DOUGLAS COUNTY, Ga. — Several pounds of methamphetamine with a street value of $100,000 is off the street thanks to an observant deputy.
For the last 15 years, metro Atlanta has been a distribution center for meth smuggled in from Mexico.
A DUI traffic officer intercepted meth and other drugs during a stop along Fairburn Road in Douglas County Wednesday morning.
He pulled over a car that was weaving and noticed the passenger acting suspiciously.
"He was acting nervous, kicking his feet around. Based on that, he asked for a free air K-9 sniff around the car," Sgt. Jessie Hambrick with the Douglas County Sheriff's Office told Channel 2's Tom Regan.
Investigators say they found about a pound of meth under Clint Ayers’ passenger seat. He was taken into custody.
Deputies said they then searched the home of an acquaintance, Michael Rochester, who lives in Douglasville.
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“(We found) 1.6 pounds of methamphetamine located in the home, some already packaged for distribution," Hambrick said.
The combined total from the car and home was about 2.6 pounds of meth.
“It would be about $85,000 to $100,000 street level value," Hambrick said.
Hambrick has written a book about the dangers of methamphetamine and has been arresting dealers for well over a decade.
He told Regan that Atlanta is a distribution hub for drugs coming into the country from Mexico and the reason is pretty simple.
“Just because of our geographical location,” Hambrick said. “You have 75, 85, I-20 connecting them all together. It's just easy to get anywhere from Atlanta.”
Another woman was arrested at the home, but she was not charged with selling or using the drug.
Hambrick told Regan that a $20,000 wholesale buy of meth could provide an $80,000 profit for a dealer.
“There’s a lot of profit to be gained," Hambrick said.
Cox Media Group
