The U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration announced a record-breaking bust Wednesday: roughly 2,224 pounds of methamphetamine recovered in Riverside County. This is enough dope to prove a dose of meth for every man, women and child in the United States and Mexico, , DEA Acting Administrator Timothy Shea said. Vi, Yahoo, er en del av Yahoo-familien av merkevarer. Police listened as Beltran described how he got the meth in Mexico, then buried it at the abandoned house in Lake Elsinorefor safekeeping until it could be sold. "The significant seizures thwarted drug traffickers' plans to profit from these dangerous drugs that cause incredible harm to our communities," Acting Assistant Attorney General Brian Rabbitt said. 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. A total of 19 suspects were indicted. Around 9:45 a.m. Friday, a driver arrived at a cargo border crossing with a tractor-trailer shipment that was manifested as medical supplies. Federal agents announced what they called the largest methamphetamine bust in U.S. history Wednesday . "The cartels are aware of law enforcement efforts at the border, so what they'll do is they'll flood the border with multiple vehicles coming through," said FBI agent Andrew Sharp. Had they not been seized, the drugs would have infiltrated Los Angeles within a day, according to Bill Bodner, special agent in charge of the DEAs Los Angeles Division. City News Service contributed to this report. Although this stash house was busted, no one knows how many remain undetected, small cogs in Riverside Countys gigantic drug smuggling machine. Smugglers will try every way possible to try and get their product across the border; and because of the partnership between CBP, Homeland Security investigations and DEA, this significant seizure occurred and we stopped them, said Anne Maricich, acting CBP director of field operations in San Diego. Learn more about how we use cookies in our cookie policy. Gone is the risk of meth lab explosions and violence between rival cooks and dealers. 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. Empty the trash in the bathroom. The US Customers and Border Protection on Oct. 9 recovered 3,014 pounds of the drug from a truck. "Study after study shows that where there is meth addiction, there is also an uptick in violent crime, including robberies, assaults and murders.". 2020 CBS Broadcasting Inc. All Rights Reserved. 11/22/2022 1:58 PM. Beltran, who was convicted in 2013, was sentenced to four years in prison. The loose dirt turned easy. "Synthetic drugs like methamphetamine are highly addictive, dangerous and killing people at alarming rates," DEA Los Angeles Special Agent in Charge Bill Bodner said. "This is enough dope to provide a dose of meth for every man, woman and child in the United States and Mexico," DEA Acting Administrator Timothy Shea said. The massive methamphetamine seizure was part of Operation Crystal Shield, a nationwide effort the DEA launched in February. The department said members of its DEA task force has been on the trail of the massive drug ring with ties to the Sinaloa drug cartel since June. Roughly 1,600 pounds of meth were also located at a narcotics stash house in Perris, officials said. According to the DEA, an investigation into transportation and supply of illegal drugs flowing into the country from south of the border focused on the Sinaloa cartel, which has been operating in the Otay Mesa area. Each suspect was charged with one count of conspiracy to possess with intent to distribute methamphetamine. 893 pounds of cocaine, 13 pounds of heroin & 2,224 pounds of methamphetamine. The scope is enormous here, and then spreads through to everywhere, said a Coachella Valley DEA agent, who asked not to be identified to preserve his undercover work. Online Volunteer Info Session- Learn How to Advocate for Youth in Foster Care! The drugs are alleged to have been stored in hidden compartments in their vehicles. Wiretaps are requiredto be last resorts for law enforcement, used only when surveillance, informants and other investigatory tools have failed. The agency did not disclose whether any arrests had been made or were pending, saying only that the investigation is ongoing. "These two seizures are more than enough to provide a dose of meth for every man, woman and child in the United States and Mexico," Timothy Shea, DEA acting administrator, said. Originally from Miami, she holds a masters degree in journalism from USC. 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. "That's what's scary.". The DEAs Timothy Shea, left, and Bill Bodner stand next to a pyramid comprised of 2,224 pounds of methamphetamine, 893 pounds of cocaine and 13 pounds of heroin. The Riverside office also seized nearly $47 million in cash, vehicles and guns during that three-year span. News Channel 3 is committed to providing a forum for civil and constructive conversation. "It's just a risk they take. #DEA Acting Administrator Timothy J. Shea, Special Agent in Charge Bill Bodner & local law enforcement discussing the largest domestic methamphetamine seizure in #DEA history. Diaz says it illustrates frustrations he has with other aspects of the criminal justice system. 