Authorities said it was the second-largest meth bust ever for Customs and Border Protection. Operation Crystal Shield has resulted in 2,800 arrests over the last six months nationwide, Bodner said. More than 1.5M positive COVID-19 cases since 2020. RIVERSIDE, Calif. (KABC) -- Downtown Riverside is known throughout Southern California for its iconic festival of lights during the holidays. "They can break the drug loads down and do distribution throughout the country," Bodner said. Roughly 1,600 pounds of meth were also located at a narcotics stash house in Perris, officials said. Please keep your comments respectful and relevant. Agents seized more than 5,000 pounds of meth nationwide and are still working on more arrests, according to the DEA. In April, Arkansas State Police found 275 poundsof meth worth an estimated $10 million hidden in a semi-truck on Interstate 40, about 10 miles east of Little Rock. He earned his bachelors degree in journalism from the University of Arizona. In the pickup, agents found the visitors. Twenty-nine pounds of heroin were hidden in a secret compartment. Du kan endre valgene dine nr som helst ved g til personvernkontrollene dine. "This massive seizure likely saved lives and prevented the Sinaloa Cartel from doing business and profiting on the lives of people in our communities.". If Leon-Garcias truck had been stopped here, instead, the case would have been far less remarkable. The Drug Enforcement Administration holds a news conference in Montebello, Calif., to announce the largest domestic meth seizure in the agency's history. The drugs were intended for distribution in Southern California, including Los Angeles, according to DEA officials, who displayed the haul at the agencys warehouse in an undisclosed location in Los Angeles County. Even if Sinaloas dont move the drugs themselves, they tax any other cartel that ships narcotics through their territory, like a smuggling tollbooth. Two duffel bags replete with narcotics allegedly changed hands. "The more dope we can take off the street, the safer a community it is for us.". 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. 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. News Channel 3 is committed to providing a forum for civil and constructive conversation. "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. The investigation led to search warrants at multiple narcotic stash houses in Moreno Valley and Perris in Riverside County, officials said. The DEA's big bust came just a week before another huge meth seizure. Troopers championed the case as the biggest meth bust in the history of Arkansas, but the truck had come from Riverside County. "Study after study shows that where there is meth addiction, there is also an uptick in violent crime including robberies, assaults and murders.". He pulled into the garage, then closed the door behind him. Operation Crystal Shield is a nationwide effort involving 70 to 80 investigators in nine cities including Los Angeles, San Diego, Phoenix and Atlanta. RIVERSIDE, Calif. (KABC) -- An early morning raid by federal and local authorities netted 12 arrests in the Riverside area on Wednesday, with authorities confiscating large amounts of weapons,. If you would like to share a story idea, please submit it here. The investigation led to the seizure of dozens of kilos of illegal drugs - including 21 kilos of suspected carfentanil. Massino cited Little Rock just as an example, but he couldnt have picked a truer one. On Oct. 9, U.S. Customs and Border Protection stopped a truck crossing from Mexico into the United States at San Diego's Otay . However, even raw numbers reveal Riverside County as a centerpiece in U.S. drug trafficking, rivaling the nations largest cities. But officials were also careful to point out that the targets of the seizures were cartels and drug dealers, not addicts. The drugs are alleged to have been stored in hidden compartments in their vehicles. Operation Crystal Shield is a nationwide effort involving 70 to 80 investigators in nine cities including Los Angeles, San Diego, Phoenix and Atlanta. Although this stash house was busted, no one knows how many remain undetected, small cogs in Riverside Countys gigantic drug smuggling machine. Brett Kelman, The Desert Sun, and Brad Heath, USA TODAY. Representatives of the Riverside Police Department, Riverside County Sheriff's Department, FBI and Drug Enforcement Administration attended the news conference. "Meth is pouring into the U.S. through our southern border, and it's destroying too many communities," Shea said. The arrests were announced during a news conference in Riverside Wednesday morning, where authorities said violent crime has risen dramatically during the pandemic. That pipeline begins south of the border, in a region of Mexico controlled by the Sinaloa cartel. YREKA, Calif., For the fourth time in just over five weeks, members of Siskiyou County's new Domestic Highway Enforcement (DHE) Team made a significant drug bust while patrolling the I-5 corridor through Siskiyou County last Thursday, March 10. A furry hero sniffs out one of the largest drug busts in Fontana. The Southern California seizure occurred on Oct. 2 and included 893 pounds of cocaine, 13 pounds of heroin and 2,200 pounds of methamphetamine. 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. In the 80s and 90s, Riverside County was a hotbed for meth manufacturing, and meth labs flourished here, taking advantage of the countys empty spaces to hide the foul smell of urine and smoke produced by mixing chemicals. We dont fish.. 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. 