The Drug Enforcement Administration said the seizure represents about 5% of the worlds annual production of the drug--more cocaine than growers in Peru, the worlds largest supplier, can produce in a month. Record DEA bust could "provide a dose of meth for every man, woman and Hazell said the surveillance team obtained a warrant and searched the car, finding 20 kilograms of cocaine in the trunk. 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. Federal officials make meth bust likely largest in U.S. history at 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. How is that money being used? Record 20 Tons of Cocaine Seized - Los Angeles Times 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. 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. 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. While California legalized therecreational use of marijuana in 2018, illegal grows of the crop have been on the rise in the state. They said they were dealing in paintings, velvet paintings, said David Barron, owner of the construction business. All Rights Reserved. Officials say they believe international cartels are behind the illegal large-scale marijuana farms. From the Archives: Gilroy meth bust largest In U.S. history - KSBW 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. / CBS News. Download for iOS or Android. pic.twitter.com/y21yWExTT9. Get your top stories delivered daily! 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 operation found that NorCal Transportation was directly connected to the Sinaloa Cartel. 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. Three additional arrests reportedly occurred in Las Vegas Friday. Massive federal drug bust, likely the largest in the Bay Area, nets in more than a decade, authorities say Photos supplied by Orange County district attorney's office showing the 821 pounds of. Did you encounter any technical issues? A furry hero sniffs out one of the largest drug busts in Fontana. Officials declined to say how many more people they were seeking. Millions of unsuspecting people have the grim reaper looking over their shoulder and they have no idea how close they actually are to dying from taking a single pill, Orange County Dist. Tori B. Powell is a breaking news reporter at CBS News. California Two men arrested in largest drug bust in O.C. The investigation led to search warrants at multiple narcotic stash houses in Moreno Valley and Perris in Riverside County, officials said. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. An international drug ring was busted following a joint operation between the US and . July 9, 2021 / 10:14 AM Contributing to this article were Times staff writers Paul Feldman, Andrea Ford, John Johnson, John Kendall, Patricia Klein Lerner, Amy Pyle and George Ramos in Los Angeles; Douglas Jehl in Washington, and Marjorie Miller in Mexico City. Reach her at tori.powell@viacomcbs.com, First published on July 7, 2021 / 8:12 PM. Sign up for FOX 11s Fast 5 newsletter. Just north of L.A. in Antelope Valley, California, officials tracked down, identified and destroyed 70 to 80 outhouses filled with illegal marijuana plots in the open desert. Also seized were 893 pounds (405 kilograms) of cocaine and 13 pounds (5.9 kilograms) of heroin. 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. The record discovery also makes clear that patterns of international cocaine smuggling have shifted dramatically, Gutensohn said. Over 400 Pounds of Meth, Cocaine and Heroin were Discovered in Toolboxes. Quotes displayed in real-time or delayed by at least 15 minutes. This is not just powder on the table, said Donald Hamilton, a DEA spokesman in Washington. "We're talking about the cartels," Lancaster, California, Mayor Rex Parris said at a Wednesday press conference. The 10-day sting is the largest eradication of illegal marijuana cultivations in the history of the department. You need money and you need it to be liquid to pay for your infrastructure. Updated 09/21/2021, 5:55 p.m. Just north of L.A. in Antelope Valley,. 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. 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. The L.A. plantations also hog water from local alfalfa, carrot, and potato farmers. A tip from an informant led to a record drug bust. Another was arrested at about the same time at the Marriott Hotel in Woodland Hills. More than 5,000 pounds of methamphetamine were seized in National City, California. 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. Discovery Company. Fentanyl, a powerful synthetic opioid, is as much as 100 times more potent than morphine, according to the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration, which on Wednesday released a letter warning state and federal law enforcement agencies that the drug was driving a nationwide spike of mass overdose events amid the worsening opioid epidemic. According to the agency, authorities had been investigating a cocaine and meth drug trafficking organization believed to be linked to the Sinaloa Cartel. Large quantities of the drug have been discovered in trucks that entered the country through the Otay Mesa commercial point of entry before. Five search warrants were executed on September 9, and four individuals were arrested in Salinas, and another four were arrested in Yuma County, Arizona in connection with the ongoing investigation. 2023 Cable News Network. 