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Authorities declare major blow to drug rings as investigation yields 11 arrests

Friday, September 12, 2008 11:30 PM PDT

By Barbara LaBoe

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The Cowlitz-Wahkiakum Narcotics Task Force arrested 11 people in two days in Cowlitz County in what officials called a “significant” blow to major drug rings in the area.

“In this case we believe we have significantly impacted the drug groups selling in our area,” said Detective Sergeant Kevin Tate, the task force supervisor.

While not the largest drug bust in terms of product seized, Tate said he measures significance in the ability to break up networks and reduce the amount of drugs being sold.

“This should be a good hit, a good impact on the network of people supplying drugs in the community,” he said. “There’s power in that.”

The arrests, in Longview, Kelso and Kalama on Thursday and Friday concluded several months of work in two investigations.

Police seized 675 grams of methamphetamine and 14 grams of cocaine, as well as a handgun, drug packaging material, $6,000 in cash and eight vehicles. The drugs have a street value of roughly $30,000, though it depends on quality and other factors, Tate cautioned.

Seven people arrested have immigration holds in addition to their criminal charges. And at least one has been arrested, sentenced to prison and deported from the community before. And, while several had initially high bails of $75,000, several were reduced by superior court judges and one man was able to bail out of jail.

Arrested Thursday were brothers Juan and Pino Jacobo-Ibarra, whom officials allege sold cocaine and marijuana to police informants in several locations.

Pino Jacobo-Ibarra, 23, was arrested during a traffic stop in Longview. Agents then searched his apartment at 1242 12th Avenue #7. Agents then went to 73 Veys Drive #A in Kelso and found Juan Carlos Jacobo-Ibarra.

Juan Jacobo-Ibarra was arrested locally in February 2007 and sent to prison for a year for possession of meth with the intent to sell and being an alien in possession of a firearm convictions, according to Daily News archives. He was deported after the prison term and has a no-bail immigration hold, according to jail records.

Pino Jacobo-Ibarra was held on $55,000 bail.

Friday morning, agents served four search warrants, arrested seven people considered part of a drug network and referred two others for likely charges. The cases were investigated for several months, according to Tate.

The first warrant was served at 333 22nd Ave., Longview where Abel Isreal Herrera-Garcia, 29, was arrested on suspicion of several cocaine charges. His fiance, Angela Nadine Long, 22, also was arrested for allegedly participating in one of the sales but was not booked though charges are expected, Tate said.

Herrera-Garcia was released on $30,000 bond Friday.

A second team of officers went to 2342 Coal Creek Road, Longview and took Bartolo Delacruz-Morales and Francisco Jimenez-Delacruz into custody on outstanding warrants and cocaine charges. Both have immigration holds. Bond for Delacruz-Morales, 23, is $50,000. Jimenez-Delacruz, 20, has a bond of $75,000.

A third team of agents went to Todd Road in rural Kalama and took Eugenio Gutierrez-Barajas and Victoria Ortega-Barrera into custody. Maria Verde-Chavira was arrested when she stopped by. All three have immigration holds.

Gutierrez-Barajas, was arrested on a variety of drug-related and other charges. Bail was set at $75,000. Ortega-Barrera, 28, was not booked into jail but potentially faces several drug charges and welfare fraud, according to the task force. Verde-Chavira’s bail was set at $25,000.

A fourth team of agents arrested brothers Christian and Rafael Gutierrez-Garcia at 904 Cedar Street in Kelso.

Christian Guiterrez-Garcia, 27, was booked on suspicion of two counts of selling meth. His bail is $30,000. Rafael Guiterrez-Garcia, 30, was booked on suspicion of identity theft, as well as other charges. His total bail is $50,500. Both have immigration holds.

Several agencies, including the federal Drug Enforcement Agency, Clark-Skamania Drug Task Force, Pacific County Sheriff’s Office, Castle Rock, Kelso and Longview police departments, the Wahkiakum and Cowlitz sheriff’s departments and the Washington State Patrol assisted with the investigation and arrests, according to news release.

