A boost in California National Guard troops at the southern border, including in San Diego County, helped authorities seize more than 1 million fentanyl pills and over 400 pounds of fentanyl powder last month, Gov. Gavin Newsom’s office said today. In June, the California National Guard Counterdrug Task Force seized 1,068,219 pills and 423 pounds
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A man and his girlfriend who exposed their three children to fentanyl, causing one to suffer a medical emergency, were on probation today after admitting felony charges filed against them. Kamron Charles Sanders, 32, and Joshulyn Denise Penniman, 30, both of Riverside, pleaded guilty on Thursday to three counts of child cruelty under a pretrial
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The Fentanyl Crisis. News Channel 3 I-Team investigator Karen Devine’s intensive investigation into a local border checkpoint. “We are the front line against dangerous drugs and from people entering the communities,” said U.S. Border Patrol Agent Harvey Nunez, who is stationed at the Highway 86 immigration checkpoint. Nunez says this checkpoint identifies more smugglers and
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A 38-year-old Riverside County man who distributed fentanyl out of his apartment, sending packets of the powerful synthetic opiate through the U.S. mail, was sentenced today to 19 years in federal prison. Ignacio Alcala pleaded guilty in November in downtown Los Angeles to four federal charges: two counts of distribution of fentanyl, and one
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A San Bernardino County man was sentenced to up to 10 years in prison and five years of supervised release for conspiring with people to distribute hundreds of thousands of fentanyl pills throughout the United States, the Department of Justice announced. Court documents state that on March 17, 2021, George Anthony Manzo, a 37-year-old man
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A man convicted in the fentanyl overdose of a 16-year-old Cathedral City resident was sentenced to 15 years in federal prison. The incident took place on December 9, 2022, when Cathedral City Police Officers and Cathedral City Fire Department responded to a fentanyl (drug) overdose involving a 16-year-old. The teen was transported to Desert Regional
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The nephew of the late San Diego Chargers legend Junior Seau pleaded not guilty to a murder charge today for allegedly taking part in a fentanyl sale that led to a man’s fatal overdose. Micah Rodgers Seau, 31, is accused of providing fentanyl pills to 31-year-old Connor Gerhart, leading to the victim’s death on
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United States Border Patrol agents located at the El Centro Sector arrested a subject accused of smuggling 133 pounds of fentanyl on Thursday afternoon. On May 23, around 12 p.m., Border Patrol agents observed a suspicious vehicle while patrolling the border along Interstate 8 east of Calexico, Calif. The vehicle was first noticed swerving in
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Former local state Assemblymember Brian Nestande died of an overdose of fentanyl and cocaine, an autopsy report revealed, as first reported by the Uken Report. Dr. Scott Luzi, who performed the autopsy, wrote in the report that Nestande died of “multiple substance intoxication” after the toxicology report identified a “designer form of fentanyl and a
Continue Reading An Inland Empire lawmaker’s bills to ensure medical providers have tests to identify a person suffering fentanyl poisoning, as well as provide expanded access to drug therapy, were approved today by the California State Senate. Sen. Rosilicie Ochoa Bogh, R-Beaumont, introduced Senate Bills 1442 and 1468 in the current legislative session as part of
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29 pounds of fentanyl were discovered during a traffic stop on Interstate 10 in Indio, Border Patrol announced on Tuesday. The discovery happened last Wednesday at around 9:30 AM near Golf Center Parkway. Border Patrol agents in agency-marked vehicles were operating in conjunction with Operation Apollo on Interstate 10 near Golf Center Parkway. According to
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A U.S. citizen living in Mexico was arrested after a stop on Interstate 10 in the Coachella Valley after allegedly being found with nearly $2 million worth of fentanyl pills in her vehicle. Adriana Galindo, 34, of San Luis Río Colorado, Mexico, was arrested Tuesday in Indio, according to the Department of Justice. She is
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Border Patrol agents found nearly 10 pounds of fentanyl hidden inside a car battery at the Highway 86 immigration checkpoint, east of the Salton Sea. Details on the bust remain limited. We’ve reached out the U.S. Customs and Borders Protection for more information. Get the News Channel 3 app here.
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A Riverside County man, who admitted to selling fentanyl to a 33-year-old man who ingested the powerful synthetic opioid and suffered a fatal overdose, was sentenced today to 20 years in federal prison. Sergio Maya, 33, of Lake Elsinore, was sentenced in Los Angeles federal court by U.S. District Judge Mark C. Scarsi, who also
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U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) officers at the Area Port of Calexico seized fentanyl and methamphetamine concealed within air compressors in two separate interdictions last week. “This is truly an outstanding demonstration of our officers’ ability to think outside of the box and further exemplifies our adaptability to find illicit contraband no matter where
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By ADAM BEAM Associated Press SACRAMENTO, Calif. (AP) — California will soon begin selling its own generic version of Narcan — the drug that can save someone’s life during an opioid overdose — under a deal announced Monday by Democratic Gov. Gavin Newsom as part of his effort to offer less expensive, state-branded options of
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Mothers Against Prescription Drug Abuse held its 2024 West Coast Humanitarian Awards. The event, held at Wally’s Desert Turtle, honors community leaders fighting against the misuse of opioids and fentanyl. News Channel 3’s evening anchor Karen Devine was the emcee for the event. She received the humanitarian award at last year’s ceremony. This year’s award
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Four Indio residents, including three who are already in custody, were arrested on suspicion of attempting to smuggle drugs into Riverside County jail facilities. In February, the Riverside County Sheriff’s Office Corrections Investigation Bureau began an investigation into inmates coordinating with a subject outside of the jail facilities to smuggle narcotics into the jail by
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Riverside police Chief Larry Gonzalez said today a yearlong joint local-federal law enforcement investigation that interdicted the trafficking of fentanyl and other potentially deadly narcotics in the metropolitan area was aimed at “safeguarding the community,” netting 15 arrests and the seizure of large quantities of illicit drugs. “We will continue leveraging every available resource
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A convicted felon who stored thousands of fentanyl pills, as well as large quantities of methamphetamine and heroin, for sale out of his Cherry Valley home was bound for state prison today to serve a 10-year sentence. Julio Cesar Castillo, 52, pleaded guilty in February to three counts of possession of controlled substances for
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