Northern Kentucky counties get boost to combat illegal drugs

LOUISVILLE, Ky. (AP) – The Office of National Drug Control Policy is giving three northern Kentucky counties a boost in fighting illegal drugs.

The agency announced Thursday that Boone, Campbell and Kenton counties are receiving a designation that makes them eligible for increased federal funding to assist law enforcement in combating illicit drugs. The counties are being added to the Ohio High Intensity Drug Trafficking Area.

Chris Conners, director of the Northern Kentucky Drug Strike Force, says the designation will help bolster training, improve investigative efforts and provide badly needed resources to confront the problem.

Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell pushed for the designation and calls it a “substantial step” to combat drug trafficking.

Northern Kentucky health officials say a drug overdose death, on average, occurred every 40 hours in the region in 2015.

Copyright 2016 The Associated Press.