Maricopa County Sheriff’s Office
Joe Arpaio, Sheriff
CONTACT: on Call PIO at mediarequest@mcso.maricopa.gov
Press Conference scheduled for Thursday, December 11, 2014 at 2:45 PM
IN EIGHT WEEKS, $8 MILLION OF ILLEGAL
NARCOTICS SEIZED BY SHERIFF’S DEPUTIES
SHERIFF JOE ARPAIO ASKS THAT
COMMUNITY GET MORE INVOLVED IN DRUG
FIGHTING EFFORT
New Emphasis on Drug Crackdown Announced
(December, 10, 2014 - Maricopa County, AZ) Maricopa County
Sheriff Joe Arpaio says it took only two months for his drug enforcement
unit to seize nearly $8 million worth of illegal drugs from the streets of
Maricopa County.
From October 1, 2014, Sheriff’s deputies’ investigations led to the seizure
of over 10,000 pounds of marijuana, 11 pounds of heroin, and 28 pounds of
methamphetamine and ecstasy. Deputies made 119 arrests, most of
whom are traffickers in the illegal narcotics trade. They also came across
human remains in the desert, and confiscated weapons, 12 vehicles, and
nearly $180,000 in cash.
550 West Jackson Street, Phoenix, Arizona 85003 | Phone (602)876-1801 | Fax: (602)258-2081 | Media Contact: mediarequest@mcso.maricopa.gov
“My deputies have stepped up and will continue the drug enforcement
effort,” Arpaio says, “which will include the arrests of major drug suppliers,
and street level dealers.”
Arpaio says he is very aware of the problem of drug use and sales in our
schools and part of this new enforcement effort will focus on that problem.
Arpaio says the best way to fight this ongoing problem is to solicit the aid of
the community. To that end, he commissioned a moving billboard and
wrapped nine (9) vehicles with his plea to report anyone involved in the
illegal trafficking and distribution of narcotics to the Sheriff’s drug hotline.
The vehicles, equipped with the Sheriff’s drug hotline number
(602.262.3784) and message, travel hundreds of miles daily over valley
roadways and state highways reaching thousands of people a day with the
message to turn in anyone involved in illegal narcotics.
Those vehicles and the drug seizures will be on display today, Thursday,
December 11, 2014 at 2:45PM at the Sheriff’s Property and Evidence
Building at 35th Avenue and Lower Buckeye Road during a press
conference with Sheriff Arpaio about the new billboards and his crackdown
on the narcotics trade.
“It seems society is becoming more tolerant of drug use,” Arpaio says, “but
we are wrong to be complacent about this problem. Drugs are at the root of
most violent crimes. As Sheriff over our jails, the vast majority of persons in
jail are there for drugs or drug related charges.”
Arpaio, who in the past was the Regional Director of the U.S. Drug
Enforcement Administration (DEA) in Mexico City and later named head of
the DEA in Arizona before becoming Sheriff. He has been fighting illegal
narcotics his whole 50 year-long law enforcement career. “Few people
know better than I that illegal drugs are an age old problem. But as a
nation, we have to continue to be vigilant in fighting it.”
550 West Jackson St., Phoenix, Arizona 85003 | Phone (602)876-1801 | Fax: (602)258-2081 | Media Contact: mediarequest@mcso.maricopa.gov
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