MUSKEGON, Mich. — A new initiative by the Drug Enforcement Administration is underway in Muskegon to try and get drugs, guns and criminals off the streets in a different way.
Assistant Special Agent Derek Ress has worked for the DEA for more than 20 years. Part of a statistic-driven initiative called Operation Overdrive, he said phase 4 is being implemented in 30 locations, including Muskegon.
Agent Ress told 13 ON YOUR SIDE, "we see an overlap in both overdose deaths and targeted violence from drug trafficking organizations in the Muskegon area."
He explained Detroit ranks first, per capita, for the overlap of those two factors in the state. Muskegon ranks second.
"We've taken intelligence that we've derived from not just DEA, but from state, local, tribal, other federal, law enforcement partners and we are utilizing this intelligence to develop investigations targeted into particular drug trafficking organizations that reside or are bringing illicit drugs into the Muskegon area."
Another element of Operation Overdrive is community outreach.
"Members of DEA are working together with community programs to bring awareness to these overdose deaths," said Agent Ress.
Operation Overdrive has been implemented in cities of all sizes across the country. The DEA said last year in Toledo, work led to 19 arrests and 39 guns off the streets.
As a result, Agent Ress said, "we've seen a drastic drop in violent crime for that region after the operation."
So far across the country, the DEA said 13,000,000 deadly doses of fentanyl have come off the streets thanks to this initiative.
Agent Ress also mentioned several drug trends that have recently been seen in Michigan:
- Carfentanil, which is 100 times more deadly than fentanyl
- Fentanyl mixed with Xylazine, which cancels out the effects of Narcan
- Fake pills that look like Oxycodone or Hydrocodone, but actually have fentanyl in them
While guns, drug and criminals off the streets is part of the goal, Ress added, "the ultimate goal is basically to provide the safety of this country, of the citizens of Muskegon, in particular."