Medway continues to tackle illegal drug operations
Medway Director Joshua Hunt recently spoke to a group at Grace Church in Wooster and outlined some trends in illegal drug operations. Hunt urges community members to alert Medway agents of suspicious drug-related activity by texting tips to 487411 and including the word Medway in the body of the message.
Drug enforcement agencies work tirelessly to protect citizens from the impacts of illicit substances. These professionals work to dismantle drug networks, enforce laws and provide support to those affected by addiction.
In Wayne County the levy-funded drug enforcement agency Medway has been tackling the drug crisis since 1974. According to Director Joshua Hunt, the agency’s most significant asset is its residents.
“People that live in the community see things first. The neighbor of a drug dealer will see things like increased traffic and suspicious activity before we do,” Hunt said. “So it is crucial that we get the message out to the community about what we do, that we are here and we are accessible. We want the community to provide us with information so that we can stay a step ahead of illegal drug operations.”
Hunt urges citizens to use an anonymous text line to contact Medway about suspicious activity. To do so, text the tip to 847411 and include the word Medway in the body of the text message.
“We receive several hundred tips each year, and I can’t stress enough how anonymous the hotline is,” he said. “We use a company that completely encrypts messages, so there is no way for us to know who sent the text. Each message is assigned a number and forwarded to us through a message line. The company can’t even provide the number from which the tip was sent, even if they had to. It is completely encrypted.”
Hunt said his agency follows up on every tip that is received. During his tenure as director since 2023, those tips helped Medway remove 2.4 kilos of meth, 187 grams of fentanyl and heroin, 250 grams of cocaine, and 600 fentanyl pills from Wayne County, in addition to disrupting numerous illegal drug operations.
To learn more about Medway, visit www.medwaydea.com or on Facebook at www.facebook.com/medwaydrugenforcementagency.
Dan Starcher is the public communications coordinator for Wayne County.