Massive Marijuana Bust

    NewsChannel 9's investigative team has learned of a major drug bust in north Hamilton County. Federal agents have taken over, in part because of the size of this marijuana bust.

    Agencies involved in this are being very tight-lipped because it remains under investigation. It happened Friday night in Sale Creek at an automotive parts company. People with close knowledge of the bust describe it as 300 pounds of weed.

     Norman Allen Dunn is a principal player in this drug sting. He's in the Hamilton county jail,  not charged with anything specifically, but held by the order of federal marshals.

   The 50 year old Pikeville man has no bond. Witnesses say a flood of police cars swarmed this parking lot Friday night. It is a warehouse of International Automotive Components, one of the largest interior parts suppliers in the world.

    Agents arrested Dunn, one other man and possibly another. One law enforcement officer told us they removed 300 pounds of marijuana from a truck in the parking lot.

Employees in this adjacent strip mall described officers moving countless wrapped bricks and logs of marijuana ranging from one to five feet long.

    Kim Stevenson lives across Highway 27 from I-A-C's Sale Creek warehouse. "I saw some lights flashing on the wall through my door, so I looked out the window."

   She saw the bust as it was wrapping up. NewsChannel 9 contacted International Automotive Components headquarters in Dearborn, Michigan. And they told us because of the investigation, agents told them not to talk about this. But they did specify that the two men arrested were employees but were under investigation as individuals and not the company itself.

   We found out I-A-C had suspicions about one or more of its employees and tipped the T-B-I. We are still working to confirm the amount of the marijuana confiscated.

    Stevenson was disturbed when informed of the suspected amount, "I have three kids so it's not good to hear that not when you have three kids to worry about." I-A-C confirmed Dunn and the other employee have been suspended while this investigation continues. Both men were described as full-time employees.

The neighbor across the street didn't know exactly what happened Friday and was stunned it happened so close. "You don't know what's going on, it could be next door and you would never know it," Stevenson said.

    We expect more pieces of this investigation to unfold in coming days and will keep you up to date. The arrest of both employees did not impact International Automotive Components.

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