KANSAS CITY, Mo. — A new task force formed in Kansas with state and federal investigators is designed to combat the distribution and use of the often deadly synthetic drug fentanyl.
Among the Joint Fentanyl Impact Team task force members will be Kansas Bureau of Investigation special agents, Kansas Highway Patrol troopers, and Homeland Security investigators, according to a news release from the Kansas Bureau of Investigation.
Those investigators will be embedded with law officers from federal, state and local agencies across the state.
"The objective of JFIT is to identify and disrupt fentanyl trafficking and distribution networks, and remove this deadly drug from Kansas streets," the news release states.
The task force also will use the resources of the Kansas Bureau of Investigations' new K-9 unit.
These are the first fentanyl-detecting K-9 officers in Kansas, according to the news release.
"When I campaigned for attorney general, I promised to utilize our resources to fight against fentanyl," Kansas Attorney General Kris Kobach said in a statement. "This task force and these dogs will be powerful weapons in our arsenal."
It's important officers from a variety of law enforcement agencies work together to stop the distribution, sale and use of fentanyl.
“Drug trafficking investigations are especially successful when we collaborate with our state and local law enforcement partners,” said Taekuk Cho, Acting Special Agent in Charge of HSI Kansas City. “This cooperative approach by the Joint Fentanyl Impact Team ensures that the best resources are being used to put an end to drug trafficking operations in our community.”
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