Two nabbed for drugs at local gas station

Published 1:10 am Monday, February 6, 2012

Two men are facing drug charges after a late-night drug bust at an Atmore gas station.

 

Marijuana, powdered cocaine and crack cocaine were confiscated from two men at the Atmore Highway 31 Kangaroo gas station Sunday night after an anonymous call led the 21st Judicial Task Force to the station around 10:30 p.m.

Ronald Adams and Quentin French were apprehended after Atmore Police Officer Mary McNew led DTF agents into the gas station where the two men were found attempting to flush narcotics down the toilet of the store’s public restroom.

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DTF agent Scott Walden said the anonymous call originated from Hickey’s gas station in Perdido where the caller reported the smell of marijuana “wafting” from a white Ford Expedition.

Walden said DTF agent Paige Howell was notified and intercepted the suspects at the station.

McNew said the suspects were acting suspicious from the moment she arrived on the scene.

“(The suspect) turned around and looked at his truck, looked at me, went to the passenger side of the tuck, got something out and went back in the store and straight in the direction of the bathroom,” McNew said.

Once inside the store, DTF agent Howell said he observed both suspects inside the bathroom attempting to flush the narcotics down the toilet.

Once in custody, French denied any knowledge of the drugs, implicating Adams in the process.

“I’ll tell you right now, I ain’t snitching, but that ain’t my dope,” French said. “I don’t want to go down for his dope.”

Adams seemed to back up French’s statement when questioned by authorities but gave no clue as to why both men were in possession of the narcotics.

“It’s my dope,” Adams said. “Everything’s mine.”

Despite the two men’s stories DTF agents said both suspects would likely be charged with two counts of possession of a controlled substance and one count each of possession of marijuana in the first degree.

Both men were transported to the Escambia County Detention Center in Brewton. DTF agents said they could expect to see a judge around 1 p.m. Monday afternoon.

Escambia County Sheriff’s Deputy Danny Lambert and the office’s K-9 unit assisted in Sunday’s arrests.

Suspect Quentin French awaits transport to the Atmore City Jail.

 

Drug Task Force agent Scott Walden appraises narcotics confiscated during Sunday night's arrests.