http://www.wkrn.com/news/-90-m...emi-truck/1189559232

LINDEN, NC (WNCN) - An investigation into the transportation and trafficking of Methamphetamine has been underway for several months by the Harnett County Sheriff's Office, along with the Wake County Sheriff's Office and the North Carolina State Bureau of Investigation.

The investigation lead authorities to discover over $90 million in Methamphetamine on Saturday.

Investigators seized a 2009 Peterbuilt semi-truck that was driven by 49-year-old Raul Topete Arreola of Californa, near the 100 block of Will Lucas Road in Linden.

Authorities say that's when investigators found 120 gallons of liquid methamphetamine stored in the driver's side fuel tank on the semi-truck. That amount of liquid methamphetamine would convert to approximately 454 kilograms of crystal methamphetamine with a street value of 90.8 million dollars.

Authorities also arrested Aquileo Perez Pineda, 48 of George during the investigation.

Both men have been charged with three counts of trafficking Methamphetamine. They placed in custody in the Harnett County Detention Center under a $3 million bond.

An immigration detainer has been issued for Pineda. ICE is looking into the immigration status is Arrola.

http://abc11.com/$90m-worth-of...-harnett-co/3498353/

Oh shit. Someone is going to get killed for this.

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Agreed, for 90 big, someone pays........

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Originally posted by Edmond:
Oh shit. Someone is going to get killed for this.

My first thought as well. Someone's family is getting fingers and ears chopped off right about now.

The guys that were arrested for this will be serving a short prison sentence.

I'm guessing that regardless of sentence, they won't be around long.

If LEO was really smart and wanted to find the source they'd let these guys post bond and put them and their families under 24/7 watch. Someone will take a poke at them under orders.

Makes you wonder how many shipments that big made it through. It's possible the next truck that passed the stop was fully loaded.

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An immigration detainer has been issued for Pineda. ICE is looking into the immigration status is Arrola.

I really wish that sentence surprised me. Just more of those great undocumented people that are such a huge positive to this country.

I think local LE would get the feds involved, and offer the runners a deal and witness protection for flipping on their boss. The runners know their dead otherwise.

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Originally posted by Rightwire:
I'm guessing that regardless of sentence, they won't be around long.

If LEO was really smart and wanted to find the source they'd let these guys post bond and put them and their families under 24/7 watch. Someone will take a poke at them under orders.

Makes you wonder how many shipments that big made it through. It's possible the next truck that passed the stop was fully loaded.

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Originally posted by bigdeal:

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An immigration detainer has been issued for Pineda. ICE is looking into the immigration status is Arrola.

I really wish that sentence surprised me. Just more of those great undocumented people that are such a huge positive to this country.

Bingo.

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Originally posted by Sigmanic:

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Originally posted by bigdeal:

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An immigration detainer has been issued for Pineda. ICE is looking into the immigration status is Arrola.

I really wish that sentence surprised me. Just more of those great undocumented people that are such a huge positive to this country.

Bingo.

But it's illegals that fill the jobs that American's won't do. Where would our economy be with out them?

(But it seems to me those who come to this nation in violation of the law aren't too inclined to follow other laws once here.)

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Originally posted by Edmond:
Oh shit. Someone is going to get killed for this.

Maybe better that someone get killed for it than that many someones get killed with it...

I wish I had the inside scoop on all that.

One doesn't just open up a fuel tank and dip their finger in and taste it and say "Yep, that's meth alright"...

Wonder if it's a wire, under cover, or just informants. The State Bureau of Investigation has to do a state-level wire if one is being done. Sounds like it is a hell of an investigation.

And the bonds sound low for hauling 90 million worth of product. If I was the judge I'd make it 180 million, each.

Well, the 'street value" is calculated off just that, small time dealers/buyers at the end of the supply chain. The wholesale value of this stuff is more along the lines of $10M to $20M. It's a very large seizure, but it's next sale would have been at wholesale prices, for many liters or pounds, not street prices, for fractions of a pound.

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Originally posted by Edmond:
Oh shit. Someone is going to get killed for this.

Well as long as it is the bad guys killing bad guys, I am all for it.

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Originally posted by DMF:
Well, the 'street value" is calculated off just that, small time dealers/buyers at the end of the supply chain. The wholesale value of this stuff is more along the lines of $10M to $20M. It's a very large seizure, but it's next sale would have been at wholesale prices, for many liters or pounds, not street prices, for fractions of a pound.

The figures they use value the crystal at $5,675/ounce. Pretty rich addicts!

Truck fuel does get inspected occasionally for tax evasion purposes. Road use fuel is not dyed where as off road fuel is. Cheating can save a lot of money, and cheating will cost you more money.

The sample they drew must have looked wrong.

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Originally posted by reflex/deflex 64:
Truck fuel does get inspected occasionally for tax evasion purposes. Road use fuel is not dyed where as off road fuel is. Cheating can save a lot of money, and cheating will cost you more money.

The sample they drew must have looked wrong.

Around here they don’t draw samples. The CHP has a wire probe with a cotton ball on it. If there is a hint of red or pink on that cotton ball when it comes out, you’re looking at a $10,000 fine. The state doesn’t think tax evasion is funny.

ETA: That would be the “truck cops” though, not every CHP is running around dipping diesel tanks, at least here. Somehow I doubt that was an accidental find.

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The wholesale value of this stuff is more along the lines of $10M to $20M

In this industry it's no more a financial concern than the accepted and unalterable shrinkage at Was-Mart.

I'm not saying someone isn't in deep shit, but it's purely for purposes of making an example, not any financial retribution. Losses like this are just part of the game.

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Originally posted by architect:

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Originally posted by DMF:
Well, the 'street value" is calculated off just that, small time dealers/buyers at the end of the supply chain. The wholesale value of this stuff is more along the lines of $10M to $20M. It's a very large seizure, but it's next sale would have been at wholesale prices, for many liters or pounds, not street prices, for fractions of a pound.

The figures they use value the crystal at $5,675/ounce. Pretty rich addicts!

Put another way, they valued it at about $198/gram. The interwebz says it goes for $80/gram, so it's some puffery for sure!