26 People Facing Charges In Operation Tainted Candy

Jimmy Jackson is lead to a patrol car following his arrest October 29, 2024 during Operation Tainted Candy. Johnston County Report Photo

SELMA – Twenty-six people are facing criminal charges following a 10 month undercover operation in the Town of Selma.

Selma Police began rounding up the suspects Tuesday morning in Operation Tainted Candy. The operation targeted street level sales of illegal narcotics including methamphetamine, cocaine, heroin, and Fentanyl.

A police officer adjusts the handcuffs on Tracy Jackson after she was arrested at her home on Wood Street in Selma during Operation Tainted Candy. Johnston County Report Photo

Selma Police were assisted by several other law enforcement agencies including the Johnston County Sheriff’s Office, NCSBI, ATF, Wilson’s Mills Police, and Smithfield Police.

In an operational briefing before the roundup began, Mayor Byron McAllister thanked the officers for keeping Selma safe. “Thank you. Thank you. I thank all of you for being here to take care of us – the Town of Selma and Johnston County – as you roundup that tainted candy.”

Police arrested Ashley Jackson at her apartment on Cypress Court on October 29, 2024 during Operation Tainted Candy. Johnston County Report Photo

Jimmy and Tracy Jackson were arrested at their home on Wood Street.

Police then arrested Ashley Jackson at her apartment on Cypress Court.

Gregory Taylor of W. Preston Street, Selma was one of 26 people charged in Operation Tainted Candy. Johnston County Report Photo

Officers located Gregory Taylor at his home on W. Preston Street.

Antwan Monk was spotted walking on Raiford Street near Ricks Road and arrested on outstanding warrants.

Selma police officers search Antwan Monk after his arrest October 29, 2024. Monk was spotted walking on Raiford Street near Ricks Road and taken into custody on outstanding warrants. Johnston County Report Photo

By Tuesday afternoon, police had apprehended 23 of the 26 suspects on a variety of drug-related offenses.

41 COMMENTS

    • Exactly. North Carolina is a joke when It comes to drugs. Specially Fet. And Heroine. Do you know how much it costs someone without health insurance for inpatient rehabilitation. Up to if not more than 7k, that’s right. 7 thousand dollars. Don’t believe me? Call around and ask. Oh and if you have insurance most if not every insurance company will not cover drug rehabilitation. Instead they tell you to go to outpatient facilities where they give you Suboxone strips or methadone which are both just as lethal as the drug that you’re trying to get off of and you have to detox from it as well meaning that person will still feel the deadly fatal withdrawals that comes with trying to get that mess out of your system. The only way you can get real treatment where doctors and nurses will assist you with everything in their power with getting off of these deadly drugs is if you have a bunch of money If not you’re basically doomed. They won’t accept you in the emergency room if you’re withdrawing they’ll turn you around and tell you to go to an outpatient facility which only does registration one day a week plus you have to pay for it on top of that you have to have the drug in your system yeah how about that. If you happen to be going through the highest phase of withdrawal using the bathroom on yourself sweating when you’re cold or shivering when you’re hot pissing on yourself not being able to stay still having anxiety attacks and so on the pain and so on if you’re going through all this and call an ambulance and they do take you to the emergency room they might give you a little bit of medicine to relax you for about 30 or 45 minutes after that wears off especially again if you don’t have insurance they will let you sit there and suffer and basically die before they start to get up and do their jobs. I hope someone a politician a doctor someone sees this comment and/or other people comments and tries to find a solution other than locking up addicts and ignoring the fact that these people need help genuinely need help I can guarantee if not 100% nowhere past 90% of the people that do this drug are doing it because they enjoy it. I can guarantee those people are doing it to stay away from those withdrawal symptoms and don’t know that you can die from those withdrawal symptoms. I haven’t read all the comments but if you’re on here making fun of these people and I’m not talking about the dealers and quite honestly the dealers are saving a lot of lives the people that OD on that stuff most of the time it’s their fault A small percentage of those people get bad stuff which of course is the dealer’s fault with all the other hand the guys that sell it in don’t taint the drug or saving lives because if 10 people in the same neighborhood aren’t getting that fix You’re going to have 10 dead bodies within 7 days because the withdrawals will send them into anxiety attacks will stop their hearts from beating or they’ll commit suicide. Instead of these police organizations setting up stings and doing these dumb senseless operations to lock people up they need to put more effort and money into trying to find a way to help these people it’s ridiculous. These officers and agents actually have the nerve to sit back and high five each other after they do this stuff it’s sad it’s really sad doesn’t make any sense to me.

