Beltrami County to Receive Federal Resources to Combat Drug Trafficking

The White House Office of National Drug Control Policy has announced that Beltrami County has been designated as a High Intensity Drug Trafficking Area (HIDTA), joining seven additional Minnesota counties in the federal program that helps law enforcement agencies combat drug trafficking.

According to a press release from Beltrami County, counties are designated as a HIDTA when:

• The area is a significant center of illegal drug production, manufacturing, importation, or distribution;
• State, local, and tribal law enforcement agencies have committed resources to respond to the drug trafficking problem in the area, thereby indicating a determination to respond aggressively to the problem;
• Drug-related activities in the area are having a significant harmful impact in the area and in other areas of the country; and
• A significant increase in allocation of federal resources is necessary to respond adequately to drug related activities in the area.

Over the last decade, Beltrami County has reportedly seen a 12,500% increase in methamphetamine seizures and a 28,500% increase in opioid seizures. The county says it has an overdose rate that is more than twice that of state and national averages.

The HIDTA designation will provide additional resources to area law enforcement to disrupt and dismantle drug trafficking organizations that are said to prey on members of Beltrami County and surrounding areas.

Earlier this week, U.S. Sens. Tina Smith and Any Klobuchar also announced that Bemidji County would receive help from the HIDTA Program.