Annual narcotics enforcement report released

"Drugs are present in every community within our county. If residents think their town is unaffected, they're mistaken. There are always dealers lurking, and much of the crime we see – from property theft to trafficking – has a direct relation to drug use. We all must work together to confront this pressing issue." 

Detective Sgt. Jeff Wentworth, iNET 

MOSES LAKE — The Grant County Interagency Narcotics Enforcement Team released its annual report Monday, revealing a rise in drug-related activity in the region for 2024. The report noted increases in drug seizures, overdose deaths and overall criminal activity.  

GCSO Detective Sgt. Jeff Wentworth, who oversees iNET, said he needs more resources and personnel to combat the challenges posed by drug trafficking. 

“Our mission is to work and target middle to upper-level narcotics traffickers and organizations to enhance the quality of life of the citizens of our counties,” Wentworth said. “Because we're a multi-agency, multi-jurisdictional task force, our area of responsibility is Grant and Adams counties.”  

The full 2024 iNET report can be found at bit.ly/2024iNET.  

Report overview 

The team, which collaborates with the Grant County Sheriff's Office, Quincy Police Department, the Washington State Patrol and federal agencies such as the Drug Enforcement Administration and Homeland Security Investigations, reported a total of 49 arrests in 2024 – an increase from 45 in the previous year.  

Additionally, the number of overdose death investigations rose, with 13 cases recorded in 2024, compared to just eight in 2023. This represents a 62.5% increase. 

“The overdose deaths that they investigated last year and were able to make arrests on, my team (is) always proud of those,” Wentworth said. “Those are hard to investigate and hard to move. Those are probably the biggest ones that stand out. It is satisfying when you can make a case on a dealer and tie him to a victim and then be able to tell the family that we got them, they are in custody, and they are going to jail.”  

Data from the report indicates that fentanyl continues to be the leading drug involved in overdose deaths, accounting for 42% of fatalities. Methamphetamine and a combination of other substances followed closely behind.  

"The usage in addicts keeps going up," said Wentworth. "It's a reflection of a broader trend we're seeing across the country. Drug use is not going down; it’s increasingly pervasive." 

The number of drug seizures iNET was able to complete also went up in 2024. For fentanyl, there was an increase of around 8,815 dosage units and 6.6 additional ounces seized in 2024 compared to the previous year. For methamphetamine, there was an increase of around 102.8 ounces. For other drugs, including heroin, cocaine, ketamine, LSD and dimethyltryptamine, there was an increase of 64.14 ounces compared to the previous year.  

“I can tell you as far as the drug seizures go, why there's an increase, that is: my guys are working harder,” Wentworth said. “They're working on larger targets. I know in 2024 we worked more larger organizations, what we call drug trafficking organizations, compared to more smaller targets worked in 2023. So, even though the number of cases went down, the drug seizures went up because we were hitting larger targets.”  

In terms of narcotics enforcement, iNET initiated 74 narcotics investigations in 2024, down from 84 in 2023, and executed 50 search warrants, an increase from 29 in 2023. Seizures included large quantities of fentanyl, methamphetamine and illegal marijuana.  

iNET also dismantled an illegal marijuana grow which was linked to organized crime. 

“The guys are pretty proud of the marijuana grow organization that we took down because that was involved with a shooting in 2023,” Wentworth said. “They had a grow going in 2023 that ended up turning into a shooting where two growers were shot. Then to find out they were growing again in 2024, the same group and we were able to successfully take them down and get a lot of product off the street and get some arrests.” 

Illegal marijuana grows can lead to a variety of other issues, including human traffickin,g wherein people are forced to become growers and abused at the same time, iNET previously told the Columbia Basin Herald. 

They also made significant seizures during undercover operations at major events, such as concerts at the Gorge Amphitheatre. 

Understaffing 

Despite these efforts, iNET faces a persistent shortage of detectives. The task force operates with only three detectives plus Wentworth, although a fourth is expected to join soon from the Quincy Police Department this month. Wentworth said there is a need for more personnel to cover both Grant and Adams counties effectively. 

"It’s crucial that we increase our detective numbers," he said. "With just a small team, many drug dealers and operations can slip through the cracks. We currently have a solid group that achieves significant results, but imagine the impact if we could bolster that with additional resources." 

Wentworth said a couple of years ago he had six detectives, which made it easier to handle a bigger caseload. However, with the smaller staff, he said they are accomplishing a lot and getting drugs off the street, but with more help, there is more iNET could do. 

