Tuesday night the police raided three homes, resulting in 16 arrests and the seizure of $5,000 cash and over $10,000 worth of marijuana and other drugs, including ecstasy tablets. Sergeant James Williams said the raids were the result of a month-long investigation.
Those arrested include one person who is accused of being a major drug dealer in the Houston area. While only one pound of marijuana was seized, its value was exceptionally high because it is a high-grade hydroponic strain of the drug.
Everyone arrested for marijuana possession of less than one ounce is currently out on bail. Those who were charged with marijuana manufacture are being held in the Houston County jail. Whether or not they have selected their Houston criminal lawyers yet is unknown and the suspects have not been available for comment.
To read more about the raids, see the article on Macon.com. Image via Torben Bjorn Hansen [Flickr].
A Colombian consulate worker was recently fired and arrested after bilking immigrants out of over $100,000. Maria Hurtado was offering paid legal services to help obtain green cards and other immigration documents that she could not actually help provide. 25 cases have been filed against Hurtado, who will be charged in the federal courts, as she is a Colombian national, legally living in Houston.
FBI statistics have shown an 11% increase in homophobic hate crimes in the last year. In general, hate crimes rose only 2%, but there was a dramatic increase in anti-gay crimes, particularly against young men. One third of the attacks involved physical battery, the rest involved property damage and intimidation.