Hobart Drug Raid Part Of New Sheriff Drug Initiative
A new initiative by the Lake County Drug Task Force has led to the arrest of a 34-year-old Hobart man and the seizure of a collection of illegal narcotics, according to Lake County Sheriff Oscar Martinez Jr.
The initiative, the Lake County Regional Enforcement Team, is a special effort by members of the Lake County Drug Task Force. It’s focused on rapid response and providing local neighborhoods with tangible results in the fight against drug trafficking, illegal weapons and associated violent crime.
Last fall, the units launched an investigation of Matthew Michalak after receiving a tip about him on the Lake County Sheriff’s Department Report-A-Crime Hotline. Through an interdiction intelligence network, Lake County investigators learned Michalak was the subject of a traffic stop in Nebraska back in November. At that time, law enforcement seized 30-thousand dollars from him.
Lake County police officers obtained a search warrant and executed the warrant at Michalak’s home in the 300 block of West 3rd Street in Hobart early this morning. A variety of drugs were seized including cocaine, hydrocodone and THC. More than 12-thousand dollars in cash was also confiscated, Martinez said.
This operation highlights the Lake County Regional Enforcement Team’s increased emphasis on identifying drug activity and acting quickly to help eliminate it in Lake County neighborhoods. The team pinpoints target areas where routine drug trafficking, the use and possession of illegal firearms and other violent crimes occur. The effort is aimed at quickly restoring a sense of safety and security in the targeted areas by identifying who is dealing controlled substances, including prescription drugs, and taking the dealers out of our communities.
“The investigation is just one example of my aggressive policing strategies and how they are truly making a difference for the citizens of Lake County,” Martinez added. “We hope eliminating the source of these dangerous drugs can help reduce the number of overdoses and deaths due to drug use.”
