The 30-count indictment charges the residents of Maryland, West Virginia, Pennsylvania and the Dominican Republic with trafficking large amounts of heroin, fentanyl, cocaine base and cocaine hydrochloride from Hagerstown to locations in Berkeley County, West Virginia, from August 2020 to June 2021. "This is the largest drug bust in my time as a prosecutor and as the elected state's attorney," Caroline County State's Attorney Joe Riley said. A local taxi company sporadically drops people off. When you cant find work, cant pay your billswho wants to think about that? Hagerstown, Md. Press Release. Still, they are something of a Hail Mary pass for municipalities. With the highways and economic factors, its all a perfect storm.. Nine arrested in early morning drug bust in Westernport. This pooling of investigative resources benefits each investigative unit with increased manpower, less duplication of effort, and by coordinating the targeting of drug offenders. Enough Fentanyl to Kill 1 Million People Seized in Hagerstown Bust The Caroline County Drug Task Force started the investigation by looking into the operation of a drug trafficking organization believed to be distributing large amount of cocaine, opioids,. U.S. District Judge Deborah K. Chasanow has scheduled sentencing for October 7, 2022, at 9:30 a.m. Consider, for example, that three of the four railroad properties on the Monopoly board were spokes in that Hagerstown hub, connecting the city to Richmond, Washington, Baltimore, Pittsburgh, Philadelphia, and New York. West Virginia State Police have denied a request to release dash camera footage or body camera footage of an incident on Feb. 12 on Interstate 81 in Berkeley County, W.Va., in which a Hagerstown man died after a struggle with a trooper. The Washington County Narcotics Task Force received assistance from the Washington County Sheriff's Office, Hagerstown Police . For more information on the Maryland U.S. Attorneys Office, its priorities, and resources available to help the community, please visit www.justice.gov/usao-md and https://www.justice.gov/usao-md/community-outreach. Bernard said agents serveda search warrant at the store in June and seized approximately $500,000 worth of drugs, including a kilogram of heroin and nine kilograms of cocaine. Since the start of the addiction crisis, which now kills more in the U.S. than car accidents and gun violence combined, emergency rescue calls have tripled in Hagerstown. As stated in his plea agreement, on August 9, 2019, law enforcement executed a search warrant at Smiths Hagerstown, Maryland residence. This epidemic, largely caused by the pharmaceutical industrys complete lack of accountability or care about anyone or anything other than their pockets, has wreaked havoc on my city, Keller said. Simms is being held at the Caroline County Detention Center without bond. To learn more about ChatGPT and how we can inspire students, we sat down with BestReviews book expert, Ciera Pasturel. She can be reached via email at julieg@herald-mail.com. Employment or private drug testing options: 5, 10, 12 panel urine drug tests, DOT drug testing and DOT Random Pool, breath alcohol, EtG 3 day alcohol tests, 90 day hair follicle drug tests. On at least 30 separate occasions between April 8 and May 8, 2019, Smith visited Tyler Wares residence. Rise of a street boss By 1973,. Stories About Drug Bust - CBS Baltimore Life is great now, he says. y any definition, the epidemic in this part of Maryland, a state with one of the top five death rates from opioids in the country, is among the worst anywhere. Michael Anthony Holland, 36, of Hurlock, Maryland. Smith and the government have agreed that, if the Court accepts the plea agreement, Smith will be sentenced to 92 months in federal prison followed by 4 years of supervised release. At that time, police apprehended Beckette, who was inside the duplex, Kerns said. Washington street leading east at the hagerstown public square in 1957. The first three municipality lawsuits against drugmakersall Ohio casesare scheduled to be heard in U.S. District Court in Cleveland early next year. OCDETF identifies, disrupts, and dismantles the highest-level criminal organizations that threaten the United States using a prosecutor-led, intelligence-driven, multi-agency approach that leverages the strengths of federal, state, and local law enforcement agencies against criminal networks. Saturday mornings are the busiest days of the week because the drug treatment clinic is closed on Sundaysmeaning that several hundred people begin showing up at 5 a.m. to ensure that they can collect their extra day's supply . Ive seen growth in investor confidence, says Director of Community & Economic Development Jill Frick Thompson, attributing it to the citys 10-year plan. orking with Philadelphia-based Urban Partners, the city has put together a 10-year City Center Plan, which began in 2014, to enhance the towns quality of life and attract new developers, investors, and businesses. Baltimore, Md. Nine arrested in early morning drug bust in Westernport | WCBC The Washington Narcotics Task Force has made 11 arrests in connection to a local drug trafficking organization investigation. Earlier this spring, Keller, the city councilwoman who lost her best friend to an overdose, announced that the city would be joining several hundred