A federal grand jury yesterday indicted a Franklin/Marion County man on charges of distributing methamphetamine, according to Acting U.S. Attorney Robert O. Posey and Drug Enforcement Administration Assistant Special Agent in Charge Brett Hamilton.

It was a joint investigation that led to McCarley’s arrest on trafficking charges Jan. 6. McCarley was charged with trafficking following an undercover investigation that began in Franklin County. Franklin County Sheriff Shannon Oliver said the Franklin County Drug Task Force, including officers from the FCSO as well as the Russellville Police Department, participated in the joint effort with Marion County and other agencies, including the Marion County SWAT team and the Hamilton Police Department.

“We followed through with information that led to that arrest,” said Oliver. He said cooperation among agencies was crucial in this arrest. “It helps a lot when we all work together.”

Marion Sheriff Kevin Williams said the arrest took place about 8:30 p.m. Friday night at McCarley’s residence in Hodges, just across the Franklin County line into Marion. After executing a search warrant, investigators were on scene nearly four hours and recovered significant quantities of crystal methamphetamine, or ICE, from McCarley’s possession – 19 ounces, or $19K street value.

Investigators also seized about $8K in cash, varied drug paraphernalia and a firearm.

Like Oliver, Williams pointed to the cooperation among the departments as key.

“When you share information and work together, good things can happen like this. We’re all pleased to get this amount of drugs off the streets of Marion and Franklin counties,” Williams said.

The maximum penalty for both distributing and possessing with intent to distribute methamphetamine is 20 years in prison and a $3 million fine. McCarley is going held in the Marion County Jail on a $1.5 million bond. 

DEA investigated the case, which the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Northern District of Alabama is prosecuting.