{"id":34194,"date":"2017-03-16T14:25:05","date_gmt":"2017-03-16T18:25:05","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.unionvilletimes.com\/?p=34194"},"modified":"2017-03-16T14:25:09","modified_gmt":"2017-03-16T18:25:09","slug":"hogan-to-chair-regional-drug-strike-force","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.unionvilletimes.com\/?p=34194","title":{"rendered":"Hogan to chair regional drug strike force"},"content":{"rendered":"
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From left to right: Sam Rabadi, Special Agent in Charge, from the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco & Firearms, the outgoing Chair of HIDTA; District Attorney Tom Hogan; SAC Gary Tuggle; and HIDTA Executive Director Jerry Daley .<\/p><\/div>\n

Chester County District Attorney Tom Hogan has been named Chair of the region’s High Intensity Drug Trafficking Area (“HIDTA”) Program Executive Board. <\/span>Gary Tuggle, Special Agent in Charge of the Drug Enforcement Administration –\u00a0 <\/span><\/span>Philadelphia Division, has been named Vice Chair of HIDTA.<\/span><\/p>\n

“It <\/span>is an honor for the Chester County District Attorney’s Office to work with our colleagues on the HIDTA Program,” Hogan said in a statement, Thursday.\u00a0“<\/span>From dismantling violent drug trafficking organizations to combating the heroin and opioid epidemic, HIDTA has proven to be an effective tool in creating law enforcement collaboration across all levels. When we work together, the bad guys don’t stand a chance.<\/span>“<\/p>\n

Hogan has been praised for his aggressive fight against drug rings in Chester County.<\/p>\n

“District Attorney Hogan <\/span>brings both passion and leadership <\/span>to our Executive Board, qua<\/span>lities <\/span>never more needed than now, in the midst this region’s and the nation’s opioid crisis,”Jerry Daley, the Executive Director of the regional HIDTA Program, stated. “His experience <\/span>as both an Assistant United States Attorney and county District Attorney is of great benefit to our efforts, as he has investigated <\/span>and\u00a0 <\/span>prosecuted\u00a0 <\/span>cases\u00a0 <\/span>in\u00a0 <\/span>both\u00a0 <\/span>the\u00a0 <\/span><\/span>federal\u00a0 <\/span>and\u00a0 <\/span>state\u00a0 <\/span><\/span>court\u00a0 <\/span>systems<\/span>.\u00a0 <\/span><\/span>Tom\u00a0<\/span>is tremendously well-respected and highly regarded for his intellect\u00a0and character\u00a0by all of our board members\u00a0 and participating agencies.”<\/p>\n

Hogan expressed strong support for his new Vice Chair.<\/p>\n

“Gary Tuggle and DEA are outstanding partners in the HIDTA program,” Hogan said. “Gary is experienced, innovative, and possesses a tremendous energy and commitment to his job. DEA provides valuable\u00a0 <\/span>assets\u00a0<\/span>every\u00a0 <\/span>day,\u00a0<\/span>from\u00a0<\/span>street\u00a0<\/span>agents to intelligence support.”<\/p>\n

The HIDTA Program is a collaborative team of federal, state, and local law enforcement agencies that coordinate efforts to attack drug issues across the region.<\/p>\n

The agencies involved include: the FBI, DEA, and ATF; the Pennsylvania and New Jersey Attorney General’s Offices; the District Attorney’s Offices for Philadelphia, Delaware County, and Chester County; the Philadelphia, Camden County, and New Castle County Police Departments; the United States Attorney’s Offices in Pennsylvania, New Jersey, and Delaware; the Pennsylvania State Police and New Jersey State Police; and numerous other agencies. The HIDTA Strike Force in this region covers Philadelphia, Pennsylvania; Camden County, New Jersey; New Castle County and Wilmington, Delaware; and Chester and Delaware Counties, Pennsylvania.<\/p>\n

There are 28 regional HIDTA programs across the United States.\u00a0 <\/span>The\u00a0 <\/span>program is funded by the Office of National Drug Control\u00a0 Policy.<\/p>\n

The region’s HIDTA-funded initiatives have executed multiple significant operations in the past few years. Some of those law enforcement achievements are as follows:<\/p>\n