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. With the generous support of readers like you, Times of San Diego publishes timely and accurate news coverage for a better-informed community. Coronavirus Updates, 2023, Gulf-California Broadcast Company Palm Springs, CA USA, Download the News Channel 3 News app here. Industrial-sized labs moved to Mexico, where American laws are meaningless, and cartels now smuggle their product to their customer base in the U.S. Superficially,the shift has made Riverside County safer. REDDING, Calif., For the second time in less than two weeks a Redding felon, who was already on probation for drug sales, was busted again for fentanyl possession and sales yesterday after a citizen's tip led officers to an apartment the man . 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. Her husband ran out the back door, vanishing into the desert. Travel Safely and Make it to the Table for the Thanksgiving Holiday. 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. "A search of the vehicle resulted in the seizure of 66 kilograms of cocaine and an additional seizure of approximately 3,552 pounds of methamphetamine from numerous boxes located in the garage," the agency stated. / KCAL News. Some suspects were already in custody on other charges. The Riverside County Sheriff's Office will be hosting a Deputy Sheriff and Correctional Deputy Expedited Hiring Event on Saturday, February 18, 2023, at Palm Desert High School, 74910 Az. There was an error and we couldn't process your subscription. In total, 1088. "When someone is on supervised release, the expectation is that they will refrain from committing further crimes," said Diaz. It was the quintessential pipe bomb, about a foot long and an inch-and-a-half wide, with caps on both ends. The statistics are not perfectly comparable because the Riverside seizure totals were provided only by fiscal year and national totals were provided only by calendar year. Ved klikke Godta alt godtar du at Yahoo og vre partnere vil behandle din personlige informasjon og bruke teknologier som informasjonskapsler, for vise personlig tilpassede annonser og innhold, for annonse- og innholdsmling, publikumsinnsikt og produktutvikling. In another seizure earlier this month in San Diego, customs and border patrol agents confiscated 3,000 pounds of meth, 29 kilograms of heroin and 29 kilograms of fentanyl-laced powder and pills. 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. 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 agencys history. Authorities specifically mentioned two incidents of alleged drug smuggling along the southern border. A total of 19 suspects were indicted. The recently seized drugs stemmed from the Sinaloa and Jalisco New Generation cartels in Mexico, Shea said. 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. Later that day, Reyes husband returned to the house, driving a pickup truck. Thats why traffickers prefer to get the drugs here.. 2023 CBS Broadcasting Inc. All Rights Reserved. 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. Please reload the page and try again. Authorities said they found about 893 pounds of cocaine, 13 pounds of heroin and some 650 pounds of methamphetamine in the garage of a residence in Moreno Valley. The deputy was not surprised. Police say all the suspects are now facing felony charges. 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. A 20-year-old La Crosse man faces multiple criminal charges after a Dec. 17 traffic stop in La Crosse. Contests & Promotions Meth is an especially vicious drug, he said. NBC Universal, Inc. A record meth bust part of a national operation was announced Wednesday, Oct. 14, 2020. Once smugglers pass Calexico, a majority follow one of two routes, DEA officials say. All rights reserved. RIVERSIDE, California (AP) A former U.S. "The greater Los Angeles area is a major transshipment hub where illegal drugs coming from the southwest border are stored in local warehouses, storage units and residential properties," according to the DEA. Download the News Channel 3 app here. In the early-morning hours of August 19, 2020, as the rest of Santa Barbara slept, a platoon of law enforcement officers lay wide awake in the thick chaparral above Arroyo Quemada Beach. "Drugs make people make bad decisions," said Riverside Police Chief Larry Gonzalez. Copyright 2023 KABC Television, LLC. Federal agents announced what they called the largest methamphetamine bust in U.S. history Wednesday . USA TODAY reporter Brad Heath can be reached at bheath@usatoday.com or on Twitter @bradheath. Updated: 10:31 PM PDT October 14, 2020 CALIFORNIA, USA Federal agents announced what they called the largest methamphetamine bust in U.S. history Wednesday, displaying a 10-foot high pile of. 2020 CBS Broadcasting Inc. All Rights Reserved. DEA officials say the smuggled narcotics flow from Mexicos Sinaloa Cartel through Riverside County stash houses en route to sellers markets in New York, Chicago, Los Angeles and Canada. Another blast is on the way. Justice officials fear nation's biggest wiretap operation may not be legal. Redding felon's drug sales arrest marks second drug bust in 11 days - Woman also arrested . Originally from Miami, she holds a masters degree in journalism from USC. Agents and drug dogs sweep the traffic, hunting for hidden narcotics, but there are far too many travelers to search them all. The DEA said the Los Angeles area is the preferred transportation hub for drug traffickers because it is north of the border and it is easier to blend into big cities. They know that some will get caught, but a lot of it's going to get through.". Officials say the change was spurred by lawmakers, in Sacramento and Washington D.C., who created aggressive laws restricting access to the chemicals used to make meth, commonly called precursors. Withoutingredients, small-scale meth labs became unfeasible. "That's a bad combination.". Fine white powder sprinkled out of the tiny holes. HOPEWELL, Va. 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