News Mega Merged Drug Bust Thread v. "Drug Wars" a Bust

[Jabberwocky]

Drug smuggler caught with $330,000 worth of meth strapped to his testicles

A drug dealer was caught with up to $330,000 worth of meth strapped to his testicles - while he was already on bail.

Jack Matthew Walker was grabbed at Townsville Airport on May 19, 2016, after he smuggled the two 81g bags on a flight from Sydney.

The 25-year-old was trying to pay off thousands of dollars in drug debts he'd racked up feeding his own addiction.

His arrest was just months after he was let out on bail in January 2016 for selling marijuana, MDMA, and twice dabbling in meth in February to August 2015.

Days after he was let out that time, Walker was caught with 3.66g of meth and a glass pipe but allowed to remain free, the Townsville Bulletin reported.

Despite being caught trafficking hundreds of thousands worth of drugs while on bail, he was again released on bail four months later.

Walker almost immediately began dealing again, making 47 sales to 22 different buyers in less than month until police confiscated his phone on December 6, 2016

'This third trafficking period was his most serious. He supplied the drug to people he knew intended to on-sell the drug,' crown prosecutor Will Slack told the Townsville Supreme Court.

'He also spoke about violence to obtain outstanding debts, although there is no evidence this ever took place.'

Walker pleaded guilty to three counts of trafficking, along with numerous other drug charges, and was jailed for eight years.

But the spray painter could be out on November 19 as he had already served 18 months behind bars after his various arrests.



Source: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-5295501/Drug-smuggler-caught-meth-strapped-testicles.html

 

[Jabberwocky]

Myanmar anti-narcotic agents seized 30 million methamphetamine pills and 1.75 tonnes of pure methamphetamine, commonly known as “ice”, in the conflict area of Shan State, the Ministry of Home Affairs said Thursday, in what an agent described as the largest single drug bust in recent history.

Anti-narcotics agents also seized 462.4 kilograms of heroin blocks and 36.6kg of heroin bricks during a raid on Wednesday at a house in Lwe Khan village of Kutkai township, the statement said.

The total value of the seized drugs was estimated at US$54 million (K72.74 billion), it added.

The anti-narcotics operation at the house in Lwe Khan village was launched following the impounding of a vehicle and seizure of 12.52kg of heroin bricks a day earlier at the Oriental Toll Gate in Theinni township in Shan State.

Police arrested four people inside the vehicle, who led them to the bigger drug haul in Lwe Khan village of Kutkai township.

“This is a record capture in Myanmar,” a senior police officer said. “It was carried out by anti-narcotics team No. 42 at Theinni Oriental Tollgate. We arrested four people but the shipment’s owner is still at large.” one senior police officer of the anti-narcotics task force said.

Police have raised the alarm over the steady rise in seizures of synthetic drugs such as methamphetamine tablets and “ice” in the country even as they noted a decline in the areas of cultivation of opium poppies.

In 2016, police seized a record 98 million methamphetamine tablets, nearly double the 50 million tablets seized the year before.

In its latest report, the UN Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC) noted a dramatic drop in opium cultivation in Myanmar, but expressed alarm over the boom in international demand for synthetic drugs.

It noted that between 2015 and 2017, opium poppy cultivation in the country dropped by a quarter.

The UNODC estimated that Myanmar’s Shan and Kachin states cultivated 41,000 hectares of opium poppy in 2017, a 25 percent drop from the 54,500 hectares reported in its last survey in 2015.

Myanmar is the source of most of Southeast Asia’s methamphetamine, which is mostly produced in lawless border regions outside the government’s control.

According to the UNODC, opium cultivation in Myanmar declined in 2017 despite the slowdown in the government’s efforts to eradicate opium poppy plantations.

It said Myanmar destroyed 3533 hectares of opium poppies in 2017, down from 13,450 hectares in 2015.


Source: https://www.mmtimes.com/news/myanmar-scores-record-drug-bust-shan-state.html

 

[Jabberwocky]

Phone taps used to bust up $1 million, multi-state cocaine ring in Memphis

MEMPHIS, Tenn. - Agents with the Drug Enforcement Agency used phone wire taps to track the alleged drug dealers every move.

So far, nearly 100 pounds of cocaine has been taken off the streets during this investigation. 12 people have been indicted.

