60 suspects charged in Covington drug roundup

COVINGTON, KY (FOX19) - Covington Police said Thursday that 60 suspects have been charged resulting from a four month investigation with the suspects wanted for drug trafficking predominately in heroin.

Covington Police Chief Spike Jones said the investigation targeted the sale of illicit narcotics from the Madison Avenue business district and surrounding areas including Scott, Greenup, Pike and Philadelphia streets.

"The investigation was an extensive effort to combat the growing heroin epidemic in our region," Jones said. "Several of the suspects in the investigation have extensive criminal histories."

Jones says they are not attempting to put band-aids on the heroin epidemic. Rather, he strives to find a permanent solution to the problem.

"We're optimistic we'll make up to 60 arrests related to this investigation. We think that will put a considerable dent. We also realize it won't put an end to the problem," adds Jones.

Jones says the problem is far from gone and continuing investigations is paramount.

"Just because we have a sizeable number of arrests in one day, doesn't mean that we're not investigating tomorrow, and that's what we're continuing to do," says Jones.

Agencies assisting Covington Police include the Kentucky Division of Probation and Parole, the Kentucky National Guard and the FBI.

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