NORTH CAROLINA — A traffic stop in New Bern led to the seizure of a large quantity of illegal drugs and the arrest of a Cary man, according to the Craven County Sheriff’s Office.
Deputies with the sheriff’s office K-9 Bureau conducted a traffic stop on Jan. 24 along First Street near Broad Street. During the stop, K-9 Athos was deployed, which led to a search of the vehicle, investigators said.
Authorities reported the search uncovered more than seven grams of fentanyl, 20 grams of methamphetamine, cocaine, LSD, DMT, methadone, MDMA, multiple pills, more than two pounds of marijuana, and several THC products.
The driver, 44-year-old Michael Eugene Dwyer of Greengate Court in Cary, was arrested and charged with multiple felony drug offenses.
The charges include felony trafficking in fentanyl; three counts of felony possession with intent to manufacture, sell, and deliver a Schedule I controlled substance; five counts of felony possession with intent to manufacture, sell, and deliver a Schedule II controlled substance; felony possession with intent to manufacture, sell, and deliver a Schedule III controlled substance; felony possession with intent to manufacture, sell, and deliver marijuana; felony possession of a Schedule VI controlled substance; and felony maintaining a vehicle for the sale of controlled substances.
Craven County Sheriff Chip Hughes said the arrest underscores the importance of the agency’s K-9 program.
“I’ve talked for years about the need for an aggressive K-9 Bureau at the Sheriff’s Office,” Hughes said. “Our K-9 Bureau is removing dangerous drugs off the streets before they get in the hands of our young people. Every dosage unit of fentanyl that the men and women of this office take off the street equates to a life saved.”
Hughes added that the county has seen a downward trend in overdoses and overdose deaths due to proactive enforcement efforts.
Dwyer is being held at the Craven County Confinement Facility.
