(LANCASTER, Ohio) –The Ohio Narcotics Intelligence Center (ONIC) and RecoveryOhio joined nearly a dozen law enforcement and treatment agencies in Fairfield County to conduct a coordinated drug/outreach saturation event this week.
The two-day Operation Bridging Recovery and Interdiction Data Gathering Enforcement (BRIDGE) event was aimed at removing drugs and drug traffickers from the streets as well as connecting individuals with substance use disorder to help and treatment. The South-Central Ohio Major Crimes Unit, which serves Fairfield, Athens, and Pickaway counties and Logan in Hocking County, and the Fairfield County Overdose Response Team (FORT), sought to proactively address the drug problem in Fairfield County and requested the surge.
The enforcement surge combined the efforts of drug task forces, law enforcement agencies, quick response teams, and harm reduction and treatment providers from the area for a comprehensive approach to the substance use crisis.
Law enforcement agencies fanned out across Fairfield County to confiscate illegal drugs and to stop the couriers responsible for supplying drugs to the area. Quick Response Team (QRT) personnel connected individuals in need of recovery support to services and treatment.
During Operation BRIDGE, law enforcement seized fentanyl, marijuana, methamphetamine, prescription drugs, and counterfeit prescription drugs.
Officers made 10 drug-related felony arrests; 1 non-drug-related felony arrest; 1 drug-related misdemeanor arrests, and 1 non-drug-related misdemeanor arrests.
Seven warrants were executed, and 1 device was confiscated for digital forensic examination.
“The drug trade doesn’t stop at the county line. Individuals using illegal substances often travel just a few miles to another county to buy drugs when their supply is disrupted,” said Ben Suver, Ohio Department of Public Safety Director of Law Enforcement Initiatives, who oversees ONIC. “ONIC supplied intelligence analysts and forensic personnel to help law enforcement build cases that connect the dots between drug traffickers and people using illegal substances.”
RecoveryOhio supported the mission by working with local agencies to have 150 naloxone kits on hand. Naloxone (also known as Narcan) is a medication that can reverse an overdose caused by an opioid drug (heroin, fentanyl, or prescription pain medications). To access naloxone, visit naloxone.ohio.gov.
“Substance use disorder is not something we can simply arrest our way out of,” said RecoveryOhio Director Aimee Shadwick. “By connecting people with evidence-based treatment, we are providing resources and support to help them in their recovery so they can go on to live healthy, productive lives.”
Participating agencies included: South Central Ohio Major Crimes Unit, Project FORT, Fairfield County Sheriff’s Office, Lancaster Police Department, Logan Police Department, Lancaster Fire Department, Fairfield Medical Center, Lawrence County QRT, Ohio National Guard, Ohio Bureau of Criminal Investigation, Ohio State Highway Patrol, Ohio Investigative Unit, ONIC, and RecoveryOhio.
Ohio Governor Mike DeWine signed an executive order in July 2019 creating ONIC, a specialized criminal intelligence unit to assist local law enforcement in conducting intelligence-driven drug trafficking investigations. ONIC has locations in Cleveland, Columbus, southwest Ohio, and Toledo. ONIC’s criminal intelligence analysts and computer forensic specialists provide investigative, analytical, and digital forensic support to local law enforcement agencies and drug task forces throughout Ohio. The Ohio Narcotics Intelligence Center is a division of the Ohio Department of Public Safety.
Immediately after taking office in 2019, Governor DeWine signed an executive order creating the RecoveryOhio initiative to support aggressive measures to combat the opiate epidemic by investing in the health and well-being of Ohio citizens.