
Unraveling a long-term investigation is similar to assembling a puzzle, a pair of nationally recognized Sauk County Sheriff’s Office detectives said.
Eric Miller and Scott Steinhorst on July 19 were among a team of agents and investigators from various agencies working to combat sales of illegal drugs who received the 2018 U.S. Interdiction Committee Award for Investigative & Prosecution during a trip to Washington, D.C.
“It was just overall a great experience to be able to go out to D.C. and be recognized as part of the team,” Steinhorst said.
Miller said he enjoyed seeing the work other agencies are doing to take drugs off their streets.
“I’m very appreciative of the award and very humbled,” he said. “It’s a good feeling to do something that might make a little bit of a difference.”
U.S. Interdiction Coordinator Thomas W. Padden and Office of National Drug Control Policy Director James W. Carroll Jr. presented the national commendation to a team of investigators, inspectors, agents and attorneys for their roles in stopping the online sales and shipping of nasal spray bottles containing fentanyl ordered on the dark web.
The investigation involved a former resident of Spring Green and Dodgeville who was caught selling the drugs online to buyers in other states. After a Florida man died of an opioid overdose, authorities learned the fentanyl the man had used was mailed from Madison under the guise of decongestants.
Investigators later turned up additional packages of fentanyl in the suspected drug dealer’s house. They also learned the fentanyl spray had been ordered on the dark web.
The person trafficking the drugs was arrested and later convicted. Authorities found a majority of the evidence in an attic room adjacent to the bedroom of the drug trafficker’s child.
Sauk County Sheriff Chip Meister said the award represents more than just one drug bust.
“We as a department are honored to have (Miller and Steinhorst), and have them recognized,” Meister said.
Steinhorst was promoted to the rank of detective sergeant while in Washington.
“I was leaving the White House when I got the call,” Steinhorst said.
Chief Deputy Jeff Spencer said the sheriff’s office handles 18,000 cases every year, and he’s proud of the work its detectives put in day in an day out.
#lee-services-modal { font-family: ‘Lato’, sans-serif; } #lee-services-modal .modal-body { min-height: 300px; } #lee-services-modal .close { font-size: 30px; margin-top: -8px; z-index:1; } #lee-services-modal .modal-top { margin: 0 -15px 20px -15px; padding: 15px; z-index:0; border-bottom: 3px double rgba(0,0,0,.1); } #lee-services-modal .title { font-size: 24px; line-height: 24px; margin-bottom: 10px; font-weight: 700; } #lee-services-modal .logo img { max-height: 50px; max-width: 50%; margin-bottom: 15px; } #lee-services-modal .tagline a { color: #222; text-decoration: underline; } #lee-services-modal #lee-service-no-access { display: none; } @media (min-width: 992px) { #lee-services-modal.packages_2, #lee-services-modal.packages_3 { width: 80%; } #lee-services-modal.packages_4, #lee-services-modal.packages_5 { width: 90%; } } @media (min-width: 1200px) { #lee-services-modal.packages_2 { width: 50%; } #lee-services-modal.packages_3 { width: 60%; } #lee-services-modal.packages_4 { width: 70%; } #lee-services-modal.packages_5 { width: 80%; } } /* inline */ #lee-subscription-wall-inline { position: relative; margin-bottom: 20px; } #lee-subscription-wall-inline .lee-subscribe-panel { background-color: #f7f7f7; padding: 30px 20px; border-radius: 5px; } #lee-subscription-wall-inline .lee-redacted-overlay { height: 80px; width: 100%; top: -90px; z-index: 1; position: absolute; background: linear-gradient(to bottom, rgba(255, 255, 255, 0), #fff 80%); } #lee-subscription-wall-inline .head { font-size: 36px; line-height: 36px; font-family: ‘Yrsa’, serif; } #lee-subscription-wall-inline .tagline { padding-bottom: 15px; } #lee-subscription-wall-inline .tagline a { color: #222; text-decoration: underline; } @media (max-width: 767px) { #lee-subscription-wall-inline .lee-redacted-overlay { display: none; } }