According to the DEA, agents worked in concert with the Fontana Police Department to interdict a drug supply operation run by the Sinaloa Cartel, with a residence in Norco serving as a major piece of the pipeline. Wiretaps are requiredto be last resorts for law enforcement, used only when surveillance, informants and other investigatory tools have failed. This is enough dope to prove a dose of meth for every man, women and child in the United States and Mexico, , DEA Acting Administrator Timothy Shea said. "Drugs make people make bad decisions," said Riverside Police Chief Larry Gonzalez. October 14, 2020 / 10:20 PM In total, CBP officers found approximately 3,014 pounds of methamphetamine, 64 pounds of heroin, 29 pounds of fentanyl powder and almost 37 pounds of fentanyl pills, worth an estimated $7.2 million. In the 80s and 90s, Riverside County was a hotbed for meth manufacturing, and meth labs flourished here, taking advantage of the countys empty spaces to hide the foul smell of urine and smoke produced by mixing chemicals. Fine white powder sprinkled out of the tiny holes. The house sat on Pace Lane in Indio Hills, behind a chain-link fence and a locked gate, miles from all but a few neighbors. 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. More than 40,000 plants are spread out. "This is enough dope to provide a dose of meth for every man, woman and child in the United States and Mexico," DEA Acting Administrator Timothy Shea said. Inside was a mountain of drugs 2,650 pounds of cocaine, 66 poundsof heroin and 19 tons of marijuana, stacked on pallets. 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. 2023 www.desertsun.com. 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. According to the indictment, between April and August of 2020, the lead defendants Timoteo Gomez, 48, of Riverside and Javier Rodriguez, 54, of Riverside, bought meth from their suppliers in Mexico, as well as in Los Angeles and Riverside counties. Terms of Service | Privacy Policy | Community Guidelines, EEO Report | FCC Applications | Do Not Sell My Personal Information, Daily News Headlines The DEA's big bust came just a week before another huge meth seizure. The loose dirt turned easy. Two duffel bags replete with narcotics allegedly changed hands. The Southern California seizure occurred on Oct. 2 and included 893 pounds of cocaine, 13 pounds of heroin and 2,200 pounds of methamphetamine. He says to hurry up and clean there because I think hes going to take visitors.. Shea said the United States saw a 25% increase in meth overdoses last year alone and emphasized the drugs damaging effects on communities, which often see an accompanying uptick in violent crimes including robberies, assaults and murders. All rights reserved. Police arrested 23 people in an operation designed to crack down on illegal drug sales in downtown Riverside. Informasjon om enheten din og Internett-tilkoblingen, blant annet IP-adressen, Surfe- og skeaktivitet ved bruk av Yahoos nettsteder og apper. The investigation led to search warrants at multiple narcotic stash houses in Moreno Valley and Perris in Riverside County, officials said. 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. 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. 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. The historic Southern California seizure stemmed from a shadowing operation on Oct. 2, when investigators observed a courier make a drop in a Sam's Club parking lot in Moreno Valley. 9/21/2022 8:50 PM. We dont see many of those anymore.. This black pipe, which shut down I-10 for about 30 minutes on Aug.18, was filled with a half-pound of methamphetamine, and had almost certainly fallen off an eastbound truck smuggling narcotics. The Riverside County District Attorneys Office has pointed to this bust as an example of the importance of local wiretaps, but the case also shows how drug trafficking has changed in this region. 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. A raid by federal and local authorities netted 12 arrests in the Riverside area, with authorities confiscating large amounts of weapons, cash and methamphetamine. Coronavirus Updates, 2023, Gulf-California Broadcast Company Palm Springs, CA USA, Download the News Channel 3 News app here. Copyright 2023 NBCUniversal Media, LLC. The arrests were announced during a news conference in Riverside Wednesday morning, where authorities said violent crime has risen dramatically during the pandemic. "These numbers are significant," said Kristi Johnson of the FBI. In all, more than 150 pounds of meth were seized, in addition to more than $31,000 in cash. 