Over 600 pounds of methamphetamine found inside celery shipment
(NEW YORK) — More than 600 pounds of methamphetamine have been found concealed within a shipment of celery in California, officials said.
The incident occurred on the evening of Aug. 9 when U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) officers at the Otay Mesa Commercial Facility in California encountered a 34-year-old man driving a commercial tractor-trailer who was seeking entry into the United States from Mexico, according to a statement on Monday issued by CBP.
“The driver, who held a valid border crossing card, was transporting a shipment declared as celery,” authorities said. “Following routine procedures, CBP officers directed the driver, the tractor-trailer, and its cargo to secondary inspection for a more thorough examination.”
During that inspection, a CBP K-9 unit alerted officers to the presence of narcotics and officials ended up intercepting 629 pounds of methamphetamine contained within 508 packages hidden among the celery with an estimated street value of approximately $755,000, officials said.
“Our officers’ vigilance and expertise once again thwarted an attempt to smuggle narcotics disguised as everyday produce,” said Rosa E. Hernandez, port director for the Area Port of Otay Mesa. “This discovery underscores our unwavering commitment to protecting our communities from the perils of drug trafficking.”
CBP officers subsequently seized the narcotics and the commercial tractor-trailer involved in the smuggling attempt and the currently unnamed driver was handed over to Homeland Security Investigations for further investigation.
CBP credits this seizure as a result of Operation Apollo, “a holistic counter-fentanyl effort that began on Oct. 26, 2023, in southern California, and expanded to Arizona on April 10, 2024,” authorities said. “Operation Apollo focuses on intelligence collection and partnerships, and utilizes local CBP field assets augmented by federal, state, local, tribal, and territorial partners to boost resources, increase collaboration, and target the smuggling of fentanyl into the United States.”
(NEW YORK) — The U.S. wildfire season is continuing on a relentless pace across the West as a new blaze erupted in Southern California, destroying multiple homes and leaving residents little time to evacuate, authorities said.
The Edgehill Fire erupted Monday afternoon in the Little Mountain community and quickly tore up a hillside, destroying at least a half-dozen homes, according to fire officials.
“We were so grateful for this house and I can’t believe it’s gone,” Erika Hernandez, whose home was burned to the ground, told ABC Los Angeles station KABC-TV.
The Edgehill Fire is the latest in a California wildfire season that has already burned nearly 800,000 acres and destroyed more than 1,000 structures, according to the California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection (Cal Fire).
Wildfires have burned more than 4.6 million acres across the United States, including 200,000 acres in just the first five days of August, according to the National Interagency Fire Center.
On Tuesday, nearly 30,000 firefighters were battling 89 large active wildfires across California, Oregon and other Western states.
Capt. Andrew Bonhus said the Edgehill Fire was an example of how fast fires in the West, fueled by an abundance of dried-out vegetation and extremely high temperatures, have spread this year.
“This fire specifically moved extremely rapidly compared to others … on this hilltop,” Bonhus told ABC News.
The Edgehill Fire, east of Los Angeles, was initially reported around 2:30 p.m. local time as a five-acre blaze. But within three hours, the fire ballooned to more than 50 acres, catching multiple homes on fire as it crested a hillside, leaving residents with just minutes to evacuate, officials said.
At least 200 firefighters from several agencies, including firefighting helicopter crews, raced to put out the flames, officials said.
“We didn’t even start at the base of the fire. We go straight for the houses and start evacuations and start getting lines out to help protect structures and, most importantly, life,” Bonhus said.
Around 5:45 p.m. local time, the San Bernardino County Fire Department announced that the fire’s forward progress was stopped and that 25% of the blaze was contained.
The cause of the fire is under investigation.
Fortunately, according to Bonhus, many residents in the area had taken steps to create “defensible space” around their homes by clearing dry bush, trees and other potential hazards that can fuel a wildfire.
“Because of the defensible space around the houses, some were savable, some were not,” Bonhus said. “It kind of pushes home how critical having defensible space around your homes is.”
The Park Fire
In Northern California, firefighters continued to battle to Park Fire, which was started by an alleged arsonist on July 24 and as of Tuesday had burned 414,042 acres of wildland in Butte, Plumas, Shasta and Tehama counties, according to Cal Fire. The fire has destroyed 640 structures, including homes and businesses.
The blaze, the largest in the United States this year and the fourth biggest in California history, was 34% contained on Tuesday.
The Nixon Fire
Another large Southern California blaze, dubbed the Nixon Fire, which started on July 29, was 96% contained on Tuesday after burning 5,222 acres near the Riverside County town of Aguanga, according to Cal Fire.
At least 23 structures, including homes and businesses, were destroyed by the Nixon Fire and another three structures were damaged, according to Cal Fire.
Investigators determined the Nixon Fire was sparked by a privately owned electrical panel that caught fire. The agency did not say who owns the electrical panel or specify whether negligence is suspected.
Durkee Fire in Eastern Oregon
More than 1 million acres of wildland have burned in Oregon this year, according to the National Interagency Fire Center. Oregon has seen some of the biggest fires in the nation, including the Durkee Fire in the eastern part of the state that had burned 294,265 acres as of Tuesday, according to the fire center.
The blaze, which started July 17, was 86% contained on Tuesday and state fire officials said they expected to have it completely extinguished by the end of this week.
Alexander Mountain Fire
Colorado firefighters are also getting the upper hand on the Alexander Mountain Fire, which was first reported on July 29, according to the U.S. Forest Service. The fire burning west of the city of Loveland in a remote mountainous area near Roosevelt National Park has charred 9,668 acres, the U.S. Forest Service said Tuesday morning.
The fire was 74% contained, according to the Forest Service. More than 900 homes remained under mandatory evacuation on Tuesday. The fire has destroyed 45 structures, including 25 homes, officials said.
