Sheriff reports on drug task force

Jefferson County Sheriff Lafayette Woods Jr. presented statistical Tri-County Drug Task Force information at the request of the Jefferson County Quorum Court earlier this week.

The Tri-County Drug Task Force is responsible for the investigation of cases involving the use, possession, sale, manufacture and transportation of controlled substances within Jefferson, Arkansas and Lincoln counties.

Organizational heads Kyle Hunter, Jefferson County prosecuting attorney, and Tim Blair, vice-chairman of the 11th East Judicial District, lead the five-member organization responsible for the disposal of controlled substances, providing specialized training about controlled substances, directing all financial and asset seizure/forfeitures relative to narcotic activities, making public appearances, liaison with the United States Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) and participation in multi-agency narcotic task forces.

“Both prosecutors are seasoned veterans in their field,” said Woods. “The remaining board members are made up of the three sheriffs of the participating counties: Jefferson County, Sheriff Lafayette Woods; Lincoln County, Sheriff Leonard Hogg; and Arkansas County, Sheriff Dean Mannis.”

The annual statistical report presented by Woods from July 1, 2021, to June 20, 2022, listed seized drugs with a street value totaling $183,295. Those drugs include:

■ crack cocaine: 1,105.48 grams

■ cocaine powder: 7.6 grams

■ ecstasy/LSD: 190 units

■ fentanyl: 6 grams

■ marijuana: 29.7 pounds

■ methamphetamine: 206.52 grams

■ prescription pills: 1,360 grams

■ Drug Take Back: 1,134 pounds “The organization operates under an approved set of by-laws, (Special to the Commercial) agreed upon by the board,” Woods said. He added each board member is responsible to constituents as stakeholders in an effort to eradicate illegal drugs and other related crimes that go on in their communities.

Woods also provided the numbers for different drug-related arrests, investigations and other events:

■ drug trafficking organizations disrupted: 7

■ drug arrests: 102

■ drug seizures: 80

■ drug investigations: 80

■ drug overdose investigations: 34

■ drug overdose deaths: 11

■ firearms seized: 50

■ collaborations/agency assists: 130

■ training events: 49 Woods said each investigator is assigned to the TCDTF by their agency from within the three-county region with an expectation of investigating and en

forcing the laws pertaining to drug crimes and any other related crimes.

“The illicit drug seizures statistics of the Tri-County Drug Task Force continue to mirror a disturbing nationwide abuse trend,” according to TCDTF officials. “A significant amount of marijuana, cocaine and methamphetamine seizures are imported into Jefferson County from bordering states such as Texas. Texas is one of several states that have been identified as a source state for drug traffickers to obtain illicit drugs and transport them back to Arkansas.”

Woods also broke down the TCDTF cases within the three jurisdictions, with 115 cases in Jefferson County, one in Arkansas County and none in Lincoln County.

When it came to opioid-related cases, there were 37 drug overdoses, with 22 of those in the Pine Bluff city limits. There have been seven associated deaths and one death in Arkansas County.

According to officials, to address the ever-increasing activity relating to the importation, sale and distribution of illicit drugs within counties governed by the Tri-County Drug Task Force, the sheriff’s office took over the Tri-County Drug Task Force.

“The history of the Tri-County Drug Task Force dates back to 1989. The Pine Bluff Police Department initially oversaw the day-to-day operations from 1989 to 1997,” said Woods. “The Arkansas State Police assumed operational oversight from 1997 to 1999 under the Central Arkansas Multi-Agency Enforcement Organization.”

Woods continued by saying the PBPD resumed operations in 2000 and 2001 but in 2002, the board of directors voted to move operational command from the Pine Bluff Police Department to the Jefferson County Sheriff’s Office, where it has remained to date.

The PBPD voluntarily removed themselves from the task force due to their having their own narcotics investigation unit serving the city of Pine Bluff.

“Jefferson County continues to be a hub of narcotic activity,” said TCDTF officials. “The highly developed transportation routes and the close proximity to Texas create a unique threat by making Jefferson County a major distribution, storage and supply center for illicit drugs destined for surrounding towns throughout Arkansas and beyond.”

Citizens can take part in reporting suspicious activity by calling the Drug Info Hotline at (870) 541-5496.