Members of the United States Attorney’s Office for the Northern District of West Virginia, alongside the Eastern Panhandle Drug & Violent Crimes Task Force, have been recognized for their work on a significant drug trafficking investigation. The Washington-Baltimore High-Intensity Drug Trafficking Area (HIDTA) has commended two Assistant United States Attorneys and task force members for dismantling a tri-state drug trafficking network.
Acting United States Attorney Randolph J. Bernard announced that Assistant U.S. Attorneys Lara Omps-Botteicher and Kyle Kane received the Outstanding Community Impact Investigation award at a ceremony in Baltimore, Maryland. The investigation targeted a violent criminal organization involved in distributing fentanyl, heroin, methamphetamine, and cocaine across Maryland, Virginia, and West Virginia, resulting in the indictment of 82 individuals and the seizure of substantial amounts of drugs, cash, and assets.
Acting U.S. Attorney Bernard expressed gratitude for the efforts made, stating, "I express my heartfelt thanks to HIDTA for honoring these Assistant United States Attorneys and members of the task force who work tirelessly to remove fentanyl and these other agents of death from our community."
The Eastern Panhandle Drug & Violent Crimes Task Force is backed by HIDTA and includes federal and local agencies like the FBI, the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives, the West Virginia State Police, and several local police departments.
Washington-Baltimore HIDTA supports reducing drug trafficking through interagency collaboration and resource sharing. More information about HIDTA is available at their website.
This investigation is part of an Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Forces (OCDETF) effort, which focuses on dismantling major drug trafficking and criminal organizations through a multi-agency strategy.