News Photo by Reagan Voetberg Alpena Police Department Officer Aaron Kwiatkowski holds up a drug test in this photo from March 4.

ALPENA — The drug most commonly found in investigations by The Huron Undercover Narcotics Team (HUNT) is methamphetamine, at a staggering 80% of cases in 2024, according to HUNT’s 2024 report.

There are three primary reasons for that, HUNT Commander Lt. Ray Rollet said.

First, methamphetamine is widely available. Methamphetamine is a synthetic drug, meaning it doesn’t need to be made from plants, like opioids, for instance. This makes it much faster to produce. Rollet said the Mexican cartels have figured out how to mass produce methamphetamine and make it cheap. The drug is distributed through the U.S. highway system.

Secondly, methamphetamine is highly addictive. Someone could be off the drug for 10 years in prison and immediately return to using upon release, Rollet said. People have a lot of trouble getting off of it.

Finally, the cost of methamphetamine makes it easily accessible. The cost for 30 doses is about as much as a case of beer, Rollet said.

“As far as why people start using it, I couldn’t point to one specific reason why someone would start using something like that,” he said.

In 2024, there were 82 investigations and 73 people arrested on 85 counts, according to the report.

HUNT officers will begin an investigation whenever they receive reliable information or a tip from a community member.

“If anyone calls in a tip, or if we have info, we’re going to investigate that,” Rollet said.

Not every investigation leads to an arrest. Reasons for that vary from old information to unfounded information, or information that is just not credible. Sometimes, there is not enough evidence to find probable cause, which is a reasonable basis to believe that a crime has occurred.

HUNT seized $22,721 worth of property in 2024, and received $13,000 in forfeiture proceeds.

The reason HUNT reports forfeiture is ultimately to deter drug dealing, Rollet said. Those that choose to deal drugs know that their vehicle or money they’ve earned from selling drugs may be seized. If a forfeiture goes through, the money earned can be put back into reducing drug dealing and overdose deaths in HUNT’s area of operation.

Forfeiture is never the focus of an investigation, Rollet said, but it is a deterrent for drug dealers.

The street value of drugs seized in 2024 was $32,697, about a $20,000 decrease from 2023.

The primary reason for that decrease is the personnel transitions going on at HUNT, Rollet said. Former HUNT Commander Lt. Stu Sharp retired in April, and there were a number of detectives on the team that were changed out in the past year. Rollet said he expects a drastic increase in the statistics in 2025 once the newer detectives are caught up to speed.

Rollet said he believes that HUNT has done a great job of putting drug dealers in jail, evidenced by his observation that you don’t see drug dealers out in the open or on street corners in Northeast Michigan.

HUNT has been a deterrent for that kind of activity, he said.

Reagan Voetberg can be reached at 989-358-5683 or rvoetberg@TheAlpenaNews.com.