The opioid epidemic is impacting Marylanders across the state -- and now two counties are teaming up to stop it.
Captain Lee Dunbar heads up the Harford County Narcotics Task Force. After following data from Harford County drug arrests, they realized many of the drug dealers were based in Baltimore City and Baltimore County.
So that's why they decided to combine forces with the Baltimore County drug task force.
Just like many other jurisdictions, Harford County has seen a rise in their heroin problem as well.
"This time last year 2016 first quarter versus this year's first quarter, we are well over 200 percent increase in our fatality investigations," said Captain Lee Dunbar of the Harford County Narcotics Task Force.
Through this joint county task force, they were able to connect two of those deaths to two drug dealers. Police say Lamar Kaintuck and Ivan Brown were responsible for dealing almost 8 and a half pounds of heroin in Harford and Baltimore Counties.
"Through surveillance we were able to indict and identify several high level players in this organization," Capt. Dunbar said.
Some of them are Antonio Washington, Alexander Camble and Momodu Gondo also know as GMoney.
"You may recognize that name, he was one of the 7 Baltimore City officers that was indicted in subsequent federal investigation into corruption charges," Capt. Dunbar said.
Gondo is still in jail facing those corruption charges along with a conspiracy charge of distributing more than 100 grams of heroin.
"We want to be able to target all the way up the chain, not only from our street level dealers also from our wholesalers and those large drug trafficking organizations and those individuals that are funneling and laundering money," Capt. Dunbar said. "This heroin epidemic has put a huge strain on law enforcement across the country and even here."
