Chief Gerald Cliff says the recent drug bust is the biggest in the city's history.
The Saginaw Police Department, the FBI, Bay Area Narcotics Enforcement Team and the Mid-Michigan Safe-Street Task Force netted drugs and cash. More than 530 pounds of marijuana, an ounce of cocaine, a handgun and several other drug-related items were confiscated.
Cliff says the drugs have a street value of more than $500,000. Two people were arrested and more than $14,000 in cash was seized.
Cliff says all this is the result of 10 search warrants. Two searches happened at local storage facilities and eight were done at area homes.
Some of the haul was found as it was being unloaded from a rental truck into a storage facility.
Those searches happened after several community members living in the Adams Boulevard area noticed suspicious activity in their neighborhood. They told their community police officer, and an investigation was started.
In custody are 35-year-old Daniel Marin and 34-year-old Benjamin Alcala. They were arrested last Tuesday and each faces one count of possession with intent to deliver. They're being held on $1 million bond.
Both men are from Saginaw, but the drugs came in from southern Texas.
"Obviously, narcotics are the root of most evils. Street shootings, competition for market space, home invasions, drive-by addicts wanting drugs, this can lead to virtually anything in the violent crime index," Cliff said.
It all started with tips from community members who noticed something wasn't right.Along Adams Boulevard in Saginaw it's hard to miss all the extra eyes, including the pair on Maria Linsalata's home.
"I hope that it sends a message that we are a community, and that we do care about each other and that we watch out for one another," she said.
Adams Boulevard is one of several Saginaw neighborhoods assigned a community police officer, a program that was expanded earlier this year in hopes of curbing crime.
Tuesday, Scott Bickel got the chance to show the effort is paying off.
"This was somebody feeling uneasy, didn't like what they saw," he said. "Look what this turned into."
"Street value is estimated at this time to be slightly more than a half million dollars," said Saginaw Police Chief Gerald Cliff.
Residents from this neighborhood helped crack the case by calling in tips to Bickel.
"I'm encouraged that people did make those calls 'cause so often when there's crime in Saginaw what we hear about is nobody's willing to say anything because they're afraid," said Pam Blondin.
"Absolutely says the program works," Linsalata said.
Bickel couldn't agree more.
"This is huge," he said. "This is going to make them feel great. I mean if this doesn't beef up more involvement I don't know what could."
The investigation into the drug ring is ongoing and will be handled by the FBI and DEA as it proceeds.
