ARLINGTON, Va. – Members of the Georgia National Guard’s Counterdrug Task Force assisted the Georgia Bureau of Investigation and other state and local law enforcement agencies in an investigation resulting in seizure of more than 13 kilograms of fentanyl, cocaine and other drugs, along with 10 firearms, cash and other property.
“Roughly 220 Americans are dying a day from fentanyl,” said U.S. Army Lt. Col. Matt Howard, head of the Georgia Guard’s Counterdrug Task Force. “The leading cause of death right now between 18- and 45-year-olds is synthetic drug overdose - not disease, not car accidents, not gun violence – and that is something that I think is beatable.”
The investigation, which concluded March 26 with the above seizures, was led by state and local law enforcement, with the Counterdrug Task Force acting in a support role.
“We’re not cops,” said Howard. “We don’t have a badge and we don’t make arrests.”
Instead, said Howard, the Counterdrug Task Force provides support on the back end with analysis, mission planning, reconnaissance and demand-reduction efforts.
For the March case, task force members conducted more than 60 hours of vehicle reconnaissance while also advising partner agencies on observation strategies and communication plans, said Howard, adding that much of that effort was headed up by one individual on the task force – U.S. Air Force Master Sgt. Troy Gonzalez.
“Later on that day, based on information from that case, he supported an operation that got an additional five kilos [kilograms] of meth related to that initial case,” said Howard. “You're really talking about a person that's making an actual difference.”
The task force is part of the larger National Guard Counterdrug Program, which includes similar task forces in every state that bolster law enforcement efforts to disrupt and dismantle drug trafficking and transnational criminal networks.
“These are global threats that are affecting communities across the country,” said U.S. Air Force Col. Laurie Rodriguez, head of the National Guard Counterdrug program and assigned to the National Guard Bureau. "The Guard’s enhanced effectiveness in law enforcement support operations is rooted in our enduring presence and established trust within these communities."
Guard Counterdrug efforts are organized differently in each state based on individual state needs and requirements. Those in the program all serve on Title 32 state orders under the governor’s authority.
Overall, said Howard, the Counterdrug program assists by providing support that otherwise may not be available.
“I’ve worked with law enforcement agencies that have like 12 people counting the secretary,” said Howard. “They don’t have helicopters. They don't have an analysis person.”
That’s where the Guard and the Counterdrug program come in.
“We only work on narcotics cases, but we provide assistance to those individual agencies that really pays in dividends,” said Howard. “We have experience that is militarily unique that can really help these local agencies kind of flourish.”
One way is by connecting agencies, said Howard.
“I think we are sometimes the bridge between elements or agencies where we can get folks to kind of work together,” he said. “I think we're really the trusted brokers.”
A lot of that comes from the mix of military and civilian-acquired skills Guard members bring with them, said Howard, using Gonzalez, who headed Counterdrug Task Force support during the March investigation, as an example.
“You got a guy who’s walking in, that's this enabler from Counterdrug, who served as a law enforcement officer in the past, served as fireman in the past, was in the Army, and is now in the Air Force,” he said. “A lot of the GBI [Georgia Bureau of Investigation] guys that he was working with, he actually trained when he was a cop.”
That helps make connections and allows him to “kind of serve as an outside mentor” with the goal of a larger impact on the illicit drug trade.
Howard said the March investigation is representative of typical support.
“It's an impressive case, but it's kind of par for the course,” he said, adding that last year Counterdrug Task Force efforts in Georgia supported the seizure of 89 million lethal doses of fentanyl – about 3 milligrams is considered lethal.
For Howard, those efforts represent positive moves in the fight against the illicit drug trade.
“The dope game is definitely something that can wear you out, and it's a real crisis that is actually something that affects each and every one of us every day,” he said. “I'm the rah-rah guy for the Counterdrug program. I'm truly proud to be part of this group. They're going out and they're fighting a fight against something that could threaten the life of my daughter.”