JADE Task Force investigation nets arrests, $79,000 in illegal drugs

Two Alabama men face multiple charges resulting from an ongoing criminal investigation by the Jefferson Area Drug Enforcement (JADE) Task Force.

Jonathan Lorenzo Ricks, 22, of Tuscumbia, Ala., was arrested January 7, 2019, on one felony count of distribution of over 100 grams of a Schedule I/II drug, one felony count of distribution of a Schedule I/II drug while in possession of a firearm, and one felony count of importation of over one ounce of a Schedule I/II drug into the Commonwealth of Virginia.

Maleek Qualls, 22, of Tuscumbia, Ala., was arrested on one felony count of conspiracy to distribute methamphetamine.

The arrests resulted from a criminal arrest operation conducted by the JADE Task Force in the 2000 block of Inn Drive in Albemarle County on January 7, 2019. Task force investigators seized approximately 790 grams (28 oz.) of crystal methamphetamine with an estimated street value of $79,000 and a 9-millimeter handgun.

Ricks and Qualls are both being held at the Charlottesville-Albemarle County Jail.

This is an ongoing investigation with additional charges pending.

The Jefferson Area Drug Enforcement (JADE) has been in existence since 1985 as regional narcotics task force made up of officers from the Charlottesville Police Department, Albemarle County Police Department, and Virginia State Police.