-from kutv.com-

By Kathryn May

SALT LAKE CITY Authorities in Utah County are contacting people to claim their property; they believe they found hundreds of stolen items Wednesday morning.

It all started with a drug bust up in a Provo apartment, but it turned into something even bigger.

Now authorities say some people are getting their stuff back.

David Grierson is one theft victim who may benefit from the bust. “I had my tools stolen out of my truck. About $2,500 worth of tools,” he said.

He is searching for his stolen property at a Provo apartment.

Adam Mitchell is another theft victim. He told 2 News, “I just got some of my golf clubs here that was taken 2 or 3 months ago.”

Adam found exactly what he was looking for, “oh yeah, I’m way excited.”

It started with a drug bust.

Utah County Major Crimes Task Force believed Mike Pino was dealing drugs so they served a search warrant at his apartment.

“We located user amounts of meth, paraphernalia and marijuana,” says Lt. Mike Forshee, a member of the task force.

While searching for drugs they also found two rooms filled with property.

“There were golf clubs, compressors, nail guns, power tools,” said Lt. Forshee.

Authorities believe the items in the apartment and in a moving truck parked outside are stolen so they contacted some possible victims.

“I just got a call while I was at work today that the clubs were found,” said Adam.

Police arrested 39-year-old Mike Pino and his girlfriend Rachelle Hume, 29.

They’ve delt with Pino before. In fact, he’s been in the Utah County Jail 28 times.

It’s frustrating for authorities.

“It seems that we deal a lot with repeat offenders,” said Lt. Forshee. “People who have been into jail and back out a number of times.”

And the burglary victims we spoke with say there needs to be harsher penalties for repeat offenders.

Theft victim David said, “if they’ve already had more than one or two chances I don’t think they should be let out.”

Both Pino and Hume are facing multiple drug and theft charges.

Authorities want to remind the public to mark their property so they can identify it if it’s ever stolen and recovered.

If you can put your name or identifying mark on your tools, golf clubs, laptops, etc., then they can prove that the property belongs to you.

-from wvec.com-

By Dottie Wikan

A $57 million cocaine bust on the high seas was the highlight of a Portsmouth cutter’s 66-day deployment.

The 270-foot Bear is due home Wednesday night from patrol duty in the Caribbean Sea.

The more than 1,800 pounds of cocaine was found below concrete in the fish hold of a vessel in late December. It was discovered during a 16-hour boarding.

The contraband was turned over to the U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement division.

The Bear is one of six 270-foot Medium Endurance Cutters based in Portsmouth.

-from abclocal.go.com-

By Taryn Asher

GENESEE TOWNSHIP (WJRT) - (01/31/07)–Undercover agents have seized a half a ton of marijuana in Genesee County.Last Thursday night, the Flint Area Narcotics Group along with the DEA arrested five people in Genesee Township authorities say were part of a nationwide drug operation.

This was no ordinary bust. Nearly 1,100 pounds of marijuana was discovered in a trailer in Genesee Township worth more than $1 million on the street.

Police stepped in and stopped the delivery of processed pot expected to hit the streets of Genesee County.

In a massive bust, officers seized more than $1 million worth of marijuana from a home and trailer in Genesee Township.

Officers from FANG and the DEA arrested five people — a man and a woman from Genesee Township and three men from New Mexico.

Authorities say they believe they helped break up part of a nationwide multi-million-dollar drug operation.

This is FANG’s second largest marijuana bust to date. This case is still under investigation and more arrests and charges at a federal level are expected.

-from eastvalleytribune.com-

By Nick Martin, Tribune

Maricopa County authorities were involved on Tuesday with an international drug bust that dismantled at least 100 meth-making labs worldwide, including 20 in Arizona. A Scottish couple is suspected of supplying chemicals to make methamphetamine to people around the world and now faces extradition to the U.S.

Brian Howes, 43, and Kerry Ann Shanks, 28, were indicted by a federal grand jury in Phoenix in September on 82 counts related to supplying the chemicals, according to a news release from the U.S. Attorney’s Office in Phoenix.

The investigation stemmed from the couple’s Internet business,, on which various chemicals could be bought using a credit card. As of late Tuesday, the Web site was still active and offering specials on iodine crystals — a key ingredient used to convert some cold medicines to methamphetamine.

The investigation began at least two years ago in the Valley, but soon branched out to federal and international jurisdiction, said Maricopa County Sheriff Joe Arpaio.

Investigators from the county-led High Intensity Drug Trafficking Area task force, Phoenix Police Department, U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement, U.S. Drug Enforcement Agency, U.S. Postal Inspection Service and several agencies in the United Kingdom all helped complete the investigation.

