Lost Hills: Dark Canyon · Western Sound and Pushkin Industries

Episode 6: The Big Takedown from Valley of Shadows

February 16, 2026·43 min·3 clips

He told the story of the missing deputy with a little smile on his face.

This episode follows retired narcotics detective Darren Hager as he assists a federal drug task force called Operation Silent Thunder in California's Antelope Valley. Hosts Haley Fox and Betsy Shepard detail Hager's investigation, which intertwines with the unsolved disappearance of fellow deputy John Ajay. DEA Special Agent Kent Bailey, nicknamed "the Terminator," is Hager's key federal counterpart on the complex case. The task force aimed to dismantle six major drug trafficking organizations, building a suspect list into the triple digits through surveillance and intelligence gathering. Hager discovered that many sheriff's department telephone numbers were calling their investigation's targets, suggesting leaks. During raids, suspects were often already warned and waiting, with one deputy allegedly notifying a location as officers kicked in the door. A masked man approached Hager's home one night, prompting him to move into a DEA safe house for safety. The investigation secured federal wiretaps, with one dubbed the "Jerry Springer wire" due to its high activity. A key wiretap target was local meth figure Tom Hinkle, often called "God," whose conversations frequently mentioned Deputy Rick Angles. Detective Joe Holmes, nicknamed "Joe Friday," was finally assigned to the Ajay homicide after the department initially resisted. On wiretaps, Hager heard Tom Hinkle and criminal Jeff Sherry discuss the Ajay investigation reaching the District Attorney's office. Hager believed Sherry, whose sister was Angles's girlfriend, had knowledge of Ajay's fate and possibly his burial site under a distinctive A-frame house. A tip from a woman named "Jane" later claimed Sherry described a deputy buried under a large A-frame, matching Hinkle's home. When a rumor spread that Sherry was snitching, Hager raced to arrest him, fearing deputies led by Rick Angles would kill Sherry first. Hager faced a standoff with uncooperative local deputies during Sherry's arrest, highlighting the "code of silence" he says existed. The culmination of Operation Silent Thunder was a massive takedown on August 21, 2001, involving over 200 officers raiding 23 locations. The raids arrested nearly 300 people, seized over $2 million in drugs, and shut down 16 meth labs, with Sheriff Lee Baca calling those arrested "Godfathers of Meth." Tom Hinkle was arrested in a raid on his A-frame property, where officers found hidden cash, a rifle, and minimal drugs, missing a suspected underground bunker. When asked about Deputy Ajay's disappearance after his arrest, Tom Hinkle told Agent Kent Bailey, "I'll have to take that one with me to the grave." The tone is investigative and narrative, blending firsthand interviews with atmospheric storytelling about rural crime and corruption. The style is conversational yet detailed, moving between past events and present-day reflections from key figures. Listeners interested in true crime stories about police corruption, complex drug investigations, and cold cases would find this episode compelling. Those preferring straightforward resolutions or who are frustrated by unresolved narrative threads might find it less satisfying.

As heard by us

A homicide case tightens as a safe house handoff and wiretap chatter pull the new detective into the middle of it.

Episode 6 pushes the case into homicide territory when Joe Holmes takes over and says plainly that the investigators are dealing with a murder.

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Why you'd press play

A young woman's abandoned car on a New Jersey bridge, a missing 19-year-old, and wiretaps that keep the case moving.

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