What is xylazine? At first he planned to approach it the way he investigated marijuana: by working along the chain from the user to the dealer to the producer with the threat of jail to prise information from suspects. A Warner Bros. The Page County Sheriff's Office reported narcotics investigators made the largest seizure of methamphetamine in department history. According to the sheriffs office, investigators seized 50 kilograms of cocaine, two kilograms of fentanyl, one kilogram of heroin, six pounds of marijuana, 150 grams of crack cocaine, 100 fentanyl pills, seven firearms including one assault rifle, and $1.4 million in cash in Loudoun County. JCSO officials say Operation Centennial Sweep totaled 113 warrants for drugs involving methamphetamine, heroin, cocaine, fentanyl, prescription narcotics, and marijuana. Spring fire season means fire burning guidelines. "Project Parkersburg was a game changer - it netted the largest meth bust in West Virginia history and resulted in more than a dozen defendants being prosecuted by my . Your effort and contribution in providing this feedback is much "We seized over six pounds of crystal. Daily updates from Blue Gold News for WVU sports. John Ingram Police say the two men were arrested for the felony offense of possession with the intent to deliver fentanyl and possession of fentanyl. Officers say they confiscated 20 grams of fentanyl. Though West Virginia has had boom-and-bust cycles since, Census Bureau data shows it has lost population every year since 2012 and now has about 1.8 million residents. Everyone was going along with it.. Officers seized 24 firearms, 30 kilograms of heroin, 5 kilograms of cocaine and more than $700,000 in cash along with 30 kilograms of fentanyl, according to a press release from the US attorneys office. (July 21), Hagerstown, Washington County closer to seeing some opioid settlements, Fatal drug overdoses hit record levels during COVID, Your California Privacy Rights/Privacy Policy, Ana Ercilia Luna, 36, of Hagerstown and the Dominican Republic, Juan Manuel De La Rosa-Tejeda, also known as Little Papi, 35, of Hagerstown and the Dominican Republic, Daniel Inoa-Rodriguez, also known as Danny, 21, of Hagerstown, Tyrone Lewis, also known as "Roc," 42, of Hagerstown, Edwin Orrillio, also known as J Money, 34, of Hagerstown, Carlos M. Nunez-Arias, also known as Charlote, 51, of Hagerstown, Edson Velasquez-Lopez, 50, of Martinsburg, Chelsea Nicole Pinkcett, 33, of Martinsburg, Ronald MichaelBowers, 52, of Martinsburg, Devron Jerel Brown, also known as Country, 33, of Martinsburg. Dozens of people were arrested Tuesday in a major drug trafficking sweep in Huntington, W.Va., a city hit hard by the opioid . Sign up now to get our FREE breaking news coverage delivered right to your inbox. Smith went and watched. Your account has been registered, and you are now logged in. Thirty people in the drug organization were indicted in state and federal court in southern West Virginia, and more arrest and search warrants were anticipated in Detroit, he said. Chance of rain 90%. Smith went to federal prosecutors with the evidence about the illegal lists of prescriptions and pressed them to file charges. Published: Sep. 13, 2020 at 1:02 PM PDT. Choose wisely! ROANOKE, Va. - The combined efforts of local, state and federal law enforcement agencies have resulted in the arrests of 13 individuals over the past weeks connected to a variety of drug . Daily News, Sports and Events for Marion County. Harrah said Fayette Countys drug problem, which he called the top priority of the county, affects everything from insurance rates to crime. According to the sheriff's office, investigators seized 50 kilograms of cocaine, two kilograms of fentanyl, one kilogram of heroin, six pounds of marijuana, 150 grams of crack cocaine, 100 fentanyl. The following year, the FBI and state police raided the Williamson clinic, arrested doctors and cut off the opioid pipeline. Investigators discovered the pharmacies lined up bottles pre-filled with set amounts of pills. After 50-year 'war on drugs,' has anyone won? "The operation in this case, I think it's fair to say, dealt with millions of dollars of drugs and proceeds," he said. Courrier. He was arraigned and bond was set at $175,000 cash only, but that has since been reduced to $50,000 cash only, according to the PHRJ website. The 30-count indictment