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. He paid taxes, had citizenship and helped raise his three American daughters. Platt said he initially didnt know why God wanted him to return to Charlotte, but one day in 2019, he said the Lord spoke to him again and told him to begin a youth program called Sunday Hoops. CMPD declined WCNC Charlotte's request for an interview, but conceded, instead of arresting people, officers have the discretion to confiscate their drugs, write a report and move on. 2023www.courier-journal.com. The Asheville Police Department 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. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed. Inside a studio apartment in Atlanta, agents found approximately 28 kilograms of heroin, six kilograms of cocaine, eight kilograms of marijuana, and more than $1 million in cash. The FBI values our partnerships with federal, state and local law enforcement agencies. Of course, once acting began to pan out for him, he gave up dealing, but he was able to draw from his experience while portraying the drug dealer Stringer Bell on HBO's The Wire. "We've seen increased cartel activity here," DEA Assistant Special Agent in Charge Eric Conaway said. District Attorney Spencer Merriweather is no longer prosecuting many drug cases, so his office can focus on violent crimes. 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. They call Charlotte a cartel transshipment location due to its booming population and network of highways. WebHis office is no longer prosecuting most marijuana, cocaine, heroin and methamphetamine possession cases, including some involving suspected drug dealers and not just And he did.. "It wasnt even the money. Feb 24, 2023. His arrest removes yet another dangerous criminal from our streets and sends a clear message to others who may choose to follow the same perilous path. Recent emails between Merriweather's office and CMPD show some officers never got the memo. It sentin at leastfive trusted, high-levelcartel memberswhoset up North Carolina stash houses and front businesses in metro Charlotte, Hickory(a suburban town of about 40,000 an hour north of Charlotte)and nearby Johnson City, Tennessee,federal agents say. Now that's method acting. (arrested), Kevin Eliezer Velasquez Melendez, 18, of Concord, N.C. (previously arrested on a complaint), Alejandro Jose Lopez Ceballos, 20, residence unknown. Frank Lucas made his success as a drug trafficker by buying heroin directly from the Golden Triangle; one of the most extensive areas in the world producing and trafficking heroin until Afghanistan exceeded Asia in the early years of the 21st century. Meanwhile, the @ACLU_NC manager who protested @CMPD in 2020, says police are not protecting and serving by continuing to make arrests. She didnt know Roger Dale was dealing withacartel. According to U.S. Attorney Pak, the charges, and other information presented in court: In October 2019, federal agents uncovered ledgers from a Mexico-based drug trafficking organization showing that Daniels received just over 1,000 kilograms of cocaine between August 2018 and October 2019. "I have to leave to law enforcement what they do on the street and what strategies they decide to employ," Merriweather replied. WebNorth Carolina Drug Dealers Exposed. "I don't think they expected this all to go down, because they have basically been operating for years and years. @kristie_1979 knows what it's like to wait in jail for a court case while battling addiction. And many dealershave no idea theyre connected to a dangerous cartel, he said. Graves made a young Platt join protest, read Black history books, watch Black history films and help Black candidates with their political campaigns. "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.". "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. Fried chicken, cornbread and cake what brings you back to this Charlotte restaurant. I will get it for you.. He committed violent assaults, did drugs, and even sold them. Your message has not been sent. Having lost three sons, Platt said he felt like Sunday Hoops and the ATV job were an opportunity for him to be what his sons didnt have while they were alive. Meanwhile, CMPD enforcement continues. 227 West Trade St. "They'll come here, some will stay and some will go on to other areas," Conaway said. Secure .gov websites use HTTPSA lock ( At the same time, he pursued a rap career, and began to see some success down that avenue. Jonathan Limehouse is a breaking news reporter and covers all major happenings in the Charlotte area. "Increase in population equals increase in demand. CMPD officers continue to have the discretion to arrest as they perform their duty.". Stars, just like anyone else, have skeletons in their closets. I am proud of our partnership with the DEA and FBI in making the largest removal of heroin in the state of Georgia. Here's a list of some celebs who've sold drugs, but don't judge too harshly. Why is The Courier Journal reporting on a deadly Mexican drug cartel? Who is El Mencho, the most powerful drug kingpin in the world? WebOne of North Carolina Most Notorious Drug Dealers caught slipping! His connectiongavehimacode to open a hidden safe full of drugsinside the vehicle, Williamssaid. While in Mexico in the summer of 2012, Saldana letanassociate live in a trailer on his property and run his drugtrade. At age 5, he said, he watched his father try to stab his mother to death. Deaths caused by methamphetamine use tripled from 1,887 in 2011 to 6,762 in 2016, according to the Centers for Disease Control. Saldana, now 50, is serving a life sentencein a Kentucky federalprison forconspiracy to distribute meth and possession of an unregistered firearm. Charlotte Alerts. Maybe about a quarter of the time, (the dealer) will talk to us and tell us how it is. Merriweather told CMPD about the change in November. He has covered a litany of other beats from public safety, education, public health and sports. In the meantime, those arrested for minor drug charges remain caught between competing policies. Unfortunately, heroin and methamphetamine has impacted virtually every community in the country, including Union County, and we must continue to use all available resources to protect our citizens and bring dealers to justice. Overbey and Walker posted bond and are out of jail. February 15, 2020. I commend the work and efforts of all the individual officers and agents involved in this investigation. These results would not be possible without them.. Jermaine will have a hard time in prison with