A Grady resident was arrested Monday on charges of trafficking cocaine, as part of an undercover operation.

Karim Richards, 35, was taken into custody Monday, after he allegedly was found with crack cocaine in the parking lot of a local shopping center, said Pike County Sheriff Russell Thomas.

“We set up a controlled buy in the parking lot of a local shopping center,” Thomas said. “He was arrested shortly after arriving.”

Thomas said the department seized a little more than 57 grams of crack cocaine that had an estimated street value of $6,000 to $8,000. In addition, officers recovered $3,186 in cash.

While Richards is not from Pike County, Thomas said he was an individual the department alleged to have been involved heavily in drugs.

“He was someone we knew to be handling large amounts of drugs,” Thomas said.

The drug arrest took place in Troy, and Richards has been taken to the Pike County Jail. His bond is set at $50,000 with 10 percent due in cash before his release.

Thomas said Richards also was on parole for robbery first degree charges from Crenshaw County, and a hold has been placed on him pending a hearing to determine whether that parole be revoked.

The sheriff’s department was assisted by Troy Police Narcotics and the Bullock County Sheriff’s Department.