Van Buren County Drug Bust: Largest in History

Friday September 07, 2007 8:07pm Reporter: Amanda Manatt
By: Robin Skiles

Drug Bust Made Near Bryant Middle SchoolMarijuana Arrest Numbers Unchanged in Eureka SpringsMailed Marijuana Lands Two in Custody


Clinton -
Several agencies from the Van Buren County Sheriff’s Department to state police worked on the bust. This is the largest in Van Buren County history.

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Van Buren County law enforcement brought in more than 9,000 marijuana plants, taken last week from a wooded area owned by Deltic Timber.

(Scott Bradley/ Van Buren County Sheriff) "We're just happy to get it and take it off the streets. That's a lot of marijuana the on the streets the kids would have access to. We're just happy to get it off the street."

Several agencies took part in the month-long investigation, including Faulkner County, which loaned its helicopter.

(Bradley) "They were good enough to send this up, and fly it so we'd know exactly where it was and what we were dealing with."

(Marcus Vaden/Prosecutor, District 20) "To me, what I'm so happy about is this is a perfect example of when you have cooperation and work between the law enforcement agencies. We've basically shut down a criminal business."

5 people have been charged in the case and 4 of them have been seen here.

Everado Peraza and Isidro Valesquec are still wanted. Police say they are illegal immigrants and believed to have fled to Mexico. Vaden says the group is tied to a bigger, international operation.

(Vaden) "This is basically an international group with contacts out of country. They were basically making drugs here, with support from the country of Mexico, through the state of Texas."

There is an 8th suspect in the case, who is expected to turn himself in to the Sheriff’s Department.

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