ALBANY, Ga. (WALB) - It doesn’t matter if it’s marijuana, meth, or cocaine. All of these drugs are what investigators describe as a game of Russian Roulette with criminal or even deadly consequences as the final prize. But now, the drug epidemic is causing a bigger challenge for the very people who are trying to stop it.

“We got cases pending four or five years because this and that and it’s just backlog,” said Major Victor Camp, Ambany/Dougherty Special Investigative Unit commander.

Right now, 330 criminal drug-related cases are pending at the crime lab. All of it stemming from a never-ending caseload.

Last year alone, the Albany/ Dougherty Special Investigative Unit worked on around 500 drug-related cases. Just three months into this year, agents have already responded to 150 drug-related cases.

Not only are drug tests backlogged here at the crime unit, but also at the local morgue, where 12 cases—some even from last year— are still waiting on toxicology results.

“I know it’s a hardship on the families because we can’t sign the death certificate,” said Michael Fowler, Dougherty County Coroner. “We can do a pending death certificate, but we still have to go back and amend it, whether that person had drugs in their system or not.”

In the Dougherty County court system, nearly 1,000 drug-related criminal cases are waiting for a day in court. Exactly 976 cases are pending prosecution in the district attorney’s office.

What can be done in the community? Major Victor Camp said they’ll be partnering with other agencies to try to end the war on drugs.

“Are we going to win the big war on drugs? I don’t think so. But can we get out there and slow it down as much as we can? Yes,” he said.

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