You don’t have to possess a high level of intelligence to know Harrison County has a major drug problem. All you need is access to any form of media to read about it on an almost daily basis.

 

What you may not know is that as the level of drugs being used and the dangerous variety of them increased, so too has the type of person delivering the drugs. Sure, there are still many of the locals that peddle drugs from their homes, parking lots or other accessible spots in the area. But there are plenty of names that aren’t familiar to anyone beyond the drug culture.

 

When stories appear from U.S. Attorney William Ihlenfeld II’s office, the arrest are often from out of state – places such as Pittsburgh and Detroit often seem to top the lift. And while many of those are individuals simply taking advantage of the price markup that any dealer can make by purchasing in a big city and then selling it here, some of the individuals are bringing more than just a petty criminal rap sheet.

 

More than once at press conferences involving drug busts of a significant nature, there have been mention by officials of “Crips.” You remember them from the movie Colors? If not, they’re one of the most notorious street gangs in the United States; founded in the late 1960s in Los Angeles. In the movie, the Crips – and their color of blue – and their rival gang the Bloods – color red – are documented and a theatrical look at the violent underbelly of the drug culture is shown.

 

Unfortunately, the underbelly is now in our neck of the wood. Not just near us, but among us. Recently, I had a chance to talk with a long-time member of what is now the Harrison County Violent Crimes and Drug Task Force about whether or not there really is a significant presence of Crips and Bloods – legitimate hardcore gangsters – in our area.

 

“It’s not significant, but they’re here. The Bloods and Crips we see are migrators. They come in and they get out in most situatins,” said DTF member said. “It’s not like in other cities. There is no clubhouse and they’re not marking off territory against one another.

 

“I’ve talked with some of the gang members, most of them out of Pennsylvania, and there’s one thing they say about the Crips and Bloods that’s different than what people think about them when it comes to this area,” the officer continued. “Once they’re out of Pennsylvania and heading this way, they forget about their gang colors. The only color they care about is green as in the color of money, and they can get plenty of that color here.”

 

The officer said most of the involvement in this area is from members of the Crips gang that come out of McKeesport in a housing development known as Crawford Village. The gang is known as CV 105.

 

“We have to look at their activity in two ways. Were they sent here as an organized plan of the gang or is it just a gang member doing some rogue stuff on their own? Getting that information, that it’s an enterprise venture, isn’t always the easiest thing to do,” the officer said.

 

Organization has been involved in the past. The local Drug Task Force worked with the FBI and other agencies several years ago for a massive sting in our area that netted 30 arrests. Seventeen of the arrests were local and 13 of the arrests involved individuals from Crawford Village.

 

The cases can be alarming. Gang members would come here with drugs and use that in exchange for guns in a barter system that could have deadly consequences. But anything is on the table if the profit is available. As it turns out, capitalism’s prime core of supply and demand is understood nicely by those that deal.

 

“Geographically, we’re ripe for the picking and we have a demand. We’re a community that wants the drugs. If you have someone wanting to buy the drugs, then you’ll have someone willing to sell the drugs,” the officer said.

 

The officer cautioned that when the term “gang” is used it often creates a knee jerk reaction. At the same time, the officer said, there’s validity to the fact that they’re here. Along with cases involving Crips – the Harrison County Street Crimes and Drugs (SCAD) unit just recently arrested Crips members at an Eastpointe hotel – there is currently work being done on a case involving the Bloods. And it’s probably not a surprise that the case has its origins in Pittsburgh.

 

Thirty years ago, the possibility of street gangs that originated in Los Angeles having a presence in Bridgeport, Clarksburg, Harrison County and our entire region would seem impossible. But, it’s changed. The drug culture that permeates the area has caused problems that, despite the best efforts of law enforcement, doesn’t appear to be going away anytime soon and spreading slowly and dangerously like lava.

 

“It’s apples and oranges from the way it used to be. It’s 10 times worse than 20 years ago. Back when I started if you had a guy selling 20 bags of weed that was a huge deal. Now, unless it involves selling to kids or there is violence involved something like that ends up on the backburner. It’s a harsh reality we deal with and something we struggle with and we know community members struggle with,” the officer said.

 

The officer is keenly aware that in many situations the public’s problems with drugs go as far as perhaps a neighbor dealing or neighborhood home that’s doing petty dealing. And often, as mentioned, it’s at the bottom of the list.

 

What it comes down to is manpower and resources. There’s only so much available to fight the drug battle and those dealing the drugs have endless supplies of cash and workers. Knowing that the Crips and Bloods are in the mix not only makes things worse, it just should let everyone know that things aren’t what they used to be.

 

It’s still our little town, our little community, but there are those here causing damage. And they are the types with a proven background that shows they don’t care who they hurt along the way if that becomes necessary. Keep that in mind and stay vigilant. Most importantly, watch out for yourselves, your friends and one another.

 

Editor's Note: Top photo shows a member of the Harrison County Drug Task Force (in mask) during a Bath Salts drug raid in 2012 with other law enforcement agencies, while the bottom photo shows heroin seized last month that was brought into Harrison County by members of the Crips gang out of Pennsylvania.