On April 23, police in the narcotics division of the Boone, North Carolina Police Department concluded a major drug investigation with a large cash and meth seizure.
The investigation concluded when the major suspect in the case was put under arrest during a large counter drug operation in the city of Boone, NC. Officers discovered that a meth trafficker from Atlanta was going to give a big delivery to a house in Boone. This person was identified by police as Mario Baltazar.
The drug operation is one of the most important raids that has been done by the Boone Police Department in decades. According to the police chief, the goal of every drug bust is to ID and arrest all parties that are responsible for bringing illegal drugs into this area of North Carolina.
During this drug bust and cash seizure, a K-9 unit also was used. The dog, named Maus, was utilized in a search of the suspect’s car. Maus let the police know that there were drugs in the car. The dog found the ½ pound of methamphetamine, and the value was around $20,000.
Baltazar has been charged with two counts of meth trafficking and is in the jail in Watauga County with a $75,000 bond. He will appear in court at the end of May.
On the same day, Boone police used the K9 again for another drug related offense. An officer did a traffic stop for a car that was speeding and had faulty equipment. The driver acted nervously and the police officer suspected drugs were involved. The K-9 unit and the handler were called to the scene.
With the help of Maus, the police did a search of the trunk. There was found about ½ pound of pot and $20,000 in cash. Narcotics officers were called to the scene and they took control. After an interview with the suspect, the police believe that he was in Boone to deal pot. Investigators also think the money was from illegal drug sales.
The man, Jerry Osborne, was put under arrest and charged with felony possession with intent to sell/deliver marijuana. He was put in the Watuaga County Jail with a bond of $3000.
In both cases, the handler and the K-9 unit were very important parts of these drug and cash seizures.
It is common for police departments to go aggressively after large drug cases so that the cash can be seized. The cash then can be used to help to fund police activities, which is very important in a time when budgets are tight. For instance, in Harrisburg, PA, police recently busted two owners of a deli who were using their business as a front to traffic drugs. Police seized both the business and the cash, which amounted to almost $500,000.
This investigation took a lot of time for the police to conduct, so the police need to be reimbursed for those activities. But also, the cash seized is being invested into the drug operation for the police department. Two new police cars were actually purchased from the cash. The police also take cars, homes and TVs. All of these items are usually funded with illegal drug money so the police sell them and use the profits for the police department.