Print Headline: Operation Who's Next? The drug task force in Garland County along with the Hot Springs police SWAT team executed narcotics search warrants at two homes yesterday. 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. HALL COUNTY, Ga. - Deputies made three arrests in a major bust in Hall County this month. Greene credited all of the law enforcement involved Task Force members with the Sheriffs Office and City of Warren police, Titusville Police, Crawford County Sheriffs Office and the Pennsylvania State Police. The federal authorities seized $685,000 in cash that day. Police got the sheriff of the county involved, which then got in contact with the Texas Department of Public Safety. Garland told the Senate Judiciary Committee he has left the matter in the hands of U.S. Attorney David Weiss, the top federal prosecutor in Delaware, who would be empowered to expand his. The others arrested include O.V. Material from the Associated Press is Copyright 2023, Associated Press and may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. Half of the officers involved in the raid were Warren County Drug Task Force. They stayed in various hotels and exchanged the cash for high quality marijuana from Mexico. The seizure of the 99 pounds drove home the scope of the problem we face in New Jersey with this highly lethal opioid, Director Elie Honig of the Division of Criminal Justice said. Market data provided by Factset. Two othersJonathan Ibarra, 45, and Hector Fernando Garcia, 46, were also arrested. They (federal officials) dont know that. The investigators involved "are out there working really hard, day in and day out," Lawrence said. Other agencies that participated in the execution of this operation include Arkansas Community Correction's Special Response Team agents, the Drug Enforcement Administration of Little Rock, Community Corrections Probation and Parole agents and the U.S. attorney's office for the Western District of Arkansas. [Emphasis added]. On Monday morning, multiple agencies with a drug task force arrested five people at a home on Piney Loop in. During that raid, local intel was invaluable., The Farm doesnt cease. 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District Attorney Rob Greene said the case 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.. New Jersey State Police detectives grabbed 88 pounds of fentanyl after observing a drug transaction in a commercialparking lot in North Bergen on June 28, 2017. According to the Dallas police, these types of drug busts do not happen every day, but they do happen fairly regularly. Wed try to put that back into this puzzle, he said. Winter Weather Advisory Here We Go Again! The Task Force intelligence officer, not named for security reasons, contacted Titusville Police, who had pulled over a vehicle, Greene explained, and found one of the known associates at The Farm with a firearm with an obliterated serial number. They quickly arrested a man who had already spent 10 years in prison for dealing dope. It has been called Dr. Seuss Day because of this. Associated Press text, photo, graphic, audio and/or video material shall not be published, broadcast, rewritten for broadcast or publication or redistributed directly or indirectly in any medium. Later, investigators searched a storage unit nearby and found four safes that were stuffed with cash, with a total of $1 million. Catch up on the developing stories making headlines. 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. "Fentanyl also continues to be a tremendous problem, contributing to 68,000 overdose deaths in the United States in 2018,"Mark Morgan, acting commissioner of U.S. Customs and Border Protection told Congress in November. Ryan Matone, 39, faces Possession of a Controlled Substance. Deputies with the St. Joseph County Sheriff's Office were sent to a home on S. River . DUBLIN, Ga. Eight people were arrested Wednesday in Laurens County after a federal indictment was unsealed alleging drug trafficking around the county. The Garland County Narcotics Unit also assisted in the investigation and execution of the search warrant. Quotes displayed in real-time or delayed by at least 15 minutes. Learn about 6 of the biggest fentanyl busts in the U.S., whose combined doses are deadly enough to kill 229 Americans. Nearly $20,000 worth of fentanyl was taken off the streets, the Hall County Sheriff's Office says, and three arrests were made. Over 500 local, state, and federal personnel were involved in the major bust in the Antelope Valley with over 200 warrants served. Three people have been arrested and sit in jail tonight. Put another way, the U.S. lost a population the size of Dearborn, Michigan last year solely from drugs. Federal involvement in the fight against dangerous illegal grow operations. 