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The Review Geek
a day ago
- Entertainment
- The Review Geek
The Waterfront – Season 1 Episode 2 'Taking Control' Recap & Review
Taking Control Episode 2 of The Waterfront begins with authorities finding Curtis and Troy's bodies in the water. While the authorities chalk this up to a freak accident – including the DEA agents in the area – Clyde takes Cane and Harlan aside to talk about their next run. Even with the DEA still in town, things are hot and the Buckleys want to wait before running more drugs. Unfortunately, Porter isn't taking no for an answer and they don't have much of a choice but to go ahead as scheduled. Speaking to Belle about their financial issues, Harlan learns they're four months behind on both mortgages and two months behind on the loan. They really are up shit's creek given their debts amount to about 6.8 million. Willis at National has given them a three-month extension to prevent them defaulting, but they need to find about $2 million to keep afloat. Harlan though believes they can make it work by cutting Porter out of this and going right to the source. Harlan wants to negotiate with the buyer and have their own supply line. Belle though, has another idea. She wants to partner with a developer called Wes Larsen to expand and invest in building out the beachfront. This would eventually solve all their financial issues, but Harlan is adamant that the land isn't to be worked on. As we soon find out, Belle has already gone ahead with this and spoken to Wes in private behind her husband's back. An ongoing issue here stems from Bree, who works in the restaurant. She has an estranged relationship with her son, Diller, and Harlan wants to help try and patch things up between them. That's difficult to do given there's a restraining order in place for her, but Diller is offered a job working at the fish shop. Bree has been hitting the booze hard and has been in and out of rehab, where she met Marcus, the DEA agent. He's also an ex addict so the pair have a lot in common. It seems the apple doesn't fall far from the tree, does it? Bree meets with Marcus at a motel and after destroying the dresser together in a fit of passion, they talk about the case. Marcus doesn't see this going anywhere but Bree is adamant they're onto something. She wants to expose and get Cane out the business, whom she has a grudge with. She's okay with Belle and Harlan though, but the reason for her resentment toward her brother is still unclear. Bree breaks into Cane's office while he's out doing his drug run, intending to take incriminating documents or evidence of wrongdoing. This includes the deed for the boat changing hands. Harlan and Cane work together to do their drug run, unaware of what's going on back at shore. Harlan is taking absolutely no chances though, handing over guns and deciding they need to be ready. Unfortunately, they're ten kilos under the scheduled weight and things look set to kick off. That is, until Cane convinces them to ring Owen and smooth things over. Instead of ringing Porter though, they call a guy called Grady, and he allows them to leave unharmed. It seems like he's the one who's really pulling the strings here. We soon learn that this definitely was a stick-up, and when Harlan finds out, he's pissed. He confronts Porter about it and smacks him across the mouth. Sporting a bloodied mouth, he admits he likes to see the Buckleys struggling like this and talks a big game. That is, until Harlan mentions Grady's name. Harlan wants to meet with him and refuses to do more runs with Porter until he organizes this. That night, Cane meets with Jenna ready for dinner with their partners. Both are nervous and decide to do some shots and eat a gummy to loosen up. Unfortunately, they loosen a bit too much, making things super uncomfortable for their prospective partners. Less uncomfortable though is the meeting with West and Belle. They wind up kissing outside in a it of passion as the development deal looks set to go ahead. When Belle heads back inside, composing herself, she finds Shawn, the new bartender, in a heated conversation with someone on the phone. Belle has been suspicious of him all episode, given he's new in town and clearly doesn't know how to pour drinks properly. His CV also has glaring holes too. When Belle confronts him about this, she demands answers. Well, it turns out Shawn is actually the estranged son of Harlan. That night, Harlan and Cane hash out their issues together. While Harlan sees his son as a fool for running his mouth, Cane believes honesty, or at least honour among thieves, is their best policy. The pair clearly don't see eye to eye and their chat doesn't go well, especially when Cane admits he's glad he's not like his pa. As the episode closes out, Bree shows up to see Marcus and hands over the USB drive that has evidence of wrongdoing from her brother. At the same time, Peyton is approached by a couple of masked figures who douse her in gasoline with a trail heading off to the road and they light a match. The Episode Review Alas, the plot thickens! It's clear now that Grady is the one in charge and it could well be his men that have shown up and threatened Peyton. It's a harsh reminder of who's in charge and Harlan is right in one respect – being a snitch in this line of work is going to end badly. The drama involving the family is starting to get interesting though, with Belle's ties with Wes, Bree's relationship with Marcus and the ongoing sexual tension between Jenna and Cane, looking set to cause big drama going forward and completely implode the family dynamics. Everything here is set up on a precarious knife-edge – roll on the next episode! Previous Episode Next Episode Expect A Full Season Write-Up When This Season Concludes!
