Blount County deputies and narcotics agents investigating possible drug activity in a Maryville motel room Saturday afternoon said they found heroin and meth within 1,000 feet of a child care facility.
They arrested Raymond Eugene Gallagher, 45, Alnwick Drive, Maryville, who is being held in lieu of bonds totaling $80,000 pending a 9 a.m. hearing Wednesday, Jan. 9, in Blount County General Sessions Court.
He is charged with possession of a Schedule I controlled substance (heroin) with intent to sell in a drug-free zone and possession of a Schedule II controlled substance (methamphetamine) with intent to sell in a drug-free zone.
Officers with the Fifth Judicial Drug Task Force found 16 grams of black tar heroin and 18 grams of crystal meth in Gallagher’s motel room at 2614 U.S. 411 South, according to the Blount County Sheriff’s Office. The task force includes BCSO deputies as well as officers from the Alcoa and Maryville police departments.
Because of the proximity to a child care facility, if convicted Gallagher would have to serve at least the minimum mandatory sentence, according to BCSO.