Court records show the feds began investigating Timothy Woods who used semi-trucks to ship cocaine 1,000 miles from Brownsville, Texas to Memphis.

The fed allege Woods would then sell the drugs to at least 11 people.

Court records give one example of a recorded phone conversation between Woods and another alleged drug dealer. Woods says: ‘But I know I had ticket left. I wanted to make sure. I’m gonna let somebody else get it then.”

Investigators said ticket is a term commonly used in the drug trade to reference cocaine. 5 months into their case, investigators tried arresting Woods.

During the arrest attempt, Woods crashed his car into a D.E.A. car.

He then ran into a wooded area with two big bags and got away. Agents found the two bags the next day with a bunch of coke and $195,000 in cash.

Woods was found and arrested the next day. Agents then focused part of their investigation around Rickey Dortch.

Just this week, they seized nearly $40,000 from a local bank account they claim was earned from selling cocaine.

The bank account had the address to an Orang Mound house linked to it. Officials said it was his parent’s house.

No one answered when we knocked on Friday.

Dortch is accused of using a janitorial business to launder the drug money.

The business has no address and is not registered with the state.

Court records show some of Dortch’s bank withdrawals. He took out $6,000 on May 9, 2017, the same day the feds wire tapped a phone conversation claiming Dortch talked about drugs.

They claimed Dortch got that money to buy cocaine.

The U.S. Attorney in the Western District of Tennessee said, “Asset forfeiture is an important tool to combat drug cartels and drug trafficking organizations, and we will use it aggressively, frequently, and unapologetically.”


Source: http://www.fox13memphis.com/top-sto...e-cocaine-ring-busted-up-in-memphis/686324877

 

[S.J.B.]

Myanmar anti-narcotic agents seized 30 million methamphetamine pills and 1.75 tonnes of pure methamphetamine, commonly known as “ice”, in the conflict area of Shan State, the Ministry of Home Affairs said Thursday, in what an agent described as the largest single drug bust in recent history.

Anti-narcotics agents also seized 462.4 kilograms of heroin blocks and 36.6kg of heroin bricks during a raid on Wednesday at a house in Lwe Khan village of Kutkai township, the statement said.

Wow!

 

[Wiserthanearlier]

Very large meth bust by Indonesians

Apparently even more inside Australian waters related according to another source, will see if i can find second source:

http://www.straitstimes.com/asia/se...one-tonne-of-crystal-meth-in-waters-off-batam

 

[Wiserthanearlier]

Cannot find other reference, however, there is speculation whether this was the mother ship of the 1.2 tonne bust in dec in Perth.
This speculation also considered if another larger ship is now inside Australian waters

 

[Jabberwocky]

How one of Utah’s largest meth busts uncovered a Canadian drug cartel

CALGARY, Alberta — Officials said what they believe to be the largest methamphetamine bust in Utah history, which happened during a traffic stop in Springville in 2016, led to a discovery of a drug cartel responsible for at least two homicides in Canada.

Five Canadians accused of running an organized crime ring were arrested Thursday, officials from Alberta Law Enforcement Response Teams said. The arrests are in addition to three men previously arrested after Utah Highway Patrol troopers discovered 230 pounds of meth during a traffic stop in October 2016.

Those men arrested in Utah, Brennan Carter Tutt, of Airdrie, Alberta, Canada; Kyle Carlson Taylor, of Calgary; and Caicedo Ramirez Santiago, of Calgary, were each charged in U.S. District Court after the bust. Troopers also uncovered steroids and $66,000 in cash during the 2016 stop.

The bust led to a yearlong investigation between the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration, Alberta Law Enforcement Response Teams and Calgary police. Alberta Law Enforcement Response Teams officials said they believe the three men arrested in Utah were working under the direction of Allistair Chapman, 25, one of the five men arrested Thursday.

The Calgary Sun reports many of the men inside the crime ring were "school buddies."

Alberta Law Enforcement Response Teams officials said the group Chapman ran was involved in importing and exporting drugs from two Canadian provinces and the U.S. The agency conducted a raid of a garage located in a Calgary neighborhood.

