Carlos Tapia, a man they knew as a dedicated father with no criminal history, was a drug mule. Updated: Apr 15, 2021 / 07:37 PM EDT. Marlin Martin is theregional director for Behavioral Health Group,a local provider of opioid addiction treatment. (KY3) - Officers with the Springfield Police Department's Special Investigations Unit made a large drug bust after serving a search warrant on August 6. Evidence supporting the charges must be presented to a federal trial jury, whose duty is to determine guilt or innocence. SPRINGFIELD, Mo. Western District of Missouri (KY3) - A trooper from the Missouri State Highway Patrol made a huge drug bust Monday during a traffic stop in Saline County. Since 2004, meth lab busts across the country become scarce. The OCDETF program is the centerpiece of the Department of Justices drug supply reduction strategy. There were 5,088 admissions for drug and alcohol treatment for amphetamine addiction in 2010. Though he doesnt know for sure, Jones hears that meth in the Ozarks could now be coming from south of the border. Reece said he does not think meth use has increased tenfold over the last six years. -- 12 pounds of meth and 6.5 pounds of heroin, seized from a Springfield home. And in 2019, the medical examiner reports 67 people, more than double the year before, died from meth in Greene County. Meth is everywhere. Major Springfield Drug Bust Part of Year-Long Investigation by: Lindsay Clein. Wheeler is also charged with possessing firearms in furtherance of drug-trafficking crimes and being a felon in possession of firearms. Troopers arrested one man in the investigation. 18-25 year olds were among the group most suffering from unmet treatment needs for alcohol dependency in 2006 and it ranked among the highest in the country for this demographic. Lock Ortega, Hicks, and Griffin would also be required to forfeit to the government a money judgment representing the proceeds obtained as a result of their participation in the alleged drug-trafficking conspiracy. 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. Kansas City, MO 64106, Telephone:(816) 426-3122 But data from local law enforcement shows meth lab busts have become nearly non-existent. Springfield police say they have recovered only seven meth labs in the city this year, compared to 108 in 2011. ; David Robert Richards II, 32, of Louisburg, Kan.; Christian Douglas Hansen, 41, of St. Louis, Mo. All rights reserved (About Us). Springfield Police Lt. Lawrence Murphy credited Det. The trooper found 88 pounds of. In 2018, Missouri drops from the nations top 10 list. Official websites use .gov Robert Patruno with leading the stash house investigation, and said the broader investigation into the Holyoke-based drug ringcontinues. That indictment was unsealed and made public following their arrests. KANSAS CITY, Mo. -- Twenty-five people were charged Monday with taking part in a drug ring that allegedly trafficked more than . Join Recovery Connection in celebrating your recovery with our sobriety calculator. Tapia was also delivering 10 pounds of meth worth tens of thousands of dollars every two weeks to one of the biggest meth rings ever to plaguesouthwest Missouri. This case is being prosecuted by Special Assistant U.S. Attorney Jessica R. Keller. Harmon's blue BMW sedan had just crossed into Springfield city limits, past the Macedonia Baptist Church on West Sunshine Street, when officers pulled her over. Martin is also charged with two counts related to distributing fentanyl. Each of the defendants, with the exception of Kibodeaux, Rogan, and McClure, are charged together with possessing multiple firearms in furtherance of violent crimes and drug-trafficking crimes. The only person who didn't plead guilty was Robert A. Edson, who has eluded capture for years. There were 257 addiction treatment facilities in 2006. A Drug Enforcement Agency spokesman told the News-Leader this summer the Ozarks has a reputation nationwide for meth,particularly the homemade variety. Its a waiting game. From all accounts, the high is euphoric, and the sobering crash back down to earth, painful. SPRINGFIELD, Mo. Earlier this week, troopers confiscated 187 pounds of marijuana from a vehicle in Webster County. Unfortunately we know a lot of them on a first name basis, Jones said. The trooper found 88 pounds of methamphetamine during a traffic stop on Interstate 70 at mile marker 79, about 50 miles west of Columbia. Jeremy A. Ingram, 42, Laurie B. Holmes, 39, and Lonnie J. Tinker, 36, were sentenced in separate appearances before U.S. District Judge M. Douglas Harpool. We interviewed our tech expert, Jaime Vazquez, to learn more about accessible smart home devices. Secure .gov websites use HTTPS 3,277 people were admitted to treatment for cocaine addiction. Ginnings, Sparks, Patterson, Jones, Hansen, Mainieri, Hoyt, King, Nelson, and Zieger also are charged together in one count of being felons in possession of multiple firearms and ammunition. Our interdiction unit was hard at work today, taking 110 pounds of illegal marijuana off the streets. The majority of those entering treatment were 21-25 years olds. Christopher Brian Rogan, 44, no known address, was also charged in the superseding indictment and is a fugitive from justice. The investigation has led to four arrests: Springfield residents Hector Rodriguez, 42, and Luis Acevedo, 43, and Holyoke residents Emmanuel Hernandez, 30, and Nellys Garcia, 32. 