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  1. #1
    Senior Member JohnDoe2's Avatar
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    338 pounds of meth seized in Merced CA.

    Wednesday, Aug. 15, 2012

    Published Wed, Aug 15, 2012 10:53 PMModified Thu, Aug 16, 2012 09:56 AM

    $9 million in meth seized, authorities in Merced announce


    Investigation begun in Merced yields big results

    By JOSHUA EMERSON SMITH

    MERCED --Authorities on Wednesday in Merced announced what they called the biggest methamphetamine bust in Central Valley law enforcement history, displaying hundreds of pounds of confiscated crystal meth.

    A joint undercover investigation by local and state agents that started in March yielded roughly 338 pounds of methamphetamine — with an estimated value of about $9 million — more than $100,000 in cash and the arrests of 11 suspects, officials said.

    “I am so proud of everyone who came together,” Merced County Sheriff Mark Pazin said at a news conference. “What started off as just a normal course of a workday, ends up with traversing the entire state of California and going after these drug cartels.”

    Although most of the arrests and drug confiscations were made in Southern California, the case started months ago in Merced County after a local undercover sheriff’s deputy bought a pound of methamphetamine from a suspect in the Livingston area.

    After months of surveillance and intelligence gathering, local law enforcement agents reached out to the California Department of Justice to assist in what became a statewide investigation.

    “I’ve been with the Department of Justice for 25 years now, and I’ve never seen the magnitude of this seizure,” said Ben Buford, special agent in charge of the state Attorney General’s Bureau of Investigation in Fresno. “This impact is huge. Some of the arrestees are major cartel members.”

    Last week, the case climaxed when several investigators observed large quantities of meth being delivered to a house in Huntington Park in Los Angeles County.

    Inside, agents said they found what is known as a conversion lab, where powder methamphetamine is turned into smokable crystal meth.

    Agents said they busted two other conversion labs on subsequent raids in Rialto and Victorville in San Bernardino County, and seized additional drugs at a residence in Paramount, also in Los Angeles County.

    According to Buford, while conversion labs are popping up around the state, not much meth is actually made in California anymore. He estimated that about 95 percent of the meth in the state is smuggled from Mexico.

    “We’re getting large mega labs in Mexico now,” he said.
    According to state agents, more than half of the suspects in custody have been directly traced to a large crime syndicate in Mexico called the Milenio or Valencia cartel.

    Merced hub eyedThe suspects arrested in the undercover operation were trying to start a distribution hub in Merced County that would have distributed meth to local street gangs, official said.

    All 11 suspects will be prosecuted by the Merced County district attorney’s office. Bail for the defendants has been set at as much as $4 million apiece, and charges include manufacturing, transporting and possession for sale of methamphetamine.

    “They’re looking at upwards of 20 years in prison if they’re convicted of everything,” said Chief Deputy District Attorney John Goold, who is leading spearheading the prosecution. “There were a couple of peripheral players who will have lesser charges.”

    Most of the defendants are not U.S. citizens and if convicted and sentenced to prison will likely face deportation after serving their terms.

    However, the outcome of the court case is far from clear. Many of the defendants have been in the country for less than three years, said Merced County District Attorney Larry Morse II.

    “These guys should be going to prison for a long, long time,” he said. “Whether they do or not depends on if they have a history, whether or not they have a strike. A lot of them are new arrivals so they don’t have much of a jacket yet.”


    Reporter Joshua Emerson Smith can be reached at (209)385-2486 or jsmith@mercedsunstar.com.

    $9 million in meth seized, authorities in Merced announce - Local - MercedSun-Star.com
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    Senior Member JohnDoe2's Avatar
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    Philly CBP Records 7th Largest Local Cocaine Seizure

    Officers Find 386 Pounds Concealed in Pick-Up Truck Barged From Puerto Rico

    (Thursday, August 16, 2012)

    Philadelphia, Pennsylvania – Local Customs and Border Protection officers recorded their seventh largest cocaine seizure July 9 when officers discovered 386 pounds of cocaine concealed inside the body of a pick-up truck shipped from Puerto Rico.

    The cocaine has an approximate street value of about $12 million.

    According to CBP records dating back to 1990, this is also the 12th largest seizure of any illicit narcotics at the CBP Port of Philadelphia.

    While conducting non-intrusive inspections of vehicles that arrived at Petty’s Island, N.J., CBP officers discovered anomalies within the bed panels and extended cab doors of a 2006 Chevrolet C1500 pick-up truck.

    CBP officers disassembled the panels and doors and discovered 148 packages of a white, powdery substance that field-tested positive for cocaine. The packages had a combined weight of 386 pounds, 4 ounces.