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. Agents seized more than 4,800 pounds of meth nationwide and are still working on more arrests, according to the DEA. In another seizure earlier this month in San Diego, customs and border patrol agents confiscated 3,000 pounds of meth, 29 kilograms of heroin and 29 kilograms of fentanyl-laced powder and pills. The Riverside County Sheriff's Office will be hosting a Deputy Sheriff and Correctional Deputy Expedited Hiring Event on Saturday, February 18, 2023, at Palm Desert High School, 74910 Az. Diaz says it illustrates frustrations he has with other aspects of the criminal justice system. Acting on information from the DEA, CBP officials recovered more than 3,000 pounds of meth at the Otay Mesa Port of Entry in San Diego. Suspect arrested in Sexual Assault. "Study after study shows that where there is meth addiction, there is also an uptick in violent crime, including robberies, assaults and murders.". To request removal of your name from an arrest report, submit these required items to arrestreports@patch.com. Authorities arrested eight defendants Thursday named in a federal grand jury indictment alleging their involvement in a drug trafficking organization operating in Los Angeles and Riverside. Representatives of the Riverside Police Department, Riverside County Sheriff's Department, FBI and Drug Enforcement Administration attended the news conference. "It's just a risk they take. This massive seizure is testament of what law enforcement agencies can do when we combine forces prevent over $7 million worth of deadly drugs from entering our country, thus saving countless lives from addiction and overdose deaths, said DEA Special Agent in Charge John W. Callery. Federal agents announced what they called the largest methamphetamine bust in U.S. history Wednesday . 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 investigations in the Inland Empire representing the largest Drug Enforcement Agency meth bust in U.S. history. He previously was a reporter and assistant city editor for the Daily Pilot, a Times Community News publication in Orange County, and before that wrote for the Santa Clarita Valley Signal. January 10, 2023 at 5:40 p.m. The DEAs Timothy Shea, left, and Bill Bodner stand next to a pyramid comprised of 2,224 pounds of methamphetamine, 893 pounds of cocaine and 13 pounds of heroin. Last year, four Coachella men were indicted as part of a conspiracy to move millions in Sinaloa drug profits from Canada to Mexico. If Leon-Garcias truck had been stopped here, instead, the case would have been far less remarkable. Meth is an especially vicious drug, he said. Between the two homes, detectives seized 25 duffle bags of drugs containing 2,200 pounds of meth, 460 kilograms of cocaine and six kilograms of heroin. Ok, mom, her daughter said, brimming with enthusiasm. The Sinaloas have been linked to 90 percent of the drugs that move through Southern California, said Dave Stinnett, an intelligence analystwith the DEAs Los Angeles division. Mop the kitchen. Over the past three years, the Riverside Office has seen a significant rise in meth and heroin trafficking, according to seizure statistics provided to The Desert Sun. Thats nearly one fourth as much meth, and one tenth as much heroin, as was seized by the entire DEA nationwide from 2012 to 2014. 9/21/2022 8:33 PM. The Riverside office also seized nearly $47 million in cash, vehicles and guns during that three-year span. Even if Sinaloas dont move the drugs themselves, they tax any other cartel that ships narcotics through their territory, like a smuggling tollbooth. The DEA says ruralareas are ideal for stash houses because they are difficult to monitor, but other experts said surroundings dont really matter. It was the quintessential pipe bomb, about a foot long and an inch-and-a-half wide, with caps on both ends. DEA Acting Administrator Timothy J. Shea and other law enforcement officials displayed theevidence during a press conference at a DEA warehouse in Montebello. 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. On Oct. 9, U.S. Customs and Border Protection stopped a truck crossing from Mexico into the United States at San Diego's Otay Mesa and found 3,014 pounds (1,367.1 kilograms) of methamphetamine, the agency said Sunday. Im proud of the CBP officers dedication to our mission; they continue to stop dangerous drugs from entering our communities.". Kathy Vara reports for the NBC4 News at 4 p.m. on Friday, Feb. 7, 2020. Operation Crystal Shield has resulted in 2,800 arrests over the last six months nationwide, Bodner said. Twenty-five duffel bags loaded with cocaine, heroin and meth were seized, according to the DEA. For two months, Rohn and his partners at the DEA had been using wiretaps to chase a drug ring. Severe Weather We will continue to work together to disrupt drug trafficking organizations at every opportunity we are given.. News Channel 3 is committed to providing a forum for civil and constructive conversation. "Synthetic drugs like methamphetamine are highly addictive, dangerous and killing people at alarming rates," DEA Los Angeles Special Agent in Charge Bill Bodner said. 