Dealers now have their own pill presses, explains Drug Enforcement Administration agent Robert Grob at a recent Drug Take Back Day, a collaboration between the Hagerstown Police Department, county health department, and the DEA that encourages local residents to turn in leftover medication for safe disposal. The 30-count indictment alleges the operation trafficked large amounts of heroin, fentanyl, cocaine base and cocaine hydrochloride from Hagerstown toBerkeley County, West Virginia, between August2020and June of this year, according to a news release from Bernard's office. 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. CARROLL COUNTY 30-year-old James Samms was arrested for drug distribution conspiracy. Smith accessed the storage unit on 39 separate occasions and obtained at least 250 grams of narcotics during his visits. Drugs, money, guns seized in Maryland bust - dcnewsnow.com 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. NOW PLAYING ABOVE. 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. The alleged traffickers distributed drugs in Caroline and Dorchester counties, as well as parts of Delaware, according to police, who said investigators from multiple agencies developed enough. Michael Anthony Holland, 36, of Hurlock, Maryland. As stated in his plea agreement, on August 9, 2019, law enforcement executed a search warrant at Smiths Hagerstown, Maryland residence. The epidemic has not peaked yet by any means, says Mike Piercy, director of the Washington County Department of Social Services. Hagerstown is still a meat and potatoes kind of place, says Elliott. Prosecutors allege that Luna Mota, the owner of Top 3 Sources, was using the West Washington Street store to keep and sell drugs. Narcotics Task Force | Hagerstown, MD - Official Website Or an illegal immigrant? (It also broke a record last year with eight homicides, sending its per capita murder rate past Philadelphia and Chicago.). Share sensitive information only on official, secure websites. Grant briefly escaped, fleeing while handcuffed, and was captured a short distance away, Kerns said. Three people were taken into custody in Washington County last week on drug charges involving fentanyl and crack cocaine. Forget Special Agent in Charge Washington, DC @DEAWashingtonDC June 29, 2022 Contact: Public Information Office Phone Number: (571) 362-1934 For Immediate Release George Wallace campaigned here in 1968 and 1972. Heroin Highway: Part 5 - Hagerstown, Md. 'Round the clock emergency' - WJLA Others walk from nearby apartments. Walter Javier Martinez, 17, was last seen in the area of Wellington Court and may have left in a blue vehicle. Justin Ernest Riggs, 33, was arrested Saturday and is accused of leaking information to a drug trafficking organization . One of the biggest mistakes city officials made was failing to sufficiantly upgrade Municipal Stadium, the nearly 90-year-old home of the minor league Hagerstown Suns, or build a new ballpark downtown. Spain is being held without bond at the Caroline County Detention Center. Several charged in Cumberland area prostitution sting This pooling of investigative resources benefits each investigative unit with increased manpower, less duplication of effort, and by coordinating the targeting of drug offenders. There were a few people dedicated to establishing a Maryland orchestra, a few people trying to revive the Maryland Theatre. Quicker than ordering a pizza.". 6:15 AM. The NFT is housed within the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) at the DEA's Hagerstown Office. Before long, he was buying heroin because it was cheaper than pills, and he went from snorting to injecting it, simply to maintain the same highand eventually just to function, if you could call it that. 100 West Washington Street Hagerstown, MD 21740. Attorneys Christina A. Hoffman and Joan Mathias, who are prosecuting the case. 34 indicted for expansive drug trafficking operation Through further investigation, law enforcement determined that Smith supplied narcotics to Tyler and Eddie Ware, Hagerstown, Maryland heroin and fentanyl drug dealers. William Miller, one count of distribution of heroin. If we were somehow able to turn around the [addiction] numbers today, it would take another 20 years to shake off the damage., police investigating a burglary on West Franklin Street. After being arrested on July 1, police said Oliver assaulted an officer and was found with a controlled dangerous substance. Still at largewere Mota, Luna, Rodriguez, Longus, Rose,Orrillio,Velasquez-Lopez,Pinkcett, Gregory, Brown and Nunez-Arias, authorities said. She tried treatment and rehab several times, and even laid down on the familys lawn once, begging her father to shoot her to put her out of her misery. 