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Martin County cocaine bust
A months-long investigation dubbed "Operation Beneath the Surface" led to the arrest of 17 people and the seizure of four kilograms of cocaine in the Booker Park area of Indiantown in Martin County, Florida.
“Operation "Beneath the Surface" has resulted in the arrest of 17 people and the seizure of four kilograms of cocaine”
Martin County Sheriff John Budensiek said, "Four kilos of cocaine might not sound like a lot to you, but that's one of the most significant amounts of drugs we've ever gotten out of the Booker Park area in Martin County's history," as he announced results of the multi-agency operation flanked by federal partners from the FBI, DEA, and Homeland Security Investigations.
The investigation targeted a cocaine trafficking organization led by Cecil Trimble, described as a career criminal operating under the guise of a car detailing business in Indiantown.
Investigators obtained court-ordered wiretaps on Trimble, Khalil Thompson, Christopher Wilson, and Janarie Jones, and Budensiek said the wiretaps revealed Trimble was supplying cocaine throughout Martin County and beyond.
Authorities intercepted Antonio Honor on I-95 with assistance from the Florida Highway Patrol, seizing one kilogram of cocaine, and they also identified Chiquita Adamson as a mule transporting cocaine to the Daytona Beach area.
Denver takedown and Pittsburgh
In the Denver metro area, Denver District Attorney John Walsh announced that authorities arrested 17 people and seized several pounds of cocaine and weapons, including pipe bombs, in a major drug distribution network takedown.
The DA’s office said the operation led to the seizure of approximately 46 firearms, five pipe bombs, 15 pounds of cocaine valued at more than $100,000, and nine vehicles, along with $100,000 worth of jewelry and $35,000 in cash.
Walsh said, "Getting illegal guns and drugs off the street of Denver are top priorities for our office, and operations like this are an important part of making that happen," describing the case as a joint investigation involving the FBI's Violent Criminal Enterprise Task Force and the Denver Police Department.
In the Pittsburgh area, the FBI said two men, Darnell Rhinehart and Lamar Lewis, were facing charges after authorities seized about 180 pounds of cocaine as part of a large-scale drug trafficking investigation.
FBI Pittsburgh Special Agent in Charge Richard Evanchec said, "Seizing 80 kilos of cocaine means taking away profits and the power that money can buy right out of the hands of international criminal organizations," after investigators seized 80 kilograms of cocaine on Monday night.
Maritime and border seizures
Portuguese authorities intercepted a vessel carrying 4,842 kilogrammes of cocaine in an international counter-narcotics operation in the Atlantic Ocean, after Joint Interagency Task Force South (JIATF-South) detected and tracked a suspicious "go-fast" vessel traveling from the coast of South America into the Atlantic.
“intercepted a vessel carrying 4,842 kilogrammes of cocaine”
The account says Portugal’s Polícia Judiciária, Portuguese Navy and Portuguese Air Force intercepted the container ship about 173 nautical miles southwest of the Azores, boarded the vessel, recovered 4,842kg of cocaine, and arrested three suspects.
A separate report from Texas Border Business said U.S. Customs and Border Protection officers at Laredo Field Office ports of entry seized cocaine valued at more than $984,000 in two separate enforcement actions.
On Saturday, June 13, at Camino Real Bridge in Eagle Pass, CBP officers discovered 13 packages containing a total of 22.97 pounds of suspected cocaine hidden within a 2015 Toyota Camry, with a street value of $306,723.
On Friday, June 12, at the Colombia-Solidarity Bridge in Laredo, CBP officers discovered 20 packages containing a total of 50.75 pounds of suspected cocaine hidden within a 2020 Nissan Frontier pickup, with a street value of $677,617, and Homeland Security Investigations special agents arrested the drivers and are investigating both seizures.