By Staff
Staff reports
During a routine traffic stop in Atmore on Wednesday agents with the Drug Task Force seized drugs and suspicious chemicals from a vehicle, which later led them to a methamphatemine lab at the home of one of the suspects.
According to a news release, upon search of the vehicle, agents recovered marijuana and precursor chemicals used to manufacture meth. Agents arrested Gregory Boyd Blackwell and Franklin Duane Fails at the scene on Springs Road.
Later that afternoon, Drug Task Force agents, assisted by officers from the Atmore Police Department, searched the home of Blackwell in Atmore. Mark Daniel Presley was found at the residence, and after the search of the residence, a methamphetamine lab, drug paraphernalia and chemicals used in the manufacturing of meth were seized.
Also during the search, an indoor marijuana growth was seized, along with numerous items used to grow marijuana. Three individuals were arrested.
Blackwell, 46, of 502 Blackwell Lane, was charged with unlawful manufacturing and distribution of a controlled substance, unlawful possession of marijuana, second degree and unlawful possession of drug paraphernalia.
Presley, 42, of 183 Horseshoe Circle, was charged with unlawful manufacturing and distribution of a controlled substance and unlawful possession of drug paraphernalia.
Fails, 34, of Smith Dairy Road, was charge with unlawful manufacturing of a controlled substance, unlawful possession of marijuana, second degree and unlawful possession of drug paraphernalia.
The arrests conclude a 10-month ongoing investigation by the 21st Judicial Circuit Drug Task Force.
The 21st Judicial Circuit Drug Task Force is comprised of the following law enforcement agencies: Escambia County Sheriff's Department, Atmore Police Department, East Brewton Police Department, Brewton Police Department, Flomaton Police Department, Escambia County District Attorney's office and the Escambia County Commission.
The Task Force receives 75 percent of its funding from a grant funded by the Bureau of Justice Affairs Division of the United States Department of Justice. The grant is administered by the Alabama Department of Economic and Community Affairs. The remainder of the funding is provided by the Escambia County Sheriff's Department, Atmore Police Department, Brewton Police Department and the Escambia County District Attorney's office.