The Daily Blog

Sly Stone Arrested for Freebase Cocaine Possession, Slated for Trial.

Sylvester Stewart, otherwise known as Sly Stone, the expressive frontman of ’70s funk band Sly and the Family Stone was arrested last year for cocaine possession and is slated for a court appearance Friday, June 10, reports TMZ. On April 1, 2010, Stone was pulled over and his car was subsequently search by LAPD officers.

The 68-year-old singer was then found in possession of freebase cocaine. James Silverstein, Stone’s lawyer, told TMZ that his client was riding in a friend’s camper vehicle and was pulled over for a routine traffic violation.

This isn’t the funk legend’s first brush with the law. Back in 1989, Stone was extradited to California from New Jersey by the FBI after he had been avoiding a drug charge in Los Angeles, according to the L.A. Times.

Baggage Handlers Arrested in Drug Smuggling Bust at Detroit Airport.

Federal agents arrested 12 people today who are suspected of smuggling marijuana and cocaine into Detroit Metro Airport.

Ten of the twelve people arrested in the yearlong investigation are current or former employees of Delta Air Lines, U.S. Immigrations Customs and Enforcements spokesman Khaalid Walls told AOL News.

The Detroit News reports that the Delta employees are baggage handlers from the Detroit area and are accused of smuggling drugs from Jamaica into Detroit while working at the airport. The other two people arrested are from Texas and California, ICE officials said in a statement today.

The case began in January, 2010, when Jamaican Customs found 53 pounds of marijuana in a piece of luggage bound for Detroit under the name of a passenger, who authorities say was not involved in the alleged smuggling operation.

When the plane landed in Detroit, U.S. Customs and Border Protection agents seized another five suspicious suitcases and found almost 15 kilograms of cocaine and 130 kilograms of marijuana, according to an unsealed affidavit.

Charges against the defendants include drug trafficking, conspiracy, possession with intent to distribute and illegal importation of narcotics. They are expected to appear in U.S. District Court in Detroit for an initial hearing today. ICE officials declined further comment but said they will hold a press conference at 3:30 p.m. EST.

In a statement to AOL News, Delta Airlines said it is cooperating with federal authorities. “Delta does not tolerate employees found using their position for illegal activity and these employees have been suspended without pay,” the statement read. “Additional disciplinary action could be taken pending the final outcome of the investigation.”

NJ Dock Workers Charged With Conspiring to Traffic 2 Tons of Cocaine.

Two New Jersey dock workers have been arrested for allegedly plotting to traffic more than 2 tons of cocaine into the United States.

Dominic Guido, a longshoreman, and Robert Roselli, a dock worker at a private company, have been charged with conspiracy for allegedly planning to smuggle large shipments of cocaine into the Port Authority Marine Terminal in Elizabeth, N.J.

Federal prosecutors say Guido, 47, cut the locks on shipping containers to allow drug traffickers access to the cocaine, while Roselli, 44, monitored their status. The men were nabbed after a six-month sting in which they allegedly planned to unload what they thought were 20 kilos of cocaine from a ship originating in Puerto Rico. Instead, the complaint charges, Guido and Roselli were working with undercover Drug Enforcement Agents who later busted them.

“Longshoremen serve as key gatekeepers for our ports and our borders,” Manhattan U.S. Attorney Preet Bharara said in a statement. “These defendants allegedly corrupted these important positions and were in the pocket of drug smugglers who poison our neighborhoods.”

Guido and Roselli were each charged with one count of conspiring to distribute cocaine. If convicted, they could face 10 years to life in prison.

Harlen Protass, an attorney for Guido, said his client is innocent. “We deny the charges in the complaint and intend to vigorously defend them,” he told NBC.

Protass did not immediately return a call for comment today. It is unclear whether Roselli has hired an attorney.

NASA Finds Cocaine At Space Center—AGAIN

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. — NASA is investigating after cocaine was found in a facility at the Kennedy Space Center in Florida.

NASA spokesman Allard Beutel said Tuesday that 4.2 grams of a white powdery substance was found last week at the NASA facility, though he would not say where.

It tested positive for cocaine.

It’s not the first time cocaine has been found at the space center.

A small amount was discovered in January 2010 in a secure part of a hangar that housed space shuttle Discovery. A spokeswoman from NASA’s Inspector General Office in Washington declined to comment on how that case was resolved.

Big Cruise Ship Cocaine Bust in Jamaica.

Royal Caribbean says two crew members were busted in Jamaica, in a drug smuggling plot that involved 33 kilos (about 73 pounds) of cocaine.Cruise line spokeswoman Cynthia Martinez tells AOL Travel News authorities boarded the 1,950-passenger Grandeur of the Seas while the ship was docked in Montego Bay, Jamaica on Wednesday and “detained a crew member and found that he was in possession of 18 kilos of cocaine.”

