By Jessie Burchette
jburchette@salisburypost.com
Authorities seized nearly $100,000 in drugs and arrested five men from Salisbury and Kannapolis in a drug bust in the parking lot at Ryan’s Steakhouse Tuesday evening.
The drug bust resulted from two months of undercover buys in a joint operation of the Rowan County Sheriff’s Office, the Salisbury Police Department and the SBI.
Sheriff George Wilhelm said through a series of buys, undercover officers had steadily increased their buys and worked their way up the ladder of dealers. It took two months to build up a relationship, where the sellers were confident their buyers weren’t police officers.
The undercover officers had arranged to buy cocaine Monday evening. The sellers specified the parking lot at the steakhouse. Wilhelm said sellers typically pick a high traffic area that will not arouse any suspicion from law enforcement.
When the seller pulled in to the parking lot, along with a trailing vehicle, officers quickly closed in, pulling the five men from the vehicles, putting them on the pavement and handcuffing them.
Wilhelm said it’s common for drug dealers to have a second vehicle to conduct surveillance of the buy.
Officers said a 40-pound mini-bale of marijuana was an extra ó it was in the backseat in full view.
Wilhelm said the bulk value is around $1,000 a pound or $40,000 total. The street value is estimated at $96,000.
Officers also seized 215 grams of cocaine, mostly crack, valued at $21,500, two dosages units of MDMA (ecstacy).
Officers also seized $8,000 in cash.
Wilhelm praised the work of all the officers involved and pointed out that the cooperation between the departments made it possible.
He said that neither the Salisbury Police nor the Sheriff’s Office has enough officers alone to handle such an undercover operation. But working together and with the help of the SBI, they were able to pull it off.
Five men are being held in the Rowan County Detention Center under $1 million bond each.
Those arrested and the charges:
– Camby Juarez Chino, 30, 1012 Scottish Square Lane, Kannapolis, and Oscar Lemus, 32, of 1504 Moose Road, Kannapolis, both charged with maintaining a vehicle for controlled substance; conspiracy (two counts) to traffic in marijuana and cocaine; trafficking in cocaine by possessing and transporting (two counts); trafficking (two counts) marijuana by possession and transporting; possession with intent to sell marijuana and possession with intent to sell cocaine.
– Cesar Alfredo Corona Rodriguez, 25, 100 Akron Ave., also faces the same charges that Lemus and Chino face. In addition, he is charged with possession of cocaine.
– Jose Ramirez, 22, 506 Huntington Drive, Salisbury, is charged with four counts of possession with intent to sell cocaine; two counts of sell/deliver cocaine; two counts of conspiracy to sell cocaine; two counts of trafficking cocaine by possession; two counts of trafficking cocaine by sale.
Ramirez is in the Cabarrus County Jail being held on a non-related charges. The Rowan warrants are being forwarded to Cabarrus County.
– Guillermo Molina, 39, 1219 N. Church St. was charged with two counts of conspiracy to traffic cocaine; two counts of possession with intent to sell cocaine; two counts of trafficking cocaine by possession; two counts of trafficking cocaine by transporting and two counts of trafficking cocaine by sale.
All are scheduled to have their first appearance in Rowan County District Court on Friday.