Keystone Today

Elizabethtown Chief of Police Derek Koch stated that police are receiving tips about drug cartel activity in town and that these tips will all be "swiftly" investigated. Koch made the statement on July 26.

"The Elizabethtown Police Department has received several recent inquiries about criminal organizations, specifically drug cartels, operating within Elizabethtown Borough," said Koch. "The release of sensitive, criminal intelligence information such as this could compromise any current or future investigations, so I cannot publicly comment on this topic, however, I want to re-assure everyone that Elizabethtown Borough is a safe community, and residents can depend upon the Elizabethtown Police Department to swiftly and thoroughly investigate all claims of criminal activity."

The 2024 Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) National Drug Threat Assessment names fentanyl the deadliest drug in American history, taking the lives of 38,000 Americans in the first six months of 2023. The Sinaloa and Jalisco cartels have enabled the presence of fentanyl in all 50 U.S. states, producing the drug in Mexico and smuggling it into the United States for profit. The report states that these cartels are now operating in all 50 states, producing and trafficking fentanyl through the southern border.

According to the Pennsylvania Pressroom, Pennsylvania state law enforcement seized $15.7 million worth of illegal narcotics in the last three months of 2023 alone. Throughout all of 2023, law enforcement in the state seized 246 pounds of fentanyl, along with cocaine and methamphetamine.

Mexican cartels' influence and operations have spread globally, engaging in drug trafficking, money laundering, and human trafficking, according to Police1. Cartel members bribe officials and infiltrate law enforcement, enabling long-term influence and control. The Sinaloa Cartel and Cártel Jalisco Nuevo Generación (CJNG) have established networks across the U.S. Investigations have revealed money laundering schemes and drug trafficking networks, demonstrating the cartels' impact on U.S. communities.

The most urgent public health and safety issue confronted by Pennsylvania is the opioid crisis, according to the office of state Attorney General Michelle A. Henry. In 2021, 5,168 citizens of Pennsylvania died from opioid overdose.

Koch was appointed Elizabethtown Chief of Police in January 2024 after serving in the Pennsylvania State Police Force for 25 years, according to the Elizabethtown Borough Police Department website.