The Northwest Virginia Regional Drug and Gang Task Force (NWVRDGTF) last week executed three search warrants across Frederick County, arresting 10 individuals and seizing more than $67,000 in cocaine and property.
The arrests marked the conclusion of a three-month investigation into drug activity in the county. In total, the task force confiscated 227 grams of cocaine valued at $23,381 and seized a $20,000 vehicle believed to have been used to transport the narcotics. Authorities also recovered $24,000 in U.S. currency, according to Virginia State Police Sgt. Brent Coffey.
Police have not released the names of those arrested but confirmed that they face charges related to the distribution of a Schedule I or II controlled substance.
The investigation began after police received complaints about drug trafficking in the area. Over the course of three months, the task force conducted several controlled purchases, during which undercover agents or cooperating witnesses bought drugs from suspected offenders.
On Feb. 5, task force members executed search warrants in Stephenson, Stephens City and a location off Front Royal Pike (U.S. 522) in Frederick County, according to Virginia State Police Special Agent Harvey Stover, the task force's coordinator.
Stover said investigators initially targeted three or four suspects but made 10 arrests during the operation.
“All 10 individuals were arrested without incident,” Stover said, adding that some residents may have heard what they thought were gunshots during the raids.
“Probably the noise that they heard is what the attack team initiated,” he explained. “We use what they call a flash-bang. It’s a device placed outside the residence before entry that creates a loud, audible sound to disorient people inside.”
In addition to the cocaine, agents seized a vehicle that Stover said was used in the commission of “the dissemination of narcotics.”
Stover confirmed that the investigation was confined to Frederick County, with no search warrants executed in other jurisdictions.
The investigation is complete as of now, but Stover said it could be reopened “further on down the line.”
Participating in the task force are law enforcement personnel from the sheriff's offices of Clarke, Frederick, Page, Shenandoah and Warren counties, as well as the police departments of Front Royal, Luray, Strasburg and Winchester. The task force also includes the Virginia State Police Bureau of Criminal Investigation from the Culpeper Field Office. It is part of a HIDTA-funded initiative aimed at combating drug and gang activity.
Last year, the task force seized an estimated $10.9 million in narcotics, including fentanyl, cocaine, crack cocaine, heroin, methamphetamine and other substances. The task force also confiscated about $100,000 in assets identified as proceeds from drug distribution.
Additionally, the task force made 87 arrests and dismantled or disrupted five drug trafficking organizations (DTOs), some of which were linked to Mexican cartels, according to a 2024 summary of investigations. The task force reported that drug-related deaths in their coverage area declined in 2024, with 13 overdose deaths and 51 injuries compared to 2023, which saw 20 deaths and 86 injuries.
In January, the task force seized over $900,000 in narcotics following a nine-month investigation into multiple vape shops in Front Royal.
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