A further search of the vehicle turned up the following: --13.9 grams of marijuana (found in safe). Kinnard believes the cartel sold it to Liebergen and made him believe it was something more powerful. Officers "had to wake the guy up," Hobart-Lawrence Police Chief Randy Bani said. "This was the supply source for this part of Wisconsin.". The price of an ounce can range from $700 to $1,350. And then he made a connection there to a cartel source, direct back into Mexico," says Kinnard. Sandy Vang, 49,Wausau:three counts of distributing meth with two counts alleged to involve 5 grams or more. After a lengthy investigation, officials say detectives uncovered a large drug trafficking organization in Pleasant Prairie. "So honestly, they probably thought they were buying heroin or fentanyl and got Tramadol," says Kinnard. Police encourage members of the community to report suspicious drug-distribution-related activity to Crime Stoppers on 1800 333 000. Drugs, guns," says Lt. Kevin Kinnard, Brown County Drug Task Force. jw. Drug investigators executed multiple search warrants in September 2019. That turned up the following: --Alprazolam pills (panic/anxiety medication), --Drug ledgers with names, dollar amounts and dates. This may be the biggest meth bust in American. Police say they tookthousands of dollars' worth of illicit drugs off the street, as well as four loaded handgunsand ammunition. On Sept. 9, investigators met with a confidential source who had purchased "large quantities of methamphetamine" from Liebergen. Charges: Anoka residents busted with over 1,000 grams of meth. A search of her vehicle turned up the following: --Loaded Smith & Wesson MP Shield 9mm handgun. Students Gather For 8th Annual "I Love To Read" Event, Coffee Conversation: Singing With The Stars Happening Friday, Award And Author Event Supporting Duluth Public Library, Northland Happenings, Weekend of February 24, 2023. He funneled pounds of meth from Missouri to Northeast Wisconsin, according to investigators. The seizure by the Brown County Sheriffs Office of10.68 pounds of methamphetamine in 2017 after afive-month investigation. The investigation was conducted by theCentral Wisconsin Narcotics Task Force. With demand for highly-addictive meth increasing, Kinnard says it is troubling so much meth was coming in through one group. 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. On Sept. 9, the Brown County Drug Task Force arrested defendant Malachi Root in Green Bay. 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. That turned up the following: --Alprazolam pills (panic/anxiety medication), --Drug ledgers with names, dollar amounts and dates. Officers seized the following during the hotel bust: --1 kilogram of tramadol (prescription narcotic for pain). The DEA does know where the load was destined to go but are not releasing that information at this time. They said Tuesday that the investigation could lead to further arrests. The next morning, the Santa Barbara Sheriff's Office announced the 34 arrests and the seizure of 3,164 pounds of methamphetamine the biggest drug bust in the county's history, and one of the largest ever in the nation. 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. What was going to be sold? Police say the total value of the drugs came in at over $4.4 million. 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. 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. 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. 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. On Sept. 9, investigators met with a confidential source who had purchased "large quantities of methamphetamine" from Liebergen. Inaddition to the illegal drugs, police seized what they called "alarge amount" of prescription medications and designer pills. He drove from Missouri to Northeast Wisconsin to sell the meth to lower-level dealers. Posted 8 Jun 2021 8 Jun 2021 Tue 8 Jun 2021 at 6:25am , updated . If you have any information, you are asked to call the taskforce tipline at 218-730-5750 or dial 911. A source tipped off the drug task force that Liebergen was bringing drugs into Northeast Wisconsin and selling them out of hotel rooms. Copyright 2023 Nexstar Media Inc. All rights reserved. She has not been publicly identified. He would rent out a hotel room and "sell multiple pounds of methamphetamine" from the room. Other major Wisconsin meth busts in recent years include: The seizure of 19 pounds in Manitowoc County this May. A pound can fetch up to $7,000. One of the warrants was executed at a Grand Chute hotel where defendant Derek A. Liebergen was alleged to be selling drugs. 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 affidavit for Ullmer's arrest states that on Oct. 1, police officers pulled Ullmer over in Green Bay. "You're traveling and little do you know that right next to you, is a guy with a handgun and 50 pounds of meth.". Investigators found a large number of drugs including over 310 mg of cocaine and over 300 Ecstasy pills. 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. They had to revamp their strategy, which led to the successful end of this drug operation. "This quantity was directed all over Northeast Wisconsin," says Sheriff Delain. Additionally, about $50,000 U.S . "When he woke up, his hands came out of his pocket, and drug paraphernalia was visible.". Something that we've never seen up here in this type of quantity," says Brown County Sheriff Todd Delain. The Eau Claire County Sheriff's Department says a California man is in custody for the biggest cocaine bust investigators have ever seen in our area. 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. 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. He was found with suitcases and bags full of drugs and a loaded Ruger 9mm handgun, according to federal prosecutors. 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 task force used confidential informants, undercover officers, surveillance, covert cameras and wiretapsto investigate the distribution ring, court documents state. 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. Liebergen had a handgun in the waistband of his pants when he was arrested. yp. ig. A search warrant was executed at Ullmer's home in Oconto Falls. Wausau woman Lisa Xiong, 31, who went by the nickname "Nova," wasthe leader of the meth ring, according to court documents. Her next court appearance has not yet been scheduled. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. 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. "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.' Investigators said the bust is the largest drug haul in the world in terms of both value and quantity. Contact Natalie Brophy at (715) 216-5452 or nbrophy@gannett.com. 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. Operation Tranquilandia was led by the DEA in 1984. The caller said that the vehicle, which was occupied by one person, was parked at the gas pumps for over an hour. David Castillo-Lopez, 30,Wausau:conspiracy to possess meth as a habitual criminality repeater. 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 value was. It's like a plot straight out of the Netflix crime drama "Ozark." All of the following items were seized: Methamphetamine Cocaine Fentanyl LSD Marijuana. The department had seized 4.76 pounds in all of 2016. of cocaine that tested positive for fentanyl (estimated street value of the seized cocaine is $4,000,000 $6,000,000). "This is the largest seizure of methamphetamine in the sheriff's office's history," Knight . A gram of meth sold "on the street" in Wisconsin commonly costs $100 to $120, Brown County Sheriff's Capt. It's a large amount of methamphetamine. Large Drug Bust Nets Over $130 Thousand in Illegal Drugs in Wood County. Live PD: Top 7 Biggest Money Busts | A&E A&E 9.28M subscribers Subscribe 93K Share 15M views 2 years ago #LivePD Stay up to date on all of A&E's premieres at http://aetv.com/schedule Check out. Duluth Police Chief Mike Tusken says the shut down of this organization would not have been possible without the collaboration of multiple law enforcement agencies. $120,000 of personal assets that were determined to be used in the distribution of illicit narcotics. 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