Two nabbed in Taylor drug probe
A raid by sheriff’s deputies at a Taylor apartment complex landed two roommates behind bars and netted a cache of drugs and weapons, authorities said.
The threemonth investigation culminated with a Williamson County Sheriff’s Office SWAT team serving a search warrant about 11:30 a.m. Thursday at 1611 Jones St., investigators said. Barry White, 46, and Jesus Lopez III, 26, have been charged with possession of marijuana up to 50 pounds and unlawful possession of a firearm by a felon, deputies said. Lopez also is charged with tampering with or fabricating evidence, according to investigators.
The Williamson County Sheriff’s Office and a SWAT team executed a search warrant Thursday, Feb. 1 that resulted in two Taylor residents arrested, 46 pounds of marijuana seized, three grams of cocaine seized and multiple illegal firearms seized. Photos by Hunter Dworaczyk
Sgt. Heather Vargas, head of Williamson County Sheriff’s Office organized crime unit, speaks at a press conference Friday, Feb. 2, about a SWAT team raid that took place the previous day.
White
Lopez
The pair remained in the Williamson County Jail Friday; records did not indicate a bond amount as of press time.
Law officers are hoping the arrests put a crimp in the local drug scene.
“It is a big deal,” Sheriff Mike Gleason said at a Friday news conference. “It’s not a big deal in the grand scheme of narcotics, but it’s a big deal of how much traffic was coming out of one apartment in Taylor, Texas.”
Authorities seized 46 pounds of marijuana, nearly 3 grams of cocaine, four handguns, THC wax (a marijuana concentrate), a vehicle and around $900 in cash, said Sgt. Heather Vargas, head of the sheriff’s Organized Crime Unit.
An estimate of the suspected narcotics’ street value is pending, but Vargas said marijuana can be worth up to $2,000 a pound, or in this case about $92,000.
Vargas said authorities removed four neglected dogs from the location and started an investigation into possible animal cruelty.
Launched in November, the investigation began with tips from the community, deputies said.
Gleason said investigators monitored foot traffic to the apartment.
“In November, we hit a different apartment in that same complex,” Vargas said. “Then, we were informed that there was more going on. That’s why we started another investigation.”
The Taylor Police Department was not involved in the probe, but its officers have worked with the sheriff’s Organized Crime Unit in the past, officials said.
About the same time the raid was underway, dozens of law officers from various agencies were assisting Taylor police with another case — the high-profile search for a missing 8-year-old girl who was later found unharmed.
Sgt. Heather Vargas walks through the collected items to answer questions about what it might have been used for. Photo by Hunter Dworaczyk
