-from news14.com-

By Becky Bereiter

RANDOLPH COUNTY, N.C. — Halloween came early this year at the Randolph County Sheriff’s Office, but instead of a bag full of sweets, officers rounded up a sizeable number of suspected drug dealers. “If they’re selling drugs in Randolph County, we’re going to try our best to arrest them,” said Sheriff Maynard Reid.

It’s all part of “Operation Trick or Treat,” an effort to pull 58 known dealers off the streets, as well as what they’re pushing. The Vice-Narcotics Unit conducts two to three big operations like this a year, pulling in help from neighboring police departments and the Drug Enforcement Agency. “We’ve arrested three so far this morning,” said Lt. Keith Owenby, Randolph County Sheriff’s Office. Owenby says he gets an adrenaline rush out of the missions, but as with any situation where drugs are involved, so is danger. “The one we went to this morning, there was a big dog there and the lady said, ‘How’d you get in past that dog?’ and we said, ‘We didn’t really even see one when we came in,’ but it can get exciting,” said Owenby. What is also exciting for Sheriff Reid is knowing that with every arrest, the crime rate in his county is potentially going down. “Drugs probably in my estimate cause 80 percent of the crime where you have these people that are hooked on drugs, breaking in and stealing to get money or whatever to supply their drug habit,” said Reid. As of 2 p.m. Tuesday, “Operation Trick or Treat” had made 28 out of its projected 58 arrests. Officers say the dealers that are not accounted for right now may very well turn themselves in during the next couple of days.

-from wtnh.com-

Hartford (WTNH) _ Three men have been arrested after police shut down what they are calling a drug factory on Sequin Street in Hartford.

Edwin Mateo, Rudy Negron and Jose Velez all face multiple charges including possession of narcotics with intent to sell and operating a drug factory. Negron was also wanted in Rhode Island on drug trafficking charges.

In addition to the 1,300 bags of heroin, police also seized 200 grams of pure heroin, cash and other drug paraphernalia.

-from courant.com-

MANCHESTER - - Police said they arrested a Manchester man after a weekend drug bust at his Imperial Drive apartment.

Jonathan Fernandez, 28, was arrested on two warrants charging him with possession and sale of narcotics early Saturday. He was also charged with other drug-related counts.

Fernandez told police that he was only staying at the home temporarily, but they learned that he was having mail sent to the Squire Village address. Police found packaging materials and a scale, among other things.

During his arraignment Monday in Superior Court in Manchester, his bail was set at $80,000 and his next court date was scheduled for Nov. 28.

-from thestarpress.com-

Five suspects were arrested Saturday after a drug investigation by the Tri-County and Darke County, Ohio drug task forces.

An undercover officer made cocaine buys from a suspect, Juan Manuel, 37, Union City, and police searched a home at 217 W. Division St. where the drugs were allegedly bought. More than $2,800 in cash and 7.6 grams of cocaine were seized.

Manuel was preliminarily charged with two counts of dealing cocaine, a class A felony, and two counts of cocaine possession, a class C felony.

Onasy L. Ramos, 23, Union City, was charged with two counts of dealing cocaine, three counts of cocaine possession and maintaining a common nuisance, a class D felony.

Two other suspects, Juan Ramos, 28, and Gullermol L. Ramos, 27, were charged with maintaining a common nuisance, and Hermenjildo Jasso, 27, was charged with visiting a common nuisance.

-from cbs47.tv-

On Monday morning October 29^th Fresno Firefighters rushed to a Southeast Fresno neighborhood ready to tackle flames from a garage fire, but when they broke through the door to look for anyone who might be trapped.

Inside they found a sophisticated marijuana growing operation. The house contained more than 800 plants with a street value over $2 million dollars. Police claim every corner of the home was filled with plants, growing lights and an irrigation system.

Fire investigators said an overwhelmed electrical unit caused the fire. Whoever was running the operation had re-wired the home and was stealing service from PG&E.

Neighbors claim the home had recently been sold and it did not seem as if anyone lived in the house.

The person responsible for the illegal operation will face charges of cultivation, possession and maintaining a residence. All three carry a prison sentence of three years.

