Dispatch/Argus follows up on I-80 drug busts post

This is certainly not the first time a story or issue appearing here first ended up appearing in the local press, but The Dispatch/Argus Sunday edition has a headline article reporting on a subject which The Inside Dope featured in a post back on January 27th.

In my post, I mentioned that it seems that there's an awfully large number of drug busts, usually for very large quantities, along I-80, in particular in Henry County. I was very curious as to just how many busts were made and what was seized. I tried to find out these stats on State Police resources but couldn't find anything specific to Henry County.

Now the D/A has done the digging and provides figures and stats and other info for busts along I-80 in the area.

Since 2004, local state and federal courts have been inundated with cases stemming from I-80 drug stops. The combined weight of the drugs seized exceeds two tons of marijuana and half a ton of cocaine, according to newspaper records.

The 18 I-80-related cases prosecuted in U.S. District Court for Rock Island since 2004 involve 26 suspects, more than 927 pounds of cocaine, 16.5 pounds of methamphetamine, 26 pounds of heroin and 1,548 pounds of marijuana. All of those cases were handled by the Illinois State Police.