Centralia Police Chief Greg Dodson says the police department in conjunction with the FBI Drug Task Force executed two coordinated simultaneous search warrants Thursday morning.
Dodson says the warrants are in relation to an on-going drug-trafficking investigation inside the city of Centralia.
The Centralia Police Department’s high-risk tactical team executed the search warrant at a residence located in the 600 block of Howard Street. At the same time, the Springfield FBI SWAT team executed a search warrant in the 1000 block of North Maple Street.
During the search of the residences, a large quantity of drugs and cash were located as well as several firearms. A 52-year-old Centralia man was taken into custody and will be arraigned on charges stemming from the warrant by the US Attorney for the Southern District of Illinois in East St. Louis on Friday or Monday.
Dodson says the operation was the result of an ongoing investigation conducted by the FBI and local Law Enforcement officers assigned to the Federal Drug Task Force. The operation involved agents from the Fairview Heights FBI office, officers from the Carlyle Police, Clinton County Sheriff, Marion County Sheriff, Wamac Police, Central City Police, and Centralia Police Departments.
Dodson says these types of operations are an example of local law enforcement working in partnership with Federal agencies to combat the drug problems in the local area.
Further information regarding the exact charges and other details of the operation will be released by the US Attorney for the Southern District of Illinois at a future date.