FBI-Led Raids Target Metro Detroit Heroin Trafficking, Sales
DETROIT (WWJ/AP) - An FBI-led series of raids is targeting heroin trafficking and sales in the Detroit area.
The FBI announced the raids, saying seven search warrants were executed Wednesday afternoon and Thursday morning along Derby street, west of John R and south of 8 Mile Road in Detroit. The FBI is leading the charge but they're focusing in the tri-county area and police departments from Detroit to Royal Oak are involved.
David Gelios, special agent in charge of the FBI's Detroit division, said the effort seeks to disable the drug trade and combat heroin overdoses and deaths in Wayne, Oakland and Macomb counties.
The FBI says heroin involved in many overdoses and deaths in the metro area ends up being traced back to the Woodward Avenue corridor in Detroit.
"The FBI, along with its law enforcement partners, is committed to working to combat heroin and other illegal drug problems, and the violence that is all too often associated with drug trafficking, which impacts daily the quality of life in our communities," Gelios said in a statement.
The taskforce includes members from the Oakland County Sheriff's Office, Michigan State Police, Royal Oak Police, Troy Police, Southfield Police, Bloomfield Township Police, Shelby Township Police, St. Clair Shores Police, Roseville Police, the Michigan Department of Corrections, and Immigration Customs Enforcement.
"This partnership is yet another example of how we can work together to create safe neighborhoods," said Detroit Police Chief James Craig. "We will continue our efforts in attacking the drug epidemic that plaques our society and dampens the quality of life within our communities."
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