A five-month narcotics investigation led by the Alabama Law Enforcement Agency’s (ALEA) State Bureau of Investigation (SBI) and the Alabama Attorney General’s Office culminated in a coordinated, multi-agency law enforcement operation in Montgomery, resulting in the seizure of significant quantities of illegal narcotics, firearms and U.S. currency.
On Tuesday, Oct. 27, Officers assigned to the Alabama Drug Enforcement Task Force (ADETF) Region D, with assistance from numerous local, state and federal law enforcement partners, simultaneously executed 11 narcotics search warrants at locations throughout the City of Montgomery.
During the operation, law enforcement personnel seized the following:
- 15,932 grams of marijuana
- 243 grams of synthetic controlled substances, commonly known as “Spice”
- 33 grams of cocaine and crack cocaine
- 516 grams of MDMA or “ecstasy,” equivalent to approximately 3,400 pills
- Five firearms, including one confirmed stolen from Montgomery
- Three AR-style upper receivers, along with assorted ammunition and magazines
- $14,157.93 in U.S. currency
As a result of the operation, Rodriquez Oates, 39, of Montgomery, was arrested and charged with one count of Trafficking Marijuana. Leon Howard III, 42, of Montgomery, was arrested and charged with one count of Second-Degree Receiving Stolen Property. Both individuals were booked into the Montgomery County Jail.
The operation involved extensive coordination among local, state and federal law enforcement agencies. ALEA personnel participating in the operation included SBI Special Agents assigned to ADETF and the Metro Area Crime Suppression (MACS) Unit, along with ALEA’s Special Weapons and Tactics (SWAT) Team and the Aviation Unit. Local law enforcement partners included SWAT Teams with the Prattville Police Department, Montgomery Police Department, Wetumpka Police Department, Montgomery County Sheriff’s Office, Autauga County Sheriff’s Office, Chilton County Sheriff’s Office, Lee County Sheriff’s Office, as well as Investigators from the Wetumpka and Montgomery Police Departments and the Autauga County Sheriff’s
Office. Federal partners included Homeland Security Investigations (HSI), the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) and the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI).
Additional charges and arrests may be forthcoming. Nothing further is available as the investigation remains ongoing.
