Marion County Sheriff Ronnie "Bo" BurnettA partnership with the U.S. Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives in investigating a marijuana trafficking scheme has netted the Marion County Sheriff's Office more than $750,000 in forfeited funds.
The money means a new drug detective for the sheriff's office and an expanded drug-fighting effort, Marion County Sheriff Ronnie "Bo" Burnett said Tuesday.
"It was a marijuana case and we were the lead agency, assisted by the ATF," Burnett said.
The funds stem from a pot trafficking operation that spanned from 2004 to 2011. Jackie Morrison, 66, Ollie Frizzell, 53, Sammy Nance, 51, all of Whitwell, Tenn., along with 60-year-old Julio Barbosa Sr., of Laredo, Texas, were convicted of offenses related to the scheme that was responsible for transporting more that 1,000 pounds of marijuana from Texas to East Tennessee, where it was distributed, officials said.
The money Marion got -- $753,515.71 -- was an 80 percent share of a court-ordered forfeiture of $961,413.93, of which $939,553.93 was cash and $21,860 was the value of vehicles and an ATV, officials said.
For years, longtime Detective Chad Johnson has been the county's only investigator focusing primarily at drug interdiction, but the forfeited money will up the ante for drug dealers in Marion, the sheriff said. The forfeited funds -- the most by far that Marion has ever received -- will be a big boost to the department's anti-drug programs.
"And it isn't costing taxpayers anything. It's being paid for by the drug dealers," Burnett said, noting the new position is already approved by the Marion County Commission.
According to Marion and ATF officials, Morrison was arrested as he was returning from Texas, to Jasper, Tenn., in November 2011 with 66 pounds of marijuana in his pickup truck. Searches of the truck and residences for Morrison and company resulted in the seizure of about 86 pounds of marijuana, guns, explosives, drug ledgers, cash, vehicles and bank accounts.
"To ensure that crime doesn't pay, federal law allows the forfeiture of property used to facilitate crimes and assets obtained through their illegal activity," U.S. Attorney William C. Killian said in a prepared statement.
Contact staff writer Ben Benton at bbenton@timesfreepress.com or twitter.com/BenBenton or www.facebook.com/ben.benton1 or 423-757-6569.