Iredell County sheriff busts dealers selling meth from Mexico

IREDELL COUNTY, N.C. — Iredell County Sheriff Darren Campbell said crystal meth is an epidemic in the area.

[Spring Sweep 2019: Dozens arrested in Iredell County drug bust]

He told Channel 9 anchor Allison Latos about how it’s being smuggled into the U.S. and sold in local neighborhoods.

The Sheriff’s Office is taking aggressive actions to take down the drug dealers plaguing the county.

Mexican cartels are using creative ways to ship it across the border, Campbell said.

Many offenders are facing charges in a big conspiracy case and the sheriff hopes it sends a clear message.

“Anything liquid they can hide it in to get it across the border, such as soap, fuel, kerosene,” Campbell said.

Iredell County deputies are fighting back, working undercover along the interstate and doing undercover buys in places like rest stops.

The sheriff said seven suspected major meth dealers are facing felony conspiracy charges in the long-term meth trafficking investigation.

“Iredell County is not going to be a safe place for drug dealers,” Campbell said.

The sheriff said a lot of the meth is being made in superlabs in Mexico and comes through Charlotte to Iredell County.

He said in the past five years, the price of meth has been cut in half because there's just so much of it on the streets. He is worried the cheaper the drug is, the more people will use it.

The following suspects were arrested on felony conspiracy to sell methamphetamine charges:

• Breanna Frances Oliver, 33, of 103 Regatta Ln., Mooresville
• Jerry Lee Lippard III, 38, of 112 Desiree Dr., Statesville
• Bonnie Christine Jackson, 39, of 375 Brookfield Dr., Statesville
• Stephanie Anderson Williams, 35, of 1021 Foxcroft Ln., Statesville
• William Austin Blankenship, 24, of 3 Linker Lane, Stony Point
• Ian Kelly Shuemaker, 36, of 129 Woodwinds Dr., Mooresville
• Vincent Cornelius Jones, 37, of 631 North Race Street, Statesville

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Cox Media Group