SOUTH BEND — With only two and a half months left before the Pacific County Joint Drug Task Force (DTF) ends on June 30, the Pacific County Sheriff’s Office is beginning a transition process to turn cases over to a department detective.

Sheriff Daniel Garcia opted not to spearhead a request to state legislation seeking another two-year round of task force funding. Garcia indicated the force was not efficient enough or a good use of taxpayer money.

Instead, Garcia submitted a request for $740,000 in funding for an investigation-style unit, which state legislators did not consider. The request did not garner support from any local partner agencies.

According to a public records request, PCSO Chief Criminal Deputy Randy Wiegardt, the current head of the DTF, sent an email dated April 15 to “stakeholders” at the Raymond, South Bend and Long Beach police departments informing them of immediate changes.

“To ensure a smooth continuation of drug investigations, Sheriff Garcia has instructed me to assign Detective [Cory] Nacnac to the Drug Task Force effective April 23, 2025,” Wiegardt stated in the email. “During his time with the DTF, Detective Nacnac will be working closely with task force members to gain comprehensive knowledge and practical experience in investigating DTF-related cases.”

“This on-the-job training, under the guidance of DTF members, will be crucial to enable Detective Nacnac to effectively handle these types of investigations in the future,” Wiegardt added.

The email also ordered the task force to relocate from its top-security office space at the Raymond Police Department to the sheriff’s office, and asked the agencies to transfer equipment.

“Current DTF personnel have been directed to begin the process of closing out existing cases to ensure they are not left with active DTF cases,” Wiegardt stated. “All new cases will be directed to me. Case assignments will be made based on the nature of the crime and jurisdictional considerations.”

SBPD responds
According to the public records request, the decision was made without input from sitting members of the DTF’s administrative board.

“As I expressed in our conversation last night, I am disappointed in the sheriff’s office’s unwillingness to come to the table with all of the DTF members and discuss these matters,” South Bend Police Chief Lucas Stigall stated. “I understand the funding is coming to an end, and it makes sense to have a plan to close out the official ‘Drug Task Force,’ but that does not mean that we as member agencies could not sit down together and have constructive conversations about how this process could best serve all of our respective communities and have input on the process.”

“It is unfortunate that this is what our relationship between the agencies have come to although not surprising given the circumstances over the past couple of years. This has been the ongoing theme coming out of the sheriff’s office in regards to working collectively with our agencies, specifically on DTF issues,” Stigall added.

Stigall went on to further state that a decision had already been made without input.

“Yes, I felt that a stakeholders meeting would have been beneficial, but it appears as if the sheriff’s office has already made many decisions, and therefore I am not sure if a meeting would accomplish much at this point,” he said.

“I am open, as I have always been, to having a meeting if the rest of the members feel it necessary,” Stigall added.

Raymond Police Chief Pat Matlock did not respond to a request for comment. Long Beach Police Chief Flint Wright removed his agency’s officer attached to the DTF earlier this year due to it ending and needing an officer back on regular patrol.