By Jeremy Pittari, Item Staff Writer
The Picayune Item
PICAYUNE —
A Pearl River County man has been charged with several drug related offenses and with being in possession of firearms by a convicted felon.
The arrest was the result of a year’s worth of investigation into the actions of 53-year-old Phillip Carson “Tab” Lee, of 997 Union School Rd., said Pearl River County Sheriff’s Department Chief Investigator Donnie Saucier.
During that year-long investigation, Sheriff’s Department narcotics detectives used undercover operatives to make several narcotics purchases from Lee, some of which were allegedly made by Lee from his 2008 Chevrolet Silverado, Saucier said.
On Tuesday, narcotics detectives had the evidence they needed to charge Lee, but he was not home when they went there to make the arrest, Saucier said. Lee was later located on Koch Road and was placed under arrest.
Saucier said a search of Lee and his vehicle at that location found a small amount of marijuana in his pocket and a pill bottle with Lee’s name on it for a prescription of methadone. Inside the bottle were 46 Opana pills, which is a schedule II opiod narcotic, but there were no methadone pills, Saucier said.
Lee’s Silverado and $1,088 in cash on his person were seized due to the suspicion that they were obtained through the illegal sale of controlled substances, Saucier said.
A search warrant was obtained for Lee’s home after his arrest, the chief investigator said. Saucier said during the search detectives found four firearms, including a handgun, a shotgun and two rifles, which are not legal for Lee to possess since he is a convicted felon.
The search also found several documents and ledgers that appeared to show Lee was involved in other kinds of criminal activity about which Saucier said he could not elaborate.
“I’m going to leave it vague because that is still under investigation,” Saucier said. “It is not drug related.”
Saucier said an outside federal agency is handling that investigation.
Lee is charged with four counts of sale of marijuana, one count of sale of Oxycontin, one count of sale of methamphetamine, four counts of possession of a firearm by a convicted felon, one count of possession of Opana with intent to distribute, possession of marijuana in a motor vehicle and possession of Oxycodone with intent to distribute after the investigation showed that while Lee had a prescription for that medication, he was selling the pills, Saucier said.
