An army of officers breaks up county heroin ring

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SWAT teams joined forces with 160 federal and state law-enforcement officers early Sunday to break up a massive heroin ring centered in Jackson County that led to the arrest of 22 suspects.

The FBI, local police and sheriff SWAT units issued 14 search warrants — 11 in Medford alone — as the culmination of an ongoing investigation that began in December 2007. A search warrant was issued in Gold Hill and two others issued in unincorporated areas.

Investigators allege the drug-trafficking ring has ties to other states as well as the surrounding region including Josephine, Douglas and Klamath counties.

Two of the suspects, Ismaiel Anaya-Acevedo, 20, and Eliot Aden Delavirgen, 33, were charged with conspiracy to distribute heroin, a controlled substance.

The remaining suspects are charged with a variety of crimes, from possession of heroin, methamphetamine, methadone, sex abuse and parole violations.

According to Medford police, the other suspects are Jessica Lapizco, 24; Austin Hernandez, 23; Demetrio Hernandez, 25; James Nero, 58; Taffy Nero, 53; Jerret Michael Hooey, 21; Jesse Sorensen, 26; Anthony Aaron Alber, 46; James Bryan, 47; William Sanders, 35; Jodi Potteiger, 28; Ronald Coutee, 54; Heidi Barocsi, 52; Ronald Nicholas Mistretta, 52; Warren Alex Rich, 25; Erica Ann Lapizco, 31; Robert Baldwin, 47; Frank Garalee, 29; Christopher Sheehan, 38; Victor Antonio Solis, 22.

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