-from wfrv.com-By Hilary Golston

Authorities arrested at least seven in an early morning drug bust.
It happened near the intersection of Doty and Webster just before 6 am. Four police units stormed four homes to execute 6 drug warrantsInside police say they found cocaine, marijuana, evidence of drug use and a large amount of cash.
Community police started investigating the houses about a month and a half ago - after they got a tip from someone living in the neighborhood.Neighbors said they suspected drug activity at the homes. Danielle Walton told Channel 5’s Hilary Golston that she bought her house about a year ago and lives right next to where the bust happened. “I’ve gone over to their house and asked them to quiet down a couple times,” Walton said. Danielle is happy authorities are working on the drug problem.
Community Policing Captain, Bill Galvin, says a drug problem in one area can easily spread if it’s not taken care of quickly. Galvin was on scene this morning and assisted with the bust.

-from kentucky.com-

By Jennifer Hewlett

Police arrested 15 people and were seeking seven others suspected of illegally selling drugs, mostly oxycodone, in Menifee County.

An official said that a lot of the pills involved came from Florida, and that the suspects were either going to Florida themselves to get them or knew someone who would.

The arrests followed an eight-month undercover investigation and came as a growing number of Kentuckians have traveled to Florida to obtain prescription drugs legally and then brought the drugs back to be sold by illegal traffickers in Kentucky.

The trips are made to escape the Kentucky All Schedule Prescription Electronic Reporting system, which tracks who prescribes, dispenses and receives controlled drugs.

Kentucky doctors and officials have blamed the Florida pill pipeline for widespread drug addiction and overdose deaths.

The Florida General Assembly recently passed legislation authorizing a similar tracking system there.

By late afternoon, 15 of the suspects targeted by Operation UNITE (Unlawful Narcotics Investigations, Treatment & Education) had been charged and jailed in the Montgomery County Regional Detention Center.

The suspects and the charges against them (all are Frenchburg residents unless otherwise noted):

■ Sherry L. Bargo, 39, two counts of first-degree trafficking in a controlled substance.

■ Brittany Caudill, 18, second-degree trafficking in a controlled substance.

■ Aldo Combs, 32, of Wellington, cultivating less than five plants of marijuana.

■ Eric L. Craig, 29, first-degree trafficking in a controlled substance, trafficking in a controlled substance within 1,000 yards of a school, and second-degree persistent felony offender.

■ John Donathan, 24, first-degree trafficking in a controlled substance and first-degree persistent felony offender.

■ Sheronna Byrd Helton, 27, first-degree trafficking in a controlled substance and trafficking in a controlled substance within 1,000 yards of a school.

■ Misty Himes, 29, first-degree trafficking in a controlled substance.

■ Kenneth Jenkins, 34, first- and second-degree trafficking in a controlled substance.

■ Jimmie L. Jones, 23, trafficking in a controlled substance within 1,000 yards of a school.

■ Jeremy Martin, 23, first-degree trafficking in a controlled substance and second-degree persistent felony offender.

■ Franky L. Randall, 21, two counts of first-degree trafficking in a controlled substance.

■ Dustin A. Roberts, 26, first-degree trafficking in a controlled substance and second-degree trafficking in a controlled substance.

■ William H. Rowe, 42, first-degree trafficking in a controlled substance.

■ Anthony J. Wells, 24, first-degree trafficking in a controlled substance and second-degree persistent felony offender.

■ Thomas R. Wells, 29, of Frenchburg, first-degree trafficking in a controlled substance.

UNITE detectives and officers from the Menifee County sheriff’s office, the Kentucky Attorney General’s office and Kentucky State Police served the arrest warrants.

-from wciv.com-

By Josh Cascio

Producer Deidra Dunn

North Charleston -

By the looks of it, the suspects’ Grand Prix is like any other on the road, but looks can be deceiving according to the North Charleston Police Department. “This is one of the most unique ways that a courier brings drugs into the community that I’ve ever seen,” said Police Chief Jon Zumalt. While small compartments are common on most cars, police say the console held a hidden secret, a place to stash nearly 400 grams of heroin with a street value of about $200,000. “The console is the entry point, it was actually along what you would call the axle,” said Deputy Chief Reggie Burgess Caught on I-26 after making an illegal lane change, Naarl Richard and Kitia Coney are charged with Trafficking Heroin and Possession within a half mile of a school. Police call the bust one of the largest in the city’s history. ”This is cutting the head off the snake. Taking off a major supplier. This is a huge supply of heroin coming into our city and was going to be distributed in our city,” Chief Zumalt said. Described as a huge case, officers are hoping it serves as a clear deterrent to other suspected drug dealers, no matter how creative they think they are.

-from timesonline.com

By Bob Bauder

ROCHESTER — An investigation into what police have described as a drug den on Rochester’s Brighton Avenue led to the arrests of six people Saturday — three on drug charges and three on outstanding warrants.

Rochester police assisted by officers from Rochester Township converged on an apartment on the third floor of the Henderson Printing Building at 101 Brighton Ave. around 7:15 p.m.

Inside Apartment 1 they found five people, three of whom were charged with drug crimes.

Rickie Rudd, 53, who lives in the apartment, was charged with possession and possession with intent to deliver cocaine and possession of drug paraphernalia.

Richard Hoko, 36, of 605 Reno St., Rochester, was charged with possession of heroin and drug paraphernalia. Frank Cousar, 31, of 200 Lion Lane, Bridgewater, was charged with possession of drug paraphernalia.

The three were awaiting arraignment Saturday night.

Police also nabbed Christopher Boulding, 46, of 26 Seventh Ave., Freedom, and Jessica Dugas, 31, who has no known address. Boulding was wanted on a bench warrant issued in Butler County and Dugas on one issued in Beaver County. They are being held in the Beaver County Jail.

