Hard Boiled News

True Crime and News of the Weird from around the Globe

Florida Gangster Gets 6 Years for Setting Off Gun While Taking Strip Club Selfie

By HardBoiledNews Staff Leave a Comment

Rorn Sorn was a little too amped up in the Champagne room

 

TAMPA, Florida — In most cases, an accidental discharge at a strip club won’t land you behind bars.

But a Florida gangster has been sentenced to six-and-a-half years in prison for accidentally shooting a .40 caliber handgun in the restroom of a St. Petersburg strip club while taking a selfie, authorities said.

Rorn Sorn, 34, went to Club Lust in December with a pal and went into the restroom. A guard then heard a gunshot a few minutes and spotted Sorn and his friend leaving the room, federal prosecutors said.

When the guard asked if they had fired a gun, Sorn responded: “It was an accident, man. I as just trying to take a selfie.” Club employees spotted a bullet hole in the bathroom mirror that went through the wall into the ladies’ room.

A search revealed that Sorn was carrying the gun, marijuana and Xanax pills. Sorn, who is a member of the Asian Pride Gang, had numerous prior convictions, including for burglary and attempted first degree murder, which makes it illegal for him to carry a gun.

As a result, Sorn pleaded guilty to illegal firearms possession in April.

Mexican Cartel Hit Men Convicted in ‘Fast & Furious’ U.S. Agent Slay

By HardBoiledNews Staff Leave a Comment

WASHINGTON — Two drug cartel hit men have been convicted of gunning down a U.S. immigration agent and wounding his partner in a roadside ambush in Mexico in 2011.

Jose Emanuel Garcia Sota, 35, known as “Safado,” and Jesus Ivan Quezada Piña, 29, known as “Loco,” were members of Los Zetas cartel hit squads and had been on a mission to steal cars the day of the shooting, prosecutors said.

On Feb. 15, 2011, the two men were among a group that spotted an armored Chevrolet Suburban bearing diplomatic plates driven by Immigration and Customs Enforcement Special Agents Jaime Zapata and Victor Avila.

The agents were on their way to Mexico City on official business, when the cartel members opened fire with AK-47s and AR-15s on a busy highway south  of San Luis Potosi. Zapata, 32, was fatally shot, and Avila was wounded. Investigators later found approximately 90 shell casings at the scene, according to the trial evidence.

Five other cartel members have already pleaded guilty to murder and conspiracy charges in the shooting. All are awaiting sentencing and face up to life in prison.

Slain ICE agent Jaime Zapata

A jury found Sota and Piña guilty on counts of murder, attempted murder and firearms charges. The judge scheduled a hearing for Aug. 29 to select a sentencing date in order to accommodate for when Avila and Zapata’s family would be able to attend. The hit men also face up to life in prison.

The gang members have said they believed the vehicle was being driven by members of a rival cartel, apparently not noticing the diplomatic plates. The shooting has proven to be exceedingly damaging to the Los Zetas cartel, leading to the arrest of over 100 of its top bosses.

Zapata’s family has filed a wrongful death suit against the U.S., alleging that ICE sent the men into Mexico with inadequate security, and that some of the weapons used in the shooting were trafficked by suspects under ATF surveillance, but who had not been arrested as part of the controversial “Operation Fast & Furious.”

Drug Dealer Arrested After Calling Cops to Report His Drugs Had Been Stolen

By HardBoiledNews Staff Leave a Comment

David Blackmon

FORT WALTON BEACH, Florida — Now, that’s just making things too easy for police.

A Florida drug dealer effectively turned himself in when he called cops to say that someone had broken into his car and made off with his cocaine.

Th Okaloosa Sheriff’s office says David Blackmon, 32, of Fort Walton Beach, called police Sunday morning to report that someone had stolen and bag of coke and a pile of cash from his car.

Blackmon freely admitted to the responding officers that he was a drug dealer and that about $50 and a quarter ounce of coke has disappeared from the vehicle.

Upon closer inspection, the officer found another bag of coke sitting on the floor of the car, as well as a crack pipe and crack rock  on the center console.

The cash wasn’t found.

Blackmon is charged with possession of cocaine, resisting arrest without violence, and possession of drug paraphernalia.

Florida Man Busted Trying Smuggle Cocaine Stuffed in Cookie Monster

By HardBoiledNews Staff Leave a Comment

This Cookie Monster was caught trying to smuggle a large quantity of cocaine

MARATHON, Florida — In this case, C is for cocaine.

