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Brownsburg narcotics unit credited in multi‑state marijuana seizures totaling thousands of pounds, chief says
Summary
Chief Joseph A. Grimes told the Brownsburg Board of Police Commissioners on March 10 that the department’s Brownsburg Narcotics Unit worked with LAPD and other agencies in seizures that included about 7,000 pounds stopped on I‑70 and an additional roughly 10,660 pounds seized in Los Angeles; the chief credited multi‑agency cooperation and said federal forfeiture funds will help equip the department.
Chief Joseph A. Grimes told the Brownsburg Board of Police Commissioners on March 10 that investigators from the Brownsburg Narcotics Unit (BNU) took part in a multi‑jurisdictional investigation that led to large seizures of marijuana and related product.
“In January 2026, we were contacted—or our personnel was contacted—by Los Angeles Police Department in regards to the illegal operation of GROW and a shipment that was then being made across country and was heading towards Indiana,” Grimes said. He said cooperation with other jurisdictions, including the Illinois State Police and federal partners, resulted in a Feb. 2 stop on I‑70 that yielded about 7,000 pounds of marijuana in a vehicle bound for Indiana. Grimes said subsequent searches in Los Angeles recovered roughly 10,660 pounds of marijuana, 539 pounds of marijuana oil and $57,000 in U.S. currency.
The chief emphasized the investigation grew out of work that began in 2020 and credited task‑force partnerships: “Through cooperation of other jurisdictions … they were able to be stopped and it was stopped on February 2 on I‑70,” Grimes said, describing follow‑up takedowns and search warrants in East Los Angeles.
Grimes also described the scope of his department’s broader narcotics work since 2020, saying the BNU had been responsible for approximately 43 pounds of marijuana and marijuana product that have been seized as part of local cases. The record shows a point of confusion on that figure during the meeting—the chief asked whether the minutes recorder had mis‑written the number—and the exchange did not resolve the apparent discrepancy between the larger multi‑state totals he reported and the smaller figure mentioned for BNU’s cumulative seizures since 2020.
Grimes said federal forfeiture (seizure) funds generated in partnership with federal agencies have been or will be used to purchase department equipment, and he told commissioners the department is exploring procurement of three specialty vehicles—command, investigator, and a secondary armored vehicle—initially funded with half down and the remainder on delivery.
The chief named partner agencies involved in the operation, including the Los Angeles Police Department, Illinois State Police and federal partners, and said Brownsburg officers joined other jurisdictions for the Los Angeles takedown in January 2026. He framed the seizures as the product of long‑running investigative work and interagency cooperation rather than a single Brownsburg operation.
No formal policy or prosecutorial outcomes were reported at the meeting; Grimes said arrests were made in other states and that local investigators will continue following the case as needed.
The commission did not take separate action on the investigation during the meeting. The chief said he remains thankful for partner agencies and for the department’s narcotics personnel.
