Feds Launch Tri-State Crackdown on Violent Drug Traffickers

Gunfire echoes and overdose deaths are under federal crosshairs as U.S. prosecutors from Kentucky, West Virginia, and Ohio launch a coordinated assault on violent drug traffickers poisoning the Tri-State region. In Ashland, Ky., on February 9, 2018, federal law enforcement brass and top prosecutors unveiled a new joint task force targeting armed dealers and repeat violent offenders operating across state lines.

The working group, forged under the Department of Justice’s reinvigorated Project Safe Neighborhoods (PSN) initiative, unites the Eastern District of Kentucky’s Robert M. Duncan, Jr., Southern District of West Virginia’s Michael B. Stuart, and Southern District of Ohio’s Benjamin C. Glassman with ATF, FBI, and DEA operatives. Their mission: dismantle networks that traffic drugs, brandish firearms, and fuel the region’s epidemic of violence.

Meetings will be regular, intelligence shared without delay, and cases vetted for maximum prosecution impact—whether in federal or state court. The focus is unflinching: the most dangerous individuals, especially those using guns to push narcotics or terrorize communities. Overdose deaths tied to illicit opioids will be treated as priority cases, with full prosecutorial force behind them.

“If you are using firearms to commit acts of violence or illegally selling drugs – especially those that cause an overdose death – you are on notice,” warned U.S. Attorney Duncan. “Your conduct will not be tolerated; and if it continues, you risk arrest, prosecution, and the forfeiture of your freedom.”

U.S. Attorney Stuart condemned the toll on cities like Huntington, Ashland, Ironton, and Portsmouth—communities ravaged by addiction and street violence. “Now is the time to take our streets back,” he declared. “We are committed to working together as true partners in this fight to reduce violent crime, protect our citizens, and put dangerous criminals behind bars for as long as possible.”

With criminals ignoring state borders, U.S. Attorney Glassman emphasized that law enforcement will too. “State lines don’t stop criminals from committing violence in our communities, so they shouldn’t stop our law enforcement efforts, either,” he said. The crackdown follows Attorney General Sessions’s directive to intensify PSN efforts nationwide, targeting the surge in violent crime and the opioid crisis at its roots.