Another drug bust was made Friday night as the Barton County Sheriff’s Office continues its ongoing efforts to curb methamphetamine trafficking in the county, Sheriff Brian Bellendir said.
Shortly after 10 p.m., BCSO deputies executed a search warrant at an auto repair shop in the 900 block of Walnut Street in Great Bend. A second search warrant was executed late Friday or early Saturday at 1425 2nd St. “Officers recovered approximately 8 grams of methamphetamine, a substantial amount of currency and marijuana,” Bellendir stated in a press release.
Curtis Julian, 50, of Great Bend was arrested and charged with possession with intent to distribute methamphetamine, possession of methamphetamine, possession of marijuana, drug tax stamp violation, using a communications facility (such as a telephone) to distribute a controlled substance and possession of drug paraphernalia. Julian is being held at the Barton County Jail in lieu of a $100,000 bond.  
Bellendir told the Great Bend Tribune that methamphetamine enters Great Bend from all directions, but most likely it first comes from labs in Mexico. It’s been a couple of years since a lab was discovered in the county.
Although manufacturing appears to have decreased here, distribution has increased.
“I think it has gotten cheaper and easier to get,” he said. “Because meth is so addictive, we’re now seeing other crimes that are directly related to methamphetamine use.” Those include burglaries and the theft of metals including copper wire and brass valves from the oilfield.
Including last Friday’s activity, the BCSO has made six drug-related arrests and executed search warrants at six different addresses during the month of June.