FORSYTH COUNTY, N.C. — Millions of dollars worth of drugs were seized in Forsyth County last month alone.
Just to break it down further, over 2 million dollars worth of cocaine was seized. Winston-Salem police said that alone, is more than half of what they’ve seen total over the last 6 months.
Law enforcement and a local organization explain this is huge, but the fight isn’t over.
The Forsyth County Sheriff’s Office made this post, detailing all that was seized in May by the Forsyth County Drug Task Force.
This task force includes the Forsyth County Sheriff's Office, Kernersville PD, and Winston-Salem PD.
News like this is what Susan Kelley Stevens strives for.
“Getting it off the streets is an amazing start because that's so many people that will not die,” Stevens said.
Back in 2018, Stevens and her husband lost their 22-year-old daughter Toria after she overdosed.
"Toria was a cheerleader and an outstanding child in our community. She cheered in the national competitions for the Forsyth County Broncos,” Stevens explained.
Since then, Stevens started an organization called Tealdrops to End Opioid Abuse, focusing on drug prevention.
She told WFMY that drugs do not discriminate so it's very important to get drugs off the street.
Winston-Salem Police Department Lt. crystal Pritchard said the month of May was a significant month.
“The drugs themselves, I mean, they're dangerous. They harm, they affect all of us, our families. All of us have had some kind of impact by drugs in our lives,” Lt. Pritchard explained.
Lt. Pritchard said officers conduct long investigations in order to get to those numbers but can’t pump the brakes, more needs to be done.
“So they definitely have a passion for this kind of investigation. And they're definitely positive about what they have been able to accomplish and still understand that they have to continue to work hard to disrupt those organizations and keep them out of our community,” Lt. Pritchard said.
There are ways you can help the Forsyth County Drug Task Force. The task force said, if you see something, say something. You can call Crimestoppers at 336-727-2800 or text the Real-Time Crime Center for the Winston-Salem Police Department which is their text the tip line: 336-276-1717.
For Spanish-speaking individuals for Crimestoppers, the number is 336-728-3904.
Susan Stevens just partnered with the Forsyth County Sheriff's Office.
The sheriff's office purchased 300 prevention kits from Stevens that includes a coloring book for children that pledge to protect prescription drugs from being misused or abused.
Her daughter painted the bulldog in the coloring book before dying from an overdose.