FORT PAYNE, Ala. — Last Thursday, the DeKalb County Sheriff’s Office Narcotics and Interdiction team assisted with the seizure of 24 pounds of methamphetamine on Highway 35 in Fort Payne.
Investigators with the Madison County Sheriff Department Narcotics Unit completed a six month investigation into the trafficking of large amounts of “Ice” into the North Alabama area.
Investigators were assisted by the DeKalb County Sheriff’s Narcotics/ Criminal Interdiction Unit, Jackson County Sheriff’s Office as well as Alabama Law Enforcement Agency Special Agents.
The DeKalb County Interdiction team conducted a traffic stop on Anthony Guthrie (50 of Scottboro) as he was leaving the Fort Payne area. A DeKalb County K-9 unit conducted a search outside of the vehicle at which time the K-9 alerted on the rear compartment of the vehicle.
Agents then located a cooler in the vehicle which contained approximately 24 pounds of “Ice” (pure, crystalized methamphetamine). Investigators also arrested David Jose Topete (49 of Tijuana, Mexico) nearby at a hotel in Fort Payne in connection to the narcotics.
Both Guthrie and Topete were charged with Trafficking in Methamphetamine and placed in the DeKalb County Detention Center on a $1,000,000.00 bond. Federal agents were notified and other drug charges are pending. The investigation continues and more arrests are possible.
DeKalb County Sheriff Nick Welden said of the operation: “We were thrilled to be a part of this operation and take such a large amount of Methamphetamine off the streets. 24 pounds of this poison is enough to get a lot of people hooked and destroy a lot of lives.”
“The value of this amount could reach up to $150,000 and we have reason to believe it was to be distributed in our area. I’d like to thank our agents, the ALEA Task Force, the Madison County Sheriff’s Office, and the Jackson County Sheriff’s Office for their commitment to stopping these dangerous drugs from reaching our communities.
“God Bless!” Concluded Sheriff Welden.
