Five arrested in connection with drugs

Cocaine seized by federal and local officials in Oxford

Chris Thompson
DM Editor

Federal, state and local authorities arrested five people on Wednesday and charged them with possession with intent to distribute cocaine in what could be one of the largest-ever drug busts in North Mississippi.

Officials said the arrests were made following two separate incidents when undercover agents attempted to sell 3.5 kilograms of cocaine at a purchase price of $80,500.

Officials would not release names of the suspects or the officers involved in the arrests. A spokesperson for the U.S. Attorney's Office in Oxford said that all court records related to the case have been temporarily sealed because the arrests are part of an ongoing investigation.

Authorities said the first incident occurred in Oxford around 3 p.m. when law enforcement agents arrested two armed men on Hawthorn Road. The men face charges of possession with intent to distribute cocaine, conspiracy to possess cocaine with intent to sell and possession of a firearm in commission of a drug transaction.

"If convicted of these charges, they could receive life in prison without parole," said Steve Cassada, an agent for the Drug Enforcement Administration's office in Oxford.

According to Cassada, the second incident occurred about three hours later when authorities arrested three Memphis men in Como, a small town near Interstate 55 in Panola County. The three men face the same possession charges as the pair arrested in Oxford, but authorities did not file firearms charges with the second incident.

A press release from the DEA's office said that the individuals are "currently being held at an undisclosed detention facility." The press release also said the case will be presented to a federal grand jury in the Northern District of Mississippi "in the near future."

Cassada said about 25 to 30 law enforcement officers participated in the Oxford arrest. He also said that the bust is the largest cocaine seizure to date in Lafayette County.

"This kind of quantity is not usually seen in Lafayette County or this close to the University of Mississippi," Cassada said. "We hope that it's not a trend of the future."

Cassada said that investigators believe the suspects were planning to sell the cocaine, but authorities don't know where they planned to distribute it.

"We got it before it got out to be circulated," he said.

Cassada said that major cocaine seizures are not very common in North Mississippi, but drug enforcement officials have noticed a large increase in methamphetamine distribution in the area during recent months.

"In the last 18 months, we've had over 150 clandestine (methamphetamine) labs that we've taken down in North Mississippi in 37 counties," he said. "Prior to that we had zero."

The Drug Enforcement Administration, Mississippi Bureau of Narcotics, Federal Bureau of Investigation and five other state and local law enforcement agencies participated in Wednesday's arrests.

According to interim police Chief Randy Corban, the University Police Department temporarily assisted with the Oxford incident because the suspects traveled through the Ole Miss campus before being arrested.

Officials said they expect more arrests to follow in the wake of Wednesday's bust.