Suspected meth traffickers nabbed in county-wide bust

Suspected meth traffickers nabbed in county-wide bust

By Ken Childers

ONL Editor

Multiple arrests were made last week as local and state law enforcement agencies swept through Okfuskee County in an operation that targeted suspected meth traffickers.

On Wednesday, Sept. 16, after a pre-dawn briefing at an area facility, agents and officers from several departments fanned out across the county and served arrest warrants on people suspected of bringing large quantities of meth into Okemah.

According to Oklahoma Bureau of Narcotics (OBN) Spokesman Mark Woodward, the suspects, one of whom was also a known heroin supplier, were identified through a multi-agency investigation.

“During this investigation, we’ve been working with local authorities to identify those responsible for continually supplying large amounts of meth in Okemah,” Woodward said. “It would not be uncommon for some of these defendants to move as much as a pound of meth at a time into this area. A total of 22 defendants were identified. Four of the 22 were already in custody as we began serving warrants.”

Those served with arrest warrants included Jackie Charles Bible, Jr., 57; Salena Virginia Carter (Thompson), 49; Kaitlin Lee Chaffin, 27; Hiawatha Lydell Davis, 62; Victoria June Dreamus, 26; Kristin Michelle Green, 30; Kimberly Ann Jones (Tanner), 37; Michael Wayne Lambert, 51; Roxanne Kay Lancaster, 44; Curtis Wayne Loggins, Jr., 55; Vernon Shawn Miller, Jr., 37; Robert Matthew Noyes, 33; Jenny Marie Renfroe, 33; Amenta La Sai Stevens, 38; Amanda Gayle Vasquez, 34; Morgan Lea Wagner, 24; and John Edward Wilson, 39.

OBN Director Donnie Anderson credited the cooperative efforts of the OBN, the Creek Nation Light Horse Police Department, the Okemah Police Department, the Okfuskee County Sheriff’s Department and the District 24 Drug Task Force for the success of the investigation.

“There is a direct correlation between drug trafficking and spikes in crime and addiction which hit rural Oklahoma particularly hard. And my agency is dedicated to working side-by-side with our local law enforcement partners to aggressively target and remove these traffickers who threaten the safety of our citizens in rural parts of our state,” Anderson said.

During the pre-operation briefing, Senator Roger Thompson, R-Okemah, said the investigation was sparked by a town hall meeting held in Okemah last summer, in which several residents expressed their concerns over the city’s drug problem. Thompson and State Representative Logan Phillips, R-Beggs, accompanied Woodward on a ride-along as officers attempted to serve one warrant in Okemah. District Attorney Max Cook was also present during the briefing.

All arrestees were transported to the Okfuskee County Sheriff’s Department for booking and face a variety of state and federal charges, including drug trafficking and drug distribution. At press time Tuesday, three warrants remained outstanding.