JACKSONVILLE, Fla. — The Jacksonville Sheriff’s Office is celebrating a significant achievement in its ongoing battle against drug overdoses. Recent statistics reveal a dramatic decrease in overdose deaths over the past few years, a success attributed to focused law enforcement efforts and strong community partnerships.

During a press briefing on Tuesday afternoon, Sheriff T.K. Waters highlighted the encouraging reduction in overdose deaths, emphasizing that the city has seen cases plummet from 472 last year to 221 thus far in 2023. He credited this progress to strategic enforcement measures and active community involvement.

In his address, Waters delivered a stern message to those involved in drug trafficking:

“To drug traffickers: steer clear of Jacksonville. We don’t want your presence here, and we certainly don’t want you bringing harmful substances into our community.”

Waters said the agency is using a variety of tactics to disrupt drug networks; however, he declined to reveal details.

“There’s a lot of things I don’t wanna talk about because it keeps us being able to operate the way that we operate… a lot of undercovers and things like that,” Waters said.

Waters also said that overdose-related deaths are not concentrated in any single part of the city.

“Illegal drugs affect a lot of people all over — all over the map. No specific neighborhoods… this is the decrease, which is really good,” he said.

The sheriff also pointed to a reduction in gang or group-related murders, reporting just one such case so far this year.

“One murder is too many. We are encouraged by truly historical-related deaths. In 2025, narcotics investigators arrested 813 criminals, and we’ll only continue this work in 2026,” said Waters.

Waters emphasized that community tips remain a critical part of investigations. Anyone with information about illegal activity is urged to contact JSO.