County to partner with Missoula Drug Task Force

The Missoula Police Department is a member of the High Intensity Drug Trafficking Area Task Force, comprised of other local, state and federal law enforcement agencies.

Mineral County has just become a member of this esteemed society.

Lt. Sean Manraksa, of the Missoula Police Department, who is assigned to the Missoula Drug Task Force, and Mineral County Sheriff Ryan Funke signed a memorandum of understanding linking the law enforcement teams to work fighting all aspects of the illegal drug markets.

“The MDTF likes to work with neighboring counties as we’re a multi-jurisdictional task force and we recently started working with Ryan [Funke] about drug trafficking through Mineral County. We easily found some common ground and this MOU seals a partnership,” Manraksa explained. “There is no shortage of work in terms of drug trafficking, distribution and possession. We can dedicate some resources to help out his office.”

Some of those resources Manraksa referred to are training and education for the MCSO deputies.

“We will be giving them experience and repetitions in drug cases, not just to come in and take over, but to assist them through investigations so they will see better prosecutions not only in the state and county level but in the federal system as well.”

During his campaign for Mineral County Sheriff, Funke shared that drugs are going through and even being dispersed in the county and vowed to seek additional assistance for the problem.

After the election, but even before he was sworn in as the new sheriff, Funke said he was mending fences with law enforcement agencies that may have had sour experiences in the past with the Sheriff's Office, plus developing a new network of support.

“This is a landmark move and operation for our county”, said Funke. “This collaboration between the MDTF and our office has automatically opened pre-made relationships that are all dedicated to the same fight on drugs and drug trafficking.”

In the first four months of last year, the MDTF seized 21.5pounds of meth, 420 fentanyl pills, 59 grams of powdered fentanyl and 2.6 ounces of heroin in Missoula.

How much of this traveled on I-90 right through Mineral County?

The MDTF will be sending one of their agents to the Mineral County Sheriff’s Office one full day every week at no cost to the county. This is where specialized training, education, assistance with cases and investigations will become the invaluable help that Funke knows we need.

“Mineral County will be receiving the lion’s share of the benefit of this MOU, and I am absolutely OK with that. I feel Mineral County deserves that and this will only help all agencies in expanding cases and taking down and disrupting and dismantling drug trafficking organizations,” Manraksa said.