person will not be tolerated. Lets call this whole thing what it is. Doctors wrote the prescriptions. During the search, 4.5 kilos of a fentanyl/heroin mix, $40,000 in cash and several handguns were found. The street value of the seized material is estimated at $372,700. What officials are calling the largest mass arrest of drug offenders in West Virginia history occurred Thursday when 100 people were targeted for reportedly committing more than 300 drug offenses. 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. News from around the State and World. 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. Do Not Sell My Personal Information Winds SSW at 10 to 20 mph.. ANCHORAGE, Alaska -- The state's biggest drug bust has resulted in the arrests of more than a dozen people, including the alleged woman ringleader of the $36-million-a-year heroin ring, officials . Nearly 50 people are now being charged after a year-long investigation focused in Duluth, Rochester, and on the Iron . More than 20 people charged in drug bust in Central Virginia, Shenandoah Valley. Operation Angels Envy also had a far-reaching impact throughout the DMV. Harrah said Fayette Countys drug problem, which he called the top priority of the county, affects everything from insurance rates to crime. On one day in August 2016, more than two dozen people in Huntington overdosed on heroin during a five-hour span. A Warner Bros. Daily news from the Mineral News & Tribune delivered to your email! High 74F. Smith went to federal prosecutors with the evidence about the illegal lists of prescriptions and pressed them to file charges. A second mate and a crew member have been arrested in the. He was arraigned and bond was set at $175,000 cash only, but that has since been reduced to $50,000 cash only, according to the PHRJ website. By then, Smith was watching. JACKSON COUNTY, W.Va. (WSAZ) - Dozens of people have been arrested in a large scale drug warrant sweep that is underway in Jackson County, West Virginia . Sorry, there are no recent results for popular commented articles. READ MORE: Virginia massage therapist arrested for sexual battery while on the job. The citizens would come and say, Why dont you do something about that up there? The average person doesnt know or doesnt stop and think that you cant just go in. The alleged co-conspirators purchased and received narcotics from suppliers in Mexico, California, and New York, then smuggled the narcotics to locations in the Hampton Roads area of Virginia, according to authorities. Drug firms say they acted responsibly in shipping millions of pills. ROANOKE, Va. - The combined efforts of local, state and federal law enforcement agencies have resulted in the arrests of 13 individuals over the past weeks connected to a variety of drug . The two decades of the opioid epidemic is a story of missed opportunities, large and small. No racism, sexism or any sort of -ism 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. Roughly enough Heroin to supply an estimated 500,000 heroin users for a month. That is a huge amount of drugs. 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They didnt go for that, he said. Ihlenfeld said although the focus was Harrison County, they arrested others in surrounding counties and states. Your e-mail address will be used to confirm your account. (July 21), Hagerstown, Washington County closer to seeing some opioid settlements, Fatal drug overdoses hit record levels during COVID, Your California Privacy Rights/Privacy Policy, Ana Ercilia Luna, 36, of Hagerstown and the Dominican Republic, Juan Manuel De La Rosa-Tejeda, also known as Little Papi, 35, of Hagerstown and the Dominican Republic, Daniel Inoa-Rodriguez, also known as Danny, 21, of Hagerstown, Tyrone Lewis, also known as "Roc," 42, of Hagerstown, Edwin Orrillio, also known as J Money, 34, of Hagerstown, Carlos M. Nunez-Arias, also known as Charlote, 51, of Hagerstown, Edson Velasquez-Lopez, 50, of Martinsburg, Chelsea Nicole Pinkcett, 33, of Martinsburg, Ronald MichaelBowers, 52, of Martinsburg, Devron Jerel Brown, also known as Country, 33, of Martinsburg. An email message containing instructions on how to reset your password has been sent to the e-mail address listed on your account. 2023 Cable News Network. Murphy told CNN affiliate WSB that it is by far the biggest heroin seizure in Georgia's . Daily updates from Blue Gold News for WVU sports. There you go, said Smith. "And we introduced law . 2. At the Disco breaking up after almost 20 years of music (FlipSide). Find out what's happening in Garrett County with this weekly email alert! Millions more were shipped to another pharmacy, Hurleys Drug Store, four blocks away. 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. each comment to let us know of abusive posts. PLEASE TURN OFF YOUR CAPS LOCK. Get the River Cities Tribune & Register Delivered to your email everyday! 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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. Special offers from businesses around your area. This is the name that will be displayed next to your photo for comments, blog posts, and more. He will become radicalized and when/if he gets out he will be a bigger threat than ever. