Frederick, Md. – Help is on the way from the White House to help Frederick County battle drug trafficking.
The county is one of 12 nationwide to be classified as a high intensity drug trafficking area by the Office of National Drug Control Policy.
Twenty-eight counties in the Unites States have received this classification since 1988. Frederick will also be added to the Baltimore-Washington drug trafficking area, which began in 1994 and includes Ann Arundel, Montgomery and Prince George’s counties in Maryland.
“We’re excited about this (high intensity drug trafficking area) initiative and we’re meeting with them next week and we’ll see what additional resources and things we have access to, which will help us in our constant fight to keep the streets safe,” said Captain Rich Hetherington of the Frederick Police Department.
He says at this point police officials don’t know how much their department will receive, but they welcome any help in combating drugs in the county.
“This is definitely something different that we haven’t had before so we will have to see where that goes,” he said.
Hetherington says most of their arrests center around two drugs.
“Our main drug of choice in the region here is still marijuana and cocaine,” he said.
He says criminals like Frederick because it lies 40 miles away from both D.C. and Baltimore.
“Picture a triangle. We’re kind of the tip of the Baltimore-Frederick-Washington triangle.”
He also says several major highways and MARC train access make it a popular place for drug dealers to do business.
As a member, the county will also work with other counties in the D.C.-Baltimore area that have received this designation in the past to compare cases as well as drug and gang movement.
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