible."
CABLE Gram Suggested URL:
http://en.rian.ru/russia/20081204/118696158.html

TECHNOLOGY

39. Satellites Spy on Washington from on High [Slide Show] (Scientific American, 11 Dec 2008)
Washington, D.C., home of the CIA, National Security Administration (NSA) and FBI, is a well-known haven for spies and surveillance. But new satellite pictures of the White House, Washington Monument and Jefferson Memorial show these government agencies aren't the only ones watching and being watched. These latest images from Dulles, Va., satellite-imaging company, GeoEye, are among the first to be collected by the GeoEye 1, a satellite launched into polar orbit on September 6 that can "see" objects on Earth as small as 16 inches (0.41 meter) in size in black-and-white mode or 64.6 inches (1.64 meters) in color. Images from the GeoEye 1, which stands 20 feet (6.1 meters) high and weighs more than 4,300 pounds (1,950 kilograms), so impressed Google that the Internet search giant plans to add the satellite's high-resolution, digital color photos to Google Earth next month.
CABLE Gram Suggested URL:
http://www.sciam.com/article.cfm?id=spying-washington-from-satellite

40. Sagem, GTSI awarded Port of Miami contract (Third Factor, 10 Dec 2008)
GTSI Corp., an IT infrastructure solutions and services provider, announced that it has partnered with Sagem Morpho Inc. to supply the Port of Miami with physical access control readers. The fixed biometric readers are used to authenticate Transportation Workers Identification Credential smart card holders via a contactless interface. The Port of Miami is the first U.S. port to implement this system from GTSI and Sagem. This solution enhances the safety of the Port's cruise passenger terminal and expedites the verification of dock workers entering secure areas around the ships. With Department of Homeland Security funding, the Port of Miami deployed the biometric devices as part of the TWIC program mandated by the U.S. Coast Guard and Transportation Security Administration. Under the TWIC program, workers who need access to secure areas of U.S. ports and vessels are being issued tamper-resistant smart cards containing their biometric identification information.
CABLE Gram Suggested URL:
http://tinyurl.com/67yv4u

RESOURCES

41. Author's New Book Offers Bio-Shields to Chemical, Biological, and Radiological Warfare Agents (Press Release, 8 Dec 2008)
The possibility of an attack by terrorists with a radiological, chemical, or biological weapon has created fear in the minds of the public and professionals alike. Some of these weapons can cause mass casualties within a short period of time, as well as induce long-term adverse health effects among survivors. Some countermeasures against radiological, chemical, and biological weapons are recommended, but they are not adequate. There are no strategies for reducing the risks of long-term adverse health effects of radiological or chemical weapons. Bio-Shield reduces people's fear by describing the nature of each of these weapons and their adverse effects, and instead of feeling helpless. The strategies described in this book can help you to understand the risk you are facing as well as what you can do to protect yourself and your family not just from uncertain risks like explosion of dirty bombs or toxic chemicals, but also from other risks such as diagnostic x-ray based procedures, radiation received during flight at high altitude, and working in the environment of radiation equipment. This book will teach you to how not to live in fear and how to take control back into your hand. Publisher's Web site is located at
CABLE Gram Suggested URL:
http://www.strategicbookpublishing.com/Bio-Shield.html

FULL REPORTS

42. Fact Sheet: Defending Against Weapons of Mass Destruction Terrorism (4 Dec 2008)
Commission Report Endorses Administration Initiatives and Calls for Continuation of Successful WMD Policies to Address Increasing Threat

Today, President Bush was briefed on the Commission on the Prevention of Weapons of Mass Destruction (WMD) Proliferation and Terrorism report on U.S. progress against the threat of WMD proliferation and terrorism. President Bush welcomes the Commission's report and findings on the greatest threat to our national security and notes their affirmation of past and current Administration efforts, which provide the foundation on which the next Administration can build. The Administration worked closely with the Commission during the course of its review and agrees that the threat of global terrorist organizations acquiring or developing WMD and using them against our homeland and interests abroad remains dangerously real.
o After September 11, 2001, the President recognized the need to change our strategy to address the new challenges of terrorism and proliferation. In 2002, the President put forth a comprehensive strategy to combat WMD, and in 2006, he established objectives tailored to meet the threat of WMD Terrorism (WMD-T):
_ Determine terrorists' intentions, capabilities, and plans to acquire and develop WMD.
_ Deny terrorists access to the materials, expertise, and other enabling capabilities needed to develop WMD.
_ Deter terrorists from employing WMD.
_ Detect and disrupt terrorists' attempted movement of WMD-related materials, weapons, and personnel.
_ Prevent and be prepared to respond to WMD-related terrorist attacks.
_ Develop the capability to determine the nature and scope of a terrorist-employed device.

o To effectuate this strategy, the Administration launched numerous initiatives including:
_ The Proliferation Security Initiative;
_ The Global Initiative for Combating Nuclear Terrorism;
_ Threat reduction programs with countries in the former Soviet Union; and
_ Intelligence community reforms.

