A recent drug bust operation took more than $200,000 worth of illegal drugs out of Western North Carolina and yielded scores of arrests. It was a coordinated effort by law enforcement that led to a successful outcome.
The drug interdiction operation began on May 30 and focused on known drug traffickers on or around the Cherokee reservation.
The operation was spearheaded by Cherokee Indian Police, aided by the Bureau of Indian Affairs, and according to the Jackson County Sheriff’s Office, timed to coincide with the Eastern Band’s per capita paycheck disbursement week.
Dubbed ‘Operation Casino Royale,’ it involved 17 law enforcement agencies in the mountains and 115 officers. The objective: take a big bite out of the local drug trade.
“There’s a large Atlanta connection and Knoxville connection,” says Waynesville Police Chief David Adams.
By the time the operation ended June 2, Adams says it was successful.
“98 arrests, 1,016 grams of meth, crystal meth, 555 grams of fentanyl, 2,491 grams of marijuana, and a lot of pills,” he says.
Chief Adams says it’s fentanyl that concerns him the most.
“It’s very scary,” he says. “I think there’s roughly 100,000 people a year die in the U.S. from fentanyl. So, it affects everywhere, Waynesville included. It could be deadly the first time you try it.”
Cocaine, guns and thousands in cash were also recovered.
During the operation, Cherokee police handled a fatal overdose on the reservation. And on the last day, during the execution of search warrant, a two-year-old child was spotted, taken into protective custody, and later tested positive for fentanyl.
“These babies are innocent, they’re helpless,” says Ellen Pitt.
She heads up a coalition calling for legislation to give grandparents rights in cases like this. She claims the existing system isn’t attentive enough.
“That kind of cavalier attitude toward children living in drug homes is part of the problem,” Pitt says. “The blood grandparents’ voice should be heard over the top of any paid stranger for any agency.”
“I think it would be a great idea, especially when there’s hard drugs like this involved,” says Chief Adams.
Full Link ( Here )
© CopyRights RawNews1st
