A first-of-its-kind partnership in Nebraska has been formed to help combat the state’s number one drug threat, methamphetamine. “Statistics in 2018 and 2019 showed an almost 60 percent increase in the number of overdose deaths from methamphetamine in the state of Nebraska,” says Gene Kowel, FBI Special Agent in Charge in Nebraska.
In response to the increasing amount of methamphetamine seen threatening Nebraskans, federal, state and local law enforcement agencies in Nebraska have teamed up to give every law enforcement agency in the state the ability to tap in to both state and federal resources to better investigate and better prosecute meth traffickers and follow the source of the drugs.
The amount of methamphetamine seized in Nebraska has surged 293 percent in the last five years with law enforcement agencies combining for approximately 768 pounds in 2021.
“While fentanyl and opioids dominate the headlines, it’s important that we don’t lose sight of the threat of methamphetamine,” DEA Omaha Division Special Agent in Charge Justin C. King says. “This highly addictive substance is destroying families in Nebraska and crossing our state borders in alarming amounts. We want people to be aware that methamphetamine is a dangerous drug with life altering consequences.”
For more information on the coalition and the threat of methamphetamine in our Nebraska communities click here .