A law enforcement source said "roughly two rolling suitcases full" of methamphetamine transported from Missouri were seized from a guest's room at the Wingate by Wyndham on North Federated Drive in Grand Chute. On Sept. 9, investigators met with a confidential source who had purchased "large quantities of methamphetamine" from Liebergen. "The task force is in place and has already demonstrated its effectiveness," he said, adding he foresees the group continuing to grow in the future. They had to revamp their strategy, which led to the successful end of this drug operation. TOWN OF LAWRENCE, WI (WTAQ-WLUK) A person falling asleep in a vehicle at a gas station led to the largest drug bust in Hobart/Lawrence history, police say. Someone notified sheriff's dispatchers that the driver of a car at the station appearedto have been asleep at thegas pumps for roughly an hour. Some of the defendants also face federal gun charges. A conviction on that charge carries a minimumof five years in prison. A federal grand jury charged 12 people eight from Wausau, one from Hewittand three from St. Paul, Minnesota in connection withthe distribution ring. tv. Officers seized the following during the hotel bust: --1 kilogram of tramadol (prescription narcotic for pain). A federal criminal complaint obtained by Action 2 News shows Derek A. Liebergen is accused of possession with intent to distribute in excess of 500 grams of "a mixture and substance containing a detectable amount of methamphetamine.". Soua Khang, 23, Wausau:conspiring to distribute meth,three counts of distributing meth. Authorities in Southern California have seized more than 16 tons of marijuana worth an estimated $1.19 billion, Los Angeles County Sheriff's Department officials said Wednesday. Agencies involved in the raid included the Sheriffs Department, Wisconsin Rapids and Port Edwards Police Department, and Wisconsin Rapids Fire Department. Additionally, about $50,000 U.S . Drug task force officers who worked the largest meth bust in Northeast Wisconsin say the drugs came from the Mexico Drug Cartel and were trafficked from Missouri to Wisconsin. The Kenosha Drug Operations Group (KDOG) then initiated an investigation to identify the source of narcotics. Authorities allege that the meth was to be sold to pay a drug debt. Authorities had not made the arrest public. Nine people have been arrested as part of that investigation. Deputies also confiscated24grams of MDMA commonly known as the club drug "ecstasy" 64grams of hashish oil, 27grams of marijuana, 3.5grams of cocaine, illegally obtained prescription medication, drug paraphernalia and two guns. 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. A search warrant was executed for Liebergen's hotel room in Grand Chute. Duluth Police say they were ready to take down the organization back in March, but the pandemic put a pause on their plan. "He was living in the St. Louis area, so that's his connection. Lisa Marie Celeskey, 33, faces one felony count of first-degree aggravated controlled substance crime and one felony count of third-degree controlled substance crimes. The driver of the trailer was identified as Samuel Serrano from California. and last updated 2:32 PM, Feb 27, 2023. Contact Doug Schneider at (920) 431-8333, or DSchneid@gannett.com. 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. It's a prescription pain reliever that comes in pill form. Information uncovered during investigations in the Wausau area have helpedshut down other organizations outside Wisconsin, Parks said. All of the following items were seized: Methamphetamine Cocaine Fentanyl LSD Marijuana. Action 2 News is working to obtain all of the complaints and affidavits. The dealers broke it down to sell on the street. He was found with suitcases and bags full of drugs and a loaded Ruger 9mm handgun, according to federal prosecutors. A conviction on the trafficking charge could lead to a sentence of life in prison and a fine of up to $10 million. Something that we've never seen up here in this type of quantity," says Brown County Sheriff Todd Delain. According to. PHOENIX Arizona authorities targeting the Sinaloa Drug Cartel have seized narcotics they estimate are worth more than $13 million, including more than 4 . 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. Marathon County prosecutors filed charges against four more. 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. 1998 - 2023 Nexstar Media Inc. | All Rights Reserved. This big drug bust is similar to the others because it's linked to -- you guessed it -- cocaine. Rugers and Glocks. He would rent out a hotel room and "sell multiple pounds of methamphetamine" from the room. LAWRENCE - It started as a guy sleeping at the wheel of an SUV at a southern Brown County Kwik Trip around midnight. A federal grand jury in Green Bay has indicted nine people in the drug conspiracy--believed to be one of the largest in state history. 