HALL COUNTY, Ga. - Deputies made three arrests in a major bust in Hall County this month. As part of the operation, DTF agents began purchasing meth from a second organization led by a woman identified as Laurie Lee Hooks, 50, of Hot Springs, who was suspected to have ties to members of Mexican drug cartel members in Little Rock. Fentanyl comes from China. San Bernardino County Sheriff's Department currently has 850 potential grow sites under investigation. Inside the air conditioning unit for the trailer was all of the cash. Winter Weather Advisory Here We Go Again! 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. After stopping a rented vehicle in San Diego County on Nov. 30, 2016, DEA agents seized 33 pounds in the trunk. "I made a terrible, huge mistake," Baker said, the San Diego Union-Tribune reported. Catch up on the developing stories making headlines. This was just a non-stop, ongoing operation. 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. While executing the search warrant, suspects Ramiro Murillo Garcia and Wilfredo Sanchez were taken into custody without incident. We supplied the ATF a packet with names, connections flow charts of how this is working, all on the drug end, Zeybel said. A drug bust last year was hailed as the largest fentanyl bust in U.S. history254 pounds seized at an Arizona border crossing. New Zealand police find 3.5 tons of cocaine in Pacific Ocean. Legal Statement. The federal authorities seized $685,000 in cash that day. An undercover informant opened the motel room door, letting four police officers rush in for the drug bust. Galo was also suspected of having ties with drug cartel members in Mexico and in Little Rock. where this operation was headquartered. "Opioids, including fentanyl and its analogues, are a serious public health concern, and the importation of vast amounts of this deadly synthetic chemical compound is a national security threat, Casey Durst, CBP Director of Field Operations in Baltimore said after the seizure. The Farm doesnt cease. The horses that were being used in the operation were neglected and were given to the owner of the ranch. 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. The investigation of this organization ultimately led to the arrest of Galo and numerous other suspected leaders and distributors who were members of her criminal enterprise in Garland County. North Bergen and Willingboro, N.J., 99 pounds. - A total of 21 individuals were arrested between May 28-30 in connection with methamphetamine distribution in Garland County through "Operation Blue Sky," an investigation with the 18th East Judicial District Drug Task Force and other departments that began in January. A total of 25 individuals were arrested during the round-up. Trucker Juan Antonio Torres-Barraza, a 26-year-old Mexican national, told agents he didnt know he was hauling narcotics. Hot Springs Police Department. According to the Dallas police, these types of drug busts do not happen every day, but they do happen fairly regularly. When they drove back to Dallas, the compartment in the trailer would be stuffed with 1000 pounds of marijuana. The Garland County Sheriffs Department, Hot Springs Police Department, Arkansas Community Corrections Special Response Team, Arkansas State Police, Homeland Security Investigations, United States Marshall Service, Diplomatic Security Service, Hot Springs Police Department Special Investigations Division, Garland County Sheriffs Department Criminal Investigation Special Operations Unit, and the Garland County Detention Center were all present. Powered and implemented by FactSet Digital Solutions. During a Senate Judiciary Committee hearing Wednesday, Sen . Bensalem police arrested two suspects and shut down an alleged drug operation running out of an apartment complex on Knights Road. 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. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. How much help are American volunteers in Ukraine? Greene said the Task Force had confidential informants working at The Farm but hadnt procured enough information to justify raiding the facility. The 97 pounds of fentanyl was enough to kill 14 million people. Warren County law enforcement were instrumental in uncovering the operation, which Chief County Detective Brian Zeybel described as run like a business.. Every piece of intel went some place in there., He said once the puzzle was three-fourths complete, it was valuable for connecting to other agencies and enabled investigators to start looking at this as a global or larger issue rather than just The Farm being the problem.. 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. 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. During a Senate Judiciary Committee hearing Wednesday, Sen. Lindsey Graham (R-SC) questioned Garland on whether he would support or oppose lawmakers seeking to classify the cartels as foreign terrorist organizations. LOCAL 1.617.472.5775 The DTF is comprised of investigators from the Arkansas State Police, Garland County Sheriff's Department, Hot Springs Police Department, 18th Judicial District East prosecuting attorney's office and U.S. They are already designated in any number of ways and sanctioned, Garland said before Graham asked the question again. nets 65 arrests. Furthermore, chemical pesticides used at illegal grow sites can be deadly if ingested by children and adults and endanger local wildlife. Some of the names were familiar, Sheriff Ken Klakamp said, names that we had heard in the past.. 