Man in custody on murder charges was arrested for allegedly trafficking 2 pounds of fentanyl

MOBILE, Ala. (WALA) – On Wednesday, the Mobile County Sheriff's Office arrested a murder suspect and seized over 2 pounds of fentanyl.

Mobile County Sheriff Paul Burch says two pounds of fentanyl is enough to kill half of the port city's population.

“When it comes to fentanyl, I have no tolerance, there is no leniency,” said Sheriff Burch.

Jamelle Thomas, 47, was arrested and booked into Metro after investigators said he allegedly sold fentanyl out of the Baymont Inn on West I-65 Service Road.

The bags of narcotics seized by officers vary in size, shape and color, but Sheriff Burch says each prescription drug seized contained fentanyl.

“This is the most I’ve seen from a Mobile County person here,” Sheriff Burch added. “That’s where the danger comes in – you don’t know how much of it is fentanyl and how much is the substance they’re mixing it with.”

According to MCSO, the following was found in Thomas' hotel room:

478 grams of Adderall 30 mg are pressed

77 grams of Alprazolam 2 mg are pressed

44 grams of Alprazolam 2 mg are pressed

46 grams of oxycodone 10 mg are pressed

61 grams of oxycodone 30 mg are pressed

$806.00 in US currency. Various drug paraphernalia

Officers say they also discovered that Thomas had an active warrant for his arrest for murder.

In 2020, Thomas was arrested and accused of shooting and killing 24-year-old Marcel Chandler on Creshaven Road in December 1999. The case was considered “cold” until his arrest.

The Mobile County District Attorney's Office says Thomas was charged with first-degree murder in 2020, but was charged again with aggravated murder last May.

Jail records show Thomas was released on bail five months after his arrest in 2020.

The DA's office says Thomas was awaiting trial when he was arrested on recent drug charges.

Meanwhile, according to Sheriff Burch, fentanyl is so widely available that law enforcement needs to be on alert.

“Not all of our drug cases are fentanyl-related, but we are now treating them all as they are,” said Sheriff Burch. “They’re wearing gloves, they’re wearing an apparatus, whether it’s a glove or a mask.”

Investigators say they are still trying to determine where Thomas allegedly purchased the fentanyl, but Sheriff Burch says there are hotspot areas for drug distribution.

“Atlanta, Georgia, is one of the most important centers of drug storage and activity in the country – at least in the Southeast. I would say in the '70s and '80s Miami was the main hub that everyone was looking at, but today Atlanta is one of them,” he explained.

And Sheriff Burch says emerging strands of fentanyl will pose an even bigger problem.

“We’re already seeing something called Tranq, and that’s fentanyl mixed with a horse tranquilizer. It is very deadly and the combination of it – Narcan – is ineffective. If you overdose on that, you’re dead,” he said.

Thomas is charged with trafficking fentanyl, tampering with physical evidence and drug paraphernalia.

His bail hearing is scheduled for Friday morning.

Meanwhile, court records show Thomas' murder trial is scheduled for November.

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