MONTGOMERY— Anyone planning to associate with persons who sell, buy or use illegal drugs would be wise to ‘Just Say No,’ especially if they plan on dealing in Coffee or Pike counties. Gov. Bob Riley has awarded a $294,204 economic stimulus grant to boost the work of a drug and violent crime task force dedicated to fighting illegal drugs in the two counties.
The task force will use the funding to find illegal drug laboratories, infiltrate the drug community to collect evidence and stymie drug trafficking, and arrest and prosecute offenders.
“Illegal drugs and violent crime work together to destroy families and communities,” said Riley. “I am pleased to support the members of this task force as they continue working to reduce illegal drugs and remove offenders from the communities in their jurisdiction.”
The unit was established in 1990 and includes members from the 12th circuit district attorney’s office, the Coffee County Sheriff’s Department, the Pike County Sheriff’s Office and the police departments of Elba, Enterprise and Troy.
The Alabama Department of Economic and Community Affairs is administering the grant from funds made available to the state by the U.S. Department of Justice as part of the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act.
Riley notified Robin Sullivan, chairman of the Pike County Commission that the grant had been approved. The County Commission is the fiscal agent for the grant.
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Contact: Josh Carples; Larry Childers