Operation Blue Heat results in 68 arrests on 171 criminal charges

NORTH-CENTRAL INDIANA -- Nine police departments across north-central Indiana teamed up to stem the flow of illegal narcotics into Hoosier communities.

Officers from the Indiana State Police, the Miami County Sheriff’s Department, the Fulton County Sheriff’s Department, the Cass County Sheriff’s Department, the Tipton County Sheriff’s Department, the Kokomo Police Department, the Logansport Police Department, the North Manchester Police Department, and the Thorntown Police Department utilized both marked and unmarked police cars to conduct saturation patrols on U.S. 31 in Miami, Howard, Tipton, and Fulton counties.

Operation Blue Heat’s goal was to enforce traffic laws and catch individuals transporting and distributing illegal narcotics on Indiana roadways.

During the unannounced three-day patrol that lasted between June 21 through June 23, officers made 68 criminal arrests on 171 charges, most of them drug-related.

In addition, officers also issued 86 traffic citations and 297 written warnings.

Officers allegedly located cocaine, LSD, methamphetamine, heroin, marijuana, psilocybin mushrooms, marijuana edibles, MDMA, THC oil, ketamine, and prescription drugs, as well as drug paraphernalia over the three days.

“Summer is a peak travel time with an increased volume of motorists on Indiana roads,” said Indiana State Police Sergeant Andrew Smith, who organized and oversaw the operation.  “The patrol should serve as a warning that police officers will utilize all of the resources at their disposal to catch and arrest the few who transport illegal drugs.”

Citizens are encouraged to call their local law enforcement agencies with information about the possession, distribution, or selling of illegal narcotics.

Information can also be reported anonymously by calling the Indiana State Police Drug and Gang Hotline at 1-800-453-4756.