Eight people were arrested on over 100 felony charges after a weeks-long investigation headed by the North Carolina Alcohol Law Enforcement (ALE).
Starting in July, ALE began investigating the possession and sale of illegal drugs after getting a list of those substances through “spontaneous sources of information,” according to a search warrant.
Other WRAL Top Stories
From those sources, officers identified Prince-Anthonee-India Taylor as the person advertising and selling drugs such as marijuana, meth, cocaine and fentanyl.
Officials said Taylor had been selling and distributing drugs in and around ABC permitted establishments in Raleigh near the South Sounders Street area. ABC permitted establishments are any establishment engaged in serving some sort of business to the general public, which include bars and restaurants.
Over the course of several weeks, officers conducted undercover activities such as acting as a buyer for over $2,200 worth of drugs, according to the warrant. Officers exchanged money in empty chip bags in exchange for drugs handed off in cups at locations determined by the seller.
The warrant said agents also observed Taylor coming in and out of a home on East Martin Street in Raleigh before distribution runs.
On August 6, before midnight, police said Taylor texted an undercover agent with an updated price list for these substances, leading to his arrest, where he was found to be in possession of a large amount of assorted narcotics, including almost 30 grams of fentanyl.
Once arrested, Taylor was taken to the ALE office, where he agreed to be interviewed by police. There, he said he bought his fentanyl from a woman at an apartment on Raven Ridge Road in Raleigh.
The warrant said Taylor texted the number belonging to the woman, in which she responded she would meet him at Popeye’s. Officers traced the number back to a Kaitlyn Street, who had recently been stopped for a traffic related offense in a white Lincoln MKZ.
ALE agents surveyed the area Street said she would meet Taylor and they said they saw the white Lincoln pull up with a text message telling Taylor that she had arrived.
Street and the other passenger, Miah Lewis, were arrested by officers that day.
The warrant said a firearm that belonged to Lewis was found concealed in the backseat. Police said Lewis was also found to have almost 40 grams of fentanyl on her, similar to the color that had been sold by Taylor.
Lewis confirmed that she lived in the apartment complex on Raven Ridge Road. And through various observations through the weeks of the investigation, officers also confirmed that the house on E Martin Street had multiple “transactions of controlled substances.”
Both confirmations prompted officers to conduct a search warrant on both homes.
As a result, ALE agents said they seized approximately 12.5 ounces of fentanyl, 2.1 ounces of powder and crack cocaine, 5.7 ounces of meth, 1 pound of marijuana, $6,640 and two firearms.
Officers issued arrest warrants for the following people, allegedly charged in connection to this case:
- Prince Anthonee-India Taylor, 37, of Raleigh, charged with 43 felonies and 3 misdemeanors
- Felicia Coovert, 23, of Louisburg, charged with 12 felonies
- Ginger Kendrick, 23, of Mebane, charged with 8 felonies and 1 misdemeanor
- Kaitlyn Street, 24, of Fuquay Varina, charged with 11 felonies and 2 misdemeanors
- Tatyana Groves, 21, of Raleigh, charged with 9 felonies and 1 misdemeanor
- Miah Lewis, 25, of Raleigh, charged with 11 felonies and 1 misdemeanor
- Mykelti Wynn, 32, of Raleigh, charged with 6 felonies and 2 misdemeanors
- Christopher Brewington, 35, of Raleigh, charged with 1 felony and 1 misdemeanor