    “This is a significant cocaine seizure and an outstanding example of how Customs and Border Protection officers employ technology to intercept narcotics smuggling attempts,” said Allan Martocci, CBP Port Director for the Area Port of Philadelphia. “Let this seizure be a warning that Customs and Border Protection officers remain committed to stopping nefarious narcotics networks from smuggling their deadly poison through the Port of Philadelphia.”

    This is the second cocaine seizure in two months on vehicles barged from Puerto Rico to Petty’s Island. On May 15, CBP officers discovered or about 23 pounds, 12 ounces, in 10 bricks that were concealed inside the rear seat of a 1999 Chevrolet Lumina. The cocaine had an estimated street value of about $700,000.

    CBP turned over the pick-up truck and cocaine to agents from Immigration and Customs Enforcement Homeland Security Investigations.

    U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) is the unified border agency within the Department of Homeland Security charged with the management, control, and protection of our Nation's borders at and between the official ports of entry. CBP is charged with keeping terrorists and terrorist weapons out of the country while enforcing hundreds of U.S. laws.

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  3. #3
    Senior Member JohnDoe2's Avatar
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    NO AMNESTY

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  4. #4
    Senior Member JohnDoe2's Avatar
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    Local News for U.S. Customs and Border Protection.

    CBP Reminds Border Crossers to Prepare for Busier than Normal Port of Entry Traffic during Texas Tax Free Holiday Weekend
    08/16/2012 12:16 PM EDT
    El Paso, Texas - U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) is reminding border crossers that traffic at the El Paso port of entry and other area international crossings may be heavier than normal this weekend because of the Texas tax free sales holiday scheduled for August 17-19, 2012. (more)

    Technology Blocks Smuggling at Checkpoint
    08/16/2012 12:16 PM EDT
    Tucson, Ariz. - Tucson Sector Border Patrol agents working at the Interstate 19 checkpoint seized a vehicle and arrested a U.S. citizen yesterday for attempting to smuggle 50 pounds of marijuana. A Nogales Border Patrol canine team alerted to a vehicle during initial inspection. (more)

    Dulles CBP Officers Seize Marijuana and Paraphernalia Hidden in Cereal Box
    08/16/2012 12:16 PM EDT
    Sterling, Va. - A 15-year-old U.S. citizen thought he could hide almost 4 grams of marijuana and assorted drug paraphernalia inside a breakfast cereal box packed in his luggage and sneak it past Customs and Border Protection officers at Washington Dulles International Airport Sunday, but he learned firsthand how proficient CBP officers are at detecting concealed items. (more)

    Fugitive Wanted in Roswell Double Fatality Apprehended by CBP
    08/16/2012 12:16 PM EDT
    El Paso, Texas - CBP officers working at the El Paso of entry today apprehended a man wanted in connection with a fatal accident which claimed two lives in Roswell earlier this month. CBP officers took custody of 22-year-old Joel Cordoba Lopez this morning. (more)

    U.S. Border Patrol Agents Seize Cloned Vehicle, Marijuana Discovered Inside
    08/16/2012 12:16 PM EDT
    Tucson, Ariz. - Tucson Sector Border Patrol agents seized a cloned vehicle filled with 75 bundles of marijuana late Monday evening. The vehicle displayed phony decals in an attempt to appear as if it was an official Santa Cruz County - Flood Control Department vehicle. (more)

    U.S. Customs and Border Protection Officers Seize Over $774,000 in Cocaine at Brownsville Port of Entry
    08/16/2012 12:16 PM EDT
    Brownsville, Texas - U.S. Customs and Border Protection officers at the Brownsville and Matamoros International Bridge on Monday seized cocaine valued at approximately $774,400, during a routine vehicle inspection of an Isuzu Trooper. . (more)

    U.S. Border Patrol Agents Arrest 15 in Failed Maritime Smuggling Attempt Near Ocean Beach
    08/16/2012 12:16 PM EDT
    San Diego - U.S. Border Patrol agents prevented a maritime human smuggling attempt this morning near Ocean Beach and arrested 15 foreign nationals who illegally entered the U.S. by boat.At approximately 2 a.m., agents assigned to coastal border enforcement duties observed a panga boat near Sunset Cliffs heading south at a high rate of speed without running lights. (more)

    CBP Officers in Southern Arizona Seize More Than $760k in Narcotics
    08/16/2012 12:16 PM EDT
    Nogales, Ariz. - U.S. Customs and Border Protection officers at Nogales area ports this past weekend seized more than 423 pounds of marijuana, worth close to $212,000, and slightly more than 35 pounds of methamphetamine, valued at roughly $549,000.Four seizures involved methamphetamine; the largest seizure occurring Sunday when Yovana Mercedes Gonzalez Cazares, 24, of Nogales, Sonora, Mexico, was apprehended with a little more than 19 pounds of meth hidden in a compartment in the floor of her Saturn sedan. (more)

    www.cbp.gov
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