Rapides Area Drug Enforcement (RADE) Agents developed information on March 14 that Craig Deandre Brown, 27 of Alexandria, would be trafficking Fentanyl for distribution into Alexandria from New Orleans.
From prior investigations on Brown, RADE Agents conducted surveillance on and identified his vehicle and direction of travel. At approximately 8:30PM, K-9 Deputies assigned to the RADE Highway Interdiction Team located the vehicle conducted a traffic stop on Brown on Interstate 49 (North Bound) near exit 63 for a traffic violation.
While speaking with Brown outside his vehicle, deputies detected a strong odor of marijuana coming from the vehicle. Deputies deployed a narcotic detection K-9 for a free air sniff of the vehicle and observed a positive alert for narcotics. A search of the vehicle located a digital scale and other narcotics paraphernalia. After conducting a safety pat down of Brown, Deputies located a plastic bag containing just over ¼ pound of Fentanyl inside his pants. Brown also possessed approximately $2,600 cash that was seized as Agents believed it to be revenue from the illegal narcotics trafficking.
Agents determined the value of the fentanyl to be $18,000.
Brown was placed under arrest without incident and transported to the Rapides Parish Detention Center where he was booked for improper lane usage, no driver’s license on person and possession of CDS II (Fentanyl) with intent to distribute. Brown, who was already out on bond for previous narcotics violations, had his bond revoked by a judge and remains in jail at the time of this release being held on a $591,200 bond.
The Rapides Area Drug Enforcement (RADE) Unit is a multi-jurisdictional team comprised of the Alexandria Police Department, Ball Police Department, Boyce Police Department, Cheneyville Police Department, Forest Hill Police Department, Glenmora Police Department, Grant Parish Sheriff’s Office Lecompte Police Department, McNary Police Department, Pineville Police Department, Rapides Parish Sheriff’s Office, Woodworth Police Department, Grant Parish District Attorney’s Office and the Rapides Parish District Attorney’s Office.
The RADE Unit continues to target individuals suspected of trafficking narcotics in the Central Louisiana area. If you have information or would like to report any narcotics activity, you may do so by sending direct messages to the Rapides Area Drug Enforcement Facebook page at https://www.facebook.com/RADEunit/.
Agents say their investigation is still ongoing.