Tip leads to large heroin bust

Nearly $100,000 worth of drugs is off the street tonight.

The New Hanover County Sheriff’s department says this is its largest heroin bust to date.

Working on a tip, deputies stopped a vehicle Saturday night driven by Sherron Smith. Authorities say they found more than 2,000 bags of heroin, and over $6,000 dollars in cash inside.

Smith, Richard Middleton, and Joseph Perry were arrested on multiple drug charges in this bust.

Sheriff Sid Causey says his department’s work isn’t finished yet.

“We would like to move up and get the supplier where ever he or she may be. Everybody has a person that they purchase from and we’d certainly hope to do that,” said Causey.

The sheriff’s department says it will look to press federal charges.

Sheriff Causey says it’s not known whether the seized heroin is linked to recent overdoses we’ve mentioned in the news, but that the overdoses did prompt deputies to step up their investigation.