California Men Arrested in Orange County With 50 Pounds of Meth

The Orange County Sheriff’s Office arrested two men on Friday on drug trafficking charges — seizing 50 pounds of methamphetamine while doing so.

A release from the sheriff’s office on Tuesday said 22-year-old Alfredo Pizarro Ortiz and 41-year-old Rafael Angel Rodriguez are from Ontario, California. According to an office spokesperson, deputies made the arrest in a parking lot off Cardinal Drive in Hillsborough — which is near Interstate 85.

The message did not say how long the pair had been in North Carolina, but Orange County authorities worked in cooperation with the Durham County Sheriff’s Office and federal agencies to make the arrest.

“Fighting drug crimes is a bit like playing Whac-A-Mole,” Orange County Sheriff Charles Blackwood said in the release. “You work to knock down supply and another source pops up. But still, you know it’s a good day when you arrest two people for trafficking and you remove 50 pounds of a dangerous drug from our community.

“I am grateful for the hard work and cooperation of everyone who assisted with these arrests,” he added.

Ortiz and Rodriguez each face charges of trafficking in methamphetamine, possession of a controlled substance, and possession with intent to manufacture, sell, or deliver methamphetamine. The sheriff’s office said each are in custody at the Orange County Detention Center under $200,000 secured bonds.

Photo via the Orange County Sheriff’s Office.

Chapelboro.com does not charge subscription fees, and you can directly support our efforts in local journalism here. Want more of what you see on Chapelboro? Let us bring free local news and community information to you by signing up for our biweekly newsletter.

‹

Haiti Has 1 Million Displaced People, Mostly From Gang Violence. It’s Tripled Over the Past Year

The U.N. migration agency says internal displacement in Haiti, largely caused by gang violence, has tripled over the last year and now surpasses 1 million people — a record in the Caribbean nation.

New Orleans Plans To Reopen Bourbon Street as FBI Seeks Clues About Truck Attack That Killed 15

Written by ERIC TUCKER, JIM MUSTIAN, KEVIN McGILL and JACK BROOK NEW ORLEANS (AP) — New Orleans pressed ahead with plans to reopen the city’s famed Bourbon Street on Thursday as investigators kept digging into the background of the U.S. Army veteran who drove a pickup truck into a crowd of New Year’s revelers, killing 15 people. The FBI said it was […]

Haiti’s Main Airport and Capital Frozen After a Day of Violence

Written by EVENS SANON PORT-AU-PRINCE, Haiti (AP) — Haiti’s main airport remained closed on Tuesday, a day after violence erupted as the country swore in its new prime minister in a politically tumultuous transition. Life in much of the capital was frozen following the wave of violence, which came to a head when gangs shot a Spirit […]

Orange County Man Facing 14 Drug Trafficking Charges After Search, Arrest

Police arrested 35-year-old James Lorenzo Little on Thursday following a months-long investigation by the Orange County Sheriff's Office.

Shunned for Centuries, Vodou Grows Powerful as Haitians Seek Solace From Unrelenting Gang Violence

Written by DÁNICA COTO The Vodou faithful sing, their voices rising above the gunfire erupting miles away as frantic drumbeats drown out their troubles. They pause to swig rum out of small brown bottles, twirling in unison as they sing in Haitian Creole: “We don’t care if they hate us, because they can’t bury us.” […]

Hillsborough Police Department Investigates Attempted Murder Case Involving Charlotte Man

The Hillsborough Police Department announced charges against a Charlotte resident on Sunday after his arrest following a shooting.

Slayings of Tourists and Colombian Women Expose the Dark Side of Medellin’s Tourism Boom

Written by ASTRID SÚAREZ The lush valley enveloping Medellin was once the heart of a brutal war involving the Colombian government, drug cartels and a smattering of other armed groups. But a sharp dip in violence in the country’s second-biggest city has attracted a flood of tourists to its vivid colors, busy cafes and booming nightlife. About […]

Orange, Durham County Sheriffs Team Up for Cocaine and Heroin Bust

The Orange and Durham County sheriff’s offices teamed up in the last week to bring charges against two men and seize trafficking amounts of cocaine and heroin. A release from the Orange County Sheriff’s Office on Friday said it has charged Hillsborough resident Craig Whitted with two counts of trafficking in opium or heroin and […]

Sheriff's Office: Drug Deal in Chapel Hill Ends with 2 Arrests, Trafficking Charges

The Orange County Sheriff’s Office charged two North Carolina men on Monday for drug trafficking after investigators witnessed a deal happen in a Chapel Hill parking lot. A release from the office on Tuesday said sheriff’s deputies, Chapel Hill Police officers, and federal investigators detained 36-year-old Sergio Aguiar of Winston-Salem and 31-year-old Octavio Lopez of […]

California Men Arrested in Orange County With 50 Pounds of Meth

The Orange County Sheriff’s Office arrested two men on Friday on drug trafficking charges — seizing 50 pounds of methamphetamine while doing so. A release from the sheriff’s office on Tuesday said 22-year-old Alfredo Pizarro Ortiz and 41-year-old Rafael Angel Rodriguez are from Ontario, California. According to an office spokesperson, deputies made the arrest in […]

›