More than 10 agencies have teamed up to fight narcotics in Fulton and Miami counties and the task force has already started netting arrests.
The Indiana State Police Peru Post announced the formation of the Combined Law Enforcement Against Narcotics, or CLEAN Team in a recent press release. The task force will combine narcotics enforcement resources with an emphasis on methamphetamine-related crimes, the release states.
Indiana had a total 1,808 meth labs recovered in 2013 and 1,488 labs recovered in 2014. Those totals led the U.S. for both years. During that same time frame, 337 labs were recovered in the seven counties covered by the Indiana State Police Peru District.
In 2013, 49 meth labs were found in Miami County. In 2014, 40 labs were recovered. This ranked the county eighth in 2013 and ninth in 2014 for meth labs recovered in Indiana. As of March, Miami County is tied for fifth in Indiana with 14 labs recovered.
Fulton County had 32 labs recovered in 2013 and another 27 recovered in 2014. As of March, Fulton County had six labs recovered.
The task force members are from the Indiana State Police, Indiana State Excise Police, Indiana Department of Correction Parole Division, Fulton County Sheriff’s Department, Miami County Sheriff’s Department, Peru Police Department, Rochester Police Department, Fulton County Prosecutor’s Office, Miami County Prosecutor's Office, Miami County Probation Office and Fulton County Probation Office. The Indiana Department of Natural Resources is not part of the task force, but they contribute material resources to the effort.
A criminal investigation led by the CLEAN Team resulted in the arrests of two Peru residents on 10 felony counts Monday, May 4.
Law enforcement officers encourage anyone with information about the possession, distribution or manufacturing of narcotics to call the Indiana State Police Drug Tip Line at 1-800-453-4756. Information can be reported anonymously.