Beshear: Kentucky Counterdrug Program seizes thousands of pills, hundreds of pounds of fentanyl

FRANKFORT, Ky. (WTVQ) — Gov. Andy Beshear on Thursday praised representatives of the state’s Counterdrug Program for helping support the seizure of 142 pounds of fentanyl over a seven-month period.

From Oct. 1, 2022, to May 1, 2023, the program also helped law enforcement seize nearly 90,000 fentanyl pills, 432 pounds of methamphetamine, 179 pounds of cocaine and 5.8 pounds of heroin, according to Beshear.

In April, the program helped dispose of 14,500 pounds of unneeded medication as part of the statewide Drug Takeback Day.

Because of this, Beshear signed the fiscal year 2024 State Drug Interdiction and Counterdrug Activities Plan. This plan provides support to multiple state, local and federal agencies in the plan’s team, including Kentucky State Police, Kentucky National Guard, Appalachian High Intensity Drug Trafficking Area, Homeland Security Investigations and the Drug Enforcement Agency. It’s federally funded through the Secretary of Defense to states whose governors submit a Drug Interdiction and Counterdrug Activities Plan, he said.

“This team is out there on the front lines in our communities, taking drugs off the streets and saving lives. I am proud to support them each and every day for their lifesaving work,” Beshear said. “I also commend our Kentucky State Police officers who work with multiple agencies to remove dangerous drugs from our communities. One of those is the Kentucky National Guard, which is instrumental in supporting the counterdrug program here in Kentucky as well as supporting local law enforcement on our Southwest Border.”