Local Alabama Drug Enforcement Task Force (ADETF) agents found about a pound of methamphetamine and a handgun during a traffic stop in Pike County Monday.

ADETF Region B agents performed the traffic stop on Justin Kirkland along U.S. 231 in Pike County.

“During a consent search of the vehicle, agents recovered approximately one pound of

methamphetamine and one handgun,” said State Trooper Heath Carpenter.

Kirkland was booked into the Pike County Jail on a $50,000 bond and was released Tuesday.

Trafficking methamphetamine is a Class A Felony punishable by no less than three years in prison, and a statute in the Code of Alabama adds another five years minimum if the suspect has a possession of a handgun during the commission of the felony. The maximum sentence is 99 years to life in prison.

Region B-ADETF is funded through the Alabama Department of Economic and Community Affairs (ADECA) and comprises Pike County Sheriff’s Office, Butler County Sheriff’s Office, Dale County Sheriff’s Office, Houston County Sheriff’s Office, Eufaula Police Department, Greenville Police Department, Ozark Police Department and the Alabama State Bureau of Investigation.