From Seward County Sheriff Gene Ward

On Tuesday, April 15th, 2025, members of the Seward County Sheriff’s Office and Haskell County Sheriff’s Officer, who are assigned to the Southwest Kansas Drug Task Force, were honored in their efforts by receiving this year’s Kansas Narcotics Officer’s Association Drug Unit of the Year.
Currently, the Southwest Kansas Drug Task Force is made up of law enforcement officers from the Seward County Sheriff’s Office and the Haskell County Sheriff’s Office. In 2024, it was recognized there was an ever-increasing drug crisis in their respective communities and throughout the southwest Kansas region. With this apparent need in mind, the Multi-Jurisdiction Drug Enforcement Task Force, dubbed the “Southwest Kansas Drug Task Force”, was formed to combat these drug offenders.
In its inaugural year, the Southwest Kansas Drug Task Force saw immediate and significant success combating drug trafficking and distribution in the southwest Kansas region. Through their investigations, the Southwest Kansas Drug Task Force directly seized 13 pounds of methamphetamine and 39 pounds of cocaine that was destined to be distributed in the southwest Kansas region. Their efforts caused the availability of drugs to plummet and the prices to sky rocket. The conducting of countless debriefs revealed subjects could no longer easily purchase their drug of choice within the Southwest Kansas Drug Task Force jurisdictions and were forced to go to other jurisdictions to purchase the drugs. This is a testament to the impact the Southwest Kansas Drug Task Force has had within their communities.
A great example of the effect the Southwest Kansas Drug Task Force has had in our community is an investigation into a cocaine and methamphetamine distributor that utilized the parcel service to receive 2 to 4 pounds of drugs at a time. This investigation resulted in search warrants conducted in a home in which 3 children were removed from the home and placed into protective custody. The children’s ages were 9 years old, 6 years old and a baby only 5 months old. The methamphetamine and cocaine seized from the search warrant was located in the bedroom of these children. There was methamphetamine out in the open to be weighed and packaged. In this environment, methamphetamine was found on the nipple of the baby’s bottle. All 3 children tested positive for having methamphetamine in their systems when taken into protective custody. There is no doubt in my mind the efforts by the Southwest Kansas Drug Task Force saved the lives of these children who were subject to a horrific environment.
I would like to commend the members of the Southwest Kansas Drug Task Force in recognition of their incredible efforts and in being honored with the prestigious award of the 2024 Kansas Narcotics Officer’s Association Drug Unit of the Year.

Sheriff Gene Ward