St. Louis drug trafficking leader pleads guilty Drug Enforcement Administration Michael A. Davis Special Agent in Charge St. Louis July 09, 2020 Contact: Andree Swanson Phone Number: (571) 362-5149 For Immediate Release St. Louis drug trafficking leader pleads guilty Seizures included cocaine, heroin, fentanyl and $2 million ST. Troopers made the stop in Lafayette County, east of the Kansas City metro Wednesday . Missouri State Highway Patrol Troopers stopped a car and it turned into a big drug bust. In a 1997 article, Methamphetamine is still our No. An official website of the United States government. . 2020 / 03:23 PM CST. The affidavit also cites previous instances in which Alihodzic was confronted by law enforcement. January 17, 2020 11:40 am. document.getElementById( "ak_js_1" ).setAttribute( "value", ( new Date() ).getTime() ); Copyright 2023 Nexstar Media Inc. All rights reserved. The drug trafficking organization was believed to be mainly operating in east Kansas City, Missouri. Texas County, Mo. They are here. Cummings and his detectives are constantly vetting candidates among these low-level dealers, seeking out those who dont have the close family connections south of the border and, therefore, might be more cooperative. Hawley grills Garland for DOJ attacks on people of faith, Mar-a-Lago raid, Area AGs urging court to protect religious liberty rights, free speech of Kentucky wedding photographer. In addition, some applications and/or services may not work as expected when translated. Nine individuals, primarily from West Plains, Mo., have been indicted by a federal grand jury for their roles in a conspiracy to distribute methamphetamine in Howell, Greene, and Texas counties. widening project starts March 13, Jurassic-Era insect found near Arkansas Walmart, Branson PD identify man killed in officer-involved, Drurys Eagan named GLVC coach of the year, Fordland flys past College Heights into quarters, Fair Grove tops Diamond, advances to quarters, Bears get 6th seed, ready for the late show, Lady Panthers honor three on Senior Day to cap off, Lady Bears honor Wilson, Thomas with a victory on, Weaubleau holds off Ash Grove, wins district, Lafferty gets 33, Sparta wins district title, Bears wrap regular season at Indiana State, Evangel opens Heart post season tourney with victory, India urges G-20 ministers to look beyond East-West, Disgraced ex-Haitian soccer president announces hes, N. 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MORE, September 24, 2020Drug Task Force Seizes 3,000 Pills Laced With FentanylJust a two milligram dose of fentanyl can be lethal. The arrests happened Monday in the area of Ivey Lane. Breaking down drug overdose deaths by drug type can sometimes be complicated as many times more than one drug may be identified, however, most drug overdose deaths (over 70%) do involve opioids. We shouldnt be because a lot of what we do is undercover. Griffin also is charged with one count of possessing methamphetamine with the intent to distribute in Howell County, one count of possessing a firearm in furtherance of a drug-trafficking crime, and one count of being a felon in possession of a firearm. A lot has changed since the Jackson County Drug Task Force was first formed in the mid-1980s. - Nine individuals, primarily from West Plains, Mo., have been indicted by a federal grand jury for their roles in a conspiracy to distribute methamphetamine in Howell, Greene, and Texas counties. Rodriguez also is charged with one count of possessing methamphetamine with the intent to distribute in Howell County, one count of possessing a firearm in furtherance of a drug-trafficking crime, and one count of being a felon in possession of a firearm. As COMBAT Director Vince Ortega points out, swallowing a tablet with fentanyl in it could be every bit as deadly as biting down on a cyanide capsule. While morphine is 1 times stronger than oxycodone, the semi-synthetic opioid in OxyContin, fentanyl is 50 to 100 times stronger than morphine. MORE, February 24, 2020Drug Task Record-Setting $30.4 Million In SeizuresThe Jackson County Drug Task Force had never before seized more than $20 million in illegal substances in a single year. A 15-year-old Missouri girl died earlier this month after a robbery gone wrong in which a pair of armed teenagers opened fire on the car she was riding in, authorities said. The transnational organized criminals trafficking drugs in Jackson County 90 years later are no less ruthless. Some dealers with ties to the Mexican cartels pray for these saints to aid them in their unholy activities. Ortega, who has previously been convicted of at least one felony offense, allegedly was in possession of a Jennings (Bryco) .380-caliber pistol, a Ruger 9mm pistol, and a Jennings (Jimenez Arms) 9mm pistol on May 7, 2018. 