The Lenoir Police Department, Caldwell County Sheriff's Office, Catawba County Sheriff's Office, and Hickory Police Department all contributed. Once in Hickory, the smugglers removed the opium-infused cloth and boiled it, for hours at a time, in large metal vats heated with butane burners, Sgt. PHOTOS: 22 indicted in Catawba County drug bust. Roger Dale tookinformation abouthis connections to the grave when he diedof a heart attackin federal prison in 2017. 139.92 grams of marijuana. Email: kgriffin@hickoryrecord.com. Pearson was arrested and faces several drug charges. CJNGs high-potency meth started making its way into the region post-2011 through Atlanta, the cartels Southeast hub, Healy said. The man's indictment comes from a Nov. 9, 2022, seizure by Lincoln County Sheriff's narcotics officers. She realizes how lucky she was to get outof the drug tradealive, remembering the night an addict held a gun to her head, for fun, joking that the safety was on. You have permission to edit this article. Hickory drug agents uncovered about 20 kilograms of opium that they said had been imported from Thailand and distributed nationwide, police announced Thursday.The seizure and arrest of five. It didnt makeuserssick like homemade shake and bakemeth did,Lisa Dawn remembered. The drugs, according to North Carolina guidelines, were valued at $2,610. We would get out of the car and the Mexican guys that we never met put the drugs in the car and picked up the money and walked away, Lisa Dawn said. Suspects were taken to the Hickory Police Department with those facing federal charges being transported in groups to Federal Court in Charlotte for an appearance before a judge. More than 100,000 people across the country died of overdoses between April 2020 and April 2021. She wasdriving around with adrunk, passed outRoger Dale in the red Mustang thatsomeone had tradedthem for$2,000 and some dope. "Absolutely this is a step in the right direction. Pearson was going 55 mph in a 35-mph zone, deputies said. Then he vanished, How a Mississippi trooper almost took down the worlds most powerful cartel boss, Mother searches photos of mutilated dead men, hoping to find her abducted son, Officer disabled after helicopter shot down by rising Jalisco New Generation Cartel. A mother shot her three children inside a home on the south side of Winston-Salem while on a Facetime call on Tuesday, Winston-Salem police believe. A man was struck and killed in a hit-and-run collision along U.S. Highway 70 in Claremont on Thursday night. Carteret County comprises the Morehead City, NC Micropolitan Statistical Area, which is also included in the New Bern-Morehead City, NC Combined Statistical Area. And with Project Python, we are delivering results in the face of that threat for the American people., Project Python is the single largest strike by U.S. authorities against CJNG, and this is just the beginning, said Acting Administrator Uttam Dhillon. Each of the 16 suspects faces charges of conspiracy to distribute and to possess with intent to distribute meth, cocaine and marijuana: Four of the suspects (McIntosh, Carroll, Juan Villarreal and Raymundo Villarreal) also face charges of distribution and possession with intent to distribute meth. The sting operation in central North Carolina ended with nine accused of. Share sensitive information only on official, secure websites. Photo courtesy of Catawba County Sheriff's Office "The program is focused on dismantling the largest, most sophisticated drug trafficking organizations, which often are Mexican drug cartels," said Steven Kaufman, assistantU.S. attorney for the Western District of North Carolina. Please subscribe to keep reading. (renews at {{format_dollars}}{{start_price}}{{format_cents}}/month + tax). At that time, officers seized 10 kilograms of crystal methamphetamine, a stolen handgun, a. Local, State and Federal agencies, conducted an investigation that spanned months in duration, leading to the arrests of the three suspects. Dad arrested after 3-year-old boy fatally shot at home in Charlotte. Enough fentanyl to kill nearly 3 million people was seized in two separate drug busts with connections to North Carolina this past month. Bennett andNunnenkampwereamong severalmajormethtraffickerswho operatedout of this cluster of North Carolina counties, drivenbythe explosion of meth into the regionfrom CJNG and other cartels. Mexican drug lord's super cartel infiltrates US small towns, How a Mexican cartel turned a rural area into a hidden cocaine hub, One mistake trapped a desperate dad in a Mexican drug cartel's web. FAYETTEVILLE, N.C. (WNCN) Two men have been arrested after a drug bust at a home in Fayetteville, according to the Fayetteville Police Department. Hickory man, woman charged with drug trafficking; Hiddenite man arrested on outstanding warrants A Hickory man and woman were arrested on drug trafficking charges in Alexander County during. Rader was also served outstanding warrants from Caldwell County for one count of manufacture of methamphetamine, seven counts of possession with intent to Manufacture, sell and distribute a schedule II controlled substance, one