Snellville officer given national award for record MDMA bust

From left, Snellville Police Department Chief Roy Whitehead presents officer Brett Chism with the National Criminal Enforcement Association award for making a bust of 45,000 ecstasy pills at Monday’s Council meeting. Courtesy Snellville

From left, Snellville Police Department Chief Roy Whitehead presents officer Brett Chism with the National Criminal Enforcement Association award for making a bust of 45,000 ecstasy pills at Monday’s Council meeting. Courtesy Snellville

Police officer Brett Chism was recently honored by the Snellville City Council for winning a National Criminal Enforcement Association award for making the largest seizure of MDMA, commonly known as ecstasy, in the country in 2017.

At about 2 a.m. on Sept. 29, 2017, Chism stopped a car for an equipment violation. The driver and passenger exhibited several indicators leading Chism to believe they were involved in criminal activity. He asked the driver for consent to search the car, but he refused. A K-9, on the scene, conducted a free air sniff of the car giving a positive indication for the odor of narcotics.

Chism searched the car finding 45,000 MDMA pills, marijuana and two handguns, one stolen. He arrested both occupants and with charges including trafficking ecstasy, possession of marijuana, possession of drug-related objects, possession of a firearm in the commission of a felony, possession of a firearm by a convicted felon and theft by receiving for the stolen handgun.