“Look at the stats that we're doing because we have a great group of guys right now with the three detectives and me,” Wentworth said. “The detectives are amazing and just look at the numbers with three detectives. Could you imagine what we would do if we had six? It means more dealers being worked on, more targets, dealers being taken off the street, more drugs being seized, more arrests being made. We're not going to solve and stop the drug problem. That's just not going to happen, but we would be getting a lot more off the street, which would in turn save more lives by not having that many overdoses.”

Wentworth said that with more staff, he thinks that crime levels in certain areas would also decrease as iNET works more cases.  

“We would see a decline in some of the property crimes in certain places because there is a direct correlation between drug use and drug trafficking and other crimes, property crimes, violent crimes, child abuse, sexual abuse, human trafficking,” Wentworth said. “There is a direct correlation to crime. I would say around 90% of serious crimes involve drugs in some aspect.”  

Wentworth said he strongly encourages residents to go to their respective city council meetings to bring up the lack of resources most cities are providing to deal with the drug problem. He explained that the only city that provides a detective to iNET is Quincy. However, he and the other three detectives deal with cases all around the county with a lack of support from local police jurisdictions.  

"Drugs are present in every community within our county," Wentworth said. "If residents think their town is unaffected, they're mistaken. There are always dealers lurking, and much of the crime we see – from property theft to trafficking – has a direct relation to drug use. We all must work together to confront this pressing issue." 

Community connections

To enhance community engagement and alleviate the drug crisis, iNET is also looking to improve public awareness of its operations.  

"One of my goals is to educate the public on who we are and what we do," Wentworth said. "People may not even know we exist, and that's a problem. We want the community to understand that iNET is here to help and that they play a crucial role in disrupting drug trafficking."  

"At any given time, I would bet there are at least five active dealers in each community,” Wentworth said.  

He urged residents to reach out to their city councils if they feel their communities are not doing enough to combat the drug crisis.  

“If you think your city is not being proactive, have those conversations with your local leaders,” he said. 

The team is exploring various communication strategies, including establishing a social media presence to make it easier for citizens to report suspicious activity and learn about the work iNET is accomplishing.  

“People can report anything narcotics-related,” Wentworth said. “It's kind of hard to put actual specific criteria. It's best for us to get the information and then we'll vet it, and if it doesn't meet our mission statement, we'll call patrol on (it) ... We're not in the business of going after users. But narcotics traffickers dealing narcotics is what we are looking for.”  

Residents can report potential cases to 509-754-2011 ext. 2395, or they can email Wentworth at jswentworth@grantcountywa.gov. 

Looking to 2025  

Looking forward to 2025, INET anticipates an evolution in drug trends that will demand new skills and tactics.  

“The cartels operate like businesses,” Wentworth said. “They adapt and change their methods frequently.”  

Wentworth said they are increasingly utilizing online platforms and social media to facilitate sales, necessitating a shift in how iNET approaches investigations.  

“They’ll change the colors of pills or find new ways to smuggle drugs,” he said. “We are working to stay ahead of these trends.” 

Wentworth said in recent years he has noticed a decrease in people manufacturing drugs. Increased border security means fewer drugs smuggled into the country, which he said will be a good thing, but it could have other impacts. 

“The meth lab days are over for now,” Wentworth said. “It's just too cheap for Mexico to get their drugs here ... If supply gets low, then people, if they get desperate enough, may start trying to do the lab thing again. But hopefully, that doesn't happen.” 

In response to these challenges, iNET is ramping up community engagement efforts. The team aims to conduct more public presentations and educational outreach initiatives to raise awareness about drug trafficking and its impacts. 

“We are hopeful that the lessons learned and the strategies implemented will lead to even greater successes in reducing drug trafficking and, ultimately, improving the quality of life for our residents,” Wentworth said. "We're dedicated to making our communities safer, and with increased support and engagement, we believe we can make a real difference." 

Getting help 

If you or someone you know is in crisis, help is available at Renew Grant Behavioral Health and Wellness.  

Office: 409-765-9239 

24/7 Hotline: 800-852-2923  

840 East Plum Street, Moses Lake 

CrisisConnections.org and GrantCountyWa.gov/761/Renew 

    Photos of a variety of items seized during one iNET operation. The pile of evidence includes a semiautomatic rifle, thousands of dollars in cash, suspected marijuana gummies, LSD tabs, methamphetamine and other controlled substances that had not yet been identified.
  

    According to the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration, the 2 milligrams of fentanyl sitting on the tip of this pencil as shown here is enough to kill the average person. According to Grant County Interagency Narcotics Enforcement Team’s annual report, the most common type of overdose in Grant and Adams County is fentanyl with the drug causing 42% of overdose deaths.