MANSFIELD — The METRICH Enforcement Unit arrested 14 people (four on drug-related felony charges) and seized five different classifications of drugs in Operation Bridge, which the agency conducted on Wednesday, April 1.
The goal was to saturate areas within Richland County with law enforcement to interdict criminal activity and enhance safety, METRICH stated in a press release.
It also aimed to focus on high-volume traffic stops in areas of reported drug activity while having resources readily available to assist if someone was suffering from substance-use disorder.
METRICH reported the seizure of 116 units of marijuana (including 24 grams of THC oil) and eight units of methamphetamine. In addition, the agency confiscated three units of cocaine, two grams of crack and one unit of fentanyl.
Among 132 traffic stops conducted a dozen warrants were served, 10 authorized searches were executed and 26 citations were issued. Four outreach referrals were made and four units of Narcan were distributed.
Among the agencies involved in Operation Bridge were the METRICH Enforcement Unit, the Mansfield Police Department, Richland County Sheriff Office, Bellville Police Department and the Ohio State Highway Patrol partnered with the Richland County Prosecutors office, Catalyst Life Services, Richland County Mental Health & Recovery and Recovery Ohio.
“The collaboration between the Richland County law enforcement agencies and the METRICH Enforcement Unit continues to have a positive impact on removing illegal drugs coming into the Richland County communities, while getting the proper help to those in need,” said METRICH Lt. Steve Blust.
Blust noted the operation was a success and thanked the area law enforcement agencies that participated and all the other collaborating agencies that assisted. Similar events were conducted throughout the various jurisdictions within the METRICH region as well.
A breakdown of the operation is detailed in the PDF below.