Miami/Fulton Counties – Indiana State Police Peru Post Commander Lt. Jeremy Kelly and ten other law enforcement leaders have decided to combine dedicated resources to fight narcotics in Fulton and Miami Counties. They have formed a task force nick named the C.L.E.A.N team (Combined Law Enforcement Against Narcotics). The task force’s main focus will be narcotics enforcement with an emphasis on methamphetamine related crimes.
The state of Indiana had a total 1,808 methamphetamine labs recovered in 2013 and 1,488 labs recovered in 2014. Those totals led the United States for both years. For the same time frame, there were a total of 337 labs recovered in the seven counties covered by the Indiana State Police Peru District. In 2013, 49 methamphetamine labs were found in Miami County. In 2014, 40 labs were recovered in Miami County. This ranked Miami County eighth in 2013 and ninth in 2014 for methamphetamine labs recovered in Indiana. As of March, Miami County is tied for fifth in Indiana with 14 labs recovered. Fulton County had 32 labs recovered in 2013 and another 27 recovered in 2014. As of March, Fulton County has six labs recovered.
Illegal narcotics are a scourge in every community that they touch. It wastes valuable community resources and destroys lives. The eleven law enforcement leaders that have dedicated manpower, and other resources to the task force, are trying a combined approach to arrest those who manufacture and distribute narcotics in our communities.
The task force members are from the Indiana State Police, the Indiana State Excise Police, the Indiana Department of Correction Parole Division, the Fulton County Sheriff’s Department, the Miami County Sheriff’s Department, The Peru Police Department, The Rochester Police Department, The Fulton Prosecutor’s Office, the Miami County Prosecutors Office, the Miami County Probation Office, and the Fulton County Probation Office. The Indiana Department of Natural Resources is not part of the task force, but they provided material resources to the effort.
The illegal manufacturing, distribution, and use of narcotics are not just law enforcement problems. They are community problems. Law enforcement officers encourage anyone with information about the possession, distribution, or manufacturing of narcotics to call the Indiana State Police Drug Tip Line at 1-800-453-4756. Information can be reported anonymously.
I have been provided a photo of some of the task force agency leaders. It is attached. I am not able to name all members in the photo. I apologize.
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