Video: Major ‘Ice’ Dealer out of Business in Monroe County

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MONROE COUNTY, Miss. (WCBI) — It’s being called one of the biggest crystal meth busts in Monroe County. As WCBI’s Allie Martin reports, a 9 month undercover operation has paid off for the Monroe County Sheriff’s Department and authorities say it has landed   one of the area’s biggest drug dealers behind bars.

Authorities say 51 year old Michael Yielding would drive around posing as a meat salesman, but there was apparently much more in his inventory.

“The meat man was actually the ice man.”

Monroe County Sheriff Cecil Cantrell says this mobile home off Highway 45 was  headquarters for the operation, which deputies visited with a search warrant Monday evening.

“Needles , drugs, different stuff under here, scales over here .”

Sheriff Cantrell says Yielding was paranoid and always looking over his shoulder. The property has several no trespassing signs, and there were surveillance cameras pointed at the driveway.

Yielding is accused of selling ice, an almost pure form of crystal meth, from his so-called meat truck, or right here on his property. Cantrell says Yielding would get the potent drug from a source in Alabama, then bring it back to Monroe County.

“Mr. Yielding is a major drug dealer in North Mississippi, a major player has been taken out of the drug trade in Monroe County and North Mississippi.”

Ice is sold in small quantities for around 130 dollars a bag, and experts say it’s highly addictive. In fact, the sheriff says the drug seems to be making a comeback.

“Drug trade changes from time to time, but now ice is really big in our county.”

The sheriff says authorities got a big break in the case when someone infiltrated Yielding’s inner circle and provided evidence to investigators.

Also arrested during the raid was 38 year old Jonathan Wade Cole. The Hamilton Mississippi man was also on parole for drug related offenses.

“They’re not going anywhere, they’re on their way to the penitentiary.”

Bond has not been set for either Cole or Yielding. Also, Sheriff Cantrell says investigators are still searching for the truck Yielding used to conduct his illegal drug trade.