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 . HAGERSTOWN (WJZ) -- Seventeen Hagerstown residents and one Frederick resident were among 34 arrested Wednesday morning on indictments in a drug trafficking conspiracy. One (seemingly) solid mayor, Republican Donald Frush, who served from 1981-1985 and was known as the Father of Planning in Washington County, disappeared during his campaign for a second term and was found by a reporter at a Johns Hopkins psych ward. Through further investigation, law enforcement determined that Smith supplied narcotics to Tyler and Eddie Ware, Hagerstown, Maryland heroin and fentanyl drug dealers. Two drug busts were done on Wednesday after a three month investigation discovered a drug trafficking organization in the area. HAGERSTOWN, Md. This is across the boardand Ill be the first to agree that attitudes are changing because more white people are dyingthats totally fair. FBI Fifteen Members of Alleged Drug Ring Arrested Their daughter, who grew up playing soccer and basketball, became hooked on pills by 18 and then turned to heroin. Add to all of this one more factor: Three prisons in Hagerstown, includings two state penitentiaries, have had a habit, according to local law enforcement officials, of leaving ex-offenders in town once theyre released. During the execution of the search warrant, Smith informed law enforcement that he had a storage unit in Hagerstown, Maryland, and told officers where he kept the keys to the unit. Weve been struggling for decades and hopefully this will get the ball rolling, she says. But he moved his family to Pennsylvania a couple years ago, leaving Hagerstown behind. Hagerstown investigation leads to arrests of 2 alleged drug dealers Its not as conscious a decision as that. Police In Western Maryland Dismantle Sex Trafficking Operation Life is great now, he says. The following people were indicted during the investigation: Justin Aaron Spain, 41, of Lanham, Maryland. Christina Boward, two counts of distribution of heroin. Instead, you go get high and forget about it for a while., Forty-year-old Brooks Zombro, who has lived in Hagerstown his whole life, puts it another way: Hagerstown is a manufacturing town, then we lost all those factory jobs our parents and grandparents had, [and] it has become a playground for big box retail that has all but eliminated and destroyed our downtowns small business district. ; Cody William Grant, 26, of 826 Dewey Ave., Apt. The first search was in the 500 block of Lynnehaven Drive in Hagerstown. Whether these efforts, which remain largely public investmentschools, libraries, parkscan spark enough commercial interest to compete with the Valley Mall, the two Walmart Supercenters, and the Premium Outlets remains to be determined. Official websites use .govA .gov website belongs to an official government organization in the United States. The huge A&W Johnston clock, first built in 1836 and later refurbished, still stands four stories above the town square in a period brick building. We need to maintain a sense of hope. 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. The task force was assisted by the Washington County Special Response Team and the Hagerstown regional office of the Drug Enforcement Agency, according to an email from Kerns. 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. Hes married with children and living his dream of being a full-time musician, touring his original folk-country songs across the U.S. Jim Robison, Director for the Washington County Narcotics Task Force. Others sell or trade their methadone or bupe (opioid medications used to suppress withdrawal symptoms) to buy the real thing, faking drug tests to game the system. 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 local taxi company sporadically drops people off. A Narcotics Cop Loses His Daughter to a Heroin Overdose - The Atlantic Some folksa waitress with an apron tied around her waist, a guyin construction gearare clearly stopping by on their way to a job. $90K worth of cocaine found in Hagerstown home, three arrested - WMAR ) or https:// means youve safely connected to the .gov website. More than 20 indicted after drug bust in Hagerstown - DC News Now FBI arrests 30 in drug sweep across Western Pa.; 3 remain at large The two have been charged in connection with a drug distribution conspiracy in the Westminster area of Carroll County, Maryland. Local Hagerstown, MD. Baltimore, Md. Stephen McCormick, two counts of distribution of cocaine. That investigation led to the Narcotics Task Force obtaining 9 search warrants. 