A pill press capable of producing an estimated 18,000 fentanyl and steroid pills per hour was recovered in the raid, Alberta Law Enforcement Response Teams officials said. A little more than 37 pounds of various chemical powders was also seized during the raid.

In addition, nearly 40 pounds of fentanyl powder, five firearms, more than 17 pounds of cannabis products, 15 pounds of methamphetamine, 4 pounds of cocaine, 1 1/2 pounds of heroin and two vehicles were seized throughout the investigation.

The investigation also may have solved a 2017 double-homicide in Canada. Authorities said Colin Reitberger was apparently killed because of his ties to the drug trade and Anees Amr was an unintended target. Christian Ouellette was arrested in connection with those deaths and is suspected of working for Chapman, Alberta Law Enforcement Response Teams officials said.

“Thanks to the hard work of ALERT, CPS and their partner agencies, this yearlong investigation has taken deadly drugs off our streets,” said Kathleen Ganley, Alberta Minister of Justice and Solicitor General, in a statement.


Source: https://www.ksl.com/?sid=46272403&nid=148

 

[Jabberwocky]

Thailand: 17-year-old caught with $4.5 Million worth of drugs

A 17-year-old was arrested and methamphetamine pills, crystal meth, ecstasy and ketamine worth around 100 million baht in all seized at an apartment building in Bangkok?s Lat Phrao district on Wednesday...

The suspect allegedly confessed under questioning that he had worked as a courier, delivering drugs to clients, for two months and was paid 10,000-20,000 baht for each delivery he made. He was drawn...



Source: https://www.bangkokpost.com/news/general/1481249/17-year-old-caught-with-b100m-of-drugs

 

[Captain.Heroin]

Oh man, that's a lot.

 

[Jabberwocky]

Oh man, that's a lot.

I wish my room was that messy.

 

[fatstep]

He's dead.

 

[phenethylo J]

imo A concerned citizen(another drug dealer) most likely made a tip to the cops in exchange for a nice little reward.

 

[Jabberwocky]

US police make record-breaking Fentanyl bust in Nebraska

In a record-breaking drug bust in Nebraska, state troopers have seized 118 pounds of fentanyl - containing enough lethal doses to kill tens of millions of people.

Nebraska State Patrol Col. John Bolduc announced Thursday that opioids seized last month have tested positive for fentanyl, a synthetic opioid 50 to 100 times more potent than morphine, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

"I'm especially proud of our troopers and our staff because these drugs, as we know, are contributing to the opioid crisis in our country, which is killing Americans every single day," Bolduc said Thursday at a news conference. "This work is saving lives. We can't even extrapolate out the number of lives that this particular bust has impacted."

But as the Kansas City Star reported, that amount of fentanyl would contain enough lethal doses to potentially kill more than 26 million people, given that the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration states that as little as 2 milligrams can be fatal.

Fentanyl, which is approved by the Food and Drug Administration for limited use for medical purposes, can be prescribed as a legal painkiller and used as an anesthetic, but it's the illicit use that has experts particularly concerned amid a raging and relentless nationwide drug crisis. Those who have been exposed to it may experience drowsiness, nausea, confusion and sedation, according to the DEA. But, according to the agency, "with repeated exposure comes tolerance, addiction, respiratory depression and arrest, unconsciousness, coma and death."

Opioids, including fentanyl and heroin as well as other painkillers, are the main drivers of overdose deaths across the United States, according to the CDC. Opioid deaths have continued to spike, with more than 42,000 fatalities across the country in 2016, according to the most recent data released by the CDC.

The Nebraska State Patrol said on Facebook that the recent bust was the "largest fentanyl seizure in Nebraska history (by far) and one of the largest ever in the United States."

State troopers discovered the substance last month when conducting a routine traffic stop along Interstate 80 near Kearney, about 130 miles west of Lincoln.

A trooper stopped a Freightliner truck-tractor and semitrailer that was driving on the shoulder along the interstate and, during the stop, "became suspicious of criminal activity," Nebraska State Patrol said in a statement. When troopers searched the vehicle, the statement said, they discovered dozens of foil-wrapped packages hidden in a concealed compartment inside the trailer.

The substance initially tested positive for cocaine and an unknown powder believed to be fentanyl, the troopers said.

