By Jessie Burchette
jburchette@salisburypost.com
Authorities seized nearly $100,000 worth of illegal drugs and arrested five men from Salisbury and Kannapolis in a bust in the parking lot at Ryan’s Steakhouse Tuesday evening.
The bust culminated a two-month joint operation involving the Rowan County Sheriff’s Office, the Salisbury Police Department and the State Bureau of Investigation.
Through a series of drug purchases, Sheriff George Wilhelm said, undercover officers had steadily increased their buys and worked their way up the ladder of dealers. It took two months to build a relationship and convince the sellers that their buyers weren’t police officers.
When the undercover officers had arranged to buy cocaine, 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 sellers pulled into the parking lot followed by another 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 accomplices in 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 of the marijuana seized 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 dosage units of MDMA (ecstasy); and $8,000 in cash.
Wilhelm praised the work of all the officers involved and pointed out that cooperation between the departments made it possible.
He said neither the Salisbury Police Department nor the Rowan 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.
The five suspects 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, are each charged with maintaining a vehicle for controlled substance; two counts of conspiracy to traffic in marijuana and cocaine; two counts of trafficking in cocaine by possessing and transporting; two counts of trafficking in 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., 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; and two counts of trafficking cocaine by sale.
Ramirez is in the Cabarrus County Jail on unrelated charges. The Rowan warrants are being forwarded to Cabarrus County.
– Guillermo Molina, 39, 1219 N. Church St., is 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.
Capt. John Sifford said fingerprint cards have been submitted to federal agencies to determine if the men have ever been charged under the same names or other names, and if they entered the country legally.
The Sheriff’s Office had not received the results late Wednesday.