
Kalamazoo
Greetings,
I am Orville O. Greene, Special Agent in Charge of the Detroit Field Division and I’d like to welcome you to Operation Engage!
As we all know, there are far too many non-fatal and fatal drug overdoses affecting our communities, and sadly, these numbers are increasing. In response, DEA has moved toward community-level collaborative efforts to help reduce these numbers through education and awareness, using our wide range of resources.
Through Operation Engage, our division will focus on Chippewa County Michigan, with an emphasis on working with the Bay Mills Indian Community and the Sault Tribe of Chippewa Indian. This effort will primarily focus on targeting the threat of opioid and stimulant drugs. Other components of Operation Engage include:
- Stakeholder/Community Gatherings: To share the latest information about drug trends, drug threats, and other related pertinent information.
- The DEA’s Citizens Academy: DEA recognizes the importance of forging strong alliances with local communities and maintaining collaborative relationships with community leaders. The DEA’s Citizens Academy offers participants the opportunity to understand the world of federal drug law enforcement and the important role the DEA and the community together, play in combating drug trafficking, drug misuse, and related violence.
- Youth Engagement: Through programs like the DEA Educational Foundation Youth Dance Program and in collaboration with CADCA and the Mark Wahlberg Youth Foundation, children of all ages will be able to actively participate in age-appropriate activities, designed for them to learn and gain the most knowledge about the dangers of drugs in a fun way.
- Community Outreach Programs: DEA, along with stakeholder involvement, will concentrate efforts in the communities most affected by opioid misuse. In those targeted communities, the Detroit Field Division will participate in facilitating prevention strategies to include, but not limited to, drug prevention training and technical assistance for communities, coalition outreach, and prescription drug take back events to name a few.
These are only a few of the many resources and opportunities we have available to share with our communities.
I invite you, and your families, to explore our Operation Engage webpage to learn about the many resources we have available. Learning as a family, early on, is the first step in avoiding drug experimentation, drug misuse, drug addiction, and all related behaviors that are plaguing our communities.
Always at your service,
SAC Orville O. Greene
Top Local Drug Threats

Mexican drug trafficking organizations are the primary source for cocaine, crystal methamphetamine, fentanyl, heroin and low-grade marijuana in the Kalamazoo, Michigan area.
Both fentanyl and crystal methamphetamine are readily available and its abuse continues to increase throughout Western Michigan.
Crystal methamphetamine, a purer form of meth, is a significant threat in Western Michigan, including Kalamazoo. The presence of Mexican crystal methamphetamine trafficked from the Southwest Border continues to be prevalent. The availability of crystal meth (also known as “ice”) continues to increase.
The influx of “ice” has had a major impact on the methamphetamine powder drug market in Michigan, which has led to an increase in violence throughout communities in Western Michigan.
The Kalamazoo Department of Public Safety, Kalamazoo area law enforcement, the Drug Enforcement Administration, and the United States Attorney’s Office in the Western District of Michigan have partnered to reduce drug trafficking and the associated violent crime that the affects the Kalamazoo area.
Drug Information
Learn more about how stimulants and opioids can affect a user's body.
Community Resources
Local organizations that provide services to the public regarding addiction, community empowerment, drug education and prevention, drug take back programs, recovery, and overall health and wellness.
Prevention Works – www.prevention-works.org
Veterans Crisis Line: 1-800-273-8255 (press 1)
Looking for prevention resources specifically for young people? Go to the teen-focused site www.justthinktwice.com/. Here, they'll be able to get facts about drug use and learn ways to live a drug-free life.
Prevention Works – www.prevention-works.org
Lions Club – www.lionsclubs.org
Nottawaseppi Huron Band of the Potawatomi -- https://nhbp-nsn.gov/
Kalamazoo Parks & Recreation – www.kzooparks.org
Elks Drug Awareness Program -- www.elks.org
Remote video URL
Elks Drug Awareness Program is partnering with the DEA to release Season 2 of Awkward Conversations, in which "Full House" star Jodie Sweetin speaks with celebrity parents and guest experts to help parents learn how to empower their kids with the tools needed to stay safe, drug-free, and make smart decisions. New episodes will be posted each week through the end of 2022 and can be accessed here.
Local officials have identified opioids (including prescription painkillers, fentanyl, and heroin) and stimulants (prescription stimulants and methamphetamine) as the area's top drug threats.
Quick Facts
- 78% of Michigan drug overdose deaths in 2018 involved at least one opioid.
- Drug overdose death rates among Michigan American Indian population* is significantly higher than within the overall population of Michigan, and higher than the overall population of the United States.
- The highest rates of Neonatal Opioid Withdrawal Syndrome (NOWS) in the U.S. are reported among Native American and Alaska Native individuals**.
*Inter-tribal Council of Michigan, Inc.
**Healthcare Cost and Utilization Project
Local Prevention Resources
Local organizations that provide services to the public regarding addiction, community empowerment, drug education and prevention, drug take back programs, recovery, and overall health and wellness.
Families Against Narcotics of Chippewa County
Bay Mills Substance Abuse Program
Inter-Tribal Council of Michigan, Inc. Behavioral Health Division (TOTR Initiative)
Veterans Crisis Line: 1-800-273-8255 (press 1)
Youth Resources
Looking for prevention resources specifically for young people? Go to the teen-focused site www.justthinktwice.com/. Here, they'll be able to get facts about drug use and learn ways to live a drug-free life.
Partners
Chippewa County Communities That Care, Phone: (906) 635-3636
Sault Tribe of Chippewa Indians Behavioral Health Division, Phone: (906) 248-3204
Bay Mills Behavioral Health Department, Phone: (906) 248-3204
Chippewa County Health Department, Phone: (906) 635-1566
Inter-Tribal Council of Michigan, Inc. Behavioral Health Division (TOP Initiative)
Prevention Works, Phone: (269) 388-4200
Go to FindTreatment.gov to search for general drug treatment facilities in your area. On this site, you can find facilities that offer various payment options (including free and no-cost care), youth treatment facilities, special programs for Veterans, plus more.
Otherwise, enter your zipcode below to find substance abuse treatment facilities in your area.
Events
Date: April 20, 2023
Time: TBA
Where: Millwood Elementary School, 3400 Lovers Lane, Kalamazoo, MI 49001
Feat. DEA Educational Foundation Youth Basketball Program

For more information, please contact Wendie Jackson at Wendie.L.Jackson@dea.gov.
Connect With Us!

Sign up for email updates about Michigan's Operation Engage Initiative.

Stay up to date with the Operation Engage initiative in Michigan by following the DEA Detroit Twitter account @DEADETROITDiv, and the hashtags: #OpEngageMichigan and #EngagewithMichigan
IMPORTANT NOTE:
Please DO NOT submit tips using the feedback form on this page.
Use the official tips page (https://www.dea.gov/submit-tip) to report what appears to you as a possible violation of controlled substances laws and regulations.
Tips submitted to the feedback form below WILL NOT be addressed.
DEA. 14 January, 2021. Operation Engage Michigan. Retrieved from https://www.dea.gov/engage/operation-engage-michigan on 31 March, 2023
DEA. "Operation Engage Michigan."Drug Enforcement Agency, 14 January, 2021, https://www.dea.gov/engage/operation-engage-michigan Accessed 31 March, 2023.
DEA. . Drug Enforcement Agency on DEA website. https://www.dea.gov/engage/operation-engage-michigan. 14 January, 2021. Accessed 31 March, 2023.