He contacted his son, Louis Prieto, though the two hadn't spoken in more than 15 years because of a dispute. Another report previously ranked Kentucky as the 12th highest for drug usage, and now, the CDC data is showing a 13.55% increase in drug overdoses from 2020 to 2021. Jose Prieto sought out someone with a strong business background to help him earn money to pay off the cartel. Every year it probably goes up by 5, he said. Copyright 2021 WSAZ. The University of Kentucky College of Public Health released a report earlier in 2022 analyzing the overdose deaths in 2021. Her passenger hopped out of the car, walked around and leaned in to talk to her from the driver's side window. Jose Prieto was 11 whenhis father hurried their family out of hishomeland and into the U.S. as refugees. Both are equally committed to ridding our community of the scourge of organized drug trafficking and keeping our citizens safe.. The DEA Evansville HIDTA Resident Office is committed to working with the Owensboro Police Department and our other federal, state, and local partners to keep our communities safe by investigating and arresting violent drug traffickers. A trusted shipper would then deliver the drugs and the Prietoassociate would leave the hotel with the drug payment. As a child in Cuba, Jose Prieto Jr.'s family tossed into turmoil when Fidel Castro overthrew the government in 1959. He is serving a 15-year prison sentence in a state prison for first-degree manslaughter in Bowman's death, according to the Kentucky Department of Corrections. Drug use by state: Where does Kentucky rank? Those who were politically connected, including hisgrandfather, became targets. The men from Detroit established trust and Jose Prieto soonsent them50-pound shipments of meth from California to Kentucky. If you know the whereabouts of any of the names listed below contact Kentucky State Police Post 13 Hazard. 14, 2023 at 9:38 AM PDT | Updated: moments ago. According to the complaints, on January 11, 2021, members of the DEA from multiple districts and local law enforcement conducted a traffic stop on a vehicle being operated by another suspected member of the Watkins DTO in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma, as the vehicle travelled from Arizona toward the Western District of Kentucky. 18, 2021 at 3:51 PM PDT LOUISVILLE, Ky. (WAVE) - Metro Corrections Officers made a large drug bust while doing a home incarceration, or HIP check, which yielded drugs, guns and thousands of dollars in cash. Any sentences will follow after the conviction by the court. KSP: 14 people arrested in Leslie County drug bust, seven people wanted, Weekday broadcast of WYMT Mountain News at 11, Dealership owner, salesman rolled back mileage on cars before reselling them, police say, Police asking for help to find suspects involved in theft from Corbin store. a gunman fired bullets into his face and head, A ruthless Mexican drug lords empire is devastating families with its grip on small-town USA, Your California Privacy Rights/Privacy Policy. Of the 24 charged, eight are in custody across the globe. Drug bust fail: dealer tries to hide 20 heroin bags by swallowing them during police drug bust. Goodman pleaded guilty in 2019 in federal court to meth trafficking and is serving a 10-year sentence. Wiley Greenhill or his designee would leave with the drugs. Her body was found July 5, 2018, on the floor of her casino hotel room with a gunshot to the head. The attorney general said the U.S. government would work to seek their extradition to face charges on American soil. The investigation is continuing and additional charges and arrested are expected. 2023, Hearst Television Inc. on behalf of WLWT-TV. Kentucky Justice S01E01 Drug Bust Shootout. The Bardstown Police Department seized over 100 pounds of marijuana and $50,000 during a search at a home in Bardstown late last week, according to police. Amber Lynn Stepp, 28, and a maleacquaintance drove to a Louisville home on a sunny day May 9, 2016as men tended the grill during a birthday celebration. The arrests were part of the conclusion of. According to the Justice Department, between August 2021 and August 2022, 107,735 people died of drug overdoses in the United States, two-thirds primarily from fentanyl. But the mother of a little girl and boynever made it out of her silver Ford Fusion. According to the Fivco Area Drug Enforcement (F.A.D.E.) HAZARD, Ky. (WYMT) - Wednesday morning, troopers with Kentucky State Police Post Hazard and deputies with the Leslie County Sheriff's Office arrested 14 people in a drug bust, with seven more. The Prietosestablished the