Posted:   05/17/2012 06:36:59 AM PDT

Updated:   05/17/2012 06:37:38 AM PDT

A huge marijuana growing operation authorities said was run by a father-and-son team was crushed in a massive sweep of arrests across the East Bay on Wednesday, the Drug Enforcement Agency announced.

Operation Disco Dazed targeted 14 locations and saw the confiscation of more than 3,600 plants, almost 100 pounds of prepared marijuana, three dozen guns, a grenade launcher and about $400,000 in cash, DEA Special Agent in Charge Anthony Williams said.

“This large-scale marijuana-trafficking organization set up shop in several neighborhoods and communities,” Williams said in a written statement. “Through the diligent efforts of law enforcement, they have been dismantled, and the nuisance removed.”

Agents arrested 19 suspects from cities including Fremont, Livermore, Discovery Bay, Oakley, Tracy and Patterson, Williams said.

Nine additional suspects remained at large Wednesday afternoon, DEA Special Agent Casey Rettig added. One suspect had already called and made arrangements to turn himself in on Thursday, she said.

There was no violence in the arrests, she added, and no one was reported hurt.

An investigation into the operation had been going on for over a year, Williams said. The DEA’s Sacramento office had gotten a tip about an alleged drug-trafficking organization centered around Grower’s Choice Hydroponics, which operates out of Tracy and Hayward.

The DEA says the ringleaders behind the operation are a father-and-son

pair.   Byron resident Steven Ortega Sr., 50, and Discovery Bay resident Steven Ortega Jr., 25.

The two Ortegas are accused of using their retail stores as fronts to provide other marijuana growers with equipment to grow the plants in exchange for a share in profits, Williams said.

Charges will include manufacture of and possession with intent to distribute marijuana and conspiracy to do the same. If they are convicted, the suspects could face life in prison or a minimum sentence of 10 years in prison and a $4 million fine, Williams said.

Many of the 14 operations raided Wednesday had sophisticated lighting, water irrigation, ventilation and air-filtration systems, he added.

The suspects had been selling marijuana by the pound, both locally and outside California, Rettig said. No street gang connections appeared to be involved.

Also arrested Wednesday were Steven Ortega Sr.’s 57-year-old wife, Marla Ortega, and second son, Matt Ortega, 21, also of Byron. Authorities identified others arrested as Jay Dupee, 50, and Bryan Swiers, 31, both of Byron; Anthony Giarrusso, 24, Brock Enrico, 25, and Kyle Schmidt, 25, all of Oakley; Todd Becerra, 38, and Joseph Mirante, 40, both of Tracy; Steven Adgate, 30, of Rio Vista; Travis Olibas, 23, of Fresno; Jake Weterman, 22, of Livermore; Justin McMillian, 32, of Salida; Shawn Thompson, 43, of Mountain House; Frederick Laurens, 29, of Brentwood; Jason Siegfried, 28, of Patterson; and Kevin Kuester, 43, of Fremont.

http://www.mercurynews.com/medical-marijuana/ci_20639911/huge-dea-sweep-crushes-alleged-father-and-son?IADID=Search-www.mercurynews.com-secure.www.mercurynews.com

Posted:   05/16/2012 06:09:45 AM PDT

Updated:   05/16/2012 08:26:15 AM PDT

State authorities on Tuesday brought down an international heroin ring based out of the South Bay, where they say young Norteño gang members imported drugs from Mexico and the Central Valley to sell throughout the United States.

Accused ringleader Carlos Jose Moreno, 28, and 11 suspected “middle men” were busted in early-morning raids throughout the Bay Area. Though no heroin was found, officials said undercover officers had bought 3 pounds of the drug from the gang members, and during the raids also seized guns and small amounts of cash, marijuana and methamphetamine.

