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Posted: May 25, 2022 11:19 AMUpdated: May 25, 2022 12:58 PM

13 Arrested in Methamphetamine Trafficking Stint

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Ty Loftis / Garrett Giles

The Oklahoma Bureau of Narcotics (OBN) worked in tandem with the Bartlesville Police Department to shut down a large methamphetamine trafficking organization.

OBN Spokesperson Mark Woodward says agents and officers served 13 arrest warrants this morning on individuals tied to the investigation that was launched last fall. Woodward had this to say on the alleged crime:

“During the course of the investigation, we found the organization shipping anywhere from 10 to 25 pounds of meth into northeastern Oklahoma from the west coast on a weekly basis. Those shipments would be moved onto the streets in Washington County, Nowata County and parts of Kansas.”

Agents have seized up to 35 pounds of meth and 100 firearms. The defendants have been transported to the Washington County Jail and will face a variety of charges, including trafficking methamphetamine.

Bartlesville Police Department (BPD) Captain Jay Hastings says they are going to keep working narcotics investigations as methamphetamine is a major problem across the United States, Oklahoma and locally.  Capt. Hastings says they don't always arrest people right away because they never know where their investigation may lead. Hastings says they arrested a group of individuals that had some sort of connection to one another during their alleged involvement in selling narcotics. He says there is a lot of trafficking going on in the community, so they are going to keep up with these efforts [to slow it down].

Capt. Hastings says local law enforcement is fortunate to have the OBN and the resources they provide. Hastings says they were able to see a six to seven month investigation come into fruition. He says it also helps when multiple agencies work together locally towards a common goal of getting dangerous drugs off the street.

Agencies assisting the BPD and OBN include: the Washington County Sheriff's Office, the Nowata County Sheriff's Office, the Kansas Bureau of Investigation, and the District 11 Drug Task Force.

This is the second time in the past year where local agencies have worked together to make arrests in order to shut down a large-scale meth trafficking organization. Unfortunately, the previous law enforcement success ended in tragedy as Washington County Sheriff's Deputy Corporal Kyle Davis was killed in the line of duty helping detain one of 17 individuals at the Washington County Jail that were arrested during the operation on March 25, 2021.

We will have more on this story as it becomes available.

Photo courtesy: Oklahoma Bureau of Narcotics

 


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