SHERIFF INTERCEPTS 15 POUNDS OF MARIJUANA MAILED TO CAPE

JACKSON -- A package allegedly belonging to a Cape Girardeau man got delivered on time from Texas, but it won't end up where he intended.

Fifteen pounds of marijuana was intercepted by the Cape Girardeau County Sheriff's Department after it got a tip from the company that shipped it, said Lt. David James.

"It's a fairly common method to ship drugs, but busts don't result from it that often," James said. "Generally you need a tip to get a bust."

Kevin D. Meachem, 22, was arrested in the incident. He was arrested Thursday by officers from the sheriff's office, Cape Girardeau police and the Southeast Missouri Drug Task Force at a residence just north of Cape Girardeau.

Meachem had shipped the marijuana in a package from Houston on Wednesday. He had intended to pick it up here, sell it, and return to Texas with his profits, James said.

"It doesn't put a big crimp in the drug market here, but at least it gets it off the street and him in jail," James said.

The street value of the marijuana is estimated at more than $38,000.

No other arrests are anticipated as a result of Meachem's arrest, James said, since he was most likely working alone.

Meachem has been charged with a class B felony of possession of a controlled substance with the intent to distribute and two counts of the class C felony of possessing more than 35 grams of marijuana. He could be sentenced to five to 15 years in prison for intending to distribute marijuana, and no more than seven years for each count of marijuana possession.

Meachem is in custody at the Cape Girardeau County Jail in lieu of a $75,000 bond.