Convenience store workers charged under state’s new meth law

Ugresh Patel, manager of the Marathon convenience store at 1515 Nashville Highway, and Biren Patel were charged with the promotion of meth manufacturing under the Meth Free Tennessee Act enacted this year, the Tennessee Bureau of Investigation announced Monday.

That law says it is illegal for anyone to sell, purchase, acquire or deliver any ingredient that can be used to produce meth, knowing that it will be used to produce the illegal drug.

TBI spokeswoman Jennifer Johnson said the arrests on Friday were the first by the agency under the new law.

The arrests came after a four-month investigation of the pair by authorities with the Tennessee Bureau of Investigation, the Maury County Sheriff’s Office, the Columbia Police Department and U.S. Marshals Service.

Authorities say that during the course of the investigation, more than 10,000 cold tablets were either purchased or seized from the convenience store. Agents also seized $153,000 during searches on Friday of the business and Ugresh Patel’s home.

TBI Director Mark Gwyn said to expect more arrests under the new law.

“We know this kind of activity is going on across the state,” he said in a statement. “Those who are engaged in it should be on notice that we’re after you.”