MCSO targets street level drug dealers

MARICOPA COUNTY, Ariz. (KSAZ) - MCSO deputies will soon be targeting street level drug dealers.

Sheriff Joe Arpaio announced the operation during a press conference Thursday.

It's called "Operation No Drug Bust Too Small," and Arpaio says it will focus on every illegal drug from marijuana to heroin.

The Sheriff believes there is a link between drugs and violent crime in Arizona and the nation. Of 26,000 people booked into MCSO jails, 1/4 of them faced drug charges, of that 1/4 at least 60% had criminal charges not related to narcotics.

The operation will use uniformed deputies, intelligence analysts, and posse volunteers.

Arpaio noted that this is an industry that is highly responsive to outside factors, from price fluctuations to technology.

He says that the Internet has emerged as a means through which customers purchase narcotics, both through websites and via direct email and instant message communication.