Florida police busted a man smuggling nearly a third of a kilo of cocaine stuffed inside a Cookie Monster doll, authorities said.

Police in Key West pulled over Camus McNair on Wednesday after a deputy noticed his license plate was obscured and his Dodge’s windows were so dark that the officer could not see inside.

Cops say when McNair rolled down his window, the smell of marijuana came wafting out of the vehicle. That prompted a further search during which investigators discovered the Cookie Monster inside a backpack.

The officer noticed the doll seemed heavier than expected. He then noticed a slit down the side and upon further inspection, discovered 314 grams of cocaine.

Camus McNair

McNair was charged with cocaine trafficking and possession of drug equipment, He was held without bail at the Monroe County jail.

Guam Teacher Caught Leading Double Life as Major Drug Dealer

By HardBoiledNews Staff 1 Comment

Vincent John Quitugua

HAGATNA, Guam —  A middle school teacher who was leading a double life as a drug dealer has been sentenced to nearly five years in prison for selling meth and running a marijuana farm just a couple of hundred yards from the school where he taught.

Vincent John Quitugua, 47, had worked as a math teacher at the Jose Rios Middle School in Piti, Guam for 22 years before he was busted in March 2016 when cops raided two homes he owned near the school.

Investigators found over 10 grams of methamphetamine with a purity level of 99%, 121 marijuana plants, 429 grams of weed ready for sale,  and two rifles and two shotguns in one of Quitugua’s homes as well as $73,000 in cash.

Quitugua told authorities that he had grown marijuana for the past two years which he sold by the “joint or in baggies,” earning over $30,000. He also admitted smoking pot everyday and having used meth regularly for over 15 years. He had pleaded guilty last year.

Quitugua had faced up to 20 years in prison but was given a sentence of 57 months instead. His lawyer had argued for a shorter sentence, but the judge said he couldn’t be more lenient as it was likely that Quitugua had taught his students while high given the volume of his drug use.

“I’ve made bad choices,” Quitugua told the court, according to the Guam Daily Post. “Hopefully through this process, I can come back a better husband, a better father, a better son and a better person for the community.”

Cop Sentenced to 11 Years For Dealing Drugs in Uniform

By HardBoiledNews Staff Leave a Comment

James Edgerson had been a Dumas police officer for 14 years

LITTLE ROCK, Arkansas — A former small town cop was sentenced to more than a decade in prison for his role in a multi-state drug operation which saw him at times selling cocaine and methamphetamine while in uniform.

James Edgerson, 39, had been with the Dumas police department in Arkansas for 14 years when he was arrested along with five others in 2015 for dealing drugs, federal  prosecutors said.

Investigators say Edgerson sold drugs while in uniform and carrying his department-issued weapon on numerous occasions and in one instance, dealt drugs while standing next to his police cruiser.

“Police officers take an oath to protect and serve their communities,” said acting U.S. Attorney Patrick Harris. “Edgerson’s significant sentence reflects his absolute violation of this oath, and his abuse of the trust placed in him by members of his community. This sentence also demonstrates that no one is above the law.”

Edgerson pleaded guilty in February. Four of his co-conspirators had previously pleaded and Edgerson’s cousin, Kendrick Lamar Edgerson is scheduled to go to trial in September.

Prosecutors say Edgerson admitted to participating in the conspiracy from May 2015 through through September 2015. He had been charged with buying and selling multi-ounce quantities cocaine, methamphetamine, and marijuana by the pound.

 

Police Seize 600 Pounds of Meth-Lollipops in Houston

By HardBoiledNews Staff Leave a Comment

HOUSTON — There will be no trick or treating going on at one Houston household this year.

Police seized a 600 pound load of meth-laced lollipops worth $1 million from a Houston couple while responding to a burglary call.

The Harris County Sheriff’s office says deputies received a call from a concerned neighbor on Monday reporting a burglary next door and when they arrived at the house they found a man and a woman carting out bag after bag of meth-infused candy.

“They had so many narcotics in their vehicle they couldn’t close the back hatch of their car,” Lt. Ruben Diaz said.

The bags contained candy shaped like flowers, butterflies and bats plus Star Wars characters like Yoda and R2D2. Investigators say they believe the candy was intended to be sold to juveniles for $20 to $40 each.

Police say the house appeared to be where the candy had been manufactured and that the woman had lived there at some point.

Investigators didn’t immediately identify the couple.

