Senator McConnell Announces Nelson County’s Inclusion into National Anti-Drug Program
McConnell: ‘Tragically, this iconic county, world famous for the song ‘My Old Kentucky Home,’ has become a haven for drug trafficking… The threat continues to be high.’
October 10, 2014
BARDSTOWN, KY – During an event in Bardstown, Kentucky, U.S. Senate Republican Leader Mitch McConnell announced that Nelson County is now included in the Appalachia High Intensity Drug Trafficking Area (HIDTA) program. A HIDTA designation provides agencies with coordination, equipment, technology, and additional resources to combat drug production and trafficking. Earlier this year, Senator McConnell spoke directly with the Acting Drug Czar Michael Botticelli to advocate on behalf of Nelson County’s HIDTA designation.
At the event, Senator McConnell said he believes Nelson County’s HIDTA designation “will be a significant moment in this community’s ongoing fight against those who seek to benefit from the misery wrought by illegal drug use. I want to thank HIDTA Executive Director Frank Rapier for his leadership. I also want to thank our hosts, Chief Rick McCubbin and Sheriff Stephen Campbell. We are glad today to announce that Nelson County has been included in the Appalachia High Intensity Drug Trafficking Area, or ‘HIDTA’ program.”
Photo Courtesy of Fallon Glick of WDRB-TV
Senator McConnell’s prepared remarks are below:
“I’m pleased to be in Bardstown today to mark what I hope and believe will be a significant moment in this community’s ongoing fight against those who seek to benefit from the misery wrought by illegal drug use. I want to thank HIDTA Executive Director Frank Rapier for his leadership. I also want to thank our hosts, Chief Rick McCubbin and Sheriff Stephen Campbell.
“We are glad today to announce that Nelson County has been included in the Appalachia High Intensity Drug Trafficking Area, or “HIDTA” program.
“Far from just another federal government acronym, the HIDTA model is one that works. It couples federal law-enforcement personnel with state and local task forces, and supplies needed training and technology to this fight. That is why when Kentucky cops and prosecutors sought my assistance in getting Nelson County included in the HIDTA program, I was all in.
“As each officer in this room can unfortunately attest, Nelson County has seen a significant increase in drug-related crime over the last few years. As is the case in other Appalachia HIDTA counties, methamphetamines, prescription drug abuse, and heroin pose a significant threat to Kentucky law enforcement and those they are sworn to protect.
“Nelson County is contiguous to Hardin County, which I was proud to see included into the HIDTA Program in 2012, and is only a few miles from the Commonwealth’s largest municipality, Jefferson County, which is also part of HIDTA. The Bluegrass Parkway which runs through Nelson County connects with I-65 and leads to Lexington where I-75 and I-64 are accessible. These are main travel routes for drugs coming into and out of this community.
“Tragically, this iconic county, world famous for the song “My Old Kentucky Home,” has become a haven for drug trafficking. The county saw a dramatic rise in methamphetamine production from just three clandestine laboratories dismantled in 2011 to 29 in 2012. The threat continues to be high.
“That threat is exemplified by the tragic May 2013 assassination of Bardstown Police Officer Jason Ellis. Officer Ellis was killed when he was en route home from his shift, in uniform and driving a marked vehicle. It is believed he was ambushed by someone who deliberately placed debris in the roadway, causing Officer Ellis to stop and exit his vehicle.
“As Officer Ellis removed the debris, the killer or killers opened fire from a nearby hilltop, shooting him multiple times and killing him instantly. The crime remains unsolved, but case investigators believe his assassination was retaliation from drug traffickers against him or the police department as a whole. Officer Ellis was one of the department’s top officers when it came to drug arrests.
“I know that Kentucky law enforcement will not rest until this murder of their brother officer is brought to justice.
“At the same time that drugs are ravaging this region, we face an unprecedented debt and spending challenge in Washington. Across the full spectrum of government, we must be prepared to do more with less. That is why I have invested so much time working with the nation’s drug czar, Michael Botticelli, just as I did with his predecessor.
“A few years ago, the former Drug Czar accepted my invitation to visit Kentucky and see firsthand the scope of our problem, and to explore how best to leverage every federal dollar we spend to maximize our impact. This effort is what eventually led to Hardin County being included in the HIDTA program, and now Nelson, and Madison far to our east.
“Drugs are no respecter of borders or county lines. Given the force multiplier effect that inclusion in HIDTA will bring to Kentucky law enforcement and those they serve and protect, my hope is the decision we’re celebrating today will have positive ripple effects not only throughout the county but across the Commonwealth.
“Out of respect for Officer Ellis’s legacy and to protect families across this county, we must do all we can to combat the scourge of illicit drug use. The lives of our fellow Kentuckians and the future of our neighborhoods and communities are at stake.
“Today with the inclusion of Nelson County in the Appalachia HIDTA program, I believe we are making a positive difference. Thank you.”