it wasn't like they made it out to be. when they came to me they got less than half a found. >> reporter: ultimately investigators discovered 250- pounds of high-grade marijuana destined for the streets of central maryland. >> two of the individuals that were indicted were supplies in howard county maryland. >> reporter: the drugs came out of mexico through arizona and arrived here in containers carrying every day appliances. >> the containers were legitimate on the outside. what they contained on the inside may have been a refrigerator or arcade game but it was inside that item that they had the marijuana sealed in packets inside. >> reporter: while tommy is already served a six month sentence for his role in the ring. millle-man ç> yçñwho ae53[n5:

shipments from ashes remains at large. investigators found drugs, guns and $350,000 of cash in his attic. they seized a forklift he was allegedly using to move the shipments around inside his garage. 'meanwhile he said he only purchased pot from boston to ease the pain from his back which caused him to go on disability three years ago. >> -ñ)jinstead of taking ox co tins or codeine i smoked a little weed to help me out. it helped me with depression and all that. that's why i'll selling my house now to move towards california where i can get it legally. >> as part of the investigation officers seized 14 gun, eight vehicles and two homes. tonight maryland is report reporting its 45th death from the h1n1 virus. department of health and mental

hygiene pkasays the death is adult from the baltimore area. it happened within the last week. the state flu death since february. health officials believe this death is a remind thier the virus is still really dangerous. there are more than 150 swine flu vaccination clinics scheduled for next week. for a list all you have to do is log on to abc2news.com. look for links mentioned on the air. pope benedict xvi lead holy thursday observances today at the vatican. the pontiff made no mention of the sexual abuse scandals swirling around the catholic church. other church officials are speaking out on his behalf fighting a tide of criticism that has now touched the pope himself. >> reporter: even as new revenuelations of abuse within the catholic church have arisen, this time in austria, the vatican is pushing back.

an article posted on the vatican website criticizes reports that the cardinal was to blame of a priest accused of molesting hundreds of deaf boys over three decades. the cardinal credits benedict 2j/ the church's profile on the stance, a favorite of pope john paul ii m%:ñhe was an accused pedophile. >> i think he used money the way some politicians do in spreading it to buy support for himself and his religious order. >> reporter: benedict was pressured not to investigate but went ahead any way in defiance of the vatican. >> he broke ranks and ordered an investigation. >> reporter: still, questions remain over benedict's handling of the murphy case. >> what did he know? when did he know it? what did he do about it?

>> reporter: questions that the pope so far has refused to confront. preferring instead to use his address to task his clergy with a highier calling. the layest latest in a deadly driveby shooting in washington, d.c. investigators say the crowd sprayed with bullets had just returned from a funeral of a man killed nearby. a 20-year-old is suspected in both shootings. two men and a 14-year-old boy were driving the minivan that fired shots into the crowd on tuesday night. one of the suspects in that shooting orlando carter is charged in the death of jordan how well. he was killed nine days ago over a missing goldwg+zcolored

bracelet. a soldier stationed at fort meade pleaded guilty to running a brothel. craig allen pleaded guilty to six trafficking and conspiracy to deliver drugs. he and three men in his hometown in ohio brought women to maryland to work as prostitutes. they say they also recruited a 16-year-old girl. corey is scheduled to be sentenced later this month. police in ann arundel county need your help trying to find five member men accused of robbing and beating a teenager. it happened this morning. the 16-year-old victim told officers she was talking with friends when a dark colored lexus pulled up. >> the driver got out. asked for a cigarette and appeared to assault the victim. at that point his companions fled to get assistance. occupants proceeded to get out of the vehicle as well and

assaulted the victim taking a cell phone and threing the area. >> if you have any information call metro crimestoppers at the number on the screen. tonight carroll county sheriff's office needs your help finding three people wanted in an identity theft scheme. authorities say these suspects and another assumed the identity of a ham stead couple and another person. they were making fake drivers licenses and withdrawing thousands of dollars from several bank accounts. deputies say last september the suspects stole wallet, purses and other valuables from the cars parked at the athletic club. in november they used the victim's drivers licenses to steal money from their bank accounts. if you have seen the suspects call the carroll county sheriff's office. a beautiful day and night in downtown baltimore. will this warm weather stick around for the weekend? wyatt is here with the first forecast. >> just beautiful sunny

