GREEN BAY, WI (WTAQ) - The Brown County Drug Task Force is releasing more information about a major drug trafficking investigation that culminated with 36 arrests back in July.
In a statement put out by the Brown County Sheriff's Department, more information can now be discussed after a judge approved the release of information earlier this month.
According to a news release:
"The Brown County Drug Task Force and DEA worked with the Brown County District Attorney’s Office and Wisconsin HIDTA’s Investigative Support Center to target a heroin trafficking organization supplying heroin in Brown County. The heroin was being brought into the Brown County area from Illinois. The investigative objective was to identify, and arrest, all of the members in multiple tiers of the organization to prevent the organization from resuming operations once key members had been arrested. To accomplish this, investigators petitioned to intercept the phone communications of a target phone, a practice commonly known as a “wiretap”. The petition was granted and an order for intercept was issued. The investigation was aided by officers from the Green Bay Police Department and deputies from the Brown County Sheriff’s Office which provided additional manpower needed to conduct the investigation."
The intercept along with extensive surveillance was used to fully identify the organization, customers and places of distribution.
Following the arrests, the Brown County Drug Task Force received numerous requests from the media for information regarding the investigation. With the lifting of the broader seal, the Brown County Drug Task Force is now able to answer questions concerning the investigation. In accordance with WI law, the content of any intercepted communications remains under seal and therefore the specifics of those conversations will not be discussed.
During the investigation, officers purchased or seized 123.46 grams of heroin. Officers also seized 70 dosage units of various prescription drugs, 17.48 grams of marijuana, 23.51 grams of hash oil, 1 firearm and $2,573. Of the arrests made, 32 were arrested for charges which include heroin distribution or solicitation to distribute heroin. The other four were arrested for possession of prescription drugs without a valid prescription and/or possession of THC.