Coffee County, Georgia – A 33-year-old man from Lumber City, Derek Hamel, was arrested in Coffee County on November 6 after local law enforcement discovered he was wanted on a warrant through the U.S. Marshals Service and found methamphetamine in his vehicle.
According to the Coffee County Sheriff’s Office, a sergeant was patrolling Highway 221 North when he observed a car speeding. A check of the vehicle’s registration revealed that the driver, later identified as Hamel, had an active warrant. The officer initiated a traffic stop and noticed Hamel acting suspiciously, moving excessively in the vehicle.
During the stop, the officer saw a syringe and a pipe commonly used for smoking illegal drugs in plain sight. Hamel admitted to having a meth pipe and potentially an unknown amount of methamphetamine in the car. A search of the vehicle uncovered three plastic baggies of suspected methamphetamine in the driver’s side door panel, along with additional methamphetamine found in a shoe belonging to Hamel.
The passenger in the vehicle also provided information to authorities, claiming that Hamel had instructed her to conceal the drugs in her vaginal area, though she refused to comply.
Hamel was arrested and charged with possession of methamphetamine, and authorities are investigating the related warrant from the U.S. Marshals Service.