PULSE POINTS:
❓What Happened: Tommy Robinson has been charged with harassing two men, a day after a judge ruled he could be released from prison early.
👥 Who’s Involved: Tommy Robinson, Kent Police, and Jamal Hijazi.
Your free, daily feed from The National Pulse.
📍 Where & When: Incidents occurred in England in July 2024 and August 2024; Robinson is currently held at HMP Woodhill, Milton Keynes.
⚠️ Impact: Robinson faces new legal challenges ahead of his release from prison next week.
IN FULL:
Tommy Robinson has been charged with two new counts of harassment causing fear of violence, just one day after a judge ruled he could be released from prison early. The charges are linked to incidents in August 2024.
Robinson, currently incarcerated in His Majesty’s Prison (HMP) Woodhill in Milton Keynes, England, is also accused of refusing to provide the PIN code for his mobile phone during a July 2024 stop by Kent Police in Folkestone.
The development comes as Robinson is set to be released next week after his sentence was reduced. He was initially jailed in October after he repeated allegations he had made against a Syrian migrant, Jamal Hijazi, previously ruled to be defamatory in a civil case. Robinson alleged Hijazi attacked girls at a school in Huddersfield, and produced a documentary defending these allegations after Hijazi successfully sued him, and a court issued an injunction barring Robinson from repeating the claims.
Robinson has been repeatedly targeted by police and prosecutors in recent years, sometimes on highly dubious pretexts. A case against him, brought on the basis that he refused an unlawful police order to leave a protest because his mere presence could cause distress, collapsed shortly before his most recent imprisonment.
PULSE POINTS:
❓What Happened: The Trump administration sanctioned two top members of Cartel del Noreste, a violent Mexican drug cartel and U.S.-designated foreign terrorist organization.
👥 Who’s Involved: Miguel Angel de Anda Ledzema and Ricardo Gonzalez Sauceda, leaders of Cartel del Noreste; U.S. Treasury Department; Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC); Homeland Security Investigations (HSI); Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF); Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA); Mexico’s Financial Intelligence Unit.
Your free, daily feed from The National Pulse.
📍 Where & When: Sanctions announced Wednesday; Cartel del Noreste operates near the Laredo, Texas border region.
💬 Key Quote: “We will continue to cut off the cartels’ ability to obtain the drugs, money, and guns that enable their violent activities,” Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent said.
⚠️ Impact: The sanctions aim to disrupt Cartel del Noreste’s operations, including drug trafficking, arms procurement, and violence on both sides of the U.S.-Mexico border.
IN FULL:
The Trump administration has imposed sanctions on two senior leaders of the Cartel del Noreste, a violent Mexican drug cartel and designated foreign terrorist organization, according to an announcement from the U.S. Treasury Department on Wednesday.
The Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC) targeted Miguel Angel de Anda Ledzema and Ricardo Gonzalez Sauceda for their roles in facilitating the cartel’s operations. Officials say the group exerts significant control over the border area near Laredo, Texas.
Ledzema, a high-ranking cartel member, was identified as overseeing the acquisition and trafficking of firearms into Mexico. According to the Treasury Department, he coordinated payments to U.S.-based straw purchasers who misrepresented themselves to obtain weapons, later smuggling them into Nuevo Laredo. One such weapon was reportedly recovered after a March 2024 cartel attack on the Mexican military.
Sauceda, previously second-in-command of the cartel, was arrested in February by Mexican authorities. He allegedly led an armed enforcement unit and was linked to violent assaults on Mexican military and police forces. At the time of his arrest, he was found with firearms, methamphetamine, and fentanyl pills.
Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent emphasized the administration’s commitment to confronting the cartel threat, stating, “We will continue to cut off the cartels’ ability to obtain the drugs, money, and guns that enable their violent activities.” Bessent also highlighted the cartel’s role in campaigns of violence, intimidation, and terrorism that endanger communities on both sides of the border.
The sanctions were coordinated with Homeland Security Investigations, the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives, the Drug Enforcement Administration, and Mexico’s Financial Intelligence Unit.
Paul Perez, President of the National Border Patrol Council, praised the administration’s actions, saying they fulfill President Donald J. Trump’s promise to prevent cartels from operating with impunity. “These actions deal a significant blow and send the message to all cartels that President Trump will follow through,” Perez stated.
show less