MARIETTA, Ga. - The Georgia National Guard concluded six months of support to communities throughout the state as part of the Governor's Task Force/Drug Suppression (GTF).
This year, the GTF eradicated more than 15,000 plants, worth more than $30 million, keeping these drugs and the illicit activity that goes with them off of Georgia's streets.
"The Governor's Task Force is a multi-agency task force that supports local agencies in their eradication efforts," said Kermit Stokes, a captain with the Georgia State Patrol and officer in charge of the Governor's Task Force. "We have the capability to bring in assets that local agencies simply do not have like aviation, intelligence assets and a ground support team with specialty vehicles to get into hard to reach grow sites."
In 2013, the GTF located and eradicated a crop of over 4,000 marijuana plants in Polk County. Earlier in July of 2014, the GTF discovered a crop of roughly 2,300 plants in Polk County. On their last mission of 2014 the GTF found eight plants in the vicinity of Polk County.
"There is a need," said Jonathan Blackmon, chief deputy, Polk County Sheriff's Office. "It has always been a great working relationship with the National Guard, the Georgia State Patrol and all of the other agencies that make up the Governor's Task Force. The partnership gives the local sheriff's office extra eyes in the sky and on the ground to disrupt marijuana growth and drug trafficking in our county and on our streets."
The marijuana eradication season begins at the end of April and runs through the beginning of October. The last mission of the 2014 eradication season found the GTF supporting Polk County.
"The local sheriff and local drug task force tells us where to look first and they attach officers to our ground teams," said Stokes. "If any marijuana is located we assist them in collecting and destroying it. We then turn over the investigation to the local sheriff's office or local drug task force to pursue the possibility of any prosecutions."
The Governor's Task Force is comprised of seven state and federal agencies: the Georgia State Patrol, Motor Carrier Compliance, Department of Natural Resources - Law Enforcement Division, Department of Corrections - Probation Division, Georgia Army National Guard- Counter Drug, Drug Enforcement Administration and the Civil Air Patrol.
"The National Guard is definitely a value-add to the Governor's Task Force," said Stokes. "They assist us with helicopters, ground support teams, including mechanics, and they are also integral to the intelligence portion of the GTF mission."
Each agency provides resources specific to their enforcement mission, i.e. aircraft, vehicles, administrative support and personnel experienced to operate in a variety of environments found within the state. The Georgia National Guard says it is proud to be a part of it. "National Guardsmen are Citizen-Soldiers so it is always a good thing when we can provide enhanced security and safety for our communities in Georgia by using our equipment and manpower to help law enforcement fulfill their mission of detecting, interdicting and disrupting drug trafficking," said a Georgia Army National Guard counter-drug pilot.