Area residents are invited this Saturday to drop off their unused and unwanted prescription drugs to local law enforcement agencies as part of a statewide campaign called, &dquo;Operation Pill Crusher.&dquo;

The Polk County Sheriff&squo;s Office, the Tryon and Columbus Police Departments will be located at the Food Lion in Columbus Saturday from 11 a.m. until 2 p.m. to collect medications.

Polk County Sheriff Donald Hill says the campaign is in an attempt to get prescriptions off the streets and out of teenagers&squo; hands. The most common way for teenagers to gain prescription drugs to abuse is by stealing drugs out of household medicine cabinets.

Operation Pill Crusher is being coordinated by the N.C. Drug Enforcement Agency (DEA) around North Carolina. Hill says his department will collect prescription drugs, log them in and turn the merchandise over to the DEA.

DEA officers are scheduled to pick up Polk County&squo;s presciptions and will destroy the prescriptions in Macon County, Hill says.