NEW DETAILS: Deputies arrest 3 in NHSO’s 2nd largest heroin bust

NEW HANOVER COUNTY, NC (WWAY) — Deputies with the New Hanover County Sheriff’s Office have arrested three men accused of being caught with $85,000 worth of drugs. Deputies said it’s the second largest heroin bust in the department’s history.

Deputies said the investigation took about three months long and involved three known felons receiving shipments of raw heroin. Detectives searched an apartment on the 4700 block of Greentree Road Tuesday and found the drugs, two of the suspects and a juvenile.

The men are accused of having 1,500 bags and nearly five ounces of uncut heroin. That uncut heroin could create an additional 4,500 more bags, investigators said. The drugs are worth $85,000, deputies said at a news conference. There was also cash recovered, but the amount was not specified at the news conference.

According to a news release, Jerome Brown and Fredrick McBride were the pair found in the home. They are both facing charges including trafficking and possession with intent to sell heroin. Both are in jail under a $1 million bond. A third suspect, Quince Moore, was also charged with similar charges but is only in jail under a $100,000 bond.

During the news conference, several cellphones that were seized in the bust continued to ring inside plastic bags. At times, deputies looked at the phones and took note of who was calling.