MORENO VALLEY, Calif. (KESQ) – The Riverside County Sheriff’s Office is continuing the crackdown on illegal drugs, including fentanyl, from entering the county’s jail system. In December 2024, the Riverside County Sheriff’s Office, Gang Intelligence Unit and Corrections Central Investigations Unit opened an investigation into inmates and members of the public smuggling narcotics into the
Continue Reading
NOTE in this same story on Wednesday, there was no mention of an objection from the District Attorney’s Office because confirmation of last week’s proceedings by the agency DID NOT include any reference to an objection on the record. The D.A.’s office, however, NOW SAYS the prosecution did in fact make one. The story below
Continue Reading
A former active-duty lance corporal in the U.S. Marine Corps pleaded guilty today in downtown Los Angeles to a felony drug offense for his actions involving a 2020 fentanyl transaction that resulted in the death of another U.S. Marine. Â Â Anthony Ruben Whisenant, 24, pleaded guilty in U.S. District Court to the use of a
Continue Reading
A 42-year-old Palm Desert woman accused of selling fentanyl that led to a man’s death must stand trial on a felony count of murder, a judge ruled Wednesday. Tiffany Wright is due back in court on Feb. 5. Wright was arrested on May 3, 2022 by personnel from the Riverside County Sheriff’s Department’s Overdose
Continue Reading
After pleading guilty in federal court to distributing narcotics causing death, Marshall Juarez Pena of Cathedral City was sentenced on Friday to 20 years in federal prison, 3 years probation upon release, and pay restitution to the family of the victim. The case dates back to February 5, 2023, when a 33 year old man
Continue Reading
More than 215 pounds of fentanyl pills were found concealed in a vehicle attempting to cross into the United States at the Otay Mesa Port of Entry, U.S. Customs and Border Protection officials said today. The pills were found in 30 packages hidden inside various parts of an SUV stopped by CBP officers just before
Continue Reading
The Los Angeles City Council voted 12-0 today to explore a pilot program to distribute fentanyl detection devices to residents at no cost. Council members voted to instruct the Office of Procurement and relative departments to report on such a program funded by the city’s opioid settlement account. Council members Monica Rodriguez and Hugo Soto-Martinez
Continue Reading
A 24-year-old man was in custody today after being sentenced to 48 months of probation and 120 days behind bars for supplying a fatal dose of fentanyl to his 17-year-old girlfriend near Desert Hot Springs. Michael Garcia entered guilty pleas on Sept. 10 at the Larson Justice Center in Indio to felony counts of willful
Continue Reading
Border Patrol officers at the Calexico West Port of Entry seized more than 100 pounds of fentanyl pills found hidden in a vehicle. The discovery was made on Friday. According to Border Patrol, CBP officers encountered a 26-year-old man driving a red sedan seeking entry into the United States from Mexico. After initial inspection, CBP
Continue Reading
Border Patrol agents discovered approximately 122 pounds of blue fentanyl pills hidden throughout a vehicle at the Calexico West Port of Entry last week. The discovery took place last Wednesday. At around 10:05 p.m., CBP officers encountered a 47-year-old man driving a gray sedan who was applying for admission into the United States from Mexico.
Continue Reading
A boost in California National Guard troops at the southern border, including in San Diego County, helped authorities seize over nine million fentanyl pills and over 5,000 pounds of fentanyl powder since the beginning of the year, Gov. Gavin Newsom’s office announced today. Last fall, Newsom announced that the number of service members would be
Continue Reading
Border Patrol officers seized approximately 120 pounds of blue fentanyl pills concealed in a vehicle at the Calexico port of entry. The fentanyl was found when on the afternoon of Monday, Sept. 16. A 27-year-old woman driving a white sedan went through the port’s vehicle SENTRI lane. CBP officers conducted an initial inspection and referred
Continue Reading
An Oct. 29 trial date was confirmed today for a young man accused with a cohort of supplying a lethal dose of fentanyl to a 16-year-old French Valley girl. Jeremiah David Carlton, 21, of Canyon Lake is accused in the death of the teenager, identified in court documents only as “J.G.” Carlton is charged with
Continue Reading
Associated Press LOS ANGELES (AP) — In 2019, Brandon McDowell was contacted by a sophomore in college who asked to buy Percocet, a prescription painkiller. What the 20-year-old sold her instead were counterfeit pills laced with fentanyl, a deadly synthetic opioid that can be lethal in a dose as small as 2 milligrams. Hours later,
Continue Reading
A 23-year-old man pleaded guilty today to multiple charges for giving a fatal dose of fentanyl to his 17-year-old girlfriend in an unincorporated area near Desert Hot Springs two years ago. Michael Garcia entered guilty pleas at the Larson Justice Center in Indio to felony counts of willful child cruelty and giving a minor a
Continue Reading A Desert Hot Springs man accused of giving a fatal dose of fentanyl to his then-17-year-old girlfriend in an unincorporated area of Riverside County near Desert Hot Springs two years ago made an initial court appearance today. Michael Garcia pleaded not guilty to felony counts of willful child cruelty and giving a minor a controlled
Continue Reading
Border Patrol agents seized more than two pounds of fentanyl after a police pursuit ended in a crash earlier this week near Coachella. The incident started at 12:20 p.m. when El Centro Sector Border Patrol agents encountered a suspicious white sedan traveling westbound on Interstate 10, according to U.S. Customs and Border Protection. The agency
Continue Reading
More than a ton of narcotics was seized over the course of July at the San Ysidro Port of Entry, U.S. Customs and Border Protection officials announced today. The 2,627 pounds of drugs found in vehicles seeking to cross into the United States were seized on 50 separate occasions, CBP said. Â Â The seized drugs
Continue Reading
An arrest was made following a deadly Fentanyl overdose incident that happened near Desert Hot Springs in 2022. Riverside County Sheriff’s Office said the Desert Hot Springs man was captured Monday at the US-Mexico border. He was accused of providing drugs to a 17-year-old female at a home located off Via Quedo in unincorporated area
Continue Reading
More than 360 combined pounds of fentanyl and cocaine discovered last week hidden in a flatbed truck in Otay Mesa amounted to the largest fentanyl seizure this year by U.S. Customs and Border Protection officers in California, it was announced today. The Aug. 9 seizure yielded 133.6 pounds of fentanyl powder in 50 packages and
Continue Reading