Virginia Joins Multi-State Task Force to Combat Heroin

The Commonwealth of Virginia, through the Office of Attorney General and Virginia State Police, is the seventh state to join the Task Force to combat heroin distribution, according to an announcement by Attorney General Mark Herring on September 22.

“The scourge of heroin abuse is a problem that crosses state borders and demands a coordinated response from law enforcement,” said New York Attorney General Eric Schneiderman, a founding member and co-chair of NEMA-HTF. “Heroin traffickers are spreading addiction and death up and down the eastern seaboard and I’m pleased Attorney General Herring has joined our joint effort to help break up the multi-state drug rings that are poisoning our communities.”

Virginia has united with New York, Pennsylvania, New Jersey, Massachusetts, Maryland, and Maine in this first-of-its-kind task force that fosters cross-state collaboration and leverages resources to combat heroin distribution and tackle the rise in heroin overdose fatalities.

“Too many Virginians have lost their lives to this epidemic and Attorney General Herring is taking major steps to implement a creative, collaborative approach,” said Emily Bolton, Press Secretary, at Herring’s office. “By collaborating with other states and sharing information, we’re better equipped to stop the flow of heroin into the Commonwealth.”

There are several designated High Intensity Drug Trafficking Areas (HIDTA) in Virginia including areas in Northern Virginia, Hampton Roads, Roanoke and Southwest Virginia due to its geographic location and makeup of large cities, ports, and high volume highways and transportation hubs make it vulnerable to drug trafficking activities, the release explained.

“The heroin epidemic doesn’t recognize borders and it’s more important than ever to coordinate with Virginia’s neighbors to stop the influx of heroin,” said Herring. “We’re in this together, and by sharing information and collaborating on leads we’re better equipped to dismantle large-scale drug operations that are trying to profit off of addiction. Traffickers and dealers can’t hide behind borders.”

The main goal of the Task Force is collaboration, coordination and information-sharing between state attorneys general and other law enforcement officials.

“This partnership provides Virginia’s state and local law enforcement agencies with an additional means of leveraging the investigative and prosecutorial resources beyond our borders,” added Col. W. Steven Flaherty, Virginia State Police Superintendent. “Successfully combating heroin distribution, use and overdoses requires a collaborative and comprehensive approach by public safety agencies and prosecutors at the local, state and federal levels.”

The news release also pointed out that many drug operations use multistate trafficking routes successfully, highlighting the Outten Organization in Hampton Roads, which was recently prosecuted by assistant Attorney General John Butler, working alongside federal prosecutors from the Office of the U.S. Attorney for the Eastern District of Virginia.

The Outten Organization was a heroin operation that trafficked 167 pounds of heroin, which has a street value of $3.75 million dollars. It was also responsible for at least heroin related fatalities.

Image, courtesy of the Attorney General Herring’s office- AG Herring and Secretary of Public Safety and Homeland Security, Brian Moran from last year’s heroin summit.