Drug investigation focuses on house in Troy neighborhood

A lengthy drug investigation has resulted in the arrest of the central suspect and an effort by Madison County to take possession of the house that has been allegedly used to facilitate a number of drug crimes.

The investigation began in December 2017 when Madison County law enforcement officials stopped a car for speeding near the house. A dog trained to sniff out drugs indicated that drugs were present in the car. Agents received information that drugs were being sold from the house in question, so the agents spent a month watching the house and its lone occupant. In January 2018, agents received a tip from a man who allegedly purchased methamphetamine from the occupant of the house once or twice a week. The man said that he owed the seller more than $20,000.

Agents used the information to obtain a search warrant for the house. They say that they found guns, drugs, money, electronics, retina-scanning computers, and various other electronic equipment. Two days after searching the house, agents arrested the occupant and charged him with 17 felonies, including meth trafficking and possession, armed violence, possessing a weapon as a convicted felon and criminal fortification of a residence. The Madison County prosecutor’s office has now filed a motion to take possession of the house under a state law that allows law enforcement officers to seize assets they believe were used in the drug trade.

Anyone facing charges similar to the ones in this case may benefit from consulting an experienced criminal defense attorney for advice on the law and facts of the case and for an estimate of the likelihood of negotiating a favorable plea agreement or an acquittal.

Source: Belleville News-Democrat, “Officials file to seize drug-trafficking house in quiet Troy neighborhood,” Kara Berg, Feb. 1, 2018