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Heroin drug bust in the capital city
Posted: 12.07.2011 at 7:27 PM
Updated: 12.08.2011 at 1:25 PM
Meghan Lane

Meghan is a Live at Sunrise anchor.

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JEFFERSON CITY -- At about two o'clock Tuesday afternoon the swat team surrounded a home in the 1400 block of east miller in Jefferson City which is where they found a substantial amount of heroin.

The two people arrested in the drug bust now face charges.

29 year old Benjamin Nilges and 21 year old Haley Johnson are both facing two felony counts and two misdemeanor drug charges.

There also was a one-week old child in the home.

When the SWAT team entered, Nilges and Johnson were sitting on the couch packaging heroin for distribution.

Last month we told you how heroin is a growing problem here in mid Missouri.

Cole County Sheriff Greg White and Jefferson City police Captain Doug Shoemaker held a news conference Wednesday afternoon to discuss the drug and they admitted mid Missouri has a problem.

"Questions have arisen about heroin is there a particular problem in the area,” White said. “There's a drug problem, we've had a drug problem for years."

"We've seen a number of possible heroin/opiate overdose issues throughout the past few years," Shoemaker said.

Both Shoemaker and White said something needs to be done.

But said it will take more than just the two law enforcement agencies joining forces to combat the rampant drug use, they need the community's help.

"I think the key to this is community involvement and getting everybody else involved with it,” Shoemaker said. “It's not just a law enforcement problem, it's a community problem."

White believes they can battle the drug through education, enforcement and treatment.

We have one of the highest educational levels of anywhere in the state of Missouri,” White said. “We have bright people, that when you give them good information, do a great job processing that data and coming to very legitimate conclusions. We like partnering with our citizens."

Shoemaker said they aren't going to reinvent the wheel when it comes to fighting the heroin problem.

They're consulting other cities, along with other agencies like the d-e-a, and the highway patrol.

Both White and Shoemaker said they are compiling data to understand the extent of the heroin problem in mid Missouri.

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