WebAccording to these court documents the owner was trying to get thirty kilos of cocaine to Charlotte from south Florida. Ten people are now facing charges. CHARLOTTE, N.C. United States Attorney R. Andrew Murray announced today that eight individuals are facing federal drug conspiracy charges for their involvement in a narcotics distribution ring operating in Mecklenburg County. She joined The Observer in 2019 and helped cover the George Floyd It was the power. And the investigation isnt over. Why is The Courier Journal reporting on a deadly Mexican drug cartel? We are grateful for the hard work of all the federal agents, local officers and federal prosecutors who participated in this long term drug investigation. Child Care Aware of America is a not-for-profit organization recognized as tax-exempt under the internal revenue code section 501(c)(3) and the organizations Federal Identification Number (EIN) is 94-3060756. Deaths caused by methamphetamine use tripled from 1,887 in 2011 to 6,762 in 2016, according to the Centers for Disease Control. Looking for fee assistance or respite care? Merriweather said he modeled the change after other cities, including similarly sized Santa Clara. Maybe about a quarter of the time, (the dealer) will talk to us and tell us how it is. Allen's trial was set for that following November and, according to Biography.com, it was during that one-month waiting period that Allen decided to give comedy a try, debuting at the Detroit Comedy Castle. Jeffrey Dale Watson, Bennett's roommate,was sentenced to 15 months in prison and released in September 2014. She wasdriving around with adrunk, passed outRoger Dale in the red Mustang thatsomeone had tradedthem for$2,000 and some dope. we asked Puckett Williams, who protested CMPD in 2020. The couple had four-wheelers, mopeds, a pool table, a boat, vehicles, guns, lawnmowers and any tool you can imagine, Lisa Dawn said. Bennett andNunnenkampwereamong severalmajormethtraffickerswho operatedout of this cluster of North Carolina counties, drivenbythe explosion of meth into the regionfrom CJNG and other cartels. (His mother, who also sold drugs, died when 50 Cent was 8.) "It's very surprising to hear that the DA does not want to follow the statute and doesn't want to uphold the laws," US Bonding Company owner Jason Cunningham said. Hereceiveda 40-year sentencebecause of his priorrecord. CMPD officers continue to have the discretion to arrest as they perform their duty.". Lisa Dawn recalled the night she and Roger Dale got arrested. - See 35 traveler reviews, candid photos, and great deals for Knights Inn Charlotte South at Tripadvisor. In 2013, Elba told GQ Magazine that he used to push bags of weed while working as a doorman at Caroline's in New York City. It is one of the largest amounts of the opioid painkiller NC. The FBI will continue to join forces with our state and local law enforcements partners to track down these offenders to end the deadly cycle of drug abuse in our communities, said John Strong, Special Agent in Charge of the FBI in North Carolina. Behind the History: Mayor Vi Lyles is Charlotte's first African American female mayor, Pictures of vehicles released in search for missing SC 6-year-old girl, Housing Boom: Micro-apartments are popping up in South End, Man arrested for burglary after seen on camera terrorizing Charlotte neighborhood. A locked padlock (arrested) Rodolfo Medina, Jose Reyes, and Kevin Velasquez Melendez are also charged with conspiracy to possess with intent to distribute heroin and possession with intent to distribute heroin. In2012,police started buildingtheir casewhen they found a confidential informant with a connectionto one of Saldanas associates, allowing them toinfiltratethe web with controlled buys. It's part of a larger federal enforcement effort to combat the organized drug trade. "I have to leave to law enforcement what they do on the street and what strategies they decide to employ," Merriweather replied. What do you want? It wasnt hard to sell,she said. Most of the large quantities of meth in the region come from cartels, butthe drugscan change hands so many times that its often difficult to trace, Williams said. "They dont want to die. They have no regard for human life. MECKLENBURG COUNTY, N.C. As coronavirus pandemic-related court shutdowns continue to delay trials, Mecklenburg County District Attorney Spencer Merriweather is taking drastic action in an effort to prosecute more homicides and violent crimes. Overbey and Walker posted bond and are out of jail. Another man, who also liked drugs, was the in-house cook and Roger Dales all-night pool partner. If you're not, then you sit there until those court dates happen. According to Merriweather, the reprioritization will free up his prosecutors and the court calendar to try more violent crime cases he says the pandemic has delayed. Attorneys Jennifer Dillon and Special Assistant U.S. Attorney Erik Lindahl of the U.S. Attorneys Office in Charlotte are prosecuting the case. Charlotte Alerts. she replied. Back in his younger days, he was quite the hellraiser, to put it lightly. Browse our hundreds of reports, webinars, one-pagers and checklists covering many topics related to child care. They had folks to clean their house and drive them around, Lisa Dawn said. The charges contained in the indictment are allegations. What's the state of child care in your state. Strong; the U.S. Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF), under the direction of Special Agent in Charge Wayne Dixie; the Internal Revenue Service, Criminal Investigation Division, Charlotte Field Office (IRS-CI) under the direction of Acting Special Agent in Charge Matthew D. Line; officers of the Charlotte-Mecklenburg Police Department under the direction of Chief Kerr Putney; the Gastonia Police Department under the direction of Chief Robert C. Helton; the Monroe Police Department under the direction of Chief J. Bryan Gilliard; and deputies of the Union County Sheriffs Office under the direction of Sheriff Eddie Cathey. The cartel wouldmuch rather recruit an American with a Hispanic backgrounditcan trust to move drugs than a cartel member who might not be as familiar with American culture, saidWilliams, the lead local law enforcement officer in Saldanas case. He preached in Conway for eight years, before he said the Lord spoke to him again. "I can't say that anybody in the city should feel safe with them not prosecuting them.". Assistant U.S. He only could blame himself, he said. Suite 1650 This case is presented as a part of Operation SCOPE (Strategically Combatting Opioids through Prosecution and Enforcement), which is an initiative launched by the U.S. Attorneys Office to partner with federal and local law enforcement to fight the devastating effects that illegally-prescribed painkillers, heroin, and synthetic opioids, such as fentanyl have on our neighborhoods. Have a question about Government Services? Main Office: "Sometimes they send their own people to establish the network or sometimes it's just to oversee the distribution network and then other times, they recruit local gangs, people that are already in the area to do their business and distribute their drugs.". He probably would've been less of a burden on the world. "We have been assured that the District Attorney will continue to prioritize drug cases that are associated with violence in addition to cases involving drug sales and trafficking. WebBiggie began selling drugs at the age of 12, and dropped out of school at the age of 17 to pursue crime as a full-time career, according to Ready to Die, a biography chronicling his Lisa Dawn pleaded guilty to conspiracyto distribute meth in exchange for her testimony against Roger Dale. Detectives discovered the majority of the suspects in the case attended the same high schools in Fayetteville in the late 1970s. Inside a home in Atlanta, agents found 142 kilograms of heroin and four kilograms of cocaine. Wilmington police say they've rounded up four "big time" drug dealers. Hehasrefused to cooperate with authorities. The quantity of drugs, money, and firearms allegedly controlled by Daniels highlights the scale of heroin and cocaine trafficked into this community by local drug dealers with high-level ties to international drug trafficking organizations, said U.S. Attorney Byung J. BJay Pak. Daniels allegedly used these ties to flood this district with drugs and reap the financial benefits. February 15, 2020. Some of the defendants face additional drug trafficking and money laundering offenses. Copyright 2023 by Capitol Broadcasting Company. "It's the largest bust that I know of in Fayetteville in my 25 years," said Captain Bobby Chapman, narcotic vice supervisor. She didnt know Roger Dale was dealing withacartel. "It makes them be more alert and productive if they're working and it can get out of their system quicker," Conaway said. But the way he went about improving his community also hurt it. The FBI values our partnerships with federal, state and local law enforcement agencies. Watching neighborhood drug dealers rake in cash without helping their community, Platt says, made him want to make all the money so he could give back. After her arrest in Mecklenburg County, a police officer advocated that she receive treatment rather than incarceration and Merriweather, then an assistant district attorney, handled her case. A separate criminal indictment was