municipalities, counties, and states in pursuing legal action against the nations largest drugmakers, alleging that they played a key role in launching the opioid epidemic. Authorities are reporting 12 people have been charged with sex offenses, and seven victims have been placed into the harm reduction program with the Washington County Health Department. The task force said Oliver was previously arrested by Hagerstown Police Department officers last Wednesday for fleeing on foot from a car accident in the south end of Hagerstown. I cannot count the number of friends who have died after I almost did, says Katie Wetzel, 27, a recovering addict in Hagerstown who is now married with three kids. Bernard had high praise for the cooperative efforts of the agencies involved, saying "they did a tremendous job. The narcotics task force is a joint operation of the Washington County Sheriffs Office and the Hagerstown Police Department. Police said a more than three-year investigation. Having beautiful open spaces is important, and its important to have a connection to your community, says city engineer Rodney Tissue, who moved to Hagerstown in 1986 and raised his two daughters here. News Flash Frederick, MD CivicEngage Several weapons were seized, including two stolen handguns, as well as rifles and shotguns, Kerns said. Most arent even here to get clean but to get by. From March 20 to April 24, 2019, law enforcement surveilled activity at the suspected unit on a daily basis and observed Smith opening the storage unit to weigh and process suspected narcotics for distribution. A mortality rate increase for any first-world demographic group had been virtually unheard of for decades, with the exception of Russian men after the collapse of the Soviet Union, a phenomenon blamed on soaring alcoholism rates. On February 19, city health officials reported the number of heroin overdoses to which EMS crews and city police responded to. Speaking at a news conference Tuesday, Bernard saidMota is accused of using hisbusiness, Top 3 Sources on West Washington Street, to store and sell drugs and launder the proceeds. That investigation led to the Narcotics Task Force obtaining 9 search warrants. Those charged are: Lenin Erasmo Luna Mota, also known as "Papi," 48, of Hagerstown, Maryland and the Dominican Republic Miguel Angel Santiago Caraballo, 30, of Chambersburg, Pa. With a projected $125 million in investments needed to fully develop the proposala big ifthe project, according to city officials, has the potential to create 875 jobs. , Rep. Hoyer on legacy, traditions and Speaker McCarthy, How much more DMV residents will pay for healthcare, Husband of missing DC real estate executive arrested, Virginia H.S. 15 Eastern Panhandle residents charged in expansive drug-trafficking Hagerstown investigation leads to arrests of 2 alleged drug dealers The search warrants were a result of a multi- state . College Park mayor, DC COVID Centers to close at the end of March, Mother calls for answers after son killed by police, MTPD: Two teenagers arrested, one had gun, Burglar used Germantown mans toothbrush, razor,, Do Not Sell or Share My Personal Information. In an indictment unsealed on Wednesday, U.S. Attorney Robert K. Hur announced that four have been arrested and two are still being sought in connection with the Hagerstown drug bust. 3, in Hagerstowns North End; and Daniel Matthew Anderson, 28, of 1008 Security Road, Apt. There wasnt a door that I knocked on when I was campaigning for City Council that people didnt say heroin and the opioid crisis was the number one issue, Keller says. On at least 30 separate occasions between April 8 and May 8, 2019, Smith visited Tyler Wares residence. As a result of those search warrants, police recovered over 18 kilograms of cocaine, 2.7 kilograms of heroin/fentanyl, 5.9 kilograms of crystal methamphetamine, 170 pounds of marijuana and approximately 34 firearms along with money believed to be connected to the drug operation. HAGERSTOWN, Md. (DC News Now) The Hagerstown Police Department said officers executed a search and seizure warrant at 115 S. Mulberry St. on Oct. 7, finding fentanyl, crack cocaine, $5,000 cash, and firearms. The two have been charged in connection with a drug distribution conspiracy in the Westminster area of Carroll County, Maryland. Grant was being held without bond Wednesday at the Washington County Detention Center. Indirectly, they could have a hand at reversing the public health crises in the long run, civic leaders say. As a result of the executed search warrant at Smiths storage unit, law enforcement located 15.4 grams of heroin, 8.9 grams of a mixture of fentanyl and heroin, digital scales with suspected heroin residue, numerous small plastic baggies, and a glass jar containing a suspected cutting agent. Heroin Highway: Part 5 - Hagerstown, Md. 'Round the clock emergency' - WJLA The 16-bed treatment project for women is partly to honor their daughter, who once shared her wish of getting off drugs and opening such a center with her parents, but it is also borne of frustration, as the family repeatedly struggled to get the help their daughter needed. Butler is being held at the Caroline County Detention Center without bond. Baltimore, Maryland Thamar Smith, age 48, of Hagerstown, Maryland, pleaded guilty today to conspiracy to possess with intent to distribute heroin and fentanyl. Fifteen Members of Alleged Drug Ring Arrested. 