-from wsaw.com-

By Lauren Burgoyne

Three more alleged drug dealers are behind bars in connection with a major drug bust in Portage County.

Now authorties are saying they need your help to gather information about the rest.

63 people will face charges for allegedly dealing drugs to undercover police officers in Portage County.

Authorities have arrested 20 suspects so far and say they have outstanding warrants for four more.

These individuals are scheduled to appear in court tomorrow.

Portage County’s Web site lists people with outstanding warrants.

If you know or have information about anyone on the list, call the sheriff’s department at (715) 346-1400 or the Stevens Point Police Department at (715) 346-1509.

-from upi.com-

BETHLEHEM, Pa., Feb. 28 (UPI) — A Pennsylvania middle school principal has been arrested and charged with selling crystal methamphetamine to police informants.
The Allentown (Pa.) Morning Call reported that 50-year-old John Acerra was arrested Tuesday in his office at Nitschmann Middle School in Bethlehem, Pa.
During the arrest, police said they found a quantity of crystal meth in Acerra’s desk.
Police said they witnessed Acerra sell a small quantity of the drug last Thursday, and that customers confessed similar sales had taken place over the last three months.
Police then recorded Acerra engaging in a similar sale with a police informant on Tuesday before his arrest.
Acerra faces charges including possession with intent to deliver meth and delivery of the drug.
Acerra had served as the principal of Nitschmann Middle School since July 2000, the newspaper said.

-from rctimes.com-

By Eric Miller

Springfield Police Department narcotics agents, along with officers, arrested on drug charges and unlawful possession of a weapon on Feb. 16.

Officers executed a search warrant at the address of 103 21st Ave. West, finding eight grams of crack cocaine, 3.2 grams of marijuana, and a Glock 40-caliber pistol that had been reported stolen out of Greenbrier. Also, $3,225 was seized.

Harold Scharkely, who was within the residence, was arrested and charged with possession of crack cocaine, simple possession of marijuana, unlawful possession of a weapon and theft of property over $500.

Scharkely is scheduled to appear in General Sessions court on Apr. 9.

-from nbc5.com-

Investigators allege ring brought guns from Mississippi

CHICAGO — Police and federal agents began making more than 20 arrests today as they closed the net on an alleged Mississippi-to-Chicago gunrunning ring.

Authorities said the investigation targeted several people in Chicago and more than 20 in Mississippi.A spokesman for the federal Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives said the arrests will be made public at a news conference Wednesday afternoon.

The government said members of the gun ring bought firearms in Mississippi and brought them to Chicago to supply street gangs.

-from 10news.com-

By Michelle Krish - 10news.com managing editor

Police: Several suspects arrested in Bust

EL CENTRO, Calif. — Drug busts are under way in El Centro and around the nation.

The raids started at daybreak, and so far, several suspects have been arrested, police said.Federal agents said they have teamed up with local law enforcement to confiscate drugs and cash.

The operation may involve a major drug cartel.

Attorney General Alberto Gonzalez will be in San Diego Wednesday afternoon and is expected to give more details.

-from news-press.com-

By news-press.com

Cape Coral police arrested seven people Tuesday in three drug busts around the city.

Three of those were arrested at the home of 20-year-olds Jessica Eastep and Michael Jann at 1510 S.E. 40th Street Tuesday night.

Eastep, Jann and Charles Hill, 27, of Fort Myers, were arrested after officers with the department’s Vice Intelligence Unit secured a warrant to search the home. Inside, they found a loaded AK-47 rifle, three cases of bullets, 12 Ecstasy pills and bags of marijuana and cocaine, authorities said.

Hill was charged with marijuana possession and both Eastep and Jann was charged with possession of methamphetamine, possession of cocaine and possession of marijuana.

Two others, James Whalen, 27, and his wife Heather Whalen, 29, of Bokeelia, were arrested at a Cape Coral gas station on Del Prado Boulevard N. after officers investigated a call of a suspicious vehicle in the parking lot.

