On March 4, ECSO deputies executed a search warrant on a residence in the 7700 block of Debora Court. A brother-sister duo, a quiet suburb, and a false attic wall hiding $24 million in cash made trafficking. The sheriff's office said on Wednesday the. The tunnel police found in California was 600 yards long, had lights and a working elevator, and contained 32 tons of marijuana worth roughly $65 million. The county is on track to nearly double that number in 2022, with 1,969 reported overdoses as of Dec. 12, according to a county EMS dashboard. [1] The individuals were suspected in trafficking cocaine from Miami into the Pensacola area. October 20th, 2020 9:08 pm, Don Rojo on Our ranking methodology is quite simple. In case of a tie, we rank the city with more powerful cartels higher. Next: The biggest bust this city has ever seen. Their second choice for leadership positions are U.S. citizens of Mexican origin. Well, the Drug Enforcement Agency aided the Edmonton police force as it made itslargest cash seizure to that point. "To put that in perspective, just a couple of milligrams of fentanyl are considered fatal," Simmons said. In total, deputies seized a half kilogram of cocaine, under 20 grams of marijuana, a gun that had been reported stolen, approximately $6,900 in cash, the 20 pounds of methamphetamine and 37 grams of fentanyl. . The bust, containing Mexican Cartel produced fentanyl, enough to kill "every man, woman, and child in the state of Florida 11 times over." The congresswoman said. Crazy if you do it, but apparently its a thing now.. . Remember when we discussed a secret drug tunnel in Arizona that authorities discovered in 2018? Loaded gun found on school campus in Monroe Co. Do Not Sell or Share My Personal Information. Between Dec. 9 and Dec. 15 the ECSO narcotics unit and Pensacola Police Department SWAT team seized 1,600 grams of fentanyl, which the sheriff said is enough to kill 800,000 people, from five. "I just want to say merry Christmas to Escambia County residents, certainly those that live in this area, and I want to say how proud I am of our narcotics unit and our partners here locally," Simmons said while concluding the press conference. September 2nd, 2021 12:10 am, Mark on 61 ARE ARRESTED IN COCAINE RAID IN THREE STATES, https://www.nytimes.com/1985/03/13/nyregion/61-are-arrested-in-cocaine-raid-in-three-states.html. October 21st, 2020 12:57 pm, Bonnie on Channel 3's Rebekah Castor is live with the. It is also the most significant drug trafficking organization in the United States. Police arrested 22 peopleand confiscated more than $700,000 in cash along with the drugs. 2.0 2.1 "Affidavit: Restaurants fronted major drug ring." Pensacola News Journal, December 8, 2007. See the article in its original context from. 13 US Cities That Are Crowded By Mexican Drug Cartels. Fentanyl overdose deaths have surged in the Florida Panhandle. Mexican cartels aren't prevalent in New York City probably because smaller Colombian drug operations still supply large quantities of cocaine and heroin into New York City. Mr. Dumont said the arrests had resulted in the dismantling of an international organization that had operated in New Jersey since 1979 and distributed cocaine in New Jersey, New York and other states. Drug smuggling knows no age, and this August 2018 bust is proof. They arrested Marcus Blankenship and Steven Brown and there were three other people inside at the time. "Restaurateur faces drug . Ten handguns, including one equipped with a silencer, were confiscated by the authorities. Click to skip ahead and see the list of top 5 cities that are crowded by Mexican drug cartels. October 20th, 2020 8:00 am, Go Army!!! Rep. Michelle Salzman Calls For Resignation Of School Superintendent Tim Smith, Two Women Charged With Working Together On Multiple Retail Thefts, Catholic Church Plans New Community Center On Highway 29 In Cantonment, ECSO Investigating Reported Abduction Of Teen Girl In Bratt; She Was Found Unharmed, Located: Woman Wanted For Questioning In Deadly Escambia Pit Bull Attack, 11 Arrested In Internet Child Predator Sting, Atmore Man Charged With Reckless Murder Of His 2-Year Old Child, Cantonment Man Charged With Assault With A Deadly Weapon, All Star High School Soccer Game Is Wednesday Night, Tall Job: Crews Paint Walnut Hill Water Tower, DAVID FRANKLIN on August 26th, 2021 6:15 pm, End the