count of possession of a firearm by a convicted felon, and three counts of trafficking in methamphetamine. The house was within 100 yards of Kiwanis Park. (WSOC) LINCOLN COUNTY, N.C. 21 people were charged Monday following a 16 month-long undercover drug operation by the Lincoln County Sheriff's . Ashley Dawn Mudd, 23, was arrested and charged with one count of trafficking in opium/heroin. They take their sentence on the chin.. Somebody would tell me, I got a hot water heater out here thats about brand new, can I trade it for a bag of dope? OK.Redneck drug dealing, I guess.. Take a sneak peek at 'Bar Rescue' episode filmed in Hickory; TV show set to air April 23, Texas Rangers to sell Hickory Crawdads team to New York company, Claremont shop owner mourns man killed in hit-and-run on Thursday, Update: Pedestrian killed in collision on US 70 in Claremont identified, Village Inn Pizza opens restaurant in Mountain View, Morganton woman gets a spin on 'Wheel of Fortune'; you can watch her on Thursday, Notable Neighbor David Blodgett volunteers at soup kitchen five days a week; regulars ask for him by name, Four women killed in head-on collision in Winston-Salem, Section of Startown Road closed following wreck that took down power lines, Conover woman pleads guilty to being accessory in murder of Lenoir-Rhyne football player, Comedian's second-chance prom and Hickory Hops mark busy weekend in Catawba Valley, Hickory announces retirement date for longtime city attorney, Lincoln County 5-year-old found safe in California 8 days after abduction, Ramadan in Guinea: Burden of post-fast feast preparations fall on women, Judge delays Fox News-Dominion case without explanation, Step into Barbie's life-size dreamhouse at this immersive exhibit in Santa Monica, Sudan fighting: Millions of civilians are caught in the crossfire, Ricardo Cervantes-Sanchez, 39, of Hickory, Clayton Ismael Rivera-Trejo, 22, of Hickory, Manuel Bernarno Martinez Jr., 33, of Alamo, Texas. HICKORY, NC (WBTV) - A seven month long undercover sting operation in Hickory has led to federal indictments against 19 people and state charges against 9 others. But hes in a very dangerous business. BOND: $5000. Ivonne Hernandez, 30, was arrested for allegedly selling large quantities of crack cocaine in Charlotte, NC and South Carolina. {{start_at_rate}} {{format_dollars}} {{start_price}} {{format_cents}} {{term}}, {{promotional_format_dollars}}{{promotional_price}}{{promotional_format_cents}} {{term}}, Mother kills three children, then herself in murder-suicide in Winston-Salem, Donut World sells Greensboro property for $475,000, Triad Stage cancels show just before opening. The single-lane street he lived on wassurrounded by woods,with only two houses in view, a single-wide and an abandoned trailer. Federal investigators would not give details of the operation itself but the cases were built over a long period of time, they said on Tuesday. She is in jail under a $415,000 secured bond. Hickory is about one hour's drive from Charlotte, accessed by Interstate 85 south and N.C. Hwy. 2023www.courier-journal.com. If you understand the drug business, theyre like cockroaches. The Drug Enforcement Agency led the operation with assistance from several other agencies, including the U.S. Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives, U.S. Secret Service and the North Carolina State Bureau of Investigation. And thats what can happen.". And many dealershave no idea theyre connected to a dangerous cartel, he said. HICKORY Federal, state and local law enforcement conducted an anti-drug operation this week that resulted in charges against 16 people. It sent in at least five "trusted, high-level" cartel members who set up North Carolina stash houses and front businesses in metro Charlotte, Hickory (a suburban town of about 40,000 an hour. Kaufman, who prosecutes Dixie Crystal cases,told The Courier Journal that he couldn't discuss specific trafficking organizations,but he said the task force'sefforts have "disrupted the networks" in the region and will "continue to do so.". Have a question about Government Services? ', The company announced it plans for "an orderly wind-down" of operations through early summer and will be releasing more information about rewa. It's part of a larger federal enforcement effort to combat the organized drug trade. And theyre using Americans to pedal their meth. The cartel doesnt care if they live or die, he explained. Bond for Ramseur was set at $1,455,000, Hernandez-Landeiro received a $1,400,000 bond, and Furlough was incarcerated under $1,100,000 bond. Nunnenkamp,now 46,toldpolice he helped distributenearly 8pounds of meth at $20,000 a pound at Bennetts direction and helped count and package $120,000 to pay for more shipments from the Texas supplier. NORTH WILKESBORO, N.C. . TheMexican Americanworked 40 to 50 hours a week at two well-known construction companies driving a dump truck. A .gov website belongs to an official government organization in the United States. What Lisa Dawn didnt know was thatherboyfriendsconnections weredeeply rooted inoneof themost dangerous drug cartels in the world a rising power