Melvin Mathews

Melvin Mathews of the Bay Area Narcotics Enforcement Team.

As police watched the home, one of the suspects left, leaving the victim alone. He was able to free himself and leave -- into the arms of police.

The man told police the pair threatened to kill him and put his body in the trunk of a rented car.

"In the long run, we may have saved a life," Mathews said.

With a search warrant for one home and consent to search the other, police arrested two Buena Vista Township men in their mid and early 20s. One was driving a rented vehicle. Both have criminal records including drug and weapons offenses, Mathews said.

Police also recovered cocaine, packaging material, a cutting agent, crack cocaine cooking equipment, marijuana, a stolen Glock .40-caliber handgun stolen from within Saginaw County and about $1,500 in cash.

Mathews said both the Saginaw County prosecutor's office and federal prosecutors are looking at the case because it involves possible extortion.

Melvin Mathews, commander of the BAYANET team, said today the money will pay for equipment, training and investigation costs to fight illegal drugs. What's So Grand About Empty Stores?

B.A.Y.A.N.E.T.'s lead investigator Mel Matthews says the arrests are a wrap-up of year's worth of undercover work.He says some of the people are also drug makers who churned out oxycodone, marijuana and heroin.

BAYANET Detective First Lieutenant Melvin Mathews said there is a problem in the area with prescription drugs.

"These investigations were conducted due to the fact that there were several young adults that had overdosed on prescription narcotics and the rampant sale of these narcotics in the rural areas," said Mathews.
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"This was a collaboration of all departments to try to get this problem fixed in Gladwin County," said Mathews.

Officers confiscated marijuana, prescription drugs such as vicodin and oxycontin, six long guns and two hand guns.

"Most were buying pills from people with prescriptions and some were selling their own prescriptions," Mathews said.

He said that police see a lot of prescription drugs in this area.

"We made an impact to let people know that if they're going to sell prescription drugs in this county, they're going to get caught," he added.

Over 60 charges have been brought against more than 25 individuals who were arrested.
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Over 150 different types of prescription drugs were found during the sweep, said Mathews.
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Mathews said that such high numbers of warrants and individuals arrested is a little unusual.

"We don't get such high numbers in big cities," he said.