Louisville pipeline in 2016 after another one of Jose Prieto'ssons befriended Wiley Greenhill while both were inmatesat theRoederer Correctional Complex, an Oldham County prison about 23 miles northeast of Louisville. James Lewis, 36, of Galveston, outstanding warrant. On Wednesday, five search warrants were served with a large number of drugs and cash being recovered. This affects every small town; small, medium, and large, Laird said. Twenty people have been arrested in a monthslong drug investigation in Northern Kentucky, officials with the Northern Kentucky Drug Strike Force announced Thursday. Task Force, authorities conducted a search warrant at a home in Grayson, Kentucky where they found and seized nearly 1,000 doses of fentanyl, cocaine, firearms and more than $8,000 in U.S. currency. And in 2022, the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) seized more than 50 million fentanyl-laced pills, more than double the amount collected the year prior, the Justice Department said. It's part of a story the WAVE Troubleshooters have been unraveling linked to the murders of 3-year-old Trinity Randolph and her father, Brandon Waddles. The sheriff's office says during the investigation, deputies seized more than 40 grams of heroin and 13 grams of crystal meth. Police say Wesley Aaron Calhoun and Dennie A. Smith, both from Somerset, are facing charges of conspiracy to distribute, possession with intent to distribute. Those under investigation were well known in the Paducah are and by police for their significant criminal histories, according to the Laird. 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But the lead agent told The Courier Journal: "Were not fully convinced. PADUCAH, Ky. (FOX 56) The Paducah Police Department updated the public on a large ongoing fentanyl trafficking investigation on Friday. Copyright 2022 Scripps Media, Inc. All rights reserved. According to the Justice Department, both sides "pledged" to increase information-sharing and cooperation on criminal investigations. Louis Prieto didn't need the money. NEW CLOSER LAW ENFORCEMENT PARTNERSHIPS IN WESTERN KENTUCKY RESULT IN MOST SIGNIFICANT DRUG SEIZURE IN OWENSBORO HISTORY. Each conspirator is facing up to 20 years in prison, a maximum fine of $1 million, and up to three years of supervised release. As Detective Hyche stepped toward it toarrest Goodman, a backseat passenger opened fire. Published: Apr. After several shots hit into Bowman's chest, his car struck a telephone pole and fence before coming to rest against a house near South 25th Street and Burwell Avenue. ", The agent said: "After her arrest, she's scared to death of Jose Prieto.". She said online platforms are usually where the initial contact between buyer and sellers occurs and described social media applications as the "super highway" of the fentanyl supply chain. After learning of the stop, as monitored by law enforcement over judicially authorized intercepts over Willie Watkins telephone, Watkins made several calls to multiple individuals discussing the seizure of the narcotics by law enforcement and the calculated amount of money he had lost as a result. According to the Henderson Police Department . This investigation highlights ATFs work with our law enforcement partners to combat criminal organizations and to make Daviess County a safer place to live., The Owensboro Police Department remains committed to getting narcotics and dangerous offenders off the streets of Owensboro. Said Owensboro Police Chief Art Ealum. LONDON, Ky. (FOX 56) An investigation into a Louisville-based drug trafficking operation led to 12 people being arrested. We have violent felonies making lots and lots of money, Laird said. CARTER COUNTY, KY (WOWK) - Multiple people are facing possible charges in connection to a drug bust in Kentucky. Highlighting some of them, They have a long history of violence, as well as drugs.. They also admitted tomoney laundering due to the evidence unearthed by the DEA andInternal Revenue Service's Criminal Investigation. He has been charged with trafficking marijuana, trafficking in a controlled substance and buying or possessing drug paraphernalia, according to court records. Johnnie Lee. The judge agreed to denybond. The DEA appreciates the exceptional work by all our partners who brought these individuals to justice., ATF is committed to protecting the public in Western Kentucky, said ATF Special Agent in Charge Shawn Morrow. Several documents in the case of the Prietos and Greenhills remainsealed and some people linked to the case, including a veteran defense attorney and friends of a homicide victim, declined