TERRE HAUTE, Ind. (WTWO/WAWV) — Federal authorities are hoping a tool recently launched in the Wabash Valley can help target large drug trafficking operations.

Zachary Myers is the U.S. attorney for the Southern District of Indiana. Myers said the federal government has brought a number of major federal prosecutions against meth trafficking organizations that impact the local area.

However, Myers also said the trafficking of fentanyl has also become a problem. Myers mentioned that the federal program recently added to Vigo County can become a helpful tool in addressing the issue.

“One of the things we’ve done is we’ve created a high-intensity drug trafficking area, or the Wabash Valley HITDA, which is a partnership of law enforcement agencies working with the federal government, to have the resources we need to take on some of these bigger drug trafficking organizations,” Myers said.

Myers said there was an uptick in violent crimes and drug-related crimes during the pandemic and that those crimes are still high, and drug overdoses remain far too frequent.