$52M in drugs removed from Ohio roads

Ohio State Highway Patrol continues efforts as front line to keep drugs out of communities

Ohio Highway Patrol troopers through their continued efforts to look beyond the plates prevented $52,418,987 worth of drugs in 2017 from reaching Ohio communities.

According to Lt. Robert Sellers, OHP public affairs commander, the patrol’s main goal has always been highway safety but in 2011, the OHP elevated crime enforcement to the same level as traffic enforcement.

“We are in that prime position of stopping a lot of cars while focusing on highway safety, so elevating criminal interdiction to the same level we can focus on the criminal elements at the same time,” Sellers said. “We can focus on two goals at the same time.”

The lieutenant explained that they ask their troopers to stop a lot of cars to sell traffic safety and also to look beyond the license plate. He advises them to not be so focused on writing a ticket that they fail to spot any criminal activity going on.

“What we know is criminals use cars to bring drugs into our cities and that puts us in prime position to stop the drug couriers before they get into our communities,” Sellers said. “All these roads cross Ohio, it doesn’t matter if the drugs are destined for Ohio or other places it’s just a matter preventing them from getting there.”

The lieutenant noted that it does not matter the size of the drug bust, it could be a pound of heroin or a hit of heroin.

“The goal is getting if off the roads and out of the hands of people before they can use it and/or overdose,” Sellers said.

Lt. Charles Gullet, commander for the Chardon Post, reported in a news release that in 2017 OHP investigated a wide range of felony offenses and saw an increase in the total number of drug arrest from 2016.

Gullet reports that troopers made 16,653 total drug arrest statewide, which is a 25 percent increase from 2016.

Provisional statistics provided by OHP show that the number of drug arrests which had OHP involvement had a 35 percent jump over the previous three-year average (2014-2016) and that 4,645 of the 16,653 drug arrests, or 28 percent of them, included one or more felony drug charges. The number of felony drug arrests also rose 25 percent from 2016 and jumped 40 percent over the previous three years.

In Cuyahoga County last year, the 255 felony drug arrests by OHP was the highest number in the state. OHP made 134 felony drug arrest in Lorain County.

SUBMITTED In 2017, OHP K-9s helped seize over 52 million worth of contraband from Ohio’s roadways.