A local resident described by police as one of the largest drug dealers in Columbus was among seven people arrested in a weekend drug raid at a residence on the city’s east side.
Narcotics investigators identified Jason C. “Soup” Campbell’s arrest Friday night as significant due to the amount of drugs and cash that were found at his home at 321 Hege Ave., said Lt. Matt Harris, Columbus Police Department spokesman.
During the raid by the Bartholomew County Joint Narcotics Enforcement Team, investigators recovered 1.5 pounds of methamphetamine with a street value of about $60,000. Officers also found marijuana, a large amount of pseudoephedrine, drug paraphernalia, stolen property and nearly $24,000 in cash, Harris said.
The local SWAT team, made up of city police officers and county sheriff’s department deputies, assisted in serving a search warrant at the address late Friday night, along with the Indiana State Police.
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It is the first major drug bust for the Joint Narcotics Enforcement Team this year.
Campbell, 46, was arrested on charges of dealing in methamphetamine, possession of methamphetamine, possession of stolen property, possession of marijuana, possession of a controlled substance, possession of pseudoephedrine, possession of drug paraphernalia, possession of a legend drug and maintaining a common nuisance.
He is being held at the Bartholomew County Jail in lieu of $250,000 bond, jail officials said.
Also arrested were:
Courtney J. Irvin, 29, P.O. Box 1252, Columbus, on charges of possession of methamphetamine, possession of stolen property, possession of marijuana, possession of a controlled substance, possession of pseudoephedrine, possession of drug paraphernalia, possession of a legend drug and maintaining a common nuisance.
Jayden M. Campbell, 19, Scipio, on a charge of visiting a common nuisance and a Bartholomew County warrant.
Phillip B. Amburgey, 27, 151 Jackson St., Hope, on a charge of visiting a common nuisance.
Eric D. Caldwell, 40, 1520 Sycamore St., on a charge of visiting a common nuisance.
David A. Compton, 19, 10330 W. Georgetown Road, on a charge of visiting a common nuisance.
Roger D. Leonard, 59, 352 Hege Ave., on a charge of visiting a common nuisance.
Irvin is also being held in lieu of $250,000 bond at the jail, jail officials said. Jayden M. Campbell is being held without bond, jail officials said.
Caldwell was released from the Bartholomew County Jail on a bond of $5,000, jail officials said.
Amburgey, Compton and Leonard were released from jail on the county’s new arrest protocol allowing people who qualify to be released from jail without posting bond, jail officials said. Each has a $5,000 bond listed on jail arrest records.
Investigators aren’t releasing at this time how long Campbell and the Hege Street address had been under surveillance prior to Friday night’s raid.
Methamphetamine continues to be a drug of choice among many drug users in Bartholomew County, said Sheriff Matt Myers.
“Heroin has not replaced it,” Myers said. “Heroin is killing people instantly, but we still have a major methamphetamine problem here.”
The amount of methamphetamine that was confiscated, more than a pound, shows that the drug continues to be accessed locally, the sheriff said.
“Agency-wise, methamphetamine and heroin are our top priority,” he said.
The Bartholomew County Joint Narcotics Enforcement Team is made up of officers from the Bartholomew County Sheriff’s Department, the Columbus Police Department and the Bartholomew County Prosecutor’s office. The team targets the manufacturing and abuse of dangerous drugs in Bartholomew County and Columbus.
