Pennsylvania State Police has received two federal grants totaling more than $5.9 million to fight the distribution of controlled substances, Colonel Christopher Paris, state police commissioner, announced.

The U.S. Department of Justice, Office of Community Oriented Policing Services awarded state police a grant of $3,986,394 under its Anti-Heroin Task Force program (AHTF) and $1,941,62 under its Anti-Methamphetamine Program (CAMP).

“Troopers regularly come face-to-face with the toll of illegal drugs on our communities, from overdoses to drug-related crime,” Paris said. “These funds will aid our efforts to identify the criminals who manufacture illicit drugs and the dealers who distribute them.”

The Anti-Heroin Task Force program provides funds to state law enforcement agencies with high rates of primary treatment admissions for heroin and other opioids. The Anti-Methamphetamine Program provides funding to states with high seizures of precursor chemicals, finished methamphetamine, laboratories, and laboratory waste dumps.

Troopers seized $65.4 million worth of illegal drugs in 2022, including $7.5 million in fentanyl, $6.9 million in methamphetamine, and $2 million in heroin. From Jan. 1 to Sept. 30, state police seized more than $52.2 million in illegal drugs, including $3.5 million in fentanyl, $4.7 million in methamphetamine, and $928,000 in heroin.