A Starr County drug-fighting task force is getting its funding back. The executive board of the South Texas High Intensity Drug Trafficking Area Task Force has agreed to reinstate funding to the Starr County task force.
The decision comes six months after the board suspended a one-year $600,000 federal grant that allows the Starr County anti-drug task force to operate. The funds had been suspended in June, reportedly amid allegations of mismanagement.
The McAllen Monitor reports there had been a dropoff in drug arrests, and task force members were found to be misusing vehicles and misusing their cellphones. The funding will be restored on the day new DA Gocha Ramirez takes office. The 229th District Attorney’s Office oversees the task force.
