The McMinn County Sheriff's Department was out in force Tuesday night for an operation they called "Wipeout" that ended with several arrests and the seizure of three meth labs and 22 marijuana plants.
"The purpose of this effort was to respond to information our office has received from citizens about suspected criminal activity," said McMinn County Sheriff Joe Guy. "We compile that information into a list of people and places involved that we visited tonight."
Thirty officers in teams of 5 or 6 officers hit the streets at 5:30 with specific assignments.
"Over the course of the night, the Crime Suppression Teams checked assigned locations, made arrests, seized drugs, and made face to face contact with over 50 households in our county," said Sheriff Guy.
During the operation, officers discovered two meth labs on County Road 177, James Spurling was charged with Initiation of Manufacturing Meth, Possession of Legend Drugs and Drug Paraphernalia.
Another meth lab was found on County Road 482. Charges are pending in that case.
22 marijuana plants with a street value estimated at over $20,000 were seized near Highway 68. Charges are also pending in that case.
Three suspects were arrested on outstanding warrants from a local motel: Ricky Charles for Failure to Appear and Violation of Community Corrections, Manuel Brady for Child Support Attachment, and Steve Borden for Child Support Attachment.
"McMinn County doesn't have the severe crime problems that some other areas have," said Sheriff Guy. "And I want to keep it that way. But meth and other drugs continue to be a problem. So we want to be proactive, and let the criminals know we are actively pursuing them, and thereby further reducing our crime rates."