Local law enforcement officials believe they have taken out a major multi-state player in the illegal methamphetamine trade after arresting 41-year-old Thomas Wesley Cole Jr., of Halifax last Sunday.
According to the Halifax-South Boston Regional Narcotic Task Force, Cole utilized firearms, violence and intimidation to control his operation.
The Halifax/South Boston Regional Narcotic Task Force charged Cole, the target of a five-year investigation by task force, DEA, state police and Dept. of ABC agents, with two counts of methamphetamine distribution and one count of possessing a firearm while distributing methamphetamines
Cole was originally charged by South Boston police with carrying a loaded firearm, brandishing a firearm and assault after an early Sunday afternoon incident on Dan River Church Road, an incident described by Sheriff Jeff Oakes as possibly triggered by "road rage."
Oakes stated that about 12:30 p.m. Sunday, South Boston police officer Devin Snead noticed two vehicles on the side of Dan River Church Road, with an individual later identified as Cole crouching beside a vehicle occupied by 18-year-old Randy James Bowman of Nelson.
Bowman alleges that Cole had been tailgating him and he had pulled over to allow Cole to pass.
However, Bowman said Cole pulled behind his vehicle on the side of the road and subsequently "pistol-whipped" him.
According to Snead, Cole was holding a pistol when he approached the scene.
Snead stopped to check on the individuals and observed Cole in possession of two 45 cal. pistols and noticed a bag of white pills in the front seat of Cole's vehicle.
Task Force Coordinator Major R.S. B. Pulliam was called to the scene and recognized the pills as ingredients used to manufacture methamphetamines.
A search warrant for Cole's residence at 3099 Mountain Road was obtained and executed since the Task Force investigation had previously revealed Cole was operating a methamphetamine lab there, according to the Sheriff's Department.
A methamphetamine lab was located and secured, with a DEA lab team responding to the scene Monday to identify and dispose of various chemicals used in the manufacturing process.
According to Pulliam, Cole's drug operation covered Halifax, Pittsylvania and Mecklenburg counties, as well as neighboring states, which Pulliam declined to specify, stating the investigation was ongoing.
"I think that what we've done is have a major impact on his ability to produce a profit and what he can produce," said Oakes.
"As to what he already has in the field, it would be difficult to guess what that actually is - he may have stashes in different places, he may have other conspirators holding large amounts of methamphetamine for distribution.
Oakes added that they could only anticipate at present the scope of Cole's organization, but commented on one of the unique aspects of the investigation involving Cole.
"We were able earlier to make purchases from him as opposed to making purchases from his lieutenants and moving up the ladder to him," said Oakes.
"It's rare that you're able to get something on a target specifically without going through all the people underneath in that network of suppliers and distributors.
"It's a unique twist to this investigation that we identified him [Cole] early."
Oakes' "gut feeling" is that Cole's early arrest may "hamstring" them to a certain extent in identifying other people involved in his organization at a lower level, but that it may give rise to the arrest of people higher up in the hierarchy.
Cole's current drug charges are being considered for federal prosecution, according to the Task Force.
Task Force officials said additional charges are anticipated against Cole as well as the arrest of additional co-conspirators in the future.
Mandatory minimum sentences under federal law for the illegal manufacture of methamphetamine are five years in prison for up to 50 grams (pure) confiscated to 10 years in prison for 100 or more grams (pure) confiscated.
Cole is currently held without bail in the Halifax Adult Detention Center.
Additional Task Force Arrest
The Task Force announced Monday that it has arrested Charles Andrey Baker, 25, of Beulah Road in Nathalie on two charges of cocaine distribution.
Baker is currently incarcerated in the Halifax Regional Jail under $100,000 bond. Andrey Baker, 25, of Beulah Road in Nathalie on two charges of cocaine distribution.
Baker is currently incarcerated in the Halifax Regional Jail under $100,000 bond.

