DEA/San Diego Sheriff’s Department Arrest 65 People In Operation Mountain Shadow
SAN DIEGO - Sixty five people are in custody following Operation Mountain Shadow. Today's sweeps in Ramona and Poway were the conclusion of a year-long undercover drug operation. The Drug Enforcement (DEA), San Diego County Sheriff's Department, and other partner agencies served 12 search warrants at 6:00 a.m. to noon on Tuesday, September 10, 2013. Evidence seized during the entire operation includes: 14 pounds of heroin, 56 pounds of cocaine, 93 pounds of methamphetamine, 76 firearms, one live hand grenade and $230,000.00 in US currency.
The drugs have a street value of $2.1 million. Operation Mountain Shadow was launched in October 2012 in response to numerous citizen complaints. During the crackdown, undercover Sheriff's Deputies and Drug Enforcement Administration agents conducted "buy-walk" operations. They bought methamphetamine, heroin, cocaine and firearms from the suspects. Approximately 150 federal agents and Sheriff's Deputies took part in today's takedown. Agencies involved in the case are San Diego Drug Enforcement (DEA), San Diego County Sheriff’s Department, Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and (ATF), U.S. Marshals Service, Regional Auto Theft Task (RATT), San Diego County District Attorney's Office, U.S. Attorney's Office, U.S. Border Patrol, Narcotics Task (NTF), and the FBI Violent Gang Task Force.
Those arrested face federal charges of conspiracy to distribute a controlled substance and could face other state charges. Suspects in this investigation face varied sentences depending on their criminal background including probation to 25 years in prison.
Some of the defendants appeared before a judge in Superior Court in San Diego this afternoon. For information on the court appearance of those arrested on federal charges, please contact the U.S. Attorney's Office for the Southern District of California.