to be interviewed, citing the volatility of the drug ring. OWENSBORO, Ky. (WFIE) - Federal and local authorities announced what they call the largest drug seizure in the history of Owensboro. "We are doing everything in our power, and using every authority we have, to bring those responsible to justice," he added. OWENSBORO, Ky. - An Owensboro Drug Trafficking Organization is behind bars and charged with multiple felonies after being caught with 151 pounds of methamphetamine, 3.5 pounds of counterfeit pills with suspected deadly fentanyl, and other drugs, announced United States . The dog also sniffed out three suitcases on the plane stuffed with an estimated 80 kilos of cocaine the. On Friday, the Treasury Department also announced sanctions against two Chinese companies for their role in supplying the precursor chemicals. 20 arrested in large NKY drug bust; fentanyl, meth, heroin seized. Based on the evidence obtained from the long term investigation and the search warrants, additional members of the Watkins DTO, including Christopher McNary, age 31 of Owensboro, Kentucky, Richard Cason, age 29 of Owensboro, Kentucky, Keith Watkins, age 28 of Owensboro, Kentucky, and Samuel White, age 27 of Owensboro, Kentucky were also charged in a second criminal complaint with conspiring with each other and others to possess with the intent to distribute 500 grams or more of a mixture of a substance containing a detectable amount of methamphetamine and 400 grams or more of a mixture or substance containing a detectable amount of fentanyl. Nelson County officials said the investigation is ongoing.. GREENUP COUNTY, KY (WOWK) On Tuesday, the Greenup County Sheriff's Office arrested multiple people for drug trafficking. 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Updated on: April 14, 2023 / 7:23 PM Two months after Bowman's slaying, the drug ring wassuspected of a revenge killing in Detroit. The conspirators were said to be distributing oxycodone in Madison, Estill, Clay, and Laurel counties from September 2019 to March 2022. Copyright 2020 | Breaking911 All rights reserved, One of The Largest Drug Busts In Kentucky History, Man Dead After Being Found Shot In Car That Crashed Outside Los Angeles Hospital, WATCH LIVE: Biden Hosts Vigil For Coronavirus Victims At Lincoln Memorial. According to the Fivco Area Drug Enforcement (F.A.D.E.) BOYD COUNTY, KY (WOWK) A Detroit man was arrested after a drug task force seized more than approximately one kilo of pressed fentanyl in Boyd County, Kentucky on Saturday evening. (AP Photo/Matt Rourke). We know that nothing can repair the harm they've suffered or bring back the loved ones they have lost.". You need to take that rock that I gave you on your finger and go pawn it if you need money for your kids. His partnerfired back, killing the gunman and anotherpassenger. Chad Krause, 42, and Mackenzie Wagner, 24, are being held at the Phelps County Jail. Additionally, according to the criminal complaints, on January 13, 2021, federal and local law enforcement executed multiple search warrants at locations associated with the Watkins DTO in Owensboro, Kentucky. 1998 - 2023 Nexstar Media Inc. | All Rights Reserved. Anytime we can take this much methamphetamine, fentanyl and firearms off the streets it is huge! Greenhill sent an associate to live with Jose Prieto for six months, working in the marijuana fields and gambling together in Las Vegas. Both SWAT teams were able to safely secure the two locations and locate some of the wanted persons, Laird said. When Greenhill's tab climbed to $400,000, Jose Prieto cut him off. 1:13. That is 2,391 Kentuckians who died from overdoses in 2021 up from the 2,104 in 2020. In 2016, the cartel issuedJose Prieto an ultimatum: Work for them selling their drugs or be killed. In the face of unimaginable pain, those families have shown extraordinary bravery in sharing their stories. BEAVER DAM, Ky (WEHT) - According to the Ohio County Kentucky Sheriff's Office, on January 25 around 7:52 a.m. members of the Ohio County Sheriff's Office, the Pennyrile Drug Task Force One person was taken to the hospital with minor injuries. somerset-kentucky.com 110-112 E. Mt. He refused to send her money and cautioned: "You need to lay low. During a bond hearing for Jose Prieto, federal prosecutors in Louisvillecited Pack's suspicious death asone of the reasons heposed a danger to potential government witnesses and others. Two Kentucky men arrested in record drug seizure. With Goodman in jail,Laura Dawn Pack, 36,stepped in to pickup drug shipments for the organization. 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