During the Thursday, Feb. 13, the Holbrook City Council welcomed Navajo County Sheriff David Clouse who informed them on the rising opioid issue in the area and the work being done with the Holbrook Police Department.
During his presentation, Clouse mentioned that one of the major issues they are witnessing within the county is a rise in fentanyl distribution and overdoses. Following the meeting, Sheriff Clouse was asked to elaborate on where the opioid problem is most prevalent. “We’re seeing it in Winslow all the way to Show Low and Pinetop, all throughout Navajo County and the neighboring counties as well,” said Clouse, adding that there is a real concern that it is becoming more prevalent in young adults.
Because of the rise in counterfeit prescription drug distribution, Clouse was asked if all that has been part of the problem. “We haven’t had any where they didn’t know it was Fentanyl.”
The Sheriff was asked how they plan to tackle the rising issue. “We are aggressively targeting our dealers. Working up cases to target those that are distributing it. We are doing more surveillance (and) more interdiction efforts. Obviously looking to, with strict enforcement and education, getting out in front of the issue.
The Sheriff was asked if NCSO is seeing the deadly drug coming directly out of Holbrook. He said that although the drug has made its presence known in Holbrook, it is not one of the places throughout Navajo County that is supplying it. The Sheriff said that a lot of the problem is coming from areas outside of Holbrook.
Although there were no statistics available during the time of the interview, Clouse said that cases have been going up over the last few years. “It was something we saw introduced in the State of Arizona a few years back and we kind of saw it in the metropolitan areas and it slowly integrated into Northeastern Arizona. Recently, in the last few months we’ve been seeing more and more cases,” said Clouse.
He noted that his department is working to educate people on the dangers of this drug to help the public to understand the severity of the situation. “This is a very dangerous drug. For years we and parents have been telling kids to stay off drugs, drugs will harm your body. This is a very, very dangerous drug. Fentanyl is 10,000 times more potent than any hydrocodone and oxycontin. It’s a very strong drug and it is proving to be very fatal and we’re seeing too many people that are experimenting with it and the effects are 10 times stronger than heroin. Basically, you’re playing Russian Roulette every time you use it,” said Clouse.
Anyone who has information about illegal distribution of fentanyl is encouraged to contact their local authorities or NCSO at (928) 524-3991. Anyone seeking drug education and prevention information can contact Vicky Solomon who heads the Nexus Coalition for Drug Prevention in Navajo County.
During the council meeting, Clouse also noted the arrest statistics on the work taking place between Holbrook Police Department and Navajo County Sheriff’s Office (NCSO). He reported that in 2019, NCSO responded to 654 calls, which is above the average from the previous years. Clouse added that there were 757 booked into the Navajo County Jail and there were 63 agency assists between Holbrook and NCSO. He explained that there were 49 child interviews conducted by NCSO’s forensic interviewer for the City of Holbrook.
