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FORSYTH COUNTY — Forsyth County law enforcement agencies have announced the creation of a county-wide task force for narcotics investigations.

The Forsyth County Drug Task Force (FCDTF) is composed of the Forsyth County Sheriff’s Office (FCSO), the Kernersville Police Department (KPD), and the Winston-Salem Police Department (WSPD). The FCDTF is a unified county-wide task force designed to identify and dismantle criminal organizations trafficking illegal narcotics in Forsyth County. The FCDTF was officially signed into existence in December 2020.

The FCDTF is the result of the collective pooling of resources related to narcotics investigations by the WSPD, KPD, and FCSO in order to make a larger impact on the drug trade in Forsyth County. The task force focus is on identifying, investigating, and charging drug traffickers who are supplying street-level sellers and users.

“Traffickers are predators. We are targeting them specifically as they are the individuals who prey not just on addicts but ultimately on the communities that we serve,” said Chief Tim Summers of the Kernersville Police Department.

The FCDTF membership includes not only detectives from the three local law enforcement agencies but also task force officers from each of the federal law enforcement agencies that work in Forsyth County, including the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI), Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA), Homeland Security Investigations (HSI), Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives (ATF), and U.S. Marshals Service.

“The amount of behind-the-scenes work that went into creating this task force was tremendous and we are all committed to the positive, long-term impact it will have on our community. The results so far speak for themselves,” said Chief Catrina A. Thompson of the Winston-Salem Police Department.

Since its inception, FCDTF detectives made 165 felony charges, 62 misdemeanor charges, and three federal indictments as a result of their investigations. More than 945,000 items valued at almost $65 million were seized between Jan. 1 and March 31, including:

• 2,772.95 grams of cocaine with a street value of approximately $277, 295

• 11.67 grams of crack cocaine with a street value of approximately $1,459

• 8,298.15 grams of fentanyl with a street value of approximately $2,074,538

• 2,745.57 grams of heroin with a street value of approximately $686,393

• 23 doses of LSD with a street value of approximately $115

• 17,530.21 grams of high-grade marijuana with a street value of approximately $210,363

• 15 marijuana plants with a street value of approximately $30,000

• 6,421.39 grams of low-grade marijuana with a street value of approximately $48,160

• 29 doses of MDMA/ecstasy with a street value of approximately $870

• 243,582.49 grams of methamphetamine with a street value of approximately $60,895,622

• 113 assorted prescription pills with a street value of approximately $565

• 935 pills of oxycodone with a street value of approximately $4,675

• 188 psilocybin mushrooms with a street value of approximately $1,880

• 399.46 grams of THC gummies/wax with a street value of approximately $19,973

• 183 doses of THC vapes with a street value of approximately $14,640

• 197 pills of xanax with a street value of approximately $985

• $660,570 in U.S. currency

• 46 handguns

• 11 long guns

• 1,012 items of drug paraphernalia

• 5 vehicles

“In keeping with what we promised the people of Forsyth County, we have created a fully functioning drug task force. All area law enforcement agencies and federal partners are represented in the FCDTF. The synergy of all of us working together to combat the drug trade in our community is incredible. We know the long-term impact is going to be invaluable. The formation of this task force is long overdue, and we are grateful to deliver on this promise to our community,” Sheriff Bobby F. Kimbrough Jr. of the Forsyth County Sheriff’s Office.

FCDTF detectives investigate a case to the point where it reaches beyond the jurisdictional boundaries of Forsyth County, then they rely on federal partners to continue the investigation as appropriate. Information released to the public will often appear to be released on a delayed basis due to the restrictions of the larger ongoing investigations.

As the FCDTF is a product of all three local law enforcement agencies, information pertaining to FCDTF investigations will be released initially via email from the office administrator assigned to the task force. Media inquiries shall be directed to the FCDTF agent-in-charge Captain Michael J. Cardwell; inquiries to individual agency representatives regarding the FCDTF investigations will not be honored.

Anyone with information related to this investigation or regarding narcotics activity located anywhere in Forsyth County is encouraged to reach out to the FCDTF. Anonymously text information, photos, and video via Text-A-Tip at 336-920-8477; or anonymously call Crime Stoppers at 336-727-2800 for English or 336-728-3904 for Spanish.

The Forsyth County Drug Task Force (FCDTF) was signed into existence in December 2020. The Forsyth County Sheriff’s Office, the Kernersville Police Department and the Winston-Salem Police Department combined their narcotic investigation divisions to create a county-wide task force. The FCDTF functions under a unified command and team structure to achieve their primary mission of identifying and dismantling criminal organizations trafficking illegal narcotics within Forsyth County. For more information or questions regarding the FCDTF, call 336-728-3910.