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. The first arrest in the case came on Wednesday when officials say James D. Anderson was caught transporting 28 pounds of methamphetamine into Garland County for distribution. The Farm doesnt cease. Illegal marijuana grows additionally, consume between 11.4 and 36.3 million liters of water. The sheriffs office in Collin County got $68,000, and $344,000 went to the US federal asset forfeiture fund. Officers located and seized 391.5 grams of cocaine, 92.9 grams of methamphetamine, 243.5 grams of heroin, 85.8 grams of marijuana, 22.5 grams of Xanax and $20,878 in cash in addition to drug. The 188 pounds of drugs were worth about $30 million. Last month, 21 attorneys general wrote to Biden and Secretary of State Antony Blinken, urging them to designate the cartels as foreign terrorist organizations: The Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) reports that Mexican drug cartels, including the Sinaloa Cartel and the Jalisco New Generation Cartel (CJNG), import dangerous raw materials from China, use them to produce deadly synthetic opioids at low cost, and unlawfully transport those opioids into the United States. By Tori B. Powell. The subjects at these locations are also intimidating residents by brandishing firearms and impeding access to the areas. One suspect arrested was Hong Yuan Li, 40, from China, and Rosario Eduardo Trejo Quintero, 44, from Mexico, the . Deputies said there were 12 warrants out for some of the individuals arrested. Investigators say 40 grams of fentanyl with a street value of about $20,000 and 90 grams of methamphetamine with a street value of about $19,000 were taken off the streets. One Hot Springs woman says she's dealt. 36 Two people are behind bars after the Fort Bend County Narcotics Task Force conducted an operation targeting illicit substances being sold in the Houston/Sugar Land area. Arkansas Department of Community Corrections. Several members of the organization, including Galo, were recently indicted by a federal grand jury in the Western District of Arkansas for violations related to the distribution of meth, Lawrence said. That leads to a raid eventually, he added. Investigators think that the ring distributed over 60000 pounds of marijuana in Texas from January 2009 until December 2010. daily across California, contributing to water depletion as the state heads into what could be the worst drought in state history. While executing the search warrant, suspects Ramiro Murillo Garcia and Wilfredo Sanchez were taken into custody without incident. 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. While executing the search warrant, suspects Ramiro Murillo Garcia and Wilfredo Sanchez were taken into custody without incident. And an additional juvenile arrest for Simultaneous Possession of Drugs and Firearms, Possession of a Defaced Firearm; Possession of Drug Paraphernalia and Possession of Schedule IV with Purpose to Deliver. nets 65 arrests. 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. Follow him on Twitterhere. All rights reserved. New Zealand police find 3.5 tons of cocaine in Pacific Ocean. On Friday, the drug task force searched a home on 3100 block of Albert Pike Road in Garland County. Operation Green Shield resulted in the following: 54 felony arrests, including 22 gang members 27 firearms seized, 7 of which were reported as stolen 2.1 kilograms of heroin, 211 grams of. 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. The 97 pounds of fentanyl was enough to kill 14 million people. An investigation revealed Galo's group was suspected of transporting and distributing significant amounts of meth in the Garland County area, the release said. Ryan Matone,39, faces Possession of a Controlled Substance. According to authorities, investigators identified Matone several months prior as the primary distributor of methamphetamine from the home. Hot Springs Village Police Department. 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.. At the port of Philadelphia, border agents seized 110 pounds of fentanyl worth $1.7 million on June 28, 2018, enough to kill 24 million people. Legal Statement. Copyright 2023 WPVI-TV. Calculations by the Task Force estimate each half-pound run equating to $2,400 in street value. Between October 2021 and June 2022, U.S. Customs and Border Protection seized 8,425 pounds of fentanylbeing smuggled into the United States. The horses that were being used in the operation were neglected and were given to the owner of the ranch. They will also be seeking 25 additional felony charges including operating and maintaining a drug house, possession with intent to deliver narcotics and several firearm charges. 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. This stems from a Valentine's Day traffic stop in the 400 block of Jesse Jewell Parkway. In total, detectives seized more than 450 grams (16 ounces) of suspected powder cocaine from both . During this stop, officers located and seized 404 grams (14.4 ounces) of suspected powder cocaine. 'Operation 8 Ball' nets pounds of drugs, nearly 50 arrests in Garland Co. | KATV A six month long drug operation in Garland County led to 49 arrests and pounds of drugs being seized by. Garland County Sheriff's Office. 