The Wausau-area arrests were not connected to another major bust in northeastern Wisconsin involving nearly 60 pounds of meth found in suitcases at a hotel, according to Brown County authorities involved in that case. 1 person hospitalized after shooting at Peoria gas station, Anastasia to open Thursday night in Chandler, Heres the lineup for Arizona Broadway Theatres 2023-2024 season, TRENDING: Shes a tough kid: Avondale father says University of Idaho student killed fought her attacker. The investigation was conducted by theCentral Wisconsin Narcotics Task Force. LAWRENCE - It started as a guy sleeping at the wheel of an SUV at a southern Brown County Kwik Trip around midnight. Such a vehiclecan retail for between $28,000 and $35,000 in this region, depending on mileage and condition. The seizure by the Brown County Sheriffs Office of10.68 pounds of methamphetamine in 2017 after afive-month investigation. On Sept. 9, the Brown County Drug Task Force arrested defendant Malachi Root in Green Bay. Lisa Xiong, 31, Wausau:conspiring to distribute meth,three counts of distributing 5 grams or more, possessing 50 grams or more of meth with intent to distribute. Report a typo or error // Submit a news tip. The identities of the subjects are not being released yet. Authorities allege that the meth was to be sold to pay a drug debt. Contact Doug Schneider at (920) 431-8333, or DSchneid@gannett.com. The Wausau-area arrests were not connected to another major bust in northeastern Wisconsin involving nearly 60 pounds of meth found in suitcases at a hotel, according to Brown County. The department had seized 4.76 pounds in all of 2016. This site is protected by reCAPTCHA and the Google Privacy Policy and Terms of Service apply. 37-year-old Ricky Osborne of Rochester is believed to be one of the ring leaders of the operation. Federal investigators believe the 58 pounds of meth seized from Liebergen's hotel room is worth $500,000 - $750,000 on the street. A conviction on the trafficking charge could lead to a sentence of life in prison and a fine of up to $10 million. Liebergen obtained pounds of meth on several occasions dating back to spring. He's also charged with possessing a gun in a drug trafficking crime. 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Sheriff: Area meth bust could be largest in state history, 911 call turns fire drill at Xavier High School into shelter-in-place order, Milwaukee murder suspect captured after chase in Winnebago County, Prosecution moves to ban Grant Fuhrmans mother from the courtroom, Aaron Rodgers hopes to have decision sooner rather than later, Brown County Showcase of Homes starts spring tour, Public File Assistance Contact - (920) 432-3331. "It basically shut down the flow of meth into this area, at least for a while," Lasee said. The case is being prosecuted in the Eastern District of Wisconsin. and last updated 4:15 PM, Jan 21, 2022 KENOSHA, Wis. A Kenosha County overdose investigation uncovered nearly $4 million worth of narcotics from a drug trafficking organization. The task force, formed in 2018, is made up of officers from the Marathon County and Lincoln County sheriff's offices, Wausau and Everest Metro police departments,Wisconsin Department of Justice Division of Criminal Investigationand the FBI, Marathon County Sheriff Scott Parks said. When we see a kilo of cocaine that's unusual for us here in Wisconsin but to see 65 pounds is highly unusual.. One pound of meth sells on the street for up to $40,000, after it is divided into grams, the sheriffsaid. "I talked to a narcotics investigator from Kewaunee County, and he was telling me, immediately after us taking this off, he said, 'I can't buy meth because my people are telling me, oh, they took somebody off in Appleton.' This big drug bust is similar to the others because it's linked to -- you guessed it -- cocaine. Agencies involved in the raid included the Sheriffs Department, Wisconsin Rapids and Port Edwards Police Department, and Wisconsin Rapids Fire Department. Jan 26, 2022 0 Three people have been arrested what the La Crosse Police Department describes as the largest seizure of methamphetamine in the city's history. At least one personis in jail in connection with the case, which began with the arrest March 29 of a man who nodded off in the driver's seat of an SUV parked at a gas pump island at the Kwik Trip on Freedom Road, just west of Interstate 41. Police say on Nov. 9, a traffic stop led to police searching an apartment near Country Club and University drives. Nearly 50 people are now being charged after a year-long investigation focused in Duluth, Rochester, and on the Iron. The bust resulted in a confiscation of 10 tons of cocaine, which was worth around $1.2 billion at the time. An investigation started which apparently lead to the largest drug bust in Hobart/Lawrence history. While the arrest was good news for law enforcement in Hobart and elsewhere in Brown County, Bani doesn't pretend thatthis