MISSOURI STATE HIGHWAY PATROL
a division of the
DEPARTMENT OF PUBLIC SAFETY

Division of Drug and Crime Control - P. O. Box 568 - Jefferson City, MO 65102


News Release

For further information please contact: Cpl. Erik Eidson
(573) 522-0980
DDCC12282010
December 28, 2010

EMPHASIS: Drug Investigation


Captain Kyle Marquart, director of the Missouri State Highway Patrol’s Division of Drug and Crime Control, announces the results of a joint narcotics investigation in Laclede County.

On Tuesday, December 28, 2010, after a short term narcotics investigation, officers of the Lake Area Narcotics Enforcement Group, the Lebanon Police Department, the Laclede County Sheriff’s Department, and the Missouri State Highway Patrol executed a search warrant on a residence located at 246 Pearl, Apartment E, Lebanon, Missouri. As a result of the search warrant, heroin, methamphetamine, marijuana, and drug paraphernalia were seized as evidence. The heroin was individually packaged for distribution. Joshua Adams, 28, of Lebanon, Nathaniel Vanluven, 21, of Lebanon, and Trisha Louk, 25, of Lebanon, were arrested at the scene and transported to the Laclede County Sheriff’s Department. Adams and Vanluven were formally charged for drug-related felonies by the Laclede County prosecutor and a bond was set for $25,000 and $15,000, respectively. Louk was released on a summons for misdemeanor drug charges.

In recent months, heroin use has become more frequent in rural Missouri with some overdoses resulting in deaths. Local drug task forces, such as the Lake Area Narcotics Enforcement Group, are working closely with local law enforcement agencies to combat this trend as well as other illegal narcotics.

The Lake Area Narcotics Enforcement Group is a multi-jurisdictional drug task force. Its members include the sheriff’s departments of Crawford, Camden, Gasconade, Pulaski, Laclede, and Maries counties, as well as the Lebanon and Osage Beach police departments. LANEG is governed by a board of directors and is coordinated by the Missouri State Highway Patrol.

The above charges are mere accusations and are not evidence of guilt. Evidence in support of these charges must be presented before a court of competent jurisdiction whose duty is to determine guilt or innocence.
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