Randolph County designated as High Intensity Drug Trafficking Area

ELKINS, W.Va. — U.S. Senator Joe Manchin (D-WV) joined federal, state and local officials in West Virginia this week to announce the designation of Randolph County as a High Intensity Drug Trafficking Area (HIDTA).

Manchin, along with Dr. Rahul Gupta, Director of the White House Office of National Drug Control Policy (ONDCP), and United States Attorney for the Northern District of West Virginia Bill Ihlenfeld, were on hand for the announcement Wednesday in Elkins from the Jennings Randolph Federal Center.

To be designated as a HIDTA means additional resources would be available to the area for federal, state and local law enforcement officials to combat the spread and use of drugs in the area.

Senator Manchin said this is a designation he has advocated for in Randolph County for many years.

“I am pleased to announce that ONDCP has designated Randolph County as a High Intensity Drug Trafficking Area,” said Senator Manchin. “The drug epidemic has impacted every corner of our state and Randolph County is no exception.”

Randolph County becomes the 24th county in the state to be designated as a HIDTA.

Dr. Gupta also spoke about the designation during the briefing Wednesday in Elkins.

“In his Unity agenda, President Biden called for a major surge to stop illicit drug trafficking while accelerating public health efforts to save lives,” Gupta said. “In my home state of West Virginia, Senator Manchin and public safety officials have worked to deliver on the President’s call to action by ensuring their communities get the critical resources and support they need to reduce drug trafficking and save lives.

Senator Manchin had sent a letter to Dr. Gupta back in 2022, calling for more to be done to combat drug trafficking in the Appalachian region. In that letter, Manchin said despite a need for it, no West Virginia counties within the Appalachia HIDTA region had received the designation.

“Addressing our state’s drug crisis is one of my top priorities and I will continue to fight for West Virginia to get the resources we need to end this epidemic,” Manchin said.

U.S. Senator Shelley Moore Capito, who met with U.S. Attorney for the states northern district Bill Ihlenfeld to discuss the HIDTA program earlier this year, said the designation means the county would be eligible to receive federal resources.

“A HIDTA designation means more resources to support local efforts and solutions that are already making a difference; and this designation for Randolph County will help local, state, and community leaders do even more to put an end to the drug crisis here in West Virginia,” Senator Capito said. “As a member of the Senate Appropriations Committee, I’ve worked hard to secure funds like those provided through the HIDTA program, and I will continue working with the administration and those on the frontlines here at home to finally put an end to this epidemic that has hurt so many across our state.”