MONROE, Ohio — While Warren County reaps the benefits from two highways they also create challenges for law enforcement agencies who are trying to combat the amount of illegal drugs being transported between Dayton and Cincinnati.
Maj. Steve Arrasmith, commander of the Warren County Drug Task Force, said the county, sandwiched between Interstate 75 and Interstate 71, is a target for drug dealers traveling along the freeways.
He called Dayton and Cincinnati “significant source cities” of illegal drugs that are being transported along the highways and bought and sold in public locations. He said the drugs “float through all the jurisdictions” served by the task force.
Arrasmith made a presentation during Tuesday’s Monroe City Council meeting and addressed similar concerns from last year.
He said Warren County, according to data reported to the Ohio Department of Public Safety, was the fourth highest county in Ohio for cocaine seizures out of the 43 drug task force agencies in the state. Warren was fifth highest for marijuana seizures and ranked eighth in methamphetamine seizures and 15th highest in fentanyl seizures.
Investigations continue to identify Mexico as a primary source of supply for the methamphetamine and fentanyl seized in the area, according to the 2022 annual report. Methamphetamine and fentanyl are the “two greatest threats” and methamphetamine was “off the charts,” according to Arrasmith.
The activity of the detective staff and criminal patrol units resulted in 437 new cases that led to 134 felony arrests and 86 misdemeanor arrests, the report said. Overall law enforcement efforts led to 132 search warrants, 79 firearms seized and 1,914 traffic stops.
On a positive note, drug overdose deaths fell from 74 in 2021 to 45 in 2022, according to the Warren County Coroner’s Office, he said.
The agency serves all of Warren County and the city of Wilmington in Clinton County, he said.
Arrasmith said the task force typically has 20 full-time officers representing 12 agencies. But due to staffing issues, the task force is operating with 17 officers. He said the city of Monroe hopes to fill its vacancy on the task force soon.
“We are suffering a little bit,” he said about staffing.
