Methamphetamine and heroin are resulting in serious societal issues in Lyon County, Nevada, according to Sheriff Brad Pope.
Pope, who has been on the front lines of the narcotics battle since 2005, said systemic failures on a national and statewide levels have been exacerbating the drug crisis in Lyon County.
In particular, Pope criticized the lack of enforcement at the country’s southern border, calling for stricter measures.
“Close the border and actually secure the border,” Pope told Federal News Wire.
He said dangerous drugs have been growing in popularity in his county for some time.
“Methamphetamine is still our drug of choice here, but heroin has been on the rise for years and there's an abundance of it here,” Pope said.
Pope said the increasing presence of heroin is creating additional strain on local resources, noting a significant uptick in overdose incidents.
“We are seeing a large increase in overdoses,” he said.
Pope noted that the rise in overdoses is a direct consequence of the rampant availability and decreased cost of drugs, reflecting the economic dynamics of drug trafficking.
“The supply is so high and the demand is so high and there's so much of it here that it's cheaper now to take methamphetamine,” Pope said. “For instance, when I started work in narcotics in 2007, an ounce of methamphetamine was right around $2,000. Now you can get it for $250.”
This dramatic price drop underscores the vast quantities of methamphetamine flooding the market, largely driven by sophisticated production facilities south of the U.S. border in Mexico.
“It’s definitely, super labs, and, south of the border of Mexico for sure,” Pope said.
He believes that the ease with which drugs cross the border is contributing significantly to the problem.
On the state and federal level, Pope expressed frustration with the current legal landscape, which he argues fails to address repeat offenders effectively.
“The lack of any accountability from the court system and the legislature for people who commit crimes is huge,” he said. “Nobody does jail time anymore."
Pope also criticized the bail reform policies which, in his view, enable offenders to avoid meaningful consequences, in turn perpetuating a cycle of criminal behavior.
He also pointed to legislative obstacles, noting the political climate in Nevada.
“Without getting partisan we have a Democrat almost supermajority in the Senate and the Assembly here in Nevada,” Pope said. “They are 100% against going back on bail reform. So if anything, they've made statements such as the less time people do in jail, the better. So it's near impossible to lobby right now.”
In discussing potential solutions, Pope expressed a desire for a return to more stringent drug trafficking laws.
“I think they need to revert back to the trafficking laws,” he said. “I want to say the trafficking laws passed six years ago, and one ounce of methamphetamine was considered Level III trafficking and could lead to a ten (years) to life sentence and they've gone so soft on the drug laws that nobody's doing any time and people are just getting out of jail quick.”
Bail reforms in Nevada have been criticized for undermining the protections established by Marsy’s Law, which guarantees rights for crime victims.
Critics have contended that changes to the length of time an accused criminal can be held and other reforms, coupled with inadequate funding and resources, compromise public safety and the justice system’s ability to protect victims and will lead to increased crime and victimization.
Pope highlighted the broader societal impacts of drug addiction, particularly its toll on youth and community resources.
He pointed out the strain on law enforcement, emergency services and social services, describing a situation where communities and families are deeply affected by addiction.
“Just the methamphetamine effects on the county have been huge, detrimental,” he said. “That seems to be the drug of choice and I think every community in this county has been affected by it one way or another.”
Pope said that while Lyon County does have a large illegal alien population, much of it appears to be focused on farm labor, not drug smuggling.
“I think we have a legal migrant community here in Lyon County, we're pretty agricultural,” he said. “We have a large Hispanic population and obviously they are here illegally through the migrant system.”
However, Pope acknowledged that drug dealers often have connections extending back to Mexico, complicating enforcement efforts.
Pope was also critical of the current approach to drug addiction, arguing that it fails to address the root issues.
“Everything's so politically correct like the government agencies that put this out, they call it 'opioid use disorder,'” he said. “I worked narcotics pretty much my whole career and I've never once heard a junkie say they had 'opioid use disorder.'”
In some areas of the country the “safe” use of deadly drugs has been promoted. In 2022, the New York City Health Department ran an ad campaign that promoted the "safe" drug use, including fentanyl. Florida Attorney General Ashley Moody condemned the campaign for suggesting there is a safe way to abuse fentanyl, which is the leading cause of death among young Americans.
Pope said he believes that the use of politically correct terminology does little to address the practical realities of addiction and criminal behavior.
He also remains skeptical about the effectiveness of current drug treatment and prevention strategies.
“I can’t figure out why it is the way it is,” he said. “Even as a country we’re so hands-off with it as far as punishment. I don’t think that the education and attempts to suppress it work and to accept it and to kind of just accept people that do it and treat it like a disease, I think is ineffective.”
Pope has served as Lyon County Sheriff since 2023 and prior to that was a sergeant in the department since 2005.
He also is the head football coach at Yerington High School.
