They stayed in various hotels and exchanged the cash for high quality marijuana from Mexico. Photo from news conference announcing the seizure of 254 pounds of fentanyl at the Port of Nogales border crossing in Arizona. Items recovered include drug paraphernalia items, 66 grams of meth, 39 grams of marijuana, 1 shotgun, 1 "sawed off" shotgun & 1 "defaced" handgun. or redistributed. 2023 FOX News Network, LLC. They would drive to Arizona, and Rodgers would fly various cities in that state and monitor the progress of his crew. Copyright 2023 Nexstar Media Inc. All rights reserved. [Garland County Sheriff's Department, Vinelink], How you can stay safe in the event of severe weather, Technical difficulties: THV11 experiencing over the air issue, Strong to severe thunderstorms to impact Arkansas starting Wednesday, Your Arkansas weather forecast from THV11. The U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) partnered with California law enforcement to shut down major cartel-tied illegal marijuana grow operations in Southern California on Tuesday. Congressmen Jay Obernolte (CA-08) and Mike Garcia (CA-25) to Attorney General Merrick Garland asking that the federal government take action to address the growing crisis and prosecute illegal growers to the fullest extent of the law. They found a large amount of methamphetamine and firearms inside the home. Two men were arrested: Jesus Carrillo-Pineda, 31, of Philadelphia and Daniel Vasquez, 28, of Somerton, Ariz.. After pleading guilty, Carrillo-Pineda was sentenced to 10 years in prison and Vasquez was sentenced to six years. Follow him on Twitterhere. BENSALEM, Pennsylvania (WPVI) -- Bensalem police arrested two suspects and shut down an alleged drug operation running out of an apartment complex on Knights Road. Along . This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, The investigation initially began with an anonymous tip about the sale of narcotics from the Bucks Meadow Apartment complex. Numerous other suspects not related to the Galo, Hooks, or Stringer organizations were also arrested in Garland County for meth and or firearms violations during this operation, Lawrence said, many of whom have previous felony convictions for narcotics sales. February 22, 2020 at 3:00 a.m. VIDEO | Portnoy: Delucas the real deal, Man dies from gunshot wound following alleged disturbance, FLFD chiefs resignation prompts walk out, WATCH | LH hosts Career and Technical Education Showcase, Man, woman trespassing in abandoned building arrested on felony drug charges. Officials say over the course of the investigation, they were able to make numerous purchases of meth from Matone. San Diego County, Calif., 97 pounds. The 188 pounds of drugs were worth about $30 million. When they drove back to Dallas, the compartment in the trailer would be stuffed with 1000 pounds of marijuana. Greene said that at this point those charges will continue to be pursued.. Well if this is helping, I would hate to see what not helping looks like, Graham said. Bensalem officers said they conducted surveillance of the building for weeks, witnessing numerous drug transactions from apartment #5-11. According to authorities, investigators identified Matone several months prior as the primary distributor of methamphetamine from the home. Federal involvement in the fight against dangerous illegal grow operations comes directly following a request made by U.S. . On Tuesday, the Lee County Sheriff's Office (LCSO) announced operation 'curbside crackdown' lead to 50 arrests in a massive narcotics and gun bust at a North Fort Myers drug house. Due to their near-monopoly of fentanyl trafficking in the United States, senators like Roger Marshall (R-KS) and Rick Scott (R-FL), as well as Rep. Chip Roy (R-TX), have sought to have the State Department designate the Mexican drug cartels as foreign terrorist organizations akin to the Islamic State, al-Quaeda, and Boko Haram. Items recovered during the arrests include drug paraphernalia items, 66 grams of methamphetamine, and 39 grams of marijuana, one shotgun, one sawed off shotgun and one defaced handgun. We supplied the ATF a packet with names, connections flow charts of how this is working, all on the drug end, Zeybel said. Due to their near-monopoly of fentanyl trafficking in the United States, senators like Roger Marshall (R-KS) and Rick Scott (R-FL), as well as Rep. Chip Roy (R-TX), have sought to have the State Department designate the Mexican drug cartels as foreign terrorist organizations akin to the Islamic State, al-Quaeda, and Boko Haram. Learn about 6 of the biggest fentanyl busts in the U.S., whose combined doses are deadly enough to kill 229 Americans. The drug task force in Garland County along with the Hot Springs police SWAT team executed narcotics search warrants at two homes yesterday. Over the last two weeks, the Sheriffs Department has had two incidents where suspects at grow locations fired weapons at patrol deputies who were responding to nearby calls for service. daily across California, contributing to water depletion as the state heads into what could be the worst drought in state history. The work on this cash seizure case started with a great deal of police surveillance and the case grew from that point. Later, investigators searched a storage unit nearby and found four safes that were stuffed with cash, with a total of $1 million. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. Arkansas Department of Community Corrections. Illegal firearm activity, officials indicate, declined but not the flow of drugs. Each of the agencies that were involved in this investigation got a share of the cash that was seized. Catch up on the developing stories making headlines. By clicking Sign Up, I confirmthat I have read and agreeto the Privacy Policy and Terms of Service. While executing the search warrant, suspects Ramiro Murillo Garcia and Wilfredo Sanchez were taken into custody without incident. Another 48 pounds of fentanyl mixed with heroin was also seized. Arkansas State Police. Investigators stated that those in the drug ring would go between Dallas and Arizona about three times each month. It took 18 months of daily intelligence updating to put the puzzle together. Legal Statement. MONTGOMERY COUNTY, Kan. (KAKE) - Nine people have been arrested in connection to a Montgomery County drug bust. The trooper who pulled over the truck described Geano-Minaya as nervous and shaking visibly in the truck as he questioned him. Greene said federal agencies have been fantastic in all of this as well., Zeybel cited great cooperation with outside agencies and said the intelligence provided to ATF was a years worth of worth. He appreciated that ATF accepted our work and realized how valuable it was. They