Over 100 arrests in Jackson County after biggest drug warrant sweep in West Virginia history, Parent volunteer charged in alleged relationship with a minor, Man faces dozens of child sex abuse charges, One recovering after shooting in Kanawha County. Ive been here since 1986, and this is the most narcotics Ive seen in a bust, Sheriff Ellifritz told the News & Tribune. I came from Point Pleasant. Chance of rain 90%. that is degrading to another person. WVU faculty weigh in on aftermath of chemical spill, Clay County native honored by FBI for accomplishments as Assistant U.S. Attorney, Chocolate chemistry explained by a food scientist, Sweets with a Swiss twist for Valentine's Day, Ask an expert: 7 most common questions about automatic home generators, One A Day: Small Daily Acts of Self-Care Go a Long Way to Health. series identifies 13 of city's top drug dealers; dealers listed as: Joseph DiPalermo, Charles DiPalermo, Virgil Alessi, Ralph Tutino, Leroy Barnes, James Lofton, Frank Lucas, Steven Monsanto . Rain likely. As of Thursday afternoon, 90 of the 100 people law enforcement officials were seeking had been rounded up, said Fayette County Prosecutor Larry Harrah. Don't knowingly lie about anyone Operation Tranquilandia was led by the DEA in 1984. Opioid makers such as Purdue Pharma and Johnson & Johnson shaped the medical culture that drove the surge in prescribing of narcotic painkillers that caused todays drug epidemic. C in Belpre, and 949 Lancaster St., Marietta. Drugs, firearms, cash and vehicles totaling an estimated $372,700 street value were confiscated during a Dec. 1 drug bust believed to be the largest in Keysers history. The following year, the FBI and state police raided the Williamson clinic, arrested doctors and cut off the opioid pipeline. Senate swiftly passes 'Equal Protection for Religion Act'. The warrant was obtained through Circuit Court Judge J.W. When we saw that the largest operation in the past was 92, we immediately said why not shoot for 100, said Jackson County Sheriff Ross Mellinger. Find out what's happening around the state with this weekly email alert sent every Thursday evening! U.S. Atty. Published June 22, 2021 4:25 a.m. PDT Share TORONTO - Twenty people are facing rafts of charges each and more than $61 million worth of cocaine, crystal meth and marijuana was seized in what. *unless the laws or order gets in the way of doing what they want to do, then it's "tyranny". 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. Don't Threaten. Among those arrested were the ringleaders, one in Huntington and two in Detroit, of a group that had been operating in Huntington for nearly 15 years. At the Disco breaking up after almost 20 years of music (FlipSide). The whole thing was a game, a scam. Unfortunately with his views he will probably be taken in by Aryan Nation, DMI, or some other club for insecure underdeveloped white folks. Its pretty much a cartel. Don't Miss it! "We seized over six pounds of crystal. In December, Easton admitted to selling. Investigators discovered the pharmacies lined up bottles pre-filled with set amounts of pills. They pointed him to Mingo county. Bruce said Eversole was arrested without incident during the bust and was transported to the Potomac Highlands Regional Jail in Augusta. Prescriptions were sent directly to Wooleys pharmacy, the Sav-Rite. There was a lot of money being made.. No one should have to be in that situations. We won't share it with anyone else. Its a potential game changer for Huntington and southern West Virginia, Stuart said. Suddenly Tug Valley opens, out of the blue, in 2006. In the evening hours of April 27th. The Associated Press is an independent, not-for-profit news cooperative headquartered in New York City. BRIDGEPORT In a collaborative effort from federal, state and local law enforcement agencies, more than 80 people have been charged in one of the biggest drug busts in North Central West. Barnett, who owned Family Pharmacy, also professed not to know the reputation of the Wellness Center or that it had a list of acceptable pharmacies for patients to fill opioid prescriptions and that his was on it. These arrests are the culmination of that effort. Martinsburg Police Chief George Swartwood said the arrests and seizures of drugs represent "more to this community than just numbers on a page.". Twenty minutes drive to the north, the Sav-Rite Pharmacy in the village of Kermit, population 280 and falling, was outstripping them both. By Marsha Chwalik. & $600,000 seized in drug bust. Officers intercepted a truck carrying 55 million methamphetamine tablets and. In my 37 years, that is the biggest stop and the biggest amount of drugs seized from a one-vehicle stop that Ive ever seen.. According to Keyser Police Chief Jared Bruce, the officers confiscated approximately an ounce of cocaine base (crack), 10 ounces of cocaine HCL, two pounds of methamphetamine (ice / crystal meth), approximately 10,000 pressed fentanyl tablets, 150 pounds of marijuana, 327 THC vape cartridges, five firearms, three vehicles and an undisclosed amount of U.S. currency. A grand jury charged 39 co-conspirators with 106 counts