WHAT A BUST! $20 MILLION IN COCAINE

The lottery came early for the Sampson County Sheriff's Office -- on
Monday they seized $20 million worth of cocaine.

The bust took place at about 5 p.m. in southern Sampson County near
Garland. The 200 kilogram seizure was part of a joint effort by the
Sampson Sheriff's Special Investigation Division, Duplin County
Sheriff's Office, New Hanover County Sheriff's Office, Wake County
Sheriff's Office and the U.S. Drug Enforcement Agency.

Two hundred kilograms is equal to about 440 pounds.

Alejandro Moreno-Salgado, 27, of Harrells and Isais Mareno-Ochea, 41,
of Rose Hill were both arrested.

Mr. Ochea was charged with trafficking cocaine and is being held
under $450,000 bond. Mr. Salgado was charged with trafficking by
possession of cocaine, maintaining a vehicle for the sale of a
controlled substance and trafficking by transporting cocaine. He is
being held under $1 million secured bond.

Both are being held at the Sampson County Detention Center.

Sampson County Sheriff Jimmy Thornton called the big bust a crippling
blow to the drug dealers of southeastern North Carolina and gave
credit to the hard working men and women from all of the agencies
involved in the investigation.

"Over 200 kilograms of cocaine didn't make it into the hands of
someone's child or loved one," he said. "We've turned up the heat on
drug dealers and we will continue to turn it up even more."

Sheriff Thornton has been engaged in a battle against drugs since he
was sworn into office three years ago. Though Sampson County is more
known for methamphetamine labs and arrests, the big cocaine bust
proves how much money and drugs criminals bring through even a rural
county like Sampson.

"The citizens of Sampson County will not stand for this type of
activity in our community," Sheriff Thornton said.