Two Eunice men and a Chicago man were arrested in drug bust at an Opelousas residence where more than 70 pounds of high-grade marijuana seized Tuesday, according to St. Landry Parish Sheriff Bobby Guidroz in a news release.
The three arrested men were identified as Devin Johnson, 32, of the 1400 block of Anne Avenue, Eunice; Gino R. Jackson, 33, of the 600 block of North Martin Luther King Drive, Eunice; and Demetrius Coley, 35, of the 11300 block of South King Drive, Chicago, Illinois.
They were charged with illegal carrying of weapons, possession with intent to distribute Schedule I drugs and drug paraphernalia.
The arrested was a combined operation of the St. Landry Parish Sheriff’s Office, Opelousas Police and U.S. Postal Service Office of Inspector General, Guidroz said.
The St. Landry Parish Sheriff’s Narcotics team received information that a large amount of narcotics was being shipped to an Opelousas residence, Guidroz said.
The agencies intercepted the packages and used two highly trained and certified narcotic detector dogs from the sheriff’s office and Opelousas Police Department. K-9s, “Dino” and “Chaos” that indicated the presence of illegal narcotics inside the packages, he said.
Agents conducted surveillance on the Opelousas home, and obtained a search warrant for the address in the 400 block of Carrier Street in Opelousas.
“A search was conducted and several vacuum sealed packages containing high grade marijuana were located on the floor of the kitchen. Several black and yellow tool boxes were located in the kitchen area also containing clear plastic vacuum sealed bags which contained high grade marijuana. Also located in the kitchen area on the table were two vacuum sealers, vacuum seal bags, clear small sandwich bags, and several clear bags of high-grade marijuana. A search of the master bedroom revealed a loaded Glock semi-automatic handgun,” Guidroz stated.
Special Agent in Charge Christopher Cave, of the U.S. Postal Service Office of Inspector General Southern Area Field Office said, “The arrests made yesterday should be an example to those attempting to abuse Postal Service delivery services that the government is vigilant and these crimes will not be tolerated.”
He added in the statement “The USPS-OIG, along with our law enforcement partners will continue to vigorously investigate these types of cases in order to protect the sanctity of the mail and ensure the safety of our communities.”
Guidroz stated, “Our detectives along with the outside agencies worked hand and hand to get the illegal narcotics off the streets before it is sold to our citizens. This is proof when citizens decide to get involved and work with law enforcement, positive results happen.”
Anyone with any crime information can always call St. Landry Crime Stoppers at 948-TIPS (8477) or download the P3 app on your mobile device to tip anonymously, he stated.