Daily Mail
a day ago
- Daily Mail
EXCLUSIVE Extreme violence of Liverpool's most feared gang and their 'police insider "piggy"' exposed in astonishing texts
Three masked men jump out of a white van while a fourth, disguised as a delivery driver, approaches a house carrying a parcel. Seconds later, they burst inside before making off with £1million of cocaine. But the robbers hadn't targeted any ordinary gang - the drugs belonged to the Huyton Firm, which since its founding in the late 1990s had risen to become one of Merseyside's most feared and powerful criminal outfits. Your browser does not support iframes.
CBC
11-06-2025
- Politics
- CBC
More funding first, says Charlottetown police about joining new P.E.I. joint enforcement unit
Social Sharing Charlottetown police Chief Brad MacConnell says he's seen the province fund various policing initiatives, but that funding is often not sustained, leaving police departments on the hook for commitments made by the province. Last month, a letter sent by MacConnell and Charlottetown Mayor Philip Brown to Justice Minister Bloyce Thompson was made public. It outlined some of the reasons why the Charlottetown Police Services would not be joining a new Joint Enforcement Team aimed at tackling the illicit drug trade and organized crime. The team is made up of members from Summerside Police Services, the Kensington police agency and RCMP. The province is spending $800,000 on the project. MacConnell has seen similar initiatives in the past and they haven't worked out, he said, such as when the previous provincial government created a similar group to tackle biker gangs. "The government had certainly the best intentions to form a task force to deal with outlaw motorcycle gangs, but I can tell you logistically it broke down. Partners retreated. Bikers are still here. And Charlottetown police were left with expectations to try to manage that," he said. "We certainly realize drug enforcement and drug issues are at the forefront of Islanders' minds. While we agree in the spirit of this initiative, we have concerns over logistics, over sustainability of the model." 'We'd like those core issues addressed' MacConnell pointed out despite Charlottetown police not being part of the program, there is still a lot of collaboration such as Charlottetown aiding with technology and digital forensics. "There are some core fundamental policing issues that have to be addressed in regarding the funding of policing here on Prince Edward Island, especially in the capital area, and Charlottetown in particular," he said. "So, we'd like those, you know, core issues addressed before we jump into a situation where we're increasing public expectation and we're not going to be able to deliver." The province had previously provided funding for four Charlottetown police officers to help patrol the area around the Community Outreach Centre on Park Street. There were two more which were going to be funded, but because of city council voting against keeping those services running, that money never came through, MacConnell said. MacConnell also thinks Charlottetown police aren't being recognized for the role they play in drug enforcement already, he said. "Our drug enforcement teams are out pacing any of the other drug enforcement units, I think, in Atlantic Canada. Certainly, I think there is a lack of recognition for that, for the great work Charlottetown is doing," MacConnell said. "I think it is quite unfair for the province at this point to cast any shadow over the city of Charlottetown and our police services when we are just trying to meet the demands of our own mandates." Council questions lack of consultation The issue came up during the regular meeting of Charlottetown's city council on Tuesday night. Coun. Terry Bernard wanted council to have a role in deciding if the city's police would be part of the program. "Decisions are being made that we know nothing about. That's not the way council is supposed to operate. It's more of a concern for me that the process here is you have a level of government asking another level of government, 'Will you join us?' And so, it is not up to staff or the mayor alone to make that decision to say, 'No, we're not.' It's council as a collective," Bernard said during the meeting. Deputy Mayor Alanna Jankov backed up Bernard's position, saying she would have liked to know about the letter and that it could be "politicized" in the P.E.I. Legislature before Thompson made it public. Brown didn't think the letter he signed would be made public by Thompson, he said. "I thought there was a breach there between the two offices," Brown said during the meeting, adding that he thought the correspondence was going to be private. "The chief assisted with the response because of his background in this field." MacConnell believes the matter was operational in nature and didn't need to come to council for approval, though he acknowledges more information should have been provided on what the province was asking city police to do.
