And, get breaking news alerts in the FOX 11 News app. Nearly 375,000 marijuana plants and 33,480 pounds of harvested marijuana were seized, along with 65 vehicles, 180 animals and $28,000. Federal authorities on Wednesday showed off results of Southern California raids early this month that led to the biggest domestic seizure of methamphetamine in U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration history. Why are people treating me this way? The Facebook post noted that police believe the items seized were proceeds from the sale of the narcotics. Bill Bodner, special agent in charge of the DEA's Los Angeles Field Division, said Los Angeles is a major transshipment hub for Mexican cartels trafficking illegal drugs across the southwest border. Operation Crystal Shield is a nationwide effort involving 70 to 80 investigators in nine cities including Los Angeles, San Diego, Phoenix and Atlanta. In November, Spitzer warned drug dealers and distributors in the county that they could be charged with murder if their drug activities result in someones death. Fentanyl is cheap, its easy to get and it is killing our children, our coworkers, and tens of thousands of innocent Americans who dont have to die.. 2023 FOX News Network, LLC. The Sylmar haul--weighing about a much as the trash in two fully laden Department of Sanitation trucks--was roughly four times the total amount of cocaine seized throughout Los Angeles in all of 1988. Stacked against one wall, in cardboard boxes and black gymnasium bags, was approximately $10 million in cash, most of it in $20 and $100 bills. Get browser notifications for breaking news, live events, and exclusive reporting. The Las Vegas Sun newspaper said that three Los Angeles men, one of them a former Mexican customs official, were arrested by DEA agents at an expensive Las Vegas hotel in connection with the seizure. Join half a million readers enjoying Newsweek's free newsletters. Reach her at tori.powell@viacomcbs.com, First published on July 7, 2021 / 8:12 PM. 2022 CBS Interactive Inc. All Rights Reserved. The 10-day sting. The investigation led to search warrants being served at narcotics stash houses in the Riverside County cities of Moreno Valley and Perris, east of Los Angeles. The first man returned to the warehouse, but officers said they stopped the car and arrested the second man, who gave his name, sarcastically, as Ronald Reagan.. The leads here are endless, Reiner said. This may be the biggest meth bust in American. GILROY, Calif. On August 24, 2010, law enforcement seized what was - at the time- the largest meth bust in the United States. The L.A. plantations also hog water from local alfalfa, carrot, and potato farmers. This is not just powder on the table, said Donald Hamilton, a DEA spokesman in Washington. Teachers learn to administer Narcan amid opioid crisis. Villanueva said that he will share the district attorney's prosecution decision publicly once it's made available. The bundles found in the boxes tested positive for methamphetamine, according to the statement. Authorities seize over 400 pounds of meth, cocaine and heroin in toolboxes at California border crossing. The U.S. Attorney's Office for the Southern District of California alleges that agents then saw the men removing dozens of cardboard boxes from the truck and into a Dodge van. Andres Jesus Morales, 30, and Christine Ponce, 27, were charged with four drug-related felonies with the intent to sell a controlled substance, the Riverside . Authorities seized . This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. Just north of L.A. in Antelope Valley, California, officials tracked down, identified and destroyed 70 to 80 outhouses filled with illegal marijuana plots in the open desert. Authorities in Southern California have seized more than 16 tons of marijuana worth an estimated $1.19 billion, Los Angeles County Sheriff's Department officials said Wednesday. The largest previous seizure in the United states came last Nov. 17, when agents recovered about 4.35 tons of the drug in Ft. Lauderdale, Fla. Five search warrants were executed on September 9, and four individuals were arrested in Salinas, and another four were arrested in Yuma County, Arizona in connection with the ongoing investigation. NORCO, Calif. (KABC) -- More than 3,000 pounds of methamphetamine and 66 kilograms of cocaine were found in a massive drug bust in Norco last month, making it the largest seizure of meth for the Drug Enforcement Administration's Los Angeles Division. Copyright 2023 NBCUniversal Media, LLC. Together, they worked on the five-month investigation they named Operation Black Hawk into NorCal Transportation. The drug is often mixed with cocaine and methamphetamine, and many victims do not know they are ingesting fentanyl. July 9, 2021 / 10:14 AM Both vehicles allegedly contained about 148 bundles of a material that tested positive for methamphetamine, according to the statement. "The biggest thanks is going to have to go to my detectives for their hard work," said Acting Salinas Police Chief Roberto Filice. Local authorities charged a California man and woman Thursday in a massive drug bust that found more than 46 pounds of a lethal and potent synthetic opioid, multiple sources reported. ", "It was a team effort all the way around," he said. The department brought in massive bulldozers to raid the scene, completely leveling the illegal grows and there are reportedly hundreds more to tackle. They were too well-dressed to operate a warehouse business., Federal agents declined to identify the informant who tipped