News briefs

Marijuana drug bust in Tijuana

Last week Mexican President Felipe Calderon called Tijuana one of the few successful cities in the country's ongoing drug war. One week later, the city was home to the one of Mexico's largest marijuana busts in recent years.

The seizure occurred after a convoy of vehicles carrying the drug began firing on police. After the gunfire, 11 people were arrested and released other addresses in the city connected with the drug ring.

In the end, police were able to confiscate 105 tons of marijuana wrapped in over 10,000 separate packages. Officials are still in the process of tallying the exact weight of the enormous marijuana seizure. The street value of this much marijuana could exceed $340 million.

The packages found in the vehicles and homes were apparently color-coded and had different images and markings on them. One symbol used was the cartoon character, Homer Simpson. The differences in the packages may have designated the destination or recipient of the marijuana.

Marijuana production has increasingly become a problem in Mexico as more drug cartels are growing the drug on their own instead of having to smuggle it from South America.

The gangs involved in the raid and the origin of marijuana have not yet been released. The marijuana will be incinerated after every package is registered.

Four Lokos under scrutiny

With as much caffeine as a large Red Bull and the equivalent of four beers, Four Lokos have become a college student favorite known as "blackout-in-a-can." However, with a recent ban on the drink at a New Jersey college, Four Lokos may become a thing of the past.

New Jersey's Ramapo College banned the energy drink/alcohol hybrid after 23 students were hospitalized for alcohol related issues, many of which stemmed from overindulgence in Four Lokos. Ramapo College President Peter Mercer referring to the drink as having "no social purpose."

Four Lokos are available with up to 12 percent alcohol and a range of flavors that appeal to a younger demographic. This combination is prompting politicians to question both the drink and its marketing technique.

Michigan, Montana, Utah and other states are restricting access to the drink and pushing for better labels. Currently, Four Loko labels don't inform the customer about the effects of the unsafe combination of alcohol, a depressant, and caffeine, a stimulant.

Sen. Charles Schumer, D-NY, and the Food and Drug Administration are also looking into the safety of consuming the drink and the way that it is marketed. These investigations may lead to further bans of the product in the future.

The drink's low cost and fruity flavors have led to an explosion in popularity in colleges and even in high schools around the country.

Serving pizzas instead of jail time

The Buffalo City Mission will have free pizza delivered weekly for the next year. Beginning this week, one dozen sheet pizzas will feed the diners of the mission courtesy of Jacob J. Jacobbi. And it isn't out of the kindness of his heart.

From March 2004 until May 2008, Jacobbi, 57, of Buffalo, withheld $104,295.31 in taxes from the state. In August, he pled guilty to third-degree larceny. At that time, Jacobbi presented an initial payment to the state and has since repaid $51,073.

However, in his recent sentencing, Jacobbi received a different form of punishment in a bizarre form of community service. Jacobbi is the operator of Casa-Di-Pizza located on Elmwood Avenue. Instead of serving any jail time, Jacobbi was ordered by a judge to deliver his pizzas to the Buffalo City Mission. The judge also ordered Jacobbi to make 12 monthly payments of $4,400 to the Department of Taxation and Finance.

Jacobbi had faced as many as seven years in prison. The judge told the restaurant owner that he is able to choose what toppings he puts on the pizzas.

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