January 9th, 2020 by WCBC Radio

Gov. Jim Justice issued an Executive Order today, officially establishing the West Virginia Narcotics Intelligence Unit under the West Virginia Department of Military Affairs and Public Safety’s Intelligence Fusion Center.

The order will create a 21st century law enforcement unit to use state-of-the-art data analytics, forensic accounting, and support to every West Virginia law enforcement agency to crack down on drug trafficking activity.

Click here for a link to the Executive Order and to watch the Governor's announcement of the unit during his State of the State address

Gov. Justice announced the creation of the Intelligence Unit to West Virginia legislators at his State of the State Address Wednesday night.

“[ ] Tonight I am ordering Secretary Jeff Sandy to form a new unit called a Narcotics Intelligence Unit – a new unit at the Fusion Center – it will be a strike force,” Gov. Justice said. “I'm going to ask you for $1.9 million and I'm going to ask you to give us that to stop this terrible effort.

“I will promise you, promise you that if you are kind enough to give us that opportunity – and I want to say this as sincerely and as forcefully as a human being could ever say it – I want to look right in the camera and tell anybody, anybody that is trying to come into our state with drugs: We are going to bust your ass. That's all there is to it.”

The Intelligence Unit will be tasked with aiding West Virginia task forces and law enforcement agencies in the administration of criminal justice, including assisting in the detection, apprehension, detention, prosecution, and adjudication of accused persons or criminal offenders.