Continued investigations as part of the Picayune Police Department’s Operation Fall Sweep resulted in additional arrests for alleged drug offenses.
Two of those arrests took place on Oct. 2, after officers conducting surveillance on a home witnessed activity consistent with possible narcotics activity. A subsequent undercover operation discovered information that heroin was possibly being sold from the residence, according to reports filed with the department.
Additional undercover operations resulted in a buy of the drug, resulting in the officers approaching the home on Stemwood Drive and speaking with 41-year-old Tamara East of 24 Hayes Lane and 38-year-old Bradley Alan Morse of 1224 Stemwood Drive. One officer conducted a check of the home to determine if there were additional occupants, during which time the officer noticed a bag of a substance suspected to be methamphetamine in plain view on the kitchen table, the report states. East and Morse later gave consent to search the home, during which the officers confiscated the bag of suspected methamphetamine and found paraphernalia consisting of spoons containing a burnt residue, used syringes and cut straws. The officers also found aluminum foil containing a substance suspected to be heroin in East’s shirt pocket. Suboxone and a hand rolled cigar containing a green leafy substance suspected to be marijuana was also found in the search, the report states. Both suspects were charged with sale of a controlled substance within 1,500 feet of a school or church, possession of a controlled substance with intent to distribute within 1,500 feet of a school or church, felony possession of a controlled substance, misdemeanor possession of a controlled substance and possession of paraphernalia.
A separate case resulted in an arrest on Oct. 17. According to the report filed with the department, Andre Rene Johnson, 53, of 927 East Canal Street was arrested for sale of a controlled substance within 1,500 feet of a school or church, felony possession of a controlled substance, misdemeanor possession of a controlled substance and possession of paraphernalia after a buy bust operation was conducted. The report states that detectives became aware of the availability of crack cocaine that day at a location on East Canal Street. A search of the home discovered Johnson inside the home, along with a tin box containing a substance suspected to be crack cocaine. Also in the box was a cigar containing a green leafy substance suspected to be marijuana along with a glass pipe with a burnt residue, the report states.