11/22/2022 12:00 AM. The truck driver, a 47year-old Mexican citizen, was arrested and turned over the custody of the joint investigative team from U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement, Homeland Security Investigations and the Drug Enforcement Administration. Heres a timeline, Crusading vet treats some of L.A.s most cherished residents: The pets of skid row, The Times podcast: How the California GOP lost its national sway, Veterans claim anti-vet bias in Metros choice of muralist for a new VA station, California faces catastrophic flood dangers and a need to invest billions in protection, Caregiver sentenced to life in prison for unspeakable sexual abuse of disabled children. 5, 2020 at 11:29 AM PDT. Federal authorities on Wednesday showed off results of Southern California raids early this month that led to the biggest domestic seizure of methamphetamine in U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration history. "Someone who's responsible for this quantity of drugs is someone who is very, very trusted by the cartel," Bill Bodner, the special agent in charge of the Los Angeles DEA, said. Representatives of the Riverside Police Department, Riverside County Sheriff's Department, FBI and Drug Enforcement Administration attended the news conference. Reyes surrendered. However, another federal agency, U.S. Customs and Border Protection, netted an even bigger amount of meth the following week. Enter address: This website, like most media sites, uses small files called cookies to anonymously customize the advertising that you see. Tuesday, the Riverside police department announced the results of a three-month narcotics operation, in which undercover officers would buy illegal drugs from drug dealers. First published on October 14, 2020 / 10:20 PM. And, just this month, they started conducting surveillance on a drug courier who they believed was managing a stash house in an undisclosed neighborhood in Moreno Valley. The drugs were intended for distribution throughout the region, investigators said. Narcotics seized during a bust Friday in Otay Mesa. At the end of the month, a stakeout of the property led to federal agents and police officers arresting a man who was carrying heavy boxes out of the house and placing them in a vehicle, according to the DEA. According to the indictment, between April and August of 2020, the lead defendants Timoteo Gomez, 48, of Riverside and Javier Rodriguez, 54, of Riverside, bought meth from their suppliers in Mexico, as well as in Los Angeles and Riverside counties. Agents seized more than 4,800 pounds of meth nationwide and are still working on more arrests, according to the DEA. You may occasionally receive promotional content from the Los Angeles Times. Police say most of the suspects arrested have prior criminal records. This black pipe, which shut down I-10 for about 30 minutes on Aug.18, was filled with a half-pound of methamphetamine, and had almost certainly fallen off an eastbound truck smuggling narcotics. By Scott Schwebke. San Diegos houseless residents deal with heavy rains, flooding, San Diego Unified launches new engagement website for students, Eagle delivers 2 eggs in California nest watched by web cam, Chula Vista Elementary District converts two campuses to community schools. Authorities said the Oct. 2 take, which involved two locations, in Moreno Valley and Perris, represents the largest domestic seizure of the narcotic in the agency's history. PublishedOctober 14, 2020 at 10:51 AM PDT. The Sinaloas have been linked to 90 percent of the drugs that move through Southern California, said Dave Stinnett, an intelligence analystwith the DEAs Los Angeles division. "The more dope we can take off the street, the safer a community it is for us.". Police say all the suspects are now facing felony charges. 2023 CBS Broadcasting Inc. All Rights Reserved. On Friday, U.S. Customs and Border Protection officers at an Otay Mesa commercial facility in San Diego County seized more than 3,100 pounds of methamphetamine, fentanyl powder, fentanyl pills and heroin as part what the DEA characterized as the second-largest methamphetamine bust along the southwest border in the history of the CBP. For all intents and purposes, its a proven drug dealer by the time we get up on their phones, Massino said. The end result is an invisible network, valued in the billions of dollars, that weaves through the county, hidden within the same shipping and trucking lanes that carry agriculture and commercial goods from Mexico. They either head north on Highway 86, into the eastern portions of the Coachella Valley, or head west to the I-15, which runs north towards Temecula, Corona and Riverside. 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. Riverside County has become the single largest drug trafficking distribution center in the United States, built on a web of highways, nondescriptsuburbia and empty desert, according to the Drug Enforcement Administration. There was an error and we couldn't process your subscription. "Meth, heroin, cocaine," said city councilman Mike Gardner. Behind him was a 10-foot pyramid comprised of contraband. Instead, there isa low-profile,commercialized pipeline, where violence would only cut into high profits, DEA officials say. INDIO, Calif. The black plastic pipe lay under the overpass, resting against the center median of Interstate 10, one of the nations busiest highways. All rights reserved. Published: Jun. They say the operation was a direct result of complaints made by city residents and business owners, not just in the downtown area, but the Magnolia Center and La Sierra. We dont see many of those anymore.. 