2 counts of conspiracy to commit possession with intent to distribute controlled dangerous substances, 3 counts of using a firearm in drug trafficking, Possession of a controlled dangerous substance not marijuana. "The operation in this case, I think it's fair to say, dealt with millions of dollars of drugs and proceeds," he said. Kimberly Thompson, one count of maintaining a common nuisance for distribution of a controlled dangerous substance. Fifteen Members of Alleged Drug Ring Arrested. Rise of a street boss By 1973,. The indictments were returned July 20, said Acting U.S. Attorney Randolph J. Bernard of the northern district of West Virginia. Breezy Jill Beckette, 22, of 807 Hamilton Blvd. The Washington County Narcotics Task Force received assistance from the Washington County Sheriff's Office, Hagerstown Police . The investigation involved federal, state and local law enforcement agencies includingthe Eastern Panhandle Drug Task Force; the Berkeley and Jefferson County sheriff's offices; the Martinsburg, Charles Town, Ranson and Hagerstown police departments;the Washington County Drug Task Force; West Virginia and Maryland state police; the FBI; the U.S. The bust began in the late afternoon Monday as Grant was contacted to do a deal involving an informant, and was taken into custody inside the Sheetz on Potomac Avenue, Kerns said. The 30-count indictment alleges the operation trafficked large amounts of heroin, fentanyl, cocaine base and cocaine hydrochloride from Hagerstown to Berkeley County, West Virginia, between. A block away, two restaurants that would become staplesJone and Don Bowmans Bulls and Bears and E. Jay Zuspan IIIs 28 Southsoon opened. The crisis, he says, is driving a dramatic increase in infant mortality rates, a bellwether for other social problems. The drug task force is comprised of sworn law enforcement officers and contributionsfrom theCaroline County Sheriff's Department, Maryland State Police, Maryland Natural Resources Police, Caroline County States Attorney's Office, and the Denton Police Department. Theres an unmistakable world-wearinesswritten into their faces. A lot of them are just taking their normal dose and get hit with this new shit cut with fentanyl. Ive seen growth in investor confidence, says Director of Community & Economic Development Jill Frick Thompson, attributing it to the citys 10-year plan. District of New Jersey (973) 645-2888. When his Vicodin prescription ended, he started buying it on the street, until 5-milligram Vicodins werent enough. George Alfred Butler, 56, of Federalsburg, Maryland. Kerns said Anderson was part of an investigation that occurred prior to the search warrant being executed. Can Hagerstown Kick Its Habit? - Baltimore Magazine HAGERSTOWN, Md. The Washington County Narcotics Task Force performed the drug raid at a Hagerstown apartment after first obtaining a warrant based on a narcotics investigation of that address. The Frederick County Sheriff's Office arrested and charged 12 people in a drug bust Wednesday. Had we not gotten this building donated, it never wouldve happened, says Hovermale, whos lived in Hagerstown most of his life and now serves as principal of BISFA. Major Drug and Weapons Bust Announced from February 9th in Hagerstown Summer Camp registration opens Apri, Congratulations to Boot Barn for celebrating a rib, On behalf of the National Park Service, the Washin, Check out the special events Washington County Rec, In observance of Presidents' Day, Washington Count, Americans with Disabilities Act Information. 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. , 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. four counts of possession with intent to distribute spice, three counts of maintaining a common nuisance for distribution of a controlled dangerous substance. Simms is being held at the Caroline County Detention Center without bond. But there is often trauma, or simply the stress of living in poverty, that is putting them under intense pressure.. 