Arrests made in drug roundup

BRUCE BRANUM

The Greenville Standard

 

Arrests were made Friday, Nov. 12, in a county wide roundup targeting suspects who were involved in the distribution of controlled substances.

Thirty warrants were issued and as of Monday, Nov. 15, over half of the suspects had been arrested or turned themselves over to law enforcement.

The announcement came later that morning at the Butler County Correctional Facility in a joint press conference by Butler County Sheriff Danny Bond and Greenville Police Chief Justin Lovvorn.

Bond said, “We had approximately 30 individuals we had warrants on for distribution.”

He indicated that a team of law enforcements agencies were involved in the roundup and included the Butler County Sheriff’s Office, Greenville Police Department, Alabama Law Enforcement Agency (ALEA), Alabama Department of Conservation, and members of the District Attorney’s Office.

Bond said, “We had no incidents with anybody and it worked well.”

There were over 25 law enforcements agents involved in the roundup. All charges were felonies.

Lovvorn noted that ALEA provided air support and was grateful for their aid in case things got out of hand.

He also stated the roundup was one of the smoothest ones he’s done.

A range of controlled substances were being distributed, including fentanyl and spice. Lovvorn said those were more of a concern for public safety, not just for the person but others around them.

“It’s like a hallucinogen that affects their reality to where they don’t realize what they are doing a lot of times,” said Lovvorn.

He added that distribution was not simply carrying drugs in your pocket but was the activity of actually selling significant quantities of controlled substances.

He said, “Thirty of them is a big deal for this area and we are not going to stop there. That’s going to lead to further arrests and other investigations.”

Bond and Lovvorn noted the investigation had been ongoing for over a year and would hold future roundups as necessary.