HARLAN - Continuing problems with illegal drug sales throughout Harlan County resulted in a roundup targeting 51 individuals on Friday, February 15.

This was the 100th time in nearly four years that Operation UNITE has attempted to take drug dealers off the streets in the 29-county Fifth Congressional District.

Nearly all the indictment warrants were for the illegal sale of prescription drugs, mostly OxyContin, said Dan Smoot, UNITE's director of law enforcement. The remaining charges were primarily for crack cocaine, believed to have been brought to Southeastern Kentucky from South Carolina.

Participating in the roundup was ABC television news personality Diane Sawyer, who is filming a segment on the OxyContin and prescription drug problem throughout Southern and Eastern Kentucky for an upcoming special.

UNITE detectives were able to obtain drugs from most communities in Harlan County during the investigation, which began about six months ago, Smoot continued, adding many of the sales were tied to the well-publicized prostitution problems in downtown Harlan.

At least two of those sought in Friday's effort were arrested by UNITE during previous roundups.

Assisting UNITE detectives with Friday's roundup were approximately three dozen officers from the Benham Police Department, Cumberland Police Department, Evarts Police Department, Harlan Police Department, Harlan County Sheriff's Office, Kentucky State Police Post 10 in Harlan, Kentucky Vehicle Enforcement, Loyall Police Department and Lynch Police Department.

Once arrested, suspects were brought to the Harlan Civic Center for processing before being taken to the Harlan County Detention Center.

Friday's enforcement effort marked the ninth time a UNITE roundup has included drug-dealers from Harlan County.

UNITE created its law enforcement division in February 2004. Two months later, on April 6, police officers from state and local agencies joined with UNITE detectives to arrest 210 individuals in eight Kentucky River counties - the largest drug roundup conducted in Kentucky history.

To date UNITE has arrested more than 2,000 individuals on drug-related charges.

On July 14, 2006, the Harlan County community of Verda was selected for UNITE's first "Operation Hot Spot" enforcement effort.

Unlike other drug round-ups, this initiative seeks first to reclaim drug-invested neighborhoods by eliminating the dealers, then follows up on the high-profile effort by giving residents resources on UNITE's other two equally important components - education and treatment - to keep their neighborhoods drug-free.

UNITE returned for another Hot Spot effort on March 2, 2007, in the Tri-Cities area (Benham-Lynch-Cumberland).

As of noon Friday, law enforcement officials had arrested 28 individuals. They are:

• Bill Baldwin, age 52, Creek Street, Cumberland, first-degree trafficking in a controlled substance.

• Wynston Bynum, age 28, Cawood Street, Harlan, second-degree trafficking in a controlled substance.

• Dana M. Caldwell, age 26, Lee Drive, Cawood, first-degree trafficking in a controlled substance.

• Judy Cawood, age 42, Marsh Street, Harlan, trafficking in a controlled substance within 1,000 yards of a school.

• Jacqueline Lacy Clem, age 23, Highway 421-South, Cawood, two counts first-degree trafficking in a controlled substance.

• Michael L. Deal, age 42, Clutts Road, Cumberland, second-degree trafficking in a controlled substance within 1,000 yards of a school.

• Michael Earls, age 23, Mose Howard Hollow, Cawood, first-degree trafficking in a controlled substance.

• Carol Grubbs, age 51, Cawood, two counts first-degree trafficking in a controlled substance.

• Tice Henry Grubbs, age 32, Cranks, first-degree trafficking in a controlled substance.

• Brian Harris, age 20, Mountain View Avenue, Harlan, first-degree trafficking in a controlled substance and second-degree trafficking in a controlled substance.

• Ronald Hensley, age 40, Turner Hill, Harlan, first-degree trafficking in a controlled substance.

• Ronnie Hodge, age 53, Henson Street, Cumberland, two counts first-degree trafficking in a controlled substance.

• Harold Jones, age 63, Church Street, Lynch, first-degree trafficking in a controlled substance.

• Bonnie Lewis, age 43, Day Hollow Road, Bledsoe, second-degree trafficking in a controlled substance.

• Angelique Napier, age 36, Kris Kyle Road, Bledsoe, second-degree trafficking in a controlled substance.

• Michael Shepherd, age 39, West Main Street, Lynch, first-degree trafficking in a controlled substance.

• Mark Shoemaker, age 42, Treemont, first-degree trafficking in a controlled substance.

• Gill Smith Sr., age 66, Maypother Drive, Loyall, trafficking in a controlled substance within 1,000 yards of a school.

• James Derek Stephenson, age 18, East Clover Street, Harlan, first-degree trafficking in a controlled substance.

• Linda Stevens, age 36, Cawood, first-degree trafficking in a controlled substance.

• Robert Stevens, age 39, Shuler Street, Smith, two counts first-degree trafficking in a controlled substance.

• Charles Trotter, age 55, Church Street, Benham, first-degree trafficking in a controlled substance.

• Brittany Turner, age 19, Stacy Hill Road, Cumberland, second-degree trafficking in a controlled substance.

• Esther White, age 48, West Johnson Street, Cumberland, first-degree trafficking in a controlled substance.

• Melissa Williams, age 47, Benham, second-degree trafficking in a controlled substance.

• Deanna "Dee" Woodsby, age 37, South Main Street, Harlan, first-degree trafficking in a controlled substance.

• Angela Wyatt, age 24, Wood Street, Cumberland, second-degree trafficking in a controlled substance and second-degree persistent felony offender.

• Sheila York, age 30, Third Street, Grays Knob, Harlan, first-degree trafficking in a controlled substance.

For more information about Operation UNITE visit their website at www.operationunite.org .

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In 2003, Fifth District Congressman Harold "Hal" Rogers (R-Somerset) worked to create Operation UNITE, a regional anti-drug initiative empowering citizens groups and community leaders in 29 southern and eastern Kentucky counties. UNITE, which stands for Unlawful Narcotics Investigations, Treatment & Education, seeks to fight the drug epidemic by expanding drug awareness and education programs to keep people from using drugs; coordinating drug treatment and outreach programs for those who are already addicted; and operating regional undercover law enforcement task forces for interdiction and prosecution of those dealing drugs. Rogers has directed $36.6 million in federal funds to the counter-drug initiative over the past five years. For more information contact Karen Engle toll-free at 1-866-678-6483.

Drug Tip Hotline - 1-866-424-4382 / Treatment Referral Hotline - 1-866-90-UNITE (1-866-908-6483)