weather. unseasonably warm into the mid and upper 70s today. tomorrow we are a couple degrees warmer. let's take a look at maryland's radar. also a look at the satellite view. just a few thin clouds north of baltimore. other than that just wide spread sapphire blue skies. beautiful conditions. temperature-wise we are close to 80 out toward frederick, hagerstown and winchester. on the eastern shoring looking at 60s. rest of the evening upper 60s. nice conditions. sunset 7:30. you have time to get out there and enjoy mighty fine weather. how does easter weekend shape up? we'll have that answer in a couple. the maryland house of delegates is considering amendments to the state budget. some members of the house appropriations committee say that lawmakers have failed to cut enough. they say they'll push for amendments to cut the budget

further. the fit -- committee says it is important to cut more this session because the state will be running at of federal stimulus dollars. so far they cut fighting pollution in the chesapeake bay. mall owner and operator general growth properties which run several malls in the baltimore area is scag federal bankruptcy court to allow it to come out of chapter 11. baltimore business journal reports three companies including the asset company agreed to invest $6.55 billion into the company. g.g.p. is based in chicago. but runs malls nation-wide including towsend town center, mall in columbia and the owens mills mall. congress passed the healthcare reform bill twice. president obama signed it twice. but he still tried to convince some sceptics about healthcare reform.

the president made a stop in portland, maine today selling the plans benefits the protections. >> this healthcare tax credit is projobs and probusiness and it starts this year. >> the president dispelled what the white house calls healthcare myths including the bills high cost driving small companies out of business. obama emphasized the tax credits that will help small businesses. most recent polls show americans still remain divided about the reform. today is april fool's day. the government says there is no excuse to be foolish about the census. only half of us have done so. census officials are trying hard to round up the stragglers. today the census director visited a washington, d.c. restaurant to collect census form and encourage others across the country to fill out the forms. he says it census determines

more that how many people are in the country. >> political power will be edition-- predistricted. >> it would save $17.5 million if everyone would mail their in. april fool's joke upset folks in baltimore county. sales tax on soda is supposed to keep kids out of the soda aisle. a new study finding the tax does not work. in tonight's health alert find a better way to keep kids away 's=2from the sugary drinks our extreme competition continues. we'll introduce you to a couple who is trying to shed some pounds. looking at dundalk currently sitting at 66 degrees. wyatt's got details on your complete forecast coming up in a few. [ male announcer ] it's our hottest offer of the season,

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a look at news around the nation takes to us tennessee have surveillance video shows a couple walking up to an suv and breaking in and taking out a radio. seems like a run-of-the-mill crime scene until you see the video. boy and girl under the age of 12 watched the crime happen in front of them. police arrested the couple. a bold thief is caught on camera. the woman was getting ready to buy the coffee. when the clerk walked away she grabbed the jar and shoved it into her purse. the money was suppose to go to grant wishes for terminally ill children. crews poured water on near near-by buildings in hopes of keeping the flames from spreading. they were able to

get the fire under control. cause tonight is still under investigation. the extreme brickover is on. all the contestants in the first week lost weight. if you are unfamiliar with the competition it challenges couples to loose as much weight as they can in eight weeks. this week magan pringle wants you to meet the fosters. >> reporter: to tell you about this couple on the treadmill, the fosters, we'll take a stroll back in time when they met in the market in the spring of 2006. >> it was her face. you saw a brightness with her that wanted me to go toward her. that drew me to her. >> reporter: they have been married for three years. they will tell you they have as much fun now as they did when they first met. >> he's is genuine.

i couldn't imagine going through the program without him. >> you look like you are comfortable. >> reporter: talking about their latest adventure, extreme brick over a competition to loose as much weight as possible. >> i want to get in a bathing suit. i have not been in one since our honeymoon. i have to go out of this country to get in one. i definitely wouldn't happen in this country. i want to be healthy but i want to look really good. >> pick up the pace quicker. >> reporter: paired up with a personal trainer. >> they are awesome. they are everything that i asked them for they done. >> reporter: getting fit comes with sacrifice. >> i'm going to miss the fried chicken. >> i'm going to miss the pork chops.

