While both law enforcement and elected officials say they cannot merely arrest their way out of the problem, they say the opioid epidemic sweeping across the community is largely caused by drug dealers profiting on the suffering of others. The Ottawa County Drug Task Force is dedicated to doing as much as possible to curb […]

A man awaiting sentencing on prior drug charges and alleged by police to have caused a recent drug overdose was arrested Wednesday by authorities in a drug raid at 802 E. Third St. Bryant Boyd, 39, is charged with two counts of drug trafficking, according to Ottawa County Task Force commander Carl Rider, after his […]

A rare, powerful form of a dangerous and poisonous drug was recently found in the blood of a fatal overdose victim. A compound, called 3-Methylfentanyl, appeared on the Oak Harbor victim’s toxicology report, said Carl Rider, an agent with the Ottawa County Drug Task Force. The compound is 10 to 15 times more powerful than ordinary […]

Heroin kills.  It might as well be the slogan for Ottawa County’s drug problem these last few years. “It’s everywhere now,” said Carl Rider, an agent with the Ottawa County Drug Task Force. “This isn’t an inner-city issue anymore.” The county’s drug task force has dealt with a consistent and disturbing amount of heroin since 2011. […]

Nine people were indicted by an Ottawa County grand jury on  drug-related charges, including possession, trafficking and cultivation. According to Ottawa County Prosecutor Mark Mulligan, the cases are the culmination of a five-month undercover investigation by the Ottawa County Drug Task Force earlier this year. “While drug-related crimes remain prevalent throughout the nation, Ottawa County […]