DAPHNE, Ala.—On the heels of a successful undercover drug bust in Daphne—in which 13 suspects with alleged ties to a local drug network were arrested—Baldwin County Sheriff Huey “Hoss” Mack at “Coffee with the Mayor” Thursday addressed concerns of a perceived drug problem in the area.

When asked if he thought the Baldwin County Sheriff’s Office and local police departments are doing all they can to combat the illegal use and sales of controlled substances, Mack said, “We probably—in all honesty—are maintaining the status quo.

“The drug problem is a worldwide problem. We’ve got drugs coming from Mexico. It’s a global problem.”

American federal drug-resistance groups are working with Mexican authorities to stem the supply of illicit drugs crossing the border. Ten mayors and 18 other officials were recently interrogated in Mexico City after being swept up in raids, according to the Los Angeles Times, which reported that some high-ranking politicians are believed to have ties to the country’s largest and most powerful drug syndicates.

Federal authorities allege that local politicians aid traffickers who produce and transport billions of dollars in drugs, primarily to the United States, the Times said.

Mack said the best thing Baldwin authorities can do is concentrate on local acitvity, citing efforts of the Baldwin County Drug Task Force, a team of full-time narcotics officers from numerous agencies.

“We rely on municipalities and municipalities rely on us,” he said. “We partner with several municipalities and work together on narcotics investigations.”

See the rest of this story in the May 30 Daphne Bulletin.