6 October 2024
WASHINGTON — U.S. Senators Amy Klobuchar and Tina Smith announced on Tuesday that Beltrami County will receive federal resources to help law enforcement crack down on illicit drug trafficking and address the overdose epidemic through the High Intensity Drug Trafficking Areas Program.
The HIDTA Program, funded by the White House Office of National Drug Control Policy, coordinates and assists federal, state, local, tribal and territorial law enforcement agencies to address regional drug threats and reduce illicit drug production and trafficking.
“The opioid epidemic is taking lives and tearing families apart. We need to continue to provide law enforcement with the tools they need to fight drug trafficking and the violent crime that comes along with it,” Klobuchar said in a release. “These federal resources will allow for greater coordination among all levels of law enforcement in Beltrami County so they can do their jobs even more effectively.”
According to the release, this new designation will allow critical resources to be deployed to law enforcement in Beltrami County working to seize illicit drugs like fentanyl, prevent and reduce gun violence and other violent crime associated with drug trafficking, improve interdiction efforts through enhanced data sharing and targeting, and dismantle illicit finance operations.
“Families across our state are hurting from the opioid epidemic — I want to make sure we’re doing all we can to help law enforcement crack down on drug trafficking in our communities,” added Smith. “These newly unlocked federal resources that will be deployed in Beltrami County will make a big difference in our fight against opioid overdoses.”
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