While officers were raiding the place, they found Terrence Cox, 41, of Apartment 3 in the same building, who was wanted on an arrest warrant from Bridgewater. Cox was turned over to Bridgewater police.

Rochester Police Officer Frank Mercier said police had received numerous calls about drug activity in the building.

Over the past month, he said, undercover operatives made two cocaine buys in Rudd’s apartment. They also observed numerous known drug users entering and leaving the building.

“This apartment is used as a crack house,” Mercier said. “It’s used by addicts, who go there and do their drugs.”

-from gbtribune.com-

By Susan Thacker

Security software built into a stolen laptop computer led police to a Hoisington residence on Tuesday. Authorities not only found the computer, but they also uncovered what appears to be a methamphetamine lab.

Detective Denton Doze at the Great Bend Police Department said the $9,000 computer, along with hand tools and power tools, was stolen during a burglary reported last Friday at the My Town project, 1419 Main Street.

The first time someone went online with the missing laptop, the manufacturer tracked it through the e-mail and notified police. Detective Doze got a search warrant for the residence of Dennis L. Price at 413 Maple Street in Hoisington. The Hoisington Police Department, including Chief Kenton Doze (the Great Bend detective’s brother), and the Barton County Sheriff’s Office were involved in executing the warrant. Their search began around 11 a.m. Tuesday.

“The computer was on the living room floor,” Detective. Doze said. During the search for the missing hand tools, suspected drugs were found and it was Hoisington Police Chief Kenton Doze’s turn to get a search warrant.

“We found what we suspected to be methamphetamine,” Chief Doze said. Hoisington got a third search warrant when officers found “what looks like the components of a meth lab.”

Price was booked into the Barton County Jail on charges of possession of ephedrine, drug manufacturing equipment and marijuana. He is being held in lieu of $300,000 bond.

As of Wednesday evening, the missing tools had not been accounted for.

-from bluemountainscourierherald.com-

The OPP busted a huge indoor grow-op in Grey Highlands last week.
On November 20, members of the Organized Crime Enforcement Bureau - Drug Enforcement Section, Grey County OPP and the Western Region Emergency Response Team executed a Controlled Drugs and Substances Act Search Warrant at a residence located on Sideroad 13A in the Municipality of Grey Highlands.
Police uncovered an elaborate indoor marijuana grow operation and marijuana plants with an estimated potential street value of $4.5 million were seized. In addition to the illegal drugs, the police located and seized $16,500 in cash, a pick-up truck, two tractors and approximately $45,000 worth of grow-related equipment.
Police arrested Richard Frazer, 39, of Grey Highlands. He is charged with Production of a Controlled Substance, Possession of a Controlled Substance for the Purpose of Trafficking, Possession of Property Obtained by Crime and Theft of Electricity.

wdsu.com-

4 people arrrested

Four people were arrested in St. Bernard Parish on Thursday in what deputies called one of the biggest drug busts in 18 years.

Deputies said military police officers noticed two men repeatedly buying plastic bags and baking soda from a convenience store.The officers wrote down their license plate numbers, which led deputies to a house they said was filled with drugs, guns and cash.

Investigators said they believe the suspects stored the drugs in St. Bernard Parish, but sold them in New Orleans.

Investigators said one of the suspects — Contrice Martin — worked as an employee of the New Orleans Police Department for seven years, but she has since been fired.Other than Martin, the other three arrested were Tony Green, Keith Martin and David Haywood.

-from imperialvalleynews.com-

San Ysidro, California - United States Customs and Border Protection officers conducting anti-terror inspections over the holiday weekend at the San Ysidro and Otay Mesa ports of entry made 27 drug busts seizing 1,674 pounds of narcotics within 72 hours, officials announced.

The largest marijuana seizure occurred on Saturday, October 12, at about 11:30 p.m.; CBP officers encountered a 22-year-old U.S. citizen as she waited for inspection at the San Ysidro border station driving a 1999 Ford Ranger pickup truck. Officers became suspicious after a density meter gave an abnormal reading when used on one of the vehicle’s tire.

Officers escorted the vehicle and two occupants to the secondary lot for further inspection where they discovered 84 wrapped packages of marijuana weighing 172 pounds, hidden in the four tires of the Ranger.

The driver was arrested and transported to Las Colinas Detention Facility. The marijuana and vehicle were seized by CBP.

CBP officers stopped an interesting smuggling attempt on Monday, October 13, at about 6:30 p.m., after a 15-year-old male U.S. citizen entered the port as a pedestrian, with two packages of marijuana strapped to his waist. The officer noticed a bulge and discovered the marijuana on his person.

The juvenile was arrested and transported to juvenile hall. The marijuana, about three pounds, was seized by CBP.

Officers at the Otay Mesa border station seized 7.5 pounds of cocaine and 3 pounds of methamphetamine from a 38-year-old Tijuana man on Sunday, October 12, at about 7:30 a.m. after he entered the port from Mexico driving a 1998 Toyota Tacoma pickup truck. The officer became suspicious and escorted the vehicle for a more in-depth inspection.

During the secondary inspection, a Human-Narcotic Detection Canine alerted to the odor of narcotics coming from the passenger side rear speaker area. Officers subsequently extracted two packages of cocaine and two packages of methamphetamine.

The driver was arrested and transported to the Metropolitan Correctional Center. The vehicle and narcotics were seized by CBP.

Six of the remaining 24 narcotic seizures were discovered with marijuana strapped to the bodies of pedestrian and vehicle passengers after they entered the port of entry. The remaining 18 seizures of narcotics were found hidden in various locations within vehicles such as the gas tank, tires, bumper and dashboard.