Law enforcement officials, working as the Ohio Organized Crime Investigations Commission (OOCIC), seized approximately $42 million in illegal narcotics in 2021.
The comprehensive total blows past the $29 million total captured in 2020, an alarming trend for law enforcement officers and the state’s leaders.
“The law enforcement officers of our major drug interdiction task forces are guardians on the wall, protecting Ohioans from overdoses and death by seizing narcotics before they are distributed into our communities,” Attorney General Dave Yost said. “Substantially larger quantities of heroin, fentanyl and methamphetamine were interdicted in 2021 than prior years, proof of our task forces’ vigilance to stay ahead of drug traffickers. I look forward to OOCIC’s continued success in 2022.”
Specifically, the state witnessed an increase in heroin, fentanyl, methamphetamine, and cocaine. Furthermore, the group collected 7,906 opioid pain pills and 1,205 other prescription pills.
Federal, state, and local officials are attempting to limit the spread of fentanyl. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, the drug is now the leading cause of death for individuals aged 18-45. An estimate from the nonprofit Families Against Fentanyl, the lethal narcotic is killing an American every 8.5 minutes.
“The continued success of the task forces this past year can directly be attributed to the tireless efforts of police officers and special agents working together to arrest and prosecute those who seek to profit on the addictions of others,” Vance Callender, special agent in charge of Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) Detroit Field Office said, “HSI brings national and international resources to Ohio law enforcement so not only local dealers are arrested, but the leader/organizers who are the source of supply for local criminal networks and across the U.S. We want to ensure the broadest impact is brought to those who ultimately profit from these international conspiracies.”
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Cooper Moran is a reporter for The Star News Network. Follow Cooper on Twitter. Email tips to [email protected].
Photo “Heroin Seizure” by The National Crime Agency CC BY 2.0.
