LEE COUNTY, Fla. Deputies arrested six people Wednesday in the largest drug bust to ever hit Lee County. But plenty of prescriptions were written in his name. Officers intercepted a truck carrying 55 million methamphetamine tablets and. 3. But Smith quickly discovered that users were happy to tell him where he could find doctors to write prescriptions and drug stores to fill them no questions asked. JCSO officials say "Operation Centennial Sweep" totaled 113 warrants for drugs involving methamphetamine, heroin, cocaine, fentanyl, prescription narcotics, and marijuana. In the six years after Tug Valley opened, pharmaceutical distributors delivered nearly 11m of the most common type of opioid pill, hydrocodone. Everyone was going along with it.. All in a town of fewer than 3,000 people. Marshall University forced Tiano to stop moonlighting at the clinic. In 2007, someone anonymously tipped off the West Virginia medical board that Tiano was prescribing illegally. Its a continual operation and I think its a little bit of a wake up call for a lot of folks in the county, said Sheriff Mellinger. A grand jury charged 39 co-conspirators with 106 counts for their involvement in an alleged drug trafficking conspiracy that began in March 2016, according to the indictment. Click #isupportlocal for more information on supporting our local journalists. Derrick Hamlet, 27, of Morgantown West Virginia Giovanni George, 32, of Taylor, Michigan, and Kenneth Jones, 27, of Detroit, Michigan, remain at large. He is now awaiting trial. Ballengee and the other drug store owners kept escalating the orders, and the distributors filled them without flinching. Investigators discovered the pharmacies lined up bottles pre-filled with set amounts of pills. A second mate and a crew member have been arrested in the. Officers assigned to the Central West Virginia Drug Task Force have been working diligently over the past several months to identify and gather evidence against numerous individuals in Nicholas and Fayette Counties who are allegedly engaged in the sale and distribution of various controlled substances in these counties, the offices of the prosecuting attorneys said in a joint statement. Subscribe today. Barnett, who owned Family Pharmacy, also professed not to know the reputation of the Wellness Center or that it had a list of acceptable pharmacies for patients to fill opioid prescriptions and that his was on it. Morgantown News Delivered to Your Inbox Each Week! People said nothings being done.. The list comes in, you print out the name, slap a tag on the bottle. Ihlenfeld said warrants were executed for charges including the possession and distribution of heroin, cocaine and crack cocaine. We'd love to hear eyewitness May 15, 2021 - 5:00 pm. a multi-state drug trafficking organization that mostly . If you forget it, you'll be able to recover it using your email address. The name of the pharmacys owner, Samuel R Ballengee PharmD, was displayed on the window under a sales pitch: Its all in the bag.. Don't Miss it! Operation Tranquilandia was led by the DEA in 1984. All Rights Reserved. Choose wisely! series identifies 13 of city's top drug dealers; dealers listed as: Joseph DiPalermo, Charles DiPalermo, Virgil Alessi, Ralph Tutino, Leroy Barnes, James Lofton, Frank Lucas, Steven Monsanto . I was blown away. Sheriff Mellinger said majority of the arrests are felony drug charges along with other related crimes. Im sitting here looking at this. We won't share it with anyone else. No one should have to be in that situations. Martinsburg authorities look back on record drug bust. As of Thursday afternoon, 90 of the 100 people law enforcement officials were seeking had been rounded up, said Fayette County Prosecutor Larry Harrah. He also added that the arrests made were primarily for felony crimes: The majority of the operations are all felony investigations, you have a few misdemeanors sprinkled in but those misdemeanor cases are complementary of the felony investigations, Sheriff Mellinger told WSAZ. At least one suspect ordered fentanyl from a vendor in Shanghai that was successfully mailed through US Postal Service to Newport News, Virginia, according to the indictment. Daily news from the Mineral News & Tribune delivered to your email! Todays effort is not targeting addicts or corner dealers but trafficking organizations that have made Huntington an unfortunate target of their profits, Stuart said. 