OXYCONTIN STING ENDS WITH ARREST OF MARYVILLE MAN

A Maryville man was arrested in his driveway Wednesday after he paid an
undercover agent $11,000 for several containers of Oxycontin.

Police say the man planned to illegally sell the pills for a projected
$30,000 windfall.

The 54-year-old ended up losing both the drugs and his cash.

After the former mechanic paid the undercover agent, Sheriff James Berrong
and officers with the Fifth Judicial Drug Task Force, Knoxville police and
the FBI pulled up and arrested him.

Conrad Ray Gregory, Cherry Drive, Maryville, was charged with delivery of
Schedule II controlled substance with intent to resell, delivery of
Schedule III controlled substance with intent to resell and two counts of
criminal attempt to possess Schedule II controlled substance within 1,000
yards of a school. He was free on $60,000 bond pending a 1:30 p.m. Dec. 3
General Sessions Court hearing.

Because the individual is charged with a drug offense within 1,000 yards of
a school, the offense is considered more serious. If Gregory is found
guilty, he could face a stiffer penalty for possessing or dealing drugs
near a school.

Gregory's house is located near Everett Elementary.

Task Force Capt. Ron Talbot said Gregory was in the process of checking the
containers of drugs when he was collared. Gregory was not armed and did not
resist arrest, Talbot said.

"To be honest, he was quite calm. He was standing there shaking his head.
He just couldn't believe it," Talbot said.

The arrest was the culmination of a monthlong investigation, Talbot said.

Task Force agents say they made two other purchases of morphine from
Gregory before setting a "sting" operation to catch the alleged dealer in
the commission of a crime, Talbot said.

Gregory allegedly wanted to become a more influential and profitable
dealer, the captain said.

"Through our investigation, we learned he was very interested in purchasing
a large amount of pills at a low price in order to turn a large profit,"
Talbot said. "We told him we knew somebody who could get those pills. From
there, he negotiated the price and amounts."

This is not Gregory's first contact with Task Force officers. The Maryville
man was arrested several years ago on drug-related charges and was released
on mandatory probation, Talbot said.

Oxycontin is a time-released pain killer that is dissolved and ingested for
a powerful high.

"That's why you see so many people overdose on it," he said.

Oxycontin in its various forms is prescribed to everyone from dental
patients to cancer patients. The abusers often start out by legitimately
getting the medications, then become addicted and abuse them, Talbot said.

Talbot said Task Force agents have worked to track down dealers who in some
cases could each affect up to 1,500 individual drug abusers at a time.

"In order to really do a service to the community and put a stop to it, we
go after the mid-to upper-level (dealers)," he said.

Talbot said an illegal drug dealer could easily sell $30,000 of
prescription drugs a month.

The $11,000 in cash seized will hopefully be forfeited by the court and
then used to fight the drug dealers, Talbot said.

In some cases, the forfeited drug money is used to fund school programs
like Drug Abuse Resistance Education.

"We try to turn it into something good," Talbot said.

Talbot praised the Blount County District Attorney's Office, Task Force
Narcotics Investigator Jeff Burchfield, Knoxville police and the FBI.