ALAMANCE COUNTY, N.C. — More than 50 people were arrested, and 10 are wanted in connection with a major drug bust involving multiple state, local, and federal agencies in the Alamance County area.
According to the North Carolina State Bureau of Investigation, the investigation started in 2019 and led to the arrest of 53 people. Investigators seized 602 pounds of cocaine, 136 pounds of crystal meth, heroin, $3.7 million and 22 firearms as part of the drug bust.
"We are not talking about people that simply possess marijuana to smoke in their backyard, we are talking about huge drug seizures," said Shannon O'Toole, a special agent with the SBI.
The SBI calls the investigation “Operation Bottom to Top." Officials said the investigation started in Spring last year with the Burlington Police Department Gang and Violent Crimes Unit holding multiple investigations into a gang leader and his associates.
"I’ve been talking about the cartel activity in Alamance County for a few years and this just brings to light some of the problems we have because of the cartels here," said Alamance County Sheriff Terry Johnson.
Johnson said about six North Carolinians die of a drug overdose every day.
"The arrest of 53 major drug traffickers in Alamance County and in the Piedmont area was slow the drug flow down, but it will not stop," said Johnson.
Detectives said during an investigation of a gang-related murder, Burlington police investigators learned the leader has ties to a violent gang. According to the State Bureau of Investigation, gang-related violent crime increased dramatically in Burlington and throughout Alamance County throughout 2019 and 2020. Detectives said in addition to the violent crime the gang leader and his associates were known to investigators as low to mid-level cocaine and marijuana distributors, according to the SBI.
Investigators in violent crime units in Burlington and Alamance County started sharing intelligence and working jointly to investigate the gang, according to the SBI.
“People focus on the money ceased in these investigations but we shouldn’t lose focus of the violence that happens in the back end of narcotics trafficking and the loss of life here in Alamance County to some of our residents because of the drug problem,” Brian Long with the Burlington Police Department said.
According to investigators, the Alamance County Narcotics Enforcement Team partnered with the Drug Enforcement Administration, Greensboro Resident Office and the SBI to combat the drug-fueled gang violence that was increasing in Alamance County.
"We used a number of sources," said O'Toole. "A lot of it has been surveillance a lot of it has really been talking to people, really anything that we have access to, to utilize as a resource, as a source of information we’ve done."
The enforcement is a multi-agency team comprised of investigators from the Burlington Police Department, Alamance County Sheriff’s Office, Graham Police Department, Mebane Police Department, Elon Police Department, Haw River Police Department and Gibsonville Police Department.
PHOTOS | 602 lbs. of cocaine, 22 guns, $3 million seized in drug bust
Detectives said as a result of the investigation, several suspected multi-kilogram cocaine distributors in Alamance and surrounding counties were arrested and charged, the SBI said.
“The New Generation cartel has been operating in Alamance County and surrounding counties for a long time but yet many people will not recognize the fact they have to establish themselves in our county as well as our surrounding counties to enhance their criminal empire and that is happening,” Johnson said. “We have got to do everything possible to see that this ends in our county in our state and in this nation. The arrest of 53 major drug traffickers in Alamance County in the piedmont area will slow the drug problem down but it will not stop. We must continue our joint efforts with law enforcement agents in this county, our state partners and our federal partners.”
