BUTTE — Montana law enforcement officials say that one of the reasons illicit drugs enter the community of Butte so often is because of its position at the crossroads of two interstate systems that run from coast to coast and border to border.
"A large amount of the illegal drugs that enter Montana, they enter via a vehicle, a passenger vehicle or a commercial vehicle," says Steven Crawford, the narcotics bureau chief for the Division of Criminal Investigation at the Montana Department of Justice.
WATCH: Butte's interstate location makes it prime target for drug trafficking operations
Crawford oversees the Southwest Montana Drug Task Force, part of a large statewide network that was established in 1994. The task force works closely with state and federal partners.
According to Crawford, the approximate amounts by year for SWMDTF for the last three years show that the team has seized 30,111 grams of meth, 20,000 grams of fentanyl, 5,700 grams of cocaine, and 92 grams of heroin. Crawford says the numbers are only for drugs seized by the task force and may not capture all drugs seized in the region.
"We’ve got a very proactive drug task force located here in Butte that serves Butte but, also the surrounding counties, and is very engaged in investigating drug trafficking, drug manufacturing, and then also assisting agencies in responding to overdose-related deaths," says Crawford.
A multi-jurisdictional, collaborative team contributes by sharing resources and information, but Crawford says the amount of drugs coming into Montana is alarming.
"The amounts are alarming... of drugs that are encountered, as well as the overdoses. You know, one overdose is one too many."
But policing illegal drugs flowing into and through Montana poses challenges.
"It’s a large state. It’s a numbers thing. So resources, you know, we are stretched thin."
A critical component of the task force’s mission is working with local law enforcement, but as long as addiction is present within a community, traffickers will prey on those who are suffering.
"There is no question that the opioid crisis is a terrible thing, and when people are caught up in that, it is a tough thing to kick, and so we have these traffickers that are preying on people that are stuck in those throes."
