United States Drug Enforcement Administration

SACRAMENTO, Calif. — On February 27, 2026, the DEA Sacramento District Office in partnership with the Sacramento County Sheriff’s Office SAINT(Sacramento Area Intelligence/Narcotics Team) and Calaveras County Sheriff’s Office CNEU (Calaveras Narcotics Enforcement Unit), in coordination with numerous federal, state, and local law enforcement partners, dismantled a major clandestine methamphetamine laboratory in Valley Springs, California.

The enforcement action marked the culmination of a five-month investigation which targeted an alleged drug trafficking organization (DTO) suspected of manufacturing and distributing methamphetamine throughout Northern California. In total, 2,700 pounds of methamphetamine was seized in various stages of production, which represents a substantial disruption to the supply chain operating within mountain and valley communities across the region.

“DEA is committed to targeting and dismantling Foreign Terrorist Organizations (FTOs) and individuals distributing methamphetamine and other dangerous poisons causing harm in our communities,” said Special Agent in Charge, Bob P. Beris of the San Francisco Field Division. “The Sacramento District Office worked relentlessly with multi-agency operations standing shoulder to shoulder delivering significant blows to the cartels and FTOs often linked to violent crimes, human trafficking, migrant smuggling, and kidnapping. Our combined efforts are focused on protecting Americans from the deadly poison these FTOs push into our communities.”

In a coordinated effort, more than 100 law enforcement personnel served three simultaneous high-risk search warrants at residential properties in Valley Springs, Turlock, and Modesto, California. Investigators located all the necessary equipment to begin operating a clandestine laboratory at a location in Turlock, California. Another location in Modesto, California, was identified as a site utilized by the DTO to store and distribute illicit narcotics.

Eight people were arrested, one of which has been identified as being on the National Terrorist Watch List. All eight have been charged with one or more of the following offenses: Manufacturing a Controlled Substance, Possession of a Controlled Substance for Sale, Possession of Chemicals with Intent to Manufacture Methamphetamine, Felon in Possession of a Firearm, and Felony Child Abuse.

The warrant service resulted in:

• 1,443 pounds of suspected methamphetamine,
• 1,270 pounds of partially processed suspected methamphetamine
• 12 firearms (eight handguns, three shotguns and one rifle),
• Over 1,000 rounds of ammunition,
• 1,900 marijuana plants and,
• Over 100 pounds of processed marijuana.

“[This] operation demonstrates the effectiveness of coordinated federal, state, and local law enforcement partnerships,” said Sheriff Rachelle Whiting of the Calaveras County Sheriff’s Office. “Through collaborative investigative efforts, we were able to significantly disrupt an alleged narcotic trafficking network operating within our communities.” 

The joint investigation began in October of 2025 after the Calaveras County Sheriff’s Office received a call for service regarding illegal dumping. Evidence recovered from the discarded materials were consistent with byproducts of a clan lab. Based on the volume of waste, Calaveras County Sherriff’s Office Narcotics Enforcement Unit (CNEU) detectives determined the operation was large-scale and requested assistance from the Sacramento County Sheriff’s Office. As the investigation intensified, partners including the DEA Sacramento District Office, the Sacramento Area Intelligence Narcotics Team (SAINT), the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI), the United States Department of Homeland Security Investigations (HSI), the Homeland Security Task Force (HSTF), the Merced Area Gang and Narcotics Enforcement Team (MAGNET), the High Intensity Drug Trafficking Areas (HIDTA), the Modesto Police Department, the California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation (CDCR) combined efforts.

This investigation remains active and ongoing. Additional arrests, charges, or asset forfeiture proceedings may be forthcoming as the case progresses. According to the Calaveras County Sheriff’s Office, this is the largest methamphetamine seizure for the agency. This is the largest methamphetamine seizure for the DEA San Francisco Division.

The Calaveras County District Attorney’s Office and the United States Attorney’s Office are working in close coordination with investigating agencies to evaluate the evidence, determine appropriate jurisdiction, and identify applicable state and/or federal charges to ensure the most effective prosecutorial course of action.

All individuals arrested or referenced in connection with this investigation are presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty in a court of law.

This case is part of the Homeland Security Task Force (HSTF) initiative established by Executive Order 14159, Protecting the American People Against Invasion. The HSTF is a whole-of-government partnership dedicated to eliminating criminal cartels, foreign gangs, transnational criminal organizations, and human smuggling and trafficking rings operating in the United States and abroad. Through historic interagency collaboration, the HSTF directs the full might of United States law enforcement towards identifying, investigating, and prosecuting the full spectrum of crimes committed by these organizations, which have long fueled violence and instability within our borders. In performing this work, the HSTF places special emphasis on investigating and prosecuting those engaged in child trafficking or other crimes involving children. The HSTF further utilizes all available tools to prosecute and remove the most violent criminal aliens from the United States. HSTF Sacramento comprises agents and officers from Homeland Security Investigations, Federal Bureau of Investigations, Drug Enforcement Administration, Northern California High Intensity Drug Trafficking Area, Central Valley High Intensity Drug Trafficking Area, and Sacramento County Sheriff’s Office, with the prosecution being led by the United States Attorney’s Office for the Eastern District of California.