that beard. With egg prices on the rise, are more people buying chickens? Expert architecture and design solutions for private carriers, next-generation metro and long-haul optical networks, ultra low-latency networks, and Internet backbones. Matador Recovery 44 subscribers Subscribe 17 Share 3.9K views 4 years ago Matador Recovery takes the TN No telling how many lives will be saved by the collaborative efforts of all the agencies working together, said Chief Chuck Atkinson of the Doraville Police Department. ", "This is the evolution where the criminal legal system needs to move towards," she said. It is one of the largest amounts of the opioid painkiller NC. But when asked about it during his appearance on George Lopez Tonight, Snoop Dogg said, "I might have sold her some of that white-girl weedtwigs and sticks.". Conaway said they're also seeing a presence of fentanyl and heroin. "Overall, meth is king right now," Conaway said. Across the country,the trend was similar. We will continue to work with our federal partners to identify and arrest anyone who brings these dangerous and highly-addictive drugs into our community, said Charlotte-Mecklenburg Police Chief Kerr Putney. WebIREDELL COUNTY, N.C. (QUEEN CITY NEWS) Twenty-two drug dealers were arrested after a massive round-up operation by the Iredell County Sheriffs Office. With what we know about Snoop Dogg's relationship with marijuana, it'd be more surprising to find out that he never sold drugs. That was me, Platt said of Charlottes troubled youth. Bennetttookthe car tohis auto shop. Allen began selling drugs during college and continued to do so until his arrest for bringing about a pound-and-a-half of cocaine into the Kalamazoo/Battle Creek International Airport in October 1978. "They're the most violent people that I know. Charlotte, NC 28202, Charlotte: (704) 344-6222 However, other sources allege that a gang operating where he grew up in Michigan forced him to sell drugs out of the car wash he worked at. Vice officers confiscated three guns, around $15,000 and a quarter kilo of cocaine. According to Kid Rock's bio on Rolling Stone's official website, the musician sold drugs from time to time as a teenager in order to make some extra spending money. Police were able to proveto a jurythat Saldana smuggled about 20 pounds of methworthmore than $1 million, 1,500 miles to North Carolina and Virginia from Brownsville. Bennett made his connection to the cartel while he was locked up in Louisiana. Last Tuesday, Platt got a chance at redemption when city and Mecklenburg County officials named him the site supervisor for the new Alternatives to Violence program. People liked what we had. The Narcotics Vice Unit has intercepted a total of five deliveries for people who live in the city limits of Fayetteville. 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. (arrested), Edgar Jesus Magana, 24, of Charlotte. WebHall, NC 27045 888-746-2351. As an adult, Platt lost three sons to gun violence. Miles is facing federal drug charges for smuggling marijuana and cocaine from Texas. Im excited!. A lock ( The amount and frequency of his dealing varies depending upon the source. "Would you prefer that these arrests stop?" During the investigation, federal agents identified multiple apartments and homes in the metro-Atlanta area that Daniels allegedly used to prepare and distribute drugs. We're sure he found that to be a vast improvement on his life. Charlotte Alerts. Federal officials believe that some I believe we can make a big change in the lives of people, he said. "It's the largest bust that I know of in Fayetteville in my 25 years," said Captain Bobby Chapman, narcotic vice supervisor. The charges contained in the indictment are allegations. After partnering with federal drug enforcement agents, Fayetteville police seized drugs, cash, cars and houses. ) or https:// means youve safely connected to the .gov website. Looking back, Lisa Dawn said selling meth where the addiction is rampant was easy. They stop at nothing to achieve their goals. CHARLOTTE, NC (WBTV) - The Federal Bureau of Investigation, along with Charlotte-Mecklenburg Police (CMPD), conducted a major raid Wednesday morning in north Charlotte, targeting people who are accused of dealing crack cocaine. In total, agents seized approximately 170 kilograms of heroin, 10 kilograms of cocaine, eight kilograms of marijuana, more than $1 million in cash, and 41 firearms. At first we thought she made it up. "My biggest problem is, I think we've had a very violent year," he said. Hes been kind of preparing for it for a number of years now, she said. "The fact that the district attorney is saying, 'We are not going to prosecute folks for these things' and the police say, 'Oh well, we're going to do it anyway,' shows that they are not here to protect and serve and to do the will of the people.". "People want homicides tried in Mecklenburg County, people want to make sure that violent crime offenders are held accountable in a court of law in Mecklenburg County and we need to make sure we're doing that," he said. Few knew Saldana and others were living a double life in the drug trade. It was Williamswho started staking outSaldana'spropertyin 2010, often watching from the woods or taking down vehicletagscoming and going. Afterspending more than two years in federal prison,Lisa Dawn recalled the absurd lifestyleshe and Roger Dale had while running their small-town empire. CJNGs high-potency meth started making its way into the region post-2011 through Atlanta, the cartels Southeast hub, Healy said. A federal criminal indictment was filed on February 22, 2018, and was unsealed late yesterday in federal court following arrests conducted during an early morning round-up. "Law enforcement has been successful in making strides towards identifying these trafficking patterns by utilizing a myriad of investigative techniques. ATLANTA Antonio DaShawn Daniels has been indicted on federal charges related to possession with the intent to distribute heroin, cocaine, and marijuana, and possession of a firearm in furtherance of drug trafficking. "It makes them be more alert and productive if they're working and it can get out of their system quicker," Conaway said. Law enforcement said our network of highways and the privacy of our rural counties make the Charlotte-area a prime location. "Is this fair to them?" Conaway said the meth is shipped in liquid form to Atlanta where it's converted to crystal meth and brought to the Charlotte-area, often in tractor-trailers. 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