30 arrested in crack cocaine for EBT scheme

Authorities have arrested 30 people for selling crack cocaine in Duluth and neighboring Superior, Wis.

Officers from the Duluth Police Department and the Lake Superior Drug and Violent Crime Task Force made the arrests as part of a 10-month operation called "Operation Crackdown."

The suspects were charged and will be prosecuted by the St. Louis County Attorney's Office. Some of those arrested are residents of the Twin Cities area. Investigators continue to search for at least 10 other suspects.

Investigators discovered the practice of trading government Electronic Benefit Transfer food-assistance cards for drugs. For example, dealers would sell about $100 worth of crack for food cards holding benefits of $200. Several of the suspects have been charged with public assistance fraud, which authorities say is a growing concern among law enforcement.

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