That's when his estranged father came knocking. He said SWAT teams were used to secure two locations one on Levin Avenue and another on Coronado Court, because of the violent criminal history of some of those involved. Copyright 2023 CBS Interactive Inc. All rights reserved. The Northeast Kentucky Drug Task Force executed a search warrant which led to one of the largest drug busts involving fentanyl in Boyd County History, according to a news release. Agents wouldn't give names of suspects or reveal the states involved. OWENSBORO, Ky. - An Owensboro Drug Trafficking Organization is behind bars and charged with multiple felonies after being caught with 151 pounds of methamphetamine, 3.5 pounds of counterfeit pills with suspected deadly fentanyl, and other drugs, announced United States . The police chief said overdoses in Paducah have continued to rise year-over-year. GCSO says they stopped a car on Main Street in Greenup, and the driver, Sarah James, 42, of Hood Run Road in Greenup, Kentucky, had a suspended license. Stepp later told police the three had flown on one-way tickets to Phoenix to buy meth and possibly heroin to bring back to Louisville, according to an investigatory letter in Kentucky court records. The police chief said they have found the average cost of a fentanyl pill in Paducah is $25, bringing the total value of the pills to about $200,000. She told agents she got 10 pounds of meth weekly from Jose Prieto and would meet him or Louis Prietoat area hotels for money drops, including one involving $75,000. As the case grew more complex and widespread,ATF agents called in the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration in Louisville. Highlighting some of them, They have a long history of violence, as well as drugs.. He is serving a 15-year prison sentence in a state prison for first-degree manslaughter in Bowman's death, according to the Kentucky Department of Corrections. The methamphetamine seized had a street value of almost 7 million dollars and could have provided enough dosage units to fill a capacity crowd at a professional football stadium four times over! The investigation is continuing and additional charges and arrested are expected. HAZARD, Ky. (WYMT) - Wednesday morning, troopers with Kentucky State Police Post Hazard and deputies with the Leslie County Sheriffs Office arrested 14 people in a drug bust, with seven more wanted. Lexington murder suspect offered 2 alibis. Anytime we can take this much methamphetamine, fentanyl and firearms off the streets it is huge! In 2016, the cartel issuedJose Prieto an ultimatum: Work for them selling their drugs or be killed. Still, the story told by agents, defendants and prosecutors in interviews or court records reveals much about thecriminal enterprise and its deadly operation in Louisville and across the country. They also admitted tomoney laundering due to the evidence unearthed by the DEA andInternal Revenue Service's Criminal Investigation. Investigators suspect that during 2016-2018 drug ring members alsowere involved inat least four deaths in Michigan, Kentucky and Mississippi. Meth usage among teenagers is significantly higher in Kentucky (12.7%) than the national average (9.1%). Police said a total of 23 people were charged during the 18-month investigation, with 14 arrests this week. According to the Somerset Police Department, the five-month investigation, which also. As a child in Cuba, Jose Prieto Jr.'s family tossed into turmoil when Fidel Castro overthrew the government in 1959. . Five days later, Hall was arrested in Vinita, Oklahoma,after police found 15 pounds of methin his rental car, according to a criminal complaint filed against him in federal court. At the same time, Greenhill'sbrother, Jamarr Greenhill, cut ties and branched out on his own. Chris Leach is a breaking news reporter for the Lexington Herald-Leader. Copyright 2022 Scripps Media, Inc. All rights reserved. Reporter Beth Warren: bwarren@courier-journal.com; 502-582-7164; Twitter @BethWarrenCJ. The pair was taken into custody in June. We look at that and see, can we trace that back.'. Her passenger hopped out of the car, walked around and leaned in to talk to her from the driver's side window. A Philadelphia police car with flashing lights in Philadelphia, Monday, Jan. 17, 2022. Investigators were listening when Pack called boyfriend Jose Prieto. After several shots hit into Bowman's chest, his car struck a telephone pole and fence before coming to rest against a house near South 25th Street and Burwell Avenue. Two Kentucky men arrested in record drug seizure. Additionally, according to the criminal complaints, on January 13, 2021, federal and local law enforcement executed multiple search warrants at locations associated with the Watkins DTO in Owensboro, Kentucky. The DEA Evansville HIDTA Resident Office is committed to working with the Owensboro Police Department and our other federal, state, and local partners to keep our communities safe by investigating and arresting violent drug traffickers. The newsroom's investigation revealed the drug ring's links totheshooting of Detective Hyche,the killing of a 28-year-old mother and a 27-year-old man in Louisville, themurderof a man inDetroitand the mysterious death of a woman in a casino in Tunica, Mississippi. All rights reserved. Monaco highlighted the need to combat drug trafficking and fentanyl proliferation on social media, telling reporters on Friday that she and DEA Administrator Anne Milgram met with social media companies last week discuss how social media companies "must do more to stop the sale of fentanyl on their platforms.". Chris graduated from UK in December 2018. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. They formed a partnership, discussing drug shipments and prices, the agent said. Kentucky Justice S01E01 Drug Bust Shootout. Investigators said seven search warrants were obtained, resulting in the 20 arrests. On Wednesday, five search warrants were served with a large number of drugs and cash being recovered. Task Force, authorities conducted a search warrant at a home in Grayson, Kentucky where they found and seized nearly 1,000 doses of fentanyl, cocaine, firearms and more than $8,000 in U.S. currency. Published: Apr. Investigators began to see proof of theDetroit link. WAYNE COUNTY, Ky. (WYMT) - One Wayne County woman is facing a host of charges following a traffic stop. Her body was found July 5, 2018, on the floor of her casino hotel room with a gunshot to the head. document.getElementById( "ak_js_1" ).setAttribute( "value", ( new Date() ).getTime() ); Copyright 2023 Nexstar Media Inc. All rights reserved. Ivan Guzman Salazar, Alfredo Guzman Salazar, and Ovidio Guzman Lopez El Chapo's son allegedly made hundreds of millions of dollars by sending fentanyl to the U.S., according to the Justice Department. Just before 2 p.m. Monday, deputies spotted a woman with an active warrant driving near . If Jose Prieto worried she might spill secrets to police, he was right. The FBI wants the four Chinese nationals captured and is offering a $1 million reward, though taking them into custody to face charges in the U.S. will likely prove difficult. Agents believed Jose Prietobegan to see her as a liability. In the face of unimaginable pain, those families have shown extraordinary bravery in sharing their stories. But the lead agent told The Courier Journal: "Were not fully convinced. As with all the other drugs, meth is sold in bars, nightclubs, restaurants, and on the street. Garland said that Justice Department officials met Thursday with their counterparts in the Mexican government and the two countries renewed their commitment to working together against fentanyl and firearms trafficking. Nelson County officials said the investigation is ongoing.. Amber Lynn Stepp, 28, and a maleacquaintance drove to a Louisville home on a sunny day May 9, 2016as men tended the grill during a birthday celebration. The seizure includes 151 pounds of meth, which they say is. Just a real great accomplishment by these guys.. Tunica police ruled Pack's deatha suicide. 20 years ago, marijuana was the most commonly abused illicit drug in Kentucky. But a series of betrayals were coming, dooming the father and son's joint enterprise. All are charged with conspiring to distribute oxycodone in Madison, Estill, Clay, and Laurel counties from September 2019 thru March 2022. (WFIE) - Officials with the Drug Enforcement Administration say they executed nine search warrants Wednesday morning. The Bardstown Police Department seized over 100 pounds of marijuana and $50,000 during a search at a home in Bardstown late last week, according to police. LSD, MDMA, and GHB are found in Kentucky. Washington Federal prosecutors unsealed criminal charges against 28 members and associates of the Mexican Sinaloa Cartel including the three sons of former drug lord Joaqun "El Chapo" Guzmn accusing them of orchestrating a transnational fentanyl trafficking operation into the United States. Bethany Hall, 37, of Stanville; outstanding warrant, possession of marijuana and tampering with physical evidence. According to the Henderson Police Department . Jose Prieto sought out someone with a strong business background to help him earn money to pay off the cartel. 1998 - 2023 Nexstar Media Inc. | All Rights Reserved. This is an archived article and the information in the article may be outdated. Her relatives told reporters she was a loving mom who struggled with addiction, and they had tried to get her help. Deputies seized heroin, methamphetamine, fentanyl, pills and other drugs they said were being sold from the home. Knowing how dangerous this drug is, we began focusing on identifying how the fentanyl was coming into our community, said Paducah Police Chief Brian Laird, during a news conference Friday. He contacted his son, Louis Prieto, though the two hadn't spoken in more than 15 years because of a dispute. And the money rolled in. THC is a psychoactive compound. With two generations of a single family are involved, with someone listed as young as 19 and another as old as 47. He was "fronting" drugs loaning sometraffickers drugsbefore they paid for them. Yet, within three years, investigators crippled thedrug ring and sent the father and son and two dozen of their associates to federal prison. Both SWAT teams were able to safely secure the two locations and locate some of the wanted persons, Laird said. Give Light and the People Will Find Their Own Way. EVANSVILLE, Ind. We sit next to the interstate and lots of United States highways come in and out of this community.. Law enforcement officials. 2023, Hearst Television Inc. on behalf of WLWT-TV. Following the seizure of the narcotics in Oklahoma City, Willie Watkins was charged in a criminal complaint with conspiring to possess with the intent to distribute 500 grams or more of a mixture or substance containing a detectable amount of methamphetamine and 400 grams or more of a mixture or substance containing a detectable amount of fentanyl. 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