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. According to the criminal complaint, on February 13th, the task force got a tip Clayton . This seizure should put to rest any further speculation that Los Angeles is, in fact, the major pathway for cocaine entering the country, Ralph Lochridge, a local DEA spokesman, said. Click here for mor. One of the largest drug busts in Monterey County, California history was pulled off when nearly $2 million worth of illegal drugs were seized by Salinas police and federal agents, as. But crackdowns off Florida have pushed major importation routes westward, and the Colombian cartels now subcontract some of the smuggling duty to Mexican middlemen. "This massive seizure likely saved lives and prevented the Sinaloa Cartel from doing business and profiting on the lives of people in our communities.". 'Monumental' drug bust: 5,000 pounds of meth seized in National City Eau Claire police release name of meth bust suspect Authorities seized . Edgar Alfonso Lamas, 36, and Carlos Raygozaparedes, 53, were arrested March 17 after Buena Park police officers recovered 20.5 pounds of fentanyl pills from inside a minivan, the Orange County district attorneys office announced Wednesday. GILROY, Calif. On August 24, 2010, law enforcement seized what was - at the time- the largest meth bust in the United States. Originally from Miami, she holds a masters degree in journalism from USC. 30-year-old Dalton Clayton is charged with possession with intent to deliver methamphetamine and other counts. The officers who raided the warehouse said that despite the enormous value of the drugs and cash inside, no one had been left to guard the place and the door was secured with a single, $6 padlock. The smugglers then deliver the cocaine to Colombian traffickers in major cities. The cocaine was to be held as evidence and then burned, officials said. 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 San Fernando Valley warehouse, officials said Friday. They have pleaded not guilty and remain in custody on $5-million bail, the D.A.s office said. Los Angeles police said the total amount of cocaine seized in Sylmar was 39,600 pounds, or 19.8 tons. "The origins of the sheriffs department date back to 1850 when this was the Wild West," the sheriff said. Agents said the confiscated drugs will be inventoried at the warehouse before being taken to a federal facility for safekeeping. The drug is often mixed with cocaine and methamphetamine, and many victims do not know they are ingesting fentanyl. One of the trailers was still parked by the warehouse door on Friday. SANTA ANA, Calif. (KABC) -- Two alleged drug dealers were behind bars Wednesday after what Orange County authorities described as the largest drug bust in the past 16 years. All rights reserved. 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. Ira Reiner said that when the officers entered the warehouse in Sylmar and shined their flashlights about the room, they couldnt believe their eyes.. Investigators saw someone carry out three boxes from the home and put them in a vehicle, according to authorities. Los Angeles-area drug bust nets 1 million fentanyl-laced pills - USA TODAY But over the last three weeks, they noticed the cartels really starting to make an increased effort to get drugs across the border. More than 5,000 pounds of methamphetamine were seized in National City, California. "This monumental seizure represents another win against drug cartels that fuel addiction in the United States," said Shelly S. Howe, DEA Special Agent in Charge, in a statement issued with the U.S. Attorney's press release. She called on the district attorney to prosecute those arrested in the operation. published to the Salinas Police Department Facebook page, Everyone Practices Cancel Culture | Opinion, Deplatforming Free Speech is Dangerous | Opinion. 2023 FOX News Network, LLC. 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. 18 Biggest Drug Busts In U.S. History - Yahoo! Meth bust at California border crossing is likely largest in U.S Powered and implemented by FactSet Digital Solutions. "This is an issue that is plaguing, and will continue to plague, if we do not make it very uncomfortable and one way to make it uncomfortable is to prosecute," Barger said. Five men at the scene of the raid were taken into department custody who identified themselves as Mexican nationals who just arrived in the U.S. within the last month. ET: This story has been updated with statements from Salinas Police Departmen press information officer Miguel Cabrera and Monterey County District Attorney Jeannine Pacioni. Shortly before 2 p.m., a small force of heavily armed DEA agents--accompanied overhead by two police helicopters--blocked traffic on Main Street while depositing the money at a Bank of America branch. Todd Spitzer said in a statement about the bust. Villanueva said that he will share the district attorney's prosecution decision publicly once it's made available. Teachers learn to administer Narcan amid opioid crisis. Photos supplied by Orange County district attorneys office showing the 821 pounds of methamphetamine, 189.7 pounds of cocaine and 20.5 pounds of fentanyl pills that were seized by officers after they pulled over a minivan leaving a Buena Park home. National correspondent Bill Melugin reports on the major drug raid allegedly tied to Mexican cartels. 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. Agents seized more than 4,800 pounds of meth nationwide and are still working on more arrests, according to the DEA. "And we introduced law and order back in those days. 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. 