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. How Alaska became one of fentanyl's deadliest frontiers, FDA panel backs allowing a naloxone spray to be sold over-the-counter, Biden to tout fentanyl smuggling crackdown in State of the Union. The leads here are endless, Reiner said. Were going to reintroduce this law and order and make sure we drive these people out of business and give this community back to the residents.". ALAMEDA COUNTY, Calif. (KGO) -- In what Alameda County Sheriff's Office is calling the largest pot bust in Bay Area history, more than 37 tons of plants, tens of millions of dollars in. Get browser notifications for breaking news, live events, and exclusive reporting. / CBS News. ", "It was a team effort all the way around," he said. This monumental seizure represents another win against drug cartels that fuel addiction in the United States, said Shelly S. Howe, a Special Agent in Charge at the US Drug Enforcement Administration. 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. They also found $966,000 in cash and seized five tractor-trailers. Atty. 2.4 tonnes of cocaine worth $677 mn, bound for Australia, intercepted in country's biggest drug bust. Los Angeles, Newsom, IRS give Californians until October to file tax returns, Calmes: Heres what we should do about Marjorie Taylor Greene, This fabled orchid breeder loves to chat just not about Trader Joes orchids, At least 5 people shot near San Pedro beach, Safety concerns and weather conditions hamper San Bernardino County relief efforts, ICE detainees allege retaliation for speaking about medical conditions at Otay Mesa center, Downtown L.A stabbing sends six to hospital; suspect arrested, San Diego Roman Catholic diocese facing yet another lawsuit from its insurance company. 2021 CBS Interactive Inc. All Rights Reserved. A record meth bust part of a national operation was announced Wednesday, Oct. 14, 2020. The drug is often mixed with cocaine and methamphetamine, and many victims do not know they are ingesting fentanyl. They worked with authorities in Arizona and it started to grow. Join half a million readers enjoying Newsweek's free newsletters. With fentanyl driving fatal overdoses to record levels in the United States, state governments are scrambling for solutions. Meth is a highly addictive stimulant that usually takes the form of a powder. Copyright 2023 NBCUniversal Media, LLC. Todd Spitzer said in a statement about the bust. The eight face charges that include conspiracy to transport and distribute narcotics, firearms possession, gang enhancement and conspiracy to commit murder. Another was arrested at about the same time at the Marriott Hotel in Woodland Hills. But over the last three weeks, they noticed the cartels really starting to make an increased effort to get drugs across the border. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, Copyright 2023 CBS Interactive Inc. All rights reserved. She called on the district attorney to prosecute those arrested in the operation. Read the original article below and watch our original report from . Gutensohn said the traffickers maintain control over profitable distribution routes. Do Not Sell or Share My Personal Information, At least 5 people shot near San Pedro beach, Safety concerns and weather conditions hamper San Bernardino County relief efforts, ICE detainees allege retaliation for speaking about medical conditions at Otay Mesa center, Desperate mountain residents trapped by snow beg for help; We are coming, sheriff says, Newsom, IRS give Californians until October to file tax returns, Californias snowpack is approaching an all-time record, with more on the way, This is me, this is my face: Actress Mimi Rogers on aging naturally, without cosmetic surgery, Downtown L.A stabbing sends six to hospital; suspect arrested, States look for solutions as fentanyl deaths keep rising, California lawmakers target fentanyl as opioid overdoses surge, 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? Los Angeles-area drug bust nets 1 million fentanyl-laced pills - USA TODAY National correspondent Bill Melugin reports on the major drug raid allegedly tied to Mexican cartels. "We are not talking about mom and pop people selling marijuana that they grew in their backyard. One of the Largest Drug Busts in Monterey County History - Newsweek DEA Acting Administrator Timothy J. Shea and other law enforcement officials displayed theevidence during a press conference at a DEA warehouse in Montebello. The DEA says the drugs were linked to the Sinaloa drug cartel and would have ended up in the hands of addicts on LA streets. EAU CLAIRE Wis. (WLAX/WEUX) - A Colfax man is charged with what the West Central Drug Task Force says is one of its largest drug seizures ever. A furry hero sniffs out one of the largest drug busts in Fontana. 