Dpt. Dale Pullen, Chief Dpt. Robert Paris, Lt. Chris Brown, and Sheriff Mitch Ralston with the 25 pounds of packaged marijuana seized.
Andre Alistair Haughton
Bobby Andre Johnson
According to Sheriff Mitch Ralston:
At approximately 6 p.m. on Wednesday, April 7, Andre Alistair Haughton, 20, of 1242 Justin Lane, Lithonia Ga., and Bobby Andre Johnson, 22, of 1400 White Rocks Way, Conyers, Ga., were pulled over for a traffic violation near Calhoun.
When sheriff's deputies searched the vehicle using a drug-detecting dog, they found 25 pounds of processed marijuana.
According to Ralston, the marijuana was wrapped in bales and triple sealed in plastic and tape. The bales were then soaked in "what appeared to be ammonia," he said.
Investigating officers believe that this tactic was employed to confuse and hinder drug-sniffing police dogs.
Both men were arrested and charged with trafficking marijuana, a violation of the Georgia Controlled Substance Act.
The Community Crime Prevention Unit was formed in late 2009 under Ralston's reorganization plan for the sheriff's office.
The unit consists of sheriff's deputies specially trained in high visibility patrol techniques, highway drug interdiction, fugitive identification and apprehension and basic investigative skills.
Two drug-sniffing dogs are an integral part of the team, Ralston says.
The unit is not restricted to ordinary patrol zones, or a set time schedule and performs county-wide patrols both day and night. The officers are deployed to areas with high crime rates, or as needed.
The officers in the unit also work closely with the Detective Major Crimes Unit.
Since the inception of the Community Crime Prevention Unit, more than 35 felony arrests have been made and more than 200 pounds of processed marijuana and several ounces of methamphetamine, ecstasy and other illegal drugs have been seized. More than $20,000 in cash and automobiles has been seized, and 50 misdemeanor arrests have been made.
Ralston also noted that the unit was created without staff or funding increases.
"Deputies were taken out of offices and put into patrol cars," he said.
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