SAULT STE. MARIE, MI-- The Tri-County Drug Enforcement Taskforce arrested three Chippewa County residents on meth charges last week.
Detectives had suspected a group of operating meth labs in the Sault Ste. Marie area and ran surveillance on a residence. A search warrant was then conducted, resulting in the arrest of:
- Brandon James Ballas, 26, of Sault Ste. Marie, on 8 counts of 20-year-felony meth/meth lab charges and one count of maintaining a drug house
- Joseph Peter Ballas, 62, of Sault Ste. Marie, on 12 counts of 20- to 25-year felony meth/meth lab charges and one count of maintaining a drug house
- Brittany Lee Johnson, 19, of Farwell, MI, on 8 counts of 20-year felony meth/meth lab charges and one count of maintaining a drug house
Detectives found meth lab components, hazardous waste, meth-making ingredients, and other evidence, leading them to believe multiple cooks had been conducted at the residence.
The Sault Ste. Marie Police Department assisted at the scene.
