[Congressional Record Volume 162, Number 21 (Thursday, February 4, 2016)]
[House]
[Page H570]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




     COMBATING THE DRUG EPIDEMIC IN JEFFERSON COUNTY, WEST VIRGINIA

  (Mr. MOONEY of West Virginia asked and was given permission to 
address the House for 1 minute.)
  Mr. MOONEY of West Virginia. Mr. Speaker, last month, I received 
notice from Michael Botticelli, the Director of the Office of National 
Drug Control Policy, that, after a year of hard work from Federal, 
State, and local officials, Jefferson County, West Virginia, was 
designated as a High Intensity Drug Trafficking Area. This designation 
will bring critical resources to Jefferson County to combat the drug 
epidemic that is ravaging our communities and way of life.
  I would like to thank a few people for helping secure this 
designation:
  Tom Carr, the executive director of the Washington-Baltimore HIDTA 
Bureau. Tom was kind enough to even go down to Romney, West Virginia, 
to participate in a roundtable discussion I led with local officials.
  Jefferson County Sheriff Pete Dougherty, who leads Jefferson County 
law enforcement in combating drug trafficking every day and who worked 
hard on this HIDTA application.
  U.S. Attorney Bill Ihlenfeld, who prosecutes dangerous drug dealers 
and who also gave his invaluable input to the HIDTA application.
  I thank the entire West Virginia delegation for helping to lock in 
this designation: Senators Capito and Manchin and my colleagues 
Congressmen McKinley and Jenkins. 
  Every American needs to do his part to fight back against the drug 
addictions that are plaguing our country.

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