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. They didnt see it, they didnt think about it and it probably didnt have any effect on their lives at all, until it exploded., Our dope pipeline is kind of like that.. "The drugs that will kill you.". HOPEWELL, Va. (WWBT) - Hopewell police arrested two people during an early morning drug bust. Her husband ran out the back door, vanishing into the desert. It looks just like someone coming home from work.. With the generous support of readers like you, Times of San Diego publishes timely and accurate news coverage for a better-informed community. Carfentanil . A man was arrested on multiple charges during a drug bust in Columbus. A nearly two-ton seizure of methamphetamine in Norco was the largest meth seizure documented by the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration's Los Angeles Division, it was announced today. Your California Privacy Rights / Privacy Policy. The recently seized drugs stemmed from the Sinaloa and Jalisco New Generation cartels in Mexico, Shea said. Seized heroin has been mostly white powder, rather than black tar, and officials believe these shipments are intended for East Coast markets, where white powder heroin is more popular. A team of agents cut the fence and stormed the home, guns drawn. City News Service contributed to this report. Smugglers will try every way possible to try and get their product across the border; and because of the partnership between CBP, Homeland Security investigations and DEA, this significant seizure occurred and we stopped them, said Anne Maricich, acting CBP director of field operations in San Diego. The US Customers and Border Protection on Oct. 9 recovered 3,014 pounds of the drug from a truck. 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. REDDING, Calif., For the second time in less than two weeks a Redding felon, who was already on probation for drug sales, was busted again for fentanyl possession and sales yesterday after a citizen's tip led officers to an apartment the man . This is the third-busiest port of entry on the U.S.-Mexico border, and likely the largest for smuggled narcotics. 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. The drugs were intended for distribution throughout the region, investigators said. A joint investigation by The Desert Sun and USA TODAY hasrevealed that narcotics investigations have transformed this region into the most wiretapped place in America. "Meth is pouring into the U.S. through our southern border, and it's destroying too many communities," Shea said. However, another federal agency, U.S. Customs and Border Protection, netted an even bigger amount of meth the following week. 5, 2020 at 11:29 AM PDT. Du kan endre valgene dine nr som helst ved g til personvernkontrollene dine. Police listened as Beltran described how he got the meth in Mexico, then buried it at the abandoned house in Lake Elsinorefor safekeeping until it could be sold. Stephanie Lai was a 2020 intern for 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. All you really need is a big garage and a garage door opener, Moore said. Quickly, Rohn found three plastic bags, buried shallow, each filled with a pound of white powder. His identity was not provided. Massino, the DEA spokesman, insisted that everyday citizens would almost never have their conversations intercepted. Some suspects were already in custody on other charges. "Meth, heroin, cocaine," said city councilman Mike Gardner. 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 deputy was not surprised. "The Justice Department is committed to making our neighborhoods safer by aggressively disrupting drug cartel operations in the United States.". We won't use your email for any other purpose, and you can opt out at any time via an unsubscribe link. Officials say the change was spurred by lawmakers, in Sacramento and Washington D.C., who created aggressive laws restricting access to the chemicals used to make meth, commonly called precursors. Withoutingredients, small-scale meth labs became unfeasible. NBC Universal, Inc. A record meth bust part of a national operation was announced Wednesday, Oct. 14, 2020. Cocaine and meth were being distributed throughout the region from the location, which investigators identified in September, according to the DEA. Narcotics seized during a bust Friday in Otay Mesa. Once smugglers pass Calexico, a majority follow one of two routes, DEA officials say. Homeland Security special agent who sexually assaulted two women, telling them he was ""above the law," was found guilty Wednesday of violating their civil rights, federal prosecutors said. Riverside. From April to August 2020, Gomez and Rodriguez allegedly purchased methamphetamine from suppliers in Mexico as well as in Los Angeles and Riverside counties, according to investigators. 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. The robot eased closer, eyeing the powder with a camera. Click Here to Download the News Channel 3 app. Agents seized more than 4,800 pounds of meth nationwide and are still working on more arrests, according to the DEA. Had they not been seized, the drugs would have infiltrated Los Angeles within a day, according to Bill Bodner, special agent in charge of the DEAs Los Angeles Division. On Oct. 9, U.S. Customs and Border Protection stopped a truck crossing from Mexico into the United States at San Diego's Otay . Posted Wed, Jan 29, 2020 at 2:22 pm PT. Instead, there isa low-profile,commercialized pipeline, where violence would only cut into high profits, DEA officials say. Redding felon's drug sales arrest marks second drug bust in 11 days - Woman also arrested . Since June, couriers and a stash house for the drugs were identified through ongoing surveillance, much of it conducted by Fontana Police Department personnel, authorities said. Approx. Published: Jun. Narcotics detectives with the Fontana Police Department spotted the exchange. Drug profits, often in bales of cash, follow the same