Bannock County Designated as Part of the Oregon-Idaho HIDTA

BOISE –  Yesterday, Richard Baum, Acting Director of National Drug Control Policy, announced the designation of 16 new counties across California, Florida, Idaho, Illinois, Maryland, Michigan, New Jersey, New Mexico, New York, Pennsylvania, South Carolina, Tennessee, and West Virginia as High Intensity Drug Trafficking Areas (HIDTA) counties.  This designation enables the 16 counties to receive Federal resources to further the coordination and development of drug control efforts among Federal, State, and local law enforcement officers, and allow local agencies to benefit from ongoing HIDTA initiatives that are working to reduce drug trafficking across the United States.

“Drug trafficking is a national problem that has to be addressed on the local level, and adding these counties to the HIDTA program is a critical part of this effort,” said Richard Baum, Acting Director of National Drug Control Policy. “These new designations and the funding they will bring will help our Federal, state, and local law enforcement officers work together to disrupt and dismantle the trafficking networks that are bringing drugs into our communities,” added Acting Director Baum. 

“While Idaho continues to enjoy an overall low crime rate, drug violations reached a five-year high in 2016, having increased a concerning 15 percent over the preceding year,” added United States Attorney Bart M. Davis.  “This spike in drug crime is not happening in every neighborhood or city.  But the trend is real and should concern us all. It must not continue,” Davis said.  “I applaud the efforts of elected leaders and law enforcement agencies in eastern Idaho, especially those that have joined the Eastern Idaho Partnership.  The Partnership funds a Special Assistant United States Attorney, whose mission is to combat drug and violent crime in eastern Idaho,” Davis continued.  Bannock now joins Ada and Canyon counties in the Oregon/Idaho HIDTA.

The newly-designated counties are:

 •           Sullivan County in Tennessee and Wood County in West Virginia as part of the Appalachia HIDTA

•           Greenville County in South Carolina as part of the Atlanta/Carolinas HIDTA

•           DuPage County in Illinois as part of the Chicago HIDTA

•           St. Clair County in Michigan as part of the Michigan HIDTA

•           Ocean County in New Jersey and Oneida County in New York as part of the New York/New Jersey HIDTA

•           Bradford and Union Counties in Florida as part of the North Florida HIDTA

•           San Benito County in California as part of the Northern California HIDTA

•           Bannock County in Idaho as part of the Oregon/Idaho HIDTA

•           Montgomery County in Pennsylvania as part of the Philadelphia/Camden HIDTA

•           Collier and Martin Counties in Florida as part of the South Florida HIDTA

•           Taos County in New Mexico as part of the Southwest Border HIDTA – New Mexico Region

•           Dorchester County in Maryland as part of the Washington/Baltimore HIDTA

The HIDTA program was created by Congress in 1988 and serves as a catalyst for coordination among Federal, state, local, and tribal law enforcement agencies operating in areas determined to be critical drug trafficking regions of the United States. Law enforcement organizations working within HIDTAs assess drug-trafficking problems and design specific initiatives to decrease the production, transportation, and distribution of drugs. There are currently 28 HIDTAs located in 49 states, as well as in Puerto Rico, the U.S. Virgin Islands, and the District of Columbia.