1029 Longworth House Office Building, Washington, DC 20515, DEA raid of Southern California illegal marijuana grow operations comes following Obernolte, Garcia letter to Attorney General Merrick Garland, 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. HOT SPRINGS, Ark. Both suspects were arraigned, and bail is set at $200,000. Authorities say Anderson and Henderson were members of . Deputies with the St. Joseph County Sheriffs Office were sent to a home on S. River Road near Lambert Road to execute a search warrant. OHIO DRUG BUST NETS ENOUGH FENTANYL TO 'KILL EVERYONE' IN THE STATE. Klakamp said sheriffs deputies were there to serve civil papers and reported that The Farm was like a ghost town., From Akron to the final distribution on a small location or single house in Warren County, we could follow that trail, Zeybel said. NEW! A Border Patrol K-9 at the Nogales border crossing sniffed narcotics when an 18-wheeler transporting cucumbers from Mexico came through for inspection on Jan. 31, 2019. "I'm proud of them.". A Border Patrol K-9 alerted agents after going through barrels of iron oxide barrels and detecting narcotics. How much help are American volunteers in Ukraine? A Nebraska State Trooper found 118 pounds of fentanyl in a hidden compartment in a tractor-trailer he stopped on I-80. You've successfully subscribed to this newsletter! - Authorities announced the removal of nearly two pounds of meth and nearly 50 arrests Friday in a six-month-long sting operation. The drug was then distributed within hours when they got back to the ranch. District Attorney Rob Greene said the case "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 Farm" refers to the Grand Valley location at 530 Hunter School Rd. Officials say over the course of the investigation, they were able to make numerous purchases of meth from Matone. "I'm very ashamed about what I did. HOT SPRINGS (KATV) A major drug trafficking operation with ties to the Aryan Brotherhood and Mexican Cartel has been taken down in Garland County. North Bergen and Willingboro, N.J., 99 pounds. In San Bernardino County, it would take our sheriffs department three years to investigate all the countys suspected grow sites. 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. and last updated 2:32 PM, Feb 27, 2023. Charges against the two men are stillpending. He said CBP's seizures of fentanyl rose by 30 percent in fiscal year 2019, totaling2,770 pounds. We need support from the federal government and urgent changes to the State of Californias handling of illegal marijuana cultivation to address this crisis, and todays raid in Antelope Valley was a commendable first step in that partnership.. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. Mutual Fund and ETF data provided by Refinitiv Lipper. They would drive to Arizona, and Rodgers would fly various cities in that state and monitor the progress of his crew. CHIPPEWA COUNTY, MI -- Three men accused of selling cocaine and methamphetamine have been charged with seven felonies each after they were arrested Friday at a Kincheloe, Mich. restaurant . FAX 1.928.395.7789, $1.7 Million Seized by Cops In Dismantling Dallas Drug Ring, A large Dallas, TX marijuana trafficking ring, DOJ Seizes $1 Billion in Bitcoin Related To Silk Road Website, $3.5 Million Seized in Cash and Drugs at Truck Yard Near San Diego, Bombshell Report ICE Seizes Millions With Asset Forfeiture Laws, Drug Cartels Recruit Smugglers in High Schools and Bars, How the DEA is Waiting to Seize Your Cash, Police Can Seize Money and Property Without Criminal Charges. During that raid, local intel was invaluable.. Greene said the Task Force had confidential informants working at The Farm but hadnt procured enough information to justify raiding the facility. San Bernardino County Sheriffs Department currently has 850 potential grow sites under investigation. That made that intelligence so valuable.. Photo from news conference announcing the seizure of 254 pounds of fentanyl at the Port of Nogales border crossing in Arizona. All three pleaded guilty and sentenced to prison. ", Get all the stories you need-to-know from the most powerful name in news delivered first thing every morning to your inbox. Mutual Fund and ETF data provided by Refinitiv Lipper. It's also one of the largest in terms of suspects arrested. The National Read Across America Day takes place every year on March 2, Geisels birthday. These six busts have led to the seizure of some 818pounds of fentanyl--enough to kill 229 million people, according to authorities. Quotes displayed in real-time or delayed by at least 15 minutes. After arresting Anna Baker, the agents obtained a search warrant to search her home and seized another 64 pounds of fentanyl. The Farm refers to the Grand Valley location at 530 Hunter School Rd. With all of the intelligence in hand, the Drug Task Force held a meeting with local and federal agencies over a year