were recently arrested and it resulted in the cash seizure of $1.7 million, which is one of the biggest seizures ever for Texas law enforcement. Forsyth County Sheriff Ron Freeman stood beside several other metro Atlanta sheriffs and officials from the GBI, FBI and Appalachian Regional Drug Enforcement Task Force to announce the bust. When buying cowboy boots, there are a few aspects to consider, such as how far up they go on your legs and their design. Tucker faces two separate PWID dockets in Warren County. PHILADELPHIA - U.S. authorities seized 33,000 pounds, or 15,000 kilograms, of cocaine from a ship at Philadelphia's port in what they described as one of the largest drug busts in American. In San Bernardino County, it would take our sheriffs department three years to investigate all the countys suspected grow sites. David Nathaniel Jones, 45, Andrew Carter Ownby, 25, and Hope Dockery, 19, all from Murphy, North Carolina, each face a count of trafficking fentanyl and trafficking methamphetamine. By Tori B. Powell. Half of the officers involved in the raid were Warren County Drug Task Force. Zeybel said they would return through Erie and drop to Titusville they all called Titusville T-Vegas and the meth spiderwebbed through the area to the end user. How to fight rising energy costs amid PGW rate hikes, Philadelphia PD search for 2 suspects after crash, assault, shooting, House panel votes to advance bill empowering Biden to ban TikTok. A US attorney from the Eastern District of Texas announced the demise of the drug ring at a recent news conference in Garland TX. The Farm doesnt cease. Mount Pine Police Department. The seizure came as the scourge of fentanyl continues to fueltheopioid epidemic,ravagingcommunities across the U.S. while killingtens of thousands of people. Arresting Agency. A Nebraska State Trooper stopped a tractor-trailer on I-80 on April 26, 2018, and, after conducting a search, seized 118 pounds of fentanyl worth $20 million, enough to kill 26 million people. During that raid, local intel was invaluable.. As part of Operation Who's Next?, DTF agents began purchasing meth from a targeted group of individuals who were organized and led by a woman identified as Lessie Galo, 38, of Hot Springs. An investigation revealed Galo's group was suspected of transporting and distributing significant amounts of meth in the Garland County area, the release said. Because of the drug connection and the meth that was coming out of The Farm, which was not your Mom and Pop met lab the intelligence officer contacted ATF (Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco and Firearms)., The nexus is made between all our drug intel and the Titusville gun intel, Zeybel said, dealing with the same human beings.. A third organization led by John Rickey Stringer, 34, was identified by investigators during this operation. Deputies said there were 12 warrants out for some of the individuals arrested. How much help are American volunteers in Ukraine? Both the Sinaloa Cartel and the CJNG have expanded their deadly business into Virginia, where fatal overdoses have increased by forty percent since 2021. Ryan Matone, 39, faces Possession of a Controlled Substance. The historic 254-pound bust was just one of a half-dozen big fentanyl busts recorded by law enforcement in recent years, a tally shows. Stringer was suspected of arranging for the transportation and distribution of meth in the Malvern and Hot Springs areas by utilizing several associates within his organization. This was a multi-state investigation involving law enforcement agencies in both Georgia and North Carolina. Between October 2021 and June 2022, U.S. Customs and Border Protection seized 8,425 pounds of fentanylbeing smuggled into the United States. Wed try to put that back into this puzzle, he said. They had three horses that they would put into a horse trailer that also had living quarters. staff reports The San Bernardino County Sheriffs Department recently released public information on illegal marijuana grows outlining the dangers grow sites pose to both public safety and the environment. . Copyright Post Journal | https://www.post-journal.com | PO Box 3386, Jamestown, NY 14702 | 716-487-1111, originally started with the Warren County Drug Task Force (who) had made drug buys from people that were coming from The Farm. The Farm was on our radar., The nexus is made between all our drug intel and the Titusville gun intel,, Wed try to put that back into this puzzle,, Every piece of intel went some place in there., start looking at this as a global or larger issue rather than just The Farm being the problem., All of that intel was gathered by the Drug Task Force to our knowledge,, We supplied the ATF a packet with names, connections flow charts of how this is working, all on the drug end,, Where we were valuable there, we were identifying people via face and via recognition,, They (federal officials) dont know that. Inside the air conditioning unit for the trailer was all of the cash. That gave them the big picture where the gun was involved and solidified (that) this is an operation, not someone selling a little bit of meth. Get the Android Weather app from Google Play, State leaders promote EV jobs to meet growing demand, Food pantry prepares for extra SNAP benefits to end, Paw Paw gives back to support firefighters family, Consumers works to restore power, hosts free breakfast, More Severe Thunderstorms Again South of Michigan, Back-to-back hurricanes more likely to happen. resulted in 65 arrests related to meth distribution and firearms violations, Prosecuting Attorney Michelle Lawrence announced Friday. Homeland Security Investigations. It appears that there is a very strong appetite in this part of the country for marijuana, particularly the high quality product that comes from Mexico. 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The investigation revealed Hooks was suspected of arranging the transportation and distribution of significant amounts of meth in the area. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. These illegal grow operations are stealing water resources, damaging the environment, and subjecting communities across Californias 8th District to intimidation and violence, said Rep. Obernolte. First Assistant District Attorney Cody Brown said that one was filed May 8, 2019, against her and Anthony Stufflebeam for sale to a confidential informant with the second set of charges coming from the Sept. 2019 raid. All Rights Reserved. It took 18 months of daily intelligence updating to put the puzzle together. Also arrested on Wednesday were Josh Henderson and Tiffany Watson on numerous weapons and narcotic-related charges. 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