Swiss-Swedish conglomerate ABB announced Tuesday it will cut 12,000 jobs over the next 18 months to cut costs amid a growing economic slowdown.
The impact on the South Boston ABB plant, which has about 500 employees, is unknown.
"It is impossible to say at this point what effect the worldwide job reduction might have on any one U.S. location," William Kelly, director of media relations for ABB/ USA, said yesterday.
The ABB spokesman said that in the United States, "We will look case by case," but he declined to address conditions at the South Boston plant.
In announcing the worldwide job cuts, ABB officials also disclosed that the company's net income dropped 76 percent in the first half of the year on flat revenue.
ABB provides a variety of products and services to manufacturers, utilities and the oil industry. The company also has interests in financial services.
The Associated Press reported yesterday that the company's share price plunged 11.4 percent in early trading in Zurich.
"Business conditions have slowed in the U.S. first, as we all know, and this has also had an effect on Western Europe," Kelly said.
The company is "looking to the future," Kelly said, realizing that if they take some action now "it is the best course and will allow us to be somewhat selective in what we do."
ABB officials in Zurich said yesterday that ABB hopes to save about $500 million a year by cutting the jobs. About a third of the job losses are expected to come through attrition. Twelve thousand jobs represent 8 percents of the company's worldwide work force.
"Our goal to grow the business remains unchanged. We are taking action now to improve our competitiveness, as we expect challenging conditions over the next 12 months," said ABB president and Chief Executive Joergan Centerman yesterday.
He said the job cuts would be spread around the world and across all divisions.
Centerman said the group's results ''reflect uncertainty in the investment climate as the U.S. slowdown spreads into Europe and Asia,'' but said the underlying operational performance is improving.
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On the Net:
ABB site: http://www.abb.com

  Inside South Boston's only warehouse the Planters-Star, auctioneer Carlton Gravitt will walk the walk and talk the talk tomorrow along the aisles where as much as 600,000 lbs. of tobacco are waiting to be sold.
The Planters-Star is the product of this season's merger of three warehouses operated by D.T. Neal, Charles Payne and George Tribble. Neal had operated the Star Warehouse since 1983, Tribble the Planters since 1963 and Payne the New-Brick Warehouse for over 10 seasons.
"We get along fine, ain't no competition anymore," Neal replied when asked how it is to work with, rather than compete against, Tribble and Payne.
Not long after the three merged earlier this year, the grower-owned cooperative Victory Warehouse in Riverdale folded. Closings since last year alone have reduced from 147 to 89 the number of warehouses operating in the five flue-cured tobacco states.
Through the last designation period, the Planters-Star had been designated to sell 3.7 million pounds this season. The next redesignation period begins Friday and the outcome is likely to change that figure.
Everything being sold at the Planters-Star tomorrow is carryover leaf from last season. Expected to be bidding for tobacco in the first sale here tomorrow are Export Leaf, Dimon International, Vaughan Tobacco, Standard Leaf, Universal Leaf and Bailey's.
Standard purchases tobacco for Philip Morris, the nation's largest tobacco company.
South Boston is scheduled for just eight sales this season and after tomorrow's opener, the next sale date is August 9. Other scheduled sales through September 26 are: Thursday, August 16, Thursday, August 22, Wednesday, August 29, Monday, September 10, Monday, September 17 and Tuesday, September 25.
Halifax County has a 2001 effective quota of 9,777,409 lbs. of which 3,086,848 lbs. are designated to be sold at auction. At least 32 percent of all flue-cured leaf expected to be produced in Halifax County this season is auction-bound.
County producers have contracted to sell approximately 70 percent of this year's quota directly to cigarette manufacturers.

