SPD and KBI conduct five search warrants, finds 2,000 counterfeit pills

By OLIVIA BERGMEIER
Salina Post

The Salina Police Department SWAT team and the Kansas Bureau of Investigation (KBI) High-Risk Warrant Team conducted five search warrants in central and west Salina yesterday and found multiple suspected drugs and illegal firearms.

SPD Capt. James Feldman said officers found 2,000 counterfeit pills during the operation. The teams sent them to KBI for further testing for their chemical components.

"This operation is a culmination of work by the I-70 I-135 Drug Task Force in conjunction with other law enforcement agencies," Feldman said. "The focus of the investigation was the distribution of fentanyl in and around Salina."

Feldman said during the search warrant operations, officers found other substances that they suspected were methamphetamine, cocaine, marijuana, THC wax and psilocybin mushrooms.

Officers also found multiple illegal firearms within the residences. The SPD Drug Task Force, SWAT team and KBI High-Risk Warrant Team are still investigating the searches.

"At the time, the investigation is still ongoing, and arrests are imminent," Feldman said. "The operation wasn't possible without the cooperation and assistance of residents of the Salina community."

Salina Post will update the story as more information becomes available.