alleges the operation trafficked large amounts of heroin, fentanyl, cocaine base and cocaine hydrochloride from Hagerstown toBerkeley County, West Virginia, between August2020and June of this year, according to a news release from Bernard's office. Weather Alerts. . Winds light and variable.. Clear skies. Nelson County's Commonwealth's Attorney Daniel Rutherford said this comes from a . Lenin Erasmo Luna Mota, also known as Papi, 48, of the Dominican Republic, is one of 34 people indicted by a federal grand jury in the Northern District of West Virginia on charges stemming froma multi-state drug operation, according to Randolph J. Bernard, the district's acting U.S. attorney. In the north of Mingo county, another pharmacist looked on enviously. highways in biggest drug bust in Broome's history Closings & Delays. Error! Thats really the design by nature, its the proverbial line in the sand moving forward. Winds SW at 5 to 10 mph. In the six years after Tug Valley opened, pharmaceutical distributors delivered nearly 11m of the most common type of opioid pill, hydrocodone. Something similar was going on at the Tug Valley Pharmacy and Hurleys in Williamson. I thought, My God, almost 9m pills in two years went out of here, and Wooley said that he made $500,000 a month in a little town of 400 people.. Still at largewere Mota, Luna, Rodriguez, Longus, Rose,Orrillio,Velasquez-Lopez,Pinkcett, Gregory, Brown and Nunez-Arias, authorities said. Low 34F. The city of 48,000 residents along the Ohio River had a record 19 homicides last year, up from three in 2015. All he had to do was lend his name to the prescriptions and one of the nurses at the clinic would fill it out. The suspects transported the drugs using hidden traps in privately owned vehicles, semi-trailers, trucks, and recreational vehicles, authorities said. Todays effort is not targeting addicts or corner dealers but trafficking organizations that have made Huntington an unfortunate target of their profits, Stuart said. Authorities estimate the value of the drugs at $8.5 million. The campaign which was conducted under the banner of Operation Angels Envy - reportedly began in 2017, and concluded in February 2020. Ihlenfeld said nine of those charged were already incarcerated. A grand jury charged 39 co-conspirators with 106 counts for their involvement in an alleged drug trafficking conspiracy that began in March 2016, according to the indictment. Jonathan Calhoun, an assistant in the Nicholas County Prosecutors Office, said the mass arrest dealt a severe blow to the distribution of drugs in West Virginia. Our culture is so messed up. Its definitely the biggest Ive seen, Chief Bruce said. The Justice Medical Complex opened in the spring of 2005, a 10-minute drive from Kermit. Ciccarelli had come from pursuing Colombian cartels in Florida, but he already knew West Virginia well from working the drug beat as a police officer in the early 1980s. These days, the town has shrunk to 9,889 residents and the economic prospects have dimmed. Mary Ann Withrow, a federal agent, said investigators recorded that the Sav-Rite and the clinic were excessively busy for such a small town. 267lbs. Duluth police say this is the largest drug bust in history for the region. Those four were: Michael Figueroa, 28, charged with federal counts of conspiracy to distribute concaine base, aiding and abetting maintaining a drug involved premises and distribution of cocaine base. When the sun went down (Wednesday) night we were actually sitting at about 90 (arrests).. Rainfall around a quarter of an inch. Share with Us. If they can do 92 why cant we do 100 and once we meet that century mark, than anything is possible.. Sign up for local job offers sent to your inbox. Officers found an assortment of illegal drugs in the home on Vine Street in Humboldt, including 35 pounds of marijuana, four ounces of cocaine, and 30 pounds of methamphetamine. According to indictments . I hope I am wrong about what happens to him now even if he was clearly asking for it. This is the name that will be displayed next to your photo for comments, blog posts, and more. In the evening hours of April 27th. In December, Easton admitted to selling. Bernard said agents serveda search warrant at the store in June and seized approximately $500,000 worth of drugs, including a kilogram of heroin and nine kilograms of cocaine. Among the agencies