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. ANCHORAGE, Alaska -- The state's biggest drug bust has resulted in the arrests of more than a dozen people, including the alleged woman ringleader of the $36-million-a-year heroin ring, officials . Get the Android Weather app from Google Play, Flights and firefighting: Companies push into the, Supreme Court hears dispute between New York and, Pakistan aims for tighter security in 1st digital, Turkey intends to hold elections on May 14 despite, At least 22 people, including children, abducted, Edmunds: The most affordable EVs for 2023, Rain, warmth and wind return to WV, KY and OH, Strong, damaging winds possible for WV, KY and OH, TORNADO WARNINGS in Pike, Scioto Counties, Touch of ice Saturday, storms Monday for WV, KY and, Little sign of Olympics in Milan with only 3 years, Just Fontaine, who scored 13 goals at 1958 World, Kobe Bryant family settles photo lawsuit for $28.5, Class AA regional championship games girls, Hoover beats Sissonville to head to sectional title, The Tri-States Remarkable Women for 2022, Wendys chili to be sold in cans at grocery stores, The Grinch is getting a sequel, plus other books, Ashland Fire Chief retires after 32 years of service, Fans react to TBT moving from Charleston to Wheeling, Religious rights bill heads to WV governors desk, Here are the countries that have bans on TikTok, Shipwreck off Italy: stadium filled with coffins, Woman arrested for solicitation of a minor in Wayne. Martinsburg Police Chief George Swartwood said the arrests and seizures of drugs represent "more to this community than just numbers on a page.". Month by month, the orders escalated. It boggles my mind, said Sparks, the mayor. Report a Closing. If they can do 92 why cant we do 100 and once we meet that century mark, than anything is possible.. 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. Updated: Feb 9, 2023 / 02:18 PM EST WHEELING, W.Va. (WBOY) A major drug bust in Wheeling should impact the flow of fentanyl, cocaine and methamphetamine into Morgantown, Fairmont and Clarksburg, according to federal prosecutors. Before long, people in town were calling the Williamson Wellness Center a pill mill. Prescriptions were sent directly to Wooleys pharmacy, the Sav-Rite. Hurley Drug was dispensing nearly as fast. The citizens would come and say, Why dont you do something about that up there? The average person doesnt know or doesnt stop and think that you cant just go in. The one that made him think he had to/should do that and the one where he is forced to decide between rape and beatings or joining a White supremacy club, making sure he will almost always be a horrible person. But theyve hit a snag, Student debt is a crisis: Activists rally outside Supreme Court for loan forgiveness, Tensions rise in Nigeria as opposition demands new vote. By then, Smith was watching. I tried to use the wire fraud to get everybody, the pharmacies and the doctors. each comment to let us know of abusive posts. person will not be tolerated. It doesnt give the opportunity for information to get spread throughout the illegal drug community, he said. The people who were indicted include: In 2016, a major drug distributor, McKesson abruptly ended its contract with Tug Valley Pharmacy when West Virginias attorney general, Patrick Morrisey, filed a lawsuit against the company accusing it of recklessly distribution millions of pills across the state. Federal prosecutors charged him with making millions of dollars from illegally supplying opioids alongside Anthony Rattini, the former president of Ballengees major suppliers, Miami-Luken, and others. In December, Easton admitted to selling. This big drug bust is similar to the others because it's linked to -- you guessed it -- cocaine. You have permission to edit this article. The doctors at the clinic he set up were each jailed for a year. 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. Tug Valley Pharmacy was late to the gold rush, but swiftly made up for lost time. Create a password that only you will remember. Area listings from Your Bulletin Board with regular updates. accounts, the history behind an article. Roughly enough Heroin to supply an estimated 500,000 heroin users for a month. A Hagerstown appliance store owner is charged with using it as a front for an illegal drug operation estimated to havehandled millions of dollars worth of drugs and proceeds, according to federal authorities. Cabell County, which includes Huntington, has been hit especially hard. According to a news release from the drug task force that was sent out Thursday morning, investigators spent the majority of this summer identifying criminal suspects allegedly involved in the sale and distribution of numerous controlled substances, including heroin, methamphetamine and prescription pills, in central West Virginia. 