A Stuart man is back in jail after Patrick County deputies seized more than seven pounds of methamphetamine on Monday.
Patrick County Sheriff Dan Smith described the 鈥渢ake down鈥 involving the suspected methamphetamine along with three ounces of cocaine mixed with fentanyl as 鈥渢he largest methamphetamine seizure in the history of Patrick County.鈥
Mark Lucas Tatum, 48, of Stuart, was arrested during a covert investigation involving multiple jurisdictions on July 1 and was released on bond under the home electronic monitoring (HEM) program. After Tatum was charged with eluding law enforcement, he was ordered by the court to wear a GPS ankle bracelet and released.
鈥淔irst Sgt. Barry Vipperman, who supervises the HEM program, noticed that Tatum was more than 150 miles outside of Patrick County, in clear violation of HEM protocol,鈥 said Smith. 鈥淚nvestigator Oscar Tejeda, who led the investigation and is assigned to the sheriff鈥檚 narcotics investigations unit, immediately began to coordinate with Virginia State Police narcotics agents in order to track Tatum鈥檚 movements.
Because of Tatum鈥檚 history of reckless eluding, Smith said his department assembled a take down team involving deputies, troopers, and a Martinsville Police Department K-9 unit to ensure that Tatum could be removed from the highway if he attempted to flee again.
鈥淭atum鈥檚 vehicle was stopped on Via鈥檚 Orchard Road, just off of U.S. 58, and he was taken into custody without incident,鈥 said Smith. 鈥淭he estimated street value of the drugs is estimated at $200,000. Most users purchase methamphetamine in one to three gram quantities, so the drugs seized had the potential to reach more than 3,000 addicts.鈥
Tatum has been under investigation by the Patrick County Sheriff鈥檚 Office for some time as a possible major drug supplier to other drug dealers in the region, Smith said.
Tatum has been jailed in the Patrick County jail without bond and federal charges are anticipated once the U.S. Attorney鈥檚 Office for the Western District of Virginia and the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) conclude their investigation, said Smith.
鈥淢ore of his Tatum鈥檚 allies will fall as we methodically dismantle this criminal network,鈥 Smith said.