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. While searching the semi-trailer officers also found two methamphetamine pipes. Contact Doug Schneider at (920) 431-8333, or DSchneid@gannett.com. The National Read Across America Day takes place every year on March 2, Geisels birthday. According to the Kenosha County Sheriff's Department, in February of 2021, deputies responded to a narcotics overdose investigation in the Village of Salem Lakes. The investigation was conducted by theCentral Wisconsin Narcotics Task Force. According to police, officers seized. However, where exactly the load came from is still under investigation. At a news conference Thursday, Duluth police officials said they worked with other federal, state and local law enforcement agencies to seize roughly 1,207 grams of meth and 527 grams of heroin and. The value was. Operation Tranquilandia was led by the DEA in 1984. With demand for highly-addictive meth increasing, Kinnard says it is troubling so much meth was coming in through one group. Your California Privacy Rights/Privacy Policy. A further search of the vehicle turned up the following: --13.9 grams of marijuana (found in safe). A pound can fetch up to $7,000. ig. "So honestly, they probably thought they were buying heroin or fentanyl and got Tramadol," says Kinnard. The drug haul was destined for Brown County, and would likely have been sold locally, police said. Officers arrested 36-year-old Jesus Rojas Romero, 20-year-old Alex Ruiz, and 22-year-old Christian Valles Castro after the bust. A quantity of illegal drugs will sell for significantly more in Upper Michigan than in northeastern Wisconsin, Ronk said. Can I legally marry my cousin in Wisconsin? Parks said Xiong's operation had the ability to move up to a pound of meth at a time in central Wisconsin. The affidavit for Ullmer's arrest states that on Oct. 1, police officers pulled Ullmer over in Green Bay. Pounds of meth found in a hotel room. 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. The investigator says this bust is having an impact. Serrano has been charged with possession with intent to deliver cocaine and possession of drug paraphernalia. A search of her vehicle turned up the following: --Loaded Smith & Wesson MP Shield 9mm handgun. Followher on Twitter @brophy_natalie or Facebook at facebook.com/bynataliebrophy. Follow him on Twitter at @PGDougSchneider. 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. 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. On Oct. 3, Ullmer's girlfriend was arrested in Oconto Falls. It was operating primarily in Wisconsin and Illinois. 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. Police also confiscated the 2019 Ford Explorer the man had been driving. Biggest drug bust in Mesa PD history: 700K+ fentanyl pills, 15 lbs of hard drugs found. zp. Wausau woman Lisa Xiong, 31, who went by the nickname "Nova," wasthe leader of the meth ring, according to court documents. 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. The case is being prosecuted in the Eastern District of Wisconsin. They wouldn't release the man's name because the investigation is continuing, but Lt. Matt Ronk of the Brown County Drug Task Force said authorities believe the man intended to deal drugs in the county. Police say the total value of the drugs came in at over $4.4 million. HANSEN, Wis. (WFRV) - Multiple people were arrested in central Wisconsin after authorities executed five search warrants and reportedly found drugs, guns and currency. KENOSHA, Wis. A Kenosha County overdose investigation uncovered nearly $4 million worth of narcotics from a drug trafficking organization. Police say on Nov. 9, a traffic stop led to police searching an apartment near Country Club and University drives. He has entered not guilty pleas to the charges. Along with all the drugs, police also found $17,039 in cash and one gun with boxes of ammo. Authorities say an 11-month investigation that began with a drug overdose in southeastern Wisconsin has netted 106 pounds of cocaine with an estimated street value up to $6 million. Liebergen had a handgun in the waistband of his pants when he was arrested. Although Tranquilandia is referred to as a drug lab, it's actually much bigger. "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.' On Sept. 9, investigators met with a confidential source who had purchased "large quantities of methamphetamine" from Liebergen. He stated his intent was to sell the meth to pay off a drug debt to his supplier, according to the complaint. Follow him on Twitter at @PGDougSchneider. Officers seized the following during the hotel bust: --58 pound of meth --1 kilogram of tramadol (prescription. The 14 tons of cocaine were owned by the AUC and guarded by the Marxists. Deputies administered narcan to the involved subject, saving that person's