Daily News, Sports and Events from The ET. Jackie Devon Thompson, 41, of Frederick, Md. . West Virginias medical regulators missed opportunities too. Get up-to-the-minute news sent straight to your device. Stuart said this was the largest meth bust in West Virginia history. An email message containing instructions on how to reset your password has been sent to the e-mail address listed on your account. The alleged drug trafficking ring is an example of fentanyl coming to the US from China, said US Attorney G. Zachary Terwilliger of the Eastern District of Virginia. Bruce said Eversole was arrested without incident during the bust and was transported to the Potomac Highlands Regional Jail in Augusta. But as word spread and people came from hundreds of miles around, so the drugstores struggled to meet demand. Biggest drug bust goes down in LA sheriff department history . Submitting this form below will send a message to your email with a link to change your password. Under oath, Wooley said he didnt remember ever seeing articles in trade magazines warning about escalating opioid addiction, or patients going from one doctor to another in search of multiple prescriptions. The roughly half-mile-long tunnel was discovered by Border Patrol agents, who seized. *unless the laws or order gets in the way of doing what they want to do, then it's "tyranny". Although Tranquilandia is referred to as a drug lab, it's actually much bigger. "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. Rattini is accused of distributing narcotic painkillers illegally to more than 200 pharmacies across West Virginia, Ohio, Indiana and Tennessee. Find out what's happening around the state with this weekly email alert sent every Thursday evening! Fifty years ago this summer, President Richard Nixon declared a war on drugs. Winds light and variable. Winds SW at 5 to 10 mph. The people who were indicted include: Create a password that only you will remember. Shwanna Hunt, 37,. 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. 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. Chance of rain 90%. News from around the State and World. The Jackson County Bureau of Investigations spearheaded the investigation with the aid of officers from the Jackson County Sheriffs Department, Ravenswood Police Department, United States Marshal, Drug Enforcement Administration, West Virginia State Police and West Virginia Department of Natural Resources. The value was. They pointed him to Mingo county. Copen, Samuel Bo Copen, Jesse Copen, Sandy Copen, Nikki Copen, Stacy Williams, Brandon Carpenter, Debbie Wright, Jessica Ward, Karrisa Griffith, Terry Lewis, Sammy Kesterson, Brenda Gray, Janet McKinney, T.J. Sweet, Belinda Seabolt, Warren Ryder, Mandy Hinkle, Rick Wright, Chris Harris, Kelly Potter, Stacy Hanshaw, Sandra Cartwright, Earl Taylor, Witley Cogar, Dave Lawrence, Misty Russell, Sam Griffith, Chris Redden, Coy Gwinn, Randy Tinney, Matt Shaffer, Charlie Thomas, Miranda Puckett, n Summersville area: Brittany Potter, Jason Dancy, Bart Legg, Crystal Cook, Mark Grose, J.R. Ellison, n Craigsville area: Danny Holmes, Jason Johnson, Rick Meadows, John Hall,Nikki Myers, Candice Bess, Amber Farley, Stacey Bays, Candy Dillard, Tim Wright, Andy Rose, n Birch River area: Donna Gregory, Rebecca Morris, John Criss, Pat Dillion, n Mount Nebo/Ennon areas: Andrew Haas, Matt Lipps, Edward Stricker, Eddie Hughes, n Ansted/Fayetteville/Oak Hill/Mount Hope areas: Zach Hodge, Andy Walton, Watrina Jackson, Patty Adkins, Jackie Young, Chelsie Adkins, Christa Smith, William Smith, Austin Smith, Jericho Wriston, Shannon ODell, Jerome Comer, Michael Stanley, Michael Payne, Marcus Brisco, Keri Jacobowski, Trisha McMillan, Aaron Pack, Travis Hopkins, Jareth Myers, n Gauley Bridge/Smithers/Montgomery/Powellton/WV Route 61 areas: Michael Schoolcraft, Eddie Young, Joey Given, Yvonne Legg, Speedy Legg, George Leake III, Jeff Evans, Eric Perez, Cameron Cochron, Rayshawn Payne, Shawn Patton, Bubby Fragale, Barry Mitchell, Kevin Smith. Updated This week's most popular news from around the State. Get the Jackson News Weekly delivered to your inbox! READ MORE: Trump supporter charged with assault after blowing on women near Virginia Trump club. Smith went and watched. 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 . Don't Miss it! CNN Sans & 2016 Cable News Network. Winds SSW at 10 to 20 mph.. Miguel Angel Santiago Caraballo, 30, of Chambersburg, Pa. Law enforcement officials are encouraging members of the public who have information concerning the suspects involved to contact authorities. Each day, hundreds of people lined up outside an old animal feed store where a group of doctors were set up by a former pimp, just out of federal prison for running a gay prostitution ring in Washington DC, to churn out opioid prescriptions faster than West Virginias major hospitals. 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 . Weekly Fairmont news emailed every Thursday evening! In 1995, the US Coast Guard carried out a huge drug bust off the coast of Peru, which at the time was the biggest drug bust on the high seas, though it would soon be topped. Massive West Australian drug bust as close to 100kg of meth reportedly found stuffed in pillows stopped at Fremantle port. 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. The alleged suspects range in age from 19 to 63 years old. The roundup, dubbed Operation Mountain Justice, was executed by the Central West Virginia Drug Task Force, in coordination with the prosecuting attorneys of Fayette and Nicholas counties, as well as several local and federal law enforcement agencies. All he had to do was lend his name to the prescriptions and one of the nurses at the clinic would fill it out. 