&8220;…no drug dealer in Shelby County is safe from prosecution.&8221;

&8212; Shelby County Sheriff Chris Curry

Who says government isn&8217;t responsive?

After receiving a number of complaints from local residents that illegal drug activities were being carried out in their neighborhood, the Shelby County Sheriff&8217;s office and the Shelby County Drug Task Force, with help from Alabaster Police Department, the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration and the Alabama Bureau of Investigation put a plan into action to address those concerns.

The Shelby County Drug Enforcement Task Force is a county-wide group whose mission is to reduce the availability of illegal and illicit drugs in Shelby County; the task force is lead by Captain Ken Burchfield, Narcotics Division Commander.

The plan included street level investigations of the possible illegal activity and exhaustive efforts throughout local law enforcement.

A separate investigation by investigators with the Shelby County Drug Enforcement Task Force and agents from the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration in northern Shelby County concluded two week ago.

The result of these two investigations: search warrants have been executed, seven suspected drug dealers have been arrested and sit in the Shelby County Jail with seven additional arrest warrants outstanding, money and vehicles have been confiscated, two minor children have been taken into protective custody and cocaine with a street value of an estimated $500,000 has been taken off the streets of Shelby County.

Sheriff Curry&8217;s comment that &8220;…no drug dealer in Shelby County is safe from prosecution&8221; sounds pretty clear to me. And the actions of the Shelby County Drug Enforcement Task Force and other local law enforcement agencies also speak volumes. It says that drug enforcement is considered a very serious matter by local law enforcement.

It says that drug dealers will be ferreted out in Shelby County. And, unfortunately, it says that even in a county like this one, illegal drugs are an issue that must be addressed.

Living in Alabama&8217;s most affluent county does not protect one from illegal drug activity but, thankfully, we have local law enforcement that is committed to doing so.