JOHNSON COUNTY — A drug sweep in Johnson County targeted 32 people Wednesday morning, leading to more than two dozen arrests.
Agencies across the county and in Marion County helped arrest 26 of those suspects.
Fentanyl, meth and cocaine are just some of the drugs seized in the multi-agency raid. Johnson County officials are sending a clear message that they will not tolerate dealers.
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"What we're dealing with in Johnson County is street-level dealers," said Megan Smither, Johnson County Deputy Prosecutor.
A lineup of 32 women and men in total was plastered on the wall, showcasing the suspects arrested during the Johnson County Sheriff's Office multi-agency raid.
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The suspects aren't considered drug lords, but Deputy Prosecutor Megan Smither said the arrests make the community safer.
"A lot of times it's smaller amounts. A couple of grams here and a couple of grams there, but those are the people that are affecting our community the most because those are the ones that are dealing to the people in our community and dealing to one-on-one," she said.
"Until you show up at a house and find a dead child. these low-level dealers are getting drugs from somewhere," said Franklin Police Chief Kirby Cochran Sr.
Sheriff Duane Burgess said drugs are a main reason behind his jail population, including repeat offenders.
"Fentanyl, coke, methamphetamine. They're big. They're making a comeback, a big comeback on cocaine. Fentanyl's been around for just a little bit, but it's also taking lives. Those are the drugs that we're seeing a lot of in Johnson County," he said.
A fentanyl arrest was made around the corner from Daniel Bluck's home.
"Literally right across the street from me," said Bluck.
He credits law enforcement for getting drugs off the streets.
"It's crazy how fentanyl is just flooding into the community right now. It seems like it's such a growing issue, and it is really important because of all the children, all the kids, you're hearing more and more about it. Younger people getting involved," said Bluck.
"We had two additional search warrants that were obtained today. One in Trafalgar. They found meth and a gun. In Whiteland, fentanyl and cocaine. We have a rise in cocaine. We see methamphetamines here in Johnson County, of course, marijuana, and those are poisons that we're seeing a lot of fentanyl. We've assisted DEA and other agencies in the past in Marion County with our SWAT team. Fentanyl is huge. The amount that we see when we do these search warrants is incredible," said Sheriff Burgess.
The prosecutor's office said the recently strengthened law could allow harsher penalties.
"The level is determined based on how much they're actually selling. So, it can be anywhere from one year up to 30 years. Generally, people who have prior convictions you're going to be getting a bump of approximately five years extra for the prior conviction," said Smither.
The sheriff's office points out that more than 40% of the suspects from the raid are from neighboring Marion County.
"People coming into Johnson County from outside of Johnson County is, they're going to go to the Department of Corrections," said Smither.
The Johnson County Sheriff said information that led to Wednesday's arrest came from tip lines, anonymous information, narcotics teams and intelligence units.
"It's a lot of work. We may have somebody that's given us information. We may have gotten information off of the tip line or somebody else that has come forward to give us that information, that our narcotics people, our intelligence unit, starts working on that, and we're able to set up maybe meet and greets. We usually do three or four drug transactions, and we just put good cases together," said Sheriff Burgess.
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Rachael Wilkerson is the In Your Community reporter for South Side Indy/Johnson County. She joined WRTV in September of 2021. She is an Emmy award-winning reporter and 10-time Emmy nominee. In 2024, she was nominated by the National Academy of Television Arts & Science Great Lakes Chapter for her Daily News reporting. Rachael believes everyone has a story to tell and she’s here to make a difference in her communities. Share your story ideas and important issues with Rachael by emailing her at rachael.wilkerson@wrtv.com.
