EASTPOINT, Fla. (WTXL) - The Franklin County Sheriff's Office is making a new push to crack down on illegal drug use.
"It's not all about just putting people in jail," said A.J. Smith, Franklin County Sheriff. "It's about saving people, helping turn their lives around so we don't have them in jail."
The sheriff says meth is the "poor man's drug" in large part because it's becoming cheaper and more accessible to make, to the point where it's a growing problem in this county and the sheriff wants to put an end to it.
Friday morning, the sheriff was at "Millender's Mobile Home Park" in Eastpoint. He said that's where his team has charged and arrested several people with distribution and possession of meth. The sheriff says this renewed effort is a zero tolerance policy.
"It's been multi-generational. At some generation, we got to stop it, so enforcement is a big part of that," Smith asserted. "We've very aggressive with what we're doing -- patrol, stopping cars, finding drugs -- so, we're doing just a lot of very proactive law enforcement to slow it down."
While the intent of this operation is to cut down on crime, the sheriff wants to put plans in place to prevent this from becoming an issue and to help those recovering from drug addiction.
The sheriff says he wants to put a "drug court" in the county for after care and set up mentoring and education programs for the public.
The sheriff encourages you to report drug activity through an anonymous tipline. The number to call is 850-670-8470.