Drug War on Florida's crackdown on pill mills has tightened the supply. Drug smuggling isnt a very wholesome father and son activity, but here we are. Pensacon headlines your 5 Things to do this Weekend! September 1st, 2021 1:06 pm, J-THE-G on ''As much as 200 kilos a month was being brought into the Union County area,'' Mr. Dumont said. Jalisco New Generation Cartel is the only Mexican cartel that uses New York City as a major hub. Polk County Sheriff. August 27th, 2021 6:07 pm, JAnine on "Consistent with previous years, the Sinaloa Cartel maintains the widest national influence, with its most dominant positions along the West Coast, in the Midwest, and in the Northeast. All accounts, contract rights, accounts receivables and general intangible rights relating to or otherwise existing as a consequence of the operation are included in the auction. Along with serving five warrants, here are the sheriff's "totals for the week" in seizures from the five homes: "I will tell you this: We are committed to stopping these people who are ruining our neighborhoods," Simmons said. We ranked each city by the number of different Mexican cartels that use as a distribution hub. The arrests were announced by the United States Attorney, W. Hunt Dumont; the New Jersey Attorney General, Irwin I. Kimmelman, and Col. Clinton L. Pagano of the state police. The reason Simmons said the operation was named "Operation Blue Christmas" is because of the blue pills that are laced with unknown amounts of fentanyl, leading to many overdoses in the community. "That means we had enough lethal fentanyl to kill 800,000 people. The narcotics were intercepted and retrieved in international seas along the coastlines of Mexico, Central and South America, and the Caribbean Sea. The cocaine ring was centered on a small bar, the Sandshaker, on the island town of Pensacola . Some people are upset at the way iPhones charge. Click to see the list of top 5 cities that are crowded by Mexican drug cartels. One California raid in 2014 remains one of the biggest drug busts the U.S. has ever seen. The Acting United States Attorney for the Northern District of Florida, Jason R. Coody, who joined Simmons at the Thursday news conference, said Vo had been charged with one federal count of possession with intent to distribute a controlled substance. Simmons also said there was a 4-month-old child in the house laying next to powdered fentanyl and said the department is investigating that situation. ballistic gel dummy with bones. More than $1 billion worth of cocaine and marijuana was offloaded by the Coast Guard'sCutter . Speaking from the county's Emergency Management . August 26th, 2021 6:51 pm, A.W.Thompson on A brother-sister duo, a quiet suburb, and a false attic wall hiding $24 million in cash made trafficking marijuana. Brown had an active warrant for trafficking in heroin. Many are first-time or casual users. August 26th, 2021 8:16 pm, Joshua jenkins on August 28th, 2021 12:52 pm, Correction for Chris on Read More. In the world of drug enforcement, it pays to be patient. There are at least 13 U.S. cities that are used as distribution hubs by the Mexican drug cartels. October 20th, 2020 2:59 pm, Conservative centrist on Explore more on Drug Bust. Enough fentanyl seized to kill half of Florida; 'massive' bust linked to a Mexican drug cartel: AG By Gail Paschall-Brown, WESH , CNNWire Friday, October 14, 2022 The illegal narcotics worth. August 27th, 2021 10:14 am, fisherman on Sinaloa Cartel is one of the oldest and most successful drug cartels in Mexico. To preserve these articles as they originally appeared, The Times does not alter, edit or update them. However, the majority of Vos assets that were seizedby law enforcement came from a Pensacola property on Klondyke Road. Anyone can read what you share. ", 2021 fentanyl statistics:Escambia County has 63% of fentanyl deaths in 4-county area in 2021, deaths increased 48%. "The DEA reports that 2 milligrams of fentanyl are lethal," Simmons said at the press conference. LIVE from the scene of a major Escambia County drug bust | DRUG BUST: 17 people were arrested last night as a result of an Escambia County Sheriff's Office warrant. The business operation was closed on September 16, 2004, due to Hurricane Ivan. Pensacola State Police scored the biggest drug bust in college history April 20, according to Chief Hank Shirah, netting $4,548 in U.S. currency and 500 grams of hydroponic marijuana with a street value of $10,000. "I can tell you, marijuana will be a. Indeed, it seems that not a week goes by without a report of "one of the biggest drug busts in Utah's history," "Brooklyn's biggest drug bust in history," "one of the biggest drug . This all happened less than 400 feet from Pleasant Hill Baptist Church which is an additional charge because it was within 1,000 feet. The Corsair. Operation Sandshaker was a three-year investigation, between 2000 and 2003 in Pensacola, Florida that resulted in the arrest of more than thirty residents, many of them respected individuals within the community. Nine of thoseproperties were located in Escambia County while the two others were located in neighboring Santa Rosa County. ", 2021 fentanyl statistics:Escambia County has 63% of fentanyl deaths in 4-county area in 2021, deaths increased 48%. 360 WEST RUBY STREET | TAVARES, FLORIDA 32778 | 352. 13-6b (M FIRST DEGREE) #2 ADDED PENDING. Police discovered more than 300 pounds of drugs worth $1 million during a traffic stop in southwestern Arizona. Read More. Juarez Cartel is the only Mexican cartel that uses Oklahoma City as a major hub. "We're committed to stopping the ones who are bringing this stuff in. Sheriff calls for community action. Los Zetas Cartel is also the only Mexican cartel that uses Laredo as a major hub. https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Operation_Sandshaker&oldid=1098279589, This page was last edited on 15 July 2022, at 03:00. The Georgia State Patrol pulled over a car that contained drugs. All the smaller busts weve discussed so far happened in the 21st century, and were guessing its because the kingpins and cartels got tired of all the mammoth seizures late in the 20th century. Pensacola News Journal 0:03 1:21 The Escambia County Sheriff's Office made a major drug bust earlier this month that resulted in the seizure of a deadly amount of fentanyl and 20 pounds of. If convicted on Federal charges of operating a continuing drug enterprise, Mr. Fernandez and Mr. Barco could be sentenced to up to life in prison, without parole. . The ECSO led the investigation but received assistance from the FBI, DEA, ATF, IRS, PPD, SRSO and OCSO. In cooperation with Panamas government, a Coast Guard ship stopped and searched a container ship, and discovered more than 42,000 pounds of cocaine worth $350 million. October 21st, 2020 1:22 pm, Frank on In 1991, police officers seized 59 boxes containing 1080 pounds of Heroin, with a street value ranging from $2.7 billion to $4 billion. Mr. Fernandez is charged with having supervised and managed the drug smuggling network in its importation and distribution efforts, while Mr. Barco, who owns and operates the American Tours Travel Agency in Elizabeth, is accused of supervising the distribution of cocaine in New Jersey. The ECSO began investigating Vo four months ago. August 29th, 2021 11:26 am, Lenny Potts on The cocaine ring was centered on a small bar, the Sandshaker, on the island town of Pensacola Beach.[2][3]. The U.S. Coast Guard has been involved in plenty of massive drug seizures in its history, but one from 2007 is one of the biggest drug busts in U.S. history. We're committed to stopping the ones who are selling it and opening up their homes for this type of dangerous behavior.". The SWAT team made entry to the home after knocking and announcing who they were. October 20th, 2020 10:47 am, Paul on October 20th, 2020 10:15 am, Allan Mitchell on The beverage license is a class 4 COP license. Los Zetas Cartel is the least influential of the 6 Mexican cartels, but this doesn't mean that its members aren't dangerous people. Drug and alcohol addiction is a nationwide epidemic, please reach out if you or a loved one is suffering. Sheriff calls for community action. One of the biggest drug busts ever in Atlanta happened in 2012, and it remains one of the largest in U.S. history. Authorities learned about the ring after Union County police arrested one of the members and he became an informer. Gulf Cartel is the only Mexican cartel that uses Detroit as a major hub. Andre Earl Johns, 22, was arrested and charged with possession of a weapon on school property; trespassing on school . The Escambia County. Nahn Thanh Vo, 38, was arrested Aug. 19. Copyright 2023 Nexstar Media Inc. All rights