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Tired of it wrote on Sep 13, 2008 4:42 AM:

" Great job and keep it up. "

witnessrevolution wrote on Sep 13, 2008 5:45 AM:

" Way to go! Not only busting Meth and Cocaine, but also illegal immigrants. And to think people are fighting having a security fence along the U.S. And Mexican border. Now the taxpayers are footin the bill for deportation as well. "

roudy russ wrote on Sep 13, 2008 6:44 AM:

" And we need to close are borders why?!?!? "

angel wrote on Sep 13, 2008 7:43 AM:

" I work with alot of the hispanic population in the area, some documented but most not. They are mostly good people, and very hard working. I think it is too bad that the hispanic population gets such a bad reputation because a few move into this area and are unlawful. I think the hispanic people in this town need to ban together and help stop the crime and drugs that they may know about, but are afraid to come forward because the are afraid due to their own undocumentation. I wonder if the police have any type of program or have information out there so that they are aware that they would not be prosecuted if they came forward with information? It sure would help change the attitude of about hispanics in this town if they were seen as part of the solution. Don't get me wrong. I know there are plenty of us "poor white trash" around here doing the same thing but it stands out much more when it is a "mexican." "

Kelso Gringo wrote on Sep 13, 2008 8:44 AM:

" Good work LEOs. "

missymae wrote on Sep 13, 2008 8:47 AM:

" Now we know where all the drugs come from because everytime you read the paper it's alaways Illegal immigrants that are busted 90% of the time thats why we need stiffer border patrol we need to do like they did In germany and build a wall like they had what was it called again the berlin wall and take away there shovels to so they can't dig a hole and get out send them all back today. "

Plato wrote on Sep 13, 2008 8:52 AM:

" Way to go Kevin. Keep up the good work. "

viper wrote on Sep 13, 2008 9:26 AM:

" great job by the law enforcement to bad the D.A. will scold them and have them deported to save money on a trial and they should be back and in business in just a week ! great try though! :Viper

it's just to bad the D.A.'s office can't support your good work with a nice long jail sentence !at least we would know it would be longer before they came back 2 weeks at the most and they will be back in business we will hear more of these guys in the near future deportetion the ride back to mexico the trip back up here it should be about 2 weeks !:Viper "

Lance Johnson wrote on Sep 13, 2008 9:33 AM:

" If the United States would secure the boarder with Nationl Guard troops the Meth problem in this country would end within months. I just cant figure out why they just dont slam that door shut. The did it between North and South Korea, East and West Germany. I guess it wouldnt allow the folks to come over and do the jobs Americans wont or atleast thats the old reliable answer we get from most politicans. "

cynic wrote on Sep 13, 2008 9:38 AM:

" I wonder how this will reflect on our latino community. WAKE UP people! More than 1 million people from mexico enter this country illegaly each year. we only deport about 1/4 that number. 50,000 of those deported were released from prison. Another 10,000 were gang members. Latinos make up 50% of all gang members in this country. More than 900 people have been murdered in Juarez this year. More people have been murdered in the state of chihuahua where jaurez is located this year than we have lost in the entire Iraqi war. The corruption of the police, (400 fired in juarez this year) and their politicians is part of their countries life style. They bring this and their narco life with them. Their drug cartels import to this country the majority of meth, blacktar heroin, and cocaine. The cartels enforcers have killed people in Tennessee, Alabama, Texas, New Mexico and Califorina. Thomason hospitial in El Paso has spent over 2 million on treating people shot in Juarez this year that the taxpayers are getting stuck for. Time to close the border with Mexico, sweep the country, deport all illegals. theres a war on, were losing it. "

rs5 wrote on Sep 13, 2008 9:55 AM:

" Angel so nice of you to work with criminals. Anyone here in the country illegaly is breaking the law. Follow your own advise turn them in. "

CR RES. wrote on Sep 13, 2008 9:55 AM:

" I KNOW THAT THEIR IS SOME GOOD HISPANICS BUT IT SEEMS THAT WHEN THERE IS A "BIG BUST" IT ALWAYS SEEM TO BE HISPANICS.GREAT JOB TASK FORCE KEEP UP THE GOOD WORK. "

DaCoug wrote on Sep 13, 2008 10:04 AM:

" I guess so much for the argument that the illegal influx of people south of the border just come here to do work us gringos wont do. I guess meth is more profitable than harvest work. Since the illegals are supposed to be such good workers why dont we have each one of them build a section of border fence to cover the cost of deportation. "

DaCoug wrote on Sep 13, 2008 10:05 AM:

" Maybe ICE should set up one of their roadblocks around here "

~:sturgeon:~ wrote on Sep 13, 2008 10:26 AM:

" Four greats and a grampa ago, Nicolas arrived from Germany. He had to abide by the rules, learn the language and customs and proceed to become a united states citizen. Why has this policy chaged Mr. President? Why was it good enough then, but not now? They also bring there disease that we have no choice in. cynic, you got the "bullseye" "

toledoone wrote on Sep 13, 2008 10:33 AM:

" Angel, they are here illegally. Undocumented is not the correct term to use to describe a criminal. The correct term is illegal alein.

RS5 is correct, you should do your part for the country and turn in criminals that you are aware of.

What a country. "

valley thorn wrote on Sep 13, 2008 10:59 AM:

" Cynic has it right. It's just a matter of time before this town will be over run with hispanics and if you think you have a drug and crime problem now, just wait and see what happens. You may not like my comment, but I have lived in some wonderful places, outside of WA, and to see the crime, drugs and the gangs take over is not a pretty sight. The youth in this area already have many problems and will want to be in the gangs for the support they do not receive from their parents. The gangs will become their homes. Please do some research on gangs and pray for our youth and the future of America. "

lvmama wrote on Sep 13, 2008 11:26 AM:

" Right on DTF!! I'm sure I speak for the "silent majority" when I say THANK YOU,THANK YOU,THANK YOU!! You guys are doing a great job but still seem to catch a lot of "flac" from the public.Go figure huh? "

transplant wrote on Sep 13, 2008 11:31 AM:

" I must agree with rs5 here- documented or undocumented is a politically correct way of saying legal or illegal. If you snuck into this country under a fence, you're an illegal. If you're an illegal, you're a criminal. If you took advantage of some government "get documented day", great- so be it. But short of that, you're an illegal. Yes, I know it's a complex problem with lots of issues, but call it what it is. As for why they seem to be doing all of the dealing, the reality is that many of them have had to find a way, any way to survive and care for their families and weird as this sounds, they have a support ethic- sorta do whatever it takes. I get that, illegal as it is. But the real kicker here is that they're only selling it 'cuz we're buying it. Our kids are smoking it, our truckers are smoking it, moms and dads and professionals who just need a little pick me up are smoking it. It's not just the street junkie, it's a massive issue and until we curb the demand for the drug, we're never going to curb the supply of it. "

juanlesstime wrote on Sep 13, 2008 11:40 AM:

" The Mexicans bring it in, the white folks use it. It's called supply and demand. If you shut off one source of supply...viola, another appears! We shut of easy supply to ephedrine products in the US, so our local bath tub manufacturers dissappeared and were replaced by international ones.
However, if we shut off the demand, the supply will vanish.
Better sense demands both supply and demand be addressed...knee jerk reactionism and a one-pronged attack will never work. But they will keep the corrections industry a profitable venture, and insure the masses have an enemy with a face that doesn't resemble their own.
That said, I'm glad to see meth heads eliminated from our community...and I look foreward to a day when racist voices like the semi-literate post of CR RES (above)are history, as well. "

rosy wrote on Sep 13, 2008 11:40 AM:

" Oh Lance, my optimistic baby. You surely aren't seriously thinking that the immigration problem(?) and the meth problem are so connected that solving one solves the other? Did you totally skip reading newspapers and watching TV when every other shows mentioned meth? Are you forgetting that ANYONE with a basic internet hookup and Google can find endless recipes to produce meth? What do you think the migrants bring across the border to make this? Vicks Inhalers?
These are two completely separate problems. And Mexican drug producers are a small drop in a huge bucket. "

uh huh wrote on Sep 13, 2008 12:23 PM:

" Whoo Hoo, they are finally going after the ones that are really harming our communities not just pot peddlers. It's about time they get un-scared and go for real drug dealers. "

Just wrote on Sep 13, 2008 1:18 PM:

" Significant blow to major drug rings in the area.
That is way to funny i believe thats what was report in that last bust.I wonder if they say the same on the next bust? Hmmm I bet someone else will just move up the ladder and take there place!!! "

Flamingo wrote on Sep 13, 2008 2:42 PM:

" For those of you who report drug problems to the Police and then say they aren't doing anything about it, read the above article. It can take several months for them to make a good case so the prosecutor has something to work with. So THANK YOU to our LOCAL POLICE. You're doing a great job. They'll always be cynical people who are never happy. I just ignore them. They're ignorant of the procedures. KEEP UP THE GOOD WORK. You are making a great effort! "

mclovin it wrote on Sep 13, 2008 3:03 PM:

" Bottom line is if there was not a demand for cocaine and meth from the white population in this area there would not be illegal dealers selling their wares. This will slow the drug trade down for a month or two but there will be replacements here in a short time to take there place because there is demand for them here. We first need to curb the demand for illegal drugs before we will ever see any real long term positive results. it needs to start at home at a early age and be reinforced at schools, clubs and churches and maybe the next generation might have a chance to win the battle. I think that most(not all) of the hardcore crackheads and meth users are uneducated people with no real hope to ever be anything in life so what do they have to lose? Like I said it starts at home and as a parent I really stressed getting a education and focusing on doing the right things by setting a good example for my children. Not saying my kids are perfect and have probably experimented with drugs but I am proud to say my kids turned out pretty good. "

South of the river wrote on Sep 13, 2008 3:38 PM:

" I work with a few Mexican-Americans who are LEGALLY in this country, one recently obtained citizenship. Good people, and guess what. They resent the illegals, and especially the drug dealers, just as much as the rest of us!

juanlesstime is right about it shutting down the local bathtub cooks, and replacing it with the internationals. We traded the monster we knew for a different one that turned out to be even bigger. "

roudy russ wrote on Sep 13, 2008 3:42 PM:

" Rosy you are wrong! I used meth daily for eight years and I will tell you from personal experience that you do not know what you are talking about. Ever hear of a super lab? The Mexicans can make one hundred pounds or more in a single batch. The majority of meth is made in Mexico....look it up! By the way I have over six years clean. "

bluE wrote on Sep 13, 2008 3:46 PM:

" "they" might be the ones bringing it and selling it to you, but YOU are the one buying it and sticking it in your %#"@!

I am not quite sure which one is worse, the supply is simply coming to meet the demand.. and you know what else folks? "they" arent pushing it on no one either, alot of them dont even speak english, fact its our kids who are learning their language to deal with them. you know what else? at least they are taking care of their families... us white folks are robbing ours to pay for more dope. meanwhile we are stressing about them working "illegally" too, but the fact of the matter is that we are too lazy for that, so it wouldn't get done without them. and as for the extra violence they bring? well i beg to differ, cuz our tv brings more violence into our home than all the foreign shades of skin combined. and what about the violence that we commit around the world, do you folks think that is earning us any points? so get real,some of you people are constantly sounding like ignorants, and it makes the rest of us look bad, i am sick of being ashamed to be an american, i want something to be proud of.... can you just give me that for once? i beg you. "

Lance Johnson wrote on Sep 13, 2008 4:03 PM:

" rosy you are living in a dream world if you dont believe that the majority of hard drugs (herion, coke, meth) arent coming in from Mexico. I presonally guarantee that if you stopped illegal immigration and secured our boarders and i mean not even a mouse gets across the hard drug supply in this country would vanish. its the people like you who never want to directly address the problem just throw more money at treatment programs. "

cynic wrote on Sep 13, 2008 8:44 PM:

