https://www.wccbcharlotte.com/2019/0...thamphetamine/
Illegal Immigrant Charged With Trafficking Roughly $100K Worth Of Methamphetamine
February 18, 2019
Justin Pryor
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ROWAN COUNTY, NC — Deputies say a man who is in the country illegally has been charged with trafficking approximately $100,000 worth of methamphetamine.
Octavio Lizarraga Ayala, 40, was arrested Tuesday as part of “Operation Tarheel Gauntlet” in Rowan and Iredell Counties. The four day operation focused on traffic enforcement and criminal interdiction while targeting major interstate highways, including I-85, I-40 and I-77, that run through each county.
Ayala was pulled over on I-85 south for a routine traffic violation, officials say, and consented to a search of the vehicle during the stop.
Authorities reportedly found a 2.2 pound bag of methamphetamine hidden under the front passenger seat, along with $2,000 in cash. The estimated value of the methamphetamine, according to officials, is around $100,000.
Deputies say Ayala was living in Baltimore, Maryland at the time of his arrest, but is in the United States illegally. He is originally from Sinaloa, Mexico.
Ayala was reportedly traveling from Baltimore to Charlotte when he was pulled over.
He is charged with two counts of Trafficking Methamphetamine (Level III), Possession of Drug Paraphernalia and Maintaining a Vehicle for Keeping and Selling Controlled Substances.
The investigation into his case is ongoing.
https://www.wccbcharlotte.com/2019/0...thamphetamine/