Sheriff Kelly Martinez has been honored by the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration for her division’s efforts to fight fentanyl, officers stated Thursday.
DEA Administrator Terrance Cole introduced Martinez on Monday with the inaugural Administrator’s Special Recognition Award throughout the company’s Fentanyl Free America Summit in Florida, in line with the San Diego County Sheriff’s Office.
“This award is a reflection of the hard work and dedication being shown by the San Diego County Sheriff’s Office in keeping fentanyl off our streets and stopping the tragic effects of this dangerous opioid,” Martinez stated.
Martinez referred to as her participation within the summit a “powerful and moving experience,” noting the impression of assembly with households who’ve misplaced family members to the artificial opioid.
The DEA praised Martinez for prioritizing group engagement, outreach and enforcement to construct bridges with residents and inform the general public concerning the risks of fentanyl.
“Sheriff Martinez was at the forefront of recognizing the scope and destruction that the opioid, and subsequent fentanyl, epidemics would bring her community and the United States as a whole,” the DEA stated in a press release forward of the ceremony.
Martinez joined the sheriff’s workplace in 1985 and spent 22 years as a deputy sheriff, working in gang, narcotics and prison intelligence investigations. When she took workplace as sheriff in 2022, she launched a multi- pronged method to the disaster.
Her technique combines enforcement to dismantle trafficking networks, training and prevention packages and harm-reduction measures, together with widespread distribution of naloxone, a medicine used to reverse opioid overdoses, in line with the sheriff’s workplace.
The DEA stated the technique has saved lives and contributed to a major decline in fentanyl-related deaths each regionally and nationally.
James Nunnallee, the DEA’s particular agent in cost in San Diego, referred to as Martinez an distinctive accomplice of their shared mission to guard the general public.
“She is committed not only to public safety but to building stronger, safer communities where families can thrive,” Nunnallee stated.
In current years, the sheriff’s workplace has labored with native and state lawmakers to safe funding for its Fentanyl Abatement and Suppression Team, which focuses on seizing illicit fentanyl and arresting regional traffickers.
Martinez credited the San Diego County Board of Supervisors, particularly Supervisors Joel Anderson and Monica Montgomery Steppe, in addition to the state of California and state Sen. Brian Jones for offering the important funding to strengthen investigations.
“Regional partnerships matter, and we remain committed to working together to keep our communities safe,” Martinez stated.