path back to Mexico. Anexample of one such house was uncovered in 2006, when the DEA raided a home in a far-flung corner of the Coachella Valley. Download the News Channel 3 app here. Be the first to know when news breaks in Coachella Valley. Straighten up the sofa. "The cartels are aware of law enforcement efforts at the border, so what they'll do is they'll flood the border with multiple vehicles coming through," said FBI agent Andrew Sharp. DEA agents make historic $33M drug bust in Riverside County DEA Los Angeles A nearly two-ton seizure of methamphetamine in Norco was the largest meth seizure documented by the U.S. Drug. Like in Riverside, drug seizures along that stretch of border have gone up dramatically. Gone is the risk of meth lab explosions and violence between rival cooks and dealers. The statistics are not perfectly comparable because the Riverside seizure totals were provided only by fiscal year and national totals were provided only by calendar year. RIVERSIDE, California (AP) A former U.S. The officer referred the driver, truck and shipment for a more intensive inspection, which is when the illicit contraband was discovered, according to the DEA. Troopers championed the case as the biggest meth bust in the history of Arkansas, but the truck had come from Riverside County. Ved klikke Godta alt godtar du at Yahoo og vre partnere vil behandle din personlige informasjon og bruke teknologier som informasjonskapsler, for vise personlig tilpassede annonser og innhold, for annonse- og innholdsmling, publikumsinnsikt og produktutvikling. Authorities specifically mentioned two incidents of alleged drug smuggling along the southern border. "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. Federal agents announced what they called the largest methamphetamine bust in U.S. history Wednesday, displaying a 10-foot high pile of the confiscated drug representing a haul of more than 2,200 pounds seized at stash houses in Riverside County, along with cocaine and heroin. "The significant seizures thwarted drug traffickers' plans to profit from these dangerous drugs that cause incredible harm to our communities," Acting Assistant Attorney General Brian Rabbitt said. Luke Money is a Metro reporter covering breaking news at the Los Angeles Times. LOS ANGELES - Authorities this morning arrested 16 defendants linked to an Inland Empire-based drug trafficking ring that used the U.S. The drugs were intended for distribution in Southern California, including Los Angeles, according to DEA officials, who displayed the haul at the agency's warehouse in an undisclosed location in Los Angeles County. The DEA's bust was just one of two massive meth seizures by federal authorities in October. "The chemicals involved, you hear of places blowing up," Rivas said. Riverside County wiretaps have increased eight-fold since 2010, and now outnumber any other county or federal district by more than three to one. 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. LA man receives 3 years in prison for $619,000 skimming scheme. "A search of the vehicle resulted in the seizure of 66 kilograms of cocaine and an additional seizure of approximately 3,552 pounds of methamphetamine from numerous boxes located in the garage," the agency stated. If you would like to share a story idea, please submit it here. That's nearly. 2023 CBS Broadcasting Inc. All Rights Reserved. Massino cited Little Rock just as an example, but he couldnt have picked a truer one. First, they had caught a street-level dealer in Temecula with 33 grams. Sheriff's Administration Posted on: January 10, 2023 Homicide Reporting Deputy: Sergeant Richard Carroll File # WI230090039 Details: CALIFORNIA, USA Federal agents announced what they called the largest methamphetamine bust in U.S. history Wednesday, displaying a 10-foot high pile of . The DEA said it represented the single "largest seizure" of meth that the agency's Los Angeles personnel had ever made. The entrance to a drug tunnel discovered by federal authorities in Otay Mesa, March 30, 2020. Although this stash house was busted, no one knows how many remain undetected, small cogs in Riverside Countys gigantic drug smuggling machine. Contests & Promotions "This massive seizure likely saved lives and prevented the Sinaloa Cartel from doing business and profiting on the lives of people in our communities.". Officers served a warrant at a home in the . More than 70 investigators worked the two California cases, which included extensive fieldwork and surveillance. Updated: 10:31 PM PDT October 14, 2020 CALIFORNIA, USA Federal agents announced what they called the largest methamphetamine bust in U.S. history Wednesday, displaying a 10-foot high pile of. 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. Thats why traffickers prefer to get the drugs here.. Over the last month and a half, the team, which began . Copyright 2023 KABC Television, LLC. "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. My guys are all cops, and they could tell it wasnt explosives, said Sgt. And these figures still don't account for all the drugs and cash seized in Riverside County. , said Sgt example, but other experts said surroundings dont really matter @ patch.com and. 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