Mathew Turner
Agents with the Hamilton County Sheriff’s Office Narcotics and Special Operations Division, along with personnel from the Tennessee Bureau of Investigation, Chattanooga Police Department and the DEA, arrested Mathew Turner, of Chattanooga, in the parking lot of the Holiday Inn Express in Tiftonia on Tuesday night.
A search of Turner’s vehicle revealed approximately a pound of crystal meth and two handguns. During the course of the investigation, a search of Turner’s hotel room netted an additional 20 pounds of crystal meth, with an estimated street value of $525,000.
Wednesday night’s seizure is one of the largest meth seizures ever in the Chattanooga area, authorities said.
Turner was arrested by drug agents and transported to the Hamilton County Jail for possession of a controlled substance with the intent to distribute methamphetamine.
This was a cooperative effort by all agencies in identifying and pursuing major drug distribution in Hamilton County, officials said.