2023 www.heraldmailmedia.com. Copyright 2023 Nexstar Media Inc. All rights reserved. Jackie Devon Thompson, 41, of Frederick, Md. Mayor Richard Trump (no relation to the president),who ran for office on a slate that promised to return God to City Hall, abruptly resigned without explanation after nine months in office in 2006. In a town with two traditional public high schoolsNorth High and South Highit has become the norm for incoming generations to attend several funerals before seeing their first classmate get married. Because of that, its residents have more money and higher expectations, and a strong restaurant base and downtown arts and culture district has grown there, sustained by its community. The homes that were searched were in Preston, Hurlock, Federalsburg, Lanham and Crofton. Nine arrested in early morning drug bust in Westernport | WCBC Several weapons were seized, including two stolen handguns, as well as rifles and shotguns, Kerns said. Most Popular. For the past 44 years, since Valley Mall was built on the outskirts of town, shuttering the department stores, retail shops, restaurants, theaters, and five and dimes, there have been hopes of reviving Hagerstowns once-thriving city center. After the public schools and hospital, the largest employers in Washington County today are the sprawling Citi and First Data call centers. Please provide as much information as possible, Your name and address/information is optional. Andrew Clopper, one count of distribution of heroin. More than 1,000 pounds of prescription medicine is collected in the first two hours of the event, which is held in an empty parking lot outside the county health offices. 29th person arrested in drug ring case linked to appliance store When the University System of Maryland satellite campus at University Plaza was established in the city center in 2005, it was the first time anything like that had moved into town in decades: something big, with money behind it and staying power. Thamar Smith, age 48, of Hagerstown, Maryland, pleaded guilty today to conspiracy to possess with intent to distribute heroin and fentanyl. About Press Copyright Contact us Creators Advertise Developers Terms Privacy Policy & Safety How YouTube works Test new features Press Copyright Contact us Creators . Patrica Diaz,four counts of possession with intent to distribute spice, three counts of maintaining a common nuisance for distribution of a controlled dangerous substance. o understand the DNA of Hagerstown, you have to go back to the 19th-century industrial boom. 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. Four people were apprehended, three in relation to the possession of controlled substances, and one on an outstanding warrant. It could not be determined Wednesday if those arrested remained in custody or were on pre-trial release. 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. 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,. "The drug enterprise run by the defendants involved a sophisticated operation including the use of a purported business to act as a front for drug trafficking and the laundering of hundreds of thousands of dollars in drug proceeds," Bernard said in a statement. Additionally, in less than one month, Smith and Tyler contacted each other 714 times by cell phone. Frederick County Sheriff's Office Assists In Taking Down Major Drug Operation In Hagerstown Last Week February 13, 2023 - 3:40 pm Five people were arrested; large quantities of drugs confiscated. 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. Across the country, rural addiction rates have surpassed those in urban areas, yet there is still not a single inpatient drug treatment facility in Washington County. Daily, he watches people, mostly in their 30s, 40s, and 50s, selling and scoring drugs in the citys central parking lot behind the gallery. Hitachi Rail Factory "on track" in Hagerstown. Arrest made in Feb. 5 Hagerstown homicide. Ive been a right-wing Republican all my life, Simmers says. Others arrive in pajamas and sweatpants, barely awake, clutching telltale lockboxes for take-home doses. A block away, the City of Hagerstown opened the artist-run Engine Room Art Space and four artist apartments above it in 2015, which also breathes some life into the city. Your California Privacy Rights / Privacy Policy. His associate, 33-year-old Rodney Gaines, or "Butta" was also arrested. Nobody I know. HAGERSTOWN, Md. (Photos from the Frederick County Sheriff's Office) When you cant find work, cant pay your billswho wants to think about that? 