Suburb's Opioid Crackdown Nets 14 Arrests
(CBS) -- Police in far southwest suburban Braidwood say the city's death rate from opioids was so high over the past few years compared to the rest of Will County that authorities thought it was time to take some action.
On Thursday, they arrested 14 people.
It was time for a different approach, Braidwood Police Chief Nick Ficarello says.
"We were tired of arresting one or two people in a one- or two-week period and having somebody else step up and be the new dealer," Braidwood Police Chief Nick Ficarello tells WBBM's Steve Miller.
Chief Ficarello says all of those arrested were connected to selling drugs in Braidwood, a town of about 6,500.
How long will this sweep keep drugs off the streets?
"We hoping it works for awhile. It's going to be interesting to watch," he says.
As part of the day's sweeps, he says, a crystal meth lab was discovered and dismantled.