Reporting officer Walter Womack said he spoke to the Whalens and noticed an unmarked blue pill bottle in the driver’s seat door panel, which Heather Whalen said was just, “her medicine.” The substance inside tested positive for crack cocaine.
A more thorough search of the vehicle revealed more crack cocaine, a glass pipe and marijuana.

Both were charged with possession of marijuana and narcotics equipment and possession of cocaine.

And two more – Paul Hamill, 47, of Naples and Shannyn Wall, 35, of Cape Coral – were charged with possession of narcotics equipment at Walgreens on Cape Coral Parkway after officers reportedly found two crack pipes on the pair.

-from wave3.com-

By David McArthur

(NEW ALBANY, Ind.) — A drug bust in Floyd County is turning some heads not because of the quantity of drugs but because of the type of drug seized. WAVE 3’s David McArthur investigates.

While real estate deals often depend on a proximity to good schools, right next door to Floyd Central High School on Old Vincennes Road is far too close for drug deals.

“Obviously, we’re disturbed,” said Floyd County Prosecutor Keith Henderson. “Any amount of drugs, anytime, anywhere is unacceptable; near a school is more disturbing.”

But investigators say the most concerning thing is what they found: the largest supply of GHB. seized in years. GHB is commonly referred to as the date rape drug, and is more common in bigger college towns where it’s often used on unsuspecting women at parties, bars and clubs.

Tony King, a federal DEA agent, describes the effects of the powerful drug. “The victim becomes more and more intoxicated and then has no memory of what occurred. It wipes out the short term memory.”

Three men are now in custody: 20-year-old Chris Jensen, 44-year-old John Wilkes and 32-year-old Jeremy Kaelen. Jensen and Wilkes lived in the home where the drugs were seized; Kaelen has a Henryville address and also works as a DJ at Connections, a nightclub in Louisville.

police also found ecstasy and meth inside the home. Investigators believe the suspects may have been dealing for up to three years. They started watching them a couple of months ago, but got more information after the arrest of a suspected supplier in Nashville, Tennessee.

Henderson said even though the house was close to a public school, “there is no evidence it was being distributed to the high school. Obviously, it’s a concern, though, with that quantity of drug near our county high school.”

Because of their close proximity to the school, all three suspects could face an additional 50 years in prison if convicted.

Online Reporter: David McArthur

Online Producer: Michael Dever

-from sctimes.com-

By Kari Petrie and David Unze

The Central Minnesota Drug and Gang Task Force has arrested three St. Cloud men and seized a large amount of cocaine in what investigators are calling Operation Snow Storm.

Investigators executed two search warrants Monday at St. Cloud residences as part of the investigation. A search warrant was also executed Jan. 18.

The searches came after investigators spent several weeks buying large amounts of cocaine from the three suspects, Stearns County Sheriff John Sanner said.

Arrested Monday were Chad Michael Bibeau, 21, and Nathan Adam Clark, 23. Timothy Stephan Schwieger, 20, was arrested Tuesday, Sanner said.

The men are expected to be charged with first-degree controlled substance crimes, Sanner said. Bibeau already is facing first-degree drug charges in Benton County, Sanner said.

Investigators bought and seized more than $30,000 worth of cocaine and marijuana during Operation Snow Storm, Sanner said.

The vast majority was cocaine, he said.

Investigators arrested Bibeau outside his residence at 802-10th Ave. N and had to use a Taser to do so, Sanner said.

Clark was arrested without incident at an apartment at 315 Fourth Ave. S when investigators arrived to execute a search warrant, Sanner said.Investigators found numerous items related to the sale and use of drugs and about $6,500 in cash there, Sanner said.

Schwieger was arrested Tuesday. Investigators searched his apartment Jan. 18 at 344-33rd Ave. N.

Schwieger was not arrested then because of other aspects of the investigation that police could not disclose, Sanner said.

Investigators did seize items relating to the sale and distribution of controlled substances at that time, Sanner said.

Operation Snow Storm is an ongoing investigation, Sanner said, and more arrests are expected.

The Central Minnesota Drug and Gang Task Force is made up of investigators from numerous law enforcement agencies.

State and federal grants fund the task force.