Pubdate: Mon, 22 Apr 2002 Source: Sun Herald (MS) Copyright: 2002, The Sun Herald Contact: http://www.sunherald.com Details: http://www.mapinc.org/media/432 Author: Reggie Beehner 3-YEAR DRUG PROBE NEARING END Multi-State Arrests In Crystal Meth Investigation Include George County Sheriff's Son PASCAGOULA - Authorities are in the final stretch of a wide-reaching drug investigation that has netted more than 35 arrests, including the son of the George County sheriff. Operation Scratching Post, as the investigation came to be known, spanned over five states and drew from the work of more than 40 law enforcement agencies, Jackson County Sheriff Mike Byrd said Saturday at a press conference. The three-year investigation, led by a team of state and federal drug agencies, resulted in the arrests of many of Mississippi's central figures in crystal methamphetamine production and distribution, Byrd said. "This was a huge operation," Byrd said. "And it shows meth dealers that we're not playing around down here." Those behind bars include Thomas Dubose, 56, of Lucedale, who was linked to the production of as much as 100 pounds of crystal meth from 1999 to 2001, the year of his arrest, Byrd said. Also arrested last year was James Miller, 26, of Lucedale, who is the son of George County Sheriff George Miller. The younger Miller stands accused of operating behind a fake business front to buy large amounts of chemical agents used in the manufacture of crystal meth, Byrd said. The investigation spanned over five states, including California and Florida, where suppliers would load up on "commercial grade" narcotics and smuggle the drugs back to Mississippi for local distribution. The arrest sheets, and the stories behind them, at times seem more likely to resemble a Hollywood film script than real life. Among the cast of characters are a prostitute and four brash Samoans from California, one of whom later had his prison sentence more than doubled after making disparaging comments to a state judge, Byrd said. The sweep began as a local investigation, but soon branched out to include other states, such as Washington, Alabama and Arizona. "There were a lot of names that just kept coming up," Byrd said. In all, the investigation tracked the production and sale of more than 300 pounds of crystal meth, which held a street value of more than $13 million, Byrd said. Some arrests are still pending, but authorities say those targeted are aware of their fate. The investigation stalled shortly in late 1999, but two subsequent arrests of some key George County figures soon "got the ball rolling again," Byrd said. Agencies involved with the investigation, which won a national award, include the HIDTA division of the U.S. Drug Enforcement Agency, the Jackson County Narcotics Task Force, the Mississippi Bureau of Narcotics and the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco and Firearms, among others. - --- MAP posted-by: Josh