Spokane - William D. Hyslop, U.S. Attorney for the Eastern District of Washington, congratulated Grant County today on being officially designated as a High Intensity Drug Trafficking Area (HIDTA) by the White House’s Office of National Drug Control Policy (ONDCP).
U.S. Attorney Hyslop said, “This is great news for the citizens of Grant County. The Sheriff’s Office has achieved this national designation for law enforcement. It will bring greater information sharing and intelligence within the HIDTA network of law enforcement agencies to attack the ever-present drug problem. It will enable the County to be eligible to apply for greater federal resources to augment the County’s law enforcement efforts. Both of those can lead to taking more criminals off the streets and to a safer and more secure County for the law abiding public."
“The law enforcement agencies working in Grant County earned this designation through hard work, collaboration and leadership committed to a team approach. The United States Attorney’s Office for the Eastern District of Washington was happy to assist throughout the designation process. HIDTA provides unprecedented national connectivity to access drug threats and trends throughout the country. It will allow access to federal resources to combat drug distribution and increase enforcement efforts. Through HIDTA, we will be able to share information and intelligence so those individuals who are polluting our communities with drugs will be held accountable."
Grant County Sheriff Tom Jones said, “This designation showcases the strength of our investigators, and makes the Interagency Narcotics Enforcement Team (INET) eligible for greater resources to fight drug crimes in Grant County."
Created by Congress in 1988, the HIDTA task force program, which is under the ONDCP, creates a mechanism for coordination of federal, state, local and tribal resources to combat drug trafficking and reduce the supply of illegal drugs in designated regions of the country.
Source: U.S. Department of Justice, Office of the United States Attorneys
