By Associated Press
Anadarko, OK – A large methamphetamine distribution network operating in western Oklahoma has been unplugged as part of a 9-month multi-agency investigation. Mark Woodward, Spokesman for the Oklahoma Bureau of Narcotics, says law enforcement officers from several agencies served 40 arrest warrants and seven search warrants early this morning targeting an organization responsible for trafficking large quantities of Mexican meth or "ice" into Oklahoma.
Caddo County District Attorney Bret Burns, whose office initiated this investigation and requested the assistance of OBNDD, praised the hard work and cooperation between the OBNDD and the various law enforcement agencies involved.
Burns also said this investigation and drug round-up are unique and may be the first of its kind in Oklahoma.
"This drug round-up is different because we are not only going after the drug traffickers and dealers, but we have also targeted those individuals trying to purchase methamphetamine. We have attempted to eliminate the complete supply and demand cycle by targeting everyone who was involved in the methamphetamine trade business. We will recommend lengthy prison terms for those individuals charged with drug Trafficking and Distribution. At the same time, we will offer those charged with trying to buy methamphetamine alternatives to incarceration such as drug court and inpatient treatment."
Woodward says the investigation began in September of 2008 involving District Attorney Bret Burns and the District 6 Drug Task Force, OBNDD, U.S. Customs and Immigration, as well as the DHS Office of Inspector General. R. Darrell Weaver, OBNDD Director, says his agency will use every means necessary to dismantle these groups responsible for devastating rural communities.
By mid-afternoon, nearly two-dozen of the primary defendants were in custody at the into the Caddo County Jail. They face a variety of charges including Trafficking, Distribution, Conspiracy to distribute methamphetamine, and soliciting others to distribute a controlled substance.