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FROM STAFF REPORTS

COLUMBIANA — Following a lengthy investigation, narcotics investigators with the Shelby County Drug Enforcement Task Force apprehended 29-year-old Ronald Lavance Steen of Birmingham on July 17.

Steen was arrested on U.S. 280 in North Shelby County and is charged with trafficking heroin, trafficking opium, possession of a forged instrument (counterfeit currency), attempting to commit a controlled substance crime, and two counts of unlawful possession of a controlled substance with the intent to distribute.

Steen remains in the Shelby County Jail on a $570,000 bond.

Capt. Clay Hammac, commander of the Shelby County Drug Enforcement Task Force, said the case required perseverance and placed investigators in a “uniquely dangerous situation.”

“Fortunately, a sizable amount of dangerous drugs have been taken off the streets and out of our neighborhoods,” Hammac said. “Our investigators have my deepest appreciation for the tireless work they do each day.”