The Mountain Region Drug Task Force makes 42 arrests in one day

ELKINS, W.Va (WDTV) - For years the Mountain Region Drug Task Force has been working to take down drug trafficking and violent crime in their area.

The force received help from the ATF, the West Virginia State Police, the FBI, and the DEA. The task force seized 35 firearms and an undisclosed amount of money and drugs on November 9.

5 news attended a briefing regarding the 42 arrests.

The two agencies at the heart of this operation were the Randolph and Barbour County Sheriff’s Departments.

“We just have a problem here with methamphetamines. We’re getting sick of it. We will continue to stomp it out,” Barbour County Sheriff Brett Carpenter said.

He explained that meth and fentanyl had been at the center of their drug epidemic.

ATF’s local resident Agent Kenneth Grace shared the volume of contraband taken in did not directly correlate with the number of people affected by drug-related and violent crimes.

While there were dozens of arrests, Randolph County Sheriff Robert Elbon said they weren’t finished yet.

“We still have teams out working right now. We’re still working actively on looking for some folks. So we’re not done yet, but we are getting close,” he said.

5 news will keep you updated as we receive more information regarding this investigation.

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