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. according to the US Center for Disease Control and Prevention. Cabrera said there is still information that is being processed. Mike Holm, a DEA agent in Los Angeles, said the SWAT team was called in to guard the warehouse because we had a large amount of money and drugs in there., We know the Colombians have made threats against law enforcement agencies, he said. The suspects identified as 37-year-old Rafael Alzua, 41-year-old Galdrino Contreras, 41-year-old Mario Contreras, and 44-year-old Ethgar Velazquez are accused of attempting to transport large quantities of meth after police found them unloading a vehicle filled with the illegal substance on Thursday. 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. Lamas and Raygozaparedes have each been charged with multiple counts of possession for sale of a controlled substance and multiple counts of the sale or transportation for sale of a controlled substance, all felonies, the D.A.s office said. 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. July 9, 2022 6:45 AM PT. The San Diego Union-Tribune OTAY MESA, Calif. Federal authorities made what they called likely the largest methamphetamine bust in United States history, finding more than 5,528 pounds of the. 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. They also found $966,000 in cash and seized five tractor-trailers. Los Angeles-area drug bust nets 1 million fentanyl-laced pills - USA TODAY Because of the number of agencies involved in the case, Cabrera said it took a great deal of coordination, long hours, research and collaboration to get on the same page. 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. "This illegal activity is impacting the quality of life for residents and businesses and if left unaddressed will have long lasting and devastating affects in the region," Barger said. 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. On Thursday, Hazell said, the surveillance team saw a car leave the warehouse, and team members followed it to East Los Angeles, where the driver got out and another man got in. 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. Operation Crystal Shield is a nationwide effort involving 70 to 80 investigators in nine cities including Los Angeles, San Diego, Phoenix and Atlanta. At the time, a U.S. Customs and Border Protection spokesperson said it was the second-largest bust ever, behind only a 5,000-pound bust in December 2019 in Laredo, Texas. National correspondent Bill Melugin reports on the major drug raid allegedly tied to Mexican cartels. From the Archives: Gilroy meth bust largest In U.S. history - KSBW Get browser notifications for breaking news, live events, and exclusive reporting. Its going to bring tears to some peoples eyes, Gates said. 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. The fate of NorCal Transportation remains unknown for now, but Cabrera hopes it is shut down. 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. 2023 FOX News Network, LLC. in more than a decade, authorities say Photos supplied by Orange County district attorney's office showing the 821 pounds of. ET: This story has been updated with statements from Salinas Police Departmen press information officer Miguel Cabrera and Monterey County District Attorney Jeannine Pacioni. 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.. Copyright 2023 KABC Television, LLC. / CBS News. We wanted SWAT.. The Medellin cartel has been blamed for a recent wave of violence against officials in Colombia. If convicted, such charges carry substantial maximum penalties that include a mandatory minimum of 10 years in prison along with a $10 million fine. 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. 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. Legal Statement. The smugglers then deliver the cocaine to Colombian traffickers in major cities. 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. Los Angeles County Supervisor Kathryn Barger said the impacts of illegal marijuana cultivation by cartels include water theft, human trafficking, pollution and threats to safety and security. The operation found that NorCal Transportation was directly connected to the Sinaloa Cartel. Download for iOS or Android. 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. The investigation is continuing.. California Drug Bust Found Enough Opioids To 'Kill More Than 50 - MSN Ira Reiner said that when the officers entered the warehouse in Sylmar and shined their flashlights about the room, they couldnt believe their eyes.. 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. Drug bust: $33 million worth of meth found in historic DEA Los Angeles A tip from an informant led to a record drug bust. Moving swiftly, the investigative team obtained search warrants for the warehouse and for a luxurious penthouse apartment in the 4700 block of Sepulveda Boulevard in Sherman Oaks, but by the time the officers arrived at each location, all the occupants were gone. "This massive seizure likely saved lives and prevented the Sinaloa Cartel from doing business and profiting on the lives of people in our communities.". An international drug ring was busted following a joint operation between the US and . A record meth bust part of a national operation was announced Wednesday, Oct. 14, 2020. Updated Biggest drug bust goes down in LA sheriff department history. Los Angeles County Sheriffs Department documented the biggest drug bust in its history on Tuesday and officials expect Mexican cartels are to blame. According to the criminal complaint, on February 13th, the task force got a tip Clayton . 