them, but Curt Hazell, a deputy district attorney in Los Angeles, described him as someone with great instincts for business practices, who knows when he is seeing something about a business like this that is not right.. A furry hero sniffs out one of the largest drug busts in Fontana. Just north of L.A. in Antelope Valley,. The eight face charges that include conspiracy to transport and distribute narcotics, firearms possession, gang enhancement and conspiracy to commit murder. Major Joint-Operation underway in the High Desert to take down Illegal Cartel Operated Marijuana Groves impacting farmers, families, and businesses. according to the US Center for Disease Control and Prevention. Shortly before 2 p.m., a small force of heavily armed DEA agents--accompanied overhead by two police helicopters--blocked traffic on Main Street while depositing the money at a Bank of America branch. We have teamed up with the @usarmy @deahq @vcsheriff @kernsheriff @seblasd to eradicate these illegal Marijuana groves. This seizure should put to rest any further speculation that Los Angeles is, in fact, the major pathway for cocaine entering the country, Ralph Lochridge, a local DEA spokesman, said. The raids followed a tip from a neighborhood businessman who saw activities that didnt look quite right at the warehouse where, according to authorities, an import business dealing in inexpensive ceramics, paintings and other bric-a-brac was operated as a front. Millions of unsuspecting people have the grim reaper looking over their shoulder and they have no idea how close they actually are to dying from taking a single pill, Orange County Dist. They worked with authorities in Arizona and it started to grow. SANTA ANA, Calif. (KABC) -- Two alleged drug dealers were behind bars Wednesday after what Orange County authorities described as the largest drug bust in the past 16 years. Sept. 30, 1989 12 AM PT Times Staff Writers In what was described as the largest narcotics haul ever, federal agents seized almost 20 tons of cocaine--worth up to $6 billion on the street--at a. ATM thieves use glue and 'tap' function to drain accounts at Chase, Alpine Village in Torrance closes after more than five decades, Gas prices rise for 31st consecutive day in LA County. Officials declined to say how many more people they were seeking. It was the coming together of two organizations, a distributor and a buyer, Hazell said, declining to explain further. NBC4s news operation has received nearly every industry award bestowed on local news, including numerous Los Angeles Emmy and Golden Mike Awards, two national and two regional Edward R. Murrow Awards, and a Peabody Award. Successful seizures like these save lives and reduce the exploitation and victimization of our local communities, Bodner said. DEA Acting Administrator Timothy J. Shea and other law enforcement officials displayed theevidence during a press conference at a DEA warehouse in Montebello. March 4 (UPI) --Australian police on Saturday revealed the details of an operation that intercepted $1 billion worth of cocaine in the country's biggest-ever drug bust. Western Australia Police . Do Not Sell or Share My Personal Information, Desperate mountain residents trapped by snow beg for help; We are coming, sheriff says, Look up: The 32 most spectacular ceilings in Los Angeles, Winter storms ease drought conditions in California, report shows, 19 cafes that make L.A. a world-class coffee destination, David Lindley, guitarist best known for work with Jackson Browne, dies at 78, Best coffee city in the world? 2. Colombian drug cartels used to control cocaine shipments from start to finish, employing their own operatives to move the drug from processing plants in the Colombian jungle across the Caribbean and then into the United States. "What we want to do is send a clear and loud message to the cartels and anyone doing an illegal operation in the high desert: Your days are over and we're coming for you," said Los Angeles County Sheriff Alex Villanueva. These middlemen are responsible for moving drugs through Central America and over the Southwest border into the United States. L.A. Affairs: My divorce isnt contagious. The nation last year surpassed 100,000 overdoses in a 12-month period for the first time largely due to the drug, according to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. appreciated. The investigation into the drug trafficking organization remains ongoing. The article reported that synthetic opioids are the most common substances involved in drug overdose deaths in the United States. This month the DEA made the biggest meth bust in American history: 2200 pounds of meth, nearly 900 pounds of cocaine, and 13 pounds of heroin. 2023 FOX Television Stations, This California city named 'happiest' in America for 3rd-straight year, Tory Lanez sentencing postponed in Megan Thee Stallion shooting, In-N-Out has 2nd-healthiest fast-food cheeseburger in America, study says, PHOTOS: Snow makes spectacular sight across Southern California, Disneyland banned Rebel Wilson over selfie, actress says, At least 5 shot at San Pedro beach, suspect on the run, Landslide in Newport Beach damages several homes, Bass: LA to search for new Animal Services GM, Protesters demand new GM of LA Animal Services, Portion of 5 Freeway dedicated to Tommy Lasorda, LASD must eliminate deputy gangs, special counsel says, 6 stabbed in downtown LA, suspect arrested, Tom Sizemore, 'Saving Private Ryan' Actor, Dies at 61 after suffering brain aneurysm, 'We need help': Stranded Lake Arrowhead residents plead for assistance amid