A Bogalusa man was arrested last week on drug-possession charges, according to Chief Deputy Mike Haley of the Washington Parish Sheriff’s Office.

On Thursday, May 25, Washington Parish Drug Task Force Detectives were asked to assist the Bogalusa Police Department with a search warrant for stolen property.

Haley said that at approximately 3 p.m. that afternoon, Drug Task Force officers and Bogalusa officers arrived at a residence on North Royal Street in Bogalusa to assist in searching the residence, outlying buildings and any vehicles at that location. When all officers arrived, Bogalusa officers secured the front yard and detained five people that were standing around the residence. Meanwhile, DTF officers entered the residence and secured it for the search.

When DTF officers exited the residence, they interviewed the five individuals that had been detained, Haley said. When interviewing Fernando Brister, 27, a resident of 1119 Davis St., Apartment B, it was determined that he had keys to a vehicle parked outside the residence. Haley said that a search warrant was obtained to search the vehicle, and a large amount of illegal narcotics was discovered.

The search of the vehicle reportedly uncovered $30 in one-dollar bills, a quantity of suspected synthetic marijuana, a plastic bag containing heroin, crack cocaine, Tramadol pills, Oxycodone pills, Hydrocodone pills, Xanax pills and Roxycontin pills. Drug Task Force detectives then conducted a thorough search of Brister’s person and discovered $3,161 in varying denominations of $100, $20, $10 and $1 dollar bills. These denominations are commonly used in illegal narcotics transactions, Haley said.

Brister was transported to the Washington Parish Jail and booked on 13 counts of possession with intent to distribute illegal drugs. His bond was set at $300,000.

This was not Brister’s first drug arrest, Haley said. In July 2010, he was arrested for distribution of illegal drugs. After spending a week in jail, he met the conditions of a $75,000 bond and was released.

The Washington Parish Sheriff’s Office Drug Task Force is composed of narcotics officers from the Sheriff’s Office, the Bogalusa Police Department and the Franklinton Police Department. Under the command of a WPSO lieutenant, they work together as a team to combat the illegal narcotics trade throughout the parish.

“This is another great example of the effectiveness of law enforcement officers from various agencies working together to get criminals off of our streets,” Washington Parish Sheriff Randy Seal said. “In this particular case, our officers worked closely with Bogalusa Police Department officers to effectively shut down a criminal operation. I appreciate the fine working relationship our Sheriff’s Office has with Bogalusa and Franklinton officers.”