A local businessman was taken into custody on charges of selling precursor chemicals last week after agents executed a search warrant and closed his business for search and seizure.

Following a lengthy investigation and undercover operation, agents raided Rip’s One Stop Grocery and Bait Shop, located on Highway 35 in Blanche last Wednesday morning, Feb. 26 and seized a number of items and chemicals allegedly used in the manufacture of methamphetamine.

Arrested, according to reports, was Rip Davis, 63, who was charged with four counts of unlawful distribution of precursor chemicals, a Class B felony. Agents from the Cherokee County Drug Task Force and the District Attorney`s Office, executed the search warrant.

Following a judge’s order, agents closed and sealed off the business while the investigation continued into the owner’s alleged sale of chemicals used to make crystal methamphetamine, reports said.

Items seized, according to reports, included several cases of matches, Heet, a gasoline additive; Red Devil lye, Coleman fuel and several cases of ephedrine pills, which are commonly used in the manufacture of methamphetamine.

Cherokee County Sheriff Larry Wilson said Rip’s One Stop had been the subject of an ongoing investigation.

“We’ve been doing an undercover investigation of Pseudoephed and some other items being sold out of the store to make meth with,” said Sheriff Wilson. “We’ve been working on it for some time along with the undercover officers of Etowah County. Today we did another buy, did a search warrant, came in and seized the pseudoephed and matches, Coleman Fuel and other items used to make meth.”

“The arrests today are a result of a number of complaints that both my office and the sheriff’s office have received from people in this community about the sale of pre-cursor chemicals for the manufacture of methamphetamine,” commented Cherokee County District Attorney Mike O’Dell who was on the scene. “That is the basis of this action here today. We expect that the search of this business will continue probably for the rest of the day involving the Cherokee County Sheriff’s Department, District Attorney’s office, an undercover agent from another jurisdiction we used in the process of making a buy and others. No one was hurt, there was no violence directed at anybody. I think Mr. Davis has cooperated with us in the process. We found what we expected to find and I think it went well.”

This latest operation was a joint effort of the Cherokee County Drug Task Force, Cherokee County Sheriff’s Department, Alabama Department of Forensic Sciences, Etowah County Drug and Major Crime Task Force and the Ninth Judicial Circuit District Attorney’s Office.

The investigation continues, but no other arrests are expected at this time, Sheriff Wilson said.

Davis, as mentioned earlier, is being held on four counts of distribution of precursor chemicals used in the manufacture of methamphetamine. Each charge is a Class B felony, which carries a penalty of two to 20 years in prison, according to reports.

Davis’ charges resulted from legislation approved in 2001, calling for stricter penalites regarding the manufacture of methamphetamine. Joe Hester, with the Cherokee County Drug Task Force, said agents have been asking local merchants to limit the number of those chemicals sold that can be used in the manufacture of methamphetamine. Local agents have already seized almost a dozen meth labs in 2003 alone, he said