LATEST DRUG ROUNDUP TARGETS 56 PEOPLE IN WISE COUNTY

WISE -- In spite of its fes tive name, holiday greetings were not
particularly cheery for 56 individuals targeted for arrest during the
latest mass drug roundup in Wise County on Monday.

Law enforcement authori ties announced "Operation Holiday Cheer" as
the seventh in a series of Wise County's "Street Sweeper" series to
crack down on illicit drug use.

Wise County Common wealth's Attorney Ron Elkins said officers with
the Virginia State Police, Wise County Sheriff's Office and the
police departments of Big Stone Gap, Coeburn, St. Paul, Wise and the
city of Norton were taking part in the arrests of 56 indi viduals
indicted by the multi-jurisdictional grand jury on a variety of drug
charges. The first Street Sweeper drug roundup resulted in charges
filed against nearly 50 individuals in April 2006.

The ensuing six operations, including the one announced on Monday,
brings the total number of people charged in the crackdown to nearly
300 since the anti-drug series of roundups began last year.

The primary focus of most recent mass arrests of suspect ed illicit
drug users and/or dealers has been on controlled pharmaceuticals.
Elkins said the illegal use of prescrip tion-only medicinal narcotics
is the leading cause of drug overdose deaths in Wise Coun ty, as
well as the catalyst for many other crimes committed in the county
and Norton.

"We are making progress every day in the fight against drugs in Wise
County and the city of Norton," Elkins said.

"We have some of the best law enforcement officers in the state, men
and women who have dedicated their lives to protect Wise County
citizens. They are in harm's way for our families, and I thank them
for it. This mass arrest is another step in keeping Wise County a
great place to live."