Governor Justice Announces Successful Operation to Address State's Drug Crisis

CHARLESTON, W.Va. – Nearly 30 pounds of methamphetamine and other dangerous controlled substances are now off the streets and in the hands of the state.

On Wednesday, Gov. Jim Justice announced the successful outcome of Operation October Sky, a large-scale initiative to combat West Virginia's ongoing drug crisis.

Over 30 different law enforcement agencies from across the state came together between October 7 and October 14 to conduct the operation.

More than 28 pounds of meth, nearly half a pound of fentanyl, 18 fentanyl pills and other dangerous substances such as heroin and cocaine were seized. Additionally, the week-long operation resulted in 70 felony arrests and 176 misdemeanor arrests, as well as the seizure of 30 firearms and over $31,000 cash in connection with the sale of illegal drugs.

During Wednesday's media briefing, Justice said he is truly proud of what his administration's aggressive operation has been able to accomplish because it brings them one step closer to solving a major problem plaguing the state and the nation.

“It's likely that this is largely due to the terrible invasion of people that we are allowing across our southern border,” Justice said. “We all know the terrible consequences we have all suffered, and many, many much worse.”

“We cannot ignore how this serious issue is fueling the drug epidemic and absolute chaos we are facing across the country. But we will not tolerate that here in West Virginia. We will continue to address these challenges head-on,” Justice said.

This is the second year that the West Virginia State Police have worked with local law enforcement to conduct such a large operation responsible for dismantling major drug trafficking networks.

Other units involved included the West Virginia Fusion Center and the West Virginia National Guard's Anti-Drug Program, which tasked intelligence teams with using specific data to determine drug traffickers' travel routes and their modus operandi. These analysts collected, processed and shared key information with participating agencies.

Rob Cunningham, deputy secretary of homeland security, said the combined efforts of these units and agencies are having a lasting impact in the fight against the drug epidemic.

“We really have the ability to make a big difference in the fight against illegal drugs,” Cunningham said. “This initiative involved 27 different agencies across the state of West Virginia, not just the agencies themselves, but also the narcotics units that worked with us.”

Jack Luikart, director of the West Virginia Intelligence Fusion Center, said these operations are becoming more efficient as the quantities of dangerous drugs continue to grow.

“The seizures of drugs have increased significantly compared to previous years, and the increase in quantities is significant,” said Luikart.

He said what's happening is that the people who were transporting ounces of meth or fentanyl are now transporting pounds.

Luikart said conducting seizures has become a daily routine for these drug task forces and law enforcement agencies beyond these specific types of operations.

He said the Charleston Police Department's Street Crimes Unit executed a search warrant just days before Operation October Sky, in which they seized 8.5 pounds of fentanyl. Luikart said this alone will save a significant number of lives.

“You can imagine the impact of this amount of fentanyl getting onto the streets and being distributed to people out here, and the possibility of death as a result of that,” Luikart said.

He said the operation sheds light on the many challenges of drug trafficking in the state, particularly with regard to the influence of foreign cartels that traffic in significant quantities of illegal drugs.

But Justice said West Virginia is gradually tightening its anti-drug measures.

“What we want to do is make it harder and harder for people in the state of West Virginia to do bad things. We will work wherever we can to ensure that this happens without fail.”