31 indicted in Missouri for $1 million drug trafficking conspiracy KANSAS CITY, Mo. In addition to the criminal conspiracy, Hicks is charged with one count of possessing methamphetamine with the intent to distribute in Howell County and one count of possessing firearms in furtherance of a drug-trafficking crime. Official websites use .gov Throughout the 1990s and into the early 2000s, the Task Force and other local law enforcement agencies concentrated on shutting down meth labs operating inside the county. Secure .gov websites use HTTPSA lock ( Sign up for FOX4 email alerts to have breaking news sent to your inbox. TEXAS COUNTY, Mo. Without the COMBAT funding thered be no Task Force and each police department in Jackson County would be trying the best it can with the resources theyve got, Cummings says. For example, a federal grand jury in Kansas City indicted 12 residents from the KC and St. Louis areas last December for their roles in an $8.5 million conspiracy to distribute more than 1,000 pounds of methamphetamine over a two-year period. The federal indictment alleges that each of the nine defendants participated in a conspiracy to distribute methamphetamine in Howell, Greene, and Texas counties from Dec. 31, 2015, to June 21, 2019. Dan Cummings is proud of the work the Jackson County Drug Task Force has done during his tenure as the Officer-In-Charge, but as a former undercover officer he prefers staying out of camera range. Hollywood was arrested after officers observed him meet with a suspected drug courier in Kennett, Missouri, and found him to be in possession of twenty pounds of methamphetamine. The cartels are also concerned about quality control and customer service. Neither the State of Missouri nor its employees accept liability for any inaccuracies or errors in the translation or liability for any loss, damage, or other problem, A lock ( Missouri Department of Health & Senior Services, Nondiscrimination Notice (Translations Available). Inside the car they found 200 pounds of marijuana, 16 pounds of methamphetamine, five pounds of cocaine and nearly five pounds of what they suspect is fentanyl. Google Translate will not translate all applications. In addition to the conspiracy-related charges, various defendants have been charged with 16 drug-trafficking counts. - A total of 17 defendants, primarily from the Kansas City metropolitan area, have been indicted for their roles in a nearly $10 million conspiracy to distribute almost 1,000 kilograms of methamphetamine. That steady funding source keeps the Task Force fully equipped and provides the buy money necessary to lure dealers into the detectives undercover operations. Alihodzic was also involved in a shooting on July 5, 2019, in the area of 6th Street and Tracy Avenue in Kansas City, Missouri, according to the affidavit. Probable cause statements, pending laboratory confirmation of the drug evidence, are being submitted the Texas County Prosecuting attorney. Last year we recovered over $16 million worth of drugsmethamphetamine being the majority of it, he says. That starts with chasing the tail, luring smaller-time dealers into convert buys and working your way up. Both Foreman and Highley are from Nevada. The Task Force is striving daily to stop these cartels from feeding Jackson Countys meth addictionstill the countys No. Andrew B. Lewis, 31, of Licking; Melissa Neal, 39, Licking; and Stephanie M. Hawkins, 35 . Additional items are still being logged into evidence. Please look at the time stamp on the story to see when it was last updated. Authorities seek charges for distribution of controlled substances, possession of controlled substances and illegal possession of a firearm. For years the Jackson County Task Force has been seizing drugs that can be traced to Mexican cartels, including 144 pounds of methamphetamine during one recent search. Arizona authorities targeting the Sinaloa drug cartel have seized narcotics estimated to be worth more than $13 million, including more than 4.5 million fentanyl pills, 3,100 pounds of . Francisco Manuel Mata-Martinez, 41, of El Paso, was indicted. SPRINGFIELD, Mo. Especially alarming was the amount of fentanyl also seized: 10.4 kilograms (22.9 pounds), enough for millionsliterally millionsof potentially lethal doses. 'DEADLY' DRUGS KEPT OFF STREETS, If we come into your neighborhood and you know we are there, doing our work, then weve failed. If there are differences between the English content and its translation, the English content is always the most This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. We overwhelmed the federal system here in Kansas City.. A lock ( This case is being prosecuted by Special Assistant U.S. Attorney Jessica R. Keller. A .gov website belongs to an official government organization in the United States. A cartel CEO enforces his personnel rules with violenceextreme violence. Find out who's a rat by searching our snitch list containing information about known confidential informants, state's witnesses, and other snitches from our database. 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