3 arrested on drug charges after meth found in Alabama funeral home

JASPER, Ala. — A drug raid at an Alabama funeral home led to the discovery of more than a half-pound of methamphetamine and the arrest of three men from Jasper, authorities said.

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Kinte Gosha, 46, the owner of SouthSide Funeral Home in Jasper, was charged with drug trafficking in methamphetamine, according to a Facebook post by the Jasper Police Department. Arthur McCollum, 48, was also charged with drug trafficking in meth. Odell Swain, 44, was charged with unlawful distribution of a controlled substance.

According to police, agents from the department’s narcotics enforcement team executed a search warrant at the funeral home, AL.com reported.

Officers recovered more than a half-pound of the drug, according to the news outlet.

“It is an eye-opener and unfortunately, I happen to have been a school counselor for a couple of those people who were named,” Jasper resident Denise Timmons told WTVM. “And I would like to say that I would have been in hopes that that would have never happened.”

McCollum was arrested in 2019 also on a drug traffic trafficking charge, AL.com reported. Swain was out on bond for an unlawful distribution charge from 2021, according to the news outlet.

“These drugs destroy homes, families and communities, and we remain committed to fighting this poison by targeting those who bring it into our city and sell it to our residents,” Jasper police Chief J.C. Poe said in a statement. “I appreciate the help we received from District Attorney Bill Adair and his staff in this case. Now, we need assistance from local judges to keep these repeat offenders off the streets, and facilities to adequately house these inmates so that our state and county jails aren’t faced with releasing inmates due to overcrowding.”

Jasper is located 40 miles northwest of Birmingham.