The charges for those arrested include distribution of controlled substances and conspiracy. Ratique Wilson, 25, charged with federal counts of conspiracy to distribute cocaine base, aiding and abetting maintaining a drug involved premises, distribution of cocaine base, possession with intent to distribute cocaine base and use of a fire during and in relation to a drug trafficking offense. There you go, said Smith. Don't Miss it! 2021, the Eastern Panhandle Drugs & Violent Crimes Task Force and the Martinsburg City Police Department Detective Unit and Uniformed Patrol Division, were involved in a combined effort investigation which resulted in a traffic stop of a vehicle on South Queen Street. Two Parkersburg men have admitted their role in what U.S. Attorney Mike Stuart called the largest meth bust in West Virginia history. You passed about three hospitals, probably 50 pharmacies, and youre driving 100 miles from Point Pleasant to Kermit to pick up a prescription? Find out what's happening around the state with this weekly email alert sent every Thursday evening! Suddenly Tug Valley opens, out of the blue, in 2006. Invalid password or account does not exist. 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. Whether anyone won the war is questionable, but the losers are clearly Black and Latino Americans, their families and their communities. "And we introduced law . On his release, Abad was deported to his home country, the Philippines, where he continues to practise. According to a news release from the drug task force that was sent out Thursday morning, investigators spent the majority of this summer identifying criminal suspects allegedly involved in the sale and distribution of numerous controlled substances, including heroin, methamphetamine and prescription pills, in central West Virginia. I came from Point Pleasant. C in Belpre, and 949 Lancaster St., Marietta. Todays effort is not targeting addicts or corner dealers but trafficking organizations that have made Huntington an unfortunate target of their profits, Stuart said. 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JACKSON COUNTY, W.Va. (WSAZ) - Over 100 people are now facing charges after Jackson County Sheriff's Department lead what they say is the largest drug warrant sweep in the history of the. The circle was complete. A Hagerstown appliance store owner is charged with using it as a front for an illegal drug operation estimated to havehandled millions of dollars worth of drugs and proceeds, according to federal authorities. He said 40 of the 87 arrests will be facing federal charges while 47 face state charges. The FBI, U.S. Department of Homeland Security, U.S. How dangerous was the Ohio chemical train derailment? Senate swiftly passes 'Equal Protection for Religion Act'. . It doesnt give the opportunity for information to get spread throughout the illegal drug community, he said. The Register-Herald, Beckley, West Virginia. Ihlenfeld said warrants were executed for charges including the possession and distribution of heroin, cocaine and crack cocaine. Hourly & 8-Day Forecast. Gross sales surged above $6.5m. Although Tranquilandia is referred to as a drug lab, it's actually much bigger. A Warner Bros. Get up-to-the-minute news sent straight to your device. "We seized over six pounds of crystal. Daily news from the Mineral News & Tribune delivered to your email! Chris Cooper A search warrant lead to the arrest of John Ingram and Christopher Cooper. Up until his arrest, Ballengee continued to insist that he was doing no more than filling prescriptions written by doctors. Roughly enough Heroin to supply an estimated 500,000 heroin users for a month. Man arrested in drug bust believed to be biggest in Keyser history. Its a continual operation and I think its a little bit of a wake up call for a lot of folks in the county, said Sheriff Mellinger. 2023 Cable News Network. Overall, about 120 law enforcement officials were involved in the arrests, Calhoun estimated. These junkies would forge prescriptions, and back in the pre-computer days I can remember standing in pharmacies going through prescriptions going, thats a junkie, thats a junkie, these are false scripts, said Ciccarelli, who has since died, in 2017. The whole thing was a game, a scam. A mix of clouds and sun. If you forget it, you'll be able to recover it using your email address. Winds SSW at 10 to 20 mph.. Your e-mail address will be used to confirm your account. The illicit fentanyl thats coming in, the vast majority is from China and a lot of it is coming in through the mails, he said at a press conference announcing the arrests. Download the FOX 5 DC News App for Local Breaking News and Weather. Success! that is degrading to another person. Multiple law enforcement agencies collaborated in the raid of a Fort Myers auto. "Drug traffickers don't work nine-to-five hours, so the people investigating this case have to work 24-seven, and this team worked for approximately a year investigating this case," he said. Copyright 2023 West Virginia MetroNews Network. Tug Valley Pharmacy was late to the gold rush, but swiftly made up for lost time. Dozens of people were arrested Tuesday in a major drug trafficking sweep in Huntington, W.Va., a city hit hard by the opioid . But plenty of prescriptions were written in his name. Ihlenfeld said although the focus was Harrison County, they arrested others in surrounding counties and states. Shorty wanted to be a "Thug". He will become radicalized and when/if he gets out he will be a bigger threat than ever. 