The Rapides Area Drug Enforcement (RADE) Unit began receiving community complaints about several young males selling marijuana and shooting guns at night from a house on Peach Street in Alexandria in early June. RADE agents opened an investigation into the complaints and through surveillance techniques and other investigative means, they began to develop possible suspects.

On July 2, 2025, Deputies assigned to the RADE Unit conducted a traffic stop on a vehicle at Monroe Street and Maryland Avenue for a traffic violation. During the course of the interview of the two occupants, later identified as Da’Michael Darrell Deal and Devetrick Bush, deputies determined they may be concealing illegal narcotics in the vehicle. A RADE deputy and K-9 responded to the scene to conduct a free air sniff around the vehicle which resulted in a positive alert indicating the presence of illegal narcotics. A search of the vehicle was conducted as a result of the K-9 alert, deputies located approximately ¼ pound of high grade marijuana and two handguns. Both hand guns were equipped with a “switch” making the firearms fully automatic machine guns. A RADE agent assigned to the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco and Firearms Task Force also responded and will be conducting the investigation into the machine gun violations.

Both suspects were placed under arrest, transported and booked into the Rapides Parish Detention Center for Possession of CDS I (Marijuana) with Intent to Distribute, Illegal Carrying of a Firearm with Drugs, and Unlawful Possession of a Machine Gun.

RADE Agents were able to link the vehicle Deal was driving at the time of his arrest to the Peach Street and Texas Avenue areas where the complaints originated. After several weeks of conducting their investigation, RADE Agents were able to secure search warrants for 3209 Peach Street, 91 Texas Avenue, Apt A, and 91 Texas Avenue, Apt D, all in Alexandria.

On July 10, due to having prior knowledge from the complaint of the suspects being armed with fully automatic weapons, the RPSO SWAT Team executed the search warrants at the three locations. At 3209 Peach Street, a Zaveon Brown and a male juvenile were located at the time of warrant service. A search was conducted by RADE Agents where they located approximately 2 ½ pounds of high grade Marijuana, 316 grams of so called “moon rocks”, an AR-15 style pistol and over $13,000 dollars in U.S. currency. The male juvenile was released to a family member and cited. Brown was placed under arrest , transported and booked into the Rapides Parish Detention Center for Possession of CDS I (Marijuana) with Intent to Distribute and Illegal Carrying of a Firearm with Drugs.

A search warrant was conducted at 91 Texas Avenue apartment A where nine subjects were located and detained while the search was conducted. No one was in apartment D at the time of warrant service. RADE agents located approximately 11 ½ pound of high grade marijuana and two handguns in the apartments and four of those individuals were arrested at these locations on various charges; Micah Earl Bell, Xavier Lemer Harrell, Roricus Joeletreaux Osteen and Jamarious Davon Young.

RADE agents say their investigation is still ongoing and more arrests are possible.

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, Rapides Parish District Attorney’s Office and the Louisiana Department of Probation and Parole.

The RADE Unit continues to target individuals suspected of trafficking narcotics in the Central Louisiana area. If anyone has information or would like to report any narcotics activity, they may do so by sending direct messages to the Rapides Area Drug Enforcement Facebook page at https://www.facebook.com/RADEunit/.