Duplin Sheriff's Office seizes huge cocaine load
By Other
Published in News on August 22, 2008 1:37 PM
KENANSVILLE -- One of the largest, if not the largest amount of cocaine ever seized in Duplin County, six kilos with a street value of $600,000, was confiscated in the arrest of three suspects Sunday by Duplin County Sheriff's deputies and state and federal officials.
Duplin County Sheriff Blake Wallace made the announcement Thursday. He also said sheriff's deputies charged four other people in unrelated drug undercover operations.
Those booked in the cocaine seizure were Brenton Baker, 37, and Bernard Thomas, 30, both of Philadelphia, Pa., and Randy Darden, 39, of Warsaw. Each was charged with trafficking cocaine by possession, trafficking cocaine by transport, conspiracy to traffic cocaine and possession of cocaine with intent to sell and deliver.
The suspects were each placed under a $1 million bond at the Duplin County Jail.
In addition to the cocaine, officers also seized $121,213 in cash and a Honda Civic automobile in making the arrests.
"That is the largest amount of cocaine seized since I've been in office (about eight years) and is probably the largest ever," Wallace said.
He said the cases would be prosecuted in federal court.
"They (suspects) came here for the sole purpose of facilitating a drug transaction. This goes to illustrate how transient these folks dealing in illegal drugs are," Wallace said.
In announcing the other recent drug busts, though, he added that they "illustrate our commitment not to overlook the small street dealers in Duplin County. We're still focused on them, too."
Also arrested were:
* Lindsay Council Hall, 50, Rose Hill, possession of marijuana and cocaine with intent to sell and deliver; manufacture of marijuana and cocaine; felony possession of cocaine and marijuana; possession of drug paraphernalia (digital scales); and maintaining a dwelling for keeping and selling marijuana and cocaine, $250,000 bond.
* Jacqueline Faye Smith, 36, Wallace, felony possession of cocaine; simple possession of marijuana; maintaining a dwelling for crack cocaine; possession of cocaine with intent to sell and deliver; manufacture of cocaine; resisting arrests by "spitting out evidence" (cocaine); and obstruction of justice by "chewing cocaine and attempting to swallow it," $250,000 bond.
* Deounta Demonda Farrior, 20, Wallace, simple possession of marijuana; possession of drug paraphernalia (plastic bags); carrying a concealed weapon (a handgun), $1,500 bond.
* Paul Underwood Jr., 19, Wallace, simple possess of marijuana; possession of drug paraphernalia (plastic bags), $1,000 bond.
By NELSON BLAND
News-Argus Correspondent