Press Release |
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| FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: Friday, October 1, 2004 |
CONTACT: Sam Whitfield 202–395–5744 (cell) 202–285–4011 |
U.S. Drug Czar John Walters Announces Six New Counties to be Designated as High Intensity Drug Trafficking Areas in the Southern Region of Ohio
(Washington, D.C.)—Today, John P. Walters, Director of National Drug Control Policy (President Bush's Drug Czar) announced the designation of six new counties in the southern region of Ohio (Fairfield, Franklin, Greene, Hamilton, Montgomery and Warren) to be a part of the Ohio High Intensity Drug Trafficking Area (HIDTA) program. In addition, $633,755 will be obligated to the six new counties, which brings the total number of counties in the State from five to eleven and the total funding level to over $3.1 million for the Ohio HIDTA.
"The six new HIDTA counties that have been designated today will provide Federal, State and local law enforcement with additional resources, so that they may target and disrupt the illegal drug market throughout the State of Ohio and markets it supports in other states. The HIDTA program is a unique tool that enhances cooperation and coordination between law enforcement agencies, which leads to more effective local drug control. Over the past two years, youth drug use in America has dropped by 11 percent. If we are to continue this progress, we must make sure that we have a balanced strategy that reduces the supply and demand for dangerous addictive drugs," said Director Walters.
The primary drug threats to the Ohio HIDTA region are marijuana and cocaine, Ohio also contends with the heroin trade and a growing methamphetamine problem. Typical methods of distribution include the use of well-developed interstate highways and the transport of drugs by travelers on commercial airline flights.
The HIDTA program designates geographic areas to which Federal resources are allocated to link Federal, State and local drug enforcement efforts and to optimize the investigative return on limited fiscal and personnel resources. Properly targeted, HIDTAs offer greater efficiency in countering the illegal drug trade in local areas. Building on the efforts to combat drug-related crime and counter drug trafficking, President Bush and members of Congress have continued to support the program, which currently consists of 28 designated HIDTA regions across the United States. The HIDTA Program has achieved a great deal of success because it is able to break down old barriers between the Federal, State and local law enforcement agencies. Coordinating efforts and sharing information has extended beyond a single initiative or task force, to between initiatives and task forces in a single HIDTA, a region, and among HIDTAs nationally.
