An ongoing investigation involving several state agencies and officers is the key to shutting down major drug suppliers in Sequoyah County, Sheriff Ron Lockhart said Wednesday.

Lockhart said for the last few months the Sheriff’s office, Sallisaw Police Department, the district attorney’s (DA) office, drug enforcement agents (DEA) and several other state agencies are able to shut down major suppliers who distribute drugs in Sequoyah County.

“One particular case we investigated brought in over a pound of methamphetamine a week,” Lockhart said. “That is over 150 pounds of meth being sold in Sequoyah County for the last four years.”

Lockhart said by utilizing different technologies, the identities of several individuals in the county who receive and distribute illegal drugs in the county were uncovered.

Lockhart said with the assistance of the drug enforcement agency’s, several state agency’s and the Regional Organized Crime Information Center out of Nashville, Tenn., funds were secured to pursue a major supplier with a federal search warrant in Thackerville and in Ratliff City who were identified as major distributors for Sequoyah County.

“We are cracking down on major suppliers and it’s going to put a hurt on the drug dealers in Sequoyah County,” Lockhart said.

US District Attorney Sheldon J. Sperling announced Wednesday afternoon the results of the March 2009 Federal Grand Jury, which involved the two individuals who were arrested as suspect suppliers to Sequoyah County.

Richard Alberto Garza, 60, of Thackerville and Brandy Lee Glidewell, 46, of Ratliff City were indicted with conspiracy to possess with intent to distribute and distribution of controlled substance, possession with intent to distribute and distribute methamphetamine and drug forfeiture.

“The individuals have been charged with a federal crime or crimes by the return of an indictment by the grand jury. A grand jury indictment does not constitute evidence of guilt. A grand jury indictment is a method of bringing formal charges against the defendant. A defendant is presumed innocent of the charges and may not be found guilty unless evidence establishes guilt beyond a reasonable doubt,” Sperling said.

The indictment alleges that, beginning in about 2005 and continuing until about March 2009, Garza and Glidewell conspired to knowingly and intentionally distribute and possess with intent to distribute methamphetamine, a Schedule II Controlled Substance. The crime is punishable by not less than 10 years or more than life imprisonment, a $4,000,000 fine and not less than five years supervised release.

Lockhart said Garza and Glidewell were part of Sequoyah County’s major suppliers.

Lockhart also said that a major marijuana distributor out of central Oklahoma was recently shut down with the help of Sequoyah County undercover officers and the sheriff’s office in Central Oklahoma.

“By purchasing a large quantity and having help from the Sheriff’s office in the Central Oklahoma town we were able to obtain a search warrant shortly after the sale and seized stolen property, vehicles, cash, marijuana and several hundred acres of land. More arrest are suspected in Sequoyah County and we will do everything possible to apprehend and arrest illegal drug activities,” Lockhart said.

“We want to make it known to all distributors that if they are going to sell drugs then they need to expect to have their property taken away,” Lockhart said. “Within the last month the DA, DEA and other state agencies seized more than 2.5 million worth of property from drug raids.”

“We are taking this serious, local drug dealers can be arrested every day, but we want to take it to the next level. By taking the major suppliers away local dealers can’t get the drugs easy anymore,” Lockhart said.