Lake County Sheriff’s Office Concludes Two-Month Heroin Initiative ‘Operation Front Line’
From June 8, 2016 through August 1, 2016, the Lake County Sheriff’s Office conducted an operation aimed at arresting drug dealers and taking heroin off the streets. This operation specifically focused on the northwest quadrant of Lake County. Members of the Highway Patrol Division, Warrants Division, Criminal Investigations Division, and Lake County Sheriff’s Gang Task Force collaborated, focusing their efforts on the heroin epidemic.
Lake County Sheriff’s Office says Darrin S. Reed, 32, of Waukegan was responsible for selling heroin to Joseph Bond, 25, who died of an opioid (heroin) overdose from the quantity sold by Reed.
Members of the Highway Patrol Division identified target areas of drug trafficking in patrol districts, worked with informants to develop additional leads on drug dealers, and provided those leads to the Sheriff’s Criminal Investigations Division and Sheriff’s Gang Task Force. The Highway Patrol Division cultivated over 15 active leads, which led to several drug related arrests.
During the operation, the Lake County Sheriff’s Office Warrants Division served arrest warrants on 53 separate individuals who have been involved in drug related incidents.
The Lake County Sheriff’s Office Criminal Investigations Division responded to all drug overdose-related calls. Detectives developed leads from victims and witnesses in these overdose-related investigations concerning who supplied the drugs. Detectives worked with the Lake County Sheriff’s Office Gang Task Force to further the investigations and obtain arrest warrants.
Additionally, the Sheriff’s School Safety Team sent flyers to all schools in the sheriff’s jurisdiction outlining ‘safety tips’ to remind parents to discuss drug abuse with their children.
One of the many incidents detectives responded to during ‘Operation Front Line’ was a death investigation on June 13, 2016, in the 26000 block of West Catalpa Road, Unincorporated Antioch. The investigation revealed Joseph Bond, 25, died of an opioid (heroin) overdose. Sheriff’s detectives and members of the Lake County Sheriff’s Gang Task Force investigated and determined Darrin S. Reed, 32, of the 600 block of North Martin Avenue, Waukegan, was responsible for selling Bond the heroin, which ultimately killed him. The Gang Task Force executed a search warrant at Reed’s home and recovered 22 grams of heroin and nearly $6,000.00 USC. Reed was initially charged on June 15, 2016, with a number of felony drug charges. Upon final completion of the investigation surrounding Bond’s death, an arrest warrant was obtained for Reed on August 25, 2016, for drug induced homicide (class X felony) and unlawful delivery of a controlled substance (class 2 felony). He is currently being held in the Lake County Jail on $950,000.00 bail and his next court date is August 26, 2016 at 9:00AM, in courtroom C-120.
Sheriff Mark Curran praised the operation saying, “Drugs kill, destroy lives, destroy families, and destroy promising futures, plain and simple. While this operation may be over, the Lake County Sheriff’s Office will be relentless in the pursuit of tracking down drug dealers who sell these poisons in our neighborhoods. I’m extremely proud of the hard work and collaboration that went into this operation.”
Undersheriff Ray Rose added, “We as a community must all work together to put an end to all of the lives which are lost to drug abuse. The heroin epidemic continues to spread and we can’t afford to sit on the sidelines as countless lives are lost. If you suspect someone of abusing drugs, seek help for them, if you suspect someone of dealing drugs, call us!”
The Lake County Sheriff’s Office and Sheriff’s Gang Task Force continues to investigate several additional drug dealers who were identified during Operation Front Line.
Sheriff Curran reminds the public that the defendant is presumed innocent until proven guilty in a court of law.