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. On one day in August 2016, more than two dozen people in Huntington overdosed on heroin during a five-hour span. Get latest breaking news from around the state when it happens. I tried to use the wire fraud to get everybody, the pharmacies and the doctors. Then right in the middle of this drug trafficking organisation, you have a little pharmacy that pops up and everybodys OK with it. Winds SSW at 10 to 15 mph.. Thunderstorms this evening will give way to steady rain overnight. The warrant was obtained through Circuit Court Judge J.W. Were not seeing meth labs here much anymore, he said, to which Bruce added, Fentanyl is the big issue now.. And there are big lines from the first day, said Smith. The value was. West Virginia leads the nation by far in the rate of drug overdose deaths. Be Proactive. 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. highways in biggest drug bust in Broome's history 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. Operation Angels Envy also had a far-reaching impact throughout the DMV. JACKSON COUNTY, WV (WOWK) The Jackson County Sheriffs Office is leading the single largest drug investigation warrant sweeps in West Virginias history. 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. The street value of the seized material is estimated at $372,700. ELKINS, W.Va. - Elkins officials continue to investigate after arresting three people in the city's biggest meth bust to date. Officers with the Elkins Police Department said Wednesday they were glad to have taken those [] With any luck we have eight years of this stuff so if they dont like it, they can find somewhere else to live.. Sheriff Mellinger said their target list had 113 names, with outstanding warrants, on it and their goal was to cross all the of them out with a two-day operation. Updated: Apr 9, 2018 / 11:04 PM EDT. 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,. Untied States Attorney William J. Ihlenfeld (center) along with Harrison County Prosecuting Attorney Rachel Romano (right) and Bridgeport Police Chief John Walker (left) talks about a collaborative effort between federal, state and local law enforcement agencies that led to the arrests of 87 people in a North Central West Virginia drug bust. Miguel Angel Santiago Caraballo, 30, of Chambersburg, Pa. As of Thursday afternoon, 90 of the 100 people law enforcement officials were seeking had been rounded up, said Fayette County Prosecutor Larry Harrah. 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. JCSO officials say Operation Centennial Sweep totaled 113 warrants for drugs involving methamphetamine, heroin, cocaine, fentanyl, prescription narcotics, and marijuana. Out of the 25 people arrested for this drug trafficking operation, seven are from Morgantown alone with a total over 10 from West Virginia and many in our region. 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. 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. Chance of rain 90%. Sign up to receive our daily newsletter about all things business and politics in West Virginia. 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. Sheriff Mellinger said majority of the arrests are felony drug charges along with other related crimes. Authorities seized nearly 500 pounds of methamphetamines worth roughly $18 . 1998 - 2023 Nexstar Media Inc. | All Rights Reserved. While authorities were still searching for the remaining suspects identified in the investigation as of Thursday afternoon, Calhoun and Harrah were confident they would be found. All Rights Reserved. All in a town of fewer than 3,000 people. The alleged suspects range in age from 19 to 63 years old. The Page County Sheriff's Office reported narcotics investigators made the largest seizure of methamphetamine in department history. All those arrested were transported to previously established areas for processing before being transported to magistrate courts for their arraignments. They say Operation Angels Envy led to takedowns of seven drug trafficking organizations in the D.C. area, as well as their Los Angeles-based transportation network. Authorities estimate the value of the drugs at $8.5 million. Hes a fine fella, said Charles Sparks, Kermits mayor then and now. Hoyler faces 10 years to life in federal prison. Like Ballengee, he claimed not to know about the reputation of the prescribing doctors, including one who was described in a local newspaper as a danger to the community because he prescribed thousands of addictive pills without legitimate purpose. A free weekly newsletter with expert sports betting insight and analysis. According to the sheriffs 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 pills, seven firearms including one assault rifle, and $1.4 million in cash in Loudoun County. Sign up for . Daily updates from Blue Gold News for WVU sports. LEESBURG, Va. - The Loudoun County sheriffs office on Wednesday announced that with the help of multiple federal agencies, theyd executed the largest drug bust in county history. More than 120 law enforcement officers from 30 law enforcement agencies in Virginia, North Carolina and Texas executed the three-day targeted arrest operation dubbed Operation Cookout. Oh, we were aware. Shwanna Hunt, 37,. or anything. Investigators said the bust is the largest drug haul in the world in terms of both value and quantity. The task force said the arrests occurred after investigators made hundreds of controlled purchases of narcotics and gathered evidence to substantiate the allegations before obtaining warrants. Federal