Chatham deputies recover over $1.3 million in cocaine

Posted Sunday, July 1, 2007

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Moncure, NC - The Chatham County Sheriff's Office Narcotics Unit, the Special Incident Response Team (SIRT), and officers from the Greensboro Metropolitan Narcotics Task Force executed a search warrant late Friday and early Saturday morning at 256 Ellis Road near Moncure after an undercover drug operation was completed at the residence.

Officers recovered more than 1.3 million dollars worth of cocaine when they searched and found approximately 15 Kilos and more than $421,000.00 in cash from the Ellis Road residence which is just south of Moncure in southeastern Chatham County. Officers also recovered 2 assault rifles and a 38 caliber handgun. After the search, Everado Mora Sanchez, 27; Martha Chavez Pineda, 46; Margarita Rubio, 25; Gilberto Seyura Chavez, 16; all of the same residence, were arrested on felony drug charges.

All were charged with Felonious Trafficking of Cocaine, Felonious Manufacturing of Cocaine, Felonious Possession with Intent to Sell and Deliver Cocaine, Felonious Maintaining a Dwelling for Controlled Substances and Possession of Drug Paraphernalia. On Friday, deputies took the money to a local bank and had it counted and a check obtained and submitted to the US Marshall’s Office for drug tax purposes. The cocaine was sent to the SBI for analysis.

“This has got to be one of the biggest seizures of cocaine in our history”, says Chatham County Sheriff Richard Webster. “I certainly don’t remember the Sheriff’s Office ever involved in the recovery of this kind of money before. I really appreciate the efforts of all the officers involved in getting this amount of drugs off the street”.

All suspects were placed under a $775,000.00 secured bond and are scheduled to appear in Chatham County District Court in Pittsboro on July 25.