      • Everything you said is 100% correct I know quite a few ppl that wanna stop the use of that stuff but they’re scared to death to stop because like u said going into the out patient facilities is the last thing they wanna do it’s worst for them to come off those Suboxone then what they are doing I know ppl that do just enough where they’re not sick or withdrawing they don’t wanna be high they just don’t wanna hurt n it’s bad the politicians n police don’t wanna do nothing but torture them by locking them up or making them snitch n do their jobs just so they can stay out n not go through those terrible withdraws the world is so f’d up it’s sad

        • What’s said is your uneducated comment.
          North Carolina has a Division of Mental Health, Developmental Disabilities and Substance Use Services department specifically in place to help people kick their drug habitat. Thankfully we can fact check your obvious lie.

        • I totally agree with you 100%. But I happen to be one of those people that they call a piece of s*** but the reason for it not making excuses. I was given codeine oxycodone for 13 years due to surgeries and surgeries. I’ve had four surgeries on my right ankle. Three surgeries on my left elbow and three surgeries in other places on my body including my stomach and I did not ask to get hooked on on this. I would give anything to get.off it. I have gone through treatment two times. On I was sober for a while after each one and then I got it got called back to me. My biggest fear like what it’s written is being sick. Getting off it. If you have not been sick off these drugs, then you don’t know what it’s like. I am also one of those people that hold down a full-time job. I work between 40 to 60 hours a week and that’s not for the drugs. That’s just my work and I just am doing enough just not to allow me to get sick. So for my case it’s something that I did not look forward to. It wasn’t something I was trying to get high off it It’s just over a period of time. I became addicted to those drugs and that’s all I got to say on the matter

        • Compassion is something you may not be familiar with.
          It’s like love.
          Try it. You may be surprised at how it works.

      • Addiction is a disease not a choice at this point. Putting people in jail without providing mental health and physical recovery assistance is a crime. The gov makes too much money off drugs to stop it

        • It is a choice to begin with, and most know they should not mess with the stuff. Providing meantal help works with few, most all never themselves again. I know this from much experenice.

      • I agree 💯 people who have never been on drugs or has to deal with someone on drugs has No Clue!!! But they are quick to judge people or put them down they have no clue! Like I said if you’ve never had anyone on drugs and dealt with them or been on them yourself you have no clue you have no right to judge and no right to make fun of people! I know all too well about this I lost my daughter 2 years ago from someone giving her fentanyl! It broke my heart and I heard from it everyday I miss her bad everyday it was the hardest thing that I’ve ever had to deal with and it’s still hard every day of my life! So yes I agree with everything you said ! These people need help not jail and they need to be able to get help if they don’t have the insurance but people don’t understand that all they want to do is judge! But I bet if it was someone in their family it would be different! So yes I agree totally with everything you said!

      • Unfortunately this is a common problem in the United States. This is so because in this country we value profit over people. You can blame capitalism for that. The reason people can’t afford treatment is because healthcare here in one of the most wealthiest countries in the world is a Privatized healthcare system. Every other developed nation in the world has a system rooted in keeping citizens healthy and based around a single payer system aka universal healthcare. In single payer systems there is no such thing as insurance companies. Person A who makes $35k pays the same as Person B who makes $500k.

      • This is not true. insurance is required to treat mental health the same as any other condition. see the CARE act of 2019. Any admissions coordinator worth his salt can get an insured client into treatment. There are grants available for those with money problems. Help is out there

  1. Goodness gracious Jimbo! I’m sure your dad is doing summersaults in his grave. You know he raised you better than this. Get your life straight.

  2. What has God got to do with this??!! It does not intervene in human mistakes..god don’t let “this or that happen”.. this is human error.

    • Might have well of said “I’ve never read the Bible, but I have theological opinions.”

      The bold ignorance here is staggering.

      God is Sovereign over creation, and He is still creating.

  3. Your right Daheem Steele, Look I’m not going to lie about it but my son got 16yrs for drugs and where he’s in prison at is 70% of the guys in there are child molesters that are only doing 4yrs, 6yrs, 10yrs I don’t understand that drug dealers don’t force people to buy there drugs but children have to live the rest of there life with what a child molester has done to them if there molester doesn’t kill them, I know what my son done was not the way he was raised I do not condone his actions. He’s paying the consequences of his actions, but 16yrs is crazy when molester don’t get that much time.But my son is a good guy he will help anyone matter fact there was 2 families that there house burned down an lost everything. My son was pretty much homeless instead of taking care of himself he took all the money he made and spent every dime on the couple and there kids.So all drug dealers are not bad people there addicts but of money. Don’t bash them pray for them anyone can change there life around and there might be a addict in your family you don’t even know about. So pray.

    • And I have some ocean front property in Selma for sale. You seem like the type that would be interested.

      Stop with all the my son is good, my son is that.

      He sold drugs. Knew it was wrong and still did it.

