The Athens County Sheriff’s Office seized more than 200 grams of cocaine and other drugs this past Thursday in a combined effort with six other law enforcement entities.
The undertaking, dubbed “Operation Heat,” resulted in the seizure of 161 doses of heroin, 3.5 pounds of marijuana brownies and small, varying amounts of other drugs and drug paraphernalia.
Kelly’s Narcotics Enforcement Team worked with the Ohio State Highway Patrol, Athens Police Department, Nelsonville Police Department, Meigs County Sheriff’s Office, Ohio Investigative Unit and Adult Parole Authority for a 12-hour period with the intent of making a clear stand against drugs being transported into Athens County.
“We periodically do interdictions on this scale,” Kelly said. “This one was just publicized to show that you can’t be bringing (drugs) into the county, or else we’ll get you.”
Each entity had increased officer, deputy and canine activity around roads and highways throughout the region from noon to midnight on Thursday.
During the operation, two vehicles were forfeited to Kelly’s office, five criminal charges were made and seven were arrested, including four with outstanding warrants.
Doug Crites, detective for the Narcotics Enforcement Team, organized the operation.
Kelly said it was named as it was “to put heat on the drug dealers.”
“This was an excellent example of what multiple agencies can do together compared to what they can do individually,” said Lt. George Harlow of the State Highway Patrol.
Harlow said Operation Heat was the largest joint operation he had seen, but in 2009, Kelly said his office initiated a similar project: Operation Busted Balloon.
“We got hundreds of balloons of cocaine, heroin and marijuana,” Kelly said.
Kelly said that his office wants to have more large-scale operations, but coordinating them with other entities and factoring in overtime pay would be expensive and require more generous county funding. He added that having a drug interdiction team at his disposal would be a potential solution to some of Athens’ drug problems.
But Athens County Commissioner Charlie Adkins said that based on the county’s financial status, he doesn’t expect that to happen anytime soon.
“If (Kelly) thinks it’s a priority we’ll look into it,” he said.
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