Miami/Fulton Counties - Last week, six police departments in north central Indiana teamed up for five days to help stem the flow of illegal narcotics into Hoosier communities.
Officers from the Indiana State Police, the Miami County Sheriff’s Department, the Fulton County Sheriff’s Department, the Cass County Sheriff’s Department, the Wabash County Sheriff’s, and the Peru Police Department utilized marked and unmarked police cars to conduct saturation patrols on U.S. 31 in Miami and Fulton Counties. Patrol officers were augmented by K-9 officers utilizing narcotic detecting police dogs.
Officers dubbed the unannounced patrols “Operation Summer Heat.” The goal was to catch and arrest individuals who utilize Indiana roadways to transport and distribute illegal narcotics. U.S. 31 was chosen because a large volume of motorists utilize the road to travel through the heart of northern Indiana. Officers wanted to serve notice that as the summer temperatures increase, so will their vigilance in keeping illegal narcotics from reaching Hoosier communities.
June 24th through June 27th, and on June 29th, officers teamed up to make 67 criminal arrests, with 21 of those being felony charges. They arrested five impaired drivers, issued 62 traffic citations, and issued 156 written traffic warnings. During the five days, officers located LSD, heroin, marijuana, ecstasy, and numerous unknown substances that have to be verified by a lab. They also located drug paraphernalia. All of the contraband was found during traffic stops made by the various departments.
“The success of the patrols was possible because of outstanding cooperation between law enforcement agencies in northern Indiana,” stated Sergeant T.J. Zeiser, Indiana State Police Peru Post. Everyone had the common goal of removing criminals and illegal narcotics from our roadways.
Citizens are encouraged to call their local law enforcement agencies with any information about the possession, distribution, or selling of illegal narcotics. Information can also be reported anonymously by calling the Indiana State Police Drug and Gang Hotline at 1-800-453-4756.
