Mall Security Cameras and Staff Aid in Atlanta Drug Bust

July 11, 2007
Officers on duty spotted suspicious vehicular activity in parking lot of top metro mall

ATLANTA -- Six people were arrested outside Lenox Square mall after they were seen conducting what police called a major drug purchase.

The arrests came after the men attracted the attention of security guards Monday night at the mall in Atlanta's Buckhead area.

Two vehicles had their hoods up and every few minutes, several men walked back and forth between them. And when mall security cameras zoomed in, they saw a drug transaction taking place, police said.

Atlanta police, who were called in, arrested six people and seized two handguns and several pounds of marijuana, said Officer Ronald Campbell.

Those arrested have been charged with possessing the drug with intent to sell, carrying concealed weapons and possessing a firearm during the commission of a felony.

Police called the transaction a "major buy," adding that the suspects were not street-level dealers.

"We don't have a specific weight," on the seized drugs, said Campbell, "but it's in the pounds."

Copyright 2007 by The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.