The Ironton Police Department’s Drug Task Force has had a number of big drug busts in the last month.

So far they have arrested six people on drug trafficking charges: Kimberly Cochran, of Ironton, was charged with trafficking in heroin, Michael Barney, of Greenup County, Kentucky, was charged with trafficking in Oxycodone, Delaneo Braeham, of Detroit, was charged with trafficking in Oxycontin and $11,200 in cash was confiscated and turned over to the task force, Glenna Booth, Michelle Jenkins, and Michael Short Jr, all of Ironton, were all charged with trafficking in methamphetamine.

“Our two biggest problems right now are crystal meth and heroin,” said IPD Detective Joe Ross.

Ross added that part of the reason is that some “pill mills” were closed down in Ohio and the opioid addicted had to find other sources to get their fix. And heroin and crystal meth are cheaper than pills.

“It’s easy to get. They can order it online,” Ross said. “We have heroin coming in from Huntington, from Detroit. It’s just easy to get. We have crystal meth coming from Lexington and Louisville, Kentucky.”

Ross said that they’ve seen a spike in heroin overdoses because it is cut with the synthetic opioid fentanyl for a cheaper high.

“A tenth of a gram of heroin is sold for $50. A tenth of gram of heroin and fentanyl sells for $15,” he said. “So that’s why people buy the heroin cut with fentanyl.”

Ross said the Ironton Drug Task Force, which began three years ago, did a total of 32 drug cases in 2017. All the cases went to court, 31 defendants plead out and one went to trial and was found guilty.

“Every case we have, we have 100 percent prosecution on it,” he said.