Laredo man sentenced for smuggling meth in lunch tacos
July 9, 2021
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A Laredoan has been sentenced to prison for attempting to smuggle meth in his lunch tacos, according to court documents.
Nicolas Castro Jr., 31, pleaded guilty on Nov. 30 to importation of meth and conspiracy to import meth. On Friday, U.S. District Judge Diana Saldaña sentenced him to 87 months in prison.
In handing down the sentence, Saldaña noted Castro’s background and her concerns about how he graduated to drug smuggling after a prior conviction for human smuggling, according to the U.S. Attorney’s Office.
The case unfolded on Sept. 8, when Castro arrived at the Gateway to the Americas International Bridge via the pedestrian lane. U.S. Customs and Border Protection officers referred him to secondary inspection.
A federal appeals court has ruled the Kentucky Department of Corrections can deny a life-saving medication for inmates with hepatitis C because it is expensive a decision a dissenting judge says will condemn hundreds of prisoners to long-term organ damage and suffering.
In a 2-1 ruling, the 6th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals panel said Tuesday the department can deny the treatment, which cures nearly 100% of patients but costs $13,000 to $32,000.
The majority found that denying it to most of Kentucky’s 1,200 inmates with hepatitis C does not constitute cruel and unusual punishment in violation of the Eighth Amendment.
But in a sharply worded dissent, Judge Jane Stranch of Nashville said by “flouting the recognized standard of care,” the Corrections Department “consigns thousands of prisoners with symptomatic, chronic HCV to years of additional suffering and irreversible liver scarring.”
National News
Appeals court upholds prison rationing of hepatitis C treatment
The Kentucky Department of Corrections can deny a life-saving but expensive hepatitis C medication to inmates, a federal appeals court ruled in a split decision. The dissenting judge in last week s 2-1 ruling at the 6th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals said the majority s opinion will condemn hundreds of prisoners to long-term organ damage and suffering, The Courier-Journal reported.
by Associated Press
Jul. 10 2021 @ 7:31pm
CINCINNATI The Kentucky Department of Corrections can deny a life-saving but expensive hepatitis C medication to inmates, a federal appeals court ruled in a split decision. The dissenting judge in last week s 2-1 ruling at the 6th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals said the majority s opinion will condemn hundreds of prisoners to long-term organ damage and suffering, The Courier-Journal reported.
National News
Appeals court upholds rationing of hepatitis C treatment
CINCINNATI (AP) The Kentucky Department of Corrections can deny a life-saving but expensive hepatitis C medication to inmates, a federal appeals court ruled in a split decision.
Jul. 10 2021 @ 11:05pm
CINCINNATI (AP) The Kentucky Department of Corrections can deny a life-saving but expensive hepatitis C medication to inmates, a federal appeals court ruled in a split decision. The dissenting judge in this month’s 2-1 ruling at the 6th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals said the majority’s opinion will condemn hundreds of prisoners to long-term organ damage and suffering, the Courier-Journal reported.
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