The California Department of Justice, which led the 2½-year Operation Middle Men, says the drug chain originated with heroin in Mexico, from where the suspects imported the drugs to the Bay Area. It’s unclear exactly how much drugs Moreno and his employees are suspected of moving, but officials called them significant players.

“He was supplying a pretty good portion of the Bay Area,” said Michelle Gregory, a spokeswoman for the Department of Justice. “He was getting this stuff and distributing it out not just through California but through the United States. So he’s got to have a pretty decent supply.”

The drug-trafficking organization also “smurfed” around the region, bypassing laws by visiting dozens of stores to buy small amounts of pseudoephedrine at a time, prosecutors said. They then used the ingredient to manufacture meth in the Central Valley.

The state DOJ, federal Immigration and Customs Enforcement, the Santa Clara County District Attorney’s Office and the San Mateo County Narcotics Task Force on Tuesday searched six properties near East Palo Alto, Oakland and Redwood City. They arrested 10 people from Palo Alto, including Moreno, and two Mexicans. Most of them ranged in age from 18 to 27, while one of them was 36.

It was not immediately clear if they had hired attorneys, as many of them were still being booked into jail late Tuesday.

The Attorney General’s Office said prosecutors in December 2009 originally targeted the drug ring’s middle men, who supplied street-level drug dealers, before they were led to Moreno. They wouldn’t divulge exactly how agents brought them down, but said a key part was embedding undercover officers to buy drugs from the organization.

No violent crimes have been linked to the group. They were, however, charged with conspiracy, residential burglary, firearm sales, drug sales and gang enhancements. Officials seized three handguns, three shotguns and three rifles.

“Transnational gangs have become a top public safety threat as they increasingly traffic guns, drugs and human beings into California,” Attorney General Kamala Harris said in a statement.

http://www.mercurynews.com/peninsula/ci_20631244/ag-bay-area-based-international-drug-ring-busted

Released: 5/16/2012 3:40 PM EDT
Source: Washington University in St. Louis

Newswise — Researchers have found evidence that early drug and alcohol use is associated with lower levels of educational attainment.

Studying male twins who served in the military during the Vietnam era, they found that those who began drinking or using drugs as young teens or who became dependent on alcohol, nicotine or marijuana, were less likely to finish college than those who didn’t use alcohol or drugs until later in life and never became dependent.

The study, by investigators at Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis and the Palo Alto Veterans Affairs Health Care System, will be published in the August 2012 issue of Alcoholism: Clinical & Experimental Research but is now available online.

“We can’t say that substance dependence or early substance use causes lower educational achievement, but we do see a strong association,” says lead author Julia D. Grant, PhD, research assistant professor of psychiatry. “Even after we statistically controlled for the genes and the environmental factors that twins share, we found a relationship between substance use and educational achievement.”

Past studies about the relationship between substance use and education have delivered mixed results. But this study of 6,242 twins shows a link between fewer years of schooling and the onset of drinking before age 14.

“Studying identical and fraternal twin pairs is useful for examining things like substance use and education because we can asses the extent to which a given behavior is influenced by genetic factors and by factors related to family and environment,” Grant says. “Since identical twins share all of their genes and fraternal share about half, we can set up statistical comparisons to tease many of those factors apart.”

In the analysis, Grant’s group found that when men in the study began to drink or use drugs early in their teen years or if they became a drug addict or alcoholic, they were less likely to complete 16 years of education.

In addition, she says the men in the study were surveyed when most were in their late 30s of early 40s, a point in their lives where it was less likely they would further their education.

Veterans, she says, were a particularly good group to follow because it is rare for anyone to serve in the military without finishing high school or earning a GED. In addition, because of the G.I. Bill, veterans are less likely to have financial constraints that would prevent them from attending college.

Grant says the findings provide more evidence that early drug and alcohol use is associated with a large number of problems later in life.

“Drugs and alcohol affect many lifetime milestones such as marriage, parenthood and employment, which are closely linked to education,” she says. “These events in later life all are influenced by early substance use, and this study provides further evidence that as a society, we need to continue our public-health efforts to reduce underage drinking, smoking and use of drugs.”