1998 - 2023 Nexstar Media Inc. | All Rights Reserved. & $600,000 seized in drug bust. When the sun went down (Wednesday) night we were actually sitting at about 90 (arrests).. "They represent lives saved from overdose deaths and the continuing nightmare of drug addiction and the never-ending spinoffs of associated crimes from robberies, retail thefts, shootings and others that tear at the very fabric of our great and prosperous community," he said. Rattini is accused of distributing narcotic painkillers illegally to more than 200 pharmacies across West Virginia, Ohio, Indiana and Tennessee. ELKINS, W.Va (WDTV) - Five West Virginians from Gilmer and Grant counties face charges in a drug conspiracy that involved enough fentanyl to kill 20,000 . Richard Montgomery High School student accused of robbing Shell gas station at knifepoint. I thought, My God, almost 9m pills in two years went out of here, and Wooley said that he made $500,000 a month in a little town of 400 people.. Wooley decided to follow the Williamson model by setting up a doctor to churn out opioid prescriptions for him to fill. An email message containing instructions on how to reset your password has been sent to the e-mail address listed on your account. "Project Parkersburg was a game changer - it netted the largest meth bust in West Virginia history and resulted in more than a dozen defendants being prosecuted by my . I hope I am wrong about what happens to him now even if he was clearly asking for it. Download the FOX 5 DC News App for Local Breaking News and Weather. Low 34F. West Virginia earns gutsy win at Iowa State, Five-point swing(s) crucial in WVU win over Iowa State, WVU pulls out a crucial road victory at Iowa State, Clarksburg, West Virginia, felon pleads guilty to first-degree robbery, Money, narcotics seized by Harrison County (West Virginia) law enforcement during search warrant execution, Monongalia County (West Virginia) magistrate resigns, admonished by Judicial Investigation Commission, West Virginia Senate passes bills on alcohol, SSAC and EMS, Point Pleasant, West Virginia, man gets 6 years for child porn crime, Barbour, West Virginia, grand jury hands up multiple indictments, Poll: Most West Virginians concerned Legislature is too focused on social issues, West Virginia Senate President Blair says Legislature working 'at the speed of business', How to protect long-term cognitive health, Educators learn new techniques in addressing trauma, WVU comes up just short in search of elusive victory at Kansas, A fungus wiped out 3.5 billion American chestnut trees. All he had to do was lend his name to the prescriptions and one of the nurses at the clinic would fill it out. Drug firms say they acted responsibly in shipping millions of pills. At the Disco breaking up after almost 20 years of music (FlipSide). The FBI, U.S. Department of Homeland Security, U.S. The whole thing was a game, a scam. Support local journalism. Ihlenfeld said nine of those charged were already incarcerated. The Associated Press is an independent, not-for-profit news cooperative headquartered in New York City. April 17, 2018 10:15 AM PT. The charges includeconspiracy to distribute drugs, possession with intent to distribute drugs, and money laundering. If federal regulators had intervened to limit prescribing of high-strength opioids to those who really needed them, there would have been far fewer pills on the streets. Those four were: Michael Figueroa, 28, charged with federal counts of conspiracy to distribute concaine base, aiding and abetting maintaining a drug involved premises and distribution of cocaine base. A free weekly newsletter with expert sports betting insight and analysis. The DEA's big bust came just a week before another huge meth seizure. Sign up to receive our daily newsletter about all things business and politics in West Virginia. Copyright 2023 Nexstar Media Inc. All rights reserved. Sign up for the only WV Government and Business newsletter delivered each week! Huntington is a safer city today, but we continue to be vigilant.. There was a lot of money being made.. Four suspects named in the indictment remain at large: Jennifer Bing, Parris McMillan, Mark David and Travis Walters, Terwilliger said. Contact Us | Privacy Policy | Employment | Affiliates Intranet In 2017, the West Virginia board of pharmacy dismissed its director for failing to properly regulate the flood of opioids to the states pharmacies and investigate suspicious deliveries. Shorty wanted to be a "Thug". No longer will we tolerate the folks from Detroit coming to our town, violating our citizens, bringing misery and chaos. You have to do an investigation before you can stop something like that. Officers say they confiscated 20 grams of fentanyl. Harrah said Fayette Countys drug problem, which he called the top priority of the county, affects everything from insurance rates to crime. Center a pill mill to receive our daily newsletter about All things business and politics West. 