Officials: Gang Activity in Vt. at All-Time High

Law enforcement officials say the state of Vermont is experiencing more gang-related activity than ever before.

The Times Argus reports Major Glenn Hall, state police's criminal division commander, said Tuesday that individuals with ties to street gangs in large metropolitan areas have been flooding Vermont as of late.

Hall says many gang members come to the state specifically to sell heroin and crack cocaine. He said the gangs' connections in larger cities allow them to buy the drugs at significantly lower prices than Vermont street value, flip them in the state and make a profit.

Detective Lt. John Merrigan, state police's Narcotics Investigation Unit commander, says gang activity in the state has reached an all-time high and is continuing to climb.

Merrigan says this rapid increase started around 2008.