Five people in three counties suspected of being part of a drug trafficking organization were arrested Tuesday on a range of drug charges to culminate a months-long investigation by multiple law enforcement agencies.
In a press release issued Wednesday, Vance County Sheriff Curtis Brame provided details of Operation Downrange. In addition to the Vance County Sheriff’s Office, the following agencies proved instrumental in the success of this joint investigation, Brame said: Henderson Police Department, NCSBI, DEA, Wake Forest Police Department, Granville County Sheriff’s Office, Franklin County Sheriff’s Office and the Federal Probation Office in Raleigh.
Downrange focused primarily upon the trafficking of kilogram quantities of cocaine hydrochloride by a drug trafficking organization which had established itself within Vance County, Brame stated. The investigation began in August 2023 and its conclusion, Brame said, represents the culmination of thousands of hours of surveillance and other related missions. It is believed that this organization was directly responsible for the distribution of more than 100 kilograms of cocaine hydrochloride during the course of this investigation.
In the early morning hours of April 16, 2024, numerous search warrants were executed simultaneously in Vance, Wake and Granville counties.
Law enforcement officers had search warrants for 93 Gupton Lane Extension, 383 Ross Ave., 1804 Old Epsom Rd., The Red Roof Inn, 11 Kyle Lane, and a storage unit facility located on Raleigh Road, all Henderson addresses. Additional warrants were served at 102 Dundee Place in Stem and at Lakeside Terrace Court Apartments, Wake Forest.
As a result of this investigation the following arrests were made:
Brame said additional arrests are anticipated.
Brame stated that the Vance County Sheriff’s Office extends “our most sincere thanks to all of our partner agencies that provided both their time and resources in an effort to rid our communities of illegal drugs as well as those who would poison our children and families by distributing these substances on our streets.”