New drug task force targets drug crime across county lines
ROBESON COUNTY, NC (WWAY) — Drug investigations do not stop at county lines, and a new partnership among law enforcement agencies in southeastern North Carolina aims to ensure their response does not either.
State Bureau of Investigation Director Chip Hawley joined Columbus County Sheriff Bill Rogers, Bladen County Sheriff Jim McVicker, and Robeson County Sheriff Burnis Wilkins on Wednesday to announce the creation of the Border Belt Drug Task Force.
“Drug people don’t understand county lines. This will eradicate that forever,” said Hawley.
The task force brings together the three sheriff’s offices and the SBI under the message, “One mission. One team. One community.”
The partnership will allow the agencies to share intelligence, personnel, equipment and other resources while working investigations that cross county lines.
“What we do is we take the county lines out of the way; we have the jurisdictional authority to go from Murphy to Manteo,” said Hawley.
Law enforcement officials said county boundaries have traditionally created jurisdictional and legal challenges when investigators follow cases into neighboring communities. The new partnership is designed to remove those barriers and allow investigators and resources to move more freely during drug investigations.
“There were a lot of obstacles, legalities, so what I chose to do was do away with all those legalities, those roadblocks, and get everybody on the same page,” said Hawley.
McVicker says the partnership will give local agencies a more unified response to drug activity that frequently moves between the three counties.
“Columbus and Bladen and a lot of their trouble come into our county, and a lot of our problems go into their county, and with this we can fight it and combat it,” said McVicker.
Rogers said the SBI’s involvement will provide additional support to counties that may have limited resources.
“With the SBI helping us, more resources, because counties are limited to what resources we have, but with the State helping us, this is going to be great, and I think we’re going to hit a home run with this right here helping protect our communities,” said Rogers.
Wilkins said the task force will allow each department to benefit from resources across all four agencies.
“Manpower, the use of equipment, technology, everything related to it. It’s not just one agency using what they got; each agency is able to use what everyone’s got,” said Wilkins.
Hawley said the task force launched its first enforcement operation Wednesday. He believes the partnership will quickly strengthen the region’s response to drug crime.