"Because of the dangerous nature of the substance, troopers do not perform field testing on suspected fentanyl," according to the statement, so the powder was sent to the Nebraska State Patrol Crime Lab for confirmation.

Bolduc, with the Nebraska State Patrol, told reporters Thursday that the initial test showed a false positive for cocaine.

In fact, he said, lab testing confirmed the substance - all 118 pounds of it - was fentanyl, which he said would be worth more than $20 million on the street.

The truck driver, 46-year-old Felipe Genao-Minaya, and his passenger, 52-year-old Nelson Nunez, both from New Jersey, were arrested for possession of a controlled substance with intent to deliver. Both men have since been charged in connection to the crime, according the Buffalo County Attorney's office.


Source: https://www.jamestownsun.com/news/c...braska-troopers-found-enough-fentanyl-kill-26

 

[falsifiedhypothesi]

Still only a drop in the bucket for fentanyl market. I doubt this was pure fentanyl, likely a "heroin" mixture of fent and cut. I don't agree with the drug war but it's a good thing this isn't on the street

 

[S.J.B.]

This is 118 pounds of material that contains some detectable amount of fentanyl. The reporter doesn't seem to understand this distinction.

 

[LucidSDreamr]

IN other news, hundred of pounds of fentanyl and heroin made it safely into the US today, like they do everyday

 

[Jabberwocky]

US: Judge upholds $3 million bonds following $90 million meth seizure

LILLINGTON, NC. (WNCN) - Two suspects in Harnett County's largest single drug raid will not be able to bond out of jail before trial.

Raul Topete Arreola and Aquileo Perez Pineda told Judge Paul Holcombe they would be unable to pay the $3 million bond set following their Saturday arrest for methamphetamine trafficking.

Deputies arrested the pair following a months-long investigation conducted by the Harnett County and Wake County Sheriff's Offices in conjunction with the North Carolina State Bureau of Investigation.

Undercover investigators said they found more than 120 gallons of liquid methamphetamine stored in the driver's side fuel tank of Arreola's 2009 Peterbuilt semi-truck.

Neighbors said they saw several deputies circle a home on Will Lucas Road in Linden on Saturday morning.

"It's the biggest (seizure). I'm on my 24th year, and this is the biggest one that I've ever been involved with. I'm sure it's one of the biggest ones (in Harnett), maybe one of the biggest ever in the state," Sheriff Wayne Coats said.

"The biggest asset to us is we've got it off the street before it was sold and could have harmed some of our county residents as well as other states. This was a big operation."

Narcotics officers said that amount of liquid methamphetamine, which would fill three or four bathtubs, could be processed into approximately 454 kilograms of crystal methamphetamine with a street value of about $90.8 million.

Immigrations and Customs Enforcement issued a detainer for Pineda, whose listed address is in Georgia.

The 48-year-old has a court-appointed attorney, Jason Kimble of Buzzard Law Firm, who said the firm has an attorney who is fluent in Spanish and will assist with representation.

Coats said ICE officials are working to verify the immigration status of Arreola, 49, who is registered in Galt, California.

Court records indicate Arreola has a monthly income of about $14,000 from his work as a truck driver, with $9,000 going to gas and insurance.

Investigators said the big money was not in the truck's cargo, but in the gas tank.

"It would have been distributed outside of the state of North Carolina," Coats said. "Atlanta's part of a hub coming up from Mexico, so somewhere wherever this was headed to, we were able to intercept it, regardless of where.

"The concerning part is how much gets through that we don't actually get. That's what's alarming."

Each of the suspects faces charges for trafficking more than 400 grams of methamphetamine.

If convicted, they could face between 225 months and 282 months in prison with a minimum fine of $250,000. Their next court appearances are set for June 5.

PREVIOUS:

An investigation into the transportation and trafficking of methamphetamine has been underway for several months by the Harnett County Sheriff's Office, along with the Wake County Sheriff's Office and the North Carolina State Bureau of Investigation.

The investigation lead authorities to discover over $90 million in methamphetamine on Saturday.

Investigators seized a 2009 Peterbuilt semi-truck that was driven by 49-year-old Raul Topete Arreola of Galt, California, near the 100 block of Will Lucas Road in Linden.

