File Photo About 105 grams of methamphetamine, seized in Alpena by the Huron Undercover Narcotics Team in 2020, appears on a scale in this photo provided by HUNT.

ALPENA — As is true in many parts of the country, Northeast Michigan is facing a widespread drug issue, and the Huron Undercover Narcotics Team (HUNT) is working hard to investigate and arrest those responsible for trafficking drugs into the area.

HUNT released their 2024 annual report which lays out the statistics for HUNT’s operations this past year. A physical copy of the report was received by the News on Wednesday.

The number of arrests conducted by HUNT has increased since 2022. In 2024, HUNT arrested 73 people for 85 drug-related charges. HUNT arrested 52 people in 2023 and 50 people in 2022.

Alcona County saw the most arrests by jurisdiction at 40%. Alpena City had 30% of arrests and Alpena County had 26%.

Of the 73 arrests made, 48 were tier one or tier two. Tier one arrests involve less than 20 grams or 10 units of a drug.

Tier two cases involve 20 to 49 grams or 10 to 29 units of a drug. Tier two also includes weapons, habitual offender, and conspiracy charges.

There were two tier three arrests made for 50 to 399 grams or 100 to 999 units of a substance. Tier three also includes arrests resulting in overdose death.

HUNT did not report a number for tier four arrests, which includes arrests for over 400 grams or 1,000 units of a substance. In 2023, there were zero tier four arrests.

Eighty percent of HUNT’s drug cases involved methamphetamine, a 4% uptick from 2023.

There were 53 total drug-related investigations. Forty-three of those investigations involved methamphetamine, four involved heroin, and three involved cocaine. There was one investigation each for marijauna, prescription opiates, and suboxone.

The majority of investigations were done in the City of Alpena and Alpena County, at 47% and 29% respectively. In Alcona County, HUNT performed 16% of their investigations in 2024.

HUNT also performed 27 investigations into fugitive locations and arrests.

HUNT reported 82 total investigations in 2024, an increase from 65 in 2023.

HUNT performed 43 searches, 29 using search warrants and 14 through consent or probable cause.

They reported seizing 257.44 grams of methamphetamine, worth $25,744 in street value. HUNT also seized 20.4 grams of cocaine, 10.81 grams of fentanyl, 12.2 units of heroin, 70 units of prescription opiates, as well as 2 firearms. The street value of all drugs seized in 2024 was $32,697. In 2023, HUNT seized $54,022 worth of drugs, a decrease of $21,325 in value. A similar figure, $53,325, was reported in 2022.

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