BPD makes major drug bust

Bloomington Police Department narcotics detectives busted a major drug deal Friday night at a northside hotel.

39-year-old Rudy Smith, from Detroit, was arrested by BPD officers Friday night at a hotel after receiving information that Smith was coming to Bloomington to deliver a large amount of cocaine to his local dealers and to collect money from recent drug sales, said BPD Sgt. Jeff Canada.

After officers got the tip, they went to the hotel in plain clothes and waited for Smith to arrive. Smith arrived in a taxi cab and went knocking on one of the hotel doors, Canada said.

Officers confronted Smith and after a short struggle, took him into custody, Canada said.

Smith had approximately 66 grams of crack cocaine that were packaged as 181 individual rocks, a small amount of powder cocaine and more than 700 pills of various controlled substances. Some of the pills included morphine, Lortab, Xanax and Soma, Canada said.

Smith is no stranger to the BPD. He is on probation for prior convictions in Monroe County in December 2005 for dealing cocaine and resisting law enforcement. He was arrested in June 2005 for a warrant. Police said they think Smith is a main source of crack cocaine in Bloomington.

Two other men were also arrested on preliminary drug charges in connection with Smith.

45-year-old Willie Tipton and 18-year-old Robert Rogers, both of Detroit, were two of Smith’s local drug dealers in Bloomington, Canada said. Tipton, who originally gave police an alias, was correctly identified after police submitted his fingerprints to the Monroe County jail, Canada said. Police are waiting on results from Rogers fingerprints because they believe he also gave a false name, Canada said.

Both men were arrested after Smith’s arrest. BPD detectives had made several controlled buys with both men within the last few weeks.

Smith was booked in the Monroe County Jail for preliminary charges of dealing cocaine, a Class A felony, dealing a controlled substance, a Class A felony, and resisting law enforcement.

Tipton and Rogers were booked in the Monroe County jail for a preliminary charge of dealing cocaine, a Class A felony.