The early morning bust is the culmination of a year-long investigation that has led to arrests in nearby counties.
RED SPRINGS, N.C. -- A joint investigation with the Red Springs Police Department and the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, and Firearms has put an alleged drug house out of business. The operation is called "Hot Soup" and involved law enforcement officers from three counties.
Joseph Floyd awoke to an early surprise 6:30 a.m. after more than 100 law enforcement officials with helicopter support swarmed his neighbor’s place that locals called "the compound."
"It reminded me of a... war campaign, everybody come together as one,” described Floyd. “They had ATF, SBI, FBI."
Red Springs Police officers, ATF agents, Hoke County Sheriff's deputies and a Fayetteville police K-9 unit searched the site throughout the day on Friday. The Red Springs police chief, Troy McDuffie says the compound is responsible for selling crack cocaine, marijuana and firearms for more than 20 years. "We consider it a major player in not just the Red Springs area, but the surrounding counties... including Robeson County," explained Mcduffie.
A joint investigation with the Red Springs Police Department and the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, and Firearms has put an alleged drug house out of business. The operation is called "Hot Soup" and involved law enforcement officers from three counties.
The early morning bust is the culmination of a year-long investigation that has led to arrests in nearby counties. Six people were arrested at the compound while three more were nabbed during simultaneous raids in the neighboring town of Parkton and in Cumberland County. McDuffie says Operation Hot Soup is an ongoing investigation and expects to make more arrests during the next couple of days.
He is not releasing details on the amount of drugs seized, but says the arrests make the town of 4,000 people a safer place to live. "The citizens in this community, they deserve to live in peace in their community,” he said.
Floyd says he is glad to see drugs off the street… and hopefully an end to drug problems in local teens, "some of them were still in high school, and they choose to do this and now their life is ruined because of the wrong path they decided to take."