Beltrami County receives federal funding to combat drug trafficking and overdose epidemic

WASHINGTON – U.S. Senators Amy Klobuchar and Tina Smith announced Tuesday that Beltrami County will receive federal funding to help law enforcement combat illegal drug trafficking and the overdose epidemic through the High Drug Intensity Areas program.

The HIDTA program, funded by the White House Office of National Drug Control Policy, coordinates and supports federal, state, local, tribal, and territorial law enforcement agencies in combating regional drug threats and reducing illicit drug production and trafficking.

“The opioid epidemic is costing lives and tearing families apart. We must continue to provide law enforcement with the resources they need to combat drug trafficking and the violent crime that comes with it,” Klobuchar said in a press release. “This federal funding will enable better coordination between all levels of law enforcement in Beltrami County so they can do their jobs even more effectively.”

This new provision will allow the release to provide critical resources to law enforcement in Beltrami County to seize illegal drugs such as fentanyl, prevent and reduce gun violence and other violent crimes related to drug trafficking, enhance enforcement efforts through improved data sharing and more targeted actions, and dismantle illicit financial transactions.

“Families across our state are suffering from the opioid epidemic – I want to make sure we are doing everything we can to help law enforcement fight drug trafficking in our communities,” Smith added. “These newly released federal funds being used in Beltrami County will make a huge difference in our fight against opioid overdoses.”