Two drug busts were done on Wednesday after a three month investigation discovered a drug trafficking organization in the area. Prosecutors allege that Luna Mota, the owner of Top 3 Sources, was using the West Washington Street store to keep and sell drugs. It is a cruel twist that Hagerstown, on the receiving end of so much heroin from Baltimore, has such a shortage of addiction specialists that the Wells House, one of the largest outpatient clinics here, utilizes Baltimore doctors via telemedicine to treat its clients. By Ron Cassie and Lauren LaRocca Photography by BENJAMIN C. TANKERSLEY | July 2018, By Ron Cassie and Lauren LaRocca. Call (240) 382-2757 or get your auth barcode quickly online. 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. 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. You have permission to edit this article. About Press Copyright Contact us Creators Advertise Developers Terms Privacy Policy & Safety How YouTube works Test new features Press Copyright Contact us Creators . This was a normal kid, the daughter of a respected ex-city cop. Thats a lot of drugs, Kerns said Wednesday in a phone interview. The search warrants were a result of a multi- state . A lot of them are just taking their normal dose and get hit with this new shit cut with fentanyl. We have a long way to go, but the school has brought life downtown, Hovermale says. The mayor and City Council at the time didnt want it. Baltimore, Maryland - Thamar Smith, age 48, of Hagerstown, Maryland, pleaded guilty today to conspiracy to possess with intent to distribute heroin and fentanyl.. Images courtesy of Hagerstown police Department. Theres an unmistakable world-wearinesswritten into their faces. This designation provides local agents enforcement powers anywhere in the United States. 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. Justin Ernest Riggs, 33, was arrested Saturday and is accused of leaking information to a drug trafficking organization . "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. 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. Ketia Daniel, founder of BHM Cleaning Co., is BestReviews cleaning expert. 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. (In 2007, three Purdue executives pleaded guilty to federal charges related to the misbranding of OxyContin and paid $34.5 million in fines, while the company agreed to pay $600 million to resolve a Department of Justice investigation.) Jim Robison, Director for the Washington County Narcotics Task Force. Most arent even here to get clean but to get by. Stephen McCormick, two counts of distribution of cocaine. But how many people do you know that have been attacked by a terrorist? However, the shops we visited had good deals and were brightly lit, clean and had nice staff. I fully bought into the War on Drugs and what Reagan was doing, he says. The school started with 85 students but this year surpassed 300, even though that meant holding classes in hallways and stairwells. Conspiracy to commit possession with intent to distribute narcotics. But the sad fact is that in 2018, Phoenix Health Center drawsmore people downtown than anything else on a Saturday. , 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. The material on this site may not be reproduced, distributed, transmitted, cached, or otherwise used, except with the prior written permission of Baltimore Magazine. Additionally, in less than one month, Smith and Tyler contacted each other 714 times by cell phone. basketball state quarterfinal highlights, D.C. high school basketball playoffs highlights (3/3/23), Maryland high school basketball playoffs highlights, Court docs reveal videos fmr. Drug & alcohol testing in Hagerstown, MD at 2 clinics. 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. Daily, he watches people, mostly in their 30s, 40s, and 50s, selling and scoring drugs in the citys central parking lot behind the gallery. 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. 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. Andre Luther Woolford, 33, of Hurlock, Maryland. 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. ) or https:// means youve safely connected to the .gov website. Ketia Daniel, founder of BHM Cleaning Co., is BestReviews cleaning expert. Beckette and Anderson were being held at the detention center Wednesday, each in lieu of a $50,000 bond. NOW PLAYING ABOVE. The Washington County Narcotics Task Force recovered approximately 188 grams of suspected heroin and 95 grams of suspected methamphetamine Monday from 807 Hamilton Blvd. Methadone, he argues, is a drug just like heroin. He found an opiate specialist doctor and took Suboxone for about a year, then safely weaned off. 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 . The Caroline and Dorchester County Task Forces, Homeland Security Investigations and Drug Enforcement Administration, were further assisted by Dorchester County States Attorneys Office, Dorchester County Sheriffs Office, MSP Special Operations Group, MSP STATE Team, MSP Homicide, MSP PACE, MSP Gun Unit, MSP Criminal Investigations (Easton, Centreville, Salisbury, Princess Anne and Worcester), MSP Technical Surveillance Unit, Easton Police Department, Wicomico County Sheriffs Office, Talbot County Narcotics Task Force, Kent County Narcotics Task Force, Queen Annes County Narcotics Task Force, Somerset County Narcotics Task Force, Queen Anne's County Sheriffs Office, Federalsburg Police, and the Hurlock Police Department. In 2019, there were 119 non-fatal and 24 fatal overdoses reported in Allegany County. Maryland bust nets $1M in drugs, 9 arrests, 34 guns Authorities said they seized more than $1 million in drugs, including 18 kilograms of cocaine, 2.7 kilograms of heroin and . That investigation led to the Narcotics Task Force obtaining 9 search warrants. 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. Kevin and Dana Simmers at the future site of Brooke's House. Then he went from eating it to snorting it. Multiple law enforcement agencies ultimately provided assistance with the investigation. Jackie Devon Thompson, 41, of Frederick, Md. After the public schools and hospital, the largest employers in Washington County today are the sprawling Citi and First Data call centers. Winds NNW at 10 to 15 mph. A methadone clinic was not a part of that vision. DEA agents and partner agencies in Western Maryland are seeing a resurgence of one-pot meth labs in the area -- noting more incidents of meth labs in the area this year than the last 5 years combined. Get browser notifications for breaking news, live events, and exclusive reporting. 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. Bernard had high praise for the cooperative efforts of the agencies involved, saying "they did a tremendous job. We have more kids living with their grandparents and a greater need for foster parents. HAGERSTOWN, Md. Im not in economic development, but you also cant help but wonder, how do you build a workforce and attract new businesseswhich we desperately needwhen this is happening everywhere in your community?. At that time, police apprehended Beckette, who was inside the duplex, Kerns said. 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. There were a few people dedicated to establishing a Maryland orchestra, a few people trying to revive the Maryland Theatre. in Hagerstowns North End, according to Lt. Todd Kerns, who served as the task forces director in 2013. We kind of got shit pie handed to us., Source: Maryland Vital Statistics Administration. Hagerstown, MD 3 days ago. Six years ago, at an I-81 coalition meeting of stakeholders, Western Maryland state police commander Lt. Mike Fluharty coined the phrase Heroin Highway to describe Hagerstowns I-81/I-70 nexus. Its hope or heroin out here.. There were things going on, but no cohesiveness at the top.. She can be reached via email at julieg@herald-mail.com. NTF has partnered with the Drug Enforcement Administration's (DEA) Hagerstown Resident Office and works closely with Hagerstown Police Department's Street Crime Unit. four counts of possession with intent to distribute spice, three counts of maintaining a common nuisance for distribution of a controlled dangerous substance. "The fact that a good portion of the investigation occurred during the pandemic makes the results even more impressive.". Including Brookes father. According to Bernard, those charged are: Lenin Erasmo Luna Mota, also known as "Papi," 48, of Hagerstown, Maryland, and the Dominican Republic The loot was wrapped in bundles. 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.

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