Nearly 30 arrested in drug sting operation

Nearly 30 people have been arrested within the state of Nebraska in a drug related sting investigation since last Monday, Jan. 22. These arrests were made from the city of Lincoln all the way to the western part of Nebraska. According to FBI Omaha Special Agent Eugene Kowel, arrest teams apprehended subjects from the cities of Kearney, Ogallala, North Platte, McCook, Sutherland, as well as several other communities across the state.

Nineteen of the individuals that were arrested now face federal charges of possession, distribution and conspiracy to distribute methamphetamine, as well as weapons violations. Kowel said 10 individuals will face state charges. In total, 55 individuals were arrested over the past two years during the course of this investigation.

According to Kowel, these arrests were thanks to two-year investigation by FBI Omaha, North Platte agencies and a specialized task force. The task force included Nebraska State Patrol, Homeland Security Investigation (HSI), North Platte Police Department, Lexington Police Department and several other part-time agencies which contributed to the effort.

During a press conference, Kowel stated that “thanks to the efforts of our state and local partners, we are here today. Participating in the enforcement activity today were more than 150 law enforcement personnel from over 20 law enforcement agencies in Nebraska. They included police officers, sheriff's deputies, state troopers and federal agents. During the investigation, we collected illegal firearms and drugs, got over 34 federal indictments and made 55 arrests.” More information about the press conference can be found on 10/11 News.

On Tuesday afternoon, the names of the arrested individuals were released by Acting United States Attorney, Susan T. Lehr. Only two individuals arrested on Monday were from Lincoln, with the one-third of individuals facing charges being from North Platte. Most of the arrested individuals face penalties of up to 10 years in prison, depending on their specific charges. Fines were also placed on each individual that were involved in drug trafficking activities. The fines range from $250,000 up to as much as $10 million. It is encouraged to report tips on drug trafficking by contacting the FBI at tips.fbi.gov, calling 402-492-8688 or the Nebraska Crime Stoppers tip line at 1-800-422-1494.

By Robert Tengker