How Priceville Police seized nearly $1 million in drugs off I-65
PRICEVILLE, Ala. ( WHNT ) — The Priceville Police Department (PPD) sits just off I-65 in Morgan County. With a birds-eye view of the interstate, it's no surprise that the department is finding success in its efforts to combat drug trafficking.
Just in the last few months, PPD has made more than a dozen arrests involving drug trafficking or possession of illegal narcotics . Many of the arrests have been posted on the department's Facebook page .
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"I think since we have focused on that some, we're probably somewhere around over $1,000,000 worth of drugs off the streets and upwards of $50,000 cash seized," said Priceville Police Chief Jerry Holmes.
Chief Holmes told News 19 that the department has started putting efforts into the interdiction work on the interstate and has been successful with it.
Despite being a small department of only nine patrolmen and one school resource officer (SRO), he says his officers have the training to spot potential drug traffickers.
Chief Holmes told News 19 that with their vantage point of being right on I-65, they have a duty to be on the lookout for illegal narcotics.
"There's really no interdiction units between Birmingham and Nashville, and so we've always understood that that's been a hotspot area for criminal activity and the transportation of contraband," Chief Holmes said.
Chief Holmes said the department has always been small and lacked resources, but now, with the growth they have received, they can focus more on the area.
"Our primary focus as a police department is to safeguard. Safeguard lives and property," Chief Holmes said.
The Chief said although the drugs might not be heading to the streets of Priceville, it's still important that they are intercepted.
"They're headed somewhere. Maybe not here in Priceville, but they're headed somewhere," he said. "So if we get a lot of fentanyl off the highway, I really think that is saving lives."
Chief Holmes said fentanyl has become one of the more popular drugs they encounter. He said that people who are into drugs should be worried because dealers are lacing their drugs with fentanyl.
Many of the recent arrests the department has made for drugs have come as a result of traffic stops on I-65. Chief Holmes says in many of the cases where they've discovered drugs, it falls under the trafficking amount.
"It's not personal use stuff," he said. "This is the transportation of large bulk narcotics."
Chief Holmes said he is thankful for the support of the City of Priceville, the Mayor and the residents.
"The community is, you know, they've always been very supportive of the police department and based off of the response from some of them on our social media, they're fired up about it," Holmes said. "I've seen one gentleman say, 'Man, this makes me proud to be a member of this community,' you know, and that makes us feel good and makes us realize that we are doing a good job and making a difference out there."