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. 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.. We moved their case along a year in one meeting., Agents put their lives at risk and busted their rears, Greene said. FENTANYL A 'GAME CHANGER' IN DRUG WAR, SAYS DEA SPECIAL AGENT. They (federal officials) dont know that. Deputies said there were 12 warrants out for some of the individuals arrested. On Monday morning, multiple agencies with a drug task force arrested five people at a home on Piney Loop in. 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. This was a multi-state investigation involving law enforcement agencies in both Georgia and North Carolina. Over 500 local, state, and federal personnel were involved in the major bust in the Antelope Valley with over 200 warrants served. 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. . It was the largest fentanyl seizure ever at a U.S. border crossing. The drug task force in Garland County along with the Hot Springs police SWAT team executed narcotics search warrants at two homes yesterday. 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. All rights reserved. The horse trailer was filled with cash. Matone is currently being held at the Garland County Jail. Calculations by the Task Force estimate each half-pound run equating to $2,400 in street value. Investigators stated that those in the drug ring would go between Dallas and Arizona about three times each month. The sheriffs office said 14 people, including a man wanted for a homicide in Kalamazoo County, were 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. This stems from a Valentine's Day traffic stop in the 400 block of Jesse Jewell Parkway. Federal officials allege that Carina Tucker, Titusville, and Gail Flick, Garland, would drive to Akron, Ohio two to three times per week to pick up half a pound of methamphetamine. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. HALL COUNTY, Ga. - Deputies made three arrests in a major bust in Hall County this month. It took 18 months of daily intelligence updating to put the puzzle together. San Bernardino County Sheriffs Department currently has 850 potential grow sites under investigation. Some were sentenced to five years of probation, while others were sent to federal prison with terms of 18 to 240 months. "Several additional subjects associated to this enforcement operation are not listed, as they are under active outstanding arrest warrants and are presently at large," Lawrence said in the release. The fentanyl was enough to kill 18 million people, investigators said. As Breitbart News has chronicled, fentanyl deathshaveskyrocketedin American border communities as a result of increased drug trafficking at the southern border. Email him atjbinder@breitbart.com. Both the Sinaloa Cartel and the CJNG have expanded their deadly business into Virginia, where fatal overdoses have increased by forty percent since 2021. The seizure came as the scourge of fentanyl continues to fueltheopioid epidemic,ravagingcommunities across the U.S. while killingtens of thousands of people. 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. made by U.S. 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. Later, investigators searched a storage unit nearby and found four safes that were stuffed with cash, with a total of $1 million. (U.S. Customs and Border Patrol). Mount Pine Police Department. Material from the Associated Press is Copyright 2023, Associated Press and may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. In San Bernardino County, it would take our sheriffs department three years to investigate all the countys suspected grow sites. News. BENSALEM, Pennsylvania (WPVI) -- Bensalem police arrested two suspects and shut down an alleged drug operation running out of an apartment complex on Knights Road. SOUTHEASTERN NORTH CAROLINA (WECT) - Law enforcement officials arrested seven people, and confiscated two kilograms of cocaine, 20,000 bags of heroin, $180,000 in cash, and multiple firearms as part of a large-scale, multi-agency drug bust in southeastern North Carolina. During arrests Tuesday, Chvez said 220 pounds of illegal drugs were seized including methamphetamine, cocaine, marijuana, and deadly counterfeit prescription drugs containing fentanyl. 1998 - 2023 Nexstar Media Inc. | All Rights Reserved. Copyright 2023 WPVI-TV. 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. LOCKPORT TOWNSHIP, Mich. (WOOD) Fourteen people were arrested in a Sunday drug bust in Lockport Township. Neither these AP materials nor any portion thereof may be stored in a computer except for personal and noncommercial use. The 25 individuals and their charges are as follows: [Some people are not pictured above]. 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. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. "I'm proud of them.". 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.