Roanoke, VIRGINIA - The Roanoke Valley Regional Drug Initiative was honored for its work during the Washington/Baltimore HIDTA Awards luncheon in Fairfax earlier today with the award for Outstanding Investigative Effort, United States Attorney Thomas T. Cullen and Roanoke County Police Chief Howard Hall announced.
The award, presented during HIDTA’s annual luncheon, was awarded to detectives and agents assigned to the Roanoke Valley Regional Drug Initiative [RVRDI] for their work on the investigation of a drug trafficking organization allegedly led by Monta Jordan. Members of the RVRDI worked with dozens of federal, state and local agencies to target members of the organization and bring charges against Jordan and others.
“We are extremely proud of the officers and agents who comprise the RVRDI," U.S. Attorney Cullen stated today. “This federal, state, and local law-enforcement partnership is on the frontlines of the Roanoke Valley’s opioid epidemic, and we are hopeful that it will continue to take out major distributors and interdict these deadly drugs before they hit the streets."
“We are extremely pleased with the cooperative efforts of our local, state and federal agencies in this investigation. The resources made possible through the Roanoke Valley Regional Drug Initiative continue to help us combat narcotics not only in Roanoke County, but also across our neighboring jurisdictions and throughout the entire Commonwealth of Virginia," Roanoke County Police Chief Howard Hall said today.
What began as an investigation into a local drug trafficking operation later revealed alleged connections throughout the United States. According to filed court documents, in August of 2017, investigators intercepted a package sent from Arizona addressed to Jordan containing more than one-half kilogram of heroin and one-half kilogram of cocaine. Based upon further investigation conducted by the Roanoke Valley Regional Drug Initiative, a member of the Mid-Atlantic High Intensity Drug Trafficking Area, Jordan is now charged with conspiring to distribute more than 1000 grams of heroin, 400 grams of Fentanyl, 500 grams of methamphetamine, and 500 grams of cocaine. Jordan is also charged with firearms offenses related to his drug trafficking. All of these actions led to the dismantling of the organization and pending federal charges. Jordan’s trial is currently set for February 2019.
The Roanoke Valley Regional Drug Initiative is comprised of the Roanoke County Police Department, Roanoke City Police Department, Vinton Police Department, Salem Police Department, Virginia State Police, Drug Enforcement Administration, Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives, US Marshall's Service, Department of Homeland Security, US Postal Inspector, FBI, as well as the commonwealth attorneys from Roanoke City, Roanoke County, and Salem and the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Western District of Virginia.
Source: U.S. Department of Justice, Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI)
