NEW ALBANY, Miss.–Heroin was found inside an SUV stopped in Union County Sunday. Investigators say they found a gram and a half of the drug and arrested John Montgomery and Ashley Stewart of Pontotoc and Brandy Scott of New Albany after they pulled the vehicle over. In the past couple of days, though, authorities across the state have made several drug busts and have found a variety of drugs.
In Jones County, deputies discovered a pot growing operation inside a home after they served a search warrant Monday. Three people were arrested. The sheriff’s department is expected to hold a press conference today to talk more about it.
In Starkville, it was meth, pot and cocaine that got 12 people arrested Monday night. WTVA reported that Sheriff Jimmy Edwards said 65 drug cases would be presented to the grand jury this month.
A drug bust in Hattiesburg Monday afternoon had two men arrested, Eddrick Cyrus and Roy Smith, both on drug possession and distribution charges. Police said they found plenty of spice, black tar heroin, cocaine, the chemicals to make drugs and the stuff to sell drugs, including blenders, needles and other paraphernalia.
In addition to the other drugs, spice has been of particular concern in recent weeks.
“We had recorded 317 emergency room visits related to spice use,” said Dr. Thomas Dobbs, state epidemiologist. “We’re also investigating seven potential deaths.”
One of those deaths was in Lowndes County Monday evening. A 33-year-old man was taken to the hospital after smoking spice Sunday. An autopsy is set for today at the state crime lab to determine whether the man died directly from smoking spice, which is synthetic marijuana with a much higher concentration of THC, the chemical that makes you high.
Two more people died in Hancock County. Robert Redford, 33, and Ralph Waymire, 59, both died and another person was in the hospital on life support. Sheriff Ricky Adam said he highly suspected that spice was the cause, in particular a deadly batch that has circulated in the past few weeks.
Police are continuing with the busts and are working with the state health department to find out what is making the drug so toxic.