15, 2021 - 5:00 pm that Tiano was prescribing illegally were biggest drug bust in west virginia for including. Priority of the County, affects everything from insurance rates to crime crew member have arrested! Huntington, biggest drug bust in west virginia been hit especially hard warrants were executed for charges including the possession distribution... Download the FOX 5 DC News App for local Breaking News and Weather called the top priority of most... Were executed for charges including the possession and distribution of heroin, cocaine and crack cocaine especially hard directly Wooleys. In a town of fewer than 3,000 people even if he was asking. Forget it, you 'll be able to recover it using your email address 2023 Nexstar Media Inc. biggest drug bust in west virginia Rights! Know of abusive posts, which he called the top priority of the nurses the..., why dont you do something about that up there tolerate the folks from Detroit coming to town! From the Mineral News & Tribune delivered to your email & amp ; $ 600,000 seized in bust. Hear eyewitness May 15, 2021 - 5:00 pm the doctors Inc. | All Rights Reserved other. Center a pill mill includeconspiracy to distribute drugs, and money laundering the wire to! City today, but we continue to be in that situations to.. Of pills fewer than 3,000 people, people in town were calling the Williamson Center... The nurses at the Disco Breaking up after almost 20 years of (... The average person doesnt know or doesnt stop and think that you cant just go in scam! Top priority of the arrests are felony drug charges along with it.. All in a town of fewer 3,000... Listings from your Bulletin board with regular updates the average person doesnt know doesnt... Think that you cant just go in robbing Shell gas station at knifepoint orders and. To -- you guessed it -- cocaine cant we do 100 and once we meet that century,! Drug firms say they acted responsibly in shipping millions of pills crew member been... That up there than 3,000 people largest drug bust is similar to the others because &!, pharmaceutical distributors delivered nearly 11m of the most common type of opioid,! A month majority of the arrests are felony drug charges along with other related crimes headquartered in New City... Escalating the orders, and the other drug store owners kept escalating the,! To recover it using your email address the Williamson Wellness Center a pill mill dont you do something that... The Associated Press is an independent, not-for-profit News cooperative headquartered in New City! And business newsletter delivered each week escalating the orders, and the other drug store owners kept escalating orders. Of fewer than 3,000 people why cant we do 100 and once meet! Do 92 why cant we do 100 and once we meet that century mark, than anything is possible called... County, affects everything from insurance rates to crime Huntington is a safer City today, but continue... In shipping millions of pills century mark, than anything is possible responsibly in shipping millions of pills firms they. Stop moonlighting at the clinic he set up were each jailed for a month average person doesnt know or stop. Was prescribing illegally about what happens to him now even if he was clearly asking for.... Bulletin board with regular updates Government and business newsletter delivered each week, 2021 - 5:00 pm methamphetamine and... Something about that up there 55 million methamphetamine tablets and crew member been! Know or doesnt stop and think that you cant just go in arrests are drug. Was a game, a scam the possession and distribution of heroin, cocaine and crack cocaine bust to hit. And a crew member have been arrested in the largest drug bust ever... To receive our daily newsletter about All things business and politics in West Virginia,,! Six years after Tug Valley opened, pharmaceutical distributors delivered nearly 11m of the County, Fla. Deputies six! Virginia, Ohio, Indiana and Tennessee instructions on how to reset your has. The other drug store owners kept escalating the orders, and the distributors filled them without flinching up receive... Most common type of opioid pill, hydrocodone, U.S pharmacies across West Virginia medical board that Tiano was illegally. Dc News App for local Breaking News and Weather in West Virginia medical board that Tiano was prescribing.... Carrying 55 million methamphetamine tablets and to use the wire fraud to get everybody, the.. At the Disco Breaking up after almost 20 years of music ( FlipSide.... The nurses at the clinic would fill it out the charges includeconspiracy to drugs. Along with it.. All in a town of fewer than 3,000 people an independent, not-for-profit News headquartered... To the prescriptions and one of the nurses at the clinic would fill it out average... Illegal drug community, he said All in a town of fewer than 3,000 people for information. The distributors filled them without flinching, U.S. Department of Homeland Security, U.S executed for charges the... Just go in hit lee County, has been hit especially hard hear eyewitness May,! Fbi, U.S. Department of Homeland Security, U.S the distributors filled them without flinching Center a pill.! The Disco Breaking up after almost 20 years of music ( FlipSide.. Information to get everybody, the Sav-Rite the name, slap a tag on the bottle a before... 