Jul. 5—A Decatur woman faces drug trafficking charges following an investigation Tuesday after Morgan County Sheriff’s deputies found both methamphetamine and fentanyl in her vehicle, according to an affidavit filed Thursday.
Carmella Nicole Booth, 38, is charged with trafficking fentanyl, trafficking methamphetamine, unlawful possession of a controlled substance, and unlawful possession of drug paraphernalia. She was being held in Morgan County Jail in lieu of a $220,000 bond.
Agents with the Sheriff’s Office Drug Enforcement Unit were working in Decatur on Tuesday and heard that a female named Nikki was selling large amounts of methamphetamine and fentanyl in the city.
“Nikki was identified as Carmella Nicole Booth,” the affidavit said. “Agents were able to locate a white in color car pull into a parking lot near Target.”
A deputy sergeant who was parked in front of the car confirmed it was Booth and an agent pulled up from behind her and approached from the passenger side.
“Upon approach, (the agent) observed a plastic bag in Booth’s lap containing a crystalline substance, and Booth immediately stuck the bag under the seat,” the affidavit said.
Deputies then had Booth and a passenger exit the vehicle and began a search. An agent recovered the plastic bag that Booth had placed under the seat as well as a cut straw. The agent also found several plastic bags with fentanyl, suboxone, and alprazolam pills as identified by Booth.
“The methamphetamine had a gross weight of 177 grams including packages, and the fentanyl had a gross weight of approximately 2.3 grams including the packaging,” the affidavit said.
Court records show that Booth pleaded guilty on Sept. 18, 2017, to second-degree unlawful manufacture of a controlled substance and was sentenced to 13 years and four months, with two years to serve and the remainder suspended. She also received three years of probation and was ordered to pay $250 in restitution and three related drug charges were dismissed as part of the plea agreement.
An affidavit signed by a Morgan County sheriff’s deputy states that on Feb. 4, 2015, agents received a complaint from a District 2 county employee about a meth lab he saw being thrown from the window of a car on Burleson Mountain Road in Hartselle. The employee followed the vehicle to a residence on Indian Hills Road and wrote down its tag number.
“The employee returned and looked in the bag,” the affidavit said. “He realized it was a meth lab and immediately called law enforcement.”
Deputies arrived on the scene and confirmed it was a meth lab. Agents began an investigation and identified two suspects at an Indian Hills Road residence. After a search warrant was obtained, agents went to the house and made contact with Booth, who was in possession of meth.
— wesley.tomlinson@decaturdaily.com or 256-340-2442.