Grant JD, et al. Associations of alcohol, nicotine, cannabis and drug use/dependence with educational attainment: evidence from cotwin-control analyses. Alcoholism: Clinical & Experimental Research, Early View vol. 36 (8), August 2012.

Funding for this research comes from the Department of Veterans Affairs and the National Institutes of Health (NIH).

Washington University School of Medicine’s 2,100 employed and volunteer faculty physicians also are the medical staff of Barnes-Jewish and St. Louis Children’s hospitals. The School of Medicine is one of the leading medical research, teaching and patient care institutions in the nation, currently ranked sixth in the nation by U.S. News & World Report. Through its affiliations with Barnes-Jewish and St. Louis Children’s hospitals, the School of Medicine is linked to BJC HealthCare.

http://www.newswise.com/articles/view/589443/?sc=rsla&utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+NewswiseLatestNews+%28Newswise%3A+Latest+News%29

By Botvin LifeSkills Training

WHITE PLAINS, N.Y., May 15, 2012 — /PRNewswire/ – A new study presented at an international conference in Texas demonstrates the long-term effectiveness of a classroom-based prevention program targeting teen drug use. The study tracked teens who participated in the Botvin LifeSkills Training (LST) program as 7th graders and found that their participation in the program produced long-lasting reduction in drug use 12 years later. The study’s findings were presented in April at the Blueprints for Violence Prevention conference held in San Antonio, Texas.

The study assessed LST’s impact on young adults in their early to mid-20s who received the program when they were in the 7th grade. The results of the study found that participants were 23% less likely to have ever used illicit drugs than were individuals who did not receive the LST program. They were also 22% less likely to have used marijuana and 26% less likely to have engaged in non-medical pill use (such as amphetamines, barbiturates, and tranquilizers). Over 2,000 individuals participated in the follow up study; their average age at the 12-year follow-up was 24.

“We are extremely excited by the results of this study,” said Dr. Gilbert J. Botvin, an internationally renowned expert on drug abuse prevention, and developer of the LST program. “This study provides still more evidence that drug use can be prevented using a classroom program taught during the early teen years. More importantly, it also shows that these effects are long-lasting.” Evidence that prevention programs such as LST can produce long-lasting reductions in drug use are particularly important at a time when decreased funding is forcing educators and policy makers to carefully consider how best to allocate dwindling resources. The LST program is a top-rated prevention program that has been proven to reduce tobacco use, binge drinking, and illicit drug use. It has been tested in a series of carefully designed and peer-reviewed studies, and more than 30 papers reporting the results of these studies have been published in top scientific journals. Together, they provide powerful evidence that LST can cut teen tobacco, alcohol, illicit drug use, violence, and delinquency. Research shows that this approach works with a diverse range of students, is flexible, and can be effectively taught by teachers, peers, or health professionals.

The conference was part of a major initiative to identify and promote the use of effective prevention programs. Blueprints for Violence Prevention was established in 1996 by Professor Del Elliott from the Center for the Study and Prevention of Violence (CSPV) at the University of Colorado at Boulder. Blueprints for Violence Prevention monitors the effectiveness of prevention, early intervention, and treatment programs in reducing adolescent violent crime, aggression, delinquency, and substance abuse.

]]> http://www.cadfy.org/new-study-shows-long-term-effects-of-drug-prevention/feed 0 http://www.cadfy.org/authorities-bust-fontana-medical-marijuana-facility http://www.cadfy.org/authorities-bust-fontana-medical-marijuana-facility#comments Tue, 15 May 2012 17:02:48 +0000 ccarvalho31 http://www.cadfy.org/?p=2837

Posted:   05/15/2012 09:32:16 AM PDT

FONTANA – Local and federal law enforcement agencies raided and shut down a medical marijuana clinic Tuesday morning in what police say was the first of eight dispensaries they plan to bust in the city.