involved in Tuesdays arrests were Huntington, state and Marshall University police, the Drug Enforcement Administration, the West Virginia National Guard, the FBI and local sheriffs departments. Tiano lost his medical licence. JACKSON COUNTY, WV (WOWK) The Jackson County Sheriff's Office is leading the single largest drug investigation warrant sweeps in West Virginia's history. Doctors wrote the prescriptions. Create a password that only you will remember. A second mate and a crew member have been arrested in the. Martinsburg Police Chief George Swartwood said the arrests and seizures of drugs represent "more to this community than just numbers on a page.". . There was a lot of money being made.. A free weekly newsletter with expert sports betting insight and analysis. We want people to know we are in this fight and were going to keep on it, he said. KEYSER, W.Va. (WV News) A Keyser man remains jailed after being arrested earlier this month in what law enforcement officials believe is the largest drug bust in Keyser history. Get an email notification whenever someone contributes to the discussion. A and Apt. Get the Jackson News Weekly delivered to your inbox! "That is a snapshot, one day in the time of this case … so that tells you that over the whole year of the investigation the breadth of this conspiracy and this illegal enterprise," Bernard said. Get the River Cities Tribune and Register Delivered to your email less frequently! You have different levels of culpability within the investigation, its important to attack it on all levels top to bottom because, ultimately when you have a few misdemeanors sprinkled in, there going to actually help your felony investigations.. The roughly half-mile-long tunnel was discovered by Border Patrol agents, who seized. ELKINS, W.Va. - Elkins officials continue to investigate after arresting three people in the city's biggest meth bust to date. Out of the 25 people arrested for this drug trafficking operation, seven are from Morgantown alone with a total over 10 from West Virginia and many in our region. Police say 33-year-old James Martell Frazier, of Cambridge, Maryland, and Seaford, Delaware, was the leader, supervisor, financier and manager of an illegal drug network that spanned multiple . Contact Us | Privacy Policy | Employment | Affiliates Intranet Updated: Mar 19, 2021 / 02:47 PM EDT BOONE COUNTY, WV (WOWK)According to the Boone County Sheriff's Office, deputies executed a search warrant at a residence along Hendrick's Drive in Keith and arrested 54-year-old Paul Thomas "Paulie" Lombardi from Orgas, West Virginia on Thursday. This is the name that will be displayed next to your photo for comments, blog posts, and more. The alleged. Be Proactive. Don't Miss it! 1.San Francisco is home to the crown of the world largest ever recorded drugs bust. Oh, we were aware. Covid-19 could be making things worse. With any luck we have eight years of this stuff so if they dont like it, they can find somewhere else to live.. person will not be tolerated. Terrence McGuirk, 51, who was jailed after the historic "Project Parkersburg" drug bust, was sentenced for conspiracy to distribute more than 500 grams of methamphetamine. MARTINSBURG, W.Va. Police Chief George Swartwood is proud of the men and women of his force . Investigators said the bust is the largest drug haul in the world in terms of both value and quantity. You have permission to edit this article. Martinsburg authorities look back on record drug bust. Were not seeing meth labs here much anymore, he said, to which Bruce added, Fentanyl is the big issue now.. The investigation involved federal, state and local law enforcement agencies includingthe Eastern Panhandle Drug Task Force; the Berkeley and Jefferson County sheriff's offices; the Martinsburg, Charles Town, Ranson and Hagerstown police departments;the Washington County Drug Task Force; West Virginia and Maryland state police; the FBI; the U.S. West Virginia leads the nation by far in the rate of drug overdose deaths. He is now awaiting trial. It was a profound stop and seizure of extremely hard drugs that have plagued this area and others, according to Martinsburg Police Chief George Swartwood. It wasnt long before drug distribution companies, some of the largest firms in America among them, were delivering millions of opioid pills a year to Tug Valley. It boggles my mind, said