Valley Springs, CA — An investigation started by the Calaveras County Sheriff’s officials, partnering with many others, led to 2,700 pounds of suspected methamphetamine being confiscated.
Last Friday, over 100 law enforcement personnel executed simultaneous high-risk search warrants at properties in Valley Springs, Turlock, and Modesto. It was the culmination of a five-month-long investigation involving others like the Sacramento County Sheriff’s Office, the FBI, the Merced Area Gang and Narcotics Enforcement Team, the US Department of Homeland Security, and others.
Eight people were arrested and taken into either state or federal custody. One of which was on the National Terrorist Watch List. Known as “Operation Trash Panda,” it targeted an alleged drug trafficking organization suspected of manufacturing and distributing meth throughout Northern California.
The investigation began in October of 2025 when Calaveras Sheriff’s deputies responded to an illegal dumping complaint in a remote part of the county. Due to the suspicious nature of the materials located, a follow-up investigation was initiated.
