We often have a tendency to think of drug dealers as older, shady looking individuals who prey on young vulnerable kids, getting them to try something they wouldn’t otherwise do. Of course this image is completely irrational and is evident from this recent arrest out of Ahwatukee, AZ.

Two teens, 18 and 17 years old, were recently arrested after police stormed a home on East Windsong Drive. The police came in wearing tactical uniforms and certainly looking like they were after some serious criminals. Drug dealing is a serious crime, however, and despite the ages of these teens, they are facing some serious time if they are convicted of the charges.

According to the Arizona Republic they are facing 11 felony counts. The charges aren’t made clear but if they are both tried as adults, they could be looking at some serious prison time.

It seems they were selling in their own neighborhood. The investigation began after police received tips from others about the two teens. [read more...]

This past Wednesday a criminal got ambitious enough to do a robbery, but made out with nothing more than an empty bag. According to the Arizona Republic calls came in about a potential armed robbery happening outside Fry’s Food Store involving an armored vehicle.

A black male dressed in all black physically rammed and knocked to the ground a Loomis guard who was at the location to fill an ATM. He struggled with the guard and attempted to get his gun. When that didn’t work, he grabbed the money bag the guard was holding and took off behind the store.

The only problem? There was no money in the bag.

Police are still searching for the suspect because although he gained nothing from this little deed, he did attempt a robbery and knocked the guard to the ground. More than likely, this suspect will face a few charges once located. [read more...]

A Tempe restaurant owner is facing some serious charges after using stolen credit cards to purchase goods and services. According to this report from the Arizona Republic Andrew Paparella Jr. was arrested after trying to purchase and redeem gift certificates at a local masseuse using stolen credit cards. Some quick thinking from staff there helped police crack this interesting case.

Paparella owns the Citrus Café in Chandler. It turns out he was using the credit card numbers of his café patrons to make money and relax on their dime. Aside from getting massages, Paparella was buying expensive equipment and selling much of it on ebay.

It’s not clear exactly what charges he will face but the article states $5,000 is a “conservative estimate” of the value of his fraudulent acts. If this is the case, he will definitely be facing felony charges and a potential prison sentence. [read more...]

Phoenix is officially the kidnapping capital of the United States. With an average of more than one kidnapping per day it is easy to see that this problem has gotten out of control. Reports from abc news and local affiliates have been pouring in over the past few years but nothing seems to slow down the frightening trend.

When people think of kidnappings, the automatic mental photo is of a child. The majority of kidnapping victims, in fact, are adults and are usually related to drugs. Most believe the huge number of kidnappings in Phoenix, in particular, is directly related to the increase in Mexican drug cartel influence in the area.

Mexico is plagued by a gritty underground of drug cartels and their accompanying violent ways. The Mexican drug trade is pushing further and further into the United States. Mexican drug related crime is expanding across the country, from Arizona east to Atlanta Georgia, and pushing further north. As these cartels expand their empires and their reaches grow, so does their violence and tendency towards kidnappings. [read more...]