filed charging Brandy Nicole Short, 34, of Gastonia, N.C. with possession with intent to distribute methamphetamine, bringing the total number of those arrested in connection this investigation to nine. ", RELATED: Millions in cash found hidden in barrels with raw pork shoulders. "And he'svery lucky thathe didnt die,Kaufman, the federal prosecutorwho tried the case against Saldana, said in his closing statement. I said, God dang,we can do better than that., I said,Go prove it, Lisa Dawnremembered. DEA, its law enforcement partners and the U.S. Attorneys Office will relentlessly pursue and ultimately prosecute criminals like Daniels, said Robert J. Murphy, Special Agent in Charge of the DEA Atlanta Field Division. "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. Instead of jail, he spent some time in a boot camp, where he earned his GED, and eventually became one of the most successful rappers of all timebut not before getting shot nine times. Cunningham has remained a critic of criminal justice reform in recent years and once again, is left shaking his head by decisions in Mecklenburg County. The DEA stands resolute with our law enforcement partners to protect the health, safety, and security of the American people.. The Charlotte-Mecklenburg Police Department arrested 18 people and 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. TheMexican Americanworked 40 to 50 hours a week at two well-known construction companies driving a dump truck. The amount and frequency of his dealing varies depending upon the source. Once the cartel brings a huge load across and throws it out there for everyone to sell, its out of their hands. Organized drug trafficking still pervades the region. Conaway said some of the meth goes to Virginia and then on to other major cities in the northeast, while some heads west to California. According to allegations contained in the criminal indictment and other filed court documents, from 2015 until the present, the defendants operated as a drug conspiracy responsible for trafficking methamphetamine and heroin in Mecklenburg County and surrounding areas. - Anor Burnside Jr., 25, of 7547 Carrollburg Drive, Fayetteville -- Arrest Date: 4/3/06, - Stanley W. Darrigan, 46, of 996 Hildton Drive, Fayetteville -- Arrest Date: 6/15/06, - Jeane Darrigan, 46, of 996 Hilton Drive, Fayetteville -- Arrest Date: 6/15/06, - William M. Darrigan, 25, of 996 Hilton Drive, Fayetteville -- Arrest Date: 6/15/06, - Harold M. Monsour, 47, of 1905 Morganton Road, Fayetteville -- Arrest Date: 6/15/2007, - Robert Hamilton, 47, of 343 Edinburgh Drive, Fayetteville -- Arrest Date: 1/18/2007, - Margaret L. Hamilton, 44, of 343 Edinburgh Drive, Fayetteville -- Arrest Date: 1/18/2007, - Anthony Russell Wolfe, 35, of 1217 Pamalee Drive, Fayetteville -- Arrest Date: 1/28/2007, - David E. King, Jr., 39, of 25809 Lake Water Drive, Huffman, Texas -- Arrest Date: 2/22/2007. "If its coming from a cartel, they could have sold a pound to Asians, black guys, outlaw motorcycle gangs, white trash, said Ashe County Sheriffs Lt. Jeremy Williams, whose testimony helped convict a trafficker connected to CJNGin 2014. Dealers with connections to cartels typically dont cooperate because theyll likely get killed if they talk, Williams said. WebOver 20 kilograms of cocaine and heroin were sold on the streets. (arrested), Kevin Eliezer Velasquez Melendez, 18, of Concord, N.C. (previously arrested on a complaint), Alejandro Jose Lopez Ceballos, 20, residence unknown. He has covered a litany of other beats from public safety, education, public health and sports. "When they know English and are familiar with the law, they can communicate with law enforcement to cover up what they're doing," he said. While in Mexico in the summer of 2012, Saldana letanassociate live in a trailer on his property and run his drugtrade. Those people all spent time in jail even though prosecutors will dismiss most of their cases. WebCharges contained in the 41-count indictment range from drug conspiracy involving cocaine, heroin, and marijuana; operation of a "crack house" at 2317 Dundeen Street in Charlotte; STAY CLEAR !!! WebIn October 2019 Elio Godinez orchestrated a $15,500 drug deal involving the sell of 2 kilograms (bricks) of methamphetamine. WebBelton Money Rock Platt was one of Charlottes biggest drug dealers in the 1980s. If it takes them to hurt somebody or kill somebody to achieve their goal, that's what they're going to do.". Since early 2011, CJNGhassmuggled hundreds of millions of dollars of drugs over the borderinto the U.S., spreading into atleast35 stateswith a sophisticated network thathas usedless populated rural areas to quietly movetons of product, a Courier Journal investigation