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Arrests made in meth trafficking raid near Burke County elementary school

By Dave Faherty, wsoctv.com
By Dave Faherty, wsoctv.com

BURKE COUNTY, N.C. — A SWAT team raided a home near Drexel Elementary School in Burke County on Wednesday and arrested seven people accused of trafficking methamphetamine.

Drexel sheriff's deputies called in a police van to transport the group to jail.

Neighbors describe hearing a "flash bang" and then watched as SWAT quickly moved in.

"I heard a loud bang and I thought it was a crash and as soon as I came around the corner, the Burke task force ran me back inside,” neighbor Sam Buchanan said.

Deputies say they made an undercover bust at the home after receiving a tip about drug activity.

During the raid, they found a large quantity of methamphetamine less than a football field's distance from the elementary school, deputies said.

Ecentral and Nicole Francois live across the road with their two young children.

"My whole thing is, it is unnecessary,” Ecentral Francois said. “Why are you trying to sell drugs in a neighborhood that is quiet?”

"It's kind of scary because people get killed over that kind of stuff,” Nicole Francois said.

All of the seven people who were arrested are locked up under a $500,000 bond.

They face four felony charges including trafficking meth and selling the drug within 1,000 feet of a school.

Two women at the home said their family members were arrested, but denied knowing anything about the meth.

At Drexel Elementary School, parents are glad police moved in and made the arrests.

"I think it is a shame,” said Mitchell Brown, who has a child at the elementary school. “I think it is an absolute shame. I'm glad they found them and are getting them off the street."

The sheriff said the investigation is continuing and that all seven people will face a judge Friday morning in Morganton.

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