187 Arrested; Guns, Drugs, Cash Confiscated In 'Operation Smackdown'

ROSEVILLE (WWJ) - Officers from 22 local, state and federal law enforcement agencies banded together to make dozens of arrests in a sweep police are calling "Operation Smackdown 4."

A total of 187 people are in custody, according to police, following a series of drug raids — mostly in Macomb County — over the last three days.

Roseville Police Chief James Berlin says it's part of an effort to combat the opioid and heroin epidemic in metro Detroit, disrupting the sale, transport and use of the dangerous drugs.

Combined with the judicious use drug courts and the "Hope Not Handcuffs" initiative, police aim to make inroads in shutting down some avenues of supply, while helping those addicts who are open to it.

"Every person brought into lockup was able to meet with a rehab angel for an opportunity to talk about rehabilitation purposes to try to get them off drugs," Berlin told WWJ's Zahra Huber. "We're hoping at least some of the folks that were taken into custody will take advantage of that."

Over the last few years, authorities say, U.S. doctors wrote 985 billion opioid prescriptions. Judge Linda Davis, the president and founder of Families Against Narcotics, says the doctor's office is often where the problem starts.

"Until we get prescribing habits curbed, and doctors are writing what is recommended by the CDC, then we are going to contine to see surges in heroin use especially," Davis said. "And we'll see that even more as those pills are no longer on the market because people will turn to that; they're addicts."

During "Operation Smackdown," police took various amount of heroin, cocaine, crack cocaine and marijuana and thousands of opioid pills off the streets. Multiple firearms and an undisclosed amount of cash was also confiscated.

The following agencies participated: Bureau of Alcohol Tobacco and Firearms ATF), Centerline Department of Public Safety, Chesterfield Township Police Department, Clinton Township Police Department, County of Macomb Enforcement Team (COMET), U.S. Customs and Border Protection, Detroit Police Department, U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration Detroit Field Office, Eastpointe Police Department, FBI Macomb County Violent Crime Task Force, Fraser Department of Public Safety, Department of Homeland Security Investigations Division, Macomb County Prosecutors Office, Macomb County Sheriff's Office, Michigan State Police. Roseville Police Department, Romeo Police Repartment, Shelby Township Police Department, Sterling Heights Police Department, St. Clair Shores Police Department and Warren Police Department

The names of those arrested and specifics on pending charges were not immediately released.