Two area residents in jail in Perry County after police find over 4 pounds of meth
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Shown here is the large volume of methamphetamine that police confiscated as part of an arrest of two local people.
From Staff Reports
Two area residents are facing state and federal drug trafficking charges in Perry County after law enforcement officials there say they caught the duo in possession of a large quantity of methamphetamine.
Franky Tatum, 36, of Jackson Street, McLain, and Chalaydria Lawrence, 27, of Stonegate Dr., Hattiesburg, are being held in the Perry County jail on felony charges of aggravated trafficking of a Schedule II controlled substance. Perry County Sheriff Jacob Garner said the two were arrested after a nearly month-long operation involving his department, state and federal narcotics officers, as well as the United States Postal Inspection Service (USPIS).
“For approximately three weeks, deputies with the Perry County Sheriff’s Department, along with agents from the Mississippi Bureau of Narcotics (MBN), FBI, and the USPIS, have been conducting an investigation involving a large scale drug trafficking organization operating in Perry County,” Sheriff Garner told The Richton Dispatch. “Using surveillance and other investigative techniques, officers obtained descriptions of a vehicle involved and its occupants… and attempted to conduct a traffic stop on a black Honda Accord.”
“While attempting to stop the vehicle, deputies observed packages of illegal narcotics being thrown from
the vehicle. In total, officers
recovered approximately four pounds of methamphetamine.”
Garner said Tatum and Lawrence are also facing charges of tampering with physical evidence.
Perry County Justice Court Judge Tim Odom set bonds for both suspects at $110,000. As of press time Tuesday, Tatum and Lawrence remained in the Perry County Jail in New Augusta. They were reportedly set to appear in court in Hattiesburg Tuesday on the federal charges.
Tatum has twice been convicted on drug charges. He pleaded guilty to possession of cocaine in 2006 and 2008 and spent time in the state penitentiary system in both instances.
Sheriff Garner said the investigation into the matter is ongoing, as are his department’s efforts to fight illegal drug distribution in Perry County.
“We are going to continue aggressively working to slow the amount of illegal narcotics coming into Perry County,” Sheriff Garner told The Dispatch.
