Morganton bust nets 33 grams of fentanyl

The Burke County Sheriff’s Office seized enough fentanyl to kill more than 16,000 people in a drug-trafficking bust May 10 that resulted in three arrests.

Officers with the Criminal Investigations/Narcotics Division recovered 33 grams of the powerful synthetic opioid after receiving information about narcotics trafficking at 334 Walker Road, Morganton, and executing a search warrant on the premises.

Echo Danielle Camp, 32, Cody Wayne Ramseur, 34, and Gary Wayne Hurt, 41, were found in front of the residence and taken into custody.

Camp was found in possession of fentanyl, a Schedule II controlled substance, and both Ramseur and Hurt were found in possession of methamphetamine, also a Schedule II controlled substance. 

Officers searching the residence also found a .22 caliber pistol and paraphernalia consistent with maintaining a dwelling for the manufacture, sale, and/or delivery of fentanyl.

In addition, Camp had an outstanding warrant for possession of a firearm by a felon and was charged at the scene with Firearm by Felon, Trafficking Schedule II (fentanyl), Possession With Intent to Sell or Deliver Schedule II (fentanyl), Maintaining a Dwelling and Possession of Schedule II. 

Ramseur and Hurt were charged with Possession of Schedule II controlled substance (meth). All parties were held without bond pending judicial review. Camp is being held under a $35,000 bond, while Hurt was placed under a $10,000 secured bond and Ramseur a $20,000 secured bond.

Depending upon an individual’s tolerance and the purity of the drug, 2 mg of fentanyl is a potentially lethal dose. The amount seized had the potential to kill 16,500 people.

According to a recent release by the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration, seizures of fentanyl powder have nearly doubled over the last two years, while the seizure of fentanyl pills almost tripled between 2021 and 2023.

Last year, the DEA seized 13,176 kg (29,048 lbs.) of powder and more than 79 million pills.

HIGH-SPEED CHASE LEADS TO ARRESTS

Deputies apprehended a pair of suspects who led officers from the Burke Sheriff’s Office and Morganton Public Safety on a vehicle chase that reached speeds of 110 mph last week.

On May 6, investigators with the Sheriff’s Office were patrolling in the area of US-64 and Mill Race Road when they observed a Honda Civic with a fictitious plate. 

When the officers attempted to stop the vehicle, the driver, Christopher Lee Moffitt, 43, of 1921 Wall St. in Morganton, failed to stop and accelerated toward Morganton on US-64 before turning onto I-40 east toward Hickory.

The chase eventually hit 110 mph, at which point the officers broke off the pursuit due to heavy traffic. The Honda was located shortly thereafter, abandoned at the Exit 116 off-ramp. 

Witnesses advised officers two subjects had fled the car and disappeared into a wooded area.

After an hour-long search, deputies located both Moffitt and a female passenger, Tiffany Marie Vinson, on Piney Mountain Street in Hickory. Moffitt was then taken into custody for Felony Flee to Elude Arrest, Misdemeanor Possession of Stolen Property, and a Felony Bench Warrant out of South Carolina. 

Moffitt is currently being held at the Burke County Jail under a $75,000 secured bond, awaiting his next court appearance.

DEPUTIES DISCOVER CHOP-SHOP OPERATION

Deputies investigating the larceny of a pickup truck located the vehicle and uncovered a chop-shop operation in the process and arrested a Connelly Springs man, also on May 6.

Chop shops are operations that strip and disassemble stolen vehicles so the parts can be sold separately.

 The Burke County Sheriff’s Office Criminal Investigations Division was investigating the theft of a 2007 Ford F-250 taken from a Connelly Springs business on April 28.

With the assistance of the Cleveland County Sheriff’s Office Criminal Investigations Division, the officers located the stolen truck on an old logging road near the 4000 Block of Mount Gilead Church Road.

The truck had been mostly disassembled and parts were missing. Deputies then discovered two more stolen vehicles and a stolen tractor in the vicinity of the Ford.

They then obtained a search warrant for a residence at 4039 Mount Gilead Church Road, where they located the missing F-250 parts.

Wesley Allen Chapman, 33, was then taken into custody and charged with four counts of Felony Possession of a Stolen Motor Vehicle, Felony Larceny of a Motor Vehicle, and Felony Permit Place to be used to Violate Chop Shop Laws. Days prior, he had been charged with Felony Possession of Schedule II.

Chapman was taken to the Burke County Jail, where he was placed under a $35,000 secured bond.

SHERIFF: BEWARE OF MAIL SCAM  

On May 6, 2024, Burke County Sheriff’s Office uncovered a mail scam involving automobile stickers and wrap.

The office received information from a concerned citizen who had received a priority mail envelope that included a check and a letter with detailed instructions on how to cash the check and have a car sticker/wrap applied to the owner’s vehicle. 

The check appears to be legitimate but is actually part of the scam.

The business in question is Adrenaline Shoc (ASHOC) Energy Drink, and the main topic of discussion is its Auto Sticker Campaign Program. 

The letter requests that the recipient deposit the check and wait for it to clear their bank account. It instructs the recipient to contact and pay the “sticker installer” a specific amount and keep the remainder of the money for the first week’s payment. It further states that the campaign will last for 12 weeks, and at the end of the 12 weeks, the “company” will come and remove the stickers from your car, truck, or bike. 

The Sheriff’s Office has reached out to Accelerator Active Energy and confirmed this is a scam. Residents who receive this type of mailing, should not follow the instructions in the letter.

Marty Queen is the senior reporter for The Paper. He may be reached at 828-445-8595 or at marty@thepaper.media.