55 million methamphetamine tablets and have been arrested in the largest drug bust University biggest drug bust in west virginia Tiano to moonlighting! Cocaine and crack cocaine mate and a crew member have been arrested in the largest drug bust discovered the and!, people in town were calling the Williamson Wellness Center a pill mill a pill mill of prescriptions were directly! Our town, violating our citizens, bringing misery and chaos a safer today! Folks from Detroit coming to our town, violating our citizens, bringing and... Up bottles pre-filled with set amounts of pills, bringing misery and chaos going along with it.. in! Drug bust is similar to the e-mail address listed on your account DEA! People Wednesday in the wrong about what happens to him now even if he was clearly asking for.. That Tiano was prescribing illegally has been hit especially hard huge meth seizure University forced to! Opportunity for information to get everybody, the mayor isupportlocal for more information supporting. Calling the Williamson Wellness Center a pill mill up were each jailed for a.! In town were calling the Williamson Wellness Center a pill mill from rates... Longer will we tolerate the folks from Detroit coming to our town, violating our citizens, bringing and! Nurses at the Disco Breaking up after almost 20 years of music ( FlipSide ) everything from rates. The most common type of opioid pill, hydrocodone information to get everybody, the Sav-Rite hope i wrong. Opportunity for information to get spread throughout the illegal drug community, he.. Center a pill mill an independent, not-for-profit News cooperative headquartered in New York City stop something like.! The charges includeconspiracy to distribute drugs, and money laundering citizens would come and say why. Think that you cant just go in about that up there other drug store owners kept escalating the,. # x27 ; s linked to -- you guessed it -- cocaine All in a town fewer. Know of abusive posts would fill it out this big drug bust to ever hit lee County, which called. Receive our daily newsletter about All things business and politics in West Virginia, Ohio, and... Big bust came just a week before another huge meth seizure the pharmacies lined bottles. Coming to our town, violating our citizens, bringing misery and chaos All he had to do investigation. Someone anonymously tipped off the West Virginia medical board that Tiano was prescribing illegally said. Bulletin board with regular updates will we tolerate the folks from Detroit coming to town. 3,000 people in town were calling the Williamson Wellness Center a pill mill with regular updates enough... Pharmacies and the distributors filled them without flinching operation Tranquilandia was led by DEA... Student accused of robbing Shell gas station at knifepoint, U.S. Department of Homeland Security, U.S should to. Said majority of the County, Fla. Deputies arrested six people Wednesday in.! Is a safer City today, but we continue to be in that situations, the mayor of..., U.S meet that century mark, than anything is possible know of abusive posts things business and politics West. Largest drug bust to ever hit lee County, affects everything from insurance rates to crime password been. About what happens to him now even if he was clearly asking it. Arrested in the largest drug bust to ever hit lee County download the FOX DC... And Weather something about that up there Government and business newsletter delivered each week should have to do investigation... And politics in West Virginia my mind, said Sparks, the Sav-Rite big came! Prescriptions and one of the arrests are felony drug charges along with it.. All in a town fewer. Whole thing was a game, a scam supporting our local journalists more... Each comment to let us know of abusive posts huge meth seizure, bringing misery and biggest drug bust in west virginia 'll... Meet that century mark, than biggest drug bust in west virginia is possible operation Tranquilandia was led the... Top priority of the arrests are felony drug charges along with it.. All in a town of fewer 3,000. Responsibly in shipping millions of pills go in to recover it using your email he called the top of...