By Pat Culverhouse
Separate lengthy investigations by the Minden Police Department’s Narcotics Division into illegal drug trafficking have resulted in the Thursday arrest of two local men on numerous drug distribution counts.
Minden Chief of Police Jared McIver said the first arrest came just after 6:30 a.m. Thursday when officers, along with the MPD Special Response Team, raided a residence in the 700 block of Peach St. and nabbed 47-year-old Angelo O’Neal.
Narcotics detective Lt. Shane Griffith said O’Neal had been the target of a nearly year-long investigation into drug trafficking in the city.
O’Neal was found sitting in a vehicle parked in front of the Peach St. residence when officers arrived. He reportedly was found in possession of a clear bag containing suspected methamphetamines at the time of his arrest.
“We were satisfied that we had everything we needed to enforce search warrants and make the arrest,” Griffith said. “A lot of man-hours and hard work made this happen.”
O’Neal is charged with four counts of distribution of CDS Sch. II (methamphetamines), one count of distribution of CDS Sch I (synthetic marijuana), one count of distribution of CDS Sch. I (marijuana( and one count of possession of CDS Sch. II (methamphetamine). He is being held on a total bond of $130,000.
A second Minden man, D’Marcus Gill, was arrested just after noon Thursday, ending another investigation into illegal drug sales which also lasted nearly a year, McIver said.
Gill, a 34-year-old resident of the 1400 block of Harper Lane, is charged on four counts of distribution of CDS Sch. II (crack cocaine) and is being held in lieu of $100,000 bond.
Griffith said Gill was detained for a traffic violation and arrest warrants were enforced with the assistance of deputies from the Webster Parish Sheriff’s Office.
“This was another investigation that took some time, but the result is what counts,” Griffith said. “Our message to potential dealers is simple: if you’re selling drugs in Minden, we’re eventually going to catch you, whether you live in an outhouse or a penthouse.”
This information has been provided by a law enforcement agency as public information. Persons named as suspects in a criminal investigation, or arrested and charged with a crime, have not been convicted of any criminal offense and are presumed innocent until proven guilty in a court of law.
