A joint drug investigation by three law enforcement agencies led to the arrest of two men and the closure of a local business.
Wednesday evening, the newly formed Brookhaven Police Department Drug Unit, the Lincoln County Sheriff’s Office, and the Mississippi Bureau of Narcotics executed a search warrant at City Mart 2 on North Jackson Street. According to BPD Chief Dustin Bairfield, the search resulted in the recovery of about $70,000 in controlled substances packaged separately for sale.
The store’s owners, brothers Talal Nabael M. Ghaleb, 25, and Mohamed Nabael Ghalib, 27, both hailing from Yemen, were detained and charged with possession of a prohibited substance with intent to distribute and aggravated trafficking in controlled substances.
They are being held without bond in the Lincoln County Jail while they await their first appearance before a judge.
“This was a joint effort between MBN, the BPD Drug Unit and Lincoln County SO,” Bairfield said. “We formally started our own drug unit in October, and I’m excited to have it here. This has been an ongoing investigation since the day I was appointed chief and knew of some of the rumors of drug sales at City Mart No. 2.”
The store has been temporarily closed by order of the police chief. The Board of Aldermen will have the ability to confirm and uphold the closure at a hearing on December 2.
“I’m very thankful to have the assistance of MBN in leading up to charging these two individuals,” said Bairfield.