Creston men charged in Thursday meth bust

Brian Clair Smith, Cody Lee Vandel, Lonny Ray Brown and Anthony Michael Atkins were arrested on various narcotics charges Thursday in Creston.

“They all initiated from a traffic stop that was conducted,” said Paul Ver Meer, Creston police chief. “It went from the initial traffic stop to additional information being gathered.”

Smith, 34, 807 N. Vine St., was charged with possession with the intent to deliver more than five grams of methamphetamine, a class B felony, and obstruction of prosecution by destruction of evidence, an aggravated misdemeanor, 1:55 p.m. Thursday at the intersection of West Mills and North streets.

According to a Creston Police report, at 1:25 p.m., Smith had two small bags with a white crystalline substance that field tested positive for methamphetamine. One bag was still full, and Smith had emptied the contents of the other bag into his pocket in an attempt to conceal the evidence of possession of methamphetamine. Both the residue in the plastic bag and the white crystalline substance in Smith’s pocket field tested positive for methamphetamine.

Smith was being held on $100,000 bond.

Vandel, 28, 920 W. Mills St., was charged with two counts of possession with intent to deliver more than five grams of methamphetamine, a class B felony, and possession with intent to deliver marijuana, a class D felony, 5:06 p.m. Thursday at his residence.

According to a Creston Police report, officers executed a search warrant at Vandel’s residence. Officers encountered Vandel upon the property in the detached garage. During the search of the property, officers seized more than five grams of a combination of white crystalline and powdery substance consistent with and field tested positive to be methamphetamine, green leafy substances identified by Vandel to be less than 50 kilograms of marijuana, packaging materials of small bags, ties, electronic scales, needles, drug pipes and bongs, and U.S. currency.

Vandel was being held on $100,000 bond.

Atkins, 28, and Brown, 37, both at 208 N. Jarvis St., were each charged with possession with intent to deliver methamphetamine, a class D felony, and possession of drug paraphernalia, a simple misdemeanor, 10 and 11 p.m. respectively Thursday at their residence.

According to a Creston Police report, officers executed a valid search warrant at Atkins’ and Brown’s residence. At that time, officers encountered both known male residents, known to be Atkins and Brown. Officers seized several individual bags of a white crystalline substance which is consistent with and field tested positive to be methamphetamine, packaging materials, electronic scales, drug paraphernalia and marijuana. The total weight of methamphetamine was less than five grams.

Atkins and Brown were being held on $10,000 bond each.

Creston Police Department, Union County Sheriff’s Office and agents with Department of Narcotics Enforcement made the arrests resulting from individual traffic stops, illicit narcotics investigations and residential search warrants. Approximately 50 grams of methamphetamine was seized during the enforcement.