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. It was the coming together of two organizations, a distributor and a buyer, Hazell said, declining to explain further. Major Joint-Operation underway in the High Desert to take down Illegal Cartel Operated Marijuana Groves impacting farmers, families, and businesses. 6:23 AM EDT, Sat July 9, 2022. He said the arrest went according to plan and no injuries were sustained by officers or alleged suspects. 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Hazell said that after the informant called authorities Wednesday, the DEA, the Los Angeles Police Department and an interagency task force that includes representatives of the Treasury Department, the U.S. Customs Service and the Arcadia, Bell, Huntington Park and Maywood police departments, began surveillance of the warehouse. 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. All rights reserved. Copyright 2023 CBS Interactive Inc. All rights reserved. Heavy security was employed Friday afternoon as the seized cash was deposited at a downtown Los Angeles bank. 20 people charged, $61M worth of drugs seized in largest bust in "Synthetic drugs like methamphetamine are highly addictive, dangerous and killing people at alarming rates," said DEA Los Angeles Special Agent in Charge Bill Bodner. They also found $966,000 in cash and seized five tractor-trailers. 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. 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. A tip from an informant led to a record drug bust. This month the DEA made the biggest meth bust in American history: 2200 pounds of meth, nearly 900 pounds of cocaine, and 13 pounds of heroin. Massive quantities of fentanyl, meth, cocaine seized in OC's largest Agents tracked the group to a spot in San Diego County's National City after noticing that a 20-foot-long commercial box truck had crossed the border between Mexico and the U.S. through an entry point in Otay Mesa, near Tijuana. 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. 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. Los Angeles County Sheriffs Department documented the biggest drug bust in its history on Tuesday and officials expect Mexican cartels are to blame. The one-story warehouse is located in an industrial park in Sylmar, a developing district on the northern edge of Los Angeles. 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. 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. 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 . Copyright 2023 CBS Interactive Inc. All rights reserved. The NBC Owned Television Stations, a division of NBCUniversal, also operates COZI TV (www.cozitv.com), a national network that brings viewers some of Americas most beloved and iconic television shows and movies.#NBC #NBCLA DEA Announces Biggest Meth Bust in US History With 10-Foot-High Pile of 5,000 pounds of meth seized in San Diego County when truck is - CNN 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. Villanueva revealed to Fox News that these locations are hot spots for criminal behavior with reports of cartel members threatening residents with firearms. This may be the biggest meth bust in American. 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. The investigation led to search warrants being served at narcotics stash houses in the Riverside County cities of Moreno Valley and Perris, east of Los Angeles. 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. Market data provided by Factset. The bundles found in the boxes tested positive for methamphetamine, according to the statement. Quotes displayed in real-time or delayed by at least 15 minutes. That is the equivalent of about 90 million rocks--the crystalline, pea-sized chunks of the drug commonly sold on the street. 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. DEA Acting Administrator Timothy J. Shea and other law enforcement officials displayed theevidence during a press conference at a DEA warehouse in Montebello. 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 of methamphetamine, the agency said Sunday.. ", "It was a team effort all the way around," he said. Law enforcement followed the vehicle to National City, California, where agents saw the accused men unloading dozens of cardboard boxes from the truck into a Dodge van. 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. The cash was deposited by federal officials in a downtown bank Friday afternoon. 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 who have had to deal with the torrent of methamphetamine coming into their neighborhoods, Shea said. 2023 FOX Television Stations, This California city named 'happiest' in America for 3rd-straight year, Tory Lanez sentencing postponed in Megan Thee Stallion shooting, In-N-Out has 2nd-healthiest fast-food cheeseburger in America, study says, PHOTOS: Snow makes spectacular sight across Southern California, Disneyland banned Rebel Wilson over selfie, actress says, At least 5 shot at San Pedro beach, suspect on the run, Landslide in Newport Beach damages several homes, Bass: LA to search for new Animal Services GM, Protesters demand new GM of LA Animal Services, Portion of 5 Freeway dedicated to Tommy Lasorda, LASD must eliminate deputy gangs, special counsel says, 6 stabbed in downtown LA, suspect arrested, Tom Sizemore, 'Saving Private Ryan' Actor, Dies at 61 after suffering brain aneurysm, 'We need help': Stranded Lake Arrowhead residents plead for assistance amid food and medication shortages.