prosecutors charged him with making millions of dollars from illegally supplying opioids alongside Anthony Rattini, the former president of Ballengees major suppliers, Miami-Luken, and others. Cabell County, which includes Huntington, has been hit especially hard. Weekly Fairmont news emailed every Thursday evening! Reporting from CHARLESTON, W.Va. . Ballengee and the other drug store owners kept escalating the orders, and the distributors filled them without flinching. Our culture is so messed up. Before long, people in town were calling the Williamson Wellness Center a pill mill. Did you encounter any technical issues? Smith went to federal prosecutors with the evidence about the illegal lists of prescriptions and pressed them to file charges. You have permission to edit this article. The investigation is ongoing at this time. In the north of Mingo county, another pharmacist looked on enviously. Bruce said Eversole was arrested without incident during the bust and was transported to the Potomac Highlands Regional Jail in Augusta. Richard Montgomery High School student accused of robbing Shell gas station at knifepoint. We knew what was going on. 4:18 PM EDT, Fri August 30, 2019, Dr. Gupta explains why opioids so addictive. Updated Get the latest headlines on local WVU, College and High School sports! The pharmacy bought more of the opioid than any drugstore in West Virginia or neighbouring states that year and ranked 22nd in the nation among retail pharmacies for hydrocodone purchases. Choose wisely! He also added that the arrests made were primarily for felony crimes: The majority of the operations are all felony investigations, you have a few misdemeanors sprinkled in but those misdemeanor cases are complementary of the felony investigations, Sheriff Mellinger told WSAZ. They shipped more narcotic painkillers to Mingo county per head of population than to any other place in the US. 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. $18 million, Antioch, Calif. One California raid in 2014 remains one of the biggest drug busts the U.S. has ever seen. person will not be tolerated. 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. "The operation in this case, I think it's fair to say, dealt with millions of dollars of drugs and proceeds," he said. accounts, the history behind an article. Across the river, Family Pharmacy was so busy that the owner, Larry Ray Barnett, had hundreds of bottles of pills lined up ready for assistants to grab as customers cycled through. Prescriptions were sent directly to Wooleys pharmacy, the Sav-Rite. Marshals Service and the federal Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives were among the agencies involved in the mass arrest, as well as the West Virginia State Police, Summersville Police Department, Nicholas County Sheriffs Department, Richwood Police Department, Fayette County Sheriffs Department, Fayetteville Police Department, Oak Hill Police Department, Mount Hope Police Department and the Montgomery Police Department. The name of the pharmacys owner, Samuel R Ballengee PharmD, was displayed on the window under a sales pitch: Its all in the bag.. The suspects transported the drugs using hidden traps in privately owned vehicles, semi-trailers, trucks, and recreational vehicles, authorities said. 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. JACKSON COUNTY, W.Va. (WSAZ) - Over 100 people are now facing charges after Jackson County Sheriffs Department lead what they say is the largest drug warrant sweep in the history of the state. Weekly email alert sent every Tuesday and Friday afternoon for Preston County! The arrests were made . The policeman said it fell under the definition of wire fraud. Fifty years ago this summer, President Richard Nixon declared a war on drugs. Please avoid obscene, vulgar, lewd, READ MORE: Virginia massage therapist arrested for sexual battery while on the job. 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. Four different education bills were voted on in both chambers. Closings & Delays. Daily News, Sports and Events for Marion County. Contact Us | Privacy Policy | Employment | Affiliates Intranet On Oct. 9, U.S. Customs and Border Protection stopped a truck crossing from Mexico into the United States at San Diego's Otay . Justin Byrd, 28, charged with a state misdemeanor count of possession heroin. In 2017, the West Virginia board of pharmacy dismissed its director for failing to properly regulate the flood of opioids to the states pharmacies and investigate suspicious deliveries. The campaign which was conducted under the banner of Operation Angels Envy - reportedly began in 2017, and concluded in February 2020. The Wellness Center was churning out so many opioid prescriptions that the fax machine couldnt keep up with transmitting them individually to the pharmacies. The giveaway was the drive-thru window, and the cars lined up past the abandoned ghost shops in downtown Williamson, West Virginia. He worked with an FBI agent, Joe Ciccarelli, with a long history of drug investigations. These days, the town has shrunk to 9,889 residents and the economic prospects have dimmed. Use the 'Report' link on Winds SW at 5 to 10 mph. 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. Derrick Hamlet, 27, of Morgantown West Virginia Giovanni George, 32, of Taylor, Michigan, and Kenneth Jones, 27, of Detroit, Michigan, remain at large. Marshals Service, Drug Enforcement Administration, West Virginia State Police and the Division of Natural Resources. Low near 55F. 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