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. Crawford allegedly possessed an Armscor of the Philippines 9mm semi-automatic pistol on Dec. 3, 2018, and a Lorcin .25-caliber semi-automatic pistol on Jan. 15, 2019. In 2009, the Treatment Episode Data Set indicated that 48,628 people entered drug and alcohol rehabs in Missouri. A .gov website belongs to an official government organization in the United States. Police estimated that the seized drugs are worth between $600,000 and $700,000. 673 people were treated for cocaine/crack addiction who used the drug other than smoking it. Lock ST. LOUIS, MO (KTVI) - The DEA announces a major meth takedown in the St. Louis region. Two additional defendants were charged in one of the two separate, but related, superseding indictments returned by a federal grand jury in Springfield on Tuesday, Feb. 18, for a total of 21 defendants in those two cases. While a 29-person drug indictment is an unusually large case for Springfield's federal courthouse, it did not appear to be a sophisticated, violent or loyal group. Posted: Mar 3 . I did my residency in Cleveland, Ohio, and over four years I didnt see one patient on meth, Jones said. He said there isn't much demand here for the drug, and he agreed this year's spike in cocaine is likely an anomaly. Morgan is also charged with one count of being a felon in possession of a firearm. According to a news report on 9/01/11, the Madison County State Attorney stated that heroin related crimes had increased between 30-40%, with heroin deaths twice the number of that in 2010. With 189 in Greene County, that was second only to Jefferson County near St. Louis. 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. The raid stemmed from a two month investigation of an alleged "stash house" for a Holyoke-based drug ring at 1251 Bay Street in Springfield, police said. Sometimes that means he treats the same addicts pretty often. The national opioid crisis has not missed Springfield. 400 East 9th Street Other homes were raided over the next few days. That number has remained consistent since 2002. In 2010, Missouri became one more state in the nation to implement the prescription data base. That indictment was unsealed and made public today upon the arrests and initial court appearances of Hicks, Ortega, Griffin, Cooper, and Ross. Drug traffickers allegedly kept narcotics and money at the Springfield house, with high level dealers using the house to pick up drugs for distribution, authorities said. Wed see explosions, burns, other traumatic injuries. What do the orange, green dots on my iPhone mean? Farisse allegedly was in possession of a Ruger .380-caliber semi-automatic pistol on Nov. 14, 2019. Methamphetamine has devastating effects on drug users and can lead to memory loss, "meth mouth," overdose and death. Hodges is also charged with one count of possessing fentanyl with the intent to distribute within 1,000 feet of a school. Police Sergeant Jason Grellner said, " The principal mission of the OCDETF program is to identify, disrupt, and dismantle the most serious drug trafficking organizations, transnational criminal organizations, and money laundering organizations that present a significant threat to the public safety, economic, or national security of the United States. Fax Line:(816) 426-4210. YouTubes privacy policy is available here and YouTubes terms of service is available here. Reece said, however, the 2016 spikeis more of a fluke driven by a one-time seizure than an indication that dealers are flooding the Springfield market with cocaine this year. OCDETF was established in 1982 to conduct comprehensive, multi-level attacks on major drug trafficking and money laundering organizations. ) or https:// means youve safely connected to the .gov website. All six are now named in a 16-count superseding indictment, which includes additional charges, returned by a federal grand jury in Springfield. Copyright 2023 Nexstar Media Inc. All rights reserved. A KOLR 10 investigation set out to find out if Missouri, or Greene County, is still the meth capital of the world. April 5, 2021: A trooper stopped a vehicle for a traffic violation on I-70 (EB) at the 79 mile marker in Saline County. To report a correction or typo, please email digitalnews@ky3.com. Once the cases are resolved, a judgewill issuea destruction order,and Springfield police have the drugs incinerated. Bags of everything.. . Eleven residents in the Kansas City, Missouri, and St. Joseph, Missouri, areas have been added to a federal indictment that now charges a total of 25 defendants for their roles in a $4.1 million drug-trafficking conspiracy that distributed more than 520 kilograms of methamphetamine over three years.