'Major' meth arrest made (Alabama)

By Marty Roney
Montgomery Advertiser

An Elmore County man, described by authorities as a "major" methamphetamine supplier in the tri-county area, was behind bars Friday, facing multiple federal drug charges.

Sheriff Bill Franklin said the arrest of Tony Mitchell, 38, of 124 Gossom Pass came after a 12-month undercover operation. Mitchell was charged early Friday with three counts of unlawful distribution of a controlled substance.

"We have multiple buys off Mr. Mitchell, and more charges are pending," Franklin said. "Because of the amount of drugs involved and the number of buys, we decided to go federal. If convicted, he's looking at a minimum of 10 years and a max of 30. That doesn't take into consideration any future charges."

Mitchell, a licensed barber who worked behind his home, is in federal custody in Montgomery, Franklin said.

He will likely have a court appearance early next week.

Franklin called Mitchell a major dealer in the methamphetamine trade in the Autauga, Elmore and Montgomery county area.

Carol Jackson, who lives in Mitchell's neighborhood, described him as "well-known" in the community.

"There were always a bunch of young guys over at his trailer -- too many to be getting haircuts," she said. "And these was a bunch of cars with different license plates coming and going all during the night. We knew he had to be doing something besides fades over there."

According to police reports, authorities seized 50 grams of methamphetamine with a street value of about $7,000, $3,000 in cash and a 2002 Ford Excursion.

Agencies involved in the drug bust were the Elmore County Sheriff's Office, the federal Drug Enforcement Administration, the Alabama Bureau of Investigation and the Central Alabama Drug task Force.
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