Wayne Authorities Target 'Smurfs'
Six people have been charged in an investigation targeting manufacturers of methamphetamine, and more arrests are expected, authorities said Friday.
Posted — UpdatedIn Operation Pop-a-Smurf, the drug squad of the Wayne County Sheriff's Office checked the logs of area pharmacies for six months to determine who was buying large amounts of pseudo-ephedrine, a key ingredient in many cold medications as well as methamphetamine.
People who go from store to store to purchase cold medications for use in methamphetamine production are known on the street as "smurfs."
The following people have been charged with possession of precursor chemicals: Willie Dean Lancaster, 22, of 113 Nancy Drive in Goldsboro; Gregory Scott Radford, 37, of 232 N.C. Highway 581 South in Goldsboro; James Corey West, 28, of 224 Southern Mobile Drive in Dudley; Holly Carroll Sutton, 23, of 183 Mobile Circle in Dudley; and William Jeremy Alexander, 25, of 607 Thine St. in Goldsboro.
Radford also was charged with manufacturing methamphetamine. Wendy Tucker Moore, 48, of 110 S. Alleghney Place in Dudley, was charged with violation of pseudo-ephedrine limits.
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