-from sfgate.com-

By AP

Federal authorities say they have disrupted a major indoor marijuana-growing operation in northern San Diego County.

Assistant U.S. Attorney Stewart Young says agents arrested 13 men and seized marijuana plants that could have a street value as high as $27 million.

Raids Tuesday at four homes found 6,848 plants. The houses used a sophisticated irrigation system and stolen electricity to grow the plants under lamps. Court records show another home contained scales and processed marijuana for sale.

Authorities say two 48-year-old men owned or controlled the houses. Those men, Thomas Swift of San Marcos and Kevin Kennedy of Vista, pleaded not guilty Wednesday to charges of conspiracy to manufacture a controlled substance.

Each faces a minimum sentence of 10 years in prison if convicted.

-from southeasttexaslive.com-

By Fred Davis

Jefferson County Narcotics officers took four people into custody Wednesday in two separate busts in Beaumont and Port Acres.
Maj. Jimmy Singletary said his narcotics team along with Beaumont Narcotics officers arrested three men in their late 20s and early 30s after busting the house they were in at 380 E. Simmons around 4:30 Wednesday.

Neighborhood complaints had prompted surveillance of the residence over the last three weeks prompting Wednesday’s search.

Inside authorities discovered a half-pound of marijuana, more than 100 ecstasy pills, a quarter-ounce of cocaine and two handguns. Singletary estimated the street value at around $3,000.

The three were all charged with three counts of possession of a controlled substance and Singletary said the ATF will be contacted about charges regarding the firearms.

Eariler in the day in Port Acres, a 26-year-old man was arrested at his home at 2790 62nd St. There police found a quarter-pound of marijuana, three grams of cocaine, two handguns, two shotguns and $7,000 in cash hidden in a wall.

The drugs had an estimated $750 street value.

The man was charged with possession of a controlled substance.

Singletary said his department had heard of the man over the past two months, but surveillance over the last month helped provide probable cause for searching the house.

The Jefferson County Warrant division assisted with the Port Acres arrest.

All four men were booked into the Jefferson County Jail.

-from newsday.com-

By Patrick Whittle and Reid Epstein

Police are investigating the death of a Bay Shore man who they said collapsed in police custody shortly after resisting arrest for dealing in drugs.

Kenny Lazo, 26, of Walbridge Avenue, was pronounced dead at Southside Hospital in Bay Shore after collapsing Saturday about 9 p.m. in an interview room at the Suffolk County Police Department’s Third Precinct station house, said Sgt. Edward Fandrey.

Lazo was in custody at the station following his arrest a half-hour earlier after a violent struggle with officers following a traffic stop, Fandrey said.

Police said they pulled Lazo over about 8:30 p.m. near the intersection of Bay Shore Road and the Southern State Parkway after detectives saw him selling drugs on the street nearby.

After he was pulled over, Lazo got out of his car and complied with officers but then swung an elbow at an officer and attempted to flee on foot. He was caught soon after and put up what police called “a violent struggle” in which he attempted to grab an officer’s gun, police said.

It took three officers to catch and subdue the 5-foot-8, 238- pound Lazo, who had $2,400 and more than a half-ounce of crack and powder cocaine on him, Fandrey said.

Lazo was eventually handcuffed and brought to the precinct station house in North Bay Shore, where he collapsed at about 9 p.m. during an interview with police, Fandrey said.

An officer had called for medical assistance a few minutes earlier when it “became apparent that he needed some medical intervention, ” Fandrey said. Five officers tried to assist Lazo before assistance arrived, Fandrey said.

Lazo was pronounced dead at the hospital at about 9:45, Fandrey said. A medical examiner’s report is pending. The autopsy report is expected in a few weeks, Fandrey said, and police are continuing their investigation.

-from wkyt.com-

Police in Corbin arrest three people after a drug bust in a Kroger parking lot.

It happened outside the Kroger off Highway 25-E in Knox County.

After a tip, police made a traffic stop and found marijuana and scales.

They arrested 21-year-old Eddie Eversole, 42 year old Liddie Eversole, and 26 year old Bobbie Jo Nichols and charged each with trafficking.

-from metronews.ca-

By Lindsay Jones

Police made two major drug busts in the municipality over the past few days.

On Thursday police raided a sophisticated grow operation inside a man’s home in Upper Sackville. They collected 391 marijuana plants, some of which appeared to be ready for cultivation, nearly a kilogram of dried pot and 41 cartons of illegal cigarettes.

“There (were) heat lamps and irrigation system to be able to water the plants,” RCMP spokesman Sgt. Mark Gallagher said. “The members have seen some pretty sophisticated operations, and this was certainly up there with the best of them.”