The United States Has Made Significant Progress in Implementing Each Pillar Of This Strategy
o The Administration has reorganized and integrated the Intelligence Community under the Director of National Intelligence to provide a clearer picture of terrorist capabilities and intentions, including with respect to WMD. The Administration established the National Counterterrorism Center (NCTC), and it also created a National Counterproliferation Center (NCPC) to cover the entire range of proliferation challenges. At the State Department, the WMD-T office was created to help partner nations assess risks from WMD and work with foreign governments to ensure continuous improvement in our collective capabilities to reduce risks from WMD-T.

o The Administration is denying access to the materials and capabilities required to develop WMD through unparalleled international outreach and cooperation. The President has created strong international partnerships such as the 2005 Bratislava Initiative, which accelerated and expanded bilateral nuclear security cooperation in five areas: emergency response, best practices, security culture, conversion of Russian-origin research reactors in third countries, and Russian nuclear security. In addition:
_ The Administration provided assistance to Russia and other states of the former Soviet Union to improve security and accounting of nuclear weapons and materials. In addition, U.S. and Russian nuclear stockpiles have been reduced.
_ The Administration has created international partnerships and helped convert 51 nuclear reactors in 29 countries from highly enriched uranium to low-enriched uranium, which cannot be used to produce nuclear weapons. The United States has also secured more than 600 vulnerable sites around the world that together contain enough material to make about 8,000 radiological, or "dirty" bombs.
_ In 2004, the Global Threat Reduction Initiative (GTRI) was developed, accelerating efforts to identify, secure, and remove high-risk vulnerable nuclear and radiological materials around the world. We have redirected former Soviet biological weapons scientists to peaceful, sustainable employment and reconfigured former facilities to accelerate drug and vaccine development for infectious diseases.
_ In 2006, the United States and Russia launched the Global Initiative to Combat Nuclear Terrorism, which is helping to build international capacity to prevent, defend against, and respond to nuclear terrorism. Today, 75 nations are working under this initiative.
_ The Administration has been at the forefront of efforts to enhance the effectiveness of the Biological Weapons Convention (BWC). The United States has developed an active, "real-world" work plan and developed model legislation on BWC prohibitions and pathogen security.

o The United States is working to detect and to disrupt terrorists' attempted movement of WMD-related materials, weapons, and personnel through innovative initiatives. Under the President's leadership, the United States launched:
_ The Proliferation Security Initiative to stem the flow of illicit materials used for weapons of mass destruction and their delivery systems. More than 90 nations are now partners in this effort.
_ The Container Security Initiative (CSI) to detect the movement of dangerous materials in foreign countries and stop them before they are placed on vessels destined for the United States.
_ The Megaports Initiative to provide key ports around the world with radiation detection equipment.
_ The Domestic Nuclear Detection Office (DNDO) to improve the Nation's capability to detect and report nuclear or radiological material intended for use against the Nation. As part of a layered defense strategy, the Administration also effectively doubled the national response capacity to disable improvised WMD.
_ The Nuclear Materials Information Program to provide an enduring, centralized, and properly vetted source of information on nuclear materials worldwide.

o The Administration is employing an effective deterrence strategy tailored to the WMD-T threat by putting the terrorists, their facilitators, and their sponsors on notice of the United States' response in the event of an attack, to include holding any state, group, or non-state actors fully accountable for supporting or enabling terrorist efforts to obtain or use WMD. The Administration has also established a national technical nuclear forensics center within the DNDO and the National Bioforensics Center within the National Biodefense Analysis and Countermeasures Center in the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) in order to facilitate forensic investigation and attribution of WMD-related materials.

