(IRONTON, Ohio) – The Ohio Narcotics Intelligence Center (ONIC) and RecoveryOhio joined nearly 20 law enforcement and treatment agencies in Lawrence County this week to conduct the state’s fifth coordinated drug/outreach saturation event.
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 enforcement surge combined the efforts of area drug task forces, law enforcement agencies, quick response teams, and harm reduction and treatment providers for a comprehensive approach to the substance use crisis.
“The only way to make headway against Ohio’s substance use crisis is through a coordinated, comprehensive approach,” said Cindy Peterman, ONIC Executive Director. “ONIC supplied intelligence analysts and forensic personnel to help law enforcement build cases that connect the dots between drug traffickers and the people using illegal substances.”
Law enforcement agencies fanned out across Lawrence 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, cocaine, and prescription drugs.
Officers made 11 drug-related felony arrests, one non-drug-related felony arrest, one drug-related misdemeanor arrest, and three non-drug-related misdemeanor arrests.
Three warrants were executed, and five devices were confiscated for digital forensic examination.
RecoveryOhio supported the mission by working with local agencies to have 106 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 www.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: Lawrence County Drug Task Force, Lawrence County Sheriff’s Office, Lawrence County Prosecutor’s Office, Lawrence County QRT, Lawrence-Scioto Solid Waste Management, Ironton Police Department, Hanging Rock Police Department, Coal Grove Police Department, South Point Police Department, Chesapeake Police Department, Ohio State Highway Patrol, South Central Major Crimes Unit Drug Task Force, ONIC, Ohio Adult Parole Authority, Huntington, W.Va. QRT, Boyd County, Ky. QRT, Scioto County QRT, Hamilton County Heroin Task Force, 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.