PITTSBORO -- Three Chatham County residents charged with trafficking in cocaine are scheduled to appear in Chatham County District Court in Pittsboro on Monday.
In a joint operation with Lee County Sheriff's Office and U.S. Customs, the Chatham County Sheriff's Office conducted a narcotics operation on Fellowship Church Road near Siler City recently. After searching the premises, officers recovered two handguns, a shotgun, two motor vehicles, four kilograms of cocaine and more than 96,000 in cash.
Deputies arrested Alsibiades Arrizon Santoya, 25; Ontiel Perez Gallegos, 29, and Maria Espinoza Perea, 18; all of 405 Fellowship Church Road. All three were charged with felonious trafficking in cocaine, felonious manufacture cocaine, felonious possession with the intent to sell and deliver cocaine, felonious maintaining a vehicle/dwelling/place for controlled substance and possession of drug paraphernalia. The defendants were jailed under a $150,000 secured bond.
Sex offense with minor charged
PITTSBORO -- A Chatham County man charged with a sex offense involving a minor is scheduled to appear in Chatham County District Court in Pittsboro on Monday on weapons charges.
Chatham County Sheriff's Office deputies arrested Marcos Suarez Meza, 37, of 2564 Goldston-Glendon Road, Goldston, last week for felonious possession of a weapon by a prisoner. Meza has been incarcerated for several months on indecent liberties with a minor charges.
When a surprise shakedown occurred in the Detention Center, Meza was found to have exposed razors from his shaving equipment in his possession. Meza had removed the razors and fashioned a weapon and hid it in his cell.
He was charged without incident by Cpl. Jonathan Hensley and was jailed under an additional $5,000 secured bond.
Marijuana charges lodged
PITTSBORO -- Mark Lowe, 36, of 768 Willie Duncan Road, Siler City, is scheduled to appear in Chatham County District Court in Pittsboro on Monday on drug charges evolving from a multi-county investigation.
Lowe was arrested following an undercover operation conducted by units from the Randolph County Sheriff's Office, Liberty Police Department and Chatham County Sheriff's Office. The operation took place in the Wal-Mart parking lot in Siler City. Officers located and seized more than 490 grams of marijuana from Lowe during the operation.
Lowe was charged by Chatham narcotics detectives with felonious possession with intent to sell and deliver marijuana and felonious possession of marijuana. Chatham County officers also served two warrants on Lowe for the Liberty Police Department. The Liberty charges are two counts of felonious possession with intent to sell and deliver marijuana, two counts of felonious sell and delivery of marijuana and two counts of felonious sell and delivery of marijuana within 1,000 feet of a school property. He was jailed under an $110,000 secured bond and
Drug sting nets cocaine counts
PITTSBORO -- A Chatham County resident with a Chapel Hill address is scheduled to appear in Chatham County District Court in Pittsboro on Monday following a drug sting.
The Chatham County Sheriff's Office Narcotics Unit conducted a narcotics operation and search recently on Barn Drive in Northeastern Chatham County. Officers recovered 259.4 grams of cocaine, a 380 semi-automatic handgun and $1,204 in cash pursuant to the search.
Deputies arrested Carlos Antonio Sandoval, 27, of 94 Barn Drive, Chapel Hill, and charged him with felonious trafficking cocaine, felonious possession with intent to sell and deliver cocaine, felonious possession of cocaine and felonious maintaining a vehicle for controlled substances.
He was taken into custody without incident.
Felony assault case court-bound
PITTSBORO -- Three Chatham County men charged with felony assault are scheduled to appear in Chatham County District Court in Pittsboro on Monday.
Chatham County Sheriff's Deputy Stephen Cook arrested Nava Pastor Garcia, 24; Nava Nicrando, 37; and Nava Santiago, 31 all of 80 Ed Clapp Road, Siler City, and charged them with felonious assault inflicting serious injury. They were charged pursuant to an incident that occurred at Coleman Mobile Home Park in Siler City. Deputies responded to a disturbance and no one present would cooperate with the investigation.
Deputies found the victim at Chatham Hospital and interviewed him. He had serious injuries to his hand, head and face after the three men assaulted him following an altercation.
The suspects were jailed under a $10,000 secured bond.
