-from xeniagazette.1upmonitor.com-

By Ryan Sullivan

Total of seizure is an estimated $6 Million

XENIA — What is being called one of the largest cocaine busts in Greene County history took place in Xenia late Tuesday and early Wednesday.

The Greene County ACE Drug Task Force seized about $500,000 in cash, 55 kilograms of cocaine, marijuana and a semi-automatic handgun from two residences. Each kilogram of cocaine has an estimated street value of $100,000, making the total value of the bust about $6 million.

Police arrested two men at 1549 E. Main St., Ismael Gonzalez, 19, and Carlos Partida-Villalba, 19, who were being held in the Greene County Jail Wednesday on charges of conspiracy to traffic in cocaine.

Gonzalez, a legal resident of the United States, is from Huntington Beach, Calif., but his address was listed as being in Xenia. Partida-Villalba also had a Xenia address, but is an illegal alien from Mexico, authorities said.

Additional charges are likely to be filed against both men as well as several other individuals. The ACE Task Force also served warrants, and found evidence at 1194 New Mexico Drive and 2396 Louisiana Drive.

Police believe the drugs likely came from Mexico as part of a larger distribution conspiracy.

Bruce May, the director of ACE, said he believes the bust really put a dent into drug trafficking in the county.

“We believe this hurt them or at least this organization,” May said. “A majority of the drugs were going to hit Greene County.”

“Drugs are at the root of just about every crime, whether it be robbery, assault or domestic violence,” May said.

Greene County Prosecutor Stephen K. Haller said he was surprised by the size of the bust and said the ongoing investigation, which began several months ago, would likely net more arrests.

The seized $500,000 will go towards funding future law enforcement operations, May said.

-from courant.com-

By Christine Dempsey

VERNON - A routine traffic stop Monday night turned into a drug bust, police say, when officers found a pound of marijuana in the trunk of a car.

The arrest happened at about 8 p.m., police said, when Officer Christopher Pryputniewicz stopped a car with a defective brake light on West Main Street in the Rockville section of town. Pryputniewicz noticed that the occupants were “unusually nervous,” a police press release says.

A police dog arrived and alerted to the presence of drugs. Officers searched and found a small amount – 33 grams or slightly more than an ounce – of marijuana in the center console, police said. Marijuana residue was scattered throughout the Toyota Corolla.

When officers searched the trunk, they found a backpack with about a pound of marijuana in it, police said. They also found drug paraphernalia, including a scale and packaging materials, plus about $667 in cash, police said.

The driver and admitted owner of the backpack, Ramon Ruiz Jr. 30, of High Path Road in Windsor, was charged with possession of more than four ounces of marijuana, possession with intent to sell, possession of paraphernalia and operating a drug factory. He was in custody at the police department on $75,000 bail and is expected to appear in Superior Court in Rockville today.

The other two occupants, Francisco Ruiz, 29, of High Street, Rockville and Jose Ruiz, 22, of Union Street, Rockville, each was charged with possession of less than four ounces of marijuana. Each posted $1,000 bail and is scheduled to appear in court June 10.

-from kimatv.com-

By Robin Woodson

ZILLAH/OUTLOOK — “That’s too many plants, like you said 10,000, that’s way too many, yeah, no, that’s scary,” Zillah resident, Celso Alvarez, said.

For neighbors along East Zillah and Dekker Road, a pretty big pot bust Thursday afternoon, is something the town rarely hears about.

“it’s just a shock, it’s wow, it’s a really big surprise,” Teodora Martinez-Chavez, who lives on Dekker Road, said.

When asked, “You never would of suspected something like that was going on?”

Alvarez replied, “No, no, no, I mean this area, no.”

The Law Enforcement Against Drugs Task Force, or L.E.A.D, got a tip about a cornfield in the area with more than 10,000 pot plants in the ground.

“That’s a lot of drugs on the street,” Alvarez added.

Detectives also say the illegal plants had a street value of about $10 million bucks.

“Definitely concerned that people that were willing to do that on such a high scale live so near us,” Martinez-Chavez said.

But what’s an even scarier sight for residents, is not being able to tell exactly which field the crop came from.

Most tell Action News, it’s too early in the season for corn and there’s not many fields around right now.

Since most farmers just started planting them.

“We don’t have a place, I mean you can see it, it’s open land,” Alvarez said.

“It makes me feel, personally, that I guess I didn’t know my neighbors quite as well as I thought I did,” Martinez-Chavez said.

