Bond violation leads to drug arrest in Niles

Published 10:27 am Monday, May 22, 2023

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NILES — A bond violation led to the arrest of a Benton Harbor man Friday in the City of Niles, according to Michigan State Police.

The Southwest Enforcement Team detectives, along with officers from Berrien County Sheriff, Niles Police, and Michigan State Police Niles Post, arrested a 30-year-old Benton Harbor man FRIDAY in the City of Niles for a bond violation while awaiting trial in a previous SWET investigation. 

After he was arrested, the suspect was found to be in possession of 139 fentanyl pills, 57 grams of powdered fentanyl, 20 grams of meth, 4.5 grams of cocaine, 3.5 grams of crack cocaine, 20 suspected Xanax pills, and a half-ounce of psilocybin mushrooms. New drug charges will be requested on the suspect, who was lodged in the Berrien County Jail.

The Southwest Enforcement Team is a multijurisdictional task force that has been operating in Southwest Michigan since 1981. SWET is comprised of sworn law enforcement personnel from Allegan County Sheriff’s Office, Berrien County Sheriff’s Office, Covert Township Police Department, Hastings Police Department, Kalamazoo County Sheriff’s Office, Kalamazoo Township Police Department, Michigan State Police, South Haven Police Department and the Saint Joseph County Sheriff’s Office.

SWET is funded in part by the Michigan HIDTA (High Intensity Drug Trafficking Area) as well as the U.S. Department of Justice, Byrne JAG grant. This project was supported by Federal Grant Award Number 2019-MU-BX-0061, awarded by the Bureau of Justice Assistance, Office of Justice Programs, U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ), and administered by the Michigan State Police (MSP). Points of view or opinions contained within this document do not necessarily represent the official position or policies of the MSP or DOJ.