"When you hear a story like this, where a guy is out for two hours and is slinging dope, it is somewhat demoralizing. . And some of it, concealed inside duffle bags, was apparently passed between cars in public including at a Sam's Club parking lot in Moreno Valley. However, another federal agency, U.S. Customs and Border Protection, netted an even bigger amount of meth the following week. Border Patrol officials said this summer that the quantity of meth and heroin theyre intercepting now is 10 times higher than it was a decade ago. #DEA Acting Administrator Timothy J. Shea, Special Agent in Charge Bill Bodner & local law enforcement discussing the largest domestic methamphetamine seizure in #DEA history. The truck also contained 64 pounds (29 kilograms) of heroin, 29 pounds (13.1 kilograms) of fentanyl powder and almost 37 pounds (16.7 kilograms) of fentanyl pills, the agency said. Also seized were 893 pounds (405 kilograms) of cocaine and 13 pounds (5.9 kilograms) of heroin. Two years before that, Riverside resident Hiram Granados Alvarez was sentenced to 27 years in prison for attempting to ship 220 pounds of cocaine to a drug ring in Baltimore. But officials were also careful to point out that the targets of the seizures were cartels and drug dealers, not addicts. The seizures by the two agencies are more than enough to provide a dose of meth for every man, woman and child in the United States and Mexico, Timothy Shea, acting administrator of the DEA, said Wednesday at a warehouse in Montebello. . Another suspect allegedly sold drugs to undercover officers, just two hours after being released from jail on other charges. After the encounter at the Sam's Club parking lot, the officers got search warrants for two suspected stash houses one in Moreno Valley and the other in Perris. RIVERSIDE, Calif. (KABC) -- Four gang members have been arrested for the murder of an innocent man in the Riverside neighborhood of Casa-Blanca following a large-scale gang bust. That's nearly. "Someone who's responsible for this quantity of drugs is someone who is very, very trusted by the cartel," Bill Bodner, the special agent in charge of the Los Angeles DEA, said. RIVERSIDE, Calif. (KABC) -- Authorities busted one of the largest marijuana cultivations ever uncovered in the city of Riverside, officials said Friday. They knew then it was probably dope.. (Credit: DEA), another seizure earlier this month in San Diego. According to the DEA, an investigation into transportation and supply of illegal drugs flowing into the country from south of the border focused on the Sinaloa cartel, which has been operating in the Otay Mesa area. Police arrested 23 people in an operation designed to crack down on illegal drug sales in downtown Riverside. The list of chores had been a code get the hiding places ready. More than 70 investigators worked the two California cases, which included extensive fieldwork and surveillance. Inside was a mountain of drugs 2,650 pounds of cocaine, 66 poundsof heroin and 19 tons of marijuana, stacked on pallets. The DEA's big bust came just a week before another huge meth seizure. The agency did not disclose whether any arrests had been made or were pending, saying only that the investigation is ongoing. Quickly, Rohn found three plastic bags, buried shallow, each filled with a pound of white powder. We dont see many of those anymore.. The DEA's big bust came just a week before another huge meth seizure. Click Here to Download the News Channel 3 app. "They can break the drug loads down and do distribution throughout the country," Bodner said. They are the number-one threat, Stinnett said. You can review our Community Guidelines by clicking here. San Diegos houseless residents deal with heavy rains, flooding, San Diego Unified launches new engagement website for students, Eagle delivers 2 eggs in California nest watched by web cam, Chula Vista Elementary District converts two campuses to community schools. City News Service contributed to this report. No charges have yet been filed in the latest seizures, although authorities said cases would likely be prosecuted in both California and Washington, D.C. Todays seizure sends a message loud and clear, Shea said Wednesday. The U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration announced a record-breaking bust Wednesday: roughly 2,224 pounds of methamphetamine recovered in Riverside County. 11/22/2022 12:00 AM. The investigation led to search warrants at multiple narcotic stash houses in Moreno Valley and Perris in Riverside County, officials said. Over the last month and a half, the team, which began . Informasjon om enheten din og Internett-tilkoblingen, blant annet IP-adressen, Surfe- og skeaktivitet ved bruk av Yahoos nettsteder og apper. We will continue to work together to disrupt drug trafficking organizations at every opportunity we are given.. Wiretaps are requiredto be last resorts for law enforcement, used only when surveillance, informants and other investigatory tools have failed. At the end of the month, a stakeout of the property led to federal agents and police officers arresting a man who was carrying heavy boxes out of the house and placing them in a vehicle, according to the DEA. "Meth, heroin, cocaine," said city councilman Mike Gardner. The parties involved were detained, culminating in a search warrant being obtained and served at the courier's Perris residence. However, even raw numbers reveal Riverside County as a centerpiece in U.S. drug trafficking, rivaling the nations largest cities. Oct. 14, 2020. Stephanie Lai was a 2020 intern for the Los Angeles Times. Finn ut mer om hvordan vi bruker informasjonen din i retningslinjene for personvern og retningslinjene for informasjonskapsler. Be the first to know when news breaks in Coachella Valley. Learn more about how we use cookies in our cookie policy. 