Several law enforcement agencies address drug use problem in Eastern North Carolina

GREENVILLE, N.C. (WITN) - Drug use in Eastern North Carolina continues to affect the lives of many.

According to Carteret County Sheriff Asa Buck, Carteret county has seen 100 overdose deaths over the past three years and the use of drugs is still thriving in ENC.

“Property crime, financial crime, personal crimes, personal violence, even sexual offenses that occur. We often see where there is a nexus to drugs. Either the person is addicted or under the influence.”

As the issue continues to grow, sheriffs in the east say it’s vital to get all sources of the drugs off the street.

“We try to get the folks at the bottom of the chain and go as high up as we can go,” Buck says.

Multiple law enforcement agencies say they did exactly that with Kuwain Green and Milton Williams.

Buck says, “The two individuals that we’re talking about here today, they were working and supplying a lot of cocaine to Carteret and Craven County.”

Craven County Sheriff Chip Hughes says approaching the issue aggressively is key.

“I think the way we deal with it is, we go after these drug dealers very aggressively. To us, it’s a priority because it’s taken more lives and affecting more people in our counties than anything else.”

The law enforcement agencies represented at the Carteret County Courthouse Wednesday say they’re not only focused on getting criminals off the street but also providing them with a number of resources to get back on the right track.

Green and Williams have already appeared in Carteret County District Court and are currently being held in the Carteret County Jail on several drug offenses.

Copyright 2023 WITN. All rights reserved.