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. We wanted SWAT.. Large quantities of the drug have been discovered in trucks that entered the country through the Otay Mesa commercial point of entry before. Operation Crystal Shield is a nationwide effort involving 70 to 80 investigators in nine cities including Los Angeles, San Diego, Phoenix and Atlanta. 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. This may be the biggest meth bust in American. 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Massive federal drug bust, likely the largest in the Bay Area, nets 1,000 pounds of meth, 44 suspects Michael Cabanatuan Feb. 11, 2021 Updated: Feb. 11, 2021 6:45 p.m. 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. More than 5,000 pounds of methamphetamine found in record-breaking 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. Heavy security was employed Friday afternoon as the seized cash was deposited at a downtown Los Angeles bank. ", "It was a team effort all the way around," he said. The cash was deposited by federal officials in a downtown bank Friday afternoon. 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. Did you encounter any technical issues? HARRIS MEETS WITH MEXICAN PRESIDENT AMID CRITICISM OVER MIGRANT REMARKS, LACK OF BORDER VISIT. 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. That is what's coming.". "This record-breaking bust is the largest seizure of fentanyl pills DEA has made in California," the news release said. The leads here are endless, Reiner said. All rights reserved. At a small office at the front of the building, agents found records indicating that the drugs had come from the infamous Medellin and Cali cartels in Colombia. $1.19 billion worth of marijuana seized in massive drug bust in California 2023 Cable News Network. The article reported that synthetic opioids are the most common substances involved in drug overdose deaths in the United States. Because of the number of agencies involved in the case, Cabrera said it took a great deal of coordination, long hours, research and collaboration to get on the same page. "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. Another was arrested at about the same time at the Marriott Hotel in Woodland Hills. 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. A police dog kneels in front of numerous brown bags allegedly containing methamphetamine in San Diego County, California. 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The investigation led to search warrants at multiple narcotic stash houses in Moreno Valley and Perris in Riverside County, officials said. More than 5,000 pounds of methamphetamine were seized in National City, California. Detectives found that the average size per cultivation at farms increased to 15 greenhouses, up from eight per farm in the year prior. Two Buena Park men are facing felony charges in connection with what prosecutors are calling the largest drug bust in Orange County in 16 years. Copyright 2023 KABC Television, LLC. Lochridge said the suspects, who were not identified, will remain in federal custody over the weekend and probably will be arraigned Monday on state smuggling charges. Quotes displayed in real-time or delayed by at least 15 minutes. Villanueva revealed to Fox News that these locations are hot spots for criminal behavior with reports of cartel members threatening residents with firearms. Opioid crisis settlements total over $50 billion. All rights reserved. Copyright 2023 CBS Interactive Inc. All rights reserved. The Las Vegas Sun newspaper said that three Los Angeles men, one of them a former Mexican customs official, were arrested by DEA agents at an expensive Las Vegas hotel in connection with the seizure. Los Angeles County Sheriffs Department documented the biggest drug bust in its history on Tuesday and officials expect Mexican cartels are to blame. 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. 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. 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. July 11, 2022 / 9:03 AM Get browser notifications for breaking news, live events, and exclusive reporting. published to the Salinas Police Department Facebook page, Everyone Practices Cancel Culture | Opinion, Deplatforming Free Speech is Dangerous | Opinion. Copyright 2023 NBCUniversal Media, LLC. NORCO, Calif. (KABC) -- More than 3,000 pounds of methamphetamine and 66 kilograms of cocaine were found in a massive drug bust in Norco last month, making it the largest seizure of meth for. 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 . A record meth bust part of a national operation was announced Wednesday, Oct. 14, 2020. "Our fight is to keep our community safe, so I will take a moment to thank our community for your support.". 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. Together, they worked on the five-month investigation they named Operation Black Hawk into NorCal Transportation. 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. In November, Spitzer warned drug dealers and distributors in the county that they could be charged with murder if their drug activities result in someones death. Meth bust at California border crossing is likely largest in U.S They worked with authorities in Arizona and it started to grow. Biggest drug bust goes down in LA sheriff department history. ET: This story has been updated with statements from Salinas Police Departmen press information officer Miguel Cabrera and Monterey County District Attorney Jeannine Pacioni. 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 . Do Not Sell or Share My Personal Information, Desperate mountain residents trapped by snow beg for help; We are coming, sheriff says, Look up: The 32 most spectacular ceilings in Los Angeles, Winter storms ease drought conditions in California, report shows, 19 cafes that make L.A. a world-class coffee destination, David Lindley, guitarist best known for work with Jackson Browne, dies at 78, Best coffee city in the world? CNN Sans & 2016 Cable News Network. That is the equivalent of about 90 million rocks--the crystalline, pea-sized chunks of the drug commonly sold on the street. Four residents of Tijuana, Mexico, face federal drug trafficking charges in connection with a Southern California methamphetamine seizure thatauthorities say was "record-breaking" because of its size. The search resulted in the seizure of 66 kilograms of cocaine and 3,552 pounds of meth from numerous boxes found the home's garage, the DEA said. 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. Officers also seized 821 pounds of methamphetamine and 189.7 pounds of cocaine after pulling over the minivan leaving a Buena Park home. Massive quantities of fentanyl, meth, cocaine seized in OC's largest Officials declined to say how many more people they were seeking. Lamas and Raygozaparedes have each been charged with multiple counts of possession for sale of a controlled substance and multiple counts of the sale or transportation for sale of a controlled substance, all felonies, the D.A.s office said. Tori B. Powell is a breaking news reporter at CBS News. Your effort and contribution in providing this feedback is much Operation Sudden Fall - Wikipedia They allegedly seized 444 kilograms of cocaine, 157 kilograms of crystal meth, 427 kilograms of marijuana and 300 oxycodone pills. "It is an indication of what law enforcement agencies can do to take down a drug trafficking organization such as this one if we devote the time necessary to get to the end result.". I dont know which, but either gives me the shivers.. Record 20 Tons of Cocaine Seized - Los Angeles Times