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 of more than 2,200 pounds seized at stash houses in Riverside County, along with cocaine and heroin. 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. He previously was a reporter and assistant city editor for the Daily Pilot, a Times Community News publication in Orange County, and before that wrote for the Santa Clarita Valley Signal. Download the News Channel 3 app here. A total of 23 arrests were made late last week during a warrant sweep. Tuesday, the Riverside police department announced the results of a three-month narcotics operation, in which undercover officers would buy illegal drugs from drug dealers. We are almost like the Costco warehouse of narcotics dealers, shipping this poison across the country, said Frank Pepper, assistant special agent in charge of the Riverside DEA Office. Luke Money is a Metro reporter covering breaking news at the Los Angeles Times. Agents from Southwest Border Group 2 began investigating a large scale drug trafficking organization with ties to the Sinaloa Cartel in San Diego's Otay-Mesa area, allegedly involved in the transportation and delivery of large quantities of drugs. Quickly, Rohn found three plastic bags, buried shallow, each filled with a pound of white powder. There's more guns on the street than I've ever seen in my career, and there's thousands of people who should be incarcerated who aren't incarcerated right now," said Gonzalez. Fifteen years ago, men like Beltran would have been cooking meth, not smuggling it. The DEA said it represented the single "largest seizure" of meth that the agency's Los Angeles personnel had ever made. (DEA) MORENO VALLEY, CA Federal agents on Wednesday announced what they called the largest methamphetamine bust by Drug Enforcement Agency . RIVERSIDE, Calif. (KABC) -- Downtown Riverside is known throughout Southern California for its iconic festival of lights during the holidays. "I can't bear to think about families coming here and shopping and knowing this is going on," Tanya Rivas, another shopper, said. Chief Sergio Diaz made the announcement during a news conference at Riverside city hall, flanked by law enforcement personnel, community leaders, and elected officials. Operation Crystal Shield has resulted in 2,800 arrests over the last six months nationwide, Bodner said. If you would like to share a story idea, please submit it here. My guys are all cops, and they could tell it wasnt explosives, said Sgt. Drug profits, often in bales of cash, follow the same path back to Mexico. 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. DEA Acting Administrator Timothy J. Shea and other law enforcement officials displayed theevidence during a press conference at a DEA warehouse in Montebello. Over the last month and a half, the team, which began . To request removal of your name from an arrest report, submit these required items to arrestreports@patch.com. Straighten up the sofa. Klikk Administrer innstillinger for mer informasjon og for administrere valgene dine. The U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration announced a record-breaking bust Wednesday: roughly 2,224 pounds of methamphetamine recovered in Riverside County. Meth seizures rose from 1,567pounds in fiscal year 2013 to 2,546 pounds in fiscal year 2015, and heroin rose from 150 poundsto 395pounds in the same timeframe. The Riverside County District Attorneys Office has pointed to this bust as an example of the importance of local wiretaps, but the case also shows how drug trafficking has changed in this region. "The total seized drugs have an estimated street value of $33 million.". At Otay Mesa, agents said they confiscated 64 pounds of heroin, 29 pounds of fentanyl powder and roughly 35 pounds of counterfeit pills laced with fentanyl. Acting on information from the DEA, CBP officials recovered more than 3,000 pounds of meth at the Otay Mesa Port of Entry in San Diego. Contests & Promotions "Meth is pouring into the U.S. through our southern border, and it's destroying too many communities," Shea said. Last year, four Coachella men were indicted as part of a conspiracy to move millions in Sinaloa drug profits from Canada to Mexico. Jeff Moore, the former narcotics prosecutor, compared the countys drug trafficking network to the San Bruno natural gas pipeline. The investigation led to search warrants at multiple narcotic stash houses in Moreno Valley and Perris in Riverside County, officials said. Terms of Service | Privacy Policy | Community Guidelines, EEO Report | FCC Applications | Do Not Sell My Personal Information, Daily News Headlines Another suspect allegedly sold drugs to undercover officers, just two hours after being released from jail on other charges. With the generous support of readers like you, Times of San Diego publishes timely and accurate news coverage for a better-informed community. A nearly two-ton seizure of methamphetamine in Norco was the largest meth seizure documented by the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration's Los Angeles Division, it was announced today. Copyright 2023 KABC Television, LLC. 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