Three still at large after South Lake Tahoe drug sting

Three men are still wanted by SLEDNET on charges of possession and conspiracy to sell methamphetamine.

In May, after an eight-month investigation by SLEDNET, the U.S. Drug Enforcement Agency and California Department of Justice, 21 people faced charges related to the operation of a methamphetamine drug ring based in South Lake Tahoe and Santa Rosa, Calif.

Alfredo Lopez-Garcia of South Lake Tahoe and Las Vegas, Juan Aldana and Efrain Villagomez remain fugitives.

Methamphetamine is a stimulant that works on the brain and central nervous system by interfering with normal nerve functions. It's made with over-the-counter drugs and household chemicals.

During the sting, investigators said their informants bought pounds of methamphetamine in South Shore.

Assistant U.S. Attorney Mary Grad said charges against 21 defendants for possession and conspiracy to sell methamphetamine carry a maximum penalty of life in prison and fines of up to $4 million each.

SLEDNET Task Force Cmdr. Chris Elliott said Tuesday that his organization is still conducting interviews concerning the methamphetamine drug ring.

"Meth started in Southern California and it's moving its way back East," Elliott said. "Law enforcement has driven a lot of manufacturing back to Mexico."

Elliott said that he's found people dead after cooking methamphetamine the wrong way. Phosphine gas is created and that harms the body the same way mustard gas does.

The process of making methamphetamine also creates a lot of waste.

"For every pound of meth that's produced there are five pounds of toxic waste that need to be disposed of," Elliott said. "People are throwing all these toxic chemicals right back into the earth."