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CHARLESTON -- As Gov. Jim Justice hits the road again on behalf of former Republican President Donald Trump, the GOP candidate for U.S. Senate criticized Trump's Democratic opponent, Vice President Kamala Harris, over current administration border policies and wondered how the election could be so close.
Speaking during his weekly administration briefing from the State Capitol Building, Justice and officials with the state Department of Homeland Security announced the launch of Operation October Sky, a drug interdiction operation between 27 different agencies, including state Homeland Security officials, the West Virginia State Police, and local law enforcement.
"I am proud to announce the success of this operation," Justice said. "We all know of the terrible consequences we've all suffered (from the drug crisis), and many in a significantly worse way...But we can't just focus on treatment. We surely need treatment without any question, but we need to do something too about drugs that are flowing across our state borders into West Virginia."
According to Justice, law enforcement officers seized 22 pounds of methamphetamine, half a pound of fentanyl along with fentanyl pills, heroin, cocaine, and other illicit drugs. There were 70 felony arrests and 176 misdemeanor arrests. More than 30 firearms were seized, including 15 handguns and 14 rifles. More than $31,000 in drug money was seized.
Rob Cunningham, the acting cabinet secretary for the Department of Homeland Security, said this was the second operation initiated by the department since last year, calling the operation "overwhelmingly successful." Other partners in the operation included the West Virginia National Guard and the West Virginia Fusion Center.
"With everyone working together, we were really able to put a dent in this fight against illegal drugs," Cunningham said. "This was a very sizable seizure of 20-plus pounds of methamphetamine in this initiative. I want to thank all of the police officers and the leadership that had them participate. You really made a difference in what we are able to do to protect the people of West Virginia."
"We put the information out, and the overwhelming response from our state's law enforcement was an immediate answer to the call to participate in this," said Jack Luikart, director of the West Virginia Fusion Center, which works to identify possible criminal activities and provide intelligence to state and local law enforcement. "Seizures of the drugs were up significantly from years prior...West Virginia is not a source state, so that fentanyl was transported here at one time. These efforts on a day-to-day basis do make a difference."
Justice placed the blame on the continued trafficking of fentanyl into the state on lax enforcement of immigration along the U.S. southern border with Mexico, with fentanyl components coming from China and into Mexico through cartels. Justice placed the blame on President Joe Biden and Harris, whom Biden had put in charge of southern border security strategy in 2021.