The Independent
28-05-2025
- Business
- The Independent
Southeast Asia's illicit methamphetamine trade is at a record high, the UN says
The illicit trade in methamphetamine and other dangerous drugs is growing by leaps and bounds in Southeast Asia, with record levels of seizures serving as an indicator of the scale, U.N experts on the drug trade said in a new report Wednesday. Methamphetamine seizures, primarily in Southeast Asia, totaled 236 tons in 2024, a 24% increase over 2023. The increase applied to both crystal methamphetamine and methamphetamine tablets, the latter priced for a mass market, going for as little as U.S. $0.60 apiece in Myanmar. About 1 billion tablets were seized last year in Thailand. 'The sustained flood of methamphetamine to markets in the region has been driven by industrial-scale production and trafficking networks operated by agile, well-resourced transnational organized criminal groups,' says the report by the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime, or UNODC. 'We are clearly seeing unprecedented levels of methamphetamine production and trafficking from the Golden Triangle, in particular Myanmar's Shan State," Benedikt Hofmann, UNODC acting regional representative, said in a statement. The 'Golden Triangle,' where the borders of Myanmar, Laos and Thailand meet, is famous for the production of opium and heroin, which flourished largely because the remote location and lax law enforcement. In recent decades, methamphetamine has supplanted it because it is easier to make on an industrial scale. Myanmar's civil war fueled trafficking growth What has turbocharged growth of the methamphetamine trade has been the political situation in Myanmar, where the army's February 2021 seizure of power has led to civil war. That has caused the flow of drugs to surge 'across not only East and Southeast Asia, but also increasingly into South Asia, in particular Northeast India,' the new report says. At the same time in Myanmar 'there is a degree of stability in certain parts of the country, especially those known for large-scale synthetic drug production,' Hofmann said, adding that the combination has 'created favorable conditions for the expansion of drug production." The report says traffickers have diversified routes to markets, both within Southeast Asia and beyond. Drugs are increasingly trafficked from Myanmar to Cambodia, mostly through Laos, as well as though maritime routes 'linking Malaysia, Indonesia, and the Philippines, with Sabah in Malaysia serving as a key transit hub.' Other drugs enter from beyond the region The report says some drugs enter the region from outside, including the 'Golden Crescent,' another major drug production area covering remote mountainous regions of Afghanistan, Pakistan and eastern Iran. Crystal methamphetamine from the Golden Crescent has been found in Southeast Asian nations including the Philippines, as well as in Japan and South Korea. North America has been the origin for methamphetamine found in Indonesia, Hong Kong, China, Japan, the Philippines and South Korea, involving trafficking by Mexican cartels, the report says. Traffickers have 'shown business acumen by leveraging digital tools and emerging technologies to facilitate and profit from the illicit trade in synthetic drugs,' it says, and some trafficking groups infiltrate legitimate businesses or set up front companies. One major development is the growing convergence between trafficking organized crime groups and those offering services such as underground banking, the report says.
Washington Post
28-05-2025
- Business
- Washington Post
Southeast Asia's illicit methamphetamine trade is at a record high, the UN says
BANGKOK — The illicit trade in methamphetamine and other dangerous drugs is growing by leaps and bounds in Southeast Asia , with record levels of seizures serving as an indicator of the scale, U.N experts on the drug trade said in a new report Wednesday. Methamphetamine seizures, primarily in Southeast Asia, totaled 236 tons in 2024, a 24% increase over 2023. The increase applied to both crystal methamphetamine and methamphetamine tablets, the latter priced for a mass market, going for as little as U.S. $0.60 apiece in Myanmar . About 1 billion tablets were seized last year in Thailand.
