A major drug bust that was believed to have hauled in over 5 kilos of cocaine, putting two men behind bars back in July, was not so major after all — tests on the cocaine, received Tuesday afternoon, showed that the substance was actually fake.
Jose Fredis Pene Arriola, 23, of 714 E. Mainor Ave, Durham, who was initially charged with possession of cocaine for trafficking; possession of cocaine for transport; conspiracy to traffic cocaine and placed in the Sampson County Detention Center under a $100,000 bond, was re-charged Tuesday afternoon with only possession with intent to sell and deliver a counterfeit controlled substance.
Arriola, still in the Sampson County Detention Center on the initial charges, was given a reduced bond of $30,000 and a new trial date of Sept. 28.
According to reports from the Sampson County Sheriff’s Office, Arriola and a companion were driving in a Ford F-150 truck on Tuesday, July 3, on N.C. Hwy. 242 near Timothy Road, when they were pulled over for a seat belt violation around 10:15 p.m.
The “unusual behavior” of Arriola and his passenger led deputies to call in a K-9 deputy and have the animal conduct a sniff of the vehicle. The K-9 alerted and a subsequent search revealed what was believed at the time to be 5 kilos of cocaine.
The Criminal Interdiction Team believed the drugs, once converted, would have had a street value of over a million dollars. But all that changed Tuesday when tests for the cocaine came back from the lab as counterfeit.
The other man in the vehicle with Arriola, Randy White Mason, 55 of Macon, who was driving, was charged with possession of cocaine for trafficking; possession of cocaine for transport; conspiracy to traffic cocaine, and maintaining a vehicle for controlled substance. Mason was placed in the Sampson County Detention Center under a $150,000 bond. His charges have also been lowered to that of possession with intent to sell and deliver a counterfeit controlled substance and transporting a counterfeit controlled substance. A bond was not available for him Tuesday.
To reach Doug Clark call 910-592-8137 ext. 123 or email to sisports@heartlandpublications.com.
Come on man! Power trip? Bad cop? Harsh words, sir. Especially when this argument started with you having an issue with a drug dog claiming "false alerts". (For informational purposes, according to case law, a dog only has to be correct about the detection of narcotics 62% of the time to be considered sufficient).
The jokes about your military stint were simply that, jokes. I am probably one of THE most patriotic Americans alive, and for your military service I am thankful. Now, you could be just as thankful for my service to this community as well, but that is for another day. Stupid laws are stupid laws, but that is a horse of a different color. Someone selling, possessing, or trademarking counterfeit substances for financial gain is both dangerous and wrong, which should also make it illegal (and it is). My point is this: If you don't have any real facts about a case, why should you voice your uneducated opinion to begin with? I don't bust up into emergency rooms slinging saline, stethoscopes, and trying to stitch stuff up. Why are you going to question law enforcement work with your "big bad electrical engineering degree"?
I'm done debating this with you, as you are wrong 100%........end........of.......story.
Oh, and since you asked........I have a two year degree in criminal justice and criminology, a four year degree in criminology, criminal justice, and criminal justice adminstration, a state recognized advanced law enforcement certificate, and enough law enforcement certifications to fill that little head of yours. Not bragging, just answering the question you asked, sir. Have a good day.
Again, I need to remphasize that I am done conversing with you about this, you can stay mad for all I care.
I stand by my words "POWER TRIP" anyone who disagrees with you and your ilk and their Gestapo like tactics is attacked and belittled. Law enforcement in general are an honorable group but the guys like you the wanna be T.V. tough guys who bully and belittle give the rest of the decent cops a very bad name.
Quote: “Again, I need to remphasize that I am done conversing with you about this, you can stay mad for all I care.”
As far as me being mad, I’m not mad I’m disgusted. I’m disgusted that the United States has become no more than a semi- communist police state with even the lowly poorly trained local cops running around in military tactical gear and waving around high powered assault weapons like Arnold Schwarzenegger on crack, waging paramilitary style attacks on civilians and a very high percentage of the time they can’t even get the address they are attacking correct.
Then in their infinite wisdom and so they can bleed more money out of the already frightened public they make carrying a substance that is NOT illegal into a crime merely because of the way it is packaged and presented. HOW COMMUNIST IS THAT?!?!
Now as you said we are done talking, I will not respond to any more of your posts or provocation you can insult my intelligence all you want because you are just as ignorant as you try to make out everyone else out to be. You should learn to use spell check before you try to be an English professor. I ran you last post through spell check and your spelling and grammar are atrocious.
See Ya Wouldn’t Wanna Be Ya!
Thank you for your service I always give respect to those who earn it. I have one simple philosophy in life:
You should treat every man you encounter with respect, but treating a man with respect and respecting a man are two different things. The first is given, the second must be earned.
Downing someone simply because they disagree with your philosophy is small minded and self serving. I don't have any particular problem with law enforcement just what I consider to be bad laws period. I know good cops and bad cops and Officer Farver is what I consider a bad cop on a power trip.
Run-on sentences and improper grammAr are the number 1 signs of ignorance, incompetence, and lack of common sense. NEVER did I say anything about inbreeding. For the record, I only point out flaws of others when they are judging someone themselves, and that is ONLY to prove that no one is perfect......myself included. I also look down my nose at no one, except for maybe someone who claims to be a "law enforcement officer" for 12 years, but is talking garbage about a drug dog or someone who is doing the best they can to rid this county of illegal narcotic activity. Some "law enforcement officer" you are.