With guns drawn, Fontana police, sheriff’s deputies and agents with the Drug Enforcement Administration approached Holistic Meds RX in the 15000 block of Base Line about 9 a.m.

“I went in there, and they put a gun to my head, made me lay on the floor and handcuffed me,” said a customer, who only identified himself as Robert.

Two employees and an armed security guard were also in the business at the time. They were detained without incident and later released. No one was arrested.

Authorities found a 30-foot display case filled with more than 50 varieties of marijuana. Drinks, brownies and crackers containing the drug were also on display.

Police said the clinic, which had been in existence seven months, had no business license and the city does not authorize medical marijuana establishments.

“This should serve as notice to the other dispensaries that they’re not going to fly under the radar,” said Fontana police Sgt. Billy Green.

Officers spent several hours examining paperwork and seizing drugs and other evidence from the clinic. Holistic sits in a strip mall that includes a pharmacy and other businesses.

Green said dispensaries have been turning up in the city the last two years.

Many owners comply by closing their business after being warned they could have their assets seized. Some continue to operate despite

warnings.

“It’s significant to us because we have identified seven other medical marijuana facilities in the city, and we are working with the federal government to get them shut down as well,” Green said.

Police say arrests connected to Holistic could be made later if the DEA pursues an indictment.

The customer who was in the store at the time of the bust said he came from San Bernardino to purchase marijuana. The 67-year-old said he’s a Vietnam War veteran and suffers from rheumatoid arthritis and other ailments that are alleviated by marijuana use.

“They’re just forcing people to go to the black market and do things illegally,” he said.

Holistic’s owner declined comment.

Jason Ryan Thompson, an attorney for the business, called it insidious that city police agencies have been teaming up with the DEA to shut down dispensaries. Thompson said he represents several other dispensaries, but didn’t identify which ones.

“What we’re seeing here is the federal government flexing its muscle and not respecting the will of California voters. Californians voted in Proposition 215 in 1996.”

The proposition legalized the use of medical marijuana in the state, but it is still considered illegal under federal law.

Customers continued pulling up to the business, even after police had cleared the scene and the owner locked the door. Some said they were longtime customers because they consider the dispensary a  clean, professional place where they can get quality product.

“The others seem like a drug deal, they tend to be hidden, low key or hard to find,” said a customer who identified himself as William. “I’ve even been to one that was in the kitchen of a house.”

http://www.sbsun.com/ci_20627102/developing-authorities-bust-fontana-medical-marijuana-facility

]]> http://www.cadfy.org/authorities-bust-fontana-medical-marijuana-facility/feed 0 http://www.cadfy.org/los-gatos-doctor-started-drug-dealing-operation-da-says http://www.cadfy.org/los-gatos-doctor-started-drug-dealing-operation-da-says#comments Tue, 15 May 2012 16:39:17 +0000 ccarvalho31 http://www.cadfy.org/?p=2830

Physician accused of running ‘pill mill’ to distribute painkillers

By Mike Rosenberg

mrosenberg@mercurynews.com

Posted:   05/14/2012 06:09:06 PM PDT

Updated:   05/15/2012 08:54:53 AM PDT

After 35 years in medicine, a Los Gatos doctor is facing serious criminal trouble for charging drug addicts $100 a bottle for prescription painkillers, which they resold and abused — including one “patient” who overdosed and died, prosecutors said Monday.

Authorities across Santa Clara County, armed with a $1 million arrest warrant, on Friday raided the “pill mill” allegedly being operated by Dr. Jasna Mrdjen, who appeared in court Monday on at least 12 felony charges.

