by Leah Justice

The Polk County Sheriff’s Office recently collected 23,241 unwanted prescription pills in recent Operation Medicine Drops.

On Sept. 27, the sheriff’s office set up several locations throughout the county and collected 12,085 pills from area residents.

On Oct. 7, an additional pill drop was held at Tryon Estates where an additional 11,156 pills were collected.

The sheriff’s office, with the latest collections, has collected more than 106 lbs. of prescriptions medications through various collection sites in 2014.

“This is a very recognizable amount that we want to thank the citizens of Polk County for helping us in getting these drugs off the street for potential abuse,” said Polk County Sheriff Donald Hill.

Operation Medicine Drop is a state-wide program area law enforcement agencies participate in conjunction with the North Carolina Department of Justice and in partnership with Safe Kids North Carolina and the Drug Enforcement Administration to collect and safely destroy medication no longer needed.