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Butler still in top five for drug arrests

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By Josh Sweigart, Staff Writer Updated 6:54 PM Wednesday, April 15, 2009

BUTLER COUNTY — Butler County remains among the top counties in the state for drug arrests by the Ohio State Highway Patrol, according to new statistics released by the patrol Wednesday, April 15.

With 40 arrests as of March 22, Butler County ranks fifth, behind Franklin (56), Stark (55), Lorain (45) and Ross (42) counties. Statewide, drug arrests are up 4 percent this year compared to the same period last year.

With 159 arrests in 2008, Butler County ranked third in the number of drug arrests, behind only Franklin and Scioto counties.

“My troopers are on the alert. We’re looking for it. It remains a priority,” said Lt. Wayne Price of the Highway Patrol post in Hamilton.

Price said 26 of the arrests so far this year are for marijuana, and the rest are for drugs such as crack, heroin and ecstasy. Twelve of those are felony cases.

There were 106 drug arrests by the patrol in Hamilton County in 2008, and 67 in Warren County. Statewide, troopers made 5,226 drug arrests last year.

Statewide last year, the patrol seized more than 5.2 million grams of illegal narcotics worth an estimated $47 million. Through February of this year the patrol has seized more than 20,000 grams worth more than $1 million, according to authorities.

“Through effective traffic enforcement we are able to interdict both large and small shipments of illegal narcotics that are destined for cities across the country and Ohio,” said Col. Richard Collins, patrol superintendent. “Last year, troopers made 5,226 drug arrests, some of which led local drug task forces to apprehensions in larger drug and other criminal cases — all right out of traffic stops.”

The report released Wednesday also lists the number of traffic fatalities by county through March 22 this year. During that period, there were four traffic fatalities in Butler County and one in Warren County.

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