At first he planned to approach it the way he investigated marijuana: by working along the chain from the user to the dealer to the producer with the threat of jail to prise information from suspects. The roundup, dubbed Operation Mountain Justice, was executed by the Central West Virginia Drug Task Force, in coordination with the prosecuting attorneys of Fayette and Nicholas counties, as well as several local and federal law enforcement agencies. In 2009 alone, Ballengee ordered 3m hydrocodone pills. $18 million, Antioch, Calif. One California raid in 2014 remains one of the biggest drug busts the U.S. has ever seen. Spring fire season means fire burning guidelines. Smith went to federal prosecutors with the evidence about the illegal lists of prescriptions and pressed them to file charges. Were not talking about $5 and $600 deals, were talking hundreds of thousands of dollars, you know, $20,000 in the trunk of somebodys car in a gym bag behind a local restaurant, Terwilliger said. It doesnt give the opportunity for information to get spread throughout the illegal drug community, he said. Winds light and variable.. Clear skies. Officers seized 24 firearms, 30 kilograms of heroin, 5 kilograms of cocaine and more than $700,000 in cash along with 30 kilograms of fentanyl, according to a press release from the US attorneys office. Nelson County's Commonwealth's Attorney Daniel Rutherford said this comes from a . JACKSON COUNTY, WV (WOWK) The Jackson County Sheriff's Office is leading the single largest drug investigation warrant sweeps in West Virginia's history. 1.San Francisco is home to the crown of the world largest ever recorded drugs bust. Participating in the bust were members of the Potomac Highlands Drug Task Force, a Safe Streets/TOC West, and HIDTA-Funded Initiative consisting of the Keyser Police Department, Mineral County Sheriffs Office, Hampshire County Sheriffs Office, West Virginia State Police, DEA and FBI. appreciated. Richmond Weather Cams. Invalid password or account does not exist. No racism, sexism or any sort of -ism Ihlenfeld said nine of those charged were already incarcerated. There was an error processing your request. Law enforcement officials are encouraging members of the public who have information concerning the suspects involved to contact authorities. It wasnt long before drug distribution companies, some of the largest firms in America among them, were delivering millions of opioid pills a year to Tug Valley. Its definitely the biggest Ive seen, Chief Bruce said. 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Bernard said agents serveda search warrant at the store in June and seized approximately $500,000 worth of drugs, including a kilogram of heroin and nine kilograms of cocaine. accounts, the history behind an article. The boards punishment was to require him to write a book report on a medical textbook called Responsible Opioid Prescribing: A Physicians Guide. The alleged suspects range in age from 19 to 63 years old. Subscribe today. It's playing an increasing role in filling U.S. demand for super-pure meth, cocaine, heroin, fentanyl and other drugs, appearing in at least 35 states, a Courier Journal investigation found,. Hourly & 8-Day Forecast. Wendys chili is coming to store shelves. Offering praise for the 14 agencies involved, including the drug task force, which led the overall effort, Harrah said Thursdays actions are especially important and send a message to local communities. Then, in a town where department stores shut years ago and traditional main street stores gave way to personal injury lawyers, a new drugstore popped up. Your purchase was successful, and you are now logged in. To the watching investigators, the stone building with a peaked red roof looked more like a rural cabin than a fount for the millions of opioid pills spilling across Appalachia. Weekly Fairmont news emailed every Thursday evening! Chance of rain 90%. Hours to burn outside are limited to 5 p.m. till 7 a.m. Summary of West Virginia news/sports/weather for Wednesday, March 1, 2023, House and Senate consider multiple bills centered on education. Updated: Apr 9, 2018 / 11:04 PM EDT. The numbers of prescriptions fell sharply. There was a lot of money being made.. Click #isupportlocal for more information on supporting our local journalists. Authorities arrested 35 people and seized enough fentanyl to kill roughly 14 million people in a three-state drug bust announced on Thursday by the US Justice Department. Tug Valley Pharmacy was late to the gold rush, but swiftly made up for lost time. The Register-Herald, Beckley, West Virginia. News from around the State and World. The longest drug-smuggling tunnel ever was discovered on April 20, 2016, spanning the U.S.