VFW Honors Local Law Enforcement for Operation ADABAG

Local law enforcement officers involved in last years Operation ADABAG have been honored as the VFW Fourth District Law Enforcement Team of the Year.

Representatives of Law Enforcement Involved in Operation ADABAG

The award was presented to Lt. Mike Life, Head of the Junction City-Geary County Drug Task Force, and his team of officers who led Operation ADABAG. Life’s team included officers from not only the Junction City Police Department, Geary County Sheriff’s Department and the Grandview Plaza Police Department but the Riley County Police Department and the Kansas Bureau of Investigations as well. In total 180 law enforcement officers from around the state were involved in Operation ADABAG.

Operation ADABAG was an investigation into the distribution of crack cocaine in Geary and Riley counties which began in April of 2012. The investigation led to the execution of numerous search warrants in both counties on May 8th, which led to the arrest of 112 persons from Junction City, Grandview Plaza, Manhattan, Ogden, Topeka, Olathe, Kansas City and Wichita.

Lt. Mike Life accepting the Law Enforcement Team of the Year Award

Carter Oliver, VFW Fourth District Senior Vice Commander, explained that those involved in Operation ADABAG were nominated for the award by the Junction City VFW Post 8773.

“From post this packet was moved to district level. Fourth District has 18 VFW Post’s and Lt. Mike Life, and his team of officers, again beat out other Post’s entries to place 1st place for Fourth District. For this I applaud you.”

Tim Brown, Junction City Police Chief, said that the award recognizes the hard work and effort that the law enforcement officers involved put into the investigation.

“The hard work and effort that they put in for over a year to culminate this investigation back in May and to be recognized for those activities speaks well of the VFW and what it is that we’re trying to do for the city of Junction City.”

Brown said that of the 112 arrested during the investigation 16 of them have been charged federally and a number of them have plead guilty in District Court and some have gone to prison.

” I think when all is said and done I think it was well planned out, well thought out and a benefit for Junction City,” Brown said.