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 . There, amid plastic owls, plaster figurines, pinatas and a painting of Christ walking on the water, were boxes containing thousands of one-kilo packages of cocaine, stacked in piles up to eight feet tall. The investigation is continuing.. Updated 09/21/2021, 5:55 p.m. DEA Announces Biggest Meth Bust in US History With 10-Foot-High Pile of The Los Angeles County Sheriff's Department carried out the largest marijuana bust in its history, after seizing more than 33,000 pounds of the drug with a street value of almost $1.2 billion. They allegedly seized 444 kilograms of cocaine, 157 kilograms of crystal meth, 427 kilograms of marijuana and 300 oxycodone pills. Three men believed to be Mexican nationals were arrested in the Los Angeles area--two of them at luxury hotels--and about $10 million in cash was seized at a warehouse in Sylmar during raids that began about 10 p.m. Thursday, according to DEA agents. The fate of NorCal Transportation remains unknown for now, but Cabrera hopes it is shut down. Ira Reiner said that when the officers entered the warehouse in Sylmar and shined their flashlights about the room, they couldnt believe their eyes.. Drug bust: $33 million worth of meth found in historic DEA Los Angeles according to the US Center for Disease Control and Prevention. More than 5,000 pounds of methamphetamine were seized this week after authorities in San Diego County tracked and intercepted a truck that crossed the US border from Mexico, officials said Friday. It paid off for the agencies, and Cabrera said the "outcome was excellent. Federal authorities said contents of the seized packages weighed more than 5,000 pounds, an amount they believe constituted at least one of San Diego County's largest methamphetamine busts in history. The post stated that there was specific intent to distribute the drugs between Yuma, Arizona and Salinas, California. Read the news release here: https://t.co/BOdi19XyJO #Teamwork @HSISanDiego @DEASANDIEGODiv pic.twitter.com/v68GWLy42O, First published on July 11, 2022 / 9:03 AM. July 9, 2021 / 10:14 AM Massive quantities of fentanyl, meth, cocaine seized in OC's largest How is that money being used? Officials say they believe international cartels are behind the illegal large-scale marijuana farms. A record meth bust part of a national operation was announced Wednesday, Oct. 14, 2020. Agents seized more than 4,800 pounds of meth nationwide and are still working on more arrests, according to the DEA. The drugs have an estimated street value of $33 million. Quotes displayed in real-time or delayed by at least 15 minutes. 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. Sign up for FOX 11s Fast 5 newsletter. But crackdowns off Florida have pushed major importation routes westward, and the Colombian cartels now subcontract some of the smuggling duty to Mexican middlemen. Villanueva said that he will share the district attorney's prosecution decision publicly once it's made available. The department brought in massive bulldozers to raid the scene, completely leveling the illegal grows and there are reportedly hundreds more to tackle. 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. or redistributed. "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. Los Angeles police said the total amount of cocaine seized in Sylmar was 39,600 pounds, or 19.8 tons. The cocaine, believed destined for Los Angeles, was 90 percent pure and of Colombian origin, said Ted Hunter, special agent with the federal Drug Enforcement . California Two men arrested in largest drug bust in O.C. 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. Opioid crisis settlements total over $50 billion. Large quantities of the drug have been discovered in trucks that entered the country through the Otay Mesa commercial point of entry before. Four men from Tijuana, Mexico, were arrested and charged with conspiracy to distribute the highly addictive drug in what officials described as one of the largest meth busts in San Diego County. More than 170 law enforcement personnel aided in the search warrants and helped in the apprehension of the suspects. 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 confiscated drug representing a haul . 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. Just north of L.A. in Antelope Valley,. The DEA's big bust came just a week before another huge meth seizure. A record meth bust part of a national operation was announced Wednesday, Oct. 14, 2020. 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. Agents said the confiscated drugs will be inventoried at the warehouse before being taken to a federal facility for safekeeping. As some of the officers secured the warehouse and began itemizing its contents, others fanned out to search for missing suspects, at least some of whom had remained under surveillance. More than 200 locations were served with search warrants. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. The L.A. plantations also hog water from local alfalfa, carrot, and potato farmers. #KeepingYouSafe @SDSheriff K-9 Milo is a very good boy after helping our deputies and law enforcement partners make one of the biggest methamphetamine busts in #SanDiegoCounty history. LOS ANGELES (AP) _ Police and federal agents seized 1,700 pounds of cocaine with an estimated street value of $500 million, three days after a bust netted up to 2,400 pounds of the drug in Tijuana, Mexico, authorities said Saturday. One million fentanyl pills seized - largest bust of its kind in Biggest drug bust goes down in LA sheriff department history. Three additional arrests reportedly occurred in Las Vegas Friday. CNN Sans & 2016 Cable News Network. "Study after study shows that where there is meth addiction, there is also an uptick in violent crime, including robberies, assaults and murders.". In the last two months alone, there have been at least seven confirmed mass overdose events tied to fentanyl across the U.S. resulting in 58 overdoses and 29 deaths, the agency said. And, get breaking news alerts in the FOX 11 News app. We are very very close to driving down the freeway and seeing bodies hanging from the overpasses. 