Trending
The first sentence of our story on the front page of Thursday's editions served as a stark reminder that our region's fight against illegal drugs is far from over: "Federal indictments in four separate cases announced this week show the sale, distribution and use of fentanyl and cocaine is prevalent in the Ohio Valley."
Yes, fentanyl -- being distributed here locally and throughout northern West Virginia. It is a deadly drug that is leading to an uptick of overdose deaths around the country.
U.S. Attorney William Ihlenfeld said Solomon Watters, 36, of Cleveland and Chelsea Banks, 26, of Wheeling were found to have crack cocaine and 1.2 kilograms of fentanyl -- street value of $120,000 -- in their possession. They also had several hundred thousand dollars worth of cash at a storage facility in Washington, Pennsylvania, that police seized.
The pair is accused of possession with intent to deliver the drugs from a home on Poplar Avenue in Wheeling. Ihlenfeld said the fentanyl find is particularly concerning for his office.
"This was a case involving enough fentanyl to kill every man, woman and child in the Northern Panhandle of West Virginia," Ihlenfeld said. "It involved enough cash to buy a nice home here in Wheeling, West Virginia.
"… Fentanyl continues to be the greatest threat we face in the Northern Panhandle because it is so deadly, and because it is so easy to manufacture it is plentiful. You can also see the amount of cash it generates."
Another case announced dealt with a Wheeling man, Christopher Park, allegedly having cocaine shipped to him here in Wheeling from the nation's southwestern border.
"Cocaine is also a problem -- it's not just fentanyl," Ihlenfeld said. "From this investigation and others that are going on, I can tell you there are large amounts of cocaine coming into the Ohio Valley."
That is concerning also for the fact that cocaine often is cut with fentanyl, Ihlenfeld said -- a potentially deadly combination.
Let us be thankful that these drugs have been taken off the street. But we also need to realize that this is but one step in a longer battle to keep our communities safe.
Local, state and federal law enforcement agencies involved in the fentanyl and cocaine busts deserve credit for their efforts. Keep up the good work.