A 21-year-old South Boston man was convicted of three felonies Friday after a bench trial in Halifax County Circuit Court.
Judge Leslie M. Osborn found Derrick Shamont Cameron guilty of the robbery of Anthony "Tony" Douglas, conspiracy to commit robbery and cocaine distribution.
Judge Osborn remanded Cameron to custody pending a presentence report in the September term of court.
· Aaron Antwon Hodges, 23, of South Boston, was convicted Friday of the assault and battery of police officers Mike Moreno and Stacy Warf.
Hodges was additionally convicted of marijuana distribution and an amended indictment of misdemeanor obstruction of justice.
Hodges is free on bond until a presentence report in the September term of court.
· Jimmy Allen aka Jimmy Wayne Allen, was sentenced Friday to 10 years in prison for the unlawful wounding of Alonza Stanley III.
Judge Osborn suspended all but two years of Allen's sentence, conditional on his good behavior for 10 years.
The court additionally ordered Allen to serve a one-year probationary period following his release.
· Mary Wendy Newbill aka Wendy Phillips, 30, of Halifax, was convicted Friday of check forgery.
Judge Osborn suspended Newbill's entire five-year prison sentence, conditional on her good behavior for five years.
The court additionally ordered Newbill serve a one-year probationary period through Halifax-Pittsylvania Court Services and that she abstain from illegal drugs and alcohol for five years.
Newbill was ordered to serve 100 hours of community service, pay restitution in the amount of $235 to her victim within 90 days and pay court costs within six months.
· Tonya Tuck Stauble, 19, of Alton, was convicted Friday of a felony bad check charge.
Tuck is free on bond pending a presentence report in the September term of court.
· Anthony Wayne Cash Jr., 21, of Halifax, was convicted Monday of three counts of marijuana distribution.
Two other charges of distributing marijuana were nol prossed by the Commonwealth as part of a plea agreement.
Judge William L. Wellons ordered Cash to pay restitution in the amount of $1,610 to the Halifax/South Boston Regional Narcotic Enforcement Task Force Office within one year.
Cash is free on bond pending a presentence report in an upcoming term of court.
· Matthew Hubbard Jr., 41, of South Boston, was convicted Monday of a probation violation involving failure to pay court costs.
Judge Wellons defered imposition of Hubbard's sentence until the August 27 docket call in order to give Hubbard an opportunity to pay court costs.
· Thomas Wayne Lowery, 49, of Alton, was convicted Monday of two counts of cocaine distribution.
Lowery is free on bond and will be subject to supervision under the Halifax-Pittsylvania Court Services post-conviction program until a presentence date in the September term of court.

