CLEVELAND COUNTY, N.C.,None — Two men are in jail after Cleveland County deputies found nearly a ton of marijuana at a house in Shelby.
On Friday, Cleveland County narcotics detectives told Eyewitness News they seized 1,800 pounds of marijuana from a house on Cherryville Road.
Investigators told Eyewitness News it's the biggest marijuana bust in Cleveland County history.
Deputies said Marcelino Guerrero-Serrano and Juan Hernandez-Carmana hid the marijuana in the bed of a pickup truck and a shed next to their house.
Sgt. Doug Bryson estimated the street value of the marijuana at $1.8 million.
"It makes us proud that something like that can be taken off the streets," Bryson said.
Bryson said Friday's investigation started with a tip from a confidential informant.
"It plays a big part. A lot of people don't approach law enforcement, tell us stuff like this," he said.
Bryson said when narcotics detectives arrived at the house, Guerrero-Serrano and Hernandez-Carmana agreed to let the detectives search. He said it's possible the detectives could smell the marijuana, and it's likely the men knew a warrant was inevitable.
Eyewitness News reporter Jeff Smith went to the house Friday night. The man who answered the door said he did not speak English, and said that his friends didn't speak English either.
Bryson said people often steal and commit other crimes to support a drug habit. And he believes that the historic bust will have a major impact on the community.
"Illegal drugs lead back to crime. That's just the bottom line," he said.
Guerrero-Serrano and Hernandez-Carmana are in jail on a secured bond. Both men face felony charges of trafficking in marijuana.
Deputies are still investigating where all that marijuana came from.
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