The District Attorney’s Office accuses Mrdjen, a 69-year-old Mountain View resident, of essentially being the kingpin of a drug-dealing operation by knowingly prescribing powerful prescription pain-relievers called oxycodone to drug addicts,

even after their families pleaded with her to stop. About four of her patients were also arrested on suspicion of reselling the drugs she prescribed them, purportedly doing some of the deals in her office parking lot. One of them died of a drug overdose.

In a letter to authorities, the parents of one addict wrote that Mrdjen gave their son a “large” prescription of narcotics after he had just spent “three weeks in a recovery program.

“I called the office and pleaded with the receptionist not to prescribe any more pain medication. A week later he was admitted into” the hospital after overdosing.

Cash business

What’s more, she prescribed large amounts of drugs to undercover officers

without examining them or reviewing their medical records, prosecutors said. The bust culminated a months-long investigation that included Mountain View and Los Gatos-Monte Sereno police, the DEA, the state Department of Justice and the Medical Board of California.

Prosecutors described Mrdjen’s operation as a pure cash business: $240 for the first appointment, and $100 for each one thereafter. The addicts would then pick up the bottles at the pharmacy and turn an “incredible” profit by selling each pill for about $1 a milligram on the street, putting the typical tablet at $25 to $50.

“It’s both sad and depressing when someone is a medical professional and turns to doing something” like this, said James Sibley, a prosecutor who supervises the DA’s narcotics unit. “This is an increasing problem. It’s probably the greatest growth area of drug abuse right now.”

A call to Mrdjen’s office, which is located on Capri Drive next to El Camino Hospital, was not returned Monday. Her attorney declined to comment.

Charges filed

Mrdjen (pronounced similar to “margarine”) received her M.D. in Croatia in 1977, when she was admitted to practice in California, the DA’s office said. She had apparently retired before opening the Pain Management Clinic about two years ago. Authorities say it’s not that uncommon for doctors to come out of retirement to write phony prescriptions in an attempt to get extra money, thinking that the worst that could happen is the loss of a medical license they no longer need.

Prosecutors filed a dozen charges of conspiracy to sell controlled substances, including nine counts of issuing illegal prescriptions and a pair of charges of prescribing drugs to an addict. Officials are awaiting autopsy results on the patient who overdosed and could file additional charges related to the death.

If convicted, she faces up to 12 years in prison. She remained in custody Monday and is scheduled to enter a plea on May 22.

Sibley said people often overlook the problem of prescription overdoses, which have tripled in the past few years, since the drugs come from a doctor.

“You can very easily go to sleep and never wake up,” Sibley said. “People just underestimate how dangerous it can be.”

http://www.mercurynews.com/health/ci_20623135/los-gatos-doctor-started-drug-dealing-operation-da

Bakersfield police say three men robbed a medical marijuana dispensary in central Bakersfield Friday afternoon.  One suspect was caught, the other two evaded police.

Detectives say the three men took cash and an unknown amount of marijuana from American Green Farmers, at 521 H Street.

Sgt. Mary DeGeare says at least one of the men had a firearm.  Shots were fired, but none of the store’s employees was hit. One employee, however, reportedly suffered minor injuries after being “pistol-whipped.”

After the suspects left the dispensary with the cash and marijuana, a detective spotted them. They were in a black sedan and led Bakersfield police on a short chase to the 700 block of L Street. 

The suspects exited the vehicle and ran in different directions. One was arrested.  Inside the vehicle, officers found a firearm and marijuana.

As of 6 p.m. Friday, the two remaining suspects are still on the loose.

But three years in prison and a drug recovery program wasn’t enough to help him kick the powerful hold oxycodone had over him. He has released three times since his release and must take medication every day to keep the drug withdrawal symptoms at bay.

He’s been clean since June, but he’s still doesn’t know whether he’s kicked his addiction for good.

‘I think this is definitely it. I mean, I say think and I pray to God every day that this is it.’

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2142481/Americans-consume-80-percent-worlds-pain-pills-prescription-drug-abuse-epidemic-explodes.html#ixzz1uaC6dMxu