Updated March 6, 2019


A man was arrested when north Alabama sheriff’s deputies seized crack cocaine, methamphetamine, pills, cash and pistols during a predawn raid on Tuesday, authorities said.

The raid took an odd turn when deputies found the drugs hidden in unusual places, including a corn can and water bottle, said Limestone County sheriff’s spokesman Stephen Young.

Paul Ray Hines is charged with trafficking cocaine, distribution of meth, possession of a controlled substance and possession of drug paraphernalia, according to the sheriff’s office. Hines is being held in the Limestone County jail.

Sheriff’s deputies went to Hines’ home  in Tanner on Tuesday around 4:30 a.m. Investigators found what appeared to be a can of corn but was actually a hidden compartment that held about two ounces of cocaine, Young said. He said one end of the can apparently had been replaced with a removable lid.

Deputies found the meth and pills … in another hidden compartment designed to look like a full bottle of water.

Deputies also seized about $14,000 cash and two pistols.