" Well blue how many children have you heard say that when I grow up I want to be a drug addict? No blacktar = no blacktar addicts. NO meth = no meth addicts etc. etc. In the real world and not hollywood, gang violence, violent crimes comitted drug addicts beat tv anytime. drug crime is tied to the supply of drugs which are supplied by the cartels in mexico. They do push it on people or do you believe that when they bring it up they dont tell anyone that they have it. Why do people call drug dealers pushers then. "

DUH wrote on Sep 13, 2008 11:35 PM:

" 675 grams of meth and 14 grams of cocaine. Good bust but not what what I'd call a major operation. These are just small time dealers. Granted, it's a good start, but by no means a major supplier. "

Argoman wrote on Sep 14, 2008 9:31 AM:

" I personally grew tired of the problem in my neck of the woods and after cowlitz counties finest would not do anything about it for years we simply took care of it ourselves. It is amazing the results you can get with a bunch of friends and a 3:00 am knock at the door and giving out a stern warning to leave the area because we will not put up with this crap anymore. I am not recomending for anyone to do this but sometimes if you want it done right you have to do it yourself "

DW wrote on Sep 14, 2008 9:50 AM:

" DUH is right, 675 grams of meth is not much more than a pound, and a 25 cent quarter weighs more than 14 grams. Not a huge bust by any means. However, instead of lowering their bail, why don't we try them, get the convictions, and build a nice big outdoor jail in the desert somewhere, like they did in Arizona. No fricken' tv, no weight rooms, basic food, a news paper and a library full of childrens books all in english. And....many many years out of our sight. Deport them then, and let them tell all their commrads how crappy it really is in America if you come here and break the law. "

cynic954 wrote on Sep 14, 2008 5:42 PM:

" DW; 675 grams is just about a pound and a half. 2/10ths of a gram is $20.00 Our country should make drug importation a capitial offence sentence carried out in 90 days. "

country gal wrote on Sep 14, 2008 11:57 PM:

" To the Cowlitz-Wahkiakum Narcotics Task Force: good job not only for the meth/cocaine bust but rounding up the illegal immigrants involved! Now, let's just hope our justice system don't give these criminals just a slap on the wrist! "

kalamaguy wrote on Sep 15, 2008 10:34 AM:

" AWESOME AWESOME AWESOME, get them out of my community and in JAIL where they belong. I think any aliens that come back should be locked up indefinately, why deport them, they obviously come back! LOCK EM UP "

SASSY wrote on Sep 15, 2008 8:21 PM:

" EVERYONE IS SAYING THE BORDER THE BOARDER, THE BOARDER, WHAT IS WRONG WITH THE U.S. THERE ARE SO MANY METH LABS IN PORTLAND, SEATTLE, LONGVIEW,KELSO.. AND THEY ARE NOT ALL ALIENS, THEY ARE MESSED UP LOCAL PEOPLE LOOKING FOR A FAST BUCK, WE NEED TO CATCH THEM ALSO. GO DOWN ON COMMERNCE AT NIGHT OR DURING THE DAY YOU WILL FIND AFEW METH HEADS , I DO AGREE SOMETHING HAS TO BE DONE. THE ONES THAT LAY AROUND ON WELFARE AND MAKE EXTRA CASH SELLING METH. I AGREE I WANT THIS GARBAGE OFF THE STREET AND OUT OF SCHOOLS. BUT DON'T BLAME IT ONLY ON THE ALIENS, THEIR NOT THE ONLY ONES THAT NEED TO BE LOCKED UP. ALL METH HEADS DO, WHITE OR ALIENS.WE NEED TO BAN TOGETHER AND TURN PEOPLE IN THAT ARE DOING THIS(ALL) PEOPLE THE NUMBER IS IN THE BOOK, NO ONE NEEDS TO KNOW YOU DID IT. BUT MAKE SURE YOUR TURNING IN THE RIGHT PEOPLE AND THE RIGHT ADDRESS. WE CAN DO IT... "

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