WINONA – Local law enforcement made a significant drug arrest Saturday evening during a vehicle checkpoint on Highway 82.
Preston Cameron Copeland, 28, of Tupelo was arrested and charged with possession of crystal methamphetamine and possession of marijuana.
According to Montgomery County Sheriff Bubba Nix, at approximately 9:30 p.m. on Saturday, September 21, deputies from the Montgomery County Sheriff’s Department, troopers from the Mississippi Highway Patrol, and officers from the Winona Police Department were working together at a traffic checkpoint on Highway 82 near Hardin Hill.
“A vehicle came through the checkpoint, and deputies smelled a strong odor coming from the vehicle,” Nix said.
He said when law enforcement searched the vehicle, they found a hidden compartment under the floor board on the passenger side of the car.
“They found 119 grams of a crystal-like substance, which appeared to be crystal methamphetamine, and 55.9 grams of marijuana,” Nix said.
Nix said he called in the Mississippi Bureau of Narcotics for assistance in the investigation.
Copeland had his initial appearance before Justice Court Judge Keith Stokes Roberts Monday, and bond was set at $25,000 for each charge, for a total of $50,000. A preliminary hearing is set for October 1.
