COURTESY KEITH DAVIS
Contraband seized in a recent narcotics sweep is seen.
The Lafayette County Metro Narcotics Unit made 29 arrests in a widespread narcotics sweep throughout the city of Oxford as of Tuesday, April 22 and expect to see more.
Keith Davis, captain of Lafayette County Metro Narcotics Unit, said it is their job to arrest those using and selling drugs, weapons or illegally obtained prescriptions.
“Our mission is to identify individuals who are in violation of the Mississippi Controlled Substance Act,” Davis said.
During the five warranted searches executed between April 17 and April 22, approximately 22 ounces of marijuana, seven dosage units of Xanax and over $8,000 were confiscated.
Davis said every day they are steadily building cases and there are over one hundred people involved in these operations.
“Here in Oxford we’ve got a great working relationship with each agency,” Davis said.
This relationship shows how each local entity wants to do what they can to stop people who are using and selling drugs in the city of Oxford and the county, Davis said.
Davis said whenever you look at other crimes they always seem to come back to drugs and narcotics.
“Drugs are the center of the criminal universe,” he said.
Davis emphasized that this is absolutely not an issue focused on campus and that the campus is just used as a tactic for the narcotics sweep. After sweeps, drug dealers tend to be more careful with their dealing and are not as out in the open about it.
“We pick up as many as we can at once and hopefully slow some things down for a day or two,” Davis said.
Davis said the unit tries to plan for big operations like the one they have initiated this week, but when dealing with drug dealers the process is very sporadic.
“Drug dealers don’t really work on any particular schedule,” Davis said. “We have to strike whenever we feel like it’s the best time to strike.”
It has been a couple of years since the last narcotic sweep because they have been practicing and perfecting different tactics, according to Davis.
“Individuals who are in violation of the law are steadily changing their tactics,” Davis said. “So we have to change ours also.”
Davis said seeing guns and drugs is expected on the job, but the worst thing he encounters is when children are involved.
“The most disturbing things that we find are when you see kids that are neglected or exposed to that lifestyle,” Davis said.
Being located close to the city of Memphis does not influence the traffic of drugs, according to Davis. He said that if there are individuals who want the drugs and there is a market for it, then there will be a supply.
“Drugs are in our community and in our society,” Davis said. “They are in everybody’s subdivision whether you know it or not.”
Davis said the operation is not over and the narcotics unit is looking to make more arrests within the next few weeks.
“We’ve probably got well over 50 or 60 more we’re going to get in the near future,” Davis said.
Deputy Chief James Owens of the Oxford Police Department said they work hand-in-hand with the county narcotics division. He said it is up to OPD, Lafayette Sheriff’s Department and University Police Department to put a stop to these crimes.
“We all have a viable stake in maintaining our city,” Owens said. “We are all invested.”
The narcotics department does most of the leg work when it comes to investigating those involved with narcotics, according to Owens. He also said the department holds a briefing that gives the officers the needed information to make the arrests.
Owens said he thinks the sweeps are very affective because they let drug violators know the city of Oxford, Lafayette county and UPD are not going to tolerate the selling of illegal narcotics.
“We do have an agency in place that is ready and willing to apprehend those who violate this law,” Owens said.
Owens advised people to keep a lookout for suspicious activity in their neighborhoods for example high traffic in a certain locations or unknown vehicles.
“Those are just tell-tale signs that there might be something going on at that location,” he said.
Jamarius Waller, junior biochemistry major, said he thinks these narcotics busts are great for the city of Oxford and hopes the department continues their hard work.
“It sends a message to the community of Oxford,” he said. “That the Oxford police are actually taking action against narcotics.”
It is up to the community to help them put a stop to the crime and drug use here in Oxford, Davis said.
“We can’t successfully do our job without the community’s help,” Davis said. “We’re going to continue to press the fight, we will not stop.”
