Sheriff’s Office Looks Back At Drug Battle In 2014

Muskingum County Sheriff Matt Lutz sat down with us Tuesday and gave us an in depth look at the 2014 drug problems in the area.

According to Lutz, drugs is always the number one focus when it comes to cracking down on crime. There are many drugs out on the streets. We asked Lutz what we deal with here specifically who gave us an overview of what we see here in the county.

"It’s kind of hard to pinpoint one exact drug as a major biggest drug. In our community from what we’re seeing, obvious cocaine and crack cocaine have been around for quite some time. We still deal with that as far as the enforcement part of it. Marijuana, as I think you guys reported, we’ve seen a recent bust where we had the State Patrol that got a suitcase full of marijuana traveling through our town. That’s happening all the time."

Prescription pills, meth and heroine are the three drugs that are currently on the rise and have surfaced over the last several years. Lutz says they are going to continue working hard in 2015 to keep the problem at bay.

"Just continue to do what we’re doing, trying to do. You know we’re still partnering with the Zanesville Police Department. We still have a combined drug unit, which we feel is doing very well with that. The Zanesville Police Department initiated a project where they’re putting a cruiser out, handling some of the more street level type of drug complaints and we’re looking at maybe trying to do some of that as well in the county and also working with them."

Lutz says that he wants to assure the public that all of the information received on drug related issues goes straight into the databases. Lutz also encourages the public to help in the fight and keep sending tips into the Zanesville Crime Stoppers.