Authorities say that's when investigators found 120 gallons of liquid methamphetamine stored in the driver's side fuel tank on the semi-truck. That amount of liquid methamphetamine would convert to approximately 454 kilograms of crystal methamphetamine with a street value of $90.8 dollars.

Authorities also arrested Aquileo Perez Pineda, 48, of Gainsville, Georgia during the investigation.

Both men have been charged with three counts of trafficking Methamphetamine. They were placed in custody in the Harnett County Detention Center under a $3 million bond each.

An immigration detainer has been issued for Pineda. ICE is looking into the immigration status is Arrola.


Source: http://www.wnct.com/news/north-caro...l-tank-harnett-county-deputies-say/1189789875

 

[psyfiend]

Police seize more than EUR 4.5 million in crypo in Europe?s biggest ever LSD bust

The Spanish Guardia Civil and the Austrian Federal Police, supported by Europol, have dismantled a criminal network producing and distributing synthetic drugs worldwide, known as new psychoactive substances (NPS), on the Darknet. The criminal group was also involved in money laundering their share of the profits by selling cryptocurrencies, mainly Bitcoins. More than EUR 4 500 000 in Bitcoins, IOTA and lumen was seized by law enforcement authorities.

Over 100 different types of NPS were seized in two laboratories in the provinces of Granada and Valencia in Spain, whose market value would exceed EUR 12 million. Nearly 800 000 doses of LSD were confiscated, marking the biggest ever haul of this type of substance and derivatives in the European Union (EU). Europol supported the action day with two mobile offices in Spain and Austria. Analytical support was provided during the whole operation.

Results:

eight arrested (of Spanish, Austrian and French nationality) accused of drug trafficking, money laundering and membership of a criminal organisation;
six house searches in Spain (Granada, Valencia and Madrid) and one house search in Austria;
two synthetic drug laboratories dismantled;
overall EUR 8 million seized;
cryptocurrencies: BTC 510 (EUR 5 508 000), IOTA worth EUR 137 000 and lumen worth EUR 30 000;
EUR 1.6 million seized from an Austrian bank account;
EUR 700 000 in cash confiscated in Spain;
three real estate properties seized with a value close to EUR 1 million;
ten luxury vehicles impounded.

Synthetic drugs sold in the Darknet and shipped by post

The organised crime group had been operating in Spain since 2012 and imported the raw material to make the psychoactive substances from Asian countries, mainly China. The organisation installed a laboratory in Amsterdam, which served as the production unit of the synthetic drugs. From this laboratory the narcotic substances were shipped to two other laboratories in Spain (Granada and Valencia), which were directly managed by the organisation and where the drugs were packaged and distributed to the final consumer.

Packages and postal envelopes were sent to more than 100 different countries, containing narcotic substances camouflaged as other legal products, such as additives for cement. Among the substances that were distributed were more than 100 different types of NPS: synthetic cannabinoids, depressants, dissociatives, stimulants such as amphetamines or cathinones, nootropics, psychedelics and synthetic opiates, the latter a grave problem in developed countries like the USA.

The organised crime group offered the synthetic drugs exclusively through Darknet webpages where access was restricted to previously invited users redirected from forums. Two of the webpages managed by the organisation enjoyed a great reputation, being the most known and exclusive worldwide in this field.

Big business on the Darknet

Drug trafficking is big business, bringing in a fifth of all profits from organised crime. The market for synthetic drugs runs into the billions of euros each year and the sophistication of producers and traffickers continues to rise. Over the last decade, illegal online markets have changed how drugs are bought and sold. Criminal activity on the Darknet has become more innovative and more difficult to predict. Darknet markets provide a largely anonymous platform for trading in a range of illicit goods and services. It is estimated that around two thirds of the offers on Darknet markets are drug-related.

Fighting illicit Darknet markets

Illicit trade on Darknet markets is one sign of the increasingly complex nature of transnational organised crime in the EU. In 2017 Europol and the EU drugs agency EMCDDA published Drugs and the Darknet: perspectives for enforcement, research and policy, a report which presents the latest understanding of how Darknet markets function, the threats they pose to health and security and how Europe can respond.

https://www.europol.europa.eu/newsr...ocurrencies-in-europe’s-biggest-ever-lsd-bust

 

[psyfiend]

 

[yepyepwoah]

Who was this?