Sparks, the mayor. The FBI, U.S. Department of Homeland Security, U.S. We won't share it with anyone else. The investigation is ongoing at this time. The alleged suspects range in age from 19 to 63 years old. Law enforcement officials are encouraging members of the public who have information concerning the suspects involved to contact authorities. It doesnt give the opportunity for information to get spread throughout the illegal drug community, he said. Report a Closing. On Oct. 9, U.S. Customs and Border Protection stopped a truck crossing from Mexico into the United States at San Diego's Otay . U.S. Atty. An email has been sent to with a link to confirm list signup. If the warnings sounded by pain specialists and doctors in the first few years had been heeded, the crisis might have been averted or at least greatly diminished. n Richwood area: Daniel Copen, Lola Copen, A.J. Im sitting here looking at this. Up until his arrest, Ballengee continued to insist that he was doing no more than filling prescriptions written by doctors. Find out what's happening in Garrett County with this weekly email alert! Were not talking about $5 and $600 deals, were talking hundreds of thousands of dollars, you know, $20,000 in the trunk of somebodys car in a gym bag behind a local restaurant, Terwilliger said. I tried to use the wire fraud to get everybody, the pharmacies and the doctors. The charges for those arrested include distribution of controlled substances and conspiracy. Marshals Service and the federal Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives were among the agencies involved in the mass arrest, as well as the West Virginia State Police, Summersville Police Department, Nicholas County Sheriffs Department, Richwood Police Department, Fayette County Sheriffs Department, Fayetteville Police Department, Oak Hill Police Department, Mount Hope Police Department and the Montgomery Police Department. However, what they did is they talked to the pharmacists and told them they couldnt do that any more, he said. The operation was a joint effort between the Jackson County Sheriffs Department, Ravenswood Police Department, Ripley Police Department, U.S. Manchin Hand-Delivers Tax Cut Warning to the Statehouse. But Smith quickly discovered that users were happy to tell him where he could find doctors to write prescriptions and drug stores to fill them no questions asked. Rain likely. 4:18 PM EDT, Fri August 30, 2019, Dr. Gupta explains why opioids so addictive. You stack those things up and a jurys finally going to say, I dont believe this.. Each day, hundreds of people lined up outside an old animal feed store where a group of doctors were set up by a former pimp, just out of federal prison for running a gay prostitution ring in Washington DC, to churn out opioid prescriptions faster than West Virginias major hospitals. The Jackson County Bureau of Investigations spearheaded the investigation with the aid of officers from the Jackson County Sheriffs Department, Ravenswood Police Department, United States Marshal, Drug Enforcement Administration, West Virginia State Police and West Virginia Department of Natural Resources. Drug distributors delivered more than 30m opioid pills just to those three pharmacies, in one of the poorest counties in America. They pointed him to Mingo county. By Matthew Hill; Jun 6, 2006 Jun 6, 2006 Updated Jul 29, 2014 . The pharmacist persuaded his assistant at the drugstore, Debra Justice, to set up a medical clinic just outside Kermit and they recruited a doctor more than an hour away at Marshall Universitys medical school, Dr John Tiano. Your e-mail address will be used to confirm your account. Federal prosecutors charged him with making millions of dollars from illegally supplying opioids alongside Anthony Rattini, the former president of Ballengees major suppliers, Miami-Luken, and others. Authorities arrested 35 people and seized enough fentanyl to kill roughly 14 million people in a three-state drug bust announced on Thursday by the US Justice Department. Of methamphetamine in department history now logged in Tuesday in a major drug trafficking sweep in Huntington, police! There was a lot of money being made.. a FREE weekly newsletter expert. Those charged were already incarcerated why opioids so addictive has shrunk to 9,889 residents and the prospects. 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