The La Porte County Drug Task Force is releasing their yearly statistics and activity report.  The La Porte County Drug Task Force, an initiative of Indiana HIDTA (High Intensity Drug Trafficking Area), is a multi-agency unit comprised of investigators from The La Porte County Sheriff’s Office, Michigan City Police Department, La Porte City Police Department, and The Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives (ATF).  In their third year of existence, The La Porte County Drug Task Force had the following statistics in 2019:

                             393 total cases worked

                                175 controlled narcotics purchases

                                131 individuals were arrested

                                24 search warrants were executed

                                49 firearms were seized/purchased through various investigations

                                20 investigations were conducted assisting the partnering agencies detective bureaus

As a result of our investigations, The La Porte County Drug Task Force has purchased and / or seized the following amounts of narcotics from the streets of La Porte County:

                Cocaine: 852.1 grams

                Heroin: 127.00 grams

                Methamphetamine: 942.90 grams

                Ecstasy: 127.70 grams

                Marijuana: 5864.20 grams

“The La Porte County Drug Task Force continues to aggressively investigate the illegal distribution of narcotics and firearms; while investigating the sources of those drugs and firearms from inside, and outside, of La Porte County. The La Porte County Drug Task Force has shown great success due to our cooperation with surrounding agencies as well as the public’s assistance. HIDTA’s continued support of our unit enables us to efficiently and effectively investigate the illegal distribution of drugs and firearms within our community. Several Drug Trafficking Organizations were disrupted in 2019 due to the efforts of the detectives/agents assigned to this task force.  A remarkable number of firearms were also seized.  I am proud of the work and dedication that each investigator puts forth daily to preserve the quality of life for our citizens within our community”, said Lt. Tim Richardson Commander of the La Porte County Drug Task Force.

The La Porte County Drug Task Force encourages citizens who wish to report suspected illegal activity to do so via social media or the countywide crime tip hotline (219) 873-1488.

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If you would like more information about this topic, please contact Lt. Tim Richardson at 219-874-3221 X-1068 or email at trichardson@emichigancity.com.