Fentanyl Fight 'Essential' For Towns Like Abington: Police Chief

ABINGTON TOWNSHIP, PA — When authorities gathered to announce the seizure of millions of doses of fentanyl in the Philadelphia region late last month, Abington Police Chief Patrick Molloy was right there at the podium.

The Abington Township Police Department was among those working with Pennsylvania Attorney General Dave Sunday, Philadelphia Police Commissioner Kevin Bethel, Montgomery County District Attorney Kevin Steele, and other local, state, and federal law enforcement representatives.

They gathered to announce the seizure of over 26.7 million doses of fentanyl in the greater Philadelphia area, making a dent in the fentanyl epidemic that has swept the nation over the past decade.

For towns like Abington, being close to the Philadelphia border means that drugs and crime seep into the suburbs, especially with Route 611 flowing from the city right into the township.

"As police chiefs in suburban communities, we have witnessed the positive impact of the excellent work our partners in Philadelphia are doing, and while we often describe ourselves as 'too big to be small and too small to be big,' it is essential that we continue to work together and recognize that we cannot simply arrest our way out of this crisis," Molloy said.

"By aggressively targeting those who distribute this poison and making treatment more accessible for individuals struggling with substance use disorders, we will continue to save lives," the police chief said. "I am incredibly proud of the work being done by all of our uniformed officers and investigators on the street. These men and women put themselves at risk while investigating and apprehending violent criminal drug traffickers, and that is why I could not be more proud to be part of this noble profession."