Members of the 13th District Drug Task Force (DTF) met - some in person and some via the online meeting platform Zoom - on Friday.
The task force is made up of law enforcement personnel from Calhoun, Cleveland, Columbia, Dallas, Ouachita and Union counties, with each county's Sheriff's Office and local police departments, including the El Dorado and Smackover PDs, participating.
Thirteenth District Prosecuting Attorney Jeffery Rogers led Friday's meeting.
Following unanimous approval of the previous meeting's minutes and the financial report, DTF commander Jonathan Messer gave his report.
"We've finished up looking into new year. We're up in the number of cases in the last two years. We ended 2021 with 442 cases," Messer said.
Messer said the number represents individual arrests and case files.
Messer then invited DTF investigators Houston Bradshaw, Drew Reynolds and Austin McCuistion to speak as part of the report.
Bradshaw reported on ongoing collaboration between the DTF and the Arkansas National Guard.
"Training starting Tuesday with the National Guard; they're trying to put together a Spotting School available to everyone in the state. We utilize the National Guard quite a bit," Bradshaw said. "If we can get this going, it will be a course that is offered to the whole state through ALETA [Arkansas Law Enforcement Training Academy], so hopefully that will be coming. The National Guard wants to get more involved in all the sheriff's offices... I think if we get on board and help them get this school going, we'll be first on their priority list."
Next, Reynolds gave an update on DTF work in a few member counties.
"In the past couple of months, we ran a few search warrants in Dallas County and had a bunch in the works in Hampton, Calhoun County and in Dallas County. We also ran three or four search warrants in Fordyce and a few in Hampton," Reynolds said.
McCuistion, representing the Union County Sheriff's Office, started a dialogue about an observed uptick in overdose deaths and the availability of Narcan or Naloxone, a medication used to counter the effects of opioids.
"Over the past six months to a year we've seen a pretty significant increase in overdoses in our area. Not sure if you see the same things where you are. (In) several cases, we've been able to identify that the controlled substances were prescription medications that we believe were counterfeit and more than likely pressed with fentanyl," McCuistion said.
Fentanyl, according to Drug Enforcement Agency (DEA) information, is a "synthetic opioid that is 80-100 times stronger than morphine." The drug was developed for pharmaceutical use but "is also diverted for abuse," and is sometimes "added to heroin to increase its potency, or [to disguise it] as highly potent heroin." Heroin users who purchase fentanyl-laced product "don't know that they are purchasing fentanyl – which often results in overdose deaths," according to the DEA.
"We put out a public service announcement about this - what to look for, not to buy pills off the street and only get prescriptions from doctors and the pharmacy... It seems to be profitable business They can buy these pills for next to nothing and sell them for $10, $15 , $30 apiece," McCuistion said. "We have multiple investigations going but if you have any info about prescription distribution in your area, let us know."
Rogers asked about Narcan/Naloxone availability in the member counties.
"We're in the process of trying to get Narcan for all [agencies] around here. We're going through people to see how to do it without it costing an arm and a leg," McCuistion said.
Task force members did not act on any old or new business during the meeting.
John Thomas Shepherd, a 13th District deputy prosecuting attorney, gave an update on asset forfeiture connected to drug trafficking and on pending cases connected to it.
"This is the first year to my memory three counties went over the $20,000 threshold on forfeited assets. It's a testament to the work of each of their agencies and the DTF. Typically, larger counties reach it, but we had a successful year taking assets from drug traffickers and into the hands of law enforcement," Shepherd said.
Rogers said a number of trafficking cases are pending, and Shepherd added that prosecutors are awaiting rulings on two cases.
Camden Police Department Chief Boyd Woody reported that his department is short-handed and has diverted its DTF liaison.
"As soon as I get more people free we'll have [the DTF officer] back," Woody said.