Knox County Man Arrested for Drug Trafficking

Knox County Sheriff Mike Smith says Deputy SGT Jesse Smith responded to a complaint of an unknown man walking around outside a residence on KY 2418 in Barbourville. SGT Smith arrived to find the man, later identified as 44-year-old James Merida of Flat Lick, standing next to a pick-up with the doors open. When SGT Smith approached the truck, he observed a bag containing syringes and a bag of suspected marijuana on the driver’s seat. He also observed a box containing three clear plastic bags of suspected methamphetamine totaling approximately 20 grams on the passenger seat. Merida was arrested and charged with trafficking in a controlled substance, possession of drug paraphernalia and possession of marijuana. He was lodged in the Knox County Detention Center.