Division of Criminal Investigation Director David V. Natvig has been elected to serve as the Vice Chair and a member of the Executive Board of the Midwest High Intensity Drug Trafficking Administration (HIDTA).
The Midwest HIDTA currently supports 58 initiatives, including 41 drug task forces, 6 domestic highway interdiction programs, 6 intelligence initiatives, 2 prevention initiatives, and 3 support initiatives. The partnership approach of HIDTA requires the commitment of personnel and resources from participating agencies that share a philosophy of protecting the citizens of our states and communities from the harms of drug trafficking and abuse.
HIDTA works to identify, target, and dismantle the most violent and prolific drug trafficking organizations in the Midwest, covering seventy-three designated counties in the states of South Dakota as well Illinois, Iowa, Kansas, Missouri, Nebraska, and North Dakota. This region has a population of over 15 million and covers 428,000 square miles, making it one of the largest of the 33 HIDTAs in the United States. In 2020 Midwest HIDTA agencies seized 31,762 pounds of marijuana, 3,521 pounds of methamphetamine, 422 pounds of Fentanyl, 518 pounds of cocaine, 245 pounds of heroin, over $28 million in cash and assets, and investigated 754 drug trafficking operations, 64% of which were designated as international or multi-state.
“It is an honor to work alongside these law enforcement professionals,” said Natvig. “I look forward to continuing to foster the partnerships that DCI and the State of South Dakota have due to HIDTA and continuing to work together to track down and prosecute drug traffickers.”
DCI Director Natvig (r), with HIDTA Executive Director Jeffrey B. Stamm.
Photo credit South Dakota Division of Criminal Investigation.
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