o The Administration has recognized the need to build our prevention and response capabilities in the event of a WMD-related terrorist attack. Through new technologies, assistance to State and local health professionals, and an unprecedented Federal funding commitment, the Administration launched the following:
_ The Department of Homeland Security, Environmental Protection Agency, and the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) deployed the first ever bioaerosol monitoring system - Biowatch - to more than 30 major metropolitan areas to provide early warning of an attack and enable quick response.
_ HHS created a laboratory response network of approximately 170 public health laboratories nationwide to assist in detecting disease outbreaks that could be associated with bioterrorism attacks.
_ The Defense Secretary has certified 53 National Guard WMD civil support teams stationed across the United States, including the District of Columbia and the U.S. territories.
_ President Bush has expanded funding for anti-bioterrorism research at the National Institutes for Health from $53 million in 2001 to more than $1.7 billion annually to study threat agents and other novel or emerging pathogens.
_ Project Bioshield was launched in 2004 with $5.6 billion in funding over 10 years for the acquisition of medical countermeasures, and in 2006, the Biomedical Advanced Research and Development Authority was created to manage the development and acquisition of needed vaccines, drugs, and diagnostic tools.
_ The President revitalized the Strategic National Stockpile, increasing funding more than ten-fold since taking office, from $51 million in 2001 to more than $550 million annually, a total investment of more than $3.5 billion.
_ The Administration has stockpiled enough smallpox vaccine for every American and more than 60 million 60-day courses of preventive antibiotics and 5.6 million vaccines regimens against anthrax.
_ HHS has provided $5.2 billion in grants to improve State, local, and tribal health preparedness and mass casualty response capabilities and $3.1 billion in grants to increase hospital preparedness.

o The Administration has led international efforts to detect, prevent, and mitigate the threat of biological terrorism. Working with at-risk countries, the United States has improved global capabilities to detect, diagnose, and report bioterror attacks and potential pandemics and consolidate and secure their dangerous pathogen collections into safe national-level facilities. The United States has also worked to improve biosafety and biosecurity worldwide; eliminate biological weapons infrastructure; and focus strategic partnership research to identify and map extremely dangerous indigenous pathogens. In addition, President Bush and his Administration:
_ Expanded efforts to assist countries in the Middle East, South Asia, and Southeast Asia that face significant risks from transnational terrorist groups, have poorly secured biological laboratories and culture collections, and experience frequent outbreaks of emerging infectious diseases.
_ Promoted improved diagnostics and biosurveillance in key regions; enhanced U.S. response and host nation capabilities to respond to a biological incident overseas; and trained foreign partners in forensic epidemiology as a key to respond to bioterrorism incidents globally.
_ Eliminated bio-weapons-related infrastructure and equipment in Stepnogorsk, Kazakhstan; Tabakhmela, Georgia; and Vozrozhdeniye Island, Uzbekistan; consolidated dangerous pathogen collections and research in Azerbaijan, Georgia, and Uzbekistan, with efforts underway in Kazakhstan and Ukraine. We have also transferred dangerous pathogens from Georgia, Azerbaijan, Kazakhstan, and Uzbekistan to U.S. biodefense research laboratories.

o Since 2001, the President has continued to strengthen domestic lab security. The Administration has instituted laboratory safety and security guidelines to manage the risks posed by accidental infection of researchers, intentional theft, or diversion of materials that could enable a catastrophic bioterrorism attack.
_ HHS and the Department of Agriculture have identified those select agents and toxins that present significant bioterrorism risk and increased security requirements accordingly.
_ The Administration created the National Science Advisory Board for Biosecurity (NSABB) to advise the U.S. government on strategies for minimizing the potential for misuse of information and technologies from life sciences research, taking into consideration both national security concerns and the needs of the research community. The NSABB currently is developing recommendations to enhance personnel reliability practices at domestic institutes that store or work with select agents and toxins.
_ Since the inception of the Select Agent Program in 2002, the Centers for Disease Control and Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service (APHIS) have executed inspections and re-inspections for all of the approximately 400 registered entities in the United States working with designated Select Agents pathogens and toxins.

While Significant Progress Has Been Made, Challenges Remain

America must continue to build upon this progress and remain vigilant in our efforts to meet this dynamic threat.
_ The United States must accelerate the implementation of ODNI and NCTC initiatives to refine our intelligence on nuclear and biological WMD terrorism threats, trends, and related issues.
_ The United States also must take steps to reinvigorate our aging nuclear expertise and supporting infrastructure to ensure we have an enduring capability to support nuclear intelligence, technical forensics, and attribution activities.
_ Through U.S. leadership, we must maintain the world's focus and attention to ensure that WMD and the means to deliver them do not reach the hands of the world's most dangerous enemies.