The Drug Enforcement Agency (DEA) conducted a series of raids Wednesday morning, resulting in the arrest of over 12 persons.
Warrants were served in Marion, Johnson, Owen, and Hamilton counties.
During the raids, the DEA said it seized meth, fentanyl, cocaine, and marijuana, as well as multiple guns. The raids resulted in one state and twelve federal arrests.
IMPD, DEA, ATF, and the US Attorney’s Office have been working together on an investigation for several months.
“We successfully located the individuals we were searching for, while also seizing various firearms and quantities of controlled substances. Notably, the substances recovered included fentanyl, methamphetamine, cocaine, and marijuana. These were the specific drugs that constituted the primary focus of our investigation,” stated Daniel Schmidt, a Supervisory Special Agent with the DEA.
Law enforcement officials have successfully identified multiple individuals involved in drug trafficking activities, both within the city and across the state of Indiana. According to the police, these suspects are not only engaged in illegal drug trade but have also been linked to various acts of violence.
“That’s the big headliner here, right, dealing illegal narcotics that can result in people’s death, but often the violence that’s associated with maintaining that kind of operation, we know for fact that individuals must use a certain level of violence to maintain their position within the ecosystem of illegal narcotics. So, it’s not only the illegal narcotics that we’re getting off the street immediately, it often is the violence that goes along with it,” said IMPD Deputy Chief Kendale Adams. “The chief of IMPD has been very clear that we will continue to focus on individuals that perpetuate violence.”
The Johnson County Sheriff’s Office said that its SWAT squad supported the DEA in delivering federal court orders at a home in the 1500 block of Churchill Street.
The DEA conducted raids in Marion County at two locations: the 300 block of W. 31st Street and the 2900 block of S. Taft St., according to a spokesperson.
Marion County, a designated High Intensity Drug Trafficking Area (HIDTA), recognizes the critical importance of drug seizures in saving lives, according to local law enforcement.
WRTV inquired about the current situation on the streets of Indianapolis as observed by IMPD.
Adams: “We see overdoses, we see disputes. We see violence associated with, again, maintaining their position within the ecosystem. So, you know, that’s typical of drug organizations, and that’s why today was important, because we feel like today was an opportunity to make a make a dent in that, in that, in that continued effort. It won’t be the last time. We’ll continue to focus, even towards the end of the year and going into next year with organizations that put themselves together as a drug trafficking organization.”
Schmidt: “Our primary message is that we’re just not going to tolerate that here in Central Indiana. We will always target these types of drug trafficking organizations, and put every resource we have available, federal, state, local, everything we can do to keep combating these groups. I think it’s pretty obvious that a lot of the violence here in the city is tied to drug trafficking, and so that remains our focus to help keep it safe here in Central Indiana.”
