The Jefferson County Sheriff’s office held a press conference on Tuesday where they displayed the results of a massive drug bust that was brought about by a months-long investigation.
Hundreds of pounds of marijuana, meth, heroin and psychedelic mushrooms were found during the execution of four search warrants. Renaldo Henderson, 43, is in custody with warrants pending for arrest on drug trafficking charges.
The extended investigation led authorities to believe Henderson had recently returned to the state with the intention of distributing narcotics. An AK-47, Glock pistol and $18,360 were also found during the bust.
Jefferson County Sheriff Mark Pettway appeared at the briefing, saying, “The community is safer now that these drugs have been removed from the streets. ”
“Our top priority is to make sure that you are safe,” he added, addressing residents of Alabama’s most populous county.
The investigation was carried out by Vice and Narcotics Detectives within the sheriff’s office. “I would like to thank the vice and narcotics team for an excellent job,” said Pettway of the unit.
The full contents of the bust, per the sheriff’s office, as follows:
- 18 lbs methamphetamine
- 2 lbs heroin
- 224 lbs marijuana
- 313 lbs marijuana candies
- 1 napalm marijuana grenade
- 6 lbs of cannabis pills
- 11 oz liquid cannabis
- 39.5 lbs psilocybin mushroom candy bars
Deputy Chief David Agee of the sheriff’s office said the bust announced Tuesday was “absolutely” one of the biggest ever conducted by the department.
“This is a lot of drugs, the variety is just incredible,” he noted.
Further details of the raid were not made public. Agee relayed that the overall investigation that led to the bust is still ongoing and may lead to more arrests or more drugs located.
Pettway encouraged civilians to contact his department if they had any further reports of wrongdoing, saying his office could be reached by phone or through an app. He also promised his officers could keep safe any person who comes forward.
Henry Thornton is a staff writer for Yellowhammer News. You can contact him by email: [email protected] or on Twitter @HenryThornton95.