VANCE COUNTY, N.C. — The war on drugs and weapons in Vance County is bearing some fruit.

Federal, state and local law enforcement authorities announced Wednesday that they have arrested 22 people, mainly on drug and weapon charges, as a result of an undercover operation, Project Countdown.

"Many of these cases began by citizens who phoned the police and sheriff's department to report things they consider to be suspicious or unusual," Henderson Police Chief Glenn Allen said.

"One goal of the project has been the prosecution of individuals who are repeat drug offenders, regardless of the quantity of drugs involved," assistant U.S. Attorney Eric Evenson said. "Also, many of the Project Countdown cases involve career offenders, who are subject to enhanced penalties that average a mininum of 20 years in prison."

Project Countdown was conducted by the Henderson Police Department, the Vance County Sheriff's Office, the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives and the N.C. State Bureau of Investigation. The project has been in operation since August 2003.