"Study after study shows that where there is meth addiction, there is also an uptick in violent crime, including robberies, assaults and murders.". USA TODAY reporter Brad Heath can be reached at bheath@usatoday.com or on Twitter @bradheath. The pipeline quietly moved gas towardSan Francisco for more than 50 years, until 2010, when a rupture sent a fireball spewing skyward, destroying three dozen homes. 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. Carfentanil . Andres Jesus Morales, 30, and Christine Ponce, 27, were charged with four drug-related felonies with the intent to sell a controlled substance, the Riverside . Copyright 2023 KABC Television, LLC. Behind him was a 10-foot pyramid comprised of contraband. "Meth is pouring into the U.S. through our southern border, and it's destroying too many communities," Shea said. Bill Bodner, special agent in charge of the DEA's Los Angeles Field Division, said Los Angeles is a major transshipment hub for Mexican cartels trafficking illegal drugs across the southwest border. 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. March 17, 2022 Trevor Montgomery. RIVERSIDE, Calif. (KABC) -- Four gang members have been arrested for the murder of an innocent man in the Riverside neighborhood of Casa-Blanca following a large-scale gang bust. Alarmed, a construction worker called the cops, whosent a bomb squad. However, another federal agency, U.S. Customs and Border Protection, netted an even bigger amount of meth the following week. 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,. DEA cherishes our great law enforcement partners in San Diego, especially those who work tirelessly to protect our nations borders. 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. Authorities arrested eight defendants Thursday named in a federal grand jury indictment alleging their involvement in a drug trafficking organization operating in Los Angeles and Riverside. #DEA Acting Administrator Timothy J. Shea, Special Agent in Charge Bill Bodner & local law enforcement discussing the largest domestic methamphetamine seizure in #DEA history. The Riverside office also seized nearly $47 million in cash, vehicles and guns during that three-year span. From the Sinaloa territory, drugs enter the country in Calexico, a border town in Imperial County. In all, more than 150 pounds of meth were seized, in addition to more than $31,000 in cash. 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. No charges have yet been filed in the latest seizures, although authorities said cases would likely be prosecuted in both California and Washington, D.C. Todays seizure sends a message loud and clear, Shea said Wednesday. Thats nearly one fourth as much meth, and one tenth as much heroin, as was seized by the entire DEA nationwide from 2012 to 2014. October 14, 2020 / 10:20 PM Fine white powder sprinkled out of the tiny holes. His identity was not provided. 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. Well let me hang up.. RIVERSIDE - In what is believed to likely be the largest seizure of carfentanil in Riverside County, a Perris man and woman have been charged by the DA's Office with four drug-related felonies after a lengthy investigation by the Riverside Police Department. 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. 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. Agents and drug dogs sweep the traffic, hunting for hidden narcotics, but there are far too many travelers to search them all. But Riverside police are fighting to make sure the area doesn't become known for an area riddled with illegal drug sales. Sign up for free Patch newsletters and alerts. 9/21/2022 8:33 PM. 11/22/2022 12:00 AM. 893 pounds of cocaine, 13 pounds of heroin & 2,224 pounds of methamphetamine. In total, 1088. We won't use your email for any other purpose, and you can opt out at any time via an unsubscribe link. News Channel 3 is committed to providing a forum for civil and constructive conversation. This California farm kingdom holds a key, Six people, including mother and baby, killed in Tulare County; drug cartel suspected, These are the 101 best restaurants in Los Angeles, New Bay Area maps show hidden flood risk from sea level rise and groundwater, Gina Lollobrigida, film star who conquered Italy, Hollywood and the world, dies at 95, Storm sets new L.A. rain records. On Oct. 9, U.S. Customs and Border Protection stopped a truck crossing from Mexico into the United States at San Diego's Otay . 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 drugs are alleged to have been stored in hidden compartments in their vehicles. 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. "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 team, led by Detective Christopher MacAuley with the Sheriff's Office, included more than two dozen deputies accompanied by FBI and Homeland Security agents. Riverside County wiretaps have increased eight-fold since 2010, and now outnumber any other county or federal district by more than three to one. RIVERSIDE, Calif. (KABC) -- Downtown Riverside is known throughout Southern California for its iconic festival of lights during the holidays. The driver was Javier Leon-Garcia, 53, a Moreno Valley resident who police say drove the drugs cross-country before being snagged. The robot eased closer, eyeing the powder with a camera. / KCAL News. But officials were also careful to point out that the targets of the seizures were cartels and drug dealers, not addicts. Other suspects are alleged to have then distributed the drugs to gang members across the Inland Empire. INDIO, Calif. The black plastic pipe lay under the overpass, resting against the center median of Interstate 10, one of the nations busiest highways. (DEA) MORENO VALLEY, CA Federal agents on Wednesday announced what they called the largest methamphetamine bust by Drug Enforcement Agency . In one case, smugglers brought more than 90 pounds of meth across the border undetected at a border checkpoint. Get up to speed with our Essential California newsletter, sent six days a week. 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. Sheriff's Administration Posted on: January 10, 2023 Homicide Reporting Deputy: Sergeant Richard Carroll File # WI230090039 Details: Please reload the page and try again. 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. pic.twitter.com/gdeO80nGNK. They probably didnt even know there was a pipeline beneath their feet, Moore said. 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. "I don't know how they hide that.". Hailing from Temecula, she previously covered Riverside County and the Inland Empire and is now focused on Orange County. On April 5, 2011, Deputy Gerald Rohn, of the Riverside County Sheriffs Department, dug into the side yard of an abandoned house in Lake Elsinore. MORENO VALLEY, CA Federal agents on Wednesday announced what they called the largest methamphetamine bust by Drug Enforcement Agency investigators in domestic U.S. history, displaying a 10-foot-high pile of the drug weighing more than 3 tons seized at stash houses in Riverside County. In the pickup, agents found the visitors. Twenty-nine pounds of heroin were hidden in a secret compartment. A total of 12 suspects have been arrested, with several more still outstanding. 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. "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. Despite the significant number of arrests, they said the massive size of these criminal drug rings is discouraging. Another suspect allegedly sold drugs to undercover officers, just two hours after being released from jail on other charges. More than 1.5M positive COVID-19 cases since 2020. Officers served a warrant at a home in the . 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. By Scott Schwebke. "The chemicals involved, you hear of places blowing up," Rivas said. "Drugs make people make bad decisions," said Riverside Police Chief Larry Gonzalez. Instead, there isa low-profile,commercialized pipeline, where violence would only cut into high profits, DEA officials say. "When someone is on supervised release, the expectation is that they will refrain from committing further crimes," said Diaz. 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