The Vermont Drug Task Force is getting six new positions with help from a $1.4 million federal grant.
The Vermont Drug Task Force is an interagency partnership made up of state troopers, local, county and federal law enforcement officers whose primary mission is to investigate individuals trafficking illegal drugs. The federal grant adds five new detectives and an analyst to strengthen heroin trafficking investigations across Vermont.
U.S. Senator Patrick Leahy, who secured the grant, says the need to get the funds to Vermont Drug Task Force cannot be overstated. “The increase in heroin investigations so far this year up 70 percent from last year and it’s not a situation you can just arrest yourself out of.”
Vermont was one of only 6 states to receive the grants from the Department of Justice's Anti-Heroin Task Force.
The Associated Press contributed to this report. Copyright 2016. All rights reserved.