Law enforcement officials across the state have made hundreds of arrests in large operations over the past few days. In one case, the North Carolina Alcohol Law Enforcement issued an announcement that more than 200 people statewide have been arrested on drug charges, weapons violations and alcohol-related charges.
The Department of Public Safety said 399 charges were filed in the operation, including 31 felony accusations. DPS said 109 charges were drug-related and 136 involved arrests for alleged alcohol-related offenses.
Participating agents reported seizures of firearms, ammunition, marijuana and oxycodone in the operation.
In a second law enforcement effort, more than two dozen people face charges that they were involved in cocaine trafficking.
The North Carolina State Bureau of Investigation said 26 people were arrested at the end of its seven-month investigation.
Participants in the alleged drug-trafficking enterprise reportedly “conspired to distribute kilogram quantities of cocaine in western North Carolina,” the SBI said in a statement.
Agents said the investigation targeted three main individuals and “a large network of associates” who are accused of operating a drug ring. The SBI said that while making arrests, agents seized one and a half kilograms of cocaine, as well as smaller amounts of heroin and marijuana. They also seized “several firearms and more than $90,000” in cash in Henderson County, as well as in Buncombe, Haywood and Madison counties.
The ages of those taken into custody range from 24 to 74 years old. All those arrested face an initial continuing criminal enterprise charge, which is a Class C felony.