The fire remains under investigation, but fire officials said it appeared to be human-caused.
(LAS VEGAS) — The trial against Robert Telles — the former Nevada county official who allegedly murdered a journalist he blamed for ruining his career and marriage — began Monday with jury selection.
The former Clark County public administrator is accused in the death of 69-year-old Las Vegas Review-Journal reporter Jeff German, who was found stabbed to death outside his home in September 2022.
Telles, 47, was arrested days later after DNA evidence found in his home tied him to the crime scene, police said. He has been held without bail ever since.
A day before the murder, according to police, Telles was spotted approaching German’s house, where he allegedly had an altercation with him.
The next day, Telles allegedly disguised himself in a straw hat and reflective vest, left his phone at home, then headed to German’s home, where he was accused of stabbing the journalist seven times, according to police.
While executing a search warrant at the local politician’s home, police found the hat, as well as a pair of shoes with blood on them — both of which they said had been cut up, purportedly in an effort to destroy evidence.
His DNA was also found on German’s hands and fingernails, police said.
Police took Telles into custody with what they said were non-life-threatening, self-inflicted stab wounds.
Telles has pleaded not guilty to two counts of murder and could face life in prison if convicted.
“He’s been looking forward to trial,” Telles’ defense attorney, Robert Draskovich, told The Associated Press. “He wants to tell his story.”
Draskovich did not immediately respond to a request for comment from ABC News.
Prior to his death, German had published an investigation into the hostile work environment in Telles’ office, which included accusations of bullying, retaliation and an “inappropriate relationship” between Telles and a staffer. Telles denied the allegations.
In an interview on ABC’s “Good Morning America” shortly after his arrest, Rita Reid — one of Telles’ former coworkers — called German a “hero” for exposing the turmoil in Telles’ office, which she said she and colleagues blew the whistle on.
When she first learned of German’s death, Reid said her “first thought was Robert Telles.”
“His death was absolutely devastating to myself and my co-workers, the people that he advocated for,” Reid said of German. “He was our hero.”
Las Vegas Sheriff Joseph Lombardo previously described it as an “unusual” case, and said that “the killing of a journalist is particularly troublesome.”
“It is troublesome because it is a journalist. And we expect journalism to be open and transparent and the watchdog for government,” Lombardo said. “And when people take it upon themselves to create harm associated with that profession, I think it’s very important we put all eyes on and address the case appropriately such as we did in this case.”
German was the only journalist killed in the U.S. in 2022, with a total of at least 67 journalists killed worldwide that year, according to the Committee to Protect Journalists.
(NEW YORK) — The islands of Hawaii have been sold to travelers as a dream destination paradise, but the Maui wildfires pulled back the curtain on a complicated history and reality that few tourists see.
In August 2023, wildfires on the island left 102 people dead and more than 2,000 properties destroyed, displacing more than 7,000 residents. It was the deadliest wildfire in modern U.S. history.
The destruction forced open deep wounds in the community about housing, water rights and tourism.
Within days of the fire, a new generation of leaders emerged to fight for their town, their community, and ultimately a more equitable future for all Hawaii. They call themselves Lahaina Strong.
“We turned our passion and aloha for our place into law that can protect and reshape this place through the lens of our people,” said Lahaina Strong organizer Pā’ele Kiakona.
Organizer Courtney Lazo was left without a home following the disaster; she worked to save the house five generations of her family had lived in by hosing it down but ultimately it was lost.
Kiakona drove around downed power lines and through smoke to save his grandmother from the growing blaze.
Jordan Ruidas, another organizer, is a young mother thrust into local community organizing after the tragedy.
The wildfires took lives, homes, businesses, and landmarks both historic and personal to the people of Lahaina.
The deadly blaze forced the community into action, while highlighting the need for change.
“We do have the unique opportunity where we can build back and we can build back better,” Lazo said.
“I’ll fight tooth and nail, fighting to protect our environment, our water, our people – all of those things that would have helped prevent the fire,” Kiakona added in a separate interview.
The Lahaina fire accelerated an ongoing exodus of Hawaiian and local families that has been happening for decades, due to the high cost of living and lack of affordable housing.
“This beautiful Hawaii that everybody comes to see and partake in will no longer be here if Hawaiians are not here and local people are not here,” Ruidas said.
The U.S. Census found in 2020 that more Native Hawaiians lived outside of the state than inside.
“If we continue to be displaced outside of our home, then what does that mean for Hawaii?” Noah Dolim, assistant professor of history at the University of Hawai’i at Mānoa, told ABC News.
After the fires, protests on concerns about housing and cultural preservation — at local and state meetings and on public beaches — helped result in substantial legislative action. Despite lacking political backgrounds, the young activists taught themselves how to lobby for bills and have been met with much success.
The group played a key role in advocating for Gov. Josh Green to sign a bill into law on May 3, 2024 that gave counties more authority to regulate short-term vacation rentals amid the ongoing state housing crisis and aftermath of the wildfires.
Before the fire, almost half of the dwellings in West Maui were used solely as short-term vacation rentals, according to the Council for Native Hawaiian Advancement. This means they were rented out to tourists by owners who may charge thousands a month and leaving fewer options for long-term renters.
“To actually have the entire community across the state pushing for this change, it’s almost like an exhale,” said Lazo.
The impact will be felt beyond the coasts of Lahaina — the law applies to the entirety of the Hawaiian Islands.
“Every single island has issues with short-term rentals,” said Kiakona. “This was an issue that has been going on way too long. Those who just look at Hawaii as a money-making vehicle rather than people’s homes.”
Members of Lahaina Strong feel this is just the beginning of their movement — they remain committed to the work necessary to regenerate Lahaina, reforest the land, and to fight for change on such issues as overtourism and for increased water rights.