Man arrested with 'enormous amount of heroin'
NEW HANOVER COUNTY, NC (WECT) - A Pennsylvania man is in jail under a $10 million bond after he was arrested in November by New Hanover County detectives during one of the largest narcotics busts in county history.
According to the sheriff's office, Shawqi Rahim Gray, 36, was suspected of trafficking large quantities of heroin into New Hanover County from New Jersey.
Detectives also learned Gray is a convicted felon who was wanted out of Easton, Pa., for crimes of possession with intent to sell and deliver cocaine and heroin.
Authorities issued a search warrant of a home on Oleander Drive Nov. 30 and they seized:
- 393.15 grams of raw heroin (equivalent of approximately 19,000 bags of heroin)
- 803 bags of heroin ready for sale and or delivery
- 110 grams of fentanyl (used as a cutting or mixing agent for heroin)
- 8.5 grams of cocaine
- 10 grams of marijuana
- 5 firearms (two of the firearms were reported as stolen)
- $47,390 in US currency
Detectives also found thousands of empty wax bags with various stamps along with 78.4 grams of another unknown cutting agent used for manufacturing heroin.
Sheriff Ed McMahon said during a Monday morning news conference this was the largest seizure of heroin and fentanyl in New Hanover County history. The confiscated drugs have an estimated street value of nearly $1 million, McMahon said.
Gray was taken to the New Hanover County Detention Facility and charged with the following:
- 2 counts of trafficking heroin or opium (trafficking by possession and manufacturing)
- possession with intent to sell and deliver heroin
- manufacturing heroin
- maintaining a dwelling for illegal controlled substances
- possession of a firearm by a convicted felon
- 2 counts of possession of a stolen firearm
- simple possession of Schedule VI controlled substance
- possession of drug paraphernalia
McMahon said his department is working closely with the Wilmington Police Department and expects additional arrests to be made.
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