TIPS LEAD TO METH LABS, POT PLANTS

DECATUR - Meigs County authorities, Decatur police, TBI and DEA agents and prosecutors with the Ninth Judicial District Drug Task Force agents conducted a "knock and talk" operation throughout the county Wednesday that is expected to result in a flurry of Grand Jury indictments in the near future.  The operation yielded six suspected meth labs, three suspected marijuana growing operations and small amounts of drugs, drug paraphernalia and weapons, authorities said.

Also involved in the operation were members of the Southeast Tennessee Methamphetamine Task Force and hazardous materials officials, according to investigators.

Meigs County Sheriff Walter Hickman said while no arrests were made during the operation, dozens of people were interviewed by authorities, suspected meth lab operations were located and destroyed and evidence was collected for use in prosecution of the cases investigated.

Much of the information used in the operation came in the form of tips from the public, Hickman said.

"A lot of information came from calls to the drug hot line at the District Attorney's office and Drug Task Force office," Hickman said.  "We've been taking their information on people who have possibly been manufacturing meth." Hickman said authorities have been accumulating information for the past three to five months through several sources, including the DTF, Tennessee Bureau of Investigation, the Sheriff's Department and the Decatur Police Department.

"Then we went a step further with a lot of the people we've raided in the past where we received information they might be back in operation," Hickman said.  "With the cooperation of TBI Agent Jama Walker, we developed a list in the last few weeks on people we had some information on." Hickman said officers and agents divided into five teams to began canvassing the county.

"Each team had a local officer, a DEA agent, a TBI agent, a certified meth officer, and five Southeast Tennessee Methamphetamine Task Force trucks, one for each team," Hickman said.  Chattanooga hazardous materials firm Fergeson-Harbour also sent two teams to Meigs County for cleanup of dangerous chemicals, he said.

"We had our lists and each team was assigned people to seek out," Hickman said.  "We weren't armed with search warrants but we did what's called a 'knock and talk.' We identified ourselves to the people and we told them we had what we felt was reliable information that they were manufacturing methamphetamine."

Hickman said most residents consented to officers taking a look around their property.  "Also at more than one place, the odor of meth production was very strong and identifiable by the trained officers," Hickman said.  "During the operation there were a couple of places where they refused to allow officers to search, so we obtained search warrants for residences." Hickman said officers and agents found six suspected meth labs, five of those in Meigs County and one in Roane County.

"We found two indoor marijuana growing operations, too," he said, "one of those was in Hamilton County near the county line, and we found one outdoor with about 130 plants growing along with a suspected meth lab." All the evidence collected has been turned over to the District Attorney's office, he said.

"At this point, preliminary estimates are that we'll be indicting 12 different individuals on numerous charges," Hickman said.  Hickman said each team had one member who will prosecute the indicted individuals indicated in the investigation.

An assistant district attorney is working on getting the indictments ready for the next session of the Grand Jury, according to Hickman.  The next session of the Grand Jury will convene July 26.

"Some of the people involved have prior methamphetamine-related convictions," he said.

"Since this wasn't a covert operation, I feel like we had that many more ( labs ) thrown in the river or thrown in the burn pile.  In a couple of instances, we think they might have been cooking recently." Hickman said he was proud of the officers and proud of the community for taking a stand.

"Everything went real smooth, and we still have some targeted persons and residences to investigate," he said.  "We're also consistently monitoring these places."

Hickman said he wanted Meigs County residents to know how much their help is appreciated.

"For all the people who have called in with tips and are afraid nothing is being done: About 75 percent of this started from tips from public," Hickman said.  "The public is more aware and more willing to help than I've ever seen on this kind of operation.  You've got to applaud them for it.  We've had some people call but they're afraid to give their name.  We want them to know we wouldn't allow anyone to learn their identity for information in this type of investigation."

Hickman said two juveniles were found at a residence where suspected meth components were found.  The state Department of Children's Services took custody of those children for their protection.

DHS and ambulance personnel were on standby if needed.  About 45 officers were involved in the operation, and emergency medical personnel and Department of Human Services officials were on standby throughout the operation, Hickman said.