The Wyoming Highway Patrol announced Tuesday that troopers had seized 24.5 pounds of fentanyl, 7,200 pounds of marijuana, 207 pounds of methamphetamine, and 5 pounds of cocaine in 2021.
“Numerous states continue to deal with an increase in drug overdoses, while controlled substance problems continue to be a problem in Wyoming,” the WHP release said, adding that it was a “crucial issue and needs to be addressed head-on.”
The numbers come as part of the agency’s 2021 overall activity report.
Distracted, reckless, and/or impaired driving was another issue troopers were “diligent” in addressing, the release said, adding the agency had investigated 4,779 crashes throughout the year.
720 impaired drivers were stopped and arrested, the WHP said.
Troopers in 2021 stopped a total of 104,615 vehicles. Of these, 29,506 speeding citations and 56,162 warnings were issued to passenger vehicles.
While patrolling the state highways and interstates, troopers recovered 30 stolen vehicles. They gave assistance to 19,982 motorists stopped along roadways due to mechanical issues, being out of fuel, or other reasons.
Of the 417,654 commercial trucks weighed, 33,952 were identified as overweight and 2,077 as oversize. Port of Entry Officers issued 204,411 permits and inspected 14,293 commercial vehicles, with 3,316 of these inspections resulting in an out-of-service violation, the report said.
“Despite being down 35 Troopers, 12 Dispatchers and 13 Port of Entry Officers, everyone is working extra hours to get the job done serving the public,” said WHP Colonel Kebin Haller in the release.
“I couldn’t be more proud of your achievements.”