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. A Warner Bros. California Drug Bust Found Enough Opioids To 'Kill More Than 50 - MSN Norfolk Southern train derails in Springfield, Ohio, At least 12 dead after winter storm slams South, Midwest, Trump speaks at CPAC after winning straw poll, Memphis Grizzlies star Ja Morant to "take some time away" from the team after allegedly brandishing a gun in a club, How Paul Murdaugh testified "from the grave" to help convict his father, Man charged for alleged involvement in 2 transformer explosions, Promising drug could provide alternative to statins, new study finds, Iran to allow more inspections at nuclear sites, U.N. says, NTSB to investigate in-flight turbulence that left 1 passenger dead, Largest meth bust in DEA history made in California. 30-year-old Dalton Clayton is charged with possession with intent to deliver methamphetamine and other counts. 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. The article reported that synthetic opioids are the most common substances involved in drug overdose deaths in the United States. The operation, which began on June 8, resulted in 22 felony arrests, 109 misdemeanor arrests, and 19 arrests from water theft enforcement teams, officials said. Powered and implemented by FactSet Digital Solutions. The Complicated Reality of Santa Barbara's Biggest Ever Drug Bust RIVERSIDE COUNTY, Calif. - Federal agents announced what they called the largest methamphetamine bust in domestic U.S. history Wednesday, displaying a 10- foot high pile of the confiscated. Record 20 Tons of Cocaine Seized - Los Angeles Times HARRIS MEETS WITH MEXICAN PRESIDENT AMID CRITICISM OVER MIGRANT REMARKS, LACK OF BORDER VISIT. If convicted, such charges carry substantial maximum penalties that include a mandatory minimum of 10 years in prison along with a $10 million fine. A tip from an informant led to a record drug bust. 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. ET: This story has been updated with statements from Salinas Police Departmen press information officer Miguel Cabrera and Monterey County District Attorney Jeannine Pacioni. San Diego Roman Catholic diocese facing yet another lawsuit from its insurance company, K-Pop isnt the only hot ticket in Koreatown how trot is captivating immigrants, Los Angeles is suddenly awash in waterfalls, Officials unprepared for epic mountain blizzard, leaving many trapped and desperate, The Week in Photos: California exits pandemic emergency amid a winter landscape. The investigation into the drug trafficking organization remains ongoing. published to the Salinas Police Department Facebook page, Everyone Practices Cancel Culture | Opinion, Deplatforming Free Speech is Dangerous | Opinion. California Drug Bust Found Enough Opioids To 'Kill More Than 50 Million During the investigation, DEA agents and officers, along with the Fontana Police Department, identified a house in Norco where drugs were being stored. Newsweek previously reported that according to the National Institute on Drug Abuse, fentanyl is a synthetic opioid that is 50 to 100 times more potent than morphine. "This record-breaking bust is the largest seizure of fentanyl pills DEA has made in California," the news release said. The report also noted that officers seized $90,000 in cash and cashier's checks, two bank accounts and one tractor-trailer belonging to NorCal Transportation. 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. Two Buena Park men are facing felony charges in connection with what prosecutors are calling the largest drug bust in Orange County in 16 years. According to the criminal complaint, on February 13th, the task force got a tip Clayton . NBC4 produces 43 hours each week of local news and weather, and the station features the largest award-winning investigative unit in Southern California. The operation found that NorCal Transportation was directly connected to the Sinaloa Cartel. With fentanyl in an estimated 40 percent of street drugs, its not a matter of if but when someone you know and love dies from fentanyl, Spitzer said Wednesday. 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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. The DEA told FOX 11s Bill Melugin that the COVID-19 pandemic had actually somewhat slowed down the Mexican drug cartels ability to get drugs into SoCal because of increased security at the US border. 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. The men were charged with importation and distribution of narcotics, the Sun said. Zienter said the drugs apparently entered the United States at El Paso, Tex., probably in hidden compartments in two tractor-trailer rigs the ring was believed to have been using. 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. You've successfully subscribed to this newsletter! Los Angeles, Calmes: Heres what we should do about Marjorie Taylor Greene, This fabled orchid breeder loves to chat just not about Trader Joes orchids, Randall Emmett, Ambyr Childers settle domestic violence restraining order dispute. RIVERSIDE COUNTY, Calif. - Federal agents announced what they called the largest methamphetamine bust in domestic 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 coke you can replace.. 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. Nearly 375,000 marijuana plants and 33,480 pounds of harvested marijuana were seized, along with 65 vehicles, 180 animals and $28,000.
