Alleged ‘drug kingpin’ arrested

Alleged ‘ drug kingpin’ eluded the law for decades, feds say. Then he needed a passport

The alleged leader in a nationwide conspiracy to smuggle narcotics on a railroad line had eluded authorities for decades.

Howard Farley Jr. was considered to be the “drug kingpin” of the Southern Line, but he escaped arrest while 73 others faced indictments by a Nebraska federal grand jury in 1985, officials say.

Known as “Big H,” Farley organized a drug ring to ship cocaine north from Florida, the Lincoln Journal reported at the time. Investigators turned their attention to Farley during a probe of a Peru man and two University of Nebraska students convicted of dealing cocaine, the newspaper reported.

But even as law enforcement nabbed other suspects in the operation, Farley went undetected — until now.

On Wednesday, authorities arrested Farley as he was boarding a private plane at his home in Weirsdale, Florida, a town of 3,000 about 60 miles northwest of Orlando.

They were tipped off to his location after Farley tried to renew his passport in February. A passport agency discovered the name and Social Security number Farley listed in an application belonged to a 3-month-old baby who died in 1955, according to a criminal complaint.

Farley obtained a passport using the identity in 1987 and renewed it two times without a problem, according to the complaint. He also obtained a driver’s license and pilot’s license using the identity, authorities say.

Now Farley is charged with passport fraud.

However, Farley won’t face charges in the drug case because the indictment was dropped, a spokesperson for the U.S. Attorney for the District of Nebraska told NBC News. life, love and support meant to us. He was a person of deep faith, unmatched integrity, and incredible kindness. Harrison was the Kemp son and brother we never had.”

Kemp, who has three daughters, added, “2020 has been marked by adversity, tragedy and pain. For the Kemp Family, weathering this storm will be the most difficult challenge yet.”

Pooler police did not release the exact cause of the crash and are continuing to investigate, Heintzman said. She added that other passengers in Deal’s vehicle suffered minor injuries and were treated at the scene.

Deal, a University of Georgia student, appears in multiple social media posts with members of the Kemp family. According to his Facebook page, he graduated from Bulloch Academy in Statesboro. His father, Curt, is a Bulloch County commissioner.

EU-British trade talks ‘paused’ with threshold for deal not met

LONDON — The European Union and Britain said late on Friday their talks for a post- Brexit trade deal are “paused” due to a stubborn impasse over crucial issues, with only weeks left before a cliff-edge deadline that risks huge economic disruption.

After a week of intensive talks both sides agreed “that the conditions for an agreement are not met” at present, EU chief negotiator Michel Barnier and British counterpart David Frost wrote in a joint statement posted on Twitter. European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen and British Prime Minister Boris Johnson are to speak on Saturday afternoon to discuss the state of negotiations, according to Barnier and Frost.

Britain and the European Union are running out of time to reach an agreement that would cover terms of trade, but also police and justice cooperation and social security arrangements to name a few issues. Britain left the bloc formally at the end of January, but is still in the EU single market until Dec. 31. If there is no deal in place by this deadline, the harshest of tariffs and cumbersome custom checks would be reimposed, wreaking economic havoc.

As well as striking a deal, time is needed to ratify any agreement.

Progress this week continued to be blocked by three longstanding areas of discord, according to the negotiators’ statement; fisheries, the governance of disputes and competition assurances.

In recent days, media reports have speculated that the 27 EU member states are growing increasingly impatient and wary of making London too many concessions.