METH COMPOUND INVESTIGATION CONTINUES

Drugs, an unsolved missing person case, and bones have been key
elements for success for many television series but all of these
elements were also factors in a real-life Coffee County drug bust
last week that remains under investigation.

Several members of the 12th Judicial Circuit Deferred Prosecution
program were arrested Thursday after more than 100 local, state, and
federal law enforcement officers made what is being called the
biggest methamphetamine drug bust Coffee County has seen in the past 20 years.

Michael W. Catrett, 48, was arrested after he was lured away by law
enforcement from his property that is being called a methamphetamine
compound, according to Coffee County Sheriff Ben Moates.

The bust was the second time that Catrett's property has been raided,
according to Moates. Officers lured Catrett, whom intelligence said
might pose the largest security threat to officers, to the District
Attorney's Office under the guise that he had a meeting with District
Attorney Gary L. McAliley about his deferred prosecution status.

Upon his arrival to the DA's office, members of the Alabama State
Troopers took Catrett into custody.

At the same time, warrants were being executed at Catrett's
residence, leading to the arrests of Catrett's wife Paula S. Catrett,
46, Linda S. Cantelli, 48, James C. Blaylock, 40, Renata L. Wallace,
35, Trinity A. Roberts, 26, and Dale Arnold Williams, 46.

All were taken into custody without incident, which was a relief to
many officers as intelligence gathered had suggested that this might
be a dangerous situation, Moates said.

Each of the individuals were charged with manufacturing of a
controlled substance in the first degree and also trafficking in
methamphetamines. Both charges are class A felonies.

Michael Catrett received an additional charge of distribution.

A bond was set for $1 million for each charge of trafficking in
methamphetamines, $200,000 of which could only be made in cash.

A bond of $1 million was also set for each charge of manufacturing of
an illegal substance.

Two additional individuals were arrested after approaching the scene
during the execution of the search warrant.

Carol Michiles and Amy Redd Watson were both arrested and charged
with possession of a controlled substance and possession of marijuana
after a search of their vehicle resulted in officers locating the
narcotics, according to Myron Williams, Coffee County Sheriff's Department.

Of those arrested and charged, Michael Catrett, Paula Catrett,
Watson, and Roberts were members of the deferred prosecution program,
according to Williams.

The deferred prosecution program, also known as pre trial diversion,
is similar to being on probation. If accepted by the district
attorney, a defendant charged with a non-violent crime can be on the
program for to years if he or she remains clean from any other
criminal activity or drug abuse.

Defendants are also required to report on a at least a once a month
to the program's manager, Tonya Burke, and submit to random drug testing.

Often times if individuals have a known substance abuse problem or
have failed previous drug tests, they will be required to report as
often as twice a week and might also be required to join a
rehabilitation program.

All four were expelled from the program after the criminal charges
were filed last week.

Methamphetamine, drug paraphernalia, seven handguns, five trailers,
along with many abandoned vehicles and garbage were sprawled across
the four acres of land in Catrett's name.

Searching the premises took officers 12 hours.

"At some point all the trailers, apart from the one used as a
residence, were used in some part of the process of making meth,"
said Neal Bradley, investigator for the CCSD. An uncommon type of
glassware that that investigators have not found had not been found
in any previous lab busts was found at the compound. It is used to
make meth in large amounts, according to Bradley.

The glassware is illegal to possess and federal charges for
possession are pending, explained Bradley.

Bones were located on the premises, including a single bone that was
approximately 2 and 1/2 inches long during the search of the
four-acre compound, though none were determined to be of human
origin, according to Moates.

The bone was initially suspected to belong to Wayne Bryan who
disappeared from his yard 11 years ago on December 15.

Though no bones have been determined to be human, investigators have
not ruled out the possibility that Bryan's remains may be found on
the property, according to Moates.

Surveillance equipment was also confiscated during the search of the compound.

Cameras were mounted on trees, abandoned vehicles, and the trailers
around the compound, according to Moates.

Officers were able to move in at such a rapid rate on Wednesday that
the equipment was of little use to the residents of the compound.

"This is the biggest investigation in terms of the number of agencies
involved and the number of people that were involved that I have ever
been involved with," said Moates.

Agencies involved include the Alabama Bureau of Investigations,
Alabama Department of Public Safety, the Federal Drug Enforcement
Agency, Alabama Tobacco and Firearms, the Alabama Beverage Control
Board, and the Coffee County Sheriff's Department, according to Moates.

Work by Lt. Lance Price, Lt. Robert Chambers, and Lt. Jean Turner
helped to also make this operation go smoothly, said Bradley.

Local agencies that aided also include the Enterprise Police
Department, Enterprise Rescue Inc., Enterprise Fire Department, and
the Goodman Fire Department.

With the number of agencies involved, there was a unity in the
operation, according to Williams. "Only three people in my office
knew about the investigation. We tried to keep this as quiet as
possible," said Moates.

The administrative staff and narcotics officers from the sheriff's
department met with team leaders from the other agencies to plan the
execution of the warrants. "After Bradley had the warrant, we had
only 10 days for the execution," Williams said. In rebuttal to
accusations that the bust was for political motives, Williams said
the ABI had final say as to when the bust would occur. Hours upon
hours of work went into the investigation, according to Bradley. "As
far as professionalism, this investigation was the smoothest I have
seen. Egos were tossed aside," said Williams. "The operation was a
culmination of a lot of work over the past couple of years," said
Moates. Officers across the agencies were ecstatic to have those
persons making enough methamphetamine to have the lab described as a
mega lab off the streets of Coffee County.

Photo: Investigators searched through trailers and trash on the
compound looking for weapons and narcotics.