20 arrested in Nash County round-up targeting drugs, guns and gangs

Undercover police officers expect to arrest dozens of suspects tied to drugs, guns and gangs in a Nash County initiative this week.

Posted 12:09 p.m. Jun 20, 2016 — Updated 8:17 p.m. Jun 20, 2016

SPRING HOPE, N.C. — Nearly 100 law enforcement officers from multiple agencies gathered before dawn in a sweep code named "Operation Spring Break." The name, Nash County Sheriff Keith Stone said, combined the locale – Spring Hope – with the expectation that the two-day effort will break the cycle of recent drug-related crimes.

"Drug dealers work together, and they all use social media," Stone said. "By the time officers go to the first house the next one knows. So we've assigned 100 officers to hit these homes simultaneously."

By mid-day Monday, investigators arrested 22 suspects tied to drugs, guns and gangs. One by one, they were brought into custody at the Nash County Detention Center.

Stone said he expected arrests in the double digits again on Tuesday before the operation is complete.

"It allows us to find out who these drug dealers are, arrest them and send them away so that they are not in our communities wreaking havoc," he said.

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