-from edmontonsun.com-

By Bill kaufmann

CALGARY — Federal officials have made the biggest border seizure of heroin in Alberta’s history, confiscating an estimated $2.4 million worth of the opiate at Calgary International Airport.

The bust occurred May 14 when a man and a woman - both Canadian nationals - arrived on a British Airways flight from London’s Heathrow Airport, said Lisa White, spokesman for the Canada Border Services Agency.

“One of their bags had a false-bottom shoe with drugs in it and that led to a further search,” she said.

More heroin was plucked from the false bottoms of three luggage pieces, said White, adding up to a take of 7.8 kg.

Bakshish Singh Ghai, 21, and Aneelvir Grewal, 18, are charged with importation and possession with the purpose of trafficking.

-from 14wfie.com-

By Mike Mardis

A large cocaine bust in Evansville sends 9 people to jail.

Police said they received a tip about possible drug activity at a home on south Grand Avenue. Officers with the Evansville — Vanderburgh County Drug Task Force then went under-cover and said they were able to purchase crack cocaine from individuals inside the home.

About 17-grams of cocaine was found.

Detectives said they also found several drug-related items inside the home. A pistol was also uncovered.

Detectives said they also found a shoe that had a baggie that contained several cocaine rocks and powder. Police said they received over 20 calls in the past month about possible drug activity at the home.

-from thechronicleherald.ca-

By Dan Arsenault

Police responding to a 911 call from Lawrencetown stumbled across a large marijuana-growing operation and some weapons Friday afternoon.

Someone at 1 Roywell Dr., a small dead-end Halifax County street off Parkcrest Drive, dialed 911 and then quickly hung up sometime before 5 p.m.

Police arrived but were unable to get anyone to respond from the house, which had its windows covered.

There was a car in the driveway and neighbours told police someone was home. Out of concern for the person’s safety, officers went into the house and found a growing operation with 624 plants.

Police arrested the occupant and another man who arrived later.

Afterward, police got a search warrant and located growing paraphernalia and several firearms.

The two men face several drug-related charges, a Halifax RCMP news release said. No names have been released.

A neighbourhood resident said a man in his 50s lives in the house with a woman. Her son, believed to be in his 30s, lives next door.

The neighbour, who wouldn’t provide a name, said there were some odd incidents that had people wondering what was happening at the house.

The neighbour mentioned that the family has a large guard dog and that people had a habit of backing a cube van close to the house and unloading things out of sight from others.

The family also had a generator, the neighbour said.

The neighbour said power crews were on the scene Saturday, along with police.

-from news.com.au-

By Mari Rae

THREE people have been charged after police allegedly caught them doing a drug deal in North Hobart. Anthony Wayne Coleman, 40, of New Town, Todd Arthur Smith, 37, of Swansea and Crystal Donna McKellar, 24, of Swansea, appeared in the Hobart Magistrates Court this morning.

Police allege they were trafficking ecstasy in North Hobart yesterday.

Detective Inspector Glenn Frame said police seized more than 2300 ecstasy tablets and over $20,000 in cash.

He said it was a major seizure that would have an ongoing impact on the ecstasy market in Hobart.

The three were bailed to reappear on July 22 for plea.

-from recordonline.com-

MONTICELLO — Authorities have arrested two more men in the massive investigation into Sullivan County’s cocaine trade. Max Villa Lobos, 27, of Cochecton and Jasper Martin, 36, of Liberty have been charged with second-degree conspiracy, felonies. To date, 22 people have been charged with conspiracy, and are in Sullivan County jail. District Attorney Steve Lungen said today that police are still looking for eight others. A network of drug dealers was selling about a kilo of high-grade cocaine a week, authorities said. Among those charged is Adam Bloom, 25, of Monticello, the suspected leader and target of a lengthy, multi-agency investigation extending from Sullivan County to New York City. Two of Bloom’s suspected suppliers, David Velazquez, 31, of Middletown, and Jerry Hernandez, 32, of Queens, were also arrested, authorities said. Others charged with conspiracy include: Linda Helfman, 51, Eisuke Kusumi, 32, Monica Alonso, 20, Marlon Anderson, 19, Anthony Bonich, 29, Ian Gold, 24, Mat Helfman, 22, Shawn King, 18, Daniel Lorino, 20, Alex Melendez, 26, Steve Nikolados, 25, Brian Salzman, 27, Gamalie Velazquez, 27, Desmond Williams, 31, Shawn York, 34, Kevin Zeininger, 29 and Jessica Bullock, 22. Most live in Sullivan County. Three others were arrested on lesser possession charges.