Homer man arrested on multiple charges stemming from ongoing drug investigation

A Banks County man was arrested on several drug-related charges Thursday after agents carried out a search inside his home.
 
Stephen Dwayne Copeland, 33, faces charges of possession of marijuana with intent to distribute, possession of a schedule IV Narcotic with intent to distribute and possession of cocaine in the case.
 
Special Agent in Charge Mitchell Posey with the Appalachian Regional Drug Enforcement office says the investigation into Copeland's alleged behavior began with several tips that were sent to local authorities.
 
Executing a search warrant at Copeland's residence on Payne Road near U.S. 441 in Homer, Posey said agents, working in conjunction with the Banks County Sheriff's Office, discovered around 10 ounces of cocaine, 4 ounces of marijuana and roughly 80 pills of the schedule IV narcotic alprazolam. The drugs had a combined street value of around $2,600.
 
Posey added that the investigation is ongoing at this time.
 
The Appalachian Regional Drug Enforcement Office is a multi-agency unit that consists of the following Sheriff's Offices: White County, Lumpkin County, Towns County, Banks County, Habersham County, Stephens County, Rabun County and Franklin County, along with the Cleveland Police Department, Lavonia Police Department, the Georgia National Guard Counter Drug Task Force, the Department of Public Safety, and the Georgia Bureau of Investigation.