New battlefields open in Ocean County's struggle to slam a lid on its drug epidemic. A sweep of Lacey Township High School this morning advances County Prosecutor Joseph Coronato's rapidly-unfolding multi-tiered offensive.

Police dog in a hallway at Lacey High School
Police dog in a hallway at Lacey High School (ABC 7)
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Witnesses reported seeing K-9 teams sweeping through the hallways, but law enforcement officials remain mum on the results. The initiative began last month at Toms River High School East.

Sources close to the Prosecutor's Office stress that the probes are not a generalization of any school population, but they tell us that the element of surprise is a valuable weapon to trap narcotics dealers.

Tomorrow night's "Can We Talk" forum at the Stafford Township Arts Center represents a growing educational component that Coronato is building. Its aim is to foster candid family discussion about the lures and dangers of drugs in order to curb the county's alarming overdose trend.

This year's total of 104 overdose deaths is more than double the number recorded in 2012 in the county.

 

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