A short time later, authorities came back onboard the cruise ship and found an additional 15 kilos of cocaine in the cabin of another crew member, Martinez says.

Customs Department authorities in Jamaica estimate the street value of the cocaine at $1.1 million, according to the Jamaica Observer.

The newspaper says some of the cocaine was found strapped to the body of a crew member, while the rest was in a suitcase.

Both of the crew members are Jamaican.

The ship had visited Cartagena, Colombia before arriving in Montego Bay, on a seven-day cruise from Colon, Panama, that also includes stops in Grand Cayman and Roatan, Honduras.

“Royal Caribbean is cooperating fully with authorities during this investigation and will continue providing any assistance necessary to prosecute these individuals to the fullest extent of the law,” Martinez says.

This is not the only recent large-scale bust involving a Royal Caribbean ship. In December, three crew members on the line’s Enchantment of the Seas were busted on shore in Baltimore for possession of $65,000 in cocaine. A few weeks law enforcement authorities found another $94,000 worth of heroin and cocaine was found on the ship.

In another recent case, a Jamaican waiter on Royal Caribbean’s Explorer of the Seas was found guilty in Bermuda of conspiring to import more than $425,000 worth of cocaine onto the island. A sizeable stash was found hidden under a chair in the ship’s disco.

There have been a bunch of smaller busts too. Just last week, In Jamaica, a passenger on the line’s Voyager of the Seas was arrested with a small amount of cocaine as the ship made the maiden call at the brand new Jamaican port of Falmouth. The passenger was fined $2,000 and spent seven days in prison.

In a recent interview with AOL Travel News, Gary Bald, who heads Royal Caribbean Cruises Ltd.’s global security department, and formerly held the third most senior ports in the FBI, says the cruise company is focused on keeping drugs off its ships.

“What we see is occasional successes by our joint team, our security folks and our law enforcement partners,” he says. “It doesn’t happen often for us, but it happens enough to keep us focused on it.”

Backstreet Boys’ A.J.McLean Enters Rehab.

Backstreet Boys singer A.J. McLean has checked himself into rehab.

“For personal reasons, I’ve checked myself into a rehab clinic,” McLean says in a statement (via PEOPLE). “With 2011 being a busy year for Backstreet, I want to be healthy and perform and sing for people at my very best and happiest. None of this will affect our current tour plans and I look forward to seeing everyone really soon! Thank you for all of your support and respecting my family and friends’ privacy during this time.”

While he gave no reason as to why he is seeking treatment, the singer has battled substance abuse issues in the past and went to rehab in 2001 and 2002 for alcohol and cocaine abuse.
McLean was reportedly six years sober in 2008, but has more recently been photographed exiting Los Angeles nightclubs. On Jan. 9, McLean tweeted, “I love u all and wish me luck! I start my sober journey tomorrow!”

McLean’s drinking was reportedly affecting rehearsals for the Backstreet Boys’ upcoming tour with New Kids on the Block, reports TMZ, who first broke the story.

In 2001, the Backstreet Boys postponed their ‘Black & Blue’ world tour so McLean could enter treatment for alcohol abuse, depression and anxiety.

During a 2003 interview, McLean told Oprah Winfrey he battles his addictions every day. He said he abused Jack Daniels, cocaine, sleeping pills, prescription medication and other illegal drugs, and even admitted he overdosed twice.

Another Huge Drug Find On Royal Caribbean Cruise Ship.

Drug-sniffing dogs found $94,000 worth of heroin and cocaine onboard Royal Caribbean’s Enchantment of the Seas in Baltimore. This, only weeks after three crew members were busted onshore with drugs worth an estimated $65,000.

The search by U.S. Customs and Border Protection on Saturday turned up 1½ pounds of heroin and nearly a pound of cocaine onboard the cruise ship.

The Enchantment was in port having just returned from a 12-day Caribbean cruise, including port calls in Haiti, the Dominican Republic, Puerto Rico, St. Maarten, St. Thomas and Tortola.

Royal Caribbean tells AOL Travel News in a statement it “continues to cooperate fully with authorities during their investigation of crew members onboard Enchantment of the Seas suspected of smuggling drugs. We continue to provide any assistance necessary to prosecute these individuals to the fullest extent of the law.”

The cruise line adds “Royal Caribbean International maintains a strict zero tolerance policy regarding illegal drugs on its ships. We take various steps to prevent the transport of illegal narcotics, including working closely with U.S. Customs and Border Protection.”

The drugs were found in an employee locker, wrapped in silver duct tape. Officials did not say whether the discovery was related to the earlier bust. No additional arrests were made.

The earlier bust had resulted from a tip from a fellow crew member. The three men arrested Dec. 18 had allegedly picked up the drugs in the Dominican Republic with plans to sell the heroin and cocaine in Baltimore. They were indicted on charges of conspiring to import drugs.