reserved. October 20th, 2020 2:50 pm, Lester on Juarez Cartel is also the only Mexican cartel that uses El Paso as a major hub. If you use a windshield cover, you can at least forget about scrapping the ice off your windshield to save some time and hassle. They clearly don't care about violating the employment discrimination laws. August 26, 2021 The Escambia County Sheriff's Office has announced the largest marijuana grow and distribution operation ever busted in Escambia County. Another 2018 haul is one of the biggest drug busts in U.S. history. All of those involved in the ring are Colombian nationals, according to the authorities. This isnt a comprehensive list of the biggest drug busts, but it gives you an idea of how much money is at stake. Florida drug bust seized enough fentanyl to 'kill everyone within 18 counties' by: Dylan Abad. That's enough to conceivably kill every person in Escambia County, Santa Rosa County, Okaloosa County and Walton County. "Feds: Chavez a drug kingpin." Gulf Breeze News, December 13, 2007. Police in Florida issued arrest warrants for over members of a suspected drug gang on Wednesday and seized enough fentanyl to wipe out a large county. Thirty-one arrested, two wanted in undercover drug bust by: Ashlyn Williams. Pompano Beach, FL 33062 (954) 945-7520. This is a digitized version of an article from The Timess print archive, before the start of online publication in 1996. This may be the biggest meth bust in American. A month of surveillance and a coordinated law enforcement effort produced one of the biggest drug busts weve ever seen. Then, authorities discovered how the suspect got all those drugs via a 600-foot tunnel that crossed the border to Mexico. Here's why. Gulf Cartel is the 5th most influential Mexican drug cartel in the U.S.. Gulf Cartel is also the only Mexican cartel that uses Houston as a major hub. "We're committed to stopping the ones who are bringing this stuff in. Escambia County Sheriff Chip Simmons held a press conference Friday afternoon regarding the department's recent multi-home drug bust he dubbed "Operation Blue Christmas.". The bar opened in 1977 and is credited with creating Pensacola's own drink, The Bushwacker. Get the Android Weather app from Google Play, No. Rep. Michelle Salzman Calls For Resignation Of School Superintendent Tim Smith, Two Women Charged With Working Together On Multiple Retail Thefts, Catholic Church Plans New Community Center On Highway 29 In Cantonment, ECSO Investigating Reported Abduction Of Teen Girl In Bratt; She Was Found Unharmed, Located: Woman Wanted For Questioning In Deadly Escambia Pit Bull Attack, 11 Arrested In Internet Child Predator Sting, Atmore Man Charged With Reckless Murder Of His 2-Year Old Child, Cantonment Man Charged With Assault With A Deadly Weapon, All Star High School Soccer Game Is Wednesday Night, Tall Job: Crews Paint Walnut Hill Water Tower, 2,156 pounds of the highest grade marijuana, citizen II on ESCAMBIA COUNTY, Fla. -- Enough fentanyl to kill nearly all of Northwest Florida -- that's what investigators say they found during raids at five different Escambia County homes in the last week . Girls high school basketball team forfeits a game because it refused to play against a team with a transgender player, Fox Leaders Wanted to Break From Trump but Struggled to Make It Happen, Not Going to Read That: White House Press Secretary Brushes Off DeSantis Op-Ed, Brunt of storm moving out of SoCal, light showers on tap Wednesday, Early Humans Truth People Prefer Not to Know, Wake-Up Weather: AM showers then mild and breezy, Wiener criticizes judge's ruling on Berkeley People's Park housing project, Where could FAU be seeded in the NCAA Tournament? WINTER HAVEN, Fla. - Authorities say a two-year undercover investigation resulted in 85 arrests, the seizure of over $12.8 million worth of drugs, and the dismantling of an international drug trafficking organization whose ringleaders operated out of Winter Haven. Escambia County had 25 homicides already in 2022. Suspect in huge '78 pot bust captured .Drug Enforcement Administration spokesman Tom O'Brien confirmed yesterday that the 1978 pot seizure was the largest ever made by the agency's Seattle office. That led authorities to a house in Lawrenceville, Georgia, where they seized $2 million worth of heroin as well as methamphetamines, a stockpile of cash, and an AK-47.