It was game of cat and mouse.
The Dixie Boys 13-Year-Old all-star teams from South Boston and Charlotte County locked themselves into a tense game of baseball chess Monday night in the Virginia Dixie Boys 13-Year-Old Baseball Tournament at Day Complex.
After more than three-and-a-half hours, it was obvious that the first team to flinch, the first team to make a big mistake, would lose.
It was Charlotte County that flinched.
Charlotte County hurler Tyler Napier, a young pitcher that had all but handcuffed South Boston through seven innings of relief work, was called for a balk that plated Matt Conner to give South Boston a 5-4 win.
South Boston had gotten a double from Conner with one out and walks to Jeremy Jeffress and Travis Powell loaded the bases.
It was then that Napier, who was in his last inning of tournament pitching eligibility, made a wrong move that the umpires called instantaneously.
The win in the marathon game set up a meeting between South Boston and once-beaten Vinton last night at 6 p.m. with the state title on the line.
A win by South Boston in the first game would end the tournament and propel the local team into the Dixie Boys World Series.
On the other hand, a loss in the game would result in a second game between the two teams at 8:30 p.m. with that game deciding the state championship.
Monday's game was the best of the state tournament through that point as each club took turns matching the other.
Charlotte County grabbed the lead in the top of the first inning when R.J. Pugh walked, stole second and third base and scored on a passed ball.
South Boston tied the game in the bottom of the inning when Bobby Owens reached base on an error and scored when Jeffress flied out to right field for the second out of the inning.
Not to be outdone, Charlotte County plated a run in the top of the second inning when J.J. McCargo laced a triple with two out and scored on a hit by Aaron Cassada.
The host team tied the game up again, this time in the bottom of the third inning when Merritt Brown walked and scored later in the inning on a hit by Conner.
South Boston took a 3-2 lead with a run in the fifth inning that came when Conner smacked a double and scored on a hit by Jeffress.
Charlotte County tied the game in the top of the sixth inning when Pugh walked with two out and scored on a combination single by Sam Catron and a South Boston error on the play.
It was five innings before the scoring picked up again, this time with Charlotte County breaking the deadlock in the top of the 11th inning.
Napier tripled with two out and scored on a single by Chaz Brogden to give Charlotte County a 4-3 lead.
That came after South Boston's Travis Powell was nailed at home plate when he attempted to stretch a triple into an inside-the-park homer in the bottom of the 10th inning.
South Boston answered in the bottom half of the 11th frame with a single from Ryan Enoch who later scored when Miles Thomas reached base on an error by Charlotte County's right fielder.
After Charlotte County left a runner stranded on the base paths in the top of the 12th inning, South Boston mounted its late rally that resulted in the win.
South Boston had eight hits in the game with Conner leading the way with four hits.
Powell had two hits and Jeffress and Enoch each had one hit.
South Boston's pitching tandem of Conner, the starting pitcher and Owens, the relief man, combined for 18 strikeouts in the game.
Conner registered seven of them through the first six innings and Owens, who came in to pitch the last six innings, fanned 11 batters.
Cassada, the Charlotte County starting pitcher, recorded seven strikeouts and allowed two walks and one hit in his four innings of work.
Napier, who came to the mound in the fifth inning, fanned nine South Boston hitters, allowed seven scattered hits and walked four batters.
The win over Charlotte County was a big one and it followed an 8-6 triumph Sunday over Bedford Metro, the team that it was to face in last night's championship game.
Bedford got the early jump, scoring three times in the top of the first inning to go up 3-0.
South Boston got two of the three runs back in the bottom of the second inning when Enoch was hit by a pitch and scored later in the inning and Owens had a single to score Thomas who had walked earlier in the inning.
The host team tied the game in the bottom of the fourth inning when Worley reached base on an error, moved to second base on a sacrifice by Thomas and scored on a single from Conner.
Bedford regained the lead in the top of the fifth inning but South Boston bounced back to tie the game in the bottom half of the inning when Dex Seamon singled with one out and scored on a single by Enoch.
South Boston scored the go-ahead run in the bottom of the sixth inning when a single from Jeffress scored Owens.
Bedford jumped back on top with a two-run rally in the top of the seventh inning but South Boston countered with a three-spot in the bottom half of the frame to get the win on the back of a single from Brown that scored Worley.
South Boston had 13 hits in the game with Conner, Jeffress, Seamon, Enoch and Brown each getting two hits.
Owens, Worley and Thomas had one hit each.

William Albert Hudson

William Albert Hudson of Halifax died at Halifax Regional Hospital at the age of 68.
Mr. Hudson was born in Halifax County on October 11, 1932, the son of Lafeyette Albert Hudson and Lucy Moore Hudson. He was a member of Bethlehem Baptist Church.
Survivors include two sisters, Edna Virginia Tounou of West Africa and Lillian Hudson of Freeport, N.Y.; three brothers, Alfred Hudson of Freeport, Lafeyette Hudson Jr. of Virginia and Floyd Evans Hudson of West Virginia.
Funeral services for Mr. Hudson will be held July 27 at 11 a.m. at Bethlehem Baptist Church with burial to follow in the church cemetery.
The family will receive friends at the church immediately following the committal rites.

Roger Willard Birch

Roger Willard Birch, 70, of 1702 College Street, South Boston died July 22 at Halifax Regional Hospital.
Mr. Birch was born in Halifax County on June 29, 1931. He was married to Elizabeth Palmer Birch and was a member of Bethlehem Baptist Church.
Survivors include his wife; one daughter, Mary Elizabeth Birch of South Boston; three sons, Roger Willard Birch of Nathalie, Willard Roger Birch and Bobby Louis Birch, both of South Boston; five sisters, Mary Davis and Willie Davis, both of Nathalie, Hallie Oliver of Roxboro, N.C., Mattie Latimer of Richmond and Cindy Garner of Volens; one brother, Frank Birch of Washington, D.C.; two daughters-in-law, Eurline Birch and Sylvia Birch; 15 grandchildren; one great-grandchild; and other relatives including the devoted Katie Mae Owens, Loretta Watkins and Brenda Barksdale.
Funeral services for Mr. Birch will be held July 27 at 3 p.m. at Bethlehem Baptist Church with burial to follow in the church cemetery.
The family is receiving friends at the home.