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. CDS Possession/Use of Cocaine and Derivatives CDS Possession/Use of Synthetic Narcotics (Fentanyl) CDS Sale/Manufacturing Synthetic Narcotics (Fentanyl), CDS Sale/Manufacturing Other Dangerous Drugs CDS Possession/Use Opium (Heroin) CDS Sale/Manufacturing Cocaine, CDS Possession/Use- Cocaine CDS Possession/Use of Synthetic Narcotics (Fentanyl) CDS With Intent to Distribute Narcotics, CDS Possession- Not Cannabis CDS Possession/Use, (Use the blue dots to scroll the list of recent arrests). When a methadone clinic was first proposed at this site, two blocks from Hagerstowns main street, in the spring of 2001, it was met with vehement opposition. 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. Hagerstown, Washington County closer to seeing some opioid settlements, Fatal drug overdoses hit record levels during COVID, Your California Privacy Rights / Privacy Policy, Ana Ercilia Luna, 36, of Hagerstown and the Dominican Republic, Juan Manuel De La Rosa-Tejeda, also known as Little Papi, 35, of Hagerstown and the Dominican Republic, Daniel Inoa-Rodriguez, also known as Danny, 21, of Hagerstown, Tyrone Lewis, also known as "Roc," 42, of Hagerstown, Edwin Orrillio, also known as J Money, 34, of Hagerstown, Carlos M. Nunez-Arias, also known as Charlote, 51, of Hagerstown, Edson Velasquez-Lopez, 50, of Martinsburg, Chelsea Nicole Pinkcett, 33, of Martinsburg, Ronald MichaelBowers, 52, of Martinsburg, Devron Jerel Brown, also known as Country, 33, of Martinsburg. On at least 30 separate occasions between April 8 and May 8, 2019, Smith visited Tyler Wares residence. Michelle Lynn Spain, 48, of Preston, Maryland, James Eugene Simms, 36, of Great Mills, Maryland. For the lions share, howevera nearly all-white mix of solitary adults, young and middle-aged couples, teenagers, and parents dragging along childrenit looks like life has been a struggle for a while. Founded in 1986, the Washington County Narcotics Task Force (NFT) is comprised of members from the Hagerstown Department of Police and the Washington County Sheriffs Office. . Andre Luther Woolford, 33, of Hurlock, Maryland. Most arent even here to get clean but to get by. Photography by Benjamin C. Tankersley | July 2018. the sun has yet to rise over South Mountain, but already a line of cars is arriving at the Phoenix Health Center in Hagerstown. In addition to Mota, the news release listed those indicted in connection with the alleged operation as: All but 11 of the defendants had been arrested as of Wednesday. Grant also was charged with possession of drug paraphernalia; possession of needles related to drugs; possession of less than 10 grams of marijuana; creating a common nuisance through distributing narcotics; and escape in the second degree, according to Kerns and online court records. Ketia Daniel, founder of BHM Cleaning Co., is BestReviews cleaning expert. In 2019, there were 119 non-fatal and 24 fatal overdoses reported in Allegany County. Situated near the Potomac River and what was once Western Maryland and West Virginia coal country, Hagerstown served as a vital gateway to the fertile Midwest. The indictment also lists items requested for forfeiture that include more than $400,000 in cash, a .22 caliber pistol, ammunition, and six vehicles, all believed to be proceeds from the drug trafficking conspiracy. These kinds of places are where non-college-educated, white working-class people have been dying in increasing numbers from what Princeton economists Anne Case and Angus Deaton referred to in their landmark 2015 paper as deaths of despairsuicide, drug poisoning, and liver diseasewhich are reversing the life expectancy progress that the U.S. has seen over the past 50 years. Agents say anyone wishing to report narcotics information is encouraged to contact the task force by calling 301-791-3205, emailing drugtip@washco-md.net, orvisiting their website at wcntf.net. We kind of got shit pie handed to us., Source: Maryland Vital Statistics Administration. (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 seized drugs have a street value of approximately $471,000, according to prosecutors. Its hope or heroin out here.. The person arrested on the outstanding warrant was Violet Benjamin, 53, of Hagerstown. He moved on to 10-milligram Percocet, then 30-milligram. 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. As stated in his plea agreement, on August 9, 2019, law enforcement executed a search warrant at Smiths Hagerstown, Maryland residence.
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