The following people are wanted as a result of the investigation:
Patricia Media Vital, Burlington
- Trafficking cocaine
- Trafficking methamphetamine
- Conspiracy to traffic cocaine
- Conspiracy to traffic methamphetamine
Johnathan Ramirez Gonzalez, Mexico
- Conspiracy to traffic cocaine
Christopher Carillo Mencias, Mexico
- Conspiracy to traffic cocaine
Christopher Paul Carey, Efland, NC
- Conspiracy to traffic cocaine
Ramiro Ruiz Rodriguez, Reidsville
- Trafficking cocaine
- Conspiracy to traffic cocaine
Trisha Ann McCandies, Greensboro
- Conspiracy to traffic cocaine
Yazer Omar Castro, Graham
- Conspiracy to traffic cocaine
Priscilla Ashley Jimenez, Graham
- Conspiracy to traffic cocaine
The 53 people who have been arrested on drug, weapon and/or assault charges include:
Tre McCandies, Burlington
- Sell/deliver cocaine (3 counts)
- Sell/deliver marijuana (2 counts)
- Possession firearm by felon
Carlton Cates, Graham
- Possession cocaine (2 counts)
- Possession marijuana
Dyquan Tomarious Page, Burlington
- Possession firearm by felon
Julius Devonte Gray, Burlington
- Assault with a deadly weapon with intent to kill (2 counts)
Brian Maurice Stewart, Burlington
- Trafficking cocaine (2 counts)
- Conspiracy to traffic cocaine
Crystal Nacole Martin, Burlington
- Trafficking cocaine (2 counts)
- Conspiracy to traffic cocaine
Darion Crittle, Whitsett
- Possession firearm by felon
Luis Geraldo Herrea-Becerra, Fuquay Varina, NC
- Trafficking cocaine
Jose Pilar Lozano, Mission, TX
- Trafficking cocaine
Jesus Alexis Jimenez-Mencias, Burlington
- Conspiracy traffic cocaine (4 counts)
- Conspiracy traffic methamphetamines
- Trafficking cocaine
- Trafficking methamphetamines
Fermin Lopez Madrid, Little Rock, AR
- Trafficking cocaine
Sergio Castro Martinez, Graham
- Trafficking cocaine
- Conspiracy traffic cocaine
Daniel Hernandez Romo, Graham
- Trafficking cocaine
- Conspiracy traffic cocaine
Jose Ignacio Lares Nunez, Liberty
- Trafficking cocaine
- Trafficking heroin
Osvaldo Michael Espinoza Rodriguez, Liberty
- Trafficking cocaine
- Trafficking heroin
Enrique Molina, Greensboro
- Trafficking cocaine
Haylee Simone Phillippe, Graham
- Trafficking cocaine
- Child abuse
Ramon Gonzalez, Graham
- Trafficking cocaine
- Child abuse
Gaspar Garcia, Graham
- Conspiracy to traffic cocaine (3 counts)
Hernan Fonseca Cortes, Edinburg, TX
- Trafficking cocaine
- Conspiracy to traffic cocaine
Brian Mendoza, Edinburg, TX
- Trafficking cocaine
- Conspiracy to traffic cocaine
Joe Guadalupe Arebalo, Rio Grande, TX
- Trafficking cocaine
- Conspiracy to traffic cocaine
Raule Banos Anday, Mebane
- Trafficking cocaine
- Conspiracy to traffic cocaine
Charles Phillips, Jr., Mebane
- Trafficking cocaine
- Conspiracy to traffic cocaine
George Barrera Salas, Burlington
- Trafficking cocaine
- Conspiracy to traffic cocaine
- Trafficking methamphetamine
Lamont Lorenzo Holt, Durham
- Trafficking cocaine
- Conspiracy to traffic cocaine
Johnny Smith, II, Efland, NC
- Trafficking cocaine
- Conspiracy to traffic cocaine
Alvorn Turner, Mebane
- Conspiracy to traffic cocaine (2 counts)
- Trafficking cocaine
- Possession firearm by felon
Jose De Jesus Flores Zepeda, Mexico
- Conspiracy to traffic cocaine
Francisco Javier Lamas-Zendejas, Mexico
- Conspiracy to traffic cocaine
Erwin Alberto Quintero
- Conspiracy to traffic cocaine
Fanny Medina Marin, Mebane
- Trafficking cocaine
Yeuming He, Brooklyn, NY
- Conspiracy to traffic cocaine
Puquad Huang, Brooklyn, NY
- Conspiracy to traffic cocaine
Alama Aranely Arellano Sanchez, Asheboro
- Trafficking cocaine
- Conspiracy to traffic cocaine
Jorge Eduardo Chavez-Alonso, Haw River
- Trafficking cocaine
- Conspiracy to traffic cocaine
Jarnett Devon Ellison, Mebane
- Trafficking cocaine
- Speed to allude arrest
Saul Enrique Rosales, Chaparral, NM
- Trafficking methamphetamine
Karla Paloa Ibarra-Villarreal, Burlington
- Trafficking cocaine
- Trafficking methamphetamine
- Conspiracy to traffic cocaine
- Conspiracy to traffic methamphetamine
Jorge Alberto Henriquez Castro, Burlington
- Trafficking cocaine
- Trafficking methamphetamine
- Possession stolen firearm