Russian Intelligence Service Claims Mexican Cartels Moving into Europe, Working with Ukraine After U.S. Crackdown
Russian Intelligence Service Claims Mexican Cartels Moving into Europe, Working with Ukraine After U.S. Crackdown
The Russian Foreign Intelligence Service (SVR) is reporting publicly that Ukraine is helping Mexican drug cartels move into the European market through its poorly guarded borders. The move is aimed at helping drug cartels move into new markets in response to increased enforcement and operations in Latin America by the U.S. government.
The information was published this week by the SVR through its press office. In their short statement, Russian officials did not specify which Mexican cartels were connected, nor did they provide specific details of their activities. The Russian officials claim that the move is a revenue source for Ukraine and also allows them to recruit foreign mercenaries. Mexican cartels are not only looking for new distribution routes, but also the European black market for military weapons.
“The corrupt Zelenskyy regime is seeking additional revenue, especially given the inability of Western sponsors to meet its insatiable demands,” the SVR revealed. “Kyiv also values the assistance of Latin American drug cartels in recruiting new mercenaries for the Ukrainian Armed Forces.”
The cartels can move their products into Europe through Odesa ports via Poland, Moldova, and Romania, the statement revealed. One of the main issues that benefits cartels is the poor border enforcement in Ukraine and the surrounding regions due to the ongoing armed conflict.
The report by the Russian intelligence service comes just days after U.S. President Donald J. Trump announced successes in maritime operations targeting cartel boats, but also claimed that drug cartels had taken over Mexico, claiming that its President, Claudia Sheinbaum, was too afraid to do anything about it, Breitbart Texas reported.
Ildefonso Ortiz is an award-winning journalist with Breitbart News Foundation. He co-founded Breitbart News Foundation’s Cartel Chronicles project with Brandon Darby and senior Breitbart management. You can follow him on Twitter and on Facebook. He can be contacted at [email protected].
Brandon Darby is the managing director and editor-in-chief of Breitbart Texas. He co-founded Breitbart News Foundation’s Cartel Chronicles project with Ildefonso Ortiz and senior Breitbart management. Follow him on Twitter and Facebook. He can be contacted at [email protected].
16 children allegedly living in single-bathroom home were invisible to neighbors
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Background: Law enforcement officials investigate a house on Ohmer Street in Hamden, Ohio (WSYX/YouTube). Insets (clockwise from top right): Gary Siders Jr.; Christina Siders; Elizabeth Siders; Gary Siders Sr. (Vinton County Sheriff's Office).
Four people are behind bars after authorities in Ohio say they found 16 children inside a home with "horrific" conditions.
Gary Siders Jr., Christina Siders, Elizabeth Siders, and Gary Siders Sr. are each charged with 16 counts of second-degree felony child endangerment, authorities including Ohio Attorney General Andy Wilson announced at a press conference, regional CBS affiliate WOIO reported.
Sign up for the Law&Crime Daily Newsletter for more breaking news and updatesOn Tuesday, the Vinton County Sheriff's Office and the Ohio Bureau of Investigation executed a search warrant at a house on the 100 block of Ohmer Street in Hamden, Ohio. Hamden is a small village in the southern part of the state.
There were 16 children inside the home, ranging in age from 18 months to 18 years old, The Columbus Dispatch reported. Records reviewed by the newspaper from the county auditor's office show that the one-story home built in 1900 had five rooms and one bathroom.
Authorities said "the scene is horrific, and these are horrific allegations," though they did not share specific details because it is an "ongoing investigation." The sheriff's office did concede that the alleged child endangerment involved "serious physical harm."
Deputies said on Tuesday that the children were being treated medically, "and we're trying to get them placed, and that is our primary concern right at this point." They also noted that the defendants are not from Vinton County.
"This is pure evil," Wilson said at the press conference. "This probably was the worst scene that I've been in, as far as the deplorable conditions."
Nearby residents told local ABC affiliate WSYX that they heard there were multiple animals inside the home, too. One noted that he frequents the area and had never seen a child.
"I come up down through here all the time and I've never seen a kid out here," Larry Brown said.
Law enforcement reportedly indicated that this is not a case of human trafficking.
Tags: child endangermentcrimeOhioFollow Law&Crime:
Man pulled into Walmart and was dying 2 minutes later after random confrontation
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Inset left: Taquiza Johnson (Platte County Detention Center). Inset right: Ronald Barnett (Obituary). Background: A Walmart in Kansas City, Mo. (Google Maps).
A former officer with the Kansas City Police Department (KCPD) is facing life in prison after shooting and killing a septuagenarian man outside a Walmart.
Last week, Taquiza Johnson, 49, was found guilty by a jury in Platte County, Missouri, on one count of second-degree murder and armed criminal action over the death of 71-year-old Ronald Barnett in August 2024.
The jury that returned the verdict also suggested a life sentence. Though the judge is not necessarily bound by that recommendation, the jury's suggestion is likely to be given substantial weight.
Sign up for the Law&Crime Daily Newsletter for more breaking news and updatesNow, the victim's family says it is "pleased" with the jury opting for the greatest possible sentence under Show-Me State law, according to a report by The Kansas City Star.
The family's elation with the prospective punishment, however, reportedly came as the silver lining to the general "shock" that the verdict was relatively favorable to the defendant. Johnson also faced a first-degree murder charge, and the victim's daughter told the local paper that the family had expected a conviction on that more serious count.
The underlying incident occurred on Aug. 21, 2024, in the parking lot of the Walmart near the Shops at Boardwalk shopping mall located at Northwest Barry Road and North Boardwalk Avenue.
