Columbus-area drug task force will have new focus on gang violence, Columbus Chief of Police says

The Columbus Chief of Police announced changes to the Metro Narcotics Task Force at a press conference Wednesday.

The task force will now be known as the Metro Narcotics and Gang Task Force, according to Chief Ricky Boren. This change is an effort to gain more information and eventually prosecute more individuals that violate gang laws in the Chattahoochee Valley.

“We want the bad guys in our community to know that if you’re a convicted felon in Columbus, Georgia, and you possess a firearm and you’re involved in drug activity, you’re going to jail,” Boren said.

Boren, alongside Chief Ray Smith of the Phenix City Police Department, Russell County Sheriff Health Taylor and other officials, outlined their plans for the new task force. In addition to enforcing drug violations, the task force will also focus attention on spreading information and prosecuting gang law violations across the valley.

According to Boren, there’s evidence that the people violating these laws are crossing between Georgia and Alabama to do so. U.S. Attorney Charlie Peeler applauded the decision to expand the task force to include gang investigations.

“We’re stronger together,” Peeler said. “Guns, gangs and drugs and other crimes don’t stop at county lines and they don’t stop at state lines.”

In addition to the expanded mission of the task force, Boren is also asking for maximum sentencing when it comes to gun and drug violations, as well as gang activity in the area.

The Metro Narcotics Task Force was first established in April 1989 to provide a network of narcotic trafficker intelligence between Columbus and Phenix City, as well as Muscogee County, Harris County and Russell County.

This story was originally published January 22, 2020 at 5:45 PM.