-Mexico border. VIPIR Virginia Weather Radar. Authorities estimate the value of the drugs at $8.5 million. No longer will we tolerate the folks from Detroit coming to our town, violating our citizens, bringing misery and chaos. The people who were indicted include: Senate swiftly passes 'Equal Protection for Religion Act'. A lot of times there will be property crimes and gun crimes (too) but its all inter-related and sometimes the gun crimes and property crimes will be secondary nature to the underlying drug investigation.. Don't Miss it! One undercover agent noted that the cash drawer at the Sav-Rite was so full the assistant couldnt close it. One individual charged had been deported in 2014 and reentered the US illegally. ELKINS, W.Va. - Elkins officials continue to investigate after arresting three people in the city's biggest meth bust to date. CNN Authorities arrested 35 people and seized enough fentanyl to kill roughly 14 million people in a three-state drug bust announced on Thursday by the US Justice Department. Discovery Company. You couldnt beat him as a person. This week's most popular news from around the State. Low 34F. Please disable your ad blocker, whitelist our site, or purchase a subscription. Daily updates from Blue Gold News for WVU sports. Ciccarelli had come from pursuing Colombian cartels in Florida, but he already knew West Virginia well from working the drug beat as a police officer in the early 1980s. Morgantown News Delivered to Your Inbox Each Week! Daily News, Sports and Events for Marion County. I tried to use the wire fraud to get everybody, the pharmacies and the doctors. Your purchase was successful, and you are now logged in. Winds SSW at 10 to 15 mph.. Thunderstorms this evening will give way to steady rain overnight. According to the sheriff's office, investigators seized 50 kilograms of cocaine, two kilograms of fentanyl, one kilogram of heroin, six pounds of marijuana, 150 grams of crack cocaine, 100 fentanyl. Covid-19 could be making things worse. JACKSON COUNTY, WV (WOWK) The Jackson County Sheriffs Office is leading the single largest drug investigation warrant sweeps in West Virginias history. Ballengee was arrested in July, days after an Ohio court released Drug Enforcement Administration documents showing that pharmaceutical distributors delivered millions of opioid pills to his tiny pharmacy. The bust resulted in a confiscation of 10 tons of cocaine, which was worth around $1.2 billion at the time. READ MORE: Trump supporter charged with assault after blowing on women near Virginia Trump club. Cabell County, which includes Huntington, has been hit especially hard. Tiano lost his medical licence. According to Keyser Police Chief Jared Bruce, the officers confiscated approximately an ounce of cocaine base (crack), 10 ounces of cocaine HCL, two pounds of methamphetamine (ice / crystal meth), approximately 10,000 pressed fentanyl tablets, 150 pounds of marijuana, 327 THC vape cartridges, five firearms, three vehicles and an undisclosed amount of U.S. currency. Murphy told CNN affiliate WSB that it is by far the biggest heroin seizure in Georgia's . Support local journalism. At least one suspect ordered fentanyl from a vendor in Shanghai that was successfully mailed through US Postal Service to Newport News, Virginia, according to the indictment. each comment to let us know of abusive posts. Rattini is accused of distributing narcotic painkillers illegally to more than 200 pharmacies across West Virginia, Ohio, Indiana and Tennessee. This is a continual battle; these officers are right back at it tomorrow morning.. Get the River Cities Tribune & Register Delivered to your email everyday! Dozens of people were arrested Tuesday in a major drug trafficking sweep in Huntington, W.Va., a city hit hard by the opioid . Martinsburg. 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This investigation and a subsequent investigation produced a very large seizure of controlled substances and other items of evidentiary value, according to the Martinsburg Police Department. "The operation in this case, I think it's fair to say, dealt with millions of dollars of drugs and proceeds," he said. I was blown away. Low 54F. Get the Jackson News Weekly delivered to your inbox! Prescriptions were sent directly to Wooleys pharmacy, the Sav-Rite. Lenin Erasmo Luna Mota, also known as Papi, 48, of the Dominican Republic, is one of 34 people indicted by a federal grand jury in the Northern District of West Virginia on charges stemming froma multi-state drug operation, according to Randolph J. Bernard, the district's acting U.S. attorney. Evening headlines from the Charleston Gazette-Mail, The latest in travel and recreation around West Virginia, The daily opinion newsletter from the Charleston Gazette-Mail. Dozens of people were arrested Tuesday in a major drug trafficking sweep in Huntington, W.Va., a city hit hard by the opioid epidemic. The whole thing was a game, a scam. Copen, Samuel Bo Copen, Jesse Copen, Sandy Copen, Nikki Copen, Stacy Williams, Brandon Carpenter, Debbie Wright, Jessica Ward, Karrisa Griffith, Terry Lewis, Sammy Kesterson, Brenda Gray, Janet McKinney, T.J. Sweet, Belinda Seabolt, Warren Ryder, Mandy Hinkle, Rick Wright, Chris Harris, Kelly Potter, Stacy Hanshaw, Sandra Cartwright, Earl