Snapshot
Aug. 9-15, 2007

In Minnesota – A 33-year-old man was arraigned on four felony drug charges related to a mobile Meth lab.  Charges against him include a first-degree drug charge for manufacturing Meth and a first-degree drug conspiracy charge for manufacturing Meth plus charges of possession of Meth precursors and a fifth-degree drug possession charge for marijuana. A K-9 unit checked and alerted officers to the lab found in a car parked between two semi trucks.  Two other men ran into the woods, the 33-year-old stayed with the car.  Deputies and agents from a drug task force searched the car and found numerous items used in Meth making; they also found a rifle, drug paraphernalia, items associated with drug trafficking and a bag of marijuana. 

In Pennsylvania – A 50-year-old man faced a prison sentence of 88- to 108-months in prison, but instead received a three-year sentence after pleading guilty to dealing Meth.  The prosecutor agreed with the defense and the judge that the reduced time was appropriate, since the defendant had never been convicted of a federal crime or any other serious offense.  He expressed remorse, and told the court that Meth took control of his life, leaving his “brains scrambled.”  He pleaded guilty to two counts of distributing drugs and one count of conspiracy. Prosecutors say he sold about 600-grams of crystal Meth.  In addition to a longer jail term, he also could have been hit with a $6 million fine, he was instead ordered to pay $5,000. 

In California - Three brothers, 30-, 29- and 20-years-old, were arrested after officers executed a search warrant at a home.  The officers seized four-pounds of Meth and a weapon in the raid.  The house was “about a rock's throw away from the Oroville Police Department," according to one officer.  A SWAT team was involved in the raid because agents had information that at least one person had a fully automatic weapon.  A 9-mm Baretta handgun was found in one of the suspect's bedrooms.   Agents also found scales and packaging material consistent with sales of Meth.

In Indiana - A complaint to police about a chemical-like odor coming from a home led to the arrest of six people found inside.  Police said fumes from the active Meth lab had filled the home to a dangerous level by the time they arrived.  The five men and one woman were all found in a back room of the home.  The six suspects were decontaminated and checked by paramedics before being taken to jail. 

In Oregon - A man hoping to score some Meth ended up getting himself arrested when he allegedly tried to buy drugs from a police detective who was in the process of arresting the man's usual source. Police were questioning the tenant inside an apartment when a man came up to the door and asked to buy drugs.  As detectives stood around with their badges hanging from their necks and latex gloves on their hands, the man asked the tenant, "Can you hook me up?"  The tenant was seated on the couch with handcuffs around his wrists. A detective was writing him a citation. The tenant said, "I don't think I can help you," but the visitor persisted, and turned to the detective for help.  That's when the detective pointed at his police badge.  Officers ended up arresting the 34-year-old man and charged him with attempted possession and sale of Meth.  The original suspect, a 58-year-old man, faces charges of possessing Meth and for endangering the welfare of a 15-year-old girl who was in the apartment. A third man, 21-years-old, was also arrested when he walked into the apartment carrying seven baggies of Meth.

In Nebraska – Police executing a search warrant in a storage unit facility discovered a large Meth lab and bomb making materials.  A 29-year-old man who rented the unit had been pulled over earlier in the week.  In his car, police found a pipe bomb, a manual of how to make a bomb, a pair of brass knuckles and other items they think might be stolen. 

In Minnesota - A 37-year-old woman was sentenced after pleading guilty to Meth possession charges.  She was sentenced to 12 months and one day in prison, stayed for 12 months and one day. She will serve six months in a county jail, with nine days credit and will pay $570 in fines and court costs.

In Washington - SWAT officers and drug detectives raided four homes, seizing about a pound of suspected Meth and a pound of heroin.  In all, eight people were arrested in the raids, drawing a two-year multi-agency investigation, dubbed Operation Methopotamia, nearly to a close.  Officials allege that four of the suspects are part of an organized criminal ring and are in the U.S. illegally.  They have been indicted by a federal grand jury on charges of conspiracy to distribute Meth and heroin.  If they are convicted, they will be deported after serving their prison sentences. The other four suspects were taken into custody for immigration issues; there wasn’t enough evidence to charge them with drug deliveries.  Detectives believe the suspects were a major part of the distribution system bringing pounds of Meth from large superlabs in Mexico up Interstate 5 for sale in the area. 

August 14, 2007
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