Sheriff of Major Arizona County Deploys SwabTek® to Secure County and Border Against Fentanyl Trafficking

SwabTek® deployed by Pinal County Sheriff

SwabTek® deployed by Pinal County Sheriff

Pinal County, Texas, is the latest leader in law enforcement to adopt SwabTek® test kits as their primary narcotics identification tool.

Our goal is simple. We aim to get narcotics off the streets, which will help save lives. SwabTek helps us better accomplish this goal.”

— Sheriff Mark Lamb of Pinal County, Arizona

SAN DIEGO, CALIFORNIA, USA, July 19, 2022 /EINPresswire.com/ -- Sheriff Mark Lamb of Pinal County, Arizona has joined the growing list of law enforcement leaders to adopt SwabTek test kits as the primary narcotics identification tool for their organizations. The new effort will see the Pinal County Sheriff’s office deploy 125 SwabTek Counter-Narcotics Go Bags, featuring tests for Fentanyl, Heroin, Cocaine, Amphetamines and Cannabis. The deployment of SwabTek Counter-

Narcotics Go Bags is an important component of the Sheriff’s comprehensive approach to policing narcotics in Pinal County.

Pinal County, which covers much of the area between Phoenix and Tucson, is Arizona's third-most populous county and is one of the many US counties that has experienced a rise in narcotics trafficking. “We estimate forty percent of all drugs coming in to the US come across the borders of Arizona. Much of that must pass through Pinal County on its way to all corners of the country,” said Sheriff Mark Lamb.

Concerns over the volume of drugs passing through the region are now coupled with concern over the deadliness of the drugs being trafficked. According to a report from the federal Commission on Combating Synthetic Opioid Trafficking, Mexico has now become the “dominant source” of Fentanyl in the United States, principally trafficked by land across the US’ southern border. Fentanyl is a type of synthetic opioid that has been the primary driver of the US opioid epidemic. The drug is 50 times more potent than heroin, and the Center for Disease Control estimates that it has been responsible for more than 100,000 overdose deaths in the US over the past year.

With the opioid crisis reaching dangerous new heights, it is essential that enforcement personnel at critical junctures in narcotics trafficking have the tools they need to do their jobs effectively and safely. Properly equipping law enforcement in border states with counter-narcotics tools is an essential piece of policing narcotics and keeping the country at large safe.

SwabTek’s narcotics identification tests will provide a simple, safe, and cost-effective means for Pinal County deputies to screen for narcotics. The highly durable and easily transportable format of the tests will provide an invaluable tool for field use. In addition, the instant and accurate results allow users to dramatically increase the throughput of their testing processes, allowing for more accurate testing to be conducted in less time.

"These Counter-Narcotics kits are a great tool for my Deputies to quickly and accurately identify narcotics in the field,” said Sheriff Lamb. “Our goal is simple. We aim to get narcotics off the streets, which will help save lives. SwabTek helps us better accomplish this goal.”

SwabTek narcotics detection test kits are now being used throughout Arizona in departments at the federal, state, and regional level. The novel technology has helped modernize narcotics field testing in the state for applications such as local policing, transportation enforcement, school and parks protection, and for counter-narcotics task forces.

One local department that has already deployed SwabTek to great results is the narcotics unit of the Casa Grande Police Department, located in Pinal County. Later this month, Casa Grande’s unit will be receiving an award from the Arizona Narcotics Officers Association, recognizing them as the state’s counter-narcotics group of the year. SwabTek narcotics test kits are one of the tools the Department utilizes to rid their streets of illegal drugs.

In addition to continuing new SwabTek deployments to departments across Arizona, the company will meet with representatives of the Arizona Governor’s Office this month to discuss potential strategies for the Border Strike Force initiative. SwabTek will also be exhibiting at a private training conference in the region. Conference attendees will each receive samples of SwabTek’s Fentanyl+ Test Kit, and agencies interested in deploying SwabTek’s technology are encouraged to connect with the company’s representatives at this event.

SwabTek is a US-based manufacturer that produces the world's only dry reagent detection tests for narcotics and explosives. SwabTek’s technology replaces hazardous liquid chemicals and complicated procedures with simple and safe, dry-reagent technology. SwabTek products are available online now at https://swabtek.com/collections/kits and offline by contacting a member of SwabTek’s team at sales@swabtek.com.