food and medication shortages. "Our fight is to keep our community safe, so I will take a moment to thank our community for your support.". All Rights Reserved. They allegedly seized 444 kilograms of cocaine, 157 kilograms of crystal meth, 427 kilograms of marijuana and 300 oxycodone pills. Detectives found that the average size per cultivation at farms increased to 15 greenhouses, up from eight per farm in the year prior. The DEA's big bust came just a week before another huge meth seizure. "Because of our great partnerships with other law enforcement agencies, we will continue to disrupt the cartels' flow of drugs into our cities.". But over the last three weeks, they noticed the cartels really starting to make an increased effort to get drugs across the border. In pure form, the tonnage would hold a retail value of about $2 billion, but since cocaine is usually adulterated to about one-third strength, law enforcement officials estimated the street value at $6 billion. Fentanyl, a powerful synthetic opioid, is as much as 100 times more potent than morphine, according to the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration, which on Wednesday released a letter warning state and federal law enforcement agencies that the drug was driving a nationwide spike of mass overdose events amid the worsening opioid epidemic. The trucking company allegedly operated a drug trafficking organization. The coke you can replace.. Biggest drug bust goes down in LA sheriff department history. Agents from Southwest Border Group 2 began investigating a large scale drug trafficking organization with ties to the Sinaloa Cartel in SD Otay-Mesa area, allegedly involved in the transportation and delivery of large quantities of drugs. published to the Salinas Police Department Facebook page, Everyone Practices Cancel Culture | Opinion, Deplatforming Free Speech is Dangerous | Opinion. A police dog kneels in front of numerous brown bags allegedly containing methamphetamine in San Diego County, California. More than 3,000 pounds of methamphetamine and 66 kilograms of cocaine were found in a massive drug bust in Norco last month, making it the largest seizure of meth for the DEA's Los Angeles Division. One of the trailers was still parked by the warehouse door on Friday. Agents said the front 15 feet or so had been partitioned off as a secret compartment in which cocaine could be hidden from inspectors, making it appear only bric-a-brac was being hauled. A record meth bust part of a national operation was announced Wednesday, Oct. 14, 2020. Deaths related to methamphetamine use have been on the rise in San Diego in recent years. The 2,224 pounds (1,008.7 kilograms) of methamphetamine was seized Oct. 2 during an investigation of a drug-trafficking organization with ties to the Sinaloa cartel, the DEA said in a statement. In April, US Customs and Border Protection officers in California seized more than 400 pounds of meth, cocaine and heroin concealed in toolboxes that were being transported to the country. If convicted of all charges, both face a maximum sentence of 37 years and 4 months, according to the D.A.s office. The investigation is continuing.. Charles P. Gutensohn, chief of the Drug Enforcement Administrations cocaine investigations section in Washington, said Friday that the Sylmar drug bust appeared to have uncovered a major hand-off point used by Mexican smugglers to deliver cocaine to Colombian distributors, whose networks extend across the United States. Four residents of Tijuana, Mexico, face federal drug trafficking charges in connection with a Southern California methamphetamine seizure thatauthorities say was "record-breaking" because of its size. While California legalized therecreational use of marijuana in 2018, illegal grows of the crop have been on the rise in the state. Tori B. Powell is a breaking news reporter at CBS News. Saying they feared a possible attempt by drug traffickers to recover their contraband by force, Los Angeles police dispatched a SWAT team to the warehouse to provide extra security after the raids. Nonetheless, several law enforcement figures, among them Los Angeles Police Chief Daryl F. Gates, said the amount seized was sufficient to affect the cocaine market, at least temporarily. The cocaine was to be held as evidence and then burned, officials said. California Two men arrested in largest drug bust in O.C. in more than a decade, authorities say Photos supplied by Orange County district attorney's office showing the 821 pounds of. The Riverside Police Department raided Morales' and Ponce's home in Perris, California, on Aug. 17, where they found 46.2 pounds of carfentanil, 8.8 pounds of cocaine, and 2.2 pounds of heroin . Powered and implemented by FactSet Digital Solutions. Los Angeles County Sheriff's Department documented the biggest drug bust in its history on Tuesday and officials expect Mexican cartels are to blame. The largest DEA domestic seizure of methamphetamine in history is a significant blow to the cartels, but more importantly it is a gigantic victory for communities throughout Southern California and the United States who have had to deal with the torrent of methamphetamine coming into their neighborhoods, Shea said. Either they feel awfully secure, or this (loss) isnt that significant to them, said John Zienter, special agent in charge of the DEAs Los Angeles office. Mutual Fund and ETF data provided by Refinitiv Lipper. Federal authorities on Wednesday showed off results of Southern California raids early this month that.
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