On Wednesday, February 16 Special Agents from the California Department of Justice, Bureau of Narcotic Enforcement (BNE), arrested Norman “Norm” Wielsch, a 12-year veteran of BNE and commander of the Central Contra Costa County Narcotic Enforcement Team. Wielsch was arrested in the City of Benicia on several felony counts related to the distribution of methamphetamine, marijuana and steroids.  

The arrest is the result of a criminal investigation that began in January after the Bureau of Narcotic Enforcement became aware of allegations of misconduct by Wielsch.  As a result, BNE Agents initiated a comprehensive undercover operation, culminating in Wielsch’s arrest.  Also charged in the narcotic distribution conspiracy was Christopher Butler, 49, of Concord.  Wielsch and Butler were booked into the Contra Costa County Jail.

Both Wielsch and  Christopher Butler were Antioch police officers, with their employment ending in the late 1990s, according to Allan Cantando, Antioch’s Interim Chief of Police, adding, “Any inquiries regarding their employment is a personnel matter and will not be discussed.”

The investigation is continuing and there is no indication that other police personnel are involved in this matter.  By law, the California Department of Justice, Bureau of Narcotic Enforcement is precluded from discussing the administrative investigation and will not elaborate on the continuing criminal investigation.

“The drug trade rips apart our society, fractures our communities and destroys lives and families,” said Supervisor Federal Glover, who chairs the Contra Costa County Board of Supervisors’ Public Protection Committee. “The charges brought against Norman Wielsch, commander of the Central Contra Costa County Narcotics Enforcement Team, should not overshadow the good work the anti-drug team has done or the need for interagency teamwork in attacking the problem of drugs in our county.

“The drug trade has no jurisdictional boundaries. Drugs and the gangs that act as soldiers and enforcers for that trade are sometimes more technologically sophisticated and are better armed than our law enforcement agencies. Now, more than ever, we need the cooperation and support of all law enforcement agencies to attack the network of drug sellers, suppliers, growers, manufacturers and transporters who operate across international, city and county lines.”

 

From Butler’s website:
Christopher Butler is the owner of Butler & Associates Private Investigations. A former police officer, he held a 9-year S.W.A.T. position and has a background in narcotics and high-crime area assignments. During his tenure in law enforcement, Christopher developed strategies to catch criminals that were unlike anything police administration had ever encountered.

Prior to leaving law enforcement for a career in private investigations, he established investigative relationships with former and current F.B.I. agents, U.S.S.S. agents, I.R.S. agents, and computer forensic experts. Since 1998, Christopher has designed, staffed, and executed investigative strategies for both domestic and international undercover sting cases, corporate espionage cases, and countless high-profile infidelity cases.

Christopher has planned and implemented security protocol and bodyguard assignments for several Fortune 500 biotechnology corporations in Las Vegas, Seattle, San Francisco, Los Angeles, San Diego, Dallas, Salt Lake City, Chicago, and the West Indies. He has provided personal bodyguard services to many Hollywood celebrities, corporate CEO’s/families, and billionaires domestically and internationally.

From the San Ramon Police website:

The Central Contra Costa Narcotics Enforcement Team (CCCNET) is a proactive narcotic enforcement team whose mission is to target mid to high-level drug dealers that affect the quality of life for residents in the Central Contra Costa cities.  Because drug crimes are commonly related to violent crimes, property crimes and identity theft, CCCNET also works with local, state and federal authorities to tackle these issues.

CCCNET Detectives are specially trained by the Department of Justice to investigate and to write and serve legal documents. CCCNET detectives all work in an undercover capacity and use information from informants and other confidential sources. The team is available 24 hours a day, seven days a week to all involved agencies. The taskforce concept is now one of the most commonly used and effective ways for both small and larger agencies to get the most experienced undercover officers, daily communication with multiple agencies, the best equipment, and a task force to respond at any time for a fraction of the cost.

A board of directors, which consist of the Chiefs of Police in Central Contra Costa, runs CCCNET. The Department of Justice and each member city contribute resources and detectives to form this task force. The team is supervised by a DOJ Special Agent with member cities participating from Walnut Creek, San Ramon, Danville, Pleasant Hill, Martinez, Clayton, Contra Costa County Sheriff’s Office, and Contra Costa County’s Probation Dept. and District Attorney’s Office.

In 2009, CCCNET made a total of 110 arrests, 7 of which were arrests in the City of San Ramon. CCCNET served 4 search warrants; 1 parole and 2 consent searches; seized $125,464 in cash; seized 443 marijuana plants (street value $886), 23.7 grams and 40 lbs. of marijuana (street value $288,592); and 24 MDMA tablets (street value $240) in the City of San Ramon. Once cases are adjudicated and state agencies receive their share of operating costs, the remaining asset forfeiture funds are distributed to participating agencies to keep the taskforce running. Forfeited monies often take a year or more to disburse. No funds are disbursed until the case has been adjudicated, and some funds are actually seized in prior years. CCCNET disbursed $94,500 from adjudicated assets during 2009 to participating agencies.

For our officer and informant’s safety, the majority of our involvement in cases is not commonly discussed or published outside of the law enforcement community.

This entry was posted on Thursday, February 17th, 2011 at 2:12 pm and is filed under Police & Crime. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.