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. Powered and implemented by FactSet Digital Solutions. / CBS News. In 2020, more than 23,000 Americans died from overdoses involving psychostimulants, primarily meth, according to the US Center for Disease Control and Prevention. Operation Sudden Fall was a 2008 joint operation between the United States Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) and San Diego State University (SDSU) campus police investigating drug abuse in the College Area of San Diego, California.It was the largest campus drug bust in San Diego County history and one of the largest college drug busts in U.S. history. But crackdowns off Florida have pushed major importation routes westward, and the Colombian cartels now subcontract some of the smuggling duty to Mexican middlemen. DEA Acting Administrator Timothy J. Shea and other law enforcement officials displayed theevidence during a press conference at a DEA warehouse in Montebello. Click here for mor. Click here for more: http://4.nbcla.com/SV3zVBrDont miss an NBCLA video, subscribe here: https://bit.ly/2NnofFFFor more, visit NBCLA.COM here: https://bit.ly/2uB6niEOn Facebook: https://bit.ly/2uFU1pxOn Twitter: https://bit.ly/2JsBm5YAbout NBCLAThe West Coast flagship station of the NBCUniversal Owned Television Stations, serving the vast region since 1949. But over the last three weeks, they noticed the cartels really starting to make an increased effort to get drugs across the border. The department brought in massive bulldozers to raid the scene, completely leveling the illegal grows and there are reportedly hundreds more to tackle. A number of law enforcement agencies worked together on a five-month investigation that led to a drug bust. 2023 Cable News Network. More than $60M in meth, cocaine seized in one of LA County's biggest The coke you can replace.. Your effort and contribution in providing this feedback is much One bill would make it a felony to possess 2 or more grams of the synthetic opioid. Authorities made one of the largest methamphetamine busts ever in San Diego County, seizing more than 5,000 pounds of the drug and arresting four Tijuana . appreciated. While California legalized therecreational use of marijuana in 2018, illegal grows of the crop have been on the rise in the state. More than 5,000 pounds of methamphetamine found in record-breaking She called on the district attorney to prosecute those arrested in the operation. That seizure carried an estimated street value of $2.56 million, CBP said. We are very very close to driving down the freeway and seeing bodies hanging from the overpasses. 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. Hazell said the surveillance team obtained a warrant and searched the car, finding 20 kilograms of cocaine in the trunk. More than 5,000 pounds of methamphetamine were seized in National City, California. The CBP confirmed that the drug seizures were the largest busts in the U.S. for both meth and fentanyl for this year and last year, prosecutors said. The four men were arrested during the seizure and charged with conspiracy to distribute methamphetamine, classified as a schedule II controlled substance due to its high potential for dependency and recreational abuse. Updated 09/21/2021, 5:55 p.m. CULVER CITY, Calif. (KABC) -- Authorities made one of the largest drug busts in Los Angeles County history recently, seizing meth and cocaine with a street value of nearly $60 million, officials say. Villanueva revealed to Fox News that these locations are hot spots for criminal behavior with reports of cartel members threatening residents with firearms. Angelica Stabile is a lifestyle writer for Fox News Digital. All Rights Reserved. Theres a glut on the coke market, said the source, who requested anonymity. Together, they worked on the five-month investigation they named Operation Black Hawk into NorCal Transportation. 6:23 AM EDT, Sat July 9, 2022. An attorney for the men did not immediately respond to a request for comment. Major Joint-Operation underway in the High Desert to take down Illegal Cartel Operated Marijuana Groves impacting farmers, families, and businesses. Detectives found that the average size per cultivation at farms increased to 15 greenhouses, up from eight per farm in the year prior. July 9, 2021 / 10:14 AM "Study after study shows that where there is meth addiction, there is also an uptick in violent crime, including robberies, assaults and murders.". 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.
2022 Catawba County School Calendar, Trans North Bus Timetable Mareeba To Cairns, Douglas Eugene Franco Net Worth, Articles L