United States Drug Enforcement Administration

MADISON, Wis. – Scott. C. Blader, United States Attorney for the Western District of Wisconsin, announced today that Eau Claire County has been designated as a High Intensity Drug Trafficking Area (HIDTA) by the White House’s Office of National Drug Control Policy. The designation means Eau Claire County will receive more resources to coordinate federal, state, and local governments’ efforts to fight drug trafficking and abuse.

“This designation will result in the expansion of law enforcement efforts to combat deadly drugs such as methamphetamine and heroin in northwest Wisconsin by providing critical federal support and funding to state and local agencies,” said U.S. Attorney Blader. “These additional resources will be used to disrupt the flow of drugs in northern Wisconsin and hold distribution networks accountable for the deaths and addictions they cause.”

“The Drug Enforcement Administration has been a long time partner with law enforcement agencies in Eau Claire County to fight the scourge of drug trafficking and the violence associated with it. This HIDTA designation will provide much needed support in our efforts to keep the communities in and around Eau Claire County safe from violent drug trafficking organizations,” said DEA Milwaukee District Office Assistant Special Agent in Charge Paul E. Maxwell, Jr.

To secure this designation, the U.S. Attorney’s Office partnered with the Eau Claire County Sheriff’s Department, the West Central Drug Task Force, the St. Croix Valley Drug Task Force, the Eau Claire County District Attorney’s Office and the Drug Enforcement Administration. In addition, all these agencies will continue to partner with the Eau Claire County Alliance for Drug Endangered Children to respond to children who are endangered by caregivers who use, manufacture, or distribute drugs.

Created by Congress in 1988, the HIDTA Program coordinates and assists federal, state, local, and tribal law enforcement agencies to address regional drug threats with the purpose of reducing drug trafficking and drug production in the United States. The HIDTA program oversees regional HIDTAs in all 50 states, Puerto Rico, the U.S. Virgin Islands, and the District of Columbia.