Orange Beach Police Department makes drug bust

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The Orange Beach Police Department executed a narcotics search warrant at a residence on Ivy Lane this morning which led to two arrests and the seizure of weapons and drugs.

Matthew Gregory, 27, and Wilson Gregory, 34, were taken into custody and charged with two felonies- possession of drug paraphernalia and possession of marijuana. The men remain incarcerated at the city’s jail until they can be transported to the Baldwin County Correctional Facility.

Police Chief Joe Fierro said more than 14 weapons were seized in the raid as well as more than a quarter pound of marijuana.

“In mid to late August, we received a tip about some drug activity on Ivy Lane,” Fierro said. “The narcotics unit here in Orange Beach immediately started investigating that and, as you can see, in two months we’ve brought this to conclusion. I think it’s important to know for Orange Beach this was significant. We have over 14 weapons seized, majority of them long guns. They were found loaded, rounds chambered throughout this duplex along with drugs and cash.”

The tip mentioned above spoke to traffic in the area indicative of drug activity as well as the smell of marijuana coming from the home. Fierro said there as evidence of distribution and that this kind of activity would not be tolerated in Orange Beach.

“That’s not something that this city is about,” Fierro said. “We are a family-friendly destination, and we will keep it that way.”

With any investigation like this, the next step is to see the source’s supply and to see where this is coming from and who else is involved which can lead to more arrests. The marijuana collected was said to be of a high-quality, but the street value has not yet been determined.

The OBPD worked to execute the warrant in conjunction with the Baldwin County Special Response Team and the Foley Police Department.

“We executed a search warrant at about 6:15 this morning,” Fierro said. “There are tactical and safety reasons for the officers and, quite frankly, the offenders as well as to why we do that. It was a knock and announce warrant. In this particular case it did require us to breach the door, and that’s when we apprehended the suspects.”

Any person wishing to report suspicious activity can call the OBPD tip line at 251-981-1018 which will do directly to the investigations unit. Those wishing to remain anonymous can and citizens can also send an email to info@obpd.org.

“The things to take away from this are we encourage the public to work with us,” Fierro said. “We’re in a day and age where this is not something police departments can do independently. We work with the sheriff; we work with the other police departments and our state and federal partners. We solicit that same involvement from the community. We want them to know we take their concerns seriously. We take their safety seriously. We will act, and we will act decisively.”