-from shelbystar.com-

By Graham Cawthon

Police need your help finding the following individuals wanted in connection with Operation Fall Harvest:

Patrick James
518 Harmon Court, Kings Mountain
DOB: 1/1/87
Charges: Possession with intent to sell and deliver cocaine, selling and delivering cocaine

Terrance Tico Turner
314 Davis Road, Shelby
DOB: 12/14/77
Charges: Possession with intent to sell and deliver cocaine, selling and delivering cocaine

Starr Huntsinger Barker
127 Matthews Drive, Kings Mountain
DOB: 1/3/79
Charges: Possession with intent to sell and deliver cocaine, selling and delivering cocaine, selling and delivering a controlled substance within 300 feet of a school

If you know the whereabouts of these individuals, call Kings Mountain Police at (704) 734-0444 or call CrimeStoppers anonymously at (704) 481-TIPS (8477).

KINGS MOUNTAIN — Through word of mouth, Travis Lance Treen thought he might be wanted on marijuana charges. He was right.

Treen, 38, turned himself in to Kings Mountain Police on Monday, marking the ninth arrest so far in the department’s Operation Fall Harvest.

The investigation – police say – targets crack cocaine, marijuana and illegal prescription drug use, including hydrocodone and Percocet.

Kings Mountain Police Sgt. Lisa Proctor said Monday her phone has been ringing almost non-stop with tips from concerned citizens since the drug investigation went public Friday.

“It’s amazing,” Proctor said. “My phone this morning … people are calling in and telling on others.”

Search warrants related to the investigation were served last week at 802 First St. While there, police arrested Ricky Lewis Carroll and Sheila Jean Bolding, who face 11 and four drug-related charges, respectively.

Gastonia City and Cherryville police departments assisted in the arrests, The Star previously reported. Several hundred pills and a large quantity of marijuana were confiscated, Proctor said.

The arrests continued Friday morning as six others were captured and held on drug charges.
“Every one of these are completely separate (cases),” Proctor said. “They may know each other, but they’re separate.”

In addition to Treen, of 324 N. Battleground Ave., police released the names of three others Monday who are wanted in connection with the investigation.

Proctor said she would investigate tips from the public, which have come in over the past few days, including calls from Gastonia. She anticipates additional arrests.

“We have been to several places looking for these individuals,” she said. “There will be others picked up at a later date.”

-from kvia.com-

By Kevin Pytcher

EL PASO, Texas - U.S. Customs and Border Protection officers made a large marijuana bust at the Bridge of the Americas on Friday afternoon.

Officers report the amount of the drug seized weighed 1,831 pounds. They were concealed in the floor of an empty trailer that entered the U.S. from Mexico.

A drug-sniffing dog alerted officers to the contraband. They removed a total of 1,530 marijuana-filled bundles from the floor compartment.

-from clackamasreview.com-

By Jim Radden

A Portland pair was arrested with an estimated pound of marijuana Friday morning after Clackamas County Sheriffs Deputies stopped their vehicle for erratic driving – and discovered the driver had been smoking some of it. Robert A. Dora, 22, was lodged in the Clackamas County Sheriff’s Office Jail on charges of driving under the influence of intoxicants, manufacturing of a controlled substance, carrying a concealed weapon, and distribution of a controlled substance. He was later released from custody on his own recognizance. The passenger, Genevieve Wood, 18, was lodged in the Clackamas County Sheriff’s Office Jail for manufacturing of a controlled substance. She was later released from custody on her own recognizance. The incident began at approximately 2:00 a.m. when Deputy Jason Ritter observed a red Nissan Pathfinder failing to maintain it’s lane of traffic while traveling along Hwy 99E, between SE Park and SE Monroe, in Milwaukie. After the vehicle was stopped, a strong odor of marijuana was readily detected in the vehicle. Dora subsequently admitted to smoking marijuana and was found in possession of brass knuckles concealed in the pocket of his trousers. When the vehicle was searched, a backpack containing an estimated “one pound of marijuana” was discovered with accompanying plastic packaging materials, along with assorted jewelry items with price tags attached, multiple Sony rechargeable camera batteries and Norelco shaver blades.