Two Arrests in Lauderdale County Drug Bust

On Wednesday, August 5, 2009, LACHRISTOPHER RUSSELL and RANTRESE SMITH were arrested by law enforcement officers in Lauderdale County, Mississippi. RUSSELL, age 28 of Meridian, MS, and SMITH, age 25 of Houston, TX appeared in the United States District Court for the Southern District of Mississippi, before United States Magistrate Judge Linda R. Anderson on Friday, August 7, 2009, pursuant to Federal complaints and arrest warrants. Both RUSSELL and SMITH are charged with conspiracy to possess with intent to distribute more than five (5) kilograms of a mixture or substance containing a detectable amount of cocaine, in violation of Title 21, United States Code, Section 846. The Court ordered that RUSSELL and SMITH remain in custody, with no bond, until Wednesday, August 12, 2009, when they will appear for a detention hearing.

The FBI, the Jackson Violent Crimes Safe Streets Task Force, the Lauderdale County Sheriff's Office, the Mississippi Highway Safety Patrol, and the Madison, MS Police Department participated in the arrest of RUSSELL and SMITH. The Jackson Violent Crimes Safe Streets Task Force is composed of officers and agents from the FBI, the Jackson Police Department, the the Hinds County Sheriff’s Department, and the Rankin County Sheriff's Department.

The public is reminded that an arrest warrant contains only charges and is not evidence of guilt. Defendants are presumed innocent and are entitled to a fair trial, at which the government has the burden of proving guilt beyond a reasonable doubt.