Buchanan County Drug Strike Force Capt. Shawn Collie uses two bags of methamphetamine to indicate the difference between a pound of meth, right, and a ‘dime bag,’ or 3.5 grams. The strike force seized a record 14 pounds of meth in a recent operation.
Buchanan County Drug Strike Force Capt. Shawn Collie uses two bags of methamphetamine to indicate the difference between a pound of meth, right, and a ‘dime bag,’ or 3.5 grams. The strike force seized a record 14 pounds of meth in a recent operation.
Not even halfway through the year, 2021 already has been busy for the Buchanan County Drug Strike Force, evidenced by the force’s largest drug bust ever.
The record-setting bust came a few weeks ago when strike force officers seized about 14 pounds of methamphetamine in an operation. Buchanan County Drug Strike Force Capt. Shawn Collie said issues with illegal narcotics continue to be a big concern.
“It’s gotten that bad that, you know, people now in this town have 14 pounds of meth,” he said. “In the past ... you would have just never heard of that. And the amount of heroin and pills, we’re starting to see a lot of the fake Oxycoton pills that people are overdosing on.”
The force usually seizes between a few ounces and a pound of drugs during an operation, Collie said. The value of drugs seized already this year has surpassed $2.5 million, he said.
The 14 pounds of meth found recently accounted for almost $1 million worth of the drugs seized, Collie said.
Part of the upswing could be due to how much downtime people had during the COVID-19 pandemic, Collie said.
“Where they were busy before, they’re not as busy,” he said. “You’re not going to the movies, to the parks, to the malls. We’re kind of getting back into that stuff, but what you’re seeing is people with free time they’ve never seen or had before.”
There are improvements happening now that the city has mostly opened back up, Collie said. An increase in the number of tips coming from the community is one of those areas.
“We’ve really seen an increase in the amount of contact we’re going out and having with people,” he said. “Our drug seizures are way up, based on our contacts, and that all comes back from the information we have provided by the community.”
People who want to report information to the strike force should call 816-233-3377, Collie said.
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