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Additionally, Rory Dale Bechtel, 37, of Kansas City, Mo. The national opioid crisis has not missed Springfield. Ross and Cooper also are each charged with possessing methamphetamine with the intent to distribute in Howell County. This case is actively being investigated by SPD and as part of a Career Criminal Task Force (CCTF) case in conjunction with FBI. In 2010, Missouri enacted legislation to track the sale of drugs used to make meth. Copyright 2023 Nexstar Media Inc. All rights reserved. Other Opiates 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. Recovery Connection is the ultimate addiction recovery resource portal for information on the latest treatments, centers, and programs. 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. On the county level, the number of busts and seizures decreases from nearly 200 to just three. SPRINGFIELD, Mo. I guess the cops were watching them, too, but I didnt know that, Flesch said. Last month, troopers made a similar bust near Cooper County, Missouri, recovering 75 pounds of meth. A decade later, that many people died in Greene County just in the first two months of 2020. A nearly three-year investigation culminated on Feb. 29 when, according to court documents, investigators rushed into a garage on East McDaniel Street and found 12 pounds of meth and more than six pounds of heroin hidden in a truck. Tapia declined an interview request from the News-Leader. Among the defendants who were arrested and charged in November and December 2019, 19 defendants along with two new defendants were charged in two separate superseding indictments this week. The trooper had stopped a driver for a traffic violation in Saline County. Gutierrez also is charged with one count of possessing methamphetamine with the intent to distribute in Texas County. Flesch said she would wave to "tattoo lady," but she never waved back. Domestic Cannabis Suppression / Eradication Program, Red Ribbon Toolkit - Resources For Your Community, DEA National Prescription Drug Take Back Day, Intelligence Research Specialist Job Announcements, Schedule A Hiring Authority: Intelligence Research Specialist, Privacy Impact Assessment and Management Information Systems, Victim Witness Assistance Program Resources. But while the reputation and the demand arethere, Reece said Springfield is no longer a producer of domestic meth. Banasik said since 2011 he hasn't noticed much cocaine in the local drug market. 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. Fax Line:(816) 426-4210. Join Recovery Connection in celebrating your recovery with our sobriety calculator. Wheeler allegedly possessed a Sig Sauer .40-caliber semi-automatic pistol, an Izhmash .308-caliber semi-automatic rifle, and a Hi-Point 9mm semi-automatic pistol on Nov. 14, 2019. Secure .gov websites use HTTPS Due to their hard work, thats almost 300 pounds this week! That indictment was unsealed and made public today upon the arrests and initial court appearances of Hicks, Ortega, Griffin, Cooper, and Ross. Detectives made the largest every buy ever, 8.8lbs of meth. 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. A Drug Enforcement Agency spokesman told the News-Leader this summer the Ozarks has a reputation nationwide for meth,particularly the homemade variety. It used to be that wed see folks that were making meth at home. SPRINGFIELD, Mass. Share sensitive information only on official, secure websites. Officers pulled them over, seizingthe Harley and $34,310 incash. SPRINGFIELD, Mo. Most of the defendants were arrested in a coordinated law enforcement sweep in November 2019 and originally charged in a series of federal criminal complaints, which were followed up by initial indictments in December 2019. In 2018, 32 people died. Dan Banasik,a Missouri State Highway Patrol supervising sergeant for narcotics, was the lead investigator in 2011 when the feds took down a multi-pound cocaine distribution ring that was operating in Springfield and Nixa. In 2010, 10,600 people entered alcohol addiction treatment in Missouri for alcohol as a primary substance of abuse with an additional 8,605 people who entered alcohol addiction treatment with alcohol combined with a secondary drug of abuse. Missouri had the most meth lab busts in the country that year. -- Twenty-five people were charged Monday with taking part in a drug ring that allegedly trafficked more than . KANSAS CITY, Mo. One of the biggest year-to-year spikes in the data was the amount of cocaine seized by investigators in 2016. When Friend finally gets sentenced, that will be the end of the ring. Rodriguez, who has previously been convicted of at least one felony offense, allegedly was in possession of a Taurus .410-caliber revolver on Jan. 4, 2019. MSHP says the drug bust happened. All six are now named in a 16-count superseding indictment, which includes additional charges, returned by a federal grand jury in Springfield. Secure .gov websites use HTTPSA lock ( Whether youre looking for treatment or for aftercare options, we can point you in the right direction. Doctor Joseph Jones can spot someone overdosing on meth by their agitation, racing heart, and hallucinations. 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. In addition to the drug-trafficking conspiracies, Farisse is charged with three counts of distributing heroin and/or fentanyl, two counts of possessing heroin and/or fentanyl with the intent to distribute, 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. 