A Stuart man was arrested following the largest methamphetamine seizure in Patrick County’s history, according to Sheriff Dan Smith, who added the case will be prosecuted at the federal level.
Mark Lucas Tatum, 48, was taken into custody by Patrick County deputies July 1 during a covert investigation that spanned multiple jurisdictions. Tatum, who was out on bond following an April arrest for felony eluding law enforcement, was wearing a court-ordered GPS ankle bracelet as part of the Home Electronic Monitoring (HEM) program.
Smith said 1st Sgt. Barry Vipperman, who supervises the HEM program, noticed that Tatum was allegedly more than 150 miles outside of Patrick County, in clear violation of monitoring protocol. Investigator Oscar Tejeda, who led the investigation and is assigned to the sheriff’s narcotics unit, coordinated with Virginia State Police narcotics agents to track Tatum’s movements.
In a news release, Smith alleged that “because of Tatum’s history of reckless eluding, we had assembled a takedown team consisting of deputies, troopers and a K-9 unit from the Martinsville Police Department to ensure that he would be removed from the highway if he attempted to flee again.”
Tatum’s vehicle was stopped on Via’s Orchard Road, just off U.S. 58, and he was taken into custody without incident, the sheriff said.
Smith said more than 7 pounds of suspected methamphetamine and 3 ounces of cocaine mixed with fentanyl were seized during the arrest. The drugs have an estimated street value of $200,000.
The sheriff added that most users purchase methamphetamine in 1- to 3-gram quantities, meaning the seized drugs had the potential to reach more than 3,000 users.
“We have believed for some time that Tatum is a major drug supplier to other dealers in this region, and more of his allies will fall as we methodically dismantle this criminal network,” Smith said.
He praised the coordination between his deputies and the state police narcotics agents during the operation.
Tatum is being held without bond for violating HEM protocol.
The U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Western District of Virginia and the Drug Enforcement Administration are also involved in the investigation, Smith said.
