The homes that were searched were in Preston, Hurlock, Federalsburg, Lanham and Crofton. y any definition, the epidemic in this part of Maryland, a state with one of the top five death rates from opioids in the country, is among the worst anywhere. in Hagerstowns North End, according to Lt. Todd Kerns, who served as the task forces director in 2013. In 2019, there were 119 non-fatal and 24 fatal overdoses reported in Allegany County. When his Vicodin prescription ended, he started buying it on the street, until 5-milligram Vicodins werent enough. They dont stand a chance., The societal ripple effect of the opioid epidemic cant be overstated, says Piercy, who doesnt have to look any farther than outside his downtown Potomac Street office window to witness people nodding and passing out. It could not be determined Wednesday if those arrested remained in custody or were on pre-trial release. Maybe 10-15 percent dont give you any problem and are trying to do the right thing, says Lee Green, an addictions counselor who is also an active member of a 12-step program. This was a normal kid, the daughter of a respected ex-city cop. William Miller, one count of distribution of heroin. 2021 CBS Broadcasting Inc. All Rights Reserved. Breezy Jill Beckette, 22, of 807 Hamilton Blvd. These ongoing efforts build on one of Hagerstowns legacy assets, the lush City Park, utilized year-round, as well as the Washington County Museum of Fine Arts therein, where the new Cultural Trail begins before it winds toward downtown. People often use the term self-medicating to describe why people use drugs or alcohol, says Ron Zuskin, a licensed clinical social worker and former University of Maryland faculty member who has worked in Western Maryland. The Washington Narcotics Task Force has made 11 arrests in connection to a local drug trafficking organization investigation. This designation provides local agents enforcement powers anywhere in the United States. a view from the abandoned hospital parking garage across from the antietam street clinic. Drug & alcohol testing in Hagerstown, MD at 2 clinics. The below persons are wanted or need to be identified by WCNTF at this time for drug violations or involved in a drug investigation. 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 . HAGERSTOWN (WJZ) --Seventeen Hagerstown residents and one Frederick resident were among 34 arrested Wednesday morning on indictments in a drug trafficking conspiracy. The National Road, Route 40, began carrying wagon trains through Hagerstown to the Ohio River Valley in 1818. During the early morning hours of December 20 th, the Allegany County Sheriff's Office with the assistance of numerous allied agencies executed search and seizure warrants at three separate locations in the Town of Westernport. If effective, they will be a start in rebuilding Hagerstowns economy and, ultimately, its quality of life. Some of the NFT agents are also federally deputized members of the DEA, which gives these local agents enforcement powers anywhere in the United States. NEWARK, NJTwo members of an alleged drug trafficking ring based . George Wallace campaigned here in 1968 and 1972. Ketia Daniel, founder of BHM Cleaning Co., is BestReviews cleaning expert. #washcoproud, CDS Possession/Use of Cocaine and Derivatives, CDS Possession/Use of Synthetic Narcotics (Fentanyl), CDS Sale/Manufacturing Synthetic Narcotics (Fentanyl), CDS Sale/Manufacturing Other Dangerous Drugs, CDS With Intent to Distribute Narcotics, Please contact Deb Fling at (301) 514-7373 or email, Washington County Government is hiring for full-ti, The Washington County Office of Emergency Manageme, SAVE THE DATE! Thats how strong the grip of this addiction is.. ) or https:// means youve safely connected to the .gov website. United States Attorney Erek L. Barron commended the DEA and the Washington County Narcotics Task Force for their work in the investigation. The indictments were returned July 20, said Acting U.S. Attorney Randolph J. Bernard of the northern district of West Virginia. She can be reached via email at julieg@herald-mail.com. Or an illegal immigrant? She also cites the new safe needle program implemented by the county health departmentalbeit over the objection of a couple of state delegatesto combat Hepatitis C and HIV infections. Drugs, money, weapons confiscated during an operation last week in Hagerstown. While he fled, Grant fell and injured himself, Kerns said. The Washington County Narcotics Task Force received assistance from the Washington County Sheriff's Office, Hagerstown Police . Martinsburg Police Chief George Swartwood said the arrests and seizures of drugs represent "more to this community than just numbers on a page.". HAGERSTOWN, MD Five Hagerstown residents have been arrested after a major drug and weapons bust February 9th announced by The Washington County Sheriff's Office and its law enforcement partners this week. A release from the Washington County Sheriff's Office revealed the following: Additionally, in Through further investigation, law enforcement determined that Smith supplied narcotics to Tyler and Eddie Ware, who were Hagerstown, Maryland heroin and fentanyl drug dealers. The task force also arrested Shawn Oliver on Monday for having an active warrant out for his arrest for the distribution of heroin, police said. Kerns said Anderson was part of an investigation that occurred prior to the search warrant being executed. He is being held at the Washington County Detention Center on a $80,000 bond. As stated in his plea agreement, on August 9, 2019, law enforcement executed a search warrant at Smiths Hagerstown, Maryland residence. Kevin Simmers, a retired Hagerstown police officer, lost his 19-year-old daughter to an overdose and is now building a womens recovery center, Brookes House. Nine People Indicted in Historic Drug Bust on Maryland Eastern Shore, Eastern Shore Neighbors React to Historic Drug Bust, Governors Office Of Crime Prevention, Youth, And Victim Services, Dorchester County States Attorneys Office, Dorchester County Task Forces, Homeland