A Steens man is in custody after allegedly offering his customers a little meth with their brisket, according to Sheriff Eddie Hawkins.
The Lowndes County Sheriff’s Office Special Tactics Investigative Narcotic Group arrested eight people, including the erstwhile barbecue chef, as the culmination of a months-long narcotics investigation, Hawkins said.
By the time it was all said and done, drug agents seized a handgun, five vehicles, more than $15,000 in cash and more than eight pounds of methamphetamine, with an estimated street value of $35,000, Hawkins said.
Agents started investigating Eric Green, of Steens, after receiving tips from neighbors about a high volume of traffic in and out of his residence at all hours, Hawkins said. During the course of the investigation, Green shifted his operation to a BBQ stand, Till It’s Gone BBQ, at 5860 Highway 50 East.
“He just had a tent in a parking lot with a grill and a card table,” Hawkins said. “He would make plates. You could pull up and get a plate and meth at the same time.”
Green was arrested Tuesday and charged with aggravated trafficking of methamphetamine, two counts of sale of methamphetamine and two counts of conspiracy to sell methamphetamine.
Also arrested were Patrick Davis, Andrew Clay and Jarvis Thurman, all of whom were charged with aggravated trafficking of methamphetamine; Antonio Brown, who was charged with conspiracy to sell methamphetamine; James Betts and Todrick Lee, both of whom were charged with sale of methamphetamine and conspiracy to sell methamphetamine; and Christopher Tyler Robertson, who was charged with possession of methamphetamine.
While Green was allegedly the dealer, the other seven were involved in bringing him drugs to sell, Hawkins said.
All eight were in custody at the Lowndes County Adult Detention Center as of press time.
The arrests show that deputies take tips seriously, Hawkins said.
“When we get a tip complaining about activity going on in their neighborhood, we do go investigate it,” Hawkins said. “If we see a transaction we try to make an arrest, and hopefully it leads back to a search warrant.”
If you have knowledge of this case or any additional information, please call the Lowndes County Sheriff’s Office at (662) 328-6788 or Golden Triangle Crimestoppers at (800) 530-7151, or use the P3 smartphone app.
Tipsters remain anonymous and are eligible for a cash reward if your information leads to an arrest.
Brian Jones is the local government reporter for Columbus and Lowndes County.
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