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40 indicted in drug ring run from Indiana prisons

24.05.13

Huffman, the Texas state senator, said many lawmakers in her state would like to use new technologies to jam cellphone signals in Texas' prisons, but that is currently forbidden by the Federal Communications Commission. Dobbins, who worked at the Wabash Valley Correctional Facility, is accused of delivering a package containing 13 grams of pure meth and a cellphone into the southwestern Indiana prison in July, allegedly for use by an inmate. Although the indictment alleges multiple prison guards smuggled cellphones into state prisons as part of the scheme, it names only one prison guard, 37-year-old Jon Dobbins. Joan Huffman said about 2,000 contraband cellphones are seized each year from Texas prisons, frustrating prison officials and law enforcement officers because it allows inmates to circumvent prison-monitored land lines. A federal indictment unsealed Wednesday in Indianapolis charges two inmates at different Indiana prisons — Oscar Perez, 26, and Justin Addler, 28 — with using cellphones smuggled to them by prison guards to run a ring that moved heroin,... Prison spokesman Rich Larsen said Dobbins, who was arrested in July on state charges that preceded the federal charges, was fired July 15 after working at the prison for 16 years. INDIANAPOLIS (AP) — A drug ring that two Indiana inmates allegedly ran behind bars using cellphones to orchestrate drug purchases and sales shows the risks posed by the widespread problem of the phones being smuggled into the nation's prisons,... Chris Burke, a spokesman for the Federal Bureau of Prisons, said the federal agency is reviewing new technology that might be able to detect contraband cellphones at its 117 prisons around the country. Indiana Department of Correction spokesman Doug Garrison said hundreds of cellphones are seized each year from inside Indiana's prisons and many more elude detection. Contraband cellphones are so common that even Charles Manson, one of the nation's most notorious inmates, has been caught at least twice with cellphones in the California prison where he's serving a life sentence for his role in the 1969 murders... In one May 2012 call, Addler stayed on the phone with a woman "throughout the duration" of a drug deal as she sold about 20 grams of heroin at a truck stop in Crawfordsville, Ind. The indictment alleges that Perez, who's serving time for murder and criminal gang activity, and Addler, who was convicted on drug and gun charges, instructed their co-defendant on the details of transferring money for drug purchases and how and... Federal prosecutors declined Thursday to comment on the indictment, including whether additional people, including prison guards, might be charged. "There's been criminal activity being orchestrated from prison as well as actual threats to individuals," said the Houston Republican who's vice chairwoman of the Texas Senate's Criminal Justice Committee. A total of 40 people were indicted on drug-related charges, including distribution of heroin, methamphetamine, PCP and other drugs. "It's very frustrating to us that we can't have the local control, state control, to regulate our prisons the way we'd like to see them regulated.

Source: U.S. News & World Report

T-Mobile USA to Offer Unlimited HSPA+ Data From Sept. 5

24.05.13

The new plan will cost US$20 per month when added to a value voice and text plan or $30 per month when added to a classic voice and text plan, according to T-Mobile. The only catch is that the data plan doesn't include the ability to use the smartphone as a mobile hotspot. New customers can purchase any smartphone, and current T-Mobile subscribers on classic or value plans can upgrade by adding the Unlimited Nationwide 4G Data plan. On Tuesday, MetroPCS also unveiled a 4G LTE service plan that includes unlimited talk, text and 4G LTE data for only $55 per month for a single line. For example, a value plan, which doesn't include smartphone subsidies, with unlimited talk and text combined with unlimited data will cost $69. T-Mobile USA reported net customer losses of 205,000 in the second quarter, compared to 50,000 net customer losses in the second quarter of 2011. The HSPA+ plan is designed to satisfy both data-hungry users and those that want the peace of mind of never having to keep track of their data usage, it said. For users that want a subsidized smartphone, a classic plan with unlimited talk, text and data will cost $89.

Source: PCWorld