Officers make largest crack bust in county history
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The suspects, David Wayne Biles, 29, and his girlfriend, Amanda Borden, 21, are both charged with possession of crack cocaine with intent to resell. Under state law, the crime is a Class B felony, carrying eight to 12 years. However, the fact Biles is a convicted drug trafficker who was on parole and had firearms at his home means he will likely be prosecuted on the federal level where he could receive up to a life sentence.
Members of McMinnville Police Department and the 31st Judicial District Drug Task Force descended on the residence with a search warrant Wednesday. According to McMinnville Police Chief Joe Melton, lawmen had been investigating the case for a long time after receiving complaints about alleged drug trafficking at the location.
Once inside, lawmen discovered they had arrived in the nick of time as the 80 grams of crack cocaine was found floating in the toilet, meaning the suspects were about to flush the evidence when they heard police knocking at their door. The crack was individually bagged in several containers, leading officers to believe the drug was meant for re-sale. The 80 grams has a street value of around $10,000.
According to District Attorney General Dale Potter, finding such a large amount of the drug in one location is very unusual and is unprecedented in Warren County.
“Most people just don’t run the risk of having so much crack cocaine in one location because of the penalties it carries,” Potter said. “In this case, it looks like the suspects felt comfortable and got a little greedy.”
Potter said the fact guns were found in the house would weigh heavily against Biles, who has already served time for drug convictions in Warren and Davidson counties. Potter believes federal prosecutors will adopt the case due to the large amount of the drug, meaning Biles could face 50 years to life in prison.
Biles was one of the original people arrested for crack cocaine in 1995 when lawmen combined to break up the crack cocaine trafficking networks here in Operation Eight-Ball.
In addition to arresting the suspects, lawmen seized vehicles and a small amount of cash.