Green Bay drug bust was multi-agency, year-and-a-half long effort

GREEN BAY, Wis. (WBAY) - Tuesday’s pre-dawn drug bust on Main Street was the result of a lengthy investigation involving local, state and federal law enforcement agencies.

The drug bust took place at 1520 Main St. Authorities are releasing very few details as the investigation is ongoing. We know search warrants were used, two people were arrested, and authorities seized cocaine, fentanyl, MDMA (also known as Ecstasy), marijuana and multiple guns, according to the sheriff.

The raid was a mission accomplished through plenty of teamwork over the course of 16 months by the Brown County Drug Task Force, Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI), Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA), Division of Criminal Investigation (DCI) and the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF). The Brown County and Green Bay SWAT teams took part in the raid.

The raid started with a straightforward warning as squad cars and military-style vehicles surrounded the building. “This is the Brown County Sheriff’s Department. We’re here with the police K9. Come out now or you will be bit.”

Viewer video shows at least eight officers in tactical gear with guns drawn entering the building through a side door.

Green Bay police aren’t allowed to talk about details of the investigation but were given the green light to talk with us about the collaboration on such a big operation.

When it comes to large-scale investigations like this one, all agencies tackle it together.

Green Bay Police Commander Kevin Warych said they all train together, have tabletop exercises and do a lot of prep work.

“Yesterday was an example of a multi-agency effort. We had a lot of members from this agency, members from other agencies working together to remove that from the neighborhood so that people don’t have to deal with that. They can live in peace, and they can live with their kids in the front yard,” Warych said.

”It doesn’t matter if I’m wearing a blue uniform or a brown uniform or wearing a suit,” he continued. “We all have a common goal, and how we get to a common goal is by working together, training together and really just knowing each other by name, knowing each other’s hopes dreams and fears, because then if you know them it’s easier to work with.”

We’re told these raids happen all the time -- “this is a 365-day effort,” as the commander put it -- but this is one of the few moments it’s caught on video for the community to see their hard work.

Warych hopes the people watching will know members of law enforcement are dedicated to their community. ”There’s a lot of satisfaction, personally, that you’re making a difference in your community, that you’re making a difference in a neighbor’s life, that they don’t have to deal with this anymore and as a neighborhood as a whole.”

Action 2 News will continue following the investigation.

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