life. "This quantity was directed all over Northeast Wisconsin," says Sheriff Delain. The seizure of roughly 60 pounds of meth last monthput "a serious dent"in the supply of the drug in the region, Brown County District Attorney David Lasee said Tuesday night. He funneled pounds of meth from Missouri to Northeast Wisconsin, according to investigators. Her, 61, Wausau:delivery of 3-10 grams of meth,delivery of 10-50 grams of meth as a habitual criminality repeater. The $10 million worth of meth was enough to provide a dose for every man, woman, and child in the United States and . Duluth police say this is the largest drug bust in history for the region. Man charged in largest Eau Claire cocaine bust, Colfax man accused of possessing methamphetamine with the intent to deliver, Missing endangered person alert issued for man missing from Sheldon, Connells Supper Club in Chippewa Falls and Fall Creek listed for sale, Wisconsin Republicans push tighter budget, downplay surplus, Royal Credit Union awarded $640,000 from grant program. 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. That turned up the following: --Alprazolam pills (panic/anxiety medication), --Drug ledgers with names, dollar amounts and dates. The complaint states the source had made multiple purchases from Liebergen in the past. . Drug traffickers with ties to Mexican cartels are setting up. 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. A source tipped off the drug task force that Liebergen was bringing drugs into Northeast Wisconsin and selling them out of hotel rooms. Suitcases full of drugs. Commander Domenico Napolitano, head of the financial police for the city of Naples, told CNN . Drug task force officers who worked the largest meth bust in Northeast Wisconsin say the drugs came from the Mexico Drug Cartel and were trafficked from Missouri to Wisconsin. Sixteen people charged with drug crimes after meth investigation in Wausau area, 'Suitcases full' of methamphetamineseized in Appleton area, Your California Privacy Rights/Privacy Policy. Drug task force officers point to 26-year-old Derek Liebergen as the leader of the operation. She has not been publicly identified. He was found with suitcases and bags full of drugs and a loaded Ruger 9mm handgun, according to federal prosecutors. After a lengthy investigation, officials say detectives uncovered a large drug trafficking organization in Pleasant Prairie. 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. 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. Sheriff Becker adds that Wood County has seen 12 overdose deaths this year, and with the number of drugs taken off the street as a result of the raid it is likely that many lives were saved from an overdose. It has been called Dr. Seuss Day because of this. Sandy Vang, 49,Wausau:three counts of distributing meth with two counts alleged to involve 5 grams or more. On Sept. 9, the Brown County Drug Task Force arrested defendant Malachi Root in Green Bay. 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. 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. Police also seized about a kilogram 2.2 poundsof heroin or fentanyl, and a Ruger handgun. Ya Yang, 31, Wausau:conspiring to distribute meth. In this case, it was a powder. On March 29, authorities say they were called to a gas station on Freedom Road (Highway S) in Lawrence. "This is the largest seizure of methamphetamine in the sheriff's office's history," Knight . The value of the seizure at that time was around $350 million which is the equivalent to $415 million in today's money. In that case, more than a dozen people have been charged in connection with the sale of meth that had been brought to Wisconsin from California. He and his girlfriend, 25-year-old girlfriend Carley Poettker were arrested following the search. Other major Wisconsin meth busts in recent years include: The seizure of 19 pounds in Manitowoc County this May. The seizure by the Brown County Sheriffs Office of10.68 pounds of methamphetamine in 2017 after afive-month investigation. One of the warrants was executed at a Grand Chute hotel where defendant Derek A. Liebergen was alleged to be selling drugs. He drove from Missouri to Northeast Wisconsin to sell the meth to lower-level dealers. Police say they tookthousands of dollars' worth of illicit drugs off the street, as well as four loaded handgunsand ammunition. 4.5 million fentanyl pills, 3,000 pounds of meth seized during joint drug bust Clark's buzzer-beating three sends #6 Iowa past #2 Indiana 86-85 Police are searching for a suspect after shots . According to Duluth police, this ring sold an estimated $1 million worth of drugs between January and this month. Liebergen used to live there. He admitted to traveling from Missouri to Wisconsin with meth. 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. 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