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. Winds SW at 5 to 10 mph. If you forget it, you'll be able to recover it using your email address. The operation was a joint effort between the Jackson County Sheriffs Department, Ravenswood Police Department, Ripley Police Department, U.S. Im sitting here looking at this. Although Tranquilandia is referred to as a drug lab, it's actually much bigger. Both Ellifritz and Bruce expressed their appreciation for all the departments working together in order to execute this warrant. Clear skies. This is a continual battle; these officers are right back at it tomorrow morning.. After 50-year 'war on drugs,' has anyone won? Covid-19 could be making things worse. All he had to do was lend his name to the prescriptions and one of the nurses at the clinic would fill it out. Investigators discovered the pharmacies lined up bottles pre-filled with set amounts of pills. According to indictments . Scientists believe genetically-engineered blight-resistant trees will bring them back, Saving our applause until the curtain falls, Newel Health Awarded $2.5M Research Grant from The Michael J. Smith went and watched. Ballengee testified in earlier civil depositions. The investigation is ongoing at this time. Before long, people in town were calling the Williamson Wellness Center a pill mill. You have permission to edit this article. If they can do 92 why cant we do 100 and once we meet that century mark, than anything is possible.. The suspects attempted to thwart law enforcement surveillance using Facebook, and encrypted communications apps like FaceTime and WhatsApp, according to the indictment. Huntington is a safer city today, but we continue to be vigilant.. You couldnt beat him as a person. The boards punishment was to require him to write a book report on a medical textbook called Responsible Opioid Prescribing: A Physicians Guide. 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. Don't Miss it! & $600,000 seized in drug bust. When officers stopped the vehicle, they could smell the odor of marijuana. MARTINSBURG, W.Va.Police Chief George Swartwood is proud of the men and women of his force every day, but last month, they outdid themselves. 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. Investigators said the bust is the largest drug haul in the world in terms of both value and quantity. When the sun went down (Wednesday) night we were actually sitting at about 90 (arrests).. We'd love to hear eyewitness This big drug bust is similar to the others because it's linked to -- you guessed it -- cocaine. Did you encounter any technical issues? The Register-Herald, Beckley, West Virginia. Robert Hott, 30, charged with federal counts of conspiracy to possession with intent to deliver and to distribute heroin and distribution of heroin within 1,000 feet of a protected location. Chris McGreal is the author of American Overdose, The Opioid Tragedy in Three Acts, Original reporting and incisive analysis, direct from the Guardian every morning, The Wellness Center was churning out so many opioid prescriptions that the fax machine couldnt keep up.. Don't Miss it! First Amendment: Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof; or abridging the freedom of speech, or of the press; or the right of the people peaceably to assemble, and to petition the Government for a redress of grievances. Bruce said Eversole was arrested without incident during the bust and was transported to the Potomac Highlands Regional Jail in Augusta. 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 culminated in one of the largest cumulative takedowns in the area with 33 individuals charged, and seizure totals of 473 pounds of methamphetamine, 42 kilograms of fentanyl, nine kilograms of heroin, 129 kilograms of cocaine, 5,100 pounds of other drugs, over $5.3M in US Currency, 114 firearms (many of which were assault-style weapons), and over $700,000 in jewelry and vehicles. Up until his arrest, Ballengee continued to insist that he was doing no more than filling prescriptions written by doctors. The bust resulted in a confiscation of 10 tons of cocaine, which was worth around $1.2 billion at the time. They pointed him to Mingo county. Area listings from Your Bulletin Board with regular updates. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. But at the front end were thousands of pharmacies dispensing the pills, and among the pharmacists were profiteers. "That is a snapshot, one day in the time of this case … so that tells you that over the whole year of the investigation the breadth of this conspiracy and this illegal enterprise," Bernard said. The city of 48,000 residents along the Ohio River had a record 19 homicides last year, up from three in 2015. However, what they did is they talked to the pharmacists and told them they couldnt do that any more, he said. Click #isupportlocal for more information on supporting our local journalists. U.S. Atty. 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. Still at largewere Mota, Luna, Rodriguez, Longus, Rose,Orrillio,Velasquez-Lopez,Pinkcett, Gregory, Brown and Nunez-Arias, authorities said. But plenty of prescriptions were written in his name. It shows that were trying to address the problem, he said, noting that authorities wont simply sit back on their hands once their work is gone from the headlines. 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