for their involvement in an alleged drug trafficking conspiracy that began in March 2016, according to the indictment. What is xylazine? ELKINS, W.Va. -- Two dozen people face federal drug and gun charges following an investigation in Virginia and West Virginia, according to U.S. Attorney Bill Ihlenfeld. Low 54F. Invalid password or account does not exist. Ihlenfeld said warrants were executed for charges including the possession and distribution of heroin, cocaine and crack cocaine. The value was. The alleged. Out of the 25 people arrested for this drug trafficking operation, seven are from Morgantown alone with a total over 10 from West Virginia and many in our region. Day one certainly exceeded expectations, said Jackson County Sheriff Ross Mellinger. I tried to use the wire fraud to get everybody, the pharmacies and the doctors. Wendys chili is coming to store shelves. 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When officers stopped the vehicle, they could smell the odor of marijuana. Speaking at a news conference Tuesday, Bernard saidMota is accused of using hisbusiness, Top 3 Sources on West Washington Street, to store and sell drugs and launder the proceeds. News, Sports and Events from around Grafton and Taylor County! Years later, all of the pharmacists claim to have not seen any of this. With any luck we have eight years of this stuff so if they dont like it, they can find somewhere else to live.. 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. Smith went and watched. The street value of the seized material is estimated at $372,700. 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. Reach Joel Ebert at joel.ebert@dailymailwv.com 304-348-4843 or joel.ebert@dailymailwv.com or follow @joelebert29 on Twitter. An email has been sent to with a link to confirm list signup. OK, lets see. Police chief: Oak Hill drug bust biggest in 19 years. The 30-count indictment alleges the operation trafficked large amounts of heroin, fentanyl, cocaine base and cocaine hydrochloride from Hagerstown to Berkeley County, West Virginia, between. accounts, the history behind an article. In the north of Mingo county, another pharmacist looked on enviously. Sign up to receive our daily newsletter about all things business and politics in West Virginia. "Project Parkersburg was a game changer - it netted the largest meth bust in West Virginia history and resulted in more than a dozen defendants being prosecuted by my . On Wednesday WSAZ reported the first part of the two-day operation, Operation Centennial Sweep, which has been in the works for roughly one year. Be Proactive. 4:18 PM EDT, Fri August 30, 2019, Dr. Gupta explains why opioids so addictive. Ihlenfeld said nine of those charged were already incarcerated. 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 . Critics have said it could be used to challenge local nondiscrimination ordinances or government-mandated vaccine requirements. In addition to Mota, the news release listed those indicted in connection with the alleged operation as: All but 11 of the defendants had been arrested as of Wednesday. Those days are over, Stuart said. While authorities were still searching for the remaining suspects identified in the investigation as of Thursday afternoon, Calhoun and Harrah were confident they would be found. Its definitely the biggest Ive seen, Chief Bruce said. Get up-to-the-minute news sent straight to your device. A drug trafficking organisation, said Sgt Mike Smith of West Virginia state police, who spent years unravelling the web of doctors, pharmacists and drug companies that made rural Mingo county the opioid capital of America. It sends a message that local, state and federal authorities are always hard at work trying to bring the perpetrators to justice, he said. Ballengee and the other drug store owners kept escalating the orders, and the distributors filled them without flinching. Something similar was going on at the Tug Valley Pharmacy and Hurleys in Williamson. An email message containing instructions on how to reset your password has been sent to the e-mail address listed on your account. A Hagerstown appliance store owner is charged with using it as a front for an illegal drug operation estimated to havehandled millions of dollars worth of drugs and proceeds, according to federal authorities. Create a password that only you will remember. Marshals Service, Drug Enforcement Administration, West Virginia State Police and the Division of Natural Resources. He will become radicalized and when/if he gets out he will be a bigger threat than ever. They shipped more narcotic painkillers to Mingo county per head of population than to any other place in the US. Mike Stuart said more than 200 federal, state and local law enforcement officers targeted nearly 100 people for arrests aimed at dismantling a multistate distribution network. The FBI, U.S. Department of Homeland Security, U.S. Tug Valley Pharmacy was late to the gold rush, but swiftly made up for lost time. Sheriff Mellinger said their target list had 113 names, with outstanding warrants, on it and their goal was to cross all the of them out with a two-day operation. When asked why a mass arrest was necessary, Calhoun said the element of surprise was necessary. The Justice Medical Complex opened in the spring of 2005, a 10-minute drive from Kermit. If you forget it, you'll be able to recover it using your email address. 