A 50-year-old man was arrested at the home on Route 1.

Gallagher said police aren’t sure whether the dope was destined for the streets of metro or elsewhere.

Another search of a home in Sheet Harbour Friday morning also netted police a large amount of pot. About 230 grams of marijuana were found at a home on Mary Elizabeth Drive. Police also seized some cash and an unsafely stored firearm.

Three men and one woman face charges of possession for the purpose of trafficking and one man was also charged with unsafe storage of a firearm.

-from eprisenow.com-

By Danny Harrison

Enterprise police reportedly busted a home-based marijuana operation at 400 Mill Avenue Wednesday afternoon, making three arrests and seizing a half-pound of marijuana along with 25 marijuana plants.

According to Captain Mike Lolley, 25-year-old Xavier Pierre Dunlap of Enterprise was arrested for felony possession of marijuana and misdemeanor possession of drug paraphernalia.

Arrest reports state that 24-year-old Dante Elijah Page of Daleville was arrested for misdemeanor possession of a controlled substance, which Lolley said was Loritab, and 34-year-old Christopher Bernard Doster of Enterprise was arrested for misdemeanor possession of marijuana and possession of drug paraphernalia.

In a separate incident, police also arrested 23-year-old Enterprise resident Eddie Thomas, Jr. Wednesday for allegedly selling drugs to an undercover police officer at the Castle Ridge apartment complex on Dixie Drive. Thomas was charged with felony distribution of a controlled substance.

Marc Garrett Posey, 23, of Enterprise was reportedly arrested in connection with the April 1 burglary of the Winging It restaurant on Hwy. 84 East. According to Lolley, Posey is accused of breaking into the restaurant and stealing the cash register, which turned out to be empty. Posey was reportedly arrested Monday and charged with third-degree burglary.

Police on Tuesday arrested three suspects when a search warrant was executed at 309 West Harrison Street.

According to police reports, Clifton Wade Sanders, 33, of Andalusia was arrested for felony possession of a controlled substance and misdemeanor possession of drug paraphernalia. Pamela Denise Ward, 30, of Enterprise was reportedly arrested for felony possession of cocaine, misdemeanor possession of marijuana and misdemeanor possession of drug paraphernalia.

Ecceleston Williams, 48, who resides at the home on West Harrison Street, was reportedly charged with felony possession of cocaine, misdemeanor possession of marijuana and misdemeanor possession of drug paraphernalia.

-from wwmt.com-

CASSOPOLIS (NEWSCHANNEL 3) - Three people head to court Thursday in Cass County after investigators busted a meth lab in an apartment.

A toddler was inside the home.

A tip led the drug enforcement team to Vineyard Place in Dowagiac Wednesday.

They arrested the person who lives there for possession and maintaining a drug house, as well as two men who were apparently making a deal.

The child, who is two years old, is now in protective custody.

-from austindailyherald.com-

By Mia Simpson

A Mower County District judge ordered identical, stiff bails for three Austin residents arrested on drug charges Friday, when authorities allegedly uncovered more than an ounce of methamphetamine during a 7:10 a.m. search warrant at a Fifth Avenue Northwest home.

Todd Shawn Edwards, 46; Kari Lynn Hummel, 44; and Stephany Marie Miller, 42, must each pay $500,000 or $100,000 conditional bail for their release, which in the latter case includes no use of firearms, drugs or alcohol, weekly check-ins with Mower County Correctional Services and random chemical testing. All defendants have been charged with first-degree drug crimes following the bust that resulted in confiscation of 47 grams of meth, $5,553 in cash and two shotguns. Six children were also removed from the home; four have been placed in protective custody, according to Austin Police Chief Paul Philipp.
The criminal complaint states that Miller, charged with single counts of first-degree drug possession and meth crimes involving children, claimed responsibility for the narcotics, most of which was located in an open safe at the home.

Officers from the Austin Police Department, Mower County Sheriff’s Office and Southeast Minnesota Task Force allegedly discovered 44 grams of meth, $4,171 in cash and drug paraphernalia in the safe, located in the upstairs bedroom where the three defendants were found.

Authorities also allegedly uncovered 0.25 grams on Edwards, who has been charged with single counts of first-degree aiding and abetting a controlled substance crime, meth crimes involving children and fifth-degree drug possession. He also had $616 in cash, the complaint said.

Hummel, also charged with first-degree aiding and abetting a controlled substance crime and meth crimes involving children, allegedly told police she’d handled the large bag of drugs found in the safe, but said Miller was the supplier.

Their next court dates are scheduled for April 17. None of the defendants have past drug convictions.