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Police Arrest 32 in Drug Bust
His department, he added, was aided by the U.S. Coast Guard, Federal Bureau of Investigation, and state and county police agencies. Warrants were served before the summer tourist season ended, while most of the suspects were still on the Island. Marijuana and cocaine were the more frequent drugs police found in the investigation, said Island Police Lieutenant Pete Komblevitz. The Mackinac Island Police Department arrested 21 of the 32 individuals, Chief Lenaghan said, and one suspect remains at large because she left the state before her warrant was served. Arrests were made from the beginning of August through early October. Not all of those arrested have been arraigned, and not all were arrested in Mackinac County, and some were arrested on outstanding warrants not related to drugs from other jurisdictions. The Island's drug network, charted on diagrams by Chief Lenaghan, included several small rings formed by employees of restaurants and hotels, some of whom had connections to other small drug rings on the Island. He initiated the drug investigation shortly after being appointed police chief on Mackinac Island three years ago. "To the outside observer, the number seems to be quite high," said Chief Lenaghan of the 32 warrants, "but compare that with the population ratio of the Island, considering the number of tourists we get during the summer, it's not that bad." Foreign workers identified will be barred from returning to work on the Island by federal immigration officials, Chief Lenaghan said, and American offenders could also be prohibited from future employment on the Island as part of their punishment, depending upon a judge's ruling, the chief said. Some of those arrested are being asked to assist in the ongoing investigation, Chief Lenaghan said. Building evidence, Chief Lenaghan said, depended on keeping the investigation quiet until the warrants were served. "We had someone monitoring from the inside for the past six months, which allowed us to build a solid case against these people," he said, pointing to a milk crate full of evidence and background records of each individual in the investigation. "If people think we're just letting it happen, well, they're wrong." As for drug use on the Island, "it's not going to stop," Chief Lenaghan said, "but neither are we." The police department will conduct background checks on people applying for jobs on the Island at the request of local businesses, he said, and while the police cannot request state background checks without a specific reason, Chief Lenaghan said the police department works with private companies that can gather public records on individuals. Chief Lenaghan is asking residents to help police gather information, but some residents expect a quick bust. Collecting evidence, not just information, is a more tedious and time-consuming process, he said. "I came from a city of 90,000 people where I had lots of help and cooperation," said Chief Lenaghan. "On the Island, we need to stress that [drug-related] information is just information, but the more we get and the sooner we get it, the quicker we can do something about it." Through his community policing philosophy, Chief Lenaghan hopes to establish a healthy relationship between his officers and the community. "Community policing is finding ways through the community to make it the best, safest community possible," he continued. "Some of the information comes from concerned residents who want drug use stopped. They want to live here with their family in peace. The help of residents can help us clean up." The Island Police Department will be working with other law enforcement agencies to form a drug fighting task force next year, said Mr. Lenaghan, to monitor drug trafficking on the Island and identify dealers. |
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