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. The truck driver, a 47year-old Mexican citizen, was arrested and turned over the custody of the joint investigative team from U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement, Homeland Security Investigations and the Drug Enforcement Administration. Diaz says it illustrates frustrations he has with other aspects of the criminal justice system. The drugs seized at the location, which also included heroin and fentanyl, had a street value of about $7.2 million. They either head north on Highway 86, into the eastern portions of the Coachella Valley, or head west to the I-15, which runs north towards Temecula, Corona and Riverside. Sign up for free Patch newsletters and alerts. The arrests were announced during a news conference in Riverside Wednesday morning, where authorities said violent crime has risen dramatically during the pandemic. It gradually destroys the body and mind of people who use it, and eventually it kills them.. "Meth is pouring into the U.S. through our southern border, and it's destroying too many communities," Shea said. The loose dirt turned easy. The massive methamphetamine seizure was part of Operation Crystal Shield, a nationwide effort the DEA launched in February. For all intents and purposes, its a proven drug dealer by the time we get up on their phones, Massino said. Agents seized more than 4,800 pounds of meth nationwide and are still working on more arrests, according to the DEA. The deputy was not surprised. Operation Crystal Shield has resulted in 2,800 arrests over the last six months nationwide, Bodner said. And these figures still don't account for all the drugs and cash seized in Riverside County. Authorities said the Oct. 2 take, which involved two locations, in Moreno Valley and Perris, represents the largest domestic seizure of the narcotic in the agency's history. The DEA says ruralareas are ideal for stash houses because they are difficult to monitor, but other experts said surroundings dont really matter. LA man receives 3 years in prison for $619,000 skimming scheme. Severe Weather "The more dope we can take off the street, the safer a community it is for us.". The Southern California seizure occurred on Oct. 2, 2020 and included 893 pounds of cocaine, 13 pounds of heroin, and 2,224 pounds of methamphetamine. Cocaine and meth were being distributed throughout the region from the location, which investigators identified in September, according to the DEA. HOPEWELL, Va. (WWBT) - Hopewell police arrested two people during an early morning drug bust. Get browser notifications for breaking news, live events, and exclusive reporting. "I can't bear to think about families coming here and shopping and knowing this is going on," Tanya Rivas, another shopper, said. My guys are all cops, and they could tell it wasnt explosives, said Sgt. People who live in the Inland Empire said it was scary not knowing if the stash houses were located in their communities. Your dad just called, said Teresa Reyes, speaking to her daughter on a cellphone. Bob Epps, the bomb squad supervisor. The DEA said it represented the single "largest seizure" of meth that the agency's Los Angeles personnel had ever made. Another tap led further up the supply chain, to Armando Garcia Beltran, a Lake Elsinore man who smuggled narcotics across the border. ", Polar bear kills woman, boy in remote Alaska village, Man gets 30 years in prison in road rage killing of teen Astros fan, Video shows toddler waving handgun outside apartment; man arrested. A man was arrested on multiple charges during a drug bust in Columbus. They wheeleda bomb-disposal robot toward the pipe, pointing a shotgun-like weapon designed to destroy any explosives inside. Once smugglers pass Calexico, a majority follow one of two routes, DEA officials say. The biggest haul was in Perris, where DEA agents and investigators from several municipal police departments last week confiscated 2,224 pounds of meth, 893 pounds of cocaine and 13 pounds of heroin, according to Shea. Drug profits, often in bales of cash, follow the same path back to Mexico. Now beyond the reach of the Border Patrol, the drugs settle into stash houses, which masquerade as family homes and legitimate businesses in the innocuous suburbs. To request removal of your name from an arrest report, submit these required items to arrestreports@patch.com. Jawara, Earlington lead San Diego to OT win over Riverside December 20, 2022 DEA Acting Administrator Timothy J. Shea and other law enforcement officials displayed theevidence during a press conference at a DEA warehouse in Montebello. LOS ANGELES (CBSLA) A pyramid of methamphetamine, cocaine and heroin standing 10 feet tall with an estimated street value of $18.5 million was confiscated during two recent drug trafficking. The entrance to a drug tunnel discovered by federal authorities in Otay Mesa, March 30, 2020. Just last month, authorities arrested another Moreno Valley truck driver, Ricardo Benitez-Serrano, a fugitive who had been caught hauling $2.9 million in suspected drug profits in 2013 and 305 pounds of cocaine in 2014. All you really need is a big garage and a garage door opener, Moore said. October 14, 2020 / 10:20 PM Fine white