by Kristopher Seals
UNITED STATES Son of Federal Judge Murdered
On July 19, tragedy has struck the home of a well-known federal judge who has overseen scores of cases at her Newark bench.
Mark Anderl, the husband of U.S. Federal Judge Esther Salas, is in critical condition after being shot by a man dressed as a FedEx delivery person. The suspect also shot the couple’s son Daniel right outside their North Brunswick home, who sadly died at the age of 20 due to his injuries.
A manhunt that included Middlesex County, state, and federal officials was immediately launched, and led to a suspect in Sullivan County, New York. However, he was found dead of an apparent self-inflicted gunshot wound. On July 20, the FBI identified Roy Den Hollander as the primary subject. He is said to have been a lawyer who was negatively affected by one of Judge Salas’ cases in 2015.
“Judge Salas and her family are in our thoughts at this time as they cope with this senseless act,” NJ Governor Phil Murphy tweeted.
Attorney General William P. Barr issued the following statement: “On behalf of the entire Justice Department, I send my deepest condolences to Judge Salas and her family on the death of their son and wish her husband a swift and complete recovery. This kind of lawless, evil action carried out against a member of the federal judiciary will not be tolerated, and I have ordered the full resources of the FBI and U.S. Marshals Service to investigate the matter.”
In 2006, Salas was selected as U.S. Magistrate Judge for the District of New Jersey, and five years later, she would be appointed as a federal district judge on the recommendation of President Barack Obama. Salas is the first Latina to serve as a judge on the federal level.
MIDDLE EAST / AFRICA
Bad Drugs Taken
Off Streets
Nearly 20 million illicit pharmaceutical items were taken off the market in a regional operation coordinated by INTERPOL across the Middle East and North Africa.
Running from 1 February to 1 April 2020, the operation coincided with the coronavirus pandemic, and saw a trend in the trafficking of items related to COVID-19. Among the seizures were:
· 61,000 respiratory masks and one artificial respirator in Morocco
· 63,418 face masks and 360 sanitizing products in Jordan
· 85,000 medical products (facemasks, gloves, thermometers, medical glasses, etc.) in Qatar.
The participating countries – Iraq, Jordan, Kuwait, Lebanon, Libya, Morocco, Qatar and Saudi Arabia – carried out inspections and seizures at ports, airports, land borders, free trade zones (entries and exits), postal hubs, warehouses, pharmacies and other points of sales.
They reported seizures of a wide variety of medicines including anesthetics, analgesics, antimalarial medicines, benzodiazepines (tranquilizers) and corticosteroids, as well as supplements, sexual stimulants and growth hormones. Examples of medical products seized are syringes, suture threads, surgical adhesive tapes and electronic glycaemia readers.
Pharmaceutical crime poses a serious danger to public health. Falsified and counterfeit medicines threaten the lives of the most vulnerable members of society.
“INTERPOL is committed to tackling all forms of pharmaceutical crime and disrupting the activities of the organized criminal groups that profit from it. The volume of illicit medicines and counterfeit medical products seized during this operation is a reminder of the extent of this global problem and the very real risk to public safety,” said Paul Stanfield, INTERPOL Director for Organized and Emerging Crime.
Authorities in Iraq reported two major cases. In the first, officials seized around 761,000 boxes of illicit medicines in seven shipping containers, with an estimated value of nearly USD 2 million. In the second case, authorities seized around 400 boxes and 9 million illicit pills.
“The extent of these seizures demonstrates the need for operations such as Qanoon, and shows the success that can be achieved when countries coordinate their law enforcement efforts among police, customs and regulatory authorities,” commented the Ministry of Interior, General Directorate for Drugs and Psychotropic Substances, Iraq.
In Kuwait, 16 seizures were reported totaling almost 10 million medical pills, mainly Tramadol (an opioid painkiller). The illicit trade in Tramadol trade affects a number of countries in the region and is driven by terrorist groups as a means of financing their activities.
Building on the foundations of the first phase of Operation Qanoon in 2018, seizures in this second phase were significantly higher: with around 20 million items seized in 2020 compared with 1.5 million in 2018.
Law enforcement officials in the region made notable side seizures of methamphetamine and Captagon amounting to nearly 5 million pills and tablets. While these narcotics were not in the specific remit of Operation Qanoon and are not included in the official results, they clearly indicate the proliferation of this type of high stimulant street drugs in the region. Captagon, an amphetamine, is widely associated with ISIL/Da’esh, both in terms of financing its terrorist activities and by use by its fighters in combat.
Qanoon is a multi-year initiative targeting illicit medicines and medical products in the Middle East and North Africa region. The initiative collects and shares information in order to identify transnational issues and trends, support investigations and dismantle criminal networks.
CARIBBEAN
Call Made to Address COVID-19
As COVID-19 continues to spread throughout the world, Latin America and the Caribbean are now suffering some of the highest rates of transmission, the UN chief said on Thursday, releasing a new policy initiative on how best to recover in a region already embroiled in poverty, hunger, unemployment and inequality.
The UN brief reveals that several countries in the region, are now among those with the highest per capita infection rates worldwide and shines a light on how the crisis is impacting vulnerable groups, including indigenous communities and women.
“The most vulnerable populations and individuals are once again being hit the hardest,” Secretary-General António Guterres said in a video message on the pandemic’s effect throughout a zone grappling with fragmented health services – even before the coronavirus.
The UN chief emphasized the impact of the coronavirus on women across the region, who make up the majority of the workforce and now bear the brunt of additional caregiving. He highlighted the plight of older persons and individuals with disabilities, who are at greater risk; and indigenous peoples, those of African descent, migrants and refugees, who suffering disproportionately.
It is projected that there will be a 9.1 percent contraction in gross domestic product (GDP), which will be the largest in a century.
While stressing the need to “do everything possible to limit the spread of the virus and tackle the health effects of the pandemic”, Mr. Guterres noted that “we must also address the unprecedented social and economic impacts.”
The policy brief underlines an array of urgent and longer-term steps for better recovery, including the prioritization of distance learning and continued child-centered services to mitigate education interruptions.
Governments within the region are also being asked to do more to reduce poverty, food insecurity and malnutrition, such as by providing basic emergency income and anti-hunger grants.
Mr. Guterres also flagged the urgent need for greater international support.
“I have called for a rescue and recovery package equivalent to more than 10 per cent of the global economy”, reminded the UN chief, underscoring the need of the international community to provide liquidity, financial assistance and debt relief for Latin America and the Caribbean.
“Latin American and Caribbean countries – and in particular small island developing States – should not be excluded from global assistance,” he asserted. “The international multilateral response needs to be extended to middle-income countries.”
Broader structural challenges must be addressed to build back better and transform the region’s development model.
Against the backdrop of pervasive inequality, accessible and comprehensive welfare systems must be developed, fair taxation systems created, decent jobs promoted, environmental sustainability strengthened, and social protection mechanisms reinforced, according to the UN chief.