ago. resulted in 65 arrests related to meth distribution and . Thomas, Dylan Hooks, Krista Graves, Paul Scaife, Casey Couch, Kenneth Traylor, Jose Galo, Terry Merriott, Joshua Tollett, Jason Finney, Michael Howell, Kenneth Garner, Steven Tucker, Derek Abernathy, Raymon Eastman, Nicholas Bland, Alfred Purifoy, Jerome Hunter, Aaron Grimmett, Brandon Stevens, Ernest Lemons, Amy Tucker, Brandon Stevens, Timothy Sheffield, Matthew Moore, Jelene Snyder, Toshia Thrasher, James Holliday, Haley Rudd, Corey Hewitt, Joshua Barnes, Nathan Reynolds, Kristen Hoff, Antone Costa, Chelsea Jackson, Tracy Steele, Darren Aringe, Bryan Thacker, Franklin Crist, Matt Cannon, Casey Bowser, Ryan Lax, David Ratchford, Cindy Williams, Evan Johnson, Rodney Whitaker, Kayla Johnston, Chris Ennis, Lee Cargile, Jerry Pierce, Joseph Morrison, Eric Davis, Keli Redden, Kevin Southworth, Cody Slyter, Jonathan B. Wilson, Buddy Harris, Nathan Tash, James Keyser, Justin Wetherington, Mandy Egge and Tyler Cable. Both suspects are in the country illegally, police said. by . It lays low for a little bit and picks right back up with some different players., steps up and takes over the operation because she understood it., From Akron to the final distribution on a small location or single house in Warren County, we could follow that trail,, That made that intelligence so valuable., great cooperation with outside agencies, accepted our work and realized how valuable it was. We moved their case along a year in one meeting., Agents put their lives at risk and busted their rears,, They should absolutely be commended for eliminating this scourge in Grand Valley.. Some of the names were familiar, Sheriff Ken Klakamp said, names that we had heard in the past.. or redistributed. Fentanyl comes from China. . Mount Pine Police Department. 2023 FOX News Network, LLC. 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. Inside the air conditioning unit for the trailer was all of the cash. A nine-month investigation initiated by the local drug task force and other agencies beginning in June 2019 dubbed Operation Who's Next? 1029 Longworth House Office Building, Washington, DC 20515Email Me202-225-5861. The shootout broke out during a federal sting operation against the two. Photo shows fentanyl found in barrels of iron oxide during an inspection by Customs agents at the Port of Philadelphia (U.S. Customs and Border Patrol). 49 Arrested in Garland County Drug Bust by: Ellen Lampe Posted: Oct 14, 2016 / 09:06 PM CDT Updated: Oct 14, 2016 / 09:45 PM CDT GARLAND COUNTY, Ark. BENSALEM, Pennsylvania (WPVI) -- Bensalem police arrested two suspects and shut down an alleged drug operation running out of an apartment complex on Knights Road. U.S. Attorney Scott Brady announces the details in connection with a methamphetamine ring that was dismantled in Warren, Crawford and Venango counties. Market data provided by Factset. Example video title will go here for this video. All rights reserved. Well if this is helping, I would hate to see what not helping looks like, Graham said. A total of 16 individuals all facing potential life sentences have been indicted by a federal grand jury in connection with a methamphetamine operation at The Farm in Grand Valley. Matone is currently being held at the Garland County Jail. Photo shows fentanyl found in barrels of iron oxide during an inspection by Customs agents at the Port of Philadelphia. resulted in 65 arrests related to meth distribution and firearms violations, Prosecuting Attorney Michelle Lawrence announced Friday. - Authorities announced the removal of nearly two pounds of meth and nearly 50 arrests Friday in a six-month-long sting operation. Also, there were 17 drug convictions. That led to a second raid and Zeybel said Tucker was arrested and charged with possession with intent to deliver at that point. Please read our Terms of Use or contact us. 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. We need the assistance of Mexico in this., Garland also claimed that Mexico is helping the U.S. in its fight against the fentanyl crisis, which is killing more than 100,000 Americans annually, but said, they could do much more, theres no question about that.. Similar illegal marijuana grow operations are spread across Californias 8th District, with a particularly high concentration in the Morongo Basin and Lucerne Valley. That kicked off a collaboration in the case among local and federal law enforcement agencies where the trail of the meth was discovered. LOCKPORT TOWNSHIP, Mich. (WOOD) Fourteen people were arrested in a Sunday drug bust in Lockport Township. He had no idea what his renters were doing on the ranch. 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. Illegal firearm activity, officials indicate, declined but not the flow of drugs. After stopping a rented . 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 include drug paraphernalia items, 66 grams of meth, 39 grams of marijuana, 1 shotgun, 1 "sawed off" shotgun & 1 "defaced" handgun.