Alleged meth supplier caught with nearly 2 pounds of ‘ice,’ Russell County Sheriff says
Russell County investigators caught an alleged methamphetamine supplier with almost 2 pounds of high-grade “ice” Friday when they pulled him over for driving without a license.
Sheriff Heath Taylor said his officers had been tracking Ronnie Dale Griffin Jr. on suspicion he was traveling elsewhere to get large quantities of the drug to supply to street dealers.
“We have been looking into Mr. Griffin for about three weeks,” Taylor said at a news conference Friday afternoon.
Griffin was pulled over in his Chevy Silverado about 11 a.m. when officers learned he was driving without a license, the sheriff said. He had $7,045 in cash, a gram of heroin and a little less than 2 pounds of ice, or crystal meth, worth around $85,400, Taylor said.
The traffic stop was in the 3200 block of 11th Avenue, in Phenix City, he said.
He said investigators had not been able to find a informant to buy some of the drug from Griffin, to justify a warrant for his arrest.
But then they discovered the traffic offense, and happened to catch the suspect with a fresh supply.
“There’s always a certain amount of luck involved,” Taylor said. “We got him with this amount. He could have sold half of it before we were able to stop him.”
The sheriff said investigators seized the Silverado and three other vehicles they allege Griffin used in his operation, a 2002 BMW, a 2008 Chevy Tahoe and a 2002 Yamaha R6 motorcycle.
Charged with trafficking in methamphetamine and possessing heroin, Griffin is being held in the Russell County Jail without bond, awaiting a court hearing, the sheriff said.
He has been jailed before, Taylor said: “I know that we’ve dealt with him over the years multiple times,” including other drug-related allegations, he said.
This story was originally published April 16, 2021 at 6:05 PM.