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. Daily News, Sports and Events for Weston and Surrounding areas. It boggles my mind, said Sparks, the mayor. The DEA's big bust came just a week before another huge meth seizure. Jonathan Calhoun, an assistant in the Nicholas County Prosecutors Office, said the mass arrest dealt a severe blow to the distribution of drugs in West Virginia. Click here to stay informed and subscribe to the Mountain States Trusted News Source. Get the River Cities Tribune & Register Delivered to your email everyday! Clear skies. Chris Cooper A search warrant lead to the arrest of John Ingram and Christopher Cooper. highways in biggest drug bust in Broome's history Apparently a VERY big Trump and Kyle Rottenhouse(or whatever that stupid kid's name is) Fanboy according to his FB account. Massive West Australian drug bust as close to 100kg of meth reportedly found stuffed in pillows stopped at Fremantle port. Police say 33-year-old James Martell Frazier, of Cambridge, Maryland, and Seaford, Delaware, was the leader, supervisor, financier and manager of an illegal drug network that spanned multiple . 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. Daily News, Sports and Events from The ET. 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. All those arrested were transported to previously established areas for processing before being transported to magistrate courts for their arraignments. Theres no way people down there didnt know what was going on. People came from hundreds of miles around to buy the powerful drugs from pharmacies linked to pill mills where compliant doctors prescribed indiscriminately. Your purchase was successful, and you are now logged in. Both Ellifritz and Bruce expressed their appreciation for all the departments working together in order to execute this warrant. 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. He said 40 of the 87 arrests will be facing federal charges while 47 face state charges. Oh, we were aware. Mary Ann Withrow, a federal agent, said investigators recorded that the Sav-Rite and the clinic were excessively busy for such a small town. 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What you need to know for today! Choose wisely! Don't Miss it! Huntington is a safer city today, but we continue to be vigilant.. Everyone was going along with it.. The operation was a joint effort between the Jackson County Sheriffs Department, Ravenswood Police Department, Ripley Police Department, U.S. James Wooley got so little business at his drugstore in the village of Kermit in the early 2000s that he also ran a used car business next door. Were standing out there with a couple of uniformed troopers and cars just keep going up, said Ciccarelli. Four people from Fairmont were taken into custody with the operation. WV's largest drug bust underway Joel Ebert Aug 27, 2015 Nationally-Recognized, Quality Local Journalism.. Click here to stay informed and subscribe to the Mountain State's Trusted News Source.. The Page County Sheriff's Office reported narcotics investigators made the largest seizure of methamphetamine in department history. Within a few months, Wooley was filling an opioid prescription a minute in a town of fewer than 400 people. Student loan borrowers are left in limbo on the exact date for when they will have to begin repayments after a three-year pause from the coronavirus pandemic. PLEASE TURN OFF YOUR CAPS LOCK. 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. You passed about three hospitals, probably 50 pharmacies, and youre driving 100 miles from Point Pleasant to Kermit to pick up a prescription? In the six years after Tug Valley opened, pharmaceutical distributors delivered nearly 11m of the most common type of opioid pill, hydrocodone. The two decades of the opioid epidemic is a story of missed opportunities, large and small. Support local journalism. Terrence McGuirk, 51, who was jailed after the historic "Project Parkersburg" drug bust, was sentenced for conspiracy to distribute more than 500 grams of methamphetamine. Eventually, the FBI and state police moved in on the Sav-Rite in Kermit in 2009, arresting Wooley. Area listings from Your Bulletin Board with regular updates. Updated: Mar 19, 2021 / 02:47 PM EDT BOONE COUNTY, WV (WOWK)According to the Boone County Sheriff's Office, deputies executed a search warrant at a residence along Hendrick's Drive in Keith and arrested 54-year-old Paul Thomas "Paulie" Lombardi from Orgas, West Virginia on Thursday. He denied knowing that the clinic was widely spoken about in town as a pill mill. Wooley pleaded guilty to illegally selling prescription medication and conspiracy, and went to prison for six months in 2012. They didnt go for that, he said. Doctors wrote the prescriptions. The numbers of prescriptions fell sharply. 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