Surveillance camera footage showed the defendant leaving the big-box store and going through the crosswalk where Barnett was driving before Johnson extended his arm toward the vehicle, according to court documents obtained by Kansas City-based Fox affiliate WDAF.
In the footage, Barnett then reverses, stops, and gets out of his vehicle. Then, Johnson is seen walking over to the victim. The footage then shows the two men interacting for roughly 20 seconds before both men return to their respective vehicles.
After that, Barnett is seen parking and getting out of his vehicle and walking toward the Walmart entrance. Meanwhile, the footage shows Johnson driving toward the victim, getting out of his vehicle, walking toward Barnett, then shooting the man once before fleeing the scene.
The entire incident occurred in less than two minutes, according to the charging documents. After the shooting, Barnett was taken to a local hospital, where he succumbed to his injuries.
Within 10 minutes, Missouri Highway Patrol troopers found Johnson's vehicle at a nearby apartment complex and arrested him after he had allegedly changed his clothes, authorities said.
At the time of the shooting, the defendant was not a member of law enforcement. He worked for the KCPD between 2004 and 2014.
Barnett is survived by four children, 11 grandchildren, 16 great-grandchildren, and five siblings, according to his obituary.
During the lengthy legal process, the victim's family learned Barnett faced long wait times in the aftermath of the initial 911 call and was transferred to various emergency response teams, the Star reported.
"That's just crazy to me and our family," Barnett's daughter told the paper. "But outside of that, I think we're pleased with what the jury did eventually come back with, with life in prison."
During the trial, Johnson's defense mounted a failed self-defense argument, claiming the shooter was only defending himself because the victim had previously threatened him during their brief parking lot interaction. On the witness stand, however, Johnson admitted Barnett was not armed and that he did not see a weapon of any kind.
"The instruction on self-defense in Missouri is clear," Platte County Prosecuting Attorney Eric Zahnd said in a press release. "Verbal threats are not enough. Name-calling is not enough. A person claiming self-defense must establish that the perceived aggressor possessed, exhibited, or threatened to use a weapon readily capable of lethal force. Deadly force is not justified in response to fear of being grabbed or even punched. The old axiom is true — you cannot bring a gun to a fist-fight."
Johnson is slated to be formally sentenced on Sept. 14.
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Tate Paul’s Restraining Order Against Ex-Wife and Mormon Wives’ Taylor Frankie Paul Denied
Tate Paul’s temporary restraining order against ex-wife Taylor Frankie Paul has been denied.
“As Tate himself recognizes, many of his supporting allegations are based upon inadmissible hearsay, without any corroborating evidence,” court documents obtained by Us Weekly on Wednesday, July 1, read. “Many of the concerns, like the children not doing well in school and expressing sadness will require ongoing attention not remedied with an emergency order changing custody.”
The statement continued, “The court acknowledges that what he is allegedly hearing can
create anxiety, but contrary to the claim that the children are in immediate danger, Taylor proffers that Tate left the children with her from June 11 through the 17, 2026, while he went to Iceland. The court cannot find an immediate and irreparable harm as contemplated by Rule 65A, and the motion is denied.”
News broke on Tuesday, June 30, that Tate, 32, filed a temporary restraining order in a Utah court, with a hearing requested. He also filed a petition to modify the terms of their divorce and custody agreement.
Related: Inside Taylor Frankie Paul and Ex Tate's Custody, Child Support Agreement
As Taylor Frankie Paul’s alleged domestic dispute with ex-boyfriend Dakota Mortensen continues to make headlines, her marriage and divorce from ex-husband Tate Paul has been thrust back into the limelight. Taylor, 31, was married to Tate for six years before they divorced in summer 2022. Taylor announced their split during a viral TikTok video where […]Taylor and Tate were married from 2016 to 2022 and share daughter Indy, 8, and son Ocean, 6. Taylor is also the mom of son Ever, 2, whom she shares with ex Dakota Mortensen.
Months ahead of Tate’s legal filing, Taylor made headlines when new allegations of domestic violence involving her and Mortensen, 33, were made public. A spokesperson for Utah’s Draper City Police Department confirmed to Us in March that there was an open “domestic assault investigation” into an altercation between the former couple that occurred one month prior, with allegations “made in both directions.”
TMZ also released footage of Taylor physically assaulting and throwing chairs at Mortensen in front of her child, seemingly hitting her daughter in the head by accident, in a February 2023 incident. At the time, Taylor was arrested on charges of aggravated assault, two counts of domestic violence in the presence of a child, child abuse and criminal mischief. Taylor pleaded guilty to felony aggravated assault in August 2023 as part of a plea deal in exchange for the dismissal of the remaining charges.
Mortensen, for his part, was granted a temporary restraining order against Taylor and temporary custody of son Ever, according to court documents obtained by Us. Both Mortensen and Taylor denied the allegations made against them.
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Stop Scrolling! This 46%-Off Floral Bikini Looks Like a Resort Boutique Find View DealTaylor also filed and was granted a protective order against Mortensen, alleging that he assaulted her in his truck. Mortensen has denied the allegation. The former couple have been ordered to stay at least 100 feet away from each other while their protective orders remain in place.
In June, a judge recommended that Taylor is no longer required to have supervised visits with son Ever. She can now have Ever on alternative weekends and one midweek day. The exes are scheduled to appear in court for another custody hearing on Wednesday, July 8.
If you or someone you know is experiencing domestic violence, please call the National Domestic Violence Hotline at 1-800-799-7233 for confidential support. If you or someone you know is experiencing child abuse, call or text Child Help Hotline at 1-800-422-4453.
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