A spokesman for the District 27 Drug Task Force said the task force, the Sequoyah County Sheriff’s Office and the Oklahoma Highway Patrol conducted an interagency investigation that led to the arrest of Justin Earl Mitchell, 24.
Mitchell was booked into the Sequoyah County Jail in Sallisaw on charges of manufacturing a controlled dangerous substance, possession of a controlled dangerous substance, possession of a firearm with altered and/or removed serial number, possession of a firearm in commission of a felony, and possession of drug paraphernalia. Jail records indicate he was released on a $25,000 bond.
During the search of Mitchell’s home, task force agents reported finding chemicals and equipment commonly associated with the manufacture of controlled dangerous substances. The agents also reported finding substances appearing to be methamphetamine along with items of paraphernalia commonly associated with the use of controlled dangerous substances. Agents also reported finding firearms, one of which had an altered and/or removed serial number, during the search process.
The spokesperson said police officials are seeing a sharp increase in the number of clandestine labs. In conversations with other task force personnel across the state, this increase in the number of illegal drug labs is being experienced by task forces statewide, the task force spokesman reported. The increase may possibly be related to the lack of task force personnel left in the state due to the massive federal funding cuts suffered by the drug task forces in the past year, the DTF spokesman stated.
