An Auburn man is in custody June 27 following a multi-month-long investigation by the Barrow County Sheriff’s Office into drug activity and distribution in the county.
Joseph William Vanderford, 52, of Auburn was arrested Tuesday after an investigation involving the Barrow County Narcotics Unit and SWAT team led officials to execute a search warrant at 989 Fred Kilcrease Road.
Vanderford was arrested and charged with alleged trafficking of methamphetamine and sale of methamphetamine, according to Sheriff Jud Smith. Additional charges are currently pending against Vanderford as well.
Tuesday’s search warrant was the result of a six-month investigation into the distribution of meth in Barrow County. During the execution of the warrant, authorities found approximately seven pounds of meth, over 20 ecstasy pills and two firearms.
The meth side of the drug bust has an approximate street value of $50,000, Smith said Tuesday.
The ecstasy pills, also known as MDMA, are said to have been more popular back in the late 1990s and early 2000s, and are considered by Sheriff Smith as a combination of “an upper and a downer.”
“It [ecstasy] was used in raves and things like that, and parties,” Smith said. “And it helps people, ‘have a good time,’ if you will. But it's a manufactured pill that people make.”
Ecstasy is listed as a Schedule I drug under the Controlled Substances Act which indicates it has a high potential for abuse and has “no currently accepted medical use,” according to the Department of Justice.
Vanderford was reportedly the centerpiece of the six-month investigation, as authorities do not foresee any additional arrests in connection to this case. There are, however, additional charges pending against Vanderford.
The investigation is still ongoing, according to police. Anyone with information on the case is asked to contact the Barrow County Sheriff’s Office Criminal Investigations Unit at (770) 307-3080 and use extension 3083.
