PRESCRIPTION DRUG VIOLATORS TARGETED

Kentucky State Police expected to make more than 100 arrests, including at
least a dozen in this area, by the end of Wednesday as part of a statewide
drug investigation.

"We do this once or twice a year," said KSP spokesman Steve Pavey, who
explained that Wednesday was the culmination of six months of investigative
work on "Operation Rx."

Unlike most drug investigations, Operation Rx was aimed mainly at
prescription drug violations.

"We don't (specifically go after those violators) a lot of times," Pavey
said, but police wanted to make a dent in the crimes before they became
more prevalent.

He said most local arrests Wednesday came in Hardin and Meade counties,
with a few more in nearby counties.

Charges around Kentucky ranged from possession of marijuana, a misdemeanor,
to first-degree trafficking in controlled substances, a Class C felony.
Most of the charges stem from trafficking in prescription drugs such as
Oxycontin, Xanax and Lortab, as well as illegal drugs such as cocaine,
methamphetamine and marijuana.

KSP recently reorganized itself to create its Drug Control Branch. The
branch will concentrate on illicit drugs and the diversion of prescription
drugs across the state.

"The Drug Control Branch will be able to more efficiently utilize drug
intelligence and manpower to combat this problem," KSP Commissioner Ishmon
F. Burks said in a prepared statement. "In the future, this branch will be
able to more easily divert manpower to known areas of illegal drug activity."

People can call Elizabethtown's KSP post or (800) DOPE-TIP with tips.
Callers may remain anonymous.