Hamilton County Sheriff's Office Makes Largest Drug Bust in Division History

About 81 pounds of methamphetamine was intercepted and seized by detectives.

Jun 20, 2024 at 2:42 pm
RENU is a regional joint task force comprised of local investigators from the Hamilton County Sheriff’s Office, Green Township Police Department and Cheviot Police Department.
RENU is a regional joint task force comprised of local investigators from the Hamilton County Sheriff’s Office, Green Township Police Department and Cheviot Police Department. Photo: Hamilton County Sheriff's Office via Facebook

This week, the Hamilton County Sheriff's Office said agents made the largest drug seizure in the office's history.

On June 20, the sheriff's office announced that 81 pounds of methamphetamine was intercepted and seized by detectives with the Regional Enforcement Narcotics Unit (RENU).

The office said the drugs were coming in from California.

"A drug trafficking organization out of California is responsible for supplying large quantities of meth to local [drug trafficking organization] members operating in Hamilton County," the office announced Thursday. "As part of this ongoing investigation, Reginald Newton, male, age 49, of Lynwood, California, has been charged with possession of drugs and trafficking in drugs."

RENU is a regional joint task force comprised of local investigators from the Hamilton County Sheriff’s Office, Green Township Police Department and Cheviot Police Department. The unit has partnerships and task force officers assigned to Homeland Security investigations and the Federal Bureau of Investigations.

Methamphetamine overdoses have gradually declined over the past year in Hamilton County. The first quarter of 2024 saw 10 meth overdose cases, down from the 28 reported in the second quarter of 2023, according to data from Hamilton County Public Health.
click to enlarge The line chart shows substances detected at the time of death for presumptive overdose cases by quarter. - Photo: Hamilton County Public Health
Photo: Hamilton County Public Health
The line chart shows substances detected at the time of death for presumptive overdose cases by quarter.
However, the health agency reports that fentanyl in the illicit drug supply remains a deadly problem. So far in 2024, fentanyl was detected in 77% of all presumed overdose cases in the county, while Xylazine was detected in 42% of overdose cases.

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