RAPID CITY, S.D. – For the second year in a row, the Unified Narcotics Enforcement Team (UNET) of Rapid City, received a Midwest High Intensity Drug Trafficking Area (HIDTA) Award, in the category of Outstanding Investigative Effort for the recent “Operation Polyonomous.”
Each year the award is given to members who have made significant contributions in reducing drug trafficking. The presentation took place on May 10, 2022, during the South Dakota Narcotics Officers Association annual conference in Deadwood.
“It is a high honor for the task force to again be recognized with this award. 37 personnel to include a combination of investigators, troopers, analysts, and attorneys were involved in and recognized for their outstanding achievements and significant contributions related to Operation Polyonomous,” said Steve Ardis, Supervisory Special Agent for the Western Region of the South Dakota Division of Criminal Investigation (DCI).
Operation Polyonomous was a 10-month investigation that led to one of the largest seizures in South Dakota history. The seizures included the following:
72 Pounds of Methamphetamine
10 Pounds of Cocaine
6.25 Pounds of Heroin
6000 M30 Fentanyl pills
Over $175,000 in Cash
4 vehicles
13 Firearms (some altered/short barreled)
“The coordination and cooperation among these agencies allow us to identify, disrupt and dismantle drug traffickers, money launderers and transnational criminal organizations,” said Casey Kenrick, Sergeant of the UNET from the Pennington County Sheriff’s Office.