34 indicted for expansive drug trafficking operation More than 80 percent of students at three Hagerstown public schools receive free or reduced-priced lunches. Hagerstown Center Of Alleged Drug Conspiracy, Prosecutors Say Seventeen Hagerstown residents and one Frederick resident were among 34 arrested Wednesday morning on indictments in a drug. To me, the urban improvement project is huge. Winds NNW at 10 to 15 mph. 1998 - 2023 Nexstar Media Inc. | All Rights Reserved. The C&O (Chesapeake and Ohio) Canal, which passes through Washington County and primarily transported coal, was already in operation by then, having been completed in 1850. According to his guilty plea, on March 18, 2019, law enforcement received an anonymous tip from a Hagerstown, Maryland storage facility customer reporting that an individual driving a large SUV and a storage unit conducted a suspected drug deal at the facility. A huge component of this initiative includes a $40-million effort, started in 2017, which will expand three key institutionsthe University System of Maryland at Hagerstown, the Maryland Theatre, and Barbara Ingram School for the Artswith a slated completion date of spring of 2020. seventy-five miles west of Baltimore, the sun has yet to rise over South Mountain, but already a line of cars is arriving at the Phoenix Health Center in Hagerstown. Washington, D.C. Man Convicted After Nine-Day Trial for Use of a Firearm in Connection with a Murder and a Robbery, and for a Drug Distribution Conspiracy. Opioids may be the deadliest catastrophe to hit Hagerstown, but the current crisis follows a long string of blows to a city that never made the transition from a mechanical to a hi-tech economy. They dont stand a chance., The societal ripple effect of the opioid epidemic cant be overstated, says Piercy, who doesnt have to look any farther than outside his downtown Potomac Street office window to witness people nodding and passing out. Smith and the government have agreed that, if the Court accepts the plea agreement, Smith will be sentenced to 92 months in federal prison followed by 4 years of supervised release. Meanwhile, health care, housing, and education costs have skyrocketed over the ensuing decades, but wages, adjusted for inflation, have remained essentially flat in Hagerstown, growing just 5 percent in total over that 25-year span. Its hope or heroin out here.. 29th person arrested in drug ring case linked to appliance store Read More. -- The number of meth cases, particularly of one-pot meth labs in Western Maryland, has been experiencing a recent surge. She talks enthusiasticallyand genuinelyabout the $40-million downtown revitalization effort and Hagerstowns future. Still at largewere Mota, Luna, Rodriguez, Longus, Rose,Orrillio,Velasquez-Lopez,Pinkcett, Gregory, Brown and Nunez-Arias, authorities said. Information entered into this system will be submitted to the Washington County Narcotics Task Force only. The - Washington County Sheriff's Office, Maryland | Facebook he one place in Maryland that has had a long struggle with heroin use is Baltimore, of course. The loot was wrapped in bundles. Joseph Archie Spain III, 44, of Preston, Maryland. He moved toThe Frederick News-Postin 1989 but lived in Hagerstown until 2000. Baltimore, Maryland - Thamar Smith, age 48, of Hagerstown, Maryland, pleaded guilty today to conspiracy to possess with intent to distribute heroin and fentanyl.. In the early 1980s, King ran a large drug operation in East Baltimore and was a well-known figure, driving a DeLorean sports car and smoking with a bejeweled Zippo. On at least 30 separate occasions between April 8 and May 8, 2019, Smith visited Tyler Wares residence. Economists studying national trends say people should simply vacate towns like Hagerstownand seek work elsewhere. Williams is being held at the Dorchester County Detention Center held without bond. A Hagerstown appliance store was allegedly used as a hub for the illegal activities. This designation provides local agents enforcement powers anywhere in the United States. Mr. Barron thanked Assistant U.S. Ketia Daniel, founder of BHM Cleaning Co., is BestReviews cleaning expert. From the early 1970s onward, there was a vacuumeconomically, socially, politically, culturally. Additionally, in less than one month, Smith and Tyler contacted each other 714 times by cell phone. o understand the DNA of Hagerstown, you have to go back to the 19th-century industrial boom. We had 13 infant deaths over the past two years, eight of whom were born substance exposed and later died at home because of neglect or some other cause, Piercy says. There were things going on, but no cohesiveness at the top.. Gregory Lovern Williams Jr., 39, of Federalsburg, Maryland. By Ron Cassie and Lauren LaRocca Photography by BENJAMIN C. TANKERSLEY | July 2018, By Ron Cassie and Lauren LaRocca. Hagerstown is still a meat and potatoes kind of place, says Elliott. More than 20 Hagerstown residents were indicted for drug trafficking after the Washington County Narcotics Task Force wrapped up a two month long drug investigation into the distribution of heroin, crack cocaine and spice in the area. Two drug busts were done on Wednesday after a three month investigation discovered a drug trafficking organization in the area.