      Now he is paying the price.

      Face it, he was raised that way. Stop trying to make yourself feel better. You failed.

  4. Instead of worrying about rehab and insurance, just don’t do the drugs. There are all kinds of ways on the Internet to get insurance, but a lot of the insurance companies don’t like to cover rehab…GOD BLESS YOU ALL….

  5. Anybody who starts using drugs these days, knows the effects they cause. I have lived for over 50 years and I have smoked a few left-handed cigarettes. But I have seen what harder drugs will do and always knew that I wanted nothing to do with them. I don’t even smoke pot anymore because you never know what’s been added to it. People need to get a clue.

  6. Well 7 years ago after being addicted to opiates for 10 years me and my husband had nothing practically living on the streets, we were able to quite using by taking suboxen. Now he has a great job, our own home and custody of our kids back. There are programs out there it just depends on how bad you want it. It’s not easy but possible. Medicaid will cover programs.

  7. It’s very simple. Do not use drugs or sell drugs, you do not go to jail. Once you make the stupid mistake to use or sell, it is not the governments responsibility to get you rehab. You did the drugs, you should pay for your own rehab.

    • 100% YES!! Exactly, my brother is a drug addict. It is NOT a disease, it’s a choice. Before that first hit, bump or injection, every drug addict had a choice. They chose wrong, they have to want to get clean. Maybe locking them up is the only thing that will save them from themselves. Just hope some bleeding-heart liberal don’t let them out to go right back to the drugs.

  8. Bravo! It is about time Selma PD cleaned up some of this meth trash. Although I’m sure the majority of them will be right back on the street.

  9. This is heart-breaking. Please look up the book CHASING THE DRAGON. It is about a young woman who went to the Walled City of China to minister to the drug addicts and prostitutes there. When these people received the Baptism of the Holy Spirit and spoke in tongues, they had no withdrawal symptoms! Dear Lord Jesus, save your people in Selma and save them from this scourge, in Christ’s Name we pray, amen and amen!

  10. I’m confused! Everyone and their grandma says that illegal aliens are the ones selling drugs. Not one suspect is an illegal, !!!

  11. Thank you all for sharing knowledge, experiences and insight about this awful addiction. I’ve never looked at it as though some addicts are trying to actually survive by using just enough drugs to avoid withdrawal sometimes leading to death. Thanks for educating me. Sometimes it’s easy to sit back and judge others, look down on those who are not as fortunate as others, but truth be told it could have been either one of us in the same situation. If anyone has ever had surgery or had to use any type of narcotics for medical treatment, it could have caused dependency (addiction). Don’t be quick to look down on others, we don’t know every addicts life story, we’re just seeing the outcome of their circumstances. Just thank God it’s not our situation today! We may have children, grandchildren, nieces , nephews or parents who could have been affected from negative choices that were made, but because of a great support system (family), love, prayers, patience, financial stability (resources) , it’s not our circumstance today. My sincere prayers and love for those who are affected by this terrible disease of addiction. Again, thanks to all who shared and educated me.

  12. Stop blaming the dealers and blame the addicts PERIOD!!! Everyone wants the dealer arrested but never tried to help or save your loved one!! At this point everyone knows the risk!! You’ll either get high or die!

  13. I love how the people with their padded lives and lifelong fall protection sit back high on their fancy pedestals and judge the rest of the world like they have any clue. You are exactly why I’d welcome a societal collapse just to savor watching you learn the real world.

  14. addiction being a choice is not always true some people end up hooked on pain meds because of a doctor not informing them of the dangers of opiods the risk of addiction or just how short a period of time it takes the human body to develop a dependence on a prescribed medication . Two weeks can have you trapped in a downward spiral all from going to a dentist , a psychologist or an orthopedic and not being fully informed of the risks associated with anxiety medication or pain medication and God forbid those same sadist who started you on that path do anything to help you reroute away from those same meds when thy decided its a risk to them to keep you on them so people trade addarol for amphetamines , octcotin for herion just to trade out again for methadone or suboxen that’s just as much of an addiction or you can switch to Kratom something that’s all natural or you could before they decided ot cut into pharma profits and outlawed it I’m alabama so before you preach to people about how it’s all on them maybe take a look at the situation that lead them there chances are it was not a choice made by them to invite the devil In an forfeit sobriety it was the greed of a licensed doctor who gets kickbacks for selling legal self destruction or a company who designed the sh*t to be addictive and the politicians who sold out to pharmaceutical lobbyists to get election donations . Do you also tell a woman it’s her fault she got raped ? Do you blame kids for being kidnapped? Maybe don’t judge what you don’t know . But also yeah some a**holes made the choice to get high and do dumb sh*t I blame the parents for that and public schools .

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