Operation Summer Heat 2.0 removes over $640,000 total value of drugs off the streets
FRANKFORT, Ky. (July 11, 2025) – Today, Gov. Andy Beshear announced that a New Kentucky Home is being created with fewer illegal drugs on the streets harming our families. The Kentucky State Police completed a successful Operation Summer Heat 2.0, targeting suspected drug networks operating in the commonwealth and leading to 197 arrests.
“Every Kentuckian should be safe and feel safe, and no Kentucky family should feel the pain of losing a loved one to addiction,” Gov. Beshear said. “Because of the Kentucky State Police, we are accomplishing both of these goals, and we are thankful for the agency’s dedication to every single one of our commonwealth’s communities.”
All 16 posts participated in Operation Summer Heat 2.0, and preliminary results indicate 197 arrests and 490 charges issued, along with the combined seizure of 3,002 grams of fentanyl, 1,176 grams of cocaine, 6,046 grams of methamphetamine, 408 grams of heroin, 600 fentanyl pills, 97 hydrocodone doses, 127 oxycodone doses and 67 doses of hallucinogens. Additionally, troopers confiscated 82 firearms, $181,381 in cash, and $200,000 worth of stolen property and also recovered a stolen vehicle. The estimated street value of the drugs collected exceeds $640,000. The investigation remains active, and more arrests are expected in the coming weeks.
“This mission was about more than making arrests, it was about disrupting the criminal enterprises that threatens the safety and health of Kentuckians,” KSP Commissioner Phillip Burnett Jr. said. “I am proud of our personnel, who worked tirelessly to take these dangerous drugs off the streets and who will continue working to keep every community safe.”
Initial arrests by state police post:
• Post 1, Mayfield: 7
• Post 2, Madisonville: 21
• Post 3, Bowling Green: 15
• Post 4, Elizabethtown: 30
• Post 5, Campbellsburg: 10
• Post 6, Dry Ridge: 6
• Post 7, Richmond: 11
• Post 8, Morehead: 7
• Post 9, Pikeville: 30
• Post 10, Harlan: 4
• Post 11, London: 12
• Post 12, Frankfort: 2
• Post 13, Hazard: 1
• Post 14, Ashland: 16
• Post 15, Columbia: 14
• Post 16, Henderson: 11
Last year, Operation Summer Heat saw 206 people arrested and nearly $685,000 worth of drugs removed from Kentucky streets.
The Kentucky State Police encourages the public to share any information related to drug activity by contacting one of its 16 posts or submitting an anonymous tip on the agency’s website.
For three straight years, overdose deaths have decreased in Kentucky. In 2024, the commonwealth saw a 30.2% decline in overdose deaths compared to the prior year.
Earlier this month, the Commonwealth of Kentucky released the 2024 Crime in Kentucky Report. The annual statewide report indicates serious crime rates have decreased by nearly 8%, including an 11.55% decrease in drug/narcotic offenses, a 12.7% decrease in homicide offenses and a 13.78% decrease in sex offenses.
In February, the Governor announced that Kentucky secured another low recidivism rate. Nearly 70% of people released from state custody over the past two years have not been re-incarcerated.
Since taking office, the administration has also awarded more than $12 million in grant funding to assist state and local law enforcement agencies with enhancing public and officer safety, curbing the sale of illegal drugs and fighting addiction.
Treatment Resources
If you or a loved one are struggling with addiction, the KY HELP Call Center can connect you to treatment by calling 833-8KY-HELP (833-859-4357).
Information about treatment programs all across the commonwealth is available at FindHelpNowKy.org. Information on how to obtain the life-saving drug naloxone, which is used to reverse an opioid overdose, can be found at that website as well as at FindNaloxoneNowKy.org and FindMentalHealthNowKy.org.