found. Trailer-park champion Kid Rock sold drugs before he hit it big in the music industry. Federal officials believe that some Not only does she question the fairness of continuing to arrest people, she also questions the department's use of resources, especially as violence in the city continues. Feb 24, 2023. ", The @CMPD email, which comes in response to our investigation, also reminds officers, instead of making arrests, they can seize drugs and divert people to a treatment center on the spot, something the agency is hoping to track. He paid taxes, had citizenship and helped raise his three American daughters. "I don't think they expected this all to go down, because they have basically been operating for years and years. "My understanding from Spencer was that CMPD was notified of this change in mid November 2020 and was supposed to get the word out to rank and file quickly," a prosecutor in charge of the drug cases wrote to CMPD on January 19. "We've seen increased cartel activity here," DEA Assistant Special Agent in Charge Eric Conaway said. The other 75%, they usually dont. This case illustrates the devastating impact that violence fueled by drug trafficking can have on our communities. Drug traffickers, and the organizations they work with, use fear and violence to enrich themselves with little regard for the communities they destroy in the process. Hes been kind of preparing for it for a number of years now, she said. "I was given an opportunity at recovery and will celebrate 12 years in May," she said. "We have been in ongoing discussions with the Mecklenburg County District Attorney's Office and recognize their need to maximize prosecution resources during the pandemic," CMPD spokesperson Rob Tufano said in an email. In recent years, law enforcement agencies have found drugs, cash and guns at traffic stops on and near I-40, a truck stop in Salisbury, the Mexican border headed to Hickory and on the streets of Charlotte. (arrested) Edgar Jesus Magana, 24, of Charlotte. WebAs the leader of a statewide drug ring, Antonio McKoy was connected enough to get bricks of cocaine from international cartels, careful enough to bury bags of cash around rural The one thing that made him quit dealing was Sean "Puff Daddy" Combs forcing him to do so, allegedly. Carolina Coach & Marine is North Carolinas largest boat and RV dealer. 227 West Trade St. These people are in their 50's, some of them. "Hell no!" Then again, after hearing his music, we think maybe he should have stuck with dealing drugs. "It is well known that commercial trucking is one of, if not the single most common way that money and drugs are traversed to and from the Southwest border," Rowan County Sheriff's Office Chief Deputy David Ramsey said. But by this year, CMPD was seeing a shift toward the 15-to-24 age range, police Lt. Bryan Crum told the Observer in June. (arrested), Martha Olivia Placencia Beltran, 48, of Charlotte. I believe we can make a big change in the lives of people, he said. WebHall, NC 27045 888-746-2351. . A 21-year federal prison sentence later, Platt, now 57, is shedding the Money Rock nickname he earned during his drug-dealing heyday to focus on helping prevent others from going down the same destructive path. "We know that law enforcement officers still have a responsibility to go out and police the streets.". 2018 Petabit Scale, All Rights Reserved. Kenneth Bennett and JeremyNunnenkampforged anothermain connection tothe border that linked CJNG meth to the region in2012 and 2013 before they got busted, according to law enforcement. "They'll come here, some will stay and some will go on to other areas," Conaway said. Ive always had a desire to help people, even when I was out there dealing drugs, Platt said. That was me, Platt said of Charlottes troubled youth. 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. But hes in a very dangerous business. ATV is an interrupter program led by community members from violence-stricken neighborhoods that trains them to intercede before violence happens and to help prevent recurrences. "It takes a lot of money, it takes a lot of manpower and it actually takes away from the things in the community that are happening that they could be focusing on," she said. Lock WebOne of North Carolina Most Notorious Drug Dealers caught slipping! The money laundering charges carry a maximum penalty of 20 years in prison and a $250,000 fine. I joked with Roger that there was a job opening, Lisa Dawn said. And when you're young and struggling, it can be hard to make ends meet unless you pursue someextra-legal means. Fbi values our partnerships with federal, state and local law enforcement.! 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