Police in Newport rounded up some drug suspects this week one day before a new state law took effect, in an effort to charge them under stricter laws.

Officers had 11 people in custody Tuesday, before a new state law took effect Wednesday that police say will make it harder to charge drug suspects.

The state passed the law reducing some felony drug crimes to misdemeanors as a way to reduce jail crowding. Newport's Acting Police Chief Tom Collins said any amount of cocaine or heroin found on a suspect used to result in a felony charge, but the new law requires police to find at least two grams of heroin and four grams of cocaine.

Collins told The Kentucky Enquirer that the new laws will hamper police drug operations.

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