MONTGOMERY— Gov. Bob Riley has awarded $940,705 in economic stimulus funds to continue the drug-fighting efforts of two specialized law enforcement units in Baldwin and Mobile counties.
A $465,705 grant for the Baldwin County Drug Task Force and a $475,000 grant for the Mobile County Street Enforcement Narcotics Team will help the units to investigate, arrest and prosecute drug offenders.
“As coastal counties, Mobile and Baldwin are vulnerable to illegal drugs transported over water routes as well as by air and land routes, including the two interstate highways that serve the area,” said Riley. “These law enforcement units are working hard to find those who distribute and sell illegal drugs and bring them to justice.”
The Baldwin County unit is made up of representatives from the district attorney’s office, the Sheriff’s Office and the police departments of Bay Minette, Daphne and Orange Beach.
The team in Mobile comprises members from the police departments of Bayou La Batre, Chickasaw, Citronelle, Creola, Dauphin Island, Mobile, Mount Vernon, Prichard, Saraland and Satsuma. The district attorney’s office and the Mobile Municipal Airport Authority also work with the team.
The Alabama Department of Economic and Community Affairs is administering the grants from funds made available to the state by the U.S. Department of Justice.
Riley notified Baldwin County Commission Chairman David Bishop and Mobile Mayor Sam Jones that the grants had been approved.
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Contact: Josh Carples; Larry Childers