CHAMBERS COUNTY, Ala. — In an effort to combat the impact of drugs and take down drug organizations in the state, Alabama Gov. Kay Ivey awarded $1.3 million in grants to create a statewide drug task force called the Alabama Drug Enforcement Task Force.
The newly created task force will work alongside 25 narcotics agents from the Alabama Law Enforcement Agency forming seven regional offices made up various jurisdictions. The force is divided into seven different regions, which will work together with the goal of eradicating drugs from the state. In addition, there are more than 90 officers on the force from more than 40 different agencies.
“Working across county lines, across regional lines and even across state lines helps us insure we’re all pooling our information together and making the best case we can make on our drug violators,” Valley Police Chief Tommy Weldon said.
The $1.3 million in grants was divided equally among the seven regions, which will be used for overtime pay, travel, training and other expenses.
The seven regions of the task force are as follows:
- City of Atmore: Baldwin, Choctaw, Clarke, Conecuh, Escambia, Mobile, Monroe and Washington counties
- Butler County Commission: Barbour, Butler, Coffee, Covington, Crenshaw, Dale, Geneva, Henry, Houston and Pike counites
- Marengo County Commission: Bibb, Dallas, Greene, Hale, Marengo, Perry, Pickens, Sumter, Tuscaloosa and Wilcox counties
- Chambers County Commission: Autauga, Bullock, Chambers, Chilton, Coosa, Elmore, Lee, Lowndes, Macon, Montgomery, Russell and Tallapoosa counties.
- Winston County Commission: Colbert, Fayette, Franklin, Lamar, Lauderdale, Lawrence, Marion, Walker and Winston counties
- City of Cullman: Blount, Cherokee, Cullman, Dekalb, Etowah, Jackson, Limestone, Madison, Marshall and Morgan counties
- Randolph County Commission: Calhoun, Clay, Cleburne, Jefferson, Randolph, Shelby, St. Clair and Talladega counties
