Canton Man Indicted On Drug Trafficking Charges

CANTON, GA -- A Canton man has been indicted on various drug charges following his April arrest at a neighborhood pool in Cherokee County. A grand jury this month indicted Joseph Alan Purpura on one count each of trafficking in cocaine, possession of marijuana with the intent to distribute, possession of methamphetamine with the intent to distribute and possession of a Schedule IV substance. He was also indicted on two counts of possession of a controlled substance with the intent to distribute.

Purpura is scheduled to be arraigned on the charges at 9 a.m. Aug. 15 in courtroom 2D at the Cherokee County Justice Center in downtown Canton. Purpura was arrested and charged April 12 by the Cherokee Sheriff's Office after a deputy came across a vehicle parked in the parking lot of a subdivision's pool in the vicinity of Sixes Road and Blankets Creek Drive.

The vehicle, occupied by Purpura, also had its headlights on while stationed at the amenity. According to the Cherokee Multi-Agency Narcotics Squad, Purpura was not a resident of the neighborhood. The deputy asked Purpura why he was at the location, as it was nearly midnight and the facility was closed.

While speaking with Purpura, an odor of marijuana flowed from the vehicle and caught the attention of the deputy. When asked about the odor, Purpura allegedly told the officer that "there might be marijuana in the vehicle," CMANS said on its Facebook page.

The deputy requested backup, and an initial search of the vehicle unearthed marijuana, LSD and cocaine.

CMANS agents were also called to the scene, and another search of the car yielded about an ounce of cocaine, more than an ounce of THC Wax (a Schedule I drug), more than an ounce of marijuana, roughly 22.1 grams of methamphetamine, LSD, THC-infused gummies, Xanax pills, a glass pipe, digital scales and small bags used for the package and sale of narcotics, CMANS noted.

Purpura was taken into custody at the Cherokee County Adult Detention Center. He was initially held without bond, but the court later allowed him to be released on a $30,000 bond, court records show.

Images via Cherokee Sheriff's Office/Cherokee Multi-Agency Narcotics Squad