MONTICELLO – A man suspected of illegally selling a large quantity of prescription pain medication in Wayne County was arrested Thursday, February 17, by Operation UNITE.

Gerald E. Spurr, age 64, of Wells Court, Monticello, was charged with four counts first-degree trafficking in a controlled substance and lodged in the Wayne County Detention Center.

“During the past several months undercover purchases of OxyContin were made from Mr. Spurr,” said Dan Smoot, law enforcement director for UNITE. “As a result of these buys, District Court arrest warrants were obtained.”

About 2:30 p.m. Thursday police saw Spurr pull into a local gas station. Officers from UNITE, the Monticello Police Department and Wayne County Sheriff’s Office confronted Spurr and placed him under arrest without incident.

A subsequent search of Spurr’s home resulted in the seizure of nearly $9,000 in cash and more than $5,500 worth of street drugs – mostly OxyContin pills.

“He was a significant drug trafficker in Wayne County,” Smoot noted. “Citizen calls to our toll-free drug tip line (1-866-424-4382) contributed greatly to the investigation.”

Assisting with the investigation were members of the Wayne County Attorney’s Office.