A 10-month investigation into what investigators call an alarming increase in fentanyl overdose deaths has resulted in the arrests of two Tupelo men.
The Amory Police Department reports that 30-year-old Travarus Montez West and 20-year-old Dequavion Montrail Clifton were taken into custody on Wednesday, December 6 for their alleged role in peddling drugs containing the highly dangerous substance.
West is charged with trafficking a controlled substance, possession of a firearm, and possession of a weapon by a convicted felon. The trafficking charge has been enhanced since West allegedly had the fentanyl within a nearby proximity to a church. His bond was set at $125,000.
Clifton is charged with two counts of selling a controlled substance. The charges are enhanced since the drugs were reportedly sold near a house of worship. His bond was set at $75,000.
According to authorities, West is housed at the Monroe County Adult Detention Center on a hold for the Mississippi Department of Corrections. Clifton is currently out on bond.
More arrests are expected to follow in this case.
The Monroe County Sheriff’s Department, the Tupelo Police Department, the Lee County Sheriff’s Department, the Fulton Police Department, and the North Mississippi Narcotics Unit have assisted Amory Police in investigating the fentanyl operation.
