Investigators seized more than six pounds of marijuana and nearly $15,000 in cash from a suspected drug dealer’s home near Drexel Elementary School.
The Burke County Narcotics Task Force also confiscated guns, methamphetamine and drug paraphernalia Thursday evening from 104 Hollar St. The home is just over 500 feet from the school and is across the street from an apartment complex.
Officers arrested residents Xayphone Thongthesompho, 37, and Bounpheng Luanglath, 39, at the home, according to a press release.
Each were charged with possession with the intent to manufacture, sell and deliver marijuana, felony possession of a controlled substance within 1,000 feet of a school, possession of a firearm by a convicted felon and possession of drug paraphernalia. Luanglath was also charged with felony possession of a schedule II controlled substance.
Task force Sgt. Rick Hasson said there were five adults and two children — a 4-year-old and an 8-year-old — at the home when investigators arrived Thursday afternoon while following up on a tip.
Officers found a duffel bag in a closet at the home that had six vacuum-sealed bags of marijuana. Task force investigators were unable to smell the marijuana, even when they located the bags.
Hasson said the men had hydroponic marijuana, high-dollar pot that is extremely potent. After interviewing the men, Hasson said it appears they bought the six bags of marijuana for around $30,000 and planned to sell it piecemeal for significantly more.
The Department of Social Services took both children and placed each with a family member.
Sheriff Steve Whisenant says it is alarming to find people dealing drugs near a school, especially in a neighborhood with lots of children.
Hasson said more arrests and charges are pending.
Thongthesompho was released Friday after posting a $101,000 secured bond. The Burke-Catawba District Confinement Facility was still holding Luanglath Saturday afternoon under a $111,000 secured bond.
First appearances for both men are scheduled for Monday morning.
Luanglath spent five years in prison for robbery, kidnapping and drug trafficking, according to prison records. He was last released Jan. 15, 2008.
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