Officials estimate the couple shipped at least 800 pounds of chemicals to the U.S. between August 2004 and November 2006. The amount of methamphetamine that could have been made from the chemicals would have had an estimated street value of $12.6 million.

“Due to the results of this investigation our neighborhoods are safer,” said Phoenix Police Chief Harris in the release.

The couple could receive 20 years in prison, a $250,000 fine or both.

-from uticaod.com-

UTICA – The Oneida County Drug Enforcement Task Force concluded a lengthy investigation this morning when they raided a city residence and charged two individuals with drug possession.

Lt. Nicholas LoConte said police had a No Knock search warrant for 1124 Brinckerhoff Ave. and forced entry into the house today.

Andes Bonilla, 54, and Adrean Camp, 25, were arrested on several charges after police found four ounces of raw heroin, two ounces of cocaine, a scale, packaging material and more than $3,000 in cash, LoConte said.

LoConte said Bonilla and Camp were charged with the following:
*Second-degree criminal possession of a controlled substance, a felony
*Three counts of third degree criminal possession of a controlled substance, all felonies
*Two counts of seventh-degree criminal possession of a controlled substance, misdemeanors
*Two counts of second-degree criminally using drug paraphernalia, misdemeanors

More charges are pending a grand jury review, LoConte said.

LoConte said the street value of the heroin is estimated to be more than $135,000 and the cocaine’s value is around $5,000.

-from dailysouthtown.com-

By William Lee, Staff Writer

Cook County sheriff’s police and Summit police arrested 26 people in connection with a street drug market near Argo Community High School and a public housing complex.

The arrests, which began last week through Tuesday, resulted from an eight-month undercover investigation that targeted crack-cocaine dealers and their customers, sheriff’s police said. Of those arrested, 12 were dealers and 14 were customers, police said.

The investigation began in May after Summit police asked for assistance in combating drug dealing in the 7400 block of West 63rd Place and the 6300 block of 74th Avenue, according to police.

Undercover sheriff’s officers bought crack from many dealers, some admitted gang members, on about 40 occasions for amounts ranging from $20 to $100 near Argo and the Robert Allison Homes, sheriff’s police said. They said the drug buys were videotaped.

Under state law, penalties are increased when illegal drugs are sold within 1,000 feet of a school, church, park or public housing.

Police said they targeted dealers in the first phase of the investigation. The 12 arrested range in age from 18 to 46, and all were charged with delivery of cocaine.

In the second phase, officers posed as drug dealers and arrested 14 people after selling them fake narcotics. Most were charged with attempted drug possession, police said.

-from signonsandiego.com-

By Mark Arner

EL CAJON – A 36-year-old man was arrested yesterday on suspicion of growing marijuana after police found nearly 100 marijuana plants in an apartment he had been renting.

El Cajon detectives served a search warrant at the apartment on Happy Way near Avante Drive at 7 a.m., Lt. Tim Henton said.

They found a sophisticated growing operation with nearly 100 plants in various stages of growth, and 2 ounces of dried marijuana along with packaging material.

It appeared the apartment was used solely to grow marijuana, Henton said, since no one apparently lived there.

-from kold.com-

By Suleika Acosta KOLD news 13 reporter

DPS makes a huge drug bust on Interstate 10. Close to $1 million worth of meth is in the hands of authorities. It’s the largest single seizure on the highway in Arizona history. 18-year-old Joshio Amarillas was arrested Monday after a DPS officer found 68 pounds of meth in his pickup just South of the Pinal County line.

We spoke with the DPS officer who made the stop. He chose not to go on camera for privacy issues.

“That’s probably the largest meth highway seizure of meth in the state of Arizona ever,” says the officer.

This is what 68 pounds of methamphetamines looks like. The drugs were stashed in this hidden compartment in a Nissan truck bed.

“This is a sophisticated compartment. They have people in Mexico that’s all they do for a living is dream up and build these sophisticated compartments to get drugs across the border,” he says.

The DPS Canine Unit officer spotted the truck on I-10 and pulled the driver over for following another vehicle too close. And it was Rico, a trained narcotics dog, that sniffed out the meth.

Amarillas drove the million dollar stash through the Nogales port of entry Monday morning. Customs had no reason to suspect Amarillas. He is a U.S. citizen, had a valid Arizona Driver’s License and is the registered owner of the truck that was carrying the meth.

Authorities believe he was headed to Phoenix. It’s possible the meth could have been later distributed to the Tucson area. The Counter Narcotics Alliance and Drug Enforcement Agency are investigating this as part of a larger drug ring.

Amarillas is behind bars in Phoenix facing federal drug charges. Authorities say more arrests in connection with this drug bust are expected.