By ANDY GARDNER

CANTON -- In light of a large-scale drug bust that took down more than 100 suspects, many of whom were involved with heroin, a North Country state senator says Albany is looking at bringing more drug treatment beds to the North Country.

“There’s been talk of that,” Sen. Patty Ritchie, R-Heuvelton, said when asked if state officials would like to see more treatment options in the area. She was speaking at a press conference in Canton on Friday.

“This year in the budget there was an allocation put forward to deal with drugs and drug addiction. That’s a main focus going forward,” Ritchie said.

The bust, known among law enforcement as “Operation Gravy Train,” took down more than 100 people around the North Country, elsewhere in New York state and as far away as New Jersey. They are accused of running organized networks that distributed cocaine, heroin and fentanyl, according to the state Attorney General's Office, which lead the investigation.

Sheriff Kevin Wells said most of those arrested were “people dealing to those people who need treatment beds.”

[img_assist|nid=200158|title=Above are packets of heroin seized as part of Thursday’s arrests. North Country Now photo by Andy Gardner.|desc=|link=none|align=right|width=250|height=161]

“We know we can’t arrest our way out of this situation, we (police) need to be our piece of it,” the sheriff said. “The addictions issue … isn’t just young, it spreads across all the ages.”

Wells said he feels the bust was a step towards improving the quality of life in the area and that police needed to “arrest those people who will prey upon our towns.”

“We’re dealing with tragedies and expense to our healthcare system. [The drug problem] is hurting our schools, hurting everything,” Wells said at the press conference.”

Ritchie said Albany gave funding to St. Lawrence County law enforcement after she met last year with the county Drug Task Force.

“A while back, the drug task force gave me a call and asked if I could take a few minutes to meet with them,” she said. “From that … I was able to secure additional funds to pay for this operation.

“It’s resources well spent.”

Following the event, the senator released a prepared statement and praised all of the law enforcement involved in the case.

“Combating the drug epidemic is tough and requires a multi-pronged approach,” she said. “On behalf of St. Lawrence County residents, I would like to thank Sheriff Wells and the brave men and women of the Drug Task Force, the Massena Police Department, the New York State Police and Homeland Security for their dedication to keep our communities safe.”