LaPorte County Designated As A 'High Intensity Drug Trafficking Area'
CHICAGO (CBS) -- LaPorte County has been given the federal designation as a "High Intensity Drug Trafficking Area," joining Lake and Porter counties and the city of Chicago as it seeks to deal with the drug problem.
WBBM's Mike Krauser reports.
"We're certainly not proud of the fact that we needed the designation," said Sheriff John Boyd. But, he adds, "The first step in every recovery process is to admit that you have a problem and quite frankly we have a problem here in LaPorte County."
What the HIDTA designation does, said Senator Joe Donnelly, is provide federal money and federal law enforcement partners.
"What you have is just highly, highly increased coordination between them and with Chicago, as well, where so much of the heroin and other materials come from," Sen. Donnelly said. "We're going after the biggest of the biggest."
Atley Price, with the Laporte County Prosecutor's office has a message for drug dealers.
"Drug dealers, you've given so much to our community," Price said. "HIDTA will now allow us to return your unkindness."
Part of the effort includes prevention education.
The Sheriff said LaPorte is part of the heroin pipeline coming out of Chicago, primarily using the interstates, but also commuter trains, where his officers have been conducting drug interdiction efforts.