Keep checking your businesses, doing your funeral escorts, answering your 911 hang ups, taking your fraud reports, and answering your alarms. Oh, I almost forgot, don't forget to keep criticizing those 5%ers who are proactive in law enforcement and not reactive R.O.D.S.
Your usage of "they're and their" was AWESOME.........but you shouldn't start a sentence with "And". Just thought you needed to know. I also wonder how many times you had to proof read and change the "i before e" rule before you got it right. The military should have a reading test before they throw you rifle. You know, you HAVE to be able to read the "This end forward" warning on the RPG's before you shoot it.
The name is "Officer FarVA, or Nick, whichever you choose.....not farver or farve You got it wrong twice in the SAME ENTRY. What more do I need to prove your incompetence?
If you work at the Sheriff's Office, you are a sad excuse for a law enforcement officer. If you work for the P.D., I feel for them as well because they are an elite group of L.E.O.'s too.
Since you know who I am..........you should at least do "Nick" a favor and let him know who you are, coward. Looks like "Nick" isn't the only one who hides behind a screen name, huh?
If other's opinions of you didn't matter, you wouldn't post your opinion in a public forum to begin with, hypocrite.
Oh, and just so you know, "interpret" means you understand the law. "Understand" means you "learned" it. You know what it means to "learn somebody" something don't you, Lieutenant Dan?
Vietnam is one word, not two Mr. Veteran.
Also, I need you to know that FREEDOM is EXACTLY why the United States of America has the highest number of leeches housed in prison. Stricter laws would prevent more prisoners altogether. Prison should be a deterrent, not a vacation.
Now, quit trying to analyze a law enforcement officer's job when clearly you don't even have the mind capacity to construct all your thoughts into a grammatically correct, literate posting on a public forum. It takes more than one submission in a day to gather all your fleeting thoughts.
"What Sampson Independent, you can't post my THIRD comment for the day?" You CLEARLY need something to do during the day.
If you arrest everybody carrying substance that resembled a controlled substance even though you know them to be a common case study for drug smugglers you have essentially created a crime where none existed at THAT time.
So when do we get to see the local cops new uniforms you know the ones with the "SS" on the sleeve?? HUmmm?
a. A controlled substance which, or the container or labeling of which, without authorization, bears the trademark, trade name, or other identifying mark, imprint, number, or device, or any likeness thereof, of a manufacturer, distributor, or dispenser other than the person or persons who in fact manufactured, distributed, or dispensed such substance and which thereby falsely purports, or is represented to be the product of, or to have been distributed by, such other manufacturer, distributor, or dispenser; or
b. Any substance which is by any means intentionally represented as a controlled substance. It is evidence that the substance has been intentionally misrepresented as a controlled substance if the following factors are established:
1. The substance was packaged or delivered in a manner normally used for the illegal delivery of controlled substances.
2. Money or other valuable property has been exchanged or requested for the substance, and the amount of that consideration was substantially in excess of the reasonable value of the substance.
3. The physical appearance of the tablets, capsules or other finished product containing the substance is substantially identical to a specified controlled substance.
So if any reasonable person saw a substance which was presented to intentionally resemble a controlled substance established in the 3 preceding elements, then one would assume the drugs are real, just as if a bank robbery was committed with a fake gun........one would assume it to be real.
This guys "dope" was wrapped in duct tape, hidden in a secret after market compartment, and well hidden from view. Doesn't get any easier to interpret than that.
Learn the law before you go flapping your fly catcher. I don't go to your job and throw rocks at you while you are cutting grass, so get off my back.
Oh and my "SS" is going on my chest, that way, when I bow my chest up at know it alls like yourself, you'll be sure to see it.
Too bad we can't arrest for lack of common sense or speaking out of turn. Someone would have to post your bond.
Packaged wrapped and hidden it still is not drugs!! As far as blowing up your chest to show off your "SS" Would not surprise me to see it. The United States has turned into a police state anyway. All the sheep who follow you are blind deaf dumb and stupid as well. That is why the U.S.A. has more of its population in prison than ANY other country in the entire world FREEDOM MY BUTT.
I'm not a criminal but I don’t believe in creating laws that allow for arresting people for carrying LEGAL substances no matter how they are carrying them.
As for YOU REDHATLADY go back to your sewing circle and discussing the church bulletin and mind yer business. I don't live in my moms basement I hold a good job pay my taxes and contribute to the economy unlike some folks I do however have opinions and have a write to express them in apublic forum. Same question for you FREE SPEECH ya remember that?
I spent six years fighting for my country during Viet Nam and THIS is not the country I fought for any more. You all disgust me
I bought some flour at Piggly Wiggly ya ought to bust 'em for selling me that fake coke
If you can't even properly spell "baking soda" or "delusions" the only thing this County you to protect is yourself from breeding. I don't need fame or notoriety to do my job effectively. I just need country bumpkins like yourself to read the paper, drink coffee, do your crossword puzzle, read the horoscope, and stick to what you do best........nothing
Wrap it up my friend, we don't want any KDX jr's running around needing a thesaurus.......
And Lafus, the cheapest you will find a kilo wholesale in North Carolina is $36,000, this douche shoulda known he was getting shafted.........unless he was being fronted 2 kilos. Break that down into $25.00 crack rocks and it will equal well over $500,000 cash. Tax value on 5 kilos is $200,000.00 a kilo. 5 x $200,000.00 = 1 MILLION dollars. There, got it all typed out for you. You stick to heckling us online........we will stick to the police work.