OnStar leads to 4 pounds of cocaine, $250,000 cash, $1 million bond in record drug bust
By Carol Robinson | crobinson@al.com The Birmingham News
Pleasant Grove, AL
series /series Aka Story Package gallery-preview /gallery-preview Aka Secondary Package An OnStar tip alerting police to a stolen high-dollar SUV led to the biggest drug bust in the history of the Pleasant Grove Police Department.
A 45-year-old man is in custody, and police are now in possession of nearly 2 kilograms -4 pounds - of cocaine and $250,000 in cash found inside the man's home. Investigators say Gerand Ratcliff, who has no noteworthy criminal history, also offered police $50,000 to not arrest him.
"This is a significant arrest and what I hope is a substantial blow to narcotics activities, not only in Pleasant Grove, but in Jefferson County,'' said Pleasant Grove police Lt. Danny Reid.
It all began about 6 p.m. Tuesday when On-Star alerted police to a possibly stolen vehicle in the 400 block of Fourth Terrace. The 2016 Cadillac Escalade had been reported missing from a car dealership in Vicksburg, Miss.
Patrol officers went to the home and spotted the $75,000 SUV in the garage. They knocked on the front door of the hope, and were hit with a cloud of marijuana smoke when Ratcliff opened the front door, Reid said. The United Narcotics Investigations Team – made up of drug investigators from Pleasant Grove and Hueytown – responded to the scene. Ratcliff was detained, and police secured a search warrant for his home.
"The owner of the house (Ratcliff) was going to give our officers a large quantity of money if he could just 'walk away,''' Reid said. "He opened his safe there were wads of money. Bundles of money."
The safe was in Ratcliff's bedroom and actually contained $247,781. Police also discovered a brick of cocaine on a shelf in the basement, and another hidden on a shelf in the living room. The cocaine is valued at about $50,000 wholesale, but would be triple that when broken down for sale on the streets. Authorities also found about a dozen other empty kilo wrappers.
"With that amount, he's either been moving a lot of cocaine or he's a mule for somebody,'' Reid said.
Police also seized three guns – two handguns and pistol-grip shotgun.
The investigation is still ongoing, Reid said. They still haven't yet uncovered the scope of Ratcliff's drug operation. "We had no reason to suspect anything of this magnitude was going on,'' Reid said. "He flew completely under the radar."
Reid said it wasn't immediately clear when the Cadillac was stolen from the Mississippi dealership. Initially, he said, they didn't realize it was stolen and assumed it was either loaned out or used as a demo. Once dealership officials realized it was stolen, they alerted OnStar. That's when the service pinged on the Pleasant Grove location. "He said a buddy brought it to him,'' Reid said.
Ratcliff is charged with drug trafficking, attempting to bribe a police officer, first-degree receiving stolen property, unlawful possession of a controlled substance (Lortab), and unlawful possession of drug paraphernalia. Police also found scales, and other drug operation equipment.
Ratcliff is being transported to the Jefferson County Jail. His bond is set at $1,051,000.
"It usually takes a months-long investigation to get someone of this level,'' Reid said. "This fell into our lap from merely a patrol officers answer a call, keeping their eyes open and doing a good job."