>> pick up the pace quicker. >> reporter: they are doing exercises they have never done before. most admit while they are giving up a lot they are gaining so much more. she wants a long healthy life not for just her son and daughter but her kids she teaches at school. >> we have a big family. >> reporter: darnell has got to be around for a long time. >> my wife and i need to be here. it is hard-pressed for me to know somebody else has her. i need to stay here as long as i can so i'll be able to keep her. >> reporter: magan pringle abc

2 news. >> every week we'll introduce you to a pair of new contestants. it is a pair of cousins from baltimore county is in first place. you can follow our extreme brick over on the website. type in abc2news.com/brick bodies. he had personalty didn't he? a lot of people think target swim about the swim suit season. beautiful skies outside. look at the national aquarium down downtown. getting the swim suits ready. flip-flops, what have you. you need them. 72 for a temperature right now. that's balmy at bwi marshall.

not as warm as we expected today. cool start this morning. we didn't quite get to the mid 70s. low 70s is where we ended up. 30.03 pressure. beautiful shot looking north. people packed along the cox there. look at chesapeake beach today. while we are on the beach and swim suit theme we have waves coming in. people out and about taking a walk down the beach. upper 70s. those were the highs today in many of your weather net locations. you can see right along the chesapeake much cooler. annapolis 63. 71 perry hall and aberdeen. warmer west and southwest.

looks like gaithersburg and bethesda cracked the 80-degree mark. bwi marshall could not get out of the low 70s. boundary flairing off of the chesapeake. winds light across the state around 5 to 10. maryland's radar all clear. that's going to continue to be the case. satellite radar view we have to go up into central pennsylvania to find any cloud cover. partly cloudy york into harrisburg. we'll take you across the mid atlantic across the east. clear skies in kentucky, tennessee and chicago a few thin clouds here. if you look closely this line of cloud cover. that is huge dome of high pressure back across the entire southeast. that is why we are having so much sunshine and beautiful weather. warmer weather west of the dome of high pressure. you can see mid 80s many many spots. 48 mostly clear skies.

outlook for the next seven days. warmer into the easter weekend. >> thank you very much, wyatt. imagine coming home from vacation to find your house ransacked? it happened to one boston company. how the vandals used the internet to crash a classmate's party 7%f6if you are looking t a new house, home buyer tax credit is still available. find out what you need to know before you sign on the dotted line. [ male announcer ] it's our hottest offer of the season,

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with 100% fiber optics straight to your home you'll get an amazing hd picture, america's top rated internet and phone. all for just $99.99 a month. enjoy tons of your favorite shows and channels. fios brings facebook and twitter right to your tv. also, check sports, weather and traffic without interrupting your show. you'll get tv with four times more very satisfied customers than comcast. get it all for just $99.99 a month -- guaranteed for 2 years! plus a multi-room dvr and set top box -- free for six months. don't wait. this incredible offer ends soon. call 1-866-932-fios. that's 1-866-932-fios. call the verizon center for customers with disabilities at 800.974.6006 tty/v. this is beyond cable. this is fios.

we have new stories for you tonight at 5:30. i'll roosevelt leftwich . dundalk were sold to city of baltimore for $25,000. how this april fool's joke really made some folks angry. pnlhand what's the worse company in the universe when it comes to customer service? we'll show you how to vote on the company that angers you the most. these stories and wyatt's forecast and a lot of good things are all coming your way at 5:30. in tonight's health alert hiking the sales tax on soft drinks really has done lit to deter conception by children. that's the word from researchers tonight what say there is a better way to nudge thirsty kids a i way from the

soda aisle. corporation fud did sales taxes on soft drinks currently collected in some states are not sufficient enough to decrease obesity among children or curb consumption of sugar sweetened soft drinks. children drink an average of six sodas a week. some reported drinking none during the week. some reported drinking two a day. amount purchased at schools was small. they have had little effect on the consumption of soda since the taxes of 3.5 took effect. however highier taxes in some states reduced soda consumption and curbed the weight gain on groups of children. in order for soda taxes to be

effective they should increase the shelf life of the product rather than a sales tax collected at the register. with this medical minute i'm dr. tong. you can now order coffee using your i-phone. 5 [ male announcer ] how do the editors of consumers digest

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