'Everything went to hell in a handbasket'. The News-Leader obtaineddata from the Springfield Police Department on how much heroin, meth, cocaine, marijuana, ecstasy and LSD its investigators have seized over the last six years. Additionally, Hodges is charged with one count of possessing fentanyl with the intent to distribute, one count of possessing a firearm in furtherance of drug-trafficking crimes, and one count of being a felon in possession of a firearm. Drug task force officers who worked the largest meth bust in Northeast Wisconsin say the drugs came from the Mexico Drug Cartel and were trafficked from Missouri to Wisconsin. The News-Leader has been covering this meth ring for years, reviewing hundreds of pages of court documents and attending hearings of those involved. Other homes were raided over the next few days. The second most commonly abused class of drugs were stimulants (including methamphetamine) for those who entered drug addiction treatment in 2007. (null!=i&&i!=o.tag||null!=t&&t!=o.priority)}),gform.hooks[o][n]=r)}}); document.getElementById( "ak_js_1" ).setAttribute( "value", ( new Date() ).getTime() ); How to Choose The Right Drug and Alcohol Treatment Program, Addiction Treatment Focused on Health And Wellness in FL (Florida). Martin said Behavioral Health Group's patients tell him they have little trouble finding heroin in Springfield. Araujo, Walker, Thurmond, Schroeder, Meyers, Hack, Bechtel, Laws, and Parton also are charged together in one count of being drug users in possession of multiple firearms and ammunition. While seizures like that don't happen often, data obtained by the News-Leader shows the amount of drugs seized by the Springfield Police Department's investigative units has been increasing over the last six years. methamphetamine with the intent to distribute in Howell County and one count of possessing firearms in furtherance of a drug . Christopher Brian Rogan, 44, no known address, was also charged in the superseding indictment and is a fugitive from justice. Evidence supporting the charges must be presented to a federal trial jury, whose duty is to determine guilt or innocence. 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. Official websites use .gov Reece said those spikes were likely the result of a couple of big seizures and not a reflection of increased use of the drugs in Springfield. Official websites use .govA .gov website belongs to an official government organization in the United States. Contact Us Today to Learn More About Our Recovery Resources! CARUTHERSVILLE, Mo. Rates for alcohol abuse or dependence in 2006 remained above average for all age groups in Missouri while rates for drug dependence have been below the national average for the same time. Room 5510 The charges contained in these indictments are simply accusations, and not evidence of guilt. If you purchase a product or register for an account through one of the links on our site, we may receive compensation. The number of drug induced . U.S. Attorney's Office Reece said marijuana is the drug that officers encounter most often while doing police work, but it's not the highest priority for the special investigation units. He said the reason investigators are seizing more of the drug is because the current system of dealers bringing meth in from out of state lends itself to multi-pound seizures, like the one on Feb. 29. 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. More guns and more meth were found. So far this year, investigators with the SPDs Special Investigations Section have taken almost five pounds of heroin off the streets of Springfield. With 189 in Greene County, that was second only to Jefferson County near St. Louis. The Springfield Police Department announced Wednesday that it has raided a major Western Massachusetts drug trafficking operation, seizing over 2 kilograms of heroin, 490 grams of cocaine, 40,000 bags of packaged heroin and $48,000 in cash. Meth is everywhere. Overall, rates of heroin overdose have dramatically increased in certain counties with Missouri. In total over the last six years, the Springfield Police Department's investigative units seized 251,520 grams of marijuana, 81,713 grams of meth, 1,122 grams of cocaine, 4,751 grams of heroin . Evidence supporting the charges must be presented to a federal trial jury, whose duty is to determine guilt or innocence. Troopers arrested one man in the investigation. One cousin remembered him as the man whodanced with all the ladies at a quinceaera. "The demand for our services has not decreased at all.". - Just when you think police have the methamphetamine problem under control, it rears its ugly head. The officer. The only structure to the group appears to be itstwo kingpins Kenna Harmon and Kenneth Friend who facilitated purchasing and distribution. Updated: Apr 15, 2021 / 07:37 PM EDT. Share sensitive information only on official, secure websites. ; Phillip Tra Joseph Hoyt, 43, of St. Joseph, Kenneth James McClure, 41, of Kingdom City, Missouri; Christapher Dean Parton, 31, of St. Joseph, and Marion Douglas McCrorey Jr., 40, of Rich Hill, Missouri, each of whom are already in custody on unrelated state and federal cases, were charged in the superseding indictment. Court documents note that Tapia had abused drugs from as young as 14, but they don't explain how he became one of the ring's richest sourcesof meth in 2013 and 2014. "Our meth has stayed pretty stable," Reece said. Shubhra Mohanty June 09, 2022. We focus more on the harder scale drugs like meth and heroin. Earlier that day, police overheard them setting up a buy. 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. Glosson was allegedly in possession of a Springfield 9mm semi-automatic pistol and an SCCY 9mm semi-automatic pistol on March 7, 2019.