'Operation Blue Lightning' targets I-85 in Granville

OXFORD, N.C. — Thirteen local and federal agencies cracked down on crime along Interstate 85 in Granville County this weekend. "Operation Blue Lightning" targeted aggressive and impaired drivers, with the hopes of getting as much drugs and illegal weapons off the street as possible. "It is commonly known that Interstate 85 is used as a pipeline for any and all criminal activity that travels from the northern reaches of the U.S. down to the southern and southwest border areas. It is used as a major route for drugs, guns and illegal alien trafficking," Granville County Sheriff Brindell B. Wilkins Jr. said in a statement. Along with the Granville sheriff's office and many local law enforcement agencies, the State Bureau of Investigation, federal Drug Enforcement Agency, Immigrations and Customs Enforcement and U.S. Secret Service participated in the operation. The agencies also benefitted by sharing crime-fighting techniques, Wilkins said. He thanked residents of Granville County for supporting his efforts to make it a safer place to live. Operation Blue Lightning ran from Thursday morning to Sunday evening.