Security Investigations And Drug Enforcement Administration, Multiple Threats Made to Delaware Schools, Gunshot from Pocket Leads to Multiple Charges for Milford Man, UPDATE: Delaware Man Fatally Shot Near Felton Identified, Two Salisbury Men Arrested on Multiple Rape and Weapon Charges, Recreational Crabbing Regulation Changes in Chesapeake Bay, Transparency Requirements for Group Health Plans, Possession of large amount of controlled dangerous substance, Distribution of large amount of controlled dangerous substance, 2 counts of conspiracy to distribute narcotic, Possession with intent to distribute narcotics, 2 counts of possession with intent to distribute narcotics, Conspiracy with intent to distribute narcotics, 3 counts conspiracy to distribute large amounts of narcotics, 3 counts conspiracy to distribute narcotics, Rifle/shotgun possession by disqualified person, 2 counts of conspiracy to distribute controlled dangerous substances, 4 counts conspiracy to distribute narcotics, Firearm possession with a felony conviction, Possession of controlled dangerous substance not-marijuana, Conspiracy to distribute large amounts of controlled dangerous substances, 2 counts possession of controlled dangerous substances not-marijuana, 2 counts of conspiracy to possession with intent to distribute narcotics, 2 counts of possession with intent to distribute controlled dangerous substances, 3 counts of conspiracy with intent to distribute controlled dangerous substances, 3 counts of use of a firearm in drug trafficking, 2 counts of possession of a controlled dangerous substance not marijuana, Possession of more than 10 grams of marijuana. And for the past two-and-a-half decades, the city has taken a public health approach to addiction, offering methadone programs, needle exchanges, HIV testing, and inpatient treatment opportunities before the pharmaceutical industry dumped OxyContin and other opioids onto a nave market. We interviewed our tech expert, Jaime Vazquez, to learn more about accessible smart home devices. He was released after posting his $5,000 bond. 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. Police seized more than 80 pounds of meth, 200 bags of fentanyl, more than two dozen guns and $135,000 in cash in a massive drug bust in Montgomery County. A Maryland State Police corporal who occasionally works out of the Hagerstown barrack was arrested Saturday for allegedly leaking case information and abetting an illegal drug operation, according to federal court documents. Shortly after Grant was taken into custody, the task force executed a search-and-seizure warrant at 807 Hamilton Blvd., Kerns said. Four people were apprehended, three in relation to the possession of controlled substances, and one on an outstanding warrant. Its these fast-rolling interstates that carry the deadly opioids, including heroin and fetanyl, flooding Marylands western counties. All Rights Reserved. "This is the largest drug bust in my time as a prosecutor and as the elected state's attorney," Caroline County State's Attorney Joe Riley said. But today, while Frederick, just 25 miles east down I-70, is regularly named among the best places to live in the U.S., Hagerstown more closely resembles a microcosm of Baltimoreessentially a small town with big-city problems, continually in survival mode. We get to engage and feel like were being a positive influence on the city.. (It also broke a record last year with eight homicides, sending its per capita murder rate past Philadelphia and Chicago.). Three people were taken into custody in Washington County last week on drug charges involving fentanyl and crack cocaine. October of 2011, I woke up one day and thought, this is the day you die or the day you get clean. -- The number of meth cases, particularly of one-pot meth labs in Western Maryland, has been experiencing a recent surge. The alleged traffickers distributed drugs in Caroline and Dorchester counties, as well as parts of Delaware, according to police, who said investigators from multiple agencies developed enough. The indictment also calls for the forfeiture of $400,000 in cash, a .22 caliber pistol, ammunition and six vehicles, all believed to be proceeds of the drug conspiracy. The following people were indicted during the investigation: Justin Aaron Spain, 41, of Lanham, Maryland. With the highways and economic factors, its all a perfect storm.. Dealers now have their own pill presses, explains Drug Enforcement Administration agent Robert Grob at a recent Drug Take Back Day, a collaboration between the Hagerstown Police Department, county health department, and the DEA that encourages local residents to turn in leftover medication for safe disposal. Youll see people dressed up nice to see a play or film, and you have addicts walking around, says Matthew Hast, a sculptor who lives at Engine Room. Secure .gov websites use HTTPSA lock ( Opioids may be the deadliest catastrophe to hit Hagerstown, but the current crisis follows a long string of blows to a city that never made the transition from a mechanical to a hi-tech economy. Baltimore, Maryland Thamar Smith, age 48, of Hagerstown, Maryland, pleaded guilty today to conspiracy to possess with intent to distribute heroin and fentanyl. In an indictment unsealed on Wednesday, U.S. Attorney Robert K. Hur announced that four have been arrested and two are still being sought in connection with the Hagerstown drug bust. Stay up to date with the latest community news written by award-winning editors and local reporters. Frederick, which seems worlds away rather than a mere 20 minutes, has benefitted from its MARC train station, which has grown the town into a bedroom community of D.C. Its also close enough to Baltimore that people make the I-70 commute. Kevin Simmers relished locking up drug users, no matter how little crack they had on them. I legitimately thought about that for five or six hours that day. 544,514 views Jun 30, 2016 $24 million dollars was found stuffed in the wall of a home in what's being called one police department's biggest cash seizure to date.