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.