http://www.charlotte.com/mld/observer/15185640.htm

Posted on Thu, Aug. 03, 2006

Sting results in 3 Kannapolis men held for drug trafficking
7 agencies spent 2 months investigating `mid-level distributors'

SHARIF DURHAMS
sdurhams@charlotteobserver.com

Three Kannapolis residents suspected of trafficking methamphetamine appeared in a Rowan County courtroom Wednesday after they were arrested in a sting operation Tuesday, sheriff's officials said.

Galdino Penaloza Gutierrez, 36, and Concepcion Penaloza Gutierrez, 22, were charged Tuesday with three counts of methamphetamine trafficking. Alexis Renteria Popoca, 28, was charged with meth and cocaine trafficking. All three were being held in Rowan County Jail on $1 million bond Wednesday.

Law enforcement officials from seven agencies, including Immigration and Customs Enforcement, have been investigating them for two months. They arranged to buy drugs at a location off Woodleaf Road near Cleveland, said Rowan County Sheriff's Maj. Tim Bost.

"We had some idea of what was going to be brought for purchase," Bost said. "As it turns out, it was considerable."

Investigators say they seized 874 grams of crystal meth worth $87,400 and 250 grams of cocaine with a street value of $25,000 during the bust. They also took $17,000, a sport utility vehicle and a truck.

David Ramsey, a lieutenant in the narcotics division of the Iredell County Sheriff's Office, said the suspects have ties to associates in Atlanta, which is a major distribution area for crystal meth, and that the three have trafficked meth in Concord and Kannapolis for years.

Bost said investigators in the area make drug busts of this size once or twice a year. He described the three men as "mid-level distributors" and said the investigation is continuing.