DRUG OPERATION IS A WRAP

The Prattville Police Department has wrapped up a two-year undercover drug
operation, making the final eight arrests in a campaign that generated 240
cases against 122 individuals.

The last roundup came Tuesday. Of the 122 overall suspects, 90 were
arrested on drug charges, and the remaining 32 will have their cases
presented to the Autauga County Grand Jury, Police Chief Alfred Wadsworth said.

"The operation seized drugs with a street value of more than $557,000,"
Wadsworth said. "We also seized several firearms, which included handguns,
sawed-off shotguns, assault rifles and bulletproof vests. Several other
arrests involving higher-level drug distributors were also made in other
jurisdictions resulting from cases made in Prattville."

The department isn't taking a breather. Several months ago it started
another undercover operation that's yielding more criminal cases, Wadsworth
said.

Those arrested in the most recently completed roundup face charges ranging
from possession to trafficking in drugs. Many mid-to upper-level drug
dealers were caught in the latest sweep, police say.

Deanna Perkins of Prattville applauds the department's efforts.

"You just wouldn't think there was that big a drug problem in Prattville. I
guess it's because our crime rate is so low to begin with," Perkins said.
"It's a shame this much effort has to be put into fighting drugs, but
that's just the society we live in."

Assisting the Police Department were the Central Alabama Drug Task Force,
the Alabama Beverage Control Board's Narcotics Division, the Drug
Enforcement Administration, the Montgomery Police Department and the
Autauga County Sheriff's Department.