They have pleaded not guilty and remain in custody on $5-million bail, the D.A.s office said. Reach her at tori.powell@viacomcbs.com, First published on July 7, 2021 / 8:12 PM. California Two men arrested in largest drug bust in O.C. DEA announces biggest meth bust in U.S. history in Southern California A record meth bust part of a national operation was announced Wednesday, Oct. 14, 2020. Join half a million readers enjoying Newsweek's free newsletters. Until the seizure in Sylmar, the largest haul occurred on March 10, 1984, when officials seized 11 tons of cocaine in Tranquilandia, Colombia. "This record-breaking bust is the largest seizure of fentanyl pills DEA has made in California," the news release said. You've successfully subscribed to this newsletter! 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. Either they feel awfully secure, or this (loss) isnt that significant to them, said John Zienter, special agent in charge of the DEAs Los Angeles office. 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. 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. Drug bust: $33 million worth of meth found in historic DEA Los Angeles "Study after study shows that where there is meth addiction, there is also an uptick in violent crime, including robberies, assaults and murders.". 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. "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. The trucking company allegedly operated a drug trafficking organization. The bundles found in the boxes tested positive for methamphetamine, according to the statement. Legal Statement. DEA Acting Administrator Timothy J. Shea and other law enforcement officials displayed theevidence during a press conference at a DEA warehouse in Montebello. 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. 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. 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. That is what's coming.". / CBS News. A number of law enforcement agencies worked together on a five-month investigation that led to a drug bust. The 2,224 pounds (1,008.7 kilograms) of methamphetamine was seized Oct. 2 during an investigation of a drug-trafficking organization with ties to the Sinaloa cartel, the DEA said in a statement. A tip from an informant led to a record drug bust. Opioid crisis settlements total over $50 billion. 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. 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. The DEA's big bust came just a week before another huge meth seizure. This may be the biggest meth bust in American. Hayley Smith covers breaking news in California with a focus on wildfires, drought and climate change. 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. The department brought in massive bulldozers to raid the scene, completely leveling the illegal grows and there are reportedly hundreds more to tackle. Officials declined to say how many more people they were seeking. 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 . Its going to bring tears to some peoples eyes, Gates 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. 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. More than 170 law enforcement personnel aided in the search warrants and helped in the apprehension of the suspects. 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. 'Monumental' drug bust: 5,000 pounds of meth seized in National City 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 reported by KSBW Action News. Copyright 2023 NBCUniversal Media, LLC. 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. I dont know which, but either gives me the shivers.. With fentanyl driving fatal overdoses to record levels in the United States, state governments are scrambling for solutions. A record meth bust part of a national operation was announced Wednesday, Oct. 14, 2020. 2 arrested in largest drug bust in O.C. in more than a decade - Los 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. 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. Heavy security was employed Friday afternoon as the seized cash was deposited at a downtown Los Angeles bank. Eau Claire police release name of meth bust suspect Updated 09/21/2021, 5:55 p.m. Download for iOS or Android. 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. The Complicated Reality of Santa Barbara's Biggest Ever Drug Bust 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. Record Drug Bust in Southern California Is Largest in US | NBCLA Federal authorities on Wednesday showed off results of Southern California raids early this month that. 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. ", "It was a team effort all the way around," he said. Employees of a construction business adjacent to the warehouse at 12898 Bradley St. said about four or five Spanish-speaking men--friendly, well-dressed, clean-cut and well mannered--rented the place about two years ago and began doing business. July 9, 2021 / 10:14 AM 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. Now, come 2021, were going to have to redo the same concept. 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. 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. 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.". Updated Operation Sudden Fall - Wikipedia One of the Largest Drug Busts in Monterey County History - Newsweek The coke you can replace.. The drugs have an estimated street value of $33 million. Originally from Miami, she holds a masters degree in journalism from USC. According to a post published to the Salinas Police Department Facebook page on September 16, the department's investigations unit worked with the Monterey County District Attorney's Office, Salinas Violence Suppression Task Force and the Homeland Security Investigations Monterey Office. Both vehicles allegedly contained about 148 bundles of a material that tested positive for methamphetamine, according to the statement. 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 eight face charges that include conspiracy to transport and distribute narcotics, firearms possession, gang enhancement and conspiracy to commit murder. 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. All Rights Reserved. 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. 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. While California legalized therecreational use of marijuana in 2018, illegal grows of the crop have been on the rise in the state. More than 200 locations were served with search warrants. The investigation into the drug trafficking organization remains ongoing. Copyright 2023 CBS Interactive Inc. All rights reserved. July 9, 2022 6:45 AM PT. DEA CNN More than 5,000 pounds of methamphetamine were seized this week after authorities in San Diego. 5,000 pounds of meth seized in San Diego County when truck is - CNN The price is going to go up.. Officials say they believe international cartels are behind the illegal large-scale marijuana farms. Mutual Fund and ETF data provided by Refinitiv Lipper. Record 20 Tons of Cocaine Seized - Los Angeles Times The next morning, the Santa Barbara Sheriff's Office announced the 34 arrests and the seizure of 3,164 pounds of methamphetamine the biggest drug bust in the county's history, and one of the largest ever in the nation. appreciated. 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. Miguel Cabrera, the press information officer for the Salinas Police Department, told Newsweek that the department came across some information that kicked off the entire investigation. Cabrera said there is still information that is being processed. Monterey County Weekly reported that officials seized 60 pounds of methamphetamine, five pounds of heroin, 1.5 pounds of cocaine, 25,000 fentanyl pills and nine firearms. "Our fight is to keep our community safe, so I will take a moment to thank our community for your support.". 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 cocaine was to be held as evidence and then burned, officials said. It paid off for the agencies, and Cabrera said the "outcome was excellent. Detectives from the Los Angeles County Sheriff's Narcotic Bureau identified over 500 illegal marijuana cultivations in 2021, increasing from the 150 identified in 2020, according to a June statement. 20 people charged, $61M worth of drugs seized in largest bust in 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. in more than a decade, authorities say Photos supplied by Orange County district attorney's office showing the 821 pounds of. 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 $60M in meth, cocaine seized in one of LA County's biggest A record meth bust part of a national operation was announced Wednesday, Oct. 14, 2020.