ICE, not ICE and a baby?
Published 1:00 am Friday, October 4, 2013
Drug Task Force agents sent two suspected drug dealers to jail this week after one attempted to pass off rock salt as “ICE,” and the other who brought his two-year-old along on an alleged drug deal.
DTF Commander Mark Odom said the first arrest occurred Monday when DTF agents arrested Justin Tillery, 31, for allegedly selling “ICE” methamphetamine in the Opp area. Agents arrested Tillery after undercover operation in the Delta Plaza where Tillery attempted to sell an undisclosed individual what turned out to be rock salt, Odom said.
Tillery was charged with distribution of an imitation controlled substance.
“It is not unusual for drug dealers to sell fake or ‘bunk’ product,” Odom said. “Many times, this product can be just as deadly as the controlled substance because it is not meant to be ingested into the body. It can also result in assaults and other dangerous situations because addicts are usually highly upset with the fact they didn’t receive their product.”
Tillery’s bond was set at $150,000.
And on Wednesday, the DTF arrested Joel Aaron Davis, 23, also of Opp, for not only attempting distribute marijuana but for also bringing his 2-year-old child along on the deal.
Odom said Davis’ arrest comes after a month-long investigation into someone soliciting the sale of a large amount of marijuana. He said an undercover operative was used, and a controlled delivery was set up by DTF agents. Once the delivery was made, law enforcement took Davis into custody at the Market Place Plaza in Opp. Agents also seized the marijuana and several smoking devices.
Davis was booked into the Covington County Jail and held on a $210,000.
“It never ceases to amaze me what lengths drug dealers and addicts will go to for any amount of drugs,” Odom said. “In this particular case, a two-year-old was in the car as a drug deal went down – one that was orchestrated by his own father. If the dealers haven’t figured it out yet, we are serious about the fight against drugs, especially when a child can be saved from the vicious cycle.”