powder sprinkled out of the tiny holes. A total of 23 arrests . The drugs were intended for distribution in Southern California, including Los Angeles, according to DEA officials, who displayed the haul at the agencys warehouse in an undisclosed location in Los Angeles County. The investigation led to the seizure of dozens of kilos of illegal drugs - including 21 kilos of suspected carfentanil. We are almost like the Costco warehouse of narcotics dealers, shipping this poison across the country, said Frank Pepper, assistant special agent in charge of the Riverside DEA Office. Updated: 10:31 PM PDT October 14, 2020. The end result is an invisible network, valued in the billions of dollars, that weaves through the county, hidden within the same shipping and trucking lanes that carry agriculture and commercial goods from Mexico. Luke Money is a Metro reporter covering breaking news at the Los Angeles Times. If convicted, they face mandatory minimum sentences of 10 years in federal prison, with a possible maximum sentence of life in prison. / KCAL News. Instead, there isa low-profile,commercialized pipeline, where violence would only cut into high profits, DEA officials say. This is a tough time for everybody, and some people turn to drugs to deal with that, he said, adding that many in-house-treatment options have been curtailed due to the coronavirus. Agents from Southwest Border Group 2 began investigating a large-scale drug trafficking organization with ties to the Sinaloa Cartel in San Diego's Otay Mesa area, allegedly involved in the transportation and delivery of large quantities of drugs. The team, led by Detective Christopher MacAuley with the Sheriff's Office, included more than two dozen deputies accompanied by FBI and Homeland Security agents. Redding felon's drug sales arrest marks second drug bust in 11 days - Woman also arrested . Sheriff's Administration Posted on: January 10, 2023 Homicide Reporting Deputy: Sergeant Richard Carroll File # WI230090039 Details: Riverside County wiretaps have increased eight-fold since 2010, and now outnumber any other county or federal district by more than three to one. "We continue to work with our state and local partners to attack drug trafficking at all levels, and this seizure sends a clear message that we mean business.". Each suspect was charged with one count of conspiracy to possess with intent to distribute methamphetamine. Then Reyes rattled off a list of chores. The biggest haul was in Perris, where DEA agents and investigators from several . In April, Arkansas State Police found 275 poundsof meth worth an estimated $10 million hidden in a semi-truck on Interstate 40, about 10 miles east of Little Rock. Massino, the DEA spokesman, insisted that everyday citizens would almost never have their conversations intercepted. Straighten up the sofa. Narcotics detectives with the Fontana Police Department spotted the exchange. MORENO VALLEY, CA Federal agents on Wednesday announced what they called the largest methamphetamine bust by Drug Enforcement Agency investigators in domestic U.S. history, displaying a 10-foot-high pile of the drug weighing more than 3 tons seized at stash houses in Riverside County. Ok, mom, her daughter said, brimming with enthusiasm. YREKA, Calif., For the fourth time in just over five weeks, members of Siskiyou County's new Domestic Highway Enforcement (DHE) Team made a significant drug bust while patrolling the I-5 corridor through Siskiyou County last Thursday, March 10. Alarmed, a construction worker called the cops, whosent a bomb squad. The drugs are alleged to have been stored in hidden compartments in their vehicles. From the Sinaloa territory, drugs enter the country in Calexico, a border town in Imperial County. The investigation led to search warrants at multiple narcotic stash houses in Moreno Valley and Perris in Riverside County, officials said. "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 that have had to deal with the torrent of methamphetamine coming into their neighborhoods," he said. Coronavirus Updates, 2023, Gulf-California Broadcast Company Palm Springs, CA USA, Download the News Channel 3 News app here. "These two seizures are more than enough to provide a dose of meth for every man, woman and child in the United States and Mexico," Timothy Shea, DEA acting administrator, said. Authorities said the Oct. 2 take,. They say the operation was a direct result of complaints made by city residents and business owners, not just in the downtown area, but the Magnolia Center and La Sierra. "In my humble opinion, it's because of two reasons. Convicted Felons Arrested with a Loaded Firearm and Narcotics. Over a three-year period that ended in September, the Riverside DEA Office, which also covers San Bernardino County, has seized about 6,500 poundsof meth and 770 poundsof heroin. Postal Service and private vehicles to ship large quantities of cocaine and other narcotics to buyers across the country. "I don't know how they hide that.". The department said members of its DEA task force has been on the trail of the massive drug ring with ties to the Sinaloa drug cartel since June. Her husband ran out the back door, vanishing into the desert. Hayley Smith covers breaking news in California with a focus on wildfires, drought and climate change. Is ongoing seizure '' of meth the following week x27 ; s drug sales arrest marks second drug in. 21 kilos of illegal drugs - including 21 kilos of illegal drugs - including 21 kilos illegal. 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