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. 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. Low 34F. $18 million, Antioch, Calif. One California raid in 2014 remains one of the biggest drug busts the U.S. has ever seen. Do Not Sell My Personal Information Suddenly Tug Valley opens, out of the blue, in 2006. Don't knowingly lie about anyone Get the latest headlines on local WVU, College and High School sports! Threats of harming another At first he planned to approach it the way he investigated marijuana: by working along the chain from the user to the dealer to the producer with the threat of jail to prise information from suspects. Drug firms say they acted responsibly in shipping millions of pills. "The origins of the sheriff's department date back to 1850 when this was the Wild West," the sheriff said. He tells the Panhandle News Network it was a record-breaking seizure. The operation was a joint effort between the Jackson County Sheriffs Department, Ravenswood Police Department, Ripley Police Department, U.S. Be Proactive. Police chief: Oak Hill drug bust biggest in 19 years. KEYSER, W.Va. (WV News) A Keyser man remains jailed after being arrested earlier this month in what law enforcement officials believe is the largest drug bust in Keyser history. Sheriff Mellinger said majority of the arrests are felony drug charges along with other related crimes. On Tuesday, United States Attorney William J. Ihlenfeld, II, Harrison County Prosecuting Attorney Rachel Romano and Bridgeport Police Chief John Walker announced that 87 individuals have been arrested with 78 arrests happening Tuesday all in connection to drug possession, distribution and trafficking in North Central West Virginia. RICHMOND, VA (WWBT) - Almost 300 lbs. The following year, the FBI and state police raided the Williamson clinic, arrested doctors and cut off the opioid pipeline. Some suspects switched phones regularly and used prepaid cell phones that did not need a subscribers name. Those four were: Michael Figueroa, 28, charged with federal counts of conspiracy to distribute concaine base, aiding and abetting maintaining a drug involved premises and distribution of cocaine base. The charges includeconspiracy to distribute drugs, possession with intent to distribute drugs, and money laundering. On his way out the door, having made more than $250,000 from opioid prescribing in just two years, the doctor recruited his successor, Dr Augusto Abad, who lived 90 minutes away in the state capital, Charleston, and rarely saw patients. 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. Hes also a sign of Mexicos healthcare crisis, Bola Tinubu, the declared winner of Nigerias presidential election, appeals for unity, 19 cafes that make L.A. a world-class coffee destination, Shocking, impossible gas bills push restaurants to the brink of closures, A 5,000-year-old restaurant highlights Iraqs archaeological renaissance, Fiery Greece train collision kills 32, injures at least 85, Column: Supreme Court conservatives may want to block student loan forgiveness. Officers then searched the vehicle and found several grams of methamphetamine and drug-using instruments. Where are you from? Were standing out there with a couple of uniformed troopers and cars just keep going up, said Ciccarelli. Investigators said the bust is the largest drug haul in the world in terms of both value and quantity. On his release, Abad was deported to his home country, the Philippines, where he continues to practise. Ballengee testified in earlier civil depositions. Use the 'Report' link on In 2016, a major drug distributor, McKesson abruptly ended its contract with Tug Valley Pharmacy when West Virginias attorney general, Patrick Morrisey, filed a lawsuit against the company accusing it of recklessly distribution millions of pills across the state. A second mate and a crew member have been arrested in the. Updated: Feb 9, 2023 / 02:18 PM EST WHEELING, W.Va. (WBOY) A major drug bust in Wheeling should impact the flow of fentanyl, cocaine and methamphetamine into Morgantown, Fairmont and Clarksburg, according to federal prosecutors. 1998 - 2023 Nexstar Media Inc. | All Rights Reserved. Man arrested in drug bust believed to be biggest in Keyser history. Marshall University forced Tiano to stop moonlighting at the clinic. Doctors wrote the prescriptions. 9. Europe and others push for a standard lunar time zone, Dr. Simi is a TikTok star. All rights reserved. Your account has been registered, and you are now logged in. No one should have to be in that situations. More than 20 people charged in drug bust in Central Virginia, Shenandoah Valley. Ellifrtiz said the confiscated drugs definitely came from out of the area and were not manufactured locally. Be Truthful. Keep it Clean. a multi-state drug trafficking organization that mostly . On one day in August 2016, more than two dozen people in Huntington overdosed on heroin during a five-hour span. Marshals Service, Drug Enforcement Administration, West Virginia State Police and the Division of Natural Resources. Share with Us. Martinsburg. An informant tipped them off that Debra Justice and Wooley had hatched a get rich(er) quick scheme to open a pain clinic that would refer all of its prescriptions for controlled substances to Sav-Rite Kermit, and that they were handing out drugs like candy. In 2007, someone anonymously tipped off the West Virginia medical board that Tiano was prescribing illegally. The bust was executed by members of the Raleigh County Sheriff's Department, State Police Beckley Detachment, FBI, ATF, and the Beckley-Raleigh County Drug and Violent Crimes Task Force. Multiple law enforcement agencies collaborated in the raid of a Fort Myers auto. 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