Large Amounts Of Drugs, Weapons Seized As 5 Oklahoma Law Enforcement Agencies Team Up

An Illinois man has been arrested in Rogers County after deputies say he had nearly 300 pounds of marijuana loaded in his car in suitcases.

The bust was part of a two-night, multi-law enforcement agency operation to crackdown on drugs and stolen property. Rogers County Deputies were joined by Pryor Police, Mayes County Deputies, Owasso Police, and GRDA. Deputies and officers say drugs and theft go hand in hand and they rarely see one without the other. They say people often steal, to get money, to buy drugs. They say that's why they are cracking down on both. In a team effort, officers and deputies made 150 traffic stops, took nine people to jail, and found large amounts of drugs all in 16 hours.

In one of the stops, deputies arrested a man and a woman after deputies say they had meth, marijuana, pipes, needles, and open containers of alcohol in the car.

"The drugs and the theft and the stuff like that, we've got a lot of trailer thieves out there stealing anything that isn't chained down. Storage units, stuff like that. The drugs and theft go hand in hand,” said Sergeant Bo Williams with the Rogers County Sheriff’s Office.

Deputies say they have seen a big increase in crime in Rogers County and asked surrounding agencies to help cut down on the problem.

"We've had a lot of stolen trailers, ATVs, burglaries from cars when people are leaving theirs unlocked at night,” said Sergeant Wes Jones with the Rogers County Sheriff’s Office.

Deputies say thieves will go through neighborhoods, pulling on car door handles, and either steal the car, or what's inside. During the operation, Pryor Police stopped a car and founds drugs, a gun, and cash.

"I observed marijuana in plain sight, large bags of marijuana in the back. The driver said he had a medical marijuana license but not for the state of Oklahoma,” said Officer Mitchell Phillips with Pryor Police.

"They are willing to come out and assist us and work an evening or a night shift, to help curtail this crime that is going on in this area of the county,” said Sergeant Jones.

District Attorney Matt Ballard sent News On 6 a statement saying: “I’m proud of all the agencies that came together on behalf of public safety to make this a success. This operation demonstrates the importance of a regional approach to law enforcement and how much we can accomplish when we all come together.”