Law enforcement training, networking to combat drug trafficking happening in South Mississippi - WLOX

BILOXI, Miss. (WLOX) -It’s a scenario law enforcement officers deal with all too often. A routine traffic stop turns into a major drug bust. This week, several agencies are working together to network and find new ways to get narcotics off the streets.

South Mississippi is part of what’s called the High-Intensity Drug Traffic Area (HIDTA). That organization holds its meeting on the Coast every year.

“It’s a destination for many of these officers. It gives them a chance to come down here and focus on the training,” said Tim Meadows, U.S. Homeland Security Miss. Special Agent in Charge.

HIDTA is also involved with Homeland Security and what’s called the Blue Lightning Operations Center. It’s positioned here in South Mississippi.

“Good training, good networking, and it builds on their skills,” Meadows added.

For many of those law enforcement officers, when they’re on patrol, they’re looking for fentanyl trafficking. Fentanyl is the synthetic opioid that’s wreaking havoc in society right now.

“Fentanyl is a real problem in the United States. The opioid epidemic is real. Our interveners are finding more bulk fentanyl. It’s up to the imagination of the person on the other end that’s packaging it, and what else is in it is the other guess,” Meadows said. “With this initiative, we can take one traffic stop and network it into a larger case.”

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source: https://www.wlox.com/2022/03/09/law-enforcement-training-networking-combat-drug-trafficking-happening-south-mississippi/

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