The Polk County Drug Investigation Unit arrested three suspects on methamphetamine charges Thursday, Oct. 23.

Late Thursday afternoon, drug agents, assisted by members of the Polk County and Cedartown Police Departments, seized a quantity of methamphetamine in the parking lot of the Magic Wand Car Wash, 511 N. Main St.

Police arrested three suspects after finding approximately two ounces of methamphetamine in their cars. Drug agents are not yet releasing the names of those arrested, though they were charged with violating the Georgia Controlled Substance Act.

An agent with the drug unit said the case had been part of an ongoing investigation for the past few months. “We had conducted an investigation last month with CI [Criminal Investigations],” the agent said.

Over the past few weeks, the agents made undercover buys from the suspects, eventually leading them to Thursday’s arrests. “We had the first ounce of meth fronted to us,” he said. “Then we purchased another and had the third ounce fronted.”

“Fronting,” according to the agent, is a drug-world system of credit. Dealers, he explained, will sometimes give illegal substances to people they know with the agreement that payment will come at a later date. “It’s like a dope-world loan,” he said. “It was a good thing for us, because we didn’t have to put any money into it.”

After having two ounces of meth fronted to them, the agents arranged a meeting between themselves and the dealers with the idea of paying for the final two ounces. When the suspects arrived, police were upon them. “It worked out well,” the agent said. “Both violators showed up like we wanted.”

While he did not find as much meth as in other busts, the agent said the operation was a success for three reasons. “One,” he stated, “no one got hurt. Two, we got two dopers off the streets. And three, we got five ounces of meth off the street as well. You couldn’t ask for it to be better than what happened.”