Houlton Rotarians learn of MDEA’s impact in The County

    Darrell Crandall was the guest speaker at Houlton Rotary’s meeting on Aug. 20. Crandall is with the Maine Drug Enforcement Agency and discussed the history of how and why this agency was developed.
    The Bureau of Intergovernmental Drug Enforcement Act of 1987 and Maine Drug Enforcement Act of 1992 is what got the ball rolling for a collaborative effort among many local and state law enforcement agency’s to establish the Maine Drug Enforcement Agency, Crandall said. This was designed to address the manufacturing, sale and possession of controlled substances.
    It is the hope that when we all work together we can and will attain the desired results. With the MDEA, as a cornerstone of the State’s enforcement strategy to address drug abuse and trafficking, provides the administrative platform for the effective and efficient use of limited resources.
    It is through the MDEA that the skills, expertise, and experience of officers assigned to its task force groups are brought together as a statewide drug task force, according to MDEA’s website.
    There are over 50 agencies working together to reduce the issues facing all Maine communities. Some of the agencies pay their staff directly and some of it comes from the money that is seized during arrest. In Aroostook County we face the problem of Methamphetamines and Prescription drugs as 90-98 percent of the concerns and investigations.
    For more information you can visit the website: www. maine.gov/dps/mdea, you can also go to their Facebook page. To report suspicious activity you can call 1-800-452-6457, or visit the website and click on report activity to complete the form.