arrest will make the use of illicit drugs in the region go away. Among the. The caller said that the vehicle, which was occupied by one person, was parked at the gas pumps for over an hour. RELATED:Sixteen people charged with drug crimes after meth investigation in Wausau area, RELATED:'Suitcases full' of methamphetamineseized in Appleton area. Police said the man brought $20,000 to $30,000 worth of drugs into the county, though the value of the substances could reach much higher depending how it is packaged and distributed. Parks said Xiong's operation had the ability to move up to a pound of meth at a time in central Wisconsin. A search warrant was executed for Liebergen's hotel room in Grand Chute. Police also seized about a kilogram 2.2 poundsof heroin or fentanyl, and a Ruger handgun. To the east, Langlade County had a large drug bust almost two weeks ago.. Down Highway 29 west, the Marshfield Police Department also had two larger-scale drug busts last weekend. He along with the others involved are being charged with six felony counts including conspiring and of cocaine that tested positive for fentanyl (estimated street value of the seized cocaine is $4,000,000 $6,000,000). Liebergen is charged in federal court with Conspiracy to Distribute Controlled Substances; Possession with Intent to Distribute Cocaine; Possession of a Firearm in Furtherance of a Drug Crime. It's whatever you can make a buck on, so they'll sell whatever they can sell. DULUTH, Minn. The Duluth Police Department and a string of other law enforcement agencies including the Lake Superior Drug and Violent Crime Taskforce have shut down a significant drug trafficking ring that extended throughout Greater Minnesota, Wisconsin, and Iowa. Authorities say the suspects are part of a violent drug trafficking organization called the "Buffum Meinecke Boys," that operated in and around Milwaukee's Harambee neighborhood on the city's. After a lengthy investigation, officials say detectives uncovered a large drug trafficking organization in Pleasant Prairie. Liebergen agreed to an interview after his arrest. Officers seized the following during the hotel bust: --58 pound of meth --1 kilogram of tramadol (prescription. Authorities said they could not discuss specifics of the investigation. The Wood County Sheriff's. "This quantity was directed all over Northeast Wisconsin," says Sheriff Delain. Operation Tranquilandia was led by the DEA in 1984. WAUSAU- A Wausau-area methamphetamine distributionring was responsible for bringing "pounds" of the drug into central Wisconsin before authorities busted 16 people who were involved, U.S. Attorney Scott Blader said. The organization also had ties throughout the United States and Mexico, according to the sheriff's office. Duluth police say this is the largest drug bust in history for the region. Appleton-area bust involving 'suitcases full' of methamphetamineis one of state's largest, Untraceable 'ghost guns' pose new worry for Green Bay-area police, threaten to serve as new currency in meth buys, Your California Privacy Rights/Privacy Policy. Joshua . The Lake Winnebago Area MEG Unit, Brown County Drug Task Force, Drug Enforcement Administration, FBI, and Wisconsin Department of Justice Division of Criminal Investigation worked together on the case. Duluth Police say they were ready to take down the organization back in March, but the pandemic put a pause on their plan. Rugers and Glocks. Blader said the use of illegal drugs has become an epidemic in this country, with tens of thousands of people dying every year from overdoses. Police say they tookthousands of dollars' worth of illicit drugs off the street, as well as four loaded handgunsand ammunition. m. 158 people will eventually be charged with drug trafficking, according to Wood County Sheriff Tom Reichert. Authorities say they recovered crack, heroin and illegal guns . "When he woke up, his hands came out of his pocket, and drug paraphernalia was visible.". David Castillo-Lopez, 30,Wausau:conspiracy to possess meth as a habitual criminality repeater. Federal charges have been filed against a man accused of selling large quantities of meth out of a hotel room in Grand Chute. Liebergen also is charged with possessing a firearm while committing a drug-trafficking crime. Cartel connection: tracing meth from Missouri to Northeast Wisconsin hotels, 911 call turns fire drill at Xavier High School into shelter-in-place order, Milwaukee murder suspect captured after chase in Winnebago County, Prosecution moves to ban Grant Fuhrmans mother from the courtroom, Aaron Rodgers hopes to have decision sooner rather than later, Brown County Showcase of Homes starts spring tour, Public File Assistance Contact - (920) 432-3331. MESA, AZ (3TV/CBS 5) -- In the biggest drug bust recorded in Mesa Police Department history, officers uncovered over 700,000 fentanyl pills and more than 15 pounds of methamphetamine, heroin and cocaine earlier this month. TORONTO -. It is making