On Tuesday morning, Hannibal Police held a press conference announcing the arrests of 26 individuals on various drug-related charges. 21 of those arrested were taken into custody for distribution, and the remaining five were arrested for felony possession of methamphetamine or heroin, two drugs which Hannibal's police chief cites as areas of concern for law enforcement.

Hannibal Police Chief Lyndell Davis
Kurt Parsons
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"My understanding from my drug detectives is that they're seeing an increase in the distribution of ice (crystal meth) in the community," said Chief Lyndell Davis. "Meth is still the predominate drug, especially in this particular roundup, but heroin is becoming a strong contender."

Davis says that law enforcement is concerned about the amount of heroin use and distribution in Hannibal because it is such a dangerous drug. "That causes a lot of concern with us... it (heroin) often leads to death, overdose."

During today's conference, Chief Davis spoke of why combating Hannibal's drug problem is a priority for his department. "We firmly believe, here at the police department, that illegal drug distribution... especially the use of it (illegal drugs) leads a lot to our violent crime, and we really focus on destabilizing that endeavor, so that we don't see the spikes in violent crime. Hopefully we can add to the quality of life in our community."

In addition to the problems of meth and heroin, Davis says that police are also combating prescription drug abuse. "Prescription drug abuse, as well as dealing prescription drugs, is also, sometimes, a very unreported problem, but it's a problem in our society, as well."

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