The US Department of Justice said Tuesday that a Mexican citizen was given 150 months (12 and a half years) in jail for selling fentanyl pills in Nash County.
The 36-year-old Las Vegas man Christian Ricardo Arce-Cazares was also given five years of supervised release for conspiring to possess with intent to distribute and helping to sell methamphetamine and fentanyl in the Nash County area.
The DOJ said Arce-Cazares was in the country illegally. On November 8, he pleaded guilty.
U.S. Attorney Michael Easley said, “Drug dealers make a mistake when they cross into North Carolina.” “These three people brought a lot of fentanyl pills to Rocky Mount, tried to get away from police, and left their car in a Battleboro field.
” People who traffic people should pay attention to this 12-year prison term. “Nash County is a great place to do business, but not yours.”
The Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) started looking into it in May 2021 after getting word from a secret source that a big load of drugs was on its way to eastern North Carolina.
Court records show that on June 10, 2021, an undercover cop talked to the courier and set up a meeting at a Nashville gas station. An SUV with Nevada license plates and another SUV used to move drugs were driven by three people who DEA agents learned about at that meeting.
The officers planned to meet again in the Rocky Mount area at a Walmart parking lot. Police were ready to make a traffic stop when a gray SUV pulled up.
The car stopped and got out at first. He then ran back to the SUV and drove off. The police chased the car but lost it. It was later found empty in a Battleboro field.
A K-9 cop was brought in, and drugs worth 7,718 grams were found in the SUV and in the woods nearby. They also found 5,000 fake fentanyl pills, which added up to 438.10 grams.
Later, Arce-Cazares and two other people were caught and held at a hotel.
“The Nash County Sheriff’s Office is thankful for the good relationships we have with our federal partners,” said Keith Stone, jail chief of Nash County. “This case shows that our partnerships work to keep dangerous criminals from hurting our communities.”
Being able to fight gangs, guns, and drugs in Nash County only works if we all work together. I value the commitment and hard work that the Nash County Sheriff’s Office and our partners show each day.