Local men caught with meth supplies in Alabama

By DUANE SHERRILL / Staff Reporter for the Southern Standard

HALE

Three local men were nabbed recently in Alabama trying to smuggle a shipment of ephedrine back to Warren County to make methamphetamine in light of the new restrictive law here which places the meth ingredient behind the counter.

The suspects, Charles Paul Hale Jr., 38, Carl Allan Young, 27, and William Ray Roller Jr., 33, all of Warren County, are charged with manufacture of meth, possession of drugs, possession of marijuana, and possession of drug paraphernalia. They are being held in Etowah County, Ala., where their arrests were made.

The three were arrested following a traffic stop in Sardis City near Highway 431 North. It was during the stop members of the Etowah County Narcotics and Major Crime Task Force found meth, marijuana and other drug paraphernalia.

Also found were 640 pseudoephedrine pills, an essential ingredient needed in the production of meth.

It was the pills lawmen believe were the point of the trio’s visit to Alabama as the southern neighbor has less restrictive ephedrine laws than this state. Tennessee recently made it law that all ephedrine-based products must be kept in pharmacies. Cold remedies are the products most likely to include the substance which is extracted and used as the major ingredient in meth.

Detectives in Etowah County say they have been cautioned to be on the lookout for people wanting to buy mass quantities of the products given the new Tennessee law which has sent meth-makers looking elsewhere for ephedrine.

Local officers say they have already seen a great reduction in the number of labs since the new law took affect earlier this year. Lawmen say they expect the labs they do find in the future will be much larger than the old labs since an investment would have to be made to smuggle in ephedrine from out of state. Officers point out meth-makers try to buy smaller amounts at several different stores to avoid suspicion.

In addition to meth charges, Hale is also charged with violating his parole. Hale has long been associated with the meth trade as he first made headlines years ago when he led lawmen on a high-speed pursuit through the middle of McMinnville while driving a mobile meth lab. He returned to the public eye later when he escaped officers and led them on a cat-and-mouse chase around the county for days before being caught.