KNOXVILLE, Tennessee — The Metro Drug Coalition has been honored by the federal Drug Enforcement Administration with its DEA 2020 Community Drug Prevention Award.
The award was presented Friday by Tom Bevins, DEA Knoxville assistant special agent in charge, to Metro Drug Coalition leaders.
The honor is part of the DEA's 2020 Red Ribbon Campaign, according to Bob Wooldridge, DEA 360 Knoxville community outreach specialist.
The Drug Coalition has been on the front lines, now for years, of the community's fight against opioid overdoses.
More than 350 people have died from a suspected overdose this year in Knox County alone, according to figures tracked by Knox County District Attorney General Charme Allen. The toll far surpasses any previous year in the county.
WBIR, the Drug Coalition and the DEA joined forces this fall for a broadcast and town hall special about the overdose crisis in East Tennessee.