BY MARCELLE HANEMANN

The Daily News

After a 10-month multi-agency investigation into the importation, possession and distribution of cocaine throughout the Washington Parish area, Louisiana State Police Troopers and Narcotics Investigators arrested Bernard Forrest, 32, of Angie on Oct. 28.

The agencies involved were the LSP Narcotics Unit, the Drug Enforcement Administration, the Washington Parish Sheriff’s Office and the Bogalusa Police Department.

During the course of the investigation, detectives identified Forrest as a major player in the importation of narcotics into the Bogalusa area and uncovered a criminal plot for the trafficking of cocaine and marijuana into Washington Parish, according to LSP TFC Nick Manale.

This week, troopers from LSP Troop L found Forrest traveling east on Interstate 12 in a 2012 Chevrolet Traverse and, after observing a traffic violation, conducted a traffic stop of the vehicle, he said.

“Upon receiving consent to search the vehicle, Troopers discovered approximately one pound of ‘High Grade’ marijuana, one pound of cocaine, 385 grams of synthetic marijuana and over $700 in cash concealed within the spare tire,” Manale said.

Forrest was taken into custody without incident and booked into the St. Tammany Parish Jail on charges of Improper Lane Use, Following Too Closely, two counts of Possession with the Intent to Distribute a Schedule I Controlled Dangerous Substance and one count of Possession with the Intent to Distribute a Schedule II Controlled Dangerous Substance.

The estimated combined street value of the narcotics is over $25,000.

Manale said the narcotics problem is not limited to Bogalusa and Washington Parish, but that the local investigations are continuing.

“As with any urban community, law enforcement is challenged with the presence and trafficking of narcotics within the city,” Manale said. “Any disruption in the flow and delivery of narcotics to the region will certainly hamper the distribution and use of the drugs leading to a reduction in drug related crimes.

“This arrest was part of an ongoing continuing effort to combat the distribution and trafficking of narcotics not only in Washington Parish, but throughout the region.”