sure we are stopping the flow of whats coming in and trying to decrease the access people have to these chemicals that can alter their lives and the lives of the people in their families, said Larson. In 1995, the US Coast Guard carried out a huge drug bust off the coast of Peru, which at the time was the biggest drug bust on the high seas, though it would soon be topped. A conviction on that charge carries a minimumof five years in prison. He would rent out a hotel room and "sell multiple pounds of methamphetamine" from the room. When officers arrived, they found the vehicle running and the person inside the car appeared to be asleep. A 20-year-old woman was arrested in that incident, sheriff's officials said. Kinnard says Liebergen had been selling drugs in hotels throughout the Northeast Wisconsin area. KENOSHA/RACINE COUNTIES (WITI) -- More than 44 people face serious drug charges after a raid that covered Racine and Kenosha counties. Ya Yang, 31, Wausau:conspiring to distribute meth. That's what drug task force officers say they found while investigating a major drug operation in Northeast Wisconsin. Can I legally marry my cousin in Wisconsin? Almost two tonnes of methamphetamine has been seized by Australian police - the biggest bust of the drug in the country's history. He has entered not guilty pleas to the charges. Chong Chueneng Moua, 51, St. Paul, Minnesota:conspiring to distribute meth, possessing 50 grams or more with intent to distribute. Two weeks later, as police have sorted out their findings, Hobart-Lawrence police say the March arrest turns out to have been the largest drug bust the department has ever made. The office states in December of 2021, KDOG led a large-scale operation in cooperation with the DEA and FBI, which spanned through several states and jurisdictions. HANSEN, Wis. (WFRV) - Multiple people were arrested in central Wisconsin after authorities executed five search warrants and reportedly found drugs, guns and currency. The driver of the trailer was identified as Samuel Serrano from California. And then he made a connection there to a cartel source, direct back into Mexico," says Kinnard. While they don't yet know the street value of the drugs, Police Chief Randy Bani said investigators believe between $20,000 to $30,000 of drugs were confiscated. The department also says Menards has no connection to the case and reported the incident to law enforcement right away. They searched his hotel room and found 60 pounds of meth and one kilogram of what investigators believed to be heroin/fentanyl, according to the complaint. Other major Wisconsin meth busts in recent years include: The seizure of 19 pounds in Manitowoc County this May. He funneled pounds of meth from Missouri to Northeast Wisconsin, according to investigators. He was found with suitcases and bags full of drugs and a loaded Ruger 9mm handgun, according to federal prosecutors. Although Tranquilandia is referred to as a drug lab, it's actually much bigger. The investigation continues as authorities are still searching for about ten other individuals with active warrants for their arrests related to this drug trafficking ring. The Lake Winnebago Area MEG Unit, Brown County Drug Task Force, Drug Enforcement Administration, FBI, and Wisconsin Department of Justice Division of Criminal Investigation worked together on the case. He said police have seen theflow of drugs into the region increase in the past five years; the same improved highway system that make it so families can reach vacation destinations more quickly also makes it easier for drug sellers to reach customers in the region. Sheriff Shawn Becker says his team has been working with the Central Wisconsin Drug Task Force and the Department of Justices Division of Criminal Investigation into the matter for several months, ending when a search warrant was executed on Thursday, December 9th. The estimated street value of the drugs seized is between $132,000 and $142,000. Contact Doug Schneider at (920) 431-8333, or DSchneid@gannett.com. It's a large amount of methamphetamine. The task force used confidential informants, undercover officers, surveillance, covert cameras and wiretapsto investigate the distribution ring, court documents state. Wausau woman Lisa Xiong, 31, who went by the nickname "Nova," wasthe leader of the meth ring, according to court documents. Follow him on Twitter at @PGDougSchneider. On Oct. 3, Ullmer's girlfriend was arrested in Oconto Falls. Officers seized the following during the hotel bust: --1 kilogram of tramadol (prescription narcotic for pain). Followher on Twitter @brophy_natalie or Facebook at facebook.com/bynataliebrophy. The value of the seizure at that time was around $350 million which is the equivalent to $415 million in today's money. The Kenosha County Sheriff's Department said the county saw more than 40 fatal overdoses in 2021, primarily from fentanyl-laced narcotics. 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