Wilhelm, who took office in December, recently released a list of 31 people arrested on drug trafficking charges since January.

Wilhelm told the Post his department and the Salisbury Police Department began a joint investigation targeting several main drug dealers in the Salisbury-Rowan area.

So far this year, Wilhelm said his Special Investigative Unit has made 402 drug-related arrests, 31 of those facing trafficking charges with bonds of $50,000 to $100,000.

More impressive, Wilhelm believes, is that only four investigators in the department are dedicated to making drug arrests.

By comparison, in 1998 the special investigative unit, then staffed with five, made 170 drug-related arrests. Of those, only five involved drug trafficking charges, Wilhelm said.

Wilhelm said from memory, since 1990 no more than five trafficking arrests have been made in any one year.

And those statistics don’t include arrests made by other deputies in the department, only those assigned to the Special Investigative Unit.

For a person to be charged with the more serious trafficking charge, officials must seize more than 28 grams (or one ounce) of crack/cocaine and/or more than 10 pounds of marijuana.

Wilhelm credited good teamwork and dedicated investigators for the arrests.

A number of the trafficking arrests have been publicized previously. But new names Wilhelm released recently were:

• Corey Goodlett, 400G N. Boundary St.,East Spencer. Charged with trafficking in cocaine possession, trafficking in cocaine by transportation and maintaining a dwelling to keep or store cocaine.
• Curtis Lamonte Gray, 416 W.Main St., Cleveland. Charged with trafficking in cocaine by possession.
• Walter Jeffrey Richardson, 578 Short St., China Grove. Charged with trafficking in cocaine by possession and trafficking in cocaine by transportation.
• Dollan Mortimer Smith, Yost Town Road, China Grove. Charged with trafficking in cocaine by possession.
• James Edward Nelson, Lexington. Charged with trafficking in cocaine by possession and trafficking in cocaine by transportation.
• Gregory Durett Bracey, no known address. Charged with being a federal fugitive as a drug conspirator.
• Martin Luther Washington, 2060 Bristol Road, Statesville. Charged with possession with intent to sell and deliver cocaine and being a fugitive from justice from the state of New York.
• Sharon Elaine Bailey, 2060 Bristol Road, Statesville. Charged with trafficking in cocaine possession and maintaining a dwelling to store cocaine.

Currently, 10 offenders are being held in the Rowan County Detention Center, all bonds of $50,000 or more.

And Wilhelm attributed the dramatic increase in arrests to the inter-department relationships with other law enforcement agencies.

“We can’t operate undercover drug investigations with one or two agents,” Wilhelm said. “Sometimes we need 10 to 12 officers, and we only have four dedicated to drug investigations.”

That is where the other agencies play a vital role in making drug arrests. By increasing the number of “new faces” on the streets purchasing drugs, more arrests can be made. Plus, it lessens the chances of a possible dealer recognizing an undercover officer.

But maybe the best part of the collaborative effort between Rowan County law enforcement agencies is the seizure of five vehicles and $15,000 in U.S. currency as well as 5 1/2 kilos of powder cocaine, a kilo of crack cocaine, three pounds of marijuana. The illegal drugs have an estimated street value of $500,000.

Wilhelm and the investigators anticipate more arrests before the end of the year and will periodically release the names of the high profile drug offenders.

But Wilhelm stressed that they “are not just targeting traffickers.” The department is hitting “the street level” also, he added.

Anyone with information that may be beneficial to making additional drug arrests can call Crimestoppers at 638-5388 to provide anonymous tips.