Last Updated on December 8, 2012 2:00 pm
Narcotics officers with multiple law enforcement agencies concluded a lengthy narcotics investigation in Watauga County early this morning. This was the culmination of a five year investigation involving the Watauga County Sheriff’s Office, the Boone Police Department, the State Bureau of Investigation, the North Carolina Alcohol Law Enforcement Agency and the United States Department of Homeland Security. This investigation targeted a closely knit network of drug distributors involved in the sell and distribution of methamphetamine in the Watauga County area. Officers identified Luis Enrique Garcia as the main distributor in this group. Garcia resides at 671-B Howard’s Creek Road in Boone, North Carolina.
Early this morning, these law enforcement agencies executed a search warrant at Garcia’s residence. During the search of this residence, narcotics officers seized a large amount of United States currency, items of drug paraphernalia and approximately one pound of crystal methamphetamine with a street value of $57,120. Narcotics officers believe Garcia to be one of the largest distributors in the Watauga County area. “This case is a real victory for law enforcement and the citizens of Boone, as well as, all of Watauga County. This seizure will definitely have an impact on the drug trade in our region for some time.” – Chief D. Crawford.
These agencies worked together to conduct a thorough investigation into this group’s illegal activities. The nature of this investigation required many different and challenging investigative techniques including physical and electronic surveillance. Drug detection K9’s from both the Watauga County Sheriff’s Office and Boone Police Department were utilized during this case. Cooperation among these agencies was the key to the success of this investigation. “This is a perfect example of intra-agency cooperation at its highest. Through this effective and coordinated operation, these narcotics officers were able to successfully infiltrate a major and well organized methamphetamine distribution operation and take a substantial amount of meth off of our streets. I am very confident that there will be more arrests and successful prosecutions as these local, State and Federal agencies move forward with this investigation.” – Sheriff Len Hagaman, Jr.
More arrests can be expected in this investigation. The following people were arrested and charged with the listed crimes:
Luis Enrique Garcia
H/M, DOB 05-16-73
671-B Howard’s Creek Road
Boone, NC 28607
Trafficking of methamphetamine
Javier Gomez Sanchez
H/M, DOB
671-B Howard’s Creek Road
Boone, NC 28607
Trafficking of methamphetamine
