NJ State Police getting millions to crack down on illegal drugs

👮 Millions in new grant money will help the NJ State police crackdown on drugs
👮 Funding is coming from the U.S. Department of Justice
👮 The money will go for specialized training & equipment to go after heroin, fentanyl and meth dealers

The New Jersey State Police has been awarded two grants totaling more than $5 million to stop the distribution of heroin, fentanyl, carfentanil, methamphetamine and the unlawful distribution of prescription opioids in the Garden State.

The grant awards, from the Community Oriented Policing Services Anti-Methamphetamine Program and Anti-Heroin Task Force (within the U.S. Department of Justice) will provide training and equipment for the New Jersey State Police Methamphetamine Eradication and Opioid Enforcement Task Forces, to disrupt the production and distribution of illicit drugs across Jersey.

“The allocation of these grants will not only aid our efforts in combating the opioid epidemic, but also help us in our efforts to target criminal activity associated with the illegal drug trade,” said Colonel Pat Callahan, superintendent of the New Jersey State Police.

Saving lives, making communities safer

He noted the two task forces “have been critical in the reduction of drugs reaching our communities and as a result of their seizures, countless lives have been saved. With access to additional resources, the task forces will have the opportunity to expand and continue their mission of making communities safer across New Jersey."

Since its inception in 2020, the NJSP Methamphetamine Eradication Task Force has monitored overdoses, collaborated with community and medical partners, and examined methamphetamine hot spots throughout the state.

The NJSP Hazardous Material Response Unit within the Task Force aids in the response and reduction of covert methamphetamine laboratories and drug dump sites and helps with the safe and efficient processing of methamphetamine trafficking locations.

The Opioid Enforcement Task Force targets opioid packaging facilities as they convert raw heroin and fentanyl into individual doses before street-level distribution.

Since 2018 the Task Force has helped dismantle or disrupt 61 illicit packaging facilities and 8 fentanyl-based pill-pressing operations.

Helping the NJSP fight drug dealers

The grant money will allow the NJSP to train and support specialists as well as purchase equipment needed for surveillance and investigations, including:

Mobile labs
An undercover vehicle
Laptops
Automated License Plate Reading systems
GPS devices

The funding will also allow the Opioid Enforcement Task Force to expand its efforts to target mobile opioid packaging facilities operating out of hotels and motels and fentanyl-based pill pressing operations throughout the State.

The Community Oriented Policing Services Anti-Meth and Anti-Heroin grants began in 2014 and 2015 to reduce violent crime through programs focused on meth use and production, and the distribution of heroin and other opioids. NJSP has previously been awarded grants in 2020, 2021, and 2022.

David Matthau is a reporter for New Jersey 101.5. You can reach him at david.matthau@townsquaremedia.com

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