Toddler tests positive for fentanyl, more than $200k worth of drugs found during operation
A toddler tested positive for fentanyl and more than $200k worth of drugs were found during a drug operation in Waynesville
By Rex Hodge
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HAYWOOD COUNTY, North Carolina (WLOS) — A recent drug bust operation took more than $200,000 worth of illegal drugs out of Western North Carolina and yielded scores of arrests. It was a coordinated effort by law enforcement that led to a successful outcome.
The drug interdiction operation began on May 30 and focused on known drug traffickers on or around the Cherokee reservation.
The operation was spearheaded by Cherokee Indian Police, aided by the Bureau of Indian Affairs, and according to the Jackson County Sheriff’s Office, timed to coincide with the Eastern Band’s per capita paycheck disbursement week.
Dubbed ‘Operation Casino Royale,’ it involved 17 law enforcement agencies in the mountains and 115 officers. The objective: take a big bite out of the local drug trade.
“There’s a large Atlanta connection and Knoxville connection,” says Waynesville Police Chief David Adams.
By the time the operation ended June 2, Adams says it was successful.
“98 arrests, 1,016 grams of meth, crystal meth, 555 grams of fentanyl, 2,491 grams of marijuana, and a lot of pills,” he says.
Chief Adams says it’s fentanyl that concerns him the most.
“It’s very scary,” he says. “I think there’s roughly 100,000 people a year die in the U.S. from fentanyl. So, it affects everywhere, Waynesville included. It could be deadly the first time you try it.”
Cocaine, guns and thousands in cash were also recovered.
During the operation, Cherokee police handled a fatal overdose on the reservation. And on the last day, during the execution of search warrant, a two-year-old child was spotted, taken into protective custody, and later tested positive for fentanyl.
“These babies are innocent, they’re helpless,” says Ellen Pitt.
She heads up a coalition calling for legislation to give grandparents rights in cases like this. She claims the existing system isn’t attentive enough.
“That kind of cavalier attitude toward children living in drug homes is part of the problem,” Pitt says. “The blood grandparents’ voice should be heard over the top of any paid stranger for any agency.”
“I think it would be a great idea, especially when there’s hard drugs like this involved,” says Chief Adams.
He says the coordination of multiple agencies made this operation highly successful, and he reminds the public to say something if they see something.
Adams says the law enforcement agencies involved would like to see this kind of operation happen twice a year.
A statement from Haywood County Sheriff Bill Wilke about ‘Operation Casino Royale’ can be read below:
“This is something that had been on my priority list when I took office — to make sure that I’m cultivating a very strong working relationship with other law enforcement agencies because it helps when we share resources. It’s all about working together.
“The message I want to send to the big traffickers coming out of Atlanta is go around Haywood County and don’t bring your stuff here. I have a county and its safety to concern myself with. Every opportunity we have to catch these folks bringing drugs in, we’re going to take advantage of it. As long as I am sitting in this seat, we’re going to attack this problem head on. If you’re a trafficker and you keep trafficking, I hope we send you to state prison and that’s where you stay. They are hurting people and killing people. Drug trafficking is a violent crime. It delivers the means to kill people. I’ve been to too many funerals. I don’t want to go to another one. I am thankful to be part of this operation and I am very proud of our team that works hard to keep our residents safer through these arrests.”
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