Six people arrested in different Vermilion Parish drug busts

According to Sheriff Mike Couvillon and Chief Tony Hardy, the Vermilion / Municipal task force recently made following arrests for drug related offenses due to undercover operations conducted within the parish.
• Kerry Moore (Date of birth 09-04-81) of Abbeville, arrested for possession with the intent to distribute marijuana, and conspiracy to possess with the intent to distribute marijuana. This arrest is in conjunction with the recent arrests made in the postal worker and son having marijuana delivered through the mail. More arrests are pending.
• Shawn Petry (dob 5-20-85) of Abbeville, arrested for possession of a prescription drug without a prescription, and aggravated flight from an officer.
• Dion Greene (dob12-27-81) of Abbeville, arrested for felony possession of synthetic marijuana.

• Shermin Pourmehr (Dob 6-4-90) of Kaplan, arrested for possession of synthetic marijuana
• Jamie Wooten (dob1-18-89) of Kaplan, arrested for possession of synthetic marijuana.
• Andre Landry (dob 11-14-91) of Abbeville, arrested for possession of synthetic marijuana.
The task force is seeing a large trend of synthetic marijuana use and distribution. Those using or selling the drug are warned that this drug falls under the same criminal code as marijuana, and therefore has the same penalties. Beyond this, are effects that the drug has on a person? Sheriff Couvillon states, “The task force is tracking this large trend, and we feel that most people need to understand that this drug, though it falls under the marijuana statute, is highly dangerous. The people who use this drug are not ingesting the normal THC which is the illegal substance naturally found in marijuana. The “high” they are getting is from chemical compounds, sprayed over the synthetic substance. These chemicals induce paranoid, irrational, and violent behavior traits. There is no telling what the chemicals in the long term are doing to the brain.”

Sheriff Mike Couvillon would like to thank Abbeville Mayor Mark Piazza and the city council, along with Chief Tony Hardy for their effort in assisting with Task Force personnel. “I realize times are financially tough all over, but the Mayor and Chief of this city are committed to finding the funds to help the Task Force combat the illicit drugs problem that ruins our communities. The people of Vermilion and our children are the benefactors of these city leaders’ great efforts. It is my hope that in the near future other towns and cities in the parish of Vermilion will be able to assist in the continuing fight against illicit drugs.”
Finally, Sheriff Couvillon would like to applaud the concerned citizens of Vermilion Parish for their awareness and assistance in helping the Sheriff’s Office in fighting the war on illegal drugs. He encourages all citizens with information in regards to illegal drug activities to contact the Vermilion Parish Sheriff’s Office or the Vermilion Parish Municipal Narcotics Task Force at 337-740-4501 or E-mail the Task Force anonymously at taskforce@vpso.net and your e-mail will be held in the “strictest of confidence” and replied to in a very timely manner.
More information on reporting drug activities can be seen on our Web Site at www.vpso.net. Click on Task Force for this information.