SENECA — John Crum of the Seneca Police Department said Monday that an investigation prompted by concerned citizens has resulted in an arrest.

Orinthial Ishmael Lewis was arrested Friday after Seneca police and Oconee County Sheriff’s deputies raided his 103 S. Summit St. residence and found him to be in possession of a significant amounts of narcotics.

“We’d been receiving complaints over the last several months about possible drug activity at that residence,” Crum said. “We were able to get a confidential informant in there, who made an undercover buy.”

That was all the evidence investigators needed to bust Lewis’ operation, and officers raided the home Friday. Crum said they found at least 10 grams of powder cocaine, as well as additional amounts of crack cocaine in Lewis’ home.

Lewis now faces charges of three counts of distributing cocaine, plus another count of trafficking 10 grams or more of cocaine.

“This raid is one of many that have been conducted by the Seneca Police Department and the Oconee County Sheriff’s Office working toward the common goal of zero tolerance for drug dealers,” Seneca Chief John Covington said.

The partnership recently netted another victory in late October, when Timothy Blassingame was convicted of crack distribution after a joint investigation by Oconee County investigators and Seneca’s narcotics unit led to his arrest. Blassingame was sentenced to the maximum 30 years in prison for that offense.

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