DRUG FIGHT PAYS OFF FOR COUNTY

The Bolivar County Board of Supervisors "reaped" the benefits of the
partnership the Bolivar County Sheriff's Department and Cleveland Police
Department in the form of a check presented Monday.

The check, in the amount of $5,348, will actually be deposited into a special
fund account used specifically to help combat drugs.

The money was acquired from drug seizures, which occurred during the past year,
since the two entities united.

"Most people don't see the hard and long hours these officers keep," said
Sheriff H.M. "Mack" Grimmett. "A lot of times they work late nights and early
mornings.

Grimmett said he was most proud of the work Cleveland Police Department
Investigator Charles "Buster" Bingham and Bolivar County Sheriff's Department
Investigator Joe Smith has done on removing meth labs from the county.

Meth "gives off" a strong odor so it is typically manufactured out in the
county away from nosy neighbors. Then, the finished product is brought back
into Cleveland and other local municipalities to be sold.

By working together, the investigators have made around 30-50 drug busts.

"We appreciate the support we have been given," Bingham said to the board.
Bingham, who has been working with the Cleveland Police Department for 16
years, has been in narcotics for over a year.

Bingham and Deputy Sheriff Charles Gilmer explained to the board how
methamphetamine is an almost instant addiction to those who first use it.

"How does this drug rank with other drugs?" Supervisor Will Gourlay asked.

"Heroin is a physiological drug and crack-cocaine is more of a psychological
drug," Gilmer said. "Meth is both physiological and psychological."

"I believe it's more addictive than the others," Bingham said of meth.

"We are very fortunate to have this type of working relationship in our
county," Supervisor Bern Prewitt said.