Taylor, Witley Cogar, Dave Lawrence, Misty Russell, Sam Griffith, Chris Redden, Coy Gwinn, Randy Tinney, Matt Shaffer, Charlie Thomas, Miranda Puckett, n Summersville area: Brittany Potter, Jason Dancy, Bart Legg, Crystal Cook, Mark Grose, J.R. Ellison, n Craigsville area: Danny Holmes, Jason Johnson, Rick Meadows, John Hall,Nikki Myers, Candice Bess, Amber Farley, Stacey Bays, Candy Dillard, Tim Wright, Andy Rose, n Birch River area: Donna Gregory, Rebecca Morris, John Criss, Pat Dillion, n Mount Nebo/Ennon areas: Andrew Haas, Matt Lipps, Edward Stricker, Eddie Hughes, n Ansted/Fayetteville/Oak Hill/Mount Hope areas: Zach Hodge, Andy Walton, Watrina Jackson, Patty Adkins, Jackie Young, Chelsie Adkins, Christa Smith, William Smith, Austin Smith, Jericho Wriston, Shannon ODell, Jerome Comer, Michael Stanley, Michael Payne, Marcus Brisco, Keri Jacobowski, Trisha McMillan, Aaron Pack, Travis Hopkins, Jareth Myers, n Gauley Bridge/Smithers/Montgomery/Powellton/WV Route 61 areas: Michael Schoolcraft, Eddie Young, Joey Given, Yvonne Legg, Speedy Legg, George Leake III, Jeff Evans, Eric Perez, Cameron Cochron, Rayshawn Payne, Shawn Patton, Bubby Fragale, Barry Mitchell, Kevin Smith. Published: Jan. 13, 2021 at 9:55 AM PST. Twenty minutes drive to the north, the Sav-Rite Pharmacy in the village of Kermit, population 280 and falling, was outstripping them both. The giveaway was the drive-thru window, and the cars lined up past the abandoned ghost shops in downtown Williamson, West Virginia. Apparently a VERY big Trump and Kyle Rottenhouse(or whatever that stupid kid's name is) Fanboy according to his FB account. Choose wisely! Thirty people in the drug organization were indicted in state and federal court in southern West Virginia, and more arrest and search warrants were anticipated in Detroit, he said. Get the latest headlines on local WVU, College and High School sports! series identifies 13 of city's top drug dealers; dealers listed as: Joseph DiPalermo, Charles DiPalermo, Virgil Alessi, Ralph Tutino, Leroy Barnes, James Lofton, Frank Lucas, Steven Monsanto . Be Truthful. We knew what was going on. But theyve hit a snag, Student debt is a crisis: Activists rally outside Supreme Court for loan forgiveness, Tensions rise in Nigeria as opposition demands new vote. The list comes in, you print out the name, slap a tag on the bottle. Temperatures in Virginia. Month by month, the orders escalated. The city of 48,000 residents along the Ohio River had a record 19 homicides last year, up from three in 2015. Student loan borrowers are left in limbo on the exact date for when they will have to begin repayments after a three-year pause from the coronavirus pandemic. He also said he was unaware that Williamson was nicknamed Pilliamson, or that a doctor who was one of the main prescribers was known as Pill Billy. Ive been here since 1986, and this is the most narcotics Ive seen in a bust, Sheriff Ellifritz told the News & Tribune. Officers assigned to the Central West Virginia Drug Task Force have been working diligently over the past several months to identify and gather evidence against numerous individuals in Nicholas and Fayette Counties who are allegedly engaged in the sale and distribution of various controlled substances in these counties, the offices of the prosecuting attorneys said in a joint statement. Large amounts of suspected fentanyl, heroin and cocaine were seized from the operation before the sweep, including enough fentanyl to kill 250,000 people. At the Disco breaking up after almost 20 years of music (FlipSide). In the north of Mingo county, another pharmacist looked on enviously. Do Not Sell My Personal Information Winds SW at 5 to 10 mph. Be Proactive. Barnett, who owned Family Pharmacy, also professed not to know the reputation of the Wellness Center or that it had a list of acceptable pharmacies for patients to fill opioid prescriptions and that his was on it. But at the front end were thousands of pharmacies dispensing the pills, and among the pharmacists were profiteers. Suddenly Tug Valley opens, out of the blue, in 2006. Whether anyone won the war is questionable, but the losers are clearly Black and Latino Americans, their families and their communities. On Monday, officers arrested Eric Armstrong, 38; Krystal Dellagatta, 30 and Roger Ware, 43, and seized 1.7 pounds of methamphetamine. Justin Byrd, 28, charged with a state misdemeanor count of possession heroin. He worked with an FBI agent, Joe Ciccarelli, with a long history of drug investigations. How dangerous was the Ohio chemical train derailment? Notifications from this discussion will be disabled. After 50-year 'war on drugs,' has anyone won? Investigators said the bust is the largest drug haul in the world in terms of both value and quantity. April 17, 2018 10:15 AM PT. Sign up now to get our FREE breaking news coverage delivered right to your inbox. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. Report a Closing. Winds SSW at 10 to 20 mph.. Zombie drug seen in Cabell Co. Kanawha County man has been missing for 7 years, Man wanted for pointing handgun at person, Some parts of Columbus Zoo are getting upgrades, I-64E reopens after tractor-trailer crash in Cabell, JB McCuskey launches run for West Virginia Governor, Applications open to participate in Hillbilly Days, Waverly man arrested for abducting person with firearm, $409K to be used for affordable housing in WV, The New StormTracker 13 VIPIR Real Time Radar, Do Not Sell or Share My Personal Information. He saw no red flags even as the prescriptions poured in by fax and phone. Copyright 2023 West Virginia MetroNews Network. BRIDGEPORT In a collaborative effort from federal, state and local law enforcement agencies, more than 80 people have been charged in one of the biggest drug busts in North Central West. As a landmark federal opioid trial nears completion, West Virginia communities are demanding $2.5 billion in compensation. Its hard to believe that was allowed.. The campaign which was conducted under the banner of Operation Angels Envy - reportedly began in 2017, and concluded in February 2020. Daily News, Sports and Events for Preston County. I came from Point Pleasant. The suspects attempted to thwart law enforcement surveillance using Facebook, and encrypted communications apps like FaceTime and WhatsApp, according to the indictment. 4:18 PM EDT, Fri August 30, 2019, Dr. Gupta explains why opioids so addictive. Derrick Hamlet, 27, of Morgantown West Virginia Giovanni George, 32, of Taylor, Michigan, and Kenneth Jones, 27, of Detroit, Michigan, remain at large. On one day in August 2016, more than two dozen people in Huntington overdosed on heroin during a five-hour span. No one should have to be in that situations. WVU faculty weigh in on aftermath of chemical spill, Clay County native honored by FBI for accomplishments as Assistant U.S. Attorney, Chocolate chemistry explained by a food scientist, Sweets with a Swiss twist for Valentine's Day, Ask an expert: 7 most common questions about automatic home generators, One A Day: Small Daily Acts of Self-Care Go a Long Way to Health. John Ingram Police say the two men were arrested for the felony offense of possession with the intent to deliver fentanyl and possession of fentanyl. Don't Threaten. The arrests were part of the Project Huntington initiative Stuart announced on March 15 to involve more federal prosecutors in a crackdown on gun and violent crime and drug trafficking in Huntington. And there are big lines from the first day, said Smith. While this mass-arrest initiative is certainly a step in the right direction, we are well aware that countless additional individuals remained involved in the sale and distribution of narcotics in our respective counties.. Submitting this form below will send a message to your email with a link to change your password. Rattini is accused of distributing narcotic painkillers illegally to more than 200 pharmacies across West Virginia, Ohio, Indiana and Tennessee. Invalid password or account does not exist. 3. U.S. Atty. By Marsha Chwalik. Terrence McGuirk, 51, who was jailed after the historic "Project Parkersburg" drug bust, was sentenced for conspiracy to distribute more than 500 grams of methamphetamine. Its pretty much a cartel. If federal regulators had intervened to limit prescribing of high-strength opioids to those who really needed them, there would have been far fewer pills on the streets. Unfortunately with his views he will probably be taken in by Aryan Nation, DMI, or some other club for insecure underdeveloped white folks. Martinsburg Police Chief George Swartwood said the arrests and seizures of drugs represent "more to this community than just numbers on a page.". & $600,000 seized in drug bust. With any luck we have eight years of this stuff so if they dont like it, they can find somewhere else to live.. High 74F. OK, lets see. Daily news from the Mineral News & Tribune delivered to your email! West Virginias medical regulators missed opportunities too. Kenneth Eversole, 44, was arrested late afternoon Dec. 1, when law enforcement from a multitude of agencies conducted a search-and-seizure warrant on his residence at 197 Mozelle St. in Keyser. Operation Angels Envy eventually stretched to seven states and resulted in more than 30 arrests, the seizure of more than 100 firearms; $6 million in cash, jewelry and other valuables; 473 pounds . The two decades of the opioid epidemic is a story of missed opportunities, large and small. Lets call this whole thing what it is. In my 37 years, that is the biggest stop and the biggest amount of drugs seized from a one-vehicle stop that Ive ever seen.. Jenni Vincent 0:04 0:35 MARTINSBURG, W.Va. Berkeley County Sheriff Nathan Harmon is proud of his department's record marijuana bust, which netted product with an estimated street value of more. The arrests, which . That is a huge amount of drugs. Rain likely. Earlier this year, McKesson paid the state $37m to settle the suit. 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