thathassaturatedthe U.S.with ultra-puremethamphetamine,cocaine, heroin and fentanylfrom Californiaand AlaskatoMississippiandVirginia. The arrests came after a two-month joint investigation at the Day's Inn on the 200 block of Blowing Rock Road. The burlap was sown into the seams of Asian clothing, which were packaged in plastic and shipped from Saraburi area in Thailand to Hickory. She was sentenced to 2years and released in June 2015. Who is El Mencho, the most powerful drug kingpin in the world? You have to continue to work at it" Tutt said. Saldana, now 50, is serving a life sentencein a Kentucky federalprison forconspiracy to distribute meth and possession of an unregistered firearm. The HDR 43,755 people like this 45,985 people follow this 514 people checked in here http://www.hickoryrecord.com/ (828) 322-4510 news@hickoryrecord.com Open now 8:00 AM - 5:00 PM She was given a $150,000 bond. Chandler received a $150,000 bond. One mural is in the works for the Art Center downtown, pending city approval. Because it's here, Mexican cartel in US: Rural folks who cant escape drug trade end up locked up or dead, A dangerous Mexican drug cartel has infiltrated the addicted, mountainous region of North Carolina. You have permission to edit this article. Intelligencefrom other narcotics cases in Ashe County landed Saldana onauthorities radar around 2008. In the course of the investigation, officers found six kilos of cocaine, a half-pound of marijuana, a handgun and nearly $3,600 in cash, according to the release. L-R: Dante Rashaun Ramseur , Carlos Hernandez-Landeiro, Holly Christine FurloughPhoto; Catawba County Sheriffs office. Jeffrey Dale Watson, Bennett's roommate,was sentenced to 15 months in prison and released in September 2014. Everyone went crazy over the Mexican meth they sold. Project Python has resulted more than 600 arrests, 350 indictments, as well as significant seizures of money and drugs. Opening statements are expected to begin on Tuesday, Justin Jackson has been charged with attempted murder after a shooting at a QuikTrip in Greer last Friday. In Western North Carolina, U.S. Attorney Murray thanked the DEA in Charlotte, ICEs Homeland Security Investigations, the Gastonia Police Department, the Gaston County Police Department, and the Charlotte-Mecklenburg Police Department for their investigation of the cases, which are being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Sanjeev Bhasker, of the U.S. Attorneys Office in Charlotte. ASHEVILLE - A March fentanyl bust in Buncombe and Mecklenburg counties used a high-level wiretap and netted enough of the potent drug to kill the entire state population, according to . Another man, who also liked drugs, was the in-house cook and Roger Dales all-night pool partner. What do you want? Carteret. Reverend Dwayne Tutt pastors to some of members living close to the drug dealing. During the arrests, investigators, along with state and federal agents seized six kilos of cocaine, one half pound of marijuana and $3,590 in U.S. currency. When I started doing it and people were, like, giving me the clothes off their back, (I realized) Im more addicted to selling the drugs than I am to the drugs themselves," she said. All three suspects were jailed in the Catawba County Detention Facility. On 05/05/2022, Investigators with the Beaufort County Sheriff's Office Drug Unit arrested Jimmy Sinclair, 55 years of age, of 243 Choco Village Road in Chocowinity. In 2020, within Western North Carolina, six defendants have been prosecuted to date, in connection with the initiative: Project Python marks the most comprehensive action to date in the Department of Justices campaign to disrupt, dismantle, and ultimately destroy CJNG, said Assistant Attorney General Brian A. Benczkowski of the Criminal Division. "We're taking drug enforcement to a new level in Lenoir," said Chief Scott Brown. Joshua Norman Chandler, 32, was arrested and charged with one count of possession with intent to manufacture, sell or distribute methamphetamine, one count of manufacture of methamphetamine, and possession of a firearm by a convicted felon. Held annually at two sites, Governor's School East is at Meredith College in . Mar 7, 2014 Mar 7, 2014 Updated May 7, 2015; 0; Longveiw Police Captain Robert Huhta, middle, and officer Jeremy Johnson take a woman into . Sinclair was charged with Possession with Intent to Sell and Deliver Crack Cocaine within 1000 feet of a Daycare. Additionally, DEA has worked with its interagency partners to apply further pressure to CJNG. DEA, along with local law enforcement officers raided, several homes in the region. Last month, El Menchos son, Ruben Oseguera Gonzalez, also known as Menchito, and second in command of CJNG, was extradited from Mexico to the United States on charges of alleged drug trafficking and firearm use in relation to drug trafficking activities. 1 / 19. The couplegot their meth from different places. DEA and SBI agents raided a home on Seventh Avenue SE along with Catawba County Sheriffs deputies and Hickory Police officers as part of the operation on Wednesday morning. 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