Chicago Gang Leader Faces 70 Years After Instagramming Pics From Gun Range

By HardBoiledNews Staff Leave a Comment

CHICAGO — A Chicago gang leader faces up to 70 years in prison for firing a pistol with pals at a gun range and then posting pictures on Instagram that documented the day.

Labar “Bro Man” Spann, 38, is barred from having a gun due to a variety of prior felony convictions including aggravated battery of a police officer, drug offenses, harassment of a witness and armed robbery.

The reputed leader of the Four Corner Hustlers pleaded guilty to going with a gal pal and a friend to Midwest Sporting Goods in Lyons, Illinois in September 2014 and loading a Glock 19 and opening fire at targets at the range.

Prosecutors alleged that Spann later posted a number of photographs and videos on Instagram showing him at the range and the targets at which he’d fired.

“Ya’ll know I had to go first just to show my b***ch how this s**t works lmao I do this s**t,” Spann wrote below one picture he posted showing a target with holes in the head and chest.

Spann also pleaded guilty to pressuring his girlfriend, Ladonah Hampton, to lie to authorities and say that he had never fired a gun while at the range.

He was also pleaded guilty to possession of cocaine with intent to sell after cops found dozens of small bags of the white powder in his home.

Spann faces up to 70 years in prison when he is sentenced on Sept. 5, 2017.

In addition to his various felony offenses, Spann was acquitted of being the mastermind behind the 2003 killing of Rudy Rangel, a notorious high-ranking member of the Latin Kings street gang.

Florida Dealer Flashing Cash on Facebook Live Captures Drug Raid on Camera

By HardBoiledNews Staff Leave a Comment

Breon Hollings before and after cops stormed his house

JACKSONVILLE, Florida — This guy wishes it had been Candid Camera.

Police stormed into an alleged Florida drug dealer’s house as he broadcast himself on Facebook Live counting fats stacks of cash and boasting about how much money he had.

The video begins with 22-year-old Breon Hollings joyfully flipping through handfuls of bills and declaring to his audience: “It don’t stop, man. It don’t stop.”

But about a minute into his showing off, officers outside Hollings’ Jacksonville house began shouting over a loudspeaker, “This is the Jacksonville Sheriff’s office. We have a warrant.”

Soon after a series of loud bangs can be heard and flashes of light seen coming from another part of the house as Hollings darts out of the room and isn’t seen again.

Later, a body-armor clad cop wanders into the room, stares into the camera and turns it off. Cops told WFTV-TV that the raid had been planned in advance and the raid being caught on camera was purely coincidental.

Police say Hollings was arrested for possessing cocaine and paraphernalia for selling drugs and was held on $425,000 bond.

Mexican Biker Gang Charged with Stealing 150 Jeeps in Southern California

By HardBoiledNews Staff Leave a Comment

SAN DIEGO — Nine members of a Mexican motorcycle gang have been charged in a series of high-tech auto heists in which they made off with more than 150 Jeep Wranglers by hacking into a database that allowed them to get duplicate keys.

Prosecutors said the men, members of the Hooligans motorcycle gang based out of Tijuana, had been running the scheme since at least January 2014. In all, they allegedly netted $4.5 million worth of cars they brought back from southern California to Mexico to be sold or stripped for parts.

“The joy ride is over for these Hooligans,” said Deputy U.S. Attorney Mark Conover. “These arrests have put the brakes on an organization that has victimized neighborhoods.”

The gang operated brazenly, taking off with cars they would snatch out of people’s driveways overnight as they slept nearby.

Prosecutors allege that the Hooligans would scout vehicles out in advance and collect their vehicle identification numbers. They would then gain access to a proprietary database used by the manufacturer to create duplicate keys for cars. Using the codes, the gang was able to create a key for the specific Jeeps they were targeting, prosecutors said.

Investigators said that enabled the thieves to make with cars in sometimes less than two minutes. For months, investigators were baffled as to how the Hooligans were managing such effortless thefts.

They got a break when one car owner whose Jeep was stolen, happened to have surveillance camera trained on her driveway and captured footage of the thieves in action. The footage revealed that the men had a key to the car.

The FBI then contacted Chrysler and were able to determine that 20 of the cars that were stolen had had duplicate keys issued to a dealership in Cabo San Lucas, Mexico. None of the owners were aware that the keys had been issued.

Three of the nine defendants — Henry Irenio Pulino, 24, Alejandro Guzman, 23, and Reynaldo Rodriguez, 33 — have been arrested and the other six at large and are believed to be in Mexico.

Prosecutors say the men similarly targeted motorcycles, prosecutors said.