Madison man arrested with counterfeit pills

GLUCKSTADT —  A Madison man was arrested here Tuesday morning with thousands of counterfeit pills suspected to contain fentanyl.

The man, Kenderius Marquise Bess, 31, was arrested and charged with trafficking a controlled substance, careless driving and an illegal window tint violation, according to Gluckstadt Police Chief Barry Hale.

“This arrest represents a significant step forward in the department’s ongoing efforts to combat the distribution of dangerous narcotics in the community,” Hale said.

In the early hours just after 6 a.m. on May 27, officers with the Gluckstadt Police Department conducted a traffic stop on an orange and black Chevrolet Camaro driven by Bess for careless driving on Old Jackson Road at the intersection with Church Road, Hale said. 

During the stop, officers recovered approximately 12,000 multi-colored pills suspected to be fentanyl, Hale said.

“I’m very proud of the officers here at the Gluckstadt Police Department for the hard work and dedication that each one of them puts in daily to keep our community safe,” said a spokesperson for the department. 

According to Hale, Bess was given a $1,000,000 bond in Gluckstadt Municipal Court on Tuesday. Bess remains in custody in the Madison County Detention Center.