Alleged Drug Trafficker Still Jailed in Tuscaloosa After Agents Seize $25,000 Cash Meant for Bond

A drug trafficking suspect from Huntsville is still being held in the Tuscaloosa County Jail after narcotics agents intercepted and seized $24,000 in alleged drug money meant to bond him out.

The original arrest occurred last Thursday, when agents from the West Alabama Narcotics Task Force conducted an operation at the Crimson apartment complex on 17th Street in Tuscaloosa, located across 10th Avenue from Central High School.

The narcotics agents said in court documents that they disrupted a major drug sale during which two men from Huntsville meant to offload three pounds of marijuana to a local buyer.

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Though WANTF agents reportedly had to pin the suspect vehicle to a wall with police cars to prevent it from fleeing and chase both men down on foot, they arrested Tariq Jasper and Jamarreon Binford, both of whom are 21 and from Huntsville.

Police recovered a handgun and three pounds of marijuana at the scene, and they charged both men with trafficking marijuana, attempting to elude police and failure to affix a tax stamp.

Days later, the same case led to the seizure of almost $25,000 cash. Court documents filed Tuesday say WANTF agents were monitoring Jasper's phone calls in jail and heard him ask his mother to recover a large amount of hidden money. She reportedly agreed and gathered $24,347 to bring to Tuscaloosa.

Narcotics agents knew when the woman would be in town, though, and pulled her over when another person driving her allegedly committed a lane infraction.

Agents found the money they were looking for. Using portions of the monitored calls, statements from the woman, and criminal records from Madison County, where Jasper is also facing drug trafficking charges, they seized the cash under Alabama law which allows civil asset forfeiture when money or property is reasonably considered the "fruits of crime."

WANTF will store the funds until a judge rules whether they were indeed the fruits of crime, after which money is usually divided between the task force and the district attorney's office at a 3 to 1 split.

Jasper's bond was set at $500,000, and after the Friday seizure of what was reportedly intended to be his bail money, he remained jailed on Tuesday. Binford was released from custody this weekend on a $150,000 bond.

For more coverage of crime and court news in West Alabama, stay connected to the Tuscaloosa Thread.